Get a strike with a fuzzy decorative dice

Get a strike with a fuzzy decorative dice

The Path To Emptiness

VIC MANSFIELD ponders over the similarities between quantum physics and Buddhism

Undoubtedly, the most profound and surprising feature of quantum mechanics is the principle of nonlocality - that objects cannot be confined to limited regions of space and time and that their connection to the rest of the universe is more important than their isolated existence…. In other words, nonlocality is a deep truth about the universe that any future replacement for the theory must embody, not just some bizarre feature of today’s quantum theory.
 
Middle Way
With equal certainty, the most fundamental philosophic view within Tibetan Buddhism is the Middle Way view of emptiness. It too is both profound and surprising that objects appear one way but actually exist in very different ways. Perhaps what is more startling is that nonlocality and the Middle Way emptiness deeply concur on the nature of reality, not just in broad outline, but in the details…. It is important to be clear about how we normally view objects - whether as posts or as our own personality. If we are not clear about this point - that objects appear to exist from their own side, are findable upon analysis, or that they independently exist - we will never understand emptiness. Because this point is so critical, let us consider another example.

I take a break from working at the computer and go to the kitchen for a drink of water. On the windowsill above the sink is a polished stone, given to my wife as a gift. This beautifully coloured, weighty stone feels very satisfying in my hand. Everybody who handles it loves that smooth, solid weight, which nestles so well in the palm. If anything exists on its own side, this beautiful stone does. If anything exists independently of my knowing or interacting with it, it must be this stone. Before it was given to my wife and well after we have died, that stone will exist in its own independent way. You do not have to do any fancy analysis or strain to find it when it rests comfortably and solidly in your hand. Clearly, it independently or inherently exists.
 
Causes And Conditions
It is important to define with care what emptiness denies. If we too broadly define inherent or independent existence, nihilism follows - then nothing exists. On the other hand, if we too narrowly define it, substantialism results - then persons and objects have a substantial, immutable nature, something vigorously denied by our everyday experience and the Buddhist principle of impermanence. We, therefore, must carefully avoid these extremes that the Middle Way considers philosophic crimes. The Middle Way is not blending of the two extremes but a thoroughgoing refutation of both. Middle Way Buddhists claim that fully assimilating the doctrine of emptiness frees us from the suffering of samsara, the beginningless and inevitable round of birth, ageing, suffering and death. The exalted condition of the Buddha, the fully exalted enlightened one, means that we transcend all pairs of opposites: then samsara and nirvana are not different.

Fully assimilating emptiness transforms us from self-centred individuals shrouded in ignorance to completely enlightened buddhas, who embody wisdom and compassion. The Middle Way position spends an enormous amount of philosophic effort showing that our instinctive belief in independent existence is wrong, that there is no such independent or inherent existence to posts, stones or people…. First, the Middle Way position argues that the post lacks independent existence because it depends upon innumerable causes and conditions. For example, the post depends upon the tree from which it was sawn, the wood preservative injected into it, the concrete in which it sits; the fact that it has not been struck by lightning; its location in my yard, and more. The post does not exist in a vacuum but is deeply related to and dependent upon its prior causes, conditions, and environment.

Dependent Origination
Similarly, the stone exists in dependence upon ancient geological processes that generated its chemical composition, swirling patterns of colour and texture. Then, the stone was tumbled for days along with other stones and some abrasive materials to make it smooth. A huge number of people and pieces of equipment transported the stone, displayed it in a store, sold it to the gift giver and so forth. Then a properly functioning sense of touch, musculature, and coordination from hand and arm are needed for that satisfying feeling the stone gives when in your hand. This stone may seem to exist on its own right, independently of interacting with anything outside itself, but it too required many outside factors to make it the object we experience today.

Second, the post depends upon its parts and the whole of these parts - the wood, its exact shape, colour, its concrete base, location and so forth, along with the collection and relationship of these parts.

Yet, the Middle Way argues that, if we examine any of those parts on its own or the whole collection of them together, we could not find any independently existing post among them. The stone too depends upon its exact chemical composition, the precise shape, beautifully blended colours, and the harmonious way these all relate. Analysis shows that, if we examine any of these elements that make up the stone or the collection of them together, we cannot find that stone that independently exists or an inherently existent stone. Tibetan Buddhism And Modern Physics. New Age Books.

The Day After

When all our problems disappear, and we are free of all worries, will we still wonder whether there’s more to life, asks ANDREW COHEN

When people think about the future, at least in many of the progressive circles that I move in, do you know what they think about? Gloom and doom. Generally, our collective future is imagined in relationship to the truly overwhelming global challenges we’re facing like climate change, environmental degradation, overpopulation, threat of terrorism, and of course, the financial crisis. The question on a lot of minds is, are we going to make it? What will happen to us if the planet really heats up, polar icecaps melt and oceans rise? What will happen to the biosphere when our increasing population growth becomes unsustainable? What can we do to prevent radical Islamist terrorists from eventually acquiring nuclear weapons? How will our financial system be able to survive an economic collapse in the Euro zone?

Just Imagine
If only we could come together locally and globally to solve these enormous problems, we imagine, the future would appear to be much brighter than it looks right now.

Imagine for a moment that, in fact, we were able to come to terms with and triumph over these global crises. Imagine a world utterly free from these pressing problems. And then imagine your own life and the lives of your extended family, friends, and acquaintances. Would it really be different? Would the deeper existential and spiritual challenges of the human experience be affected? We tend to think that once issues of survival and basic necessity are met, then all will be well. But it’s simply not true.

I just returned from a tour of north Europe, where I spoke to some of the luckiest people on the planet today. The standard of living in Sweden, Denmark, and Holland is a marvel and testament to human progress and prosperity.

Can It Get Better Than This?
The promise of western enlightenment has reached its zenith in these countries where rights, freedoms, and privileges of the individual are historically unprecedented. Despite this, it is clear that in general, the most fortunate among us are still quite lost when it comes to knowing what the next step is. In Scandinavia, it seems the majority of individuals are living the “good life” with shockingly little sense of their own good fortune. I go there every year and my consistent impression is that most people tend to be very busy with not much more than their personal lives.

As we endeavour to find solutions to the very important issues threatening our collective survival, we also simultaneously need to be concerned about the future of our shared culture. Highly educated, thoughtful, sensitive men and women are gradually becoming more and more aware of the fact that nobody seems to know how human life is supposed to be lived in this second decade of the 21st century. That means the very structures that make up our shared culture, like our values, beliefs, customs, and even personal aspirations, seem ever-more-oddly out of step with the reality of the fact that time is moving faster and faster and that we live in an era of exponential change. It seems the world we live in is changing more quickly than our outdated worldviews can keep up with and is creating cultural stagnation.

Most of our shared modern and postmodern values tell us that in spite of our unprecedented prosperity, the human experience is still essentially about competition, survival, and ideally, about attaining wealth and comfort. But could that possibly still be true for those of us who’ve rarely missed a meal or seriously worried whether we were going to have a roof over our heads? I think not. And yet, in so many ways, we haven’t caught up with our own good fortune. Importantly, it hasn’t dawned on us that even if the larger global challenges we’re facing are solved, we would still find ourselves in a cultural cul de sac in our personal and social lives. Of course, it’s critical we face and respond to the overwhelming challenges that threaten our survival. But it’s equally critical to ask, “Where are we going?” Once our survival needs have been met, what’s the purpose, if any, of our experience?

Eternal Dilemmas
In Scandinavia, for example, free time, the greatest gift of modernity, is now readily available to the multitudes. Yet most, it seems, aren’t sure exactly what to do with it. Should I go to the gym, go for a walk in the park, read a book, or go to the pub? Once we’ve acquired enough life experience to understand that romantic love, child-rearing, material abundance, and even creative fulfilment don’t necessarily solve the deepest questions of human meaning, what’s the next step? That’s what I believe we need to be concerned about. What’s the next step for you and me at the level of shared meaning and purpose? Who are we, why are we here, and importantly, how should we make deeper sense out of the experience we’re having right now and will be having five, ten, or twenty years from now?

I certainly wouldn’t want to find myself in the painfully ironic position of waking up 50 years from now, and finding that as a result of technological innovation, we were on the other side of the biggest threats of the 21st century, and yet had still no idea about what we were supposed to be doing with our lives besides having a pleasant ride.

Source: Timesofindia.com