When training to develop wisdom, you are seeking through analysis to find the inherent existence of whatever object you are considering—yourself, another person, your body, your mind, or anything else. At the same time, they are conscious that their existence is so fashioned as to last only for a certain time, as has been said. We all have a valid, proper sense of self, or “I,” but then we additionally have a misconception of that “I” as inherently existing. Just by the title, it is apparent that pessimism plays a significant role in this essay. (James Legge) The usage of the wheel depends on the empty space (emptiness) of the axle. The Buddha said that all compounded phenomena disintegrate. Whenever we think about objects, do we mistakenly believe that they exist in their own right? This is a precise proof that existence in itself has no value, since boredom is merely the feeling of the emptiness of life. That experience, which was like lightning in my heart, was most likely at a level below completely valid and incontrovertible realization. He advocates a universal "religion of human kindness" that transcends sectarian differences. a direct proof that existence is in itself valueless, for boredom is nothing other than the sensation of the emptiness of existence. It would probably make us angry to see this short space of time slipping away, if we were not secretly conscious in the furthest depths of our being that the spring of eternity belongs to us, and that in it we are always able to have life renewed. For Buddhists… Thus it is not that you come to understand that the object does not exist; rather, you find that its inherent existence is unfounded. Ultimate analysis does not negate conventional existence or truth. They do not exist in their own right, but only have an existence dependent upon many factors, including a consciousness that conceptualizes them. Can you lend your support to Lion’s Roar at this critical time? Sometimes described as a shining Void, emptiness is not the origin of reality, but part of the fundamental structure of reality. This is why man is so very unhappy. Because all phenomena appear to exist in their own right, all of our ordinary perceptions are mistaken. We could conceive of the tree as lacking inherent existence. This is the dominant note of Goethe’s beautiful song: “Hoch auf dem alten Thurme steht śūnyam iti na vaktavyam aśūnyam iti vā bhavet ubhayaṃ … This is why Kant is so great. Nevertheless it is only by means of this organic life that consciousness is possible. Therefore, phenomena certainly do exist; the question is how? However, if we keep in mind that emptiness (shu nyata) means a lack of “own-nature” then a more nuanced interpretation of this passage may be gleaned. This is because the Will, taken in itself, is the lord of worlds; since everything belongs to it, it is not satisfied with a portion of anything, but only with the whole, which, however, is endless. Both Taosim and Buddhism contemplate emptiness so as to bring one closer to the state of spontaneity that arises from the stillness....liberation. If this is solved, then that which has been won becomes a burden, and involves the second task of its being got rid of in order to ward off boredom, which, like a bird of prey, is ready to fall upon any life that is secure from want. Change ), Thinking for Oneself by Arthur Schopenhauer. And it is the same with everything that really falls to our lot. In his book The Snow Leopard (1987) Peter Matthiessen describes sitting on hard rocks in the Himalayas and experiencing an emptiness or Void at the heart of phenomenal existence: Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. (James Legge) The usage of the wheel depends on the empty space (emptiness) of the axle. If a wooden table or any phenomenon really were not dependent—if it were established in its own right—then when you analyze it, its existence in its own right should become more obvious, but it does not. This is when my understanding of the cessation of the afflictive emotions as a true possibility became real. There is no denying that it appears to inherently exist, but: 1. To generate the type of love and compassion that motivates you to seek buddhahood, not for yourself but for the sake of others, first you must confront suffering by identifying its types. The conclusion that all things are empty of inherent existence and appear only in dependence on our minds is not an obvious truth. Time is that by which at every moment all things become as nothing in our hands, and thereby lose all their true value. This is why they attempt, when they are taking leave of life, to hand it over to some one else who will take their place. ( Log Out /  So here it is: just a reminder for myself to not care that much. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. We rely significantly on advertising and newsstand sales to support our work — both of which have dropped precipitously this year. Both Buddhists and non-Buddhists practice meditation to achieve pleasure and get rid of pain, and in both Buddhist and non-Buddhist systems the self is a central object of scrutiny. No man has ever felt perfectly happy in the present; if he had it would have intoxicated him. So that the form of time itself, and how much is reckoned on it, is a definite way of proving to us the vanity of all earthly enjoyment. Translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D. Excerpted with permission of Pockets Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. What is there left of them now? It is true that the form of the body lasts for a time, but only on condition that the matter is constantly changing, that the old matter is thrown off and new added. Meanwhile it must excite our pity when we consider how extremely little this lord of the world receives, when it makes its appearance as an individual; for the most part only just enough to maintain the body. So that most people will find if they look back when their life is at an end, that they have lived their lifelong ad interim, and they will be surprised to find that something they allowed to pass by unnoticed and unenjoyed was just their life — that is to say, it was the very thing in the expectation of which they lived. The Nihilist Book of Nothingness: 130 Blank Pages Encapsulating the Emptiness of Existence - Kindle edition by Branfman, Benjamin. Certain non-Buddhists who accept rebirth accept the transitory nature of mind and body, but they believe in a self that is permanent, changeless and unitary. Life is dreary and often agonizing. Emptiness is an absence, a negation of inherent existence, nothing more substantive or eliminative than that. You might think that emptiness means nothingness, but it does not.Merely from reading it is difficult to identify and understand theobject of negation, what Buddhist texts speak of as true establishmentor inherent existence. “Part of the problem with the word 'disabilities' is that it immediately suggests an inability to see or … The fact that you cannot find them means that those phenomena do not exist under their own power; they are not self-established. Our existence is based solely on the ever-fleeting present. We want to provide even more Buddhist wisdom but our resources are strained. So that we resemble such phenomena as smoke, fire, or a jet of water, all of which die out or stop directly there is no supply of matter. The second and third noble truths lead us to understand the causes of suffering and whether or not those causes can be removed. Man is a compound of needs which are hard to satisfy; that their satisfaction achieves nothing but a painless condition in which he is only given over to boredom; and that boredom is a direct proof that existence is in itself valueless, for boredom is nothing other than the sensation of the emptiness of existence. Over the past month, over 400,000 readers like you have visited our site, reading almost a million pages and streaming over 120,000 hours of video teachings. The emptiness that the Madhyamikas describe is not an assertion of non-existence. Topics: Dalai Lama, Emptiness, Shambhala Sun - May '02, Teachings, Vajrayana / Tibetan Buddhism, We’re glad to have you here. Jumping to the conclusion that because the true nature of objects is emptiness, they are therefore incapable of performing functions such as causing pleasure or pain, or helping or harming, is the worst sort of misunderstanding, a nihilistic view. This meditation is a penetrating examination that uproots the fiction of the way things superficially appear to … It is the same as a man running downhill, who falls if he tries to stop, and it is only by his continuing to run on that he keeps on his legs; it is like a pole balanced on one’s finger-tips, or like a planet that would fall into its sun as soon as it stopped hurrying onwards. But such a purpose might just as well be called the greatest folly, for that which in the next moment exists no more, and vanishes as completely as a dream, can never be worth a serious effort. A wise consciousness, grounded in reality, understands that living beings and other phenomena—minds, bodies, buildings, and so forth—do not inherently exist. This is the wisdom of emptiness. Then for the sake of your spiritual progress it would be better for now to set aside trying to penetrate emptiness. But still I cannot claim full understanding of emptiness. Asaṅga also states: The nonexistence of duality is indeed the existence of nonexistence; this is the definition of emptiness. From the earliest times, Theravada Buddhism has viewed emptiness as one of the important doors to liberation. Get even more Buddhist wisdom delivered straight to your inbox! This instinct may be compared to the threading of a string of pearls; one individual succeeding another as rapidly as the pearls on the thread. This is the realm of finality; and its opposite would be an infinite existence, exposed to no attack from without, and needing nothing to support it; [Greek: haei hosautos dn], the realm of eternal peace; [Greek: oute giguomenon oute apollumenon], some timeless, changeless state, one and undiversified; the negative knowledge of which forms the dominant note of the Platonic philosophy. But first: who are “we”? This was the truth at the core of my existence: this yawning emptiness, scantily clad in rage. However, when phenomena appear to us, they do not at all appear as if they exist this way. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Allow me to explain. Hover or Tap Each Rule for Full Details Posting Rules. But the same objects have an inner mode of being, called an ultimate truth, that allows for the changes brought about by conditions. This emptiness finds its expression in the whole form of existence, in the infiniteness of Time and Space as opposed to the finiteness of the individual in both; in the flitting present as the only manner of real existence; in the dependence and relativity of all things; in constantly Becoming without Being; in continually wishing without being satisfied; in an incessant thwarting of one's efforts, which … Our life is of a microscopical nature; it is an indivisible point which, drawn out by the powerful lenses of Time and Space, becomes considerably magnified. This meditation is a penetrating examination that uproots the fiction of the way things superficially appear to exist, as independent, inherently existent phenomena. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Nihilist Book of Nothingness: 130 Blank Pages Encapsulating the Emptiness of Existence. And if we consider the price that is paid for all this, existence, and life itself, it will be found that there has been an interval when existence was free from pain, an interval, however, which was immediately followed by boredom, and which in its turn was quickly terminated by fresh cravings. Meanwhile it surprises one to find, both in the world of human beings and in that of animals, that this great, manifold, and restless motion is sustained and kept going by the medium of two simple impulses — hunger and the instinct of sex, helped perhaps a little by boredom — and that these have the power to form the primum mobile of so complex a machinery, setting in motion the variegated show! Every evening makes us poorer by a day. The other two modes of apprehension are right, even if the mode of appearance is mistaken in the second and the third, in that the tree appears as if inherently existent. Emptiness is not something to be afraid of, says Thich Nhat Hanh. So that the first task is to win something, and the second, after the something has been won, to forget about it, otherwise it becomes a burden. You need a belief in the consequences of actions to choose virtue in your life and discard nonvirtue. If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. No one is free from the pandemic’s impact, including Lion’s Roar. So that to obtain something we have desired is to find out that it is worthless; we are always living in expectation of better things, while, at the same time, we often repent and long for things that belong to the past. a lack of anything which may indicate an independent existence, separate from causes and conditions. All of us validly have this sense of “I.” When Buddhists speak of the doctrine of selflessness, we are not referring to the nonexistence of this self. The Emptiness of Existence by Arthur Schopenhauer 1881 [Schopenhauer needs little introduction to those with a pessimistic philosophical outlook. Self-existence and the real meaning of emptiness. The conclusion that all things are empty of inherent existence and appear only in dependence on our minds is not an obvious truth. Born in 1788 and died 1860, he was a well-known German philosopher who is best known for his 1818 work The World as Will and Representation.] Let us return to the central point: All of us have a sense of “I” but we need to realize that it is only designated in dependence upon mind and body. In the same way, when the thought “I” arises in dependence upon mind and body, nothing within mind and body—neither the collection which is a continuum of earlier and later moments, nor the collection of the parts at one time, nor the separate parts, nor the continuum of any of the separate parts—is in even the slightest way the “I.” Also there is not even the slightest something that is a different entity from mind and body that is apprehendable as the “I.” Consequently, the “I” is merely set up by conceptuality in dependence upon mind and body; it is not established by way of its own entity. These three simple truths, which characterize all things, are surprisingly transformative. ( Log Out /  Life is dreary and often agonizing. Certain non-Buddhists who accept rebirth accept the transitory nature of mind and body, but they believe in a self that is permanent, changeless and unitary. Understanding emptiness is even deeper. The Dalai Lama is universally respected as a spokesman for the peaceful and compassionate resolution of conflict. Only the ghost of a remembrance! It impresses us in the same way as a drop of water, crowded with infusoria, seen through a microscope, or a little heap of cheese-mites that would otherwise be invisible. Even if you mistakenly believe that phenomena inherently exist, you can still develop an understanding of dependent-arising and apply it in practice. And how different the beginning of our life is to the end! If we take the term emptiness here at face value, it would seem that emptiness means “lack of existence” as the su tra clearly states there are no senses and no objects of the senses. The emptiness of existence was a pain, an all-too-real pain that we endured begrudgingly and thanklessly. Thus, in turn, suffering can also be removed. We could conceive of the tree without thinking that it inherently exists or not. With this “I,” all of us rightfully want happiness and do not want suffering. This movie is a beautiful poetic masterpiece, from the creative mind of Charlie Kaufman, and this is also his directorial debut. A Phenomenological Nothingness with an Accompanying Sense of No Identity The alienation from the Essential Identity results in narcissistic emptiness. Even sensual pleasure itself is nothing but a continual striving, which ceases directly its aim is attained. Under the sway of this delusion, we view the self as existing under its own power, established by way of its own nature, able to set itself up. However, the more you look into what a wise consciousness understands, the more you gain affirmation in the absence of inherent existence. Emptiness implies the potential for existence and change. But over a period of time, when you add your owninvestigations to the reading, the faultiness … This is the first noble truth. The scenes of our life are like pictures in rough mosaic, which have no effect at close quarters, but must be looked at from a distance in order to discern their beauty. The Emptiness of Existence. However, Buddhists do value the existence of a self that changes from moment to moment, designated in dependence upon the continuum of mind and body. A sense of … ( Log Out /  We need to define what “empty” means to understand "nothing." Rather, they seem to be established in their own right, from the object’s side, without depending upon a conceptualizing consciousness. As the Indian scholar-yogi Nagarjuna says in his Precious Garland, a nihilist will certainly have a bad transmigration upon rebirth, whereas a person who believes, albeit wrongly, in inherent existence goes on to a good transmigration. The denial of the will to live reveals the way to such a state as this. If we try to get a general view of humanity at a glance, we shall see everywhere a constant fighting and mighty struggling for life and existence; that mental and bodily strength is taxed to the utmost, and opposed by threatening and actual dangers and woes of every kind. After you rise from that meditation, once again living beings and objects falsely appear to exist in and of themselves, but through the power of having realized emptiness, you will recognize the discrepancy between appearance and reality. In addition, the wisdom of emptiness must be accompanied by a motivation of deep concern for others (and by the compassionate deeds it inspires) before it can remove the obstructions to omniscience, which are the predispositions for the false appearance of phenomena—even to sense consciousness—as if they inherently exist. The emptiness of existence was a pain, an all-too-real pain that we endured begrudgingly and thanklessly. That boredom is immediately followed by fresh needs is a fact which is also true of the cleverer order of animals, because life has no true and genuine value in itself, but is kept in motion merely through the medium of needs and illusion. Let us consider a tree. Their value is relative. And it is the same in the little span of life — great and earnest activity produces a comic effect. Observe how an item such as a watch appears in a store when you first notice it, then how its appearance changes and becomes even more concrete as you become more interested in it, and finally how it appears after you have bought it and consider it yours. The mathematical analogy of emptiness is not zero, but the empty set. It … That the most perfect manifestation of the will to live, which presents itself in the extremely subtle and complicated machinery of the human organism, must fall to dust and finally deliver up its whole being to dissolution, is the naïve way in which Nature, invariably true and genuine, declares the whole striving of the will in its very essence to be of no avail. A wooden table, for instance, does not exist independently; rather, it depends on a great many causes such as a tree, the carpenter who makes it, and so forth; it also depends upon its own parts. In a world like this, where there is no kind of stability, no possibility of anything lasting, but where everything is thrown into a restless whirlpool of change, where everything hurries on, flies, and is maintained in the balance by a continual advancing and moving, it is impossible to imagine happiness. The selflessness that Buddhists speak of refers to the absence of a self that is permanent, partless, and independent, or, more subtly, it can refer to the absence of inherent existence of any phenomenon. Hillary Jordan The greatest tragedies in life is not untimely death, but to live a life for emptiness. You are analyzing not the mere appearance but the inherent nature of the object. Either way, please allow us to re-introduce ourselves: stong pa nyid) — the absence of inherent existence in all phenomena, which was explained by the Buddha in the sutras of the second turning of the Wheel of Dharma, and further elaborated upon by masters such as Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti. Even the pomp and splendour of the rich in their stately castles is at bottom nothing but a futile attempt to escape the very essence of existence, misery. Hence something belonging to the present, however unimportant it may be, is superior to something important belonging to the past; this is because the former is a reality and related to the latter as something is to nothing. Emptiness is as important in the Theravada tradition as it is in the Mahayana. Biological Ethnocentrism: The Negative Impact of Racial and Ethnic Diversity Upon Societies and Individuals. However, if there were such a separate I—self-established and existing in its own right—it should become clearer and clearer under the light of competent analysis as to whether it exists as either mind or body, or the collection of mind and body, or different from mind and body. I hope you enjoy the experience a little bit! Nowadays I always meditate on emptiness in the morning and bring that experience into the day’s activities. The impact lasted for a while, and for the next few weeks whenever I saw people, they seemed like a magician’s illusions in that they appeared to inherently exist but I knew that they actually did not. Unless false appearances are seen through,… "Emptiness" is a central teaching of all Buddhism, but its true meaning is often misunderstood. They are: Impermanence (Pali: annica): This truth is the foundation of Buddhism. The three marks of existence are Buddhism’s basic description of reality. Please watch the video with headphones on! This is a clear sign of a discrepancy between appearance and reality. This emptiness finds its expression in the whole form of existence, in the infiniteness of Time and Space as opposed to the finiteness of the individual in both; in the flitting present as the only manner of real existence; in the dependence and relativity of all things; in constantly Becoming without Being; in continually wishing without being satisfied; in an incessant thwarting of one’s efforts, which go to make up life, until victory is won. ~ ~ Emptiness meditation begins as an insight or analytic method that leads to the direct (and eventually global) perception of the absence of inherent existence. Looking at the matter a little closer, we see at the very outset that the existence of inorganic matter is being constantly attacked by chemical forces which eventually annihilates it. śūnyatā; Tib. For Buddhists, the main topic of the training in wisdom is emptiness, or selflessness, which means the absence of a permanent, unitary and independent self or, more subtly, the absence of inherent existence either in living beings or in other phenomena. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Without understanding what is negated, you cannot understand its absence, emptiness. Therefore, that snake is merely set up by conceptuality. All posts must be about philosophy. All of these relate to the idea of nonexistence. 10 Great Movies That Reflect The Emptiness Of Existence Posted on January 30, 2017 November 16, 2019 by Jovan Jovanovski Many of us live our busy day-to-day lives, constantly filled with continuous tasks that consume our time, so we rarely get to sit and think about the inevitable end of this parade, or what it all means. To learn more about what is and is not considered philosophy for the purposes of this subreddit, see our FAQ.Posts must be about philosophy proper, rather than only tangentially connected to philosophy. They are: Impermanence (Pali: annica): This truth is the foundation of Buddhism. A man to his astonishment all at once becomes conscious of existing after having been in a state of non-existence for many thousands of years, when, presently again, he returns to a state of non-existence for an equally long time. Although Buddhist schools accept rebirth, they hold that there is no such solid self. Pornography and nofap: Everything you need to know. Merely from reading it is difficult to identify and understand the object of negation, what Buddhist texts speak of as true establishment or inherent existence. Emptiness as a Meditative State. The road dividing the two, as far as our well-being and enjoyment of life are concerned, is downhill; the dreaminess of childhood, the joyousness of youth, the troubles of middle age, the infirmity and frequent misery of old age, the agonies of our last illness, and finally the struggle with death — do all these not make one feel that existence is nothing but a mistake, the consequences of which are becoming gradually more and more obvious? I will start with a brief bit of review on the piece “The Emptiness of Existence” by Arthur Schopenhauer before offering commentary and I will also leave a link to both the essay and some history on Schopenhauer himself. The more you look into how an ignorant consciousness conceives phenomena to exist, the more you find that phenomena do not exist that way. Lack Of Meaning. The three marks of existence are Buddhism’s basic description of reality. This is why even Buddha, on occasion, taught that living beings and other phenomena inherently exist. Then again, you may not know us at all. ( Log Out /  Time is an element in our brain which by the means of duration gives a semblance of reality to the absolutely empty existence of things and ourselves. It may be said then that the will to live presents itself in the form of pure phenomena which end in nothing. For the time being, the subtle view of the emptiness of inherent existence might be too difficult for you to understand without falling into the trap of nihilism, where you are unable to understand that phenomena arise in dependence on causes and conditions (dependent-arising). Your life will seem to have lost all meaning and your existence will feel purposeless. Physicists today keep discovering finer and finer components of matter, yet they still cannot understand its ultimate nature. Therefore, what has a (positive) existence serves for profitable adaptation, and what has not that for (actual) usefulness. What has been exists no more; and exists just as little as that which has never been. It is the loss of identity. That we are nothing but phenomena as opposed to the thing-in-itself is confirmed, exemplified, and made clear by the fact that the conditio sine qua non of our existence is a continual flowing off and flowing to of matter which, as nourishment, is a constant need. The lack of care, empathy and love for the self can result in chronic illnesses like anxiety and depression. A consciousness that conceives of inherent existence does not have a valid foundation. We accept the present as something that is only temporary, and regard it only as a means to accomplish our aim. It finds an emptiness of inherent existence beyond appearances. The abandonment of yourself can translate as bereavement from your beloved. If, for instance, life, the longing for which constitutes our very being, had in itself any positive and real value, boredom could not exist; mere existence in itself would supply us with everything, and therefore satisfy us. Sign up for Lion’s Roar free email newsletters. Buddha said many times that because all phenomena are dependently arisen, they are relative—their existence depends on other causes and conditions and depends on their own parts. Nagarjuna developed his doctrine of emptiness in the Mulamadhyamakakarika, a thoroughgoing analysis of a wide range of topics. སྟོང་པོ་ཉིད་, tongpa nyi; Wyl. This Buddhist reasoning is supported by science. If we, in imagination, hasten on this succession, we shall see that the matter is constantly changing in the whole row just as it is changing in each pearl, while it retains the same form: we will then realise that we have only a quasi-existence. As soon as there are no needs and illusion we become conscious of the absolute barrenness and emptiness of existence. © 2003 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D. COVID-19 has brought tremendous suffering, uncertainty, fear, and strain to the world. This nothingness, however, together with the phenomena, remain within the boundary of the will to live and are based on it. The Emptiness of Existence by Arthur Schopenhauer 1881 [Schopenhauer needs little introduction to those with a pessimistic philosophical outlook. Emptiness implies the potential for existence and change. It is when we exaggerate our sense of ourselves and other phenomena to mean something inherently existent that we get drawn into many, many problems. English: This project was inspired not only by how his thoughts and metaphysics influenced me but also by it's technical difficulties and things I wanted to learn, and oh man... it took some effort. While organic existence is only made possible by continual change of matter, to keep up a perpetual supply of which it must consequently have help from without. We can conceive of phenomena in three different ways. Our sincere wish is that these Buddhist teachings, guided practices, and stories can be a balm in these difficult times. And so it may be said of man in general that, befooled by hope, he dances into the arms of death. Then again, there is the insatiability of each individual will; every time it is satisfied a new wish is engendered, and there is no end to its eternally insatiable desires. It is neither existence, nor nonexistence, neither different nor identical. The Buddha said that all compounded phenomena disintegrate. It was during times of torment that he realized the need for meaning to keep us going. The mathematical analogy of emptiness is not zero, but the empty set. Without understanding what isnegated, you cannot understand its absence, emptiness. Reflections of the nature of those above may, indeed, establish the belief that to enjoy the present, and to make this the purpose of one’s life, is the greatest wisdom; since it is the present alone that is real, everything else being only the play of thought. I admit that this is somewhat obscure. 2. This turns out to be the case for everything, for all phenomena. In fact, the closer you look, the more it is not found. What is emphasised by the commentators is that “emptiness” means a lack of “own-nature”, i.e. This ideality of time, together with that of space, is the key to every true system of metaphysics, because it finds room for quite another order of things than is to be found in nature. Accordingly this is a finite existence, and its antithesis would be an infinite, neither exposed to any attack from without nor in want of help from without, and hence [Greek: aei hosautos on], in eternal rest; [Greek: oute gignomenon, oute apollymenon], without change, without time, and without diversity; the negative knowledge of which is the fundamental note of Plato’s philosophy. Feelings of emptiness often accompany dysthymia, depression, loneliness, anhedonia, despair, or other mental/emotional disorders, including schizoid personality disorder, post trauma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizotypal personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. Therefore, full spiritual practice calls for cultivating wisdom in conjunction with great compassion and the intention to become enlightened in which others are valued more than yourself. This mental state may disrupt your life but it’s not new to the human race. Remove the ignorance that misconceives phenomena to inherently exist and you prevent the generation of afflictive emotions like lust and hatred. And it is the chief work of all living creatures to secure a constant supply of suitable matter. We have established that when any phenomenon is sought through analysis, it cannot be found. This emptiness finds its expression in the whole form of existence, in the infiniteness of Time and Space as opposed to the finiteness of the individual in both; in the flitting present as the only manner of real existence; in the dependence and relativity of all things; in constantly Becoming without Being; in continually wishing without being satisfied; in an incessant … This selection is from How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Many phenomena cannot be said to be inherently good or bad; they are better or worse, tall or short, beautiful or ugly, only by comparison, not by way of their own nature. We’re the Shambhala Sun Foundation. Only when emptiness is directly realized during completely focused meditation is there no false appearance. At that time, the dualism of subject and object has vanished, as has the appearance of multiplicity; only emptiness appears. Then reflect on how others and their bodies appear to your mind. From the time we are born to the time we die we suffer mental and physical pain, the suffering of change, and pervasive suffering of uncontrolled conditioning. If objects do not inherently exist, does this mean that they cannot function? Although Buddhist schools accept rebirth, they hold that there is no such solid self. There are two main sources of Indian Buddhist discussions of emptiness, the Mahayana sutra literature, which is traditionally believed to be the word of the Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism and the shastra literature, which was composed by Buddhist scholars and philosophers. We could conceive of the tree as existing inherently, in its own right. What is left after analysis is a dependently existent phenomenon. Then he came up with a self-made version of therapy called logotherapy. Analysis does not contradict the mere existence of the object. Viktor Frankl spent years in a Nazi concentration camp. These three simple truths, which characterize all things, are surprisingly transformative. That man is nothing but a phenomenon, that he is not-the-thing-in-itself — I mean that he is not [Greek: ontos on]— is proved by the fact that death is a necessity. A main point that could be extracted early on is the idea that the present is really all that is … This cannot possibly be true, says the heart; and even the crude mind, after giving the matter its consideration, must have some sort of presentiment of the ideality of time. Food that looks so good in a restaurant may not sit so well in your stomach. That innate and ineradicable craving for what is out of the common proves how glad we are to have the natural and tedious course of things interrupted. Emptiness (Skt. The fundamental cause of suffering is ignorance—the mistaken apprehension that living beings and objects inherently exist. If we are ever to embrace Buddhism properly into the West, we need to be clear about emptiness, since a wrong understanding of its meaning can be confusing, even harmful. There is more of this "nothingness" in the universe than there is physical existence. Through meditation you have identified both the false mode of appearance and the false mode of apprehension. For instance, something may—in terms of how it appears—look good, but, due to its inner nature being different, it can turn bad once it is affected by conditions. To understand selflessness, you need to understand that everything that exists is contained in two groups called the two truths: conventional and ultimate. Unique in the world today, he is a statesman, national leader, spiritual teacher, and deeply learned theologian. Only then may your consciousness be transformed into the omniscience of a Buddha. However, we know from direct experience that people and things cause pleasure and pain, and that they can help and harm. Understanding reality exactly opposite to the misconception of inherent existence, wisdom gradually overcomes ignorance. That it is only Ideas which exist, and the shadow-like nature of the thing corresponding to them, is the basis of Plato’s teachings. As an exercise in identifying how objects and beings falsely appear, try the following: 1. Can you help us? Therefore organic life is like balancing a pole on one’s hand; it must be kept in continual motion, and have a constant supply of matter of which it is continually and endlessly in need. No. But our existence would not be a joyous thing unless we were striving after something; distance and obstacles to be overcome then represent our aim as something that would satisfy us — an illusion which vanishes when our aim has been attained; or when we are engaged in something that is of a purely intellectual nature, when, in reality, we have retired from the world, so that we may observe it from the outside, like spectators at a theatre. Emptiness, or selflessness, can only be understood if we firstidentifythat of which phenomena are empty.