What is a Buddhist Space?
Novice Buddhist Monk. Shwedagon Pagoda. Yangon, Myanmar. Photograph by Fred Sigman. 2012.
In the religious and philosophical traditions of Buddhism, it is taught that there are five parts of the universe. Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. I delve into all of these elements in my teaching, writing, and media work, but mostly the first and last ones.
Earth is the place of human-beingness. It is the bedrock of our mind upon which all of our experiences occur and are remembered. Water, as often depicted in Buddhist art, especially in Tibet, represents a fluid adaptability to changing events. Fire, also seen in art as the element to burn away ignorance, and so represents the attainment of mental clarity. In the air everything moves and is in a constant state of flux.
Space? Well, that one is usually a little hard to get at first. We sometimes confuse space with place. Not "outer" space or even "inner” space. There is no such thing as "infinite" space. In Buddhism, the Sanskrit word śūnyatā means "emptiness." The true state of existence: what we conceive as reality is actually impermanent; our concepts are unable to find the words to fix meaning because nothing lasts forever. This is reality, and of the five elements of the universe, Space is the most important part.
A Buddhist Space may seem to be a contradiction in terms. When we travel Southeast Asia, through countryside villages, ancient 12th century temples, contemporary wats and pagodas, we see, yes, see those ideas made manifest.
Nagarjuna, sometimes referred to as The Second Buddha.
Nagarjuna. Dharmachakra mūdra. (Wheel of the Dharma).
Contemporary thangka painting. Kathmandu, Nepal.
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Space is nothing more than the existence of the world. Being. Present.
Because reality is 'empty' and not fixed in any way, it is said that anything is possible. This is an acceptance of impermanence. which is one of the reasons why the Buddha warned against attachments.
Nagarjuna said:
To whomever emptiness is possible,
All things are possible.
COURSE CREATION & HOSTING
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STUDENT MANAGEMENT
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SALES & MARKETING
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