1 00:00:00,263 --> 00:00:01,836 The ceiling above an arhat 2 00:00:02,182 --> 00:00:04,716 What do cognitive obscurations actually obscure 3 00:00:05,302 --> 00:00:07,556 A fellow practitioner left me a comment 4 00:00:07,703 --> 00:00:09,275 I sat with it for a long time 5 00:00:09,462 --> 00:00:09,775 They said 6 00:00:10,262 --> 00:00:12,476 An arhat has already realized no self 7 00:00:12,503 --> 00:00:15,355 So the subject object divide must already be gone 8 00:00:15,782 --> 00:00:17,335 Otherwise would there not still be a self 9 00:00:18,103 --> 00:00:19,495 That question cut like a knife 10 00:00:19,823 --> 00:00:20,916 Clean and sharp 11 00:00:20,983 --> 00:00:24,916 Straight into something most of us have never thought through 12 00:00:25,182 --> 00:00:27,102 If an arhat has already realized no self 13 00:00:27,103 --> 00:00:28,815 How can cognitive obscurations remain 14 00:00:29,422 --> 00:00:30,515 Is the root of cognitive obscuration 15 00:00:30,542 --> 00:00:32,536 Not a self that knows 16 00:00:33,222 --> 00:00:36,295 Is that not a question worth pausing over 17 00:00:37,684 --> 00:00:37,996 Hello 18 00:00:38,243 --> 00:00:38,716 Everyone 19 00:00:39,004 --> 00:00:40,057 I am Leo Wang 20 00:00:40,283 --> 00:00:40,956 In the previous video 21 00:00:41,203 --> 00:00:42,896 I made a specific correction 22 00:00:42,963 --> 00:00:44,603 I revised my explanation of cognitive obscurations 23 00:00:44,603 --> 00:00:47,456 To focus on the split between grasping subject and grasped object 24 00:00:47,643 --> 00:00:49,762 I thought that settled the matter 25 00:00:49,764 --> 00:00:52,883 But this practitioner followed my correction with another question 26 00:00:52,883 --> 00:00:55,176 Pushing me to the edge of a deeper cliff 27 00:00:55,364 --> 00:00:57,237 Has an arhat eliminated cognitive obscurations 28 00:00:57,283 --> 00:00:57,996 Or not 29 00:00:58,404 --> 00:00:59,117 If they have 30 00:00:59,243 --> 00:01:00,437 What separates them from a Buddha 31 00:01:00,684 --> 00:01:01,396 If they have not 32 00:01:01,603 --> 00:01:03,276 Have they not already realized no self 33 00:01:03,563 --> 00:01:05,156 Do those two claims not contradict each other 34 00:01:05,523 --> 00:01:06,276 In this episode 35 00:01:06,483 --> 00:01:07,977 We will explore that question 36 00:01:08,284 --> 00:01:10,697 But I do not want to pile up concepts 37 00:01:11,364 --> 00:01:14,537 I want to take you into the lives of several practitioners 38 00:01:14,683 --> 00:01:16,897 So you can see through their stories 39 00:01:16,924 --> 00:01:19,257 What cognitive obscurations really mean 40 00:01:19,483 --> 00:01:21,257 By the end you will understand 41 00:01:21,403 --> 00:01:25,977 Why even an arhat who has uprooted every affliction 42 00:01:26,084 --> 00:01:29,097 Still has a transparent ceiling overhead 43 00:01:29,403 --> 00:01:31,537 And what that ceiling holds down 44 00:01:31,564 --> 00:01:35,897 Is the same thing you and I unknowingly run into every day 45 00:01:36,763 --> 00:01:38,537 Let us begin with a verse 46 00:01:38,844 --> 00:01:41,416 At the opening of the Abhidharmakosha 47 00:01:41,484 --> 00:01:43,177 Vasubandhu wrote a verse of homage 48 00:01:43,444 --> 00:01:44,516 Its first line goes like this 49 00:01:45,084 --> 00:01:47,257 To the one who dispelled all darkness in every way 50 00:01:47,523 --> 00:01:48,722 In just seven Chinese characters 51 00:01:48,724 --> 00:01:52,097 It draws the distinction between a Buddha and an arhat 52 00:01:52,204 --> 00:01:52,877 What does it mean 53 00:01:53,323 --> 00:01:54,276 There are two kinds of darkness here 54 00:01:54,683 --> 00:01:55,636 One is all afflictive darkness 55 00:01:55,924 --> 00:01:57,356 The other is darkness of every kind 56 00:01:57,963 --> 00:01:59,037 Darkness means ignorance 57 00:01:59,323 --> 00:02:00,537 Something that obscures 58 00:02:00,883 --> 00:02:03,337 Dispelling all afflictive darkness describes an arhat 59 00:02:03,364 --> 00:02:06,697 Every layer of ignorance tied to affliction has gone out 60 00:02:06,803 --> 00:02:08,362 Greed anger delusion pride and doubt 61 00:02:08,364 --> 00:02:10,723 The fog these five afflictions create 62 00:02:10,723 --> 00:02:13,336 Has completely cleared for an arhat 63 00:02:13,364 --> 00:02:15,364 That is an extraordinary achievement 64 00:02:15,631 --> 00:02:18,704 Yet Vasubandhu adds the words in every way 65 00:02:19,432 --> 00:02:22,045 Dispelling all darkness in every way describes a Buddha 66 00:02:22,112 --> 00:02:24,204 It is not only the fog of affliction that clears 67 00:02:24,232 --> 00:02:28,565 Every kind of subtle obscuration is also eliminated 68 00:02:28,992 --> 00:02:30,505 What is this additional layer 69 00:02:31,071 --> 00:02:32,065 This additional layer 70 00:02:32,232 --> 00:02:33,684 Is cognitive obscuration 71 00:02:34,058 --> 00:02:34,857 You see 72 00:02:34,871 --> 00:02:38,165 Mahayana treatises have long made this distinction 73 00:02:38,311 --> 00:02:41,084 Afflictive and cognitive obscurations are two different layers 74 00:02:41,511 --> 00:02:43,524 An arhat eliminates afflictive obscurations 75 00:02:43,911 --> 00:02:47,045 A Buddha eliminates both afflictive and cognitive obscurations 76 00:02:47,432 --> 00:02:49,045 An arhat has already realized no self 77 00:02:49,191 --> 00:02:52,845 But that uproots self grasping at the level of affliction 78 00:02:53,031 --> 00:02:56,204 The subject object split in cognition remains overhead 79 00:02:56,911 --> 00:02:59,524 They have climbed from hell to the highest human floor 80 00:02:59,832 --> 00:03:02,005 Yet between that highest floor and the sky 81 00:03:02,071 --> 00:03:04,084 There is still a glass ceiling 82 00:03:04,432 --> 00:03:07,375 That glass is called cognitive obscuration 83 00:03:07,762 --> 00:03:09,696 Let me clarify something first 84 00:03:09,803 --> 00:03:12,896 So you do not take this as a universal Buddhist position 85 00:03:13,243 --> 00:03:16,576 Cognitive obscuration is a category developed in northern Mahayana 86 00:03:16,723 --> 00:03:18,975 Southern Theravada does not use it at all 87 00:03:19,162 --> 00:03:20,202 In that tradition 88 00:03:20,202 --> 00:03:22,535 The liberation of an arhat is already complete 89 00:03:22,723 --> 00:03:24,402 The difference between a Buddha and an arhat 90 00:03:24,403 --> 00:03:26,522 Lies in the unique omniscience of a Buddha 91 00:03:26,523 --> 00:03:28,481 And the perfections cultivated over countless lifetimes 92 00:03:28,482 --> 00:03:30,396 Rather than another layer of obscuration left uncleared 93 00:03:31,042 --> 00:03:33,336 These two accounts have been debated for two thousand years 94 00:03:33,403 --> 00:03:34,696 Neither side has convinced the other 95 00:03:34,803 --> 00:03:36,975 I am not choosing a side for you today 96 00:03:37,123 --> 00:03:39,202 I am simply following this question 97 00:03:39,202 --> 00:03:41,815 To explain the internal logic of the Mahayana account 98 00:03:41,922 --> 00:03:43,516 Keep both perspectives in mind 99 00:03:43,683 --> 00:03:44,655 And judge for yourself 100 00:03:45,362 --> 00:03:47,595 So what exactly is this glass made of 101 00:03:48,042 --> 00:03:49,916 How does it differ from affliction 102 00:03:50,442 --> 00:03:52,601 Let me start with a very simple story 103 00:03:52,602 --> 00:03:54,353 So you can see it directly 104 00:03:54,621 --> 00:03:55,819 Among the disciples of the Buddha 105 00:03:55,820 --> 00:03:57,954 Was a man known as Little Path 106 00:03:58,181 --> 00:04:00,193 His Sanskrit name was Chudapanthaka 107 00:04:00,460 --> 00:04:01,574 How slow a learner was he 108 00:04:02,101 --> 00:04:04,033 The Buddha gave him a verse to memorize 109 00:04:04,140 --> 00:04:05,394 He worked on it for four months 110 00:04:05,580 --> 00:04:06,973 When he remembered the first line he forgot the second 111 00:04:07,420 --> 00:04:09,033 When he remembered the second he forgot the first 112 00:04:09,341 --> 00:04:12,234 His elder brother Mahapanthaka was already an arhat 113 00:04:12,460 --> 00:04:13,859 Unable to bear watching his brother struggle 114 00:04:13,860 --> 00:04:16,419 He expelled him from the sangha and told him to go home 115 00:04:16,420 --> 00:04:17,473 Stop embarrassing yourself here 116 00:04:17,941 --> 00:04:19,453 Chudapanthaka was heartbroken 117 00:04:19,820 --> 00:04:21,114 He sat at the entrance crying 118 00:04:21,340 --> 00:04:22,213 The Buddha came over 119 00:04:22,541 --> 00:04:23,633 And asked what was wrong 120 00:04:23,900 --> 00:04:25,953 Chudapanthaka said he was too stupid 121 00:04:26,020 --> 00:04:27,753 He could not even memorize one verse 122 00:04:28,660 --> 00:04:30,474 The Buddha did not criticize him 123 00:04:30,501 --> 00:04:32,313 Instead he handed him a broom 124 00:04:32,541 --> 00:04:34,354 And said you need not study anything else 125 00:04:34,381 --> 00:04:35,674 Just sweep here 126 00:04:35,820 --> 00:04:38,393 But as you sweep repeat these words in your mind 127 00:04:38,460 --> 00:04:39,774 Sweep away dust remove defilement 128 00:04:40,201 --> 00:04:41,855 So Chudapanthaka swept 129 00:04:42,201 --> 00:04:43,475 He struggled so much that even sweep away dust 130 00:04:43,802 --> 00:04:45,961 And remove defilement 131 00:04:45,961 --> 00:04:47,215 Often came out in the wrong order 132 00:04:47,562 --> 00:04:49,514 But every day he simply kept sweeping 133 00:04:49,841 --> 00:04:50,975 And faithfully repeating the words 134 00:04:51,521 --> 00:04:52,855 After an unknown length of time 135 00:04:52,881 --> 00:04:55,254 One day he suddenly stood still 136 00:04:55,362 --> 00:04:56,975 The broom fell to the ground 137 00:04:57,401 --> 00:04:59,266 He had attained arhatship 138 00:04:59,814 --> 00:05:00,727 How could he attain it 139 00:05:01,254 --> 00:05:03,227 This story is easy to misread 140 00:05:03,494 --> 00:05:04,286 Many people say 141 00:05:04,533 --> 00:05:05,492 Because he was slow 142 00:05:05,494 --> 00:05:06,867 He had no cognitive obscurations 143 00:05:07,134 --> 00:05:08,607 That sounds plausible 144 00:05:08,773 --> 00:05:10,146 But it is completely mistaken 145 00:05:10,333 --> 00:05:12,492 Chudapanthaka attained arhatship 146 00:05:12,494 --> 00:05:13,946 He eliminated afflictive obscurations 147 00:05:13,973 --> 00:05:16,427 That had no direct connection to being slow 148 00:05:16,533 --> 00:05:18,367 If being slow meant having no cognitive obscurations 149 00:05:18,694 --> 00:05:21,466 Any illiterate person would already be a Buddha 150 00:05:21,533 --> 00:05:23,439 Clearly that is not how it works 151 00:05:23,706 --> 00:05:26,360 The key was not that Chudapanthaka was slow 152 00:05:26,466 --> 00:05:28,079 It was that he did not hide 153 00:05:28,307 --> 00:05:30,905 When a clever person receives instructions from the Buddha 154 00:05:30,907 --> 00:05:33,639 A thousand comments immediately arise 155 00:05:33,787 --> 00:05:35,420 Can sweeping really lead to awakening 156 00:05:35,867 --> 00:05:37,139 Is the Buddha just putting me off 157 00:05:37,667 --> 00:05:39,639 Sweeping away dust must be a metaphor 158 00:05:39,706 --> 00:05:40,980 What is the deeper meaning 159 00:05:41,386 --> 00:05:44,020 How should I interpret the Dharma behind this action 160 00:05:44,506 --> 00:05:45,920 Each of those thousand comments 161 00:05:45,946 --> 00:05:48,280 Offers somewhere to hide 162 00:05:48,506 --> 00:05:52,840 Each reinforces the defenses around the self making the comment 163 00:05:53,026 --> 00:05:54,545 You think you are thinking 164 00:05:54,547 --> 00:05:57,439 But you are welding more armor onto yourself 165 00:05:57,747 --> 00:05:58,699 Chudapanthaka was slow 166 00:05:59,066 --> 00:06:00,840 He could not produce all those comments 167 00:06:00,987 --> 00:06:02,020 He could only sweep 168 00:06:02,307 --> 00:06:03,720 And repeat those few words 169 00:06:04,386 --> 00:06:05,179 Until one moment 170 00:06:05,466 --> 00:06:07,345 The self that commented and worried 171 00:06:07,347 --> 00:06:08,900 That felt afraid and inferior 172 00:06:09,146 --> 00:06:10,100 Collapsed from exhaustion 173 00:06:10,386 --> 00:06:11,020 The broom fell 174 00:06:11,307 --> 00:06:12,966 And afflictive obscurations broke apart 175 00:06:13,194 --> 00:06:13,906 But notice 176 00:06:14,033 --> 00:06:15,526 He attained arhatship 177 00:06:15,754 --> 00:06:18,286 That means he broke through the layer of affliction 178 00:06:18,473 --> 00:06:19,227 His self grasping 179 00:06:19,634 --> 00:06:22,953 The emotional self that fears craves and envies 180 00:06:22,954 --> 00:06:24,247 Completely dissolved 181 00:06:24,554 --> 00:06:28,526 But the split between the self sweeping and the dust being swept 182 00:06:28,554 --> 00:06:30,567 At the moment he attained arhatship 183 00:06:30,673 --> 00:06:31,946 Did that dissolve too 184 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:33,400 That question 185 00:06:33,473 --> 00:06:36,727 Vasubandhu answered with dispelling all afflictive darkness 186 00:06:36,833 --> 00:06:37,667 Only one layer was eliminated 187 00:06:38,033 --> 00:06:39,180 Another remained 188 00:06:39,567 --> 00:06:41,180 The second story is even more important 189 00:06:41,607 --> 00:06:43,939 Its central figure is Shariputra 190 00:06:44,526 --> 00:06:48,620 Foremost in wisdom among the ten great disciples of the Buddha 191 00:06:49,127 --> 00:06:49,959 How accomplished was he 192 00:06:50,446 --> 00:06:51,819 Before following the Buddha 193 00:06:51,886 --> 00:06:55,379 He was already the leading student of a major school 194 00:06:55,526 --> 00:06:57,339 With his own group of followers 195 00:06:57,726 --> 00:07:02,740 When he first heard the monk Ashvajit say all things arise through conditions 196 00:07:02,807 --> 00:07:05,100 And cease through conditions 197 00:07:05,206 --> 00:07:06,899 He immediately attained stream entry 198 00:07:07,367 --> 00:07:09,165 In the entire sangha of the Buddha 199 00:07:09,167 --> 00:07:12,059 In debate analysis and teaching the Dharma 200 00:07:12,127 --> 00:07:13,899 No one could rival Shariputra 201 00:07:14,206 --> 00:07:16,899 Foremost in wisdom was no empty title 202 00:07:17,206 --> 00:07:19,059 Yet one passage in the Vimalakirti Sutra 203 00:07:19,127 --> 00:07:22,898 Puts Shariputra in an extremely awkward position 204 00:07:23,324 --> 00:07:24,578 Here is the story 205 00:07:24,725 --> 00:07:26,258 The lay practitioner Vimalakirti was ill 206 00:07:26,285 --> 00:07:28,177 The Buddha asked his disciples to visit him 207 00:07:28,564 --> 00:07:30,578 One after another they declined 208 00:07:30,764 --> 00:07:33,977 Each had previously been left speechless by his questions 209 00:07:34,324 --> 00:07:37,698 Eventually Shariputra joined the group going to visit 210 00:07:38,165 --> 00:07:40,004 The room of Vimalakirti was small 211 00:07:40,004 --> 00:07:41,977 And already full of bodhisattvas 212 00:07:42,124 --> 00:07:43,078 As Shariputra entered 213 00:07:43,444 --> 00:07:44,258 He looked around 214 00:07:44,364 --> 00:07:45,937 And a thought arose 215 00:07:46,045 --> 00:07:47,603 There are no seats in this room 216 00:07:47,605 --> 00:07:49,158 Where will all these bodhisattvas sit 217 00:07:49,845 --> 00:07:50,198 Notice 218 00:07:50,405 --> 00:07:52,417 This was only a private thought 219 00:07:52,645 --> 00:07:54,497 Shariputra said nothing 220 00:07:54,525 --> 00:07:56,018 It simply flashed through his mind 221 00:07:56,364 --> 00:07:59,484 Yet Vimalakirti immediately brought it into the open 222 00:07:59,484 --> 00:07:59,838 And asked him 223 00:08:00,244 --> 00:08:01,317 Have you come for the Dharma 224 00:08:01,525 --> 00:08:02,758 Or for a seat 225 00:08:03,965 --> 00:08:04,437 At that question 226 00:08:04,764 --> 00:08:05,937 The room fell silent 227 00:08:06,324 --> 00:08:10,033 In that moment Shariputra hit a transparent wall 228 00:08:10,460 --> 00:08:12,073 Consider that detail 229 00:08:12,501 --> 00:08:14,073 Shariputra was no ordinary person 230 00:08:14,181 --> 00:08:16,033 He was an arhat free from affliction 231 00:08:16,340 --> 00:08:18,033 He would not crave a seat 232 00:08:18,061 --> 00:08:20,153 Or resent someone who did not offer one 233 00:08:20,261 --> 00:08:23,393 Having no seat would stir no emotion in him 234 00:08:23,780 --> 00:08:25,833 His afflictive obscurations were completely gone 235 00:08:26,181 --> 00:08:27,593 Yet in his mind 236 00:08:27,621 --> 00:08:29,753 A thought still arose automatically 237 00:08:30,020 --> 00:08:31,533 Are there seats in this room 238 00:08:32,100 --> 00:08:33,934 That spontaneous thought itself 239 00:08:34,261 --> 00:08:35,273 Was not an affliction 240 00:08:35,380 --> 00:08:38,834 It was a clean and purely cognitive act 241 00:08:39,260 --> 00:08:40,313 The problem is 242 00:08:40,380 --> 00:08:43,153 A hidden structure lies within that act 243 00:08:43,301 --> 00:08:45,334 A self is surveying an environment 244 00:08:45,740 --> 00:08:50,393 An observing subject faces an observed world 245 00:08:51,021 --> 00:08:52,094 That hidden structure 246 00:08:52,421 --> 00:08:54,033 Is cognitive obscuration 247 00:08:54,580 --> 00:08:56,074 It has no emotional coloring 248 00:08:56,340 --> 00:08:58,053 There is not even anything wrong with it 249 00:08:58,821 --> 00:09:01,114 It simply divides the world in two 250 00:09:01,421 --> 00:09:02,214 One half is me 251 00:09:02,620 --> 00:09:04,253 The other is what I see 252 00:09:05,061 --> 00:09:05,574 That division 253 00:09:05,941 --> 00:09:07,820 Is itself an obscuration 254 00:09:08,168 --> 00:09:11,400 The question about coming for the Dharma or a seat 255 00:09:11,887 --> 00:09:13,900 Did not pierce the desire of Shariputra 256 00:09:13,967 --> 00:09:15,060 He had no such desire 257 00:09:15,208 --> 00:09:18,280 It pierced the self assessing whether the room had seats 258 00:09:18,847 --> 00:09:19,320 This self 259 00:09:19,688 --> 00:09:21,660 Is not a delusion at the level of affliction 260 00:09:21,808 --> 00:09:24,621 It is subtle grasping within the structure of cognition 261 00:09:24,847 --> 00:09:27,953 The glass ceiling above an arhat 262 00:09:28,300 --> 00:09:30,993 At this point you may push back 263 00:09:31,219 --> 00:09:32,873 But it was just a passing thought 264 00:09:33,020 --> 00:09:34,772 Who does not have thoughts flash through their mind 265 00:09:35,420 --> 00:09:36,613 How does that count as cognitive obscuration 266 00:09:37,259 --> 00:09:38,753 That very pushback 267 00:09:38,780 --> 00:09:41,953 Brings us to what is hardest to see 268 00:09:42,300 --> 00:09:47,073 Cognitive obscuration feels too natural and too clean to seem like an obstacle 269 00:09:47,420 --> 00:09:48,373 Afflictive obscurations are easy to recognize 270 00:09:48,700 --> 00:09:50,113 You know when you feel jealous 271 00:09:50,139 --> 00:09:51,373 You know when you feel angry 272 00:09:51,580 --> 00:09:53,272 You know when you feel greedy 273 00:09:53,379 --> 00:09:54,912 But when cognitive obscuration arises 274 00:09:55,020 --> 00:09:57,772 You simply feel you are observing the world normally 275 00:09:58,219 --> 00:10:00,892 Why would normal observation seem like an obstacle 276 00:10:01,379 --> 00:10:03,932 Just as why would a fish see water as an obstacle 277 00:10:04,859 --> 00:10:07,157 We are immersed in that water every day 278 00:10:07,543 --> 00:10:08,997 Back to the question from our fellow practitioner 279 00:10:09,304 --> 00:10:09,657 They said 280 00:10:10,023 --> 00:10:11,503 An arhat has already realized no self 281 00:10:11,503 --> 00:10:12,897 How can cognitive obscurations remain 282 00:10:13,424 --> 00:10:15,142 By now the distinction should be clearer 283 00:10:15,143 --> 00:10:16,096 The no self realized by an arhat 284 00:10:16,383 --> 00:10:20,916 Removes the emotional self that craves resents and clings 285 00:10:21,064 --> 00:10:23,216 But the self as a cognitive subject 286 00:10:23,503 --> 00:10:28,316 The reference point that observes judges analyzes and thinks 287 00:10:28,383 --> 00:10:29,637 Has not been seen through 288 00:10:29,824 --> 00:10:31,422 This cognitive reference point itself 289 00:10:31,424 --> 00:10:34,983 Has no emotion or craving and produces no affliction 290 00:10:34,984 --> 00:10:37,657 It is simply a clean vantage point 291 00:10:38,104 --> 00:10:39,916 But as long as that vantage point remains 292 00:10:39,984 --> 00:10:41,716 So does the object being seen 293 00:10:41,863 --> 00:10:43,456 The duality of grasping subject and grasped object 294 00:10:43,743 --> 00:10:44,397 Remains 295 00:10:45,184 --> 00:10:45,777 And cognitive obscuration 296 00:10:46,143 --> 00:10:47,262 Remains 297 00:10:47,689 --> 00:10:49,769 That is why Vasubandhu 298 00:10:49,770 --> 00:10:51,248 At the opening of the Abhidharmakosha 299 00:10:51,250 --> 00:10:54,063 Specifically included the words in every way 300 00:10:54,410 --> 00:10:57,703 The darkness an arhat dispels is the fog of affliction 301 00:10:58,130 --> 00:10:59,563 The darkness a Buddha dispels in every way 302 00:11:00,130 --> 00:11:02,962 Includes the vantage point that sees the fog 303 00:11:03,209 --> 00:11:04,063 That too is eliminated 304 00:11:04,569 --> 00:11:07,382 The former cleans dust from the mirror 305 00:11:07,569 --> 00:11:10,794 The latter is the disappearance of the mirror itself 306 00:11:11,182 --> 00:11:13,914 Our fellow practitioner also cited another Buddhist teaching 307 00:11:14,022 --> 00:11:16,154 The past life knowledge of an arhat has limits 308 00:11:16,422 --> 00:11:18,914 Buddhist treatises discuss this specifically 309 00:11:19,142 --> 00:11:21,394 In the Mahaprajnaparamita Shastra Nagarjuna says 310 00:11:21,581 --> 00:11:25,114 Great arhats and pratyekabuddhas can know eighty thousand great kalpas 311 00:11:25,182 --> 00:11:26,955 Beyond that they cannot see 312 00:11:27,101 --> 00:11:29,855 Later commentators also described four limits to what arhats know 313 00:11:30,382 --> 00:11:34,274 Limits of time place subtlety and multiplicity 314 00:11:34,422 --> 00:11:36,181 This means the wisdom of an arhat 315 00:11:36,182 --> 00:11:38,541 Has boundaries in time space and subtle detail 316 00:11:38,542 --> 00:11:40,435 As well as breadth 317 00:11:40,621 --> 00:11:43,195 Different scriptures and treatises give different numbers 318 00:11:43,221 --> 00:11:45,475 But they all share one point 319 00:11:45,502 --> 00:11:47,274 The number is always finite 320 00:11:47,542 --> 00:11:48,614 Why must it be finite 321 00:11:49,581 --> 00:11:51,215 Because as long as there is a self that sees 322 00:11:51,502 --> 00:11:53,555 And time that is seen 323 00:11:53,662 --> 00:11:55,835 The range of sight must have an edge 324 00:11:56,221 --> 00:11:57,055 However large the radius 325 00:11:57,422 --> 00:11:59,034 The circle remains finite 326 00:11:59,502 --> 00:12:04,674 Eighty thousand great kalpas is the maximum radius of that subject object structure 327 00:12:05,101 --> 00:12:06,494 The knowledge of all aspects possessed by a Buddha 328 00:12:06,782 --> 00:12:08,034 Does not take this circle 329 00:12:08,101 --> 00:12:10,435 And enlarge it to the size of a galaxy 330 00:12:10,662 --> 00:12:11,514 If that were so 331 00:12:11,621 --> 00:12:14,740 Buddha and arhat would differ only in quantity 332 00:12:14,741 --> 00:12:16,195 Rather than in kind 333 00:12:16,581 --> 00:12:20,435 A Buddha no longer needs the circle at all 334 00:12:20,542 --> 00:12:22,634 There is no knower standing at the center 335 00:12:22,662 --> 00:12:25,154 And so no boundary to the world that is known 336 00:12:25,902 --> 00:12:27,835 The distance from finite to infinite 337 00:12:27,861 --> 00:12:29,595 Is not crossed by increasing the number 338 00:12:29,741 --> 00:12:33,121 But by removing the position that keeps adding numbers 339 00:12:33,387 --> 00:12:33,940 What makes this 340 00:12:34,308 --> 00:12:35,827 So interesting 341 00:12:35,828 --> 00:12:38,241 Is its resemblance to what modern cognitive science describes 342 00:12:38,387 --> 00:12:40,841 Almost like two versions of the same thing 343 00:12:41,027 --> 00:12:43,080 Modern neuroscience has a concept 344 00:12:43,147 --> 00:12:44,920 Called the default mode network 345 00:12:45,147 --> 00:12:45,660 Put simply 346 00:12:45,987 --> 00:12:47,520 It is a set of brain regions 347 00:12:47,548 --> 00:12:49,280 That when you are doing nothing 348 00:12:49,428 --> 00:12:51,400 Become particularly active 349 00:12:51,708 --> 00:12:52,981 What do these regions do 350 00:12:53,428 --> 00:12:56,080 They are closely linked to constructing a sense of self 351 00:12:56,267 --> 00:12:59,280 The narrator constantly telling stories in your head 352 00:12:59,428 --> 00:13:02,280 The narrative center you call me 353 00:13:02,468 --> 00:13:05,241 Using magnetic resonance imaging neuroscientists found 354 00:13:05,387 --> 00:13:07,961 That when experienced practitioners meditate 355 00:13:08,227 --> 00:13:12,680 Activity in several major default mode network hubs is lower 356 00:13:13,267 --> 00:13:15,440 This is why in deep meditation 357 00:13:15,507 --> 00:13:18,539 Your sense of self can temporarily grow faint 358 00:13:18,927 --> 00:13:21,219 But there is a detail worth considering 359 00:13:21,567 --> 00:13:24,285 Default mode network activity can be reduced 360 00:13:24,286 --> 00:13:25,380 It can be bypassed 361 00:13:25,526 --> 00:13:27,140 Yet its underlying structure 362 00:13:27,286 --> 00:13:30,900 In theories that view the brain as a prediction machine 363 00:13:30,967 --> 00:13:33,780 Is a functional product of predictive coding 364 00:13:33,807 --> 00:13:35,100 It is still there 365 00:13:35,166 --> 00:13:39,100 Its ability to construct a virtual reference point called a perceiving self 366 00:13:39,126 --> 00:13:40,339 Has not disappeared 367 00:13:40,486 --> 00:13:43,579 That reference point has simply fallen quiet for a while 368 00:13:44,047 --> 00:13:45,219 And cognitive obscuration 369 00:13:45,366 --> 00:13:48,699 Hides precisely in that capacity itself 370 00:13:48,967 --> 00:13:50,819 It is not whether you choose to use it 371 00:13:50,927 --> 00:13:54,419 Your brain can naturally create such a reference point 372 00:13:54,766 --> 00:13:56,260 As long as that reference point remains 373 00:13:56,406 --> 00:13:58,900 The subject object structure remains 374 00:13:59,646 --> 00:14:02,459 Afflictions are the clothes this reference point wears 375 00:14:02,526 --> 00:14:04,582 Cognitive obscuration is the reference point itself 376 00:14:05,009 --> 00:14:07,801 This offers a new perspective on experiences of no self 377 00:14:08,368 --> 00:14:09,082 Whether in flow 378 00:14:09,368 --> 00:14:10,688 Deep meditation 379 00:14:10,689 --> 00:14:13,181 Or ego dissolution induced by psychedelics 380 00:14:13,289 --> 00:14:17,342 These experiences may offer a valuable break from affliction 381 00:14:17,488 --> 00:14:21,501 But most temporarily dim the perceiving self 382 00:14:21,608 --> 00:14:24,661 Without revealing that this self was constructed all along 383 00:14:24,929 --> 00:14:26,527 When you return to everyday life 384 00:14:26,529 --> 00:14:28,661 That self resumes its place unchanged 385 00:14:28,968 --> 00:14:32,562 That is why many people have repeated awakening experiences 386 00:14:32,968 --> 00:14:36,062 Yet remain stuck in the same patterns of life 387 00:14:36,769 --> 00:14:40,641 Experiencing the disappearance of self and seeing it was never inherently real 388 00:14:40,929 --> 00:14:42,822 Carry very different weight 389 00:14:43,169 --> 00:14:44,501 The first is a power outage 390 00:14:44,529 --> 00:14:48,240 The second is discovering that nobody ever lived in the room 391 00:14:48,547 --> 00:14:49,385 At this point 392 00:14:49,386 --> 00:14:51,240 We can turn the lens on ourselves 393 00:14:51,347 --> 00:14:53,880 Cognitive obscuration is not an advanced problem reserved for arhats 394 00:14:54,107 --> 00:14:56,760 It is the glass you and I run into every day 395 00:14:56,986 --> 00:14:58,799 Let me describe three common situations 396 00:14:58,827 --> 00:15:00,600 See whether you recognize them 397 00:15:00,866 --> 00:15:01,539 The first situation 398 00:15:01,827 --> 00:15:03,265 You learn a psychological concept 399 00:15:03,266 --> 00:15:05,360 And start labeling everyone with it 400 00:15:05,626 --> 00:15:06,799 You learn about MBTI 401 00:15:06,906 --> 00:15:09,466 See a quiet friend and think 402 00:15:09,467 --> 00:15:10,100 They are an introvert 403 00:15:10,547 --> 00:15:12,106 You learn about family of origin theory 404 00:15:12,107 --> 00:15:14,025 See a colleague struggling emotionally 405 00:15:14,026 --> 00:15:14,939 And conclude 406 00:15:15,146 --> 00:15:16,579 They must have had an unhappy childhood 407 00:15:17,626 --> 00:15:19,880 You think knowledge is helping you understand people 408 00:15:19,986 --> 00:15:22,240 But you are using labels 409 00:15:22,266 --> 00:15:24,880 To seal living people inside conceptual boxes 410 00:15:25,146 --> 00:15:27,000 Each time you apply a label 411 00:15:27,146 --> 00:15:29,799 The self that labels grows stronger 412 00:15:30,227 --> 00:15:31,145 That reinforcement 413 00:15:31,146 --> 00:15:34,263 Matters far more than whether the label is correct 414 00:15:34,889 --> 00:15:35,562 The second situation 415 00:15:35,970 --> 00:15:36,942 You read a book 416 00:15:37,049 --> 00:15:38,422 And an idea strikes you deeply 417 00:15:38,490 --> 00:15:41,688 From then on counterexamples prompt you not to update your understanding 418 00:15:41,690 --> 00:15:43,422 But to defend the idea 419 00:15:43,810 --> 00:15:46,582 This is a classic scene of cognitive obscuration 420 00:15:46,930 --> 00:15:48,582 You think you are defending truth 421 00:15:48,610 --> 00:15:51,082 But you are protecting the self that holds that truth 422 00:15:51,810 --> 00:15:54,542 The moment you think they know nothing 423 00:15:54,649 --> 00:15:56,702 You are not rejecting their view 424 00:15:56,810 --> 00:15:57,969 You are rejecting 425 00:15:57,970 --> 00:15:59,483 The possibility that your mental map 426 00:15:59,769 --> 00:16:01,716 Might develop a crack 427 00:16:02,264 --> 00:16:03,096 The third situation 428 00:16:03,463 --> 00:16:05,136 Is the most hidden and dangerous 429 00:16:05,744 --> 00:16:07,876 You have a genuine experience in practice 430 00:16:07,904 --> 00:16:10,756 And start viewing others from the position of the awakened one 431 00:16:10,904 --> 00:16:12,756 A few moments of clarity in meditation 432 00:16:12,823 --> 00:16:14,577 Make you feel those around you are still asleep 433 00:16:15,024 --> 00:16:16,277 You finish reading a sutra 434 00:16:16,343 --> 00:16:18,537 And think people who do not read sutras are dreaming 435 00:16:18,984 --> 00:16:20,537 You experience the self as an illusion 436 00:16:20,904 --> 00:16:23,697 And see those attached to it as stuck on a lower plane 437 00:16:24,269 --> 00:16:25,069 At that moment 438 00:16:25,264 --> 00:16:29,037 Cognitive obscuration has quietly placed an invisible crown on your head 439 00:16:29,384 --> 00:16:30,797 You think you are liberating others 440 00:16:30,864 --> 00:16:34,903 But the split between a liberating self and beings to be liberated 441 00:16:34,904 --> 00:16:36,797 Is stronger than when you were confused 442 00:16:37,703 --> 00:16:40,976 This is why Buddhism continually warns against spiritual arrogance 443 00:16:41,504 --> 00:16:43,663 It wears the clothing of awakening 444 00:16:43,663 --> 00:16:46,236 And is harder to recognize than naked affliction 445 00:16:46,662 --> 00:16:49,582 What Shariputra ran into with Vimalakirti 446 00:16:49,583 --> 00:16:50,675 Was this very layer 447 00:16:51,103 --> 00:16:54,462 Ordinary people hit it without even noticing 448 00:16:54,463 --> 00:16:56,396 Because our afflictions are so loud 449 00:16:56,422 --> 00:16:58,396 They drown out the presence of the glass 450 00:16:58,902 --> 00:17:00,821 An arhat has no noise from affliction 451 00:17:00,823 --> 00:17:03,715 And can hear the glass resonate clearly for the first time 452 00:17:04,303 --> 00:17:05,276 In that sense 453 00:17:05,303 --> 00:17:08,595 Cognitive obscuration is a strange gift on the path 454 00:17:08,622 --> 00:17:11,356 You must first deal with the layer of affliction 455 00:17:11,382 --> 00:17:14,744 Before seeing another layer waiting for you 456 00:17:15,051 --> 00:17:17,363 So can this glass actually be broken 457 00:17:18,091 --> 00:17:20,024 Buddhism answers yes 458 00:17:20,371 --> 00:17:23,244 But not by trying harder to see it clearly 459 00:17:23,930 --> 00:17:25,444 Because as long as you are looking 460 00:17:25,811 --> 00:17:26,923 There is still someone looking 461 00:17:27,611 --> 00:17:28,484 The way through 462 00:17:28,811 --> 00:17:30,944 Is to see that the one looking 463 00:17:31,010 --> 00:17:33,423 Has never been an independently existing thing 464 00:17:34,010 --> 00:17:36,064 It is a verb turned into a noun 465 00:17:36,131 --> 00:17:38,583 A process hardened by habit 466 00:17:39,010 --> 00:17:40,944 When this seeing happens 467 00:17:41,091 --> 00:17:42,843 It is not a higher self 468 00:17:43,170 --> 00:17:45,464 Discovering that the previous self was false 469 00:17:45,611 --> 00:17:50,455 The seeing itself dissolves the felt existence of a seer 470 00:17:50,802 --> 00:17:53,321 Yogachara has a precise description 471 00:17:53,322 --> 00:17:54,715 Transforming consciousness into wisdom 472 00:17:55,562 --> 00:17:58,175 Consciousness involves grasping subject and grasped object 473 00:17:58,522 --> 00:18:02,336 Wisdom is what remains when that duality dissolves 474 00:18:02,923 --> 00:18:06,175 You are not replacing one form of cognition with another 475 00:18:06,242 --> 00:18:09,735 The whole way cognition works undergoes a phase change 476 00:18:10,002 --> 00:18:11,775 Like water becoming steam 477 00:18:11,802 --> 00:18:13,561 Nothing extra has been added to the water 478 00:18:13,562 --> 00:18:17,460 Its molecules have entered a different state of arrangement 479 00:18:17,888 --> 00:18:19,341 So the question from our fellow practitioner 480 00:18:19,408 --> 00:18:21,581 Can now receive a direct answer 481 00:18:21,727 --> 00:18:23,341 An arhat has realized no self 482 00:18:23,368 --> 00:18:26,621 The emotional self that craves and resents has gone 483 00:18:26,807 --> 00:18:30,101 But the vantage point of a cognitive subject remains 484 00:18:30,208 --> 00:18:32,420 So the object being seen remains too 485 00:18:32,527 --> 00:18:34,821 The duality of subject and object remains 486 00:18:34,888 --> 00:18:37,180 And so does the glass of cognitive obscuration 487 00:18:37,527 --> 00:18:38,440 This is not a contradiction 488 00:18:38,807 --> 00:18:40,127 It is the two layer structure Vasubandhu 489 00:18:40,128 --> 00:18:42,141 Already set out at the opening of the Abhidharmakosha 490 00:18:42,208 --> 00:18:44,500 In the line about dispelling all darkness in every way 491 00:18:44,527 --> 00:18:47,631 Those two layers were there from the start 492 00:18:47,978 --> 00:18:51,551 For those of us still far from arhatship 493 00:18:51,619 --> 00:18:55,712 The useful point is not imagining how advanced that glass ceiling is 494 00:18:55,779 --> 00:18:58,098 But seeing the glass we hit every day 495 00:18:58,099 --> 00:19:00,591 As a more basic version of the same thing 496 00:19:00,859 --> 00:19:02,091 Every time you label someone 497 00:19:02,418 --> 00:19:03,811 Every time you defend an opinion 498 00:19:04,138 --> 00:19:06,311 Every time you look down from the position of the awakened one 499 00:19:06,378 --> 00:19:07,177 What you hit 500 00:19:07,178 --> 00:19:08,432 Is this same glass 501 00:19:08,579 --> 00:19:11,911 You need not wait until arhatship to begin working with it 502 00:19:12,099 --> 00:19:14,091 In the very second you apply a label 503 00:19:14,418 --> 00:19:15,371 Or mount a defense 504 00:19:15,698 --> 00:19:17,138 Or feel arrogance arise 505 00:19:17,138 --> 00:19:18,831 You can pause and look 506 00:19:18,859 --> 00:19:22,012 Is the self that labels defends and feels superior 507 00:19:22,378 --> 00:19:24,172 Being taken too seriously 508 00:19:25,218 --> 00:19:26,212 You do not need to destroy it 509 00:19:26,579 --> 00:19:27,952 You do not need to bypass it 510 00:19:28,259 --> 00:19:31,911 Just see that it was never a stable entity 511 00:19:32,499 --> 00:19:33,732 Each time you see this 512 00:19:34,099 --> 00:19:35,926 Another crack appears in the glass 513 00:19:37,111 --> 00:19:38,956 Let me leave you with one final question 514 00:19:39,174 --> 00:19:41,553 I have used the word seeing many times today 515 00:19:41,846 --> 00:19:43,157 But have you considered 516 00:19:43,183 --> 00:19:45,754 If even seeing requires a seer 517 00:19:45,818 --> 00:19:47,089 Might true seeing 518 00:19:47,153 --> 00:19:49,934 Happen precisely in the moment when no seer remains 519 00:19:50,743 --> 00:19:52,665 You need not answer this now 520 00:19:52,768 --> 00:19:54,613 An answer may slowly grow on its own 521 00:19:54,868 --> 00:19:56,274 What would you most like to share in the comments 522 00:19:56,471 --> 00:19:58,073 An experience of cognitive obscuration 523 00:19:58,074 --> 00:19:59,175 Or a question that challenges this account 524 00:19:59,563 --> 00:20:00,326 Tell me 525 00:20:00,328 --> 00:20:03,318 Let this glass resonate for more people 526 00:20:03,649 --> 00:20:04,331 I am Leo Wang 527 00:20:04,604 --> 00:20:05,476 See you next time