A muse on emptiness and form

The following (shortened) parable is often quoted by learned Buddhists (in Chinese movies or real life) to explain Buddhist teachings to disciples or others. Daoists would also study the parable to further their learning while Confucians contemplate on it:

‘Form, or matter, is emptiness; emptiness is not different from form, nor is form different from emptiness; indeed, emptiness is form.’

Thereupon, Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara from whom the parable originates went on to explain:

"Thus, all things having the character of emptiness have no beginning nor ending; they are neither faultless nor not faultless; they are neither perfect nor imperfect. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no discrimination, no consciousness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no sensitiveness to contact, no mind. There is no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no mental process, no object, no knowledge, no ignorance. There is no destruction of objects, no cessation of knowledge, no cessation of ignorance. There is no decay and no death, nor is there any destruction of the notions of decay and death. There is no Noble Fourfold Truth--no pain, no cause of pain, no cessation of pain, nor any Noble Path to the cessation of pain. There is no knowledge of Nirvana, there is no obtaining of Nirvana, there is no not-obtaining of Nirvana.” Diamond Sutra, Sutra of Transcendental Wisdom (sacred-texts link)

So how can we arrive at this emptiness state of mind or understanding?

From an intellectual point of view, the parable can mean something or nothing at all. For emptiness is emptiness and form is form, how could emptiness be form and form emptiness. How could things with shapes be called empty and those shapeless called form? It can only contain meaning if we willingly accept the parable that emptiness means form and form means emptiness. Only with the acceptance, is emptiness no different from form and form no different from emptiness. But as many know, esoteric studies may not be fully comprehended by intellect alone. An important point emphasized by Gautama Buddha in the Leng Yen. Neither can this parable be wholly understood just through contemplation.

The world and outer space are filled with light and darkness. Where there is light there is also darkness and where darkness is there is also light. Therefore within light there is darkness and within darkness there is light. This principle applies equally to yin (dark) and yang (light). In nature, when light (yang) change to darkness (yin) or darkness (yin) into light (yang), the process is known as changes. This natural process or phenomenon is also present in various states of meditation.

Only with meditation, where one cannot see by looking, cannot hear by listening, and cannot grasped with both hands, is it possible to see form within emptiness and emptiness within form; what was then light and what was then darkness is difficult to determine as all change into their opposites repeatedly with no time factor. (Refer Chapter 14 of the TTC.)

As they change shapes and colours, form become emptiness and emptiness becomes form. Light replaces darkness and darkness replaces light. Within these changes what is real and what is delusion is to be contemplated. When changes finally come to an end, emptiness is no different from form and form no different from emptiness. Therefore form is emptiness and emptiness is form. There is no space no time just emptiness and the Light.

If we contemplate and realized what is real and what is delusion perchance we may hear of Dharma spoken or Songs sung in open space, seen the void and reached the gate, the gate which ancients called the center. (Refer Chapter 6 of the TTC. Both Chapters 6 and 14 can be referred to in the May 1 entry on the center.)

If readers are still as confused as me after reading this muse, hearten for we are not alone.