Category: The Human Experience

Published: 01 November 2024

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It's a well-known question without a clear answer: Do we have free will? The reason for the unclear or unsatisfying answers is that the question has some flaws. The question is based on a vague assumption of 'we'. Really we need to know who 'we' are, then we can look at whether 'we' have free will.

The usual assumption is that 'we' are humans. But if you understand enough of what I've written previously this won't be a surprise: we are not humans. The 'human' is not really defined, as it is a flowing, changing quality of planet Earth and the universe. The 'human' is not separate, and although seemingly distinct, it is not truly distinct from the universe. If we trace inward to the core of our being we find that we are not 'human'. We are the same Infinite One Consciousness that is the nature of all seemingly separate beings.

So this separate individual 'me' can never be clearly defined. It is a flawed identity. Our true nature is limitless Consciousness. So instead of asking, "Does Helen decide what drink she will have?" it could be worded as, "Does Consciousness decide what drink Helen will have?" It's still a bit flawed, because 'Helen' isn't really precise and accurate, but we'll go with that.

In answering this we have to recognise that the flow of thoughts in Helen's mind decides what drink she will have, based on tastes and preferences developed through the human experience. Taste buds, availability, and life events all come into play for this simple decision. So it seems wrong to say that Consciousness is making the decision. Maybe if Helen's mind was pure and clear, untainted by thoughts, then Consciousness would shine through in all Helen's actions, including choices. For example, instead of Helen choosing coffee with three sugars based on an addictive preference for coffee and sweetness, a drink of water may be more conducive to Helen's health. Consciousness would have no preference as such, but the natural flow would be more in line with the true nature of Consciousness lighting up the human experience with love, goodness, peace and wellbeing.

So generally the mind plays a part in choices. The mind thinks that it is a separate identity making choices. But really there isn't a true identity, and what choices seem to be made are influenced by the flow of experiences. In other words, just as the 'human' is a flowing quality of the planet, so are the choices that the mind seems to make. It is all the flowing of the universe. There is no true division to enable us to say 'I' chose 'that'. There is a play of choice, an illusion of a chooser choosing choices. Truly there is only Consciousness.

But Consciousness is certainly free. There are no true boundaries to Consciousness. Consciousness is freedom itself. Consciousness doesn't choose, restrict, deny or allow. It just is what it is. What appears, appears. We're getting to the deeper questions of: Does Consciousness create the world, does it co-ordinate what happens in the world, and does it pre-ordain events to happen in the world?

Again we have some flaws in the questions here. There is an assumption that there is a 'world', but there is only Consciousness. There is an assumption that events really happen. Consider this: it would be wrong of someone to say, "I flew to the moon last night whilst I was sleeping." We know that it was a dream of flying to the moon - that didn't really happen. It is similar with the appearance of the world - it is like a dream within Consciousness. It doesn't really happen. There is no space or time for things to travel and change. Nothing ever happens.

So in an absolute sense, there is no choice, there is no choosing, because nothing ever happens. Consciousness just is what it is. This is the Absolute Truth, where no movement or change happens. Realise that so-called beginnings rise out of Infinity, and so-called ends return to Infinity, all the while being Infinity. So to say that Infinity begins or ends something is flawed. There is only ever Infinite Consciousness.

But we can make a concession, a step down from Pure Truth to relative truth, and say something to satisfy the mind somewhat. Well, I'll give it a try anyway. The appearance of the world arises in Consciousness, made of Consciousness, perceived by Consciousness. It is Consciousness that allows this appearance by means of opposites as if the Singularity of Consciousness splits into opposites and multiplies. As part of this splitting, the opposites of Creation and Destruction arise from the Singularity simultaneously. So although Consciousness/God doesn't make anything happen, from the human perspective it can appear that Consciousness/God created the world, whilst seeming to destroy the Singularity.

But the opposite forces we perceive as separate are not really separate. The world isn't created and the Singularity isn't destroyed. The force of creation/will that seems to make things happen is cancelled out by its opposite, destruction/restriction. Everything that seems to be done must be undone, so the nature of the Singularity remains. This is the Law of Opposites that applies to all aspects of the appearance of the world. The Singularity of Consciousness/God remains as it is. The appearance of the world of multiplicity is illusory.

So, to answer the question: Do we have free will? There is no 'we', no separate individual that makes choices. There is no will to do something, because nothing really happens. But there is freedom. Freedom is the pure nature of our Infinite Being. 

Category: The Universe

Published: 12 November 2024

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Considering order and chaos gives us a useful glimpse into the nature of reality. The world seems to flow with an appearance of both order and chaos. By 'chaos' I mean the opposite of orderliness, which we can describe as randomness, where things happen by chance. For example, a tree grows according to the orderly 'pattern' stored in the seed, but chaos applies in the formation of the tree, giving rise to its uniqueness. So no two trees are the same. They follow a pattern (order) but there is chance (chaos) in where and how the branches grow.

Let's consider emptying a pencil case onto a table. If we tip up the case and let the stationery fall out it lands on the table in a chaotic fashion, with pens, pencils, rulers, erasers and so on scattered randomly. So there appears a scene of orderly objects scattered chaotically. It appears chaotic but there is an argument that the chaotic scattering is actually orderly. That is, the objects fall according to gravity and a complex array of forces applying to each object as they fall. These forces are the orderly forces of nature. The appearance of randomness is then not so random, but determined by natural forces. Similarly, the branches of a tree grow according to its orderly plan and the forces of nature, including gravity, the wind, the sun and other environmental factors.

It can be considered that Chaos is merely a play of order, where order creates the appearance of chaos, similar to how numbers are 'randomly' generated in a computer game. Random number generation in computer games often uses a 'seed' number, which can be taken from the computer's clock time and fed it into a complex algorithm to produce apparently random numbers that can trigger events in the game. So it's not really random. Other things can be used for the 'seed' number, such as the fluctuating electrical power supply, and that brings a more chaotic element to the randomness. But it could be argued that the power supply fluctuates in an orderly manner, according to nature's laws.

So is Chaos real? There is a scientific view that quantum physics is completely random, that there are random fluctuations in the quantum realm that are not orderly and give rise to randomness in the world. Or maybe it is just another appearance of randomness that will be found to have an orderly source.

From the Non Dual perspective there is not this play of order and chaos. There is only an appearance of opposites in separation, just as there is only an appearance of 'order and chaos'. The Reality is that there is only One, an Infinite One without division, form or limitation. In itself the One can be considered as complete order, as there is no confusion or randomness in simply being. It is an Order beyond the sense of 'order and chaos'.

Category: The Human Experience

Published: 05 November 2024

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When asked who I am I may give my name. That's usually the expected answer. But that's not really who I am. That's just what people call me, or call this human being. Am I this human being? Let's explore.

Let's analyse what I am if I consider myself to be a human being. Okay, so the human is a complex organism, but what I'm concerned about is: where are the limits of this human being? We can assume that this human form is limited by its skin, hair and nails. That sums up the outer 'shell' of the human form. But there's a problem. It's always changing. The skin is in a constant flow of change. We don't really notice, but dead skin falls off and is continually replaced. Hair and nails are always growing. We cut our hair and nails and consider then that they are no longer part of us.

So this superficially stable defined human outer shell is always changing. There's another problem. The human form interacts with the environment (the planet of which it is made) by breathing in gas, eating solids, drinking liquids, assimilating some of this and ejecting some (in a transformed manner). This human form is always changing. Not a second goes by without the body changing. You don't really notice it. There is an appearance of temporary permanence, but really the body never stops changing.

There are also questions about my limits in time if I am a human being. When did I begin? We may arbitrarily say it was when I was conceived. But that isn't a fixed point in time. There is a slow process of bringing a new human form into being. If we consider it carefully enough it can be seen that there is no real beginning. We say we have a family tree, where we come from. This human form comes from the flow and interactions of the human beings that preceded it. There isn't a true starting point that defines where a human being begins.

Similarly, at the death of this human form, it will break down into elements that return to the flow of the planet. I say 'return to' but they never left. This human body is really an expression of the flow of the planet. It is not truly an independent discrete form. It only seems to be that way.

The human mind develops the sense of independent discrete identity based on the way the body and world appears. But it's not true. I'm not really a human being, because I find no ends to the form that I superficially call a human being. There is only an appearance of limits to this human form. To identify with it is to believe in a false limitation.

Truly there are no limits. There is no limited identity. I am not this or that. I am.

Category: Spirituality

Published: 26 November 2024

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In spiritual development there is a point where it is recognised that the body is not me. If I am spiritual then I'm not this apparent material form. I'm not a human. I don't have arms and legs. It is reasoned that I am the one who animates the body, I am not the body, but the body is mine.

This sense of detachment from the body can continue and develop, so that the sense of 'me' itself diminishes. This is because the hardened 'material' form has a greater density and feeling of separation from the whole. It is not separate from the whole, of course, but that's how it feels at the point of density and apparent limitation of the human form. The ego identity that is the sense of being separate from others gradually recedes as spiritual development progresses. There is a greater sense of oneness with the whole, and the ego and identity that were so important and dominant lose their power. The peace and joy that is naturally present is experienced more and more as the ego diminishes and the sense of 'me' fades.

As this sense of 'me' fades, the sense of 'mine' also fades. Where before we may have had strong attachments to objects, considering them to be our property, seeking new things to buy and own, this becomes less interesting. The sense of attachment and ownership diminishes. So also with people. We don't rely on people so much to make us happy. We don't cling to people as before. We don't crave company. It doesn't mean that we dislike people or stop loving them. It means we have a healthier approach to people. The boundaries between 'me' and 'other' thin out more and more.

But we still have some attachments during this process. We still have a sense that although the body isn't me, it is mine: I see the world through this body, so it is mine. This too will diminish as spiritual development progresses, because it is not 'mine'. Nothing is 'mine'. The culmination of spiritual development is the dropping of 'me' and 'mine' and knowing clearly that there is only What Is. This Clear Knowing is here already. Clear Knowing is the nature of What Is. It is Pure Consciousness.

Once the sense of 'me' fades completely the sense of 'mine' also disappears. It is then that Clear Knowing is no longer clouded by the mistaken belief of 'I am this' and 'This is mine'. There are no boundaries, limitations, divisions. There is only the perfect peace and clarity. There is no 'me' who has problems, who grows, changes, lives and dies. There is only What Is. It is in Consciousness that this play of identity, possessions, gain and loss, and spiritual development plays out.