Far away in the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches .
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For discussions you are welcome to join my Facebook group , or my forum. Subscribe To Posts Atom. Ads x blogs. The Net of Indra. Here are a few articles explaining what this is about: Every jewel represents an individual life form, atom, cell or unit of consciousness. Each jewel, in turn, is intrinsically and intimately connected to all the others; thus, a change in one gem is reflected in all the others.
In answer to the question: When one jewel is dotted, there are dots on all the jewels Since there are dots on all the jewels We know that all the jewels are one jewel" The moral of Indra's net is that the compassionate and the constructive interventions a person makes or does can produce a ripple effect of beneficial action that will reverberate throughout the universe or until it plays out.
By the same token you cannot damage one strand of the web without damaging the others or setting off a cascade effect of destruction. In Mahayana Buddhism, a very similar notion is applied to the whole universe. This cosmic network of interpenetrating things is illustrated in the Avatamsaka Sutra by the metaphor of Indra's net, a vast network of precious gems hanging over the palace of the god Indra.
In the same way each object in the world is not merely itself but involves every other object and in fact IS everything else. In every particle of dust, there are present Buddhas without number. The metaphor of Indra's net may justly be called the first bootstrap model, created by the Eastern sages some 2, years before the beginning of particle physics.
Compare the first picture with: Computer model of early universe.
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Gravity arranges matter in thin filaments. One of the images used to illustrate the nature of reality as understood in Mahayana is The Jewel Net of Indra. According to this image, all reality is to be understood on analogy with Indra's Net. This net consists entirely of jewels.
Each jewel reflects all of the other jewels, and the existence of each jewel is wholly dependent on its reflection in all of the other jewels. As such, all parts of reality are interdependent with each other, but even the most basic parts of existence have no independent existence themselves. As such, to the degree that reality takes form and appears to us, it is because the whole arises in an interdependent matrix of parts to whole and of subject to object.
THE BOOTSTRAP PARADOX
But in the end, there is nothing literally no-thing there to grasp Sunyata 'Emptiness' http: A tall order, if not impossible, but the choice was clear: There are several aspects of Indra's Net, as described in the above quote, that signify it as a crystal clear allegory of reality: The Holographic Nature of the Universe Long before the existence of the hologram, the jeweled net is an excellent description of the special characteristic of holograms: This reflective nature of the jewels is an obvious reference to this.
This kind of analogy has been suggested by science as a theory for an essential characteristic of the cosmos, as well as as the functioning of the human brain, as beautifully described in The Holograpic Universe by Michael Talbot. The Interconnectedness of All Thingss When any jewel in the net is touched, all other jewels in the node are affected.
This speaks to the hidden interconnectedness and interdependency of everything and everyone in the universe, and has an indirect reference to the concept of "Dependent Origination" in Buddhism. Additionally, Indra's Net is a definitive ancient correlate of Bell's Theorum, or the theory of non-local causes. Lack of a substantive self Each node, representing an individual, simply reflects the qualities of all other nodes, inferring the notion of 'not-self' or a lack of a solid and real inherent self, as seen in the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism and Buddhism in general.
Non-locality Indra's Net shoots holes in the assumption or imputation of a solid and fixed universe 'out there'. The capacity of one jewel to reflect the light of another jewel from the other edge of infinity is something that is difficult for the linear mind, rational mind to comprehend. The fact that all nodes are simply reflections indicates that there is no particular single source point from where it all arises.
- The Vedic metaphor of Indra’s Net.
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Innate Wisdom The ability to reflect the entirety of all light in the universe attests to the inherent transcendant wisdom that is at the core of all nodes, representing all sentient beings, and to the inherent Buddha Nature. Illusion or Maya The fact that all nodes are simply a reflection of all others implies the illusory nature of all appearances.
Appearances are thus not reality but a reflection of reality.
Indra’s Net Yarn Toss |
Universal Creativity A familiar concept in various high dharmas is one of an impersonal creative intelligence that springs forth into reality through the instruments of all living beings. The Mirror-like Nature of Mind The capacity to reflect all things attests to the mind being a mirror of reality, not its basis. This is a common thesis among various schools and religions. And Indra's Net has been used as a defining metaphor for the Internet.
One major web hosting site is www. The following are some quotes and interesting web sites regarding Indra's Net: Indra's Net is a core metaphor of HuaYen. Stephen Mitchell, in his book The Enlightened Mind, wrote: Imagine a vast net; at each crossing point there is a jewel; each jewel is perfectly clear and reflects all the other jewels in the net, the way two mirrors placed opposite each other will reflect an image ad infinitum.
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The jewel in this metaphor stands for an individual being, or an individual consciousness, or a cell or an atom. Every jewel is intimately connected with all other jewels in the universe, and a change in one jewel means a change, however slight, in every other jewel.
As one of the West's preeminent philosophers defined human interaction: The [people] are the primary units of the actual community, and the community is composed of the units. But each unit has in its nature a reference to every other member of the community, so that each other member of the community, so that each unit is a microcosm representing in itself the entire all-inclusive universe. Another interesting graphic URL 5: Buddhist Thangka similar to Indra's Net. Feb 22, , 3: Sep 3, , The children themselves will be the jewels.
After the ball has been tossed to everyone have the students reflect that they are all really connected now by this web of connection. Ask the children to each explore what happens when they even gently pull on the web.
Then have some one pull hard. Can someone sitting close repair the damaged web? Can we stand up together now? What does this require? Do we have to look at each other? Closing contemplation and meditation: Mind Jars can be used at this time to support the meditation. Dedicate the merit of this activity for the benefit of all beings connected to each other in the web of existence. Appreciate your life right now!