..續本文上一頁ty angle, which is the conventional reality ordinarily displayed to us, form is not emptiness, emptiness is not form. Therefore, you must separately understand the different layers of true reality and manifest reality.
This way of understanding is actually the same as the analysis of quantum mechanics. In quantum mechanics when a bottle is observed, its nature is molecules, quark, subquark…but in the manifest reality, that is when we look at it using eyes, do we see the subquark
No, it is a bottle. Then why can the eyes not see the subquark
That is because these are two concepts, two layers, and these cannot be mixed together.
Similarly, when we use eyes to look at a particularly being, for example an ant, even though its nature is empty, but before we have attained the realization of emptiness, we should practice according to the manifestation of all beings in the natural world. How do we practice
What you see is an ant. Ants have suffering and happiness, so we cultivate compassion according to its suffering and happiness. Even though the nature of compassion or unwholesome mind is empty, but in the conventional reality, wholesome and unwholesome result in different fruits, which is why we need to cut off the unwholesome and cultivate the wholesome.
Like that bottle, you cannot throw it away based on the fact that it is formed by subquark, and not believe in its existence. If you throw it away, you cannot drink water without the bottle. Similarly, if you do not choose or let go of certain causes and effects, then you can only receive pains and sufferings. This is the law of the conventional level, each and every one of us exist according to this law. Therefore, conventional reality and true reality need to be separated.
On this idea, if you have a holistic comprehension of Buddhism, your understanding would be more harmonious. Otherwise, you would either be full of doubts, or make easy judgements, or even reject it. None of these are scientific. The reason why people accept science is because, according to one scientist, it must be equipped with three main characteristics. At the same time, he believes that Buddhism is also completely equipped with these three main characteristics. From this, we can see that Buddhism is also scientific. It is just that some questions require deeper study before they can be understood.
(14) Question: I am a Physics student here. Buddhism talks about the “Samsara of life and death”, and “past and future lives”. But I grew up receiving a Materialist education so I do not know how to understand these ideas.
Answer: Actually, even contemporary science acknowledges past and future lives. Like Dr. Stevenson and Dr. Tucker of the United States, they have collected more than a thousand cases in the US and the world to prove the existence of past and future lives. These cases come from all groups: those who believe in science, those who do not; those who have religious beliefs, those who do not… because of their long term observation of these cases, they also eventually believed in the existence of past and future lives.
People generally do not acknowledge these mostly because of their environment or education. But I believe that it is time they rethink this – in fact, Materialists” rejection of past and future lives dost not have any powerful evidence. It is merely a verbal refutation.
If the refuter does not have any evidence, but the proposer has real cases, then this itself is a good way of establishing the case. Additionally in Buddhism there are theories – these may be slightly technical, but simply speaking: because a person has attachment to self, has afflictions, so karma is created. After karma has been created, when this period of life ends, life in the future will continue following…
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