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The pursuit of emptiness
betaboy
Veteran
Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
That was the Buddha's view. Extrapolating this, zen concluded that if everything is futile and meaningless, then one should pursue emptiness - that alone in fact would be a worthy pursuit. Of course, one can do verbal/intellectual gymnastics here, saying emptiness cannot be pursued etc. But if one goes deeply into various concepts - discontent in all things/activities, impermanence everywhere - then in the end we are left with nothing. That nothing alone seems true.
Your thoughts?
That was the Buddha's view. Extrapolating this, zen concluded that if everything is futile and meaningless, then one should pursue emptiness - that alone in fact would be a worthy pursuit. Of course, one can do verbal/intellectual gymnastics here, saying emptiness cannot be pursued etc. But if one goes deeply into various concepts - discontent in all things/activities, impermanence everywhere - then in the end we are left with nothing. That nothing alone seems true.
Your thoughts?
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Comments
Maybe Zen practice could be summed up with, "Own it! Quit screwing around! Set aside the violin. Dig in and dig deep. See what happens." As Rinzai once encouraged his monks more or less, "Your whole problem is that you don't trust yourselves enough."
If nothing seems true then there is delusion because there is no such thing as nothing. It's kinda what the word means...
What is the mark of someone that is ready?
I would figure that if misunderstandings obscure the dharma, readiness to understand is implied.
I think it would take more that Bodhisattva Vows to teach Shunyatha.
What we are missing is the sublime buddha qualities and activities of the buddha which is body of the buddhas. Though it is all absent and free from references, a buddha with no intention helps all beings without even the notions of beings or buddhas.
Such goodness, truth and beauty.
May the suffering of the world inspire us to reach towards the sublime expansive luminous sphere of equality.
Leaving aside the icky-Zen stuff, what is it like when there is no two, no one and no none? What is it like when blue sky is blue?
Just noodling.
http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/1-2.htm That is your vanity. Zen concluded?
Que?
Wassat mean?
that if everything is futile and meaningless, then one should pursue emptiness - that alone in fact would be a worthy pursuit. Of course, one can do verbal/intellectual gymnastics here, saying emptiness cannot be pursued etc. But if one goes deeply into various concepts - discontent in all things/activities, impermanence everywhere - then in the end we are left with nothing. That nothing alone seems true.[ahem] does not compute.
Zen, whoever she is, does not conclude this, nor does the Buddha, nor does Judaism or Christianity who use the Bible as their vain attempts to understand the nature of reality . . . No. This is a straw man interpretation and therefore it is empty and vain . . . in a manner of speaking . . .
Emptiness/Sunyata is not a nihilistic, meaningless void familiar to egos and the depressed as has been pointed out.
:wave:
Sounds delusional to me, but I'm too deluded to know for certain.
B. If "awareness is there," is that "pointing to emptiness?"
C. What role does any of this play when a shoelace is broken?
B. Pointing to emptiness could be reading the prajnaparamita sutras, contemplating, and meditating. It is letting go rather than building up. We have wrong ideas and through intellect we see that. So we let go of the ego and practice.
C. If we break a shoe lace we get it replaced. Sometimes people use the two truths to explain that, but the whole shebang of the shoe lace shows the three marks: impermanence, dukkha if grasped, and non-self. The form skhanda (lace) is not-self of the shoe. Breaking a shoe lace affects our awareness and the awareness is open, clear, and sensitive. Every experience there are always the three qualities: openness, clarity, and sensitivity.
"I am washing the dishes" is like a mantra to bring us into center. To remind us to truly be there for the task at hand. It may sound silly but there is love in that practice.
The pursuit of Emptiness
My def. of an oxymoron.
sacco
From facebooks buddhism photo. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Buddhism/129435380440926
The 7th Jhana ist where the borders of possible perception is and th 8th is dissolvement of all inner and outer perception. This is even less the the 6th step, where ist just says:"Nothing is here." If one says that ther is nothing any more, defines itself that there had been something before.
anando
Emptiness refers to all experiences.
I think the problem is sectarianism ie Pali Canon versus prajnaparamita sutras.
Heart Sutra:
snip:::: snip:::
First we need to learn not to grasp after the self and I suppose the idea of emptiness is effective. But, I think Bohdicitta is better. Care for others and self perfection is a sweeter path. I recommend the Paramitas. Best, Dennis
Best, Dennis
It is said between each thought the Buddha has pristine cognition. Between each action is pristine cognition....So each of those in betweens is obstructions. Well the nature is clear and the essence is empty. Short of that simplicity, is obstruction. Any help?
one should never be where one does not belong' I will do better. Thank you.