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Lost Sadhanas - Green Tara
What is the Void in Buddhism?
The void is not a single thing. It permeates all existence with non-existence. But it has many aspects both active and passive.
The passive aspect of void is available to those that dissolve their personalities into passive acceptance of the world. They are the wind blowing through a stem of bamboo. They are houses without roofs open to the sky. They reject worldly attachment and dream that they have found enlightenment by just sitting.
The passive path to the void may be good for stress reduction but it does not lead to the ultimate Buddhist Void. It is not even close. The active path to void requires yogic effort. The self does not only reject attachments and observe breathing. It travels through layer after layer, void after void, for there are voids between all levels of creation. It is the step on the ladder that takes you to the next level of being. It should not be the goal for the practitioner to stand on the first rung of the ladder and say, "I have arrived."
There are many souls who float around after death like this, proud of their lack of ego, convinced of their value by their lack of emotion and rational thought. As they refuse to admit to having an individual self, they cannot be taught how to continue on the path.
There are voids that separate the six lokas on the wheel of rebirth, and voids between the 6 million other worlds of rebirth that are not included on the original wheel. There are voids between the formed and formless worlds, and voids between deeper voids. It is not "turtles all the way down", it is voids.
But people who cling to the early voids cannot find the later ones. They cling without realizing it to their claimed realizations. They cannot climb the ladder. They are bound to their initial claim of emptiness.
But to those who do not claim instant enlightenment, there are many worlds to visit. The deep Buddhist Void is both simple and complex.
For those willing to learn, I give the mantras that guide the soul. With an archer's concentration and a skier's balance, the soul goes over the mighty rivers of life, death, and reincarnation. Desires and passions are weakened but the individual soul is strengthened. This is awareness that seeks rather than sits.
When the soul has passed the worlds of mirrors, and comes to the paradise worlds, it can see clearly.
From my paradise, the soul can reach upwards and inwards to the void of action, the Buddhist Void. Here the soul which has expanded to fill the universe finds its origin. It is not empty; it is a sheet of paper with being on one side and nonbeing on the other. Then remove the paper.
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