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Mulamadhyamakakarika (Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way)

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Eastern Traditions MadhyamakaEmptiness of consciousness

By Nagarjuna (~2nd c. CE); trans. Jay L. Garfield

Summary

All phenomena, including consciousness itself, are empty (sunya) of intrinsic existence. Emptiness is not non-existence but dependent origination (pratityasamutpada). The self is not found in the skandhas, nor apart from them, nor as their possessor — it is a conceptual construction.

Why It Matters

The most radical deconstruction of consciousness in world philosophy. Nagarjuna's "emptiness of consciousness" resonates with no-self (anatta) and provides a rigorous Middle Way counterpart to Advaita's "consciousness is real."

Notes

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