From the Space outside Us to the Space inside Us - Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center

Most of us have an idea of what constitutes the space outside us; it is the environment in which we live. This includes the house we live in, the city we live in, or even the world we live in.

Just as we need to skillfully manage our relationship to others, to the environment, and to wealth, we also need to properly manage our relationship to the space outside of us.

For example, if we want to travel from place A to place B, we should have an idea about which route to use, what kind of transportation we need, how much time it requires, what we need to pack for the trip, and what potential problems we should anticipate. If we plan ahead, chances are we will have a wonderful trip.Thus, if we expend the effort to analyze our circumstances and plan accordingly, we stand a fair chance of being able to manage the space outside us.

The space inside us is another story. It is without form and therefore without boundary. It is hard to visualize or comprehend. The Buddha told us that the space inside us is many times larger than the space outside us. One of the sutras says,

“The mind encompasses the space of the universe, traversing realms as numerous as there are grains of sand.”

It is important to know the space inside us rather than becoming overly preoccupied with the space outside us. Before we go any further, let’s clarify what we mean by internal space: we are speaking about our heart, and we should learn to let our heart grow. The Buddha told us that the immensity of the heart can encompass three thousand chiliocosms.

When we open up our heart, we can contain the whole universe within us.

When I first arrived in Taiwan in the 1940s, I was truly destitute in a material sense. Though I was penniless and my external situation was grim, I never felt in want of anything. The wealth that I found in nature was immeasurable. When I was down in spirit, the stars and moon in the sky kept me company. Flowers were there for me to enjoy; trees provided shade for me. Everything in nature gave me untold joy. When I felt the enhance and the expanse of the whole universe within me, how could I feel anything but rich and fulfilled?

We have infinite spaciousness inside us, enough to hold the immensity of the cosmos; the universe is without, but the universe is also within. A true understanding of this capacity for inner abundance is key to finding ease and contentment regardless of our circumstances.

So, how do we let the spaciousness of our heart grow?

The Vimalakirti Sutra teaches us the Dharma method of non-duality. When we open our heart, we are vast like the oceans, which welcome water from all tributaries, large and small, or like Mount Sumeru, which embraces earth of all kinds, coarse and fine. When we open our heart, disputes, politics, and power struggles will no longer affect us. We will be at ease wherever we find ourselves. Only when we have affinity with the space within us can we have affinity with the space outside us.

From Living Affinity, written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

Image from Pixabay.

More Featured Articles

Lamp Offering

Offering lamps at Buddhist temples and stupas is a common practice. The Flower Adornment Sutra says, "The lamp of wisdom can break through all forms of darkness." As such, lamps represent the light of wisdom that pierces through the darkness of ignorance. This empowers sentient beings encumbered by confusion. The Buddhist practice of offering lamps originates from the actions of a poor girl named Nanda. Read more

Healthy Emotions, Healthy Love

Our emotions are a very important part of our everyday life, and they star in a leading role on the stage of relationships. The ability to feel and our freedom to act upon these feelings give us both joy and sorrow, and it is imperative that we maintain our emotional well-being to minimize the potential for suffering within relationships. Emotions are the glue that bind Read more

Only Setting the Tone and Not Becoming the Master

It seemed that I had to do everything for Buddhism. For Buddhism, I have to only set the tone and not become the master, hand over my physical body to the temple and give my life to the Dharma protectors, heavenly beings and nagas, and making the aspiration to head out for Buddhism, striving to move Buddhism toward humanity and society. It seemed then that Read more

A Closer Look at Relationships

Among our many relationships, many forms and types exist. There are friendships, family connections, teacher-student bonds, marriages, relationships with and between monastics, and many other kinds. How we choose to develop, nourish and manage these specific relationships determines our own joy and contentment, as well as that of our fellow human beings, and ultimately, our community and world as a whole. How wonderful our lives Read more

Turning Around and Going Ahead

On the path of life, sometimes we need to go straight ahead, other times we have to make turns in order to reach our goals. If we do not turn around when we need to, we will not “see the other shore.” But when we need to move ahead and we do not, we will miss a prime opportunity. When we have to make a Read more

My Progress of Faith

I once copied out a sutra in blood by pricking myself, and once I also burned my arm as an offering. I once remained silent for a year without speaking, and once I also kept my eyes closed for three months without seeing. Later on, I would occasionally open my eyes and suddenly feel: Oh, there are still verdant mountains; there are still trees; the Read more

To Forbear a Moment’s Anger

"To bear disgrace and insult" is the most important virtue a person can possibly cultivate, because the ability to forbear is enormously powerful, since a moment of anger can destroy an entire lifetime of merits. By restraining our emotions, we have a better chance of avoiding confrontation and gaining control of the situation at hand. Otherwise, our minds will be clouded and our judgment impaired. Read more

The Stages of Counting the Breath

Master Zhiyi’s “six wonderful methods” describe four different kinds of specialized breathing: bellowing winds, broken panting, low-pitched breathing, and internalized breathing.1. Bellowing Winds“Bellowing Winds” describes when one’s inhalations become more and more powerful. As the breathing becomes deeper and longer it can become very loud. This is because, once the power of one’s concentration has been gathered, it can be transferred elsewhere with great force. Read more

The Unsurpassed Value of Impermanence

Birth and death are realities of life. Regardless of who we are, we cannot escape either one. While birth is celebrated, death is feared by most. In order to cope with our fear, we often seek comfort in religion. Although each of the world's major religious traditions has its own teaching concerning death, Buddhism is the only one that promotes the doctrine of impermanence as one Read more

Greed: The Cause of Suffering

Though the worlds that we see are fundamentally a product of our own minds, they usually do not appear this way to us. Like images in an intense dream, our perceptions appear to be wholly real to us, and not to have been generated by our own mental activity. For this reason, the Buddha taught many ways to help us comprehend the true nature of Read more

The Beauty of Magnanimity

It is only through loving-kindness and compassion that we can find room in our hearts to forgive others. It is only through our willingness to let go of resentment that we can find a way to magnanimity. Read more

Take Deep Joy in the True Dharma

“True Dharma” means those teachings which are right, correct, and do not deviate from the Middle Way.The word “Dharma” has several different meanings. One meaningof “dharma” is “phenomena.” In this sense, “dharma” includes phenomena as large as the universe and as small as a mustard seed. “Dharma” also refers to the truth, the teachings of the Buddha. The Dharma the Buddha taught is what allows people Read more