The Black Box World (I)

The black box is the vast world in which we live. What is the black box? The black box usually refers to a dark and cramped space, sealed on all sides, impervious to sunlight. In Buddhist studies, it refers to the location of the supreme faculty (rūpa-prasāda) at the back of our head. This part is wrapped by skin, and inside it is pitch black; because it is not on the outside of the body, light cannot reach it, so it is pitch dark. Our naked eyes cannot see it—it can only be seen after surgery—and the divine eye can also see it. Therefore, we call it the black box. And the so-called vast world we come into contact with—the six sense objects such as form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas—all exist within that black box at the back of the head. We live inside the black box.