0:00 So let's generate our buddha motivation now and begin by acknowledging that we are dissatisfied and there's always something going on that we don't like. Usually many things happening that we don't like. Some of them are personal in our lives. Some of them are manifesting in our country or in the world. And our usual view is that the source of
0:46 our unhappiness and dissatisfaction is external people and objects. So we see ourselves as just well-meaning people who are exposed to an external environment. That just drives us nuts sometimes. The Buddha explained the source of our dissatisfaction differently because he noted that however much we
1:33 try to change the external world and the people on it, uh, they never really cooperate and do what we want. And even when they do, we still find something else that we don't like that makes us disgruntled. So the Buddha said that the real source of this problem is in our mind in particular the afflictions in our mind. Now the question is do we notice the
2:19 afflictions and if we notice them do we even see them as the source of our unhappiness. So let's start with anger. I think most of us, you know, know that we're not happy when we're angry and that anger creates a lot of problems in the world. Okay, anger is an affliction, especially other people's anger, which is always unjustified. My anger is good, necessary. H think about that one. Attachment
3:06 is a little bit harder to recognize as an affliction because we often feel good when we are near a person that we like or have an object or an opportunity that we like. But when we observe carefully, we can see that attachment can also motivate us to do things that harm ourselves and harm others. Okay. Now, what about ignorance? That one we I don't know about you, but I usually do not notice when it's operating in my
3:53 mind. Yeah, sometimes I notice the ignorance regarding karma and its effects and I can correct that. But the ignorance regarding the ultimate nature, how things actually exist, I don't notice. And in fact, I totally believe. Whatever my senses tell me about how things exist, that there's an external world out there totally separate from my mind.
4:41 So the Buddha called out this ignorance as the root of our problem. And it's interesting that although it's a root of our misery, uh we have a hard time seeing it, let alone correcting it. And so today, this is what we're going to explore a little bit how ignorance functions and what is wrong with the ignorant view. But in doing this, we want to not only
5:30 uh strive to remove our own ignorance, but seeing that other living beings are in the same predicament as we are. Plus, they want happiness and not suffering as much as we do. And in addition to that, we're dependent on them and they've been kind to us. So it's only fair that our motivation include all other living beings and wish for their ultimate happiness as much as we wish for our own.
6:22 And so with that in mind, we generate the bodhicitta aspiring for full awakening so that we can have the abilities uh to actually benefit ourselves and others most effectively so that all of us can get out of some sorrow. So let's make that our motivation for sharing the dharma today.
7:22 Okay. So, we have two sessions and uh the request was to teach on volume nine of the library of wisdom and compassion appearing and empty. Okay. Now, this is volume nine of a 10 volume series. So it's written with the uh assumption that people have gone through the first nine volumes and especially since this volume is dealing with emptiness that people have
8:10 gone through volumes seven and eight which also are about emptiness. Okay. So I don't uh assume that from anybody here in this audience although no nobody is nodding their head yes I've done that uh okay so I will try and you know uh deal with the request and teach from this volume um but please remember if there's things you don't understand uh start in volume one and keep going. Yeah.
8:56 Uh also um what's a little bit difficult as a speaker being asked to just talk about emptiness the ultimate nature to a group of people who are not the usual people that I I teach you know who attend the classes um makes it a little bit challenging because I have a precept as probably most of you do um to not teach or share emptiness with people who are not prepared. Yeah, this is a root bodhic sappa precept. The problem being that if people aren't
9:42 prepared and if they don't have a good foundation in uh karma and how karma and effects operate, then when they hear about emptiness, there's the tendency for people to go overboard and say, "Well, if things don't inherently exist, they don't exist at all. So karma doesn't exist. And if karma doesn't exist, yippee, I can do what I want and there's not going to be any negative results coming from it because nothing exists. You also get this kind of
10:29 misunderstanding from people who uh go into tantra too early and they hear that some expression that oh in tantra there's no good and there's no bad. Yeah. So again, no good, no bad as everything as long as everything is good for me, I'll do the bad and there won't be any results. Okay. So again this misunderstanding that is very easy for people to have. So um you know uh
11:14 it's I have to keep my precept and I have to also teach this. So we'll do our best here. Yeah. But I know that many of the people from Jewel Hart have studied extensively and you've had very good teachers. So but I don't know everybody who's online here. though. Okay. So, this volume in particular starts out uh teaching the two truths. Yeah. The uh ultimate truth emptiness. Yeah. And uh and conventional truths the world around us. Okay.
12:02 Now the thing is we don't uh currently if you're an ordinary being like me uh we don't currently uh apprehend either of them correctly. Okay. But we don't realize that we don't understand either conventional truths or ultimate truths correctly. And instead we think we understand everything correctly. Right. Yeah. So when there's somebody who we don't like, it's because from that their side they're bad. Okay? When there's somebody we like,
12:49 from their side they're good. Okay? inherently. Now, if they were inherently good and bad, then there's a few problems, you know, because especially that person who is inherently good, who is just so wonderful. What happens when they do something you don't like, which is certain to happen? Yeah. If you wait long enough, the person who you think is wonderful is gonna do something you don't like. Okay. I think we've all had that experience. Yeah. So, uh, so what's going on? You know, if
13:39 how we perceive things is correct and that person is 100% wonderful, how come this happens? Yeah. Okay. Come back to our old friend ignorance. Okay. So the problem here is that we're grasping at that person as having some inherent nature that makes them really 100% me wonderful. Okay? And we don't see that this is a projection from our mind. Instead we
14:26 think it's coming from the sight of the object. So that's why we're always trying to change the other person and get them to do things differently so that they will uh you know go back to being 100% wonderful. But the Buddhist said that technique doesn't really work. Yeah. Because the the problem is that we're apprehending them incorrectly. Okay. were apprehending them as 100% wonderful. Yeah. And they aren't. Yeah. They are a living being probably with afflictions.
15:13 And guess what? So are we. Yeah. And it's our afflictions that are distorting how we see them. Okay. So, here's where the discussion of the two truths comes in because we're misapprehending the conventional truths, the things in our life and projecting on them inherent existence and then grasping at them as having that nature. Yeah. and we don't perceive what their actual ultimate nature is, which
15:58 is their lack of inherent existence. Now, that sounds all well and good, and I'm sure we can all say those words, but do we know what this inherent existence is that we project that we think is there on the object? Are we even aware that this is coming from our mind? And can we discern it? No. Because we just believe everything we see is exists the way it appears to us. Yeah.
16:45 So talking about the two truths is based on some understanding of emptiness. Seeing that this solidity uh of a objective existence, things out there having certain natures, having a certain characteristics and existing by those natures, existing by those characteristics. Yeah, we think that that's how they actually exist. And the realization of emptiness entails seeing that no from their side they are empty of that. Yeah. Does that mean that they don't exist at
17:32 all? No, it doesn't mean that. Okay. They exist but not in the way that they appear to our ignorant mind. Okay. So, one example that I like to give is if you can pretend for a moment that you were born with sunglasses. You came out of the womb womb wearing sunglasses. They didn't hurt your mom when you were born, but you know, you're wearing sunglasses. So, from the very get-go,
18:18 Yeah. Uh, and nobody put those sunglasses on you. They're they just came with you from whatever you were before being born in this life. Yeah. But everything appears to you darker than it actually is cuz you're wearing sunglasses. But you don't realize that that appearance of darkness doesn't is false. Yeah. And be you don't realize that the appearance of darkness is coming from the sunglasses you're wearing. It's not because the objects are dark. It's coming from your sunglasses. Yeah.
19:04 And when people say, "Oh, you're wearing sunglasses. You're not perceiving things correctly." You say, "Huh? What are you talking about?" Yeah. Every This is the way I perceive things. Plus, I have friends who agree with me. Yeah. And the more people who agree with how I perceive things and my opinions and my judgments and my ideas, then the more that just assures me that how I perceive things is correct. Okay. So we really we have this basic ignorance and then we justify it.
19:52 Yeah. and somebody tries to tell us the opposite and we go be quiet. Yeah. Okay. So, let's for a moment, you know, think that maybe we can take off these sunglasses. Yeah. Now, it's not going to be an easy process of picking them up and taking them off. It's going to require some analysis here. of really, you know, do things exist the way they appear? Are they really that dark because of my sunglasses or are they really inherently existent
20:40 as my ignorance makes them appear? Okay. So when we analyze and we need this kind of analysis to really uh understand that things are empty of the inherent existence the true existence that we project on them. Now we have to identify the inherent existence, the true existence, that feeling that it has its own nature objectively out there and then refute it and realize its emptiness.
21:26 Okay. Does that mean that there's nothing out there? No. Yeah. There are people, there are objects. Yeah. But they don't exist out there unrelated to our minds. This is quite difficult because we can sometimes you know uh refute inherent existence but then as soon as we say but things conventionally exist then we go right back to seeing things as having inherent natures and we don't even realize it.
22:13 Yeah. Okay. So their real nature is their ultimate truth. How they appear to us is false. However, yeah, they still exist. Yeah. Not as they appear to us. Okay. And that is their conventional nature. Yeah. their conventional truth. Okay. So let's Oh okay.
22:59 So, we're going to talk about the two truths today. Yeah. And we'll see how far we get. Um, so I'll read some from this book by his holiness that I helped edit and then speak a little bit about about what he's saying. Okay. So, so the topic of the two truths, yeah, veiled truths and ultimate truths, uh, comes up in several different contexts. Okay. First of all, terminology, veiled
23:44 truths. Yeah. Uh this is a translation that's coming from Jeffrey Hopkins which uh I like because it's uh m it much more describes or better describes uh what's happening. Okay. That when we look at the people and the environment around us, yeah, our own ignorance is obscuring how we perceive them. So our own ignorance act as a acts as a veil through which we are perceiving things. Yeah. What is that veil? Yeah. Inherent
24:31 existence. Yeah. Which does not exist at all. Not one iota. uh it appear you know when we project it out it appears that way to us. The appearance is not because of the external object or person. The appearance of inherent existence is due to the veil of our ignorance that doesn't see how that object actually exists. So sometimes it's translated as veiled truths is translated as conventional truths or relative truths
25:18 or truth for concealer referring to um ignorance being a concealer. So usually in this book we we'll use the term veiled truths or conventional truths but they're simultaneous sim yeah yeah uh synonymous. Okay so the topic of these two truths veiled truths and ultimate truths comes up in several different contexts in the context of the four noble truths. Okay, it uh the first two and the last one are veiled truths or conventional truths and uh true
26:03 cessation the third one is an ultimate truth. Now you might go, "Wait a minute, wait a minute. The true path, the last one, that's what realizes emptiness. Why are you calling that a conventional truth? It should be an ultimate truth." Because it's the mind realizing emptiness. Okay? The way the true truths are defined, okay, that wisdom is still considered a veiled truth because from the viewpoint of our ignorant mind, we think that the true paths inherently
26:51 exist like everything else. Okay? So they're called concordant ultimates in the sense you know that true paths yes they realize the ultimate nature but they themselves are not the ultimate nature. Okay. But just because things are not the ultimate nature doesn't mean that we should throw them away because we clearly need the true path in order to realize the emptiness. Okay. So we have to find you know in
27:37 this whole thing be able to establish that conventional truths or veiled truths such as the true path such as the gong such as you and me exist. Yeah. But they don't exist inherently. They don't exist ultimately in the face of ultimate analysis that analyzes their deeper nature. Okay? So they have emptiness but they aren't emptiness. They are empty.
28:27 Okay? You getting what I mean? Okay. The clock. Yeah. Yeah. See a clock. Okay. We agree it's a clock. It looks like a clock from its own side. It isn't one because if we search the parts, if we search causes and conditions and so forth, we can't find a clock anywhere in this. Yeah. Our problem is we think from its side it's a clock. Its actual ultimate nature is that it is empty of being an inherently existent clock. Okay. Is it empty of being a clock?
29:16 No. It is a clock. It's empty of being an inherently existent clock. Yeah, but the challenge is always after we reute the inherently existent clock to establish the existence of just the clock. Yeah. Okay. So that's one topic where the two truths comes up in in terms of the four noble truths. Yeah. Yeah, in the context of dependent arising and emptiness,
30:02 dependent arising principally, although not exclusively relates to veiled truths because they arise dependently whereas emptinesses are ultimate truth. Okay. In the context of method and wisdom, the method sides of the path like renunciation, bodhicitta and so forth, those are um veiled truths and uh the emptiness the wisdom aspect of the path is geared towards realizing the ultimate nature. Yeah. Okay.
30:47 So the two the topic of the two truths is important for several reasons. First, it helps us to understand that everyday functioning of people and things in the world is compatible with their emptiness of objective existence. They are not contradictory. Okay? dependent and rising and emptiness are not only compatible but they mutually reinforce each other. Okay. So emptiness does not negate veiled truths such as karma and its effects or and it doesn't negate the method sides the path. Although phenomena lack inherent
31:34 existence, maintaining excellent ethical conduct is of crucial importance and the bodhic sattva conduct of engaging in compassionate action is essential for attaining awakening. In fact, cause and effect can function only in a world in which everything is empty of inherent existence. That's how complimentary emptiness and dependent arising are. Okay. Second, the two truths are different objects.
32:19 Yeah. They're compatible. Yeah. And they can exist on the same base but they are different objects. Okay. So understanding both is valuable, useful and necessary to attain awakening. Okay. So understanding them helps us balance and combine the practice of the method aspect of the path and the wisdom aspect of the path. Although the realization of phenomena's ultimate nature, their emptiness of inherent existence will liberate us from samsara. Yeah. That understanding of emptiness does not inform us as to how things
33:08 interrelate and operate and function on the conventional level. Okay. For example, yeah. Um, wait a minute. So, yeah. So if we need directions to go to Delhi, veiled truth such as a map, signpost, yeah, nowadays a a GPS uh and a vehicle will fulfill that need whereas ultimate truth emptiness will not get you to Delhi. Okay. Yeah. To function effectively and with
33:54 compassion in the world, an understanding of both truths is necessary. Okay. So, someone who remains absorbed in the direct realization of ultimate truth may be free from samsara but will not have the skills needed to function in the world, let alone to benefit others. Yeah. So people who become our hearts remain absorbed in their meditation on emptiness. Yeah. So much so that they stay in that for a long period of time. Yeah. Um and they may have some compassion but
34:40 because they're absorbed in emptiness what they don't do a lot of benefit in the world. Yeah. Okay. And they haven't uh developed the skills that you need by that come from developing compassion and practicing the six perfections. On the other hand, uh those who are totally immersed in the details of veiled truths will reify situations seeing them as inherently existent. uh be distracted from learning about ultimate truth and afflictions will easily arise in their mind. So to fulfill our own and others purposes
35:28 because we're Mahayana practitioners on the bodhic sappa path we need to realize both truths. Okay. So Okay. So uh without banishing the extreme of grasping inherent existence. Yeah. Things are objectively existing as they appear to me out there. And abandoning the the extreme of believing that cause and effect don't that law
36:13 doesn't exist. Okay. In other words, the extremes of absolutism grasping an inherent existence and the extreme of nealism either nothing exists or at least the law of karma and its effects doesn't that doesn't exist. Okay. So without banishing those two extremes, we cannot understand emptiness and dependent arising correctly. And without understanding those two correctly, we will not understand the two truths ultimate and conventional truths or ultimate and veiled truths. Lacking this understanding properly
37:01 inhibits properly engaging in the method and wisdom aspects of the path which in turn inhibits fulfilling the two collections of merit and wisdom. Uh without doing this the causes to attain the truth body and the form bodies of a Buddha cannot be created and thus Buddhahood is not attained. Okay, this means that all the sentient beings we could benefit through displaying the awakened activities of a Buddha will struggle in the ocean of samsara longer. Thus, gaining the correct understanding of the two truths is of great
37:47 importance. Okay. So the Buddha, you know, the teachings always start out when they have a subject, why is this subject important? What are the benefits of understanding this topic? What are the drawbacks of not understanding it? So here it is. Okay. Ultimate truths are objects found by a reasoning consciousness distinguishing the final mode of existence. Final mode of existence means how something actually exists when you really analyze and investigate. Okay. So, Nearina
38:32 says the Buddha's teachings of the dharma is based on two truths. A truth of worldly convention and an ultimate truth. Those who do not understand the distinction between these two truths do not understand the Buddha's profound teaching. Without depending on the conventional truth, the meaning of the ultimate cannot be taught. Without understanding the meaning of the ultimate, nirvana is not attained. Okay. So in the first verse, Nagaraj emphasizes the statements in the
39:18 Buddhist that that the statements in the Buddhist teachings should be understood within the context of the two truths failed and ultimate. The second verse explains that understanding the two truths and the distinction between them is important. uh without it we will not correctly understand the profound meaning of the Buddhist teachings. Yeah. We will be unable to distinguish existence from non-existence. Whoa. That's going to be a big problem if we can't distinguish what exists from what non-exists like right now. which is why we get ourselves into trouble
40:03 because there are many non-existence that we think exist. Yeah. Yeah. I think there's a lot of Americans out there. Yeah. Uh like um weapons of mass destruction in Iran or Iraq I think it was. Yeah. So that's a very good example. But there's other things that we think exist that don't like that inherently existent wonderful person who's never going to disappoint me. Yeah. Okay. So as the third verse conveys
40:50 veiled truths are the means to arrive at the meaning of ultimate truth. In other words, we need to hear teachings. Yeah. The teachings we hear about how to realize the ultimate truth, those teachings are veiled truth. Okay. Yeah. But they teach and we can't realize emptiness without having the teachings. Yeah. So some people think, okay, emptiness, I can realize that that's easy. Yeah it's what's going on in my mind when I can't
41:36 remember the the answer to the exam. My mind is empty. Yeah, your mind is empty. It's empty of conventional wisdom at that time. Okay. That's not the emptiness. Yeah. That uh we want the te you know when nagarian said that that the veiled truths are the means to realize the ultimate truth emptiness. He means that we need the teachings. Yeah. It's not a question of closing our eyes and meditating on nothingness.
42:24 Yeah. Which is a big problem that apparently, you know, many people can fall to. Yeah. Because okay, nothingness, blank minded, no good, no bad. Gee, that feels good. But there's no good and no bad. But how can it still feel good? Yeah. Okay. So, lacking correct instructions, we will not know what to practice and what to abandon on the method side of the path. And we will not have the slightest idea how to meditate to realize the ultimate truth. Stymied, we will be unable to attain nirvana.
43:12 Okay. So in in learning about the two truths, it's very important that we receive teachings from spiritual mentors who know what they're talking about. So this is his holiness's book. He knows what he's talking about. Yeah. So there's a another quote here from uh Chandra Kerti who says those who remain outside master Nagajuna's way have no means for attaining true peace. They have strayed from the convent the truths of convention and of suchness. Suchness here means emptiness. And because of this failure they will not
43:57 achieve liberation. Veiled truth is the means while the ultimate truth is its end. Those who fail to know the distinction between the two will enter wrong paths through false conceptualization. Okay. So when we can't uh understand you know what exists conventionally and what exists ultimately and nothing exists ultimately. Yeah. Even emptiness it exists conventionally. Yeah. Um then we develop our own philosophies
44:43 uh our own religions. uh we listen to whoever says something that we like and we wind up um going down wrong paths which is really quite dangerous when we do that. Okay. So uh veiled truth exist and function. They are necessary tools for us to use to understand emptiness and they are the basis of emptiness. Okay. Ultimate truths
45:30 are pink thermos. Our famous pink thermos. Okay. So our v our famous ving thermosis is a veiled truth. Yeah. Why is it veiled? Because an ignorant mind sees it as truly existent. Yeah. Are the ignorant mind is veiling and we don't see its emptiness, its ultimate nature. But this uh you know thermos it's it itself is a conventional truth. It's the basis which of the emptiness of the thermos.
46:21 Okay. So this is an ultimate a conventional truth and its ultimate nature is emptiness. It's the basis for emptiness. In other words, it isn't that this is a conventional truth and emptiness is somewhere out in the sky uh floating around or it's some other realm that we have to zap ourselves into mentally or physically. Yeah. No, you know Lama Yesashi, one of my teachers, he kept emphasizing emptiness is right here. It's emptiness,
47:07 you know, we have the emptiness. We are empty of true existence. Everyone and everything around us, you know, is empty. Emptiness is right here. We don't see it. Okay. But the the conventional truths are empty. If you go to the extreme of saying that the conventional or veiled truths don't exist, then there's no base for emptiness. So you wind up having to say that emptiness also doesn't exist. Then you're really messed up. Okay. Yeah.
47:55 So uh veiled truths yeah are called falsities because to our ignorant mind they appear falsely. What is the false appearance? Their true or inherent existence. Okay. So it's unwise to think that since veiled truths are falsities involving terms and concepts that they uh are a hindrance to realizing emptiness and should be ignored. Rather they are an aid through which an understanding of ultimate truths will come about. Furthermore, veiled truths are the objects whose emptiness we realize. They
48:41 are the basis of emptiness. So it is imperative that we understand them correctly. Okay. Noble objects in other words phenomena perceivable by mind. Yeah. Are the basis of def division into the two truths. Yeah. So knowable objects. Yeah. things that minds can perceive. Yeah. So they're the basis upon which we establish the two truths. Yeah. Non-existence such as a turtle's mustache. Yeah. And the object of conspiracy
49:30 theories that are running rampant in this country at this time. Yeah. Those things are non-existent like a turtle's mustache and the they're non-existent like the objects seen in drug induced hallucinations. So these things are not knowable objects. Yeah. You may have, you know, you drop acid and you see these things, you know, the flowers in the sky, you perceive flowers in the sky. Is that a correct perception? Are there flowers in the sky? No.
50:17 Okay. Are there clouds in the sky? Yes. Yeah. So we have to be able to distinguish you know not only how things exist ultimately but what actually exists conventionally. Yeah. because otherwise as we can really see um and it's not only in the states although we maybe we lead the world in conspiracy theories you know uh yeah Americans how many of you are Americans out there we always think oh we're the greatest nation the only superpower well
51:05 we are also the superpower in conspiracy theories. Okay. Yeah. Leader of the world. It's amazing, isn't it? What's happening in the country now. It's like Yeah. Sometimes really feel like you you're living in a nutouse. Yeah. Which is why dharma is so important. Yeah. To help us to handle what's going on in in our environment. Yeah. and to to be able to determine what conventionally exists and what does not. Yeah. And to also see that uh you know
51:51 when we're grasping things at as inherently existent we were we are also prone to mis apprehending them on the conventional nature as well. Yeah. Okay. So all phenomena that is all existence are either a veiled truth or an ultimate truth. A third truth does not exist. Yeah. So the meaning of the father and son sutra said uh it is like this that the tagata thoroughly understands conventionalities and ultimates
52:39 also knowable objects are exhausted within the two veiled truths and ultimate truths. So the two truths are not two ways of looking at something. They're two distinct objects that are apprehended by two different kinds of consciousnesses. Okay. So conventional reliable cognizers yeah operate within the framework of language and everyday perception where we are concerned with attributes and properties of objects and describe how they interact and function.
53:24 Okay those are conventional reliable cognizers. Yeah these cognizers know veiled truth. Okay. Probing awareness and ultimate analysis cognize ultimate truths which are beyond the limits of our everyday perception and ways of speaking. Yeah. So that's why our conventional reliable cognizers that know the things around us Yeah. they don't realize emptiness. Those are not in the purview. They're not in the field of realization of our everyday consciousnesses. Yeah. Rather, probing awareness inquires
54:13 what is the ultimate mode of existence of phenomena. Looking beyond object's appearance, ultimate analysis seeks objects true mode of being, the way in which they actually exist. Yeah. A conventional reliable cognizer knows the flower or the thermos. A probing awareness which is a different kind of consciousness knows that the flower or the thermos does not exist from its own side objectively as it appears to us. So the two truths are understood in relation to two aspects or two natures
55:00 of each phenomena. Yeah. So that's why you know the two truths are two very different objects although they both exist on one base on the same base. Okay. So the two truths are not two levels of objective reality with ultimate truths superseding and ne negating failed truths. Yeah, it's very tempting to say ultimate truths, they're the real way things exist. I just need to learn ultimate truths. Meditate on that then I got everything. Yeah. Because ultimate truths are
55:46 important. conventional truths, they appear false anyway. They appear inherently existent even though they aren't. So I can just throw them away. They don't matter. That's incorrect. Okay? Because those veiled truths are the basis for emptiness and they're the basis, you know, on which they're perceived by conventional reliable cognizers. The conventional reliable cognizers do not see their emptiness. Only the probing awareness sees their emptiness. Okay? But the conventional reliable
56:32 cognizers are what got us up this morning made you know. that we had breakfast, we did our morning practice, we got here to listen to the teachings. Yeah, we need those conventional reliable cognizers even though they perceive things in a mistaken way because the things appear to them truly existent. Perfectly clear, huh? >> Yeah. Yeah, this is why we need to study you know this this whole section on uh oh it goes quite it's quite a number of
57:17 p pages yeah which we will not get through in two sessions today okay so ultimate truths are objects found by probing awareness that perceives phenomena as they actually are. They are these, you know, ultimate truths are nondualistically realized by non-conceptual direct reliable cognizers. Since only emptinesses are true in this way, only they are ultimate truths. Okay? An object seen by perceivers of
58:03 the false. Okay. What are perceivers of the false? Yeah. Are conventional reliable cognizers by an awareness under the influence of ignor ignorance. Those objects are called veiled truth. These objects are falsities because they do not exist in the way they appear. They appear truly existent although they are not. However, they do exist even though they don't appear to as they exist to our everyday minds. Yeah. When we say that veiled truths appear truly
58:49 existent, it may sound like that false appearance is projected by the object itself. But an apple and a jet plane don't cause themselves to appear truly existent. Yeah. Rather ignorance and the latencies of ignorance on our mind streams. Yeah. The sunglasses that we were born with. Yeah. They obscure our consciousnesses so that apples, people, gravity and so forth appear falsely uh to truly exist. They falsely appear to truly exist. Okay. Uh to to these kind of
59:37 consciousnesses the latencies of ignorance are completely eradicated only at Buddhahood. Yeah. So you have to go we have to go through this whole process of realizing emptiness you know first with a correct assumption then with a valid inference then directly and then we have to meditate with that direct apprehension of emptiness for a long time in order to remove yeah the afflictions And then we have to continue meditating on emptiness for a long time with bodhicitta in order to eliminate the
1:00:23 latencies the remnants of ignorance. Then Buddhahood comes. Okay. So it it in you know there's a path and it's going to take some time and it's going to take some effort. Yeah. So this is why it's quite important you know to mentally be geared to uh you know not expecting quick cheap and easy results. Yeah. Uh when you know when we come to Buddhism at the beginning Yeah. Especially Tibetan tradition, they tell us you can attain emptiness, you can
1:01:09 attain Buddhahood in this very life. This very life. Like Millera, you can attain Buddhahood. And so I don't know about you people, but I with my cohort of of people back in the 70s said, "Yes, we're going to do this in this very life. We're going to be like Millera. Give us a cave and we're going to go meditate, realize emptiness, come out as Buddhas." Yeah. And then go back and with bodhicitta save the world. Okay. And then as we began to study and
1:01:55 our teachers began to teach us the path, we began to realize that actually, you know, there's some work to do. It's not just closing our eyes in some cave and having nothing appear and then there it is. Empty emptiness. Buddhahood. Yeah. It's not like that. Yeah. His holiness uh Daly Lama sometimes say says that uh the way things are explained that it's like Chinese propaganda. Yeah. What the Chinese communists are
1:02:41 telling the Tibetans about how wonderful, you know, it's going to be. But uh yeah, it's true. We come in often with so many false expectations. Yeah, that's a good example of things that don't exist. The false expectation exists. What we expect to happen does not exist. Okay. Conventionally. Yeah. Okay. Okay. The latencies of ignorance are completely eradicated only at Buddhahood. Even our hearts and Arya's
1:03:26 minds that are not in meditative equipoise directly perceiving emptiness have this false appearance. However, because these beings have previously perceived emptiness directly, they know that the appearance is false. Okay? So, there's a difference between us common beings perceiving things as inherently existent and them appearing as inherently existent because we believe that appearance. Aras who have realized emptiness directly those things still appear truly existent but they know that appearance is false.
1:04:12 Okay. So it's like when you uh come out of the ride in Disneyland of the haunted house. I don't know how this ride is now uh because I went on it maybe 60 years ago. Uh but 60 years ago and some of you look like uh kind of my age that excuse me uh but uh yeah that when you came out of the uh the haunted house yeah you looked and there was a mirror in front of you and you saw in the mirror you know there's you sitting in the in the little you know seat that's
1:05:00 moving along. And who's sitting next to you is not your friend, but a ghost. You look in the mirror, there's a ghost. Okay. Yeah. Now, if you're an adult, you know there's not a ghost. Yeah. It appears, but you know it's a false appearance. If you're a little kid, you come out of that ride after there's been ghosts and goblins all around you and you see a ghost sitting next to you and you go, "Mommy, daddy, I'm afraid there's a ghost." Okay. So, so some people mistakenly believe that
1:05:48 veiled truths are known only by immature ordinary beings who perceive falsities. Whereas emptiness is known only by aras who know suchness. But this is not the case. Okay. Ordinary beings on the paths of accumulation and preparation. And even ordinary beings who have not entered a path can realize emptiness inferentially. Not directly but inferentially. Aryas okayas who have realized emptiness directly also perceive veiled truths. they must in order to engage in their daily life
1:06:33 activities. Yeah. If you realize emptiness and after that you don't perceive veiled truths, you're going to be, you know, you're not even going to get out of bed in the morning. You know, you're not even going to know that you were lying in a bed. You're not even going to know that you're hungry when you wake up and you want some chai because you don't perceive veiled truth. Yeah. So, aras do perceive veiled truth. Yeah. This is Yeah. There's a lot of this kind of material. Yeah. That gives us the whole perspective and then you know we go into detail to try and understand understand
1:07:19 it a bit better. Yeah. Okay. So, it is almost noon here. I think it's almost 3:00 Eastern time. Yeah. >> So, you people just went through trying to stay awake after lunch. You did very well. Yeah. Next session we'll be trying to stay awake after lunch. Yeah. and you'll be uh staying awake because you'll be hungry waiting for dinner. Yeah. Okay. So, um if there's one or two questions, we can do that. Otherwise,
1:08:05 we'll we'll stop now. >> Yeah. >> Um >> someone >> Oh, okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Um I have been troubled like everyone else because of what's going on in our country and demo reposet said that in a teaching that all negative emotions were delusions and then today at his teaching I thought oh and he's also said that two of the basic tenants of Buddhism are dependent origination nonviolence >> and I put that nonviolence in every aspect of being and then so today I'm
1:08:53 thinking well is there a place of neutrality to where you see positive emotions as being delusional and is that helpful processing trouble >> you know what I mean so that >> yeah we we don't see positive emotions as delusions >> that's good news >> okay yeah it's very good knows otherwise >> emptiness. I mean as far as emptiness >> yeah we can see that we can realize that positive emotions are empty of true existence. Yeah. And they do exist conventionally. Okay. So seeing their emptiness doesn't
1:09:40 mean they don't exist. They conventionally exist in our world and we're cultivating them and we use them to uh create merit. Yeah. >> Okay. I also asked this question because many years ago said to me there's something in Patanjali sutras that talks about being neutral and so I thought well maybe a way to get into this Buddhism is to think of neutrality and he said no to me very definitely >> and when I think back on it I think of the bodhic sattva >> ideal and maybe that's what he meant that no you can't be neutral you've got to uh aspirational.
1:10:26 >> Yeah. >> And and also, you know, neutral can imply um uh that you're apathetic. I'm neutral. Oh, there's they're starving in Gaza. No problem. I'm neutral. That is that's really wrong, isn't it? Yeah. No. So the the neutrality when we talk maybe you know the neutrality you're thinking of is we don't grasp them inherent as inherently existent. Yeah. But certainly when we see living beings suffering yeah compassion is the
1:11:12 appropriate response you know and we are trying to develop compassion. We can't just say, "Oh, well, these people are they're just appearances to my mind, so there's nobody really suffering." Because when we suffer, do you want some? Do you feel like you're, you know, do you want other people to look at you and say, "Oh, you're just an appearance to the mind. You don't really exist. So your suffering doesn't exist. I don't care about you." I mean where would we be if our teachers and the Buddhas and bodhic sattas had that kind of misconception. Okay. So bodhic satta path we have to
1:11:57 remain engaged. Yeah. What the wisdom realizing emptiness gives us is we stop projecting badness on things that are not inherently bad and we stop projecting goodness on things that are not inherently good. Okay. So that gives us some kind of flexibility. Yeah. So you know nowadays especially in this country you know it's like that is evil. Yeah that person is evil. Yeah. Get them off the air. They can't you know take
1:12:44 away their license. Whatever it is evil. That's grasping an inherent existence. Yeah. There's a person is not evil. If a person were inherently evil, they would not have the Buddha nature because they would not be able to attain awakening. You know, and we can see that people may have have afflictions and delusions that make them do negative actions, but the people themselves are not evil. They're not bad. We can't sign off anybody and say they're just evil. Kill them. Get
1:13:31 them out of the Get them out of here. That's totally wrong. Okay. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Anything else? >> Do we have time for one more? >> Mhm. Yeah. What? Anything else? Yeah, Christine has a question. >> Christine, where? Okay, go ahead, Christine. >> We can't hear you. >> Oh. Uh, >> okay. Yeah. So, we can do another question. Christine, you want to >> Thank you so much for these wonderful, wonderful teachings. Um, something that you said in the beginning um kind of
1:14:17 peaked my mind. Um, and that was when you said things don't exist out there unrelated to our minds. And um, it it I'm trying to formulate the question that I actually have. I remember one time Democr said that when you have a direct experience of emptiness, you literally see differently. >> You're not seeing the same. And so um is it and I you know when we talk about veiled truths etc when you have this direct uh experience of emptiness um it's it's um are you seeing now things as they truly exist? you're
1:15:03 actually seeing it, >> right? >> And it's not something that's related to our when you say unrelated to our minds, you know, that kind of craziness that goes on in our minds. >> Okay. Now, it's it's tempting, you know, for us to think, oh, you're really seeing it. How it really exists out there. Uh-uh. Because nothing exists really out there with its own nature. When we're seeing how it really exists, the direct perception of emptiness. Yeah. To that mind which is in meditative equipoise.
1:15:49 You are not seeing the basis of the emptiness. You're just directly perceiving emptiness. Okay? So you have these two different kinds of consciousnesses. Yeah. The ultimate the consciousness that perceives the ultimate. Yeah. In meditative equipoise for everybody who's not a Buddha perceives only emptiness. They don't perceive people and thermoses and you know politics and this kind of stuff. Yeah. And when they come out of their meditation, then the conventional things appear to them. Yeah. They still appear
1:16:36 inherently existent. But because their minds have realized the emptiness directly, they know that's a false appearance. Okay? So it's like in meditative equipoise directly perceiving emptiness the sunglasses are off. Yeah. All you're perceiving is the lack of the darkness. You know this is the analogy. Yeah. You're not perceiving darkness and when you realize emptiness but the analogy it's like you're not perceiving the darkness that you thought was there but you're not perceiving the trees and everything either because the
1:17:23 mind is that mind only has the ability to realize emptiness directly. Yeah. when it comes out of the meditative equipoise then the conventional uh senses and the conventional valid cognizers can realize the veiled truths directly. Okay. So two different kinds of mind. Only the Buddha, yeah, only the Buddha can perceive ultimate truths, emptiness and veiled truths, all the other functioning things um direct directly at the same time. Yeah. Even aras yeah cannot do that. They have they have
1:18:11 to come out of their meditative equipoise to see the conventional things. Okay. >> Thank you very much. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. These kind of Q&As you're asking very very good questions you know that that I'm glad you know I can tell you're listening to the teachings with Dear Rimache you know and you're thinking about them and asking questions to clarify. That's really wonderful.
