Karma

(1) Closer Analogies The Kalachakra Tantra has many unique features not shared in common with the other anuttarayoga Buddha-figure systems. The upward and downward analogies of general anuttarayoga still pertain to its practice, except that Kalachakra does not entail practice...

Review Today we are continuing our discussion of Kalachakra, and particularly we’re looking at the Kalachakra explanation for the causes of our suffering in the context of the presentation of the four noble truths. That means that we’re looking at how Kalachakra explains...

Five Types of Results We were speaking about the different types of causes and conditions, and in order to finish that discussion, let’s just list the five types of results. First of all, there are ripened results. Ripened results are the unobstructive unspecified items...

The Five Aggregates There’s one more topic that is relevant to our discussion of “me” and the role of “me” in all of this. “Me,” like age and speed and these sorts of things, is a nonstatic imputation phenomenon that is neither a form of physical phenomenon nor a way of being...

We have seen that a revealing form of speech is: A pleasing or unpleasing sound that, as a platform for words, is communicative of a sentient being and that has as its cause the great elements of the lips and tongue (parts of the body-sensors) that are appropriated by a...

The Relevance of the Topic What I am hoping you will understand and appreciate through this explanation is the relevance of this topic. We’re not talking about something really esoteric and not related to anything. Because as I pointed out yesterday and I must underline again,...

Review Yesterday, we spoke about the meaning of tantra, a stream of continuity that goes on forever. There is a basis level – our mental continuum with the Buddha-nature factors. These include our networks of positive force and deep awareness, and the relative and deepest...

The Basis for Valid Cognition of Not-Yet-Happenings — (Continued)  We have been talking about the basis for an imputation phenomenon and the basis for a negation phenomenon in terms of the not-yet-happening of a karmic result of a karmic action. The mental continuum is the...

Brief Review of the System of Karma According to Vasubandhu and Nagarjuna Last time, we presented the main components of karma, or karmic impulses, according to Vasubandhu and Nagarjuna. We saw that mental karma refers to the mental factor of a compelling urge that draws the...

Vasubandhu, in his (Auto)commentary on “A Treasure House of Special Topics of Knowledge” (Chos mngon-pa’i mdzod-kyi rang-’grel, Skt. Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya) (Gretil ed. 196.04-06, Derge Tengyur vol. 160, 169A), explains further reasons that Sautrantika gives for rejecting...