Ponderance on the Source of existence

The following is my ponderance on the Source of existence. It is not a definitive article. It is just an expression of my own thoughts.

The question for ponderance is: Can the Source of existence be a thing?

If the source of existence is a tangible thing, then who is the creator of this Being or thing call the Source?

So can the Source be a thing or an object? Can the Source be tangible? If the Source can be an object, then how can it be the ultimate? Because if it is an object/thing/Being, then who is the creator of this object/thing/Being? If it is an object, by conventional rationalisation, there must be a creator for this object. If it is not so, can a thing or an object be already self-existing? This is indeed a very profound and paradoxical question.

My opinion is that when we try to interpret the Source with our mind, we are in fact trying to imagine/conceptualise the ungraspable. And by this very action of our conceptualisation, Source becomes a concept/idea and in our mind it becomes ‘objectified’ and conceptualised. Metaphorically speaking, it is like a dog trying to bite its own tail. We will be going round and round in circles and still no sight of the Source can be seen.

From my understanding and opinion, there is in reality no creator-creation division. It is an optical, perceptual and experiential illusion…a matrix so to speak. Observer(me) and the being observed (other) is a hypnotic thought… creating the appearance of ‘me and other’.. This is quite hard to explain. The closest analogy is that life experience is like a dream of an individual self. When in actual fact, the individual self is a dream character within the tapestry of existence. The experience of an individual interacting with his/her environment is an impression.

Thank you for reading. I hope it has been interesting for you.

The author runs Dream Datum Self Growth Site

Enlightenment is not just one state

Many people has the notion that enlightenment is one state. Many also believe that when it is attained, a person is forever in that state.

The following is not a definitive article on this subject. It is just an expression of my own thoughts.

My opinion is that enlightenment is not just one state but is a progressive and gradual establishing of states of consciousness.

I, myself have not reach the end of the road. But from years on a spiritual quest, I can safely say that enlightenment happens in a series or stages of self-realisations and self-discoveries.

Usually there is a difference between an initial awakening and a later stabilisation of that stage that happens through practice or experiences. The initial awakenings are new discoveries about the dynamics of consciousness, while the stabilisation is the assimilation of what is being discovered into one’s life experience. Sometimes, a new discovery can completely over-rule or modify upon an older one.

Almost all stages of enlightenment can be said to be associated with Presence. However, the enlightening Presence comes in various degrees of intensity and clarity. The degree of intensity is directly dependent on the level and depth of one’s clarity as well as one’s realisations/discoveries.

Also, as one progresses along, the relationship or connections of oneself to the universe and existence at large also becomes clearer.

Below very briefly illustrates the progressive and stage-based nature of enlightenment:

When one first begin meditating, one may first experience the all-pervading Presence. This Presence, is most often experienced when thoughts are momentarily suspended. This Presence which exists in the Eternal Present Moment is our true self.

However such an experience can only be classified as an awakening to the true self.. which is no-self. This is because, after the meditation, the Presence seems to have disappeared. One cannot understand and find the connection of presence to our everyday life. Therefore one will have difficulty re-acquiring the Presence. And it takes many stages and series of realisation to understand the relationship of Presence to our phenomenal world. It can be said that the prolonged sustaining of Presence is dependent on the stages and depth of realisation.

Also, during the earlier stages we may mistaken another state to be the pure presence. For example, we may mistaken ‘I AM’ for pure presence. This is because the thinking mind has created a reflective image of Pure Presence. This reflection of the absolute is ‘I AM’.

Usually, in order to pass through the ‘I AM’ stage, the person must move unto even deeper understandings. These understandings may include realising that one’s personality is not the doer of action. This stage may persist for a while before the person realises the illusion of subject-object division. This stage involves recognising the hypnotic impression of there being an observer and the being observed. Here is where one begins to see through the illusionary nature of our phenomenal world.

I cannot comment on the stages before me as they are beyond me. Nevertheless, one can still see from the above description that enlightenment is not so straight-forward after all.

For your necessary discernment. Thank you for reading.

Shen Gerald

http://www.dreamdatum.com

We Live In A System Of Beliefs

The following article about beliefs is just an expression of my thoughts. It is certainly not definitive.

In my opinion, we live our life on the basis of beliefs. We, literally live in a huge belief system. So seamlessly integrated (into our world) are some beliefs that most people assume that they are natural and accepted them without questioning.

The very act of reading this article is belief-based, because the very construct that is formed in your head now is conceptual & of the thinking mind. Perhaps, what really is does not just exist as concepts, but also exists in the NOW as experience. Although one is able to describe or conceptualize a truth, the conceptualization is itself a thought.

Beliefs can be very powerful, especially when the majority of the population buys into it. Sometime a certain belief when set in motion, causes catalytic reactions, triggering the formation of yet other beliefs. Gradually, layers upon layers of beliefs mire directness and truth. So thickly laden with beliefs and far removed from the original spontaneity that life becomes unnecessarily complex and ritualized.

Major beliefs operating in our world are:

Identification of self with physical body.

When in actual fact, we are much more than that. This belief can be very difficult to un-ravel. And it takes many series of self-discovery to realize our true nature. The entire scope of this belief is beyond what can be expressed within this article. So I will leave it as that.

War.

War is borne out of beliefs that justify aggression to others that is participated by large groups. War itself is a belief, because nature and animals do not engage in it. Only humans do it, because it was conceived in the human mind, and it isn’t natural or essential to human conditions. Military is an offshoot borne from War

Money buys happiness.

A belief that most thought of as true is that money gives one happiness. Happiness does not need money to fulfill, one merely made oneself believe so! The concept of Money set in motion the belief in status, status breeds competition, competition breeds the rat race, rat race cause one to slog a life time working and eventually few remembered the original purpose of life was for joy and fulfillment.

Status.

A person’s worth that is dictated by factors such as financial abundance and rank. This one creates much suffering in very hierarchical societies. This one is closely related to ‘money buys happiness.’

Perfectionism.

It is a most prevalent belief in our civilization. Everywhere in this world of ours, perfectionism is regarded as good while imperfection is bad. Everybody wants everybody else to be perfect. Is Perfection really an absolute value? I think not.

In my opinion, it is relative and is borne of human conception. Perfection is an idea. Things are the way they are. Perfection and imperfection are attached values.

Country.

The concept of country is just a belief in the ownership of land. Essentially, humans did not create land therefore nobody owns it. Patriotism is an offshoot belief borne from ‘country’. When there are no countries and no wars, there are no needs for Patriotism.

Well, I think I have rambled enough. Thank you for reading.

The author runs a Self Growth Site (dreamdatum.com) with self help and self growth resources.

About compassion

The following is my opinion about this thing call Compassion. It is not a definitive article though.

Compassion, in my view, is a very crucial element for sustainability. This is even more relevant to the current volatile world of ours.

The very fabric of the Universe is infused with compassion. It is the binding force that harmonizes and sustains Existence. It prevents the self-destruction and implosion of the universe. It is the allowance and acceptance of aspects of Source toward other aspects of itself. Without it, part of All That Is will harm Itself.

Everything is a reflection of the Source and is the Source. The Source must love parts of Itself. This love serves to prevent the taking of advantage of others.

The universe and world at large cannot be sustained without compassion. The lack of compassion is the lack of the capacity to maintain ‘unity in separation.’ Without Unity, harmony can only be maintained in an unstable manner. This is because without kindness and compassion, there can be no assurance from bullying, harming and or any other forms of advantage taking.

Without compassion we will not understand the suffering of others. Without this understanding, one can inflict hurt without conscience. Therefore a lack of compassion is a form of great ignorance. This great ignorance has produced much harm and suffering. War is often the direct result of a lack of compassion on the part of the perpetuators. Why do I say so? Because the perpetuator has traded the pain of others for some other kind of goals. Unless one is without compassion, one can see just how must suffering this can cause. Without compassion, we will be indifferent and not feel sad for the suffering of others

So, let's be compassionate and make the world a better place.

Thank you for reading.

The author runs a Self Growth Site (dreamdatum.com) with self help and self growth resources.