The ego is devious because it tells you about the lie called the "self", which is actually alaya conscioousness.
What is alaya consciousness but the place where karmic action is stored with each action done in this life?
He who denies the truth about ego is indeed deluded!
Mistaking alaya for the soul, only a fool would deny the truth, so that his reality alone prevails.
Yet such a reality is nonexistent, but only exists as a hallucination that the courageous would dare escape. Yet few of us try.
If I were lying to you about Truth, I'd call it a lie, for 'self' is empty of all existence, due to ego-delusion.
Delusion itself arises out of ignorance.
Can you see where this is going?
Ego lies to you, and claims the "self" is the immortal soul. What poppycock!
When will all sentient beings awaken to Truth? Only the seeds of karma transmigrate, due to Buddha Nature.
If I were to say anymore, then I'd only be repeating myself and contribute to rebirth in Samsara.
Showing posts with label ego-self. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ego-self. Show all posts
20130313
The Truth of Non-self (poem)
The self is empty of existence,
though all sentient beings claim
otherwise, even to the point of
threatening the truth talker
with imprisonment and abuse.
Yet she who talks the truth
bases her words on the Bodhi Mind
and its effect on her mind,
the sixth consciousness,
through the samadhi of truth.
Why would she who sees the truth
keep silent about Emptiness,
when it opens her eyes to
nonexistence of the self?
Only a fool agrees with the world.
This is the truth of non-self,
that the self is nonexistent.
He who denies this to be true,
is but a sentient being, lost
in this world of birth-life-death.
though all sentient beings claim
otherwise, even to the point of
threatening the truth talker
with imprisonment and abuse.
Yet she who talks the truth
bases her words on the Bodhi Mind
and its effect on her mind,
the sixth consciousness,
through the samadhi of truth.
Why would she who sees the truth
keep silent about Emptiness,
when it opens her eyes to
nonexistence of the self?
Only a fool agrees with the world.
This is the truth of non-self,
that the self is nonexistent.
He who denies this to be true,
is but a sentient being, lost
in this world of birth-life-death.
Notes on the Ego as Seventh Consciousness
The state of transposed substance that has the obscuring indeterminate nature is the connection between the sentience and the basis.
The state of transposed substance has two modes: the real and the seeming. Real transposed substance refers to the seventh consciousness relating to the eighth consciousness by falsely transposing the latter's perceiver division into a 'self'. That 'self' has no reality of its own, but is based upon the substance of the perceiver division of the eighth consciousness. [The seeming transposed substance refers to the sixth consciousness's relations with external states.]
The seventh consciousness is referred to as the "Ego", "Ego-self", and for cases of mental disturbance, "Ego-delusion" e.g. paranoia, phobia, anxiety to the point of confusion and hallucination (mental mirages).
The "self" is a delusion arising from the experience of the eighth consciousness' perceiver division. Having no independent reality, it appears in the mind (manas, or Sixth Consciousness) as the hallucination of the "self".
The obscuring indeterminate nature is one of two modes of the indeterminate nature, the third of the Three Natures. The other mode is the non-obscuring indeterminate nature. Obscuring refers to those states of consciousness that have the function of, literally, 'covering' one's true nature. That is what the seventh consciousness does. As will be explained, it 'covers'--it distorts the true nature of--the perceiver division of the eighth consciousness. The non-obscuring nature refers to the perceived division of the eighth consciousness. It is said to be non-obscuring because it does not distort or obscure the true nature of the mind.
"Obscuring" refers to the ability to hide (occultation). Its opposite is "non-obscuring."
The seventh consciousness obscures the mind (manas) regarding the eight consciousness. By hiding the true nature of the mind, the ego mistakes the eighth consciousness for the "self".
In the mind arises the thought "I have a self", and close examination of the ego leads to obscuring the eighth consciousness.
Sometimes, the more you confront yourself with the truth, the more the "self" establishes itself as "real".
With meditation though, it is possible to remain calm and perceive the seventh and eighth consciousness as they truly are.
The eighth consciousness is non-obscuring since it does not distort or obscure the true nature of the mind.
In between the seventh consciousness--'sentience' in the verse--and the perceiver division of the eighth consciousness--'basis' in the verse--there arises a state of transposed substance, which is the object of the seventh consciousness and which is identified by the seventh consciousness as being the 'self'. This is the process that obscures one's true nature.
Through one's sentience, one misperceives the basis of eighth consciousness as the "self". Hence "sentient being" is synonymous with "one who mistakes the basis of consciousness for the self", and also implies that sentience is not empty of ego-delusion nor empty of ego-self.
However, only the seventh consciousness is full of "ego-delusion" arising as the "self" or "ego-self".
Reference:
VERSES DELINEATING THE EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES by Tripitaka Master Hsuan-Tsang of the Tang Dynasty, Translation and Explanation by Ronald Epstein: http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/Yogacara/BasicVersesseventhcons.htm
The state of transposed substance has two modes: the real and the seeming. Real transposed substance refers to the seventh consciousness relating to the eighth consciousness by falsely transposing the latter's perceiver division into a 'self'. That 'self' has no reality of its own, but is based upon the substance of the perceiver division of the eighth consciousness. [The seeming transposed substance refers to the sixth consciousness's relations with external states.]
The seventh consciousness is referred to as the "Ego", "Ego-self", and for cases of mental disturbance, "Ego-delusion" e.g. paranoia, phobia, anxiety to the point of confusion and hallucination (mental mirages).
The "self" is a delusion arising from the experience of the eighth consciousness' perceiver division. Having no independent reality, it appears in the mind (manas, or Sixth Consciousness) as the hallucination of the "self".
The obscuring indeterminate nature is one of two modes of the indeterminate nature, the third of the Three Natures. The other mode is the non-obscuring indeterminate nature. Obscuring refers to those states of consciousness that have the function of, literally, 'covering' one's true nature. That is what the seventh consciousness does. As will be explained, it 'covers'--it distorts the true nature of--the perceiver division of the eighth consciousness. The non-obscuring nature refers to the perceived division of the eighth consciousness. It is said to be non-obscuring because it does not distort or obscure the true nature of the mind.
"Obscuring" refers to the ability to hide (occultation). Its opposite is "non-obscuring."
The seventh consciousness obscures the mind (manas) regarding the eight consciousness. By hiding the true nature of the mind, the ego mistakes the eighth consciousness for the "self".
In the mind arises the thought "I have a self", and close examination of the ego leads to obscuring the eighth consciousness.
Sometimes, the more you confront yourself with the truth, the more the "self" establishes itself as "real".
With meditation though, it is possible to remain calm and perceive the seventh and eighth consciousness as they truly are.
The eighth consciousness is non-obscuring since it does not distort or obscure the true nature of the mind.
In between the seventh consciousness--'sentience' in the verse--and the perceiver division of the eighth consciousness--'basis' in the verse--there arises a state of transposed substance, which is the object of the seventh consciousness and which is identified by the seventh consciousness as being the 'self'. This is the process that obscures one's true nature.
Through one's sentience, one misperceives the basis of eighth consciousness as the "self". Hence "sentient being" is synonymous with "one who mistakes the basis of consciousness for the self", and also implies that sentience is not empty of ego-delusion nor empty of ego-self.
However, only the seventh consciousness is full of "ego-delusion" arising as the "self" or "ego-self".
Reference:
VERSES DELINEATING THE EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES by Tripitaka Master Hsuan-Tsang of the Tang Dynasty, Translation and Explanation by Ronald Epstein: http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/Yogacara/BasicVersesseventhcons.htm
20130217
The Cure for Suffering
What is ego but the self pretending it is the little god of the universe?
Yes, I know: everyone's been taught that the ideal ego is the healthy ego which is free from want and is satisfied with just enough of everything.
This is fine in an ideal world, but this world consists of suffering.
This at first sounds depressing but there is character to be built because of suffering.
For suffering with patience and love surely protects us from the ravages of anger.
I do not mean suffering is a noble sacrifice where one suffers needlessly. Even though a man may suffer great anxiety, that anxiety could be "cured" through meditation after just assuring that oneself will be reborn in the Pure Land.
It is said that to say the name of the Buddha, one will surely be reborn as Buddha.
All it takes is to utter the Six Symbols.
Namu Amida Bu (Homage to Boundless Light)
Yes, I know: everyone's been taught that the ideal ego is the healthy ego which is free from want and is satisfied with just enough of everything.
This is fine in an ideal world, but this world consists of suffering.
This at first sounds depressing but there is character to be built because of suffering.
For suffering with patience and love surely protects us from the ravages of anger.
I do not mean suffering is a noble sacrifice where one suffers needlessly. Even though a man may suffer great anxiety, that anxiety could be "cured" through meditation after just assuring that oneself will be reborn in the Pure Land.
It is said that to say the name of the Buddha, one will surely be reborn as Buddha.
All it takes is to utter the Six Symbols.
Namu Amida Bu (Homage to Boundless Light)
The Eight Consciousnesses Revisited (poem)
Introduction
In this world of birth-life-death,
when we do not interact with the world we live in,
reality appears non-existent.
Through the six senses organs
and their corresponding objects
we interact with the world.
During sleep or unconscious,
our six consciousnesses are dormant.
The Sixth Consciousnesses Arise
Reality exists through our experience of phenomena.
By interacting with it through the six senses,
we constantly experience reality as being real.
Our experiences are moderated by our mind as consciousness.
Therefore reality exists because we constantly interact with it.
While awake and fully conscious, our six consciousnesses arise.
When eyes see a visual object, sights lead to visual consciousness arising.
When ears hears a sound, sounds lead to auditory consciousness arising.
When nose detects an odor, smells lead to olfactory consciousness arising.
When tongue detects tastes, tastes lead to gustatory consciousness arising.
When body feels tangibles, feelings lead to tactual consciousness arising.
When mind ideates, thoughts leads to mental consciousness arising.
the Seventh and Eighth Consciousness
From the mind arises
two more consciousnesses,
base consciousness and
storehouse consciousness.
When mind experiences a disturbing emotion or attitude, self grasping leads to deluded awareness.
When mind experiences reflexive awareness, memory leads to all-encompassing foundation consciousness.
The Sense of Self is of the Mind
According to the Tibetan Lama Thrangu Rinpoche,
When sometimes you have a sense of self,
and you think “I”, that is an operation
not of the seventh consciousness
but of the sixth.
The Three Mental Consciousnesses
In the Chittamatra and Svatantrika-Madhyamika schools,
three mental consciousnesses exist, mental consciousness,
base consciousness, and store-house consciousness.
Of these three consciousnesses, mental consciousness
and base consciousness are active, and
the store-house consciousness is not active
being a subtle, neutral level of consciousness.
In it, traces of past actions are stored as "seeds"
ready to ripen into future experience.
For their further manifestations and activities, these seeds are potential energy
retained by the store-house consciousness, which receives impressions
from all functions of each of the other seven consciousnesses.
Seventh Consciousness as Source of the Other Consciousnesses
According to conventional Yogacara tradition, deluded awareness,
being the base consciousness, is the "source" of
the other seven consciousnesses, which all evolve and transform
based on experience of phenomena which make up reality.
The Names of the Seventh and Eight Consciousnesses
According to the Tibetans lamas of Vajrayana,
base consciousness is called emotional consciousness.
Lama Chökyi Nyima calls it afflictive aspect of consciousness.
Padmakara calls it defiled emotional consciousness.
Gyurme Dorje, the Agyur Rinpoche, calls it deluded consciousness.
The store-house consciousness is called all-ground consciousness.
Called the "seed consciousness" or container consciousness,
it serves as the "container" for all experiential impressions
Store-house Consciousness Empowers Rebirth
The store-house consciousness accumulates all potential energy
for the mental and physical manifestation of a sentient being's existence.
It is the storehouse-consciousness which induces transmigration
or rebirth, causing the origination of a new existence.
Base Consciousness Focuses Inward
In Tibetan Buddhism, the base consciousness
focuses inwards on the ground of all (alaya)
that is mistaken for a self that is real,
which results in all experience of reality
then consists of the choice of wanted or unwanted.
Always present, it is the basis for
all ordinary mental states,
be it virtuous, non-virtuous or neutral,
The base consciousness only stops
when the Bodhi Mind arises,
in the highest state of samadhi,
or during the non-abiding nirvana —
the great nirvana beyond
both ordinary existence in Samsara —
this world of birth-life-death, —
and in the basic nirvana of self-power.
Tathagata and Alaya Vijnana are One
Both the Lankavatara Sutra and Ch'an & Zen agree:
the Tathagatagarbha and alaya vijnana are one,
identical and fundamentally pure.
Atman is the permanent, unchanging self,
and prakrti, the original and primal nature
from which all things evolve, whether
it be mental, emotional and physical.
Though the Tathagatagarbha looks similar to atman
and alaya vijnana, prakrti, the Tathagatagarbha
conforms to the non-self doctrine,
and alaya vijnana is the mind-stream.
Mind-stream or consciousness-stream,
both streams are the same, but
cannot be reified as atman at all.
Ayatana (sense bases): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayatana
Salayatana (the six sense bases): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%B9%A2a%E1%B8%8D%C4%81yatana
Eight consciousnesses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Consciousnesses
http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Eight_consciousnesses
In this world of birth-life-death,
when we do not interact with the world we live in,
reality appears non-existent.
Through the six senses organs
and their corresponding objects
we interact with the world.
During sleep or unconscious,
our six consciousnesses are dormant.
The Sixth Consciousnesses Arise
Reality exists through our experience of phenomena.
By interacting with it through the six senses,
we constantly experience reality as being real.
Our experiences are moderated by our mind as consciousness.
Therefore reality exists because we constantly interact with it.
While awake and fully conscious, our six consciousnesses arise.
When eyes see a visual object, sights lead to visual consciousness arising.
When ears hears a sound, sounds lead to auditory consciousness arising.
When nose detects an odor, smells lead to olfactory consciousness arising.
When tongue detects tastes, tastes lead to gustatory consciousness arising.
When body feels tangibles, feelings lead to tactual consciousness arising.
When mind ideates, thoughts leads to mental consciousness arising.
the Seventh and Eighth Consciousness
From the mind arises
two more consciousnesses,
base consciousness and
storehouse consciousness.
When mind experiences a disturbing emotion or attitude, self grasping leads to deluded awareness.
When mind experiences reflexive awareness, memory leads to all-encompassing foundation consciousness.
The Sense of Self is of the Mind
According to the Tibetan Lama Thrangu Rinpoche,
When sometimes you have a sense of self,
and you think “I”, that is an operation
not of the seventh consciousness
but of the sixth.
The Three Mental Consciousnesses
In the Chittamatra and Svatantrika-Madhyamika schools,
three mental consciousnesses exist, mental consciousness,
base consciousness, and store-house consciousness.
Of these three consciousnesses, mental consciousness
and base consciousness are active, and
the store-house consciousness is not active
being a subtle, neutral level of consciousness.
In it, traces of past actions are stored as "seeds"
ready to ripen into future experience.
For their further manifestations and activities, these seeds are potential energy
retained by the store-house consciousness, which receives impressions
from all functions of each of the other seven consciousnesses.
Seventh Consciousness as Source of the Other Consciousnesses
According to conventional Yogacara tradition, deluded awareness,
being the base consciousness, is the "source" of
the other seven consciousnesses, which all evolve and transform
based on experience of phenomena which make up reality.
The Names of the Seventh and Eight Consciousnesses
According to the Tibetans lamas of Vajrayana,
base consciousness is called emotional consciousness.
Lama Chökyi Nyima calls it afflictive aspect of consciousness.
Padmakara calls it defiled emotional consciousness.
Gyurme Dorje, the Agyur Rinpoche, calls it deluded consciousness.
The store-house consciousness is called all-ground consciousness.
Called the "seed consciousness" or container consciousness,
it serves as the "container" for all experiential impressions
Store-house Consciousness Empowers Rebirth
The store-house consciousness accumulates all potential energy
for the mental and physical manifestation of a sentient being's existence.
It is the storehouse-consciousness which induces transmigration
or rebirth, causing the origination of a new existence.
Base Consciousness Focuses Inward
In Tibetan Buddhism, the base consciousness
focuses inwards on the ground of all (alaya)
that is mistaken for a self that is real,
which results in all experience of reality
then consists of the choice of wanted or unwanted.
Always present, it is the basis for
all ordinary mental states,
be it virtuous, non-virtuous or neutral,
The base consciousness only stops
when the Bodhi Mind arises,
in the highest state of samadhi,
or during the non-abiding nirvana —
the great nirvana beyond
both ordinary existence in Samsara —
this world of birth-life-death, —
and in the basic nirvana of self-power.
Tathagata and Alaya Vijnana are One
Both the Lankavatara Sutra and Ch'an & Zen agree:
the Tathagatagarbha and alaya vijnana are one,
identical and fundamentally pure.
Atman is the permanent, unchanging self,
and prakrti, the original and primal nature
from which all things evolve, whether
it be mental, emotional and physical.
Though the Tathagatagarbha looks similar to atman
and alaya vijnana, prakrti, the Tathagatagarbha
conforms to the non-self doctrine,
and alaya vijnana is the mind-stream.
Mind-stream or consciousness-stream,
both streams are the same, but
cannot be reified as atman at all.
Ayatana (sense bases): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayatana
Salayatana (the six sense bases): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%B9%A2a%E1%B8%8D%C4%81yatana
Eight consciousnesses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Consciousnesses
http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Eight_consciousnesses
20130212
Nurtured with Love (poem)
Self and other are
essentially Emptiness,
that bright spirit of
Self Nature that is Buddha Nature.
One's life is nurtured with Love.
essentially Emptiness,
that bright spirit of
Self Nature that is Buddha Nature.
One's life is nurtured with Love.
20121105
Meditation on The Three Marks of Existence
"I", "me" , "my", "mine" - these are merely conventions, for when the body is dust, where are they?
"You", "you", "your", "yours" - these too are conventions, for when the body is dust, where are they?
"We," "us", "our", "ours" - these are conventions, for when the body is dust, where are they?
"They", "them", "their", "theirs," - these are conventions, for when the body is dust, where are they?
To fixate on "me" is the root of anger, for this body is not our possession. Indeed, it was merely given to us at birth, and death takes it away easily.
To fixate on "you" is the root of desire, for your body is not my possession. It was given to you at birth, and death shall take it away with ease.
To fixate on "us" is the root of ignorance, for our bodies are no one's possessions. We are given them at birth, and death shall remove us from them easily.
To fixate on "them" is the root of suffering, for their bodies ar no one's possessions. They are given to us at birth, and death shall take them away easily.
Knowing this, the wise one does not cling to her body, nor does she gaze in the mirror for vanity's sake. Instead, she completes the mind's own mirror and sees Ego for what it is: the false "I", subject to change and thus impermanent.
Only the fool denies the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering due to dissatisfaction, and non-self. For the wise know that the self is the mud house of the Ego. When this body is dust, where is the self?
In truth, all things are in flux. Nothing lasts forever. For life is truly unsatisfactory. When each of us lets go of the Ego, true freedom surely is within reach. Anything else, be it liberty or licence is merely the work of men.
Let peace be the result of this meditation. Let it enlighten the ignorant and affirm the work of the wise.
"You", "you", "your", "yours" - these too are conventions, for when the body is dust, where are they?
"We," "us", "our", "ours" - these are conventions, for when the body is dust, where are they?
"They", "them", "their", "theirs," - these are conventions, for when the body is dust, where are they?
To fixate on "me" is the root of anger, for this body is not our possession. Indeed, it was merely given to us at birth, and death takes it away easily.
To fixate on "you" is the root of desire, for your body is not my possession. It was given to you at birth, and death shall take it away with ease.
To fixate on "us" is the root of ignorance, for our bodies are no one's possessions. We are given them at birth, and death shall remove us from them easily.
To fixate on "them" is the root of suffering, for their bodies ar no one's possessions. They are given to us at birth, and death shall take them away easily.
Knowing this, the wise one does not cling to her body, nor does she gaze in the mirror for vanity's sake. Instead, she completes the mind's own mirror and sees Ego for what it is: the false "I", subject to change and thus impermanent.
Only the fool denies the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering due to dissatisfaction, and non-self. For the wise know that the self is the mud house of the Ego. When this body is dust, where is the self?
In truth, all things are in flux. Nothing lasts forever. For life is truly unsatisfactory. When each of us lets go of the Ego, true freedom surely is within reach. Anything else, be it liberty or licence is merely the work of men.
Let peace be the result of this meditation. Let it enlighten the ignorant and affirm the work of the wise.
20121002
Be True to Yourself (poem)
Touch not my heart
with love insincere,
lest we both forget
all sense of self.
Be true to yourself.
For each of us is
inspired by true love
to act with the heart
of compassion.
with love insincere,
lest we both forget
all sense of self.
Be true to yourself.
For each of us is
inspired by true love
to act with the heart
of compassion.
20110811
Attaining Nirvana
Some people are born again;
evil-doers go to hell;
righteous people go to heaven;
those who are free from
all worldly desires
attain Nirvana. — Dhammapada 126
Nirvana is freedom from suffering due to worldly desire.
Worldly desire is also called evil passions, which cause us to calculate how to profit at the expense of other people's right to happiness and self-determination.
In this context, evil refers to the negative selfish affect of passions i.e. egoistic desires.
Passions refers to lust, anger, pride, attachment to worldly things, etc.
In this context then, evil passions arise when all worldly desires distract us from our spiritual path in life.
Our spiritual path in life is to attain Nirvana.
To serve others and be helpful to friends, family and strangers is the means by which all Buddhists attain Nirvana.
Thus through selflessness one is able to attain Nirvana, and be free of desire.
evil-doers go to hell;
righteous people go to heaven;
those who are free from
all worldly desires
attain Nirvana. — Dhammapada 126
Nirvana is freedom from suffering due to worldly desire.
Worldly desire is also called evil passions, which cause us to calculate how to profit at the expense of other people's right to happiness and self-determination.
In this context, evil refers to the negative selfish affect of passions i.e. egoistic desires.
Passions refers to lust, anger, pride, attachment to worldly things, etc.
In this context then, evil passions arise when all worldly desires distract us from our spiritual path in life.
Our spiritual path in life is to attain Nirvana.
To serve others and be helpful to friends, family and strangers is the means by which all Buddhists attain Nirvana.
Thus through selflessness one is able to attain Nirvana, and be free of desire.
20110208
Having Sinned (poem)
Having sinned once again,
the stress again has let me.
I no longer feel that ache
for gradual release
from shame and guilt,
finding everywhere peace.
For I have sinned,
and confess it, asking
God for courage to speak
so that He may heal me.
the stress again has let me.
I no longer feel that ache
for gradual release
from shame and guilt,
finding everywhere peace.
For I have sinned,
and confess it, asking
God for courage to speak
so that He may heal me.
20110207
AA Journal Entry: January 11-25, 2011 - Two weeks of Confession and Spiritual Healing
Tuesday, 11 January 2011, 10:20 AM
IMHO, at the root of all my issues is the social conditioning known as never say "No" to others in need.
Yet, to avoid saying "No", often I will stay at home.
Actually, after careful reflection, the reason why I stay home as a recluse has to do with a blatantly honest picture of myself as physically imperfect.
In contrast to this self-perception, I have concluded that a pure heart-mind implies a perfect soul, the concept of which was gifted to me at age 16.
So I had worked at perfecting my mind from an early age, despite the errors which crept up into my life due to shaming.
Age 1, I was hit in the head by my brother with a hoe. My crime was not yielding his fair share of the sandbox on my family's property.
Age 2 or 3, pressured into lighting a match by my brother, I nearly burned the barn down. Both my brother and I suffered for this.
Yet I was innocent then.
Because of those errors' effect, I acted out. Perhaps it was out of a sense of shame that my youth was a descent into madness.
If I defied my mother, then she punished me. I was constantly blamed for anything wrong that happened at home.
Then there were incidents outside of the home which eventually helped me to learn that my acting out would lead to harmful repercussions.
If it weren't for learning to read and write in public school, and for computers later in life, then I might have been in a sorry state.
Today I have learned the wisdom of non-action clearly. While thoughts may come and go, this body remains, another day older and deeply indebted to the mercy that God has shown me through His creation.
Even though each person is equally capable of great good or great evil, I view my currently life as balancing out the innocent evil done as a child.
Tuesday, 11 January 2011, 10:50 AM
Dear Lord, help me to see my life with the innocent eyes of a man redeemed by God's gift of salvation. I knew that You walked by my side as a child to help me realize today that my life before majority was innocent of guile.
Sunday, 16 January 2011, 2:49 PM
Since God has been with me since the day I was born, then my soul has been with me since then.
Soul is an abstract thing which I should take care not to reify unnecessarily, lest my understanding of it be muddied, rendering a fallacy of which I'll now explain.
The fallacy is that the soul is an object which is precious due to the process of reification, which means to make it a personal object which is more valuable than my life and the world around me.
Reification is also called hypostatization.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011, 4:43 PM
Life moves in mysterious ways, for which only God knows the reasons.
20101108
The Social Fabrication of the Ego
In Buddhism, human suffering is explained by the Buddhist concept of dependent arising, which consists of twelve parts which work together in an orderly manner. First and foremost, ignorance is the first of those twelve parts. Next comes fabrications.
Indeed, Buddhist thought confirms that the ego is a social fabrication. Likewise does social psychology.
According to Greenwald, Ego, or self-will, is an organization of knowledge, characterized by cognitive biases strikingly analogous to totalitarian information-control strategies.
These totalitarian-ego biases function to preserve organization in cognitive structures.
Ego's cognitive biases are egocentricity (self as the focus of knowledge), "benevolence" (perception of responsibility for desired, but not undesired, outcomes), and cognitive conservatism (resistance to cognitive change).
In addition to being pervasively evident in recent studies of normal human cognition, these three biases are found in actively functioning, higher level organizations of knowledge, perhaps best exemplified by theoretical paradigms in science.
The thesis that egocentricity, benevolence, and conservatism act to preserve knowledge organizations leads to the proposal of an intra-psychic analog of genetic evolution, which in turn provides an alternative to prevalent motivational and informational interpretations of cognitive biases.
See Anthony G. Greenwald's article "The Totalitarian Ego Fabrication and Revision of Personal History" (1980).
Commentary:
"Benevolence" is my interpretation of Greenwald's term "beneffectance" (beneficence and effectance), which is a term he coined to describe the perception of oneself as responsible for desired outcomes but not responsible for undesired ones. This involves forgetting failures more easily than successes, and remembering one's contribution to a group effort to have been better than average due to superiority bias.
Beneficence is defined as doing good and feeling beneficent, and specifically describes the quality of being kind, helpful or generous.
"Effectance" itself is not defined in any dictionary, but is probably related to effectiveness and its synonyms, power and especially powerfulness, which means possession of controlling influence.
Cognitive conservatism, being defined as resistance to cognitive change — changing what one knows based on current experience — suggests an unwillingness to adapt to present circumstances.
Adaptability is a useful psycho-social trait in which the individual adapts readily to the current environment, especially during times of political change and upheaval. It is also useful within the context of social rehabilitation related to addiction, mental health and associated issues.
Thus cognitive conservatism as defined by Greenwald does not imply adaptability at all.
Overall, egocentricity, beneffectance, and cognitive conservatism are not effective means of dealing with human suffering. The reason that they are not is that the ego tends to blame others for human suffering, so as to reduce its ultimate role in one's own suffering.
Indeed, the ego will come up with seemingly good excuses to avoid or deny responsibility. Yet a healthy view of personal responsibility allows for each of us to share responsibility for relief of the suffering of others.
Therefore, Greenwald's article suggests that totalitarianism might be the externalization of egocentricity taken to political extremes.
Egocentricity taken to extreme on the individual might also explain addiction and other dysfunctional behavior, especially within the context of beneffectance and cognitive conservatism.
Indeed, beneffectance in itself could be used to deny and excuse responsibility for undesirable outcome, while cognitive conservatism, the inability to change.
Overall, Greenwald's analogy that the cognitive biases of the ego are similar to totalitarian information-control strategies confirms the ego only exists as a social fabrication.
References:
Social psychology notes on Greenwald's article: http://faculty.babson.edu/krollag/org_site/soc_psych/greenwald_tot_ego.html
Totalitarian ego: http://biasandbelief.pbworks.com/w/page/6537228/Totalitarian-Ego
Greenwald's references on beneffectance: http://biasandbelief.pbworks.com/Beneffectance
Mistakes were made but not by me: http://biasandbelief.pbworks.com/w/page/6537204/Mistakes-Were-Made-but-not-by-me
Indeed, Buddhist thought confirms that the ego is a social fabrication. Likewise does social psychology.
According to Greenwald, Ego, or self-will, is an organization of knowledge, characterized by cognitive biases strikingly analogous to totalitarian information-control strategies.
These totalitarian-ego biases function to preserve organization in cognitive structures.
Ego's cognitive biases are egocentricity (self as the focus of knowledge), "benevolence" (perception of responsibility for desired, but not undesired, outcomes), and cognitive conservatism (resistance to cognitive change).
In addition to being pervasively evident in recent studies of normal human cognition, these three biases are found in actively functioning, higher level organizations of knowledge, perhaps best exemplified by theoretical paradigms in science.
The thesis that egocentricity, benevolence, and conservatism act to preserve knowledge organizations leads to the proposal of an intra-psychic analog of genetic evolution, which in turn provides an alternative to prevalent motivational and informational interpretations of cognitive biases.
See Anthony G. Greenwald's article "The Totalitarian Ego Fabrication and Revision of Personal History" (1980).
Commentary:
"Benevolence" is my interpretation of Greenwald's term "beneffectance" (beneficence and effectance), which is a term he coined to describe the perception of oneself as responsible for desired outcomes but not responsible for undesired ones. This involves forgetting failures more easily than successes, and remembering one's contribution to a group effort to have been better than average due to superiority bias.
Beneficence is defined as doing good and feeling beneficent, and specifically describes the quality of being kind, helpful or generous.
"Effectance" itself is not defined in any dictionary, but is probably related to effectiveness and its synonyms, power and especially powerfulness, which means possession of controlling influence.
Cognitive conservatism, being defined as resistance to cognitive change — changing what one knows based on current experience — suggests an unwillingness to adapt to present circumstances.
Adaptability is a useful psycho-social trait in which the individual adapts readily to the current environment, especially during times of political change and upheaval. It is also useful within the context of social rehabilitation related to addiction, mental health and associated issues.
Thus cognitive conservatism as defined by Greenwald does not imply adaptability at all.
Overall, egocentricity, beneffectance, and cognitive conservatism are not effective means of dealing with human suffering. The reason that they are not is that the ego tends to blame others for human suffering, so as to reduce its ultimate role in one's own suffering.
Indeed, the ego will come up with seemingly good excuses to avoid or deny responsibility. Yet a healthy view of personal responsibility allows for each of us to share responsibility for relief of the suffering of others.
Therefore, Greenwald's article suggests that totalitarianism might be the externalization of egocentricity taken to political extremes.
Egocentricity taken to extreme on the individual might also explain addiction and other dysfunctional behavior, especially within the context of beneffectance and cognitive conservatism.
Indeed, beneffectance in itself could be used to deny and excuse responsibility for undesirable outcome, while cognitive conservatism, the inability to change.
Overall, Greenwald's analogy that the cognitive biases of the ego are similar to totalitarian information-control strategies confirms the ego only exists as a social fabrication.
References:
Social psychology notes on Greenwald's article: http://faculty.babson.edu/krollag/org_site/soc_psych/greenwald_tot_ego.html
Totalitarian ego: http://biasandbelief.pbworks.com/w/page/6537228/Totalitarian-Ego
Greenwald's references on beneffectance: http://biasandbelief.pbworks.com/Beneffectance
Mistakes were made but not by me: http://biasandbelief.pbworks.com/w/page/6537204/Mistakes-Were-Made-but-not-by-me
20101025
Letting Go (of Ego) and Letting God
To ask the question "Would a God-centred life actually resolve my spiritual challenges?", brings up the false dilemma that either resolves those challenges or does not resolve it.
A God-centred life will always be challenged by a human being whose life revolves around his egocentricity. Thus, I would still need the Buddhist meditative practice and meditation to cut through the delusion of ego that I alone can decide when to rely on a Higher Power.
In order to reconcile Buddhist practice with a God-centred life, without compromising the middle way of Buddhism, I consider such a life as the ideal by which God guides me.
For the ideal is this too: God is the Creator of His Creation; He is in all Creation yet is a part of Creation.
Given that God is in all creation yet a part of creation, the very thought that I decide when to rely on Him is utterly foolish! For I am not God, only a human being with a soul worth saving.
When I let go of ego, and let God be the centre of all life, it makes sense to rely on Him all the time.
How simple it is to just rely on Him!
A God-centred life will always be challenged by a human being whose life revolves around his egocentricity. Thus, I would still need the Buddhist meditative practice and meditation to cut through the delusion of ego that I alone can decide when to rely on a Higher Power.
In order to reconcile Buddhist practice with a God-centred life, without compromising the middle way of Buddhism, I consider such a life as the ideal by which God guides me.
For the ideal is this too: God is the Creator of His Creation; He is in all Creation yet is a part of Creation.
Given that God is in all creation yet a part of creation, the very thought that I decide when to rely on Him is utterly foolish! For I am not God, only a human being with a soul worth saving.
When I let go of ego, and let God be the centre of all life, it makes sense to rely on Him all the time.
How simple it is to just rely on Him!
20100824
Meditation on Self Justification
He who always justifies his actions lacks inner conviction. In lacking inner conviction, egoistic desire may motivate him to justify himself in order to regain control over his life.
Instead, stop justifying your actions. Be silent and listen with your heart-mind to the wise counsel of a good friend.
Always the battle is not with a thousand enemies, but with our greatest enemy: the ego-self. Each of us has no enemy stronger, for each of us has had doubts about the self. Indeed, there are no enemies, only potential friends.
In context of this meditation, "ego-self" refers to belief that the ego exists as an independent self as a permanent thing. With respect to that definition, "healthy ego" refers to the self that is aware of interdependence on others yet is self reliant.
"Interdependence" refers to the true nature of relationships. Even though there may be a causal relationship between myself and another person A, it also affects that person's causal relationship with yet another person B. Even though I do not know person B, and person B does not know me, my relationship with person A cannot help but affect person B indirectly.
Thus it makes sense to be of harm to no one.
Originally posted on May 26, 2005 9:25 PM
Edited August 24, 2010 at 11:54 PM
Edited January 29, 2013 at 19:35 PM
Instead, stop justifying your actions. Be silent and listen with your heart-mind to the wise counsel of a good friend.
Always the battle is not with a thousand enemies, but with our greatest enemy: the ego-self. Each of us has no enemy stronger, for each of us has had doubts about the self. Indeed, there are no enemies, only potential friends.
In context of this meditation, "ego-self" refers to belief that the ego exists as an independent self as a permanent thing. With respect to that definition, "healthy ego" refers to the self that is aware of interdependence on others yet is self reliant.
"Interdependence" refers to the true nature of relationships. Even though there may be a causal relationship between myself and another person A, it also affects that person's causal relationship with yet another person B. Even though I do not know person B, and person B does not know me, my relationship with person A cannot help but affect person B indirectly.
Thus it makes sense to be of harm to no one.
Originally posted on May 26, 2005 9:25 PM
Edited August 24, 2010 at 11:54 PM
Edited January 29, 2013 at 19:35 PM
Remember the Buddha (poem)
Like monkeys swinging from tree to tree through
the jungle is the untamed mind, the ego-self.
Lost in the world of the six senses of hearing,
sight, smell, taste, touch, and thought, it passes
from desire to conflict to idea as though endlessly.
When you realize the ego-self to be the cause
of your suffering, it may hide itself from you,
causing much unrest in your life at first.
Once you tame this monkey by abandoning the delusion
of the ego-self, your mind will then be at peace.
Just center yourself in meditation,
observe your defiled mind carefully,
and let it become still through mindful practice.
Then, forget the ego-self, remember the Buddha,
and attain true and real happiness.
20060111
Jiriki and Tariki
In Jodo Shinshu, the term jiriki refers to self-power while the term tariki refers to Other-power.
Such power is not corporeal; it is merely a form of perception.
Yet such a change in perception touches the heart deeply.
For it is through faith that the Pure Land practitioner is embraced by Amida, and thus deeply moved to utter the Name-that-Calls.
Links:
Bodhicitta (man's aspirations for Enlightenment), Jiriki and Tariki: http://www.nembutsu.info/bandluan.htm
Such power is not corporeal; it is merely a form of perception.
Yet such a change in perception touches the heart deeply.
For it is through faith that the Pure Land practitioner is embraced by Amida, and thus deeply moved to utter the Name-that-Calls.
Links:
Bodhicitta (man's aspirations for Enlightenment), Jiriki and Tariki: http://www.nembutsu.info/bandluan.htm
20051222
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.
-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.
20051118
Samsara and Nirvana are one
Once born, living beings are busy all their lives finding places to live, clothes to wear, and food to eat. They become so preoccupied with pursuing food, clothing, and shelter that they have no time to solve the problem of birth and death.
This is how ordinary people carry on. They say, "We must work hard and keep busy to get three decent meals, clothes, and a place to live." Nobody is busy figuring out how to end birth and death. They don't think about it. They don't wonder, "Why did I come into this world? How did I get here? Where did I come from?"
When you meet someone, you say, "Where are you from? How long have you been here?" But people never ask these questions of themselves. They have forgotten where they came from, and they have forgotten where they are going. They forget to ask themselves, "Where am I going to go when I die?"
It is just because people have forgotten to ask themselves this question that Shakyamuni Buddha came into this world to urge us to investigate the problem of birth and death.
In short, nobody asks the important questions anymore. Any other question shows us that this is the End of Dharma times. It's worse than any imaginary hell, Buddhist or otherwise.
Thus are samsara, delusion arising from egosense; and nirvana, enlightenment arising from the true and only mind control of eyes-open meditation, in careful and mindful contemplation of Thusness and Things-as-is.
This is how ordinary people carry on. They say, "We must work hard and keep busy to get three decent meals, clothes, and a place to live." Nobody is busy figuring out how to end birth and death. They don't think about it. They don't wonder, "Why did I come into this world? How did I get here? Where did I come from?"
When you meet someone, you say, "Where are you from? How long have you been here?" But people never ask these questions of themselves. They have forgotten where they came from, and they have forgotten where they are going. They forget to ask themselves, "Where am I going to go when I die?"
It is just because people have forgotten to ask themselves this question that Shakyamuni Buddha came into this world to urge us to investigate the problem of birth and death.
In short, nobody asks the important questions anymore. Any other question shows us that this is the End of Dharma times. It's worse than any imaginary hell, Buddhist or otherwise.
Thus are samsara, delusion arising from egosense; and nirvana, enlightenment arising from the true and only mind control of eyes-open meditation, in careful and mindful contemplation of Thusness and Things-as-is.
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