Cognition involves the “cognizer” and the “cognized.” The eyes are the cognizer, and the external objects are the cognized. We do not know what the mind is yet, but we do know what the mind thinks. The “knowing” of thoughts is the cognizer, and the thoughts themselves are the cognized. Thus, the sameness or difference between the cognizer and the cognized creates the diversity in cognition. All previously discussed forms of cognition exhibit differences between the cognizer and the cognized.
Whether employing the six senses, scientific tools that expand and extend these senses, or even samadhi, the mind engaged in samādhi, and the second and third dhyanas, yields distinct forms of cognition. Introducing views into samadhi, one might perceive everything as empty, as water, or as wind—each perception is unique. Similarly, in Vajrayana visualization practices, perceiving everything as a Buddhafield, placing a Thangka of Vajrasattva and regarding it as Vajrasattva itself, or visualizing oneself as Vajrasattva, illustrates that the visualizer and the visualized are distinct.
If the visualizer and the visualized are always different, what then is the conclusion? There is none. There is always something further, higher, deeper, and more intricate. This distinction is the most significant in thought and mind, extending even to mathematics—calculus. Differentiation in calculus never reaches zero, which is precisely the point. As differentiation continues, there is no end. The process of differentiation, which represents the difference between the visualizer and the visualized, is eternal.
The paradox of Achilles and the tortoise vividly captures the divergence between theoretical thought and practical reality. The tortoise runs ahead, and Achilles, the fastest runner in Greece, chases after it. In reality, Achilles would quickly catch up to the tortoise. However, in mathematical terms, he never can. There is always a fractional distance remaining, an endless pursuit. This scenario underscores the intriguing discrepancies that can arise between abstract reasoning and practical reality .
Consider the progression from 0 to 1, where 0.99999… approaches 1, representing 100%, yet the nines after the decimal point are infinite. As long as differentiation exists, the sequence of nines is unending, demonstrating the power of human distinction. When the cognizer and the cognized unite, these distinctions vanish. Thus, as long as the cognizer and the cognized remain separate, there is no cessation.
You might assert that 0.999 is large, but adding another 9 increases its magnitude, a process without conclusion. To halt this, one must simply stop. Yet, stopping does not reach the Alaya-vijnana; such a halt is illusory. True cessation occurs only when the cognizer and the cognized merge—this is the zenith of cognition, where the cognizer and the cognized are identical. What more is there to say? Hence, liberation is termed ‘the union of cognizer and cognized,’ also known as great liberation.
Excerpted from: Cognition and Expression Part Two
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