Thoughts are like energy conservation in physics

Thoughts are like energy conservation in physics: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.  Just as burning wood converts chemical energy into heat and light, the arising and ceasing of thoughts isn't creation from nothing, but a transformation of consciousness-energy (citta) across different dimensions of form.  Like clouds becoming rain, rain forming rivers, and eventually evaporating back into clouds, this cycle continues.  Existence is perpetual, only the forms change. What we perceive as birth and death are merely transitions of these forms, not true beginnings or endings.

Karma (kamma) is like a vast energy field, recording all our thoughts and actions. It isn't solely personal but resembles a shared collective unconscious, or a vast database.  Our individual karma influences this database and is simultaneously influenced by it. When karma ripens, it manifests as thoughts, guiding our actions and destiny.

Thus, as long as we carry karma, we cycle through “samsara”, the cycle of birth and death. Even after physical death, karma persists, continuing to manifest in future lives.  Our consciousness (viññāṇa) is continuous; the body is merely a temporary vehicle.  Different bodies carry different karmic imprints (saṃskāras), experiencing different life journeys.

Every thought is a distinct consciousness, like countless worlds in a multiverse.  The world we inhabit is shaped by our karma, particularly the three poisons (kleshas): greed, hatred, and delusion. This creates a world of duality, filled with judgments, leading to inner and outer turmoil.

A single thought can create an eon of suffering (kalpa), and an eon of suffering can lead to sudden enlightenment (bodhi). The key lies in how we transform our thoughts. When our mind is clear, no longer clinging to dualistic judgments, and accepts the arising of karma with equanimity, we can break free from the grip of the three poisons.

The universe is like a vast virtual world powered by a database called "consciousness."  This database is, in essence, our own consciousness. The material world serves as a platform for our consciousness to experience duality, such as pleasure and pain, thereby helping us see through the nature of the three poisons.  Just as the realm of consciousness, so too is the material realm: ultimately peaceful and liberated.

Our dualistic judgments of the material world stem from our human bodies.  Like a virtual world, there is no absolute reality or illusion; the distinction lies solely in our karma.  All beings are interconnected; I am all beings, and all beings are me. All arises due to karma.

Everything originates from infinite possibilities. Matter and consciousness are interdependent, with no true separation between form and emptiness. The reality we construct with our senses is but a tiny fraction of the cosmic data. True liberation lies not in denying this reality but in understanding the nature of the entire database.

We enjoy observing others, like watching a movie or playing a game, hinting at a potentially higher level of consciousness within us.  We need interdependence to experience joy and sorrow. But excessive judgment leads to attachment, making it difficult to accept wisdom or ignorance beyond our own understanding.

Impermanence (anicca) is karma, and karma is impermanence. Without judgment, purity, compassion, wisdom, and ignorance are all simply aspects of experience.

An enlightened being (Buddha) is like someone who buys a movie ticket (karma).  When the movie ends, they naturally leave, because karma itself has no inherent self (anatta).  Sentient beings have varying definitions of life; the enlightened being simply observes, without intervention or judgment. However, judging or not judging is also without distinction, because even watching a movie requires fulfilling basic desires.  The enlightened being doesn't cling to these desires, like an Arhat attaining “Parinirvana” – final liberation. But even these realizations are products of karma. For the enlightened being understands that the movie, the audience, the theater, and indeed everything, are interdependent, without separation.  There is no actor, no audience, no scene, no theater, and no movie itself; all are interconnected. Everyone can be a character in the movie or an observer, depending on the present moment's thought.  Just like Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream, not everyone can distinguish between reality and a dream.

Everyone wants to experience different movies and every angle of the cinema, or judge the cinema's comfort, also stemming from karma. Karma is like a role; every role, to play its part in the movie, requires a movie or tools, and an audience.  Those watching the movie choose the genre and cinema, or with whom they watch, based on their karma. But there must be actors, a setting, and projection equipment.

An enlightened being is like a professional film critic, not attached to the cinema's environment, the movie's genre, or with whom they watch. They watch together if there's affinity; if not, there's no regret. They view various genres from multiple perspectives, understanding that characters, plot, and even their own act of watching arise from the infinite possibilities of interdependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda).  If everyone understood this, they would develop compassion (karuṇā), born from understanding karma, for the characters, tools, setting, and even the cinema itself. For all beings are bound by roles and karma.