空

Did some googling on JM's comment 

 

"因空见色, 由色生情, 传情入色, 自色悟空" - 曹雪芹，《红楼梦》

 

To understand the meaning behind, we must first understand the following line where the above idea came from:

 

"色不异空，空不异色，色即是空，空即是色"- 《般若心经》 

 

"色" refers to the appearance of all objects. All objects came into existence from nothingness/non-existence, "空", and eventually they will go back to nothingness. After you fully understand this (enlightenment), you will find that appearance is just appearance, which is just as empty as nothingness. Actually they are all one and the same thing.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Next time your girlfriend caught you looking at chiobus and pull your ear, you can tell her

 

"Wah lao eh! Why you pull my ear?? I am actually practicing Buddhism you know. In actual fact, I am looking at 'nothingness'! Did you heard of this: '色不异空，空不异色，色即是空，空即是色。' Pretty gals are actually nothing in my heart!!! "

 

See, learning philosophy is useful! Haha!

 

(I am sure your girlfriend will pull your ear even harder.)

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *   

 

Back to "因空见色, 由色生情, 传情入色, 自色悟空". This is merely a description of the process of how the protagonist in the story understand the above Buddhism concept.

 

From nothingness you see something / someone.

After you see something / someone, you feel attachment / love.

From attachment / love, you look deeper into that something / someone.

And eventually, you realise that something / someone is nothing.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

JM, bothered by attachment or love?