January 30, 2025
Striking a Balance
In
his first sermon at Deer Park, the Buddha described the eightfold path,
his path to enlightenment, as the middle way between the extremes of
asceticism and indulgence. The middle way later turns up as a way to
think about other Buddhist concepts, such as not-self. Releasing
attachment to a fixed self is the middle way between eternalism and
nihilism.
In the Mulamadhyamakakarika (“Root Verses on the Middle Way”), third-century Indian monk and philosopher Nargarjuna described emptiness, or shunyata,
as the middle way between being and not-being. Emptiness doesn’t mean a
void or lack of existence; it means that things don’t exist
independently.
The middle way continues to serve as a reference point or framework in
modern conversations like politics and addiction, but, crucially, it
isn’t the path of least resistance. It's an embrace of what is.
This week’s Three Teachings shares three interpretations of this foundational Buddhist approach and outlook.
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