The Mechanisms of Hypnosis (Part II)

The second hypnosis case involves a hypnotist putting a person into a hypnotic state by telling him to sleep, and the person immediately falls asleep. Once in this sleep state, the hypnotist suggests to him, "You are now very, very hungry." His mental faculty believes this suggestion and consequently feels extremely hungry. Why does the mental faculty believe it? Because it lacks the capacity for detailed discernment; there is no consciousness present to analyze what the objects of the six dust realms truly are or whether the hypnotist's words are reasonable and truthful. Therefore, the mental faculty believes whatever the hypnotist says, as the hypnotist has effectively replaced his consciousness.

After suggesting hunger, the hypnotist asks him if he is hungry. He says yes. The hypnotist then says, "I'll give you an apple to eat. Take a couple of bites, and you won't be hungry anymore." The hypnotist then hands him an onion, not an apple, but tells him it is an apple. His mental faculty cannot distinguish whether it is an onion or an apple; he believes this thing is indeed an apple. Eating the onion, he perceives it as tasting like an apple. This is delusional discrimination and delusional sensation.

The aggregate of perception and the aggregate of sensation operate precisely through such delusional discrimination and delusional sensation; there is fundamentally no logic to it. All sentient beings' perceptions and sensations regarding the mundane world are similarly illusory and devoid of reason; the cycle of birth and death holds no real significance. Regarding the delusion of the aggregate of perception, we can refer to the section in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra where the Buddha speaks about the aggregate of perception. What does the Buddha say in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra? The Buddha says that a person sitting at home thinks about climbing to a high place; he imagines himself standing on a cliff. Merely by thinking about standing on the cliff, it feels as if he is actually standing there. At that moment, he fears falling, his nerves tense up, and the soles of his feet feel sore and numb—that sensation of fearing a fall.

Or, when someone thinks about a sour plum, even without eating or seeing one, sour saliva emerges in the mouth. Why does sour saliva come out when he hasn't eaten any sour plum? It is the result of delusional thinking. When the aggregate of perception arises, a state corresponding to that thought manifests. The objects of the six dust realms and the body of the five aggregates are also delusionally conceived. A delusional mind conceives delusional realms, then makes delusional discriminations and delusional responses. The world of the five aggregates is like a summer mirage or a mirage in the desert.

This hypnosis case can prove the validity of the World-Honored One's teaching on the delusion of the aggregate of perception. Therefore, everything in our daily lives, everything experienced by each person throughout their lives and across lifetimes, is entirely conceived by the aggregate of perception; it is all delusional, lacking reality and reason. We should all diligently study the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, which contains the Dharma taught by the World-Honored One to awaken us. Carefully read the sections on the delusion of the aggregate of perception, the delusion of the aggregate of sensation, the delusion of the aggregate of mental formations, and the delusion of the aggregate of consciousness. Then, engage in actual contemplative practice, and you will realize that all five aggregates subject to grasping are entirely delusional. Truly, the Śūraṅgama is the sutra of awakening.

Sentient beings, life after life, perform on the stage of the Triple Realm, living delusively. Through various thoughts—fantasies, delusions, and false thoughts—they conjure up an unreal, non-existent world out of nothing. Is this conceived world real? Absolutely not. Yet we take it as real. Then, even more delusional realms appear, and we take these false realms as real. Consequently, there arise delusional responses of sensation, perception, and mental formations—and these responses are also unreal.

All these unreal realms are products of delusional thinking. Then, we make unreal responses and reactions to these delusional realms. Endlessly, we exist and play in this meaningless way, resulting in lifetimes spent deceiving ourselves. Suffering always outweighs pleasure, and the pleasure is not even real pleasure. What exactly is every sentient being doing in the Triple Realm? They are like clowns or actors performing on stage, yet unaware they are in a play, unaware they are acting. They perform earnestly—is this not foolish? These matters and principles should be deeply contemplated and pondered in meditative concentration. Reflect on them carefully with the mind, and you will realize how utterly foolish and stupid you truly are. When will you awaken?

If you do not awaken, you will forever deceive yourself, living every day as if it were April Fool's Day. You torment yourself unbearably, yet still crave, still cling persistently, still seek. In the grand play of birth and death, you have played every kind of role, experiencing a mixture of all flavors and every conceivable sensation. Which of these things is real? None are real. From beginning to end, not a single thing is real. The aggregate of sensation and the aggregate of perception are both unreal. Delusional thoughts, fantasies, false thoughts—all are pathological thinking. Where is the reality? Conjuring up delusional realms only to suffer the pains of birth and death within them—it is utterly not worth it.