1 00:00:00,423 --> 00:00:01,982 The Avatamsaka Sutra told us long ago 2 00:00:01,983 --> 00:00:05,195 Past present and future all exist together 3 00:00:05,503 --> 00:00:08,775 Near the end of his life Einstein said something that shook physics 4 00:00:09,262 --> 00:00:11,875 The distinction between past present and future 5 00:00:11,903 --> 00:00:13,396 Is only an illusion 6 00:00:13,702 --> 00:00:14,775 When many people hear this 7 00:00:15,102 --> 00:00:16,196 Their first reaction is 8 00:00:16,303 --> 00:00:18,376 Is this scientist just trying to sound mysterious 9 00:00:18,983 --> 00:00:20,556 Why would someone who developed relativity 10 00:00:20,623 --> 00:00:23,936 Say something so philosophical near the end of his life 11 00:00:24,742 --> 00:00:26,102 But what if I told you 12 00:00:26,103 --> 00:00:28,396 That over two thousand years before him 13 00:00:28,542 --> 00:00:31,756 The contemplative traditions of ancient India used introspection alone 14 00:00:31,823 --> 00:00:34,835 To describe an almost identical reality 15 00:00:34,902 --> 00:00:35,576 What would you think 16 00:00:36,662 --> 00:00:39,076 One was the greatest physicist of the twentieth century 17 00:00:39,262 --> 00:00:41,875 The other a tradition of awakening spanning over two thousand years 18 00:00:42,182 --> 00:00:43,055 Across the world 19 00:00:43,343 --> 00:00:44,475 Across two thousand years 20 00:00:44,503 --> 00:00:46,779 They were describing the same thing 21 00:00:47,165 --> 00:00:47,478 Hello 22 00:00:47,846 --> 00:00:48,359 Everyone 23 00:00:48,566 --> 00:00:49,579 I am Wang Lijie 24 00:00:49,765 --> 00:00:50,558 This episode 25 00:00:50,725 --> 00:00:52,779 Responds to a comment from a viewer 26 00:00:52,966 --> 00:00:53,319 He said 27 00:00:53,685 --> 00:00:54,378 Teacher 28 00:00:54,405 --> 00:00:55,564 I would like to know 29 00:00:55,566 --> 00:00:59,719 How can present future and past all exist together 30 00:01:00,206 --> 00:01:01,924 There are many explanations online 31 00:01:01,926 --> 00:01:03,658 But I find none of them very clear 32 00:01:03,966 --> 00:01:06,058 I understand why he feels that way 33 00:01:06,126 --> 00:01:08,019 Because most explanations online 34 00:01:08,046 --> 00:01:11,364 Either force the block universe of physics onto the question 35 00:01:11,365 --> 00:01:13,019 Leaving viewers even more confused 36 00:01:13,126 --> 00:01:15,204 Or pile up Buddhist terminology 37 00:01:15,206 --> 00:01:18,778 Momentary arising and ceasing the reality of the three times three thousand realms in one thought 38 00:01:18,846 --> 00:01:19,679 It all sounds mysterious 39 00:01:19,965 --> 00:01:21,924 But nobody breaks it down clearly 40 00:01:21,926 --> 00:01:24,019 What do these terms actually mean 41 00:01:24,725 --> 00:01:25,685 In this episode 42 00:01:25,686 --> 00:01:28,259 I want to do something almost nobody online has done 43 00:01:28,365 --> 00:01:31,578 Put physics and Buddhism at the same table 44 00:01:31,686 --> 00:01:34,198 And unpack them layer by layer from first principles 45 00:01:34,686 --> 00:01:35,078 What exactly 46 00:01:35,365 --> 00:01:36,198 Is time 47 00:01:36,608 --> 00:01:38,142 But let me say this first 48 00:01:38,169 --> 00:01:40,581 This episode will be conceptually dense 49 00:01:40,889 --> 00:01:43,181 We will go from Einstein to Yogacara 50 00:01:43,208 --> 00:01:45,622 From quantum mechanics to the Huayan realm of reality 51 00:01:45,768 --> 00:01:47,940 If these concepts are new to you 52 00:01:47,968 --> 00:01:49,820 You may need to listen twice 53 00:01:50,009 --> 00:01:50,681 But I promise 54 00:01:51,009 --> 00:01:51,967 By the end 55 00:01:51,968 --> 00:01:53,446 Your understanding of time 56 00:01:53,449 --> 00:01:55,778 Will be completely different 57 00:01:56,004 --> 00:01:58,278 Let us start with the simplest question 58 00:01:58,884 --> 00:02:00,398 What do you think time is 59 00:02:01,084 --> 00:02:02,936 For most people the intuitive answer is 60 00:02:03,124 --> 00:02:04,618 Time is a river 61 00:02:04,844 --> 00:02:06,538 Flowing from past to future 62 00:02:06,804 --> 00:02:08,816 We stand here in the present 63 00:02:08,923 --> 00:02:11,256 Watching the future gradually become the present 64 00:02:11,364 --> 00:02:13,376 And the present gradually become the past 65 00:02:13,684 --> 00:02:15,078 The past has disappeared 66 00:02:15,444 --> 00:02:16,977 The future has yet to arrive 67 00:02:17,164 --> 00:02:19,018 Only the present is real 68 00:02:19,404 --> 00:02:21,278 That answer sounds airtight 69 00:02:21,524 --> 00:02:21,838 Does it not 70 00:02:22,444 --> 00:02:23,238 But let me tell you 71 00:02:23,684 --> 00:02:24,578 That answer 72 00:02:24,684 --> 00:02:26,376 Is wrong in physics 73 00:02:26,484 --> 00:02:28,458 And wrong in Buddhism too 74 00:02:28,644 --> 00:02:31,364 And the answers these two fields offer 75 00:02:31,364 --> 00:02:33,040 Are strikingly similar 76 00:02:33,308 --> 00:02:35,722 Let us quickly review the physics 77 00:02:36,108 --> 00:02:37,282 In nineteen oh five 78 00:02:37,427 --> 00:02:39,480 Einstein proposed special relativity 79 00:02:39,668 --> 00:02:40,842 He did something 80 00:02:40,948 --> 00:02:44,122 That overturned our understanding of time since Newton 81 00:02:44,587 --> 00:02:46,681 Newton thought time was absolute 82 00:02:46,748 --> 00:02:48,842 That the universe had one universal clock 83 00:02:48,987 --> 00:02:51,282 Wherever you are and however you move 84 00:02:51,348 --> 00:02:53,282 Time passes at the same rate 85 00:02:53,788 --> 00:02:54,462 Einstein said 86 00:02:54,748 --> 00:02:55,062 No 87 00:02:55,427 --> 00:02:56,760 Time is relative 88 00:02:56,867 --> 00:02:57,902 The faster you move 89 00:02:58,228 --> 00:03:00,002 The more slowly your time passes 90 00:03:00,388 --> 00:03:01,986 This is not philosophical speculation 91 00:03:01,987 --> 00:03:04,760 It is a fact repeatedly confirmed by experiments 92 00:03:05,268 --> 00:03:06,662 The navigation you use on your phone every day 93 00:03:07,068 --> 00:03:08,722 Depends on GPS satellites 94 00:03:08,788 --> 00:03:11,320 That must be corrected for relativity every day 95 00:03:11,388 --> 00:03:13,224 Otherwise positioning would be wrong 96 00:03:13,612 --> 00:03:15,944 But that is not the truly radical part 97 00:03:16,171 --> 00:03:18,784 The truly radical part came from a teacher of Einstein 98 00:03:18,812 --> 00:03:20,532 The mathematician Minkowski 99 00:03:20,532 --> 00:03:22,586 And something he did in nineteen oh eight 100 00:03:22,892 --> 00:03:23,284 He said 101 00:03:23,731 --> 00:03:26,464 Since time and space affect each other 102 00:03:26,532 --> 00:03:29,026 They are fundamentally not two separate things 103 00:03:29,252 --> 00:03:30,046 They are one thing 104 00:03:30,532 --> 00:03:31,464 Called spacetime 105 00:03:32,011 --> 00:03:33,344 From that moment on 106 00:03:33,452 --> 00:03:35,586 Time was no longer a river 107 00:03:35,852 --> 00:03:37,546 Time became a dimension 108 00:03:37,692 --> 00:03:39,586 Together with the three dimensions of space 109 00:03:39,611 --> 00:03:41,504 Forming one four dimensional whole 110 00:03:41,892 --> 00:03:44,784 Physicists gave this whole a name 111 00:03:44,852 --> 00:03:46,536 The block universe 112 00:03:46,910 --> 00:03:47,398 What does that mean 113 00:03:47,963 --> 00:03:48,596 Imagine 114 00:03:48,924 --> 00:03:50,922 You could step outside four dimensional spacetime 115 00:03:50,924 --> 00:03:52,816 And look down from a higher dimension 116 00:03:52,884 --> 00:03:55,737 You would not see a universe in motion 117 00:03:55,804 --> 00:03:58,816 But an immense motionless four dimensional block of ice 118 00:03:59,164 --> 00:04:02,322 The entire history from the Big Bang to the end of the universe 119 00:04:02,324 --> 00:04:04,256 Would be frozen inside that ice 120 00:04:04,444 --> 00:04:07,642 Past present and future 121 00:04:07,644 --> 00:04:10,136 Would exist equally within it 122 00:04:10,204 --> 00:04:12,202 They would not happen one after another 123 00:04:12,204 --> 00:04:13,898 They would all exist together 124 00:04:14,204 --> 00:04:15,678 At this point you might say 125 00:04:16,004 --> 00:04:16,602 Wait 126 00:04:16,605 --> 00:04:18,376 This sounds like science fiction 127 00:04:18,524 --> 00:04:19,698 But it is not science fiction 128 00:04:19,764 --> 00:04:21,794 This was the position of Einstein himself 129 00:04:22,220 --> 00:04:23,672 In March nineteen fifty five 130 00:04:23,900 --> 00:04:26,232 His lifelong friend Besso died 131 00:04:26,460 --> 00:04:29,232 Einstein wrote a letter of condolence to the family 132 00:04:29,540 --> 00:04:32,492 In it he wrote the words that shook the world of physics 133 00:04:33,100 --> 00:04:35,394 For those of us who believe in physics 134 00:04:35,500 --> 00:04:38,154 The distinction between past present and future 135 00:04:38,180 --> 00:04:40,112 Is only a stubborn illusion 136 00:04:40,500 --> 00:04:41,454 Notice the words he chose 137 00:04:41,900 --> 00:04:43,354 A stubborn illusion 138 00:04:43,660 --> 00:04:44,932 Not simply an illusion 139 00:04:45,180 --> 00:04:46,794 But a stubborn illusion 140 00:04:46,958 --> 00:04:47,740 Meaning 141 00:04:47,740 --> 00:04:50,140 This illusion is not easy to escape 142 00:04:50,140 --> 00:04:52,134 But it is still an illusion 143 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:54,758 Less than a month after writing that letter 144 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:56,292 Einstein himself died 145 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:00,134 It was almost his final philosophical statement to the world 146 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,172 Let us leave the physics there for now 147 00:05:03,201 --> 00:05:04,593 Its conclusion in one sentence 148 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:06,032 Time is not a river 149 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:07,093 It is ice 150 00:05:08,071 --> 00:05:09,023 Now let us change perspective 151 00:05:09,350 --> 00:05:11,070 And see how the awakened thinkers of ancient India 152 00:05:11,071 --> 00:05:12,763 Described the same thing 153 00:05:13,030 --> 00:05:13,943 Buddhist accounts of time 154 00:05:14,231 --> 00:05:15,484 Have four levels 155 00:05:15,671 --> 00:05:16,749 And of these four 156 00:05:16,751 --> 00:05:19,123 Most people have not even understood the first 157 00:05:19,270 --> 00:05:19,744 The first level 158 00:05:20,030 --> 00:05:21,364 Is momentary arising and ceasing 159 00:05:21,590 --> 00:05:22,503 In Buddhist terms 160 00:05:22,751 --> 00:05:24,109 What we think of as one second 161 00:05:24,111 --> 00:05:25,563 Is not actually continuous 162 00:05:25,590 --> 00:05:26,669 Within a single second 163 00:05:26,671 --> 00:05:28,963 The world arises and ceases countless times 164 00:05:29,111 --> 00:05:30,070 Every moment 165 00:05:30,071 --> 00:05:32,403 Is a complete arising and ceasing 166 00:05:32,590 --> 00:05:33,583 Between one moment and the next 167 00:05:33,871 --> 00:05:35,338 There is no connection 168 00:05:35,884 --> 00:05:36,516 To put this concept 169 00:05:36,724 --> 00:05:37,964 In modern language 170 00:05:37,964 --> 00:05:40,218 The universe proceeds frame by frame 171 00:05:40,605 --> 00:05:41,682 Like watching a movie 172 00:05:41,684 --> 00:05:44,136 You think the people on screen move continuously 173 00:05:44,284 --> 00:05:47,778 But the screen actually shows one still frame after another 174 00:05:48,084 --> 00:05:50,016 Twenty four frames flash by each second 175 00:05:50,124 --> 00:05:53,338 And your brain stitches them into continuous motion 176 00:05:53,804 --> 00:05:54,636 According to this account 177 00:05:54,884 --> 00:05:56,858 The flow of time you experience 178 00:05:56,884 --> 00:06:02,338 Is also an illusion your consciousness creates by stitching moments together 179 00:06:02,724 --> 00:06:03,816 That is the first level 180 00:06:04,324 --> 00:06:05,738 If we stopped here 181 00:06:05,924 --> 00:06:08,778 Buddhism would not be so far from common sense 182 00:06:09,084 --> 00:06:09,956 You could understand it as saying 183 00:06:10,364 --> 00:06:11,764 Time is discrete 184 00:06:11,764 --> 00:06:12,978 Rather than continuous 185 00:06:13,284 --> 00:06:14,858 But the second level 186 00:06:14,884 --> 00:06:17,251 Directly challenges common sense 187 00:06:17,717 --> 00:06:18,191 The second level 188 00:06:18,518 --> 00:06:20,010 Is the real existence of the three times 189 00:06:20,357 --> 00:06:22,037 During the period of early Buddhist schools 190 00:06:22,037 --> 00:06:24,491 A school called Sarvastivada 191 00:06:24,518 --> 00:06:26,010 Made this its central claim 192 00:06:26,357 --> 00:06:26,791 They said 193 00:06:27,118 --> 00:06:30,171 Past present and future 194 00:06:30,198 --> 00:06:31,530 All really exist 195 00:06:31,844 --> 00:06:32,311 What does that mean 196 00:06:33,037 --> 00:06:33,470 They said 197 00:06:33,797 --> 00:06:35,030 The past has not disappeared 198 00:06:35,518 --> 00:06:36,371 It is still there 199 00:06:36,797 --> 00:06:37,871 The future has not arrived 200 00:06:38,237 --> 00:06:39,850 But it already exists 201 00:06:40,157 --> 00:06:43,330 They simply do not appear in your present experience 202 00:06:43,917 --> 00:06:44,850 This view 203 00:06:44,917 --> 00:06:47,970 Sparked over a thousand years of debate within Buddhism 204 00:06:48,477 --> 00:06:50,650 Because it sounds so counterintuitive 205 00:06:51,037 --> 00:06:53,070 How can something that has passed still exist 206 00:06:53,597 --> 00:06:56,191 How can something that has not happened already be there 207 00:06:57,321 --> 00:06:59,795 Why did the Sarvastivadins reach this conclusion 208 00:07:00,201 --> 00:07:02,394 Because they were asking a very fundamental question 209 00:07:03,042 --> 00:07:05,120 If the past had completely disappeared 210 00:07:05,122 --> 00:07:06,675 Why could we still remember it 211 00:07:07,242 --> 00:07:09,175 If the future did not exist at all 212 00:07:09,242 --> 00:07:10,634 How would causality work 213 00:07:11,081 --> 00:07:12,074 The cause you plant today 214 00:07:12,362 --> 00:07:13,615 Will bear fruit in the future 215 00:07:13,721 --> 00:07:15,494 If that fruit does not exist yet 216 00:07:15,602 --> 00:07:18,514 What connects the present to the future through causality 217 00:07:18,922 --> 00:07:20,001 Their answer was 218 00:07:20,002 --> 00:07:23,240 Past present and future as a whole 219 00:07:23,242 --> 00:07:24,215 Are all there 220 00:07:24,242 --> 00:07:25,735 They all really exist 221 00:07:25,802 --> 00:07:26,834 It is only our consciousness 222 00:07:27,002 --> 00:07:28,040 That at any given moment 223 00:07:28,042 --> 00:07:30,095 Can illuminate just one part 224 00:07:30,242 --> 00:07:31,434 That illuminated part 225 00:07:31,602 --> 00:07:33,294 Is what we call the present 226 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:34,312 Does this 227 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:35,512 Sound familiar 228 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:37,474 Is this not the block universe 229 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,294 An Indian Buddhist school over two thousand years ago 230 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:44,654 Without relativity mathematics or any modern tools of physics 231 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,012 Through logical reasoning and contemplative introspection alone 232 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,774 Reached almost the same conclusion as Einstein 233 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,812 The first time I considered these two ideas together 234 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:56,172 I felt a chill down my spine 235 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:57,894 But the story does not end there 236 00:07:58,320 --> 00:07:59,714 The Buddhist analysis of time 237 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:01,452 Has a third level 238 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:02,952 And this third level 239 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,136 Goes deeper than the first two combined 240 00:08:06,683 --> 00:08:07,316 The third level 241 00:08:07,683 --> 00:08:08,975 Comes from Yogacara 242 00:08:09,323 --> 00:08:12,736 Yogacara was founded by the brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu 243 00:08:12,883 --> 00:08:15,335 Around the fourth and fifth centuries 244 00:08:15,643 --> 00:08:18,415 They proposed a concept called alaya consciousness 245 00:08:18,722 --> 00:08:20,321 Many people have heard this term 246 00:08:20,323 --> 00:08:22,176 But few truly understand it 247 00:08:22,482 --> 00:08:25,236 Let me explain alaya consciousness as simply as possible 248 00:08:25,643 --> 00:08:26,975 It is a storehouse 249 00:08:27,203 --> 00:08:28,895 Holding all the seeds 250 00:08:29,203 --> 00:08:30,035 What are seeds 251 00:08:30,523 --> 00:08:33,496 Seeds are the latent encoding of every possibility 252 00:08:33,722 --> 00:08:35,236 Every action you took in the past 253 00:08:35,602 --> 00:08:36,855 Every word you spoke 254 00:08:36,883 --> 00:08:38,282 And every thought you had 255 00:08:38,282 --> 00:08:41,135 Left a seed in alaya consciousness 256 00:08:41,322 --> 00:08:44,335 These seeds become active at some future moment 257 00:08:44,483 --> 00:08:47,238 Moving from potential to manifestation 258 00:08:47,545 --> 00:08:49,199 Notice the structure of this model 259 00:08:49,545 --> 00:08:51,679 Seeds are what the past leaves behind 260 00:08:51,866 --> 00:08:54,039 Their activation is what manifests in the present 261 00:08:54,266 --> 00:08:57,159 And that manifestation in turn imprints new seeds 262 00:08:57,185 --> 00:08:58,919 Influencing future manifestations 263 00:08:59,345 --> 00:09:00,504 In this model 264 00:09:00,506 --> 00:09:04,718 Past present and future are not three separate periods 265 00:09:04,786 --> 00:09:07,398 But three states of the same system 266 00:09:07,786 --> 00:09:10,518 Potential manifestation and renewed potential 267 00:09:10,906 --> 00:09:15,025 Every thought feeling and decision you have now 268 00:09:15,026 --> 00:09:17,598 Is the activation of countless past seeds 269 00:09:17,825 --> 00:09:18,778 And that activation 270 00:09:19,026 --> 00:09:21,464 Simultaneously imprints new seeds 271 00:09:21,465 --> 00:09:22,679 Shaping your future 272 00:09:23,065 --> 00:09:25,224 So in the Yogacara framework 273 00:09:25,225 --> 00:09:28,464 Past present and future do not flow 274 00:09:28,465 --> 00:09:29,799 They overlap 275 00:09:30,545 --> 00:09:32,944 Within the storehouse of alaya consciousness 276 00:09:32,945 --> 00:09:36,007 They coexist as seeds 277 00:09:36,594 --> 00:09:37,228 This model 278 00:09:37,555 --> 00:09:39,488 If you know modern computers 279 00:09:39,555 --> 00:09:41,887 Will remind you strongly of a hard drive 280 00:09:42,195 --> 00:09:44,368 A hard drive stores all your files 281 00:09:44,594 --> 00:09:45,988 These files all coexist 282 00:09:46,435 --> 00:09:47,568 But at any given moment 283 00:09:47,635 --> 00:09:50,767 Only the file accessed by the processor is running 284 00:09:51,155 --> 00:09:53,287 The running file is the present 285 00:09:53,435 --> 00:09:56,488 The files not being accessed are the past and future 286 00:09:56,675 --> 00:09:58,848 They are all stored on the same hard drive 287 00:09:58,874 --> 00:10:00,208 And all really exist 288 00:10:00,354 --> 00:10:00,948 At this point 289 00:10:01,155 --> 00:10:02,434 I want to pause 290 00:10:02,435 --> 00:10:03,728 And ask you a question 291 00:10:03,954 --> 00:10:07,688 If past present and future really coexist 292 00:10:07,754 --> 00:10:09,507 Does free will still exist 293 00:10:10,155 --> 00:10:12,887 This is the greatest challenge to the block universe model 294 00:10:13,675 --> 00:10:15,794 If everything I will ever do 295 00:10:15,795 --> 00:10:18,647 Is already frozen in that four dimensional ice 296 00:10:18,795 --> 00:10:19,907 Are the choices I make now 297 00:10:20,234 --> 00:10:21,147 Still choices 298 00:10:22,114 --> 00:10:22,588 We will return 299 00:10:23,035 --> 00:10:24,328 To that question shortly 300 00:10:24,435 --> 00:10:27,513 First let us finish the most radical Buddhist level 301 00:10:27,820 --> 00:10:28,814 The most radical Buddhist account 302 00:10:29,221 --> 00:10:30,093 Of time 303 00:10:30,420 --> 00:10:31,633 Appears in the Avatamsaka Sutra 304 00:10:31,861 --> 00:10:33,534 The Avatamsaka Sutra presents a realm 305 00:10:33,820 --> 00:10:35,554 Called the ten times in a single thought 306 00:10:35,940 --> 00:10:37,819 The Chinese Huayan patriarchs 307 00:10:37,820 --> 00:10:40,353 From Dushun and Zhiyan to Fazang 308 00:10:40,420 --> 00:10:41,613 Later systematized it 309 00:10:41,901 --> 00:10:43,274 Within the Ten Mysterious Gates 310 00:10:43,300 --> 00:10:44,333 And gave it a name 311 00:10:44,621 --> 00:10:47,113 The gate of the distinct completion of phenomena across the ten times 312 00:10:47,426 --> 00:10:47,893 What does that mean 313 00:10:48,540 --> 00:10:50,054 Which ten times are these 314 00:10:51,045 --> 00:10:54,378 The past present and future of the past 315 00:10:54,646 --> 00:10:57,778 The past present and future of the present 316 00:10:57,965 --> 00:11:01,098 The past present and future of the future 317 00:11:01,286 --> 00:11:02,518 Plus the single thought that embraces them all 318 00:11:02,766 --> 00:11:03,978 Making ten times in total 319 00:11:04,126 --> 00:11:05,539 It is fine if that sounds confusing 320 00:11:05,685 --> 00:11:06,959 In plain language it means 321 00:11:07,325 --> 00:11:08,978 A single thought at this moment 322 00:11:09,045 --> 00:11:12,819 Contains all the information of past present and future 323 00:11:12,965 --> 00:11:13,679 It does not merely mirror it 324 00:11:13,845 --> 00:11:14,518 Or reflect it 325 00:11:14,646 --> 00:11:15,690 It contains it 326 00:11:16,076 --> 00:11:17,389 Huayan uses a metaphor 327 00:11:17,677 --> 00:11:19,249 Called the net of Indra 328 00:11:19,637 --> 00:11:21,409 Imagine an enormous net 329 00:11:21,677 --> 00:11:24,529 With a jewel hanging at every intersection 330 00:11:24,917 --> 00:11:26,155 Each jewel 331 00:11:26,157 --> 00:11:29,169 Reflects all the other jewels 332 00:11:29,596 --> 00:11:32,049 And within each reflected jewel 333 00:11:32,116 --> 00:11:35,009 All the other jewels are reflected again 334 00:11:35,236 --> 00:11:37,570 Nested endlessly within each other 335 00:11:37,996 --> 00:11:39,029 In this model 336 00:11:39,437 --> 00:11:41,369 No individual exists independently 337 00:11:41,476 --> 00:11:43,610 And no moment exists independently 338 00:11:43,996 --> 00:11:45,289 Every present moment 339 00:11:45,317 --> 00:11:48,409 Contains all the information in the universe 340 00:11:48,716 --> 00:11:49,889 Every particle 341 00:11:49,917 --> 00:11:53,816 Reflects the entire history and future of the universe 342 00:11:54,163 --> 00:11:56,216 If you know modern physics 343 00:11:56,283 --> 00:12:00,456 You may find this strikingly similar to the holographic principle 344 00:12:00,802 --> 00:12:01,595 The holographic principle says 345 00:12:02,123 --> 00:12:03,855 All the information in a three dimensional universe 346 00:12:03,922 --> 00:12:06,735 Can be fully encoded on a two dimensional surface 347 00:12:07,123 --> 00:12:07,676 In other words 348 00:12:08,043 --> 00:12:09,655 Every part of the universe 349 00:12:09,682 --> 00:12:11,056 Contains the whole 350 00:12:11,483 --> 00:12:13,316 Over a thousand years ago Huayan 351 00:12:13,602 --> 00:12:14,975 Used poetic language 352 00:12:15,043 --> 00:12:16,615 To say the same thing 353 00:12:16,729 --> 00:12:17,528 All right 354 00:12:17,962 --> 00:12:20,468 Now let us bring these four threads together 355 00:12:20,695 --> 00:12:22,207 The block universe of physics says 356 00:12:22,695 --> 00:12:24,427 Spacetime is a four dimensional whole 357 00:12:24,535 --> 00:12:27,108 Past present and future coexist 358 00:12:27,215 --> 00:12:28,748 And the flow of time is an illusion 359 00:12:29,295 --> 00:12:30,368 Sarvastivada says 360 00:12:30,815 --> 00:12:32,067 The three times really exist 361 00:12:32,175 --> 00:12:33,728 Past and future are both there 362 00:12:34,014 --> 00:12:35,067 They simply do not manifest 363 00:12:35,295 --> 00:12:36,008 Yogacara says 364 00:12:36,614 --> 00:12:39,494 Past present and future exist as seeds 365 00:12:39,494 --> 00:12:41,667 Stored together in alaya consciousness 366 00:12:42,014 --> 00:12:42,768 Huayan says 367 00:12:43,175 --> 00:12:43,888 Within a single thought 368 00:12:44,254 --> 00:12:45,427 All ten times are present 369 00:12:45,614 --> 00:12:48,108 Every present moment contains all time 370 00:12:48,494 --> 00:12:49,368 These four descriptions 371 00:12:49,654 --> 00:12:51,388 Use completely different languages 372 00:12:51,494 --> 00:12:53,307 But they are describing the same thing 373 00:12:53,734 --> 00:12:55,547 Time is not a flowing river 374 00:12:55,774 --> 00:12:58,021 Time is a field of coexistence 375 00:12:58,529 --> 00:12:59,621 That viewer asked me 376 00:12:59,649 --> 00:13:02,601 How can past present and future coexist 377 00:13:03,289 --> 00:13:04,702 Here is my answer 378 00:13:05,129 --> 00:13:06,702 The very word simultaneously in your question 379 00:13:06,808 --> 00:13:08,662 Is itself a concept of time 380 00:13:09,088 --> 00:13:11,221 When we say things exist simultaneously 381 00:13:11,448 --> 00:13:13,662 We are already using temporal language 382 00:13:13,769 --> 00:13:16,221 To describe a reality beyond time 383 00:13:16,769 --> 00:13:19,182 It is like measuring sound with a ruler 384 00:13:19,609 --> 00:13:21,101 The tool itself does not fit 385 00:13:21,529 --> 00:13:22,782 The real answer is 386 00:13:22,848 --> 00:13:26,822 Past present and future do not exist simultaneously 387 00:13:26,848 --> 00:13:30,981 Because there is no higher time serving as their shared background 388 00:13:31,289 --> 00:13:33,727 They exist in a way that transcends time 389 00:13:33,729 --> 00:13:36,062 Together forming part of reality 390 00:13:36,928 --> 00:13:39,501 Your present feels so real 391 00:13:39,609 --> 00:13:41,501 Not because only the present exists 392 00:13:41,609 --> 00:13:43,822 But because at this moment your consciousness 393 00:13:43,889 --> 00:13:45,501 Illuminates only that slice 394 00:13:45,889 --> 00:13:46,361 With that thought 395 00:13:46,688 --> 00:13:47,901 You can pause 396 00:13:47,928 --> 00:13:49,202 And apply it to yourself 397 00:13:49,529 --> 00:13:50,629 See how it feels 398 00:13:51,017 --> 00:13:53,029 Now let us return to the earlier question 399 00:13:53,376 --> 00:13:55,375 If time has this structure 400 00:13:55,376 --> 00:13:57,169 Does free will still exist 401 00:13:57,777 --> 00:14:00,029 Here I must be completely honest 402 00:14:00,177 --> 00:14:03,590 Science and philosophy have no settled answer 403 00:14:03,976 --> 00:14:05,009 What I am about to offer 404 00:14:05,297 --> 00:14:06,590 Is my own conjecture 405 00:14:06,817 --> 00:14:08,615 In logical terms this conjecture 406 00:14:08,616 --> 00:14:12,149 Finds some support in scientific experiments and classical texts 407 00:14:12,336 --> 00:14:13,490 But it has not been proved 408 00:14:13,777 --> 00:14:15,029 Nor has it been disproved 409 00:14:15,336 --> 00:14:16,210 My conjecture is 410 00:14:16,616 --> 00:14:17,990 Free will exists 411 00:14:18,057 --> 00:14:20,448 But not on the level you might imagine 412 00:14:20,875 --> 00:14:23,088 From the perspective of the four dimensional block universe 413 00:14:23,235 --> 00:14:26,328 Your entire life from birth to death 414 00:14:26,434 --> 00:14:28,088 Is indeed already there 415 00:14:28,395 --> 00:14:30,507 But how was that trajectory formed 416 00:14:31,194 --> 00:14:33,367 It was the choices you made in every present moment 417 00:14:33,395 --> 00:14:34,928 That carved it together 418 00:14:35,354 --> 00:14:37,068 Your choices are real 419 00:14:37,434 --> 00:14:39,288 And the trajectory is real 420 00:14:39,554 --> 00:14:41,448 It is just that from a higher dimension 421 00:14:41,515 --> 00:14:43,554 They appear together 422 00:14:43,860 --> 00:14:44,714 For example 423 00:14:45,141 --> 00:14:46,753 In a movie that has already been filmed 424 00:14:46,860 --> 00:14:48,194 From the perspective of the director 425 00:14:48,301 --> 00:14:49,753 The ending is already determined 426 00:14:50,141 --> 00:14:52,113 But from the perspective of the main character 427 00:14:52,381 --> 00:14:55,113 Every choice in the present remains real 428 00:14:55,421 --> 00:14:56,633 There is no contradiction 429 00:14:57,220 --> 00:14:57,934 The truth is 430 00:14:58,301 --> 00:15:00,513 The very capacity of the character to choose 431 00:15:00,661 --> 00:15:02,900 Is why the movie turned out this way 432 00:15:02,901 --> 00:15:04,886 Rather than another way 433 00:15:05,394 --> 00:15:06,187 In Buddhism 434 00:15:06,394 --> 00:15:07,527 This is called karma 435 00:15:07,833 --> 00:15:09,326 Karma is not fatalism 436 00:15:09,634 --> 00:15:10,307 Karma means 437 00:15:10,594 --> 00:15:12,366 All your past choices 438 00:15:12,433 --> 00:15:14,206 Have formed your present tendencies 439 00:15:14,394 --> 00:15:15,767 And your present choices 440 00:15:15,833 --> 00:15:18,126 Are shaping what manifests in your future 441 00:15:18,754 --> 00:15:20,432 Free will and causality 442 00:15:20,433 --> 00:15:22,966 Are not opposites in the model of karma 443 00:15:23,274 --> 00:15:25,366 They are two sides of the same process 444 00:15:25,673 --> 00:15:27,126 Every thought you have 445 00:15:27,193 --> 00:15:30,846 Plants a seed in the storehouse of alaya consciousness 446 00:15:31,193 --> 00:15:33,326 Whether that seed will sprout in the future 447 00:15:33,474 --> 00:15:34,386 When it will sprout 448 00:15:34,754 --> 00:15:36,246 And in what form 449 00:15:36,354 --> 00:15:38,486 Depends on countless subsequent causes and conditions 450 00:15:38,913 --> 00:15:40,927 But the act of planting itself 451 00:15:40,953 --> 00:15:42,358 Is free will 452 00:15:42,626 --> 00:15:43,545 At this point 453 00:15:43,546 --> 00:15:46,559 I know many people will have a bigger question 454 00:15:47,065 --> 00:15:49,145 If time really has this structure 455 00:15:49,146 --> 00:15:50,419 What is death 456 00:15:50,945 --> 00:15:52,719 If the past has not disappeared 457 00:15:52,825 --> 00:15:54,559 Then the loved ones who have died 458 00:15:54,585 --> 00:15:55,538 In a certain sense 459 00:15:55,825 --> 00:15:56,939 Are they still there 460 00:15:57,426 --> 00:15:59,238 If the future already exists 461 00:15:59,305 --> 00:16:01,145 Are we moving toward the future 462 00:16:01,146 --> 00:16:02,378 Or remembering the future 463 00:16:02,945 --> 00:16:03,419 These questions 464 00:16:03,825 --> 00:16:05,319 I will not answer today 465 00:16:05,465 --> 00:16:06,945 Not because I am avoiding them 466 00:16:06,945 --> 00:16:10,158 But because each deserves its own episode 467 00:16:10,465 --> 00:16:11,219 And these questions 468 00:16:11,666 --> 00:16:13,025 Once explored deeply 469 00:16:13,026 --> 00:16:14,959 Reach the heart of spiritual practice 470 00:16:15,185 --> 00:16:19,624 Within a reality that seems to flow yet in fact coexists 471 00:16:19,626 --> 00:16:21,347 How do you settle your mind 472 00:16:21,694 --> 00:16:26,146 That question about how past present and future coexist 473 00:16:26,294 --> 00:16:28,266 Looks like a question about physics 474 00:16:28,493 --> 00:16:30,707 But is actually an entrance to spiritual practice 475 00:16:30,934 --> 00:16:34,067 Because once you truly understand that time is not a river 476 00:16:34,093 --> 00:16:35,026 But a field 477 00:16:35,253 --> 00:16:37,666 Your fear of loss begins to loosen 478 00:16:37,733 --> 00:16:39,867 Your anxiety about the future begins to loosen 479 00:16:39,934 --> 00:16:42,506 And your attachment to the present begins to loosen 480 00:16:42,733 --> 00:16:44,867 You begin to sense something 481 00:16:45,294 --> 00:16:47,266 You do not exist within time 482 00:16:47,694 --> 00:16:50,183 You are a manifestation of time itself 483 00:16:50,771 --> 00:16:51,651 What thoughts and insights 484 00:16:51,942 --> 00:16:53,468 Do you have about this episode 485 00:16:53,837 --> 00:16:57,065 About time free will and karma 486 00:16:57,067 --> 00:16:57,988 What questions do you have 487 00:16:58,439 --> 00:17:00,409 What would you like me to discuss next time 488 00:17:00,697 --> 00:17:02,230 Leave a comment below 489 00:17:02,232 --> 00:17:03,979 I read every one carefully 490 00:17:04,048 --> 00:17:04,727 I am Wang Lijie 491 00:17:04,975 --> 00:17:06,054 See you next time