Concepts and Reality

Many of the difficulties and confusion that people have about the diamondway-teachings result from attachment to concepts.

Basically a critic must hold his criticism to be "true" and "real" before he/she can even express it.

Here an obvious error made by the critics becomes apparent.

The buddhist teachings cover concepts and "reality" quite well. Let us consider not something complex like a critic's view from outside on profound teachings such as those of Lama Ole. Instead look at something simple, like for example the table you are probably sitting at right now. Does it exist? How would you know that it exists?

You could just ask someone else: "do you see a table here". But even if the person you asked would answer with "yes", what would that mean? The other person can not see that same table you are seeing for the simple reason that he/she is looking from somewhere else, even if it is only a slightly different angle. You can never talk about exactly the same table, because you never perceive exactly the same table.

So you see that it does not really exist. It is only a construct of your mind.

Also if you look at the "reality" of the substance of the table (or of anything else for that matter) and look as deeply as modern science can, then at the atomic level the table consists mostly of empty space and at the subatomic level even the particles that make up the atoms are nothing but energy. There is not really any matter, just energy floating in space. The table, just like your mind, is in space. It is the same as your mind. Calling it a "table" artificially separates you from the table (or, again, from anything else) and is simply a complicated and completely unnecessary construct created by your mind.

Criticising the table (you usually do not do that) or the teachings of Lama Ole (that happens quite often) also creates an artificial separation which does not really exist. So, obviously any criticism is self-defeating and only results in further confusion of the critic. How much better to listen to Lama Ole and practice meditation that leads to clarity and overcomes the confusion.