Expert: Bodhicitta - 3/27/2006

Question
Dear Bodhicitta,
You said there are different schools. I am sure that means each school will see my tree and Emptiness in a different way. Can you state out these schools and how they will perceive my tree and Emptiness? I want to know their differences.

I don't understand your statement of "So commentators might say that emptiness is the tree, the real tree and nothing else but the tree." Emptiness is simply Change, or Impermanence. I know it's not zero. But I do feel like you really make it sounded zero. Your explanation was still blurry on this. I don't belong to any school. Neither do I know of any school that exist. You don't need to give a short and incomplete answer. Just tell me all you know and bring it on.

At one point, I don't know if you're agreeing with me or enlightening me. You wrote "At this point the realisation is not brain dead but is heart alive. To say the tree is nothing or everything is to miss the point." - I know it's not brain dead (I mentioned it first). I also mentioned that "Neither is it nothing nor everything". You stole my copyright! (Just kidding).

Yeah, emptiness is form and form is emptiness, then let us be like a log of wood (nah, just teasing). By the way, I personally believe subtle experiences can be described in words. I experienced some subtle stuff before and I am able to put them in words. It depends on how far others understand (or try to understand) it. Your answers left me wondering if you really spent some time to fully understand what I wrote in Knock! Knock!

Answer
Dear Chow
There is a nice summary of the different schools and their views of emptiness in the book progressive stages on
emptiness...Well worth studying.

There is an extract on the internet at...
http://www.greatliberation.org/dharmashop/excerpts/bk12ex.htm

best wishes
bodhcitta