Konchog1 wrote:Alright, then. I don't understand Emptiness. I don't even know what I don't know so this will be a little rambling. Sorry.
I understand cause and effect. I understand that a table is really a collection of items (leg, paint, top, empty space around it, and so forth) that is merely labeled "table" in dependence on its parts. I understand that the leg, paint, top, empty space, and so forth are merely labeled in dependence on their parts all the way down to subtle atoms where infinite recursion happens where the atom can be split into several atoms forever.
However, if a "person" "hits" "me" with a "pipe" it'll hurt just as much as if a person hits me with a pipe. Or will it? If everything is already empty then how would recognizing it change anything? And why is the fact that things doesn't have a self so important? It still functions, it just didn't cause itself to arise.
Thank you.
Emptiness doesn't mean things are not there.
What is negated in emptiness is the self, the identity, the inherent nature.
It doesn't remove the show. The show is still there. The appearance is still there.
But, because you understand emptiness, the show is just an empty show. The appearance is just an empty appearance.
The difference in show, in appearances are no longer an issue. They are different, so what? They are just an empty show.
You will also know this body has no identity. Empty of essence.
You will feel pain if someone hurt you.
However, you need to note here. The pain that you feel depends on how strong you think this body is real. If you think it is real, you will naturally grasp it. When the pain comes, you will feel extremely pain.
The more you think this body is real, the more you grasp it, the more you will feel the pain.
In case you perfected your emptiness realization, you will have a pain sensation, but whether this pain sensation really hurt you or not, you wont feel that pain as PAIN like before. They are just a sensation and you will be still very peaceful. That's it.
If you have realize illusory body, you won't feel you have this body.
There were mink who burn himself and he feel nothing, you can find it in YouTube, Vietnamese monk. Recently, there is also female mono burn herself. She was standing so straight as if nothing happen.