Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra 8K
(Note: All-knowledge, Omniscience
and the Union of the Two Truths)
Last update: August 15, 2025
In the context of Mahayana Madhyamaka philosophy,
the realization of the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]
is indeed profoundly related to
the attainment of All-knowledge (Sarvajña, often translated as "all-knowing")
and Omniscience (Sarvajñatā).
This relationship is not merely tangential but foundational:
the complete, non-dual realization of the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] constitutes the cognitive essence of a Buddha's omniscience, enabling the perfected wisdom that knows all phenomena exhaustively in both their conventional [T1] and ultimate dimensions [T2] [U2T].
To explain this thoroughly,
- A. I will first clarify the key concepts as they appear in Madhyamaka texts and commentaries,
- B. then delineate the nature of omniscience in Mahayana Buddhism,
- C. and finally elucidate their interconnection,
drawing on classical sources like Nāgārjuna, Candrakīrti, and later Tibetan interpreters such as Tsongkhapa and Gorampa. This explanation aligns with the provided context, where the View (U2T), Path (skillful means united with wisdom), and Fruit (perfected virtues and wisdom) are interdependent and harmonious.
Mahayana Madhyamaka, as expounded by Nāgārjuna in his Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (MMK), posits that all phenomena (dharmas) exist in two interdependent modes of truth, avoiding the extremes of eternalism (inherent existence) and nihilism (complete non-existence):
Conventional Truth (Saṃvṛti-satya or T1):
This refers to dependently co-arisen (pratītyasamutpāda), relatively functional, impermanent appearances.
These are the everyday phenomena we experience — such as forms, feelings, causes, effects, and even skillful means like bodhicitta, the six pāramitās (perfections), and the four immeasurables.
They are "true" in a mundane sense because they function causally and lead to practical outcomes, but they are illusory or deceptive when taken as inherently real.
Ultimate Truth (Paramārtha-satya or T2):
This is the emptiness (śūnyatā) of inherent existence in all phenomena.
Nothing arises, exists, or ceases independently;
everything lacks self-nature (svabhāva).
This truth is realized through non-conceptual wisdom,
revealing the absence of intrinsic essence.
The "Union" [U2T]
emphasizes that these two truths are not separate ontologies
but inseparable aspects of the same reality:
conventional appearances are empty,
and emptiness manifests only through conventional appearances.
Nāgārjuna states in MMK 24:18–19:
"We state that whatever is dependent arising, that is emptiness.
That is dependent upon convention.
That itself is the middle path...
There is no thing that is not dependently arisen;
therefore, there is no such thing that is not empty."
This union is non-dual (advaya),
meaning the two truths are neither identical nor different;
they are like two sides of a coin or fire and its heat —
inseparable yet distinguishable for pedagogical purposes.
.
In the Path, as per the context, this union manifests as
the integration of conventional skillful means
(upāya, e.g., compassion-driven actions)
with the wisdom realizing emptiness (prajñā),
gradually purifying obscurations.
The Fruit is the complete actualization of this union,
yielding perfected virtues (like the ten powers of a Buddha)
and wisdom, where all dharmas are seen as they truly are.
.
.
In Mahayana Buddhism, Sarvajña ("all-knowing")
and Sarvajñatā ("omniscience")
are attributes of a fully enlightened Buddha,
denoting the unobstructed, simultaneous knowledge of
all phenomena necessary for liberation and the benefit of beings.
Unlike a simplistic "knowing everything at once"
(as critiqued in some texts against rival claims),
Buddhist omniscience is nuanced:
It arises from the removal of two obscurations:
– afflictive obscurations (kleśāvaraṇa, e.g., ignorance, attachment) and
– cognitive obscurations (jñeyāvaraṇa, subtle veils preventing full knowledge of phenomena).
It encompasses both
– the "diversity" (all conventional phenomena, their causes, effects, and interrelations)
– and the "modes" (the ultimate nature of emptiness across all).
Key Mahayana texts, such as the Abhisamayālaṃkāra (a commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras), delineate a threefold structure of Buddha's knowledge:
Sarvajñatā (All-Knowledge):
Knowledge of the empirical, conventional world from a non-egoistic perspective — knowing all elements (dharmas) as they appear dependently, including paths to liberation for śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas (Hīnayāna vehicles). This is accessible even to advanced bodhisattvas and arhats but is perfected in Buddhas.
Mārgajñatā (Knowledge of Paths):
Understanding all paths to salvation,
including Mahayana ones, tailored to beings' capacities.
Sarvākārajñatā (Knowledge of All Aspects/Modes):
The supreme, direct omniscience of Buddhas,
knowing every aspect of existence ultimately and conventionally,
cutting through all doubts, and
encompassing the trikāya
(three bodies of a Buddha: dharmakāya as ultimate reality,
saṃbhogakāya as enjoyment body,
nirmāṇakāya as emanation body) [U3K].
.
This omniscience is not static but dynamic, arising from compassion (karuṇā) and enabling the Buddha to teach Dharma effectively. As per the Tattvasaṅgraha by Śāntarakṣita, it is established dialectically: the Buddha knows all that is essential for liberation (supersensuous truths like Dharma and mokṣa) and perceives all objects simultaneously in a single cognitive moment, free from temporal or spatial limits (i.e. beyond conventional limitations). In Madhyamaka, Nāgārjuna reveres the Buddha as the compassionate teacher of dependent origination, implying omniscience as the ability to comprehend and reveal the interdependent nature of all (MMK dedication).
.
Tibetan Madhyamaka elaborates further:
In Gelug (Tsongkhapa's tradition), the two truths are of the "same nature but different conceptual identities," and awakened beings have simultaneous access to both, reflecting omniscience as non-erroneous cognition of ultimate truth while understanding conventional diversity.
In Sakya (Gorampa), ultimate truth is experienced in meditative equipoise free from dualistic appearances, and even omniscience must not be treated as ultimate if it involves duality; thus, true omniscience transcends conventional fabrications.
Nyingma and Kagyü emphasize non-dual exalted cognitive processes where ultimate truth appears as it is, without alteration, to awakened beings.
.
Omniscience also manifests as five types of wisdom (jñāna),
per Vijñānavāda influences on Madhyamaka:
[0] Type of Wisdom
Description
Relation to Two Truths
[1] Ādarśajñāna (Mirror-like Knowledge)
Reflects all phenomena without distortion.
Encompasses conventional diversity as appearances.
[2] Samatājñāna (Knowledge of Equality)
Sees unity and equality of self and others.
Realizes emptiness (T2) pervading all (T1).
[3] Pratyavekṣaṇajñāna (Discriminative Knowledge)
Analyzes separate objects and their relations.
Knows conventional interdependencies (T1).
[4] Kṛtyānuṣṭhānajñāna (Accomplishing Knowledge)
Actively works for beings' welfare through skillful means.
Applies U2T in the Path for compassionate action.
[5] Advayajñāna (Non-Dual Knowledge)
Pure intuition of the Absolute without bifurcation.
Direct realization of the union (non-dual T1 and T2).
.
.
The realization of the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] is intrinsically linked to omniscience
because it is the cognitive mechanism through which a Buddha achieves exhaustive knowledge:
Foundational Basis:
Madhyamaka asserts that the two truths are the "heart of the Buddha's philosophy" (per Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti).
Without realizing their distinction and union, one cannot attain nirvāṇa, let alone Buddhahood.
Omniscience emerges precisely from this realization: the Buddha knows conventional truths (T1) as dependently arisen illusions and ultimate truth (T2) as emptiness, without reifying or negating either.
As Candrakīrti explains, conventional truth is the domain of mundane cognition (erroneous for ordinary beings), while ultimate truth is accessed by exalted processes; the Buddha's omniscience integrates both via non-erroneous exalted wisdom.
Gradual Path to Fruit:
On the bodhisattva path, realization of U2T is progressive.
– Early stages involve intellectual understanding (via analysis),
– mid-stages direct insight in meditation, and
– final stages (Buddhahood) the perfected union, yielding omniscience.
This aligns with the context's Path: uniting skillful means (T1-oriented compassion) with wisdom (T2-realizing emptiness) removes obscurations, culminating in the Fruit's perfected wisdom — sarvajñatā. For instance, the Bodhimaṇḍala (from the Bodhisattvabhūmi) links sarvākārajñāna to suppressing all obstacles, enabling the Buddha to know all dharmas in their dual aspects.
Cognitive Equivalence:
Omniscience is often described as "knowledge of modes and diversity" (ākāra and viṣaya): modes refer to ultimate emptiness (T2), diversity to conventional phenomena (T1). Their union mirrors U2T.
– In Madhyamaka, the Buddha's mind perceives ultimate truth in meditative equipoise (non-conceptual emptiness)
– and conventional truth post-meditation (appearances without attachment),
– but at Buddhahood, these are simultaneous and non-dual.
This is why Tsongkhapa states awakened beings
"invariably have simultaneous access to both truths."
Non-Dual Harmony:
The context's emphasis on the harmony of View, Path, and Fruit reflects this:
U2T (View) informs the Path's union of means and wisdom, yielding omniscience as the Fruit.
Without U2T, knowledge remains partial (e.g., an arhat knows T2 but not full conventional diversity for all beings).
Full omniscience requires realizing their inseparability,
as "emptiness and phenomena have never been contradictory"
(per Madhyamaka commentaries).
.
In summary, realizing U2T is not just related to but constitutive of attaining Sarvajña and Sarvajñatā in Mahayana Madhyamaka. It transforms ordinary cognition into the Buddha's exalted wisdom, knowing all dharmas as empty yet functional, enabling universal compassion and teaching.
This realization is the pinnacle of the middle way,
where the apparent duality of truths dissolves into non-dual omniscience.
In the context of Mahayana Buddhism, including Madhyamaka philosophy as discussed previously, the two obscurations (Skt. āvaraṇa; Tib. sgrib pa gnyis) represent the primary barriers that obscure the innate purity of the mind and prevent full enlightenment.
These are not mere intellectual errors but deep-seated veils — defilements or hindrances — that must be purified through the path of skillful means [T1] and wisdom [T2] [U2T-in-action].
They are categorized into afflictive (or emotional) obscurations and cognitive (or knowable) obscurations, as outlined in key texts like the Uttaratantra Śāstra (Gyü Lama) and Prajñāpāramitā literature.
Their removal is essential for realizing the Union of the Two Truths (U2T), as they distort the perception of conventional appearances (T1) and ultimate emptiness (T2), ultimately enabling the attainment of omniscience (sarvajñatā) in Buddhahood. Below, I'll explain each in detail, including their essence, causes, functions, and relation to the path, followed by a comparative overview.
.
.
These are also known as emotional obscurations or obscurations of afflictions (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa; Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa). They primarily involve coarse, disturbing emotions that arise from ignorance and perpetuate suffering in samsara (the cycle of rebirth).
Essence:
These obscurations manifest as afflictive mental states or thoughts, such as avarice (greed), attachment (rāga), aversion (dveṣa), jealousy, pride, doubt, and fundamental ignorance (avidyā).
A classic quote from the Uttaratantra Śāstra illustrates this:
"Thoughts such as avarice and so on,
These are the emotional obscurations."
They align with broader lists of hindrances,
such as the five hindrances (nīvaraṇa): longing for sense pleasures, malice, sloth and torpor, excitement and remorse, and doubt.
Cause:
The root cause is grasping at a personal self or ego (the "self of the individual"), which fuels ego-centric delusions and emotional reactivity.
Function:
Their primary role is to obstruct liberation from samsara by binding beings to cyclic existence through karma and rebirth driven by these afflictions.
In meditation, they hinder concentration and insight, as seen in the five hindrances that disrupt progress.
Relation to the Path and Removal:
In both Hinayana and Mahayana paths, these are addressed through ethical discipline, meditation, and wisdom realizing no-self (anātman).
– Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas (Hinayana realizers) fully eliminate them to attain arhatship and personal nirvāṇa,
– but in Mahayana, bodhisattvas purify them progressively while also tackling cognitive obscurations, using practices like the six pāramitās to transform afflictions into virtues.
– Their removal clears the way for basic insight into emptiness (T2), but alone it doesn't yield full omniscience.
.
.
These are also termed knowable obscurations, intellectual obscurations, or noetic obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa; Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa or shes sgrib). They are subtler than afflictive ones, involving cognitive distortions that veil the full scope of reality.
Essence:
These manifest as conceptual thoughts
involving the "three spheres" of duality:
subject (perceiver), object (perceived),
and action (interaction between them).
From the Uttaratantra Śāstra: "Thoughts that involve the three spheres,
These are the cognitive obscurations."
They include misapprehensions about the nature of reality,
such as subtle traces of dualistic thinking or reifying phenomena.
Cause:
The root is grasping at phenomena as inherently existent (the "self of phenomena"),
leading to incorrect understanding of emptiness and interdependence.
Function:
They block complete enlightenment by impeding omniscience — the exhaustive knowledge of all phenomena in their modes (ultimate emptiness) and diversity (conventional appearances).
This prevents the non-dual realization of the Union of the Two Truths [U2T],
as they sustain subtle veils over
how emptiness [T2] and appearances [T1] are inseparable [U2T].
Subdivisions:
They are divided into
– an imputation aspect (conceptually fabricated misconceptions, overcome on the path of seeing) and
– an innate aspect (habitual tendencies, overcome on the path of meditation).
The most subtle forms, like residual habits, are eradicated by the "vajra-like samadhi" at the end of the tenth bodhisattva bhūmi (ground).
Relation to the Path and Removal:
Unique to the Mahayana path, bodhisattvas target these
through advanced wisdom practices,
integrating compassion and emptiness realization.
Unlike afflictive obscurations, which even arhats remove,
cognitive ones require the full bodhisattva path to purify,
culminating in Buddhahood's perfected wisdom and virtues.
.
.
The two obscurations are interdependent:
– afflictive ones often fuel cognitive distortions, and
– both must be removed for the Fruit of Buddhahood.
Here's a table summarizing their key differences and similarities:
Aspect:
– Afflictive Obscurations (Kleśāvaraṇa)
– Cognitive Obscurations (Jñeyāvaraṇa)
Essence
– Coarse emotions like greed, anger, ignorance.
– Subtle dualistic concepts (three spheres: subject-object-action).
Cause
– Grasping at personal self.
– Grasping at inherent existence of phenomena.
Function
– Obstruct liberation from samsara.
– Obstruct omniscience and full enlightenment.
Removal Stage
– Fully removed by arhats; progressively by bodhisattvas.
– Removed only by bodhisattvas on higher bhumis, culminating at Buddhahood.
Relation to U2T
– Distort conventional truth (T1) via emotional clinging.
– Veil ultimate truth (T2) and its union with appearances.
In harmony with the View, Path, and Fruit, purifying these obscurations through the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] realization allows the bodhisattva to progress from partial insight to the omniscient wisdom of a Buddha, where all phenomena are known without distortion.