Understanding the Empty Space
I have just finished up rough draft versions of several new sections for the Personal Tao book: here is the empty space section (still in process of revising to flow better) An updated book will be published to the site in a week or so after the edit process goes thru its circles of change.
We are the light of our own empty space.
What is the Empty Space?
Take some clay. Feel it in your hands. Now spin it upon a potter’s wheel. What is shaped? A bowl comes out. However, the bowl is defined by an empty space, a space enclosed by the bowl’s very form. The empty space holds the water, filling the purpose of the bowl. The actual physical form of the bowl is reflected by the empty space it projects. The final use and form of the bowl being determined in the moment of free will and artistry used to spin out the shape.
In this example the bowl is made from clay. The clay forming the body, but the actual complete bowl projects out as much more than a clay shell; it must include this “empty space” for its definition. In fact to be a bowl is more about the “empty space” over the materials comprising the bowl.
In living, we each have a physical form which is mirrored by an empty space. The process of shaping this space is the very definition of a person’s free will.
Continue to the full article.
Peace
8 comments:
Aren't we all created by emptiness filled with experience?
I had to think about this for a moment Bert.
Some observations
first:
The empty space isn't emptiness,
second:
For some experience could be considered to be like water, and just as water erodes and changes the shape of the land, experience can also shape a person, and in this shaping help define the empty space. But its one of many factors and not the only aspect filling the empty space.
So to answer your question, i don't think so, the questions isn't quite right either which makes it actually difficult to answer, since the term emptiness in the question feels like its being used in a manner of " lacking any content" and the empty space doesnt quite translate in that physical manner.
So I can't quite fully answer your question with a no either since from some angles a little bit of a yes creeps in, and the question pokes around in other areas which might have some relevance i haven;t considered before. I will lt this question sit in my mind for a little while to see if my thougghts change.
Peace Bert
You're right, Casey, emptiness is not empty space, for that I might have expressed myself incorrectly. I did mean empty space instead of emptiness, for as you explain, emptiness = nothing and that's not what I wanted to say.
I think that our empty space, our blank page is created and filled by our experience throughout life, trough daily events, wins or losses, tragedies or victories. So that we, at the final moment of our life, can enjoy once more the book that was written during it.
:) nice way to think of it
how is everything going of late?
Well, as you can read on bmart, I've been very busy with my room. I really feel like having created a new livingspace for myself, something I needed very much. I hope I can further improve my environment by positive things. I know last night was a good start (I will spare you the details, but it has something to do with a girl ;) ) and we'll see what comes up!
Beloved Casey,
it was such a beautiful post. i am going to link it to share with others.
to add more, i was watching this movie, what the bleep do we know, where in Quantum Physics they were talking about empty space. as scientists are knowing more of our reality, they are acknowledging that our vision of reality is wrong so far. Quantum Physics again shows us that mattter is not what we think of, rather its more of empty space, a play of possibilities, the electron clouds are constantly coming and fading away in emptiness as they appear and dissapear in an atom.
i was in awe when i was watching. i must recommend the movie to you. There are a lot of inspirations for the Path (Tao) i am sure.
with love,
Sadiq
Consider this my friend. The empty space is our eternal double that we "strive" to enter by not doing. Free will, while we are still bound to this material world by our Karma, is but an illusion. To fill the empty space, with nothing more than we brought into this world, requires losing all of our ego-created baggage. As we learn to replace all doing with not doing, we are gradually moving toward an existence of perfection. Once our path is complete not doing we start to fill our empty space. All previous causes will manifest as effects that must be passed, overcome in this perfect state. We slowly fill our space as we pass all the effects we caused earlier. Living completely in not doing the effects flow by one by one with each representing an attachment to this material world. As the great Karmic balance sheet moves toward zero balances in the cause and in the effect columns, our empty space is filling with nothing but our true nature. We may not recognize ourself without ego as the last effect slowly, effortlessly flows past us and we become the empty space. No ego, no Karma, no more ties to this world. We are free! We are one! We have true free will! We are the empty space! Poof!
Nicely written and another way to view the empty space.
Take all the views , circle around and then the empty space becomes full, it becomes one with who we each are.
:) Thanks Tom.
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