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Love, Understanding, and Interbeing in Buddhism and Science
Thay recalls a memory from twenty years ago at Plum Village, when Sister Dinh Nghiem, Tue Nghiem, Thuan Nghiem, and Bich Nghiem once performed on stage, with Bich Nghiem playing the novice monk. Amidst the backdrop of war, Thay remembers the sorrow of the young monks who sacrificed their lives and wishes for the sound of the great bell to resound like a breath soothing the soul, awakening the spirits of those who have passed away. Two verses, repeated many times:
“Today the sky is pale in color and scent, I await the dawn.
The sound of the bell rings out, bringing serenity to the soul,”
are drawn from the subconscious, expressing faith that the Dharma can build a future for humanity.
Next, Thay teaches about Prajnaparamita and Consciousness-Only: self and dharmas are only “provisional designations”—agreed-upon names, without true essence; all are manifestations of consciousness (vijnapti). H2O is used as an example for consciousness, while clouds, snow, rain, and ice are the various “manifestations”; the “manifester” and the “manifested” are not separate, they inter-are like cause and effect. Ultimate reality transcends the two notions of “being” and “non-being,” “good” and “evil,” all lying beyond discrimination.
Three main parts of consciousness are presented:
- Vipaka (Alaya—the storehouse where seeds are kept),
- Manas (the mind that discriminates between “me” and “not me”),
-
Discriminative consciousness (mind consciousness and the five sense consciousnesses).
Thay also presents the three pramāṇas (means of valid cognition): direct perception, inference, and invalid cognition, along with “the holy beings’ cognition”—the experience of the holy beings. Finally, Thay affirms the need to modernize Consciousness-Only teachings with knowledge from physiology, neuroscience, and physics in order to understand more deeply the store consciousness and the automatic functioning of body and mind.