The Singularity of Being - International Philosophy

The Singularity of Being
by cleaves Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 6:12am
international / philosophy / article

(or the quest for Consciousness)

The title reflects the one most difficult and mysterious subject that has perplexed mankind through the ages. To attempt an exposition is all the more difficult as the subject is beyond linguistic description. This will hopefully become apparent as we proceed. Nevertheless, it is hoped that an attempt to reveal the single most profound Truth will not be in vain. I would ask the reader to bear with me in the attempt – there is everything to gain and nothing to lose.

It is with awe and innocence that we embark on this work – we leave our presuppositions and accumulated ‘knowledge’ behind. Those who cannot temporarily accept this prerequisite need not proceed; we cannot hope to discover or even seek the living with dead means (preconceptions). To those who value their accumulated ‘knowledge’ I would say, I know your arrogance and fear and I leave you to wander the meaningless culture that created you.

This journey is not for the faint-hearted; it will require the fearless hero within us all. What we think is our identity is offered for sacrifice or hung on the ‘tree’ in order for that death to facilitate a (re)birth of a new entity that has the potential or possibility of Being.

The infinite universe is now – as always (timeless) beginningless and endless – if it had a beginning or end (measurable) it would be created not self-creating (continuous). Never static or the same, universal existence is constantly renewing. Where there is no finality (end) there is expanding kinesis. We are its Living expression! We need to pause here and notice how the mind attempts to grapple with what is being described. Try as it might the mind is incapable of comprehending infinity. Why? The mind is only finite linear thought comprised of signs and symbols (language) derived from culture. Is the mind capable of entertaining two thoughts simultaneously? No, only sequentially, hence its linear status. Infinity is expanding in every direction and dimension simultaneously! How is a limited linear apparatus able to apprehend a simultaneous multi-directional and multi-dimensional process? Put succinctly, it cannot. For those who cherish the mind as other than an aggregate of linear thoughts (which is understandable as it is the mind that houses the identity) I propose a simple test, eliminate the ‘train’ of thoughts (still the mind) for not less than ninety minutes and see what remains. I can guarantee that it will not be your identity or the world as you have known it.

Infinity is inclusive not exclusive – there are no ‘others’ in infinity, all becomes One. How are we (including mathematicians, physicists, astro-physicists, philosophers etc.,) to gain an understanding of a process if we separate ourselves from that process? Infinity is an all-encompassing singularity; there are no two infinities – a perfect philosophical contradiction would exist otherwise. So how can there be a subject or object, observer or observed, a thinker and thought etc., without division of the continuity of One? If continuous singularity (infinity) is the ultimate living reality then the aforementioned dualisms exist outside of that singular reality, as such they are relegated to transience and unreality (illusion or dream).

Theological and philosophical discourse is saturated with qualitative descriptions and assessments. But for a qualitative appraisal, all of the above would be dry intellectualisms. Terms such as love, bliss, joy, misery, suffering and agony – to list the more common – are associated with modes of reality and unreality. Does the singular infinite process have intrinsic quality? Is the universal creative process a ‘dance’ of ecstasy and if so what is the impulse of Creation? If we do not answer in the affirmative to the first question and Love to the second, then we live in sad and painful delusion – misery in a word. It will not suffice to read about love and bliss if we are devoid of these ways of being. Every particle of our selves groans for reunion and the peace and joy that are our heritage. Do not forget we are the Living expression of universal creation and that creation moves for Loves’ sake. If we are not of that experience, universal Love, then we are tragically missing the greatest opportunity that can be offered. There is no point in deceiving ourselves or distracting ourselves with paltry substitutes; the truth of that loss constantly gnaws at us from the deepest recesses – from beyond even the molecular level of our cells. Yet there is hope always.

At this stage we need to thoroughly test all of the above stated propositions. Firstly against sacred texts (from various cultures) then against our lives.

When the creative intelligence (infinity) is personified as God, Sage, Enlightened teacher etc., who instructs humanity, the formation of religions usually occurs – we therefore have the added bonus of not only testing the above but also the religions. If one unified singularity exits as the creative process of the universe, religious texts should reveal that ‘One’ regardless of culture or historical context!

The following quotes and distillations are principally taken from three world religions:

The foundation of Hinduism is a transcendent unity called Brahman

The Upanishads extol the One and indivisible Brahman, the eternal universal Self, who is present in all.

The ancient Hindu seers described Brahman as the One eternal principle, the unity of existence.

[The following two verses are taken from the Bhagavad Gita:]

“Those who are disciplined by yoga, See the self abiding in every being And see every being in the self.

He who sees Me everywhere, and sees all in Me Is not lost; he is not far from Me.”

"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity" Albert Einstein

Buddhist Enlightenment is the highest quality of human achievement – it is consciousness unfettered by mind. Nirvana is experienced as the unity of all.

“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:”

“I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;”

Scattered through religious texts are nuggets of profound wisdom. Three words express the summation of Christianity and Hinduism: "God is Love" and (Tat twam asi) "Thou art That". In Judaism we have: "I AM THAT I AM" and "Be still and know that I am God". The epitome of Buddhist teaching is the famous "Flower Sermon," which the Buddha ‘transmitted’ without speaking a word; it is said that he smiled frequently while toying with a flower.

It is hoped the above quotes help to verify for the reader the singular and infinite aspect of Godhead, void, nirvana, Brahman, Siva, Christ etc., regardless of name it is all undivided singularity, Unity.

During the course of this reading an echo of recognition may start to reverberate from deep within and catalyse the recollection/remembrance of who we really are – that aspect of us which is eternal pure flowing Consciousness! [It is not what you think.] We have briefly mentioned the mind and its ceaseless train of thoughts. This thing (mind) of which the scientists and philosophers are so proud; this cultural fabrication that is the repository of vanity, avarice, bigotry, hate, violence, doubt, nationalism, the world/culture, etc., is that which separates us from Unity. A cursory analysis will reveal the mind as nothing more than static/noise and an instrument of self and general torture! Recall a previous statement "distracting ourselves with paltry substitutes," and analyse it in the present context. Why the need for escape through drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, gluttony, hypochondria and a multitude of other modes of abuse and escape – and what are we escaping from? Is it perhaps that we find our condition unpleasant? If so, what is the source of this unpleasantness? At this stage we need to enlist the aid of that "fearless hero within us". When the mind is targeted for exposure – in order to survive, it will do anything to shift the focus elsewhere. A few of its favourite tricks are denial, blame, avoidance, anxiety, justification, authoritarianism, delusion, fear etc., (a good exercise is to add to this list yourself). The hero however, accepts the responsibility for circumstances and personal actions regardless of how painful and unpleasant. I do not use the term Hero lightly – most historical heroes are that by circumstance or chance, few by volition, and the majority of those, as a result of bravado. I do not wish to underrate our historical heroes. I only wish to emphasise that confronting the most horrific, deceitful and powerful opponent by choice, with the view to endure to the end and overcome, is the most heroic act of all – especially when the opponent is our own mind/identity! Even now your mind is telling you that you cannot function without it! Be assured, it lies. As previously stated, there is nothing to lose (except our misery.)

Due to popular misconceptions of the terms "mind" and "consciousness," an accurate analysis is required in order to proceed. If you recall the all-inclusive nature of infinity, it follows that we are also of that infinity – Consciousness is our infinite nature! In contrast, the mind is only an aggregate of finite thoughts. Each thought is distinct from another; whether they are conceptual, visual or abstract, each thought has a beginning and end. Simple logic tells us that the finite and infinite are mutually exclusive so the mind and consciousness are entirely different qualities – they are actually polar opposites. The much-lauded Western philosophical ‘axiom’ "I think therefore I am," becomes the infantile invocation of a child when compared with the inferential statements of the continuous infinite "I AM THAT I AM", "I AM That" and "before Abraham was, I AM".

Now that we have established a clear distinction between mind and Consciousness – one, by simple explanation and logic, the other by inference and contrast, we can attempt an intuitive approach to the infinite flow of Consciousness. Beforehand, I would hope that the reader now understands that language, which is composed of finite sets of symbols, is incapable of conveying the continuous. It is also hoped that the Buddha’s enigmatic "Flower Sermon" is no longer a mystery and that even in the present it may yet be ‘heard’.

At various stages during the course of our lives we experience short bursts of awe, joy, wonder, and for the fortunate few, glimpses of universal Love. During these experiences [if you would re-collect] what occurs is a momentary cessation of the chatter of the mind as we are absorbed by the experience. It is interesting to note that these experiences are interpreted as forms of release rather than acquisition. The process that inhibits our experience of joy and peace is the ‘train’ of finite thoughts superimposed on the free flow of infinite Consciousness. What also becomes readily apparent is that the cessation of the ‘chatter’ of mind results in the spontaneous experience of peace and joy and that these heightened states are not a result of external intervention – in other words, peace, joy, love etc., are innate.

As we are a microcosmic representation of the macrocosmic universe we can also deduce that universal Creation is a process of Love and that that process is indeed a ‘dance’ of ecstasy. The magnitude of the Bliss of Infinity is beyond apprehension and almost impossible to bear. Nevertheless, we share in this process to the maximum extent of our capacity [if we so choose.] It should also be remembered that the negative aspects of the human condition are the result of the finite mind and not the innate qualities.

Vigilance is required to curb the static of the mind. The mind has been formulated by culture since infancy and has become a habit – the most addictive of all habits; it actually pretends to the ‘throne’ of our being – but it is only that, a pretender. Never succumb to its most powerful ruse of fear. It will offer you the most frightening scenarios in order to survive. Be assured that the clarity of Consciousness is able to deal with all the vicissitudes of life to a degree infinitely greater than the mind. Not only be assured but also apply the principle of stilling the thought process and verify the results for yourself! If you persist, spontaneous awareness will displace the feeble calculating mind. Endure and overcome and achieve the promise of all the great religions, the Satchittananda (absolute being, knowledge and bliss) of Hinduism, the supreme Freedom of Buddhist Nirvana and the Peace and Love of the Kingdom of Christianity – which are all One singularity of Being.

Would we now claim our birthright of limitless Love, Peace and Joy or defer to a cultural superimposition of fear, misery and violence?

We are ONE