The richness of nothingness
//Summary - Level-C2//
In Zen, "nothingness" is not a void or negation but a profound, creative force that embodies infinite potential. This concept transcends existence and non-existence, symbolising Buddha's Nature and unity. Embracing "nothingness" leads to boundless compassion, vitality, and interconnectedness with all life, reflecting Zen's unique view of impermanence, non-self, and universal oneness.
a)
Zen often speaks of "nothingness".
Our training teaches "becoming nothing" and "becoming completely nothing".
However, this "nothing" is not the nothingness of existence and non-existence, nor is it simply a void where there is nothing.
b)
D.T. Suzuki wrote about it as follows:
"In the nothingness of Zen, there is no negativity, destruction, or destructiveness. It has infinite positive potential.
c)
Even when reading the Heart Sutra, the characters "nothingness" and "nothing" appear often.
Aoyama Shuntō Roshi wrote about this "nothing" as follows.
d)
"His voice and words were deep, warm, and contained infinite silence, and I felt such surprise and joy that the world was turned upside down".
He must have been deeply moved, and it stayed in his heart.
e)
If we replace words like nothingness and emptiness with words we are used to hearing, we get Buddha Nature and True Nature.
I have written before that emptiness is synonymous with Buddha-mind and compassion.
g)
The life and activity of the infinite Buddha unfolds infinitely, becoming the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, and the colours, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and laws, all of which are one thing: I, you and everything.
In other words, since everything is one thing, an unfoldment of Buddha nature, from the beginning, there is nothing to be denied, such as dust or dirt.
The traditional "originally nothing" is a totally negative expression, while "originally nothing is one thing" is a totally positive expression. Ultimately, they are just different aspects of the same thing.
h)
First, the general meaning of "nothingness" is given. Then, it is explained as "the path that is the origin of all things that are mixed and undifferentiated". Further, it means "abundance" as "the luxuriance of vegetation."
He explains that nothingness is not a relative nothingness that opposes existence but something fundamental, absolute and creative that transcends the conflict between existence and non-existence and even gives existence itself its existence.
I feel a connection with the "unlimited origin of all things" and realise that the Chinese development of "emptiness" in India was "nothing".
i)
People tend to imagine something like "Buddha nature" or "true nature".
To avoid this danger, the sages of this path must have struggled to express it by borrowing negative words like "nothingness", "non", and "not".
In any case, I realised that I knew only a tiny part of the meaning of the word "nothing" and that I was bound by that little knowledge and unable to move forward.
j)
I often compare it to spring.
Specifically, spring's work makes plums and cherry blossoms bloom, fruits ripen, and leaves fall in autumn.
Just as people are born, grow, grow old and die.
Just like "nothingness" and "emptiness," "impermanence" and "no-self" are said to be Tathagata and Buddha nature and are an extraordinary life, the life of the Buddha.
This way of thinking is particularly characteristic of Zen.
By finding positive meaning in nothingness and becoming nothing, infinite power and abundance will overflow.
The richness of nothingness
https://www.engakuji.or.jp/blog/35394/
https://youtu.be/43oprm2wXBs
