Emptiness

Emptiness is an inescapable aspect of form. It surrounds everything, is inbetween everything, indeed it makes up everything. It is from which everything came and into which everything must eventually go. The huge distance between stars are made up of primarily nothing, even on this planet the spaces between objects is empty. On a sub-atomic level, the distances between each atom and its neighbour are so incredibly vast (in comparison to the size of the atoms) everything we percieve and are is substantially empty. Beyond this physical realm, the spaces within our minds can far outstretch those spaces between the stars.

Everyone has an intrinsic feeling of this emptiness at some stage or on some level. This unfathomable emptiness, is, as mentioned, the most present 'thing' in this universe. As this is only a feeling of emptiness, without understanding, people for the most part attempt to fill this emptiness by any means necessary. Often, these means include: power, money, competition, success over others, the ego, false personalities, metrial possetions, entertainment, pleasure seeking, addictions and devised beliefs.

It is through these means that the universal plight of all beings, great or small, can be seen on a human scale. That plight is of course the search for joy and the end of suffering. For most people, this plight has simply developed into into a concept of fast gratification, enslavement to sensory addictions and the ultimate selfish ego.

However, as these 'fillers' are inescapably empty themselves, they only serve to fill the emptiness with emptiness, eventually expanding this empty feeling.

It is only through knowing, understanding, accepting and appreciating and being a part of the emptiness just as it is a part of you, can you begin to fill this emptiness.

Humane?

Whilst stretching this morning, I had an interesting thought conserning the use of the word 'humane'. Dictionary.com defines 'humane' as: "characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, esp. for the suffering or distressed".

This seemed a form of conceptual paradox to me, for which other animal on this planet treats any other living thing in such a way that needs compassion or sympathy for the outcome. The word humane is usually used regarding the kind actions of people following the not-so-kind actions of humans.

Does this word mean that there is a perception that humans are essentially compassionate, or once were essentially compassionate? Or maybe that humans are the only beings capable of being compassionate? Or is it simply the belief that humans should be essentially compassionate?

The Impressivity and Importance of Detail

The endless minutae in any given moment, regardless of what moment that is, is a consistant way of truly appreciating the endless beauty and unfathomable intricacy that life and this world of form ('reality', 'the world') endlessly provides. Again, a lack of judgemental or 'concious' thought is needed for such an appreciation to be established, as judgemental or concious thoughts will accociate either facts with or individualised interpretations of that detail, therefore rendering yourself blind to the sense of stillness and appreciation that would otherwise come from an unjudged observation. Consider it in the context of an aspect of nature, for nature truly holds all beauty necessary for true appreciation. When one looks at a tree, or a leaf, or a stream, they will inevitably link logical and factual associations with that object, such as: "Look there's a tree, it has a brown trunk and light green leafs, it can photosynthesise, the light it filters is casting strange shadows across the ground". Some distinctly lucky people may get a strange yet great feeling when they associate with an element of undefiled nature, a feeling they might associate with happiness, or joy, or some positive emotion, although this is soon to end once the moment of appreciation goes. By observing the tree without the judgemental or logical mind, a concept of purely seeing the tree without an attached thought, the inevitable beauty of its minutae; the rivulets of the bark, the fibres of its leafs, and further; the tree itself, the forest, the moment, indeed the vast yet remarkable complexity of life, existance and the universe, immediately becomes apparent. In such a moment, the individual has no need for this feeling, this knowledge, this appreciation, to be explained or analysed by the rational mind, it is somehow, perfect, right, ideal. Through this state, the lines of the grain on a desk, the glisten of light along the edge of a coin, the notion of water, indeed any percievable individual detail or aspect of reality becomes beauty itself. Through a maintenance of such observation, these individual details will stand out alone, whilst also blending into one imcomparably brilliant representation of the endless beauty and unfathomable intricacy of life and this world of form.

Intra-Observation

Observation of inner activity, as well as thoughts, (for many, this will probably only make sense when considering 'negative', harmful or unwanted emotions and thoughts) has the same effect as a light shining into a darkened corner. It dispells the darkness, it forms light from the darkness, it transmutes the darkness from itself, forming clarity from the murk. Observation is not a simple act of seeing, or viewing, these terms imply a thought process behind them, a judgement, a critical view, an emotional perspective. Dictionary.com's first definition of observe is to "see, watch, percieve or notice". These terms, especially percieve, have some form of analytical or judgemental insinuations. To properly observe in the terms of thoughts and emotions, one must free such observations from any form of judgement, or these observations will themselves become thoughts and emotions. Following this principle, light and clarity is formed from the darkness and confusion.
Watching the flames of a fire will dampen it quicker than feeding them.

The Lizard on the Wall

Today, whilst sitting on the verandha with my father eating lunch, he started and said to me: "Look at that little lizard over there on the wall!".
I looked over my shoulder and indeed there was a small skink laying in the sun on the vertical face of a limestone step. I replied: "Oh yeah, I've seen him about three days in a row now",
to which my father nodded indifferently and went back to his slow-cooked free-range pork chop. After this transaction I wondered whether it had in fact been the same lizard, or was it just another one?
A few seconds later my father again started, and said: "Look, there's another one, there're heaps of them, no wonder you thought you'd seen the same one". Again I looked over my shoulder and there indeed was another skink, although notably larger than the other. I said to my father around a mouthfull of buckwheat and pumpkin stew: "Possibly, but I'm certain it was that same smaller one".
Again I wondered about the fact of it being the same lizard as I believe, or a different lizard as my father seemed to believe. It then occured to me, and as there was no way of testing or using 'hard' fact (as people, rather illogically, seem obsessed with these days) to determine whether it was or was not the same lizard, it became apparent, indeed become a 'fact', that it must have been the same lizard, as well as being a different lizard.
The observer will always have an effect on the observed.