Tagged: absolute
Relative Polarity in a mental world of absolutes
The truth is not absolute neither relative. Then, what is it?
“Something” neither relative nor absolute…We could call it “nothing.”
In Life we could see that every scene has a polarity.
That polarity is what is known as “good,” “bad,” “right,” “wrong,” “sinful,” “virtuous,” etc.
The majority of people are so caught up with those labels which are so deeply ingrained through “education,” that trauma will be experienced in their lives.
All those apparent “opposites” are complements of each other. All those opposites are there, because the other side exists.
There is no way for fear to exist without the existence of courage. There is no way for love to exist without hate.
What is courage in the “normal” realm of duality? Less fear. There is a degree, a constant movement that we label in different ways. If the scale of experiences is between 1 and 10, Courage is 1; fear is 10. Indifference is 5.
A person experiencing fear is closer to courage for after the number “10” is reached (fear,) then number “1” will come into the experience. That is why, the range of experiences is not truly a straight line with 2 different ends, but those ends connect to each other in continuity. The range of experiences is truly a circle and because there is a continuous movement in that circle, it becomes cyclical movement, just like the 4 seasons, just like day and night, just like low and high tide, just like young and old, left and right, up and down, etc.
If the above is fully understood, then a person experiencing indifference has a long way to go before reaching hate or love.There are many experiences in between. Intensity is in the extremes.
Observe the range of experiences, observe that every individual is in a different stage, a different degree from the extremes. If someone has experienced one extreme, without a doubt; the other extreme will experienced.
A religious person who has experienced one extreme of Life such as an ascetic Life style, will experience immediately after that; the opposite, and from that point, the movement will continue. For the untrained observer, that person is only reaching a “balance” from being “out of balance” but note that it is only the degrees of change of experiences, which are moving, that is “going from 10 to 1” in the cycle.
“Balance” exists at every moment, at every position in the range of experiences and for that, we may need to learn to embrace the opposites, rather than judge them or to prefer one side and to despise the other, for if we are aware that we are one side of the equation, we are also the other side. We are both sides…The light and the shadow.
The fox entered the property of the farmer and ate a chicken.
From a human perspective, the chicken belongs to the farmer. The fox committed a crime. The fox is “bad,” a “criminal,” and the “poor” chicken “good.”
The human perspective is not “reality” but merely a perspective. From the perspective of the fox, the chicken was food. To eat that chicken was “good” for the fox. From the perspective of the chicken, that was a “bad” thing. Do we see the polarity in that scene?
Moralists will engage in labeling one side of the polarity as “good” without realizing that “bad” is needed to be there as well.
That scene of the fox and the chicken is void of human morality. That is the way Nature, Life operates.
In Life it is all one event, the chicken is part of the fox now. Life continues on. A chicken may eat worms. Life continues on.
But a human… a human will kill the wolf just because the fox entered his “private property,” and ate his “possession.” He “bought” the chicken with paper money as if Nature cares about the exchange rate. 🙂
Every experience in Life will bring a polarity to be aware of. If we could for a moment set aside the labels of “good, bad, right, wrong,” etc. from our vocabulary, we could observe a different perspective, a different reality.
We could observe that every truth, every single truth is not an absolute, but a perspective based on a particular state of consciousness.
The above realization could be the beginning for the “Life walker,” the seeker, to abandon the path of denial, repression and judgment, for the one of simple openness to Life. That is the path of integration.
The benefit of the doubt
Since we could observe that any perspective that we take towards Life has a consequence, and that any perspective is neither “right” nor “wrong,” then we could be open to acknowledge every perspective.
Moreover, if we support a particular view of Life we will be closed, biased towards the others.
What is the practical aspect of the above?
Robert gave some chocolates to Mary.
Mary said to him: “I cannot take those. I am on a diet.”
Robert thought: “ I wasn’t asking for her to eat the chocolates, but just to take them. I wanted to be friendly.”
Mary thought of the incident: “ I know that Robert wants something from me. I don’t want anything from him.”
Observe how the feelings in Mary and Robert will change towards each other. It will be another “brick on the wall,” in the way their perception of the “outside” will be perceived.
“Why give anything to people, if they are going to reject it.”
“ Don’t trust people. Don’t accept anything from them. Better dead than to ask for anything.”
That animosity created through misunderstandings, interpretations and even by unconsciously poking into someone’s hurtful triggers, collaborates into the feeling of heaviness, darkness which will color our perception of the world.
“The world is THIS and I am THAT.” An absolute response to the World, ready to turn into a dogmatic way of living.
“But… if we tend to interpret the world, how is it possible not to interpret it?”
That is not the point. It is not a matter of saying: “If you interpret the world under your own perspective that is bad and that will take you to hell.”
The point is to realize that “I am interpreting,” thus what comes out of my mouth or anyone’s without exception, is not the holy truth; but merely a perception.
That is known as the benefit of the doubt.
“Robert looks like he wants something from me, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt.”
That perspective of giving someone the benefit of the doubt in healing in itself.
Why?
Because we are trusting Life.
The way to stop the heaviness of that energy of suspicion and self-righteousness is by giving the benefit of the doubt.
In this way we could understand that to “have doubts” is not “bad,” it is not only a sign of insecurity or lack of faith, but its utility resides in using that energy with wisdom, according to time and circumstances.
All opposite energies have the same source. Different polarities is what we perceive.
Lost in the perception that “I am right,” we do not realize that “I am wrong” is part of the same energy. To experience one side, means to experience the other.
Labeling one side as “good” and the other as “bad,” means to set yourself up for feeling guilty, unworthy, unholy and all the opposite labels that we strived to “achieve” to become “better” or “spiritual.”
Isn’t that something to be aware of ? 🙂
Parallels between Hinduism and Christianity
It is interesting to note that all religions are connected, for as we know, the trunk is one; and from that trunk; many branches will emerge (religions.) The trunk comes from the seed which is the “unmanifest,” the absolute; which will evolve into the “manifest” or relative.
The above terminology is borrowed from Mr. Wolfe’s writing. Titled “Parallel teachings of Hinduism and Christianity,” which is in a link above for your review. If you do not have time to read any other pages, I would strongly suggest reading the appendix titled: “Brahman and the concept of Supreme God.” (Page 23.)
Here we see the constant change in paradoxical views of reality. To take one side of the coin as the whole coin is just to miss the complete coin.
Taoism with its concept of “Tao,” explained this reality which cannot be put into words; that is what in Brahma Kumaris is known as the Drama. Zen Buddhism added that even though the truth cannot be put into words, it needs to be explained with words… That is why, we have “interpretations.” 🙂
Similarly, the conceptualization of God as a “personal God” or an “impersonal God” through the forces of the Drama is viewed. (See explanation by Mr. Wolfe) It just depends on our viewpoint and understanding. In other words what we perceive as a separate entity, as God; may not be manifested by itself; but its experience encompasses the timing of the impersonal Drama as well. It is a game of both coming together and being experienced either as “separate” or as the “same” according to our understanding.
The leaf on a tree had one side of it colored yellow due to being exposed to a burning sun. The other side of it, was green; because it wasn’t exposed to the brutal sun.
Two birds were discussing about the color on that leaf. One was positioned on the floor, looking up. That bird saw the color of the leaf as being green. The other bird was positioned at the top of the tree, looking down and perceived the color of the leaf as being yellow.
None of those birds wanted to meet each other to see the other viewpoint, but rather defended their position with attachment to their own perceptions. Even though both of them were right; at the same time; they were wrong. Paradox.
Moral: Listening to someone means to put my ideas aside and to meet that person from his perspective, to understand.
Exploring the Depth of Living 