For those who are interested, here are a few words about the philosophy behind my first book, The Heart Of The World.
In simple terms, the philosophical message can be summarised in one word: interdependence. Every belief system that has emerged, whether religious, scientific or philosophical, is an attempt to describe the true nature of reality, and everyone agrees this reality is not fixed and static - rather it is fluid and inter-related. As a Christian we may marvel at the interconnectedness of God's creation and how Jesus' message of love and compassion can help us understand this reality. As a scientist we may be filled with gratitude and humility when we comprehend the vastness of the universe and contemplate our place in evolution. As a philosopher we may marvel at our ability as human beings to use reason and logic to address big questions such as how our actions may influence the greater good.
Although it is clear that different belief systems are more helpful for certain people and in certain contexts, and that the essence of almost all beliefs in their pure form is to better ourselves and the human race as a whole, it is difficult to see how they all fit together to describe the one interdependent nature of reality. We are thus left with a slightly fragmented view of the world which separates science and religion, mind and matter, ethics and spirituality. As a consequence of these 'splits', the Western academic traditions have evolved to explore one of these aspects in particular detail while sometimes ignoring the bigger picture, and at the same time many spiritual or alternative movements have emerged in opposition to mainstream or conventional ways of thinking. Thus various sub-cultures have been born which value one form of 'truth' over another, some valuing 'faith' and others valuing 'reason' or scepticism.
It may come as a surprise that a deeper understanding of interdependence can actually find space for all of these views, to an extent. Deep analysis of the true nature of reality shows us that everything only exists in relation to everything else, and once we familiarise ourselves with this understanding, we can develop an unshakeable faith that this is the way things are. At a basic level, things are related in terms of cause and effect, yet at a deeper level we see that our normal idea of how things are is constructed by concepts and language. 'Left' and 'right', for example, are merely concepts that describe the position of things in relation to each other, and we don't normally carve up the world into whatever is on our left and whatever is on our right. Similarly, countries like Australia, Afghanistan and Egypt are not things that exist in themselves, but are merely labels we assign to particular regions of the world.
The same logic applies to anything which is a tangible object (which we can see, hear or touch etc.), and it also applies to mental objects such as feelings and memories, or concepts such as time and direction, birth and death. To give a practical example, 'me' and 'my memory' are simply labels, and it is only when we hold onto these labels as something real and fixed that we encounter all sorts of struggles. Similarly, it is only when we make a fixed distinction between 'I' and 'other' that we can get angry when another person provokes us, failing completely to see their point of view. Breaking down these distinctions is the key to discovering that there are many, many conditions that contribute to any situation, all related to one another in mutual dependence. We see that there is never just one particular cause or belief which 'owns' the truth. With this kind of understanding comes a deeper and more accurate view of reality. Such wisdom leads to acceptance, peace and compassionate action.
Below is an excerpt from the end of the book, a kind of summary in verse of the subject matter covered in each chapter as our protagonist Sanjay identifies more and more 'distinctions' which he gradually lets go of through the course of his journey:
Dust and galaxies are not the same,
Dust and galaxies are not the same,
Yet neither are they separate.
Galaxies depend on dust
And dust depends on galaxies.
Waves and particles are not the same,
Yet neither are they different.
Both depend on who observes
And the observer cannot be if they are absent.
Mind is not the same as matter,
Nor is it the same as brain.
Yet without the brain and matter,
How could mind come to be?
A dog is not the same as its parts,
Nor equal to its characteristics.
Yet without defining it in a certain way,
How could we speak of ‘dog’?
All religions cannot be one,
Yet neither are they different.
Just as all people are not one
In their thoughts and dispositions.
The sacred is not the same as the secular,
And faith is not the same as reason.
Yet what need do we have for such distinctions
When there is simply what is real?
A single action may have many consequences,
But how can we speak of one without the other?
What need is there for hope or fear
If we are not attached to either?
‘I’ cannot control my sorrow,
And sorrow can have no control over me.
Likewise ‘I’ cannot control my fortune;
So what use is there in fighting the flow of life?
Self is not the same as other,
Yet how could self exist without the other?
Great compassion will thus arise
As surely as the autumn sun.
By clinging to belief in this and that,
We will never see the tree of life.
Yet by knowing how this depends on that,
The heart of the world is found.
To conclude this page I would like to share a few references in order to show how these ideas are rooted in the ancient wisdom of the Madhyamaka tradition of philosophical enquiry, a precious key to unlocking the meaning of teachings such as the famous Heart Sutra and Diamond Cutter Sutra in the Buddhist tradition. Contemplating this material is not just philosophical speculation, but rather a profound method which can lead us to a new way of seeing the world - as it really is instead of how we imagine it to be.
References based on the Madhyamaka tradition:
Karl Brunnholzl. The Center of the Sunlit Sky: Madhyamaka in the Kagyu Tradition.
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. How to See Yourself as You Really Are: A Practical Guide to Self-Knowledge.*
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. How to See Yourself as You Really Are: A Practical Guide to Self-Knowledge.*
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Practicing Wisdom: The Perfection of Shantideva's Bodhisattva's Way.
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso. The Sun of Wisdom: Teachings on the Noble Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way.*
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso. The Sun of Wisdom: Teachings on the Noble Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way.*
The Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje (translated by Tyler Dewar). The Karmapa's Middle Way: Feast for the Fortunate.
Tich Nhat Hanh. The Diamond that Cuts through Illusion: Commentaries to the Prajnaparamita Diamond Sutra.
Jay Garfield. Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way.
David Ross Komito. Nagarjuna's Seventy Stanzas: A Buddhist Psychology of Emptiness.*
Reginald Ray. Philosophy section in Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism.*
* good introductory material
References based on modern psychology (which also help us dismantle our habitual beliefs):
David Burns M.D. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy.
Dorothy Rowe. What Should I Believe?
Russ Harris M.D. The Happiness Trap: Stop Strugling, Start Living.
David Burns M.D. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy.
Dorothy Rowe. What Should I Believe?
Russ Harris M.D. The Happiness Trap: Stop Strugling, Start Living.
Happy reading & GOOD LUCK!
-Adrian
-Adrian
