Monday, May 27, 2013

The Teachings of the Lankavatara Sutra


Everything we perceive as being real is nothing but the perceptions of our own minds.

This knowledge is something we must realize and experience for ourselves, and cannot be expressed in words.

To Ch'an Masters these two teachings are known as "have a cup of tea," and "taste the tea."

2 comments:

  1. thanks for the posting!
    just curious-what is your understanding of "realize and experience for ourselves"?

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    Replies
    1. The first line of the posting doesn't mean things don't exist - it means each of us sees, knows, labels, and understands things through our own experience, our own history. Two people can watch the same movie, eat the same meal, hear the same song and have totally different reactions.

      Everything is filtered through our individual history. When we know this, truly know it, life becomes a wee bit less stressful.

      This is a very simple response to your question. Does it offer clarity?

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