Differences, Equality and Pernicious Equality
Elihu Genmyo Smith
We live a wonderful life, many forms manifesting
the joy that we are; mother playing with child, a weak elder hobbling along, flowers
blooming, wind-blown rain storm, falling leaves, hot and dusty drought, full-moon
bright, dark and foggy night. The various forms are exactly this manifesting
life - and are the opportunity to joyfully appreciate the variety of this life.
This is our opportunity to respond, manifesting this life we are - simple,
straightforward.
Unfortunately, sometimes we get
caught up in what we like or dislike, in greed and anger, and create stress and
dissatisfaction, doing what results in harm and suffering in the midst of this
joyous life. What behavior do you find intolerable? Whose manners offend you?
Do you react when you see…? Do you believe judgments? Do you notice reactions?
Please reflect on this.
Discovering for our self that
believing differences and attachment to them results in much of the harm and
suffering which humans inflect on them self, on others and on the world, we
feel a need to do something. When we do not appreciate the interpenetration of
differences and emptiness, equality and differences, we may think that the
antidote to problems is to do something about differences. Sometimes doing
something about the differences is attempting to wipe out differences, to get
away from differences by going to some form of oneness or equality. This can be
on a personal level or on a social level, it can be politically imposed or culturally
and religiously imposed, and may even include attempts to suppress and do away
with differences. And, in doing this, we may even experience peace and serenity
in a sense of oneness. But we are in trouble if we think that the problem is
the differences, if we fail to see that problems arise out of our
misperceptions of differences, what they “mean” and imply; to say it succinctly,
stress and suffering arise out of our dualistic delusions and attachments, even
attachment to oneness.
If we look for a solution in a
conceptual oneness, an artificial equality, we sometimes end up with an oneness
that really is a disguised way to impose our self-centered ideas, even ideas of
what oneness would be like, on our self or others.
Experiencing oneness, experiencing
unity, can be an antidote for self-centeredness, enabling and supporting forgetting
self; but the very experience of oneness, and holding to that, may merely
substitute “oneness” for “self-centeredness.” We may even think that experiencing
oneness is true, full “awakening.” Though it might be a glimmer, the glimmer
lacks non-abiding, lacks seeing/being the emptiness of conditions and forms, and
may lead to attachment to oneness, and, paradoxically, attachment to characteristics.
A glimmer of oneness, even temporarily “wiping out” differences, is not the
open boundlessness of ongoing change, is not non-attachment, is not dropping
away body-mind. Please do not believe any of these words I wrote
or get caught up in them! Please do not hold onto them!
If oneness is only conceptualized, a
self-centered idea, a substitute for emptiness, boundlessness, then as a result
of this conceptualizing we may become attached to our ideas of oneness,
attached to ideas of equality. Mixing oneness and emptiness, we make emptiness
into a thing. Even though this attachment is out of kind-heartedness, this is misplaced
and possibly dangerous. A surface equality, a conceptually-believed emptiness, a
pollyanish oneness which does not face the realities of the cause and effect
world we are - but instead covers up differences, not dealing appropriately and
skillfully with differences - this can lead to oppression and persecution,
intolerance and worse. We may reject and react to others who believe and speak
in certain ways, react to various feelings. Being deluded by differences, by
the realms of life, and “fighting against them,” we fail to appreciate “all
beings are the wisdom and perfection of the Tathagata” (Avatamsaka Sutra), this
absolute equality in the midst of differences. Thus, Shakyamuni Buddha says, “I
and all beings of the great earth have together attained the way;” no-I and no being
that is not-I, no thing that is not-I.
If, instead of working in the midst
of differences without being deluded by them, our approach is an approach of artificial
oneness, or attachment to a past experience of oneness, this will not enable skillfully
responding to troublesome behavior or violence of those (including our self)
stuck in self-centeredness. In not appreciating differences, not inhabiting
differences, we fail to see “all beings are the wisdom and perfection of the
Tathagatha.” Instead we exclude or suppress differences. This exclusion, this
suppression, whether of “self” or “others,” is an artificial oneness and
equality, a pernicious oneness, pernicious equality - lacking the interpenetration
of differences, lacking the “backside” of differences; this is a non-harmonious
equality. This pernicious equality can be as problematic as differences which
lack the “backside” of equality or oneness. A practice antidote to this
problematic is clarifying “form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form”
(Heart Sutra). (Form is the many forms of differences, many forms of being.)
There are similar statements in many
traditions: our life is seeing G-d in all the many forms and conditions,
responding to Jesus in everyone we meet, serving Allah in everyone we greet, responding
to the Buddha in this moment of encounter. And when we respond as the
Bodhisattva - and to the Bodhisattva - in this moment encounter, we manifest our
Bodhisattva functioning in this moment encounter, we enable the “other” to be
the Bodhisattva that they are.
The Bodhisattva precepts support us
in seeing and responding to things as is, rather than clinging to beliefs about
them. If we are trying to do away with differences, attempting to temporarily
“wipe out” differences, that much we believe and hold to differences, that much
we fail to see differences as they truly are, that much we miss non-attachment
to differences. We are blinded by one-sided vision and delusions about
differences.
Manifesting equality as differences
is appreciating and manifesting differences. Though equality wipes out
attachment to and abiding in differences, this equality, this emptiness, does
not deny differences. Emptiness is empty of emptiness. So, differences manifest
equality, differences manifest emptiness – not one thing.
We fool our self and others when we
fail to manifest equality as differences, fail to live this interpenetration of
form and emptiness that we are, when we attempt to do away with or cover over
differences in a “one-sided” oneness. A pernicious oneness can be a justification
for self-criticisms, as well as criticism of those who celebrate their
particularity, their traditions; forms of pernicious oneness have even been a
justification for all sorts of violence.
Superimposing an ideological equality
can be a way to impose conformity, persecuting differences. It can justify persecution
and biased treatment against particular political and social beliefs and
groups, justifying violence and worse from governmental authorities, encouraging
mobs such as in cultural revolutions, or terrorism by those who act against others
whose differences offend their ideas of “correct” oneness, offend their vision
of the “true” equality. These have been forms of political correctness, of political
and religious oppression, in many societies.
Appreciating the interpenetration of
emptiness and differences is appreciating the differences as they are, is
appreciating the differences we meet from morning to night, whether “our own”
or “others.” We know for our self that our encounters are indeed the wisdom and
perfection of the Tathagatha, our life manifesting - and naturally respond
accordingly. Ongoing practice enables us to see and experience differences as
exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly differences; then we are not blinded by
self-centered attachments to conditions, attachment to differences, attachment to
equality, attachment to beliefs; being not-knowing, we see this life as is in
the midst of ongoing arising/passing impermanence.
In noticing/practicing with attachments
as they arise in life, we are not bound by them; body-mind experiencing - right
here is non-attachment, right here is non-abiding. Right here - not a single
thing; and we have to take care of this! We can choose skillfully and
appropriately among the many forms of emptiness, many different forms of equality.
We can support all we encounter to release clinging and be free of stress and
suffering, be awake now.
© 2012 Elihu Genmyo Smith
