On Reference, Convention, and Change

Ego is not an object…what we call ego is really an ever-changing perception, and although it is central to our narrative story, it is not a thing. The term ego can still provide a useful reference; but we need to be careful not to set ourselves up for battling something that is not there.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Many months ago in Hong Kong, I attended a Dharma talk by Dzongar Khyentse Rinpoche. Much of what he spoke about was familiar to me, except his translation of a single word.

He spoke about the impermanent nature of all phenomena and how, through meditative practice, we can embody this understanding and bring about the end of suffering.

In order to convince ourselves that reality is impermanent, we must engage in a systematic investigation of phenomena. In the Buddhist tradition, we practice the fourfold Satipatthana, the four foundations (patthana) of mindfulness (sati). These foundations serve as four locations where we can focus our awareness and investigate the changing nature of our experience. They are the body, feelings, the mind, and mental contents. The final foundation, mental contents, refers to the categories that our mind uses to understand reality. These range from mundane and general concepts such as form, perception, chairs, dogs, people, and exalted ideas such as Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.

However, Khyentse Rinpoche translated the fourth satipatthana as reference points.