William Kong
Yin Ling I’m still trying to avoid FB as much as possible 🙂
Made a note to come back to this, and rereading this, I have no idea why you would want my opinion 😅 You clearly have read more about emptiness than I have, and I have more to learn from you than vice versa 😂
I have not read the Vigrahavyāvartanī, so cannot comment on the text, only speak from my current understanding and experience.
But just looking at your notes, every point makes total sense. I especially like the note about referencing or labelling of a non-referent - since I had no words to describe that before.
Referring to point 1), my immediate intuitive grasp of the emptiness of cause-effect is that when inherent objects are seen through and known to be incoherent, then any causal powers assigned to those objects also become incoherent.
The “normal” way of seeing things of actual objects with causal attributes falls apart like other mental constructs. Objects are empty of causal powers, and the objects themselves are empty and non-arisen.
This is important, because cause-effect (of objects that are assumed to exist independently) is typically how we explain reality - especially in the sciences. But if we assume this to be the case, then it really seems like there are objects or persons that is causing us to behave this way or that and vice versa - there’s this push-pull against what-is. (In direct experience, thoughts of cause-effect are only experienced as thoughts, but until deconstructed, they seem “solid”.)
Emptiness does not invalidate the conventional way of perceiving reality, nor our conventional explanations for them (as they are conventionally useful). Simply that if we take reality as it appears conventionally, then upon analysis, it must be empty. Empty cars still appear, empty fuel still powers them, empty people still ride in them and so on.
So … vivid appearances continue to appear! Thoughts of causality continue to appear and so on! With no solidity whatsoever. It’s just seen to be all one intertwined, inter-connected empty flow dependently arising.

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Yin LingAdmin
William Kong
Thanks. I like this. The 6th paragraph in ur comment is excellent.
We push and pull thinking those things harm us or is good to us, when it is only conditions, many many conditions coming together putting on an illusory display. Who to push pull? What do we push or pull against?
Yet in the most wonderful illusory display, conditions mature according to the most precise law of karma, right on the mark, not random.
Hence we hold the highest view of emptiness to liberate us but not forgetting to adhere to the precepts , to cultivating virtues.
How wonderful 🙂
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New dharma talk by Acarya Malcolm Smith

https://wisdomexperience.org/wisdom-dharma-chats-malcolm-smith-3/?fbclid=IwAR3sC1IINOLcAnGMhVR3NKHDbx3wKewbcqtlZTOQnGJvdxifZjSLV7C5WpQ&fs=e&s=cl

 

 


    Tyler Jones
    Rangjung = self-arising


  • André A. Pais
    Rangjung Yeshe is sometimes translated as self-arisen wakefulness.


    James Wolanyk
    André A. Pais Hi Andre, I'm not very familiar with Dzogchen/Tibetan terms for this stuff, so forgive my stupid question - is Rangjung considered one aspect of sentient beings, a direct synonym for Buddha-nature/the Absolute, or something more nuanced?


  • André A. Pais
    Rangjung Yeshe, as "primordial awareness," or "self-arisen wakefulness," is synonymous with Buddha-nature, I believe. But Rangjung alone I'm not sure.

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  • André A. Pais
    I'm not sure either if one can say that Buddha-nature is a part of sentient beings, of if it's the other way around - it's sentient beings that are a part of Buddha-nature.







  • Chae Cramb
    rang byung is short for rang las byung, arising from oneself.
    Malcolm usually translates it as self-originated, but it depends on context.


    Stian Gudmundsen Høiland
    Care to elaborate the meaning? Arising from oneself, from itself, or of itself?


  • William Kong
    Thank you all. 🙏 I’ll have re-to listen to that podcast.

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Soh Wei Yu
Admin

John Tan:

To me self-originated/arising is just non-afflictive dependent orgination.  (Soh: seems consistent with what Malcolm said in places like http://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2009/10/dzogchen-rigpa-and-dependent.html )

The phrase dependent orgination is not used because DO, in classical Buddhist doctrine, is often used to explain the afflictive 12-linked model that initiates from ignorance to explain the cause of suffering.

When mind is free from the 3 sphere of subject-action-object, free from all elaborations, there is no conceptual delineation, no  separation nor union, there is only pure appearances fully exerted as self-arising wisdom.

Dzogchen separates consciousness into "mind" and "wisdom".  Mind is dualistic, conceptual and afflictive whereas wisdom is non-dual, non-conceptual and pure but both are consciousness.  It is just a more elegant way for the purpose of teaching and provides more clarity otherwise it becomes confusing to explain the cause of suffering.  Same goes for DO and self-arising wisdom.  Tsongkhapa and chinese buddhism esp just use DO to explain. That is how I see it. 


Soh Wei Yu
Admin
[2:25 PM, 9/12/2019] Soh Wei Yu: Malcolm said dependent origination is natural perfection.. just that from like ultimate (forgot the term he used) its like all causes and conditions are empty and there is no distinction of cause and effect.. but its not contradictory. Like the madhyamika refutation of the 4 (diamond slivers) and the six something.. Lhun grub means not made by anyone, everything happens naturally. Dependent origination is not made by anyone and happens naturally
[2:25 PM, 9/12/2019] Soh Wei Yu: Malcolm said kyle is the first person to get his view completely
[2:26 PM, 9/12/2019] Soh Wei Yu: Also he invited me to join his santa fe dzogchen teaching next year, kyle will be joining
[2:27 PM, 9/12/2019] Soh Wei Yu: Kyle asked many qns about rigpa and dzogchen practice.. his main practice now is something like dorje drollo a teaching transmitted by malcolm
[2:29 PM, 9/12/2019] Soh Wei Yu: Btw kyle said his anatta insight happened in two phases
[2:30 PM, 9/12/2019] Soh Wei Yu: The first one which was very intense and he cried and felt death, no seer no hearer etc and he said something like his thought dunno what sinked below.. and he saw time is an illusion etc and you said thats the most intense anatta you have seen
[2:30 PM, 9/12/2019] Soh Wei Yu: Then years later he had another insight which is zero dimensional no distance etc
[2:30 PM, 9/12/2019] Soh Wei Yu: Then i mentioned is it related to your two stanzas of anatta he said yes
[3:03 PM, 9/12/2019] John Tan: 👍
[3:04 PM, 9/12/2019] John Tan: Yes I think you should attend Malcolm dzogchen teaching next year.
[9:10 AM, 9/24/2019] John Tan: But like what Malcolm said, DO is natural perfection.
[9:10 AM, 9/24/2019] John Tan: One just have to realize this.
[24/9/19, 9:11:40 AM] John Tan: Then the mind will rest upon nothing, not even the One Mind. Whatever appears, though a mere reflection, is entire and spontaneously perfect.
[24/9/19, 9:12:21 AM] John Tan: One does not need to sink back to anything else.
[24/9/19, 9:14:05 AM] John Tan: I think geo is clear about this from what he wrote to me. ...however still have have deconstructed "physicality". That is the idea of "physicality" has not been sufficiently deconstructed to become just mere empty sensations dancing in zero dimension.
[24/9/19, 9:15:02 AM] John Tan: If the "physicality" is there, one will b disturbed by the "idea" of interaction and locality.
 
 
    Soh Wei Yu
    Admin
    Malcolm:
    Depending on context, it means "arising from oneself," for example rang byung ye shes is the "self-originated pristine consciousness" because you discovered it yourself.
    In most cases, the reflexive pronoun "rang" refers to things that arise from or within one's own state.
    ...
    We can use the example from Ārya-mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti-vyākhyāna:
    Here, some masters assert that "self-originated" means an entity that does not depend on cause and conditions. However, "self-originated" means that because of arising from oneself, it is self-originate. In uncommon parlance, others claim it means the appearance of the kāyas and pristine consciousnesses arise to oneself.
    Another definition can be found given by Viryavajra in his commentary on Cakrasamvara Root tantra
    Self-originated: since there is arising from the cause and condition of experiencing the intrinsic luminosity of the mind, but not arising from temporary causes and conditions, there is "self-origination."
    ...
    You can say that rang byung ye shes comes from one's subjective experience of luminosity, as above.
    ye shes is a quality of rig pa. Hence the term rig pa'i ye shes.
    According to Kumaracandara, rang 'byung ye shes is a synonym for omniscience.
    According to the the Śrīvajramālāmahāyogatantraṭīkāgaṃbhīrārthadīpikā-nāma
    So called self-originated pristine consciousness is the pristine consciousness known for oneself that does not arise from other conditions.
    ...
    What about a self-arisen statue, for example? Aren't those 'things'?
    Malcolm:
    Here, self-arisen means naturally manifesting, without being made by a person.
    ...
    Sure. However, I still don't understand how that is not what Nagarjuna was negating in line 1 of the MMK. I'm still missing something...
    Malcolm:
    here, "self-originated Tara" does not mean that the Tara image is emerging without cause and conditions, it means that no one made it.
    Meaning of rangjung (rang byung)? - Dharma Wheel
    DHARMAWHEEL.NET
    Meaning of rangjung (rang byung)? - Dharma Wheel
    Meaning of rangjung (rang byung)? - Dharma Wheel

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The myriad forms of the entire universe are the seal of the single Dharma. Whatever forms are seen are but the perception of mind. But mind is not independently existent. It is co-dependent with form.
- Zen Master Mazu
A Taste of Zen: Mazu Daoyi
buddhismnow.com
A Taste of Zen: Mazu Daoyi
A monk asked, “What is the essential meaning of Buddhism?” Mazu said, “What is the meaning of this moment?”

8 Comments

  • Stian Gudmundsen Høiland
    Silly me wants to further expound: And what is co-dependent does not arise (nor cease). But that may get me whacked over the head, I dunno…
    André A. Pais
    Sometimes getting whacked on the head is exactly what one needs.
  • Geovani Geo
    "But mind is not independently existent. It is co-dependent with form", says another form.
    Greg Goode on Advaita/Madhyamika
    AWAKENINGTOREALITY.COM
    Greg Goode on Advaita/Madhyamika
    Greg Goode on Advaita/Madhyamika
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  • Dani Girar
    So without form there cannot be mind? What is 'mind' for Mazu? Is there something beyond 'mind' and form in this context? Soh Wei Yu
    Soh Wei Yu
    No, there is nothing beyond mind/form. Unlike Advaita, Buddhism teaches two way dependency.
    Greg Goode on Advaita/Madhyamika
    AWAKENINGTOREALITY.COM
    Greg Goode on Advaita/Madhyamika
    Greg Goode on Advaita/Madhyamika
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  • Thusness/PasserBy's Seven Stages of Enlightenment
    AWAKENINGTOREALITY.COM
    Thusness/PasserBy's Seven Stages of Enlightenment
    Thusness/PasserBy's Seven Stages of Enlightenment
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  • Soh Wei Yu
    This is also good:
    Mar
    29
    The Transience
    The arising and ceasing is called the Transience,
    Is self luminous and self perfected from beginning.
    However due to the karmic propensity that divides,
    The mind separates the ‘brilliance’ from the ever arising and ceasing.
    This karmic illusion constructs ‘the brilliance’,
    Into an object that is permanent and unchanging.
    The ‘unchanging’ which appears unimaginably real,
    Only exists in subtle thinking and recalling.
    In essence the luminosity is itself empty,
    Is already unborn, unconditioned and ever pervading.
    Therefore fear not the arising and ceasing.
    -------------
    There is no this that is more this than that.
    Although thought arises and ceases vividly,
    Every arising and ceasing remains as entire as it can be.
    The emptiness nature that is ever manifesting presently
    Has not in anyway denied its own luminosity.
    Although non-dual is seen with clarity,
    The urge to remain can still blind subtly.
    Like a passerby that passes, is gone completely.
    Die utterly
    And bear witness of this pure presence, its non-locality.
    ~ Thusness/Passerby
    And hence... "Awareness" is not anymore "special" or "ultimate" than the transient mind.
    Labels: All is Mind, Anatta, Non Dual |
    The Transience
    AWAKENINGTOREALITY.COM
    The Transience
    The Transience
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