takso

Vijja

Vijja refers to the higher or the pure knowledge obtained by the mind as a result of attaining the various stages of jhāna (an altered state of consciousness with profound stillness and concentration) via deep meditation. An enlightened mind is a meditative mind that is luminous, highly commanding and could see clearly through the time stream, the space and the plane of existence. Basically, there are eight categories identified as below: -

1. Knowledge of contemplation.
- knowledge of body and mind interdependence (mentality and materiality).

2. Mind created body.
- astral projection (out-of-body experience).

3. Psychokinesis.
- the various workings of psychic powers.

4. Clairaudience.
- ability to hear into the celestial conversation.

5. Knowledge of the others mind.
- ability to know what other people are thinking.

6. Knowledge of the past lives.
- ability to review into the events of past lives.

7. Clairvoryance.
- ability to see into devas, ghosts, spirits, etc. (heavenly eyes).
- not equivalent to yin-yang eyes.

8. Knowledge of the destruction of the āsavas.
- āsava refers to the uncontrolled mental outflow (consciousness).
- attainment of cessation (Nirodha Samāpatti).
- when consciousness ceases, all suffering and existences cease.

As a conclusion, vijja would serve as a reflection for the state of awakening being achieved by the mind via meditation.

bakedbean

I'm puzzling over number 7. You meant clairvoyant? But what do you mean by seeing into spirits? (Emphasis on into)

And yin yang eyes is presumably Third eye chakra?

takso

I apologise for my quick fingers. Yes, I meant clairvoyant. The seeing here is not meant for the visioning of appearance per se. It also goes beyond into scanning the inner portion (or some sort of biodata screening) as well i.e. knowing and seeing clearly the inside out of the spiritual beings.

And for your information, the yin-yang eye is not the same as the third eye chakra. The third eye chakra is deemed as a divine eye that could see things much beyond the conventional eye could vision. It is developed through a combination of high level of consciousness, mental concentration, equanimity, and wisdom that subsequently generates a state of enlightenment or a luminous mind.

The yin-yang eye instead is a unique kind of eye that could only vision the common and the lower level of spiritual beings such as the hungry ghosts wandering in the human realm. It not considered a divine eye because such an eye could not see the higher level of spiritual beings such as devas, angels, or other divine beings. In fact, any individual with the yin-yang eyes is considered as a 'lower luck' human because of his/her sharing the same 'frequency' with the lower realm beings. It could mostly due to that particular individual was a hungry ghost being reborn as a human in the present life time.

bakedbean

Thanks takso.....some I understand, some I don't , and some I don't agree...but that's ok...it's a discussion forum.

Geez, hope I never meet anyone with yin yang eyes... don't care to meet up with any low vibration entities

Anyway, some interesting stuff. Thanks.

HannahJ38

there is a Buddhist center near where I live and I've always wanted to go, my mothers been a few times, as she's a Philosophy teacher, and takes her class and teaches them to meditate! I think it has many great virtues, and I'm very interested in the idea of Vijja.. and being able to read others minds could come in handy!!

takso

Meditation: Seeing Things As They Really Are

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 often preceded by samatha but nonetheless, both types are inter-dependable throughout the practices in order to achieve favourable results in meditation.


Emptiness <= Macro perspective <= MIND => Micro perspective => Emptiness

(Macro - Uniformity & infinite) (Micro - Multiplicity & definite)



Macroscopic analysis <=========> Microscopic analysis

(Zoom out) <============ MIND ============> (Zoom in)
(Vipassanā meditation) (Jhana & upekkhā) (Samatha meditation)


Microscopic analysis of things

If one were to zoom in the analysis of a solid ball by looking into the contents and then its basic matters i.e. atoms, one could realise that the ultimate result would yield to the absence of things (no things). At the end of the day, one could declare that form is empty in the real sense because there is no core essence within it except for the basic elements (energy, matter and space) that orientate and evolve constantly under the influence of the external conditions. In other words, one could mention that the form entity has a delusive nature i.e. it is an appearance, though not illusive, but devoid of inherent existence and constantly varies under the influence of conditional phenomena.

Macroscopic analysis of things

If one were to zoom out the analysis of a solid ball by receding into a long shot distance indefinitely, the solid ball would appear to be shrinking into a tiniest size and one could realise that the ultimate result would yield to the absence of things (no things). In other words, the broader the perspective that one engages in, the lesser the multiplicity of things would appear to be. For example, the viewing of the earth from far and near would yield a different result to the observer’s perception altogether.

As a conclusion, the emptiness of phenomena is both the cause and consequence of the dependent nature of phenomena. It is the inherent quality of existence and is considered the ultimate truth because it inherently exists exactly as it is perceived when it is perceived directly by an enlightened mind. And discovering the ultimate truth is the key to overcoming the ignorant state of mind. Transcending the mind via meditation would allow the dilution of one’s personal ego under the light of pure awareness and subsequently, it would give rise to the original source connection – the emptiness of all things.

More importantly, one should not confuse emptiness with nothingness. Emptiness cannot be meant as nothingness but instead, it is more associated with no-thing-ness. No thing can mean 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.

takso

How to look at the mechanism of Dependent Origination correctly?

In Buddhism, the introduction of the cardinal doctrine of Dependent Origination is imperative for one to understand well on the principle of emptiness that influences the continuing and repeating cycle of rising and falling of all things in the dependent nature (also known as the vicious cycle of samsāra). Thus far, it has always been shown forth in a rather simplistic causal linkage and this has fueled for additional confusion among novices who are literally unacquainted with the system.

Firstly, one needs to make out a correct understanding on the mechanism of Dependent Origination in order to get hold of the proper perspective from the beginning stage. In Buddhism, the Dependent Origination is literally a principle of interdependent causation. Right now, the key argument here is the prefix ‘inter-’. In other words, it is not appropriate for one to emphasise excessively on the word ‘dependence’ as against with ‘inter-dependence’. Let us ponder into the cycle of dependent origination shown as below: -

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 sparkling. Sparkling 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.

For general understanding, Buddhism basically touches on the scenario of cause and condition more than the case of cause and effect. Frankly speaking, all phenomenal existences are products of the proper combination of causes and conditions. Each of the causes would need other causes to be present together with their respective conditions. Just like for a new house to exist (as the result), we need bricks, cement, wood, iron rods, roof tiles, plastic pipes and other materials. The construction can only be completed when one has all the essential materials (as the causes) and all the prerequisites are met (as the conditions), such as the skillfulness of the workers, the time allocation, etc. The wood needs the forest, the sunshine, the rain, etc. The workers need their parents, their meals, their clothing, their shelters, etc.

If we were to observe these scenarios in its entirety, we could realise that everything in the cosmos attributed to the existence of the new house; without it, the new house would be impossible. The clear fact here is that one cause is never enough to bring about an effect. A cause must, at the same time, be an effect, and every effect must also be the cause of something else.

The principle-in-effect: -

Cause 1 conjures up Effect 1,
Effect 1 conjures up Cause 1-1,
Cause 1-1 conjures up Effect 1-1,
Effect 1-1 conjures up Cause 1-1-1,
.., etc.

Therefore, cause and effect are simply two aspects of the same thing i.e. both of it are inter-be. The only difference between these two aspects is the time of event. In other words, cause and effect are inter-changing, inter-relating and inter-waving with one another. This is the modus operandi of the conventional reality i.e. not in-linear but in interdependence, inter-woven and inter-relation since the dawn of time in a very comprehensive and complicated network of existence. On this pretext, the coordination of Dependent Origination cannot be referred independently in a linear point of reference and therefore, no first cause, no first effect can be found within the dependent nature. Instead, there is only inter-dependent co-arising of all things or matters.

As a conclusion, we could mention that everything is a matrix of everything in the dependent nature. But the dependent nature per se is an inherent existence that is uncaused, indestructible and eternal. The main reason for the arising of duality or multiplicity in the dependent nature is due to the mind. But, why is there mind arising in the dependent nature? It is because there are elements of energy. Why are there elements of energy in the dependent nature? It is because there is emptiness. Why is there emptiness in the dependent nature? It is because there is emptiness of emptiness. In other words, the emptiness of phenomena is both the cause and consequence of the dependent nature of phenomena.

For example, let us place a solid ball in front for you to gaze at it effortlessly: -

If you were to zoom in the analysis of a solid ball by looking into the contents and then its basic matters i.e. atoms, you could realise that the ultimate result would yield to the absence of things (no things). This is because in a real sense there is no core essence within it except for the basic elements (energy, matter and space) that orientate and evolve constantly under the influence of the external conditions. In other words, one could mention that the form entity has a delusive nature i.e. it is an appearance, though not illusive, but devoid of inherent existence and constantly varies under the influence of conditional phenomena.

On the other hand, if you were to zoom out the analysis of a solid ball by receding into a long shot distance indefinitely, the solid ball would appear to be shrinking into a tiniest size and you could realise that the ultimate result would yield to the absence of things (no things). In other words, the broader the perspective that one engages in, the lesser the multiplicity of things would appear to be. For example, the viewing of the earth from far and near would yield a different result to the observer’s perception altogether.

Emptiness <== Microscopic analysis (samatha) <== MIND ==> Macroscopic analysis (vipassanā) ==> Emptiness

From the above analysis, we could conclude that the emptiness of phenomena is both the cause and consequence of the dependent nature of phenomena. It is the inherent quality of existence and is considered the ultimate truth because it inherently exists exactly as it is perceived when it is perceived directly by an enlightened mind. And discovering the ultimate truth is the key to overcoming the ignorant state of mind. Transcending the mind via meditation would allow the dilution of one’s personal ego under the light of pure awareness and subsequently, it would give rise to the original source connection – the emptiness of all things. And the emptiness of inherent existence of the mind is called the Buddha nature.

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