Zhong lun

Zhong lun (C. 中論). "The Middle Treatise". A treatise comprising of Kumarajiva's translation of Nagarjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, together with Kumarajiva's own notes and a commentary on Nagarjuna's text by Piṅgala (C. Qingmu 青目).

This is a basic text for the study of Madhyamaka thought in East Asia. It is the first and most important of the three treatises of the "Three Treatise School" (San lun zong).

The text denies opposed rigid categories of existence and nonexistence, as well as the two extremes of arising and nonarising.

This text taught the 'eight negations' of neither arising nor ceasing 不生不滅, neither eternal nor annihilated 不常不斷, neither one nor many 不一不異 and neither coming nor going 不來不出. These were used to refute all forms of attachment to concepts of existence and nonexistence, and thus the meaning of 'middle path' 中道 wherein all things are accepted as existent, but as lacking in self-nature.

This text is available in Tibetan.

Title variations

Chinese:

• Zhong lun 中論
• Zhongguan lun 中觀論
• Zhengguan lun 正觀論

Sanskrit:

• Madhyamaka-śāstra
• Prâñnyāya-mūla-śāstra-ṭīkā
• Prâṇyamūla-śāstra-ṭīkā
• *Mūla-madhyamaka-kārikā

English:

• "The Middle Treatise"

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 

Further reading

• Garfield, Jay L., trans. 1995. The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nāgārjunaʼs Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Inada, Kenneth K. 1970. Nāgârjuna: A Translation of his Mūlamadhyamakākarikā with an Introductory Essay. Tokyo: Hokuseidō Press.
• Luetchford, M J. 2002. Between Heaven and Earth: A Translation of Nagarjunaʼs Mulamadhyamakakarika, with Commentary and Grammatical Analysis. Bristol: Windbell Publications.
• Siderits, Mark, and Shōryū Katsura. 2013. Nāgārjunaʼs Middle way: Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. Wisdom Publications. Classics of Indian Buddhism.
• de Jong, Jan Willem. 1977. Nāgârjuna: Mūlamadhyamakakārikāḥ. Madras: Adyar Library and Research Centre.