Bodhisattvacaryavatara, 22 March 1994

Says the deceptive and the actual, these two are the two truths. What it means is, our existing things are described alternatively as as well as the knowable the knowable objects. And why existing things are described as no knowable object is because they are object of our knowledge, our perception, and this can further be understood as meaning meaning if there are things to be known we can call them as classifiable into knowable things. And in accordance accordance to to that that, any any object object which which are are object of knowledge perception can be divided into two kinds, two groups, the deceptive truth and the actual truth. And on afterthought, perhaps interpretably, it can be referred or translated as the deceptive reality and the actual reality, the word truth being interchangeable with reality.

So in that sense, knowable objects can be classified into those two. An example of deceptive reality can be our body, and it fits that description description as deceptive reality, deceptive truth. Because here, deceptive reality in that phrase, by deceptive, it means the deceptive mind of ignorance, the ego or the true the truth grasping mind, which means a mind which grasps onto the misconception that things truly exist. Therefore, in the phrase deceptive reality, deceptive means the ignorance, the mind grasping onto the concept that things truly exist. And because to that mind these things appear as true, therefore they are called deceptive reality phenomena.

But although but in their actual state they are not truly existing. Although they may appear as truly existing to the deceptive mind of ignorance to which the thing appears. And this then then would mean this then would be the meaning of the deceptive reality. Now with the body it is a phenomena which is labeled through name and conception yet the way it appears appears to deceptive mind is that apart from being labeled outwardly to it, meaning towards the body, the body seemed to exist from its own side. Now that very very suppositional existence of the body as existing from its own side without being labeled is called existing by its own characteristic, to be explicit, or called as the existing by its own right.

But in actual reality, that way of existing is not, is not to be found. Therefore, the very emptiness or the very absence of existing by its own right is called emptiness and it is synonymous with the actual reality, the actual truth. Truth. And therefore, we have the second truth, the actual truth or alternatively called as the actual reality. So please excuse for the evening’s dry throat.

Also in the case of the body, apart from being labeled it seemed to appear as existing by its own right. But that is not to be found and that very emptiness, that very absence of existing by its own right is called emptiness, the actual truth. And why further it is called actual truth which in the original languages is called the sublime meaning truth, but for interpretive reasons we shortened the term and called simply actual truth. Now it is called the, sublime meaning truth or sublime meaning truth. Why that is called in that way is because by sublime meaning it refers to a mind which is unmistaken.

An unmistaken mind is is meant by sublime meaning or one which is of sublime meaning. And here in the context of the author’s system of tenet which is Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka an unmistaken mind means a mind which realizes emptiness. There is not any other mind which is unmistaken apart from realization of emptiness. So the very mind which realizes emptiness is called the subliminal meaning. To such a mind when that absence or that emptiness of existing by its own right appears or it’s understood, therefore it is called, sublime meaning reality or truth.

Now we can look at two ways. It is actual truth or sublime meaning truth because it is true when perceived by a mind which is unmistaken. And also from the second perspective it is actual truth or sublime meaning truth because the very existence the way it is true meaning the very existence as emptiness, as lack of existing by its own right. It is something which is always going to be true, consistent. So from both point of view, we can say any phenomena which covers or any phenomena which qualifies through those two ways can be called as the actual reality.

In this way, objects of knowledge can be of these two types, the deceptive deceptive reality and actual reality and these two being objects of reality would imply that as practitioner one needs to know them thoroughly perfectly because if one does not know these two then it is not possible to generate path in one’s mental continuum. One cannot generate realizations and experiences in the path and from that point it would be necessary to attempt and try to know about these two avenues of objects of knowledge Conversely, we can can say if one fails to know these two then there will not be a birth of path in one’s mental continuum and because there is no birth of path it would mean that one as well would not achieve the goal, liberation, enlightenment one needs to achieve. If we generate the path in our mind, then through that we can overcome the causes of sufferings. And because we overcome causes of suffering, we shall not receive the resultant sufferings and due to that very fact we would be able to acquire the wanted happiness which we wish to to achieve. Regarding the path, it would mean firstly, as a beginning practitioner, one stops the misdeeds or non virtuous actions through three doors starting from stopping misdeeds of verbal actions and physical actions which comprise of seven kinds of actions and that very practice of stopping misdeeds firstly through those two doors verbal actions and physical actions is the practice as well of morality in that way.

In the path, initially, it would mean starting from the practice of morality. And then through this way, one overcomes the misdeeds of the body and speech, which are of seven kinds. Next practice is to stop misdeeds through one’s mental activities. Regarding that the gross mental misdeeds or misdeeds through mental activity can be overcome through a meditative concentration practice. Now by going through that point first it is to be made clear that with regards to the mental activity which are to be overcome and destructive there are two types one on gross gross level and one on subtle difficult to overcome level.

Now the gross level of mental misdeeds are such as the major faults of the mind such as being not focusing on one’s practices therefore the destructive and wandering weaknesses of the mind. Such gross misdeeds or faults of the mind needs to be overcome through the practice practice of of meditative meditative concentration. Concentration. But then there are subtle, more difficult to overcome forms or weaknesses. There are more faults of the mind.

And by that, it means all impure thoughts such as attachment, hatred, jealousy and so forth. And amongst them the most subtle, the most difficult to overcome is, ignorance, the misconception of grasping onto things and identity or ego as truly existing. Now these subtle, more difficult to overcome faults of mind needs to go needs to be overcome through the practice of wisdom. In this way, if one has all three trainings complete, the training of morality, meditative concentration and of wisdom, then one overcomes all faults or weaknesses which one commits or one has on one’s physical level, verbal level and mental level. And in that way it is possible if a practitioner has all these three trainings that the practitioner can overcome all mental faults or weaknesses and can perfect in acquiring all excellent qualities of the mind.

In this way, in order to overcome the subtle faults of our ordinary mind, we need to develop the wisdom realizing emptiness. Due to that very fact we need we need to have the wish, the aspiration, wanting to acquire such wisdom realizing emptiness. From that then the next step would be that in order to develop such wisdom one first would need to analyze what is meant by emptiness and what are the actual reality of the things and ourselves and so forth. One then would need to investigate into emptiness and that’s why it does become relevant for us here in this series of evenings to touch on this present topic of wisdom as it has such relevance. As to the persons who think about and analyze emptiness, we can say those people