..續本文上一頁located in the head.
There is a strong tendency to think that consciousness results purely from complex interactions within the human brain, and that when the brain dies, consciousness ceases. This mechanistic view is wholly mistaken. While there is evidence that certain parts of the brain can be identified with certain mental functions, that does not mean that the brain produces consciousness. In essence, the brain is a complex processing organ. It receives and processes incoming data impulses that inform about feelings, memory, thoughts, and consciousness, but it does not generate these mental functions; nor does it generate conscious awareness. That is entirely the province of the citta. (for a more detailed discussion see the Appendix on page 95)
“converge”: When the citta gathers all of its outflowing currents into one point, this is known as the citta “converging”. The practice of samãdhi meditation is a method for concentrating all of these perse currents into one focal point, thus centering the citta into a condition of complete stillness and calm.
Dhamma (skt. Dharma): Supreme Truth; the basic principles of that Truth; transcendent spiritual qualities; the Buddha”s Teaching. First and foremost, Dhamma is the quintessential nature of perfect harmony existing in and of itself, independent of all phenomena, yet permeating every aspect of sentient existence. Dhamma is the right natural order of things that forms the underlying basis for all existence, though it is not dependent on or conditioned by any form of existence. Ultimately, Dhamma is the sum of those transcendent qualities, such as detachment, loving kindness and wisdom, the spiritual perfection of which brings the mind into harmony with the Supreme Truth. By further extension, Dhamma encompasses the basic principles that are the essence of the Buddha”s Teaching, including the patterns of behavior that should be practiced so as to harmonize oneself with the right natural order of things.
dukkha: Suffering, pain, discontent; the unsatisfactory nature of all phenomena. Dukkha is the condition of fundamental discontent that is inherent within the very nature of all sentient existence. Essentially, it is the underlying sense of dissatisfaction that ultimately undermines even the most pleasant experiences, for everything in the phenomenal world is subject to change and therefore unreliable. Thus, all of samsãric existence is characterized by dukkha.
kãmarãga: Sexual desire; lust. Predicated on a belief that the body is oneself and that happiness can be achieved for oneself through bodily sensations, kãmarãga is the desire, even craving, to seek pleasure and self-gratification by means of the physical body. With this mental defilement as the driving force, people attempt to overcome discontent and find fulfillment using physical stimulation as the primary means. If such craving is allowed a free rein, it easily becomes a preoccupation that gives rise to even more craving, leaving the heart forever hungry and dissatisfied.
kamma (skt. karma): One”s intentional actions of body, speech, and mind that result in birth and future existence. These actions carry with them a specific moral content—good, bad, or neutral—and leave in the ongoing continuum of consciousness a potential to engender corresponding results in the future. Buddhism holds that all unenlightened beings are bound to be born, live, die, and be reborn again and again in a variety of worlds and circumstances, a perpetual cycle of existence that is driven by the nature of their kamma and the inevitable manifestation of its consequences.
khandha: Literally, “group” or “aggregate”. In the plural, khandhas refer to the five physical and mental compon…
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