Sunyata

Lord Buddha says; “Sunyata is the ultimate reality.  It is above all comprehensions and any attempt to describe would be an error.  The ultimate reality, the limitless luminosity, the eternal noumenon beyond all phenomena, ought to be evidently infinite, unlimited, unconditional and without attributes.” 

Sunyata is the underlying essence of phenomenal existence.  It is the non-substantial undifferentiated state of being.  It is the cause of all causes but itself has no cause.  That Sunyata is the cause by itself –the Dharma Dhatu, the potential with which Samsara come into existence and through that same potential the Nirvana is possible. 

Sunyata is the consciousness beyond conceptual mind.  Sunyata is the monistic absolute.  It does not mean empty or refer emptiness in physical sense.  It is in every being, and it is infinite and eternal. 

Sunyata is the state of being enlightened.  One may realise Sunyata –the ultimate truth, through the experience of Nirvana, a complete cessation of desires. 

The Sunyata is the dialectical version of the doctrines of Anicca –the impermanence; and of Anatta –not self. 

Sunyata is Dharmakaya, Tatha-ta, the ultimate actuality. It is beyond relativity.  At relative level, in the scale of time and space, everything is impermanent, but beyond time and space everything is one and absolute.  That is Sunyata, the ultimate cosmology.

Sunyata could be explained at least in six different perspectives:

1...Sunyata is not nihilism.

Lord Buddha did not speak of nihilism, nor does Sunyata imply to nihilism. 

Sunyata implies to the absence of imperfections. 

Sunyata means the undifferentiated state of being beyond self-centred intellect and judgemental level of feeling.

2...Sunyata is the transcended state beyond impermanence.

All phenomenal worldly existences are void of independently existing self-nature.  All forms are void of independently existing self-nature, but beyond the phenomenal world there exists Sunyata, the cause of all cause, and Sunyata is the form by itself.

3...Sunyata is the transcended state beyond dependent arising.

Behind every phenomenon there is a causal factor and every worldly object or event originates from a causal factor. 

Everything perpetually originates and ceases, and everything is impermanent.

Once the phenomenal existence comes into being, its existence is sustained by Pratitya Samutpada –the dependent co-arising. 

When an entity exists due to dependent arising, it lacks independently existing self-nature.  When an entity lacks independently existing self-nature, the self nature of that very entity is Sunyata.

The self-nature of every phenomenal existence is Sunyata.  This is the essence of wondrous existence to which we belong. 

4...Sunyata is the transcendental state beyond delusional grasping.

Maya –the illusory attachment comes into being out of our ignorance and it is the root cause of suffering.  The delusional grasping arises when we do not understand the true nature of phenomenal existence.  Along with delusional grasping all other negative emotions arises which are responsible for suffering. 

When we understand the truth that the self nature of every phenomenal existence is Sunyata, all forms of delusional grasping and craving are destroyed. 

5...Sunyata is the nature of mind.

The true nature of our mind is Sunyata.  Sunyata refers to the purity of our mind.  The essence of the true nature of all realms is Sunyata.

Our mind incessantly generates thoughts and it does so until it is enlightened.

It is the thought generated by our mind either binds us to Samsara and makes us suffer or attain enlightenment and eventually Nirvana –the ultimate state of liberation from Samsara. 

In our mind, when there is no hatred nor affection, no greed nor anger, no wining nor losing, neither illusion nor discernment, we are enlightened. 

6...Sunyata is the ultimate truth.

Sunyata is a phenomenological term for the experience of absolute truth, the state of equipoise, the union, the end and the beginning of the cycle of existence.  It is the state of everythingness, fullness, and wholeness.  It is a condition of mind from which unconditional state of mind begins to unfold. 

Sunyata is the ultimate reality of worldly existence. 

Sunyata is the Dharma Nature of all phenomena.  It is from Sunyata arises every phenomenon and to Sunyata every phenomenon dissolves.  Sunyata is that great platform from where everything evolves and dissolves, rise and fall and at that state everything is just one. 

Sunyata, the concept of it, should be correctly understood before trying to perceive it. 

In English language, it is incorrect to literarily translate Sunyata into Emptiness.  It is incorrect because Sunyata truly means the undifferentiated state of being from which radiates Bodhi Citta -the compassionate feeling, for delivering sentient beings from suffering. 

Sunyata is the supreme state of our mind.  At the supreme state of mind, Sunyata means both, Sunya and not Sunya.  It is Sunya –void, because there is no intent, no dualistic views, no ‘I’ or Ego.  It is not Sunya because there is Buddha Bhav –the Buddha Nature.

Sunyata is the true nature of our mind.  The universal oneness in nature, non-dualistic, and non-substantial is the essence and the nature of mind.  When the true nature of mind is realised, one experiences the complete absence of I, me and mine that binds us to Samsara.  With the realisation of the true nature of mind, spurs the Buddha Nature from where Bodhi Citta –comassionate feeling outflows.

Just as the true nature of our mind, the true nature of the phenomenal world too is Sunya –non substantial and undifferentiated state; empirically zero.  It is self-luminous. 

Sunyata is mind based concept and mind focussed principle, because Sunyata is the true nature of mind.  So long our mind is dictated by Ego, we cannot have the wisdom to realise the sublime state of our mind and generate Bodhi Citta.

To nurture and generate Bodhi Citta, the expedient compassion for universal good, one should contemplate on Sunyata.  It is only upon realising the true nature of our mind at which our mind stops generating thoughts dictated by Ego, we are able to cultivate Bodhi Citta 

At the pure state of the mind, our mind settles in Sunyata, a state of complete thoughtlessness.  At that state of mind, our inner consciousness, the consciousness beyond our conceptual mind, takes control over our conceptual mind. 

Our mind at its pure state, under the control of inner consciousness, generates thoughts only when it is directed to do so.  Whatever thought generated by mind at its pure state, in command and control of pure consciousness, is wholesome. 

Lord Buddha says; “Sunyata is the essence of material world.  All Dharmas are essentially Sunya.  Every phenomenal existence is subject to change and dissolution.” 

The Dharmas refer to fields of action and it includes five sense organs and their objects, and their corresponding consciousnesses, the mind that perceives unceasingly, and the living symptoms. 

The living symptoms are the judgemental feelings that express when the mind responds to the activities of the senses.  They are desire, hatred, happiness and distress, fear and worry. 

Lord Buddha says; “By desire, you are becoming implicated, so make all your desires extinct.”

Extinguishing material desires is the gateway to spiritual life in spiritual world.  With cessation material desire and action there will be manifestation of spiritual state of being.  When we cleanse our heart of all material desires the spiritual life begins thereof.

With the right knowledge and understanding on Sunyata fully established in our mind and heart, we will be able to culture and cultivate right attitude and behaviour that are in harmony within self, with others and with nature. 

Lord Buddha says: “It is the right Prajna –wisdom that enables us to see thing through as they are.” 

Sunyata is not negation of existence but the way to ultimate liberation, the final liberation from all forms of human bondage.

Sunyata is an idea of emptying oneself of illusory constructions.  Becoming Sunya does not mean going out of existence but becoming truly oneself i.e. becoming truly self aware, being out of the spell of Avidhya –ignorance. 

Sunyata is the ultimate ground of everything.  It is not Abhava –non-existence but Bhava –becoming or existence. 

Sunyata is the original condition of reality prior to all conceptualisation and phenomenal distortion.  It is the state of pure consciousness beyond the scope of conceptual mind. 

Nagarjuna (150-250 AD), promoted the philosophical ideas of Lord Buddha on Sunyata.  Nagarjuna says Sunyata refers to pure consciousness, the non-conceptual state of mind.  It is the unconditioned state of being, a condition in which there is no subject-object polarity.  There is absence of both negative and positive thinking because it is the undifferentiated state of being.  It is the non-dual state of being.

Nagarjuna further says Sunyata means the pure state of being, which is empty of moral defects, empty of imperfections of Samsara, and empty of impurities of mind. 

Nagarjuna explains the worldly desires are subject to change and they are not eternal.  Anything that is not eternal is not truth, and not desirable.  When one comprehends Sunyata, one ceases to cling to grasping desires.  When desires are gone, the state of un-satisfactoriness –Dukkha is also vanquished. 

Just as worldly desires, Dukkha is also susceptible to change.

Nagarjuna’s teaching on Sunyata spurs from his understanding of the Lord Buddha’s doctrine of the Anicca –dependent origination, inter dependence or dependent co-origination, and Anatta –not self.  Sunyata when contemplated in the light of these doctrines, it becomes clearer. 

Lord Buddha says, “Whoever sees the true nature of Anicca will see the true Dhamma and whoever sees the true Dhamma will see Buddha and become Buddha.”  

Sunyata truly means worldly beings are not self existing inherently.  Every being is void of independently existing self nature because every being interdependently exists.

When the physical body comes into being, the undifferentiated consciousness comes along with it.  As one grows, the undifferentiated consciousness differentiates into material consciousness and pure consciousness.  With time the whole body is suffused with material consciousness with which one perceives and expresses the feeling.  The pure consciousness comes under the dominance of material consciousness and becomes dormant and inactive. 

Those who live with material consciousness remain in the ocean of ignorance and suffer.  But the one who recognises and awakens with pure consciousness, perceives Sunyata and expresses the feeling of oneness, devoid of I, me or mine, and attains Nirvana.

Every worldly existence has dependent origination.  They are not self-existing or independent, having their own self nature. Considering what is not self-existing and has dependent origination as self-existing and independent is ignorance.  It is because of the ignorance of the truth, there is suffering. 
  
In this phenomenal world everything is possible; because everything is Bhava –becoming.  Everything is subject to change and changing, and nothing is permanent.  In this impermanence nature of phenomenal existence the possibility of all other things is embedded.

Every phenomenal existence is compounded and dependently co-arising.  In this context Nagarjuna goes to the extreme and says even Nirvana is dependent on Samsara.  

Considering what is impermanent as permanent and inherently interdependent as independent is ignorance.  Being ignorance of this truth is the root cause of suffering.  The time we understand this truth, the sense of oneness begins to spur and the suffering begins to dispel, and we begin to value and respect other beings.

The concept of Sunyata has seamless continuity from Vedas and Upanishads.  In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, sage Yagyavalkya was asked by his pupils to explain the nature of Brahmn -the universal consciousness, the universal oneness.  The sage replied: “Neti Neti -Neither This, Nor That.  Such is the Brahmn.”

In this enigmatic answer of Yagyavalkya lies the profound philosophy of existence.  The numerical equivalent of Neti-Neti is Zero, neither this nor that, neither positive nor negative.  It is undifferentiated value, neutral but quantifies an integer when added to it, be it positive or negative.  The numeral Zero is analogous to spiritual nature of Brahmn –the oneness of existence.  The Brahmn is the undifferentiated, incorruptible, non-substantial essence of existence, and that is the true nature of existence. 

Siva Samhita says, “He who contemplates on Sunya.....is absorbed in space....Think on the great void unceasingly.  The great void, whose beginning is void, whose middle is void, [and] whose end is void.....By contemplating continually on this, one obtains enlightenment [success].”

In Chandogya Upanishad, sage Udyalak asked his son Shvetketu to cut the seed of Banyan tree into two halves and enquired, “Could you see anything in it?”  Shvetketu replies, “I can see nothing in it.”  The sage remarks, “What you call it nothing is actually the source of everything.  From what you call Sunya –nothing; springs the whole universe.” 

In Bhagvad Gita (18.66) Krishna says, “Renounce all the Dharmas and take refuge in Me.  I shall liberate you from sins and grant you Moktsa –liberation.”

To understand this verse one needs to understand the meaning of Dharma and who Krishna really is.

Krishna is the pure consciousness, the inner consciousness, the Brahmn, the pure spirit residing deep in us which is uncreated, unborn, incorruptible and ever pure and universal. 

Dharma means doing dutiful action ought to be done selflessly with renounced state of mind in the path of righteousness.  Dharma does not only mean to attain a union of self with the supreme reality but to live a righteous life here on earth. 

Rishi Kanda has defined Dharma in Vaisesika as “that confers worldly joys and leads to supreme happiness –Moktsa.”  Practicing Dharma means attaining highest ideal and eternal bliss here and now on earth within oneself and make life disciplined. 

In this verse Krishna, who is the embodiment of pure consciousness says, if you do not understand transcendental knowledge, cannot perform dutiful action selflessly or renounce Ego, leave them asides and simply take refuge in Me -the pure consciousness.  With faith, love and devotion who ever take refuge in Krishna -pure consciousness, is sure to be liberated, and whoever is subservient to Ego, the outer consciousness, and work for it is certain to doom.

Our mind creates thought and from thought action is being done, both wholesome and un-wholesome, creating Karma.  When we realise true nature of our mind, it is Sunya.  At that state our mind stops generating fleeting and random discerning conceptual thoughts on its own. 

The way to realise true state of our mind is Samatha and Vipassana Bhavana –meditation.  With meditation, we are able to have our mind in a state of non-distraction, a state of selflessness in our intent where there is no Ego.  That is the true nature of our existence. 

Meditation takes us to the deeper depth of our inner consciousness where, we find the pure state of mind.  That pure state of mind is same in all of us.  It is indivisible and eternal.  When we know it, we are in harmony and oneness as we see the same nature in all of us. 

The pure state of the mind is the Buddha Nature.  In this sense Sunyata connotes universal oneness, and it is the fountain of equanimity and loving kindness and compassion. 

Lord Buddha did not provoke spiritual existence beyond material existence.  His teaching begins at the material platform and there is no God –independently self existing and governing the phenomenal existence. 

Lord Buddha teaching on Karma considers inner consciousness as a continuum of consciousness and it is within that continuum of consciousness the individual consciousness is recycled. 

The Middle Way advocated by Nagarjuna is based on the concept of Sunyata.  The primary intent of Middle Way is the liberation of mind from ignorance and attachment.  Nagarjuna taught the Middle Way to reach the state of perfect harmony. 

The skilful way of Nagarjuna shows the way for liberation from ignorance of clinging to error, and attain ultimate realisation of truth, which is Sunyata.

Nagarjuna deduced the doctrine of Sunyata from Lord Buddha’s teachings and used it to defend the teachings of Lord Buddha. 

Nagarjuna says Sunyata is Tathata Dharmata, the Suchness.

“Freedom is the world and world is freedom.

The enlightenment is readily at hand. 

One simply needs to sift one’s perception to find it.”

                                                          Acarya Nagarjuna

A Development Agenda !

The number of people below poverty line has come down but the number of those vulnerable to poverty has increased.  The progress made on achieving millennium development goal can still be potentially reversed if planned investment is not made sufficiently for food security and adaptation to climate change, and climate smart agriculture.  

There is an opportunity to recast policy directions and priorities as well as the existing regional cooperation mechanism in coping with multiple challenges of balanced and sustainable development.  Right perspective, ensuring environmental and social sustainability, cost-effective financing for technologies and trade are the cornerstone for increasing agriculture production and productivity.  

Exploring policy options and adopting suitable approaches for food and nutrition security, energy security and adaptation to climate change needs to be translated into planned interventions in education, health and agriculture development.  The downstream consequences of financial crunch should not negatively impact to these three primary areas of interventions.  

What is needed is effective social protection measures to protect the poor and the vulnerable groups, particularly small farmers, women and children when nothing more can be done.  It must be backed by a comprehensive framework encompassing sustainable agriculture and forestry, climate change adaptation and mitigation, social protection and well functioning market.

The developing nations are yet to benefit sufficiently from North-South technology transfer, exchange of information, experiences on development policies and governance, organizational structures, enabling regulatory framework, networking and consultations.  The development planning and policies are yet to be businesslike.  

The goal of achieving food security and sustainable agriculture require enhanced investment in agriculture sector and it should encompass public and private sector partnership to increase productivity and promote efficient and sustainable food-production, post-harvest practices and loss reduction, marketing and trade.  The great Indian scientist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan says, “If agriculture fail, nothing will succeed.”

There needs to be an enabling policy environment to promote and encourage the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.  Research and development on sustainable agriculture including its climate adaptation and mitigation, along with sharing of experience and transfer of best practices should be ushered at all time. 

 

Adoption of technologies and enterprises in agriculture sector is determined by the prices paid to the farmers.  The prices paid to the farmers should reflect the incentives needed for them to remain engaged in agriculture production.  The credit linked back ended capital support for agriculture enterprises has been very successful elsewhere.  Vocational training, business incubation, credit-linked back ended capital support, technical support, product price and marketing needs to be packaged as one integrated program which ensures high adoption rate, synergies, sufficient safety net and confidence.  The primary cause of not being successful is the lack of integration, coherence and concerted effort.  

Agriculture development cannot be looked at too simplistically.  It embraces the whole life system indeed.  Investment on effective food storage facilities and its network at national level, food bank, crop and livestock insurances are only few to name to cope up with climate change and as disaster mitigation strategies.  

Efficient water use in agriculture holds the key success.  Agriculture cannot continue with the primitive wasteful irrigation system.  More advanced micro-irrigation for horticultural crop with inbuilt integrated fertigation system is the need of the hour.  Likewise modern nurseries at national and local levels should be making available and enabling farmers to plant the right kinds of planting materials.  Without these interventions the horticulture could potentially be a history.  In rural setting, transition technologies such as bio-gas at household level are needed and not necessarily the large technology initiatives.  Public-private cooperation in these areas of intervention is vital.  Without the one another is disabled.  

If farmers on the two sides of a international boundary have to compete, the level playing fields have to be understood and equalized or else one will destabilize the other superficially.  The one at losing end has no option to forgo production unless the level playing field is equalized.  A thorough understanding, coordinated response and comprehensive framework for action are needed for not letting rural livelihood security to suffer.  

RENUNCIATION

The topic of renunciation has never been a popular subject, which inevitably leads into painful conflict with ‘worldly’ desires.  

Renunciation traditionally practiced by way of going away from home to homeless life in search of truth.  Lord Buddha too began his search for truth by going away from home to homelessness.  But at the time of enlightenment, Lord Buddha found that one should actually renounce attachment, including longing for enlightenment, by letting go off the bonds that that binds us to Samsara, which does not necessarily requires going away from home to homeless life.  

Lord Buddha realized that it is the emotional bond that holds everyone clinging and binds to the wheel of Samsara.  Having found the truth Lord Buddha redefined the idea of renunciation and advocated the practice of generosity as the first step of renunciation.  It is something that everyone can do. Anything that can be owned can be given.  

Renunciation and generosity are the two sides of the same coin and hence Lord Buddha said the goal of renunciation is to develop a spirit of generosity.  In the act of generosity, the receiver may enjoy some fruit from the act of giving; it is the giver who is the main beneficiary practicing an act of generosity by giving away what he owns for the good of others. 

Lord Buddha initiated the practice of going on retreat.  It is an appropriate way of practicing renunciation and it is possible for everyone.  Everyone can practice renunciation by way of going on retreat living behind the mundane world temporarily.  The practice is now a time honored Buddhist practice.

On retreat one experiences not only the struggle with one’s attachments, the emotional bond we live with, but also the joy and delight of freedom from them.  We are most successful in practicing Samatha and Vipassana Bhavana -meditation while we are on retreat. 

The retreat indeed provides the confidence that renouncing the worldly life is not difficulty.  One can also replicate the conditions of the retreat in everyday life.

In the middle of joyful experience of retreat Mara may come and say, “This is all very well – you enjoying yourself like this – but what about other people!  Why don’t you do something useful to relieve the suffering of the world instead of sitting here enjoying yourself – selfishly.”

Mara has a point – one could have devoted life to doing something useful.  But what is useful; practicing contentment with renunciation so that one could face death with ease and a sense of fulfillment or making contribution and finding solution to others worldly problems or spiritual progress.  Of course all of these have to be combined and balanced.  

Lord Buddha makes it clear that renunciation is not to be associated with feelings of loss and grief, or with the gloom of harsh asceticism, nor with bleak damnation of the rest of humanity.  Retreat is to be associated with spiritual progress for good of self and others that leads to experiencing eternal joy and bliss. 

GENEROSITY

Lord Buddha places Dana Paramita in the first place among all other Paramitas.  Dana is an act of giving and Paramita means well being of others.  Primarily Dana Paramita is an Upaya -a skilful mean, for cultivating the right attitude.

Lord Buddha emphasizes that the generosity with which an act of giving is executed has the power to change our attitude, outlook and accrue virtue for harmony and happiness of everyone.  

More than the act of giving, the intention of giving and the degree of loving kindness and compassion associated with the act of giving, is important.  Whatsoever is given, it must be given selflessly to a genuinely needy recipient.

If we cultivate generosity, our mind will stop sticking to physical and emotional desires and dislikes.  Instead we are  suffused with the feeling of vast spaciousness in our mind and heart.  

When we develop generosity is us we are able let go negative emotions like anger or desire or jealousy that arises in us and prevent us from being in painful state when they arise.  We are able to allow the negative emotions to follow their natural path of coming and going and we remain undisturbed and happier with their passing.  

Generosity triggers to unfold Bodhi Citta –good will, and its underlying power to deliver harmony and happiness.  It frees practitioners from attachment, the emotional bond that ties everyone to Samsara.

Practicing generosity provides trans-formative experience and it is the beginning of spiritual awakening, and it requires a generous heart.

Practicing generosity means practicing the act of giving selflessly to genuinely needy recipient.  The recipient is important because helping those who do not have problem does not solve the actual problem and does not bring happiness to anyone. 

In practicing generosity we experience the joy of our intention being transformed.  Giving selflessly for the well-being of others who are genuinely wanting to receive help, we experience confidence; we grow in self-esteem, and self-respect.  

Generosity cause spaciousness in our mind and heart, bringing in inner introspection where true happiness is found.  It is with the spaciousness of mind and heart we derive the strength to accept things as they are; and exercise contentment, tolerance and forgiveness. 

With generosity, if we develop, spacious mind and heart, we are not afraid.  The fear factor itself does not exist in us.  The vast array of experiences comes and goes when we have spacious mind and generous heart.  We remain self-confident at all circumstances.

It is the fear and attachment that make us hold on to a pleasant experience. We like to have pleasant experiences because we think we need them to be happy.  We want them to last as long as we can.  But nothing stays forever. 

Such compulsive attachment does not bring true happiness, whereas learning to let go, learning to relinquish; being able to give selflessly with right intention does bring happiness. Indeed, in a singly act of giving selflessly, fear and attachment are diminished. 

The strength of generosity is a primary factor in our ability to accept change, and let go painful experiences and negative emotions without being disturbed.   

Indeed a single act of giving selflessly to a genuinely needy recipient unfolds Lord Buddha’s message of love, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.  

The objective of practicing generosity has two folds.  The first one is to free our minds from the conditioned forces of craving, clinging and attachment that bind and limit us to a confinement that lacks self-esteem.  

If we are always looking for things to be complete, we miss the degree to which we are complete.  For this reason Lord Buddha advises us to practice generosity to free our mind from projecting incompleteness and weaken the forces of craving, clinging and attachment.  

Secondly, we practice generosity to extend welfare and happiness to all beings and free them from all forms of suffering.

Giving is an act of abandoning delusion and perform wholesome act with skillful means.  By way of selflessly giving a material possession, contributing a positive thought, sharing a feeling for well being of others, or volunteering for social welfare activities, we understand the value of life.  

We must understand that what we do in our life—the choices we make, the values we hold—matters.  What we think and do in this Samsara matters to us and others alike.  

With a selfless act of giving we are abandoning desire and grasping.  We are abandoning ill will and aversion, as aversion creates separateness and withdrawal, a sense of not being in harmony with others. 

In a selfless act of giving we are aligning ourselves with human values.  We let go grasping, aversion and delusion. 

One of the great joys that come from generosity is the understanding that no matter how much or how little we have, if we know we have enough, we will always have something to give. “One who knows that enough is enough will always have enough (Tao Te Ching).”