Study of Dharma (science of phenomenal reality, ultimately the emptiness of *dependent origination). All phenomena, which includes consciousness awareness is in the nature of dependent arising. Due to self-adherence to inner and outer phenomena, this takes on a dualistic appearance to the mind.

Dharma is intrinsic gps:
With Dharma gps, mind has clear rite of passage to recognition of its own awareness nature. (Like awareness of the universe looking back at itself).

Not attachment to ego-self because this is the basis of one’s past karmic actions of body, speech and mind. It is unaware projection of attachment, not seeing its own illumination.

Not knowledge of/ understanding, recognition of and ultimately realising all phenomena (of self & other) is in the same nature e.g. actioner, action and that acted upon. On realisation one awakens to the pure display of one own awareness, (non-dually/ inseparably).

What the Middle Way? In colloquial terms, perhaps one could say it is like the eye of the storm. One follows a clear seeing road for the mind through the storms of the winds of karma (the delusion creation of the six realms, mind states of samsara and mind’s attachments to those states).

A sentient being born as a human is in the desire realm. (But until exposure to the teachings is not aware of this, or how to transmute the desire to realise its true empty wisdom nature).

Self is merely a designated imputed label upon collection of parts of body and mind. In unawareness of this, mind follows attachment and aversion of its self-adherence, following its own concepts of mind, (like a dog chasing after a stick). Not realising they are empty but appear, appear but empty, like a rainbow in the sky. With mindfulness meditation, instead of mind turning outwards and chasing the stick (the thoughts), one trains instead to turn and face the origin or root-cause of the thoughts, (not following after the effects).

Unaware self-adherence creates the illusion of separation, this gives rise to further mistaken perception; attachment to what self wants, and aversion-anger to what is not wanted. (Mind is not recognising the indivisible nature of its own awareness). This is due to unaware habituation of/to previous karmic action of body, speech and mind, which creates the six realms of samsara (or mind-states). The sentient being thus embroiled, is distracted from recognising its own nature. Is in unawareness of the ultimate View of reality, (union of relative conventional reality and ultimate reality).

Still trapped in its own mistakenness (delusion) and continuing to creating the six realms mind-states and rebirth into one of those realms of samsara. When karmic action is purified (through a direct yogic perception of reality; (the union of compassionate skilful means and wisdom emptiness in the mindstream), its ultimate nature is recognised: wisdom realising emptiness.

Learning to guide mind through following the dharma is the safest way to travel throughout this brief visitation as a human on planet earth, death and further transmigration, until awakening to the empty-appearance arising of self-nature’s pure display, the emptiness of awareness (dependent origination/arising).

Footnotes

*Tsongkhapa’s explanation of dependent origination illuminates the Middle Way free of the two extremes of existence (nihilism and eternalism).

Tsongkhapa gives precise philosophical proof: dependent origination is the only view that avoids both nihilism and eternalism. His reasoning is subtle but razor‑sharp, and it rests on a single insight:

Whatever is dependently arisen cannot be inherently existent — and whatever is not inherently existent cannot be non‑existent.

This is why dependent origination illuminates the Middle Way.

How dependent origination cuts off eternalism

Eternalism believes things exist from their own side, with intrinsic nature. Tsongkhapa expounds:

• If something had inherent existence, it would not depend on causes.
• If it did not depend on causes, it could not arise, change, or cease.
• But everything we experience does arise, change, and cease.

Therefore:

Dependent origination proves emptiness. Because things arise from causes, they cannot exist independently.

This removes eternalism without denying the functioning world.

How dependent origination cuts off nihilism

Nihilism says nothing exists at all.

Tsongkhapa counters:

• If things were truly non‑existent, they could not function.
• But causes produce effects, karma operates, suffering arises, liberation is possible.
• Functionality requires dependence, not non‑existence.

Thus:

Emptiness does not mean non-existence — it means existence as dependent designation.

This removes nihilism while preserving the reality of conventional phenomena.

The Middle Way revealed by dependent origination

Tsongkhapa follows Nāgārjuna closely:

“Voidness, dependent arising, and the Middle Way have the same meaning.” (Nagarjuna, Vigrahavyāvartanī)

He elucidates that:

• Dependent origination = emptiness
• Emptiness = dependent designation
• This identity is the Middle Way

Nothing exists independently (so no eternalism). Nothing is annihilated (so no nihilism). Everything exists relatively, functionally, dependently.

This is why Tsongkhapa praises dependent origination as:

“The king of reasonings.”

Why this matters experientially

When you see dependent origination clearly:

• The world becomes vivid but light, like a reflection.
• Emotions arise but do not bind.
• Karma makes sense without fatalism.
• Compassion becomes natural because beings are not fixed.
• Wisdom becomes natural because grasping relaxes.

This is the Middle Way free of extremes — not a compromise, but a deeper truth.