The Emptiness of Form

[George Clark (05 March 2006)]

Thich Nhat Hahn often refers to the Heart Sutra which notes that ‘things’ are ‘empty’ and that  emptiness is a thing. Things are empty of what? – of independent and abiding substance. Our common sense notions of reality result from the five skandas - but these also are empty. My present understanding of what this might mean is outlined below.

The ‘thing as it is in itself’ cannot be known via the sense organs.

The sense organs are limited by (a) the range of stimuli to which they can physically respond and (b) the manner in which they have been conditioned (by culture and language) to ‘identify’ sensory objects.

The brain has the task of interpreting the nervous impulses coming from the sense organs. We still know very little about how this process works but there are innate elements (nature) which can be hugely influenced by conditioning (nurture). The degree of correspondence to the ‘thing as it is in itself’ is limited to (a) what the senses are able and trained to sense of its physical attributes and (b) what the brain chooses to add by way of non physical attributes.

Feelings related to a ‘form’ are conditioned at three often interacting levels – (a) innately (hard wired), (b) culturally and (c) as a result of individual experience. The feelings can be pleasurable, neutral or painful.

Perceptions, while still subconscious, are an output from the process of  linking  forms and feelings. They feed into the intentional process.

Intentions are what drive actions. They can be based on craving (the pleasurable) , ignoring (the neutral) or rejecting (the painful). Intentions are the root of all suffering (through not getting what you want, or getting what you do not want).

Consciousness happens when an intention manages to occupy your attention centre. Few people can control this process. There is an ongoing waterfall of thoughts and feelings which come out of nowhere and then return. While present in consciousness they give a strong impression of being ‘real’ ie of having an independent and abiding nature. The process is particularly evident during the early stages of meditation.

When thus viewed it is obvious that the contents of consciousness have a very weak relationship to ‘things as they are in themselves’. No wonder that Taoism reckons that ‘the reality which can be described is not the real reality!’

SO – is ‘reality’ knowable? According to the meditation masters the answer is yes. But the way of knowing involves turning the mind around and short circuiting the process as outlined above. Beyond the ordinary (and scientific) way of ‘understanding’ common sense phenomena there is the extra-ordinary (and mystical) way in ‘intuiting’ an uncommon sense of the numinous. Beyond the narrow limits of common sense lies appreciation of Interbeing in the Oneness which is everything. Words cannot do it justice. But it can be experienced. Be still and know.