{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.026429341963322545, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 4.760869565217392, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Do Others Exist?: Buddhist Perspectives on “The Other”

From my perspective as a Buddhist, I have to say that all the questions about “the other” are secondary questions, not the primary question or the primary reality. When we begin to perceive and talk about others, we are in the realm of duality. Therefore, we are already removed from the clear, basic awareness that surrounds and supports our projection or creation of the seeming reality of self and other. While this point may seem subtle and esoteric, it is actually completely basic. If we assume the existence of self and other as separate, metaphysically real entities and take that as the starting point of our discussions, our discussions will be limited and unsuccessful in my view. We are starting our discussions at a point well into a process, without ever becoming grounded in the underlying realities. We need to look into what precedes duality, not as a temporal absolute beginning, but in the moment by moment flickering of consciousness. We need to understand that there is an “other” only in the experience of a self, that self and other are cocreated or, in better Buddhist language, arise together. And, we need to understand that, at least in Buddhist terms, duality is a secondary and somewhat mistaken perception. While it is important and useful to talk of self and other, such talk needs to be put in proper perspective, to be grounded in fleeting awareness of the vast space in which self and other coarise. I understand that these claims are very much against everyday assumptions about the nature of reality. Usually, we take ourselves to be the center of the world and experience others as momentary, sometimes pleasing, sometimes unpleasant or painful, arisings in our consciousness. But, we also assume that others, like ourselves, are separate, fixed, and metaphysi-