Buddhism · branch
Mahayana Buddhism
Emptiness and buddha-nature: awakening is not acquired but uncovered, and it is aimed at everyone rather than at oneself. Skilful means makes the tradition genuinely pluralist about how people get there.
What makes it unusual
The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.
- C2 Shape of timecyclical returnFurther toward "cyclical return" than most traditions in the matrix.
- E2 Origin of the cosmosbeginningless or naturalFurther toward "beginningless or natural" than most traditions in the matrix.
- C1 Survival of the selfleaning ends at deathFurther toward "ends at death" than most traditions in the matrix.
- A1 Divine realitybetween nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly existsFurther toward "nothing beyond the natural" than most traditions in the matrix.
All seventeen positions
Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.
The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.
- position
- tolerated variation
A · The divine
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists | between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly existsLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.45 | 0.20 |
| A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address | leaning impersonal principle or orderLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.35 | 0.18 |
| A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits | between strictly one and many powers and spiritsLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.58 | 0.15 |
| A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it | leaning fully present within itLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.80 | 0.10 |
B · Knowledge and authority
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience | between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experienceLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.62 | 0.14 |
| B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all | between literal and binding and metaphorical, or no text at allLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.55 | 0.15 |
| B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides | leaning clergy and tradition decideLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.32 | 0.14 |
C · Self and destiny
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form | leaning ends at deathLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.35 | 0.18 |
| C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return | cyclical returnLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.92 | 0.06 |
| C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound | ignorant but fundamentally soundLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.88 | 0.08 |
D · Practice
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight | leaning achieved by effort or insightLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.78 | 0.14 |
| D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent | between essential and prescribed and optional or absentLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.45 | 0.16 |
| D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated | leaning to be disciplinedLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.30 | 0.14 |
E · World and others
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths | leaning many valid pathsLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.70 | 0.14 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural | beginningless or naturalLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.92 | 0.06 |
| E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice | leaning an individual choiceLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.72 | 0.13 |
| E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacredLotus, Heart and Vimalakirti Sutras; Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika | 0.62 | 0.14 |
Further reading
- Nagarjuna, Mulamadhyamakakarika — Emptiness argued; the basis for the A-group values.
- The Lotus Sutra, ch. 2 — Skilful means, and therefore the E1 value of 0.70.
Compared with
Where do you sit?
The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.