THE TWO TRUTHS

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In Tibetan Buddhism, a distinction is made between Madhyamaka (Middle Way) and Mahamadhyamaka (Great Middle Way). Its explanation is the following.

在藏傳佛教里，有中觀和大中觀之分。何為中觀？何為大中觀呢？

The theory put forward in the scriptures like Nagarjuna’s Six Treatises on Madhyamaka, the Wisdom Chapter of The Way of the Bodhisattvas by Shantideva, Introduction to the Middle Way by Chandrakirti and so forth is Madhyamaka, not Mahamadhyamaka. The reason is that these texts only explain the teachings from the second turning of the wheel of Dharma and do not directly address the luminous nature of mind that is free of all graspings as taught in the third turning of the wheel. It is possible that people with superior faculty may realize emptiness while cultivating renunciation or bodhicitta. For instance, when we have contemplated the different facets of renunciation or bodhicitta for some time until the mind becomes weary, we will stop and just let the mind rest. At this point, all thoughts fall away naturally. If one has accumulated sufficient merit and purified enough negative karma, one may realize emptiness at the very instant when all deluded thoughts vanish. However, one must have acquired certain knowledge of Madhyamaka beforehand.

龍樹菩薩的《中觀六論》、寂天菩薩《入行論》的智慧品、以及月稱菩薩的《入中論》等論典所提出的理論，就是中觀，而不是大中觀。原因何在呢？因為，它們只解釋了第二轉法輪的思想，還未直接涉及到第三轉法輪所講的遠離一切執著的光明。根機較好的人，在修出離心或菩提心的同時，也有可能證悟空性。譬如，當我們反複思維到心非常疲憊時，便不再觀想，心安住下來，這時，一切雜念會自然離去，如果積資、懺罪的條件也已經具備，則在所有雜念離開的那一剎那間，也有可能證悟空性。但是，在此之前，必須要有中觀的概念才行。

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Mahamadhyamaka refers to Shentong Madhyamaka or Tathagatagarbha. In the Indian Buddhist tradition, there are no such terms as Rangtong (empty of self) and Shentong (empty of other). The Tibetans coined these terms, but the significance of Rangtong and Shentong is still present in Indian Buddhism. Mahamadhyamaka is about Tathagatagarbha. It is Great Madhyamaka because it comprises the additional meaning of “Clear Light.” As there is no discussion of clear light, considered the ultimate of Buddhist teachings, in Nagarjuna’s Six Treatises on Madhyamaka, it is designated only as an exposition on Madhyamaka.

而大中觀是指他空中觀或如來藏中觀。在印度佛教里沒有“自空”和“他空”的名詞，這是西藏人造的，但是，在印度佛教里存在“自空”和“他空”的涵義。大中觀就是講如來藏，因為它多了“光明”的含義，所以叫大中觀；而《龍樹六論》中還沒有提到“光明”的一面，缺了最究竟的內容，故只能稱為中觀。

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