Store Consciousness - Verse Six

The quality of our life
depends on the quality
of the seeds
that lie deep in our consciousness.

On one of his visits to North Korea, the photographer Eric Lafforgue, interviewed a 20 year old student from Pyongyang, Miss Kim. Miss. Kim said that she hated Americans, that she believed that the South Koreans would kill her, that Lady Gaga was a man and that Kim Jong Il invented hamburger in 2009. I am sure that most of us do not agree with Miss. Kim.

The seeds of hatred against Americans and South Koreans are very strong in Miss. Kim. Seeds that we water more, will emerge stronger. Since the seeds are collective as well as individual, our environment plays a major part in what seeds we acquire and nourish. Our views, our opinions and what we think of as fact depends on what we consider as valid sources of information.

Miss. Kim's views are influenced by her government, education, family, society, friends, media etc. She considers them to be valid sources of information. Most of us are like her.

Most people consider direct perception, inference and testimony as valid sources of knowledge. If I have seen it, it is valid. If there is smoke, there must be fire. If it is in the Bible or Koran or one of the Vedas or the Tri-Pitaka or the New York Times, it must be right. Based on information thus acquired, an untrained mind consciousness forms opinions and waters seeds of anger, hatred, greed etc.

Vijñaptimātrins understand that all sources of knowledge can be correct or incorrect in particular conditions and contexts. All views can only be right from certain perspectives. So we must let go of our views.

Certain conditions make our eyes see water in a desert even when there is none. We call it a mirage. When we focus our attention on a moving wheel for some time, then take our eyes off it, we may see things in motion for few moments even when they are stationary. There are other examples too that Vijñaptimātrins offer, like the appearance of a rope as a snake, to prove that direct perception can be incorrect.

Inference is analytical and we are applying our knowledge to direct perception. This can only always be right if we know everything. Since we don't know everything, this cannot always be right. The inference that we will burn our finger if we put it in a flame only holds good until we come across a cold flame.

Testimony cannot be relied upon either. We can see for ourselves that the prejudice against women in many religious texts is incorrect. We have understood this through experience. We must also understand that words do not truly convey the meaning of new experiences. Try explaining what a computer is to someone who has never seen one. Then ask him to explain what he has understood to another and you may be surprised. Try playing Chinese Whispers to see for yourself how impossible it is to exactly recall even a few sentences, let alone volumes of texts.

When Buddha Siddhartha Gautama was going around Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, offering teachings to the masses, there were other teachers too doing the same. So people asked him how they could determine which teachings were right for them. He encouraged people to make their own decisions and there is sutra on that. The ultimate meaning from the Mahāyāna perspective is that if the teachings are watering the seeds of love, compassion, joy and equanimity in the world then they are good for us.

We need to water the seeds of love, compassion, joy and equanimity. We can do this by practicing the five mindfulness trainings. By practicing mindful consumption we can improve our physical as well as mental health. We practice true happiness because we realize that we cannot be happy if others suffer. We must apply these trainings to our daily activities. Then we will water the right seeds and our life will be much better.

(Basedon the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.) 

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