Nāgārjuna's tetralemma (catuṣkoṭi), a foundational method in Madhyamaka Buddhism, systematically rejects four positions regarding any proposition P . While often interpreted as a transcendence of classical logic, this paper argues that the tetralemma's radical operation relies on an inescapable metalogical principle: the necessity of stable identity and discernible distinctness (A = A and A ≠ B) in the metalanguage. Through a formal analysis of its self-applicatory structure, we demonstrate that the tetralemma does not invalidate logical principles but rather reveals their foundational role as transcendental conditions for any coherent discourse of deconstruction. In contrast to paraconsistent reconstructions of the catuṣkoṭi, this paper focuses not on proposing a non-classical object logic, but on elucidating the metalogical conditions of its meaningful use.

This paper is part 1 of a Triptychon, it delivers a metalogical takedown of Nāgārjuna's tetralemma (catuṣkoṭi), proving its deconstructive operation inescapably presupposes stable identity (A = A, A ≠ B) as a transcendental condition for coherence and communicability.