Diamond Sutra
JaySon
Florida Veteran
A star, a defective view, a flame,
An illusion, a drop of dew, a bubble,
A dream, a flash of lightning, a cloud:
See causative phenomena as such
A star
In the daytime you can't see stars, though they are there. Likewise, the truth of emptiness is hidden from you, but the truth of emptiness is there.
a defective view
All phenomena appear to be inherently existent, but are actually merely imputed by mind.
a flame
A flame is created by many causes and conditions such as oxygen, the person who lit the flame, the flame used to light this flame, and more. When any one of these conditions is no longer there, the flame burns out. The flame is made of non-flame elements. The only thing that makes a flame a flame is the projection of "flame" that comes entirely from the mind. Flames, like all phenomena, don't exist from their own side. All phenomena are merely imputed by mind.
an illusion
All phenomena appear to be inherently existent, but are actually merely imputed by mind.
a drop of dew
Dew forms from water. Why isn't is simply called water? Because it's not water. It's dew. But where is the dew located on the dew? "Dew" is merely projected onto dew by the mind. Dew doesn't have any dew-ness except that which is projected onto it. It doesn't exist from its own side.
a bubble
A bubble is formed by non-bubble elements, then it pops when one of those non-bubble elements no longer supports the merely labeled bubble.
a dream
Everything you see is like a dream because it is merely imputed by mind.
a flash of lightning
Your life, like all phenomena, flashes and fades away like a flash of lightning.
a cloud
A cloud is made up of water. What part of the cloud, then, is the cloud? "Cloud" is merely imputed by mind, as is the water that makes up the cloud, as are the hydrogen and oxygen that make up the water, as are molecules that make up the hydrogen and oxygen, and so forth. The cloud is merely a pile of labels projected by the mind.
see causative phenomena as such
All phenomena lack inherent existence. Nothing at all exists from its own side. All things are merely imputed by mind.
Comments
Indeed. I have an interesting perspective on this as I am also interested in chemistry and physics. So though these are imputed by mind ie cloud is cloud we do have Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry and a lot of conceptual understanding of these that work in practice to know about clouds or flames or whatever and use that to make technology and things.
I just think of it all as 'now you see it, now you don't.'
A star may twinkle, but it may not actually exist any more at the moment you see it twinkling... that always blows my mind.
Figuratively speaking...
Not to mention sub particle physics. (OK, I just mentioned it!)
Bubbles ...
I luvs the diamond sutra ???
It is both the profundity of dependent origination and the simplicity of No-Mind worth worrying about ...
Mind? Never trust it to think for you. Emotions, no sense at all. Physical arisings? Soggy mess ...
In Tendai-shū, the dependently arisen saṃsāra is known as "the Buddha of no mind and no thought", for it is of no mind and no thoughts. It is this "Buddha" who teaches the Buddha of one mind and one thought, who is the ascetic Gautama, who is the bodhisattva Subhūti, who is whoever that Buddha might be, whoever has nirvāṇa as wondrous citta.
Love you and thank you