Have you stopped to consider how the world is made up? The Buddha teaches us that all phenomena are the results of a series of causes and conditions. He teaches that “this is because that is”.
But, what about when there is no this or that? Where are we when we are left with just a “this”? If we plumb the depths of the Buddha’s teaching we discover that the same law applies.
In Buddhism we call this the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. The last two words make the law clear: all things originate and are because certain causes and conditions come together to give rise to a particular phenomenon. You are a phenomenon. You only exist because a sperm and egg came together. They are the causes of your existence.
You did not come into being on your own. Nothing does. Behind all phenomena there are similar causes and conditions.
On a more fundamental level, one can say that there are just atoms and space. Atoms come together to create all sorts of things from plants and animals to the stars. In this sense we are not different than the stars.
It’s an interesting thing to ponder don’t you think. Hold that idea for awhile: you are no different than a star. Observe what comes up for you and how it informs how you view yourself and others.
---Deokwun Sunim, Abbot of the Grand Rapids' Zen Temple---
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