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SELFLESSNESS
Like "Impermanence", "Selflessness" is also one of the main laws that operate continuously in the universe. And it is also one of the focuses of the Buddha's teachings. As mentioned in the article on "Impermanence", we do not need a religion to be able to hear and receive these simple, true, but extremely profound and intellectual teachings. Because teachers who have been fully awakened never have a discriminating mind, their instructions are always to save all of humanity. We just need to pay attention, reflect deeply on those teachings, observe the continuous operation of those truths in practice, to determine for ourselves whether these things are reliable or not from our own sense of self. From paying attention and contemplating these truths continuously, it will give us a deeper and more authentic sense of those truths. And more importantly, we must let these teachings flow into our daily activities to help us lead a lighter and more inspiring life.
Selflessness may be something we've all heard of in our lives, but perhaps few of us have ever questioned what its true profound meaning is, and even fewer of those who spend a lot of time pondering it in order to be able to apply their understanding of it to real life.
First of all, we must also admit that the word used to express this truth is a very difficult word to grasp - both a Sino-Vietnamese word and a word with a strong religious character. When we hear "Selflessness", or synonymous with "Emptiness", we often have the impression of something very fanciful and metaphysical. This really causes difficulties in understanding and feeling the very true, but extremely profound meaning of this truth.
To be able to understand "Selflessness" we need to grasp the word "self", which is really not a common word and is easy to grasp. On the most general level, "Self" can be understood as the characteristics, qualities, which in themselves already exist, of a person, a thing, a thing, a phenomenon, or a situation, to distinguish it from other people, things, things, phenomena, or circumstances. Such qualities, qualities are created by the human mind, in the form of concepts, thoughts. Thus the feeling that there is a "self" in everything – that is, the existence of "characteristics, qualities, which are already there" of everything, arises only to man, but is not yet in a state of awareness that is not sufficiently clear. So, these are extremely narrow and less profound feelings about every element of life, in the form of concepts and names. In animals and plants there is no sense of "fall". A creature that we call "The Dog", it merely exists as it is. A dog does not have a sense of self at the level of thoughts, concepts, to think that it is a "Dog", to distinguish it from a "Cat". "Dog" is just a concept, coined by the human brain, to think of a thing, in an extremely limited way. So when we grasp the meaning of "self", we can see that the truth of "Selflessness" says that every element of life, there is nothing that has such a "self". That is, there is nothing in the universe that can have properties, properties, which in itself already exists, and is independent of everything else. Synonymous with "Selflessness" is "Emptiness". Everything has "Nothingness", or everything is "Nothing" – not that everything in the world is nothing, that there is nothing – but that everything is "without self-nature" – this is, because the other is – completely interdependent. That is, there is absolutely nothing in the universe that can have properties, properties that it already has, that it is capable of independently existing, that has nothing to do with other things.
To be able to feel this truth fully and deeply, we need a high concentration in a necessary state of stillness, to look deeply into the nature of things. Our brains have always conceptualized things at a very shallow level, lacking depth. If our level of consciousness is not clear enough, we will always see things in a very limited pattern of the brain. We only know about things through concepts and names in a superficial and superficial way, completely devoid of depth in nature. In other words, the pattern of the brain only allows us to perceive things at the level of names, it refuses to see things and things at a deeper level in nature. For example, when we see something that the brain has defined and designated as a "motorcycle," then all we know about that thing, right then, is just "oh, there's a motorcycle" and it stops. Since the brain's automatic mechanism only allows us to know about that so-called "motorcycle" to such a degree, it never allows us to see, and understand more deeply the nature of that "motorcycle" thing. That limiting state, giving us the impression that there is something of such a "motorcycle" nature that actually exists independently and separately from everything else. When our consciousness is not yet clear enough to rise above the premise of this automatic mechanism, very often, or perhaps never, we ask the question: apart from the name, what is the true nature of that so-called "motorcycle"? Is there something that already has the characteristics of a "motorcycle" in itself, and exists independently, like that? When a thing or thing appears in our consciousness, if we do not automatically stop feeling about that thing or thing at the level of the name or concept that the brain has set, but we continue to pay attention and reflect deeply on the nature of the thing. that event, we will gradually feel and deeply understand the profound meaning of Selflessness.
With the thing that is a motorcycle as mentioned above, when we do not stop recognizing it at the level of the name of that thing "motorcycle", but continue to pay attention and reflect deeply on the nature of this thing, we will not see that there is any property, but it itself is independent and existing as a "motorcycle" exists. "Motorcycle", just a definition, a name, given to things by our brains, it has absolutely no meaning at all on an intrinsic level. If we pay attention to the essence, the so-called "motorcycle" is a collection of countless components from small to large such as: screws, gasoline needles, cylinders, etc. to the frames, wheel rims, steering axle, outer shell... All components from small to large are formed from materials such as iron, plastic, rubber, etc. And in order to have all of these materials - here we consider a material such as rubber - there must be a rubber tree present, if you want a rubber tree, there must be light, that is, there must be sun, there must be water, there must be soil to take root, after there is a rubber tree, It is necessary to have someone to exploit rubber latex, someone to process latex into plastic, someone to design the outer shells for the car, and someone to make plastic into that outer shell according to that design. Continuing to look at it, we will see that each of the people who carry out from the stage of planting rubber trees, to the stage of exploitation, design and manufacturing, in order to survive, they must need food, air, light... just like a rubber tree. In addition, if each of those people wants to survive, they need relationships with other people such as their parents, friends, and partners. And those who are involved in the existence of those people, such as their parents and fathers, still need food, air, light, and relationships with other people such as their parents, friends, partners, etc. Just like that, everyone in the world is involved. And if you want to have light, earth, and water, you have to have the earth and the sun. For the earth and the sun to operate in such an orbit, there must be other planets in the solar system that dominate each other. For the solar system to operate in such an orbit, there must be interaction with other planetary systems throughout the universe... With all the other details in the "motorcycle" complex, if we think deeply to the end, the essence of all those details is the same. When we consider the correlation to the extreme, we can see that, in order for any element of the "motorcycle" to exist, it is necessary to have the existence of all human beings and all other elements in the whole universe, in the right way. Through this insight, we see that, there is really no thing, there is a nature that is a "motorcycle" that already exists and exists independently like that. The so-called "motorcycle" is actually a combination formed by the combination of billions and billions of other elements in the entire universe, in an incredibly profound and transcendent way. The mere occurrence of a change, or the omission of any one factor, makes the existence of the "car" go in a completely different direction, unpredictable. We can see that, if we look deeply at the root nature of everything, to the extreme, there is no element in this universe that has a separate, self-contained "self." All "Selflessness" is an unchangeable truth. Everything is present because there is the presence of all other things, no one element is indispensable.
All elements of life, including people and things, events, and circumstances are interconnected in an extremely tight and transcendent system. The feeling of something having a pre-existing nature, and independent of other things, is only an illusion that arises in a state of consciousness limited by the pattern of the brain. When we concentrate in silence, to contemplate, to feel things deeply, at the ultimate level of nature, we will feel the Selflessness, and the close, magical connection of all the elements of life. And we will also understand that, since everything is Selfless, only a manifestation of the pseudo-but superhuman combinations of countless other factors in the whole universe, everything is "Impermanent", constantly changing and changing.
We might ask: what do we need to know and feel things at such a deep level? Does feeling things at a deep level in essence, or just feeling things at the level of concepts and names – as the usual brain mechanisms do – have any effect on our real lives? Because no matter how we feel things, life will go the way it needs to go. So why do we need to feel and understand more deeply? Indeed, no matter how we feel about things, deep or shallow, the flow of life will not change because of our feelings, life will still take place in the ways that it needs to take place. However, we need to understand that our attitude towards everything that happens in life - happily accepting or reacting or opposing - is what determines whether our life will be simple, light, or confusing or complicated. If the automatic mechanism of the brain in us is only to always perceive things at the level of concepts and names, but to know that this perception is shallow, inaccurate, to happily accept things to happen naturally as they should, we would not have had such troubled and miserable lives. In fact, the brain's automatic mechanism not only limits our perception of things to a very superficial conceptual level, but it also enjoys making judgments and judgments based on those limited understandings, and often negatively. We can redefine this by paying attention to observing, or remembering patterns of perception and behavior with everything we do when we encounter specific situations in life. When our consciousness is completely governed by the automatic brain mechanism, we always look at things from a very shallow and one-sided angle, rarely do we delve into the essence, to understand something more clearly. But we often rely on that narrow understanding to make analyses, judgments, and conclusions about things. This is like a pre-set automatic mechanism. If we are not discerning enough to focus on turning within ourselves and observing, it will be very difficult for us to realize how it is dominating us. In that completely limited, unenlightened state of consciousness, we always tend to oppose the natural flow of life, we always see and judge things as independent entities, separate from everything else. It is these judgments and judgments based on false illusions that cause us to feel dissatisfied with things that have happened that we think should not have happened, and regret for things that have not happened that we think should have happened. Such feelings of regret and constant dissatisfaction with reality will kill all inspiration in life, making our lives always extremely suffocating, mysterious and full of negativity. On the other hand, if these negative emotions reach a sufficiently large intensity, they will motivate us to make extremely wrong and disastrous decisions, and often lead us to extremely tragic ends, situations.
Chúng ta cần thường xuyên thực hành việc tập trung tâm ý, để cảm nhận thật sâu bản chất của mọi thứ. Để nhận thấy rằng mọi thứ đều tồn tại được, là nhờ sự tồn tại của toàn bộ những thứ khác. Mọi thứ đều không bao giờ có một đặc tính nào tự thân có sẵn, tất cả đặc tính của mọi thứ, đều được tạo nên bởi vô vàng những yếu tố khác kết hợp lại. Khi chúng ta hoạt động trong cuộc sống hàng ngày, nếu chúng ta cảm nhận mọi thứ ở mức độ sâu sắc như vậy, chúng ta sẽ có những nhận định, những cách nhìn khách quan và chính xác hơn đối với con người, hoàn cảnh hay sự kiện. Từ đó ta có khả năng đưa ra những quyết định, những hành động hòa hợp và tích cực hơn, tránh được những hậu quả không mong muốn làm ảnh hưởng tới cuộc sống của chúng ta.
Khi ta nhìn sâu vào mọi sự ở mức độ tận cùng, ta sẽ thấy rằng mọi phân biệt đều phát sinh từ ảo tưởng về một cái ngã riêng, độc lập của mọi sự. Ảo tưởng này phát sinh khi ý thức trong trạng thái bị chi phối hoàn toàn bởi cơ chế tự động của trí não, và chỉ nhận biết về mọi thứ ở mức khái niệm và tên gọi. Khi ta mắc kẹt trong ảo tưởng về sự độc lập và riêng biệt của mọi thứ, ta rất hay cho rằng có những thứ tốt, có những thứ không tốt; có những thứ vui vẻ, có những thứ buồn chán; có những thứ nên xảy ra, có những thứ không nên xảy ra. Những nhận định sai lầm vì thiếu chiều sâu này luôn tạo ra những trở lực ngăn cản ta tiếp chạm với nguồn cảm hứng thực sự của sự sống. Khi ta mang tâm phân biệt, không hiểu rằng mọi thứ đều Vô ngã, “cái này có thì cái kia mới có”, ta sẽ khó lòng cảm thấy biết ơn và trân trọng với mọi thứ. Và điều này ngăn cản ta có những trải nghiệm sâu sắc về mọi thứ. Như ta luôn cho rằng những ngày nghỉ cuối tuần là những ngày vui vẻ, thoải mái, còn những ngày đi làm trong tuần là những ngày bận rộn, khốn khổ. Tuy nhiên nếu ta nhìn sâu vào bản chất sự vui vẻ của những ngày nghỉ, ta sẽ nhận ra nó lại đến từ sự bận rộn của những ngày đi làm. Nếu không có sự bận rộn của những ngày đi làm, sẽ không có sự vui vẻ thoải mái của những ngày nghỉ. Ta có thể thử tưởng tượng, nếu ta nghỉ suốt một năm, thì cảm giác về ngày cuối tuần sẽ không còn nữa, vì lúc đó ngày nào cũng như ngày nấy vậy thôi. Khi một cảm nhận sâu sắc đúng đắn như vậy phát sinh, ta sẽ vẫn vui vẻ tận hưởng cảm giác thảnh thơi của những ngày nghỉ cuối tuần, nhưng đồng thời ta cũng chấp nhận và trân trọng sự bận rộn của những ngày đi làm. Ta không còn cảm thấy sự bận rộn là không đáng có, và bất an lo lắng khi tới những ngày đi làm nữa. Vì với cái nhìn sâu sắc, ta biết rằng sự bận rộn trong những ngày đi làm có một ý nghĩa và tầm quan trọng riêng của nó, chính vì có nó mới tạo nên cảm giác thảnh thơi trong những ngày nghỉ ngơi. Từ đó thay vì bài xích và e sợ với những ngày đi làm bận rộn, ta lại cảm thấy muốn chào đón nó với niềm trân trọng và biết ơn. Trong tâm thái tích cực và cởi mở như vậy, ta có khả năng trải nghiệm những ngày đi làm một cách nhẹ nhàng, thoải mái hơn. Dù bận rồn, ta vẫn sẽ thực hiện mọi việc trong sự điềm tĩnh, chủ động và với một nguồn cảm hứng lớn lao, thay vì với cảm giác lo âu, chịu đựng, khi cho rằng những ngày này là những ngày khốn khổ.
If we are able to deeply perceive Selflessness in everything, then even when we are faced with unfavorable situations or circumstances in our lives, we fully understand that that unfavorable situation, like everything in the world, cannot happen in itself. These unfavorable situations and circumstances are also formed by countless other factors. In particular, the choices and actions that we have made are also one of the main factors that create this disadvantage. Why? Because whatever happens to me, concerns me, I am certainly a part of it, it cannot be otherwise. From this insight, instead of being afraid and skeptical of the situation, we will be calmer, more proactive, and more responsible in the face of adversity. Instead of complaining about why these disadvantages are happening to us, we will calmly face them in silence and pay attention to the nature of the situation. Through this, we are able to recognize the main factors that have contributed to the formation of this situation in an extremely clear and profound way. And surely then we will see how the thoughts and actions that we have done in the past have contributed to this disadvantage. From there, it will be easier for us to accept the situation, and we will also be acutely aware of the thoughts and actions that need to be changed in order to change the situation. We can also practice this kind of attentive consideration of favorable situations and circumstances, in order to be deeply aware of what factors have created those advantages, through which we can continue to maintain and promote them.
A deep understanding of the Selflessness of all things also helps us to have more insight and justice into our own bad habits and mistakes as well as those of others. It will be easier for us to tolerate and sympathize with ourselves and others than to criticize and catch faults. Because everything cannot exist on its own, it is formed from countless other factors, and without exception, every bad habit or every mistake is the same. When our perception is completely dominated by the normal brain mechanism, we always have an unfair view of a person's or even one's own mistakes. Actually, "a person's mistake" is an illusion, it is like a concept, a name, that the brain sets for us to perceive a thing. When we stop our awareness of things at such a superficial and shallow level, we always have wrong judgments and judgments, unfairly about it. This leads to wrong behaviors that cause suffering to oneself and others. When we have a deep understanding of Selflessness, we will understand that there really cannot be such a thing as "one's fault." When we look deeply at what we call "one's fault," we see that, like so many other things in the world, there are countless factors that contribute to the formation of that "one's fault," and perhaps we ourselves are one of them. From supposedly small sins, to great sins, they cannot belong to one person. All mistakes arise from bad habits, distorted and distorted ideological patterns about life. However, these bad habits and thinking patterns of someone cannot be formed by themselves. It is formed from countless other factors such as: the circumstances of birth, the childhood living environment, the habits and ways of thinking of the parents that influence it, the educational environment, the people that the person comes into contact with during the process of life, the customs of the region where the person grew up, etc the context and the actual pressures that the person is facing at that time.... All of these factors, and countless others, directly or indirectly, contribute to a habit or a pattern of one's thinking. These inappropriate habits and thinking patterns, when faced with the right circumstances, will lead to actions that we call "one's mistakes." If we meditate deeply on the nature of what is supposed to be "a person's fault," before making judgments and conclusions, we will see that there is no element of the person himself that makes such mistakes. That so-called mistake is only as an inevitable thing that must happen, and the person who is supposed to cause it is only a means by which it is manifested. Yet when our perception is caught up in the domination of a limited brain pattern, we attribute all responsibility for that event to that one individual. Is this fair? But we always do so in a lot of circumstances and situations. When we hear about a piece of information, such as some kind of violence, we have no deep understanding of the event, but we are always quick to come to the conclusion that "that is a crime," and to be more sure, we add "no matter what." If we have a deep understanding of Selflessness, we will know that the act of violence is only the final progression so that an event, created by a myriad of other factors that occurred before, is fully manifested outwardly. And the person who causes that action is only a means to allow something that has to happen to happen go out. But with the usual brain mechanism, we always attribute the whole event to one individual. More specifically, for events that are directly related to us, we are even more prone to lack objectivity and depth of feeling. It's easy to conclude that someone has done something wrong to us. And the very conclusions generated from this false illusion can lead to unnecessary actions, causing suffering to ourselves and others. If we have a deep understanding of Selflessness in all things, and regularly practice paying attention to perceive everything at the ultimate level of its essence. When we encounter unexpected situations with others, instead of rushing to judge and blame, we are able to be calmer to focus on the essence of the matter. Then we can deeply recognize the factors that made it happen. And certainly, we will realize that our own behavior in the situation is always one of the main factors that contribute to the creation of things. If we've looked at the situation in depth and haven't seen any impact from us contributing to it, then we may not have looked deeply enough. It can be an impact that we cannot feel, because it is created by ourselves, but in the distant past even when we were born contributed to the creation of the situation. When we pay attention to the so-called "fault of somebody" at such a deep level, we get rid of the illusion that every mistake caused by improper actions is something that belongs to an individual. that individual causes it all. From that clear and deep awareness, we are more likely to empathize with others when unwanted interactions occur. Because we can empathize and empathize more with others, we are more tolerant, and the actions we choose to take will be wiser and more harmonious. Let us do the same, paying attention to the selflessness of our own faults or inappropriate habits. Instead of tormenting ourselves, blaming ourselves, remorseful about what the inappropriateness has caused, we should focus on reflecting deeply on the nature of the matter, in order to recognize the deep factors that caused it. From there we will know what needs to be done to change it.
When we regularly focus on the essence of everything at the end, in order to understand the profound meaning of Selflessness. We will realize that everything is manifested and closely linked in an extremely sacred, creative system, with a transcendent intellect that goes far beyond the farthest imaginations that man can imagine. In terms of relativity, we can feel that everything seems to have different shapes, different properties. But at the absolute ultimate level of nature, we can partly sense that all existence has the same nature. It is "only possible to exist because all other things exist". Certainly we are not able to grasp the full depth and escape of life. However, if we are attentive and quiet enough, we can partly feel the divine connection of everything, partly feel the transcendence and precision of the universe. When we are active in our daily lives, we should regularly focus on nurturing and engaging with this feeling and trust. Because with that deep feeling and belief, we will accept everything that comes into our lives - from people to circumstances - in a softer and calmer way. We will feel appreciative and grateful for all that has passed, as well as being present in life sincerely and deeply. Because we understand that all of these things have certain meanings, which are indispensable, to make up our presence here and now. FTAC
