Thursday, June 21, 2018

A Dream-like Feature in Our Lives


               A Dream-like Feature in Our Lives
                             
                                   
                                          * *
                                                                                   (some Spanish at end)

Ever in a dream-like situation where you feel like you’re passing through things, events, actions etc., like you are in a dream, like you see things, events, success or failure come and go, appear and disappear, form and disform the way they happen in a dream ?

How do we assess the properties of a dream and define dreams ? At least they share these :

1.    They do not occur in reality.
2.    The ‘truth’ in a dream is not the ‘truth’ in reality
3.    The identity differences in two realms show gaps
4.    ‘I have a dream’, ‘I wish’, ‘I would like to see (that happens)’ usually just bring out unsatisfactory scenes, or  outcomes, or only partially satisfying for small or big dreams, such as : I dream to have a big beautiful house, a good wife, great kids, or I dream my church, organization, association, party etc. would do better; or J. Lennon’s dream in “Imagine”
5.    Most dreams involve a type of desire : physically, or spiritually of many sources— which are combination, concoction, mixture or fabrication of the ‘elements’, ingredients of desire-borne wish, want, love, infatuation, passion etc.— which is what Buddhism call chanda, raja, vena and their contributing/constructing aggregates.

But what they share or could share with a reality-wished-for are worth ‘listening to’, giving attentiveness to, also.

   1a) Occasionally, or in rare moments, we do witness a beauty so perfect like that of a mountain, a woman, a horse, or  incredible , breath-taking, awesome sceneries such as a morning in the Himalaya, in the pastures near the Alps, or an evening by a Yosemite boulder, a trip along the Rhine. Or when we have such inspirational, awesome feeling when we hear of a personality like Mother Teresa’s. Things that normally happen in dreams “only” because of their awesome, surprising qualities, or the frequency of their occurrence is exceedingly rare. There , in rare moments, dreams and realities coincide

   2a) In such rare moments, truth in dream and reality correspond

   3a) The gap in identity difference between ‘what is real’ and “what is imagined ,or dreamed’ in these rare moments  is the least, or may evaporate. The similarity refuses to be refuted.

   4a) In the world of, in the intricate working in hearts and minds of desire, wish, inspiration, aspiration, dream, longing, yearning, the outcomes of some realities, especially the few most important dream-substantiated wish, want, yearning, can prove that they have been carried on, encouraged, fostered, and supported by dreams. And sometimes, people can say that : these good, excellent results are the fruits of my dreams. Therefore, reality sometimes can be said as an extension of dream. Vietnamese authors occasionally mention a state of mind called “mộng thực bất phân” ( it’s so hard to separate the elements of reality and dream in some situations)

   5a) Consequently, within the intricate working of desire, wish, inspiration etc. as mentioned above in (4) , the sources of of these can be found the mind-body complex of humans. Except in few of the most desirable longing, inspirational goals, other desires, wishes, wants, cravings should be observed, contemplated, controlled because most of the times these will bring only unsatisfactory outcomes. And the reason for their unsatisfying outcomes can be recognized by a wise observation from F. Hayek (1899-1992) , the philosopher-economist : many times the factors  furnishing the success of a plan, a theory, a proposal can be observed to a certain limit, while the unknown factors are frequently many times numerous. About 1200 years before, the brilliant monk(s) , who composed the Diamond Sutra , had written at the end of the Diamond Sutra:

            “All the seeable dharmas (*)
              Are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, images
              Like dew drops, light flashes
              Observe and contemplate as such”

By those lines, the monks recommended that we heed very carefully, learn well on the impermanent nature of all things, events, wants, wishes, desires, longings etc., especially the unhealthy, unclean, morally undesirable cravings, yearnings to prevent us from sufferings which could very well come from the obstruction, the unwise attitude of the clouded mind. Even with well-meant wish, longing, inspiration, the chance to success is low compared to that of failure. Therefore, be ware, be careful. For the unhealthy desires, and to a certain degree for the 'healthy' wishes, too, it wants to give the message :

     Don’t be that desperate, that sad, depressed. Don't get too
     stuck with unsatisfactory results, unfortunate events;
     things are impermanent, chances of failure are larger than
     success’s. In them, the dream-like elements are abundant.
            

Notes:

   * Edward Conze’s attached translation at the end of the Diamond Sutra :

      
As stars, a fault of vision, as a lamp,
A mock show, dew drops, or a bubble,
A dream, a lightning flash, or cloud,
So should one view what is conditioned

    - All what seeable (by eyes, or the usual 6 consciousnesses) are conditioned, and when the conditions are gone, they break down; as such they are impermanent.

   ** Reading related to 'identity difference' :

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_physicalism

Chân Huyền   
June 2018

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Alrededor de 1200 años antes, el brillante monje (s), que compuso el Sutra del Diamante, había escrito al final delSutra del Diamante:      

"Todos los dharmas visibles(*) 

Son como sueños, ilusiones, burbujas, imágenes 

Como gotas de rocío, destellos de luz 

Observad y contemplad como tal" 


Por esas líneas, los monjes recomendaron que prestemos atención cuidadosamente, aprender bien sobre la naturaleza impermanente de todas las cosas, eventos, deseos, anhelos, etc., especialmente los deseos insalubres, inmundos, moralmente indeseables, anhelos para prevenir los sufrimientos por nosotros, que podría muy bien venir de la obstrucción, la actitud imprudente de la mente nublada. Incluso con un deseo con buena intención, anhelo, inspiración, la oportunidad de triunfar es baja en comparación con la delfracaso.  Por lo tanto, sean precavidos, tengan cuidado. Para los deseos insalubres, y hasta cierto punto para los deseos ' saludables ', también quiere dar el mensaje:

     No sean tan desesperada, tan triste, deprimida. No se demasiado
   ataquen con resultados insatisfactorios, eventos
    desafortunados; las cosas son impermanentes, las probabilidades de fracaso son más grandes que éxito. En ellos, los elementos parecido al ensueño son abundantes.

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REF

http://www.buddhistische-gesellschaft-berlin.de/downloads/diamantsutraconze.pdf

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