M:
"The Buddhist view does not, however, exclude the possibility of the
unfolding of the world. Obviously the phenomena we all see around us aren't
nonexistent, but if we examine _how_ they exist, then we soon see that they
can't be viewed as a set of independent entities, each with its own existence.
Thus, phenomena exist only as a dream, an illusion or mirage. Like mirror
images, they can clearly be seen, but have no separate existence. Nagarjuna,
the great second-century Indian philosopher, said, "The nature of phenomena is
that of mutual dependence; in themselves, phenomena are nothing at all." Their
evolution is neither random nor fixed by divine intervention. Instead, they
follow the laws of cause and effect in a global interdependence and reciprocal
causality. The problem of an "origin" comes about only from a belief in the
absolute reality of phenomena and the existence of space and time.
"In terms of absolute truth, there is no creation, no duration, and no
end. The paradox is a good illustration of the illusory nature of the world of
phenomena. It can reveal itself in an infinite number of ways because its
final reality is emptiness. In terms of the relative truth of appearances, we
say that the conditioned world, called samsara, is "without beginning" because
each state must have caused by the previous one. So, with the Big Bank theory,
do we have an _ex nihilo_ creation, a creation out of nothingness, or the
expression of some kind of preexisting potential that is not yet manifested in
the universe? Is it seen as a real beginning, or as a stage in the universe's
evolution?"
'Mathieu Ricard & Trinh Xuan Thuan, 'The Quantum and the Lotus: A Journey to
the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet',p.29)
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