How to Realize Emptiness

Realizing emptiness or grasping the true nature of reality lies at the heart of the Buddhist path. In this book, Gen Lamrimpa offers practical instruction on.
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In this way, it becomes impossible to maintain that 'I' am separate from the outside world, however much it feels that way. Investigating in this way, we come to realize that there is no me or mine in any one part, just as a sound does not belong to any one part of the lute. To prevent misunderstanding, we must avoid the "two extremes" , that is, believing that:. Things are permanent, independent of their parts, and independent of our labelling 2. Things do not exist at all nihilism. The situation is like that of a rock or a tree seen protruding up from the peak of a hill on the horizon: From afar it may be mistaken for a human being.

Yet the existence of a human in that rock or tree is only an illusion. On deeper investigation, no human being can be found in any of the individual pieces of the protruding entity, nor in its collection of parts, nor in any other aspect of it. Nothing in the protrusion can be said to be a valid basis for the name "human being. The body and mind are no more represented by the sense of "I" than is the protruding rock represented by the word "human.

There are some types of sense of self which are not only to be cultivated but also to be reinforced and enhanced. For instance, in order to have a strong determination to seek Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings, one needs a very strong sense of confidence, which is based upon a sense of commitment and courage. This requires a strong sense of self. Unless one has that identity or sense of self, one will not be able to develop the confidence and courage to strongly seek this aim. In addition, the doctrine of Buddha-nature gives us a lot of encouragement and confidence because we realize that there is this potential within us which will allow us to attain the perfection that we are seeking.


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However, there are different types of sense of self which are rooted in a belief in a permanent, solid, indivisible entity called "self" or "I. This is a false notion of self which must be overcome. Please do take 5 minutes to look at this enjoyable video on YouTube with smooth music from Sakya Mipham, that has a remarkable message - think about it! Emptiness shunyata is the reality of the existence of ourselves, and all the phenomena around us.

According to the Buddhist point of view, seeking reality and seeking liberation amount to the same thing. The person who doesn't want to seek reality doesn't really want to seek liberation, and is just confused. If you seek reality and you think that it has to be taught to you by a Tibetan Lama, that you have to look for it outside yourself, in another place - maybe Shangrila! You cannot seek reality outside yourself because you are reality.

Perhaps you think that your life, your reality was made by society, by your friends? If you think that way you are far from reality. You have to see that your attitudes, your view of the world, of your experiences, of your girlfriend or boyfriend, of your own self, are all the interpretation of your own mind, your own imagination.

They are your own projection, your mind literally made them up. If you don't understand this then you have very little chance of understanding emptiness. This is not just the Buddhist view but also the experience of Western physicists and philosophers - they have researched into reality too. Physicists look and look and look and they simply cannot find one entity that exists in a permanent, stable way: If you can imagine that then you will not have any concrete concepts; if you understand this experience of physicists then you will let go of your worldly problems - but you don't want to understand.

It seems to me that we twentieth century people are against nature, against reality, the very opposite of reality. Each moment we build up our artificial, polluted ego; we cover ourselves with heavy ego blankets - one, two, ten, one hundred blankets against nature, against reality. Modern life is the product of the intellectual mind, and we create it.

The intellectual mind is superstition. We don't understand reality, and the intellectual life that we lead keeps us far from reality. So we don't accept who we are. We are always looking to cover ourselves with thick blankets and say "this is me". We hide our own reality and run away from natural beauty, completely neglecting it.

By not touching our reality, our modern life becomes so complicated and we create problems with our superstition. We are like a spider spinning his web, climbing on his thread then falling down; climbing up again and falling down again. In the same way we build our own intellectual web, a way of life, that is so complicated, that doesn't touch reality, that is so difficult to live in. This construction arises from our own mind and does not arise from anything else. If I told you that you are nothing, you are zero, that you are nothing that you think you are, then you would be shocked.

In fact you are non duality, non self existence. You do not exist, relatively or absolutely, as you think you do.

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If you really understood this then you would become more realistic and you would really gain satisfaction and peace. But as long as you hold on to the fantasy, concrete conception of yourself and project this wrong conception onto your environment, then no way will you understand reality. In Western cities nowadays, you can see, the older you are the more problems you have. When we are young, not so many problems, but then there are drugs and sex, and eventually they become dissatisfying, then more depression, more depression. So, as your body becomes bigger and your brain becomes wider, you have more and more problems and become more and more depressed.

The more money you have the more problems come. You can see this.

You only take care of your body, you never take care of your mind, and the result of this imbalance is depression. For most western people this is the case: They don't believe they can change their minds. They can change their nose through an operation, but they don't believe they can change their mind. And when you believe this, then no way can you resolve your depression.

Our thoughts, our mind or consciousness are mental energy and cannot be localised in the body. It cannot be touched; it has no form and does not travel in time and space. We cannot touch it or grasp it. What is important to understand is that the view you have of yourself and the view you have of your environment are based on your own mind; they are the projection of your mind and that is why they are not reality.

I will give you a good example. When a western man or woman looks for a girl or boyfriend, there is this research energy from both sides and when suddenly they see each other they make up an incredible story. Nothing wrong inside or outside". They build up a perfect myth. They push and push.

Dalai Lama - Emptiness

If they are Christian they say, "Oh, he looks just like Jesus. She looks just like an angel. So nice, so pure". Actually, they are just projecting their own fantasies onto each other. If she is Hindu, then he would say, "Oh, she looks like Kali, like Mother Earth, like my universal mother" Before, I was so lazy, I couldn't move, I was like a dead person.

But now whenever I go near her I can't believe my energy! You think that she is your spiritual friend and all she does is really perfect, even her kaka and pee pee are so pure! Excuse me, perhaps I shouldn't talk like this - I am a Buddhist monk! But when we speak about Buddhism, about reality then we have to speak practically, from daily life, about what is earthy, what we can touch and see, not just get caught up in concepts. What I mean is this: Your own mind makes it up and becomes an obstacle to touching reality.

This is why, our entire life, no matter what kind of life we have, it is a disaster. If you have a rich life, your life is a disaster.

How to Realize Emptiness

If you have a middle class life, your life is a disaster. If you have a poor life, your life is even more of a disaster! You become a monk and your life is a disaster. If you become a Christian your life is a disaster. Be honest with yourself. In fact reality is very simple. The simplicity of the mind can touch reality, and meditation is something that goes beyond the intellect and brings the mind into its natural state.

We have the pure nature already, this reality exists in us now, it is born with us The essence of your consciousness, your truth, your soul is not absolutely negative, it does not have an essentially negative character. Our mind is like the sky and our problems of ego grasping and self pity are like clouds. Eventually they all pass and disappear. You should not believe, "I am my ego, I am my problems, therefore I cannot solve my problems". Sometimes we are so clear in our life we are almost radiating. We can have this experience right now.

So it is wrong to think that we are always a disaster. Sometimes we are clean clear, sometimes we are a disaster. So, stay in meditation, just keep in that clean clear state as much as possible. All of us can have that clean clear state of mind. Actually, maybe this is the moment to meditate. My feeling is to meditate now. So, close your eyes, don't think, "I am meditating", just close your eyes and whatever view is there, whatever view is there in your mind, just be aware.

Don't interpret good, bad. Just be like a light - light doesn't think "I like this, I like that".

How To Realize Emptiness by Gen Lamrimpa

It is just a light. Whatever is in your consciousness, whatever experience, just be aware. Whatever your experience at the moment, whatever your colour, whatever appearance is there, just stay aware. If it's black energy, then that black energy is clean clear. If it's white energy, just feel that clean clear state.

Be aware of whatever is happening. Don't try to hold onto something or to reject something. To realise emptiness, externally we need a qualified teacher, and internally we need enough merit or karma , purification, practice of ethics, keeping our vows and generating single-pointed concentration. In the Tibetan tradition: It is advised to analyse the "I" first, and then later one analyses other phenomena in the same way, for example using the "fourfold analysis":. Identify object of negation: Determine possibilities of how the "I" exists: We can say, "I have have a body and a mind", which would indicate that the "I" is something different from the body and the mind, but is that possible?

Is the "I" other than body and mind? Right on top of that think, 'the I is merely labelled'. Just meditate on the meaning of the I being merely labelled. I is a name; a name does not exist from its own side, a name is given, imputed by the mind. We can completely agree with that.


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This I is merely labelled; concentrate on just that. Try to feel that. This automatically eliminates eternalism, the view of a truly existent I. And of course I am not, but the last thing I want to know is that. I am impermanence itself in a rapidly changing human form that appears solid.

How To Realize Emptiness

I fear to see what I am: I don't want to be that. So good practice is about fear. Fear takes the form of constantly thinking, speculating, analyzing, fantasizing. With all that activity we create a cloud to keep ourselves safe in make-believe practice. True practice is not safe; it's anything but safe. But we don't like that, so we obsess with our feverish efforts to achieve our version of the personal dream.

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Such obsessive practice is itself just another cloud between ourselves and reality. The only thing that matters is seeing with an impersonal spotlight: When the personal barrier drops away, why do we have to call it anything? We just live our lives. And when we die, we just die. Of course, it is our right to love and take care of ourselves, but not at the expense of others. While "As long as I'm alright" is our motto, we have no hesitation in acting with total disregard for others.

The Three Principal Aspects of the Path: For a funny practical teaching; click on the Snowman to download this self-extracting Flash file it is kB, so may take a couple of minutes to download. Since analysis is used to arrive at total inferential knowledge any more analysis would still be inferential. The general mode of procedure on the Buddhist path is that through constant reflection on the knowledge which is initially inferential, through various stages of familiarisation, reflection and contemplation, that knowledge which is initially inferential could eventually become nonconceptual.