Mūlamadhyamakakārikā
"Root Verses on the Middle Way" by Nagarjuna
Chapter 11 - Limitless and centerless –
No absolute beginning, middle,
or ending for anything because everything is empty, like illusions
Embedded Files
Chapter 11 – Limitless and centerless – No absolute beginning, middle, or ending for anything because everything is empty, like illusions
No beginning, no ending, no middle: Everything is empty of inherent existence, never absolute [T2] ⇐⇒ everything is dependently co-arisen, interdependent, co-defined, co-evolving, co-imputed by the mind in dependence upon its conditioning/karma, mere designations/names conventional truths/tools [T1] [U2T] ⇐⇒ everything is like illusions, reflections, mirages, dreams, echos, ‘there, yet not there’ [Illusory] ⇐⇒ everything is not ‘this’, ‘non-this’, both, or neither, and there is no fifth, for whatever ‘this’ is [Tetralemma] ⇐⇒ everything is unborn (no beginning/origination), unconditioned (primordially pure), not-inherently-existing (no middle/duration), unchanging (not increasing, not decreasing), undying (no ending/cessation), not bound/liberated ⇐⇒ then we cannot define any before/past, during/simultaneity/present and after/future relative to any thing, being, relation, action, stage, process, rebirth, or cycle. These concepts are useful conventionally but never absolute. There is no universal, inherent, absolute description, differentiation/union, causality/laws/karmic-cycle, elements, space and time — because all referents are empty of inherent existence, limitless, with fuzzy boundaries in nature, space & time.
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Last update: January 05, 2026
Image from: Stoneflower013
Source Text: Garfield, PTG, Streng, Batchelor.
Content
Content
A. Introduction
B. Analysis
C. Verses
D. Questions and Answers
E. Summary
F. Conclusion
G. AI Art
A. Introduction – No inherent beginning, middle and ending of anything or cycle
A. Introduction – No inherent beginning, middle and ending of anything or cycle
“Do phenomena, things, beings, relations, processes, or cycles — like saṃsāra with its births, aging, and deaths — truly possess a real beginning, middle, or end? Is their apparent linear temporal sequence – from beginning to middle to ending, from birth to aging to death, from past to present to future – an inherent reality, or a fleeting illusion woven by the mind? Are past, present, and future fixed truths, or mere imputations within the karmic cycle? Chapter 11 invites us to unravel these questions, challenging the boundaries and sequences we impose on existence, and guiding us toward the realization of a limitless, centerless, continuous, holographic, fractal-like, non-linear reality, where all phenomena are empty, interconnected, and primordially pure, dissolving the divide between saṃsāra and nirvāṇa.”
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Opponent: Abhidharma Perspective – A limitless cycle of inherently existent events, with real beginning, middle and ending of phenomena/dharmas.
Opponent: Abhidharma Perspective – A limitless cycle of inherently existent events, with real beginning, middle and ending of phenomena/dharmas.
In the Abhidharma tradition, particularly within schools like the Sarvāstivāda and Sautrāntika, the nature of existence (saṃsāra) is analyzed through a framework of conditioned phenomena (samskṛta-dharma) that arise, persist, and cease due to causes and conditions. The Abhidharma posits that phenomena, including birth, aging, and death, are real in the sense that they possess svabhāva (inherent nature) or are momentary events with causal efficacy. Time is often conceptualized as a linear sequence of moments, divided into past, present, and future, with phenomena existing in these temporal dimensions. … This allows for a structured understanding of saṃsāra as a cycle of birth, aging, death, and rebirth driven by karma and ignorance.
The Abhidharma view of saṃsāra emphasizes causality and temporality. Birth, aging, and death are seen as part of the twelve links of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), where each link (e.g., ignorance, formations, consciousness) leads to the next, perpetuating cyclic existence. The “limits” of saṃsāra—its beginning or end—are often addressed in early Buddhist texts, where the Buddha declares the beginning of saṃsāra as indiscernible due to the vastness of cyclic existence driven by beginningless ignorance.
However, Abhidharma scholars might still analyze temporal phenomena like birth and death as discrete events with causal relationships, assuming a certain reality to these processes. The triad of past, present, and future is treated as a framework for understanding how phenomena arise and cease, with each moment having a definable existence.
From this perspective, Chapter 11’s focus on the “past and future limits of existence” would be interpreted as an inquiry into the temporal boundaries of saṃsāra. Abhidharma might argue that while the ultimate beginning of saṃsāra is unknowable, the processes within it (e.g., birth, aging, death) are real, momentary events that can be analyzed through their causes and conditions. The triad of birth, aging, and death, or the temporal categories of past, present, and future, would be seen as interdependent but ultimately grounded in a framework where phenomena have some degree of inherent existence or causal functionality.
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Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka Perspective – Nothing has precise boundaries in nature, causality, space and time.
Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka Perspective – Nothing has precise boundaries in nature, causality, space and time.
Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka approach, as presented in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, radically challenges the Abhidharma’s assumptions about inherent existence and the reification of temporal, spatial and causal phenomena. In Chapter 11, Nāgārjuna examines the concepts of the “past and future limits of existence” (saṃsāra) and the triad of birth, aging, and death, using his signature method of reductio ad absurdum to demonstrate that these phenomena lack inherent existence (svabhāva). He employs the tetralemma to deconstruct the notions of temporal boundaries and the processes of birth, aging, and death, showing that they cannot be pinned down as independently real entities or events.
For Nāgārjuna, saṃsāra — existence-in-flux — is not a cycle of inherently existent events but a conceptual construct that arises dependently.
The “limits” of saṃsāra (its beginning or end) are incoherent because time itself, as a framework of past, present, and future, is not inherently real.
Similarly, the triad of birth, aging, and death, often taken as fundamental markers of samsaric existence, is shown to be empty of inherent existence ⇐⇒ because these events cannot be established independently of each other, or without leading to logical absurdities.
Nāgārjuna’s analysis aligns with your Madhyamaka Reasoning method:
– he uses the tetralemma to refute extreme positions (e.g., birth exists independently, birth does not exist, etc.),
– establishes the emptiness of these phenomena,
– and points to their dependent origination,
– illusory nature,
– and the Middle Way as the correct approach to understanding them.
The key duality/triad in this chapter is the temporal framework of past, present, future
and the existential process of birth, aging, death.
Nāgārjuna argues that these cannot be inherently real [T2]
⇐⇒ because they are interdependent and conceptually imputed [T1] [U2T].
The “limits” of saṃsāra are indiscernible
not just because of its vastness (as the Buddha noted)
but because the very concepts of beginning, middle, and end [T1]
⇐⇒ are empty of inherent existence [T2] [U2T].
This chapter builds on Nāgārjuna’s broader project of
showing that all phenomena, including space, time and existential processes,
⇐⇒ are dependently co-arisen [T1]
⇐⇒ and thus empty [T2],
pointing to the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]:
phenomena appear conventionally [T1]
⇐⇒ but are ultimately empty [T2]
⇐⇒ existing like illusions.
B. Analysis – No inherent boundaries in nature, causality, space and time
B. Analysis – No inherent boundaries in nature, causality, space and time
There is no inherent beginning, middle and ending
in nature, causality, space and time for anything.There are no absolute
(i) beginning, birth, origination, coming, before, past,
(ii) middle, life, duration/change, resting, simultaneity, present,
(iii) ending, death, cessation, going, after, future
relative to any thing, being, relation, action, stage, process, rebirth, or cycle,
they are all conventional truths/tools = Middle Way.The three opposites/stages/times of becoming –
(i) beginning, birth, origination, coming, before, past,
(ii) middle, life, duration/change, resting, simultaneity, present,
(iii) ending, death, cessation, going, after, future
relative to any thing, being, relation, action, stage, process, rebirth, or cycle,
(a) are not inherently existent/functional,
(b) not completely non-existent/non-functional,
(c) not both, (d) not neither [Tetralemma].The three opposites/stages/times of becoming –
(i) beginning, birth, origination, coming, before, past,
(ii) middle, life, duration/change, resting, simultaneity, present,
(iii) ending, death, cessation, going, after, future
relative to any thing, being, relation, action, stage, process, rebirth, or cycle,
(a) are not different/separate/multiple/dual/’this’,
(b) not identical/united/one/non-dual/’non-this’,
(c) not both, (d) not neither [Tetralemma].The three opposites/stages/times of becoming –
(i) beginning, birth, origination, coming, before, past,
(ii) middle, life, duration/change, resting, simultaneity, present,
(iii) ending, death, cessation, going, after, future
relative to any thing, being, relation, action, stage, process, rebirth, or cycle,
(a) are not permanent/continuous/eternal,
(b) not impermanent/discontinuous/annihilated,
(c) not both, (d) not neither [Tetralemma].The three opposites/stages/times of becoming –
(i) beginning, birth, origination, coming, before, past,
(ii) middle, life, duration/change, resting, simultaneity, present,
(iii) ending, death, cessation, going, after, future
relative to any thing, being, relation, action, stage, process, rebirth, or cycle,
are thus empty of inherent existence [T2-3S] ⇐⇒ inseparable, dependently co-arisen, interdependent, co-defined, co-evolving, co-imputed by the mind, mere designations/names, conventional truths/tools [T1-3S] [U2T-3S] ⇐⇒ like illusions, reflections, mirages, dreams, echos, ‘there, yet not there’ [Illusory].Acting without acting: So we can use those concepts conventionally/relatively but never in absolute terms; without attachment, reification, effort or absolute; without apprehending anything in absolute terms; non-dualistically, without opposing/uniting anything in absolute terms; without accepting/rejecting/changing anything in absolute terms; thus acting more and more in accord with the Middle Way free from all extremes and middle, and with the true nature of reality as it is (tathātā, suchness) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] and its corollaries [U3S / Uopp / U3T / UGM / U3K / U2T-2T].
There is no continuity or discontinuity of any being (e.g., actor, perceiver, acquirer, owner or continuum), thing (e.g. 5-aggregates), process, cycle, or karma, across the three times of any activity, association, aggregation, definition.
It is a limitless and centerless fractal karmic cycle: All beginnings are both beginnings and endings; are multiple beginnings and endings depending on the perspective (fractal), all merely imputed by the mind in dependence of its past experience, conditioning, karma (individual, collective, cosmic).
It is like a limitless centerless empty fractal karmic cycle — the endings becomes an updated beginnings: All beginnings are both beginning and ending; have/are an infinity of beginnings and endings in space, time and nature depending on the perspective; are ever changing, never the same for two consecutive infinitesimal moments. There is no first inherent/absolute beginning, no final inherent/absolute ending, no inherent/absolute middle. Those three are conventionally/relatively functional/useful to navigate the world [T1], but never absolute [T2] [U2T]. Absolute beginning/middle/ending are impossible. The three opposites – beginning, middle, ending (or updated beginning, rebirth) – are interdependent, co-defined, co-evolving, co-imputed after the fact [T1-3S] ⇐⇒ empty of inherent existence [T2-3S] ⇐⇒ like illusions, reflections, mirages, dreams, echos, ‘there, yet not there’ [U2T-3S].
The three opposites, and other dualistic concepts, are an oversimplification of an inconceivable continuous limitless and centerless nonlinear fractal-like cycle / flux / continuum of interconnection, interdependence, co-definition, co-conditioning, co-evolution, co-creation.
A timeless multidimensional fluid dance of related/opposite appearances (non-duality), with nothing existing independently, separately, inherently, or individually within it.
Everything is fully continuous and dynamic (not discrete or static), interconnected (not just in the triad), equal, pure, perfect, complete, divine, ‘One’ in the non-dual sense: not many, not one, not both together, not neither.
No absolute view to grasp.
Saṃsāra is ignoring this; nirvāṇa is living an ordinary life (chopping wood, carrying water) while being continually fully aware of this.
Emptiness is absolute freedom, even from emptiness.
Note: All phenomena/dharmas cannot be
(a) WITH inherent beginning, origination, birth, – conditioning, existence, middle, duration, life, change, increasing, decreasing, – ending, cessation, death, ‘this’;
(b) WITHOUT beginning, origination, birth, – conditioning, existence, middle, duration, life, change, increasing, decreasing, – ending, cessation, death, ‘this’;
(c) BOTH; or (d) NEITHER; and there is no fifth.
But, as antidotes to our usual positions, we usually insist that all phenomena/dharmas are unborn, unconditioned, non-existent, unchanging, unceasing, pure, perfect, complete, one/non-dual (leaving the other extremes of the tetralemma for a deeper analysis – e.g. not existent/many, not non-existent/one, not both, not neither).
All phenomena are beyond all conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all conditioning / karma (individual, collective, cosmic); even beyond the inseparable two truths, space and time, saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, any ground, and the three kayas.
We need to transcend without rejecting all conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferations, all extremes of all dualities /triads /quads...
So we could use them conventionally, but never in absolute terms; without attachment, reification, effort or absolutes; without apprehending anything in absolute terms; non-dualistically, without opposing/unifying anything in absolute terms; without accepting /seeking /doing /adding /affirming any thing in absolute terms;l without rejecting /abandoning/ not-doing /subtracting /negating anything in absolute terms; without changing /improving /increasing /decreasing /purifying anything in absolute terms, only conventionally /relatively; thus acting more and more in accord with the Middle Way free from all extremes and middle, acting more and more in accord with reality as it is (tathātā, suchness) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] and its corollaries [U3S / Uopp / U3T / UGM / U3K / U2T-2T].
C. Verses – 4 translations – 8 verses
C. Verses – 4 translations – 8 verses
Padmakara Translation Group
Chapter 11 - An Examination of Earlier and Later Limits
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[The three opposites – beginning, middle, ending – cannot be (i) existent / different /separate /multiple /dual, (ii) non-existent / identical /united /one /non-dual, (iii) both, or (iv) neither; cannot be (i) permanent /continuous /eternal / ‘this’, (ii) impermanent /discontinuous /annihilated /’non-this’, (iii) both, or (iv) neither, and there is no fifth, for whatever ‘this’ is [Tetralemma] ⇐⇒ they are thus empty of inherent existence, never absolute [T2-3S] ⇐⇒ they are inseparable, dependently co-arisen, interdependent, co-defined, co-imputed by the mind, mere designations/names, conventional truths/tools [T1-3S] [U2T-3S] ⇐⇒ like illusions, reflections, mirages, dreams, echos, ‘there, yet not there’ [Illusory] ⇐⇒ pointing to the Middle Way with nothing to accept/reject/change in absolute terms ⇐⇒ pointing to acting without acting.]
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[Saṃsāra is limitless: no beginning, no ending. It is not about stopping clinging and the cycle]
1. To the question: "Is the earliest limit known?"
The Mighty Sage replied that it is not.
Saṃsāra is beginningless and has no end:
No earlier or later limit does it have.
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[Saṃsāra is limitless and centerless: no beginning/before, no middle/simultaneous, no ending/after.]
2. To what has no beginning and no end
What midpoint can there be?
Thus the earlier and the later stages
And the two at once are all untenable.
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[The three phases/times – beginning/birth/before, middle/life/during, ending/death/after – are not different/separate,
not identical/united, not both, not neither]
3. If Birth comes first
With Age-and-Death to follow,
Birth is free of Age-and-Death
And without dying one would come to birth.
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4. If Birth comes afterward,
With Age-and-Death preceding,
Age-and-Death are without Birth.
But how can they arise without a cause?
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5. Birth and Age-and-Death
Can't happen both at once.
One would be dying in the act of being born;
Both birth and death would be uncaused.
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6. Why therefore should we theorize
On Birth and Age-and-Death,
Which are impossible as steps that happen
Earlier, or later, or together both at once?
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[All things, beings, relations, actions, stages, processes, rebirths, or cycles are limitless and centerless: no inherent (i) beginning, birth, origination, coming, before, past, (ii) middle, life, duration/change, resting, simultaneity, present, (iii) ending, death, cessation, going, after, future.]
7. Saṃsāra's not the only thing
That has no earlier limit.
It is the same for cause and fruit,
For character and characterized,
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8. For feeling and the one who feels-
And indeed for anything at all.
Indeed it's true for every thing:
There is no earlier limit.
Garfield
Chapter 11 - Examination of the Initial and Final Limits
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[The three opposites – beginning, middle, ending – cannot be (i) existent / different /separate /multiple /dual, (ii) non-existent / identical /united /one /non-dual, (iii) both, or (iv) neither; cannot be (i) permanent /continuous /eternal / ‘this’, (ii) impermanent /discontinuous /annihilated /’non-this’, (iii) both, or (iv) neither, and there is no fifth, for whatever ‘this’ is [Tetralemma] ⇐⇒ they are thus empty of inherent existence, never absolute [T2-3S] ⇐⇒ they are inseparable, dependently co-arisen, interdependent, co-defined, co-imputed by the mind, mere designations/names, conventional truths/tools [T1-3S] [U2T-3S] ⇐⇒ like illusions, reflections, mirages, dreams, echos, ‘there, yet not there’ [Illusory] ⇐⇒ pointing to the Middle Way with nothing to accept/reject/change in absolute terms ⇐⇒ pointing to acting without acting.]
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[Saṃsāra is limitless: no beginning, no ending. It is not about stopping clinging and the cycle]
1. When asked about the beginning,
The Great Sage said that nothing is known of it.
Cyclic existence is without end and beginning.
So there is no beginning or end.
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[Saṃsāra is limitless and centerless: no beginning/before, no middle/simultaneous, no ending/after.]
2. Where there is no beginning or end,
How could there be a middle?
It follows that thinking about this in terms of
Prior, posterior, and simultaneous is not appropriate.
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[The three phases/times – beginning/birth/before, middle/life/during, ending/death/after – are not different/separate,
not identical/united, not both, not neither]
3. If birth came first,
And then old age and death,
Then birth would be ageless and deathless,
And a deathless one would be born.
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4. If birth were to come after,
And old age and death first,
How could there be a causeless aging and death
Of one not born?
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5. Birth and age and death
Cannot occur at one time.
Then what is being born would be dying
And both would occur without cause.
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6. When the series of the prior, simultaneous, and posterior
Is not possible,
Why are you led to posit
This birth, aging, and death?
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[All things, beings, relations, actions, stages, processes, rebirths, or cycles are limitless and centerless: no inherent (i) beginning, birth, origination, coming, before, past, (ii) middle, life, duration/change, resting, simultaneity, present, (iii) ending, death, cessation, going, after, future.]
7. Not only is cyclic existence itself without beginning,
No existent has a beginning:
Neither cause and effect;
Nor character and characterized...
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8. Nor feeling and the feeler;
Whatever there is:
All entities
Are without beginning.
Batchelor
Chapter 11 - Investigation of Extremes of Before and After
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[The three opposites – beginning, middle, ending – cannot be (i) existent / different /separate /multiple /dual, (ii) non-existent / identical /united /one /non-dual, (iii) both, or (iv) neither; cannot be (i) permanent /continuous /eternal / ‘this’, (ii) impermanent /discontinuous /annihilated /’non-this’, (iii) both, or (iv) neither, and there is no fifth, for whatever ‘this’ is [Tetralemma] ⇐⇒ they are thus empty of inherent existence, never absolute [T2-3S] ⇐⇒ they are inseparable, dependently co-arisen, interdependent, co-defined, co-imputed by the mind, mere designations/names, conventional truths/tools [T1-3S] [U2T-3S] ⇐⇒ like illusions, reflections, mirages, dreams, echos, ‘there, yet not there’ [Illusory] ⇐⇒ pointing to the Middle Way with nothing to accept/reject/change in absolute terms ⇐⇒ pointing to acting without acting.]
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[Saṃsāra is limitless: no beginning, no ending. It is not about stopping clinging and the cycle]
1. When asked, "is a before-extreme evident?" the great Muni said, "it is not." Saṃsāra has no beginning, no end; it has no before, no after.
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[Saṃsāra is limitless and centerless: no beginning/before, no middle/simultaneous, no ending/after.]
2. For that without beginning [and] end, where can a middle be in that? Therefore, it is not possible for it to have before, after, and simultaneous phases.
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[The three phases/times – beginning/birth/before, middle/life/during, ending/death/after – are not different/separate,
not identical/united, not both, not neither]
3. If birth were before and aging / death after, there would be birth without aging / death and also without dying one would be born.
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4. If birth were after and aging / death before, how could there be an uncaused aging / death which has no birth?
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5. It is not suitable for birth and aging / death to be simultaneous; that which is being born would be dying and both would be without cause.
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6. Why fixate on that birth, that aging / dying, for which the phases of before, after, simultaneity are impossible?
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[All things, beings, relations, actions, stages, processes, rebirths, or cycles are limitless and centerless: no inherent (i) beginning, birth, origination, coming, before, past, (ii) middle, life, duration/change, resting, simultaneity, present, (iii) ending, death, cessation, going, after, future.]
7. It is not just saṃsāra alone that has no before-extreme, cause and fruit themselves, and characteristics and the basis for characteristics themselves,
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8. Feeling and the feeler, whatever is suitable to bear meaning, also all things have no before-extreme.
Streng
Chapter 11 - An Analysis of the Past (purva) and Future Limits (aparakiti) --of Existence] (samsara) – 8 verses – Explaining samsara and no-self without using any inherent dharma
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[The three opposites – beginning, middle, ending – cannot be (i) existent / different /separate /multiple /dual, (ii) non-existent / identical /united /one /non-dual, (iii) both, or (iv) neither; cannot be (i) permanent /continuous /eternal / ‘this’, (ii) impermanent /discontinuous /annihilated /’non-this’, (iii) both, or (iv) neither, and there is no fifth, for whatever ‘this’ is [Tetralemma] ⇐⇒ they are thus empty of inherent existence, never absolute [T2-3S] ⇐⇒ they are inseparable, dependently co-arisen, interdependent, co-defined, co-imputed by the mind, mere designations/names, conventional truths/tools [T1-3S] [U2T-3S] ⇐⇒ like illusions, reflections, mirages, dreams, echos, ‘there, yet not there’ [Illusory] ⇐⇒ pointing to the Middle Way with nothing to accept/reject/change in absolute terms ⇐⇒ pointing to acting without acting.]
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[Saṃsāra is limitless: no beginning, no ending. It is not about stopping clinging and the cycle]
1. When asked, "is a before-extreme evident?"
the great Muni said, "it is not."
Saṃsāra has no beginning, [no middle,] no end;
it has no before, [no during,] no after.
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[Saṃsāra is limitless and centerless: no beginning/before, no middle/simultaneous, no ending/after.]
2. For that without beginning [and] end,
where can a middle be in that?
Therefore, it is not possible for it to have
before, after, and simultaneous phases.
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[The three phases/times – beginning/birth/before, middle/life/during, ending/death/after – are not different/separate,
not identical/united, not both, not neither]
3. If birth were before and aging/death after,
there would be birth without aging/death
and also without dying one would be born.
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4. If birth were after and aging/death before,
how could there be an uncaused aging/death
which has no birth?
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5. It is not suitable for birth and aging/death to be simultaneous;
that which is being born would be dying
and both would be without cause.
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6. Why fixate on that birth, that aging / dying,
for which the phases of before, after, simultaneity are impossible?
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[All things, beings, relations, actions, stages, processes, rebirths, or cycles are limitless and centerless: no inherent (i) beginning, birth, origination, coming, before, past, (ii) middle, life, duration/change, resting, simultaneity, present, (iii) ending, death, cessation, going, after, future.]
7. It is not just saṃsāra alone that has no before-extreme,
cause and fruit themselves, and characteristics
and the basis for characteristics themselves,
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8. Feeling and the feeler,
whatever is suitable to bear meaning,
also all things have no before-extreme.
[no before, during, after; past, present, future]
D. Questions and Answers
D. Questions and Answers
aa
E. Summary – Universal critique of the extreme limits (beginning and end) and middle of all phenomena, beings, things, processes, and cycles
E. Summary – Universal critique of the extreme limits (beginning and end) and middle of all phenomena, beings, things, processes, and cycles
Chapter 11 of Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, titled “An Analysis of the Past and Future Limits of Existence,” systematically deconstructs the notions of temporal and existential boundaries, culminating in a universal critique of the extreme limits (beginning and end) and middle of all phenomena, beings, things, processes, and cycles.
Through the application of your Madhyamaka Reasoning method ([Tetralemma ⇐⇒ Emptiness ⇐⇒ Dependent Origination ⇐⇒ Illusory ⇐⇒ Middle Way ⇐⇒ One]), Nāgārjuna demonstrates that there is no real beginning, lasting, or ending to anything, no absolute linear sequencing (before, during, after; past, present, future), and that all phenomena form a limitless and centerless cycle, empty of inherent existence [T2] ⇐⇒ yet appearing interdependently [T1] [U2T].
Verses 1–2: These verses establish the foundation by addressing the past, present, future triad and the karmic cycle of saṃsāra.
– Verse 1 references the Buddha’s statement that the “extreme limit of the past” is indiscernible, but Nāgārjuna argues that neither past nor future limits exist inherently, as they lead to logical absurdities (e.g., an uncaused beginning or eternal saṃsāra).
– Verse 2 extends this to the triad of past, present, future, showing that without a discernible beginning or end, a fixed “middle” (present) is untenable, and birth and death cannot be inherently separate or simultaneous. The tetralemma refutes their existence, non-existence, both, or neither, establishing their emptiness [T2] ⇐⇒ and interdependence [T1] [U2T].Verses 3–5: These verses focus on the triad of birth, growing old (aging), and dying, examining their temporal relationships.
– Verse 3 shows that birth cannot precede aging and dying inherently, as it implies a birth without death.
– Verse 4 reverses the sequence, demonstrating that aging and dying before birth are causally incoherent.
– Verse 5 rejects simultaneity, as simultaneous birth and death would lack causation.
– Each verse uses the tetralemma to refute separate or overlapping temporal sequences, concluding that these events are empty ⇐⇒ interdependently arisen ⇐⇒ and illusory, like mirages.Verse 6: This verse shifts to a meta-critique, questioning the purpose of explaining past, present, future, and birth, aging, dying as if they inherently originate. By asserting that they “do not originate,” Nāgārjuna reinforces their emptiness ⇐⇒ and interdependence, challenging reified teachings. The apparent linear sequence (e.g., past to present, birth to death) is a mental imputation, while their true nature is non-linear, non-dual, and empty.
Verses 7–8: These concluding verses generalize the critique to all phenomena, encompassing triads/dualities from Chapters 1–10 (e.g., cause-causality-effect, produced-cause, sensation-senser, perceiver-perception-perceived) and all physical, conceptual, and mental processes.
– Verse 7 lists examples (produced-cause, characteristic-characterized, sensation-senser) and extends to “whatever other things there are,”
– while Verse 8 asserts that “the former limit of all those things is not to be found.”
– The tetralemmas refute the existence or non-existence of extreme limits and middle, as well as the inherent linearity or non-linearity of action/causality and the karmic cycle.
– There is no real beginning, lasting, or ending to anything, and the apparent linear sequencing (e.g., cause to effect, birth to death) is a conceptual construct.
– The true nature of all phenomena is a limitless and centerless cycle, non-linear, empty, and interdependent.
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Each verse employs the Madhyamaka Reasoning method:
Tetralemma: Refutes extreme positions (e.g., existence/non-existence, linear/non-linear) for temporal limits, existential processes, and all phenomena, showing logical absurdities.
Emptiness [T2]: Concludes that these phenomena lack inherent existence, as they cannot be established independently.
Dependent Origination [T1]: Establishes that they arise dependently, co-defined by the mind’s conditioning and karma within the karmic cycle.
Union of the Two Truths [U2T]: Affirms that their conventional appearance [T1] and ultimate emptiness [T2] are inseparable, forming a non-dual reality.
Illusory: Likens them to mirages, appearing conventionally but lacking inherent substance.
Middle Way: Advocates a pragmatic approach, engaging with phenomena conventionally without reifying or denying them absolutely.
One: Reveals their primordial purity, non-duality, and interconnectedness, where saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are ultimately indistinguishable.
The chapter progresses from specific analyses of saṃsāra’s temporal limits and existential processes to a universal rejection of inherent boundaries or linear sequencing across all phenomena, reinforcing Nāgārjuna’s broader Madhyamaka project of deconstructing svabhāva (inherent existence).
F. Conclusion
F. Conclusion
Chapter 11 is a pivotal articulation of Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka philosophy, ⇐⇒ demonstrating that the extreme limits (beginning and end) and middle of all phenomena [T1] — whether temporal (past, present, future), spatial, existential (birth, aging, dying), or causal (action/causality) — ⇐⇒ are empty of inherent existence [T2] ⇐⇒ and form a limitless and centerless cycle.
By systematically applying the tetralemma, Nāgārjuna refutes the reification of these boundaries and sequences, showing that positing inherent beginnings, middles, or ends, or inherent linearity in causality or the karmic cycle, leads to logical incoherence.
The apparent linear sequencing of phenomena (e.g., cause to effect, birth to death, past to future) ⇐⇒ is a mental imputation, arising dependently due to the mind’s conditioning within the karmic cycle ⇐⇒ but ultimately empty [T2], as no phenomenon possesses svabhāva [T2] [U2T]. This inseparability of conventional appearance and ultimate emptiness reflects the Union of the Two Truths [U2T], ⇐⇒ where phenomena are like illusions — appearing yet lacking inherent reality.
Verses 7 and 8 universalize this insight, extending it to all phenomena analyzed in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (e.g., causality, perception, production), asserting that there is no real beginning, lasting, or ending to anything, and no absolute linear sequencing. The karmic cycle and action/causality, while conventionally appearing linear, are ultimately non-linear, as their true nature is non-dual, empty, and interdependent. This non-linear reality dissolves distinctions between saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, revealing their primordial purity and interconnectedness. The chapter challenges the Abhidharma’s tendency to reify temporal or causal moments, advocating the Middle Way: engaging with phenomena conventionally for ethical or pedagogical purposes without clinging to them as inherently real. By realizing the true nature of all phenomena as limitless, centerless, and non-linear, one sees that saṃsāra is not inherently different from nirvāṇa, aligning with Nāgārjuna’s ultimate aim of liberating beings from conceptual proliferations and pointing to the indivisible, primordially pure reality.
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Implications for Triads, 12 Links of Dependent Origination, and the Karmic Cycle:
The findings of Chapter 11 — that there are no extreme limits (beginning and end) or middle and no inherent linear sequencing, with all phenomena forming a limitless and centerless cycle — have profound implications for the triads analyzed in previous chapters, the 12 links of dependent origination, and the karmic cycle in general.
Triads from Previous Chapters:
– The triads analyzed in Chapters 1–10 (e.g., cause-causality-effect, goer-going-destination, perceiver-perception-perceived, parts-composing-whole, characteristic-characterization-characterized, desirer-desiring-object, origination-duration-cessation, producer-production-product)
– are conventionally understood as having a linear structure with a beginning, middle, and end (e.g., a cause precedes an effect, a goer moves toward a destination, perception arises from a perceiver).
– Chapter 11 reveals that these triads lack inherent extreme limits or a fixed middle.
– For example, in cause-causality-effect (Chapter 1), there is no inherent first cause or final effect, as causality is a dependently arisen cycle without a discernible beginning or end.
– Similarly, in perceiver-perception-perceived (Chapter 3), perception does not have an inherent starting point (a first perceiver) or endpoint (ultimate knowledge), as it is co-defined and interdependent.
– The apparent linear sequence of these triads (e.g., origination leading to duration, then cessation) is a mental imputation [T1], arising due to the mind’s conditioning within the karmic cycle.
– Their true nature is non-linear, limitless, and centerless, as each element is empty [T2] ⇐⇒ and arises interdependently, forming a cycle without fixed boundaries. This non-linear reality means that phenomena like causality or perception are not sequential processes with inherent stages but are illusory, like mirages, appearing structured yet ultimately empty and non-dual [U2T].
.12 Links of Dependent Origination:
– The 12 links of dependent origination (ignorance, formations, consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, aging-and-death) are traditionally presented as a linear sequence explaining the perpetuation of saṃsāra (e.g., ignorance leads to formations, culminating in birth and death).
– Chapter 11 challenges this by asserting that the 12 links have no inherent extreme limits or middle.
– There is no first moment of ignorance or final cessation of aging-and-death in an absolute sense, as the cycle is limitless and centerless. (it is not about stopping the cycle)
– Each link is empty of inherent existence [T2] ⇐⇒ arising dependently [T1] in relation to the others, with no fixed starting point or endpoint.
– The apparent linearity (e.g., one link causing the next) is a conventional construct [T1], useful for understanding suffering ⇐⇒ but ultimately illusory, as the links co-arise interdependently in a non-linear, cyclical manner.
– For example, ignorance and birth are not inherently sequential but mutually conditioning, forming a cycle without a real beginning or end.
– Realizing this non-linear, empty nature liberates one from reifying the 12 links as a fixed causal chain, revealing their primordial purity and non-duality with nirvāṇa.
.Karmic Cycle in General:
– The karmic cycle, encompassing saṃsāra’s cycle of birth, death, and rebirth driven by karma and ignorance, is conventionally understood as a linear progression (e.g., actions in one life leading to results in the next).
– Chapter 11 asserts that the karmic cycle has no extreme limits (beginning or end) or middle, forming a limitless and centerless cycle.
– There is no inherent first karma, final result (awakening), or fixed present moment within the cycle, as shown in Verses 1 and 8.
– The tetralemmas refute the inherent linearity of the karmic cycle, demonstrating that positing a sequential structure (e.g., past actions causing present conditions, leading to future rebirths) leads to incoherence, as each element depends on the others.
– The karmic cycle is empty [T2] ⇐⇒ arising dependently [T1] due to the mind’s imputation of temporal and causal boundaries based on conditioning and karma. Its true nature is non-linear, as actions, conditions, and results co-arise interdependently, without fixed stages or boundaries [U2T]. This non-linear reality means that the karmic cycle is illusory, like a dream, appearing sequential but lacking inherent substance. Practitioners should engage with karma conventionally (e.g., for ethical conduct) without reifying it as an inherently linear process, recognizing its empty, non-dual nature as part of the primordially pure reality.
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In summary, the absence of extreme limits and middle and the non-linear nature of all phenomena mean that the triads, 12 links, and karmic cycle are not fixed, sequential processes with inherent boundaries. They are limitless and centerless cycles, empty of inherent existence [T2] ⇐⇒ arising interdependently [T1] [T2] ⇐⇒ and illusory. This realization dissolves the reification of temporal and causal distinctions, pointing to the non-dual, primordially pure reality where saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are indistinguishable, aligning with Nāgārjuna’s ultimate teaching.
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