Gassho Zenner,I will try to elucidate my “present” understanding of emptiness and the way it is taught. This present understanding is subject to change.
Clearly the Buddha taught various ways to approach an understanding of emptiness with the necessity of simplifying the presentation to those with lesser capacity to comprehend. Like steps up a mountain each is valid and will take one a bit closer to the view at the top.
Apparent cause and effect are illusory.
The true cause of the my perception of the world and those in it is imprints made in the mind which cause me to see one way or another; Karma.
I wont pretend to be intimate with the way karma works but I do have some experiential proof for myself; keeping a book into which I enter how well I have kept a vow, checking the mind 6 times a day. This keeps the awareness on ones actions and is a good way to work on my various afflictions. If one were to take the six perfections and work on one at a time then cycle through again, soon some change would become apparent.
You see I don’t think enough emphasis is placed on Karma when people discuss emptiness.
The conventional world appears as it does purely dependant on our projections our projections are forced on us by our Karma. (I am happy to consider that this is not the final conclusion when realising emptiness but is certainly a helpful step.)
I have noticed whilst studying Buddhist logic that it is a fine tool to discredit world views but it falls short when it comes to providing a proof for karma. However there are enough holes in the fabric with which we weave together reality to suggest something else is at play. This is enough to cause me to put some effort in and try it to see if there is anything in it. It would seem there is!
I did some reading on Sunday; Emptiness According to Prasangika Madhyamaka School. Geshe Tashi Tsering, a book from the foundation of Buddhist thought course 5 of 6.
In the last chapter when discussing the middle way these sentences stand out; “Many great masters have said the the person who has an understanding of emptiness has great respect for the law of cause and effect”
“Coming to understand emptiness should not distance us from the conventional world. We should in fact, gain more respect for it.”
I felt you were not convinced by the concept of karma, if so why?
Shine
