Investigation of Essences

(return to list of Contents & Translation of "Mulamadhyamakakarika: Verses from the Centre")

15. Investigation of Essences

(Essence)

1. rang bzhin rgyu dang rkyen las ni/
'byung bar rigs pa ma yin no/
rgyu dang rkyen las gang byung ba'i/
rang bzhin byas pa can du 'gyur/

1. It is unreasonable for an essence to arise from causes and conditions. Whatever essence arose from causes and conditions would be something that has been made.

2. rang bzhin byas pa can zhes byar/
ci ltar bur na rung bar 'gyur/
rang bzhin dag ni bcos min dang/
gzhan la ltos pa med pa yin/

2. How is it possible for there to be "an essence which has been made?" Essences are not contrived and not dependent on anything else.

3. rang bzhin yod pa ma yin na/
gzhan gyi dngos po ga la yod/
gzhan gyi dngos po'i rang bzhin no/
gzhan gyi dngos po yin zhes brjod/

3. If an essence does not exist, how can the thingness of the other exist? [For] the essence of the thingness of the other is said to be the thingness of the other.

[There is a problem here with the Tibetan translation from Sanskrit. Svabhava is translated as rang bzhin, but parabhava rather clumsily as gzhan gyi dngos po [the term first appears in I:3]. A Tibetan reader would thus lose the etymological connection between "own-thing" (svabhava) and "other-thing" (parabhava), which then link up with "thing" (bhava) and no-thing (abhava). Nagarjuna is playing on the word "thing".]

4. rang bzhin dang ni gzhan dngos dag/
ma gtogs dngos po gang [Ts.=ga] la yod/
rang bzhin dag ni gzhan dngos dag/
yod na dngos po 'grub par 'gyur/

4. Apart from an essence and the thingness of the other, what things are there? If essences and thingnesses of others existed, things would be established.

5. gal te dngos po ma grub na/
dngos med grub par mi 'gyur ro/
dngos po gzhan du 'gyur ba ni/
dngos med yin par skye bo smra/

5. If things were not established, non-things would not be established. [When] a thing becomes something else, people say that it is a non-thing.

6. gang dag rang bzhin gzhan dngos dang/
dngos dang dngos med nyid lta ba/
de dag sangs rgyas bstan pa la/
de nyid mthong ba ma yin no/

6. Those who view essence, thingness of the other, things and non-things do not see the suchness in the teaching of the awakened.

7. bcom ldan dngos dang dngos med pa/
mkhyen pas ka tya ya na yi/
gdams ngag las ni yod pa dang/
med pa gnyi ga'ang dgag par mdzad/

7. Through knowing things and non-things, the Buddha negated both existence and non-existence in his Advice to Katyayana.

8. gal te rang bzhin gyis yod na/
de ni med nyid mi 'gyur ro/
rang bzhin gzhan du 'gyur ba ni/
nam yang 'thad pa mi 'gyur ro/

8. If [things] existed essentially, they would not come to non-existence. It is never the case that an essence could become something else.

9. rang bzhin yod pa ma yin na/
gzhan du 'gyur ba gang gi yin/
rang bzhin yod pa yin na yang/
gzhan du 'gyur ba gang gi yin/

9. If essences did not exist, what could become something else? Even if essences existed, what could become something else?

10. yod ces bya ba rtag par 'dzin/
med ces bya ba chad par lta/
de phyir yod dang med pa la/
mkhas pas gnas par mi bya'o/

10. "Existence" is the grasping at permanence; "non-existence" is the view of annihilation. Therefore, the wise do not dwell, in existence or non-existence.

11. gang zhig rang bzhin gyis yod pa/
de ni med pa min pas rtag/
sngon byung da ltar med ces pa/
das na chad par thal bar 'gyur/

11. "Since that which exists by its essence is not non-existent," is [the view of] permanence. "That which arose before is now non-existent,"leads to [the view of] annihilation.

rang bzhin brtag pa zhes bya ba ste rab tu byed pa bco lnga pa'o //