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The Buddha sometimes spoke in metaphor to convey very deep and complex truths. In this episode, we examine a beautiful verse that describes how we can attain freedom from suffering and difficulties. In particular, the episode is devoted to understanding the meaning of eternalism and nihilism. This refers to avoiding the extremes of eternalism and nihilism. This wisdom of the Middle Way avoids the extremes of thinking things exist inherently or eternally (i.e., the way things normally appear to us) as well as the other extreme of thinking nothing exists (nihilism). We begin by examining emptiness, which describes how our reality does exist. Emptiness means that nothing exists inherently, eternally, concretely, independently of its causes, conditions, name, etc. The practical application of this is to not readily accept how things appear to us\\u2014 good, bad, fortunate, unfortunate. Things in our reality don\\u2019t exist in a fixed way. We don\'t fall under the spell of believing that the experiences and people in our life are inherently good or bad.

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But things do exist! Buddhism teaches us to avoid a nihilistic view that thinks nothing exists. We do exist, with a name, a body, and ways that we function. Our self and all things exist in dependence upon causes and conditions. Understanding that things are empty, we can change the label we give something, and it changes. We can change the label from \\u201cThey are a BAD person\\u201d to \\u201cthey are a suffering person,\\u201d and the person appears very different. We can also change the way things function. As a person, we can start to function more compassionately, more kindly, or with more integrity, and the ways things appear to us will also change. Because our whole reality is empty, we can change the label of things in our lives or the way we function, and the things that appear in our lives will change. Changing the way we function will greatly impact the names others give us too, HA!

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Buddha spoke these words 2,500 years ago:

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Having killed\\xa0

Mother, father,\\xa0

Two warrior kings,\\xa0

A kingdom and it\'s subjects

The brahmin, undisturbed, moves on. (295)*\\xa0

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Having killed\\xa0

Mother, father,\\xa0

Two learned kings,\\xa0

And a tiger,\\xa0

The brahmin, undisturbed, moves on. (295)*\\xa0

--Buddha,The Dhammapada\\xa0

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If we insert the meaning of the metaphors, it roughly means:

Having killed\\xa0

Craving, conceit\\xa0

Views of eternalism and nihilism

And doubt

The spiritual person, undisturbed, moves on from all suffering.\\xa0

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According to Gil Frondsdale, the translator of the Dhammapada we are referencing:

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\\xa0\\u201cMother\\u201d refers to craving, \\u201cfather\\u201d to conceit. \\u201c The two warrior kings to metaphysical views of eternalism and nihilism, the kingdom to the twelve sense spheres (\\u0101yatana), and the subjects of the kingdom to the passion for pleasure dependent on the sense spheres. \\u201cA tiger\\u201d is a translation of veyyagghapa\\xf1cama\\u1e43, literally, \\u201cwith a tiger as fifth\\u201d or \\u201cthat of which its fifth element pertains to tigers.\\u201d The DhpA commentary describes this as referring to either the five hindrances (sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and anxiety, and doubt) or just to the fifth hindrance, doubt.\\u201d

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References and Links

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Buddha.The Dhammapada. Translated by Gil Fronsdale. (Kindle). Shambala, Boston and London, 2011, pp. 75-76 and glossary 295* (Link)

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Buddha (1986).The Dhammapada: Verses and Stories. Translated by Daw Mya Tin, M.A. (Website). Edited by Editorial Committee, Burma Tipitaka Association Rangoon. Courtesy of Nibbana.com. For free distribution only, as a gift of dhamma.

https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=294