The World of Black Boxes
Preface
The metaphor of the "black box" refers to a dark and confined space or place. Our brain is similarly dark and confined, like a black box, even though it allows us to perceive a seemingly vast space. All our perceptual activities occur within this brain black box; the perceived dharmas (phenomena) are within this brain black box; the knower and the known are both within the black box. Therefore, we sentient beings live within the black box. Given this, how unreal and unreliable are our perceptions! How illusory and unreal are the dharmas we perceive! The brain we rely upon is itself subject to arising, ceasing, changing, and transforming. Then what exactly is this five-aggregate world? Or is it nothing at all? This question is sufficient to overturn all our understanding of life accumulated over countless lifetimes and eons. Therefore, I earnestly request everyone to deeply contemplate along with the text to elevate your understanding of life and attain true liberating wisdom!
Chapter One: The Black Box is the Vast World We Inhabit
I. Definition of the Black Box
A "black box" generally refers to a sealed container that records an aircraft's flight and performance parameters, used to analyze and determine the cause of an accident. The "black box" discussed in this book does not refer to the aforementioned flight recorder (the conventional black box), but rather to a dark, confined, completely sealed, and lightless region within the brain. In Buddhist terminology, the "black box" refers to the location of our supreme truth faculties (adhyātmika-indriya) in the brain. This area is enveloped by the cerebral cortex and is pitch black inside. Because it is not on the body's surface, light cannot reach it, hence it is dark. Our physical eyes cannot see it; it can only be seen after surgical opening or by those with the divine eye (divyacakṣus). We provisionally call it the "black box".
The black box in the brain is the location of the five supreme truth faculties: the visual perception area, the auditory perception area, the olfactory perception area, the gustatory perception area, and the tactile perception area; as well as the motor and language central nervous systems, including parts of the cerebral cortex, telencephalon, brainstem, cerebellum, etc. The so-called vast world, broad expanse, and the numerous objects of the six sense faculties (form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects) – all these six dusts (sense objects) are within the black box located in that part of the brain. Therefore, we live within the black box.
II. Why We Say We Live Within the Black Box
Because all dharmas we can cognize, all the six dust realms we can contact, are manifestations where the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna), based on the six dusts external to the brain's supreme truth faculties, acts like a mirror reflecting images. It transforms the external six dusts into internal manifestational appearances (adhyātmika-pratibimba) – the six dust images within the brain's supreme truth faculties. What we recognize and cognize is this image within the black box. The eighth consciousness transmits the subtle particles of the external manifestational appearances (bāhya-pratibimba) – form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects – through the five physical sense faculties to the supreme truth faculties in the brain. Consequently, within this black box, the internal manifestational appearances of the six dusts are produced. After the sense faculties (indriya) and sense objects (viṣaya) contact each other, the eighth consciousness generates the six consciousnesses (vijñāna) at the point of contact. Once these six consciousnesses arise, they cognize and process the internal manifestational six dusts within the black box.
The internal six dusts include all forms we see, all sounds we hear, all smells we detect, all tastes we experience, all tactile sensations we feel, and all mental objects we cognize and discern. The six consciousnesses are generated within the supreme truth faculty black box and cognize the internal six dusts within the black box. This constitutes the entire vast world we inhabit. Therefore, we live within the black box.
III. How to Prove We Truly Live Within the Black Box
(1) For example, if the nerves responsible for vision in the back of the brain are severed, we immediately become unable to see forms, space, or light. Why can't we see? Because the visual transmission central nerves are severed. They are the channels transmitting the subtle particles of the external manifestational appearances. If this channel is broken, or if the eye's supreme truth faculty is damaged, the four great elements (mahābhūta) particles from the form dust cannot be transmitted to the supreme truth faculty black box. The eighth consciousness cannot then produce the internal form dust based on them, nor can it generate eye consciousness. Without consciousness and without form, one becomes blind. This shows that the forms we see are the form dust at the location of the supreme truth faculty black box, not the original form dust outside. We also cannot see the original, essential space outside; the space we see is also within the black box, merely a shadow. If we could perceive the worlds of the ten directions, it would still be perceiving the worlds of the ten directions at the location of the supreme truth faculty black box; we would not perceive the true world outside. So, how vast is the world we inhabit?
Similarly, the sounds we hear, the smells we detect, the tastes we experience, the tactile sensations we feel – all are internal manifestational appearances at the location of the brain's supreme truth faculties, not extending beyond the black box. This means the black box is the root, the internal faculties; the six dusts manifest here, they are internal dusts; the six consciousnesses arise here, they are internal consciousnesses. Therefore, the content cognized by the six consciousnesses is all within the supreme truth faculty black box. The world we inhabit is all here, within this black box.
(2) For example, paralyzed patients cannot sit, stand, or walk because the nerves responsible for bodily movement in the back of the brain's supreme truth faculties have deteriorated. The tactile dust that should have been produced at the body's supreme truth faculty location via the transmission nerves cannot arise. Since the tactile dust cannot be produced at the body's supreme truth faculty location via the transmission nerves, body consciousness and the five sense consciousnesses accompanied by mental consciousness cannot arise, and the body naturally cannot move.
Walking, sitting, and lying down are commanded by the manas (the seventh consciousness) in the central nervous system of the brain. The commands are transmitted via the nervous system to the nerves in the back of the brain responsible for walking, sitting, and lying down, then further transmitted throughout the body's nervous system. Only when the body faculty receives the command can body consciousness, together with the mental consciousness accompanying the five senses, perform the actions of walking, sitting, and lying down normally. If the nervous system of the body faculty responsible for walking, sitting, and lying down is injured or destroyed, body consciousness cannot normally carry out the commands for these actions. If the muscles are weak or the blood and qi supply is insufficient, normal walking, sitting, and lying down are also impossible. Walking, sitting, and lying down are controlled by the supreme truth faculties in the brain. The tactile dust that gives rise to body consciousness and mental consciousness is within the supreme truth faculties. Body consciousness and mental consciousness contact and perceive the tactile dust within the supreme truth faculty black box.
If the nervous system of the body faculty is damaged, the body will not feel pain because the eighth consciousness can no longer produce the tactile dust of pain at the supreme truth faculty black box location. Consequently, there is no body consciousness or mental consciousness to cognize the pain sensation of the tactile dust. So, where exactly does the body feel pain? It is within the black box that the sensation of pain arises, along with all other bodily sensations. Itching is the same – it is cognized within the black box; what is cognized is the tactile dust there.
(3) For example, when a toe hurts, is it really the toe that hurts? When a hand itches, is it really the hand that itches? If the black box malfunctions, we would feel neither pain nor itch. Yet, when a toe hurts or a hand itches, we all think it's truly the toe or hand, unaware that it's all happening at the supreme truth faculty black box, feeling as if it's the toe hurting. Our sensations of hunger, thirst, fatigue, fullness, etc., all occur within the black box, are felt within the black box, and are sensations of the tactile dust within the black box – never beyond it. In short, all our sensations are erroneous perceptions, caused by mistaken discriminations over countless lifetimes, deceived by our own ignorance since beginningless time.
(4) When we hear celestial sounds coming from the cosmos or sky, we often think we are truly hearing sounds from the external sky, truly hearing the wind and rain in the air. In reality, they are all sounds within the black box, all illusory shadows. When the supreme truth faculty of the ear or its transmission nerves malfunction, no matter how loud the sound outside, one cannot hear it, while others can. Therefore, what we hear are the sounds within the black box, not the sounds outside.
The world we live in is precisely at that black box location, confined to that size. Our conscious mind (vijñāna) discriminates all dharmas within the black box, yet we imagine ourselves roaming freely in a vast world. It's like in a dream, believing one has truly flown up to the sky, truly returned to the past, or leaped into the future, yet not having moved an inch from the bed. We cannot go anywhere; we live entirely within the black box.
(5) Using the example of a comatose patient to illustrate the function of the black box. A comatose patient, as the name suggests, has a body as rigid as a plant, unable to move, with almost no perceptual reactions. This is because part or most of the nerves in the supreme truth faculty area have deteriorated and become unusable. However, they are not completely dead. If they were completely dead and utterly unusable, the manas would decide to leave the physical body and seek a new, usable physical body for itself; it would not stubbornly cling to a dead city. The manas's judgment about the physical body all stems from the mental objects (dharmas) of the body faculty manifested by the eighth consciousness. Therefore, the manas can perform a certain level of discernment; it possesses this rudimentary discerning wisdom, and it is innate, requiring no teaching.
As for why the comatose patient can still sustain life without dying, the manas has not left. It perceives the body as still useful, usable for itself, so it remains extremely attached and unwilling to leave. What use, then, does the comatose patient have? He still possesses faint consciousness, sometimes able to feel pain and discomfort, occasionally recognizing loved ones. He can very simply and coarsely discern some content of the six dusts, just not comprehensively or subtly; the discernment is unclear, merely recognizing a general impression. Even so, the manas is unwilling to abandon it, still clinging, holding onto a glimmer of hope. It can be seen that the most pitiable is the manas. Due to its tenacious attachment to life and the physical body, it clings to everything, engaging in pervasive conceptualization (parikalpita), hence it is truly pitiable.
The comatose patient still having faint consciousness indicates that the nerves of the supreme truth faculties in the back of the brain are not completely dead. Some six dusts can still enter the supreme truth faculty black box, manifesting shadows within this black box. Then, the feeble supreme truth faculties, in conjunction with an abnormal portion of the six dusts, contact each other. When the faint consciousness arises, it performs inferior discernment. Sentient beings are truly pitiable. If the supreme truth faculties become completely unusable, and no six dusts can enter, then the six consciousnesses cannot arise, the physical body becomes unusable, and the manas will certainly decide to leave. Life is actually this fragile, hanging by a breath; it can end abruptly, utterly vulnerable.
In such a state, when the five faculties, six dusts, and six consciousnesses can no longer be used by the manas, the manas finds nothing left to cling to. Reluctantly, it must let go, decide to depart, take rebirth, and seek a new physical body for itself. If, after the six consciousnesses of the comatose patient cease, they cannot reappear, the manas will leave. It knows that if the six consciousnesses can no longer appear, it cannot cognize the six dusts, and the body cannot be used; it will certainly leave the physical body, resulting in death. Since the person is not dead, the manas exists, and occasionally the mental consciousness exists. Among the five sense consciousnesses, some may also exist; the eye consciousness may sometimes see forms and people, the ear consciousness may hear sounds, and phenomena like refusing to eat may appear.
The example of the comatose patient demonstrates that we live within the black box; the entire world is there. If the part of the brain controlling bodily activity deteriorates, a person cannot walk or move. This shows that the back of the brain is the locus of our entire mechanism and mystery; our world is entirely there. The supreme truth faculties of the five physical sense faculties are all located in the brain area, in different regions, each with its own group of neurons responsible for receiving the five dusts. If the tactile nerves are damaged, even if the body bleeds or limbs are severed, one would not know cold, heat, pain, or even bodily itching.
(6) Currently, scientists researching paranormal abilities have used instruments to detect and pinpoint the origin of this function to the location at the back of the head (the occiput). Every time we encounter a major accident, we instinctively cover our heads to protect the back of the head. This is a natural reaction made by the manas, also called a habit. Subconsciously, we know that place is important; it is the vital spot.
The supreme truth faculties of the five physical sense faculties are all located in that area at the back of the head. The eighth consciousness also manifests the six dusts there. After the five supreme truth faculties plus the manas (the sixth sense faculty) contact these internal six dusts, the eighth consciousness again gives rise to the six consciousnesses at the supreme truth faculties in the back of the head. Thus, the six consciousnesses discern the six dusts within the black box at the back of the head, enabling us to see forms, hear sounds, detect smells, taste flavors, feel touches, and think thoughts (mental objects). All the events we experience throughout countless lifetimes occur within this small black box. We live here, yet it feels as if we are living in a vast expanse of sky.
(7) Although consciousness is formless, without appearance, not inside, outside, or in the middle of the physical body, it still has a place of arising. Consciousness arises only where the sense faculties and sense objects contact each other. Consciousness contacts the six dusts – meaning it contacts the six dusts within the black box. The six dusts are manifested at the location of the supreme truth faculties in the back of the head. Consciousness naturally contacts the six dusts within the brain's black box, discerns the six dusts within the supreme truth faculty black box, and then processes them. Therefore, we live within the black box, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and experiencing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness within it.
IV. The Black Box is a Virtual World
(1) All Dharmas are Shadows within the Black Box
Carefully contemplate: Aren't all the dharmas we contact extremely illusory? Whether it's the forms we see, the sounds we hear, the smells we detect, the tastes we experience, or the touches we feel – they are all shadows within the black box. Yet, it feels as if we truly see the vast sky outside, as if we see some forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, or mental objects outside, as if we hear some sounds outside. In reality, we are all contacting shadows within the black box. If we can properly contemplate this principle, severing the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) is not too difficult. This requires us to diligently cultivate concentration (dhyāna) and accumulate merit (puṇya), but these practices are also cultivated within the black box, never beyond it. The black box is the brain's supreme truth faculties, a virtual reality world constructed for us by the eighth consciousness.
The six dust realms we contact are all at the location of the brain's supreme truth faculties. Even if we can contact the Land of Ultimate Bliss (Sukhāvatī) or the worlds of the ten directions, they are all there. Space and sunlight also manifest there. What we contact and can cognize are all dharmas at the location of the brain's supreme truth faculties. If one contemplates this content well, one can completely sever the view of self, no longer mistaking the five aggregates (skandhas) as "I," no longer considering the eighteen elements (dhātus) as real. One may also attain the appearance of the contemplation of illusion (māyopama-samādhi), progressing to the contemplation of dream (svapna-samādhi) and the contemplation of mirror images (pratibimba-samādhi).
The degree of realization attained through such contemplation varies from person to person. The prerequisite is definitely to realize the eighth consciousness, the Tathāgatagarbha. Contemplating in this way, one can realize that all dharmas are entirely illusory. One will develop this recognition in the mind, firmly accepting this principle. If, in our Buddhist study and practice, merit and concentration are sufficient, we can realize the Buddha Dharma and penetrate it from any aspect or angle. Practice is truly inconceivable.
(2) The Land of Ultimate Bliss is Also a Shadow within the Black Box
Someone may ask: If I attain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss at the end of my life, where is the Land of Ultimate Bliss? Is it real or illusory? Of course, the Land of Ultimate Bliss we can contact is also an illusory image manifested by the eighth consciousness, the Tathāgatagarbha. We cannot contact the relatively real Land of Ultimate Bliss outside. The relatively real Land of Ultimate Bliss outside is collectively created and sustained by the Tathāgatagarbha of Amitābha Buddha and all sentient beings who have affinities with Amitābha Buddha and the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Among the eight consciousnesses, only the eighth consciousness can truly contact the so-called real material forms (rūpa-dharma) of the Land of Ultimate Bliss outside. Our six consciousnesses cannot contact it; they can only contact the images manifested by the eighth consciousness within the black box. So, if one can go to the Land of Ultimate Bliss, one should understand where that Land of Ultimate Bliss is and where it is located. One can also understand where the eighth consciousness manifests the lotus. In reality, both the internal and external manifestational appearances of the Land of Ultimate Bliss exist; both the internal and external manifestational lotuses exist. However, what one can contact are all mental images (images within the mind).
If we can be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, is it truly going and being reborn? At the time of rebirth, are there truly external Amitābha Buddha and Bodhisattvas coming to welcome us? Is there truly an external lotus for us to sit upon? Who can actually sit on the real lotus? We cannot even truly sit on our own bed or chair at home. We cannot truly reside in the relatively real Land of Ultimate Bliss outside; if we reside, it is within the image manifested by our own eighth consciousness, residing within the Land of Ultimate Bliss inside the black box. All dharmas are illusory; not a single dharma is real. The eighth consciousness manifests the lotus and the Land of Ultimate Bliss within the black box. If the six consciousnesses can perceive it, they perceive this image; they do not contact the substantial Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is a very important realization. If one contemplates this thoroughly and diligently, one can sever the view of self and gradually sever the clinging to self (ātma-grāha), thereby attaining liberation.
