TH, as a Buddhist philosopher committed to emptiness, would accept rather than reject the two worlds doctrine

TH, as a Buddhist philosopher committed to emptiness, would accept rather than reject the two worlds doctrine

Date set
March 6, 2026
Tournament
Brown II
Topics
Philosophy
Background slide

Most Buddhist philosophers argue the world is “empty,” i.e. devoid of any “substance,” “essence,” or “true form.” Some Buddhist philosophers adopt a two worlds doctrine, which holds that truth has two levels: “ultimate” truth, which is idiomized as emptiness, and “conventional” truth, which describes our everyday experience of the world. Some Buddhist philosophers reject the metaphor of two worlds, arguing it is a perceptual delusion.