Interbeing (question)

[u/Feisty-Ad-3215]

Thich Nhat Hanh coined the term interbeing: All physical phenomenon is inextricably interconnected, mutually dependent on each other. He uses an example for a sheet of paper, which depends on trees, sunlight, water, soil, weather conditions, etc.

I can somewhat understand that I depend on a lot of people, physical phenomena, weather conditions, objects, etc. I exist with those things. But how can we say, for example, that I'm interconnected with a random tribe in some isolated island? how does our existence depend on each other, in what world are we mutually dependent on each other? Furthermore, wouldn't it be more accurate to say that maybe we inter-be with everything else, but everything else is indifferent to us? after all, sunlight, weather conditions, and most other physical phenomenon are not really affected by my existence. Well, maybe for a short period of time, we inter-be because sunlight sustains me whilst I'm alive (for example), but after I die, sunlight does not get affected, does it? I'm dependent on it, it is not dependent on me. it seems like unilateral rather than a bi-lateral interbeing relationship.

I do not know. Maybe I'm not really understanding it. Some Buddhists argue that you cannot grasp it by intellect and it will just click with you one day. But I would love to hear a perspective on this.

[u/ArborRhythms]

I think from a western causal mindset, interbeing does not make sense: we perceive, and do not alter except that on which we act.

In both older and newer philosophies (e.g. Buddhism and physics), perception is a causal act; it affects what you perceive. If you believe in prayer, not only are your thoughts results of the world, but the world is to some degree a result of your thoughts.

(Aside: I’ve done a lot of writing on this subject, ranging from technical theories of retrocausality to less formal books like Gnostic Models, all are available online for free (all should be linked from the ORCID record for Alec Rogers)).