The Absolute Reality

“Si enim comprehendis, non est Deus” - “If you think you’ve understood God, that ain’t God” - Saint Augustine

"If you think you know God, you don't know God. If you don't think you know God, you know God" - The Upanishads 

Your True Identity is the Absolute

What is the Absolute? It is God in its most ‘pure’ form we could say. It is the aspect that always remains unchanged or unstained by anything that happens in the Relative realities (material and nonmaterial incarnation). It includes all apparent possible realities and infinities, which happen within the Absolute, which do not limit the Absolute as the Absolute is limitless. The realms of and limits/laws that construct the Relative are imagined (created) if you will, within the Absolute. The Absolute is our ultimate identity and is the realization destination all learning and awakening leads toward.

Non-enlightenment can be understood through this one simple perspective: the apparent individual is not in current awareness/experience of themselves as the Absolute. They are ‘deluded’ by their ego’s senses, thoughts, beliefs, and conditioning (constructs) into believing they are the object that is appearing in experience rather than the witness/awareness/creator of all objects. They have become identified as the apparently separate individual rather than seeing they are simply having an experience of a separate individual, without being able to see this separation, like every separation, is empty—it is an imagined construct of the Absolute. 

Their identity is mixed up with the content of experience rather than being properly realized as the structure of reality/experience—the Absolute or Consciousness. This conflation of identity and the confusion, delusion, and ignorance (falseness) it creates is what one has to overcome in order to permanently realize their true identity. In Buddhist teachings this is Samsara and Nirvana; where Samsara is seeing/interpreting reality through the distorted lens of the false ego constructs and Nirvana is seeing reality clearly because of the removal of false interpretations of reality (reality without false interpretations is seen as the Absolute). To see reality as Samsara is to see the illusion for reality, or to see reality falsely (to see the rope as a snake). To see reality as Nirvana is to see through the illusion into Truth (to see the rope as a rope and the snake as an illusion). The process of burning through karma (lesson experiences) and experience of Self-realization (vertical growth), which removes/dissolves false interpretations/understanding, is the progressive path of spiritual enlightenment.

“His disciples said to him, "When is the kingdom going to come?" Jesus said, "It is not by being waited for that it is going to come. They are not going to say, 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather, the Kingdom of Heaven is spread upon the earth but men do not see it.” - The Gospel of Thomas

Non-dual enlightenment is right under one’s nose, but one cannot see it because one is blinded by the dualistic thoughts and constructs of the ego mind. The dualistic ego-mind overlooks the Identity—which can be experienced simply as non-conceptual Awareness—and it overlooks the miraculous Kingdom displayed before it by creating the self-other duality of non-wholeness; incompleteness & imperfection. The sense that I am separate from Thee. The One wholeness becomes pluralized, separated, and by perceiving separation as real, completeness is lost. The belief that we have to reinstall perfection and find completion ‘somewhere out there’ is the inevitable result and the ego’s conquest. Though to find Truth, don’t search for anything other than stillness. Don't go anywhere other than into the pure presence that lies beyond thought. The ‘nowhere and everywhere’ that is the essence of this very moment. The Absolute will greet you there.

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other” doesn’t make any sense.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.

Don’t go back to sleep.

You must ask for what you really want.

Don’t go back to sleep.

People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch.

The door is round and open.

Don’t go back to sleep.” - Rumi

We caution ourselves as we view the following descriptions of the Absolute so as to not misunderstand the intent in attempting to name what is unnamable and list what is unlistable. The Absolute Infinite Consciousness can never be spoken about with any genuine accuracy, but can be experienced for oneself directly, so we keep in mind that the following words are just approximate pointers toward an ineffable no-thingness. The worst thing one can do with such a list is create beliefs about the Absolute and land there as the final destination. We must go beyond thought, belief, and any construct in order to realize the Truth of the Absolute. 

To become identified with the Absolute, we must spend time Being the Absolute—the truth of who you are and what reality is. Meditation and contemplation are key because they are of the few pure modes of Beingness that transcend the thinkingness that clouds our vision. Meditate on and contemplate the following.

Facets of the Absolute

The Absolute can be thought of like a perfect diamond—a perfectly transparent multifaceted singular thing, which is no-thing. As we continue to gaze into it, turning it to catch new perspectives, we continue to see new aspects of the fullness that make up the empty no-thingness. 

In the following list, one can include ‘Absolute’ and/or ‘Infinite’ before any description. Because this is one ‘thing’ that is no ‘thing’, and all aspects are identical or unified. The Truth is silence so all words here are just concessions and are based in a relative duality of time/space. This list does not claim completeness. These are just the aspects I’ve known or realized thus far:

Absolute - is composed of only 100% of a facet. Can be unipolar and doesn’t require a relative opposite. Anything that appears other than what is Absolutely True is relative, or constructed.

Infinite - unlimited and includes everything and every sub-range of infinities. Has no divisions or partitions.

Consciousness - prior to anything created. 1st order ‘substance’ which everything that appears (2nd order, 3rd order, etc) is ‘made’ of. The groundless ground of all things.

Nothing - is not a thing and lacks any ground in anything except itself as nothingness. Is the ‘fullest emptiness’. Non-material.

Truth - is exactly as it is. Authentically Truth itself without falseness. 

Love - is perfectly, unconditionally, selflessly Love/Loving/accepts ‘itself’ as it is.

Intelligence - is infinitely intelligent with infinite information configurations.

Awareness - is always aware (even if there are no objects to be aware of, like in deep sleep).

Perfect - lacks imperfections, is perfection itself and creates perfectly. Harmony and chaos are two sides of a coin with no errors.

Mind - is and operates as mind. Mind is ‘where’ and ‘how’ reality happens as ideas, imagination, and information.

Selfless - has no self, selfishness, or biases. Impartial, impersonal and completely personal (is all of you and is You).

Singular - is ‘one’ but when one is nothing, one is equal to zero or ‘one nothingness’. Nothing exists outside of it. Is undifferentiated, undivided.

Existence - consciousness exists—it is existence—it is. It alone is. All that relatively appears to exist is due to the facet of primary existence. The perceived is-ness and such-ness.

Creative - infinite creativity as potential and actual simultaneously.

Complete - not dependent on anything else and is whole in and as itself. 

Sovereign - is completely free and has complete authority.

Immutable - never changes, is unchanging and unchanged by the relative. Unconditioned and is ‘unstained’ by what happens in relative reality. Is independent of any apparent ‘object’ known/witnessed by awareness, just as a dream doesn’t affect the waking reality of the dreamer.

Eternal - does not have a beginning or end because it exists outside of or prior to space/time. And infinitely patient because of operating outside of the limitations of time.

Self-created, Self-existing - was not created by anything else and lacks origin.

Self-sufficient - has no external needs. Is whole and complete in and of itself.

Omnipotent - all powerful. Any lack of power or restriction is a self-imposed construct (imagined, not actual)

Omniscient - all knowing, perfect wisdom.

Omnipresent - always everywhere

Immanent/Transcendent - cannot be described with words or known wholly through a brain. Cannot be known by the rational, dualistic mind. Incomprehensible. Impenetrable. A Holy Mystery.

Reality - is reality in its most fundamental and irreducible sense. All laws are imagined/self-imposed. Is planned and ‘guided’ by all coexisting facets.

Benevolent - is only good and good willed.

Presence - only this moment exists, all moments exist as one present moment. Fundamental Being, Spirit, or Beingness.

The subjective experience of the Absolute

If the Absolute is all of the above and more, what does the Absolute lack? A separate perspective of itself. Limits. Boundaries. Divisions. Falsehood. Time. Space. Stories. Interpretation. Etc. A mind cannot directly perceive itself. It needs a character with a separate perspective in order to perceive it just as a hand cannot grasp itself. The same happens in dreams. We cannot experience every existence in a dream directly and simultaneously. We dream from the perspective of a dream character that experiences the dream from their viewpoint. Just as this happens, God, the Absolute, ‘dreams’ constructs and characters into play in order to experience itself—its own mind. You are God ‘dreaming’ itself as the character of you. This creation is known as “The Relative”. The Relative is made of and by the Absolute, but is not the entirety of the Absolute. The dream of Relative reality is not the dreamer but is what the dreamer’s mind does.

“You are not all of him, he is all of you” - The Most Excellent Mirror - Samadhi

Anything perceived in reality that opposes the Truth of the Absolute is false or unreal, such as: fear, imperfection, ugliness, ignorance, malevolence, etc. In Truth, everything is the Absolute disguising itself as dualistic reality. To ‘become enlightened’ is to realize the Truth, which is to understand what God is and what it is doing through its creation. By doing so, falseness melts away like a dream and one is left with to reconcile the implications of Truth (think The Matrix). This creates a deeper life-purpose and path of discovery called ‘awakening.’ Transversely, ‘awakening’ also precedes and permeates the realization of Truth. 

Our perception of the Absolute is limited by the laws limiting our perspective as a relative ‘human being,’ by design. However, Consciousness is not limited to the human brain and thus can be experienced transcendent to the limiting constructs to some degree. Anyone who has had an ‘awakening’ experience knows this to be fact, as they’ve experienced things that are beyond human conceptual thought. With enough practice however, one can exist in an awakened experience perpetually. This is full enlightenment. This is “every minute meditation.” The following partial list is what is experienced subjectively when one is awakened/enlightened through their being identified with their True Identity, the Absolute:

blissfulness, happiness, completeness, equanimity, contentedness, sentimentality, compassionateness, peacefulness, presence, harmoniousness, kindness, fortunateness, spaciousness, stillness, spontaneousness, goodness (benevolence - everything is here to help you), playfulness, joyfulness, problemlessness, gratefulness, fearlessness, acceptance (non-resistance), taking nothing for granted, enlightenment (without suffering or ignorance), liberation (freedom from ego-constructs), pure Love, perceiving without discursive thought (no mind), perceiving Perfection, perceiving Holy Plan (and the other Holy Ideas of the Enneagram), perceiving Truth (illusion/falseness dissolved), perceiving reality as a game—a dance—a play, and access to Infinite Intelligence.

You can't conceptualize blissfulness, you can only be blissful. You can’t think stillness, you can only be stillness. Love is not something you can get, it is what you are. The Absolute can only be experienced at the level of being. Thoughts, images, beliefs, and concepts about things are one step removed from being. Being, ever-present awareness, exists prior to interpretation. Being, effortless non-conceptual awareness, exists outside of narrative. 

What is in the way of your simply being? When are you going to allow yourself to simply Be? How do you plan to get acquainted with yourSelf?

“Let the love to be, be stronger than the love to think.” - Ramana Maharshi

Additional supportive quotes:

“I believe in Spinoza’s God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony of the world” - Albert Einstein

“A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive.” - Albert Einstein, 1954

“...despite the paradox, there can be no defining God without us.” - Karl Rahner