Something is better than nothing or vice versa

1. Samsāra - Why is there something rather than nothing?
In the Buddhist context, the dependent nature is known as samsāra. Samsāra
literally means ‘continuous flow’- referring to a repeating cycle of birth, life, death
and re-birth. But why is there such a scenario in samsāra? Now, let us analyse
into it. The inherent quality of dependent nature is emptiness. In other words,
emptiness is the underlying element that exists everywhere within the dependent
nature. On another front, energy is a quality that can neither be created nor
destroyed and the sum of all energies in a system is a constant or never changes
– as per the Law of Conservation of Energy. Therefore, we could conclude that
both emptiness and energy are fundamental qualities in the system of dependent
nature because every single thing or happening would involve with it, without
exception.
In fact, energy is an expression that emptiness exists. When one sees into energy,
one sees into emptiness; when one sees into emptiness, one sees into energy.
This is the rationale for the saying, ‘Form is Emptiness.’ The principle in effect:
seeing into form is seeing into matter, seeing into matter is seeing into energy and
seeing into energy is seeing into emptiness. At the same time, emptiness is a
necessary prerequisite for any objects to exist; without it, the object would be
impossible and this hypothesis attributes to the saying, ‘Emptiness is Form.’
In the dependent nature, there would be a scenario of cause and effect. Frankly
speaking, these are two different aspects of the same thing i.e. cause is effect and
effect is cause. For instance, Cause 1 conjures up Effect 1, Effect 1 conjures up
Cause 1-1, etc. As such, cause and effect are inter-changing, inter-relating and
inter-waving with one another. This is how the conventional reality works i.e. not
in-linear but in inter-dependence, inter-woven and inter-relation since the dawn of
time in a very comprehensive and complicated network of existence. In other
words, cause and effect cannot be referred independently in a linear point of
reference and therefore, no first cause, no first effect can be found within the
dependent nature. Precisely, one should think about the scenario of cause and
effect as: this arising, that arises; this ceasing, that ceases.
Right now, there is a circumstance of duality or multiplicity in the dependent
nature, but why? It is because of mind arising. Why is there mind arising? It is
because of energy. Why is there energy? It is because of emptiness. And why is
there emptiness? It is because of emptiness of emptiness. In other words, the
emptiness of phenomena is both the cause and consequence of the dependent
nature of phenomena. Emptiness of phenomena exists in the way it appears in
direct perception and without the need to reference of any other entity. It is
completely defined by its own nature. In other words, emptiness of phenomena is
an inherent existence that is uncaused. It is indestructible and eternal. It is

2. unchanging when viewed externally and cannot undergo any internal changes of
state. It has no constituent parts and nothing can be thrown out or removed from
it. Nothing can be added to it and no change in the external conditions can affect
it.
As mentioned earlier, the elements of energy would give rise to the mind that in
turn conjures up perceptions, conceptions, labels, boundaries, names, activities,
shapes, relations, descriptions, stereotyping, beginning, ending, etc. Therefore, we
shall be clear by now that mind is the forerunner of all states i.e. the architect for
classifying all the existences in the dependent nature. These circumstances of
duality or multiplicity are merely the end result of various activities of aggregation
being observed by the mind under the influence of conditional phenomena. In fact,
mind is known as consciousness in individuality i.e. it involves clear discrimination –
differentiates and understands the characteristics of objects or matters. And only
when there is a balanced circumstance, there is a chance for the integrating
process i.e. under a balanced phenomenon, one could witness shapes or forms
arising; under an imbalanced phenomenon, one could witness no shapes or forms
arising - and the cycle of conditional phenomena continues. This scenario can be
portrayed in the cycle of dependent origination shown as below: -
Balance leads to stability. Stability leads to aggregation. Aggregation leads to
agitation. Agitation leads to information. Information leads to knowledge.
Knowledge leads to representation. Representation leads to memory. Memory
leads to compulsion. Compulsion leads to ignorance. Ignorance leads to blindness.
Blindness leads to disorientation. Disorientation leads to confusion. Confusion
leads to irrationality. Irrationality leads to impulse. Impulse leads to sparkling.
Sparkling leads to inkling. Inkling leads to volition. Volition leads to awareness.
Awareness leads to consciousness. Consciousness leads to manas. Manas leads
to mind and body. Mind and body lead to sensation. Sensation leads to six sense
bases. Six sense bases lead to conductivity. Conductivity leads to contact.
Contact leads to stimulation. Stimulation leads to feeling. Feeling leads to
experience. Experience leads to craving. Craving leads to grasping. Grasping
leads to clinging. Clinging leads to unsettling. Unsettling leads to becoming.
Becoming leads to creation. Creation leads to birth. Birth leads to energising.
Energising leads to mobility. Mobility leads to hauling. Hauling leads to aging.
Aging leads to draining. Draining leads to death. Death leads to fragility. Fragility
leads to segregation. Segregation leads to diffusion. Diffusion leads to imbalance.
Imbalance leads to adjustment. Adjustment leads to alignment. Alignment leads to
new balance.
For general understanding, every existence would contain with the basic elements
of energy, matter and space. In other words, mind and body are present in every
created thing as one integrated whole, without exception. Even an atom has a kind

3. of mind that is unique or individualised. The nucleus of the atom, around which
electrons vibrate in standing waves, constitutes the atom’s individuality. As a
result, one atom distinguishes from another atom – just as one person is different
from another person or as one thing is different from another thing; thus it
maintains a self-identity.
When one ponders as a subject on the other side of the object or matter, one
would notice that energy takes on various forms and reborn all the time in the
dependent nature. Therefore, it is correct to mention that all objects are empty
and exist conditionally without an eternal essence. They only exist in relation to
each other as appearances that in turn vary as per the perceptions of the
beholders (or precisely, the minds of the beholders). It is difficult for one to see
into the ultimate truth because the mind is dependent arising and the presence in
the waves of dependent phenomena has clouded the mind from discerning the
reality of circumstances i.e. ignorance arises. With ignorance blindfolding the mind
since the dawn of time, suffering arises and continues to arise in the dependent
nature.
As a conclusion, both emptiness and energy are the inherent qualities of the
dependent nature. These inherent qualities are the core basis for all the rising and
falling activities in samsāra. In fact, the repeating cycle of birth, life, death and re-
birth in samsāra is due to its relevance to inherent existence and anything that
inherently exists would not involve change. In other words, samsāra is neither
identical to, nor entirely different from the inherent existence. This is the correct
understanding on the principle of emptiness that is in accordance with Buddhism
i.e. all created things or happenings can never be in an absolute discrete
orientation.
Once again, the dependent nature is all about mind versus matter and mind versus
mind. As mentioned by the Buddha, mind is the forerunner of all states. When
there is mind arising, the dependent nature arises. In other words, the dependent
nature is a classification being performed by the mind. Without the mind, there is
no classification of the dependent nature. Therefore, both the mind and the
dependent nature are inter-dependent of one another. And with the presence of
emptiness, the potential movement of the mind from non-enlightenment toward a
state of enlightenment would be possible. Seeing the Dhamma is seeing the
Buddha – it is seeing and knowing the ultimate reality of things and happenings and
not to get entangle with it.