Cognition

We need a detailed map of all possible ways of knowing and states of mind so that we can always identify what is occurring on our mental continuum, so that we can guide ourselves toward any constructive goal.

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.

Only the omniscient awareness of a Buddha can cognize all the causal factors that affect which specific “presently-happening result” arises from a karmic tendency.

All Indian Buddhist tenet systems, except Vaibhashika, agree that the validly knowable “me” is not a self-sufficiently knowable phenomenon, it is imputedly knowable.

Conceptual cognition is a deceptive cognition, because it confuses a category and generic representation of a member of a category with a specific item. Western languages call such conceptual labeling “projection.”

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.

This eighteenth century text concerns the mind and the ways in which it knows things, and is written from the point of view of the Gelug interpretation of the True Aspectarian branch of the Sautrantika tenet system of Indian Buddhism.

A Gelug presentation of the topic of negations and affirmations, which are crucial in meditating on the negation phenomenon, voidness.

Mental activity is made up of six types of consciousness that are aware of an object as being a sight, a sound, and so on, and 51 types of mental factors that qualify or help with the cognition of that object.

An in-depth analysis of the topic of what it means to understand something, which is important both for our Dharma practice and in daily life.