Syadvada in Poetry
Syadvada is a Jain practice of tentativeness when talking about reality. Reality is too multifaceted to be captured in a single point of view. Syadvada offers a total of seven perspectives to counteract dogmatic thought style and categorical expression.
- syād-asti—in some ways, it is,
- syād-nāsti—in some ways, it is not,
- syād-asti-nāsti—in some ways, it is, and it is not,
- syād-asti-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is, and it is indescribable,
- syād-nāsti-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is not, and it is indescribable,
- syād-asti-nāsti-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is, it is not, and it is indescribable,
- syād-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is indescribable.
Here's an attempt of mine to express the same in poetry
The "It" of What Is
In some ways it is,
In some ways it isn't.
There's a total of seven ways
in which it is and it isn't.
Whichever one you choose
in this Russian roulette of truth,
is a right one,
and yet neither is.
Take home message: when encountering an opinion, use Syadvada parentheticals to avoid tactless dogmatism (particularly 1 through 3). E.g. someone says: "this is such and such!" If you disagree, instead of firing off "Hell no! This is how it is," you could say: "In some ways it is and in some ways it isn.t" Use tentativeness to model tentativeness. What goes around, comes around.
Pavel Somov, Ph.D., www.eatingthemoment.com
copyright 2009
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Farzana Versey says:
Interesting...
This could apply as much to life as to poetry...
Does it not have some traces of Being and Nothingness? In fact, there is a Sanskrit saying that takes one through the karmic route:
'Tat twam Asi' (that thou art) to 'tat twam bhavasi' (that thou art in the becoming).
I'd say rather than tentativeness, it is the certainty of the seeker that makes it happen.
Thank you for bringing this up.
~F
Pavel Somov, Ph.D. says:
Thanks, Farzana
"Tat twam Asi" is, indeed, an important meme. Thanks for your thoughtful input!
Eric Nichols says:
An excerpt from Plasma
An excerpt from Plasma Dreams, which demonstrates a similar concept in a very different culture. :)
.....Lisa sighed. A.M. had never been actually wrong about anything, although she did manage to spin a few tall tales when it came to her life back in Greenland. Of course, never having been to Greenland, Lisa was never able to confirm or deny any of her imaginative parables. Of one thing she was certain, A.M. had more than once proven herself a friend unto death.
"I know...I'm sorry," Lisa said, at last. "Tell me one thing, okay? Do you believe me when I say I really went somewhere else when I was unconscious?"
"I always believe you, Lisa," A.M. said, flatly.
It was such a straightforward answer, and yet the way she emphasized the word believe was highly unsettling. Lisa tried to read between the lines, which was difficult when there was only half a line to begin with. In her mind, she tried to complete the sentence. "You believe me, but what? Your believe me, but don't trust me? You believe me, but don't love me? You believe me, but you want me to change a soggy diaper? WHAT?!" She was practically screaming inside her skull. After a painful pause, she furrowed her eyebrows at A.M. and said, "Well??"
A.M. plucked Promise off her nipple and placed her gently on Lisa's belly. "Hold baby while I put chest back together, please. She is not cooperating so much." She snapped her bra back together and buttoned her blouse. "Be careful, she is getting to be grabbing things."
"Great," Lisa thought. "I survive getting my brains caved in, only to die because my best friend's baby pulls my plug." She stroked Promise's silky black hair and melted into her mattress again; for a moment, all was right with the world, even though A.M. hadn't answered her question yet. Under the most normal of circumstances, communication with A.M. could be a surreal experience; in Lisa's present state of mind, it bordered on the hallucinogenic. It didn't look like she was going to answer her question any time soon. On the other hand, perhaps in her own bizarre way, she already had.
Eric
Pavel Somov, Ph.D. says:
dig that
Thanks, Eric. A colorful "read." I see the relevance. Thanks for sharing.