Seeing Clearly
The First Step Toward Happiness
Things wear out. Experiences fade. Circumstances change. Structures are unstable. People and pets get sick and die.
Now that’s what I call 20/20 vision. How depressing.
Or is it?
According to the Buddhist tradition, one takes the first step on the path of liberation and happiness by clearly seeing the nature of reality. It’s frequently referred to as “perfect vision” or “right view.”
Scientists take this first step all the time. We might even say that the very purpose of science is to discover and describe nature. Unfortunately, the tools (both experimental and theoretical) that scientists use to accomplish their mission are imperfect. They lose sight of this (pun intended), and so they suffer, especially when other scientists come up with “better” and more precise theories and experiments. Never underestimate the ego (or, unhappiness) of a scientist.
In this context, it is helpful to recognize and accept that human beings are part of nature, and part of human nature is to want things (people and circumstances) to be other than they are. Think about some of your reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic. Are there voices in year head saying:
-This should not be happening!
-Why was I not prepared?
-The economy will never recover.
-Where is all the equipment and medicine?
-The President of the United States is an idiot!
And, so on. Those voices cause suffering for yourself and others.
So, what is one to do?
Again, an excellent first step is to recognize that every event, phenomenon, being, thought, word, action, etc. — is conditional upon an infinitely complex web of other things. And, those things are themselves dependent upon infinitely complex networks of different things, and so on.
A typical example given by Thich Nhat Hahn is that of a table:
“For a table to exist, we need wood, a carpenter, time, skillfulness, and many other causes. And each of these causes needs other causes to be. The wood needs the forest, the sunshine, the rain, and so on. The carpenter needs his parents, breakfast, fresh air, and so on. And each of those things, in turn, has to be brought about by other causes and conditions. If we continue to look in this way, we’ll see that nothing is left out. Everything in the cosmos has come together to bring us this table.”
Physicists say that the universe we experience came into existence in a “big bang.” That is; there was some cause or condition at the outset.
And we know only too well through our direct experience that every conditioned thing is impermanent. Every day, every hour, every minute we are made aware of the fact that nothing lasts, nothing stays.
I was acutely reminded of this fact when the compressor of my airconditioning unit failed over the weekend after only six years of operation.
It seems that everything flows on. Nothing remains the same, even for two consecutive seconds. We are growing old all the time, and the things
around us are wearing out all the time. There is no stability, no security. We like to think we have got something forever, but this ‘forever’ maybe a few years, or a few days, or a few hours — even a few minutes.
So, this is one of the most important aspects of seeing clearly: everything is impermanent, everything is transient, and you cannot hold on to anything for very long. Even when we look at ourselves and our experiences, we begin to notice how fleeting our thoughts and emotions are.
I notice this every day in my meditation practice.
It’s kind of like Stymie searching for what’s at the heart of an artichoke. As he peels away each layer, he discovers that the center is empty. Physicists do the same thing. As they probe deeper and deeper into the atom (or the universe), they find nothing at all, except maybe what they call energy (and, if you want steam to come out of your ears have three different physicists define energy for you).
And yet, here we are. In a body. Something from nothing. That’s the paradox. Or, as the Buddhists say: “emptiness is form and form is emptiness.”
Nonsense, you say! I feel pain.
Of course, you do. Like when you have a toothache or cut your finger. Or, you twist your ankle. And, yes, we do experience emotions (some of them painful), as I’ve written elsewhere.
However, when we see clearly, we can begin to end suffering for ourselves and others. Take, for example, the case of a fine automobile. Let’s say you own one and driving it is a source of enjoyment to you (as my Mazda Miata is for me). Someday you (and I) will have to give it up. It may be due to an accident, or it may just wear out. Contemplating that day (as the Stoics recommended) can be a great source of relief when the day comes. In the meanwhile, by all means, enjoy driving it while you have it. I know I will.
By seeing clearly, we can start to notice that no phenomena (people, places, circumstances, things) give us full or final satisfaction. That is because real and lasting happiness can be found only in the unconditioned, or what is commonly referred to in the Christian tradition as “the Kingdom of God,” or, as the Buddhists say, “Nirvana.”
Right now is a great time to practice experiencing heaven on earth or nirvana. Amid great calamity and chaos, it is possible to see clearly and keep in mind the wise old saying: “this too shall pass.”
