CONCEPTS

Concepts are an artificial, man-made structure, born of culture, religion, philosophy, and social beliefs. They are mutable. For instance, in Thailand, if someone shows the bottom of their feet they are being very rude, whereas in America such behavior is acceptable.

Likewise, all our judgmental thoughts—whether something is good or bad, reasonable or unreasonable—are simply concepts. And at a broader level, seemingly tangible things are also simply concepts.

We turn on the tap. Something comes out. We say, “This is water. It’s drinkable.” But in a real sense, it is not water at all; water is simply a word or a mental image, neither of which is drinkable. Objectively, there’s no relationship between what comes out of the tap, which is real, and the word water, which is a concept; that connection exists only in our brains.

While water offers an intellectual example, this is a clearer concern in more emotionally charged areas, such as interactions with others. By confusing concepts with reality, we wrap ourselves in suffering, rather than freeing our minds from our problems.