Questions about the planes of existences and rebirth

An Eternal Now SG

Emptiness is perhaps one of the more difficult things to understand in Buddhism. I always emphasize that Emptiness is not about absence nor rejection, which is what people usually think of when they speak of emptiness.

In Buddhism, emptiness is the nature of everything. This is the nature of all things, you cannot imagine it, if you start to think or imagine, then it's not emptiness but something else (which you have imagined). That's the point. If you see things the way it is (without your imaginations and your conceptual thinkings), then you see it in its true nature.

I hope that in future Origami can answer your questions more... He's better at answering than I do.

Origami SG

Ok karmic imprint.

Ever wonder why sometimes we learn certain things so easily? In Buddhism we classify this as imprint. This imprint is what we accumulate through our countless rebirths, be it good or bad.

Wonder why some people enjoy violence and some enjoy peace? All karmic imprints. This is a conciousness which follows one through all existence. That is why we seek the way to be liberated from such cyclic existence.

U can say it's like an 'identity'. As long as it helps u understand it better.

What is emptiness?

Usually people associate emptiness as nothingness. In Buddhism, emptiness is not nothingness. Just like non-attachment is not detachment. It is not getting attached to anything while at the same time able to enjoy it without having to do without it. Ok before I confuse u, let me simplify it.

We get attached to things we like or love. For eg. a dog, family, friend etc. So when we lose it we get upset. non-attachment means not to get attached to things as we know that all things are impermanent. But some may miscomprehend non-attachment as detachment. They think since getting attached to such things will cause unhappiness, they rather do without it. This is an extreme of one end. So Buddhism advocates the middle path. We understand that the nature of all things are impermanent. Nothing lasts forever. So we can accept it when something goes away for good as a way of life and appreciate it n enjoy it while it lasts.

Since we now know all things r impermanent, all things are originally empty of inherent nature. True a chair is there. It is always there. U see it. I see it. What is meant by empty of inherent nature means it appears as what we see, to put it simply.

For eg. we all know the color of blue. We know that the sky n the sea is the color of blue. We can identify the different colors. So we assume the nature of the color of the sky is blue. Let's imagine that the color of the sky is actually red. So since the day we were born n we can differentiate colors we were told that the sky is blue. We look up n see the sky n we label it blue. Ok. So I see it as red n I call it blue. Maybe u see it as green n u call it blue too. Then we see grass n we're told it's green. But I see white but I call it green cos I'm told so. N u see it as yellow n u call it green too. So all yellow appearing in youe eye conciousness appears as green. N all white appears as green to me too.

Why do we see it differently? It's due to our karmic imprint. That's why we all have different levels of understanding of things. N this also show that all things r empty of inherent nature. They appear as what our eye conciousness comprehends due to our karmic imprints.

Once we understand that all things r empty of inherent nature, we can then contemplate on emptiness. Before that it is best not to try. Smile We just get confused n probably fall asleep in the process. Mr. Green

Poopie-Head SG

I understand what you mean by 'empty of inherent nature'. Yet I cannot understand about that part in the Matrix. The little monk had managed to bend the spoon - can we consider that as a FACT? This feat is witnessed by other people (Neo to be exact), it is not merely an imagination. Yet the little monk tells Neo that there is no spoon, how does that help a person in accomplishing such a feat (bending spoons with willpower)? I can imagine myself bending spoons and such but I cannot make others see things as I imagine isn't it? (unless I got some kind of psychic powers to mess up other people's minds Laughing )

As for karmic imprint, since there is some sort of a 'signature' that follows a person, it is essentially an identity isn't it? This is already one way to separate and distinguish one person from another, implying that everyone is an individual, a separate entity. Unless, you're telling me this imprint or 'identity' merges with others much like a drop of water merging into the sea, or that the imprint does not follow the entity and there is no way to distinguish a person from another? Why then, are we able to tell which little boy is the Dalai Lama in his past life? The point is, we can even refer to Buddhas by their names, suggesting individuality and a way to distinguish between entities.

Origami SG

Err...is this question for me? Anyway Mr. Green

Correct me if I'm wrong, I think I did not state merging of entities.
I had to reread ur statement so many times to see if I had confused u in my earlier posts!

Poopie-Head SG

no no, you did not state that.

The merging of entities is juz one of the reasons how I think that separate entities will cease to exist. Much like we can't separate a single droplet of water when it merges with a larger pool of water.

If there is indeed a way to separate and identify an individual, then there is a 'self', 'identity', or 'watever name we call it' - a distinctive entity, isn't it?

An Eternal Now SG

Notice that even after Neo was told to see it as Empty, he saw it bend for a while, but after a moment it returned - actually nothing changed. Neo is not a psychic, the spoonboy is. Not necessary everyone who had insights into Emptiness must possess psychic powers.

An Eternal Now SG

I’m sorry, I did not change edit your message, I made the same mistake of replying your message by “editing” it. But I restored your original message.

An Eternal Now SG

Yes. We are all connected to each other ultimately in the Buddha Nature which is pervading in all directions.

Originally posted by longchen:
Hi Sangha,

I am in no position to say whether Pure presence is nibbana. I can only write from my own experience and understanding.

This pure presence is called Rigpa in Tibetan Buddhism. I am not a Buddhist in this life, but I was a Tibetan Monk of Nyingma school several lifetimes ago. That is why I still have a lot of interest in Buddhism.

About Rigpa, when we experience it. It is formless and empty and at the same time infinite and all pervading. It is NOT BLISS. Bliss is a samadhi state but it is not the true nature yet, it is still a state in the mind. I have bliss experiences also, in fact i have then now quite often outside of meditation also.

Rigpa is a presence of 'yourself' that is connect to everything in the universe. That is probably why the Buddha say that there is 'no self'. All is connect to all in the Dharmakaya. Rigpa is a part of the Dharmakaya. When in the state, there is no separation into you or me... We are all one thing which cannot be described.

However, I must say that even now, while reading this, we are already the rigpa. We do not realise this is because we THINK we are just the mind/personality. The mind/personality is a REFLECTION from rigpa. It is not the true self. If you understand what I am write, you may get a sudden awakening/realisation. And if the realisation is deep enough, your viewpoint or way of seeing the world will change.

Just my 2 cents...

An Eternal Now SG

Originally posted by Thusness:
Hi Long Chen,

Yes it is possible. But as much as I would not like to say, there is no what, where, when, why and how. Sounds senseless but it is true. These are what Naturalness is not.

Nevertheless, the mind will be stubbornly attached to this current mode of knowing because to the mind, it is all there is. It seems to be a destined journey that a sincere seeker has to continue penetrate its own depth, till it completely exhaust itself and meet its own DEATH. The death of the 'I'.

The giving up and full understanding of the poverty of the entire thinking and analytical mechanism will allow the mind to rest itself upon nothing. Here karmic tendency arises and ceases as it is, no effort to struggle is made.
This is the time effortless knowing arise. A complete clarity of ISness manisfesting as pure Presence.

Seek deep into the depth of our own self, there is always this Will, Effort..etc. This Unwillingless to let go, to be.
Simply put, it is this that separates.

Lastly try not to find a sit in the body. The true nature fills all space. Creating a boundary for What that is neither within nor without will eventually prove futile. Presence finds itself in Otherness. The body has created the illusion of 'inward' and divides. We have engaged ourselves in too much analysis and lost our intuitiveness and directness. Since u have experienced the pure Presence, sense the 'I' that holds and let go immeidately.
Presense always IS.

Nice Chat Smile

Indeed.

So from this we know that, whatever karma there is, or karmic imprints, One who is in the "Pure Presence" does not get affected by it. His True Self, or Buddha Nature, remains Unaffected. Karmic imprint is not to be mistaken as his True Self.

all things are One...
- Du Shun, Chinese Zen Master

the Mind creates all differences...
- Ma Ming Bodhisattva, China

In fact right now, our Buddha Nature is present (it has always been with us for aeons of our existence and rebirths), but we're not aware of it yet. Which is why Wu Ben, Chinese Zen Master said:

of all things
the most painful
is our Buddha Nature
imprisoned by the mind...

Originally posted by Longchen:

However, I must say that even now, while reading this, we are already the rigpa. We do not realise this is because we THINK we are just the mind/personality.

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