The Universe
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Universe
Planet Earth seems like an extreme expression of separation. Plants, animals and humans fight for survival. It's a planet of competition. Survival of the fittest. Let's understand what's happening here.
The planet appears as a heavy dense world of competing and clashing forms. Heavy tectonic plates separate and crush against one another, building up harsh, dense mountain ranges. Plants grow where they can. They compete with other plants that have separated from them in evolutionary history. They change and develop to survive. Animals develop, protecting themselves from other animals and the environment. Some animals hunt other animals and need to kill and eat them to survive. Even animals of the same species or family fight against each other, to defend their chosen territory or to protect themselves or their offspring.
Humans fight other humans, physically and verbally. They fight their close family members and those who are further separated from them. They build walls and fences. They mark out imaginary borders between territories and fight to keep these in place. Fighting, harming, abusing and killing is the extremity of separation. It is the furthest limit of limitation.
Why is this so important to understand? Because it explains the world as an expression of Oneness far removed. The expression of many separate limited forms is the reflection of the reality of Infinite Oneness. The universe appears as if the Singularity has exploded into a multiplicity. There arises an appearance of distance and separation out of the unmanifest unity of the Singularity. Planet Earth is an expression of this at the far reaches of separation, where forms appear solid, separate and clashing.
The apparent density of form is an expression of limitation, which in turn is a reflection of the Limitless. The scattering and evolutionary development of plant forms and animal forms is an expression of separation. Differences arise, to further express separation. Individual identity seems to arise, solidifying the appearance of separate forms distinct from one another. Fighting to survive becomes the natural way at the far reaches of separation. Some forms team together, but even teams fight against each other. Tribes fight against other tribes. Gangs fight against other gangs. Countries fight against other countries. It is a catastrophic demonstration of limitation and separation.
But we can see through it. Solid forms aren't as solid and impermeable as they seem. The limits we assume are not true limits. The world is only an appearance of limitation and separation. That is not the reality of it. The Reality is that the Infinite Oneness is never divided, never broken. The universe doesn't appear 'from' the splitting of a singularity, it appears 'in' the Singularity. There is no true division or separation. There is only ever One appearing to be many. Planet Earth is an experience of separation, but not a reality of separation. Even the Earth can be considered singularly.
There is only ever an Infinite One, no matter how limited, divided and separate it may appear. The appearance of limitation and separation is illusory. It appears as the reflection and contrasting opposite of Infinite Oneness. Humanity has the ability to recognise this and choose to live in line with Oneness. There are no others, only the appearance of otherness. Differences are the play of the world. Differences are to be celebrated as expressions of the Oneness in which they appear.
So, yes, planet Earth may be an expression of extreme separation, but this is a reflection of the reality of Oneness in which it appears. There is only One appearing to be limited and divided. It is the play of the World of Opposites within the Indivisible Infinite One.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Universe
Imagine that planet Earth is one being. Within that one being there seem to be billions of beings, all made up of the body or substance of that one being, Earth. There are beings and non-beings, formations such as rocks, lakes, rivers, air, cars, buildings etc. The beings are the insects, fish, animals, humans etc. We could class plants as beings too, in that they seem to have their own existence or life force. There is air and water that seems to separate the solid forms of these beings and objects. All this is planet Earth.
What we have here is one being playing at being many beings. Within the form of this one being it divides itself with itself to create many beings. Through the use of density of form there can appear a separation of form. So some forms appear solid, some appear fluid and separate the solid forms. The seemingly solid forms of animals are separated by air and water. This juxtaposition of solidity and fluidity creates the appearance of separate beings within the one being. For example, the human body is mostly fluid but appears reasonably solid, and air, which is less dense than the human body, seems to separate these solid forms, creating the appearance of separate beings. Though it should be said that air and water flow through these seemingly solid forms.
So what seems to be happening here on planet Earth is that one body (the planet) is appearing as many bodies (animals, humans etc.). These bodies seem to be separated, but it is just another substance of the planet body that seems to create a separation. The play and flow of solid, liquid and gas in the planet body create the appearance of many bodies. But truly there is just the one body, planet Earth. Earth's solid forms, liquid forms and gas forms are all planet Earth. So there only appears to be a division in the planet's forms based on the contrast of density of form within the planet. The division of the planet is illusory.
We imagined that Earth is a being, albeit a somewhat spherical being. And why not? Ultimately even planet Earth is an appearance of separation in the universe. Planet Earth is one appearing as many. The universe is one appearing as many. The universe and planet Earth are expressions of one appearing as many. This is the play of the universe. The universe can't really be separated from something else. There can only seem to be a separation by means of appearances.
The universe is the appearance of One Being expressed as many separate forms, though never truly separated. This expression of 'one to many' is scattered and multiplied throughout the One Being. Or so it seems.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Universe
The world appears as a World of Variety and Change. There seem to be so many different things - different elements, different combinations of elements, different densities of form - solid, liquid and gas, different formations of these forms - inert substances, plant-life, animal-life and human life. And it all swirls around, interacting, producing new forms and developments. The world is continually changing.
Sometimes the world may seem to be quite still, maybe when you're sat in a quiet room reading a book or relaxing. But the stillness of your room is illusory. Even the walls of the room are moving. It's only a relative stillness. The molecules that make up the walls, the air, and the different forms in a room are vibrating energy. In addition to this, the room is part of a spinning planet. Planet Earth spins on its own axis whilst rotating around the sun. The sun and this solar system in turn flows in the arms of a spiral galaxy, swirling through the universe.
Where was I? Right here. Ah, everything in the world is moving and changing, and any unchanging stillness we perceive is illusory. That's how it appears. You look at a table and it appears solid and still. You feel the ground beneath your feet and it seems solid and unmoving. But it's not quite the way it really is. We know it's not completely solid. It's permeable. That is, frequencies of energy can pass through it. Light can pass through glass windows. WiFi radio waves can pass through walls. Ground Penetrating Radar sends high frequency radio waves through the ground to detect buried objects. Nothing is ever truly impermeable.
There's some magic at play here. Really this moving and changing is illusory, and stillness is the reality. What is perceived is a reflection of reality. What is perceived is a play of opposites, whilst reality remains purely One.
Space and time are not natural to Reality. Reality is an Infinite Singularity without division, unchanging and unmoving. It cannot move or change because there is no space or time in the Singularity. Space and time only seem to appear within it. Distance and change seem to be created through the appearance of opposites. When the Infinite Singularity seems to split into opposing characteristics then a sense of separation, distance and change appears. Space and time appear to be instantly created, but they don't appear from the Singularity. They appear within the Singularity. The Singularity remains as it is. The separation never really happens. Space and time don't really happen. There is no real beginning or end to space and time, because they are illusory.
So this world of variety and change is illusory. That's not to say it isn't real. There is nothing other than the Real. That's the Singularity. What's unreal is separation and change. It doesn't really happen. So space and time isn't real, yet what this is is Real.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Universe
The term cause and effect is often used when referring to how things happen in the world. The assumption is that something causes something else to happen. But is that really how it is?
We may think, "I'm going out for a walk." That seems like we are the cause, and the effect is the body going for a walk. Or maybe a seed drops from a tree into a pond and ripples appear on the pond, spreading outwards across the pond. In that case we may consider that the seed falling is the cause and the ripples on the water are the effect. But when you look into it closely it's difficult to really identify the cause. For example, although I may vaguely accept that I made the decision to go for a walk, there is likely something that caused this decision. It may be that I haven't been outdoors for a few days, I need to stretch my legs or get some exercise, or some other reason that prompted the thought and intention to go for a walk.
In this example the decision can itself be understood as an effect rather than a cause. If you continue chasing the cause you find that there really is only a flowing of effect. We could say that each cause is also an effect, but it is more like a flowing of change. In the example of the seed dropping into the pond, causing ripples, the seed dropping is part of the nature of the tree. When the seed drops we can call it a cause or an effect, but really it is neither. There is only the flow of life. The tree grows from a seed that fell from a tree before; the tree grows seeds that eventually fall; one of the seeds falls into the pond; ripples flow. I'm sure there's a haiku there:
Tree drops seeds in soil
Seeds grow to become great trees
Seeds splash, ripples flow
Even here we are breaking apart this continual flow of life into segments. The human mind likes to do this to explain the world in finite terms. But really the world is infinite. There is no cause then effect or even cause-effect followed by cause-effect. There is only the continual flow of apparent change.
This leads to the non-dual understanding of choice. It's not that we choose what we do, where we go or what happens. The world just seems to happen. Thoughts seem to appear. Decisions seem to be made. Actions seem to take place. This is all the appearance of the flowing world. But it all appears right here and now. It is from the still point of Unchanging Awareness that this flow of change is experienced.
One may wonder what caused the world to appear, but this same understanding applies: there is no cause. Cause and effect are one and none. There is no beginning or end. The world only seems to appear. Space and time only seem to happen. Separation of the Singular nature of Reality only seems to happen. The Singular nature of Reality is never broken.
We don't need to be concerned with this seeming cause and effect. We are not part of this apparent flow. We remain as we are. Unchanging perceiving change, though truly nothing changes.