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The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh > Chapter 17 - The Two Truths > Flashcards

Chapter 17 - The Two Truths Flashcards

1
Q

enumerate:

Two Truths

A
  1. relative (worldly) truth
  2. absolute truth
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2
Q

explain:

Relative Truth

or worldly truth

6

A
  • through which we enter door of practice
  • recognising happiness and suffering, we get closer to increased happiness
  • door of knowledge: Dharma talk, book etc
  • looking deeply into relative truth, we penetrate the absolute truth
  • important not to let relative truth imprison us, preventing us from touching absolute truth
  • inter-embraces absolute truth
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3
Q

explain:

Absolute Truth

5

A
  • when concepts and ideas yield to actual experience
  • action becomes non-action, practice becomes non-practice
  • liberation can come from ability to go from world of signs to world of true nature
  • we need the relative world of the wave, but we also need to touch the absolute truth of the water, the ground of our being, to have relative peace and joy
  • inter-embraces relative truth
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4
Q

enumerate:

Five Remembrances

A
  1. I am of the nature to grow old; there is no way to escape growing old
  2. have ill health; having ill health
  3. to die; death
  4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change; there is no way to escape being separated from them
  5. My actions are my only true belongings; I cannot escape the consequences of my actions; my actions are the ground on which I stand
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5
Q

How can we use the Five Remembrances?

2

A
  • make friends with our fears, of old age, sickness, abandonment and dying
  • bell of mindfulness to appreciate present wonders of life

the Buddha here uses tool of Relative Truth

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6
Q

enumerate:

2 Kinds of Joy

A
  1. relative joy
  2. absolute joy
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7
Q

In the story of the two hens, they do not know they are about to be slaughtered commenting on the tastiness of the rice over the corn. What two ideas does this illustrate?

2

A
  • Relative joy: The rice is much tastier than the corn”
  • Absolute joy: not being slaughtered at that moment
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8
Q

enumerate:

4 Notions to Remove for Freedom and Happiness

A
  1. self
  2. person
  3. living being
  4. life span
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9
Q

explain:

self

1st notion to remove

2

A
  • made only of non-self elements
  • to protect humans we must protect non-human elements
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10
Q

explain:

person

2nd notion to remove

A
  • no absolute truth of young/old
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11
Q

explain:

living being

3rd notion to remove

3

A
  • beings are made of non-living-being elements
  • so called inanimate things alive also
  • notions of living and inanimate need removing to touch reality
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12
Q

explain:

life span

4th notion to remove

3

A
  • we have never been born and we will never die
  • wave is born and dies yet to water this doesn’t apply
  • our fear can suddenly vanish with this insight

wrong view: we exist from day of birth to day of death

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13
Q

What is the insight that helps us reconcile the Two Truths?

A
  • Interbeing
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14
Q

Why are the Four Noble Truths not the Buddha’s deepest teaching?

A
  • Because the Buddha presented them as relative truth to help us enter through the door of practice
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15
Q

Do we need to die in order to enter Nirvana?

A
  • No
  • We can just dwell deeply in the present moment, right now
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16
Q

Why might the Buddha smile instead of answer a question with words?

2

A
  • Because when we have a concept, we then cling to the question
  • A real thing is quite different to a concept of it
17
Q

describe:

Diamond Sutra

6

A
  • teaching of Buddha and of Deep Ecology, most ancient text about respecting all forms of life on Earth
  • to protect humans we have to protect non-human elements
  • to see ourselves in things we thought were outside ourselves in order to dissolve false boundaries
  • to protect ourselves we have to protect everything that is not ourselves
  • humans can survive only with the survival of other species
  • four signs of DS: self / person / living being / life span
18
Q

dialectics of the Diamond Sutra

A
  • A is not A, that is why it is truly A
    ex: A = human; A = flower
19
Q

Avatamsaka Sutra

2

A
  • all dharmas (phenomena) enter one dharma
  • and one dharma enters all dharmas
20
Q

Why can’t we say suffering is objective?

2

A
  • depends largely on perceptions
    ex: cold air, source of joy if dressed warmly
21
Q

physiological formations

A
  • parts of the body
    ex: liver, finger
22
Q

What is the “contradiction” between the Buddha’s Five Noble Truths and Avalokiteshvara’s Heart Sutra?

3

A
  • 4NT: truth, cause, cessation, path away from suffering (relative truth)
  • Heart Sutra: no suffering, no cause, no cessation, no path (absolute truth)
  • Avalokiteshvara meant that suffering is made entirely of non-suffering elements
23
Q

How are suffering and Nirvana the same substances?

A
  • if you throw dust away, there is no nirvana
24
Q

Why might we constantly live in fear and suffering?

A
  • because of the notions we carry, not touching the ultimate dimension
25
Q

What’s meditation for?

A
  • to help us remove concepts
26
Q

Should we practise the 4NT in the dimension of relative truth or absolute truth?

3

A
  • both
  • relative truth keeps us in historical dimension of reality, but we get some relief practising 4NT
  • deeper level of practice is to live every day touching both truths

  • Relative: Buddha passed away
  • Absolute: we can take his hand in walking meditation every day
27
Q

Whycan’t we live in London/Paris etc or with a person and know them perfectly?

3

A
  • we hold concepts
  • same is true of knowing yourself
  • look deeply to touch their true nature and to overcome concepts of reality and reality itself
28
Q

What can happen when we ride skilfully on the waves of birth and death?

A
  • we become free of birth and death
29
Q

Near the time of his death, the Buddha spoke a gatha beginning with the line “All conditioned things are impermanent.” Was he speaking in terms of relative truth or absolute truth?

3

A
  • Both
  • (relative)
    All conditioned things are impermanent
    They are phenomena, subject to birth and death
  • (absolute)
    When birth and death no longer are
    The complete silencing is joy

silencing = Nirvana

30
Q

Why is suffering a Noble Truth?

2

A
  • because the way out depends on how we look at it
  • truth of the path is one with truth of suffering

“Every second I am on the path that leads out of suffering, suffering is there to guide me”

31
Q

explain:

Relative Joy

A
  • needs to be experienced so we know what to do when faced with absolute joy
32
Q

explain:

Absolute Joy

3

A
  • acknowledging existence of suffering and understand the causes
    ex: headache
  • no need to get caught in theories
    ex: suffering is an illusion
  • we have to transcend suffering and joy by just paying attention to what is actually going on and touch true nature of suffering, joy etc

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh (30 decks)

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