Reality and That Nameless Thing

Sixth in a series. The very thing that your mind, holding the innate view, is trying to sit upon as the excellent support of it’s inquiry into valid cognition does not exist. That thing does not have a name. It is not called tree or body or self. It has no actual name, but it is something that you innately believe is there, and it is not!

So, everything that has form cannot actually exist as form unless it is empty of essence. It is not the fault of form that it cannot provide you with the actual deep support that you energetically crave. Even more subtle forms such as a smoke, odors, and the sounds that surround you, and the impressions that are brought to you such as food and your interactions with it by tasting, are all equally unreliable as the excellent support of your craving for stability.

Some wish to substitute the word matter instead of the word form. This is probably because matter, quite recently in fact, has been found to not be the solid thing we sense it is, and even the quantum levels of energy underlying it is not what we thought a foundation for matter would be like. However, whether you choose scientifically described composition, or analytical description, they are the same; without providing a suitable support and are carefully unsuitable for supporting the grasping mind. No wonder you are suffering. No wonder you are suffering.

Number three of twenty emptiness’s analysis by Chandrakirti: Emptiness of the inner and the outer: “That both inner and outer lack an essential nature is what is called emptiness of the inner and the outer”. If we move our awareness from outer forms and outer sensations and feel that what we are thinking or inner mental events are real, we are again mistaken.

However, this shift might cause you to then feel that your mind is an unsuitable location for reality to arise because your inner senses are dulled and damage by abusing them with lifetimes of unskillful activities creating confusion and distress. In that case, you might choose to take specially empowered outer form such as Buddha statues or political systems or the solidity of a piece of rock crystal to be a real and steady support, at which point you are even more mistaken.

Further, some say, “I only believe what I can touch and feel!” Another one says “All of this is out there is a dream, but inside I am real!” Neither of these is correct and the method to leave the suffering state of confusion and understand what is truly real. Point three of twenty emptiness’s states that everything, everything, both inside you and outside you, is exactly the same, meaning without essence coming from its own side that neither creates or displays reality. Now we pay closer attention because we are chasing our innate view hither and thither without blaming it or distressing it. We do it calmly and carefully!

Number four: Emptiness of emptiness: “All phenomena lack essential nature, and the wisest of those call it emptiness. Furthermore, the wise one, the Buddha, said, "This emptiness is empty of being an inherently existent emptiness."” This lack of intrinsic reality of what is called emptiness, is the emptiness of emptiness.

The Buddha taught this way to counteract the mind's tendency to think of emptiness as something that is truly existent. I remind you again that they are describing what I call a state without foundation in order to make it more meaningful for my Western students.
At this point in the analysis freed up energy is causing grasping so great that the inquirer will strongly want to hold onto something real. This is a prime cause for many who could finish the careful analysis to stop and grasp at the various levels of possibilities. Can we see how the great religions, new age thinking or individual spiritual journeys can stop the process and form around one or another manifestation to be the really real?

Now you know that everything is emptiness without remainder, and now you know what it is made out of. It is made out of emptiness. Unfortunately emptiness is real at this point for the one analyzing. This is due to grasping which has become great and concentrated on this idea. This emptiness grows in importance and becomes a really real something, but it also cannot be the excellent support of your craving. To be continued….