Issue

13th Issue (Sept, 2009)

Editor's Preface

The communal Truth of Wisdom to be discovered by faith adherents especially inter-faith leaders is ‘The multiplicity in the Unity and the Unity in the multiplicity’. It is expressed as ‘Form is Emptiness and Emptiness is Form’ in the Buddhist Heart Sūtra. It is expounded in the Buddhist Theory of Three-fold Truth (Trisvabhāvavāda) of the cosmos in the Yogācāra School of Mahāyāna Buddhism. This Truth crystallizes the quintessence of the exoteric-esoteric  symbiosis  of the major world’s religions. The Three-fold Truth mirroring the three natures of the cosmos manifested to different individuals according to their varying levels of Truth Discernment thus:  

1. The Falsely Imagined nature of the World Parikalpita-svabhāva
2. The Interdependent Nature of the World Paratantra-svabhāva
3. The Perfect or Absolute Nature underlying the world Pariniṣpanna-svabhāva

The first Theory of Falsely Imagined Nature (Svabhāvavāda) refers to the nature of the multiple forms of the multiplicity of the empirical world perceived by the ignorant worldlings (puthujjanas). Accepting them to be real, they react with attachment and aversion. Attachment and aversion  engender greed (lobha) and hatred (dosa) rooted in delusion(moha). This is the main cause (hetu) of the clash of civilizations since time immemorial hitherto. In reality, the multiplicity is like a dream, magic, mirage or echo which is illusory and unreal. A dream is unreal and yet it exists as long as one is sleeping. It vanishes when one is awakened.

 Perception of the multiplicity is substantial worldview of ontology contrary to the Insubstantiality (Anattā) or Emptiness (‘Sūnyatā) worldview. Ontologically put, advocating a substantial worldview, ordinary worldlings adhere to  the erroneous view (micchā dițțhi) of the empirical world as they are directed and empowered by their empirical self (attā) instead of their Universal Self (Dharmadhātu).  They  are ignorant of their Ignorance (Avijjā). Religion education and spiritual training are orientated to remove our Ignorance. Religion functions to make a paradigm shift from an empirical self of a deluded person to the Universal Self of a wise person.  

However illusory or unreal the multiplicity is, it can not be rejected as  linguistic designations (prajñāpti) of its multiple forms (rupa-s) are required by human beings to transact daily businesses through human  interactions and intercommunication. Linguistic  or conceptual designations  are  of pragmatic values for social and business intercourses  in mundane life on earth. However, if one is not rightly mindful and heedful of its illusiveness (māyā) and falsity, one’s mind will be  tainted by mental obsessions of attachment and aversion.  Mental obsession conceals the absolute  and ultimate Truth (paramārtha Satya)  of the Unity underlying the multiplicity. Attachment and aversion create moral flaws leading to tensions, enmities and conflicts – the sources of human suffering.

‘Sākyamuni Buddha admonishes us  to utilize linguistic designations of concepts  without ontological commitment to avert the arising of self-centric ego (ahaṃkāra). Buddhistly put, the arising of self-centric ego is grasping (upādāna) upon the five aggregates (form, feelings, perceptions, dispositions and consciousness) of the human personality as this is I; this is mine; this belongs to me. Grasping is privatization or individualization of  the five aggregates. It is self or ego consciousness of personality view (sakkāya dițțhi) or self-identity (svabhāva). Personality view or self-identity is the negation of Unity or Insubstantiality (Anattā) and affirmation of the multiplicity or substantiality (attā). Human self-centric ego is aroused through this substantial view of ontology. Substantial view is negation of Anattā or ‘Sūnyatā. It is negation of Unity of Existence.

In Anattā, one annihilates self in Non-self or ego in Unity of Existence. Mundanely put, one sacrifices one’s selfish wills for the interests of the Whole or public interests. The Whole may be  the family’s interest, the group’s interest, party’s interest, the community’s interest,  society’s interest, national interest, regional interest or global interest. Monotheistically put, Anattā is loving God and  the neighbour as one loves oneself. Buddhistly put, Loving God and  the neighbour is the mindful and heedful application of the Four Non-discriminative Virtues (Brahmavihāra-s) of Lovingkindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity. The first three virtues are non-discriminative love of the neigbour. The last attribute is the love of God which is Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality.

The purity of mind of salvation or emancipation (vimutti) is arisen from the discernment of Anattā or seeing the Buddha or God. Buddha or God is the absolute and ultimate Truth of Anattā or ‘Sūnyatā. Individual self or ego (attā) does not exist. Only Non-self (Anattā) or Emptiness exists. Monotheistically put, only God exist.  Unity exists ultimately and multiplicity  exist apparently. Unity or Non-self is  the Essence  of the Absolute.

The second Theory of Interdependent  Nature is the wisdom of discerning that the world is the unity of the divergent  building blocks of contigent conditions. All phenomena including human beings and the natural environment are the contigent conditions of the multiplicity. All phenomena are perceived to be the unity of existence of causes (hetu-s) and conditions (pratyaya-s). Monotheistically put, all impermanent conditioned phenomena  are creatures of God.  As the perception of the Unity of Existence of causes and conditions is still tainted with subtle substantial view of individuation or self-identity and other identity, whoever has reached this state of realization  of the world is said to be partially  enlightened and partially ignorant.

One is said to be partially enlightened as one has comprehended the illusiveness and unreality of the multiplicity. One is said to be partially ignorant because one still sees the truth of the multiplicity from human viewpoint but not from the view of the Buddha or God. Succinctly put, it is the intermediate stage between Ignorance/illusion and Wisdom (Prajñā)/Enlightenment (Bodhi). Morally, they are still  fallible and vulnerable. Moral missteps are still not totally avoided. They may still contribute to the systemic risk resulting in the systemic crisis of the clash of civilizations if they transgress the precepts (for the Buddhists) or commandments (for the Jews or Christians) or the Islamic law (for the Muslims). For instance, the current  clash of civilizations  are moral missteps of systemic risks leading to the current systemic crises of physical violence of extremism or separatism or wars.

The collision of civilization is only completely averted by Man if one sees the Absolute or Lord  designated as Brahman, Tao, Buddha, God, and Allah. Seeing the Absolute or Lord is knowing simultaneously the relative truth and ultimate Truth of the Lord in terms of the communal Truth of ‘Wisdom of the multiplicity in the Unity and the Unity in the multiplicity’. It is Buddhistly expounded as  ‘Form in Emptiness and Emptiness in Form’. This is the third and final station of discerning the Perfect or Absolute Nature of the cosmos. Both the relative and Ultimate are acknowledged simultaneously. The exoteric reasoning  and the esoteric wisdom coincide. The phenomena of secularity and the Principle of spirituality are unobstructed. In actuality, they interpenetrate unobstructively and harmoniously to human accomplishment , satisfaction  and concrescence of the world. 

 At the third  station of the supreme knowledge  of perfect apprehension of the Truth of Pariniṣ̣panna-svabhāva, discriminative judgmental reasoning of duality is vaporized by Wisdom of intuitive Truth Discernment or Gnosis.  This is the genuine state of seeing the Lord with non-discriminative Wisdom. The non-discriminative Wisdom of Non-duality (Advaya) is the Absolute or Lord Himself (Truth itself). The Absolute or  Lord is the Truth of salvation which is beyond the intellectual understanding of the six senses. It is to be intuitively self-realized through inner Heart of Man. The inner Heart is the intuitive mind. It is the pure and infinite consciousness of a spiritually liberated  person.  It is this Truth of Absolute or Lord  that is worshipped by all faith adherents of all world’s great religions.

 The discovery of the communal Truth of Wisdom unites the world. Its discovery   liberates Man from the clash of civilizations. Liberation is that being self-cultivated, one protects oneself. Protecting oneself, one  protects  others. There is no other Way better than the Path of Truth, Principle and Life of the Absolute consciousness or  Lord consciousness that  helps Man avert the clash of civilizations. Such heedful or divine consciousness promotes and fosters the alliance of civilizations. Clash is the life disunity and disharmony among the systemic parts. Alliance is unity and harmony among the systemic parts.  Religion is the teaching of Unity designated dissimilarly as Brahman, Tao, Buddha, God and Allah. Unity of Existence is Anattā  (Selfnessness) or ‘Sūnyatā (Emptiness) or Pratītyasamutpāda (Dependent Genesis or Co-arising). Absolute or Divine Truth unites and saves the world. Untruth causes systemic risk resulting in systemic crisis of the clash of civilizations. That religion is the Saviour or Liberator of mankind and the world is rightly asserted by the Tathāgatas and Prophets.

The communal Truth of Wisdom is that being religious, one does not reject the secular life while adhering to the spiritual Principle. Religious wisdom is developed or discovered to energize and synergize the secular life with the communal Truth of Wisdom of Form in Emptiness and Emptiness in Form. The perfection of Wisdom of  Heart Sūtra is not meant for the priests, monks or nuns  but for all. This universal  Theosophy of ‘ The many in the One and the One in the many’ is meant for mankind at large. Religion is self-transcendence or Anattā or ‘Sūnyatā. The Truth includes all creeds of all world’s great religions.  Theosophy is the solution to clash of civilizations in the present terrestrial world as well as in the future terrestrial world. Let’s pull ourselves together to create a Pure Land on earth or heavenly earth  internally and not externally. To do that, we must recognize that the ‘soul’ in the head (defiled consciousness)  is the illusive and unreal self (attā) and the Soul or Self in the inner Heart (pure consciousness) is the Universal Self (Anattā; ‘Sūnyatā; Dharmakāya, Dharmadhātu Ātman/Brahman; al-Hayūlā; Holy Spirit; Tao of Yin-Yang). Every world’s great religionist worships this  Universal Self. If we let this Universal Self  direct and empower our earthly lives, the alliance of civilizations becomes our communal blessing.

I pay homage to the nameless Lord.

Editor
Bodhi Journal
September 2009