Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This brief text, attributed to Nāgārjuna, serves as a pith instruction focusing on the non-establishment of intrinsic nature (svabhāva). The work is framed as a guide to the ground of non-existence, aiming to dismantle the conceptual habit of attributing inherent existence to phenomena. By positioning the instruction as a construction—analogous to the building of a temple—the text suggests a methodical approach to realizing emptiness. The reader is committed to a philosophical shift from perceiving things as self-existent to understanding them as devoid of an own-nature. Due to the fragmentary nature of the provided passages, the text functions primarily as a formal framing device, establishing the subject of the non-existence of intrinsic nature and attributing the systemic logic to the Madhyamaka tradition associated with Nāgārjuna.
Provenance
About this text
A work of instruction concerning the ground of the non-existence of intrinsic nature, the Svabhāvāsiddhyupadeśa belongs to the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. The text is attributed to the Indian author Nāgārjuna. Preserved in the classical Tibetan tradition, it appears in volume ཟི of the Tengyur, where it extends over two pages under the Tibetan title rang bzhin grub pa med pa'i gzhi'i man ngag. The work enacts a philosophical dismantling of the conceptual habit of attributing inherent existence to phenomena, framing this realization through the analogy of a temple or a house fashioned by a carpenter. By positioning the instruction as a methodical construction, the text guides the reader toward a shift in perception, moving from the view of things as self-existent to an understanding of them as devoid of an own-nature. A scholar or serious reader consults this brief text today to examine the formal framing of the non-existence of intrinsic nature and the systemic logic associated with Nāgārjuna.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Personal Instructions on the Non-Establishment of an Own Nature” (Toh 2382), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2382
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as it attributes a specific instructional method on emptiness to Nāgārjuna, a foundational figure in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. For the modern reader, it illustrates the transmission of the concept of svabhāva-śūnyatā (emptiness of intrinsic nature) from Indian sources into the Tibetan tradition.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-2
Introduction and Conclusion
The text provides the Indian and Tibetan titles, an invocation to Tārā, and a concluding statement of completion.
Themes
Non-establishment of intrinsic nature (1-2)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaPersonal Instructions on the Non-Establishment of an Own Nature·
In the language of India: Svabhāvasiddhināma-upadeśa. In the language of Tibet: Rang bzhin grub pa med pa’i gzhi’i man ngag ces bya ba (The Pith Instruction on the Ground of the Non-Existence of Intrinsic Nature). Homage to the Venerable Tārā!
Ema! Just as a wise person would construct this temple, a carpenter has fashioned a house with a single pillar and nine doors. If one does not know when that temple will ever be destroyed, where will the pigeon inside the temple seek a dwelling? If one does not know when that temple will ever be destroyed, then as for that which was covered and plastered, and the doors firmly shut—if the pillar is eaten by worms, one does not know when that temple will ever be destroyed. As for that which was covered and plastered, where will the pigeon inside the temple seek a dwelling? Even if one offers food of butter and honey, it is like the conduct of a low-caste person. Likewise, the Vajra moves. If one does not know when that temple will ever be destroyed, where will the pigeon inside that temple seek a dwelling? The pigeon of various colors, having abandoned the temple’s vase, speaks from the door of the hero. If one does not know when that temple will ever be destroyed, where will the pigeon inside the temple seek a dwelling? Having abandoned the temple’s vase, it speaks from the door of the hero. "This is a manifestation of the mind," the noble Nāgārjuna says.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.