You cannot hurt a space. You can pinch it, you can punch it, you can poke it, you can pry it, but you cannot hurt it. It cannot be rejected, ignored, cursed, or discriminated against for it knows no pain. In emptiness, nothing gets rejected, ignored, cursed, or abused.~ from Do Nothing: Peace for Everyday Living: Reflections on Chuang Tzu's Philosophy by Siroj Sorajjakool ~
It's funny how we consider space to be nothing. Space connects everything to everything, yet all we see is separation.
I suppose this difference in perspective partially can be explained by the fact that, from the point of view of the ego, only entities that we can knowingly affect have value. As Siroj so aptly states, we can do quite a lot of things to space, yet we can't see if these actions result in any effects. Since we can't quantify, measure or study nothing, we consider it of no import.
But it is in nothingness, space or emptiness that we can lead lives not beset with the emotional pain we each suffer from. If we chose to follow the example it provides, then we would never feel the sting of rejection nor the pain of abuse.
This is an interesting concept -- one that is quite congruent with the Sayings of Chen Jen -- and I will need to ponder it more.
I suppose this difference in perspective partially can be explained by the fact that, from the point of view of the ego, only entities that we can knowingly affect have value. As Siroj so aptly states, we can do quite a lot of things to space, yet we can't see if these actions result in any effects. Since we can't quantify, measure or study nothing, we consider it of no import.
But it is in nothingness, space or emptiness that we can lead lives not beset with the emotional pain we each suffer from. If we chose to follow the example it provides, then we would never feel the sting of rejection nor the pain of abuse.
This is an interesting concept -- one that is quite congruent with the Sayings of Chen Jen -- and I will need to ponder it more.
I am thankful I have space for this.
ReplyDelete