230529: so far this has been the least interesting of this library of wisdom and compassion series, not that it decreases my estimation, enjoyment, fascination with convincing buddhist thought, but as work this text focuses on 'the practice', that is the religious program held to be enormously useful in fully achieving enlightenment. reading this, I wonder what it is I want from any philosophy text and how this differs from religious texts, and decide that this begins with philosophical models assumed not argued, that this begins with some questions implicitly answered before read- such as veracity, insight, relevance through history, of what is given as primarily the buddha's words. I want discussion, I want metaphysics, I want such knowledge that has no obvious affinity for promoting the freedom from bondage of human consciousness...
this begins with the buddhist approach of four seals (all conditioned phenomena are transient, all polluted phenomena are unsatisfactory by nature, all phenomena are empty and selfless, nirvana is true peace ), two levels of truth ( conventional, ultimate), emptiness, dependent arising, together indicate thought is buddhist. when meditated, read sutras on, enacted with awareness, this is buddhist religion. to understand this there are three valid ways (evident, inferred, authoritative testimony) of gaining non-deceptive knowledge, known as 'cognizers', that we can apply in 'three-fold analysis' here using ancient Indian cosmology and modern science...
there is basis of self: body and mind. classification of phenomena was apparently the Dalai Lama's first teaching as child: selfless, which does not inherently exist, is existent or non-existent: existents are 1) permanent phenomena 2) things or impermanent phenomena, of three types- form, consciousness, abstract composites. I find consciousness most interesting, defined as what is cleared cognizant, here divided into mind, mental factors. mind is of sense faculties eg. eye consciousness, ear consciousness. then mental factors fill out cognition eg. feeling, discrimination, contact, and occasional ones like love, anger. things are made of the 'five aggregates': form, feeling, discrimination, miscellaneous (all) other factors, and primary consciousness. there are five omnipresent mental factors: 1) feeling 2) discrimination 3) intention 4) attention 5) contact. there are five object-ascertaining mental factors: 1) aspiration 2) admiration 3) mindfulness 4) concentration 5) wisdom. there are eleven virtuous mental factors, six root afflictions, twenty auxiliary afflictions, four variable mental factors... a lot of lists, I can see why Chan buddhism (zen) very popular, as this is definitely wisdom communicated in the text..
this is where the book is less interesting to me: religion. in chapters each: finding spiritual mentor, becoming qualified disciple, relying on spiritual mentor, how to structure meditation session: then a fascinating chapter on mind, body, rebirth, which makes it sound ultimately plausible. then chapter on essence of human life, the eight worldly concerns: gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute, pleasure and pain. these are obsessions of common people, not, like you, studying and enacting the dharma. these are distractions, hindrances, delusions, illusions. better use of your precious human life is to follow the dharma... then several chapters explaining workings, efficacy, inevitability of karma in this or subsequent lives, when condition and karmic seed are ripe...
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