INTRODUCTION TO HOLISM

INTRODUCTION TO HOLISM

 

PROLOGUE

The following text is a personal observation on questions that concern us all. Almost all of it is original, with the exception of the inclusion of a word such as “holograph”, which although not in my first draft, was included not because it presented a new idea, but because it contributed a word my ideas lacked. I later read echoes of my ideas in other sources, which convinced me of the universal nature of these thoughts. I found similar ideas expressed in a book entitled An Incomplete Guide to the Future by Willis W. Harman, in which he discusses the “perennial philosophy”, a term used by Aldous Huxley in a book of the same name. Holism is not new, not if you consider that it too can be called another version of that “ancient wisdom” or “perennial philosophy”. As Huxley describes it: “Rudiments of the Perennial Philosophy may be found among the traditionary lore of primitive peoples in every region of the world, and in its fully developed forms it has a place in every one of the higher religions. A version of this Highest Common Factor in all preceding and subsequent theologies was first committed to writing more than twenty-five centuries ago, and since that time the inexhaustible theme has been treated again and again, from the standpoint of every religious tradition and in all the principal languages of Asia and Europe.” Harman explains it thus: “According to the perennial philosophy, when man comes to know himself, the pull of his material and ego needs is greatly lessened and he finds that his deepest motivation is to participate fully, with awareness, in the evolutionary process. Evolution is seen to be not a random matter, but directed by a higher consciousness and directed by purpose. This purpose includes the development of individual centers of consciousness with freedom of choice, gradually moving toward ever increasing knowledge of themselves, of Self, and of the Whole.” Holism then, although it springs from the mind of one individual, actually has roots that draw from a common source.
 

PART I

The key to understanding Holism lies in the integration of modern physics, ancient Hindu philosophy, and holographic concepts of reality. (A holograph is that which contains everything in one whole, and each part reflects the whole.) (Note: The “Big Bang” mentioned next is a theory that says the universe was created from an explosion of highly compacted, unified energy. The universe expands and then contracts to reform the original state.) If we accept the following three propositions as true: the “Big Bang” effect is valid; the “Big Bang” effect is cyclical; and the true nature of reality is holographic; then we can conceive of an infinite number of universes coexisting, created from a primordial united field of energy. We call this pre-“Big Bang” field the Source. In the Source, all the forces of nature are unified in a state of equilibrium, a state of “One-ness”. After the “Bang” time and space are created as the forces are transformed into the physical universe we see today.

Since the nature of reality is holographic, these universes of time and space do not represent the actual shape of the cosmos. This actual shape exists only where time and space do not exist. This environment only occurs in the Source. Amid all the dynamic changes in the physical universes, it is unchanging, eternal, holographic, and absolute. As each universe “dies”, it must return to the state of the Source, which is the only stable element in the design, that is, it is the only one capable of retaining its “identity”. Each new universe, each new creation, is only a “vibration” or “frequency” of the Source. The Source exists as the Absolute, and the physical universes are in effect variations of this field, different dimensions of it, but still contained within the hologram.

Bhagavata Purana asserts, according to Edwin Bryant, that the empirical and the spiritual uni-verse are both metaphysical realities, and manifestations of the same Oneness, just like heat and light are “real but different” manifestations of sunlight.

After death, the spirit of the organism is released from the universe of time and space, and is merged into the pre-“Bang” universe, which we have said encompassed all in a holographic effect. It is the nature of every particle of energy/matter to “live” and then to return to the Source, only to “live” again. It is also man’s nature. But in man’s case, it is not so much a return as a release. The Source “energy” is received by the human nervous system/brain. The nervous system enables man to perceive a consciousness of his higher Self. This higher Self, this consciousness, is not a particle of energy/matter, but a holographic manifestation. Upon the death of the physical body and its nervous system, full awareness of the Source be-comes apparent.

In Hindu theology, Rukmini (Vishnu’s wife), states in the Bhagavata Purana that this is a “re-turn of the individual soul to the Absolute and its merging into the Absolute”.

Anaximander of Miletus stated: “the non-limited is the original material of existing things; further, the source from which existing things derive their existence is also that to which they return at their destruction.”

Although the Source is of God, we must be careful not to equate the two. The Source itself is a creative agent. Just as matter is composed of energy, so energy is composed of something yet more fundamental. This fundamental “energy” is what gives birth to the primordial united field of the Source, it shapes the universes composed of energy and matter, it directs the events in these universes, and it does so not in a random fashion, but with a purpose. And what is “it” that is the overlord of the Source? It is a Mind, an Intelligence, a Consciousness beyond our understanding. Call it God, the higher Self, the Source of the Source, “it” defies description. The closest vague word we have is Spirit. “It” is the Creator, the Source is the creative agent,
and we are the characters whose purpose it is to complete the circle to full evolution not through physical development, but through development of the consciousness to union with the Mind. It is an error to perceive of reality as composed of physical creation, of matter and en-ergy, when in truth it is all a sort of “thought-form”, and the ultimate source is pure consciousness, pure mind.

Reality consists of a matrix of intersections between space and time. Our consciousness of “now” is due to a specific series of these intersections. Consciousness for physical bodies is a result of the interaction of space and time. Consciousness for non-physical creation is not a result of specific intersections, but a synthesis of the whole. (Which is the holographic mani-festation mentioned earlier.) Our temporal consciousness then is part of this synthesis. All organisms experience the passage of the intersections, but only humans have the necessary neural equipment to consciously express it. Transcendental consciousness is the ability to go beyond space-time intersection and to grasp the knowledge of the whole matrix, of the synthesis. This synthesis is what we call God, or the higher Self. This is the true holographic nature of reality.

It is not only faith and devotion to the Christ figure that will save your spirit, but a basic change in human nature by committing oneself to his teachings that will save your “reborn” spirit. As the Christ himself said, it is not the messenger, but the message that is important. To reach God, we must not use Christ as a bridge, but we must become as Christ ourselves. Man does not walk over this bridge, he must become the bridge.

Christ said that he who observes his teachings will not die. These “teachings” are the same as reported by people who had a near death experience and who came into contact with the light (the Mind) and who returned to life with value changes induced by this experience. It is my belief that the part of the self that will die is the sensory-based self, composed of inculcated thoughts and neuro-chemical behavior, of social conditioning and genetic patterning. I call this the state of subjective truth. The part that will live is that which will merge in union with the light, becoming the light. Therefore, if you observe Christ’s teachings in this life, you have acquired what I term the objective truth. Then, after death, “you” will not die because “you” have transformed your “self” to near-consonance with God, or the light, which will be-come total consonance soon after death.

Because the human mind is fallible, then only revealed knowledge from God can be true. That is the meaning of the parable of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”, which is human, subjective truth, and the “Tree of Life”, which is divine, objective truth. We must use our human minds to unlock the mystery of the Tree of Life, through revelation from the Creator. Use of the human mind is not condemned, but rather the sole reliance upon it for all the answers and all the truths. The foundation of human thought must rest on the Tree of Life.

It would be a mistake to assume that Holism condones superstition or places a higher priority on the supernatural as opposed to scientific empiricism. Unreasoning, irrational belief systems that rely on supernatural “truths” are systems that are rooted in subjective truth. Reason, logic, rationality, scientific empiricism, and natural laws are foremost in any system based on Holist principles. We must always remember that these systems are to be used to unlock the mystery of God’s creation. And as we discover more and more of this mystery, Holism itself will change and evolve.

The method we use to discover the mystery must be that of reason and scientific empiricism, guided by but not dominated by spiritual revelations. Holism after all is meant to be a link between the existential materialism of pure scientific thought and that which is unknown. The “unknown” is termed “supernatural” because we have no scientific explanation for it. We must not allow subjective truth to define the unknown. Holism must be the link that acknowledges the primacy of the scientific “known” and the reality of the spiritual “unknown”, both based on objective truth. Science and materialistic thought is the servant of the spiritual quest. We must use these tools to learn the way. Never let them become your master but make use of them as your method. The foundation of human thought must rest on the Tree of Life.

The authors of the Bible realized that man would not voluntarily discard his faith in subjective truth. This idea can be traced back to the story of Eden, which was referred to in the last paragraph. Men will tend to choose the subjective truth over the objective. This is why they predicted a great tribulation that will “shock” mankind into changing its basic human nature and accepting the truths of the Tree of Life. This is the message of the Second Coming. The gospel, or “good news” of the Bible is that one day man will have both a physical and a spiritual existence. He will have the physical existence of the lower self, but he will be fully aware of the existence of the higher, spiritual Self, and will live according to its objective truth. We must overcome what is inherent and become what is yet to be.

What we are exists in every life form, in every object, in every atom in every universe. The purpose of our conscious life is to experience the Self. The Self is not limited to what you perceive of as “I” in your body, for don’t forget, the higher Self is the synthesis, the whole, and you are a vital part of that whole. The perception of individual consciousness becomes weak-er as one moves from a subjective truth on the gross level to an objective truth on the subtle.
 

PART II

It seems to be a misconception among certain groups that they must follow a lifestyle of simplicity and backwardness, believing that in so doing they are following a more virtuous and natural path. They believe that they may find God by renouncing worldly possessions and material goods, thus avoiding the evils such things produce. This type of belief system is a perversion of the truth. Yes, we must avoid the evils such things produce, but it is not the things themselves that are evil, but the minds of the men who use them. Subjective truth is the root of all evil, and it is this that we must root out.

We do not become “good” by keeping material possessions, wealth, money, and temptations out of our reach. It is only by exposing ourselves to these things that we may conquer the evils of our own minds. Those who think they are righteous by the fact that they have removed all temptation from their lives are fools. The righteous are the ones who live in a world of temptation and who have achieved the spiritual strength to use the objects of temptation to serve God.

The Mind, or Spirit, manifests its consciousness through creation. Creation is the act of evolution, of progress. Creation is dynamic. We may find God by contemplation, we may find peace in a simple, agrarian society, but we are not acting according to the Law. The community will not find God by passivity, but by action, by traveling the path and conquering all the obstacles thereon. This traveling is an act of creation. The heart of the Source may be tranquil and peaceful, but its manifestation is not. God’s manifest nature is dynamic, creative. We fulfill that nature by the advance of civilization. It is our struggle that makes the universe alive. We are participants in creation.

We must realize that the physical world is but a manifestation of the Source, and that the Source is but a manifestation of the Spirit, and that all are One. We must not let the physical world become our obsession, nor our God. We must detach ourselves from the illusion we perceive and realize the truth. We must overcome subjective truth and seek the objective. It is only when we rely on subjective truth that we make evil out of creation. We must view our universe from the perspective of objective truth, from the perspective of the higher Self. And we only earn this enlightenment through experience, through traveling on the path. It is a learning process, and you don’t learn with your head in the sand. You may come to some great revelations, but it is only by manifesting these revelations that the goal is achieved, and you only manifest by the act of creation, and you only create through construction and destruction. This entails progress and evolution through dynamism. It must not be blind dynamism for the sake of dynamism, for this is chaos. It must be dynamism and creation for the sake of Cosmos and for the common good. It is our purpose in the cosmos to manifest the consciousness through the act of creation.

(Note: The “Rule of Common Good” is a scenario I envisaged of a society in which the special, or individual, good is discouraged, through the use of force if necessary, in order to achieve a collective union. The union itself was termed the “Volksbund” (fokes boont), a German compound I made up which means a federation of people.)

It is a prevalent belief that conforming is good for the general welfare, therefore, it is an obligation of every individual within a group to adjust his or her own beliefs to fit group norms, or risk ostracization. This is the basis of the Volksbund and the rule of common good. I should say this is the human view of the Volksbund and the rule of common good. Since group norms are based on human, subjective truth, the potential for evil is always present. It is therefore the true obligation of the individual to work for the common good based on objective, and not subjective, truth. But how does one know the objective truth? The first step is to acknowledge the potential for error and evil inherent in subjective truth, upon which our systems are based. Just that step alone will make a great change. As humans, we seek not primarily the truth, but the way.

Eastern religions say true knowledge does not come by belief, or study, or sophistry, but by realization. Or as Christian religions say, the Holy Spirit is a gift, and no man comes if not called by God. We cannot therefore force people to accept the objective truth, nor can we educate them, coerce them, nor persuade them into acceptance. We must guide them along the way. As my letter to the editor in IBM’s Think magazine states: “Our society has a moral obligation to achieve the most common good without resorting to the use of force. Doing so defeats the ultimate purpose of providing a system of government which respects the rights of individuals as members in a free, cooperative society. It is a lesson we as employees should learn as well, that you cannot shape and mold a person through imposed control, but must work with the person to achieve growth through his or her own inner development.”

We cannot reach a true rule of common good using the methods of subjective truth. Only us-ing the methods of objective truth will achieve the Volksbund. And these methods are beyond the reach of animal life. The final answer must therefore come from the higher Self, whose methods are intangible and invisible to human senses. We must develop our consciousness to receive this gift, this realization. Seek not the answers from an external source, but look within, and discover all; look without, and see All reflected in every sensation and every experience.

It is a common complaint among people that “if God was alive, He would not allow all this pain and suffering and evil to happen.” They therefore lose faith in God and seek refuge in materialistic beliefs. This is because their belief in God is based on a naive and child-like perception of a Father figure. If father does not end the evil he must then be dead. The real “God” is not some king sitting on a throne in heaven, but an actual force of consciousness in the uni-verse. As we stated previously, our purpose in the cosmos is to manifest the consciousness through the act of creation. And what is creation? Creation is a dynamic process of construction and destruction, good and evil, yin and yang. What is true in our personal lives is also true on a cosmic scale: growth and progress and increased awareness, increased consciousness, is not something we attain through stagnation, but is something we achieve through the dynamic act of creation, through the struggle between good and evil, through the change and chaos of everyday life. All this pain and suffering we now experience is a requisite price we must pay to earn the enlightenment of discovering the truth. As stated in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, all the gods and all the demons experienced in the after-death state are manifestations of the Mind. The subject only achieves Nirvana when he realizes the oneness of the creation; and that he is this oneness of consciousness. We must face the same realization here on Earth: all the good and all the evil are manifestations of God. And it is only by this manifestation that we as individuals and we as the Self achieve full consciousness.

But are we not then condemned to a perpetual round of “creation”, experiencing the good and the evil, the joy and the pain, the knowledge and the ignorance, until the end of time? No, there is a solution. Men such as Jesus and Gautama have come to proclaim that very solution. When we achieve the final realization of Self, we become masters of the consciousness and the creation, and the good and the evil. We participate in the act of creation on a higher level, still manifesting the consciousness, but now one in union with it. The process of evolution re-quires a perpetual round of creation in order to achieve growth. Once a species has achieved the goal of that evolution, then it has conquered the process that formed it, and transcends to higher awareness. The message of the Christ and the Buddha is that men can have both a physical and a spiritual existence. We can achieve liberation and enlightenment here on Earth. But doing so requires not only joy and peace, but also pain and war. We are forging the new race in the furnace of hell.

And what is the purpose of religion in forging this new race? Religion must not sink into the ignorance of the subjective truth. Religion must not dictate. Its role is to give man the key, to open the book, and to free the spirit.

In Sūta, Bhagavata Purana 1.2.10-11” it states that “the aim of life is inquiry into the Truth, and not the desire for enjoyment in heaven by performing religious rites. Those who possess the knowledge of the Truth, call the knowledge of non-duality as the Truth, it is called Brahman, the Highest Self …”.

Ritual is rooted in the human level. Incantations, magic spells, special ceremonies, sectarian dogma, and rigid doctrine are all part of the subjective. Ritual is the rite of the human animal. True communion with God is the rite of the human spirit.
 

EPILOGUE

Before I close, an interesting thought just occurred to me. I’ve always pictured myself as be-ing on a path. You must leave your lower subjective self to find the objective truth. Now I see to my amusement that the path is a circle! It leads right back where it started. You must leave your self to find the Self. It was there all along. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.”