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The "Essenceless Essence"

edited November 2010 in Philosophy
In the Prajnaparamita (and perhaps elsewhere), the Buddha speaks of something he calls "the essenceless essence."

What is your understanding of this? What do you think he means?

Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited October 2010
    it's another term for 'Emptiness' I would think.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited October 2010
    I'd have to read the context. I think thats a bit jumping conclusions to guess only based on the words without reading the whole prajnaparamita.

    I googled prajnaparamita and it turned up heart sutra. But my translation did not mention essenceless essence.
  • edited October 2010
    the thing without borders
    ????
    the mind without mind
    the nose without thoughts
  • edited October 2010
    Thank you all for your input.

    I think Jeffrey is correct, it's a translation thing. I will do some more research.
  • ShutokuShutoku Veteran
    edited October 2010
    I seem to recall encountering the term in some Zen literature. I think it is sort of describing our essence, but making sure you don't think of our essence as a "thing".
  • RichardHRichardH Veteran
    edited October 2010
    "Essenceless essence" sounds like the very kind of negative conceptual projection that I was addressing (ok complaining about) here .... http://newbuddhist.com/forum/showpost.php?p=133250&postcount=18

    It could be a skillful means for clarifying awareness, not the affirmation of a sneaky-transparent-Emptiness-entity.
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    edited October 2010
    Jeffrey wrote: »
    I'd have to read the context. I think thats a bit jumping conclusions to guess only based on the words without reading the whole prajnaparamita.

    I googled prajnaparamita and it turned up heart sutra. But my translation did not mention essenceless essence.


    Only the longer versions of the prajnaparamita mention that particular term. The prajnaparamita is basically a collection of Sutras (The Perfection of Transcedent Wisdom Sutras) that originated from the original prajnaparamita sutra "Great Mother: The prajnaparamita of 100,000 lines". Over time, various shortened versions have emerged with the "Heart Sutra" being one of them.

    I don't know which version these are from but this is the term in context:

    When the perfect wisdom is first seen, a new perception comes into being that does not depend on any structure. The great quest of the seeker now blossoms as various vast and mysterious doors swing open at the mere touch of the new perception.

    There is the door that opens to a vista of the essenceless essence, that which is the real nature of the manifested world. There is the door of liberation from a merely partial perception or muddled perspective of this real nature. And there is the door that opens directly into the authentic realization of this true nature.


    There is the wonderful door that opens into an intensity of sights and sounds, color and beauty. And there is the door of balance and ease through which one looks in awe at all the limitless structures of the world as one looks at the star-studded night sky. And there is the door to the exquisite happiness that would never want to own any worldly treasures or to possess even that same happiness. Finally, there is the door of total awakening itself.



    Subhuti asked: "Is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? Is it unimaginable and totally unique but nevertheless reaching the unreachable and attaining the unattainable?"

    The Buddha replied: "Yes, Subhuti, it is exactly so. And why is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? It is because all its points of reference cannot be thought about but can be apprehended. One is the disappearance of the self-conscious person into pure presence. Another is the knowing of the essenceless essence of all things in the world. And another is luminous knowledge that knows without a knower. None of these points can sustain ordinary thought because they are not objects or subjects. They can't be imagined or touched or approached in any way by any ordinary mode of consciousness, therefore they are beyond thinking."
  • RichardHRichardH Veteran
    edited October 2010
    seeker242 wrote: »


    The Buddha replied: "Yes, Subhuti, it is exactly so. And why is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? It is because all its points of reference cannot be thought about but can be apprehended. One is the disappearance of the self-conscious person into pure presence. Another is the knowing of the essenceless essence of all things in the world. And another is luminous knowledge that knows without a knower. None of these points can sustain ordinary thought because they are not objects or subjects. They can't be imagined or touched or approached in any way by any ordinary mode of consciousness, therefore they are beyond thinking."
    Wow. Inspiring.
  • edited October 2010
    seeker242 wrote: »
    When the perfect wisdom is first seen, a new perception comes into being that does not depend on any structure. The great quest of the seeker now blossoms as various vast and mysterious doors swing open at the mere touch of the new perception.

    There is the door that opens to a vista of the essenceless essence, that which is the real nature of the manifested world. There is the door of liberation from a merely partial perception or muddled perspective of this real nature. And there is the door that opens directly into the authentic realization of this true nature.


    There is the wonderful door that opens into an intensity of sights and sounds, color and beauty. And there is the door of balance and ease through which one looks in awe at all the limitless structures of the world as one looks at the star-studded night sky. And there is the door to the exquisite happiness that would never want to own any worldly treasures or to possess even that same happiness. Finally, there is the door of total awakening itself.



    Subhuti asked: "Is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? Is it unimaginable and totally unique but nevertheless reaching the unreachable and attaining the unattainable?"

    The Buddha replied: "Yes, Subhuti, it is exactly so. And why is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? It is because all its points of reference cannot be thought about but can be apprehended. One is the disappearance of the self-conscious person into pure presence. Another is the knowing of the essenceless essence of all things in the world. And another is luminous knowledge that knows without a knower. None of these points can sustain ordinary thought because they are not objects or subjects. They can't be imagined or touched or approached in any way by any ordinary mode of consciousness, therefore they are beyond thinking."
    Seeker242, where did you get this from?
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    edited October 2010
    zendo wrote: »
    Seeker242, where did you get this from?

    They are quotes of prajnaparamita verses that I found scattered around the web that are quoted as coming out of this book. The Pocket Buddha Reader Unfortunately, this book is not scanned on Google books so it can't be read online.

    But I think they are shorter versions of the original versions, which, maybe??, can be found in this book, Mother of the Buddhas: meditation on the Prajnaparamita Sutra which happens to have some pages scanned on Google books and is searchable. The versions in this book are slightly longer and a little different. I don't really know which version is the original version. I've seen claims that the 8,000 line version was the first and then was expanded to different versions but I have also seen claims that the 100,000 line version was the first. Not that it really matters all that much, probably have to consult a Buddhist scholar on that one. :) But they all basically say the same thing. The "Mother of Buddhas" book looks pretty good though.
  • edited October 2010
    seeker242 wrote: »
    They are quotes of prajnaparamita verses that I found scattered around the web that are quoted as coming out of this book. The Pocket Buddha Reader.
    I thought it looked familiar! This book appears to be an earlier version of another (really beautiful) Anne Bancroft book, The Buddha Speaks, which also contains the passages you quoted, verbatim.

    What I'm not sure of, but would really like to find out, is where Bancroft got her translations: because as Richard said, they're very inspiring, but they're also quite different from some other translations. (For instance, one online version of the Diamond Sutra that I read was downright bewildering to me, but in Bancroft's hands it became beautiful and uplifting.)
    But I think they are shorter versions of the original versions, which, maybe??, can be found in this book, Mother of the Buddhas: meditation on the Prajnaparamita Sutra which happens to have some pages scanned on Google books and is searchable. The versions in this book are slightly longer and a little different. I don't really know which version is the original version. I've seen claims that the 8,000 line version was the first and then was expanded to different versions but I have also seen claims that the 100,000 line version was the first. Not that it really matters all that much, probably have to consult a Buddhist scholar on that one. :) But they all basically say the same thing. The "Mother of Buddhas" book looks pretty good though.
    Thank you for mentioning this! I am going to check it out from the library.
  • WhoknowsWhoknows Australia Veteran
    edited October 2010
    Sounds to similar what would described, in the mahamudra tradition, as the nature of the mind, or mahamudra. The essence of the mind is emptiness, the nature of the mind is luminosity, the characteristic of the mind is never ending expression or manifestation. Sometimes the nature and essence are swapped around. In the mahamudra tradition a lot of time is spent trying to find this essence, yet no-one ever finds it. It is described as being similar to space (not outer space! ) or sky.

    Cheers, WK
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited October 2010
    OP: If I were a betting man I'd put my money on the meaning equating to "selfless nature", in Buddhist terms No-Self or Anatta. :)

    Of course that's weird phrasing, "essenceless essence", so it could mean Impermanence/Anicca (in the Buddha's time) or perhaps Emptiness. Who knows?
  • edited October 2010
    Whoknows wrote: »
    Sounds to similar what would described, in the mahamudra tradition, as the nature of the mind, or mahamudra. The essence of the mind is emptiness, the nature of the mind is luminosity, the characteristic of the mind is never ending expression or manifestation. Sometimes the nature and essence are swapped around. In the mahamudra tradition a lot of time is spent trying to find this essence, yet no-one ever finds it. It is described as being similar to space (not outer space! ) or sky.

    Cheers, WK
    This is somewhat similar to a thought I had about it: that "essenceless essence" refers to the true reality, which exists everywhere and permeates all things, and yet is both invisible and incomprehensible to our current minds.

    What intrigued me about this idea (and the original reason I posted the question) was that this sounds quite close to energy to me. Energy being something that indwells all things, both physical and metaphysical; is invisible and intangible; and which we have only recently begun to even scratch the surface of understanding.

    So when I read that passage (and others like it), I got to thinking that maybe the Buddha, by virtue of his having reached a level of enlightenment transcending ordinary "mortal" understanding, came to comprehend energy, the "essenceless essence," in a way that the rest of us aren't yet able to do, to understand its true nature.

    Of course, that's only my own speculation, and little profit can come from dwelling on it too much; but the part of my own mind that can fathom even an inkling of this idea--that there is a deeper reality behind what we call "energy," which can be apprehended when one has reached Enlightenment--found it quite intriguing.
  • edited October 2010
    Cloud wrote: »
    OP: If I were a betting man I'd put my money on the meaning equating to "selfless nature", in Buddhist terms No-Self or Anatta. :)

    Of course that's weird phrasing, "essenceless essence", so it could mean Impermanence/Anicca (in the Buddha's time) or perhaps Emptiness. Who knows?
    Who knows indeed, my friend. If there are Arahants in the world today, perhaps they know.

    Maybe one day I will meet one and ask her. ;)
  • WhoknowsWhoknows Australia Veteran
    edited October 2010
    zendo wrote: »
    This is somewhat similar to a thought I had about it: that "essenceless essence" refers to the true reality, which exists everywhere and permeates all things, and yet is both invisible and incomprehensible to our current minds.

    Ahh, but that was something I neglected to say, mahamudra which means great seal, is not only the nature of the mind but is the nature of reality as well.
    zendo wrote: »
    What intrigued me about this idea (and the original reason I posted the question) was that this sounds quite close to energy to me. Energy being something that indwells all things, both physical and metaphysical; is invisible and intangible; and which we have only recently begun to even scratch the surface of understanding.


    As to energy I would hazard to say that there may be some correspondence with the luminosity. Please note that this is a topic where others would very strongly say that luminosity is merely the knowing quality of the mind. Either way it is important to note that this energy you talk about (and the luminosity of the mind) is itself empty in nature like all other phenomenon.

    One other thing that I left unclear, in relation to no-one ever finding this essenceless essence, is that the purpose of looking is not to find or rather to find nothing, its an exhaustive process so that there is no doubt that there is nothing to find. It is said that it is the looking that leads to realisation even though there is nothing to find, in other words no looking no realisation.

    Something like that anyway.

    Cheers, WK
  • edited November 2010
    Whoknows wrote: »
    it is important to note that this energy you talk about (and the luminosity of the mind) is itself empty in nature like all other phenomenon.
    What do you mean by this?
    there is nothing to find
    And this?
  • WhoknowsWhoknows Australia Veteran
    edited November 2010
    zendo wrote: »
    Posted by Whoknows
    it is important to note that this energy you talk about (and the luminosity of the mind) is itself empty in nature like all other phenomenon.
    What do you mean by this?

    Only don't cling to this energy and make into something its not. There are lots of experiences that we can cling to during the meditation journey and the results are achieved when we avoid this clinging. Or maybe, more importantly, avoid conceptualising it. What we conceptualise we diminish and make it less than what it is, instead of letting it be.

    Quote:
    there is nothing to find
    And this?

    Zen meditators don't really look, AFAIK. But if you look for the mind you won't find it.


    Having said the above, all things fade away meditative under scrutiny, yet this energy that you talk of, if we are talking about the same thing, appears to withstand this fading, in fact it is usually the opposite. Sometimes I think it is this Luminosity of the mind, then I reprimand myself for conceptualising it and let it go.

    Sometimes, these things just don't lend themselves to language.

    Cheers, WK
  • edited November 2010
    Literally speaking, it is a contradiction, but metaphorically speaking, it is saying That which has no attribute, it is the only way we can talk of the soul or Buddha Nature. The essence which has no impermanent essence about it. In other words, that which is purified of all other things, completely perfect and unique to its own nature.
  • xabirxabir Veteran
    edited November 2010
    filosophia wrote: »
    Literally speaking, it is a contradiction, but metaphorically speaking, it is saying That which has no attribute, it is the only way we can talk of the soul or Buddha Nature. The essence which has no impermanent essence about it. In other words, that which is purified of all other things, completely perfect and unique to its own nature.
    This is not what Buddha-nature is...

    There are many stages of insights into Buddha-nature, and eventually it is seen that 'Impermanence is Buddha-Nature' - to quote Zen Master Hui-neng and Dogen (though this is my personal insight as well).

    Also see... http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2007/03/thusnesss-six-stages-of-experience.html
  • edited November 2010
    'Essence' refers to the essential substance of something. It is the assertion of some thing (like an infinitesimal 'chair particle') that makes a chair a chair, for example. Regarding persons, it is atman.

    Buddha rejects this notion.

    Buddha demonstrates (through impermanence, dependent origination, and anatman) that all things lack essential substance. That is, they are void (sunyata) of any mode of inherent self-existence. They are, in fact, 'essenceless'.

    The realization that all things are alike in being void of an essential, inherent, intrinsic, self-existent nature is the realization of "essenceless essence".
  • edited November 2010
    ^what he said. don't mistake it for nihilism, though. IN IT EXISTING it lacks true existence. It's not as simplistic as nihilism. The nature of existence is non-existence. The nature of the aggregates is emptiness.
  • edited November 2010
    Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha

    The heart sutra says (in my version) that if you repeat this mantra of prajna paramita you'll end the cycles of suffering and understand the perfection of Wisdom and develop right view etc.

    Started reciting it.... Still don't understand comppletely! I think of everything as Tao, coming from the Tao, that's my understanding of "emptiness", there's also dependent arising. I think I've misunderstood the way phenomena exist and Wisdom but I think that as things that exist to not exist independently, they require other factors eg. tree needs sun and soil there's a whole chain that appears which I think leads to one Source, God or the Tao. That's my understanding of it but maybe someone could clarify it for me?
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