Reincarnation: Origen versus Buddhist (satire)

'If it can be shown that an incorporeal and reasonable being has life in itself independently of the body and that it is worse off in the body than out of it; then beyond a doubt bodies are only of secondary importance and arise from time to time to meet the varying conditions of reasonable creatures. Those who require bodies are clothed with them, and contrariwise, when fallen souls have lifted themselves up to better things, their bodies are once more annihilated. They are thus ever vanishing and ever reappearing.' — Origen, De Principiis

In Buddhism, transmigration of the consciousness-stream is taught as fact.

Since a consciousness is reborn in the Six Realms of Desire, most Buddhists either consciously choose to be reborn to aid other consciousnesses in achieving Nirvana or believe the only reason for transmigration in the Six Realms is due to one's karma e.g. good karma results in getting closer to Nirvana while evil karma results in rebirth in the Six Realms.

Indeed, we are born in human form to work off evil karma through transmigration of the consciousness-stream. Thus Nirvana is the end result of many lifetimes of good karma, for transmigration of the consciousness is no more. Good karma is the result of good actions arising from following the Buddhist precepts — protecting the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, protecting your parents, protecting yourself by avoiding harm to self (no cursing, no unhealthy sexuality, no intoxicants).

Origen does not have it right, because he calls the consciousness "soul", implying a permanent thing that exists after death, throughout eons of transmigrations. Actually, a consciousness is not a soul, but lasts for a finite number of reincarnations until it achieves Nirvana.

Therefore the spiritual destiny of a Buddhist is to be eventually reborn as a Buddha.

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Reference:

Rebirth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebirth_(Buddhism)

Apocatastasis: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Apocatastasis

Womb Essence (poem)

For all people who are conceived,
their Buddha Nature
in the Pure Land attracts them to
the womb of their mothers.
Thus it is Buddha Nature
that is the seed stored in
alaya consciousness until rebirth.

Destroying Samsara

Samsara is the human realm where all sentient beings wish to be reborn.

For the Buddhist devotee needs to develop non-deluded doubts about samsara.

Furthermore, the devotee who develops doubts about Emptiness will damage Samsara's hold over human beings.

Even samadhi leading to Bodhi Mind will not happen due to non-doubt in what the Buddha taught.

Indeed, Buddhism arose to help its followers awaken to the fact that transmigration is not of souls as Hindu define souls.

Rather, the store (alaya) consciousness is what is reborn due to the working of karma, both good and evil.

For me then, the optimal balance of karma ought to be equal amounts since the Middle Way is the pivot between good and evil.

Only Consciousness is Reborn

Mind undergoes rebirth, not a permanent soul.

Yet you may ask, "is the mind then permanent?"

No, when one considers it spiritual energy, the ordinary mind is impermanent.

For the consciousness which merges with the physical form "creates" mind.

When one dies, that consciousness (mindstream) returns to the Absolute as Alaya.

Then it is sent out again according to karmic merit, to influence the destiny it chooses, be it rebirth as the creation of new life in a new existence (samsara), or rebirth in the Pure Land.

In essence, consciousness enters the mind continuum as the mindstream and is reborn according to the fruition of karma.

A thorough reading of Yogacara and certain Vajrayana sutras will confirm this.

The True Meaning of the Dharma

"You, monks, should not thus cultivate the notion (samjna) of impermanence, suffering and non-Self, the notion of impurity and so forth, deeming them to be the true meaning [of the Dharma], as those people [searching in a pool for a radiant gem but foolishly grabbing hold of useless pebbles, mistaken for priceless treasure] did, each thinking that bits of brick, stones, grass and gravel were the jewel. You should train yourselves well in efficacious means. In every situation, constantly meditate upon [bhavana] the idea [samjna] of the Self, the idea of the Eternal, Bliss, and the Pure ... Those who, desirous of attaining Reality [tattva], meditatively cultivate these ideas, namely, the ideas of the Self [atman], the Eternal, Bliss, and the Pure, will skilfully bring forth the jewel, just like that wise person [who obtained the genuine, priceless gem, rather than worthless detritus misperceived as the real thing.]" — The Buddha, Chapter Three, "Grief",The Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra

Accordingly, impermanence, suffering, and non-Self are not the true meaning of the Dharma. By believing impermanence to be the truth of Dharma, one clings to impermanence. By believing suffering and the Four Noble Truths to be the essence of the Dharma, one clings to suffering. By believing non-Self to be the true meaning of the Dharma, one clings to non-Self. Such clinging is not the Dharma.

What then is the Dharma?

On close examination, impermanence, suffering and non-Self are Buddhist concepts used to show that the individual self is not eternal, that belief in permanence leads to suffering, and that non-Self offers almost anyone liberation from egocentricity and the freedom from suffering. Finally, dependent arising shows us the principle of cause and effect with regard to suffering. This is the essence of the Dharma.

Thus the Dharma is what the Buddha taught.

What then are the Self, the Eternal, Bliss and the Pure?

Each of them are ideas for Buddhists to meditatively cultivate. Once the mind is freed of egoistic desires and ignorant craving, it is possible to view the Self, the Eternal, Bliss and the Pure without clinging to them.

For the Self is not the ego, nor is it the individual. Indeed, the Self is the basic form of awareness that becoming increasingly obvious as growth and transcendence. At some point, the Self ceases to identify with the mind or body. The individual self is defined as a person who is the object of his or her own consciousness. In contrast, the Self is called "higher consciousness" and is beyond the limits of human consciousness yet encompasses the interdependence of all phenomenon, from human consciousness to nature to the cosmos itself. Thus Adi-Buddha is the personification of this higher consciousness called the Self. being one of its non-Self forms. In short, the Self signifies Buddha.

As for the Eternal, Bliss and the Pure, these too are ideals. The Eternal signifies the Dharmakaya, in which the Buddha embodies the Dharma, and refers to that which has always existed and is represented by the Eternal Buddha, which in the case of the Pure Land is Amida Buddha.

Bliss signifies Nirvana, and is represented by the Buddha World called "Pure Land of Bliss".

Signifying Dharma, the Pure is represented by the Pure Land, and more intimately, the Pure Mind achieved through meditation on the Dharma.

Thus, the Self, the Eternal, Bliss and the Pure represent the Buddha, the Dharmakaya, Nirvana and Dharma.

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on Grief: http://www.nirvanasutra.net/nirvanasutraa3.htm
Eternal Buddha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Buddha
Pure Land of Bliss: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Land
Religious views of the self: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_on_the_self

With the Diamond Mind (poem)

With the diamond mind, the awakened one can clearly see:
If consciousness and awareness meant the same thing,
then an unconscious person would be unaware of the mind
Though a conscious person may too unaware of the mind,
he too is able to be aware of the mind.
Yet an unconscious person cannot be aware of the mind,
just as an unaware person is conscious only of no-mind.
Imagine if you will boundless wisdom,
and at the same time, boundless compassion.
They represent Amida, the Thus-Come-One,
He who is highly aware of consciousness only, and
He who is highly conscious of his mind only,
the brilliant and magnificent diamond mind.
For awareness and consciousness are but two facets
of the ordinary and quite normal mind,
while compassion and wisdom are but two facets
of the extraordinary and magnificent diamond mind.

Mind and Consciousness As Viewed by the Buddhist

Is the mind a quality of consciousness? No, the mind cannot be a quality of consciousness as it (the mind) arises through the outflow from the brain.

It is an impossibility for conscious to be aware of the mind, since the mind being aware indicates consciousness, whilst consciousness is a quality of the mind.

Is consciousness a quality of the mind? Yes, for the mind is conscious of self and others.

With respect to the consciousness-only school of Buddhism, consciousness itself arises from the mind, which itself arises from the brain's activities.

If the brain dies, so too does consciousness and the mind. Therefore, it can be said that consciousness is also a quality of the active brain.

Thus, consciousness is vaguely aware of itself but to be conscious of consciousness is redundant in syntax. This is why such consciousness is called awareness. Another term used is meta-consciousness, though I haven't heard of it or read of it.

If we replace consciousness with awareness, then the questions are better answered.

Is the mind a quality of awareness? No, because you need a mind to be aware of itself and consciousness.

Is awareness a quality of the mind? Yes, because the mind can be aware of itself and consciousness.

However, could the mind become a quality of awareness? It is possible, despite syntactical errors.

Then it is possible for consciousness to be aware of consciousness, and for the mind to be aware of consciousness. However, the mind can be aware of itself too. Such a mind is known as the diamond mind. Being aware of itself implies clarity of mind as well as mental transparency (the ability to see things through).

Thus awareness is not equal to consciousness but are two facets of the mind..

Since both the mind and consciousness can be aware of consciousness, it follows that the mind is similar to consciousness.

Yet the mind cannot be equal to consciousness since without the mind, it is gone.

Yet is an unconscious mind aware? No, it cannot use the senses.

You'll find that using the senses one can find out a lot about the mind: it can experience phenomenon, both inner (of the mind) or outer (material). Also, the mind can experience phenomenon that has no existence outside fictional works be it in print, on the big and silver screen, especially video.

As well, the mind can be aware of the fact that every character and sentient being in a manga is a conscious entity and thus possesses consciousness, despite the fact that every character and sentient being have no physical existence apart from a poor sketch of each character.

Going further, since Amida Buddha has a cover story, it depicts a mythical king who pledged allegiance ot a Buddha of a bygone era before the historical Buddha, and consequently founded a Buddha world called "The Pure Land of Bliss." After many lifetimes he became the twin Buddhas, Amida Buddha and Amitayus Buddha (Boundless Light of Wisdom and Boundless Life of Compassion respectively. These twins meditated for many eons and soon merged as one, called Amida Buddha.

How is this related to awareness and consciousness? Metaphorically, awareness denote a generalization of the feeling of being aware that is shared between all sentient beings. In contrast, consciousness is the generalization of the feeling of being consciousness. Just as one can be conscious of having a mind, a mind can be aware of being conscious. Thus being conscious and being aware are almost alike just a Amida and Amitayus are alike and just as Wisdom and Compassion are alike.

Compassion applies being able to be selfless enough to lose self-consciousness. Ergo it is associated with awareness. Thus one can be aware of being compassionate, yet have an awareness of compassion.

Wisdom on the other hand applies to experiencing phenomenon from a personal point of view, must as being conscious is. Thus one can be conscious of being wise, and wisdom is thus the shared view of being wise.

Thus awareness of compassion is possible and being conscious of wisdom is too possible.

Likewise one can be aware of being wise, and be conscious of compassion.

Therefore wisdom and compassion are but two facets of the diamond mind.

Buddhism: The Toolkit of Consciousness

My lifelong experience with Buddhism has proven to me that being deeply spiritual requires suspension of disbelief, faith in subjective reality and the objectivity of reason.

The Buddha, Buddha Nature, Nirvana, Dharma - these actually are actually processes contained in the mind to define, and to experience consciousness more fully. They are actuated through meditation.

Hence they are mind tools in the sense that they actually are used to explore the psychology of the mind. For all the discrete concepts of Buddhism represent at their core the many different facets of consciousness itself.

However, take care not to worship anything in Buddhism as a thing in itself. For Buddhism has no room for idolatry. It is essentially a toolkit that has been used for over 2500 years to explore the depths of consciousness.

Today, only fools consider Buddhism to be a religion like Christianity, and thus useless to the pursuit of profit. This flies in the face of daily proof that religious institutions actually gather together people of like mind to not only worship but also to profit from what amounts to a golden chain of love for each other's mutual good. For religious endeavor of any kind funded for spiritual profit is worthy of contribution, both financial and scholarly.

So, take what you want from what you learn about Buddhism to use as tools to explore consciousness, such as meditation and even the various layers of the consciousness as described in the Yogacara school of Buddhism.

I expect anyone reading this to do their research first. My blog contains enough clues to learn about the Buddha and what he symbolizes.

Even so, nobody is obliged to do so. All I ask is that anyone who wishes to walk on without careful research to avoid disrespecting the Buddha in a serious manner, because I might just show the fruit of your karma and make you eat it. >:)

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Summary of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra: http://www.acmuller.net/yogacara/outlines/YBh-summary-utf8.htm
Search for "self and other" in the above webpage.

The Eight Consciousnesses in Yogacara

In the Yogacara school, two more consciousnesses are added to the Six Consciousnesses known to other schools of Buddhism.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijnana#Eight_vij.C3.B1.C4.81nas


1. a consciousness called klistamanas, which gathers the hindrances, the poisons, the karmic formations.
2. the ālāyavijñāna is the consciousness "basis of everything" and has been translated as "store consciousness".

Wow! Two higher consciousnesses, one which gathers the hindrances, the poisons (klesha) and the karmic formations (samskaras), all of which defile the mind IF the ego is not appeased through loving-kindness meditation so as to let go of them; and the other to store karmic latencies and so much more. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogacara#The_eight_consciousnesses.)

War As a Last Resort

Why does the story of the Bhagavad Gita take place on a field of battle during the course of a war? Is the Gita advocating war as a valid means of settling a dispute?

This is a serious inquiry when conflict between various peoples and nations is often in the news. The answer has many related threads.

First of, the war between the cousins was morally justified. The Pandav brothers had declared war on their cousins, the Kaurav brothers, because the latter refused to give them their rightful half of their grandfather’s kingdom.

To further aggravate the Pandavs, the Kauravs used deceit to cheat them out of their wealth. They had even hatched a plot to have the Pandavs assassinated.

In spite of all this, the Pandavs, including Krishna himself, had attempted to convince the Kauravs through diplomacy to return to the Pandavs what was rightfully theirs. Having failed to convince their cousins, the Pandavs had only declared war as a last resort.

Thus the Gita does not suggest that war be undertaken lightly or indiscriminately, but be resorted to only when all other means have been exhausted.

As the leader of the Pandav army, Arjun as a seasoned warrior deeply respected the righteousness of war, but wondered how to approach this particular battle in which he had to fight against his own relatives and friends.

Krishna uses this crisis to teach Arjun about his own deathless nature and about the nature of the immortal Self which resides within one and all.

In times of war people are stretched to their limits and seek the ultimate answers to ultimate questions about birth, life and death.

For Arjun and Krishna found themselves between two armies whose weapons were at the ready and who were bent on annihilating each other.

Krishna’s teachings about birth and death, deathlessness and immortality, and killing and non-killing were entirely appropriate in that context.

The war in the Gita may also be viewed as symbolic, representing the battle in the mind of a sentient being between knowledge and ignorance of one’s true nature; between individual consciousness and universal consciousness; between darkness and light.

Each sentient being struggles to realize his or her highest nature, but is pulled back, by the force of human habit, towards limited thinking that is body-centered (egosense).

In this symbolic tug-of-war, Krishna represents the divine understanding that is ever pure, free, and forever, while Arjun represents humanity which strives to know its divinity.

In the war between knowledge and ignorance, knowledge will always be victorious in the end.

Consciousness as Creator

Mind precedes & initiates all phenomena,
mind is their chief, mind is their maker...
When one speaks or performs an action
with a mind that is internally all pure,
then happiness & pleasure follows,
like a shadow that never departs...

Dhammapada 2: "Phenomena are preceded by the heart, ruled by the heart, made of the heart. If you speak or act with a calm, bright heart, then happiness follows you, like a shadow that never leaves."

Difficult to detect and very subtle,
mind can seize & take up any object,
so let any wise being guard the mind,
for a guarded mind brings happiness...

Dhammapada 36: "Let the discerning man guard the mind, so difficult to detect and extremely subtle, seizing whatever it desires. A guarded mind brings happiness."

Neither mother, nor father, nor any other
family member can do greater good both
for oneself and for others as well, than
the well controlled & directed mind...

Dhammapada 43: Whatever a mother, father or other kinsman might do for you, the well-directed mind can do for you even better.

Consciousness the Ground of All Being

When the monotheist, be she Christian, Jew, or Muslim, says, "There is nothing but God", she echoes the heart-felt thought of the Hindu and the Buddhist that "consciousness is the ground of all being", as Amit Goswami has written in his book, The Self-Aware Universe.

Indeed, there are a growing number of scientists who adhere to the thought that, as Craig Hamilton has said, "consciousness, not matter, is the foundation of everything that is."

This certainly is not a new revelation, yet is very heartening for me to read.


Links:
Commentary on Amit Goswami's 'Science Within Consciousness': http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~ursa/philos/goswami.htm

Amit Goswami: Scientific Proof of the Existence of God: http://www.wie.org/j11/goswami.asp

Amit Goswami in "What the Bleep Do We Know?": http://www.beyondtheordinary.net/amitgoswami.shtml

Mind, Mentality and Consciousness

Just as a monkey roaming through the forest grabs hold of one branch, lets that go and grabs another, then lets go and grabs still another, so too that which is called "mind" and "mentality" and "consciousness" arises as one thing and ceases as another by day and by night.

-Buddha, "The Connected Discourses of the Buddha"


Here's the quote in context of the source:

So here is the original translation by Master Thanissaro: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/samyutta/sn-12-061-tb0.html

"Just as a monkey, swinging through a forest wilderness, grabs a branch. Letting go of it, it grabs another branch. Letting go of that, it grabs another one. Letting go of that, it grabs another one. In the same way, what's called 'mind,' 'intellect,' or 'consciousness' by day and by night arises as one thing and ceases as another."

Commentary:

The purpose of this quote is to show that "mind", "mentality" or "intellect", and "consciousness" are just conventional objects.

They are temporary objects of thought, and do not exist outside of the context of worldliness.

Thus, the sutra from which this quote is taken describes the nature of consciousness and the mind.

Hyperbole in Vasistha's Yoga

One may revolve on the wheel of birth and death for a thousand lifetimes: this will not cease till one has fully mastered the mind and till that mind has come to a state of supreme peace and equanimity. - The Story of Prahlada, Vasistha's Yoga, V:43

This quote is from the last two paragraphs of Verse 43 of Chapter 5 in Vasistha's Yoga, which is the metaphorical Story of Prahlada.

The literal meaning of the above sentence implies the concept of reincarnation. Yet it is hyperbole because it does not mean that a person is fated to "revolve on the wheel of birth and death (Samsara) for a thousand lifetimes".

Rather, it implies that a person may feel like as though she is repeating the same pattern of behavior, and that "this will not cease" until she "has fully mastered the mind" through "contemplating the changeless consciousness which is infinite", ibid.

This mastery of the mind where "the mind has come to a state of supreme peace and equanimity" is achieved by abandoning one's illusions about objective phenomena as clearly stated in the rest of the quote:

...Abandon all illusory appearances of objective phenomena, whether they appear within you or outside you. Contemplate the sole reality of consciousness for the cessation of repeated birth, Taste the pure consciousness (which is, in truth, the essence of all that exists) by resolutely renouncing objectivity of consciousness, (all the concepts and percepts) and contemplating the changeless consciousness which is infinite. You will surely cross this river of world-appearance and rebirth. - ibid.

Hence, the purpose of hyperbole here is to inspire and thus motivate the disciple to apply the physical exercises in yoga to achieve "a state of supreme peace and equanimity".

Our True Nature

"We are stardust, we are golden." -- Joni Mitchell

We are more than just human beings. In us is the echo of the gods, and the legacy of the whole universe.

Because we err, we are human. Yet in forgiveness is the divine, the blessings of angels themselves!

Thus our True Nature rises above our material form.

We are indeed stardust, our minds Golden.

For what are we but a dream of high consciousness? And that is the epitome of divine!

World religions as Psychological States of Mind

Here are my thoughts based on a thorough understanding of psychology with study of world religions.

IMHO deities are aspects (psychological states) of the mind.

Thus dieties such as gods and goddesses of various Western and Eastern mythologies, the Buddhas and their consorts (as in the Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana path), the Judeo-Christian angels, God, Jesus, the Devil, and Satan, etc. reflect psychological states of consciousness.

Gods and goddesses represent various human qualities of kindness, virtue etc.

While the Buddhist dieties represent Eastern concepts of the same qualities in a non-dual holism, the Judeo-Christian dieties represent a duality that shows syncretist influence from other religions such as Zoroasterianism and paganism.

Western philosophy and religion emphasize logic with a rigid "either-or" paradigm.

Eastern philosophy emphasizes a free-flowing non-dual holistic approach that embraces even Western concepts.

Overall though, I don't feel comfortable with the logical/rational Western aspect of religion with the either-or paradigm.

The non-dual holistic approach of the Eastern philosophies appeal to me, because it supports a broader worldview, especially the Hindu concept of infinite consciousness.


Suggested reading:

Tibetan Book of the Dead by Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa