Explanation on "The Extinction of Consciousness" in Article Fifteen
In recent days, I've noticed that many friends are very interested in the following content from Article Fifteen, but there are also many guesses and misunderstandings. Therefore, I would like to provide a detailed explanation of this part here.
After such discovery, I often dwell in a state of distancing from all consciousness, disliking, not enjoying, not welcoming, not rejecting, until one day, when I completely let go of all immediate arising consciousness and its content, with right awareness, without grasping, I realized the extinction of consciousness.
It turns out that consciousness cannot comprehend Nirvana, but it is precisely the complete extinction of all consciousness that is Nirvana. This completely overturns the past understanding of Nirvana. The so-called Nirvana experience in the past, no matter how silent, how special, how certain that the body and mind have completely ceased, is actually due to contact, due to consciousness.
If there is no contact, no consciousness, how can it be established as Nirvana? In fact, when consciousness is completely extinguished, all concepts about Nirvana lose their meaning." As described in the article: I realized the "extinction of consciousness," but it's important to note that I did not say "I realized Nirvana." Why? Because all concepts and experiences about "this is Nirvana" "that is Nirvana" are based on what is known, can be known, or might be known.
When consciousness is extinguished, everything based on consciousness is also extinguished. As mentioned later, "when consciousness is completely extinguished, all concepts about Nirvana lose their meaning." Since this is a documentary article, what I wrote here is a truthful record of what was seen and thought at the time, without any additions or modifications, so it might not be detailed enough and could easily be misunderstood.
Let me explain further with a metaphor, which should make it clearer. For example, when you wash a newly bought bowl, sometimes you might find some small spots that seem like dirt on the white porcelain, no matter how hard you wash, those spots remain unchanged. So, you might think that these spots are inherent flaws or decorations of the bowl, and now it is a clean bowl. However, later, when you accidentally wipe off one of the spots, you realize that with these spots, it cannot be considered clean.
Only when these spots are completely wiped away, it is truly clean. Just like in the metaphor, when you rightly realize the "extinction of consciousness," you will understand that with consciousness, it cannot be considered Nirvana. Only when all consciousness is completely extinguished, it is truly Nirvana. The insight arising from right awareness at this moment can be considered as understanding the "true definition of Nirvana," but it does not mean that one is "experiencing Nirvana" at that moment. Just as when you remove one of the stains in the bowl, you can clearly understand that only when these stains are completely removed is it truly clean, not that it is already clean now.
Let me use another metaphor to explain the understanding of "when consciousness is completely extinguished, all concepts about Nirvana lose their meaning." For example, watching a movie, if we don't know it's a movie and it's already playing when we see it, and we never knew movies existed, we might think that what's in front of us, what we see and hear, is really happening, and the things in it exist for real. So, when we see something we like in the movie, we might want to go over and take it; when we see something terrifying in the movie, we might want to run away.
However, if the beam of light that is being projected suddenly disappears, you will realize that the existence and emergence of all things are based on that light. When the light completely vanishes, all things that arose and existed because of this light also lose their meaning entirely. Thus, you will no longer have the illusion of wanting to acquire or escape. Everything in the world, including the concept of Nirvana and the concept of the fruit of the path, are based on and exist because of consciousness. People's understanding, experience, decision-making, grasping, desire, aversion, and expectations are also dependent on consciousness.
When one truly understands the cessation of consciousness, interest in all content that arises and exists because of consciousness is lost, including the so-called Nirvana. "Consciousness" has always played an important role in the world because people are ignorant of "consciousness" and its instantaneous arising and ceasing, thinking that "consciousness" only ceases at death, hence they fear death, which is the view of annihilation.
The ignorance that "after one consciousness ceases, the next consciousness is newly born," and thinking that "consciousness" is constant, innate, and unchanging; or agreeing that "consciousness" arises and ceases, yet believing it is the same "consciousness" or the same life's "consciousness" continuing, is the view of permanence.
Therefore, some religions mistakenly describe "consciousness" as the knower, the capable of conditioning, inherent nature, true nature, Tathata, Alaya, Nirvana, Buddha-nature, true self, original self, divine self, etc., and consider understanding "consciousness" as these, or coming into contact with "consciousness," or residing in a state of "only consciousness" as enlightenment or realization.
Some might ask, the Theravada texts and Zen masters also say that consciousness arises and ceases instantaneously and believe in observing the arising and ceasing of the six consciousnesses, but why don't they have the same view? That's because the mainstream Zen method in Theravada is about knowing after the fact, not right knowing and right awakening. For example, when they observe the auditory consciousness, it is the subsequent consciousness observing the prior consciousness, even when observing the mental consciousness, it is the subsequent mental consciousness observing the prior one. Although consciousness does not truly have the ability to observe other phenomena, and mental consciousness does not have the function to observe other consciousnesses, due to wrong views and incorrect meditation methods, there is a rebirth of subsequent consciousness when consciousness arises without right knowing, leading to grasping and conceptualizing, thus continuing endlessly.
Therefore, some people might, through extraordinary effort, observe the arising and ceasing of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and even mental consciousness and develop dispassion, but can only leave behind the first five consciousnesses and reside in the formless realms, unable to truly leave behind mental consciousness.
Therefore, they cannot truly know the complete cessation of consciousness and thus cannot truly escape the domain of consciousness. Eventually, they will establish what is called Nirvana, such as cessation, absence of phenomena, absence of arising and ceasing, absence of attachment, emptiness, nothingness, non-conceptuality, various meditative absorptions, various states giving rise to the path and fruit consciousness. If one can rightly know the arising of all physical and mental phenomena, rightly know their cessation, and rightly know their characteristics and dangers, one will ultimately rightly know the cessation of all consciousness, and there will no longer be dependence on consciousness.
Then, all content that arises and exists because of consciousness will no longer be a bondage. In the oldest part of the Sutta Nipata, Chapter Four, Section Eleven, someone asked the Blessed One, what is the highest liberation? The Blessed One replied, "Some wise men in the world say the highest is purity of mind, among them, some say it is cessation, and some say it is having no attachments."
Understanding these, understanding what dependence is, Muni gets rid of dependence, does not participate in disputes, and does not fall into various existences. Dear friends, if you have any doubts about the text or meditation, you can leave me a message or send an email. At that time, I will respond to everyone's concerns collectively. I would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement.