Tenets, 19 May 1994, part 2

Also in this way, not only with eye consciousness but with all other six consciousnesses, ear consciousness and so forth, This tenet then explains that there are dual combination of pramāna and self-knower with each consciousness. In this way what we as well find is the discourse group Sautrāntika are the followers of a tenet who apply reasonings to justify their assertions so they do apply a certain amount of reasonings. By that way they sometimes in occasional reference are called as the reasoning proponents. This is title given or description given as opposed to the lowest tenet by Vasubandhu, the specific exponent. The reason for that is the specific exponents they only follow what is literally explained in the scriptures or in text and in this present case of the self-knower they reject any assertion about self-knower saying, saying that there is no such mention of self-knower in the text, in the scriptures.

So they mainly follow the quotation or literal wording as found in the text. Now in the definition the other parts about this tenet discourse group is the assertion that external things truly exist. So the belief in solid matter as indivisibly, indestructibly existing there or truly existing there. As explanation about that generally there are the five objects of the five senses form, smell, sound, taste, touch apart from the sixth of the phenomena as object of mental consciousness. With regards to the form there are colors white, yellow, red and so forth and then taste, sound, so forth we can relate in this way.

There are phenomena apart from our continuum, our mind stream. So those who explain external existing, sorry those who explain external things truly existing profess that such phenomena as forms and so forth are truly there solidly to be found as built up of partless particles. Because firstly there is the tiniest particle comprised of the four elements which cannot be further divided into any pieces. So such cannot be parted and split apart. So such partless particle composed of four elements truly exist there and many of these partless particles when gathered together then make the block of gross matter existing as form so forth as form and so forth becoming object of senses and both the specific exponent and the discourse groups, the two lower Buddhist tenets, accept that they do exist, that external things do exist in that manner.

By accepting partless particles truly existing there as indestructible and by accepting the gathering of such partless particles making gross matter such proponents or the such followers of such theory become those who accept external things as truly existing. So that’s how they come. In a way then this would mean because they accept external things as truly existing this implies they accept phenomena as being with self or being with concrete identity. In concrete identity this means they don’t accept selflessness of phenomena instead they accept self of phenomena or concrete self identity of phenomena. Due to that it can be said definitely that the lower vehicles, specific exponents and the discourse group accepts the self of phenomena and to describe it further the assertion about external truly existing thing is that they exist as a block or partless particle not as a part of mind creating those things but those things actually existing from their side, meaning external things actually existing from their side as solid indestructible particle, no matter what, but still indestructible particles.

This group then accepts both self-knower and external things as truly existing. And they follow they follow the the base, presentation of base path and fruit in accordance to the mainstream explanation of lower vehicle and because of that, they as well become lower vehicle proponents or those who follow the tenets of the lower vehicle. The reason this tenet or school of thought is called by the name discourse group is because this tenet based all its explanation on Buddha’s discourses and based on Buddha’s discourses this tenet or the followers of this tenet explains with additional reasonings about the whole workings of their base, present the path and goal of the fruit to be achieved. The discourse group is also called by the name as illustrator or one who shows example illustrator. The reason for that is whatever they explain the context of their instructions they firstly explain by way of example illustration and try to make the trainee or the listener, the trainee understand the point through example and then relate the example back to the content meaning.

So they explain whatever they explain by way of example. Again, when we go into the details in studying what this tenet has to say and what it follows we can look it in the format similar to the case when looking at the previous tenet where Vasubandhu’s specific exponents that we can look the whole thing in three four ways how they explain about the result and about the results, about the path and the base, so going backward. Or we can say that there is the base, presentation of the path, presentation of the goal or the result. So those threefold features about their assertions would be the way to look at what the tenet is all about. Now with regards to the presentation of the base in this discourse group, there are important topics covered and looking at some main ones firstly there is the classification of phenomena or things into object and object-possessor or in another words subject and object.

Now by object what it means is that which is defined as that which is liable to be within the awareness. Now what that further means is firstly we have this point that awareness, knowledge, consciousness or mind they all mean same. They are different ways of referring to the same entity awareness, knowledge or knower, knowledge, consciousness and mind. Now anything that is the object or that is liable to be within the realm of awareness is an object. Or in another word, whatever awareness or mind perceives, sees, knows, that becomes object.

To put an example we can say a person eats food. Now one who eats is the person and the food is the object. So that way of example we then find that the object means whatever is within the realm or within the subject to be perceived by awareness or mind. And those when referred by which they are perceived and seen we have the object and object-possessor literally speaking but just subject. So we have in this way the object-possessor or object-endowed and or object and subject.

Briefly this way can be the difference by what is meant by object and what is meant by subject. With regards to object, it can be classifiable into two groups or two kinds. The deceptive reality or deceptive truth and actual truth or actual reality. Of course, generally speaking, object can be so many various types, can be countless. There can be countless objects.

There can be countless countless random awareness, countless things which are perceived by awareness, but all those countless and various types of object can be classifiable into those two groups. The two truths, the deceptive truth and actual truth. Now with regards to the definition how the two truths are defined here in the explanation by the discourse group this particular tenet the two truths are defined in their own way and they define the actual truth as functions in the actual way or in that which functions in the actual meaning. That is the definition of actual truth. The definition of deceptive truth is that which does not function in the actual meaning.

And that’s its definitions. Now in the definition there is the mention that actual truth is that which functions in the actual meaning. There is the phrase actual meaning. What that means is in discourse groups viewpoint the meaning of actual meaning is synonymous with truly existing. The reason for that is discourse groups in uniform with the specific exponent accepts external things as truly existing.

So for them, actual meaning or ultimate meaning, ultimate truth is not different than true existence because they believe in truly existing thing. Based on such understanding of the phrase actual meaning, they then explain the actual truth as a thing which in such an actual meaning, which in truly existing way can function. Again here we need to define what is meant by function is able to function in their own sense. In their sense, able to function means able to function to produce results. And in this way, phenomena which in the true existence can function to produce result becomes a thing of actual truth, ultimate truth, and in the same standard of explanation anything which in the true existence or in actual meaning is not able to function to produce a result becomes a deceptive truth.

Because the discourse group then because the discourse group in that way explains that actual truth is something which in actual meaning is able to function in the sense able to function to produce result, they then then presents series of synonymous words to cover such things. To go through that or to go into detail how that is so is because something which is actually something which is actual truth in the sense actually able to produce result, it has then the nature of being a functioning thing. Scripturally speaking functioning thing is defined as something which actually functions in the sense of being able to produce results. So functioning thing is synonymous with actual truth. Now similarly because actual truth can produce results that implies it is a phenomenon which is a cause.

A cause which can bring bring fruit. So the term cause is synonymous in this discourse group with the term actual truth. Similarly produced thing is also synonymous with actual truth. And similarly impermanence is synonymous with them. So they bring about these whole sets of concepts giving the same range of meaning with actual truth.

With deceptive truth because it cannot in actual meaning to produce results so it has this synonymous meaning as non thing as opposed to a functioning thing. Non thing, uncompounded thing, permanent. So it has a similar range of meanings. We shall stop tonight on those two truths, the base two truths. In the meantime, if you have any questions, we shall have some minutes for questions.