Because Buddha's philosophy still speaks to today's world.
November 20th is celebrated World Philosophy Day, established by UNESCO in 2002 to honor one of the most fascinating disciplines, devoted since its inception to exploring the Universe and human nature.
It's a day meant to remind us of the value of deep, clear thinking in an age that moves faster than the questions we carry within us. An invitation to pause, to exercise our inner gaze to return to the essential: who we are, our most authentic nature.
For many, Buddhism is considered a philosophy of life. And if we celebrate philosophy today, we cannot fail to remember the man who, more than 2500 years ago, explored the nature of experience with a clarity that still amazes us: Shakyamuni Buddha, supreme philosopher of interiority, investigator of the mind, guide on the path to dissolve suffering.
In our study path with Ven. Tashi, we are deepening Liberation in the palm of your hand By Pabongka Rinpoche. For this day, we share some passages that show how the Buddha taught a vision of reality that remains relevant for every age: the doctrine of Two Truths, conventional and last.
Things are not as they seem
Buddha states that everything that arises from causes and conditions is ultimately devoid of its own permanent existence. We find this in the Sutra requested by Anavatapta:
Whatever is produced by circumstances is not really produced and does not possess the nature of production.
I affirm that whatever is the effect of circumstances is empty.
He who understands emptiness is right.
And Nagarjuna, in Foundation of the Middle Way, makes the connection between interdependence and emptiness even clearer:
If there are no phenomena existing without dependent origination,
in that case there are no phenomena that are not emptiness.
It's a simple and revolutionary principle at the same time: nothing exists alone, and for this very reason anything can exist.
The "Nothing" Trap and the "Everything" Trap: Finding the Middle Way
Pabongka Rinpoche warns that when we try to understand emptiness, we move to two extremes:
- deny too much, falling into nihilism (“nothing really exists”);
- to assert too much, adhering to the idea that things possess an intrinsic and independent essence.
The vase example illustrates this well: if I eliminate its parts piece by piece, I no longer find a vase anywhere. But if I conclude that the vase it doesn't exist at all, I'm just destroying its conventional appearance, missing the point.
The Buddha doesn't speak of nothingness. He speaks of a more subtle reality: what appears exists only by designation, not by its own nature.
The “I” as a functional illusion
At the meditation point In between sessions, Pabongka Rinpoche guides the practitioner towards understanding the conventional “I”:
Once meditative absorption is over […], all that seems to remain is the simple term 'I': this is simply the conventional I.
And he adds one of the most effective analogies:
The magician knows that the elephants that appear are illusory,
but he sees them come and go.
So do we too:
- the self does not exist intrinsically,
- and yet he acts, collects karma, experiences joy and pain.
Its existence is like a reflection, not solid, not independent, but effective nonetheless.
Emptiness and Dependent Origination: Two Aspects of the Same Reality
Nagarjuna sums up all Buddhist philosophy in one sentence:
All functional objects are empty by nature;
However, the Tathagata taught the dependent origination of functional phenomena.
Emptiness and appearance are not in conflict. They support each other.
Precisely because things lack an essence of their own, can to appear, to change, to relate, to heal and to be healed.
And this is where Buddha's philosophy touches upon everyday life: Recognizing that what we experience is neither fixed nor immutable opens up the space of freedom and responsibility.
Why Buddha's philosophy still speaks to today's world
In an age of intense polarization, snap judgments, and blatant truths, the Buddha offers us a method to cultivate clarity, discernment, and compassion. It is not an abstract theory, but a daily exercise to clearly see the reality of phenomena and live with conscious intention.
In this sense, Buddha Shakyamuni can truly be considered a “supreme philosopher”: not only because he investigated reality, but because he indicated a path to transform the mind and heart.
Celebrating Philosophy today means celebrating the possibility of continuing to ask questions, to observe without fear, to investigate reality in search of what frees us.