It hasn't always been the case that humanity perceived the physical universe as nothing more than a relationship amongst inanimate objects - a complex and mesmerising outcome of crude lifeless particles. In fact it is but a recent conjecture which I would attribute unintentionally to the genius of Newton. I cannot think of anyone before Newton that had provided a framework for the understanding and interpretation of Nature as comprehensive and thorough as he did since Aristotle departed this Earth. But Newton was also a theologist who never doubted the underlying existence of a spiritual entity acting as the foundation upon which the Universe he so aptly describes, rests. Just like Aristotle, or just about any scientist, mathematician or philosopher ever since, Newton was a religious man. Atheist beliefs amongst learned men only started emerging around the time of the French Revolution, nor can it be said that they had not stirred the imagination earlier because of religious fears, because the potential negative influences of the Church in the scientific community had weaned immensely since the discoveries made by Copernicus, who was also a religious scholar. At that time the Church failed to keep up with science and alienated geniuses such as Copernicus, Galileo, or Giordano Bruno. The times of giants such as St Augustine, who made it Canon Law for the Church to interpret as allegorical Holy Scriptures refuted by science, were long gone. Neither the Vatican nor the reformed church of Luther were capable of comprehending at first, the revolutionary knowledge exposed in Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of Celestial Spheres). The changes the book affected were too great for them to fathom. Still today the term 'revolution' which originally meant nothing more than a circular motion around a fixed point whether it be an orbit or a rotation, has come to mean in modern languages "a sudden, radical, or complete change," according to Merriam-Webster. But it wasn't until roughly another two centuries that Atheism would find a place in the consciousness of learned men. I believe, it is just an assumption which does not need be proven, and maybe cannot be proven, that Newton bears responsibility for the creation of Atheism, though against his will. I believe this for but a very simple reason. The creation of his model is so spectacularly perfect, so complete and all-encompassing, leaving almost nothing to chance, that many people can foolishly believe, as has been the case over and over again, that there is nothing more to be known, and that eventually all will be contained in the brilliant mechanical world described by Newton. The scientific determinism that followed Newton is best exemplified by a representation of another great physicist and polymath Pierre Simon Laplace, author of what came to be known as Laplace's demon: "We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future. An intellect which at any given moment knew all of the forces that animate nature and the mutual positions of the beings that compose it, if this intellect were vast enough to submit the data to analysis, could condense into a single formula the movement of the greatest bodies of the universe and that of the lightest atom; for such an intellect nothing could be uncertain and the future just like the past would be present before its eyes."— Marquis Pierre Simon de Laplace
Newton unintentionally created a model so perfect as to lure many individuals into believing it could suffice to replace the need for the spiritual foundations of our Universe. Of course we now know that not to be the case. Einstein put that well to rest, and Planck opened a new universe beyond that of Newton, a universe we have barely begun exploring. Neither should we be so surprised at this discovery, after all Atheism was never the intention nor the purpose of science. Aristotle did not began quantifying the world to dispute the existence of a subtle realm that permeates all we know. Before the Greeks developed the theory of the elements (the interaction of earth, water, air and fire that determines the behaviour of animate and inanimate objects in our world), science had always relied on religion or mythology to describe the mechanisms of our world. The Greek view of the Universe, culminating in Aristotle's Organon, and more specifically The Categories, never meant to refute the spiritual realm, they were merely concerned on how to interpret and manipulate the physical realm. Instead of having Gods construct the fabric of the physical world they focused on formulating laws that governed the physical world, and segregated the spiritual world into another sphere that required a whole different set of tools compared to the physical. Apeiron is what the Greeks called the subtle spiritual world that serves as foundation for all that we experience, and Psyche was the breath of life, the indestructible soul that permeates all things in our Universe and manifests itself through all creatures endowed with breath (so the Greeks believed), or all sentient beings as Buddha more aptly explained.
Today, scientific determinism no longer holds true and physicists are once again struggling with the unknown. Relativity and Quantum Theory, the discovery of a universe beyond Classical Physics so wonderfully completed by Newton, a universe where our consciousness permeates all phenomena of our Universe as its foundational element, obliges us to reconsider the assumptions of an inanimate universe that has become so prevalent over the course of the last two centuries. The idea of the world resting upon an immaterial foundation is as ancient as humanity and precedes the written word. Nor were the Greeks the first to develop a non-theist understanding of the origin of matter. They were the first to codify our world in a way that we can understand it without relying on myths or religion, but this knowledge of a spiritual realm has always been there. The Australian Aborigines believe that our Universe is our ancestors dream. The Maori believe that our Earth is the life essence of our departed. This belief of a spiritual foundation to all that surrounds us has been the norm in human history. Our distraction towards this area of knowledge in the last 200 years is the exception.
In Hinduism the symbol Ohm is formed by three strokes in the shape of the '3' with a tail on one side of a crescent moon and a dot on the other side. The three strokes symbolise the three states of consciousness: the waking state, deep sleep and the dreaming state. Yogic practices believe that by achieving awareness in all three states we can overcome the material veil of Maya represented by the crescent moon and discover the universal truth represented by the dot. Likewise Buddhism is entirely based on this non-theist foundation. The primary objective of Buddhism is the attainment of Nirvana, a state of unity with the spiritual foundation of our Universe. Buddhism elaborated on the canons of Hinduism which understood that Maya can only be overcome through the practice of non-violence, by focusing on the concept of compassion as the key to unfold the subtle realm. Along its journey of discovery, Buddhism stumbled upon a paradox. If compassion is the key to unlocking the gates of Nirvana, how can those who have achieved such a state suddenly forget about the rest of us, sentient beings still struggling in the physical realm of Samsara. The theory of the Bodhisattva, enlightened beings who forsake the bliss of Nirvana for our sake, is the result of this paradox.
Christianity brought this idea of a universal foundational layer of all Life, within the reach of everyone - fishermen, carpenters, shepherds, farmers, lepers, lords, soldiers, scholars, tax collectors, slaves, sinners, men and women, young and old, rich and poor, weak and strong - rooted in the divine exercise of freewill of every single human being. Throughout the centuries the Church embedded this concept in society, imposing limits on the authority rulers can exercise over their people and providing asylum for the safeguard of individual human dignity by the grace of our divine nature. Today we know that this foundational layer, whether it be called Dreamtime, Mana, Great Spirit, Apeiron, Nirvana, Moksha, or many other names referring to the same original life essence, not only indeed exists, but we know it is our consciousness which permeates - and triggers - all material phenomena. So while we continue to refine our ability to quantify the physical world and begin exploring the Quantum bridge between matter and consciousness we can contemporaneously expand on our spiritual knowledge by analysing the nature of our existence and practicing spiritual exercises catered to the different aspects of our existence. What we can observe without doubt is that there are three fundamental and inescapable states of existence, the Three Inescapable Layers of Reality. We cannot escape the reality that all things animate and inanimate exist within a single Universe and are thus connected within this sole Universal layer. This layer contains the unexpressed potential of all the phenomena that we can experience. It is the Universe before and after time where the expressed and the unexpressed are contained. It is the subtle spiritual realm the Greeks called Apeiron. We also know that everything in nature has its opposite, and we know all phenomena whether it be particles or the forces they generate express themselves with their opposite in what we will call the inescapable layer of Duality. It is in this constantly changing and eternally present layer that all we experience unfolds with 'every action creating an opposite and equal reaction' and every particle manifesting itself with its identical opposite. Finally, we know we have infinite possibilities as to how all phenomena unfold and manifest in this Universe, depending and according to the exercise of our freewill; and we know we are not alone, but coexist with an infinite number of distinct individual expressions of our consciousness living in a layer we shall call Plurality. This is the layer of sentient beings interacting with the Universe and one another. It is also the layer where matter manifests. It is the physical layer where Life is expressed in an infinite sequence of finite outcomes.
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. - Luke 17:21
Thus, having grasped how we inescapably exist in these three overlapping layers of reality all within our consciousness and consequently within our reach, allow me to share my spiritual exercises relative to each of these layers:
Solitude - Or silence or stillness. In order to understand the Universal layer practice inward observation. You need to learn to be comfortable with yourself in complete isolation and silence, for if you cannot cope to be alone with yourself, nothing in this world will ever provide any satisfaction. Sit still and quieten your mind. Prayer is extremely useful, particularly if you are visualising the events described in the prayer and practicing empathy with the objects of the prayer you are invoking. Even without the component of visualisation, prayer helps you to detach yourself from the constant assault of the mundane and allows you to rediscover what lies deep within you. But what I find most beneficial is meditation in pure silence with nothing but the breath providing guidance and anchorage in this world. Follow your breath to the root of our existence, allowing your mind to become uncluttered, clear, lucid. Our breath is what the Greeks believed to host the life essence, our Psyche, the bond between Apeiron and the physical realm. Let your breath guide you in an inward discovery of how it expands and spreads within your body, and how it binds you with the world about you. The breath through the practice of Solitude can rapidly and easily prove how we are one with the world.
Nature - Matter is the product of our consciousness, and Nature is our masterpiece. Grasping awareness of the complexity of our existence may be difficult to attain though internal investigation alone. We must embrace the creation of our consciousness. The more comfortable we are interacting with the nature that surrounds us, the deeper our understanding of the complexity of Life becomes. Measure yourself in the fields, the mountains, the deserts, the forests, the jungles or the vast Ocean and its subsidiaries, the seas, rivers and lakes. Hone your body in the elements of Nature. Make your body, alert, vigilant, responsive to the forces of Nature. Hike, run, climb, sail, swim, fly, farm, hunt, fish. Embrace the duality of matter and consciousness. Connect with the creation of our consciousness. Learn to move effortlessly in Nature.
The gaze of others - This world generated by our consciousness is also populated by an infinite number of sentient beings, each overwhelmed by a profound sense of unique and distinct identities, and constantly riddled with individual fears and desires. It is not enough to maintain a lucid mind and a vigilant body, you must also always be certain to follow a path that is unifying towards all sentient beings. Our Universe is the sum of these individual consciousness entangled in the unfolding of what we manifest. Thus our ability to understand these other sentient beings provides us with the understanding of the entire Consciousness. That is why compassion is the key to understanding the mechanisms of our Universe and defines what is good. Keep your heart pure by never having to shy away from the gaze of any other sentient being. Approach your fellow human being without fear, carrying the full knowledge that you are working towards the unity of all life-forms in this Universe. In that manner you will maintain your heart pure.
By maintaining a lucid mind, vigilant body and pure heart we can unlock the instruments to understand the mechanisms of our Universe. Once we understand that all we can experience in this Universe is contained within our individual consciousness, which is one and the same as Apeiron, the Consciousness upon which rests our Universe, we begin to discover the immense potential that lies within each and everyone of us and the ability to solve all the riddles of our Universe by embracing the different states of of our existence. We have the power to understand the underlying unifying truth that permeates the Universe. Practice these three exercises in the Inescapable Layers of Reality to discern what is true from what is false. Cherish what is true. Correct what is false. Compassion is the key to solve this immense wonderful puzzle. Do not fear, do not get angry. Practice these exercises together with the triune Christian virtues of Love, Forgiveness and Repentance. Thus, you shall be free and you shall lead towards liberation all those around you.
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