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The Middle Way
“Going” is not the transition from “being” to “non-being” of a separate self, but rather the act of “going” and the “goer” are one, inseparable. If we believe that there is a “goer” existing independently outside of the act of going, we will encounter the contradiction of two kinds of going: the going of the goer and the going of the act itself. Outside of “going” and “not going” there is no third reality, just as there is no father apart from the act of fathering. From this, we can see clearly the nature of non-self: subject and action depend on and interpenetrate each other, like flower and blooming, ruler and measuring, eater and eating.
Contemplating the four marks of all phenomena helps us not to be caught in external appearances:
- The mark of birth – the arising of a phenomenon
- The mark of abiding – its existence right after arising
- The mark of change – transformation during its existence
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The mark of cessation – its ending, returning to space
For example, a flame only appears when sufficient conditions are present (match, wood, oxygen, striking action), and it goes out when those conditions are no longer present; there is no absolute birth or death, only transformation through dependent origination. When looking at a sheet of paper, we must see within it the whole forest, the clouds, the sunshine… in order to realize the reality of signlessness and birthlessness. From this insight arises true love: each of us carries the seeds of our ancestors, of our mother and father, and love is the process of contemplation, nurturing the wholesome qualities already present, transforming our habit energies, and expanding our heart of compassion.
