The Universe
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Universe
It's generally accepted by people that space is vast. By 'vast' we mean huge; so huge that we can't say how big it is. People may also consider the mind to be vast, or indeed One Consciousness to be a vast consciousness in which we all exist. But is space, mind or consciousness really vast?
I'm going to say these aren't vast, but they are beyond measurement. What I mean is that space, mind and Consciousness are not limited. They have no size. The expanding universe cannot expand into something else. There is no something else. If there was then we could include the 'something else' in what we call 'the universe', and it wouldn't be something else. There is no limit to the universe and then something outside that limit, which the universe is expanding into. Rather the content of the universe is expanding apart, or the non-content is expanding, seeming to separate the content of the universe. It's a play of content and no-content in the infinite oneness of the universe.
Similarly with the mind or consciousness. I could describe the mind as that in which human thought, dreams and imagination takes place, as well as where perceptions and sensations are experienced. But there isn't a place. The mind isn't vast. It's dimensionless. Dimensions can appear within it: we can dream a world that we walk around in. But it is itself dimensionless. The mind does not take up any space as we know. When we think of the mind as vast, really it has no limits. The only limits the mind has are those that it imagines. But those are not real limits.
It seems to be a difficult thing for the mind to grasp that it isn't really anywhere. The mind doesn't exist in time and space. Rather time and space appear within the mind. That's the experience: the mind experiences space and time. Additionally, we can't really define what the mind is.
But let's now consider the One Consciousness. By that I mean the One Consciousness understood from the Non-Duality perspective as That in which the world appears. We are That. It is the One Consciousness in which the seemingly many minds appear and within the many minds the world is perceived from different perspectives. It is this One Consciousness in which the universe appears. Ultimately we can know nothing other than consciousness, though there appears to be a universe of separate forms. What Consciousness perceives is only ever made of consciousness.
The universe isn't separate from Consciousness and the seemingly many minds aren't separate from Consciousness. Really there is only Consciousness. How vast is this amazing Consciousness? It's not vast at all. It has no dimensions, yet it allows the appearance of dimensions. Consciousness takes up no space or time, yet it allows the appearance of space and time within it. Again, space and time are not vast, they are infinite. The true nature of space and time is the Infinite One Consciousness.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Universe
We're all familiar with space and time. We perceive distance that gives the appearance of space, and we notice the continual flowing change of what appears and we call this time. You may also be familiar with the Big Bang theory, where it is reasonably suggested that the universe began with an explosion into this multiplicity of interacting elements. With this explosion space and time were created.
So far so good, and there's evidence in the movement of the universe that suggests this to be the case. Then comes the brain boggler, "What was before the Big Bang? What was before time?" Before time there was obviously no time. Before space there was no space. But it's difficult to imagine time suddenly beginning from no time.
It helps to understand about the Singularity. Before time and space there is no appearance of the universe. There is no separation into changing moving forms. It's an unmanifest Singularity. It's like zero before -1 and +1 appear. The Singularity contains everything, locked up as one. It's not even a number. There are no numbers in a Singularity, no limits, and no division. There is no inside and outside of the Singularity. There is no appearance of form and there are no opposites. It's neither big nor small, neither here nor there. It's infinity.
And it's from this state of unmanifest Singularity that the Big Bang happens. Space and time appear as if the Singularity is split in two, changing from unmanifest potential into an explosion of energy, outwards from the centre. It's the start of the world of opposites, where attraction and repulsion plays out between the separated parts that have fallen out of the state of Singularity. Zero has become -1 and +1. They are blown apart but essentially connected, and it is this force between the separation of a singularity into opposites that becomes the energy of the universe. Opposite forces become the building blocks of the universe that we see now. Those forces continue to operate in the push and pull of the universe.
But let's not forget the Singularity. It still seems odd that there was no time, and now there is time. The reality is that the Singularity remains timeless. The Singularity cannot really explode into a multiplicity through space and time. It is beyond time. It doesn't change. It cannot really divide itself. The Singularity remains Here and Now, where here is nowhere and now is no time. Wherever the universe appears to go and whatever time seems to have passed, within the Singularity it is always Here and Now.
You see, the explosion of time and space appears within the unchanging formless Singularity. There isn't really a before or after. Reality is timeless and formless, but within this the universe appears as a world of opposites as if it has fallen out of the perfect balance of a Singularity. The Singularity remains throughout. To put it in simple mathematical terms, -1 + 1 = 0, or -144 +144 = 0. The universe of space and time appears as if the Singularity is being stretched out into a multiplicity, but the underlying reality is that it remains timelessly complete and whole as it is.
The way that the unmanifest Singularity can seem to become manifest is through the apparent separating out into opposites. But what separates connects. The sum total of the imbalance of the universe equals the perfect balance of the Singularity. The forces that appear between opposites in this world of opposites are the forces of unity. The apparent separation and division is the play of the Singularity, whilst it remains timelessly as it is.
I should add that this Singularity is not lifeless. It is the Fullness of Life. It is that which all apparently separated forms long to return to, by the nature of the forces of apparent separation. There are no separate forms. There are no separate creatures or life forms. There is One Infinite Being that plays at being a multiplicity. We are the Singularity. The core of who we are is this same timeless, formless Being, from whom and in whom the universe seems to appear. Wherever we go and whatever time it may seem to be, we are always Here and Now.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Universe
How many moments are there in a minute? We can't really answer that. The term 'moment' refers to an undefined short length of time. People often talk about "each moment" and "in the moment", but these are vague throw-away expressions that give a sense of time being divisible. Suggesting there are moments of time implies that time can be split up. But that's not our real experience of time. There aren’t chunks of time where one stops and another begins. Time is continually rolling on.
This applies also to our sense of time in seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, and so on. Time isn't really divided up into seconds, minutes, hours etc. Humans have devised ways to divide up time into manageable measurements. It's really useful to have a calendar and a shared structure of hours and minutes throughout each day. But it seems that we fall into the belief that time is really structured in this way. Days, hours and minutes become important to our everyday life, to the extent that sometimes it feels like our lives are ruled by the clock.
It's important to recognise that time is continually flowing. Then we can go a step further and recognise that time is the appearance of continual change in the universe. Time can't happen without the appearance of change. If the world didn't change then time would seem to stand still, or rather, there would be no time. The appearance of change, in turn, is dependent on space, or the appearance of distance. Without distance then space can't be perceived, but distance is itself the appearance of space between forms. For example, consider a vast empty space. We would have no idea of how vast it was until there were two or more forms or 'things' within the space to show a sense of distance between them. Without forms then there is no distance and no appearance of space.
So the appearance of forms gives a sense of distance, or space, and the change or movement of forms gives the appearance of time. The world of space and time appears as a continual flow of changing forms. But are there really numerous forms that change? I've never found any limit to forms. For example, consider an acorn that grows on an Oak tree. Its beginning comes from the tree, and the tree's beginning comes from an acorn, and so on. The acorn also doesn't have an end. It falls to the ground, takes root and develops into an Oak tree, in turn growing more acorns and scattering these. We can't say where or when the acorn begins or ends. Even if the acorn doesn't take root it will decay into the environment of which it is always made. The form of the acorn changes, but we can't really say that it is a limited form.
As it does with time, the human mind likes to divide the world of space, but into forms or things. We say there is an acorn, a leaf, a branch, a trunk etc. But these are vague definitions of 'things' that really are one 'thing'. The world of changing forms is one world flowing within itself. There are not really many forms. It could be argued that two rocks floating in empty space are two forms. But this would be an impossible situation. How would those rocks come to be rocks? There would need to be a flow of change from the empty space forming into a rock. In that case the empty space isn't really nothing, and there is again a recognition that there is one form flowing within itself, appearing as if there are two forms and empty space.
This leads us further into the recognition that space and time are not two separate things. Time is an appearance of changing space. And what can we say about the changing space that appears? It gives the impression of separation, division and distance, but really it is a singularity expressing a multiplicity within itself. The divisions of time and space are not real. There is only One, an Infinite One. The appearance of time and space is real in the sense that it is Here and Now.
It's helpful to understand the world or universe, space and time, as appearing from a Big Bang, and that the Big Bang came from a Singularity. What is often overlooked is that the timeless formless Singularity is still here now. The world of time and space appears within the formless timeless Singularity Here and Now.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Universe
Consider that before the world appeared from the Big Bang there was a Singularity, a state of no time, no space, no form, no change, no limits. For a True Singularity there is nothing else. It is Pure Perfection, Flawless, Pure Clarity, Completeness, Emptiness, Nothing, Everything, Wholeness, Peace, Oneness.
Similarly, imagine Infinite Light. It is Pure Imperceptible Clarity. It's not something that can be seen. For Infinite Light to be perceived it needs a contrast. It must seem to divide itself into what is like it and what is not like it. So a light appears in the darkness. In creating the perceivable world, the Singularity seems to divide itself into its likeness and its opposite. Interaction ensues and a multiplicity branches out. It sounds a bit like the Adam and Eve story...
Anyway, the Singularity seems to scatter itself into a range of what is close to it and what is far from it. Infinite Light appears as a range from bright light to darkness. This pattern multiplies throughout the universe. We can see it here in the formation of trees, flowers, and the fingers of human hands on human arms from a central torso. The universe seems to scatter outwards from a central point, and the pattern repeats.
What we see in this world of time and space is what seems to be an Infinite Singularity divided through dispersion and reflection. Oneness becomes one and many. Pure Light becomes light and darkness. Perfect Harmony becomes harmony and disharmony. Order becomes order and chaos. Peace becomes peace and war. Life becomes alive and not alive. Or so it seems.
Well, it's not what it seems. The opposite of Reality cannot really exist. Darkness doesn't really exist. Opposites don't really exist. The Light of Life is Infinite. There is no real end of this Infinite Life. Life only seems to come and go in a play of opposites. There is no distance in the Infinite, no far away or near. There is no past or future in the Timeless. The timeless Singularity can never end, or begin. The Singularity didn't really end when the perceivable universe began. The Singularity remains exactly as it timelessly is.
So what was there before time began? Time never did begin. The Singularity never changes. It only seems to change. There is no past or future. Nobody can experience these, only conceptually, not really.
And where does this universe end? It doesn't. It appears in the Infinite, stretches out across the Infinite, and returns to the Infinite. But it doesn't go anywhere. Nobody can ever experience being anywhere other than Here. 'Over there' is only conceptual. Distance only appears far away. What seems far away is only ever experienced right Here.
The Timeless Singularity can never become anything other than that. The world is a play of reflection and dispersion within the Infinite Consciousness of the Singularity. The Singularity is Reality. Dispersion and reflection are illusory. Yet there is nothing other than Reality.