The Heart of Dependent Origination
(Nāgārjuna's Pratītyasamutpāda hṛdayakārikā) (7 verses)
Last update: August 24, 2025
The Pratītyasamutpādahṛdayakārikā (Verses on the Heart of Dependent Origination) is a short text traditionally attributed to Nāgārjuna, though its authorship is occasionally debated due to its brevity and style. It consists of seven or eight verses (depending on the recension) and is often accompanied by Nāgārjuna’s auto-commentary (vyākhyāna), which elaborates on the verses.
The text succinctly outlines the twelve links (nidanas) of dependent origination (Pratītyasamutpāda),
their role in generating the karmic cycle (saṃsāra),
and their transcendence through understanding
their conditioned [T1] ⇐⇒ empty nature (Śūnyatā) [T2] [U2T] ⇐⇒ leading to liberation (nirvāṇa).
This text is compact, and it directly addresses
the twelve links, their interdependence [T1]
⇐⇒ and emptiness [T2]
⇐⇒ within the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] framework.
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0. Obeisance to Manjushree, the Youthful One.
The Pratītyasamutpādahṛdayakārikā begins with an
obeisance to Mañjuśrī, symbolizing wisdom (Prajñā),
and consists of seven verses that succinctly analyze
– the twelve links of dependent origination (Pratītyasamutpāda),
– their organization into afflictions (kleshas), actions (karma), and miseries (dukkha),
– their cyclic interdependence [T1] ⇐⇒ their emptiness (Śūnyatā) [T2] [U2T],
– and their transcendence through wisdom, leading to liberation (Moksha).
The text refutes traditional views that reify the links or nirvāṇa as inherent, portraying them as conventional designations [T1] ⇐⇒ empty [T2] [U2T] ⇐⇒ and part of the non-dual Middle Way.
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1. The twelve discrete constituents of interdependent Origination
which were taught by the sage are wholly collected in three:
afflictions (kleshas: ignorance and attachment),
actions (karma or intentional actions) and
miseries (dukkha or suffering)
(the three are interconnected and arise in a causal chain).
afflictions, actions and miseries.
Verse 1 introduces the twelve links of dependent origination — ignorance (avidyā), formative forces (saṃskāra), consciousness (vijñāna), name and form (nāmarūpa), six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), craving (tṛṣṇā), grasping (upādāna), becoming (bhava), birth (jāti), and aging-and-death (jarāmaraṇa) — as taught by the Buddha (“the sage”).
It organizes them into three categories: afflictions (kleshas), actions (karma), and miseries (dukkha), providing a framework to understand their role in the karmic cycle. Conventionally [T1], these “discrete constituents” form a causal chain, each link conditioning the next, producing suffering in saṃsāra.
The verse’s emphasis on “interdependent Origination” [T1] ⇐⇒ implies the links are empty [T2] ⇐⇒ as their dependence precludes inherent existence.
Traditional views might reify the links as real entities, but their categorization as afflictions, actions, and miseries highlights their conditioned, relational nature [T1] ⇐⇒ empty of own-being [T2] [U2T].
∴ The teaching of the twelve links is itself a conventional designation, dependently co-arisen [T1] ⇐⇒ with emptiness [T2] [U2T], as it relies on the Buddha’s pedagogical context [T1], not an absolute truth [T2] [U2T].
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2. The first eighth and ninth are afflictions [kleshas],
the second and tenth are actions [karma]
while the remaining seven are miseries [dukkha],
Thus the twelve elements [nidanas] are collected in three.
Verse 2 specifies the three categories:
– afflictions (kleśa: ignorance [1st], craving [8th], grasping [9th]),
– actions (karma: formative forces [2nd], becoming [10th]), and
– miseries (duḥkha: consciousness [3rd], name and form [4th], six sense bases [5th], contact [6th], feeling [7th], birth [11th], aging-and-death [12th]).
This categorization clarifies the cycle’s mechanism:
afflictions (delusions) drive actions (volitional karma),
producing miseries (suffering).
(i.e. This framework explains how suffering isn't a random event but arises from specific, identifiable causes and conditions within the cyclic process of existence, the limitless and centerless karmic cycle.)
Conventionally [T1], these links form a causal sequence.
The links’ interdependence [T1] — e.g., ignorance conditions formative forces — means they are empty [T2] [U2T], lacking own-being. Traditional views reifying afflictions or miseries (e.g., real suffering) are refuted, as all are conditioned [T1] ⇐⇒ empty [T2] [U2T].
∴ The teaching of these categories is a conventional framework co-arisen with emptiness [T1] ⇐⇒ not absolute [T2] [U2T].
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3. From the three two Originates,
from the two originates seven
and from these seven in turn, originate the three;
thus the wheel of existence revolves again and again.
Verse 3 describes the cyclic interdependence of the twelve links, illustrating how the three afflictions (ignorance, craving, grasping) produce the two actions (formative forces, becoming), which generate the seven miseries (consciousness, name and form, etc.), which in turn produce the three afflictions, perpetuating the “wheel of existence” (saṃsāra). Conventionally [T1], the links form a continuous cycle.
The cyclic nature — “revolves again and again” — implies interdependence [T1], as each link depends on others, rendering them empty [T2] [U2T].
Traditional views of a real, enduring cycle or self (Verse 33’s opponent) are refuted, as the wheel is a “limitless and centerless” process ⇐⇒ empty of inherent reality.
∴ The teaching of this cycle is conventional, co-defined with emptiness [T1] ⇐⇒ not absolute [T2] [U2T].
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4. The entire world [samsara] is cause and effect [T1],
excluding these three there is no sentient being [T2] [U2T].
From elements which are void in nature
only empty elements originate.
Verse 4 asserts that saṃsāra (“the entire world”) is a process of cause and effect, encompassing the twelve links ⇐⇒ with “no sentient being” apart from these conditioned, empty elements.
The three categories (afflictions, actions, miseries) or their links are “cause and effect” [T1] ⇐⇒ not inherent entities [T2] [U2T]. “Excluding these three there is no sentient being” refutes a real self, as the personality is merely these empty links.
“Elements which are void in nature” [empty causes] produce “only empty elements [empty effects],” as causes (e.g., ignorance) and effects (e.g., consciousness) are empty [T2] ⇐⇒ due to interdependence [T1].
∴ Traditional views reifying sentient beings or the cycle’s causality are refuted ⇐⇒ as all are illusory.
∴ The teaching of cause and effect is conventional [T1] ⇐⇒ empty, and non-absolute [T2] [U2T].
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5. Through the similes of oral instruction,
a lamp, a mirror, a seal, a sun crystal, a seed,
sourness and sound/echo
the wise should understand the non-transmigration [T2],
as well as the re-emergence of the aggregates [T1] [U2T].
Verse 5 uses similes — lamp, mirror, seal, sun crystal, seed, sourness, sound/echo — to explain the “non-transmigration, as well as the re-emergence of the aggregates” in the karmic cycle. Conventionally [T1], the aggregates (form, feeling, etc.) “re-emerge” across rebirths, appearing to transmigrate, as birth (11th link) follows becoming (10th link).
The similes illustrate continuity without a real self: [No continuity, no discontinuity] a lamp’s flame passes to another without identity; a mirror’s reflection appears without substance; a seal imprints without transferring essence; a sun crystal refracts light; a seed produces a plant; sourness evokes taste; an echo repeats sound — all conditioned [T1] ⇐⇒ empty [T2] [U2T].
“There is no sentient being” (Verse 4) transmigrating, as the aggregates are empty, refuting a real self moving across lives. The “wise” understand this non-transmigration, seeing rebirth as illusory. The similes are conventional teachings [T1] ⇐⇒ empty, and non-absolute [T2].
Note: You’re absolutely right that this verse points to the Madhyamaka view that there is neither inherent continuity (eternalism, a persistent self) nor discontinuity (annihilationism, a destroyed or entirely different entity) at these junctions — whether between cause and effect in the twelve links, across rebirths, or from saṃsāra to nirvāṇa.
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Refined Explanation: Verse 5 addresses the apparent continuity of the karmic cycle across rebirths, using similes to illustrate that there is neither inherent transmigration (continuity, eternalism) nor complete cessation (discontinuity, annihilationism) of a self or entity, whether at the junction between cause and effect in the twelve links, from one rebirth to another, or from saṃsāra to nirvāṇa.
Conventionally [T1], the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, formations, consciousness) “re-emerge” across rebirths, as the twelfth link (aging-and-death) leads back to ignorance via rebirth (eleventh link). This re-emergence appears as a causal sequence — e.g., ignorance causes formative force — or a continuity of personality across lives, as traditional views might assume. However, Nāgārjuna asserts “non-transmigration,” meaning no inherent self or entity migrates, as the aggregates are empty [T2] ⇐⇒ conditioned by interdependence [T1].
The similes — lamp, mirror, seal, sun crystal, seed, sourness, sound/echo — illustrate this non-duality:
– Lamp: A flame passes to another lamp without an identical essence, showing causal connection [T1] ⇐⇒ without inherent continuity [T2] [U2T].
– Mirror: A reflection appears without a real entity, indicating illusory re-emergence [T1] ⇐⇒ empty (T2).
– Seal: An imprint transfers a pattern [T1] ⇐⇒ without substance [T2] [U2T], suggesting causal dependence [T1] ⇐⇒ without a transmigrating self [T2] [U2T].
– Sun crystal: Light refracts through a crystal, producing effects [T1] ⇐⇒ without inherent identity [T2] [U2T].
– Seed: A plant arises from a seed, connected [T1] ⇐⇒ yet distinct, empty of a fixed essence [T2] [U2T] .
– Sourness: Taste arises conditionally [T1] ⇐⇒ not inherently [T2] [U2T].
– Sound/echo: An echo repeats [T1] ⇐⇒ without a real entity [T2] [U2T], illusory yet apparent.
These similes convey that the “re-emergence of the aggregates” (e.g., new birth from becoming) is a conditioned process [T1] ⇐⇒ not the transmigration of an inherent self [T2] [U2T], refuting eternalism (continuity, a persistent self) and annihilationism (discontinuity, a destroyed or different entity).
At the junction between cause and effect (e.g., ignorance to formative forces), rebirth (one life to another), or saṃsāra to nirvāṇa, there is neither inherent continuity (a self enduring) nor discontinuity (a self annihilated), as all are empty [T2] [U2T]. The “wise” understand this non-dual reality, seeing the cycle’s junctions as illusory, conditioned processes [T1] ⇐⇒ not substantial transitions [T2] [U2T].
The teaching of “non-transmigration [T2]” and “re-emergence [T1]” is itself a conventional designation [T1] ⇐⇒ dependently co-arisen with emptiness [T2], as it relies on similes and the Buddha’s pedagogy. It is empty, not an absolute truth [T2], ensuring the teaching avoids reification while guiding to the Middle Way.
Thematic Significance: Verse 5 refutes the inherent continuity or discontinuity at the junctions of cause and effect, rebirth, and saṃsāra-nirvāṇa, using similes to show the aggregates’ re-emergence is empty [T2], dependently arisen [T1], and illusory, aligning with the [U2T].
The teaching is conventional (T1), empty and non-absolute (T2), reinforcing the insight that there is “no real junction.”
In short, no continuity, no discontinuity, means there is conventional functionality [T1] but nothing is inherently existing [T2] [U2T]:
Exactly! In Nāgārjuna’s Pratītyasamutpādahṛdayakārikā (Verse 5), "no continuity, no discontinuity" means the karmic cycle, rebirth, and saṃsāra-nirvāṇa junction have conventional functionality [T1] — dependently arisen, like illusions ⇐⇒ but nothing is inherently existing [T2] [U2T]. There’s no persistent self (continuity, eternalism) or annihilated entity (discontinuity, annihilationism); all are empty [T2] ⇐⇒ conventional designations [T1] [U2T].
∴ Even teachings like dependent origination and emptiness are empty [T2-2T], merely imputed by the mind [T1-2T], aligning with the insight of no real junction or liberation.
This points to the non-dual Middle Way, where reality is relatively functional yet insubstantial.
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6. One who conceives even very subtle elements as
non-existence (grasping emptiness as complete non-existence [T2])
fails to see an object
which are dependently produced [T1].
Verse 6 warns against misinterpreting emptiness as non-existence (nihilism).
One who “conceives even very subtle elements as non-existence” denies the conventional reality [T1] of dependently produced objects (e.g., the twelve links, Verse 1), failing to see their interdependent arising. Dependent production [T1] ⇐⇒ is the basis for emptiness [T2] (and vice versa [U2T]), as only conditioned phenomena [T1] ⇐⇒ are empty [T2].
Misconceiving emptiness as absolute non-existence ignores the [U2T], where [T1] and [T2] are inseparable, interdependent, non-dual.
∴ The teaching of dependent production is conventional, co-arisen with emptiness [T1], not absolute [T2], ensuring it is a skillful means, not a denial of phenomena.
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7. So there is nothing denied or affirmed [absolutely].
See reality as it is for one who sees reality
is released [from bondage of afflictions].
Verse 7 concludes by defining nirvāṇa as realizing “reality as it is” — the Union of the Two Truths [U2T], where phenomena are dependently arisen [T1] ⇐⇒ and empty [T2] — without affirming or denying them absolutely.
“Nothing denied or affirmed [absolutely]” rejects the catuskoti’s extremes (existence, non-existence, both, neither), as phenomena are neither inherently real nor non-existent but conventional designations [T1] ⇐⇒ empty [T2].
Seeing this reality — Union of the Two Truths [U2T] — releases one “from bondage of afflictions” (kleśas), as wisdom dissolves [T2] (without rejection [T1]) ignorance and passions (conventional truths) [U2T-in-action].
Nirvāṇa is not a reified state but the transcendence [T2] (without rejection [T1]) of delusion (conventional truths) [U2T-in-action].
The teachings of dependent origination [T1] ⇐⇒ emptiness [T2] ⇐⇒ and [U2T] are conventional (T1-2T) ⇐⇒ empty, and non-absolute (T2-2T) (U2T-2T, U2T-U2T), guiding to this non-dual realization.
The Pratītyasamutpādahṛdayakārikā (Lindtner’s translation) concisely analyzes the twelve links, organizing them into afflictions, actions, and miseries (Verses 1–2), illustrating their cyclic interdependence [T1] (Verse 3) ⇐⇒ affirming their emptiness [T2] [U2T] (Verse 4), explaining rebirth’s illusory continuity (Verse 5), warning against nihilism (Verse 6), and defining nirvāṇa as realizing the [U2T] (Verse 7).
It refutes traditional views of a real cycle or liberation.
∴ The teachings of dependent origination [T1], emptiness [T2], and [U2T] are conventional (T1-2T) ⇐⇒ empty, and non-absolute (T2-2T) (U2T-2T, U2T-U2T),
supporting the insight that saṃsāra, nirvāṇa, and their junction are empty designations.
∴ The Middle Way emerges as the non-dual realization of this emptiness, liberating without reification.
Nāgārjuna's Pratītyasamutpādahṛdayakārikā, or The Heart of Dependent Origination, stands as a profound distillation of Buddhist philosophy, encapsulating the essence of the twelve links (nidānas) of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda) within a mere seven verses.
Through its succinct structure — beginning with an obeisance to Mañjuśrī, the embodiment of wisdom (prajñā), and unfolding into a systematic analysis — this text not only elucidates the mechanics of saṃsāra but also illuminates the path to its transcendence, all while adhering to the Madhyamaka school's non-dual framework of the Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
Conventionally [T1], the twelve links form a causal chain that perpetuates suffering; ultimately [T2], they are empty of inherent existence (śūnyatā), unborn, and illusory — like phenomena that are "there, yet not there."
This union [U2T] reveals dependent origination and emptiness as inseparable, interdependent facets of reality, refuting any reification of the cycle, its components, or even liberation itself.
In this conclusion, we delve deeply into the text's philosophical depth, its refutation of extremes, the role of skillful means (upāya), the non-dual junctions of existence, and its enduring significance for realizing nirvāṇa as the non-affirmative, non-denying insight into reality "as it is."
At its core, the text reorganizes the Buddha's teaching on the twelve nidānas — ignorance (avidyā), formative forces (saṃskāra), consciousness (vijñāna), name and form (nāmarūpa), six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), craving (tṛṣṇā), grasping (upādāna), becoming (bhava), birth (jāti), and aging-and-death (jarāmaraṇa) — into three interconnected categories: afflictions (kleśas: 1st, 8th, 9th links), actions (karma: 2nd, 10th links), and miseries (duḥkha: the remaining seven).
This tripartite framework, introduced in Verses 1 and 2, serves as a pedagogical tool to demystify the karmic cycle's operation. Afflictions, rooted in delusion, propel intentional actions, which in turn manifest as the manifold sufferings of existence.
Verse 3 vividly portrays this as a self-perpetuating "wheel of existence" that "revolves again and again," where the three produce the two, the two yield the seven, and the seven regenerate the three in an endless loop. Conventionally [T1], this model explains suffering not as arbitrary but as a conditioned process arising from identifiable causes, offering practitioners a map for ethical cultivation and mindfulness to interrupt the chain—e.g., by uprooting ignorance through insight.
Yet, Nāgārjuna's genius lies in subverting any temptation to view this cycle as inherently real.
Verse 4 declares that "the entire world [saṃsāra] is cause and effect," with "no sentient being" existing apart from these empty elements.
Here, the text pivots to the ultimate truth [T2]: the links, as interdependent and co-defined, lack own-being (svabhāva); empty causes produce only empty effects, rendering the whole process illusory.
This emptiness is not a negation but a direct consequence of dependence — precisely because phenomena arise co-dependently [T1], they are void of inherent existence [T2], embodying the U2T.
Traditional interpretations, whether from non-Mahāyāna schools or commonsense realism, that reify the nidānas as substantial entities (e.g., a truly existent self enduring through rebirth) are thus dismantled.
The "sentient being" is merely a conventional designation, a bundle of empty aggregates (skandhas), without an independent core.
This insight extends to the cycle itself: saṃsāra is a "limitless and centerless" process, not a fixed wheel with a substantial hub, but a relational web that dissolves under scrutiny.
Verse 5 deepens this by addressing the apparent paradoxes at the "junctions" of the cycle — between cause and effect within the nidānas, across rebirths, and even from saṃsāra to nirvāṇa — using eight similes: oral instruction, lamp, mirror, seal, sun crystal, seed, sourness, and sound/echo. These metaphors illustrate the "non-transmigration" [T2] alongside the "re-emergence of the aggregates" [T1], capturing the Madhyamaka rejection of both eternalism (inherent continuity) and annihilationism (inherent discontinuity).
For instance, a lamp's flame passes to another without transferring an identical essence, showing causal connection [T1] yet no persistent entity [T2];
an echo repeats sound without substance, affirming illusory appearance [T1] while denying inherent reality [T2].
Applied to rebirth, the aggregates re-emerge in a new life (e.g., from becoming to birth) without a soul migrating, much like a seed yielding a plant that is connected yet distinct.
This non-duality [U2T] ensures that there is "no real junction": no enduring self crosses from one life to another, nor is there abrupt annihilation, only conditioned, empty processes.
Extending this to saṃsāra-nirvāṇa, the text implies that liberation is not a radical break or a separate realm but the realization that saṃsāra's illusions were never inherently binding — nirvāṇa is saṃsāra rightly seen, empty yet functional.
Crucially, Verses 6 and 7 guard against misapplications of this emptiness doctrine, emphasizing its role as a complementary antidote.
Verse 6 critiques those who misconstrue śūnyatā as absolute non-existence (nihilism), warning that grasping "even very subtle elements as non-existence" blinds one to dependent production [T1]. Emptiness is not a void that erases phenomena but the very condition that allows their conventional arising; to deny the relative [T1] is to fail the U2T, reducing Madhyamaka to a destructive skepticism.
Verse 7 culminates in the Middle Way: "So there is nothing denied or affirmed [absolutely]. See reality as it is for one who sees reality is released [from bondage of afflictions]." This tetralemma (catuṣkoṭi) rejection — neither affirming existence, non-existence, both, nor neither in absolute terms — defines nirvāṇa as the direct, non-conceptual insight into the U2T.
Liberation arises not through effortful rejection but through "acting without acting": engaging conventionally [T1] without reification or attachment [T2], transcending dualistic conceptual proliferation (prapañca) without altering phenomena. The wise see beyond opposites — cause/effect, samsāra/nirvāṇa, transmigration/non-transmigration — as empty designations, freeing the mind from kleśas.
Throughout, the text positions its teachings as adapted skillful means (upāya): the categorizations, cycle model, similes, and even doctrines of dependent origination (T1-2T) and emptiness (T2-2T) are conventional tools [T1], themselves empty and non-absolute [T2], forming a meta-union (U2T-2T or U2T-U2T).
This self-reflexivity prevents dogmatism; as the document notes, even emptiness is "merely imputed by the mind" (T1-2T), ensuring the path avoids reifying its own antidotes. Thematically, this aligns with broader Madhyamaka works like the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, where Nāgārjuna (if authorship holds) uses similar dialectics to deconstruct views, but here the focus on the nidānas makes it uniquely accessible for contemplating karma, rebirth, and suffering.
In philosophical significance, The Heart of Dependent Origination bridges sūtra teachings (e.g., the Buddha's nidāna discourses) with śāstra profundity, offering a Middle Way that is radically inclusive yet insubstantial. It challenges eternalist views (e.g., a real self in rebirth) and nihilist pitfalls (e.g., denying karma's efficacy), fostering ethical responsibility [T1] while dissolving ontological bondage [T2]. For contemporary readers, it resonates in discussions of interdependence—echoing systems theory or quantum relationality—while underscoring that all models, scientific or spiritual, are conventional designations, empty of ultimacy. Ultimately, the text's "heart" is this liberating paradox: saṃsāra's cycle is real enough to cause suffering yet empty enough to transcend effortlessly.
By realizing the U2T, one awakens to a reality beyond duality, where bondage and release are non-different, and the wheel stops revolving not through cessation but through seeing its illusory spin. As such, Nāgārjuna's verses endure as a beacon for the wise, guiding toward the non-dual peace of nirvāṇa.