Cognition

An introduction to the system of ways of knowing (lorig), a major component of the Buddhist map of the mind. The text covers the various ways in which we cognize objects – valid, non-valid, conceptual, non-conceptual and so on.

An overview of the Gelug presentation and some of its ramifications concerning the view of valid cognition.

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

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.

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

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.

An overview of the different numbers of valid ways of knowing in Indian tenet systems.

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.

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.

The subtlest level of mind, the clear light mind, naturally makes an appearance similar to that when non-conceptually cognizing voidness. Even when not cognizing voidness, it does that explicitly at the moment of death and, according to the Jetsunpa textbooks, subliminally...