1
00:00:00,383 --> 00:00:03,036
'Conversations with God' says you are God,

2
00:00:03,262 --> 00:00:05,596
but the Buddha says you aren't even yourself.

3
00:00:05,863 --> 00:00:06,416
One book,

4
00:00:06,863 --> 00:00:08,836
sold 13 million copies worldwide,

5
00:00:08,983 --> 00:00:10,715
translated into 37 languages,

6
00:00:10,743 --> 00:00:14,435
and spent 137 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

7
00:00:14,702 --> 00:00:16,262
Countless people said after reading it,

8
00:00:16,263 --> 00:00:18,396
"I finally understand the truth of the universe."

9
00:00:18,582 --> 00:00:21,135
This book is Neale Donald Walsch's 'Conversations with God.'

10
00:00:21,888 --> 00:00:22,689
It says,

11
00:00:22,742 --> 00:00:25,635
God is not an old man on a cloud judging you.

12
00:00:25,943 --> 00:00:26,295
It says,

13
00:00:26,582 --> 00:00:28,501
there is no distance between you and God,

14
00:00:28,503 --> 00:00:30,356
because you are a part of God.

15
00:00:30,623 --> 00:00:30,975
It says,

16
00:00:31,343 --> 00:00:33,701
all the pain and joy you experience

17
00:00:33,703 --> 00:00:35,396
is created by you.

18
00:00:35,662 --> 00:00:36,015
It says,

19
00:00:36,262 --> 00:00:37,981
there is no hell in this universe,

20
00:00:37,982 --> 00:00:40,956
only two fundamental source codes: love and fear.

21
00:00:41,222 --> 00:00:42,456
Sounds beautiful, doesn't it?

22
00:00:42,942 --> 00:00:45,621
Many feel a sense of weightlessness after reading it,

23
00:00:45,622 --> 00:00:47,515
as if they've been embraced by the universe.

24
00:00:48,103 --> 00:00:48,655
But today,

25
00:00:48,942 --> 00:00:50,195
I want to do one thing.

26
00:00:50,383 --> 00:00:53,835
I want to put this book under a Buddhist microscope.

27
00:00:54,063 --> 00:00:56,036
Not to prove who is right or wrong,

28
00:00:56,063 --> 00:00:57,716
but to let you see something:

29
00:00:57,823 --> 00:00:59,942
Exactly how far this book goes,

30
00:00:59,942 --> 00:01:01,716
and exactly where it stops.

31
00:01:02,023 --> 00:01:02,335
Hello,

32
00:01:02,582 --> 00:01:03,055
everyone.

33
00:01:03,343 --> 00:01:04,396
I am Wang Lijie.

34
00:01:04,623 --> 00:01:06,956
This is the series 'Deconstructing Masterpieces through Buddhism.'

35
00:01:07,183 --> 00:01:10,236
Previously, we explored seed and season in 'Flowers in the Mirror,'

36
00:01:10,302 --> 00:01:12,115
'parikalpita' (imaginary nature) in 'Dream of the Red Chamber,'

37
00:01:12,302 --> 00:01:13,596
the 'Mind Monkey' in 'Journey to the West,'

38
00:01:13,742 --> 00:01:15,055
incompleteness in 'Gödel, Escher, Bach,'

39
00:01:15,423 --> 00:01:16,956
and 'Manas-vijnana' in 'Faust.'

40
00:01:17,302 --> 00:01:20,215
Today, we look at a contemporary work

41
00:01:20,263 --> 00:01:22,316
with massive influence in the global spiritual community.

42
00:01:22,662 --> 00:01:23,572
To be fair,

43
00:01:23,582 --> 00:01:27,355
'Conversations with God' did one very important thing right.

44
00:01:27,543 --> 00:01:31,115
It tore down the wall that traditional religions built for billions.

45
00:01:31,703 --> 00:01:32,296
What wall?

46
00:01:32,783 --> 00:01:34,096
The wall of "You are a sinner,

47
00:01:34,503 --> 00:01:35,621
God is above,

48
00:01:35,623 --> 00:01:36,876
you must kneel and beg,

49
00:01:36,942 --> 00:01:39,275
and He'll decide if he cares based on His mood."

50
00:01:39,942 --> 00:01:40,941
For thousands of years,

51
00:01:40,942 --> 00:01:43,141
countless people lived in the shadow of this wall,

52
00:01:43,143 --> 00:01:43,896
fearing mistakes,

53
00:01:44,102 --> 00:01:45,221
fearing hell,

54
00:01:45,222 --> 00:01:48,596
fearing an almighty judge keeping score in a little notebook.

55
00:01:49,063 --> 00:01:49,695
Walsch says,

56
00:01:50,063 --> 00:01:51,115
it's not like that.

57
00:01:51,543 --> 00:01:52,215
There is no judgment,

58
00:01:52,582 --> 00:01:53,215
no punishment.

59
00:01:53,623 --> 00:01:54,756
You are not a sinner;

60
00:01:55,222 --> 00:01:56,635
you are an extension of God.

61
00:01:57,022 --> 00:01:58,096
You came to this world

62
00:01:58,382 --> 00:01:59,701
not to atone for sins,

63
00:01:59,703 --> 00:02:00,956
but to experience.

64
00:02:01,462 --> 00:02:03,236
This is a beautiful step forward.

65
00:02:03,423 --> 00:02:05,022
In Buddhist terms,

66
00:02:05,022 --> 00:02:09,515
it helped many escape from a heavy form of 'parikalpita.'

67
00:02:09,862 --> 00:02:10,981
'Parikalpita-svabhāva'

68
00:02:10,983 --> 00:02:14,156
is when your consciousness plasters labels onto reality

69
00:02:14,263 --> 00:02:16,635
and then you mistake those labels for reality.

70
00:02:17,062 --> 00:02:17,816
"God is above,

71
00:02:17,983 --> 00:02:18,981
you are below,

72
00:02:18,983 --> 00:02:19,536
you are guilty."

73
00:02:19,983 --> 00:02:21,355
These are just a set of labels.

74
00:02:21,782 --> 00:02:24,836
Walsch helped millions peel off those labels.

75
00:02:25,182 --> 00:02:26,276
But here's the problem:

76
00:02:26,703 --> 00:02:27,936
After peeling off the old labels,

77
00:02:28,182 --> 00:02:29,635
he pasted on new ones.

78
00:02:30,062 --> 00:02:31,455
The old label said you are a sinner;

79
00:02:31,862 --> 00:02:33,675
the new label says you are God.

80
00:02:34,022 --> 00:02:36,276
The old label said the world is full of suffering.

81
00:02:36,342 --> 00:02:39,316
The new label says everything is an experience you chose.

82
00:02:39,742 --> 00:02:41,556
The old label says you must obey.

83
00:02:41,622 --> 00:02:43,556
The new label says you should create.

84
00:02:43,943 --> 00:02:44,895
Much more comfortable, right?

85
00:02:45,543 --> 00:02:46,776
But if the Buddha were present,

86
00:02:47,103 --> 00:02:48,635
he might smile slightly

87
00:02:48,742 --> 00:02:49,256
and say,

88
00:02:49,902 --> 00:02:52,156
"You've swapped for a nicer pair of glasses,

89
00:02:52,342 --> 00:02:53,996
but you're still wearing glasses."

90
00:02:54,342 --> 00:02:54,536
Alright,

91
00:02:54,943 --> 00:02:56,116
let's break these down one by one.

92
00:02:56,543 --> 00:02:57,575
The first core proposition:

93
00:02:57,983 --> 00:02:59,116
All Things Are One.

94
00:02:59,502 --> 00:03:00,135
Walsch says,

95
00:03:00,462 --> 00:03:01,716
everything is God.

96
00:03:01,943 --> 00:03:02,455
You are God.

97
00:03:02,782 --> 00:03:03,635
I am God.

98
00:03:03,782 --> 00:03:04,536
The stone is God.

99
00:03:04,943 --> 00:03:06,036
The stars are God.

100
00:03:06,582 --> 00:03:07,295
There is no separation,

101
00:03:07,582 --> 00:03:08,596
only Oneness.

102
00:03:09,062 --> 00:03:11,955
At first glance, this sounds like Buddhism's "Dependent Origination and Emptiness."

103
00:03:12,342 --> 00:03:14,795
Buddhism also says all things are interdependent.

104
00:03:14,943 --> 00:03:17,355
Nothing is completely independent.

105
00:03:17,543 --> 00:03:20,116
Indra's Net in the Avatamsaka Sutra means exactly this.

106
00:03:20,383 --> 00:03:22,181
The universe is like an infinite net,

107
00:03:22,182 --> 00:03:24,795
where each node reflects every other node.

108
00:03:25,143 --> 00:03:26,222
But if you look closely,

109
00:03:26,223 --> 00:03:28,235
you'll find a fundamental difference.

110
00:03:28,543 --> 00:03:30,675
Walsch's "Oneness" has a foundation.

111
00:03:31,103 --> 00:03:32,336
That foundation is called "God."

112
00:03:32,983 --> 00:03:33,816
All things return to One.

113
00:03:34,022 --> 00:03:34,735
But where do they return?

114
00:03:35,263 --> 00:03:36,195
They return to God.

115
00:03:36,502 --> 00:03:37,816
This "One" is substantial and real;

116
00:03:37,983 --> 00:03:39,316
it is the ultimate entity.

117
00:03:39,663 --> 00:03:41,515
The Buddhist concept of "Emptiness" has no foundation.

118
00:03:41,782 --> 00:03:44,355
Dependent Origination doesn't mean all things return to One.

119
00:03:44,582 --> 00:03:47,036
It says all things can't even return to "One."

120
00:03:47,502 --> 00:03:48,876
There is no ultimate entity,

121
00:03:49,223 --> 00:03:51,415
no thing called "God" or "The Source"

122
00:03:51,502 --> 00:03:53,116
waiting there for you to return.

123
00:03:53,423 --> 00:03:57,062
I previously used chip architecture to explain Laozi's "Tao produced One,

124
00:03:57,062 --> 00:03:57,942
One produced Two,

125
00:03:57,943 --> 00:03:58,496
Two produced Three."

126
00:03:59,223 --> 00:04:01,096
Tao corresponds to the laws of physics—

127
00:04:01,462 --> 00:04:02,836
invisible and intangible,

128
00:04:02,862 --> 00:04:04,235
yet constraining everything.

129
00:04:04,582 --> 00:04:06,701
"Three" corresponds to the operating system;

130
00:04:06,703 --> 00:04:09,876
it's a higher order emerging from underlying rules.

131
00:04:10,263 --> 00:04:11,376
The "God" Walsch speaks of

132
00:04:11,742 --> 00:04:15,836
is actually closer to a Super Admin account in a massive game.

133
00:04:16,103 --> 00:04:18,795
The admin is omniscient and omnipotent within the game world—

134
00:04:18,862 --> 00:04:22,115
able to change weather, revive characters, and rewrite plots.

135
00:04:22,262 --> 00:04:23,776
From any player's perspective,

136
00:04:24,062 --> 00:04:25,115
it is God.

137
00:04:25,822 --> 00:04:29,156
But the admin account itself runs on a game engine.

138
00:04:29,262 --> 00:04:31,555
The engine runs on an OS.

139
00:04:31,663 --> 00:04:33,675
The OS runs on a chip.

140
00:04:33,702 --> 00:04:35,795
The chip runs on the laws of physics.

141
00:04:36,103 --> 00:04:37,956
The admin didn't write the laws of physics;

142
00:04:38,062 --> 00:04:41,475
it is a product of those laws emerging layer by layer.

143
00:04:41,862 --> 00:04:43,875
Buddhist Emptiness and Taoist Tao

144
00:04:43,942 --> 00:04:46,115
point to the lowest level: the laws of physics.

145
00:04:46,702 --> 00:04:47,375
Walsch's God

146
00:04:47,702 --> 00:04:49,555
points to the Admin Account.

147
00:04:49,783 --> 00:04:51,836
They aren't even in the same dimension.

148
00:04:52,142 --> 00:04:54,435
You might think this distinction is abstract,

149
00:04:54,822 --> 00:04:57,755
but its impact on your spiritual path is vital.

150
00:04:58,062 --> 00:04:59,576
If there is an ultimate "One,"

151
00:04:59,942 --> 00:05:03,115
your spiritual journey becomes a homecoming.

152
00:05:03,223 --> 00:05:04,896
You move from separation to unity,

153
00:05:05,182 --> 00:05:06,675
from human to God.

154
00:05:06,983 --> 00:05:08,096
The destination is certain,

155
00:05:08,343 --> 00:05:09,742
the direction is clear,

156
00:05:09,742 --> 00:05:11,396
and the journey is warm.

157
00:05:11,543 --> 00:05:12,375
But Buddhism says

158
00:05:12,702 --> 00:05:13,815
the "home" you want to return to

159
00:05:14,223 --> 00:05:15,196
does not exist.

160
00:05:15,663 --> 00:05:17,315
It's not that you haven't arrived home yet;

161
00:05:17,382 --> 00:05:19,235
It's that that home never existed at all.

162
00:05:19,543 --> 00:05:21,622
You think you are on the way home,

163
00:05:21,622 --> 00:05:23,516
but the very idea of "going home"

164
00:05:23,622 --> 00:05:26,076
is why you can never reach the end.

165
00:05:26,423 --> 00:05:27,555
This isn't pessimism;

166
00:05:28,062 --> 00:05:30,516
it's a freedom deeper than you can imagine.

167
00:05:30,903 --> 00:05:32,995
Only when you no longer need a destination

168
00:05:33,103 --> 00:05:36,115
can you truly see the ground beneath your feet for the first time.

169
00:05:36,702 --> 00:05:37,696
Let's look at the second proposition:

170
00:05:38,023 --> 00:05:39,636
You create your reality.

171
00:05:39,983 --> 00:05:40,576
Walsch says

172
00:05:40,983 --> 00:05:43,596
your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs

173
00:05:43,702 --> 00:05:45,396
shape everything you experience.

174
00:05:45,783 --> 00:05:46,776
If you want to change your life,

175
00:05:47,423 --> 00:05:48,795
just change your thoughts.

176
00:05:49,062 --> 00:05:51,435
This is extremely popular in spiritual circles.

177
00:05:51,903 --> 00:05:52,696
The Law of Attraction,

178
00:05:53,062 --> 00:05:54,036
Manifestation—

179
00:05:54,182 --> 00:05:56,995
much of modern spirituality is built on this foundation.

180
00:05:57,382 --> 00:05:59,956
We have previously deconstructed "Manifestation" on this channel.

181
00:06:00,062 --> 00:06:02,156
Today, let's look at it from another angle.

182
00:06:02,622 --> 00:06:05,615
Buddhism's Yogacara school does say, "The whole world is representation-only."

183
00:06:06,103 --> 00:06:08,302
Meaning the world you experience

184
00:06:08,302 --> 00:06:10,076
is a manifestation of conscious activity.

185
00:06:10,343 --> 00:06:13,875
The colors you see, sounds you hear, and emotions you feel—

186
00:06:13,903 --> 00:06:16,716
these aren't forced upon you directly by an external world,

187
00:06:16,742 --> 00:06:18,675
but are constructed by your consciousness.

188
00:06:18,942 --> 00:06:20,875
This intersects with Walsch's view.

189
00:06:21,103 --> 00:06:25,115
But Yogacara then asks a question Walsch never touches:

190
00:06:25,502 --> 00:06:27,375
The "I" that says "I want to create my reality"—

191
00:06:27,622 --> 00:06:28,295
who is that, exactly?

192
00:06:28,862 --> 00:06:29,696
In Yogacara,

193
00:06:29,942 --> 00:06:31,516
this "I" has a name:

194
00:06:31,543 --> 00:06:32,755
Manas.

195
00:06:32,942 --> 00:06:36,055
Manas is that voice in your heart that keeps saying,

196
00:06:36,302 --> 00:06:39,396
"This is my thought, my choice, my creation."

197
00:06:39,742 --> 00:06:40,755
Buddhism says

198
00:06:40,783 --> 00:06:43,596
Manas itself is constructed;

199
00:06:43,742 --> 00:06:45,701
it is not a real creator.

200
00:06:45,702 --> 00:06:48,156
It is an automatically running program of attachment.

201
00:06:48,423 --> 00:06:50,836
So, the phrase "You create your reality,"

202
00:06:50,862 --> 00:06:52,555
under the surgical light of Buddhism,

203
00:06:52,583 --> 00:06:55,475
contains an unexamined premise:

204
00:06:55,583 --> 00:06:58,276
That there is an entity called "you."

205
00:06:58,862 --> 00:06:59,855
In Walsch's system,

206
00:07:00,103 --> 00:07:01,596
the soul is real.

207
00:07:02,182 --> 00:07:04,995
The soul evolves through lifetimes of reincarnation,

208
00:07:05,023 --> 00:07:07,355
becoming more whole through continuous experience.

209
00:07:07,702 --> 00:07:09,516
The soul chose your parents,

210
00:07:09,543 --> 00:07:10,915
chose your hardships,

211
00:07:10,983 --> 00:07:12,355
and chose your lessons.

212
00:07:12,543 --> 00:07:14,396
Everything is an arrangement of the soul.

213
00:07:15,103 --> 00:07:17,596
The Buddha would likely say one thing to this:

214
00:07:17,822 --> 00:07:20,115
You've packaged reincarnation as a school,

215
00:07:20,262 --> 00:07:22,315
packaged suffering as a curriculum,

216
00:07:22,423 --> 00:07:24,516
and packaged attachment as a choice.

217
00:07:24,983 --> 00:07:26,555
You make people feel safe,

218
00:07:26,903 --> 00:07:29,156
but at the same time, you make them stop questioning.

219
00:07:29,942 --> 00:07:32,555
The Buddhist "no-self" (Anatta) doesn't mean you lack consciousness,

220
00:07:32,622 --> 00:07:35,755
but that the program running continuously in consciousness,

221
00:07:35,862 --> 00:07:40,276
the background process that labels "this is me, these are mine,"

222
00:07:40,302 --> 00:07:41,956
is not your original face.

223
00:07:42,663 --> 00:07:44,255
Taking this program to be the "soul"

224
00:07:44,543 --> 00:07:46,435
as an eternally evolving subject,

225
00:07:46,502 --> 00:07:49,755
is, from a Buddhist perspective, the most sophisticated form of attachment.

226
00:07:50,302 --> 00:07:52,156
You can recognize coarse attachments:

227
00:07:52,343 --> 00:07:53,975
greed for wealth, sex, and fame.

228
00:07:54,543 --> 00:07:56,076
Most people can see those.

229
00:07:56,382 --> 00:07:59,836
But the attachment of "I am an eternal soul in evolution"

230
00:08:00,103 --> 00:08:01,795
is almost unrecognizable to anyone.

231
00:08:02,142 --> 00:08:03,295
Because it is too beautiful,

232
00:08:03,543 --> 00:08:04,622
too comforting,

233
00:08:04,622 --> 00:08:05,795
and too meaningful.

234
00:08:06,343 --> 00:08:09,915
Yet, for 2,500 years, Buddhism has repeatedly done one thing:

235
00:08:09,983 --> 00:08:13,836
help you see the attachments that you don't even realize are attachments.

236
00:08:14,463 --> 00:08:14,656
Alright.

237
00:08:14,942 --> 00:08:16,115
The third proposition:

238
00:08:16,502 --> 00:08:17,716
Love and Fear.

239
00:08:17,942 --> 00:08:21,516
Walsch boils all human motivation down to two things:

240
00:08:21,862 --> 00:08:23,196
Love and fear.

241
00:08:23,463 --> 00:08:24,495
Every action you take

242
00:08:24,903 --> 00:08:26,076
is motivated by either love

243
00:08:26,103 --> 00:08:27,435
or fear.

244
00:08:27,822 --> 00:08:29,315
There is no third option.

245
00:08:29,622 --> 00:08:30,216
Choose love,

246
00:08:30,543 --> 00:08:31,555
and you move toward God.

247
00:08:31,903 --> 00:08:32,655
Choose fear,

248
00:08:32,942 --> 00:08:34,155
and you create suffering.

249
00:08:34,462 --> 00:08:37,716
Many people find life suddenly clear upon reading this.

250
00:08:37,863 --> 00:08:39,296
They once felt the world was complex,

251
00:08:39,663 --> 00:08:40,621
but now realize

252
00:08:40,623 --> 00:08:42,155
there are only two buttons.

253
00:08:42,623 --> 00:08:43,875
But Buddhism would say

254
00:08:43,903 --> 00:08:46,515
you are flattening the 3D into 2D.

255
00:08:46,942 --> 00:08:49,635
Buddhism doesn't use the concepts of "love and fear."

256
00:08:49,822 --> 00:08:53,635
It core concepts are the Three Poisons: greed, anger, and delusion.

257
00:08:54,143 --> 00:08:54,495
Notice,

258
00:08:54,663 --> 00:08:55,336
there are three,

259
00:08:55,543 --> 00:08:56,515
not two.

260
00:08:56,903 --> 00:08:58,916
Greed isn't just the opposite of fear.

261
00:08:59,222 --> 00:09:03,316
Greed itself contains a mechanism you might not notice:

262
00:09:03,543 --> 00:09:04,956
The more you love something,

263
00:09:05,143 --> 00:09:06,956
the more you fear losing it.

264
00:09:07,263 --> 00:09:10,515
Love and fear aren't two separate buttons;

265
00:09:10,623 --> 00:09:13,155
they are two sides of the same coin.

266
00:09:13,582 --> 00:09:15,115
When you press the "love" button,

267
00:09:15,143 --> 00:09:17,635
the "fear" switch is flipped automatically.

268
00:09:17,942 --> 00:09:21,875
Furthermore, Buddhism highlights a third factor Walsch barely discusses:

269
00:09:22,028 --> 00:09:22,822
Delusion,

270
00:09:22,822 --> 00:09:23,995
also known as ignorance.

271
00:09:24,462 --> 00:09:25,615
Ignorance isn't fear,

272
00:09:26,023 --> 00:09:27,475
nor is it a lack of love.

273
00:09:27,783 --> 00:09:31,155
Ignorance is not even knowing that you are wearing glasses.

274
00:09:31,582 --> 00:09:32,615
It's not that you're choosing wrongly;

275
00:09:32,942 --> 00:09:34,716
it's that you don't realize you ARE choosing.

276
00:09:35,062 --> 00:09:37,336
Walsch's solution is to "choose love."

277
00:09:38,023 --> 00:09:40,635
This is good advice for daily life,

278
00:09:40,743 --> 00:09:43,635
but Buddhism's direction isn't to choose a specific emotion,

279
00:09:43,783 --> 00:09:48,155
but to see the mechanism creating the "chooser" behind all emotions.

280
00:09:48,462 --> 00:09:50,176
Choosing love vs. choosing fear,

281
00:09:50,503 --> 00:09:51,836
from a Buddhist perspective,

282
00:09:51,903 --> 00:09:54,196
is still spinning at the level of "choosing."

283
00:09:54,582 --> 00:09:55,615
True freedom

284
00:09:55,982 --> 00:09:57,716
exists before the choice happens.

285
00:09:58,503 --> 00:09:59,796
Let me use an analogy.

286
00:10:00,143 --> 00:10:01,716
Suppose you are dreaming.

287
00:10:02,143 --> 00:10:03,255
In the dream, there are two doors.

288
00:10:03,623 --> 00:10:04,535
One says "Love,"

289
00:10:04,863 --> 00:10:05,975
and one says "Fear."

290
00:10:06,503 --> 00:10:07,916
Walsch tells you

291
00:10:07,942 --> 00:10:10,115
to always choose the door labeled "Love."

292
00:10:10,342 --> 00:10:11,056
Within the dream,

293
00:10:11,342 --> 00:10:13,235
that is indeed the better option.

294
00:10:13,702 --> 00:10:15,875
But the Buddha is saying something else.

295
00:10:16,302 --> 00:10:18,436
He isn't telling you which door to choose;

296
00:10:18,903 --> 00:10:19,775
he is telling you

297
00:10:20,102 --> 00:10:21,155
that you are dreaming.

298
00:10:21,582 --> 00:10:24,355
One gives you better options within the dream;

299
00:10:24,743 --> 00:10:26,796
the other wakes you up.

300
00:10:27,302 --> 00:10:30,115
That is the real distance between these two systems.

301
00:10:30,383 --> 00:10:32,875
There's another proposition worth highlighting separately:

302
00:10:33,023 --> 00:10:34,135
the idea that "there is no hell."

303
00:10:34,903 --> 00:10:36,495
Walsch repeatedly emphasizes in his book

304
00:10:36,783 --> 00:10:37,621
that there is no hell,

305
00:10:37,623 --> 00:10:38,296
no judgment,

306
00:10:38,582 --> 00:10:39,596
and no punishment.

307
00:10:39,982 --> 00:10:43,355
God won't throw you into a fire for making a mistake.

308
00:10:43,663 --> 00:10:45,755
All experiences are neutral;

309
00:10:45,783 --> 00:10:47,836
they are experiences chosen by your soul.

310
00:10:47,982 --> 00:10:49,816
This resonates with Buddhism,

311
00:10:50,102 --> 00:10:51,076
but there are also gaps.

312
00:10:51,383 --> 00:10:52,176
Where is the resonance?

313
00:10:52,663 --> 00:10:56,475
Buddhism indeed doesn't believe in an external judge.

314
00:10:56,702 --> 00:11:00,076
There's no King Yama on a high platform reviewing your record.

315
00:11:00,383 --> 00:11:03,355
Such imagery was added later by folk religion.

316
00:11:03,702 --> 00:11:06,515
The Buddha's original concept of karma is very clean:

317
00:11:06,743 --> 00:11:08,796
it's a mechanism like physics.

318
00:11:09,102 --> 00:11:10,182
Whatever you do

319
00:11:10,182 --> 00:11:12,956
leaves a seed in your consciousness;

320
00:11:13,222 --> 00:11:15,062
that seed, given the right conditions,

321
00:11:15,062 --> 00:11:16,916
it will produce the corresponding result.

322
00:11:17,383 --> 00:11:19,076
No one needs to judge you.

323
00:11:19,143 --> 00:11:20,822
Just like when you put your hand in a fire,

324
00:11:20,822 --> 00:11:22,501
God doesn't need to punish you—

325
00:11:22,503 --> 00:11:24,155
you'll get burned yourself.

326
00:11:24,582 --> 00:11:25,735
But where is the fracture?

327
00:11:26,222 --> 00:11:27,456
Walsch says there is no hell,

328
00:11:27,743 --> 00:11:29,076
and stops there.

329
00:11:29,302 --> 00:11:31,076
He gives you a massive comfort:

330
00:11:31,182 --> 00:11:32,596
you won't be punished.

331
00:11:32,903 --> 00:11:35,155
Buddhism speaks of something more complex.

332
00:11:35,702 --> 00:11:37,316
There is no external judge,

333
00:11:37,423 --> 00:11:39,196
but there is an internal chain of causality.

334
00:11:39,783 --> 00:11:41,316
You won't be punished by anyone,

335
00:11:41,582 --> 00:11:43,716
but the seeds you sow will bloom.

336
00:11:44,263 --> 00:11:47,275
Moreover, the way seeds work is non-linear.

337
00:11:47,462 --> 00:11:50,716
It's not that doing one bad deed inevitably brings one retribution.

338
00:11:51,143 --> 00:11:52,176
Seeds can lie dormant,

339
00:11:52,543 --> 00:11:53,475
they can accumulate,

340
00:11:53,663 --> 00:11:55,576
and they'll sprout at moments you'd never expect,

341
00:11:55,822 --> 00:11:58,596
in ways you'd never imagine.

342
00:11:59,143 --> 00:12:02,535
So Buddhism's stance on "hell" isn't a simple "no."

343
00:12:03,462 --> 00:12:04,015
Buddhism says,

344
00:12:04,582 --> 00:12:07,076
what you call hell is not a place;

345
00:12:07,182 --> 00:12:08,836
it is a state of consciousness.

346
00:12:09,383 --> 00:12:12,676
When you are scorched by hatred beyond help,

347
00:12:12,822 --> 00:12:14,115
you are in hell.

348
00:12:14,543 --> 00:12:17,916
When you are so driven by greed that you can't rest,

349
00:12:18,023 --> 00:12:19,515
you are in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts.

350
00:12:20,023 --> 00:12:22,355
These aren't places you go after death;

351
00:12:22,423 --> 00:12:25,635
you're cycling through the Six Realms while you're alive.

352
00:12:26,342 --> 00:12:28,296
Walsch removed the fear of hell.

353
00:12:28,663 --> 00:12:29,716
That's a good thing.

354
00:12:30,102 --> 00:12:32,995
But he also removed something more important:

355
00:12:33,302 --> 00:12:35,155
the awe of causality.

356
00:12:35,503 --> 00:12:36,255
Not fear,

357
00:12:36,582 --> 00:12:37,556
but awe.

358
00:12:37,822 --> 00:12:39,395
You don't have to fear fire,

359
00:12:39,462 --> 00:12:41,635
but you'd better respect its heat.

360
00:12:42,062 --> 00:12:44,556
The causality of Buddhism is like that heat.

361
00:12:44,903 --> 00:12:46,056
You don't need to fear it,

362
00:12:46,423 --> 00:12:47,581
but if you ignore it,

363
00:12:47,582 --> 00:12:48,875
it will still burn you.

364
00:12:49,222 --> 00:12:51,875
This is a hidden loophole in Walsch's system.

365
00:12:52,102 --> 00:12:55,662
When you tell someone, "Everything is an experience chosen by your soul,

366
00:12:55,663 --> 00:12:56,995
there is no right or wrong,"

367
00:12:57,143 --> 00:12:59,196
you indeed release them from fear,

368
00:12:59,462 --> 00:13:01,796
but you might also disable their alertness.

369
00:13:02,102 --> 00:13:04,436
Some people, after reading Conversations with God, might say,

370
00:13:04,462 --> 00:13:06,022
"Since everything is just an experience,

371
00:13:06,023 --> 00:13:07,995
it doesn't matter what I do."

372
00:13:08,302 --> 00:13:09,995
This wasn't Walsch's intention,

373
00:13:10,062 --> 00:13:13,875
but his system lacks a firewall to prevent this slippery slope.

374
00:13:14,182 --> 00:13:16,755
The Buddhist view of karma is that firewall.

375
00:13:17,182 --> 00:13:18,701
It's not meant to scare you;

376
00:13:18,702 --> 00:13:20,596
it's meant to help you see clearly.

377
00:13:21,222 --> 00:13:22,056
Every thought,

378
00:13:22,342 --> 00:13:23,475
every action,

379
00:13:23,503 --> 00:13:26,115
plants a seed in your Alaya-vijnana.

380
00:13:26,423 --> 00:13:30,716
These seeds don't vanish just because you say, "I choose love."

381
00:13:31,062 --> 00:13:32,096
You have to see them,

382
00:13:32,423 --> 00:13:34,115
understand how they operate,

383
00:13:34,263 --> 00:13:36,875
and then transform them in the right way.

384
00:13:37,263 --> 00:13:38,615
This is not driven by fear;

385
00:13:38,942 --> 00:13:40,395
it is driven by clarity.

386
00:13:40,663 --> 00:13:44,676
Like an experienced driver wears a seatbelt not out of fear of crashing,

387
00:13:44,863 --> 00:13:49,275
but because they know better than a novice that physics doesn't negotiate.

388
00:13:49,783 --> 00:13:51,022
But having said that,

389
00:13:51,023 --> 00:13:52,995
I must say a few words in Walsch's defense.

390
00:13:53,423 --> 00:13:55,875
He did something truly remarkable.

391
00:13:56,263 --> 00:14:00,596
He helped millions escape from fear and guilt.

392
00:14:01,302 --> 00:14:03,716
Behind thirteen million copies sold,

393
00:14:03,863 --> 00:14:07,395
are thirteen million people who once felt sinful

394
00:14:07,462 --> 00:14:09,316
and were finally allowed to breathe.

395
00:14:09,582 --> 00:14:11,176
Do you know what that means?

396
00:14:11,582 --> 00:14:15,716
It means thirteen million people turned to a certain page one night,

397
00:14:15,863 --> 00:14:17,196
shed tears,

398
00:14:17,222 --> 00:14:17,775
and said,

399
00:14:18,062 --> 00:14:19,676
"I don't have to be afraid after all."

400
00:14:19,942 --> 00:14:21,196
That is no small thing.

401
00:14:21,342 --> 00:14:24,292
For those who have never wondered about their relationship with the universe,

402
00:14:24,302 --> 00:14:27,596
"Conversations with God" might be one of the best places to start.

403
00:14:27,783 --> 00:14:29,836
It lowers the barrier to spiritual exploration,

404
00:14:29,942 --> 00:14:32,196
helping tens of millions take that first step.

405
00:14:32,342 --> 00:14:35,275
You can't mock someone who helps others take their first step,

406
00:14:35,503 --> 00:14:37,542
because before that step,

407
00:14:37,543 --> 00:14:39,115
many don't even know which way to go.

408
00:14:39,783 --> 00:14:41,261
But what Buddhism does

409
00:14:41,263 --> 00:14:43,755
begins precisely after that step is taken.

410
00:14:44,143 --> 00:14:46,755
Walsch helps you peel off the label of "sinner,"

411
00:14:46,863 --> 00:14:49,355
but then pastes on the label of "God."

412
00:14:49,702 --> 00:14:50,255
Buddhism says,

413
00:14:50,663 --> 00:14:52,556
"Peeling off the label is great,

414
00:14:52,702 --> 00:14:54,176
but why stick on a new one?"

415
00:14:54,783 --> 00:14:57,975
Walsch helps you move from a "world of fear" to a "world of love."

416
00:14:58,543 --> 00:14:59,056
Buddhism says,

417
00:14:59,302 --> 00:14:59,956
"That's nice,

418
00:15:00,222 --> 00:15:02,696
but why live in any 'world' at all?"

419
00:15:03,383 --> 00:15:06,556
Walsch sets your soul on a journey back home.

420
00:15:06,863 --> 00:15:07,375
Buddhism says,

421
00:15:07,743 --> 00:15:09,196
"Look back for a moment;

422
00:15:09,783 --> 00:15:11,875
where does that voice saying 'I want to go home'

423
00:15:11,903 --> 00:15:13,395
actually come from?"

424
00:15:13,663 --> 00:15:16,535
And have you noticed an interesting structural issue?

425
00:15:17,383 --> 00:15:19,416
The book is titled "Conversations with God."

426
00:15:20,349 --> 00:15:21,149
A conversation.

427
00:15:21,783 --> 00:15:22,655
One person asks,

428
00:15:23,062 --> 00:15:24,355
one God answers.

429
00:15:24,982 --> 00:15:27,875
This format itself implies a premise:

430
00:15:27,982 --> 00:15:30,275
that you and God are two separate things.

431
00:15:31,062 --> 00:15:31,696
You are here,

432
00:15:32,222 --> 00:15:33,316
God is there,

433
00:15:33,462 --> 00:15:36,836
and there is a distance between you that needs a dialogue to bridge.

434
00:15:37,342 --> 00:15:39,115
Walsch says all things are one,

435
00:15:39,263 --> 00:15:41,716
but he writes in a dualistic way.

436
00:15:42,023 --> 00:15:43,096
An "I" asking,

437
00:15:43,342 --> 00:15:44,755
a "God" answering.

438
00:15:45,222 --> 00:15:46,655
If everything is truly one,

439
00:15:46,982 --> 00:15:48,015
who are you talking to?

440
00:15:48,462 --> 00:15:49,655
The left hand talking to the right?

441
00:15:50,423 --> 00:15:52,155
In Buddhism, this problem doesn't exist.

442
00:15:52,663 --> 00:15:53,775
The Buddha is not a god,

443
00:15:54,342 --> 00:15:55,475
not a creator,

444
00:15:55,663 --> 00:15:57,155
not universal consciousness.

445
00:15:57,342 --> 00:15:59,596
The Buddha is someone who has woken up.

446
00:16:00,102 --> 00:16:03,076
The difference between him and you isn't one of species,

447
00:16:03,182 --> 00:16:04,556
but of state.

448
00:16:04,822 --> 00:16:05,495
He is awake;

449
00:16:05,783 --> 00:16:06,916
you are still dreaming.

450
00:16:07,462 --> 00:16:09,676
What he does isn't answer questions for you,

451
00:16:09,982 --> 00:16:11,355
but helps you see

452
00:16:11,462 --> 00:16:14,196
that your questions themselves are part of the dream.

453
00:16:14,582 --> 00:16:15,735
Do you know what this is like?

454
00:16:16,342 --> 00:16:18,395
It's like someone wearing red-tinted sunglasses.

455
00:16:18,462 --> 00:16:19,956
Everything they see is red,

456
00:16:19,982 --> 00:16:21,155
and they find it distressing.

457
00:16:21,503 --> 00:16:22,375
Walsch comes along and says,

458
00:16:22,663 --> 00:16:24,275
"Don't wear the red ones,

459
00:16:24,302 --> 00:16:25,296
swap them for these blue ones."

460
00:16:25,663 --> 00:16:27,316
Suddenly the world becomes beautiful.

461
00:16:27,743 --> 00:16:28,375
The person puts them on,

462
00:16:28,663 --> 00:16:29,796
and indeed feels much better.

463
00:16:30,302 --> 00:16:31,596
The Buddha also comes along.

464
00:16:31,982 --> 00:16:34,115
He doesn't hand you any glasses.

465
00:16:34,543 --> 00:16:35,056
He asks you,

466
00:16:35,543 --> 00:16:36,701
"Have you ever thought about

467
00:16:36,702 --> 00:16:38,015
trying to just take the glasses off?"

468
00:16:38,863 --> 00:16:39,456
The person says,

469
00:16:39,822 --> 00:16:40,855
"If I take them off, what will I see?"

470
00:16:41,543 --> 00:16:42,015
The Buddha says,

471
00:16:42,342 --> 00:16:43,395
"Just look and see."

472
00:16:43,743 --> 00:16:45,316
That is the difference.

473
00:16:45,623 --> 00:16:47,515
One gives you a better filter;

474
00:16:47,702 --> 00:16:50,235
the other lets you see the world without filters.

475
00:16:50,863 --> 00:16:51,775
Someone might ask,

476
00:16:52,062 --> 00:16:53,135
"So what if I see it?"

477
00:16:53,783 --> 00:16:55,535
"What is a world without filters like?"

478
00:16:56,302 --> 00:16:58,076
Buddhism's answer is this:

479
00:16:58,423 --> 00:16:59,836
"I cannot tell you,

480
00:17:00,263 --> 00:17:02,556
because the very language I use to tell you..."

481
00:17:02,623 --> 00:17:04,435
is itself a filter.

482
00:17:04,942 --> 00:17:06,836
The Buddhist scriptures you read are a filter.

483
00:17:07,022 --> 00:17:09,715
Even this video you're watching is a filter.

484
00:17:10,182 --> 00:17:11,096
If even Buddhist Dharma should be let go,

485
00:17:11,542 --> 00:17:12,715
then how much more so for non-Dharma?

486
00:17:13,143 --> 00:17:14,596
But one thing is certain:

487
00:17:15,022 --> 00:17:17,395
The moment you take off all your glasses,

488
00:17:17,542 --> 00:17:19,422
what you see is not nothingness,

489
00:17:19,423 --> 00:17:20,056
nor darkness,

490
00:17:20,343 --> 00:17:21,476
nor loneliness.

491
00:17:21,782 --> 00:17:22,875
What you see

492
00:17:22,903 --> 00:17:26,915
is what you were already seeing before putting on any glasses.

493
00:17:27,462 --> 00:17:28,836
It has always been there.

494
00:17:29,063 --> 00:17:30,355
It needs no name.

495
00:17:30,782 --> 00:17:31,736
Call it God,

496
00:17:32,022 --> 00:17:33,221
call it Emptiness,

497
00:17:33,222 --> 00:17:34,175
or call it the Tao;

498
00:17:34,583 --> 00:17:35,875
these are all just fingers pointing.

499
00:17:36,262 --> 00:17:37,821
The moon being pointed to

500
00:17:37,823 --> 00:17:39,715
is not found on any finger.

501
00:17:40,269 --> 00:17:41,068
So,

502
00:17:41,103 --> 00:17:44,172
if you are trapped by the fear and guilt of traditional religion,

503
00:17:44,182 --> 00:17:48,875
"Conversations with God" likely the key you need right now.

504
00:17:49,182 --> 00:17:49,736
Pick it up,

505
00:17:50,222 --> 00:17:51,175
open the door,

506
00:17:51,623 --> 00:17:52,476
and walk out.

507
00:17:52,942 --> 00:17:54,096
But once you're out,

508
00:17:54,462 --> 00:17:55,516
remember one thing:

509
00:17:55,903 --> 00:17:57,496
Keys are for opening doors,

510
00:17:57,863 --> 00:17:59,276
not for worshiping.

511
00:17:59,583 --> 00:18:02,076
You wouldn't place a key on an altar

512
00:18:02,143 --> 00:18:03,435
and kowtow to it every day.

513
00:18:03,903 --> 00:18:05,256
You use the key to open the door,

514
00:18:05,742 --> 00:18:06,596
you walk out,

515
00:18:07,063 --> 00:18:09,635
and you find there are more doors outside.

516
00:18:10,143 --> 00:18:10,576
Keep walking,

517
00:18:10,863 --> 00:18:13,675
and you'll realize the door itself is just a concept.

518
00:18:13,982 --> 00:18:14,375
Walk further,

519
00:18:14,623 --> 00:18:16,236
and you'll find the person walking

520
00:18:16,262 --> 00:18:18,236
isn't as substantial as you thought.

521
00:18:18,663 --> 00:18:19,662
At this stage,

522
00:18:19,663 --> 00:18:22,556
you probably won't need to talk to any God.

523
00:18:22,782 --> 00:18:24,756
Conversation requires two people,

524
00:18:25,262 --> 00:18:26,942
and you begin to sense

525
00:18:26,942 --> 00:18:31,316
that those two were always just ripples in the same stream of consciousness.

526
00:18:31,702 --> 00:18:33,516
Ripples don't need to talk.

527
00:18:34,182 --> 00:18:34,935
What they need

528
00:18:35,262 --> 00:18:36,902
is perhaps just to quiet down

529
00:18:36,903 --> 00:18:38,635
and see that they are water.

530
00:18:39,182 --> 00:18:40,895
Have you read "Conversations with God"?

531
00:18:41,423 --> 00:18:43,655
At what stage of your life did it appear?

532
00:18:44,462 --> 00:18:46,675
If you asked the Buddha to review this book,

533
00:18:46,702 --> 00:18:48,056
what do you think he would say?

534
00:18:48,702 --> 00:18:50,516
I'm curious about your thoughts.

535
00:18:50,823 --> 00:18:51,536
I am Leo Wang.

536
00:18:51,863 --> 00:18:53,101
See you next time.