Your post is full of assumption. That is why I say the dualistic
mind thinks that to deny inherent existence means to impute
non-existence, and will never get the point of what emptiness is
about. I never meant that (non-existence) in my post. Mountain and
genting highlands is also dependent arising, Conditions what.
Climbing is also dependent arising and Conditions.
If you are still seeing dualistically -- that there is a 'Self' or
'Climber' that is interacting with a 'Mountain' instead of all
being merely dependent arising empty of self and other, then I
suggest you read on, and read the highlighted text by David
Loy.
Furthermore... the dog is not going to experience the same mountain
as a climber (neither does the dog experience something different,
btw.. don't think dualistically). Someone high on LSD is going to
see very colourful visions, we are going to see a coloured vision
and a dog is going to see an uncoloured vision.
BTW, there are a few ways we can use to talk about 'subjective' and
'objective' worlds. In the relative sense, we may say that dreams
belong to the subjective world... for it contains only images and
symbols. When we are in the waking world, we deal with the
'objective' world.
But in ultimate reality there is No Duality, both Subject and
Object are empty. When I say 'All is Mind' or 'there is no
objective world' I do not mean anything like all world are merely
the projection of our subjective world -- though we all experience
conditions differently because our individual karmic conditions
give rise to different karmic vision. An insect or reptile may see
something even more different... or a came-from-the-future quantum
vision guy. None of them are seeing the same things.
What I mean in regards to Ultimate Non-Duality is that Reality is
completely empty of 'Self' and 'Other', Subject and Object.
Ultimately there can be no line of demarcation between subject and
object -- there is nothing that can be ultimately called
'subjective' or 'objective' -- there is only what is happening,
there is no inside and out there. There is only ONE TASTE. Since
there is no 'out there', there is no objective reality, which means
there is no inherently existing mountain at all. Note again: I
never say anything about non-existence.
There is only what is appearing in a field empty of self and other,
there is only One World that is not split into a subjective or
objective world -- and that is Mind. And yet appearances arise in
diversity due to Conditions, due to Dependent Arising, and EACH
arising is a universe in itself. The mountain is the universe, just
as a mote of dust is an entire universe. I believe this is the core
teachings of Avatamsaka Sutra. Just like the Net of Indra... it is
oneness but each is a jewel by itself.
Can you see? I wrote previously in
The nature of the separate self, duality,
"And as David Loy said so
nicely in The Difference
between Samsara and Nirvana: There is only one reality -- this
world, right here -- but this world may be experienced in two
different ways. Samsara is the "relative" world as usually
experienced, in which "I" dualistically perceive "it" as a
collection of objects which interact causally in space and time.
Nirvana is the world as it is in itself, nondualistic in that it
incorporates both subject and object into a whole which, Madhyamika
insists, cannot be characterized (Chandrakirti: "Nirvana or Reality
is that which is absolved of all thought-construction" ), but which
Yogacara nevertheless sometimes calls "Mind" or "Buddhanature"; and
so forth."
"In reality, there only is the universe manifesting as it is in
itself, conditioned arising, a mere happening that happens to
no-one. Whatever arises at that moment, is as it is. If pain
arises, it is not 'your pain' from 'your body'. The universe is
pain and it is happening to no one because there is no self apart
from manifestation. "
"Whatever arises is the whole universe manifesting as that
moment. Know that the universe is giving its very best for this
moment to arise. All conditions and causes are just right for the
birth a moment of manifestation. When this is understood, the
'conditioned arising' is really unconditioned, all spontaneously
arise."
"So Buddha Nature is not one! There is no 'The Absolute' but all
moments are a reality/'absolute' in itself! (just like there is no
'Essence of Flower', only conditioned manifestation according to
causes and conditions) Because Buddha Nature really is the manifold
-- the whole universe, everything, as conditioned arising that is
empty and never fixed, everchanging. Yet it is not many either!
Because all that is inseparable in One Taste, being all the
manifestation of our pristine awareness, and being an inseparable
wholeness, also known as One Reality or One Mind but really it does
not have a single nor multiple realities because its nature is
empty. (See the recent topic, the last few posts,
A nightmare)"
So... When you see the mountain, there is no YOU (subject) seeing
'THE' mountain (object) as if it is an inherently existing entity
out there, all there is is simply dependent arising appearance that
is empty of any inherent existence, being merely like reflections
on water, void of any essence and primordially unborn. And
Appearance/Manifestation is itself Mind/Source! And so, the dog
that sees a black and white mountain is seeing a Universe absolute
in itself, the man that sees a colourful mountain is also seeing a
Universe absolute in itself, the quantum vision guy that sees only
void is also seeing a Universe absolute in itself.
Same goes to the notion of there being a 'Climber' or a 'Self'
interacting with 'The Mountain'. You have not understood what is
the Universe eating apple, the Universe climbing mountain. There is
absolutely no doer interacting with the world (perceived to be a
collection of entities/objects).
The Buddha taught: When seeing there is just the seen, no seer.
When hearing there is just the heard, no hearer. The whole of that
moment is just the sound! And sound is that reality... all of it.
All of the universe is this sound.
That is all there is -- self-luminous appearances -- there is no
subjective observer nor an object observed -- only dependent
arising that is itself self-aware, self-luminous... gone as it
arise! Utterly empty, appearances arising and subsiding in
diversity like reflections.
No watcher needed, the process (the world) itself knows and rolls
as Venerable Buddhaghosa writes in the Visuddhi Magga.
(continued in the next post)
