Thich Nhat Hahn on Buddha on highfalutin’
The Buddha always told his
disciples not to waste their time and energy in metaphysical speculation.
Whenever he was asked a metaphysical question, he remained silent. Instead, he
directed his disciples toward practical efforts. Questioned one day about the
problem of the infinity of the world, the Buddha said, "Whether the world
is finite or infinite, limited or unlimited, the problem of your liberation
remains the same." Another time he said, "Suppose a man is struck by
a poisoned arrow and the doctor wishes to take out the arrow immediately.
Suppose the man does not want the arrow removed until he knows who shot it, his
age, his parents, and why he shot it. What would happen? If he were to wait
until all these questions have been answered, the man might die first."
Life is so short. It must not be spent in endless metaphysical speculation that
does not bring us any closer to the truth.
That said, he does say ‘endless
metaphysical speculation’, and this speculation does have an end, so here goes:
- What is the difference between reality and mind?
About the same difference as between mind
and reality. Reality is what is and
mind is that which apprehends reality as it appears to it.
- If there was no reality, would there be mind?
What’s more to the point, If there was no
mind, would there be reality? Which
came first, the chicken or the egg or, to be appropriately seasonal, the turkey or the egg?
- What is mind?
All phenomena, including the world itself,
are the same nature as the mind that
apprehends them and have no existence outside the mind. Some say that all phenomena are merely imputed by
mind and have no existence from
their own side. Most people don’t pay the question any mind.
- What is not mind?
Nothing is not mind. Except perhaps a
fossilized piece of dinosaur $h¡†. But even then probably not.
- If there was no reality would god have a place to
God is the ground of being so the question
is about as meaningful as asking if God
did not exist would God exist?
- If mind did not exist would god have a place to exist?
question. It is pointless to hypothesize
the non-existence of mind or God. God does not exist in a place. God is the
ground of being and as such mind and reality arose from God and are identical
7. Is there a single thing that stands in contrast to reality?
There is nothing that can stand in
contrast to reality. Except perhaps if there
were nothing at all anywhere in which case there would be no mind around to realize that there was no
reality there to apprehend.
How did I score, Iziz (i.e. God)
? 0 out of 7 ain’t bad for such very hard questions.
Aaaagh, who shot that arrow? (dies).