Sevenfold reasoning of the chariot

Sevenfold reasoning of the chariot (Wyl. shing rta rnam bdun gyi rigs pa) — a line of logical reasoning used by Chandrakirti in his Madhyamakavatara in order to establish the selflessness of the individual and show that the self is merely a designation, applied to an assembly of parts, in just the same way that the designation 'chariot' is applied to the assembly of its parts, i.e., the wheels, axle, body and so on.

1. There is no chariot which is other than its parts
2. There is no chariot which is the same as its parts
3. There is no chariot which possesses its parts
4. There is no chariot which depends on its parts
5. There is no chariot upon which the parts depend
6. There is no chariot which is the collection of its parts
7. There is no chariot which is the shape of its parts

Further Reading

• Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa, The Great Treatise On The Stages Of The Path To Enlightenment, Vol. 3, Chapter 22. Snow Lion, ISBN 1-55939-166-9