--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "yifuxero" <yifux...@...> wrote: > > Dalai Lama Quote of the Week > > > How does an emptiness appear to a mind when it ascertains an > emptiness? > > If one has a mistaken view of an emptiness, equating it with a > vacuity which is a nothingness, this is not the ascertainment of an > emptiness. Or, even if one has developed a proper understanding of an > emptiness as merely a lack of inherent existence, still, when the > vacuity which is a lack of inherent existence appears, one may > subsequently lose sight of the original understanding. This vacuity > then becomes a mere nothingness with the original understanding of > the negation of inherent existence being lost completely. Therefore, > this is not the ascertainment of an emptiness either. Also, even if > the meaning of an emptiness has been ascertained, but the > thought, 'This is an emptiness,' appears, then one is apprehending > the existence of an emptiness which is a positive thing. Therefore, > that consciousness then becomes a conventional valid cogniser and not > the ascertainment of an emptiness. The Condensed Perfection of Wisdom > Sutra says, 'Even if a Bodhisattva realises, "These aggregates are > empty," he is acting on signs of conventionalities and does not have > faith in the state of non-production.' > > Further, 'an emptiness' is a negative [an absence] which must be > ascertained through the mere elimination of the object of negation, > that is, inherent existence. Negatives are of two types: affirming > negatives in which some other positive phenomenon is implied in place > of the object of negation, and non-affirming negatives in which no > other positive phenomenon is implied in place of the object of > negation. An emptiness is an instance of the latter; therefore, a > consciousness cognising an emptiness necessarily ascertains the mere > negative or absence of the object of negation. What appears to the > mind is a clear vacuity accompanied by the mere thought, 'These > concrete things as they now appear to our minds do not exist at all.' > The mere lack of inherent existence or mere truthlessness which is > the referent object of this consciousness is an emptiness; therefore, > such a mind ascertains an emptiness. > > --from The Buddhism of Tibet by the Dalai Lama, translated and edited > by Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Snow Lion Publications >
Thanks for posting this. Though I find Marek's more worldly example of bagels works better for my level of spiritual development and concentration span. "In my funky example of the bagel's hole, it (self) is defined by what surrounds it but is in itself without attributes."
