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Principles of
Knowledge
July 14, 2008
Moving from the Part to the Whole
Life has a peculiar way of evolving. It moves from the part to the
Whole. Nature’s (i.e. Life’s) great method is to find two
parties that each know a part and have them come together in
contradiction and conflict. Each side knows what the other does
not. Still each knows a part. Through their mutual
contradiction, they move from the exclusive belief to the other
side’s understanding; i.e. the greater truth, which is the
Whole. As a result, there is a further progress in life, which
is Nature’s intention. They have moved through their conflict;
resolved their contradiction. Interestingly, from the
perspective of the Whole, there was never contradiction, only
complementariness. I.e. they helped one another in their
progress, to enable the Whole to emerge, which is the further
progress in life.
To see how conflict is the method by which we move from the part to
the Whole, we can examine any event in life. Say I go for a walk
and come upon what looks like a disturbance, with police cars
and fire trucks. My senses tell me one thing. I come to a
conclusion. I walk away from the scene having this perspective.
It is the part. The reality and truth of the situation was not
at all what my senses indicated. The security teams have merely
come together to devise various strategies. There are other
reasons as well. That is the Whole. We knew the part, through
the false impression the visual sense drew into the Mind. It is
our essential Ignorance born of creation. However, when we move
to a deeper consciousness within, we separate from sense and
from within perceive more of the possibilities unfolding around
us.
The scientist sees matter. He believes in the empirically
true. He understands the mechanistic workings of life. He does
not see the influence of emotion, psychological movements, the
power of ideas, the subtle workings and principles of life, not
to mention the Spirit that is the source of all, and to which we
are evolving. He is blind to all of these. He thus sees the
part. Life however is a Whole.
Spirit and matter are integrated and makeup a Whole. We believe in
matter. Some of us believe in the Spirit. Each us a part. The
whole is to perceive the Spirit moving in the details of life,
through matter. To perceive not just the spiritual being and the
Becomings of life, but the Being in the Becoming. The One in the
Many, as well as the Many in the One. It is to perceive the
ultimate Reality, Brahman, the Absolute. The Creator and
Creation as One Integrated Whole.
Additional:
Exclusivity
of Mind and Perceiving the Whole
June 18, 2008
Perceiving All Sides of a Matter
The truth is that we rush to protect our side of the argument,
failing to embrace the totality of truth available to us.
Why not see the benefit of dams to help the flow of water around
the nations for agriculture, the poor, the cities, etc. while
acknowledging that tactics being used in their development may
in fact be harmful. The Berkeley people see little benefit in
building dams; the other side is blind to corruption and
negative influences of such construction. A rational mind
embraces all sides, and comes to the right conclusion. Liberal
democracy has its roots in such a many-sided view. It is also a
spiritual capacity for the mind to embrace all sides, while also
seeing the Totality and the Essence. I.e. it is a spiritualized,
mindful, open, and aware.
Mind is a dividing mechanism. It also tends to be exclusive.
I.e. my truth and understanding is the best and I will defend
it. We each do it all the time. We defend our point of view
instead of learn, seeking out all sides of an issue. It is the
vital ego that asserts the side it knows, not perceiving its
essential Ignorance in that matter. We are like this in endless
way – as we are unwilling or uncurious to know all sides of an
issue; where we so certain of our position, even though the
multiplicity of truths both beckons and eludes us.
And yet we have the capacity to develop an inner poise from
which we can develop a level of mindfulness and awareness that
has the natural tendency to seek out all sides of an issue. It
is Inner Curiosity that is spiritual in nature, as the Mind
rests in quietude, open to and allowing True Knowledge to
descend into it from all sides. Practically speaking, each time
we are in a meeting, or reading a paper, or taking in
information, we should be willing to absorb the multiplicity of
truths of a matter, holding back that tendency to look for the
ammunition of fact that supports our own limited attitudes and
beliefs. A true rational person absorbs knowledge in mental
silence, perceiving the possibilities, the deep arguments, the
justification and flaws in logic, the Essence behind, as well as
the Totality. It also includes our ability to have illuminations
and intuitions of truth and knowledge that come into our minds
without thought from the universal spheres. This is the next
level of human consciousness beyond Mind proper that we are
evolving towards.
Floating in the universe is the complete Object of Knowledge
that we are addressing; its essence from all sides, its totality
and details integrated. Our higher, spiritualized mind is
capable of being in Identity with that integrally complete
object. It is our evolutionary destiny to move out of Mind's
exclusivity through inner spiritual means and continually grasp
that total object of knowledge on any matter or subject that
comes to our attention. It will be a sign that humanity has
risen to the next stage of evolution. That at any moment in time
we are able to grasp the totality of knowledge of a matter,
enabling deep, integral understanding that leads to perfect
decisions that result in extraordinary outcomes in life.
Additional:
Exclusivity_of_Mind;_Perceiving_the_Part,_not_the_Whole
June 1 2008
Becoming Truth's Instrument
If life is this perpetual unfolding of this totality of truth,
the individual experiences nearly its opposite. He perceives
through the small perspective of his own consciousness, through
the clouded lens of his limited knowledge. We call this the
"essential Ignorance of Man," where Man cannot fathom the
totality of truth unfolding around him, as Shakespeare is able
to express in his plays. In fact, the individual cherishes his
part knowledge, relishes it, adores it, as his emotions get
wrapped up in the limited truth he perceives. It is falsehood
that can even lead to evil.
We each live our lives from a very limited perspective of the
truth. It almost seems pathetic, as we are limited creatures far
removed from the totality of knowledge in the domain we are
addressing. It is as if the details of truth were all around us,
but we have attached ourselves to one small thread.
However, humanity is evolving, and we are capable of becoming
more than we are -- including the capacity to know the
multiplicity of truth unfolding around us at any moment in time;
or knowing all sides of an issue rather than the one we are
overly attached to. If we move to a deeper consciousness, our
mind expands. When it expands, it becomes hungry to know all
sides of an issue or matter. As a result, we then restrain
ourselves from defending what we already know, while aspiring to
know to know more -- including the details, the totality, and
the Essence of any matter. From that deeper poise, we constantly
open ourselves to another’s point of view, no matter how at odds
with our current viewpoint. We hunger to get at the truth of
things. We may even aspire spiritually to become an instrument
of cosmic-based Truth itself.
So when we go about our daily lives, we should stop and think if
we are truly aware of all perspectives of a matter, and consider
what it will take to garner that wider, detailed perception of
the truth. If we do, we will be creating the very solid basis
for right decision-making and action, which invariably leads to
very successful and happy lives.
If we take this approach, then the Truth inherent in creation
can become something we constantly aspire for in our lives. Then
we will also serve a divine purpose, as Truth's human
instrument.
Additional:
Truth
May 6, 2008
A Thing and Its Opposite are True
The foolish person who acts from his whims and urges is not a
rational person. Like Mrs. Bennet, she thinks with her body; not
her mind. She follows her needs and desires, and avoids rational
thinking. This is the irrational individual. The rational person
is different, as he thinks before acting, or at least considers
an idea through a thought process. The trouble is he too is
irrational in his own way because he comes up with one opinion
through that thinking process and sticks to it virulently,
avoiding all others. The spiritually rational individual
is different still. He too uses the power of reason to consider
a matter, but is willing to examine all sides. His goal is to
embrace the Truth from all angles -- i.e. to seek the Whole that
contains all its constituent parts, as well as the Essence. He
has shed mere opinions of the irrational and even the rational
individual in his pursuit of truth. Armored with that Truth, he
is well position to act rightfully and forcefully. He will never
fail this way, while the irrational and rational are constantly
meeting with failure.
In the process of becoming the Spiritually Rational, he embraces
one overwhelmingly powerful principle. It is that everything
and its opposite are true. He knows that any opinion he
extols can be challenged by the reverse. From that poise, he has
a fully open mind. From that poise, he is able to move beyond
the limits of mind -- which guards its own limited truth -- to
spiritual mind, which opens to all position, including
the very opposite of what one believes. It is thus supra-mental
truth perception.
Richard Nixon was a brute as president. His social views were
anachronistic. His political ploys poisonous, and his foreign
interventions tragic to say the least. We have strong opinions
of him in America. Yet he went to China and helped open up that
country to the modern world. We see the emergence of this great
country now on the world stage. The fixed view of Nixon is
challenged. The opposite of what we thought he was is also true.
Everything we believe about a matter somewhere has its opposite.
The spiritually rational man knows this, and uses it as one of
the great tools for knowledge acquisition, problem solving,
decision-making, and right action (or inaction). Seeing and
embracing the opposite is spiritual technique based on a
spiritual principle of life, that lies beyond any opinion, any
thought, any reasoned argument; actually beyond the bounds of
Mind's capacities. It is there in the Cosmic Mind; in the
unitarian consciousness of the Divine Creator.
Additional:
A Thing
and Its Opposite are True
May 5, 2008
Several Principles of Truth and Knowledge
-To know the truth, accept the other man's point of view.
-A thing is true. So is its opposite. A thing and its opposite
are true.
-Negatives are positive in disguise. They are more intense
positives.
-An irrational man knows without mind. A rational man knows
through his opinion. A spiritually rational man knows through
Truth that embraces all sides and all opposites.
-Higher consciousness sees contradictions as complements.
-Life moves forward through the dance of opposites.
-Ignorance is to perceive life through contradiction and
division. Integral knowledge is to see life through
complementariness and oneness.
-Mind knows through division, by breaking the whole of
existence, matters into parts.
-Division is an illusion of the mind. There is only Oneness.
-The inner and the outer are One. They share the same continuous
stream of existence. Therefore, if I change the inner me, the
outer instantly changes.
-Cosmic Mind existed previous to human mind. The mind of God
originated as Consciousness that produced the force of creation.
-Cosmic Mind divided the force, and produced Energy that was/is
the basis of the universe and all its forms.
-We can rise from ordinary Mind to spiritualized Mind and be in
touch with Cosmic Mind.
-Through spiritualized Mind we know directly, without the
churning of thought, through light, illumination, intuition, and
revelation.
Additional:
Principles of Truth and Knowledge
April 15, 2008
Holding a Thought in Our Mind and Its Opposite
Mohandas Gandhi was the redeemer of India, bringing her to
independence in 1947 after years of hard-fought battle. Can
anyone but admire; no, revere the Mahatma? And yet his
practice of "Ahimsa" -- non-violent action -- caused a 30 year
delay in Indian independence, the partition of the nations into
two (including Pakistan), with nuclear missiles pointing at one
another. Also immediately after Partition, millions died in the
separation. When the British were on the ropes years
earlier, and were on the verge of leaving the country through
Indian force, Gandhi stepped in and halted that action
because it was not derived through non-violence. Thus,
independence was delayed in the name of the gimmick known as
Ahimsa, bringing great suffering and problems in its wake.
It is difficult for the mind to hold these two apparently
conflicting ideas -- Gandhi's greatness and his tragic error --
together. And yet that is the truth that overcomes our
propensity to see only one side of an issue. For example, China
annihilated the Tibetans in the 50s and 60s when she tried to
make her way towards independence. The Dalai Lama and followers
were forced into India. China had undertaken the most despicable
actions to defend her territory: an abuse of the collective ego.
And yet at the same time, the Dalai Lama realized that Tibetan
Buddhism had become crusted over. In India and his travels
around the world, he came to perceive a modern, new evolutionary
perspective that he never would have enjoyed if he remained with
his people in Tibet. Because he was forced to run, life
compelled him into a new, dynamic perceptive of the religion he
led. It is an irony of history that only an open mind -- i.e. a
multi-side perceiving spiritualized mind -- can fully
appreciate.
Each of us are tethered to a limited view of things. We stick to
it fiercely. Yet Nature works on multiple fronts simultaneously
-- enables what seem to be contradictory occurrence to happen at
the same time. E.g. the EU might not have ever come about, or if
so in hundreds of years, if the Nazis in the guise of evil
hadn't rampaged through Europe.
Man in the 21 century and beyond will begin to unshackle the
propensities of exclusive mind, and embrace a true
hyper-rationality of spiritualized mind, which is willing to
look at all sides of an issue, and embrace each of those truth,
no matter how contradictory they may seem on the surface.
Even the brute Nixon went to China to open up that once-closed
land.
Additional:
How
the Bad Serves the Good in History,
Exclusivity of the Mind: Perceiving the Whole not the Part,
Seeing
Beyond the Positive and the Negative
April 1, 2008
Taking Another's Point of View
A man didn't want to work weekends at a retail store when
requested to by his boss. He thought he was already working hard
during the week. One day he shifted and accepted the boss' point
of view. When he arrived that weekend, he was suddenly greeted
with the biggest sale of his life.
We know the part, not all truths of a matter. If we open to what
others say. we not only gain a far greater knowledge of a
matter, but sudden good fortune moves in our direction. Often it
is life-changing.
Additional:
Take Another's Point of View
August 1, 2008
Utility of Ego in the Evolutionary Process
A: Ego serves a
great purpose, as it is the first form of distinctiveness of the
personality out of the Inconscience of materiality -- i.e.
matter. It is the first way we demonstrate a modicum of
individuality that distinguishes us from others. However, it is
rooted in the unconsciousness that we inherit from our
unconscious material beginnings. Thus, ego which creates
individual identity is also seperative -- i.e. it has lost
connection and identity with "Other" -- including the world
around us, including the people and the Higher Reality.
When we move to a
deeper poise within, down to the evolving soul, we overcome our
sense of separativeness and thus ego. Overcoming ego enables
Oneness, Unity, Knowledge, Love, Delight, etc.; all spiritual
qualities of life. With ego, we experience their opposite.
As Sri Aurobindo
explains, in the process of the involution from a Divine Source
to a manifest universe, the Divine hid itself for the purpose of
its discovery when we humans realize our higher nature. The
first step out of this nescience of creation is to perceive our
uniqueness apart others, which is to establish the beginnings of
our own identity. This is ego, which is a self-absorbed
consciousness that is in large part false, but a first step
towards our True Self and higher nature.
Thus, we can
therefore say that the Divine sanctions ego so that we can
outgrow it on the way to our Higher Nature.
Additional:
On Ego
June 14, 2008
Overcoming the Unique Contradiction of Who We Are
Consider the fact that the Soul has taken birth within us with
its Own aspiration to acquire something more on its own journey
through space and time. It aspires to learn that Something New
through that the individual it inhabits movement out of its
particular contradiction towards one's Higher Nature. When that
person discovers what those lacking elements are, the evolving
Soul gains some unfathomable sustenance it did not have before
in its cosmic journey through space, time, birth, death, and
rebirth.
It is actually a two-way collaboration between the individual,
who can move out of his or her contradiction, and the evolving
Soul, which seeks subtle sustenance in its voyage in and out of
creation. When we move away from the surface of life to a deeper
poise, we become more conscious, mindful, and aware. When we go
to the deepest place, to the evolving Soul behind the heart, our
consciousness develops the most. We perceive our purpose; we
discover becomes our Inner Guide, and we feel connected to
others, to the universe, and the transcendent Divine. The Soul
is then the ultimate touchstone of our growth, progress, and
evolution. And yet as we grow, we give the soul what it yearns
for in choosing this life, our life. It us a two-way
collaboration and fulfillment.
To put it simply, we can discover the half dozen aspects of our
nature that are wanting, and make the effort to change the. They
are usually found from amongst the following: (limited amounts
of-) energy, will, focus, direction, psychological strength,
skills, wisdom, positive attitudes, givingness, love, calm,
organization, and personal values. It is mostly there in our
wanting attitudes and beliefs. When we overcome what is limiting
in our character, we move from our unique contradictory nature
to a Higher nature, fulfilling our potential to be whole. The
evolving Soul within us waits on us to make that change. If we
do, both we and our Soul gain inner nourishment, and in that
process experience the ultimate purpose of Life – to experience
intense Joy and Delight in being alive.
Additional:
Moving Beyond the Contradiction
May 21, 2008
Inner Life that Prevents Reaction
Answer: We have many fixed habits. It is hardwired into our
being. It resides in the subconscious, even in the body. When we
lose touch with our consciousness, we fall back to that lower
state, including that of reaction. It is primal. The purpose of
Yoga is to overcome that; which takes time. The spiritual Force
overcomes time and can also bring an end to all such feelings of
the need to confront or scold others for their foolishness and
stupidity. Yoga is a process that is long-lasting, requiring
time and dedication that serves to overcome the limits of the
subconscious; of the physical mind that wants to react, lash
out.
Life too is unconscious, and we easily get caught up in it –
whether from the social collective, the media, or certain other
individuals. Negative vibrations quickly spread to us when we
get absorbed in their negativity. It touches the unconscious
parts of us and we react.
We are trying to overcome a million years of unconsciousness
through conscious evolution, made simpler through deep spiritual
knowledge. We can do it in 30, even 3 years if we are dedicated.
The more you grow, and progress, the more you see such negative.
The more you are challenged not to get caught up in it. When the
consciousness is settled deeply within, there is less reaction.
You just smile, and quietly walk by without thought when such
nervous challenges to our system arise. You become immune to
stupidity. When we reach the Soul within there is always a Guide
that tells us not to be caught up in this and that behavior.
It comes down to how serious we are to make the inner change
that will bring about the elevation of our consciousness that
will keep us fully immune from negative influences.
Yet another approach is to offer to the spiritual Force the
sensitivity we have to such things. In combination with moving
to the depths, we develop inner strength that is unaffected by
the negative.
Additional:
Anger, Irritation, Arguing
May 14, 2008
Restoring Our Physical Health
When we are ill, there is an inadequate
or unbalanced amount of energy generated in our being. It is
indicative that something is amiss. To correct it we need to
know the inner source of the imbalance. More often than not,
there is a psychological issue at play -- e.g. a wanting habit,
attitude, emotion, etc. Attacks of illness can also come to us
externally from adverse forces in the environment, including the
influence of others through the subtle plane.
Once we discover what that is, and then
make the concerted effort to overcome the limitation, the right
quantity and balance of energies are restored in our being,
enabling the body, the psyche, the emotions, the spirit to
become well and whole again. Interestingly the restoration of
health can literally happen instantaneous to the discovery of
the source of the problem. That is life responding at the
physical/bodily level to our change of consciousness within.
Additional:
Cause of Illness
April 14, 2008
Opening
the Locked Box
The truly Rational Man however operates much
differently. Logic dictates that he continually examines his
positions and points of view. He continually opens that box and
lets in the light of day; or rather the light of truth. He does
not keep that box shut for a lifetime, as every one of us do,
refusing to absorb new knowledge and insight.
By considering its contents, that man fulfills his
life's obligation to grow as an individual -- giving his soul
nourishment in its evolutionary ascent. When we keep the box
locked, we waste the precious life that has been given us. On
the outside, we live lives of error, falsehoods, and evil.
Inside the box, truth calls out for its release, yearning for
the Light.
Additional:
Closed Mindedness,
Man's Ignorance
March 30, 2008
Oblivious Selfishness
Overcoming Selfishness
Additional: Selfishness
April 10, 2008
On Not Accepting the Good Advice of Others
-From a deeper consciousness one is always vigilant of the
truth, especially if it comes from others, as one is in
perpetual state of harmony with them.
-Obstruction or obliviousness to the helpful advice of others,
is but another example of human ignorance. By moving to a deeper
consciousness, one overcomes it --
creating an opening for right action and greater
success in life.
March 28, 2008
Happiness & Givingness
Additional:
Self-givingness
March 24, 2008
Knowing the Forces that Drive Us
Additional:
On the Makeup of our Character
March 23, 2008
True, Deep Acknowledgement of Others
Additional:
Selflessness and Self-givingness
Untitled
Additional:
Man's Ignorance
March 28, 2008
Happiness & Givingness
Additional:
Self-givingness
July 30, 2008
The Divine-Net
An individual is walking down the street and is considering a problem. Where would he look on the Internet for the answer? It is unique, complex, and personal. The solution is however available on the Divine-Net. You still your thoughts, move to a deeper poise within, and open to the spiritual Force. One more thing: you forget about the matter. Two minutes later an intuition of the complete solution to the problem appears in your mind from out of thin air. It is the powe |