The World We Perceive Manifests From Store Consciousness

Thay shares that to realize the truth, one must practice humility, openness, and non-attachment to fixed views. In Buddhism, this means letting go of all concepts so the truth can be revealed. Thay presents the concept of emptiness as the absence of a separate self, everything is interconnected. Through deep meditation, one realizes that a single element contains the entire cosmos.

In the center part of the talk, Thay explains that the ultimate reality is accessed through the mind, which can be obstructed by attachment to what we already know and by afflictions such as fear and anger. Thay presents store consciousness as the ground from which both the knower and the known arise. Everything — mind, body, world - manifests from it.

At the end of the talk, Thay introduces the concentration (samādhi) of signlessness, which teaches us to not be trapped by appearances. This practice helps us transcend fear and understand the interdependence of all things.

This is the third talk in a series of five given during the Scientists in the Field of Consciousness retreat, in the year 2006. Thay offered this talk at the Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.