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Birth and Death 2
Contemplating signlessness through a sheet of paper: Looking deeply into a sheet of paper, we see that “the cloud, the rain, the forest, the sun” are all woven into every fiber of the paper pulp—we are not caught by the thin, white appearance but see its signless nature. When we touch the paper, we touch all the conditions that have come together to make it; signlessness becomes a door of liberation, one of the three “doors of liberation” (signlessness, aimlessness, and unborn).
Transmission and “one is all, all is one”: Each cell contains the entire body—what our parents transmit to us is not only genes, but the totality of experiences, happiness, and suffering of our ancestors. The process of transmission includes three elements:
- The one who transmits
- The object transmitted
-
The receiver
Three in one, one in three; they cannot be separated. Modern science (cloning) has shown that one cell can nourish an entire body, confirming the Avatamsaka teaching that “the one contains the all.”
Continuation, environment, and practice: Life is a cycle of samsāra, ceaselessly transforming—a sheet of paper becomes ash, smoke, cloud, rain, energy—and so it is with human beings: each generation transmits its essence through right thinking, right speech, and right action. The environment of practice determines accomplishment: even if we create 300 “Siddharthas” genetically, without favorable conditions, it will be difficult for them to become Buddhas. Building a Sangha, preserving wholesome seeds, and nurturing the sacred relationship between the one who transmits, the object transmitted, and the receiver are the keys to sustainable practice.