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Tell me about Buddhism....

Tell me about Buddhism....

Old Feb 22nd 2013, 7:20 am
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Hi all,

I am just sharing pictures or photos captured showing some deities or spirits wandering in the human realms.

According to Buddhism, there are 31 planes of existence in the nature and deities are placed at a higher level of existence than the human beings. Other common spirits would lodge in a lower realm than the human beings.

The Buddha did recognise that deities have an important role in the spiritual development of individuals. Deities could help individuals in many ways (upon prayers or requests) but still, deities are not permanent and subject to conditional influences as well.

Append below, please find some more photos for view sharing only: -


The spirit of Guan Yin (Bodhisatva). This photo was captured on my Nokia handphone in 2009. The background scenery was a beautiful limestone cave in Ipoh, Malaysia.


The spirit of Shou (Longevity) - as in the God of Prosperity (Fu Lu Shou). This photo was captured on my Nokia handphone in 2009. The background scenery was a beautiful limestone cave in Ipoh, Malaysia.


The spirit of Jesus Christ. This photo was captured on my Nokia handphone in 2009. The background scenery was a beautiful limestone cave in Ipoh, Malaysia.


The famous Erawan shrine (4-faced Buddha) in Bangkok. This photo was captured on my wife's Sony Erricsson handphone in 2010.



Two cone head or ET-like spirits hanging around the Erawan main shrine.


A female face figurine spirit hanging around the Erawan main shrine.


Last edited by takso; Feb 22nd 2013 at 7:22 am.
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Old Feb 22nd 2013, 1:40 pm
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Personally I don't find the images very convincing. I'm sure if I stared at my wooden kitchen cupboards long enough, I could find faces in there ( looking at the wood patterns).
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Old Feb 22nd 2013, 4:12 pm
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had you been eating any funny mushroom soups at the time you saw these spirits ?
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Old Mar 6th 2013, 6:21 am
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The Theory of Everything

Why is it so difficult for one to know and see the ultimate truth? Why are we here - breathing, thinking and talking, right now? Why is there the beginning and then the ending? Why something, why not nothing?

For one to see into the ultimate truth, one has to unwind everything back to the moment of the origin. We do know things and happenings exist because it can be known and felt by our senses. And our mind interprets event or happening as a condition that one has to go through, to persevere with, to soldier on with, to carry on with or to undertake with, inevitably. Since things and happenings existed long before we have the slightest opportunity to recognise and understand it well, we are bound to suffer ignorantly. However, as human beings, we have the wisdom to make identification or recognition on the entire cycle of events or happenings.

The first step for one to understand the ultimate truth is to conduct an in-depth analysis into the nature. What is a ‘nature’ then? Nature is originally referred to essential qualities or innate disposition; related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord. These essential qualities of the nature can be divided into two categories i.e. inherence and dependence. Both of these qualities as observed by the mind would exist concurrently in a harmonious orientation. Therefore, it is imperative for one to understand that the nature is sufficiently universal and infinite in its original disposition and is governed by the universal laws.

In other words, there are two aspects of the nature - the dependent and the inherent aspects. These two aspects would exist concurrently and can be illustrated in a mathematical equation as below: -

Two Facets of the Nature

Facet 1 --> ...(-2+2) + (-16+16) + (-832+832) + (-133+133) + (0) + (-54+54) + ...., etc. = 0 <-- Facet 2

References: -

Facet 1
= dependent arising.
= the existence of mind - that conjures up perceptions, conceptions, labels, names, descriptions, shapes, values, languages, etc.
= the existence of rising and falling phenomena.
= the existence of beginning and ending processes.
= all subjects and objects are created i.e. inherent existence is devoid.
= the emptiness could be realised in various stages.

Facet 2
= inherent existence.
= the absence of mind to conjure up perceptions, conceptions, labels, names, descriptions, shapes, values, languages, etc.
= the absence of beginning and ending processes.
= the absence of conditional phenomena.
= nothing has ever been created or changed.
= the Buddha nature.

Zero (0) = intermediation = absence = emptiness but not nothingness.
= a mathematical value intermediate between positive and negative values.
= the absence of any or all units under consideration.

...(-2+2) + ... + (-133+133) ... = values of fluxes that are dependent arising.

... + (-2+2) + (-54+54) + ... = this arises, that arises.

... + (0) + ... = this ceases, that ceases = the stage of enlightenment.
= all dependent arising are completely blown-off or extinguished.
= a stage of perfect intermediation = a stage of absence = a complete realisation of emptiness.

(....) = the Law of Karma = the universal law of balancing.

-2+2 or -133+133 = the Law of Attraction.

Note : Anything that inherently exists would not involve change and created objects cannot inherently exist since that would involve change.

In the dependent nature, we do know one thing that is consistently constant i.e. becoming. This becoming process is the main reason for all things or happenings that we observe right here, right now, then or later. When there is a becoming process, there is a change process. When there is a change process, there is a circumstance that shapes up some sort of abilities in this dependent nature. This ability of sorts is also known as ‘energy’ in the scientific terminology. As such, we are clear now that energy is something that has always existed and remained constant - as the Law of Conservation of Energy that says energy in a system can neither be created nor destroyed and the sum of all energies is a constant or never changes. And time is merely an indicator for event; just like length, width and height are indicators for size and volume. So time is a dimension that is created by humans, not born (a non-natural existence), for the task of measurement per se.

In the Buddhist contexts, the dependent nature is known as Samsāra. Samsāra literally means ‘continuous flow’- referring to a repeating cycle of birth, life, death and re-birth. In fact, the ‘I’ or ‘you’ or ‘we’ or nāmarūpa (5 skandhas) is purely part of the becoming processes in the dependent nature and the key element of it is energy. Both our mind and body are energy elements that would constantly orientate, transform and evolve in accordance with the subjected conditions. The physical body is shaped up as an appearance due to the existence of matter and the matter is basically concerted, aggregated or concentrated or wrapped energy.

At the same time, the existence of energy would give rise to the mind that in turn conjures up perceptions, conceptions, labels, boundaries, names, activities, shapes, relations, descriptions, stereotyping, beginning, ending, etc. The mind is a necessary pre-requisite for the circumstances of duality or multiplicity. No duality or multiplicity would arise in the non-existence of the mind. This is because there would be no subject to ponder on the other side of the object or matter. As such, we shall be clear by now that mind is the forerunner of all states. These circumstances of duality or multiplicity are merely the end result of various aggregated activities being observed, recorded and replayed by the conscious and the sub-conscious mind under the influence of conditional phenomena.

It is difficult for one to see into the ultimate truth since the dawn of time because the mind is dependent arising. In other words, the presence in the waves of dependent phenomena has clouded the mind from discerning the reality of circumstances i.e. ignorance arises. And we could see that emptiness exists in all conditional phenomena. Without emptiness, the potential movement of the mind from non-enlightenment towards a state of enlightenment would not be possible – that is to say if the mind itself existed inherently. The emptiness of inherent existence of the mind is called the Buddha nature.

When one sees into energy, one sees into emptiness; when one sees into emptiness, one sees into energy. This is the rationale for the saying, ‘Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form.’ The principle in effect: seeing into form is seeing into matter, seeing into matter is seeing into energy and seeing into energy is seeing into emptiness. Energy is described as the ability to cause change or do work, while emptiness is understood as absence in the static entity and devoid of inherent existence for all created objects or things. Both energy and emptiness are universal qualities that correspond to the dependent arising and the inherent existence concurrently.

Conditional phenomenon is a necessary pre-requisite for energy to exist; without it, the existence would be impossible. On another front, emptiness is a necessary pre-requisite for any object to exist; without it, the object would be impossible. Therefore, we could conclude that energy and emptiness are essential qualities for the dependent nature to sustain perpetually. When there is no dependent nature arising, no energy or emptiness would arise. Likewise, when there is no energy or emptiness arising, no dependent nature would arise. This is how the conventional reality works i.e. not in-linear but in inter-dependence, inter-woven and inter-relation since the dawn of time in a very comprehensive and complicated network of existence.

And when there is a balance circumstance, there is a chance for the integration process i.e. under a balance phenomenon, one could witness shapes or forms arised; under an imbalance phenomenon, one could see no shapes or forms arised - and the cycle of conditional phenomena continues. Therefore, it is correct to mention that all objects are empty and exist conditionally without an eternal essence. They only exist in relation to each other as appearances that in turn vary as per the perceptions of the beholders.

When one ponders as a subject on the other side of the object or matter, one would notice that energy takes on various forms and reborn all the time in the dependent nature. However, the sum of all the energies in the system is a constant or never changes because energy can neither be created nor destroyed as per the Law of Conservation of Energy. This would mean that energy corresponds to the inherent existence as well due to its unchanging nature as described above. It is the same case scenario for emptiness. Emptiness corresponds to both the dependent arising and the inherent existence concurrently. While emptiness could not exist without a dependent partner, emptiness in direct perception cannot be segmented or dissected further to see the real origin because it does not constitute some false appearances concealing a lack of inherent existence. Therefore, it has an unchanging nature that all conventional phenomena lack.

Once again, we could conclude that energy and emptiness are essential qualities that exist everywhere in the dependent and the inherent nature. In the dependent nature, something as in object would not arise out of nothing but instead, arise out of the energy aggregates that have been forever existed in a system. This is because energy or matter is actually the same thing, both reflected in a different form (as in Einstein’s formula, E = mc2). And since we can’t see energy with our naked eyes, we would call it empty instead of nothing.

The wise Buddha has laid emphasis that one should see in all angles of things or matters while searching for the ultimate truth or reality. Without it, any conclusions made out of one’s observation would not be balance or in a wholesome nature. As such, one has to mould a right attitude to open up a new horizon of things. Be bound-less, be stereotype-less, be label-less under all circumstances.
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Old Mar 6th 2013, 6:23 am
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The two sides of Truth

We have to realise that there are two sides of truth in existence i.e. the conventional truth and the ultimate truth. When addressing a problem, in the first place, we need to ensure whether our point of view is from the conventional perspective or from the ultimate perspective.

For example, from the conventional perspective, we agree that duality or multiplicity does exist. Therefore, Nibbana is a phenomenon because we are speaking as a subject on the other side of the object or matter. In other words, the subject is pondering on the object or matter - phenomenon arises. However, from the ultimate perspective, we would then agree that no duality or multiplicity arises. Therefore, Nibbana is not a phenomenon (also applies on all other things) because there is no subject to ponder on the object or matter. In other words, no phenomenon arises if we speak from the ultimate perspective.

Conventional truth is a subjective and a relative truth. This means the truth orientation is dependent on the observer (i.e. the subject’s mind) to provide with the description, definition, recognition, valuation, etc. on the other side of the object or matter. And the truth conclusion varies among different observers or minds.

Whereas, an ultimate truth is a reality that exists beyond mind and beyond concepts and words in the sense that it is beyond our usual ways of perceiving things. Language and conception only imply that things exist in distinct manners i.e. wise person, dumb person, saint, devil, etc. - in such well-defined and independent categories. Perceiving ultimate reality is seeing that things do not exist in these fantasised, impossible ways, in black and white categories.

In absence of the mind, things would appear as in the deepest facts per se i.e. no label, no boundary, no name, no activity, no shape, no description, etc. This is because there is no existence in relative to each other as appearances. An enlightened mind is able to discern the deepest fact about things in crystal clear and without hesitation after getting rid of the wave of dependent phenomenon.

No duality or multiplicity would arise in the non-existence of the mind. This is because there is no subject to ponder on the object or matter. When there is no mind arising, no phenomenon would arise. When there is no phenomenon arising, no dependent nature would arise. When there is no dependent nature, there would be no perception, no conception, no label, no boundary, no name, no activity, no shape, no relation, no description, no stereotyping, no beginning, no ending, etc.

When we talk on seeing into emptiness, we talk about the progressive realisation of the mind. Therefore, emptiness can be realised into stages as below: -

Stage 1 Elementary Realisation
• All things and phenomena are lack of core essence.
• Nothing is unchanging and permanent.
• Everything is inter-related.

Stage 2 Intermediary Realisation
• Ability to differentiate the way things are perceived to exist and the way things really exist.
• Only seeing without believing.

Stage 3 Advance Realisation
• No dualism of the subject and object, and no appearance of multiplicity.
• All things and phenomena rise and fall within a singular condition.
• Only uniformity exists.

Stage 4 Ultimate Realisation
• All dependent arising are completely blown off or extinguished.
• No string attached, and nothing is left remaining.
• Infinite, unchanging, permanent, and unconditional.
• Exists beyond all conventional phenomena.

Right now, let us analyse into emptiness. Emptiness corresponds to two distinct scenarios:

1. It corresponds to the inherent existence (due to unchanging nature) that all conventional phenomena lack.

It means that if we focus purely on seeing emptiness, it cannot be segmented or dissected further to see the real origin. Emptiness exists in the way it appears in direct perception and does not constitute some false appearances concealing a lack of inherent existence. Therefore, it has an unchanging nature that all conventional phenomena lack. This conclusion is made from the ultimate perspective - seeing into the within of the within.

2. It corresponds to the dependent arising (a conditional phenomenon) i.e. subject to the same lack of inherent existence as every other object or phenomenon. This is referred to as the emptiness of emptiness.

It means that emptiness would not exist without a dependent partner. If there were no objects to analyse, then emptiness as such could not be realised. Without objects, there can be no emptiness - a circumstance that points to emptiness of emptiness. This conclusion is made from the conventional perspective - seeing as a subject on the other side of the object or matter.

Once again, why is there duality or multiplicity in the dependent nature? It is because there is a mind. Why is there a mind in the dependent nature? It is because there is energy aggregate. Why is there energy aggregate in the dependent nature? It is because there is emptiness. Why is there emptiness in the dependent nature? It is because there is an emptiness of emptiness. In other words, the emptiness of phenomena is both the cause and consequence of the dependent nature of phenomena.

Emptiness of phenomena exists in the way it appears in direct perception and without the need to reference of any other entity. It is completely defined by its own nature. In other words, emptiness of phenomena is an inherent existence that is uncaused. It is indestructible and eternal. It is unchanging when viewed externally and cannot undergo any internal changes of state. It has no constituent parts and nothing can be thrown out or removed from it. Nothing can be added to it and no change in the external conditions can affect it.

The ultimate realisation of emptiness by the mind would mean a phase of perfect intermediation being accomplished by the mind. A perfect intermediation would mean a comprehensive absence of any or all units under consideration. It is also known as a complete neutralisation of conditional phenomena. But an absence of any or all units under consideration is not equivalent to nothingness of any or all units under consideration. For instance, while we say form is empty, there are still basic elements remaining. Just like when we do declare a vessel as empty, it does not literally mean nothing inside the vessel – still, there could be air, radiation, dust, viruses, etc. that cannot be discerned by our naked eyes.

In the end, we could declare that form is empty in the real sense because there is no core essence within it except for the basic elements i.e. energy, matter and space that orientate and evolve constantly under the influence of external conditions. What our naked eyes view as form is actually the matter and it is also known as concerted, aggregated or concentrated or wrapped energy. Since we can’t see energy with our naked eyes, we would say that the innermost of form is empty in the real sense.

Therefore, every single ‘thing’ that exists is empty because there is no essence to anything and nothing has ever existed in its own quality – nothing is permanent and unchanging. All objects exist conditionally without an eternal essence. They only exist in relation to each other as appearances that in turn vary as per the perceptions of the beholders. Energy is the underlying element for all existences and it is dependent on the conditional phenomena.
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Old Mar 21st 2013, 8:55 am
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The Cycle of Dependent Origination

Balance leads to stability. Stability leads to aggregation. Aggregation leads to agitation. Agitation leads to information. Information leads to knowledge. Knowledge leads to representation. Representation leads to memory. Memory leads to compulsion. Compulsion leads to ignorance. Ignorance leads to blindness. Blindness leads to disorientation. Disorientation leads to confusion. Confusion leads to irrationality. Irrationality leads to impulse. Impulse leads to sparkle. Sparkle leads to inkling. Inkling leads to volition. Volition leads to awareness. Awareness leads to consciousness. Consciousness leads to manas. Manas leads to mind and body. Mind and body lead to sensation. Sensation leads to six sense bases. Six sense bases lead to conductivity. Conductivity leads to contact. Contact leads to stimulation. Stimulation leads to feeling. Feeling leads to experience. Experience leads to craving. Craving leads to grasping. Grasping leads to clinging. Clinging leads to unsettling. Unsettling leads to becoming. Becoming leads to creation. Creation leads to birth. Birth leads to energising. Energising leads to mobility. Mobility leads to hauling. Hauling leads to aging. Aging leads to draining. Draining leads to death. Death leads to fragility. Fragility leads to segregation. Segregation leads to diffusion. Diffusion leads to imbalance. Imbalance leads to adjustment. Adjustment leads to alignment. Alignment leads to new balance.

The principle in effect: -

A stream of balance phenomena would conjure up aggregate activity,
A stream of aggregate activities would conjure up information,
A stream of information would conjure up memory,
A stream of memories would conjure up ignorance,
A stream of ignorance would conjure up volitional impulse,
A stream of volitional impulses would conjure up consciousness,
A stream of consciousness would conjure up body and mind,
A stream of body and mind would conjure up six sense bases,
A stream of six sense bases would conjure up contact,
A stream of contacts would conjure up feeling,
A stream of feelings would conjure up craving,
A stream of cravings would conjure up clinging,
A stream of clinging would conjure up becoming,
A stream of becoming would conjure up birth,
A stream of births would conjure up aging,
A stream of aging would conjure up death,
A stream of deaths would conjure up segregate activity,
A stream of segregate activities would conjure up imbalance phenomenon,
A stream of imbalance phenomena would conjure up new balance phenomenon.

Thus the conditional phenomena would continue repeatedly to depict the rising and the falling activities in the nature.

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Old Mar 21st 2013, 8:08 pm
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thanks for another great post Takso.
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Old Apr 12th 2013, 4:25 am
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What are Awareness, Consciousness and Mind?

Awareness is a ground condition that ‘supports’ consciousness. The nature of awareness is effulgence and it is in a not-knowing state before the appearance of object. Consciousness, on the other hand, is appearance of objects in the mind. When awareness touches on objects, consciousness would arise simultaneously. Consciousness is naturally looking outward to objects and it is flitting all the time. In addition, consciousness is synergy i.e. energy that expands through cooperation. Synergy is a key to the geometric expansion of consciousness and thus the arising of its two terms i.e. prevailing consciousness and subtle consciousness. On the contrary, mind is a pattern of consciousness which is born from awareness. In fact, mind is known as consciousness in individuality. Therefore, the origin of individuality is the same as the origin of the mind. Mind is something more objective and involves clear discrimination – differentiates and understands the characteristics of objects. One utilises mind to understand things because mind understands the manipulation of consciousness.


Category of Consciousness

In Buddhism, the mind-stream is referring to the stream of consciousness. So to understand our minds, we need to understand our consciousness. Basically, there are two terms of the mind i.e. conscious and sub-conscious. In turn, consciousness can be categorised into four layers i.e. mind consciousness, sense consciousness, store consciousness and manas consciousness.

Mind Consciousness

It is regarded as the ‘working’ consciousness or the mind-in-command i.e. the mind that can lead, take charge, concentrate, make decision and convey action. In other words, it is a conscious mind that makes judgments and plans. Basically, the conscious mind is closely related to the physical body or more specifically, the brain. This means there would be a biological clock being attached within it i.e. there would be duration for staying awake and for resting. Without the brain, there would be no conscious mind in existence. Therefore, brain is a necessary pre-requisite for any mind consciousness to exist; without it, the mind consciousness would be impossible.

Sense Consciousness

It is a consciousness that is derived from our five senses i.e. sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. Sense consciousness is sometimes called the ‘gate’, and always engages with three elements – the sense organ, the sense object and the experience of what we are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching. In other words, physical body is a necessary pre-requisite for any sense consciousness to exist; without it, the sense consciousness would be impossible.

Store Consciousness

It is also known as the sub-conscious mind that is somehow independent from the physical body. Store consciousness would act like a museum whereby one could discern with the memory and the information aggregates. This is because within the sub-conscious aggregates, one would discover the sub-memory aggregates. Within the sub-memory aggregates, one would discover the sub-information aggregates. In other words, it is a place whereby one could see through the ‘seed treasures’ of Kamma accumulated from the retained sub-information throughout the series of one’s past lives.

Store consciousness is responsible for the birth and rebirth conditions of individuals. When a person is lying dead, all the aggregates of consciousness would leave the body. However, only the store consciousness would sustain in liberated conditions out of the physical body but not the mind consciousness and the sense consciousness. The switch of the mind consciousness and the sense consciousness would be turned off and it would not carry on beyond the grave because these two types of consciousness are dependent on the physical body for arising – just like shadow follows the body.

In other words, store consciousness (where all kinds of seeds and information are kept) would stay behind in a condition known as the stream of consciousness (always flowing, always present, never interrupted) and the basic cause for the persistent re-arising of personality is the abiding of store consciousness in ignorance; when ignorance is uprooted, rebirth ceases. Ignorance and memory aggregates are closely inter-dependent of each other. The memory aggregate has two main functions i.e. deposits and withdrawals of information – the act of retaining and recalling facts. The rise of ignorance has to depend on the withdrawal of deposited information from the previous events and the deposited information can only be redeemed from the memory aggregate.

Therefore, it is not correct to mention that a newborn being has no memory of a previous life. Every single newborn being would surely bear with the seeds of Kamma deriving from the previous lives. The seeds of Kamma are comparable to deposits of information and the fruits of Kamma are comparable to withdrawals of the deposited information upon maturity. In other words, it is not that the newborn being has no memory of a previous life but rather the fruits of Kamma have not ripened yet. Only upon maturity could the newborn being start to recall events related to his or her previous lives. As a conclusion, without store consciousness, the law of Karma would be impossible in the realms of existence.

Manas Consciousness

It is also known as the cogitating consciousness that is always embracing and attaching to store consciousness. Manas arises from store consciousness and embraces store consciousness as its object. The function of manas is to appropriate store consciousness as its own.
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Old Apr 12th 2013, 4:35 am
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Ion makes the world go round

What is an ion? An ion is a charged atom or molecule. It is charged due to the imbalance number of electrons and the number of protons in the atom or molecule. An atom can become a positive charge or a negative charge depending on whether the number of electrons in an atom is greater or lesser than the number of protons in the atom. Ion concentrations can vary over short distances i.e. one may find that one end of a room has an excess of positive ions and the other end, negative. In nature, ions are formed in a variety of ways - about half are created by radioactive gases and the other half are produced from radioactive substances in the soil, cosmic rays, ultraviolet rays, air flow friction, falling water and plants.

Basically, positive ions have a negative effect on humans and animals. Some of the side effects caused by high positive ion counts are violent behaviour, road rage, depression, dizziness, chills, tremors, sleeplessness, fatigue, irritability, nausea, lethargy, respiratory symptoms, headaches, migraines, increase in heart attacks, high blood pressure, increase in optical disturbances, anxiety, body aches/pains, etc. Today, the modern homes and offices seal out negative ions. Computer terminals, fluorescent lighting, forced air ventilation systems, and modern building materials generate an over abundance of positive ions. Electrical gadgets such as microwave oven, laptop, desktop computer, television, mobile phone or the alarm clock could be to blame for the lacking of negative ions in the atmosphere. Other positive ionisation could derive from car exhausts, factory fumes, tire dust, cigarette smoke, cooking and heating fumes, dust, etc.

On the other hand, negative ions are beneficial to humans and animals. It has been proven scientifically that a high count of negative ions will decrease fatigue, reduce migraines/headaches, strengthen the function of autonomic nerves, strengthen the body immune system, improves metabolism, improves asthma and other respiratory conditions, lowers blood pressures, etc. Refreshing places, usually located in the mountains and near waterfalls and seashores have high negative ion concentrations. In humans, most researchers think that negative ions act on the capacity to absorb and utilise oxygen, accelerating the blood’s delivery of oxygen to the cells and tissues. Generally, negative ions have much higher rates of mobility as compared with the positive ions due to increase in the number of electrons that are constantly vibrating in standing waves on the surface of the ions.

Once again, the charged molecules or ions play a vital role in the physical and the spiritual development of humans. Our frame of mind and body conditions depend on the composition of the air that we breathe. Air is electrically charged, which means it contains in definite proportions, positively charged molecules (positive ions) and negatively charged molecules (negative ions). There is a need for their balance to conjure up favourable vibes for one’s mental and physical progression. In fact, the yin-yang concept is mostly based upon the orientation of positive ions and negative ions in the surroundings. When there is a balance in the definite proportion of ions, whereby the number of positive ions (yin) is almost equal to the number of negative ions (yang), there will be a harmonious ‘chi’ or energy in the surroundings and vice versa.

On another front, the definite proportion of ions in the atmosphere has an intimate relevance to the arising of spirit or ghost energies in the human realms. Ordinary spirits or ghosts that are abided with ignorance would be drawn to the cluster of positive ions. This is because positive ions are correlated with the energies of dukkha i.e. ignorance would give rise to unfavourable thoughts, ill-wills, angers, un-satisfactoriness, attachments, restlessness, jealousy, pessimism, etc. Common areas such as windowless and closed rooms, abandoned houses, hospitals, factories, old buildings – in derelict and overgrown states, would usually sustain a higher concentration of positive ions in the surroundings – an ideal passageway for the manifestation of wandering ghosts or spirits in the human realms. And from direct experience, a ghost or a spirit arising in close proximity could evoke with severe headaches, nausea and lethargy on our physical body unexpectedly – an apparent sign of soaring density of positive ions in the surrounding area. In other words, a human who is afflicted with a mental or a physical illness would tend to attract or magnetise with the spirits or the ghosts more often than the healthy ones due to higher presence of positive ions in the body and the surroundings.

As a conclusion, ions are necessary pre-requisites for becoming process to exist; without it, the becoming process would be impossible in the dependent nature. For humans, the presence of high negative ions would bring scores of advantages to the spiritual and the physical development. In fact, the surroundings with high negative ion concentrations would attract or magnetise with favourable energies from devas, angels and other deities that could help individuals in many ways along the path to spiritual liberation. Therefore, it is crucial for one to find balance with the ion concentrations at all times because ions are ‘kingmakers’ in the mental and the physical health condition of individuals.
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Old May 2nd 2013, 5:46 am
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Default Re: Tell me about Buddhism....

The Law of Vibration and the Law of Attraction

Everything or anything (physical or non-physical) that exists is nothing but energy. And energy is nothing but a mere element of vibration. The basic level of a matter is energy. The basic level of energy is vibration. Therefore, matter is a vibrating mass of energy in which the different frequency of vibration would determine the shape and the size of it. So energy and matter are both referring to the same thing - both reflected in different forms per se. Just like cause and effect are the same things - both reflected in a different time of events.

According to the Einstein’s formula, E = mc2, energy can be generated by enforcing a matter into a circumstance of extremely high rate of vibration. At the same time, a matter can be formed by compressing energy into a circumstance of extremely low rate of vibration. In the material Universe, this is how we clarify that something arises as in object is not out of nothing but arises out of the energy elements that exist in a system. And dependent nature of phenomena is a necessary pre-requisite for energy or matter to exist; without it, the energy or matter would be impossible. As such, every existence does contain with the three basic elements - energy, matter and space. These basic elements would subject to the balance and the imbalance phenomena. Under a balance phenomenon, these elements would start to integrate with each other to create an aggregate activity. Under an imbalance phenomenon, these elements would start to disintegrate from each other to create a segregate activity.

Once again, everything in the material Universe is made up of energy. Atoms and molecules are made up of energy. Our bodies, our clothes, our cars, our houses are all made up of energy but what makes them different is their vibration. Energy is always vibrating at a different frequency under the influences of conditional phenomena. Everything has its own vibrational frequency – our thoughts, our feelings, the rock, the table, the car, the animal, the plant, the tree, etc. Even colours are merely expressions of certain vibrational frequencies. These scenarios are guided by a system of universal law known as the Law of Vibration. In fact, the Law of Vibration serves as the foundation for the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction states that we attract what we are sending out i.e. like attracts like, unlike repels unlike. Hence, favourable energies attract favourable energies and unfavourable energies attract unfavourable energies. Human thoughts are cosmic waves of energy that penetrate all time and space and it is the most potent vibration that can attracts what is desired or wished for. In other words, all sentient beings are electro-magnetic beings with the subtle mind consciousness that acts as an antenna or a radar detector constantly attracting and magnetising vibrational frequencies. Human thoughts are frequencies to which other similar frequencies are constantly resonating. This resonance is the basis for a universal law – the Law of Attraction. At the end of the day, the Law of Attraction and the Law of Vibration go hand in hand at all times.
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Old May 2nd 2013, 5:52 am
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Default Re: Tell me about Buddhism....

New Creation (Multiplicity) Process in Samsāra

According to the Chinese philosophy, everything has both Yin and Yang aspects. Yin and Yang are actually complementary but opposing forces interacting to form a whole greater than either separate part; thus bringing forth a dynamic system existing in harmony. The visual representation of this concept is well depicted in the Taijitu symbol or the loosely referred to as yin-yang symbol. Literally, Tai-ji means supreme ultimate – that represents an insightful reality of the dependent nature i.e. highlighting the many natural dualities such as female and male, dark and light, low and high, cold and hot, water and fire, life and death, etc.

Whenever one quality reaches its peak, it will naturally begin to transform into the opposite quality. The communion of the two gives birth to things. Yin and Yang transform each other – just like an undertow in the ocean, every advance is complemented by a retreat, and every rise transforms into a fall. Generally, Yin is associated with water, earth, moon, femininity, night time, etc. and is characterised as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive. Whereas, by contrast, Yang is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity, day time, etc. and is characterised as fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and aggressive. The classic principle in effect: ‘Yin creates Yang and Yang activates Yin’.

If one refers to the cycle of Dependent Origination, manas that unfolds against a backdrop of consciousness (preliminary) is an architect or a designer that activates mind and body creations. Mind and body are simply two aspects of the same thing. Manas would vibrate in a certain unique frequency – a wave of collated high and low vibrations. This blueprint of vibrations would subsequently bring forth the conflation of mind and body. The principle in effect: the lower the frequency, the slower the vibration; the higher the frequency, the faster the vibration. Slower vibration would lead to the body and the sense bases formation and faster vibration would lead to the mind formation. Collectively, it brings about a new life existence with a unique individuality that would not allow the disruption by any kind of external interference; thus it maintains a self-identity. In other words, mind and body are present in every created thing as one integrated whole. Even an atom has a kind of mind that is unique or individualised. The nucleus of the atom, around which electrons vibrate in standing waves, constitutes the atom’s individuality. As a result, one atom distinguishes from another atom – just as one person is different from another person or as one thing is different from another thing.

Nevertheless, the mind is comprised with two terms i.e. prevailing conscious and subtle conscious. Both prevailing and subtle mind consciousnesses would arise in the sentient beings but for other things, merely subtle mind consciousness would arise. In addition, it is the mind, the consciousness of individuality, which holds together the atoms and molecules as one integrated body in a life time. Scientifically, the atoms are held together by covalent chemical bonds but the synergies of it would give rise to the mind, the consciousness of individuality. For general understanding, subtle mind consciousness does not consume as much energy as prevailing mind consciousness. Subtle conscious mind can process and store information without a lot of work or intervention of prevailing conscious mind. In other words, subtle mind consciousness could operate in the absence of prevailing mind consciousness with the least of energy consumption on 24 hours/day and 365 days/year - this would mean a plenty of energy reserves for prolonging the lifespan of a body in a life time.

In fact, for over 90% of the time in a lifespan, the body is administered by subtle mind consciousness and it simply operates like a radar detector – sensing all spectrums of vibrational frequencies from the surroundings and across the time stream (past, present and future). As such, one would notice that an enlightened subtle mind consciousness would operate like a long range radar detector which is highly luminous and vigilant to any development of circumstances and surpassing time.

When one has reached the maturity of a lifespan, mind and body would go through a dying process, inevitably. And the first type of consciousness to depart the body would be prevailing mind consciousness. In the sentient beings, the prevailing mind consciousness that bonds strongly the atoms and the molecules together would die out and evolve into other energies concurrently. This incidence would lead to an impulse occurrence with a demonstration of a final burst of energy nearing the death moments. Subsequently, the segregation process would conquest with most of the subtle mind consciousness departing the death body.

For an ignorant being, during a disintegration process, the prevailing conscious aggregate or so-called the ‘chain of conscious’ aggregate would die out and the force of Ignorance (an outward tendency force) would overcome the force of Awakening (an inward tendency force). The subtle conscious aggregate would then liberate into fragments. The amount of liberated fragments is very much dependent on the level of Ignorance or Awakening within the being. And for an ignorant being, the level of Ignorance would surpass the level of Awakening and this would mean the intensity of Ignorance is higher than the intensity of Awakening. A higher intensity of Ignorance would mean a higher intensity of becoming. A higher intensity of becoming would mean a higher amount of liberated fragments. On the other hand, for an awakened being, the amount of liberated fragments is much lesser than an ignorant being because there is lower intensity of Ignorance as compared with the intensity of Awakening. Also, the dispersion of liberated fragments is more confined and restricted to much fewer new individuals.

Last of all, during segregation process, sense consciousness and the lingering subtle mind consciousness would evolve into other energies concurrently with the body decomposing process. At the end of the day, the fragmented subtle mind consciousness with some retained sub-information within the sub-memory aggregates would sustain freedom of sorts and waiting for the next alignment process and the new balance phenomena to arise, thus depicting the continuous flow or repeating cycle of birth, life, death and re-birth - known as Samsāra.


Pro-creation (Sexual) Process in Samsāra

A sperm and an egg would contain with subtle mind consciousness respectively. A sexual pro-creation process would begin with the aggregation of sperm and egg under a balance phenomenon. During the integration process, some new information would be produced and it would evolve into knowledge. Consecutively, the gained knowledge would induce a sense of representation that would then give rise to a memory aggregate. The memory aggregate would stimulate a compulsion process and this would lead to a broadcasting of karmic imprints in its own vibrational frequency that in turn electro-magnetically attract with similar karmic imprints unearthed from the influx of subtle mind consciousness elsewhere in the dependent nature (as per the Law of Vibration and the Law of Attraction).

Scientifically, a sperm is an electrically neutral structure with the equal amount of positive and negative charges. An egg is also an electrically neutral structure with the equal amount of positive and negative charges. During the fertilisation period, the sperms are guided by temperature when travelling through most of the fallopian tube and navigate by tuning in to the egg’s chemical call when they get close to the fertilisation site. When a sperm conflates with an egg to form a zygote, it would give rise to energy absorption inside the egg structure. The electron bonded to an atom of the egg absorbs the proper amount of energy deriving from the potential (stored) energy of the sperm. The energy absorbed would then exceed the electric potential barrier that originally confined it, thus breaking the bond and freeing it to move. The electron is then emitted as a free electron from the zygote structure and the amount of energy required is called the ionisation energy.

According to the cycle of Dependent Origination, an imbalance phenomenon would lead to an adjustment process. The adjustment process would then lead to an alignment process and the alignment process would subsequently lead to a new balance phenomenon. When an atom loses an electron, an imbalance phenomenon occurs. The atom then becomes a charged particle called an ion. These imbalanced ion particles are responsible for the electron flow (energy flow in the form of electricity). Ions will take or release an electron to become balanced again. Therefore, the zygote, an electro-magnetic being with positively charged ions, would be balanced with the ‘jump’ of an electron from an atom elsewhere. In other words, a positively charged ion would electro-magnetically attract to a negatively charged ion elsewhere and this condition is crucial for the development of zygote into embryo.

For general understanding, a zygote would develop into an embryo only with the presence of negative ions, positive ions and the compatible ‘free-flow’ subtle mind consciousness as a boost factor. In the absence of any or all of these mentioned elements, the advance development of zygote would be impeded. The ‘free-flow’ subtle mind consciousness under an imbalance phenomenon would go through the adjustment process and subsequently the alignment process. During the alignment process, the ‘free-flow’ subtle mind consciousness would attract and ally with the new body that contains all necessary equal and opposite elements (both in qualitative and quantitative aspects). In other words, this integration process would arise in the right place at the right time under a perfectly conducive environment. Thus a new being is formed under a new balance phenomenon.

As mentioned earlier, a zygote is a newly formed being with positively charged ions. A positively charged ion would naturally attract a negatively charged ion. The negative ions encircling the zygote would permeate into the surface of it, enhancing metabolism of the cell membranes, accelerating the mitosis process and the delivery of oxygen to inner cells and tissues. Last of all, the compatible ‘free-flow’ subtle mind consciousness would be absorbed into the zygote to initiate a sparkle process. The sparkle process is made possible only with the absorption of sufficient like energies elsewhere into the zygote. The electron bonded to an atom of the zygote absorbs the proper amount of energy deriving from the potential (stored) energy of the compatible ‘free-flow’ subtle mind consciousness. The energy absorbed would then exceed the electric potential barrier that originally confined it, thus breaking the bond and freeing it to move. The electron is then emitted as a free electron and it upsets the electrical charge equilibrium of the embryo. Thus an embryo is a newly formed being with positively charged ions and it continues to attract negative ions from the surroundings to enhance metabolism of the cell membranes, accelerating the mitosis process and the delivery of oxygen to inner cells and tissues.

In addition, during the sparkle process, prevailing mind consciousness and sense consciousness would be newly formed, simultaneously. Sparkle process would lead to fusion and consolidation processes. This would mean no chance for any subsequent compatible ‘free-flow’ subtle mind consciousness to be absorbed into the embryo after the sparkle process – just like the scenario of the first sperm enters the egg during the fertilisation process. The embryo would continue to develop into a fetus and it is a stage of the early development of the nervous system in the new body. The nervous system is an electrical impulses dependent system – this means in the absence of imbalanced ion particles, the nervous system in the new body would be stalled indefinitely. The nervous system includes both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system is made up of the somatic and the autonomic nervous systems. The nervous system allows the sentient beings to quickly detect, communicate and co-ordinate information on the external and the internal environment via efficient appropriate responses for survival and/or reproduction.

For general understanding, consciousness is synergy. Synergy is generally defined as the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc. In other words, synergy is energy that expands through cooperation and it is a key to the geometric expansion of consciousness. When the nervous system in the new body is formed, sense consciousness would arise simultaneously. Sense consciousness is a subtle synergy resulted from the interaction of the subtle mind consciousness in the new body i.e. the electrochemical transmission along the neurons throughout the nervous system. And this synergy arising is in accordance with the yin-yang principle that states: ‘Yin creates Yang and Yang activates Yin’. Synonymously, subtle mind consciousness is Yin and sense consciousness is Yang - just as a state of total Yin is reached, Yang begins to grow. Yin contains seed of Yang and vice versa.

Moreover, the central nervous system especially the brain would comprise with the highest density of neurons in the entire nervous system of the new body and this circumstance would give rise to another type of synergy identified as prevailing mind consciousness – a prevalent synergy. Both prevailing and subtle mind consciousnesses are also known as consciousness of individuality. Therefore, the origin of individuality is the same as the origin of the mind. In addition, mind consciousness (prevailing and subtle) and brain are symbiotic, one never exists without the other. The brain is actually a coagulated form of the conflated prevailing and subtle conscious mind itself - just as water looks like ice, the mind looks like the brain, and the body. With high density of neurons, the brain could perform a variety of complex functions beside transmitting signals and sending messages to each other parts of the body. Among the complex functions are controlling, regulating, analysing, organising, wishing, interpreting, memorising, etc. – for these complex functions are basically, the roles of prevailing and subtle mind consciousnesses.

As a reference, mind and body arising are analogous to the origination of fire. From an article pulled out from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the origin of fire is described as follows: -

Fires start when a flammable and/or a combustible material, in combination with a sufficient quantity of an oxidizer such as oxygen gas or another oxygen-rich compound (though non-oxygen oxidizers exist that can replace oxygen), is exposed to a source of heat or ambient temperature above the flash point for the fuel/oxidizer mix, and is able to sustain a rate of rapid oxidation that produces a chain reaction. This is commonly called the fire tetrahedron. Fire cannot exist without all of these elements in place and in the right proportions. For example, a flammable liquid will start burning only if the fuel and oxygen are in the right proportions. Some fuel-oxygen mixes may require a catalyst, a substance that is not directly involved in any chemical reaction during combustion, but which enables the reactants to combust more readily. Once ignited, a chain reaction must take place whereby fires can sustain their own heat by the further release of heat energy in the process of combustion and may propagate, provided there is a continuous supply of an oxidizer and fuel.’

The mentioned comparison can be depicted as below: -

Combustion --> Sparkle process
Fire --> Sentient being
Flame --> Prevailing mind consciousness
Fuel/combustible material --> Sentient body
Oxidiser --> Oxygen intake
Heat --> Subtle mind consciousness
Chain reaction --> Electrochemical impulse/transmission
Catalyst --> ‘Free-flow’ subtle mind consciousness

The principle in effect : When the flame is blown off, the chain reaction stops and the fire would be vanished. However, the ambient temperature (heat) remains temporarily but below the flash point for fuel/oxidiser mix and waiting for all the right elements in place and on the right proportions. Likewise, when a sentient being has passed on, the prevailing mind consciousness dies out and the electrochemical impulse/transmission would lapse. However, the subtle mind consciousness still remains temporarily in liberated forms before subscribing to the next becoming process under a balance phenomenon.

As a conclusion, prevailing mind consciousness and sense consciousness would not arise without the manifestation of a physical body. However, subtle mind consciousness is somehow independent from the physical body and would continue to play a significant role in the continuous process of birth, life, death and re-birth - known as Samsāra.

Last edited by takso; May 2nd 2013 at 6:05 am.
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Old Sep 20th 2013, 9:46 am
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Default Re: Tell me about Buddhism....

Nibbāna – how can it be described?

What is nibbāna? And where is nibbāna? For general understanding, nibbāna is not a state of paradise or some sort of heavenly realm that can be found alongside the plane of existence within the cosmos. In an ultimate sense, nibbāna does not exist at all, but why? This is because there is non-existence of the mind to provide with the descriptions, perceptions, names, shapes, etc. within the state of nibbāna. Furthermore, mind is dependent arising but nibbāna is a non-dependent arising state of affairs i.e. with no rising and falling activities taking place. In other words, nibbāna is a completely neutralised state of affairs – in contrast with the conventional phenomenon is subject to the conditional influences i.e. in a continuous and constantly changing state of affairs.

In the dependent nature or samsāra, there is an element of suffering or dukkha. Suffering means ‘bearing with’ in the Buddhist context and ‘letting go’ is the antonym of it. When no grasping arises, the becoming process would slow down. This is because everything in the dependent nature is nothing but energy. And energy is nothing but mere vibration. When the becoming process slows down, it means energy is vibrating at lower frequencies. When the becoming process ceases, energy literally stops vibrating. Energy just got ‘frozen.’ Zero vibration means zero becoming. Zero becoming means an absolute cessation of any changing activities. Thus an absolute stage of absence is achieved. Absence means a perfect state of balance. Therefore, absence is not about nothingness but instead it is about no-thing-ness. No thing means no becoming or no changing. No changing means no suffering. No suffering means no mind. Mind is the forerunner of all states. No mind means a completely neutralised state of affairs - that is nibbāna. The state of nibbāna is inexplicable in conventional terms but still, it can be tasted by the enlightened ones during deep meditation.

However, there is an argument that says nothing stops completely in the scientific world. In physics, there is something called zero-point energy or the lowest level that energy could exist. Scientists have discovered that Hydrogen (the smallest molecule in the material Universe with a single atom) cannot be frozen completely i.e. it would cool down to a specific low temperature and then continues to vibrate again. In other words, the material Universe does not freeze itself completely in the coldest region and there is always energy that vibrates in the outer space.

Well, it is a valid argument that energy can neither be stationary nor be created nor be destroyed in the scientific sense. But how then could we best describe a scenario of ‘frozen’ energy here? Let us look at the case of a black hole in the material Universe. Black holes were originally called frozen stars because they appear to ‘freeze’ at a size just slightly bigger than the Schwarzschild radius - the distance at which all matter within that distance will collapse into the singularity. Around the black hole, there is a surface called event horizon that marks the point of no return. Any objects that fall and cross the event horizon would appear to freeze from the perspective of an observer who is stationary at great distance from the event horizon. Just as in Einstein’s special theory of relativity, if you were to enter a black hole, you would find your watch ticking along at the same rate as it always had but someone else at great distance from the black hole would see a different ticking rate on your watch than the usual, and you would see their watch to be ticking at a different than normal rate.

For instance, if you were to station yourself just outside a black hole, while you would find your own watch ticking at the normal rate, you would see the watch of a friend at great distance from the hole to be ticking at a much faster rate than yours. Your friend would see his own watch ticking at a normal rate, but see your watch to be ticking at a much slower rate. Thus if you stayed just outside the black hole for a while, then went back to join your friend, you would find that the friend had aged more than you had during your separation. At the end of the day, if you were to cross into the event horizon, you appear to freeze, as seen by your friend and it is only an ‘optical’ illusion that makes your friend think that you never cross the horizon when in actual fact you did.

Once again, when one talks about energy, one talks about vibration. And energy can never be stationary at any point of time but it can appear to freeze under a special circumstance described as above. In other words, when there are opposing forces, there would be vibration. In the absence of opposing forces, vibration would cease to exist i.e. it is considered to be blown-off but not annihilated. This means in the absence of vibration, energy would still exist but it seems to freeze due to homologous force arising.

In the Buddhist context, there are two opposing forces arising in the dependent nature i.e. the force of Awakening (an inward tendency force) and the force of Ignorance (an outward tendency force). For an ignorant being, during a disintegration process, the prevailing conscious aggregate or so-called the ‘chain of conscious’ aggregate would die out and the force of Ignorance would overcome the force of Awakening. The subtle conscious aggregate would then liberate into fragments. The amount of liberated fragments is very much dependent on the level of Ignorance or Awakening within the being. And for an ignorant being, the level of Ignorance would surpass the level of Awakening and this would mean the intensity of Ignorance is higher than the intensity of Awakening. A higher intensity of Ignorance would mean a higher intensity of becoming. A higher intensity of becoming would mean a higher amount of liberated fragments. On the other hand, for a fully awakened being, the force of Ignorance would be blown-off (cease to exist) completely. The remaining force of Awakening i.e. an inward tendency force would conquest in full scale and thus conjuring up a circumstance that is known as the black hole of emptiness i.e. the eternal bliss of nibbāna.

As a conclusion, nibbāna is a completely neutralised state of affairs that is boundless, timeless and permanent. The ultimate goal in Buddhist practice is to quest for an everlasting happiness that is unconditional via enlightenment. While enlightenment is about realisation, wisdom is about applying it into one’s daily perspectives and decision making, wholesomely. Therefore, if one wishes to gain enlightenment and wisdom, one would need to walk the walk and not talk the talk. In other words, enlightenment can never be achieved through desire for it is a mere intention of building castles in the air. Buddhism is about the sheer determination to pull one’s act together to end the state of suffering conclusively and not just blowing hot air.
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Default Re: Tell me about Buddhism....

good to see you again Takso , it's been a while. Don't be a stranger . The forum is a less meditative place without you .
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Old Sep 24th 2013, 11:17 am
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Originally Posted by nonthaburi
good to see you again Takso , it's been a while. Don't be a stranger . The forum is a less meditative place without you .
tq.
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Buddhism: A full transformation of the Mind

Buddhism is a philosophy that explores the luminosity of the mind. The Buddha has mentioned that mind is the forerunner of all states. In other words, the mind is ultimately responsible for interpreting the existence under the circumstances of duality – phenomenon arises. Therefore, what exists is defined as that which can be known. If it cannot be known by the mind, then it does not exist. And things can exist as in fallacy or in reality i.e. subject to the discriminating activities being carried out by the mind. Furthermore, mind is dependent arising and it is a pattern of consciousness that is born from awareness. In fact, mind is known as consciousness in individuality and it is more objective and involves clear discrimination – differentiates and understands the characteristics of objects.

If one refers to the cycle of Dependent Origination, manas that unfolds against the backdrop of consciousness (preliminary) is an architect or a designer that activates mind and body creations. Mind and body are simply two aspects of the same thing. Manas would vibrate in a certain unique frequency – a wave of collated high and low vibrations. This blueprint of vibrations would subsequently bring forth the conflation of mind and body. The principle in effect: the lower the frequency, the slower the vibration; the higher the frequency, the faster the vibration. Slower vibration would lead to the body and the sense bases formation and faster vibration would lead to the mind formation. Collectively, it brings about a new life existence with a unique individuality that would not allow the disruption by any kind of external interference; thus it maintains a self-identity. In other words, mind and body are present in every created thing as one integrated whole. Even an atom has a kind of mind that is unique or individualised. The nucleus of the atom, around which electrons vibrate in standing waves, constitutes the atom’s individuality. As a result, one atom distinguishes from another atom – just as one person is different from another person or as one thing is different from another thing.

Nevertheless, the mind is comprised with two terms i.e. prevailing conscious and subtle conscious. Both prevailing and subtle mind consciousnesses would arise in the sentient beings but for other things, merely subtle mind consciousness would arise. In addition, it is the mind, the consciousness of individuality, which holds together the atoms and molecules as one integrated body in a life time. Scientifically, the atoms are held together by covalent chemical bonds but the synergies of it would give rise to the mind, the consciousness of individuality.

As a summary, no duality or multiplicity would arise in the non-existence of the mind. This is because there is no subject to ponder on the object or matter. When there is no mind arising, no phenomenon would arise. When there is no phenomenon arising, no dependent nature would arise. When there is no dependent nature, there would be no perception, no conception, no label, no boundary, no name, no activity, no shape, no relation, no description, no stereotyping, no beginning, no ending, etc. An ultimate reality is a truth that exists beyond mind and beyond concepts and words in the sense that it is beyond our usual ways of perceiving things.

Luminosity of the Mind

The pure nature of the mind is luminous and it is due to the presence in the waves of dependent phenomena that have clouded it from discerning the reality of circumstances i.e. ignorance arises. As such, Buddhism is a philosophy that focuses on transforming an ignorant state of mind into an enlightened one. An enlightened mind can be described as a prevailing conscious mind with liberation from the thoughts i.e. instead of being the thoughts; the perspective is shifted to watching the thoughts churned out by subtle conscious mind. The role of prevailing conscious mind is like mind-in-command i.e. the mind that can lead, take charge, concentrate, make decision and convey action. In other words, it means prevailing conscious mind would make observation without identifying with the thoughts – subtle conscious mind. This liberation from thought identification to thought observation is called the experience of the Buddha nature.

During the process of observation, the enlightened prevailing conscious mind could also discern with the so-called memory fragments of the previous lives subdued within subtle conscious mind. This is because within the subtle conscious aggregates, one would discover the subtle memory aggregates. Within the subtle memory aggregates, one would discover the subtle information aggregates. In other words, the enlightened prevailing conscious mind could see through the ‘seed treasures’ of kamma accumulated from the retained subtle information throughout the series of one’s past lives in crystal clear and without hesitation.

Besides seeing through the past life events, an enlightened mind could also foresee into the future events. In a layman term, it is named as a de-ja vu experience or some kind of time travelling to the future condition. This is because an enlightened mind is highly luminous and vigilant to any development of circumstances and surpassing time. In Buddhism, it is mentioned that only a human can attain enlightenment as a fully enlightened Buddha. This is because humans are just one type of sentient being with both the prevailing conscious and the subtle conscious mind stream that can find balance between happiness and suffering via the practices of concentration and mindfulness during the meditation process. Therefore, in the absence of the prevailing conscious mind, the attaining of full enlightenment is not possible.

Basically, there are two types of meditation in Buddhism. One is samatha and the other is vipassanā meditation. Samatha meditation is to calm or tranquil the mind by means of concentration. Whereas, vipassanā meditation is to mould the mind into seeing all things as they really are – an insight into the true nature of reality. The main focus of vipassanā meditation is to attain pure awareness via mindfulness. Vipassanā is always preceded by samatha in order to achieve favourable results in meditation.

Upon entering deeply into a meditative state (in full concentration), the prevailing conscious mind would separate from the subtle conscious mind. The main reason for engaging samatha meditation is to calm or tranquil the wilderness of the subtle conscious mind. Thereafter, the prevailing conscious mind enters a state of pure observation (mindful) without identification on the flow of thoughts conjured up by the subtle conscious mind until pure awareness is attained.

Moreover, when one has gained enlightenment while sustaining with a living body the mind would still exist but with a paradigm shift to seeing all things or happenings in the ultimate perspective without delusion or hesitation. The mind has not gained with a complete liberation yet and this circumstance is also known as cessation with remainder. The ultimate liberation or cessation without remainder can only be achieved without sustaining a living body i.e. the passing into parinibbāna.

During one last time of disintegration process, the subtle conscious mind would be absorbed into the black hole of emptiness and then followed by the prevailing conscious mind. In the absence of the mind, the dependent phenomenon would die out concurrently. Ultimately, there is no mind remaining in the infinite, unchanging, permanent and unconditional state of nibbāna and this is the ambience for an eternal bliss.
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