how is content understood in Theravada Buddhism or other Dharma traditions? It’s sometimes called illusion, but yet, it
seems that even fully enlightened people, can live fully engaged with the world of content (Daniel Ingram is a emergency
room doctor!). It doesn’t seem quite right to call content an illusion if it’s still there and solid enough to interact
with after one has perfectly integrated the ultimate nature of reality.
Buddha, to the best of my knowledge, did not get into the nature of ultimate reality. He focused on stress, its cause,
and its cessation. When consciousness is bound up with the aggregates then there is stress. In this case the aggregates
are defined as the "clinging aggregates". And our happiness seems to be dependent on these things. When the aggregates
are not clung to, stress does not arise - the aggregates are still there - but not experienced in the same way. A simple
example: let's say someone hits your car. Most people will be quite bent out of shape. Upset, trying to pin fault on the
other, thinking about how their plans are now messed up, etc., etc. They may want witnesses, drivers license, etc. -
contact there insurance company and all that - and often ranting and raving about it for some time to come. An awakened
person might experience a moment of "Hmm, that was unexpected" but really how they react is pretty much
undetermined - but they won't be bent out of shape and it won't ruin their day - though obviously it does have an impact (so to speak) on it. The difference between these two reactions is pointing to the nature of content.
Another way to put this is in terms of Manifestative Consciousness and Non-manifestative Consciousness. Manifestative
Consciousness is when consciousness is bound-up with the other 5 aggegates. Experientially, this results in a world
composed of separate, independent 'things' that include self, other, and stuff in general. And when we experience
ourselves as a thing in a world of things - stress arises because stuff changes. This 'thingness' is in a sense
super-imposed on underlying phenomena. Non-manifestative consciousness is completely aware of phenomena (the aggregates) - but does not grab onto them as a kind of support and in this sense does not see 'thingness'. Which is why you can have Buddha saying things like "I see nothing" - when it surely seems he must be. He is saying (IMHO) that 'I see nothing upon which consciousness could land and proliferate (thing making/stress making)'. When there is no thing making, there are no things, when no things - no stress - the 3 characteristics cease.
When we dissolve our involuntary content-structured reality, we can choose to replace these with a new content
structured reality that we choose.
Of course, dissolving something that is involuntary is problematic though seeing that you have a choice in how you react
to changing phenomena, you can transform your experience and also that of others around you from one of propagating
stress to one of reducing it. That is the essence of the eight fold path and how dispassion is developed.
how does an enlightened being choose what reality to construct once there is no self?
Buddha did not say there is no self (nor did he say there is one) - just that the aggregates should be regarded as
not-self. If you could construct something called 'reality' how could that be reality? These things will make your head
hurt. Which is stress. Thoughts are stuff and when held tightly to - then there is stress. But they are hard to drop - to
let go of - this is why we are said to be fettered to them. Which is why Buddha puts so much importance on regarding
these things as not-self and developing dispassion for them.
Does reality have an inherent shape, natural tendency, or divine plan such that some content naturally comes into
manifestation through enlightened beings?
God knows?
The following links might help [edited to fix link errors]:
Not self:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nanamoli/wheel017.html#s2
Clinging Aggregates:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.048.than.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.053.than.html
Arising and Passing Away
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.8.04.than.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.8.02.than.html