Just a light scribbling abt dependent origination.
bc this is my own wrong understanding before,
And became an obstacle to further insights,
I think this needs pointing out more often
When understanding dependent origination,
We often mistaken it by understanding it as dependent “existence”.
If the example of a car- we like to say dependent origination is .. car made up from parts.
Eg the wheel + steering + engine + body = car.
Car cannot be found but it is only “made up” of parts.
Self is made up of 5 aggregates.
But the Buddha wasn’t trying to say this.
The Buddha was trying to say.. imo..
if car is made up of a+b+c+d… does it even “exist”?
If yes, where?
In a or b or c or d?
I cannot find it, so..
Is there really a car then ?
So what is it that you are looking at moving around on the road?
Just an appearance ! Right . ?
illusoriness will arise if this is probe deeply.
We don’t even need to talk about parts.
Why go into parts? What for ? We r not mechanics.
Form is itself emptiness.
The whole car is an empty presence.
Yes you can see it, drive it, it can knock u down,
But no it doesn’t exist.
That’s dependent origination imo.
Which will bring forth the insight of non-arising..
As everything that dependently arise do not eventually arise..
and direct experience will gradually becomes really illusory like in a pop up installation once this understanding is clear. This is my personal experience.
Understanding it from dependent existence doesn’t reduce any grasping -
I mean how could it?I still could be attached to a car despite it has many parts lol
Or a girl despite it has many beautiful body parts.. right ?!
Not sure why ppl teach that way (breaking down to parts) but ..
More importantly I believe isn’t the intent of the Buddha.
I’m going to get bombed bad but u just take what is beneficial away lah bc this point is crucial for insight to arise, personally.
U cannot do inferential deduction on your death bed so any understanding needs to be able to be translated into direct experience or else just mental m*ast*rb*ti*n. Lol.
The parts understanding will not be strong enough when I’m on my death bed imo.