You may have noticed that world history, when presented succinctly, often barely mentions India. That is perplexing. However, taking a deeper look reveals why.
To begin with, the notion of zero originated in India. Zero, of course, is nothing. How interesting that it is represented by a circle. A circle has no handle, no edge, no tip, nothing to grab on to. A dog chasing its tail forms a zero. Humanity wants something, not nothing. We are taught from childhood to view the world in terms of things. Nothing is not really understood.
The crux of the issue, however, is that the real gift from India is nothing… Pure Nothingness… the Transcendent. When you finally awaken to the true nature of existence, you awaken to nothing… no thing… that which transcends thingness. Nothing is the backdrop of existence. It is the essence of everything. Of course, when the knowledge from India is studied, the attempt is to turn it into something. Attempting to introduce people to nothing is not understood. It can even be received with hostility, as if the receiver feels they are being toyed with. The essence of Vedic Knowledge then slips through the fingers.
Who would have thought that awakening to the true nature of nothing is the ultimate awakening? How many believe that nothing is a simple concept so easily understood. How many believe that understanding Vedic literature is something attained through memorization, the intellect, an emotional epiphany, or at least some thing!
Indeed, India’s greatest gift to the world is nothing! Nothing transcends everything. It is the field of pure consciousness, not yet conscious of any thing. Therein lies the riddle of life… the longing, the impulse, in need to make nothing something. Certainly something, all things, are made out of nothing. But nothing is not something. Of course, you can wrap your brain around that but then it is not that. You just have made something out of nothing and it is then no longer nothing.
When you first awaken to nothing, then you will understand. You will stand under everything. Nothing under stands everything. Everything comes from nothing. Taking that as a concept can even frighten people, as if the world then is viewed as useless. However, nothing can be further from the truth (pun intended). After awakening to Nothing, all things take on a whole new, deeper, more profound, and beautiful meaning. Life becomes truly rich.
Indeed, we can all be most grateful to India, for giving us nothing.
Very illuminating! Most religious people I met proudly shared their “special abilities” in knowing things. Now I understand why enlightened people would say “I know nothing.”
I love this blog! It really plays with my mind, in a fun way.
The concept of zero and the circle fascinate me. I gravitate toward utilizing circles in the classroom and during meetings because every point on the circle is the same distance from the center. All is equal. All points are equal. Everyone has a place that is the same. Any seat is a good seat. All seats are “nothing” in a sense. Am I understanding this concept in terms of the analogy of a circle?
It is a great pun for the subject, and I do appreciate puns,kudos to putting the description of nothing into words Michaelji! Nothing is the truth.
Fun!
Kimie,
Emerson wrote an essay on circles that you might enjoy. I imagine you could find it online. There’s no limit to what we can say about nothing… circles
So much fun. This is not scary to me..nor is it sad. It does however make me smile and even laugh at times. It is fascinating that today “nothing” makes me smile or laugh or provokes excitement however maybe I should say that today I am able to laugh and smile at nothing.
Thank you Brahmarshi
Brilliant blog! Really fantastic! Every sentence has a surprise element and takes me places!
This is my favorite Michael Mamas quote from this blog: “Who would have thought that awakening to the true nature of nothing is the ultimate awakening?” This makes me laugh. Wonderful and fun. Thank you.
who would of thought that the “No-thing” is so full and fulfilling on all levels
I love these comments. It is funny. It is profound. It is scary. It is not. All at the same time. When everything comes together into a unified whole… the net sum total is Bliss. Sat Chit Ananda… Eternal Bliss Consciousness. It is all just physics… yet it is so much more… funny, yet so much more. Simple, easy, self evident… yet so much more… yet it eludes the greatest minds, the most loving, the most well untended…. until that moment finally arrives…
and then, you look back over your should and think… “What about them?”…..
I’m enjoying reflecting on this one. Thanks!
And it’s so easily accessible through consistent meditation and
feeling. Thank you for teaching us a way to access home or God. My goal, Eternal Bliss Consciousness.
Full of Beauty…
Something I’ve always found intriguing is that humanities collective consciousness and ‘common’ knowledge requires just a single person having a brief glimmer of insight of something new that has the power to create a paradigm shift of our collective reality.
Zero… is but one example of many but a powerful one.
Thank you for this blog. I am not sure this applies but i feel it does in an off center way. The other day it came to me that abundance was a lot ( or all) of everything or the all of nothing. An abundance of all things and abundance of nothing. A mandala, and basically all and nothing were the same on a deeper level, or nothing. I know I am off center with the blog, but feel it somewhat related.