A Purport of the Central Theme of Thich Nhat Hanh’s ‘No Death, No Fear’

By Wong Weng Hon

Introduction

The central theme of Thich Nhat Hanh』s 『No Death, No Fear』 is, in actuality, the exposition of the Śākyamuni Buddha』s fundamental doctrine of Dependent Co-arising (Pratītyasamutpāda緣起) which is equated with Emptiness (śūnyatā空). Bhikkhu Thich Bhat Hanh utilizes a series of metaphors to elucidate the quintessence of the infinite network of Interdependence of all phenomena (Dharmadhātu-pratītyasamutpāda緣起法界) or the Dharma realm of Unity (法界一相). The perfect knowledge (正知) of Truth is the Dharma realm of Unity which is synonymous with Buddha-nature(佛性). Buddha-nature is not a substance but the highest Truth (paramārtha satya勝義諦). His sole aspiration is to unveil the profound message that there exists Buddha-nature in every phenomenon – living or non-living things. This is how Bhikkhu Thich Nhat Hanh illustrates in his Buddhist text of 『No Death, No Fear』.

Before the cloud is born, it is water on the ocean』s surface. Or it is in the river and then becomes vapour. The sun is there too, helping the water to become cloud. The cloud does not come from nothing. Sooner or later, the cloud will change into rain or snow or ice. If you look deeply into the rain, you can see the cloud. The cloud is not lost. It is transferred into rain, and the rain is into grass and the grass into cows and then to milk and then into the ice-cream you eat. Today, if you eat an ice-cream, give yourself time and say: 「Hello, Cloud! I recognize you.」

Evaluating his Dhamma illustration and elucidation above, I perceive that Bhikkhu Thich Nhat Hanh is indeed not an ordinary monk. In fact, he is not. It is worthwhile to penetrate further into the Truth which he aspires to expound to us. What he intends to expound to us is exactly what Śākyamuni Buddha aspires to expound to us. The Truth has been delivered lucidly and profoundly if one truly intuitively apprehends but not comprehends intellectually. This has prompted me to contribute this piece of exegesis on his work so that readers too share his profound wisdom of Dharma. Having read it, if a reader was able to perceive Buddha-nature in everything at least intellectually, one would have captured the Buddhist soteriology (解脫道) – the perfect knowledge of Unity in terms of Dependent Co-arising or Unity (不二).

Mutual Dependence

To perceive Buddha-nature is to perceive the Truth of Unity conglomerated by the principle of Dependent Co-arising. A simple way to discern Dependent Origination is to apprehend the relationship between the prior or preceding contigent phenomenon and the posterior or subsequent contigent phenomenon. For instance, in the relationship between vapour and cloud, vapour is the prior phenomenon and the cloud is the posterior phenomenon. They are mutually dependent and related. The first phenomenon dependently produces the second phenomenon; the second phenomenon conditions the third one; the third one conditions the fourth one progressively and so forth. For instance, the ice-cream is not the final product or phenomenon. It can still be further conditioned by other conditioning states to give rise to other multiple phenomena. Such becomings perpetuate dynamically and infinitely while the underlying Truth of Unity remains eternal and immutable.. This is how the entire cosmos is created and is incessantly created without affecting the cosmic Unity of the apparent multiplicity.

Like the Buddha』s formulation of the 12-fold conditions of the Dependent Origination or Co-arising (十二緣起), Bhikkhu Thick Nhat Hanh has put forwards his right view of Dependent Origination or genesis in terms of a series of apparent linear relationships between the contignet conditions of perpetual becomings. Such apparent linear exposition of the contigent phenomena many a times leads to misinterpretation of Dependent Origination or Genesis by Buddhists as well as non-Buddhists. Consequently, they have mispresented the authentic Word of Śākyamuni Buddha. An exegesis on the basis of linear relationships may lead to the erroneous cognition that a single cause produces a single effect: The cause contains the effect essentially and the effect is contained in the cause essentially. Such interpretation is confined to  the domain of the philosophical view of Substantialism or Ontological Commitment(自性論). Substantialism or Ontological Commitment does not concur with Buddhist fundamental doctrine of Insubstantiality (anātman無我) or Emptiness (śūnyatā空) of inherent existence. The Truth, unveiled by Dependent Co-arising or Origination, reveals that multiple causes produce multiple effects. Manifold conditionality is more pertinent to the Truth rather than direct causality. Direct or linear relationship of causality is apparently or conventionally true. That, a cluster of conditioning states giving rise to a cluster of conditioned phenomena, is ultimately true. It unveils the highest Truth of infinite cosmos of Unity - the Dharma realm of Unity.

Infinite Network of interdependence

To illustrate manifold conditionality that multiple conditioning states condition the arising of conditioned states, let』s continue with the examination of the primary and secondary conditions of manufacturing of ice-creams. This metaphor can help us penetrate into the multiple conditional relations involved or undergone. Obviously, only the milk, furnished by the cow farm, is not sufficient to make the ice-creams. Basically, the conditions (ingredients), required to produce a good-flovoured tasty ice-cream cone, are Chocolate/strawberry sauce, color sprinkles, drop-nuts, cadbury』s flake and other additives or appetizers. Not all their ingredients are manufactured by an ice-cream manufacturer. They are outsourced from the respective suppliers which become the contigent conditions to manufacture a large volume of ice-creams for sales. To manufacture ice-creams to satisfy the demand of consumers in a city and outside the city, an ice-cream factory is set up to satisfy consumers』 continuous demand. Factory set-up is an initial primary immediate condition. To invest and construct an ice cream factory, the primary immediate conditions required are capital, land, human resources and enterprise as the modern economists teach us. The investors become the contigent conditions to obtain the land and capital. The human resources are the qualified or experienced staff conditions required to deal with management, administration, accounting, supervision, clerical works, purchases, storage, sales and transportation. Thus, a reasonable sized factory consists of various working departments, such as administrative, personnel, accounting, production, purchase, storage and marketing/Sales departments. The board of directors constitutes the contigent leading conditions in terms of the corporate leadership.

We can still analyse and reduce further other contigent conditions constituting the total business system or micro-unity of the factory. The human resources may include the directors and full time working staff, such as general manager, department managers, chief accountant, engineers, technicians, clerks, sales force, cleaners, drivers, attendants or general workers and so on. All these human resources are employable and functionable because they been educated and trained by teachers from various schools, lecturers of colleges, polytechnics and universities from childhood to adulthood according to different levels of academic or professional qualifications of the staff. All these educational institutions are run by either the government or private sectors. When the government runs the educational institutions, they are supported by various government ministries, department, agencies and units. The lineage is unlimited actually as we probe, analyse,and reduce further the elementary conditions.

Even the enterprises of private sector are governed by the government』s ministries or departments. The government』s coffer is largely funded by various forms of taxation imposed on and collected directly and indirectly from the tax payers, both local citizens and foreigners.The local tax payers benefit from the national development programmes, such as the various public amendities, infrastructures and institutions planned, developed and maintained by a large labour force of the government servants. The government servants can not serve the public if they are not paid salaries sourced from various taxes. It is therefore evident that no one is an island. Each and every one of us is related or connected to one another either directly or indirectly constituting a larger unity called a nation. Everyone has a role to play in a total system or unity. Thus, it is evident that the micro-unity of the factory, the micro-unity of the government service and the micro unity of the other private sector service merges to result in a larger unity. This combined unity also merges with the local natural environment forming a macro-unity of a nation. Globalization enlarges these macro unities of all the individual nations into a universal or infinite macro unity. The concept of universal brotherhood of humanity can be comprehended from this universal or infinite macro unity. The mutualism conveys the Truth of Dependent Co-arising, the core of the Buddhist philosophy.

Evidently, in this borderless world of global village, no nation is truly independent. The mutual flows of imports, exports, direct foreign investments, experts, savants, intelligentsia, knowledge, data, information between different nations or countries are not merely expectations but realities of co-existence or even mutual survival. Modern transports, mass media, telecommunication, and information technology make the human intercourses or interactions more rapid, economical, comfortable and highly efficient globally. The borders of all nations are totally broken down to constitute a single global village – the macro or worldwide unity of an international community. This modern globalization in almost all dimensions effectively constructs the oneness or unity of the world.

No nation in this world is absolutely self-sufficient or independent. Globalization for co-existence and smart partnership to create a win-win situation is the norm cherished by all policy makers today. We cannot deny that globalization or international unity facilitates the developing nations to amass wealth through the transfer of technology and developed nations to amass wealth through international trades. Japan, Korea, China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam in Asia are exemplars of developed and developing  countries who have developed economies and amassed wealth through their open door policies. Open door policy connotes national unity expanded into international unity through the operation of multi-national corporations to gain and to amass economic wealth or affluence benefiting mutually.

China is particularly a foremost exemplar of a sky-rocketing  developing nation which has profited and amassed increasing national wealth through globalization. Globalization is the wise move of expansion of national unity to merge with global unity. Whichever nation participates in the expansion of universal unity of economic cake prospers enormously. Whichever country contracts its economic cake will find it very difficult to sustain or leap up economically.

The United States of America remains the foremost, unsurpassed superpower politically, economically, educationally, spiritually, socially, technologically and so forth because of its very open or liberal policy of absorbing foreign savants, intelligentsia and investments. Almost the majority of the eminent foreign experts, scholars, or savants from the geniuses of the different developing countries throughout the world are absorbed to expand the American golden dream of freedom of enterprise and success unlimited due to millions of brain-drains from the developing and underdeveloped countries. Of course, the losses of brain-drains occur at the expenses of the national development of the developing or underdeveloped countries. It is a paradox of the weak strengthening the mighty. The American domestic human resources and foreign brain-drains collectively create the American affluence and success unlimited fondly called the 『American Dream - A Possible Dream』. Foreign brain-drains into the American soils never cease hitherto.  Hong Kong and Singapore, two highly competitive economic dragons of Asia, emulate the model of the 『American Possible Dream』. They wisely and incessantly absorb brain drains from developing and underdeveloped countries to upgrade their economic competitiveness. Their economic miracles have been constructed from the brain-drains from developing and underdeveloped countries. Likewise, China』s economy has sky-rocketed because of the incessant enormous influx of direct foreign investments and business savants or intelligentsia.

Having gone outwardly, let』s return inwardly to realize our dreams at home. Nibbāna is the perfect equilibrium of the five aggregates in terms of intuitive perception of Unity and not multiplicity. The five aggregates experiences perfect equilibrium when human self or ego is eliminated through the intuitive apprehension of Unity. All esoteric religions promulgate that self or ego is illusive and does not exist ultimately. Self or ego creates erroneous vision of multiplicity. Annihilation of self or ego results in the right vision of Unity which is Dependent Co-arising or Emptiness of inherent existence. What ultimately exists is the sole highest Truth of Unity which is the common goal of spiritual quest of all true or genuine religious practitioners or seekers. Whoever has awakened to the Unity of the five aggregates could achieve his or her possible dream at home. The annihilation of illusive self or ego makes one a sincerely patriotic, loyal, altruistic, grateful, productive,creative, selflessly diligent and loving citizen of one』s own country. Good academic qualifications without the aforementioned ethical values can not engender the first class human capital for national development. In actuality, the issue of self or ego is related to part of the problems of brain-drains existing in the developing or underdeveloped countries.

Conclusion

Whenever you are eating an ice-cream, Bhikkhu Thich Nhat Hanh advises us to greet your ice-creams thus, 「How are you,Cloud?」 Likewise, when a president or prime minister of nation has made a wrong decision, don』t blame the president or the prime minister instantaneously. Please cool down, still your mind and contemplate thus:

A vigilant president or prime minister always consults his or her top advisers before he makes critical decisions. The top advisers or consultants may not have advised the president or prime minister prudently owing to deficiency of data or information received. The fallibilities of Man reveals that such possibility exists. Furthermore, advisers are not saints and they may be fallible at times beyond their controls. Can we blame these top advisers or consultants? The advisers may have obtained the data or information from his or her supporting staff. And the supporting staff may have collected the information from deficient sources internally or externally or both.

Again, suppose that we have a not so prudent president or prime minister. Who are those who vote him or her to power? Those are the voters. The majority of them are ordinary people who vote according to their emotions rather than according to their knowledge or wisdom. Should we blame the voters? Whenever we perceive the wrong in anyone, we ought not to jump into a rapid conclusion that the wrong doer is solely responsible. We need both hands to clap to produce the sounds. If we are able to discern thus, we realize that democracy means that no single person is truly responsible but all are equally responsible. In a democratic country, all are collectively responsible particularly those voters who elect the political party into power. But the president or the prime minister is the chief executive in all key decision makings. That is why he is called a VIP tightly protected, honoured and venerated everywhere. He enjoys the supreme power and the maximum comforts in the country and outside the country. All the advantages of privileges, influences, dictations, commands honours, protections and so forth are enjoyed by the head of the state. The first class services rendered are not actually free. The head of state correspondingly bears the heaviest responsibility in any key national affair. In Buddhism, the head of state is the main cause (hetu) and the supporting citizens are the supporting conditions. The main cause and the supporting conditions are dependently co-arisen. The is most evident in a democratic country where the head of state can be voted out through general election. Modern politics extoll democracy marketed by the west because there exists Buddha-nature in a democratic process.

Remember that, no one, especially the president or the prime minister, can really work alone. This is equally applied in all other forms of human relationships or intercourses. It is a world of interdependence or unity in all relationships involving two or more people interacting in social or business intercourses. We are all equally responsible in the sense that all contigent conditions in the network of relationships are identical in importance. This concurs with the doctrine of identity and interdependence expounded in the Hua-yen Buddhism. Therefore, everyone, involved in any form of relationship, must be fully vigilant since what one does or does not do affect so many others. When both parties involved claim an equal responsibility or importance for the bad soup prepared, you just laugh off and be more vigilant to avoid a similar error or mistake in future. This is the right vision of Unity which constructs mutual respect, patience, love, goodwill and wellness. Please contemplate thus:

Nibbāna is found in non-dualism or mutualism.
Non-dualism or mutualism is the Truth of Unity.

Conclusion

Mahāyāna Buddhism and all other esoteric monotheistic religions advocate respect for and admission of non-dualism or mutualism as the highest Truth of Unity. The critical point is that we ought to realize that any human action or activity, which transgresses the original principle of Unity, invites vexation, suffering or anguish. Breach of Unity in any form, either minor or major, is not compatible with the Buddha-nature which is the universal Truth of Unity. Dichotomy or dualism, in actual fact, is not compatible with ultimate Truth of Unity or Non-dualism. We are all living co-related and contigently  in a total system of Unity called Buddhahood. We are never separated from Buddha. Mahāyāna tradition emphasizes that the sentient beings, mind and Buddha are identical. If one were to divorce oneself from the Buddha, one, being ignorant of Unity, would be inviting for vexation, trouble, tragedy, misfortune, anguish or even catastrophe for himself as well as for the community, society or even the whole country. Whoever battles or opposes the Buddha (the Truth of Unity), is a common enemies for all. Whoever claims proprietorship of his five aggregates can not intuitively apprehend the Buddha or the Dharma realm of Unity. In monotheistic esoteric religions, such as Vedānta or Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, whoever claims proprietorship of anything does not perceive his or her beloved Lord. The Lord is not a divine figure or personality but an ineffable Truth of Unity. It is neither absolute existence nor absolute non-existence. Thus, it cannot be expressed with language. It cannot be sought through body nor sound (Diamond Sūtra). It is beyond the six human senses.