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"Truth cannot be reached through name and form, nor understood by consciousness."Seng Chao
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posted by Dan @ 8:35 AM
Anonymous Dharma
:concepts pointing to Your conceptless True Nature
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Friday, August 18, 2006
"Truth cannot be reached through name and form, nor understood by consciousness."Seng Chao
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7 Comments:
Beyond consciousness eh? Wow. Let's think about that. True nature simply is what is at any moment.
This could be a little confusing, as some of us use the term consciousness to describe the Absolute. I prefer Awareness or Pure Awareness, and see consciousness as what arises with the cognition of names and forms. My Buddhist roots, and really just semantics and preferences. But I do see it as more precise in the pointing; but as most of my Advaita cohorts use the term Consciousness to desribe Awareness, it can get confusing. I point out to them that Nisargadatta talked about the Truth as "Prior to consciousness". Anyway...
Yeah, I've always found a lack of clear explanation of what, exactly, is meant by "consciousness" in the five aggregates. It definitely seems to differ from usage in the common vernacular.
Even if we define it as "what arises with the cognition of name & form," as you did, how does that fit in with the aggregates? We have a form existing, which contacts our eye. The cognition of the form is the Perception aggregate. Or perhaps the Consciousness aggregate is the base cognition of the existence of the object as "out there," and then Perception is the identification of it.
The Pali canon descriptions don't explain this very well, IMO.
I see... I think I have seen "consciousness" used this way before and wondered about it... now it makes sense... words are so funny... I guess they must be since we made them all up!
Great quote Danji.. simplicity itself... :)
You've got that right, Kathiji!
And Mike: it's interesting that in the Dependent Origination theme, conscious ness precedes name and form. Maybe better to go with what Kathiji posted on her blog yesterday, from Neem Karoli Baba: "It's better to see God in everything, than to try to figure it all out." Insert whichever term we like for God --emptiness, the Unconditioned, whatever...
Dan...thanks for the explanation. It is hard to "refer" to what it us but does not exist. Yes, emptiness captures it in word for me. Also, so does the field of all possibilities (that place or non-place) where all and no-thing exists.
Dan: Yep. As much as my brain might want to, I can't explain everything. Words can't explain everything. Embrace paradox and uncertainty. I think Kathiji's advice is good advice.
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