In Buddhist philosophy, anything that is perceived by the mind did not exist before the mind perceived it; it depends on the mind. It doesn’t exist independently, therefore it doesn’t truly exist. That is not to say that it doesn’t exist “somewhat”. Buddhists called the perceived world relative truth – a truth that is measured and labeled by our ordinary minds. In order to qualify as ultimate truth, it must not be fabricated, it must not be a product of the imagination, and it must be independent of interpretation.
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book Not for Happiness: A Guide to the So-Called Preliminary Practices
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Further quotes from the book Not for Happiness:
- Sources of our inspiration
- Being able to start practicing right away
- Rip that ego apart
- The decision to follow a spiritual path
- It’s all a matter of motivation
- Three higher trainings
- No substitute for being guided by a guru
- Opposite direction to dharma
- Merely the product of your own perception
- Maintaining a strong grip on the habits
- Our fundamental problem
- Dharma is not a therapy
- Mara’s five arrows
- Sadness
- Mind-made illusions
- Nothing genuinely works in samsara
- Very little time left for practice
- It cannot be fixed
- What Is Bodhichitta