More than anything, ignorance fixes and imprisons us to the wheel of samsara in which we are doomed to repeat, almost without end, more acts of ignorance that insure our inability to escape.
This ignorance, it should be pointed out, is the One Mind's (eka-citta) ignorance or non-knowledge of itself (avidya) which, ironically, is conditioned by its perfect identity with itself such that it lacks or is totally empty of any distinguishing characteristics (this is a very important concept to grasp: a substance in absolute identity cannot see itself). This implies, paradoxically, that the One Mind is as much Mind-as-samsara (i.e., Mind not knowing itself) and Mind-as-Thatness (thatness = tathata) which is Mind in perfect identity with itself which can be awakened to by a Bodhisattva who thus becomes Buddha, i.e., Mind fully awakened to itself.
It is a given in Buddhism that sentient beings are first in samsara, although they believe otherwise. So diabolical is life in samsara, because it ultimately rests and depends on Mind-as-Thatness, that the denizens of samsara are convinced that what they are immersed in is in some way or manner absolute (Mind-as-Thatness). What they don't understand is that the things (dharma) they behold and naturally desire or want reinforce their ignorance which keeps them ever fixed to the wheel of samsara. Not missing this fact, the Buddha said: "This is that want which ensnares, ... by which this world is smothered, ... so that it does not transcend samsara" (SA, 984, 256a).
A message somewhat lost in the canon of Buddhism or understated is that the world of samsara is the antithesis of Mind-as-Thatness, or the same its dependent origination (S., pratityasamutpada). A close analogy would be to say a pot is the antithesis of the clay. What all this means from a higher vantage point is that the One Mind, in order to know itself, moves or projects itself such that it creates something in the way of a disturbance from its intrinsic no-thingness or the same, its perfect identity. This, it is easy to guess, is the world of samsara—a cosmic ocean of disturbances, macro and micro. Yet, surprisingly even though the One Mind seems trapped in its own disturbances, it has advanced. In samsara it stands always on the edge of realizing itself as Mind-as-Thatness by beholding the limit of samsara which in Sanskrit is bhutakoti. Bhutakoti is normally described as the boundary between samsara and nirvana. In other words, bhutakoti is samsara's limit; a point at which Mind re-identifies with itself which is a cessation of disturbances; a cooling; a flow into no-thingness or signlessness.
The path traveled to full awakening or Buddhahood as been one from primordial ignorance of Mind-as-Thatness, to its disturbance becoming Mind-as-samsara, then reaching the limit of Mind-as-samara thus awakeningly returning to Mind-as-Thatness which is an illuminating return-to-self. In this last state, Mind-as-Thatness knows samsaric things or dharmas to be only Mind (cittamatra) just like a golden lion is only gold which is to say, the lion shape-ness is an illusion of difference.
Very interesting post and explaination. This site is always an education.
Thanks for taking the time to write and post.
Posted by: Chong Go Sunim | August 29, 2010 at 10:50 PM