Investigation of Combination

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

20. Investigation of Combination

(Combination)

1. gal te rgyu dang rkyen rnams kyi/
tshogs pa nyid las skye 'gyur zhing/
tshogs la 'bras bu yod na ni/
ji ltar tshogs pa nyid las skye/

1. If a fruit is born from the combination of cause and conditions and exists in the combination, how can it be born from the combination itself?

2. gal te rgyu dang rkyen rnams kyi/
tshogs pa nyid las skye 'gyur zhing/
tshogs la 'bras bu med na ni/
ji ltar tshogs pa nyid las skye/

2. If a fruit is born from the combination of cause and conditions and does not exist in the combination, how can it be born from the combination itself?

3. gal te rgyu dang rkyen rnams kyi/
tshogs la 'bras bu yod na ni/
tshogs la gzung du yod rigs na/
tshogs pa nyid la gzung du med/

3. If the fruit exists in the combination of cause and conditions, it would be correct for it to be apprehendable in the combination but it is not apprehendable in the combination.

4. gal te rgyu dang rkyen rnams kyi/
tshogs la 'bras bu med na ni/
rgyu rnams dang ni rkyen dag kyang/
rgyu rkyen ma yin mtshungs par 'gyur/

4. If the fruit does not exist in the combination of cause and conditions, the causes and conditions would be comparable to non-causes and conditions.

5. gal te rgyus ni 'bras bu la/
rgyu byin nas ni 'gag 'gyur na/
gang byin pa dang gang 'gags pa'i/
rgyu yi bdag nyid gnyis su 'gyur/

5. If the cause stops once it has given the cause to the fruit, there would be a double nature of the cause: one that gives and one that stops.

6. gal te rgyus ni 'bras bu la/
rgyu ma byin par 'gag 'gyur na/
rgyu 'gags nas ni skyes pa yi/
'bras bu de dag rgyu med 'gyur/

6. If the cause stops without having given the cause to the fruit, those fruits which are born after the cause has stopped would be uncaused.

7. gal te tshogs dang lhan cig tu/
'bras bu yang ni skye 'gyur na/
skyed par byed dang bskyed bya gang/
dus gcig par ni thal bar 'gyur/

7. If the fruit were also born at the same time as the combination, it would follow that the producer and the produced would be simultaneous.

8. gal te tshogs pa'i snga rol du/
'bras bu skyes par gyur na ni/
rgyu dang rkyen rnams med pa yi/
'bras bu rgyu med 'byung bar 'gyur/

8. If the fruit were born prior to the combination, there would occur an uncaused fruit which has no cause and conditions.

9. gal te rgyu 'gags 'bras bu na/
rgyu ni kun tu 'pho bar 'gyur/
sngon skyes pa yi rgyu yang ni/
yang skye bar ni thal bar 'gyur/

9. If [when] a cause stops, it is forever transferred to the fruit, then it would follow that the cause which was born before would be born again.

10. 'gags pa nub par gyur pa yis/
'bras bu skyes pa ji ltar skyed/
'bras bu dang ni 'brel ba'i rgyu/
gnas pas kyang ni ji ltar skyed/

10. How can the production of fruit be produced by the stopping and disappearing [of something]? Also how can fruit be produced by related causes which persist with it?

11. ci ste rgyu 'bras ma 'brel na/
'bras bu gang zhig skyed par byed/
rgyus ni mthong dang ma mthong bar/
'bras bu skyed par mi byed do/

11. If cause and fruit are not related, what fruit can be produced? Causes do not produce fruits they either see or don't see.

12. 'bras bu 'das pa rgyu 'das dang/
ma skyes pa dang skyes pa dang/
lhan cig phrad par 'gyur pa ni/
nam yang yod pa ma yin no/

12. The simultaneous connection of a past fruit with a past, a future and a present cause never exists.

13. 'bras bu skyes pa rgyu ma skyes/
'das pa dang ni skyes pa dang/
lhan cig phrad par 'gyur pa ni/
nam yang yod pa ma yin no/

13. The simultaneous connection of a present fruit with a future, a past and a present cause never exists.

14. 'bras bu ma skyes rgyu skyes dang/
ma skyes pa dang 'das pa dang/
lhan cig phrad par 'gyur ba ni/
nam yang yod pa ma yin no/

14. The simultaneous connection of a future fruit with a present, a future and a past cause never exists.

15. phrad pa yod pa ma yin na/
rgyus ni 'bras bu ji ltar skyed/
phrad pa yod pa yin na yang/
rgyus ni 'bras bu ji ltar skyed/

15. When there is no connection, how can a cause produce fruit? Even when there is connection, how can a cause produce fruit?

16. gal te 'bras bus stong pa'i rgyus/
ji ltar 'bras bu skyed par byed/
gal te 'bras bus mi stong rgyus/
ji ltar 'bras bu skyed par byed/

16. If a cause is empty of fruit, how can it produce fruit? If a cause is not empty of fruit, how can it produce fruit?

[Ts. 353 appears to read stong in this context as simply "absent". This verse and 17-18 indicate N's fluid, non-dogmatic use of the term "empty".]

17. 'bras bu mi stong skye mi 'gyur/
mi stong 'gag par mi 'gyur ro/
mi stong de ni ma 'gags dang/
ma skyes par yang 'gyur ba yin/

17. Unempty fruit would not be produced; the unempty would not stop. That unempty is unstoppable and also unproducable.

18. stong pa ji ltar skye 'gyur zhing/
stong pa ji ltar 'gag par 'gyur/
stong pa de yang ma 'gags dang/
ma skyes par yang thal bar 'gyur/

18. How would empty [fruit] be produced? And how would the empty stop? It follows that that empty too is unstoppable and also unproducable.

[ Ts. 354 gets round this by saying: "How would fruit which is empty of inherent existence be intrinsically produced? And how would it stop by its own nature?" This adds something that is not there in Nagarjuna in order to conform to Ts's insistence that stong pa ALWAYS means rang bzhin gyis stong pa.]

19. rgyu dang 'bras bu gcig nyid du/
nam yang 'thad par mi 'gyur ro/
rgyu dang 'bras bu gzhan nyid du/
nam yang 'thad par mi 'gyur ro/

19. It is never possible that cause and fruit are identical. It is never possible that cause and fruit are other.

20. rgyu dang 'bras bu gcig nyid na/
bskyed bya skyed byed gcig tu 'gyur/
rgyu dang 'bras bu gzhan nyid na/
rgyu dang rgyu min mtshungs par 'gyur/

20. If cause and fruit were identical, produce and producer would be identical. If cause and fruit were other, cause and non-cause would be similar.

21. 'bras bu ngo bo nyid yod na/
rgyus ni ci zhig skyed par byed/
'bras bu ngo bo nyid med na/
rgyus ni ci zhig skyed par byed/

21. If fruit existed essentially, what would a cause produce? If fruit did not exist essentially, what would a cause produce?

[Ts. 354-5 has the same difficulty as in 16-18 with l. c-d. He explains that a non-inherently existing fruit would not be produced by a cause in the sense that non-inherently existence things are also non-inherently existent. This is another example of Ts. forcing Nagarjuna into his Ts's. interpretative scheme. It also shows Ts. as somewhat "incurable". G. 266 also fudges this difficulty: "from the ultimate standpoint it does not arise."]

22. skyed par byed pa ma yin na/
rgyu nyid 'thad par mi 'gyur ro/
rgyu nyid 'thad pa yod min na/
'bras bu gang gi yin par 'gyur/

22. If it were not productive, the cause itself would be impossible. If the cause itself were impossible, whose would the fruit be?

23. rgyu rnams dang ni rkyen dag gi/
tshogs pa gang yin de yis ni/
bdag gis bdag nyid mi skyed na/
'bras bu ji ltar skyed par byed/

23. If whatever is a combination of causes and conditions does not produce itself by itself, how could it produce fruit?

24. de phyir tshogs pas byas pa med/
tshogs min byas pa'i 'bras bu med/
'bras bu yod pa ma yin na/
rkyen gyi tshogs pa ga la yod/

24. Therefore, there is no fruit which has been made by combination [or] made by non-combination. If fruit does not exist, where can a combination of conditions exist?

tshogs pa brtag pa zhes bya ba ste rab tu byed pa nyi shu pa'o//