Explaining Modern Philosophy via the
Three Truths of Mahayana Buddhism: The OS Shell, Kernel, and the Concepts of Ke
(Provisional), Ku (Emptiness), and Chu (The Middle)
~The Three Truths are the "OS of
Worldview," and this OS operates through the simultaneous execution of Ku
(Kernel) and Ke (Shell)~
Explaining Modern Philosophy and
Mahayana Buddhism using Computers and the Brain
The "Three Truths" doctrine (San-tai)
of Mahayana Buddhism can be seen as a highly refined version of modern
philosophy. While the Three Truths doctrine is older, modern philosophy has
only been refined for about 100 years, whereas Mahayana Buddhism has undergone
about 2,000 years of refinement. Consequently, the ancient Three Truths of
Mahayana Buddhism have become more sophisticated than the newer modern
philosophy.
By understanding the Three Truths, modern
philosophy becomes easier to understand—or rather, you will realize you have
already understood it. Therefore, I will explain the Three Truths. There are
various ways to understand the Three Truths. Furthermore, the Three Truths
allow for multiple interpretations, and it is possible that none of these
diverse interpretations are wrong. As a result, the Three Truths can be
understood and used in many different ways.
Let’s explain the Three Truths using
Buddhist parables and upaya (expedient means). Here, I will explain the
Three Truths using the analogy of a computer or the brain. Conversely, I will
also attempt to explain the brain and computers using the Three Truths.
Comparison of the OS and Buddhism
An Operating System (OS) is what connects
hardware to the computer's user/software. Broadly speaking, an OS is divided
into the Shell and the Kernel. The meanings of Shell and Kernel
are as follows:
- Kernel (The Core)
- Role: The core program operating
at the deepest part of the OS.
- Function: Directly controls and
manages hardware resources such as the CPU, memory, and disks.
- Feature: It is not directly
visible to the user, but it serves as the foundation upon which
applications run.
- Shell (The Husk)
- Role: A "bridge" program
that mediates between the user and the kernel.
- Function: Interprets characters
(commands) input by the user, conveys them to the kernel to execute
processing, and displays the results on the screen.
- Origin of Name: Named because it
wraps around the core (kernel) like a "shell."
The relationship is such that "while
you intend to touch the shell, you are actually changing the behavior of the
kernel. However, talking only about the kernel is useless without the shell to
use it."
Roughly speaking, without fear of
misunderstanding: OS = Kernel + Shell
When we contrast this with the Three
Truths (San-tai), which is the essence of Buddhism, it looks like this: I
will organize the interpretation from the perspective of the Three Truths (Ku-Emptiness,
Ke-Provisional, Chu-Middle) and their actual roles in a computer.
Interpretation via Three Truths: Gegi
(Shell) and Ku (Kernel)
Viewing "Gegi"
(Play/Fabrication/Provisional Appearance) as the Shell and "Ku"
(Emptiness) as the Kernel establishes a valid contrast between the
Buddhist grasp of truth and system architecture.
Gegi and Ku
are considered the same thing; they might be rephrased as "Form" (Shiki)
and "Reality/Substance" (Jitsu). Ultimately, they refer to
different views or different aspects of the same thing. "Gegi"
implies "play" (as in playing around), but it can also be viewed as
"performance," "drama," exterior, form, or interface
(incidentally, one can glimpse the influence of Buddhism on the thoughts of
thinkers like Barthes, Derrida, and Lacan in such terminology).
"Ke" (Provisional) largely
carries the nuance of a warning not to mistake the object of reality for
"Essence," "Truth," or "Fact." "Shiki"
(Form/Color) refers to Namarupa (Name and Form) in the Twelve Links of
Dependent Origination, emphasizing the human tendency to understand objects
through signs called "names," labels, or superficial aspects
perceived sensually like color, sound, taste, smell, and touch. "Jitsu"
(Reality) is a reminder that there is always an aspect where humans perceive
objects through naive realism.
The Three Truths are summarized below:
- "Ke" (Provisional Truth) = Shell (Aspect of
Interface/Play) The "Provisional
Truth" in the Three Truths refers to a form that has no fixed
substance but appears temporarily due to causes and conditions (Karma/En).
The Shell is the "conversational interface" seen by the user, a
"provisional window" for operating via commands understandable
to humans. This can be interpreted not as the truth itself, but as the
realm of "Gegi" (Play/Interface) for humans to interact
with.
- "Ku" (Truth of Emptiness) = Kernel (Aspect of
Essence) The "Truth of Emptiness" is
the truth that nothing has a fixed substance. The Kernel is not directly
visible; it is the "insubstantial center of control" that
abstracts and manages hardware. From the user's perspective, the Kernel is
the essence hidden in the background like "Void/Emptiness,"
holding the fundamental potential for all operations.
- "Chu" (The Middle Way) = OS (The Entire System) The state where Emptiness (Ku) and Provisional (Ke)
are not separate but function as one is the "Middle Way."
Without the Shell (Ke), humans cannot operate it; without the
Kernel (Ku), the computer will not move. The figure where both
merge to function as a single "OS" is a structure close to the Threefold
Truths in Perfect Harmony (Enyu-Santai).
In Summary:
OS (Chu) = Kernel (Ku) + Shell (Ke)
The
Middle (OS) = Emptiness (Kernel) + Interface (Shell)
"This is called the Perfect Harmony
of the Three Truths." or "This is
referred to as the Perfect Interfusion of the Three Truths."
It is best to grasp it through both
perspectives. This expresses that viewing Emptiness and Interface as opposing,
contradictory, or mutually exclusive is not practical; rather, it is better to
view the object from both sides, for example, as both Form and Function.
The Brain is the Same
Like a computer, there is no need to
separate the brain into "Reality" or "Structure"; some may
find it easier to understand if viewed as both Reality and Structure.
This is the same as biology and medicine viewing organisms and humans from both
the aspects of morphology (form) and physiology (function).
Materialistically, it might be Realism or
Materialism; mentally, it might be called Idealism or Structuralism. Descartes'
dualism forced God to mediate the fight between the two, but there is also a
view that sees it monistically (as a result). For example, the somewhat
monistic views of Spinoza, Hegel, or Bergson treat them as different aspects of
the same object, preventing binary opposition from the start.
Realism alone might be able to explain
everything including structuralism, and Structuralism alone might explain
everything including realism, but putting such extremes at the forefront may be
uneconomical and impractical. Therefore, it is easier to understand if we
present the simultaneous use of both, while noting in footnotes, addenda, or
appendices that "everything can technically be explained by just one
monism." In introductory logic, there is no need to present the standard
form from the beginning; such things can be added later if deemed necessary
after explaining the common grammar of symbolic logic, or in introductory
stages, they need not be added at all.
"Chu", "Madhyamaka",
and "The Middle Way" are the Ultimate Liberalism
It is important to have the choice:
"Either one is fine, or using both together is fine." The more
options you have to choose from, the more Freedom—or rather, the higher
the Degrees of Freedom—you have. This can be called a thought method for
maximizing degrees of freedom. Since many people have a fixed idea that
"Freedom" implies some ultimate, absolute freedom somewhere, the
expression "High Degrees of Freedom" may be more practical. It is
safer to think that there is no ultimate, absolute, or unlimited freedom, even
in Liberalism.
It is very convenient that Western "Realism"
is translated into Japanese as both Jitsuzai-ron (Ontological Realism)
and Realism (Pragmatism/Actuality), and they are used differently. When
dealing with substance or existence in ontology, we use Jitsuzai-ron,
but thoughts and ideologies containing Jitsuzai-ron tend to become desk
theories, abstract speculation, or "armchair detective" work. It
would be fine if we could read everything perfectly like the endgame of Go or
Shogi, but when thinking only with our heads, we often realize that things are
impossible in concrete, practical terms.
In the military, conflict often arises
between the frontline and the rear. When planners go to the site, they find too
many unexpected obstacles, things do not go as imagined, and compared to the
assumption, the plan ends up incomplete or impossible to complete. Thoughts,
ideologies, and blueprints created by Jitsuzai-ron (Ontological Realism)
are often invalid or dysfunctional in the face of Realism (Pragmatic
Reality).
In this case, it is interesting that Jitsuzai-ron
and Realism—which should have been the same word—are fighting each
other. Let's call it the "Principle of Air and Water." Individuals
or groups become possessed by an "Air" (Atmosphere/Ideal) brewed by
the Principle of Air, but when the "Water" of reality is poured on
them, the brewed Air vanishes into mist. Therefore, education has long been
structured to alternate between theory and practice. If this back-and-forth,
traffic, or pendulum is lost somewhere and one is bound only to one side,
failure often ensues.
When one reaches a certain position within
an organization or group, one is often fixed to one side. However, if the
organization or group as a whole does not move back and forth between theory
and reality, or if the overall portfolio/design is not balanced, the
organization—whose management and order maintenance are already difficult—may
collapse. Even if one side is biased and achieves great temporary success, that
great success can become the cause of a later great failure.
There is a saying in the Bible, "Human
beings cannot live without water and air (spirit/breath)" (John 3:5), but
if we skillfully master the ideal of Air and the reality of Water—the Principle
of Air and the Principle of Water—we may be able to manage a skillful way of
living and doing things.
Human Beings and the World are Eternally
Incomplete: The Logic of Endless Practice
Bugs as Kleshas (Defilements),
Debugging as Practice (Shugyo)
I mentioned in the previous chapter that
the OS (Chu/The Middle) operates through the exquisite coordination of
the Kernel (Ku/Emptiness) and the Shell (Ke/Provisional).
However, just like a real computer, our "System of Life" does not
always run crisply and comfortably. It freezes, operations become sluggish, or
it crashes due to unexpected errors. In Buddhism, this is called "Dukkha"
(Suffering), but in the analogy of an OS, this can be rephrased as system
"Bugs," "Malware," or "Memory Leaks."
1. The Three Poisons (Greed, Anger,
Ignorance) as System Errors
Buddhism defines the fundamental bugs of
humans as the "Three Poisons" (San-doku: Greed, Anger,
Ignorance). Classifying these as types of system failures makes them very easy
to understand.
- Greed (Ton) = Memory Leak
The desire for "more" is like a memory leak that continues to
hold onto used memory without releasing it. It consumes resources (money,
objects, approval) endlessly, eventually slowing down the entire system's
operation, and finally causing it to hang.
- Anger (Jin) = Infinite Loop The
anger of "I cannot forgive that person" is a state where a
specific processing process runs out of control, pinning CPU usage at
100%. The system loses the capacity to accept other important processes
(rational judgment or daily tasks), causing thermal runaway.
- Ignorance (Chi) = Driver Failure / Broken Link The state of "not understanding the logic/reason" is
a state where the driver for correctly recognizing hardware (the real
world) is corrupted or not installed. The system cannot correctly process
input data (reality) and repeats incorrect output (behavior).
These bugs do not originate in the Kernel
(Ku = original Buddha-nature) but in coding errors on the Shell side (Ke = user
interface or habits of thought) or in "garbage data (logs)"
accumulated over years of operation.
2. Practice is "Debugging" and
"Refactoring"
So, what is Buddhist "Practice" (Shugyo)?
Standing under a waterfall or sitting in Zazen is not a spiritual test of guts,
but a "Debugging" task in engineering.
- Shikan (Stopping and Seeing) and
Log Analysis The act of "quietly
observing one's own mind" in meditation (Shikan) is nothing
other than the task of reading the system's "Error Log" line by
line. "Why did the anger process start up just now?" "Which
trigger is causing the desire memory leak?" Visualizing (becoming
conscious of) background processes running in the unconscious and
identifying the cause of the bug—this is the essence of "Mindfulness."
- Refactoring Karma (Go)
Thought patterns formed by past actions (Karma) are like old, inefficient
"Legacy Code" (or Spaghetti Code). Mahayana Buddhist
practice aims not to simply delete this code (Hinayana-style asceticism),
but to "Refactor" it into code that is more efficient,
beautiful, and has fewer bugs. Instead of deleting the code that outputs
the strong energy of "Anger," rewrite it into a constructive
function like "Sense of Justice" or "Passion." This is
called Tenshiki-tokuchi (Transforming consciousness to obtain
wisdom).
3. Optimization of "The
Middle" via Updates
An OS is not finished once it is released.
Constant "Updates" are necessary to match changes in the
environment (changes in the era or life stages).
The "Middle" (Chu)
in the Three Truths refers not to a fixed, static state, but to the "Dynamic
Operational Process" itself—constantly fixing bugs and optimizing
code. "Enlightenment" might be said to be not reaching a perfect
static state with zero bugs, but establishing a "Robust Operational
Structure" where, no matter what bug occurs, it is immediately
detected, a patch is applied, and the system continues to run without crashing.
We are simultaneously the users of this OS
called "Life" and the Developers who have the authority to
rewrite its code. Finding bugs in daily life, fixing them, and repeating
version upgrades. That is the real form of "Buddhist Practice" in the
modern age.