Four great logical arguments of the Middle Way

Arya Nagarjuna

The four great logical arguments of the Middle Way (Wyl. dbu ma'i gtan tshigs chen po bzhi) are:

1. The investigation of the cause: the Diamond Splinters
2. The investigation of the result: refuting existent or non-existent results
3. The investigation of the essential identity: ‘neither one nor many’
4. The investigation of all: the Great Interdependence

Sometimes it is said that there are ‘five great arguments of the Middle Way,’ but, according to Mipham Rinpoche, the fifth — the investigation of both the cause and the effect: refuting production according to the four alternatives — can be included within the first category, i.e., the investigation of the cause.

See also Madhyamika.

External Links

• The Four Great Logical Arguments of the Middle Way by Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche