I have explained this question many times before, and now it comes up again. In fact, it is very simple. Once we analyze things through Madhyamaka, we see that all phenomena lack any inherent existence. Although they have no real substance, phenomena still appear—illusory phenomena are still phenomena. Our bodies, what our eyes see, eating, drinking, excreting, killing, arson… all of these are phenomena. Since these phenomena have no real substance, then what gives rise to these illusory appearances? We keep deconstructing and deconstructing precisely to demonstrate that phenomena are not material entities. Through analysis, we also prove that there is no external God and no truly existent dharma.
Then where does the driving force of samsara (saṃsāra) come from? In other words, what is the first cause of the world? What we can directly perceive (pratyakṣa) is the mind. We have no way to directly perceive God, and through analysis we even find that such a God does not exist. Although we can directly perceive matter, analysis—and even modern science—has already shown that matter lacks real substance and does not possess the capacity to propel samsara or generate phenomena. On the contrary, the mind does have such a capacity. What is the proof? Dreams. The most powerful proof is dreaming itself.
In dreams, many illusory phenomena appear, yet we do not take them to be real. Are the things that appear in dreams real? Are the things we dream of material substances? No—they are your mind. When we analyze through Madhyamaka, we dismantle the supposed reality of external phenomena, yet appearances can still unfold. In this sense, they are just like dreams. What gives rise to dreams is our mind, and the mind can be directly perceived . Can you feel your mind? You cannot perceive the essence of mind itself, but you can certainly feel its function—when you say, “My heart feels so heavy,” that feeling is already being perceived! Therefore, the root of samsara is the mind. And the mind cannot arise out of nothing. When I speak of “mind” here, I am not referring to the nature of mind, but to the term “mind” itself. Can the mind arise from nothing? No, it cannot!
This mind must have a preceding mind; therefore, you must have had previous lives. This is how samsara is inferred. A mind that arises out of nothing is philosophically impossible. It is impossible for a person to suddenly appear out of thin air with a loud “bang,” instantly endowed with emotions. That cannot happen—there must be a preceding mind. In other words, at the very first moment we become human, there is still a moment before it: the final moment of consciousness at the time of our previous death. Thus, the mind must be continuous; it cannot be cut off. If it were cut off, there would be nothing at all. It is precisely this continuity of mind that gives rise to samsara.
This is how, in a simple way, Madhyamaka is used to reason out the existence of samsara.
—Excerpted and organized from The Ratnagotravibhāga (Uttaratantra Śāstra), Lecture 90
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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