The Two Truths teaching is another classic Chan/Zen description of Reality-with-a-Capital-R. Reality has two aspects, often called relative and absolute. I call them the “dependent dimension” and the “independent dimension.” I describe this teaching and discuss why it is so important to our practice.
Quicklinks to Article Content:
The Temptation to Relate to the Two Truths Dualistically
The Five Ranks: Accepting, Integrating, and Using the Two Truths
Never Pitting One Truth Against the Other
The Other Descriptions of Reality and the Two Truths
This is the sixth episode in my “One Reality, Many Descriptions” series, in which I discuss the central Mahayana Buddhist teachings about the nature of what I like to call “Reality-with-a-Capital-R.” In the last episode I started my discussion of the Two Truths teaching, and described each side of the Two Truths, which I call the “dependent” and “independent” dimensions of Reality. Be sure to listen to/read that episode first because I’m going skip any repetition or introduction and pick up where I left off.
The Temptation to Relate to the Two Truths Dualistically
The first half of the Two Truths teaching is this: Look beyond the dependent dimension, the reality-with-a-small-r you have always assumed is the full extent of the world. Awaken to the independent dimension, along which Emptiness, Suchness, and Buddha-Nature can become clear. This kind of awakening isn’t easy, so this first part of the Two Truths teaching may seem primary for a long time.
However, the second half of the Two Truths teachings is just as important: Dependent and independent, relative and absolute, are simply two dimensions of the same Reality. The Two Truths are interdependent, like two sides of a coin. You can’t have one without the other.
Unfortunately, our minds are inherently dualistic and it’s difficult for us hold awareness of the dependent and independent dimensions simultaneously, especially when we’ve only recently gained a personal, direct experience of the independent dimension. When we first awaken to it, the independent dimension seems very separate and elusive – a transcendent place we are able to “go” in deep meditation, or experience only at certain peak moments in our life. At moments, awareness of it can provide us with strength, perspective, and solace, but most of the time we feel stuck in the dependent dimension.
Dependent and independent can seem like two very separate truths. When people perceive them this way, they’re inclined to speak about “the absolute” as some kind of separate and superior realm to which spiritual adepts are able to escape, and where they can operate without being confused and troubled by the relative realm. People will say things like, “in the absolute there is no division between self and other, so you aren’t tempted to get angry, but in the relative world you may need to stand up for yourself.” Or “In the independent dimension everything is precious just as it is, but that doesn’t help that fact that in the dependent dimension there are many terrible things we should not accept.” Statements like these suggest there are two separate realities that stand in contradiction to each other, which is not the case.
Our tendency to relate to the Two Truths dualistically is why I’ve chosen to use the terms “dependent dimension” and “independent dimension” of Reality. The truths of the dependent and independent dimensions are simultaneously true and do not in any way obstruct one another. Just as, spatially, you can’t have height or width without some depth (there is no such thing as a truly two-dimensional object), the dependent and independent dimensions of reality are simply two aspects of the same thing. You can’t inhabit only one dimension. After all, if someone observes that a building is tall, you don’t object, saying, “No it’s not, it’s wide!” Similarly, Reality is a seamless whole that is precious and luminous just as it is, and the world is full of suffering to which we must respond if we want to be fully alive.
Because of our struggle to reconcile the dependent and independent dimensions, Zen has created many different pairs of terms to point toward the ways the Two Truths manifest in our experience. I have created a chart of such terms: The Two Aspects or Sides of Reality from a Chan/Zen Perspective. Each pair in the list reflects the Two Truths teaching but explores a slightly different aspect of it. I’ll just shared a few here, in addition to my “dependent dimension” and “independent dimension” terms:
The original Chinese terms used for Two Truths were Shih (contingent) and Li (essential). The most commonly used English terms are “relative” and “absolute:” “Relative” meaning the aspect of reality in which each and every thing is identified and defined by relative positions and qualities, and “absolute” referring to the aspect of reality in which each and every thing is part of a seamless whole. In the pair “phenomena” and “principle,” “phenomena” refers to all that manifests and happens in the universe, and “principle” is the truth or reality underlying, or manifesting through, phenomena. Another important pair is “difference” and “equality,” where in one aspect of reality there are effective and important differences between things (harmful vs helpful, deluded vs wise, etc.), while equality refers to the way in which all things are marked by emptiness and unity in exactly the same way. My chart includes and defines a dozen pairs in all; you’ll probably find many of them familiar if you’ve done much Zen study, and it may help you to connect the pairs of terms to the Two Truths teaching.
It is not by chance that Zen uses so many pairs of apparent opposites to convey the Two Truths teaching. While awakening to the omnipresent independent dimension is our first challenge, for a very long time thereafter we are tasked with coming to terms with the apparent dualism and contradiction of the Two Truths, however they are manifesting. We get a glimpse of Emptiness but then feel constrained by our very real and recalcitrant bodies and minds. We get a taste of how all things are luminous in their Suchness, but then the mundane details of our lives overwhelm us, or we feel outrage or despair about the vast suffering in the world. We gain a new level of intimacy with the way in which all existence is one seamless whole, and then worldly things like holding down a job or taking a shower seem pointless or unfulfilling.
The Five Ranks: Accepting, Integrating, and Using the Two Truths
Fully understanding the Two Truths means to recognize the inherent tension between the dependent and independent dimensions of Reality and learn to accept it, live with it, and then to use it. Sometimes to the two sides are likened to two feet in walking; walking requires the feet to be separate, to push off each other, even to destabilize each other. Without the tension between the feet, there would be no walking as we usually think of it. Similarly, Reality-with-a-Capital-R has to have two dimensions to be the wonder that it is. It’s not simply an annoying or unfortunate happenstance that our universe manifests as sacred and mundane, the ideal and the actual, the one and the many. Although the apparent contradictions and inconsistencies can drive us crazy, such tension is integral to the structure of the universe.
There is a Zen teaching that describes our process of awakening to and integrating the Two Truths. Chan master Dongshan Liangjie (807-869) is credited with formulating the “Five Ranks,” or “Five Dharma Positions.” See Ross Bolleter’s excellent book on the subject, Dongshan’s Five Ranks: Keys to Enlightenment[i] for more detail. Bolleter interprets the first three positions differently than I do here, which is the way I remember my teacher, Kyogen Carlson, talking about the Five Ranks. Sadly, Kyogen isn’t around anymore to explain the discrepancy (I’m sure he’d be able to), but I don’t think the difference really matters. The point is that awakening to and integrating the Two Truths is a long a subtle process.
The first Dharma position is called “The Relative within the Absolute.”[ii] This describes the beginning of practice, when all we’re aware of is the conventional, mundane world of appearances (the relative, or dependent dimension of Reality). The independent, or absolute, nature of reality is, of course, fully present despite our ignorance of it. Kyogen likened this Dharma position to a young girl who has no ideas bicycles exist.
The second Dharma position is “The Absolute within the Relative.” This describes the awakening of “Way-seeking mind,” or the “thought of enlightenment.” Somehow, we become aware of something larger or deeper than the reality we’ve known so far, and we become determined to learn more. Kyogen compared this to when our young girl becomes aware of the miraculous phenomenon called a bicycle and can think of nothing else except obtaining one.
The third Dharma position is “Coming from within the Absolute.” This is when we personally awaken to the independent dimension, or absolute aspect, of Reality – when we comprehend the empty nature of all things, experience the falling away of dualistic distinctions, and see in what sense all things are part of one, seamless, luminous whole. Typically, when we “arrive within” the absolute, we become pretty enamored of it. Kyogen likens this to our young girl finally getting her own bike and wanting to ride it from dawn until dusk, or at least gaze at it lovingly when she can’t be riding.
The fourth Dharma position is “Arrival at Mutual Integration.” This is a critical part of maturing practice even though it’s common for people to think the work stops at the third Dharma position. When we work on integration, we find ourselves back in the world of the relative, having to somehow reconcile our awareness of the absolute with the conventional, mundane world of appearances and everyday life. Jack Kornfield writes about this in his book After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. It may seem difficult, at times, to break through to a direct experience of the independent dimension, but it’s actually much more challenging to integrate such an experience into your daily life in a fruitful way. You might compare this stage to our young girl having to come in for dinner or go to school instead of ride her beloved bike, but this is where our bike metaphor starts to break down: We’re generally much more attached to what we know of the absolute than a kid is to her bike.
Just to complete our exploration of the ranks, the fifth Dharma position is “Unity Attained.” I don’t claim to have any more than a limited intuition about what this stage is like, but the idea is that once we’ve completed the process of integration in the fourth stage, we function freely and skillfully in Reality without getting caught in any dualism between “relative” and “absolute,” or “contingent” versus “essential.” This is sometimes called “returning to the marketplace with bliss bestowing hands,” where we manifest the fruits of mature practice without it being anything special. Our young girl just uses her bike – picking up and putting it down without a fuss.
Never Pitting One Truth Against the Other
Clearly, then, dealing with the Two Truths can be tricky. If we get attached to one or the other aspects, we cause suffering for self and others and get stuck in terms of spiritual growth.
Usually, we’re fixated on the dependent dimension and preoccupied with pursuing pleasure, avoiding pain, or fighting for justice. When we only perceive the dependent dimension as real, our ability to access ease, joy, and gratitude are conditional, and in certain circumstances we find ourselves unable to access them much at all. Many people today contemplate the grim future of humanity and are overwhelmed with anxiety or depression. At times, it’s tough to make any dependent-dimension arguments that provide much solace.
Sometimes, though, we’re fixated on the independent dimension instead. Able to retreat into just here, just now, we appreciate the preciousness of things-as-it-is and find joy in simply being alive – but, prioritizing the independent over the dependent, we live in a false and selfish fog of equanimity instead of responding to the suffering in the world. We lose touch with Reality. We end up setting the truth of the independent dimension against the truth of the dependent dimension, because our puny human brains figure only one thing can be true at a time.
When we’re fixated on the independent dimension, we’re may be inclined to remind suffering people that God works in mysterious ways, and all will be well in the end. We may tell people suffering injustice that if they just took refuge along the independent dimension of reality, they wouldn’t feel so much pain. We can justify our own lack of action to bring about positive change in the world by pointing to the fact that things-as-it-is is already perfect and complete. We can hide out in our spiritual refuge, carefully limiting our perceptions to just this, just here, where there are no problems.
It’s essential, if we want to progress in our practice and live as a bodhisattva, that we never pit the dependent and independent dimensions against each other. Each dimension may seem to invite us to draw very different conclusions about our existence, but real freedom comes from awakening to how the Two Truths apply simultaneously, every single moment. Until we get a sense of this radical non-duality, our understanding of the nature of both the relative and the absolute is limited.
Reality-with-a-Capital-R excludes nothing, including the dependent dimension and all of its struggles, including difference and equality, myriad phenomena and oneness. Cultivating a personal experience of this radical non-duality is the work of the fourth Dharma Position, Arrival at Mutual Integration. This is where “the rubber meets the road,” so to speak – where we learn to manifest and apply what we have learned of both the dependent and independent dimensions as we live our lives. Where we strive to see both dimensions at the same time, or at least live with a vibrant sense of the close proximity of the independent dimension whenever the dependent dimension seems most salient, and vice versa. Ultimately, we hope to meet a multi-dimensional Reality on its own terms, without dividing it in two. This relieves that angst that is created when we have become familiar with the absolute but it still feels separate from the daily activities of our human life: loving, working, and practicing. In ancient times, Zen masters called this “chopping wood and carrying water.” Today we would say, “grocery shopping and commuting.”
Despite all this talk about radical non-duality, however, you might get a sense that the independent dimension is greater than, or superior to, the dependent dimension. Awakening to the independent dimension is sometimes described as “realizing life is as a dream.” It’s important to remember that this is not about the absolute somehow devaluing or negating the relative. It’s about the fact that awakening to part of the Two Truths we’ve been missing changes the way we view everything. When we’re fixated on the dependent dimension, we make a host of assumptions about ourselves, the world, and our place in it. We take everything seriously and personally, casting ourselves as the protagonist in the drama of our life. When we awaken to the independent dimension it can allow us, at least at times, to hold a larger perspective – to wake up from the self-centered dream and notice the seamless Reality of which we are an integral part.
The Other Descriptions of Reality and the Two Truths
How does the Two Truths teaching relate to the other descriptions of Reality-with-a-Capital-R? I don’t recommend trying too hard to correlate, match, or equate the dependent and independent dimensions with Emptiness, Suchness, Buddha-Nature, or the other descriptions of Reality. It’s not that Emptiness is the same thing as the independent dimension, or that awakening to the absolute is the same thing as seeing your Buddha-Nature. Remember, all these teachings are pointing to a different aspect of Reality-with-a-Capital-R. Because there’s only one Reality, the descriptions are not mutually exclusive, and because they emphasize different things they are not directly correlated. The Two Truths teaching points specifically to the strange and sometimes awkward way we experience Reality as having two apparently opposing aspects, and to the importance of becoming familiar with how both aspects are integral to the structure of the universe and are therefore mutually dependent.
In conclusion, it’s essential to remember that appreciation of the independent dimension alone is not full comprehension of the nature of reality. Full comprehension means learning how the dependent and independent dimensions interpenetrate, how they are both always present, and what it means to live a human life while honoring both. Everything is okay and everything is definitely not okay. If we can hold both truths at the same time, we will respond generously and compassionately to the world but also have the strength to sustain our activities and the perspective to allow us to appreciate our lives.
Endnotes
[i] Bolleter, Ross. Dongshan’s Five Ranks: Keys to Enlightenment. Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2014.
[ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Ranks
