Concepts of Creation

Create, dwell, perish and void: these are the four phases that Buddhism used to describe the cycle of being. Creation is the period of birth and growth. Dwelling is the period of preservation. Perish is the period of aging, and void is the period of death and waiting the coming of new life and possibility. This cycle is not limited to life, a sunset, a building, a village, a city, a dynasty, snow crystals, a hurricane, a planet, the slow spinning and burning galaxy, a mid-night dream, the elementary-school's chair that slowly fading in my memory, the lotus that blooms slowly upon water, or the run cycle that freezes in Muybridge's camera, are all follow the same cycle.

In electronic music, the time span of a sound can be divided into four phases: attack, decay, sustain and release. It is called the ADSR envelope, and is very similar to the phases of create, dwell, perish and void.

A song can be perceived as a succession of numerous notes that go through their ADSR cycle. A history of mankind can also be perceived as a progression of numerous people that go through their create, dwell, perish and void cycle.

The reason for music's richness and beauty is that each note happens in different time. Their starts and ends interweaves in the passage of time. Previous notes fade away and trigger new notes, and a song appears little by little.

Human's world is also comparable to a song. The time of my birth is corresponding to my parents' growth. My growth is corresponding to my grandparents' death, and my aging will be corresponding my children's births and growths. I wonder, what my death will be corresponding to?

Every point in my life is corresponding to a particular point of the create, dwell, perish and void cycle of the being around me, which generates rich and infinite stories that flow through my heart. And my create, dwell, perish and void cycle probably flows through someone else's mind...