Day Two, Session One

As we discussed yesterday one of the unique features of human beings is this gift of the faculty of intelligence. As I pointed out yesterday, because we posses this faculty of intelligence, we humans unlike species of other life forms, have the capability to project into the future and think about the long and short term consequences of our actions. Also if you look at human history as a whole, we can see that human civilization is in some sense the product of this faculty of intelligence. Because it is through the application of this faculty of intelligence that human beings progress, expand our knowledge and increase the body of collective knowledge that we posses. So we have better means to relate to the external world and deal with situations. One could say that the whole history of human civilization is a history of the development and evolution of human intelligence.

When we examine the nature of the intelligence that we posses as human beings, we can see that to some extent intelligence is innate; it is there right from the beginning of one’s birth. We could say it is natural to the human psyche yet at the same time we also see that there is a degree to which this natural intelligence can be enhanced and developed. What seems to be true is that there is this innate or natural potential in all of us to be able to enhance and develop this faculty of intelligence, to be able to expand the scope of knowledge.

When Buddhist teachings deal with the question of intelligence and its potential for enhancement, Buddhism talks about three different types of intelligence or understanding or one could say three levels of understanding. At the initial stage, the level of understanding is known as the understanding derived through listening or hearing. Here one’s understanding is primarily based on an explanation, an accounting by someone else or one has read something and one’s level of understanding is at the level of the intellectual understanding. When one contemplates on this level and deepens one’s understanding through constant reflection and analysis then one can enhance this level of intelligence to the second stage which is technically called in Buddhism understanding developed through contemplation or reflection. This is more reliable and also deeper.

If one pursues further analysis and reflection and constantly compares this with one’s own experience, then through meditation this intellectual understanding is deepened and transformed into a sort of meditative understanding. This is the third level of understanding or wisdom which is called the wisdom or understanding derived through meditation. So we see that there is a progression from the initial stage of understanding based purely on reading or hearing, culminating in an understanding which is more experiential.

Similarly when we talk about intelligence, there are different types of intelligence. Certain types of intelligence could be described as sharp, some people are gifted with this kind of intelligence where they are capable of seeing things in a very fast way, very sharp. Yet at the same time that sharpness need not necessarily reflect a depth of intelligence. Some people may have a very sharp mind but it may be only at a surface level but then some people may not be as sharp and quick. They may take a longer time to understand but once they do develop an understanding it is much deeper. This type of intelligence is known as penetrating intelligence, which is not only to understand a subject or topic in a very penetrating way but also at the same time it, is capable of appreciating the wider dimensions or ramifications of that knowledge.

There are other types of intelligence where people have a vast knowledge such that whenever that person looks at a particular subject, that person is able to bring upon that understanding many different perspectives. So we find in the Buddhist literature discussions of such different types of intelligence such as sharp, penetrating, profound and vast knowledge. It is important to bear in mind that the nature of intelligence is very complex and varied.

When talking about the way in which we can apply this basic or natural faculty of intelligence that we posses in understanding the nature of reality, of course it is very important to apply it and probe whatever topic or subject it may be, to be able to see things in a very clear and correct way. It is very important to have a sort of alertness and precision but what is also important is to have another faculty, which is the faculty of single-pointedness of mind. This allows one to really be able to channel one’s attention fully to whatever topic one may be analyzing. If one is able to single-pointedly focus one’s mind on the particular subject then one will be able to in some sense fuse one’s mind with the subject under analysis. In some sense one identifies with it and become one with it, the probing intelligence of the mind becomes united and one with the object under analysis. One will then be able to enhance one’s understanding in a much more effective and powerful way.

This is particularly true when one is dealing with a topic that is either totally unfamiliar to one so that one can not naturally or spontaneously deal with it at ease or it may be a concept which is quite contrary to one’s normal way of thinking. Under such circumstances then without this faculty of single-pointedness of mind, one may not be able to retain one’s attention, one’s focus on the subject. At the same time one may not be able to channel one’s energy or attention to the subject. So if on the other hand one possesses and has developed this faculty of single-pointedness, which by the way is a natural quality one has within us, then one is in a very strong position to apply the clarity of intelligence and its alertness with a degree of stability and focus. It is because of this that in ancient Indian spiritual traditions the need to unite the combined single-pointedness of mind and penetrating insight has been very extensively emphasized. In other words the union of tranquil abiding and penetrating insight has been emphasized in most of the ancient spiritual traditions of India.

We have by birth the natural capacity to enhance our intelligence. We posses that faculty naturally therefore we have the potential to enhance our intelligence, understanding and insight. Similarly we naturally posses within our psyche the faculty of single-pointedness, the fact that you can pay attention to a particular object, the fact that you can retain your attention or focus on to an object. This is an indication that the seed for single-pointedness of mind is within us. So this can be developed and should be developed so that you have advanced mental capabilities.

In Buddhism there are discussions and also techniques of how to enhance one’s philosophical view through meditative techniques. Similarly there are techniques for enhancing one’s meditative practices, single-pointedness of mind through a philosophical analysis. Now leaving this aside because these are techniques, which are described within the context of the Buddhist meditation, however we are talking about the practice of developing a single-pointedness of mind and enhancing intelligence in general. As this is relevant even to someone who doesn’t believe in any particular religious tradition, what may be more appropriate for us is to discuss how it is possible to develop a single-pointedness of mind by choosing a particular object as the focus of your meditation, an object quite easy to imagine, conceive or something that is familiar to you.

Let us take an example of an object like a flower. When we talk about developing a single-pointedness of mind focused on the flower, we should not have the notion that what is being focused at is the visual image of the flower that is in front of you, the object itself. Of course one may gaze at the flower in order to have a clear, vivid image of the flower. But the direct object of one’s meditation is not the real flower, the physical flower “out there” but rather the image of the flower that arises within one, not at the sensorial level but at the mental level. It is the image of the flower that arises within one’s mind at the mental level. That is the object of one’s meditation and one should be able to retain one’s focus and attention on this object even when not looking at the flower at that moment.

When you begin the session developing the single-pointedness of your mind focusing on the example of the flower, you should begin by developing a very strong will and determination or resolve that you will maintain your attention, focused on that object, without any distraction. You should develop that strong resolve and then once you begin the actual meditation make every effort to try and retain that focus, not being distracted.

If you make a constant effort it is possible to be able to extend your ability to retain focus on the object of meditation. Through this way you will be able to increase your capacity for stability of mind. Along with it what is also required is developing the luminous quality of the subjective experience of the mind itself. It is not merely enough to have a vivid image of the object of your meditation; there should also be a sense of alertness, a sense of clarity. This is such that although your mind may be stable and undistracted but it may be beginning to sink, beginning to lose its alertness. This should not be the case. Along with the stability of mind, along with the ability to retain your attention, there should also be a high degree of alertness and subjective clarity.

When you are engaged in a meditation aimed at developing single-pointedness of mind and attempting to attain tranquil abiding, there are certain factors that obstruct your ability to make progress and attain single-pointedness of mind. There are two factors generally speaking, which are the main obstacles that prevent you from developing the stability of mind. These two obstacles are mental scattering or distraction, which is more general and then mental excitement, which is a form of attachment. These two obstacles, these two factors of mind are the key obstacles that hinder your development of the stability of mind. Similarly mental sinking is the main obstacle that hinders your development of alertness and clarity, subjective clarity of mind.

Among the two, mental distraction and mental excitement, generally speaking excitement is considered to be the more serious obstacle because it is a form of attachment. So for a practitioner whose primary aim or objective is to attain single-pointedness of mind, it is important to first of all identify these two key obstacles, mental excitement and mental sinking, and then seek means by which the practitioner can confront and counteract them.

Of course when we speak of these two primary obstacles, mental sinking and mental excitement, they are many different levels even within these two factors of mind. There are subtleties and coarse levels. Generally speaking the way in which the meditator or practitioner should confront them and counteract them is like the following. If you find in your meditation that your mind is beginning to be distracted, your mind is starting to lose its focus then that is an indication that you may be at a slightly more excited state. Under such circumstances the right antidote is to try to bring the state of your mind lower and try to withdrawal your consciousness a bit more.

On the other hand if you find that you are beginning to lose the clarity and alertness, although there is no distraction it is beginning to lose its grip and its intensity, then it is an indication that mental sinking is arising. So under such circumstances the right antidote is to try to uplift your mind; try to make your mind more alert and awaken yourself.

So what we find is that the right approach is to try to find the right balance between the two, kind of an equilibrium. Of course what constitutes an equilibrium will differ from individual to individual depending upon different physical makeup of the person. It depends on many different factors. Age might make a difference and also the physical health of the individual may make a difference. In some cases even the food you may have eaten previously might make a difference; the diet may make a difference. There are many factors which need to be taken into account so therefore there is no standard sort of point where one can say this is the equilibrium everyone needs.

So far as this state of equilibrium is concerned it is something that every individual needs to find out for themselves through experience and through practice. You will arrive at a point where you can in some sense intuit that this is the right balance, the right equilibrium for me. Once you have found it, then it is important to retain it. It is through pursuing such a balanced approach that you will be able to advance and make progress in your meditation.

What is important here is to give a caution that especially at the beginning it is very important not to exert too much, not to put too much exertion in your meditation. What is important is not to put yourself in a situation where you may end up feeling put off by the experience. At the initial stage even though the session may be very short, let’s say one or two minutes, during which one can maintain one’s focus on the object, that is fine. What is important is to pay more attention to the quality of the state of mind you arrive at in your meditation rather than trying to push yourself too hard in trying to have an extended period of meditation. Pushing too hard may lead to a situation where you are in some sense being dragged along in your meditation without much clarity but rather in a foggy state. This will lead you to acquire bad habits, which may in the future be quite difficult to overcome. So at the initial stage it is important not to put too much exertion but rather to pay more attention to the quality so that you can, even though initially it may be very short, be able to slowly extend the duration of your single-pointedness of mind. In this way whatever duration you manage to achieve will be of a very good quality. This is the way in which you should progress.

Sometimes it is also very beneficial if one could develop single-pointedness of the mind focused on one’s own consciousness, the nature of one’s own consciousness. This will have a very powerful effect but in order to do this first of all it is important to have some idea or some sort of image of what the object of meditation would be like, i.e. the consciousness. Of course when one says meditate on consciousness and take one’s own consciousness as the object of meditation, one is not referring to the mere term “consciousness”; that’s not the object of meditation. What is required here is to be able to take consciousness itself and focus one’s attention upon it.

So in order to be able to do this first of all one needs to identify what the consciousness is. This is of course quite difficult. One technique, which can be used to assist one in enabling one to identify consciousness, is following a particular meditation. For example in one’s normal, ordinary state, one finds oneself constantly immersed either in a sensory state or in a conceptual state where one is totally distracted or preoccupied by either external sensory objects, be it colors, shapes or odors, or internal feelings and sensations, be it pleasurable, painful or whatever.

In some sense one could say that since one’s consciousness, since one’s states of mind are so dominated by these sensorial or conceptual experiences that the basic nature of the consciousness itself, which is the mere luminosity, mere experience, is in some sense obscured or covered. This is such that it no longer becomes apparent to one; it is no longer manifest to one’s experience, at least to one’s conscious mind.

So in one’s meditation, what one can do is to deliberately adopt a stance resolving that one will not allow oneself to become distracted by past experiences, recollections of past experiences nor allow oneself to become distracted about future events, with expectations and hopes. Rather one retains one’s focus, the focus of one’s mind and consciousness only on the experience of the present moment. When one starts practicing in this manner, of course it is difficult, but slowly and gradually one may be able to distance one’s mind from recollections and memories of the past as well as expectations and anticipations projected into the future. One will be able to retain one’s awareness fully to the present and through this way slowly begin to have a glimpse of a certain vacuity. When one takes the path and the future out of the stream of consciousness, what one experiences is this vacuity.

Through one’s practice one will be able to extend that experience of vacuity. At the initial stage it may only be a glimpse or a momentary experience but slowly and gradually one will be able to extend that experience. When one extends that experience gradually and slowly then the basic nature of the mind, which is the clarity and the luminosity, will become more and more apparent to one, more and more manifest. One will then get to a point where when one encounters the term consciousness, it will give one a different meaning, a different sense. This experience is the one, which needs to be taken as the object of meditation when one is meditating on consciousness, developing single-pointedness focused on consciousness.

An analogy used often here is the example of murky water. When water with sediment is shaken it becomes murky. If one then lets the container rest without motion, slowly one will begin to see the sediment settle and the clarity of the water becomes more and more apparent. This is the analogy used to describe when one separates out the past and future anticipation from one’s mind from the stream of consciousness. The vacuity is like the clarity of the water.

So far as this meditation on identifying the nature of consciousness is concerned, the technique that I just described; it does not require any religious presupposition or any particular belief in any religious ideas. It is universal; it is something that could be adopted by any person even a non-believer. Even in the case of a non-believer I think that pursuing such a meditation and through this meditation focused on the experiential luminous nature of the mind and developing single-pointedness of mind, may have a very positive beneficial effect on the individual. This is especially in terms of helping the person have a certain degree of the relief of stress.

For example in modern society the pace of life is so fast that it may be quite difficult to control the pace of events around one. However one possibility that the individual has is to take control over one’s own response to that fast pace of life. By engaging in such meditative practices one can in some sense slow down and have a respite internally so that one no longer feels driven the mechanistic pace of life. Rather one exerts one’s own control and one chooses to slow down the pace and also to seek respite. It is possible through this way to have less stress and have more relaxation in one’s own mind. I think this is possible. This may also have beneficial effects enhancing one’s natural capacity of intelligence as one can develop and enhance alertness of mind, clarity of thought and so on and so forth.

In the case of a religious believer, for example a Christian practitioner … following single-pointedness of mind by taking the figure of Jesus as the object of one’s meditation or the figure of Mary. Focused on that one can develop single-pointedness of mind. However this type of meditation is slightly different when one talks of meditation on love or compassion. In that context one is not talking about taking love or compassion as the object of meditation but rather one is talking about generating one's mind or consciousness in the nature of love or compassion. There is no subject-object duality. So in such meditations one’s aim is to try to strengthen and enhance one’s natural capacity for love and compassion. For example in the case of the meditation on love as well as the Christian meditation on love what one is trying to strengthen is one’s own natural capacity for love and insure that in one’s meditation on love that one’s mind is not distracted or lax.

So one could say that as far as the meditative techniques for developing single-pointedness of mind are concerned it is truly a universal and common practice. Because of this in ancient India all the techniques having to do with developing single-pointedness of mind are known as methods and meditations common to Buddhist and non-Buddhist practitioners.

When one can combine one’s faculty of intelligence with the faculty of single-pointedness, a powerful single-pointedness of mind then one’s intelligence acquires a very penetrating power or ability. When we speak about the need and the importance of enhancing and developing one’s faculty of intelligence and having that intelligence penetrate into the nature of reality, it is important to bear in mind for what purpose one is trying to enhance this capability. It is not purely out of academic interest or out of a sense of enjoyment; there must be a purpose. Otherwise one’s intelligence might become trivial.

In the Buddhist context to the question of to what purpose does one enhance one’s faculty of intelligence, the answer is that in order to bring about an internal transformation within the mind or to bring about an inner discipline one develops one’s faculty of intelligence. However when we speak about internal transformation and inner discipline, I personally feel that it is actually the states of emotion, which directly bring about the transformation. For example in the case of positive transformation, it is emotional factors like compassion, love, trust and faith, which directly and actually bring about the transformation. The role of intelligence is to complement or reinforce the emotional factors. In the case of compassion, love and so forth, they are in some sense drawn out and reinforced by the factor of intelligence. Through intelligence one understands the value and importance of compassion and through intelligence one understands the need for trust. One understands the grounds under which one can trust one’s spiritual wellbeing to someone. Through one’s intelligence one understands the benefits and value of compassion and the need for compassion. One sees an intimate interplay or dynamic between one’s faculty of intelligence on the one hand and the various positive emotional factors which intelligence brings forth and enhances within one.

I feel that these types of emotions are in some sense rooted in reason and are valid experiences. So generally when we say don’t be emotional there is the idea that emotions are negative. But it is important to make a distinction between two types of emotion. There are of course negative emotions like anger, hatred, strong attachment and so on. These are negative and also quite different from emotions like love, compassion and so on in that the former emotions are instinctual, impulsive, reactive and arise without reason. They are destructive as well so when we talk about emotions it is important to make a distinction between the positive ones and the negative ones. The positive emotions as I explained earlier, when these are complimented by intelligence then true internal transformation can take place.

Similarly when we look at our sense of self and our sense of ego, we find that we have naturally within us a very powerful, strong concrete sense of a self as it is the core of our existence. One’s whole attitude or perception of the world in some sense reflects this sense of self and this strong sense of self is a grasping at the inner being or the self is very egoistic, projecting one’s view of the world. This sort of egoistic grasping at a sense of self leads to all sorts of complications. It leads to strong emotions, deluded states of mind, frustrations, sufferings and so on. This is definitely a negative sense of self.

On the other hand we can are positive senses of a self, which in some sense arise as a result of constant reflection and deep thought. For example in the context of Buddhism, the scriptures tell us that all sentient beings possess the Buddhanature, there is within us by birth this germinal seed for attaining full enlightenment. Also there is the fact that the ultimate nature of the mind is emptiness, the fact that clarity and luminosity are the essence of the mind which is totally untainted. Based on these reflections and also the fact that oneself at this juncture as a human being has all the intellectual and mental capabilities of understanding what is the correct path and by pursuing it one has the ability to activate the Buddhanature within one so that one can fulfill one’s altruistic aspiration to help other sentient beings. So based on these considerations then one can develop a strong sense of confidence that one can achieve full enlightenment, one can do this for the sake of all sentient beings. This sense of self is positive and more one thinks about these reasons, the more one reflect on the underlying reasons the stronger this positive sense of self will become which is in marked contrast to the earlier sense of self which is deluded, unfounded and egoistic. So one can see even within the sense of self there are positive and negative senses of self just as with the emotions.

To sum up Buddhism the objective or the purpose of developing the faculty of intelligence is to bring about an internal transformation. The ultimate purpose of bringing about such an internal transformation is for a Buddhist practitioner to seek enlightenment or to seek nirvana, freedom from cyclic existence. Further then a Buddhist practitioner seeks full awakening not just for one’s own sake but also for the sake of all sentient beings. So what we see is that at the initial stage the motivating factor that brings about internal transformation is really this genuine desire to seek freedom from the bondage of suffering and cyclic existence. At the second stage the motivating factor is the altruistic attitude and aspiration to seek full enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. In both of these cases it is the faculty of intelligence that compliments and makes these motivations effective and powerful.

It is with this background that one should then look at the fundamental Buddhist teachings on the Four Noble Truths as the whole framework of the Four Noble Truths is setting a context within which a spiritual trainee can use their natural capacities towards fulfilling their spiritual aspirations. This aspiration is to obtain freedom from suffering.

In brief the essence of the teachings of the Four Noble Truths is the following. What we don’t desire is suffering and pain. Where does suffering come from? From its origin or source. So the first two truths have to do with suffering and its origin. What we all seek and naturally aspire to attain is happiness.

When we talk about happiness in the context of spiritual practice like aspiring to attain liberation from samsara, our conception of happiness is not confined to ordinary pleasurable sensations alone. In fact those pleasurable sensations which in worldly terms are known as happiness are in the true sense of the word not experiences of joy but rather transient and unreliable experiences. These experiences can easily turn into suffering. So the true happiness one is seeking is the total freedom from suffering and even the potential for suffering. This freedom is in Buddhist language is described as a state beyond sorrow or nirvana. The methods or the process by which an individual can arrive at such an ultimate joy or happiness or in other words the state beyond sorrow are called the true paths. Freedom and its cause, which is the path, are the last two truths, the truth of cessation and the truth of the path. They point out the causation between what we seek which is happiness and the conditions or causes that lead to such a state of happiness.

In other words the essence of the teachings of the Four Noble Truths is that it states that all things and events including one’s own experiences of pain, pleasure, suffering, happiness and so forth come into being as the result of their causes and conditions. If one does not desire suffering then the logical thing to do is to put an end to the processes that lead to suffering. On the other hand if it is happiness one seeks, then the logical thing to do is to seek the causes and the processes that lead to attaining that happiness. So this is the morale one should draw from the teachings on the Four Noble Truths.

In the sermon, which is the teachings on the Four Noble Truths when the Buddha taught the individual truths, he taught them in terms of four characteristics each. So let us first deal with the characteristics of the First Truth which is the Truth of Suffering. One can speak in terms of three characteristics or four characteristics. For convenience sake let us say three characteristics. Suffering is described in terms of three characteristics of impermanence or transitory nature, unsatisfactoriness and selflessness.

When we reflect on the first characteristic of suffering which is impermanence or the transient nature of existence, of course there are two levels, the coarse and the subtle levels. At the gross level from one’s own experience one knows that every aspect of one’s life and all the conditions of one’s existence, be it one’s own belongings, shelter and so on which one requires for one’s survival, are transient in the sense that they are finite. None of them can last eternally and this is a fact we all know. However when one relates to them sometimes one totally forgets their transient nature, we ignore this fact.

For example when one desperately want something, when one covets something one feels as if that object, whatever it may be, holds the answer to all of one’s happiness. One feels as if one attains this object, all of one’s life will be no problem at all and one would in some sense obtain eternal happiness. There is this sense and one invests so much into the task of obtaining it. So in some sense one does forget occasionally the finite nature of one’s own existence. Not only are all these conditions, be it wealth, friends, health or so on, finite but also the very being for whose purpose these are sought itself is also finite, must come to an end. So it is important to reflect upon the transient nature even though it is at a gross level.

However more powerful contemplation is to reflect on the subtle nature of impermanence which is to appreciate that all things and events are transient in the sense that none of them have the ability or capacity to endure for more than an instance. Every phenomenon is undergoing changes in every instance and there is nothing that endures in the true sense of the word. This is one understanding of subtle impermanence. More powerful still is to appreciate the very fact that when something has come into being that in itself is an indication that it has the potential to cease. In some sense one could say that built within the cause of something’s production there is also within the object the cause or mechanism for its cessation or demise. One can understand that the causes and conditions, which gave rise to its production, are the very causes and conditions, which plant the seeds for its disintegration or cessation. One should not have the notion that things come into being first, endure and then cease to exist. This is not the case. In order for a thing or event to come to an end there is no need for a further third factor to intervene and bring about that cessation as built within the very causal mechanism which produces the thing itself is the cause for its eventual demise or cessation. When one understands impermanence in such a profound way it will have a very liberating and powerful effect.

When one’s understanding of the transient and impermanent nature of existence is brought to such a deep level then one will be able to draw out its full implications. So long as an event or thing has come into being as the result of causes and conditions then that event or thing has no power over itself. It is not self-governing. In some sense it is under the power of other factors, in other words it is other-powered. It has no control over itself and it is governed by other factors. When this understanding is then applied in the context of meditation on the Four Noble Truths then one realizes that the suffering which is the unsatisfactory nature of one’s own existence characterized by the nature of one’s psychophysical existence, the five aggregates, and one’s very existence is the product of causes and conditions. When one examines this further one begins to identify what those causes and conditions are and principal among them are one’s karma, the volitional actions which lead to one’s existence and the underlying delusions which motivated those karmic actions.

The delusory states if examined further have their roots in fundamental ignorance or avidya. This fundamental ignorance if one examines its nature, one finds that it is a distorted state of mind. It is a state of mind, which misapprehends the nature of reality; it conceives reality in a distorted way.

So through following this line of thought one comes to the realization that one’s very existence is rooted in a distorted state of mind. Because it is a product of this distorted state of mind, so long as it remains chained to that cause, one will have no control over its forces. Just as one avoids a particular food grown from a poisonous plant, in one’s own life since its primary cause is ignorance and karma and as long as one remains in such a state of existence then one’s existence can not be characterized as joyful or satisfactory. Through this way one can understand the full meaning of the second characteristic of suffering which is the unsatisfactory nature of existence.

When we say that our very existence is in some sense the result of delusions and karma, it might give the impression to some people that there are these autonomous forces called karma and delusions somewhere out “there”. This is a totally wrong impression. Let me clarify this statement that our very existence is a product of karma and delusion. We will leave aside for the time being the question of rebirth and previous lives before this present one.

Even within this lifetime we can from our own experience see the connection between how our varying states of existence and the delusory states with the actions that follow them are connected. As Chandrakirti said in his Entering into the Middle Way, first we have the innate sense of self and then we expand it by projecting a sense of mine. This is followed by grasping which then leads to the rotation of the cycle of existence. This process goes on without any control like a machine, which once started, is propelled on and on.

For example if we examine our own very existence and our own experience we find that underlying all of our experiences there is a strong sense of self spoken about earlier. There is a grasping or clinging to this core, to this inner being within ourselves which is felt to be the true referent of the notion of me or self. Our whole existence, our whole perception in some sense springs from this grasping, this clinging. From this strong identity of a self then we cling to our body and mind, which are in some sense the basis from which this sense of “I” or self arises. We begin to embrace our mind and body as “mine”. In order to nurture and protect what you think is your mind and your body, you cling onto many factors of existence like shelter, food, companions, wealth and so on and so forth which you see as essential needs of the self. Thus the scope of your clinging becomes expanded, becoming wider and wider. Along with this your emotional reactions increase towards events and people who you see as posing a threat to the things you consider yours. You feel anger and hatred towards people and things who you consider as threatening and attachment towards that which you perceive as helpful to your sense of self.

You can see how you fluctuate in your emotional reactions to different objects and persons based on what you project or perceive in their relationship to you. These fluctuating emotions be it attachment or hatred or anger, they impulsively lead you to certain actions either positive or negative. These actions then lead to further consequences leading to a chain reaction. So you see within this single lifetime or this present state that there is a complex nexus formed between your sense of self, your sense of “mine”, your clinging to various factors of existence and how they give rise to emotional responses in yourself leading to actions which cause new circumstances. You can see the nexus that is formed.

If this is the case we can then extend this kind of understanding of the connection between this type of life with the experiences of previous lifetimes and so on and so forth. One can in some sense apply the same scheme onto other lifetimes as well. It is in this way that one can understand the statement that our existence is the product of karma and delusions.

(Break)