Gaudapada aligns himself with the Vedantic tradition in that he attributes a permanent self (%latman) or essence (svabhava) to reality，but has clearly been influenced by Madhyamika arguments. In chapter 24 of the Mula-Madhyamaka-karika Najarjuna outlines the absolutistic consequences of essentialism (svabhava-vada). The contrasting perspectives of Najarjuna and Gaudapada can be seen in their attempts to reconcile the incompatibility of the notion that one can have an entity which has an essence yet is still capable of change. Nagarjuna rejects the "essentialist" view as absolutistic (i.e.，denying change)，while Gaudapada rejects the idea of change，opting for an absolutistic "essentialism."
目次
THE TWO TRUTHS 388 SirNYATA AND THE DENIAL OF DIFFERENCE (BHEDAIDVAZTA) 392 THE PROBLEM OF CHANGE 396 NAGARJUNA’S CRITIQUE OF ABSOLUTISM (SV’ABH/i VA V/iDA) 398 THE GAUQAPADIAN RESPONSE 400 AJATIVADA AND THE THEORY OF NON-CONFLICT (A VIRODHA VADA) 400
