Logic

Review We have been speaking about the various ways in which we know or cognize things. In our meditation, and ways of understanding aspects of our lives and especially in terms of our interactions with others, it’s very important to know whether or not what we cognize is...

Negation Phenomena Now we’re ready to go onto the second point of the four-point analysis, and this is becoming convinced of the logic that refutes that there is such a thing as these different levels of impossible “me.” The logic for this derives from the definition of a...

We’ve been speaking about the various areas or topics of analysis that we have in the Buddhist presentation of metaphysics. We’ve seen that all of these systems of analysis can be used on a very practical level to help us to deconstruct – first of all to understand, and then...

Training in Higher Discriminating Awareness  Removing the Obscurations to Liberation and Enlightenment The discussion of training in higher discriminating awareness starts with the second half of verse 41:  (41b) However, if you have failed to apply yourself to far-reaching...

Review We have covered two valid ways of knowing: Fresh, decisive, accurate bare cognition – non-conceptual cognition of obvious phenomena as the appearing objects Inferential cognition – conceptual cognition of obscure and extremely obscure phenomena by relying on a valid...

Review: First and Second Point of the Four-Point Analysis First Point: Identifying the Object to Be Refuted We have discussed the first two points of the four-point analysis. The first point was identifying and recognizing within ourselves the object to be refuted. In order...

Grasping for a Self-Sufficiently Knowable “Me” Can Also Be Doctrinally Based First, let me add one further point. While almost all the Indian Buddhist tenet systems say this grasping for a self-sufficiently knowable “me” is just automatically-arising, according to Prasangika...

Approaching the Challenge of Taming the Mind The root for all actual attainments of good qualities is the decisive realization of renunciation, bodhichitta and a correct view of reality. At our present level, it may be difficult to have the full determination to be free that...

Today we are going to have a meditation session on the material we’ve covered concerning voidness (emptiness). Before we actually do the meditations, what was suggested that might be helpful would be to break into small groups, perhaps of four or five people, for you to...

To find and implement realistic ways to overcome suffering, we need to deconstruct false appearances and, thereby, see reality.