Within the Madhyamaka tradition, several root treatises form the backbone of its vision of emptiness. Foremost among these is Nāgārjuna’s *Mūlamadhyamakakārikā* (Root or Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way), which systematically examines causation, motion, self, time, and nirvāṇa to reveal that all phenomena are empty of inherent nature (svabhāva). Complementing this are other works by Nāgārjuna, such as the *Śūnyatāsaptati* (Seventy Verses on Emptiness) and the *Vigrahavyāvartanī* (Dispeller or Refutation of Objections), which further clarify that emptiness is inseparable from dependent origination and does not amount to nihilism. Together, these texts articulate a middle way that avoids both eternalism and annihilationism by showing that whatever arises dependently cannot possess an independent essence.

A second layer of the tradition consists of early commentarial and expository works that deepen and systematize this insight. Āryadeva’s *Catuḥśataka* (Four Hundred Verses) extends Nāgārjuna’s analysis to subtler views of self and phenomena, and became highly influential for later Indian and Tibetan interpretation. Candrakīrti’s *Prasannapadā* (Clear Words), a major commentary on the *Mūlamadhyamakakārikā*, and his *Madhyamakāvatāra* (Entering or Introduction to the Middle Way) are especially revered for integrating philosophical analysis with the bodhisattva path and the six perfections. These works do not merely repeat Nāgārjuna’s conclusions; they patiently unfold the implications of emptiness for practice, ethics, and the cultivation of wisdom.

Later traditions, especially in Tibet, took these Indian sources as the primary touchstones for rigorous debate and contemplative study. Figures such as Tsongkhapa and Gorampa composed extensive commentaries on Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti, using them to articulate nuanced distinctions between Prāsaṅgika and Svātantrika interpretations and to refine understandings of conventional and ultimate truth. Across these developments, certain teachings remain constant: the doctrine of the two truths, the centrality of dependent origination, and the thoroughgoing rejection of inherent existence, even in the case of emptiness itself. Through this web of texts and commentaries, Madhyamaka presents a path where insight into śūnyatā does not negate the lived world, but reveals its fluid, relational character and thus opens the way to compassionate engagement.