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[9:19 AM, 12/4/2020] Soh Wei Yu: https://youtu.be/dFqj5cp6iOs


[9:42 AM, 12/4/2020] John Tan: Quite good, very good in fact until anatta, . However emptiness part, still need refinement.
[9:55 AM, 12/4/2020] John Tan: Insights of emptiness of non-inherent existence vs freedom from extremes. Tsongkhapa VS Gorampa/Mipham r both abt the fine nuance of emptiness. Different insights, different experiences but r both r very very deep and profound to understand the differents in experiences and views. Anatta deals with both but to integrate both, require some conceptual views. Actually mmk is a very important text however the way it is presented by most philosophers or translators r just horrible. It is linked to the 3 deconstructions of conceptualities I told u.

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Related, 3 deconstructions:
- division
- inherency
- semantics
[5:48 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: Keep seeing and tasting what appears r nothing real. Not only there is no sense of observer and observed, sounds, sensations and everything lost their "semantics" and "meanings" and fully absorbed as this empty non-arisen taste.
[5:49 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Oic...
[5:49 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: This is unlike just sound, colors...etc


From old conversation:

[1:19 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: "Realness" as in the taste of incredible vividness, clear, lurid appearances.  However it is the taste of crystal, vividness but realising it is nothing "real" that is most interesting.  Empty of essence, luminous by nature is magic of wonderous manifestions and spontaneous perfection.
[1:20 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: ic..
[1:25 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: Nevertheless, if "realness" leads to total openness in authenticating sensations, colors, taste, smell...etc...then by all means...🤣
[1:58 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: One is seeing through reification of constructs, the other is the experiential taste of empty and arisen of what appears.
[2:03 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: Tasting  the "realness" of what appears and what appears is nothing real r two different insights.  I wrote these b4.
[2:04 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: experiential taste of empty and arisen?
[2:05 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2013/04/daniel-post-on-anattaemptiness.html
[2:06 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: Non-arisen
[2:06 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: ic..
[2:13 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: It is not only realising mere appearances r just one's radiance clarity but empty clarity is like that...like a 🌈.  Beautiful and clearly appears, but nothing "there" at all.  These 2 aspects r very important.  

1.  Very "vivid", pellucid
2.  Nothing real

Tasting either one will not trigger the "aha" realization.
[2:15 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: oic..
[2:18 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: But no need to over emphasize to others.
[2:19 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: As it is too difficult to express the taste...lol
[2:45 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Oic..

[5:23 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: It just occurred to me
[5:23 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: The whole universe is just burning light of empty clarity. Its literally like a flame burning due to dependent origination
[5:24 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Its like rainbow but rather than static is dynamically changing and flickering yet without anything arisen or abiding or ceasing
[5:25 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: No origination or destination can be found either
[5:25 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: I think empty clarity is quite familiar to me by now but somehow this analogy just came up
[5:26 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Changing is also conventional of course
[5:36 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: There is no end to the depth on the illusionariness of what appears.  Focusing on realness will only end up in pce.
[5:37 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Oic.. yeah
[5:38 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Actually pce is already like a natural state here
[5:38 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: But its not pce with physicality but empty clarity
[5:38 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Lol
[5:40 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: Do u feel like passing through walls and the whole realm r not in any dimension?
[5:41 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Thats what i dont understand. Malcolm yesterday related empty clarity to passing through walls. I cannot do it lol except maybe in lucid dreams or what
[5:42 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: Did he say that?
[5:42 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Yeah
[5:42 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: Interesting
[5:42 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: Lol what another coincidence
[5:42 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: 🤣🤣🤣
[5:42 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Lol
[5:43 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Whole realm are not anywhere... yes
[5:48 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: Keep seeing and tasting what appears r nothing real.  Not only there is no sense of observer and observed, sounds, sensations and everything lost their "semantics" and "meanings" and fully absorbed as this empty non-arisen taste.
[5:49 PM, 11/15/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Oic...
[5:49 PM, 11/15/2020] John Tan: This is unlike just sound, colors...etc

    He seems to keep getting clearer to me.

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  • > John Tan: Not only there is no sense of observer and observed, sounds, sensations and everything lost their "semantics" and "meanings" and fully absorbed as this empty non-arisen taste.
    Well, hello! ❤
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  • What is a good commentary of mmk?

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    I like Garfield's.
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  • I’ve read almost all of them, and the one by Mark Siderits & Shoryu Katsura is the most balanced and unbiased by far: https://www.amazon.com/Nagarjunas-Middle.../dp/1614290504
    That isn’t always what you want though. Sometimes you want the author to weight in more heavily, and for that nothing beats Mervyn Sprung’s Lucid Exposition of the Middle Way.
    Nagarjuna's Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika (Classics of Indian Buddhism)
    AMAZON.COM
    Nagarjuna's Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika (Classics of Indian Buddhism)
    Nagarjuna's Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika (Classics of Indian Buddhism)
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    • Edited


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    I've actually just started rereading the MMK with Garfield's commentary along with Siderits/Katsura. I find the latter very "lofty", going into little detail, although helpful at times. I'm only 2 chapters in though.
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  • André, I would distinguish between a commentary and an explanation. A commentary need only clarify what the root text is actually saying, because it was often cryptic to save words and fit the meter. For instance Candrakirti wrote a commentary on MMK, and also his own text explaining Madhyamaka. I think Siderits is an exemplary commentary, and for an explanation I go to Westerhoff.
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    JT said ”In terms of ranking, I prefer Jan Westerhoff, Garfield then Siderits. Like what Tyler said Siderits is more of clarifying what the root text is saying, his presentation is quite structured in point forms and the settings behind the text and opponent views help readers understand the root text better. Westerhoff went far beyond and many points r related to anatta insight but more from the philosophical angle. But what all these books lack is how it can help one breakthrough conceptualities, what exactly is mmk trying to arrive at. After studying mmk, how does it help in freeing our mind?”
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    There are a couple of things I really like about Westerhoff. The first is that his "Western philosophy" style exposition makes it easier for me to grasp the subtle points than the explanations by shedra trained khenpos/geshes that I have seen. I have the same praise for Garfield. The second is that he incorporates Tsongkhapa's illuminating philosophical insights on various points without being a fully Gelug presentation, which is what Garfield gives.
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