 |
Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC) |
|---|---|
 |
Lotsawa House |
བདག་མེད་གཉིས་གཏན་ལ་འབེབས་ཚུལ་བཞུགས།
bdag med gnyis gtan la 'bebs tshul
Ascertaining the Two Kinds of Selflessness
Text
Please note that many items in our library are simply pages that represent a detailed library catalog entry and citation of someone else's work, presentation, or performance. Read our General Disclaimer for more information.
Description
Ascertaining the Two Kinds of Selflessness by Mipham Rinpoche explains the Buddhist concepts of personal and phenomenal selflessness.
The text distinguishes between:
1. Personal selflessness - understanding that the "I" we cling to has no inherent existence, being merely a projection onto the five aggregates
2. Phenomenal selflessness - realizing that all phenomena lack true, independent existence when examined through logical analysis
Mipham emphasizes that clinging to "I" is the root of all mental afflictions and saṃsāra, while realizing selflessness is the foundation of liberation. He further distinguishes between conceptual understanding of emptiness (the "categorizable ultimate") and direct realization of the dharmadhātu - the ineffable natural state where emptiness and dependent origination are inseparable (the "uncategorizable ultimate"). True realization transcends intellectual analysis and requires settling the mind through meditation and guru's instructions to see the great Middle Way beyond conceptual elaboration.
