Instantaneous Being - A Buddhist Logic

Simply short and sweet.
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Instantaneous Being - A Buddhist Logic

The Buddhist logician agues, that there are only two ways in which we can obtain our knowledge, through our senses and our understanding, i.e. one non-intelligible and the other an intelligible source. Just as there are two source of knowledge, the external world is also double it is either the Particular or the General. The Particular is the object corresponding to our senses cognition and the General is the object corresponding to our understanding or our reason. Example; 'This is a cat'. 'This', would represents the 'Particular' perceived by the senses, 'Cat', would be the 'General' after our intellect has process the information and arrive at the conclusion of what ‘This’ is. Thus we have a double world, one from our senses and the other, a thought constructed one, the intelligible.

Also, what is percept by the senses are momentary flash of energy only. The permanent, eternal Matters are imagined. All things without exception have the character of being instantaneous, of being spit in discrete moments, and they disappear as soon as they appear. Even the simple stability of our everyday objects is something constructed by our imagination. What is ultimately real in this world is instantaneous.

Whatsoever existed exists separately from all other existing things. It has its own existence which is apart from other existing things. If its existence merges with the existence of other things, it is a mere name for those other things, or a construction of our imagination. e.g., the Soul does not exist apart from mental phenomena. Matter does not exist apart from sense-data. Since they are not apart, they do not exist at all.

Everything, necessary must have an end, whether it is a knowledge deduced by observation or by deduction without the help of our sensory experience. We would have notice by observation, that such thing as fire, changes every moment, so do our thoughts, even our body is constantly changing, and by a broad generalization, not just the body, but everything, is older by a moment in every succeeding point instant. There is no need of thing to be dependence on special cause for it to end, as if that is the case, then we would have empirical objects which never would have an end and would have an eternal existence.

Existence, real existence means efficiency, i.e. it has to keep producing an effect, meaning it has to change at all time. What is absolutely changeless is also absolutely non-efficient and does not exist. To be static means to be motionless and eternally unchanging. Not to be static means to move and to change every moment. There is motion always going on in living reality, but of this motion, we notice only some special moments which we stabilized in imagination. The deduction is that, change is existence, what does not change, does not exist.

Buddhist Logic does not claim to know about the transcendental. It only deals with the phenomenal world and how we can make senses of what is going on around us. The understanding of its logical explanation should give us a better grasp and knowledge of some of the Buddhist teachings, such as impermanence, causation, and no-self.  

Unenlightened Blabberings

There is dukkha, there are the causes of dukkha, there is the cessation of dukkha, and there is the path to the cessation of dukkha.

Dukkha, Anicca, Anatta, realized from the Noble Eightfold Path. The 3 Dharma Seals and the Path forms the 4 Noble truths.

What exactly can one make out of this in relation to this life?  This is the most common thought that has preoccupied my mind in the short 3 years since rediscovering the Dharma. We all want to find meaning: one that the intellectual mind can define, one that fit into our expectations, one that equates to happiness. Happiness is the meaning, the purpose, the final objective. And so we seek within this short span of life for this meaning. We build relationships, careers, wealth, all over again and again and use these to define the meaning. We tell the same story over and over again: This family is who I am, this career is who I am, and I am the success story! Yet when the time comes and we allow the mind to be silent for a moment, there is an unspoken unease. An uneasiness that we are too afraid to face, for we are not sure. Then we hold on to these identifications over again, ignoring the fact that they too shall pass. So there is Dukkha.

Anicca, or transformation, is the nature of this world. No single moment is the same, whether we perceive it or not, period. It’s the natural law of this world. It’s this way in the minute scale; it’s also this way in the broadest sense. The moments it take for a seed to grow and blossoms, the seasons of spring, summer autumn and winter, or just simply the change of heart of an ex-partner. The senses can’t perceive the minute moments without training, so we’re not bothered by it. What we are bothered by are the changes that occur in the broad sense, as well as the changes that we can attribute to someone else. I hate changes! We hear this so often. Why can’t the changes in my life stop? Oh yes they won’t, not ever. The failed relationships, the failed careers, the failed endeavors; everything that has taken a change for lesser is more often than not taken to be a failure. And who decides it’s lesser?

That brings us to us. Everything that we experience, think of and identify with is pivoted on this persona we identify to be ourselves. And this persona takes its form through the experiences, thoughts and identifications in this life. So this auto looping process is happening real time every single moment of this life, without question, and creates the wonderful story of my life. The interesting, and frightening, thing is we feel this sense of lack at the same time all the time! It’s like nothing, and absolutely nothing, can completely define who I am at all. Well yes the work can define what I do, the relationships can define my different social roles, but is there really anything that can completely define who I am? Sometimes we use this lack for self improvement which is essential, but most times we use it for our indulgences. And just as the thirst is not quenched by salty water, the temporary gratifications cannot satisfy the sense of lack. Have we stopped and looked directly at this sense of lack for what it is? Mostly not, for the first attempt will usually be greeted by fear; A fear of finding what’s never there in the first place.

For the past year, there had been a subtle attachment. An attachment to realization. What is realization? How does it feel like to realize? Will a realization change this life finally? Again finding the meaning of realization. The readings, the sittings, the contemplations, the practice of patience, mindfulness and all of this. These have to lead to a realization, they have to! And so another form of attachment takes place. An attachment to realization. Well the seeking shall continue, and there is no seeker. This is where it begins and is where it ends.

And then dukkha is no-dukkha, anicca is no-anicca and anatta is no-anatta. God I hate this great and clumsy invention of mankind called language.

Shifting The Way of the Bodhisattva Posts to Facebook

Well, guess ive taken too long a break, gonna restart to study the teachings. However will be posting the verses and any additional notes to my facebook page, there's better chance someone interested in practicing can get in contact with this precious teachings.

Here's the address of the page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Way-of-The-Bodhisattva/176310119065579

Alan Watts on Fear of Enlightenment

Short Christmas Wish

This period of the year always bring back much sensations of joy and melancholy for me. The physical sensations of these two emotions are the same in actuality, only the thoughts that they are tagged to makes the label. On this Christmas, most will feel these same sensations, and it will be wonderful if they are tagged to the label of joy for everyone.

Share the love with someone, anyone. May there be peace and happiness. With metta, Merry Christmas.

Identifying Real Problems & Letting Go of Imagined Ones

Identifying Real Problems & Letting Go of Imagined Ones

Mindlessness at it's best!

Did something really ridiculous today. Really really ridiculous. This morning when I left my car, and was so preoccupied with taking the items from the boot, I left the car running and went off to the office. Yes the engine was still running when I returned 9 hours later to retrieve the car, and the key was there, and no one drove it away!

Such a mindless act! The first reaction that was caught was one of panic, as I walked towards the car, felt my pocket and realized the key was not there. Greeted this anxiety, and very quickly it left to allow its nemesis, Relief to enter. Well at least the car is still here! That was the thought. So quickly took a peek into the car and there it was, the key!

So I opened the door, and twisted the key, and shocked was I. Oh my goodness. The engine was running. Sat into the car and felt the heat, as well as the continuous stream of anxious thoughts. ‘Will the car explode? Why is it so hot? Is the radiator burning? Why is the heat meter still at average level?’ It goes on and on. Kleshas have this ability, when they start streaming, they never stop until an action is done. So I picked up the phone and called my brother who is working as a car mechanic. Though he assured that nothing will be wrong, the mind is half convinced, and continued on its stories all the way on the drive home.

Once it got tired of telling stories about the car, it turned its attention to itself. ‘How the hell could this have happened? Haven’t you been meditating every single day? Haven’t you been mindful of your breath throughout the journey? Haven’t you this haven’t you that?’ It’s astounding the number of questions arising in such a short span of time.

And, like the earlier stories, once the questions run its course they naturally stop. The only one that left behind, waiting to be contemplated on later on is ‘What is this teaching?’

It doesn’t bother a bit that such a mindless act can still happen, nor what will happen to the car after this, nor the fact that it doesn’t bother a bit. This is just another condition coming to fruition, while arising the way for some consequences in the future. One thing for sure is life will still go on, the fallibility of human behavior will still manifest, and no one is here to claim ownership of them.

Some other thought of someone dear in the past seems to be clinging on more strongly lately. Maybe this incident is a condition to contemplation on the more pressing attachment.

It’s gonna be a long night tonight. And hopefully the car can start tomorrow morning.