Enlightenment: Emptiness & Compassion

“Emptiness and compassion are the two pillars that show us the way out of our suffering,” Tacomi said.

“But how can we feel compassion for people or any being, a dog for that matter, since all beings are empty? Unreal?” I asked.

Tacomi prefaced what he was about to tell me, “What I am about to say may seem contradictory. As we touched on last time, the Buddha taught us that our self, our ‘I’, and other beings are not ultimately real. Self and other are impermanent, insubstantial, in essence, empty. In the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, Vimalakirti, a simple man with a wife and children, begins by telling Manjushri, an enlightened being, how a bodhisattva views all beings.”

“Let me see if I understand the concept of a bodhisattva,” I interrupted. “My understanding is that a bodhisattva is an enlightened being who is liberated from the round of birth and death. He does not have to incarnate anymore. Yet he does return because of a great love and compassion for the suffering of others. The bodhisattva comes back to Earth to help other beings get free.”

“Yes, that’s a good understanding,” Tacomi said. “As I was saying, Vimalakirti tells Manjushri, ‘A bodhisattva should regard all beings as a wise man regards the following: the image of a face in the mirror, a bubble in a stream, the image of the moon reflected in a pond, a ball of foam on water, the fleeting sound of an echo, a mirage of water on a desert, and clouds passing in the sky.’

“Manjushri then asks, ‘Noble sir, if a bodhisattva considers all living beings in such a way, how does he generate the great love toward them?’”

“Good question,” I said. “Seeing beings as insubstantial, as empty as balls of foam or passing clouds, how does a bodhisattva generate the great love that is a refuge for all beings? How do we feel love for our loved ones as balls of foam?” I asked.

“Essentially,” Tacomi said, “Vimalakirti explains to Manjushri that a bodhisattva thinks of how living beings feel real to themselves. They feel the pain of their problems. And the bodhisattva remembers how real his own suffering was before he became enlightened. This motivates the bodhisattva to help all beings.”

“In a way, it’s the same in therapy,” I said. “Even though the therapist may see the biased perceptions leading to a patient’s feelings, he feels empathy for the patient’s pain. If therapy is to work, I must take the patient’s pain as real before I can help the patient see how, say . . . for example . . . he is feeling angry at his boss because the boss is reminding him of his mother.”

“Yes, you should take the pain as real to them as the bodhisattva does. But by seeing others and their problems as clouds you prevent grasping. You can’t grab a cloud. We’ll discuss emptiness more next time,” Tacomi said softly and patiently.

• Today, consider your true self is something independent of your changing physical form (body), your possessions, accomplishments, successes, failures, status, reputation, popularity, and so forth. Essentially, we suffer more when we identify with what is ever-changing in the material world. Reflect on the essential you. Who are you apart from all that most of us tend to identify ourselves with and base our worth on, i.e., "treasures on earth which moth and rust doth corrupt and thieves break in and steal." [Parts of today's posting are found in Words Become Flesh. See wwwdrsrj.com]