Question 88: IN BUDDHISM, WE OFTEN HEAR ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF "NOTHINGNESS", SUCH AS “NO BIRTH, NO DEATH, AND NO EXISTENCE”...?

Question 88: IN BUDDHISM, WE OFTEN HEAR ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF "NOTHINGNESS", SUCH AS “NO BIRTH, NO DEATH, AND NO EXISTENCE”. THIS SEEMS LIKE A DENIAL OF THE EXISTENCE OF ALL THINGS. DOES THIS MEAN THAT AN ENLIGHTENED MASTER PERCEIVES EVERYTHING AS VOID?Answer: In reality, awakened Zen masters still perceive the existence of all things clearly; nothing ceases to exist from their perspective. However, they are no longer attached to or cling to external objects. As a result, they may feel that everything holds no value to them personally, leading them to refer to it as "nothingness". Furthermore, to encourage others to let go of worldly attachments, they may exaggerate by asserting that everything is void. This effort to prove the world as void can lead to a peculiar reasoning denying all things' existence.Initially, when one attains a tranquil state of mind free from attachment to the world, they begin to feel that all worldly things hold no value, eventually leading to a complete denial of the existence of all things. This phenomenon can be seen as a "side effect" of achieving deep meditative states. Ideally, the practitioner would stop at the stage where their mind is free from attachment. However, some have taken it further, ultimately giving rise to the concept of nothingness, which denies the existence of all things.Unfortunately, upon hearing such teachings, many people imitate this perspective and deny the existence of everything. Consequently, they become indifferent and detached from life, irresponsible toward others, and neglect the cultivation of virtue and merit. This nihilistic perspective gradually depletes one’s spiritual merit, hinders progress in practice, and may even result in poverty and hardship.Such stagnation also negatively impacts the vitality and growth of Buddhism as a whole.Denying the existence of all things can lead to rejecting the Law of Cause and Effect (the Law of Karma). In Buddhism, denying this fundamental principle is a grave error that incurs severe karmic consequences. In Zen Buddhism, there is a well-known story about a Zen master in the time of the ancient Buddha Kāśyapa. Having achieved deep meditative states, he mistakenly believed he was no longer subject to the Law of Cause and Effect. He propagated the false view that highly advanced practitioners are beyond Karma's influence. As a result, he was reborn as a fox for 500 lifetimes. Only after he encountered Zen master Baizhang Huaihai, who corrected his misunderstanding, was he liberated from the fox's existence and able to be reborn as a human. #Religions, #Buddhism, #DialogueBuddhismReligions, #Religious, #Buddhist, #Truedharma, #Meditation, #Enlightement, #Buddhatemple, #TheLawofKarma, #BuddhismforBeginners, #Janna, #JannaOrderMonastery,