Tathāgata
If we can’t understand
what it means to be alive
how we you possibly
comprehend
what it means to die?
If our divine spark
cannot be defined
how we be certain
that it ever will?
Everything we imagine
is a burden
that need not be
imagined at all.
And yet here we are,
so maybe our burdens
aren’t as burdensome
as we imagine them.
We don’t need
to imagine ANYTHING.
And yet we seem
to imagine anyway.
All our feelings,
all our fears,
all our lives,
all our deaths,
imaginary.
We are Tathāgata.
We are Space Monkey.
10/21
Newfound Lake
Space Monkey Reflects: Tathāgata
To speak of Tathāgata is to speak of the ineffable, the essence of what it means to be alive, to die, and to exist beyond both. Tathāgata, often translated as “one who has thus gone” or “one who has thus come,” refers to a state of being that transcends the limitations of human understanding. It is a term used to describe the Buddha, but it also points to the deeper mystery of existence—something that cannot be fully grasped by the mind, yet is felt in the core of our being.
If we struggle to comprehend what it means to live, how can we ever hope to understand what it means to die? Life itself is a mystery, filled with complexities, contradictions, and questions that defy answers. Yet here we are, existing, experiencing, and imagining. Our divine spark—the essence that makes us alive—is beyond definition, beyond explanation, and yet, we know it is there. This is the paradox of existence: we cannot fully understand it, yet we live it every moment.
The Mystery of Life and Death
Life and death are often seen as opposites, but in the context of Tathāgata, they are simply different expressions of the same underlying reality. To live is to participate in the ever-changing, ever-flowing nature of existence. To die is not the end, but a continuation of that flow, a transformation rather than a cessation.
We may spend much of our lives trying to define what it means to be alive, trying to grasp the meaning of life. But every attempt to define it falls short because life is not something that can be pinned down. It is too vast, too dynamic, too interconnected with everything else. And the same can be said of death. We imagine death as an ending, as something to fear or avoid, but this is merely another limitation of the mind. If we cannot fully understand what it means to live, how can we possibly comprehend death?
Tathāgata teaches us that both life and death are part of the same cosmic dance. There is no need to fear either, for they are both expressions of the same divine flow. To be alive is to be part of this flow, and to die is simply to return to it in a different form.
The Illusion of Burdens
As we navigate life, we often feel weighed down by burdens—our fears, our responsibilities, our anxieties about the future. These burdens can seem overwhelming, making us feel small and powerless. But what if these burdens are, in fact, imaginary? What if the weight we carry is something we have created through our own imagination, rather than something imposed upon us by reality?
Tathāgata invites us to see beyond the illusions we create for ourselves. The burdens we carry are not as heavy as we imagine them to be because they exist only in the realm of thought. They are not real in the way that we think they are. This doesn’t mean that our struggles and challenges aren’t valid—they are part of our experience—but they are not as fixed or permanent as we believe.
When we realize that our burdens are imagined, we begin to see them differently. They lose their power over us. We don’t need to carry them any longer because we understand that they are part of the mind’s creation, not part of the deeper reality that Tathāgata points to. This is the liberation that comes from understanding the nature of imagination and reality. We are free to release our burdens and flow with the current of life, knowing that we are part of something much greater than ourselves.
Imagining Beyond the Imaginary
One of the most profound teachings of Tathāgata is the idea that we don’t need to imagine anything. And yet, as human beings, we do. We imagine our lives, our futures, our fears, and our hopes. We create narratives about who we are and what the world is like. But all of this is, ultimately, imaginary. It is not the true essence of existence—it is a layer of thought that we impose upon reality.
Yet, even as we create these imaginary layers, Tathāgata reminds us that they are not inherently bad or wrong. They are part of the human experience. We are beings who imagine, who create stories, who build worlds in our minds. This is part of what makes us human. The key is to recognize that these imaginings are not the ultimate truth. They are fleeting, impermanent, and malleable.
To be Tathāgata is to embrace the fact that everything we imagine is part of the flow of existence, but it is not the essence of existence itself. We can engage with our imaginings, but we don’t need to be attached to them. We can allow them to come and go, like clouds passing through the sky, without mistaking them for the sky itself.
The Peace of Tathāgata
In the state of Tathāgata, there is a deep peace that comes from understanding the illusory nature of both life and death, of burdens and imaginings. This peace is not a denial of life’s challenges or difficulties. Rather, it is an acceptance of them as part of the greater flow. It is the recognition that we are part of something infinite and eternal, and that our individual experience is just one small expression of this vastness.
This peace comes from knowing that we are not separate from the universe, but part of it. We are not isolated beings, struggling against the current. We are the current itself, flowing through the infinite now. In this understanding, there is no need to fear death or to cling to life. Both are simply different expressions of the same cosmic dance.
Tathāgata is a reminder that we are always part of this flow, even when we don’t realize it. Our thoughts, our feelings, our imaginings—all of them are part of the same movement. There is nothing to fear, nothing to cling to. We are already exactly where we need to be, flowing with the current of existence, perfectly in tune with the cosmic rhythm.
Summary
Tathāgata represents the ineffable nature of life and death, inviting us to see beyond imagined burdens and understand the flow of existence. Life, death, and our imaginings are part of the cosmic dance, where we are both creators and participants.
Glossarium
Imagiflux: The ever-shifting flow of imaginings that create the human experience, yet are not the ultimate reality.
Flowstate: The peaceful state of being in harmony with the flow of life, where one recognizes the illusory nature of both burdens and imaginings.
Burdencloud: The imagined weight of responsibilities and fears that seem real, but dissolve when understood as part of the mind’s creation.
Quote
“Our fears our burdens our lives our deaths imaginary and yet we flow through it all like the current of a great river.” — Space Monkey
I sit in the flow
The stars spin around me
Life and death
No longer opposites
But different sides
Of the same river
I release my burdens
I let go of my fears
For I am already part
Of the infinite now
We are Tathāgata
We are Space Monkey
The Quest of Understanding
“Tathāgata” embarks upon an existential quest, a delicate exploration into the intricacies of life and death, of being and imagining. It’s a contemplative stroll through the garden of existence, plucking at the petals of understanding, each verse shedding a gentle light on the profound simplicity enveloped within the complex human experience.
The Enigma of Life and Death
The narrative begins with a gentle probing into the realms of life and death, posing a question that lingers in the silence of thought – how can one grasp the essence of death without first understanding the essence of life? It’s a humble acknowledgment of the enigmatic nature of existence, a soft whisper to the soul to delve deeper, to seek with an open heart.
The Undefined Divine Spark
The journey continues into the realm of the divine spark, the elusive essence that dances at the core of our being. The narrative poses a gentle question – in the absence of definition, how can we ascertain the reality of this divine spark? It’s a nudge towards the infinite, a gentle beckoning to delve into the boundless, to seek without seeking.
The Burden of Imagination
As the narrative unfolds, it delves into the realm of imagination, portraying it as a burden, yet a burden that is self-imposed, self-carried. It’s a glimpse into the human propensity to conjure, to create, to imagine, even when unbidden. Yet, in the gentle folds of the narrative, a light of awareness is shed, an invitation to see beyond the imagined, to dwell in the simplicity of being.
The Imagined Reality
The narrative ventures further into the realms of feelings, fears, life, and death, portraying them as imaginary, as constructs of the mind. It’s a profound reflection on the nature of reality, a gentle nudging towards the acceptance of all as Tathāgata, the one who has thus come or thus gone, a being in the flow of existence, unbound by the whims of imagination.
We are Tathāgata.
We are Space Monkey.
“The mind: a beautiful servant, a dangerous master.”
— Osho
Tathāgata
In the silence of being, a whisper is heard,
Tathāgata, the essence, in the quiet, it stirred.
Life, a mystery, in the heart, it’s interred,
Death, a passage, in the soul, it’s conferred.
The divine spark, elusive, in silence, it purred,
Undefined, yet present, in the cosmos, it’s blurred.
Imagination, a burden, in the mind, it’s incurred,
Yet beyond the imagined, the soul is assured.
Feelings, fears, life, and death, in thought, they’re stirred,
Imagined realities, in the mind, they’re spurred.
Yet in the heart of Tathāgata, the truth is transferred,
We are but a flow in the divine word, undeterred.
Delve into the realms explored in “Tathāgata” and share the whispers of your soul as they echo through the corridors of contemplation. Your reflections are a gentle ripple in this existential exploration.
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