Ineffable Identity of Opposites

By Wong Weng Hon

The highest truth (paramārtha satya) of Buddhist philosophy is the mysterious tenet of the ineffable identity of opposites. This ineffable identity of opposites is expounded and reiterated in the celebrated Heart Sūtra of Mahāyāna tradition as X= Emptiness (‘Sūnyatā) and Emptiness = X; Y = Emptiness and Emptiness = Y and so forth. This formula of identity of the opposites is universally applied to any phenomenon(Dharma) of the empirical world. Dharma connotes phenomenon, thing, event, occurrence, happening, performance or system which is dependently co-arisen from various constituting elements, factors or conditions. ‘Sākyamuni Buddha promulgates that all phenomena (sabbe dhammā) are dependently co-arisen from causes and conditions devoid of any permanent substance self  (attā), soul (ātma) or intrinsic nature (svabhāva). According to ‘Sākyamuni Buddha, the perception of Absolute existence is a false view and perception of Absolute non-existence is also an erroneous view. The highest truth of the ultimate Reality is Middle View (Madhyamā Pratipat) of avoiding or transcending the pair of extreme views of Absolute existence (A) and Non-existence (B). In other words, the Buddhist Right View is rejecting  both View A and View B simultaneously or accepting A and B simultaneously which is the identity of the opposites which is Buddhist world-view. According to the Middle Philosophy of Buddhism, Existence equals Non-existence and Affirmation equals Negation which mirrors the Ultimate Truth of Reality of the cosmos. One will never discern Buddhist philosophy rightly until and unless this equation of the opposites is apprehended. Paradoxically, this is the only one Truth which describes the Actuality of the world or universe. The Buddha and Brahman declare that Truth is only one and not two. In fact, the same Truth is unveiled by all other esoteric religions, such as Christianity and Islam. I personally support Theosophy and apologize Buddhavacana (Word of the Enlightened One). The Buddhist world-view of accepting both View A and View B simultaneously is synonymous with transcending both View A and View B. This is the Buddhist Doctrine of Middle Path which is the advocacy of paradoxes or holding of double view points which is the ineffable identity of opposites. Whoever gains an intuition or intuitive discernment of this highest truth becomes a Buddhist theosophist – the self-enlightened
Buddhist saint. The following Chan/Zen story of a Chan/Zen master illustrates the paradoxes or double views of Buddhist theosophy.  

A Chan/Zen master and his disciples took refuge in a shrine of a monastery on a mountain during a cold winter. Many wooden statutes of the Buddha were found scattered here and there in one corner of the shrine. The master unhesitatingly picked up some of the wooden statues of the Buddha. He kindled the statues with a fire to create heat to warm himself and his disciples. Perceiving the unexpected outrageous behaviour of the master, his disciples were scandalized or shocked. In the morning, they awakened to find that the master had risen before they did. He was prostrate before the ashes of the burnt Buddhas.

In actuality, the master was a fully enlightened monk. He merely lived the paradoxes or held double views or had gained the intuition of the ineffable identity of opposites. The Buddhist theosophists negate or deconstruct the Dharma and then reaffirm or reconstruct the Dharma to preserve the Middle philosophy of the ineffable identity of opposites. This makes the Buddhist theosophy an abstruse doctrinal point for many including the Buddhists themselves. Nevertheless, this equation of the opposites unveals the innate supreme treasure of human species – the intrinsic Buddha-nature existing originally in every sentient being. Interestingly, the UltimateTruth co-exists in tune with supreme human virtue. It is equally interesting to perceive a parallel Truth in monotheistic religions advocating the belief in one God: When one sees God, one loves God. When one loves God as an absolute servant of God, ones becomes supremely virtuous.

Of course, God is not to be seen physically, it is seen through Truth which explains the seemingly intricate building blocks of the cosmos including the human personality. When the Truth is discerned intuitively, it is after all not so intricate because human personality is part and parcel of it. Truth is sought esoterically or inwardly but not exoterically or outwardly.