Monakhos

Completely give up such distinctions as ‘I am He’ and ‘I am not this.’ Consider all as the Self and be desireless and happy.
Ashtavakra Samhita (Gita) XV.15

I read this last night, and thought it would fit well as an addendum to Part II of my series. Join in the discussion on the Ashtavakra Gita at the Wisdom Reading Group.

The problem with life as a point is that it seems small; too small to accurately describe existence. Let us continue with the metaphor; however, and see what happens with a little more clarification.

Life is a point. Each being’s existence is defined inside one point. There is nothing else. At the same time, interaction does occur between these points. How does this interaction take place, and how does it affect the point?

It is clear that one being can affect another being. For example, I just punched (lightly of course), my co-worker. My point reached out and touched his point. The two points are now joined. There are still two points, but the two points are connected.

Consider how many times this happens every day, every second. Murmuring voices in the background, a conversation with a friend, a car driving beside you. Every second of every day points are reaching out and connecting to other points. Some connections are thick and strong, others are thin and light.

Pratitya samutpada is the teaching of dependent (sometimes translated as interdependent) arising.
All beings are connected in a web of cause and effect. Nothing is solitary. Everything is connected.

Consider that this has been happening since the beginning of everything. One point reached out and touched another point. The two points, while still distinct, became related by that link; each retained a part of the other. For all eternity, the two will be connected. The two are not one for they are still two points. However, the two cannot exist alone, for they are inseparably connected to one another. From this point on, there is no existence apart from the whole.

As this pattern continues, points become less distinct. Think of ink on paper. At first there are a few lone inkblots. Then, as more ink falls to the page, blots merge and expand. There are no individual blots only one large blot. There is no large blot, only individual inkblots overlapping.

As the first part of this series, I thought I would try to collate a few past and present ideas to try to form a working thesis on the definition of living/existence.

Life is one point. Not two points or three points, but one point in universal existence.

Growing up, I always was taught that human existence is a ray, starting at one point and going on in one direction forever. This makes sense when considered in the context of time in this world. It does not work when considering that time is impermanent.

Time did not always exist, and will not always exist. If time is not permanent, then that also means that the ray metaphor is possibly quite invalid. How can anyone know that a future incarnation of time will not intersect or run along the same path as the current incarnation. Furthermore, in the context of no time, there would be nothing binding an individual being anywhere for certain. He or she would essentially exist at all moments of time at the same time.

This is why I say life is a point. If it were a line segment, then it would have a starting point and a stopping point. If it were a ray, if would have a beginning, and if it were a line, it would have no beginning and no ending. All such models, however, are tied to our current perception of time. It doesn’t make any sense when considering a state where time is not an issue. If a being is not tied to time, there is no before, no after, no now. There is only being.

I hope this made sense. If there are many questions or disagreements, I will clarify in the next post.

In the secret cave of the heart, two are seated
By life’s fountain. The separate ego
Drinks of the sweet and bitter stuff,
Liking the sweet, disliking the bitter,
While the supreme Self drinks sweet and bitter
Neither liking this nor disliking that.
The ego gropes in darkness, while the Self
Lives in the light. So declare the illumined sages
And the householders who worship
The sacred fire in the name of the Lord.
The Katha Upanishad 3:1 - Eknath Easwaran (tr.)

It’s always interesting how the perfect verse is always waiting for the perfect time. Earlier today I posted a haiku about work, and how, sometimes it is a test of my patience. Sometimes things are just flustering. Sometimes they are bitter. The ego dislikes these times, while the supreme Self, while partaking of the same fountain remains calm, and neither dislikes or likes one over the other.

Unpleasant times are inherent in human life. In our lives there will be difficulty and suffering. I was just reading up on the Four Noble Truths in Thich Nhat Hanh’s “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” after I wrote the word suffering and found that the root of the Chinese character that represents suffering in Chinese Buddhism means bitter! He goes on to describe how there are bitter and sweet things in our lives and that healing is possible!

Once again, I start reading and am instantly touched!

The mind is water
Thoughts bubbling to the sky
Filling it all up