When we contemplate carefully the picture of the CUBE below, we see there is a dimension that has been added, we are looking at a 2D picture and we see a 3D one instead.
Then we can start wondering more about it. Has this dimension been added by the picture? Or it has been added by the observer? Or is it a combination of both? Is the picture separate from the observer? Or do they come to exist in the same experience, they co-emerge?
It's not difficult to see that the picture alone does not have that power of adding the third dimension, so there must be something else, maybe something within us. Is it our eyes maybe? Even though we see the picture through our eyes, we cannot assume that they are neutral about the object they are capturing, otherwise we wouldn't be able to switch between the Cubes without moving their position.
If we keep staring at the picture without moving our eyes, we can see that the cubes switch from time to time. With practice we can switch between the cubes at our own will without any eye movement at all. Therefore we see that it is not the eyes that add the third dimension to the drawing either.
So maybe it is something else. Is it the mind then? Well, here we can start wondering again. What is the mind? Is it our current flow of thoughts, plans and memories? Let's call this the ordinary mind, just for the sake of understanding. If we investigate a little deeper we see that everything we can think of are linked to the five senses. In other words, all of our thoughts are related to things that we have seen, smelled, tasted, heard and/or touched.
We can close our eyes and imagine a certain picture, a scene of a movie, a scene from your own life. We can even remember and reproduce in our minds the smells, sounds, textures and tastes we have ever experienced before. So we see that our minds are intimately connected with our senses, our senses are intimately connected with their objects, therefore, the ordinary mind is also intimately connected with the objects.
From there we can conclude that the ordinary mind alone would not be able to add the third dimension either. So, what can it? Following that line of reasoning we can conclude that us, the observers, do not come to exist without the objects. For us to exist we depend on the objects we perceive. However, the objects we perceive come to exist due to the abilities of our minds to create and add meanings to objects. Then both, observer and object come to exist in the same experience,they co-emerge, they exist together.
When we look at the drawing and see a cube, we can observe that there is an internal disposition which allows us to see the cube. There is this internal, subtle, "mark" that allows us to perceive the Cube. So the Cube is nothing but a reflexion of this internal disposition.
More to come! Have a great contemplation everyone!
Feel free to make comments, questions and so forth!
Cris
Friday, November 20, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
THE CUBE INITIATION - PART I
Hi there folks,
We are back on track after a while without posting. In the few last meditation meetings we've talked about the 12 links of inter-dependence origination and we saw that all our confusion starts with ignorance. But what kind of ignorance are we talking about here?
This ignorance we are referring to has nothing to do with a lack of studying of a certain subject, neither it refers to stupidity of some kind. It has to do with an erroneous perception of reality.
When we establish contact with the world through our physical senses we automatically interpret reality as being separate from us, therefore we see objects, events and phenomena as if they existed independently, as if they had an autonomous and intrinsic identity.
This automatic interpretation leads us to believe that our senses are neutral before the objects we establish contact with, and that they are accurate means for capturing reality. This view is the cause for the origination of ego and its consequences like desire for what is pleasant and aversion for what is not.
One of the best examples from Lama Samten to help us see how we are deceived by our senses is the Cube example. When you look at the picture below, what do you see?
A cube?
How many cubes can you see?
Think carefully!!!
How many?
Two?
We are back on track after a while without posting. In the few last meditation meetings we've talked about the 12 links of inter-dependence origination and we saw that all our confusion starts with ignorance. But what kind of ignorance are we talking about here?
This ignorance we are referring to has nothing to do with a lack of studying of a certain subject, neither it refers to stupidity of some kind. It has to do with an erroneous perception of reality.
When we establish contact with the world through our physical senses we automatically interpret reality as being separate from us, therefore we see objects, events and phenomena as if they existed independently, as if they had an autonomous and intrinsic identity.
This automatic interpretation leads us to believe that our senses are neutral before the objects we establish contact with, and that they are accurate means for capturing reality. This view is the cause for the origination of ego and its consequences like desire for what is pleasant and aversion for what is not.
One of the best examples from Lama Samten to help us see how we are deceived by our senses is the Cube example. When you look at the picture below, what do you see?
A cube?
How many cubes can you see?
Think carefully!!!
How many?
Two?
The next question would be, how can we see a cube, which is a 3D form in a flat 2D screen?
Where is the third dimension that allows us to see not only one, but two cubes? When we are looking at the picture we can shift from one cube to the other, what makes this shift possible?
I will let you guys contemplate it for a while and come back with more comments on the Cube example. There are so many topics for contemplation in this single picture!
Have a good exercise everyone!
Cris
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