Buddhism
242  People and things are concepts

Before the unconditioned reality, nibbana, can be experienced, the conditioned phenomena which arise in daily life have to be known as they really are. Do we see phenomena as they really are? What appears at this moment? Is there seeing? Is there a notion of "I see”? We do not create our seeing, it arises because of its own conditions. It performs the function of seeing just for a moment and then it falls away immediately, we cannot cause it to stay. Seeing which arises because of conditions is beyond control, it is not self. The object seeing sees is only visible object, that which appears through the eyes. We do not see people and things, these do not appear through the eyesense. People and things are concepts we form up in our mind. In the absolute sense there are only mental phenomena, nama, and physical phenomena, rupa. There is no "I" who hears, it is hearing which hears and then falls away immediately to be succeeded by another experience. At each moment there is another experience, a moment of consciousness which experiences an object and then falls away. Objects are experienced one at a time through the six doors of eye, ear, nose, tongue, bodysense and mind.

Date 31 Mar 2024

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