Tag Archives: reality

All Is Interrelated

20 Feb

Gurdjieff and ‘Reciprocal Maintenance’

One of the cornerstones of Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way cosmological teachings is the concept of ‘reciprocal maintenance’ or ‘reciprocal feeding.’ In his magnum opus Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, he termed this process as Trogoautoegocrat (“I keep myself by feeding”), and described it as a universal principle which interrelates all levels of the universe and results in the reciprocal maintenance or feeding of “All and Everything.” In Gurdjieff: Making a New World, John G. Bennett succinctly outlines the main features of this cosmic process: “The transformation of energies depends on the relationship of entities, whereby each maintains the existence of others in a kind of universal mutual support system. Each order of beings is endowed with a form of energy that enables it to play its part in the cosmic process.”

Reciprocal maintenance in its special sense connotes that the universe has a built-in structure or pattern whereby every class of existing things produces energies or substances that are required for maintaining the existence of other classes. Gurdjieff uses the terms involution and evolution to describe the process. Involution is the transformation process in which a high level of energy acts on lower energies through an apparatus which provides the necessary environment and conditions. The human body is such an apparatus and so is any other living organism. The earth also provides an environment for high level energy – such as solar radiation – to act upon the more passive elements of the earth’s crust and atmosphere. Involution is entropic, that is to say the overall level of energy is always lowered in all involutionary changes. Evolution is the reverse process. It is the production of high level energy from a lower level source. This also requires an apparatus, but of a different kind, for the ‘up-grading’ of energy is improbable and cannot occur at all unless some high level energy is present. Life is an evolutionary process that goes against the direction of probability. The work by which man is transformed is evolutionary. It goes against the stream of life. (6)

In a talk to his students in 1918, Gurdjieff presented the theoretical basis of the principle of reciprocal maintenance: the transformation of matter and energy as a universal process of descent (involution) and ascent (evolution):

Everything in the world is material and – in accordance with universal law – everything is in motion and is constantly being transformed. The direction of this transformation is from the finest matter to the coarsest, and vice versa. Between these two limits there are many degrees of density of matter. At some points in the development there are, as it were, stops or transmitting stations. These stations are everything that can be called organisms in the broadest sense of the word – the sun, the earth, man and microbe. These stations are commutators which transform matter both in its ascending movement, when it becomes finer, and in its descending movement, toward greater density . . . This transformation of substances in two directions, which is called evolution and involution, proceeds not only along the main line from the absolutely fine to the absolutely coarse and vice versa, but at all intermediate stations, on all levels, it branches aside. A substance needed by some entity may be taken by it and absorbed, thus serving the evolution or involution of that entity. Everything absorbs, that is, eats something else, and also serves as food. This is what reciprocal exchange means. This reciprocal exchange takes place in everything, in both organic and inorganic matter. (7)

According to Gurdjieff, the universe was created as an unending chain of systems bound by universal interdependence. In this cosmic process of ‘exchange of substances’ everything that exists is dependent on and connected to everything else; nothing is separate:

The principle of universal interdependence is certainly not found only in the teaching of Gurdjieff. It appears in many traditional teachings. But his convincing exposition of it is indisputably original. A generalized non-separability characterizes the universe of Gurdjieff. Systems on different scales have their own autonomy, for according to the terminology of Gurdjieff, the Absolute only intervenes directly at the creation of the first cosmos. The other cosmoses formed themselves freely by self-organizing principles – always, however, in submission to the law of three and the law of seven. In this way the diversity of the universe is assured. On the other hand, the interaction of the different cosmoses by means of the universal exchange of energy-substances assures unity in diversity. Life itself appears not as an accident, but as a necessity in this universe of universal interdependence . . . Gurdjieff’s universe is not a static universe, but a universe in perpetual movement and change, not only on the physical plane, but also on the biological and psychic planes. Evolution and involution are always at work in the different worlds. And when we consider the important number of different matters characterized by different degrees of materiality, we can understand the essential role of the universal exchange of substances in evolution and involution. (8)

Gurdjieff emphasized the importance of reciprocal maintenance in the overall organization and functioning of the cosmos. Reciprocal maintenance shows how existing forms interact with other forms in a symbiotic relationship of mutual support. Functionally, higher levels of reality “spiritualize” lower levels of existence by organizing and then transforming them, under the direction of fundamental cosmic laws, into “higher patterns of meaning and value.” John G. Bennett: “Our customary way of thinking and talking about the world is in terms of objects and events, both of which are abstractions. Gurdjieff saw the world as the universal process of the transformation of energies, regulated by two fundamental laws (the law of three and the law of seven) and various ‘second-grade’ laws arising from their interaction. The two basic realities are relations and transformations.”

The world was brought into existence because ‘being’ and ‘time’ are mutually destructive. Everything separate and closed within itself must perish for lack of a principle of renewal. There is partial renewal by borrowing energy from outside, but this is not enough. Full renewal requires full mutuality. It is by Universal giving and receiving of energies that Cosmic Harmony is maintained. This, in turn, requires an organized structure which is given by the interaction of the different classes and levels of reality. (9)

Some contemporary physicists have noted a correspondence between Gurdjieff’s idea of reciprocal maintenance and the ‘bootstrap’ principle of modern physics. The bootstrap concept implies that at every level of nature there is an underlying unity which is maintained by a dynamic intelligence in permanent evolution. Such a universe is capable of self-creation and self-organization, without any other external intervention of other energies and forces. In the words of physicist Paul Davies: “The universe fills itself exclusively from within its own physical nature with all the energy necessary to create animate matter.” Physicist Basarab Nicolescu expresses a similar idea: “It seems evident that self-creation and self-organization only have meaning in a universe which is made up of an infinite chain of systems regulated by universal interdependence. Unity in diversity and diversity through unity are the conditions for selfcreation and self-organization. Otherwise there is nothing but the law of accident that can act.”

The trogoautoegocratic process of Gurdjieff presents a remarkable correspondence to the ‘bootstrap’ principle formulated in physics around 1960 by American physicist Geoffrey Chew. This word “bootstrap” also implies “to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.” The closest equivalence in the scientific context would be ‘self-consistency.’ In the bootstrap theory, the part appears at the same time as the whole. What is put in question in bootstrap theory is the very notion of a particle’s identity: it substitutes instead the notion of the relationship between “events.” It is the relations between events which are responsible for the appearance of what we call a particle. There is no object in itself possessing its own identity, that we could define in a separate or distinct manner from other particles. A particle is what it is because all other particles exist at the same time: the attributes of a determined physical entity are the results of interactions with all the other particles. According to bootstrap, there really is a “law of reciprocal maintenance” of all quantum particles. Also, as in the trogoautoegocratic process, a system is what it is because all other systems exist at the same time. The role of self-consistency in the construction of reality should be emphasized – a self-consistency which assures the coherence of the All. (10)

Rodger R Ricketts

  • John G. Bennett Gurdjieff: Making a New World (New York: Harper & Row, 1973), pp. 189-190.
  • G.I. Gurdjieff Views from the Real World: Early Talks of Gurdjieff (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1973), pp. 209-210.
  • Basarab Nicolescu “Gurdjieff’s Philosophy of Nature” in Jacob Needleman and George Baker, eds. Gurdjieff: Essays and Reflections on the Man and His Teaching (New York: Continuum, 1996), pp. 48-49.
  • John G. Bennett Gurdjieff: Making a New World (New York: Harper & Row, 1973), p. 206.
  • Basarab Nicolescu “Gurdjieff’s Philosophy of Nature” in Jacob Needleman and George Baker, eds. Gurdjieff: Essays and Reflections on the Man and His Teaching (New York: Continuum, 1996), pp. 49-50.

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THE INTERCONNECTED UNIVERSE

19 Feb

THE INTERCONNECTED UNIVERSE

‘Causes and results are infinite in number and variety. Everything affects everything. In this universe, when one thing changes, everything changes.’

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Spiritual Teachings and Interdependence

Both science and spiritual and metaphysical teachings recognize that all things and events are interconnected, and part of a greater Whole. Every part of the universe is directly or indirectly related to every other part, and the description of any one part is inseparable from the description of the whole. Sufi teacher Murat Yagan: “Interdependence is a state of mutual support for the greater good of the Whole.” The concept of an interconnected universe appears throughout history, in philosophical and spiritual writings:

  • Egyptian magus Hermes Trismegistus: “The without is like the within of things; the small is like the large.”
  • Greek philosopher Empedocles: “The nature of God is a circle of which the centre is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere.”
  • Hindu Avatamsaka Sutra: “Each object in the world is not merely itself, but involves every other object and, in fact, is everything else.”
  • Buddhist Fa-Tsang: “Suspending a candle in the middle of a room full of mirrors represents the relationship of the One to the Many; placing a polished crystal in the centre of the room so that it reflects everything around it, shows the relationship of the Many to the One.”
  • Oglala Sioux medicine man Black Elk: “Anywhere is the centre of the world.” And, he reported in a vision “seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the Spirit, and the shapes of all shapes as they must live together as one being.”

The world-view of traditional Eastern spiritual teachings is based on the underlying unity of all that exists and the interdependent relationship of all phenomena. In The Tao of Physics, physicist Fritjof Capra describes this connected and interactive universe: “The most important characteristic of the Eastern worldview is the awareness of the unity and mutual interrelation of all things and events, the experience of all phenomena in the world as manifestations of a basic oneness. All things are seen as interdependent and inseparable parts of this cosmic whole; of different manifestations of the same indivisible ultimate reality.”

Although the various schools of Eastern mysticism differ in many details, they all emphasize the basic unity of the universe which is the central feature of their teachings. The highest aim for their followers – whether they are Hindus, Buddhists or Taoists – is to become aware of the unity and mutual interrelation of all things, to transcend the notion of an isolated individual self and to identify themselves with the ultimate reality . . . In the Eastern view, then, the division of nature into separate objects is not fundamental and any such objects have a fluid and ever-changing character. The Eastern worldview is therefore instrinsically dynamic and contains time and change as essential features. The cosmos is seen as one inseparable reality – forever in motion, alive, organic; spiritual and material at the same time. (1)

One of the fundamental principles of Buddhism is the ‘interdependent nature of all things.’ This takes the form of an infinite network of interrelationships among all forms of existence. Zen roshi Philip Kapleau: “Everything is connected and interrelated; all things are mutually dependent for their existence. All things in the universe depend upon one another, the influence of each mutually permeating and thereby making a universal symphony of harmonious totality.” In Zen Keys, Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh writes: The expression “the interdependent relational nature” of things is tied directly to the concept of non-identity. To see things in their interdependent relational nature is to perceive their nature of non-identity. Put another way, it is to recognize their existence, even when they are not present. Let us look, for example, at a table. It exists at this very moment. We recognize its existence only when the interdependent conditions, upon which its presence is grounded, converge; but we cannot recognize its existence before these conditions are brought together. Nevertheless, the table existed before being there; it existed formerly through the play of interdependent factors such as the wood, the saw, the nails, the carpenter, and the multitude of other elements directly or indirectly connected with its existence. If one can see the existence of the table through these interdependent conditions, one can also see it in unlimited space and infinite time. (2)

The Dalai Lama articulates the traditional Tibetan Buddhist understanding of the interdependence of all phenomena in The New Physics and Cosmology: Dialogues with the Dalai Lama: “[Interdependence] does not entail that these interacting events or facts have some kind of intrinsic, objective reality in and of themselves, but rather that this absence, or emptiness, of independent existence is at the heart of their existence. Their existence and reality can make sense only within the context of interrelationships and interconnectedness.”

This accords with the core teachings of Mahayana Buddhism which describes the world as “a perfect network of mutual relations where all things and events interact with each other in an infinitely complicated way.” Buddhist scholar Lama Anagarika Govinda:

The Buddhist does not believe in an independent or separately existing external world, into whose dynamic forces he could insert himself. The external world and his internal world are for him only two sides of the same fabric, in which the threads of all forces and of all events, of all forms of consciousness and of their objects, are woven into an inseparable net of endless, mutually conditioned relations. (3)

An interconnected universe in which all parts are, at some level, related to all other parts is at odds with simple cause and effect models of reality. In fact, no event occurs in isolation, as multiple interdependent causes may be involved. “Everything is interlinked, and therefore everything has numerous causes. The entire universe contributes to the least thing. A thing is as it is, because the world is as it is.” Sufi author and teacher Idries Shah argues that cause and effect is a “primitive short-term rule of thumb.”

For example, we tend to look at events one-sidedly. We also assume, without any justification, that an event happens as it were in a vacuum. In actual fact, all events are associated with all other events. It is only when we are ready to experience our interrelation with the organism of life that we can appreciate mystical experience. If you look at any action which you do, or which anyone else does, you will find that it was prompted by one of many possible stimuli; and also that it is never an isolated action – it has consequences, many of them ones which you would never expect, certainly which you could not have planned. (4)

Other spiritual traditions agree with this contention. According to Advaita Vedanta, the principle of cause and effect is only a conceptual category. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj: “It is the illusion of time that makes you talk of causality. When the past and the future are seen in the timeless now, as parts of a common pattern, the idea of cause-effect loses its validity and creative freedom takes its place.”

Like everything mental, the so-called law of causation contradicts itself. No thing in existence has a particular cause; the entire universe contributes to the existence of even the smallest thing; nothing could be as it is without the universe being what it is. When the source and ground of everything is the only cause of everything, to speak of causality as a universal law is wrong. The universe is not bound by its content, because its potentialities are infinite; besides it is a manifestation, or expression of a principle fundamentally and totally free . . . For everything there are innumerable causal factors. But the source of all that is, is the Infinite possibility, the Supreme Reality, which is in you and which throws its power and light and love on every experience. But, this source is not a cause and no cause is a source. Because of that, everything is uncaused. You may try to trace how a thing happens, but you cannot find out why a thing is as it is. A thing is as it is, because the universe is as it is.

Rodger R Ricketts

  • Fritjof Capra The Tao of Physics (Boulder: Shambhala, 1975), p. 24.
  • Thich Nhat Hanh Zen Keys (New York: Anchor Books, 1974), pp. 88-89.
  • Lama Anagarika Govinda Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism (New York: Samuel Weiser, (1974), p. 93.
  • Idries Shah The Sufis (London: Octagon Press, 1984), pp. 71-72.
  • Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj I Am That (Durham, North Carolina: The Acorn Press, 2005), pp. 9-11.

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We all come from spirit, and we all return to spirit. So, no matter who you are, you are a spiritual being!

19 Feb

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The Universe is Alive…

19 Feb
A philosophy of cosmic life: new discussions and ...

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Everything is interconnected – Quotes

15 Feb

♦♦♦

It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied together into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality . . . Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured; this is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality.
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Christmas 1967

∞Peace comes within the souls of men when they realize their oneness with the universe, when they realize it is everywhere, it is within each one of us.  – Black Elk.

∞All things are connected
like the blood that unites us.
We did not weave the web of life,
We are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
– Chief Seattle

∞We are awesome beyond all imagining, because we are part of everything that has been, is now and ever will be.  – Maggie Hamilton

∞But I’ll tell you what hermits realize. If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you’ll come to understand that you’re connected with everything.  – Alan Watts

∞A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the measure as I have received and am still receiving.
– Albert Einstein

∞We do not realize often enough that we are dependent on one another; at the simplest material level, we are all interdependent for our daily needs, and in this way we owe a debt to all beings.   – Kalu Rinpoche

∞It is important to understand how much your own happiness is linked to that of others.  There is no individual happiness totally independent of others.     – The 14th Dalai Lama

∞This is the highest praise, to say you have ubuntu. This is a person who recognises that he exists only because others exist; a person is a person through other persons. When we say you have ubuntu, we mean that you are gentle, you are compassionate, you are hospitable, you want to share, and you care about the welfare of other. This is because my humanity is caught up with your humanity.
– Bishop Tutu.

∞We must understand each other and work in harmony with one another, because it is our responsibility to develop in human beings their natural disposition for peace.
– The 14th Dalai Lama

∞I look at every human being from a more positive angle; I try to look for their positive aspects.  This attitude immediately creates a feeling of affinity, a kind of connectedness.  – The 14th Dalai Lama

∞According to Buddhism, the life of all beings –human, animal, or otherwise –is precious, and all have the same right to happiness.  It is certain that birds, wild animals – all the creatures inhabiting our planet –are our companions.  They are a part of our world, we share it with them.     – The 14th Dalai Lama

∞The friend who is a helpmate,
the friend in happiness and woe,
the friend who gives good counsel, the friend who sympathizes too –
these four as friends the wise behold
and cherish them devotedly
as does a mother her own child.
– Buddha

∞Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.
– James M. Barrie

∞A human being is part of the whole called by us ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self [ego]. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive.  ― Albert Einstein

∞An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
― Martin Luther King, Jr.

∞Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being.  ― Mahatma Gandhi

 ∞The good man is the friend of all living things.  ― Mahatma Gandhi

∞Friendship is based on the oldest and most intrinsic human awareness that there is more to life than just ourselves.  ― Christopher Hansard

∞There is no true joy in a life lived closed up in the little shell of the self. When you take one step to reach out to people, when you meet with others and share their thoughts and sufferings, infinite compassion and wisdom well up within your heart. Your life is transformed.   – Daisaku Ikeda

∞True spirituality is to be aware that if we are interdependent with everything and everyone else, even our smallest, least significant thoughts, words and actions has real consequences throughout the universe.
– Sogyal Rinpoche

∞We are her to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.
–Thich Nhat Hahn

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Wisdom of the Heart

14 Feb

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Non-Duality: What the World Needs Now

14 Feb

Preface

After 40 years of active study and practice of the Buddhist teachings and having written four books on what I call Buddha inspired psychology, I recently found a very insightful perspective that elaborated on what I had learned before. The insight is that the Buddhist teachings are a mysticism, which inherently undercuts any easy attempts at codification. Therefore, union with the divine or emptiness is experienced rather than defined and categorized through limited language. such an emphasis on first-hand experience runs contrary to abstract, ‘positive’ cataphatic theology. this book is the unique and cogent perspective that incorporates the Buddhist teachings as a ‘negative’ apophatic theology.

While there are some scholarly books and research articles on the topic of apophatic theology, very few incorporate the Buddha’s teachings. I hope to show in this book that indeed Buddhist teachings and wisdoms are succinctly integrated into this apophatic spiritual tradition that spans cultures and time. Within the larger scope of the typology of ‘via negative’, the Buddhist teachings of nothingness or emptiness or Sunyata are clearly a part of the apophatic spiritual tradition.

Therefore, this book goes beyond what is usually taught in traditional Buddhist texts. My aim is to make accessible from a modern perspective what the Buddha was universally teaching for those who are on their own spiritual path of personal discovery.

–I have always been struck by the universal applicability of the Buddha’s teachings, which transcend geographical and temporal constraints. The integration of these teachings with proponents of apophatic theology has only reinforced my belief in their universality. Despite four decades of rigorous research, temple retreats, lectures, and meditation practice, it is only now that I have uncovered this enlightening connection between the Buddha’s teachings and the apophatic traditions. It is my sincere desire to share this newfound insight with my fellow spiritual seekers.

-I have always appreciated that the Buddha taught universal truths that are applicable everywhere and throughout time. Integration of these truths with other teachers of the Apophatic theology has affirmed my belief in this universality of the Buddha’s teachings. Even with my forty years of research studies, attendance of temple retreats with monks and lay lectures and meditation practice, I have only now found this instructive link between the Buddha’s teachings with other teachers of the Apophatic tradition, and I want to share this with my fellow spiritual path voyagers. I believe they will also find it as interesting and illuminating as I have.

The Apophatic emphasis on firsthand experience hence knowledge, stands in stark contrast to abstract, ‘positive’ cataphatic theology. This latest work of mine presents a unique and compelling perspective that positions the Buddha’s teachings firmly within a ‘negative’ apophatic theological framework.

While there are scholarly works and research articles on apophatic theology, very few incorporate the profound teachings of the Buddha. In this book, I aim to demonstrate how Buddha’s wisdom can be seamlessly integrated into this spiritual tradition that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries. Within the broader context of the ‘via negativa’ typology, the Buddhist concepts of nothingness, emptiness, or Sunyata are undeniably intertwined with the apophatic spiritual tradition. It is my sincere desire to share this newfound insight with my fellow spiritual seekers.

Rodger R Ricketts

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The Importance of Experiencing Non-Duality

14 Feb

The Importance of Experiencing Non-Duality

Non-duality is the recognition that at the core of existence lies a fundamental wholeness, ultimately arising from a single, unified source. It is understanding that everything is interconnected and inseparable, and that perceived dualities—such as self and other, or subject and object—are ultimately illusions. Awakening to non-duality offers profound benefits for our well-being, relationships, and understanding of life. Interestingly, recent advances in various branches of science are beginning to echo these insights.

1. Unity with All Beings – Everything is interconnected and constantly interacting. We are all connected on a deep level and when we see beyond the surface-level distinctions, we embrace the oneness of everything. When we realize our affinity with All that share this gift of Life, we experience a profound sense of unity and wholeness and have a deep sense of compassion and empathy towards all living beings.

2. Living in the Present Moment – Non-duality helps us release attachment to the past and anxieties about the future, allowing us to remain serenely fully in the present. Free from judgment or rigid interpretation, we experience life with greater clarity and peace.

3. Transcendence of Duality – By realizing non-duality, we move beyond the limitations of binary thinking—such as mind vs. body or self vs. other. While categorization is useful for practical navigation, it can also be a source of suffering. Non-dual awareness fosters a broader, more flexible perspective, freeing us from illusions of separation and the biases they create.

4. Enhancing Psychological Well-Being – Non-dual awareness has profound psychological and emotional benefits, not just for individuals but for society and the planet. Also, when we no longer see self as a separate entity, the fear of death diminishes; it is understood not as annihilation but as a transformation within the continuum of existence.

5. Embracing the Mystery of Existence – Non-duality invites us to appreciate life’s mysteries and accept the unknown. Rather than resisting uncertainty, we learn to welcome the vast possibilities and complexities of existence.

6. A Path of Awakening – Non-dualism spans ancient traditions and modern teachings, offering a structured path for personal and transpersonal growth. True awakening involves a transformative shift from conditioned ways of thinking, feeling, and acting toward a life aligned with universal principles.

Rodger R Ricketts

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One Transcends the Subject/Object Duality. Pure Experience.

14 Feb

“
‘This is what pure experience is: neither the world nor “I” in it other than experience.’ Susan Hamilton


‘The seeing of Truth cannot be dualistic (a ‘thing’ seen). It cannot be seen by a see-er, or via a see-er. There can only be a seeing which itself is Truth.’
Wei Wu Wei


‘The outside world of form-and-name and the inner world of thought and feeling are both no more than the construction of mind, and when the mind ceases, the weaving-out of a world of particulars is stopped. This stopping is called emptiness or no birth, but it is not the wiping out of existence, it is on the contrary viewing it truthfully unhammered by discriminative categories.’
D-T. Suzuki


‘The ‘world’ of experience is not given in experience: it is constructed by thought from the data of sense.’
C.I. Lewis


‘In whatever egotistic terms they think of an object, it becomes that. And therein, verily, lies its falseness, the puerile deceptive phenomenon that it is.’ S N v. 916



‘Bhikkhu, ‘I am’ is a conceiving; ‘I am this’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall not be’ is a conceiving; I shall be possessed of form’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be formless’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be non-percipient’ is a conceiving. Conceiving is a disease, conceiving is a tumour, conceiving is a barb. By overcoming all conceiving, bhikkhu, one is called a sage at peace.’(M.N. 140.31)

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The things of this world are merely conventions of our own making.

14 Feb



The things of this world are merely conventions of our own making. Having established them, we get lost in them and refuse to let go, giving rise to personal views and opinions. … Now, if we know conventional reality then we’ll know liberation…If we clearly know liberation then we’ll know convention.
.’


Ajahn Chah

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