Gi-ming Shien ~ On nothingness or non-being
Gi-ming Shien observes that, while nothingness is not the Tao, it is in
the nature or essence of the Tao:
"The nature of Being is said to be nothingness because Being is
absolutely complete, in need of nothing, conscious of no wants.
This is why the principle of nothingness in the philosophy of Lao
Tzu is 'nameless.'...
"The real meaning of 'nothingness' or non-being is based on spontaneity....
Spontaneity is the nature of being; the full development of spontaneity
results in forgetfulness; forgetfulness results in a feeling of nothingness."
In other words, because the Tao is self-existent, self-sufficient,
and conscious of no wants, it can create, give and sustain life and at
the same time seek nothing of its own. As Gi-ming Shien says, the
Tao "forgets itself and its own existence," being totally spontane-
ous and selfless. In chapter 34 of the Tao Teh Ching, we read:
The great Tao follows everywhere....
All things depend on it for life; none are refused
When its work is accomplished, it does not take possession.
It clothes and feeds all things yet does not claim them as its own.
Ever without desire, it may be named small.
Yet when all things return to it,
Even though it claims no leadership
It may be named great.
pgs. 241-242 Christ the Eternal Tao ~ Hieromonk Damascene
For the Sage, the Way dwelt in the Darkness of Incomprehensibility,
Yet He was not the Darkness;
The Way dwelt beyond all being,
Yet He was not non-being;
The Way emptied Himself,
Yet He was not emptiness.
He was not an eternal void...
... we have quoted Gi-ming Shien to show that, in the Tao Teh Ching, "nothingness" refers to spontaneity and self-forgetting, not to nihilism and non-being. "The Tao remains in the realm of existence," says Gi-ming, and thus is not to be equated with non-being. This teaching is echoed by the eighth-century Chinese sage Lu Yen: "Those obstructed by nothingness, clinging one-sidedly to this principle, sit blankly to clear away sense objects and think that the Way is therein. Though they speak of nothingness, this is really not the Way. Those obstructed by emptiness cling to this partial principle... They vainly talk of emptiness, and emptiness is not voided, so it becomes nihilistic emptiness."
By going deeply into oneself, one can have an experience of eternal non-being, but it is grave error to regard this as the Absolute, as God or the Tao. Archimandrite Sophrony writes:
"He is deluded who endeavors to divest himself mentally of all that is transitory and relative in order to cross some invisible threshold, to realize his eternal origin, his identity with the Source of all that exists; in order to return and merge with Him, the nameless, trans-personal Absolute. Such exercises have enabled many to rise to supra-rational contemplation of being; to experience a certain mystical trepidation; to know the state of silence of the mind, when the mind goes beyond the boundaries of time and space. In suchlike states man may feel the peacefulness of being withdrawn from continually changing phenomenon of the visible world; may even have a certain experience of eternity. But the God of Truth, the Living God, is not in all this. It is man's own beauty, created in the image of God, that is being contemplated and seen as Divinity, whereas he himself still continues within the confines of his creatureliness. This is a vastly important concern. The tragedy of the matter lies in the fact that man sees a mirage which, in his longing for eternal life, he mistakes for a genuine oasis.... This movement into the depths of his own being is nothing else but attraction towards the non-being from which we were called by the will of the Creator."
The error of taking this as a true experience of God is seen in the fact that the same experience can be had through hallucinogenic drugs...
pages 464-466
Christ the Eternal Tao
The misuse of Watchfulness
Here we are treading on dangerous ground, so it is necessary to step lightly. This is where many who have practiced watchfulness have fallen into delusion over the centuries. Everything depends on the purity of one's intention of going within. If one's intention (conscious or unconscious) is not to face one's sin-condition, repent and thus be reconciled onto God, but instead to "be spiritual" while continuing to worship oneself, then one can --- upon becoming aware of the light of one's spirit --- begin to worship it as God. This is the ultimate delusion.
Archimandrite Sophrony writes: "Attaining the bounds where day and night come to an end,' man contemplates the beauty of his own spirit which many identify with Divine Being. They do see a light but it is not the True Light in which there is no darkness at all'. It is the natural light peculiar to the mind of man created in God's image.
"The mental light, which excels every other light of empirical knowledge, might still just as well be called darkness, since it is the darkness of divestiture and God is not in it. And perhaps in this instance more than any other we should listen to the Lord's warning, "Take heed therefore that the light which is in you be not darkness,' The first prehistoric, cosmic catastrophe --- the fall of Lucifer, son of the morning, who became the prince of darkness--- was due to his enamored contemplation of his own beauty, which ended up in his self-deification."
The darkness of divestiture of which Fr. Sophrony speaks is the state of having risen above all thoughts and thought processes, which we have described earlier. If a person's motive is prideful, he will stop at this point, admiring his own brilliance; but that brilliance will still be darkness. He will think he has found God, but God will not be there. He will find a kind of peace, but it will be a peace apart from God....
pages 327-328
Christ the Eternal Tao
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