“What do you see in this blank A4 paper?” asked the visiting assistant professor, who taught the mindfulness course that was part of the Master of Buddhist Studies program I attended years ago, while holding up the paper with her left hand. I had never learned meditation before. I had heard many mysterious things about it, so I thought she was about to perform some supernatural act!
It turned out that she was demonstrating something ordinary, yet beyond what we usually perceive. To illustrate the interconnectedness of all things, she said, “This sheet of paper, in fact, contains the whole world.”
She explained that for this paper to exist, trees were needed. These trees depended on soil, sunlight, rain, and countless other conditions. In turn, each of these relied on other factors to exist. Workers in the paper industry were also essential in transforming trees into paper and delivering it to us. These workers themselves depended on others (e.g., their parents) and on necessities (e.g., food) to sustain them. Without any of these elements, this sheet of paper could not exist.
Thus, if we are mindful, we could see the whole world in a single sheet of paper. This insight applies to everything, including people.
I later found out that this was one of the classic examples that Thích Nhất Hạnh used to illustrate how all things in the world are inextricably interconnected—what he called the interbeing nature of reality. The example of the paper seemed simple, yet it showed me a completely new way of seeing reality. Becoming aware of these interconnections opened my eyes. It first transformed my mind, then my heart.
However, although I had gained a deeper understanding of reality after attending the lecture, I still saw the paper and everything else as separate entities. I tried hard to see the interbeing nature of everything. Despite my efforts, I could not do it. The paper still looked like just a separate object to me. I could not see its connection to the trees or to myself.
Later, I understood why: there is a difference between intellectual understanding and intuitive awareness. The former—the knowledge of interbeing—was what I had at the time. But only the latter—the insight of interbeing—enables us to directly experience the interconnected nature of reality.
Reading often provides intellectual satisfaction. But intellectual understanding does not necessarily change how we see the world. (Titmuss 2000) This is why we might fully agree with Thích Nhất Hạnh’s explanation of the paper’s true nature, yet still see it as separate from everything else. As long as our understanding remains at the intellectual level (i.e., the knowledge of interbeing), it stays an abstract idea that does not have much impact on our lives.
To truly grasp his example, we must recognize its relevance to our own life and allow its truth to deeply penetrate our being. (Titmuss 2000) For Thích Nhất Hạnh, mindfulness is the path to cultivating the insight of interbeing. It is, therefore, important to integrate mindfulness into our daily lives. Let us now explore Thích Nhất Hạnh’s teaching of interbeing.
The roots and meaning of interbeing
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s teaching of interbeing draws from multiple sources. It combines traditional Buddhist concepts—dependent origination, interpenetration, emptiness, and non-self—with modern scientific and ecological perspectives. Simply put, it expresses the idea that all things are inextricably interconnected, as everything needs other things to exist (dependent origination). This means that everything exists within each thing, and each thing exists within everything else (interpenetration). As a result, things lack inherent existence (emptiness); thus, there are no permanent, independent entities (non-self).
These elements are reflected in Thích Nhất Hạnh’s definition of his coined term:
lnterbeing means “co-being”. You cannot be by yourself alone. You have to “interbe” with everybody and everything else. For instance, if you look deeply into a flower you find it is made of non-flower elements like sunshine, clouds, rain and soil. Without these non-flower elements, a flower cannot exist. So it is better to say that the flower “interbes” with the sunshine and it cannot be by itself, alone. It is the case with humans also. I am here because you are there. (Mehrotra 2003)
He used straightforward language and a simple, everyday example to make these profound Buddhist teachings accessible to a wide audience, helping us understand and integrate these complex concepts into our everyday experiences.
Scientific and ecological expressions of interbeing
Thích Nhất Hạnh emphasized the scientific and ecological dimensions of interbeing to make it relevant to the modern world. He stated:
. . . humans are made of non-human elements—animal, vegetable and mineral. For the human race to survive, you have to take care of animal life, vegetable life and mineral life. . . . The “self” is made of non-self elements, and if we live according to that insight, we will be able to protect ourselves and our environment and stop the course of destruction. (Mehrotra 2003)
Here, we can see the formula “‘A’ is made of non-A elements.” This is an innovative and scientific reinterpretation of the Buddhist concepts of dependent origination, interpenetration, non-self, and emptiness. It shows that the well-being of humanity is inseparable from the health of the environment and all living beings. Understanding interbeing fosters both spiritual growth and environmental responsibility. This understanding inspires us to protect our planet and all living beings, offering a practical approach to addressing the environmental crisis.
The linguistic dimensions of interbeing
Interbeing and its derived formula, “A is made of non-A elements,” appear to be a clever linguistic approach to explaining the nature of reality. Unlike the term “interconnectedness,” which could easily lead to the misperception that separate things are simply linked to one another. Thích Nhất Hạnh offered a simple example:
If we continue to look into the sheet of paper, we can see the sunshine in it. If the sunshine is not there, the forest cannot grow. Without the sunshine, nothing can grow, not even us. So we know that the sunshine is also in the sheet of paper. The paper and the sunshine inter-are. Looking more deeply, we can see the logger who cut the tree and brought it to the mill to be transformed into paper. We also see the wheat. We know that the logger cannot exist without his daily bread. So the wheat that became his bread is also in this sheet of paper. The logger’s father and mother are in the paper as well. Without all of these other things, there would be no sheet of paper at all. (Thích Nhất Hạnh 2017)
Here, describing the paper and the sunshine as interconnected might suggest that they are two separate things with some kind of relationship. This is perhaps why Thích Nhất Hạnh, instead of saying that the paper and the sunshine are interconnected, stated that the paper and the sunshine inter-are. To emphasize that the paper and the sunshine cannot be separated into two discrete entities, he pointed out that “the sunshine is also in the sheet of paper.”
As he explained, the paper contains not only sunshine, but also the logger, the tree, the mill, the wheat, the bread, and the logger’s parents. This is a skillful way of illustrating the traditional teaching on interpenetration—that everything exists within each thing, and each thing exists within everything else.
A calligraphy by Thích Nhất Hạnh in Plum Village, France, reads: “the bread in your hand is the body of the cosmos.” This reminds us that all things are inseparable and reflect the whole universe. Every moment, no matter how ordinary, such as eating our bread, is an opportunity to recognize and embrace the interbeing nature of life.
The non-material aspects of interbeing
Thích Nhất Hạnh pointed out that interbeing is not just about physical or material elements. It also includes non-material aspects such as time, space, perception, and consciousness. He used science to make it more accessible and convincing to a modern audience. He said:
Looking even more deeply, we can see we are also in the paper . . . because when we look at a sheet of paper, the sheet of paper becomes the object of our perception. It is becoming more and more clear to neuroscientists that we cannot exactly speak of an objective world outside of our perceptions, nor can we speak of a wholly subjective world in which things exist only in our mind. Everything—time, space, the earth, the rain, the minerals in the soil, the sunshine, the cloud, the river, the heat, and even consciousness—is in that sheet of paper. Everything coexists with it. To be is to inter-be. You cannot just be by yourself alone; you have to inter-be with every other thing. This sheet of paper is, because everything else is. (Thích Nhất Hạnh 2017)
This passage highlights that interbeing transcends the material world. It emphasizes that everything, including the intangible aspects of existence, coexists with everything else.
The reverse approach to interbeing
Thích Nhất Hạnh also explained interbeing by showing what happens if any essential elements are removed:
. . . the sheet of paper is made entirely of ‘non-paper elements’ and if we were to return any one of these non-paper elements to their source, there would be no paper at all. (Thích Nhất Hạnh 2017)
This is another way he illustrated interbeing, emphasizing that everything depends on other things to exist.
Conclusion
Thích Nhất Hạnh’s innovative teaching of interbeing offers a profound reinterpretation of traditional Buddhist concepts of dependent origination, interpenetration, emptiness, and non-self. His use of everyday examples, straightforward language, and effective linguistic approach made these complex concepts more accessible to modern audiences. By incorporating scientific and ecological perspectives, he made ancient wisdom relevant to the challenges of our world today.
As discussed in my previous article, interbeing is a central element of Thích Nhất Hạnh’s approach to mindfulness. By helping people realize the interbeing nature of reality through mindfulness, it offers valuable insights and practical solutions to address the problems we face. In future articles, we will examine in detail how his mindfulness practices support these insights and solutions. The next article will focus on his engaged Buddhism, which connects spiritual practice with social action. We will explore how his engaged Buddhism was formed and shaped through his life experiences.
References
Mehrotra, Rajiv. 2003. The Mind of the Guru: Conversations with Spiritual Masters. India: Penguin Global.
Thích Nhất Hạnh. 2017. The Other Shore: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries. Berkeley, California: Palm Leave Press.
Titmuss, Christopher. 2000. “Inquiry into awakening.” In G. Watson, S. Batchelor, & G. Claxton (Eds.), The Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Science, and Our Day-to-day Lives (pp. 3-9). York Beach, ME.: Weiser Books.
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Buddhist Mindfulness Versus Secular Mindfulness, Part 1
Buddhist Mindfulness Versus Secular Mindfulness, Part 2
Buddhist Mindfulness Versus Secular Mindfulness, Part 3
Buddhist Mindfulness Versus Secular Mindfulness, Part 4
