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The Middle Way Treatise 06
Today, the lesson from Chapter 10 of the Middle Way Treatise uses the image of fire and the “burned object” to clearly illustrate the interdependent arising and non-self nature of all phenomena. Only when all the necessary conditions (such as fuel, oxygen, and temperature) are present does the flame appear, just as the “burned object” is only called burned while it is burning. Fire and fuel do not have an independent self-nature; they exist simultaneously, inter-are, and cannot arise or cease independently. Similarly, body and mind (name-and-form) are not two separate entities, but manifest together, supporting each other to sustain life and awareness.
The practice of “shining light” in the Sangha is a method that helps each person recognize their strengths and weaknesses through the eyes of many, thereby nourishing insight and compassion. The main principles of a shining light session are:
- to maintain a humble mind, carefulness, and loving speech
- to begin by sincerely stating strengths, then move to weaknesses that need transformation
- to listen without defensiveness, to receive feedback so that thesis and antithesis may be harmonized into a new synthesis
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to pause when tension arises, using the breath or the sound of the bell to return to calmness
Every action, no matter how small (lighting incense, washing dishes, Sangha meetings), can become an offering to the Three Jewels if it arises from a pure mind and true love.