Examination of Being and Non-Being

1: It is unreasonable to think

That the self-nature lies in the conditions.

A self-nature that is born from conditions

Would be something that is made.

2: It does not make sense to say

That the self-nature is something made.

The nature of something is not made.

3: If phenomena do not have a self-nature

There cannot be an other-nature.

The self-nature of this thing

Is other-nature of another thing.

4: Without self-nature and other-nature

How can we have phenomena?

Only with self- and other-nature

Can dharmas be possible.

5: When there is no possibility of being

How can non-being be possible?

Only when there is being

Can it end and become non-being.

6: Someone who talks about being and non-being

Sees self-nature and other-nature

And that person is not able to see

The true meaning of the Buddhadharma.

7: Buddha extinguishes being and non-being.

In the teachings given to Katyayana.

He gave instructions on how

To go beyond being and non-being.

8: If objects of mind have an original nature

They cannot become non-being.

It is not reasonable to say

That original nature could change and become something else.

9: If objects of mind have an original nature

How can they change?

If they have no original nature

How can they change?

10: To talk about being is to be caught in eternalism

To talk about non-being is to be caught in annihilation.

Therefore the wise person

Is not caught in being or non-being.

11: If objects of mind have a self-nature

And are not non-being that is eternalism

If they exist to begin with and later do not exist

That is annihilation.

~Mulamadhyamakakarika of Nagarjuna, ch. 15