ABSTRACT
Candrakcrti, at the beginning of his chapter on wisdom in the MadhyamakAvatAra BhAWya, observes that it is difficult for us to understand the intention of the sacred scriptures. So we are fortunate, Candrakcrti tells us, that there is a person predicted by the Buddha who can be taken as an authority for the exact meaning of the setras:
How the Bodhisattva who courses in the perfection of wisdom sees the true nature of dharmas has been clearly taught by the Noble Nagarjuna, who understood exactly the scriptures, in his Madhyamika treatise, employing reasoning and scriptural testimony. This true nature of dharmas is characterized by their absence of intrinsic nature [svabhAva].1
