Buddhism, at its basic theoretical level, still takes human cognition as the standard, believing its truth can be logically deducted and directly experienced and verified within human cognitive capacity. It does not, like other religions, forcefully assert the existence of deities whose cognition surpasses the six sense faculties of human beings, turning such beings into objects of worship.
How can such an object of worship be accepted by humans?You cannot simply claim that a divine being exists and expect others to agree. You must prove the existence of the divine in a way that human cognition can accept. However, given the limitations and partiality of human cognition, how can one prove abilities that go beyond this world? Therefore, objective idealism cannot be proven through human cognition; it can only remain a matter of faith.
What about subjective idealism? If the world is the mind’s perception, then one must clearly explain what “mind” actually is. Yet subjective idealists often cannot explain what “mind” really means. One representative, Berkeley, was not truly a subjective idealist, though he is sometimes labeled as one. When he could not explain where a “flower” exists once it leaves human sight, he claimed that the flower exists “in God.” As both a Catholic and an alleged subjective idealist, he could not clarify what “mind” is—essentially equating it to his concept of “God.”
Thus, even subjective idealists do not know what this “subjective” actually refers to, nor do they truly understand what human “cognition” is. Only Buddhism clearly articulates the nature of human cognition, and on the conventional level, uses human cognition as its standard while developing the sophisticated philosophical systems of Valid Cognition (Pramā a), Madhyamaka, and Yogācāra.
To a certain extent, Daoism and Hinduism also do not fall under pure objective idealism—their practitioners have also devoted great effort to exploring the “subjective” dimension. Yet despite their efforts, they did not reach the ultimate conclusion. Only Buddhism did.
From the perspective of theoretical self-consistency, why has Buddhism reached the
ultimate truth? Because of Buddhism’s ultimate theory of emptiness, the Prajñā teachings. One must understand these foundational philosophical concepts of Buddhism, otherwise, one cannot explain why Buddhist insight constitutes “truth.”
Why is emptiness the only ultimate truth?
If we believe that human cognition can discover some supreme truth or illumination, then even if one finds one form of light, could there not be an even greater light? For example, if the speed of light is 300,000 km per second, might there be phenomena that travel 800,000 km per second? If one discovers a “God,” could there not exist a deity even greater than “God” ? In other words, if we place truth outside human cognition, and discover something other than emptiness, it would inevitably lead to comparisons and endless pursuit of something higher. This infinite search would mean that truth could never be attained.
When the object of human cognition is emptiness, every phenomenon in the universe is encompassed within it. And when cognition itself is also emptiness, then cognition and its object become non-dual. Through emptiness, one can know all phenomena, and transcend the duality of knower and known. Transcending duality means freedom from suffering, and omniscience means Buddhahood. This philosophy perfectly explains the essence of both matter and mind. It accommodates all worldly phenomena and is logically unshakable—no worldly theory can compare with it.
Furthermore, this framework includes the cognition of all beings, from the divine to other supposed lower forms of life. Their fundamental cognition is the same as ours: emptiness. The objects they perceive—whether sublime or miserable—are all movements within the same emptiness. Gods have this “knowing,” and so do beings in hell; in essence they are the same. No sentient being possesses a fundamentally special cognition. This fully illustrates the essence of the great Buddhist principle of the equality of all beings.
If a sentient being’s cognition becomes complete, it becomes Buddha. If incomplete, it remains a sentient being. The cause of incompleteness is the limitations of cognition, and what limits cognition are self-grasping of the person and self-grasping of phenomena. The nature of cognition itself is unlimited; therefore, once these two forms of grasping are removed, cognition naturally becomes complete—resulting in the omniscience of a Buddha. Thus, not only is the Buddhist theoretical framework logically selfconsistent, its practical insights are also perfectly self-consistent.
“In the heavens above and the earth below, none can compare to the Buddha. In all the worlds of the ten directions, none can compare. Of all I have seen in the world, nothing can compare to the Buddha.” Indeed, such words are true!
Selected from: “Jewel Nature Treatise” Lesson 58
