The Song of Mūlamadhyamakakārikā ( MMK)
中觀論頌歌
by Satiman
Introduction
The poem below crystallizes or epitomizes the quintessence of Root Verses of
the Middle View (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā / MMK) of Nāgārjuna(龍樹), the highly
celebrated, venerated, eminent and astute Mahāyāna philosopher. Nāgārjuna
brilliantly contributed to the lucid exegesis of Mahāyāna discourses on the tenet
of Perfection of Wisdom (prajñāpāramitā般若波羅蜜多) and Emptiness
(śūnyatā空) which has captivated the interest Buddhist adherents or devotees
and has helped propagate Mahāyāna Buddhism since its emergence between
1st B.C.E and 1st C.E..
MMK is actually a grand commentary to the Kaccāyancagotta-sutta (S.N) of the
Theravāda tradition rather than only the exposition of the doctrine of Emptiness
(śūnyatā) of the Discourses of the Perfection of Wisdom(般若經) of the
Mahāyāna tradition. The term ‘śūnyatā’ is rarely utilized for exposition in MMK.
From the critique of heretical views in MMK, readers are able to discern the
true meaning of Emptiness or Insubstantiality and Dependent Co-arising
(pratītyasamutpāda 缘起).
The main enterprise of MMK is to rectify erroneous views with right views
(破邪顯正). The substantial or metaphysical views (實自论) of the heretics(外道)
within the movement of the early Hīnayāna Schools of Buddhist Thought had
impurified the authentic Word of Gotama Buddha. The main taint or
contamination, which had made inroads into their heretical doctrines, was the
controversial doctrinal point of self-nature or intrinsic nature (svabhāva) which
conflicts with the doctrine of emptiness of self-nature (niḥsvabhāvavāda;
無自性論). Emptiness of inherent existence(空無自性) is the authentic tenet of
Gotama Buddha pertaining to Insubstantiality (anattā無我 / śūnyatā空) and
Dependent Co-arising (Pāli: Paṭiccasamuppāda ; Sanskrit: Pratītyasamutpāda;缘起正法). It is hoped that after a careful examination and scrutiny of MMK, readers would be able to eliminate the unnecessary distinction between the Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions both of which are undoubtedly faithful to original Word of Gotama or Śākyamuni Buddha. Nāgārjuna should be credited and extolled for the reform movement undertaken through composing MMK to purify the sullied teaching of the Buddha so that profound message of the Buddha is unveiled to us.
Two intends of the MMK enterprise
Refuting doctrine of substantiality
Apologizing Word of Tathāgata
Employing the dialectical methods
Of ratiocination and reductio ad absurdum
Flooring his opponents with their own weapons
Denying the eight substantial views
Advocating the Eight Negations
Negating the four theories of causation
Affirming the tetralemmas
Rejecting both self-nature and other nature
Propounding Emptiness or Insubstantiality
Opposing the subject – object duality
Establishing perceiver - the perceived non-duality
Abandoning the grasper -the grasped distinction
Thereby, realizing the soteriology of nirvāṇa
Perceiving the moon in the water is conventional
Perceiving the moon in the sky is ultimate
Perceiving both being the Middle Path
Conventional and ultimate interpenetrating
One perceiving neither being nor non-being
One recognizing neither affirmation nor negation
When the oneness and not two are seen,
One is said to have entered the ‘Tao’
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中觀論頌旨有二
一為破斥實有論
二為辯護佛所說
善巧採用辯證法
善巧論以毒攻毒
以其武器攻其敵
否定八種邪說論
提倡八不學說論
破斥四種因果論
建議四不學說論
推翻實有論學說
成立性空無自性
否定主受二元論
成立無我所見論
否定執者所執論
則成就涅槃解脫
見水月是世俗諦
見天月是勝義諦
見二者為中道論
俗與真圓融無礙
不見有亦不見無
非空非有是圓融
一切是一無分別
即說修者已入道 |
Author’s auto-commentary
If one meditates on the poem: the Song of MMK (the quintessence of MMK)
and penetrates into its esoteric message – the wisdom of redeeming oneself and
returning to the Origin or Absolute (返本還原), one would eventually perceive
the esoteric message of Śākyamuni Buddha which enables one to apprehend
the profound teaching of all Tathāgatas (如來) and all the other saints of all
other esoteric religions, such as Upaniṣads or Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism,
Christianity and Islam or Sufism. The Buddha declares that Truth is only one
not two (ekaṃ saccaṃ na dutiyaṃ 真理只有一無二). Religions unite and never
divide. Religions are the most effective pedagogies or expedient devices
(upāya-s善巧方便) to unify the currently divided troubled world. Dissimilar
religions are merely dissimilar upāya-s to reach the common destination – the
Origin of human race and Cosmos. In Buddhist perspective, the Origin of Man is
nibbāna or nirvā脂劑ṇa or Buddha-nature according to both Theravāda and
Mahāyāna perspectives. Buddhism teaches the Buddhists to return to nibbāna
or nirvāṇa or Buddha-nature. The Origin of monotheistic religion is God.
Monotheists or believers in God are taught to return to their God. In the
ultimate analysis, the esoteric Origin is ineffable or unspeakable(不可說).
Buddha and God are mere designations constructed conceptually to facilitate
human communication and social intercourse. Without linguistic expressions,
the ordinary worldlings can not comprehend religions and live conventionally
without fears . Therefore, concepts and designations are constructed to communicate messages to the worldings. In actuality, the Absolute Truth,
sought by all religious adherents or devotees, can only be intuitively
realized but can not be intellectually understood. This ineffable Absolute
Truth is designated as Tao or Path (道) by Lao Tzu (老子) in his canon ‘Tao Te
Ching’ (道德經) who expounds that Tao which can be designated is not the Tao.
Śākyamuni Buddha and all other esoteric saints concur with the teaching of Lao-zi. Human beings are the most intelligent of all sentient beings to realize his ineffable Truth. Whoever is self-wakened to this ineffable Truth is known as the Perfect Man (完人) or True Man without rank (無位真人) according to Chan Master Lin Chi (臨濟) of the Lin Chi tradition of Chan Buddhism.
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