Answers: Discussions With Western Buddhists by Dalai Lama & Jose Ignacio Cabezon

Author:Dalai Lama & Jose Ignacio Cabezon
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Snow Lion
Published: 2001-09-25T00:00:00+00:00

You see, all the senses are individual types of consciousnesses. The eye consciousness has color, shape, and so forth as its object; the ear consciousness perceives sounds, etc. Even though they are all different, having different objects, nonetheless, they are all of the same nature, of the nature of knowing. They may come to know through different means, but they are still of the nature of knowing. This aspect they have in common we call shespa, knowing. Now the rig pa, which we can call "awareness," this innermost subtle consciousness, is also of the nature of "knowing." It too is a "knower," just as the eye consciousness is a "knower." So both the coarser sense consciousnesses and the more subtle rig pa are of the nature of knowing. They are both "knowers." The coarser types of consciousness come to know something because of the subtle consciousness. The basic nature of knowing thus comes from, or is due to, the existence of the subtle consciousness. Even during moments when the sense organs are very active, if we rely on the instructions of a proper, experienced teacher, we can separate the two experiences: the path of the coarser consciousnesses from the path of the subtle consciousness.

These points, however, are difficult. First of all, the matter being discussed is difficult; add to that the fact that the Dalai Lama's English is poor, and it makes for an altogether awkward situation.

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