The Buddhist View of Reality

Translator: Mr. President and friends gathered here, I'm very pleased to be here to speak at this renowned Institute and I want to thank the organizers of this event. I'm going to speak on the Buddhist view of reality.

Dalai Lama: First, I will speak something about my usual talk: that is, the value and importance of kindness and altruism. Now you see, this time mainly I came to see Tibetans who have settled in this country. I, the Dalai Lama, have been brought thousands of miles to this country in a very comfortable airplane, which is the result of the development of science and technology.

Now I myself enjoy these comforts, and as a result, we can meet together here. But at the same time, suppose that during this long distance in the aircraft, that I myself would feel anger or some kind of hatred and bitterness. If I came with this thought in mind, then despite all the material comforts and facilities, I would feel uncomfortable, unhappy. And also, when I came to this place, if I came with the motivation of some kind of hatred, some kind of anger, and on my face there would not be a smile. And you the listeners, you who are looking at me, would also feel something uncomfortable, and in this room there may be created some kind of tension. So now if you look at this point, you will see how mental attitude is very much important.

So, if we have internal peace, then outside a peaceful atmosphere will come. Without a feeling of internal peace, the peaceful atmosphere outside cannot come.

So, you see, I say, at 45 years of age, that I feel that one of the most important things in the human mind is kindness. And with the practice of this feeling, there is hope to create a real peaceful, human society. Without this, we cannot achieve a real peaceful, human community.

The kindness and altruism, which human beings can develop and practice in infinite ways is something, which other animals like insects, wild animals -- these beings -- cannot develop. This kindness is something of a gift to a human being. We have such a good gift. It is worldwide to practice it. In other words, we human beings are born and grow under the kindness of our parents. And when we become old -- say after 20 or 30 years, when I become very old and shaking, with a stick -- then, you see, when that time comes, I will need -- I will heavily depend on -- the kindness of others.

So, you see, when our life begins, the value of kindness is something immeasurable. And at the end of our life, that time also, the value of kindness is again equally immeasurable. So, between these two things, it is absolutely necessary and absolutely worthwhile to practice kindness. And if we practice kindness, we ourselves gain more happiness.

Sometimes anger or bad thoughts can pretend to be your defender. If some unfortunate thing happens, and you immediately feel anger, this anger pretends to be your defender. But actually, this defender gives you more problems than happiness or benefit. With altruism and kindness, you yourself feel happy, calm, relaxed. With that, there is another benefit. That is, without mental unrest, mental tension, you can utilize the best part of the human brain in the right way. If you're partly in control or influenced by anger, or these bad thoughts, then you cannot utilize the best parts of the human brain. So, from that point of view, anger is not at all useful or helpful. On the contrary, kindness gives you more peace, and at the same time, gives you more ability.

Now for other beings, if someone -- for example in a family -- if someone has this inner peace; then naturally, it creates a real peaceful and gentle atmosphere within the family. So, like that, in neighbour to neighbour, and on a national level, and an international level, kindness creates a beautiful atmosphere. Hatred, anger, creates a real sad, troubled atmosphere.

So now you see, kindness is for me, the most important religion or the most important thing. Kindness is something beautiful, really priceless for human society, for mankind. Without this, no matter if you are educated, or rich, or in a high position in human society, you will never feel real genuine happiness. And on the other side, if you have a kind heart, a warm heart, whether you are poor, whether you are uneducated, whether you are an unfortunate person, you will feel happy. And as a result, you may not create any problems for others. So, if you look from these many viewpoints, kindness is the nicest way -- the most beautiful thing.

I myself, practice as much as I can and wherever I go, I have a feeling: I am convinced that -- for example, here you are European, Western, different face, different colour, different language, different tradition, different culture -- but deep down, same. Me, you, same human being. I have a feeling that I want happiness and I do not want suffering. That feeling is equally the same for you. Everybody has the same feeling, the same experience. So now, from my own experience, the practice of kindness is something valuable, which gives a lot of inner peace; and I thought it may be useful for you also. Wherever I go, I express this. It is something difficult to practice, but it is highly worthwhile to make the effort, constant effort, month by month, year by year. If we make the effort to get used to these thoughts, then our inner strength will develop.

At the beginning, due to small irritations, due to small facts, you will feel irritated immediately, but due to your constant practice -- control anger, more patience, more tolerance, more kindness. Then after some time, even big troubles cannot move your heart. So, this is the human development. This is the spiritual development.

No matter whether you are Buddhist, Christian or Muslim or Hindu or a follower of Judaism or even nonbeliever (it doesn't matter if you don't believe certain ideas, certain philosophies) -- we, everybody, accept we are human beings. We want happiness. On this point, no argument, no debate -- everybody agrees. If you practice kindness, you will know. There's no need to argue or prove by reason. If you implement kindness, you will get benefit; you will get more peace. On this point, there are no differences. All human beings are the same.

So, my main message or main expression is how important in human society -- on the individual, the national, the international, all these levels -- that kindness is. Kindness or altruism is the most important thing, which is worthwhile, which we should make effort to practice and to develop.

So, this is my usual message. If you feel there's something good, please practice. If you feel there's not much useful to practice, then leave it. Nothing wrong. All right? This is my own feelings; this is my own experience. Now my bigger subject -- the Buddhist view of reality. Now I will speak through Tibetan. I have more vocabulary in Tibetan, so I can express better.

Translator: From a wide point of view, the Buddhist view of reality would be concerned with the four doctrines that testify to a system being Buddhist. These are called the Four Seals, and the first is that all products are impermanent. The second is that all contaminated things are miserable. The third is that all phenomena are empty and selfless. The fourth is that nirvana is peace.

The first -- that all products are impermanent -- means that all phenomena that are produced in dependence upon causes and conditions are not stable in nature but disintegrate moment by moment. With respect to impermanence, two meanings are given: one coarser and one subtler. Subtle impermanence refers to the momentary disintegration of products; whereas coarse impermanence refers to the finishing or ending of persons and of the environment. With respect to persons or sentient beings, there are those that are included within the three realms of the Desire Realm, Form Realm and Formless Realm. But no matter how long one's lifetime is in any of those realms, even it if it is as long as an aeon, in the end, it will disintegrate, finish.

Now there isn't any coarse, physical environment in the Formless Realm; but with respect to the Form Realm and the Desire Realm, we explain that there is a world system composed of one billion worlds, and that there are an infinite number of world systems composed of one billion worlds. We posit 20 intermediate aeons of formation, 20 intermediate aeons of abiding, 20 of destruction and 20 of vacuity. In any case, both the sentient beings living in the environment, and the environment itself, in the end will disintegrate; and then, a new one will be produced.

Then what is the benefit of knowing that persons in their environment depend on causes and conditions? The benefit is that from this knowledge, one can understand that they can be changed. One can understand then, that even if a good state is not present now, if one can achieve the causes and conditions to produce it, it will exist. And that even if there is a bad state now, if one engages in the means to get rid of the causes and conditions that produce it, one can get rid of the bad state itself.

Since it is the case that one can achieve causes to produce things, and one can get rid of causes in order to remove bad states, what is it that should be achieved, and what is it that should be gotten rid of? For this, it's helpful to look into the Second Seal.

The Second Seal is that all contaminated things are miserable. The word contaminated has many interpretations, but in this context, it refers to afflicted emotions. Any phenomenon that is conjoined or connected with the afflicted emotions is called contaminated. Any phenomenon that is under the influence of contaminated actions and afflicted emotions is something that is not under our own control. Even if we wished it to be under our control, it could not be so, and the fact that it is not under one's own control, but under the control of other causes and conditions, is then called misery.

So this means that anything that is produced in a process of causation that has, as its root, an untamed mind -- as I mentioned before -- is miserable. Since this is the case, this must be gotten rid of. Is it possible to get rid of this? For this, the Third Seal is helpful.

The Third Seal is that all phenomena are empty and selfless. Our attitudes of desire and hatred are produced in dependence upon phenomena first appearing to exist in their own right, and then our assenting to that false appearance.

Now, is a mind, which conceives phenomena to truly exist, a correct consciousness or an incorrect consciousness? We can investigate this and determine it by the fact that, if the phenomena exist in the way that they are conceived, then the consciousness that conceives them so is correct. And if phenomena do not exist in a way in which the consciousness conceives them to exist, then that consciousness is incorrect, wrong.

Whereas it is the case that phenomena are empty and selfless, we conceive phenomena to be nonempty and to have a self. Once that is proved, it can be shown that a mind that conceives them to be nonempty, and to have a self is a wrong consciousness.

So how can it be established that all phenomena are empty and selfless? With respect to this, there are four different Buddhist schools in terms of their view on this, and within those schools, there are inner divisions also.

Now, to explain this from the point of view of the highest of the four schools, that is of the Madhyamika system: If a phenomenon is truly established, it should be established objectively, in and of itself. If it is established objectively, one should be able to find it upon searching for it in analysis. But when we search in analysis for these phenomena, we can find neither the user of these objects, nor those objects used. Similarly, also, one cannot find the using of the used by the user. Then since it is the case that these cannot be found upon analysis, is it that these phenomena don't exist at all?

If things didn't exist at all, there couldn't be any such thing as help and harm; and it is because of help and harm that we are seeking the view itself. Thus, because there is help and harm, it is not that phenomena do not exist at all.

What is it then, if phenomena do exist but cannot be found when the object designated is sought under analysis? One must posit then, that phenomena cannot be posited as established in their own right, but must be posited as existing or established in dependence on other conditions. Thus, all phenomena are dependent arisings.

This means that they are established in dependence upon other factors. Once they are established in dependence on other phenomena, they are dependent, and the dependent and independent are a dichotomy. They are contradictory. They are a dichotomy. Anything under consideration must either be dependent or independent. There is no third category.

Once it is established by reasoning that phenomena are not established independently; then it is established perforce that they are dependent. Thus, the ultimate meaning of the doctrine that phenomena are empty and selfless is that phenomena are dependent arisings.

When in this way one understands the meaning of emptiness as being the meaning of dependent arising; and one understands the meaning of dependent arising is the meaning of emptiness -- then one has understood the Middle Way.

Although it cannot be seen with the eyes, it can be established with reasoning therefore, that phenomena are empty of such inherent existence. The ultimate form of reasoning derives from our own direct perception, and it is by way of such reasoning that this must be proved. Through this, it can be established or proven that all phenomena are empty and selfless.

Once phenomena are empty and selfless, it can be established that a mind that conceives phenomena to exist by way of its own nature is mistaken. A mistaken consciousness and a non-mistaken consciousness cannot exist at the same time in observation of the same object. A mistaken consciousness doesn't have a valid cognizer as its foundation; whereas a non-mistaken consciousness has a valid foundation. When two consciousnesses that have contradictory modes of apprehension -- the one having a valid foundation, and the other not having a valid foundation -- compete, the one consciousness harms the other. When these two compete, that consciousness, which has a valid foundation wins out.

From another point of view, even conventionally, mind has a nature of clear light. The very definition of mind is that it is that which is luminous and knowing. And the sign of the fact that all consciousnesses have as their nature that which is luminous and knowing is: if desire and hatred were in the very nature of the mind, then as long as mind was there, desire and hate would have to be there.

But this is not the case, right?

Thus, this is a sign that those defilements of desire, hatred and so forth do not reside in the very nature of mind itself.

Thus, it can be established through these two modes of approach, one ultimate and the other conventional -- this latter being the conventional one -- that it is possible for the mind to become separate from these defiling factors.

When these faults are removed by the generation of their antidotes, these faults are removed to where? They are removed into the expanse of reality.

And by what are they removed? They are removed by a mind that knows the actual mode of subsistence of things.

How is it or in what manner are they removed? They are removed in such a manner that even if one meets with causes and conditions that would normally produce them, they will not be produced.

This reality into which these defilements have been extinguished is called Nirvana. And this is the final peace. This is the Fourth Seal then, that Nirvana is peace.

After one attains Nirvana, the mind, the luminous and knowing, still remains. One still needs to make effort at the means to become omniscient -- rather than just staying in this expansive peace. The very basis then of one's practice -- the root of one's practice at that time -- is this altruistic mind of enlightenment.

Thus, it is through the combination or the union of the practice of this altruism, together with the correct view of reality, that one can get rid of not only the afflictive obstructions but also the obstructions to omniscience, and attain the non-abiding Nirvana.

This is the explanation of the Buddhist view of reality.