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Great article Jackson !

Since you mention the objection of Nagarjuna and the teachings of the second turning of the Dharma Chakra, it is always good to back to the Prajna Paramita Hrydaya Sutra (the Heart Sutra), as it is universally accepted as an authoritative summary of the Prajnaparamita teachings on which Nagarjuna’s comments are based.

The Sutra starts with:

When the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara
Was Coursing in the Deep Prajna Paramita
He Perceived That All Five Skandhas Are Empty

What is often overlooked is that the third verse expressly says “he perceived that all five skandhas are empty”.

Logically, “he perceived” implies that some form of ‘primordial awareness’ (or whatever we might call it) perceived that the aggregate of consciousness was empty, which also validates your point of view.

My conclusion is that Nagarjuna, as well as the historical Buddha, didn’t see “anatta” or “emptiness” as dogmatic ontological truths, but only as invaluable tools to uproot the last bits of subtle false identification, keeping in mind that ‘primordial awareness’ is not and will never be an object [as such].



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The reason people (by "people" I'm pointing mainly to we vipassana practitioners) get confused is that we are told "everything is subject to the three characteristics." Which is, of course, true as regards all object you encounter... until you encounter a certain POV. Primordial awareness just IS. Period. As far as I can tell, it is the veritable definition of timelessness, so any reference to time of any sort is meaningless in regard to it. So I understand Jackson's confusion. I was confused about this for a while, too. Since primordial awareness is not an object it just doesn't adhere to the doctrine of the three characteristics.

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"Another potential point of confusion is the emphasis on sense door/sense organ. Mental imagery, for instance, is a kind of visual phenomenology ("eye-consciousness") that doesn't require visual input to the eyes. Sensory input is not a necessary condition for phenomenal contents. "

"During recent meditation sessions, it felt as if my real identity was an unfathomable void containing the totality of experience within itself. A strange sensation of being both in and out of the game, as if the objective waking world was nothing more than a dream taking place within this void. But this dream was also the only reality, as an expression of suchness.

I would then tend to assume that Awareness gives birth to consciousness within itself, thus creating the illusion of an observer, exactly like a dream yet much more stable.
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"Any way to go a little slower here for the slower people?"