Nice. Thanks for posting this, Vaj. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > from a question and answer session with HH the 14th Dalai Lama, after > teachings on the Mind which is devoid of Mind, San Jose 1989. > > Question: Can you relate any examples of the experience of clear light? > > HHDL: There are various types of experience, associated with different > degrees of subtlety in your experience of clear light. Generally > speaking, Dzogchen terminology distinguishes between two situations: > > - dissolution due to the influence of liberation, and > - dissolution due to the influence of confusion. > > Given that there is a distinction between the ground and the > appearances of the ground, when the appearances of the ground dissolve, > it can happen in one of these two ways: dissolution due to the > influence of liberation, or dissolution due to the influence of > confusion. The former refers to dissolution through the power of yoga > practised on the path, whereby coarser and subtle levels of > consciousness are dissolved, and the latter refers to the dissolution > that takes place automatically at the time of death. In this regard, > depending on the extent to which the dissolution process has taken > place, there can be different degrees to the experience of clear light. > In any case, for us the whole point is to arrive, through practice, at > the ultimate experience of clear light. > > When that ultimate experience of clear light takes place, all the other > types of consciousness, the coarse levels of mind-sensory faculties, > sensory consciousnesses and the coarse levels of mental > consciousness-are all dissolved, and the breathing process ceases. But > one question which is not settled or certain yet is whether or not a > very subtle functioning of the brain might still be present in that > state. This is something we still have to discover, and I have > discussed it with a number of brain scientists. Given the premise of > neuroscience, that consciousness, awareness, or psychological states > are states of the brain, we have to find out whether or not at that > point of clear light the brain still retains some function. > > > Question: Do sentient beings have free will? > > HHDL: According to Buddhism, individuals are masters of their own > destiny. And all living beings are believed to possess the nature of > the Primordial Buddha Samantabhadra, the potential or seed of > enlightenment, within them. So our future is in our own hands. What > greater free will do we need?
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