[AUDIO AND TEXT]
Here are some words about emptiness. This first quotation comes from a book titled, Original Teachings of Ch’an Buddhism. Chang Chung-Yuan. Pantheon Books (a division of Random House). 1969. pp 48-49.
When Hung-chih Cheng-chio was asked, ‘How is it that substance is lacking in the reality of purity and Void?’ he replied: ‘It is the instant of origin where refinement has not yet made any marks, and the moment when a message has not yet been conveyed.’
And here’s a passage we probably all know from our childhood Sunday School lessons. This is Genesis 1:1-5, paraphrased a bit from the Common English Bible version.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters. God said, “Let there be light.” And so light appeared. … God separated the light from the darkness. God named the light Day and the darkness Night.
Finally, here is Case 74 from the Shoyoroku, the koan collection compiled into The Book of Serenity (or Equanimity in some translations):
A monk asked Hogen, “I hear that a sutra says, “From the basis of non-abiding all dharmas are established. What is this basis of non-abiding?” Hogen said, “Form arises from what has no substance yet; name comes from what has no name yet.”
These passages all carry intimations of what we know as emptiness, and they all point to some common themes. Here are a few we might identify:
- At the deepest level, nothing has substance.
- All originates in darkness; that is, there are no perceptible distinctions.
- Forms appear, or emerge, or arise, and then take on names.
Of course, words in passages like these can only be pointers. They can’t really teach us anything, but they can point us in the direction of realization.
refinement has not yet made any marks, and the moment when a message has not yet been conveyed (no substance)
God separated the light from the darkness. God named the light Day and the darkness Night (darkness, no perceptible distinctions; forms and names come in time, which is itself a form, as I see it)
Form arises from what has no substance yet; name comes from what has no name yet (what statement could be clearer?)
And this realization reveals to us our True Nature. We are forms, or dharmas, living in emptiness. Or in the words of the Buddhist Heart Sutra, we are forms that are, in reality, emptiness itself.
From these passages, we can see that this realization has come to sages in many spiritual traditions. And those sages have reported their realization to us in words and art and music and invention and … well, in all the different ways that make up our world. What their words can point us to is a profound experience of oneness, of the absence of separation among what appear to us to be distinct forms.
And this sense of oneness, this absence of separation, can inform our existence and our behavior in marvelous ways. Parse that word, inform: it becomes in-form, meaning put into form. Realizing this sense of oneness, this absence of separation, can instill in us a sense of wonder when we observe forms (including ourselves) in nature, and even the forms of thoughts and feelings and ideas. It can remind us of the intrinsic value of inclusion and patience and compassion. It can show us Love, which after all underlies everything that is in reality.
Now, I know I’m preaching to the choir here; you all have developed (or are developing) this sense of oneness, through your spiritual practice and in your daily living. So, the words spoken here may be worth only one or two grains of salt. On the other hand, it may be worthwhile to recall from time to time the expressions in language and image that have been given through the ages, and that survive to this day.
So, when you read, whether it be scripture or contemporary commentary and teachings, embed yourself within the oneness that the writer endeavors to express and convey. Take in the writer’s realization, and then relish the realization that you’re having just by virtue of the fact that you’re reading. Or listening. Or going about your daily life. Or just being.
Or, of course, engaging your practice. Which we’re going to return to now.
EMPTY CLOUD ZEN 