Sunday, August 20, 2023

Buddhism Yogacara

An Insight into Consciousness-Based Philosophy

Introduction

Yogacara Buddhism, often referred to as the "Mind-Only" or "Consciousness-Only" school, is a profound and influential branch of Mahayana Buddhism. Emerging in India during the 4th century CE, it remains one of the most sophisticated attempts within Buddhism to understand the nature of consciousness and reality.

Origins

Yogacara was founded by two brothers, Asanga and Vasubandhu, who were driven by the objective of comprehending the nature of existence and experience. The term 'Yogacara' translates to 'practice of yoga' or 'yoga practitioner', reflecting the school's emphasis on meditation and mindfulness as pathways to enlightenment.

Core Tenets

Yogacara Buddhism posits that our understanding of reality is fundamentally shaped by our mind and that external objects do not exist independently of our perception. This notion is encapsulated in the concept of "vijnapti-matra", often translated as "consciousness-only" or "representation-only". According to this idea, what we perceive as 'reality' is merely a projection of our own consciousness.

Three Natures

Yogacara describes reality through 'Three Natures' or 'Three Modes of Existence':

1. Parikalpita (Imagined nature): This represents the world as we normally perceive it, filled with distinct and independent objects. Yogacara maintains that this level of reality is a product of our imagination, based on the mistaken belief in the inherent existence of objects and self.

2. Paratantra (Dependent nature): This is the dependent or causal nature of phenomena, acknowledging that our experiences are not random but arise due to specific causes and conditions.

3. Parinishpanna (Absolute nature): The absolute or ultimate nature of reality, experienced when one realizes the interdependent and mind-only nature of existence. It represents the world as it is when not filtered through our conceptual constructs.

Eight Consciousnesses

Central to Yogacara is the model of 'Eight Consciousnesses', a comprehensive explanation of how human consciousness operates:

1. The Five Sense Consciousnesses: These correspond to our five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.

2. The Mind (Manovijnana): This is the coordinating consciousness that processes and interprets sensory information.

3. The Defiled Mental Consciousness (Manas): This consciousness gives rise to the sense of "I" and "mine", it is the root of self-attachment and delusion.

4. Storehouse Consciousness (Alayavijnana): This serves as a repository for all potential energy and information, including our karmic seeds. It is this consciousness that continues from one life to the next in the process of rebirth.

Influence and Legacy

Yogacara's insights have had widespread influence, not only within Buddhism but also in various fields such as psychology, cognitive science, and philosophy. Within Buddhism, Yogacara concepts have been integrated into many Mahayana traditions, including Tibetan Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism.

Conclusion

Yogacara Buddhism provides a unique perspective on consciousness and reality. Its teachings invite us to question our habitual perceptions of the world and understand the profound role our minds play in constructing our experiences. By doing so, Yogacara offers a path to liberate ourselves from delusion and suffering, leading us towards enlightenment.

While the complex metaphysical and psychological systems of Yogacara can be challenging to comprehend, their essence lies in the practical application—mindfulness and meditation. As we navigate our contemporary world, the wisdom of Yogacara remains relevant, reminding us to examine our perceptions, cultivate awareness, and realize the interconnected nature of all phenomena.

THE "IDEALIST" THEORY OF REALITY

Preamble

Tathata

Citta

Dhyana

Paravritashraya

Preamble

The Yogakara Teaching is a "continuation" and an "extension" or "deepening" of the Sunyata Teaching. (at least in the view of the followers of the Teaching): The Only Reality is Sunyata, all is Sunyata, all are transitory phenomena. Even Sunyata is Sunyata, Emptiness. The only Stable Support (Asraya) is the One who experiences them, who "perceives" all these. Thus, the Ultimate Reality, Sunyata) Is Essentially Identified with Vijnana.

Jnana means Pure Knowledge, non-dual knowledge, pure perception. Vijnana is 'discerning perception'. In Yogacara when the term Vijnana is used it simply implies Jnana. When used with some aggressive designation it implies Vijnana as "discerning perception" (Alaya vijnana), or "objectifying perception with separateness " (Manas, Manovijnana, Visaya-Vijnana or vijnana of the senses).

(The root jna - means " to know "

Prajna means spontaneous, unhindered and untouched (by processing) knowledge, the primary experience of knowledge, an emergence beyond processed knowledge, into a higher knowledge, a higher awareness.

Jna -na is the Higher Unadulterated Knowledge, the True Knowledge, the "transcendence" of vi - jna -na.

Vi - jna - to be the discerning rational knowledge.

A- jna -to be non-knowledge).

Tathata

TATHATA (As It Is, So It Is) is the One Reality. Tathata is absence of all perception, without any determination, without differentiation, empty of everything, it is Sunyata (Emptiness). Tathata Exists by Itself, Alone. Tathata is based in Himself, in His Absolute Nature. It is the Real, That, which Exists Thus.

Tathata is the Supreme Jnana, Pure Knowledge, Enlightenment.

Tathata is Nirvana, the completion of 'being'.

As in all Buddhism, "Ontology", Epistemology, Ethics, are identical. Thus, Tathata has both "Ontological" and Epistemological and Ethical Character, it is Tathata and Vijnana and Nirvana at the same time, it is all three.

There is no perception that there is anything different, outside:

Whatever is perceived whatever 'appears' is Cittamatra (Mind Alone).

Within the Absolute - Vijnana - Citta all consciousness and "material" phenomena appear. (Vijnanakaya or Cittakalapa , or Ayatana , "worlds").

Citta

All that exists and all that can exist is only Citta (Cittamatra – Only Mind) or Vijnana. When the Chitta or Vijnana is Activated, a different quality of energy called " Vijnana " (consciousness, mental flow) appears and from which arises the world of phenomena.

So, what appears (vijnana, consciousness) is actions, processes, phenomena, arising spontaneously within the Citta and again disappearing within It, (Citamatra Lokam – the world is only Mind). In this case the Citta is called Alaya Vijnana. (The Mental Activity which produces everything, the Transatomic Consciousness which contains the seeds of all possible forms – the equivalent of Calculus). All this is vijnana. They have no self-existence, a reality of their own (svabhava). The ultimate essence of all these vijnana (perceptions, sensations, phenomena) is vasana, that is, the crystallized memory that keeps them in existence There is no external, self-existent world. The ceaseless succession of perceptions (phenomena), creates the impression of an "objective world". All this apparent life is subject to the law of karma.

There are various kinds of Vijnana (discerning consciousnesses). It must be understood that all these " Vijnanas " described are not distinct categories of Vijanas but several phases of the cosmic evolution of the One Vijnana. Vijnana has Objective Character, Subjective Character, Limited Subject Character, Special Personality Character, etc.

Vijnana in detail (the Variations of Vijnana, the "Vijnan "):

1) Cittamatra: (Tathagata, Tathagata-Garba): Has an Objective Character:

Prabada Alaya Vijnana (Unceasing) or Paramalaya Vijnana or Viviktadharma (Oneness, Absolute Reality).

2) Citta: It has a Subjective Character; It is the Great Subject, the Objective Subject, without particularly subjective elements:

Laxana Alaya Vijnana (Manifest) or Vijnaptir Alaya Vijnana or Hetuka Vijnana (subject to causation): The all-encompassing consciousness, the inner intelligence, which has three gradations, in which:

a) there is no underlying object (empty consciousness),

b) underlying object identify (global consciousness),

c) subject, object, are separated (omnipresent consciousness).

3) Citta:

Manas: Individuality (Consciousness of Self), Higher Self, Pure Ego (not empirical personality).

Manas has a "Double Side". When it does not relate to the "objective world" or withdraws from the "objective world" it is non-Local and does not differ in essence from the Objective Subject, from the lower form of Alaya Vijnana (omnipresent consciousness). When it turns towards the "objective world" it acquires Local Character within a secular environment. In its Physical State it is a Non-Dual Subject, a Non-Dual Consciousness that in its Awareness Embraces everything. It has the Character of the Non-Dual Ego (Ego, discriminating and classifying activity – mentality having an internal function with object in the world of forms and an external activity in the world of forms). It is the Enlightened-I. It does not have the character of a special personality.

4) Manovijnana: It has the character of the limited particular ego, the binary-ego which functions as a separate subject within an objective world and feels all objects "opposite". It is the special special personality.

Manovijnana is still the unification of the five senses, the sixth sense – the equivalent of Perception. It is the Experiential Personality.

Manovijnana is Intellect (Alambana - representational perception and Visaya - external perception): Three varieties: (intellect, intellect, external perception).

5) Five Visaya-Vijnanas or Pravrittis Vijnana, (Vijnana of the Senses).

6) Visaya (objective world, material world).

Dhyana

Citta or Vijnana is the One Reality. Either in Fundamental, Unmodified Stillness, Empty of all perception (Prabada), or in energy, like Lakshana Alaya Vijnana, then all phenomena appear (Variations of Alaya, Manas, Manovijana, Visaya Vijnanas, Visayas), there is no difference. There is no reality outside of the Citta. Either there is recognition of the Reality of the Citta, or there is not. Absorption in phenomena is not reality, it is a dream. Therefore, since the Citta is the One Reality, there is no falling into another reality, no evolution, no redemption, nothing. Simply, either there is recognition of the reality of the Citta, or not. When the Reality of the Citta is not recognized, phenomena are left to operate according to their own laws. But all this is a dream situation.

Citta or Vijnana is the One Reality. All that Appears as "Creation" is "Contents" of Citta or Vijnana, the Great Subject, is Mental in Nature. And the Small Subjects (Mother), and the "objective phenomena". The "difference" between the Great Subject (citta or Vijnana) and the small subjects (Manas) is that the Vijnana Understands all phenomena more correctly while the manas see the phenomena in a distorted way.

So since "Creation", the "Experience of the World", has a "subjective character", is of a mental texture, it becomes clear that it depends entirely on the "Subject" how he will see Reality, it does not depend on the perception or not of an object or from some real object, there is no such thing.

Consequently, the deeper meaning of Dhyana also changes character. In "Realistic" Theravada, all processes of "existence" must be exhausted in order to naturally reach Nirvana. In "Dialectical" Sunyavada we must realize the "Emptiness" of all experiences, all phenomena. In "Idealistic" Jnanavada we have to understand that it is entirely up to us (from the Subjective Existential Basis) whether we continue to " give up" the "Creation" and "dream" of an individual, limited life or whether we "give it up":

1) Certainly, as long as we are absorbed in the external "objective" life we have no hope of progress. For this, in principle, the external discipline of a righteous life is required.

2) The correct understanding and use of the "senses", is the basis for a real release from the fantasy world.

3) The "Discreet" Observation of Manovijana, the external intellect, comes next. Rejecting beliefs, prejudices, "knowledge" and "experiences" is to some extent easy because all of these are immediately recognizable as "conditional lies". There is no delay here. The dialectical intellect which is supposed to be able to as "thought", "contemplation", "philosophy", can mislead some as a process of finding or revealing the truth. But anyway "thought" is a closed system that cannot lead beyond its own right. Truth lies outside of 'thought. Even looking at things objectively is not enough as long as even a trace of "I" remains. The physical exhaustion of ego-viewing can actually "lead" to transcendence into Manas, the Non-Dual Consciousness that in its Awareness includes everything.

4) Manas marks the essential passage beyond the lower worlds, the "liberation" from reincarnation in the lower worlds. Because, in fact, it constitutes Non-Dual Consciousness it sees the world and acts in the world without getting "involved" (and thus does not create karma or leave residue). When the karma of the present life is exhausted the mere "being" does not return to the lower worlds.

As an "experience" the Manas because all "personal" mental content has been exhausted is like the one-dimensional point which always escapes when you try to grasp it. When he turns to the world he works without personal nuances. When he "remains" in his awareness, in his understanding he is in a free blissful state (which is not, however, fixed or permanent). When he "leaves" the world he is essentially (emerges in) Alaya Vijnana in its lowest state as 'omnipresent consciousness'.

So essentially Manas is an Intermediate State between the Higher States (worlds) of Alaya Vijnana and the lower worlds of reincarnation. It is a Gate, to "Above" or to "Below". As a Status, because it is Timeless it can last forever but it has no meaning when the Infinite Worlds of Alaia Open to its perspective Vijnana.

5) The Experiences of Alaya Vijnana actually constitute the passage from the "Split" of the Subject into Subject-Object to the Complete Unification of the Subject within its Real Essential Nature, its Limitless Oneness. It is the State of True Sunyata the Complete Emptiness of the Subject.

When the Subject Reaches This Unbounded State, It Finally Metamorphoses into its Objective Nature, It "Ceases" to Be a Subject. It is the Ultimate State of Agni Alaya Vijnana before 'Becoming' 'That', 'That Which Is Thus', Tathata.

6) The Tathata

Ultimately, the One Substantial Reality Is Tathata. The All, the Support of All. Any "consciousness" is without entity. Experiences, life, etc., are dreamlike. There is no individuality, no samsara, no redemption, nothing, everything is dreamlike.

Paravritashraya

What does Paravritashraya mean:

Bhritti is 'mental content', mental fluctuation, thought.

Para means "beyond", above.

Asraya means Base, Foundation

Paravrittiasrajya means:

"Beyond Thought Foundation", means "Beyond Mind".

"Elimination of mental activities and return to Subjective Base", or "Return to Base", or "Return to Back" or "Return to Original Nature".

It means a total spiritual conversion.

The Truly Experienced Yogacara Dhyana, who Rightly Understands the Teaching, does not need to walk this gradual approach to the Inner Self. One who is truly determined can immediately discard all the Vijnana processes and emerge directly into the Absolute. This is the "Direct Way". But such people who can "apply" the "Direct Path" are rare. So, most people necessarily follow the Path of gradual approach.

...

Ελληνικά:

Βουδισμός Γιογκακάρα

https://www.wholeness.gr/2022/05/blog-post.html

14. The Flame of True Learning

In the vast tapestry of existence, where the threads of time weave patterns unseen, there lies a subtle truth, a whisper from the eternal: to learn is to be free. J. Krishnamurti, a sage of the silent spaces, beckons us to this truth, not with the weight of doctrine, but with the lightness of a breeze that stirs the soul. Discipline, he says, is not the chain of conformity, nor the yoke of obedience, but the radiant act of learning itself—a flame that burns without consuming, a seeing that pierces the veil of illusion.

To learn, there must be freedom. Not the freedom of chaos, nor the license of indulgence, but the freedom of a mind unburdened by authority, unshackled from the rigid scaffolding of tradition. This freedom is not given; it is not bestowed by another, nor found in the pages of sacred texts. It is a flame kindled within, a silent awakening to the movement of life itself. To learn is to stand at the edge of the known, gazing into the abyss of the unknown, and to step forward without fear, without the crutch of another’s truth.

Discipline, as the world knows it, is a structure of stone—cold, unyielding, built on the pillars of obedience and control. It demands conformity, a bending of the spirit to fit the mold of the past. But Krishnamurti turns this edifice to dust with a single breath: discipline is to learn. It is not the act of following, but the art of seeing. To see the structure of discipline—not to analyze it, not to dissect it with the scalpel of thought, but to perceive its entirety in a single, timeless glance—is itself the discipline of the free. This seeing is not a gathering of fragments, not a slow accumulation of knowledge like pebbles in a stream. It is immediate, whole, a lightning flash that reveals the landscape of truth in an instant.

The mind that learns is a mirror, polished by awareness, reflecting the world without distortion. It does not cling to the images it sees, nor does it reject them. It moves with the rhythm of life, fluid as water, boundless as the sky. To learn is to dance with the unknown, to embrace the mystery of each moment without seeking to possess it. Authority, with its heavy hand, would bind this dance to a script, a set of steps prescribed by another. But true learning denies all authority, for it is born of the heart’s own seeing, the soul’s own listening.

In the stillness of this seeing, there is no obedience, no follower, no leader. The guru, the teacher, the master—all dissolve in the light of understanding. The one who learns is both the seeker and the sought, the question and the answer. To see the implications of discipline, to perceive the chains hidden in its promises of order, is to step beyond them. This is not rebellion, for rebellion is but the shadow of obedience, still tethered to the structure it opposes. True learning transcends both, soaring into a space where the mind is its own teacher, its own disciple.

The world, with its clamor and its certainties, would have us gather knowledge like coins, hoarding it for security, for status, for power. But Krishnamurti’s vision is not of gathering, but of releasing. To learn is to let go of the need to know, to surrender the illusion of control. It is to stand naked before the mystery of existence, unafraid of the vastness that surrounds us. This learning is not a process, not a journey with a beginning and an end. It is an eternal now, a moment of seeing that holds within it the totality of life.

In the heart of this vision lies a paradox: discipline is freedom, and freedom is discipline. Not the discipline of the soldier, marching to another’s drum, nor the freedom of the wanderer, lost in aimless drift. This is the discipline of the eagle, soaring on the currents of its own wings, and the freedom of the river, carving its path through stone. To see the structure of the world—its hierarchies, its dogmas, its endless demands for obedience—is to be free of it. Not through resistance, but through understanding. Not through effort, but through clarity.

And so, we are called to this sacred act of learning, to this discipline that is no discipline at all. It is a call to awaken, to see with eyes unclouded by the past, to listen with ears untouched by expectation. It is a call to be free—not tomorrow, not through years of striving, but now, in this very moment. For in the seeing, in the learning, in the freedom, there is a flame that burns eternal, a light that reveals the infinite within the finite, the timeless within the moment.

Let us then walk this pathless path, where the only guide is the heart’s own seeing, where the only discipline is the joy of learning, where the only freedom is the truth that sets us free. In this, we are not bound, not led, not obedient. We are alive, awake, and whole—forever learning, forever free.

…

Η Φλόγα της Αληθινής Μάθησης

Στο απέραντο υφαντό της ύπαρξης, όπου τα νήματα του χρόνου πλέκουν σχέδια αόρατα, κρύβεται μια λεπτή αλήθεια, ένας ψίθυρος από το αιώνιο: για να μάθεις, πρέπει να είσαι ελεύθερος. Ο Τζ. Κρισναμούρτι, ένας σοφός των σιωπηλών χώρων, μας καλεί σε αυτή την αλήθεια, όχι με το βάρος του δόγματος, αλλά με την ελαφρότητα μιας πνοής που αναδεύει την ψυχή. Η πειθαρχία, λέει, δεν είναι η αλυσίδα της συμμόρφωσης, ούτε ο ζυγός της υπακοής, αλλά η λαμπερή πράξη της ίδιας της μάθησης — μια φλόγα που καίει χωρίς να καταναλώνει, ένα βλέμμα που διαπερνά το πέπλο της ψευδαίσθησης.

Για να μάθεις, πρέπει να υπάρχει ελευθερία. Όχι η ελευθερία του χάους, ούτε η άδεια της επιείκειας, αλλά η ελευθερία ενός νου απαλλαγμένου από την εξουσία, απελευθερωμένου από το άκαμπτο ικρίωμα της παράδοσης. Αυτή η ελευθερία δεν δίνεται· δεν χαρίζεται από κάποιον άλλο, ούτε βρίσκεται στις σελίδες ιερών κειμένων. Είναι μια φλόγα που ανάβει μέσα μας, μια σιωπηλή αφύπνιση στην κίνηση της ίδιας της ζωής. Το να μάθεις είναι να στέκεσαι στην άκρη του γνωστού, κοιτάζοντας στην άβυσσο του αγνώστου, και να προχωράς μπροστά χωρίς φόβο, χωρίς το δεκανίκι της αλήθειας κάποιου άλλου.

Η πειθαρχία, όπως την ξέρει ο κόσμος, είναι μια δομή από πέτρα — κρύα, αμετάβλητη, χτισμένη πάνω στους πυλώνες της υπακοής και του ελέγχου. Απαιτεί συμμόρφωση, μια κάμψη του πνεύματος για να ταιριάξει στο καλούπι του παρελθόντος. Όμως ο Κρισναμούρτι μετατρέπει αυτό το οικοδόμημα σε σκόνη με μια μόνο ανάσα: πειθαρχία είναι να μαθαίνεις. Δεν είναι η πράξη της ακολουθίας, αλλά η τέχνη του να βλέπεις. Το να δεις τη δομή της πειθαρχίας — όχι να την αναλύσεις, ούτε να την τεμαχίσεις με το νυστέρι της σκέψης, αλλά να αντιληφθείς το σύνολό της με μια μοναδική, διαχρονική ματιά — είναι η ίδια η πειθαρχία των ελεύθερων. Αυτό το βλέμμα δεν είναι μια συλλογή θραυσμάτων, ούτε μια αργή συσσώρευση γνώσης σαν βότσαλα σε ρυάκι. Είναι άμεσο, ολοκληρωμένο, μια αστραπή που αποκαλύπτει το τοπίο της αλήθειας σε μια στιγμή.

Ο νους που μαθαίνει είναι ένας καθρέφτης, γυαλισμένος από την επίγνωση, που αντανακλά τον κόσμο χωρίς παραμόρφωση. Δεν προσκολλάται στις εικόνες που βλέπει, ούτε τις απορρίπτει. Κινείται με τον ρυθμό της ζωής, ρευστός σαν το νερό, απεριόριστος σαν τον ουρανό. Το να μάθεις είναι να χορεύεις με το άγνωστο, να αγκαλιάζεις το μυστήριο κάθε στιγμής χωρίς να επιδιώκεις να το κατέχεις. Η εξουσία, με το βαρύ της χέρι, θα περιόριζε αυτόν τον χορό σε ένα σενάριο, σε ένα σύνολο βημάτων που υπαγορεύονται από κάποιον άλλο. Όμως η αληθινή μάθηση αρνείται κάθε εξουσία, γιατί γεννιέται από το ίδιο το βλέμμα της καρδιάς, από την ίδια την ακρόαση της ψυχής.

Στην ησυχία αυτού του βλέμματος, δεν υπάρχει υπακοή, ούτε ακόλουθος, ούτε ηγέτης. Ο γκουρού, ο δάσκαλος, ο αφέντης — όλοι διαλύονται στο φως της κατανόησης. Αυτός που μαθαίνει είναι ταυτόχρονα ο αναζητητής και ο αναζητούμενος, η ερώτηση και η απάντηση. Το να δεις τις συνέπειες της πειθαρχίας, να αντιληφθείς τις αλυσίδες που κρύβονται στις υποσχέσεις της για τάξη, είναι να τις υπερβείς. Αυτό δεν είναι επανάσταση, γιατί η επανάσταση είναι μόνο η σκιά της υπακοής, ακόμα δεμένη στη δομή που αντιτίθεται. Η αληθινή μάθηση υπερβαίνει και τα δύο, πετώντας σε έναν χώρο όπου ο νους είναι ο ίδιος ο δάσκαλος, ο ίδιος ο μαθητής.

Ο κόσμος, με τη φασαρία και τις βεβαιότητές του, θα ήθελε να συλλέγουμε γνώση σαν νομίσματα, να τη συσσωρεύουμε για ασφάλεια, για κύρος, για δύναμη. Όμως το όραμα του Κρισναμούρτι δεν είναι για συλλογή, αλλά για απελευθέρωση. Το να μάθεις είναι να αφήσεις πίσω την ανάγκη να γνωρίζεις, να παραδοθείς στην ψευδαίσθηση του ελέγχου. Είναι να στέκεσαι γυμνός μπροστά στο μυστήριο της ύπαρξης, χωρίς φόβο για το απέραντο που μας περιβάλλει. Αυτή η μάθηση δεν είναι μια διαδικασία, ούτε ένα ταξίδι με αρχή και τέλος. Είναι ένα αιώνιο τώρα, μια στιγμή βλέμματος που κρατά μέσα της το σύνολο της ζωής.

Στην καρδιά αυτού του οράματος κρύβεται ένα παράδοξο: η πειθαρχία είναι ελευθερία, και η ελευθερία είναι πειθαρχία. Όχι η πειθαρχία του στρατιώτη, που βαδίζει στον ρυθμό του τυμπάνου κάποιου άλλου, ούτε η ελευθερία του περιπλανώμενου, χαμένου σε άσκοπη περιπλάνηση. Αυτή είναι η πειθαρχία του αετού, που πετά στα ρεύματα των δικών του φτερών, και η ελευθερία του ποταμού, που χαράζει τη διαδρομή του μέσα από την πέτρα. Το να δεις τη δομή του κόσμου — τις ιεραρχίες του, τα δόγματά του, τις ατέλειωτες απαιτήσεις του για υπακοή — είναι να απελευθερωθείς από αυτήν. Όχι μέσω αντίστασης, αλλά μέσω κατανόησης. Όχι μέσω προσπάθειας, αλλά μέσω διαύγειας.

Και έτσι, καλούμαστε σε αυτή την ιερή πράξη της μάθησης, σε αυτή την πειθαρχία που δεν είναι καθόλου πειθαρχία. Είναι μια κλήση να ξυπνήσουμε, να δούμε με μάτια ανεπηρέαστα από το παρελθόν, να ακούσουμε με αυτιά ανέγγιχτα από προσδοκίες. Είναι μια κλήση να είμαστε ελεύθεροι — όχι αύριο, όχι μέσα από χρόνια αγώνα, αλλά τώρα, αυτή τη στιγμή. Γιατί στο βλέμμα, στη μάθηση, στην ελευθερία, υπάρχει μια φλόγα που καίει αιώνια, ένα φως που αποκαλύπτει το άπειρο μέσα στο πεπερασμένο, το διαχρονικό μέσα στη στιγμή.

Ας βαδίσουμε λοιπόν αυτό το μονοπάτι χωρίς μονοπάτι, όπου ο μόνος οδηγός είναι το βλέμμα της καρδιάς, όπου η μόνη πειθαρχία είναι η χαρά της μάθησης, όπου η μόνη ελευθερία είναι η αλήθεια που μας απελευθερώνει. Σε αυτό, δεν είμαστε δεμένοι, ούτε οδηγούμενοι, ούτε υπάκουοι. Είμαστε ζωντανοί, ξύπνιοι και ολόκληροι — για πάντα μαθαίνοντας, για πάντα ελεύθεροι.

Intellectual property rights

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Therefore, it is expressly prohibited to reproduce, republish, copy, store, sell, transmit, distribute, publish, perform, "download", translate, modify in any way, in part or in summary, without the express prior written consent of the Foundation. It is known that in case the Foundation consents, the applicant is obliged to explicitly refer via links (hyperlinks) to the relevant content of the Foundation's website. This obligation of the applicant exists even if it is not explicitly stated in the written consent of the Foundation.
Exceptionally, it is permitted to individually store and copy parts of the content on a simple personal computer for strictly personal use (private study or research, educational purposes), without the intention of commercial or other exploitation and always under the condition of indicating the source of its origin, without this in any way implies a grant of intellectual property rights.
It is also permitted to republish material for purposes of promoting the events and activities of the Foundation, provided that the source is mentioned and that no intellectual property rights are infringed, no trademarks are modified, altered or deleted.
Everything else that is included on the electronic pages of our website and constitutes registered trademarks and intellectual property products of third parties is their own sphere of responsibility and has nothing to do with the website of the Foundation.

Δικαιώματα πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας

Το σύνολο του περιεχομένου του Δικτυακού μας τόπου, συμπεριλαμβανομένων, ενδεικτικά αλλά όχι περιοριστικά, των κειμένων, ειδήσεων, γραφικών, φωτογραφιών, σχεδιαγραμμάτων, απεικονίσεων, παρεχόμενων υπηρεσιών και γενικά κάθε είδους αρχείων, αποτελεί αντικείμενο πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας (copyright) και διέπεται από τις εθνικές και διεθνείς διατάξεις περί Πνευματικής Ιδιοκτησίας, με εξαίρεση τα ρητώς αναγνωρισμένα δικαιώματα τρίτων.

Συνεπώς, απαγορεύεται ρητά η αναπαραγωγή, αναδημοσίευση, αντιγραφή, αποθήκευση, πώληση, μετάδοση, διανομή, έκδοση, εκτέλεση, «λήψη» (download), μετάφραση, τροποποίηση με οποιονδήποτε τρόπο, τμηματικά η περιληπτικά χωρίς τη ρητή προηγούμενη έγγραφη συναίνεση του Ιδρύματος. Γίνεται γνωστό ότι σε περίπτωση κατά την οποία το Ίδρυμα συναινέσει, ο αιτών υποχρεούται για την ρητή παραπομπή μέσω συνδέσμων (hyperlinks) στο σχετικό περιεχόμενο του Δικτυακού τόπου του Ιδρύματος. Η υποχρέωση αυτή του αιτούντος υφίσταται ακόμα και αν δεν αναγραφεί ρητά στην έγγραφη συναίνεση του Ιδρύματος.

Κατ’ εξαίρεση, επιτρέπεται η μεμονωμένη αποθήκευση και αντιγραφή τμημάτων του περιεχομένου σε απλό προσωπικό υπολογιστή για αυστηρά προσωπική χρήση (ιδιωτική μελέτη ή έρευνα, εκπαιδευτικούς σκοπούς), χωρίς πρόθεση εμπορικής ή άλλης εκμετάλλευσης και πάντα υπό την προϋπόθεση της αναγραφής της πηγής προέλευσής του, χωρίς αυτό να σημαίνει καθ’ οιονδήποτε τρόπο παραχώρηση δικαιωμάτων πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας.

Επίσης, επιτρέπεται η αναδημοσίευση υλικού για λόγους προβολής των γεγονότων και δραστηριοτήτων του Ιδρύματος, με την προϋπόθεση ότι θα αναφέρεται η πηγή και δεν θα θίγονται δικαιώματα πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας, δεν θα τροποποιούνται, αλλοιώνονται ή διαγράφονται εμπορικά σήματα.

Ό,τι άλλο περιλαμβάνεται στις ηλεκτρονικές σελίδες του Δικτυακού μας τόπου και αποτελεί κατοχυρωμένα σήματα και προϊόντα πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας τρίτων ανάγεται στη δική τους σφαίρα ευθύνης και ουδόλως έχει να κάνει με τον Δικτυακό τόπο του Ιδρύματος.

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