How to Understand the Mind by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Author:Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Buddhism, Meditation, Mind, Buddhist Psychology, Kadampa
Publisher: Tharpa Publications
Published: 2013-12-02T16:00:00+00:00

Take the precious jewels of wisdom and compassion from the treasure vase of Kadam Dharma

Direct Perceivers

The mind can also be divided into seven types:

1 Direct perceivers

2 Subsequent cognizers

3 Re-cognizers

4 Correct beliefs

5 Non-ascertaining perceivers

6 Non-deluded doubt

7 Wrong awarenesses

All minds are included in this sevenfold division. The main purpose of explaining this is to enable us to understand how we can become a Superior being, a Yogi, by attaining yogic direct perceivers.

DIRECT PERCEIVERS

DEFINITION OF DIRECT PERCEIVER

The definition of direct perceiver is a cognizer that apprehends its object correctly and directly.

All sense awarenesses and mental awarenesses that apprehend their objects correctly and directly are direct perceivers.

DIVISIONS OF DIRECT PERCEIVER

There are three types of direct perceiver:

1 Sense direct perceivers

2 Mental direct perceivers

3 Yogic direct perceivers

SENSE DIRECT PERCEIVERS

DEFINITION OF SENSE DIRECT PERCEIVER

The definition of sense direct perceiver is a direct perceiver that is generated in dependence upon its uncommon dominant condition, a sense power possessing form.

Examples of sense direct perceivers are an eye consciousness seeing blue, an ear consciousness hearing a sound, and so on. Although all sense awarenesses are non-conceptual minds, they are not necessarily sense direct perceivers. For example, wrong sense awarenesses such as an eye awareness that, under the influence of the drug datura, sees the earth as yellow, or one that due to an eye disease sees snowy mountains as having a bluish colour, are not sense direct perceivers.

DIVISIONS OF SENSE DIRECT PERCEIVER

Because there are five types of sense object, there are five types of sense direct perceiver: eye sense direct perceivers, ear sense direct perceivers, and so on. These are distinguished by their uncommon dominant condition and their object. Eye sense direct perceivers, for example, are produced from an eye sense power as their uncommon dominant condition and have visual forms as their objects; ear sense direct perceivers are generated in dependence upon an ear sense power and have sounds as their objects; and so on. The remaining types of sense direct perceiver can be understood in the same way.

There is also a threefold division of sense direct perceiver:

1 Sense direct perceivers that are valid cognizers but not re-cognizers

2 Sense direct perceivers that are both valid cognizers and re-cognizers

3 Sense direct perceivers that are non-ascertaining perceivers

An example of the first type is the first moment of a sense awareness apprehending any of the five sense objects – forms, sounds, smells, tastes and tactile objects. Such minds are not re-cognizers because they realize their object through their own power. All Buddhas’ sense and mental direct perceivers are valid cognizers that are not re-cognizers because Buddhas have no re-cognizers. Examples of the second type are the second and subsequent moments of a sense awareness apprehending any of the five sense objects. These are re-cognizers because they realize their object through the power of the first moment of that awareness. The object of the first, second and subsequent moments of such a sense direct perceiver is the same, but the way of realizing it is different. Examples of the third type, sense direct

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