An exquisite concept from Mahayana Buddhism
I have to pass this onto you! I was listening to a series of lectures on Buddhism and along came this gem (a pun to make you wince in moments).
There is an image in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism that speaks to life and ultimate reality simultaneously. You are asked to behold a jewel in the palm of your hand . . . if you can see the jewel and see through it at the same time, you grasp the essence of this life.
In the Mahayana interpretation ’emptiness’ is the ultimate reality. To be able to hold both insights together closely, at the same time, as if you are cupping both thoughts in one hand, is to honor the reality of existence and ultimate truth all at once.
Enlightened understanding is experiencing the preciousness of this life while recognizing the void from whence it comes.
For me, not a Buddhist, though a near-Buddhist in my early twenties, this idea of witnessing the jewel in the hand while also peering through it . . . speaks across traditions. I immediately felt the power in that two-as-one concept, of the wondrous now pervaded by the essence eternal.
It is what I aspire to — touching the things of this life as if from the fingertips of Spirit.
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