Question asked by Tara
Hello, I have a question regarding a past Dharma discussion with Tsem Tulku Rinpoche which I have watched on youtube. It was about the mind and how it reincarnates. A question that I have is regarding the aspect of the mind being separate from the Body. My question also stems from the theory In Quantum physics which I have read about discussions on atoms/ particles, and how the body and everything around us is just particles floating around in empty spaces, and when researching about Buddhism and the view point of the mind being separate from the body and not inside the body. This leads me to ask: Then if the mind is separate from the body, but is the key ingredient for our existence in a physical domain, then how are we so sure that the mind gets operated to carry out our desires and thoughts through the brain? When in reality we are all just particles/ tiny atoms floating around energy in empty space? What makes us be able to convey that the brain is the area which can detect what the mind wants and carry out our desires, when in reality the brain and any other part of the body are just particles. Is it just a perception? then is our "reality" as we know it false? Please let me know whenever you can. I am sorry for asking a long confusing question. Thank you for taking the time to read my message. Buddhusaranai.












































































































Dear Tara,
You question is indeed very deep and meaningful, I will try to answer it as best as i can here. In essence you are correct, our “reality” or more correctly our perception of reality is false. This realization is actually part and parcel of the very core of Buddhist practice and belongs to the teachings on Emptiness, which is all about our false perception. Understanding is one of the highest realizations and a necessary prerequisite for attaining complete enlightenment.
Our understanding of reality is not correct, because we do not realize that what we consider to be “me” or the “I”, the self does not actually exist. In reality we are are interconnected with everyone else and everything else, we are not separate from everything else. I hope this short answer helps you somewhat.