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The Tathagata’s flawed method Stripping the
onion of its sheaths to recover its essence,
or, reductio ad
absurdum
“There is, monks,
something unborn, not caused, not made, not created. If, monks, this
something not born, not caused, not made, not created did not exist, then a
getting out of this born, this caused, this made, this created could not be
found. But because there is something not born, not caused, not made, not
created, therefore a getting out of the born, the caused, the made, the
created may be found.” Ud. 8: 1-3
The Tathagata
proposed that if and when the conditioned, or compounded, and impermanent, in
a word, the born, and which causes death, and on the way to death pain, is
eliminated, the unconditioned, or un-compounded, and permanent, in a word,
the deathless (because lifeless), and which does not cause pain, would
remain. Or, when the painful relative is eliminated the painless absolute
remains. The
proposition is primitive, naïve. It is speculative since not derived from
factual observation. It’s designed to serve as rationale for dropping out –
and staying out. When
relativity is eliminated by means of gradual (or sudden) reduction,
relationship, i.e. communication ends; then no observation (and statement)
can be made. The Vedantins make the point that the nirguna Brahman (i.e. the
un-relativised whole or ground) cannot be accessed (hence described) in any
way, but, according to them can be experienced (i.e. as ‘I
am real’). To end
relativity and experience the affect of relativity ending, namely the
(assumed) essence (or atta, i.e. one’s wholly own, unique, original, hence
true property), a relative unit (or unit of relativity) needs to be ended
suddenly via collision with another relative unit (or unit of relativity). At collision,
the relative (i.e. the conditioned) is compressed out (to produce a
relativity vacuum) and the not-same (i.e. difference = the unconditioned =
essence = atta) of both strike @one and present (i.e. strike with their)
their difference made absolutely real by contact. It is the real imprint of (one’s) difference upon
the other, in other words, actual karmic
residue that is one’s essence = atta (read: ‘spirit made
flesh’). Fortunately
for non escapists, unfortunately for the wandering beggar Tathagata, who
sought to end life and “no more renewal of being”, the contact that transmits
one’s differential state (Sanskrit: chittva) and makes it real
(Sanskrit: sattva), and which results in sheer awesome bliss
(Sanskrit: ananda), is only momentary, moreover comes at a high price
(in suffering). To wit, “No pain, no gain!” Topics Index
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