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Question

According to Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, “Those who do not know the distinction between the two truths cannot understand the profound nature of the Buddha’s teaching”.

Which combination of the following claims is correct in this connection?

(i) The teachings of the Buddha can be subsumed into the two truths.
(ii) The two truths are wisdom and compassion.
(iii)The two truths are the ultimate truth and the conventional truth.
(iv) The conceptual knowledge of the two truths is enough for Enlightenment.

The correct answer is
only (i) and (iii)

Understanding the distinction between the two truths is fundamental to grasping the depth of Buddhist teachings, as highlighted in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

Analyzing the Claims on Two Truths

  • Claim (i): The teachings of the Buddha can be subsumed into the two truths.

    This claim is correct. The Madhyamaka framework, particularly Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, emphasizes that all phenomena can be understood through the lens of conventional and ultimate reality. This two-truth framework provides a structure for analyzing the nature of existence and the path to liberation.

  • Claim (ii): The two truths are wisdom and compassion.

    This claim is incorrect. While wisdom (prajñā) and compassion (karuṇā) are vital components of the Buddhist path, they are not the definition of the two truths. The two truths refer to the modes of reality, not specific virtues.

  • Claim (iii): The two truths are the ultimate truth and the conventional truth.

    This claim is correct. This is the standard definition provided in Madhyamaka philosophy. Conventional truth (saṃvṛti-satya) relates to how things appear in the everyday world, while ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya) refers to the true nature of reality, often described as emptiness (śūnyatā).

  • Claim (iv): The conceptual knowledge of the two truths is enough for Enlightenment.

    This claim is incorrect. While understanding the concepts is necessary, Enlightenment requires direct, non-conceptual realization and experience, not merely intellectual or theoretical knowledge.

Conclusion on Correct Combination

Based on the analysis, claims (i) and (iii) accurately represent the understanding of the two truths in the context of Mūlamadhyamakakārikā and Buddhist teachings. Therefore, the correct combination includes only these two statements.

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Important Questions from Religion & Indian Society

  1. Which school of classical Indian philosophy asserts the following?
    1. It is fallacious to take any knowledge claim (jñāna) as absolute.
    2. To recognize that all knowledge claims are contextually and partially true does not lead to skepticism.
  2. Which one of the following classical Indian schools of thought do the philosophical texts Spandakārikā and Pratyabhijñāsūtra belong to?
  3. According to the Advaitic text Vedāntaparibhāṣā, “Those means of knowledge are six in number (tāni ca pramāṇāni ṣaṭ)”. These are:
  4. “Desire, cognition etc. are qualities that necessarily require a substance and therefore individually constitute the necessary mark or sign of substance, which could then be identified as soul.”

    Which one of the following classical Indian thinkers has made this argument?
  5. Which of the following options is/are included among the four states of Ātman as delineated in the Mānḍukya Upaniṣad?
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