Single Meditation Tantra

(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/

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 // //