Whatever is Real Is Dhamma
YouTube: https://youtu.be/eXQLDzFA6nY?si=n8MwBkwzx0RFe4D8
Briefing Document: “Whatever is real is dhamma”
This document provides a briefing on the key themes and ideas presented in the provided excerpts titled “Whatever is real is dhamma”. The excerpts discuss the Buddhist concept of “dhamma” and its implications for understanding reality.
Core Theme: Dhamma as Reality
The central argument is that “dhamma” refers to “whatever is real.” It’s not merely a word or a religious concept, but the truth of existence as it appears moment by moment. The speaker emphasizes the distinction between intellectual understanding of the word “dhamma” and the true understanding of the reality it represents.
Key Ideas and Facts
- Dhamma is Immutable: Reality is as it is and “Nobody can change it to be unreal.” This inherent nature of reality is the essence of dhamma.
- Dhamma is Observable and Experiential: The reality of dhamma is “there right now, to be studied, to be thought about, carefully.” It’s directly accessible through our senses and cognitive processes.
- Sensory and Mental Experiences are Dhamma: The speaker explicitly states that experiences like “seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, thinking, liking, disliking, all are dhammas, because it’s there appearing as it is.” These are not “I” or belonging to an individual, but rather conditioned phenomena.
- The Illusion of “I”: A significant point is the deconstruction of the concept of a permanent “I.” Instead of “I see” or “I hear,” the reality is simply “seeing” or “hearing” which are “conditioned to arise and then gone.” The idea of “I” is presented as a misconception that arises “instantly each moment” following the experience.
- Dhamma is Conditioned: The arising of dhammas is dependent on conditions. As the speaker notes regarding hearing, “Without any condition at all, nothing can arise.” This highlights the interconnected and dependent nature of reality.
- Momentary Nature of Existence (Impermanence): A crucial aspect of dhamma as reality is its impermanence. Each sensory or mental experience is a “moment” that arises and falls away instantly. The speaker uses the example of seeing and hearing: “Moment of hearing cannot be moment of seeing together, at all. Just one moment of experiencing an object and they are all gone.” This momentary nature is described as “three kinds of death,” emphasizing the continuous arising and passing away of phenomena. The world is described as “not permanent at all.”
- The Buddha’s Realization of Dhamma: The Buddha’s enlightenment is presented as the realization of the truth of dhamma in “everything now, Seeing, hearing, thinking.” This understanding is the basis for his teaching that “whatever is real is dhamma.”
- Understanding Dhamma Requires Investigation: The speaker encourages a careful examination of what is appearing: “How do you know that its seeing? How, how, how I know I’m seeing? There is seeing for sure.” This suggests that understanding dhamma is an active process of investigation rather than passive acceptance.
- Sound and Hearing as Distinct Dhammas: The examples of sound and hearing are used to illustrate the distinct nature of dhammas. “Sound is sound. Hearing is hearing.” While they are related and interdependent, they are presented as separate realities.
Most Important Ideas/Facts
- The fundamental definition of dhamma as “whatever is real.” This is the cornerstone of the entire discourse.
- The assertion that all sensory and mental experiences are dhammas, not attributed to a permanent self or “I.” This challenges the conventional understanding of personal identity.
- The emphasis on the impermanent and conditioned nature of all dhammas, arising and falling away instantly. This highlights the dynamic and constantly changing nature of reality.
- The Buddha’s realization of this truth as the basis of his enlightenment. This reinforces the significance of understanding dhamma in the Buddhist path.
Notable Quotes
- “We are talking just about whatever is real.”
- “whatever is real is real. Nobody can change it to be unreal.”
- “So no matter it is seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, thinking, liking, disliking, all are dhammas, because it’s there appearing as it is.”
- “But seeing cannot be I or anyone. It’s conditioned to arise to see and then gone.”
- “Sound is sound. Hearing is hearing. That’s the meaning of dhamma.”
- “Just one moment of experiencing an object and they are all gone.”
- “Without any condition at all, nothing can arise.”
- “What arises falls away. What we don’t know is that it falls away so very instantly.”
- “whatever is real is dhamma”
Summary
In summary, these excerpts define dhamma not as a theoretical concept, but as the raw, unadulterated reality of each passing moment, accessible through direct experience. They challenge the ingrained notion of a permanent self and highlight the impermanent and conditioned nature of all phenomena, emphasizing the importance of realizing this truth for a deeper understanding of existence.