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.

Rules of Creation Part 4

Karmanaa Yamabhipraiti Sa Sampradaanam

The Ultimate Purpose of Realising that Potential.

To create, think, feel or do anything, potential has to be activated. For anything to happen in this universe potential has to be activated. For the universe to exist means potential has been activated. The universe being created is not a static thing rather it sets in motion a continual movement of more and more creation, destruction and potential. Once there is life there is an explosion of potential being activated. Once potential is activated there is movement, change, and consequences. Potential can be activated consciously or unconsciously and there seems to be no limits to what can be created. In each act of creation conscious or unconscious there needs to be a desire. That desire whatever it may be will produce a series of consequences and these consequences will in time cause new creations to emerge. These new creations can be seen as learning or evolution. What we may call mistakes are part of this learning or evolution. Seeing this we can then see that the so called mistake was a necessary part of the learning and evolution and therefore was not a mistake. Whatever ‘mistakes’ taking place in the world right now are a manifestation of the learning that is a natural consequence of the activation of potential. Even the suffering that is a consequence of a ‘mistake’ is necessary for the learning to take place. Consequences and the learning that follows can take place over any period of time. Time itself is an illusory framework in which the learning takes place and is created by various activations of potential. Because of the constraints or consequences that come with the creation of time it becomes very difficult to see the big picture. It is easier to see the consequence of actions in the short term such as touching something hot but some consequences will not appear for many years or may appear for many generations to come. The world as it is today is the consequence of every act of potential that went before and most of what went before we have no knowledge of. From birth it seems the only knowledge available to us is the very limited knowledge left by past generations. In the beginning we trust and believe in this knowledge that we inherit but in time we find out that it is not to be trusted because sooner or later acting from this knowledge  produces suffering. Fortunately past knowledge is not our only source of learning any real learning can only take place in what I call responsibility. Responsibility is the direct consequence of our thoughts, feelings and actions as experienced by the body. With responsibility there are no excuses for what we do think or feel. Because of the knowledge we inherited from the past we continue to do what was done in the past we make excuses for what we do or we blame someone as when a child says ‘he/she made me do it’. No one can make or cause us to do anything we are always responsible for what we do because we will experience sooner or later the consequence of our actions. Responsibility is the only thing that works consistently. When we act on beliefs we are not being responsible although we will experience the consequence of acting on our beliefs. Belief is knowledge inherited in the past or formulated in the present it therefore has no relationship to responsibility or the world as experienced through the senses alone. When we are able to live through the senses alone we are at peace with ourselves and the world there are no beliefs to take us away from that peace. Everything we think feel or do results in learning however long that may take. With responsibility the learning is always immediate because the senses are always at their best in the moment they are activated in the present. When we respond from memory we are responding to the present with knowledge from the past. Memory is not just data from the past it is instructions from the past and our tendency is to use memories as instructions. Sometimes we are following instructions from memories that were laid down when we were very young or when we were less able to comprehend what was happening. We base our beliefs on what we experienced and the limited ability we had to understand what we were experiencing. Once a memory is formulated it tends to be accepted as truth and even when the result of following these memory instructions is suffering we rarely deviate from following these instructions.. Reliance on memories as instructions means that we are unable to learn or that learning will be very slow. Activating potential no matter how that is done must ultimately result in perfection or consciousness. This can be a very slow evolutionary process or it can be immediate. When we are able to activate the potential through our body and its senses the learning becomes much more immediate. Everything we do is done when we have a purpose even if that purpose is negative. The ultimate purpose we can have is to transcend our own beliefs and by so doing come to the realisation that everything we do we do for and from consciousness.

Rules of Creation Part 3

3. Sadhakatamam Karanam.

The most direct means to the accomplishment of the desired potential.

In the beginning or when we are very young the most direct means to the accomplishment of the desired potential does not exist or exists in a very limited form based on whatever we have learned so far. As our learning grows we begin to process information faster and more effectively. In time we reach a natural barrier or limit to this ability to process information. This limit occurs because at some point we find that it is not just about processing information but from where that processing takes place. There are two possibilities as to how information may be processed. For most in this period of evolution it will seem impossible to escape the first possibility. To understand these two possibilities it is important to look at the whole thing as a process. It is not that anyone is making a mistake it is just that each individual is looking at the world from a very particular place. This place is what I call the ego. Each of us views the world from this ego which has virtually not changed at all since it was formed. Any change that has occurred in the ego is probably for the worse. In terms of evolution it could be said that the ego is in a very early stage of development. This is not apparent to the individual who feels that what they are is more or less the finished product. Because this early stage of development is based on memory and what we assume to be knowable information we form a preference for what we already know regardless of whether what we know works or not. What we know is deemed safe just because it is in our memory bank regardless of how it got there. What this means is that we trust and act from what is in our memory and seem not to be too concerned as to how that memory or information was obtained. The end result of this is suffering which can be seen as simply the inability to process information effectively because of this preference to trust what we know. In terms of evolution this suffering will continue until it dawns on us to question where the information we are so trusting of came from in the first place. It is only at this point that the evolutionary process can proceed to its next stage of development. The next stage of development begins when we question not only where and how information is obtained but what information actually is. In the first stage information is seen as ‘knowable’. It  is assumed that this form of information is real and true and that a word or a belief is also real and true. With this knowable information we begin to take words and beliefs very seriously, we can be hurt by someones use of words and hurt also if words are used to challenge our beliefs. This is the single cause of most problems in the world that words and beliefs are taken far too seriously. This is why I say that the ego has not changed much at all since it was formed many thousands of years ago. This problem of taking words and beliefs too seriously has a more important side effect which is that so long as words and beliefs are taken too seriously we are blocked from reaching the second stage of this evolutionary process. So long as our attention is focused on what is not true the truth will be impossible to see. Truth will be rejected in favour of our preference for what we assume we already know. The second stage of the evolutionary process can only begin when words and beliefs begin to lose the absolute meaning we give them. Once we are able to accept that this way of looking at the world ourselves and others may be untrue a process is begun in which all words and beliefs begin to lose their validity. The end of this process is what I refer to as a collapse of all beliefs in that beliefs are no longer taken to be absolute, real, or true. They are no longer taken seriously. At the point of collapse what I call consciousness is seen to be what we and everyone else truly are. Words and beliefs are not lost they are now filtered through consciousness. Through this filter all beliefs are seen for what they are and beliefs are found to be useful or not useful. The desired potential therefore is that which will facilitate the accomplishment of this transition from ego to consciousness and what proceeds from there.

Rules of Creation Part 2

2. Karturipsitatamam Karma.

Consequence of activating that potential.

Once the potential has been activated an inevitable and often predictable consequence or series of consequences must follow. This is evolution or the process of continual learning we are immersed in. What we have learned so far is what we are and the consequence of what we are is the world as it appears to each of us. Because all the factors that determine what we are is infinitely diverse no two humans could live in the same world. We literally live in a world we have created based solely on what we have learned so far. This learning involves the formation of matter and energy and the eventual appearance of life. It is estimated that the time this process has been running is around 13.8 billion years. Once there is life there is a being with apparently little or no information as to what we are or why we are here. What all creatures are at this point in time is a perfect consequence of all that has been learned so far. Perfect means that we could not be any more or less than we actually are right now. We  may not believe this and others also may not believe this but it is true. Because of this lack of understanding we assume we are imperfect and we assume this because we experience pain and suffering part of which comes from other peoples opinion of what we are. What we believe is always untrue and although what we are is based on what we believe this does not mean that what we believe is true. When beliefs about what we are are untrue (always) we will suffer and the suffering may take place now or at any time in the future. Because of this gap between learning from suffering now or at any time in the future this process of learning tends to be very slow. Some times we have to wait years to experience the results of our actions. Learning involves reducing this gap by paying more attention to this process as a whole. If we are happy to just wait for the suffering or learning to take place then the process is inevitably very slow or evolutionary.  When we realise suffering must have a cause and further that this cause is the result of what we believe then the process speeds up incrementally. At this point we begin to pay much more attention to both the cause and the beliefs behind that cause. Once the beliefs that cause suffering are understood enough the belief dissolves and along with it the cause to further suffering is negated. When all beliefs are dissolved so too is all suffering negated. Life is the process whereby this learning takes place. It is not an option or something we can choose to partake in or not it is inevitable. Suffering occurs because we believe things that are not true and this suffering must continue until the beliefs that cause it are understood and dissolved. In our mind, brain and bodies as well as the world we reside in is everything we need to solve the problem of  believing things that are not true. Sooner or later all beliefs have inevitable consequences. When we believe things that are not true it seems as though the world itself takes on an active part in that suffering. This is because the world is not separate from what we are and so what we are or believe is mirrored externally. This is not a punishment it is a guide. At every step we will experience directly the result of our beliefs if we do not pay attention this will not be noticed but once it is noticed the end of our beliefs is inevitable. Whatever beliefs we have become activated by the potential that is the root of what we  are. What we truly are has nothing whatsoever to do with beliefs so beliefs have the dual function of revealing what we are and what we are not. All suffering has a cause and cannot exist without a particular belief that is not true. Understand that when you are suffering  you are believing something that is not true keep bringing your attention back to that fact. The real problem is that we take our beliefs to be true and because we believe this we also tend to believe that the way to solve our suffering is to manipulate the world in some way so that it no longer hurts. Because this solution is incorrect the suffering will continue and all we have really achieved is a longer duration of suffering. The world is not responsible for our suffering it merely reflects our beliefs back to us. The universe does not consider how long the learning or evolution should take it just puts everything in place and in movement to achieve its goal.

Rules of Creation Part 1

1. Svatantrah Kartaa

He who has the potential within himself.

Potential here refers to the source of creation. Anything that can be or has been created is created from this source. In Sanskrit this source is referred to as the ’system’ within oneself. Anything  can be created from multiple universes to anger. If it is not created it does not exist. To create, a wish or intention (Sankalpa) is required. This intention may be conscious or unconscious, known or unknown. Anger is an example of an unconscious intention. There is the intention to create anger while at the same time the intention to forget why this emotion needed to be created.  In this sense many aspects of human life are created unconsciously. Once created there must be a consequence to what has been created. This consequence manifests as responsibility and it is through this responsibility that we learn, that is, the physical and mental results of our actions. All that is known is also all that we have created and we are responsible for what we create. The result of what we create can be pain or pleasure, ignorance or wisdom. All that can be created carries with it a consequence until it is understood exactly what creation is. From the moment we are born until the moment the body dies we are in the business of creation. All that can be created can only be created from that potential that is at the heart of what we really are. When the baby that is just born suckles on the mothers breast it is able to do this with the knowledge the child is born with. This can be seen as genetic or instinctive knowledge. Much of what the body learns to do is from a potential we are born with. Walking, talking, eating, urinating non of these could occur without the potential that is the source of all creation. This potential or ability to create is sometimes referred to as Siva and what is created is referred to as Shakti. In quantum theory Siva is wave and Shakti is particle. Everything we have learned so far is due to the potential we are born with. This potential can be likened to electricity or an energy that can be used to power all the many devices that are in use in the world today. Even with electricity and the device say a television it is still necessary to want to use the electricity and the television and if not it remains dormant. When we are born this potential becomes the means to remember what we really are which could be said to be the potential itself. To create something it is necessary to activate the potential, to activate the potential a Sankalpa or intention is necessary. This intention may be conscious or unconscious. Suffering can only exist because we have activated our potential with an intention that is unconscious. To be angry it is necessary to be unconscious that is to be unaware of why we have created a state of anger. Anger could not exist unless we are in an unconscious state and to be in an unconscious state it is necessary that this be an intention in other words we could not be unconscious unless we wanted to be unconscious. The only reason we could want to be unconscious is because it is easier to be unconscious than conscious. This can be proved quite easily by choosing to meditate, it will be seen very soon that there is much resistance to this intention. Meditation is the art of learning to be conscious or awake and it can be done formally through a technique or naturally through living your life fully awake. Either way the resistance to being awake will kick in and create obstacles to hinder this particular creation. To counteract this it is necessary to create an intention that is pure and non personal this would be something like ‘I intend to be awake and conscious so that suffering ends for myself and all beings and that this intention will persevere through all obstacles and resistance however long that may take’. This then is the ultimate use of our potential and leads to the realisation that we are that potential. “I am That’. ‘That’ in Sanskrit refers to the Absolute.

There is no Illusion

Hi Ray

So I watched episode 1 of the Brain show on BBC. I then taught a mindfulness group about judgment versus discernment. However, two strong questions emerged from the groups.

1.Given how much of reality we project from a template in our brains, can we ever really know true reality?

2. Where does morality come in if our perceptions are so intrinsically biased? Is there such a thing as right and wrong or are these always figments of our perceptions?

1. The only true reality I am aware of is consciousness and until that is seen all we have to go on is whatever is encoded and projected from our brain. If somehow this projection of our brain were to become more accurate and truthful this would result in for instance the understanding that symbols, words, language, beliefs, and memory being inaccurate and ultimately false or non existent become what they actually are - non existent. These words I am using cannot convey the power of the meaning of what I am saying, but this is realisable and the whole of reality is using every means possible to bring about this understanding. It is in the hands of infinite intelligence and again the more we are aware of and trust in that intelligence the deeper our understanding becomes. Knowing that we cannot know reality from the perspective of the brains projection is what finally does the trick, so this is not about knowing reality it is not knowing reality and the realisation that within the brains projections it can never be know.

2. Morality is whatever you believe it to be this leaves the possibility of infinite ways of getting it wrong. Morality is not so much about right and wrong it is about what is most effective in reaching our true purpose. Negative thoughts, intentions or actions take us in the opposite direction to our true purpose because the result of negativity is always the creation of a reality in which we become  more and more lost in the desires inherent in that wrong direction. As I have said before one of the most important principles to understand is the difference between the absence of free will and the knowledge that we are absolutely responsible for everything, even from the wrong understanding of morality. In the relationship between you and the world the only thing you can be sure of is that whatever you do or think carries with it a consequence. The consequence cannot be uncreated once it has been created it can only be lived through and learned from. All life operates from the same rules in relation to responsibility. It seems that it is only in humans that the debate about free will exists and because for most humans reality is based on their false view that they have free will they have to go through the process of finding out this belief is false.

Morality based on the understanding that negativity of any kind takes us in the wrong direction so morality free of any negatives would be like signposts pointing towards the right direction, it is only in this sense that right and wrong exist. It can be assumed that consciousness is entirely free of negatives and positives.

Best

Ray 

Thanks Ray. That is immensely helpful. 

Point 2 I still feel stuck on. 'Negative thoughts, intentions or actions take us in the opposite direction to our true purpose because the result of negativity is always the creation of a reality in which we become  more and more lost in the desires inherent in that wrong direction. '

What do you define as 'negative'? Is it possible to define ‘negative' in this context without getting caught in a circular argument?

Hi Louis,

 I define negative as non existent. In Sanskrit it is said that there is no illusion, negatives being non existent and therefore illusion do not exist except for the one who imagines they do.

Ray

If the past is memory what then is the present?

Repeating Om is probably useful in the same way all meditative methods can be useful. It is important that any meditative method not be practiced mechanically. What I consider more important is the understanding of what meditation is and what Om represents. The closer we get to the correct understanding the more effective these things become. In the end it is the understanding that is more important than the practice. With enough understanding there is no need to do anything. Memory is a recording of the past that is given importance because it is easy once a memory is created all we have to do is refer to it in any situation occurring in the present. We have become addicted to this way of living that does not require effort or attention this is why meditation is difficult. In meditation we can no longer rely on memory although we tend to continue to do so. Meditation and ultimately understanding require that we learn again how to live in the moment with full attention. This requires an understanding of the right effort needed to achieve this natural level of attention. If the past is memory what then is the present? Clearly the present is the place where a choice may be made as to how the potential inherent in the present may be used or created. In the moment we can either choose the past in the form of converting the present into the past with memory or not. This 'not' is important as by not converting the present into the past we remain in the present and in the present we have access to creation. All meditation should lead to the understanding of this potential of the present which is where the universe is created. We are interfaced with creation itself but somehow have become lost in a world created with memory that can never be as fresh and creative as the present. With memory we create a world for ourselves that is distorted, corrupted, and untrue and then wonder why we suffer. Suffering itself is a memory that we choose over the present just because it is easier to do this than to do the work that is initially required to find our way back to the present. It is not just specific memories that are the problem it is the fact that we impose our memories over everything to the extent that all that we see, feel, or understand about ourselves and the world is a bad recording of the past.