Emptiness is Good News?

     I suspect most of us hunger & thirst almost continuously for something, anything to make & keep us happy or at least satisfied. This is despite the fact that deep down we realize that there is absolutely nothing out there that can reliably do it for us. 
     Everything is "empty" - not in a nihilistic sense, but in that everything 1) lacks essence - there's no intrinsic quality that makes a thing what it is; and 2) lacks independence - does not exist on its own, apart from conditions, relations or cognition. http://www.johnlovas.com/2016/05/emptiness.html
     The Buddha found that all phenomena, including our very own body, are empty!

"Thus shall ye look on all this fleeting world:
A star at dawn, a bubble in the stream,
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream."
Gautama the Buddha 

      Everything being empty, constantly changing with prevailing causes & conditions sounds rather unsatisfactory - no?
     But the Buddha also found that everything changes when we completely let go of clinging - when we stop trying to find happiness in empty, conditioned stuff. 

     So, can we take empty stuff a lot more lightly, and instead, turn serious attention to the unconditioned - awareness itself?

     “All formations are transient; all formations are subject to suffering; all things are without a self.

     Therefore, whatever they be of form, of feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness, whether past, present, or future, one’s own or external, gross or subtle, lofty or low, far or near, one should understand according to reality and true wisdom: 
‘This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Self.’ ”

      adapted from the Anguttara Nikaya and Samyutta Nikaya, translated by Nyanatiloka
      Jack Kornfield, Gil Fronsdal eds. “Teachings of the Buddha.” Shambhala, Boston, 2007.
 

     And the good news is that despite the "full catastrophe" of life, we can nevertheless develop progressively increasing levels of peace & equanimity. Simultaneously we develop greater compassion & do more to relieve suffering, when no longer anxiously craving for empty phantoms & dreams.

Bumper Sticker

Core Insights of Buddhism

     “The three core insights of the Buddhist tradition are the facts of impermanence, of suffering, and of non-self. 
     The first of these refers to the truth that all phenomena, without exception, change; 
     the second recognizes that all experience is structurally incapable of yielding lasting satisfaction; 
     and the third points out the awkward truth that we are not quite what we take ourselves to be. 

     To these we might usefully add the associated ideas of the interdependent arising of all phenomena, and the notion of awakening as a radical psychological transformation.”


       Olendzki A. "Unlimiting Mind. The Radically Experiential Psychology of Buddhism." Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2010. 


     Useful introduction to the above: http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/08/exploring-mysteries-of-human-condition.html

Embodying the "Context" of Awareness & Holding the "Contents" Lightly

     Everything & everyone we perceive, including all our self-concepts, worldviews, opinions, other thoughts (including our incessant self-talk), feelings & emotions, including our hopes, dreams, fears & anxieties, can all be understood as "contents" of awareness. 
     All of these phenomena are conditioned - dependent on previous causes & conditions in order to arise & have the specific features that they have. All of these phenomena also exist and cease, according to causes & conditions. 
     If you invested all your savings in Apple, your investment would minimally impact the value of the stock. However, just about any event in the world, from China's or the US' or the world's economy, work conditions in China & around the world, the emotions of investors ("bearish" or "bullish"), cost / availability of raw materials, shipping costs / conditions, to the personality / ethics / stage presence of Apple's CEO ie pretty well everything affects the sales & profitability of Apple products, and thus your life savings are another example of conditioned phenomena. And as such, regardless of how much time & effort you expended researching Apple, Sony might suddenly introduce a product that makes Apple products obsolete, and before you realize it, your life savings are decimated.
     Since there are unimaginably high numbers of phenomena, all of which are interdependent, it is not practically possible to predict, much less control, conditioned phenomena. 
     We can observe how phenomena constantly change, including our own and our loved ones' aging, sickness & death. 
     From our common (egoic) perspective, all of this is at best unsatisfactory & stressful, giving rise to existential angst and almost constant dysfunctional thought, speech & behaviour. See: http://jglovas.wix.com/awarenessnow#!Over-Thinking/c17jj/56d1b4a90cf24bcda4779079 From the perspective of Buddhist psychology, most of this is unnecessary suffering.
     During meditation, we gently, repeatedly step back from attempting to control various "contents" of awareness, and learn to rest in, & operate from, the "context" of awareness: the timeless peace & clarity of spacious awareness itself.

Portia

Things are not always as they seem, nor are they otherwise ...

     "... the six types of phenomena - sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and mental events ... the six knowables - arise and pass away, a constantly appearing and disappearing display, like a movie or like images passing through a mirror. These 'things' do not endure even for an instant in the present moment; as we turn our head, as our attention shifts, as the light changes and things move, the display is constantly in motion, transforming so completely and continuously that we cannot even point to something that has changed. It is a continual 'presencing,' - a presencing of what we call phenomena."

       John J. Baker. "The Dharma in a Single Drawing" Tricycle, Spring 2015          www.tricycle.com

a riverboat - close-up

On Being Curious & Open-minded Towards All Phenomena

     In mindfulness training we encourage participants (& ourselves) to be nonjudgmental, have an open mind & be curious towards all arising phenomena, even those we would normally consider unpleasant. 

     "Curiosity is the predisposition to recognize & search for new knowledge and experiences. The psychological urge evoked by curiosity is accompanied by increased engagement with the world, including exploratory behavior, meaning making, and learning. For decades, scientists have narrowly focused on how curiosity is relevant to achievement in school, work, and sports, & an appreciation of art. Curiosity ... is relevant to any context where there is the potential for novelty, uncertainty, complexity, surprise, and conflict between the urges to approach or avoid stimuli. Several scientists have argued that a family of individual difference variables that conceptually overlap with curiosity (ie novelty seeking, uncertainty orientation, need for structure, need for closure, need for cognition, openness to experience) are relevant to healthy social interactions & relationship. The present research extends this work about the relevance of curiosity to social functioning.
     Results: A curious personality was linked to a wide range of adaptive behaviors, including tolerance of anxiety & uncertainty, positive emotional expressiveness, initiation of humor & playfulness, unconventional thinking, & a nondefensive, noncritical attitude.  

     Conclusions: This characterization of curious people provides insights into mechanisms underlying associated healthy social outcomes."

     Kashdan TB, Sherman RA, Yarbro J, Funder DC. How are curious people viewed and how do they behave in social situations? From the perspectives of self, friends, parents, and unacquainted observers. J Pers 2013; 81(2): 142-54. 

     Read "Creativity & The Brain Review": http://www.knowyourbrain.ca/Library/Library.html

Jett in deep contemplation - by Amanda Wintink PhD