Tenets, 8 December 1994, part 1

First, let’s meditate for a few minutes on kind thought where we shall meditate on the precious mind of enlightenment. I consider others more important than myself based on such perfect perspective. I wish all countless sentient beings equal as if to the limitless extent of the space to be free of all sufferings and to be free of all sources of suffering such as the unwholesome actions done through body, speech and mind in total ly being of 10 in number. I pray that becomes so and I alone am prepared to take the responsibility to accomplish that. In this way if one thinks like that, that becomes not only compassion, it becomes compassion combined with superior thinking or what is interpretively called the universal responsibility.

I consider others more important than myself based on such perfect perspective I wish all countless sentient beings as if to equal to the limitless extent of the space to be with happiness and to be with the sources of happiness such as perfect practice of ethics of not committing the unwholesome actions of the body speech and mind and other wholesome practices such as practice of definitely wanting to exit out of suffering and the practice of precious mind of enlightenment of correct view. I as well pray that that be so and I alone if it comes to that I am prepared to take the responsibility to accomplish that thinking in this way that process of thought becomes what is called loving kindness not only that loving kindness combined with superior thinking of universal responsibility. To be able to accomplish those two fold wellfares of others I am fully interested and enthusiastic to remove all afflictive nature of impure thoughts and to train to get rid of all unwholesome states of mind through that way I’m prepared and willing to actualize all excellent qualities of the mind to culminate eventually to becoming fully enlightened. By such way of thinking when one aspires to attain enlightenment Buddhahood in order to benefit all suffering sentient beings then that precious thought is a great altruistic mind as the precious mind of enlightenment, the precious bodhicitta.

To be able to attain state of enlightenment, one needs to do practices on the path and which here in the context are related path means to be interested in the practice of the Mahāyāna or the great vehicle path towards enlightenment. To be able to do the practice one needs to first know about it by way of learning then whatever one has known come to know through learning one ascertains whether there are directions to be followed or not through reflection or profound contemplation and when the directions are ascertained then one fully meditatively familiarizes with them. If that is so then here one therefore please need to think I am prepared to therefore take interest in the learning, reflection, and meditation part of the training on the path towards enlightenment. The great glorious teacher Acharya Candrakīrti says, when the reality is being analyzed, if other systems are being disproven there is nothing wrong with that so what this part here means is when through the analysis of the reality the way things exist suchness the word used as suchness for reality when way reality is being analyzed by looking at suchness then it is quite natural that in the process the lower tenets assertions and their system of perspective would naturally be disproven as not right but it is a thing where a matter of fact or talk or matter of fact statements are to be made relation to reality that that happens.

So there is nothing wrong, there’s no fault in doing so and this is what that part in meaning says. From last Thursday evening, we are in continuation into looking at the tenet or the assertions of the highest Buddhist tenet, the Prasangikas, and there we have already covered roughly the divisions of all phenomena into two types the deceptive truth phenomena and ultimate truth phenomena or ultimate phenomena and we roughly finished the first part, the deceptive truth phenomena. Now as regards with that there needs to be a general remark made about it. According to lower Buddhist tenets they classify deceptive truth phenomena or conventional phenomena ‘s to be of two types the valid deceptive truth phenomena and and distorted deceptive truth phenomena that is their perspective but here accordance with the highest Buddhist tenet it is maintained that if a phenomena is a deceptive truth phenomena then it necessarily is a distorted phenomena it cannot be valid deceptive truth phenomenon. Now of course when the highest standard maintains that if it is a deceptive truth phenomenon it is necessarily a distorted phenomenon.

It does not mean it is a mistaken phenomenon, there is conventional existence about it but the meaning of distorted in that sense is to the extent that what it appears is not how it exists. And regarding that very meaning what it means is to ordinary person when the deceptive truth phenomena appears they appear as if they exist truly or they exist they appear as if they exist from their own characteristic but in actual manner of their existence that is not to be found. So the meaning of distorted is to be understood in that sense and relating back as something which does not match with how it appears and what it actually exist as. For example, in normal worldly situation, if someone happens to always say things which the person does not stick with it, for example, say the person every now and then says I want to this I want to do that I want to do this and so forth but does not stick with it and ends up not doing that. In such cases others don’t trust that person’s statement and the person is categorized as a deceptive person, a betraying person in that sense.

So similarly here the meaning of distorted and through that way deceptive truth phenomena has almost that sort of meaning that deceptive truth phenomena although they appear as truly existent but that is not how they exist so there is mismatch of way they appear and the way they exist so in that way they are deceptive and through that way we can say all deceptive truth phenomena are in that way distorted or deceptive in that sense. So here phenomena is to be understood as anything that is existent and by that way of understanding all phenomena can be classified into two types. Our deceptive truth phenomena which can be understood as any phenomena that is deceptive or not existing as it appears to be. And the second type of phenomena are the ultimate meaning phenomena or ultimate truth phenomena and that has similar meaning as true the way they appear is also the way they exist. For example, in only normal only situation of society if a person says I’m going to do that, I’m going to do this, and as the person says, if the person sticks with that and actually does what the person has claimed, then others consider, oh, this person is honest, this person is true.

Wouldn’t you agree that that is how it happens normally in worldly society too? So here, the laughter precedes the joke. And the joke part is the opening opening statement. These days, everyone is not trusted by others. The trust is lost with reference to other person whom one deals with.

And the reason for that is situation has become where people don’t stick with what they say. And that’s why people say, oh, this person is deceptively betraying and so forth. And that’s what happens. Deceptive truth phenomena, deceptive phenomena, and phenomena which don’t exist as they appear are of same meaning. They are same synonymous.

Similarly, ultimate truth ultimate meaning phenomena, ultimate truth phenomena, true phenomena, and phenomena which exist as they appear are called are of same meaning and that would be the conclusion we can draw from the previous previous looking into the topic. The highest Buddhist tenet, the meaning of ultimate ultimate meaning truth, which is literal the sublime meaning truth, the ultimate meaning truth, or popularly, the ultimate truth phenomena has distinct connotation because in their case, the ultimate meaning refers to the thought or awareness which realizes emptiness. To such a thought or awareness, the phenomena exist as it appears. And so that’s why they are called the the phenomena of the ultimate meaning or the ultimate meaning phenomena. Not only that, in this system’s perspective, ultimate meaning truth phenomena has the connotation where the phenomena should constitute the characteristic of three types, that it is the meaning and it is the ultimate and it is the truth.

If we take the meaning of those three in reference to particular examples, say a flower here at the front, then the emptiness of the flower, which is the flower not existing from its own characteristic, has those three features. It is the meaning. That very manner of a flower is the meaning, meaning as well it is the ultimate as well it is the true fact in that sense truth. So ultimate meaning truth phenomena has those three features to be complete in one. The clarification on the particular meanings of the three goes this way.

The meaning of the characteristic of the feature called meaning means it is a phenomena which match matches what it appears with what it exists. And the meaning of ultimate means it is the ultimate object of knowledge, ultimate ultimate object to be perceived, the reality, the emptiness. And two truths part has the meaning that it is not deceptive. And then the definition And then the definition of the ultimate truth phenomena is that which is to be found by the valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate. And then it is it is valid to that very valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate.

So that is the definition and by that very way of describing what ultimate truth or phenomena is we get a clear understanding how if it is ultimate truth phenomena it has to have that characteristic. Here, if we we match the definition of the ultimate truth phenomena with our earlier definition of the deceptive truth phenomena, then we can find there is to a certain extent an important point of parallel. In the case of deceptive truth phenomena, the definition begins with that which is to be found by the valid knowledge analyzing the normality or conventionality. Where as here the definition starts with that which is to be found by the valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate so in that way that part of the definition in each of the two is a clear indication that these two types of phenomena are objects of their respective mind perceiving them. They cannot cross over in that sense.

The valid knowledge analyzing the conventionality means that mind which does not engage in emptiness and its meaning. Instead, it engages into perceiving and thinking and so forth about deceptive truth phenomena. Whereas the valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate is the mind which does not engage into deceptive truth phenomena, but which engages into emptiness and its meaning. In the case of the definition of the deceptive truth phenomena, the second part of the definition would read that which is valid to the valid knowledge perceiving it or in alternative way of perspective of the definition it is maintained that which becomes valid to the perspective of the valid knowledge analyzing it. Now what that part means is, let’s say, the valid knowledge analyzing the conventionality of the example object, say a flower, the very time, very moment that a valid knowledge, so in other words, the mind.

So the very moment that mind perceives the flower, it does not does any further scrutiny of details whether whether the the leaf is the flower or the petals are the flower flower or the stem of the flower. Instead, it just at that moment perceives the flower as a flower. That very mind analyzing conventionality, the object flower. So in that way, to that valid knowledge, the flower is a valid thing and the well and the flower as well is a valid phenomena to the perspective of the valid knowledge which analyzes the conventionality. Analyzing in this case in the sense of perceiving the conventional phenomena.

So that is the meaning behind that part of the definition. For example, we can relate to it to the fact that this is so because when we perceive the flower, flower, the person, the cup, the light, and so forth, there isn’t any scrutiny of the mind perceiving these conventional or deceptive truth phenomena. Instead, it just perceives that it’s light, that is the flower, that is the cup, and that is a person or a human. So it just we can relate that that is what happens. That there is just mere perception, no further detailed scrutiny.

And then in the case of the second part definition of the ultimate truth phenomena, there the part reads that which is valid to the valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate. Now what that part here in the case of the example flower means is the reality, the ultimate meaning of the flower is that it does not exist from its own characteristics, although it appears to be so. So that very lack of or devoid or emptiness of the flower existing from its own characteristic is called the emptiness upon the flower. Now when the valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate perceives the flower and its nature and so forth, it is done in the way where the very nature of that valid knowledge does does thorough analysis whether the flower exists so as it appears or it doesn’t and so forth. And in the course of the analysis, there is a rigorous and detailed applying of the reasonings such as the flower is not existing from its own characteristic because it is dependent arising phenomena.

So in this way the nature of that very valid knowledge is analyzing about the nature of the flower and through that way by repeatedly analyzing the about flower when that valid knowledge realizes that the flower does not exist at all as it appears to be, then that is the realization of emptiness about the flower that it does not exist. So in that way the valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate about flower realizes the reality, the emptiness about the flower but the very way that valid knowledge perceives and analyzes is with great deal of scrutiny and analysis and so forth and that’s why the second part of the definition has that meaning that which is valid to the valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate. So it has that sense that the valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate is the one which actually realizes that phenomena. So the valid knowledge analyzing the conventionality is to be mainly related to those who have not realized emptiness, and the valid knowledge analyzing the ultimate is to be mainly related to those who have realized emptiness. The ultimate part here means emptiness because of the very ultimate nature of all and any phenomena is that they are in the nature of emptiness.

And then as regards the classifications of emptiness, it is similar to what we went quite many sessions ago that the emptiness can be classified into 20 emptinesses or 18 emptinesses and or classified into 16 or into four or into two. So as far as the and so that has been covered and although that was in the context of the lower tenet, the classification itself doesn’t vary except what that emptiness is. There is the difference in understanding between the different tenets. And therefore, we should not repeat what those classifications are. And then in the Prāsaṇgika system, it is to be understood that it has eight distinct characteristics about it.

The reason why in this Prāsaṇgika system, there are eight distinct characteristics is because of this tenets very distinct understanding of reality and presentation simultaneous of the deceptive truth or existence of all phenomena. How that is so is in this tenets system it is understood and maintained that all phenomena do not exist from their own characteristic or in another words all phenomena do not exist inherently. Yet being not existing inherently, there is all workings of conventional or deceptively existing phenomena working undeniably, such as the actor and the deeds. The objects of deeds, they are undeniably there, that they do function. And the manner how they do function is manner how they do function is in the fashion of mere name imputedly existent.

So it is a very significant scriptural phrase, mere name imputedly existent. That is the manner how they exist. And how that basically is to be seen is that although phenomena do not exist inherently, within that nature, they undeniably function in the fashion of mere name imputedly existing. And therefore this tenet is able to present although phenomena do not exist inherently, that there is someone who creates the karma, that there is someone who does wholesome actions through which happiness is reaped, who does unwholesome actions through which sufferings are reaped, and who does the trainings through which liberation and the omniscience and so forth are attained. So the eight distinct features starts with this tenet not asserting the existence of the mind called all-basis.

It is the Mind Only tenet which asserts that there is a separate consciousness apart from mental consciousness, the basis of person called the all-basis consciousness and it is considered to be the basis of all happenings and rippling of result and so forth. And reason why opposed to that or contrary to that the Prasangikas here don’t assert that is because if there is to be all-basis consciousness then it would mean when one analyzes what the person is, who the person is, it would mean that the person would have to be found as inherently existing in their fashion as say all-basis consciousness in which case it would mean that the person is inherently existing or it exists from its own characteristic but which in real way how it exists is not to be found and that is the reason here all-basis is not asserted. The lower Buddhist tenets assert that the consciousness is existing from its own characteristic, the consciousness exists from its own characteristics and their reasoning for asserting that is of the background assertion.