The three pillars of the Buddha’s teaching are:
- 1) Suffering, the omnipresent suffering (dukkha) of living beings, its cause and cure;
- 2) Emptiness/shunyata of all appearing phenomena as impermanence (anitya), selflessness/no-self (anatman), and interdependent arising (pratitya samutpada);
- 3) Buddha nature, awakening to the innate Buddha nature/Buddha mind always already present in all beings; then its compassionate expression in human beings as bodhicitta—altruistic thought, intention and action to benefit living beings.
Below is an article by David Paul Boaz, a very helpful piece of writing for us to merge into Buddhism teachings of emptiness and nonduality(interdependent arising), this will lead us to a deeper understanding of the modern men dilemma of duality: the split between mechanical /holistic methodology, fresh / mind, science/ spirituality, etc.
Who is it that desires to know and to be happy?
Who is it that is afraid and angry?
Who is it that is born suffers and dies?
Who is it that shines through the mind and abides at the heart
Of all beings always liberated and fully awake?
Our Noetic Revolution
For no light matter is at stake. The question concerns the very way that human life is to be lived.
— Plato (The Republic, Book I)
In the 2nd century CE two great scholar-masters—Nagarjuna in the East and Plotinus in the West—began the noetic nondual knowledge revolution for our species that is just now re-emerging as the new Noetic Revolution of the 21st century. (“Nondual” is subject/object unity, advaya/not two/not one; nondual wisdom is noēsis/noetic knowledge with no essential subject/object, matter/spirit separation.)
As the developmental dialectic of humanity’s psycho-emotional, spiritual and ethical evolution proceeds, and the ontological estrangement of the present modern worldview of a mechanistic Scientific Materialism, and the nihilism of its postmodern reaction recedes, this inchoate global noetic reformation in religion, science and culture has gently reintroduced to humankind an integral, interior and transpersonal knowledge paradigm that subsumes and integrates our two ostensibly competing paradigms, namely, objective Science and subjective Spirit/spirituality.
The knowledge inherent in this emerging noetic paradigm is discoverable in part through the contemplative injunctions of the subjective, qualitative, esoteric and nondual contemplative knowledge paths of our pre-modern wisdom traditions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Neoplatonism, Islam, Orphism.
And this knowledge is discoverable in part through an objective understanding of the profoundly pragmatic truths of our exoteric, quantitative, modern scientific paradigm; particularly that greatest intellectual accomplishment of our species—the Standard Model of particles and forces with its ΛCDM cosmology. The result, one may hope, is unification of the Standard Model’s quantum field theory with the general relativity theory of its cosmology. These two great pillars of physics are presently mathematically incompatible.
Thus it is, our two ostensibly incommensurable knowledge paradigms—objective science and subjective spirit—are intrinsic modes of the human knowledge equation, to wit, knowledge, morals, governance and our primordial wisdom. This all toward the recognition, then realization of the inherent prior and present unity of these, our two human voices.
What is the meaning of life in this constant presence of our death? What are the causes of human happiness? The causes of human suffering? What shall we do with this precious life we’ve been given? Who is it that I Am? The big questions ask of our origin, our identity and our destiny. Such ultimate questions orient us toward the rediscovery, then recovery of the ineffable mystery of both relative and ultimate meaning and happiness for one who considers them. We shall herein consider some of them.
As Shakyamuni Buddha told, “What you are is what you have been; what you will be is what you do now”. As good a picture of cause and effect/karma, as ever was told. And yes, the understanding and compassionate expression of this profound truth of reality require the establishment of contemplative mindfulness practice, under the guidance of a qualified master. We listen to the wisdom injunctions of those who know. The masters and mahasiddhas of “the three times” (past, present, future) have always told it: the very secret of human happiness lies in the recognition of this prior unity of the Two Truths—relative and ultimate— then thought, intention and action for the benefit of all beings.
On the accord of H.H. the Dalai Lama, “If you wish to help others, begin with yourself”. So arise, and do some good. In other words, our genuine happiness lies in selfless, wise, kind compassionate service toward others in order to reduce the suffering, and enhance the happiness of beings. “We are happy when we can bring others to happiness” (Jay Garfield). By this light we shall explore this great primordial wisdom injunction in some of its socio-cultural, scientific and spiritual raiment.
So let us now engage our two ostensibly incommensurable knowledge paradigms— objective Science and subjective Spirit—so that we may better understand their “already accomplished” coming to meet in this 21st century Noetic Revolution that is now upon us. Starting with do no harm.