From the speaker's handout for this session:
"The 18 degrees of VOID
or "Much Ado about Nothing"
or "What is this crazy little thing called VOID?"
or "Today, let's talk about Nothing."
Question: Why this particular fascination of attention? Why do we need to know this answer to what was there before we existed, or to what happens to us after we no longer are alive?"
What are the rewards of knowing: Will we stop suffering? Will we reach nirvana or enlightenment if we know?
The question of death: If our consciousness goes out of our body, where does it go? To the VOID?
or Does consciousness just extinguish/end what remains? VOID
Before we were all "dust" from where did we come? Where do we go?"
Our speaker this week raises a question about VOID versus EMPTINESS. He inquires whether the difference is that emptiness requires a container in order to define it. One of our Buddhist members disagreed and said that her teachers have always said that there is no need for a container. The Emptiness defined in Buddhist thought is more an emptiness of an individual independent self, but it is a fullness of interdependent being and relationships. It is a little hard for the author of this blog to get her mind around this concept. But the following link expresses this idea in a way that we can grasp more easily. The Buddhists in the group felt that this is the meaning of Emptiness in Buddhism and possibly also of Voidness.
http://www.eastern-philosophy-and-meditation.com/buddhism-ii.html
I also Googled the word Emptiness in Buddhism and got a Wikipedia article on Sunyata. I put this link below here in this summary only for all the readers to attempt to get through this Wikipedia article. It is very difficult to understand. A think a lot of different Buddhist thoughts and metaphysical concepts are cited in this Wikipedia link, but it seems to me that it emphasizes one thing that Paul N. has always told us(paraphrased): "It is not for us to understand these concepts. We as humans will never be able to answer those questions posed in the above paragraphs. And it is liberating to fully realize and accept this fact."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9A%C5%ABnyat%C4%81#Emptiness_in_the_Tath.C4.81gatagarbha_Sutras
D. Y. has done some research work for this session to detail 5 progressive steps of meditation on Emptiness. He offers these notes from Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rimpoche, of the Kagyu Lineage, Tibet.
Hinayam: 1.) Sravaka (no-self) Remove suffering by not clinging to self, and when we remove suffering, that is nirvana!
Mahayana 2.) Cittmatra (mind only exists) Mind=Matter. There is no dichotomy . Aim is to experience in Meditation, the natural spaciousness and clarity of awareness.
Madhyamika (Rangong) 3.) Svatantrika -- Aim is to exhaust the reasoning mind. Preconceptions leave. this refutes "self nature" and our true nature is emptiness. The mind is a vast open space.
Madhyamika Rangong 4.) Prasangika (nonconceptual) Denial of rest of the mind naturally without conrivance in the natural emptiness of mind. ????
Shentong Yogacara (Vajrayana?) 5.) Shentong (Emptiness of Other) Mind's nature is clear light. Aim is a calm clear mind in emptiness which is enlightened and without content. The fruition is nakedness stripped of every stain.
Our speaker this session proposes for consideration "the Arica Axiom: "The purpose of the human being is to produce Void.' Glimpsing the void is remembering who we really are. The aim of meditation is remembering our true nature. Prajnaparamita **-- to find the essential ." From D. Y.'s notes.
The author of this blog has heard our speaker. D. Y. briefly refer before to Oscar Ichazo and his theories. This Arica Axiom comes from Oscar Ichazo who lives Arica, Chile. If anyone wants to read a little more about Ichazo's ideas, I give you the link below. Much of this linked article has to do with logic and therefore at least for me, is hard to understand. It discusses trialectics which is the form of logic that Ichazo proposes. But the last few paragraphs at the end of this article do seem to have something to say about what we discussed on October 20. I felt a little better understanding of some of our discussion after reading these last paragraphs.
http://www.tomislavbudak.com/en/basic/trialectics-logic-for-new-millennium.html
**Also if you would like to read more about Prajnaparamita, here is a link. This word is Sanskrit and means Wisdom with Perfection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prajnaparamitain
Finally, D.Y. wanted us to consider the 18 degrees of Void. I tried to find some Internet explanation or even a listing of these 18 degrees or elements of Voidness but couldn't find much. Therefore I am just listing these as D.Y. found in his research for whatever value it might have for you readers. Here is the list:. I do not know the exact reference for this list. 1.) Internal voidness, as of sensory response to stimuli; 2.) External voidness, as of external stimuli; 3.) Internal and External Voidness n union; 4.) Voidness of Voidance, itself; 5.) Great Voidness, as of space; 6.) Real Voidness, as of the realization of Nirvana; 7) Compounded Voidness, as of the Universe; 8.) Uncompounded Voidness, as of the Uncreated, Unmanifested Nirvana; 9.) Boundless Voidness, as of infinity; 10.) Voidness of Beginninglessness and Endlessness, as of eternity; 11.) Remainderless Voidness, as of mathematical zero; 12.) Natural Voidness, as of all objective things; 13.) Voidness of Phenomena; 14.) of Predictions; 15.) of Non-Thought; 16,) of Immateriality; 17.) of Reality; and 18.) of the non-Substantiality of Reality. There are in Tibetan voluminous works and commentaries devoted wholly to the expounding of these eighteen degrees of the Voidness.
AND FINALLY, here is a link that I found which I think is the best of all regarding this Buddhist concept of Emptiness.
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/metaphys/empty.htm
"The 18 degrees of VOID
or "Much Ado about Nothing"
or "What is this crazy little thing called VOID?"
or "Today, let's talk about Nothing."
Question: Why this particular fascination of attention? Why do we need to know this answer to what was there before we existed, or to what happens to us after we no longer are alive?"
What are the rewards of knowing: Will we stop suffering? Will we reach nirvana or enlightenment if we know?
The question of death: If our consciousness goes out of our body, where does it go? To the VOID?
or Does consciousness just extinguish/end what remains? VOID
Before we were all "dust" from where did we come? Where do we go?"
Our speaker this week raises a question about VOID versus EMPTINESS. He inquires whether the difference is that emptiness requires a container in order to define it. One of our Buddhist members disagreed and said that her teachers have always said that there is no need for a container. The Emptiness defined in Buddhist thought is more an emptiness of an individual independent self, but it is a fullness of interdependent being and relationships. It is a little hard for the author of this blog to get her mind around this concept. But the following link expresses this idea in a way that we can grasp more easily. The Buddhists in the group felt that this is the meaning of Emptiness in Buddhism and possibly also of Voidness.
http://www.eastern-philosophy-and-meditation.com/buddhism-ii.html
I also Googled the word Emptiness in Buddhism and got a Wikipedia article on Sunyata. I put this link below here in this summary only for all the readers to attempt to get through this Wikipedia article. It is very difficult to understand. A think a lot of different Buddhist thoughts and metaphysical concepts are cited in this Wikipedia link, but it seems to me that it emphasizes one thing that Paul N. has always told us(paraphrased): "It is not for us to understand these concepts. We as humans will never be able to answer those questions posed in the above paragraphs. And it is liberating to fully realize and accept this fact."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9A%C5%ABnyat%C4%81#Emptiness_in_the_Tath.C4.81gatagarbha_Sutras
D. Y. has done some research work for this session to detail 5 progressive steps of meditation on Emptiness. He offers these notes from Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rimpoche, of the Kagyu Lineage, Tibet.
Hinayam: 1.) Sravaka (no-self) Remove suffering by not clinging to self, and when we remove suffering, that is nirvana!
Mahayana 2.) Cittmatra (mind only exists) Mind=Matter. There is no dichotomy . Aim is to experience in Meditation, the natural spaciousness and clarity of awareness.
Madhyamika (Rangong) 3.) Svatantrika -- Aim is to exhaust the reasoning mind. Preconceptions leave. this refutes "self nature" and our true nature is emptiness. The mind is a vast open space.
Madhyamika Rangong 4.) Prasangika (nonconceptual) Denial of rest of the mind naturally without conrivance in the natural emptiness of mind. ????
Shentong Yogacara (Vajrayana?) 5.) Shentong (Emptiness of Other) Mind's nature is clear light. Aim is a calm clear mind in emptiness which is enlightened and without content. The fruition is nakedness stripped of every stain.
Our speaker this session proposes for consideration "the Arica Axiom: "The purpose of the human being is to produce Void.' Glimpsing the void is remembering who we really are. The aim of meditation is remembering our true nature. Prajnaparamita **-- to find the essential ." From D. Y.'s notes.
The author of this blog has heard our speaker. D. Y. briefly refer before to Oscar Ichazo and his theories. This Arica Axiom comes from Oscar Ichazo who lives Arica, Chile. If anyone wants to read a little more about Ichazo's ideas, I give you the link below. Much of this linked article has to do with logic and therefore at least for me, is hard to understand. It discusses trialectics which is the form of logic that Ichazo proposes. But the last few paragraphs at the end of this article do seem to have something to say about what we discussed on October 20. I felt a little better understanding of some of our discussion after reading these last paragraphs.
http://www.tomislavbudak.com/en/basic/trialectics-logic-for-new-millennium.html
**Also if you would like to read more about Prajnaparamita, here is a link. This word is Sanskrit and means Wisdom with Perfection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prajnaparamitain
Finally, D.Y. wanted us to consider the 18 degrees of Void. I tried to find some Internet explanation or even a listing of these 18 degrees or elements of Voidness but couldn't find much. Therefore I am just listing these as D.Y. found in his research for whatever value it might have for you readers. Here is the list:. I do not know the exact reference for this list. 1.) Internal voidness, as of sensory response to stimuli; 2.) External voidness, as of external stimuli; 3.) Internal and External Voidness n union; 4.) Voidness of Voidance, itself; 5.) Great Voidness, as of space; 6.) Real Voidness, as of the realization of Nirvana; 7) Compounded Voidness, as of the Universe; 8.) Uncompounded Voidness, as of the Uncreated, Unmanifested Nirvana; 9.) Boundless Voidness, as of infinity; 10.) Voidness of Beginninglessness and Endlessness, as of eternity; 11.) Remainderless Voidness, as of mathematical zero; 12.) Natural Voidness, as of all objective things; 13.) Voidness of Phenomena; 14.) of Predictions; 15.) of Non-Thought; 16,) of Immateriality; 17.) of Reality; and 18.) of the non-Substantiality of Reality. There are in Tibetan voluminous works and commentaries devoted wholly to the expounding of these eighteen degrees of the Voidness.
AND FINALLY, here is a link that I found which I think is the best of all regarding this Buddhist concept of Emptiness.
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/metaphys/empty.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment