Cognition

Existent phenomena are defined as what is validly knowable. In the Sautrantika system, existent phenomena are divided into nonstatic objective entities and static metaphysical ones.

Understanding the difference between the definitions of these three terms helps us to deconstruct conceptual thoughts that we have.

It is useful to not look at the mind as a “thing” but as mental activity, occurring moment to moment and which ​​can be non-conceptual or conceptual.

Cognitions have numerous cognitive objects and the various Indian Buddhist schools of tenets differ in their explanations of them for the various ways of knowing.

All four noble truths are about what we do with our minds therefore most of the work that we do in the Dharma is basically with how our minds work.

An analysis of static phenomena, which are validly knowable and unaffected by causes and circumstances, and nonstatic phenomena, which are impermanent, changing from moment to moment.

The various Tibetan Buddhist traditions differ as to the voidness non-conceptually cognized by each of the three types of practitioners – shravaka, pratyekabuddha and bodhisattva – when becoming an arya.

The superficial and deepest truths of anything are those phenomena that the valid conceptual and non-conceptual cognitions, scrutinizing superficial truth on the one hand or deepest truth on the other, take as their involved objects and explicitly apprehend.

To know how to cognize voidness, both conceptually and non-conceptually, and thus how to rid ourselves of the true causes of our true sufferings, we need to know the steps that each Indian Buddhist tenet system explains for the meditative process for realizing voidness.

Nonexistent phenomena can be objects of cognition, but not objects of valid cognition, only of distorted cognition.