Wisdom of Buddhism - Issue 2

Human nature is always an important question. Confucianism, for example, is concerned with whether human nature is good or evil. Some scholars believe that human nature is neither good nor evil, and it can be both good and evil.

If you have listened to my talk on “Understanding the Mind and Seeing the Nature of Things”, you should be able to understand what human nature is about, and what is meant by the essence of the self. You should also know that the distinction between good and evil cannot lead to a true understanding of human nature.

As I have said before, Buddhism aims to explore the truth about life and the universe. As far as life is concerned, human action is driven by desire, and human beings will experience joy, anger, sorrow and happiness in whatever we do. Before delving into the question of human nature, let us first talk about the universe. What indeed is the universe?

A: The universe is the totality of all physical forms and material substance, from their first appearance to the end of their existence.

Master: Does that mean everything is within the universe?

A: Yes.

B: It is also time and space, in which things operate.

Master: This means the universe refers to the operation of all things. How about a space where nothing operates? Is it also part of “the universe”?

A: Where nothing operates cannot be called “the universe”.

Master: Then how would you call this space?

A: It is nothing because it has nothing.

Master: In fact, when you are aware of a space that has nothing, it is already “something”. You are contrasting it with the space with something. This is a question of relativism. When you say that it contains no material matter, no space, no activity, you are already saying it is something with nothing.

A: But it is “nothing”!

Master: I accept this thought of yours. When I accept your thought, it has already fallen into my universe.

In other words, we often make relative comparisons, such as “we have something”, and “we do not have something”. Both “having” and “not having” something is part of the universe. As long as they exist in your thoughts or knowledge (even if you describe them as emptiness, nothingness, or non-existence), they are already something. This is a question of relativism. When you feel that something does not exist, it is already there. It is because “you” are the reference point relative to this “thing” that you consider not existing.

Our understanding of the world is founded upon relative differences or relations. If the word “emptiness” does not exist there won’t be the idea of “having something”. If the world is packed with material matter, and has no empty space, then there won’t be a notion of “material matter” anymore. This is because material is opposite to emptiness. If the world is completely filled with material matter, then we don’t need to call it “material” anymore because there is no need to differentiate between material matter and empty space. Can you understand this?

Let me turn to another question. How big is the universe?

A: Not too big.

Master: The universe is as big as you can imagine. It depends on how broad your mind is.

A: If my mind is similar to the universe, then I think it's not too big.

Master: Once you have determined that universe is not too big because your mind isn’t so big either, you have already limited the size of your mind.

The universe is not measured by its “size”; it is without boundaries. You can imagine a boundless universe. However, even if you think of the universe as something demarcated by certain boundaries, the space beyond such boundaries are still part of the universe. Indeed, the universe is limitless and boundless.

Two thousand years ago, the Buddha had already said that the universe was boundless. Many Buddhist sutras carry the phrase “over ten thousand billion of Buddha-lands”. This implies innumerable worlds. If one Buddha-land approximately equals to one galaxy, we can imagine how many galaxies there are in ten thousand billion Buddha-lands.

Buddhist cosmology suggests that the world is limitless and fully packed, but fully packed with what? In modern language, the world is made up of “having something” and “emptiness”. Like what I have just said, the world is made up of material matter and empty space.

Yet, the Buddha also says, in this world there is neither “emptiness” nor “material matter”. Have you read the Heart Sutra? “Form is emptiness and emptiness is form”. What does it mean? On the one hand, the world is constituted by emptiness and matter. On the other hand, there is actually neither emptiness nor matter.

The Buddha says that the universe is composed of countless “dependencies”. On the surface, the world is formed by “conditions”, that is, factors and conditions that lead to a series of happenings. When we think carefully, all happenings in the world are actually “clusters of energy” coming together, and all matter is constituted of particles. When there are sufficient “conditions” to converge energies, matter will come into being. In the absence of sufficient conditions, matter will disperse and cease to exist (in the previous form). Using energy to illustrate the Buddhist view of emptiness and existence of matter will make it easier for you to understand Buddhist scriptures in the future, especially when it comes to the principle of dependent origination, the concepts of arising and cessation, and the world of “fine dust”.

According to the Buddha, the world is founded upon a relative relationship between emptiness and existence of matter. Yet, the essence of emptiness and matter is “one wholeness”. That is to say, emptiness is matter, and, matter is form. In Buddhism, “form” means (the formation of) matter; all matter is ‘form’. The principle of form embraces all material phenomena, but these phenomena are flowing like water instead of being immobile. The principle of form also implies the order of this material world. Understanding these Buddhist terms will help you to better understand the lectures in the future.

Water is an excellent example to explain the phenomenon of emptiness and matter. When you place a cup of water on the table, the water will dry up after some time. Does it mean that the water has ceased to exist? Of course not. The particles of the water evaporated into the air under certain conditions. That is what we call the phenomenon of ‘cessation due to the transformation of conditions’.

The evaporation of water does not mean water no longer exists. It only implies the “form-phenomenon” of water has changed. This is due to the transformation of the particles of water into the form of air, which is not visible. Therefore, when we say there is “nothing” in the cup, this nothingness is still something. Take another example, when you fill a plastic bag with air, water droplets will appear inside the bag when you put it in low temperature. In doing so, the “emptiness” inside the bag will turn into tangible matter.

It seems like we are having science or chemistry classes now. But this “scientific knowledge” was taught by the Buddha some two thousand years ago. At that time, the Buddha already knew that the world was constituted by energy. Many of the Buddha’s ideas about the universe have been proved by recent scientific discoveries. This shows how deeply and perfectly Buddha knows about the world and the universe. But scientists are not yet aware of many of the Buddha’s teachings and theories. In the Flower Garland Sutra, for example, the Buddha talks about extremely profound and wondrous realms of existence, which are inconceivable by today’s modern knowledge.

Sometimes we may find it difficult to fully comprehend all the teachings, but if we can let go of our stubbornness and preconceptions to grasp the essence of reality, we will be able to attain an enlightened state of awareness. It is not that the Buddha possesses magical power. In fact, the Buddha has pointed out clearly that everyone has this special power because “all sentient beings possess Buddha-hood”.

Now we have learned that this world is founded upon a relative relationship between “emptiness” and “matter”, both of which are constituted by the different forms of energy. That’s why Buddha says that the world is illusionary, unreal, and impermanent. However, this illusion is not delusive, for “change” is behind the myriad phenomena in this world.

Even though we know that the world as it appears to us is illusionary, we have to accept the reality of the existence of ourselves, of others, and of all living beings. All that exists is the result of the unending transformation of energy in the universe. Things come into being when conditions are sufficient, and they cease to exist when the necessary conditions are no longer there. In Buddhism, both our life and the universe depends on “the principle of dependent origination”. The following Buddhist verses can summarize this view of all phenomena in the universe:

The principle of dependent origination

It is empty

It is also called a false name

It is the Middle Path

No single phenomenon arises not from dependent origination

That's why all phenomena are empty

The principle of dependent origination gives rise to all the relational systems in this world, from which all kinds of phenomena arise. How much do human beings understand these phenomena? I’d say very little. This is why these issues are always emphasized in the Buddha’s teachings. In the next lecture, I will talk about the law of causation in Buddhism, which is indispensable to our understanding of the world.