Khenpo Tsültrim
Gyamtso Rinpoche
Quote of the Week
October 18, 2013
Mere Appearances
All the outer and inner phenomena that compose samsara and nirvana exist as dependently arisen mere appearances.
When all the conditions of a full moon, a cloud-free sky, a clear lake, and a perceiver come together, a moon will vividly appear on the water's surface, but if just one condition is absent, it will not. Thus, the watermoon is a mere appearance.
In the same way, all the phenomena of samsara and nirvana appear due to the coming together of causes and conditions yet one cannot find the slightest trace of their actual existence.
When all the conditions of a full moon, a cloud-free sky, a clear lake, and a perceiver come together, a moon will vividly appear on the water's surface, but if just one condition is absent, it will not. Thus, the watermoon is a mere appearance.
In the same way, all the phenomena of samsara and nirvana appear due to the coming together of causes and conditions yet one cannot find the slightest trace of their actual existence.
From Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche's
The Sun of Wisdom, Teachings on the Noble Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, page xiv. Translated by Ari Goldfield.
