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A Mutual Meaning

Profile Picture Teddy Warner| 2024 | 7-11 mins

While many find Nietzsche’s nihilistic interpretation of the meaning of life to be disheartening, I’ve always appreciated the personal agency it permits.

To be clear, I don’t think I’ve ever bought into Nietzschian philosophy, as I’ve always appreciated traditional morality, yet I’ve enjoyed the concept of being able to assign my own meaning to life. Prior to my introduction to Hindu and Buddhist philosophy in The Upanishads and The Other Shore, I was on board with the Nietzschian belief in a lack of inherent meaning to life, yet these texts introduced me to the appealing concept of meaning derived from existence and impact. These philosophies don’t rid me of my agency to assign meaning, they’ve equipped me with tools to do so, while also filling the abyss left open by Nietzsche, an inherent meaning to life, our impact on each other.

The Other Shore

What are the crucial points in this source that make it iconic, ideas I want to remember for the rest of my life?

  1. Create the conditions in life where what I desire will occur.
  2. Life’s meaning is found in our existence, which itself only exists because of the existence of everything else.

    “We are not separate. We are inextricably interrelated.” 1

  3. Our existence is what provides meaning to others. Thus, smile! Not only for yourself, but for the world.

Abstract

The Other Shore is an analysis of a new translation of the Heart Sutra by Thich Nhat Hanh, “the fruit of the author’s more than sixty years of study and practice”. The book is an exploration of Buddhist philosophy and practice, as well as a guide for achieving a more peaceful and fulfilling life. Through the use of vivid imagery and personal anecdotes, Hanh offers practical advice on topics such as mindfulness, meditation, and compassionate action. The book also delves into deeper themes such as the nature of reality, the interconnectedness of all beings, and the importance of letting go of attachments. With its emphasis on cultivating a deep awareness of the present moment and a sense of interconnectedness with all things, The Other Shore offers a powerful vision for living in harmony with oneself and the world.

Notes

  • Buddhism —> We need each other.
  • Buddhist emptiness allows for change, allows growth.

    “Because you are there, I can be here. That is the true meaning of emptiness. … Emptiness simply means no self-nature.” 2

    “Thanks to emptiness, everything is possible.” 3

  • I am more than my body, and even my mind, I am also my impact. After death, impact still exists, and thus I will remain.

    “It would be wrong to think that what falls to the ground and dies is the whole of the leaf. During the nine months that it lived, the leaf travelled far. It had breathed and produced oxygen, which has entered into us human beings … The leaf, which has now fallen to the ground, has entered both us and the tree it fell from. It is not easy to see all the places the leaf has entered. We should not identify the leaf cadaver we see on the ground as being the whole of the leaf. Only them do we truly see the leaf, which is present everywhere.” 4

  • Not only does your impact define you, but effects who others are as well.

    “It is from this insight of interbeing that true compassion will be born in our hearts and we will know what to do and what not to do to help the situation.” 5

  • “Is Sugar Sweet?”, only when all of its parts are together. All things are formations, like sugar, and and mutually dependent upon each other for their own existence.

    “The sweetness is made only of non-sweet elements … If you remove any of those atoms there will be no sweetness. If you can bring them back together again there will be sweetness.” 6

  • The Four Noble Truths
    1. Life is suffering.
    2. Suffering is a product of desire.
    3. Escape from suffering is possible (Nirvana).
    4. Nirvana can be achieved by following the middle path.
  • We are not on a path to suffering & happiness, but on a path of suffering & happiness - life.

    “Suffering doesn’t exist by itself.” 7

    “As long as there are human beings and the human mind, happiness and suffering will continue to manifest.” 8

  • Reality is what exists even when you do not believe in it.

    “Even when the truth itself comes and knocks at your door, you will not open it.” 9

  • 🍊

    “As the tangerine becomes real, we become real. Life in that moment becomes real.” 10

The Upanishads

What are the crucial points in this source that make it iconic, ideas I want to remember for the rest of my life?

  1. Facing death will drive us into a deeper understanding and consciousness.

    “The capacity latent in all of us to face that grim awareness and use it as a drive to deepening consciousness.” 11

  2. Meditation is like practicing for death, learning to let go of everything except true Self.
  3. You must both transcend though meditation and live in the moment to overcome death.

    “Those who combine action with meditation cross the sea of death through action and enter into immorality though the practice of meditation.” 12

Abstract

The Upanishads by Eknath Eswaran is a modern translation and interpretation of the ancient Hindu texts that form the foundation of Vedanta philosophy. The book contains 18 Upanishads, each providing a deep insight into the nature of reality and the purpose of human existence. Eswaran’s translation is accompanied by insightful commentary that sheds light on the text’s meaning and relevance to modern life. He emphasizes the central message of the Upanishads: the unity of all beings and the importance of realizing this unity through self-knowledge and spiritual practice. With its emphasis on inner transformation and the pursuit of truth, The Upanishads provides a powerful guide for those seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.

Notes

  • Hinduism —> We are each other.
  • The students of the Upanishads are not solely expected to listen and understand them, but to realize them: that is …

    “To make their truths an integral part of character, conduct, and consciousness.” 13

    “Only a few even hear these truths; of those who hear, only a few understand and of those only a handful attain the goal.”14

  • Challenge provides meaning to life.

    “Human beings cannot live without challenge. We cannot live without meaning.” 15

  • Meant to shake your core, vibrate your body.

    “OM”

  • Love yourself.
  • The journey of life is the pursuit of the Self, yet the Self will never be reached.

    “Though motionless, he outruns all pursuit.” 16

    “The Self seems to move, but is ever still.” 16

  • The self is within you, and thus as already been discovered? “Seems” vs. “Is” - Perception seems to show that I am not the Self, yet in reality, I am.

    “He seems far away, but is ever near. He is within all, and he transcends all.” 16

  • You must find the Self in many areas as to not be blinded.

    “Those who see all creatures in themselves and themselves in all creatures know no fear. Those who see all creatures in themselves and themselves in all creatures know no grief. How can the multiplicity of life delude the one who sees its unity?” 12

  • The Self = God (or part of it)

    “Even that very Self am I!” 17

  • Brahman is unity, reality, everything.

    “It is the power of Brahman that makes the mind to think, desire, and will.” 18

  • A little René Descartes-esk - Cogito, Ergo Sum

    “Know the Self as lord of the chariot, the body as the chariot itself, the discriminating intellect as the charioteer, and the mind as reins.” 19

  • The changeless - the Self - is within you, not in the world around you.

    “Seek not the changeless in the world of change.” 20

  • Your body restrains your soul.

    “When the dweller in the body breaks out in freedom from the bonds of flesh” 21

  • There is no need to remove everything external completly, just don’t let it restrain you.

    “When all desires that surge in the heart are renounced, the mortal becomes immortal. When all the knots that strangle the heart are loosened, the mortal becomes immortal.” 22

  • There is a difference between the Self and the individual - something must be done to extract the Self from the individual.

    “Like oil in sesame seeds, like butter in cream, like water in springs, like fire in firesticks, so dwells the Lord of Love, the Self, in the very depths of consciousness. Realize him through truth and meditation.” 23

  • How to meditate …

    “Be seated with spinal column erect and turn your mind and senses deep within. With the mantram echoing in your heart, cross over the dread sea of birth and death. Train your sense to be obedient. Regulate your activities to lead you to the goal. Hold the reins of your mind as you hold the reins of restive horses. Choose a place for meditation that is clean, quiet, and cool … and pleasing to the eye. In deep meditation aspirants may see forms like snow or smoke. They may feel a strong wind blowing or a wave of heat. They mat see within them more and more light … these are signs that they are well on their way to Brahman. Health, a light body, freedom from cravings, a glowing skin, sonorous voice, fragrance of body: these signs indicate progress in the practice of meditation.” 24

  • Kena - “by whom?” - “By whose mere presence does that desire arise which moves the universe?”
  • Disassociate from your body and worldly things through meditation.

    “To be the Self is to go beyond death. Realize the Self, the shining goal of life!” 25

Eknath Easwaran’s rationale behind his interest in Hindu philosophy in the introduction to his translation of The Upanishads hit rather close to home with me and flipped my preconceived beliefs of meaning on its head. Eswaran acknowledges that he was fortunate in life, having “every innocent source of joy the world offered”, yet despite this seeming success, he was left always looking for more, a greater sense of meaning 26.

One of the driving forces existing behind my assignment of meaning in my life has been my emotions. When I consider the value or meaning of something, I ask if this thing makes me happy if I derive joy from this thing, and by doing so have found that my life experience has been net-happy, and rather joyful.

Like Easwaran, my personal philosophy has granted me lots of sources of joy offered by the world, and I’m quite content with this established mindset. Yet, it’s not difficult to look past this facade of joy with the question, does this really matter? While I am often able to answer this question with a simple “yes, as it makes me happy”, I sometimes wonder why my happiness matters in the first place.

Like Easwaran, I’ve found an answer to this in these Hindu (and Buddhist) traditions. The Hindu sage’s justification for human actions with the phrase “just for the heaven of it” seems to give more credit to my “yes, as it makes me happy” response than I have given myself. My happiness matters because I exist and because I exist, anything that makes me happy enough to assign meaning to also matters. The aspect of both Hinduism and Buddhism that I appreciate is that there’s not much more to it than that, existence is meaning. Thich Nhat Hanh acknowledges that to exist “is a wonder”, to “be alive”, “breathe in”, and “make one step” is meaningful, valuable, and “already wonderful enough” 27. The simple, “ innocent” sources of joy matter because both they exist, and I exist 28.

While I was initially content with deriving meaning from existence, I found continuing our dive into eastern philosophies to only further rid me of skepticism, specifically how do we know we (and everything else) truly exists? How can we be sure that we arewere not in a simulation?

Questions like these have never proved to cause me any existential dread, as my mindset has always paralleled that of Havelock Ellis seen in his quote “Dreams are real as long as they last. Can we say more of life?”. I’ve set aside the potential of reality not being real as insignificant as regardless of its truth, the experiences I’ve experienced must be real, because I’ve experienced them.

While my disregard for this potential fallacy of existence has allowed me to preserve my sanity, Thich Nhat Hanh’s presentation of the concept of Interbeing as a tool to aid in our understanding of the Heart Sutra, also seemingly defines existence in a way that it itself must exist. The single most important given that Hanh outlines as existence is found in his quote “because you are there, I can be here”, without the existence of other things, we ourselves would not exist “nothing can be by itself alone” 29. We can be sure both we and everything exists because “we are inextricably interrelated”, our nature is a product of everything else, and everything else is a product of us 30. I’ve found through Hanh’s analysis of the Heart Sutra that meaning is derived from existence, and existence only exists because of interbeing.

If meaning in life is a product of our existence, and our existence only exists because of the existence of everything else, it follows that the meaning of our life stems from the existence of everything else.

Naturally, the same logic may be followed for the individual existence of everything, where your existence provides the meaning for someone else’s life. This concept takes the personal agency I appreciated so much before my introduction to Hinduism and Buddhism and expands it massively. The world not only impacts me, but I impact it; I’ve been granted the agency to not only assign meaning and value in my life, but provide meaning for others through these assignments.

Hanh uses this concept to justify morality and desire for personal happiness saying “To smile is not to smile only for yourself; the world will change because of your smile” 31. I found this mutual importance of everything providing and receiving meaning for/from everything else a reflection of the ‘We’ culture held by many Hindu/Buddhist practicing communities, and this new level of understanding of life’s meaning has not deterred my individuality, but instead caused me to embrace the rest of the world in the same way as I would myself.

I’ve found myself to be more appreciative of others and conscious of my surroundings after my introduction to Hindu and Buddhist texts. Not only have I kept my individual agency to assign value and meaning to the things in life which bring me joy, but these texts have filled the void left by Nietzsche with an inherent meaning. They’ve equipped me with understand how others impact me, and how I impact them, as well as how without others, there would be nothing.

Most importantly the understanding I’ve gained over meaning and value in our reality has catalyzed my ability to create the conditions in life where what I desire may occur.

  1. Hanh, Thich Nhat. “The Other Shore”. Palm Leaves Press, 2017, 65. ↩

  2. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 40. ↩

  3. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 41. ↩

  4. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 52. ↩

  5. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 65. ↩

  6. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 87. ↩

  7. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 93. ↩

  8. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 93. ↩

  9. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 103. ↩

  10. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 122. ↩

  11. Easwaran, Eknath. “The Upanishads”. Nilgiri Press, 2007, 64. ↩

  12. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 58. ↩↩

  13. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 23. ↩

  14. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 24. ↩

  15. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 33. ↩

  16. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 57. ↩↩↩

  17. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 59. ↩

  18. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 207. ↩

  19. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 81. ↩

  20. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 83. ↩

  21. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 87. ↩

  22. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 91. ↩

  23. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 162. ↩

  24. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 163-164. ↩

  25. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 215. ↩

  26. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 13. ↩

  27. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 111. ↩

  28. Easwaran, “The Upanishads”, 33. ↩

  29. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 39, 40. ↩

  30. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 65. ↩

  31. Hanh, “The Other Shore”, 121. ↩

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