Tuesday, March 07, 2006

The Absolute and the Manifest


Absolute Spirit is the fundamental reality. But in order to create the world, the Absolute manifests itself, or goes out of itself--in a sense, the Absolute forgets itself and empties itself into creation (although never really ceasing to be itself). Thus the world is created as a "falling away" from Spirit, as a "self-alienation" of Spirit, although the Fall is never anything but a play of Spirit itself.
-Ken Wilber, The Marriage of Sense and Soul

I so easily get lost in the 10,000 things that I forget they are all just variations of the One. For the next hour I will try to hold in my consciousness that all of this is Spirit--me, my clients, the traffic on the road--the whole buzzing mess of my world.

This wildly amazing Kosmos is all just Spirit growing back to itself with increased awareness. My goal for this limited life is to align myself as much as possible with that process.

5 comments:

Steve said...

I have never quite understood why the One "plays" at being the Many and is then intent on rediscovering the Oneness that it never truly lost. For if Oneness is incomparable beauty and bliss, why "play" at being anything else? Isn't this a little like a rich man who is supremely happy being rich but who nevertheless throws away his money and tries to earn it back? Yes, there may be pleasure in the effort to regain his wealth, but if he can never be happier than when he is wealthy, why would he want to relinquish that wealth and be less happy?

Anonymous said...

...for the same reason that Houdini did what he did (for the adventure and challenge). If the Oneness can learn to remember its Oneness while in the form of Many, that seems like the ultimate adventure and mastery.

Anonymous said...

furthermore money does not give pleasure in and of itself, the only pleasure it derives is in the use of it for various reasons. Money is only a symbol. The lack of it can make you unhappy but the having it will never make you happy.

william harryman said...

Hi Nagarjuna,

There are some who believe that enlightenment itself is evolving. The way that it does this is through becoming increasingly aware of itself through evolution. Or so I think. I could be wrong.

The fact that we are questioning all this is a step forward for us as beings, and a new element in the manifestation of Spirit in matter.

Original Cause, which I think is at the heart of your response, is a mystery we may never grasp--unless one of us stumbles into our already enlightened state.

Peace,
Bill

Unknown said...

Ken Wilber addresses the same question is a rather famous interview he gave, known as "A Ticket to Athens."