Zen in English: The Big Bang of the Mahayana

Bernd Bender, Dharma talk on March 6 2026 at Akazienzendo Berlin“Everything conceived as self or other occurs in the transformation of consciousness.” While hiking through the Sahara Desert, Bernd recalled this teaching by Vasubandhu. In the desert, there is a desert-being; back in Berlin, there is a Berlin-being. This, according to Bernd, is one way to understand Vasubandhu’s verse: we cannot step outside of consciousness. We do not experience the world as such—we experience consciousness. And precisely for that reason, we are not separate from what we call the world, things, or others. Consciousness is not something small, hidden inside our heads. It is unlimited—and yet we struggle to believe that. Bernd explores this teaching of “consciousness-only,“ which he also calls the “big bang of the Mahayana.” He explains the three aspects of consciousness: ālaya, or store consciousness; the consciousness of a self; and sensory consciousness. He also presents the teaching of the three natures—imagined nature, other-dependent nature, and realized nature—as three aspects present in every moment of experience, and connects all of this to the practice of resting in the field of mind.Support the show