Post by stardustpilgrim on Apr 14, 2015 14:18:41 GMT -5
I'm going to try to here set out, not, why my view is not the non-dual view, but is not the conceptual non-dual view,
or, why duality exists. (Those not interested in the set-up, can skip to the second paragraph). There are three discontinuities which represent duality. Inanimate matter exists, the elements of the periodic table. The complex elements are formed from various combinations of more simple protons, neutrons and electrons, the many out of the three (and protons and neutrons are formed from three quarks, etc). The first discontinuity is between the inanimate and animate, life. Life replicates itself to maintain itself. And in any one living organism, it exchanges substances with the environment to maintain itself, transforming energy. Scientists today do not yet know how "dirt" becomes life. And this life has evolved up to the point of intelligence which can reflect upon the world and know the world, IOW, is conscious. This is our second discontinuity, defined in philosophy and neuroscience as the hard problem, how this
meat-head comes to be conscious. Neuroscientists do not know what happens in the "meat-head" which brings consciousness.
This is where we are. The mind/body is born, and from about two to six, the mind/body forms a self, and life happens. This self can be generally divided into that which helps maintain the self and brings happiness, these being positive, and that which opposes the self and brings unhappiness or suffering, these being negative. This is the world of duality. Some people begin to inquire as to the nature of self and the nature of the universe. For these people, life in and of itself, this satisfaction of the self, is not enough. Some people encounter the non-dual view, Wholeness, Oneness, non-separation, there can be nothing outside of Wholeness. Sometimes a particular mind/body comes to see that this struggle between moving toward what satisfies the self and movement away from what dissatisfies the self is merely an illusory movement in duality, that self itself is merely an appearance in Oneness, that there is in fact no separate self. This is SR. One can be delightfully conscious of this beautiful world in all its aspects. This is obviously the end of the journey,
as there can be nothing more than seeing that everything that is, is the movement of the Whole. Right? Simple.
So what is the third discontinuity mentioned? If there is no separate self, how can there be such a thing as self-consciousness? What would that even mean? How could a separate self which is illusory, be conscious of itself? Would there be anything besides no-self-consciousness? And yet, the third discontinuity is between consciousness and self-consciousness. self-consciousness is a new order of actuality, a new and different state of man, the next stage of mankind's evolution. It's something that not already is, but can be. This is why I am not interested in SR, as defined here. Now, I see some posting in relation to self-consciousness and some in relation to SR and some trying to combine SR and self-consciousness. I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. This post will probably about do me in here, I suppose. But there is not just Wholeness, there is something else that is, that can be, that is in relation to Wholeness (but needless to say, not outside Wholeness, as the first discontinuity, life, is not outside Wholeness and the second discontinuity, consciousness, is not outside Wholeness), or what else is duality for?
or, why duality exists. (Those not interested in the set-up, can skip to the second paragraph). There are three discontinuities which represent duality. Inanimate matter exists, the elements of the periodic table. The complex elements are formed from various combinations of more simple protons, neutrons and electrons, the many out of the three (and protons and neutrons are formed from three quarks, etc). The first discontinuity is between the inanimate and animate, life. Life replicates itself to maintain itself. And in any one living organism, it exchanges substances with the environment to maintain itself, transforming energy. Scientists today do not yet know how "dirt" becomes life. And this life has evolved up to the point of intelligence which can reflect upon the world and know the world, IOW, is conscious. This is our second discontinuity, defined in philosophy and neuroscience as the hard problem, how this
meat-head comes to be conscious. Neuroscientists do not know what happens in the "meat-head" which brings consciousness.
This is where we are. The mind/body is born, and from about two to six, the mind/body forms a self, and life happens. This self can be generally divided into that which helps maintain the self and brings happiness, these being positive, and that which opposes the self and brings unhappiness or suffering, these being negative. This is the world of duality. Some people begin to inquire as to the nature of self and the nature of the universe. For these people, life in and of itself, this satisfaction of the self, is not enough. Some people encounter the non-dual view, Wholeness, Oneness, non-separation, there can be nothing outside of Wholeness. Sometimes a particular mind/body comes to see that this struggle between moving toward what satisfies the self and movement away from what dissatisfies the self is merely an illusory movement in duality, that self itself is merely an appearance in Oneness, that there is in fact no separate self. This is SR. One can be delightfully conscious of this beautiful world in all its aspects. This is obviously the end of the journey,
as there can be nothing more than seeing that everything that is, is the movement of the Whole. Right? Simple.
So what is the third discontinuity mentioned? If there is no separate self, how can there be such a thing as self-consciousness? What would that even mean? How could a separate self which is illusory, be conscious of itself? Would there be anything besides no-self-consciousness? And yet, the third discontinuity is between consciousness and self-consciousness. self-consciousness is a new order of actuality, a new and different state of man, the next stage of mankind's evolution. It's something that not already is, but can be. This is why I am not interested in SR, as defined here. Now, I see some posting in relation to self-consciousness and some in relation to SR and some trying to combine SR and self-consciousness. I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. This post will probably about do me in here, I suppose. But there is not just Wholeness, there is something else that is, that can be, that is in relation to Wholeness (but needless to say, not outside Wholeness, as the first discontinuity, life, is not outside Wholeness and the second discontinuity, consciousness, is not outside Wholeness), or what else is duality for?
