Madhyamaka
Nagarjuna's Precious Garland (Ratnavali)
Nāgārjuna, translated by Jeffrey Hopkins
Why it matters
Connects the high non-dual philosophy of emptiness with ethical conduct, compassion, and the path of the bodhisattva.
The tradition behind it
Madhyamaka, the Middle Way school founded on the work of Nagarjuna, teaches that nothing exists with a fixed, independent essence. Things arise in dependence on causes and conditions, and are therefore empty (sunyata). Seeing this loosens the grip of rigid views, including views about ourselves.
Try it in practice
- Look for the edge
Find where the problem begins and ends. Look for its edges, its location, its owner. What you find is a set of conditions, not a solid thing.
- Given this, that
Name three conditions that had to meet for this to be here. Notice that none of them is the trouble by itself, and none of them is you.
- Breathe for both
Breathe in the version of this that others also carry; breathe out relief. Let the trouble stop being only yours for a few breaths.