personal identity, the meaning crisis
and our True nature

What is the meaning of life seems to be 'the hard problem' on many social platforms as it is with the scientific conundrum of the past four decades of ‘what is consciousness?'  Today we find the emergence of a dialogue developing between apparently diverse disciplines that critically examine the possibility of there being a correlation.

From the Non-dual vantage point which is the essence of all the great religious, spiritual and philosophical traditions; we all come into this world embedded so to speak in pure consciousness with infinite potential of expression. It then gradually becomes veiled through cultural conditioning as we start to identify with a separate ego entity. Thus our original state of infinite consciousness seems to fall away and forgotten. Hence our ignorance or the ignoring of our innate nature, and the search starts to find fulfilment and meaning on the outside; of objects, activities, substances, states, relationships and so forth.

The following is an attempt to offer some pointers and perspectives on how to recognise that part of you which never were really forgotten, and to bring a healthy ego identity in its own sovereignty into an integrated relationship with the Self.
An awakening awareness to our true nature.

With an open minded-spirit, I hope it would be of value to you and on some level resonate with your deepest knowing.

To unravel this complex and multivalent understanding, let us look at a summary of insights from a wide range of disciplines and create a synthesis between  – 

• The historic human endeavour in western cultures in the last 3,000 years.

• Matter, mind and the nature of ultimate Reality, through the ontological perspective of analytical Idealism, questioning the materialist world view. 

• The rigorous approach of the non-dual understanding or Advaita that is the essence of all the great religious, spiritual and philosophical traditions.

THE HISTORIC HUMAN ENDEAVOUR - in conversation

A CRYPTIC LOOK as summarised here: 

• What took place in the origin of our evolution is humans and the natural environment were embedded. We didn’t see ourselves separate. We were in a primal understanding and participation with nature from which we derived our sense of meaning and purpose.

• During the Archaic phase with the development of cities, we place meaning/purpose on the King, Pharaoh, sky gods etc.

• During the Axial period, (800 BCE to 200 BCE) we place meaning/purpose into the cosmos, away from the trivial worldly concerns. The whole movement is towards the sky, the sun. 

• During the Modern period we have the Copernican revolution, - man is not the centre of the universe. We then adopted all meaning into our own mind and forces the autonomous self. We felt ourselves superior to all previous 500 years. The Descartes subject/object division - we are subjective and the world is an object, separate from us.

• In the Post-Modern, - quantum physics describes the world as participatory. There is no subjective observer outside the objective world. We participate in it through the act of observing the objective world. Therefor you cannot measure any objective world in of itself. There is always a relationship.
  But it undercuts the underlying meaning. Now we see it, as the universe is a randomly evolving process that accidentally brought about a meaning-seeking highly intelligent species that seeks meaning in a universe that is told to us to be meaningless.

Thus the current existential predicament in a disenchanted world and a need to re-connect. We are not separate but part of the whole Gestalt.

To conclude, this narrative of western man's 3,000-year odyssey leads us to question and re-evaluate the path of a materialistic worldview we've chosen to follow and which has outlived its trajectory towards any form of real meaning.

The conventional scientific method only allows us to determine how nature behaves, not what nature IS in and of itself. Thus, it can be viewed as a surface phenomena because it only focuses on the mechanistic, physical side which merely represents the skin of reality. Matter is a name that the Greeks invented to account for everything that takes place outside of consciousness. It counts for only 4% of the substance of the universe called matter, which is all we focus on and believe to be our reality. The other 96% is made up of energy forces and an unknown void (dark matter) which actually govern our universe, our experiences and our lives. Thus stepping into the realm of metaphysics, we accept the idea that nature also has other modes of operation, not only the material.

It becomes clear that the scientific revolution with its limiting reductionist materialist approach, has systematically estranged and separated us from humanity's connection to its deeper roots of meaning and purpose. Our innate sense of being is turned into market-commodities, creating unease at the level of the soul.
In conflict with inherited identity, our values are now shifting globally. 

Today science has come to the conclusion that it cannot explain reality without including the component of consciousness. And that consciousness does not arise from, nor is it located in the brain. But rather the brain functions as a device that process or modulates consciousness.

And as we start to contemplate this non-material universe, we come to understand the true nature of our mind and how everything is connected. Thus it opens up a complete new meaning in our relationship with ourselves, with others and with nature.

The depth and the richness comes from what physicist David Bohm refers to as the entanglement of the human endeavour through the system of thought patterns * and subsequent actions, what he parallels with ‘the activity of Consciousness’, - and which all spiritual traditions have understood. 

He concluded that individuals participate in the whole and consequently give it meaning. The narrative and the system is closely embedded.

Bohm reference to three layers of reality: there is matter, energy and meaning. Physics deals with matter and energy but not with meaning which is equally important because it is the driving force that co-create the narrative, that manifests.

* It is worth noting, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences reveal through brain scan research that there is an impulse or pattern of brain activity that emerges 6 seconds before we consciously become aware of it as 'my thought' or 'my decision'.  Thus one cannot claim that your thoughts are your own or that you choose your thoughts.
However upon reflection on this, we do have agency over which thoughts we empower through our subsequent choices and actions. Thus the importance to become more consciously aware of 'our' habitual thought patterns.

The ancient science of Astrology is interested in modes that involve meaning which is the invisible patterns behind things, - the blueprint. It taps into this realm and interprets its symbolisms, mapped out on a cosmic plane which is replicated in each of us as a fractional miniature. It illustrates why, like many aspects of psychology we cannot explain within the current scientific paradigm, but it's accurate and consistent in its revelations.

MATTER, MIND AND THE NATURE OF ULTIMATE REALITY

Idealism -  the philosophy that Consciousness (or mind as the activity of Consciousness) is the primary or fundamental feature of Reality.

Materialism holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness are results or by-products of material interactions, without which they cannot exist. The material world is all there is so whatever meaning it has, it IS that meaning because it's not pointing to anything else.

This concept directly contrasts with analytical Idealism, where mind and consciousness are first-order realities from which matter and material interactions are derived. They do not have existence in and of themselves. That is, it does not stand out from consciousness with its own independent reality.

Likewise, the separate personal entity that most of us have come to exclusively be identified with, does not exist as an independent agency in its own right. It is a cultural conditioned believe, underscored and fed by the materialist worldview*. It creates the very convincing illusion of being a separate and limited self that needs to be fulfilled. It is not rooted in truth or real meaning.

What we call our individual selves are forms of manifestations of nature, - of one field of phenomenal subjectivity that underlies all nature or one could say Consciousness. What we call a person, is a particular way nature is expressing its potential. As such we are purely nature in motion. The activity of Consciousness.

We do not exist as cut-off agencies that inhabit a seemingly meaningless world, we are that world in a particular form or manifestation. We are something nature is doing through us . . . which intrinsically has its natural value in the recognition of what that is. You hold a new sense of Self, a new appreciation for the core of your Being.

* Seeing oneself from this higher perspective liberates us from the demands of the separate entity of the ego self that constantly needs to be uphold and its existence, re-affirmed or aggrandised. The symptomology of this is very pervasive in our culture - the frenzy to which social media and our modern lifestyle serves this compulsion today is evidence of its underlying emptiness or non-existence.
Through self-enquiry, it demands of us a clarifying exploration into this deeply habitual activity of ego identity that is the driver of the fragmented human condition.

NON-DUAL UNDERSTANDING

The non-dual understanding is the essence of all the great religious, spiritual and philosophical traditions. Advaita Vedānta, adapted philosophical concepts from Buddhism, or Non-duality is an experience in which there is no separation between subject and object; a “me” and a world. It is the recognition that underlying the multiplicity and diversity of experience there is a single, infinite and indivisible reality, whose nature is pure consciousness, from which all objects and selves derive their apparently independent existence. It is the experience of Consciousness or pure Being, our true nature which is not only the source of lasting happiness within all people; it is the foundation of peace between individuals, communities and nations, and it must be the basis for any sustainable relationship with the environment.

The nature of Reality.
Existence comes from the Latin word, ex-, meaning 'out of' and -istere, 'to stand', implying that something that exists emerges or stands out from whatever it is that precedes existence, which ultimately cannot be named but let's call it Consciousness.

If we can take the analogy of a screen; - the forest in the film does not acquires its own existence independent and separate from the screen. It's a mere modulation, a colouring in, the activity of that from which it stands out, the screen or pure Consciousness or self-aware Being which can be read or understood synonymously.

Consciousness is primary to matter. Prior to existence there is no name or form, there is just self-aware Being. And Being doesn't exist. It IS. The I AM with capital letters. Descartes's 'I think therefor I am' can now be translated and truly understood as 'I AM, therefor I think'. Thinking, sensing, perceiving; - all appears in and are modulations of Consciousness or self-aware Being. It is the only substance present in the multiplicity and diversity of all objects and experiences.

This realisation is consistent with quantum physics; - that things appear to exist but when we explore what their existence consists of, we only find the background of infinite potential or pure Consciousness. It relates to the Bhagavad-gita which reads; - 'That what is, never ceases to be. That which is not, never comes into existence'.

This discovery signifies the ending of the story of separation and seeking that is the source of all human suffering, conflict and fragmentation and the beginning of a great adventure - the adventure of Consciousness knowing and creating itself anew as our very own Awakened Life.

When we recognise that we are all made of the same reality, it has a profound impact on how we engage and respond in our outer life, in particular our feelings and interrelationships. How we deal with conflict in the world between people and nations, and what the impact of this understanding is on our physical environment.
And most of all, what the full implications are for our inner life when your core self is not defined by limitations but to realise your full potential cosmic footprint. To live an awakened(ing) life in a renewed relationship with one Self rooted in true purpose and meaning.

In conclusion, we've been served by the incredibly simple-minded idea of a reductionist materialist viewpoint which has critically undermined humanity's trajectory towards true meaning and purpose. But when we enrich our vocabulary a bit, what now emerges from this is a movement towards an understanding that is more sophisticated.

Modern western philosophers, scientists and physicists are now discussing whether basically, everything is matter-like or mind-like. Is everything, including human consciousness, ethics, dreams and so on made of stuff and therefore ruled by physics? Or is matter essentially a by-product of mental, metaphysical activity?

Let’s examine this through the rigorous analysis and dialogue between CERN scientist Bernardo Kastrup and non-duality teacher, Rupert Spira. It is significant how they both come to the same understanding of the nature of reality through different avenues and principles.

Is everything made of matter or consciousness?

If non-duality is true, what does it mean for us?

In final conclusion, the foundation of materialism doesn’t require empirical evidence to be dismissed because it's internally contradictory and does not explain experience, - which is our point of reference as to what is reality and ultimately, life’s meaning.

Prof. Tarnas's disenchanted world can be compared to the nihilism that materialism has brought about in our cultural believe systems. Our failure to respond to the current crisis threatening all humanity and most other forms of life is symptomatic of this nihilism.
20th century philosophy went down the path of materialism and we now have finally arrived at a pivotal turning point in trying to re-interpret the intrinsic meaning of the world. To find balance.

The world that we've inherited after the scientific revolution is one that is separated from the depth of awe and wonder that was known by our ancestors through living harmoniously with nature. This disenchantment has left us with a hunger for spirituality, purpose and meaning. A deepening understanding of one's Being can readily provide an insight to our innate freedom and ultimately as a path towards the renewal of a holistic world view. 

Meaning is the holy grail in psychology. It relates to your Soul's purpose. If you can find meaning in what you are going through, you integrate it in your life. You develop a mature relationship with it. It has to be grounded on a believe that is substantiated, that life and the world has intrinsic meaning in and of themselves, and not only the meaning we want to project onto it.

We have two values in the human endeavour, one of the collective, and one of the individual. Human beings need and are wired for story. We are a story-telling species. Our psyche is wired to that trajectory.

So from that perspective of having a story, a narrative that maps out a direction, that gives meaning to your life is necessary for human development but equipped with this deeper insight of our true and integrated Being, we can aspire to live a more virtuous life in our choices and decisions. To rely on our human moral capacity for ethical discernment and courage to meet life’s challenges. And to uphold that higher agency and vision. To keep a balance within this understanding as one engages in life.

"The way mind makes meaning shapes reality . . . your ecology of knowledge is basically to create wisdom". Meaning and purpose is embedded in reality itself. As manifestations within Consciousness, it is embedded in the cosmic itself, embedded in the earth itself, and that we human beings are expressions of the earth, of the cosmos. And ultimately we come to realise, we are Spirit in human form shaping (our own) reality.

“Wisdom tells me I am no-thing. Love tells me I am everything. And between the two my life flows.” ― NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ

The alchemy lies in balancing this co-creative tension in a cohesive integral synthesis.