Please join Geshe Lobsang for a four-session course on the two truths. The Dalai Lama suggested that for many in the West today, understanding the two truths—conventional truth and ultimate truth—is the best place to start in seeking to understand Buddhism.
He explains matter and mind are both devoid of intrinsic existence, but they do both exist on the basis of designation and causes and conditions. So, they have dependent origination, but they don’t have intrinsic existence.
A table and its emptiness are a single entity. When an ordinary conventional mind takes a table as its object of observation, it sees a table. When a mind of ultimate analysis searches for the table, it finds the emptiness of the table. Hence, the two truths are posited in relation to a single entity by way of the perspectives of the observing consciousness.
Khedrub Jé writes: “The two truths are therefore of the same nature, but different conceptual identities. They have a single-nature relationship such that, if one did not exist, neither could the other, just like being conditioned and impermanent.”
Geshe will share with us how we can recognize that whatever arises from the causal conditions is not a non-existent, even though it lacks intrinsic reality.
His Holiness further said: then you will clearly appreciate the importance of the teachings on two truth. What we’re talking about here is that there are two levels of reality. One is the ultimate level of reality, which is the emptiness, where nothing can be found. But there’s also another level of reality, which is the conventional, relative level, on which causes and effects and everything function. And this ability to distinguish between two levels of reality and two truths, and understanding existence in terms of these two, becomes very important.
To refresh your knowledge and to gain new understanding please join Geshe.
Classes via Zoom wil be held on Sundays starting July 26, 10:00 am mountain standard time.
1) To sign up, email emahoevents@emahofoundation.org . We will then send you the link to the Webinar. Please note that you will use the same link for all four session.
2) The suggested donation is $10.00 a class. No one is turned away for lack of funds. Donation can be made through Paypal. Or by sending a check to Emaho Foundation, 11435 North Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, AZ 85020.