~ ∞ ~ The Living Earth (Gaia) - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~

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As an extension of the previous chapter, concerning the ancient wisdom and its resurgence, it goes without saying that in a book like this, it is appropriate to pay a homage to the idea of the Living Earth (Gaia). For however small this chapter ends up being, doesn’t matter as much as showing respect to this important area. You see, it should have become clear by now, at this point in the book, that Earth is, indeed, one single living system, which regulates the chemistry and conditions of Earth’s surface in an “automatic” manner – as all living systems do. This goes on to say that whatever happens in one part of the world is connected to what happens in another, sometimes imperceptibly, but nonetheless related to the whole. So when a butterfly takes off in the depths of the Amazon, its influence on the wind patterns of the world may be minute, almost beyond imagination, but it is making a contribution to homeostasis; the same is true of humans, of course, and our impact on the environment can be much more noticeable.

Sadly, in our hubris, we have forgotten that the Earth is our home, and even our mother – as most tribal cultures consider Earth to be. As such, we should show our mother (Gaia) gratitude, respect, and honor for her gift of life. Gaia is a very old name for Mother Earth, or Mother Nature. The mythical Gaia was the primal Greek goddess personifying the Earth, the Greek version of “Mother Nature,” or the Earth Mother. In Greek mythology, she birthed many of the major gods who ruled over different sections of the Earth. Gaia is known as the nurturer, sustainer and giver of love to all who come to the goddess for support. She is known as the spirit of the Earth, plants, rocks and water. In the 1970’s James Lovelock reintroduced the Earth-mother concept through the medium of Ecology. He proposed that all living things are interrelated within the self-regulating systems of the Earth, which provides the optimal conditions to support life itself.

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The modern approach to the idea that the Earth is a Living Being is called the Gaia theory. It explains that the Earth is a living system; that the Earth functions as a self-regulating system; that living and non-living parts of the Earth form a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. It proposes that organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth – to form a synergistic self-regulating complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on Earth. The idea of the Earth as an integrated whole – a Living Being, has a long tradition. Gaia hypothesis is the first comprehensive scientific expression of this profoundly ancient belief, which has been widely accepted by many scientists since the 1970’s – most notably, the acceptance comes from those who have the understanding that comes from another closely related area known as systems thinking. The most exciting part of systems thinking is applying the current achievements of system theory to Gaia theory (the living Earth theory).

Formulated by British atmospheric scientist James Lovelock, and American microbiologist Lynn Margulis – Gaia hypothesis states that the Earth’s climate and surface environment are controlled by the plants, animals, and micro-organisms that inhabit it. That taken as a whole, the Earth behaves not as an inanimate sphere of rock and soil, sustained by the automatic and accidental processes of geology, as traditional earth science has long maintained, but more as a biological superorganism – a planetary body that adjusts and regulates itself. Fundamentally, the Gaia hypothesis finds the Earth to be more like a life form than an inanimate object adjusting to internal and external changes much as an organism might react to threats and opportunities in the environment. Lovelock likes to compare the Earth to a tree. Lynn Marguilis, on the other hand, believes that micro-organisms and their constituent parts are as fundamental to life as atoms and subatomic particles are to matter and energy; meaning that bacteria – single-celled organisms without nucleus (the earliest life forms from which all other earthly organisms have evolved) are the building blocks of life.

Another closely connected area is something called Deep Ecology, which can be seen as a network of phenomena that are fundamentally interconnected and interdependent. Deep ecology is a philosophical school of thought – founded by the Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess in the early seventies. Deep ecology does not separate humans, or anything else from the natural environment – it does see the world not as a collection of isolated objects, but as a network of phenomena that are fundamentally interconnected and interdependent. Deep ecology recognizes the intrinsic value of all living beings, and views humans as just one particular strand in the larger web of life. Deep ecological awareness recognizes the fundamental interdependence of all phenomena, and that we are all embedded in the cyclical processes of nature; ultimately, deep ecological awareness is spiritual awareness, which goes on to say that when the concept of the Human Spirit is understood as the mode of consciousness, in which the individual feels a sense of belonging, of connectedness to the Cosmos as a whole – it becomes clear that ecological awareness is spiritual in its deepest essence, you see?

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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~ ∞ ~ Ancient Wisdom Resurfaces - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~

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Now that we’ve had a glimpse of what this new vision entails, we can continue our discussion by noting that these kinds of visions are not new to humanity, for they have existed for thousands of years. You see, they are integral to human nature, and will always be so until we reach that penultimate goal of equilibrium, harmony, balance – from where we can achieve peace – with ourselves and with others. Visions like these are driven by the underlying universal truths that are timeless – we all recognize them whether we acknowledge them or not. Hence, it can be said that through the ages, these same timeless truths keep emerging time and time again, and thus they can be colloquially referred to as “Ancient Wisdom.”

Most important of these timeless truths concerns the basic Oneness of the Universe; Oneness of Life – we are all One, interconnected and indivisible. And so you see, ultimately, the whole of humanity is a single being, having a collective consciousness – the sum total of all human life, having a collective direction and destiny. Each life is a link in a chain of lives, with ancestors at the one end, and descendants at the other; each life in a chain of lives is bound together by cause and effect, different, yet the same. At the deepest level, this means that there is but one God to merge with, there is but one all pervading Spirit, and it is called the Truth, by which The Miracle of Life is made possible – it exists in all Creation, it is timeless, universal, and self-existent; there is but one First Cause that has its Being of itself, and on which all other beings depend; there is but one Infinite Being, so there is but One God – see?

By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to Oneness of Life, it is paramount to highlight the following: every living thing lives within the continuous cycle of birth and death where the remains of one become the nutrients for the other – nothing is ever wasted, everything just transforms into different forms at various times; everything shifts between different levels of existence according to its vibrational frequency or awareness, you see? This same dynamic applies to our Souls and Spirit as well, which becomes clear from the second basic truth. Furthermore, upon deeper examination, one ultimately finds that inanimate objects are energy – like anything else, and contain trace amounts of consciousness, as all energy comes from a source of consciousness. This understanding not only unites everything that happens in the visible outer world, but it also links the inner subjective world to the outer world.

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All things – both seen and unseen, are bound together by cause and effect, which goes on to say that nothing can exist in absolute independence of other things or arise of its own accord; everything in the world comes into existence in response to causes and conditions – meaning that all beings and phenomena exist or occur only because of their relationship with other things – see? Many ancient wisdom traditions have known this for a long time, but the Western culture seems to lack this understanding. For example, indigenous peoples of the Great Plains of North America have a prayer of Oneness and harmony of all forms of life in their culture – it is called Mitakuye Oyasin (All Are Related), which is a phrase from the Lakota language; it reflects the worldview of interconnectedness held by the Lakota people – all are related including humans, animals, birds, insects, trees, plants, and even rocks, rivers, mountains and valleys.

The second basic truth is that the universe is an intelligent field that is inherently conscious. It is through this field of consciousness that the inner and outer worlds are connected; we are connected to this larger field of consciousness through our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and intentions. All living things have consciousness and are inseparably linked to all other living things in this Great Cosmic Web of Life; even plants have consciousness – plant’s knowing of where to grow and how to turn to the light is evidence of this – see?

This leads to the third truth, which is that we are participating in the Life and work of God – we are participating just by being ourselves. It is our awareness that ultimately connects us to all other life. You see, all life has awareness in varying degrees, or more aptly, all Life is Awareness – Living Awareness that comes from Spirit. Upon deeper examination, one finds that ultimately, the whole of humanity is a single being – having a collective consciousness, the sum total of all human life; each life is a link in a chain of lives, with ancestors at the one end, and descendants at the other. Not only are we connected to each other, but we are part of, and intimately connected to, absolutely everything in the universe. The key to wisdom is the conscious realization and acknowledgement that we are Life becoming aware of itself in this form we call a human being – Life, finding its way to itself through itself; microcosm of the universal macrocosm, awakening to itself in itself.

Through our eyes, the Universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the Universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the Universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence. ~ Alan Watts.

From another perspective, one might say that we are the universe (Creation) becoming aware of itself – living and breathing, pulsating and vibrating miracle, which is another way of saying that the universe in and of itself is very much alive. In other words, everything in the universe is conscious, endowed with a consciousness of its own kind and on its own plane of perception. In this sense, the universe has a spiritual nature, or at the very least, a spiritual cause; and thus it should be regarded and treated as such. But here we should not make a mistake of confusing Creation with the Creator, for you see, if one wishes to glorify something – let it be the Creator (God). This being the case, let all praise the Unity of God, for you see, there is but one First Cause that has its Being of itself, and on which all other beings depend; there is but one Infinite Being, so there is but one God – see?

This brings us to conclude that in our deepest core we are ancient – Infinite Living Awareness, taking different shapes and forms in the continuum of time. In this sense, we have been around forever, and there has never been a time when we have not existed, nor will there be a time when we cease to exist. We all have hidden within us this deep Ancient Wisdom that’s in every single one of us – we all carry this ancient gift from our forefathers and mothers.

Let us go deeper. Earth is an incredibly and wonderfully complex interdependent network of elements and life forms that co-evolved together. This is why the ancient humans felt a burning responsibility to show their respect, honor and gratitude to the Universe, to Nature, and to Mother Earth which gave them Life. Ancient wisdom holds that humans were created to be the caretakers of the Earth – we were placed here to care for its plants and animals, to protect its natural beauty, to show respect and gratitude for all the abundance that the Earth gives us every day, and to live in harmony with nature and all forms of life.

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That said, it is clear that we as human beings are an intrinsic part of the whole – Sentient Intelligence, individuated, yet interconnected and interdependent on other parts. As such, we humans are an intrinsic part of nature, and therefore we need to better understand how to adjust ourselves to the physical environment without destroying it and ourselves in the process; how to be a natural part of the living process, and how to work holistically within the living system.

As mentioned earlier in this section, when we look at today’s world, we cannot say it’s one of peace and joy; rather, we find that we live in the midst of self-imposed chaos, which brings about the question: Have we totally forgotten what our forefathers and mothers have taught us? Upon deeper examination, one finds that this self-imposed chaos is something that we may have created for ourselves to experience in hopes of meeting ourselves – to shake away old, outdated and outmoded structures that no longer can sustain us, which is another way of saying that we can no longer leave ourselves out of the equation. You see, at the moment we find ourselves in between conscious of the limitations of the old, and needing a new paradigm which transcends our ways of thinking, being, and seeing.

Here we arrive at the conclusion: If we want to continue living here on Earth, we need a completely new paradigm; meaning that we need a fundamental change in our thoughts, perceptions, and values. The change begins by shifting our current limited mechanistic view of life to match that of a holistic conception of life. You see, a living experience of wholeness is achieved by opening fully to our own pure awareness, which is another way of saying that clear experience of awareness brings a radically new way of relating to oneself and the world. As we witness the deterioration within the ecological, social, political, and economic world structures, we can experience the re-emergence of ancient wisdom. You see, life is a full circle; coming back around, again and again, in hopes of meeting ourselves; in hopes of seeing and really knowing ourselves; around and around and around we go, in this thing we call life – see?

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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~ ∞ ~ The Emergence of a New Vision 2/2 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~

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Another truth worth considering: the questions and answers, the problems and solutions, are separated only by imagination and abstraction. And these, my friend, are connected and linked together by awareness, and what keeps them seemingly separate is the level of awareness. In the way of awareness, are the two main shortcomings of us human beings – ignorance and hubris, you see? This brings us nicely to the next aspect of our discussion. As mentioned in the previous chapter, our tendency to divide the perceived world into individual and separate things and to experience ourselves as “isolated minds” is a form of ignorance that prevents us – if not solely, at least largely, from understanding our interdependence with all Life and our relationship with Earth. Indeed, the foundation of modern-day problems is deeply rooted in our ignorance, and hence it can be said that the times we live in – is the pinnacle of ignorance. From this perspective, we can see that the crisis of our times is not only ecological and political, but more than anything else – a spiritual one.

Therefore, we as the collective human species are called to undergo a spiritual transformation in order to affect the economic, political and social changes needed. To do that, we have to snap out of our denial; this simple, yet deeply profound truth is the key and the first step in transformation. It is unfortunate that all too often we are not ready for that first step for whatever reason or excuse – this in turn keeps us ignorant. Ignorance itself is the root cause of all suffering (Dukkha), and is most definitely the biggest challenge of our time. It is this very ignorance and estrangement from ourselves that explains our feeling of isolation from nature and Life itself. It seems that whatever we humans as a collective do – is creating more suffering, chaos and disorder into the world than peace, happiness, and equality.

In the previous chapter, we saw how the mechanistic Western worldview impacts our lives in so many different ways. And so it can be said: Western man today, it would seem, has no single philosophy of life that sustains or encourages him. Western man today, has forgotten and rejected nature, or at the very least, pretends, quite convincingly, to have forgotten nature. For this same reason, Western man today, when he looks into himself, fails to see the spiritual reality. And so you see, in essence, the Western view of the world is rigid and inflexible. Western thinking is that everything is under man’s control. In contrast, the Eastern thinking is to co-exist with nature. As such, in essence, the Eastern view of the world is very much organic and intrinsically dynamic. This contrast is an excellent starting point for a continued discussion.

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There is much we can learn from the Eastern view. For instance, the division of nature into separate objects is not fundamental, and therefore all objects have a fluid and ever-changing nature. In other words, all things and events perceived by the senses are interrelated, connected, and are therefore different aspects or manifestations of the same Ultimate Reality. Furthermore, Eastern mysticism emphasizes the basic unity of the universe, which is the central feature of their teachings. In turn, the highest aim is to become aware of this unity and underlying mutual interrelation and interdependence of all things; to transcend the notion of an isolated individual self, and to identify with the Ultimate Reality.

Interestingly, there are striking similarities between foundational theories in the field of quantum physics and basic ideas in the philosophical and religious traditions of Eastern mysticism, foremost of which is consciousness. You see, in a completely interconnected universe, consciousness anywhere means consciousness everywhere. Non-locality tells us that anywhere is everywhere. In fact, it would seem that energy itself, like matter, is an appearance of consciousness. This certainly fits with the observation we made earlier in this book, that no human has ever had any experience outside of consciousness or outside of the eternally present moment – see?

Certainly, the world would be a much better place to live if we were to combine the knowledge of science and ancient wisdom teachings and propagate that knowledge through education and awareness. If we are to find a better way, it can only be achieved through awareness; if we are to transform our old ways into something new, it can only be achieved through self-awareness – see? From this, the question arises: What should we change in our ways of thinking and being to reach a balance as a whole? The answer may lie in our ingenuity, in our ability to innovate and create. One of our strengths as humans is our ability to simplify, so we should use it to our advantage. If we focus our energy and combined efforts on building the new, we can achieve great things together.

It is obvious that our systems must evolve to meet the needs of the times we live in; to be able to facilitate the growth and development. Especially our educational systems would need to undergo a deep and profound transformation towards a direction that could help nurture the heart as well as the mind; and in so doing lay the foundation for compassion so that every individual could utilize their skills and abilities not only for personal growth and advancement, but also for the good of the world as well – see? What awaits us in the future is ours to envision, discover and co-create together, learning from one another and helping to build a legacy for future generations.

In the end, it is we ourselves who write our own destiny, with how we choose to live our lives, with what we choose to learn, unlearn, and relearn, with what we choose to envision and create, and what we choose to cherish and value. The decision is ours, and ours alone, and has been so from day one, you see? Should we choose to use our free will to rewrite our story and redefine how we do things – is entirely up to each and every one of us. Is it not, indeed, up to us to choose our path? Whichever path we choose, it will surely determine the fate of our species for a long time to come.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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~ ∞ ~ The Emergence of a New Vision 1/2 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~

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For as long as I can remember, I have always had a vision of a world very different than the one I grew up living in, which is another way of saying that the seed of this vision can be said to be embedded deep within me from birth. At the very core of this vision is the hope for transformation, the hope for a more equal, peaceful and harmonious world. You see, I have always believed that deep down in their hearts and minds, at the very core of our humanity, the majority of humans want world peace – to live peacefully with each other; that the true nature of people is to extend compassion and loving kindness to one another. Furthermore, I have also strongly believed that we should do everything within our power to reach our God-given potential and strive to improve ourselves in every way possible; focus our attention and energy for the betterment of humanity as a whole; use our intelligence and ingenuity to further improve the quality of human life, to grow and develop our skills and talents.

It took some time for this vision to come to fruition; slowly but surely it developed to what it is now – a vision of an awakened humanity and an awakened world as it is emerging into a future possibility for humanity. This crystallized vision grew out of the desire to explore, develop and learn – and eventually it turned into a mission to share what I had discovered and realized by exploring and expanding consciousness to perceive wider reality. As indicated in earlier chapters, we as the collective human species are in dire need of positive transformation. This kind of transformation is only possible if we have some kind of guideline to follow – a vision of how it could be.

Now one might ask: What is the emerging vision that could offer a template for a new era of humanity? It is a vision that takes us beyond the old, outdated and outmoded paradigm that is governed by the beliefs and habits specific to race, nation, religion, gender etc. It offers us a totally new concept of Spirit as an Intelligent Energy Field – a limitless sea of being; Intelligently Self-Organizing Consciousness within that field – originating from one indivisible Divine Source of Infinite Awareness. It offers us a new concept of ourselves as belonging to, and participating in that sea of consciousness. It is a vision that recognizes and acknowledges the Unity and Interconnectedness of the Great Cosmic Web of Life.

In its own unique way, this book – as a whole, is precisely the said emerging vision, which provides a glimpse into a world that is very different from ours, but could very well be ours to experience if we would be willing to strive forward to reach such a future. Through the lens it provides, we have the unique opportunity to imagine what could be our future; after all, we are truly free to choose ourselves in what kind of world we want to live in. Is it not, then, up to us to envision, create and build the world we want to live in; to put in place the systems, structures, practices, processes, and strategies that would be a better representative of the humanity as a whole?

As things stand, with regard to the current state of humanity, it has never been a better time to experience a shift in perspective and redefine what is it to be human. You see, there is a momentum pulling us toward an emerging future that holds the potential for a collective awakening, which is something that takes place within each of us whenever we are ready to remember our eternal nature, whenever we are ready to take that first step in remembering who we are at the deepest level of our being, whenever we are ready to know our core essence as Spirit. Should we choose to utilize our free will and use this unique opportunity to grow beyond what we have known, should we choose to become something new and experience what can be – a prosperous and blossoming humanity, remains to be seen; and this, my friend, is not only possible, but also attainable – if we believe in ourselves and cultivate patience and persistence, you see?

If the said collective awakening would take place, there would be some universal truths that would be realized population-wide. These principles or tenets would be not only realized, but also acknowledged, understood, accepted and appreciated by humanity as a whole. These, in turn, would thus then, through mutual acknowledgement, understanding, respect and trust, become cornerstones, ethical values and guiding principles of the transformed humanity, you see?

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Like mentioned earlier, as this book in its entirety is the vision, there is no need to summarize or list all aspects of it here, since it was already done in the introductory section titled “Prologue.” Nonetheless, it would be helpful, though, if we listed some of the deeper key aspects, principles or tenets below, after which we will explore the vision in a broader context.

– All is One Life, One Energy, One Consciousness, One Awareness. That is to say, different aspects of Life are inherently Interconnected, and inextricably Interrelated. All Life is connected through Living Consciousness and Living Awareness. This we can call a “Great Cosmic Web of Life.”

– Consciousness is primary and matter secondary. In other words, the phenomenal world arises or manifests out of an invisible or transcendent dimension of reality.

– The Universe is conscious and there are many levels to this consciousness.

– Our human consciousness is an integral part of this greater consciousness (Living Consciousness). As such, we are an integral part of this Great Cosmic Web of Life.

– Consciousness in some form survives the death of the physical body.

– What we have called “God” or Spirit is the Divine ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe. There is nothing outside or beyond “God.” In other words, we participate in the Life of “God,” which is the Life of Earth and the Life of the Cosmos.

– The purpose of our lives on Earth is to be reunited with the source and ground of our being, and to live our lives in growing awareness of that connection.

And now, we can explore all the aforementioned in a broader context. We can start with the following truth: if one lives in a modern world, they cannot separate themselves from the current system we have in place – no matter how hard they try. The system is part of us and we are part of it, which means that in order to have a different kind of system, we would need to envision and build a better one in its place – one that would be a better representative of the humanity as a whole. And so you see, as everything is interconnected, interdependent, and interrelated, it would mean that all things – both seen and unseen, are bound together by cause and effect; everything in the world, therefore, comes into existence in response to causes and conditions, which means that all beings and phenomena, all systems and structures, all practices and processes, all traditions, customs and beliefs exist or occur only because of their relationship with other things.

As is the case with all the aforementioned, so is the case with the lack of equality, which is, of course, due not only to our attitudes, but also to the influence of the structures on which society is based. The persisting lack of equality is a problem not only affecting and shaping our daily lives as individuals, but also the society as a whole – it is a major obstacle to sustainable development. The lack of equality is a cause of poverty, ruthless competition and social injustice among many other things, and it is causing us to act irrationally, out of emotion without properly using our intuition and intelligence, which is why we are in conflict with ourselves and with others. In an interconnected world, this inner conflict manifests in various forms and occurs at different levels, which goes on to say that our inner conditions have a real and tangible impact on the external world – see?

That said, let me ask you this: What would this mean with regard to the current system we have in place? Is it not, indeed so, that we together – as the collective humanity, are the system? What would happen to the system if we ourselves transformed? Would it not, indeed, be so, that the system would undergo transformation as well – being the reflection of the people, you see? This is why one of the core tenets of this new emerging vision, is precisely – transformation. Now, take a moment and imagine the endless possibilities we could achieve, dream, envision and create together. What do we need to achieve this? Plain and simple, in one word – will. You see, where there is will, there is a way; and when there is both – the will and the way, there is hope – a compass directing us in life. With patience and persistence we continue to move forward, finding solutions to the problems, and answers to the questions, overcoming any obstacles we may face, and eventually we will prevail, you see?

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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~ ∞ ~ Outdated View of Life (Mechanistic Machine) 3/3 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~

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This fragmentation is seen in our science, our medicine, our social and legal systems, our interpersonal relationships, and eventually in our relationships with our own selves – creating a separation between the body, mind, and Spirit. Therefore, we fail to see that different aspects of Life are inherently interconnected, and inextricably interrelated. Consequently, not only do we fail to see how different problems are interrelated, but we also refuse to recognize how our so-called solutions affect future generations; this means that our solutions always seem to carry a price tag. And so you see, the more we study the major problems of our time, the more we come to realize that they cannot be understood in isolation – ultimately, they are systemic problems, and this means that they are very much interconnected and interdependent.

That said, it is worth noting that we have everything we need to solve any problem in the world, yet our major problems – whether economic, political or social – remain unsolved. It goes without saying that it is simply foolish to believe that by doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results could somehow solve our problems. Expecting some magical solution to emerge from this perpetual loop of foolishness is the epitome of ignorance, isn’t it? In other words, the answers and solutions we seek cannot come from the limited consciousness but can emerge from a deeper understanding born of the union of heart and mind. If we are to solve any of these problems, we need integration, interdisciplinarity and holism. You see, essentially these problems are different facets of one single problem – a crisis of perception; all other problems are different manifestations of their root cause, which is clearly our perception.

By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to the crisis of perception, it is worth highlighting the following: one of the main reasons for this immense crisis we face is our limited ways of thinking, and not only that, but also our ways of living and being, which both aid in the creation of limited perception. From this derives all the insufficient ways in which we acquire and process mental information. This means that in the world at large, the importance is often placed on the mind and the linear, rational-analytic thinking – this type of information gathering and processing is valued over the heart-based wisdom (experiential-intuitive thinking) with severe consequences.

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Nonetheless, even though we are in the midst of major problems, there are always ways to solve them – some solutions are simple, but others require a radical shift in our perceptions, thinking, being, and most of all – in our values. The root of these problems can be said to be the outdated and outmoded worldview that we seem to hold so dear to us – to be more precise, the mechanistic view of reality. On a deeper level, this means that we ourselves are part of the problem, co-creating and sustaining a vicious cycle – not only do we hold on to an outdated and outmoded worldview, but due to our hubris, we refuse to see the obvious. Now, let me ask you this: If we are the source of our problems, wouldn’t that suggest that we can also be the solution?

While many can easily agree that the mechanistic worldview has been beneficial in many ways – they seem to forget, or just simply refuse to see that it has been quite detrimental at the same time. To be blunt – some people just love to be willingly oblivious and willfully ignorant, you see? Even though this kind of worldview has been extremely successful in the development of classical physics and technology, it has also had adverse consequences for our civilization. That is to say, we are constantly trying to apply outdated concepts to a reality that can no longer be understood in terms of these limited views and ideas. Mostly this is due to a scientific analytic thinking that consists in breaking up complex phenomena into pieces to understand the behavior of the whole from the properties of its parts. By using this methodology, we can’t see the forest for the trees. Thus, it is essential that the scientific knowledge that shapes and limits the contours of our social reality should be expanded to include non-measurable phenomena – such as values, meaning, purposes, and feelings – in other words, subjective inner experiences of the individuals. This will require a radical change in perspective – a thorough reassessment of how we know anything about the world.

From this brief examination, we can draw an important conclusion: there’s no way we can keep using the old, outdated and outmoded ways of thinking and being in today’s world; and certainly not in tomorrow’s world, either, you see? Hence it is evident that we need a massive shift in perspective – to shift the way we see the world, we need a new context and a new framework to experience the world around us. This means developing a new view of the world for which we have absolutely no other references than the nature itself – which operates as an interconnected whole, undivided wholeness in flowing movement, in which patterns are contained within patterns.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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When it comes to consciousness – our innate ability to experience or to feel – it remains a mystery to science, although many so-called “experts” have attempted to study, define and explain it. Considering how far we have come as a species, with all the discoveries in science, engineering and technology – including astronomy, biology, chemistry, medicine, psychology, sociology, and philosophy, among many other fields, it is simply astonishing how little we have discovered about consciousness. In our attempt to understand consciousness, we have chosen a stance of denial: if we cannot locate, measure, or see consciousness; if we cannot quantify or break down consciousness – it must be impossible; or at the very least – it must reside in the brain. It is, after all, our firm belief that the mind is in the brain – so therefore also consciousness must reside in the brain, as well. Yet, ironically enough, we cannot prove it to be so. We tend to think that what we see is all there is – that there is nothing we cannot see. Even though we know this is not true, we like to pretend otherwise.

This view is based on a set of assumptions that are grounded in the metaphysics of matter in blind motions, of reductionistic mechanism and materialism. Scientific materialism is a philosophical stance which posits a limited definition of consciousness. In this view, consciousness is the working of the various physical subsystems of the brain, or more broadly, consciousness is quantified as the number of feedback systems within an organism. As a result, Western science views consciousness as being merely an epiphenomenon, an ineffective by-product of matter – evolved to the complexity of nervous systems and brains. This predisposition sets the tone by defining our expectations, which in turn creates even more limitations to our already narrow way of thinking, giving less leeway to creative and innovative approaches that could lead to groundbreaking discoveries. In other words, instead of breaking out of the box that is limiting our thinking, with this predisposition we are creating evermore tighter box around us than we already are in.

There is an a priori presumption in the Western worldview that consciousness is the same as mind – something that is confined to the brain. This presumption that consciousness shares the limitations of the mind and the body is simply a belief to which the vast majority of humanity unknowingly subscribes. This happens in spite of the fact that there is no evidence to support such a belief. No matter how advanced our level of science and technology is, no matter how sophisticated our equipment, or how complex our methods of analysis have become – we have failed to prove this presumption to be true. Not only that, but we have also failed to explain the experiential aspect or the subjective state of being oneself, otherwise known as the ‘I’ experience.

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Because scientific materialism likens consciousness to mind, it accepts the existence of mind in a peculiar way: as a pointless, purposeless epiphenomenon of mindless, material atoms. Mind, in science, has no causal efficacy whatsoever. Therefore, is it any wonder that our collective actions as nations, as governments, as businesses, and even as individuals has turn out to be pathological in nature. Our actions are, indeed, quite pathological – simply because they don’t take account of the profound interdependence of living systems, nor consciousness for that matter (pun intended).

The underlying pathology of our collective thought is metaphysical. You see, as mentioned earlier, the birth of modern science was preceded and accompanied by the development of philosophical thought which led to an extreme formulation of the spirit-matter dualism. As a result, the mind has been separated from the body and given the task of controlling it – causing an apparent conflict within human beings; this inner conflict manifests in various forms and occurs at different levels. In other words, this fundamental division between the two seemingly independent and separate realms – that of mind and matter, has divided us more than ever.

This fragmented view is further extended to society, which in turn is then split even more – into different nations, races, religious and political groups. The belief that all of these fragments are really separate can be seen as the essential reason for the social, cultural and ecological crises. This fragmentation has not only alienated us from nature, but also from our fellow human beings – creating unnecessary conflicts between people; the consequence being a life which is mentally and physically unhealthy.

To realize how this fragmentation plays out requires only a brief look at a university catalog – there one will find that learning is divided into segments with separate departments, each taking a slice of what mankind has learned throughout human history: astronomy, biology, philosophy, history, mathematics, psychology, sociology, physics, chemistry, and so on. Within each of these departments there are many subspecialties. The large number of departmentalization is not the worst aspect of the problem, neither is the fragmentation of knowledge, but rather the fact that the scholars of these numerous specialties often resent each other and find it impossible to speak to one another.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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~ ∞ ~ Outdated View of Life (Mechanistic Machine) 1/3 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~

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As an opening remark, it should be noted that the ideas, concepts, views and perspectives presented in the following few pages are not new. On the contrary, there have been many people talking and writing about them for a long time. In other words, everything we have ever wanted to know about life, its mysteries, and even the root causes behind many of our problems today have already emerged out of the collective unconscious in one form or another. In that sense, the old saying: “There is nothing new under the sun,” holds true even today – mainly so because there can only be different angles and points of view in different times to be shared. Fascinatingly, the aforementioned saying also applies to the problems we face in the world. You see, no matter the era, time, season, or place, the same problems seem to recur time and time again. As such, each generation must find new solutions to the same problems – only for them to recur, repeating the vicious cycle all over again.

Isn’t it intriguing that few, if any, of the problems that we face are new, and that none of the solutions that we find is likely to prove timeless? Doesn’t it seem as if these problems follow us like shadows? Now, let me ask you this: Could it be that we ourselves are creating them in the first place – co-creating and sustaining a vicious cycle? Furthermore, if we are the source of our problems, we can also be the solution, can’t we? But alas, we humans are particularly good at putting off the inevitable, and so it goes that ripples get bigger and bigger each generation, crisis gets ever more severe, struggle gets more intense, and conflict gets more widespread – until such time when either civilization destroys itself or consciously decides to evolve. If history is any indication, every civilization reaches a crisis point eventually, and most of them don’t make it. This goes a long way to demonstrating how deep our willful blindness and ignorance of the obvious really goes.

And so you see, the legacy of history, it seems, is that our human tendency is to repeat our past and do things as we have learned to do them – often starting in our childhood, without questioning or challenging what we do; constantly projecting past into the future without transcending ourselves in the process. This means that collectively we become our past – repeatedly, and so it goes that we face the same issues and fundamental problems as did humans thousands of years ago. If we look at the state of humanity today, one may say that nothing has changed. Granted, we have developed a formidable intellect, science, and technology, but alas, that is pretty much where it begins and ends – it is premature at best, and the height of hubris at worst, to assume otherwise. You see, there are still wars and conflict, there is a divide between rich and poor, people are still greedy and cruel, and we still have great suffering in the world. From this, the question arises: Does it have to be this way?

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On the path toward understanding ourselves better, it is imperative to briefly dip our toes into something that may be immensely helpful in figuring out one’s bearings in this challenging time of convergence – a turning of the tides, if you will. You see, if one lives in a modern world, they cannot separate themselves from the current system we have in place – no matter how hard they try. And this is why in the following few pages, we will take a look at some of the underlying issues that are causing problems in our world today. Having reached the end of this chapter, a clear picture should have emerged that shows clearly that the society today seems to be like a ship lost at sea that is drifting farther and farther off course. So without a further due, let us explore some of the core issues behind many of our problems today. We can start by briefly exploring the deeply troubled system we currently have.

We live in a system that has been built by privileged men – it promotes inequality, ruthless competition and social injustice among many other things. The first and most significant shortfall of this old-fashioned system is undoubtedly its hierarchical structure: it is based on a top-down approach that by design benefits the few at the expense of the many. In so doing, the system accelerates the degradation of the whole by weakening the structure from inside out. The second and equally damaging is the way in which these kinds of hierarchical structures are managed – the power is concentrated to the few on top. As a consequence, the few on top make the rules that people on the bottom abide and live by – and this, quite frankly, makes the many on the bottom of the hierarchy slaves to the few on top. And because majority of the people live inside the system, being part of the system – they are very much dependent on the system – so much so that they remain servants to those few on top without even realizing it – see?

Having said that, it is time to move the conversation forward by asking the question: Can we somehow pinpoint the source of these problems? Well, the answer is both yes and no. To be honest, there is no single, straightforward answer to give, since the root of these problems lies deep in our worldview, which is reminiscent of the dualistic Cartesian approach to metaphysics; yet, this much we can say: the nature of our problems is first and foremost – metaphysical. You see, our view of the world profoundly impacts how we live and interact with the world and with each other – this is a key insight to keep in mind since there is an alternative view to consider – more on that in the next chapter. These problems have to a large extent arisen not only from the split between Spirit and nature, but also from the secular belief system that has increasingly separated us from nature and Soul; both as individuals and as a species, we suffer from a sense of self that feels disconnected not only from other people but from the Earth itself.

This is particularly interesting when one considers the fact that in the modern era of laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other gadgets and gizmos of various kinds, the interconnected nature of life has become ever more apparent. And yet, in spite of this, we behave as if we are separate from everything else. Isn’t that precisely the epitome of selfishness, the paradox of individualism? As a result, we tend to think in terms of opposites and polarities, which goes on to say that collectively, we are running old dualistic programs that are based on linear stories of the past, present, and future; either-or choices; 1 or 0; true versus false; you versus me.

In this mechanistic worldview, life is understood as an incidental and accidental part of the universe, and so it has become easier not only to believe that we are individual beings, but that we are separate beings – separated from each other, from our environment, and the very Earth that sustains us. And yet, at the very core, we are one people – the people of Earth; one nation – the nation of Earth; one life – the life of Earth. You see, each individuated consciousness contributes to creating the environment that sustains all other existences – all things, mutually supportive and related, form a Living Universe, a single living whole – Living Life.

This image of separation is precisely what initially led to dualism between body and Soul in Western philosophy – it has become the basis of our collective worldview and belief system. Instead of a holistic view – human being as a whole, the human body has been treated like it would be a mechanistic machine of some kind. As a result, instead of a living and vibrating, Intelligent Life, people are used to thinking in terms of machinery and clockworks, you see? This, in turn, makes it so that people learn more and more about less and less, which results in that our collective worldview in its current form and state is rigid, inflexible, and in many ways – old, outdated and outmoded. As a consequence, we are too quick to judge and discredit those with a differing view. The belief system underlying our collective worldview can be summarized as follows:

1.) Matter is primary and gives rise to mind as a secondary phenomenon; consciousness is therefore a by-product of the brain.

2.) There is no survival of consciousness after death; the death of the brain is the death of the individual.

3.) The idea that there is an independently existing Soul or Spirit is an erroneous fiction.

4.) “God” is an unnecessary hypothesis and the concept of Soul an irrelevance; thus we can impose our will on nature to serve our needs.

5.) There is no transcendent purpose or meaning to our lives.

From the previous, it becomes clear that philosophy, science, and medicine have done their very best in their combined efforts to peel the layers of the fruit of life. As a result, we are left with a dispirited world, which make us believe in an unliving world. There is not only irony and paradox here, but also an astonishing dichotomy. You see, scientists talk about the natural world, and yet they base all their claims and evidence on a pathological model of the universe. We have been presented with a view of the world based on a gigantic mechanism composed of “dead matter,” in which lifeless universal mechanism had already been grinding along and running down several billion years since its Big Bang. As in any good story, exciting things happen, and so it does here. You see, science is a story, a narrative, and as its offshoot, the Big Bang theory – is also a story. And so it goes that somewhere along the way, some of its non-living matter was accidentally converted into living matter, out of which life is supposed to have arisen. And so it goes that the world we know, or think we know – is a collectively learned perception – an image in the mind. In our minds, the world has become a giant machine – a machine without any intrinsic feeling and without any real meaning or purpose.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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[ Click » here « to read the next part: Outdated View of Life (Mechanistic Machine) 2/3 ]

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Extra Material: Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"