Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:—
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.”
~ James Allen
In the book “As A Man Thinketh”
[NB. use man generically here for humankind]
As a person thinketh so are they, on the relative level- the conventional functional level experience. This is the practice-belief of manifesters, that benefit both themselves/others and creates the god-realms (mind states). An effect experienced by the mind, (like a holodeck experience).
Question: But what is ‘person’ and what is ‘thinking’?
There are two levels to understanding phenomenal reality of self and other. This is referred to as twotruths in the Tibetan Buddha Dharma.
There is the relative conventionally functioning level, (and mind requires training on the relative level). One learns to abide in one’s inner room in accordance with the natural law of phenomena; and applies to dharma awareness and practice in order to develop insight, into what is really happening on the science of awareness level.
On the ultimate level, mind is the empty nature of dependent arising or conscious awareness, or the perfect/ inseparable union of appearance (masculine principle) and emptiness (feminine principle).
Anything can arise through various causes, conditions and effects. Consider a rainbow appearing in the sky for instance; it appears, yet it is empty. It is empty yet appears. So it is with all phenomenal reality. All phenomena is perfectly completed on arising.
However, liberation of mind from adherence to samsara, (fixation to mere concepts in the mind – (the cause of suffering), involves awakening mind. First in recognition of awareness, and ultimately in realisation of the emptiness of awareness. It involves generating the right intention and awareness action through the three doors of body, speech and mind in practice, in one’s life.
So what’s the problem?
It is not understanding- that through stability on the relative conventional level, (which is based upon consistent aware action (of body, speech and mind)/ application of practice method of right View; that one experiences reality through the mind. This is relatively (or dependently originated/ designated arising) experience of mind.
Generating awareness in the mindstream or mental continuum enables one to notice the subconscious patterns that arise- that otherwise mind is operating from unconsciously (habitually unaware of/ not questioning/ believing to be ultimately true).
This is because currently people are not educated on how mind functions.
How phenomena appears to your mind is one’s experience.
It is just, it is its relative appearance and not the true non-dual ultimate nature, which is uncontrived empty nature of awareness.
Relative experience arises from the five aggregates in the mind. In their pure form they are the five wisdom aspects of the non-dual mind of appearance/ emptiness. In their contaminated form they arise duality.
Why contaminated?
Because in misapprehension mind attaches to the projection of the five aggregates. This projection is a merely imputed label. The adherence creates duality- a self and a grasping to that; or because of arising an imputation, (by imputation a self is created; this is based upon the five aggregates in the mind). The aggregates arise illusion of an entity as if from its own side; substantially existing. Because of this, then ‘other’ than that is also created by the mind. This is the delusion. There are two forms of clinging; (i) to outer appearance of ‘self’ (rather than simply learning to observe the phenomena from one indoor room in accordance with the natural law of phenomena); and the (ii) inner grasping to mine (or ‘other’ phenomena).
This prevents mind from seeing its own nature non-dual nature, or empty awareness).
Dharma (the science of phenomenal reality)
Dharma (or the science of phenomenal reality) introduces mind to the middle way. Or a method practice where mind can becomes liberated from mistaken attachment to one of the two extremes of existence; (either nothing exists (nihilism), or phenomena exists eternally (eternalism)). Both these prepositions are false. All phenomena is in the nature of dependent arising which is empty ultimately but appears. This liberates the mind from attaching to one of the two extremes of existence. This is why one is able to wake up; with a direct yogic perception of true reality. This means mind cuts the root of its self-adherence by ultimately realising the emptiness of non-dual awareness.
(to be continued…)
Notes
The ‘self’ is not the mind, which is activity of conscious awareness (in the nature of dependent origination of cause, effects and conditions). Nor is the ‘self’ body. The self is a label upon the body and mind.
dharmasnonabiding 