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Indra's Net Misunderstood

By
Harry Rice:
"The Indra's Net metaphor is often misinterpreted to suggest that each jewel in the net reflects all of the other jewels in the net. Nice, but not right. Each jewel is ONLY the reflection of all of the other jewels. It has no inherent essence. It is empty."

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Anonymous said…
How can "all the other jewels" reflect anything when there is no inherent jewel anywhere? What reflects what? None of the "jewels" have actual/inherent existence so how can they be the reflection of non-inherently existing jewels? Even emptiness is empty!
Nov 29, 2013, 7:47:00 AM
Soh said…
Reflections mean appearance that are nonarising. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. This means in or apart from the appearance there is no core or intrinsic existence that can be established whatsoever. No appearance amount to anything other than itself (i.e a mere appearance) as total exertion of all conditions which are all equally empty. They are completely equivalent to reflections, dreams, echoes and mirages. Emptiness is not nihilism that denies appearances which appear as your experience, but it rejects the erroneous view of inherently existing selves and objects
Nov 29, 2013, 8:40:00 AM
Soh said…
And the "jewel" are conventionally imputed on the aggregation/mere appearance. Also related: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/eternalism-nihilism-and-middle-way.html?m=1
Nov 29, 2013, 8:43:00 AM
Soh said…
Other jewels are also merely conventional imputation on reflections/appearances. There are no jewels (but not in the nihilistic sense)
Nov 29, 2013, 8:47:00 AM
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