This paper explores the possible points of intersection between the Buddhist concept of the twelve links of dependent origination (十二緣起, dvādaśāṅga-pratītyasamutpāda) -- as presented in Chapter 26, “Examination of the Twelve Conditions” (Pratītyasamutpādaparīkṣā), of Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā -- and contemporary philosophical debates on determinism and free will.
Nāgārjuna’s exposition of dependent origination elucidates that all phenomena arise and change as conditioned by specific causes and conditions. While this may appear to carry deterministic implications, Nāgārjuna’s thought fundamentally rejects the notion of inherent existence (svabhāva), thereby denying any fixed or self-subsisting entities within causal relations. According to this framework, phenomena are not independently existent but arise interdependently, and are thus marked by ontological fluidity and transformation. The absence of intrinsic identity in both agents and events challenges the very basis of conventional determinism.
In Chapter 26, Nāgārjuna describes how upādāna (attachment) perpetuates saṃsāra and suffering, yet also implies that one may transcend this cycle through the cultivation of wisdom. While this may seem to leave room for a notion of free will, Nāgārjuna’s philosophy of non-duality (advaya) reveals that both attachment and its origin -- desire -- are illusory constructs arising from dichotomous conceptualization. Thus, the path to liberation involves dismantling these fabrications and directly realizing the truth of dependent origination. However, overcoming avidyā (ignorance) from within its own conditioned framework is profoundly difficult. Even morally wholesome actions may reinforce saṃsāra if they are grounded in the attachment to a fixed self. Therefore, this study suggests a repetitive cultivation of virtuous actions, aimed at breaking the habitual identification with a reified self. Although Nāgārjuna does not explicitly affirm or deny the existence of free will, his deconstruction of the self and affirmation of the emptiness of all phenomena can be interpreted as a pathway toward a radically redefined notion of freedom. This freedom is not grounded in autonomous agency but in the transcendence of self-bound identity and the realization of ultimate liberation (nirvāṇa).
In conclusion, Nāgārjuna’s doctrine of dependent origination offers a unique philosophical model in which the law of causality and ethical practice are integrated within the framework of emptiness. His articulation of the two truths -- conventional (saṃvṛti-satya) and ultimate (paramārtha-satya) -- demonstrates how seemingly deterministic reality unfolds freely within the logic of śūnyatā. This implies that determinism and freedom are not mutually exclusive but may converge within the non-dual insight into the nature of reality.