The Vajra Cutter Sutra - with a short commentary.

[Lhundrub Jinpa]

THE VAJRA CUTTER SUTRA — with a short commentary
by a Buddhist novice monk, getsul Lhundrub Jinpa :

https://vajra-cutter.mystrikingly.com/# ... commentary

[Lhundrub Jinpa]

“ Although limitless sentient beings have thus been caused to pass completely beyond sorrow, no sentient being whatsoever has been caused to pass completely beyond sorrow.” — The Vajra Cutter Sutra


Let’s try our cloud analogy. Although countless clouds have been caused by winds to pass across the sky, no cloud whatsoever has been caused to pass by winds across the sky. And why is that so?

When we think that we see a single cloud in the sky, what we really see is a group with a fluctuating number of parts, a group of H2O molecules (water vapour). This group of many parts constitutes a valid basis of designation for us to mentally impute our single abstract mental concept of ‘this single cloud’ to it, exactly like we have imputed single red colour, or few single shades of red, to a group of atoms composing flower’s petals. Our mind merely labelled this flower as being ‘red’, whatever ‘red’ feels like to you in your subjective experience.

Although countless clouds have been caused by winds to pass across the sky, no cloud whatsoever has passed out there, independently of our minds, because sky, wind and clouds do not exist inherently, from their own side, other than being conceptualized and labelled by our minds as such. No cloud whatsoever has passed out there, because there are no clouds in the sky that inherently exist as clouds from their own side, in their own right, like colour red does not exist out there, independent of mind.

It would seem that what is objectively passing, according to Western science, are atoms composing H2O molecules only, atoms which constitute a valid basis (a group of parts) for us to impute our single abstract mental concept of a “cloud” to it. However, the point the Buddha made was not a trivial conclusion that what we conventionally call a “cloud” is, in reality, an aggregation of atoms only, although he would agree with it, too.

It would be helpful to notice that what we conventionally call an “atom” is, in reality, an aggregation of subatomic quantum particles only. According to quantum physics, atoms are not more scientifically objective than clouds: Atom, The Illusion Of Reality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFS4oiVDeBI.

And, if you want to know what a subatomic quantum particle really is, please read the last two short and simple paragraphs of the following popular-science article: https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-is- ... -20201112/


When nobody is looking, in reality, do clouds pass in the sky with wind?

Do aggregations of atoms pass in the sky with wind, when nobody is looking? Does a falling tree make a sound when nobody is listening? What exactly is going on in reality when nobody is there to witness it?

It would be completely natural to assume that in reality, when nobody is there to witness it, everything is going on exactly as we had been seeing it before. This is one, conventional, way to view it. There is another way to view it, according to the view of the Perfection of Wisdom.

The mental label “cloud” is a general abstract mental concept of ours. As such, a cloud is not an element of reality, but an element of our abstract symbolic conceptual map of reality, and we already agreed not to take the map for the terrain.

Our general abstract mental concept of a “cloud” is our mental finger pointing at an area of reality, where something is happening. Would you agree that this “something”, in reality, cannot possibly be a cloud? Also, this “something”, in reality, cannot possibly be an aggregation of atoms, either. Whatever this “something” might turn out to be in reality, it cannot be an element of our conventional conceptual map, nor our mental finger, because the map of the terrain is not the terrain, and the finger pointing at the Moon is not the Moon.

In reality, when nobody is looking, whatever might be happening, it is not going to be our one general abstract mental concept passing with our other general abstract mental concept: cloud passing with wind. When nobody is looking, what is happening, let’s just say, is the reality itself, and not our mental concepts of this reality, because reality is empty of our concepts.

In reality, whatever we really might possibly be, our body is also empty of our concepts of it. In reality, our body cannot possibly be made of atoms.

The reality is not happening according to our subjective mental concepts, nor according to our scientific theories. These are our general abstract mental concepts of reality that are happening in our brains according to our very, very limited sensory perceptions of reality, and we naturally take our very, very limited sensory perceptions of reality for the reality itself, while reality is empty of our sensory perceptions.

In reality, whatever we really might possibly be, we do not exist in the way we appear to ourselves in a mirror.

Moreover, we also naturally take the memories of our very, very limited sensory perceptions of reality for what allegedly must be happening in reality, when nobody is looking, while reality is empty of our memories.

Therefore, the question is: What exactly is this “reality” that is supposed to be happening, when nobody is looking? Is it possible to take a look at it through a key hole?

https://quantumantigravity.files.wordpr ... ntary.docx