Saying nothing is sometimes better than saying something: Candrakīrti's non-analysis as a meditative technique

Candrakīrti's use of 'non-analysis' (avicāra) serves both as a philosophical method to protect conventional reality and as embedded meditative guidance for contemplative realization. His arguments function as techniques to gradually pacify conceptual proliferation (prapañca), moving from analytical refutations of intrinsic existence (svabhāva) toward a state beyond all philosophical positions—the 'noble silence' of realized practitioners. This reading resolves the paradox of Nāgārjuna's rejection of theses while systematically deploying them, showing that Candrakīrti's analytical sophistication lies in bridging polemics and meditative insight.

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Abstract

This paper argues that Candrakīrti's (c. 7th century) systematic use of ‘non-analysis' (avicāra) functions not merely as a philosophical technique for preserving conventional reality from ultimate deconstruction, but also as embedded meditative guidance intended to foster contemplative realization. While contemporary scholarship has largely approached Madhyamaka through Western philosophical frameworks, this paper argues that Candrakīrti's corpus operates simultaneously as both dialectical discourse and contemplative exercise. Building upon Anne MacDonald's research on Candrakīrti's distinctive theory of yogic cognition — which operates through ‘non-seeing' and the cessation of ordinary consciousness (vijñāna) in favour of objectless gnosis (jñāna) — this paper examines how his philosophical arguments function as techniques for gradually pacifying conceptual proliferation (prapañca). Drawing on Candrakīrti's major works and Tibetan meditation guides by Réndawa, Rongtönpa, and Ju Mipham, the paper traces how analytical refutations of intrinsic existence (svabhāva) serve as contemplative exercises that eventually transcend conceptualization itself. Candrakīrti's four-stage pedagogical framework outlines a progressive movement from conceptual negations towards a state beyond all philosophical positions — the ‘noble silence' of realized practitioners. This reading resolves the apparent paradox of Nāgārjuna's rejection of theses while systematically deploying them, and shows that Candrakīrti’s analytical sophistication is most clearly seen in his ability to bridge polemics and meditative insight.