Yes! And Yes!
At the Community Dharma Leader (CDL) training retreat I just attended, we spent a lot of time working with–and trying to find our own words for–Nagarjuna’s teaching on the Two Truths, as expressed in a collection of poems titled, Verses from the Center.
Here’s an excerpt from Jay Garfield’s translation:
The Buddha’s teaching of the Dharma
Is based on two truths:
A truth of worldly convention
And an ultimate truth.
Those who do not understand
The distinction between these two truths
Do not understand
The Buddha’s profound teaching.
Without a foundation in the conventional truth
The significance of the ultimate cannot be taught.
Without understanding the significance of the ultimate,
Liberation is not achieved.
Here’s my take:
Things are as they are.
But there are 2 “are”s.
Is light a wave
Or a particle?
Yes!
Is the world real
Or a dream?
Yes!
Is it “me” who writes this
Or is it “not me”?
Yes!
How do I know that the answer is
Yes?
I see the
Light;
I know the
World.
And when I write,
It’s “me” who knows that
It’s “not me” who says
Yes!