BP: Mind and Cognition (22 September 2014)

0:01 How is everybody? Report an error in the passage at 0:01 Highlight the passage at 0:01

0:07 How's your frog? Report an error in the passage at 0:07 Highlight the passage at 0:07

0:14 I was thinking about your frog actually. Report an error in the passage at 0:14 Highlight the passage at 0:14

0:24 Does anybody have anything they'd like to share? Something that came up over the course of the week? Report an error in the passage at 0:24 Highlight the passage at 0:24

0:35 Won the Nobel Prize or something? Not yet. What? You have a question. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 0:35 Highlight the passage at 0:35

0:50 So you came up with a question over the course of the week. Report an error in the passage at 0:50 Highlight the passage at 0:50

1:07 Yeah, that's a tough one. Yeah, well, let's talk about that, okay? Report an error in the passage at 1:07 Highlight the passage at 1:07

1:14 So nothing to... Okay. Victor, where are you going? Oh, that's exciting. Report an error in the passage at 1:14 Highlight the passage at 1:14

· · · silence, 1 minute

2:03 Yeah? You work okay? Okay now? Okay. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 2:03 Highlight the passage at 2:03

2:17 I was... Oh, Report an error in the passage at 2:17 Highlight the passage at 2:17

2:33 really? Report an error in the passage at 2:33 Highlight the passage at 2:33

2:59 Many of you, I guess most of you have heard of, there's an American Tibetan Report an error in the passage at 2:59 Highlight the passage at 2:59

3:09 Buddhist nun by the name of Pema Chudrin. Pema Chudrin, yeah. She's a very good author, Pema Chudrin. She's written, she's published quite a few books. I was, you know, we begin with the Report an error in the passage at 3:09 Highlight the passage at 3:09

3:32 process of adjusting her motivation and this notion of going for refuge and hopefully we can... Make it something relevant to ourselves. It's not just a ritual, a formality that is often gone through. Report an error in the passage at 3:32 Highlight the passage at 3:32

3:51 And I was glancing through this book by her. It's called Start Where You Are. Start Where You Are, which is a good place to start, I think. Report an error in the passage at 3:51 Highlight the passage at 3:51

4:02 And it's sort of, I saw a connection between this process of going for refuge and this paragraph that I'd like to share with you. Report an error in the passage at 4:02 Highlight the passage at 4:02

4:14 There's a life-affirming teaching in Buddhism, which is that Buddha, which means awake, is not someone you worship. Buddha is not someone you aspire to. Buddha is not somebody that was born more than 2,000 years ago and that was smarter than you ever be. Buddha is our inherent nature, our Buddha nature. And what that means is that if you're going to grow up fully, The way that it happens is that you begin to connect with the intelligence that you already have. It's not like some intelligence that's going to be transplanted into you. Report an error in the passage at 4:14 Highlight the passage at 4:14

4:54 If you're going to be fully mature, you will no longer be imprisoned in the childhood feeling that you always need to protect yourself or shield yourself because things are too harsh. If you're going to be grown up, which I would define as being completely at home in your world, No matter how difficult the situation. It's because you will allow that something that's always in you to be nurtured. Report an error in the passage at 4:54 Highlight the passage at 4:54

5:22 You allow it to grow. You allow it to come out. Instead of all the time shielding it and protecting it and keeping it buried. Report an error in the passage at 5:22 Highlight the passage at 5:22

5:31 So upon reading that, it reminded me of the time that I listened to a talk by Robert Johnson. And some of you might be familiar with Robert Johnson. He was, or I guess he still is, an American union analyst. And he came to, when I was living in Adelaide, this was quite a number of years ago, maybe 15 years ago, and he gave a talk on owning your shadow. Report an error in the passage at 5:31 Highlight the passage at 5:31

6:10 The notion of the shadow is, I think, a very important element in union psychology. psychology and the And I'm not an expert by all means, by any means, at Jungian psychology. But roughly speaking, the shadow is a part of our unconscious. Report an error in the passage at 6:10 Highlight the passage at 6:10

6:32 It represents an unknown or little-known hidden attributes about ourselves. And most often, the shadow is seen as reprehensible, as despicable. Qualities about ourselves that we'd rather not identify with about ourselves, that we'd rather not admit knowledge even to ourselves. And therefore they generally get pushed down into the shadow. They get excluded from our conscious awareness to a large extent. Report an error in the passage at 6:32 Highlight the passage at 6:32

7:15 And Johnson, Robert Johnson, he went on to say that After some time in the course of analysis and the course of working with people over a long period of time when some trust had been built up in the nature of the relationship and so forth, that over time they would begin to reveal. Report an error in the passage at 7:15 Highlight the passage at 7:15

7:41 They would get in touch with and begin to talk about the shadow. Things like... Mental laziness or weaknesses and shortcomings, inordinate love of money or unreal fantasies and schemes and plots, cowardliness, fetishes, sexual hallucinations and fantasies. Report an error in the passage at 7:41 Highlight the passage at 7:41

8:10 Things that we would rather not see as a part of us, that we'd rather not identify with, acknowledge about ourselves. But that's the usual stock way of talking about the shadow and how it's... How it's usually determined. Report an error in the passage at 8:10 Highlight the passage at 8:10

8:27 But he went on to say, and I think this is the point that I'd like to make, that even after a long period of time of developing these trusting relationships, that people would begin to, as it were, to let the skeleton out of the closet. You know, that dark side, that base, sordid side of ourselves that we all possess to some nature and to some degree. Report an error in the passage at 8:27 Highlight the passage at 8:27

8:58 In some way or another. Nonetheless, they put up a terrific fight against acknowledging the gold within the shadow. That within the shadow lies not only the dark, the base and the sordid, but also golden qualities, noble qualities, divine qualities, if you like. Report an error in the passage at 8:58 Highlight the passage at 8:58

9:22 What Carl Jung called the true spirit of our life. in this real... A sense of deep joy and creativity and moments of tenderness, moments of clarity and insight of thought. Report an error in the passage at 9:22 Highlight the passage at 9:22

9:43 You know, who am I to be wise? Who am I to be brilliant, fabulous, splendid, wonderful? But we fight against acknowledging these elements inside of ourselves. To emit the gold within the shadow is to accept. To some degree, the responsibility of living it out. The weight of our own divinity is perhaps too much for us at times. Report an error in the passage at 9:43 Highlight the passage at 9:43

10:13 And I'd like to join this, you know, quoting from Pema Chidron with a quote which many of you probably heard. And interestingly enough, it's usually attributed to Nelson Mandela. I think he quoted it when he gave his acceptance speech. Presidential inauguration. And usually it's been attributed to him. But in fact, it's not. It was written, it's taken from a book by Marianne Williamson. Report an error in the passage at 10:13 Highlight the passage at 10:13

10:45 And you might recognize it when you hear it. Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant? Gorgeous, talented, and fabulous. Actually, who are you not to be? It is not just in some of us. Report an error in the passage at 10:45 Highlight the passage at 10:45

11:15 It is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. You know, I think in a way, we all have a certain thermostat that we've set for ourselves in some... Report an error in the passage at 11:15 Highlight the passage at 11:15

11:38 Some comfort zone that we want to dwell in, that we feel secure within. We want neither to be too wretched nor too fantastic. We don't want to be a failure, but too much success would be just as difficult. And so we want a nice kind of mediocrity or some kind of normality. Report an error in the passage at 11:38 Highlight the passage at 11:38

12:05 So this becomes a real obstacle, I think. So we, you know, we... Report an error in the passage at 12:05 Highlight the passage at 12:05

12:10 Appreciating and actualizing our potential if we don't even notice. Giving ourselves a chance to actualize all that we could be. The tendency to ignore and to devalue ourselves and our situation by contracting inwardly on the displays of our ego in some way or another. Becoming absorbed and completely lost in the inward isolating patterns of the personality. Report an error in the passage at 12:10 Highlight the passage at 12:10

12:41 These reoccurring patterns of attitudinal and emotional and behavioral reactions that we constitute who, this is who I am. Report an error in the passage at 12:41 Highlight the passage at 12:41

13:00 I don't know if I'm, sometimes I have to admit that when I go off into my thinking I get a bit concerned that I'm projecting or I'm just talking to myself. There's a saying that you teach what you need to know. And I'm constantly aware of this fact. So when I go home, I usually review, what did I say tonight? Oh, that's what I need to learn. We tend to perpetuate our patterns, which keep us stuck. Report an error in the passage at 13:00 Highlight the passage at 13:00

13:38 We tend to notice and dwell on data which seems to confirm our patterns. And we tend not to notice, or we dismiss, or we discount, or we forget about those data which disconfirm. You know, someone who thinks of themselves as bad or unkind would dwell, would ruminate, would bring to mind again and again all those times that they hurt someone, that they caused someone problems, that they weren't there in some way or another, that they failed someone. Report an error in the passage at 13:38 Highlight the passage at 13:38

14:13 And they would find some way to discount or dismiss, oh, when somebody comes to them and says, oh, you know, I really appreciate what you did for me. That was really kind. No, no, no, no. I'm not like that. That was an exception. I really did that for myself, in my own mind. Or we misinterpret our data to fit our patterns. Somebody who has a pattern of nobody likes me. Report an error in the passage at 14:13 Highlight the passage at 14:13

14:46 They constantly misinterpret others to kind of fit in with that conception. That other person over there across the room. Who seems to be frowning at them. It seems to be disapproving of them. Even though, in fact, they simply have a headache. Something bad just happened to them. Report an error in the passage at 14:46 Highlight the passage at 14:46

15:10 We surround ourselves with people whose patterns agree with our own. If I were to have the pattern, it's all my fault. They would surround themselves with, you're not much, are you? It fits together quite neatly. Report an error in the passage at 15:10 Highlight the passage at 15:10

15:35 So I think Buddhism is asking us to reevaluate, to take a look, to create even an iota of doubt that maybe I'm not quite the person that I normally think of myself. Maybe there is something about me. Maybe I'm willing to admit that. It can be a closet potential Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 15:35 Highlight the passage at 15:35

16:00 At least become a potential Buddha in the closet, if not... To come out sometime. You know, our world begins and ends with the limiting conceptions of our ego in isolation from the reality of who we are. Report an error in the passage at 16:00 Highlight the passage at 16:00

16:17 Our situation, you know. One of the great, you know, one of my most influential teachers of those six pictures on the wall there on the bottom row, the third from the left, Lama Yeshi, rather angelic-looking face. I like to, you know, it's like pouring rain, but it kind of, Report an error in the passage at 16:17 Highlight the passage at 16:17

16:44 it runs off our backs in some way. Lama Yeshi, the main dealing, I mean, he had a way with words, okay, so his grammar might not be exacting, but there was a certain poetry, forcefulness of communication behind what he said. The main dealing, the problem, what is the problem? It is the ordinary recognition that I am poor man, poor woman. Do you understand? Report an error in the passage at 16:44 Highlight the passage at 16:44

17:09 Perceiving holding as poor one, poor object, poor quality. And perceiving also such poor acting ugly, having lower opinion of our body, lower opinion of our quality. That is the worst symptom to be healthy, to be liberated. That is the main dealing to eradicate, to cut. As long as you've decided, have a preconception that I am the self-pitying one. Report an error in the passage at 17:09 Highlight the passage at 17:09

17:32 You decided. You already decided that you are the bad guy. So when you decided you are a bad guy, You always do bad actions. Anyway, I'm worthless. I'm a bad guy. So I do bad things. Of course, that's the way it is. That's true. Report an error in the passage at 17:32 Highlight the passage at 17:32

17:50 You know, Buddhism isn't asking us to perform some kind of mental gymnastics, you know, twist our mind in some kind of, you know, trying to see black as white as white as black. Report an error in the passage at 17:50 Highlight the passage at 17:50

18:07 That's absurd. But it is asking us to... To open up to the possibility that we could be mistaken about what we could be, all that we could make of our life. I'm not my patterns. Report an error in the passage at 18:07 Highlight the passage at 18:07

18:24 I'm not my self-image. I am not any of the fluctuating self-identities that I cling to over time. None of them is able to encompass the totality of who I am and what I can be. Even if in some ways they were accurate, which to a large extent they aren't. Talking about mental images. Report an error in the passage at 18:24 Highlight the passage at 18:24

18:51 I don't know if I've probably shown you this many times. I find that for me it's an interesting kind of a relevant comic tragedy. It's a little comic. I know you can't see it very well. It's two boys which are coming home from school and the one boy has just received his examination results. And he's holding them in his hand and he's talking to the second boy. And he says to the second, that new teacher really did a number on me. Report an error in the passage at 18:51 Highlight the passage at 18:51

19:28 In the second box he says, I thought I'd get a B on that test and he gave me a C. In the third box he says, how did he know I was a C student? Report an error in the passage at 19:28 Highlight the passage at 19:28

19:41 The way I take that to be is that there was a new teacher and the student. didn't. You know? Report an error in the passage at 19:41 Highlight the passage at 19:41

19:50 He said, I'll pull the wool over this guy's eyes. I'll pretend I'm a B student. But this teacher was too sharp. He saw through his disguise, his pretense. There was something, some kind of scenist kind of oozing out of his skin. And you just have to look at him. Obviously, you're a C student. Who are you trying to fool? By his very nature. And he's going to go on to get a C grade job. Report an error in the passage at 19:50 Highlight the passage at 19:50

20:20 Married a C-grade wife, had C-grade children, teach them how to be C-grade people. His life becomes a C-grade self-fulfilling prophecy of a C-grade quality of life. That's the thermostat. That's what he's got fixed up. We're just going to play out the pattern. It's already prescribed in some way or another. Report an error in the passage at 20:20 Highlight the passage at 20:20

20:42 The end is already known. It's just a matter of filling in the dots until the period at the end. Report an error in the passage at 20:42 Highlight the passage at 20:42

21:02 So I think, you know, when we talk about Buddha nature, that's our working basis. Something of which we are, that which we are to become, that which we're working with to develop. And it's not as if there's anything missing. It's not as if at the end of the basic program that we're going to hand out your Buddha nature and therefore you can go ahead and allow yourself to be wise and compassionate. Report an error in the passage at 21:02 Highlight the passage at 21:02

21:31 Buddha is as Buddha does. Report an error in the passage at 21:31 Highlight the passage at 21:31

21:37 We all have some intelligence, some caring. That's our basic nature. That's primary. The rest is distortions of that primary quality about ourselves. So when we talk about going for refuge, we're not going for refuge to something outside of ourselves. It's our own basic nature, which we can trust, which we can more and more allow ourselves to find expression. Report an error in the passage at 21:37 Highlight the passage at 21:37

22:10 In talking about the path, there are two metaphors which are sometimes used. One of them is potentiality going over into actuality, a seed being nourished, developing and so forth, and then maturing and flowering. That's one way of describing our journey along the path. There's another one, another metaphor, and this is the idea of a lotus in Report an error in the passage at 22:10 Highlight the passage at 22:10

22:51 its petals revealing a perfection that it's always been, something which never needed to be improved upon at all, but simply allowed to reveal itself. Report an error in the passage at 22:51 Highlight the passage at 22:51

23:05 So whichever, you know, which I think at times one of those metaphors works for us, but both are quite useful at various times in our life. When we feel down on ourselves, when we feel overwhelmed by life, when we don't seem adequate to the task, we can know that within ourselves there's a perfection which does not ever need to be improved upon, which simply needs to find ways of allowing it to be expressed, Report an error in the passage at 23:05 Highlight the passage at 23:05

23:43 like the lotus, the petals of a lotus opening, showing a perfection that's always been. Other times we need to do some work. We actually have to put one foot in front of the next. Compassion and wisdom, love, intelligence. Report an error in the passage at 23:43 Highlight the passage at 23:43

24:03 It requires some effort on our part. Actuality, potentiality going over into actuality. It's an American Report an error in the passage at 24:03 Highlight the passage at 24:03

24:20 Zen master, a Japanese Zen master, Suzuki Roshi. He said, I think it's a very beautiful thought to keep in mind. He said, he was talking to his students, and he said, you're all perfect just the way you are, but you could use just a little bit of improvement. Report an error in the passage at 24:20 Highlight the passage at 24:20

24:43 He's trying to find, it's almost paradoxical, Report an error in the passage at 24:43 Highlight the passage at 24:43

24:49 but we need to believe in ourselves. And that's what we're going for refuge to, keep coming back to that. I'm not any of these displays. Report an error in the passage at 24:49 Highlight the passage at 24:49

25:04 Normally we see ourselves inadequate to the world or the world inadequate to ourselves. Always this sense of lack. We're captivated by what we don't possess or what we haven't achieved, what's missing, and we overlook what is already there. Report an error in the passage at 25:04 Highlight the passage at 25:04

25:26 So if you'd like to recite the verse of Refuge together, you're welcome. Report an error in the passage at 25:26 Highlight the passage at 25:26

25:43 I go for refuge until I'm awakened to the Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha through the collections of merit and wisdom created out of generosity and the other with practices. May I become a Buddha for the sake of all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I am awakened to the Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha through the collections of merit and wisdom created out of generosity in the other practices. Report an error in the passage at 25:43 Highlight the passage at 25:43

26:09 May I become a Buddha for the sake of all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I am awakened to the Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha through the collections of merit and wisdom created out of generosity in the other perfections. May I become a Buddha for the sake of all sentient beings. May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 26:09 Highlight the passage at 26:09

26:37 May all sentient beings be inseparable from the joy that is without sorrow. May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from attachment for some and aversion toward others. Report an error in the passage at 26:37 Highlight the passage at 26:37

27:02 So if you'd like to stand up and stretch or sit together. Report an error in the passage at 27:02 Highlight the passage at 27:02

27:28 So you're welcome to lie down if you like, sit on a cushion, on a chair, Report an error in the passage at 27:28 Highlight the passage at 27:28

· · · silence, 1 minute

28:13 taking a comfortable, firm posture. Report an error in the passage at 28:13 Highlight the passage at 28:13

28:18 If you sit like a Buddha, you are a Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 28:18 Highlight the passage at 28:18

28:29 We begin by bringing our awareness to the crown of our head, our scalp, Report an error in the passage at 28:29 Highlight the passage at 28:29

28:38 and first feeling or simply imagining the wrinkles between our brow and our forehead, smoothing out the Report an error in the passage at 28:38 Highlight the passage at 28:38

28:57 pressure in and around your eyes, diminishing. Report an error in the passage at 28:57 Highlight the passage at 28:57

29:11 The muscles of the face softening, relaxing. Report an error in the passage at 29:11 Highlight the passage at 29:11

29:28 Your tongue is soft and jaw relaxed. Report an error in the passage at 29:28 Highlight the passage at 29:28

29:35 Bringing your awareness to the back of your neck and perhaps turning your head to each side a few times. Very gently loosening, stretching the muscles of the back of the neck and Report an error in the passage at 29:35 Highlight the passage at 29:35

29:55 bringing your awareness to your upper back and shoulders. Perhaps drawing your shoulders up toward your ears and circling them to the back. Report an error in the passage at 29:55 Highlight the passage at 29:55

30:13 And just rotating your shoulders a few times. Report an error in the passage at 30:13 Highlight the passage at 30:13

30:25 And eventually returning your shoulders back up towards your ears and just allowing them to drop comfortably to the sides. And with that, the feeling of some kind of burden or weight that you may have unknowingly been carrying around on your back over the course of the day, moving down and through your body into the ground. Report an error in the passage at 30:25 Highlight the passage at 30:25

30:48 A feeling of relief, as if some... The burden's been lifted from your shoulders. Report an error in the passage at 30:48 Highlight the passage at 30:48

31:08 And bringing your awareness all the way down to your hands. Your hands are soft and loose. Report an error in the passage at 31:08 Highlight the passage at 31:08

31:22 Relaxing your lower arm. Report an error in the passage at 31:22 Highlight the passage at 31:22

31:42 Your chest is at ease. Report an error in the passage at 31:42 Highlight the passage at 31:42

31:50 And relaxing throughout the heart area, the central space of your chest, Report an error in the passage at 31:50 Highlight the passage at 31:50

32:05 portion of your back Report an error in the passage at 32:05 Highlight the passage at 32:05

32:20 and stomach. Report an error in the passage at 32:20 Highlight the passage at 32:20

32:25 And releasing the tension that we often hold in our stomach muscles. Just allow your belly to go soft throughout Report an error in the passage at 32:25 Highlight the passage at 32:25

32:40 the abdominal cavity. Report an error in the passage at 32:40 Highlight the passage at 32:40

32:49 Keeping your trunk erect, relax your lower back muscles, Report an error in the passage at 32:49 Highlight the passage at 32:49

· · · silence, 1 minute

33:33 the upper legs, Report an error in the passage at 33:33 Highlight the passage at 33:33

33:51 and finally your feet, soft and loose. Report an error in the passage at 33:51 Highlight the passage at 33:51

34:03 Scanning once again from the crown down through the central portion of the body and paying particular attention to any tightnesses or tensions and Report an error in the passage at 34:03 Highlight the passage at 34:03

34:19 following that breath to wherever a tightness or tension is being held in the body. Report an error in the passage at 34:19 Highlight the passage at 34:19

34:28 A breath of awareness and then as if breathing out from that same area and with that out breath the Report an error in the passage at 34:28 Highlight the passage at 34:28

34:44 tension diminishes slightly. Tightness loosens Report an error in the passage at 34:44 Highlight the passage at 34:44

34:54 into those areas of tightness and tension in the body and again and again breathing out from those areas. Report an error in the passage at 34:54 Highlight the passage at 34:54

· · · silence, 1 minute

35:46 So with each out breath there's an overall impression of the body sinking deeper and deeper into a state of relaxation, of ease, of comfort, a pleasant feeling. It's a nice place to be. Just Report an error in the passage at 35:46 Highlight the passage at 35:46

· · · silence, 1 minute

37:23 stay in with your body for a while, relaxed and at ease, Report an error in the passage at 37:23 Highlight the passage at 37:23

· · · silence, 1 minute

38:20 to become aware of the fact that you're breathing. Report an error in the passage at 38:20 Highlight the passage at 38:20

38:31 Rest your attention on that physical sensation, however it's most clear and obvious to yourself, that's indicating to you that you're breathing in, you're breathing out. Report an error in the passage at 38:31 Highlight the passage at 38:31

38:46 Just focus your awareness, but don't try too hard. If thoughts come, that's okay, that's fine. That's what minds do. Just gently bring your mind back. To that sensation without any judgment, without any comment. Report an error in the passage at 38:46 Highlight the passage at 38:46

· · · silence, 7 minutes

46:00 We're going to shift our attention to a sensation of the body other than the breath. Report an error in the passage at 46:00 Highlight the passage at 46:00

46:09 Perhaps the sensation of the pressure of your buttocks on the chair, your hands on your lap, whatever is most predominant. It's focusing your awareness on a sensation of the body. Report an error in the passage at 46:09 Highlight the passage at 46:09

· · · silence, 1 minute

47:26 And again, shifting our attention this time to the sounds around us. So listen very closely. What can you hear? Report an error in the passage at 47:26 Highlight the passage at 47:26

· · · silence, 1 minute

48:35 Listening to sound. Report an error in the passage at 48:35 Highlight the passage at 48:35

49:04 And again, shifting our attention, turning the mind inward. Report an error in the passage at 49:04 Highlight the passage at 49:04

49:13 The words, pictures, images passing through our mind, various states. Report an error in the passage at 49:13 Highlight the passage at 49:13

49:22 Maybe your mind is restless, maybe it's sleepy, feeling pleasure, feeling displeasure, emotions, all the various objects and states of mind. Watching the mind itself. Report an error in the passage at 49:22 Highlight the passage at 49:22

· · · silence, 1 minute

50:30 And then finally, we're just going to allow the mind... To become involved in any object that it naturally tends toward, but in a relaxed and gentle manner. Maintain a degree of awareness, watchfulness, just observing. Report an error in the passage at 50:30 Highlight the passage at 50:30

· · · silence, 1 minute

51:57 And then bring your mind back to the breath, the easy, in and outflow, the natural breath. Report an error in the passage at 51:57 Highlight the passage at 51:57

· · · silence, 3 minutes

54:46 You're welcome to stand up and stretch if you like. Report an error in the passage at 54:46 Highlight the passage at 54:46

· · · silence, 1 minute

56:01 We're going to discuss in some detail what a mental image is. When we come to division into three, when we talk about conceptual consciousnesses, so we're going to go into it again, but what was your doubt, your question? Report an error in the passage at 56:01 Highlight the passage at 56:01

· · · silence, 1 minute

57:20 So each moment of consciousness is different, and therefore its object must be different from moment to moment? What does that follow? Report an error in the passage at 57:20 Highlight the passage at 57:20

57:30 Are there such things as permanent phenomena? In general, do you think? Report an error in the passage at 57:30 Highlight the passage at 57:30

57:42 Not changing from moment to moment? Not momentarily changing. Report an error in the passage at 57:42 Highlight the passage at 57:42

57:55 So could a concept be another name for a mental image? Why Report an error in the passage at 57:55 Highlight the passage at 57:55

58:07 is a concept permanent and maybe a mental image isn't? Report an error in the passage at 58:07 Highlight the passage at 58:07

58:33 How about the non-existence of elephants in this room? Is that permanent or impermanent? Is that changing from moment to moment? Pardon? Could be hiding. So the non-existence of elephants in this room might not exist. Yeah, but let's say there's not. They aren't hiding. Report an error in the passage at 58:33 Highlight the passage at 58:33

59:07 It could go out of existence. Elephants could come in the room. But while the elephants are absent, the absence of elephants in this room, is that changing from moment to moment? Report an error in the passage at 59:07 Highlight the passage at 59:07

59:25 So isn't that just an idea in your head, a mental image? Idea, mental image, concept, representation. I'm taking these to be more or less synonymous. Report an error in the passage at 59:25 Highlight the passage at 59:25

59:39 So you have a concept, you have a mental image of yourself when you were six years old. Is that aging? Do you need to feed it? Is it changing? Is it becoming older? How does it change? Report an error in the passage at 59:39 Highlight the passage at 59:39

1:00:03 So you drop one image and another one, make use of another one. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:03 Highlight the passage at 1:00:03

1:00:19 You never think of yourself again. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:19 Highlight the passage at 1:00:19

1:00:25 Where were you living when you were six years old? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:25 Highlight the passage at 1:00:25

1:00:34 Homebush, okay. Now you were just, in answering that question, you were using mental images. Okay, does that change? The fact that that six-year-old lived in Hombush, is that going to be different ten years from now? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:34 Highlight the passage at 1:00:34

1:00:58 I agree. Okay, I'm not going to agree. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:58 Highlight the passage at 1:00:58

1:01:04 How about a triangle? There's a triangle. You have an idea in your mind about what a triangle is? Does that change from moment to moment? Report an error in the passage at 1:01:04 Highlight the passage at 1:01:04

1:01:21 Okay, so when you think of a nice isolated triangle, you have one mental image. When you think of an equilateral triangle, you think of another image. When you think of triangle, Report an error in the passage at 1:01:21 Highlight the passage at 1:01:21

1:01:31 you can think of a long, big triangle, small triangle. Those are each different mental image. But just, you know, they're static. They're static. It's a hard, and we're going to talk more about it. All of these are being... We arrive at our mental images through a process of negation, believe it or not. This is the way a child learns. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:31 Highlight the passage at 1:01:31

1:02:06 This is a flower. It's a specific instant of a flower. How do I know? Report an error in the passage at 1:02:06 Highlight the passage at 1:02:06

1:02:16 How can I make a generality, a flower, when there's no flower that's exactly alike? But I know they're all flowers. a Report an error in the passage at 1:02:16 Highlight the passage at 1:02:16

1:02:15 know, um... Report an error in the passage at 1:02:15 Highlight the passage at 1:02:15

1:02:26 I can have a tulip, I can have a morning glory, I can have an orchid, but somehow I connect them all together, don't I? They're specific individual flowers, but somehow I can begin to make, oh that's a flower, that's a flower, that's a flower. I'm comparing them to something in my mind. I'm drawing up a representation in which they all fit, a generality, which you'll never find in reality. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:26 Highlight the passage at 1:02:26

1:02:58 You'll never find growing that generality, that flower that I have in my mind. But I know that's a flower. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:58 Highlight the passage at 1:02:58

1:03:08 Yeah, we'll talk more about that. It's a tough one. I've got some doubts in my own mind, actually. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:08 Highlight the passage at 1:03:08

1:03:17 Okay, so when we come to the third, we're going to divide consciousness into three, and one of them is a conceptual consciousness. And in the text, it goes through definition of mental image. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:17 Highlight the passage at 1:03:17

1:03:34 Meaning generality. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:34 Highlight the passage at 1:03:34

1:03:45 Last time, if you remember, we were going through quiz four and we were talking about the three types of inferential valid cognizers. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:45 Highlight the passage at 1:03:45

1:03:57 And we began that discussion with a discussion of a crack sign. Fascinating topic, wasn't it? Really? Yes. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:57 Highlight the passage at 1:03:57

1:04:16 I did, just for your, you know, I mentioned debate. We used, you know, it's last week and we used the correct reasonings and so forth. And I dug out some old notes. I don't, you know, this is just for your interest on how we actually go about debating. Sometimes you might have seen in the debate system. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:16 Highlight the passage at 1:04:16

1:04:49 People shouting at each other and clapping their hands and so forth. So there's a handout that you might find interesting or maybe not. So there were three types of inferences. And these correspond to three types of phenomena in various ways of classifying phenomena. By phenomena, I simply mean existences. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:49 Highlight the passage at 1:04:49

1:05:13 This is an existent. This is an existent. Books are an existent. Flowers are an existent. I'm an existent. Or we could also say phenomena. Those are synonymous terms. There are what we might say three levels of phenomena. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:13 Highlight the passage at 1:05:13

1:05:31 It's mentioned in the quiz four on question four. So these are from the point of view of how we come to understand different types of phenomena. and these are... Report an error in the passage at 1:05:31 Highlight the passage at 1:05:31

1:05:46 And we can talk about three categorizations, three categories of phenomena in terms of how we come to understand them. There is manifest phenomena, and this is the type of phenomena that is initially understood and depends on the object itself by means of a direct, valid cognizer. In order to understand flower, I don't have to use reasoning. I don't have to go to a... Report an error in the passage at 1:05:46 Highlight the passage at 1:05:46

1:06:17 A text did the Buddha to understand flower. Just simply by the flower appearing to my eye consciousness, I can directly perceive flower. So that's what we call manifest phenomena or an obvious phenomena. But there's another level of phenomena which is not obvious, which is not initially understood by a direct perceiver. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:17 Highlight the passage at 1:06:17

1:06:43 For example, eye, nose, tongue and so forth. And these are called hidden phenomena. Hidden phenomena, there were two levels, slightly hidden and extremely hidden. What are you laughing at? Report an error in the passage at 1:06:43 Highlight the passage at 1:06:43

1:07:01 Okay, slightly hidden. For an ordinary person, what do I mean by an ordinary person here? Someone who has not directly realized selflessness. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:01 Highlight the passage at 1:07:01

1:07:16 Everybody else is an ordinary person. Once you directly realize selflessness, you call it an... You're called an aria, which is sometimes translated as superior or noble. Your mind is slightly superior to ordinary people. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:16 Highlight the passage at 1:07:16

1:07:34 So that's all that we mean by ordinary. You might be a great scholar, you may not be a great scholar, but you're still ordinary if you haven't realized selflessness. So for an ordinary, there is a type of phenomenon which initially... Let's say that for the first time, an ordinary person has to rely on reasoning. They aren't obvious phenomena. And this, for example, is selflessness, liberation, Report an error in the passage at 1:07:34 Highlight the passage at 1:07:34

1:08:13 okay, and emptiness. We can understand them, but we can't understand them simply by them appearing to us. It's always there, but it's not obvious to us. They're slightly hidden. So initially we have to rely upon a reasoning. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:13 Highlight the passage at 1:08:13

1:08:39 And it has to be a correct reason. So we understand initially selflessness by means of an inferential, valid cognizer. Okay? By the power of the fact. We Report an error in the passage at 1:08:39 Highlight the passage at 1:08:39

1:09:03 went through this a little bit last week. I hope it wasn't to, you know, what constitutes a correct reason or a correct sign. But there's still another more subtle level of phenomena. And this is called extremely hidden phenomena. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:03 Highlight the passage at 1:09:03

1:09:23 And these are, for example, the subtle workings of karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:23 Highlight the passage at 1:09:23

1:09:35 Lama said he might even put in that class, past and future lives, their existence. Some would argue about that. But that's besides the subtle workings of karma. That is to say, and we use this, Report an error in the passage at 1:09:35 Highlight the passage at 1:09:35

1:09:55 An example from a scripture from giving resources, that means the karmic results of generosity is prosperity. Is that valid? Is that correct? We can only come to that conclusion through what is called the inferential valid cognizer through belief. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:55 Highlight the passage at 1:09:55

1:10:22 Okay, we have to rely upon scriptural authority. But we're going to go into that. We're going to refine that. Just because the Buddha says it, we don't have to believe it. There's a test that it has to withstand in order to develop that kind of conviction. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:22 Highlight the passage at 1:10:22

1:10:41 All of these types of minds have different levels of force or power. All of this is aimed. It has a function. It's not simply... Report an error in the passage at 1:10:41 Highlight the passage at 1:10:41

1:10:55 There is a difference between Buddhism and science. You know, some people talk about Buddhism as a science, Buddhism as a science. Not necessarily so, but the books use empirical method, you know, testing, investigating. But the project of science is, to large extent, simply unraveling the mysteries of the universe. What's on Mars? Report an error in the passage at 1:10:55 Highlight the passage at 1:10:55

1:11:23 The Buddha, that wasn't Buddha's project. He was interested in... Suffering and the alleviation of suffering. That was his project. So all of this huge, luminous collection of teachings was all designed with this in mind. What is the source of suffering? The distorting emotions within our mind, most basically ignorance. So how do we overcome these distorted emotions, these negative emotions? Report an error in the passage at 1:11:23 Highlight the passage at 1:11:23

1:11:58 Most basically ignorance by developing wisdom, correct understanding, knowledge. But it has to be empowered to the extent that it's able to overcome these distorted emotions. Ignorance. The power must be such that, the wisdom must be such that it has the power to overcome ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:58 Highlight the passage at 1:11:58

1:12:23 So we're talking, in all of these discussions, we're talking about How do we empower the mind to overcome the distortions of the mind, to come to a correct understanding of the way things actually are, to come in harmony with reality? That's all we're trying to do. That requires certain states of mind which have the ability, the potency, the power to be able to do that, to make, to redirect, to create new ways of thinking, new patterns of relating. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:23 Highlight the passage at 1:12:23

1:12:58 That requires a really potent force of mind. And this is all of these minds. This is where we're being directed to. Simply believing itself is not a very powerful mind. It might be part of the path on the road to real wisdom, but simply believing in and of itself is not sufficient. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:58 Highlight the passage at 1:12:58

1:13:22 So another word besides, maybe a better word, is conviction here in this third type of I've tested this. Even though I can't really see it for myself, I've tested what the Buddha said and I have some conviction in it. You haven't come to an understanding through reason or direct experience, but you have a degree of conviction. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:22 Highlight the passage at 1:13:22

1:13:48 So it makes a difference for you. It's just that somebody said that a long time ago. It's our tradition. It's like a museum piece, which they bring out once in a while. It's some kind of living force in my life. I have some kind of conviction, and it makes a difference in how we think and how we act. So the inference through the inferential valid cognizer through, maybe conviction is a better word, through belief or conviction, which we won't quibble over the words. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:48 Highlight the passage at 1:13:48

1:14:21 But it has some force in that. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:21 Highlight the passage at 1:14:21

1:14:26 I don't know what I mean by... So, okay, these three types of levels of phenomena. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:26 Highlight the passage at 1:14:26

1:14:41 The reason we talk about these is in talking about these three types of inferential valid cognites. We talked about the first two last week, I believe. Inferential valid cognites by the power of the fact, so it relies upon a correct reason. Over in the bush. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:41 Highlight the passage at 1:14:41

1:15:03 There exists a frog because there's a croak. Is that a correct reason? Is that a correct reason? Report an error in the passage at 1:15:03 Highlight the passage at 1:15:03

1:15:19 Okay, I knew you'd say that. Is the tape recording of a frog the sound of a frog? Report an error in the passage at 1:15:19 Highlight the passage at 1:15:19

1:15:33 Anyway, I don't know. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:33 Highlight the passage at 1:15:33

1:15:38 So we use the standard sound as a subject. It is impermanent because it is a product. you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:38 Highlight the passage at 1:15:38

1:15:46 So, So you understand the three modes. You understand that a product is applicable to sound. Sound is a product because it's produced. It's produced from causes and conditions. And every instant of product is necessarily an instant of being impermanent. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:46 Highlight the passage at 1:15:46

1:16:14 And in the next moment, you will realize the thesis. Sound must be impermanent. Why? Because it's a product. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:14 Highlight the passage at 1:16:14

1:16:24 Some understanding, that's a valid way of understanding that it has some degree of force. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:24 Highlight the passage at 1:16:24

1:16:35 We use inference a lot in our everyday life, but sometimes we don't quite know what a correct reason is. Sometimes politicians, they try to present what is a facsimile of a reason as if it were a correct reason. And people don't notice. They kind of slip by there. So there is a... Report an error in the passage at 1:16:35 Highlight the passage at 1:16:35

1:17:00 It's useful to be able to recognize a correct reason when you see it. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:00 Highlight the passage at 1:17:00

1:17:08 But we didn't talk about this third type of inferential valid cognizer, inferential valid cognizer through belief. And again, we can't see much of the operations of karma. Karma is an instant. Of the law of cause and effect, which operates throughout the universe. That effects arise, they don't arise from nothing. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:08 Highlight the passage at 1:17:08

1:17:40 They don't arise chaotically. And they don't arise by the power of God. They arise from a particular type of cause. So when this is internal to sentient beings, our actions, when we use the word karma, Report an error in the passage at 1:17:40 Highlight the passage at 1:17:40

1:18:01 It means action. The way that we think, the way that we speak, the way that we act, we behave physically, the way we act. These are causes which will bring about certain reactions, the final result of which we will undergo an experience. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:01 Highlight the passage at 1:18:01

1:18:24 Our actions have a certain ethical valence. Let us say they have some quality in terms of their... Being positive or negative in terms of their ethical quality. In accordance with that degree of negative and positive quality, we will undergo a corresponding result. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:24 Highlight the passage at 1:18:24

1:18:51 Independence upon positive actions, we experience happiness. Independence upon negative actions, we experience suffering. That's the correlation that's trying to be gotten at here. It's not obvious in general. There is some immediate experience, the kind of atmosphere that you create when somebody's angry, it's a very tense, uneasy, uncomfortable atmosphere that's created about you and inside yourself. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:51 Highlight the passage at 1:18:51

1:19:20 But the long-term consequences of any type of action motivated by that is not obvious. So that's what's called extremely hidden phenomena. We can't rely upon a correct reason. We can't see it, but we can rely upon some kind of scriptural authority. And we shouldn't think that scriptural authority only has to do with religion. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:20 Highlight the passage at 1:19:20

1:19:49 You know, where Report an error in the passage at 1:19:49 Highlight the passage at 1:19:49

1:19:57 were you born? Sydney. How do you know that? Okay, so there's a document which you trust. Okay, so you have inferential valid cognizer through belief. On the basis of that scriptural authority of your birth certificate, we use that. And so we come to correct understandings, independence upon these. There's no reason why you might put it to some kind of test. Do you have any reason that maybe this birth certificate is kind of phony? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:57 Highlight the passage at 1:19:57

1:20:42 You have no reason to disbelieve it. So we also put the scriptural authority to some kind of test to see whether we should believe it or not. And then we say, oh yeah, okay, I believe it. We have some conviction, and it makes a difference. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:42 Highlight the passage at 1:20:42

1:21:06 Okay, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:06 Highlight the passage at 1:21:06

1:21:15 So it's not so far-fetched, is it, when we talk about inference, bodhicitta through belief. can... Because when we can't see it, you don't remember as a baby, what hospital is this? Or you can't reason it out. There's no perfect reason. We have to rely upon... Report an error in the passage at 1:21:15 Highlight the passage at 1:21:15

1:21:49 I have Report an error in the passage at 1:21:49 Highlight the passage at 1:21:49

1:21:57 doubt. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:57 Highlight the passage at 1:21:57

1:22:02 Traditionally, according to Scripture, according to what many of my teachers would say, Some people remember their past lives. What about the hospital or the city that they were born in? Report an error in the passage at 1:22:02 Highlight the passage at 1:22:02

1:22:28 I be Report an error in the passage at 1:22:28 Highlight the passage at 1:22:28

1:22:36 know, couldn't possibly Report an error in the passage at 1:22:36 Highlight the passage at 1:22:36

1:22:42 assuming, what is the correct Report an error in the passage at 1:22:42 Highlight the passage at 1:22:42

1:22:50 that are, you know, much more advanced and through, mean, obviously all, know, the influential, you know, reasoning, yada, Report an error in the passage at 1:22:50 Highlight the passage at 1:22:50

1:23:03 also, you know, is there like something, five somethings? teachings, meditation all sorts of, there's a whole list of five things that they still have to do to then be able to come to the you yes? Report an error in the passage at 1:23:03 Highlight the passage at 1:23:03

1:23:20 And then, you know, we can get to that stage where we you know, through the belief, you know, of the, know, going through all the teachings and meditation Thank But at this stage... talking about personally, about myself, I mean, I'm guessing, I'm assuming, I'm just an assuming, directly assuming consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:20 Highlight the passage at 1:23:20

1:23:46 That's really great thinking. That's what we're going through. This initial division of awareness is being divided into seven. Beginning at one end is a wrong consciousness. At the other end is direct perceivers. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:46 Highlight the passage at 1:23:46

1:24:03 We're going to work through those. So in mid-range is correctly assuming consciousness, as you mentioned. Most of our knowledge is correct assumptions. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:03 Highlight the passage at 1:24:03

1:24:15 Most of our knowledge. The planet Earth is third from the sun. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:15 Highlight the passage at 1:24:15

1:24:28 We just say, okay, I assume that's correct. It is correct. So most of our knowledge, most of our... you know, how many of us? Report an error in the passage at 1:24:28 Highlight the passage at 1:24:28

1:24:35 What we use in our daily life. They're correct. So it's useful to have these assumptions. And they have a degree of influence on our mind, but not very powerful. It's only when we know things for us, when we use valid cognizers, either by inferential or direct, then we come to some assurity. Then this can overcome misconceptions. We're trying to overcome wrong consciousnesses. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:35 Highlight the passage at 1:24:35

1:25:06 But you're right. So most of our knowledge is correctly assuming consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:06 Highlight the passage at 1:25:06

1:25:25 Okay. Let's take a look at that. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:25 Highlight the passage at 1:25:25

1:25:37 We're going to look at page two of our notes. Notes two. That's a good question. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:37 Highlight the passage at 1:25:37

1:25:50 So at the very bottom of page two, if the scripture teaches about the extremely hidden, it is not harmed by an inferential valid cognizer. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:50 Highlight the passage at 1:25:50

1:26:10 Oh, no, I'm sorry. No, let's begin. Let's begin above that, where it says extremely hidden phenomena. Okay, in the middle of the page. Okay? Extremely hidden phenomena. So these are this one example of extremely hidden phenomena are the subtle features of karma. And there's, okay, the standard example is there's a scripture somewhere the Buddha taught from giving resources. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:10 Highlight the passage at 1:26:10

1:26:38 Resources just means wealth. Material things, prosperity. From ethics, a happy migration, a happy rebirth. So they're going to use that quotation. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:38 Highlight the passage at 1:26:38

1:26:51 The validity of the cause and effect relation of the scriptural teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:51 Highlight the passage at 1:26:51

1:26:58 That as a result of giving you will be prosperous yourself is accessible to influence, but only through belief or conviction. I like the word conviction. It's more powerful, but anyway. Okay, let's take a look. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:58 Highlight the passage at 1:26:58

1:27:13 There's... Where it says the sign of belief. The sign of belief, the reason believed in. So we believe in this reason has some force in our mind. We are convinced of it. It is that a scripture is free from three contradictions. But we just can't believe in any reason. We're going to put it to some test. And this test is called, that it qualifies it as being valid because it's free from three contradictions. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:13 Highlight the passage at 1:27:13

1:27:50 Okay, so this is the test we're going to put this reason to. This means that the scripture is not harmed, that it's not invalidated in some way by three valid cognizers. So we've been given a reason. Let's see if it can withstand these three tests. Number one, if the scripture teaches about the manifest, so if it taught about flowers, if it taught about things which are accessible from, By our sense perception, you know, eye, ears, nose. If it teaches about the manifest, it is not harmed by direct valid cognizer. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:50 Highlight the passage at 1:27:50

1:28:33 For example, if the scripture were to teach that fire is cold, let's say the Buddha somewhere said, fire is cold, believe that. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:33 Highlight the passage at 1:28:33

1:28:43 Then you'd have to say, no, when I put my hand on fire, it's hot. I don't believe you. I'm not going to believe that. So that teaching that fire is cold is... Teaching on the manifest, something which can be known initially by an ordinary person by means of a direct perceiver, direct perception. So the Buddha, you can say, hot fire is cold all day long, and it would be of no use to believe in, because it would be contradicted by your own direct experience. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:43 Highlight the passage at 1:28:43

1:29:18 Okay? That's the first. So if it teaches the manifest, it is not invalidated by a direct perception. A direct valid cognizer. If it teaches the slightly hidden, that is the type of phenomenon which can be understood initially through the process of relying on a correct reason. It cannot be harmed by an inferential valid cognizer by the power of fact. And the example here is, if the scripture were to teach that sound is permanent, that would be harmed by the inferential valid cognizer apprehending the impermanence of sound. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:18 Highlight the passage at 1:29:18

1:29:55 So no matter how many times the Buddha said, sound is permanent, sound is permanent, sound is permanent, it would not be so. Why? Because through a process of reasoning, that statement could be invalidated. It doesn't pass the test. And then finally, the third. If the scripture teaches about the extremely hidden, it is not invalidated, it is not harmed by an inferential valid cognizer through belief. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:55 Highlight the passage at 1:29:55

1:30:26 For example, if the scripture were to teach that the karmic results of giving is poverty, then this would be harmed by an inferential valid cognizer through belief apprehending the karmic results of giving is resources. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:26 Highlight the passage at 1:30:26

1:30:43 So what this is saying is, if the Buddha said, if you practice generosity, you're going to go broke. You're going to be poor. But you say, well, wait a minute. Last week you said the results of... Generosity is resources. It's prosperity. I'm not going to believe what you tell me anymore. You're being inconsistent. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:43 Highlight the passage at 1:30:43

1:31:11 So there has to be, you know, there can't be another scripture which contradicts. So in terms of a slight, extremely hidden phenomena. So the point of what's trying to be brought out here is that even if a scripture or a text or whatever says something, Report an error in the passage at 1:31:11 Highlight the passage at 1:31:11

1:31:35 It's still in order to, you know, it doesn't do any good simply to say, oh, I believe this, I believe it. We have to have some conviction, the force of mind which sees in some deep manner that even though I can't really grasp what's being gotten at here, I think it must be right. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:35 Highlight the passage at 1:31:35

1:31:59 Yeah. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:59 Highlight the passage at 1:31:59

1:32:08 If the Buddha said, fire is cold. Where's the belief in that? Report an error in the passage at 1:32:08 Highlight the passage at 1:32:08

1:32:18 Okay, the third. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:18 Highlight the passage at 1:32:18

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:32:54 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:54 Highlight the passage at 1:32:54

1:33:04 Extremely hidden. Extremely hidden. Yeah, go ahead. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:04 Highlight the passage at 1:33:04

1:33:15 It would not be harmed by an inferential backognizer through belief. Yeah, so I've already formed an inferential backognizer through belief. And what you're saying is harmed by that. phenomenal. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:15 Highlight the passage at 1:33:15

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:33:36 I can, for example, read the page. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:36 Highlight the passage at 1:33:36

1:33:44 That past and future lives exists? Yeah. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:44 Highlight the passage at 1:33:44

1:33:55 I mean, there's some debate, as I just mentioned. Some people would say it's slightly in phenomena. Other people would say it's extremely in phenomena. So, I mean, there are reasons. yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:55 Highlight the passage at 1:33:55

1:34:02 going to... Report an error in the passage at 1:34:02 Highlight the passage at 1:34:02

1:34:09 establishing past and future lives and for that reason they say it can be understood it's a slight Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:09 Highlight the passage at 1:34:09

1:34:46 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:46 Highlight the passage at 1:34:46

1:35:05 Faith is... Other people would say, well, not. So we would just have to take scriptural authority. We'd have to develop an individual well-cognitive through belief. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:05 Highlight the passage at 1:35:05

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:35:08 Now we're getting into a bit of semantics because there is a definition of faith. It's quite different than belief. It has to do with aspiration toward an object which you have faith in. No, I can appreciate it. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:08 Highlight the passage at 1:35:08

1:35:41 You have an inferential valid cognition through belief that you were born in such and such a city. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:41 Highlight the passage at 1:35:41

1:35:54 You have conviction in that. What would it take for you to overcome that? Oh, Report an error in the passage at 1:35:54 Highlight the passage at 1:35:54

1:36:17 their parents? No, I'm talking about you. Do they do it? So they would have some kind of context in which to doubt the validity of maybe what their parents told them. Do you have that? Report an error in the passage at 1:36:17 Highlight the passage at 1:36:17

1:36:39 Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:39 Highlight the passage at 1:36:39

1:36:53 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:53 Highlight the passage at 1:36:53

1:36:57 Yeah, no, I can't. Actually, it's interesting about adopted children. They quite often do have a suspicion that they don't fit. Anyway. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:57 Highlight the passage at 1:36:57

1:37:12 Yeah. Yeah, they do. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:12 Highlight the passage at 1:37:12

1:37:17 Yeah, I can understand where you're coming from. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:17 Highlight the passage at 1:37:17

1:37:36 it goes through the influential power of fact and reasoning. So if you have a deep system, you get a lot of rubbish out there already. And then when you come to a stage where you say, oh, what about reincarnation and all that sort of thing, then it comes really into the belief, like, I mean, maybe it isn't just Hollywood, but, you know, if you see For example, when they look for the next Dalai Lama, they see those little boys and they take them and they give them all these objects and they say, which one is yours? Report an error in the passage at 1:37:36 Highlight the passage at 1:37:36

1:38:11 You know what I mean? And he picks the objects from the previous Dalai Lama. This is mine, this is mine. I don't know if that's made up, but I guess in a way, they are all... But, you know, they're testing too. So you have to believe that there are people out there that maybe experience that at one stage. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:11 Highlight the passage at 1:38:11

1:38:31 And, you know, maybe we might not experience it. We might not even get the idea of it. But, you know, that's where the belief comes in. So if you think truly in your heart, it's true. It's a belief. Malpower comes with testing. It's Report an error in the passage at 1:38:31 Highlight the passage at 1:38:31

1:38:51 not a test. It's a belief. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:51 Highlight the passage at 1:38:51

1:38:57 I don't see how you can test for this. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:57 Highlight the passage at 1:38:57

1:39:03 say you can test this verse of the scripture. you have to believe, sure I don't know enough Buddhism. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Christians, people can find in the Bible one thing and it's contrary. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:03 Highlight the passage at 1:39:03

1:39:18 I'm just thinking here that, you know, there are different Buddhist traditions. so, what scripture do you take? do you take? Report an error in the passage at 1:39:18 Highlight the passage at 1:39:18

1:39:30 That's how I thought it was, couldn't you minor? So I think for a particular individual, I don't think it's a theory. We're talking about how does an individual develop the force of mind where what is being said is going to have some influence on them. So we're not talking about kind of a theoretic which is able to convince everyone. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:30 Highlight the passage at 1:39:30

1:40:04 I don't think that would... I mean, if that were the case, I think we would all be believers. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:04 Highlight the passage at 1:40:04

1:40:17 Yeah, but I can appreciate your point. You know, moving slightly away from that, I think what would be suggested would be that you use it as a working operational hypothesis, unless you have reason to think it doesn't exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:17 Highlight the passage at 1:40:17

1:40:44 So it's not harmed. You can't find any reason or direct experience to invalidate it. And there is this textual source which suggests it. So given that there's nothing which contradicts it, as a working hypothesis, you make use of it. Something like that. And that would be rather that. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:44 Highlight the passage at 1:40:44

1:41:14 myself, that's too weird. I deal with this particular problem. I say, Yeah. No, I agree with what you're saying. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:14 Highlight the passage at 1:41:14

1:41:45 Oh, Report an error in the passage at 1:41:45 Highlight the passage at 1:41:45

1:41:52 I say guide. Okay. Yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:52 Highlight the passage at 1:41:52

1:42:05 It doesn't have so much force. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:05 Highlight the passage at 1:42:05

1:42:15 Yeah, I don't know if that... I mean, I think the... Yeah, I think it's a matter of... Making use of it as a working hypothesis. If this is true, I think what the Dalai Lama said on these issues like rebirth and so on. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:15 Highlight the passage at 1:42:15

1:42:36 If one of the central fundamentals of Buddhism is the idea of emptiness, and that can be established through reasoning. If this is true, then these peripheral issues, we can... it's like, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:36 Highlight the passage at 1:42:36

1:42:54 We can simply take it as a working hypothesis until they're validated or validated at some time. That might be the most kind of intelligent way to go about it. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:54 Highlight the passage at 1:42:54

1:43:17 Yeah. No. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:17 Highlight the passage at 1:43:17

1:43:39 Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:39 Highlight the passage at 1:43:39

1:43:52 I think I agree. But I also... Most people who have a position on it one way or the other really haven't looked into it very deeply, either rejecting it or accepting it for no reason perhaps at all or never really. I mean there are numerous books on the research that they've done at Virginia University and so forth, you know, with case histories and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:52 Highlight the passage at 1:43:52

1:44:25 And then there is some type of reasoning. Which seems to establish it. It's not so forceful. And no one has seen the non-existence of past and future lives. No one has established that. So if it makes a difference in your life, I guess it's more pragmatic. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:25 Highlight the passage at 1:44:25

1:44:54 But I appreciate your point. I think it's good to be skeptical. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:54 Highlight the passage at 1:44:54

1:45:11 No, no, no, that's what this is all about. Does anybody have any questions about what we've covered thus far? Report an error in the passage at 1:45:11 Highlight the passage at 1:45:11

1:45:34 Do you mind if we go ahead with quiz five and looking at quiz five? Report an error in the passage at 1:45:34 Highlight the passage at 1:45:34

1:45:44 So now we're beginning to look at a section on invalid consciousnesses. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:44 Highlight the passage at 1:45:44

1:45:57 They are not a collection of five. So in this initial division, ways of approaching, looking at consciousnesses or awarenesses and so forth, we're looking at a division into seven. We've looked at the first two, Report an error in the passage at 1:45:57 Highlight the passage at 1:45:57

1:46:16 direct perceivers and inferential cognizers. Now we're going to look at the remaining five, which are not... Valid cognizers. That is to say they are not new and incontrovertible. It's not to say they're not correct, but they're not new and incontrovertible. And we'll go through, again, what those terms mean. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:16 Highlight the passage at 1:46:16

1:46:50 No, no, no. They're not new and incontrovertible. The very first one, the second question, we'll see how that and, how you just phrased that. That's a good point. How it should be thought of. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:50 Highlight the passage at 1:46:50

1:47:10 So the definition of a non-valid consciousness is a knower that is not newly incontrovertible. So it's not clear. Your question is a good doubt. There are two qualifications, new and incontrovertible. Are we talking about both or one or the other? So it's not clear in that definition. I think it's badly translated a little bit better. And there are five. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:10 Highlight the passage at 1:47:10

1:47:47 Subsequent cognizers, correctly assuming consciousnesses, awareness to which an object appears but is not ascertained, doubting consciousnesses and wrong consciousnesses. So we're going to go through those five remaining types of consciousnesses or knowers. So beginning with the first. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:47 Highlight the passage at 1:47:47

1:48:08 A subsequent cognizer, not a valid cognizer. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:08 Highlight the passage at 1:48:08

1:48:16 So a subsequent cognizer is incontrovertible, but it's not new. It's Report an error in the passage at 1:48:16 Highlight the passage at 1:48:16

1:48:32 not new. So we initially cognize, or we initially know something. My eye consciousness apprehends the flower. There's a first moment, which is called a valid cognizer. Why? Because it's new and it's incontrovertible. The second moment, so there's a continuum. I'm continuing to look at the flower. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:32 Highlight the passage at 1:48:32

1:48:59 The first moment is new. The second moment relies upon the power of the flower to come to its realization of the flower. The second moment begins not to rely upon the power of the flower, but to rely upon the preceding moment. It's like the analogy, and this is only an analogy, when moving train, okay, I'm thinking of someone who invents something, or someone discovers something, someone discovers DNA. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:59 Highlight the passage at 1:48:59

1:49:43 They come to this new understanding. The subsequent understandings will rely upon that first discoverer, the person who first discovered it. Other people will come to understand the structure of DNA, but they're going to rely upon the insight of the inventor, the discoverer. So there's a difference in the depth and the breadth and what went into creating that understanding. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:43 Highlight the passage at 1:49:43

1:50:19 They understand, but they're relying upon the power of the previous understanding. It's not new, but it's incontrovertible. What does incontrovertible mean again? Report an error in the passage at 1:50:19 Highlight the passage at 1:50:19

1:50:38 Can't be disputed. Yeah, good. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:38 Highlight the passage at 1:50:38

1:50:46 Authoritative, good, yeah. It can't be contradicted by another valid cognizer. This has to do with what does it mean to realize an object? When we use the term realize, I realize that. Kip, good. Kip, Kip. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:46 Highlight the passage at 1:50:46

1:51:01 I realize what he said was true, or I realize that sound is impermanent, or I realize the flower. What we're doing is we remove any superposition or misconception or wrong ideas, and we see it for what it really is. So the idea of realize is this idea of removing the sunglasses. You see there's no mountain. You begin with a wrong consciousness, which sees there's no... Report an error in the passage at 1:51:01 Highlight the passage at 1:51:01

1:51:32 Mountain is blue and eventually take off the sunglasses and you see it the way it really is. It's white. I've removed that superimposition of my misunderstanding. I'm seeing it through some wrong ideas, in other words. So I've removed those and I see how it actually is. Reality is always there in front of us, but we see it through a glass darkly. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:32 Highlight the passage at 1:51:32

1:52:05 We are seeing it through, it's veiled through these mental images, which in some ways are distorting. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:05 Highlight the passage at 1:52:05

1:52:18 So a realization is removing the lenses, the distorting lenses of our misconceptions with regard to the object. So that's what we mean by incontrovertible. And coming to an understanding which is in accord with the actual nature. Which is removed in position. It's not easily shaken. It's authoritative. It's not going to be invalidated by another valid cognition. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:18 Highlight the passage at 1:52:18

1:52:53 So a subsequent cognizer is incontrovertible, but it's not new. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:53 Highlight the passage at 1:52:53

1:53:02 On the other hand, and we'll just go through this and then we'll stop. Why is a correctly assuming consciousness? We haven't exactly come to a correctly assuming consciousness, but why is it Beginning to hone in on what it means, the correctly assuming consciousness is not a valid cognizer. It's not new, and it's not incontrovertible. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:02 Highlight the passage at 1:53:02

1:53:31 It doesn't realize its object. Planet Earth is third from the sun. I'm just assuming that's correct. It is the case, as far as I know. I've been told that. I've never seen it. I haven't reasoned it out. So correctly assuming consciousnesses are correct, but they're not based upon either reason or experience. We haven't seen it for ourselves, and we haven't reasoned it out for ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:31 Highlight the passage at 1:53:31

1:54:04 But it's a working hypothesis. It's true. And it's valuable information. But we haven't realized it. Therefore, it's not incontrovertible, what to say of being new. It correctly assumes what is in case of the fact. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:04 Highlight the passage at 1:54:04

1:54:32 So if you could go ahead and look at the remainder of Quiz 6, and if you could as well, I know I asked you to read some material last week, but if you could go on to read pages 42 through 46, Report an error in the passage at 1:54:32 Highlight the passage at 1:54:32

1:54:55 42 through 46. And if you notice that we're going to have something of a break. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:55 Highlight the passage at 1:54:55

1:55:10 We won't meet for three weeks, not next week and not the week after that. I'm going away for a week and the week after that, the Monday after that is Labor Day. So there's no class on Labor Day. I'm not quite sure why. Anyway, I don't have the power. I don't have the power. Okay? So, not next week, nor the week after that. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:10 Highlight the passage at 1:55:10

1:55:57 And we're Report an error in the passage at 1:55:57 Highlight the passage at 1:55:57

1:56:14 back on the 13th. That's the Inferential Valid Cognizer. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:14 Highlight the passage at 1:56:14

1:56:23 Okay? So please read that material. We're going to work. work through the remaining of the text fairly quickly. think the material that we've... Report an error in the passage at 1:56:23 Highlight the passage at 1:56:23

1:56:39 We're Report an error in the passage at 1:56:39 Highlight the passage at 1:56:39

1:56:42 going to work through awareness and knowers, and then eventually we'll begin on the second part of our studies together in terms of mind, awareness and knowledge. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:42 Highlight the passage at 1:56:42

1:57:09 Is, well, look at that. Various states of mind, mind and mental factors, which are quite relevant in a different classifying Report an error in the passage at 1:57:09 Highlight the passage at 1:57:09

1:57:32 the nature of our own mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:32 Highlight the passage at 1:57:32

1:57:37 So we can dedicate the positive energy we've created together. So this is one of those extremely hidden phenomena, Report an error in the passage at 1:57:37 Highlight the passage at 1:57:37

1:57:55 greatism. And it's Report an error in the passage at 1:57:55 Highlight the passage at 1:57:55

1:58:16 good to aspire. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:16 Highlight the passage at 1:58:16

1:58:24 What's interesting is some of the aspirations of a bodhisattva are logically impossible, but that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile to aspire. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:24 Highlight the passage at 1:58:24

1:58:35 Simply by reading these words, may all sentient beings be free of suffering. It's like a very powerful wish, even though perhaps it's not logically possible, but it's very powerful, empowers the mind. It's something to think about. May all beings everywhere, plagued by sufferings of body and mind, and attain an ocean of happiness and joy by virtue of my merits. May no living creatures suffer, commit evil, or fall ill. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:35 Highlight the passage at 1:58:35

1:59:09 May no one be afraid or belittled, a mind weighed down by depression. May the blind see forms and deaf hear sounds. May those whose bodies are worn with toil be restored on finding repose. May the naked find clothing, the hungry find food. May the thirsty find water and delicious drink. May the poor find wealth, those weak with sorrow find joy. May the forlorn find hope, constant happiness and prosperity. May the timely rains and bountiful harvests. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:09 Highlight the passage at 1:59:09

1:59:42 May all medicines be effective and wholesome prayers bear fruit. May all who are sick and ill quickly be freed from their ailments. Whatever diseases there are in the world, may they never occur again. May the frightened cease to be afraid and those bound be freed. May the powerless find power and may people think of benefiting each other. For as long as space remains, for as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain to dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:42 Highlight the passage at 1:59:42

2:00:13 Through these skillful actions may I quickly become an awakened spiritual master and lead each and every living being to that awakened realm. May the supreme jewels of the awakened heart and mind that have not arisen arise and grow. Amaze those that have arisen, never diminish, but increase more and more. In the land encircled by snow mountains, you are the source of all happiness and well-being. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:13 Highlight the passage at 2:00:13

2:00:39 Powerful Chenrizi, Tenzin Gyatou, please remain until the end of cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:39 Highlight the passage at 2:00:39

2:00:59 I'm going to do a retreat for a week. eight. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:59 Highlight the passage at 2:00:59

2:01:12 This was the opportunity to do it, so I apologize. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:12 Highlight the passage at 2:01:12