“The best learning is realising the truth of no self.”

What is the best learning? Realising no self. Not memorising all the points, knowing how to say all the words without understanding them. Why is it realising no self ? Because that is the only realisation that cuts the root of cyclic existence. Bodhicitta and all our other practices on the method side of the path are very important. That is how we create merit. Without bodhicitta, we cannot become a fully awakened Buddha. Without the realisation of emptiness, we cannot cut the root of samsara; bodhicitta cannot cut that root. Only the mind that directly cognises the opposite of what ignorance cognises can cut the root of ignorance.

Ignorance grasps at inherent existence. This wisdom realises the opposite of the absence and the emptiness of inherent existence. It is also one of the most difficult things to realise. His Holiness talks about it in terms of his own life. He says emptiness is more difficult to understand than bodhicitta, but bodhicitta is more difficult to realise. Interesting. But that does not mean that emptiness is a snap of the fingers, because if it were, then we would have attained liberation a long time ago. It takes a lot of work and a lot of contemplation. If you are finding the teachings on emptiness difficult for you, start out by contemplating impermanence. That is a very good way to ease yourself into a better understanding of how things exist, and from there it is easier to get to emptiness.

With impermanence, there is gross impermanence, like sunrises, sunsets and death. Then there is subtle impermanence, the fact that things arise, abide and cease in every split second. When you look at it, you cannot find a split second. We have this image, one moment, second moment, and third moment as if they are nice little discreet moments with glue holding them together so they form a continuity. But the more you look into it, it can really help you understand emptiness. When you think about subtle impermanence and the fact that things change from moment to moment, automatically the question comes, “Well then, what is it that goes from one moment to the next?” If they are not the same through and through, then can you say that there is an essence that goes from one moment to the next moment? That leads you into emptiness, which is the key to eliminating ignorance and the doorway to awakening.

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