Certain Knowledge

Q; “What can we know for certain”?  Timothy Fay — eco-communitarian:

Upon receiving this question, an immediate response came to me, one manifest fact or truth that we can know for certain: there is existence. In other words there is not a total void. If there was no existence at all, just an empty void, then there would be no universe, no stars and planets, no living beings, and no one asking this question. And there would be no one to know that there was nothing. There would simply be nothing forever and ever. . .  .   . Can we imagine that? I find this imagining mind-bending, and almost scary.  But of course, the fact of imagining such absolute nothingness immediately proves that it’s not the case. In asking this question we reveal immediately, and can know for certain, that there is not nothing. Some form of existence is clearly happening. Matter, energy, the cosmos, this planet, the presence of all the diverse forms that make up our world.

However, beyond this, how we analyze, understand, describe, and name this existence, this abundant something-ness, how we understand the “laws of nature”, how we comprehend existence, how we determine and articulate the nature of reality, all of that is less clear, less certain. (more)

Karma and the Self

Q: How can karma be attached to no-self, especially from life to life? And in no-self, what actually gets transferred from life to life? These nagging little threads have always bothered me. E.M. Buddhist Chaplain and master woodworker.
A: Thank you for this awesome question. Let me preface my response by noting that clearly this question arises within the Buddhist paradigm of thought, and not everyone will be familiar with those teachings.  The Buddhist world-view incorporates the idea of karma which affirms that the effects of our actions ripple through time, including future lifetimes, which arise through a process of rebirth.  But the Buddha also taught a doctrine of “no-self” (anatman in Sanskrit) as a remedy for the suffering associated with the notion of self.  The question here is how can karma affect us, be “attached to” us, if there is no self for it to be attached to?  And if there is no self, what is reborn in future lives? (more)

Discovering ones unique gifts

Q: How can I discover my unique gifts? D.J.K. — tech consultant and associate director of Amman Imman: Water is Life
A: This is an essential question. When I work with individuals — both youth and adults—  I am always focused on bearing witness to their unique gifts.  In our personal journeys of expression and fulfillment, we answer this question by living it.  How does one discover, express, and embody one gifts? Here are some avenues of inquiry: (more)

Death

Q: What happens to us when we die? J.H. — engineer and musician
A: This is a big question for everyone, and I certainly am not an expert. I have not yet died, nor do I have a clear memory of any previous death.  Nonetheless, I have done my share of study and contemplation of what happens at death, and so I will share my current thinking.  (more)

The Nature of Delusion

Q: Genyo, what is the nature of delusion? M.S.— artist and writer
A: Such a huge question you have asked! I’m not sure I am truly qualified to answer it, being a wanderer in the realms of delusion myself, but let me try, beginning with a straightforward approach, based on a dictionary definition. Delusion is believing in concepts and stories (produced by the mind) that are false, not in alignment with the actual reality one lives in. Delusion brings us suffering, because we are endeavoring to live according to views of life which are fundamentally untrue. (more)