Tenets, 27 October 1994, part 2

Two can be explained. They are not separate. They are of one substance. Therefore, in the first type of selflessness of phenomena or emptiness here it means the object and the valid knowledge perceiving the object are devoid or are emptiness of other substance, the other body. But according to the lower tenets, the specific exponents and the discourse groups, the things are explained otherwise or differently.

Because in their case let’s say with the form and the eye consciousness perceiving the form it is explained that the form is the cause which produces the eye consciousness as the result so the two are separate substance. But that is the but that is the grounds upon which the lower tenets assert the theory that external things exist truly, that there are external entity, a solid mass existing independent from the consciousness that there is what’s so called interpretively called the realist theory that things do really exist there in substance or as a mass and that’s their assertion and that’s the ground whereas the mind only tenet refutes external existence of masses or matters or things. The mind only tenet explains the external object or the forms and the consciousness, inner consciousness both have formed or come into existence simultaneously at the same time that it is not so. One is the cause of the other and the other is the result or the effect of the other. Instead it is explained the two are of one substance being manifested separately out of the awakening of the same imprint and that’s how it stands so far.

Then as a conclusion we then can say here one type of selflessness of phenomena explained by mind only therefore is the form and the valid knowledge perceiving form are devoid of other body that becomes that subtle emptiness or the devoid of the two being separate substance becomes one type of selflessness of phenomena. But of course the points being explained at the moment do relate to emptiness and as it relates with emptiness it certainly needs good grounding earlier from one’s part to have heard and then some familiarity with what is being indicated, what is being proven not existing there of which the emptiness comes about. So obviously in the case of those who felt lacking in the earlier requirement of understanding about what is that is refuted and proven wrong or not existing there, it would be quite understandable that the things being explained here may not make much sense and and may seem to be a bit difficult to place. So if one is going to meditate on emptiness then one needs to think a little bit, little bit and reflect on and read books which explains about emptiness and need then to reflect and then meditate and so forth.

Then the next type of emptiness explained here is the very basis which is called form very basis which the is emptiness of existing by its own characteristics. So that is one type emptiness and it has become little bit more subtler than the previous one. So here by form, you would be able to relate more easily if we give an example the flower that which is the basis for the name being given or the label being given well what it means is in the case of flower the flower being labeled or being called by the label flower, flower being called flower, in that we can investigate what is that which is being labeled as flower. Is it a flower itself or is there nothing to be found and it is emptiness of actually what is being labeled. Now for those who have not realized emptiness when it is checked or observed then it is found that the basis of label for flower is assumed or presumed to be the flower itself or in another words what one in case of lacking emptiness understanding one thinks that flower is solidly there to be the basis for the label flower.

Whereas in actual case the flower which is the basis for the labeled flower is emptiness of flower that there is not to be found. So that is one emptiness here being explained. The anything the table table being being called called table table is is emptiness of existence by its own characteristic, the light being called light is emptiness of its emptiness of existence by its own characteristics similarly the room being called room is emptiness of existence by its own characteristics and in that way just about all phenomena can be analyzed being empty of the basis of being labeled. When it comes to emptiness of course the realization and understanding of emptiness is not to be expected to be happening instantly instantly like in the case of in some fields of knowledge things when explained one can easily observe the what is to be understood through a visible demonstration and so forth as well one can instantly relate quite quickly are fields of knowledge which does not need much time and effort in order to relate and come to understand what the explanation so forth is but here in emptiness that does not happen and the reason for it is the whole avenue of emptiness, the reality is very subtle and for that reason it is profound in its sense difficult to fathom.

Now in the case of being in the case of being able to produce the wisdom realizing emptiness, one can look the whole thing this way, that the very wisdom realizing emptiness is something out of which so much excellent result would be produced. If so much excellent result would be produced by this wisdom realizing emptiness then it is quite understandable to accept that such a thing would require so much excellent causes, excellent things to come to that stage. When we eat delicious food, then there is a pleasant feeling produced by having tasted delicious food on the tongue consciousness in that way of experience. So there is a pleasant feeling which is another way of saying one has experienced great happiness, great pleasantness out of that. Now if we look at it that very possibility of experiencing pleasant feeling out of tasting delicious food came about due to already so much effort and work going into preparation of the food and so forth. Opposite of that would be if there were if there was not enough preparation, the ingredients weren’t good, then the food would be quite a bad one, then the taste would be bad, then there will be no pleasant feeling experience as well.

Oh, Of course, the pleasant feeling produced by tasting delicious food is nothing to be considered precious and sacred, yet the point here is to be able to experience that pleasant feeling of delicious food. It did it does rely on so many gathering of causes and conditions. The wisdom realizing emptiness is extremely precious because out of it out of it one attains all excellent qualities of mind which it produces and the qualities which are non relapsing and never to be declined. If that’s the case then we need to put effort into, in our attempt to come to realization of the, or attaining the wisdom realizing emptiness and towards that aim we need to lay imprint in attaining that wisdom we need to lay imprint again and again and the laying of imprint can be done by way of hearing the instructions on emptiness again and again again and again. That very part is like laying of imprint and it’s equally important as if in the case in the case of a crop to be harvest well one needs to in the first place plant seed again and again all over the field and then there will be abundance of harvest of crops and so forth.

Similarly here one needs to have an imprint towards emptiness realization laid again and again and then it is possible. Contrary to that would be the field without seeds sown would not bring about harvest of crops, and in our case if there was no imprint then it means that there was no cause. And how can something come about if its cause was not there in the first place? One needs to then meditatively familiarize again and again, reflect again and again and again and again, hear about emptiness and engage in the learning part of it and in that way when one accumulates imprints again and again it is like where all the causes and conditions are gathered within one’s mind. And if such happens then it is inevitable inevitable that no one can stop the result being produced from that.

If one one has laid imprints then it would be a case what great teacher Candrakīrti had described that in the case of someone who have had enough imprints on emptiness earlier, then next time a person even by mere hearing of emptiness would feel so much joy in one’s mind that out of such immense joy there will be even physical symptoms such as every hair on the body rises up and one sheds uncontrollable tears from one’s eyes. So that indicates that the inner joy of the mind of having familiarity with emptiness and due to that the joy coming from it has produced such symptoms. And that’s what is explained and if someone is having those symptoms then it is indication as well the person is going to realize emptiness soon. If that’s happening then emptiness is soon going to be realized. Okay.

Okay. Yeah. We’ll stop here for tonight. And if you have any questions, we’ll leave few minutes for that. Body would wear off with age like in the case of the Buddha Śākyamūni the body later on even become like mere skeleton.

It is impermanence, so it will continue with its impermanence right. The control on the four elements and to be able to do things supernormally has to be mainly because of the practitioners special special excellent qualities of the mind which the practitioner has acquired out of realizations and so forth. And definitely we need to track it down as being the power of the practitioners mind through realization that the practitioner can have all those control such as so we can say that they can fly up in the sky. They can go unobstructed under under the ground and virtually anything that is controlled on the elements. In the case of Buddha or enlightened beings they can do perform all the supernormal feats while they are still in formal meditative sessions if there is any need or if they are doing.

Whereas in the case of In the case of other non enlightened beings such as bodhisattvas then they can only do when they come out of session, formal session, what is called post-meditative equipoise or the post profound meditation, not during the meditation itself. Emptiness would have to be realized already before attaining enlightenment or Buddhahood because realization of emptiness is a means by which one attains Buddhahood or complete enlightenment. So it is means which means that it needs to be realized beforehand before the actual attainment of the ultimate goal. As regards what are the symptoms to indicate a person has realized emptiness? Well the obvious symptoms are from that moment onward the person’s mental state will always be in virtuous state that such person always would have wholesome actions of the body, speech and mind and there will be no gross impure thoughts arising to the person, and even if they do arise the person has enormous capacity of mind to overcome those impure thoughts the moment they arise on the spot.

So those would have to be the symptoms. One who has realized emptiness is explained to have so many qualities which we find described in great teacher Candrakīrti’s writings about the symptoms and the qualities and there are so many. To start with there is explained no phenomena which is not an object of consciousness so any phenomena out there is definitely perceived by any consciousness and therefore the name given is object of knowledge and object of knowledge is given the definition something which is perceived by our mind. So in other words like saying what is the state of that phenomena which is not perceived by consciousness. So the question falls back to start with there isn’t any phenomena not perceived by consciousness.

Yeah. Let take me a minute. Yeah. Thank you.