I couldnât agree more that the way out of the tangle is the discerning of the separation between conventional and ultimate reality:
âKnowledge and understanding are very often associated with words and concepts, so much so that if one knows the name of a thing, one is supposed to know it. Because of this misconception the world is in a tangle (SN 7.6). Names and concepts, particularly the nouns, perpetuate the ignorance in the world.ââ-Nibbana Sermon 1
âThe Sutta (SN 1.61) highlights the power of âname.â Everything comes under its sway. The Comm. observes: âThere is no being or formation without a name, whether this be attached primordially or by convention. Even when people do not know a particular tree or stone by this or that name, it will still be called a âno-namerâ (anaamako).â This over-riding power of name has been recognized by Lao-tse too, when he calls it the âmother of all things.â In magic, oneâs knowledge of the secret names of spirits is deemed a weapon effective in itself against their evil influence. In panegyric, the ability to muster a wide range of epithets is considered a rewarding skill.
Everything comes under the sway of name as a result of manâs urge to familiarize himself with the world. Sorting out, naming and defining things, are practical necessities in ordinary life, since they help us avoid âtripping-over,â just as in the case of one groping in the dark. There is a constant need to re-cognize things and the easiest way of doing it, is by putting a sign on them. While the five senses have their own separate modes of indentation, mind largely relies on the labeling-mode of attaching a name, in the course of its own groping. Since mind partakes of the ârangeâ (visaya) and pasture (gocara) of the other five senses as well (M. I. 295.), its own mode of indentation has a preponderating influence over the rest. Thus, perceptual data of the five external senses, in all their permutations and combinations, finally come to be assigned names and pigeon-holed as âthings.â This convenient but superficial indentation beclouds the mind and prevents the immediate understanding of sense-contact (phassa). Its mode of apperception, therefore, is largely a process of âimaginingâ and âfiguring-outâ of objects located in the darkness of ignorance, and in its blind groping, the phenomenon of sense-contact as such, hardly receives any serious attention.ââ-Samyutta Nikaya- an Anthology, Nanananda, SN 1.61 note 19