Chapter 31 Chapter 3 Everything Is Empty-5

In Buddhist philosophy, everything that is experienced by the mind does not exist before the mind perceives it; it depends on the mind.It doesn't exist by itself, so it doesn't really exist.But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist to some degree.Buddhists call this perceived world "relative truth"—a truth that is measured and marked by our ordinary minds.To be considered "ultimate," truth must be unfabricated, it must not be a product of the imagination, and it must be independent of interpretation. Although Siddhartha realized emptiness, emptiness was not created by him or anyone else.Emptiness is not the result of Siddhartha's revelation, nor is it a theory developed to make people happy.Whether Siddhartha taught it or not, emptiness is what it is.We cannot even say that it has always been like this, because it is timeless and has no form.Emptiness should not be interpreted as the negation of existence (that is, we cannot say that this relative world does not exist), because in order to negate something, you must first admit that there is something that can be negated.Nor does emptiness erase our everyday experience.Siddhartha never said that there is nothing that can take the place of what we perceive to be more magnificent, better, purer or divine.Nor is he a nihilist, denying the appearance and function of things that exist in the world.He's not denying the rainbow's appearance, nor is he saying there's no such thing as a cup of tea.We can enjoy experience, but just because we can experience something doesn't make it real.Siddhartha simply advises us to examine our experience and contemplate that it may be a temporary illusion, like a daydream.

If someone asked you to spread your arms and fly, you would say I can't fly.Because in our relative world experience, flying is virtually impossible, like hiding in yak horns.However, suppose you dream that you are flying in the air in your sleep. If someone says in your dream that human beings cannot fly, you will say, yes, look!Then you will fly away.Siddhartha would agree with both situations -- when you are awake, you cannot fly; and when you are asleep, you can fly.The principle of this lies in whether the causes and conditions are sufficient; one condition to be able to fly is sleep.When you don't have it, you can't fly, with it, you can fly.If you dream that you can fly, and you wake up and continue to believe that you can fly, you are in trouble.You will fall and be disappointed.Even awake in the relative world, Siddhartha says, we sleep in ignorance, like a court lady on the night of his departure.When the right karma comes together, anything can happen.But when the causes and conditions dissipate, appearances cease.

Siddhartha saw our experience of this world as a dream, and he found that our habit of clinging to the appearance of this dreamlike relative world as real exists, thus falling into an endless cycle of pain and anxiety.We are deep in sleep, like silkworms hibernating in their cocoons.Weaving a reality out of our projections, imaginations, expectations, fears and delusions.Our cocoons become very solid and dense.Our imaginations are so real to us that we are trapped in a cocoon from which we cannot escape.However, we can set ourselves free simply by understanding that this is all our imagination.

There must be countless ways to wake up from this sleep.Even things like Peyote cactus or mescaline (a hallucinogen) can give us a little fuzzy idea of ​​the illusory dimensions of "reality".However, drugs do not bring us fully awakened, not for other reasons, at least because this awakening depends on external elements, and once the effect of the hallucinogen wears off, the experience disappears.Suppose you are having a nightmare, and it only takes one thought to realize that you are dreaming, and you will wake up.And this spark may come from a dream.When you do something unusual in your dream, it can be shocking to realize that you are asleep. Peyote and mescaline may trigger momentary realizations by manifesting the powers of mind and imagination.Drug-induced hallucinations allow us to temporarily realize that hallucinations can be so real and believable.However, the use of such drugs is inappropriate because they can only provide unreal experiences and can also harm the body.Instead, we should aspire to achieve total and ultimate awakening, independent of external objects.Realization is only useful to us when it comes from within.What we really need is awakening from habit, imagination and attachment.Mind training and meditation are the fastest, safest, and most effective ways to deal with flow.As Siddhartha said, you are your own master.