Interbeing

Thich Nhat Hanh
63 words, 12K views, 18 comments

Listen to Audio

Audio

इंटरबीइंग

थिच नट हान के द्वारा,

खालीपन का मतलब शून्यता नहीं है। यह कहना कि हम खाली हैं इसका मतलब यह नहीं है कि हमारा अस्तित्व नहीं है। इससे कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता कि कोई चीज भरी हुई है या खाली, पहली बात तो वह चीज स्पष्ट रूप से होनी चाहिए। जब हम कहते हैं कि प्याला खाली है, तो प्याला खाली होने के लिए वहां प्याला होना चाहिए। जब हम कहते हैं कि हम खाली हैं, तो इसका मतलब है कि हमारे स्थाई , अलग स्व से खाली होने के लिए हमें वहां होना चाहिए।

लगभग तीस साल पहले मैं हर चीज के साथ हमारे गहरे अंतर्संबंध का वर्णन करने के लिए एक अंग्रेजी शब्द की तलाश कर रहा था। मुझे "एकजुटता" शब्द पसंद आया, लेकिन अंत में मुझे "इंटरबीइंग" शब्द मिला । क्रिया "होना" भ्रामक हो सकता है, क्योंकि हम अकेले, अकेले नहीं हो सकते। "टू बी" हमेशा "इंटर-बी" होता है। यदि हम उपसर्ग "इंटर" को "होना" क्रिया के साथ जोड़ते हैं, तो हमारे पास एक नई क्रिया "इंटर-बी" है। इंटर-बी और इंटरबीइंग की क्रिया वास्तविकता को अधिक सटीक रूप से दर्शाती है। हम एकदूसरे के साथ और पूरी ज़िंदगी के साथ हैं।

लुईस थॉमस नाम के एक जीवविज्ञानी हैं, जिनके काम की मैं बहुत सराहना करता हूं। वह वर्णन करते हैं कि हमारा मानव शरीर अनगिनत अन्य छोटे जीवों द्वारा "साझा, किराए पर और कब्ज़े में" हैं, जिनके बिना हम "मांसपेशियों को हिला नहीं सकते, एक उंगली को भी घुमा नहीं सकते हैं, या एक विचार भी सोच नहीं सकते हैं।" हमारा शरीर एक समुदाय है, और हमारे शरीर में खरबों गैर-मानवकोशिकाएं हैं जो मानव कोशिकाओं की तुलना में बहुत अधिक हैं। उनके बिना, हम इस क्षण में यहां नहीं हो सकते थे। उनके बिना, हम सोचने, महसूस करने या बोलने में सक्षम नहीं होंगे। वे कहते हैं, कोई अकेला प्राणी नहीं है। पूरा ग्रह एक विशाल, जीवित, सांस लेने वाली कोशिका है, जिसके सभी कामकाजी हिस्से सहजीवन में जुड़े हुए हैं।

हम अपने दैनिक जीवन में हर जगह शून्यता और अंतर्संबंध देख सकते हैं। [...] बच्चे को देखते हुए, हम उसके माता-पिता और पूर्वजों के बारे में समझ सकते हैं, और इसी तरह माता-पिता को देखते हुए, हम उनके बच्चे को देख सकते हैं। हमारा स्वतंत्र अस्तित्व नहीं है। हम आपस में जुड़े हैं।

प्रकट होने के लिए सब कुछ ब्रह्माण्ड की अन्य सभी चीज़ों पर निर्भर करता है - चाहे वो एक तारा, एक बादल, एक फूल, एक पेड़, या आप और मैं हों।

हर बार जब मैं अपने आश्रम में वेदी के सामने धूप या साष्टांग प्रणाम करता हूं, तो मैं इसे एक व्यक्ति के रूप में नहीं बल्कि मेरा पूरा वंशवेदी के सामने साष्टांग प्रणाम कर रहा है , इस भाव रूप में करता हूं। जब भी मैं चलता हूं, बैठता हूं, खाता हूं या सुलेख का अभ्यास करता हूं, तो मैं इस जागरूकता के साथ ऐसा करता हूं कि मेरे सभी पूर्वज उस पल में मेरे भीतर हैं। मैं उनकी निरंतरता हूं। मैं जो कुछ भी कर रहा हूं, ध्यान की ऊर्जा मुझे इंटरबीइंग के माध्यम से सक्षम बनाती है, इसे "हम" के रूप में करने में, "मैं" के रूप में नहीं। जब मैं एकसुलेख ब्रश पकड़ता हूं, मुझे पता है कि मैं अपने पिता को अपने हाथ से नहीं हटा सकता। मैं जानता हूं कि मैं अपनी मां या अपने पूर्वजों को मुझसे दूर नहीं कर सकता। वे मेरी सभी कोशिकाओं में, मेरे इशारों में, एक सुंदर वृत्त बनाने की मेरी क्षमता में मौजूद हैं। न ही मैं अपने आध्यात्मिक गुरुओं को अपने हाथ से हटा सकता हूँ। वे वहां उस शांति, एकाग्रता और ध्यान में हैं जिसका आनंद मैं घेरा ( सर्कल) बनाकर लेता हूं। हम सब मिलकर वृत्त ( सर्कल) का रेखांकन कर रहे हैं।

प्रतिबिंब के लिए बीज प्रश्न: इंटरबीइंग ( अंतरसंबंध) का आपके लिए क्या मतलब है? क्या आप उस समय की कोई व्यक्तिगत कहानी साझा कर सकते हैं जब आप अपने माध्यम से कार्रवाई में भाग लेने वाले एक विशालकाय 'सब' के बारे में गहराई से जानते थे? आपके माध्यम से रहने वाले पूरे वंश को याद रखने में क्या मदद करता है?

Thich Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen master, poet, scholar, and peace activist who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Excerpted from The Art of Living.

SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does Interbeing mean to you? Can you share a personal story of a time you were deeply aware of a giant 'all' participating in action through you? What helps you remember the entire lineage that lives through you?

Add Your Reflection

18 Past Reflections

On May 23, 2024 Maxine wrote :

Are You Getting The Most Value From Your Attorney
Injury Accident Attorney? accident attorney miami (Raphael)

Post Your Reply

On Mar 29, 2023 Kevin wrote :

I sit here in the unemployment office , I feel lost in this place, it's been more than 30 years since I have not had a job, so I'm looking for one, I keep breathing, grounding and know we are all in this boat together.

1 reply: Alan | Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 MissC wrote :

I remember the special time that I was privileged enough to learn calligraphy from a Master. It was a small community class. Together we learned how to prepare the ink, to set the paper,
to sit and breathe properly, and to hold the brush. I'll never forget learning how to hold the brush! I was so excited, while at the same time feeling a calm security. The instruction from this Master came to me as if from a whole council of ancestors, present and lovingly guiding my hand. Finally when I was ready to lower the correctly held brush to the paper, I made a perfect circle and felt an overwhelming connection to all those that have gone before me, and those that sat near me, and also those that I would show my work in the future. It was an unforgettably warm and fuzzy feeling!

Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 Freda Karpf wrote :

We are we. That is the moving story of our lives. We were never alone or solitary. We were and are and always be connected to all that lives and moves and even to all that flows and grows. So, a great reminder that we are nature and nature is not apart from us or over there. It is here, within and without. There is no separation. We have to and should want to take care of our world. We are the earth and we live on through nature.

Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 sue wrote :

Even though people think about DNA as a measure of uniqueness, we have DNA that is found in other animals and even plants

Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 Kevin wrote :

Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 Bruce H wrote :

Sharon — I found this very well expressed— I hope you are well, warm, and happy…Bruce

Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 Sigurd Andersen wrote :

Closely related to "interbeing" is the concept of "dependent co-arising". All that happens is from a mix of all the factors that make up the present moment.

Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 Doe wrote :

This is so huge for me. In my daily struggles with food addiction, I’ve searched for a bigger reason to love & honor this amazing body of mine. This is it. Thank you🙏♥️

Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 Craig wrote :

Stewart was nineteen years old when it happened. It was mid August, 1990, and he was staying at his parents' home on a break from college, where he had just written a paper for a final exam in a Philosophy of Mind course at UCDavis. He had just finished reading "Lord of the Flies" that morning, and turned on the radio before stepping into the shower. Once in the shower, he heard the sound of the water falling, but also could hear the radio, as if they were two completely different sounds. But then he realized that his eardrums don't differentiate between the sound of the music and talk on the radio and the sounds of the shower water raining down on him—but that that differentiation had to come from his understanding after his eardrums registered the vibrations; it was some sort of conditioned differentiation. He wondered whether, as a baby or a very young child, if he could "hear" the difference of the sounds as coming from two different sources, and reasoned that he likely would not... [View Full Comment] Stewart was nineteen years old when it happened. It was mid August, 1990, and he was staying at his parents' home on a break from college, where he had just written a paper for a final exam in a Philosophy of Mind course at UCDavis. He had just finished reading "Lord of the Flies" that morning, and turned on the radio before stepping into the shower. Once in the shower, he heard the sound of the water falling, but also could hear the radio, as if they were two completely different sounds. But then he realized that his eardrums don't differentiate between the sound of the music and talk on the radio and the sounds of the shower water raining down on him—but that that differentiation had to come from his understanding after his eardrums registered the vibrations; it was some sort of conditioned differentiation. He wondered whether, as a baby or a very young child, if he could "hear" the difference of the sounds as coming from two different sources, and reasoned that he likely would not be able to differentiate as a very young child, because then, he would just hear the truth of the sounds, and not edit them, not sort them. He sat down in the shower, closed his eyes, plugged his ears, and tried to re-hear the sounds about him as one sound, whole and undifferentiated. He felt that if he tried hard enough, he might just be able to do it. After awhile, he emerged from the shower and dried himself off with a towel in the bathroom, and while doing so, he began to feel that he was a tremendous community of millions of little cells, each with a tiny bit of consciousness. He felt that his whole experience of self—of "I-ness" was only an emergent property of these millions of cells, working together in their community, and that if he really was only those cells, then why didn't he feel himself as those cells—those myriad individuals. Suddenly, he felt that his "I-ness" was, in a way, a convenient disservice to those cells, some of whom had been and were currently working very hard to make the whole organism called "Stewart" work. So he wondered if he could surrender that overlordship—in a way, give back his consciousness to all of the individual cells that created it, acknowledge and thank them for their service, and let them be honored each and independently. As he tried to do this, something happened, and for the first time, he fell into a tingling state of bliss—a kind of ecstasy—where his normal chatty mind dissolved, and he became only that community. His body felt like a hive of buzzing bees, humming, each little part alive and independent, but all working together. And those bees had, at last, been seen, recognized for what they really were and had always been, and took joy in this recognition. And the image of an hourglass came to Stewart—with the feeling that "we are all the living sands of an hourglass," as time passes though us, and cells are born, live, and die, and yet the continuity of the whole organism seems to hold together. But, like differentiating the music on the radio from the sounds of the shower raining down, the wholeness and the partitions were, both, in a way, illusions. In this altered state, he returned to his old bedroom, pulled out a bottle of ink and a sumi brush, and began to paint the phrase that came to him on his bedroom wall. Suddenly, his parents entered his room, and saw him painting writing on the wall, and they panicked, pulled the ink and brush from his hands, where it spilled over his fingers in the process, and they dragged him back to the bathroom and washed his hands, looking into his eyes, and asking him repeatedly, "What drug are you on?" But Stewart hadn't taken any drugs. In fact, he had never taken any mind-altering drugs before. What was happening just was happening on its own. And in his state of surrendering to the microorganisms of his being, he began to see that his parents were also made of myriad consciousnesses, but that in their state, they could not see this. His mother, yelling to his father that their son had "gone crazy," in an act of desperation, grabbed a pair of scissors, grabbed the lock of hair on his forehead, and cut his hair off at the scalp. In his state of mind, Stewart could see that there was no other way that his mother could be. That she was scared and confused, and could not see or understand who her son really was: a community of cells, just like she was. And so he did not flinch, and did not resent her, because there was nothing else to do but let it be as it was, as it unfolded. And as she removed the lock of hair from his head, he left their house through the front door, and walked slowly to the neighboring field. And as he walked, he began to realize that just as all of the little cells that created the community that was his body, his being did not have an awareness of "Stewart"—that is, before Stewart became aware of those parts of which he was made—so the individual human beings on the planet did not realize that they were participating in greater minds—corporate minds, and national minds, and even a mind that emerged from the whole of humanity. And the more he gave over his own mind to the cells within him, like a beautiful communist revolution, where every cell became recognized for who it was and could have its say, so, simultaneously, Stewart's cells realized that they were participants in these greater minds, and ultimately, a mind that incorporated all of the plants, all of the animals, all of the minerals that flowed within all of those cells and the body of the Earth itself. None of this is easy to put into words, and unless you have had the experience yourself, you cannot imagine it. But then something else happened: Stewart felt his being disintegrating and merging with the entire planet Earth—and the living, sentient mind of the Earth touched the mind of all of the cells and bacterium and minerals in the thing that some once called "Stewart," and, like being struck by a lightning bolt, he felt open, and opened, and overwhelmed with the intensity of energy that was flowing through him, to him, from him, and around him. It felt to him like a toaster had been plugged into a nuclear power plant, and all the circuits were burning up, frying with the sheer power and vastness of the experience. And those around Stewart felt something too, as he sat down next to that field, merged with the Soul of the World (what he would later learn was called by ancient Romans as the "anima mundi.") His sister and her friend had followed him out of the house, and the friend burst out into tears. His parents dragged him back inside their home, placed him on a bed in their study, and tried to reason with him. But Stewart knew their thoughts form in their minds, before they spoke them, and felt their fears and their self-imposed and self-enforced limited-ness, which seemed all so unnecessary. He began to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but, at the same time, sob at the pain of it all—and, laughing and crying, writhing on the guest room bed, both hysterical and heart-wrenching at once—he cried out, "All I've ever really wanted was the Truth, and now I have a taste of it." It took him several hours to return to a state where he could speak, walk, and eat again. But he would never be the same person he was before that day. The experience changed the course of his life from that day forward, and he knew then that everything except that truth was but a different flavor of illusion, of forgetfulness of what and who we really are. He tried to explain the experience to his friends back in college; one told him that it was like a good acid trip. He passionately tried to describe it to other students in his Philosophy courses; they though he was mad, or that he was trying to start a cult. Hegel, Nietzsche, and even Plato all had different meanings to him than to his peers in school. Even many of his teachers felt that his interpretations were too "mystical." And for a long time, he felt very much alone among his fellow human beings. Without having had that experience themselves, how might anyone understand it? How might anyone even believe that it was possible? It was the most profound experience of his life, but anyone he told just laughed or rolled their eyes at him, and so, for another thirty years, Stewart kept his experience a secret. But this little piece of writing by Thich Nhat Hanh showed Stewart that he was not the only one who has experienced such things. Our world is far more alive than we usually remember or give it credit. We are legion, and as we surrender to that legion and let that legion come alive within us, we open ourselves up to a more intimate participation in the far vaster community, the greater song, of which the millions of tiny souls within us play a part: the microcosm reflects the macrocosm, and at all levels, there is mindstuff, awareness, and sentience. Thank you for sharing this this reading with us.[Hide Full Comment]

Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 Genoveva Dimcheva wrote :

You touch me deapley because i haven't children. My womb never give childbirth this make empty. Al so i feel disconnected with my grandparents because nobody gont happy for me in 1981 when i was born like baby girl. I feel disconnected with life religioun everything. I wish this could be deferent. I don't know how to connect with love.

2 replies: Barbara, David | Post Your Reply

On Mar 27, 2023 Mamta Nanda wrote :

With pluto (symbolising transformation) in the sign of Aquarius (symbolising community) being reminded of 'interbeing' feels profound. Thank you for this beautiful reminder.
I am not alone, I am always accompanied :) I do not have to struggle alone seems very uplifting in this moment.

Post Your Reply

On Mar 25, 2023 David Doane wrote :

To me, interbeing means what Thich Nhat Hanh says, that we cannot be by ourselves alone and separate from everything else. I agree that every thing is linked and that every thing relies on every thing else. I agree that each person is a continuation of his ancestors, and we are all together. There is no individual without the whole. How one is depends on all the rest. I wouldn't be me without everyone and everything that makes up the whole of which I am part. My awareness has grown that existence is a giant all that participates in action through me and each of us. I occasionally approach being deeply aware of that, and I am awed. One strong and sometimes shocking reminder of the entire lineage that I am continuous with is when I see physical or behavioral or personality features that are like my ancestors.

Post Your Reply

On Mar 24, 2023 Jagdish P Dave wrote :

To be is always to "inter-be. This is good awakening call for me. It is a guiding star for me. We are all connected with each other. We do not have a seperate existence. We are intrinsically coneected not only with other human beings but also with animals and with nature. We are an intrinsic part of the whole. We do not have an independet and isolated existence. We are connected with each other and we all are one. I was born by the union of two different human beings having two different identiies. For creating a new person in their life, they got united with each other and created a unified identity. I was raised in a family in which we felt deeply connected with each other. I never felt lonely. That was my experience and it built the foundation of my identity. Though we were relatively poor but we had inner abundance. I am grateful for receiving such precious gift coming from their hearts. There have been times when I have missed the steps of living as an interbeing person. Livi... [View Full Comment]

Interbeing

Add Your Reflection

18 Past Reflections

On May 23, 2024 Maxine wrote :

On Mar 29, 2023 Kevin wrote :

1 reply: Alan | Post Your Reply

On Mar 28, 2023 MissC wrote :

On Mar 28, 2023 Freda Karpf wrote :

On Mar 28, 2023 sue wrote :

On Mar 28, 2023 Kevin wrote :

On Mar 28, 2023 Bruce H wrote :

On Mar 28, 2023 Sigurd Andersen wrote :

On Mar 28, 2023 Doe wrote :

On Mar 28, 2023 Craig wrote :

On Mar 28, 2023 Genoveva Dimcheva wrote :

2 replies: Barbara, David | Post Your Reply

On Mar 27, 2023 Mamta Nanda wrote :

On Mar 25, 2023 David Doane wrote :

On Mar 24, 2023 Jagdish P Dave wrote :

1 reply: Melissa | Post Your Reply