The Red Pill

Or
An Information Systems
Analysis of Mind, Knowledge,
'the World' and Holistic Science
By John Ringland (www.anandavala.info)
Inspired by conversations with V (the devil's advocate) [2007/03/13-20]
Edited due to contributions from Glistening Deepwater [2008/04/9-16] - many thanks :)
Regarding feedback: This document is an ongoing work in progress and is constantly evolving as better ways to
express things are found. Feedback is an essential aspect of this process so please, if you feel like it, let me know
about your experiences reading this and any ideas that occurred to you (john.ringland@anandavala.info). It is
helpful if you let me know what parts you found unclear, unconvincing or incorrect. It is especially helpful if you
can explain why you found them so. Then I will take that into consideration. It is also helpful to let me know what
parts you strongly agree with, what parts were challenging, what parts you found irrelevant (unnecessary
complication) and any ideas you have to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of this discussion. Let me know if
it’s just feedback or if you wish to discuss the issues because I do not have time to answer all emails, but I take them
all into consideration. Oh and make the subject line clearly distinguishable from spam, otherwise it might
accidentally get deleted. If you feel like providing feedback it will help put these ideas to the test and clarify them,
thereby honouring truth. Thank you in advance.
See these excerpts from recent discussions about this document and the related ideas. It
provides a concise of overview of some of the key issues.
Foreword:
by Glistening Deepwater.
The subject matter covered in this body of work is at once subtle and dense, it makes fascinating
yet at times challenging reading. It discusses ways of potentially coming to an understanding of
the nature of the mind, the way we relate to each other and the world, and the fundamental
underlying nature of reality. Many comparative analogies, drawn from disparate traditions, are
brought together and clarified.
This work provides clear insight into newly developed tools that can be employed in order to
holistically 'get a handle' on the seemingly divergent scientific and mystical paradigms. It can
help one reach a point within ones self where these views come into focus in a unified and
coherent manner. It offers an opportunity for the seeker of clear and verifiable Truth to develop
the capacity to clearly apprehend that truth in their own way, whatever their background
knowledge may be.
Backed up by both rigorous and inspired scientific research and a wealth of references and
resource material, it gives a coherent overview of and method of transcending our current
limitations in understanding how it is we come to be what and where we are at this stage of
evolution, not just as a race but as a phenomena existent in the context of the universal whole. It
proposes a way forward toward a Holistic Science, one in which all genuine avenues of approach
to the truth are treated equally and with their due respect.
Whilst this work is extensive in its endeavour to elucidate ways of thinking about 'reality', it is
concise and presents us with valuable tools and insights with which we can nourish our own
understanding. It makes no apologies for being direct and it cuts to the core of some of the
deepest fundamental issues facing the world today; the 'way' in which we come to our
understandings.
Approaching this work with an open mind and a willingness to leave any preconceived ideas and
judgements to one side, one can potentially gain a deeper insight into the true nature of reality
and our relationship with it.
This is a sincere attempt to convey an important overview of the metaphysical situation that
currently faces us as human beings on this planet. I hope it helps to clarify many minds, as has
been my experience in working with it.
Namaste.

Preface (Advice on reading this document)

Due to the conceptual language and subject matter of this discussion it may not be accessible or
meaningful to many people, but to others it can potentially be of profound and far-reaching
benefit; it represents a major paradigm shift. To motivate you and help you decide if you wish to
read on some hints of what is coming will be given in the introduction, but beware of interpreting
particular words or phrases using old-paradigm associations. It can be difficult not to but be
aware that this may create many preconceived ideas, and could potentially stir up irrational
responses. This discussion describes a 'paradigm shift'; a change in the way we interpret things
and thereby derive their meaning and significance. So there is much that needs to be clarified
before any words or their interpretations can be taken on face value. Many things can be seen in
a new light and the meanings and relations between things can change both subtly and radically.
To use a potentially useful early 21st century metaphor...
This paradigm shift is the red pill that can potentially lift you out of the matrix of worldly
illusions, take it and you will see "how deep the rabbit hole goes". Or simply turn away; “take
the blue pill and the story ends... you believe whatever you want to believe.” (The Matrix) [Further
Reading]
. The decision is: “Do you live on in ignorance (and potentially bliss) [but for how long?] or
do you lead... 'the examined life'... The question is asking us whether reality, truth, is worth
pursuing. The blue pill will leave us as we are, in a life consisting of habit, of things we believe
we know. We are comfortable, we do not need truth to live. The blue pill symbolises commuting
to work every day, or brushing your teeth. The red pill is an unknown quantity. We are told that
it can help us to find the truth. We don't know what that truth is, or even that the pill will help us
to find it. The red pill symbolises risk, doubt and questioning.” (In the Matrix, which pill would
you take, the red or the blue?) [FR].
This discussion is not geared to take part in a combative discourse whereby it tries to use
intricate proof to pin down resistant minds. Such methods are too crude and egoic to be effective
in navigating a profoundly transformative paradigm shift that takes one way beyond the realm of
ego driven illusions. You must employ effort to understand things rather than just search for
things to object to; the ideas are too subtle to be understood without sincere effort. The work
does not attempt to use ‘proof’ as a weapon, instead it seeks to inspire people to question things
themselves, to look at their world and our accumulated knowledge in a fresh way and see if it
makes sense. Although it doesn't use proof as a weapon it encourages people to try and disprove
what it says so long as they understand what it is they are trying to object to; because by doing so
they will put the ideas to the test from many different angles and also come to understand things
in more detail, perhaps ultimately verifying it for themselves; however it does not not seek to
impose ideas on minds that are not yet ready. It doesn't want people to believe but to find out for
themselves and to develop their own understanding. It simply seeks to share certain ideas with
people who are ready. You judge for yourself your level of readiness based on your responses to
the ideas.
The document provides a large list of links to further reading on related subjects (usually
indicated by [FR]) but they don't seek to prove anything or back anything up. They are purely there
to provide a starting point for people who are interested in exploring further; see the index for
this list. There is also a glossary of important terms where the meaning significantly differs from
the popular meaning. The re-defined words are often hyperlinked to their redefinitions. These are
not given as strict definitions; that is too crude for this discussion, they are just given as hints to
help you avoid obvious misunderstandings. If you take them as simplistic ‘definitions’ this could
crystallise your understanding and make it too rigid to be able to discern the subtler and deeper
meanings. For some people a quick look through the glossary will inform them of the depth and
the nature of the paradigm shift and they may learn a great deal from this alone; see here for the
glossary.
This discussion is written for sceptical, rational, open-minded people who are willing to employ
intelligent, imaginative effort to follow the development of ideas and who are therefore capable
of making a paradigm shift. This work is not a "walk in the park"; it is more of a serious trek
deep into remote territory. To totally understand these ideas requires overcoming commonsense
realism (also called naive realism), which is the root of all delusion. It is an intrinsic tendency
that causes us to unquestioningly believe in the idea of "out there". It is the seed illusion from
which all later delusions grow, thereby causing us to lose touch with and come into conflict with
reality.

When we look at something we believe we are seeing some 'thing' "out there" but what is
actually happening is that information flows through the senses, it is subconsciously filtered and
interpreted to form a cognitive impression that is presented to the conscious mind. The conscious
mind succumbs to commonsense realism and believes that the cognitive impression is actually
"the world". So "with our thoughts we make the world" (Buddha) and the ego is the perceived
centre of that world around which we structure all of our illusions.
In the information theoretic and mystic paradigms, the ego, its countless ideas and beliefs such as
in "the world" have no existence beyond our cognitive impressions, but we unquestioningly
believe in their absolute reality and thereby operate in a self created fantasy world, which is just
the shadow of reality that is cast upon our minds. There is certainly 'something' real, but we must
overcome our reflexive beliefs to truly perceive and understand that 'something'. To confuse our
subjective objects of perception for being objective objects "out there" is commonsense realism
and it is inherently anti-skeptical, non-scientific and irrational because it is an unfounded belief
that we impose upon reality without any rational basis. We do so solely because it is
evolutionarily conditioned into the mind to provide for basic animal survival. However we are no
longer just individual animals, we have become a part of a civilisation that spans the globe and
our delusions spread and evolve throughout the culture and come to oppress us and the whole
planet.
Ideas such as the world, objects, people, places and events are useful analogies for referring to
cognitive impressions so long as one doesn't naively believe that they are "out there". Because
beyond the mind made world there is no such thing as "out there". The only reality is the flow of
pure awareness or the existential information process, which quantum physicists are only just
beginning to comprehend and mystics, visionaries and saints have known in various ways. In its
real nature it manifests as consciousness and it can only be truly known 'within'. All that we
think is "out there" is actually 'within' but in truth there is no inner and outer ,there is only
existence, but the mind creates an arbitrary division into inner and outer as an evolutionary
strategy. This arbitrary division underlies all dualistic concepts, especially mind and matter or
self and other.

What follows is ultimately just elementary psychology and information systems theory but the
implications are profound! Unless one overcomes commonsense realism one cannot begin to
comprehend the deeper information theoretic reality. Through a commonsense lens it would only
seems absurd or totally unrealistic because one's entire concept of what is 'real' is based on
confusing the objects of sense perception with the idea of ontological, separately existing
material objects. However commonsense realism is not trivial to overcome. The most common
method is to practice the process of letting the impressions arise whilst not believing in their
separate reality; this is meditation. Or with the method of jnana yoga (pronounced gyan), one can
subtly enquire into the nature of the self until one 'sees' through one's imagined self and realises
the divinity within all.
To totally understand this work one needs to see through commonsense realism, but to
effectively question it and overcome it one must be unfailingly skeptical and honest with oneself.
Any hint of cynicism or blind acceptance is the imposition of arbitrary beliefs that warp the mind
and make it virtually impossible to successfully enquire into the deep seated cognitive habit of
commonsense realism. Many people confuse the concepts sceptic and cynic so they are clarified
here.
"Some people believe that skepticism is the rejection of new ideas, or worse, they confuse
'skeptic' with 'cynic' and think that skeptics are a bunch of grumpy curmudgeons unwilling to
accept any claim that challenges the status quo. This is wrong. Skepticism is a provisional
approach to claims. It is the application of reason to any and all ideas - no sacred cows
allowed. In other words, skepticism is a method, not a position. Ideally, skeptics do not go into
an investigation closed to the possibility that a phenomenon might be real or that a claim might
be true. When we say we are 'skeptical' we mean that we must see compelling evidence before
we believe." (http://www.skeptic.com)
Hence 'skepticism' implies an open-minded approach whilst the manner in which the word is
often used implies a closed-minded approach. This is a confusion of skepticism and cynicism.
Many people dignify their cynicism by saying that they are skeptical but it would be more
accurate to say that they are cynical.
"Cynicism: An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the
integrity or professed motives of others."
(The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton
Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 11 Jun. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/cynicism)
A cynic approaches an enquiry such as this, irrationally convinced that it is wrong and that they
already know the answer. They interpret everything in the context of that agenda, subconsciously
desiring to attack and destroy the idea. If they argue their position coherently it can be useful to
have a cynic around for "destructive testing" of ideas, but generally they confuse the issue in
their mind and are resistant to any clarification, seeking only to prevent their unquestioned
beliefs from being questioned. Hence a cynic is fundamentally unable to undergo or comprehend
a paradigm shift.
But if you approach this discussion sceptically there is a great deal that can be learnt. It contains
some mind-blowing ideas (literally). As they flow through my mind and out my fingers they are
blowing my old paradigm into tiny pieces - dissolving everything and re-casting it into a new
paradigm or vision of reality. So beware if you are attached to your familiar world-view - you
will find this discussion threatening. Read this only if you are willing to question fundamental
beliefs and assumptions, and you seek a deep rational knowledge of your self, of the world, of
the nature of the phenomena and events in the world and how to holistically, harmonious and
effectively participate in reality.
"If we truely desire to understand the world, then we are forced to fight constantly for clear
vision. We must fight constantly against our expectation bias, against our human tendency to see
only what we want to see. Researchers who assume it's easy to avoid self-delusions and wishful
thinking... are probably the victims of self-delusions and wishful thinking. It takes quite a bit of
effort to avoid these pitfalls. The effort starts with a painfully honest self-examination, wherein
we discover just how large our personal capacity for self-delusion can be."
(http://amasci.com/weird/wskept.html) [FR]
This discussion touches upon extremely controversial and off limits subjects - subjects about
which there is extreme misrepresentation and misunderstanding. Subjects about which many
people have hard and fast beliefs and prejudices that they never dare look into and question. It
can be surprisingly easy for ones mind to just slide off the subject and avoid ever contemplating
it directly. Some people experience strong aversions toward such subjects and yet show neither
understanding nor any coherent argument against them. These ideas challenge certain core
beliefs that many people have not seriously questioned so they are unable to defend them by
rational means so their tendency is to retreat into denial. Be wary of these impulses in yourself
and be mindful of your responses. Peer review is a vital aspect of any scientific enquiry, for ideas
to be put to the test and found to be reliable or unreliable, but for this to occur people must
approach the ideas with a sceptical attitude.
The work says many profound things and is just one voice amongst many, if these things were
true the ramifications would have far reaching benefits for everyone and could help us
comprehend and avert major systemic crises. Given the vast potential benefit it seems that these
ideas should be made available to be independently and rationally assessed to either refute them
or to help subject them to closer examination. What is described is detailed extraordinary
evidence for extraordinary claims however one must clear away many illusions, such as
commonsense realism and unquestioned beliefs that cause the mind to slide off the topic before
one can comprehend things from a clearer perspective. Then the claims can be properly tested.
As you read through the discussion you will hopefully be able to identify the assumptions and
illusions, overcome the preconceived ideas and be able to contemplate the topic from a new
perspective that will make it much clearer.
There are many profoundly interesting and shocking ideas ahead however it is necessary to
clarify many things before certain ideas can be introduced. Even then many will have great
difficulty because this is a profound paradigm shift and old cognitive habits can be difficult to
even recognise let alone overcome. For some it is relatively effortless but for others there are
many subtle stages of deepening clarity before real understanding arises.
The subject itself is the essence of simplicity but because of the complexity of our ideas the work
must provide a very complex analysis to make it connect with our world of ideas. Also due to
countless trivial misunderstandings and objections raised over the years many stumbling points
have been clarified and made explicit, but this has caused the discourse to become rather
complex and detailed. Perhaps in the future simpler versions can be produced but until then,
apologies for the mass of details but this has been necessary.
The discussion may start off a bit too technical for some and it may get a bit too metaphysical or
abstract for others. It is primarily meant for people who are enthralled by the world of ideas
(intellectuals) and who are open to exploring its foundations and seeing 'beneath' the world of
ideas. It is particularly aimed at open minded, rational, and skeptical, scientists, philosophers,
intellectuals and theologians as well as open minded, rational, skeptical and enquiring people of
all kinds. It covers vast territory so much of it may be unfamiliar or may seem familiar on the
surface but be totally different to what you would expect. This discussion describes a paradigm
shift, so if you find parts that sound like utter gibberish or nonsense then this is because your
current paradigm is incompatible or even hostile toward the paradigm discussed here. There is no
question of being right or wrong, it is just a matter of understanding each other.
"I shall not commit the fashionable stupidity of regarding everything I cannot explain as fraud."
(Carl Jung [FR])
If understanding becomes difficult then just skim those parts you can’t understand and come
back to them later. The important thing is to absorb those parts that you can understand and to be
careful of judging things based on misunderstandings due to different associations with words
and concepts. In a paradigm shift many meanings subtly and radically change and one must
assess concepts based, not on preconceived ideas and beliefs but on their relations with other
concepts in the current discourse; it is a matter of learning a new conceptual language. By
looking at the glossary you can get an idea of the depth of the paradigm shift. You need to step
across to the other side to properly see the view from there; it may surprise you. Only then and
not before are you in a position to assess the paradigm rationally, sceptically and scientifically. If
you don’t cross the river you can’t know about what is on the other side.
"The reception of a new paradigm often necessitates a redefinition of the corresponding science.
Some old problems may be relegated to another science or declared entirely "unscientific".
Others that were previously non-existent or trivial may, with a new paradigm, become the very
archetypes of significant scientific achievement."(Thomas Kuhn)
It is the nature of a paradigm shift that it can shake things up and stir things into motion in your
mind; it can even slaughter your sacred cows and cherished illusions. This can be disturbing at
times, but this is cognitive growing pains; if you revere truth and reality then these pains are a
part of the process. As you proceed things will quickly settle and reform into a deeper and more
holistic understanding. Each time you experience something it is largely a function of your
current paradigm, which is the lens that you look through. So during a paradigm shift it is
important to use a cyclic approach. For example, after having read this document your
understanding of this paradigm will be much deeper and clearer than it was originally. Then
spend some time looking through this new cognitive lens at your world and reassess things anew.
Then return to this document (or other transcendent writings) and you will see it in a new light
and understand it on a much deeper level.
For those who are not technically minded you can skim or skip the technical discussions and read
the rest; it is all very simple and intuitive really - it's more about awareness than about intellect.
As the discussion progresses its format becomes less technical and once people are able to
understand the analogical language that is employed it covers all kinds of topics, shedding new
light on them. There are parts of this discussion that develop a rational argument that must be
followed through to be understood but most of the discourse is just many different ways of
saying the same thing. Towards the end of the discussion there are countless paragraphs that can
sum up the entire message contained herein but only if one has successfully shifted one's
paradigm enough to be able to understand them. For those already open to the paradigm
presented here they could just skip to the latter sections and see the entire message presented in
many different ways, each highlighting a particular subtlety but otherwise saying essentially the
same thing. But for those unfamiliar with the paradigm it may require many years of subtle
enquiry, growing awareness, personal growth and changing life circumstances before things
become comprehensible.
Through questioning and deconstructing fundamental assumptions and confusions then exploring
the ramifications of this the work seeks to motivate people to clarify and overcome these
distortions in themselves and the wider culture so that we can all better comprehend and
participate in reality. It does not propose any new ideology, grand theory or belief system, just a
'device' that can assist in clarifying understanding. After that, awareness and reality do the rest.
“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart ... Who looks outside, dreams.
Who looks inside, awakens.” (Carl Jung [FR])
Introduction
Here we introduce one of the major threads that weaves through this discussion, first lets clarify
the concept of skepticism a little more. Skepticism has a specifically philosophical meaning:
"skepticism [Gr.,= to reflect], philosophic position holding that the possibility of knowledge is
limited either because of the limitations of the mind or because of the inaccessibility of its object.
It is more loosely used to denote any questioning attitude. Extreme skepticism holds that no
knowledge is possible, but this is logically untenable since the statement contradicts itself. The
first important skeptical view was held by Democritus, who saw sense perception as no certain
guide to objective reality. The Sophists were the earliest group of skeptics. Protagoras taught the
relativity of knowledge, and Gorgias held that either nothing could be known, or if anything
were known, it could not be communicated. Pyrrho, regarded as the father of skepticism, later
held a similarly extreme position, seeing reality as inaccessible. Arcesilaus taught that certitude
is impossible and only probable knowledge is attainable. In the Renaissance, skepticism is seen
in the writings of Michel de Montaigne, Pierre Charron, and Blaise Pascal. For René Descartes
skepticism was a methodology that allowed him to arrive at certain incontrovertible truths. At
the end of the 17th cent., Pierre Bayle skeptically challenged philosophical and theological
theories. David Hume, a leading modern skeptic, challenged established assumptions about the
self, substance, and causality. The skeptical aspect of Immanuel Kant's philosophy is exemplified
by his agnosticism; his antinomies of reason demonstrate that certain problems are insoluble by
reason. To some degree skepticism manifests itself in the scientific method, which demands
that all things assumed as facts be questioned. But the positivism [REF] of many scientists,
whether latent or open, is incompatible with skepticism, for it accepts without question the
assumption that material effect is impossible without material cause."
(The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press., 2003.
Answers.com 11 Jun. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/skepticism)
This positivism is a core belief that goes unquestioned throughout empirical science and it is the
philosophical foundation of empiricism [FR] and empirical science [FR]. It is this sacred cow of
science that is questioned here. The following argument and this entire discussion rest upon the
idea that reality has a processual [FR], information / system theoretic [FR] nature; that there are no
fundamental bits of matter that a priori (miraculously) exist in space and time and interact to
construct a physical universe. This outmoded idea is already proven false but it is so deeply
ingrained that it lingers on in the philosophical foundations of our thinking. Whether one thinks
of information, computation, pure awareness or abstract non-physical ‘physicality’ such as
quantum wavefunctions or strings or a unified quantum vacuum, these are all information
processes.
"Because it is now a scientifically established fact that less than 4% of the universe is composed
of matter as commonly understood modern philosophical materialists attempt to extend the
definition of matter to include other scientifically observable entities such as energy, forces, and
the curvature of space. However this opens them to further criticism from philosophers such as
Mary Midgley who suggest that the concept of "matter" is elusive and poorly defined."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism)
Many of the concepts in modern physics are not ‘physical’ in the traditional sense of the word;
whilst a wavefunction gives rise to the appearance of physical attributes such as mass or velocity
the wavefunction itself has no mass or velocity or any observable attributes; it has no empirical
appearance because it is ‘made of’ probability. A super-string gives rise to physical phenomena
but it itself is not ‘physical’ because it is an abstract information medium that represents
information using vibrational states. A unified quantum vacuum gives rise to physical
phenomena but it itself is not ‘physical’ because, by definition, the vacuum itself is devoid of all
physical substance; it is the invisible ‘stuff’ out of which every ‘thing’ comes and within which
all events occur, and that is exactly how a computational process would appear from within a
virtual reality [FR]. In this manner physicists have already left 'materialism' and the 'physical'
universe behind but have yet to explicitly recognise this fact.
"Let us now return to our ultimate particles and to small organizations of particles as atoms or
small molecules. The old idea about them was that their individuality was based on the identity
of matter in them...The new idea is that what is permanent in these ultimate particles or small
aggregates is their shape and organization. The habit of everyday language deceives us and
seems to require, whenever we hear the word shape or form of something, that it must be a
material substratum that is required to take on a shape. Scientifically this habit goes back to
Aristotle, his causa materialis and causa formalis. But when you come to the ultimate particles
constituting matter, there seems to be no point in thinking of them again as consisting of some
material. They are as it were, pure shape, nothing but shape; what turns up again and again in
successive observations is this shape, not an individual speck of material..." (Erwin
Schroedinger [REF])
So if it is the case that the physical universe arises from underlying non-physical processes, then
that deeper reality that underlies the existence of all things and underlies the process of
perception and experience is not accessible to empirical science by its very definition.
“Empiricists claim that sense experience is the ultimate source of all our concepts and
knowledge” (Rationalism vs. Empiricism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) [FR]) whilst the
existential process “underlies the existence of all things and underlies the process of perception
and experience”.
Naive realism [FR] claims that the objects of perception are ontologically real external objects that
the mind can directly grasp. Whereas phenomenalism claims that the objects of perception are
just that, they are perceptual constructs that form in the mind due to the incidence of sensory
information and the interpretation of this by the mind. "Edmund Husserl (1970), saw the
phenomenologist in Hume when he showed that some perceptions are interrelated or associated
to form other perceptions which are then projected onto a world putatively outside the mind."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume)
"Naive realism [FR] is a common sense theory of perception. Most people, until they start
reflecting philosophically, are naive realists. This theory is also known as "direct realism" or
"common sense realism". Naive realism claims that the world is pretty much as common sense
would have it. All objects are composed of matter, they occupy space, and have properties such
as size, shape, texture, smell, taste and colour. [It is assumed that] These properties are usually
perceived correctly. So, when we look at and touch things we see and feel those things directly,
and so perceive them as they really are." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naïve_realism)
"Noumena (the ontological [FR] reality that underlies our sensory and mental impressions of an
external world) do not cause phenomena [FR], but rather phenomena are simply the way by which
our minds perceive the noumena... we participate in the reality of an otherwise unachievable
world outside the mind... We cannot prove that our mental picture of an outside world
corresponds with a reality by reasoning... [however] we can participate in the underlying reality
that lies beyond mere phenomena." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schopenhauer)
Empiricism does not question the nature of perception but takes it for granted and it uses the
objects of perception (which are mistaken to be objectively real objects) to construct the idea of a
physical objective world that is made of objects, which are actually objects of perception - in this
manner it is inherently naive realist. From this flawed conceptual foundation it builds all of its
later hypotheses. It proposes that the hypothetical physical universe underlies the process of
perception, hence one of the major paradoxes in empiricism is “how can the process of
perception, awareness and consciousness arise from the interactions of inert physical objects
(which are really just objects of perception)? This is a fundamental paradox that arises because
of assumptions about the nature of perception and the confusion between “objects of perception”
and the idea of “ontologically real physical objects”.
What is proposed is a rationalist approach: “Rationalists claim that there are significant ways in
which our concepts and knowledge are gained independently of sense experience.” (Rationalism
vs. Empiricism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) [FR]) In this way we can overcome the
lingering attachments to ideas derived from arbitrary human sense experience. Rationalism or
scientific realism is anti-empiricist. It essentially claims that the fundamental properties of things
are more real than their appearances in the mind. So frequency is more real than colour or sound
and wavefunctions are more real than particles or waves. So the informatic / systemic entities are
more real than their appearances in our minds. That which we experience in our minds is just a
cognitive reflection of the deeper reality. This should be quite obvious but because it challenges
certain core beliefs people’s minds have great difficulty in thinking clearly about this.
Here is an analogy to explain what is meant when stating that the existential process itself exists
prior to perception and experience. Consider a virtual reality world generated by a computational
process (the simulator). The computational process underlies the existence of all objects within
the virtual universe and it implements all interactions between these objects. Whenever a virtual
system perceives another system it is the computational process that underlies the flow of
information that implements both that which is perceived and the process of perception. In this
respect the VR universe is composed of information systems of some kind that appear as
physical objects (with attributes) in spacetime. These systems perceive things from an empirical
perspective ‘within’ the virtual world. But underlying these appearances of objects in space, the
actual reality is computational in nature. So you may play a computer game and know the game
space very well and understand the many objects and phenomena that appear within the game,
but you cannot comprehend the underlying computational process in terms of these objects and
phenomena because they only arise as appearances within the virtual world and they have no
meaning within the context of the computational space and the complex computational processes
that create and implement every aspect of the game world. This is just an elaborate analogy to
explain what is meant by saying that existence underlies the process of perception therefore a
perceptually based theory cannot comprehend questions of existence but only appearances within
the mind. The objects and the perceiver don’t miraculously arise from separate roots; they are
intrinsic parts of a computational process.
Rather than consider a world of separate objects we must eventually return to considering a
universe that is One and Whole, that is unified and coherent rather than fragmented and random.
"Indeed, to some extent it has always been necessary and proper for man, in his thinking, to
divide things up, if we tried to deal with the whole of reality at once, we would be swamped.
However when this mode of thought is applied more broadly to man's notion of himself and the
whole world in which he lives, (i.e. in his world-view) then man ceases to regard the resultant
divisions as merely useful or convenient and begins to see and experience himself and this world
as actually constituted of separately existing fragments. What is needed is a relativistic theory,
to give up altogether the notion that the world is constituted of basic objects or building blocks.
Rather one has to view the world in terms of universal flux of events and processes." (David
Bohm [REF])
Because of the fundamental limitations of empiricism [FR] most of empirical science [FR], western
philosophy, common sense and general knowledge is fundamentally limited. That’s not to say
that the vast accumulation of empirical data and hypotheses are not useful. Within the context in
which it arose much of our knowledge is highly accurate and some of it is deep and subtle. But
what it means is that outside of the empirical context it has no meaning because the entire
empirical context is a perceptual construct – by its very definition. Therefore knowledge derived
from a perceptual, empirical perspective can be useful in the empirical context but it has no
meaning outside of that. Hence empirical science can never address issues of ontology (what is)
[FR]
but only phenomenology (that which appears to be) [FR]. Ontology is the “science or study of
being: specifically, a branch of metaphysics relating to the nature and relations of being; a
particular system according to which problems of the nature of being are investigated”
(Definitions of Ontology by Leading Philosophers, [FR]) whilst “Phenomenology is the study of
structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view.” (Phenomenology
(Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) [FR]).
Because existence underlies perception, and empirical science depends solely upon perceptual
phenomena, traditional empirical science is fundamentally unable to address issues of existence
but only appearance, however the cutting edge of science is stretching the concept of empiricism
by going beyond concepts that derive from our sense experiences, going beyond solidity,
localisation and so on. In this way science is overcoming empiricism and is approaching a more
rationalist and realist perspective (holistic realism rather than common-sense or naive realism)
[FR]
.
Traditional empirical science addresses “the epistemological question [what can be known and
what is unknowable] by drawing a sharp distinction between truth and empirical adequacy.
[Empirical science claims] that a good theory need only provide an empirically adequate
description of observable phenomena. Any unobservables, such as electrons and quarks, are
simply empirical tools for describing the observable world... [hence] our epistemic knowledge is
limited to the observables.”
However “Scientific realism claims that we can know about objects beyond what we observe
with our bare senses, and this knowledge is what allows us to predict phenomena… The realist
interpretation [of quantum mechanics] shows that we can make knowledge claims about objects,
such as electrons, that are unobservable with our bare senses. This challenges the empiricist
claim that quantum objects are simply empirical tools to describe observables. Thus, contrary to
what we might at first think, the wave-particle duality of quantum objects provides support for
the realists. We now know that quantum objects behave differently from everyday objects, and
we can make an experimentally supported epistemological claim about the quantum world, a
very realist claim.” (A Critique of the Empiricist Interpretation of Modern Physics (PDF) [FR])
"we have to give up the idea of [naive] realism to a far greater extent than most physicists
believe today." (Anton Zeilinger)... By realism, he means the idea that objects have specific
features and properties — that a ball is red, that a book contains the works of Shakespeare, or
that an electron has a particular spin. For everyday objects, such [naive] realism isn't a
problem. But for objects governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, like photons and
electrons, it may make no sense to think of them as having well defined characteristics. Instead,
what we see may depend on how we look.” (Physicists bid farewell to reality? Quantum
mechanics just got even stranger. [FR])
Any attempt by traditional empiricist theories to make ontological claims is like a computer
game player saying that the computational process actually consists of objects in space and time,
whereas the computational process is really an information process wherein there are no
empirical phenomena at all. Therefore when empirical science projects its empiricist ideas
beyond the empirical context (which is a construct of perceptions and appearances) then it is
attempting to operate in a context in which it has no meaning and is therefore illogical. This is
the situation with Scientism.
"Sociologists coined the term "scientism" back in the 1940s, when they realized that many
scientists unthinkingly accepted many scientific theories as simple, unquestioned Truths, just
like believers in any "ism," and thus we often acted like any prejudiced "believer," especially
outside our immediate areas of expertise." (The Archives of Scientists Transcendent Experiences
(TASTE) [FR])
To a large extent physics has moved in the right direction by letting go of its billiard balls and
plum pudding models of matter and it has gone into relativistic spacetime, quantum
wavefunctions and fields, strings, processes and information. By hanging onto empirical ideas
that are inherently derived from sensory experience within the virtual reality we are trapped
within an empirical understanding of things. But by letting go and going deeper into the abstract
information processes we can comprehend the underlying process of existence and thereby
comprehend our experiences on a much deeper level. Rather than just take our experiences for
granted and enshrine them as core beliefs in an empiricist approach, we can rationally question
those beliefs and subtly penetrate to a much deeper understanding.
That is what is proposed here. I describe a general information systems theory [IST] based upon
matrix algebra and discrete mathematics that is used to explore the underlying existential process
and thereby comprehend the empirical (experiential) world from a deeper perspective [FR]. This
document is not a technical discussion; it is more descriptive. For details refer to the website
(www.anandavala.info) or follow these links [overview], [metaphysical approach], [VR metaphysics], [IST], [SMN], [sys theory], [unification],
where there are mathematical and software models illustrating how one can use matrix algebra
and discrete mathematics to create existential processes that generate virtual empirical worlds
where systems interact and experience being in a world of systems in interaction. This
mathematical methodology is called system matrix notation [SMN]. There are also metaphysical and
general essays and long lists of assorted comments and even poetry and images; all trying to
make the ideas accessible to people.
In the SMN approach all the principles of system theory naturally arise within the virtual
realities. The models can implement quantum, pseudo classical and relativistic phenomena. The
quantum and relativistic effects arise due to the constraints of discreteness. There is an inherent
arrow of time, which is of a processual nature [FR] so there is no ontological “dimension of time”,
there is only an ongoing process-of-the-real that exists in the present moment. This means that
any equation or theory relying upon a time variable ‘t’ is an empirical description of observed
appearances and events from within the VR simulation when it is running. This is also the case
for any spatial coordinate (x,y or z), because SMN has only process time and state space; it is
from these that empirical time and empirical space arise within the simulation. Whilst all the
virtual systems have an inherent present moment existence, to empirical science [FR] this is an
inexplicable anomaly; this is because empiricism relies on the flow of countless present moments
of existence as its conceptual ‘ground’. It takes experience as an a priori (miraculous) starting
point and thus can only comprehend the virtual experience of existence and not the actual
mechanism of existence. Furthermore, all virtual systems have input, internal state and output,
these are primitive precursors to perception, experience and response. Complex systems can have
very complex structures, behaviours and appearances as well as highly complex ‘cognitive’
processes with countless internal feedback loops and internal processes.
This indicates that our consciousness may be a highly complex manifestation of a universal
principle. What we call ‘consciousness’ is a high level experience of the existential process itself
as it looks through our perspective and experiences the “virtual world.” So it could be said that
all things are made of consciousness and the ‘objects’ are appearances; they are the content of
consciousness. This resolves the mind/matter paradox that arises within empirical science.
Consciousness is an inexplicable anomaly in empirical science for the same reasons that
empirical science cannot comprehend present moment existence. Because empiricism takes the
process of experience as an unquestioned ‘given’ and it builds all of its ideas upon that
assumption, it is therefore unable to use its later ideas to coherently comprehend consciousness.
One cannot comprehend the mechanism of consciousness by using concepts solely derived from
the contents of consciousness.
There are many other profound and striking parallels between everyday experience, scientific
knowledge and the perennial philosophy [FR], which I discuss later once certain fundamental
confusions are cleared up. The current limitations of SMN [FR] are here clarified; it is currently
strictly confined to working with ontological processes and the general properties of the virtual
reality and not on the contingent processes that give rise to any particular virtual universe. To
explain, SMN provides a new context of enquiry, a new mathematical / computational approach
with new system simulation techniques. It provides a general model of the structure and
dynamics of the existential process; it models the metaphorical cosmic ‘simulator’. SMN gives
us a general model of the simulator and its fundamental constraints but any kind of system model
or VR universe can be run on this simulator. There is still a great deal to be learnt about how to
create a ‘seed’ model that evolves into a universe very much like our own. The nature of the
simulator imposes fundamental constraints on the nature of the VR universe; it must be finite,
discrete, quantised, relativistic, systemic and so on, but within these constraints any type of
system model or VR universe can be created and simulated. So the question remains, which
particular types of models evolve into universes much like our own?
Using SMN as the mathematical foundation this work contemplates the information system
theoretic principles that naturally arise in the virtual worlds. It seeks an understanding of how
they connect with our own personal experience of existence and with our accumulated
knowledge. From this arises, what in the context of this work is called “information system
theory” (IST) [FR], which is a general theory of systems [FR] and their interactions. It is not
presented as a formal theory but rather as a way of thinking that subtly uses the flow of the
mathematics [FR] to comprehend the flow of information that is the existential process that
underlies our empirical experiences. In this way one is not fixated wholly on the objects of
perception, assuming that they are the reality, because within one’s mind’s eye one also sees the
connectivity and the flow and one understands the complex empirical appearances and their
behaviours on a much deeper level. It subtly informs one’s understanding of the holistic
situation. It is analogous to playing a computer game when you are the one that programmed the
game; you have a far deeper understanding of the information flows underlying the objects,
places and events in the game, whereas an unfamiliar player could only respond to sense
impressions and would not perceive the underlying dynamics.
Whilst empirical scientific enquiry has done much to clear up many of our surface confusions,
the empirical scientific method is itself distorted by some of our deepest, most profound and far-
reaching assumptions and beliefs. It is most definitely NOT a truly skeptical approach. It must let
go of its sacred beliefs before it can be truly skeptical. These beliefs are buried deep within the
philosophical foundations of empiricism, thereby distorting the whole of empirical science. It is a
matter of great importance that we recognise these distortions, comprehend their effect on us and
work to correct them. We need to understand the mind first before reliably contemplating the
contents of the mind otherwise we are open to illusion, delusion (persistent illusion), fanaticism,
oppression and holistically destructive behaviour.
The mind is the foundation of our knowledge; it responds to the stimuli of existence and
generates cognitive experiences and ideas. It is the fundamental link between reality and our
knowledge of reality. It is the 'instrument' by which we experience and know anything at all and
all good seekers of knowledge should understand and master their most fundamental instrument.
In order to see clearly through the lens of the mind one must understand the nature of mind and
its complex non-linear property whereby the view influences the lens, which influences the view,
which influences the lens and so on. In this way we come to look through our own ideas.
Because of this one must master one's own mind before one can derive reliable knowledge
through it. Otherwise everything is coloured and distorted by preconceived subconscious ideas
and attitudes that reinforce each other and evolve into complex, subtle and compelling illusions.
If an illusion is enduring and pervasive it is difficult to identify as an illusion, hence within what
we normal consider to be “just the way things are” there dwell many unquestioned illusions.
We will see in this discussion that the concepts of ‘reality’ and ‘illusion’ are not at all clear-cut.
That which many call ‘real’ is actually illusion in the strictest sense, and will generally be
described as such, but it is illusion in the same way as a virtual reality is an illusion; for
characters that dwell in that virtual reality it seems ‘real’ because it is all illusion and all as real
as they are. Hence the illusions discussed can be thought of as processes that manifest a virtual
reality [FR]. This has also been described as relative reality, as opposed to absolute reality. But in
general this work will simply refer to absolute reality as reality or objective reality and to relative
reality as illusion or virtual reality or pseudo objective reality (that which we believe to be the
objective reality but it is actually a construct of shared subjective experiences).
A major feature of this discussion is an analysis of the information flow from reality, through
perception, interpretation, experience, ideas, expression, communication, cultural consensus and
finally arriving at collective knowledge; and then the many feedback loops through which our
awareness and understanding is conditioned. Using this understanding it deconstructs many
common illusions and assumptions. This creates profound and far-reaching cracks in one's belief
system. It shows how loosely our collective knowledge is related to reality and how the mind has
an incredible ability to construct experiential worlds based upon our preconceived subconscious
ideas. It is a literal fact that, as Buddha said, "with our thoughts we make the world" [FR]. Not the
objective reality of course, but our own personal experiential world. For most people, that is the
only world they have ever known.
For example, consider some object in front of you; you cannot ever see or experience the object
"as it is". All you ever experience is your subconscious interpretation of the signals that stimulate
your senses; these produce a response in your mind and that is what you actually experience. A
simple example is a person who is hypnotised then handed an onion and given the subconscious
suggestion that it is an apple - they will eat it gladly and experience it as an apple. You can never
experience or know anything directly. Whilst our own responses do depend on the incident
signals coming from reality, the actual form that they take in the conscious mind, which is what
we experience, depends primarily on our particular way of interpreting and representing the
signals to ourselves. So people with different subconscious cognitive filters actually experience
different worlds.
That's just one of the many confusions that are clarified in this discussion. They are systemic
perceptual illusions, i.e. illusions that arise because we are systems within a universe of systems
and we only interact via the communication of information. We are not material objects in space
that miraculously exist with innate solidity and behaviour, and we don't have a perfect "God's
eye view" of reality or even an objective view, as people tend to assume. We experience many
perceptual illusions that we accept as reality; these lead to experiences such as objects in space,
around which we have woven ideas and allege the existence of a world "out there". But all we
ever know is our own personal subjective experience that is totally constructed by our own
minds.
Many people have primarily been looking through the mind naively assuming it to be a perfect
objective window on reality and that we all experience the same objective world. Many people
intellectually know better but still carry this subconscious assumption, which permeates their
entire experience and knowledge of the world. Many people look through the mind without
understanding the nature of the mind and thereby confuse the contents of mind with objective
reality. This is a profound and far reaching error that opens us up to unending illusion, confusion,
delusion (persistent illusion), agitation and suffering. We become prone to take our illusions as
reality, to base all our knowledge and actions upon them and to thereby experience and operate
within what is essentially a fantasy world that is loosely based upon an underlying reality.
These illusions are all pervasive in our experience; they initially arise from fundamental
principles of information, systems and perception, but through biology and culture they have
become reinforced and woven into what is generally considered to be the bedrock of
incontrovertible self-evident facts of experience, that we never question because they are never
recognised as a position or a theory that could be questioned, they are just assumed to be the way
things actually are. On top of this we have built civilisation, a vast and intricate structure of
knowledge, belief, tradition, roles, dependencies and the status quo of the world. From this
vantage point we uncritically contemplate the world that presents itself to the conscious mind,
assuming that we have a clear, undistorted and objective perspective on reality.
Because of this fundamental error most of empirical science, western philosophy, common sense
and general knowledge rests upon a false foundation and does not represent reliable knowledge
about reality. It is only reliable knowledge about the appearance, structure and behaviour of our
particular systemic, biological, historical and contemporary cognitive illusions. These illusions
are ultimately based upon an underlying reality but the lens is often so distorted that the illusion
exhibits only superficial resemblance and relevance to reality, thus leaving most of reality
incomprehensible and most of our actions inappropriate in the wider context. We may act
rationally within a narrow context but this can be highly destructive and irrational within the
wider context. The vast majority of information is filtered out by the subconscious and the
remainder is heavily interpreted and distorted by deep-seated assumptions and
misunderstandings.
In many respects science is becoming skeptical on its cutting edge with quantum physics [FR],
string theory [FR], process physics [FR], process philosophy [FR], information physics [FR], system
theory [FR], computational metaphysics [FR], cybernetics [FR], and so on. But on the whole there still
remains an irrational and unquestioned attachment to an arbitrary but naively compelling belief
that dwells within concepts such as empiricism [FR], positivism [FR], empirical science [FR],
materialism, commonsense/naive realism [FR] and Scientism. Note the capital ‘S’ for Scientism,
this is because it is a religion and these are usually capitalised. Scientism is a product of the
gradual cultural distortion of science, just as popular religion is a product of the gradual cultural
distortion of mysticism; it is when direct and subtle knowledge is taken out of context and it
devolves into confusion and results in unfounded belief or dis-belief, which are both just
assumptions.
""materialism is the philosophy of the subject who forgets to take account of himself."
(Schopenhauer)... an observing subject can only know material objects through the mediation of
the brain and its particular organization. The way that the brain knows determines the way that
material objects are experienced." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism)
By uncritically accepting the contents of mind as objective reality we are prone to illusion. These
illusions distort the lens of our mind thus distorting our experiences and if these too are
uncritically accepted as objective reality the illusion is further reinforced. These illusions bring
us into conflict with ourselves, with each other and with the holistic context, our total
environment. To see clearly, understand coherently and participate effectively we need to
understand the mind and make direct clear contact with reality. Just as illusions reinforce, so too
does sincere and open-minded questioning of things lead to greater and greater clarity and
awareness. Then we are in a position to clarify the many fundamental errors in our conscious and
subconscious understanding; to straighten the lens; to see through it and get a fresh perspective.
From this perspective we can then follow through the ramifications of those changes, to work
from the re-aligned foundation all the way up, through the structure of our knowledge,
renovating it and re-aligning it with reality. This is not as difficult as it sounds if one uses one's
whole mind effectively.
Only then can we develop reliable personal and collective knowledge about reality. No collective
knowledge can be perfect, but it can at least be comprehensive enough and accurate enough to
overcome much of the dire confusion, agitation, imbalance, conflict, suffering and destruction
that threatens the very survival of life on this planet. If science is to become skeptical and not
devolve into Scientism it must openly, rationally and sincerely re-examine its roots and realise
that the mind is its foundation and not a naive belief in the objective reality of the contents of the
mind.
"The old foundations of scientific thought are becoming unintelligible. Time, space, matter,
material, ether, electricity, mechanism, organism, configuration, structure, pattern, function, all
require reinterpretation. What is the sense of talking about a mechanical explanation when you
do not know what you mean by mechanics? The truth is that science started its modern career by
taking over ideas derived from the weakest side of the philosophies of Aristotle's successors. In
some respects it was a happy choice. It enabled the knowledge of the seventeenth century to be
formulated so far as physics and chemistry were concerned, with a completeness which lasted to
the present time. But the progress of biology and psychology has probably been checked by the
uncritical assumption of half-truths. If science is not to degenerate into a medley of ad hoc
hypotheses, it must become philosophical and must enter upon a thorough criticism of its own
foundations."
(Alfred North Whitehead http://www.alfred.north.whitehead.com/witwiz/witwiz4.htm [FR])
This discussion first introduces some basic concepts of information systems theory, then
describes the mathematics and its ramifications. Then it analyses the process of perception
leading through experience, ideas, communication and resulting in collective knowledge, which
then feeds back upon our minds and influences the whole process. This shows that not only is
our knowledge limited by empiricism but that accurate awareness and knowledge is highly
dependent on a good understanding and mastery of the mind. It is a highly complex and non-
linear process by which we experience and know anything at all. In this sense the mind is the
true foundation of empiricism, not a fervent belief in objects in spacetime. The mind is the
instrument of experience and knowledge, which we must understand and master if we are to
experience and know coherently, but the mind cannot be understood within a purely empiricist
paradigm because the mind precedes experience and therefore cannot be explained in terms of
the objects of experience. We then explore some of the implications of having many minds,
integrated through culture and resonating together and some of the systemic phenomena that
arise from this. This sheds light on issues of enormous relevance to current global events and
crises. The work then explores some of the many parallels between information system theory
and the perennial philosophy, it then discusses the role of religion in this context. Then it
discusses some things that you can do to improve your own clarity and awareness. It then
discusses what can be done to renovate and re-contextualise our empirical knowledge within the
wider holistic context and generally re-establish ourselves as seekers of knowledge within the
wider context. It then ends with a challenge to all people who seek deeper understanding and a
more harmonious life to take a fresh look at themselves and their world and to sincerely tackle
the illusions and irrationalities that go unquestioned in our minds and to strip away outmoded
ideas that impair our awareness, understanding and judgement.
Essentially, it is proposed that science, which “in the broadest sense, refers to any system of
knowledge which attempts to model objective reality” is capable of far more than empirical
science implies. Here it is proposed that a holistic science is possible, achievable and desirable
(indeed vital for our survival). This work describes a path that leads toward a holistic science,
which is a profoundly skeptical science (devoid of sacred cows) that comprehends the nature of
mind and uses it effectively, rather than a naive science that assumes that the experiences and
ideas in the mind are representative of objective reality. It is not just an intellectual science, but
also one that requires deep introspection, self-awareness and self-mastery. It is a science that
comprehends both the personal and the mystic experiences of existence. The central principle of
mysticism [FR] is "know your self". "The effort to understand yourself is Yoga" (Sri Nisargadatta
Maharaj [FR])
"The concepts of science show strong similarities to the concepts of the mystics... The philosophy
of mystical traditions, the perennial philosophy, is the most consistent philosophical background
to modern science." (Fritjof Capra [FR])
“Mysticism … is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness
of, ultimate reality…through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such
experience is …an important source of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism)
“Science, in the broadest sense, refers to any system of knowledge which attempts to model
objective reality. In a more restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge
based on the scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through
such research.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science) [FR]
This discussion does not propose a fragmented and limited science based upon 'mechanical'
assumptions but a deep and holistic way of knowing that unifies all the fragmented disciplines of
empirical science and all the mystic traditions. An understanding that elucidates the deep nature
of ourselves and civilisation, that reconnects religion with its mystic roots and science with it
skeptical roots and that opens up a vast new field of technological innovations and solutions to
systemic problems that plague our lives and threaten our survival.
"General Systems theory should be an important means of instigating the transfer of principles
from one field to another (so that it would) no longer be necessary to duplicate the discovery of
the same principles in different fields." (Ludwig von Bertalanffy [REF])
"There is this hope, I cannot promise you whether or when it will be realized - that the
mechanistic paradigm, with all its implications in science as well as in society and our own
private life, will be replaced by an organismic or systems paradigm that will offer new pathways
for our presently schizophrenic and self-destructive civilization." (Ludwig von Bertalanffy [REF])
The ‘device’ that can take us to this holistic science is information system theory (IST), either as
discussed here or in some form. The approach discussed here unifies all of the other paradigms
within a single elegant and holistic paradigm that derives from pure mathematics and the
concepts 'information' and 'system'. There are no introduced assumptions and beliefs; its
foundation is clear and simple, yet powerful enough to underlie all of our knowledge of the
universe. But information system theory is only a device; it is not the holistic science itself or
even the foundation of the holistic science. Clear and open minds are the foundation and IST
gives us motivation and guidance in attaining such a thing and also a conceptual language within
which to express our deeper holistic understanding.
In particular IST identifies a general process for the clarification of assumptions and illusions,
the overcoming of habitual and compulsive thought patterns, reconnecting with ourselves and
our minds because we are the foundation of all culture and knowledge, then through ourselves to
connect with reality and then a renovation from the ground up of our individual and cultural
paradigms. Only then resulting in a holistic, re-aligned cultural domain, with clear and open
minds connected to reality and not trapped within compelling and competing illusions. The
resulting holistic science can assist us in re-aligning with reality by motivating us and directing
us to re-connect with ourselves, to come to know ourselves and through this to know reality.
The factual re-examination of some general principles brings to light some of their implications
and reveals the fundamental limitations of the currently dominant paradigm. By looking through
the cracks and exploring deeper, we discover profound parallels between cutting edge science,
information theoretic metaphysics, existential philosophy and the perennial philosophy or mystic
wisdom. They are all talking about essentially the same thing but coming from different angles
and using different analogies. By identifying and distilling the common underlying structure of
these analogies this work elucidates the general structure of a unified paradigm that seamlessly
encompasses them all. Each particular paradigm is a particular analogical expression of the
common underlying paradigm and concepts from one are mirrored in the other. Given such a
unified understanding we can translate from one to the other and each can learn a great deal from
the others. The resulting understanding is that the assumptions of common sense realism and the
unquestioned beliefs that arise from it, such as empiricism and positivism, are fundamentally
flawed, limited and limiting. The actual range of possibilities inherent in existence is vastly
greater than that which the current paradigm can comprehend.
Ultimately all collective ideas are of the nature of illusion to varying degrees, they are not the
actual reality but just ideas about it, so if you are wondering if this discussion and the proposed
path to a holistic science is some kind of illusion; you can be assured that it is to some degree.
But it can show how it is an illusion and elucidate the exact relationship between ‘illusion’ and
‘reality’. The mathematics and information systems theory are part of the illusion, everyday
experience of the world is part of the illusion and also common sense, mystic wisdom, religious
dogma and scientific knowledge too; the whole of human civilization is a part of the illusion.
Described here is an illusion that unifies all other illusions; that elucidates the nature of illusion
and shows that all ideas, theories and beliefs are all ultimately an illusion. The actual reality “is
what it is” and we weave ideas around it to comprehend it, but in doing so, due to the nature of
mind, we can subtly and radically distort our experience and understanding of it. The
deconstruction of the phenomenon of illusion reveals that which isn't an illusion; it is the reality
that produces the stimuli that we interpret, experience and form ideas about, it is the reality that
the mind can only reflect and never hold or capture and it is ourselves as the bridge between
reality and ideas.
For those who dwell in a world of cognitive impressions and ideas the actual reality seems to be
something remote and abstract. If IST was not itself an illusion, it could not be recognised or
comprehend by such people. But it is an illusion that dispels illusion. So it does not proclaim
itself to be any truth, the truth is ultimately beyond words and ideas, and only approachable
through direct contact and clear open awareness. We are the weavers of illusion and only by
turning back on ourselves and mastering the mind can we disentangle ourselves from our web of
illusion and come to know and fully participate in reality.
"My friend, all theory is gray, and the Golden tree of life is green." (Goethe)
Introduction to Information Systems Theory
Firstly here is given a brief introduction to information systems theory (IST) [FR] to clarify the
context of this analysis. The term "information systems theory" has been used in several related
contexts, usually involving computers that process information or organisations that use
information in their management processes [FR]. For example a common definition of "an
information system, ... is a technologically implemented medium for recording, storing, and
disseminating linguistic expressions, as well as for drawing conclusions from such expressions"
(Langefors [REF]). Another definition is that "an information system consists of three components:
human, task, application system" [REF]. These are very specialised applications of IST that are
defined within very particular contexts, however here we discuss general information systems
theory [FR] that is applicable to all systems and to all forms of information exchange and
processing. Just as 'energy' is far more general than just electricity or fuel used for technological
applications (matter itself is energy), so too we will see that the concept of an "information
system" is vastly more general than just information exchange within applications of interest to
humans.
Some questions to keep in mind are: What is a useful way to think about the fundamental
‘mechanism’ of existence? And what about all these objects, people, places, events that we
experience in the world? And the universe itself? What about when something happens, what is
the cause? And what exactly is a system?
This discussion uses information system theory because it provides two universal metaphors,
'system' and 'information'. Any manifest form can be meaningfully thought of as a 'system',
whether a particle, a person, a meme (idea), a process, a cultural phenomenon, a society, a
planet, a galaxy and up to the whole cosmos as a single closed system (the only truly 'closed'
system). This is the reason for the usefulness of system theory [FR].
"In contrast to the mechanistic Cartesian view of the world, the world-view emerging from
modern physics can be characterized by words like organic, holistic, and ecological. It might
also be called a systems view, in the sense of general systems theory. The universe is no longer
seen as a machine, made up of a multitude of objects, but has to be pictured as one indivisible
dynamic whole whose parts are essentially interrelated and can be understood only as patterns
of a cosmic process." (Fritjof Capra [FR])
There are certain general properties of all systems, regardless of their form, their behaviour or
the medium within which they exist and interact. A general property of all systems is that they
interact via communication of some form [FR]. Not just social interactions between people or
documents in a computer; for example, particle interactions when modelled by particle physicists
are thought of as communications that are mediated by virtual particles, or mechanical systems
communicate by directing force through levers, pulleys, gears etc. Each system has an outer
observable form through which it is perceptible to other systems and an inner observational
process by which it perceives other systems. Each system is embedded in an inter-connecting
network of communication paths and thus has a unique localised perspective. Signals flow
between systems and through systems and this is conceived of as 'information'. Information is
defined as "discernible difference". It requires some medium that can support different
observable states and an observer that can discern these states; it unites both outer and inner in
the one substance. When information is perceived it is as signals (outer observable form) but
when it flows within a system this flow is experienced as an inner observational process.
Furthermore, because of its generality information can manifest in any medium, it can be
transformed from one medium to another and can flow through any network of systems. The
approach of information theory is to model the flow of information through communication
channels [FR].
Because of the generality of the concepts 'system' [FR] and 'information' [FR] and 'network' [FR], the
approach of information system theory [FR] is a form of general system theory GST [FR]. "General
systems theory in the narrower sense (G.S.T.), ... is trying to derive from a general definition of
'system' a complex of interacting components, concepts characteristic of organized wholes . . .
and to apply them to concrete phenomena."
(Ludwig von Bertalanffy [REF])
"While each scientific theory selects out and abstracts from the world's complexity a peculiar set
of relations, philosophy cannot favor any particular region of human enterprise. Through
conceptual experimentation it must construct a consistency that can accommodate all
dimensions of experience, whether they belong to physics, physiology, psychology, biology,
ethics, etc.." (Alfred North Whitehead [FR])
However IST goes much further than traditional system theory, whilst GST is conceived of as an
analytical tool within an empiricist context, which defines what the “concrete phenomena” are,
IST relies on no preconceived assumptions and it makes definite scientific realist or rationalist
ontological claims that go beyond the scope of empiricist science. IST is what arises when one
takes GST (also quantum physics) seriously, not just as a useful tool within a preconceived
context but as a genuine and accurate science and metaphysics of the nature of the universe.
When one takes systems as the reality and objects as just the appearance of systems within
another system’s perceptual process then one overcomes the attachments to sensory beliefs and
bases one’s ontology on the systemic structure of reality and not on the subjective perceptual
experience of reality.
Each system perceives the incoming information and responds thus producing outgoing
information. I.e. discernible difference is incident on a system and produces a discernibly
different change in the system's observable state, which is then perceived by other systems as
their incident discernible difference. This process occurs only in the present moment thus only
the present moment can be said to 'exist'. In this context the past is memory and the future is
expectation. In general there is more to it involving concepts such as the quantum multiverse or
the permutation space within which all existential configurations exist as potentiality but are not
temporally ordered (not formed into sequences of successive moments), hence all past and future
states exist as part of a probability distribution within an abstract space of potentiality and our
path through that space creates our experience of past, present and future. So only the present
moment exists as an actuality but the present moment contains all potentiality. But this is beyond
the scope of this discussion, as it requires going deep into the mathematical foundations of IST to
elucidate the phenomena. See the website for more details on this.
As systems communicate and interact within the complex network of interaction paths there are
feedback loops and resonances. These result in some systems interacting strongly and others
weakly; i.e. high and low communication bandwidth. When systems strongly interact and
integrate together into a functional whole they are perceived as a higher-level system by other
systems and for most intents and purposes they 'create' a higher-level super-system; they become
sub-systems within the super-system. This phenomenon is referred to as a meta-system transition
(MST) [FR]. In this way systems are "made of" sub-systems and they interact to 'make' super-
systems. But all of this is a construct of appearances; when all the details are lost (entropy) then
the ensemble of systems seems to be a single whole system. There is no ontological change from
ensemble of systems to super-system, there is just degrees of integration leading to the
perceptual appearance of a single whole super-system. MST is discussed at length later on.
Due to the MST process and the constantly changing patterns of interactions, complex systems
appear and disappear, they integrate and disintegrate, they are born and they die. But all
appearances and disappearances are just high-level perceptions of a constant and unbroken
information process. The outer form seems to appear, it seems to remain constant for a time and
then it seems to disappear. However the observable forms undergoing this process of change and
stability are just the outer appearance of an underlying information process; they rise and fall like
waves on the ocean. This process is not centred on any particular system; it flows throughout the
entire cosmos and intricately integrates all things. The information process is a single unified
'dance' of information. As the information flows we perceive forms that appear, interact and
disappear, and the coherence and integration of this activity rests upon the coherence and
integration of the underlying information process. This ultimately implies that what happens
regarding one system is a function or a 'movement' of the whole cosmos. For example, consider
Feynman Paths [FR].
"The probability amplitude for the particle to be at [position] xb is the sum over all paths
through spacetime originating at [position] xa at time ta"
(http://www.physics.umanitoba.ca/~souther/compsim/lect8/tsld004.htm)
The important thing to note here is that a simple movement from point a to point b that can be
arbitrarily close still involves the "sum over all paths through spacetime"; even paths that snake
their way around, looping around the moon, going off to a distant galaxy, coming back to Earth
and into your house then going back to wherever it is that we perceive a particle moving a
minute distance from a to b. The entire cosmos takes part in every single interaction and the
information processing isn't just confined to the trajectory between a and b but rather, the
perceived localised event is an aspect of the cosmic information process; it is a ‘gesture’ in the
‘dance’ of information.
“For anything to happen, the entire universe must coincide. It is wrong to believe that anything
in particular can cause an event. Every cause is universal. Your very body would not exist
without the entire universe contributing to its creation and survival...” (Sri Nisargadatta
Maharaj, "I am That", p371 [FR])
It is the dynamic flow of information that binds the sub-systems together into a super-system
hence systems are composed of a set of sub-systems and an inter-connective information process.
Now let us delve down the complexity hierarchy through the sub-systems then through their sub-
systems and so on. Examine a system, step into its inner space and see that it consists of sub-
systems plus an information process. Then examine each sub-system in the same way and so on.
At some point we reach a limit, either in our own ability to resolve the details or in the details
themselves. Experience shows that manifest forms are finite (not infinitely large); quantum
physics shows that they are discrete (not infinitely detailed) [FR] and relativity shows that
dynamical quantities such as velocity, mass and energy cannot be infinitely large. It is also a
property of well-defined information spaces that they must be finite and discrete [FR], for example,
binary data.
At the lowest level there are systems that have no sub-systems and are composed solely of a
trivial information process. There is no network of sub-systems for the information process to
flow through; there is only the one system's inner space. This trivial information process can
hold a state and can be influenced by incoming information. Hence these primitive systems are
state variables or primitive observables or fundamental existential states. For example, in a
computer the primitive systems are 'bits' that can exhibit the two states 0 and 1.
From this analysis we see that all systems are composed of primitive systems (fundamental
existential states) woven together by a network of interaction paths and animated by a flow of
information. There may be many levels of systems within systems so the network is very
complex and the information can be thought of as flowing on many levels. A system is therefore
entirely defined by the set of existential states, the structure of the network of interaction paths
and the behaviour of the flow of information throughout the network. Thus a system is a pattern
of structured (network) information (states) that processes information (flow).
"In a comprehensive view of nature, the physical world is seen
as a patterning of patternings..."
(Amy Edmondson)
This simple idea of a system as a pattern of structured information that processes information
captures all the essential properties of a system. In the table below are the parallels between IST
and the five fundamental conceptual aspects of any system according to Klir [REF]:
 Klir
state variables
range and resolution of state variables
permanent behaviour
universe and coupling description
state space description
IST
Existential States
Finite Discrete nature of Existential States
Network and Information Flow
Manifest forms and Relations
Permutation space (multi-verse)

Hence, complex systems are generalised patterns from which we perceive 'objects'. When the
details are lost dense collectives of systems are perceived as objects and sparse collectives of
systems are perceived as the intervening space. This implies that it is fundamentally inaccurate to
conceive of a system as a separate independent object. Any complex system is a complex pattern
of dynamic processes where the 'object' is merely a focal point for our awareness; it is only the
outwardly observable form.
"Imagine yourselves in terms of a moving-picture scenario. You've all seen moving pictures run
backwards, where people undive out of the swimming pool back onto the board. I'm going to run
a moving picture of you backwards. You've just had breakfast; ... all the food comes out of your
mouth onto the plate; ... and into the cans, and they go back to the store; ...then they go back to
the factories ...and they finally get back to pineapples in Hawaii. Then the pineapples separate
out, go back into the air; the raindrops go back into the sky, and so forth.
But in the ... reversal of a month practically everything has come together that you now have on
board you, gradually becoming your hair and your skin and so forth, whereas a month ago, it
was some air coming over the mountains. In other words, you get completely deployed. I want
you to begin to think of yourselves in an interesting way as each one of these.
... you would see chemical elements gradually getting closer and closer together, and, finally,
getting into those various vegetable places and into roasts and, tighter and tighter, into cans,
into the store, finally getting to just being you or me-temporarily, becoming my hair, my ear,
some part of my skin-and then that breaks up and goes off and gets blown around as dust.
Each of us is a very complex pattern integrity with which we were born."
(R. Buckminster Fuller, 1975)
The Mathematical Foundations of IST
In this discussion there is given only a purely descriptive introduction however these concepts
have a rigorous mathematical foundation that in the context of this work is called “system matrix
notation” (SMN) [FR]. In fact the mathematics is the only truly reliable way to approach these
concepts without bringing too many false or unnecessary associations into play. Each
concept/word has a long history and many meanings, some useful and some totally confused and
confusing, but when one derives the concepts directly from the mathematics their only meaning
is that which arises from their context and state of integration into the mathematics. Thus the best
way to understand the subtle subject matter is to visualise the mathematics as a dynamic
information process in your minds-eye and to derive and/or clarify all concepts in relation to this
'vision'. Going into the mathematics is beyond the scope of this discussion it will only comment
on its form and function but not its details. See [SMN] for more.
Some questions to keep in mind are: How can mathematics represent the flow of information?
How can it represent the structure of the flow? How does it represent the moment-by-moment
structure of the objective reality? How does it model the moment-by-moment change and
dynamical process of objective reality? How does it generate the virtual existence of systems in
time and space? How does it model the process of perception, experience and response? How
does it implement quantum behaviour and classical experience?
System Matrix Notation is primarily a general algorithm or information process. It can be
efficiently implemented in mathematics or software and it models a generalised information
process. There are many ways of conceiving of what SMN is but here are described three related
perspectives. Firstly it is an algorithm that implements a "distributed event-processing regime"
that can manage all of the information logistics within a complex dynamical system. Secondly it
is a model of a "general system" and thirdly it is a model of "general distributed massively
parallel computation".
For a more detailed and structured introduction to SMN and explanation of how matrix
mathematics implements information systems, see Modelling General Information Systems.
Briefly, what this mathematical process represents in terms of information systems is this; There
is a state vector that defines the full set of primitive existential states and a matrix of causal inter-
connections. ( A t this point we should include a ref. Link to “Getting a Grip.”) These combine to
implement each iteration moment, in which the current state information flows through the
causal network to produce the next state thus producing a state space that evolves over time. See
[FR]
for more on SMN. The state vector implements the common existential space. Each matrix
row implements an input interface through which a system perceives the entire existential space,
i.e. the state vector.
Each element in a row is an input filter through which that system perceives another system (or
itself, diagonal). Each column implements the output interface through which a system is made
perceptible and observable to other systems. Each element in a column is an output filter through
which that system expresses itself to other systems (or itself, diagonal). So a particular element
in the matrix implements a particular information channel linking two systems; there is an output
filter flowing into an input filter and creating an information channel but with only one direction
of flow. The transpose pairs (mirrored around the diagonal) implement the bi-directional flow
(note that symmetries in the matrix and vector show up as symmetries in the structure and
behaviour of the virtual universe).
Between the systems there are information channels linking every system with every other
system (the network), thus any conceivable interaction scheme is possible. Furthermore the state
vector can represent ‘classical’ data such as the integer 3 or it can represent quantum data
(wavefunctions) as a probability distribution over the states, such as a qbit {p(0)=0.3 ,
p(1)=0.7 }; it is neither ‘0’ nor ‘1’ but 30% ‘0’ and 70% ‘1’. This indeterminism is the nature of
all quantum systems. Note that for engineering purposes the state vector can also represent any
general binary data and the matrix elements can be anything that takes input and produces
output, any function, procedure, program or even electronically controlled equipment. In this
way SMN can be used as a general systemic computational paradigm, discussed shortly.
There are two principal ways of visualising the SMN virtual-reality generative process in action.
First is the classical way, which will probably be more familiar. As the matrix is multiplied with
the vector the existential states (observables, discernible difference, information) flow through
the information channels, being interpreted by input filters, being experienced as internal state
change and being expressed via output filters. The existential states are quantum in nature and
the systems experience particular classical realities by sampling the probability distributions,
thus resulting in particular states, which they perceive as attributes or qualities of a system. In
each moment each system potentially experiences and responds to every other system, so when
the cosmic existential state goes into flux and flows through the matrix it is an extremely
complex dance of information streaming in every possible direction. This state of flux then
resolves back into the state of the next cosmic moment and in this way the dance of information
cycles from the vector through the matrix and back into the vector.
The other way is the quantum way. Consider a particular state vector as a particular
configuration of a systemic universe (frozen in time). This configuration is one possibility
amongst a large set of other possibilities. This larger set of possibilities is represented as a single
quantum state (the cosmic wavefunction) a probability distribution over every possible cosmic
configuration. This is a multiverse or a permutation space where every point in the abstract state
space represents a particular configuration of the entire cosmos. This state space is permeated by
a probability distribution, which serves as a pattern of existential potential. It is this potential that
flows through the matrix and implements the cosmic quantum dance of potential. All there is, is
this dancing sea of potential. There are no classical systems and experiences, only the dance. All
classical forms and events are represented virtually; they are encoded within the quantum
wavefunction.
Any information system has these two aspects. These are its classical and quantum
representations. If one is the actual representation then the other is virtual, but still very much
existing in a virtual sense. If a classical universe were implemented as a quantum model the
empirical systems would not be able to discern which particular representation is being used;
they are totally equivalent. However, even though both are equivalent models, they are not
equivalent methods. The quantum method is capable of far greater complexity. The set of all
classically realisable configurations is an almost infinitesimal part of the larger quantum state
space. The range of possibilities is far greater. Rather than just exert force from particular
classically localised sources, and relate via classical signals using well defined data, instead there
can be an intricate and subtle spread of information, not just pushing on points but influencing
wholes, by not just pushing for a particular state but influencing the whole dance of potentiality
as it shimmers like waves on the ocean thus giving rise to virtual classical existence. The
evidence and even widespread use of quantum phenomena categorically indicate that we exist in
a quantum universe. This combined with the findings of SMN / IST indicates that there is a
dance of potentiality within a cosmic state space, the multiverse.
Back to SMN... Because the existential space is maximally connected (every system can interact
directly with every system) it is non-dimensional (or maximally dimensional) and different
restricted inter-connection patterns create different dimensional spaces [FR]. Within this network
of interaction channels each system has an individual localised perspective and in each
existential moment each system perceives, interprets, experiences and responds to the observable
states of other systems. I.e. in each iteration each system receives input, interprets this using an
input filter, experiences state transitions and responds thereby producing output. In this manner
the systems interact and form higher-level systems - thus producing more complex systems. This
constitutes what some call a semantic self-excited circuit or a self-configuring self-processing
language (SCSPL) [FR] that can give rise to emergent phenomena. It is within the realm of these
emergent phenomena that the whole virtual reality (simulation universe) arises as dynamical
patterns of existential information. The circuit is the simulator and the universe is the simulation.
In SMN there is no explicit space-time within which you model; it is rather a dynamic state
space or process space [FR] based upon states and iterations, and manifesting system theoretic
properties. The concepts of time and space are based upon empirical experiences of things from a
perspective embedded within the simulation universe and therefore describe the appearances of
things, but not necessarily the underlying nature of things. In process-based approaches time is
considered to be our experience of an existential process that is happening in the moment and the
idea of time as a dimension, like in virtually all of physics and empirical science (equations that
are a function of 't'), is just an abstract description of our experiences. Underlying these
experiences there are observable states and an ongoing process of change, these are considered to
be more fundamental than time and space.
The virtual-reality generative process operates only on present moments; ontologically there is
no string of moments forming time, it is only from an empirical perspective and through traces in
memory and the mind that we imagine a time-line stretching from past to future, but that is a
story in the mind and in reality there is only the Now. So there is no "dimension of time" beyond
the mind, and reality is like an automata [FR] (an iterative mathematical entity). Hence any
equation that is a function of space or time is just a description of empirical appearances in the
mind. The variable 't' lets us move through the story and x, y & z let us move about in the
perceptually constructed empirical world that we experience. These variables allow us to move
amongst our impressions of objects in space and time by projecting a coordinate grid over things.
But in reality there is only a particular configuration of existence in the Now and this changes
iteratively. In each iteration data flows through computation or perceptions flow through
awareness and the state of 'that which is' changes. At the fundamental level there is only
existence and change and from these all else arises.
So in SMN there is no built in geometric space or linear time, only state space and process time
are fundamental – only the state of ‘that which is’ in the ‘Now’.
"The process metaphysics elaborated in Process and Reality (Whitehead) proposes that the
fundamental elements of the universe are occasions of experience. According to this notion, what
people commonly think of as concrete objects are actually successions of occasions of
experience. Occasions of experience can be collected into groupings; something complex such
as a human being is thus a grouping of many smaller occasions of experience. According to
Whitehead, everything in the universe is characterized by experience (which is not to be
confused with consciousness); there is no mind-body duality under this system, because "mind"
is simply seen as a very developed kind of experiencing."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_philosophy)
“I have often said God is creating this entire world full and entire in this present now... There
where time never penetrates, where no image shines in, in the innermost and highest aspect of
the soul God creates the entire cosmos.” (Meister Eckhart [FR])
In this SMN based information system theoretic context there is no fundamental solidity or
uncaused existence for a system; they do not a priori (miraculously) exist and interact as is
assumed in the outdated classical materialist paradigm. There are no particles in space that
simply exist and behave without any underlying cause. Both particles and space are very high-
level complex systems that have a much deeper quantum [FR] / information system theoretic [FR]
origin.
Each system in the systemic universe is immersed in a 'sea' of information that flows into it, is
channelled, transformed and interpreted by its complex inner network and flows out to other
systems. It is this process that 'moves' the information through each system and since the systems
are inter-connected in a network of systems, this process 'moves' the information through the
entire system network. This process 'drives' ALL the system dynamics. It is this phenomenon
that is implemented by the SMN process, it is in this sense that SMN manages all information
logistics within complex systems.
Because 'meta system transition' (MST) is an entropic (loss of information) perceptual
phenomenon then each super-system is a perceptual illusion. The perceptual information plus the
entropy is the true reflection of reality, but the perceptual information alone is a distortion that
creates the impression of whole systems when they are really integrated ensembles. However in
the perceptual illusion there are systems within systems, creating illusions within illusions and
objects within objects. All manifest forms from particles, atoms, molecules... up to planets and
galaxies are perceptual MST illusions. So too for the inner aspect of systems; the experience of
single high-level awareness such as our own is itself an MST illusion, it is in fact a vast
ensemble of occasions of experience that combine through successively higher MST levels of
complexity and form a seemingly single unified point of awareness. This process of MST
illusions permeates the whole systemic structure of reality, it is not just we high-level beings that
succumb to these illusions, but every system resolves system boundaries based upon its
perceptions and then acts as if those systems were actually real. General systems are
fundamentally naïve realist, it takes a high level self-reflective consciousness to be able to
recognise and overcome naïve realism.
In the SMN algorithm each information system has an inner space of sub-systems that is an inner
information space or existential space. But this is only virtual; there are no strict or ontological
system boundaries. In engineered systems we try and create fixed system boundaries, for
example, all the ‘innards’ of a computer are contained in a box and we only interact with it via
interfaces. But in reality there are cosmic rays and other systems interacting with those ‘innards’
directly without going through the interface. The system boundary demarcated by the ‘box’ is
just a boundary from some perspectives and it is totally non-existent from other perspectives. So
system boundaries are perceptual phenomena because the process of MST that creates them is
itself a perceptual phenomenon.
Furthermore, the nature of the system boundaries that you experience depends on the nature of
your perceptual apparatus. For example, to us the Earth seems like a vast, solid and all
containing system, but a neutrino passes through it without being aware of its existence; they
both experience very different systemic views. Because system boundaries are virtual it seems
that there are information spaces within information spaces, but really there is just the one
universal information space (state vector) and all virtual forms arise due to patterns of
communication bandwidth between systems.
Further to this, all SMN systems seem to have their own individual inner aspect or proto-
awareness. All are the same essence but they are totally individual. The algorithm takes a single
computational thread (information process) and a memory space (information medium) and it
structures these such that there arises any number of information systems within an abstract non-
dimensional virtual space. The single computational thread is distributed equally amongst all
systems thus giving each system an inner aspect or proto-awareness from an individual
(subjective) perspective embedded within the network of systems. Between each moment of
empirical time the single thread weaves through all systems and animates each system in turn.
This activates its inner perceptual / experiential process and transforms input information into
output information. Once every system has been animated all the existential information has
been transformed from the present moment configuration into the new present moment
configuration.
The SMN algorithm creates a virtual systemic universe of systems within systems, each with
inner awareness and outer form. These create virtual worlds within worlds or virtual existential
contexts. In these worlds systems exist and tangibly experience and interact with each other. As
discussed later, they seem physical to each other because they are made of the same information
flowing in the same information space. Each system looks out onto a world of appearances. They
have occasions of experience, the content of which is observable states in relation, which
produce the experience of forms in space. These forms undergo change, thus systems experience
time and events. The structure of the forms and the flow of events are coherent. The underlying
nature of the systems is quantum [REF] and there are distinct relativistic constraints [REF] on all
empirical quantities.
Underlying this complex experiential space there is just a single information space and a single
thread of computation or proto-awareness that is a spark of light in the void of potentiality. As
the spark weaves through the space it creates one single moment in time, actualising the
potential. So it looks to the mind’s eye like a complex tangle of light frozen in time. With each
iteration the spark weaves slightly different tangles and as the moments blur together we have a
dance of light (information) that changes in time. In this dance there are abstract forms that arise,
evolve, interact and then dissipate.
All of this arises naturally out of the mathematics, all due to fundamental properties of matrix
algebra, discreteness, information and systems. There are no assumptions, arbitrary premises or
arbitrary additions (except for the many and varied engineering applications, however the
metaphysical model is pure). There is just finite discrete data, memory (universal information
space), a single thread, the SMN algorithm using matrix algebra (M*v) – the vector describes the
existential state as a quantum wavefunction and the matrix describes how the probabilities flow
between existential states. From this we get a permutation space (multiverse), a network of state
transitions and a thread that weaves through this by iterating a simple matrix multiplication (v =
M*v) so the new existential state is produced by the previous existential state flowing through
the intricate paths of the matrix. It is an automata [FR] that acts as a virtual reality generative
process.
The iterations drive the outer observable forms through the inner experiential processes and
countless virtual systems experience each other from subjective empirical perspectives. The
SMN modelling space can be structured in any way to create any kind of existential context with
any kind of systems. It is a pure existential space that does not constrain the nature of the
systems that can exist in it, other than the fundamental constraints that they must be finite and
therefore representable, they are quantum or classical, they are relativistic, they operate in
discrete time (in the Now), they are unified, potentially maximally interconnected (no
separation), animated by a single unified dance of ‘light’, there is a transcendent and empirical
context (an empirical context alone is impossible, it needs a transcendent context to animate it),
there are countless points of subjective proto-awareness, there is systemic behaviour such as
MST, self-organisation, etc. These constraints define the general context but within these very
broad constraints the resulting empirical experiential virtual reality can take on any form
whatsoever and exhibit any behaviour whatsoever.
This approach provides a general system simulator based upon clear mathematical and system
theoretic principles, which provides a virtual-reality generative modelling ‘language’.
There are simple proof-of-concept prototypes of the software at
www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/SMN%20Code.html. When implemented in software it
has efficient implementations using sparse matrices and energy flow processing [REF] that provide
maximum flexibility and minimum overhead; it can also be used for modelling, designing and
testing systems and then translating the model into executable code for deployment. It is capable
of providing a metaphysically rich and realistic operating system and general computing
environment that provides a deep and coherent metaphysical foundation for the phenomenon of
‘cyberspace’, thereby making it far richer, more reliable, flexible and powerful.
If developed as a general computational operating system it could harness all of the functionality
of the computer and present it via a virtual environment of countless interacting systems, the
programs are just information systems within the information space (operating system). It can
turn a single computational process into any number of maximally interacting virtual
computational processes all interacting within the same information space. It can turn any
number of separate computational processes interacting only with a common data base (e.g.
many CPU’s and common memory - using only read and exclusive write, so NO clashes) it can
turn these into a single unified information space or simulation universe. Hence multiprocessor
VR computers, using SMN as the metaphysics of the cyberspace, within which we construct
virtual interactive environments, simulations, games, programs, multimedia and all kinds of
phenomena. SMN could be implemented directly in silicon, instead of using traditional CPU’s
running an SMN program there could be SMN chips that use a common memory space to
generate a virtual systemic space in which we can create and participate. It can create virtual
worlds or general software or any system whatsoever so long as one knows how to model it. The
modelling can be done in code or using an interface much like CAD or 3D modelling programs,
except that one doesn't model in space and time but rather in state space and process time.
By providing cyberspace with a deep metaphysical underpinning SMN transforms our
understanding of computers. A computer is no longer seen as a fancy calculator but as a portal
into a virtual systemic universe.
The idea is free of any intellectual property constraints, the source code is free of any copyright
and is offered freely to the world, in the hope that interest will arise within the open source and
free software communities; however commercial development is also good. The current work
only provides the basic foundation of this technology, it is up to others to decide if they wish to
make anything with it. Assistance will be provided to people to help them understand it if they
are interested in developing and using this technology.
The Process of Perception and Formation of Knowledge
Now we have a clear and subtle conceptual framework within which to think about the
fundamental systemic ‘mechanism’ of existence and all the objects, people, places, events and
the universe itself. So now consider general systems that are not just participating in existence
but are actively enquiring into it and trying to understand it; such as many human beings. Such a
system develops complex internal representations (ideas) with which they mirror their
experiential world. They also use collective codes or symbolic languages (whether verbal,
written, body language, etc) to produce external representations. These are then disseminated and
subjected to collective consensus that results in collective knowledge.
This collective knowledge then influences the individual ideas, which then influences how the
systems interpret and comprehend their perceptions and experiences. The structure of the
network determines how the information is channelled (interpretation) and the resulting flow of
information plus the state changes that it produces are the 'experience'. When conceived of from
the 'outside' it is a flow of information but when conceived of from the 'inside' it is experience
itself. Just like from the outside a neurologist conceives of a 'brain', "nervous system" and
"neuronal signalling", whereas each of us from the inside conceives of it as mind, consciousness,
feelings, thoughts. As we adopt certain conscious and subconscious attitudes the structure
changes so the interpretations, experiences and resulting ideas change. This indicates the deeper
subconscious aspect of a paradigm shift. When the way we interpret incoming information
fundamentally changes all the resulting experiences and ideas change. Hence a paradigm shift is
not just an extension or modification of existing ideas, it is a quantum leap, a radical change of
state that can change our experience and knowledge of existence. Things once thought
impossible may become the norm; whilst things once thought 'normal' may be later seen as
outmoded illusions based on inadequate understanding. Through a paradigm shift we literally
shift between worlds.
It is in the context of such a paradigm shift that this work analyses the process of perception,
how paradigms arise and evolve and how to manage and encourage a paradigm shift. Not toward
any particular paradigm, but towards a paradigm that is built upon clear, rational, direct, holistic
experience and not upon systemic, biological or historical assumptions, preconceived ideas or
cultural agendas. Whilst this analysis applies to the formation of all collective ideas, in this
discussion it focuses primarily on the "idea of the objective world" or “the physical universe”.
This is because it is one of our deepest and far-reaching assumptions.
The idea of an "objective world" underlies our ability to comprehend and communicate about our
subjective experiences. We recognise the common features in our communications and distil
from this the idea of the objective world. The common features clearly indicate the existence of
an objective reality of some kind; anyone but a solipsist [FR] would agree. But what is looked into
here is a systems analysis of the process by which we form the particular ideas that people have
of the objective world and what possible inaccuracies could arise through that process.
All we can ever directly experience and thereby know about our world ultimately rests upon our
present moment subjective experience. This is the foundation upon which all our knowledge
rests. Although the content of our subjective experiences is purely subjective, the actual process
of subjective experience is an objective phenomenon in the sense that we all experience it
occurring. What is the nature of this process? We will look into this from the perspective of
system theory.
Underlying experience there are certain phenomena such as: perception, interpretation, response;
a single localised perspective; the phenomenon of present moment existence and the interactions
between systems, which manifest the universe. These are low-level phenomena that underlie our
ability to experience and know anything at all. These are the existential process that underlies the
process of perception and thereby conceptually precedes empiricism.
So we see that the process of subjective experience has an objectively real basis that we all
experience by the very fact that we experience anything at all. But what about the collective
"idea of the objective world"? Like all collective knowledge it is an idea that arises through the
communication of subjective experiences. The existential information is perceived, interpreted,
experienced, comprehended, represented, communicated, deliberated and formed into collective
knowledge.
The direct 'pipeline' (see diagram below) has seven transformations in which information is lost
and distorted. Each stage is a filter through which the information must pass so any loses or
distortions are passed down. If some information is lost or distorted at some stage it remains lost
or distorted to all down-stream processes. Furthermore, in general there is an intrinsic loss and
distortion at each stage; in any transformation from one information-medium to another the
information can only be represented by the states or symbols available within the medium. For
example, when transforming a sentence between human languages the meanings can become
distorted because a word cannot be perfectly translated, or when transforming from light rays to
pixels in a digital camera information can be lost because of the limited resolution of the pixel
array.
The fundamental limitations of our perceptual / experiential process are related to the seven
transformations:
1. Objective reality to Perception via Signals. (external process)
We cannot perceive the full range of signals. Our senses are attuned to receiving signals
within only a very small range. But that is not all; it is a fundamental limitation of signal
detection that the detector requires some form of prior knowledge to discern signals as
being signals and not just noise. When things are very 'quiet' and a large obvious signal
comes it is obviously a signal, like someone shouting out your name in an otherwise
silent moment. But say you are at a cocktail party and there are many voices chattering;
this is known as the cocktail party problem in the field of signal processing [FR]. It is a
highly subtle and complex issue, exactly how do "listeners segregate and analyse a
sound-producing object in a complex acoustic environment" (Neural correlates of
auditory fill-in [FR]), i.e. how do you recognise people's voices, listen in to conversations
and filter out all the other noise? The subconscious mind / brain is remarkably good at
this in most circumstances. But when the signals are unfamiliar, perhaps a foreign
cocktail party or perhaps noises produced by different pieces of machinery or strange
instruments; as one loses familiarity the sounds very quickly merge into a cacophony
from which it is impossible to detect particular 'voices' or sound objects. This applies to
all signal detection and all sense perception; including the way that we discern and track
'objects' in our visual field based upon an in incoming cacophony of light rays. Another
particular example is the attempt to detect gravity waves. The problem is that there are
the most sensitive detection devices ever built [FR], costing tens of billions of dollars each;
even passing clouds and distant traffic hundreds of kilometres away create a huge amount
of noise. Furthermore, the actual shape of a gravity wave isn't well known, and there are
many possible waveforms that could arrive at the detector, which we don't know about.
But in order to resolve these signals out of the noise floor we need some prior knowledge
of the signals. Furthermore, the nature of our prior knowledge influences the manner in
which the signal is resolved from the noise floor, perhaps only detecting part of the actual
signal or perhaps including bits of other signals that get mixed in with the one we resolve.
So in essence, we cannot detect a signal that is totally new to us; there is always the
constraints of the detector and of our prior knowledge and our prior knowledge can
influence the exact form of the signal that we perceive; so to an extent we can only
perceive that which we are built to perceive and that which we already know or assume to
some extent.
2. Perception to Experience via Interpretation. (subconscious process)
Our subconscious interpretations of our perceptions do not perfectly reflect the full range
of perceptions. For example, in India where there are rickshaw drivers that park in
particular places overnight and sleep in their rickshaw in the hope of getting some
overnight business, late one night I went to one of these places where there was a
sleeping rickshaw driver. I walked up and said "hello, hello, HELLO"; quite loudly in the
end, but he was fast asleep and didn't stir. But then I said, in a fairly quiet voice
"rickshaw" and he immediately woke up. His subconscious mind had filtered out the
‘hello’, which was just a word in a foreign language and didn't have very deep roots in
his mind. But the word 'rickshaw' was his job, it signalled the work that he was hoping to
get overnight and immediately his subconscious related that signal through to his
conscious mind. In this way we are constantly receiving billions of subconscious signals
but only a very small number of them are deemed 'meaningful' to the conscious mind and
only those signals are passed on and present themselves to our conscious mind. All the
other signals are invisible to us.
As the existential information flows through the subconscious filter, most of it is
discarded and we are oblivious to its existence. If it cannot be comprehended as
meaningful within our current paradigm it is treated as noise. Furthermore, those signals
that do get through are represented to consciousness using the expressive range of the
current paradigm. We cannot experience the raw signal but only the cognitive state that
we associate with that signal. Hence the flow is selectively filtered for recognisable
patterns, which are then represented using an idiom (language) of experiential states.
Hence the flow of signals is reduced and transformed into a stream of events or occasions
of experience that are entirely constructed from pre-existing thought forms.
Consider an analogy with an 'optical character recognition' OCR program. The idiom of
experiential states is the letters of the alphabet (only a range of 26 experiential states).
The flow of signals into the subconscious is the flow of input images into the OCR
program. The transformation of signals into experiences is the recognition of characters,
words and sentences. Now consider the case where an image of someone's face is the
input image. The OCR cannot recognise any characters in this input so the entire signal is
discarded and no written output (experiential state) is produced; so it is invisible to
consciousness. If the input is a mixture of text and drawings, then only the text is
recognised and transmitted to consciousness (written output) and the drawings are
discarded as unrecognisable noise. If the input is text written in Greek but the OCR is
English then some characters will be recognised but many will not and the resulting
output will be a mess of nonsense words with many gaps. This is analogous to the case of
a right wing politician listening to a mystic; some words and concepts will come through,
but on the whole the listeners experience will be full of gaps and very garbled. That is
their experience and people generally take their experience as the reality, so they assume
that the mystic is deranged and incoherent, however it is simply a matter of incompatible
paradigms.
Or if the input is just English text, but say it is hand written. Most of it will be
recognisable as writing but many of the individual characters may be misinterpreted and
the resulting output is a bit garbled e.g. 'garbled' may become 'garhled'. But the conscious
mind is unaware of this and all that it knows is that it experiences 'garhled' and it takes
that as its empirical reality. Only when the input is printed English and the OCR is
optimised for this, only then is there good signal to noise ratio, but still not perfect. So
only when the paradigms are very similar and compatible can there be reliable coherent
communication.
These issues always arise whenever engaging with people with different paradigms, or
when confronting new ideas and especially new paradigms. They usually sound strange
and incoherent to begin with but once you have taken the shift it is the old paradigm that
sounds strange and incoherent. The entropy (lost information) is simply that which is
invisible to downstream systems, it was either filtered out or misrepresented by the
mapping between input signal and output symbol.
In this case of information transformation and in the following cases, we see that the
richer one's paradigm is the better it preserves the information flow. If one had a very
simplistic paradigm, with a very small range of distinct states then very little information
can pass and one's perceptions, experiences, ideas, expressions are all very simple and not
 representative of the underlying reality. Most of the information has been lost and that
which remains has been represented using symbolic states that don't truly represent the
original signal. For example, if one records music on a pocket dictaphone then plays it
out loud and records it again on another dictaphone and so on, the signal will eventually
devolve into noise. For good quality recordings we need high fidelity microphones and
digital copying.
3. Experience to Ideas via Comprehension. (sub/conscious process)
Our personal ideas do not perfectly reflect our experiences. Similar to the above
discussion, our experiences can only be represented using the ideas that are available to
us. There are millions of subtle cognitive experiences but only very few ideas such as
'hot', 'tired', 'happy', 'angry', etc. So when we reduce our vast range of cognitive
experiences into ideas we filter out any that cannot be expressed and we group many
different experiences under common ideas. I.e. there are many possible states that can be
described as 'happy', so all the subtlety is lost when we categorise them all as ‘happy’.
4. Ideas to Representation via Code. (conscious process)
The representational code or language only allows us to express our ideas using a certain
set of symbols and relations. The range of words is even more limited than the range of
personal ideas. Hence many ideas are inexpressible and therefore filtered out or they are
distorted in the process of representation.
5. Representation to Communication via Dissemination. (external process)
The external representations are not uniformly distributed so everyone gets a different
exposure to these representations.
6. Communication to Culture via Synthesis. (external process)
There are many different people with different agendas, beliefs and degrees of influence,
all of whom partake in a collective discourse that we call 'culture'.
7. Culture to Collective Ideas via Social Consensus making. (external process)
Within the cultural discourse a consensus making process determines what is considered
to be 'fact'. This is not a straight forward rational consensus, it is usually a complex and
confusing struggle between different interest groups with different agendas, generally not
at all related to discerning truth but more related to economic gain, academic standing,
protecting unquestioned beliefs and all manner of vested interests.
“The traditional view of science is that scientists are searching for the truth in a
disinterested and objective way. It is generally admitted that there are occasional
dishonest scientists, but these are regarded as highly exceptional... This self-image of
scientists has been subject to much skeptical analysis in recent years. Sociologists of
science studying scientific controversies have found that evidence is only one of many
factors that influence what is accepted as authoritative. These other factors include
funding, prestige, rhetoric and political influence.” (The Objectivity of Science: Does it
stand examination?) Also see more [FR].
"The unfortunate reality is that there is a complex sociology of science. Scientific truth is
frequently not determined by right or wrong, but by ego, prestige, authority of claimants,
conflicts of interests and economic agendas. Scientists who propose research that
threatens the viability of basic theories on which authorities in the field have built their
careers, and governments and corporations have bet lots of money will find themselves
out of a job very soon. The list of great scientists who became scientific outcasts after
 they published research that contradicts establishment dogma is long" (Seven Warning
Signs of Bogus Skepticism [FR])

There are also five principle feedback loops that make the process a highly non-linear complex
adaptive system.
1. Interpretation is influenced by personal ideas. (subconscious process)
Our subconscious personal ideas and attitudes influence how we interpret our
perceptions, thus influencing our experiences of those perceptions.
2. Comprehension is influenced by personal ideas. (subconscious process)
Our subconscious personal ideas and attitudes also influence how we comprehend our
experiences, thus influencing our ideas about those experiences (understanding).
3. Personal ideas are influenced by collective knowledge. (sub/conscious process)
Our personal ideas are influenced by collective knowledge/ideas, especially via
subconscious suggestion that bypasses our rational discrimination, such as is used in
advertising and propaganda. But also through conscious attempts to learn and understand
collective knowledge.
4. The Representative Code is a cultural construct. (external process)
The representational codes (languages) are cultural constructs that evolve through
cultural influences and are permeated with collective ideas that influence how personal
ideas are represented.
5. Dissemination is influenced by culture. (external process)
The dissemination of information influences our exposure to collective ideas and the
pattern of dissemination depends up many cultural, logistical and political factors; e.g.
the scarcity of accurate information or the prevalence of manipulative advertising or
propaganda.
The content of our awareness is determined by the input perceptions, interpretations,
experiences, comprehension and finally personal ideas. Our actual experiences are totally
determined by our interpretations of our perceptions. An example of this is hypnosis where,
through hypnotic suggestion a person can be handed an onion and told, "this is an apple, the most
delicious you have ever tasted", and they will eat it gladly. But when handed an apple and told,
"this an onion, but try and take a bite anyway", their eyes will water and they will fully
experience it as an onion.
Furthermore, our personal ideas or understanding is totally determined by our comprehension of
our experiences. An example of this is the case of "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat",
and other cases of visual agnosia [FR]. It "is the inability of the brain to make sense of or make use
of some part of otherwise normal visual stimulus and is typified by the inability to recognize
familiar objects or faces...Commonly, patients can describe objects in their visual field in great
detail, including such aspects as color, texture and shape but are unable to recognize them.
Similarly, patients can often describe familiar objects from memory despite their visual
problems." (Visual Agnosia (Wikipedia) [FR])
Both of these last points taken together compellingly indicate that the totality of our experiences
and understanding is a construct of the mind. We can neither see things nor know things "as they
are". In the final analysis we can only ever experience ourselves.
The greatest feat of the subconscious mind is the way that it takes incoming signals, filters them
and represents them to consciousness as a richly detailed and coherent subjective experience of a
world; an experiential context. The richer, more complex and more accurate one's subconscious
paradigm (interpretive idiom) is the richer, more complex and accurate one's world is, whereas a
simplistic and distorted subconscious paradigm will result in a simplistic and distorted world
experience. One's own subjective world experience is entirely a construct of one's mind that is
either closely or loosely based upon reality. So our experiential world is like a mind puppet; the
puppet is made of experiential states or ideas or memes and these are 'driven' by an underlying
flow of existential signals. It is actually a meme complex, but this is discussed later. Don't think
of it as an object in front of you, in one sense it is an immersive virtual reality that we dwell in
and in another sense it is a meme complex within your mind, but it dances to the tune of
incoming signals so I'll call it a puppet. We cannot experience the signals themselves; all we
experience is the mind puppet as it dances to the tune of the signals.
If the puppet is closely driven then it moves with the music and artistically represents the music
(flow of existential signals), but if it is loosely driven its movements may have little or no
relation to the music. If the puppet is internally very 'simple' then it is just a veil that covers the
signals and moves with them, but if it has great internal complexity then a small stimulus may
result in a cascade of internal states and the puppet may go on dancing wildly just from a small
initial impulse. This occurs when the puppet isn't just composed of ideas arising form experience
but also ideas about ideas that form a complex 'logic'. So an experience creates ideas but ideas
flow into ideas and result in conclusions, which then become the final experience of 'knowing'. If
this logic closely mirrors the nature of reality then the puppet dances due to incoming signals and
internal logic but stays in tune with the music, but if the logic is false, flawed or too limited then
the music stirs up many wild movements. For example, a simple gesture such as a smile can be
taken as just that, but to some it resonates in their minds and becomes a "sexual advance" or a
"sinister smile" or a 'grimace'. Each person experiences the existential signals very differently
depending on the nature of the mind puppet. So that which drives the puppet is reality but people
generally assume that their personal puppet is reality, but the puppet is just a virtual reality
constructed by their mind and in which they experience themselves as a being in a world.
So now we have analysed the main 'pipeline' from perception to collective knowledge but each
feedback loop is itself a complex 'pipeline' of transformations. We will briefly discuss each of
these.
1. Interpretation is influenced by personal ideas. (subconscious process)
The manner in which a person's personal ideas, thoughts, attitudes and knowledge
influence their subconscious interpretive process, which transforms perceptions into
experiences, is very subtle and depends on the prior state of their conscious and
subconscious minds. It is a gradual assimilation of impressions and symbolic images into
the subconscious. It is a complex restructuring of the memetic [FR] 'ecosystem' that is their
"inner space". It can change everything about what we perceive.
2. Comprehension is influenced by personal ideas. (subconscious process)
In its general properties this process is similar to the one just mentioned for
interpretation.
3. Personal ideas are influenced by collective knowledge. (sub/conscious process)
This is a very complex process that is fraught with loss and distortion of information.
Collective ideas are only experienced via concrete representations, such as a research
paper, an essay, an advertising slogan, body language and customary ways of inter-
 relating and so on. These are all symbolic representations within which an underlying
message or meaning is implied. But the symbols must be decoded to derive the meaning
and this occurs on both conscious and subconscious levels. The decoding is a process of
taking in the main symbols (e.g. words in an essay), allowing them to resonate within
one's mind (memetic ecosystem) thereby associating meaning to them and then using this
to then derive the combined meaning of the sequence of words. However the meanings of
these symbols can be vague and even though words may have exact dictionary meanings,
in general the way that they are used is based upon subconscious associations; that
determines the actual experience of a word. Hence a person may wish to express an idea
so they use a set of words, but these words carry very different associations for the reader
so the derived meaning may be totally different to the intended meaning.
It is through this game of "Chinese whispers" that we convey knowledge through our
minds and throughout the cultural domain. For example, to one person the concept
'government' is the central custodian of all social goodness, responsibility, duty of care,
ideology, justice and so on; it is the provider of social services and the impartial arbiter in
any dispute. But to someone else the government is just the institutionalisation of corrupt
authoritarian delusions, they are metaphorically the biggest "gangster on the block" who
dominates and legitimises many other gangsters. It seeks its own advantage, pursues its
own agendas and it conditions and uses the population in order to do this. There are many
other attitudes but these are two extreme ones. Both of which are true to an extent, in the
sense that the analogy captures some aspect of the actual nature of 'government'. But
given these two very different associations with the word 'government', any sentence
using that word or concept will be interpreted very differently. This is particularly the
case with words such as God [FR], spirit, etc. If the basic symbols are misunderstood then
the whole message is distorted. An extreme example is trying to read Greek but
interpreting it as Russian; it can only result in nonsense.
Hence the same article of collective knowledge can produce very different personal ideas.
For example, a news report about a riot may be interpreted as the police subduing a
raging mob and bringing peace and order back to the streets, or perhaps as the police
acting as the government's henchmen to suppress the justified resistance of people who
are acting to protect themselves from the atrocities of the government's agenda. Given the
wide range of possible interpretations all articles of collective knowledge can result in a
wide range of personal ideas. The actual knowledge or original personal ideas that the
collective knowledge tries to capture can in many cases be totally lost or distorted beyond
all recognition as it is transformed into countless derivative personal ideas. This
confusion then feeds back into the process and cycles around throughout the entire non-
linear perceptual / experiential process. If people naively confuse their personal
interpretation with "what the article is actually trying to say" then everyone will
understand it differently and assume that their understanding is the only understanding.
Hence they act as if everyone else understands it the same way and this creates more
confusion in countless subtle ways.
4. The Representative Code is a cultural construct. (external process)
Language has evolved haphazardly in the context of pragmatic human interactions within
the cultural domain. Hence language is very unsuited to representing things outside the
cultural domain. Hence the need for analogies. Different cultures have different focuses,
for example, in Sanskrit there are thousands of words describing subtle states of
awareness and ways of connecting and uniting with reality. In Inuit languages there are
countless names for types of snow and ice. In English there are countless words and
concepts relating to separatist power struggle, domination, oppression, to swindle and
cheat, to opportunistically seek one's one advantage, to be a winner or a loser. English
has a deeply egoic foundation. 'Ego' is understood to mean the 'I'-thought, the concept of
separate individual existence within an external world; this leads to concepts of
competition and cooperation, to struggle and to success or failure. Each language creates
the ground or the field upon which all discourses within it take place. Different fields
allow for different types of discourses and they inhibit and distort any other type of
discourse. For example, when one is simply going with the flowing and acting natural
there is no 'agent' or 'doer' who chooses or decides to act, but in English it is difficult to
describe one's actions without the implied introduction of a 'doer'. For instance when
someone says that they are digesting people assume that they are just commenting on an
event, but when they say that they are working, one assumes that they have a goal, an
agenda, that they are deliberately working toward something or for someone, but there is
always the idea of an individual isolated ego that is deliberately engaged in 'doing'
something. But what if one goes with the flow and simply reports that work 'happens' and
that the work is related to the perceived entity that we refer to as 'I'.
Furthermore, languages are very open to manipulation, thus constraining the scope of
potential discourses or fundamentally distorting the field of discourses. Examples are, the
current blurring and redefining of words such as 'freedom', 'liberty', 'democracy',
'security', 'terrorism', 'guerrilla' and so on. By manipulating the meanings within the
political discourse people are unable to think about these things except through the
political discourse. Hence open minded enquiry and critical analysis become impossible.
Another example is 'newspeak' in George Orwell's novel 1984 [FR] where "The
government's most brilliant and most appalling project is the actual deconstruction of the
English language into Newspeak, the language of the Party. Each successive edition of
the Newspeak Dictionary has fewer words than its predecessor. By removing meaning
and nuance from the vocabulary, the government hopes to eradicate seditious and anti-
social thinking before it even has the chance to enter a person's mind. Without the
vocabulary for revolution, there can be no revolution. For those who persist in thinking
for themselves, so-called Thought Criminals, Ingsoc's stormtroopers, the Thought Police,
are there to intervene, incarcerating the free-thinkers in the Ministry of Love, where they
will be re-educated, or worse."
(quoted from newspeak.com/1984.htm)
"Don't you see, the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought. In the end,
we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible because there will be no words in which
to express it... The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact, there will be no
thought as we understand it now."
"By 2050-earlier, probably-all real knowledge of Oldspeak will have disappeared. The
whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton,
Byron-they'll exist only in Newspeak versions, not merely changed into something
different, but actually contradictory of what they used to be. Even the literature of the
Party will change. Even the slogans will change. How could you have a slogan like
"freedom is slavery" when the concept of freedom has been abolished? The whole
climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it
now. Orthodoxy means not thinking-not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."
(George Orwell, "1984")
 "The intensity of the squabble showed the corrosive effect the president's subversion of
language has had on our larger culture... we have all taken to following Mr. Bush's lead
in retreating from English as we once knew it. It's been a familiar pattern for the news
media, politicians and the public alike in the Bush era. It took us far too long to
acknowledge that the 'abuses' at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere might be more accurately
called torture. And that the 'manipulation' of prewar intelligence might be more
accurately called lying." (Civil War? Abuse? Manipulation? Really? [FR])
5. Dissemination is influenced by culture. (external process)
The dissemination of ideas is a major point of leverage for the manipulation of the
cultural domain by various agendas and power structures. The growth and penetration of
the mass media is a classic example. In many ways we now live in a system where one
has the right to say whatever one likes, but the status-quo is protected because there is
virtually no likelihood that anyone will listen. Most minds are turned toward and
entangled within the mass media discourse. Whilst in that trance, all other ways of
thinking seem alien and abstract and only the media propaganda message seems real. It is
this manipulative abuse of the media that makes us live in 'pseudo' democracies. It is true
that we have a consensus based governing system but when the consent is manipulated
the entire system is subverted and open to abuse [FR].
"Control over the flow of information emanating from the political center will be our
most important weapon...." (Edward Luttwak, Coup d'Etat [FR])
"The extraordinary measures that the White House planned to undertake in its war
against crime depended heavily for their success on the organization of public fears. If
Americans could be persuaded that their lives and the lives of their children were being
threatened by a rampant epidemic of narcotics addiction, Nixon's advisors presumed
they would not object to decisive government actions, such as no-knock warrants,
pretrial detention, wiretaps, and unorthodox strike forces-even if the emergency
measures had to cross or circumvent the traditional rights of a suspect. To achieve this
state of fear required transforming a relatively small heroin addiction problem-which
even according to the most exaggerated estimates directly affected only a minute fraction
of the population in 1971-into -a plague that threatened all. This in turn required the
artful use of the media to propagate a simple but terrifying set of stereotypes about drug
addiction: the addict-dealer would be depicted as a modern-day version of the medieval
vampire, ineluctably driven to commit crimes and infect others by his insatiable and
incurable need for heroin. The victims would be shown as innocent youth, totally
vulnerable to the vampire-addict. And the federal law-enforcement officer would be
shown as the only effective instrument for stopping the vampire-addicts from
contaminating the rest of society. The most obvious medium available for projecting
these stereotypes on the popular imagination was television." (Agency of Fear: Opiates
and Political Power in America [FR])
"Today, tight and selective control over media licences has prevented independent
groups and organisations from starting their own publications and broadcasting
stations. This state of affairs has allowed only vested political and economic interests to
consolidate and perpetuate their control over society through their compliant media." (A
Malaysian citizens' media initiative [FR])
"Although media outlets can be actively used to promote conflict, media can also
contribute to conflict involuntarily. Such passive incitement to violence most frequently
occurs when journalists have poor professional skills, when the media culture is
underdeveloped or when there is little or no history of independent media. Under such
circumstances, journalists can inflame grievances and promote stereotypes by virtue of
the manner in which they report, even though their intentions are not necessarily
malicious and they are not being manipulated by an outside entity... media have
generally been overlooked in analyses of conflict because, on their own, they are rarely a
direct cause. Nonetheless, as part of a larger matrix of factors, media can be extremely
powerful tools for promoting violence, as witnessed in Rwanda, the former Republic of
Yugoslavia, the former Soviet republic of Georgia and elsewhere [US, UK, Australia,
etc]. As Jamie Metzl (1997) observes, 'mass media reach not only people's homes, but
also their minds, shaping their thoughts and sometimes their behavior." (The use and
abuse of media in vulnerable societies [FR])
“With all that ideological money, institutional heft, coordination, and credentialing, the
right has perfected what the CIA used to call a "mighty Wurlitzer" -- a propaganda
machine that can hone a fact or a lie, broadcast it, and have it echoed and recycled in
Fox News commentary, in Washington Times news stories, in Wall Street Journal
editorials, by myriad right-wing pundits, by Heritage seminars and briefing papers, and
in congressional hearings and speeches. Privatization of Social Security, vouchers for
school, Vince Foster's supposed murder, Hillary's secret sex life, you name it -- the
right's mighty Wurlitzer can ensure that a message is broadcast across the county,
echoed in national and local news, and reverberated in the speeches of respectable
academics as well as rabid politicians.” (The Mighty Wurlitzer [FR])
“The business of the New York journalist is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert,
to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his race and his country for his daily
bread. You know this and I know it, and what folly is this to be toasting an "Independent
Press."
We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping-jacks;
they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the
property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes.” (John Swinton, editor of the New
York Tribune, in the 1880s, at a banquet of his fellow editors, quoted from Media Watch
[FR]
)
Another vital aspect of the control of the flow of information is censorship, but in
particular self-censorship that is conditioned into people, that is the only effective form of
censorship otherwise the very attempt to enforce censorship simply draws attention to
that which you do not want people to give attention to. However if it is internalised and
subconscious it operates far more effectively and without the people even being aware of
it. They identify with the conditioned attitudes and believe that they are exercising their
judgment when in fact they are being conditioned and controlled. This form of self-
censorship is accomplished via memetic inoculation; foreign memes are taken and
horribly disfigured to make them seem pathetic or repulsive, then wrapped in other
memes of ‘taboo’ or ‘heretical’ or ‘crackpot’ and then introduced into your memetic
complex (mind) where they are immediately rejected and remembered. Then whenever
you are exposed to the foreign memes your memetic complex immediately recognises
them as being one of the disfigured memes and they are either ignored or rejected by the
subconscious without you even consciously becoming aware of this. You develop
habitual reflexive aversion toward these ideas that is beyond your conscious awareness
and control; this is the underlying dynamic of cynicism.
 Cynical memetic inoculation produces a reflexive ‘jeer’ that is programmed deep into
one’s meme complex (mind). It can be overcome through awareness, which can catch the
reflex as it is triggered and subtly apply the will. If you catch a meme in action they lose
their power to control you, only when you are absent and on autopilot do they have
power, then they are your mind. Indeed your mind is a meme complex and has a will of
its own, but the real you is the pure awareness. Whenever the true king (awareness) steps
up to the throne (control) the impostor (mind) steps down. The mind makes an excellent
minister if held in check but it makes a tyrannical dictator when it usurps the throne.
Furthermore, due to the non-linear nature of the perceptual / experiential process the distortions
produced by preconceived ideas tend to reinforce those ideas. For example, if a person is deeply
alienated from society they approach any social situation with their psychological barriers up.
They appear to others to be distant and unapproachable so people do not respond in a friendly
relaxed way; they too are guarded. The person sees this and due to their subconscious attitude
they interpret this as meaning that the people are cold and uncaring. This can spiral into total
alienation. Or conversely, a person who instinctively believed that everyone loved them could
spiral into social integration and perhaps fame. This is an example of what is called a
schizmogenesis, which is a general phenomenon that is observed in regards to "the structural
aspects of social conflict" and was first defined by Bateson as "a process of differentiation in the
norms of individual behaviour resulting from cumulative interaction between individuals" [FR].
Due to these feedback loops cynicism breeds closed minds and skepticism breeds open-minds.
Each time one accepts an illusion one reinforces it. If one challenges it and brings awareness into
it then one has a chance to break through it. For example, if a person's mind is closed
(memetically inoculated) to a way of thinking, say science ( many people are fearful and
prejudiced in this way), then at any mention of science they experience only their associations
and naively take these to be the reality. Perhaps they experience evil, deceitful, men in white lab
coats lost in a complex and ludicrous delusion and systematically forcing their destructive
agenda on the world. A person with that attitude would never listen to a scientist except to find
fault with them, they are incapable of actually 'listening'. They only ever hear their own
prejudice. The scientist genuinely seems to them to be evil and delusional. They confuse their
distorted objects of perception with reality.
It may well be that the scientist is actually sincere, coherent and caring. Nobody is free from
delusion but within the context of their delusion they may be very well meaning and
compassionate people. If the "anti-scientist" person challenged their personal prejudice and
listened they might realise that what the scientist is saying may even be meaningful or useful to
them, even though it may be expressed in a way that is foreign to them. But if they experience
only "evil, deceitful men..." and don't challenge that but instead naively accept that as the reality
then that experience only adds to that persons weight of evidence, which further convinces them
that their opinion is correct. It simply reinforces the preconceptions and strengthens the illusion.
Some people have this particular prejudice, and prejudices of various kinds, but one of the most
common is against mystics. It leaves one to wonder what these people actually experience and
think when they encounter mysticism [FR]. Generally their minds are totally closed and they are
unable to listen or comprehend, instead they only respond to their prejudices and become
derisive or aggressive.
To use the previous example of the scientist, it is as if the scientist was simply trying to point out
that 1+1=2 (or anything that is obvious if one only stops and thinks about it). But people are so
caught up in their prejudices that they are irrationally defensive and hostile. They fail to even
listen to what was said but they unanimously join together to denounce the scientist. This is a
rare experience for a scientist but a very common one for a mystic. This discussion seeks to
break through the irrationality to some degree so that people are able to listen long enough to
realise that 1+1=2 isn't a strange incantation or a plot to deceive you, it is just a simple, coherent
and useful observation.
These examples illustrate how our deepest subconscious attitudes and beliefs can subtly and
radically influence the nature of our experiences and understanding. It can cause people to dwell
in radically different worlds (experiential / conceptual contexts) even though they perceive the
same existential information (objective reality). Due to the subtle and complex nature of the
perceptual / experiential process our subjective responses to reality can vary greatly.
By operating through the five senses we experience an 'outer' world. That "world experience" is
formed by an 'inner' perceptual/experiential process. If the inner process distorts the information
flow then the experience and personal ideas become distorted. If the personal ideas are distorted
the process becomes more distorting. This can become a feedback loop where confusion breeds
confusion, eventually resulting in the total breakdown of the process (e.g. psychosis). Or
understanding can breed understanding resulting in greater knowledge and effective participation
in reality.
Furthermore, when enquiring into the nature of reality you must be very aware of your agenda
because it can subtly and radically influence everything. A person's agenda creates a
subconscious context that influences all of their values, associations and the meanings they
attach to things. Do you seek validation for a belief system? Do you seek acceptance within a
collective discourse and thereby security in an academic career? Do you seek to invent some
lucrative technology? Or do you seek truth for truth's sake, regardless of the consequences? Only
this last agenda can open you up fully to reality. Reality may shatter your cherished illusions or
may make your colleagues turn against you out of confusion or it may have no obvious and
immediate commercial application; but you must risk everything and be attached to nothing to
open up to reality, because any preconceived idea will distort the lens, which distorts the image,
which distorts the lens, and on and on.
If you naively accept that the "appearances of things" is their "whole reality" then the spiral into
illusion can be swift since there is "no brake". However if you accept that your experiences are
just your interpretations of your perceptions and that your understanding is just your
comprehension of your experiences, and neither of these is infallible, then you are able to apply
awareness and penetrative insight that has a corrective influence on your interpretations and
comprehensions, thus clarifying your mind.
From this we see that the flow of existential information from the "objective reality" to the "idea
of the objective world" is complex and subjective, there are many stages in which information is
lost (entropy) and many feedback loops making the system non-linear (thus having HIGHLY
complex behaviour). Hence our experiences, personal ideas and representations are conditioned
and do not necessarily provide an accurate perspective on the existential information. The
process from perception to collective knowledge is NOT a simple system and most historically
accepted assumptions are grossly inaccurate.
The Three Domains
In the above diagram of the perceptual / experiential pipeline we see that the existential
information originates from the objective domain. This is the underlying 'reality' that "is what it
is" regardless of what we may think of it. The information then passes into the subjective domain
as particular perceptions, experiences and ideas depending on the nature of our perceptual /
experiential process. This is an experiential domain of mind, thoughts, feelings, sensations and
so on. From here our personal ideas flow through the cultural domain and merge into collective
knowledge. This is a conceptual domain, the space of concepts, words, names, measures,
theories, research, experiment, evidence, proofs, logical argument, and so on. It is also the
domain of the "idea of the objective world".
When a person experiences through the 'lens' of the "idea of the objective world" they interpret,
experience and comprehend their existential experience as "being in an objective world". This
experience looks and feels like they might think objective reality should look and feel like, but
that is because this perspective is the only one that they have used to form their expectations.
Whilst the world that they experience is very tangible it is ultimately an illusion constructed by
the distortions of the "idea of the objective world". There is an underlying objective reality
'behind' the appearances, which is the 'substance' of things, but they cannot see it for what it is.
Hence they dwell in a pseudo objective world.
These three domains correspond to the "three worlds" in Vedic metaphysics:
• Bhur, (Outer world, cultural Domain, pseudo objective world, physical plane)
• Bhuvah, (Inner space, subjective domain, perceptual / experiential process, astral
plane),
• Swaha, (Actual process of the real, objective Domain, holistic information process,
celestial plane),
The subjective domain separates the objective domain and the cultural domain because culture
arises from shared subjective experiences. The traditional scientific approach is to deny and
attempt to avoid all forms of subjectivity; hence it operates entirely within the cultural domain
and the pseudo objective world (discussed shortly), which is conceptualised as "the physical
universe". Science is a system of ideas that have close correspondence to those aspects of the
objective domain that manage to filter through the complex process from perception to collective
ideas. But the process is heavily distorted by systemic, biological and historical assumptions that
feedback into the non-linear process and drive it far from being a clear and open channel of
awareness. Much of the objective reality gets distorted by preconceptions and is therefore
incomprehensible, or it does not flow through so it is invisible from the current scientific
perspective. Because of this science has great accuracy and relevance in very small and isolated
domains but it cannot comprehend anything outside of these; it cannot see the bigger picture.
"Science is built up of facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is
no more a science than a heap of stones is a house."
(Jules Henri Poincaré, 1908) [A unified 'foundation' and coherent structure is required]
Because of the fundamental systemic, biological and historical limitations of our perspective
many collective ideas about the world and life are highly inaccurate representations of the
objective domain (actual reality). For example, materialism is an accurate and compelling
analogy and a useful working hypothesis but as a dogmatic orthodox belief system it is very
limiting. Anyone who looks into it deeply enough will reach a point at which it breaks down, as
quantum physicists, many philosophers and countless mystics have shown. This is because it is
based upon many assumptions with their roots in our systemic nature, our biology and our
history. Two important assumptions are that "sensory perception does not just inform us of the
appearance of things but also of the real nature of things" and that "the mind is a perfect 'lens'
through which we experience the 'objects themselves' and not just our own interpretation of the
objects of perception". These are a form of naive realism [FR] and have been shown to be false but
the assumptions are buried so deep in the foundation of our collective knowledge, language and
individual ideas that they generally go totally unquestioned. It would take a great deal of work to
clarify the assumptions with a deeper more accurate understanding and then to work upwards
and rectify the entire structure of human knowledge; both within one's own subconscious and
conscious mind and within our collective knowledge. But if a building is resting on an unstable
foundation and is about to fall, making high-level changes makes no difference; the whole
structure must be realigned.
Subjectivity and the 'Unseen' Aspect of Reality
When you are a system analyst creating a system you can see the entire system clearly; the
primitive systems, the network of interactions, the information flows and the many levels of
systems within systems (left image). You have an objective view into the entire information
space within which the systems exist and interact. But if you happen to be a system embedded
within the information space that you are studying then you only have a subjective view. The
image on the right only indicates the nature of the subjective view not its actual form. If you
were system S1 then your view would actually look more like two objects in space. The shaded
components on the right are invisible to the subjective system S1 and the diagram simply
indicates what aspects are visible and invisible. In the objective view we can see all of the details
but in the subjective view system S1 can only see the outer forms of systems S2 and S3,
everything else is 'invisible'.

In the context of a VR computer game the objective view is like using an advanced 'debugger' to
analyse the program itself as it is running whilst the subjective view is like playing the game and
perceiving it from the perspective of being a character within the game. This is a fundamental
duality that applies to all information systems. It can be more generally described by the
concepts, transcendent (objective) and empirical (subjective). For example, a computer game can
be an information process within a computer and also an experiential space. A movie can be a
reel in a projector, which is pointed at a screen in front of an audience and also a captivating
story that we imaginatively experience. So too any system is both a structured information
process within an information space and an entity within a world, which has particular properties
and it experiences a particular perspective on its world.
In the transcendent (objective) view a system's 'inner' aspect is a structured network of sub-
systems and their interactions. However in the empirical (subjective) view a systems inner aspect
is it's perceptual / experiential process that gives it it's present moment experiences. All systems
have both transcendent and empirical aspects - these are just two different ways of interpreting
the same thing.
Physicality and Information
From within a subjective view a system has only a 'surface' experience of its world and from
these surface impressions it derives its understanding. If one takes the objects of perception as
ontologically 'real' objects then we inevitably arrive at the concept of matter and physicality
because those surface impressions are 'tangible'. For example, when a rock is thrown and strikes
you on the head the experienced form of the rock-head interaction is very tangible. Information
passes from rock to head and into the system we call the body where we experience that
information flow as pain, bruising and so on. Now let us look into the idea of physicality.
A major difference between that which we consider to be physical and non-physical
(information) is that physical substance (matter/energy) is conserved whereas information is not;
it is just pattern. In information there is entropy (loss of information leading to loss of structure)
and negentropy (self-organisation resulting in a gain in complexity or information); information
is just 'pattern' whereas physical matter/energy is always conserved. This is a fundamental aspect
of nested information spaces in relation to 'simulation'. In the transcendent context the
information is not conserved but it can represent quantities that are conserved. For example,
consider a simple computer simulation of the conserved flow of fluid between various inter-
connected reservoirs. This is equivalent to an SMN system model with normalised matrix
columns, where normalised means that the probabilities in the column sum to one. (link to
“Getting a Grip”?) The transcendent computational process creates and destroys data in the CPU
and memory thereby creating information loss or entropy that manifests as heat (that is why
CPU's get so hot). But at the same time, within the empirical simulation world all the quantities
are conserved; this is a necessary condition for a stable enduring empirical world. It requires
some conserved 'substance' out of which to be formed.
So the transcendent information process creates a sim-universe composed of sim-substance. This
is a world within a world and we will see that this can go to any depth. Within the sim-universe
the sim-substance underlies the arising of sim-forms of all kinds. These sim-forms can be
structured and patterned into sim-symbols and used to encode or represent sim-information.
These sim-symbols can be used to record and transmit sim-information and can also be
combined with other sim-forms into sim-information processes such as a sim-computer that
operates on sim-information by manipulating sim-symbols. Within this sim-computer there is a
sim-computational space where sim-information is not conserved. This sim-computer can sim-
simulate a sim-sim-universe, which is composed of conserved sim-sim-substance.
So a transcendent information process underlies empirical substance and empirical substance can
represent information and be formed into a sim-transcendent information process. So there can
be worlds within worlds where each empirical context has 'tangible', conserved substance and
each transcendent context has an information system (computational) essence. Whenever
empirical forms are used as symbols to represent, transmit, transform and process information
we are creating a type of transcendent context within which an empirical context arises and
within which virtual forms exist. For example, a book is just paper with patterns of ink, but
through language and imagination a novel can create within our minds a rich and compelling
'story' or virtual world that we can experience to some degree. All writing, art, mathematics and
all symbolic technologies rely on this property of information spaces and worlds within worlds.
Although so far we have only explored the potential of this to a small degree.
In fact, the whole of our empirical existence relies upon this aspect of information systems;
otherwise there would be no conserved sim-substance (matter/energy) and no empirical context
(physical universe). But let us examine the relation between information and physicality a little
closer by considering a long standing puzzle in the empirical sciences; i.e. the unreasonable
effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences [FR].
It seems to scientists that "the enormous usefulness of mathematics in the natural sciences is
something bordering on the mysterious and that there is no rational explanation for it".
(Eugene Wigner)
“How can it be that mathematics, being after all a product of human thought independent of
experience, is so admirably adapted to the objects of reality?” ( Albert Einstein [FR] )
So if mathematics was considered as the science of pure information; a science of symbol,
relation and transformation, then this would explain the age-old puzzle. If the physical universe
is actually a virtual reality within an information process then mathematics is the ideal science to
use. In fact the utility of mathematics is compelling evidence for the information theoretic nature
of the universe. Let us clarify things.
First it is proposed here that mathematics is the science of information. Furthermore it is a
property of information that any information process/pattern can be represented in an equivalent
process/pattern. For example, eiπ + 1 = 0 are both equivalent (=) representations. Or consider two
computer programs, each written in different but logically equivalent languages, where the two
programs are logically equivalent in their structure and behaviour. They are different but
equivalent information processes. Because of this equivalence one information process/pattern
can be used to 'model' another information process/pattern. If the model is perfectly equivalent
then they are fully interchangeable and the question of which is the 'real' one and which is the
'model' is just a matter of identification or labelling of one of them as 'real'. This relies on
assumed "primitive thisness" [FR] and memory. But there is no intrinsic difference between them.
One important difference that doesn't affect their logical equivalence but could indicate which
one is more fundamental is the concept of algorithmic complexity (also known as computational
complexity or Kolmogorov Information). The simplest possible representation is thought to be
the most realistic one. In this respect it is thought that reality is maximally compressed so any
arbitrary but equivalent model of it would necessarily be larger than the actual reality. Hence
reality is its own best model and any model that was to truly represent reality would also have to
be maximally compressed. [algorithmic complexity]
Now consider 'physical' systems and the 'physical' universe. For centuries science has been
leveraging "the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences" and has
discovered a profound, meaningful, accurate and fundamental equivalence between mathematics
and physical processes/patterns. We can perform ab initio calculations of many physical systems.
"A calculation is said to be 'ab initio' (or from first principles) if it relies on basic and
established laws of nature without additional assumptions or special models." [FR]
This equivalence between mathematics and physical systems is compelling but we do not yet
know for sure that it is an exact equivalence, but that is the general belief of many scientists. For
instance, if a grand unified theory (GUT) is possible then this implies an exact equivalence.
Given the nature of information processes/patterns and 'equivalence', it is not unreasonable to
wonder; if mathematics is a generalised information process/pattern and the physical universe is
equivalent to mathematics (can be completely represented by mathematics) then it is possible
that physical processes/patterns are actually information processes/patterns.
But what about 'physicality'? It is a general property of all information systems that they tangibly
interact with systems within their own information space and perceive systems in other
information spaces as "just information". For example, material objects tangibly interact in a
common physical space, software programs tangibly interact in a common computational space
and bureaucratic documents and decrees tangibly influence each other within a bureaucratic
system and so on. So could it be that 'physicality' is just the tangibility of our experience with
systems in a common information space? If we are made of the same empirical 'substance' and
information flows through us as part of the same collective information process then we are
physically interacting with those systems. Just like a computer game bullet can kill a computer
game character but is just information to us, so too a 'physical' bullet can kill us but it is just
information to a computer game character. This implies that 'physicality' arises in all empirical
contexts and not just in the 'physical' universe.
The phenomenon of MST implies worlds within worlds, information spaces within information
spaces, minds within a collective mind and in general information systems within information
systems. There are different inner and outer forms at each MST level but the same fundamental
principle applies throughout. There is one transcendent foundation then an empirical world,
which acts as a sub-transcendent context for a sub-empirical world and so on. Civilisations don’t
experience galaxies directly as tangible physical things, people don’t experience civilization as a
tangible physical thing and cells don’t experience organisms as physical tangible things. They
can’t accidentally bump into one or pick one up. Try and fight a civilization and you only
experience fighting people because to us on our MST level a civilization is just an abstract idea.
Sub-systems within a common super-system all occupy a common interaction space and can
interact directly and tangibly, so people experience people, atoms experience atoms, civilizations
experience civilizations and so on. In each of these cases the interactions are experienced as
being ‘physical’ because they are tangible. The information flowing is the same ‘stuff’ that the
systems are made of so it impacts them very tangibly. Each information space seems to its
occupants to be the only ‘real’ space, the space where things are thought to actually happen and
all other spaces are thought to be “just information”. So IST teaches us that all experiential
contexts seem ‘real’ from within and ‘virtual’ from without; but in fact none of them are actually
real, they are all virtual.
This should inspire us to look into our concept of 'physicality' and how we could distinguish a
physical process/pattern from a model (an information process/pattern). Other than the fact that
they / we share the information space with the physical process/pattern (and have a subjective
view of it) and we observe the model in a sub information space (and have an objective view of
it). But other than that there is no intrinsic difference!
If there is equivalence then the two processes/patterns are identical. There is no essence that
pervades one of them and thereby endows it with the quality of 'physicality'. Each can be
tangibly experienced by systems depending on which information space the perspective is
embedded. To the systems in the model, other model systems are tangible and 'physical' and
systems that we think of as physical would seem to them to be separate, abstract information
(e.g. a computer program monitoring a room via a camera; the chairs and people etc are just
patterns of information flowing through the camera).
Therefore the only reason that we have to believe in 'physicality' as something unique to this
'physical' universe is the narrowness of our perspective and the limitations of our experiences; in
short, because we are systemically, biologically and historically conditioned to think this way.
There is no other reason. So if science is right in its use of mathematics and if a grand unified
theory is possible then this indicates that the physical universe is in fact an information universe.
The idea of primitive thisness [FR] mentioned earlier raises another point. At the quantum level the
fundamental articles totally lack primitive thisness. If one takes two electrons and swaps them
around one cannot discern the difference. Even the particles and the universe cannot discern the
difference, it is not just our limited perspective. They have no intrinsic identity that inheres in
them. But in contrast one can take two seemingly identical coins and swap them around; even
though they seem identical they are still distinct coins with unique identities and histories.
However, if one moves 'bits' around in a computer one zero is identical to another zero and the
individual zero's have no primitive thisness. In general a symbol is identical to another
equivalent symbol so they lack primitive thisness; this is a general property of information. So a
copy is identical to the original in every way. It is impossible to discern which is the original and
which is the copy.
This is an important difference between information technology (IT) and manufacturing
industries. You cannot just build one car and then create millions of copies, but with software
you can. However at the quantum level matter is just information; it can be teleported [FR] from
place to place (transmitted as quantum information) and the quantum wavefunctions can be
operated on just like light waves, giving rise to quantum optics [FR], atom lasers, matter holograms
and so on. This all implies that 'physical' processes are fundamentally information process.
So what is the difference between 'physicality' and 'information'? Why use two words when they
are equivalent; the reason is historical. A physical process is just an information process that you
are embedded in and that is therefore 'tangible'. So we can think of these things as physical
processes or as some kind of information process. However in the past we have had countless
materialist concepts but information theory, computational science and system theory had not
been developed back then, so many abstract substances were proposed or different empirical
phenomena. These were used as analogies to describe the non-empirical (information theoretic)
aspects of reality.
Nowadays many physicists are speaking about relativistic matter/energy equivalence, quantum
processes and "strings" and so on as if they were "abstract physical" processes. By this it is
meant that they are still thought of as "physical" in that they underlie our 'tangible' experience of
reality, but they are not 'material' in the sense of the old ideas of ontologically existing particles
in space that a priori (miraculously) exist and function with complex behaviour. Nowadays there
are also many people speaking about information, computation and other information theoretic
phenomena that may underlie the universe. In all times people have spoken of 'light', 'spirit',
"ethereal substance", "mystical substance" and so on. They are analogically describing the
universe as a virtual information theoretic construct but using non-information theoretic
terminology.
They are all speaking about exactly the same underlying vision of reality, but using different
analogies and concepts to represent their ideas to themselves and others. Hence they seem very
different but they are equivalent. Because the concept 'physical' arises from information
processes operating in a common information space it doesn't matter whether one thinks about
things as being "abstract physical", "information theoretic" or 'spiritual', the principles are the
same. They are all fundamentally in agreement but they interpret things differently. However the
mystic, spiritual discourse [FR] has become seriously misrepresented in the general discourse due
to confusions arising over time through the various cultural and cognitive feedback loops. This
essay seeks to uncover this confusion, clarify the concepts and elucidate the parallels between
the various paradigms.
The only approach that stands apart from these is the naive realist (commonsense realist) [FR],
materialist, objectivist perspective that goes unquestioned in the backs of many people's minds. It
subtly or radically influences our general attitudes, interpretations, experiences and ideas. Even
those working with 'spirit', or 'information' or "abstract physicality", who theoretically should
know better, and may even consciously know better, are still influenced by habitual and
subconscious naive realist thought patterns.
"Karl Popper [REF] pointed out that although Hume's idealism appeared to him to be a strict
refutation of commonsense [naive] realism [FR], and although he felt rationally obliged to regard
commonsense realism as a mistake, he admitted that he was, in practice, quite unable to
disbelieve in it for more than an hour: that, at heart, Hume was a commonsense realist."
(quoted from David Hume on Wikipedia [FR])
Naive realism is the most common philosophical outlook throughout society even though it is
known to be fundamentally misguided. But in general it is not considered to be a philosophy;
"True naive realists would never sum up or analyse their views, because they do not consider
them views but the way things obviously are."
In its most common form a naive realist thinks "I ... am a human being. There is this one
physical world, the space where everything exists and the time in which everything happens.
There are many things in this physical world, each largely separate from the other and
persisting over a span of time... My senses give me direct knowledge of reality. If I see a chair, it
is because there is a chair physically where and when I see it. There are exceptions, like when I
am dreaming or watching a movie, but these are rare and obviously not real. I can know things
through my senses, through thinking about things, and through communication with other
people. Other people's beliefs may be correct or not, but beliefs of people I respect, and beliefs
held commonly by most people in my society, are usually true."
(quoted from Born Yesterday [FR])
So we see that virtually all philosophical / metaphysical views can be seen to be equivalent
except for those that are based upon naive acceptance of illusions and assumptions. Any sincere
enquiry that goes deep enough converges upon the same vision of reality, but too often they tend
to misunderstand the others and to cling to their own analogies whilst disregarding the others.
We also learn that the structure of systems is highly complex. There is no simple inner and outer;
they are not like melons with well-defined outer skin and inner flesh. Each system within system
has its inner and outer so systems are filled with a kind of complex dynamical ‘foam’. That is the
nature of inner space and what we call outer space is just the inner space of a larger system. So
we are foam within foam and the general nature of a systemic existential space is foam-like.
Each subsystem is a being in a world to some degree (that is its perceptual illusion), but the
potential depth of involvement in illusion depends on the complexity of the inner space, its
internal cognitive space or its intricate inner foam of feedback loops and self-referential
awareness. Lets consider the case where there are sub-systems integrating to form a super-
system; each sub-system has its inner ‘foam’ and it operates within the inner foam of the super-
system, which integrates the sub-systems together. If like us the systems have extremely
complex inner spaces – mind, consciousness, sentience, self-awareness, intellect, imagination,
visualization, etc and they are integrated into a very simple outer foam of tribal cultural
interactions; like pre-historic humans. Then they experience a complex inner space and a very
simple outer space of interactions. They experience themselves as being the most complex,
aware and powerful beings in the situation.
If the sub-systems are very simple and are caught up in a very complex and integrated super-
system foam, then they are totally swept up by the super-system and they become like molecules
in a cell or cells in an organism. Now consider the case of pre-historic humans but start to rapidly
increase the complexity of their cultural interactions and dependencies so that the super-system
foam becomes more complex and integrative. As the balance of the relative complexity
difference between ourselves and our cultural environment shifts the whole dynamic shifts. As
culture and civilization and organizations in general become far more complex, those of us who
become simple are easily assimilated and those who grow in inner complexity and integration
remain individuals. It is in the interests of the organizations to simplify us, it makes us easy to
assimilate, easy to comprehend, easy to program with memes and easy to control. It is useful for
organizations to keep a few complex individuals but the masses must be kept simple and
compliant. This general process is the underlying dynamic of ‘individuation’ that underlies the
process of MST, the process of ego formation in humans and the process of organisation
formation such as nationalism in human populations.
So we see that tightly integrated inner foam and loosely integrated outer foam leads to a
compelling systemic illusion of individual, separate, self-awareness as a “being in a world”.
Another illusion that arises through individuation and identification with one’s body and mind,
the 'I'-thought, is related to the phenomenon of same MST level interactions, for example when
one person touches another person. If a person or any super-system is a systemic perceptual
illusion and not an ontological reality, then how can a person touch a person? If ‘I’ can’t touch
cells (only cells would actually make contact with cells) but ‘you’ are made of cells the how do
‘I’ touch ‘you’? The ‘I’ and ‘you’ are ideas (memes) in the mind, and 'my' identification with
'my' sub-systems assimilates all 'my' sub-systems into the acquisitive ego, the 'I'-thought, so that
the ego believes that they are a part of it. The ego acquires everything it can, from your body and
mind, ideas, possessions, wealth, power, glamour, enslaving other people and controlling their
egos and our collectively ego is trying to acquire and assimilate the entire planet including
ourselves and all life forms.
Individuation can be a blessing for a system, giving it an integrated, unified perspective and a
focused awareness and identity but if this results in egoic delusion and separatist struggle it is a
curse that brings only suffering.
The egoic acquisition creates identification, so when my sub-systems interact then ‘I’ interact, so
when my hand touches ‘you’ ‘I’ touch ‘you’. When it touches your hand 'I' project the same kind
of egoic identification onto the ‘you’ that 'I' experience in my mind and 'I' assume that ‘I’ have
therefore touched ‘you’. So when riot police and protestors stand off it is people against people
on the level of people, it is cell against cell in the push and shove on the level of cells and it is
also the ego of a population repressing an inner urge within its body and mind. There is no
correct level to consider things, they are ALL equally valid.
This experience of identification combined with complex inner and simple outer foam leads to
another interesting systemic illusion. That is the experience of being at the pinnacle of creation.
We think “there is nothing more complex, subtle and alive as I and we are”. We think things are
‘solid’ beneath us in the system hierarchy (sub-systems, we only experience their outer aspect)
and that things above us are just ideas that we control (super-systems, we only experience their
inner space). That is how it seems to all systems in similar circumstances. So truth yet again
diminishes our pride. We now know that we are not at the centre of the universe, things don’t
revolve around us, the world wasn’t ‘made’ for us, we don’t have perfect access to reality
through the mind, nor even perfect control over ourselves, we are not separate or different from
animals, we are not even fundamentally separate from what we call ‘inanimate’ matter – it too is
alive and aware in its own way (all things have life and awareness as part of their ability to exist
and interact) and we are not at the pinnacle of creation, we are just far more integrated than our
environment and this leads to egoic identification. So the sub-systems that we think of as a body
is actually a vast civilization of individual living cells and the human civilization that we think is
just an idea is actually a vast organism that assimilates us as its cells. A nation is just as tangible
to other nations as we are to each other. And we are just as tiny and incomprehensible to a nation
as our cells are to us. It is just a systemic perceptual illusion that civilization is just an idea; to
our cells we too are just an idea that is abstractly encoded in their DNA and their cellular
processes. In this parallel, a cell’s RNA / protein cycle is like its mind and it’s DNA is like its
belief system, which is usually fixed, but it can learn and it can also fray and become 'cynical'
and cancerous.
Conditioning and 'Worlds'
This section goes into detail regarding the depth and the nature of our conditioning. It elucidates
just how far from reality we really are, and the deeper systemic processes driving the current
global crises; the social, ecological, political, moral, individual and existential crises that plague
us and threaten our survival and sanity. There is dis-ease in the world and here we do a systemic
diagnosis of that dis-ease. This could be extremely difficult for many people to accept; there are
some very challenging revelations ahead. They will quite likely seem unreal at first; too bizarre
to be possible. But if you think it through clearly and skeptically you will see the truth of it. In
this sense it is like quantum physics; for most people it is too bizarre to be considered ‘real’, but
that is just an empiricist / naïve realist prejudice. It is by far the most accurate description of the
universe yet developed.
If this diagnosis of our conditioning will be too challenging for you on the first reading then I
suggest skipping to the next section for now. And if you are already aware that you are
conditioned and you wish to know more about overcoming it, rather than going into a deep
analysis of it then you too should skip ahead.
The nature of our conditioning can subtly or radically affect the nature of our experiences and
our understanding of everything. Different conditioning causes people to dwell in different
worlds (experiential / conceptual context, not an 'objective' context). An example of this, to a
limited extent, is the effectiveness of propaganda, advertising, peer/social pressure, 'education'
and other forms of manipulation aimed at conditioning people into different societal roles. It can
condition people to interpret, experience, comprehend, understand, express and interact in very
specialised ways that 'customises' them to fill certain roles from politician to criminal to CEO to
factory worker to scientist to movie star and so on [FR].
But this example only illustrates a limited range of states of being because they are all
cultural/social/empiricist/objectivist paradigms. However some other extreme states of being are
mystics, some artists, geniuses, lunatics, trippers (LSD) and so on. It is impossible to describe
these states of being to someone who has never experienced anything like them. They can
potentially result in totally and radically different 'world' experiences.
Memes and Organisations
There are two other important systems that co-exist in a symbiotic relationship with humans,
which further complicate the situation and therefore cannot be overlooked. They are memes [FR]
and organisations [FR]. A meme is like a cognitive virus. It originates within individual minds as a
compelling and self-perpetuating idea. These memes evolve as they interact with other memes.
They can be transmitted via any communication medium and they permeate the cultural domain.
In fact the cultural domain can be thought of as an ecosystem of memes in which our individual
minds are micro-environments. The cultural 'network' connects our minds together into a
collective cognitive 'environment' within which memes propagate, compete and evolve.
Activities such as advertising and propaganda are a form of biological warfare, using cognitive
viruses to manipulate and exploit people’s minds.
“You put an idea out there and seed it, and people carry it for you” (president of advertising
firm, quoted from The Asian Age, Mumbai, 2007/04/09)
These memetic (cognitive) ecosystems operate in many ways like biological (carbon based)
ecosystems, with chains of dependencies, population dynamics, antagonism or cooperation
between various memes, meme populations or meme complexes. When exposure to a new meme
occurs this can result in a complex cascade of events.
• Perhaps the ecosystem is totally hostile to this meme in which case it is rapidly destroyed
(incredulity, cynical doubt, closed mind).
• Perhaps the ecosystem is already populated with similar and related memes in which case
it may be welcomed warmly into the fold
(credulity, belief, receptive mind).
• Or perhaps things are held in a complex and diverse balance, a dynamical equilibrium of
all available memes where no memes are given "royal treatment" and none are
"demonised and persecuted", but each is allowed to find it's niche within the complex
network of dependencies and antagonisms. In this way the overall structure grows and
evolves,
(skepticism, holistic enquiry, open mind).
Furthermore, organisations are systems that evolve 'around' us in the sense that we are the
subsystems that integrate to form them. There is a natural process of self-organisation or meta-
system transition [FR] that arises in any complex system where the systems communicate and
cooperate. Cells communicated and cooperated for mutual benefit and thereby evolved into
organisations that we call organisms. Similarly, human development has been a process of
increasing communication, cooperation and dependency leading to the growth of organisations
such as empires, nations, religions, corporations and so on, up to civilisation as a whole [FR].
Lead in comments then link (Link to or quotes from guided meditations)
In this way the complex dynamical system that we are a part of and which we call 'civilisation'
has developed the art of domesticating and customising human beings, extracting their
productive potential and channelling this to allow the organisation to pursue it's own
organisational agendas. This is analogous to the manner in which we organisms channel the
productive capacity of our cellular civilisation (body) and use it to pursue our own agendas.
For example, in a nationalist context:
• Individuals are analogous to cells (called 'citizens') and thought of by the nation as
microscopic units of production and consumption that drive the metabolic processes of
the nation.
• Society is analogous to the body (including all domesticated animals, resources and
equipment, analogous to bacteria, minerals and mechanical structures within an
organism).
• The military is analogous to the claws and fangs of the collective organism.
 • Industry is analogous to the guts and glands.
• The police and internal surveillance are analogous to the immune system.
• The overall social discourse and flow of information through the nation is analogous to
the mind.
• The national identity and social history is the personal identity and the life-story or the
collective organism.
• The grapevine of informal, untraceable social communications is analogous to the
subconscious of the collective organism.
• The media is analogous to the psychobabble that continuously goes on in the back of
one's mind and sometimes leaps to the fore to sweep you away with some particular idea
or passion or illusion.
• The intelligentsia is analogous to the intellect.
• The Government is analogous to the ego; the centralised "I-thought" that assumes that it
'is' the nation, just as the 'I' in each individual tends to assume that it is the
body/mind/being. It is a centralised point of control that serves an integrative role but it is
also a point around which many perceptual illusions gather, so it has a tendency to fall for
the illusion of its own 'power' and "individual existence" hence it can create much
confusion, agitation and disruption to the holistic system. This is a vitally important point
to apprehend.
A single cell is a whole living being, it possesses in microform, every basic functionality and
mechanism of life that we organisms possess. An organisation, when complex and highly
evolved, also possesses in macro-form, every basic functionality and mechanism of life that we
organisms possess.
For more on this phenomenon of meta-system transition within human organisations see this
extended analogy between biology and civilisation [FR], which is another example of an
information system theoretic analysis of a phenomenon that provides deep insights into the
complex nature of that phenomenon. This idea may seem very abstract and remote from the
'normal' discourse on civilisation however that is due to the limitations of the normal discourse.
This is a meta-system transition phenomenon that occurs in ALL complex systems and is driven
by growing communication, interaction, cooperation and dependency. Just as gravity effects
ALL material systems, including human beings, so too does MST effect ALL complex systems
including human beings. Just as cells are whole living beings that integrate to form organisms
such as ourselves, which are whole living beings, so too are we integrating to form organisations
that have the potential to evolve into whole living beings with their own delusions, agendas,
appetites, desires and fears. This is a matter of utmost importance to contemporary humans and
the systems analysis sheds deep and penetrating insight into the situation and makes sense of
many of the events in the world today. It is strongly recommend that you read the detailed essay
[FR]
.
An important connection between memes and organizations is that, just as all systems have both
inner and outer aspects, the ecosystem of memes is the inner aspect of an organization, and what
we experience when interacting with organizations is the outer aspect of an ecosystem of memes.
When a particular type of meme complex influences people’s minds they are caused to interpret,
experience, understand, express and respond to things in ways that assimilate them into some
organizational niche. The many minds animate the flow of memes and the many bodies build and
operate the equipment that animates the outer aspect of the organization. From families to
nations, this phenomenon arises. By controlling the flow of memes one can control the formation
and destruction of organizations. This is the power of the media in human civilization; and
advertising and propaganda are its two main uses; entertainment and education are of a low
priority. The motivation behind the invention of television was a desire to deliver advertising
messages into people’s homes so as to further the agendas of corporations, but governments and
other organizations have learnt to take advantage of the this powerful memetic syringe that
injects ideas directly into billions of minds every evening.
"Coercive Persuasion is the methodical – often subtle or even clandestine - application of
psychological manipulation. Coercive Persuasion coerces its targeted audience into
‘perceiving’, ‘learning’ and ‘adopting’ a prescribed set of thoughts, beliefs, values, attitudes
and/or behaviors... Coercive Persuasion operates by undermining the individual’s defense
mechanisms, their perceptions, their values and their attitudes. Coercive Persuasion alters the
otherwise expected personal conduct and the person’s ability to reason - without resorting to
physical force. In the current time frame, "coercive persuasion" cleverly and covertly overcomes
an individual's decision-making by impacting the individual’s judgment. The victim gradually
loses the ability to make independent decisions or to insist on the information necessary to make
an informed and intelligent decision." (PSYOPS and "Coercive Persuasion" [FR])
So watching television is like an injection of memetic viruses designed to subvert your self-
control and self-awareness, to reinforce your ego, program the ego with desires, aversions,
attitudes, paradigms, ways of thinking, ways of responding, ways of interpreting and
experiencing, ways of communicating, ways of acting and in general to condition and determine
your concept of ‘normality’. These are all memes, there is no reality here, only a complex
ecosystem of memes that permeates and conditions our minds and then filters and constructs our
experience of reality. The ego is the root meme and all the others build on top of it. A common
socially productive way to strengthen the ego is to condition it with feelings of deep inadequacy
and a need for MORE. To make people feel isolated and cut off. In truth they are cut off, from
reality and the source of all genuine ‘nourishment’. Hence a slow process of existential
starvation creates deep and inexpressible emptiness, cravings and despair that are agonizing and
provide a driving force that keeps people moving and consuming and producing. Happy,
satisfied and content people don’t make productive cells in the 'man machine'( ref link). In this
model people must be in despair but also in denial of their despair and only trying to alleviate it
by responding in conditioned ways, by repressing it if it isn’t productive for the organisation, or
losing themselves in pursuing it if it is; buying more, doing more, taking drugs (especially the
pharmaceuticals) and constantly trying to fill a hole that never seems to fill up. What they need is
connection to reality but that is the last thing that the organization will let them have because
they might escape from the meme stream and the collective dream (nightmare). The organization
simply wishes to hold onto ‘its’ vitality. It has acquired us within its ego and considers ‘us’ as
just bits of ‘it’.
It is a matter of life and death for organizations to keep us in the meme stream, to keep us
reliably and predictable programmed, docile to organizational power (myth of authority is a
central meme in this), receptive to organizational memes and resistant or inoculated against
memes that are not part of the organizations agenda. If we stray or return to ourselves, these
become diminished, they lose the vitality that our minds and actions gave them. And a
competing organisation / meme-complex might assimilate us whilst we are unoccupied cognitive
territory and an un-utilised resource, (from the viewpoint of the organisation).
If you overcome the mind you step out of the cultural domain entirely, the memes cannot
manipulate and control you any more. They may still flow through the mind but the mind no
longer controls you, you control the mind. Once the 'I'-thought loses control all the various things
that it has ‘acquired’ and identified with are set free, including you, the real you. Your ego can
longer be used as a puppet dictator that controls you and is itself controlled by the collective ego.
Instead the flow of existential information cleanses the mind and body, you are guided from
within and dwell in reality.
Our current organisations are the initial 'phyla' [cells] or basic organisational structures. However
they are evolving within the constraints of the environment, the society and the planet as a
whole. Given that our fundamental constraint is the finite size of the planet it is perhaps likely to
evolve into something like a higher-level planetary cell, where the sub-organisations are like
organelles [FR]. Organelles are the cell's metabolic 'machinery', e.g. nucleus, mitochondria [FR], etc.
So you see that we operate within a complex environment where an ecosystem of memes
permeates our minds and the culture whilst organisations condition and constrain us into
specialised roles and perspectives as part of their own metabolic processes. We are inhabited by
memes whilst we inhabit organisations, and we metabolise memes whilst organisations
metabolise us. These forces heavily condition our experiences, our understanding and the whole
culture.
From this analysis it is clear that when there is a systemic dysfunction (or any systemic event)
there is no clear and identifiable subsystem of sub-group that is ‘responsible’. All take part, each
in their own way. When you get into a fight your cells may be ‘innocent’ but your nose still gets
a fist thrown into it. It is not totally innocent because it is a part of you. All parts of the systems
take part in the dance of existential information and memes, that is the holistic situation. In
countless subtle ways a person sitting on their couch watching a war on TV and a soldier actually
doing the killing are intimately linked and implicated in the same systemic process. All systems
fully exist and operate on all levels, so when nations go to war all the people involved are
intrinsically implicated in the unfolding of events. It is just a systemic illusion that underlies the
attitude of “who is responsible”. This illusion leads to the formulation of many conspiracy
theories that are actually misinterpretations of systemic forces [FR].
"Those who argue for a U.S. state conspiracy are proposing a massive, multi-agency conspiracy
of a kind which has never been seen before. All the U.S. state agencies hate each other and
barely co-operate, engage in endless turf wars. The kind of inter-agency operation you are
proposing simply has never existed in peace time. It is inconceivable to me that such a group
could be got together. And this is probably the main reason that the official U.S. state
organisations and politicians have never taken the conspiracy theories seriously. They know how
the U.S. state operates and thus dismiss this idea at the outset." (Robin Ramsay, Editor of
Lobster magazine - http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/)
“For anything to happen, the entire universe must coincide. It is wrong to believe that anything
in particular can cause an event. Every cause is universal. Your very body would not exist
without the entire universe contributing to its creation and survival...” (Sri Nisargadatta
Maharaj, "I am That", p371 [FR])
The Pseudo Objective World
When we perceive through our senses we get a subjective view from which we form the "idea of
the objective world", which then influences our perceptual / experiential process so we come to
believe in and experience ourselves as existing within an objective world. So although all we
have is a subjective view, we have formed within our minds a pseudo objective view of our
environment. It is a pseudo objective view because it is built entirely from whatever information
is available through our heavily distorted subjective experiences and not from existential
information flowing from the objective domain. It is therefore a construct formed by
communication of countless subjective views, which is formed into an idea of an objective
world, which is then confused for the actual objective reality. From an empirical subjective
perspective we cannot perceive the inner aspect of other systems, nor the information network
and flow of information and the primitive states that permeate the systems. So the pseudo
objective view cannot comprehend the actual objective view with all the ‘unseen’ information
system theoretic dynamics; it is just a subjective view that is assumed to be the objective view.
So many things cannot be experienced or comprehended within the pseudo objective world. This
is why the idea of the "physical universe" is such a limiting belief system that leaves most of
existence classified as paradoxical or unreal.
“Q: What is false, the world, or my knowledge of it?
M: Is there a world outside your knowledge? Can you go beyond what you know? You may
postulate a world beyond the mind, but it will remain a concept, unproven and unprovable. Your
experience is your proof, and it is valid for you only. Who else can have your experience, when
the other person is only as real as he appears in your experience?”
(Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p510 [FR])
“To Sankara [FR] the world is only relatively real [virtual] (Vyavaharika Satta). He advocated
Vivarta-Vada or the theory of appearance or superimposition (Adhyasa) [theory of virtuality].
Just as snake is superimposed on the rope in twilight [when one mistakes a rope for a snake],
this world and body are superimposed on Brahman or the Supreme Self [objective reality]. If you
get knowledge of the rope, the illusion of snake in the rope will vanish. Even so, if you get
knowledge of Brahman or the Imperishable, the illusion of body and world will disappear. In
Vivarta-Vada [theory of virtuality], the cause produces the effect without undergoing any change
in itself. Snake is only an appearance on the rope. The rope has not transformed itself into a
snake, like milk into curd [this is implied in the concept ‘virtual’, the simulator doesn’t ‘become’
the simulation world yet it causes it]. Brahman is immutable and eternal. Therefore, It cannot
change Itself into the world. Brahman becomes the cause of the world through Maya, which is
Its inscrutable mysterious power or Sakti [simulation, virtuality]. ”
(http://www.shankaracharya.org/advaita_philosophy.php)
The unified dance of existential information is like a computational context, we are information
systems within it; this is the objective view. But we heavily interpret the input signals as the
existential information flows through our inner space and we transform it into an experiential
context that we experience as being “out there”. Out there, there are objects in space with
attributes; these take part in events that occur in time. Some of the objects are people who we
communicate with and collectively we form the idea of an objective world into which we all
have subjective views. This is quite reasonable, but the error arises when we construct our idea
of that objective world solely out of the information available through our subjective views. In
this way most of reality, the unseen part, is neglected and we operate on the assumption that it
does not exist. This is a profound and far reaching limitation that constrains us to a world of
appearances.
All of these objects, people and so on arise when we experience the existential flow as it is
channelled by our inner subsystems resulting in experiences and ideas. The objects are actually
perceptual forms that arise in consciousness and to which we associate the idea ‘object’ or
‘person’. The actual reality underlying those objects is the dance of existential information that
animates the information system whose outer observable form we experience. So although the
objects are generally, but not always, based upon an underlying reality, it is actually more
accurate to describe them as memes that operate within our minds and propagate through our
culture. These memes respond to the existential stimuli and then dance about in the mind,
creating a pantomime of thought forms. One could call this a mind puppet.
The memes spread and evolve within the interconnected web of minds that forms the basis of the
cultural domain. The activity of our minds animates that context, which in turn assimilates and
integrates our minds to form its internal structure or its inner space. So our minds become
embedded in a network that channels a cultural memetic flow; just as information systems are
embedded in a network that channels existential information. Ultimately all things are animated
by the flow of existential information, but by heavily interpreting and distorting this in our minds
we come to be animated by the cultural memetic flow. These memes are reflections of the
underlying reality and they are often serious distortions or complete fabrications or deceptions.
The more confusion and agitation there is in the cultural domain the more confusing and
disruptive the memes become. Whilst the existential information is like pure bright white light
containing all colours in abundance, the cultural flow has many shades and colours; some so
devoid of reality that they form shadow worlds of deep confusion and agitation.
This process of minds connecting to form a cultural memetic ecosystem is related to the
formation of worlds within worlds. By channelling the cultural memetic flow we animate that
virtual cultural reality and by identifying with it we come to inhabit it and live within entirely
culturally constructed worlds. If our culture is in harmony with the underlying reality this can be
a creative expression of life, but if the culture is corrupted by destructive memes that oppress,
exploit, deceive, manipulate and disempower us, then that cultural world can be a nightmare. The
pseudo objective world is just such a cultural construct, it is the world that we believe to be
objective, for some it is blissful, for others it is hellish, but for all it is an illusory virtual reality
that we collectively create and sustain by giving our attention to it. Collectively we are like a
massively parallel mind-matrix that simulates a virtual cultural pseudo-objective world.
"One of the intentions of corporate-controlled media is to instil in people a sense of
disempowerment, of immobilization and paralysis. Its outcome is to turn you into good
consumers. It is to keep people isolated, to feel that there is no possibility for social change."
(David Barsamian, journalist, Media Watch [FR])
This creation of virtual mind-made worlds is also related to the formation of super-systems via a
meta system transition MST. Each level of systems channels the existential information and
integrates this into a unified inner space for the super-system. The super-system perceives and
experiences its world by using the sub-systems as its experiential process. So the super-system
exists and operates at a higher level. For example, your cells experience subtle chemical and
electromagnetic signals, but you experience sight, smell, taste, touch and sound. At each higher
level the absorption and meaningful assimilation of information occurs at a higher level. There is
therefore more entropy or information loss, because the low-level details cannot be discerned.
Hence each MST level filters the existential information and things become gradually denser. So
high-level systems have very structured experiences based upon all the countless experiences and
responses of their sub-systems within sub-systems. They cannot in any way experience reality
‘directly’ but only in their high level conditioned form. If all the entropy or lost information had
been retained then they would get the full view, but such a view is not possible because all
system interactions involve some degree of entropy.
The existential information filters through countless MST levels, through matter, life, mind and
then culture. By this time most of the original information has been lost and the rest heavily
transformed and interpreted in very high-level ways. We experience taste, pleasure, pain, fear,
shame, hatred, loyalty, trust, doubt, philosophy, music, science and so on. These are extremely
high-level phenomenon and operate only within minds that are identified with and function as
subsystems within the cultural domain. The culture is therefore a high level symbol processing
system (a type of computer). It has a parallel-mind architecture and it channels memes not bits.
It simulates a virtual reality and our minds, being embedded in its very computing matrix are
intrinsically embedded in the virtual reality. We are like the SMN primitive systems. We exist in
the virtual world and experience it from an embedded subjective perspective. In this way the
pseudo objective reality is a virtual reality that we inhabit and as the Buddha said: “with our
thoughts we make the world” [FR], our personal experiential contexts. And furthermore, with our
cultural memetic activity we create the pseudo objective world.
Within the cultural context the pseudo objective world is a virtual objective world; horribly
limited compared to reality but nevertheless it is assumed to the objective so for all intents and
purposes it is objective to people dwelling within the cultural domain. Within this virtual
objective world there exist many virtual systems, things such as corporations, nations, religions,
ideologies, movements, traditions and so on. These systems interact and experience that virtual
world in their own way just as tangibly as we experience it. When a nation fights a nation they
physically clash, to them it isn’t about people clashing, it is they who clash. Just as when two
people clash, it isn’t about cells clashing, it’s about two people or two egos to be precise. When
fearful ideas haunt our minds our personal pseudo objective worlds become dark and threatening
and when fearful memes haunt a nations cultural collective mind its personal pseudo objective
world also becomes dark and threatening. So just as the ideas in our minds construct our worlds,
so too the memes in a culture construct it’s world. If one’s ideas become delusional then eventual
suffering and destruction is inevitable, so too if a nations culture becomes delusional then
eventual suffering and destruction is inevitable.
So the ideas, memes, attitudes, interpretations and so on going through our minds and
propagating through the culture are the inner life and inner awareness of organizations. They are
capable of great coherence such as waging war or massive civil projects. However they are
normally not very focused. It is mainly when under threat that the memetic flow of propaganda
truly integrates the organization. Our minds are the real estate (territory) in the memetic
ecosystem and our input / output capacity is the fundamental resource or energy source that
drives organizations. By conditioning our minds to flow with their memes and our behaviours to
manifest certain input / output activities, organizations assimilate us like cells within their
bodies. To the degree that we are infected by their memes and show symptoms, that much are we
assimilated. We can have many ‘allegiances’ but the memes are constantly struggling for
dominance over territory (minds) and resources (our life forces). Memes tend to integrate into
meme complexes that contain many diverse mutually supportive memes. For example, egoism,
empiricism, common sense realism, positivism, desire, fear, greed, capitalism, consumerism,
authoritarianism, economic rationalism (not actually rational in the wider context) and so on. All
these memes cooperate and support each other in their dominance and control of your mind, and
the meme of ‘cynicism’ seals it all by closing your mind, making sure that no other memes can
ever get a foothold.
<<Here or elsewhere? Discuss New Science, REG, PEAR, Strings, etc>> [FR] for now here are
some brief comments and links:
Quantum physics is rapidly leading us to a mystic perspective and since 1979 there have been
experiments that incontrovertibly prove that consciousness has direct influence over physical
processes, thus shattering the illusion of materialism. Not only has it been shattered by
philosophical argument and psychology and information systems theory but now empirical data
proves it. These experiments are analogous to the photoelectric effect that signalled the dawn of
quantum physics and the end of classical physics. The experiments categorically prove that there
is something fundamentally wrong with both the materialist and Cartesian dualist perspectives on
reality.
The REG (Random Event Generator) experiments at the Princeton Engineering Anomalies
Research lab prove beyond doubt that consciousness has real measurable effects on physical
processes and that roughly 80% of those tested, all 'normal' people, had a measurable influence
on the output of the REG's. These effects are not attenuated by distance and they have the same
strength whether the events are simultaneous with the intentional influence or whether the events
are in the past or the future! They are magnified by psychological bonds such as love and by
cognitive discipline such as focused non-agitated awareness (e.g. via meditation). The
measurable effects also arise without intentional influence and can be used to monitor the
coherence of the ambient field of consciousness. There is currently a network of machines
monitoring the moment by moment fluctuations in the global consciousness; the overall statistics
for the Global Consciousness Project (GCP), after nine years of data accumulation, indicate a
probability of about one in ten million that the correlation of the data with the specified global
events is merely due to chance. These aren't vague crackpot experiments, there is NO DOUBT
about the data, the only thing in contention is the interpretation of the data. There has been
resistance to interpreting these experiments because core materialist beliefs are fundamentally
challenged by them.

The results are "empirical facts that are anomalies from the perspective of standard (mainstream)
scientific models." (http://noosphere.princeton.edu/conclusions.html)

The PEAR REG experiments: (The modern equivalent of the photoelectric effect)

First some background:

REG Experiments: Equipment and Design (A brief abstract)
http://www.princeton.edu/~rdnelson/reg.html

Details of the methodology

http://noosphere.princeton.edu/methodology.html

Paranormal Meets Physics (General non-scientific article)

http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa062298.htm
Then some data:

List of PEAR Publications (Over 50 available directly on the net)

http://www.princeton.edu/~pear/publications.html

Correlation of global events with reg data: An internet-based, nonlocal anomalies experiment -
Statistical Data Included
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2320/is_3_65/ai_83262438

The MegaREG Experiment: Replication and Interpretation

http://www.princeton.edu/~pear/pdfs/jse_papers/MegaREG.pdf

Field REG Experiments of Religious Rituals and Other Group Events in Paraná, Brazil.
http://www.kisc.meiji.ac.jp/~hirukawa/paper/FieldREG.doc

Analysis of Variance of REG Experiments: Operator Intention, Secondary Parameters, Database

Structure
http://www.princeton.edu/~rdnelson/anova.html

The Global Consciousness Project: (GCP or the Electro-Gaia-Gram EGG)

Main GCP website

http://noosphere.princeton.edu/

Introduction
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/science2.html

The primary results

http://noosphere.princeton.edu/results.html

EGG data archive

http://noosphere.princeton.edu/gcpdata.html

Also see some informal comments:

http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/The%20New%20Science.html

Empiricism and Mysticism

Ultimately there are only two fundamental approaches or fundamental paradigms. One is to
overlook the role of consciousness and contemplate the objects of consciousness as 'objects' (e.g.
perceptions, thoughts, etc). This leads to an empiricist, materialist, objectivist, naive realist,
logical approach through which one must laboriously struggle to see through the thick veil of
confusion (but after many centuries people are succeeding). Or one can contemplate
consciousness itself and interpret the 'objects' as modifications of consciousness; this can lead to
realising the true nature of things in a single life. This leads to a mystic, subjective and intuitive
approach. Both approaches give valid perspectives on reality but mysticism [FR] is more
fundamental because we cannot ever know the object "as it is", we can only experience the
modifications of our consciousness and infer equivalence between the object of consciousness
and the alleged object "as it is". Though due to the influence of preconceived ideas the object of
consciousness may bare little resemblance to the object "as it is", or the object may not even
exist at all in the sense that we think it does. Materialism, empiricism and objectivism did not
make this subtle distinction and became entangled in a knot of confusions from which they are
only now disentangling themselves.
It is more coherent to first contemplate consciousness and its role in 'constructing' our
experiences and then to contemplate the 'content' of our experiences. This is a vitally important
point. Consciousness is the most fundamental 'instrument' in any scientific, philosophical or
mystic enquiry; we could not experience or know anything without it. It influences all of our
experiences and ideas so first we must comprehend and master this powerful tool and then we
can use it safely and effectively. Once consciousness is understood, many of the other 'problems'
and questions are seen to be artefacts of a flawed understanding. Hence they simply dissolve like
a shadow when the light of knowledge and awareness is cast upon it.
Many people's misconceptions about subjectivity and objectivity keep them bound in a pseudo
objective world, dwelling solely in the cultural domain of ideas whilst they believe they are
perceiving and experiencing an objective reality. They are experiencing objective reality to some
degree, but their experience is heavily distorted by collective and individual ideas. Whereas the
mystics and visionaries who clarify their consciousness and delve deep, coming to know the true
objective domain, they are often considered suspect or delusional from the perspective of the
cultural discourse because they are perceived to be behind the subjective domain. From the
cultural domain one must cross the subjective domain to get to the objective domain because the
cultural domain is a construct of communicated subjective experiences. So the mystics and
materialists both see each other on the opposite side of the subjective domain and each claims
that the other is dwelling in a world of ideas that are separated from reality. This analysis
indicates that it is the mystics, who go deep within and clarify their consciousness, who are
closest to reality. Whilst the empiricists and objectivists who confused their experiences and
ideas with reality, and the scientists who have neglected the role of consciousness and spent
centuries in denial of subjectivity but who are highly educated and knowledgeable about
collective ideas, these people are separated from objective reality by the subjective domain and
are thus further from reality. The objectivity they seek lies behind the subjectivity that they fear.
Mysticism [FR] is commonly associated with superstition and wishful thinking or with fanatical
religion but mysticism is actually holistic and open-minded enquiry into and participation in
reality. It represents thousands of years of deep experience and growing wisdom of such a subtle
and profound nature that it is only now beginning to be understood by the cutting edge of
philosophy and science.
"Process philosophy identifies metaphysical reality with change and dynamism... favoring
"Becoming" over "Being" and "Non-being" which logically follows from Being, that is to say, it
does not characterize change as illusory but as the cornerstone of metaphysical reality, or
ontology... Whitehead's ideas were a significant development of the idea of panpsychism (also
known as panexperientialism, because of Whitehead’s emphasis on experience)."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_philosophy) [FR]
<<quote I Ching about ‘Change’>>
"Panpsychism, in philosophy, is either the view that all parts of matter involve mind, or the more
holistic view that the whole universe is an organism that possesses a mind... This is not to say
that panpsychism believes that all matter is alive or even conscious but rather that the
constituent parts of matter are composed of some form of mind and are sentient.
Panpsychism claims that everything is sentient and that there are either many separate minds, or
one single mind that unites everything that is. The concept of the unconscious, made popular by
the psychoanalysts, made possible a variant of panpsychism that denies consciousness from
some entities while still asserting the ubiquity of mind.
Panexperientialism, as espoused by Alfred North Whitehead is a weaker variation, which credits
all entities with phenomenal consciousness but not with cognition, and therefore not necessarily
with fully-fledged minds.
Panprotoexperientialism is a weaker variation still, which credits all entities with non-physical
properties that are precursors to phenomenal consciousness (or phenomenal consciousness in a
latent, undeveloped form) but not with cognition itself, or with conscious awareness. "
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panpsychism)
The SMN mathematical model and the resulting IST philosophy are closest to
Panprotoexperientialism. But they recognise the other variants as valid perspectives but which
use too high-level analogies such a 'mind', 'cognition' and 'consciousness' to be able to be taken
literally. This work likens the inner aspect of systems or their proto-awareness to computation;
however it does not mean just the kind of activity that physical computers engage in; that is just
one very particular case of computation. Computation is a general principle that involves the
coherent input, transformation and output of information. E.g. when any two particles interact
they exchange information, they experience each other and respond, hence they are engaged in a
computation. Any act of perception or cognition is also a computation in some form. Physical
computers perform very simple logical computations very quickly so they have become
intimately related to the concept of computation but they represent just one type of computation.
Hence IST "credits all entities with non-physical properties that are precursors to phenomenal
consciousness".
Furthermore, SMN and IST both indicate the existence of a deep unity within consciousness. At
the deepest levels there is only a single stream of computation, which manifests as many
individual streams of proto-awareness and eventually consciousness. The underlying framework
of unity is similar to concepts of intersubjectivity. For example:
Intersubjectivity in its strongest ontological meaning implies "mutual co-arising and engagement
of interdependent subjects, or intersubjects, which creates their respective experience. It is
ontological. Strong or ontological intersubjectivity relies on co-creative nonphysical presence,
and brings distinct subjects into being out of a prior matrix of relationships." (Christian de
Quincey [FR])
“Q: Are you a part of the world that I have in consciousness, or are you independent?
M: What you see is yours [cultural domain] and what I see is mine [objective domain]. The two
have little in common.
Q: There must be some common factor which unites us?
M: To find the common factor you must abandon all distinctions [detach from the world of
ideas]. Only the universal is in common [the objective domain underlies the world of ideas].”
(Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p510 [FR])
Only at the deepest level of existence are we all One. The world of ideas is created by confusing
the illusion of separated existence in a world of objects, space and time, as one’s reality; then one
experiences being a separate consciousness in a world. But the world and everything in it has a
common unified foundation.
In this holistic context one can just apply objectivist scientific methods and produce useful
results but one remains entirely within the cultural domain and working within a conceptual
framework that is built upon systemic, biological and historical assumptions about the nature of
perception and experience. If one seeks deep understanding one must pass through the subjective
domain to approach objective reality. The goal is true objectivity but we must be both objective
and subjective to approach it. We cannot help but be subjective, we are fundamentally subjective
beings, and science is no longer in denial of this but it has yet to unravel the full ramifications of
this realization. In the early 20th century the photo-electric effect was just a minor unsolved detail
and physicists believed that they had already discovered everything of importance, and that
minor detail then unravelled into quantum physics! So too the minor detail of the nature and role
of consciousness unravels into mysticism, metaphysics, spirituality and a path toward a holistic
science.
Making Contact with Reality
When a person's subconscious interpretations and comprehensions are heavily influenced by
collective ideas they experience and dwell in the cultural domain. The maze of preconceived
ideas channels experience and thought to produce a seemingly complete and compelling illusion.
If they adopt a materialist paradigm they dwell in a physical universe as an object in space. If
they adopt a mystic paradigm they dwell in a spiritual universe as a free flowing manifestation of
the cosmos. Each captures an aspect of reality but both of these are ultimately just cultural
constructs.
“The light of consciousness passes through the film of memory and throws pictures on your
brain. Because of the deficient and disordered state of your brain, what you perceive is distorted
and coloured by feeling of like and dislike. Make your thinking orderly and free from emotional
overtones, and you will see people and things as they are, with clarity and charity.”
(Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p397 [FR])
Only when distorting ideas do not influence interpretation can they experience and come to know
and dwell in the true objective reality. By returning to direct experience through "inner
awareness" and dropping the distortions of inaccurate ideas we can better channel the existential
information through our subjective experiences without distortion and feed this through to the
cultural domain.
"In the final analysis our compass must be
our relationship with a central order . . . "
(Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Beyond, 1971, one of the founders of Quantum Physics)
"We have fallen into a place [cultural domain]
were everything is music.... [appearances, impressions, sensory stimulation, ideas, theories]
The singing art is sea foam. [it builds out of itself vast complex structures]
The graceful movements come from a pearl [a single unified source]
somewhere on the ocean floor... [deep within, the foundation, the innermost essence of things]
They derive
from a slow and powerful root [the process of the real is unstoppable and enduring]
that we can't see. [it is the 'seeing' within sight and not an object of sight]
Stop the words now. [disentangle yourself from preconceived ideas]
Open the window in the center of your chest, [clarify your awareness]
and let the spirits fly in and out." [participate in reality and not in mind made pseudo reality]
(Jelaluddin Balkhi aka Rumi)
The process of "turning within" is a process of getting acquainted with our own
perceptual/experiential process and thereby clarifying our processing of existential information.
Meditation, renunciation or devotional practices of some kind are the usual method but there are
countless approaches. It involves developing a deeper understanding and command over our
inner space. This is similar to a child developing command over their body through play. The
"inner space" or perceptual/experiential process is the mechanism by which we experience and
know the universe so by developing it we can better comprehend and participate in the universe.
"Cut the root of a tree and the leaves will wither; cut the root of your mind [naive, habitual
interpretation and comprehension] and samsara [world illusion] falls. The light of any lamp
dispels in a moment the darkness of long kalpas [aeons]; the strong light of the Mind in but a
flash will burn the veil of ignorance.
Whoever clings to mind sees not the truth of what's beyond the mind. Whoever strives to practice
dharma [spiritual path] finds not the truth beyond-practice.
To know what is beyond both mind and practice one should cut cleanly through the root of mind
and stare naked. One should thus break away from all distinctions and remain at ease. "
(Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra [FR])
• The 'root' is both the subconscious interpretation of our perceptions that conditions our
experiences and also the subconscious comprehension of our experiences that conditions
our understanding.
• The "veil of ignorance" is the influence of collective knowledge on personal ideas and
then on interpretation and comprehension.
• "Staring naked" is equivalent to ‘awe’; it is to experience one's perceptions without
cognitive distortions.
• Samsara is dwelling in a world that is a construct of personal and collective ideas. It is the
cultural domain, in particular it is the pseudo objective world that people experience
when their experiences are distorted by the "idea of the objective world".
The phrase “cut cleanly through the root of mind and stare naked” does not imply killing the
mind. It is re-identification with the deeper awareness that underlies the mind. By not identifying
your self with the content of the mind but rather with the underlying essence of awareness then
the content does not affect you, ‘you’ go beyond the mind and dwell in the reality that is beyond
all words, ideas, thoughts and experiences – it is the essence of all of these.
“Q: If the immovable [objective reality] cannot be known, what is the meaning and purpose of its
realization?
M: To realize the immovable is to become immovable. And the purpose is the good of all that
lives.
Q: Life is movement, Immobility is death. Of what use is death to life?
M: I am talking of immovability, not immobility. You become immovable in righteousness. You
become a power which gets all things right. It may or may not imply intense outward activity,
but the mind remains deep and quiet.
Q: As I watch my mind I find it changing all the time, moods succeeding moods in infinite
variety, while you seem to be perpetually in the same mood of cheerful benevolence.
M: Moods are in the mind and do not matter. Go within, go beyond. Cease being fascinated with
the content of your consciousness. When you reach the deep layers of your true being, you will
find that the mind's surface-play affects you very little.
Q: There will be play all the same?
M: A quiet mind is not a dead mind.
Q: Consciousness is always in movement - it is an observable fact. Immovable consciousness is
a contradiction. When you talk of a quiet mind, what is it? Is not mind the same as
consciousness?
M: We must remember that words are used in many different ways according to the context. The
fact is that there is little difference between the conscious and the unconscious - they are
essentially the same. The waking state differs from deep sleep [due to] the presence of the
witness. A ray of awareness illumines a part of our mind and that part becomes our dream or
waking consciousness, while awareness appears as the witness. The witness usually knows only
consciousness. Sadhana [path leading to realization] consists in the witness turning back, first on
his conscious, then upon himself in his own awareness. Self awareness is Yoga [union with
existence].” (Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p508-9 [FR])
"Normal consciousness is a state of stupor, in which the sensibility to the wholly real and
responsiveness to the stimuli of the spirit are reduced. The mystics... endeavour to awake from
the drowsiness and apathy and to regain the state of wakefulness for their enchanted souls."
(Abraham Heschel [FR])
"And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the glory of the Lord, all grow brighter
and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect." (Bible, 2 Corinthians, 3:18)
"...To bring Peace to All, one must first discipline and control one's own mind" (Buddha [FR])
By making direct contact with reality the confusion, agitation and consequent distortion of our
perceptual / experiential process gives way to wisdom, harmony and clarity. The deeper
coherence of the Cosmos flows through us and we come to 'reflect' this deep coherence in our
own lives.
"Mahamudra or the "Great Seal" ["Great Symbol" or "Supreme Gesture"] refers to a Mahayana
Buddhist system of meditation on the nature of the mind and is undertaken for realizing
Enlightenment - the complete elimination from the mind of all delusions and obstacles...
[It involves] meditation to develop mental quiescence (samatha) and penetrative insight
(vipasyana). The former is the achievement of single-minded concentration in which you reach
the mind's basic or natural level of blissful, clear, bare awareness, free from mental dullness,
agitation and wandering. Penetrative insight is into Voidness or the true, transparent-like nature
of reality in terms of this pure, mirror-like mind. With the joint achievement of both, you
eliminate the darkness of ignorance that had been obscuring your realisation of what had been
the case all along. By familiarising yourself with your innate, pure, pristine awareness of reality,
coupled with an Enlightened Motive, you eventually become a totally awakened being, a Buddha
with the full ability to help others." (Alexander Berzin, trans "Mahamudra: Eliminating the
Darkness of Ignorance", by the Ninth Karmapa {1556-1603})
"Buddha gave this as the ultimate / final teaching. It leads to a direct experience of the mind."
(Topga Yulgyal Rinpoche [FR])
"In Mahamudra all one's sins [delusion, agitation] are burned; in Mahamudra one is released
from the prison of this world [entrapment in illusion]. This is the dharma's supreme torch. Those
who disbelieve it are fools, who ever wallow in misery and sorrow...
To transcend duality is the kingly view. To conquer distractions is the royal practice. The path of
no-practice is the way of all buddhas. He who treads that path reaches buddhahood... [FR]
If without effort you remain loosely in the natural state, soon Mahamudra you will win and
attain the nonattainment.
To know what is beyond both mind and practice one should cut cleanly through the root of mind
and stare naked. One should thus break away from all distinctions and remain at ease.
The supreme understanding transcends all this and that. The supreme action embraces great
resourcefulness without attachment. The supreme accomplishment is to realize immanence
without hope. At first a yogi feels his mind is tumbling like a waterfall; in mid-course like the
Ganges , it flows on slow and gentle; in the end it is a great vast ocean where the lights of son
and mother merge in one."
(Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra [FR])
This does not describe a ‘technique’ or something you should ‘do’ and it doesn’t result in some
abstract ‘heightened state’; it merely returns you to your natural state. It directs you toward being
yourself: “If without effort you remain loosely in the natural state, soon Mahamudra you will
win and attain the nonattainment.” i.e. the state of being your Self in reality, rather than being a
confused and agitated individual in a pseudo objective world of your own imagining. To see
through the illusion or the world of appearances requires no effort, just be “loose and natural”.
“Q: Must I not use effort to arrest the movements of the mind?
M: It has nothing to do with effort. Just turn away, look between the thoughts, rather than at the
thoughts. When you happen to walk in a crowd, you do not fight every man you meet - you just
find your way between.
Q: If I use my will to control the mind, it only strengthens the ego.
M: Of course. When you fight you invite a fight. But when you do not resist you meet with no
resistance. When you refuse to play the game, you are out of it.
Q: How long will it take me to get free of the mind?
M: It may take a thousand years, but really no time is required. All you need is to be in dead
earnest. Here the will is the deed. If you are sincere, you have it. After all, it is a matter of
attitude. Nothing stops you from being a gnani [knower of the Highest Knowledge] here and
now, except fear. You are afraid of being impersonal, of impersonal being. It is all quite simple.
Turn away from your desires and fears and from the thoughts they create and you are at once in
your natural state.”
(Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p333 [FR])
"The ego and vanity in man often stand in the way of his acceptance of the position that super-
ordinary consciousness, to which he is a total stranger, can be possible for some members of the
species to which he belongs. This frame of mind is often pronounced in scholars who fondly
believe that more and more extensive knowledge of the world and its infinitely varied
phenomena provided by poring over vast libraries of books, is the only expansion and
advancement possible to the human mind. It cannot but be repugnant to a polymath to be told
that there is a learning beyond his grasp, that the very nature of the mind can change and can
soar to normally super-sensible planes of being, which are inaccessible to the keenest intellect,
however well informed and penetrating it might be." (Gopi Krishna from ‘The Wonder Of The
Brain’)
“To Sankara [FR], the Jiva or the individual soul is only relatively real [virtual, exists only in the
world of appearance]. Its individuality lasts only so long as it is subject to unreal Upadhis or
limiting conditions due to Avidya [ignorance]. The Jiva identifies itself with the body, mind and
the senses, when it is deluded by Avidya or ignorance. It thinks, it acts and enjoys, on account of
Avidya. In reality it is not different from Brahman or the Absolute [objective reality]. The
Upanishads declare emphatically: ‘Tat Tvam Asi—That Thou Art.’…the Jiva or the empirical
self becomes one with Brahman when it gets knowledge of Brahman. When knowledge dawns in
it through annihilation of Avidya, it is freed from its individuality and finitude and realises its
essential Satchidananda nature. It merges itself in the ocean of bliss. The river of life joins the
ocean of existence. This is the Truth.
The release from Samsara [dwelling in the world of appearances] means, according to Sankara,
the absolute merging of the individual soul in Brahman due to dismissal of the erroneous notion
that the soul is distinct from Brahman. According to Sankara, Karma [FR] and Bhakti [FR] are
means to Jnana [FR] which is Moksha [liberation].” (
http://www.shankaracharya.org/advaita_philosophy.php)
“M: The perceiver of the world, is he prior to the world, or does he come into being along with
the world?
Q: What a strange question! Why do you ask such strange questions?
M: Unless you know the correct answer, you will not find peace.
Q: When I wake up in the morning, the world is already there, waiting for me. Surely the world
comes into being first. I do, but much later, at the earliest at my birth. The body mediates
between me and the world. Without the body there would be neither me nor the world.
M: The body appears in your mind, your mind is the content of your consciousness; you are the
motionless witness of the river of consciousness, which changes eternally without changing you
in any way. Your own changelessness is so obvious that you do not notice it. Have a good look at
yourself and all these misapprehensions and misconceptions will dissolve. Just as all the little
watery lives are in water and cannot be without water, so all the universe is in you and cannot
be without you.
Q: We call it God.
M: God is only an idea in your mind. The fact is you. The only thing you know for sure is: ‘here
and now I am’. Remove the ‘here and now’, the ‘I am’ remains, unassailable. The world exists in
memory, memory comes into consciousness; consciousness exists in awareness and awareness is
the reflection of the light on the waters of existence.” (Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, “I am That’,
p190 [FR])
“The main purpose of jnana [FR] meditation is to withdraw the mind and emotions from
perceiving life and oneself in a deluded way so that one may behold and live in attunement with
Reality, or Spirit.” (yogaworld.org /jnana.htm)
The Corruption of Mysticism
Return to direct experience (staring naked) cleanses the confusions that have arisen over time; it
removes subconscious impressions that distort our interpretation and comprehension of
perceptions and experiences. To cleanse and illuminate the mind ultimately one cannot use the
mind, because the mind embodies the very distortion that needs to be clarified.
"Do nought with the body but relax; shut firm the mouth and silent remain; empty your mind and
think of nought. Like a hollow bamboo rest at ease with your body.
Giving not nor taking, put your mind at rest. Mahamudra is like a mind that clings to nought.
Thus practicing, in time you will reach buddhahood.
The practice of mantra and paramita [various practices], instruction in the sutras and precepts
[ancient writings], and teaching from the schools and scriptures [mystic wisdom], will not bring
realization of the innate truth. For if the mind when filled with some desire should seek a goal, it
only hides the light."
(Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra [FR])
Once the channel of the mind is cleared the existential information is less distorted and flows
through to the cultural domain, giving rise to mystic paradigms [FR], cutting edge scientific and
metaphysical paradigms, countless writings and practices. However the feedback loops and
transformations dissipate and distort the information over time. Because of this decay process we
need continuous connection to objective reality and dissemination of information to avoid
spiralling into illusion. This is especially important when there is much confusion, agitation and
deliberate misrepresentation, all of which hasten the process of decay into illusion.
"The way is for ever nameless. [objective reality]
Though the uncarved block is small [unified dance of light, no separation, no
distance, no dimension]
No one in the world dare claim its allegiance.
Should lords and princes be able to hold fast to it
The myriad creatures will submit of their own accord,
Heaven and earth will unite and sweet dew will fall,
And the people will be equitable, though no one so decrees.
Only when it [the uncarved block] is cut are there names. [discrimination, concepts, theories,
cultural domain]
As soon as there are names
One ought to know that it is time to stop. [don’t get entangled in ideas – stay
connected even though ideas flow]
Knowing when to stop one can be free from danger."
(Tao te Ching by Lao Tzu [FR])
The "uncarved block" is the objective reality. When the uncarved block is 'cut' and reality is
conceptualised and 'named' we get "the ten thousand things" and "the myriad creatures" and
thereby enter the cultural domain of abstract ideas where we begin to drift away from reality. But
this cannot be avoided, if the world is to rise out of darkness the light must be shed, even if it is
dispersed and distorted along the way. So long as we have continual connection and continual
flow the stream of light will not stagnate and crystallise into entrenched delusion. Only in
regions of the cultural domain where the light has been blocked, does there arise delusions.
The subtle information system theoretic insights are communicated using empirical analogies,
such as "God as a being in Heaven who has infinite powers and who knows everything". One can
only communicate ideas by taking known concepts and relations and fashioning them into an
analogy; that is the nature of communication. For example, one can only speak to you by
choosing words from languages, whether spoken or conceptual, that you understand. For many
people caught in a world of people, places, things and egoic power struggles analogies such as a
"being in a world" that acts like a 'lord' is the only thing that they could understand. But God [FR]
is not a being in a world, otherwise where does that world come from? Analogies can be easily
misunderstood, especially when taken literally. The concept 'God' refers to the ultimate
foundation and substance of existence, the all pervading existential essence that is the inner-most
being of all things; all else is just perceptual impressions and ideas about perceptual impressions;
nothing would exist without God so to believe or disbelieve makes no-sense; if you exist then
you know God exists because God is just an analogy for existence. All belief and disbelief arises
from confusion about the analogy. To confused believers God is an all powerful being that they
know of through ancient stories that they believe; this being demands obedience to certain laws
and worship in certain ways. And to confused dis-believers any mention of the word 'God' and
they think only about some delusional story about someone's "imaginary friend". Remember,
both belief and dis-belief are forms of belief, i.e. faith based upon trust or distrust. One has faith
that the God-being exists or that He doesn’t exist. The only rational approach is to open-
mindedly enquire for oneself and to gain direct experience and knowledge of reality. Hence the
only rational path is the path of mysticism [FR].
An analogy is like a finger pointing at the moon. If you look only at the finger you will not see
the moon. This is what happens when people take analogies literally or consider them as purely
literary or poetic expressions. If you look only at the finger and you are prone to belief you will
believe that the finger is the moon; or if you are prone to dis-belief you will think the person
pointing is delusional – “how can anyone be so silly as to think that their finger is the moon?”
These two confusions then fight against each other and lead to endless confusion and agitation,
which totally confuses the analogy even further. The meanings of its words become distorted by
the ongoing confused and confusing discourse and the analogy becomes unusable.
This is the case with the debate between Christians and scientists over the existence of God [FR].
Generally the debate is entirely bound in the empirical pseudo objective world illusion and it just
forms a tangle of confusion and agitation within the cultural domain. It is just ideas chasing ideas
around in people’s minds and nobody realises that they are all far from reality and struggling
their way through delusion. Neither do they realise that reality is right under their noses and one
need only make contact with it to clear up all the confusion. The very methods of debate keep
them trapped in the illusory cultural domain, for example, below is a quote, with editorial
emphasis, from the introduction to a very lengthy and scholarly analysis of the question “Does
God Exist?”:
“If anyone can point out a fallacy in this argument, or show that one of the premises in the
argument is flawed, I would like to know about it. I invite anyone to challenge the argument. I
only ask that the basic axioms of realistic philosophy be accepted: we exist, the world exists
independently of us, the principle of contradiction is true, and our minds are capable of
knowing objective reality. With that proviso, this is the argument to be investigated: If the
existence of the universe as a whole needs to be explained, and if it cannot be explained by
natural causes, then we must look to the existence and action of other than a natural cause for
its explanation.” (http://radicalacademy.com/doesgodexist.htm)
The naive realism and empiricism that he calls “realistic philosophy” is the very thing that will
prevent him from coherently approaching the subject. From this foundation of extreme and
spurious assumptions one cannot build a coherent argument about God. He doesn’t even consider
it to be a premise in his argument, it is just “correct procedure” based upon the naive realist,
empiricist assumption that this is just that way the world is and anything else is nonsense. This
type of approach is typical of purely cultural debates such as Science vs. Religion. It conceives
of the pseudo objective world as “the physical universe” which is plainly accessible to the mind
and it posits God as some entity in a world, with a mind and a will like ours, who’s world is
separate from ours and who ‘created’ the physical universe. An entity that is therefore a separate
agent or a separate will outside this universe and is therefore ‘unnatural’ and can only act upon
the universe by ‘miracles’ that contravene the laws of nature. For example in the book “The God
Delusion” Richard Dawkins refers to what he calls the God Hypothesis as the idea that “there
exists a super-human, supernatural intelligence who deliberately designed and created the
universe and everything in it, including us”. Furthermore he refers to Yahweh the ancient Jewish
name for God as “arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction.” It is quite clear that
Dawkins is arguing against a confused and delusional concept of God. It is like trying to
disprove Santa Claus. The confused concept of God is the most prevalent one throughout the
modern world.
Invariably, mysticism [FR] is misunderstood and misrepresented, thus it turns into religion and
superstition and then political/religious institutions and then science as a rejection of the
corruption and obvious delusion of the political/religious institutions. These things do serve a
purpose and provide an entry point for some but it generally creates confusion. For those who
interpret things literally or naively or empirically or with cynicism, it leads to endless confusion
and entrapment in the naïve realist empiricist pseudo objective world that we call “the world” or
“the physical universe”. So we remain trapped within the world constructed from our ignorance
and we remain bound by its constraints; we cannot know ourselves as we are and participate
fully in reality.
The ignorant completely underestimate the power of mystic wisdom and when it is
misunderstood and exploited within political agendas it can provide a powerful tool with which
to manipulate and exploit vast populations, but it leads to endless agitation; as we can see with
the political/religious fanaticism and atrocities over the centuries and the growing social,
ecological and political crises that are threatening the survival of life on this planet. When
disconnected from reality we spiral into delusion and we aimlessly wander towards annihilation.
The abuse of mystic wisdom for political purposes dates back to the earliest times of recorded
history; it was instrumental in the arising of what we call civilisation. Throughout the Neolithic /
hunter – gatherer societies mysticism was the lifeblood of society. It connected people with the
natural world, with each other and with the underlying reality, the spirit world as they conceived
of it. However as the growth of organisations progressed the nature of society changed and the
immense power of the mystic traditions was channelled into new forms that inspired the growth
of civilisation. This growth of organisations has been discussed very briefly earlier and also in
the essays The First Cambrian Explosion or the Global Cellular Meta-System Transition and The
Second Cambrian Explosion or the Global Human Meta-System-Transition. Here is a quoted
passage from the second essay to explain a phenomenon referred to by some as the “man
machine”; note the term ‘man’ is used in the old sense of ‘mankind’.
“People became more and more dependent on these organisations and came to identify
with their organisational roles and to conceive of themselves from within the discourse of
the organisation, thus they were assimilated or harnessed into the organisations. The
people became more enmeshed in external cultural forms expressed in terms of an
objective external world and they lost touch with their inner subjective exprience of
reality.
Around the time of the Sumerian and Egyptian societies these innovations in
communication and institutionalisation of power relations led to the invention of the Man
Machine. An organisational methodology evolved where a ruling class controlled the
masses via intricate traditions and superstitions, which are the source of the myth of
authority or organisational power. This had first evolved within the context of the tribe
with 'authority' arising from the informal structure (organic society) and then being
enshrined within the formal structure (institutionalised society).
A brief aside: although later words such as ‘broken’ and ‘subvert’ are used it does not
imply any form of value judgement as to whether this is right or wrong. Such values
depend entirely upon ones agenda; if one wishes to remain natural then it is wrong but if
one wishes to create beyond oneself and extend the range of the natural then it may be
right. But these are a separate issue and here it is simply discussed as general phenomena.
Furthermore, although this discussion touches upon sensitive subjects, such as the
treatment of the young; for the sake of clarity polite euphemisms that conceal the truth
are avoided and direct terms are used in a descriptive sense. For example, one may speak
of breaking-in a horse to make it obedient to human commands and useful within the
context of human agendas. Or one may speak of educating it for its own benefit and
teaching it to become a useful member of a community. The first statement is far more
direct.
To build the man machine the informal structure had to be disempowered, the tribe had to
be broken, its processes and traditions had to be subverted [and its traditions distorted and
used to deceive and manipulate the people]. Just as when one takes a wild animal and
subverts its basic functions in order to extract work from it, such as yoking it to a plough;
one takes a natural collective of humans and yokes them into a labour system of some
kind. For this the wisdom of the tribe and the personal contact with the world had to be
broken. The personal subjective relationship between an individual and their immediate
experience of the world was broken, people became isolated physical bodies, able to be
utilised by the man machine.
This same general pattern has been seen repeated in numerous colonisations throughout
history. Furthermore each new generation that is born is a product of a holistic resonance
with the world, the organic collective is trying to counter the imbalance, but the formal
structure must break each generation in turn to maintain the man machine. In a healthy
organic society adolescents are not as they are in modern societies, in modern societies
the young are being heavily conditioned, their minds are being re-programmed, their
natural spirits broken, their innate hope and joy are being crushed, they are being
alienated from themselves, from others and the whole organic cosmos. They are being
assimilated into a cultural construct and in this way they are bound into the man machine
and they become useful members of society. Their life energies are diverted from the
purpose of living their lives and channelled in ways that are useful for the man machine.
The inner vision of the world as it could and should be that we each hold in our hearts, as
this vision was betrayed and replaced by societal myths, expediency and obedience, the
man machine grew stronger. As the tribe's contact with the web of life was broken, and
so too each child's contact with their inner life was broken , the man machine grew
stronger. Just like a horse we have been "broken in". Through rewards and punishments
our natural autonomy and sense of self-worth is broken and replaced by a craving for
acceptance and approval from others; particularly those who wield the magic of
authority.
With the people confused and powerless, and the organisational structure of the tribe
shattered the people then become a raw material that can be fashioned into the man
machine [any form of mysticism [FR] or ways of connecting with reality had to be carefully
expunged through the myth of taboo and through deception, but people’s innate nature
cannot be destroyed, it was only suppressed]. The role of shaman evolved to became the
high priest who became the media. The role of tribal elder became the pharaoh who
became the government/corporate sectors and the role of the people became slaves,
workers and consumers. The population is immersed in a system of myths backed up by
physical and psychological force; the power is appropriated from the people and a
hierarchical system of roles distributes the power and applies it in specialised situations.
Thus a population of humans can be organised into a mass labour system, which can be
centrally controlled and has a productive capacity far exceeding that of an individual
human (just as eukaryote [single celled] organisations, or organisms, exceeded individual
eukaryotes). Thus a single person or single group could wield the power of many as if it
was their own. Smaller and less organised populations were overpowered and annihilated
or assimilated, and vast works were undertaken, some of which can still be seen today in
the form of the pyramids.
This process has only been going on for several thousands of years so it is still in the
early stages but it has progressed in marked ways; the institutionalisation of power has
become more entrenched, less questioned and more ubiquitous. People conceive of
themselves primarily in terms of the organisational discourse, they are citizens,
consumers, workers, students, job seekers, employees, officials and so on; not simply
organisms or organic systems of experience and reproduction. We are no longer beings in
the world but individuals in society.
This is not some conscious conspiracy; it is a self-perpetuating feedback loop. Each
generation is broken and in turn breaks the succeeding generation – each is simply doing
what it feels to be the best. Questions of right or wrong have no simple answers here. It is
an organic process of self-organisation; a restructuring from one organisational principle
to another. It is no surprise that the young "act up". In one respect their innate nature is in
the process of being betrayed by their society and they are being deceived and alienated
from themselves. In another respect they are being educated and refined, civilised and
augmented in ways that will extend their latent abilities.
Youths are biologically programmed to be trusting so that they will more easily
assimilate into society but they are only given euphemisms and positive propaganda to
explain what is happening to them, they are not able to comprehend the negative aspects.
But the pain that they feel tells them that something bad is happening, so they are
horribly confused by what is going on. This often leads to distrust and cynicism towards
society, which in turn causes them to be perceived as trouble makers, thus they are
further alienated. In this manner the process of socialisation produces many casualties,
but so long as the majority of people accept the conditioning process and the casualties
don’t cause too much damage, the process is successful and perpetuates from one
generation to the next. With each successive generation we become more dependent upon
the societal organisation. We gradually lose touch with one state of being and become
more entangled within another state of being.
Over time the mechanisms and paths of communication have evolved considerably
allowing for mass control of the mechanism of encountering the world. People now
primarily interpret their world via the lens of culture and media dominated discourses
rather than via direct experience and word of mouth. The means of production and
distribution have evolved to the extent that people are entirely dependent upon the
organisation for their necessities of life. The geographical arrangement of people has
 become rigidly institutionalised with cities encasing people into multi-cellular like
structures of apartment blocks and suburban blocks that act like cell membranes encasing
the human nucleus and providing an interface into the larger organisation via telephones,
television, transportation systems, electricity, water, cable TV, internet and so on.
We are becoming cells within larger organisms and these organisms use us to pursue their
own agendas just as we use our cells to pursue our agendas. For some people this can be
a difficult concept to accept!!!! When we look out on our world from our human
perspective, we primarily see a world of humans engaged in interactions and concepts
such as ‘nation’ or ‘corporation’ are just abstract concepts used to organise us into
productive configurations. But think about how you would appear from the perspective of
a single cell, it would only experience a world of cells engaged in interactions and
concepts such as ‘body’ or ‘person’ are just abstract concepts.”
First mysticism [FR] is misunderstood, then the man machine exploits it and transforms it into
political/religious institutions, whilst also repressing the original mysticism in order to secure
their power. This cuts the man machine off from reality, then confusion sets in and atrocities
occur then people attempt all manner of surface adjustments to improve their situation but
nothing helps in the long term. Eventually people turned toward empiricism, but they are
prejudiced against anything that is not empiricist because they associate it with corrupt
political/religious institutions so they effectively turn their backs on reality and remain trapped
by their prejudices and delusions. The resulting confusion and agitation are feedback loops that
strengthen the dominance of the cultural domain and keep people away from reality. They
confuse the ideas and stir up passions and attachments leading to deeper entrapment in and
identification with the pseudo objective world.
Western history is a classic example of this. The original Christian movement was a mystic
anarchic revolution that circumvented the authority of the Pharisees, the Roman Empire and all
earthly egoic delusional power structures. It connected people directly with the divine within
themselves and gave them genuine liberation. It was part of a wider civilisational crisis at the
time, a crisis very much like our own situation.
"Our age and that age of the first century [Christian era] have more in common than we think...
Both times can be characterised as cosmically scared, frightened ages, caught under
principalities and powers where tiny little human beings just know that they cannot do much,
that they are not in control, that they are just caught." (Krister Stendahl [FR])
This is the extreme point of the downward spiral into egoic delusion, when people feel totally
isolated and powerless, fragile and fearful, needing to plan and control and dominate everything
that they can. Their very efforts to increase their security by increasing their control ends up
strangling the light and life out of themselves and the world around them. By distrusting the
universe and trying to seize control of the universe they effectively turn it against them, but by
trusting the universe and flowing with it they would grow into ever greater abundance with the
universe. They have lost all trust in the cosmos and see it as random and hostile.
Some relevant advice from Lao Tzu describing the subtle stages of egoic empirical confusion
that cause one to lose the Way:
"A man of highest virtue [connection to the source and inner brightness] does not keep to virtue
[the idea of virtue] and that is why he has virtue. A man of the lowest virtue never strays from
virtue [is occupied by the idea of being connected and inwardly bright but conceives of this from
an empirical perspective] and that is why he is without virtue [he is attached to the ‘idea’ hence
disconnected from reality so he is without inner brightness]. The former never acts yet leaves
nothing undone [flows freely with the Way and the holistic dance unfolds]. The latter acts but
there are things left undone [trapped in the cultural domain, believing that they are the doer and
acting upon agendas and illusions arising through the empirical subjective perspective, thereby
out of harmony with the whole].
A man of the highest benevolence acts [acts on the idea of harmony, abundance and goodness but
conceived of from an empirical perspective], but from no ulterior motive [not isolationist and
agenda based]. A man of the highest rectitude acts [acts in conformity to rules, which are just
ideas about correct behaviour], but from ulterior motive [pursuing an empirical egoic agenda,
working within the rules].
A man most conversant in the rites acts [acts according to traditions and laws that are cut-off
from their meaning], but when no one responds rolls up his sleeves and resorts to persuasion by
force. [the obvious thing to do in the mechanistic egoic empirical delusion; there is separation,
struggle and use of mechanistic force – which inevitably leads to violence and the principle that
“might is right”]
Hence when the Way [connection to reality] was lost there was virtue [the idea of being in
contact with reality but conceived of from an empirical perspective]; when virtue was lost there
was benevolence [the idea of harmony and goodness]; when benevolence was lost there was
rectitude [conformity to rules]; when rectitude was lost there were the rites [meaningless
traditions].
The rites are the wearing thin of loyalty and good faith, and the beginning of disorder [people
become cynical and lose faith and trust in the universe, and think of it as random, meaningless
and dangerous. Hence they turn away from reality and become trapped in their delusion. When
the people are cut off from reality they undergo successive stages of degeneration, eventually all
that is left is meaningless practices and traditions, countless competing delusions and violent
struggle ending only in destruction]" (Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching [FR])
However, like the seasons, the extreme point is where there is a turning point; the delusions
breakdown due to their own insufficiency and cracks appear through which the light begins to
seep in [REF]. The people are cut off from reality and they spiral into delusion, this creates
suffering, which inspires people to look beyond their delusions, to really try hard to wake up.
Oppression is the very signal for the return of wisdom. In countless ways wisdom returns to the
world to dissolve the hard crystallisations of confusion that forms around the subtle mystic
message [FR], to re-connect the people and their institutions with their roots and thereby with
reality and to generate new analogies and traditions that are suitable for the times.
Oppression (47): “Oppressed, restricted, confined, exhausted, at the end of your resources, the
moment of truth. It suggests a tight, oppressive, devouring structure... oppression by authority
and the inherent emotional distress... a precarious position under a tyrannical and exploitative
lord... cut off and isolated, mentally and physically, alienated from those around you... being
unable to meet the challenges presenting themselves. Communication is blocked, indeed
deceptive or deceitful. You do not know who your friends are and words are not to be trusted.
Philosophically, however, this oppression is exactly what teaches you about ‘de’, power and
virtue [inner clarity and brightness], the power to find what is Great and rely on it. It exhausts
the old and awakens you from its collective dream. This oppression also teaches the futility of
anger and hatred and shows how the Way opens. Collect the energy to break out of the
enclosure [of circular thought patterns that keep you trapped] and re-establish communication
[with each other and with reality]. Master the situation from within... find what is truly important
to you. The situation is one of outer relations disconnected from the inner flow. Find the
mandate for change hidden in this situation and use it to release a sense of your purpose. What
is strong and solid is covered and hidden... You will not be believed when you speak. Finding
value in what your oppressors tell you to do will only exhaust you... This situation activates your
connection to the Way. It can generate meaning and good fortune by releasing transformative
energy... Yield to fate, allow it to release a sense of your real purpose. Articulate the new time. ”
(I Ching, from “Total I Ching: Myths for Change”, trans, Stephen Karcher)
“In the stillness of my soul,
the voice of silence spoke to me.
In words of timeless wisdom it said:
Listen not to the voice of fear,
but to the voice of intuition,
for evil controls you through your fear
and God guides you through your intuition.
To follow the path of fear is to walk with evil
into the land of darkness, despair and destruction.
To follow the path of intuition is to walk with angels
into the land of Light, Love and Life.
Know that Beauty and Joy are the mark of sacred Truth,
and ignorance the root of evil.
Engage not in fools debates and resist not evil,
but rise upon the wings of wisdom,
radiating the Light of Heaven like a dancing star,
then the Earth shines with Beauty and All creatures live in Joy.”
The Five “things to do”
In the context of the IST analogy of the physical universe as a virtual reality [FR], like a highly
advanced first person VR computer game in which we are evolutionary [ref] / AI [ref] / Alife
[ref] beings.
The ‘normal’ thing to do is to play the game, accept the appearances of things as the reality and
identify oneself as a character in the game; an individual in a world. From this perspective one
pursues an agenda in the world, usually seeking to satisfy one’s desires and to avoid one’s fears.
The empirical scientific thing to do is to generally do the normal thing, especially accepting the
appearances of things as the reality - that is the essence of empiricism. One also assumes that the
mind has direct access to reality and uses common sense, intellect and scientific and academic
techniques and methods to catalogue, categorise, analyse, explain and model the experiential
world or the empirical subjective perceptual illusion that we confuse with objective reality and
come to call the “physical universe”.
The mystic [FR] thing to do is to know that the game is a construct of occasions of experience that
arise within the mind (mind is just a part of one’s “vehicle of manifestation” within the virtual
world, so too is one’s body), to know that beyond the mind and the appearances that arise in it
there is the real essence of reality, to know that the essence is all that is actually real, it is the
content and process of all experiences, to know that pure direct experience is the gateway to
reality and not mind made ideas (because the mind has no direct access to reality), to go within
and connect with reality, to commune with reality and illumine one’s mind, dissolving all
shadows of delusion, to channel the ‘blessings’, the light of wisdom and the life of pure
awareness, to fix this influx of spirit in symbolic form as wisdom, knowledge, ritual and
practices, to distribute these blessings with love and compassion to all beings and to do this
without being the ‘doer’ but as a harmonious gesture of the cosmic dance.
The common religious thing to do is to generally do the normal thing but to misinterpret the
mystic teachings, taking the empirical analogies literally and ‘believing’ in them. This is
especially troublesome when the analogies themselves have become hopelessly misunderstood
and deliberately distorted by organisational structures to deceive people and keep them
powerless and confused so that they are easily manipulated and assimilated into the organisation.
The holistic scientific thing to do is to be like a programmer who is embedded in the program, an
information system and an information system analyst within the cosmic information system, to
know the general nature of information systems and their many perceptual illusions, to
understand the manner in which existence manifests and operates both within oneself and
throughout the cosmic information system, to know that the inner most awareness that is the
substrate of the mind is the computational process, the virtual-reality generative process itself,
that creates and animates all things, to participate harmoniously and effectively in the cosmic
information system, to know that holistic science is just a device for developing the awareness
and growing a connection with reality, to know that the computational process, the virtual-reality
generative process is just an elaborate analogy for an existential essence that is beyond all
symbols, words and ideas, to know that the essence is all that is actually real, it is the content and
process of all experiences, to know that pure direct experience is the gateway to reality and not
mind made ideas (because the mind has no direct access to reality), to go within and connect
with reality, to commune with reality and illumine one’s mind, dissolving all shadows of
delusion, to channel the ‘blessings’, the light of wisdom and the life of pure awareness, to fix this
influx of spirit in symbolic form as wisdom, knowledge, ritual and practices, to distribute these
blessings with love and compassion to all beings and to do this without being the ‘doer’ but as a
harmonious gesture of the cosmic dance.
Mystic Christianity
Christianity was originally a deeply mystic tradition. It was the aim of Jesus to destroy the
hegemony and corruption of the hardened institution that had formed around the ancient Judaic
mysticism. Judaism was deeply mystical, as seen clearly in the Kabbalah [FR] (there are extensive
quotes later). But over time this turned into misunderstanding, naive empiricist interpretations of
things, politicisation and the general devolution into injunctions and rituals that are devoid of
direct ecstatic contact with reality. It is possible that this influence was accelerated by exposure
to “man machine” inducing memes to which they were exposed whilst captive in Egypt. They
were assimilated into the Egyptian man machine as slaves and they brought the corruption back
with them. It was this that Jesus so often spoke out against, which caused the ‘authorities’ to fear
and despise him. He sought to destroy the man machine by destroying the memes that create and
sustain it, and thereby return the people to themselves and to reality. This is the main reason why
mysticism [FR] has been so suppressed throughout history, it is the foundation of all culture, but it
is threatening to the false foundation upon which the man machine is built. It has the power to
destroy the man machine and return humanity to a state of natural health and freedom, rather
than entrapment of mind, body and life within an artificial social construct that has evolved to
exploit them for its own benefit.
To illustrate the mystic nature of true Christianity, below are a few quotes from the "Sermon on
the Mount" and some comments to interpret them and bring out the common structure of the
analogies.
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is
in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Bible, Mat:6:22-23)
The light is truth or existential information; it is the essence of "that which is". The 'world' is a
perceptual construct and the eye mentioned above is the perceptual / experiential process that we
use as a 'lens' through which to perceive and experience our world. If one interprets things
realistically, then one perceives the unity and oneness of all things and one's eye is single (staring
naked). One then perceives, experiences and responds to truth and reality, thus "thy whole body
shall be full of light". The 'body' referred to is the entire perceptual / experiential process plus our
associated ideas, understanding, and the whole mind.
Remember, the “physical body” is just an idea that we wrap around our sensory experience of
the appearance of the body in the mind. There is no “physical body” beyond the mind. There is
the flow of existence that underlies that which generates the appearance of our physical body, but
what we see and know is just a construct of our minds. The actual reality is far deeper and subtler
than matter or organs or bones. These are just empiricist analogies for the underlying reality; so
long as one doesn’t take the analogies literally or naively they can be useful.
If one interprets things mechanistically, then one perceives the illusion of separation and egoic
struggle and one's eye is evil, in that it contains delusion and it propagates delusion into ones
world and through one out into the greater world. If one's very eye is evil, then one cannot help
but perceive, experience and respond through the lens of the mechanistic delusion and in every
way one is bound within that delusion, thus "thy whole body shall be full of darkness", i.e.
delusion or ignorance. If even one's greatest and purest knowledge is founded upon delusion (e.g.
traditional empirical science) then "the light that is in thee be darkness" and all words are
ultimately confusing, all actions holistically inappropriate and all paths eventually lead further
into suffering. The impact of traditional empirical science on the life of this planet is compelling
proof of its lack of holistic wisdom. Often the harder one tries to channel light, one only channels
more darkness since one's very being is composed of darkness. To be a channel for light one
must first clear the shadows that obscure one’s Self (cut the root of the mind), then one's eye
cannot help but be single and ones whole being cannot help but be radiant with light.
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he
will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Bible,
Mat:6:24)
Christ is not talking about any two ordinary masters in the world or any ordinary type of serving;
it is just an analogy. The masters he speaks of are the two perspectives or paradigms; the
mechanistic and the mystic (i.e. the empirical and transcendent states of existence). These
paradigms are mutually exclusive so one cannot hold to both since to hold to one is to reject the
other. Either one interprets and experiences through the lens of the mystic paradigm, and one
thereby dwells in the transcendent plane or one interprets and experiences through the lens of the
mechanistic paradigm, and one thereby dwells in the materialistic or empirical plane.
To dwell in the transcendent cosmos is to harmoniously participate in the dance of existence, to
flow through life with a devoted heart and an illumined mind, forever in harmonious communion
with the cosmic field, and thus fully participating in the process of creation and thereby serving
God [FR] by staying true to one's inner most nature because God is one’s inner most nature. To
dwell in the empirical cosmos is to be an isolated, physical, egoic being, a confused and fragile
creature, driven by desire and fear, a worldly creature seeking personal happiness and individual
benefit, seeking earthly power and wealth, engaging in the worldly struggle and playing the
game of life and thereby turning the wheels of the juggernaut within which one has become a
cog amidst the mechanism. In this way, regardless of one's intentions, one is forced to
compromise one's inner nature and one comes to serve mammon, the god of the mechanistic
delusion and the god of greed and lust for earthly power. In the light of this interpretation it is
clear that "Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body
than raiment?" (Bible, Mat:6:25)
He is saying, do not be the 'doer' and get caught up in all the things that you think need doing,
these are all a delusion arising from a fundamental misunderstanding. If you are true to the spirit
within you and within the entire cosmos then everything will unfold harmoniously. There is
more to reality than the mechanistic delusion can comprehend, there is the entire transcendent
plane of existence as well; "Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?". The
mechanistic delusion only comprehends the subjective view and confuses this for the objective
view, whereas behind this delusion there is the whole unseen aspect of the real objective view.
This is the essence within the form. This essence is a single unified 'dance' of existential
information, it is a unified coherent process and each manifest form is an intrinsic part of that
dance.
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Bible, Mat:6:26)
You are not isolated fragments cast adrift in a hostile world where you must scratch in the dirt to
fend for yourselves; that is just how it seems when seen only through the mechanistic delusion.
You are sacred and beloved children of your Father in Heaven who is All Mighty. You are
fundamental and essential aspects of the cosmos, gestures in the Cosmic Dance and sparks of the
One Fire. That is how it seems when seen in reality, through an 'eye that is single'. All
appearance of separation is just the universal Oneness perceived through an agitated and
confused mind. In reality there is only One and you are That.
“That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space
around us, fills everything completely from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman
– that thou art.” (Sankaracharya [FR])
When Christ was asked by Pontius Pilot, "what is Truth?" he answered "I am the Truth."
"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
... your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things [food, clothes, etc]."
(Bible, Mat:6:27-32)
It is pointless to succumb to the delusion of isolated responsibility and to become the controller,
since as an isolated ego you have virtually no awareness and no power, and you are starting from
a position of error and confusion. "... the sage keeps to the deed that consists in taking no action
[flows freely with the Way] and practices the teaching that uses no words [rather than just
operate in the cultural domain they connect with reality]." (Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching [FR]). By
trying to take control one interferes with the flow and imposes one's delusions upon the reality,
but by going with the flow everything happens as it should. That doesn't mean doing nothing, it
means acting without the egoic delusion, being real, being natural, being in one's element rather
than lost in one's egoic story and trapped in an illusory world constructed out of assumptions,
confusions and preconceived ideas.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God , and his righteousness; and all these things [life, health,
food, etc] shall be added unto you." (Bible, Mat:6:33)
First resolve the fundamental misunderstanding and then all the countless agitations, desires,
fears and confusions will evaporate and you will then know the Truth. Everything you need will
be provided and once you have attained a firm grip on your true nature and your attachments to
delusions are broken then you may participate in the world fully without being led astray by the
world. One who seeks worldly power will be led into destruction but one who seeks Truth and
Reality may be caused to wield great earthly power in the service of God as a channel for the
Will of God.
The Corruption of Christianity
This Christian message of liberation and self-mastery was extremely threatening to all
established authoritarian structures, which are the maintainers and operators of the man machine.
The empire needed slaves, the church needed followers, authority needed subjects; the powerful
demanded free reign to exercise their power and to acquire more power; otherwise the status-quo
would be irrevocably destroyed. The slaves would break free of their confusion, docility and
subservience and the entire structure of civilization would undergo a radical paradigm shift. The
powerful would lose their power as the people empowered themselves. The mechanistic
structures of church and state would dissolve as people self-organised into organic and
harmonious collectives. The myth of 'authority' would lose its power over the people as they
turned toward a deeper source of authority; the Truth that is our inner most essence cannot be
spoken or commanded. This is enlightened anarchy, similar to that which functions in the body,
where each cell acts according to its inner nature and spontaneously responds to its environment
without an over-arching system of laws and enforcement; a system as intricate and alive as the
body could not function in any other way. This would be a healthy organic system, but when the
ego seizes ‘control’ and tries to ‘organise’ things, it slowly squeezes the life out of the system,
turning it into a mechanistic shell, which eventually collapses [FR].
Inevitably the authoritarian structures attempted to destroy the mystic revolution and for five
hundred years the Roman Empire waged a genocidal war on the Christians. But faced with the
decay of the empire and the uncontrolled spread of the mystic message [FR], the Roman Empire
changed strategy. Using the ancient strategy of political/religious institutions to manipulate
populations; and a general approach now known as information warfare (a strategy to subvert
and dominate vast populations, which has become a sophisticated science over the last century);
in one move it subverted the mystic revolution and assimilated the outer form of the revolution
into its own state religion, which was in need of a make-over to try and keep the empire from
collapsing. It edited the scriptures to produce what we now call the Bible. It misinterpreted and
misrepresented all of the subtle mystic analogies as crude literal stories and simplistic injunctions
to be docile and passive toward authority. The Roman Catholic Church was formed to purvey the
propaganda message and to drown out all other Christian messages. Hence people were cut off
from mystic wisdom and direct communion with reality. They were forced to seek salvation
through the intermediary of church and a hierarchy of earthly authority and dogma. The mystic
message of liberation was subtly turned into an authoritarian message of servitude to church and
state. The outer religious form of the mystic tradition was severed from its roots, misrepresented
and used for political purposes.
"In orthodox Christianity there is a dangerous inclination to abandon the ecstatic dimension of
our relatedness to God... By contrast, the great saints kept the fire of ecstasy alive and
understood our capacity to praise God in creation as a form of participation in life's ecstasy."
(Dorothy Soelle)
Once the religion formed and was separated from its mystic roots (direct experience of reality) it
began to devolve into illusion, due to cultural distortions and the action of the perceptual /
experiential feedback loops. This was further accelerated by political expediency and growing
dogmatism. The results of this isolation from the source can been seen in the dark ages where
much wisdom was lost, people spiralled into superstition, fear and helpless servitude. There were
also psychotic episodes such as the inquisitions, the crusades and countless other atrocities. It
severed people from the source of nourishment that we all instinctively know is there. All paths
that might connect one with that nourishment were sealed off by taboo. Any practice or lifestyle
that could open one up to one's inner mysteries and the inner mysteries of the cosmos were
declared 'sinful'. People were increasingly alienated from their bodies and minds and they were
encouraged to look only into the pseudo objective world constructed by religious dogma. People
were alienated from the Now, with their minds turned toward future salvation and past guilt.
They were focused anywhere but the present moment, because it is only in the Now that reality
happens. The past and future are stories in the mind, they strengthen the illusion of individual
identity and responsibility, leading to fear, desire and guilt.
“Q: We Europeans, find it very difficult to keep quiet. The world is too much with us.
M: Oh, no, you are dreamers too. We differ only in the content of our dreams. You are after
perfection - in the future. We are intent on finding it in the Now. The limited only is perfectible.
The unlimited is already perfect. You are perfect, only you don't know it. Learn to know yourself
and you will discover wonders.
All you need is already within you, only you must approach your self with reverence and love.
Self-condemnation and self-distrust are grievous errors. Your constant flight from pain and
search for pleasure is a sign of love you bear for your self; all I plead with you is this: make love
of your self perfect. Deny yourself nothing - give yourself infinity and eternity and discover that
you do not need them; you are beyond. ” (Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p395 [FR])
There were many attempts to either adapt the corrupted Christian message for exploitative
purposes or to reform it and overcome the worst of its destructive delusions. Numerous
variations have arisen as people struggle to “do something” with the insane monstrosity in their
midst. Islam and countless other variations arose such as Protestantism but none of them went
deep enough to uproot the fundamental corruption. They met with only partial success in
connecting with reality. Except for a small number of individual Sufis and Saints who went very
deep, the various religions resisted any attempts to radically reform them and re-connect them
with reality; they clung to their cherished delusions and thereby denied God [FR] and ‘His’ mystic
message. Throughout the reign of the corrupt political/religious ‘churches’, which continues
today, countless mystics were burned, imprisoned, tortured, alienated, derided and ignored but
mysticism [FR] is simply direct contact with reality and is therefore intrinsic to human nature so it
cannot be eradicated but only suppressed for a period of time.
"In each generation she [wisdom] passes into holy souls,
she makes them friends of God and prophets."
(Bible, Wisdom 7:27)
"Wisdom calls aloud in the streets,
she raises her voice in the public squares;
she calls out at the street corners,
she delivers her message at the city gates."
(Bible, Proverbs. 1:20-21)
"In the days to come - it is the Lord who speaks -
I will pour out my spirit on all humankind
Their sons and daughters shall prophesy,
your young people shall see visions,
your old people shall dream dreams."
(Bible, Acts 2:17-18)
Many generations of people have been born into entrenched delusion, collective sickness,
suffering, oppression, corruption, social degeneration, the slow agonising death of the spirit for
individuals and for that society, and decay of its collective mind and body. The oppressive
structure inevitably broke down as people lost their misplaced faith in the church, "The church
says the earth is flat; but I have seen its shadow on the moon, and I have more confidence even
in a shadow than in the church." (Magellan [FR]). But the underlying alienation from reality and
empiricist confusion still permeated the culture so people turned away from religious superstition
and became caught up in materialist rationalist superstitions based upon commonsense realist
and systemic, biological and historical assumptions such as the "physical universe", 'objectivism',
"clockwork universe", "mind / matter Cartesian dualism", 'Scientism' and so on. This new
paradigm allowed some access to the source of nourishment and truth, through experiment and
observation, so the light of wisdom began to flow. However the approach was still caught up in
empiricist illusions so this distorted the flow and we have been moving further and further into a
pseudo objective world based upon empiricist beliefs. Whilst it is far superior to a pseudo
objective world based upon corrupt political/religious dogma, still the foundation of the
empiricist scientific belief system contains many unquestioned assumptions, in particular
commonsense realism, and takes some of these from the previous corrupt political/religious
belief system. What is needed is a clear and rational revaluation of the holistic situation, to drop
all beliefs, whether religious or materialist and to reconsider the situation.
Although the institution known as the Christian church is corrupted by politics and empirical
science is corrupted by empiricism, the light still flows through them. Even in the most corrupt
system, if it still exists it still channels light because the light is existence. Where there is light
there is hope of reconnecting with more light. It is the light that illumines people’s hearts and
minds and in this way the light has been striving within us to overcome the confusion and
delusion. Within the ranks of Christianity and science there have been many profoundly aware
and even enlightened beings; even in politics there have been some. The light within each of us
inspires us to overcome delusion and connect with reality. In this respect, even though
Christianity, science, politics, capitalism, etc have in their turn brought great delusion and
suffering to the world, they themselves can be reformed from within. By overcoming their
delusions and re-connecting with reality they can play an important role in the spread of wisdom
throughout the world.
However the spiral into egoic delusion has been continuing and worsening throughout history as
we move deeper into delusion and further from reality. The crisis of the first century CE was
never resolved but only delayed and deepened. In our current age we grapple with these same
issues and forces. Now many people in the western/modern world are either caught up in
corrupted and distorted religious dogma or are caught up in shallow and distorted scientific
dogma or are so jaded and cynical that they seek only personal advantage and pleasurable
illusions. These are the various denominations of the empiricist 'religion' that worships
Mammon. Very few religious, scientific or hedonistic people penetrate the "veil of ignorance" by
overcoming their commonsense realism and come to know the deeper mystic essence of religion,
the skeptical essence of science or the ecstatic essence of sensual experience. Such people's
minds are trapped in the cultural domain and attached to particular paradigms, they are unable to
be open-minded, and anything outside their belief system is considered to be incomprehensible
nonsense. It is mysticism [FR], the most suppressed and derided path of all that underlies religion,
science and meaningful experience. Mysticism is direct, holistic and reliable experience of
reality, which opens us up to the mysteries of existence, rather than trapping us in cultural belief
systems. Things may seem bad at present, we are deep in delusion and the world is never far
from a psychotic episode, but paradoxically, everything is just as it should be. Whilst winter
brings death and the decay of the light, so too does spring bring life and the return of the light,
see this message from the I Ching [REF].
"Be at peace and know there is a clear pattern
that runs through all things.
Nothing is by chance." (Eileen Caddy [FR])
This brief history gives a glimpse of the general long-term trend in civilisation. First a
disconnection from the Source through commonsense realism leading to egoic delusion, then
delusion feeding upon delusion, then agendas arising amidst the confusion and agitation, then the
dark ages with its psychotic episodes and suffering that forced us to try and regain our senses
(the period called the Enlightenment), to try and get to the essence of the delusion “cogito ergo
sum” (I think therefore I am), then working toward higher levels and renovating confusions and
superstitions and reconnecting ideas with reality, detaching from delusion and demonstrating the
limitations of reason (cultural domain, world of ideas). A great deal of profound philosophy
occurred during this period; people were deeply motivated and sincerely wishing to escape
delusion, having only recently come out of generations of nightmarish delusion. But empiricist
delusions lingered in the heart of science; it lifted us from the swamp of corrupt
political/religious delusion but we have eventually found ourselves sliding into apathy and
sloppy philosophical thinking and becoming trapped in the swamp of naive realist, materialist
and empiricist delusions. We have succumbed to a modern dark ages, with the expulsion of
wisdom from the cultural discourse, replaced by narrowly conceived and little understood ‘facts’
which are just the new dogma of Scientism (science as a crude religion). We have had our
psychotic episodes with world wars, massive conflict and oppression within and between
nations, fascism, authoritarianism, coercive and manipulative information warfare against our
minds (propaganda, advertising, distortion of words and ideas, etc), social decay, growing
anxiety and despair, ecological destruction, growing intrusion corporate, political and
political/religious agendas into our minds, bodies and lives, increasing objectification,
commodification and harvesting of people’s lives, deepening delusion, fanaticism, cynicism,
confusion, and apathy.
To escape this swamp we must question the deepest and most sacred article of faith in the
empiricist religion of Mammon. “the positivism [REF] of many scientists, whether latent or open, is
incompatible with skepticism, for it accepts without question the assumption that material effect
is impossible without material cause." (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.
Columbia University Press., 2003. Answers.com 11 Jun. 2006.
http://www.answers.com/topic/skepticism)
We must skeptically enquire into the nature of ‘matter’, ‘abstract physicality’, ‘information’ and
‘spirit’. We must overcome the materialist delusion or else it will eventually destroy us either in
a frenzy of violence, through massive ecological catastrophe or through slow and agonising
personal, social and ecological decay. All wisdom and evidence points toward one source of
hope; the ongoing process of the real, that which is the bedrock upon which we build our
delusions; it is the ultimate “reality check”. Those trapped in delusions seeks a delusional way
out of their troubles, a technological quick fix so we can get back to enjoying our delusions.
Most of the information flowing through the global culture and hence through our individual
minds only points back into the delusion. The looming crises force us to look for new
alternatives.
The corruption of the mystic message has indeed progressed a long way and produced immense
confusion. In the west and the middle east the mystic wisdom has been corrupted and abused for
political/religious purposes to the point where its meanings and message has been totally
changed and there is a dangerous degree of confusion and agitation. Hence the debate between
science and religion [FR] is actually between science and a corrupted and politically interfered with
mystic analogy that has become horrible distorted over the last 1500 years. Science is wrestling
with a ghost from the past and much of the world is still tormented by this ghost. Scientific
arguments will have no effect on the power of this ghost, neither will political measures or
military measures. Mysticism is a deep and powerful spring of life giving waters, it is connection
with reality, but even when cut off from its roots and polluted beyond recognition it is still a far
more powerful force than intellectual argument, governmental intervention or physical violence.
All human beings are mystics in their deepest, innermost instincts, so even if political/religious
institutions are corrupt, they still resonate with that instinct and still command the hearts and
minds of billions of humans. When the mystic message flows with purity, power and vitality the
result is a flowering, flourishing and abundant civilisation. The only way to exorcise the ghost is
to illuminate it with light from the Source, to transform it into a being of light that is our greatest
hope. Either corrupt mysticism destroys us or re-vitalised mysticism liberates us; there are no
other options.
To some degree mysticism [FR] has remained alive in some eastern civilisations, although only as
a vibrant minority within a larger framework of naive empiricist ignorance and confusion leading
to common society. Although just a tiny minority, it still maintains the connection to the source
that feeds through and protects the entire civilisation from spiralling too far into delusion. So
long as the mystics stay connected and stay true to the cosmic essence, and the majority retain
enough understanding or at least respect to remain open to the blessings that flow, then
civilisation can avoid destruction. However due to the majority being confused, there is still great
agitation and confusion but it doesn’t generally blow out into psychosis and total insanity as it
did in the inquisitions and world wars. The way to avoid psychosis is to maintain a primary focus
on direct experience and direct knowledge and to only use theories and ideologies as guides and
reflections of reality and not confuse them with the actual reality itself. Hence in Yoga there is a
vast and intricate metaphysics, a deep and profound science of the holistic structure and
behaviour of the cosmos, but these are descriptions made by those who have penetrated the
illusion and known reality directly. At all times the emphasis is on practical approaches that lead
one toward direct experience. Only when you have tasted food can you truly understand what
people are saying about food, otherwise it is just fantasy in the mind.
The Essence of Existence
When we are clearly and directly connected to the flow of existential information by an un-
distorted perceptual / experiential process and the "veil of ignorance" is burnt by "the strong
light of the Mind" (universal consciousness) then we know ourselves and all things to be of the
nature of 'light'; not physical light, but the essence that is analogous to 'light'. Information is
another such analogy; so we can know ourselves and all things to be of the nature of information.
Information has an outer and inner aspect; when information is perceived it is signals (outer
observable form) but when it flows within a system this flow is experienced as an inner
observational process, so it implies form and awareness. So the outer aspect of existence can be
thought of as ‘light’ but the inner aspect is pure awareness, hence we can directly experience this
if we still our minds and overcome the distortions of cultural preconceptions. If one sees past the
modifications of the mind, beyond its content, one experiences its substrate of pure awareness.
This light or awareness or 'information' (representation (outer) and awareness (inner)) is also
analogically referred to as the "word of God", 'wisdom', 'spirit', 'Self', 'seeds', the 'Way', 'Truth',
‘Life’, ‘Love’, etc. For example:
"That which is the subtle essence, in it is the self of all that exists. It is the True. It is the Self, and
thou ... art it."
(Chandogya Upanishad 4:10:1-3)
"In the beginning was the Word:
the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
This Word was with God in the beginning.
Through it all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through it.
All that came to be had life in it
and that life was the light of the people,
a light that shines in the dark
a light that darkness could not overpower.
..................
But to all who did accept this Word
it gave the power to become children of God"
(Bible, John. 1:1-5,12)
“God is constantly speaking only one thing. God's speaking is one thing. In this one utterance
God speaks the Son and at the same time the Holy Spirit and all creatures.” (Meister Eckhart
[FR]
)
"Wisdom is eternal, for it precedes every beginning and all created reality... [It is] everywhere...
in every tastable thing... burning in all things... the animating power of things... [Wisdom] tastes
us. And there is nothing more delicious to comprehend."
(Nicholas of Cusa [FR])
"[Wisdom] pervades and permeates all things...
[She is] a breath of the power of God [and] a reflection of the eternal light,
untarnished mirror of God's active power, image of his goodness...
Although alone, she can do all;
herself unchanging, she makes all things new."
(Bible, Wisdom 7:24-26)
"Without the Word of God no creature has meaning.
God's Word is in all creation, visible and invisible.
The Word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all creativity.
This Word manifests in every creature.
Now this is how the spirit is in the flesh - the Word is indivisible from God."
(Hildegard of Bingen [FR])
"The whole world... [is] a certain representation of the divine wisdom conceived within the mind
of the Father."
(Thomas Aquinas [FR])
"the seeds, [are] the spirit and the symbol, shen and xiang, that unfold into events. [i.e.
inner/outer, consciousness/form, computation/representation, proto-awareness/primitive state -
these are the spirit and symbol, which combine to manifest all phenomena and events in the
virtual existential space]" (I Ching, trans Stephen Karcher)
Below is a brief summary of some parallel terms from different traditions. These are all
conceptually equivalent.
Metaphysics Transcendent Empirical
Christian Heaven Earth
Vedanta Brahman Maya
Kabbalah Land of Edom Land of Israel
Daoism Hundun (Uncarved Block) Ten Thousand Things, Myriad Creatures
Computational Simulator Simulation
IST Virtual-Reality generative process Experiential context
In terms of Vedanta:
“Brahman is not an object, as It is Adrisya, beyond the reach of the eyes [there are no objects
other than sense objects wrapped with the idea ‘object’]. Hence the Upanishads declare: “Neti
Neti—not this, not this....” This does not mean that Brahman is a negative concept, or a
metaphysical abstraction, or a nonentity, or a void. It is not another. It is all-full, infinite,
changeless, self-existent, self-delight, self-knowledge and self-bliss. It is Svarupa, essence. It is
the essence of the knower. It is the Seer (Drashta), Transcendent (Turiya) and Silent Witness
(Sakshi)...
The world is not an illusion according to Sankara [FR]. The world is relatively real [virtual]
(Vyavaharika Satta), while Brahman is absolutely real (Paramarthika Satta). The world is the
product of Maya [appearances] or Avidya [ignorance]. The unchanging Brahman appears as the
changing world through Maya [outer (representation) flows through inner (awareness) creating
observable forms within consciousness]. Maya is a mysterious indescribable power of the Lord
which hides the real and manifests itself as the unreal [simulation is a veil of appearances that
conceals the simulator]: Maya is not real [it is a virtual reality], because it vanishes when you
attain knowledge of the Eternal [the underlying virtual-reality generative process]. It is not
unreal also, because it exists till knowledge dawns in you. The superimposition of the world on
Brahman is due to Avidya or ignorance.” (
http://www.shankaracharya.org/advaita_philosophy.php)
Mystic analogies for the Ultimate
For thousands of years people have metaphorically seen the moon and pointed it out to others but
generally people only look at the finger. If you look at the finger you don’t see the common
moon, you see countless fingers and people saying “look moon”. It is not that their fingers are all
different moons or that all the pointers are delusional. The moon is there to be seen if you only
look where all the fingers are pointing. If you never look you will never know; nobody can bring
the moon down and hand it to you, they can only point. If you never look you can only believe or
dis-believe, both of which are assumptions, one based on trust and the other on distrust. If you
look you will experience it for yourself and then you will know.
Countless mystics have penetrated the veil of illusion and experienced reality but those caught in
an earthly ground based illusion only see the finger, they can’t even imagine what that finger is
pointing at and they don’t look. It is not that there are many Gods or Heavens or Universal
Essences, and it is not that somehow all of these mystics have had common delusions; it is the
non-mystics who have the common naive realist empiricist delusions and on top of that they
build vast edifices of illusion. The fact is that reality is there to be 'seen' if you only look where
the analogies are pointing.
God [FR] precedes all worlds; God is the universal essence that underlies all worlds. Rather than an
all-powerful being in the world, a more accurate analogy is that "God is like an information
process that sustains, manifests and permeates a virtual reality and we are beings within that
virtual reality". Note that our own consciousness is an information process so this analogy for
God can also be described as a Universal Consciousness. Below are some mystic analogies that
illustrate this. They are interspersed with IST analogies to draw out the parallels and elucidate
the common structure.
"Earth, water, fire, air, ether [elements], mind, reason and sense of self [empirical egoic
identity]: these are the eight divisions of My nature... This nature is of a lower order [empirical
or virtual nature]... know that there exists besides, My other superior nature [transcendent or
computational nature], which is the essence by which the world is maintained... Realise that all
created beings take birth in both these [the virtual space is a projection of the computational
space and each subjective experience takes place within an objective context]. I am the origin of
this cosmos and also its end... there is nothing else higher than Me. Like a row of beads strung
together, so is all which is here strung on Me...
I am the life in all living beings... know Me as the eternal seed in all created things, I am the
intelligence of the intelligent, and the magnificence of the magnificent... I am the strength of all
the strong...
Those without wisdom regard Me, who am imperceptible, as being perceptible, failing to realise
my superior, supreme, immutable form [they think of God as an empirical being that exists in
space and time] ... Being enveloped in My mysterious power (Yoga-Maya) [simulation], I am not
manifest to all. The ignorant do not realise that I am unborn and immutable... I know all created
beings in the past and present... and those that will be, but no one knows Me... All creatures in
the world are immersed in ignorance... the result of the delusion caused by the dualities arising
from desire and hate [attachment leading to immersion in the world illusion] ... But the virtuous,
whose sin [confusion, agitation] has ended, escape from the ignorance caused by the dualities...
those who realise me as existing in the physical plane [empirical], the divine planes
[transcendent], and also in what concerns sacrifices [not being the 'doer', the universal essence is
the only doer, e.g. a VR character only appears to act, ultimately it is the computational process
that does everything], have a mind which is focussed and know Me even at the time of death [in
one's deepest subconscious]."
(Bhagavad Gita, chpt 7 [FR])
"The absolute, Divine Mind, is all that is in everything that is... Divinity is the enfolding and
unfolding of everything that is. Divinity is in all things in such a way that all things are in
divinity... There is only one mirror without flaw: the Divine, in whom what is revealed is
received as it is. For this mirror is not essentially different from any existing thing. Rather in
every existing thing it is that which is: it is the universal form of being." (Nicholas of Cusa [FR])
"It is God whom human beings know in every creature." (Hildegard of Bingen [FR])
"Though words are spoken to explain the void, the void as such can never be expressed. Though
we say "the mind is bright as light", it is beyond all words and symbols. Although the mind is
void in essence, all things it embraces and contains." (Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra [FR])
"This very body... is called the ksetra [field or information space], and he who knows it is called
the ksetrajna [the knower of the field or the computational process]... Know that I am the
ksetrajna in all ksetras... I hold that, knowledge of the field and of its knower is true knowledge.
... who its knower is and what his powers, I shall explain briefly.
I will tell you what is to be known... [the ultimate goal of knowledge] It is the Supreme Brahman
[the transcendent virtual-reality generative process], without beginning, said to be neither
imperishable nor perishable... He pervades everything, abiding in it...He gives the impression of
having the qualities of the senses, yet is without the senses ['information' depends upon
perception but transcendent computation precedes empirical perception]. Though unattached [not
believing in the world illusion], He still supports everything [it is analogous to the computational
process that sustains a simulation]. Void of qualities, He enjoys them nevertheless. He is outside
and within all things. He is immoveable and yet moveable. Subtle, He is incapable of being
known [occupies a different information space]. Far away, He is still near. Undivided, he is still
broken up among all things [transcendent computation is One at its source but distributed
throughout the empirical simulation]. He must be realised as one who, supporting all things,
destroys them and refashions them again. He is said to be the Radiance among radiances,
beyond darkness, Knowledge, the object of knowledge, and that which can be known only
through knowledge [cannot be perceived by the senses but only inferred, intuited and
experienced as one's inner-most awareness]. He is seated in the hearts of everyone [transcendent
computation is the inner essence of all things].
Know that prakriti [nature, mechanical existence, causality, outer aspect] and purusha [soul,
consciousness, will, inner aspect] are both without beginning [prakriti is the representational
aspect of information and purusha is the computational aspect]. Know also that all forms and
constituents arise from prakriti [the base information medium is the ultimate foundation, it is
pure semantic representation, which underlies the potential for existence. Purusha or
computation then animates this and together they combine to form information systems in ever
higher-levels of complexity]. Prakriti (nature) is said to be the cause behind the act, its
instrument and its doer, while purusha (soul) is said to be the cause behind the experience of
pleasure and pain. When purusha is positioned in prakriti, it enjoys the constituents born of
prakriti [immersion in the perceptual stream, identification with the information stream,
partaking in the simulation through the suspension of disbelief and thereby experiencing the
phenomenal world or the 'virtual' reality]. This marriage with the constituents is instrumental in
its taking birth in good and bad wombs [empirical manifestation or samsara].
This Being [the simulator or virtual-reality generative process that operates within the
transcendent context] who, close to prakriti, witnesses its constituents, consents to them, adds to
them, and experiences them [operates on the existential data], is termed the Great Lord, the
Supreme Soul, the Supreme Purusha [the 'Supreme' computational process] which dwells in the
body [transcendent information space].
Whatever is born, moveable [empirical forms] or immoveable [transcendent processes], comes
into being through the union of the ksetra and the ksetrajna [computation within an information
space leads to computational processes such as the simulator that manifests the virtual simulation
world within which empirical forms arise and dissipate (hence moveable or impermanent)].
He who sees the Supreme Lord [transcendent process], who is present equally in all creatures
[simulated systems manifested by the transcendent process], who is not destroyed even when
they are, he may be said to have truly perceived. Perceiving the Lord as equally pervading
everywhere, he does not let his self-sense [empirical egoic delusion] destroy his true Self
[awareness of ones transcendent nature] and, in that way, he attains a state of excellence [true
understanding and alignment with reality]. He who perceives that all aspects of actions are
performed only through prakriti [everything is information and we are dynamical patterns of
information] and also that the self is a non-doer [universal consciousness is the only doer], he
may be said to have truly perceived. On perceiving that the multifarious aspect of things is
located in one point [the transcendent process], from where it extends severally, he attains the
Brahman [union with reality].
Without beginning, devoid of qualities, the Supreme Self, imperishable, though stationed in the
body, neither acts nor is touched in any way [separation of information spaces]... Just as ether,
pervading everything, is unsmeared on account of its rarefied nature, in the same way the Self,
present in everybody, is not besmirched. [a computer screen cannot be defiled by an image that is
shown on it, it is just a pattern of information]
Just as the Sun, alone, lights up this entire world, so also does the Keeper of the field light up
this entire field... those who in this way, through the eye of wisdom, perceive the difference
between the field and the one who knows it [between simulation and the simulator], and the
manner of release of all beings from prakriti [overcoming the objective world illusion through
detachment, transcendent knowledge and unconditioned awareness], they obtain the Supreme."
(Bhagavad Gita, chpt 13 [FR])
"All created things are absorbed into My prakriti [transcendent nature, the metaphorical cosmic
computational process itself] at the end of a kalpa [one complete cycle of transcendent creation]
and, when a kalpa begins, I recreate them... Seizing hold of My own prakriti, I fashion again and
again this great number of beings which is helpless, being subject to prakriti [they cannot but act
out their nature]... since I exist as if indifferent, unattached to My action, these actions do not
bind Me [God does not fall for the illusion]... Under My direction, prakriti creates the moveable
and immovable universe [the base information medium is structured and animated so as to
manifest a simulator and an empirical universe]." (Bhagavad Gita, chpt 9 [FR])
"There is a thing confusedly formed, [deepest cosmic computational essence,
Born before heaven and earth. that is quantum in nature hence 'confusedly']
Silent and void
It stands alone and does not change,
Goes round and does not weary.
It is capable of being the mother of the world.
I know not its name
So I style it 'the way'. [transcendent computational context]
The way is empty, yet use will not drain it.
Deep, it is like the ancestor of the myriad creatures. [the nature of reality is not material, it is
empty in that sense, but its use is inexhaustible]
Darkly visible, it only seems as if it were there.
I know not who's son it is.
It images the forefather of God. [simulator within the transcendent context]
Heaven and earth are ruthless,
and treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs; ... [honoured as an offering then discarded and
trampled on; empirical beings are not ontological beings with "innate rights", we are patterns of
information that the simulator creates and destroys]
Is not the space between heaven and earth like a bellows? [simulation membrane, unified
vacuum]
It is empty without being exhausted: [it is an interface between the dynamical creative
information space and the simulation world]
The more it works the more comes out. [heaven is the computational context and earth is the
empirical context, which arises from the former via 'simulation' and manifests all the myriad
creatures.]
The spirit of the valley never dies. [computation, flow of information, the ability to 'channel']
This is called the mysterious female. [the primal existential potential that nourishes all things]
The gateway of the mysterious female [primordial computational thread, analogous to the role of
CPU]
Is called the root of heaven and earth.
Dimly visible, it seems as if it were there, [only its effects can be perceived because it is the inner
most essence of perception and awareness]
Yet use will never drain it. [It is forever yielding to the demands of the simulator and simulation,
it is the root of heaven and earth]
It gives them life and rears them.
It gives them life yet claims no possession;
It benefits them yet exacts no gratitude;
It is the steward yet exercise no authority.
Such is called the mysterious virtue. [it manifests the entire cosmos but it doesn't act as an entity
'within' the world, it is the inner essence 'of' the world]
Its upper part is not dazzling;
Its lower part is not obscure.
Dimly visible, it cannot be named
And returns to that which is without substance. [information]
This is called the shape that has no shape, [like a 3D computer model]
The image that is without substance. [like a computer image]
This is called indistinct and shadowy. [information system theoretic]
The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects. [the Way is the most shadowy
ruler, it is intangible but it causally manifest everything that is and happens, it is the ultimate
ruler, not an ego driven empirical ruler]
When his task is accomplished and his work done
The people all say, 'It happened to us naturally.'
As a thing the way is
Shadowy, indistinct.
Indistinct and shadowy, [information theoretic rather than physical]
Yet within it is an image;
Shadowy and indistinct, [virtual world]
Yet within it is a substance.
Dim and dark, [not matter but energy]
Yet within it is an essence. [information, computation, pure awareness]
This essence is quite genuine [ontologically exists unlike empirical forms, i.e. consciousness
exists and all observed forms and ideas are modifications of consciousness]
And within it is something that can be tested. [i.e. amenable to direct experience, it is our
innermost Self]
The way in its passage through the mouth is without flavour.
It cannot be seen, [computation is the 'seeing' within sight]
It cannot be heard,
Yet it cannot be exhausted by use. [it is not a physical substance that is diminished by use, it is
information]" (Tao te Ching by Lao Tzu [FR])
“The Valley Spirit never dies. [computation, flow of information, the ability to 'channel']
It is named Dark Animal Goddess. [the primal existential potential that nourishes all things]
The door of the Dark Animal Goddess
Is called the root of heaven and earth. [primordial computational thread, analogous to the role of
CPU]
Like an endless thread she endures. [like the SMN thread weaving through all things and
ceaselessly animating the simulated world]
You can call upon her easily. [it is our inner most essence, the substrate of pure
awareness]
He who has found this mother understands he is a child. [the egoic isolated illusion
disappears and we see that we are totally dependent on ‘her’]
When he understands he is her child and clings to her. [drops the false identification with
the body and re-identifies with pure awareness]
He will be without danger when the body dies.” [the body is a transitory pattern of
light but awareness is the light]
(I Ching, Total I Ching: Myths for Change, pg87)
""The Book of Concealed Mystery" is the book of the equilibrium of balance.
For before there was equilibrium, countenance beheld not countenance.[no computation so no
perception]
And the kings of ancient time were dead, and their crowns were found no more; and the earth
was desolate. " [the disordered computations are ended, the computational data structures and
functions are gone (the kings are dead, see next Kabbalah quote), even the prior class hierarchy
is destroyed, its not just the instantiations or particular kings, their crowns too are found no
more]
This equilibrium hangeth in that region which is negatively existent in the Ancient One.
[potentiality as opposed to actuality, quantum/classical]
Thus were those powers equiponderated which were not yet in perceptible existence.
[computation has not yet given rise to simulation so nothing is perceptible since there are no
empirical perceivers and no empirical perceptual processes]
In His form ... existeth the equilibrium: it is incomprehensible, it is unseen.
... the kingdom of the restored world [this simulation run] was formed from the kingdom of the
destroyed world... [the kingdom of the destroyed world is that of unbalanced force, unstructured
computation and chaos]
It was formless and void, and darkness upon the face of the deep, [prior to the simulation] and
the Spirit of the Elohim vibrating upon the face of the waters [pure computational potential
(spirit) combining with representational potential (the waters)]
But there are excavations of excavations. (The excavation is the receptacle, like that which is
hollowed out, or carved out, like a cave... [the excavations are dynamical information spaces or
worlds within worlds]
"And the Elohim said let there be light, and there was light" [perception leading to empirical
dynamics, or animation] ... since He Himself spake, and it was done.
Like as it is written: "And the Elohim saw the substance of the light, that it was good."
Microprosopus [simulator] was at first alone ( ... separated from his bride [the simulation
world]). But all things returned into the unity. (... Microprosopus returned to his bride [the
simulator starts and the simulation begins]"
(Kabbalah Denudata, Book of Concealed Mystery [FR])
"... the Arcanum of the Arcana is what men can neither know nor comprehend, nor can they
apply their rules of science to it." [the ultimate Source "is what it is" and cannot be defined by
anything less than "what it is" it cannot be 'compressed' and held in one's mind]
It is said that before the Ancient of the Ancient Ones, the Concealed One of the Concealed Ones,
instituted the formation of the King (under certain members and paths of Micropsrosopus) [the
simulator] and the diadems of the diadems (that is, the varied coverings whereby the superfluity
of the Lights is circumscribed) [the data structures and functions that harness the representational
and computational capacity of the computational space]; beginning and end existed not (that is
there was neither communication nor reception) [prior to the operation of the simulator and the
manifestation of the simulation cosmos there can be no existence and no change]
Therefore He carved out (that is, hollowed out a space by which he might flow in) [the
transcendent computational space through which transcendent information flows] and instituted
proportions in Himself (in as many ways as the Lights of His Understanding could be received,
whence arose the paths of the worlds), [the proportions are the finite discrete data types] and
spread out before Him a certain veil (that is, produced a certain nature, by which His infinite
Light could be modified, which was the first Adam); [this is like the foundational 'program' in the
computational space, its "operating system"] and therein carved out and distributed the kings
and their forms by a certain proportion (that is all creatures under a condition of proper
activity; by which He Himself might be known and loved); [the various data structures and
functions that combine to manifest the simulator] but they did not subsist... [once the simulator
begins functioning the data structures no longer 'reign', it is the simulator that is the new king]
That is the same thing which is said, Gen xxxvi. 29: "And these are the kings which reigned in
the land of Edom , before that there reigned a king over the children of Israel ." [the simulator is
the new king, where the land of Israel is the simulation world, and the children are empirical
forms or systems]
The land of Edom "is the place where all judgments are found [the computational space]
The Keeper of Israel [simulator] neither slumbereth nor sleepeth.
as it is written Exod. iv. 22 " Israel is my first-born son." [the first fully manifest creation of God
and also a likeness of God, implying fractal multi-levelled self-similarity]" (Kabbalah
Denudata, Greater Holy Assembly [FR])
These quotations are getting rather extensive, so refer to the Lesser Holy Assembly, which goes
into some very interesting details, such as:
"He hath been formed, and yet as it were He hath not been formed. He hath been conformed, so
that He may sustain all things; yet is He not formed, seeing that He is not discovered. [the
Ultimate has no outer aspect so "He" is not an object in any world but is the origin of all worlds,
and "He" has a definite form like an automata [FR] that sustains or simulates all things. There are
definite information theoretic constraints but no empirical constraints.]" (LHA 42)
As seen in the preceding analogies, the actual details of an analogy are just points where
understanding can flow into the network of concepts and relations. It is the structure of the
conceptual network that conveys the real message, not the particular details that are used. IST
and computational analogies have been used to help elucidate the common structure. Information
system theory is useful because it is a universal analogy and it models pure structure. The
particular details depend on time, place, culture, history, language, politics and so on, whilst the
underlying structure of the analogies can be seen in all mystic traditions throughout the world [FR].
Quantum physics and computer science have also begun to produce similar analogies and
conceptual structures [FR].
Limits of Knowledge

Consciousness and the Soul

All systems have inner and outer aspects. Manifest forms are systems that interact so all have
input/output (perception/response). Therefore all manifest forms have subjective experiences of
some form depending upon their perceptual and experiential apparatus and their particular
perspective or relation with the whole. All interactions are mediated by communication, where
each system perceives the outer form of systems in its environment, interprets this in some way
and responds. Hence outer form flows through inner awareness to influence outer form. This
perceptual process 'drives' all system interactions.
"The myriad creatures carry on their backs [spine, nervous system, chakras] the yin [inner
aspect, being, mind, computation] and embrace with their arms [outer activity] the yang [outer
aspect, doing, matter, representation] and are the blending of the generative forces of the
two."(Tao te Ching 94 [FR])
Every system has an inner perceptual / experiential process which is an aspect of the holistic
information process that flows through the whole system network. The 'content' of the incoming
signals determines everything that the system can perceive and experience, and the 'functioning'
(structure and behaviour) of the perceptual / experiential process determines how that
information is received, interpreted, experienced and comprehended. This is radically different
from the idea of a disembodied consciousness with an objective view into an 'inanimate' physical
universe. Hence IST can resolve the many confusions that arise from Cartesian Dualism [FR] and
thereby shed light on the nature of 'mind' and its relation to 'matter'.
"Materialism arbitrarily excludes the possibility that reality has a meaningful nonmaterial
aspect, objectivism arbitrarily excludes the possibility that reality has a meaningful subjective
aspect, and although Cartesian dualism technically excludes neither, it arbitrarily denies that
the mental and material, or subjective and objective, sides of reality share common substance."
(C.M. Langan) [FR]
The low-level proto-awareness animates all systems and as the systems interact forming more
complex super-systems this proto-awareness becomes more complex. When the systems have a
massive degree of complexity and integration they are not aware of low-level stimuli (e.g. the
charge on an electron) but are aware of high-level stimuli (e.g. visual perception). When the
complexity and number of feedback loops increases the system is not only directly aware of
external stimuli, it is also aware of its state of awareness and even aware that it is aware of its
awareness. This is the kind of high-level awareness that sentient life forms experience. Whilst an
electron can experience the charge of another electron it cannot experience the fact that it is
experiencing something. See [consciousness] for more.
"Our bodies are physical, but life is metaphysical. Housed in a temporary arrangement of
energy as cells, life is a pattern integrity far more complex than the knot or the wave. Remember
that all the material present in the cells of your body seven years ago has been completely
replaced today, somehow showing up with the same arrangement, color, and function. It doesn't
matter whether you ate bananas or tuna fish for lunch. A human being processes thousands of
tons of food, air, and water in a lifetime. Just as a slip knot tied in a segment of cotton rope,
which is spliced to a piece of nylon rope...(and so on) can be slid along the rope from material to
material without changing its "pattern integrity," we too slide along the diverse strands supplied
by Universe-as "self-rebuilding, beautifully designed pattern integrities." No weight is lost at the
moment of death. Whatever "life" is, it's not physical.
The key is consciousness. ... Life is made of awareness and thought, not flesh and blood. Each
human being embodies a unique pattern integrity, evolving with every experience and thought.
The total pattern of an individual's life is inconceivably complex and ultimately eternal. No
human being could ever completely describe such a pattern, as he can the overhand knot; that
capability is relegated to the "Greater Intellectual Integrity of Eternally Regenerative
Universe"."
(Amy Edmondson)
All systems have proto-awareness and proto-life, they could not exist and interact otherwise, but
this is generally on a much lower level to our own experience of awareness and life although it
could be far greater as well. However it is the same underlying phenomenon that animates all
systems, whether simple or complex. Just as the outer forms of systems vary greatly from atoms
to people to galaxies, the inner aspect of systems manifests in many different forms, from
particle interactions to software to sentient awareness. Hence the inner aspect pervades the
universe, it is not only we humans who are aware in an otherwise 'inert' clockwork universe; that
is just a perceptual illusion from a naive empirical subjective perspective, it is how things might
seem from within the pseudo objective world. In reality every point of existence is looking out
upon the cosmos and experiencing it from its own unique perspective. So to deny, ignore and
misunderstand the inner or subjective dimension cuts one off from the inner dimension of the
cosmos, leaving only the outer surface of reality.
That which in the context of this work is referred to as 'computation' or proto-awareness relates
to Universal Consciousness in the same way that particles relate to the cosmos. The proto-
awareness operates on the micro-scale whilst the universal consciousness operates on the macro-
scale. So the outer forms vary from primitive systems (fundamental existential states) to the
Cosmos, and the inner processes vary from proto-awareness to universal consciousness. Our own
bodies and minds lie somewhere between these extremes.
“God is the totality of consciousness, but awareness is beyond all - being as well as not-being.”
(Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p252 [FR])
Our senses give us information about the outer aspects of systems and we have access to our own
inner aspect, but we cannot normally experience the inner aspect of other systems. A system can
only perceive and experience the information flowing into its input apparatus. This information
originates from the outputs of other systems. Hence we can only ever perceive and experience
the outputs (observables) of systems. We cannot directly perceive and experience the network of
communication paths that inter-connect the systems, nor the process whereby the information
flows between systems, nor the inner sub-systems and processes within systems. We only have a
subjective view of the situation.
"What is that through which, if it is known, everything else becomes known?...
That which cannot be seen, nor seized, which belongs to neither this social order nor that, which
has no eyes nor ears, no hands nor feet; the eternal, the all-pervading, the infinitesimal, the
imperishable, that it is which the wise regard as the source of all that exists... "
(Mundaka Upanishad 1:1:3-4)
What we 'see' is the outer observable surface of reality but there is a vast 'unseen' aspect. This
aspect consists of all the system infrastructure that can be seen in the objective view but not in
the subjective view or the pseudo objective view. When the unseen aspect is conceived of from
within the empirical universe it seems like an abstract sea of information, a unified quantum
vacuum, a universal consciousness or an Akashic Field [FR]. In the context of the computational
analogy it is called the simulation membrane (or EP/ES membrane) that separates the empirical
process (simulator) and the empirical space (simulation). It is how the simulator appears from
within the simulation. It is the abstract membrane that separates the world of manifest forms
from the underlying virtual-reality generative process. To use an analogy, consider a first-person
virtual reality computer game, the outer appearance of the world is what we see when playing the
game, the unseen dimension is all the computation that manages the information flows between
systems. When you interact with an object in the game it appears to be a 'physical' interaction but
beneath the surface appearance is the computational space where all interactions actually occur
through information processes. Furthermore, when manifest forms arise or disintegrate they
return into their constituent parts, but if a form was to be 'created', such as virtual particle pairs,
they just "appear out of nowhere". That 'nowhere' or void is the vacuum that permeates all space
because forms can just appear anywhere. Really it is the transcendent information process
creating another 'empirical system' and placing it into the network of interactions. The idea of the
physical universe captures only the surface appearance of reality and this gives little insight into
the deeper information system theoretic nature of things. However the mystic paradigm [FR]
captures the unseen processes and phenomena that permeate the universe and furthermore the
information system paradigm captures both aspects and shows how they relate.
"The sages, in meditation and through concentration, have pierced through the cover [world
illusion, Maya, VR, pseudo objective world] to see that great power [computation, Universal
Consciousness] belonging to that one himself [transcendent process], what is hidden in its own
qualities [gunas, the veil of simulation]. Being one, he superintends all the causes, time, self, and
the rest."
(Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 1:3)
"The brahman [the transcendent context] expands (manifests itself) by means of concentration
[self-referential computation leading to simulation]; hence is produced matter; from matter life,
mind, the intellect, and the seven worlds. And from the works performed in the worlds follow the
endless chain of effects of the works [empirical dynamics].
From him who perceives all [the transcendent context] and who knows all, whose concentration
is filled by knowledge [represents and processes all information], from him is born that first
manifest brahman (Hiranyagarbha or the Golden Egg) [the Simulator], the name, the form, and
the matter [the empirical context]."
(Mundaka Upanishad 1:1:5-9)
Furthermore, from an empirical perspective we cannot comprehend the inner aspect of systems
that are not able to directly communicate their inner aspect to us. Other human beings can
communicate with us so it is reasonable for us to think that they, like ourselves, have an inner
aspect. Animals at times have been thought to be automatons, and matter is almost always
thought of as 'inert'. In the same way that we cannot experience the subjective view of another
system because we conceive of them as objective, neither can we experience the objective view
of ourselves because we conceive of ourselves as subjective. If one could experience the
subjective view of other systems one could experience the world from their perspective and if
one could experience one's own objective view one would know oneself as a structured pattern
of non-material essence that underlies and defines one's whole existence; i.e. one's individual
Soul; the entire transcendent process is the Universal Soul. For this one must comprehend the
holistic context via an awareness of the objective domain and not the pseudo objective domain.
"That state wherein the mind is at rest... wherein himself sees his Self and rejoices in the Self,
wherein he experiences that supreme bliss only realised by the intellect and unattainable by the
senses [the deepest aspects of reality cannot be 'seen' by the physical senses, but only inferred,
intuited and subjectively experienced as one's inner most awareness] and, steadied there, no
longer diverges from the Truth... This state... severs the union with pain."
(Bhagavad Gita, chpt 6:20-21, 23 [FR])
"What is it that had birth? Whom do you call a human being? If, instead of seeking explanations
for birth, death and after-death, the question is raised as to who and how you are now, these
questions will not arise...
The body is born again and again. We wrongly identify ourselves with the body, and hence
imagine we are reincarnated constantly. No. We must identify ourselves with the true Self. The
realised one enjoys unbroken consciousness, never broken by birth or death - how can he die?
Only those who think 'I am the body' talk of reincarnation. To those who know 'I am the Self'
there is no rebirth.
Reincarnations only exist so long as there is ignorance. There is no incarnation, either now,
before or hereafter. This is the truth." (Sri Ramana Maharshi [FR], re: Rebirth and After-Death)
Truth, Light, Life and Love
What can a mathematical scientific paradigm say about such things? I will begin by considering
these as mystic analogies and employ the information system analogy to clarify them.
There is the objective reality, the universal virtual-reality generative dance of information that is
"all that is". Furthermore, "that which is" is referred to as Truth. This Truth is beyond all
symbols, words and ideas - it is simply the actual existential process of "that which is". In the
deepest essence of all things, that which is actually real is the Truth. The dance of information as
it flows can be visualised in the minds eye as a dance of Light; streaming Light where the
information paths are beams of Light, the structures arise out of the glow as patterns of Light
arise and dissolve. Everything is streaming in all directions but there is a perfect coherence to the
flow.
This is the outer description, but in terms of the inner aspect it is a universal consciousness, a
unified coherent pure awareness. It is not many points of awareness and it is not ‘spread out’
throughout the dance, instead it is concentrated in a single point. When one goes within and
penetrates through the many layers of illusion and realises one’s inner most essence one
experiences the whole of manifest existence concentrated in a single point of pure awareness;
just as the whole of manifest existence in a VR world is concentrated in a single computational
thread. From this point there seemingly arises all the forms and phenomena of the world, but all
that actually exists in the true ontological sense of the world ‘exists’, is that one point. It is the
Absolute Reality or Brahman; from it all else seemingly arises. This is an expression or
reflection of one of the deepest truth, although it is not the whole truth. It can be known firstly
through the mathematics of SMN where a single thread of computation/calculation/proto-
awareness is woven into a world of systems within systems, worlds within worlds and a world of
virtual appearances that arises in the awareness of the empirical systems. As the thread scans the
matrix of systems, it animates each one in turn and the primitive-states flow through the proto-
awareness; this happens “between moments of existence”. One complete scan processes one
moment of existence, hence this iterative process occurs beyond empirical time, in what is
referred to as a timeless realm, or the eternal Now.
However this is just from the inner perspective. By going within we find the inner most and by
going into the world of forms and laboriously cutting through the illusion, in the manner of
science we discover the outer aspect of the ultimate, However science has yet to get that far. As
described by information systems theory, Vedanta, Taoism and Kabbalah at the fundamental
level there are two dual concepts that are bound within a non-dual unity. This is the inner and the
outer, the single point of pure awareness and the field of potential existence. In the
computational analogy these are the CPU and the memory.
“Some theologians and metaphysicians of the great religious traditions will affirm that God, or
Brahman, are both beyond and within the universe — in it, but not of it; pervading it and
surpassing it at once.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendence_%28religion%29)
This is also the relationship between the SMN transcendent virtual-reality generative process and
the empirical virtual universe. It is “both beyond and within the universe — in it, but not of it;
pervading it and surpassing it at once”. The mathematics of 'system matrix notation' SMN is just
a mathematical analogy or descriptive device. It reveals certain things but ultimately the Truth
cannot be defined by SMN or by anything else but 'that which is'.
The idea that the whole of manifest existence is concentrated in a single point of pure awareness
has many implications; It is without attribute or appearance (because there is no separate
perceiver), it is without extension (does not exist in space and has no spatially arranged parts),
without time (no beginning, change or end), without movement (no space to move in), without
‘other’. This understanding is central to Advaita Vedanta or non-dual Vedanta, the principle
philosophy that underlies Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, etc.
“Sankara’s [FR] Supreme Brahman [Absolute Reality] is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or
attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal
and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject
[pure awareness]. It can never become an object as It is beyond the reach of the senses [there are
no objects other than sense objects wrapped in the idea ‘object’]. Brahman is non-dual, one
without a second. It has no other beside It. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal.
Brahman [objective domain] cannot be described, because description implies distinction [that
takes us into the subjective and cultural domain]. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any
other than It. In Brahman, there is not the distinction of substance and attribute [substance is
information, attributes arise through perception of information, which is the flow of information,
all is information, pure awareness and pure being]. Sat-Chit-Ananda [existence - consciousness -
bliss or representation (outer) - awareness (inner) - flow of outer through inner creating
consciousness of existence, which is bliss] constitute the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman,
and not just Its attributes.” ( http://www.shankaracharya.org/advaita_philosophy.php)
From the outside we can describe its structure as a dance of Light and from the inside we can
describe its experience as a single unified pure awareness that is both single and not multiple and
concentrated and not spread, but which also permeates all things. Between moments, in the
eternal Now, the point metaphorically traces out the field of Light/Awareness and in each
iteration the field changes. As iterations are interpreted as existential moments and moments
follow moments there arises ‘time’ and the dance is the flow of changing fields of
Light/Awareness through time. Hence the vast intricate dance of Light is the Life of the Cosmos.
As it streams it animates systems, it brings existence and awareness; it breaths Life into all
things. It is the substance of all things and the Life of all things.
There is only the dance of information/proto-awareness and there are forms or 'gestures' within
this dance. All things are patterns within the sea of information/proto-awareness, they are
temporary convergences of existential flow. This flow seemingly manifests countless systems
within systems, each with outer form and inner experience. The Light streams through all forms,
animating them into Life. This Light flows throughout the cosmos. It streams from system to
system, integrating, unifying and harmonising all things. Patterns flow into patterns, the dance
never stops and it never tires. It spreads the Light in full measure to all that open up to it. It gives
existence and Life yet demands nothing. It is the all pervading, all creative Oneness in which
there is no separation. This is described as a union of Love, a Cosmic ocean of Love ; perfect
bliss and Oneness. This is how it feels if one 'feels' deep within one's 'heart'. Note that 'heart' too
is a mystic analogy for a mode of consciousness involved in relatedness and feeling.
The forms or gestures of the Cosmic dance underlie what we have come to think of and
experience as objects, beings, places, events, ideas, feelings, words, concepts and "the Universe".
These are the symbolic ideas or cognitive states that our subconscious uses to represent those
forms to consciousness, and through which we interpret and experience those forms as they are
reflected in consciousness. All these are cognitive shadows cast in the mind by patterns in the
Cosmic dance. Behind these shadows the dance goes on and sustains the vast and intricate 'foam'
of systems within systems.
We are systems (beings) within this sea of existential essence (information / proto-awareness /
Truth / Light / Life / Love / Way), we are patterns or gestures within this cosmic existential
dance. As the information flows through our subtle structure its inner aspect manifests
experiences. All we ever consciously know are "occasions of experience". We only ever know
our inner responses to the existential essence flowing through us; flowing from outer observable
forms and into our perceptual / experiential process. The outer flows into inner and inner into
outer, all things flow into each other and we participate in that dance.
From our experiences we form impressions and ideas about these impressions. They are the
countless 'ideas' that make up our cognitive 'lens' through which we come to experience the
pseudo objective world. We also communicate and share these ideas with other 'beings' that we
experience in our world. These ideas become culture and we come to filter and interpret the same
kind of world out of the sea of information. We come to dwell in a pseudo objective world
constructed from experiences and ideas about experiences, all of which are subjective, but they
are taken to be objective, this ‘assumption’ of objectivity is itself just an idea; it is a particularly
virulent meme [FR].
Now we are in a position to understand the common meanings of the words Truth, Light, Life
and Love. We instinctively know that Truth exists (i.e. that which is), we wouldn't exist without
Truth; we are Truth. So in the context of communicating ideas we have formed the idea of the
truth-value of a statement. This is thought of as a measure of the degree to which the statement
corresponds to "that which is", but the statement is just a string of symbols that abstractly refer
our minds to recall and integrate personal ideas and derive an understanding. The ideas however
only connect with reality through our cognitive lens; through our subconscious paradigm or
interpretive filter. So in practice truth is a measure of the degree to which the statement
corresponds to our personal ideas about "that which is" and this usually derives from our
experiences in the pseudo objective world. So if enough people experience similar objective
world illusions they come to a consensus and statements about this common illusion are
considered to be the truth. They are often called ‘facts’. Because our subjective impressions have
been confused with objective reality, they are only facts about the content of the pseudo
objective world. It is only knowledge of the structure, behaviour and appearance of our
experiential illusion.
When the existential essence flows between systems in a manner that is perceptible to our visual
awareness we call it light. Furthermore, within the science of the pseudo objective world we
propose the existence of objects and phenomena to which we attach the symbols 'matter' and
'energy'. Within this discourse of the pseudo objective world we have studied the nature of
physical light and we feel we know it well. However we only know its appearance and behaviour
within the world of appearance. Even so it serves as a useful mystic analogy for the deeper Light;
the "Light that shines in the darkness".
As our underlying existential form flows and participates in the Cosmic dance there are many
occasions of experience that flow coherently. This coherence derives from the deeper coherence
and unity of the Cosmic dance and it underlies the coherence of our subjective pseudo objective
worlds. It underlies the coherence of our own existence and our flow through existence. When
interpreted through the lens of the pseudo objective world we experience "being in the world",
being aware, being in motion, being in the flow, we feel, we know. All this is patterns flowing
through patterns, the dance of spiritual Light or Life on countless levels; through systems within
systems. We are integrated patterns with the illusion of separate existence and we experience
ourselves as beings in the world. We feel 'alive'.
Having formed a centre of awareness and perceived ourselves as separate objects within our
pseudo objective world we define other forms similar to us as individual beings. The entire
pseudo objective world is a cognitive shadow cast by the ideas within the mind but we give
ourselves life and others too. We form societies within the pseudo objective world. Within these
societies all the underlying dynamics of the dance of reality filters through and animates our
ideas thus modulating the shadow world that we imagine to be reality and thereby come to
inhabit. The Light of the Cosmic dance still seeps through and manifests in our lives. It might
seep through as intuition, intellect, expression, feeling, personal power, creativity or instinct.
When the integrative, unifying 'Universal Love' aspect of the Cosmic dance manifests in our
lives we experience the bliss, the Oneness, the pull to come together and unite, to co-create, to
create beyond ourselves, to see ourselves as one and not as many. It seeps through depending
upon our openness and our state of consciousness. When this unifying aspect seeps through as
feelings in the 'heart' and it also flows between two existential forms that have identified
themselves as compatible beings of the same kind, then it flows strongly, creating a resonance; a
positive schizmogenesis [FR]. There is a union in spirit as the existential reality underlying each
'person' integrates the two forms into a composite form, a super-system with two beings as sub-
systems. This is the most common experience of love between beings in the world.
Because our individual love is a reflection of the Cosmic Love, by directing awareness into this
reflection and through it and beyond, we can pass through the illusion of separation and make
contact with Divine Love, the Cosmic unifying force that holds all things together. This is the
path of devotion or bhakti [FR]; it is a path of the ‘heart’. It is the path proscribed by Christ and
Krishna ; through love we attain Love and thereby liberation. Another common path is when the
Light illumines awareness, consciousness, intuition, intellect and imagination then the shadows
are cast out and we know reality directly, we are filled with Divine Wisdom, another aspect of
the Light. This is the path of wisdom or jnana [FR] (also gnana; pronounced gyana); it is a path of
the ‘third eye’. It is the path that science and philosophy aspire to and will attain once they
overcome their objectivist empiricist assumptions. It is the path proscribed by the Buddha [FR] and
countless gnani’s such as Sri Ramana Maharshi [FR] and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj [FR]. There is also
karma yoga, the path of selfless action [FR]; raja yoga, the path of eight limbs [FR] and tantra yoga,
the path of expansion [FR]. These are all forms of yoga [FR], or paths toward union with reality.
When the Light animates the lower nature of a being, described as the "lower chakras" or modes
of consciousness (lower as in closer to our organic animal nature) it manifests as sexual or
possessive or romantic love. If the being is centred in their higher nature, described as the
"higher chakras" or modes of consciousness (higher as in closer to our true non-material essence)
it manifests as compassionate, non-attached, universal love.
A recent quiery of the work states "How would you describe Love and Light in mathematics?"
Although the reality is beyond all description, beyond all ideas and symbols even so, above, it is
described to some extent using transcendent, non-empirical ideas. These can come a little closer
to reality than ideas that are totally based on empirical sensory experiences of the pseudo
objective world. All ideas are veils that distort the Light and at the same time reveal aspects of its
outer form, but some ideas are better than others; for example the idea that “we are matter
machines and that is that” leads one into illusion but the idea that “all we ever truly experience
and know is the modifications of consciousness” can help one differentiate illusion from reality
and thereby peel back the veils. These transcendent ideas arise in mystic wisdom but they also
arise independently from the mathematical process arising within a branch of mathematics called
'system matrix notation' (SMN). The philosophy of 'information system theory' (IST) is simply a
description and interpretation of the mathematics. The actual mathematics is pure symbol and
relation. In itself it means nothing; it is just a patterned process of information. Similarly the
Cosmic dance has no intrinsic meaning. The dance of Light that underlies our experience of a
chair doesn't have the meaning 'chair'. It is just a convergence of information/Light that
stimulates our awareness to experience a form that we interpret as a chair. The concept ‘chair’ is
a signifier that triggers associations in our mind. These ideas flow together and form our
understanding of the meaning of 'chair'. It only has meaning within the context of our lives
within the pseudo objective reality.
The mathematics of SMN creates and sustains a dance of information that exhibits the same
fundamental properties as the 'Light', via its channelling of information. Furthermore the dance
of information exhibits the same fundamental behaviour as the Cosmic dance in the sense that it
flows through all systems within systems, which are just patterns of information flowing into
each other in a sea of information. The information flow animates all systems; it is the content of
their perceptions and the process of their perception. It is the substance of their experiences and
the process of their experience. Although we ascribe the concept ‘virtual’ to these systems and
the concept ‘real’ to ourselves, the flow passes through them and they are tangibly influenced by
it. We only comprehend these systems from the outside, but to them their experience seems
‘real’ and they can only know about us through information so they would think of us as
‘virtual’.
Hence SMN cannot describe Truth, Light, Life and Love in the usual sense of bringing together
symbolic cues that cause us to recall ideas about impression formed from experiences and form
these into an understanding that we measure against our personal concepts of reality within our
own pseudo objective world. In this sense it cannot 'describe' Truth, Light, Life and Love.
However it can model the flow of existential essence, the Truth, the flow of Light, Life and
Love. In this way it can describe the inner essence, the subtle principles, processes and structures
that underlie the existence of the phenomena themselves. In this way one could conceivably
model the entire process and thereby recreate the phenomena within a 'virtual' context; but such a
model would be as complex and vast as the Cosmos so only the Cosmos could model itself. In
this sense the Cosmos is its own best model. Within that cosmic model there exist people
forming consensus on what is truth, there exists physical light streaming into the senses of
beings, beings experience being 'alive' in their pseudo objective worlds and there exist lovers
falling in love and poets trying to express their love in words. All of this is just the ideas of the
beings within that cosmos; ideas formed from their empirical experiences of the surface
appearance of reality. In truth there is only the Dance of Light.
“How can it be that mathematics, being after all a product of human thought independent of
experience, is so admirably adapted to the objects of reality?” (Albert Einstein )
Indeed it is because mathematics is “ independent of experience” that it can comprehend the
reality beyond the world that we construct from occasions of experience. It is not a language of
the pseudo objective world. It has no simple symbol for love or fear or flower or hunger; these
things are ultimately not real. Mathematics as we know it is a product of human thought but that
is the shadow cast in our minds and culture of the deeper essence of mathematics, which is the
language of reality; the language of pure existence and change [FR].
“If God speaks to man, he undoubtedly uses the language of mathematics.” (Henri Poincare)
In contrast it is impossible to describe in empirical words the transcendent nature of reality
sufficiently to be able to model it or even understand it in any detail. Words are just symbols
relating to subjective experiential impressions and also ideas about impressions and ideas about
ideas; whilst mathematics is pure symbol and relation. Words can never truly describe the vast
intricate dance of Light where there is no meaning but only pattern and flow, but mathematics is
perfectly suited to this. Words convey meaning but mathematics conveys pure pattern and flow.
So whilst a love poem in words will be far more 'evocative' to empirical beings such as we, far
more than a mathematical model, that is only in the context of an empirical being dwelling in a
pseudo objective world. In Truth, in reality, in the "mind of God" there are no objects or
experiences or ideas, there is pure existential potential and the flow of existence into existence.
The dance of Light, the Universal Consciousness is not a being in a world; it doesn't 'speak' the
language of the world. It speaks the language of Truth, Light, Life and Love, its utterance is pure
existence and change.
“In the pure mathematics we contemplate absolute truths which existed in the divine mind before
the morning stars sang together, and which will continue to exist there when the last of their
radiant host shall have fallen from heaven.” (Edward Everett, (1794-1865) )
Conflict and Peace
When a person's perceptual / experiential process is free from distortions and confusions they can
channel the objective existential information coherently. If other people can do likewise then
they can all perceive and comprehend each other well (but never perfectly). There is a common
'understanding'; a unified and unifying underlying essence that animates them all and freely
flows amongst them with little distortion.
In the words of Anthony R. Ferris from the preface to “Thoughts and Meditations”; a collection
of writings by Kahlil Gibran; speaking about Gibran’s youthful vision:
“In his youth [he] conceived the universe as perfect and devoid of evil. He pictured a joyous
world free of suffering, a world of enlightenment unflawed by ignorance, a world whose great
minds rejected superstition, a world of progress that abhorred corruption. Justice and wisdom
lived side by side... and unity and good will prevailed among men ... the heads of state and
hierarchs of the religions ... provide examples of justice and wisdom ... their privileges were
their due for the noble services they rendered ... on this account the people yielded them honour,
trust and obedience.”
However once confusions creep in they are like obstacles in the stream of light that cast shadows
and thereby distort it as it flows. The unity begins to fragment and misunderstandings arise.
Isolationist power structures arise and conflict becomes the norm. In the worst-case scenario the
systems cannot coherently experience or understand each other therefore every system seems
insane to every other system, nothing makes any sense and every system seeks only its own
immediate advantage within the context of its delusion. In general, destructive tensions dis-
integrate the overall system before it can reach this state. Power blocks arise and fight their way
into mutual annihilation. The subtle web of life that sustains the whole context breaks down and
everything dis-integrates into lower level systems. In general, people and populations lie
somewhere in between these two extremes and vary greatly in different times and places.
Over time Gibran experienced the corruption of this world of illusory egoic beings struggling
amidst their delusions. He began to perceive the realities of life ... and he felt disappointed and
embittered ... he saw the rich abusing the poor who lived under the yoke of slavery and
despotism ... “tyranny” masked itself under the name of “politics”. Every kind of ruler has won
power except the ruler with a mind. The honest man is forced into deceit, the impostor holds
sway ... success is gained by the sacrifice of conscience and honour. The man of integrity sinks
into the jaws of poverty. The honest man is reviled and the liar admired and rewarded with
possessions. The people are chained by custom ... they do not follow the light of their own minds
or the dictates of their own hearts. This has led the people into narrow, separated faiths and
suspicious, unfriendly, separated nations, instead of a universal faith and a world nation. Thus
they remained victims of superstitions.” (Anthony R. Ferris from the preface to “Thoughts and
Meditations”; a collection of writings by Kahlil Gibran, translated and edited by A. R. Ferris,
The Citadel Press, 1971)
Here we will explore the nature of conflict. As shadows arise in people's minds and the cultural
domain they propagate throughout the many feedback loops and accumulate into complex self-
sustaining meme complexes. These are the inner aspect of organisations and ‘movements’ in the
world; they are like organisations which are formed out of memes rather than people. They
operate within the cognitive ecosystem that is the network of individual minds inter-connected
via the cultural domain. All ideologies, lifestyles, fashions, and other cultural 'movements' are of
this nature. A common form of this is nationalism which manifests countless different 'isms';
including mysticism [FR]. Only the pure objective reality is free from all shadow (illusion). As
soon as it is transformed and represented and interpreted and comprehended and communicated
and so on it becomes imbued with many subtle layers of illusion. Hence to some degree we are
all operating within our own illusory worlds and we can comprehend and cooperate with each
other only to the extent that our illusions are compatible.
In some cases there can been individuals and populations that are chronically deluded for various
reasons of their own, perhaps a tendency for morbid negative introspection or naive acceptance
of their illusions as reality, which decays their inner space, degenerates their paradigm or warps
their cognitive lens so they can no longer interpret and comprehend coherently. Furthermore, in
very rare cases there can be individuals and populations that are open, aware, wise and free from
all delusion. If the delusional are closed to all forms of light and wisdom and they are destructive
and aggressive toward the world in general then the wise are drawn into action by the very nature
of the holistic process; the light of the world flows through them and inspires them to act.
However such cases are very rare; one such case is described in the Bhagavad Gita [FR], (whether
this is myth or history is irrelevant; it is the analogy that speaks its timeless wisdom).
In general the antagonists in the conflict are both caught up in delusions that bring them into
conflict. Each claims to be the wise and just system but this is just dangerous propaganda and
self-deception, which worsens the delusions and conflict. The best way to resolve such conflicts
is to shed light on the delusions of all the systems; uncover their confusions, assumptions,
dysfunctional agendas, irrational attachments and so on. These are the systemic driving force
behind any conflict. The shedding of this light, even if it is freely available is not an easy matter
since the systems are attached to their delusions. If they are peaceful they can dream peacefully,
but if they are lost in a nightmare and are thrashing about destructively and aggressively then the
universe responds in countless subtle ways and light comes streaming into the world.
For the deluded their delusions can be very compelling, self-reinforcing and habit forming. It can
be like a maze where all the corridors fold back into the maze. Circuitous logic and leaps of faith
can weave a tight knot that is difficult to untangle. For those trapped in the maze it is their whole
world. Their mind is habituated to flowing through the circuitous paths and cannot comprehend
any other path to explore. They feel “at home” in the familiar surroundings of their maze and
they are attached to it. They feel certainty even in the midst of great ignorance; their maze may
be small but they are certain that there is nothing beyond it, even though they have never tried to
look beyond it. It is all internally connected so by moving through it they feel they know it and
they experience no obvious cracks in the maze, even though there may be glaring paradoxes and
contradictions, these are covered over and never actually looked at. They feel entirely justified in
the correctness of their maze and feel a right and even a duty to force others to move only in this
maze. Other people speak of things beyond the maze but they are considered as being only
delusional – so the maze dweller thinks; they have never looked beyond the maze because they
assume that they already know there is nothing beyond it.
Any theory, paradigm, ideal, attitude or thought construct is a maze. It is just a matter of the
degree to which it corresponds to reality that determines whether it traps us in delusion or simply
‘colours’ reality so that we can ‘see’ it with the mind’s eye. Only direct connection and
spontaneous response guarantees holistic appropriate and effective action. Direct contact with
reality breaks holes in the maze and can even demolish all walls; removing all mind made
distinctions. Then one can experience and know the full expanse of existence and move freely
without artificial constraints. The growth of urban environments is analogous to the growth of
cognitive mazes. They arise haphazardly and come to encase the landscape within a rigidly
defined structure of localities, roads and so on (i.e. concepts and relations). Whilst this gives
personality it also traps one within a narrow range of states of being whilst reality goes on
beneath your maze.
The common approach to alleviating conflict and working toward peace is to aim at having an
arbitrary but uniformly dominant delusion. By spreading a common delusion we do get a region
of coherence and harmony, where we all see the same illusions and speak the same language of
illusion. These bubbles do not last; they can never achieve “full spectrum dominance” [FR, FR, FR,
FR] so there is constant conflict between rival delusions. Whilst there is only one Truth and many
ways of representing it as truth, there are countless multitudes of arbitrary delusions.
Furthermore the domain of arbitrary coherence cannot be imposed universally. It is ultimately a
small island of darkness in a sea of light. I.e. one delusion might dominate all peoples and
nations but it cannot force its delusion on all aspects of reality. For example, the dominance of
materialist, secular, capitalist, pseudo liberal democracies populated by consumers and producers
operating in a purely economic context has brought a degree of coherence and harmony to those
at the top of that world but the paradigm is narrow and holistically destructive. Even if all
humans and organisations believe the illusion we cannot force nature to play along as well; we
still depend on reality, only in deep delusion can one think otherwise.
With any delusion there is inevitable conflict with reality; we cannot force the cultural domain
onto the objective domain; we cannot force our confusions onto the Cosmos itself. Memes
(ideas, illusions) only exist and operate within the cultural and subjective domains; they cannot
penetrate the objective domain; they are just reflections of reality and not reality itself. No matter
how deep into delusion we may go reality always remains in the background; it provides hard
existential limits and serves as a “reality check”. We can align with reality either by opening up
to it and growing with it or by fighting it and being defeated. Either way our delusions are
shattered. By opening up to reality the universe responds with love and life and by fighting it the
universe responds with suffering and destruction.
“When faced with radical crisis, when the old way of being in the world, of interacting with each
other and with the realm of nature doesn't work any more, when survival is threatened by
seemingly insurmountable problems, an individual human - or species - will either die or
become extinct or rise above the limitations of their condition through an evolutionary leap. This
is the state of humanity now, and this is its challenge.”
(Eckhart Tolle, "A New Earth: Awakening to your life's Purpose", Penguin, 2005)
This is just a quick summary, for a much deeper analysis of conflict and peace see [FR].
Immortality and Everlasting Life
These are common concepts in the mystic discourse but are generally misunderstood. A brief
clarification is provided here. Firstly, immortality; our true nature is the Self that is the Supreme
Self, the Atman that is Brahman, the Soul that is God, it is without beginning or end, it is
timeless and dwells in the eternal Now. This is immortal and is the substrate of existence; when
immortal you may manifest in the body or not but these are just appearances, you are neither
born nor do you die. When one flows with the Way and is a harmonious gesture in the cosmic
dance then no decay, no disease, no ageing nor death are necessary. They may or may not occur
but that is not important when you truly flow with the Way. If the dance flows on in such a way
that certain forms persist and deluded people, who are identified with their form, perceive this as
‘you’ then they will say that ‘you’ have ‘life’. You are not identified with those forms, you are
the dance, timeless and eternal. The forms will come and go, in other’s eyes ‘you’ may ‘die’ or
‘you’ may ‘live’ for thousands of years. They may say that ‘you’ have everlasting life, but their
‘you’ is just an idea about a perceived form in the world, just a small gesture in the cosmic
dance; the real you is the dance itself, timeless and eternal.
“The real does not die, the unreal never lived. Once you know that death happens to the body
and not to you, you just watch your body falling off like a discarded garment. The real you is
timeless and beyond birth and death. The body will survive as long as it is needed. It is not
important that it should live long.” (Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, I am That)
So in reality you are immortal but you seem to come and go in all manner of forms. If one of the
forms is that which we call a ‘human’ and the form persists, then other ‘human’ forms (other
manifestation of you, you are the Supreme Self that is the Life within all forms) who are
identified with their form will say that the form that they perceive and think of as ‘you’ has
everlasting life. You are everything, you are the Ultimate, the Absolute, the immortal Supreme
Self, you are God, you are existence itself, you contain the whole cosmos within your being. The
reality that lies just behind the veil of the mind-made pseudo objective world is the dance of
ethereal light, the dream in the mind of God, the light that shines in the darkness. It is a universe
of light, vast, subtle and complex! An awe-inspiring vision of abundance, power and splendour;
that is your true body. The cosmos is a body of Light and a mind of Universal Consciousness;
that is your true identity when you stop believing that you are a character in the virtual reality
and realise that you are the very essence of that virtual reality.
“That in whom reside all beings and who resides in all beings, who is the giver of grace to all,
the Supreme Soul of the universe, the limitless being – I am That.” (Amritbindu Upanishad)
Two Forces
There are "two trajectories in current history: one aiming toward hegemony, acting rationally
within a lunatic doctrinal framework as it threatens survival; the other dedicated to the belief
that 'another world is possible', ... challenging the reigning ideological system and seeking to
create constructive alternatives of thought action and institutions."
(Noam Chomsky, Hegemony or Survival [FR])
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he
will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Bible,
Mat:6:24)
In the population at large the attitude of naive realism and that of holistic realism are both
proliferating. We see the greatest level of delusion and trance inducing memetic manipulation in
recorded history right alongside the largest, longest and most pervasive mystic revival in
recorded history. In many groups there is rapidly growing naive realism, conditioning,
objectification, materialism, authoritarianism, consumerism, fanaticism and so on. Many people
are rapidly becoming units of cognitive territory and energy resources for vast organisations.
They dwell in a sea of manipulative advertising and propaganda, focusing only ‘outward’ into a
totally conditioned cultural domain, totally dependent on the cultural domain for all their
information, knowledge, ideas and ways of interpreting, comprehending and responding. They
are therefore unable to engage with reality and are even cynical, fearful or hostile towards it.
These conditioned beings are assimilated into vast complex collectives through which their
productive capacity (life force) is harvested, harnessed, channelled and made available to various
power structures. At each nexus, where the lines of power converge there arises a controller.
This is basic cybernetics or dynamical system theory [FR] and applies to all complex self-
organising systems. Your own sense of unified identity arises out of a civilisation of trillions of
cells (most of which don’t even contain human DNA). These cells are whole, complete and
individual living beings. What you call your mind, your heart (not the physical organ), and so on
are controllers that arise at a power nexus. This could well be the idea behind the chakras, which
represent distinct levels of consciousness.
The ego is the highest-level controller that takes control over all other controllers. The I-thought
is a unifying power nexus that binds mind, heart, body, ideas, personality, possessions and close
relations together into a single identity. It also extends to community, ideology, nationalism and
so on. The more that the ego assimilates and identifies with the bigger and stronger it becomes.
For those who possess and own a great deal, they are possessed and owned by the ego and they
become a lifestyle support control system, driven by the demands of the ego and working to
maintain possessions and acquire more.
“Jesus on the lean donkey,
this is an emblem of how the rational intellect
should control the animal-soul.
Let your spirit be strong like Jesus.
If that part becomes weak,
then the worn-out donkey grows to a dragon.” (Jelaluddin Balkhi aka Rumi)
The way to clarify one’s perspective is to disentangle one’s identity from the complex web of
confusions, agitations, delusions, ideas, objects, attachments, attitudes, desires, aversions and so
on that distort one’s perspective. If one dis-identifies with them, one can then “stare naked” at
reality. One does not destroy the controller, it still has an integrative function to perform. The
problem is that controllers often become dictators. From their own narrow confused perspective
they experience the integrated identity that it is their function to maintain and they succumb to
the illusion of individual existence. They give themselves life and form the I-thought around
which all the acquired desires, agendas, aversions and other delusions are woven. This occurs in
all cybernetic systems with sufficient complexity and can be clearly seen operating in animals,
humans and human collectives [FR], [FR]. These countless ego’s form into a collective ego and
people are integrated into vast mechanistic structures. The formation of the ego is the first step in
losing the Way, the “original sin” and it is the beginning of a downhill slide into destruction
“The reason why heaven and earth are enduring is that they do not give themselves life. Hence
they are able to be long lived.” (Tao Te Ching [FR])
On the other hand we are also witnessing an unprecedented mystic revival; thousands of years of
mystic wisdom is flowing throughout the culture, enabled by decentralised dissemination such as
the internet but also through a growth in independent publishing houses. There is growing
profusion of yoga, meditation, alternative therapy and various spiritual centres arising around the
globe. The innate tendency of humanity is to connect with reality so even in the midst of massive
delusion and manipulation, and especially in the face of oppression and looming crisis, the innate
virtue [inner awareness] of humanity is intact and is reaching out to connect with reality and
awaken from the collective nightmare of ignorance. Refer to this earlier advice regarding
oppression and also this encouragement below.
“Though they [the people] may be deeply trapped and overwhelmed [by egoic delusion] their
innate nature is still intact [inner awareness], thus there is no sickness [no permanent
disconnection from reality]. When a noble person advances all wise people follow, and friends
come. Abandon selfish desires and innate goodness emerges. The petty retreat and the sage
advances. This is going and returning to the Way. In this way our innate goodness is fully
developed and worldly affairs can be handled with ease. This is how the sages lent their strength
to bring about the orderly government of ancient rulers. Thus it is favourable to proceed. When
the heavenly course prevails there is grace. Indeed Returning is the way where heaven and
humanity are united to complete the natural order of things.”
“Returning refers to the time when the climate is at its coldest [deep oppression and despair], yet
the water in the wells is still warm [inner awareness]... This is the thunder of the winter solstice
that is stored within the earth [the deep instinct that inspires us to wake up from our nightmares].
The power of returning yang energy to the earth is at its highest, yet it only moves in accord with
time... young yang must be kept peaceful and calm to allow it's growth, do not act to dissipate it
[don’t go on a crusade to change the world, just reconnect within and nurture your inner
brightness and share this brightness with others].” ( “Yi Jing: Book of Change”, Translated by
Gia Fu Feng, Sue Bailey and Bink Kun Young, Feng Books, 1986)
(quoted from [REF] )
The two forces are not defined by particular people and organisations but by particular meme
complexes that permeate the entire cultural domain and conduct their struggle within each of our
personal memetic ecosystems or minds and within each organisations' collective mind. They
arise from fundamental systemic phenomena such as simulation creating the appearance of an
empirical world, individuation and ego arising around an empirical subjective perspective,
communication creating a collective virtual space or pseudo objective world, meta system
transitions creating higher level systems in which we are the cells, introspection or going within
and returning to one’s roots reconnecting us with reality. All these forces come from
fundamental information system theoretic principles and are therefore described as coming from
the spirit world; they are spiritual forces, one pushing us towards darkness and despair and the
other one liberating us and raising us to ever higher levels of awareness and Life.
The two paradigms we see in the world today can be thought of as the ego and the higher Self of
the planet (we are just the planets way of creating higher level forms), civilisational evolution
isn’t something that we do; the earth does it through us; it is only the ego that thinks otherwise.
However the human collective ego has assimilated the earth as part of its body and is using it as
such, to pursue its agendas. In this way egos always abuse that which they falsely identify as
“their body”, just as we humans routinely abuse our bodies, leading to sickness and
degeneration. “The reason why heaven and earth are enduring is that they do not give
themselves life” (Tao Te Ching [FR]) and if we too did not succumb to the tyranny of the ego then
the cellular civilisations that we call “our bodies” could be enduring too. There is no inbuilt
degenerative process in civilisation, whether human or cellular; it is only via constant egoic and
mechanistic abuses, ignoring the subtle messages and the free flow of energy and just using it as
a tool or a resource with which to pursue an agenda. Although there is no need for the body to be
long lived, it is only an ephemeral vehicle of manifestation in the virtual empirical universe, but
there is also no need for there to be sickness, disease, degeneration, ageing and death. See the
essays on systemic health [FR] for more on this subject.
Just as only roughly 20% of the cells in our bodies are human so too we human-cells form a web
of life that pervades the planet and structures the diverse whole into a very ‘human’ civilisation.
This planetary ego is suffering just as we individual ego’s suffer. It is spiralling into egoic
delusion, agitation and destruction. If one cuts oneself off from the source of ‘nourishment’ then
of course one withers and dies. Meanwhile the higher Self is growing and connecting and
spiralling into greater awareness, vitality and harmony. Both are reaching a critical point in their
evolution; indeed they are not separate but only seem separate. They are part of the one unified
evolutionary process.
The ego cannot assimilate much more; it grips the entire planet and cannot effectively reach
beyond it; it grips humanity and is probing into our cultural space and acquiring this through
intellectual property and copyright; it is aiming at possession of culture. It is probing into our
minds and acquiring them through advertising and propaganda. It is also reaching into scientific
and cybernetic spaces and acquiring them too. But whilst it is doing this and idly day dreaming
about some technological utopia where it has “full spectrum dominance” [FR, FR, FR, FR], its
foundation is on the brink of collapse; it’s ecological, social and mystic roots are neglected,
abused, exploited, distorted and crumbling. It is facing an existential crisis where it is slowly
beginning to realise that it must either radically change or die. Whilst the higher Self is
approaching a radical transformation where it’s gradual and subtle penetration gives fruit and
rapidly spirals into profound awakening, widespread paradigm shift and a fundamental and far-
reaching change in awareness.
It is no accident that these two crises occur simultaneously; they are parts of the one process. The
suffering that the ego has induced is the driving force for the awakening and the awakening is
exactly the radical change that will keep us from ego induced annihilation. The two forces are
engaged in struggle in a sense, the ego hangs on and resists change because it fears losing
control, the higher Self responds with deep compassion for deluded and suffering ones, and it
reaches out for change. The ego is just a phenomenon stirred up by ignorance and the essence of
the higher Self is wisdom. When a candle is lit in a dark room the darkness is instantly
transformed into light; it doesn’t matter if the darkness or ignorance has held sway for thousands
of years it cannot resist the light because it has no substance of its own, it is only the absence of
light or wisdom. The ego tries to keep us afraid and mindlessly clinging to it; it can certainly
work through deception and memetic manipulation, it is the master meme weaver, it itself is an
illusion and it weaves illusions around itself and throughout our minds and culture. See the book
("A New Earth: Awakening to your life's purpose", Eckhart Tolle, Penguin, 2005) for an
excellent and very detailed analysis of all the dirty tricks and stand over tactics that the ego uses
to keep us ignorant and enslaved within its web of illusions.
In many ways it the ego will try and deflect the light. From deep within its delusion it perceives
the light as the enemy; it does not realise that the light is the only thing that can give it peace and
life and love and hope. A common tactic of egos is to agitate and create external trouble that then
enmeshes us in that trouble, then we cling to the ego out of habit and we try and deal with the
trouble, but always there is more trouble and never enough time to find peace and to come back
to ourselves and to actually think and get some perspective. The ego will go to any extreme to
shock the system, to drive it into fear or desire, trying to strengthen attachments and delusions,
trying to keep people’s minds asleep and dreaming within the cultural domain. Whether they are
pleasant dreams or nightmares for us is irrelevant to the ego, except that nightmares are more
effective to its agenda so they are generally used. The purpose is to keep us in the dream where
the ego is the dream weaver, or keep us in the maze where the ego is the maze builder. We are
free to wander about or thrash about in the egoic dream but the ego would never allow us to
wake up from the dream or to escape the maze.
But divine blessings rain down upon us; they surge from within us and nourish us, pushing us on
toward growth and the fulfilment of our destiny. The struggle may be great but darkness can
never truly resist the light. “long kalpas [aeons] of samsara [delusion of the pseudo objective
world] ne'er can hide the mind's brilliant light." (Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra [FR])
Some advice from the Book of Changes
This book (I Ching) speaks a deep and profound analogical language, it speaks to the
subconscious as well as the conscious. The issue to be discussed here is how to transform a
situation from one of obstruction and painful constraint to one of expansion and harmony.
(quotes taken from “I Ching: Myths for Change”, trans Steven Karcher, Timewarner)
"Obstruction [implies].. a bad omen, a negative pronouncement from the oracle [from the
Cosmos], showing what is opposed to the current will of Heaven, the old that must be sacrificed
[an outmoded delusion]. It is the enclosure of winter. It is the victim, the shadow, the old King
[outmoded paradigm], the demon, the thing that blocks and obstructs and must be offered up.
This is what must die to make way for the new. As an oracular response [message from the
Cosmos] it means No! Not so! Request denied! Stop! Things are closed in now, obstructed, and
the expansion and development of Pervading is reversed. For the Noble One, the action befitting
this time is withdrawal, silence, personal offering [inner detachment] and atonement, waiting for
the re-opening in spring... [There is] a struggle in the outer world that blocks expression.
Heaven and Earth [reality / objective domain and the pseudo objective world / cultural domain]
do not come together... Change your sense of yourself... Be careful about what you become
involved with... What is happening is not your fault. Deal with it impersonally. It is a time of
disconnection and isolation... Be humble and flexible inside yourself, but erect firm barriers
outside. What is worthy is being excluded from centres of power, which are currently controlled
by people who seek their own advantage. Their way will endure for now. The way of those who
use the oracle [connection to the Cosmos] to stay in touch with the Way is dissolving. Use this
advice and diminish your involvement in the world. It can bring you no advantage now... This is
a time of outer struggle that demands inner service, a time of sacrifice [detaching from
delusion]."
"Pervading definitely means connecting and flowing out. Pervading represents the great
sacrifices [inner development leading to the overcoming of delusion] that connect Heaven and
Earth and ensure harmony and blessing [light from the source] for all... These sacrifices made
sure that the connection between Heaven and Earth is open and flowing. They recall a time
when the spirits walked amongst us bringing ease, joy and prospering for all. [Pervading]... is
connected to the home of the High Lord of Heaven who sends the fates. It means crossing rivers
[paradigm shifts], fishes, hidden wealth and the fertile womb. Pervading is the fluid metabolism
of things, the flow, the streaming of the Way and the rising juices of sexual attraction, joy and
ecstasy. It dissolves the spirit and puts it into circulation. The Great Spirit connects with the
world, the joyous flow, revivifying spring. [There is] an influx of spirit that brings flowering and
prosperity... spread the prosperity and good feeling... you are connected to the flow of energy.
Be great, abounding and fertile. [Pervading implies] a creative force pervading the Earth [light
filling the cultural domain]. Heaven and Earth come together. This is a time of abundance...
realise your hidden potential... Reach out and penetrate things [see through the illusion]. Sense
their interconnections [their unified systemic nature]. Radically change your sense of yourself...
This is a time when the fundamental powers mingle with humans and all the beings connect with
one another. The way of people who are continually adapting to whatever brings them
advantage is now dissolving. The Great Way will endure... [Pervading implies] an enduring
inspiration from within that pervades the field of Earth."
How does a situation change from Obstruction and "a time of disconnection and isolation" to
Pervading and "a time when the fundamental powers mingle with humans and all the beings
connect with one another"? The simple advice is "reverse the way you sort things". Implying that
we should change the way we interpret and categorise things. This is not an intellectual exercise,
but rather, a deep and radical paradigm shift that changes the way we participate in reality.
The fluid flow of change is mirrored in the structure of the network of hexagrams (they form a
six dimensional binary information space within which symmetry groups map the flow of change
between related states of being). This network of states of being provides a map of the inner
experience of "being in the world". By following this map we can see which influences and
attitudes take us from one state to another. Below are drawn extensive quotes from a series of
hexagrams that describe a general progression of change from the darkness of ignorance to the
light of wisdom and connection to reality (the Way). There is a vast wealth of particular advice
that shall be overlooked, and the focus will be on the general progression of states of being. This
is enough to contemplate for now.
Note: In places some sentences are paraphrased to make them clearer – e.g. changing past tense
to present when it is clear the ancient myth is giving advice for the present and so on. Also note
that the order here is not strict; it is just a sequence of related pieces of advice.
Stripping (23): "Something is rotten. Strip away the old to reverse and renew the time. It
represents stripping off skin and flesh, slicing into the body [mind and cultural domain] and
revealing the bones [the structure of our delusion]... There is deprivation and loss of direction
and focus [breakdown of the dysfunctional status quo]... The outmoded and decadent spirit is
displaced in preparation for the return of the new. [Stripping implies] habits and ideas that are
outmoded and worn out... strip away what has become unusable. This bring renewal. Remove
and uncover things. Cut into the problem and strip away the unessential without thought of
immediate gain... [Stripping implies] the end of a cycle and the preparation for the new. Be open
to new ideas. Re-establish creative balance by stripping away outmoded embellishments. There
is something rotten here... Those who adapt to what is coming will endure. Yield to the situation
and stop what you have been doing. Concentrate on the symbolic value of things [their essence
and not just their appearance in the mind], their power to connect you with the world of the
spirits... This is a time when the old structure dissolves so new action can emerge. Fill the empty,
fertile inner space to overflowing. Heaven is moving there... Strip away the outworn products of
the previous cycle... give care and concern freely to those below [trapped in illusion]"
Returning (24): "Return is... the return to and of the Way and the eternal return of all things. It
is the return of spirit... It is the emergence from death and the underworld Ghost River [stream of
illusions that animate the mind], the incessant return of life and spirit. It is the root of power and
virtue [inner clarity and brightness], the power to become who you are meant to be. It
discriminates the beings and gives birth to self-knowledge. [It is] one step on the Way... starting
at daybreak to cross the river [paradigm shift] to the spring festival and a renewal of spirit, joy
and human community in the paradise place [dwelling in reality and not illusion]. It suggests the
souls that return and the rituals to call them, the ritual return to an original paradise time, and
death through which we all return to the Source. Return is the 'coming and going' on the river of
time and the flow of symbols that unfold the Way. [It implies] re-emergence and rebirth... go
back to meet the returning energy in order to begin anew. Retrace your path [deconstruct your
illusions], return to the Source, re-establish what is important restore the Way. Find the intensity
of the earlier time and the purity of the original feeling. This is pleasing to the spirits. Through it
they will give you success... Let things emerge and come back without pressure or upset. People
will suggest mutually profitable projects. It is not a mistake to join them. Turning and moving in
the opposite direction from your previous path will return you to the Way on the seventh day
[after a full cycle of transformation]. [Returning implies] inner energy returning to the field of
activity. .. Be open to new ideas and provide what is needed. The old situation has been stripped
away. Turn in your tracks and go back to meet what is re-emerging [go within and turn to the
Source]. This return to the Way is the root of your power to realise the Way in action. Be small,
adaptable and differentiate yourself from others. Use your own knowledge of the source of
things... nurture this returning energy... close the frontiers and the markets... [it is not a time for
outer activity - detach from its illusion]. Stir things up and work with the movement... The return
will come from below [re-aligning our foundation]. Heaven is moving here. Impose a direction,
have a place to go... By returning, you see the heart of the union of Heaven and Earth. [It is]
rousing energy returning within that opens a new field of activity."
Limping / Difficulties (39): "Re-imagine difficulties, tame the flood [mass confusion], fix the
omens [ground the influence of spirit in symbolic form] and open the channels [clear the
confusion, allowing the blessings to flow]. It combines the meanings 'lame, limping, hobbled,
difficulties, poverty, suffering' with the meanings 'straight, honest, frank'... channel the
overflowing waters from the underworld Ghost River [don’t be swamped by delusion by rather,
channel and harness this energy]... change the strategy from heroic, lonely striving to collective
effort [thus] building the dikes, channels and dams that open the Watercourse Way [a civilisation
based upon connection with reality], the foundation of culture. obtain the aid of Responding
Dragon and Numinous Turtle [the primal powers of change]. call the lords and spirits
together... establish the divinatory vessels [images of transformation, new holistic visions]...
clearing communication with the spirit world. limp on through great difficulties, flowing like
water... limping is a sign of selfless toil and enduring connection with the underworld... [A
phrase that runs through this hexagram is] 'going and coming', the river of time on which the
seeds or symbols of events flow toward us [the dance of light/information]. 'Going' represents
what is leaving the field of awareness [output], the past, an exorcism of noxious influence.
'Coming' represents arriving from the future [input], what comes from Heaven [signals from
reality]. It gives us the seeds, the spirit and symbols [information, i.e. proto-awareness and
observable form], that unfold into events . [Coming and going implies] 'bad influence going,
exorcize it!; seeds of good are coming.' This change in the time occurs through a shift in
awareness represented by the change from... the past and lonely striving, to... common effort and
future good. It sets the stage for the deliverance to follow... [It implies] confronting obstacles
and feeling afflicted by them... see through the situation in a new way and gather energy for a
decisive new move. Don't magnify your problems. You are limping along... retreat and join with
others in view of future gains. Attack, lonely efforts and dwelling on the past won't help at all.
Contact important people who can help you and think about what your central idea really is.
Putting... ideas to the trial generates meaning and good fortune by releasing transformative
energy. By reversing the direction [turning back on yourself]... you can renovate your power to
realise the Way... By re-imagining the situation you connect with what is truly great [dance of
light that is the metabolism of the Cosmos]. [It implies] an inner field that blocks and articulates
the outer flow... turn back on yourself to renew your connection to the Way."
Loosening / Deliverance (40): "Deliverance shows the Arouser who frees us from difficulties,
the emergent dragon [streaming of the Way], released from the river of ghosts [cultural
discourse]. It is a critical moment, an opening in time that combines release and… blessings [the
flow of reality through our lives]. [It is] a horned instrument to undo knots, the one horned beast
that attacks evil doers [challenges delusions]. It represents a juncture, a point of insertion or
critical point where the sacrifice is accepted [inner work results in contact with reality] and the
blessings flow, as well as the shared feast and celebration after the solemn ritual. It is escape,
release, the loosening of the trap, released from the knot or noose of a hostile fate. It means
dissipating melancholy [overcoming past sorrows], an exorcism of the city walls [clarifying the
delusions that constrain and limit the culture], awakening from illusion, fever breaking,
satisfying natural needs [connecting with the source of nourishment], opening communication
and sexual climax, when inhibited forces are set free. It… describes release from the body [the
trap of illusions that fill our minds and culture], liberation through spiritual practices and
becoming an immortal [overcoming the illusion of time], a sage who perceives through the
Bright Spirits [the flow of reality] and is thus released from compulsion and fear. [It implies] a
release from tension and the new energy that it makes available… untie knots, dispel sorrows,
solve problems and understand motivations. Forgive and forget, wipe the slate clean. Join with
others to realise plans for future gain… Do not struggle on alone, carrying the burden of the
past. [Deliverance implies] the fertile shock of a stirring new time. The situation is already
changing… Act to stir things up… The returning energy that is coming towards you will
generate meaning and good fortune. Use it to stay in the centre [appropriate, do not go astray
and chase after fantasies]… Thunder and rain [inspiration and nourishment] arouse the seeds
[dormant potential] of all the fruits, grasses and trees to burst forth… a new time begins outside
whilst the old dissolves within, releasing blocked energy… [this is reflected by] a great
upwelling of compassion, washing away old knots of pain and sorrow, carried by the Bright
Omens. A new time is beginning. "
Following (17): "Follow the flow of inspiring energy to a source of corruption [illusion] and
renovate the ancestral images [ancient wisdom]… leave old grounds for dissension behind…
Through Following, your accumulated power and virtue [inner clarity and brightness] connects
with the flow of events in such a way that the spirit moves into the world through you… Through
Following, a very basic and much-prized quality, you are in direct touch with the flow of the
Way [this implies not being the ‘doer’ and acting from a position of isolationist delusion but
instead being a harmonious gesture of the Cosmic Dance]. You insert yourself into the universal
flow of events, the river of time, and are thus able to conform effectively and spontaneously to
the unfolding of the moment. You are drawn into an ancestral line [a deep channel of wisdom
flowing through the course of civilisation (an egregore in western terms, an energised thought-
form that channels blessings to the world)] and the power of its unfolding. [It] shows… great
abundance, growing riches, a spreading multitude. It suggests accepting the spirit’s influence
gladly, letting yourself be moved and drawn, being connected to the Way, one foot in the world
of light, one foot in the darkness… [Following implies] being drawn forward… follow the
inevitable course of events…Be guided by the way things are moving. You are involved in a
series of events that are firmly connected. Don’t fight it, move with it. It opens a whole new cycle
of time. This is not a mistake. The situation cannot harm you… [It] shows an outer stimulus
rousing inner energy. When you have provided for the call, it comes [detach from delusion and
the Cosmos calls you into greater life and participation in reality].. Dim your discriminating
power so old mental habits can dissolve. A firm new focus is emerging, called up by an outer
stimulus… The whole human world must follow the times and the seasons. What you are actually
following is a righteous idea inherent in the time… [Following implies] stimulating words from
without that stir up a deep inner impulse to follow… turn to your own fertile inner darkness,
allow the old to dissolve so you can follow the new… This involves fate… you can realise hidden
potential. "
Corruption / Renovating (18): "Renovating refers to corruption, perversion, decay and the
process of renewal and a new beginning. One of its traditional images is… the ‘Gu’ – a spirit
venom [delusional meme] capable of not only crazing and killing a victim but also securing his
possessions and wealth for the perpetrator of the magic [consumerism]. It suggests
hallucination, loss of reality, sexual debauch, … miasma, sorcery and, most of all, the curse of
the ancestors, the pestilence they send when they are neglected or offended [by ignoring ancient
wisdom we come into conflict with reality and encounter great suffering]. It extends to
straightening, handling, managing these affairs in an individual’s life, work with the inner
images we all carry within us. This is the time when the new seed sprouts, a ‘stem-day’, and
must be carefully watched. It is the time when we pass into action, cross the river, to deal with
these things… Ancestral Gu [spirit venom] played a great part in the fall of the Shang [the old
decadent paradigm]. [It implies] poison, putrefaction, black magic [manipulation of the world for
delusional personal advantage] and the evil deeds done by parents that are manifested in their
children… help things rot away so that a new beginning can be found… something has turned to
poison… search out the source so new growth can begin… This is the right time to enter the
Stream of Life with a goal [action]… Prepare the moment when the new time arrives and
carefully watch over its first growth… It will take a whole period of activity, before the seed of
the new energy bursts open, and a similar period afterwards to stabilize it… [Renovating
implies] an obstacle in the outer world that turns inner growth back on itself… let yourself be
led… and realise a hidden potential… Being engaged in the world of affairs and the service of
kings always implies corruption. If you find its source you can stabilize the situation. Rouse up
the undeveloped potential outside your normal set of values in order to nurture the power to
realise what you must do… This rotting away can be the beginning of a new spring. Make the
effort… You can regulate the world anew… Watch carefully before and after the opening. You
can bring things to a conclusion that results in a new beginning. The spirit above is moving in
this situation… [It implies] an outer limit that turns the focus on inner corruption… rouse a
sense of our common needs, strengthen the power to renew the Ancestral images. You are
journeying into the world of the great symbols [it is interesting to note that ‘Mahamudra’ [FR]
literally means Great Symbol]. "
Disentangling (25): "Disentangling from negative emotions and past traumas…Entanglement
means letting yourself go, succumbing to perverse influence or disease, being without order or
rule, crazy, vain, the compulsive of afflictive emotions, something twisted, perverse, abusive and
cruel. Being released from entanglement results in a state of balance and purity, the image of an
original and originating connection with Heaven. Disentangling suggests the ways to maintain
that purity and freedom from affliction. It enables you to act spontaneously, to deal successfully
to what comes on the stream of time, to attract and welcome the unexpected. It suggests the
demon who carries contagious disease, plague, miasma and drought [Mammon, the god of egoic
mechanistic delusion], and the purification, exorcism and rituals used by wu-intermediaries
[those who channel Wisdom] to drive out these diseases and demons. It is particularly
concerned with the ‘nei ye’ or inner way and the sage person or sage-mind. The meditative
practices of the inner way centre on ‘correcting’ [clarification of delusions], which calms,
tranquillises, rectifies and frees the body in order to restore a state of neutrality and align with
Heaven. This allows energy and breath to circulate freely and transform awareness. It enables a
person to collect great energy and move with or be blessed by Heaven, disentangled from the
afflictive emotions of greed, anger, desire and ignorance. [Disentangling implies] acquiring the
capacity to act spontaneously and confidently… free yourself from disorder, compulsive ideas,
confusion, vanity, anger, lust, hatred and the desire for revenge. By freeing yourself from these
entanglements you acquire the capacity to act directly [channel energy direct from the inner
Source]. This opens up a whole new cycle of time. If you do not correct yourself you will
consistently make mistakes through ignorance and faulty perception [you will continue to dwell
within delusion]. Your sight will be clouded. Imposing a direction on things or having a
direction to go will bring you no advantage. [It implies] new action inspired by the spirit
above… The spirit has really returned. If you return to it you will not be the source of disaster.
Associate with others without getting caught up in disorder. The early rulers, whose virtue [inner
brightness] was strong, used this flourishing time to nourish the Myriad Beings. Firmness and
strength come from outside to activate a central principle within you. Respond and persist in this
connection. This solid purpose is central and links you with the spirits. By staying in touch with
it and continually correcting yourself, you can begin a great period of growth, effective power
and enjoyment. Heaven will bestow it as fate. You must continually correct yourself, for if you
lose the capacity to act in accord with the spirits [reality], how can you do anything right?
Heaven will not protect you [from the ramifications of your delusions, you must learn your
lessons]... [It implies] rousing inner potential that disentangles itself from affliction through its
connection to Heaven… nurture and inspire all things… persist and work through inner
inspiration. It is time to advance. Disentangle yourself. Do it now!. "
Great Accumulates / Gathering the Spirit (26): "Nurturing the Great within ourselves. The
birth of the Great Being and the sage-mind through ‘eating ancient virtue’ [absorbing wisdom
deep within, not just intellectually chewing on it, but digesting it in our lives and thereby
revealing its true message]. This means you find the right time… This refers to the offerings
[alignment] made by the King [the dominant paradigm] to the High Lord [ultimate reality]
through the First Ancestor [the founding idea or foundation of the paradigm]. These were great
jiao-sacrifices that included dances, wine drinking and celebration in which a spirit-meal was
shared. They included all the clans [many paradigms], bringing them out of their dwellings
[metaphorical expressions]… The power to open and close was invested in the King [dominant
paradigm]. Most important, he could end the isolation and restriction of winter [entrenched
cultural delusion] and open the fields [new potential and growth]. To do this, he had to announce
the Change to the ancestors [clarify delusions and renovate all of our past ideas], waking and
nurturing the Great. [It implies] having a central idea that defines what is valuable [a paradigm]
… focus on a single idea and use that to impose a direction on your life. Concentrate everything
on this goal. Gather all the different parts of yourself and all your many encounters. Take the
long view. Think of yourself as raising animals, growing crops or bringing up children. Tolerate
and nourish things. Develop an atmosphere in which things can grow. Putting ideas to the trial
brings profit and insight. It can culminate in great abundance… creative force accumulating
within… let yourself be led [by the times] and realise hidden potential. Assimilate the records of
what your many predecessors have done and go on from there. Accumulate the power to realise
things. Your efforts to shed light on things will bring you glory and substantial rewards. Renew
your power, your virtue and your connection to the Way every day. Have a firm overriding
purpose. Honour what has moral and intellectual power. Stabilize what endures and correct
your focus… Taking in what comes generates meaning and good fortune by releasing
transformative power. It nourishes intellectual and moral power. This is the right moment to
make a move. The connections reach to Heaven… [It implies] hidden power that accumulates in
the inner field… ‘eat ancient virtue’, find the realising power inherent in the words of the sages.
"
Conjoining / Uniting in Spirit (31): "Influx in the Sacred Place … the process through which
spirit enters and influences the human world, giving us omens that help the heart endure on the
voyage of life… a site of radical transformation… Conjoining means urging them on…
Conjoining is an image of the sacred sites, the River-Mountain places [the network of streaming
light], where the spirits dwell. They are places where rituals are offered to influence, attract and
connect with the spirit and bring union among people, places where the wu-intermediaries
[technicians of the spirit] call and contact the shen [spirits]. [It images] the heart moved and
moving. The spirit influx fills, moves and transforms the heart. This is the attraction and union of
contraries, man and woman, human and spirit. It is an influx stirring sentiments, desires, ruling
ideas and deep wellsprings of feeling. It also means ‘to influence, to join with, to feel an influx’
in the sense of ‘I have a feeling in my bones’. It is a physical sensing of spirit moving, an
‘ominous’ experience in the body that moves us… [It is] the connection or influence between
things that expresses how Heaven and Earth influence the hearts of the Myriad Beings… a
central injunction is… be open to the influence, submit and be moved. This is a basic idea of the
inner Way, ‘wu-wei’ or non-acting [not being a delusional ‘doer’ but flowing in harmony with
the Way], the contrary to heroic efforts. [Conjoining is] an influence that excites, mobilizes or
triggers you into action… find the best way to bring things together [unify the fractured
paradigms]. This influence is working to unite the separate parts of something that belongs
together… [It implies] inner strength submitting to outer stimulation. Accept what is coming as a
sign of something greater. This reflects the way the world is made [wisdom elucidates how we
construct our fantasy world]. Relations are clarified and individuals have a way to order their
hearts [wisdom provides a foundation for all social relations]. Bring things together through
emptiness, the empty yet fertile space within you. Make peace, spread satisfaction and
agreement. Something is indeed influencing and exciting you. Through it you can move the
hearts of others… The flexible is above and the firm below. They excite and invoke each other,
moving through mutual interaction. When Heaven and Earth influence each other this way, the
Myriad Beings change and give birth [creative flourishing of spirit in the world]. When the sage
influences people’s hearts this way, the world is harmonized and made even. Contemplate the
place where things can be influenced and touched. By doing so you can see what moves the
hearts of Heaven, Earth and the Myriad Beings. "
Fixing the Omen / Persevering (32): "Persevering refers to creating rituals and symbols that
fix the spirit influence so that it endures in your life. This symbolic activity is similar to writing
down a dream, perceiving its message and making a symbol that recalls the influence and acts
as a guide to action [SMN and IST are my way of fixing the wisdom I have received from the
spirits]. This gives form and enduring influence to the message from the spirits, making their
power and virtue endure in the heart… It is what makes their power firm and keeps harm away.
Confucius said: …’not fixing the ‘de’ (brightness) of an omen leads to failure. Just reading it is
not enough.’ [It] suggests the regular movement of a boat between two shores, the faithful heart,
laws and habits, continuity in development. It implies the continued interaction of spirits and
humans and delivers a warning: one who does not fix the realising power of the omen given by
the spirit faces disaster. It expresses the idea of an organised whole, integrated being or a self-
contained and self-renewing whole. [It implies] what continues and endures… continue on the
way you are going. Be constant, regular and stable. Persist in your normal way of life and what
you feel is right… [It shows] arousing new energy coupled with inner penetration [penetrative
insight]. This is a time for resolute action… Persevering fixes and steadies the power to realise
the Way in action. It mixes things but does not repress them. It focuses on the Way and the power
that is common to all… Establish principles and boundaries that endure… Ground things and
stir them up to new growth. What is solid and what is supple are completely in harmony…
Endure in the Way. The Way of Heaven and Earth endures without coming to an end… When
you complete something, let it become the beginning of the new… he wise person endures in the
Way, and thus the human world changes and perfects itself. Contemplate where you persevere.
By doing so you can see the deep purpose of all the Myriad Beings… [It is] inner penetration
and outer stimulation that renew each other, creating enduring structure… establish the omens
as firm boundaries on all four sides to receive the blessing. "
Subtle Penetration / The Lady of Fates (57): "The Lady of Fates. An intermediary who lays
out the offerings leading to a calling of the spirits, giving them a voice in the human community.
Subtle Penetration means working with concealed influence. Subtle Penetration is the Elegant
Dancer who… lays out the offerings… and carries the fates to the beings. She presents things in
offerings, crosses thresholds and transmits orders from Heaven. Her offerings are an image of
the Myriad Creatures toiling and labouring on the field of Earth, for life is brought and carried
by her winds. She is connected to the Central Palace where fates are consigned and represents a
profound penetration of the above into the below which can lead to the awakening of wisdom.
She prepares… the great meal shared by humans and spirits and nourishes the people on ancient
virtue. She is a spirit caller and healer, offering the virtue [inner brightness] that actualizes an
individual being. She works through hidden influences. She regulates power and virtue, controls
the omens, works and plans from hiding [from the ‘unseen’ aspect of reality] and knows the
right moment. She is a spirit guide… and penetrates to hidden influences. She penetrates to the
core, elegant and powerful, moving like wind and wood in the earth. She is a healer, a
matchmaker, brings each thing to its fate. She governs the free flow of energy and emotion, that
stimulates everything that moves in the body… giving the capacity to act decisively…penetrate to
the core of the problem by being supple and adaptable. Enter from below. Let the situation
shape you. Be humble and compliant; adapt to whatever crosses your path. Take the pervasive
action of the wind, or growing plants extending their roots and branches as you model… Hold
on to your purpose. Have a place to go… See great people. Seek out those who can help and
advise you. Think about the great in yourself and how you organise your thoughts… Turn
potential conflict into creative tension… Subtle Penetration pares away in order to realise the
Way. Evaluate things in private. Balance and equalise opposing forces. Carry out what you have
been told to do [destiny, dharma, inner law]. What is solid and strong has reached the centre. It
is correcting things and its purpose is moving… Plan things by thinking of what is truly great.
That is what will help you… Subtle Penetration spreads the fates and awakens the inner seed of
a new generation… involve the directives of Heaven in all that you do. Work through rousing
and inspiring. A new cycle is beginning. "
Open Expression / The Joyous Dancer (58): "The Joyous Dancer. An intermediary who, once
the offerings and layed out, calls the spirits, giving them a voice in the human community. Open
means seeing and letting it be seen. It enters then it stimulates you. Open is the Joyous Dancer,
the ‘wu’ or spirit-medium who calls down, mates with and speaks for the shen or spirits. She is
instrumental in opening the fields in spring… She is the Young Ancestress who conceives by
stepping in a footprint of Di, the High Lord [walking in the way of Heaven]… In all things she is
the mediator, the one who inspiring words bring joy. [She is] the words from people’s mouths
that connect and inspire us... also joy, delight and pleasure. She is words that connect people
and she presides over the marketplace where people come together and news passes from mouth
to mouth [the 'grapevine', the integrative communication network of the "informal structure" of
society]. She inspires sexuality and satisfaction, expressed as the moment when the harvest is
home and the winter secure. She is the stimulating and loosening one, persuasive speech, delight
and freedom from constraint, the Joyous Dancer whose words make the spirit present here
among us. As a spirit guide Open leads through joy and cheering words, magic and pleasure.
She dances with the shen [spirits] and feels the spirit in her body and gives it words. She
gladdens all things that welcome her... In the body [she] regulates the rhythm of life, making
energy descend and disperse... it is involved in the power of inner images... opening
communication, pleasure and exchange... express yourself openly and interact with others...
Cheer people up and urge them on... Enjoy yourself and free others from constraint... find a
supportive group. Stay inside it. When you penetrate something, you must you must rouse it to
action... stimulate things through expression... Join with friends to discuss and practice things...
Put your ideas to the trial through expressing them and urging people on. That way you both
yield and serve Heaven and connect with others for mutual benefit... By explaining the central
idea you encourage people at their tasks... Joyous Dancer calls the spirits, inspires and reveals
innate form... repeatedly engage in spreading the words and the works of the spirit. Work
through subtle penetration. This involves fate. "
Skinning / Revolution (49): ""
The Vessel / Transformation (50): ""
Gathering Them / Great Works (45): ""
Ascending the Sacred Mountain (46): ""
()
Conceptual Renovation (Mental Yoga)
“Q: How does one shape one's character?
M: By seeing it as it is, and being sincerely sorry. This integral seeing-feeling can work
miracles. It is like casting a bronze image; metal alone or fire alone will not do; nor will the
mould be of any use; you have to melt down the metal in the heat of the fire and cast it in the
mould.” (Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p255 [FR])
<<I Ching Melting the Metals / Casting the Vessel>>
First a warning. The exercise that is about to be described is ultimately not necessary, it could
even get in the way of your progress. In fact this whole discussion and any activity whether
physical or mental can do that if you get caught up in ‘doing’ them. The most direct path is to
just be loose and natural, do nothing but go within, don't 'do' anything.
“Q: No question of reconditioning the mind, changing or eliminating the mind?
M: Absolutely none. Leave your mind alone, that is all. Don't go along with it. After all there is
no such thing as mind apart from thoughts which come and go obeying their own laws, not
yours. They dominate you only because you are interested in them. It is exactly as Christ said:
'Resist not evil'. By resisting evil you merely strengthen it.”
(Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p333 [FR])
If you can simply go beyond the mind made world illusion and connect with reality then do so.
The way of jnana yoga, the yoga of wisdom holds that all ways eventually converge on self-
enquiry (vichara) and simply prepare one for this final step. This self-enquiry is not an
intellectual exercise, it an enquiring with one’s whole being; to discern, experience and know
your true identity.
“The seeker is he who is in search of himself. Give up all questions except one: ‘Who am I?’
After all, the only fact that you are sure of is that you are. The ‘I am’ is certain. The ‘I am this’ is
not. Struggle to find out what you are in reality. To know what you are, you must first investigate
and know what you are not. Discover all that you are not – body, feelings, thoughts, time, space,
this or that – nothing concrete or abstract, which you perceive can be you. The very act of
perceiving shows that you are not what you perceive. The clearer you understand that on the
level of mind you can be described in negative terms only [not this, not that], the quicker you will
come to the end of your search and realize that you are the limitless being.” (Sri Nisargadatta
Maharaj, I am That)
“Shankaracharya [FR] exclusively advocates that the real, experiential knowledge of the
Brahman/Atman identity [you are the Soul and the Soul is the Absolute Reality] is sufficient to
get enlightened, and that as far as spiritual seekers are ready to sacrifice everything to obtain
this supreme wisdom, they need neither rituals nor meditation as spiritual exercise.”
(http://www.creativity.co.uk/creativity/guhen/shankara.htm)
In this sense, all the ideas that discussed here are useful in that they direct one away from deep
illusion and false identification, but they are themselves an illusion of the mind. If you get too
interested in these or any other ideas then that strengthens the minds dominance over you and
you remain trapped in the cultural domain of pseudo reality. However, if you 'seek' and 'enquire'
then you are still caught in the idea of being the 'doer' and needing something to 'do'. The activity
that is described is something 'useful' to do instead of doing nothing or doing something harmful.
It will not take you 'there' but it may help to clarify things and prepare you. There are many other
useful things to do; many traditions provide activities to help prepare those not yet ready or able
to take the plunge [FR].
“Q: It seems that there are two worlds, mine and yours.
M: Mine is real [objective domain], yours is of the mind [cultural domain].
Q: ...If a frog in [a] hole were told about the outside world, he would say: "There is no such
thing. My world is of peace and bliss. Your world is a word structure only, it has no existence."
[separate information spaces - so it seems to be 'just information'] It is the same with you. When
you tell us that our world simply does not exist, there is no common ground for discussion...
M: Quite right.
Q: You have built the railroad but for lack of a bridge no train can pass. Build the bridge.
M: There is no need of a bridge.
Q: There must be some link between your world and mine.
M: There is no need of a link between a real world and an imaginary world, for there cannot be
any.
Q: So what are we to do?
M: Investigate your world, apply your mind to it, examine it critically, scrutinise every idea
about it; that will do.”
(Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p77-8 [FR])
It is true that there is no need, or even possibility for a bridge of ideas connecting through to the
world beyond ideas. However in this discussion is constructed a bridge. It is not any ordinary
bridge; it cannot take you to the “other side” as you might expect a bridge to. It simply sets up a
structure in the illusory world of cultural constructs, which is recognisable to people who dwell
in that world. This is so that they can engage with it. Then it gradually leads them along a path of
ideas, scrutinising the ideas and examining them. All of this is in the world of ideas and is
therefore illusory, but they are ideas that direct one to see the illusoriness of the illusion. All that
only creates motivation. The bridge also elucidates the underlying nature of reality to familiarise
you with the terrain. That only prepares you and will not take you across either. The bridge can
only go to the edge of the world of ideas and not beyond because it is made of ideas.
Were Nisargadatta says: "There is no need of a link between a real world and an imaginary
world, for there cannot be any." this is true regarding a link of ideas; a discourse. But there is a
link!! You are the link. You are the reality, yet you create a world of ideas and dwell in it. Hence
this conceptual bridge, when it reaches the edge of the world of ideas, it reaches you; you are the
source of all your ideas. So this bridge uses ideas to direct your attention back on yourself. You
are the actual bridge. You are the link between the illusion and reality. By taking this bridge and
earnestly returning to your roots you can overcome the illusion and realise that you are already
on the "other side", you never left there, you only misinterpreted it and thought you were
somewhere else, a place of your own imagining.
“Q: I can see that the basic biological anxiety, the flight instinct, takes many shapes and distorts
my thoughts and feelings. But how did this anxiety come into being?
M: It is a mental state caused by the 'I am the body' idea. It can be removed by the contrary
idea: 'I am not the body'. Both the ideas are false, but one removes the other [similarly with IST,
it is not the Truth but it helps to remove confusion]. Realise that no ideas are your own, they all
come to you from outside. You must think it all out for yourself, become yourself the object of
your meditation. The effort to understand yourself is Yoga [union with reality]. Be a Yogi, give
your life to it, brood, wonder, search, till you come to the root of error and to the truth beyond
the error.” (Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p394 [FR])
“Q: How do I come to know that my experience is universal?
M: At the end of your meditation all is known directly, no proofs whatsoever are required. [it is
not logic and proof, instead, reality itself flows into you and illumines the mind]. Just as every
drop of the ocean carries the taste of the ocean, so does every moment carry the taste of eternity.
Definitions and descriptions have their place as useful incentives for further search, but you
must go beyond them into what in indefinable and indescribable, except in negative terms [i.e. It
is not this, not that].
After all, even universality and eternity are mere concepts, the opposites of being place and
time-bound. Reality is not a concept, nor the manifestation of a concept. It has nothing to do
with concepts [reality is “that which is” - it is the objective domain, whereas concepts are
constructs of the mind that may imperfectly reflect reality but ultimately only exist in the cultural
domain]. Concern yourself with your mind, remove its distortions and impurities. Once you have
had the taste of your own self, you will find it everywhere and at all times. Therefore it is so
important that you should come to it. Once you know it, you will never lose it.”
(Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p395 [FR])
“Q: You are asking me to give up the world, while I want to be happy in the world [it is not the
real world but only a pseudo objective illusion of a world].
M: If you ask for the impossible, who can help you? The limited is bound to be painful and
pleasant in turns. If you seek real happiness, unassailable and unchangeable, you must leave the
world with its pains and pleasures behind you. [the ‘world’ is constructed out of illusions and
confusions, only a return to reality brings lasting liberation]
Q: How is it done?
M: Mere physical renunciation is only a token of earnestness, but earnestness alone does not
liberate. There must be understanding which comes with alert perceptivity, eager enquiry and
deep investigation. You must work relentlessly for your salvation from sin and sorrow.
Q: What is sin?
M: All that binds you. [illusion, confusion, delusion, assumption, ignorance, denial, apathy, false
identification, etc]”
(Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p511 [FR])
Although returning to direct experience is ultimately the way, for those too caught up in the mind
made world of ideas to be able to get motivated to "cut the root of the mind" or even understand
what that really means, and for those simply not able to drop their preconceived ideas just yet.
For such people there is still something useful to do such as many simple mystic/spiritual
practices like yoga asanas (physical postures) or just being more aware of your desires,
attachments and compulsive ideas. Furthermore we can greatly improve the distortions of the
mind by open-minded and careful clarification of ideas, genuine fundamental scientific research,
and deep philosophical enquiry and in general by bringing awareness into often unquestioned
ideas, opinions and habits. This can help align both one's own personal ideas and also the
cultural domain with the objective domain (reality) and reduce the distortions and agitations, thus
clarifying our perceptual / experiential process and giving us a clearer perspective on reality. If
awareness and sincerity are applied this can be a positive feedback loop. These realisations must
not be naively accepted but taken with an open-minded skeptical (neither distrusting nor trust but
openly enquiring) approach. Furthermore they must be assimilated deep into our subconscious
minds for the paradigm shift to result in a qualitative improvement in our experiences and most
fundamental understanding of reality; they cannot just be intellectual musings whilst our core
beliefs remain confused and hidden. For this we require either, inner work and development of
some kind or many generations for the ideas to subtly penetrate our minds. In general it is easiest
to use the coherent aspects of the cultural domain (fundamental science, metaphysics, mystic
wisdom, scripture, etc) to develop deeper understanding and motivation to break out of
outmoded ideas; that is the purpose of this discussion. Then one can effectively use or adapt
countless spiritual / meditative practices to actually break away from deeply ingrained cognitive
habits and distortions.
"There is a way between voice and presence where information flows.
In disciplined silence it opens. With wandering talk it closes."
(Jelaluddin Balkhi aka Rumi)
Here is some some advice regarding how to work with paradigms; this comes from experiences
in cultivating deepening insight. When one's memetic ecosystem (paradigm) is exposed to a new
meme several things can happen. If one's mind is inoculated and closed then the new idea is
excluded and nothing changes. However if one is open to the new idea a cascade of changes can
arise, subtly and radically re-structuring things. The degree to which this happens depends on
your openness, willingness, self-awareness, intellect, clarity of mind, imagination, intuition,
detachment from your thoughts and beliefs (thus allowing them to dissolve and re-form),
adaptability, concentration and commitment. If you have a strong degree of self-awareness, inner
clarity and a relatively undistorted perceptual / experiential process then the transition will be
relatively smooth, because you have the guidance of intuition and holistic insight. However some
research into the surrounding discourse may be useful to contextualise the ideas within the wider
cultural discourse.
However in general we can be habituated or attached to certain paradigms. If you are also open
to new ideas the ensuing shift can be challenging and uncomfortable at times, especially if they
represent a far-reaching and radical paradigm shift; your habits and attachments may be broken.
There are ways to facilitate the transition and to gain mastery over your use of paradigms, so
rather than being attached to just one you may utilise many.
The information system model of the perceptual / experiential process can give insights into how
to optimise things. Ultimately what is required is an analysis of the structure of your own
knowledge, the identification of all assumptions buried deep in your subconscious, the
clarification of these assumptions and then following through all the ramifications and gradually
re-examining every article of knowledge and reinterpreting it in light of the changes. This sounds
impossibly laborious, but although it requires sustained conscious effort and focus it is primarily
a subconscious transformation. It can therefore be best approached using imaginative techniques
such as visualisation.
If you are familiar with any particular part of these ideas such as the mathematics, system theory
[FR]
, metaphysics, mysticism [FR] and so on then this can be used as an entry point. Be wary of your
preconceived or habitual ideas about that which you are familiar; familiarity too often breeds a
closed mind. Using what you currently understand, visualise the existential process as a dynamic
flow of information / spirit / essence through a network of systems. Think of it as a "dance of
light" from the outside and a “universal awareness” from the inside. Don’t think of it as outside
and separate to you, it is not happening elsewhere, you too are a pattern of light/awareness and
you participate in the dance; it flows all around you and through you whilst you flow through it;
ultimately there is nothing else but it, all else is appearances.
"Wisdom [light / awareness] is eternal, for it precedes every beginning and all created reality...
[It is] everywhere... in every tastable thing... burning in all things... the animating power of
things... [Wisdom] tastes us. And there is nothing more delicious to comprehend."
(Nicholas of Cusa [FR])
In your "minds eye" 'watch' the systems interact and 'see' the streaming information passing
between them, through them and through yourself. Imaginatively step ‘out’ and see them from
the objective view as an intricate network of light and also empathically / imaginatively step into
the subjective views of different systems and imaginatively experience what it is like to 'be'
them. Remember, this is pure intellect; in the "minds eye"; it is just yoga for the mind; the words
'see' and 'light' are just analogies. If you can integrate your imagination and visual cortex then
you may be able to visually see it; this can be a useful talent so long as you don't respond to it
with a naive realist [FR] attitude and get carried away by the illusion. Remember, anything that you
can see, hear, taste, smell or feel is of the senses and the mind, it is a reflection and not the
reality.
“The way in its passage through the mouth is without flavour.
It cannot be seen, It cannot be heard,
Yet it cannot be exhausted by use." (Tao te Ching by Lao Tzu [FR])
As you learn to 'see' this process in your minds eye, simultaneously try and observe it in your
everyday life, in the familiar world around you and in your familiar responses to that world.
Intellectually superimpose it over your perceptual world and try to discern it operating in every
situation that you experience. Don't slip into the stream of consciousness of 'doing' and being
wholly immersed in the stream of events. Instead be a 'watcher', at least as much as you can (it
takes great mental discipline and practice to be able to maintain this). Watch the stream of events
(both external and internal) like a movie that you are not very engrossed in. Observe the forms,
phenomena and your responses, don't simply categorise them, experience them and respond to
them in habitual ways. Observe them as abstract forms and phenomena. 'See' the systems and the
flow of information, but don't think 'system' or 'information', these words are just guides.
Observe how the phenomena arise and how the forms change. See it as a dance of light /
awareness happening in front of and penetrating into your minds eye; any experience or situation
or object or event or experience or feeling or idea can be contemplated in this way.
Don't rely on habitual associations, meanings, relations, expectations and ways of interpreting
things (old paradigms). You will no doubt still see the old habitual view for some time; the
familiar way that things 'normally' seem. See if you can intellectually permeate this view with
the information-system-like dance of light / awareness. It is a flow of connectedness and
integration. There are no separate parts, just forms and phenomena arising out of the complex
dance of information. These forms have no inherent meaning or associations. Try no to let your
discriminative mind instantly slap a label such as 'tree' or ‘pain’ on the experience then hence
forth only experience 'tree' or ‘pain’. As that is a pale cognitive shadow of the actual experience.
For example, look at a cloud in the sky. The mind immediately discriminates 'cloud' as an object
of consciousness and projects that though form 'out' into the pseudo objective world illusion and
we experience a cloud "out there". If you contemplate where that cloud 'actually' exists, to whom
that cloud exists (who is the perceiver or knower) and where that cloud was a week ago you will
enter deep philosophical territory. A week ago the 'cloud' didn't exist and even now the 'cloud'
only exists within your pseudo objective experiential context (within your mind), but who are
you? That is not a simple question. Are you the mind or the body or the ego? Or are you the pure
awareness that is the foundation of all existence, all perception and all knowing.
The form that we label 'cloud' has no intrinsic meaning 'cloud' and no connection with all of our
various associations, memories, perceptions and so on. It is a complex, temporary confluence of
existential information that we experience as forms and phenomena. It is a region of complexity
in the dance of light / awareness. The cloud is an integral part of the whole system, the sky, the
planet and the cosmos. We perceive a separate form but there is no intrinsic separation; the
individual identity of the cloud only exists within our minds. Outside of that, in the underlying
reality, its only meaning arises from its holistic state of being and integration into the whole; all
other meanings are projections of ideas onto our experience of reality thereby distorting it. This
is analogous to the situation in mathematics. In contrast whenever we read a sentence, each word
has a defined meaning and many associations in our minds, but in mathematical equations the
variables have no intrinsic meaning. Their only meaning arises in the context of their role in the
equation. So one must understand the variable 'x' not as "x marks the spot" or "generation X";
you cannot just apply preconceived associations because there are none. Instead you must
consider how 'x' relates to the other variables, how they combine, how they transform and in this
way one derives a very subtle and often inexpressible understanding of the meaning of 'x'.
This is a major reason why many people have great difficulty understanding mathematics; their
mind is constantly wanting to impose preconceived ideas just as it does in constructing the
experience of everyday life, in linguistic thinking, logical analysis and so on. This does not work
with mathematics because there are no preconceived ideas, only pure pattern and relatedness.
Hence mathematics is a mental discipline that can help one to step out of the habit of imposing
preconceived ideas and confusing them for the reality; instead one subtly observes the patterns in
relation and allows the meaning to arise from the context rather than from preconceived ideas or
“dictionary meanings”. This lack of inherent meaning is intrinsic to the nature of information; a
symbol has no intrinsic meaning and the contingent meaning only arises in context. Whereas the
intrinsic meanings that inhere to everyday objects, concepts and words is intrinsic to the cultural
domain, which is entirely constructed out of preconceived ideas and cognitive associations that
are confused with reality. So a person trapped in the cultural domain cannot help but see a chair
as a chair; that is what it is to them. But if you don’t make any preconceived ideas it is a pattern
of forms in relation that interacts with other forms in relation. One can contemplate it from an
entirely ‘abstract’ but realistic manner. It is called ‘abstract’ even though it is the reality because
the actually abstract illusion is normally considered to be ‘real’; hence all the terminology is
back-to-front. What most people call ‘reality’ is actually illusion and when they encounter
descriptions of the actual reality they call it abstract ideas or fantasy because they are so far from
reality that reality seems so distant and strange.
Now bring your focus back to your habitual categorisations; i.e. come back into your own
personal pseudo objective world. But don't lose sight of the dance of light / awareness. Keep it in
the back of your mind and superimpose it over your world. From this vantage point you can re-
examine all of your categorisations into objects, relations, concepts, feelings and so on. Keeping
this enquiry going in the back of your mind throughout as much of your time as you can will
bring ever deepening and widening insight into things. If it becomes a constant automatic
attitude of subtle penetrative insight then progress will be rapid. A kitchen table isn't just a
wooden object, it is part of a family system, kitchen system, food system, cultural system; it
exchanges information with floor, air, people, light, sound, cosmic rays and so on. It is a
temporary complex form that was once air and minerals, then a tree, then 'timber', then a table
and it will continue to make its way through the world, constantly changing and evolving until at
some point it will no longer be recognisable as a distinct form and we will think of it as
'destroyed'. With the minds eye you can ‘zoom’ into it and see the wood fibres, the molecules,
the atoms, the particles, the energy and information. You can ‘zoom’ out and see it as an integral
part of a wider network of systems in relation, it is part of the house, the countryside, the society,
the nation, the continent, the planet, the galaxy, the universe. On all levels it is intricately
integrated into the whole web of existence. In this way you can learn to see the intricate
interconnections and subtle meanings of things that arises from their holistic context rather than
just seeing them from a cultural context of simplistic words and associations or through naïve
acceptance of systemic perceptual illusions.
In this way your subconscious and conscious paradigm (interpretive lens) will gradually and
continuously become clearer and more holistically unified. The idea of separate objects in space
will become more and more just an archaic abstract belief system that bares no relation to the
reality of your holistic experience. The idea of your self as a disembodied mind with a perfect
view into an objective physical universe made of inert matter will come to seem utterly
unrealistic.
If you have mistaken a rope for a snake and are afraid of it, then “When you come to know that it
is only a rope, your fear disappears. You do not run away from it. Even so, when you realise the
eternal immutable Brahman, you are not affected by the phenomena or the names and forms of
this world. When Avidya or the veil of ignorance is destroyed through knowledge of the Eternal,
when Mithya Jnana or false knowledge is removed by real knowledge of the Imperishable or the
living Reality, you shine in your true, pristine, divine splendour and glory.”
(http://www.shankaracharya.org/advaita_philosophy.php)
This general approach of superimposing paradigms can be used for any paradigms and it can
help to unify paradigms by identifying the parallels and differences. This intellectual-
visualisation approach can be very effective in exploring the differences and parallels between
the two principal paradigms.
Given the nature of the perceptual / experiential process the 'lens' (paradigm) effects the view
and through awareness and insightful observation the view also effects the lens in a coherent and
corrective manner. So an undisciplined, sloppy approach that is permeated by naive realism
constantly blurs and distorts the view. However by focused, sincere and subtle awareness one
can clarify the mind and gradually bring it closer to reality.
Due to the subconscious aspect of the work and the many feedback loops and non-linearity’s of
the perceptual / experiential process it is useful to work in transformative cycles. It is useful to go
back over things, re-read things, re-think things, re-visualise and re-observe things. Each time
your perceptual / experiential process is different so the experience and understanding will be
different. If you are clarifying your consciousness then each time things will be clearer, deeper,
more meaningful, more integrated into your network of ideas and associations (your paradigm)
thus giving you deeper insight. Therefore it is useful to re-examine things in a cyclic manner
until they converge on clear and subtle understanding. It has been said that you can never dive
into the same river twice, because the river has changed and so have you.
These are just paradigm exercises to help you better comprehend the nature of paradigms, to
practice shifting between paradigms and to learn how to use a more accurate paradigm to clarify
and rectify a less accurate paradigm. By holding them up to your minds eye like lenses and
looking through them, superimposing them over your world you can get a 'feel' for them. This
isn't conscious analysis and knowledge but rather subconscious insight and understanding.
Observe how the view changes, how your experience and understanding changes. There is no
'correct' paradigm; they are just fingers pointing at the moon. Some are easier to follow and point
more accurately but they are all still just signposts. So just observe the differences and observe
yourself as well, don't only look outward through the lens but be mindful of your own responses
and feelings. Notice all changes.
By modulating your awareness in this way you get a subconscious 'feel' for what remains
constant and what changes. This teaches you subtle things about paradigms and the nature of
mind. If you only ever see through one lens you cannot distinguish the lens from the seer. This
can lead to mis-identification with particular lenses (paradigms, beliefs, attitudes) and lead to a
closed minded, cynical and fanatical approach that will trap you within a particular outlook. If
you know the seer and can wear many lenses you have a much broader and holistic view. It is
like walking around a statue rather than just standing at the door absorbed in your first and only
view, or even worse, just standing at the entrance and seeing only the information board that
describes the statue and not even looking directly at it.
A Unified Paradigm: An Analogy without words; only pure structure.
In this discussion has been described an emerging scientific paradigm that provides a clear
conceptual language based upon a purely mathematical foundation. Within the conceptual
framework it deconstructed the materialist paradigm by analysing its subjective experiential
roots. This provides motivation to enquire deeper and indicates certain cracks in the illusion
through which we may pass; it is actually more like a gaping hole than a crack, but somehow
people avoid looking at. Then by elucidating the core concepts of IST, which arise from the
mathematics of SMN, and drawing parallels with everyday experience, empirical scientific
knowledge, philosophical conclusions and mystic wisdom it gradually introduces and integrates
them into a holistic paradigm with a single unified structure but with many outer expressions.
The unified paradigm is beyond and behind all the particular paradigms, it has no 'face' of its
own, no words and images; it is pure structure. You can only see it by distilling the common
structure of the particular paradigms.
This is analogous to many music player programs on computers; there is the core functionality
such as play, pause, stop, FF, RW, skip, play lists, visualisation, etc. This core functionality
represents the unified paradigm. This functionality has no 'face'; we cannot interact with it
directly. However there are many 'skins' that integrate the underlying functionality into a
particular interface with a particular look and feel. These are the various particular paradigms
with their particular words and images.
Some 'skins' are tiny and compact with minimal functionality so they sit discretely on the screen
whilst you go about your other work (like naive realism; simple, unobtrusive, just enough
functionality to allow you to go about your work). Some are classy with wood panelling and
stylised designs (like many ancient writings that use awe inspiring images and grand words).
Some are like a vast music library, with indexing schemes of play lists, and intricate
functionality all packed into numerous panels and views (like science with its vast accumulation
of empirical facts, its fragmented disciplines and overload of techniques and procedures). Some
are geared to creating 'trippy' graphics that dance to the music and the control panel is secondary
(like many shamanic and imaginative mystic traditions). Others are minimalist in appearance but
unfold to provide access to everything in its place (like SMN and its unfolding into IST).
Each draws upon the underlying structure of the unified paradigm, wraps it in a skin of analogies
and thereby creates different interfaces that are meaningful and comprehensible to different
people. If one can look through many lenses and superimpose many lenses then the underlying
unified paradigm can be seen clearly. The more paradigms that you superimpose the more
clearly you can resolve the underlying paradigm.
Only you can take yourself ‘there’
All of these paradigm exercises and clarifications can only take you so far. Even given
understanding of many paradigms and a clear vision of the unified paradigm, this is still only
ideas in the mind. Your ideas, thought patterns and the cultural domain may be less confused and
agitated but you are still operating in the world of ideas and not the actual reality. Ultimately you
are just using a more accurate paradigm to clarify less accurate paradigms; but no paradigm is
free from error and confusion. The ultimate reality is beyond all empirical concepts, symbols and
representations.
Reality is "beyond all the elements, and all the letters. There is no commerce with It. It brings all
distinctions and developments to end; as such it is utterly unavailing. It is only peace, repose
and oneness." (Mandukya Upanishad 12)
Reliance on a particular paradigm leaves you open to confusion and error; even the unified
paradigm. The only reliable source of clarification is the Source, the objective domain; the actual
reality. These paradigm exercises help clarify things and make your mind more flexible and
aware but still you could be caught in confusions and delusions that you cannot discern with the
mind because the mind embodies those very confusions and reinforces them. Hence these
exercises are just preparation for "making a crossing".
By "staring naked" and using "the strong light of the Mind" to "burn the veil of ignorance" we
can come to know "the truth of what's beyond the mind". This pure awareness brings wisdom
direct from the source. This wisdom surpasses aeons of dedicated scientific and metaphysical
enquiry; "The light of any lamp dispels in a moment the darkness of long kalpas [aeons]". By
being open to reality the 'light' flows into us and 'illuminates' the mind, casting out the shadows
of ignorance. If one stares nakedly or open-mindedly (in awe) at any manifest form or
phenomena one 'sees' the holistic essence and connects with it; “wonder is the dawn of wisdom.
To be steadily and consistently wondering is sadhana [path leading to realization].” (Sri
Nisargadatta Maharaj, "I am That", p511 [FR]). The 'light' within you is the same light that
animates all forms, there is only one universal essence that permeates all things, so: "The light of
any lamp" will do, so long as one's mind is truly open.
"Every second he's bowing into a mirror. If he could see for just a second one molecule of what's
there without fantasizing about it, he'd explode.
His imagination and he himself, would vanish, with all his knowledge, obliterated into a new
birth, a perfectly clear view, a voice that says, I am God.
That same voice told the angels to bow to Adam, because they were identical with Adam.
It's the voice that first said, There is no reality but God. There is only God." (Jelaluddin Balkhi
aka Rumi)
"if with the mind one then observes the mind, one destroys distinctions and reaches
buddhahood." (Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra [FR])
So rather than laboriously and tentatively enquiring our way all the way to the source (if such a
thing is even possible, can a crooked mind straighten itself by using only mind?), instead just
enquire as close as you need to; to transform your belief, disbelief, confusion and agitation into
clear knowledge. From here you can turn within, "burn the veil of ignorance" then "leap across"
and connect to the source. From here you can receive wisdom; more than enough to work from
the source back toward the level of understanding from which you leapt. From here the genuine
wisdom from direct holistic experience can flow through without distortion and rectify all of
your previously acquired knowledge and from there into the cultural domain.
"Wisdom is enveloped by ignorance: thereby creatures are bewildered. But for those in whom
ignorance is destroyed by wisdom, for them wisdom lights up the Supreme Self like the sun.
Thinking of That, directing their whole conscious being to That, making That their whole aim,
with That as the sole object of their devotion, they reach a state from which there is no return,
their sins [delusions] washed away by wisdom." (Bhagavad Gita, chpt 5:15-17 [FR])
"The darkness of ages cannot shroud the glowing sun; the long kalpas [aeons] of samsara
[delusion of the pseudo objective world] ne'er can hide the mind's brilliant light." (Tilopa's
Song of Mahamudra [FR])
Before "… I knew so many things. Now I know nothing, for all knowledge is in dream only and
not valid. I know myself and I find no life nor death in me, only pure being - not being this or
that, but just 'being'. But the moment the mind, drawing on its stock of memories, begins to
imagine, it fills the space with objects and time with events. As I do not know even this birth, how
can I know past births? It is the mind that, itself in movement, sees everything moving, and
having created time, worries about the past and future. All the universe is cradled in
consciousness (maha tattva) [ultimate true essence, Reality], which arises where there is perfect
order and harmony (maha sattva) [ultimate being, pure existence]. As all waves are in the
ocean, so are all things physical and mental in awareness. Hence awareness itself is all
important, not the content of it. Deepen and broaden your awareness of yourself and all the
blessings will flow. You need not seek anything, all will come to you most naturally and
effortlessly... All exists in awareness and awareness neither dies nor is reborn. It is the
changeless reality itself... If you think it out carefully and brood over it for a long time, you will
come to see the light of awareness in all its clarity and the world will fade out of your vision.
As long as the mind is busy with its own contortions, it does not perceive its own source. The
Guru comes and turns your attention to the spark within. By its very nature the mind is outward
turned [operating on ideas as if they were reality]; it always tends to seek for the source of things
amongst the things themselves; to be told to look for the source within, is, in a way, the
beginning of a new life. Awareness takes the place of consciousness; in consciousness there is
the 'I', who is conscious, while awareness is undivided; awareness is aware of itself. The 'I am' is
a thought, while awareness is not a thought; there is no 'I am aware' in awareness.
Consciousness is an attribute while awareness is not, one can be aware of being conscious, but
not conscious of awareness [as soon as thoughts arise consciousness arises, consciousness
focuses on the content of thought so the underlying awareness is obscured].” (Sri Nisargadatta
Maharaj, "I am That", p251 [FR])
Cultural Renovation
Ultimately the only way toward reality and reliable knowledge is through direct experience, not
through communicated ideas. The ideas and the whole cultural domain play a vital role because
of the feedback loops. A very confused and distorting cultural domain produces disharmony,
dysfunction, suffering and deepening entrapment in illusion. A less confused cultural domain
produces harmony, vitality, joy and easy access to deep wisdom and self-development. No
cultural domain is entirely free from confusion but some are less confused than others. Due to
the feedback loops confusion can spiral into delusion and awareness can spiral into wisdom.
If the misunderstanding, misrepresentation and denial between science, religion and mysticism
[FR]
can be overcome and enough people also return to direct experience through inner
development, then we can renovate the cultural domain. By correcting the foundation then
working upwards, refining, broadening and unifying our knowledge, we may grow in wisdom
and harmonious participation in life. As the cultural domain is refined and rectified it more and
more closely represents and encapsulates the true nature of reality. So the dissemination,
language, individual ideas, interpretations and conceptualisations become less distorting, and so
we are better able to experience, understand, express and communicate, thereby interacting more
harmoniously and growing with vitality. Making it easier and easier to overcome the remaining
confusions and to return to direct experience, reality and true objective knowledge. This is a
positive feedback loop that leads toward dwelling fully in the broader holistic reality and not
being limited by false ideas.
"I do my utmost to attain emptiness; [detachment from ideas]
I hold firmly to stillness. [detachment from desires, aversions and
compulsions]
The myriad creatures all rise together [the pseudo objective world arises each
moment in people’s minds]
And I watch their return. [our nature is to seek reality in the end,
perhaps after lifetimes of suffering]
The teaming creatures
All return to their separate roots. [turn within themselves]
Return to one's roots is known as stillness. [peace, bliss, liberation]
This is what is meant by returning to one's destiny. [the end of delusion and becoming a
harmonious motion of God-in-action]
Returning to one's destiny is known as the constant. [all else ends in destruction, only
harmonious being endures]
Knowledge of the constant is known as discernment. [true reliable timeless wisdom]
Woe to him who wilfully innovates [e.g. narrow minded technological /
scientific / political devastation
while ignorant of the constant, of the planet has brought ‘woe’ and
suffering to this world]
But should one act from knowledge of the constant
One's action will lead to impartiality, [the opposite of fanaticism, oppression and
aggression]
Impartiality to kingliness, [harmonious effective custodianship, true
leadership, integration rather than disintegration]
Kingliness to heaven, [dwelling in reality]
Heaven to the way, [flowing with reality]
The way to perpetuity, [enduring vitality and everlasting life]
And to the end of one's days one will meet with no danger." [no decay, no disease, no death]
(Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu [FR])
This work proposes that a well-developed science of information systems can assist in analysing
our holistic situation and shed light on the cultural domain, in particular the materialist and
mystic discourses, showing how they relate. This analysis is one small example of its
application; showing how it can help to cut through the knot of confusion and misunderstanding
that obscures the relationship between subjective/objective and mysticism/materialism. The
science of information systems provides a new conceptual language (with a mathematical basis)
that is not as open to misunderstanding as concepts such as spirit, matter, God [FR], Universe etc.
The meanings of these words have become so blurred and distorted over time. A holistic rational
approach such as that proposed here could help shed light on the deeper meanings of these
concepts and the deeper reality that they refer to. If we genuinely seek the 'real' as opposed to the
'illusory' we must open our minds and "return to our roots".
The approach proposed in this discussion is a profoundly and unflinchingly skeptical approach.
However cynicism is prevalent throughout the collective discourse, especially from the scientific
and religious establishments but also permeating the general population. It is impossible to have
a meaningful rational discussion with a cynic because their perceptual / experiential process is
distorted so that everything that one may say would manifest as nonsense in the cynics mind.
They are resistant to understanding the meaning of what is said and only seek leverage by which
they can attack the idea and thereby prevent their own unquestioned beliefs from being
questioned. They primarily seek to stifle genuine debate and to encourage an air of orthodoxy
and intolerance that is hostile to opposing points of view. Minor non-threatening innovations are
eagerly sought but anything profound is shunned like the plague.
For emphasis here is a repeat from an earlier quote defining ‘skepticism’: "To some degree
skepticism manifests itself in the scientific method, which demands that all things assumed as
facts be questioned. But the positivism of many scientists, whether latent or open, is incompatible
with skepticism, for it accepts without question the assumption that material effect is impossible
without material cause." (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia
University Press., 2003. Answers.com 11 Jun. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/skepticism)
This positivism is one of the "sacred cows" of science, it's fundamental article of faith. Those
who challenge it are attacked with irrational defensiveness. They are excommunicated from the
scientific orthodoxy and labelled as heretics (crack-pots). Just as mystics have been labelled
heretical (unspiritual) for being too spiritual, so too many scientists are labelled as crackpots for
being too skeptical and scientific. If one adds to the orthodoxy and the dogma then one is
accepted as a great scientist but if one's scientific rigour brings one into conflict with the dogma
then one is forced into isolation and obscurity.
The scientific and modern world is here challenged to question its deepest beliefs; to cease its
cynicism and to become skeptical; to act with genuine integrity and to bring its actions into
accord with its highest ideals of skeptical enquiry free of unquestioned beliefs and assumptions.
In this approach we have neither believed nor disbelieved, but rather, held all possibilities in
mind and tried to comprehend them as best we can within the limitations of our situations.
However this discussion puts forward a particular position; it argues that both the materialist
and mystic paradigms are coherent and complimentary perspectives on reality and that
they can be unified within an information system theoretic paradigm.
Thousands of years of accumulated empirical experience and sincere philosophical and scientific
knowledge cannot be ignored and neither can thousands of years of accumulated mystic
experience and sincere introspective wisdom. Mysticism [FR] was our first, and is still our deepest
window onto reality. In the west mysticism was suppressed and demonised due to the political
subversion and corruption of the Christian religion. Then religion, severed from its roots,
spiralled into delusion got a bad reputation due to its corruption. Then secular empirical science
gave us a new window onto reality but due to the narrowness of this window science is
fragmented. Any rational approach applied in a narrow context is holistically irrational and
dysfunctional, as seen in the growing ecological devastation and social and psychological
disorders currently manifesting all around us.
"Mere purposive rationality unaided by such phenomena as art, religion, dreams, and the like, is
necessarily pathologic and destructive to life." (Gregory Bateson)
Only a holistic rational approach leads to harmony and enduring growth. By keeping to the facts
of science but re-examining it's assumptions and conclusions, whilst also skeptically examining
the mystic perspective on reality we can develop a holistic paradigm and way of life that is
effective and suited to the modern world.
This position was not arrived at by belief and projection; it favours neither science nor
mysticism. This conclusion was only arrived at after more than a decade of deep open-minded
contemplation, observation, scientific enquiry, eclectic research, spiritual practices, applying the
ideas, thus initiating a process of self-transformation, and insights received in moments of
stillness (i.e. by connecting to the source and receiving glimpses of transcendent wisdom).
Nothing was taken as true until carefully analysed, verified and assimilated into the growing
conceptual framework that underlies the IST paradigm. In particular the mathematical foundation
that underlies it and permeates it give definite assurance of the coherence of the IST paradigm.
Although it describes a particular paradigm (IST) it does not propose itself to be a belief system.
It recognises and elucidates the limitations of perception and knowledge; hence it makes no
ontological claims about "what is". However the nature of the language makes it difficult to
avoid statements that sound like ontological pronouncements, but these statements are just
analogies. The IST paradigm is merely a conceptual language and an extended analogy to help us
comprehend our situation and to understand how to directly connect with genuine, reliable
knowledge. IST itself is not given as an end in itself, it is simply a device to correct certain
confusions, enhance our ability to comprehend and communicate our holistic situation and to
direct us and motivate us to re-connect with reality.
Genuine, reliable, direct, holistic experience and knowledge of objective reality is the goal, and
open-minded enquiry and self-mastery is the way. Only by aligning with reality can we persist in
the world. Ultimately the price of delusion is suffering and destruction. By opening up to our
own inner processes we can reconnect with the objective reality and channel wisdom into the
cultural domain. Then humanity has a chance to survive, grow and flourish.
"I saw you and became empty.
This emptiness, more beautiful than existence,
it obliterates existence, and yet when it comes,
existence thrives and creates more existence!
The sky is blue. The world is a blind man
squatting on the road.
But whoever sees your emptiness
sees beyond blue and beyond the blind man.
A great soul hides like Muhammad, or Jesus,
moving through a crowd in a city
where no one knows him...
Why should we grieve that we've been sleeping?
It doesn't matter how long we've been unconscious.
We're groggy, but let the guilt go.
Feel the motions of tenderness around you, the buoyancy. "
(Jelaluddin Balkhi aka Rumi)

Further Reading
This list of links is just provided for further reading if you are interested in exploring a topic
further. They are just some starting points and are not presented as proof or justification for
anything. They may be useful or they may not. The best approach is to discern the key words that
signify what you wish to explore and use a good search engine and do some library and journal
searches if you have access. In some cases the links are well known to me but in most cases the
links are simply the result of putting a few keywords into a search engine and then about 15
minutes poking around – so they are not endorsed, they are really just openings for further
exploration at your own risk...
Index
Ab Initio calculations Information Theory Self-Excited Circuit
Akashic Field Jnana Yoga, the path of Shankaracharya
Algorithmic Complexity Wisdom Signal Analysis
Aquinas, Thomas Jung, Carl Gustav Simulation
Automata Kabbalah Denudata Skepticism
Bhagavad Gita Karma Yoga, the path of SMN Dimensional Spaces
Bhakti Yoga, the path of Selfless Action Solipsism
Devotion Knowledge Stendahl, Krister
Buddha (Epistemology) String Theory
Caddy, Eileen Luttwak, Edward - Coup System Matrix Notation (SMN)
Capra, Fritjof d'Etat Systems Theory, Cybernetics and
Cartesian Dualism Magellan, Ferdinand Related Approaches
Cells Mahamudra Tantra Yoga, the path of Expansion
Communication Maharaj, Sri Nisargadatta (Skakti)
Complexity Maharshi, Sri Ramana Tao Te Ching
Conditioning Manipulation of Consent Time: Past, Present, Future and the
Conflict, Peace and Mathematics, the Eternal Now
Systemic Health Language of Existence Unification of Science
Confused concepts of The Matrix (Movie) Unification of Science and Mysticism
God Media Manipulation Via Information System Theory
Consciousness Meister Eckhart Unreasonable Effectiveness of
Conspiracy or Systemic Memes / Cognitive Mathematics in the Natural Sciences
Force? Viruses Virtual Reality and Computational
Cyberculture Meta-System Transition Metaphysics
Einstein, Albert Metaphysical Approach of Visual Agnosia and comprehension
Empirical Science SMN / IST forming ideas from experience
Empiricism Miscellaneous Whitehead, Alfred North
Finite Discrete Mysticism Yoga
Information Naive (Commonsense)
Feynman Paths Realism
Fundamental Constants New (Cutting-Edge)
and Low-level Physics Science
General Systems Theory Newspeak in Orwell's
God 1984
Graph and Network Nicholas of Cusa
Theory Ontology (study of what
Gravity Wave Detection is)
Heschel, Rabbi Abraham Organisations and
Hildegard of Bingen Organisms
Holistic Organisations Overview of the SMN /
and Movements IST approach
How Objective is Paradigms and Paradigm
Science? Shift
Information Physics Phenomenology (study of
Information Systems what seems to be)
Theory (My own work) Primitive Thisness and
Information Systems Primitive Identity
Theory (Specialised) Process Studies
 Quantum Optics
Quantum Physics
Quantum Teleportation
Raja Yoga, the path of
Eight Limbs
Schizmogenesis

Ab Initio calculations
Ab initio quantum chemistry methods
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab_initio_quantum_chemistry_methods
Cyclic Computational Model
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Cyclic%20Computation.html
Akashic Field
Science and the Akashic Field
The%20Akashic%20Field.html
What is the Akashic Field?
http://www.cjmartes.com/cjmartes_akashicfield.html
Akashic records (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashic_records
Ervin Laszlo's Akashic Field and The Dilemmas of Modern Consciousness Research
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/gwof/2006/00000062/F0020001/art00011
The Akashic Records
http://www.spiritmythos.org/TM/akashic/akashrec.html
Akashic Field Therapy
http://www.ascension.net/monthlycolumns.asp?columnist=4&id=101
Books:
Akashic field
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Akashic-Field-Integral-Everything/dp/1594771812
Book Review: Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything
http://www.deepspirit.com/sys-tmpl/scienceandtheakashicfield/
Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos: The Rise of the Integral Vision of Reality by
Ervin Laszlo
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Reenchantment-Cosmos-Integral-Reality/dp/1594771022
The Self-Aware Universe: How Consciousness Creates the Material World by Amit Goswami
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Self-Aware-Universe-Consciousness-Creates-
Material/dp/0874777984
The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe by Lynne McTaggart
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Quest-Secret-Force-Universe/dp/0007145101
The Connectivity Hypothesis: Foundations of an Integral Science of Quantum, Cosmos, Life and
Consciousness (R H. Abraham)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Connectivity-Hypothesis-Foundatins-Integral-
Consciousness/dp/0791457869
The Chaos Point: The World at the Crossroads by Ervin Laszlo
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chaos-Point-World-Crossroads/dp/074992716X
Algorithmic Complexity
What is Algorithmic Complexity?
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-algorithmic-complexity.htm
Algorithmic Information Theory
http://www.hutter1.net/ait.htm
Kolmogorov complexity (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolmogorov_complexity
Computational complexity theory (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_complexity_theory
Algorithmic Complexity ISCID Encyclopedia of Science and Philosophy
http://www.iscid.org/encyclopedia/Algorithmic_Complexity
Book: An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications
http://homepages.cwi.nl/~paulv/kolmogorov.html
Aquinas, Thomas
Saint Thomas Aquinas (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas/
Thomas Aquinas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Thomas Aquinas
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14663b.htm
SUMMA THEOLOGICA: Home
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/
Thomistic Philosophy - the philosophy Thomas Aquinas
http://www.aquinasonline.com/
Thomas Aquinas [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/a/aquinas.htm
Garth Kemerling: Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274)
http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/aqui.htm
St. Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways
http://members.aol.com/plweiss1/aquinas.htm
Thomas Aquinas on the Web: Philosophy
http://historymedren.about.com/library/who/blwwaquinaswebph.htm
Automata
Analogues of Quantum Complimentarity in the Theory of Automata (PDF):
http://tph.tuwien.ac.at/~svozil/publ/1998-shpmp.pdf
Empirical logic of finite automata: microstatements versus macrostatements:
http://tph.tuwien.ac.at/~svozil/publ/zapatrin.htm
Reversible cellular automata:
http://www.alife.co.uk/ca/bbm/index.html
Finite Automata Models of Quantum Systems: Conceptual Status and Outlook (PDF):
http://www.arxiv.org/PS_cache/quant-ph/pdf/0209/0209089.pdf
How to Build a Network Automaton:
http://novaspivack.typepad.com/nova_spivacks_weblog/2004/05/how_to_build_a_.html
Information Processing and Transmission in Cellular Automata:
http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/banks/banks_commentary.htm
Book: Cellular Automata Machines: A New Environment for Modeling:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262200600/thenoteboofphilo
Book: Cellular Automata and Complexity
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201626640/thenoteboofphilo
Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita
Bhagavad Gita
http://www.bhagavad-gita.us/
International Gita Society
http://www.gita-society.com/
Bhagavad Gita (Exploring Ancient World Cultures)
http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/gita.htm
Bhagavad Gita (about.com)
http://hinduism.about.com/od/thegita/The_Bhagavad_Gita.htm
Bhagavad Gita (Sacred Texts)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/gita/index.htm
Bhakti Yoga, the path of Devotion
Bhakti (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakti
Bhakti Yoga (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakti_yoga
Bhakti Yoga (Yogaworld)
http://www.yogaworld.org/jnana.htm
Bhakti Yoga (By Sri Swami Sivananda)
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/bhaktiyoga.htm
Bhakti Saints
http://bvml.org/
Bhakti Yoga - Yoga of Devotion
http://www.hinduism.co.za/bhakti1.htm
The 4 Paths of Yoga (Sivananda)
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/philosophy/fourpaths.html
Praise And Worship - Love from the Heart
http://www.allaboutgod.com/praise-and-worship.htm
Bhakti Yoga (Vedanta Society)
http://www.vedanta.org/wiv/practice/yogas/bhakti.html
Find The Power Devotional Pages
http://www.findthepower.com/dailydevotions/
Buddha
Buddha (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha
Gautama Buddha (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha
Buddha (Quotes)
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddha.html
Buddha
http://www.crystalinks.com/buddha.html
Lord Buddha (by Sri Swami Sivananda)
http://www.sivanandadlshq.org/saints/buddha.htm
What is a Buddha?
http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/buddha.html
Gautama (Sakyamuni) Buddha
http://www.cosmicharmony.com/Av/Buddha/Buddha.htm
Caddy, Eileen
Eileen Caddy - « the little voice »
http://www.skyenergyportal.com/eileen-caddy/
Eileen Caddy (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Caddy
Eileen Caddy (Quotes)
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/eileen_caddy.html
The Findhorn Foundation
http://www.findhorn.org/home_new.php
The Findhorn Foundation (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Findhorn_Foundation
Capra, Fritjof
Fritjof Capra (Home Page)
http://www.fritjofcapra.net/
Fritjof Capra (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritjof_Capra
The Tao of Physics (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tao_of_Physics
Fritjof Capra (Quotes and links)
http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Philosophy-Fritjof-Capra.htm
Fritjof Capra (Quotations)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Fritjof_Capra/
The Emerging New Culture (Interview)
http://www.intuition.org/txt/capra.htm
Books:
The Tao of Physics
http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Physics-Fritjof-Capra/dp/1570625190
The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems
http://www.amazon.com/Web-Life-Scientific-Understanding-Systems/dp/0385476760
The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living
http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Connections-Science-Sustainable-Living/dp/0385494726
The Turning Point: Science, Society, and the Rising Culture
http://www.amazon.com/Turning-Point-Science-Society-Culture/dp/0553345729
Cartesian Dualism
Cartesian Dualism and Information Theoretic Metaphysics:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Cartesian%20Dualism.html
Cells
Eukaryote
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eukaryote
Prokaryote
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prokaryote
Organelle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organelle
Mitochondrion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrion
Phyla
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyla
Communication Complexity
How We Communicate
http://www.simplerwork.com/c/c2.htm
Communication Complexity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_complexity
Communication Complexity (PDF)
http://www.cs.duke.edu/~jeffp/triseminar/jeff-CC.pdf
Communication Complexity: A modern Approach (PDF)
http://www.cs.princeton.edu/theory/complexity/communicatechap.pdf
Conditioning
PSYOPS and "Coercive Persuasion"
http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=22461
Propaganda, Persuasion & Deception: Over 1,120 Selected Quotations for the Ideological
Skeptic (PDF)
http://www.overalltech.net/pub/Quotations-Propaganda.pdf
Mass Mind Control?
http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/Laura-Knight-Jadczyk/mass_mind_control.htm
Lobster Magazine: The Journal of Parapolitics
http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/
Conversion and "Brainwashing" in New Religious Movements
http://www.cesnur.org/2003/brain_conv.htm
Land Of The Puppet People
http://www.rense.com/general69/pup.htm
Progressive Awareness Chpt Four: Self-Knowledge and Self-Transformation (Conditioning)
http://www.hermes-press.com/PA/PAch4.htm
LinkBlog: propaganda
http://edstrong.blog-city.com/linkblog/tags/?t=propaganda
Articles about Mind Control
http://www.signs-of-the-times.org/signs/chains/signs20060204_MindControl.php
The Unearthing: An Awakening Has Arrived
http://www.dailyscare.com/comment/reply/1211
Do You Believe in the War on Terror? Congratulations! You've Been Thoroughly Brainwashed
http://www.dailyscare.com/1257/do-you-believe-in-the-war-on-terror-congratulations-youve-
been-thoroughly-brainwashed
The Daily Scare: Exposing Media and Government Propaganda, Obfuscation, Scare Tactics and
Fearmongering
http://www.dailyscare.com/
The Rape of the Mind-The Psychology of Thought Control, Menticide and Brainwashing (online
book)
http://home.tiscali.de/alex.sk/A_Meerloo.html
The Unearthing: An Awakening Has Arrived
http://www.dailyscare.com/1211/the_unearthing_an_awakening_has_arrived
Mind Control in the 21st Century
http://www.pahealthsystems.com/message665572.html
Books:
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil (Philip Zimbardo)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400064112
The Programming of the President: the Hidden Power of the Computer in World Politics Today,
London: Aurum Press
http://www.hermes-press.com/PA/sps3.htm
America, Awake!
http://www.hermes-press.com/covers.htm
See also:
Manipulating Consent
Media
Memes
Naive Realism
Newspeak
How Objective is Science
Conflict, Peace and Systemic Health
Systemic Health analysis of harmony and disharmony
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Systemic%20Health.html
Analysis of Regimes and Resistance: Analysis of regime building leading to conflict with
innocent forces that become embittered due to authoritarian attitudes, thus leading to entrenched
struggle that undermines the very foundation of the regime.
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Analysis%20of%20Regimes%20and
%20Resistance.html
Approaches to the Problem of Civilisation,
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Approaches%20to%20the%20Problem%20of
%20Civilisation.html
Descent into Chaos an allegory for modern times.
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Descent%20into%20Chaos.html
Global Awakening the future of consciousness.
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Global%20Awakening.html
Comments on my Experiences Regarding Authoritarianism
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Comments%20on%20Authoritarianism.html
The Two Perspectives Transcendent and Empirical
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/The%20Two%20Perspectives.html
The Akashic Field and Systemic Health,
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/The%20Akashic%20Field%20and%20Systemic
%20Health.html
Confused Concepts of God
Do You Believe in God?
http://www.dailyscare.com/1246/do-you-believe-in-god
The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins) (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_God_Delusion
Agnosticism
http://www.religioustolerance.org/agnostic.htm
Atheism
http://www.religioustolerance.org/atheist.htm
Does God Exist?
http://radicalacademy.com/doesgodexist.htm
God vs. Science
http://www.guerrillanews.com/blogs/19781/God_vs_Science
Books:
Non-Existence of God (Nicholas Everitt)
http://www.amazon.com/Non-Existence-God-Nicholas-Everitt/dp/0415301076
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
(Richard Dawkins)
http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Watchmaker-Evidence-Evolution-Universe/dp/0393315703
God?: A Debate Between a Christian and an Atheist (Point/counterpoint) by William Lane Craig
http://www.amazon.co.uk/God-Between-Christian-Atheist-counterpoint/dp/0195166000
Atheist Universe by David Mills
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Atheist-Universe-David-Mills/dp/1413434819/ref=pd_sim_b_2/026-
0006480-7659636
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel C. Dennett
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breaking-Spell-Religion-Natural-Phenomenon/dp/0713997893
Why Gods Persist: Scientific Approach to Religion by Robert A. Hinde
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Gods-Persist-Scientific-Approach/dp/0415208262
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris
http://www.amazon.co.uk/End-Faith-Religion-Terror-Future/dp/0743268091
Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Lewis Wolpert
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Impossible-Things-Before-Breakfast/dp/0571231683/
The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God
http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Theism-Arguments-Against-Existence/dp/019824682X
The Existence of God by Richard Swinburne
http://www.amazon.com/Existence-God-Richard-Swinburne/dp/0199271682
Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris
http://www.amazon.com/Letter-Christian-Nation-Sam-Harris/dp/0307265773
The Cambridge Companion to Atheism (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy) by Michael
Martin
http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Companion-Atheism-Companions-
Philosophy/dp/0521603676
Moral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers by Brooke Allen
http://www.amazon.com/Moral-Minority-Skeptical-Founding-Fathers/dp/1566636752
Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life by Alister E. McGrath
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dawkins-God-Genes-Memes-Meaning/dp/1405125381
The Dawkins Delusion? by Alister McGrath; Joanna Collicutt McGrath
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dawkins-Delusion-Alister-McGrath-Collicutt/dp/0281059276
Intellectuals Don't Need God and Other Modern Myths: Building Bridges to Faith Through
Apologetics by Alister E. McGrath
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intellectuals-Dont-Other-Modern-Myths/dp/0310590914
The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis Collins
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/0743286391
The Naked Emperor: Darwinism Exposed by Antony Latham
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Naked-Emperor-Darwinism-Exposed/dp/1857566351
Christian Theology: An Introduction by PROF ALISTER E. McGRATH
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christian-Theology-PROF-ALISTER-McGRATH/dp/1405153601
The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World (Alister E.
McGrath)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-Atheism-Disbelief-Modern-World/dp/1844135748
The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design (Leonard Susskind)
http://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Landscape-String-Illusion-Intelligent/dp/0316155799
God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist by Victor J Stenger
http://www.amazon.com/God-Failed-Hypothesis-Science-Shows/dp/1591024811
Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism by David Mills
http://www.amazon.com/Atheist-Universe-Thinking-Christian-Fundamentalism/dp/1569755671
Coming to Peace With Science: Bridging the Worlds Between Faith and Biology by Darrel R.
Falk
http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Peace-Science-Bridging-Between/dp/0830827420
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
http://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652926
God's Universe by Owen Gingerich
http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Universe-Owen-Gingerich/dp/0674023706
Evolution and Christian Faith: Reflections of an Evolutionary Biologist by Joan Roughgarden
http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Christian-Faith-Reflections-Evolutionary/dp/1597260983
Who Made God?: And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith by Ravi Zacharias
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Made-God-Answers-Questions/dp/0310247101
The Non-existence of God: An Introduction by Nicholas Everitt
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Non-existence-God-Introduction-Nicholas-Everitt/dp/0415301076
Hard Questions, Real Answers by William Lane Craig
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hard-Questions-Answers-William-Craig/dp/1581344872
Challenging the Verdict: A Cross-examination of Lee Strobel's "The Case of Christ" by Earl
Doherty
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Challenging-Verdict-Cross-examination-Strobels-
Christ/dp/0968925901
Unintelligent Design by Mark Perakh
http://www.amazon.com/Unintelligent-Design-Mark-Perakh/dp/1591020840
The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Side-Christian-History/dp/0964487349
Atheism: The Case Against God (Skeptic's Bookshelf) by George H. Smith
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Atheism-Case-Against-Skeptics-Bookshelf/dp/087975124X
and the list goes on and on... it is a furious fools debate!
Consciousness
my website, SSE discussion
<<find links>>
Consciousness
http://www.deepspirit.com/sys-tmpl/consciousnesswhatisit/
Panpsychism
http://www.deepspirit.com/sys-tmpl/panpsychism/
Intersubjectivity: Exploring Consciousness from the Second-Person Perspective
http://www.deepspirit.com/sys-tmpl/intersubjectivity/
Language, Energy & Consciousness
http://www.deepspirit.com/sys-tmpl/languageenergyconsciousness/
Short Papers on Consciousness, Energy, Information, etc
http://www.deepspirit.com/sys-tmpl/shortessays/
Everything is a form of Conscious Energy
http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg/
Integrated Theory of Intelligence
http://www.supraconsciousnessnetwork.org/Home.htm
Cellular Consciousness and Conception
http://www.real-personal-growth.com/res_fixing/graham_farrant/graham_farrant_interview.htm
Conspiracy or Systemic Force?
Signs of the Times
http://www.signs-of-the-times.org/
Something Wicked This Way Comes
http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/wicked.htm
The Security-Industrial Complex
http://www.dailyscare.com/1249/the-security-industrial-complex
War on terror, culture of fear
http://www.dailyscare.com/1255/war-on-terror-culture-of-fear
The Daily Scare: Exposing Media and Government Propaganda, Obfuscation, Scare Tactics and
Fearmongering
http://www.dailyscare.com/
The Great American Catalyzing Event
http://www.dailyscare.com/1238/the-great-american-catalyzing-event
The execution [of] 9/11 shows the criminal tendencies of a Nazi Clique
http://www.dailyscare.com/1237/the-execution-of-9-11-shows-the-criminal-tendencies-of-a-
nazi-clique
Stalag World - The Prison Planet
http://chem11.proboards2.com/index.cgi?board=politics&action=print&thread=1078485549
Terror's Unwilling Ally (PDF): maps out the arteries of an international economic system that
feeds armed groups the world over.
http://www.coldtype.net/Assets.07/Essays/0407.Terror.pdf
Cheney's Nuclear Drumbeat (PDF)
http://www.coldtype.net/Assets.07/Essays/0407.Cheney.pdf
The Cold Type Archives
http://www.coldtype.net/archives.html
Third World Traveler: an alternative view to the U.S. mainstream media (Excellent quotes)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/
'There's Always Money For War'
http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0319-01.htm
Books:
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil (Philip Zimbardo)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400064112
See also:
Conditioning
Global Human Meta System Transition
Meta System Transition
Conflict and Peace
Confused Concepts of God
Media
Manipulation of Consent
Memes
Cyberculture
The Cyberpunk Project
http://project.cyberpunk.ru/
Cyberculture: Course Syllabi & Teaching Resources
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=595
Cyberculture Resources
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2710
Einstein, Albert
Einstein Archives Online
http://www.alberteinstein.info/
Einstein Papers Project
http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/
Albert Einstein (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein
Albert Einstein (Quotations)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Albert_Einstein/
Empirical Science
A Critique of the Empiricist Interpretation of Modern Physics (PDF)
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~gholling/home/quantumMechanics.pdf
Physicists bid farewell to reality? Quantum mechanics just got even stranger.
http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070416/full/070416-9.html
Scientific Method (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method
Observation, Measurement, Science, (Un) Consciousness and Occultism (Various Quotes)
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/science/observation.htm
Philosophy: Science & Reason, Lecture Notes: Gould on “NOMA”
http://www.ling.rochester.edu/~feldman/philosophy152/17-gould.htm
What is Occam's Razor?
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/occam.html
Empiricism
Rationalism vs. Empiricism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rationalism-empiricism/
Empiricism (Webster’s Dictionary)
http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/empiricism
Empiricism in World Cultures
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GLOSSARY/EMPIRIC.HTM
Empirical (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empirical_method
Empirical method (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empirical_method
Empiricism (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empiricism
Finite Discrete Information
Definition and Mathematics of Finite Discrete Information:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Finite%20Discrete%20Information.html
Finite Nature Hypothesis (Edwin Fredkin):
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Ross%20Rhodes.html#Finite_Nature_Hypothesis
Metric within a Finite Discrete Information Space:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/fdpt/fdpt.html
Force within a Finite Discrete Information Space:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/fdff/fdff.html
Feynman Paths
Feynman Paths
http://www.physics.umanitoba.ca/~souther/compsim/lect8/tsld004.htm
Path integral formulation (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path_integral_formulation
The path integral approach in the frame work of causal interpretation (PDF)
http://www.ensmp.fr/aflb/AFLB-281/aflb281p001.pdf
Dr Richard P. Feynman
http://amasci.com/feynman.html
Fundamental Constants and Low-level Physics
Relationships Among Phenomena at a Unitary Level: (Plank's constant may not be fundamental)
http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/deutsch/golden.html
General Systems Theory
Understanding General Systems Theory
http://www.bsn-gn.eku.edu/BEGLEY/GSThand1.htm
Quotes From Ludwig von Bertalanffy
http://www.isss.org/quotelvb.htm
Wholeness Seminar (ISSS)
http://www.newciv.org/ISSS_Primer/seminar.html
International Society for the Systems Sciences
http://www.isss.org/
General Systems Theory
http://www.geocities.com/~n4bz/gst/gst1.htm
System Science and Social Science
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/system_science_and_social_science.html
Books
General System Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications (Ludwig Von Bertalanffy)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0807604534
The Systems View of the World: A Holistic Vision for Our Time (Advances in Systems Theory,
Complexity, and the Human Sciences) (Ervin Laszlo)
http://www.amazon.com/Systems-View-World-Holistic-Complexity/dp/1572730536/
An Introduction to General Systems Thinking (Gerald M. Weinberg)
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-General-Systems-Thinking-Anniversary/dp/0932633498/
Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity (Advances in Systems Theory, Complexity, and the
Human Sciences) (Gregory Bateson)
http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Nature-Necessary-Advances-Complexity/dp/1572734345/
The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems (Fritjof Capra)
http://www.amazon.com/Web-Life-Scientific-Understanding-Systems/dp/0385476760/
God
God (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God
Ishvara (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishvara
Brahman (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman
Shiva (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva
Tao (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao
Allah (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah
Yahweh (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh
Jehovah (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah
Paramatman (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramatman
Bhagavan (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavan
Godhead (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godhead
Transcendence (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendence_%28religion%29
Oneness (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneness_%28concept%29
Reality (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality
Universal Mind (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_mind
Unmanifest (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanifest
Adonai (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonai
Emmanuel (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuel
Tetragrammaton (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton
The name of God in Judaism (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_name_of_God_in_Judaism
YHWH (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YHWH
The Lord (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_LORD
Yaw (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaw_%28god%29#Yam.2FYaw_and_the_rise_of_Yahweh
Elohim (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elohim
Holy Trinity (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity
Jesus Christ (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus
Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit
Deus (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus
Jah (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jah
Ngai (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngai
Vishnu (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu
Krishna (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna
God in Buddhism (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Buddhism
Adibuddha (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adibuddha
Waheguru (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waheguru
Greatest Name (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Name
Ahura Mazda (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahura_Mazda
Shang Ti (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_Ti
Shen (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen
Khoda (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khoda
Uncarved Block (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncarved_block
Graph and Network Theory
Some Circuits in Graph or Network Theory
http://www.nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=2414
Network Theory (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_theory
Graph Theory (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_theory
Book: Matrices in Combinatorics and Graph Theory
http://www.bookfinder4u.com/detail/0792364694.html
Gravity Wave Detection
Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory
http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/LIGO_web/about/
LIGO (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIGO
New Wave Telescope Begins Hunt for Gravity
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/ligo_results_030407.html
Hunting for Gravity Waves
http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/sept/gravitywaves/index.html
Heschel, Rabbi Abraham
Abraham Joshua Heschel: Our Generations Teacher
http://www.crosscurrents.org/heschel.htm
Abraham Joshua Heschel (quotations)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Rabbi_Abraham_Heschel/
Abraham Joshua Heschel (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Joshua_Heschel
The Legacy of Abraham Joshua Heschel
http://www.beth-elsa.org/be_s0306.htm
Praying with their Feet: Remembering Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King
http://www.peaceworkmagazine.org/node/393
Hildegard of Bingen
The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/hildegarde.html
Hildegard of Bingen (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen
Saint Hildegard (Catholic Encyclopedia)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07351a.htm
Hildegard of Bingen
http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/hildegar.html
Hildegard of Bingen, Visionary
http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/09/17.html
Hildegard of Bingen: visions of divinity
http://members.aol.com/pantheism0/hildgard.htm
Hildegard of Bingen
http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/horst/hildegard/
Hildegard of Bingen (about.com)
http://historymedren.about.com/od/hwho/p/who_hildegard.htm
Holistic Organisations and Movements
Many links to various groups
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/links.html
Many Links
http://www.skepticalinvestigations.org/OtherSites/links.htm
Alternative Science
http://www.alternativescience.com/
Society for Scientific Explorations
http://www.scientificexploration.org/
Scientific and Medical Network
http://www.scimednet.org/
The Institute for New Energy
http://www.padrak.com/ine/
Infinite Energy Magazine
http://www.infinite-energy.com/
Alternative Energy Institute
http://www.altenergy.org/
Science Frontiers
http://knowledge.co.uk/frontiers/sfonline.htm
Borderlands Science Research Foundation
http://www.borderlands.com/
Rupert Sheldrake's site
http://www.sheldrake.org/
Rupert Sheldrake -- Seven experiments that could change the world.
http://www.transaction.net/science/seven
Brian Josephson -- Director of the Mind-Matter Unification Project
http://www.tcm.phy.cam.ac.uk/~bdj10
Parapsychology Sources on the Internet
http://www.ed.ac.uk/~ejua35/parapsy.htm
Koestler Parapsychology Unit, Edinburgh University
http://moebius.psy.ed.ac.uk/gr_index.html
Fourmilab, Switzerland
http://www.fourmilab.ch/
The RetroPsychoKinesis project
http://www.fourmilab.ch/rpkp
The science-lab.com
http://www.the-science-lab.com/
Weird Research, Anomalous Physics
http://amasci.com/weird.html
Other Index sites
http://amasci.com/weird/windex.html
"Weird Science" Professionals and Research Institutions
http://amasci.com/weird/wpro.html
Unconventional Science Organizations/Journals
http://amasci.com/weird/worg.html
Exceptional Human Experience Network
http://www.ehe.org/
Knowing Together
http://knowing.yuku.com/directory
Progressive Awareness (online book)
http://www.hermes-press.com/PA/
The Perennial Tradition (online book)
http://www.hermes-press.com/Perennial_Tradition/index.htm
How Objective is Science?
The Objectivity of Science: Does it stand examination?
http://www.skepticalinvestigations.org/objectivity/tradition.htm
The Objectivity of Science: Is mainstream science really objective?
http://www.skepticalinvestigations.org/objectivity/index.htm
Closeminded Science
http://www.amasci.com/weird/wclose.html
Information Physics
University of New Mexico Information Physics
http://info.phys.unm.edu/
Information-Physics One
http://newton.umsl.edu/infophys/
Quantum information and quantum computation
http://www.research.ibm.com/quantuminfo/
InformationPhysics.com
http://www.informationphysics.com/html/
Information Physics Homepage
http://info.phys.unm.edu/
UNM Information Physics Publications Archive
http://info.phys.unm.edu/papers/papers.html
Quantum Information Research, The Department of Physics at the University of Illin...
http://www.physics.uiuc.edu/research/QI.htm
The Nature of Information and The Information of Nature
http://informationphysics.com/InformationPhysics.html
Information Systems Theory (My own work)
System Theoretic Metaphysics and the Unification of the Transcendent and Empirical Sciences:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/SSE_1663.html
Conceptual Bridge: Information System Theoretic Paradigm:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/ConceptualBridge.html#_Toc148700622
Information System Theory (IST):
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Information%20System%20Theory.html
Also refer to other related topics:
Theory of Enformed Systems : A theory of organisation that seems closely related to IST
http://www.enformy.com/tesintro.htm
System Theory
Information Theory
General System Theory
Communication Complexity
Graph and Network Theory
Information Systems Theory (Specialised)
Information Systems Theory (Karl Weick)
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~bd597397/IS.html
Organizational Information Theory
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Speech/rccs/theory43.htm
Strategic Information Systems Theory
http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/StratISTh.html
Bibliography of Information Systems Theory and Research
http://www.brint.com/papers/misbibl.htm
Information Systems (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_systems
Information System (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_system
Information Theory
Information Theory (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory
Information Entropy (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_entropy
Informatics (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informatics
Information Theory
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~ss409297/info.htm
A Mathematical Theory of Communication by Claude E. Shannon
http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/ms/what/shannonday/paper.html
A Short Course in Information Theory
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/mackay/info-theory/course.html
Molecular Information Theory
http://www.lecb.ncifcrf.gov/~toms/
Jnana Yoga, the path of Wisdom
Jnana (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jnana
Jnana Yoga (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jnana_Yoga
Jnana Yoga (Yogaworld)
http://www.yogaworld.org/jnana.htm
Jnana Yoga - Yoga of Knowledge
http://www.hinduism.co.za/jnana-.htm
The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi
http://www.hinduism.co.za/jnani-.htm
The Deep Structure of the Spiritual Life
http://www.jnani.org/jnani.html
Selected Masters
http://www.jnani.org/masters/masters_set.html
Jnana Yoga (By Sri Swami Sivananda)
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/jnanayoga.htm
Jnana Yoga (Vedanta Society)
http://www.vedanta.org/wiv/practice/yogas/jnana.html
The 4 Paths of Yoga (Sivananda)
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/philosophy/fourpaths.html
Also see:
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Sri Ramana Maharshi
Jung, Carl Gustav
Carl Jung (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung
The Jung Page
http://www.cgjungpage.org/
Jung Quotes
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Carl_Jung/
Synchronicity
http://skepdic.com/jung.html
Myths – Dreams - Symbols
http://www.mythsdreamssymbols.com/carljung.html
Fresian perspective on Jung
http://www.friesian.com/jung.htm
Carl Jung (answers.com)
http://www.answers.com/topic/carl-jung
Carl Jung Quotes (Wikiquote)
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Jung
Kabbalah Denudata
Kabbalah Denudata (Sacred Texts)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/tku/index.htm
Kabbalah Denudata (about.com)
http://altreligion.about.com/library/texts/bl_denudata.htm
The Kabbalah Centre
http://www.kabbalah.com/
Christian Knorr von Rosenroth (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Knorr_von_Rosenroth
Kabbalah Denudata (Athenaeum Reading Room)
http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/knorr_von_rosenroth.htm
Jung and the Kabbalah
http://www.newkabbalah.com/Jung2.html
The Truth about S.L. MacGregor Mathers
http://www.golden-dawn.org/truth_mathers.html
Karma Yoga, the path of Selfless Action
Karma Yoga (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_Yoga
Karma Yoga (Yogaworld)
http://www.yogaworld.org/karma.htm
Karma Yoga
http://www.hinduism.co.za/karma.htm
Principles of Karma Yoga
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/karma/karmayoga.html
Karma Yoga (By Sri Swami Sivananda)
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/karmayoga.htm
Karma Yoga (Vedanta Society)
http://www.vedanta.org/wiv/practice/yogas/karma.html
Karma Yoga: Attain Enlightenment Through Work
http://www.davedavies.com/splanet/karma.htm
The 4 Paths of Yoga (Sivananda)
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/philosophy/fourpaths.html
Knowledge (Epistemology)
Knowledge of the World:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Knowledge%20of%20the%20World.html
Epistemological Problems of Perception
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/perception-episprob/
Epistemology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemology
Positivism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positivism
Normal Realist Interest Group:
http://www.nrig.org/
POAMS: Neo-Machian, Holistic Physics:
http://www.poams.org/06_philosophical_basis.html
Project Renaissance
http://www.winwenger.com/
Dialectic Education: Towards the increase of Flexibility in people's minds
http://www.flexible-learning.org/eng/main_english.htm
Pragmatic Cybernetics: Towards a Dialectic Education
http://www.flexible-learning.org/eng/prag_cyber.htm
Objectivity in Science
http://www.skepticalinvestigations.org/objectivity/index.htm
How do we make sense of our world?
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/social/psych20/unit3.htm
Semiotics Institute Online
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/epc/srb/cyber/cyber.html
Luttwak, Edward - Coup d'Etat
Excerpts From Coup d'Etat: A Practical Handbook
http://www.subliminal.org/news/coup.html
American coup d'etat
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2006/04/0080995
Coup d'état (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d'%C3%A9tat
Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d'%C3%89tat:_A_Practical_Handbook
Centre for Strategic and International Studies
http://www.csis.org/html/4luttwak.html
Books:
Coup d'etat, a practical handbook
http://www.amazon.com/detat-practical-handbook-Edward-Luttwak/dp/0140030387
Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace, Revised and Enlarged Edition
http://www.amazon.com/Strategy-Logic-Peace-Revised-Enlarged/dp/0674007034
The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century A.D. to the Third (Johns
Hopkins Paperbacks)
http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Strategy-Roman-Empire-D/dp/0801821584
Other books by Luttwak
http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=luttwak
Magellan, Ferdinand
Ferdinand Magellan (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan (list of links)
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/exmagellan.htm
Mahamudra
Mahamudra (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahamudra
Mahamudra (The Berzin Archives)
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/x/nav/n.html_94726721.html
An Online Guide to Mahamudra Meditation
http://www.mahamudracenter.org/MMCMemberManualIndex.htm
Book: Mahamudra: The Ocean of Definitive Meaning
http://www.nitartha.org/mahamudra.html
The Four Seals of Mahamudra
http://www.samyeling.org/Buddhism/Teachings/3Mahamudra.htm
Interview with Topga Yulgyal Rinpoche
http://www.diamondway-teachings.org/export/sites/diamondway-
teachings/en/content/topgayulgyal/topgaint.html
Maharaj, Sri Nisargadatta
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
http://www.nisargadatta.net/
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (Biography)
http://www.realization.org/page/topics/nisargadatta.htm
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisargadatta_Maharaj
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (Quotations)
http://www.geocities.com/zainto/maharaj.htm
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
http://www.spiritualteachers.org/sri_nisargadatta_maharaj.htm
The Nectar of Immortality
http://www.realization.org/page/doc1/doc104a.htm
Excerpts from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's I AM THAT
http://www.nonduality.com/asmi.htm
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (Nonduality)
http://www.nonduality.com/nisarga.htm
Excerpts from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's I AM THAT
http://www.nonduality.com/asmi.htm
The Nectar of Immortality (Excerpts)
http://www.realization.org/page/doc1/doc104a.htm
Advaita Fellowship
http://www.advaita.org/
Books:
I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta (Nisargadatta Maharaj)
http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-That-Talks-Nisargadatta/dp/0893860220
Consciousness and the Absolute: The Final Talks of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
http://www.amazon.com/Consciousness-Absolute-Final-Nisargadatta-Maharaj/dp/0893860417
The Ultimate Medicine: Dialogues with a Realized Master
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Medicine-Dialogues-Realized-Master/dp/1556436335
The Nectar of Immortality
http://www.amazon.com/Nectar-Immortality-Nisargadatta-Maharaj-Discourses/dp/1884997139
Maharshi, Sri Ramana
Sri Ramanasramam (ashram website)
http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/
Sri Ramana Maharshi (Life and Teachings)
http://www.arunachala.org/ramana/
Society of Abidance in Truth
http://www.satramana.org/
Sri Ramana Maharshi (Biography)
http://www.realization.org/page/topics/ramana.htm
Sri Ramana Maharshi (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramana_Maharshi
Sri Ramana Maharshi (Kheper)
http://www.kheper.net/topics/gurus/Ramana_Maharshi.html
Sri Ramana Maharshi (About.com)
http://hinduism.about.com/od/gurussaints/p/ramana.htm
Advaita Fellowship
http://www.advaita.org/
Books:
Six Books by Ramana Maharshi
http://www.uarelovebooks.com/servlet/Categories?category=Ramana+Maharshi
The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi
http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Teaching-Ramana-Maharshi/dp/1590301390
Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Arkana)
http://www.amazon.com/Be-You-Are-Teachings-Maharshi/dp/0140190627
The Essential Teachings of Ramana Maharshi: A Visual Journey
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Teachings-Ramana-Maharshi-Journey/dp/187801918X
The Collected Works Of Sri Ramana Maharshi
http://www.amazon.com/Collected-Works-Sri-Ramana-Maharshi/dp/8188018066
Talks With Ramana Maharshi: On Realizing Abiding Peace and Happiness by Robert Powell
http://www.amazon.com/Talks-Ramana-Maharshi-Realizing-Happiness/dp/1878019007
Manipulation of Consent
Search results for "Manipulation of Consent" and "Manufacturing Consent"
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web/%252522manipulation%252Bof%252Bconsent
%252522
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web/%252522manufacturing%252Bconsent%252522
Book: Hegemony or Survival (Noam Chomsky)
http://contemporarylit.about.com/cs/currentreviews/fr/hegemony.htm
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent:_The_Political_Economy_of_the_Mass_M
edia
Propaganda Model (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_model
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (Wikipedia) and FAIR (website)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_and_Accuracy_in_Reporting and http://www.fair.org/
George Bush is Not Incompetent!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/25/195750/611
Some Realism about Pluralism
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/jbalkin/articles/somereal1.htm
Advancing Democracy from Grassroots Bottom-up
http://www.flexible-learning.org/eng/bottom_up2.htm
War Toys, War Movies, and the Militarization of the United States, 1900-85
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-3433%28199402%2931%3A1%3C45%3AWTWMAT
%3E2.0.CO%3B2-E&size=LARGE
Political Science: Report on the Censorship of Science
http://ncac.org/science/20070312~USA~New_Report_Discusses_Censorship_Of_Science.cfm
Mathematics, the Language of Existence
List of quotes
http://www.chemistrycoach.com/language.htm
The Matrix (Movie)
In the Matrix, which pill would you take, the red or the blue?
http://www.arrod.co.uk/essays/matrix.php
The Red Pill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redpill
The Blue Pill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluepill
The Matrix
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix
Official Matrix website
http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/
Official Matrix website (philosophy section) many essays
http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/rl_cmp/phi.html
Alternative Religion Resource Guides - The philosophy of the Matrix (great list of related
resources)
http://altreligion.about.com/library/graphics/bl_matrix.htm
Matrix (fictional universe)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_%28fictional_universe%29
The Matrix as Metaphysics:
http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/rl_cmp/new_phil_fr_chalmers.html
A review of David Chalmers' essay, "The Matrix as Metaphysics"
http://www.ursasoft.com/matrix/WB-Chalmers.htm
The Matrix and Berkeley’s Metaphysics
http://www.ursasoft.com/publish/matrix.htm
Metaphysics of the Matrix
http://www.ursasoft.com/publish/chapter1.htm
The Matrix: Religion vs. Philosophy
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/religion/blrel_matrix_phil.htm
Matrix Philosophy: Metaphysics or Megabullshit? (An excellent example of the attitude of a
cynic)
http://chat.carleton.ca/~jsingh3/2004-3/matrix_philosophy.html
Skepticism and the Matrix
http://pixnaps.blogspot.com/2004/04/skepticism-and-matrix.html
Semantic Contextualism
http://pixnaps.blogspot.com/2004/04/real-worlds-semantic-contextualism.html
Artificial reality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_reality
Virtual Reality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality
Simulated Reality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulated_reality
Also see other topics:
Virtual Reality Metaphysics
Mysticism
Simulation
Naive Realism
Media Manipulation
The use and abuse of media in vulnerable societies
http://www.idrc.ca/rwandagenocide/ev-108303-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
A Malaysian citizens' media initiative
http://www.aliran.com/oldsite/charter/charter2000.html
Media Manipulation
http://archive.democrats.com/preview.cfm?term=media+manipulation
Media Manipulation of Facts for Effect
http://community.verizon.net/thread.jspa?threadID=1700001409
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR media watchdog)
http://www.fair.org/index.php
FAIR Archives
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3
Agency of Fear: Opiates and Political Power in America
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/history/aof/aof20.html
Deconstructing the media manipulation that infects America's core
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/page.php?a=28629
Civil War? Abuse? Manipulation? Really?
http://thegreenbelt.blogspot.com/2006/12/civil-war-abuse-manipulation-really.html
The Mighty Wurlitzer
http://www.prospect.org/print-friendly/print/V13/8/borosage-r.html
What's Wrong With the News?
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=101
New Study Challenges "Liberal Media" Claim
http://www.commondreams.org/pressreleases/June98/061898c.htm
Common Dreams New Center
http://www.commondreams.org/
National Coalition Against Censorship
http://www.ncac.org/
Institute for Public Accuracy
http://www.accuracy.org/index.php
Media Watch
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media/media_watch.html
Media Page
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media/media_page.html
Progressive Media Web Sites
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media/prog_media_sites.html
Media Control (many links to excerpts and articles, some listed below)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media_control_propaganda/Media_Control.html
Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Broadcast_Media/AmusingOurselves_Postman.html
Corporate Media & Threat to Democracy – McChesney (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media/CorpMedia_McChesney.html
Decline and Fall of Public Broadcasting - David Barsamian (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media_control_propaganda/Decline_Fall_PublicBroad.html
Information War - Nancy Snow (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Nancy_Snow/Information_War.html
Inventing Reality - Michael Parenti (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Parenti/InventingReality_Parenti.html
It's the Media, Stupid - McChesney and Nichols (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media_control_propaganda/MediaStupid_McChesney.html
Manufacturing Consent - N Chomsky/E Herman (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Herman%20/Manufacturing_Consent.html
Media Control - Noam Chomsky (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Chomsky/Media_Control.html
Media Monopoly, The - Ben Bagdikian (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media/MediaMonopoly_Bagdikian.html
Nation Magazine, The - Selections 1865-1990 (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Independent_Media/Selections_TheNation.html
Networks of Power-Corporate TV Threat to Democracy (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Book_Excerpts/Networks_of_Power.html
On Bended Knee - Mark Hertsgaard (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Ronald_Reagan/On_Bended_Knee.html
Our Media Not Theirs - McChesney and Nichols (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/McChesney/OurMedia_NotTheirs.html
Pentagon Propaganda Machine, The - J. William Fulbright (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Pentagon_military/Pentagon_Propaganda_JWF.html
Project Censored-annual report on censored stories (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Project%20Censored/Project_Censored.html
Propaganda, Inc. - Nancy Snow (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Nancy_Snow/Propaganda_Inc.html
Rich Media, Poor Democracy - Robert McChesney (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/McChesney/RichMedia_PoorDemocracy.html
Toxic Sludge Is Good For You - John Stauber & Sheldon Rampton (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Public_Relations/ToxicSludge.html
Trust Us, We're Experts! - John Stauber & Sheldon Rampton (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Public_Relations/Trust_Us_We%27re_Experts.html
Twenty Years of Censored News (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Project%20Censored/Project_Censored.html
Unreliable Sources - Normon Solomon (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Normon_Solomon/Unreliable_Sources.html
War, Lies & Videotape (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media_control_propaganda/War_Lies_Videotape.html
Wizards of Media OZ - Normon Solomon (excerpts)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media/WizardsMediaOZ.html
Media Criticism
http://www.bapd.org/kmersm-1.html
Books:
Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative (David Brock)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812930991
The Republican Noise Machine : Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy (David
Brock)
http://www.amazon.com/Republican-Noise-Machine-Right-Wing-Democracy/dp/B000FVQV16
The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton (Joe
Conason)
http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-President-Ten-Year-Campaign-Destroy/dp/0312273193
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Lying-Liars-Tell-Them/dp/B000OFOIY0
Tell Me Lies: Propaganda and Media Distortion in the Attack on iraq, edited by David Miller.
http://www.plutobooks.com/cgi-local/nplutobrows.pl?chkisbn=0745322018
Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You, by Reese Erlich & Norman Solomon.
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=1-1893956393-6
Media Wars: News at a Time of Terror, by Danny Schechter.
http://www.amazon.com/Media-Wars-News-Time-Terror/dp/0742531090
Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the 1991 Gulf War, by John R. MacArthur & Ben
Haig Bagdikian.
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/sale/pages/2755001.html
War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits keep Spinning us to Death
http://www.warmadeeasy.com/
When News Lies by Danny Schechter
http://www.amazon.com/When-News-Lies-Danny-Schechter/dp/1590790731
Fooled Again by Mark Crispin Miller
http://www.amazon.com/Fooled-Again-Mark-Crispin-Miller/dp/0465045790
Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy
by John Nichols
http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Farce-American-Elections-Democracy/dp/1595581294
The Problem of the Media: U. S. Communication Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Robert
W. McChesney
http://www.amazon.com/Problem-Media-Communication-Politics-Twenty-First/dp/1583671056
The Problem of the Media: U. S. Communication Politics in the Twenty-First Century (Robert
W. McChesney)
http://www.amazon.com/Problem-Media-Communication-Politics-Twenty-First/dp/1583671056
Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy
(John Nichols)
http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Farce-American-Elections-Democracy/dp/1595581294
Meister Eckhart
Meister Eckhart (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meister_Eckhart
The Meister Eckhart Site
http://www.ellopos.net/theology/eckhart.htm
The Eckhart Society
http://www.eckhartsociety.org/
Meister Eckhart (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/meister-eckhart/
Meister Eckhart (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/eckhart.htm
Meister Eckhart (Quotations)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Meister_Eckhart/
Meister Eckhart (Quotations)
http://historymedren.about.com/od/quotes/a/quote_eckhart_2.htm?iam=dpile_100
Meister Eckhart (Quotes)
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/meister_eckhart.html
Meister Eckhart Home Page
http://www.wwisp.com/~srshanks/Meister_Eckhart/
Meister Johann Eckhart
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05274a.htm
Meister Eckhart - passing beyond God (Pantheism)
http://members.aol.com/heraklit1/eckhart.htm
Meister Eckhart (Myths and Logos)
http://mythosandlogos.com/eckhart.html
Selections From Works Attributed to Meister Eckhart
http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/5164/eckhart.htm
Books:
Meister Eckhart, Vol .1: Teacher and Preacher
http://www.amazon.com/Meister-Eckhart-Vol-1-Preacher/dp/0809128276
Meister Eckhart , Vol. 2: The Essential Sermons, Commentaries, Treatises and Defense (Classics
of Western Spirituality)
http://www.amazon.com/Meister-Eckhart-Vol-Commentaries-Spirituality/dp/0809123703
The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart: The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing
http://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Thought-Meister-Eckhart-Nothing/dp/0824519965
Meister Eckhart: A modern translation
http://www.amazon.com/Meister-Eckhart/dp/006130008X
Selected Writings (Penguin Classics)
http://www.amazon.com/Selected-Writings-Penguin-Classics-Meister/dp/0140433430
Meister Eckhart from Whom God Hid Nothing
http://www.amazon.com/Meister-Eckhart-Whom-God-Nothing/dp/157062139X
Meditations with Meister Eckhart (Meditation)
http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Meister-Eckhart-Meditation-Matthew/dp/0939680041
The Best of Meister Eckhart
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0824512626
Eckhart (Philosophers of the Spirit)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/034069467X
Meister Eckhart : The Mystic As Theologian : An Experiment in Methodology
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826407730
Meister Eckhart and the Beguine Mystics
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826409296
The Mystical Element in Heidegger's Thought
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0823211533
Memes / Cognitive Viruses
memes (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme
Also refer to 'seed' or 'bija'
Meta-System Transition
{{Link to global human MST}}
meta system transition (definition)
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Being%20in%20the%20World.html#MST
The Metasystem Transition Theory (Principia Cybernetica)
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MSTT.html
Metasystem Transition (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasystem_transition
An Integrative View of Meta-System Transition (PDF)
http://wwwu.uni-klu.ac.at/gossimit/ifsr/francois/papers/integrative_view_of_mts.pdf
Emergentism (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergentism
Reductionism and complexity in molecular biology
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1299179
Emergent Properties
http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/notebooks/emergent-properties.html
Metaphysical Approach of SMN / IST
Central Metaphysical Idea: computational metaphysics in a nutshell; the universe is virtual.
System Theoretic Metaphysics: Ramifications of a metaphysics based on system theory.
Metaphysics of Virtual Reality: Metaphysical analysis of the phenomenon of virtual reality.
The Computational Paradigm: The central hypothesis in detail.
A Conceptual Bridge: From Science to Spirituality: this is the draft of a book that I am writing,
which incorporates all of the principle ideas presented on this website and structures them into a
single discussion.
The Fusion of Occidental and Oriental World Views: A clarification for Western minded people.
Metaphysical Origin: a brief discussion to clear up some confusions that arise from a materialist
perspective.
The New Science: some comments on the emerging scientific/spiritual revolution.
Information System Theory: The conceptual composition of a system in a world.
Knowledge of the World: What can be known and how?
Being in the World: What is the experience of existence?
Cartesian Dualism: a false metaphysics.
Correspondences with Ancient Metaphysical Paradigms: a survey of information theoretic
principles in ancient wisdom.
The Chinese Room, Experience, Knowledge and Communication: Discusses the issues of what is
experience, how does a system experience itself, what is participation in a context, what is
knowledge, how does a system know itself, what is communication.
Miscellaneous
Article: Chaitin interview:
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/CDMTCS/chaitin/mercurio.html
Science of Order (Structure)
http://www.synearth.net/Order/UCS2-Science-Order.html
The Time-Binding Trust (Knowing Utility)
http://www.synearth.net/trust.html
SynEarth: News For a Synergic Earth
http://www.synearth.net/
The Simultaneous Policy
http://www.simpol.org/
Mindfully.org
http://www.mindfully.org/
Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change
http://www.crvp.org/pubs.htm
Athenaeum Library of Philosophy
http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/
Mysticism
Mysticism (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism
Perennial_philosophy (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perennial_philosophy
Yi Jing, I Ching, Book of Changes (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yijing
Taoism (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism
Spiritual_philosophy (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_philosophy
Spirituality (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality
Theosophy (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy
Neo-Theosophy (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Theosophy
New Age (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age
Eastern philosophy (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_philosophy
The Absolute (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Absolute
Karma (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma
Reincarnation (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation
Spiritual Evolution (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_evolution
Soul (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul
Altered States of Consciousness (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_states_of_consciousness
Acosmism (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acosmism
Naive (Commonsense) Realism
Naive Realism (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%C3%AFve_realism
Born Yesterday
http://www.boogieonline.com/seeking/first/yesterday.html
David Hume (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume
New (Cutting-Edge) Science
Global Consciousness Project
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/aesthetic.intro.html
REG Experiments
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/science2.html
Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research
http://www.princeton.edu/~pear/
Did the long-timescale character of the GCP [collective consciousness] data change after 9/11?
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/pab/longtrend/
Institute of Noetic Sciences IONS
http://www.ions.org/
Psi Research links
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/professional.html
Parapsychology Foundation
http://www.parapsychology.org/
Parapsychology Foundation Lyceum
http://www.pflyceum.org/7.html
The Parapsychological Association
http://www.parapsych.org/
Quantum Future
http://quantumfuture.net/quantum_future/qf.htm
Books:
The Conscious Universe
http://www.deanradin.com/NewWeb/TCUindex.html
Entangled Minds
http://www.deanradin.com/NewWeb/EMindex.html
Extraordinary Knowing
http://deanradin.blogspot.com/2007/03/extraordinary-knowing.html
Science and the Akashic Field
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/The%20Akashic%20Field.html
The Field
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/LMcTaggart.html
Piercing Time and Space
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/TLSlatton.html
Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness
http://www.quantumenigma.com/
Are Spirits Real?
http://www.arespiritsreal.com/
See also:
Holistic Organisations
Skepticism
Virtual Reality Metaphysics
Akashic Field
Consciousness
Information Systems Theory
Quantum Physics
System Theory
Unified Science
Unification of Science and Mysticism
Process Studies
Newspeak in Orwell's 1984
Newspeak (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak
Newspeak.com (1984)
http://www.newspeak.com/1984.htm
Newspeak Dictionary
http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/
Politics and the English Language (early essay by Orwell, Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_and_the_English_Language
Nicholas of Cusa
Nicholas of Cusa (Biography)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11060b.htm
Nicholas of Cusa (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_of_Cusa
Nicholas of Cusa and the Infinite
http://www.integralscience.org/cusa.html
Nicholas of Cusa (English translations)
http://cla.umn.edu/sites/jhopkins/
The Philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa
http://www.radicalacademy.com/philcusa.htm
Nicholas of Cusa (Mac Tutor)
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Cusa.html
Nicholas of Cusa (Resources)
http://staff.kings.edu/bapavlac/fbf/cusa.html
Ethical Implications of Unity and the Divine in Nicholas of Cusa
http://www.crvp.org/book/Series01/I-10/contents.htm
Nicholas of Cusa (Links)
http://www.theology.ie/theologians/cusa.htm
American Cusanus Society
http://www.library.jhu.edu/departments/rsc/izbicki/cusanus.html
Books:
Nicholas of Cusa on Learned Ignorance: A Translation and an Appraisal of De Docta Ignorantia
(Jasper Hopkins)
http://www.amazon.com/Nicholas-Cusa-Learned-Ignorance-Translation/dp/0938060309
Nicholas of Cusa: Selected Spiritual Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality)
http://www.amazon.com/Nicholas-Cusa-Selected-Spiritual-Spirituality/dp/0809136988
Ontology (study of what is)
Definitions of Ontology by Leading Philosophers
http://www.formalontology.it/section_4.htm
Logic and Ontology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/logic-ontology/
Ontology (Principia Cybernetica)
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ONTOLI.html
Ontology (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontology
Organisations and Organisms
The First Cambrian Explosion
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/The%20First%20Cambrian%20Explosion.html
The Second Cambrian Explosion
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/The%20Second%20Cambrian%20Explosion.html
Overview of the SMN / IST approach
Scientific Basis of the Work: a brief summary of the concrete points of interest; the verifiable
core of the work.
Central Metaphysical Idea: in a nutshell, the universe is virtual.
General Introduction: introduces the idea of the unification of science and mysticism.
A Conceptual Bridge: From Science to Spirituality: this is the draft of a book that I am writing,
which incorporates all of the principle ideas presented on this website and structures them into a
single discussion.
A Broad Academic Overview: A precise definition of key terms and the overall approach.
Notice to Scientists: an old letter of introduction that discusses points of interest to scientists.
Notice to Software Developers: an old letter of introduction that discusses points of interest to
software developers.
Process Systemics: conceptualising this work as a fusion of process philosophy and system
theory.
The Mathematical Analysis: of the transcendent computational process that lies beyond the
phenomenal world and that manifests it in each moment of existence.
Paradigms and Paradigm Shift
Paradigm Shifts and the Changing Nature of what is 'Fact'
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/SSE_1640.html
Perception and the Empirical World
Being in the World:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Being%20in%20the%20World.html
Epistemological Problems of Perception
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/perception-episprob/
Phenomenology (study of what seems to be)
Phenomenology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/phenomenology/
The Basic Problems of Phenomenology (Heidegger 1927)
http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/heidegge.htm
Phenomenology (Merriam Webster Dictionary)
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/phenomenology
Phenomenology (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenomenology
What is Phenomenology? (Center for Advanced Research in Phenomenology)
http://www.phenomenologycenter.org/
Philosophy and Cognitive Science
http://www.stanford.edu/group/SHR/4-2/text/sharoff.html
Principles of Philosophy, Book III Phenomenology (Peirce)
http://www.textlog.de/4254.html
Primitive Thisness and Primitive Identity
Primitive Thisness and Primitive Identity
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-362X%28197901%2976%3A1%3C5%3APTAPI%3E2.0.CO
%3B2-3&size=LARGE
Identity and Individuality in Quantum Theory
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qt-idind/
The Identity of Indiscernibles
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/identity-indiscernible/
Process Studies
what is process thought?
http://www.ctr4process.org/about/process/
Process (philosophy) (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_(philosophy)
Process Philosophy (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_philosophy
Process Philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/process-philosophy/
The Center for Process Studies
http://www.ctr4process.org/
Process Physics (R.T. Cahill):
http://www.scieng.flinders.edu.au/cpes/people/cahill r/processphysics.html
Process Theology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_Theology
Everything is Permuted (Process Philosophy)
http://www.permuted.org.uk/process1.htm
Process Philosophy and the New Thought Movement
http://websyte.com/alan/process.htm
Quantum Optics
Quantum Optics(Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_optics
Search Results for "quantum optics"
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web/quantum%252Boptics
Quantum Physics
A Cybernetic Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (Ross Rhodes):
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Ross%20Rhodes.html
Process Physics (R.T. Cahill):
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Process%20Physics.html
Finite Nature Hypothesis (Edwin Fredkin):
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Ross%20Rhodes.html#Finite_Nature_Hypothesis
Common Grounds between Buddhism, Quantum Physics and Baha'I Faith:
http://bahai-library.org/essays/common.ground.html
A Foundational Principle for Quantum Mechanics (PDF):
http://www.univie.ac.at/qfp/publications3/pdffiles/1999-10.pdf
On the Interpretation and Philosophical Foundation of Quantum Mechanics (PDF):
http://www.univie.ac.at/qfp/publications3/pdffiles/1996-03.pdf
Toward an elemental grounding of microphysics:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/n6025x10njw7v5w2/
A Quantum Dialog:
http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/q-dialg1.html
The Reality Program: A Primer on Cybernetic Quantum Physics:
http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/reality/RealityFrame1.html
The Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics
http://www.reasons.org/resources/apologetics/other_papers/the_metaphysics_of_quantum_mech
anics.shtml
Quantum Teleportation
Quantum teleportation (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_teleportation
Search Results for "quantum teleportation"
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web/quantum%252Bteleportation
Raja Yoga, the path of Eight Limbs
Raja Yoga (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Yoga
Raja Yoga (Yogaworld)
http://www.yogaworld.org/raja.htm
Raja Yoga in Brief (By Swami Vivekananda)
http://www.davedavies.com/splanet/raja.htm
The Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/philosophy/eightlimbs.html
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Sutras_of_Patanjali
Raja Yoga
http://www.hinduism.co.za/rajayoga.htm
Raja Yoga (By Sri Swami Sivananda)
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/rajayoga.htm
Raja Yoga (Vedanta Society)
http://www.vedanta.org/wiv/practice/yogas/raja.html
The 4 Paths of Yoga (Sivananda)
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/philosophy/fourpaths.html
Schizmogenesis
Ghosts and Government (paper from which quotes were taken)
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0025-1496%28197806%292%3A13%3A2%3C175%3AGAGASA
%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1&size=LARGE
Self-Excited Circuit
The Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/CTMU.html
SMN and SCSPL
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/IST_CTMU.html
Wheeler?
Shankaracharya
“The teachings of Sankara can be summed up in half a verse: “Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya
Jivo Brahmaiva Na Aparah—Brahman (the Absolute) is alone real; this world is unreal; and the
Jiva or the individual soul is non-different from Brahman.” This is the quintessence of his
philosophy.” (http://www.shankaracharya.org/advaita_philosophy.php)
Adi Shankara (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara
Shankaracharya (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankar_Acharya
Adi Shankaracharya
http://kiran.phpsites.com/shankaracharya/index.htm
Shankaracharya.org
http://www.shankaracharya.org/
Shri Adi Shankaracharya
http://hinduism.about.com/od/gurussaints/p/adishankara.htm
Signal Analysis
Neural correlates of auditory fill-in
http://www.jsmf.org/grants/bmb/essays/2003/sutter.htm
Cocktail Party Physics
http://twistedphysics.typepad.com/cocktail_party_physics/2006/12/party_girl.html
A cat's cocktail party: Psychophysical, neurophysiological, and computational studies of spatial
release from masking (PDF)
http://www.cns.bu.edu/~shinn/pages/pdf/ISH_2003.pdf
A Review of The Cocktail Party Effect
http://xenia.media.mit.edu/~barons/html/cocktail.html
Animal Communication: Signal Detection (PDF)
http://www.unc.edu/home/rhwiley/pdfs/Wiley2006SigDetection.pdf
Signal Detection and Animal Communication (PDF)
http://www.unc.edu/~rhwiley/pdfs/WILEY_060131.pdf
Mathematicians Solve the 'Cocktail Party Problem'
http://www.physorg.com/news75477497.html
Audio Signal Processing: Speaker Localization and Separation Systems
http://www.ait.gr/Publevents/18102004_Audio_fota.pdf
Simulation
Article: A duplicate universe, trapped in a computer:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/science/story/0,12996,1497195,00.html
Skepticism
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
http://www.csicop.org/
Skeptical Investigations
http://www.skepticalinvestigations.org/home.htm
Zen . . . And the Art of Debunkery
http://members.aol.com/ddrasin/zen.html
The Skeptics Society
http://www.skeptic.com/
Skeptic's pages
http://amasci.com/weird/wskept.html
Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Skepticism
http://www.skepticalinvestigations.org/objectivity/bogusskepticism.htm
SMN Dimensional Spaces
Non-Dimensional and Dimensional Spaces in SMN (can't find where I discuss this, I'm know it
is somewhere...)
Solipsism
"Possibly the most controversial, and most distinguishing, feature of the solipsistic world view is
the denial of the existence of other minds." (Wikipedia - Solipsism)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solipsism
Stendahl, Krister
Krister Stendahl (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krister_Stendahl
The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West (review)
http://www.thepaulpage.com/Stendahl.html
The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West (questions) (PDF)
http://greek-language.com/paul/questions/Stendahl2.pdf
Spirit for a Quarreling Church: Insights from Krister Stendahl
http://www.witherspoonsociety.org/from_krister_stendahl.htm
String Theory
String theory (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory
M-theory, the theory formerly known as Strings
http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/public/qg_ss.html
Superstrings! String Theory Home Page
http://www.sukidog.com/jpierre/strings/
The Official String Theory Web Site
http://superstringtheory.com/
Superstring theory (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstring_theory
String Theory and the Unification of Forces: Sunil Mukhi
http://theory.tifr.res.in/~mukhi/Physics/string.html
String Theory - What is String Theory?
http://physics.about.com/od/quantumphysics/f/stringtheory
String Theory Basics
http://superstringtheory.com/basics/index.html
System Matrix Notation (SMN)
SMN Comments: [general comments]
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/SMN%20Comments.html
A Conceptual Bridge: Modelling General Information Systems: [good introduction]
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/ConceptualBridge.html#_Toc148700625
Finite Discrete Information Systems: [detailed mathematics]
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Finite%20Discrete%20Information
%20Systems.html
The Mathematical Analysis:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/The%20Mathematical%20Analysis.html
Computational Processes: This is a mathematical and conceptual proof using SMN that reality
can be thought of as a computational process and that the class of general computational
processes is broader than algorithmic processes. It also gives an argument indicating that a
computational reality does not imply simple pre-determinism but rather 'self-determinism'.
SMN and System Theory:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/SMN%20and%20System%20Theory.html
SMN Source Code:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/SMN%20Code.html
SMN High Level Design:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/code/v6.0/SMNv6.0HLD.html
SMN and SCSPL:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/IST_CTMU.html
Also see:
Link Theory : A theory of connectivity that seems closely related to SMN
http://www.boundary.org/physics.htm
Systems Theory, Cybernetics and Related Approaches
Cybernetics and Systems Thinkers (Principia Cybernetica)
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CSTHINK.html
What is Systems Theory? (Principia Cybernetica)
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SYSTHEOR.html
Introduction to Cybernetics (Ashby - Online PDF Book)
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ASHBBOOK.html
Complex Adaptive Systems (Principia Cybernetica)
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CAS.html
Cybernetics and Systems Theory (Principia Cybernetica)
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CYBSWHAT.html
Self-organization (Principia Cybernetica)
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SELFORG.html
Cybernetics (Principia Cybernetica)
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CYBERN.html
Center for the Study of Complex Systems
http://cscs.umich.edu/
Complexity Notebooks
http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/notebooks/
Also see:
Information System Theory
General System Theory
Meta System Transition
Network Theory
Tantra Yoga, the path of Expansion (Skakti)
Tantra (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantra
Tantra Yoga (Yogaworld)
http://www.yogaworld.org/tantra.htm
Articles and e-books on Yoga and Tantra
http://sivasakti.com/index2.html
Tantra (About Hinduism)
http://hinduism.about.com/od/tantra/Tantra.htm
Tantra Yoga (By Sri Swami Sivananda)
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/tantrayoga.htm
Tao Te Ching
Tao Te Ching (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching
Tao Te Ching ~ Dao De Jing in English
http://www.religiousworlds.com/taoism/ttc-list.html
Tao Te Ching (full text)
http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html
Tao Te Ching (full text)
http://www.wright-house.com/religions/taoism/tao-te-ching.html
Tao Te Ching (full text, different languages)
http://www.chinapage.com/laotze.html
Tao Te Ching (index of concepts)
http://www.taoteching.org/
Tao Te Ching (simple text version)
http://classics.mit.edu/Lao/taote.mb.txt
Tao Te Ching (mindfully.org)
http://www.mindfully.org/Tao-Te-Ching-Lao-tzu.htm
Comments on the Tao Te Ching
http://www.friesian.com/taote.htm
About the Tao
http://www.thetao.info/
Books:
The Power Of Tao: A New Interpretation Of The Tao Te Ching
http://www.poweroftao.com/meta/tao-te-ching.htm
Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu, trans Gia-Fu Feng)
http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Ching-25th-Anniversary-Lao-Tsu/dp/0679776192
Time: Past, Present, Future and the Eternal Now
Unification of Science
Full Circle - Report from The Council for Unified Research and Education on the Unification of
the Sciences.
http://www.synearth.net/Haskell/FC/FC.htm
Uncommon Science
http://www.synearth.net/UCS2f/UCS2-.html
The Archives of Scientists Transcendent Experiences (TASTE)
http://issc-taste.org/index.shtml
Unification of Science and Mysticism Via Information System Theory
Correspondences with other Metaphysical Paradigms
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Correspondences.html
Survey of Ancient Traditions
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Survey%20of%20Ancient%20Traditions.html
General Discussions on the Unification of Science and Mysticism
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/General%20Discussions.html
Science and Spirituality:
Article: The New Convergence:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.12/convergence.html
A World With A View:
http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/Worldview.html
Science, Religion, and Anthropology
http://faculty.ircc.edu/faculty/jlett/Article%20on%20Religion.htm
The Reciprocal Relation Between Science and Revelation
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/instructor/ncl2.html
Religion and Science Public Dialogue
http://home.att.net/~wislit/
The Universe in a Single Atom
http://buddhism.about.com/od/keyconcepts/a/Atom.htm
Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unreasonable_Effectiveness_of_Mathematics_in_the_Natural_
Sciences
Virtual Reality and Computational Metaphysics
Central Metaphysical Idea (the universe is virtual):
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/CentralIdea.html
Conceptual Bridge: Metaphysics of Virtual Reality:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/ConceptualBridge.html#_Toc148700623
The Computational Paradigm:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Computational%20Paradigm.html
Metaphysical Origin of Reality:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Metaphysical%20Origin.html
Conceptual Bridge: Metaphysics of Information Systems:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/ConceptualBridge.html#_Toc148700626
Computational Processes (proof that the universe is virtual):
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Computational%20Processes.html
Process Metaphysics and Computational Paradigm:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/SSE_1367.html
Computational Metaphysics:
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/SSE_1406.html
Other People's Work:
Process Physics (R.T. Cahill):
http://www.scieng.flinders.edu.au/cpes/people/cahill r/processphysics.html
The Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/CTMU.html
Link Theory (PDF) : A theory of connectivity that seems closely related to SMN
http://www.boundary.org/physics.htm
Theory of Enformed Systems : A theory of organisation that seems closely related to IST
http://www.enformy.com/tesintro.htm
A Computer Scientist's View of Life, the Universe, and Everything:
http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/everything/html.html
A Cybernetic Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (Ross Rhodes):
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Ross%20Rhodes.html
Finite Nature Hypothesis (Edwin Fredkin):
http://www.anandavala.info/TASTMOTNOR/Ross%20Rhodes.html#Finite_Nature_Hypothesis
Finite Nature:
http://finitenature.com/
Algorithmic Theories of Everything:
http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/toesv2/
Computable Universes & Algorithmic Theory of Everything:
http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/computeruniverse.html
Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?:
http://www.simulation-argument.com/
Computational Universes (PDF):
http://www.arxiv.org/PS_cache/physics/pdf/0305/0305048.pdf
InformationPhysics.com:
http://www.informationphysics.com/html/
Digital Philosophy:
http://www.digitalphilosophy.org/
Digital Physics:
http://digitalphysics.org/
Elements of information-theoretic derivation of the formalism of quantum theory (PDF):
http://www.arxiv.org/PS_cache/quant-ph/pdf/0306/0306079.pdf
How real are virtual realities, how virtual is reality?:
http://tph.tuwien.ac.at/~svozil/publ/complexi.htm
In the Beginning was the Bit
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg16922784.300-in-the-beginning-was-the-bit.html
Innocence Lost: Simulation Scenarios: Prospects and Consequences (PDF):
http://www.simulation-argument.com/dainton.pdf
Living in a Simulated Universe (PDF):
http://www.simulation-argument.com/barrowsim.pdf
The Matrix as Metaphysics:
http://www.u.arizona.edu/%7Echalmers/papers/matrix.html
Artificial reality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_reality
Virtual Reality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality
Simulated Reality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulated_reality
Are You a Sim? (PDF):
http://www.simulation-argument.com/weatherson.pdf
The Computer Inside You:
http://www.johmann.net/book
Physical versus Computational Complementarity:
http://tph.tuwien.ac.at/~svozil/publ/pvcci.htm
Physics and metaphysics looks at computation (PDF):
http://tph.tuwien.ac.at/~svozil/publ/2005-ct.pdf
Quantum algorithmic information theory:
http://tph.tuwien.ac.at/~svozil/publ/qait.htm
Quantum Information and Computation (PDF):
http://tph.tuwien.ac.at/~svozil/publ/2005-stpoelten-pres.pdf
Online Book: A New Kind of Science, Stephen Wolfram: also at amazon.com
http://www.wolframscience.com/nksonline/toc.html
Quantum mechanics as information processing within a computer-generated universe:
http://www.bottomlayer.com/index.html
A Different Take on Creation: Digital Dualism:
http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/svozil_creation.htm
Digital Physics and Me:
http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/DPandMe.html
Article: Did the Universe Just Happen? I interview with Edwin Fredkin:
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/88apr/wright.htm
Article: God is the Machine:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.12/holytech.html
Article: Digital universe:
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/op/2003/10/28/stories/2003102800110300.htm
The Nature of Information and The Information of Nature:
http://informationphysics.com/InformationPhysics.html
The New AI: General & Sound & Relevant for Physics:
http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/newai/newai.html
Whitescarver Model:
http://wikiworld.com/wiki/index.php/WhitescarverModel
Zuse's Thesis: The Universe is a Computer:
http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/digitalphysics.html
Information Resources in Virtual Reality
http://www.hitl.washington.edu/projects/knowledge_base/irvr/irvr.html
Cyberspace and Its Limits: Hypermodern Detours in the Evolution of Consciousness
http://online.sfsu.edu/~rpurser/revised/pages/Cyberspace%2012.htm
The Devices of Science Fiction
http://hammer.prohosting.com/~nusyg/Seths_notepad.html
The Neuroscience of Cyberspace: New metaphors for the Self and its Boundaries
http://project.cyberpunk.ru/idb/neuroscience_of_cyberspace.html
A Brief History of Virtual Reality and Its Social Applications
http://faculty.colostate-pueblo.edu/samuel.ebersole/336/eim/papers/vrhist.html
Transphysicalism and Virtual Happiness
http://pixnaps.blogspot.com/2005/07/transphysicalism-and-virtual-happiness.html
Books:
Virtual Reality: The Revolutionary Technology of Computer-Generated Artificial Worlds - and
How It Promises to Transform Society
The Fabric of Reality
Toward a New Foundation for Physics
My Big TOE:
The Cosmic Code: Quantum Physics as the Language of Nature
The Bit and the Pendulum: How the New Physics of Information Is Revolutionizing Science
Collective Beings from the Series: Contemporary Systems Thinking
Movies:
The Matrix
The Thirteenth Floor
Dark City
eXistenZ
Also see topics:
Information System Theory
System Matrix Notation
Simulation
Matrix Movie Metaphysics
Process Studies
Self-Excited Circuit
Unified Science
Mysticism

Visual Agnosia and comprehension forming ideas from experience

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Mistook_His_Wife_for_a_Hat
Oliver Sacks - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
http://www.oliversacks.com/hat.htm
Visual Agnosia (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_agnosia
Whitehead, Alfred North
Alfred North Whitehead (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/whitehead/
Principia Mathematica (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/principia-mathematica/
Alfred North Whitehead (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_North_Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead (Quotations)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Alfred_North_Whitehead/
Philosopher for the Muddleheaded
http://www3.sympatico.ca/rlubbock/ANW.html
Alfred.North.Whitehead.com
http://www.alfred.north.whitehead.com/
The Wit and Wisdom of Whitehead
http://www.alfred.north.whitehead.com/witwiz.htm
The Philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead
http://www.radicalacademy.com/philwhitehead.htm
Alfred North Whitehead (EpistemeLinks)
http://www.epistemelinks.com/Main/Philosophers.aspx?PhilCode=Whit
Yoga
Yoga (By Sri Swami Sivananda)
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/yoga.htm
The Eight Main Yogas
http://www.yogaworld.org/yogas.htm

Glossary
These are NOT definitions that are set in stone. They are just rough hints to give you some idea
of what I DON’T mean and what I DO mean. If you treat these as simplistic definitions and you
fail to use subtlety and awareness in discerning the deeper meanings then you will become quite
confused. So just take these as vague hints that will help you avoid certain obvious
misunderstandings.
Index
Awareness Meme Complex Prejudice /
Belief Analogy Dogmatic
Computation Metaphysics Sanity / Sane
Confusion Meta-System Transition MST Science
Conscious Mind Mind Self
Consciousness Mysticism / Perennial Philosophy Subconscious
Ego Naive Mind
Illusion Object event, place and any Universe
Individual perceptual phenomena Virtual
Information Outer Space World
Information Space / Computational Paradigm / Cognitive Lens / World
Space / State Space View
Information System / Information Paradigm Shift
Process Perceptual / Experiential Process
Inner Space Physical
Meme / Idea / Thought Physical Universe

Awareness
I DO NOT mean the every day human experience of becoming aware of something, e.g. by
reading about it and thereby knowing it.
I DO mean the inner existential process, the process whereby existential information (discernible
difference) is discerned in the present moment. It is the process of the flow of existential
information through the inner space network of sub-systems within sub-systems. It is the present
moment transformation of information. At the lowest level of primitive systems I call it proto-
awareness and it is modelled in SMN by a computational thread. Just as primitive systems form
into more complex systems and a hierarchy of systems within systems where at each system
level there is the MST illusion of a single whole system. So too, proto-awareness forms into
more complex forms of awareness (inner existential processes) and a hierarchy of processes
within processes where at each system level there is an MST illusion of a single whole
awareness.
Belief
I DO NOT mean opinions that magically correspond with reality.
I DO mean ideas that people hold and “look through” but which have not arisen from
experience, but instead from the interactions of ideas. Certain meme complexes create certain
ideas that people become attached to but these ideas do not necessarily represent the reality but
only the needs of the meme complex. The meme complex operates to protect itself and retain its
control over the person’s mind, over their experiences and also their understanding. All cognitive
phenomena are subtly contrived and distorted to protect the belief and to ward off any foreign
ideas that may threaten that belief. If a person strongly believes something then they are unable
to comprehend any ideas that threaten their beliefs, their mind simply won’t entertain them and
the mind slips into habitual defense mechanisms and also cover up operations to hide the fact
that habitual defence mechanisms have activated. The person just experiences the foreign idea as
incomprehensible and very distasteful. That is how the meme complex keeps the person from
actually questioning the belief and also keeps them from realising that they have just been
manipulated to avoid questioning the belief. In their experience they were open-minded by the
idea itself was repulsive nonsense.
Computation
I DO NOT mean just electronic computers.
I DO mean the coherent flow, transformation and ‘processing’ of information. This includes all
communication and interaction such as between particles, people or galaxies. Whenever
information moves and changes it does so via the process of computation.
Confusion
I DO NOT mean a derogatory term, like the way ‘stupid’ is often used.
I DO mean the act of using a paradigm or cognitive lens that distorts the flow of information
either in the subconscious interpretation of sensory signals into internal experience or in the
sub/conscious comprehension of experience that generates ideas; or both. This distortion leads to
either experiences that don’t perfectly match the sensory signals arising from the existential
context or to ideas that don’t perfectly match the experiences; or both. When a person naively
accepts these distorted experiences and ideas as the actual reality this further distorts their
understanding and their cognitive lens, thereby further distorting their experiences and ideas. All
ideas, theories and knowledge contain some degree of confusion but this becomes very
problematic when the confusion becomes very distorting and the person comes to dwell in a
confused fantasy world that only spirals further into confusion and delusion (persistent illusion).
Conscious Mind
I DO mean a single point of awareness that is a sub process of consciousness and that “bears
witness” to the final result of the vast underlying subconscious process. The conscious mind
naively accepts the results of the subconscious process as being reality. It doesn’t consider that
this is just a cognitive reflection of reality, it accepts this as real and it acts upon these assumed
real experiences and ideas. When the conscious mind is aware it has complete control but often it
is dormant and the meme complex acts out its own egoic dynamics and the person is controlled
by the ego.
Consciousness
I DO NOT mean some magical quality that is possessed only by humans as some kind of “God
given” innate ability to cognise an inert physical universe.
I DO mean The MST illusion of a whole individual high level awareness within a system.
Ego
I DO NOT just mean ideas such as “I am so great” or just people who ‘show-off’.
I DO mean the ‘I-thought’, which is a particular meme or paradigm or cognitive lens that
conceptualises oneself as a single, whole, individual entity in a world that is not-self. It could
manifest as “I am great” or “I am pathetic” or “I am in control” or “I am a victim” or “I am
guilty” or “I am angry” or “I am in love” or “I am a human” or “I am an employee” and so on.
All these ideas reinforce the I-thought and they cause the being to experience and think of
themselves as a single isolated personal self within a vast world of not-self.
The ego is an illusion that weaves illusions that fill the mind and condition you so that the ego
can use you to pursue its agendas. Just like a government that starts to believe that it is the nation
and that the society is its body, then it fills the society full of propaganda and advertising and
manipulates the nation to pursue its agendas. Governments are the egos of nations. But the ego is
just a meme complex and not the real person or real nation. Humans and nations lose themselves
to the ego and lose awareness, dwelling only in the stream of ideas, desires and fears and very
rarely being AWARE. When you are aware you are in control but when you are on auto-pilot
acting out your egoic story you’re being controlled by the ego. If people doubt this - just try and
remain aware for one minute and if you are not caught up in self-deception you will see how
difficult it really is - thoughts always come along to carry you away with them and it is habitual
to just identify with them and to be the thinker rather than be the watcher of the thoughts. Many
people believe that they ARE the ego, they have never known themselves. There are many ideas
that can threaten the web of illusion through which the ego exerts its power (subversive ideas
that counter the mainstream propaganda). Its web of delusion is really very fragile so the ego is
often ruthless or ingenious in suppressing and neutralising threatening ideas so that the conscious
mind (mainstream society) remains totally unaware of them. Authorities whether political or
religious have routinely suppressed mysticism throughout history because it destroys illusion! If
you want a good analysis of the manipulative strategies used by the ego you should read the
book "A New Earth", by Eckhart Tolle. Egos are ingenious and ruthless dictators and they dictate
via deception and delusion, so beware.
Illusion
I DO NOT mean a trick of lights or sleight of hand within an otherwise objective physical
universe that directly presents itself to the mind.
I DO mean any cognitive impression that does not perfectly correspond with the reality that the
impression is supposed to represent to consciousness. For example, colour is an illusion because
it is a perceptual phenomenon that leads us to believe that objects possess colour when in fact
they don't. There are frequencies of light but this light has no colour either. Only when a very
narrow range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum stimulate our senses and are
interpreted by consciousness does colour arise. Similarly the experience of objecthood or whole
systems is an illusion arising from an MST process. Also the experience of being an individual in
a world that surrounds one is an illusion that arises in consciousness when information flows
through a point of awareness that perceives from a particular subjective perspective that is
embedded within a virtual universe.
Individual
I DO NOT just mean a person in society.
I DO mean any single system, or any perceived state of singleness and separate identity. But
systems are not simple things, only primitive systems are truly individual and whole. All other
systems are compound systems made of the interactions of sub-systems. Furthermore all systems
participate in super-systems so no system is isolated and they cannot be accurately understood in
isolation. Although compound systems are actually vast complex systems of sub-systems within
sub-systems, due to the MST illusion it seems that there is a single individual system. Thus a
human individual is a complex dynamical system that experiences the MST illusion of
wholeness, individuality and separateness from the world. This systemic illusion of individual
existence underlies the arising of the egoic illusion.
Information
I DO NOT mean just emails and news stories and the experience of being informed in a very
human cultural context.
I DO mean an abstract non-material essence. It is pure discernible difference that can manifest in
any medium and transform between mediums. It has the ability to flow and to change. It implies
both an observable appearance (data, outer aspect) and a process of observation (computation ,
proto-awareness, inner aspect). This discernable difference underlies all symbolic representation
and creates the potential for symbolic processes that represent and simulate virtual realities.
Information Space / Computational Space / State Space
I DO mean an existential context that supports representation and transformation of information
(discernible difference). Symbolic states are represented and transformed so existential states are
represented and transformed. An information space is the general context in which information
systems exists and operate. SMN is a general model of an information space and of information
systems.
Information System / Information Process
I DO NOT mean something that is “just information” like how people think of DVD movies or
computer games. And I don’t mean the naive idea of a configuration of physical objects and
processes that operate in the physical universe and convey symbolic information to humans, e.g.
information delivery systems such as databases and business management systems or libraries
and other cultural information delivery systems.
I DO mean a pattern of existential information that structures the flow and transformation of
existential information. They operate in the cosmic information space and they govern the
coherent flow of non-material existential potential that underlies all the forms and phenomena
that are the actual universe. When virtual systems perceive these information systems from a
subjective empirical perspective some information systems manifest as objects of perception and
are thought of as physical objects within a physical universe, such as a football. Some manifest
as events or processes such as a football match and some manifest as ideas or systemic
‘movements’ such as the very idea and social phenomenon of football. Furthermore some
information systems are imperceptible but have subtle localised effects on the virtual universe,
these are not noticed by most but many people call them ‘spirits’. Also some information
systems are very low-level and have no localised effects and can only be discerned as universal
forces or as just the-way-things-are. Information systems are a descriptive device that refers to
the actual objective reality that operates prior to perception and that underlies all the forms and
phenomena that arise through perception. To call something a ‘rock’ is to use ideas and concepts
derived from subjective empirical sense experience but to call it an information system that
manifests to consciousness as a rock is more accurate. This is because the object ‘rock’ only
arises through the perception, interpretation and experience of the flow of information. Only the
information systems actually exist and the objects are perceptual illusions that arise in
consciousness.
Inner Space
I DO NOT mean some vague undefined ‘new age’ term.
I DO mean the complex structure of systems within systems that underlies every aspect of a
system’s form, behaviour and experience. Inner relates to the process of perception and outer
relates to the content of perception.
Meme / Idea / Thought
I DO mean a cognitive structure that symbolically represents either an aspect of some experience
or a relation between ideas. The simple ideas arising from experience are like primitive systems
that underlie the arising of a complex hierarchy of ideas within ideas. These ideas are memes,
which are cognitive viruses, they are self-propagating ideas that controls us by directing the mind
when our conscious awareness is absent. The whole of the mind is a meme complex and when it
is not driven by direct conscious awareness it just acts out its memetic behaviour. Habits and
compulsive thought patterns of all kinds are memes, but also all ideas and concepts and traditions
and symbolic actions and so on. Most people are totally unaware of the degree to which they are
infested and dominated by memes. They think they are in control but that is often just another
idea/meme. To test your level of control, try and not identify with any thoughts for just one
minute, if you can stay detached and not actually ‘think them’ but only let the thought pass of
their own accord then you are quite advanced in you self-awareness and self-control. It usually
takes many many years of meditation or other practices to be able to last even just one minute
without losing control to the meme complexes in your mind. By watching them pass and staying
detached you begin to realise that the thoughts are not you, but when you identify with them you
think they are you – you say “I am angry” but it is just the meme complex that is angry. Memes
propagate from mind to mind through the cultural domain via any means of communication. The
mind is a type of internal meme complex and culture is a type of external meme complex.
Meme Complex
I DO mean a group of memes that cooperate or exist in a network of relations and dependencies
such that they reinforce and propagate each other and operate in a collective manner. The
individual memes or ideas are sub-systems that integrate to produce a super-system; the meme
complex. An example of a collective meme complex is ‘modernity’ where countless different
ideas from ego, empiricism, materialism, social pragmatism, authoritarianism, Scientism,
Political/Religiousness, economics, common sense and so on permeate people’s minds and
create a collective resonance of minds. All these ideas reinforce each other and act in a
coordinated manner to suppress any ideas that do not fit into this meme complex. The ego is the
root meme, when its dominance is overcome the whole of the ‘worldly’ meme complex collapses
and one finds oneself in a mystic paradigm.
Analogy
I DO NOT mean some vague story where you focus on the explicit ideas and form associations
and arrive at some understanding based solely on the explicit ideas and that relates only to those
ideas.
I DO mean an attempt to express certain implicit ideas that are difficult or impossible to express
directly using the particular language. The explicit ideas themselves are TOTALLY
IRRELEVANT and only serve as points of recognition so that the reader can discern the
underlying structure of relations between the explicit ideas. Then the explicit ideas should be
COMPLETELY disregarded and only the abstract structure of relations retained. Then you
contemplate how the structure fits into the context of the implicit ideas and you use the structure
to re-structure your understanding of the implicit ideas, thereby subtly changing your
understanding of their meanings. Meanings change because the meaning is purely a function of
how the ideas participate in the holistic context and there are no simple pre-definitions. Any
prejudiced or apathetic thinking will lead to confusion. If one simply focuses on the explicit
ideas one is just looking at the finger when the finger is pointing at the moon.
Metaphysics
I DO NOT mean “More recently, the term ‘metaphysics’ has also been used more loosely to
refer to "subjects that are beyond the physical world". A "metaphysical bookstore", for instance,
is not one that sells books on ontology, but rather one that sells books on spirits, faith healing,
crystal power, occultism, and other such topics.” Quoted from
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics)
I DO mean “the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the nature of reality, being,
and the world.
Metaphysics addresses questions such as:
What is the nature of reality?
What is humankind's place in the universe?
Are colors objective or subjective?
Does the world exist outside the mind?
What is the nature of objects, events, places?
A central branch of metaphysics is ontology, the investigation into what types of things there are
in the world and what relations these things bear to one another. The metaphysician also
attempts to clarify the notions by which people understand the world, including existence,
objecthood, property, space, time, causality, and possibility.” Quoted from
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics)
Meta-System Transition
This is a term from general system theory that refers to the phenomenon where a group of
interacting systems integrate to form a super-system. There is no ontological change however.
The ‘new’ whole system arises as a perceptual phenomenon when it is perceived from a high-
level perspective and most of the details of the interactions are lost and it appears that there is
just a single whole system. This apparent wholeness arises in outer forms such as particles
creating chunks of matter and also in inner forms such as proto-awareness creating high-level
human consciousness.
Mind
I DO NOT mean some magical quality that is possessed only by humans as some kind of “God
given” innate ability to understand and know an inert physical universe.
I DO mean a cognitive process that operates on ideas or memes. The mind is a type of meme
complex, it is a systemic structure of thoughts and thinking patterns. It is composed of memes,
which are cognitive information systems that channel, interpret, represent, comprehend and
generally process the flow of existential information through consciousness. There is both a
subconscious and conscious mind and permeating both is the ego, the central organising meme
complex.
Mysticism / Perennial Philosophy
I DO NOT mean the crude derisive stereotype of vague whacko superstitions that is used by the
currently dominant cultural meme complex to suppress mystic ideas.
I DO mean the systematic, rational, skeptical and holistic exploration of the experience of
existence without the imposition of any preconceived superstitions or belief systems (such as
empiricism). It involves the development of deep holistic insight not just into the contents of
consciousness but also into the process of consciousness and the underlying existential process.
The ancient mystic traditions are old forms of holistic science that are expressed in their own
analogical languages, but they have become very demonised and misunderstood due to the action
of cultural distortion and also deliberate attack from other meme complexes such as
political/religious institutions and Scientism. When viewed cynically from the outside and
interpreted using empiricist concepts they are incomprehensible but when one makes the
paradigm shift they are plainly seen to represent deep scientific understanding of the holistic
context.
Naive
I DO NOT mean a derogatory term like the way ‘childish’ is sometimes used. Nor do I mean
“Not previously subjected to experiments: testing naive mice”. Nor do I mean “Not having
previously taken or received a particular drug: persons naive to marijuana”. Nor do I mean
“Simple and guileless; artless: a child with a naive charm”
(http://www.answers.com/topic/naive).
I DO mean “Unsuspecting or credulous (Disposed to believe too readily)”
(http://www.answers.com/topic/naive) and I do mean “Having a lack of knowledge, judgment, or
experience” for example: “a naive belief in the honesty of politicians” (http://www.webster-
dictionary.net/definition/naive).
Object (also events, places and any perceptual phenomena)
In the OLD-PARADIGM objects are things that are naively believed to ontologically exist and
to directly make themselves known to consciousness.
In the NEW-PARADIGM objects are the objects of perception. When you perceive an object,
ask yourself, do I believe it IS an object or do I simply accept that there is something there that
appears as objects of perception when it resonates with my mind. We cannot directly discern the
true nature of things, we can only know the outer appearance of things via the flow of
information from their outputs through our senses and interpreted and represented by the mind.
To assume that the objects of perception are actually ontological objects is natural, it is
biologically programmed into us and it is sufficient for basic animal existence but it is an
arbitrary belief that is ultimately very limiting.
Outer Space
I DO NOT mean just the naive idea of physical space that surrounds the planet and permeates
the physical universe.
I DO mean any experiential context or world that a system experiences as being ‘outer’ in the
sense of being a construct of the content of sense perceptions. Outer relates to the content of
perception and inner relates to the process of perception. Note that outer is also related to the
network of systems that are not internal sub-systems but are other same-level peer-systems or
super-systems. These are the underlying reality that produces the sensory stimuli that the
system’s inner space processes and experiences.
Paradigm / Cognitive Lens / World View
I DO NOT mean just some conscious set of beliefs that one holds in memory and can bring into
consciousness at will.
I DO mean our weltanshauung, or the low-level sub/conscious beliefs and the manner in which
they structure the way the mind constructs and makes sense of its world. We see through our
ideas so the mind is a lens that can change as the ideas change. There is a very non-linear
feedback loop here. The mind is a meme complex that processes sensory data and transforms this
into memes. A paradigm is essentially a way of interpreting raw data and deriving meaning from
it. Such a process always takes place within the context of some agenda.
There are also individual and collective paradigms. When a particular cognitive lens (way of
interpreting, experiencing and comprehending things) propagates through the cultural domain
and gives rise to a meme complex that resonates with many individual minds and constrains
them to adopt a particular type of cognitive lens. Then each person’s cognitive lens (personal
meme complex) is their individual paradigm and the meme complex in the cultural domain is the
collective paradigm. So a paradigm is a type of meme complex that has an individual cognitive
form and a collective cultural form.
Paradigm Shift
I DO NOT mean some vague surface change in an idea that has little impact on other ideas.
I DO mean a profound and radical change in the structure of a paradigm (individual or collective
meme complex) that changes the way we experience and understand our world. An individual
paradigm shift is a radical change in one’s cognitive lens that causes us to experience and
understand things in a different way. A collective paradigm shift is the change in the cultural
meme complex that happens as individual paradigms change and people begin to act and express
themselves differently. Both individual and collective paradigm shifts can be gradual or sudden.
Perceptual / Experiential Process
I DO NOT mean some miraculous process whereby an inert objective physical universe is
completely and accurately experienced and known by a human mind.
I DO mean two things, either general perception / experience by general systems where it is the
flow of information through the inner space resulting in state changes, or more specifically
referring to human perception and experience involving the intricacies of the human mind and
human culture. In regards to humans, when the existential information flows throughout the
systemic virtual universe and we consider things on the particular system level where human
beings are not vast networks of integrated information systems, or particles in spacetime, or
molecules, or cells, or organs (i.e. humans are not perceived as collectives of integrated sub-
systems). And they are not members of a family, or community, or corporation, or incorporated
organisation, or nation, or any general ‘organisation’ (i.e. humans are not perceived as sub-
systems within super-systems). At the very particular and arbitrary system level where human
beings experience themselves and think of themselves as whole individual beings in a world. At
that level when the existential information flows through the inner space network of sub-systems
within a human then the perceptual / experiential process is that flow through the inner space that
channels existential information through the nervous system (not going into other cellular
activity) and participates in the process whereby experiences and ideas arise in consciousness.
The perceptual / experiential process is the process that channels existential information from
both inner and outer sources into consciousness.
Physical
In the OLD-PARADIGM physical means the naive idea that implies that physical objects
ontologically exist and that all ‘real’ things are physical objects operating within a physical
universe.
In the NEW-PARADIGM physical means an idea that arises in human minds due to their
experience of a systemic perceptual illusion based on the flow of information within a common
information space. It is the pervasiveness and voracity of the illusion that leads us to believe in it.
The systemic universe appears in a system’s subjective perceptual field as objects that seem to
possess solidity, density, mass, colour and other empirical observables. From these experiences
we form the idea of solid objects and we communicate our ideas and come to a consensus that
we dwell in a physical universe. See virtual for more.
Physical Universe
In the OLD-PARADIGM “physical universe” means an ontological existential context that just
exists and behaves without any underlying causal context and which is believed by materialists
to be the a priori (miraculous) foundation of all existence.
In the NEW-PARADIGM “physical universe” arises when the universe is experienced from a
perspective within the universe and it is conceptualised from within a materialist empiricist
belief system, then and only then does the idea of the physical universe arise. It is a particular
idea about the universe that is constructed from shared subjective experiences within a virtual
reality but which is conceived of within a materialist empiricist conceptual framework. When
virtual beings structure their minds using the idea-of-the-physical-universe they subconsciously
interpret and experience and conceptualise everything through that paradigm or cognitive lens so
they come to experience and know themselves as physical beings within a physical universe. So
the “physical universe” is really just a particular kind of personal world (subjective experiential
context) that people experience when they adopt a particular kind of cognitive lens. Part of the
illusion is that people assume that their individual worlds are actually the same objective world
so people believe that they all dwell within a common objective physical universe.
Prejudice / Dogmatic
I DO NOT mean a derogatory term that people often take offense to when they are being
prejudiced but refuse to accept that they are.
I DO mean an attachment to a particular paradigm or cognitive lens and also to the experiential
phenomena and ideas or beliefs that arise through that cognitive lens. So the person is unable to
experience or understand things in any other way. They naively assume that their way is the only
way.
Sanity / Sane
I DO NOT mean some magical quality whereby a person dwells in an inert objective-world and
experiences it through a mind that has perfect access to the objective-world, and any situation
other than this is called ‘insane’. And I DO NOT mean conformity to the ‘norm’, conformity to
common expectations, the adoption of the culturally dominant illusions and thereby dwelling in
the dominant fantasy world.
I DO mean clear and coherent contact with reality that guides us toward harmony and abundant
vitality. It implies “flowing with the Way” and holistic participation in existence. It implies
freedom from the web of delusions and compulsive desires and fears. It implies overcoming the
tyranny of the ego and its delusional agendas. It implies peace, compassion, understanding,
cooperation, deep unity amidst surface diversity and genuine holistic fulfillment.
Science
I DO NOT mean closed-minded belief systems such as empiricism, materialism and Scientism
that are dressed up in the scientific method. Nor do I mean using analytical methods to pursue
knowledge based cultural agendas in the world.
I DO mean an open-minded, rational, skeptical enquiry to derive knowledge about the universe,
how it functions and behaves and how to effectively participate in it.
Self
I DO NOT mean an individual human being that just ontologically exists in some naive realist
way and that is the center of the universe and the measure of all things; these are just illusions
and assumptions.
I DO mean two things depending on context. Either the ‘self’ that is the personal self and is
implied in phrases such as ‘myself’, ‘yourself’, etc. This self is a perceptual illusion that arises
from many systemic perceptual illusions and that is intimately related to the ego, the mind and
the body. It arises from the illusion of “being in a world”. In other contexts the ‘Self’ is the
actual you, prior to all perceptions, experiences and ideas, which lead to the idea of the personal
self. This is the Self, Atman, individual Soul, etc.
Subconscious Mind
I DO NOT mean some particular technical term from some historical psychological theory.
I DO mean that part of consciousness (high level awareness) that is not apparent to the conscious
mind. This is the vast majority of consciousness. To use the analogy of a nation state, the
conscious mind is like the government and the rest of society is like the subconscious mind. This
is the main area of operation of the ego, it creates subconscious desires, fears, beliefs and
confusions that the subconscious mind uses to interpret sensory data and construct a cognitive
representation or a world. This representation is what the conscious mind experiences and
naively accepts as the reality.
Universe
In the OLD-PARADIGM ‘universe’ means the naive idea of a physical universe that just exists
and behaves and is believed by materialists to be the foundation of all existence.
In the NEW-PARADIGM the ‘universe’ arises when the computational process ‘simulates’ and
unfolds the complex dance of information systems. That systemic existential context is what I
call the ‘universe’. It is the actual systemic structure and dynamical existence of the universe that
“is what it is” regardless of our perceptions, experiences and ideas about it. I also refer to it as
the existential process, the ongoing process of manifest existence.
Virtual
I DO NOT mean the common technological implementation of VR which may be naively
described as “a physical electronic computer running a contemporary VR program and a physical
human wearing VR goggles and gloves”.
I DO mean something which appears to be a world but is actually a computational process. It is a
computational / perceptual phenomenon arising from the coherent processing of information in a
manner such that the VR has deep metaphysical properties and gives rise to a complex quantum
systemic universe. Within this virtual universe virtual systems exist and perceive themselves to
be in a physical universe. It feels ‘physical’ because the systems in the VR operate in the same
information space, they are ‘made of’ the same information and computational processes. There
is no outside observer looking through VR goggles, ALL observers experience the VR from
perspectives within the VR universe. The virtual systems are a part of the virtual universe, they
can be thought of as simple systems or as “artificially intelligent” AI beings that dwell in the VR
universe.
In this context the ‘physical universe ’ is an idea that arises from the virtual being’s experience
of the virtual universe from their individual subjective perspective; beyond this idea there is no
intrinsic or ontological ‘solidity’ to anything. The computational space is the ontological
foundation and it does not arise from a physical computer. It is instead the case that a physical
computer is a phenomenon whereby virtual beings conceive of their virtual universe using ideas
of ‘physicality’ and they develop complex virtual processes that not only take part in the virtual
dynamics (e.g. sitting on a desk) but also channel some of the universal computational potential
in some manner such that it creates a sub-computational process within the VR universe. It is this
virtual computer that the virtual beings experience as being physical. The question “does the
simulator have a physical foundation?” arises because the virtual beings base their concepts of
‘real’ on their subjective experiences of a seemingly physical virtual universe. Given that
‘physical’ existential contexts are very high-level and complex whilst computational processes
are very simple but can give rise to physical / virtual universes, it seems likely that some kind of
computational process is the foundation. But even if there was some physical foundation we
cannot know about it unless there are interfaces. For example, an AI being in a VR world
running on an electronic computer cannot know about or participate in our physical universe
unless there are interfaces. But even then our physical world is either “just information” (e,g,
digital camera images of the “outside world”) or it appears as parts of the virtual world in the
form of avatars (e.g. in control systems where the input signals inform a virtual model of the
controlled system that then produces output signals).
From the perspective of the AI being our physical world is either invisible or it is "just
information" and the VR world seems physical to it. This is a fundamental systemic perceptual
illusion that arises when interactions occur (information flows) between nested virtual spaces. In
the structure of systems within systems and virtual universes within virtual universes each
universe seems ‘physical’ from perspectives within that universe, whilst the sub- universes (e.g.
computer games or movies) seem to be "just information" and the super-universe is essentially
hidden but it can manifest as "just information" or through virtual representations (avatars). A
common example of the use of avatars that allow a super-universe to interact with a sub-universe
is when a person plays a first-person VR computer game, they cannot participate directly as
themselves; they must adopt a character within the game and act through that character. The
other virtual characters will perceive the game player as just another being in their world and
they cannot know about the person playing the character.
World
In the OLD-PARADIGM ‘world’ means the naive realist idea of “the world” that simply and
objectively exists just as we perceive it to be and that the mind has perfect access to that
objective world.
In the NEW-PARADIGM ‘world’ means a subjective experiential context that is unique and
individual for each virtual system. We each dwell in a world that is constructed by our minds and
is driven by sensory stimuli. Many people make the mistake of confusing their personal
subjective world with the idea of a collective objective world. The objective reality does exist but
it cannot be known simply by communicating our subjective experiences and assuming that we
dwell in an objective world. We then dwell in an illusion based upon shared subjective
experiences that we mistakenly assume is the objective reality.
Term
I DO NOT mean
I DO mean

Scraps yet to find a place…

“Taking the philosophy of Vedanta the Jnana Yogi uses his mind to inquire into its own nature.
We perceive the space inside and outside a glass as different, just as we see ourselves as
separate from God. Jnana Yoga leads the devotee to experience his unity with God directly by
breaking the glass, dissolving the veils of ignorance. Before practicing Jnana Yoga, the aspirant
needs to have integrated the lessons of the other yogic paths - for without selflessness and love of
God, strength of body and mind, the search for self-realization can become mere idle
speculation.” (sivananda.org/teachings/jnana/jnana.html)
“To learn Buddhism is to study yourself
To study yourself is to forget yourself
To forget yourself is to be enlightened by all things. “(Zen Master Pogen Zenji)
“I used to live in a roomful of mirrors.
All I could see was me
Well, I took my spirit and crashed the mirrors
Now the whole world is here for me to see ... “ (Jimi Hendrix)

Limits of knowledge
Note that I liken God to a "computational process" and not a 'computer', which is an object in a
world; God is like a pure computational essence. In this sense all things are God in action but we
experience a world of objects, places and events.
"the Arcanum of the Arcana is what men can neither know nor comprehend, nor can they apply
their rules of science to it." (Kabbalah Denudata, Greater Holy Assembly)
"He is incapable of being known" (Bhagavad Gita, chpt 13)

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (Bart D. Ehrman)
http://www.amazon.com/Misquoting-Jesus-Story-Behind-Changed/dp/0060738170
also other books listed on that page
Three Messiahs?—or One?
http://www.realtruth.org/articles/427-tmoo.html?gclid=CN_ywqDZ04sCFQu2bgod1WMxag

Another situation is the case of innovation. If something is a simple or recognisable extension to

the 'known' then it is easily comprehended and accepted. However if something is radically new
it can be almost impossible to comprehend at first due to the limitations of the old paradigm. For
example, if a person lived in an entirely empiricist, common sense realist, pseudo objective
world