The meaning of "world" in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy

THE MEANING OF "WORLD" IN TIBETAN BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts in. the Department of Far Ea.3 tern Studies Uruversity of Saskatchewan by Kennard Lipman Saskatoon, Sask~tchewan March c 1976 Copyright 1976, K. Liprnan 778976 The author has agreed that the Library, University of Saskatchewan, may make this theslsfreely available for inspection. Moreover, the author has agreed th:tt permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised the thesis work recorded herein or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which the thesis work was done. It is understood that due recognition will be given to the author of this thesis and to the University of Saskatchewan in -3.ny use of the material i.n this thesis. Copying or publication or any other use of the thesis for financial gain without approval by the University of Saskatchewan and the authorts written permission is prohibited. Request for permission to copy or make aqy other use of material in this thesis in whole or in part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Far Eastern Studies University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Canada S7N OWo Abstract The meaning of "world" has been misunderstood because of its pr-im:'iry identification with the physical world as 3.0 "external to- tality of entities within an ext.ens Lve continuum of time and space." We have traced the development cf this view of natur-e 1n the Western world up to the 20th century, where new views ha.ve begun to appear. With the aid of these new vie'..-lS in philosophy (phenomenology) and the physical sciences, in particular, we have explicated the Buddhist understa.nding of "world" as it is presented in wh:it h-3.S been called "Buddhist Cosmology-.n To this end, we have priIrarily relied on the openfrom Klang-chen rab-'byams-pa's Yid-bzhin rin-po-cheti Lpgcha.pter~ mcizod, which goes beyond the standard presentation in the Abhidharma~. Following Klong-chen-pa; we deal with the presenta.tion of how the world arises from the Ground of Being, i.e., the epistemological and ontological bases of Buddhist cosmology based on the Gitta-mitrl and Midhy~ka. schools of Buddhist philosophy; the explanation of how our world-system constitutes a Buddha-field; and the evolution of our world-system,. with particular attention paid to the concept of the 5 Evolutive Phases (tbyung-b~). Of special interest is Klong-chen-pats treatment of these in his sNying-thig writings. We find there a view of the universe which is neither physical nor mental, with many striking parallels to the philosophical implicatior~ of quantum physics. Acknowledgements I would like first of all to ex.press my gratltude to my ,rosivd~ Dr. H.V. Guenther, Without whom this study could not have been made, ~s he provided me with Tibetan sources that would have taken me years of searching to ever come across on my own, not to mention the profound teachings and of Buddhism which I have learned interp~os from him ever the past few years. I would also like to express my gratitude to Lama Tarthang Tulku, who is ,always not too far from me, no matter how much I may wander from his. Tibetan Medita.tion Center and Institute in Berkeley, Cali,forni.a , Last, but not least, many thanks to the University of Saska.tchewan for the scholarships given tome during the academic year 1975-6, which were certa.inly '1 blessing in times of economic hardship. -i1- Preface The first half of the 20th century witnessed the breakdown of traditional ideas in many of the sciences and philosophical trends of the Western world. The task of the second half 1s to produce a new vision of the world. An important ingredient in this new vision should be the emergence of Eastern ways of thinking in Western culture. Up until now, however, Buddhism has not played the role it could ~a.v'el hadtd.nLthis;;;trB.ns,fcinnation,.. because of in- adequate presentations in the West of the highly-developed aspects of its philosophy,which should prove to be of interest to Western philosophy, psychology, and the philsophical interpretations of the physical and biological sciences. It is our thesis that the inward movement of Western culture itself has brought it to the threshold of conceptions which constitute the very basis of the Buddhist world-view, just as methodically as Buddhism has evaporated from Asia, under the decay of systems and Westernization. tradit on~l But before we can understand the Buddhist approach, we must take a careful look at the traditional Western views on nature a.nd world, as well as those sciences and philosophies which have tried to come to terms with this heritage in the 20th century. Other comparative approaches could have been ta.ken, such as examining the religiously-oriented cosmological schemes of Christianity and in Greek thought. We chose Aristotle as a starting point, how- ever, because he seemed to be normative in his lay out. of the basic -i1i- concepts in the Western development of which were crucial in both the ~p roach, metaphysics as -well a.s th:.\t of modern Christ~n nstural science. Our aim was to bring out the roots of our every- day underst'l.nding of the idea of the "natura.l world," 50 character- istic of our culture, but so lacking in the Buddhist conception of the world. In presenting the' Buddhf.s t ideas, we have not intended to survey the topic which goes under the name of "Buddhist Cosmology," which actually contains information on everything from anthropology to zoology, although more detailed surveys are needed to update the "story-telling" approaches of Poussin and others. We have directed our energies towards e)tplicatingthe meaning of the mythological "story-telling'" by utilizing Tibetan works which have not been studied in the West as of yet. What is required for such a hermen- eutics is, first, to gain the correct "mode of access" to the subject m~t er (and there may be many, owing to various levels of interpreta.- tion in the indigenous texts themselves), and, second, to make a detailed study of the mythical symbolism involved, so that our interpreta.tions hopefully based on what the Writers understood by that ~re symbolism at the time. Unfortunately, it seems tha.t much of the Buddhist Cosmology was ha.nded down as mere "surVivals," half-understood symbols from the general stock of Indian tradition. we can make 3. deta.iled study of the concept of the (tbyung-ba, usually translated ftElements tl ) , Fortunately, r~vo1utive Phases because of the contribu- tions of Klong-chen-rab-tbyams-pa, a 14th century Tibetan scholar, -iv- who offers different levels of interpretation of the 'byung-ba, which go far beyond the-information of the Abhidharma-Kosa and its commentaries, but without which, I believe, the subject matter cannot be properly understood. And without a. sophisticated understanding of these Evolutive Phases, the Buddhistic understanding of the world and "nature," will remain another "likely story'! from the world' 5 mythologies, of little interest to those participating in the search for a new vision mentioned above. Thus, we address ourselves to students of Buddhism and Asia who know something of the mythology, but would like to plumb its meanings a little deeper; and Ito others 'Who might be interest ed,':' in looking at a sophisticated cosmology from a culture with different presuppositions than our own. these latter re~ders, I refer them to the given in the reference cited in Chapter sum ~ry IV, For of the mythology note S. Footnotes are to be found a.t the end of each chapter. Diacritical marks have been left off some Sanskrit words, such as samsara. and nirvana, which have become of such common usage, that ruse them as part of our language. -v- Cont.ent.s Acknowledgements ii Preface iii Chapter I The Development of the Traditional 1 Western View of Nature and World, and Its Breakdown in the 20th Century Chapter II The Cosmos as the "How" of Being: 27 Ontological and Epistemological Bases of Buddhist Cosmology Chapter III The World as 3. Buddha-field: the 86 Intelligent Universe Chapter IV The Evolution of Our World 101 Bibliogra.phy 138 Charts #1 #2 rNying-ma-pa Metaphysics 33 A Basic Information-Flow Design 42 for Self-Stabilizing Self-Organizing Systems #3 Relationship of the J Founding Strata. and the Buddha.-fields According to the Yid-bzhln mdzod -vi- 91 I. The Development of the Traditional Western View of Nat.ure and World, and Its Breakdown in the 20th Century The Encycloi2edia of Philosophl offers the follcwingtwo definitions of Cosmology: 1) a philosophic inquiry into "the meaning and validity of the most universal conceptions of which we seek to understand the nature of the individual objects which make up the experienced 'World, 'extension' J 'succession' J 'space', 'time', 'number', 'magnitude', 'motion', 'change' ,'qua.lity', and the more complex categories of 'matter', 'force', 'causality', 'interaction', tthinghood', and so forth." and 2) "a,'sciencetn which the joint efforts of the observational astronomer and the theoretical physicist are devoted to giving an account of the large-scale properties of the a.~tron mical universe as a. whole." (1) In our exposition we shall weave these two approachestogetherj this is even a necessity in light of the revolution in our conception of the categories listed in definition I during the 20th century, particular~ in the physical sciences. It .is precisely this critical dialogue between the categories of traditional philosophy and the discoveries of contemporary science that shall lead us towards the theoretical ba.ses of Buddhist Cosmology. This involves the clarification of What actua.lly is the object or "observable" of contemporary scientific models in relativity theory and quantum mechanics, especially. -1- It is against the background of on~ Ari5to eli~ni3m and its development through the Middle Ages, however, that one can come to ful~ traditional ap reci~te how the development of the view of natural Gali ean-Newtonian-C~rtesian science came about. It came as the result of the final tear- i ng aparto! the Aris toteli3.n rna t ter-f om correlation (the "substantial fonn" of the Medieval Schola5tis)~ so thatma.t- tercould be fully treated as·a.n independent substance,with the metaphysical problem of form and its entelechy considered as irrelevant to natural scientific inquiry. In the modern view, the notion of the physical (physis), material (hyle), and substantial (~)have become lumped together, but in Aristotle they were distinguished, although, 1:1S we shall see, not as unambiguously as Aristotle thought. But before giving Aristotle's definition of "Nature" (phyals), we must also realize that his thought, too, came as .a conscious critique of earlier Greek speculation on Na.ture. It is important to umerstancl the richness the termphTsis had before his time, in the search of the phYsiologoi,the 'natural philosophers, for the origin of· the ceaseless strife among the elemental powers that constituted the world (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Hot-Cold, ~et-Dry): "It is this interest in the origin of all things -of the world, o£living b~ings, of man, and of his social institutions ~which characterizes the scientific thought of early Greece. This atti.tude implicitly -2- the conviction on which the creation myths are based: that by dlscoveringthe original state of affairs one may penetrate to the secret core of things. Hence it. is that chrY,1! c m denote the true nature of a thing whlle maintaining itsetymologioal sense of the 'primary source or process' from which the thing has come to be. 'Nature' and 'origin' are combined .i.n one and the same idea ••••. Wherea.s his predecessors investiga.ted 'the way each thing naturally comes to be rather than the way it is,' Aristotle insists that it is not the unformed embryo but the full structure of the mature individual which calls for primary attention, 'for the process of generationexlsts for the sake of the complete being (ousia), not the being for the sake of genertion.'n (2) ~fi:ns This concern of the early philosophers with origins places them closer to mythical thinking than Aristotle. Mythical thinking, as Eliade has well shown, is essentially archetypal and exemplary, recounting the tale of what the Gods did "in the beginning" to make the world what it is toda.y. But these. early thinkers were separated from the mythical world by the discovery of philosophy as wonder, and thereby the detachment from the immediate· world of experience which iathe r.l1wmaterial of myth. Theoria. was born, along with the idea of knowledge as ~ ... teme, the search for teBeing a.s it really is in itself," as opposed to doxa, the opinions of the unphilosophical. Thus the rift between the "Life-World U and theoretic3.l thought was opened up at the very beginning of Greek philosophy, with the emphasis on the "objective" study of Nature as a part of~ World-in-itself, so foreign to the Buddhists. Also, interestingly enough, modern scIence has been domimted by Aristotelian substantia-li3m plus the mythological prestige of "origins", which culmin3.tedin 19th century materialism, in which everything was to be explained In terms of primordi3.l constituents. For·the Buddhists, however ,the lure of "origins" to penet.rate tathe "secret core of -.J- things" had no hold in thefclce of the overwhelming experience of Impermanence , which destroyed the "core" t.hat both and Ari.sto lt~ his predecessors sought to account for. Aristotle rejected thespecul:3.tions of the earlier cosmologies because they tried to account for the "complete being" in terms of a. material substrate (hypokeimencn, hyle). Here we have the basis for 2 viewpoints on evolution which· have bedeviled Western thinking down to the present, one ending up as a rejection of teleology in evolution in a concern for elementary constituents and origins (natural science), the other making teleology the sine qua non of evolution ina concern for a.static, Absolute reality -3.9 an "end" (Christianity). The 2, of course, have been periodically united, as when the Laws of Nature were seen as the workingso.f the Creator. The b3.sic view of Greek philosophy was inherited by both: that all things in nature tend towards a definite and proper end in a l.\niversegoverned by orderly, rational law. We shall see how Buddhism and some recent trends in contemporary science have attempted to overcome this conflict through the discovery of what might be called "imma.nent teleology" or "self-regulation/organization" in m-tural systems. For Aristotle, then, a natural (physei) being is one which has an arche (principle, source) of kinesis (change) in itself. (4) This~­ sis, as an arche, constitutes the veryousia (substantial "beingness rt ) of the natural be ing, The ousiai, as self-subsistent individllals, are "achieved form," and the process of atta.ining or actualizlng(energ1a) the potentia.lity (dymmis) which these substa.nces, as entelechies ('tha.vingtheir ends in theInselves"), have , was called kinesis. -4- This is the primary meaning of kineS1Sj<. movement ,as locomotion (change of place), was only one categoryofcha.nge. In the classiCal mechanistic view of nature (by the term "classical" we shall always refer to its comraonusage in terms such as. tlclassicalphysica tl ) , Locomct.Ion was made i.e. ,the means to account for all change in, and of, substances. In considering the notion of 09sia, substance, as essence or "achieved form," Aristotle rejected universals, genus, andsubstratwn as possible ca nci ida tes for this category. This substratum· he termed htl!. (matter), "thatov.tof.which"physical things come to capacity (dYnaton) to be orflot to be. (5) be, as a In other words, something must undergo the change> from potentiality to actuality; thus, the b:£J&. is the hypokeimenon, the sl.1bstratum. HYle,for Aristotle, was a concept by analogy: just ·3,5 bronze is to a statue, so is the keimenon to the oysia, the .: particular "thi~" guage of the Scholastic:s, ~he (tode tl). .bl.e2.. . In the lan- first was the materia sign3.ta, quali- fied matter, while the second was the true ~materia. .tlzJ& was not some stuff, but rather a c.orrela.tive to each kind of form (!.ido8) ~ although it is itself . indetel1ilinate. defines ~ At Meta.pb-ysics··1029a., Aristotle as: "that which isinitsel!neither a particular thlngnor a certain quantity nor assigned ,to any other of the categories .bY' which being is determined. " (6) There is also a ot.JDa thematics. ~.ofintelgb things, such astbe.objects HX1~. lsa ·postu1& te, unknoWable 'In itself for Aristotle, and thus the developnent olthe concept otmatter ..5- in Western philosophy and science became the supreme exampleo! What Whitehead called "The I"'allacy of Mispla.ced Concreteness." It was torm which gave hyle is determinateness, which made for a self-subsistent individual. But here Aristotle was equivocal. He had stated, it is true, that hYle, the "that out of which," cannot be the arche (principle or source) of kinesis (cha.nge) of natural beings, since it is merely the substratum of change, while only "that from which asa source" (arche) could be the impetus for change. For something to be (ousia), we must also have the form (eidos), which is the telosof generation. hyle was the dYm.ton,the capacity for something to be. ~lso Doesn't this "capaoity" could the But just as much to the form? b~long And how have this ca.pacity if it was something oompletely ~ indeterminate? It was precisely these problems which the Medieval Scholastics inherited. And it was this problem of the hzh, plus the inf.luence of Nee-pla.tonic and Chrlstiandualism, which served to provide the basis for the severance of the "metaphysical" correlation of matter and form. Form became the dominant prin- ciplethrough these influences, and hence a.chieveda kind of in- dependence. ,Aq~nas 1330 good example of how Medieval Scholas- ticism, paradoxically enough, paved the way for the modern scientific view of matter, for hemadeh:£1&, (materia) an individu3.tingprinciple, the extensive stuff of individual. bodies. He also held that form d.i..d not possess being in-ltself ,but -6- received its act of being (esse) from God. The next step would be to conceive of matter as receiving its own act of being from God, and this is exactly wha.t was done'. Giordano Bruno was really the herald of the modern (classical) view, for, basing himself on Aristotle's above-mentioned eqq.ivocation, he held matter to be the motive principle of change. The idea of substantia.l form was thus deposed, and the scene was set for the developnent of ,modern natural science: "Foundational in the modern theory of nature is . the concept of matter as an independent actual existent or substance, in itself devoid of any internal process of change or becoming, and capable of only change of place, locomotion." (7) By not resolving the problems inherent in themat er~ orm doctrine of Aristotle, but merely throwing out the fomi and concretizing the concept of matter, while retaining the notion of substance, modern science was only saved from coming to grips with these errors before the 20th century because of' its tremendous success within. a limited area of pperation (what is usually called the "realm of middle dimensions"). There is no need to go into detail here about the classical world-view of' natural scIence from Galileo to the end of the 19th century, with'its ab,solute space and time, atomic,matter," motion as displacement in space, all govarned by a rigid determinism. For this, Part I of Milic Capek's excellent survey, The Philosophical Impact or Contemporgry Ph.ysics, is highly recommended. (8) The basic problem, whether of Aristo- telian matter-form or classical atomism-mechanism, lay in the concept ot ousia,substance as self-subsistent individuality. -7- Descartes brought out this aspect of the concept. of subs lance very well: "By substance we can understand nothing else than an entity which is in such a way that it· needs no other entity in order to be." (9) The rejection of the notion or self-subsistent individuality is oneo! the main themes of Buddhist philosophy, as well as what thephysfclstDavidBohmhascalled the "process metaphysicsftof contempora.ry natural scfence r "Perhaps even the electrons and protons of an inanimate nature are also organized in some sort of very complex self-regulatinghierarchy. The reason I suggest this is that in a metaphysics based on the notion of process we cannot take the continued existence (survival) of any particular aspect for granted. Because the basic order of·process is eternal cha.nge of everything, we .can no' longer appeal to. the mechanical 00tionthat certain basic objects, entities, etc., 'simply exist' with constant and invariable properties.. Rather, the surviva.l of anY particula.r thing, however 'basic' Itmay be thought to be, demands a complex process of regula td.on, which providesror the stability of the thing, in the face of the eternal change in all that serves to constitute wha.t it is." (10) Thus, the questlon,"What?tt, to whic.h the Aristotelia.n category of substance wa!lthe answer In regard to anY.pa.rticular thing, .13 answered here not in terms of3.nother entity or some-thing Which exists, but rather refers to .·.:,lcomplex self-regulatory process. This ontological position was expressed by the Madhyamika school or Buddhist philosophy, who werei<nown in Tibet as Mo-bo-AVid med-parsmra-ba. (pibs'V'abhavavidin), those who do not accept that the tact or substantiality of things is itselfan·existent thing. The notion of usia nAristo l~ is so difficult because it -8- is as much an indication of a particular being, of being. ·9.S well as a way It indicates the tocta ti, the concrete individual, as well as its "esaent.La I nature," the "how" of its being. This ambiguity has been caught in its full ontological context by W. M,rx in·his The Meaning. of Aristotle's Ontology: "In the 5th Book,the book or definitions of the Me taph.vsics , Aristotle has set out to define 'being' (Meta. lOl7a.,a). However, when dealing with fbeing-as-sueh..-rr017a,22), he actually does not explain it,butre!era to the schemata of categories, to thetmanyways one speaks about being.' ••• man, contemplating tbeing as being, t trying to find the natureness, 'being-as-such,' disco~ers that only the natureness of substantiality is accessible to him." (11) This is the "Ontological Difference" of Heidegger, the difference between Being-as-such and Being-this-or-that. The concept of sub- stance is the result of confusing the two, nuking Being-this-orthat into Being-as-such, or vice versa. Thereby Being is reduced to the totality of particular existents (dgnos-po) existing substantially (rdzas-yod), each having its own essence (rang-gi mtshan-nvid). Substance provides the classification whereby one identifies the thing in question as the subject of discourse. Thus, it is not merely one among the m3.lly categories of Ari3totle, but the very possibility of addressing Being accordd.ng to such a categorical scheme. This gives rise to the distlnction between existence (that something exists) and essence (the eXistence). ~ of thts In such a view, the subjectt-object distinction is taken as an external rela.tionbetween two independententities. Early Buddhism by no means escaped this type of substantival thinking, and it wason~ with the Midhyamikas that this concep- -9- t Lon of Be i.ng W;lS finally swept away, :15 is being dono t oday in assess ing the philosophical lmplications of re Lat.i vi ty theory and quantum mechanics. The Madhyamika vision is that of the unity of Being-as-suchand Being-this-or-that, Absoluteness and relativity, which·they expressed as the indivisibility of Open- ness (stong-pa) and Appearance (sMug-ba), which is set forth in the first and eighteenth chapters of Klong-chen rab-'byams-pa's Yid-bzhin rin-po-che'imdzod translated below. But from the beginning the Buddhists were restrained in their use of thenotlon of substance because of the basic principle of anatman (bda.g-med). the non-existence of an unchanging constitutive principle in the entities of reality. The notion of substance stands at the basis of the traditional {ancient and classical) Western. conceptions of "world": "The question 'Wha.t is the nature of tha.t which is?' is asked within the context of an understanding of the world as a totality of that which is .••• In such an approa.ch the world as 'cosmos' is pictured as an ex.ternal totality of entities within an extensive continuum of time am space." (12) The basic change from the ancient to the modern classical c.onception of substance lay in its "quantification," that is, it became a constant substantial quantity (of either mattel"orenergy (13» which "merely persists_" For the Greeks the mathematization of nature by the Pythagoreans and in Plato's Timaeus, and itsatomization by Deaocr-Ltus and others, rema.ined essentially Qualitative. It took the above:";:sketcheddevelopment of the concept of matter for the modern mathematlzation of nature to occur. -10- The atomistic substance of cl.rissical modern ac i.enoe wan held to exi.et according to wha. t Whitehead called "simple Loca ti on": .•. it is "To say that matter has simple loeation means th~ adequate to state that it is where it is, in a deflni.te finite region of space, and throughout a definite finite duration of time, apart from any essential reference of the relations of that bit of matter to other regions of space and to other durations of time •••• I shall argue that among the primary elements of nature as apprehended in our immediate experience, therei! no element whatever which possesses this ch~racter of simple location." (14) Whitehead then goes on to show how the atomic notion is an abstractionwhich we, however, take as immediately given (the Fallacy of His refutation of the notion at simple Misplaced Concreteness). location in our immediate experience is attempted in his theory of prehension. can be done in He does however, hold that the abstraction process .3, leg1timateway, although in abstracting we tend to ignore the larger totality that we have made our abstraction from. The last sentence of the ~bove quotation is particularly important, for it reveals a common link in the critiques of the classical atomistic view in the 20th century, in physics with relativity and quantum mechanics, in psychology with Gestalt theory, a.nd in philosophy with phenomenology. All of these disciplines have tried to bring the sciences back into a. closer relation with the Life-World, in 3.nattempt to overcome the classical prejudice tha.t "science" (scientism) dealt with the primary reality of prim~ry qualities in objective apace and time, while the Life-World wa9 relegated to the subjective limbo of secondary qualities. In this classical "Bifur- cation of Na.ture," as Whitehead called it, the -11- ext.er-na.L world was held to be the independently-ax.i3 ting cause of our perceptions, where the subject became essenti.ally an embarassment in :}. tota.lly objectified world. But today science is no longer viewed by many as giving knowledge of an objective world-tn-itself to a detached observer, a.s the ·Indeterminacy Principle in quantum mecha.nics, for one, testifies to. We sha.l1discussa tlTransactiona.lt h~oryof scientific and ordinary perceptual cognition in the next chapter when we present the epistemological bases of Buddhist Cosmology. The conceptions of space , time, and matter in rela.tivity theory and quantum mecha.nics .are actually closer to our immedia.te experience, phenomenologica.lly considered, than. the common-sense Newtonian· ideas. This has been hinted at by Whitehead in denying the eXistence of "simple Locatdon" in our immedi,1.teexperience. But how is it possible that .. the "introspective" analysisot our experience, or recent experiments in the· psychology of perception (15), could possess any similarity to t.he highly abstract mathema- tical formulations ofcont.emporary physics? First, phenomenological- ly Viewed, the theoretical approach of the sciences can be seen as a special mode of the which 1s the origin of a.ll intention~lity, meaning, tha.t characterizes man's Being-in-the-world. Heidegger, in his Being and· Time, has basically "exlstentialized" the intentionalana.lyses of his teacher, Husserl. For Heidegger s,aw that the concept of consciousness could not do full justice to the phenomenon of intentionality, for consciousness is not merely a knowingj but also an act,.:t.nd thus -12- th~t one could properly speak of theintention3.1 structure of lIL:1.n's existence. The concept of subjectivity, as the mode of being of manta ex.lstence and not mere- ly the property of a monadic consciousness, encompasses the concept of consciousness. Kno\llledge is a special mode of Being-ln-the-world. This a Lso means that .meani.ng, which is bestowed by intentionality, "transcends" consciousness, not in the ordinary realistic sense, but because it resides more primordi3.lly in the intentional structure of Being-in-the-world. is not 3. Because of this structure, knowledge mere mirroring of an objectiveworld-in-itself, but, speaking in terms of consciousness, a correlation of intentive acts and their intended (meant) objects. Existenti3.11y speaking, know- ledge is the "light" of conscious exts tence ,3.8 Being-in-and-to-the- world, L. e., particular beings can "shine forth" only in the meaning disclosing openness of human existence. This post tion trans- oems the position of the usual sort of epistemologica.l subjectivism. We can constitute an objective world of scientific investigation by ta.king up a cert3.in attitude towards the original field of presence that is intended in our everyday deaLi.ngs with the world. That is, man's way of being is always a pro-ject or rore-sight in- volving his "instrum.ental" with worldly beings which Hei- de~lings degger calls Ready-to-hand (Zubandeg). however, deals .with these beings as ob-jects for our theoreticl1 day instrumentality. 3,S g~ze The scientifiopro- ject, Present-on-hand (Vorh,ulden), abstracted from their every- (It is only based on such de ':i.lings , it-should -13- be noted, t.hat, things can b(I$Hen ~s "merely ~;lrs t~lng. It) Hut. this'Present-on-hand is a. 11mitinga.nd abstractingconslderation from the all-encompassing 3.ttltude of total involvement in the Ready-to-hand. We focus enly on the objective side of our world- ly involvm.ent in the scientific project, in order to concentrate on particular aspects of our original field or presence in their mode of being Present-on-hand. Now, the Present-on-hand, of course, is just as much apart of our everyday experience as the Rea.dy-to-hand, and the classical notions of space , time, matter, causality, quantity, e.t.c , , amply testify to this. Thus they proved totallyinadequ'lte outside the realm of middle dimensions of our daily life. New developments in 20th century scienceha.ve increaslnglyhad to make use of "meta-concepts"'of a. more highly a.bstract nature in order to escape the viewpoint of our macroscopic prejudices, but in doing so they have actually moved back towards our immediate experience rather than farther away. This is the crucial point, for both scientific and ordinary perceptual cognition are equally abstracting in their dealings with the original field of presence. This brings us to the second point, which David Bohm has brought out well by showing how relatlvi,ty physics and ordinary perception are both cha.racterizeci by the.search!or relative invariants abstraoted from and brought to, our experience (16). objects o~ ur The common-sense and Newtonian scientific view are expressions for What we have found to be relatively invariant in our dealings ,with the environment. -14- Objects are merely bypothe§es for how certain events and operations are re Lat.ed and correlated in our experience, which. we bring to that exper-Ience based on past experiences. Scientific and ordinary perceptual cognition are both essenti3.1ly predictive in their purposes. The basic difference 1s that science makes its predictive project conscious and explicit, and sets up rigorously defined rules in order to make the connection between perception and hypothesis more precise. As Bohm has pointed out, science should not be regarded as a body of knowledge about the world, but ra.ther asa means for extending (through scientific. iristru. ments) and refining (through scientific method) our perceptual exploration into new domains .of the world at a higher level of abstraction than in ordinary perception. In this respect, we must be careful not to take Heideggerts distinction between the Rea.dy-to-ham and the Present-at-hand as one of temporal priority in experience. Mille Capek has approached the same problem in a slightly differentway (17). tions After showing how the classical common-sense no- of~ paceandtime have broken down in contemporary physics, he realized that rather than making further constructions based on such uncritical noti.ons, it might be more productive to look for a. solid basis for the new physical ideas in an "introspective" analysis of space and t1mein our1.mmediate experience. It should be remem- bered herethat1mm.edia.te experience doesnttmeanthe old Empiricist notion of the awareness of .certain elemental givens out of which reality may be built up. Rathf3r, immediate experience 15 a process, an intentionally-structured Being-towards-the-world a.s a.global -15- presence. Just like Bohm, Capek shows that our immediate experience of time is not a succession or "knife-edge" nows moving uniformly from the past into the future, a view which ison~ arrived at after a high degree of abstraction; the same may be said for the notion of individual bits of matter. Es ential~ both have applied a Ges- taltist approach: in listening to a melody, for instance, we are not aware of a mere arithmetic addition of momentary notes, but rather a "whole-part" Gestalt of a note in its context in the melody. Bohm states: "we do not perceive momentary sensations, to any appreciable extent. Rather, we perceive an over-all structure that is abstracted from these, a structure evident~ built up over some period of time. We have already seen in connection with optical perception, for example, that olues obtained over some time may come together at a given moment and give rise to a new structure of what is perce Lved, It evidently makes no sense to say that this new structure is basedonly'on the very last clue to be received •••• the effort to. order the totality of one's perceptions in terms of a single, uniqlietime order must lead to confusion and absurdity." (18) . As we shall see below, Capek calls this conception of time (which, in relativistic thinking, cannot be divorced from space) "pulsational", as it is inseparable from the activity of matter-events at any stage in a process, whether it be of a particle or of the universe. This structuring of experience by means of "clues" obtaiJ'ledover a period of time also calls to mind the Yogac~ra theory of bag-chags (visaMe) that Klong-chen-pa presents in his discussion of the epistemological bases of Buddhist Cosmology, translated below in the next chapter. In this view of perception and science that we have been discussing, both science and philosophy can participate in the -16- goal of explic:i,ting m,'in's or-Igi.na L experience, in nuking expl Lc Lt what is contained only. implicitly .i n tha.t exper-Ience (and thus the sourceo! our incritic3.1 conunon-sense ideas), rather than engaging in eXPlanations based on postulates that then pass for reality. Joseph Kocke lmans brings out this relationship of science and , philosophy: "Our original being-to-the-world is theult1ma.te root of 3.11 scientific a.ctivity Wha tsoever, and the original ob- ject of any science a.rises through thematization (19) from the origin::ll·field of presence. But if that is true, then thls original scientific experience - l.nd indirectly therefore also any act derived from it -still contains something 0.£ tha.t origin:llcontact insofar as it expresses a certain 3spect of the be-ingswhich 3.ppeared originally in that contact. While it is true that this aspect was artificially isolated from the others with which it was essentially connected, it is also true that in this way it could be brought to light in :3. much c Leare r and sharper fashion. Now, it must be possible to integrate this clear and sharply-defined knowledge of that aspect againintc the whole which appears to us in the field of presence proper to the attitude which involves us totally. 3utit is precisely this total involvement itself which philosophy has as its starting point and obJo.ct of its considerations. n (20) Thus, for example, the Ldea s of space and time in the theories of apeci.a I and gener-al relativity can become p'irt of the quest for a more careful explicaticnof our immediate experience of them, in order to pass beyond uncritical, worn-out conce ptlons, so t.hat we may achieve a more satisfying involvement in 3. world seen afresh. It is not that t.hese theories provide us with the re;lli.ty of space and time, such that everYt:'oilo30pher a.nd intelligent, person must know them in order to tllk a.bout space 3.ndtime. Science can only provide us with an object.tve model wit.hwhfch we Cln explore; the -17- Lntegrat.Lcn of such models into our further task with Now, we vf.s t on cf the world Ls J. del'lV1nds of it3 own. crit c~l seen thlt a.ll the above disciplines have ~v.ah revealed that the NewtoniJ.n universe of atomistic objects in absolute space and time I.s .:i.. tier! vative3.bstr'iction from a unified field of inter-dependent existence, in which, "everyspatio- tempora.l standpoint mirrors the world," tocontlnue Whiteh ~dts thoughts on the criti".lue of "simple loc:ition" discussed3.bove. (21) Stated phenomencd.ogi ca Lly this means that concretegivenness Ls not van Lso l at.ed co.Ll.ec t i.on of granutes or the buta. g Loba L gi venness , cis t.~p ro.ich, uration." (22) But, where science can Dl~ke ;13 ,1 tr3.dit. on~l F.mpiri- "concrete global confIg- MilicClpek has pointed out (and here Is its contribution to the philosophical quest), the world is hot a. timeless, completed entity: this act of mirroring t:ikes time. (2J) This. involves the incorporation of the basic idea of special relativity into the concept of the world (so 3.5 not to spatializetime): the impossibility ofabso- lute simultaneity . There is no block, splti3.1-container universe possessing 3.n Lns tant aneous configura.tion elfa.ll e'ntities a.t any given moment. There are no insta.ntanecus "cuts" across sional space-time, tb use the words orCa-peke uniformly .into the future for events, 3.5 4-dimen~ Time does not flow no -c~usal y-relatedcontempor:inHous in the NewtonLln universe. The mirroring of the pas t in an event is different from it3mirroring of the future, which is only 3. potent.Lsl t ty: the univer-se is =t.lways "incomplete" in -18- space-etdme. In the cLass Lcs.I formot LapLac i an determinism, past and future were equally det.ermi.nabLe by the "state of the universe" at ~ given moment, and could be unambf.guous Iy predict- ed if given enough Lnf'orma t Lon, or so it was believed. To s tat.e the problem somewhat differently: the notion of ofev nt~ substance has beenreplaeed in modern physics by that There is no subat.rat.um mac roscopt.caLly (no ether), or microscopica.lly(elementary p3.l"ticles ca.nnot. be sa.id to persist through time). The elcitr~pevaw duality in quantum mech~nis, for insta.nce, is only a. para.dox. if one is still thinking tha.t they must be waves a.nd/or pa.rticles of "something." The rela- tivisticidentifica.tionof matter-energy with "local irregula.rities" in the curvature of space-time, ha.s also served tooblitera.ta the distinction between ttfull n matter and empty space. Not only this, but the cussical separation of matter and motion ha.s collapsed; the distinction between thing and event, process and substance are merely macroscopic prejudices. Capek sums up: "We have listed important re,~sonswhy .microscopic 'p~rticles' can be regarded neither~s isol3.ted bits ofm~teri.al preserving their identity indefinitely nor as motions of an e1~stic quasi-material medium (the aether). Although we can still apeak of their individua,lttl, it is the indiViduality of events rather than things ; the alleged 'permanence of a particle through time' (which seem:s to be always, contrary to the claims of classical atom.ism, of liDdted duration) is in reality nothing but a. string of events. The individual world-lines of 'particles' are constituted by the succession ofchronotcplc pulsations. But precisely this succession of events is responsible for the 'vibratory' or •undulatory' character of particles ..... (24). < "Pulsational, tt as we have noted above, is -19- C~pek' s term for the presents a. changlngpattern, :lS in the unfolding of a melody. That is, before time may be re-presentedas a series of "nows", it is presented as a complex. Gestalt- (or .tecstatic", literally tistJ.ndi ng outside i fself,<.tin Heidegger t s terminology)s tructure, whereby the ttnowt' is a uni ty of process which takes over the unfinished aspects of the past in the light of future possibilities. In this sense, it "tttirrors" every other event. Here the psycho- logical,phenomenologicalanalysls , and the physical theories meet, In subjective lnd objective models which polnt to the reality of time . It is such a meeting which can reveal to us the true object of the sciences, and the subject matter of Buddhist Cosmology. It is important to understand the revolutionary conceptions tha. t quantum physics, i.n particular, has ushered in. In thecl3.s- s Lca'L view, the passage of time was acc Identa L to the essence the particular entities. or But in quantum theory, the vibratory nature of matter means that time. is afthe essence: nasa note. of music is .nothing at an Instant, but requires a whole period> in which to manifest itselt,sothe vibratory entity of 3. primordial unity' of matter requires a ~ definite per-Led of time ,however small, for· the expression of its essential nature •••.• A thing is what it is by virtue of the serial unfolding of pattern throughtiJne; if one at tempts to isola. te an object at a single, non-temporal instant, apart from the instantspreceeding and following it, theobjectlQsesits essentla.lidentity. The object requires a. self-defined, indivisible epoch for itsrealization.. tt (25) -20- The key point here 1.3 the critique of time as succession of ;:1 "non-tempor,al inst'.l.nts".for.isth6 Bud<1hlst t s themselves notd.ced Incriticiaing e/lrller notions of "m(.)mentariness'· among themselves (skad-cig cha-med), if such moment is a. itself temporal, then it must be further divisible. In the conception we are presenting, individuality (particle) and continUity (wave) a.re no longer contra.dictory. ~: to be (to become, to happen) takes For a.nything this is. the main point to be learned from relativity andauantum theory, in which a non-aubet.antda ILst, view of atomism .and. indl viduality is devel- oped. The same problem has been discussed on the "subJective model" side by Aron Gurwitsch, in Husserl's eoncef}- contr~sting tion of consciousness with that of Humets. (26) In Hume's view temporality characterizes consciousness as a succession of "nows" (perceptions) in which the notion of identity is in opposition, for it is a. mere belief of the "vulgar" akin to our belief that a cinematographic image is a. real continuity. But this is only one dimension of consciousness: the phenomenon of intentionality has been ignored. The bestowing of an identical sense on succes- sive presentations of an obJect by intentionali-ty is eQually a fact of consciousness as its successive states. lity and identity are co-implicates. In fact; tempora- Without temporality, iden- tity (identifying something as one and the same) .is not possible; without identity, the continuity of succession would be impossible, and thereby the notion of difference would be impossible, such that -21- Mr. Hume would not even know if· he were just a bundle momentary perceptions. successive Thus ,succession, and the retentlonal-pro- tentional structure of the intentionality inseparable. or We shall fully discuss or consciousness, are the·implic~tions or this structure Inthe next chapter, when we deal with the epistemological· bases of cosmology. Now, given this "event" view of space, time, and matter, we may say that an event as a "tact" would be only present now. My having gone to Berkeley, tor insta.nce, doesnttconstitutea present property that I am in lam still not going to Berkeley. pos es~ion t. It !!i! a fact I went to ~rkel 1/ but it is aot a tact ROW. The world is not a collection ofatPlPoral>f'aets,al'td, as we have seeft, eveats cannot be simultaneously juxtaposed at a given mome.t. Here is where the Buddhist notion or aMtmaft (bdag-med) is applicable both to those events internally constituting a Sel£, and externally constituting a world of facts. (~-rtog, vikalpa). Both are merely logical constructs If there are no past properties that "I" can factually possess, wha.t is the basis for the "I" as the owner or all the states rela.ted toone another in tence? "my" 'lbe Buddhist reply is absolutely none ,exc~pt a conventional designati9n. stream of exisfor making This is aot to deny indiViduality or uniqueness, as Capek has pointed out above in reference to the event-chara.cter of "particles," which a.re rather quantized eveRts thaJtsubstantial entities. There is merely the world-lille of mutually-rela.ted and functiona.l1y-eorrela.ted (rtel1- tbrel) events, -22- la.belled t'metlor "particle." But this "webtl or events is not mere succession but a complex, self-regulating that we cansa:r about, the relatioft .and or rq haviag ~ All hi.r~ eh1. gOM to Berkeley "me" is that it was aft impetus and cortditioa tor other eyeats, a.nd the uni.que relatioll ot. events labelled til" requires no center as owner, or.evencentral-event, to determine the relationship of these events to each other. (27) Now, where do we gooftce we have destroyed the notion of the world as a collection of entities-fa.cts in a container? The ba.sic problem, for cosmology, in the Western ontology that began (or was a.t least systematized by) with Aristotle, was that, as Heidegger noticed, the phenomenon of ttWorldhood" had been passed over due to the substa.ntival approach. To this idea we now turn in setting forth the epistemological and ontological bases of Buddhist Cosmology. "';23- Notes to. Chapter OM 1.. Encyclopedia. of Philo,oPM, Edwards, Paul, ed,', Macmillan ani The Free Press, New York, 1967, vol. 2,p.238. 2. Kahn, C., AniJtimamer iondthe Origins of. Greek Cosmology, Columbia Univ. Press, New York, J. See below chapters J and 1960,p.~2- 4. 4. See Metaphysics, Book , chapter 4. (Ross tr.,pp.295-6). 5. Our discussion of hyle follows that or Leclerc, I., '!be. Na.ture of PhYsical Exist§Pce, A:ll.en& Unwin, London, 1972, chapter 8. 6. ibid., p.ll? 7. ibid., p.15l. 8. Capek, Milic, The Philosophical Impact of Contemporaa Phxslcl, Van Nostrar¥i, Princetcn,Ne!lf Jersey J 1961. 9. Descartes, Principles of PhilosopbY. para.... 51. 10. Sou, David,. !'FurtherRemar~sort Order," .in Wadgingtoft" e.L., rowards A Theoretical BiologY, Edinburgh Uni v • Press, Edinburgh, 1970, vol.. III, pp .. 5l-2. 11. Marx, Werner, The Heaning ot Aristotle's OntologY, Martinus Nijhoff,TheHague, 1954,pp.27, 33-4. 12. Schrag, e., Experience and Being, NorthwesternUniv. Press, Evanston, Illinois, 1969, pp.44, 259. 13. See discussion on "The lnadequacTo! the Quantitative View of Nature," in Capek, 14. Whitehead, A.N~ J Ope cit. ,pp.)22rf. Science and the Modern World, .Macmillan, New. -24- York, 1926, pp.84-S. 15. dee the experiments cited in Bohm, Oavid, Appendix to Special Relativity, "Physics and Perception," Benjamin, New York, 1965; and Platt, John, "The Two Faces of Perception," in Perception and Change, Univ.ofMichigan Press, Ann Arbor, 1970, pp.25-73. 16. Bohm, ibid., pp.lB5ff. For example, the notion of "fixed quan- tities of subst3.nces, having constant mass," ha.d to be dropped because mass.was discovered "to be orilya relatively invariant proPerty, expressing a relationship between energy ot a body .a.nd its inertial resistance toaccelera.tion, a.long with its gravitational properties." (p.2l8) 17. Capek,op. cit., pp.)6l-8l. 18. BORm, Ope cit., pp.208-9. 19. Thematization rerers, in phenomenology, to the perceptua.l noematowards which one's attention is directed, such that various perspectives an that object may be co-intended as pertaining to one and the same noema. In the same way, Heldegger applied this term to the process whereb1science delineates its specialized subjects. A theme always occurs within a thematic field, the total context in which this theme exists, as a mathematical aXiom refers to a whole context of otherproposltions. Intentionality refers to the fact that consciousness is always consciousness of, am that what we are aware of are meanings which are constituted in -25- 3. complex set otcognitive acts. This makes consciousness more than a serlaltnteriorlty,a laHurae, isolated from a world-in-itselt'; the subject-object distinction becomes one of correlatives, as in Bohr's epistemology of quantum theorY,rather than between two entities. 20. Kockelmans, Joseph, Phenomenolog and PhYsica.l Science, Duquesne Univ. Press, Pittsburgh,1966, pp.179-80. 21. Whitehead, op.cit., p.lJ). 22. Schrag, Ope cit., p.34. 23 • Capek, M., "Simple Location a.nd the Fragmentation otRea.lity, It in Process and Divinit" Reese,W.L., Open Court, LaSalle, Illinois, 1964, p.95. 24. Capek, The Philosophical Impact of Contempora.ry Phn1cs, Ope cit., p.375. 25. McKenna, T., & McKenna, D., The Invisible Landscape, Seabury Press, New York, 1975, pp.)2-3. 26. See Gurwitsch, A., "On the Intentionality of Consciousness," in his Studies in Phenomenology and Psychology, Northwestern Univ. Press, Evanston, I11inoi$, 1966, pp.124-40•. 27. Gurwitsch, "A Non-Egological Conception of. Consciousness," in ibid., PP.287-)OO, presents a. Western version of the aPatJDan-principle. ....26- II. The Cosmos as the "How" of Bei.ng: Ontological and Bases of Buddhist Epistemolgc~ Cosmology Heideggerts notion of Worldhood arises out of his "instrumental" analysis of Dasein's dealings with the world. And here too Heidegger has Itexistentializedlt an aspect of the intentioml analyses of Husserl,nameq,the phenomenological concept of ··horizon." Husserl noticed that perception was a process of "fulfillmenttt (Erfiillung), in Which different "profiles" of an object (the front of my house, the side, etc.) are ordered together in such noema. ,3. wa.y as to inteooone, and the S9.IIle perceptual This is an open-ended process in which new'perspectives are always possible"artdwhich may break down it further perspectives do not fulfill the original intention I am seeing. orwh~t I believe The totality of these ··profiles" Husserl gave the name ttinternal horizon.". But, any object also occurs ina certain context (the house is on this street, in this neighborhood, etc., i.e., presents a figure:-ground structure) which he called the "external horizon." These horizonS are a kind of a prioricondi- tion tor anything to be known, and the world is the all-encompassing horizonot all intentionalacti vi t,. This horizon of know- ing is usually only implicit in our exper-Lence , and it forms the basis for our totala.tti tude (,ems ,kun-gzhi), and all the beliefs, anticipa.t1ons, and posi tings t.h3. t go with it. -27- The tra.dition discussed in the first chapter consisted essentially of attempt5 to objectify these aprh:)rihorizons of knowing. Thus, the realistic tradition thought of the world as an order of meaningencollpassing man, and existing out there incomplete independence or his activities and interpretations. The concept of Worldhood thus was reduced to the assertion that there 1s only one real, objective world in which ev~thing takes place, further qualified as the physical or spatio-temporal universe. But to say so is to imply the possibility or standing outside this reality (like asking what is the shape of the universe and what is. outside tbatbouma17l, which is precisely the criticism phenomenology ha.s levelled against the ''God-like survey" that traditional cosmologies have tried to IIl3.ke. "World" can only indicate a. strictlylimite4totality; "Worldhood" is the basis for JDa111' "worlds", of perception, illlagination, physics, etc.: "the term trealityt . clearly denotes an unrestricted existential totality including by necessity am even if only momentarily, any assertion in which reference to rea.lity is made; whereas al'l7tworldt is precisely an object of assertion in distinction from the assertion itseltin which its existence is denoted •••• The allusion to tworldhoodt . is precise l.y thelleans ava.ila.blefor making aeaningful.reference to totalities; but it achieves this purpose only through the prior i~ ght that .no such totality can be tbougbt to exhaust the wbolereality.1t (I) The world 'of imagination,· for instance, is. just-a.s much an horizon of intentionall.y-conStituted objectivit7 aathe eapirica.l world. Both are equally objects of experience;worldsa.re always experienced worlds. -28- But when the empirical world is thought of as the total reality, lleaftir18 also is reduced to a kind or objectlvetact, am the processor understanding is interpretedlls" a passive Rather,the objects of various worlds are char- ~5sirnilation. !1cterizations of the experience that constitutes that world, am even the relative. peraa.nence'a.nd publicity or objects in theellpirical world,. ·in relation to the world otiDlalination, tor example, does not thereb71Ukethell objects independent fromexperience.orDlore "real" than the objects of iJlagination, but they rather reflect the structuring ofexperienceot that world. Tra.ditional idealist positions, however, do not escape from the problem outlined here, tor they merely reaoted.,Clgainat the obvious omissions, in the .realisticscheme, of man's active role in the generation oflleaning, and thereby posltedthe mind as the creator of the world-horizon. Now, the human being is the living center of his world, from which its intentional mea.nings. eaanate • But neither can the things in the world be fitted into a transcendental consciousness and its states. Klong-chen rab-'bYams-pa,as we shall see, also rejects such menta-listie tendencies wi thin BU<idhism, in favor or what we sballcalla "Transa.ctional!' approach, in which the over-arching structure of the world and is neither ,ubiective ~tslea.nig !l.2!: objective. (2) This neither subjective nor objective approach to the problem of world and meaning was what Heidegger attempted to reveal -29... in his famous conception of Uasein (human be-ing) as Being-inthe-World. "Worldhood" was taken by him. in6elngand Tile, as the totality of "instrwnental···'in-order-to's"or "lor-the-sakeor-which's", that make up the Ready-to.hand, which is more pri.orelial in ex.perience ithan the world as the tota.lity oftha Present-on-hand. Heidegger ()ve.rcame Husserl's idealistic tenden-. cies . by understanding Dasein not as a subjec.t-conscloUBftess, but as a ttto"':be-in-the-world ,"away or "how". of being that antethe reflective experience of subject and object. d~tes s tatea i~ Heidegger a work publishe(i. jutSt .: atter BelH· api .• Tim,: . "As a totality, world 'is'no particular being but rather tha.t by mean, of and Interms of which Dasein gives itself to understand what betngsitcan behave towards am how it can behave towards them... in approaching beiJl& through the world, Dasetn makes a self or itseU." (.3) tlExperiencer-experiencing;"rigure-and-backgroundtl is the single dynamic structuring process called by Heidegger "Being-in-the-World," a. structure which tends to f~l apart into the subject-object dichotomy. Husserl had already made a·distinction between intentionality .as an act (akt-Intentionalitat), and intentionality as the essence of consciousness, an "anonymously"-runctioning intentionality (f.!mgierende-Intentionalit·it) (4), but he did not fully develop this idea. Heidegger saw that the Being orman, his existence, is always a functioning, a Being...towards-o.r-With (lnitsein), a. Being-open-to. And the "how" of mants openness is characterized by "world", hence the hyphenated expression·"Being-in-the-World," to indicate that man's Being and World are co-existent. -)0... One cannot be derived from the other • My ex.-i.st.ence J Which Ls ~ ..lway, 1l 5~ :1 "standing outside or if .. " is so, "for the sake ()f'u the world. '1'(') be is t,()-be-in- the-world as one's horizon of m.,aning, which is an implicit structure of relations, rather than a collection of substances. The same "instrumental" concern shown by Heidegger in his analysis of Dasein, a.ppea.rs as "opera.tionalism" in. the sciences, as in the case of the special theory of relativity, Where Einstein de~nde to know the concrete operations by which such relations as length and simulta.neity are actually known, rather tha.n merely postulated. In the light of his ..ideas Heidegger. then tried togo back to "before the beginning" of Greek thought, to re-interpret the idea of Kosmos in order to point the way to understanding how the world a.s being-this-or-that (a limited totality) is also the way or .b.2!! of Being-a.s-such. WOrQ kosmos comes It isverylnteresting to note that the Greek eh~morf verb kosm.eo, to a.rra.nge, to order, es- pecially in the aesthetic sense of "ordered in a beautiful manner." Hence kosmos denotes an adornment or ornament. Now this is the meaning of the world in the cosmology of!!n.-Yen(literally, "flower-adornment" ) BuddhisDL, which Klong-chen-pa follows in his exposition of the Buddha-fields (zhing-khams) in the second chapter of his Yid-bzhin mdzod, i.e., the world as "the Ground of Being adorned by flowers. It (gzhi me-tog-sis brpan-pa.) (5). Hei.degger sums up his understanding as follows: "Kosmos does not .mean alV' p'1.rticul3.r being that might come to our attention, nor the sum of6ill beings; instead, lt me:sns something like 'condition t or 'state of affairs,' -J1- i.e. ,the How in whioh Being Is in its tota.lity •••• Thua , 'world' mea.ns Being in ita totil.lityas the definitive How in accordance with which Dasein positions with respect to Being. ft (6) ~nd holds itself We are now in·;l pcaft.Lon to ur¥1erstand why Klong-chen-pa begins his discussion of cosmology in the Yid-bzhin mdzod with a chapter entitled, "The Explanation of How the Samsara. is Fabricated from the Ground of Being." (7) We must start with the "how" of Being in order to uooerstandWorldhood as the horizon-structure of meaning of particular worlds, summed up by the Buddhists under . the headings of Samsara and Nirvana. . Without the concept of World- hood what is meant by samsara ancinirvana cannot be understood. Pearson concludes his discussion on Worldhood as follows: "deliberation over the general notion of 'worldhood has its main outcome in the thesis, not that there is or is not :! world, but that thereas9uredly is a. World of worlds. And this is the saJIle as to say that a reality manifest as Conscious Experience directs itself through a variety of channels; and that the character of each diversion, when interpreted as a. content, constitutes whatever worlds can be known or named. To be concerned with Worldhood is no more and no less than to be concerned with the analysis of the varieties of experience." (8) This may be said to pinpoint the subject-matter of Buddhist Cosmology, with the prOViso that we do not equate this position with some form of mentalism. Samsara and nirvana are the two bas Lc "channels" of experience, and indicate that the basis for a.ny world is an overarching structure of meaning. The full ontological background can be best appreciated according to the diagram of the rNYing-ma-pa presentation of the structure of Being, to which we shall return again and aga i.n, (See char-t, #1, page 33 (9» -J2- Samsara and ntrvana cbos-sku Founding Stratum of Mea.ningfulness ngc-bo stong-pa. Facticitjl' Openness nge-bo ka-dag-gi le-shes Pristine . Cognitiveness cf Pure Facti- (gzhi) city • VJ W I longs-sku rang-bzhin Founding Str~um of Existence-in-a World-Horizon Actuality (gzhi-sMng) sprul....sku thugs-rie FoundingStra tum of Conore tely-De livered Cogni tiveResponsiveness g~al ... ba ra.ng....bzhin.lhun-grub &1 ye-shes Luminous (Presence) Pristine Cognj.tiveness of the Spontane ous Presence of Actuality rig-pa Intrinsic Perceptivi ty Me3.nings Chart. #1 rNying-m-paMeta.physics thugs-r.ie gzha.n-srang Kun-khyab-gl ye-shes Pristine Cognitiveness olthe AII-Enccmp.lssing Responsiveness tc the Presence are perspectives on Being that we take up in response (thugs-r.ie) to its presence as a solicitl.tion (nng-bzhin). Sku (Meaningful Existence) and n-~ (Pristine Cognitiveness) indicate the pri- mordial insepara.bility or man's Being and his sensitivity to meanings in his experience. This response can take things as they are or canglideofrintotaking things for .what they are not (snang-ba, nirva~, and srid-.ea"aJ!lsara, are commonly juX- ta posed terms for this). Thus, they set up horizons of mea.ning which then determine the context of how we are going to see things, and what value they have for us. Klong~chen~pa begins (10): "Now we shall explain the subject matter which makes up the body of the text: the explanation of that which is to be given up - salllsara, and that which is to be taken.up - nirvana , The presentationaf these two is the important part (of the trea.tise). First we shall explain the Ground of going astray, fromwbich the samsara, characterized by mistakenness and lack of intrinsic perceptivity, (has come): From the motive force for well-being (bele-bar gahegs-pa'l sn.ying-po}·whicb.is primordial sheer lucency, The unconditioned, pivotal pervasive stratum (of the worldhorizon), (11) From the very beginning pure like the sun in the sky, When the experientillly-initiated potentialities ·tor experience (bag-chags) which come in the wake of a loss of intrin- sic perceptivity, stir, sentient beings go astray (from the -34- Ground of their Being). The Grourd of Being, in regard to its being the foundtltion for the site of samsara, is, like the sky, from the very beginning an open dimension without an essence. It is luminous like the sun am. moon, and spon- taneous (in its luminosity). Sincebeginningless time it remains what i tis and does not change into something.else • Since it is the reach and range which is beyond the limita-· tions set by propositions, it is sheer lucency; and. since it remains in the totality-field (dbyings) in which Meaningful Existence a.nd Pristine'Cognitiveness (12) cannot be' added to or from one another, it is the motive force for subtract~d well-being. Since it is the existential presence of the foundation of samsara and nirvana, it is called the Pivotal Pervasive Stratum lot the world-horizon). conditioned and has remained Finally it is unfrom the very absolute~pure beginning. Furthermore, conflicting emotions and unstable actions (that go with them) are founded (on this pervasive stratum), althQugh they actually have no foumation, just like a mass of clouds (seems to) rest on the sun am sky. However, the Ground of Being remains .Ln its own reach and range - these (conflicting emotions and unstable actions) do not touch or join it. Since they are without any actuality, they appear as fourded, a Lthough the fpumlng and the founded cannot be established; they are mere ascriptions. -35- As theUttaratantra says: "Earth-solidity rests on Water-Cohesion, Water on Wind-Motility, and Wind on Space-Spa tiali ty • Space doesn! t res·t onal11'ot the elementary const! tuents ot Earth, Watar, or Wind. In the same wa1, the psychophlsical constituents, the elements of our experiential make-up, and the sense-fields are foumedoncontlictlng emotions ani unstable actiona ; conflicting emotions· and unstable actions reston the improper use. of the .mil1d;theimproper use of themim rests onnui in ita purityjandmil¥i in1ts purlty doesn't rest on anything." (13) Nirvana is also founded (on this Pervasive Stratum), but it is inseparable from it, like the sun aM its rays, since trom the very beginning it cantt be added to or subtracted from it. Since we shall explain these things in deta.il below, we wont t say any more here. From the reach and range of this Ground of . Being, By the rising of the latent tendencies for goinga.stray into (the duality) of apprehending a.cts aM apprehen- dable projects, The clouds of incidental obscurations, theprollterating postUlations coming in the wakeofa 108s ot intrinsic perceptivity (kun-brtags ma."riC-:-IJi), (Become ) the potentia.lities tor the experience of (intend- ed) objects ( ~ ) , (intending) consciousness (5!2.n), am one's body (lus). Thus, the Illotive torce of sheer lucency, intrinsic percaptivity, has been obscured. From the reach and range of the pr1laordial existential presence ~J6- of Being, which is naturally lucent, beginningless (14) loss of intrinsic perceptivity arises as observable qualities which a.re able to shine in their own light. This rising of the latent texnenoies of (tneJ,$plit into) the apprehending and the apprehendable ,whioh h~ve now be- come a sustaining factor, is an incidental obscuration. The three potentialities for experience which make up (the intentiYe structure) of mind, beoome sedimented on the Pervasive Stratum. They are: objects, such as color- form, etc.; consciousness, the perceptive ,functions (.tmmshes) which apprehend these objects; and one's body. Since these potentialities for experience which appear although there has never been. anything (to appear) (lled-bzhin snang-ba), ha.ve obscured, like dust which settles on a mirror, the motive force of sheer lucency, pristine oognitiv8ness informed by intrinsic perceptivity, am the primordial Ground of Being, one wanders about in this samsara. RQ As the gSang-ba' i snying- states: "Listen! From the motive force for well-being,:ccnc,ptual fictions and unstable actions miraculously appear." As an analogy for obscuration: Just like the continuum of the sky has been obscured by clouds, Buddha qualities are not manifest and the mistaken mode of appearing (15), (consistiq ot) happ.inessand frus- -37- tration, makes itself felt. Although prlstlnecognitivene.s which is like the .sun, re- mains from the very beginni.ngspontaneously co-existent with the reach and range of thetotality-fleld ot primordial sheer lucency which is like the sky, trom this reach and range incidental obscurations ,like clouds , (appear). On accountot their obscurlngactil1ity at the time of thestatusot a.n ordlnary being, the limitless qualities which exist in the manifest aspect· of Mea.ningful Existence (rupakiya), as well as Meaningful Existence in its Absoluteness (dharmakiu) Which is the insepara.bility of pristine cognitiveness and it, con- tinuUDl or experience, do not. make themselves felt. 'Ibis is beca.use of the presence. olthe mass of clouds of potentialities tor experience of a yariety of happiness al'¥ifrustrations (making up) thems taken mode of appearing. '!be actuality of mim is sheer lucency, therefore a.ll obscurations are incidental and can be Cleared up. As the Pramanavarttiki. says: "The actuality of mind is sheer lucency, obscurations are incidental. ,. If one asks how (the obscurations) are similar to clouds: Just· like the· crop grows when rain taUs trom .the clouds; By the stirring ot the cloud of 1ntentive ·mind. (16) With its proJects and actsot project.ion charaoterizedb7 a loss of intrinsic perceptivity, The rain ot actions (leading to). happiness and. frustration -)8- falls. The fruit produced by this is the 3 TealJns of samsara. Just like rain-cloudstrembliDl in the slq a.nd rain falling become the basis for the growing of the crop, from the reach am range of Mind-a,s-Suchwhich is naturally pure, involvement in the prolire atingc()ncept ia~ fictions of one's pro- jects and a.ctso! projection,!s stirred up~ Froll aceumula- ting many kinds of actions ,either pOsitive or negative , which are the motivating force in the samsara, the 6 11feforms of the 3 realms appear with their corresponding modes of behavior. of the variety of happiness Since·the.harv~st and frustration grows, the samsara Is just like a eirc:l.e of fire (i.e., like a torch waved in a circular motion). As it says. in the Ratnamili: "The circle ofsamsara has sustaining causes following one after another like a circle of tire. Thisls asserted to be t running aroum in circles' fI " (17) l. Here we mustdiatinguish between the GroUDiof Being (K!b1) and the Pervasive St~a um(kun-gzhi). The Grotmiis "always there," no matter ·how far back we llaypenetrate towards the "beginning" of. things. All.polarities are potentials of wha. t cannot be concretized in any way (stOng-pa); but it is nevertheless the potential (gshia) for all fluctuations (18). It is, however, not something other than appearance (gsal-ba) ;as intrinsic perceptivity (rig-pa) it is an inseparable response to aM within appea.rance. It iathis intrinsic perceptivttywhich is the basis tormants "Affinity -39- with Being" (tl&§), present as the motive force for well....being. Yet the Ground is not dependent on appearance, nor is· it the sum total of appearancea, Now, the going astray {'khrul-a)-'into the duailty of projects and acts of projection (gzung-' dzin) which we call "mind", is the result of not understanding that everything "proceeds" from the Ground t not as an emanation of some sort, but as its active presentifying or functioning. As an possibility, this understanding (nirvana) or lack act or on~gi ofund~rstanding (samsara) is refered to as the Pervasive Stratum (kun-gzhi). When there is a lack of understanding, one takes the samsara-nirvana, subject-object polarities -as entitative (indepementl.1-existing) opposites, and then one go~s about converting the pure fact of the Ground into a particular postulated Ground, such as God, matter, etc. Klong-chen-pa states in elucidating th~first three members of the principle of Functional Correlation (rten-'brel): "Because one does not. understand self-presentational immediacy, when facticit.,y, actuality, and cognitive responsiveness which (come) out of the primordial Ground of Being, appear tending in the direction of objectness, (there is) loss of intrinsic perceptivity (ma-rig-pa). From this, since one makes an object-like apprehension by virtue of the proliferating postulations that come in the wake of a loss of intrinsic perceptivity, (there is) motivatedness in the samsara (tdu-byed) From this, because intrinsic perceptivity is contaminated by the potentialities for experience, it is transformed into the Pervasive Stratum." (19) The potentialities for experience and the Pervasive Stratum should not be ~ikend to seeds lying in a container, but they are rather -40- process-product wo~dsfor the retentional-protentional, abstract- ing-projecting, trans-actional character of perception.and experience, that deals with assigned meanings and values. Intrinsic perceptivity ir¥iicatesa. responsiveness that is free from the in.... stabilities of this type of structure, and which deals with intrinsic meanings and values. Ervin La.s zloha, given a clear meaM for presenting this trans-actional struc\ure ot experience, which he CaUsa "Basic Information-Flow Design for Self-Sta.bilizlng SelfOrganizing Systems," (20) which he diagrams a.s shQ)m in chart 112 on the next Page (we shall discuss what is meant by "self-organizing" when that context becomes important below .(21». 'lhe system presented in the diagram is thekun-gzhi, the vasive Stratum as the "pre-given" horizon of the world. (p) are the sense-modalities (dbang-po). Per~ The input The response (R) lsthe perceptions (rnam-shes) iind other torms of activity which manipulate :\B1 sea.rch out invariants in the environment. The environ- ment (E) is the mapped and projected Gestalt-appearances Qt;objects (~). with determinative '''part-whole'') Gestalt-qualities. 'lhese three, of course, constitute the individual's experiential make-up (khams) as dealt with in the Abhidharqpa. Now, here in the Citta.- matraor Yogicira sTstem, attention is drawn to the potentialities f or experience (bag-chags) as the coding (C). In this sense, P, C, and R a.ll come umer the "subjective" sidealki represent the potentialitT of the appreheDiiDJ, while E, .on the "objective" side, repreaentsthe potentiality ot. the apprehendable. So, P, R, and E, A Basic Information-Flow1)esign!orSelf-Stabilizing·Seli"'Orga.nizing Systems . E=ettective environment as perceptible range. ofex,ternalworld C=Gestalt-systems, control ceding .betweenP& R R==coordina.ted behaviora.l responses, output ?=exteroceptive sensing, input p • ,f::l\) • R , -, ..... c . ~E C is manipulatively "projectec1" into E E- ...C,~- _ E is. a.dapttvely mapped intoC Chart #2 aswll as C, it must be remem.bered, are a1s.0 bag-chags, potentialities for experience that are characterized by a loa.· or intrinsic awareness. They are dependent on each other; the big-chags of the body, as we shall see below, is that on which (rten) the apprehending mind is founded (brten), as the focal point of world-experience. While we have to speak in terms of. seemingly separate individuals (P,C,R,E), they are only attempts to represent aspects of a unified structuring-process. The system is trans-actional, ra.ther than inter-actional (E andC as independent) or self-actional (constituted by the mind). C projects, butE 1s also mapped into it, much as in Piagetts concepts of a.ssimilation and accomodation; C are not a priori .ental structures applied to a passive reception of stimuli in order to produce perception, rather they a.re themselves experientially-initiated. E are Gestalts as relatively invaria.nt structures abstracted in the transactional process. Rather than the mere "sed- !mentation" of layers of ex.perience on certain eIementa1 givens of experience, the system presents a reorganization of the structuring of experience so that "invariance umer transformation" is maintained. The search for invariants is indicated by the "matched" or "mi.s- matched" flows: if the flow is "matched", there is negative feedback instructing the system that its search is at least momentarily over, that the "object is what I took it to be. II A "mismatched" flow induces positive feedback, so that the search for invariance is contiilued by OperatioM.which test out new codes (C , c· , C , etc.), 123 "hypothesized" with-the aid of further input and guided by their -43- possible transforma tiona. The phenomenon of appeiring expresses the correlation of code and enviroment, such that observable qualities ~an be seen as the appearanoe ot an object (what 1s abstracted as relatively invariant). (22) Boha states: "we do not perceive . . Just what" ~i before our eyes. We perceive it organized and structured through abstractions of what kind. of invariant state of affairs (which may include invariant states of movement ). will explain Immedia te experience and a wide rangeot earlier experiences that led up to it... .With regard to optica.l Perception, for example, Gibson·polnts out that through each region of space passes an infinity of rays of light, going in all directions. These rays of lightimlicitlY contain all the information about the structure of the world that we can obtain frolllvision. But a.n eye rixedina ·certain position cannot abstract this inf'ormatlon. It must move inman..v ways, and. at least part of these aovementsmust be produced by the observer himaelf', .because (as was first brought out by Held and hi. co-workers ) structural information is abstra.cted mainly from invariant relationships between outgoing nervous excitation that gives rise to these movements . arxi the corresponding ingoing nervous excitations tha.t result from· them." (23) The experiments in question .were based on the discovery by Di tehburn that the eye is corustantl.1undergoing very rapid vibrations which shift the image of the object on the cells of the retina, a.nd then "flick" it back a.gain to its original position. When Ditchburn arranged a series of. mirrors to<ca.ncel this movement, the subjectts perceptions broke down.completell, "even though a. clear iDage of the world was being focused on his retina." (24.) Thatia, nerve cells will "accomodate" to a constant stimulus, a.nd the strength of their response will· gradually fall below ·.the threshold ofconsciousl18ss, unless the stimulus is varied • Gibsona.nd Held went even further -44- in showing the active nature of our perceiving by conducting an experiment in which they gave distorting spectacles (which inverted the image) to subjects in a room. Those subjects who were able to move around eventually saw things right side up agat n (or, at least were able to move around normally) as a means of resolving the contradiction between their visual· and tactile sensa.tions, although the image on the retina was still upside down! Those subjects who just sat in the room never saw things right side up. Such a perceptual system as we have been describing, since it is geared for stability in being "attuned" to discover invariants, poses the danger that the "conceptual map" of these invarlantsth3.t have been abstracted as a kind of "inner show", tend to be taken for absolute, stable rea.li ties. A.s human beings we are directly sensitive to a hl..UJlan world, of which the physical world is one abstraction, however valid it may be in terms of its own project. We tend to lose sight of the whole active process, and take its products - objects of all kinds, inner and outer - as independent existents. We create fictitious duplicates to what is presented to us (snang-ba), taking this appearance to be the appearance of something existing in-itself. This is technically known as 'khrul-snang, mistaken appearance. Neither subject nor object are independent, there is only a correlation ~r inputs and outputs: "For in all of this we have seen that in perception there is present an outgoing nervous Unpulse producing a movement, in response to which there is a coordinated incoming set of sensations. The ability to abstract an invariant relationship -45- in these nervous impulses seems to be at the ba.sis of intelligent perception. For the structure that is present in the t'innershow" is determined by the need to account tor what is invariant in the relationship of the outgoing movements and the incoming sensations. In this way the percipient is not only always learning about, his environment but is also changiD& himself. That Is, some reflection of the general structure olthe environment Isbeing built into his nervous system." (25) It is the world experienced asa collection of static entities as the product of this process that is symbolized in the third chapter of theYid-bzhinmdzod, which is essentially the same as the classic presentation of "Buddhist Cosmology" in the third chapter of Vasubandhu's Abhidharma-kosa. The most important point-to be noted is that this system is characterized by a loss in intrinsic perceptivity, which is sensitive tcthe unique a.nd intrinsic value of things. It involves a lossofvc1lue in th3.t the world is either uncriticlY manipulated, or. critically subjected to the theoretical gaze otthe observer of the mere Present-a.t-Hand. have become split. Fact and value We cannot escape our participation in the world (the Buddhists do not deny the existence of theoperational-reallty (ltun-rdzob) as wha. t i t is), but ~. can redirect the sys tem so as to function a.ccording to pristine cognitiveness which is sensitive to values a.nd meanings. This kind of cognitiveness unites facts a.nd values, because by seeing more the "factiness" of facts without the distorting screen of ourusu3.l perceptual system, we are also more sensitive to the values they embody. The retentional-protentional structure of experience is not thereby destroyed but transformed into the sensitivity to the interrelJltionsips of all-the "vectorial" -46- components of our experience. A world seen in this light is en- visioned by Klong-chen-pa. in the second chapter of the Yld-b'hin mdzod as a vast display of Buddha-fields. Now, to continue Klon--chen-pa.'s exposition, in which he goes into detail about the functioning of this transactional system: "Now we sha.ll expl3,inextell$ively the division into the three potentlalltiesforexperience in the samara., From the three potentialities for experience whlchcomprise the mistaken mode of appearing, The .potentialityfor experienceo! objects. the worldas-container, And d~ nuof on this, the objects ot the 5sensea, color- torm, etc., (arise). Because the beginningless potentialities tor experience which have these l ditterentcharacteristios are implanted on the universal ground, a.ppearance also manifests itself in )·ciitferent ways. The potentiality for exper-Ience of objects, color-torlll,sound,· odor-, ,fla.vor, and tangibility, which are summed up by the external world and its inhabitants, appear as iftbey'existedexternall7a.lthough there is no such thing as internal or external. Having appea.red betore the miOO, one becomescOIlpleteq taken in by them as real objects, one .makes them intoobjectsotjl.ldgments of· eitherattirma. tion or nega.tion (asto;their reality). (26) -47- This object that one is involved with is called color-form; considered as external it is the postulate or theappreh$ndable. holds rorsound, etc. The same As for oneself, the internal, appear- ance as mind: The potentiality for experience of consciousness appears as the ightperc~ptiverunctj.onsJ And the healthy and destructive actions based on them. The toundational-hoTiaonal perceptive function (kun-czhl rnam-shes) ha.stounded itself on the pervasive stratum (of the world-horizon) as the va.riety of potentialities tor experience, at¥itrom this spreads the 5 perceptions of seeing, etc., the conceptualizing percept!ve function (Yid-shes) which tollows a cognition otthe object ot a sensory capacity, and the emotively-toned ego-act (nyon-lid.): these 8 functions are called the apprehending mind. The concept corresponding to these lsthe concept of the apprehending. It one asks why it 1.s ."apprehending," the answer is &s follows: on the level of the potentialities tor experience implanted on the pervasive stratum, since as such it is a loss of intri~ e perceptivity and in its functioning it re- mains without conceptualizations connected with aqyapparent .object, it is the apprehending as the potentiality rorexperlence or the realm of formleesness(gzUBs-med khama). Based on this is a cognition which is only partially clear and lucent, and which ienot COnnected with an object; this is the ...48- foundational-horizonal perceptive function, which iathe apprehending as the potentiality tor experience of the realJn o(form (gzugs-khams). The 5 sense perceptions which have spread from this and which are without conceptualizations, are the apprehel'¥iing as thepc.>tentialfty for the-experience of Wholehess (tins-ne-'dzin) on the level of form. The conceptualizingperceptive function a.nd the emotively-toned ego-act are the apprehending a.s the potentiallty for the experience or the realm of sensuousness ( tdod-khams). These. 8 perceptive functions, since they apprehend, both with and without conceptualization, their respective objects, are known as the apprehending minci.(27) Wha t is rounded on this and risen asa whole by virtue of this, unhealthy actions and what is connected with merits accruing to healthy actions, become sedimented"in" the mind, since they remain like rust on gold. Pacification of this involvement in mi...nel and mental events lathe intent of the Middle Way. These perceptive functions are founded on: The potentiality for the experience of the body appears as the 1011vidual forms of the 6 kil¥is of beings, And the ma.jor and JIlinor characte-ristics based on them. _Because of appearance as the various bodies - etc., one becomes taken in by (the~da.) -49- or gods aD1men, "My body." Even in a. dream when one sees water or fire or an abyss or an eneJD1' or dogs, etc., one sees them as a danger to onets own body and rune away, and thul the experience of frus tration· makes itself felt. Furthermore, to the assemblage made up of the many major and minor divisions (of the body) isasoribed the word "body", and even the corpse is oalled a body. Even though"the·gods leave no oorpse, that whioh is free from. this (perishable form) is called their body." (28) Now we approach a orucial part of Klong-chen-pats treatise, in which he rejects reducing the problem of appearing to bag-chags alone, i.e., a~ one of the rejects both realistic and idealistic reduc- tions of experience: "Why is there appearance as body, consciousness, and objects? If one thinks that either everything appearing as object is a sufficient explanation, or that appearance as only body and consciousness is sufficient, this is not so. (One must) take into account each mode of appearing: Thus the ) potentialities for experience which have been implanted on the pervasive stratum sincebeginningless time, By habituation manifest themselves throughout one's span of life. B.Y the power of the) potentialities for experienoe which rest on the pervasive stratum, arise the ) modes of appearing as presences, justas.fromvarious seeds various shoots arise. -50- No matter where one is born, as long as the potentialities for experience are not exhausted, appearance will make itself felt like a body, mind, ~nd objects in a dream. The variety of former potentialities, since they have existed since beginningless time, have produced former spans of life, and by continuous hab!tuation (29) t.his life is produced. Activitydur- ing the day forms dreams (.3.t night), and fromthecontinuity of the potentialities for exper-Ience in. this life, arises the body, consciousness, and objects of the next. Siitrala.i1k:ara desc~ib As the M.1hiYana,- this process: "The J types of potentialities for experience have J modes of a.ppearing.·t And the Lord Manjusrl has taught : "Since the :3 t,pes of potentialities have been implanted on the pervasive strat.um, appearance has 3 different ,modes of presentat.Lon;" Now, the refutation of the errors of those proud people 'who have for a long time been separated from .the excellent path (of theMa.hiyina)a.nd are far from the sight oltha Buddha: Ignorant people say that everything is mental; About the meaning of the J modes of appearance they are very confused. One must protect oneself and eliminate these incorrect wa.ys of speaking That contain uanyerrors, commit various contradictions, a.nd lead to extreme conclusions. -51- Those people who do not understand the say that Mah yan~ appearance and projectIve ex..is te nee (30), ::samsaraand nirvana., the inner 30M the outer, beings a.nd their wo~ld, every- thing is one ts mirxljand spea.king out of evident pride they deceive many people.. They donotumerstand the mea.ning in the Mahaya.na. of the J modee of appearing. Although the poten- tialities for experience sedimented as intentive mind may be mental, how can that which is sedimented as body~nd objects be mental? So, a.s to their ma1V' errors: like the body ard its appearance which exist as seen by the eye, and can be found a.s tangible form, will the mind also become like this? Orwill the body a.nd objects which are mind-like be unable to be seen and heard? Or will the mind have color and shape, a.nd also seeing and hearing? And if one person becomes a Buddha. or goes to the lower realms, then will all become like this? And if the many apparent objects become one (in mind), then will the cognitive capa.cities (of people) also become one? When an . an appearance disappears, then will the lnind also disappear? And since the evolutive phases of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind have mental abilities, hasntt one joined the ranks of the here- . tical Mlmimsakas? As to their va.rious contradictions: just as a cognition has its own object, they are led to the conclusion that even an inert object has its own cogntt.Lon. Then one t s mind becomes something external on account of appearance being exterml, andlppearance -52- becomes something internal because the oognitive ani illumina.tive capacity of mind is internal. But then the apparent ob- ject which exists externally aM one's cognitlveness which exists internally wontt be:lble to appear as different, because they are non-dual, both being aspect,s of one fact. As to their extreme conclusions: at the time one is not born, they are led to the conclusion that one's mind exists, since there is appearance at this time; but then at the time of one's death appea.rance would cease to exist here. When an object that is before one goes somewhere else, they are led to the cone.Ius ion that, since appearance is one t s own mind , it comes and goes following one's own mind. But at the time it goes somewhere else, they are also led to assert that one's mind is left here, in order for appearance to (continue to) be here. On account of these and many other errors, one must protect oneself and get rid of these incorrect ways of speaking of stupid people 'Who, like a cowherd, have never heard anything (of the Mahayana). "What appears is itself appearance," "0 Buddha-sons, the. 3 realms are mind-only," "Because of the potentialities for experience, the mind which is·stirred up gives rise to a.ppearance as (external) objects,": beca.use of these and other statements, one asks whether appearance 1s mind or not. One jnus t, understand that the statement, ·'Appear- a.nce is mind,tt which is made in the light of the distinction -53- between appearance (snang-ba) and apparent object (,nana-yul), is made because apprehending (something) as present or not is (the activity) or one's mind. Although the statement, "Appear- , anceis mind," is intended to refute the Srivakas and others who hold things to exist in.truth, and to destroy the erroneous belief in anlndependently-enstingexternalworld, mountains, etc., are not thereby shown to be mental. One should recognize as mental appearance in which one becomes caught up in the notion of an independently-existing object, where one thinks, nOh, this isa mountain," etc. Therefore, apparent objects such as mountains and so .forth,are not mental, beca.use one tims that their cause, efrects, functioning, origin, and cessation are dirrerentrrom that of the mind. It one asks J then, do they (apparent objects) exist asindepen- dent external objects I the a.nswer is no. Indepedent17-existing objects, although they are apprehended as something other, made of atoms, etc., appearing as tangible and external, the potential1ties for ,experience which appear before the mind are delusive, like what .~pears under the influence .of datura, and can- not be found anywhere or as anything whatsoever, internal or external jand sinc.e we maintain that they are appearances although there has never been anything (to appear), without. a root or ground, they are said to. be tWithout any actuality.' (rang-bzhin-med) There(ore, it is very. important to distinquish -54- between appearance and apparent objeot." (31) Initially, considerations of this system of the bal-ohacs seam to lead to some form ofmentaliam. sa~ Indeed, this 1s &~ost step in one's philosophico-spiritual development. one has to at le30st get 11 a necesAt some point glimpse of the primacy of the subjective, that it is·· our actions {including .the "flicking" of our eyeballs) which determine the world in which we live, that it is we who also make the projection of aworld-in-itself as the cause of ourperceptiona. Although we are not neutral observers, we must not, however, -confuse determination with creation: "Determination does not mean creation. It means ••• that a strict correspondence exists between certain fundamental forms··of subject and their worlds."(32) If appearance is not the appearance or an (unknowa.ble) thing-in-i tself , neither is it the creation of the mind. into a very strange kindofre~list. This makes the Buddhists here They say: we are directly sensi- tive to the structure of. theen'1ironment itself, but this environment has never been cognitively ·separate from us, so how can we be in (external) contact with it? Perception (vi-jMm) is the constant separ- ation of what is not separate, in which we make selections on the ba.sis of our projects, and then make further divisions and constructs. There is presence (snang-ba), but it is not the presence of something (medbzh1n snang-ba): "ra.ther it is the. slanted views through which an identical thing makes i tsappearances I . • .Tha t which makes its appeara.nce in these slanted views is seplS-nyig(Mind-as-such), which is not a mind (sems ),since milX! is itself a slanted -55- view•••• More precisely, it is the Ground (tbeingt itself, &!h1) tha.t appears (gzhi-snang)."(33) The term sems-nyid is an index for the Totality-field of our experience, "which includes a.ll objects but which is nowhere and ca.nnot be pointed to, a Totality-field which is with us all the time but which is outside of time because it includes a.ll time and has no birth or death and no self-world dichotomy .'t (34) Epistemologically speaking, one has the paradox: there is appearing, yet there is nothing (stOng~) which it is the a.ppearance of. This is because epistemology is concerned with the rel3.tionship between these presences and our "abstracted" concepts, which have been concretized into fictitious duplicates existing beyond or behind these presences. seen, there are only correlations. But as we have This is the vision of the Midhya- mikas; there is no independent existence (stong-pa ) but rather appearing (SMng-ha) in functional correlation (rten-tbrel): "Since there are no ultimate particles, the ten correlates of our experiential make-up (khams) which have color-rorm, do not exist in truth, and therefore, the 5 sensory capacities (dbang-po) which are the dominant condition in a perceptual situation (bdag-pa~i rlqen) and the 5 objects which make up the objective comition (dmigs-pati rk.yen),as well as the 5 perceptive, _functions of sight, etc., which arise, cannot be found to exist in truth. If they can c~ be established, the conceptualizing tunction (lid-shes ) which is. established by the similar-immediate condition (de ma-thag-pa'irkyen), also cannot be found to exist in truth. Therefore, if the 6 perceptive functions cantt beestabl1shed, the mental activity which comes with no break with the passing or these, also doesn't exist in truth. When the mind does not exist in truth, the mental events J such as the notion of a. single substance , feellngs,and volitions which go with it, etc., a.lso can be easily known not to have any actuality •••• In brief, havfng made the proper analysis, because of the crucial point that the mutuality of the knower and the known has come about in -56- functional correlation, since ultimate particles cannot be found, the inanimate cannot be established, and because of this we know that mind also Cannot be established, ultimately we are able to destroy the obsession for veridicality regardingallthe entities of reality." (35) Once again, Platt expresses . . these ideas .beautifully in modern terms : "In the subjective totality-field there is no object or· class of objects or of actions that can be pointed to or isolated as 'self t or 'ego' or tIt. In any observation or operation, there iano sharp distinction between the manipulating and the manipulated ••• Without manipulation, there are no objects to ma.nipulate: without objects to manipulate,there is no reference point and no manipulation.... So, opera.tionally, there are objects; but 'I' a.Dl the operating." (36) The "obsession for things existing in truth'.'comes with the split in our experience into an isolated knower and known; and subjective11 we are further splitinto an "awareness" and a "sel.£"· who owns "watches" allauch states, while objectively there iathe split jn~ into "presences" and the objects tller are said to be the "presences" of. These considerationsseemto t.ake to their logical conclusion what is implied in the epistemology of quantum mechanics, such that we might formulate a Madhyamika Indeterminism Principle: to know is to perform anoperation,such as perceiving. This is nota.n opera- tion on a reality independent of us, but a differentiating of our experiential field in the light ofa partial viewpoint which enables us to. abstract information. What then is the "object" of quantum mecha.nics and other 20th centur1.sclentific theories which have gone beyond cla.ssical ideas? Their "objectf!jlt are meaning,. as presented inexperience, which they determine ion their- a.pproach to experience. -57- So, some physicists have turned to an examination of the role s en~uoicanoc in quantum theory. or But it must be remembered that consedouenesa is no more an independent existent than the observable (or shall we say the. manipulated). Kockelmans sums up: ''Man and world, more generally,subject and object, are merely two abstractasPects.ofa single structure, vIz. presence. Man and world constitute a unity through mutual impUcatlon. In the original presence there are 2 poles, but these poles nec s8ari~ implY each other, theynec s ari~ have a dialectic relationship. Ant attempt to disengage one of these poles is an abstraqtlon, put on the other hand, a.ny identification of the 2 disregards the proper function of these 2 elements of a single structure .••• It is in man's liVing of the fundamental intentionality that meaning originates • Meaning is the result of the encounter between man alXiworld, an encounter in which both are essentially involved." (37) In such a view as we have been discussing lies the basis for a nonreducti()ni.st approach to the world, which is seen in anew light once the exiled experiencer and his intentional meanings have been returned to the world. The rest pf the first chapter of the Yid-bzhinmdzod is a denoueme.nt, .in which Klong-chen-padraws out the implications of this transactional system of "appearances in functional oorrelation," begilming with how the split develops out of the triadic structure of the potentialities of experience: "Now we shall explain. the activity which produces the duality of the appreheDdingand the apprehendablefrom the 3 modes of appearing : Thus, the flction of the apprehendable arises from the object potentiality J -58- And the fiction of the apprehending trom the oonscioulness potentiality. The basis and peg of emotionality comes from the body potentiality . Because i.gnorant. people take (these) as verldical,they continually go round in samsara... Because one has apprehended as present, appearance in the object mode, the fiction of the apprehendable arises; if the 8 perceptive functions remain focused internally and then come outward (to meet theirrespeetlveobjects), the fiction of' the apprehending, called mind, and the body is the basis of ~rise ; the arising of the apprehendable a~ the apprehending, alXipro- vides the locus for the manifest evils due to pleasures and frustrations. By taking the 3 modes of appearing as veridical one wanders continuously in projective existences, and this is frustration. As the Atya-riskrapala-pariprccha-nima-sutra states: "All the entitles of reality have no actuality at all, like an illusion, a. mira.ge, and the moon reflected in water. Because ignorant People take (these entities) as veridical, they-become bound, they go roundcontinuously like a potter's wheel." Now, although the samsara has nothing to it, like a reflection, as long as the fictions of the apprehending and the apprehendable have not been completely exhausted, instruction in action and its results is very important: Although all these (entities) have no reality, -59- By the power of the (duality of) the apprehendable ancl the apprehending there is appearing in functional correlation, like an aPP'rition. As long as the (duality of) the apprehendable and the apprehending has not been completely exhausted, There will miraculously appear the cause and result of action. Although f'rG1ftl the point of view of the primary reality of prerefleotive, non-thematic experience (chos-gyid don-dam-pa'i bden- ..ea.), there is no running around. in circles and the unstable actions produced by it, operationally, having been founded on arising in functional correlation according to its corresponding causes .and conditions ,samsara makes itself felt like an apParition; because of this.it is necessary to deal with" its causes and results. If one has completely exhausted all the pervasive fictions of the apprehemable and the apprehending, there is· no action since there is no loss of intrinsic perceptivity together wi. th the potentialities for experience which makeup the cause of the samsara. There will be action as long as one has not directly experienced this. Since loss of intrinsic .perceptiv- i ty and all the conflicting emotions produced by this are not destroyed, it is important to take up (a stance of) acceptance and rejection "in regard to the motivating cause of action and its results. The action produced by the mistaken mode of ap- pearing which is samsara is like a poisonous snake, since it always makes for frustration. -60- If one asks who produces and accumulates this aotion: The mind is all-creative of motivations and actions. When inves tigating appearance before the mind wi th th~ mind, Ex.ert oneself in order to discipline the errant mind. Action as cause is the origin (of trustration); the result, which is unstable actions and conflicting emotions, can only be frustration. The root of these has been produced (as fol- lows): on account of having come from motiva tions based on the (intentive structure of) mind, the mind accumulates good, bad, a.nd neutral actions, and by the power of various actions there appears the variety of the mistaken mode of appearing, which is present before onets mind like what 1s observed in a dream. Because the mind investigates within the (confines of) the apprehendable a.ndtheapprehending, error arises continually. As the Ratnacud,a.states: "From mind arises motivations; from motivations come (further) healthy, unhealthy, and neutral motivations. From motivatedness the happiness, frustration, and all that lies in between, of sentient beings makes itself felt. 1t On account of this it makes sense to exert oneself in refining and disciplining onetsmind. For an analogy to the a.rising of the mistaken mode of appearing: As long as one is intoxicated by datura, Although a variety of appearances arise which seem to be like men, -61- All of them \re deceptLve forms, there isn't anyt.h1.ng there. Those who have taken a decoction of datura, although they see all the earth and sky full of men and women, at the time of seeing them, they are non-existent •. Appearance, due to this substance, and by the power or the mistaken mind, arises a.s the variety.of the external world; this is Qnly the mistaken mode of appea.ring. To set forth an analogy for appearing although there has never been anything (to appear): All the 6 life-forms that make up the mistaken mode of appearing, without exception, Which have been produced by the erring mind and its involvements (sbyor-ba): Know them to be an empty reflection, there yet nothing. All the entities of reality, summed up by appearance and projective existence, beings and their world, i.e., objects which a.ppear externally as other, which may be even broken up into a hundred fine particles, and the apprehending mind which is internal, the self (apart from this there is no other entity whatsoever to be found), are incidental (contingent), since they are appearances although there has never been anything to appear. For example, when a person 1s drunk on beer, al- though the world appears to turn round and round. there really is no turning. From the SamidhlriJasUtra: -62- "When people are drunk on beer, although the earth seems to move, there is actually no moving orshakina. Know that all the entities or reality (are preseat) in this way." Now, in summary, the exhortation to know what is the primordial Ground of going a.stray into appearance although there has never been anything to appear: Actually, the samsara. is like a reflection, Investigate from what it arises originally. By this one knows nirvana And it will become the sustaining factor of the motive force fer well-being which is free from projective existence. By properly investigating the motive force of primordial sheer lucency, the totality-field from which samsara, which is without actuality like arefl..,ction ina mirror, a.rises, one knows what eamsara 1.s; (and when one knows this), by entering into a non- dual pristine cognitiveness, one is free from the pa.rtiality of the mistaken mode of appearing which makes up projective existence. So that this will become limpid clearness and consummate perspicacity in its immediacy (mngon-par byang-chub), investisate the primordial actuality (from which samsara arises). From the fOnce the world a.rises, then it is destroyed; it has no abiding essense. What is before and after it remains the same. Investigate thattrom which the world originally arose.' " (3S) Cosmology must begin its considerations with the Ground from which world, arise, that is, Being-as-5uch. -63- It issigniflcant that even the objectivistic approach of contemporary relativistic cosmology has co.e up against this idea of the Ground. as a kim of in its explorations. lim ta~tuatlon The theoretical conception of a space-time "singularity" arising out of gravitational collapse of a massive star, plus the incresing evidence for the existeDoe of these "black holes, It has led to a m.odel of the Big Bang theory as an expansion from such a state of Iravitational colla.pse. In extra- polating back to increasing fractions of a second after the Big Bana, phYsicists do not use the usual measure of time, but rather its logarithm to the .base of ten, Which is increasingl1 negative f or tractions of a second. This parameter is ca.lled "time", and it moves back to a "time" of mi.nus infinity (we are now at "time" plus seventeen). John Taylor, an English mathematician, states: "As 'time' is rolled ever further back the universe lIlay present anever-stmilar aspect. There would always be activity as heavier .and heavier hadrons(atrong~ interacting partioles) becue respoll8ible for the structure of the universe. In such a picture oneDlight be able to s&7: in the beginn1l11 there was.oo beS1lfm1ng•••• As the clock: was rolled ever back, closer and closer to the point of time "'" imtially regarded as the firat point of existence, there appeared to be evergreater activity•••• The problem of the creationot the world is seen to be incorrectl1 posed: . We are in a phase of the developnentofthe universe in which time, the measure of activity whichweJltOst 1maediatelJ' experienced, is quite suitable. But we cannot use this same measure to extrapolate back to the very earliest stages; the more correct 'time' has to replace it. And 't1ae', a Dleasur.e of the activity in the cosmos, had no beginning: it was ~a.s there'." (39) The Ground of Being is an on-going process which is not "in" time. It cannot be identified according to substantival thinking as persisting throughout the 3 aspects of time. -64- Yet it is not a mere nothing, since it is the beginningless activity of the cosmos its8lfrpresenting itself a.s suoen~t ops quantum fluctuations. This first chapter of Klong-chen-pats work, on how the "'florid." of samaara arises from the Ground, is closely related, in a structural understanding of the work, to the 18th chapter on the ttExperience of Being, n (gna s - l ugs ) . Wehave seen that the samsara is . characterised by a perceptual system in which appearances are present in a purely operational sense (kun-rdzob). What is its rela- tion to the primary, ultimate reality (don-dam ) of openness (,tongpa-nvid)? What are the ontologica.l statuses a.nd cosmological significances of these two realities (bden-pa gpyis)? Klong-chen-pa first gives the conventional view of the two rea.lities: "If we make a distinction ,3.ccording to the nominal two realities, Then since all the samsara, which is a mistaken appearing, Is non-veridical and deceptive, it is the operational-conventionalreallty J While nirvana, which is sheer lucency, pea.ceful and profound, Is taken as the ultimate reality which is unchanging. Since all the observable qualities of the mind within, and the variety of appearances of objects such a.s color-form, etc., which are the appearing of the potentialities of experience, the eight perceptual functions, and the world-horizon of the variety of the potentialities of experience, which obscure -65- the sheer lucency which is the quintessence of meaningfulness, that constitute the saDlsara, are deceptive a.nd without anfthing to them, they are taken as the operational reality; while the Qround of Being in its spontaneity as sheer lucency, is taken as the primary reality. For example, like the sun and clouds, the primary reality, sheer lucency, is the obscured object, and the operational reality, the psychophyscial constituents, the sense-fields, and the experientia.lma.ke-up which constitute the samsara., are the obscuring (object)." (40) Klong-chen-pathen goes on to explain what 1s meant by the "Indivisbility of the Two Rea.lities" (bden-gwis dbyer-med): "Since one is beyond the postulated two realities, By going beyond objects which are divided up and distinguished according to operational reality, All discursiveness ceases. Because of the non-duality of appearance and openness in the totality-field, There is neither the establishment nor the no -establish~ ment of the il¥iivisibility of the (postulated) two realities. This is known as the "Indivisibility of the Two Realities." Within the pristine cognitiveness which is sheer lucency, since the appearing of operational reality is like a cloud which does not touch the sky, one cannot even find any m.is taken appearing. -66- If one cannot find this, one cannot establish a primary reality which is evaluated as an open dimension to the . extent that there is appearance. Because these two can- not be established, one cannot find any distinction of the two realities according to the philosophical systems. Since these two do not exist, one is beyond the two realities which are ascriptions of truth or falsehood by the intellect. This quieting of all discursiveness is called the "Indivisibility of the Two Realities," because one cannot establish the postulated two realities. Since it is ineffable in that conventionally the two realities can be established, but they cannot, the totality- ultimate~ field of pristine cognitiveness which is sheer lucency, is called "The Great Spontaneous Purity. tr And since there is nothing like the openness and appearing of the two realities which are well-known in the philosophical systems, it is called the "IMivisibli ty of the Two Rea.lities. " In the sgyu-'phrul bla-ma, it states: "The primary and operational realities are indivisible in the great mandala. of Equality." If, to the extent that they appear, the postula.ted two realities are indiVisible, what more is there to say about the primary pristine cognitiveness? Since we directly ex.perience its shining, the sun is not obscured by diViding it into atoma J nor 1s it (made to) shine by not dividing it. -67- Since the sun, in this way, is undivided, how are we going to make a statement? If the (two realities) exist (in theordin- a.ry. way), then common people should see them...· (41) Mi-pham ohst~aygr (1946-1912) has appended a commentary to this cha.pter, of which we now translate the major portion, which is a discussion of gnas-lugs(Experience of Being) as ground (there are also sections on gna.s-lugs a.s path and goal ) : "If one asks what is meant by the "Experience of Being," which is labelled by the term, "Indivisibility oftha Two Realities," (the answer is tha.t) it is the "motive force for well-being," or "pristine cognitiveness which is primordial sheer lucency." The term, "sheer lucency,"lleans not defiled by impurities, like saying, having light a.ndbeing free fromdarknessj and also means that it has the cognitive sensitivity (mlchyen-pa) of pristine cognitiveness. Therefore it is called, "pristine cognitiveness which is free from obscurationa. " This is shown in view of intrinsic perceptivity in its a.spect of cognitive sensitiVity: since it does not abide prtmordial~, i.e., since beginningless time, in any extreme whatsoever, it remains as haVing an actuality or real individuality which is without propositions (~t ached to it) and thus quiescent. This ta shown in its aspect of openness: an a.nalogy for openness and intrinsic perceptiVity is the sheer lucency which is the quintessence of the sun, and clarity which is like the sky. In its aspect of cognitive sensitivity it is shown in its uncon- -68- trivedness and spontaneity. The totality-field which ie the unity of this openness and intrinsic perceptivity is naturally pure irrespective of efforts made on the path. Further, because it is not touch- ed by the two defects of quietism as the uncondit o~ed, on the one side, andsamsara as the conditioMd,on the other, it is the great purity. Since it remains from the very be- ginning in this reach and range ,appearing in its facticity is inseparable from openness j and thus nirvana is not affirmed as veridical and samsara. is not negated as non-veridical. By virtue of this there is no going (out of existence some- where) of defects and no coming (here) of merits. Since there is no operation of the concepts and appelations of operational reality, the chatter of operational reality is cut off; and since all that is indicated by concepts and appela.tions such as samsara and nirvana, appearing and opennese , defects and. merits, has not withstood a critique, all the operations of operational existence are p~cif ed. Therefore, since this (pacification) is beyond the range of distinctions known as primary and operational reality, and since it cannot be posited as two realitieswhlch are affirmed and labelled, "operational reality appearing for those of the philosophical systems," and, "the primary reality which remains unorigina.ted," it is quiescent and beyond all propositions such as existence and non-existence. The reason for this is that, since the two -69- realities are indivisible as tar as the Experience of Being goes, operationally speaking, they can be established, but ultimately the distinction cannot be established. To sum up: since , in. the to ality-ri~ld-or~eani g (chos-kYi dbyiM' ) , the actuality of appearing and openness is nen-> dual and cannot be divided, saying that the operational and primary realities are indivisible is _rely a w~y of speaking- Even if one takes the totality-field in this way, when one makes a distinotion only propositionally based on appearing, everything belonging to the saJDSara, which appears by virtue of the s plit into the apprehendable and the apprehending summed up as appearing in the mistaken mode, is operational reality, which is deceptive owing to its transitoriness, instability, and non-verifiability; while that which is summed up by the great nirvana, since every frustration has been eliminated, is sheer lucency, pristine cognitiveness which is cognitively sensitive, the quiescence of all discursiveness, and profound because hard to realize. Since it is beyond that which is made of atoms or instants, it is asserted to be the primary reality which is unchanging and. free from thefruatratlon8 of. change. Regarding the manner of establishing the primary and operational realities, setting them up a.ccording to how things present themselves (snang- 't'huJ), and according to their presential value -70- (gnal-·Lahul), is to es tabllsh the apparent and open aspects of things. While this is the same as the distinction of sam- sara and nirvana, here, what is in accord wi thor what is not in accord with, how things present themselves and their presential value, is the method of establishing the pr1.ma17 and operational realities. Since these two general approaches a.re found in many sutras, it is not necessary- to fall in with one or the other. In this latter method, where one makes a division into the valid and theinvalld by logical investigation, since it is a way of establishing the two rea.lities, in the n1ain one should urxlersta.nd. it as the, "distinction accordingto the nominal two realities. II And by 3. logic whichexa- mines the primary reality, it is important to determine whether nirvana can withstand a critique or not. Further, as to'the operational reality which is an unstable and shifting realm within the operational sphere of the dualistic mode of appearing, it one investiga.tes this variety of appear.... ings, a.s like a mirror-image, a magic show, a reflection of the moon in water, a.nd an apparition, there is not even a.n atom of actqality to be found in it. Yet although it is nothing, it appears: when one investigates by reason which examines according to the primary reality these things that appear, since there cannot be found even a particle of substance which can become the basis of the microscopic or the foundation for the macroscopic, it is open like space. -71- And since one has cut oft (the possibility }of establishing an essence Which is proilElr to an entity, it cannot, withstand a critique. Although this is so, in the objective spt'tere otoper-ation where one merely says, "Dontt worry, be happy, ,. when one doesn t t look into or investigate (these things), there is appearing as various observable qualities, just as in the example of an apparitional horse or elephant which appears although there is nothing to appear. If one asks, what is the sustaining factor of this appearance although there has never been aqything to appear, (the answer is as. ,follows) : the sustaining factor is the arising in functional correlation, which is characterized by mistakenness, of whatever of experience one has become habituated poten ial~t es to since beginninglesstime. For example, it i8 like the appear- ance as elephants, etc. to the distorted vision of has. taken datura. all person who Thus J these mistaken appearances, the external entities of reality and the person, are without an abiding principlewhich makes them what they are. Since they are either the presential value or the particular this or that of appearing, they are posited as primary reality in their aspect of being a.n open dimension, and as operational reality in their aspect of appearing. Thus, ever since the time there has been appearing, since one cannot find any arising, stability, etc., the existential presence or the ac;:tuality of these ~nti es remains as appearing and ·openness which .can neither be added to or subtracted ·from one another. On account of thlsthere is the real -72- existence (bciag-nvid) of the indivisibility of the two reali... ' ties. The indivisibility of samsara. and nirvana which constitute the path, (is to be explained as follows): the actuality of samsara, which is pure and real existence which is unborn from the very beginning, called the , . . !'priJla17f:raalj.t,-o!· in its she rlucencl~;": status of oognitive sensitivity, a.nclthe, "primary reality of the totality-field," in its status of openness, reveals the primary reality of the goal and pristine cognitiveness. More- over, intrinsic perceptivity, seen only as self-rising pristine cognitivenes8, since it arises in five aspects with five modes of Meaningful Existence (sku) based on it,is the primary reality of pristine cognitivenessand the goal. sheer lucency itself. This is sUmmed up in Thus, slncethe totality-field in its openness and.prlstine cognitiveness in its lucency, are not-two and cannot be divided into two, in its way of presenting itself, appear-Ing seems like samsara, although in its presential value it actually remains as nirvana. In their ultimat~· potentia.lity (gshis), samsara and nirvana are not-two, and the two realities are iMivisible."(42) We may sum up this discussion of the two realities as follows: usually we take the conventional, operational reality as the relative and impermanent, while the ultimate, primary reality is taken as the absolute and unchanging. But these abstractions have no basis other than a conventional one. One has relativizedthe absolute by bring- -73- ing it into rela.tion with the relative. It is onl1bl ta.king the relative as having SOUle independent actuality (raM-bzhln), that one can set up an absolute in opposition to such a changing reality. But the relative has no basis. transitory or momentary. For instanoe, we say that it is But this is merely a postulated transitori- ness, for one can only'postulate change of something which doesn't change: the old substratum view. Howver, in the view presented here, the relative, arising in functional correlation, is not made up of elemental givens. Transitoriness is not a matter of, ,flOnce there was something, now there's nothing, ,t but rather transitoriness is apparitioMlneSS, as illustrated in the famous siailles of a dream, reflection, magic show, Cloud-land, etc. Events neither arise nor cease, but are merely quantIzed expressions of primary process: "Thus, in the quantum view, the. notion of material entities having form, a discrete and fixed spatial configuration, and endurance, a. continuous sustenance through time, yields to the notion of process, a dynamical aot ,of continuously evolving becoming ••.•• apart from process, there is no being. • ... its reality is defined by the unity of the various processses which enter into its make-up. It is the process or unfoldment of the various·· coaponents of an entity, gathered' into a prehenai1fe. un!ty,< .that we experience as the sense object; it is not thecQIlponents themselves that we experience as the sense object, but our unified prehension of these unfolding components."·· (43 ) The unity of process th.g,t constitutes events is, as we have seen, a. ''mirroring'' of the totality of process that is nature. Only for . convenience do we select certain eventaas being related to the "causa.lity" of the event that we are interested in. -74- This unity of process tha.tmakes for any "actual entity" Whitehead called "concrescence." This concrescence 1s apparitional; as soon as it 15 realized it perishes. Its very being is becoming, and in this universe of becoming, in the quantum view or the vibratory nature of entities, we can discover different vibratory wave-lengths which express the different "epochs" that entities require for their realization, ranging from Planck's constant to the total universe. The universe is thus a field of hierarchical structures; horizontally, observing change at any level, we discover only relativity, but vertically, the absolute process 2r. order of change is revealed. The Buddhists are not declarlngthe world to be an illusion, but are trying to point to our distorted "visionttof the primary process. A purely epistemological concern with the problems of perception, for instance, loses sight of the ontological issue. In the theory of transactional experience that we have presented, we have seen that perception is an open-ended process, in which any perception points beyond itself, as part of the protentional-retentional character of experience. Our Gestalt-concepts are merely labels for the operations'we have ma.de on a limited aspect of our environment. Epistemology is the study of how our concepts are related to our changing Our attentioni. thereby perc~ptions. drawn away trom the .primary reality (which is not behind or above or beneath our experience, but constitutes the presentational immediacy and value of the field of experience itself) in our striving to keep patching up our continually worn-out "map" or the limited terri- -75- tory we have singled out as important to us. It Dlustbe remem- bered that mistaken appearing (tkbrul-.nang) covers both what we would call veridical and non-veridical perceptions 1n the operational sphere. The reflective-thematic aspect of experience is no longer seen as occurring within experience, but we position it at a transcendental standpointa.nd take its postulates as reality• It is only by accepting the perspectival chara.cter or our operational reality, rather than fancying some "God-like survey," with its postulated knowledge of a world-in-itself, that we can discover the primary reality of undistorted cognitiveneas. It is not a matter of suppressing conceptual thought, but of not absolutizing it. H.V. Guenther illustrates the interplay of the perspectival aM "absolute" aspects of our experience as follows: "If a man were under all circumstances immediately conscious of the medium otvision and or its effect on the image of the object, he would ~ediatly be able to see the precise effect of substituting any other medium. He would be like a skilled musician who can play in one key wha.t is written in another wihtout tr~nscib ng the score ••• For him one key is as gQod as another, justa.s for a perceptive person one medium is as good as another. The only thing he must not do is mixing the keys or the media.." (44,) You· might say that the potentialities of experLence olthe transactional represent the habitual mixing of keys that goes on in our theo~ experience when the openness of the ability to transpose keys has been lost. This pr~a reality is a vast hierarchically-structured field which we humans exper-Ience as one of meanings and values, which has become channeled into the tightly knit network ';'76- ~f our projects and acts of projection. This field of values am meanings encompasses the transactional field of purposes; values and mea.nings are the "'Why's" and "what for's" of purposes. We want to know how to "tune in" to the "highest" values inman, rather than only to the shifting and unstable purposes and projects. The key lies in the fact that these va.lues are also foundational, as well as being "high." They are one with the very fact of our being, and hence constitute the basis for a rediscovery of normative ethics. 'It is only. be <:a.use of our conceptualized and manipulative view of facts that we do not see them in their unique and also "vectoriallt" relational "factiness", which is always also a value • The aore we see the Itfacti- ness" of facts, the more we see their value and mea.ning. It is the foundational structure of value a.nd meani.ng which binds up the past am the future with our present transa.ctions. Not understand- ingthls foundation, however, is the basis for going astray into all sorts of fictive projects. The vision of the foundational structure (sku) of this field of values and meanings (zhing-khams ) is presented now by Klong-chen-pa. -77- Notes to Chapter Two 1. Pearson, C. L., "Worldhood," Pbilo,ophY and Phenomenological Research, vol. XXXII, no .. 4, June, 1972, pp.491-2. 2. See below, PP.51-55; and also Guenther, H.V., ''Mentalism and Beyond in Buddhist Philosophy,n.Journal ofthe·AmericanOrienta1 Society, vol. 86, no. J, 1966, pp.297-.304, and Buddhist Philo- sOPhY in Theory and Practiee, Penguin Books, Baltimore, Maryland, 1972, pp.93£f'. 3. He ide gge r , M., The Essence of Reasons (Malick, tr.), Northwestern Univ. Press, Evanston, Ill. , 1969, p.85. 4. See Brand, G., "Intentionality, Reduction, and Intentional Analysis in Husserl 's Later Manuscrlpts ," in Koc)<elmans ,ed., Phenomenolo&Y, Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1967, pp.197fr. 5. See also Klong-chen-pa, Chos--dbfings·rin-po-che'i Jl9zod., Dodrup Chen Rinpoche, pub., Gangtok, Sikkim, chapter 1, where the phenomeml world is presented as the "ornament" of the totality-field (chos-dbYings). 6. Heidegger, Ope 7. Klong-chen-pa, cit., pp.49, 57. Theg-pa chen-po't man--nag-gi bstan-bcos Yid-bzhin rin-po-che'i mdzod-k,yi 'grel-pa. oaclma dlq,r-pp,Dodrup Chen Rinpoche, pub., Gangtok, Sikkim, pp.S-2J. 8. Pearson, op. cit., p.499. 9. See also Guenther, H.V. ,tr. J KindlY Bent to Ea.seU" Dharma Press, Berkeley, C~lif'., .1975, pp.22J-4. -78- 10. This work follows. the traditional Indian style of cryptic verses, followed by, in this case, an auto-commentary. 11. don-BYi kuo glhi: "5!2nis the Value of Being residing 1n the experiencer as the pivot (s!gn) of experiences which he tends to externalize and project into atictltious .reala." (Guenther, Ope cit., p.29l). 12. sku dang ye-shes. The insepara.bility o! these twolndicates that Being, as founding, and Knowing, as !ounded, areco-8xtensive. Subordim.tionof Knowing to Being leads to the limitations of Realism; subordination of Being to Knowing leads to the limitations of Idealism. On this see Laszlo, E., BeIOnd Skepticism and and Realism, Mouton, The Hague, 1966. .!!w has many af!inities with the existential-phenomenological concept of EXiotenz, which should be distinguished from the traditional category of extstence. It "is neither a simple dea1gnationof a of finite existents 1n general. ~ est nor a de.signation It has to do with the emerging of experience in the contextualislI of its embodiment, speech, and sociality, whence organizing and interpretive notions arise and whither they return for their justification," and it involves "the world-fact of the emerging of experience in its varied intentionalities." (Schra.g, C.O., Experience and Being, Northwestern Univ. Press, Evanston, Ill., 1969, pp.268,9. 13. That is, the analogy is made between Earth-501idity am. the psychophysical constituents (phung-po), sense-tielda(sk.ye-mched), am elements of our experiential make-up (khama), which constitute our -19- "world" of frustratioll8(more precisely, they a.re the basis (B!h1) of our frustr~ ions); between Wa.ter-Cohesion and con- flictingemotions (nyon-moMS) and unsta.ble actions (las); between .Wind-Motility am the improper use of the mind t tshul- minYid-la byed-pa); and between Space-Spatia.lity and mind in its purity (dar_pat i :iem.,). 14. Why are the samsara, the potentia.lities for experience, and the loss of intrinsic perceptivity orten said to be "beginningless"? The answer is that, although there is a "dimming" of intrinsic perceptivity by virtue of their operation, since Being-a.s-such cannot decrease (or increase), this "dimming·' still represents a total response to Being,. albeit 1n the "deflected'· form of the ttcreation" of objectified entities in a kiM of solidification process. This limitation, with its attel'¥iing feeling of incom- pleteness,. leads to the constant search for that "somethiDg more" which will bring sa.tisfaction in theretentional-protentional structure of .experience. There is an "end" to smasara in the sense that there is "nothing more" to search for once the initial lim!taotionhas gone. 15. 'khrul-snang. 16. ~ See p.4.5. is a term for the intent!ve structure of. mind', analyzed into acts of consciousing-noesis, and its intended objects-poeM. 17. K1ong-chen-pa., op. cit., pp.8-12. 18. This is an idea th~ researche::s into cosmology based on the principles of. the general theory-of relatiVity ('.geometro- ...80- dynamics") have been approaching. "Empty space II is far from empty, a.s the discoveries of curvature and gra.vitational waves. have shown. seen. Matter is not separate "filled stuff," as we have The great question in Western Cosmology has been: "Why is there something rather than nothing?" The presentation of Yogacara-Madhyamika epistemology and ontology that Klong-chen-pa gives here shows how the Buddhists tried to steer clear of both "something" and "nothing" with the conception of the two realities (bden-pa gnyis). The cosmological idea is neatly summed up in the Tibetan phra.se, "Although (it) isn't anything a.t all, it a.ppears as anything." (el-yang lIla-yin la cir~yang 'char-ba) (oral communication from Lama Tarth3.ngTulku). 19. Klong-chen-pa dri-med 'od-zer,Mkha-'groyang-tig, part 2, Tu1ku Tsewang, Ja.myang, and L. Tashi, pube , , New Delhi, 1971,f.88a. 20. Laszlo, E., System. Structure, and EKperienee, Gordon & Breach, New York, 1969, chapterl. A similar analysis by Platt, J., "The Two Faces of Perception, tt op.cit., is called a "SensoryMotor Decission System." 21. See chapters 3 a.ni 4. below. 22. The unity of the invariantly-3.bstracted object is thus not sup- plied by the mind. Husserl, because of his ties with Kantian philosophy, could not free himself from the notion of an "Idea" as the central core of the noema,since the object is always subject to further determinations, and thus one needs a "Principle of Rea.son" to tie together· the various perspectives (tfinter- -81- noematic unity"). Aron Gurwitsch, probably the best writer on the phenomenologyof,perceptionf'ollowing Husserl, improved on him in this respect, through the application of principles from Gestalt psychology, and showed that there was no need for such a "Principle of Reason." Wha.t Husserl lacked was a "theory of. org:Lnization," which might be said to a.lready begin in the eye: "we have introduced the notions of functionalsigniiicance and Gestalt-coherence for the descriptive cha.racterization and analysis of a Gestalt-contexture (one ot the simplest enmples being a melody) whose conStituents mutually determine and qualify one another. A constituent of a Gestaltcontexture is phenomenally defined and made to be 'What it is by the role which it plays tor, and the function it has within, the Gestalt-contexture as a whole, that is to say, with respect to its other constituents ••• the Gestalt...contexture as a whole is present in each or its constituents so far as each constituent realizes the whole contexture at the specific place whlchit holds within it. We thus come to be confronted with a kind of' unity - unity by Gestalt cohf!rence - which is not due to a supervenient special factor bestowing unity upon materials which, beoause they a.re lacking unity by themselves, are in need of' being unified from without. Unity by Gestalt-coherence denotes, on the contrary, an internal un!ty which consists in nothing other than the constituents of' a Gestalt-contexture deriving from, am assigning to, one another their functional signfica-nee in thoroughgoing reciprocity." (Gurwitsch, A., "Perceptual Coherence ae the FouBiation of:,tbe Judgment of Predication, tt in Phenomenglopp ContinwatioD and Critic:itm, Kersten and Zaner, eds., Martinus Nijhof'f', '!be Hague, 1973, pp.73-4) This part-whole relationshtp in Gestalt psychology correspor¥is to that of the rnam-pa (observa.ble ql.lalities, noematic correlates land the (object as Gestalt-coherence). ~ When Klong-chen-pa sta.tes that the snang-xul (apparent object) is not ·.§.§JY.(mental), while also denying that it is an independently-existing external object, he is saying -82- wha.t Gurwitsch is pointing out: the object is nota "Principle of Reason," but a. Gestalt-contexture. It is "bodily present," but not in the manner realism would have us believe, since it is never wholly given ina. determil'\1!;& way a. t anyplace in the Gestalt-contexture, but always points to further determ1l1ible quall ties. The "rea.liza.tion" of de termi na. te qualities is termed snang-ba, appear-Ing: I see this table as an object with these determinate, and further determinable qualities. This is the functioning of the yyl-gY! bag-chags, which belongs to !!mi. The apparent. object ismed-bzhin sDaM-ba., an appearing although there has never been anything (to appear), but whic;h comes about in a. contexture which the. Buddhists call "functional correlation" (rten-'brel). See also Myers, C.M., "'!be Determinate aB1Deter- minable Modes of. Appearing,·t t!i.D1, LXVII, 1958, pp.)2-49. 23. Bohm, D., Ope cit.,pp.207-8. 24. ibid., p.198. 25. ibid., p.2lJ. 26. "Reality" or "non-realityft are judgments determined by the context of a particular order of existence and the relevancy of an object's meaning to that order. The predication of existence involves the application of aspeciric relevancy-principle which is constitutive cran order of existence. See Gurwitsch, A., The FieldotConsciousness, Duquesne Univ. Press, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1964, Part Six. 27. See Guenther, H.V., Ope cit.,pp.48rr. -8)- 28. Klong-chen-pa, op. cit., pp.12-14. 29. goms-pa. In Western psychology, habituation can refer to the tendency for the subjectts level of attention to drop off after repeated contacts with the same object. 30. snang-arid: !D!D& dnotes presence, thereness, andsrid, "what is it~nStid-pa, done with "becoming," is also the tenth member of the "chain" of functional correlation, coming before skYe-ba, birth. It indicates that individual existence is pro-jective, where one is always "ahead of oneself," "sketching out" possible To.put it simply: we are constantly being born into ways to be. a world which we have already created for ourselves. 31. Klong-chen-pa, ibid., pp.14-l8. 32. Haas, W.S., The Destinvotthe Mind East and West, Macmillan, New York, 1956, p.117. Anunfortuna.tely neglected work. 33. Guenther, H.V., ''Mentalism and Beyond," Ope cit., p . .)07. 34. Platt, J. ,op. cit., p.66. 35. Mi-pham t jam-dbyangs rnam-rgyal rgya-mtsho, dBY-1Da r&yan-gYi rnam-bshad ff.66a-67a. t jam-dbxangs bla-ma dgyes-ea t i . zhal-luM, manuscript, Compare this "obsession for veridicality" with Ricoeurts explication of Husserlts concept of Experience (ErfahIYn&,which weare here oalling "mistaken appearing," tkhrulSMog): "In experience we a.re alrea.d.v on the level of shot through with a. "thesis", that is to say lieving that posits its object as being. We perception .in giVing credit to the vehemenc§ -84- aperc.eption with a belive through 2l. presence I if I may use such Language, to the point of forgetting ourselves .Q!: losing ourselves !Ill t." (Emphasis mine, from Ricoeur, P., Hu,ser1. An AnalYsis of His Phenome 00lQsl,Northwestern Uni v , Press, Evanston, 1967, p.40.) 36. J., Ope cit., p69. PL~t, 37. Kockelmans, J., PhYsical Science, Phenomenol gy~nd Ope cit., p.37 • 38. Klong-chen-pa, Ope cit., pp.18-2). 39. Taylor, J., "Matter Beyond the End of Its Tether," and "Questions Without Answers," in Cos.olog Now, John, L., BBC,London, 1974, pp. 40. Klong-chen-pa, Ope cit.,p.799. 41. ibid., pp.797-8. 42. ibid., pp.1078__l083, Le'ubco-brgYad-pa'i tahig-tgrel bzhugs-so. cit. ,pp.32-J. 43. McKenna 44. Guenther, H.V., Buddhist Philosophy in Theory and Pra.cttce, Ope and McKenna, Ope cit., p.126. -85- III. The World as a Buddha-field: the Intelligent Universe the samsara - the running around in circles after our own f1ctions - is creativeim3.giMtion, whioh is not mere fancy, but a. symbolic presentation of meanings inherent in lived-through experience. As L.L. Whyte ha.s pointed out, human imagina.tion is the supreme ordering agent in the known universe. (1) That is, it is the culmination of ordering and organizational tendencies present in all life, tendencies which bring with them increasing freedom as organisms become more complex. view, imagination is not a human luxury. but ~n In this tmportant part of hunan biological self-regulation and development. The return of meaning to the world With the return of the exiled experiencer has important consequences: "Mea.ning signifiesorga.nization, and there is no organization without purpose. What is the purpose of organization? Is it perhapaLo retard entropy? In such a case, the meaning of meaning for that .whlch apprehends meaning is the necessity to purposefully create and maintain order. Note retard, not reverse; according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, entropy cannot, be reversed; in localized areas J however, it may cease temporarily. In organisms this situation occurs, a.nd it also occurs in low-temperature systems which muta.te to sta.tes of higher order instead ot "going over" into disorder." (1) A-,;symbol of such meaningful organization is the Buddha., or more precisely, the sku, Meaningful Existence as a "Founding Stratum." (2) Four points should be noted in following Klong-chen-pats vision -36- of the BUddha-fields, which, as we have ment19ned, is taken from the Hwa-Yen (AvataJhsaka) Sutra,which had been translated into Tibetan, although no school grew up a.round it as in China., nor were any commentaries written on it, as in China.. These 4 aspects of the vision represent a.rea.s that are getting increasing attention in contempora.ry science, as it strives for a new vision of the world: 1. the dymmic properties of space, 2. hiera.rchical structures, 3. interpenetration, and 4. the notion of an intelligent universe. 1. is presented as the unfolding of the J Founding Strata of Meaningful Ex..istence, which can be seen as an "ingression" into spacetime, from an omni-potential "super-space," or "pre-geometry," or "Extensive Continuum," denoted by the Founding Stratum of Meaning Itself (chos-sku, dh~rmaklya); through a curved SP-itce-time continuum. of tremendous organizational energies ,hierarchically-a.rranged, denoted by the Founding Stratumo! Existence in a. World-Horizon (longssku, sambhogaklya); toastable world of manifest structures, denoted by the Founding Stratum of Concrete Meanings (sprul-sku). 2. is presented in a vision of innumerable world-systems arranged in hierarchies of 25 levels, representing different spiritual "principles" radiating into the worJ..d&0! the longs-sku, each having its own space-time field. This is symbolized, althoulb Klona:rchen-pa does 'not go into it here, by the 5 "determinants" (Mes-palna) of the 'FoUnding Stra.tum 'o.f Exfstence' 'lw a 'Wol'ldi-Horizon:,. 'i·ts ·dwJl· place,· tiJne, teacher, retinue, aM message.). is presented in the imagery of each Buddha-field containing within it millions of Buddha-fields. -87- In Whiteheadts words, tithe continuum is present in each a.ctual entity, and each act.ua l entity pervades the continuum." (3) Th~t is, any particular level in a hiera.rchy 1s an "interfaoe" between sub-systems which it orgal'l1zes into a whole , and super-systems of which it is a sub-system. Any-particular system must "fit" into the interfa.ce in' ordertomainta.in itself. It is by virtue of such interpenetrationthat systems relateto each other and thus evolve modifications of organitation- and "behavior. "The whole process is an evolutionary "ingression" into space-time of an "intelligent" universe. 4. is thus manirested in the intentional relation of each Fouming Stratum (J!m) to its field (zhlng), as in the epithet quoted above (p. wers." )1), "The Ground adorned by flo- The field Is the Ground. (&!hi), the Fourding Stratum is the flower (me-tog), the "inca.rnation," or "flowering" or intelligence. Thus, Samantabhadra,( kuo-tu bzang-po), the Founding Stratum of Meaning -Itself (chos-skU), is in intentional union with his "world" , the Ghana-vyUha field. By "intelligence" we mean that a.ny worldly being possesses an inner horizon by virtue or the self-integrating identity it achieves in every a.ct of concrescence. This is why Whitehead used such terms a.s "feeling" and.. "satisfaction" in regard to concresence. But per- haps the term "information" will be preferable to "intelligence," although the criteria for the distinction between the inanimate and the animate (such as the notion of "simplelocation"as the method for determining the mode of beingot bits otmatter) become hazier -88- and hazier as research into systemic properties continues to cut across such boundaries. or course we must avoid attributing as- peets of human mental activity to other lev:els. or:' rature's. tii.e,...· archy, as if we were the last word. The task is to discover common systemic properties governing many or all levels accessible to us. One such property we are calling intelligence·or information, which is present in the stability of atomic structure, the selectivity of biological macromolecules, as well as in the Gestalt-perceptions of human beings. E. Laszlo ha.s called this property of natural systems, "se If-crea ti1fi ty',t: "Self-creativity in the sense suggested here is not a ~steriou quality, innate to entities with "spirit" or "soul." It is a response to changing conditions which cannot be offset by ad-, justments based on the existing structure. In this more modest sense, self-creatiVity is a pre-condition of evolution•••• ,-It signifies the :J.bility of systems to generate t h e ~ inro ma~ tion which codes their structure and. beha.vior." (4-)(Emphasis mine. ) Such an understanding attempts to go beyond the-conception of material nature as a machine and mind as oeing-:in£liaed_nthsomedfind of "life force," while also trying to steer a middle course between teleological and random-statistical evaluations of evolution, whose roots we have traced to Greek philosophy (p. 4). Laszlo continues: "Complexity of structure or function is not a goal of evolution; it is a result of it. There is no goal (or we know of nona in contemporary sciences), but there is a pattern all the same: the pattern of self-tra.nsforming. natural systems in interaction." (5) The "goal" is the immanent "satisfaction" in concrescence of increasing order and knowledge; intellig.nc.e-as-informa.tion is at the ba.sis of -89- such a "creative advance" of nature. Once again, this is indicated in the symbol of the Buddha as the teacher, of which the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, partakes, as sprul-sky, the Founding Stratum of Embodied Meaning. The Tibetan term for Buddha, 8n&..rgyas, indicates that it is an ordering principle or even like"'an,'energy"!!'field: ~ - all that has been obscuring has gone, and rgYas - all that is positive has expanded. Such organization is inseparable from information and knowledge, and, in this sense, the world, as an over-arching structure of meaning, is our teacher and the basis for our self-regulation. A chart of the over-all structure of Klong-chen-pa'svision (although such an attempt in matters such aa these is dubfoua ) is given on the next page to help guide the reader over the "Invisible Landscape." Klong-chen-pa begins: "Havigg properly realized that from whioh (the world) arises, we shall now begin to set forth how the world appears. To explain what ha.s just now been said: \-lhen there is appearance as the 3 realms of saDUlara, The Buddha-tieIds are displayed by the spiritual responsiveness (thug§-rie) of theViotoriousOnes. Just as tne'Wish-fulfillihgGemfulfills aU the values (5!£n) of sentient beings, Are they led to peace from projective existence. Thus, whenever there arise alV sentient beings, who are characterized by a loss of intrinsic perceptivity, the Buddhas, by the power of their immeasurable spiritual responsiveness, see (them) -90- Relationship of the 3 Founding Strata. and the Buddha-fields According to the Yid-bzhinmdzcd db:{ings "'- (gZhi) I - " res i des " ch. s-sku . (me-tog) intends "self-presentationtt zhing (gzhi) ~ 1 Ghana-vyUba. f ....0 ...... I ~ "resides" longs-sKu (me-tog) ~ intends "spread of light" zhing (gzhi) 250£ !!9!,&sung, ~ lon-tan, 'phrin-las ri. "s~dier stl ~ 'jig-rten-kYi khams sprul-sku (me-tog) Chart#J of light spread" intends )dej~im( and display the in their completeness. Bud h~-fle ds This accomplishing of the values of sentient beings in a manner that is always for the best, arises without any strain or effort, and is the performing of 9harisma.tic activity Lphrin- las) which le3.ds beings out of projective existences into nirvana. The method of this vast activity!s: In the Buddha-fields ofsent.ient beings a.s vast as the sky, The Buddhas of- the ) times fulfill the great value (inherent in sentient beings ). The display of establishing in freedom the innumerable sentient beings is (as follows): the sentient beings who fill the extent of the ten directions of space, are all encompassed by the Buddhas of the past, present, and future, who bring to fulfillment their (inherent) value. Out of these, _as to this Saha 'World in. particular: The way how theteacherso.f this Buddha-field train (the sentient-beings) We shall now explain 1n -:} condensed way. The majestic splendor (dpal)or eve17thlng, samsara. and rurva.-na, The teacher, Samantabhadra, the Wish-Fulfilling Gem, AWakening to Buddhahood sincebeg1.nningless time, Out of the - reach and range of the Founding Stratum of- Meaning-Itself, -92- ('!bere is) spontaneity as the Founding Stratum of Exis tence in a World Horizon. From the evoking (sprul) ot the 3 Principlesot Action (sems-dpa t ) on behalf or sentient "beings through Authentic Embodiment, Communication, and Noeticness, (6) The values (inherent) in sentient beings in the 5 ta tuses of the 6 life-forms are fulfilled. From dwelling since beginningless time, This Lord who . represents the thrus t towards, and solic1ta tion by, limpid clearnessarxi consummate perspicacitysinee beginninglesstime, in his status as the Founding Stratum of Mean- ing Itself, is the non-dual pristine cognitiveness, who is called the teacher Samantabhadra. "In his status as the Founding Stratum of Existence in a World-Horizon, he is called the Buddhas of the 5 Life-Styles (rigs). In his status as the Founding Stratum of . Embodied Meaning, he is called the Victor- iously Tra.nscendent Shakyamuni. When the Founding Stra. twn ot Meaning Itself ha.s .been obtained, one spontaneously resides there as the ornamentot the Ghana-vyGha field. Out ot the Embodiment, CommunicatiQn, and Noeticness of this, from the evoking of the innumerable Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the value (inherent in) sentient beings is brought to fulfil1me.nt. In particular, the Princlple of Action on behalf of sentient beings through Noetieness calls -93- ro thVajrap8.~J through Communi- cation: Avalokitesvara, and through Fmbodiment: ManJusrI. Bringing to fulfillment the value {inherent in) sentient beings within the 6 life-forms without exception. is the appea.rance (of the Buddhas· and the Bc>d.hisattvas) as long as the realm of projective existence is not empty. Thus, from out of the display of the fields of beings with their worlds which fill celestial space. when one ponders with a pa.rtia.lunderstanding of these (fields), our world of tra.ining which appears as just the s~zeor a mUstard seed or the tip ora hair, the way this lamp, this display, appears, Is (as tollows): Out of the Buddha-fields unthinkable and uncountable, (The beings) of .this. Saha. world, in particular, are brought to .·fuUillment. From the Totality-field of the Founding Stratum of Meaning,. the Ghana-vyiiha field, By the spreading oftha 5 intensities of light, the self-manifesting sheer lucency, That which comes. as the Fourding Stratum of Ex.istence in a World-horizon, self-manifestlng from the presence of precious pristine cognitiveneas,are the Buddha-tields which areinseparabletrom the nach aDi range ot the total!ty-tield of the Founding 5tratum or Neaning, which is llkethe sky: this i8 the spoDtaneous ornamentation or the Ghana.-vyUha· field. maining unmoving trom th~ Re- intentional i ty of Buddhahood (dgoMS- -94- ~) which ·isthe.lnseparability of the' Fouining Stratum of Meaningful Existence and Pristine Cognitiveness,there spreads unthinkable rays of light, caillngtorth innumerable Buddhas and Buddha-fields (constituting) the .Founding Stratum of Existence in a World-horizon. Eaeh one of these ( Buddhas) will bring to fulfillment innumerable (beings) residing on the spiritual levels or the Bodhisattva-s. Also from the Noeticness of the FoulXiing StratUDl or Existence in a World-horizon, unthinkable Budclha-rieldsof the Founding St.ratum of Concrete Meanings sprea.d, calling forth innumerable Buddhas of.the Fourding Stratum of Embodied Meanings , who will bring to rulfillment innumerable sentient beings • From this,' especially how the display of Buddha-fields in which the VictoriouslY Transcendent One makes his appearance, brings (beings) to fulfillment, is (as follows) : from the Ghana-vyUha field which is the self-presentation of the totality-field of the aforementioned Fotmiing Stratum of Meaning, by the spread of light from the presence of the 5 modes of selr-presentational pristine cognitiveness, The field which is ornamented by a JelMled Lotus in which the Fowning StratUlll otExistence in a World-horizon, resides, (Is called) the Ground Ornamented by the Essence of of Flowers. -95- The fielciswhich are an ornament to this are equal in number to the atoms. in a million Saba worlds. Atthist1me, by the curUng up olall the rays of light in pure space~ or there arises, as a foundation, a petalled lotus jewels which is wide, encompassing everything, high~nd like the continuum of space. Since it iaMsed on this, (the field) is called the Gr9und Ornamented by Flowers. The size of its extentlsl1ke a dlsplay ot Bu<1dha-fields equal to the number of atoms in a million Sa.ha-worlds. Each of these fields ..are ornamented by innumerable Buddha-fields. For example, it 1s like saying that there are innumerable Buddha-fields beneath and abOve each leaf of the field of Umpid clearness and cOMWDJIIate persplcaclty,which is the' quintessence (''lying-po) of the field of Ma5jusrl. Thus, it is a great lotus. There, seated on the stem. of a lotus, Is one who is an ocean full of a.ccomplishments. This is the dIsplay of vast Meaningful Existence, seated in s pontane! ty ,unchangingandunmoving. From each at his pores flows a stream of fragrant water. Based on this, by the displa, of unspeakable and innumerable Buddha-fields, The value (of be iogs) is. brought out. The appearance'. is (as follows): from each pore, in all cardinal -96- and intermediate directions above and below this Meaningful F..xtstence-in-Composure (.ku lPJIYM..par bzble-pa), tlows a great ocean full ot fragrant water, and each is ornamented '61' unthinkable and innumerable great oceana of Buddha-fields. By the appearance of cO\lDtless Buddhas and sentient beings, the value (of beings )115 brought out. As to (his) two handsinpartieular: From· the fra.grant ocean which is based on this Composure, On innumerable anthers of a great lotus plant Are countless Buddha-fields and then lIlore Buddha-fields. There are countless hierarchies mutually-related, in 25 levels in equal numbers up and down. Within these, In·themiq.dle of these anthers in particular, Are piled. \\p25 world-syate.,of 3,000 worlds each, In innumerable arrangements, like patterns in a silk brocade. In the pa:l.m of (his) hand, within the great ocean of fragrant smelling herbs, there are uncountable anthers or lotus plants. And since (the world-systems) are based on these, they are ca.lled "Worlds ornamented b1 the essence of flowers." In the middle of these anthers are displayed Buddha-fields hierarchically-e.rranged in 25 levels up and' down.. '!bere are innumer- ablearrangeJllents, like patterns in silk brocade, (which are) the self-manifestation.of uncountable sentientbelngs, Buddhas, and various beautitultorms aoi shapes."(fl) -97- Klong-chen-pa now presents a list. ot the 25 levels I our world being tbel)th. It iscalledSaha (;i:mJed) ,bflc&uae ··itis un- . bear bl~, . .--. _sincetbe sentient beings- borntberebecome - Ddxed up with the 3 -Poisons, or it .18 -unbearable -due to conf'lieting emotions am unstable a.ctions,- according-to -the- MO-Ide •. padn!a=<1kar-eo • '· (8)- In the _. Lam-rim _le-shessMn"'ba.·'1.brJed.-b1ans byPadMphrin-lasanying- po, itia stated: "It is ca.lled mi-mled·becauseone does not distinguish the impetus a.nd the results olthe conflicting emotio.DS am. unstable actions." (9) Klong-chen-pa. continues by showing how these 25 wor1ds-resulttrom the permutations or t1')e _Embod~nt (m) I _COllllllunication(ssyng), Noeticnesa (thugs ),Q\I4l1ties>(yon-tan), anc1Charisutic Activity (phr1n-la8) ot?amantabhadra,beginning with sku-Ii sKu, etc. Our world, the 13th, is the NoeticnessofNoeticness (tbuss.krlthugs), ani it is here that enjol1ibera tton in one lifetime through ~can the teachingsot the Guhy§;yntralana ,more commonlJr known as the Klon-chen..p~ Va1ruana. thencontlnues with the Founding Stratum. of Embodied Existence (sprul-sku): "In the fields wbieh r.,s t on the Ground of the Founding Stratum o.r_·Exl~tenc~ in a World~hizn, By engaging in the dialogue (Qr self and other) (longs-spIed) Appear .the.indi vidual-- -teacbr~ thro~ -.who train (the .beings) their. manifestations. In these innumerable Bud ha.-tield~ whlchbasethemselves on the presence of the_FouncllngStratumot Existence ina World- -98- horizon, appear, out of points from alltbe great oceans full or or ray, of light spreading accomplishments (rQlm-par snang-mdzad gang-chen· mtsho), uncountable manifestations which train (beings according to their needs), and thus the value (inherent) in all these beings is made equal." (10) This chapter of the Yid-bzhin mdzOd concludes with a discussion of the historical Buddha, Shakyamunitsbirth,teaching, etc. in oUr world, the details of which are not of importa.nce to. us hare , The stage has now been set for the presentatiDn of our pa.rticular worldsystem, which isah"impure" Buddha.-!teld,and is wall-known from its systematiza.tion in the Abhidhirma.-ko',. Here, entropic and negentrop- ictendencies clash,< as relatively rigid structures are built up and dissipate. -99- ~c,tes t(, Chapter 'l'hree 1. tlhyte, L.L., Ibe Universe of Experience, Harper, New :lark, 1j74, p. 87. 2. Guenther, H. V., Kind1y Bent to E3.§e Us, Ope cit., Chapter 13. 3.ilhitehead, A.N., quoted in MoKenna & McKenm., Ope oit., p.49. 4. laszlo, E., The Systems View of the World, Braziller , New York, 1972, PP. 46-7. 5. ibin., pp. 58-9. 6. Guenther,H.V., Ope cit., p, 286. 7. Klang-chen-pa, op.cit., pp. 2)-8. 8. ibid., p. )0. 9. Padm3. phrin-las anying-po, ldm-rim ye-shes snan-ba.'i brjed-bYaM, Smnrtsis Shesrig Spendzod, vol. 8, Leh, Ladakh, 1971, p. )1. 10. Klong-chen-pa, Ope cit. ,p. 33. -100- IV. The Evolution of Our World Ourperishableworld-sys tem ("ig~rten-k.y khams) is til vided according to the 4 defining charaoteristics of all entities of re3.1ity: origination (slge-ba)f stability (gnas-Pa), decay (rga-ba), and transltoriness (mi-rtag-pa), here "cosmicizedlt as 4. Epochs (bskal-pa.) of enormous lengths of time. Klong-chen-pa, as has been mentioned, basically follows the outline of the third chapter of the Abhidharma.-koaa., but once again, as in the previous chapter, his great genius shows in giving a structure tea system tha.t wa.s probably onlypartiallyundersteod by the Buddhists themselves when they adapted their Cosmology from traditional Imian sources. are refering hereto his division of the Epoch of We Origination (chags- pati bskal-pa) into the site for the foundation (of the world-system) (rten-gzhi), the foundation (rten), and the founded (brten), i.e., the 5 Evolutlve Ph3.ses (tbyung-ba)j the cosmic mountains, oceans, and continents; and the sentient beings, respectively. (1) We shall be concerned with the site for the foundation, as the 5 Evolut.ive Phases are crucial in tr,ing to understand aJl1thing a.bout Buddhist Cosmologyiyet an adequate umer,tanding of them cannot be gained from the Abhidhannj,-koSa., or even !romtheYld-bzhin· mdzod, as we shall see. Klong-chen-pa. begins his ·third chllpter: "Having shown in brief the systematic presentation connected with the Sah3.world-syatem, which isa small piece of the understanding of the field, pervasive like the continuum of -101- the sky, that is based on the Great Encounter (loMs-swod chen-po) of the Victoriously Transcendent One (with his world). Now, in order to present its nature in more detail, .. shall first present a summary: Thus, out of the appearance of the Buddha-fields We shall present, in particular, the ~ world-system, Which ha.s 4. Epoohs: Origination, Stability, Destruction (.!.J.ig) J and Faptiness (stong,). While we have shown how the 3,000 §ibL world-systems (2) (arise) from the ·'Field which is Adorned by Flower-essences," whioh is the display of the Buddha-f le Ids that we have just discussed, (now) we should properl1 understand the sent:tent beinas (bcud) and environing world (,nod) (3 ) of the periihable world-system by means of the tiJne-periodsof origination, stability, destruction, and emptiness. First, the appearance of the time period of origination: First, the sentlentbeings orig n~te from above And the environingworld, which is founded on 5paceSpa tiailty, .in .the same way • .The environing world which lsfounded on Earth-Solidity originates from below. At this time, if we take the origination from the start, after the 20 Interval Epoche (blr~'ka). (4) of the Epoch of Emptines8 have been completed, the palaoes of light (gzhal;=Dl,g Ishay) (5) which are founded on Space-5patiality originate from above, -102- while the sentient beings who are the quintessence (of the world),alao spread from above to below. First, the expla- nation in stages of that which is founded on Earth-Solidity: If we sum these atages up in brief, there are three. or the three, the site for the foundation, the foundation, and the founded, To make a proper start, we shall make a presentation summed up according to that which is in ~c ord with the sutras of the ordinary pursuit, which give a mythological presentation of the perishable world-system; according to that which is superior to the above, the extraordinary pursuit (represented) by the Hwa-Yen; and also according to the Tantras. (6) First, in shoWing the (Epochot) Origination, (there are) the site for the foundation (of the world), the Evolutive Phases; the foundation, the cosmic mountains, etc.; and the founded, the sentient beings. Of these, First (we shall show) the way how the Evoluti ve Phases are built up. Following the completion of the 20 Interval Epoohs ot the Epoch of Emptiness, There arises on the surface of Space-Spatiality radiant with white Pure Mentation, lightc~l ed (The mandala. of) Wind-Motility equal in extent to the 3,000 world-systems. It is said in the ArYa-ratn~-gu a-samcaY -githi: -10)- "Wind-Motility is !ounded on Spaoe-Spatiality, and Water-Cohesion is founded on this. On this the Great Earth-Solidity 1, !ounded, and on this the moving beingaare founded." The expl.snatdon in stages is (as follows): followi.ng the (Epoch or) Emptiness, at first there 1s Spaoe-Spatiality of white light called Pure Mentation (Yid roa.m-par dvangs-pa), whose sustaining impulse at this time is the colleotive karma. of sentient beings, which gives rise to the split (which marks the emergence) 3,000 ot the environing world of one world-system of worlds. perish~ble The remote sustaining impulse of the mandala. of Wind-Motility on the surfa.oe of this (Spa.ce), is the oollectivekannaofse.ntient beings born here. sustaining impulse is Wind-Motility • Theproximate If you ask how this is, (the answer is as follows): Stirring Up, All-Encompassing, Pounding, Collecting, Maturing, These are the Separ~ting: p Winds that gr:1dually Stir, spread, scatter, oollect, originate, and separate. Out of that whichlscalledtheStirring Up Wind-Motility, whioh has just come up, the All-Encompassing Wind-Motility, by extendin all directions, condenses like reg in the skY; the Pounding Wind-Motility, which has as its symbol, the (syllable)"''Yam'', soatters like clouds in the sky, and the Collecting Wind-Motility, by br~ngitoeh field. thickens and heightens the vast ~lthes, From the shining red Maturing Wind-Motility of fire ha.v- ing spread and burned, the circle of Wind-Motility arises which -104- is level and mild. By what is called the Separating Wind- Motility, various colors are each scattered with the rising of roaring noises. From among these, the stirring up Stirring Up Wind-Motility, is the real originator. or the If one asks what is the size and color of this (mandala·ot) WindMotility, (the answer is as follows): Green in color, shaped like a. double-vajra. surrounded by a circumference, (7) It is 6,000,000 yojanas in height and of immeasurable width, And hard like a. vajra. The color of this Wind-Motility is like that of the jewel Sa.pphire. Its shape is like a double-vajra with a round circum- ference a.round it. Its size is of unlimited width and 6,000,000 yojanas in height. Its function is to solidify and harden, and on this function the functions of the etc., are founded. Cohesion. tr~ndal s of Water-Cohesion, From this (there comes) the mandala of Water- In the space above, From the condensation into clouds having the essence of gold, By the falling rain from above, the mandala of WaterCohesion (forms l. (It is) completely round, a.ndcalled Fine and Clear (water). r"ollowing the origiMtioncf the mandala. of Wind-Motility, the sustaining impulse of is as follows: from the ~ ter-Cchesion condensation in space of clouds having the essence -105- or gold, there f£llis a a tream of raLn thl.ck as Ctu"t-;ule5. \13 called "Wa.ter which is Fine and It 15 Its shape is round Cle~r." and it originates like the full moon. Its size: Its height is 1,120,000 toia.nas. It is surrounded by the founding Wind-Motility. This (manda.la of) Water-Cohesion 1s 1,120,000 yojanas in height. It does not pour over its edge since it is encircled by the founding Wind-Motility. After this, the mandala of Earth-Solid- ity: Since Wa.ter-Cohesion i.s stirred up> by the Stirring Up Wind-Motility, Earth-Solidity.origimtes as a 4-sided mandala on this. The sustaining impulse (of Earth-Solidity is as follow-s): from the mandala. of Wind-Motility beneath the Wa.ter, the Stirring Up Wtnd-Motility arises with a grinding sound, and from all the sustaining impulses h':lvingbeen stirred up and combined together, the golden E-9.rth-foundationis appearing on a lake. esta.blished like a piece of cloth It is 4-sided and golden in color. Its size: Its height is 320,000 yojanas While its diameter is 1,203,450. The depth of the Water is 800,000 YO,janas, ard the height of the Earth which remains above it is 320,000. the Water and Earth(m~ndl5) is 3. times that. The diameter of both is 1,203,450. These complete the .-106- prf~3enta. lon Its cir umfer~nce of the site for the foundation (of the world)." (8) The 5 Evo Lut.Lve Phaaes., usually t.r-ans Iat.ed as the 5 "Elements", are not substances, butrerer to phases in the functioning of matterenergy as a vibratory epochal proc.s',(See ,above,p.20). is associated with a color (as '. l ~ Etich,phase as many other correspondences), and this leads us to propose that if' one were to draw up a. chart of the spectroscopic analysis of the chemical elements as we know them in the West, one could then group them under various wavelengthscolors-Evolutive Pha.ses (e.g., Li, H, and C: red; He, Mg, Cl: yellow, The Tibetan term tbYung-b% corresponds to the Chinese heing etc.). (~j), in regard to which M. Porker-t, states: "Between the 16tha.nd the lath centuries, European missionaries aroused interest in and furthered understa~ing of Chinese culture by alluding, wherever feasible, to familiar notions and concepts. Because of the limitations of their philological raS0tLrces, they rendered wu-hsing by tFiveElements t •••• The 5 Evolutive Phases, as their name implies, constitute stretches of time, temporal segments of exactly defined qualities that succeed ea.ch other in cyclica.l order at reference positions defined in space. Or, couched in terms closer to practice, the 5 Evolutiva Phases define conventionally am unequivocally energetic qualities changing in the course of time. They typify the qualities of energy by the use of 5 concepts (wood, fire, ea.rth,metal,water) which, because of the richness of their associations, are ideally sQited to serve as the crystallizing core for an inductive system of relations and correspondences ." (9) The Tibetans, of course, follow the Indian tradition of Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and Space. Let us now turn to a deeper level of interpre- tation of the Evolutive Phases, to see how it sheds light on the mology presented above. In his more rnature sNxing-tig wri tinges, Klong-chen-pa puts the Evolutive Phases in their full ontological context: -107- C09- "Now, the explanation of hew going astray arises from the Ground of Being. One goes astray because one does not understand the 3 facets or pristine cognitiveness (10) as appearance ani one t s own intrinsic Perceptivity, and one does not understand the presence of onets own intrinsic perceptivity as the .3 Founding Strata of Meaningful Existence. Although there is no going astray in the aboveGround of Being, one goes astray due to a loss of intrinsic Perceptivity, which is like a dream, drowning in water. ora~ ora lion ~pariton, The intrinsic lumination (rang-mdangs) (11) which is the facticity of Being, shines in aspontaneous ha.loof 5 hues; when, by the creative functional dynamics (rtsal) of intrinsic Perceptivity which is integrative responsiveness (thugs-r1e, see chart #1, p• .33), one sees these hues ina concrete way, one goes astray because one-doesnr t understand them as both a lucid presence and nothing. Because one appropriates, into onetsexistence, the presence of these 5 hues as some-thing, one goes astray into a conceptualized factieity. Because one appropriates the presence of these 5 spontaneous hues, there arises the 5· external Evolutive Phases, as in the view of the heretics in which they are taken as eternal. (See above p, 52~) Furthermore, intrin- sic perceptiVity is the seed of everything. For example, it is like the Wish-fulfilling Gem, since it brings about what -108- we intend. The way how the 5 Evolutive Phases originate (is ae follows): since the hues intrinsic to pristine cognitiveness are taken as individuals by integrative responsiveness, they lished as something concrete. ~re estab- Because the presence of the blue hue of the Totality-tield Pristine Cognitiveness is appropriated, the Evolutive Phase of Space-Spatiality arises. In the same way, from the Mirror-LikePrlstine Cognitiveness, the Evolutive Phase of Water-Cohesion arises; from the Sameness Pristine Cognitiveness, Earth-Sol1dity; from the Distinctness Pristine Cognitiveness, Fire....Temperature; and from the Accomplished Pristine Cognitiveness, Wind-Motility. These arise because vthere is born an appropriation of the intrinsic lumina tion belonging topri9tine oogniti veness , as a. "this". Thes.e5 Evolutive Phases which possess creative function=il dynami.c5, .8011 originate because they are "informed" (khyab-w) by thecreativetunctional dyMmlcs of a loss of intrinsic percept.ivity. This functional dynamics of cre~tive a loss of intrinsic perceptivity is known as the "Informing Motility {khYab-byed-kYi rlung)." Because the Evolutive Phases are informed a,n energized by this, they havethelr~'lndivldual functionings. How the beings and environment of the perishable world originate from the 5 EvolutivePh;lses (is as follows): open space, Wind-Motility (shaped like) ~l09- 3. in the expanse. of double-vaJr-3. originates; on this, an oce3.nof originates; on this, the W~te~-Cohesion golden Earth originates; on this Mount Meru and the 4 continents originate. These ~re not born or manufactured; although they arise from the sust3.ining impulse of going astra.y due to a loss of intrinsic perceptivity, since they rem:J.in the functioning of pristine cogni tiveness which sustains them, they are spontaneouslyself-orig n~ting. How the sentient beings and their environment originate from these (isa.s follows): in this world-system which is established trom the 5 Evolutive Ph.ases, there a.rises the 5 hues which are the creative functional dynamics of pristine cognitiveness. From the yellow hue, the life-form of the gods· origim.tesj from the green hue, the life-form of the titans originates; from the red hue, the life-rona of men origina..t es; from the black hue, the life-form of anim.~ls originates; from the white hue, the life-form of hell originites; .and from the gray hue, the life-form of the spirits origin=ites. creat-Ive functional Fromthe of these or Igfnat,e innwnerable dyn~mics sentient beings. From the sustaining powero,f pristine cognitiveness a.nd the collective merits of sentient beings, the sun, moon,3.nd st~r orig n~te. 3ec3.use these 5 originate from the actIve energy (d3.ngs-m:l) of the 5 Evo lut Lve Phases ,they ;irec':J.lled sentientbeingswhj ch are the internal qui.ntes sence (nangbcud). Since these. (beings )lre the result which is produced ....110- by the initial sus t.a I n i . n g impulse of loss of 3. L n t r f . n a perceptivity, since now the s smaara is just this 1095 Lc of Lncr-Ins Lc perceptivity, it neither Lnc reaees nor Is dest.royed." (12) Klong-chen-p;l discusses the same rnaterial in a little more detail in another text from the same ccllectlon, the mKha.'-'gro snying-thig: "First, the 5 Evolut.Lve Phases are Earth-Solidi.ty, Wa ter-Cohesion, Fire-Temperature, Wind-Motility, a.nd Space-Spatial":,,, ity. What is the sust:lining impulse of these 5 Evolutive Phases? First, .:3pace-Spatiality, which has been an open dimension since the beginningless beginning, and pristine cogni t.! veness, a re indivisible. Pristine cogni.tiveneaa denotes t.hlt aspect. within discerning ~p recia.tlon (shes- ra.b) which has beeri there since the very beginning. In Space -Spa tiali ty which has -been an open d Imenslcn since the very beginning, t.he intrinsic .Lumi.nat.Lon of pristine cogru.- tiveness is present lucent in 5 hues. 3.S3. spont3.neous glimmering (lam- ~) In these, since there cannet be found any good or evf.L, aamsar-a. or ni rvana, whatsoever, caLl.ed "pure." j.t is Because it remains (this WiiY) from the very beginntng, it 1s c3.11ed "spontaneous (not dependent on causes and cond i tians)." In this above-mentioned pristine cogni- . i i venesa, there is not found any eamsar-s or nirvana. If there is not any of this from the very beginning, it is ";111- meaningless (to S3.y) that the result of pristine cognitiveness comes now by a.ttairunent. Fire doesn't cotne out (3.3 something new}llthough one puts it in water {and It remat ns burning); therefore, although going as t ray exists as pris- tine cognitivenessfrom the very beginning, LnLhe end, when going astray ha.s been swept .away, this is the" essence of Buddhahood. The reason the ) Evolutive Phases come about (is as follows): first, in the open dimension which is without a beginning, by the presence of thecrea.tive function3.1 dynamics ofpris- tine cognitiveness, 5 hues. ar'Lse , Since there exists inces- sant intrinsic perceptivity within this, there :irises a prehens Lve d.ctivtty within the 5 hues." This concrete prehension (dngos-'dzin) is c'll1edWind-Motility. In reality it is the cre3,tive functional ciyniimics of intrinsic perceptivity. Among these, the intrinsic lumination of the Distinctness Pristine Cognitivenessis red, and by going ~stray into a concrete pre- hension of this, there· arises the red of Fire-Temperature. Within this, the met:lboli.c c9.paclty (drod) of the creative functional dynamics of intrinsic perceptivity which is Wind- Motility, J.rises. diates as 3. Then, S3,meness Pris tine Ccgni tiveness r'l,- yellow hue, :lndbyprehensionbej ng bern within this, E3.rth-Solidity arises. ni ti veness ar-Lseeua 3. Then, Hirror-Like Pristine Cog- White hue, 3.00 within this,s i.nce there is born a prehension of this, -112- ~'h te r-Coheaton arIses . Accom- plished Pristine Cogni t.Iveness r;idiates a green hue, and because wi thtn thls therets born.a prehension of thl S, Wind- Motility arf.ses . The Evolutive Phase of Space-Spatillity remains the s ame as pristine' cognitiveness from the very beginning, and in the end doesn't undergo tra.nsformation. Since there arises a prehension (of these hues} as "this", wi thin the 5 hues which are the intrinsic lumina. tion of pristine cognltiveness, ~rth-Solid ty, Water-Cohesion, Fire- Tempera.ture ,'lnd Wi nd....M otili ty arise. Because these are informed by the creat.Lve functiona.l dynamics of intrinsic perceptivity, it is ca.l1edWind-Motility. Because the 4. Evo- lutlve Phases are informed by Wind-Motility, by the informing of the Evolutive Phase .Wind-~lot ty byWind-Motili ty, the power of lifting arises; by the informing of Fire-Temperature by Wind-Motility, burning and heat arises; by the. informing of Wa.ter-Cohesion by Wind-Motility, the power of flowing, wetness, and coolness arises; and by the informing of Earth-Soli.dity by Wind-Motility, hardness and· the ability to support ari.ses. By the birth of prehension within the 5 Pristine Cognitivenesses the 5 Evolutive Phases are established as substances, and because they are moved by the creative functional dynamics of intrinsic perceptivity from the very beginning, creative functional dynamics ~rise from the gvolutlve Phases. By the com- bination of these (Phases) the environment of the perishable world-system arises. The way it originates (is as follows): -113- because there is born a prehension in regard to the open dimension Which has been there from the beginning, ve~ the mandala of Wind-Motility originates; on this WaterCohesion originates; on this then Earth-Solidity; and Fire-Temperature is the creative functional dynamics of Wind-Motility, and it informs the other 3. way This is the the external Evolutive Phases originate. ft (l.3) And finally, Klong-chen-pa deals with the Evolutive Phases in a comprehensive manner in his 2ab-mo yang-thig: "The facticity of the Evolutive Phases (is as follows): from the presence of the Ground of Being, samsara and nirvana appear as the creative functional dym.m.i.cs of the Evolutive Phases. The fact of the active energy (dangs-ma) a.ppears as the sel.f-ir ~diat on of the 5 Pristine Cognitions. (rang-gdangs) The fact of the structive energy (snyigs-ma) appears as Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space. The mea.n.ingof the term (Evolutive Phase is as follows): (they) evolve because they arise as an incessant play within this irradiativeness. Internally, because pure in the self-presentation of pristine cognitiveness, they are called the active energy of the 5 EvolutivePhases, and externally, because arising as mistaken appearance due to inveterate tendencies (bag-chags), they are called the structive energy of the Evolutive Phases. -114- Its 4 divisions eire as follows).: ac t t ve energy, st.ruc t.Ive energy, s t.ructLve aspect cr~ctive energy (d.3,ngs-ma t i snv1gs- rna), and active aspect of structlve energy (snvigs-ml t i dangs-ma). Active energy is the 5 Great Spontaneous Evolu- tive Phases: Solidification which is without ha.rdness, Cohesion which is without wetness, Temperature which is wi.thout heat, Motility which is without movement, and Spatiality which is irradiative without being a pervasive extent. their function is to provide a milieu ( ~ ) Since for the arising of pristine cognitiveness and the founding strata of meaningful existence, they are the hidden Evoluti ve Phases, pure pristine cogni.tdveness , Structive energy is the common cognitive exper- iences of the hardness. of Earth, the wetness of Water, the heat, of Fire, the movement of Wind, a.nd the extensiveness of Space. These as internal Evolutive Phases become the basis of the body. The structive aspect of active energy is the Farth-Solidity of flesh and bones, the Water-Synthesis of blood and bodily fluids, the Fire-temperature of metabolism, the Wind-Motllityor breathing, and the Space-Spatiality of of the bodily cavities. The active aspect of the structive energy is the 5 (colors of ) the rainbow, which are the active aspect of the external structive energy of the Evolutive Phases of Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, and Space. Examples (to illustrate the Evolutive Phases): the shining of the sun's light, or the appearance of light from a. crystal. :-115- Defining Charac ter-Iat.Ics (of the Evoluti.ve Phases areas follows): 1. generally. that from which they artse, and 2. the defining characteristics in particular. '!'he de- fining chara.cteristics of the Grea.t Evolutive Phases of the 5 Pristine Cognitions (areas follows): the 5 hues which are the self-irradiation of intrinsic perceptivity are prehended in their aspec ta of appearance and embodied existence, and since they are the spreading of the 4 (Evo- lutive Phases), if we divide them, (they are) Gravitation which is without hardne.ss,Cohesion which is without wetness, Motility whIch is without movement, burning which 1s without heet , and radiatlveness which is without extension. The Great Evolutive Phases of the 5 Pristine Cogni t.Lons ar-e : Earth-Buddhaloc!ini, Water-Mimaki, Fire-Papq.a.ra-va,sinl, WindTir~, and Space-Dh"itvlsvi.\ri. All the Buddhas of the 5 Life- Styles (rigs-lng3.) reside in the creative center of the 5 Female Poles of Buddh3.hood (rum), =ind from the reflected light (gzugs-brnyan-gYi 'cd) which is the radiation of these, although it appears a.s the 5 structive energies, it appears out of the creative functional dyn~mics or radiation of the 5 FemaLe Poles of Buddhahood , Since all the entities of existence , aamsara ·3oM ni.rvana ,3.ppe·3.r3.nce and project! ve exi a te nee, remsin in the Tot3.1ity-field which is in union with the ) Feml1.e Poles cf Buddhahood, they 3.re c3.11eo -116- evit.3erc~ht womb of all of appearance and projective e~stence. The defining charaeteristies of the atructive energy of the ; Evolutive Pha.ses (is as tollows) : the reflected light is present as the ground for the arising of each (Evolutive Phase), and remains inthe'l'0tality-field of the Evolutiv» Phases as dualistic phenomena. If we di vide them: firmness and hardness, watne$s, heat, movement, and localiza.tion. Since they are like theE"olutivePhases appearing in a dream, they ,t>rovide the milieuandfounda. tion of the beings a.nd their environment. The way they appear, is two told . First ,the 5 act! ve energies (appear a.s follows): tromthemotive force (snyins-po) 5. hues of presentational immedlacy present from ginning in the crea.tive within or the be- thev~ 5 hues, like the light e n~erofthe a.re reflected and radiate a.erystal,the ues~!ch outward are self-:presentational because they are moved. by the motility of pristine cognitiveness. The way the structiveenergies appear (is as follows): present as· the 5 structiye energies from the reflected light, appears Earth which is hard, from the whlteh~e of gravitational ener7 gy in whichthertl is nosolidit1; Water which is ~ t , from the yellow hue of c.ohesioninwhich there is no wetness j Fire which is hot, from the red hue of tem.perature in which there is no heat; Wind which is moving, from the green hue of Motility -:l17~ in which there is no movement; and Space which Loca Li.zes (things) and is extended, from the blue hue of spatia.lity which is not extended."(14) The key idea in -:1.11 these discussions is that the Evolutive Pha.ses have two modes of functioning, the active (daMs-rna), emblerna tic of negent.ropi.c, energetic functioning of the pristine cognitiveness which is the 1uintessence (bcud) of the evolution- a.ry process; and the s tructive , emblematic ofentropi.c, 5 truc- tura.l mat.er-La Li zatd.on of the conunonly experienced Evo'l.ut i.ve Phases which make up theenvironm.ent (.tm.QQ.). In the early stages of the untverse , activity and tempera.ture were so great that matterand energy had not yet beenaepar-a ted as in the "cool" s t.ate of t.he universe we find ourse l ves in today. But these two m.odes ,:ire complementary, and this idea is being understood in recent re-evalua tions of the meaning of ,the 2nd lawaf Thermodynami.cs ,which formerly led to the picture'ofthe universe as a closed system tending towards a state of disorder, i.e., entropy. m~ximu E. Jantsch s tat.es regardlngthis conception: f "Whereas in our everyday world some of the physical inanimate systems we 3.re dealing with may be assumed to be closed 'and well in equilibrium, this is not so in an evolutionary world in which galaxies and stars - but also living organisms, social organizations, and spir~tual ideas - may be considered as partially open systems in a st;tte of non-equilibrium. The new field of non-equilibrium thermodymndc8 dea.ls with discovered the principle of such systems. It has- recnt~ "order through fluctuation": If systems of any kiIXi are in a sufficiently non-equilibrium state, have many degrees of freedom, -3.nd are pa.rtially open to the inflow of energy (information) and/or matter, the ensuing in3tabilities do not -llB- lead to random behavior (even if the initi1.ting I'Luc tua-, tionand the mutation as such are random); instead th~y tend to drive the system to a new 'dynamic regime which cor-responds to anew state of complexity . In such a tranSition, the system requires new margins to produce entropy, new possibilities for action. A closed equilibriwn system, with monotonously increasing entropy, would be cha.racterized bydecrea.sing activity and·entropy production." (15) Our static, perishable world--system, as presented in the standard. form of Mount Meru,the· 7 mountain chainsa.nd oceans, and the 4 continents, is an imagimtive model of our world as a closed system which is running down. Experientially spea.king it represents a hardening into dead forms or our .open universe of ex.perience. Ye,t in such an evolutionary process ever-new possibilities for self-organization are being, presented with each new instability, if~ can be guided by the organizing information-energy (rig-pa, whose creative functiomlclynamics ,. (rtsal) is pristine cognitiveness) of life. But instabilities (ch-3.nge) usually increase our randomness and disorganization, both physically and mentally: "If a la.rge part of the universe may be assumed to be in a state of sufficient non-equilibrium- as, Lrdeed , seems to be the case, -we may-then come to a revision of the old static cosmos which would be of farthest-reaching consequences: i t s e ~ m s t h a t on the cosmic scale it is 'no longer necessary to assume monotonous entropy increase in all physical systems. Phy'sical energy itself may be an agent in the service .of evolution. It woulathen be superflUOUS to assume a dualism between phy~ical anipsychic organiza.tion - a.ll organization in the universe would bephysieal and psychic .at the same time .••• Modern physics is currentli looking for 'hidden variables t in a toms which transcend randotDnessand -probabili ty, and comes close to inferring what, in human beings, we would call intelligence. It (16) Some of these modern physicists are suggesting that these "hidden· -119- lre somehow connected with consciousne3s, although v~ria.bles" this is to fall into :1. ment'llisM which we have already rejected. The active energy of the Evolutive Phases 1 present as the creative functional dynamics of intrinsic perceptivity, which are the 5 Pristine Cognitions, do not belong to ~ (mind), but to the realm of sems-pyid, Cognitive Absoluteness as the information-energy of an intelligent universe. Mind, as we ha.ve seen, is a "slanted . view", a drop in the optimal information-energy of the organism as an organizing agent (ma-rig-pa), which manifests as an appropr-tat.Lon and the energy dYMmicsof the reif c~tion t universe flewing through us. of Out or this deve Lopcs the dualitty the apprehending and the apprehendable. Intrinsic percepti v- ity, however, is inseparable froM the Totality-field and its unita~ functioning (pictured In the texts as a self-presentation or intrinsic luminosity, as opposed to a reflected radiation), which presents its evolutionary transformations in the form of the 5 hues of Pristine Cognitivenes.s (we see it now in one light, now in another). One mode, for example, is the Pristine Cognition of Spa- tiali tyas the Tot9.lity-field,which is an open dimension. of livedspatia,lity. But in our usual "dull" way of perceiving we con- vert it into an "opaque wall" of sky, standing over agaf ns t us, space as a container. And thus there is the origin of r-e -preaen- ted, measurable space as distance, whose origin in the oriented spa.tiality of lived experiewe is lost. ...120- This relation of the Evolutive Phases and the Pristine Ccgnitionsis· also portrayed between the 8 perceptive functions (roam-par shes-pa) and the Pristine Cognitions. The sky-gsWn la. t iug-pa'i mdo sta.tes: "The subsiding of the Pervasive Stratum (of the worldhorizon) (kun-gzhi) in the Totality-field is the Totality-field of meaning (chos-kyi dbyings). The subsiding or the Stratum-bound perceptive function (kun~ gzhi rnapl-shes) in the Totality-field is the Mirrorlike PristineCognitlveness. The subsiding of the conceptu3.1izing perceptive function (lid-shes) in the Totality-field is theSa.meneSs Pristine Cognitiveness. The subsiding of the emotively-toned ego-act (<<yonyid) in the Totality-field is the Distinctness Pristine Cognitiveness. The subsiding of the 5 sense perceptions Inthe Totality-field 1s the Accomplished Pristine Cognitivenes3. ft.(1?) The image here is one of eddies appearing.a.nd disa.ppearing in the infinite oceano! the Tota.lity-field of Being. These correla.tions make it. even more clear th~t the distinc- tlon here is not between rnind/consci.ousness and matter, but between active and structive energies, between energy-as-such and energy as a. subs tant LaL quantiity (see above p, 10), each tending in a cet.a Ln "direction" (e. g., centrifugali ty and centripetality), a.lthough never wholly one or the other, as in the Chinese conception of yin and ~ a grea.t·~ is 3. ~. (L.e., yinh~s and small yang). a great yin and a small lin, Within the active energy there structive a.spect, and vice versa. The Western world has seem- ed singul9.rlyunable, to understand such polarities, but rather oonstructs its dialectics out of opposites. It must be remembered th=lt both of those tions within the Ground of Being. -121- tend cie~ aref'luctul- There is a "breilking awayttfrom the Ground, s.Lt.hough the Ground is unaff'e ct.ed by Lhe fLuct.uat.Lons of aamsaraYnd ni.rvana , :3uch, cosmology, in which the universe is av3,Cuum fluctuation with 3. zero net va.lue for all conserved qua.ntities, in other words, it can spring from Itnothin,gfl, is outlined by E.P. Tryon: "quantum electrcdynamics reve s Ls th3t an electron, positron, and photon occ,3.sionally emerge spontaneously from a perfect vacuum. When this happens , the 3 particles exist for a brief time, and thena.nnihila t e ~ c h o t h e r ~ leaving no tra.ce behind. (Energy .conservat.Lon is violated, but only for the briefp~rticle lifetime At permitted by the uncertainty relation AE AtNh, where AE is the net energy of the particles and Ah is Planck's const.ant The spont.sneous , temporary emergence of particles from a. vacuum is called vacuum fluctuation, and is utterly commonpl.ace in quantum field theory. If it is true tha.t our universe has a. zero net value for all conserved quantities, then it may simply c ) be a fluctua.tionof the vacuum, the v~cu m of some large spa.ce in which our universe is imbedded." (lg) Now returning to the evolution of sentieht beings in.the universe, Klong-chen-pa continues in his mKha'-'gro snying-thig, proceeding from t.he outer through the inner to the hidden processes (gsang) involved in the Evolutive Phases,. the environment being just the outer process: "Now the wa.y the sentient beings who are the intern3.l quintessence (of life), originate (is the 3.5 follows): in the center of Wind mandala, by the creative function- double-vajr3.-sh~ped a1 dynamics of pristine cognitiveness, a slight warmth ::irises. Since this he3.ts up Water-Cohesion, vapor arises like smoke through 3. hole, and s Lnce thev:lpor heats up the Ear th , like the winnowing ofch3.rr, he:lt informs 3.11 of them. (19) From the active energy of the 4 Evolutive Phases, and from their -122- being mixed with the hues intrinsic to pristine cognitiV"e- ness, 3 condensation spots of light (Iod phung-phub tehama) appear. From the first light, arise the gods which have no actuali-tyto their presence. From this, in the form of light rays, arise the 4 divisions of the realm of forlIllessness. From this, out of the creative functional dynamics of intrinsic percept!vi tyoriginatinga. prehension of movement, the 17 statuses of the reJ-1.m of torm originate. (20) Then, from appropriating this prehension of movement which has originated, sensuousness. the 20 statuses of the realm ot· ~ris~ Thus, although the presence of pristine cogni- ti veness has always been there, by a loss of intrinsic pereeptivity, innwnerahlesentient bei.ngs of t..he 6 life-forms arise. This SaJIlSJlrs in .which one has gone astraY Int.o.e Lackof i.ntrinsic. pereeptivtty,noi ther increases nor is destroyed. As to the origina.tiono! sentient beings which at-e the interrnl quintessence, since they arise from the acti.ve energy·o! the Evolu.ttve Phas~, theya.re called "sentient be- ings who a.re the internal quintessence {or life)." From the second light, the S\1n and moon arise. First, since they arise from the quintessence of the 5 Evoluttve Phases· and the lucencl of Space, they remain in Space. Because they are the creative t;unctlona.ldynami.csof pristine c()gnitiveness, they ar'e able t.c shine on everything.. Since t,hey =:lrlse .from the active energy of Fire-Temperature, they are hot. Further, since the sun is the primary (instance) of the active energy of Fire-Temperature, it is hot; and since the moon is the pri- mary instance of the a.ctive energy of W::lter-Cohesion, it is cool. From the creative functional dynamics of these two, there is present the light from many stars. (21) The Evolutive Phases are produced one by one, and mutually as- sist one another. Further, after the Evolutive Phases have been produced one by one; at the time they mutually .3.ssist one another in the spring,since the (activity of the) Evclutive Phases increases ,daytime is longer and it is warmer. When the active energy of the Evolutive Phases are equal, day and night are equal. When the Evolutive Phases are not equal, night is shorter because the power of one has increased slightly. Since the EvolutivePhases then gradually act to restrain each other, by the decline in the activity of the Evolutive Phases, days get shorter and warmth decreases. Because, at a certain time, the Evolutive Phases are dispersed, the sun goes down; then, having been .org1.nized again by Wind-Motility, they (operate) just like before. The changes of the moon and the stars are the same. (22) Further, from the center of the double-vajra of Wi.nd-Motility, sincew,:u-mth arises, it heats Water-CohesIon. The vapor which arises from the Water heats 'and informs [i;arth-Solidity. -124- By the crea.tive functioral dynamics of Wind-Motility, heat arises by its own power (friction). For example, by strongly rub- bing two sticks together, they are informed by hea.t, which is like fire arising. The heat-informed vapor on the Earth, by rising into the sky, forms fog. Rain comes from the thickenihg of the fog, like the formation of curds or dew on the cover of a pot. (23) Therefore, the 5 EvolutivePhases are produced one by one. Because they mutually assist one a.nother, from the increa.sing (activity) of the Evolutive Phases, the sprouts, leaves, flowers, a.nd fruits of·a.ll the trees, grasses, and fruit-trees grow gradually. In autumn, when the creative functional dyna- mios of the Evolutive Phases are reduced, all the fruits ripen. When the functioning of the Evolutive Phases is low, they mutually restrain one another. (24) Because the sap,etc~ gra- dually goes down, the trees, grasses, and fruits dry up, and a.ll the sentient beings decline a.nd da.rken. In the spring, all the sap, etc. is low and in the decline, and the active energy of the Evolutive Phases mutually extinguish each other. From there, the Evolutive Phases become stronger, and one by one produce each other as above. Thus, we have expkaLned the way the sentient beings who are the internal quintessence, originate. Now, (we shall explain) the hidden level. -125- B.Y the 5 bioenergetic triggering processes (rg.vu'i thig-le),which are the active energy of the a.ctive energy (of the Evolutive Phases), are produced all the happihess and frustration of samsara and nirvana, just like the tlesh,blood, warmth, breath, and mind belonging to the which is produced and nourished bo~ by the fruits, flowers, and grasses which are the active energy of the Evolutlve Phases. Although itexistsi.Witnin our own pristine cognitiveness from the very beginning, since we don't understand this, by engaging in affirmation arrl negation regarding the creative functional dynamics of pristine cognitiveness, there is the split intosamsara and nirvana. By lack of intrinsic perceptivity, one enters into the mother's womb, and by the combination of the bioenergetic triggering processes of the parents, and pristine cognitiveness informed by intrinsic percept!vity (rig-pa.' i ye-shes), the body is formed. Further, by the mutual assistance of the 5 Evolutive Phases the body is born. When one eats food, it is digested by Fire-Temperature, by Wind-Motility its active and structive energies are separated (25), byWater-Cohesion it is aynthesd aed, and by Earth-Solidity it is hardened. This produces the strength of the body. The active energy informs all the formative energetic configurations (rtsa) of the body. Further, by the creative func- tional dynamics of the 5 Evolutive Phases having been made to -12'6": assist e3ch othe.r,since thelctive ellergy incre3ses from birth.xnd the furicticfl..l.ldyn:..unlcslre and women a.re )0 unt.il men f~qual zed ye.l.rs .old,the active energy settles in the bodily constitution. By the coarse energy and the ra.dia.nce of intrinsic perceptivity, beauty, corpulence, and level of act,ivity are.esta.blished. From)O to 40, the a.ctive energy remains, but from then on, the 5 EvolutivePhases mutually restrain one another, and because the bodily oils become hardened, the a.ctive energy-dries up; and since a.ll the organftlflctions are impaired, one declines a.nd ages. Because the, strength of the Evolutive Phases ha.ve become divided,the.span of life is established. Therefore, it is very important to conserve (the energy) when one is young.. This is the way the body functlonsat the hidden level. Ta.king up the more hidden level (xang-gsang)(we say): because all the interdependent relations of samaara andnirva.na, happiness a.nd frustration, a.re produced by the bioenergetic triggering processes, these ,bioenergetic inputs (thig-le) are the act.Lve energy of the. acJ;,ive energy of the Evolutive Phases. Since the bioenergetic input ofpristineco.gniti veneas is the basis of life, it is very important to increase and not to impair Lt, ", . (26) Finally we present an over-all view of cosmic evolution by Klong-chen-pa, where he applies the concept of the Epoch (bskal-Ra) .~127- to a larger sC31e Lhan the use of it. Ln t.he tr'ldltioJVll coamo.logy presented above: ttIn regard to the structive energies which ~re the outward ra.diation from the 5 active energies, one speaks of J Epochs as to facticity, meaning of the term, divisions, and explication of the meaning. As to facticity: in the first Epoch, me~nigfuls (chos-nyid) (a.s the pre-reflective, non-thema.tic aspect of experience) is split off from the universe of objects, although there is no appearance of conc.rete objects out of the incessant presence In the middle ~poch, of the Ground of Being. (What is to be- come) the result, sa.msara and. nirva.na, are split off from the s pont.aneous (functicning) of the Ground of Being, since the appearance of the se.Lf -presenta tional reflected hues (~­ snang gzugs-brnyan-g.yi 'od) ha.ve broken loose from the Ground, although it is not yet the time of the (maturation into the) result. In the Jinal ElJoch, there is the splitting off of the two hues, of samsara, which is the non-understanding (of the presence of the Ground), and nirvana, which is the understanding, since they are the ma.tu~a.tion int6the entatative exis- tence of samsara ana nirvana by virtue of the split into the apprehending a.nd theapprehenaable. As to the meaning of the term: it is caLl.ed "Epoch", in view of the split into a. spontaneous Epoch which is pure in its facticity, and an impure Epoch which is the self-manifesta.tion -128- of the split inte the apprehending9.nd the apprehendable. As to the divisions: the first Epoch is the spontaneous (functioning) of the Grouno. The middle Epoch is the out- ward ra.diancy (phyir-gsal) which is (the pla.y· or) the Founding Strat'3. and pristinecegnitiveness in5 (phases of) refleeted hues. The final Epoch is the presence of samsara which is a deceptive appearing. As to the meaning of Epoch: the reason fer the ~e Epoch is because these modes of appearing last for a long time, which cannot be measured in terms of years and months, etc. Thus one should know tha.t the appearing of the reflected hues from the Ground of Being is the meaning of the first Epoch; tha.t t.he-appearance oft.he split into the apprehendlng and the apprehendable, on which the sentient beings and their envircning-worlds are based, from these hues, is the meaning of the middle Epoch; a.nd the appearance of the happiness and frustrations of deceptive ~p earing (coming) out of the split into the apprehending and the a.pprehendable, is the meaning of the final Epoch. Thebshad-rgvud states: tiThe presentation of.thefacticity of the Epochs is presented a.ccording to the Ground, Path, and Goal. In the first, pristine cognitiveness is tending towards objecti"fication,since it is present as the process and product of appearing. At this time, it is called the Epoch of Me~ni gfulnes . In the middle Epoch,bT,virtue of the·diviaionsset up by.$ubjective apprehensions ('dzin-pa'i rnam-rtcg), the presence of pristine cognitiveness subsides within, and by this the observable qualities of the environing-world a.re produced. This is called the Epoch of the perishable -129- environing-world. In the end, there is the split into the apprehending and thea.prxi~bl, which is the Epoch of Buddhas and sentient beings." (27) Sentient beings represent the evolution of the ~ctive energy of the universe, which is the "Quintessnce",\!fhile the environing world is a kind or~d s;)( nyigs-ma).Life ~ is inseparable from universe such a.s ours. of the universe as :1 Tryon states, continuing his discussion vacuum f'Luc t.uat.Lone "One might wonder how a. vacuum fluctuation cculd occur on such a grand scale •••• my a.nswer lies in the principle of biological selection, which states that any Universe in which sentient beings find themselves is necessarily hospitable tosentlent beings. I do not claim that universes like ours occur frequently, merely that 'the expected frequency is non-zero. The logic of the situation dictates,however, that observers always find themselves in universes capable of generating life, and such universes are impressively large~ (We could not have seenthisuniverse if its expansion-contraction time had· been less than the ten-to-the-tenth years required for Homo Sapiens to evolve)." (28) Wheeler, Misner, a.nd Thorne,after 3. thousand-plus page book ongravita- tiona.cccrding to general rela.tivity (Geometrodynamics), conclude: "Dicke has pointed out that the right order of ideas may not be, here is the universe, so what must ann bejbut here is man, so what must the universe be? In other words: (1) What ;Jrt: ~v; uen:~Ar f neI1tes~eO .a,;') of elements heavier than hydrogen. . :;~ e : U (4) The production of hea.vy elements demands thermonuclear combustion. (S)1bermonuclear combustion normally requires several ten-to-the-ninth yea.rs of cooking time in ~ star. (6) Several ten-to-the.... ninth yea.rs of time will not and cannot be a. va-ilable in a closed universe, .according to general relatiVity, unless the radius-at-maximum-expansion of that universe is several tento-the-ni ~h light years. or more. So why on this view is the universe as big as it is? Because only So can man be here! In brief, the conslderl ~ions of Carter and Dicke would seem to raise the idea of tbiologicalselection of ~ s i c ~ l constants. t" (29) -1)0- Welre now in a. better position to under-s t.ano why it is aa to that the sustaining impulse (rg,yu) of the mandala. of Wind-Motili.ty, which begins the evolution of the environing-world (gnod), is the collective karma of sentient beings. K:lrma involves the intelligent, self-regulative functioning cfJ,elltient beings who are chara.cterized by a loss of intrinsic perceptivity (ma-rig--pa.). It indicates a. fa.lling a.way from the unitary process of intrinsic perceptivity, whereby this process is split into mind and ma.tter, animate life a.nd an inanimate worla. As Laszlo has said, intelligent (informa- tion-processing), creative.functioning is at the basis of evolution. We ao not crea.te or Ground and its spontaneous presence; det ~inethe but we are free to make choicesln either fully ~espon4ing to this, presemge,and thus our being or merely fall prey to situations. actu~lize Being a participator in beingdeterminea by it. 3. self-organizingunlverse is different from There is, however, what might be called a "pressure" to respond and to be self-actualizing, which is known as the "Motive-force for Wel -being (bde~bar gshegs-pa'i snying-po). This is a kind of teleology., which, we feel as the searcn for· a meaningful existence, or its loss when the search is abandoned. Thus, freedom is basic toself-actu~liz ng/det rmin g systems. It is neither freedom-to nor freedom-from, both of which deny freedom by making it dependent on something else. The issue of freedom verses determinism is the confused nightmare cf tJeople cut ofr from the unitary process of being, whoehg:1ge in aLl, sorts of pcat-ul.abes about -131- freedom and determinism b3sed en situations seen in the light of mi.at-aken appearing a Budh~-fiel ('khrul-sn~ g). The situation can be seen 9.S complete with the Teacher, .his message, the audience, all in its own time and. place. One problem in understa.nding this issue has been the concept of causality: "since this actua.lization is determined·as it goes along by causes which are intrinsic to the actualizing process it. self, we can speak of 'actuality' as immanent causality, being continuous, and not linear and dotted like the traditional causal sequence, in which every event is linked to the preceeding and succeeding event with rigid unalterability. The causal situation here is rather a fluid one, and within it new patterns of performance are possible at any moment." (30) Such a. view on causality is further defined by Laszlo as follows: "reciprocity cfthe causality connecting A & i3 consists in this: as 3. result ofl cause ema.m.ting from A, B manifests amodifica.tion in its relations to A, which modification itself can be regarded as the cause produced byB,.acting on A, and resulting from the effect. of the primal cause (A acting on B). Hence every cause gives rise to a.n effect and every effect in turn acts as cause •••• How can a subject effectively determine itself in an interdeterminationalrelationship? The answer must be, through the modification of the pr~e cause in the reciprocal cau,e, i.e., by qualifying the original impetus into a specific reciproc3.1 cause corresponding to the exigencies of its own inner structure ..••• A concept of the universe as an interdetermined network cfmutuallyqualifying c~use a.nd effects a.ssigns fre~don to particular entities in processing their inputs (tlprime causes tl)and producing outputs ("reciproca.l causes tl ) . The more factors· of indetermination the entity has internalized, i.e., the more it is in control of the sphere of the universe wherein it finds itself, the freer it is." (31) The task: presented according to Buddhist Cosmology is to cont,inua.lly free ourselves from the conditioning of cur past evolution. This loss of freedom in evolution by lll3.n is depicted in the so-called "BUddhist Genesis'· story, in which m~nis seen as -132- 3. I'aLl.en god frum the realm of Abh~,va.r ('od-gsal) deities of the Realm of Form. Ina. text by 'I'song-kha-pa (32), he makes use of this myth Lne Laborat.Lng the meaning of the Developing Stage (b'iqed....rinl), of the Annuta.tayogaTantra, which is concerned with a transfigured vision of one's world obtained by the "purificationttof the effects of the evolutionary process involved in being born a human being. But a proper discussion of this fascinating a.spect of Buddhist Cosmology would require another major work in itself. -133- Notes to Ch3pter IV 1. Klong-chen-pa, op.cit., p. 42. 2. This is the largest order of world-systems, equalling 1,000 small world-systems.of Mt .. ,ur~:M stong-gsum here is short etc., to the third power. fc)rstong- sum~ ton,g-chen-pa'i >. (tri.::lahasra-rnabisa.hasro loka-dhatu). (, jig-rten: &YL~pa.ms 3. This is the Cosmology, m~jor 3.5 divsion of the subject matter of Buddhist presented in the Abhictharma-kosa, which begins with a. discussion of the various types of sentient beings before describing the environing-world in which they live. 4. Each of the 4 Epochs is made up of 20 Interval Epochs, which makes ea.ch cosmic cycle, or Great Epoch, equal to 80 Interval Epochs. 5. These are the residences of the gods which are not founded on the Great Earth founda.tion, that is, those a.bove the region of the "Thirty-Three Gods" a.t the summit of Mt. Meru. Kosa, 111,69. (Poussin, tr., p. 164)~ See AbhidharIlli!- As we sha.ll see, this means tha.t their "residences", originating from above, consist more of the Active Energy of the Evolutive Phases than those which originate from below (rounded on the Great&rth), which are comprised of the Structive Energy. 6. The first refers to the teosa.. preg nt~ ion summed up in the AbhidharIDg- The second level ha.s been dealt with in the previous cha.p- ter. -134,- 7. The shape wc:uld be l.I ce this: ~. ~ Kl.ong-chen-pa , Ope cit •• PkJ. 41-4.5. For an outline of Buddhist. Cosmology as swnmarizedin the Abhidharma-ko§a, see Poussin's article in The Encyclcpedia·of Religion and Ethics, H~st;ings, ed., art. "Cosmology {Buddhist)... 9. Porkert, Manfred, The Theoretica.l Foundations of Chinese Medicine, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1974, p. 45. 10.3ee cha.rt #1, p. 33 above, right-hand column. 11. See Guenther, H.V., Ope cit., note 9, p. )00. An example of gdlngs in our text is found below, p. 114. 12. Klong-chen-pa dri-med 'od..;zer, mKha'-tgro snving-thig, part 2, Trulku Tsewang, Jamyang, and L.Tashi, New Delhi, 1971, pp. 38- 42. 13•. ibid., pp. 70-72 14. Klong-chen-pa ari-mea 'cd-zer,Zab-mo yang-thig, part 2, Tru1ku Tsewang, Jamyang, and L. Tashi, New Delhi, 1971, pp. 254-7. 15. Jantsch, E., Design for Evolution, Braziller, New York, 1975, p. 37. 16. ibid., pp. 37-8. 17. Quoted in Kl.ong-chen-ps , Theg-pamth]-dag-gi don-gsal-b~r byed-pa. grub-mtrha.' rin-ao-che'i rncizoci,1Jodrup Chen Rinpoche, Ga.ngtok, Sikkim, p. 241. 18. Tryon, E.P., "Is the Universe a V3.cuumFluctu3.tion,tt Nature, vel. 246, Dec., 1973, pp. 396-7. -135- 1). ;.ice i Lso pp , 12)-4. the water-cycle. These P'lss:lges 3how good We would Ob£H~rv·ltion8. on th'1t condenaeu water from the c~rlY vapor th3t has risen frt'm the earth has much potential e.nergy, and when it falls as rain, its potential energy is converted into heat. 20. That is, there are) in the First-Dhyana Heavens (bsam-gtan dang-po'i sa), 31n the Second-Dhyim., 3 in the Thi.rd-Dhyana, and 8 in the Fourth-Dhyana. Abhidharma-kosa, III, 1, has 24 places for the Kima.-dhfitu (Poussin, tr., p. 2). 21. Klong-chen-pa doesntt talk about the third spot of light .. . 22. This follows the Chinese account of theworklngs of the Evolu- itve Pha.ses in reg:lrdto.the seasons. Such a. type of thinking is explained by Porkert in regard to Chinese medicine. which makes great use of the 5 Evolutlve Phases and the system of correspondences which they set up: "Chinese medicine, like the other Chinese sciences, defines data on the basis of the inductive and synthetic mode of cognition. Inductivity corresponds to a Logi.caL link between 2erfective positions at the same time in different pla-cesin space , (Conversely, causality is the logical link between two effective positions given at different tilrtes at the same place in space.) In other words, effects based on positions that ares par~te in space yet simultaneous in time are mutually inductive and thus are called· inductive e.ffects •••• Now Western man, as a consequence of2,OOO·ye3rs of intellectual . tradition, persists in the h~blt ofmakingcllusal.connections first and inductive links, if at, a.ll, only SiS 3.n afterthought. This habit must still be considered the biggest obstacle to an adequate appreciation of Chinese. science in generala.ndof Chinese medicine in particul~r." (Porkert, M., Ope cit., p. 5) -136;.,. the relation of the Evolutive Phases am the sea.sons Cle~ry is inductive, not causa l.. 23. See above p. 121, and note 19. 24. These correspond to the "produ.ction sequence" (hsiang-sheng-hau, *E)~ If ) a.nd the rf ) "checking sequence" (hsiang-k'o hsu,'*t3~ of Chinese Evoluttve Phase theory. 25. The active energy derived from food corresponds to the Chinese fL , .&h!.i, while the structive energy to haueh, _ , which is usu3.l1y inadequately tra.nsla.ted 3.5 t'blood", which is included in what is meant by haUeh, but not.. exhau:!tive following the Ling-shu, defines it as , ";1 o'r it. I Porlce-t.t" fluid (.£tWl,~t) that is derived b¥ tr.3.nsformation (pien-hua) from the energy of food." (Porkert, Ope cit., p, 135.) 26. Klong-chen-pa, mKhat-tgro sDling-thig, Ope cit.,pp. 72.8. 27. Klang-chen-pa, lab-mo Yang-thig, Ope cit., pp. 260-2. 2a. Tryon, op. cit., p. 397. 29~ Wheeler, J., Misner, e., ana Thorne, K., Gr3.V'itation, Freeman & Co., San Francisco, 1973, pp. 1216-7. 30. Guenther, H.V., The Lifeanci Te~chings of Naropa, Oxford Univ. Press, London, 1963, p, 115. )1. laSZlo, E., Introduction to Systems PhilosophY, Gordon & Breach, New York, 1973, p. 2)6. 32. 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