A Question for my Twitter Sangha: is Non-Dualism the same as the doctrine of Emptiness? My experience with Dzogchen and Tibetan Buddhism confused the two (either they confused them or I did), but now I'm starting to see them as very different doctrines. What's your take on it?
-
-
Replying to @shaunbartone
I believe that they point to the same thing, although the various doctrines about to are often different.
2 replies 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @OortCloudAtlas
You can also say that 'quantum mechanics' and 'general relativity' also point to the same thing: fundamental structures of the universe. But they are different explanations that work at different scales, so different that scientists can't bring them together into a unified theory
3 replies 0 retweets 3 likes -
Replying to @shaunbartone
So my question to you is what is the importance of this potential difference to you personally? I mean, besides the pure intellectual joy, what is it about this difference that is fascinating to you?
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @OortCloudAtlas
What's important to me is to preserve the world-view of object-processes that exhibit emergent properties of difference, variety, specificity, diversity, rather than saying 'it's ultimately all one' or 'it's ultimately all empty.'
2 replies 1 retweet 4 likes -
Replying to @shaunbartone @OortCloudAtlas
Furthermore, to preserve the materialist world-view as one of consequential importance, as 'real' at the level of planetary existence and survival, rather than say it's only an 'appearance' (Dzogchen), or it's only a sensory experience (yogacara & others).
3 replies 0 retweets 4 likes -
Replying to @shaunbartone @OortCloudAtlas
How we relate to the material world, whether as dharma practitioners or otherwise, has profound consequences for how we and all other species survive on this planet. It's not just 'appearances' or 'emptiness', its life or death, survival or extinction.
1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes -
Replying to @shaunbartone @OortCloudAtlas
And even before we get to catastrophic conditions, how we relate to the material world has serious consequences for how we deal with poverty, disease, ecological subsistence, the destruction of material cultures. It's not 'nothing', it's the survival of human civilizations.
1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
Yes. Thanks for writing this all out, Shaun. It's good to hear your viewpoint, and I couldn't agree more.
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.
Sentient comet
Meditation freak
Teacher
Author
Podcaster
SF nerd
Serial comma enthusiast
Raised by wolves
Bad influence 