When thinking of problems: raise your arms and hands forward and bringing together into the sound of a clap.
All the problems are like the sound of a clap. They need the two hands to get together to explode into sound — try to do the same with only one hand. Problems need the external and the internal factor to arise. We tend to consider, and see, only the external, and want to remove that one.
There are infinite external factors. It takes infinite time to remove those. Internal factors — non-technically speaking — are two: selfishness and ignorance.
If you can remove the external problems, why choosing to do so is it less wise than removing the internal ones? Because external factors are too numerous, you would require infinite time, and only limited time is at your disposal.
Geshe-la illustrates this by giving us verbally mental calculus, first at a steady slow speed and then at a very high speed. It was easy to answer to the first one, but not to the second one. A computer can handle easily but not our brains. Geshe-la spoke too fast — external — my brain is slow — internal; we blame the external.
To be wise is to be skilful at selecting whether we should select internal or external resolutions when problems arise. Among people there are two extremes: Blaming it all only to external causes; Blaming it all only to internal causes (mental). Managing both simultaneously yields best results. Taking care of the external problems can accommodate resolution of some internal ones.
How do we stop ALL painful tears? — Remove the internal factors completely, this is a long process. For very long processes — programmes just like doing PhD — requires taking care of external factors (taking holidays to clean environment, make sure we stay comfortable, make exercise). How de we proceed after that? — be able to identify internal factors.
Internal factors = obscurations
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Afflictive obscuration Description Contaminated karmas Karma* driven by afflictions Afflition Mental factor the presence of which disturbs the mind Active seeds** of the first 2 Causes that produce the potential to develop them
3 Poisons
Attachment འདོད་ཆགས། Aversion ཞེ་སྡང་། Ignorance གཏི་མུག
“Attachment is involuntary pull, aversion is involuntary push, ignorance is not knowing the reality” — Ven. Geshe Dorji Damdul
Ignorance is at the root, and gives rise to attachment and aversion.
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Wisdom is the discerning mind whose apprehensions of the objects tell us the reality.
4 Invesions (Ignorances)
impermanent as permanent, miseries as happiness, impure as pure, selfless as selfhood
- Ignorance misconceiving impermanent phenomena as permanent
- Ignorance which misconceives miseries as happiness
- Ignorance which misconceives impure things as pure
- Ignorance which misconceives what is selfless nature as selfhood
They get counteracted by the NDC605 4 Seals of Buddhism
Also known as four distorted views / four inversions
Viparyāsa
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Skt. विपर्यास
Tib. ཕྱིན་ཅི་ལོག་བཞི།
NDC Question — Can internal factors alone cause suffering without needing external ones?