06-24-2010, 12:01 AM
Yes the Middle Way, dependent arising...Nagarjuna. His writing, ime can actually transport one to the direct experience of emptiness. Emptiness, like anything else can be misunderstood, fall into the extremes of conception...absolutism and nihilism.
If you believe in a first cause it negates dependent arising though. Because then you are saying everything began with the first cause and would be dependent on the first cause. Nagajuna writes in Chapt 8 The Agent and the Action.
1. A real agent is not an agent [that is, cannot act]. (Nagarjuna's assumption is that the real is permanent and thus cannot change (or act).)
12. We must say that action depends upon the agent, and the agent depends upon the action. Agent and action cannot exist independently of each other.
If god is the creator, he would have to exisit independently (not a product of dependent arising). According to what Nagarjuna is saying, a real thing (creator) would not be able to act due to being independent. An independent thing would be self-contained and could not act outside of itself.
If you believe in a first cause it negates dependent arising though. Because then you are saying everything began with the first cause and would be dependent on the first cause. Nagajuna writes in Chapt 8 The Agent and the Action.
1. A real agent is not an agent [that is, cannot act]. (Nagarjuna's assumption is that the real is permanent and thus cannot change (or act).)
12. We must say that action depends upon the agent, and the agent depends upon the action. Agent and action cannot exist independently of each other.
If god is the creator, he would have to exisit independently (not a product of dependent arising). According to what Nagarjuna is saying, a real thing (creator) would not be able to act due to being independent. An independent thing would be self-contained and could not act outside of itself.