4. Non-locality

Indra's Net shoots holes in the assumption or imputation of a solid and fixed universe 'out there'. The capacity of one jewel to reflect the light of another jewel from the other edge of

infinity is something that is difficult for the linear mind, rational mind to comprehend. The fact that all nodes are simply reflections indicates that there is no particular single source

point from where it all arises.

(8:39 PM) AEN: so have u read any books that spoke about non locality

(8:40 PM) John: this is interesting...

(8:40 PM) AEN: avatamasaka sutra.

(8:40 PM) AEN: and indra's net

(8:41 PM) AEN: http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display...

(8:44 PM) John: have u watched superman?

(8:44 PM) AEN: yea

(8:45 PM) John: there is a part where he raise above the earth atmosphere and listen....he hears all...

(8:45 PM) John: i like that part.

(8:45 PM) John: 

(8:45 PM) AEN: oic..

(8:45 PM) AEN: how come

(8:45 PM) John: just like lah...

(8:45 PM) AEN: oic

(8:45 PM) AEN: hahaha

(8:46 PM) AEN: like guan yin 

(8:46 PM) John: yes. 

(8:46 PM) AEN: my shi fu said something like... which i didnt quite understand... when u practise until certain level, in another universe, when a flower blossom u will know

(8:46 PM) AEN: cant remember isit exactly it

(8:46 PM) AEN: i tink not referring to supernatural powers

(8:47 PM) John: ur shi fu is who?

(8:47 PM) AEN: ven shen kai

(8:47 PM) John: sheng kai?

(8:47 PM) John: okie.

(8:47 PM) AEN: teacher chen is his dharma successor in charge of transmitting some important dharmas

(8:48 PM) John: ic...then li zhu teacher?

(8:48 PM) AEN: yup

(8:48 PM) AEN: oh

(8:48 PM) AEN: local teacher

(8:48 PM) John: so when u say shi fu, u r normally referring to ven sheng kai?

(8:48 PM) AEN: yea

(8:48 PM) AEN: hahaha

(8:48 PM) John: ic. 

(8:48 PM) AEN: truthz maybe call 'shi gong'

(8:48 PM) AEN: cos different side

(8:49 PM) AEN: bcos li zhu lao shi is not chu jia

(8:49 PM) John: ic

(9:02 PM) AEN: "guan yin's practise is 'er gen yuan tong', whatever world has sentient beings calling for him, he will hear and save them. therefore if we are to attain buddhahood in this

world, even if there is a flower blossoming in another universe, we will know immediately, then we will attain budhahood'

(9:02 PM) AEN: i tink he mention about flower blossoming in another universe somewhere else too

(9:03 PM) AEN: in the 'kai shi lu' series

(9:03 PM) John: ic. You are very resourceful. 

(9:04 PM) AEN: haha cos i just listen to this again recently

(9:04 PM) AEN: so i remember

(9:04 PM) John: ic

(9:08 PM) AEN: guan yin can listen cos he can access 'the ocean of self-nature'

(9:08 PM) AEN: is it some kind of supernatural power?

(9:09 PM) John: this might be possible through deep clarity....it relates to clearing of fetters.

(9:09 PM) AEN: oic

(9:09 PM) John: but like i said, not for u to delve into it now. 

(9:09 PM) AEN: hahaha

(9:09 PM) AEN: ok

Session Start: Thursday, July 06, 2006

AEN:

(E-mail Address Not Verified)

(9:44 PM) AEN: still there?

(9:44 PM) AEN: so how is nonlocality experienced as

(9:57 PM) You have just sent a Nudge!

(11:19 PM) John: might be like superman. 

(11:22 PM) AEN: har?

(11:22 PM) AEN: hahaha

(11:22 PM) AEN: as in really can hear very far? lol

(11:23 PM) John: what is emptiness?

(11:24 PM) AEN: empty of inherent existence (3 dharma seals), dependant arising?

(11:25 PM) John: how does consciousness arise?

(11:25 PM) AEN: conditioned arising

(11:25 PM) AEN: /dependant arising

(11:25 PM) John: and how does condition arise?

(11:25 PM) AEN: hmm like net of indra metaphor?

(11:26 PM) John: dunno...just arise. 

John Tan commentary on Lankavatara Sutra, 2007:

When we look at Buddhism, Buddhism is very consistent. Why do I say that Buddhism is very consistent? Not because I like Buddhism. You see, a person saying that I have experienced Presence, and I AM the Eternal Witness, I AM God, I AM all powerful and I AM the First Cause, and yet, they see a dualistic world. This is in total conflict; this has totally no logic at all. Because, you see, in Buddhism when we talk about Non-Duality, we are saying something like the Dependent Origination. Because of This, That Is. This arises, That arises. This ceases, That ceases. We look at the entire formation, there is no “Who?” Where is the “Who?” When we ask “Where?”, there is no “Where?”. When we ask “When?”, there is no “When?” It can be 10 million miles away. It can be in another planet. The teaching is consistent. It does not require a “Who”, a “Where”, a “When”. Condition arises, it is there. It is not stored in any place, or anywhere. This is the teaching. The entire teaching is consistent when it comes to the practise. They didn’t say Concentration can lead to Insight. They tell you, Vipashyana Meditation can lead to Insight of what Reality is all about. It does not teach that there is a Self. The Buddha taught the three dharma seals: there is No-Self. So the teaching is consistent in terms of philosophy, in terms of meditation practice, and in terms of the truths that is being preached.

And also in terms of spiritual powers. When I say something like Clairvoyance... I can see, not bounded by distance. I can hear, not bounded by distance. How come? Why? If we were to take other religions, they can’t explain. But if you were to take Buddhism, Buddha had never told you, has never taught, something of an Ego, something of a Where, something of a When. It is not bounded by Time and Space at all in the entire philosophy. Never has he taught anything like that. And therefore, when we talk about spiritual powers, it is consistent. It is knowing without the need for a Space and Time, not bounded by Space and Time, because the entire teaching is so. And what is being said about this? It is the Nature. This is your nature. Reality is like that, it is so. Therefore, when we understand the teachings, we understand that yes, it is not right to be attached, therefore we cannot say we want to seek spiritual powers, like Nub. But we have to understand, this is our Nature, this is our Reality. Because the teaching has never contradicted itself. If you want to know about your reality, you have to practise. That is the teaching. And the practise has always been telling you to observe these 3 universal characteristics. So when we see the link between the practise, the philosophy, even something spiritual and something that is not scientific. This is important.

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Sim Pern Chong's article from 2008, taken from http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/.../non-solidity...

(Post last updated: 15th June 2008)

The non-solidity of existence

This article describes a spiritual insight. It may be quite hard to understand.

The things that we experience are registered by all the sense organs. The eye sight registers vision, the ears register sound, the body registers sensations. These perception, sensations and experiences are not happening in some places. They are the experience of the arising of certain conditions. There is no solidity and physicality in the actual experience.

What we experienced is not universal and common to all. Here's an example to illustrate that: We know that as human beings, we see in term of colours. Some animals are however colour-blind, thus they see differently from us. But none of us, is really seeing the truth nature directly. The senses of different species of sentient beings experience things differently. So who is seeing the real image of an object? None.

Likewise, the various planes of existence are due to different conditions arising. In certain types of meditation, one is said to be able to access these planes of existence. This is because they are not specific locations. They are mental states and are thus non-localised. In these meditations, our consciousness changes and 'aligned' more with these other states or planes of existence.

All the planes of existence are simultaneously manifesting, but because our senses are human-based conditioned arisings, we only see the human world and other beings that shared 'similar' resonating arising conditions. But nevertheless, the other planes of existences are not elsewhere in some other places.

What we think of as places are really just consciousness and there is no solidity whatsoever. Even our touch sense is just that. The touch sense gives an impression of feeling something that is physical and three-dimensional. But there is really no solid self-existing object there. Instead, it is simply the sensation that gives the impression of physical solidity and form.

OK, that all I can think of and write about this topic. I will revise and improve this article where the need arises.

For your necessary ponderance. Thank you for reading.

These articles are parts of a series of spiritual realisation articles .

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Thusness/Passerby's comment on a related/largely similar post by Longchen in the forum:

Originally posted by longchen:

Hi Friend,

Just my understanding only. For discussion sake. Also, I find this topic very interesting.

What appears to us are registered by all the sense organs. The eye sight sees some thing, the ears hear something, etc ,etc. There are not happening in some place. They are the arising of certain conditions.

To illustrate that what we experience is not standardised, we know that human beings see in term of colour range. Some animals are colour-blind. so they see differently. But none of us, is seeing the truth nature directly. The senses of different species of sentient beings experience things differently.

Likewise, the 31 planes of existence are due to different conditions arising. In the jhana meditation, one is said to be able to access these planes of existence. This is because they are not specific locations. They are mental states. In the jhanas, our consciousness changes and 'aligned' more with these other states or planes of existence.

All the planes of existence are simultaneously manifesting, but because our senses are human-based conditioned arisings, we only see the human world and other beings that shared 'similar' resonating arising conditions. But nevertheless, the other planes of existences are not elsewhere in some other places.

What we think of as places are really just consciousness. .. no solidity whatsoever. Even our touch sense is just that. It gives an impression of feeling something 3D with textures and so on so forth. But there is no solid self-existing object there... it is simply the sensation that gives the impression of solidity.

Hi Longchen,

I can see the synchronization of emptiness view into your non-dual experiences --. Integrating view, practice and experience. This is the essence of our emptiness nature and right understanding of non-dual experience in Buddhism that is different from Advaita Vedanta teaching. This is also the understanding of why Everything is the One Reality incorporating causes, conditions and luminosity of our Empty nature as One and inseparable. Everything as the One Reality should never be understood from a dualistic/inherent standpoint.

This also explains the nature of 'supernatural power' like clairvoyance and seeing things far away, etc.

Indeed! You can see the how the view, practice and experience leading to the understanding of non-locality in terms of views, practices and experience.

Stage 6. The nature of Presence is Empty

Not only is there no ‘who’ in pristine awareness, there is no ‘where’ and ‘when’. This is its nature.

When there is this, that is.

With the arising of this, that arises.

When this is not, neither is that.

With the cessation of this, that ceases.

-- the principle of conditionality

The self-luminous awareness from beginning-less time has never been separated and cannot be separated from its conditions. They are not two -- This is, That is. Along with the conditions, Luminosity shines without a center and arises without a place. No where to be found. This is the emptiness nature of Presence.

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