Consciousness
is a product of force:
All actions be it perceiving (seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling),
thinking, speak and doing require force.
Just like actions, consciousness too is a product of force, without
force there can be no consciousness just as without electricity there can be no
picture and sound on the TV or iPad.
Consciousness is a separate product of force just as actions are
products of force but it is big mistake to think that force is therefore indispensable
and good. Force is still evil and harmful even if it is the source of
consciousness and the Buddha implies so.
The Buddha said from ignorance (not knowing) comes fabrications or activities
of force and from force comes consciousness which implies consciousness is
dependent on fabrications, on force and without fabrications consciousness
vanishes. It is consciousness that then give rise to the world of existence
that then necessitates portals of communication with this world in the forms of
senses (sight, sound, touch, smell and taste) contact through which gives rise
to feelings that may be pleasant, unpleasant, neither pleasant nor unpleasant
and these feelings give rise to craving that gives rise to clinging or
sustenance/maintenance that gives rise to becoming that necessitates birth that
then leads to decay and suffering and thence death.
BY IMPLICATION, THE BUDDHA SAYS THAT CONSCIOUSNESS IS A PRODUCT OF FORCE
AND RATHER THAN GOOD, CONSCIOUSNESS TOO IS NOT WHOLESOME AND THE ROOT OF
SUFFERING ACCORDING TO THE BUDDHA. IGNORANCE NOT CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE SOURCE OF
ALL BEINGS AND WITH THE CESSATION OF IGNORANCE BROUGHT ABOUT BY ENLIGHTENMENT,
THE BEING CEASES TO FABRICATE, CEASES TO STIR FORCE AND THAT LEADS TO THE END
OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND ALL THE TROUBLES THAT ENSUES.
CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT PERMANENT, ARISES AND DIES AND RATHER THAN A
PLEASURE IT IS SUFFERING COMPARED TO ITS CESSATION.
CONSCIOUSNESS HAS CONCENTRATION THAT VARIES GREATLY AMONGST BEINGS
RANGING FROM ORDINARY BEINGS THROUGH THE 1ST (NO STYLE), 2ND
(CESSATION OF THINKING), 3RD (NEITHER LIKE NOR DISLIKE), 4TH
(NEITHER PAIN NOR PLEASURE) AND FURTHER UP, THE INFINITUDE OF SPACE,
CONSCIOUSNESS, NEITHER PERCEIVING NOR NOT PERCEIVING.
THIS WORLD AND ALL BEINGS ARE BORN OF IGNORANCE AND DRIVEN BY FORCE OR
STIRRED ENERGY AND FORCE IS THE ROOT OF ALL TROUBLE AND SUFFERING. UNTIL A
BEING SEES AS IT ACTUALLY IS THAT FORCE IS NOT GOOD, NOT SOMETIMES GOOD AND
SOMETIMES BAD, SEES FORCE AS A SOURCE OF HIS TROUBLES AND QUITS FORCE
PERMANENTLY TO EXTINGUISH HIMSELF, CLOSE HIS ACCOUNT WITH THIS WORLD, HE
WANDERS ON IN EXISTENCE WHICH IS ACTUALLY MEANINGLESS AND SUFFERING TO SELF AND
OTHERS ACCORDING TO THE BUDDHA.
Bodhi Sutta: Awakening (1)
I have heard that on one occasion, when the Blessed
One was newly Awakened -- staying at Uruvela by the banks of the Nerañjara
River in the shade of the Bodhi tree, the tree of Awakening -- he sat in the
shade of the Bodhi tree for seven days in one session, sensitive to the bliss
of release. At the end of seven days, after emerging from that concentration,
in the first watch of the night, he gave close attention to dependent
co-arising in forward order, thus:
When this
is, that is.
From the arising of this comes the arising of that.
From the arising of this comes the arising of that.
In other words:
From ignorance as a requisite
condition come fabrications.
From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness.
From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-and-form.
From name-and-form as a requisite condition come the six sense media.
From the six sense media as a requisite condition comes contact.
From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling.
From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving.
From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging/sustenance.
From clinging/sustenance as a requisite condition comes becoming.
From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth.
From birth as a requisite condition, then old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair come into play. Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress and suffering.
From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness.
From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-and-form.
From name-and-form as a requisite condition come the six sense media.
From the six sense media as a requisite condition comes contact.
From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling.
From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving.
From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging/sustenance.
From clinging/sustenance as a requisite condition comes becoming.
From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth.
From birth as a requisite condition, then old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair come into play. Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress and suffering.
Then, on realizing the significance of that, the
Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:
As phenomena
grow clear
to the brahmin -- ardent, absorbed --
his doubts all vanish
when he discerns what has a cause.
to the brahmin -- ardent, absorbed --
his doubts all vanish
when he discerns what has a cause.
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