Not from both, nor without cause:
Things do not arise
At any place, at any time.
-Nagarjuna, Funadamental Wisdom of the Middle Way
Today's contemplation had to do with taking a look at arising from the perspective of the four extremes. The argument against the first case basically says that if something arose from itself then the object would have to exist before it arose. Conventionally, we think and experience arising as sequential, so that doesn't feel right. The next case felt more challenging. If something arose from something else, then cause and result would have to exist at the same time. This cannot be since it contradicts our notion of arising--how could something arise from something else if they already existed together? This sort of felt fishy to me, so I tried to think of an example that felt contradictory. Take a bush from our garden. The flowers seem to arise from the bush, but the bush is still there and so are the flowers? Feels right! Thinking some more, I think Nagarjuna might ask if the bush that has flowers on it is the same as the bush from which the flowers arose. Indeed it isn't. I can't compare this bush with the old bush because they don't exist together. Hmmmm... :-) The third extreme is taken care of by the first two. The fourth extreme seems a little stickier. Could something feel like it is arising without a cause? We say sometimes, "This just popped up." What about thoughts? I think that in these cases we don't see and appreciate causes on a relative level. Nothing really, truly seems to arise without a cause, even if they are subtle. Even inspiration and insight arises because of the causes and conditions we bring together...space, relaxation, etc. Am I convinced? Wash, rise, repeat.
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