What am I doing here?
Who am I?
Who are you?
Where did I come from?
How did all things begin?
...and a lot more....
The question about existence comes in various ways. These questions basically ask the same thing, or express the same problem and expect to get the same answer. The answer being sought is hoped to finally end all questions. There is no bug as great as that elusive answer.
Remember when a fellow misplaced something. First, he has this sense he lost that thing, say a car key. Then he asks where he might have put it. Then he begin to trace back his actions in his memories. Then he finds the key. What is going on is that the E Question is being treated like the lost key. This is evident on scientists, among them most notably the ones who deal with galaxies, stars, sub-particles, strings and so on. They peer through every hole the can find to see where was everything before. What scientists do is practically asking where is that key? Scientists hope to find where did everything begin with a strategy similar to finding the lost car key, with no avail. Because every time a new hole is found where they could gaze through, the expected answer is not what is being found. What they keep on finding are just derivatives of their prior findings. They keep seeing smaller and smaller objects. The process does not end.
Which brings me to ask, what is the problem? Why is it that the answer is not found? The problem lies on the treatment of the E Question. What has been going on for a long time is that the E question is treated as a question which is thought to find a tangible answer. Oh, here is the key at last! Meaning, it is being hoped that behind the E Question is a grand object, a huge car key perhaps, which holds all answers. It is not.
The reasons are:
1. The E Question will continue to be a problem mainly due to the inadequacy of reasoning, language and symbols. If one lost an object, he may ran out of places to locate it. In E question, language will run out of words. There will be time when scientist will find out the same answer a Zen master had already found out.
2. The E Question is not a problem of the answer being not found. The problem lies on the nature of the questioner and the question. In physics, the hindrance to understanding the nature light is light itself. Every time light is being studied, it is necessary they use light to see what happens. But by then, the light used to observe interferes the light being observed. The act of observing brings meaningless results. In E Question, the problem is the question and the questioner.
3. The E Question is an expression of a feeling of discomfort, a sense that there is something missing, or an expression of confusion. It is itself not the discomfort or confusion. Actually, it is about the confusion. Being just an expression, what sort of things does anyone hopes to get out of the E question? Probably more expressions masked as an answer. Nonetheless, not the true answer. Just an expression of the unspeakable answer.
So what is the problem? The problem is not that one can't find the answer. In truth, all has the chance of a lifetime to finding out the real answer to the E Question. The answer is found when the E Question stops being a question. How to make it as such? A master or guru has one simple instruction. Find the one who asks. The problem is solely on the questioner.
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