Did Candrakīrti implied a Shentong-like view here?

Question

I've been reading his Madhyamakāvatāra and this passage throws me off

"In itself, the son of a barren woman has no arising, either in reality or in the context of the everyday world. Likewise, all things do not arise in and of themselves, either through their essence or in terms of the everyday world. 6.111

Therefore the Buddha declared that all phenomena are primordially tranquil and devoid of arising and that they transcend the bounds of sorrow. Thus things have no arising at any time. 6.112"

This "primordially tranquil" and "transcend the bounds of sorrow" sounds a lot like some sort of implied absolute positive Inherent to ultimate reality and a reification of it. I'm still a newbie though and Je Tsokhapa rejected Shentong decisively so I wonder what did Candrakīrti meant here.

Posted Feb 15, 2026, 3:47 PM UTC

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