Conceptuality! wah u just gave me the opportunity to say something
i have thought of saying yesterday... but condition wasn't there
for me to post. So right now, condition arise. yuan qi :) thanks..
hehe.. you seem to know what i want to say, or maybe I just
misunderstood what you meant ;)
Like the flower in the mirror or the moon on water, it's
illusory yet a perfect vivid manifestation of luminous clarity.
Emptiness teaching doesn't ask us change or avoid the vision of the
moon, but to see the moon with clarity without the illusion that
there is a moon located inside or outside the water, or a flower
located inside or outside the mirror. There is simply a pure
dependently originated reflection, empty of inherent existence and
location.
But if you think that apart from the appearances there is an
ultimate truth to be found, some kind of ultimate/absolute view of
"Emptiness" that is "the ultimate", you are misled. Teaching of
emptiness simply points, and dissolves all our views of inherency,
leaving nothing to be found... not even emptiness...
It's like saying that the 'redness' of flower is illusory. There
is no inherent redness or flowerness (e.g. dogs don't perceive
colours) But there is also no separate reality called 'emptiness'.
Basically it's just saying the flower is not real (has no
external/objective reality), but without establishing emptiness as
an absolute or ultimate truth. Emptiness is also
empty. So ultimately no views can grasp emptiness!
Nevertheless vision of red flower continue to appear vividly
according to conditions -- inseparably luminous and empty --
illusory divine appearances, empty yet complete and perfect as it
is, spontaneously appearing according to conditions.
Hence ultimately no establishment of views are required,
the viewless view is simply emptiness happening.
Hence you can see that the teachings of emptiness is only a
skillful expedient means, deconstructing and destroying all our
dualistic views and views of inherency, without establishing
anything (some kind of 'ultimate truth' that can be arrived at)...
nothing left but the perfect, complete, luminous-empty-appearance
appearing naturally and spontaneously according to
conditions.
However having said so much, even an intellectual understanding of
emptiness through understanding the teachings is important prior to
the insight/direct experience of emptiness, in that it prevents
false views from arising and counters some of our dualistic
assumptions so that we'll be on the right path. If one holds onto
false views of self, eternalism, etc.. or any dualistic or inherent
views... true experience cannot arise.
Also with false views, a sincere practitioner though he practices
hard can get stuck in certain stage for a long time, even after
having certain vivid experience of Presence... for example one may
be stuck in the I AM/Eternal Witness stage... maybe 20 years or his
entire life. Partly because there is no right views. In this case
having right views can really help him develop further insights
into the nature of presence. Our moderator Longchen is an example,
as he was stuck in the I AM stage for many years... our moderator
Thusness also, prior to encountering Buddhism. But Longchen was
able to progress, after Thusness introduced him to the nature of
non-duality and emptiness.
In a rather recent advise to Longchen, Thusness said "In
Buddhism there is a complete system of thought to orientate
ourselves non-dually, that is, the viewless-view of Emptiness. It
is a raft but it is the antidote for the conventional mind to
orientate itself in a non-dual and non-local context. It also led
to the amazing insight that ‘duality’ is really the result of
seeing and taking things ‘inherently’ (You may want to the take up
the challenge of re-engaging in thoughts penetrating this viewless
view of Emptiness and thoroughly understand how this affect us into
seeing things dualistically )."
This has provided Longchen with the condition to realise
Emptiness about a week back... this couldn't have happened without
the teachings of Buddha or Thusness pointing out the subtleties to
him. So understanding Buddhist teachings is important.
Unfortunately sometimes, there are some practitioners (not
referring to anyone in particular) who are too attached to
non-conceptuality [and may have the skewed thought that sustaining
thoughtless awareness is important while words and teachings are
useless] and refuses to look into the teachings of Buddha and
understand them, or thinks he understood but actually misunderstood
them.
They may prefer to simply remain non-conceptual and in naked
awareness... but nevertheless he fails to see the subtle karmic
propensity and momentum at work distorting his experience and
forming subtle views. It is so subtle that the practitioner
can't see it himself by his own wisdom, so the teachings
by Buddha [with his omniscience and skillful means] will definitely
help, and is actually necessary factor to give rise to insights.
That is why proper understanding of Dharma teachings is important
also -- it is an important factor to give rise to true
insights.
Like Thusness said, "It is not uncommon to find
practitioners totally giving up this attempt to synchronize "views"
and experience and conclude that it is an absolute futile endeavor
to do that. They prefer to rest fully in naked
awareness.
By doing so, the practitioner will miss something valuable -- the
insight of the importance of "non inherent
existence"."
That, you can't realise it by yourself without the
help/teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha... unless you're a
Pratyekabuddha, one who realised dependent origination/emptiness by
himself without the teachings by another Buddha.... but it's said
that a Pratyekabuddha can only exist in an era without
Buddhadharma. ;) And furthermore, a Pratyekabuddha has trained
under previous Buddhas and Buddha-sassana... just that when
enlightenment occurred in that lifetime, it occurred at a time
without other Buddhas or Buddhadharma.
Anyway I guess, for the people I just mentioned (attached to
non-conceptuality but missed the essence), the remedy is for them
to let go of their clinging to non-conceptuality. And get him to
have proper understanding of the teachings.
To know the pathless, see words and wordlessness as
one.
Non-conceptuality is just the beginning, it is far
from the totality of our marvelous nature's manifestation. Use
words and engage in speeches, dirty your hands and walk
on!
Milarepa said: Conceptual thoughts are in nature great
awareness.
[great awareness here referring to the pristine awareness of our
true nature]
But we're talking about practitioners with transcendental
experiences, how is it relevant to beginners? Why should we
bother.
Thusness:
Knowing this, right and firm establishment of view of the dharma
seals is most crucial. Through diligent practice of mindfulness and
together with the right
views from start will help to prevent unnecessary pitfalls.
Any transcendental experiences and insights that occurred during
our journey will then be correctly understood. The experiences will
in turn re-enforce our understanding instead of misleading us into
the sense of 'Self' and further strengthen the bond.
Oh and btw, in case you forgotten, Right View is the
1st of the 8 Fold
Path to enlightenment.
But in the end for all practitioners there is nothing to be
understood, nothing to be grasped, teachings are there only to
clarify and destroy our dualistic views and views of inherency, to
point us to and allow the revelation of the nature of mind, our
true nature/buddha nature, an unfabricated reality that is empty
and ungraspable by thought and concepts.
It is an insight, a quantum shift in perception, not a
conceptual understanding. I believe this is what is known as the
'Right View Without Taint'.
Anyway for people like me who are too intellectual and
conceptual and lacking experience and having strong karmic
propensities/momentum... the remedy would be to prolong and sustain
non-conceptuality.
Practice this in daily lives but also very important to find
time to meditate. And stop talking and thinking so much. LOL
Also, to have an initial direct experience of Buddha Nature is the
most important and precious, the first step. Only then can we begin
to understand the teachings by experience, otherwise all the
knowledge we acquire about our true nature, we can't truly relate
to them... so what use is there. Nevertheless, an initial awakening
still does not contain all the insights yet. Our Buddha-Nature
could be mistaken as "I AM". And the teachings can still remain a
mystery or an intellectual/conceptual understanding (such as
emptiness and non-duality) and may even be misunderstood.
Thusness:
Of all teachings, no teaching is more important than a
direct ‘touch’ of our Buddha essence; but of all dangers, none is
more dangerous than misinterpreting our essence after the
‘touch’.
The ‘touch’ of the pure sense of existence is often
wrongly understood due to our karmic tendencies. Use the
doctrine of Anatta and Emptiness as antidote.
But first, what is important is that any and all intellectual
grasping, "knowledge" and the mind's desire and "need" to know, and
all apparent "confusions", needs to go as well. Otherwise it
becomes a hindrance, "shuo zhi zhang". We need to pause all
conceptualising processes.
An initial awakening to presence can occur only when there is NO
thoughts, not a single thought arising. That is a momentary, total
suspension of thinking, but yet being fully awake and present. Then
one may realise one's real 'identity'/true 'face' [which is the
no-face awareness before your parents gave birth to you] as an
all-pervading presence; it is not induced through meditation but
naturally revealed -- like the sun or the clear blue sky (our
buddha-nature) that has always been shining and clear and boundless
but obscured by the clouds (our thoughts and concepts), but now it
is as if every fleck of cloud had been wiped from the vast sky and
it is finally revealed. The shining sun or the vast sky is always
present and not induced but simply revealed.
Hence achieving total non-conceptuality is vital. This cannot be
achieved by force or suppression, but by letting go and following a
correct method of practice, one can gradually arrive at it.
But, later it will be realised and experienced that the clouds
floating in the vast open sky never obscures the clarity of the
shining sun or the boundlessness and freedom of the sky, and even
later it is realised that the clouds and the sky are inseparable
from the beginning... the cloud is the sky.
But even then, non-attachment to thoughts is still
important.
thx for the mindful reply,i think different sages create
different system to concepulise the world.Buddhism is afte hinduism
,and hinduism claim to be the origin of all the religion in the
world,maybe right ,because it's the most ancient systemised
religion in the world.
And buddhism also got Theravana and mahayana tradition ,chinese
trend to adhere to the latter one,which coincide characteristics of
chinese,who tend to like talk but not much practice,in fact chinese
is race tend to not believe in any deity.This have been shown in
confucius analect.未知生焉知死.or子罕言性与天道.and the difference and
similarity between india and china is quite intriguing,india is
more soft empty ,simliar to Taoism ,but china,not only Taoism but
also confucius who mention balance alot.So why india cannot set up
a strong military force ,and colonized by other country many
years,it think this is the reason,indian is too soft,like taoism
,who also emphasize on softness,but fail to raise up a theory for
military ,taoism teach 兵者不详之物,大兵过后必有凶年.So in possesing that
teaching,ppl cannot hardly set up any strong military force,so
nowadays ,chinese character and language still survive to date.But
india fail to protect their own language and culture.
So i think buddhism is only applied to some ppl.If all the ppl
in the country practice that,definitely he will be weaken in
military force.
At some era of chinese history.Some master tend to sit and
meditate for months and years.And the monks become inactive,weak.So
some buddhist pioneers critize that tradition,said buddhism should
have more resposiblity to society.And that tradition become named
人间佛教.So after buddhism spread to china,some tradition become quite
different to original buddhism,like buddha used to eat mean,u can
kown it from after buddha practive ascetic way in the gungle for
six year ,he drink乳糜 from a sheep keeper.And buddha himself married
and have child.But in china one emperor forbid monks to eat
meat.And in india Kuanyin is a man ,but come to china he being
portrayed as a woman.
I i doubt some rightfulness of buddhism teaching and
tradition.
And nowadays ,most ppl tend to do image worshipping ,which is
far away from buddha's teaching,
