' Emptiness '...

What is the ultimate realization that a Buddha has realized?

Only when this single realization penetrates and illuminates not only the conscious mind, but also the subconscious mind, will liberation be complete: Anuttara Samyak Sambhodi

This single realization is the realization of "emptiness"; the emptiness of ALL subjective and objective phenomena. There can be no exceptions. If there remains a single dharma or phenomena that is not seen to be empty, it is only that phenomena that blinds and binds.

"Seeing the emptiness" of phenomena is seeing how all mental and perceptual phenomena have no objective characteristics of their own, and that their seeming "existence" is the result of one's conceptual constructions, mental descriptions, names and labels.

All phenomena only exist in consciousness according to how they are conceived and described. Every aspect and characteristic is conceptually constructed so quickly that the mind tricks itself into not noticing its own active constructing. This way appearances seem to have pre-existing duration.

There are no "objective" phenomena that exist with their own pre-existing set of inherent characteristics. This also applies to a personal "self", a self-identity, a soul, a spirit, an "other" person, or a true Self. There are actually no "objective phenomena" that exist outside of our consciousness.

All subjective and "objective" phenomena are "empty" of any inherently existing characteristics that are uniquely theirs, from their own side. ALL of their characteristics are assigned and are conceptually conceived by a mind; otherwise the phenomena remain without characteristics.

It's like a guest who comes to a party always "empty-handed" with no gift of flowers or a bottle of wine for the host. But at the last second just as the guest enters the door (empty handed), the host slyly and secretly hands him a bottle of wine to enter with as he first meets the other guests. They think he came with the wine as being his "own property".

Likewise the mind thinks that phenomena appear with their own inherently owned and pre-existing properties. Just at the vary last moment as an appearance arises, the mind secretly pretends the guest appearance came with its own inherent qualities, but the mind as host, slipped him "his characteristics" telepathically or so it seems. It then seems the appearance arrived in perception with already "pre-existing" characteristics and qualities.

Seeing that ALL phenomena are inherently absent of their own pre-existing, intrinsic characteristics, is to see the emptiness of ALL phenomena; including "you", "me", people, sentient beings, animals, gurus, paths, karma, karmic traces, ignorance, things, thoughts, events, emotions, causes of suffering, perceptions, universes and all experiences. They are ALL equally empty of owning their own defining characteristics. The conceptualizing mind is their single source and origin.

What appearances seemingly "are" is restricted and limited to only being the conceptual descriptions, labels and definitions as conceived by the mind of the "beholder". There are no underlying, self-existing objective realities beneath the conceptual constructions that define them.

This is exactly what's realized in the total and complete enlightenment of a Buddha. It IS total liberation from all "causes" of suffering becauseall possible past and present causes, or future potential causes, are always seen to be inherently empty of their own inherent causation and therefore, causative capacity.

This means all causes of confusion and suffering are created through one's own believed thoughts and convictions and have no causative source beyond one's own mental constructions.

One can get to the same insight through investigating the emptiness teachings according to Chandrakirti's Madhyamaka Prasangika dialectic.

Mipham Rinpoche composed a brief text called The Beacon of Certainty, in which he states:

"In order to have perfect certainty in Dzogchen kadag (primordial purity, emptiness), one must have perfect understanding of the view of the Madhyamaka Prasangika. Kadag, or original, primordial purity, is the view of Dzogchen, and in order to perfect that view, one must perfect one’s understanding of the Middle Way Prasangika view. What this implies is that the view of Dzogchen kadag (primordial purity, emptiness) and the view of the Prasangika school are the same."

Contented Mind: The Life of Gen Lamrimpa

The Venerable Jampal Tenzin, Gen Lamrimpa, teaches that a contented mind is within our grasp, no matter how difficult the conditions of our lives. Genla, as he is affectionately called by his students, is one of the small number of Tibetan monks who spend most of their time in solitary meditation. He makes his home in a forest hut in Sikkim, where he lives simply and engages in spiritual practices.

Quotes from Gen Lamrimpa:

"The entire universe and everything in it is conceptually designated."

"We say that phenomena are established by the power of conceptual designation."

"Since phenomena do not exist inherently, they must exist conventionally. And since phenomena are established by the power of convention, they exist in a dependent fashion. Phenomena are dependent upon something else; in particular, they are dependent upon conceptual designation."

"There are a number of Buddhist scriptures that make this point. For example, there are sutras that say phenomena are established by conception. Also, Nagarjuna’s writings say that phenomena are established by thought, and Aryadeva makes the same point. All these Buddhist writings say that phenomena are established by convention, and what they mean here is that they are conceptually designated."

"This is an assertion unique to the Prasangika Madhyamaka view. All four Buddhist philosophical systems affirm that phenomena are dependent upon the collection of their preceding causes and conditions. But apart from the Prasangika system, the other Buddhist philosophical systems do not assert that phenomena are established by conception. Advocates of those other systems are not able to comprehend this point."

"Nagarjuna comments that total emptiness, or universal emptiness, remains upon the complete cessation of all appearances of conventional reality. In the absence of all conventional appearances, that emptiness can be called “the clear light of the fourth occasion.” The Buddhist scholar Sangye Yeshe states that this mind of clear light pervades all of space. This indicates the essential nature, or the mode of being, of the awareness (rigpa)."

"We can ask this question in relation to the “I.” How does the “I” exist? First of all, the “I” does not exist except as a conceptual or verbal designation. Apart from that, the “I” has no other mode of existence."

(Translated from Tibetan by B. Allan Wallace)
Jackson Peterson