Madhyamika

Madhyamika

(skt.: madhyamika; tib.: uma) It is a system founded by Nagarjuna in the second century C.E., based on the Prajnaparamita Sutras of Shakyamuni Buddha, and considered to be the supreme presentation of the wisdom of emptiness. This view holds that all phenomena are empty of self existance and that they arise by dependant origination. It is called middle way because it avoids the two mistaken extremes (so it is in the middle of these two extremes):

1. seeing things as self existent (eternalism)

2. seeing things as non existent (nihilism)