Rules of Creation Part 5

5.Dhruvamapaye Padaanam.

The source of all movement and potential is the eternal unmoving to which all movement and potential returns.

All that is can be seen as some form of movement. It is almost as though if it does not move it cannot be known to exist. Equally if it does move then in some way it can be said to not exist. This obviously sounds contradictory until it is looked at more closely. In quantum theory it is suggested that all matter has a dual nature that exists and does not exist and fluctuates from one state to the other in rapid succession. The whole universe exists and does not exist almost at the same time. It is not unlike what takes place at the cinema where light is projected through a film at a particular speed and suddenly the appearance of reality is presented to us on a blank screen. What appears as reality is actually light on a screen. This reality that is made of light is so effective that we can laugh, or cry or feel fear as well as many other emotions. As well as the light on the screen there is also to be taken into consideration the meaning that is given to the light by the brain and consciousness. Light has the appearance of being measurable but this too is illusion the same illusion that allows music to be heard, recorded and measured, In effect sounds are stitched together and held in the mind to produce music. Sound has no meaning other than the meaning we give it. This is true of light and colour or anything produced and experienced by the senses. Even matter which we take to be solid can only appear solid due to the meaning we attach to it.

There are many translations of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras here is my translation of the second Sutra.

Yogas Citta Vrtti Nirodah

Yogas - Absence of belief, concept, illusion. As well as the knowledge that what we are experiencing is illusion. So even while experiencing the illusion it is known to be illusion.

Citta - All aspects of consciousness including belief, concept and illusion as well as pure consciousness or that which remains when belief, concept and illusion are seen to be unreal and non existent.

Vrtti - Belief, concept and illusion which together form the ego. That which is self created and which appears in the field of  pure consciousness. Patterns of measurement that form the totality of the universe that is experienced by the body/mind as thoughts and physical sensations that form feelings and emotions as well as sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Stories created in the mind that link all of these together to form the illusion of separation and movement. Vrtti is movement or vibration of the mind in such a way as  to form the illusion of reality in all its varied forms.

Nirodah - Cessation of Vrtti or cessation of belief, concept and illusion. Cessation can only occur when these three are seen to be unreal and non existent. No action can be taken to cause cessation, action to cause cessation would imply that there is something real that needs ending and trying to end something in this way would only be confirming that this something is real. Cessation can only occur through understanding or realisation of the truth; that everything we take to be real in terms of beliefs, concepts and illusion are in fact not real and non existent. We are designed to naturally come to this understanding or realisation and the whole of existence is aimed at causing this through the intervention  of suffering. The body being vulnerable to ageing, physical and mental harm as well as death is ideally designed to come to this understanding. There is no way to control this, all that is possible is that we learn directly from the phenomenon of suffering in all its forms that suffering can only exist when we believe something that is not true.

All that is experienced by the body and mind is illusion but this illusion has a purpose, the purpose is for the circle to complete itself. In the beginning without a beginning there is the Absolute or consciousness which is also potential. Within the Absolute arises the desire to create something that although this something will appear separate and other than the Absolute is nevertheless always nothing but the Absolute. The Absolute is ‘the eternal unmoving’ and that which is created is ‘from which all movement returns’. That which is created which is everything that can be known must inevitably return to its source ‘the eternal unmoving’. This is like a virtual reality game that is so convincing that we have forgotten it is a game but even so the rules of the game determine that no matter what we do the game is arranged in such a way that the results of our beliefs and actions will ultimately and inevitably break down to reveal the source. The reason our beliefs and actions must break down is because they are based on something that is not true. When something that is not true is taken to be true is the point in which the rules of the game say that the belief and actions arising from what is not true must in due course manifest in suffering. Also that this suffering will be in direct proportion to the degree of error in our beliefs. We can believe anything we like but we cannot escape the rules of the game.