Smoke & Mirrors.

Smoke & Mirrors.

LuangPow Panyavaddho's logic talks about:-

"Everything is internal".

That is to say:-

The physical senses detect raw data as physical/chemical phenomena impinging on the five physical sense organs. The mind can be said to be acting in the same way with psychic phenomena impinging on consciousness. The mind then interprets all this raw data and produces an ongoing analog model that integrates all the raw data to give rise to the Cosmos that one lives in. It may be helpful to see it as 'The Kammic Predicament'.

It is virtually impossible to distinguish between these raw data and Nimitas:(fantasy, objects arising directly from the Citta).

However, we may make assumptions, act on them and observe the results, and if the results are useful we may continue to act on those assumptions. If not, we are equally free to review them and adapt them as seems appropriate and useful.

This is a kind of 'Mind Only' view of the Cosmos, where everything is seen as the minds analog model and interpretation of raw data regardless of it's source. Thus the difference between internally arising phenomena, Nimitas, and externally arising phenomena, Reality, is reduced to mere differences in logical technique to render them objectively rather than the troublesome subjectivity.

Thus nothing can be known directly, with just one possible exception. Dukkha,
dissatisfaction. It's existence is knowable, it's origin is knowable, it's cessation is knowable, and the path leading to it's cessation is knowable. Anything else is pure conjecture, assumption, conclusion, view, convention, etc., etc. These four aspects of Dukkha are called Truths because they are free from the need for external verification. Thus, together with Dukkha, we can equally directly know change and non-self, i.e. objectivity.

In the light of this, the Dhamma seems quite reasonable. Anicca, Dukkha and
Anatta.

Thus the Sword of Wisdom cuts through Kilesa like a knife through a deck of cards, since it knows the properties of Anicca's successive arising and ceasing, Dukkha's dependence on ignorance (of these things), and Anatta's objective view of all phenomena by seeing them as completely devoid of any self or subjectivity. But who is it that knows all this?

Thus our practice consists of observing raw sense data, e.g. breath or physical
heart, without any judgment: (to assist this a Samana may recite the word "buddho" to help keep extraneous thought & judgment under control). In this way we learn to distinguish between raw sense data & the Citta's response to them. In this way delusion is gradually made knowable: plane & clear enough for the Citta to finally realize it's own true nature of just direct knowing.