Editing Two truths doctrine (section)

===Early Indian Buddhism===
{{Main|Gandharan Buddhism|History of Buddhism in India}}
{{Further|History of Indian influence on Southeast Asia|Silk Road transmission of Buddhism}}

==== Theravāda ====
In the [[Pāli Canon]], the distinction is not made between a ''lower'' truth and a ''higher'' truth, but rather between two kinds of expressions of the same truth, which must be interpreted differently. Thus a phrase or passage, or a whole [[Buddhist texts|Sūtra]], might be classified as ''neyyattha'', ''samuti'', or ''vohāra'', but it is not regarded at this stage as expressing or conveying a different ''level'' of truth.

''Nītattha'' (Pāli; Sanskrit: ''nītārtha''), "of plain or clear meaning"<ref name="Monier-Williams">Monier-Williams</ref> and ''neyyattha'' (Pāli; Sanskrit: ''neyartha''), "[a word or sentence] having a sense that can only be guessed".<ref name="Monier-Williams"/> These terms were used to identify texts or statements that either did or did not require additional interpretation. A ''nītattha'' text required no explanation, while a ''neyyattha'' one might mislead some people unless properly explained:<ref>McCagney: 82</ref>
{{quote|There are these two who misrepresent the [[Tathāgata]]. Which two? He who represents a [[Buddhist texts|Sutta]] of indirect meaning as a Sutta of direct meaning and he who represents a Sutta of direct meaning as a Sutta of indirect meaning.<ref>''[[Anguttara Nikaya]]'' I:60 (Jayatilleke: 361, in McCagney: 82)</ref>}}

''{{IAST|Saṃmuti}}'' or ''{{IAST|samuti}}'' (Pāli; Sanskrit: ''{{IAST|saṃvṛti}}''), meaning "common consent, general opinion, convention",<ref>PED</ref> and ''paramattha'' (Pāli; Sanskrit: ''paramārtha''), meaning "ultimate", are used to distinguish conventional or common-sense language, as used in metaphors or for the sake of convenience, from language used to express higher truths directly. The term ''vohāra'' (Pāli; Sanskrit: ''vyavahāra'', "common practice, convention, custom" is also used in more or less the same sense as ''samuti''.

The [[Theravada|Theravādin]] commentators expanded on these categories and began applying them not only to expressions but to the truth then expressed: {{quote|The [[The Buddha#Siddhārtha Gautama and Buddha Shakyamuni|Awakened One]], the best of teachers, spoke of two truths, conventional and higher; no third is ascertained; a conventional statement is true because of convention and a higher statement is true as disclosing the true characteristics of events.<ref>''{{IAST|Khathāvatthu Aṭṭha kathǎ}}'' (Jayatilleke: 363, in McCagney: 84)</ref>}}

====Prajnāptivāda====
The [[Prajñaptivāda]] school took up the distinction between the conventional ({{IAST|saṃvṛti}}) and ultimate ({{IAST|paramārtha}}) truths, and extended the concept to [[Dharma#Dharmas in Buddhist phenomenology|metaphysical-phenomenological constituents]] (''dharma''), distinguishing those that are real (''tattva'') from those that are purely conceptual, i.e., ultimately nonexistent (''prajñāpti'').