Yesterday Geshe Doga said to Vanessa, “Money enough.” What does this mean? Well, on the positive side, maybe I won’t end up begging on the street, or isn’t this what many Buddhists are doing these days? How are Mahayana Buddhists doing well financially? If you put ethics first, you really need to work with a culture of people who value ethical conduct over materialistic, and selfish, or destructive motivations. Geshe Doga suggested “Computers?” Vanessa thought, OK and what about investigating science even further?

Buddhist science is way more advanced than western ideology (philosophy, psychiatry and psychology). Mind scientists study the mind. Many people don’t even recognise the Hum, the mind, the heart. They, Mahayana Buddhists, study the heart, (meaning, the mind). Now, even though the mind has an interconnection with the brain and the other organs of the body, the mind, is clear and knowing. Psychiatrists study the brain. Buddhists study the body, speech and mind.

As a mind scientist and philosopher, the study of Lo Rig, Mind and Mental Factors, is essential to working out how to abandon negative states of mind, the six primary delusions and the secondary delusions, (see Alexander Berzin Archives). Buddhists must also focus on how to cultivate Bodhicitta; the bodhicitta motivation, aspiring to and engaging in the deeds of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to progress along the path to the cessation of suffering and to eventually attain the cessation of suffering, liberation – (freedom from throwing karma, (meaning action)), and Buddhahood.

Copyright © Vanessa Anne Walsh 2020

 

Commentary on the Simpsons – The problems with ordinary appearance and self grasping

In this episode, we look at how Bart is just so distraught because Homer and wifey wifey have decided to go out to some sort of gala event, and they have decided that Lisa is to babysit the children. So, Bart is just outraged and ready to play up. What’s the problem Bart? Samsara is just so annoying! Here we see the bane of meeting with what you do not want and being separated from what you like. The bane of moving from high to low over and over without choice. What’s up Bart’s nostril? Well, I’d say, wrong view.

So what exactly is wrong view, and how does it create sin and negativity, black seeds and negative instinct within the mind? Wrong view imputes inherent existence, it thinks, I inherently exist and so do you, etc. However, that is incorrect. All phenomena lack inherent existence, whilst cause and effect and dependent arising are unfailing. So, the person, the five aggregates are empty of inherent existence. The selflessness of person is that you understand, see and realise the emptiness of the self of person. The selflessness of phenomena is that you don’t grasp at things as being inherently existent in any way at all, you see the emptiness of all phenomena. Even emptiness is empty of inherent existence.

Bart looks at Lisa like she’s the problem in his life and Lisa is looking all good and ready to boss Bart around. What hell! The thing is Lisa is still suffering and also imputing wrong view, so Bart thinks, Lisa, you are no help and just go away and leave me in peace please. The ignorance of a self of person and phenomena is to blame for the misery portrayed and discussed in The Simpsons.