SuttaCentral
Continuing the discussion from Why Materialism is False:
@Brahmali
Also some of the suttas like Sattaviññāṇaṭṭhitisutta
Viññāṇa anidassana
And
Phaggunapañhāsutta
Might be interpreted as supporting the idea of one universal mind everything comes from
Thank you Bhante
My best wishes
How is that a basis for the denial of matter?
@dj0710 I would strongly recommend using the search function on this forum, you can even search for the terms in your opening post and go through the many many threads on this very topic. It has been probably the most discussed topic.
SN22.95 maybe.
I believe this means that we have the impression we live in a given reality. While all we experience is at the same time we experience it, a constructed-reality. As Kant said, a ding-fur-mich.
At least we can quit easily understand that our sympathies and antipathies towards persons depends on us. It can also very easily change. But it is much harder to understand that whatever we perceive depends on us. Things do not have the characterics we experience, i believe. They are all empty, void of fixed characteristics, selfless, insubstantial. Hardness, softness, colour, sounds, smell, cold, heat…whatever we perceive that is not a fixed characteristic of something.
But we have this impression of nicca all the time. We just feel…rock IS solid…point. Grass IS green, point. A decaying body stinks, point. Fire is hot, point.
We constant seem to fail to realise that this is merely our perspective of things, how it appears to us, with our speicifc human senses, our nerves, our brain, our kamma etc. This claim of objectivity the mind implicitely has, is its deep delusion. I believe that is what is seen by the Buddha.
Very realised masters, mahasiddha’s like Buddha himself, show, i feel, that they have an understanding of reality that is very different from ours. They can even fly and walk on water. They do not live anymore in this nicca world with that constant silent but very strong claim of living in a given and objective world.
I also feel this is very much related to suffering because it is such a very different sphere when one remains subjective or starts to enter that hardened sphere of claiming objectivity, while our knowledge is always also only a perspective we share.
In buddhism this is compared to dreaming. Our world, the All, is like an insubstantial dream (see above sutta). What is the use debating which dream is true? It is a dream.
If an animal sees grass as grey and we as green, that are just 2 perspectives. Two different karmic visions.
If a neutrino would be sentient and able to express its world, it does not even notice the presence of a rock and he would say that rocks do not exist, that we are totally deluded in our claims that rocks exist. He is right from his perspective.
If an insect walking on water could express its knowledge of water it is as if he talks about concrete.
The All is a contructed reality, a dependely arising world in which things seem to have fixed characteristics. At least silently at he background this claim of living in a given world is so strong. This must be our delusion right?
The idea of a universal consciousness (vinnana) i feel is not supported in buddhism, but what is supported is that knowing, an element of clarity or clear light, a knowing essence, is inseperable from emptiness. So, suppose all would become emptied of beings and objects, then still this element of clear light or knowing element is not absent.
It is very tricky to speak about this knowledge as of these buddhist masters teach a universal consciousness or mind. That is not what they mean. But often discussion are framed that way.
But in the end the awakened mind, i feel, knows the end of perspective. This is not different from knowing the end of the world in this very life in this very body. And it is known as the end of suffering, i believe.
In this sense, whereever there arises a perspective there is also an element of dukkha.
Oh ok thank you, Im brand new to this.
No worries. It will save you a lot of time. Let me also recommend two sources:
For thematically arranged suttā study and more…
Reading Faithfully
Created by one of our esteemed forum members, Snowbird.
For a comprehensive study of Buddhism from a variety of angles, academic, philosophical, religious, cultural, different branches, etc. etc.
Open Buddhist University
Created by another esteemed forum member Venerable Khemarato.
Hope it helps.
