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Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Activities of Nature

Entire inert and conscious nature is active - ceaselessly. A stone is active ceaselessly. A plant is active ceaselessly. An animal is active ceaselessly. A human-being is active ceaselessly. Earth is active ceaselessly. Nature's ceaseless activity or its "active-presence" is due to its being energized. Space in which Nature is saturated is the Absolute-Energy which is inseparably, equally, and always available to all entities of Nature. Space is a limitless non-activity - which is pervasive, transparent, and permeable through entities of nature. Nature in Space is as infinite number of activities. Space is everywhere - at the places where Nature is, and also where Nature isn't. Nature doesn't displace Space. The "infinitely porous" Nature is continuously energized in Space - ensuring its beingness or existence. Existence - all that is - is infinite nature saturated in limitless Space. Nature being saturated in Space is committed to exist.

Existence has Stability. There is no increase or decrease in existence. Neither there is increase or decrease in Space, nor is there any increase or decrease in Nature. Nothing gets created, nor can anything be destroyed - through any means. Entire existence is eternal. Space is enternal and changeless. Nature is eternal and with change. Space is non-activity. Nature is ceaseless activity in Space.

The Activities of Nature are of three kinds - Physical-activity, Chemical-activity, and Conscious-activity (the activity of jeevan). There is no fourth kind of activity. The entire Grandeur of Nature is as permutation-combination of these three kinds of activities. All three activities evidence the constitution-principle, and are inclined for harmony and progress. The subatomic-particles are inclined for harmony by realizing constitution of an atom. Atoms are inclined for realizing constitution of molecules. Molecules are inclined for realizing the constitution of cells. Cells are inclined for realizing constitution of tissues. ...and this goes on at macro level. Planets are inclined for realizing constitution of planetary-systems. Human-beings (upon awakening) are inclined for realizing constitution of Family and Society. The activities of nature work together, purposefully.

Nature's ceaseless-activities are purposeful - which leads to emergence of natural-orders. There are four natural-orders - material-order, pranic-order, animal-order, and knowledge-order (humankind). Material-order and Pranic-order is also called Inert-Nature. Animal-order and Knowledge-order is also called Conscious-Nature. There is successive emergence of these natural-orders due to purposefulness of nature's ceaseless-activities. The previous order has the seed - as natural-inclination - for emergence of next order. This natural-inclination is evidenced in all entities of nature. This is the directionality in Existence - as definitiveness. This directionality in existence is for attaining completeness. This is also called "Existential-Progression". There are four planes in this existential-progression. These planes are - Inert-plane, Illusion-plane, Godly-plane, and Divine-plane.

A plane of existential-progression sets the limit or ceiling to the capacity (what it could do at the maximum?) and ability (what it can presently do?) of entities of that plane. The entities of a plane are ceaselessly active in converting their capacities and abilities into effort - which either leads to their attaining potential for progression to higher plane, or it leads to their regression within the same plane. The progression to higher plane is irreversible - when it happens. Between the four planes in existential-progression, there are three milestones of completeness marking the irreversible transitions to next plane. These milestones are called - constitutional-completeness, activity-completeness, and conduct-completeness.

In natural-state of being - a higher-plane of existence is complementary to lower-planes, and lower-planes are useful for the higher-planes for their expression. This hierarchy of usefulness and complementariness is there among all planes of existence.

Inert-plane (प्राण पद चक्र)

Inert-plane has all physiochemical-activities of Inert-Nature - as material-order and pranic-order. "Inert" doesn't mean no-activity - inert-activities are only "different from" conscious-activities (or activities of jeevan). The examples of physical-activities are - soils, stones, gems, and metals. Chemical-activities are distincted from Physical-activities by the bonding present in the atoms participating in them - and some of these evidence pulsation (breathing) and growth (through multiplication of cells). Cells of the bodies of plants and animals evidence chemical-activities. Inert-world is the foundation on which the conscious-world of animals and humans emerges. The "bodies of all natural-orders" are composed of physiochemical entities (activities) of inert-plane. Atom of inert-plane "progresses" through fulfilling its constitution and becomes a conscious-atom (jeevan). This milestone - called constitutional-completeness - is an irreversible transition to next plane in existence, which is called "illusion plane".

Illusion-plane (भ्रांत पद चक्र)

Conscious-entity expresses third kind of activity of nature - the conscious-activity. Conscious-activities are subtler, and are completely unlike the physiochemical activities. These are the activities of wanting, seeing, understanding, thinking, visualizing, knowing, experiencing... It is the activity of "living". Jeevan is constitutionally-complete atom - which expresses these conscious-activities as living. Expression of consciousness or aliveness in animals and humans is due to jeevan's activities. Expression of consciousness is not a function of body, it is a function of jeevan. Jeevan being subtler than body, expresses itself through animal and human-bodies of inert-plane. Jeevan enlivens body for expression of consciousness. (Please also see Tiers of Consciousness)

The illusion-plane is characterized by animal-consciousness. It is the plane of existence where jeevan believes itself to be body it enlivens. Jeevan's believing itself to be Body it enlivens is also called "Illusion". All animalkind and human-beings in illusion get counted in this plane of existence. While animalkind is able to realize natural-state of its being while living in illusion, human-living in illusion-plane is unnatural and ridden with sorrow and conflict. Animalkind being in its natural-state, is able to realize its complementariness to inert-nature. Humankind in illusion being in unnatural-state is unable to realize its complentariness to inert-nature, and instead it unknowingly starts destroying them, and thereby threatening its own survival. The level of consciousness of this plane is incapable of arrive at integral-vision for universal-good. There are multiple and divergent lines of thinking here, which cannot converge to produce an integral-vision for universal-good. Sensitive tolerance for each-other is the limit of what could be achieved here - which is merely a facade of courteousness and lacks integrity. (Please also see - Beyond the Age of Sensitive-Pluralism)

Humankind has the capacity of imagination and ability of free-will - which it keeps converting into effort. It is through use of imagination it becomes able to study the existence - and thereby achieves the breakthrough as consciousness-development of progressing into next plane of existence, i.e. the Godly-plane. (Please also see - Study in Coexistence for Consciousness-Development)

Godly-plane (देव पद चक्र)

Godly-plane is characterized by human-consciousness and godly-consciousness - as human-living with integrity and awareness. This is natural-state of human-being - as freedom from illusion, freedom from conflicts, and effortlessness in living. This state is achieved only when human-being has understood the way existence is, and its orderliness - as integral-vision for universal-good. It is living with integral-outlook of justice and dharma, and realization of intellectual-resolution and material-prosperity. Such living is inspiring for illusion-plane.

It is jeevan that achieves an irreversible qualitative-improvement for transition into Godly-plane. Between Godly-plane and Illusion-plane there are no intermediate tiers of consciousness. The evidence of progress from illusion-plane is only upon achievement of Godly-plane. With this achievement, Jeevan becomes able to realize itself through human-living. This milestone of existential-progression is called - Activity-Completeness. Human-imagination now becomes rooted in existential-experience. Existential-experience is the outcome of existential-progression. All previous links of existential-progression - as emergence of natural-orders - need to be there for achievement of existential-experience in human-being.

Godly-plane culminates in realization of awakened human-tradition, and thereby attaining the final milestone in existential-progression - i.e. Conduct-Completeness.

Divine-plane (दिव्य पद - पद मुक्ति)

Divine-plane is characterized by divine-consciousness - as human-living with spontaneity. Divine-plane is the culmination of existential-progression. It is when all four natural-orders are able to realize their usefulness and complementariness. It is the perfect-harmony - when no human-being on Earth remains to be in illusion.

This is the entire range of existential-progression. There is nothing more to it. When a human-being pays attention to this proposal for himself, and evaluates his own status in this existential-progression - it gives him a definite way forward.

Source: Madhyasth Darshan, while studying it.
Posted by Rakesh Gupta

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Ethics for Human-living

Ethics for Human-living
Human-being is an entity of knowledge-order, and unlike animals whose conducts are "hard-wired" based on species - the conduct of human-beings seems indefinite due to their ability to imagine. Human-imagination gives rise to plurality of beliefs and ideologies in humankind, and clashes among them become inevitable. Idealistic preaching for building tolerance and sensitivity towards beliefs of others - isn't working. Or more modern suggestion to "celebrate diversity" - is not working as well.

Human-being is a social-entity - or is desirous of living with others. This "coming together" of human-beings is seen in the form of families and professions. In the present environment, families are typically within a community or sub-community - subscribing to a religion. Professions are typically in the form of businesses. Most, if not all, occupations of humankind have got morphed into businesses - where there is a balance-sheet, and an expectation of profit. Needless to say, both families and professions are full of struggle and conflict. Inspite of this, the expectation of harmony is also found to be there in every human-being. This expectation of harmony is there - in every single human-being living in every family, involved in any profession. This expectation is as natural to human-being as growth is to a plant, or flowing towards slope is to water. This natural-expectation there behind all human-acts, inhuman-acts also.

Human-being uses imagination for fulfilling its expectation for harmony. Human-imagination is un-rooted in the purview of animal-consciousness - leading to indefiniteness in its conduct. It's impossible for a human-being to become "naturally definite" in its conduct, while it is in animal-consciousness. Use of "fear" or "incentive" is the only possible way here for getting "desired outcomes" in different situations of families and professions. The "code of conduct" or "ethics" for living in family and in profession remain as ideals. These codes are sometimes "written" and sometimes "unwritten" - and they aim to bring about an "overall decency". In reality, these codes are as shared beliefs of people.

Unless everyone lives with the same set of beliefs (code of ethics) - it is clearly impossible to realize harmony in human-living. Even if all humankind subscribed to a single religion, faith or belief-system - it would not be possible to realize harmony. Universal-ethics for professions and families are impossible to realize while living in purview of animal-consciousness. Universal human-ethics is not a matter of "belief" or "faith" at all! The absence of ethical behaviour in different dimensions of human-living - in businesses, governments, systems, etc is not surprising. Crime and Corruption is inevitable in the purview of animal-consciousness, and no amount of controls and rulings can stop it.

Ethical living is natural-outcome of experiencing in "knowledge of co-existence". Ethical living is about values, character, and morals. It requires change in one's outlook - or pattern of thinking - towards humanness. Ethics can be imparted through education of human-consciousness. Ethics are same for both professional and personal living. The dichotomy of "work versus life" or "professional versus personal" is not there in the purview of human-consciousness.

A human-being realizing ethics alone is capable of guiding and inspiring others for becoming like himself. Human-consciousness is about living a resolved and prosperous life. A teacher who lives with resolution and prosperity alone can enable his students to live in the same way. A teacher who himself is unresolved and doesn't realize prosperity, cannot enable his students for resolution and prosperity.

The key for realization of ethical human-living is consciousness-development. Consciousness-development can happen only through meaningful education. Technical-education alone is insufficient for realization of ethical living. Madhyasth-Darshan is an alternative proposal for realization of universal-ethics in whole humankind through consciousness-development.

Source: Madhyasth Darshan, while studying it.


The Psychology of Human-Consciousness

Human-being is a combined expression of jeevan and body. Jeevan is a conscious-unit - a constitutionally-complete atom. Body is inert - as a composition of physiochemical activities. Human-being expresses sensory-motor activities- as recognition of five senses and movement of limbs and other body parts. These activities are evidenced only in an alive human-body - or while jeevan is enlivening the body. These activities are not evidenced when jeevan leaves the body - and that event is recognized as death. Jeevan enlivens body, and realizes its want of living. Sensory and motor activities are expression of jeevan's want of living - as jeevan's continuous-exercising of choice. Jeevan is "controller" of body's motor-functions as it continuously exercises choices based on sensory-recognition.

Jeevan has thinking-ability. Jeevan's activity of thinking is sublter than its activity of making choices. Thinking-activity being subtler influences choice-activity. Thinking is evaluating and analysing what is being seen and what was seen earlier. What is being seen comes from sensory-input of present. What was seen earlier is in one's memory - which is also part of jeevan. Quality and pattern of one's thinking determines quality and pattern of one's choices in living, which in turn determines quality and pattern of their outcomes. Living thus, jeevan tries to understand the world around itself - and in this way evolves its world-view or outlook. This ability of jeevan to evolve its worldview, is called believing.

Jeevan has believing-ability. It is subtler than thinking. Beliefs are acceptances of self (jeevan) about why and how of the world, and about its own self as well. Beliefs are formed, strengthened, weakened, and broken - based on one's experiences in living through interactions with other people. Beliefs are shared, and get passed on from generation to generation - through education, culture, norms, and systems. With time some beliefs change - which in turn reflect in changes in education, culture, norms, and systems. The beliefs being subtler, influence one's thinking.

Jeevan's activities of believing, thinking, and choosing work in conjunction for expression of living through body. Human-imagination is essentially these three jeevan's activities of believing, thinking, and choosing. Imagination seeks fulfillment through living. In this way, activities of believing, thinking, and doing are to seek fulfillment through living. Fulfillment or happiness in this way is the "driving-force" of human-living. All human-actions are in expectation of fulfillment.

Jeevan (self) gets a "sense of fulfillment" through sensory-activities while it is enlivening the body. This makes jeevan "believe" itself to be body! While in reality, jeevan is a (set of)conscious-activity and body is a (set of) physiochemical-activity. Believing self to be body is "limiting", since with this jeevan's expectation of fulfillment cannot get realized. Physiochemical-activities of body cannot keep pace with inexhaustible conscious-activities of thinking and choosing. Human-imagination continuously keeps experimenting and improvising for ever newer ways of getting fulfillment, but it keeps failing everytime due to its limiting-belief. This is "unnatural" state of being, which results in disharmony within and without. This is also called living in animal-consciousness.

Human-being's expectation for happiness is indicative of directionality in existence. Animal-consciousness is not the ultimate of existential-progression.

Study in Coexistence is about building one's evaluation-ability for justice, dharma, and truth. This study fills the sense of void-within, by activation of dormant-activities of self (jeevan). A human-being - fulfilled thus - is capable of living with integrity. Integrity is harmony or coherence at the levels of Knowing, Desiring, Thinking, and Doing. Study in Coexistence addresses the aspect of Knowing. Knowing is as accepting and experiencing the existence the way it is. This means, activation of atma - the mediating-activity in jeevan. The activation of atma makes the whole of jeevan experience-centric. Desiring becomes aligned with Knowing of Existence. Thinking becomes aligned with Knowing of Existence. Doing (in work and behaviour) also becomes aligned with Knowing of Existence.

Balance in human-living is impossible to realize without shifting to human-consciousness. Knowledge is essential for living with balance. Justice is another name for Balance. Justice is not just about thinking and exercising choice and have their memories. Justice is rooted in knowledge of coexistence. Justice is about perfect-recognition of every relationship's purpose, realization of values in those relationships, valuation or assessment of this realization, and achievement of mutual-fulfillment. A human-being cannot realize justice without having experienced in the knowledge of coexistence.

Knowledge of Coexistence is evidenced all around us. Every entity of nature exhibits the coexistence-principle. Human-being too is not outside the purview of this pervasive knowledge - and that's why it thirsts for this knowledge, and unknowingly keeps experimenting for becoming aligned with existence, and reach the state of effortlessness. Since human-being doesn't know and since it hasn't experienced in this knowledge - all its trials end up as miserable failures. Every failure of a trial gives rise to bigger trial - and then bigger failure. This trial and error approach has now put a huge question-mark on humankind's survival. Humankind as a specie will get wiped out from the surface of earth if it continues on its trial and error track.

Conservation of humankind is possible only by living with human-consciousness or humannness. Animal-consciousness is about having a criminal-mindset. "Criminal" is not what State determines as illegal. Every thought, act, and speech which is not rooted in knowledge of existence is criminal. Criminal-mindset is destructive - for society and climate. Conservation of Environment cannot happen with this mindset. Conservation of Environment is the result of Conservation of Humankind, and not the other way round. We cannot conserve our environment only by planting more trees, saving tigers, and by making a tougher legislations for violators. The root-cause is the level of consciousness of human-beings. Unless that is addressed and worked on, there will not be any conservation of humankind, animalkind, plantkind, and mineralkind.

Human-consciousness can be taught, and it can be learned. One who has understood can make others understand. Every human-being has imagination, and a natural-inclination for this knowledge. An awakened human-being is capable of guiding and inspiring to enable others for awakening. This is distinct from trial and error approach, and is much simpler, and much easier. Awakening is to the harmony in existence - and being tuned to that harmony. Human-consciousness is realization of awakening - as beginning of excellence in living. Human-consciousness is to live an intellectually-resolved and materially-prosperous life.

Source: Madhyasth Darshan, while studying it.
Posted by Rakesh Gupta