Sat, 26 Dec 2009
Emptiness Re-explained
The usual question about emptiness got asked on one of the Buddhist forums and I gave my usual explanation. Which isn't mine, actually, it's taken from Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso's explanation in "Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness." So here it is, for your edification and amusement.
Emptiness is the unfindability of a thing when searched for. We have a strong belief in a thing, but when when we try to pin down precisely what it is, we can't do it. For example, the self. Sometimes we equate the self with the body, as when saying "I hurt all over." Sometimes we identify the self with the mind, as when saying "I am nervous." Sometimes we equate the self with the owner of the mind, as when saying, "I could not control my thoughts." What we take to be the self shifts around, which shows that there is no self, it is only a concept. And careful argument shows that neither the body, the mind, nor anything else can properly be called the self. So we say the self is empty.
I'll be away for the next week at a meditation retreat, the Mani Drubchen. I know these days going a week without posts on my blog is not such a big deal. But be patient and I'll probably have some gossip (I mean, news) to report when I get back.
