|
interdependence and emptiness, as expounded upon by the Dalai Lama in
the book "The Wisdom of Forgiveness.". Interdependence deals with the
idea that everyone and every action is affected by the actions of
others - even somewhere as remote as on the other side of the world.
The simple explanation he provided was that of the Indras Net; to
quote, "The universe is looked upon as an enormous web woven of
innumerable strands of thread. A diamond is affixed to each juncture.
Any one diamond, with its countless facets, perfectly reflects all
other diamonds - like an infinite array of halls of mirrors - and each
has an ineffable relationship with all the others. Disturbances in
one area of the net galvanize a ripple that impacts, however subtly,
on other parts."
As an example, someone robs a man - but the action I'd not the result
of his own thought; rather, his action was impacted by the action of a
friend, who was affected by harsh words from a parent, etc. etc. All
events in our lives are the result of a ripple effect in the lives of
others.
Additionally, "emptiness" doesn't refer to being the state of being
void of anything. Rather, it relates to the fact that because
everything is intertwined, there is no independence and no inherent
existence. Thus, each part is empty.
Interdependence and emptiness are described as two sides of the same
coin, and being aware of the way everything is intertwined is
important in developing such things as compassion and forgiveness -
things that can have a ripple effect.
No comments:
Post a Comment