Samsāra - Why is there something rather than nothing?

Buddhitakso

In the Buddhist contexts, the dependent nature is known as samsāra.  Samsāra literally means ‘continuous flow’ - referring to a repeating cycle of birth, life, death and re-birth.  But why is there such a scenario in samsāra?   Now, let us analyse into it.  The inherent quality of dependent nature is emptiness.  In other words, emptiness is the underlying element that exists everywhere within the dependent nature.  On another front, energy is aquality that can neither be created nor destroyed and the sum of all energies in a system is a constant or never changes – as per the Law of Conservation of Energy.  Therefore, we could conclude that both the emptiness and energy are fundamental qualities in the system of dependent nature because every single thing or happening would involve with it, without exception.

When one sees into energy, one sees into emptiness; when one sees into emptiness, one sees into energy. This is the rationale for the saying, ‘Form is Emptiness.’  The principle in effect: seeing into form is seeing into matter, seeing into matter is seeing into energy and seeing into energy is seeing into emptiness.  At the same time, emptiness is a necessary pre-requisite for any objects to exist; without it, the object would be impossible and this hypothesis attributes to the saying, ‘Emptiness is Form.’

In the dependent nature, there would be a scenario of cause and effect.  Frankly speaking, these are two different aspects of the same thing i.e. cause is effect and effect is cause.  For instance, Cause 1 conjures up Effect 1, Effect 1 conjures up Cause 1-1, etc.  As such, cause and effect are inter-changing, inter-relating and inter-waving with one another.  This is how the conventional reality works i.e. not in-linear but in inter-dependence, inter-woven and inter-relation since the dawn of time in a very comprehensive and complicated network of existence.  In other words, cause and effect cannot be referred independently in a linear point of reference and therefore, no first cause, no first effect can be found within the dependent nature.  Precisely, one should think about the scenario of cause and effect as: this arising, that arises; this ceasing, that ceases.

Right now, there is acircumstance of duality or multiplicity in the dependent nature, but why?  It is because of mind arising.  Why is there mind arising?  It is because of energy.  Why is there energy?  It is because of emptiness.  And why is there emptiness?  It is because of emptiness of emptiness.  In other words, the emptiness of phenomena is both the cause and consequence of the dependent nature of phenomena.  Emptiness of phenomena exists in the way it appears in direct perception and without the need to reference of anyother entity.  It is completely defined by its own nature.  In other words, emptiness of phenomena is an inherent existence that is uncaused.  It is indestructible and eternal.   It is unchanging when viewed externally and cannot undergo any internal changes of state.  It has no constituent parts and nothing can be thrown out or removed from it.  Nothing can be added to it and no change in the external conditions can affect it.

As mentioned earlier, the elements of energy would give rise to the mind that in turn conjures up perceptions, conceptions, labels, boundaries, names, activities, shapes, relations, descriptions, stereotyping, beginning, ending, etc.  Therefore, we shall be clear by now that mind is the forerunner of all states i.e. the architect for classifying all the existences in the dependent nature.  These circumstances of duality or multiplicity are merely the end result of various activities of aggregation being observed by the mind under the influence of conditional phenomena.   In fact, mind is known as consciousness in individuality i.e. it involves clear discrimination – differentiates and understands the characteristics of objects or matters.  And only when there is a balance circumstance, there is a chance for the integrating process i.e. under a balance phenomenon, one could witness shapes or forms; under an imbalance phenomenon, one could witness no shapes or forms - and the cycle of conditional phenomena continues.  This scenario can be portrayed in the cycle of dependent origination shown as below: -

Balance leads to stability.  Stability leads to aggregation.  Aggregation leads to agitation.  Agitation leads to information.  Information leads to knowledge. Knowledge leads to representation.  Representation leads to memory.  Memory leads to compulsion.  Compulsion leads to ignorance.  Ignorance leads to blindness.  Blindness leads to disorientation.  Disorientation leads to confusion. Confusion leads to irrationality.  Irrationality leads to impulse.  Impulse leads to sparkling.  Sparkling leads to inkling.  Inkling leads to volition.  Volition leads to awareness.  Awareness leads to consciousness.  Consciousness leads to manas.  Manas leads to mind and body.  Mind and body lead to sensation. Sensation leads to six sense bases.  Six sense bases lead to conductivity. Conductivity leads to contact.  Contact leads to stimulation.  Stimulation leads to feeling.  Feeling leads to experience.  Experience leads to craving.  Craving leads to grasping.  Grasping leads to clinging.  Clinging leads to unsettling. Unsettling leads to becoming.  Becoming leads to creation.  Creation leads to birth.  Birth leads to energising. Energising leads to mobility.  Mobility leads to hauling.  Hauling leads to aging.  Aging leads to draining.  Draining leads to death.  Death leads to fragility.  Fragility leads to segregation.  Segregation leads to diffusion.  Diffusion leads to imbalance.  Imbalance leads to adjustment.  Adjustment leads to alignment.  Alignment leads to new balance.

For general understanding, every existence would contain with the basic elements of energy, matter and space.  In other words, mind and body are present in every created thing as one integrated whole, without exception.  Even an atom has a kind of mind that is unique or individualised.  The nucleus of the atom, around which electrons vibrate in standing waves, constitutes the atom’s individuality.  As a result, one atom distinguishes from another atom – just as one person is different from another person or as one thing is different from another thing; thus it maintains a self-identity.  

When one ponders as a subject on the other side of the object or matter, one would notice that energy takes on various forms and reborn all the time in the dependent nature.  Therefore, it is correct to mention that all objects are empty and exist conditionally without an eternal essence.  They only exist in relation to each other as appearances that in turn vary as per the perceptions of the beholders (or precisely, the minds of the beholders).  It is difficult for one to see into the ultimate truth because the mind is dependent arising and the presence in the waves of dependent phenomena has clouded the mind from discerning the reality of circumstances i.e. ignorance arises. With ignorance blindfolding the mind since the dawn of time, suffering arises and continues to arise in the dependent nature.

As a conclusion, both the emptiness and energy are the inherent qualities of the dependent nature.  These inherent qualities are the core basis for all the rising and falling activities in samsāra.  In fact, the repeating cycle of birth, life, death and re-birth in samsāra is due to its relevance to inherent existence and anything that inherently exists would not involve change.  In other words, samsāra is neither identical to, nor entirely different from the inherent existence. This is the correct understanding on the principle of emptiness that is in accordance with Buddhism i.e. all created things or happenings can never be in an absolute discrete orientation.  

Once again, the dependent nature is all about mind versus matter and mind versus mind.  As mentioned by the Buddha, mind is the forerunner of all states.  When there is mind arising, the dependent nature arises.  In other words, the dependent nature is a classification being performed by the mind. Without the mind, there is no classification of the dependent nature.  Therefore, both the mind and the dependent nature are inter-dependent of one another.  And with the presence of emptiness, the potential movement of the mind from non-enlightenment towards a state of enlightenment would be possible.  Seeing the Dhamma is seeing the Buddha – it is seeing and knowing the ultimate reality of things and happenings and not to get entangle with it.