In the Zen tradition, numerous metaphors have been created to convey our true nature. Some have been widely popularized, but nonetheless express a deep truth about the ultimate nature of reality. One of them is related to clouds. As a cloud researcher, I find this one very appropriate to ponder.

On a mundane level, clouds in the sky symbolize the whispy nature of our thoughts, passers-by in our minds when not clung to them and dissolving when touched by awareness. On a fundamental level, clouds and sky together represent the oneness of existence. All day long, they depend on each other, without being dependent on each other.

Ordinary yet profound. At the same time separate and inseparable, dependent and independent. Eternal boundless reality manifesting itself as what we perceive as the outside world. Everything we know from the world is filtered through the limitations of scientific instruments, including our own mind. To truly know the world, we first have to understand the nature of mind.

This leads me to the attitude of not-knowing, a word with an incredibly deep underlying meaning that is particularly prone to misinterpretation. Yet not-knowing is fundamental to resolving the above apparent contradiction about, and understanding of, our true nature  ̵  an experiential knowledge that is not mediated through the finite mind. Every conceptual knowledge about us or the world obtained through the scientific method is helpful, but remains incomplete and moves us away from true insight.

You get the picture why I love doing cloud research. Not because of all the equation solving and computer programming. Because I stand in awe before the cloudy sky, and so all this researching comes out of Being. Human.


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