The Two Truths: Finding the Middle Way

February 27 – March 7, 2019

A 9-day Residential Intermediate-Level Course. Led by Venerable Lhundup Jamyang.

The Buddha taught that there are only two truths: the ultimate truth and the conventional truth.

All Buddhist tenet schools posit the two truths in their own way. In this course we mainly focus on the presentation of the Prasangika school, which is seen as the most subtle or final view by all Tibetan Buddhists traditions.

All things possess these two truths. The ultimate truth refers to the nature of things, a phenomenon’s own entity, its reality, or its lack of inherent existence. The ultimate truth is emptiness; it is the object directly realized by a superior being in meditative equipoise. The conventional truth is a deceptive truth. It is the truth that is found by the perception of ordinary beings. For ordinary beings, things appear to be established by way of their own entity, and also to exist as their own entity, whereas they do not. Due to ignorance we superimpose a reality to things, which in actuality does not exist. Things appear to us to be real and we believe that things are more concrete and substantial than they are. In reality things arise in dependence on causes and conditions and on the mind imputing it.

In this course we will explore the meaning of both the ultimate nature and conventional nature of things according to the Middle Way tenet schools.  What does really exist and what doesn’t within the domain of each truth? Why can’t ordinary beings perceive how things really exist?  How do we find the middle way between what exists and what doesn’t?

This course is suitable for students who have attended one of our 10-day Introduction to Buddhism courses or equivalent.

Recommended Reading:

  • The Middle Way: Faith grounded in Reason by HH the Dalai Lama
  • The Two Truths by Guy Newland
  • Appearance and reality by Guy Newland
  • Introduction to emptiness by Guy Newland

For more information about Intermediate Courses, including a typical schedule and how to register, please see our Intermediate Course Page.