Broken Open Part 6 of 8: No Birth, No Death
September 17, 2009 by dr. lam
One of the world’s most revered meditation teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh, teaches the concept of “no birth, no death” and has quoted Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier to support his beliefs: “Rien ne se crée, rien ne se perd.” (”Nothing is born, nothing can die.”) Thich Nhat Hanh, known affectionately as Thay, has been a longstanding advocate for peace in previously wartorn Vietnam, his native country, which he was compelled to flee during the era of the Vietnam War. He continued to teach the message of peace from abroad and was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr.
His concept of “no birth, no death” is distinctly Buddhist, as he is a Buddhist monk. To illustrate he holds up a single sheet of paper and exclaims that this is not just a piece of paper in his hand but he is also holding a tree since the paper emerged from a tree along with the clouds that caused rain to facilitate the tree’s growth that led to the paper. Further, we touch sunshine when we touch the paper because the sunshine nourished the growth of the tree just as much as the clouds did.
What Thay is getting at beyond a metaphysical explanation of a sheet of paper is that continuity of life rather than the abrupt starting and end points that we typically consider are what matter. Without needing to be a Buddhist, we can see each of us as continuity of one another and a continuity of a larger life force. By doing so, we relinquish our ego more fervently like Ram Dass has done. Hopefully, we can do that without the need to be as broken open as hard as the great guru. We need to see ourselves as a part of the whole. Today, hold a sheet of paper and touch the sunshine. See everyone around you as just an extension of who you are and where you have come. Divorce your own egoistic mind and share in our commonality and continuity.
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Interesting ideas there, Dr. Lam! I like that viewpoint and actually have that viewpoint to a degree. It was nice that you did a blog on it. Thanks again!
cool. yes, i believe we are more connected than separate!