Thank you. That explains it I know very little of Tibetan Buddhism.
Iâll now continue from the last post.
Please, donât think of this as a sermon or a teaching of sorts. Iâm just hoping to dispel a couple misconceptions in regard of the Buddhadharma. I donât expect people to read, let alone believe, anything I write. All I ask is that, meanwhile you read, you try to set aside any judgement and preconception until you finish reading. After reading, please, feel free to use your judgement and logic to see if any of this makes sense. If it doesnât, you can forget about it.
The focus here will be to prepare the ground for understanding emptiness, which although perceived at face value as nihilistic, itâs actually not so.
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Understanding emptiness requires that we slowly reach it through other means, as itâs all too easy to misunderstand it if we just jump headfirst into it.
Probably the most powerful tool for understanding emptiness is understanding interdependence (often translated as 'âdependent arisingââ). One of my beloved Teachers, to whom I am grateful beyond measure, often used to say ââThis is because that isââ.
What did my dear and kind Teacher mean by that?
He meant that everything exists because something else exists.
Another one of my Teachers, whom I hold dearest in my heart, and to whom I owe most of my understanding of emptiness, said that emptiness and interdependence are two side of the same coin. By correctly and fully understanding interdependence, you correctly understand emptiness.
What is this ââsomething elseââ that exists, and therefore allows existence to arise?
Itâs precisely 3 things. Everything that exists, exists because 3 things function as its basis of existence. Everything depends upon 3 things.
Everything is:
1. Dependent on its causes
2. Dependent on its parts
3. Dependent on its label
Iâll go through these 3 points in, hopefully, enough detail.
â I will only make the example of a flower but know this applies to any phenomena, mental phenomena (like thoughts) included. Unfortunately, if I were to include mental phenomena that would require such a lengthy explanation that I seriously doubt anybody would make it to the end 
but if you feel like it, try to apply all of this to a thought (as in: how is a thought dependent on its causes, parts and label? And what are its causes, parts and label?), you may have some fun. ----
1. Dependent on its causes
A flower depends upon its physical causes, such as the seed (primary cause), water, earth, nutrients, sun, etc. (secondary causes)
Without any of these, we wouldnât have the flower.
But what about the causes of the seed? What about the causes of the sun, the earth, the nutrients, the water etc.? Each of these phenomena have its causes, which in turn have their own causes, so on and so forth.
Take off any of these myriads of causes and the flower, as such, wouldnât exist.
2. Dependent on its parts
Here things will require just a little more gentle effort to fully understand. Here you may start getting a sip from the cup of emptiness.
A flowerâs existence depends on its parts. That is stem, leaves, petals, pistil, and so on.
Letâs take off a petal. It looks like the same flower, minus a petal.
But⌠what happens if you take off the whole stem? Is it still a flower minus the stem?
Now, letâs dump the whole flower head (anything above the pedicel). We are basically left with the stem.
Now⌠has it ceased to be a flower? It was a flower before, but now that we dumped the head itâs not a flower? Does it mean that the essence of the flower was on the head?
Maybe the flower essence was on its head, therefore when we dump it the flower is gone, and we just got a stem left.
But if so, where exactly was the flower? Was it on a petal? Was it on the pistil?
At this point, youâll probably think the essence of the flower was on the ensemble of its parts, or maybe youâll think its essence resided in specific parts (maybe just the head).
So, if you will, try to grab its essence. Is its essence residing on its totality (as in, the ensemble of parts) or its essence resides on a specific part? Or maybe only specific parts? Or maybe by dividing the parts we destroyed its essence, that was indeed residing in the ensemble of parts? So an essence can be destroyed? And what is an essence? All of these are valid questions. I think all of these questions deserve in-depth analysis.
This brings us to the last point. Dependent upon its label.
This third point requires its own post, as it will be a pretty lengthy post in itself.
For now, I invite you to analyze the flower by yourself. See its causes. See its parts. Try to see how it is dependent upon its causes and upon its parts. For me is a very interesting mental exercise, maybe it will be for you too.
All of these discussions are great. I still feel like ultimately we are to renounce everything on the path. Yet all I want is pleasure and seek more and more of it which is contrary to the teachings. I do not want to be around things a hate to see such as violent crime, etc⌠I canât bear seeing some things and it makes me wish to cease to exist. I donât follow the whole exposure response prevention when it comes to my love of TVs. I go after any of them I see in the trash and recycle them properly. Otherwise, I have meltdoens so bad, I canât take it and have to stop my self from doing extreme things. I literally venerate them and wish to become one with them. I really donât fit Buddhist philosophy at all because that attachment is the reason I practice magick in the first place. I have no desire too otherwise. Trans people are supported. People who love objects should be supported too as itâs a real sexual orientation called Objectum Sexuality. Yet these people are so ridiculed by the public that its shameful. Trans people are accepted while their status is deemed more than OCD and addiction. It makes me sick really. Animism and Shamanism is more the spiritual path for me I believe.
After thinking it thoroughly, I think it would be unwise of me to proceed to explain emptiness. Iâm unqualified to do so, and my lack of skill would surely result in other misconceptions.
Regarding my previous posts, I canât stress enough that it wasnât a teaching of any sort, as I am utterly unqualified to explain the vastness and depths of the Buddhaâs teachings. So please take what I wrote with a huge grain of salt, and donât let it misguide you.
This is not a poor attempt at humility, itâs just the truth.
If anyone is interested in further understanding of the Buddha teachings, I can point out some books, Masters and videos, but it would be unwise of me to attempt to explain things that ,even when explained by skilled Masters that have actually realized them, are still misunderstood.
Iâd just like to end this by telling you what were the last words of the Buddha:
ââCome now, Bhikkus, I say to you all: âConditions fall apart. Persist with diligence.âââ
Thank you. I agree that itâs very complicated and in all reality Wicca or Asatru may be a better path for me because Wicca is about the balance of masculine and feminine energies as well as focus on the Absolute and fulfilling of desires rather than eliminating them. I canât stand the vows of asceticism yet I love the deities of Vajrayana. Rather than seeing them as simply emanations of the mind I see them as beings that you can develop a relationship with and be born in their pure lands, like Summerland in Wicca and Valhalla in Asatru. I recite the Kalachakra Tantra daily as a way of gaining attainments and developing a relationship with the deity, though I do not have a proper empowerment by a Lama. I have all the altar fittings of a Vajrayana shrine and donât want to get rid of them.
I do not recite the Kalachakra Vows because they are so geared towards asceticism which does not fit me at all. According to the vows, one is supposed to renounce all desire for sense enjoyment and cannot engage in things such as games, fun activities, and so on. It sounds maddening. And I feel like I am disrespecting the tradition because all I want to do is engage in sense enjoyment and fun activities. They say donât seek siddhi attainments for granting desires or you will be born in hell. I do just that because it is what I seek and enjoy doing in order to help myself and others. They say forsake the eight worldly dharmas, but I am concerned about them as well as the higher ones thus balancing everything. They say rebirth is bad, but I seek many lives to keep on living until I am ready to renounce it. Rather I seek to dwell forever in the Pure Land until ready to go somewhere else. They say everything is samsara, but I donât see it as misery because the mind makes misery and we simply need to see things differently.
As for suffering, it can be used to make us stronger. If we are willing to suffer for something and endure the trials, we can become stronger. I believe passions should be embraced with wise action and responsibility while vices should be broken. We we have aversions to, such as abuse, corruption, etc⌠can be fought against in order to make the world better. I rarely ifever watch Buddhist sermons anymore. Iâm more of a Wiccan who uses buddhist deities and believes in the buddhist Pure Lands. I am no nun and seek to fully engage with the world not escape it. Monks live by different rules. I get that. I donât want to follow a path in the exact opposite way the Gurus and Lamas tell you to live unless that can be a valid aspect of the Left Hand Path.
I like solid traditions rather than eclectic ones unless said eclectic path has been established in the past (ie: Shugendo, Sikhism, Golden Dawn, etcâŚ) as those have a structure and order about them. I do not follow New Age philosophy but try to stay on structured paths whether Pagan or Organized. But I do truly wonder if Wicca and Vajrayana deities are compatible. I donât uphold all the Kalachakra vows or 37 Bodhisattvas vows or recite them. I just use the basic 16 precepts. I know Asatru has oath keeping too and itâs a bit simpler. It really is hard to use a tradition that has gatekept information so much and has confusing seemingly non-desirable approaches to enlightenment written about in books if you try to understand them. Wicca has been called a worldly non-enlightening path by them.
I know we should not be afraid to change paths if that is what the situation calls for, but Iâm not sure if the altar vessels I have would fit anything other than Wicca in the general sense. Asatru has different elements. It also doesnât really have mantra meditation. And if we create our own path, it can be seen as disrespectful to the tradition. heretical, or incomplete in a since of providing a straight means to and end or enlightenment. Such creation has to be done carefully and respectfully. Any thoughts on any of this?
A bunch of people have tried to explain this in previous replies, but Iâll repeat again:
You are not meant to renounce anything! Get that foul JCI principle out of your consideration.
Itâs not a fight against hateful sin and opposition and a battle to repress your natural desires. Itâs recognizing the illusion and turning away from it out of love for the spiritual. You can only truly recognize the illusion, if you have experienced it first.
Itâs simple really, if some of the teachings or the entirety of them do not resonate with you. This philosophy is not meant for you. Buddhism is not and was never meant for just everybody. The language used in the (original) Buddhist teachings is meant only for the initiated and affiliated. You donât have to feel like itâs message is addressing you personally, because it really isnât. Effectively you are overhearing a message that is meant for somebody else.
In short and sweet words:
Buddhism is not an angry parent telling you, the hungry child, that all cookies are and forever will be forbidden. Itâs an alternative sustenance offered to you after eating the whole tin empty and finding yourself sick and upset.
Clearly you havenât gotten that sick and upset feeling in your stomach (yet), so you are fully meant to enjoy your cookies for now. Empty as many tins as you want, keep eating all the kinds of cookies until your last days if that is what makes you happy. That is your choice, your path and your progression.
Buddhists are not trying to take your cookies away from you. They are merely choosing not to eat cookies anymore themselves.
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