Saturday, December 8, 2007

Brain or dependent origination as the cause of consciousness

Every consciousness, hearing, sensing, etc, requires no proof. A billion people cannot convince that there is sight that can be experienced. The brain, however, is the content of consciousness, a theory, a concept, which can be refuted.

They are of different levels.

Each consciousness is real, cannot be refuted that they are experienced, but they also arise and cease. So they have the characteristic of impermanent, stressful, and not-self.

What gives rise to consciousness, again, is a theory, that can be debated. Some may say that it is due to the brain. Buddhism says that they arise due to "dependent origination", the root of which is "ignorance" or avijja.

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