It says in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way) by Nāgārjuna, "Buddhas teach the doctrines // Correctly relying on the two truths // Worldly conventional truth and // Ultimate truth. // Those who do not know // The division into the two truths // Know not the profound reality // Of the Buddha's teachings." While the concept of the two truths is discussed widely by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, this study focuses on analyzing the perspectives on the ultimate truth and the conventional truth of the four Buddhist schools of tenets, including the Great Exposition School (Vaibhāṣika) and takes a further step toward understanding the Consequence School’s (Prāsaṅgika's) thoughts and views manifested in the works of Nāgārjuna, Buddhapālita, and Chandrakīrti. The Consequentialists' approach to the two truths is expounded in Chandrakīrti's Madhyamakāvatāra (Supplement to "Treatise on the Middle"): One should gain the insight into the Buddha's teachings by first understanding the imputed existence of the two truths. Without knowing the reality of the two truths, one may not realize the profoundness and subtlety of the Buddhist doctrine. In order to fully appreciate the Consequentialists' unique presentations of the two truths, it is necessary to compare and contrast the views of the other schools of tenets. This study intends to elucidate how Chandrakīrti examined with logical reasoning, which is well preserved in Indian philosophical heritage, the interpretations of the conventional truth and the ultimate truth by various schools of tenets. It also explores how Chandrakīrti in the Madhyamakāvatāra presents the two truths, refutes their inherent existence, and stresses the importance of correctly understanding the two truths. It goes further to show how he validates the two truths with scriptural proofs and logical reasoning, analyzes the conventional truth on the basis of imputation, and propounds the Consequentialists’ distinctive thoughts.
