Tag: Spirituality
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Christianity and the Structure of Being–A Metaphysical Map
From Plato to the Eternal Structure of Being 🔹 1. Plato (4th c. BCE) Core Move: Eternal Forms vs. Temporal World 🡺 Impact: Introduces the first metaphysical dualism→ Sets up the world of change as ontologically inferior→ Seeds the logic of annihilation (what becomes can also vanish) 🔹 2. Early Christianity (1st–4th c. CE) Core…
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Christianity and the Structure of Being – 1: The Eternal Intuition of Christianity
The Seeds of Truth in the Christian Vision From its very beginning, Christianity has spoken of eternity. Not merely as a distant realm beyond this life, but as something that enters into history—something that breaks into time through incarnation, resurrection, and the promise of a kingdom that shall have no end. In this, Christianity reveals…
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The Last Dualism 1 – What Is Truly Non-Dual?
Beyond the Confusion of Experience, Metaphor, and Ontology In recent decades, few terms have gained as much traction in spiritual and philosophical circles as “non-duality.” From Eastern teachings like Advaita Vedanta and Dzogchen, to Western spiritual movements, therapy sessions, and even casual Instagram posts, the term has become a kind of shorthand for ultimate truth,…
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The Last Dualism – Intro: How Non-Duality Preserves the Root of Nihilism
Introduction A growing chorus in contemporary spirituality and philosophy sings of non-duality, interconnection, and wholeness. Eastern traditions, modern mystics, and therapeutic modalities echo the same refrain: separation is an illusion, all things are ultimately one, and awakening lies in transcending dualistic thought. Terms like oneness, pure consciousness, and non-separation circulate freely, suggesting a new paradigm…
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“I Am” – 1: The Unshakable Foundation of Being
The Most Certain Truth The search for truth often begins with questions about reality and existence: What is the nature of being? Yet, the most fundamental certainty is not found “out there” but within the immediacy of our own awareness. Before we inquire about the nature of reality, we must first recognize that we are.…
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More on Reincarnation: The Experience of Unity and the Misreading of Time
A sequel to: Post 28 – The Contradiction of Reincarnation Much of what is interpreted as “evidence” for reincarnation arises from powerful experiences in which the boundaries of individual identity appear to dissolve—experiences of deep empathy, of remembering what was never learned, or of seeing oneself within lives not one’s own. These moments can be…
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Post 52 – The Eternal Resolution of Wrongs: Trauma, Forgiveness, and the Structure of Being
Suffering, whether born from perceived injustices, personal trauma, or the wounds inflicted and received in relationships, occupies a central place in the human condition. Throughout life, individuals struggle with burdens—the memories of harm, feelings of resentment, and the psychological weight of victimhood. While religion and psychology offer ways of addressing these issues, their most profound…
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Post 51 – The Error of Metaphors: The Wave, the Drop, and the Illusion of Dissolution
The Pitfall of Metaphors in Expressing Oneness Throughout history, mystics, philosophers, and those who have encountered states of heightened awareness—such as near-death experiencers (NDErs)—have attempted to describe their realization of the oneness of Being. However, their descriptions often rely on metaphors that, though evocative, implicitly carry the mistaken notions of becoming and annihilation. The wave…
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Post 50 – The Oneness of Being: Unity in Multiplicity
The One and the Many At the core of reality lies a fundamental truth: Being is one and undivided, yet it consists of an infinite plurality of distinct entities. Each being is itself, maintaining its unique identity, and yet it is seamlessly one with all others. This paradox—that everything is irreducibly itself while being inseparably…
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Post 36 – Religion and the Necessity of Alienation: Toward a Unified Understanding of Reality
Introduction The empirical self, separated from its transcendental whole by the limitations of time, perceives itself as fragmented and alienated from its own totality. In this alienated state, it naturally seeks meaning and connection beyond itself, often turning to religious or mythical frameworks. These frameworks attempt to bridge the perceived gap between the empirical and…
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Post 35 – The Necessity of Alienation: Time, Eternity, and the Resolution of Separation
Introduction Within the framework of the Structure of Being, the distinction between the empirical self and the transcendental self serves to clarify two perspectives of existence. Though ultimately one, the empirical self experiences separation, alienation, and contradiction within time. From the standpoint of time, the empirical self appears to begin at birth and dissolve at…
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Post 27 – The Structure of Being on the Illusion of Dualism
Introduction The Structure of Being perspective challenges a series of dualisms that are often taken for granted. By questioning the very idea of becoming—that things emerge, change, and vanish—this view exposes a fundamental mistake in our understanding of time and existence. This mistaken view gives rise to several apparent dualisms: Moreover, these themes resonate with…
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Post 25 – How the Structure of Being Compares to Other Philosophies
The Structure of Being, as explored in this blog, shares insights with many philosophical traditions—both Eastern and Western. However, it also takes a radically different stance on key issues: What is real? What is illusion? Can we “wake up” to truth? And if so, what does that actually mean? Most traditions agree that we are…
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Post 24 – Consciousness After Death
Introduction: The Illusion of Nihilism Have you ever felt that everything is fleeting—that life, memories, and experiences inevitably slip away, lost to time? This sense of impermanence, often called the illusion of nihilism, makes it seem as if nothing truly lasts, as if existence itself is fragile and transient. But what if that perception is…
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Post 23 – The Relationship Between Personal Meaning and Universal Being
As humans, we progressively come to know the eternal structure of being, one glimpse at a time. Being persons, we experience this as deeply personal. Though in the structure of being there is no intent or possibility to change anything from or towards anybody, as everything is what it is since ever and forever, nonetheless…
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Post 18 – A Person, Their Moments, and Eternity
The Eternal Nature of Moments and the Illusion of Becoming According to the “Original Structure,” every moment is eternal. No moment arises from nothing or vanishes into nothing to make way for the next, as a nihilistic perspective assumes. In this view, a person is the totality of all their eternal moments. But how is…
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Post 17 – The Infinite Whole: Understanding Love, Suffering, and Reality
The Impersonal and the Personal When we analyze the nature of Being, we find that it is an unchanging, eternal whole. Nothing truly comes into existence or disappears: everything simply is, necessarily and forever. This perspective may seem impersonal, but it does not deny the distinctions we perceive within existence. Rather than being random or…
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Post 15 – God, Beyond God, and More than God
The truth of Being, freed from the error of nihilism, demands a profound reconfiguration of how we perceive reality. Inevitably, this also affects our understanding of God. Are our traditional concepts of God still adequate, or are they burdened by nihilistic assumptions? Can they be salvaged, or must we move beyond them? If theistic terms…
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Post 10 – Contemplating the Authentic Sense of Being
Describing the Authentic Sense of Being How may we describe the authentic sense of Being? It is not a “sense” in the conventional understanding of the term, yet sensing, feeling, knowing, and awareness are words often employed to gesture toward it. Here, language falters—words become mere symbols pointing to that which they cannot fully contain,…
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Post 8 – Eternal Being and the Illusion of Change: Eastern Insights and Nihilistic Paradoxes
The East“For the soul, there is neither birth nor death at any time.It has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being.It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval.It is not slain when the body is slain.”— Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 20 This verse from the Bhagavad Gita…
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Post 7 – The Challenges of Evolutionary Mysticism: Beyond Nihilism
The Revival of Christian Mysticism Christian mysticism is experiencing a remarkable revival, expanding beyond monastic traditions and finding resonance among lay practitioners. This resurgence has been championed by figures like Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, and others who have reinvigorated ancient practices such as contemplative prayer and meditation. These disciplines invite practitioners…
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Post 6 – Rethinking Nihilism in Religious Thought
What Would Become of Our Systems of Thought? What would become of our various systems of thought if we were to remove from their core the nihilistic persuasion? To a certain extent, we have already explored that, but let us now get a bit more specific, perhaps starting with religion and spirituality. First, a brief…
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Post 4 – Reconciling Free Will and Determinism: An Eternal Perspective
Change, Becoming, and the Nature of Being If Being is eternal and unchanging, as classical metaphysics suggests, then change and becoming seem contradictory. However, our experience of change is undeniable. How can we reconcile these two ideas? Being, as the fundamental reality, is consistent and indivisible. It cannot shift between existence and non-existence without ceasing…
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Post 2 – The Eternity of All Things
Intuitions of the Eternal We have spoken of the unassailable truth of our Being and our awareness of time and space, but there is yet another form of awareness; more elusive, less dependent on our senses, and harder to define. It is something we all experience at times yet struggle to articulate. This awareness emerges…
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It Is What It Is 