Theos-Talk Archives (December 2001 Message tt00155)

Hi Ian,

I believe HPB would agree with you and say the Absolute is the one thing
which isn't empty - especially not "empty of empty".

If you care to look a little bit deeper into what HPB writes about the
Absolute and Space I think you will find HPB uses those terms in the sense
of 'Emptiness of other'. I imagine you know this is the view of the
Shentong Yogacara School associated with the 3rd Turning of the Wheel of
Dharma. This view of Emptiness is different from the 'emptiness' of the
second turning of the wheel of Buddhism where "emptiness itself is empty" -
the Rantong view. Actually when we examine the Shentong view of 'emptiness
and the three Natures' we see they include both kinds of Emptiness.

Parakalpita - the imaginary nature. The 'self nature' we attribute to
phenomena through our conceptual thinking. Even when we impute the idea of
"empty" to something, that very imputation is simply our imagination and is
empty of real nature. Thus even "emptiness is empty" at this level.

Paratantra - the dependent nature. The world of causes and conditions. That
which arises in our experience before a 'self nature' is imputed to it.
>From a theosophical viewpoint we might say this dependent nature is also the
Cosmic Substance which is continuously undergoing modification as a result
of our lived experience.

Paranishpanna - Buddha nature, that which is beyond causes and conditions.
It is 'Empty of other', in the sense of empty of all the defilements but not
empty of its own qualities which are itself ie the essence of the Wisdom
Mind. According to Khenpo Tsultrim, it is unchanging and permanent, it
cannot be discriminated into different portions, nor can it be chopped up
into parts. This sounds very much like HPB's description of Atman which is
"no individual property of any man, but is the Divine essence which has no
body, no form, which is imponderable, invisible and indivisible, that which
does not exist and yet is, as the Buddhists say of Nirvana." It also
matches the desriptions of Parabrahm.

Both Theosophy and the Shentong school state that there is something
permanent in 'man' and in all sentient beings. Atman and Brahman/Parabrahm
in Theosophy are like Tathagatagarbha and Buddha Nature in the Shentong
view. That's how I understand it.


...Peter



-----Original Message-----
From: IHarling@aol.com [mailto:IHarling@aol.com]
Sent: 10 December 2001 10:58
To: Theosophy Study List
Subject: Re: Response To Daniel the absolute


Hi all. just a couple of small points about Atma. You do realise that it
has a completely different meaning in Buddhism and Hinduism?


...the eternal energy of an eternal unconscious Law, say the Buddhists.
Space then...the "Emptiness" is the nature of the Buddhist Absolute."
This quotation from HPB is also wrong regardng the Buddhist view of the
Absolute and Emptiness. The Absolute is one of the only things which *isn't*
Empty.

Kind regards,
Ian ---



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