At a retreat held in August 2022, Alan Wallace comments on the aphorism "View all phenomena as dream-like" from the 7-point Mind Training from Atisha which is a classical teaching of Tibetan Buddhism. It is a method of mind training that relies on formal meditation practices and daily life situations to free oneself from the grip of the ego and develop qualities such as wisdom and compassion.
Alan Wallace refers to dream experience, intersubjective reality, the principles of materialism, quantum mechanics, and challenges our perception of appearances that lead us to believe that colors, sounds, objects, and attributes are all physical phenomena that exist and manifest outside and independently of our consciousness.
By the force of his demonstration, we can be inspired to start or deepen a personal investigation that can lead us to an authentic cognitive revolution.
- What is the nature of dreams? (00:00)
- The content of mental and sensory experiences is immaterial (06:51)
- The principles of metaphysical realism are discredited by quantum mechanics and contemplatives (14:40)
- A Cognitive Revolution: whether one is dreaming or awake, appearances and objects do not exist from their own side (22:02)
- What are the differences between the dream state and the waking state? (27:37)
- How do things exist? (29:54)
You can access the notes and glossary in the article that presents this video: mindofjoy.consulting/challeng...
I thank Alan Wallace for his gracious permission to share this video and his notes.