The wisdom of emptiness
The wisdom of emptiness is the realisation that an entity cannot exist independently. It is empty of separation. We exist due to an infinite series of causes and conditions. For instance, centuries ago a chance meeting between two of your ancestors produced a chain of events that led to your birth. A chance shift in the axis of our planet, produced the correct conditions for life. Inanimate objects depend on other objects, conditions, parts and processes to arise and disappear. Everything that has ever occurred in the history of the world has played its part in enabling you to occupy the space you are in now.
The idea that things are "out there" and separate from "my self" is due to the way we perceive our world through our limited senses. The world we create in our minds helps us navigate and survive and is an essential illusion. However, our senses depend upon interaction which reinforces the notion of a separate self. We have to look deeper into the nature of things, to realise the interdependance of all things.
The idea of 'self' has many benefits, enabling us to take action with confidence, commitment and courage. Unfortunately, cultures have encouraged us to identify as a separate self and the ego encouraged to protect it. As Eckhart Tolle explains... "The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, person and family history, belief systems, and often nationalistic, racial, religious, and other collective identifications. None of these is you.”
With an awareness of 'emptiness of separation' we can start to understand reality. Reality is complete interdependence and not, as the ego would wish, an independent entity. If we can understand that we are non duality, non self existence and do not exist as we think we do, then we can let go of the idea of self, of attachments and ultimately of suffering. The idea of an independent self or 'I' is just a thought, not reality.
"Intelligent Practice always deals with just one thing: the fear at the base of human existence, the fear that I am not. And of course I am not, but the last thing I want to know is that. I am impermanence itself in a rapidly changing human form that appears solid. I fear to see what I am: an ever-changing energy field. I don't want to be that. So good practice is about fear. Fear takes the form of constantly thinking, speculating, analyzing, fantasizing. With all that activity we create a cloud to keep ourselves safe in make-believe practice. True practice is not safe; it's anything but safe. But we don't like that, so we obsess with our feverish efforts to achieve our version of the personal dream. Such obsessive practice is itself just another cloud between ourselves and reality. The only thing that matters is seeing with an impersonal spotlight: seeing things as they really are. When the personal barrier drops away, why do we have to call it anything? We just live our lives. And when we die, we just die. No problem anywhere."
Charlotte Joko Beck, in 'Everyday Zen'
UK artist Mike Heseltine
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£85 including p&p (Frame and mount not included ).
Hand signed and numbered prints limited to a total run of 500.
Archival Giclee print on acid free 220g/m2 high quality watercolour paper.
Archival Giclee prints are produced using very high quality inks producing a high level of quality and longevity. The above image is an example of the type of framing we use but please note the frame and mount is not included in the price. The actual size of the image (including a margin to show the signature and number) is 20.5cm x 29cm.
We recommend you frame your print with a deep mount of approximately 10-15cm and a simple wooden frame. This makes the overall frame size approximately 45cm x 55cm.
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