Seeing things as they are
A statement we often come across is in writings on Buddhism is “Seeing things as they are” which is supposed to be a quotation from the Buddha. It is really a translation of a statement of the Buddha, which was in Pali language. The Pali statement is “yathā bhūtam pajānāti.” We have translated it as, understanding of how things come to be. We are not attempting to argue against the common translation. We only point out that the common translation, and our translation are based on two different ways of thinking as follows:
The common translation = seeing things as they are = existential thinking
Our translation = understanding of how things come to be = experiential thinking
We may compare this to another well-known statement, connected with a person called Bahiya Dharuciriya. This statement: “diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṁ bhavissati” is often translated as, in the seen there is only the seeing, which is understood as “looking at something, without thinking about it.” This interpretation, however, makes it look like, “guarding the senses” (indriya-samvara).
Our interpretation, however, is: “focusing attention on the process of seeing instead of looking at the object that is seen.” This means, becoming aware of the process of perception, rather than the object perceived. This change in perception is what we call apperception.
When one focuses attention on the object perceived, the experience is dichotomized into: a subjective and an objective. The objective is alienated as an “external object,” and the subjective is personalized as “mine” or “my self.” This leads on to an “emotional relationship” between the subject and the object, which ends up in: grief, lamentation, pain, depression, and exhaustion. The sufferer may not always notice this experience of suffering, but others often do. For example: a couple in love is always suffering. They are happy when they are together. The moment they separate they are unhappy. Others can see this, but the couple never sees it. Instead, they think they are enjoying. This experience of the lovers is similar to the experience of the infant with the mother. Romantic love is a rehearsal of the experience of childhood.
Apperception is focusing attention on the experience, instead of the object perceived, which brings about a paradigm shift from “existential thinking” which is called Super-perception (abhiññā). Existential thinking is aware of a subject that exists and an object that exists. With this existence comes an emotional relationship between the subject and the object. Experiential thinking looks only at the process of perception that creates the subject and the object, and therefore sees no real existing subject or object. When there is no real subject or object, there is no emotional relationship, and therefore there is no suffering experienced. One is then absent in the world of emotional existence, and therefore one does not really exist, even though the body is seen to exist. If one does not emotionally exist, how can there be sorrow or death? This is the Awakening from the dream of existence (sammā sambodhi). This was how Bahiya Dharuciriya became an “emancipator” or a “Bond Breaker” (Arahat) immediately after listening to the Buddha.
It is important to note that the Seven Steps to Awakening begins with introspection (satipaṭṭhāna) and ends with apperception (upekkhā). This term upekkhā is generally translated as “equanimity,” but the more precise translation is “apperception.” The reason for this is that the term upekkhā originates from upa + ikkhati (upa = inside + ikkhati = seeing). This means, “seeing the inside.” This we understand as looking at the process of perception, “instead of looking at the object perceived. To perceive is to see the object, and to apperceive is to see the process of perception. So instead of perceiving, we apperceive. The Mūlapariyāya Sutta supports this idea, when it says: “The emancipated individual, and even the Buddha super-perceives a solid (paṭhaviṁ paṭhavito abhijānāti) This super-perception involves a paradigm shift from existential thinking to experiential thinking. It is because the emancipated individual and Buddha super-perceives (abhijānāti) that they do not conclude that the solid exists (paṭhavito na maññati). This is explained further in our discussion of the Mūlapariyāya Sutta, later in this booklet.