Seeker After Truth

Jeff Foster: Nonduality And Nihilsm

“In the beginning,
trees were trees,
mountains were mountains,
and rivers were rivers.

Then came a time when trees were no longer trees, mountains were no longer mountains,
and rivers were no longer rivers.
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Now, trees are once again trees,
mountains are once again mountains,
and rivers are once again rivers.”

- Zen saying

People sometimes tell me that they think this message is nihilistic. That it’s life-denying, that it separates the “absolute” from the “relative”, emphasises the absolute and denies the relative. Then again, there are many people who read my books and see that what I’m really talking about is unconditional love and unity and the end of all seeking. Anyway, I’m fascinated by the varying responses.

Sometimes the interpretations of what I write (or more correctly, what gets written!) do not at all match what is being communicated. Somebody recently hit the nail on the head when they suggested that upon hearing and believing the words “there is nothing to get”, someone might just go and commit suicide because life was pointless. It’s possible that the words could be taken that way. And at the same time, that would be to absolutely miss what the words are getting at. Violence – of any sort – is not being condoned here.