One of the most misunderstood concepts of the Buddhist tradition is that of Emptiness. Far from being a treatise of the futility of it all or a defeatist cry of frustration, the realisation of Emptiness is a catalyst of releasing one's fear and over-attachment to things in the deep-end of mundane. By briefly exploring this principle, we can take the round tour of some core facets of the Buddhist method.
The idea of Emptiness rests upon the principle of Causation - in a nutshell, all things existing have arisen from the previous interaction of events and matter - paraphrasing Karma, if you will. Sitting outside and watching the goings on in a field or forest for a few hours (which is a pretty good idea anyway) is enough to illustrate this observation. Now, considering the causal property of existence, it follows that no one thing has an 'independent' nature of its own. That is, nothing exists because of itself and thus, is 'Empty' of any fundamental substance.
On the human side of this equation, the understanding of Emptiness brings us to terms with another essential principle of existence - Impermanence. What is assembled will, in time, be transformed into other assemblies due to its Emptiness and the workings of Karma or Causality. Being aware of (not necessarily 'believing', just observing) this continual emergence can loosen the minds desperate grasp on objects and ease the fear of 'losing' them - one cannot possess something that is a process of change in itself. The mind's convictions will naturally give way to its ability to clearly perceive and a subtle yet profound clarity will take its roots.
To many the eventual question is: where did it all start? What was the beginning cause and material? Well, trying to answer this has led to several rather nasty wars and thinking about it too hard will probably cloud over one's awareness, making sensing what is actually there and how things work (without the dictates of beliefs and expectation) all the more difficult.
These principles are keys to a method that allows one to experience the world without the confusion of fear and the rigidity of attachment. This method does not provide ready made answers; coming to conclusions is at the discretion and the risk of the practitioner.
The idea of Emptiness rests upon the principle of Causation - in a nutshell, all things existing have arisen from the previous interaction of events and matter - paraphrasing Karma, if you will. Sitting outside and watching the goings on in a field or forest for a few hours (which is a pretty good idea anyway) is enough to illustrate this observation. Now, considering the causal property of existence, it follows that no one thing has an 'independent' nature of its own. That is, nothing exists because of itself and thus, is 'Empty' of any fundamental substance.
On the human side of this equation, the understanding of Emptiness brings us to terms with another essential principle of existence - Impermanence. What is assembled will, in time, be transformed into other assemblies due to its Emptiness and the workings of Karma or Causality. Being aware of (not necessarily 'believing', just observing) this continual emergence can loosen the minds desperate grasp on objects and ease the fear of 'losing' them - one cannot possess something that is a process of change in itself. The mind's convictions will naturally give way to its ability to clearly perceive and a subtle yet profound clarity will take its roots.
To many the eventual question is: where did it all start? What was the beginning cause and material? Well, trying to answer this has led to several rather nasty wars and thinking about it too hard will probably cloud over one's awareness, making sensing what is actually there and how things work (without the dictates of beliefs and expectation) all the more difficult.
These principles are keys to a method that allows one to experience the world without the confusion of fear and the rigidity of attachment. This method does not provide ready made answers; coming to conclusions is at the discretion and the risk of the practitioner.
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