BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Buddhism Fifty Verses on the Nature of Consciousness

Lisa......the concept of groundlessness is fascinating and yet I can see how it would be frightening to some. I can relate to the definition of our ego being our survival instinct gone wild. Some people demonstrate that more apparently than others.

Great comments!

Hi Debbie, yes, and this idea of groundlessness is really what differentiates Buddhism spiritually...for some that makes Buddhism seem scary and depressing- they think of it as existential. And it is existential, but not depressing as we get comfortable with it. It's freeing.

Dear Teacher,

You mention :freeing:
Got a taste of that this morning.As I write this, I have a smile on my face.Today ,moment by moment ,shall be a glorious day.

Loong
Mahayana Buddhist

To all or none,
PART IV SENSE CONSCIOUSNESSES

Twenty -Eight

Based on mind consciousness,
The five sense consciousnesses,
separately or together with Mind consciousness,
manifest like waves on water.

Twenty-Nine

Their field of perception is things in themselves
Their mode of perception is direct.
Their nature can be wholesome ,unwholesome or neutral.
They operate on the sense organs and the sensation center of the brain.

Thirty

They arise with the
universal,particular,and wholesome,
The basic and secondary unwholesome,
And the indeterminate mental formations.

This concludes the Sense consciousness section

TNH

Loong
Messenger

To all or none,

Part V The Nature of Reality

Thirty-One

Consciousness always includes
Subject and object.
Self and other,inside and outside,are all creations of the conceptual Mind.

Thirty-Two

Consciousness has three parts....
perceiver,perceived,and wholeness.
All seeds and mental formations
Are the same.

Thirty-Three

Birth and Death depend on conditions.
Consciousness is by nature a discriminatory manifestation.
Perceiver and perceived depend on each other
As subjects and object of perception.

Text by TNH

Loong
Messenger

To all or none,,

Thirty-Four

In individual and collective manifestations,
Self and Non-Self are two.
The cycle of birth and death is achieved IN EVERY MOMENT.
Consciousness evolves in the ocean of birth and death.

Thirty-Five

Space,time,and the four great elements
are all manifestations of consciousness.
In the process of inter being and interpenetration,
Our store consciousness ripens in every moment.

Thirty-Six

Beings manifest when conditions are sufficient.
When conditions lack,they no longer appear,
Still,there is no coming ,no going,
No being and no nonbeing.

Thirty-Seven

When a seed gives rise to a formation,
It is the primary cause.
The fourth type of condition
Is the immediacy of continuity.

More tomorrow TNH

Loong the messenger

To all or none

Thirty-Seven

When a seed gives rise to a formation,
it is the primary cause.
The subject of perception depends on the object of perception.
This is object as cause.

Thirty-Eight

Conditions that are favorable or non-obstructing
Are supporting causes.
The fourth type of condition
is the immediacy of continuity.

Thirty-Nine

Interdependent manifestation has two aspects
deluded mind and true mind.
Deluded mind is imaginary construction .
True mind is fulfilled nature.

Loong,scomment:as you can see in Pure Mahayana lineage,
Mind is in two sections.First being the imaginary mind,
The second ,the Fulfilled mind

Now let us go to Tibetan description of Mind.
The Vajrayana or Tibetan lineage ,calls the imaginary mind :Sem:
The Fulfilled mind or creator Mind ,RIGPA.

I myself like to use the tibetan way.Sem, and Rigpa the creator.
Loong
Mahayana Buddhist.

To all or none,

Forty

Construction impregnates the mind with seeds of delusion,bringing about the misery of Samsara.
The fulfilled opens the door of Wisdom
To the realm of such ness.

Forty-One

Meditating on the nature of interdependence
Can transform delusion into Enlightenment.
Samsara and Suchness are not two.
They are one and and the same.

Forty-Two

Even while blooming ,the flower is already in the compost,
And the compost is already in the flower.
Flower and compost are not two.
Delusion and Enlightenment inter-are.

THICH NHAT HANH

To all or none,
Forty-Three

Don't run away from birth and death.
Just look deeply into your mental formations. (Ideas) you have created)
When the true nature of interdependence is seen,the truth of inter being is realized.

Loong,s comment:life and death are both one)

Fourty-four
Practice conscious breathing
To water the seeds of Awakening.
Right View is a Flower
blooming in the field off mindconscious ness.


Forty -Five

When sunlight shines,it helps all vegetation grow.When mindfulness shines,
It Transforms all mental formations.

That is all for today.Heavy stuff to digest ,but is so beautifully written by the Master

Loong
Only the messenger.

To all or none ,
Working with 3books can have one make mistakes.

Verses46-47 of a fantastic importance,I posted in Understanding our mind.
So,so sorry

an imperfect loong