How does nothingness become everything?

[kash17]

spirituality and more specifically Buddhism emphasizes on awaking from the dimension of mind and reaching nothingness with the promise that if one can reach this point they will realize eternal oneness and reach nirvana. However since it is beyond the scope of mind how can one deal with this impossible mission??

[CSEe]

Dear kash17, you said "spirituality and more specifically Buddhism emphasizes on awaking from the dimension of mind and reaching nothingness with the promise that if one can reach this point they will realize eternal oneness and reach nirvana. However since it is beyond the scope of mind how can one deal with this impossible mission? Un-quote

Perhaps Buddhism never promise anything , is nothing out there to acheive is only you will release all your emotion as you travel into greater realization of yourself......and is never your choice to choose Buddhism but is your will to travel in longer / more suffering path or otherwise .......
Buddhism in my current understanding is a natural process of all existence - living or non-living , not by choice or practice , is natural so anything or everything is travel in own spped , own pace into emptiness back into nothingness .........
if human base on knowledge as the basis of their life , live in the knbowledge and became the knowledge itself , yes it seems impossible ( but surely will ) to travel into emptiness ......that is why we are here...perhaps if human reach to a point of realization that nothing belong to them nor family or material even the body itself is never own by them ...and without having special emotion for special being , love for family etc ..accept all existence same and equal ......perhaps that is closer into emptiness .

[Swami Chihuahuananda]

spirituality and more specifically Buddhism emphasizes on awaking from the dimension of mind and reaching nothingness with the promise that if one can reach this point they will realize eternal oneness and reach nirvana. However since it is beyond the scope of mind how can one deal with this impossible mission??
Seems full of paradox, doesn't it ?. Maybe think of the goal as not even being a goal , but as a state of being that's built in . The mind we got stuck in will still be there, but somehow our scope broadens. Our perspective expands to become what it always really was , including everything but holding onto nothing . I can't tell you what the magic formula is because it seems like nothing except a letting go , an allowance, an acceptance . I don't live in Nirvana but I know it's where I really exist . I expect that when I die this will all fade away and there will be infinite energy, and nothing , and everything inbetween, kind of like it is now. I'm not Buddhist . But I am . Whatever that is is an aspect of my being.

"Paradise is exactly like where you are right now, only much, much better"

Laurie Anderson :D

[immortal coil]

Our definition of the word "nothing" is very skewed for one thing. Think about the kind of imagery, that is brought up, when someone tells you, that they have nothing. Well, I can answer that, and it's, that this person is in some way, lacking something.

However, this word should be taken quite contrary to the way it is illustrated above. We should be really taking the word nothing, as; "containing all things in such a way that exceeds our understanding."

Now to frame that and put it in perspective, ask yourself that question again. How does nothingness become everything?

[Stevo]

Take away the time idea and you will find tbe answer.
also reverse your view of nothing. :)

[Stevo]

Nothing contains nothing lol not everything!

Nothing=no things and only things have limits.
Nothingness therefor is unlimited.
Its not limited... to being anything so it must be all potential.
Since its all potential It must contain the potential of self awareness.
a potental is only a possibility but your self aware so that's proof it lived out that potential.
But NOW is the only real 'time' so it always was nothing and everything.
Ask a Gold top mushroom for more information lol.

[kash17]

I realize that the goal is not to destroy the mind but over time and with meditation a new and greater consciousness becomes aware of its existence in which the mind is a subset and the result is no longer identifying with the thoughts but looking at them as passing clouds in the sky. the annoying issue for me is the great effort which is required to stay in this state of pure consciousness and the thoughts very easily and without giving a signal steal the attention and take me back to the state of mind. this effort is tiring and I don't understand it since the present moment is much easier to live in and should require effort!!

[kash17]

if the state of nothingness becomes everything then it should be impossible to leave this state!

[Stevo]

'Became' includes the concept of time.
Time is an illusion of being in the eternal NOW and creating an illusion of past and future

[immortal coil]

Nothing contains nothing lol not everything!

Nothing=no things and only things have limits.
Nothingness therefor is unlimited.
Its not limited... to being anything so it must be all potential.
Since its all potential It must contain the potential of self awareness.
a potental is only a possibility but your self aware so that's proof it lived out that potential.
But NOW is the only real 'time' so it always was nothing and everything.
Ask a Gold top mushroom for more information lol.

This is where I disagree. Or rather, I disagree with your semantics (not necessarily your inference) on the situation. But I'll be honest, it's a hard concept to wrap your head around, so I don't blame anyone (including myself) for having difficulties reconciling any of these notions.

The way I like to think of existence/god, is as a self defining, self referential system, so naturally, to us it looks like something that has no individuation, no bounds, and so on an so forth. But what would that ultimately look like to god, or at least from god's (and I use that term very loosely) perspective as an all powerful being? I'm actually quite humbled to claim, that I do not have the answer to that, but I imagine the ideas of infinite, and such are quite different than we understand them to be.

[Stevo]

Gods not one thing all things make up god. But that's just my opinion of course your will differ.

[immortal coil]

Gods not one thing all things make up god. But that's just my opinion of course your will differ.

Actually, we're in complete agreeance here. My only point was, that just because we have a difficult time, dealing with rationality in topics pertaining to the infinite, doesn't mean a god would succumb to those same issues.

I know that sounds contradictory by nature, but I assure you, I have good reasons behind my position. I just don't want to derail the OP, because it's a good question.

[Stevo]

The OP question can't be answered as there is nothing on one side of the coin and everything on the other and neither came first. Its because of the eternal Now.

[takso]

spirituality and more specifically Buddhism emphasizes on awaking from the dimension of mind and reaching nothingness with the promise that if one can reach this point they will realize eternal oneness and reach nirvana. However since it is beyond the scope of mind how can one deal with this impossible mission??

The answer lies in the understanding on the nature and its orientation by individuals.

What is nature? Nature is originally referred to essential qualities or innate disposition; related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord. These essential qualities of the nature can be divided into two categories i.e. inherence and dependence. Both of these qualities as observed by the mind would exist concurrently in a harmonious orientation. Therefore, it is imperative for one to understand that the nature is sufficiently universal and infinite in its original disposition and is governed by the universal laws.

In other words, there are two aspects of the nature - the dependence and the inherence. These two aspects would exist concurrently and can be illustrated in a mathematical equation as below: -

Two Facets of the Nature

http://www.slideshare.net/buddhitakso/nature-reality-buddhism
slide 47 & 48


Dependent Nature
slide 31

The principle in effect: -

slide 137

Inherent Nature

slide 113

edited by SF staff

[sri dhanya igala]

spirituality and more specifically Buddhism emphasizes on awaking from the dimension of mind and reaching nothingness with the promise that if one can reach this point they will realize eternal oneness and reach nirvana. However since it is beyond the scope of mind how can one deal with this impossible mission??

It's not a point to be reached. "You Are That!" One must stop reaching and objectifying your natural state of nothingness.

A woman forgets where her pearl necklace is. She says: "it's lost!". She looks everywhere for it.. her efforts are all in vain. She sees a dear friend and asks him if he's seen it. He says, yes... it's around your neck.

In the same way, the self is not apart from you, you have simply forgotten.

[somnium]

In my opinion it is a matter of life and of death. Of creation and destruction and the perfect balance and purpose that both hod together. Creation has started out as nothing, a void of potential to exist in any conceivable fashion. It started then with one, and became two, soon after many. Every way has created something new, a new direction and experience, all from the potential of nothing to become something. At the same time that we venture out into creation creating, we venture back to the source, to be destroyed. This destruction is part of creation, it ensures that all life must end, and complete its`cycle, for all things life and all things die. This reaper force collects the harvest of life, to reunite again with the full potential having completed all ways of life. Every life has lived, and at the same time all life has died. They are together at the same point in time. It is conception, pure and simple. We have in this state of being become all forms of potential life and have completed all things in nature. The beginning is the end, and is also the new beginning.. This new beginning realizes the completion of all things, at the beginning of time. It gives us a full potential, as opposed to a nothing, it has completed its purpose, realizing full potential of all things in every time, at any time. It is a new birth of completion. With this new will, we have choice to become and to be anything creation`s potential has made, which is the choice of anything and everything. It is how nothing, death, has become all things.

[somnium]

In my opinion it is a matter of life and of death. Of creation and destruction and the perfect balance and purpose that both hod together. Creation has started out as nothing, a void of potential to exist in any conceivable fashion. It started then with one, and became two, soon after many. Every way has created something new, a new direction and experience, all from the potential of nothing to become something. At the same time that we venture out into creation creating, we venture back to the source, to be destroyed. This destruction is part of creation, it ensures that all life must end, and complete its`cycle, for all things life and all things die. This reaper force collects the harvest of life, to reunite again with the full potential having completed all ways of life. Every life has lived, and at the same time all life has died. They are together at the same point in time. It is conception, pure and simple. We have in this state of being become all forms of potential life and have completed all things in nature. The beginning is the end, and is also the new beginning.. This new beginning realizes the completion of all things, at the beginning of time. It gives us a full potential, as opposed to a nothing, it has completed its purpose, realizing full potential of all things in every time, at any time. It is a new birth of completion. With this new will, we have choice to become and to be anything creation`s potential has made, which is the choice of anything and everything. It is how nothing, death, has become all things.

It is the same concept regarding energy, or atoms, fusion and fission. The separation of atoms, or the splitting of atoms, and the re-merging of atoms. The same concept that exists within conception, or birth. Fusion and fission is observed naturally within the environment. Just as procreation and death are visible. The only thing to realize is that death is a natural fusion that takes place, whereas birth(conception) is a natural form of fission. The two together at the same time gives birth to perpetual motion, or eternity. An eternity of both creates every conceivable reaction possible.

[somnium]

I believe that with active controlled shifts of awareness we can change ourselves into anything, The first step to expanding awareness of memory is to assimilate a higher knowledge of memory. Assuming that the expanded knowledge is active. And what i mean is that you expand your knowledge of memory your memory will increase as well. Your memory will become a pattern onto which you project. To expand memory is then just to expand awareness. I think that with potential any pattern of memory can be perceived.

The source of creation exist as a two way flow, to and from your awareness. It continuously expands and contracts. like everything in the universe. The collecting force of creation is an awareness of creation. It witnesses everything that occurs in reality. It is like a perfect record that exists of even every thought that you have in you head. As you embody this awareness you see it in effect, and can relate or channel this awareness. As the expanding force progresses so does the contracting force. This contracting force places every moment of time inside a single moment. With this active awareness one can effectively access every point in time. It it no longer just a memory of events. but an active bridge, activated by the focus of your attention and intent. This is where memory and time travel merge.

The expanding force is a fission. It grows and divides, expands, and at the same time contracts through fusion. Fusion unites these particles. Like I said the contracting force unites all points of time, all awareness. The contracting force is the collection of expanded particles(through fission and fusion which creates molecular cohesion), the collection of expanded awareness.

[passnthru2]

to answer that... you gotta be there.

[Ground]

spirituality and more specifically Buddhism emphasizes on awaking from the dimension of mind and reaching nothingness with the promise that if one can reach this point they will realize eternal oneness and reach nirvana. However since it is beyond the scope of mind how can one deal with this impossible mission??
There are misunderstandings.
1. 'eternal oneness' is not a buddhist concept and is nothing to be realized.
2. Nothingness is one of the formless meditative absorptions attained by means of meditative effort and training and as that it still is a transient mode of consciousness which necesssarily ends when meditation session ends and is 'fabricated & mentally fashioned' like all meditative states.
Please refer to The Lesser Discourse on Emptiness (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.121.than.html).

Nirvana is the direct experience corresponding to the insight mentioned in this sutta, i.e. that even the most sublime meditative absorption of all absorptions which is Theme-Less Concentration still is 'fabricated & mentally fashioned' and thus transient and far from nirvana.
"He discerns that 'This theme-less concentration of awareness is fabricated & mentally fashioned.' And he discerns that 'Whatever is fabricated & mentally fashioned is inconstant & subject to cessation.' For him — thus knowing, thus seeing — the mind is released from the effluent of sensuality, the effluent of becoming, the effluent of ignorance. With release, there is the knowledge, 'Released.' He discerns that 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.'