The Pinnacle of All Religion - the viewless view

Nirvana is not a thing

Nirvana is the release of "thingness"

Within the pantheon of Buddhist teachings there are various views concerning just what the best approach to the goal is. But these differences should not be viewed as ultimate differences. We don't need to fight wars over Buddhist doctrine as this is proof in itself of a failed view - a view that has fail to release.

Is the correct view a THING to be attained?

Nirvana is release. It is also called "liberation". Nirvana is the realistic experiencing of reality. It is the experiencing of voidness.

But nirvana itself, does not exist as some "THING" to be gotten or grabbed.

Elsewhere in this blog you can find what is meant here by the term "release". In short, it means to stop grabbing, to release the tension that is balled up as your so-called-life that is based upon an unrealistic experiencing of reality.

To "stop grabbing" then has a very specific meaning within a certain context. This context is the mind or "the experiencing of.."

Our "experiencing of" is in a sense defined by our view.

If the view we have is not a THING that we can grab onto then it is a self-liberated view - a realistic view.

If the view is a THING that we can grab onto then we have an unrealistic view - a fantasized view.

In either case, the view does not exist as a THING.

The view is voidness

The view is release

Some of us Buddhists make vows to reach nirvana and set out to thoroughly attain the "bliss of release" or liberation that is promised in the experiencing of nirvana. That's good, and this benefits all people because we (they) get inspired and educated, and the world is positively influenced by these examples and by the clarity of experience that gets shared.

Others make vows to not "disappear" into their own experiencing of the "bliss of release" (aka "personal benefit") until they have brought ALL others to that experience ahead of them fist.

That's good too - and according to this teaching, the actual "bliss of release" that is experienced by these "bodhisattvas" turned "Buddhas" will be even more profound and thorough because of their vow.

If you look closely at even this (my own) interpretation of these differing approaches to the goal within Buddhism, and then, if you expand that out and begin to include other ways to approach what is called "ultimate truth" you find very little (if any) grounds for conflict - and especially religious wars.

Religious wars are not the failing of religion or of any particular religion[s], religious war -like any war- is a failing of human understanding. It is proof of an unrealistic "view" [a view as a THING] of reality.

We Buddhists, do not posit the existence of an ultimate, super natural, divine intelligence aka "God", but do we even know [thoroughly understand] what is meant by someone else when THEY use the term "God"?

When I was young, I very quickly discounted the conception of God as being "like a person, only with super natural powers". My view of God was more expansive then that. In fact, it eventually became so expansive that it took on very "Buddhist like" qualities - more along the lines of an "absolute" or an "ineffable ultimate perfection".

I know many people who are Christians, who as we speak have a very similar view of God - as being "ineffable" etc.. Other people have other [maybe even more profound] views of the term "God" as well. Some might even view God as "ineffable interdependence" - a term I myself have used on this blog to describe the ultimate mode of reality. Others may even understand God as being exactly that," the ultimate mode of reality". We don't know an others experience!

The conflicts that we produce are a result of the grabbing that we do. Some of the worst conflicts result from the grabbing at our own view of ultimate truth. Is that the fault of ultimate truth or is that the fault of our grabbing?

On the other hand, when we have an unrealistic view that posits a THING that is ultimate, we then posit that this view of the THING needs to be defended and THAT leads an even deeper grabbing - THAT leads to war.

What is unique about Buddhism is it's simple and direct pointing out of the fact that we don't need to grab. We don't need to defend a view. Views are THINGS and THINGS don't exist.

The problem with God is not with God, it is with US, We are the ones who make God into "our view", into our THING. God is not a thing!

Our "view" of the ultimate is not the ultimate mode of reality itself - which is voidness. In reality, and yes, in the experiencing of the REALISTIC view of things, there is nothing to defend because there are no THINGS that are there TO defend. This is not nothingness, this is clarity.

This is why Buddhism can legitimately be called NOT a "religion", but the very PINNACLE OF ALL RELIGION. Of coarse when I say that [especially the context of what I just said] - there is big time objection and a religious war is begun.

But that is due to this grabbing and Buddhism is about NOT grabbing - that is it's view. That is it's viewless view, "thingLESS" view or "non-view".

The failure of all religions is not the failure of the religion, nor of religion in general, it is the failure of not removing a very subtle level of ignorance from our mind. That means the failure of not removing the THING that appears as a real, a solid, a self standing ultimacy - a THING that is independent of our experiencing of it - or what is called "something outside of ourselves" in modern terminology.

We view a THING that does not exist. This is an unrealistic view. This doesn't mean that "God does not exist", it means that God is not a THING.

In other words, the ultimate truth you seek is within you. Not only "within you" it is THIS VERY EXPERIENCE YOU ARE HAVING RIGHT NOW.

Although this will [I know] make people pause I must say it anyway, This - what I have just stated in the previous sentence - is the goal of every religion, the goal of all religions and is the pinnacle of all religion. This doesn't make Buddhism the "superior religion" it simply puts it into a different context.

The pinnacle of all religion is factual because all religion aims at the ultimate truth - this is a fact. They differ in their views on and in their approaches to that and they differ in how those views are grasped by the adherents to the particular religion. So understand, the aim is there in ALL religions. What Buddhism does is take the aim to it's ultimate conclusion.

THAT is what the teaching of voidness is about.

Voidness as a teaching separates grabbing from the view by showing that the view is not a THING to be grabbed. The view is - as usual - tainted by the grabbing of it as a THING.

God is not a thing.

Nirvana is not a thing.

The view is not a THING.

Reality is not a THING.

In fact, the view is not "A" VIEW.

And in regards to the Buddhist teachings themselves, I want to point out this:

Voidness is not -as often interpreted in Buddhism today- the "voidness of inherent existence". That thinking leaves something there still, as a REAL THING that is a "not inherently" existing THING.

Voidness is also not "the voidness of impossible ways of existing" [something you can find elsewhere on prominent Buddhist websites] because that also leaves some THING really existing as a "non-voidness of impossible ways of existing" THING.

Of coarse these are just words and the difference may just be in the semantics.

The point here is simply this

THINGS don't exist. Why?

Because THINGS are caused and conditionally dependent, voidness is EXACTLY causation and conditional dependence - period. There is nothing further to qualify.

And that means there is nothing further to "conflict".

This is realization. This is experience.

This is not a THING. This is release.

And, of vital importance as well, this is why we ALL have to realize voidness AS OUR own experience. What ever the religion or non-religion we practice, whatever sect, clan or doctrine we follow within any religion or path of living, we have to realize voidness because our suvival, our salvation, our release and benefit depend on its realization.

Don't make this a THING. Don't make it a view in terms of a THING-view to attain, to grab. Buddhism is not in that context. Buddhism is always about release and benefit.