1 00:00:00,303 --> 00:00:01,056 The Vimalakirti Sutra 2 00:00:01,583 --> 00:00:02,496 The more correct the answer 3 00:00:02,823 --> 00:00:03,815 The farther from the truth 4 00:00:04,663 --> 00:00:06,556 Have you ever faced this situation 5 00:00:07,022 --> 00:00:08,396 Someone asks you a question 6 00:00:08,702 --> 00:00:11,076 And you give a beautiful answer 7 00:00:11,583 --> 00:00:12,375 The logic is clear 8 00:00:12,663 --> 00:00:13,795 The evidence is solid 9 00:00:13,983 --> 00:00:16,155 Everyone present is nodding 10 00:00:16,742 --> 00:00:18,335 But the person who asked looks at you 11 00:00:18,702 --> 00:00:19,556 And says nothing 12 00:00:20,143 --> 00:00:21,876 Suddenly something feels wrong 13 00:00:22,303 --> 00:00:23,716 It is not that you were wrong 14 00:00:24,103 --> 00:00:26,742 The tool you used to answer the question 15 00:00:26,742 --> 00:00:28,155 Was itself inadequate 16 00:00:28,436 --> 00:00:28,788 Hello 17 00:00:29,116 --> 00:00:29,588 Hi everyone 18 00:00:29,916 --> 00:00:31,009 I am Leo Wang 19 00:00:31,476 --> 00:00:34,888 Today we will unpack the finest chapter of the Vimalakirti Sutra 20 00:00:34,915 --> 00:00:36,329 The Dharma Gateway of Nonduality 21 00:00:36,756 --> 00:00:37,789 Here is the scene 22 00:00:38,195 --> 00:00:39,435 Thirty one Bodhisattvas 23 00:00:39,436 --> 00:00:40,768 Along with Manjushri 24 00:00:40,875 --> 00:00:42,229 Stand up one after another 25 00:00:42,396 --> 00:00:43,768 To answer the same question 26 00:00:44,281 --> 00:00:44,749 What question 27 00:00:45,356 --> 00:00:47,768 What does it mean to enter nonduality 28 00:00:48,481 --> 00:00:49,433 Every day when you open your eyes 29 00:00:49,801 --> 00:00:51,153 What is the first thing you do 30 00:00:51,841 --> 00:00:53,414 You split the world in two 31 00:00:53,801 --> 00:00:54,314 This is me 32 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:55,414 That is you 33 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:56,713 This is good 34 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:58,293 That is bad 35 00:00:58,521 --> 00:01:01,893 We live in a system that understands the world through categories 36 00:01:02,241 --> 00:01:04,134 That is how language works 37 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,173 When you call something white 38 00:01:06,281 --> 00:01:08,494 You already imply that it is not black 39 00:01:08,721 --> 00:01:09,513 When you say today is hot 40 00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:12,054 You are already comparing it with cold 41 00:01:12,641 --> 00:01:13,394 The Dharma Gateway of Nonduality 42 00:01:13,801 --> 00:01:14,474 Asks you this 43 00:01:14,721 --> 00:01:16,093 Is there a way 44 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,013 To stop relying on either or choices 45 00:01:18,161 --> 00:01:20,653 And touch things as they truly are 46 00:01:21,764 --> 00:01:23,416 Once the question is raised 47 00:01:23,443 --> 00:01:26,056 The thirty one Bodhisattvas take turns answering 48 00:01:26,404 --> 00:01:28,297 Earlier videos about Vimalakirti 49 00:01:28,324 --> 00:01:30,457 Skipped these specific answers 50 00:01:30,484 --> 00:01:31,896 And went straight to the ending 51 00:01:32,243 --> 00:01:33,737 But today I will do it differently 52 00:01:34,163 --> 00:01:36,817 Today we will unpack them one by one 53 00:01:37,204 --> 00:01:40,017 Because every Bodhisattva answers differently 54 00:01:40,284 --> 00:01:41,896 And those differences themselves 55 00:01:41,924 --> 00:01:44,812 Are the most subtle part of this chapter 56 00:01:44,999 --> 00:01:47,493 The first to stand is Bodhisattva Dharma Freedom 57 00:01:47,839 --> 00:01:48,232 He says 58 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:50,452 Birth and extinction form a pair 59 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:53,073 But if you truly understand dependent origination 60 00:01:53,479 --> 00:01:54,452 You will discover 61 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:56,853 That no phenomenon ever truly arose 62 00:01:57,279 --> 00:01:58,273 If it was never born 63 00:01:58,600 --> 00:01:59,892 Then it cannot become extinct 64 00:02:00,279 --> 00:02:01,073 Neither arising nor ceasing 65 00:02:01,479 --> 00:02:03,372 So the pair no longer exists 66 00:02:03,719 --> 00:02:04,933 Look at his method 67 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,532 He finds the shared premise behind the opposites 68 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:11,332 Birth and extinction seem opposed 69 00:02:11,439 --> 00:02:13,392 But both depend on the same assumption 70 00:02:13,879 --> 00:02:15,513 That something first appears 71 00:02:15,759 --> 00:02:16,973 And then disappears 72 00:02:17,319 --> 00:02:19,652 If that assumption does not hold 73 00:02:19,719 --> 00:02:21,845 Both poles collapse together 74 00:02:22,072 --> 00:02:23,745 Bodhisattva Virtue Guardian names another pair 75 00:02:24,113 --> 00:02:25,286 Self and what belongs to self 76 00:02:25,632 --> 00:02:26,425 I am the subject 77 00:02:26,792 --> 00:02:28,446 What I possess is the object 78 00:02:28,673 --> 00:02:29,645 Two things 79 00:02:29,873 --> 00:02:30,425 But he says 80 00:02:30,833 --> 00:02:31,905 Go look for that self 81 00:02:32,192 --> 00:02:33,025 Where exactly is it 82 00:02:33,593 --> 00:02:34,506 Is the body the self 83 00:02:34,833 --> 00:02:36,046 Is a thought the self 84 00:02:36,072 --> 00:02:36,986 Is a name the self 85 00:02:37,512 --> 00:02:38,345 Search everywhere 86 00:02:38,632 --> 00:02:40,326 And no unchanging self can be found 87 00:02:40,553 --> 00:02:41,766 If there is no self 88 00:02:41,792 --> 00:02:44,025 Can anything owned by the self still stand 89 00:02:44,833 --> 00:02:46,206 His method is different 90 00:02:46,393 --> 00:02:48,965 He does not seek the shared basis of both poles 91 00:02:49,072 --> 00:02:50,886 He dismantles one of them 92 00:02:51,153 --> 00:02:51,865 When one pole falls 93 00:02:52,232 --> 00:02:53,965 The other loses its opponent 94 00:02:54,072 --> 00:02:56,206 And the whole opposition dissolves 95 00:02:56,872 --> 00:02:59,285 The third worth noticing is Bodhisattva Virtue Crown 96 00:02:59,513 --> 00:03:01,325 He speaks of defilement and purity 97 00:03:01,832 --> 00:03:03,032 Dirty and clean 98 00:03:03,033 --> 00:03:05,445 Seem like inherent qualities of things 99 00:03:05,793 --> 00:03:06,306 But he says 100 00:03:06,672 --> 00:03:07,626 Think carefully 101 00:03:08,152 --> 00:03:08,866 What is defilement 102 00:03:09,312 --> 00:03:11,806 It is a label you place on a certain state 103 00:03:12,233 --> 00:03:13,566 Purity is the same 104 00:03:14,033 --> 00:03:15,765 If you stop applying labels 105 00:03:15,793 --> 00:03:17,725 Defilement and purity are the same thing 106 00:03:18,233 --> 00:03:20,005 The difference is not in the thing itself 107 00:03:20,233 --> 00:03:21,966 It lies in how you classify it 108 00:03:22,272 --> 00:03:23,105 Do you see it 109 00:03:23,672 --> 00:03:27,605 This method brings the problem back from the world to the observer 110 00:03:27,913 --> 00:03:30,086 The world does not contain defilement and purity 111 00:03:30,312 --> 00:03:32,966 Your cognitive framework creates that distinction 112 00:03:33,552 --> 00:03:36,126 What this series calls imagined attachment 113 00:03:36,152 --> 00:03:36,945 Is exactly this 114 00:03:37,392 --> 00:03:41,796 You overlay a nonexistent story on the real stream of data 115 00:03:42,063 --> 00:03:44,796 Now consider what Bodhisattva Pusya says about good and bad 116 00:03:45,264 --> 00:03:47,016 Are good and evil two separate things 117 00:03:47,704 --> 00:03:48,056 He says 118 00:03:48,424 --> 00:03:50,796 If your mind no longer clings to good 119 00:03:50,864 --> 00:03:52,437 And no longer hates evil 120 00:03:52,663 --> 00:03:55,236 It enters a state of impartial awareness 121 00:03:55,383 --> 00:03:58,836 Then the boundary between good and bad no longer works 122 00:03:59,063 --> 00:04:00,836 This is another path 123 00:04:01,183 --> 00:04:02,836 He does not alter external things 124 00:04:03,024 --> 00:04:05,516 Or analyze the logical relation between concepts 125 00:04:05,823 --> 00:04:08,197 He changes the attitude of the subject 126 00:04:08,383 --> 00:04:10,796 When your mind stops jumping between two sides 127 00:04:10,943 --> 00:04:13,556 The dividing line naturally disappears 128 00:04:13,783 --> 00:04:15,917 Bodhisattva Lion speaks of sin and merit 129 00:04:16,184 --> 00:04:17,276 He goes further 130 00:04:17,343 --> 00:04:17,697 He says 131 00:04:17,983 --> 00:04:19,476 Observe sin closely 132 00:04:19,584 --> 00:04:21,276 Its nature is empty 133 00:04:21,384 --> 00:04:22,577 Observe merit closely 134 00:04:22,904 --> 00:04:24,877 Its nature is empty too 135 00:04:25,064 --> 00:04:27,057 Between two things whose nature is empty 136 00:04:27,384 --> 00:04:28,177 How can there be opposition 137 00:04:28,704 --> 00:04:31,917 There is no real war between two shadows 138 00:04:32,465 --> 00:04:35,397 Bodhisattva Lion Mind speaks of outflows and freedom from outflows 139 00:04:35,905 --> 00:04:38,998 Outflows mean a state where afflictions keep leaking out 140 00:04:39,424 --> 00:04:41,678 Freedom from outflows means complete wholeness 141 00:04:41,984 --> 00:04:44,438 Practitioners easily become attached to this pair 142 00:04:45,065 --> 00:04:45,417 He says 143 00:04:45,744 --> 00:04:48,198 If you truly see the nature of outflows 144 00:04:48,344 --> 00:04:51,678 You find that outflows and freedom from them are not two things 145 00:04:52,184 --> 00:04:54,118 Because outflows themselves are empty 146 00:04:54,465 --> 00:04:56,638 You treat an empty thing as an obstacle 147 00:04:56,705 --> 00:04:59,405 And that itself becomes the greatest outflow 148 00:04:59,712 --> 00:05:02,645 Bodhisattva Pure Liberation speaks of conditioned and unconditioned 149 00:05:02,991 --> 00:05:05,765 The conditioned is dependent and constructed 150 00:05:05,912 --> 00:05:08,164 The unconditioned transcends conditions 151 00:05:08,272 --> 00:05:08,744 But he says 152 00:05:09,111 --> 00:05:11,164 If your wisdom is deep enough 153 00:05:11,191 --> 00:05:14,724 You see that the nature of the conditioned is itself empty 154 00:05:14,792 --> 00:05:16,604 It has no boundary from the unconditioned 155 00:05:16,792 --> 00:05:17,744 Clinging to the unconditioned 156 00:05:18,032 --> 00:05:19,405 And clinging to the conditioned 157 00:05:19,431 --> 00:05:20,885 Are the same kind of attachment 158 00:05:21,237 --> 00:05:24,569 Bodhisattva Narayana speaks of the worldly and the transcendent 159 00:05:24,916 --> 00:05:27,315 Ordinary people see the world as an ocean of suffering 160 00:05:27,317 --> 00:05:28,970 And transcendence as the far shore 161 00:05:29,197 --> 00:05:29,790 But he says 162 00:05:30,237 --> 00:05:32,129 The nature of the world is emptiness 163 00:05:32,437 --> 00:05:35,649 Emptiness means freedom from every framework 164 00:05:35,956 --> 00:05:38,649 You do not need to escape here for another place 165 00:05:38,757 --> 00:05:41,610 Because what you seek is right beneath your feet 166 00:05:41,997 --> 00:05:45,485 It is like a fish trying to swim out of the sea to find water 167 00:05:45,793 --> 00:05:48,666 Bodhisattva Good Intention names the weightiest pair in Buddhism 168 00:05:49,152 --> 00:05:50,606 Samsara and nirvana 169 00:05:50,993 --> 00:05:52,466 Practitioners fear samsara 170 00:05:52,832 --> 00:05:53,925 And long for nirvana 171 00:05:54,233 --> 00:05:54,786 But he says 172 00:05:55,113 --> 00:05:57,526 When you truly see the nature of samsara 173 00:05:57,632 --> 00:06:00,606 You find no solid thing being born 174 00:06:00,752 --> 00:06:03,086 And no solid thing dying 175 00:06:03,392 --> 00:06:05,445 When you no longer fear samsara 176 00:06:05,553 --> 00:06:08,565 Nirvana is no longer a destination you must pursue 177 00:06:08,913 --> 00:06:11,485 You have not arrived at a place called nirvana 178 00:06:11,632 --> 00:06:14,471 You simply no longer need to go anywhere 179 00:06:14,858 --> 00:06:17,430 Bodhisattva Direct Seeing speaks of exhaustion and nonexhaustion 180 00:06:17,817 --> 00:06:19,050 Will everything eventually vanish 181 00:06:19,377 --> 00:06:20,971 Or will everything exist forever 182 00:06:21,618 --> 00:06:23,911 This seems like the ultimate opposition 183 00:06:24,178 --> 00:06:24,690 But he says 184 00:06:25,137 --> 00:06:27,351 The true nature of phenomena transcends this distinction 185 00:06:27,697 --> 00:06:28,771 A wave disperses 186 00:06:28,978 --> 00:06:29,851 Would you say it is exhausted 187 00:06:30,418 --> 00:06:31,211 Would you say it is not exhausted 188 00:06:31,858 --> 00:06:33,471 It has merely returned to seawater 189 00:06:33,817 --> 00:06:34,531 Exhaustion and nonexhaustion 190 00:06:34,778 --> 00:06:36,617 Describe a change in form 191 00:06:36,618 --> 00:06:38,308 Not the presence or absence of essence 192 00:06:38,656 --> 00:06:40,228 I have discussed only ten 193 00:06:40,495 --> 00:06:44,628 But all thirty one Bodhisattvas name different opposing categories 194 00:06:45,055 --> 00:06:47,428 Receiving and not receiving motion and thought 195 00:06:47,656 --> 00:06:50,868 Form and formlessness the mind of an arhat and a Bodhisattva 196 00:06:50,868 --> 00:06:51,622 And so on 197 00:06:52,055 --> 00:06:53,068 On the surface 198 00:06:53,135 --> 00:06:55,668 It looks like a long list of philosophical concepts 199 00:06:56,015 --> 00:06:58,534 But once you place them side by side 200 00:06:58,536 --> 00:06:59,628 You will discover 201 00:06:59,695 --> 00:07:00,529 This is not a list 202 00:07:00,776 --> 00:07:01,949 It is an exhaustive test 203 00:07:02,255 --> 00:07:04,688 It uses the largest possible sample to show you one thing 204 00:07:05,135 --> 00:07:07,389 No matter which pair of opposites you choose 205 00:07:07,455 --> 00:07:11,002 The logic of dissolving opposition through language is the same 206 00:07:11,309 --> 00:07:11,942 By this point 207 00:07:12,228 --> 00:07:14,161 You can probably see a pattern 208 00:07:14,468 --> 00:07:15,261 I counted them 209 00:07:15,548 --> 00:07:17,482 The methods of these thirty one Bodhisattvas 210 00:07:17,509 --> 00:07:19,401 Fall into roughly three paths 211 00:07:20,108 --> 00:07:22,641 The first path begins with ontology 212 00:07:22,908 --> 00:07:25,362 They examine the substance of both poles 213 00:07:25,468 --> 00:07:27,401 And find that both are empty 214 00:07:27,708 --> 00:07:31,321 There is no real opposition between two things empty in essence 215 00:07:31,869 --> 00:07:36,754 Dharma Freedom Lion and Pure Liberation follow this path 216 00:07:37,181 --> 00:07:39,434 The second path begins with cognition 217 00:07:39,660 --> 00:07:41,413 They do not say that both poles are empty 218 00:07:41,660 --> 00:07:42,593 Instead they point out 219 00:07:42,740 --> 00:07:45,513 That your cognitive framework creates the distinction 220 00:07:45,860 --> 00:07:47,054 The opposition is not in the world 221 00:07:47,300 --> 00:07:48,874 It is in your system of labels 222 00:07:49,261 --> 00:07:51,833 The teaching of Virtue Crown leans toward this path 223 00:07:52,220 --> 00:07:55,393 The third path begins with the practitioners state of mind 224 00:07:55,460 --> 00:07:56,453 They do not touch the concepts 225 00:07:56,660 --> 00:07:58,194 Or the cognitive framework 226 00:07:58,247 --> 00:07:59,047 Instead they say 227 00:07:59,141 --> 00:08:01,833 When your mind stops swinging between the two sides 228 00:08:02,021 --> 00:08:04,114 The dividing line vanishes by itself 229 00:08:04,381 --> 00:08:06,473 Bodhisattva Pusya follows this path 230 00:08:06,980 --> 00:08:07,734 Three paths 231 00:08:08,061 --> 00:08:09,634 With completely different starting points 232 00:08:09,701 --> 00:08:11,294 All reach the same destination 233 00:08:11,740 --> 00:08:14,073 Nonduality does not destroy one side 234 00:08:14,141 --> 00:08:17,602 It sees through the mechanism that makes the two sides look opposed 235 00:08:18,109 --> 00:08:20,443 That is the greatest value of this chapter 236 00:08:20,869 --> 00:08:23,162 It does not give you a conclusion to memorize 237 00:08:23,510 --> 00:08:26,282 It shows you thirty one different paths 238 00:08:26,390 --> 00:08:27,922 So you can experience for yourself 239 00:08:28,070 --> 00:08:31,003 Why all these paths work 240 00:08:31,030 --> 00:08:32,323 Yet still are not enough 241 00:08:32,749 --> 00:08:33,462 Why are they not enough 242 00:08:33,950 --> 00:08:36,842 Because they all use language to prove nonduality 243 00:08:37,230 --> 00:08:37,903 And language 244 00:08:38,309 --> 00:08:40,962 Is itself the greatest tool of duality 245 00:08:41,433 --> 00:08:43,525 You may have felt this too 246 00:08:43,952 --> 00:08:45,505 There is a feeling in your mind 247 00:08:45,872 --> 00:08:47,045 Perfectly clear 248 00:08:47,273 --> 00:08:48,385 But the moment you speak 249 00:08:48,793 --> 00:08:50,045 It feels wrong 250 00:08:50,393 --> 00:08:52,366 What you say is only an approximation 251 00:08:52,712 --> 00:08:54,805 Because language is discrete 252 00:08:54,832 --> 00:08:57,005 It is assembled from separate words 253 00:08:57,232 --> 00:08:59,185 But your experience is continuous 254 00:08:59,513 --> 00:09:00,805 It is one whole field 255 00:09:01,073 --> 00:09:02,946 You use fragments to reconstruct that whole 256 00:09:03,313 --> 00:09:04,525 And gaps always remain 257 00:09:04,832 --> 00:09:06,726 This is not a problem with your ability to express yourself 258 00:09:07,193 --> 00:09:10,566 It follows from the innate structure of language 259 00:09:10,712 --> 00:09:13,566 When you build a sentence from subject and predicate 260 00:09:13,673 --> 00:09:15,446 You have already begun classifying 261 00:09:15,632 --> 00:09:17,685 You say defilement and purity are one 262 00:09:17,913 --> 00:09:20,885 Using three words to explain that there is no distinction 263 00:09:21,232 --> 00:09:23,566 But the very act of speaking 264 00:09:23,673 --> 00:09:25,386 Is creating distinctions 265 00:09:25,772 --> 00:09:27,266 What is this like 266 00:09:27,612 --> 00:09:28,651 In 1931 267 00:09:28,652 --> 00:09:31,126 A mathematician named Godel proved something 268 00:09:31,573 --> 00:09:35,092 Any consistent and sufficiently powerful formal system 269 00:09:35,093 --> 00:09:38,425 Cannot prove from within itself that it contains no contradictions 270 00:09:38,693 --> 00:09:39,665 In other words 271 00:09:39,732 --> 00:09:43,106 A system cannot guarantee its own reliability 272 00:09:43,372 --> 00:09:45,665 Language cannot express what lies beyond language 273 00:09:46,213 --> 00:09:48,305 A map cannot contain itself 274 00:09:48,693 --> 00:09:50,531 What the thirty one Bodhisattvas are doing 275 00:09:50,533 --> 00:09:52,732 Is working inside the system of language 276 00:09:52,732 --> 00:09:54,131 Using the tools of language 277 00:09:54,132 --> 00:09:56,386 To negate the boundaries language creates 278 00:09:56,693 --> 00:09:58,185 Nothing they say is wrong 279 00:09:58,612 --> 00:10:01,305 But they are trapped in a structural prison 280 00:10:01,573 --> 00:10:02,612 And that prison 281 00:10:02,612 --> 00:10:05,266 Was built by the very tools in their hands 282 00:10:05,972 --> 00:10:09,466 That is why the more you ponder their answers the more brilliant they seem 283 00:10:09,612 --> 00:10:12,226 Yet the more brilliant they seem the more something feels missing 284 00:10:12,533 --> 00:10:14,226 It is not that their answers are inadequate 285 00:10:14,772 --> 00:10:16,665 The thing they use to express them 286 00:10:16,933 --> 00:10:19,122 Is inherently unable to do the job 287 00:10:19,550 --> 00:10:20,022 At that moment 288 00:10:20,430 --> 00:10:21,988 Manjushri stands up 289 00:10:21,989 --> 00:10:22,343 He says 290 00:10:22,750 --> 00:10:23,789 In my view 291 00:10:23,790 --> 00:10:28,002 Say nothing explain nothing indicate nothing cognize nothing about any phenomenon 292 00:10:28,069 --> 00:10:29,443 Leave behind every question and answer 293 00:10:29,550 --> 00:10:31,282 This is entering the gateway of nonduality 294 00:10:31,550 --> 00:10:32,542 Do you see the difference 295 00:10:32,949 --> 00:10:35,603 The previous thirty one Bodhisattvas all answer the question 296 00:10:35,910 --> 00:10:37,622 Manjushri does something different 297 00:10:38,030 --> 00:10:41,402 He points out that answering itself is the problem 298 00:10:41,630 --> 00:10:42,522 Here is an analogy 299 00:10:42,709 --> 00:10:46,563 The first thirty one people use Chinese to discuss Chinese grammar 300 00:10:46,630 --> 00:10:48,963 Trying to find a passage out from within 301 00:10:49,150 --> 00:10:50,343 Manjushri steps outside and says 302 00:10:50,750 --> 00:10:53,242 The tool of Chinese itself has a ceiling 303 00:10:53,309 --> 00:10:55,508 When you discuss its limits from inside it 304 00:10:55,510 --> 00:10:57,767 You can never reach the bottom 305 00:10:58,194 --> 00:10:59,107 But have you noticed 306 00:10:59,474 --> 00:11:00,952 Even Manjushri 307 00:11:00,954 --> 00:11:02,586 Gives an answer with an irony built in 308 00:11:03,314 --> 00:11:05,407 He uses language to say not to use language 309 00:11:05,594 --> 00:11:08,206 He uses one statement to negate every statement 310 00:11:08,474 --> 00:11:10,226 It is like a sign that reads 311 00:11:10,594 --> 00:11:12,326 Ignore this sign 312 00:11:12,633 --> 00:11:16,046 So Manjushri stands one level above the thirty one Bodhisattvas 313 00:11:16,114 --> 00:11:18,078 But he still has not fully escaped 314 00:11:18,306 --> 00:11:21,465 Then Manjushri turns to the layman Vimalakirti 315 00:11:21,466 --> 00:11:22,599 And asks for his view 316 00:11:22,905 --> 00:11:24,399 Vimalakirti says nothing 317 00:11:24,865 --> 00:11:26,019 The scripture gives only four characters 318 00:11:26,426 --> 00:11:27,558 Silent and wordless 319 00:11:28,186 --> 00:11:31,544 An earlier video explored the meaning of this silence 320 00:11:31,546 --> 00:11:33,078 So I will not expand on it today 321 00:11:33,426 --> 00:11:36,158 I want you to notice the structure itself 322 00:11:36,665 --> 00:11:39,838 Thirty one Bodhisattvas dissolve opposition through language 323 00:11:40,145 --> 00:11:42,678 Manjushri rejects language as a tool 324 00:11:42,946 --> 00:11:45,399 Vimalakirti even abandons rejection 325 00:11:45,826 --> 00:11:47,359 This forms a three level staircase 326 00:11:47,665 --> 00:11:48,139 Level one 327 00:11:48,546 --> 00:11:50,239 Solve the problem within the system 328 00:11:50,546 --> 00:11:51,058 Level two 329 00:11:51,426 --> 00:11:52,178 Step outside the system 330 00:11:52,426 --> 00:11:53,958 And comment on its limits 331 00:11:54,346 --> 00:11:54,938 Level three 332 00:11:55,226 --> 00:11:57,473 Stop commenting altogether 333 00:11:57,821 --> 00:12:00,853 Do you know what appeared in mathematical logic after Godel 334 00:12:01,300 --> 00:12:02,713 The exact same structure 335 00:12:03,061 --> 00:12:04,293 Within a formal system 336 00:12:04,540 --> 00:12:05,994 You can derive theorems 337 00:12:06,140 --> 00:12:09,234 But you will encounter propositions the system itself cannot express 338 00:12:09,540 --> 00:12:12,473 So you build a higher system to examine it 339 00:12:12,741 --> 00:12:15,994 But the higher system also has things it cannot express 340 00:12:16,380 --> 00:12:17,914 You can keep building upward forever 341 00:12:17,981 --> 00:12:20,433 Every level remains trapped by its own incompleteness 342 00:12:20,861 --> 00:12:22,340 The only way out 343 00:12:22,341 --> 00:12:23,953 Is not to build a higher level 344 00:12:24,260 --> 00:12:26,394 It is to abandon the act of building itself 345 00:12:27,389 --> 00:12:29,603 This series has always done one thing 346 00:12:29,749 --> 00:12:34,082 Placed ancient Buddhist texts beside modern scientific structures 347 00:12:34,389 --> 00:12:36,442 Not to prove that either side is superior 348 00:12:36,509 --> 00:12:37,722 But to see clearly 349 00:12:37,830 --> 00:12:41,162 Whether human thought in different eras and languages 350 00:12:41,230 --> 00:12:43,682 Encounters the same ceiling 351 00:12:43,950 --> 00:12:47,363 This sutra was probably written between the first and second centuries 352 00:12:47,830 --> 00:12:50,123 Godel published his proof in 1931 353 00:12:50,509 --> 00:12:52,722 A gap of roughly eighteen hundred years 354 00:12:52,830 --> 00:12:54,842 Yet they encountered a similar structure 355 00:12:55,110 --> 00:12:57,682 I am not saying the ancients foresaw modern mathematics 356 00:12:57,950 --> 00:12:58,462 I am saying 357 00:12:58,869 --> 00:13:00,962 This wall that human thought encounters 358 00:13:01,070 --> 00:13:02,403 Has always been there 359 00:13:03,110 --> 00:13:06,202 Whether you strike it with Sanskrit Chinese or symbolic logic 360 00:13:06,350 --> 00:13:08,237 You hit the same wall 361 00:13:08,623 --> 00:13:09,676 I often wonder 362 00:13:09,743 --> 00:13:12,757 What kind of person wrote the Dharma Gateway of Nonduality 363 00:13:13,263 --> 00:13:15,076 They shaped it as a debate 364 00:13:15,103 --> 00:13:17,637 Letting thirty three voices appear in turn 365 00:13:17,944 --> 00:13:19,757 Not to see who speaks best 366 00:13:19,783 --> 00:13:24,357 But to show you what the ceiling of language actually looks like 367 00:13:24,783 --> 00:13:27,717 Each answer is more precise than the one before 368 00:13:27,944 --> 00:13:31,156 Yet each remains within the limits of the tool 369 00:13:31,544 --> 00:13:32,696 Until the final person 370 00:13:33,064 --> 00:13:34,140 Says nothing at all 371 00:13:34,767 --> 00:13:36,246 This is probably why 372 00:13:36,247 --> 00:13:39,101 The Dharma Gateway of Nonduality in the Vimalakirti Sutra 373 00:13:39,127 --> 00:13:41,140 Is often seen as the climax of the whole sutra 374 00:13:41,367 --> 00:13:43,381 It is more than a philosophical argument 375 00:13:43,568 --> 00:13:45,381 It is a live demonstration 376 00:13:45,568 --> 00:13:49,701 You watch thirty one keys enter the lock one by one 377 00:13:49,808 --> 00:13:51,207 Every key turns 378 00:13:51,208 --> 00:13:52,780 Yet the door never opens 379 00:13:53,048 --> 00:13:54,280 Then someone tells you 380 00:13:54,568 --> 00:13:56,221 The door was never locked 381 00:13:56,448 --> 00:13:58,160 Then someone else does nothing 382 00:13:58,408 --> 00:13:59,634 And the door opens 383 00:13:59,860 --> 00:14:01,913 If you take only one thing away today 384 00:14:02,020 --> 00:14:03,114 Let it be this 385 00:14:03,340 --> 00:14:06,874 When you meet a contradiction in life that you cannot think through 386 00:14:07,140 --> 00:14:08,313 Try pausing for a moment 387 00:14:08,581 --> 00:14:11,513 And inspect the tool you are using to think about it 388 00:14:12,020 --> 00:14:13,754 You may have experienced this too 389 00:14:14,301 --> 00:14:16,073 Two choices sit before you 390 00:14:16,220 --> 00:14:18,433 You analyze their pros and cons again and again 391 00:14:18,581 --> 00:14:20,153 And become more tangled with every pass 392 00:14:20,500 --> 00:14:22,234 It is not that your analysis lacks detail 393 00:14:22,500 --> 00:14:24,634 It is precisely that you analyze too finely 394 00:14:24,901 --> 00:14:29,153 Analysis itself keeps reinforcing the opposition between the two options 395 00:14:29,541 --> 00:14:32,994 It increasingly convinces you that the choice is either or 396 00:14:33,421 --> 00:14:35,777 But perhaps it never was 397 00:14:36,324 --> 00:14:39,298 Sometimes what you need is not more analysis 398 00:14:39,324 --> 00:14:40,617 But to take a step back 399 00:14:40,645 --> 00:14:44,058 And see what the act of analysis is doing to you 400 00:14:44,245 --> 00:14:47,938 The thirty one Bodhisattvas teach us more than thirty one solutions 401 00:14:48,285 --> 00:14:49,318 What they teach us is this 402 00:14:49,645 --> 00:14:52,338 A solution itself can become a new prison 403 00:14:52,684 --> 00:14:55,417 An answer itself can become an obstacle 404 00:14:55,765 --> 00:14:57,698 The moment you understand this 405 00:14:57,724 --> 00:14:59,723 May help more than any answer 406 00:15:00,256 --> 00:15:01,897 Does this interpretation make sense to you 407 00:15:02,413 --> 00:15:04,840 Have you ever become more tangled the more you analyzed 408 00:15:05,356 --> 00:15:06,978 I would love to hear your thoughts 409 00:15:07,201 --> 00:15:07,861 I am Leo Wang 410 00:15:08,104 --> 00:15:09,098 See you next time