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Do we live to die, or die to live?

The fact is that both life and death are human constructs, that is, they are just different concepts from mental consciousness.  By convention, we live and die at the same time and at every moment.  It means that there is no particular period of life or time for the dead after a period of life per se.  All existences would rise and fall at the same time and infinitely under the influences of kamma-vipaka. 

The principle of yin-yang dictates: when a quality reaches its zenith, it naturally begins to transform into an opposing quality.  Uniting the two brings something.  In other words, the elements of yin and yang are shifting, as a current in the ocean, each progression is completed by a retreat, and each ascension is transformed into a fall.  Ultimately, it is all about balancing the dichotomy between yin (decay) and yang (flourish) – the competing and complementary forces, that is, the victor claims the throne.

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When it comes to rebirth, is it truly a reality for everybody or do we only live once? 

All you have to do is observe this: there are endless iterations from Monday to Sunday, there have been Christmas celebrations for 2,023 years, etc.  However, no day or celebration is going to be the same.  Within Buddhism, there is no room for reincarnation a.k.a. transmigration.  In dependent nature, the same soul does not move or transmit through the temporal flow: past, present, and future.  In this context, Buddhism supports the term renaissance or rebirth. The Buddha does not see in any transmigration of all things or matters, but rather the constant and continuous transformation of all things or materials through permeation or dissemination process.

As an orientation of energy in the cosmos, it would be continually and constantly transformed.  Transforming is changing, changing is becoming, and becoming is rebirth.  In this way, energy is constantly born again in dependent nature.  In other words, you don’t have two identical minds, namely your past mind is different from your current mind and your current mind is different from your future mind.  The flow of your mind continues beyond the grave, but there is no transmigration of your mind occurring at any point.  The root cause of this continually reborn individualistic mind or personality is the maintenance of consciousness in ignorance; when ignorance is uprooted, rebirth ceases.

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Why samsāra exists?  Why we are imperfect and imprisoned in samsāra?  Is it some kind of punishment?  I know that we are in samsāra because of our kamma, but why the system of samsāra generally exists?

In Buddhism, samsāra means a continuous stream, namely the iterations of birth, life, death, and rebirth.  Meanwhile, the inherent quality of samsāra is emptiness, with the mind being the precursor for all states.  This means that emptiness is a necessary prerequisite to the existence of an object; without it, the object would be impossible. 

By the same token, energy is a quality that cannot be created or destroyed and the sum of all energies within a system is constant or never changes according to the Energy Conservation Law.  In a way, if we provoke a scene, the natural law that governs the balance would apply throughout time and the planes of existence.  Without this, it is absolutely impossible to reach a constant factor.

Hence, we might conclude that emptiness and energy are fundamental qualities in samsāra (the system of dependent nature) because each thing or event would imply it, without exception.

The following principle applies: -

1.  Why do we have duality or multiple circumstances?  It’s because of an emerging mind, 

2.  Why do we have an emerging mind?  That’s because of the energy,

3.  Why is there energy?  It’s all due to the emptiness,

4.  Then why the emptiness?  That’s because of the emptiness in the emptiness.

In other words, the emptiness of phenomena is both the cause and the consequence of the dependent nature of phenomena.  The emptiness of phenomena is how it appears in direct perception and without the need for reference to another entity.  It is fully defined by its own nature, namely an inherent existence which is without cause, indestructible, and eternal.  Moreover, it is unchangeable when seen from the outside and cannot undergo internal state changes.  This means that there is no constituent part and nothing can be discarded or removed.  Also, nothing can be added to it and no change in outside conditions can affect it.


I know that we are in samsāra from the beginning-less time.  Maybe the better question should be: what happened, that we appeared in samsāra?

In samsāra, the mental consciousness is known as perceiver, whilst the object or matter is known as perception.  This means that it is the perceptive mind, as a non-physical faculty integrating into the five physical faculties, namely, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, which provides observation and interpretation, thus generating conditional phenomena.  As a result, phenomena do not exist in their own quality, but only have an existence dependent on many factors, including a consciousness that conceptualises them.

In the end, our mind is the chief architect of discrimination of all existence.  Just like the famous citation by Brian G. Dyson (former CEO of Coca-Cola), “Value has a value only if its value is valued”.  In other words, all classifications relating to life and death are human constructs, that is, notions of mental consciousness per se.  Without it, all things would appear according to the deepest facts per se, namely no label, no limit, no name, no activity, no form, no description, etc.

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I have been reading more into the concept of Buddha-nature and I was under the impression that in Buddhism all things are subject to change and are impermanent, yet here is a concept of something eternal that is present in all beings... I don’t understand how this is different from Atman. 

Buddha-nature is a phenomenon resulting from observation by the conventional mind.  It refers to an innate feature (behaviour) of our light-filled mind.  In other words, when we look at our usual mind, its illusion is negated, what remains is a nature of clarity of the innate mind.  And Buddhism expresses the potential for exploration of the basic level of mind.  It would mean a chance to make breakthroughs in the realisation of the innate mind which is pure, limitless, powerful, and luminous.

Moreover, the systemic migration from the identification of thoughts to observation is known as the gradual transformation of the state of mind into Buddha’s nature.  In other words, the innate mind has higher vibrational frequencies than the conventional mind and has a broad potential or capacity to project the future destiny of individuals.  As time went by, your ego softened and evaporated into the void.  Ultimately, transcending the mind through meditation would erode one’s personal ego and it will result in the original source connection: the void of all things, namely the Buddha-nature.

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If something is absolute how can it be relative?  How come absolute be relative?

All we see is perspective, either absolute or relative.  For example, there are two aspects to everything (yin and yang) according to Chinese philosophy.  Yin and Yang are actually complementary but opposite forces that interact to form a whole that is greater than either separate part to produce a harmonised dynamic system.  The visual representation of this concept is well represented in the Taijitu symbol or vaguely known as yin-yang symbol.

Literally, Tai-ji stands for ultimate supreme, namely 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.  In general, Taijitu would represent the essential characteristic of absoluteness, whereas yin and yang would represent the essential characteristic of relativity.  The following principle applies: -

From an absolute perspective, one could see the essential characteristic of relativity.  And from a relative point of view, one might witness the essential characteristic of absoluteness.  In the end, any conclusions made are merely two sides of the same coin.

Can you explain what that means?

Tilopa:

Although you say space is empty,
You can’t say that space is “like this”.
Likewise, although mind is said to be sheer clarity,
There is nothing there: you can’t say “it’s like this”.
Thus, the nature of mind is inherently like space,
It includes everything you experience.

Like this means, the related condition would be hampered under its precondition mindset, just like putting labels on things.  In fact, we should never label anything, because the reality of all things is unimpeded.  Indeed, it is our delusional mind that always tends to manipulate things with myriad labels.  For general understanding, the ultimate reality emerges beyond the mind and beyond concepts and words in the sense that it is beyond our normal ways of perceiving things. 

Language and conception only imply that things exist in distinct ways, namely wise person, dumb person, saint, devil, etc. (in such well-defined and independent categories).  To perceive the ultimate reality is to see that nothing exists in these fantasised, impossible, black and white ways.  In other words, the ultimate reality is such, without label, without attachment, without stereotype, without colour, without beginning, without end, and for the ease of our expression, we could sum it up as the most profound fact on things.

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I can’t really understand how everything (the absolute) can be nothing, because the universe is energy to me.  It’s energy because the universe is matter (including us, so there is no “I” or “me”) and all matter is energy according to E = mc2.  Like, I understand how there is no I, no you, no mind, and all are one, but I don’t understand how there can be no consciousness (since you’re conscious as you read this,) no energy, and no perception.  I’m really curious about the logic that leads to that conclusion, though.

Firstly, the burden of phenomena or existence lies with the mind itself.  In other words, things do not exist intrinsically as this or that on their own, without relation to the consciousness which perceives them.  In dependent nature, the mental consciousness is known as the perceiver, whilst the object or matter is known as perception.  And it is the perceiver’s mind, as a non-physical faculty integrating with the five physical faculties, namely, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, that provides the observation and the interpretation; thus, the spawning of conditional phenomena. 

At the same time, absolute truth does not fall within the paradigm of existence.  It springs up beyond the mind and beyond concepts and words in the sense that it goes beyond our normal ways of perceiving things.  Since absolute truth emerges beyond the mental consciousness, then it is clear that there is no subject to provide projections from the other side of objects or matters.  The conclusion is that observable facts or falsehoods must rest with the mind.  Nevertheless, the absolute truth would go beyond the periphery of the mental consciousness.  The following principle applies: -

When there is no arising mind, no phenomenon would arise,
When there is no arising phenomenon, no dependent nature would arise.

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How could one co-relate an observable truth with absolute truth?

Let us take a look at the energy elements.  Energy cannot be created and destroyed, and it is constantly changing and evolving.  However, the sum of energies in a system is constant or never changes.  This implies that energy is a variable and constant element at the same time.  All that exists intrinsically will not involve change and created objects cannot exist intrinsically because it will involve change.  Simply put, absolute truth belongs to an inherent nature with a constant factor, and observable truth belongs to a dependent nature with a variable factor.

The observed truth would arise in the context of absolute truth, without exception.  For example, on a weekly calendar, there are iterations from Monday to Sunday ad infinitum.  In this case, the observable fact that appears on a specific label is Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, and so on.  Simultaneously, the absolute fact would be called the flow of spacetime a.k.a. the process of becoming.  However, it is inappropriate to label the process of becoming either like this or like that because it has no beginning and no end in nature.

Moreover, it is impossible to measure the process of becoming unless one manipulates it in an observer mode, namely to grasp things with labels such as last Monday, next Tuesday, 3.25 pm, Friday 13th, 2020, etc.  And the process of becoming observed varies with different observers under fluctuating vibrational frequencies, for instance, different planes of existence.  Ultimately, we could simply acknowledge that every day, every week, or every year would be different.  Indeed, in a blink of an eye, all events or phenomena observed by our mental consciousness would fluctuate, and be renewed simultaneously and continuously.

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Is the absolute truth also everything?  Or otherwise, asked: Am I, you, all living beings, the physical world, all the energy of the universe, consciousness, and everything actually what can be defined as the absolute truth?  If it is all one and there is no duality, then I think that only the terminology changes, and that it would be the same to say “absolute truth” and “all the energy of the universe”.

Everything we see is a perspective.  Perception is a reality created by the mental consciousness.  Any definitions or interpretations given by the perception of the mind would belong to the same category of created truth.  So, whether the absolute truth is like this or like that depends on the respective observers.  Likewise, if you think, “This is what I am, then I am”, or “If you see that is what I am, then I am”.  The bottom line is that the findings are only two sides of the same coin.  All experiences and perceptions are said to fall into the field of mental consciousness.

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Fear, pleasure, pain and such all serve the purpose to improve our odds to survive; not to listen to them would be putting oneself in danger.  What do you think about it?

Life doesn’t have a real purpose.  If things are made to be, they shall be, and vice versa.  The applicable principle: -

This arising, that arises; this ceasing, that ceases. 

Ultimately, we are nothing more than manipulations of our own mental consciousness.


What and where is the unconscious?

Imagine this:  When a flame goes out, that doesn’t mean it’s over.  It just means the chain reaction comes to a halt and the fire goes away.  However, the ambient temperature (heat) remains temporary, but below the flash point of the fuel/oxidiser mixture and waiting for all the correct elements in place and proportions.  The applicable principle: -

This arising, that arises; this ceasing, that ceases. 


Why is there something rather than nothing?

The absolute truth is that all things would fall either in the realm of something or no-thing.  That’s all there is to it.  Ultimately, there is always something within the realm of something and there is still nothing within the realm of nothing.  So, what are you in now?

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God is pure awareness.  Is it really God?  Did I meet my God?  But, I thought it was just a normal part of the human mind.

For someone who believes in the existence of God as the creator and ruler of the world or universe, all existence in the cosmos would arise and fall into the realm of God.  This means that all beings or things are the essential constituents of God and hence, as humans, we may also be known as namesake gods.  Likewise:

Had you been born in the Kingdom of Great Britain,
you would be known as a Briton;
Had you been born in the Kingdom of Spain,
you would be known as a Spanish;
Had you been born in the Kingdom of France,
you would be known as a French.


Is there time for bodhisattvas?

What does time mean?  Time is a dimension or just a measurement of the process of becoming.  This means that time alone is created by the mind and as a result it is subjective rather than objective in its orientation nature.  Becoming is about existing and existing is about becoming.  As a result, time still exists for bodhisattvas before advancing to nibbāna.  In other words, nibbāna doesn’t exist because there isn’t a process of becoming.

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Now to my point, or what I am struggling with.  I feel like by letting go of the ego, attachments, and seeking pure awareness.  I am inching closer to nihilism where nothing matters and everything is ultimately meaningless.  This is not a place where I want to be.  I hope I can get some help with this struggle.  I’m coming from a “personal” experience of trying to follow Buddhist precepts, not one of trying to logic chop or be overly philosophical. 

The road to liberation may be simplified and straightforward.  All you need is just to appreciate it and try it without hesitation.  Be ready and brace yourself for your mental transformation.  This involves observing without identifying with thoughts.  And the systemic migration from identifying thoughts to observing is known as the progressive transformation of mentality into a Buddha-nature.  Simply put, it means that your flow of mind should be in a steady state all the time.  Yes, equanimity is the cure you need all of this time.  Benefit from your liberation immediately!

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If God is “you” and you only speak for yourself, how do you explain prayers that are answered with the results happening outside of your individual control?

Everything in the cosmos is composed of no more than energy.  Energy is just a term to describe a capacity to do things and is commonly measured as frequency.  On the other hand, frequency is the speed at which something happens within a given period of time.  For someone who believes in the existence of God as the creator and ruler of the world or universe, all existence in the cosmos would arise and fall into the realm of God.  This means that all beings or things are the essential constituents of God and hence, as humans, we may also be known as namesake gods.  In fact, God is a subject of reverence for most of the confessions found in this world and is placed at a level of existence superior to that of the human world.

However, the gods would only exist in the field of energy.  This means that the difference between gods and humans is simply their varying vibrational frequencies. The gods would ascend into the realm of the higher frequency with the shorter wavelength, whilst humans would rise in the kingdom of the lower frequency with the longer wavelength than god.  Generally, beings with the higher vibrational frequencies of another plane of existence would have the capacity to impinge on the innate human mind consciousness.  A doorway or so-called wormhole is seen as necessary to initiate spiritual communication and is embedded in the innate mental consciousness of the human being in itself.

In other words, a wormhole is literally a crossroads for different planes of existence.  Basically, there are different levels of vibrational states of being and a journey through time between different planes of existence is seen as possible by a wormhole.  However, the basic rule is that any beings with higher vibrational frequencies would discern other beings with lower vibrational frequencies and not the reverse.  This means that the object or matter must transpire within the frequency horizon of the subject; without it, it would be impossible to observe.  For example, a journey through time could happen in the human plane via a frequency tweak which is commonly observed in trance mediumship.  Again, the difference between gods and humans lies simply in their varying vibrational frequencies, just as energy and matter are but two aspects of the same thing.

The Realm Of Present-dynamism

All things would exist under the present dynamism simultaneously.  The projectile temporal movement discernible by our mental consciousness is purely due to relativity, because of the varying vibratory frequencies.  Consequently, we often instill the habit of building narratives from a series of linear events; thus, the creation of time-shifting delusions, according to the past, the present, and the future.  Generally speaking, conventional time is subjective-cum-relative, namely, it relies on the mind of the observer to feed the assessment on the other side of the object or matter.  In the end, the overall episode varies depending on the different observers or minds.  The applicable principle: -

Present-dynamism  =  Frequency x Becoming (Space x Time)

In the present dynamism, a higher vibratory frequency would produce a process to become slower and vice versa.  For instance, in relative terms, the experience of a second in a heavenly plane with superior vibrational frequencies is equal to 10 years for the human domain with weaker vibrational frequencies.  As a result, it would be wrongly assumed that all heavenly beings are immortal.

In other words, there is just a regeneration of events all the time into the present-dynamism.  It means, in the blink of an eye, that all events or phenomena would fluctuate and renew endlessly.  In the same way as the gravitational effects on the earth for all the different masses are the same (acceleration value, g = 9.80 m/s2) although the rock hits the ground before the feather itself.  Let’s review the illustrations below: -

Plane Of Existence
1.  Plane X (1-hour)        2.  Plane Y (10-day)        3.  Plane Z (30-day)

Frequency Band
1.  Plane X  =  Extremely High Frequency (EHF); Range = 30 to 300 GHz
2.  Plane Y  =  Ultra High Frequency (UHF); Range = 300 to 3,000 MHz
3.  Plane Z  =  Very High Frequency (VHF); Range = 0 to 300 MHz

Timeline (Process Of Becoming)
1 hour in Plane X  =  10 days in Plane Y  =  30 days in Plane Z

Note:  Comparatively, the clock would appear to be ticking faster in Plane Z than in both Plane Y and Plane X.  This is because a higher vibration frequency would give a process to get slower.

Observation Of Events
1.  Individual X  -->  Plane X  =  will experience
2.  Individual Y  -->  Plane Y  =  will experience
3.  Individual Z  -->  Plane Z  =  will experience

Note:  Individual X, Individual Y, and Individual Z are the so-called “same-natured” or interconnected beings on various planes of existence, but still within the same group consciousness traits.

Time Travel (Observation)
1.  Individual X  -->  Plane Y and/or Plane Z = have experienced
2.  Individual Y  -->  Plane Z = have experienced

Note:  The scope of the object’s frequency should be within the subject’s frequency horizon field; without it, observation would never be possible.  If the perceiver’s vibrational frequencies are lower than the perception, then cascading events are considered impossible.

What Do Phenomena And Existence Mean?

Phenomena appear to ascend or are perceived by our senses to arise within themselves, but they are not.  All phenomena, including emptiness, are dependent.  It does not exist in an intrinsic way like this or that on their own sides, unrelated to the consciousness that perceives them.  With regard to existence, that which exists is defined as that which may be known by the mind or otherwise, it does not exist.  By convention, things can exist within the confines of the mind as fallacy or reality.

For example, in a room, there are two individuals, namely Individual A (Mind A) and Individual B (Mind B).  Let’s say Individual A is holding a ball that is concealed from Individual B.  In this case, the ball exists in the room because it is already known to Individual A (Mind A).  However, there is no ball in the room if you ask Individual B (Mind B).  Ultimately, it is the mental consciousness itself that is responsible for the development of the phenomenon or existence.  The following principle applies: -

Without mental consciousness, no phenomenon would take place,
Without the phenomenon, there would be no dependency.

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Vipassanā Meditation: To See Things As They Really Are

The purpose of vipassanā meditation is only to model the mind to see all that it really is.  In other words, the mind would enter into full observation (mindfulness) without identifying the stream of thought until the pure awareness is fulfilled.  Let’s see the illustrations below: -

Microscopic Analysis Of The Object (Solid Ball)
By zooming in, you could see what was in the core of the solid ball, the atoms.  But there was nothing to discover apart from the vibrant space.  In the end, this observation would give way to the emptiness of the substance.

Macroscopic Analysis Of The Object (Solid Ball)
As you zoom out, the solid ball seems to shrink to the smallest possible size.  In the end, such a finding would also give way to the emptiness of the substance.

The above analysis has revealed that the emptiness of phenomena is the cause and consequence of the dependent nature of phenomena.  This is the inherent nature of existence and is seen as the ultimate reality because it exists inherently right as it is perceived directly by the enlightened mind.

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Kamma And Wishes

In Buddhism, kamma refers to volitional action, but by definition, it means action.  Therefore, to have a glimpse of kamma and its consequences (kamma-vipāka), it is vital to understand the laws of motion.  Let us consider Newton’s laws of motion as shown below: -

1st Law Of Motion
Every object in a coherent state of motion tends to remain in this state of movement unless an external force is applied.

2nd Law Of Motion
It has to do with the relationship between the mass of an object, its acceleration, and the applied force.  Under this law, the direction of the force vector is identical to the direction of the acceleration vector.

3rd Law Of Motion
Every action leads to an equal and opposing reaction.

In a nutshell, Newton’s third law of motion would fall into constant motion. This means that we can assume that the incoming factor is the same as the becoming factor.  However, the opposing forces would indicate a single harmonising mechanism under a variable motion, as shown below: -

Scenario 1 - Acceleration
When the incoming factor accelerates, the relative becoming factor decelerates: -

Force A incoming↑    Force A becoming↓

For example, a twin who flies off in a spaceship travelling near the speed of light and comes back to find out her twin is a lot older.  That’s because the twin inside the spaceship would meet the deceleration process of becoming. It describes time dilation based on Einstein’s special theory of relativity.

Scenario 2 - Deceleration
When the incoming factor decelerates, the relative becoming factor accelerates: -

Force A incoming↓    Force A becoming↑

For example, if the speed of the car drops, it is literally decelerating; mathematically, it is an acceleration in the opposite direction to that of motion and vice versa.  This scenario also explains why the process of recovering people would accelerate after taking a cool vacation.

For the general understanding, human thoughts are cosmic waves of energy that pervade all time, space, and it is the most powerful vibration that can attract what is desired or wished for.  This means we attract what we send (like draws like) but the timeline for the end result always depends on the performer’s skills.  Given this, every desire for happiness and well-being of oneself and others must be carried out in a meditative state with full concentration and awareness, that is, in a slow-paced recitation.  It is mainly a question of using deceleration factors to accelerate the final result.

In Buddhism, the mettā bhavana (cultivation of loving-kindness) is regarded as one of the powerful antidotes to relieve immeasurable suffering in samsāra.  It is a potent antidote that accelerates the realisation of emptiness and the enlightenment of individuals.  Ultimately, all wishes should be expressed not only in a clear and slow discrete tempo, but also in full concentration and mindfulness.  This allows you to gain insight into immediate outcomes.  Unfortunately, most people don’t always get what they want, primarily because of improper enforcement.

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Understanding Of Dependent Origination

In Buddhism, Dependent Origination is referred to as a principle of interrelated causality.  It explicates that 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.  Let’s look at these causal relationships: -

Equanimity (E0) 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 discomposure.  Discomposure leads to adjustment.  Adjustment leads to alignment.  Alignment leads to equanimity (E1).

In the dependent nature, everything is a matrix of everything and all things or matters are interdependently co-arising.  As such, it is essential to see the Dependent Origination in a correct perspective that does not build narratives out of a series of linear events.  In conventional reality, all things will co-exist interdependently across a complex web of existence.

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Cause And Condition

To be honest, any phenomenal existence is the product of the right combination of causes and conditions.  For example, in the yin-yang philosophy, our body consists of the combination of the four major elements of earth, water, fire, and wind.  If some of these elements are not in an orderly orientation, physically we would be taken ill.  Ultimately, the four major elements may be characterised as the causes, while the harmonious orientation between these elements constituted the conditions.  The following principle applies: -

This arising (the cause and condition), that arises (the result),
This ceasing (the cause and condition), that ceases (the result).

In other words, everything that’s out there comes from various causes and conditions.  Each case would require other causes to be present and their respective conditions.  Just like for a new home to exist, we need bricks, cement, wood, iron bars, roof tiles, plastic hoses, and other materials.  Construction can only be completed if all essential materials are available and all prerequisites are met, such as workers’ skills, time allocation, etc.  The chain of links: wood needs forest, sunlight, rain, etc., and workers need their parents, food, clothing, shelter, etc.

Through contemplation, we would realise that everything in the cosmos is attributed to the existence of the new home; without it, the new home would be impossible.  This means that no single cause is ever sufficient to produce an effect.  A cause should simultaneously be an effect, and every effect should also be the cause of something else.  In other words, the cause-effect relationship is just two sides of the same thing.  Ultimately, all things or matters in the cosmos are interdependent co-arising infinitely.  The following principle is applicable: -

Cause 1 evokes Effect 1,                     
Effect 1 evokes Cause 1-1,                   
Cause 1-1 evokes Effect 1-1,
Effect 1-1 evokes Cause 1-1-1,
etc.

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Time Travel Through Wormholes

A wormhole is viewed as a portal for different planes of existence.  First, the object or matter has to be within the subject’s frequency horizon; without it, observation would be impossible.  This means that all existences with higher vibrational frequencies would be capable of discerning other existences with lower vibrational frequencies and not the other way around.  For example, time travel could happen within the human domain and it is commonly known as trance.  In trances, we can ask the different spirits to guide us and the innate mental consciousness of the medium is the gateway to such spiritual communication.

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Seeking Truth

In general, the truth comes out of you because “you are the truth”.  It means you’re making truths and not someone else.  Literally, it’s hard for a person to see the truth because “their eyes couldn’t see their own eyes”.  For example, ducks and cattle are two created truths.  Indeed, such truth is known as conventional truth.  It is a subjective-cum-relative truth and the final conclusion varies from one observer to another.

For example, if you had to show an iPhone to a caveman, he would describe it as a worthless hard object.  And if you show it to an ant, then it becomes a huge, heavy item.  Likewise, in respective circumstances, you can be named as a son, a father, a preacher, a student, a Caucasian, an American, a skinny man, an old man, a stranger, and so on.  Ultimately, the observer will provide the recognition according to his or her respective perceptions.

Meanwhile, for one who believes in the existence of God as the creator of the universe, every life in the cosmos would rise and fall into God’s kingdom.  This means that all beings or things are the essential constituents of God and realising the whole perspective of Mother Nature is what enlightenment is about in Buddhism.  It is regarded as the zenith of all phenomena with the attributes of emptiness, that is, the supreme state of all things.

For a theist, this phenomenon is also called the Supreme One or God.  That is the most profound fact where nothing can be recognised beyond its periphery.  In the final analysis, there are two sides to truth: conventional truth and ultimate truth.  Before expressing one’s viewpoint, it is imperative to side with the truth, respectively.  Nonetheless, to see the truth can be simple and straightforward.

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Buddhadhamma: Embracing Neutrality

For general understanding, Buddha’s teaching is not a restricted path dedicated to the select few.  Precisely, Buddhadhamma (Buddha’s teachings) is merely about direct experience by yourself and nothing else.  It’s in the air that you breathe, in the things that you feel or touch, it’s just all over the cosmos.  Hence, it is universal and applicable to all beings or things, independently of the planes of existence.

Meanwhile, the original teaching of the Buddha transcended Buddhism as it is conventionally understood.  The enclosed suffix -ism in this context represents adhesion to a system or class of principles as taught by the Buddha.  Actually, the original context of Buddhadhamma focuses on methodology rather than on the character of an individual.  This means that it lies in the direct experience of oneself, by oneself or through other means.

Furthermore, the Buddha advises his listeners not to believe what he has said until we investigate it.  It is to keep the original essence of Buddhadhamma intact and timeless.  In Buddhism, it is possible to achieve nibbāna by concentrating the mind towards letting go of things or matters and by exhibiting a balanced attitude.  Nibbāna is a supreme phenomenon which will manifest itself without conditional phenomena.

In the end, Buddhadhamma is supremely limitless, stereotype-less, and nameless.  It is never about what a single person accomplished a few thousand years ago, but rather about the way to spiritual liberation.  In other words, it is about direct experience, recognition and liberation, not the blind obsession of Buddhism, which ultimately leads to spiritual imprisonment.  Therefore, embracing neutrality is the key to the ultimate discovery of truth.

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Nibbāna: How Does This Get Described?

Nibbāna is not categorically a state of paradise or a sort of celestial realm, but a completely neutralised state of things.  This contrasts with the conventional phenomenon of conditionality.  Basically, in deep meditation, there would be a slower process of becoming with the vibrating energy stretching away from the central point of the source at a slower pace.  As the process of becoming ceases, so does the energy.  It’s literally a frozen state of energy.

In Buddhism, the mind is the precursor to every state.  During enlightenment, the complete absence of circumstances is realised by the mind, which is akin to a state of equilibrium.  This is also called full neutralisation of conditional phenomena.  But absence does not mean nothingness, it means no-thingness.  Ultimately, the lack of vibration would halt the process of becoming and the mental consciousness.  The following principle applies: -

No-thing would mean no becoming, 
No becoming would mean no suffering,
No suffering would mean no mind,
No mind would be a complete neutrality, 
and it’s called nibbāna.


Does No-thing Exist?

If we were to divide the word “nothing”, it would become two words: “no and thing”.  Literally, no-thing signifies a lack in the process of becoming.  When a person goes into deep meditation, the process of becoming slows, that is, the energy moves away from the central point of the source at a slower pace.  As the process of becoming ceases, the energy also ceases to vibrate.  This means it just froze, namely the cessation of any changing activity.  When the total lack of circumstances is achieved, it is known as a blown-off state of things. Hence, absence is not about nothingness, but rather about no-thingness.  The following principle is applicable: -

No-thing would mean no becoming, 
No changing would mean no suffering,
No suffering would mean no mind,
No mind would mean no existence.

The mind is the forerunner of every state: no mind would mean a fully neutralised state of affairs, which means no-thing.

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Kamma-vipaka

In Buddhism, kamma is described as a volitional activity, while vipaka refers to its later outcome.  This means that there is a deliberate action that provokes a powerful reaction.  To better understand kamma-vipaka, it is necessary to study the mind as it is a forerunner of all states.  By nature, the mind is a pattern of consciousness composed of a combination of dominant and subtle aspects.  The dominant mental consciousness is like a controlling mind that can direct and convey action; unlike the subtle mental consciousness that looks like a herd of wild horses that wander instinctively.

For general comprehension, the dominant mental consciousness is a prerequisite to kamma-vipaka, otherwise the so-called volition would cease to exist.  That is to say, any thought or action involving the dominant mental consciousness would be sensitive to kamma-vipaka influences.  It is because volitional human thought or action would produce the most powerful vibration that permeates all time, space, and attracts that which is desired or wished for.  Just like swelling large waves with huge energy would produce a visible and lasting implication for the environment.

At the end of the day, favourable energies attract favourable energies and vice versa.  In Buddhism, the human world is a central plane for kamma-vipaka because of the presence of dominant and subtle mental consciousnesses.  The means of initiation of new volitional kamma arises in the human domain if compared with other fields of existence.  As such, it is imperative that we nurture the innate mental consciousness while living in the human domain.  It is because our next phase of existence resides in the tendencies of today’s mental consciousness.

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Everything Is One And One Is The Whole

Through direct experience, we know that humans and things cause pleasure, pain, and that they can help and hurt.  Hence, the phenomena definitely exist, but the question is how?  The fact is that they do not exist in their own quality, but only have an existence that depends on many factors, including a consciousness that conceptualises them.  Simply put, a cause is never sufficient to produce an effect.  A cause must, at the same time, be an effect, and each effect must be the cause of something else as well.

In dependent nature, we know something that is always constant, which is the process of becoming.  It would then evoke the energy that is just the vibrant space.  Fundamentally, the alternating motion of the opposing forces would generate a continuum of the wavy model swinging back and forth.  It is for this reason that activities fluctuate infinitely.  Indeed, one could acquire new knowledge about Mother Nature by understanding the characteristics of energy.  

At the end of the day, we could witness the duality or multiplicity of circumstances as simple side effects of vibratory energy.  It is similar to a single gravity pendulum in play, that is to say a weight suspended from a hinge that could swing freely when moved laterally from its equilibrium position to rest.  This means that all phenomena, the subject-object relationships, are created as continually convoluted existences rather than as discrete units.

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Memory And Its Significance

In psychology, memory is the ability of an organism to store, remember, and recall information and experiences.  At a basic level, it can be categorised into dominant and subtle aspects.  Dominant memory is also known as working memory; a short-term memory that arises in conjunction with the dominant mental consciousness and physical body or, more specifically, the brain.  While subtle memory is a long-term or indefinite storage and it springs up with subtle mental consciousness.  Let’s analyse the cycle of Dependent Origination, as follows: -

Equanimity 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, etc.

Typically, each existence consists of three basic elements, namely energy, matter, and space.  These elements would be subject to the cyclical influence of equilibrium and imbalances.  The applicable principle: under balanced phenomena, the basic elements would intertwine through the process of aggregation, while it would dissociate through the processes of segregation under unbalanced phenomena.  During aggregation, certain information would be generated, stored, and recalled into the integrated elements.  This is critical for the evolution of consciousness in dependent nature.

For general comprehension, memory has two basic functions, namely information deposits and retrievals.  These are the undertakings to preserve and recall the facts.  For example, ice, water, and steam appear differently depending on the orientation of H2O properties.  Without a subtle recollection of their respective shapes, iterations of ice, water, and steam would be impossible.  Besides, the memory would support with kamma seeds and fruits.  Without memory, the law of kamma would not be possible due to the lack of the process of becoming into all beings or things.

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What Is The Law of Attraction: Like Attracts Like?

As the proverb says, “He looks like me, sounds like me, but even so, it’s not me”.  In general, like is equal to similar; it is not equal to identical, that is, exactly similar.  This means that the expression “like attracts like” is not at all about a connection between two or more objects or matter that would denote the same features.  Consider both sides of Mother Nature below: -


Both Sides To Mother Nature

                                                  Facet 1                                                                  Facet 2

… (-2+2) + (-16+16) + (-22+22) + (-133+133) + (0) + (-54+54) …, etc.                      =    0

Key: -

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

... + (0) + ...  =  this ceasing, that ceases. 

( .... )  =  the law of balancing.

-2+2 or -133+133  =  the law of attraction.


Ultimately, the law of attraction refers to the same quantum of objects or quantity of matters, but with a different direction and chronology, namely a vector quantity.  For example, the results of things that one has done will someday have an effect on the person who started the events, as the saying goes, “What goes around, comes around”.


Electric Charge

The electric charge is the physical property of matter and it is a scalar quantity.  In general, positively charged atoms are repelled from other positively charged atoms, but attracted to negatively charged atoms; negatively charged atoms are repelled from negative and attracted to positive.  This means that any substance having the same characteristics would repel each other and that any substance having complementary characteristics would attract each other.  Let’s look at the illustrative mathematical equation below: -


(-2+2) + (-16+16) + (-133+133) + (0) + (-54+54)  =  0

Indirectly,

1.  (-2+2) repels (-16+16), (-16+16) repels (-133+133), (-133+133) repels (-54+54), etc.

2.  -2 attracts +2, -16 attracts +16, -133 attracts +133, -54 attracts +54, etc.


What Is Science?

Science is all about observable facts.  And observable facts are observable facts because it doesn’t matter who experiences or measures.  By the way, who observes and interprets?  It is the observer’s mind as a non-physical faculty integrating with the five physical faculties, namely, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body.  In other words, the observable facts depend on the mind of the beholder for the description, definition, recognition, or evaluation oF the other side of the object or matter.  For this reason, it is also known as subjective facts.

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Future Reality

The future reality is only a triumphant expression of vibrational frequency competitions in Mother Nature.  For general comprehension, frequency is described as the speed at which something occurs or repeats in a given period of time.  This means that the responsibility for the future reality lies with the party that asserts it, namely the respective traits of consciousness.  Just like competing and growing seeds where any gardener who becomes the first person to turn the dormant seed into a living thing would win the race.  This means that the future reality is all about infinite possibilities and it is navigated in the present condition only.

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Regarding beginning-less, the problem is positing a first cause.  In your model, what is the very first cause of phenomena to come into balance?  In terms of the material universe, what is the first cause for the start of the universe, or how does something arise from nothing?

The iterations of birth, life, death, and rebirth in Mother Nature are due to its relevance to inherent existence and anything inherently existing would not imply any change.  In Buddhism, dependent nature is referred to as samsāra, which is a continuous stream.  This means that there are iterations of fluctuating activities according to conditional phenomena.  As such, it is not correct to construct Mother Nature’s narratives from a series of linear events.  In conventional reality, all things or matters will coexist in interdependence through a complex network of existence.  This means that no primary cause or effect can be detected in the dependent nature.  Rather, all things or matters are interdependent co-occurring.

Meanwhile, in the material universe, there are many existences that are indistinguishable to our bare eyes.  But we know one thing that is constant is this process of becoming.  It is the underlying element of all the things or events that we could observe here and now.  With the process to become, there would be a process in evolution, namely, there would be some circumstance that would form some kind of capability known as energy.  This is something that has always been there and has been consistent with the Energy Conservation Law.  Ultimately, the first existence since the dawn of time would be the first cause of dependent nature. 

In addition, something like the object does not derive from nothing, but rather from the energy that exists in a system.  It’s because energy and matter are just two aspects of one thing; the two are reflected under different forms, according to the Einstein formula, E = mc2.  And since we are unable to discern energy with our bare eyes, we would call it empty rather than nothing.  At the end of the day, any event that occurs, consciously or unconsciously, is only a continuum of energy flowing through the cosmos.  It is hard for anyone to see into that ultimate truth because the mind is dependent.  Therefore, in order to discover the true nature of everything, one should not conceptualise anything.

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Can you explain more about what you mean here about the dawn of time and the first cause?  Earlier you said that energy and emptiness don’t have a beginning.  There is a logical problem with positing a first cause.  I don’t really understand what your view is here?

Time is an indicator of the event and the dawn of time signifies the first phase in the process of becoming.  And since the process of becoming is beginning-less, its oldest phase would be itself.  Ultimately, it corresponds with the inherent existence because of its unchanging nature.

Does an enlightened person has no memory?

When Buddha became enlightened at the age of 35, he still has his mental consciousness occupied for the next 45 years.  This means that the mind, memory, and body of the Buddha remain untouched until parinibbāna.  Only at that time could the mind be released unconditionally and definitively.  In other words, when one has acquired enlightenment while maintaining a living body, the mind would still exist, but it simply perceives everything from the ultimate perspective, without any illusions or hesitation.  The mind has yet to achieve total liberation and this circumstance is also known as cessation with the remainder.  It means that the final liberation or cessation without the remainder can only be realised without sustaining a living body.

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So, do you think that someone who is born physically disabled or with Down syndrome has anything to do with their past kamma?

The essence of emptiness is that a cause is never sufficient to induce an effect.  What’s more, not all things are the same or completely different.  The duality or multiplicity of circumstances is simply the final outcome of the various aggregating activities observed by the mind under the influence of multiple causes and conditions.  In other words, we could say that our current state is affected by our previous kamma.  However, it must not be considered a single or direct source in and of itself.  It will come to light that everything in the cosmos is attributed to the existence of our kamma-vipaka; otherwise, our kamma-vipaka would be impossible.


Personally, I have no idea about enlightenment?  Any advice?

Enlightenment signifies a complete realisation of emptiness, a stage of perfect intermediation, a stage of absence, and a cessation of suffering in the dependent nature.  To suffer means to endure something and to let loose is the antonym of it.  In the course of deep meditation, the process of becoming would slow down in the absence of capturing activities.  This means that the energy moves out of the centre of the source more slowly.  And every time the process of becoming ceases, the energy ceases to vibrate, which means that the energy just freezes.  The following principle applies: -

No vibration would mean no thing,
No thing would mean no changing,
No changing would mean no suffering,
No suffering would mean no mind,
No mind would mean a completely neutralised state of affairs.

Ultimately, there is a complete lack of circumstances.  This is like a balanced situation, in other words, nibbāna.

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Correction - In the physical world, nothing stops completely.  In physics, we have something called zero-point energy, or the lowest level that energy could exist.  Scientists have discovered that the Hydrogen (the smallest molecule in the Universe with a single atom) cannot freeze completely (which means it will not stop moving or vibrating).  It will cool down to a specific temperature and then, continue to vibrate and doesn’t freeze anymore.  This is why the Universe doesn’t just freeze in the coldest region - there is always energy that vibrates in space.  Therefore, metaphysically speaking - as long as there is consciousness, you and I exist.

That’s a really good point.  Yes, I agree with you that energy can’t be stationary, can’t be created, and can’t be scientifically destroyed.  But how best to portray a frozen energy scenario here?  Take the case of a black hole in the material universe.  The black holes were originally called frozen stars because they seem to freeze slightly larger than the radius of Schwarzschild, namely the distance at which all matters within that distance will collapse into the singularity.  Around the black hole, there is a surface known as the event horizon that marks the point of no return.  All objects falling and crossing the event horizon appear to freeze from the viewpoint of an observer stationary a long distance from the event horizon.

According to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, if you were to get into a black hole, you would find your watch at the same speed it has always had, but someone else far away from the black hole would see a different ticking rate on your watch than normal, and you’d see their watch spinning at a different pace than usual.  For example, if you were to park just out of a black hole, while you will find your own watch at normal speed, but you would see a friend’s watch at a great distance from the hole to be ticking at a much faster pace than yours.  Your friend would see his own watch turning at a normal rate, but see your watch rotate slower.

So, if you stayed right out of the black hole for a while, then returned to join your friend, you would realise that the friend had grown older than when you separated.  Ultimately, should you cross into the horizon of the event, you seem frozen in the eyes of your friend, and it’s just an optical illusion that reminds your friend that you never cross the horizon when in reality you have.  Meanwhile, the fact is that energy can never be stationary at all times, but it may seem to freeze under particular circumstances.  That is to say, when there are opposing forces, vibration is inevitable.  However, without vibration, the energy still exists, but it appears to be freezing because of the presence of similar forces.

You seem to be suggesting that there isn’t an individual stream of consciousness from life to life, but a reformulation of multiple fragments of consciousness.  How do you square that with the notion of kamma being passed on from one life to the next or a path to nibbāna taking more than a single life?

In Buddhism, the law of kamma dictates that an action would cause a chain of reactions and vice versa.  It’s just a universal law that’s not shaped by religious beliefs, but a mechanism that provides a sustainable balance in nature.  Moreover, Buddhism embraces rebirth, not reincarnation.  Rebirth means the evolution of consciousness or the stream of consciousness of a person and the new consciousness of the same person (in the new person after death) is neither the same nor completely different from the former consciousness, but it is part of a continuum of causation or flux with it. 

Fundamentally, when someone dies, his/her subtle-consciousness transpires in the soul or spirit and carries with the kamma seeds.  That is because, within the subtle consciousness, we would discover the elements of memory and information.  The information stored in each life cycle would then evolve into the so-called treasures of kamma seeds that have been amassed throughout the series of his past lives.

For example, the subtle consciousness of: Individual A would carry kamma-seed A, Individual B would carry kamma-seed B, and Individual C would carry kamma-seed C.  When a new being is born (Individual ABC), he or she would inherit all the respective kamma-seeds from Individual A, B, and C.  This is what the void in Buddhism signifies, namely all beings and things are formed as continually convoluted existences rather than as discrete units.

Consequently, the law of kamma can never be decrypted like an eye for an eye because you can’t clearly separate things or events.  Each created event or object has been interdependent and interrelated since time immemorial in an extremely complicated network of existence.  In a nutshell, each existence would not be totally identical or different from each other; this is known as universal emptiness.

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In your illustration of how a stream enterer would attain liberation across lives you claim that the fragmented consciousness would only recombine with other fragments at the same stage of kamma.  Is that how it works for everyone that our fragments can only combine with those with the same kind of kamma?

Perhaps you are aware of the law of attraction, namely like attracts like, unlike repels unlike.  Our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions produce energies which in turn draw in like energies.  For example, if you start with positive thoughts all the time, it will attract favourable energies and things will unfold positively.  This is how the call to pray for someone works: the transfer of merit.

In the meantime, the law of attraction would lay down the law of kamma, namely turning the seeds into kamma fruit.  For example, Seed A would emit A energy that, in turn, would draw similar energies elsewhere.  At maturity, Seed A will attract enough similar energies and then convert Seed A to Fruit A.  Eventually, similar subtle-consciousness traits among different individuals would attract and unite together, much like the saying, “Ashes in ashes, dust in dust”.

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What was the cause of the first moment of ignorance to arise?  Doesn’t everything have a cause?  Therefore, what is the cause of the very first moment of dependent phenomena, why didn’t it arise earlier or later than it did?

Ignorance signifies the condition of being uneducated, unaware, uninformed, or lack of knowledge, education, awareness by the mental consciousness itself.  This means that mental consciousness is a necessary prerequisite for ignorance to exist.  In Buddhism, the mind is the precursor of all states and with its maintenance in ignorance, there are elements of suffering in the dependent nature.

Nonetheless, the first link, namely ignorance, in the doctrine of Dependent Origination cannot be regarded as the primary cause.  This doctrine does not place emphasis on the importance of the primary cause in the dependent nature, but rather concentrates on the root cause of suffering that arises because of the emerging mental consciousness.  Hence, it is incorrect to construct the accounts of Dependent Origination from a series of linear events.

In the end, one would realise that emptiness exists in all dependent phenomena.  Therefore, the emptiness of phenomena is both the cause and consequence of the dependent nature of phenomena.  Moreover, it is impossible to identify the very first moment of dependent phenomena because it does not have a beginning or an end in nature.  And since the dependent nature is beginning-less, its oldest phase would be itself.

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I think where I disagree is where you say that a moment of ignorance arises from memory.  I don’t see why a memory can’t be free of ignorance and why one moment of ignorance can’t be simply said to arise from a previous moment of ignorance.  

Ignorance means the condition of being uneducated, unaware, uninformed, or lack of knowledge, education, awareness.  While memory refers to the undertakings of retaining and recalling impressions, facts, remembrance, recollection, recognising previous experiences or past events or knowledge.  When a person is not educated, unconscious, uninformed of any kind of events, this means past events that have been preserved as references for the present and the future.  Without memory, the iterations of fluctuating activities in the dependent nature would be impossible because all the things or events are interdependently co-appearing ad infinitum. 

For example, ice, water, and steam appear differently depending on the orientation of H2O properties.  Without the subtle recollection of the respective shapes, iterations of ice, water, and steam would not be possible.  Moreover, the memory would carry with the seeds and fruits of kamma.  Kamma seeds and fruits are comparable to deposits and withdrawals of ripe information.  Therefore, the elements of remembrance are responsible for the process of becoming within all beings or things.  Consider the early learning abilities of children.  If memory is missing, any educational programme learned would be immediately forgotten.  More importantly, without memory, the law of kamma in the domains of existence would be regarded as impossible.

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I need some guidance on this: Whenever I meditate, I reached the “falling off a step” point..... then it is really very tranquil.  Are you familiar with this?  There is only the breath at that point.  The only thing is that I can’t sustain it, maybe for a minute or so.  I have heard it is one-pointedness, but not sure, any advice?

For your information, the mind consists of an amalgam of dominating and subtle aspects.  During profound meditation, the dominant mental consciousness would temporarily decouple from the subtle mental consciousness, so the feeling of dropping a step as you mentioned.  The main reason for embarking on samatha meditation is to calm the subtle mental consciousness.  Subsequently, the dominant mental consciousness enters into a state of pure (conscious) observation without identification over the flow of thoughts brought about by the subtle mental consciousness.

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I have one question: If a monk wishes to achieve enlightenment, does it mean that he has desires (to be enlightened)?  Is such desire an awakening force or an ignorant force?

Desire is merely an intent to build castles in the air.  Enlightenment can never come about through desire.  If a monk tells someone he wants or desires enlightenment, then this would be a mistake as it is an ignorant expression.  However, should the same monk later realise and express his determination to attain enlightenment, then it is an expression of awakening.


You are trying to create a difference where there is none.  It does not matter whether the monk uses the word “desires” or “determined”.  Desire is desire and if a monk meditates and performs spiritual training with enlightenment in mind, that by it can be considered as desire (to achieve something). 

Yes, I agree that it’s pretty hard to define these words clearly in the topic of enlightenment.  Maybe we need to replace the word enlightenment with wisdom.  As an example, if you are wise, then you are wise.  There can never be any desire for wisdom.  In the same way, if you’re stupid, then you’re stupid.  There can never be any desire for stupidity.


And yet, wise can lead to the ego.  Is to know all things consider you are wise?  Or to accept that you know nothing is considered to be wise?

No, I hope you’re not thinking of enlightenment as wisdom.  I am merely applying a comparison that there is no desire for enlightenment.  Likewise, there is no way you can desire wisdom or stupidity.  As a matter of fact, wisdom is the consequence of enlightenment, so to speak.

In a sense, while enlightenment is a matter of realisation, wisdom means applying it to day-to-day perspectives and decision-making in a healthy way.  Again, you need to learn first, and then apply understanding and experience with common sense and insight – that’s wisdom.  Meanwhile, stupidity is knowing the truth, seeing the truth, but still trusting the untruth.

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If there is no way to desire enlightenment or wisdom, then why commit spiritual acts or practices?  It is obvious that not everyone can become enlightened, or we all could become enlightened.  So, what are the criteria of a person who can become enlightened over the course of time?

Again, enlightenment and wisdom begin with decisive determination, not strong desire.  If you want to become enlightened and wise, you need to walk the talk – that’s the difference between determination and desire.


I don’t see a difference between determination and desire.  How can one differentiate between them?  A monk can say he is determined to achieve enlightenment and unknowingly, change that into a desire to seek enlightenment, so much so that he refuses everything worldly (including compassion and mercy towards other less fortunate souls).  It is a very thin line between determination and desire.

As I said earlier, it’s pretty difficult to differentiate those words for any ordinary person.  In fact, there is no absolute condition in anything or circumstance that occurs.  Like the yin-yang concept: each one contains the seed of the other, so we see a black yin stain in the white yang and vice versa.  Likewise, a saint can transform into a devil and a devil can transform into a saint simply by a moment of reflection.  For example, in a moment, a monk has the thought of wishing or longing for enlightenment, so this is an ignorant expression.  And from the next moment, he realises and inculcates a resolve to reach enlightenment, so it is an expression of awakening.

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Why do universal laws exist in dependent nature?

Mother Nature is universal and infinite in her native disposition and is governed by universal laws.  In other words, there are two sides to Mother Nature that can be illustrated in a mathematical equation as follows: -

Both Sides To Mother Nature

The two sides will exist simultaneously and can be illustrated in a mathematical equation, as described below: -

                                              Facet 1                                                                Facet 2
                                  The Realm Of Something                                         The Realm Of Nothing
                                     (Dependent Arising)                                              (Inherent Existence)

            … (-2+2) + (-16+16) + (-133+133) + (0) + (-54+54) …, etc.                 =      0
                     
Key: -

Facet 1
=  Dependent arising.
=  The prevalence of the mind that evokes perceptions, designs, labelling, etc.
=  The fluctuating phenomena.
=  The start and end processes.
=  All subjects and objects are created.

Facet 2
=  Inherent existence.
=  No mind at all.
=  No start and end process.
=  No conditional phenomena at all.
=  The Buddha-nature.

Zero (0) 
=  Intermediation, absence, or emptiness.
=  A mathematical value intermediate between positive and negative values.
=  Lack of one or all units under review.

... (-2+2) + ... + (-54+54) ... 
=  Flow values which are dependent.
=  This arising, that arises.

... + (0) + ... 
=  This ceasing, that ceases.
=  A phase of enlightenment.

( .... ) 
=  The law of kamma.
=  A universal law of balance.

-2+2 or -133+133 
=  The law of attraction.

Based on the above mathematical equation, the conclusions could be summarised as follows: -

1.  Mother Nature is a constant system with an intermediary or absent factor.  This means that it will constantly move towards a balanced state.
2.  If a scene is made in Mother Nature, the natural law which governs the balance would come into effect through time and the planes of existence.
3.  All that exists inherently does not imply change and the created objects cannot exist inherently because it implies change.
4.  Dependent nature resembles intrinsic nature.

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What regulates these universal laws? 

From the above mathematical equation, one might see that nature would always steer towards a balanced state.  Generally speaking, every existence (sentient, non-sentient, or any material thing) consists of energy and matter that would orient itself towards a balanced condition.  Furthermore, all things would exist only under perpetual conditions where there is a balance. 

This means that if one causes a scene, the natural law that governs the balance would come into effect in time and in the planes of existence.  This natural law is also referred to as the law of equilibrium.  In Buddhism, it can also be referred to as the law of kamma, namely a portion of universal laws that are not shaped by religious beliefs, but simply a natural mechanism that ensures a sustainable balance in nature.

At the end of the day, the Energy Conservation Law says that energy in a system cannot be created or destroyed and the sum of all energy is constant or never changes.  This implies that the dependent nature needs to be balanced at all times, or otherwise, a constant factor could not be reached in any way.

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What initiates thoughts?

Let’s think about the cycle of Dependent Origination as follows: -

Equanimity (E0) 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 discomposure.  Discomposure leads to adjustment.  Adjustment leads to alignment.  Alignment leads to equanimity (E1).

In the illustration above, we would notice that the conscious elements inside the sentient beings would trigger thoughts or actions.  This means that in the case of thoughts or deeds, a new equal opposing force would arise both through the stream of time and the planes of existence.  Iterations of fluctuating thoughts or actions would make up the wheel of life in Mother Nature.
 

Why are thoughts stronger than other vibrations?

The brief answer is because of the emergent mind.  In general, the mind is known as consciousness in individuality.  It is something more objective and involves clear discrimination that distinguishes and comprehends the characteristics of objects.  The mind is used to understand things since it understands the manipulation of consciousness; thus, self-deception arises among sentient beings in dependent nature.  In Buddhism, the mind is the precursor to every state.  This means that without the mind, things would appear as the deepest facts in itself, namely, without label, without boundary, without name, without activity, without form, without description, etc.


Why does magnetism exist?

It comes from the mechanisms of the law of balance in the dependent nature.  As mentioned previously, Mother Nature is a constant system with an intermediary or absence factor.  Somehow, if one provokes a scene, the natural law which governs the balance would apply through time and the planes of existence.  Otherwise, there is absolutely no way that a constant factor can be achieved.

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Have any Buddhist writers explored whether lack of attachment might be a bad thing?  Personally, I don’t mind enduring some suffering from time to time that comes with an attachment, because I would not want to miss out on the joys that come from attachment.  I don’t see completely ending all of my sufferings as a good thing.  I think it takes courage to take risks: to enter into and develop attachment because you know you may experience suffering, but the joy of the attachment is worth the risk.  I believe it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.  Could someone point me in the direction of discourse or dialogue discussing this exact issue?

In Buddhism, it is revealed that all worldly desires or attachments would ultimately result in suffering.  And desire or attachment is not something that is a sin or something strange that comes into our lives.  As humans, we naturally have cravings or attachments and there is nothing to be ashamed of.  What Buddhism taught is the realisation of the ultimate reality, that is to say, that desire or attachment would lead to suffering.  It’s about the second Noble Truth, namely acknowledge the cause of suffering.

Consequently, if we want to stop suffering, we need the resolve to see through the origin of suffering.  Then we need to work diligently on the right path to end the suffering.  However, if we choose to recognise the cause of suffering and let the condition of suffering continue in our lives, so be it.  There is nothing sinful about such a decision.  In the end, Buddhism is an alternative approach to those in need of spiritual comfort and liberation.  It may not be acceptable for those who cannot live without dependants.  Again, there’s no right or wrong here, just an individual choice.

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Buddhism hasn’t lived up to its promise for me.  I haven’t devoted my life to the Dhamma, but I’ve invested a significant amount of time in studying as much as I’m able to and invested a significant amount of time into meditating.  I’m not seeking some profound religious experience or even jhāna.  I’m just seeking peace.  Do I need to join a monastery to find it?

I assume you have everything wrong with Buddhism.  There is nothing superficial about Buddhism and the earth would still rotate 24 hours a day according to cosmic laws, even if you have achieved enlightenment.  The first thing to take care of is your behaviour.  It is sufficient to look at things or questions from a profound or interior perspective rather than from a conventional or superficial one.  In other words, Buddhism is not a question of circumstances, but of attitude towards circumstances.  Simply change the way you view your environment and you can glimpse a totally different perspective.

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There is a “Big Logical Flaw” in saying everything is changing or impermanent.  Please see...

A motion is always with reference to something that is not moving.  A change means with reference to something that is not changing.  So, the earth is moving with reference to the sun/stars.  Earth cannot be moved without a “Frame of Reference” that is stationary.  So, when I say, “Everything is moving...who recognises that change?”  If the recogniser is also changing... who recognises this change in the recogniser?

A change... or a movement... is always with reference to changeless entity.  So, with reference to what is this changing?  “Change is the only thing that is constant”... is a logical flaw... because what about the truth value of this statement then?

By convention, humans would see things for what they are, rather than what they actually are.  For example, the moon rotates on its own axis, although it may appear contrary to what our naked eyes might observe.  In another case, seeing the earth from a distance and very closely would give a different result to the observer’s perception. 

Also, all that exists is empty because there is no essence to anything and nothing ever existed in its own quality, that is to say, nothing is permanent and immutable.  They only exist in relation to each other as appearances which, in turn, vary with the perceptions of the spectators.  In the end, it is difficult for most people to see that ultimate truth because the mind is intrinsically dependent.

Do you know anyone who has found spiritual liberation/complete enlightenment?  In this life?  If I meet the Buddha on the highway, shall I kill him?  And the inevitable rhetorical question: If I need a thousand lives to be liberated, doesn’t Buddhism divert real solutions back and forth where it’s conveniently unsavoury?  Just like any other belief system does?

On a personal note, I did.  In general, the Buddha is only a title attributed to someone who has fully awakened to the ultimate reality of things, just like doctoral degrees in academic fields.  Maybe you heard the expression, “Rome was not built in one day”.  And at any time, all would pass through a continuum of rebirth processes.  The marvel of nature is that nothing remains unchangeable for a little while.  Basically, you’re here and now: thinking, analysing, writing, or talking not because you showed up like this.  The I, he, she, you, us, or they are intimately associated with the process of becoming (renaissance) and subject to fluctuating activities, as do iterations of wavy patterns that oscillate in both directions.

And Buddhism makes no promises, yes, nothing!  The Buddha has not promised the earth, or we would surely go to heaven with holy thoughts or acts, etc.  The Buddha simply laid out the reality of the circumstances and advised us to live healthily.  This means that Buddhism supports experience and recognition firsthand.  As a result, a leap of faith can never be found in Buddhism.

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It seems in the first quoted sentence you are saying that letting go is good and not the same as giving up hope.  In the next breath, you’re saying that not hoping is to stop clinging/suffering.  These seem contradictory.  In your final sentence, you are saying that the choice is to hope and not to hope. 

The only conclusion I can draw is that you’re making some kind of distinction between “not hoping” and “giving up hope”.  Would you care to elaborate on that?  Because I don’t off-hand see a substantive difference, given that hope is by its very nature, wishing for what we care about.  I don’t know that it can be turned off like a switch, with no sense of loss, unless you consider 100% of human hopes, dreams, and aspirations to be unworthy and ignore-able.

The subtle difference resides in the moment of the gripping activities.  In other words, “not to hope” is called pure disengagement, while “abandoning hope” is about the disengagement that comes after entanglement.

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Could there ever have been an absolute first cause?  For a few reasons I don’t think so, but please don’t take that to mean I am completely atheistic because that’s not the case.  There could never have been nothing because there must always have been the potential for change.  If there is potential, a process is unfolding.  Even empty space is not a nothing because something is pulled out of space itself preventing absolute vacuum.

When certain conditions come together a thing will rise or manifest... cause and effect.  Nothing can predate its own potential to manifest... All effects need their causes.  Without conditions, there would be no causes... All causes are also effects.  Manifestation is precisely potential and potential is precisely manifestation.

Just a thought.

To begin with, dependent nature is inherent nature, and anything that exists intrinsically would mean no change.  Nonetheless, there are cause-effect iterations that manifest themselves in dependent nature.  These are two separate aspects of the same thing, namely, the cause is effect and the effect is causation.  In other words, cause and effect are events that intertwine in an intricate network of existence.  This means that it is improper to construct narratives from a series of linear events, namely establishing the initial causal link.  In the end, dependent nature by itself is absolutely the primary cause as it is an inherent system.

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I’m so confused... what connects us all, what is “passed” kammically from one life to the next, if not the essence of an eternal cosmic force?  I believe the Universe and everything within it are subject to change, yes, but I don’t believe its existence came out of non-existence.  Our kamma influences our future lives, but how can this be so if the self does not exist, and nothing of a past self remains?  Your thoughts, Dhamma brothers and sisters?

By convention, the so-called self refers to a person’s individuality. However, Buddhism teaches non-self, that is, not self-ownership.  That means that there is no fixed entity in the context of oneself, that is to say, the principle of emptiness.  In other words, everything is not immutable at all times.  As the proverb goes, “Now you see it, now you don’t”.  That’s why not two minds are the same, namely your past mind is different from your present mind and your present mind is different from your future mind. 

In fact, your mind stream would continue after the grave, but it is not transmigration of your mind.  For example, a flame is transferred from one candle to another, or a fire spreads from one field to another.  In the same way that it depends on the original fire, there is a conditioned relationship between one life and the next; they are not identical but neither are they completely distinct.  Ultimately, the fundamental cause of this constantly reappearing individualist mind or personality is the consciousness that remains in ignorance; when ignorance is uprooted, rebirth ceases.

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How come there is no transmigration?  Of course, you can say that the mind does not transmigrate but when we perceive with our mind to be this body, “I am”, we could say that the mind has transmigrated into this body, and if we are in this delusion when we die, it will happen again.

Well, Buddhism completely dismisses the word transmigration or reincarnation, but why?  Literally, trans- is a prefix signifying through and through and transmigration means moving or transporting from one place to another.  If we talk about a soul being transmigrated from one body to another body, it means that the same or unchangeable soul makes the movement or transmission throughout the flow of time: past, present, and future.

Nevertheless, in conventional reality, no immutable soul would transmigrate from one body to another.  As such, Buddhism sustains the term to be reborn or resurrected.  The Buddha sees in no transmigration of anything or matter, but on the contrary the constant and continuous transformation of everything or matter by permeation or diffusion process.  This is like the orientation of energy in the cosmos, which is energy would just transform.

The applicable principle: transformation is change, change is becoming, and becoming is reborn.  This means that energy is constantly reborn in dependent nature.  In Buddhism, rebirth means the evolution of a person’s consciousness or current of consciousness and the new consciousness that arises in the same person (in the new person at death) is not identical or completely different from the old consciousness, but it is part of a continuum of causation or flux with it.

For example, a flame is transferred from one candle to another, or a fire propagates from one field to another.  Just as it depends upon the original fire, there is a conditioned relationship between one life and the other; they’re not identical, but they’re not entirely separate.  In addition, rebirth can occur from a single source with different identities, as can the way the genetic line steers through generations.  And that explains the fate of becoming brothers and sisters, life partners, or common friends in a person’s life.

At the end of the day, it is the wonder of nature that each created object or thing is neither identical nor entirely different from one another.  It is in this way that conventional reality operates interdependently.  This means that everything exists conditionally without a perpetual essence and is created as continually convoluted existences rather than discrete units. The interdependence of everything is relevant to the principle of emptiness set forth by the Buddha.

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I read that all five aggregates (form, feelings, perception, mental formations, and consciousness) are annihilated upon attaining nibbāna.  If consciousness is annihilated, isn’t that basically the same as death, since there is no awareness of anything?  I’m also confused because I have seen nibbāna described as the ultimate happiness, but how can it be without perception or consciousness?

The ultimate goal in Buddhist practice is to seek eternal bliss (nibbāna) which is unconditional through enlightenment.  This means the only way to end the suffering (dukkha) once and for all is to switch to nibbāna, namely a totally neutral, unlimited, timeless, and permanent state of affairs.  All other celestial states or realms might simply promise conventional happiness, which is conditional and impermanent.  Therefore, the lifestyle choice is yours ultimately, in pursuit of the ultimate happiness that is unconditional and the permanent or conventional happiness that is conditional and impermanent.

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Energy - is it a form of consciousness?

Consciousness is more than energy, it is synergy.  This means that it is energy that develops through cooperation and that it becomes the key to the geometrical expansion of consciousness.  As a result, one could witness the predominance of the prevailing and subtle mental consciousness.  In the cosmos, energy is a fundamental element because all things and events would involve it, without exception including consciousness.


Incidentally, have scientists discovered what inertia is?  For example, why doesn’t a bowling ball stop dead when it leaves our hands?  We know it rolls onward because of the inertia in it, but what is inertia?  Is inertia some kind of energy in the ball?

Inertia typically refers to the resistance of an object to a change in speed.  And the object is no more than vibratory energy.  In a system, the sum of all energies is constant or does not change.  This means that there is a need for balance or otherwise, a constant factor could not be achieved at all, in accordance with the Energy Conservation Law.  In other words, if one provokes a scene, the natural law that regulates the balance would come into force over time and the planes of existence.  Such a law is not shaped by religious beliefs, but merely by a natural mechanism that assures a lasting balance in nature.

Ultimately, each existence (sentient, non-sentient, or any material thing) consists of energy and matter that would steer towards a balanced condition within the framework of universal laws.  It means that all things would exist only in perpetual conditions where a circumstance is balanced and composed.  The following principle applies: -

Under balanced phenomena, one could witness the prevalence of forms, while one could witness the lack of forms under imbalanced phenomena.

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Why is there suffering?  I was thinking about the question of why is there suffering in the universe?  From the nuts and bolts of the mind, the answer is craving.  But why is it there?  If you take craving and suffering as pieces of the puzzle, then my asking why there is suffering includes the question, “Why is there craving?”

It’s because of an emerging mind.  By exploring the mind, we could discover the elements of information, knowledge, representation, memory, compulsion, ignorance, blindness, disorientation, confusion, irrationality, impulse, volition, awareness, and consciousness.  In Buddhism, the mind is the precursor to every state.  This means that the mind is the prerequisite to the existence of suffering; without it, suffering will not be possible.  In the end, if one could neutralise the mind, everything would collapse and cease to exist or be.  This is the advent of a new paradigm, that is, a completely neutralised state of affairs (nibbāna).

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What’s stopping us from seeing the truth?

The truth is not out there because it comes from within you.  That is to say, you are the truth.  You’re creating truths, not somebody else.  Literally, it is hard for anyone to see the truth because his eyes could not see his own eyes.


If one person identifies a shape like a duck and another person at the same time identifies the same shape as a cow, are both created truths, true?

Yes, both duck and cow are created truths.  In fact, it is also known as the conventional truth which is subjective-cum-relative.  This means that the orientation of truth depends upon the observer, namely the mind of the subject to nourish the description, definition, recognition, valorisation, etc. And the final conclusion varies from one observer to another.

For example, if you introduced an iPhone to a caveman, he would describe it as an unnecessary hard object.  And by showing it to an ant, it becomes a gigantic object.  Likewise, concurrently, you may be named as a human, a son, a father, a preacher, a student, a Caucasian, an American, a thin man, an old man, a buyer, a supplier, a stranger, etc.  In the end, the observer gives the definition or recognition according to their respective perception of the same object or matter.


What are ideal ways of living in relation to enlightenment?

The middle path is a perfect approach to life in relation to enlightenment.  It is about focusing on the core, neutrality, equilibrium, and righteousness. Our mental consciousness needs to investigate and break through the core of life and all things without any attitude of favouritism.  All investigations must start on the basis of impartial motives, namely on neutral and right positions.  Ultimately, enlightenment would evoke the realisation that desire or attachment is not a matter of good or evil for individuals, but a gateway to suffering.  All you have to do is learn to see all things or events as they truly are all the time.

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