Definition of the Week (11) – Truth of Origin
Lama Tsong Khapa:
“Be contemplating the truth of suffering we generate the wish to be free from suffering, and by contemplating the truth of origin we generate the conviction that this is possible.”
Jetsün Chokyi Gyaltsen:
“Truth of Origin: A truth characterised by being cause, origin, intense generation and condition, and belonging to the completely afflicted side.”
Gyaltsab Je:
“One is mistaken with regards to the truth of origin by grasping at sufferings to be without cause or to have a discordant cause. Regarding the latter there is the grasping at suffering being produced by only one cause, being produced by a creator the intention of whom preceded the result and grasping at suffering to be changeable adventitiously but being essentially permanent. ”
Understanding the four aspects of the truth of origin, which are cause, origin, intense generation and condition, counteracts this.
Take the subject “contaminated karma and craving”
it follows it is the aspect of cause – because it is the root of it’s resultant suffering
it is origin – because it generates it’s resultant suffering entirely again and again
it is intense generation – because generates it strongly
it is the aspect of condition – because it is the concurrently acting condition of it’s resultant suffering.
To overcome the misconceptions towards the origin of suffering is important because the idea that as a human being one will always basically be flawed is widely held.
