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Founder depression is real, and can be brutal
Being a startup founder is a tough experience—many suffer in secret, hit by anxiety and depression.
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But, in fact, in this final apocalypse of the self, the dissolution of the sole remaining duality of existence and nonexistence–identity itself– dissolves in Universal Divinity, and no individual consciousness is left to choose. The last step, then, is taken by God. –David R. Hawkins
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There is a story in Zen circles about a man and a horse. The horse is galloping quickly, and it appears that the man on the horse is going somewhere important. Another man, standing alongside the road, shouts, "Where are you going?" and the first man replies, "I don't know! Ask the horse!" This is also our story. We are riding a horse, we don't know where we are going, and we can't stop. The horse is our habit energy pulling us along, and we are powerless. We are always running, and it has become a habit. We struggle all the time, even during our sleep. We are at war within ourselves, and we can easily start a war with others.
- Thich Nhat Hanh
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There were a few
moments of apprehension as the self died, and then the absoluteness of the
Presence inspired a flash of awe.
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ADVTA
WHAT IS PANENTHEISTIC NONDUALISM?
This question will be a major portion of the contents of this page. In this post we will briefly explore the core concept for the sake of those who are just passing through, and want to get a general idea of what this page is about.
WHAT IS PANENTHEISM?
The word panentheism works similarly to words like theism, atheism, polytheism, or deism; which is to say, it is a general description of a spiritual philosophy, not a religion or philosophy unto itself. For example, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all forms of monotheism, yet each is a separate religious (theological) ideology—they share the basic philosophical nature of monotheism, but part ways once that monotheistic nature is more deeply explored. Specifically, panentheism is a form of theism, and is similar in nature to pantheism. In the most general terms, pantheism is the perspective that there is an essential spiritual quality inherent within nature itself. Some, such as many ancient forms of shamanism or paganism, take a more literal view of such, worshiping the sun, moon, or earth, and observing natural cycles as sacred events; others, often members of the modern scientific community, figuratively hold that there is something deeply moving and awe inspiring inherent to the nature of life and the universe itself.
The literal definition of the word “pantheism” is the view that god and nature are one and the same. It is immediately important to understand that, in this definition, the word “god” is just being tossed out there without further elaboration. For most pantheists, god is a very different concept than that of the Judeo-Christian religions as well as many others. As a couple of quick examples of such, where the latter tends to hold to an anthropomorphic, teleological, and transcendental deity with the power to create, destroy, or otherwise alter reality, pantheists often hold to a more generalized concept of an essence or force that is non-anthropomorphic, non-teleological, and inherent to (or identical with) the natural universe, and is bound by the laws of nature—or, literally IS the laws of nature. To take this a step further, where a pantheist holds that “god” is equivocal with the natural universe, a panentheist holds that “god” is ‘something more’ than the mere sum of its parts. The etymology of the two words can be expressed as “god IS nature” (pantheism) and “nature is an expression of god” (panentheism). We will further explore the idea of the word and concept of “god” in future posts, as such is as important to a solid understanding of panentheistic nondualism as it is far beyond the scope of this post. However, as a final word on this subject let us look at the etymological history of the word “religion,” which is obscure and a subject of debate. One author has suggested that it speaks to the idea of “returning to the source.” This idea is at the heart of a scientific approach to pantheism, wherein as we ‘connect with’, or better understand, our origins anthropologically, biologically, and cosmologically we begin to better understand our own being as well as that of existence at large—and that, to some, is the very heart of spirituality.
WHAT IS NONDUALISM?
“Nondualism” is a word that is similar in use to the western ontological concepts of monism and dualism, however, the root of its use and meaning is generally typical of various eastern philosophical systems. Like the word “panentheism,” nondualism is a general concept that is not a religion or philosophical system in and of itself. For example, nondualistic philosophies can be found within Daoism (classical Daojia, or “philosophical Daoism”), Buddhism (often Chan or Zen Buddhism), and Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta, which literally means “the nondualistic interpretation of the Hindu scriptures, and is largely the source of the meaning and use of the word “nondualism” itself), however, it is important to point out that nondualistic philosophies in this context exist as sub-sets or denominations of Daoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, and that these traditions as a whole are not inherently nondualistic themselves.
The core concept of nondualism can, perhaps, be most easily and concisely explained with a metaphor from the modern science of cosmology in terms of the cosmic singularity that preceded the big bang. THE singularity (not to be confused with “a singularity,” which is a distinction to be elaborated on at another time) is literally ALL THAT IS, the entirety of the universe, condensed into a single point in space and time—there is nothing outside of or beyond it, it exists outside of the concepts of both space and time, it is the source of all things, and all that can be said to exist, exist within it. The singularity is a nondual concept in that there is only the singularity and nothing else besides it—it doesn’t exist within something larger, nor does anything else exist alongside it. In this regard, nondualism is, in ontological terms, very much like monism. The difference is one of semantics and philosophical nuance.
The subject of nondualism is extremely complex and diverse. Not unlike theism, debates and philosophies on the subject abound, and there is no real consensus, nor means of such. It is essentially an abstract concept that each individual will put their own spin on; which brings us to a deeper aspect of what nondualism means, and how it differs from ontological monism. At the heart of much eastern nondualistic philosophy is the subject of consciousness itself. Where many other forms of philosophy, including science, put the emphasis on more external forms of existence or understanding such as perception and cognition of an objective environment, nondualism holds that the core of existence, or at least our understanding of it, must begin with an understanding of consciousness itself. This presents many difficulties as we are essentially hard wired to believe that our perceptions of reality are themselves quite real and accurate representations, a concept that nondualism challenges. This course of inquiry is paired with an equally challenging exploration of exactly what is meant by the concept of “self,” and in what way and to what extent such a thing really exists or if it even exists at all. Likewise, the core of one’s concept of identity becomes a focus, as one expands their awareness and understanding of the nature of their own reality deeper down the rabbit hole, so to speak.
All of this leads to another aspect of nondualism that is simultaneously on par with modern science, yet apart from it: nondualistic inquiry is an objective pursuit, it is, however, a matter of personal or subjective objectivity. The core of nondualistic inquiry is found in the practice of meditation wherein the individual directly experiences the nature of their own consciousness and self both empirically and objectively, however, due to the nature of the subject matter, it is not something that can be viewed by or shared with all as scientific empiricism and objectivity can be. As such, nondualism exists as a coupling of the personal experience of meditation and a philosophical background to provide context for such. The ultimate issue here is that nondualism holds that “Truth” cannot be expressed in words or concepts largely due to the limited and relative nature of consciousness itself, thus, while one can be guided by a teacher, one cannot rely strictly upon philosophy for understanding, and ultimately, a student will have to give up the philosophical training wheels themselves in lieu of a greater degree of direct, personal, ineffable understanding. As a final note on the nature of nondualism, it is important to know that the very concept and process of “Understanding” in nondualistic terms is somewhat different than the usual use of the word. Whereas one can read a history book or a technical manual and come to an ‘understanding’ of one subject or another, this is more of a matter of conceptual knowledge. Nondualistic Understanding is not a matter of knowledge in the normal sense. It is rather a matter of understanding the nature of consciousness, the self, and, ultimately, existence at large in a way that defies words and concepts, and, more importantly, it is a transformative process. For a student of nondualism, over the course of time it may, perhaps, be seen as being comparable a deeply held devotion to cognitive behavior therapy: it changes the way a person thinks and behaves, thus changing their experience of and interaction with reality; often in such a way as to promote a higher degree of awareness and compassion, as well as a reduced experience of fear, anger, desire-motivated behavior, and selfishness.
CONCLUSION: WHAT IS PANENTHEISTIC NONDUALISM?
It is a deliberate and necessary use of words that “panentheistic” is the qualifying adjective and “nondualism” is the core noun. Many more traditional students and teachers of nondualism would likely frown at giving nondualism a referential adjective at all, as it is an inherently concept-defying and cognition-avoiding philosophy. This, in and of itself, is the beginning of what the phrase means. In some traditions, such as Zen Buddhism, a student will begin by stilling the cognitive mind right out of the gate. Any kind of conceptualization is seen as being more harm than good—more illusion than reality. Other traditional teaching methods, such as many found within Daoism and Hinduism, start a student out by telling them a great many things that are not intended to be the ‘be all end all’ of their lessons, but are rather a form of conceptual training wheels to help ease the student deeper into the more difficult philosophies and practices, as well as helping to provide a context and a gradual psychological shift so as to make later lessons and discoveries less overwhelming (and it should be noted that such philosophies are held as being potentially dangerous, as students can easily misunderstand and become lost down false paths of nihilism, cynicism, eccentricity, delusion, and so on). Often Daoism and Hinduism, in particular, will employ mythological accounts and parables to create a framework for the student to work with. Slowly, over time, as that frame work is used to create a deeper understanding, it will be torn back down little by little as the student progresses.
It should be understood that panentheistic nondualism is just nondualism. What this means is that, technically, we can speak of Daoistic Nondualism, Buddhistic Nondualism, or Hinduistic Nondualism, but the adjective is always the cultural and philosophical context used to help teach the nondualism itself. As such, panentheistic nondualism is no different, save that the context used is one of, essentially, modern, western science. There are a couple of important things to be said about this. Firstly, modern science is an important mainstay all by itself. There is, perhaps, no greater, more effective, or more successful philosophical system within the entire history of humanity in terms of helping to build an understanding of nature and life itself. However, science by itself isn’t enough, and that should be seen as a positive. Science wouldn’t be science, nor would it be as efficacious if it wasn’t so astringently objective and empirical—that is literally what makes science science. On the other hand, as human beings we cannot rely on science alone. Life is messy and subjective; it is uncertain and unpredictable; it is often a matter of feeling and opinion; it requires that we make subjective decisions about emotions or ethics; and there is ‘something more’ to being alive than pure objectivity and empiricism alone can provide, as otherwise important as they are. Thus, science provides an essential and irreplaceable CORNERSTONE, but not a foundation in and of itself. In this context, science becomes a sort of “mythos,” not unlike what is often used in Daoism or Hinduism to help students develop a deeper level of understanding of self and reality.
This brings us to a second, very important concept within nondualism that Daoism calls “walking two paths at once,” and Buddhism calls “the two truths.” Essentially the idea is that, as one progresses in a nondualistic understanding of self and nature, the more objective, perceptual, and cognitive aspects of life and reality begin to drop away. This is specifically where the danger begins for students, and it is absolutely imperative to have strong guidance, a social support group, and psychological and philosophical grounding. Ultimately though, as this occurs, even in the positive sense, a great difficulty emerges wherein the student is forced to experience a sort of ontological contradiction: they are an individual personality within a manifold world, yet they are the very ‘nondual’ essence that is all of reality. This too is a massive subject that is way beyond the scope of this post, but it is also a critical subject within nondualism. Thus, suffice it to say that it is the ‘mythological adjective’ affixed to nondualism that provides the key to overcoming such a conundrum. In Daoism, Buddhism, or Hinduism one may make use of concepts such as deities, immortals, saints, or bodhisattvas, but in panentheism one may simply use a blend of science and modern western culture to aid them through this issue as well as provide a context allowing for a greater understanding in the first place. It has been said that, “every generation has a Dao (way, philosophy, or system of doing things) of its own,” and it is important for the modern generations of the world to understand that we need not revert back to the ‘old ways,’ nor shun virtually any aspect of modern society, most specifically science. Modern science is not only fully compatible with nondualism, it also provides many clues that other traditions either do not have, or simply restates previously existing philosophies in a far more empirically approachable way. Moreover, the use of science and panentheism can help to keep a student of nondualism grounded and sound of perspective as the greater Understanding slowly develops and emerges.
So, what is panentheistic nondualism? Difficult to explain concisely; a means of creating a common ground between science and spirituality; a means of grounding an otherwise deeply obscure and potentially dangerous path of greater understanding; a loosely arranged set of ideally pluralistic philosophical ideologies; a view of the life, the self, the universe, and all of existence that makes use of our modern scientific understanding while allowing us to venture ever deeper into an experience and understanding of what it is to be; a modern product of the inevitable blending of various traditional spiritual philosophies with a modern view of reality; panentheistic nondualism is many things, none of which are absolute, or fully ‘accurate’ of themselves, and can be many different things to different people. In the context of this page, it is no more or less than an avenue of exploration of who and what we are as individuals, as a species, as living, sapient beings, and as members of the planet Earth and the universe at large.
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“I can’t meditate, because I can’t stop my thoughts!
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ANTI-SCREAM MUNCH
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INTR DECORN X EKEN -INFERIOR DECORATION
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MOKSHA ENL
As life went on, this stillness persisted. There was no personal will; the
physical body went about its business under the direction of the infinitely
powerful but exquisitely gentle Will of the Presence. In that state, there was
no need to think about anything. All truth was self-evident and no
conceptualization was necessary or even possible. At the same time, the
physical nervous system felt extremely overtaxed, as though it were
carrying far more energy than its circuits had been designed for.
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views on consciousness of Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), the famous nineteenth-century Indian monk who introduced Hinduism and Vedānta to the West. First, I present Vivekananda’s metaphysical framework of panentheistic cosmopsychism, according to which the sole reality is Divine Consciousness, which manifests as everything in the universe. As we will see, his panentheistic cosmopsychism combines elements from the classical Indian philosophical traditions of Sāṃkhya and Advaita Vedānta as well as the teachings of his guru Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886). Then I reconstruct his sophisticated arguments in favor of panentheistic cosmopsychism. I argue that Vivekananda’s panentheistic cosmopsychism, in light of its distinctive features and its potential philosophical advantages over rival theories of consciousness, deserves to be taken seriously by contemporary philosophers of mind and religion.
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WRLD POLLUTION
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FOCUS X PROKASH
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PATIMRES
PATIENCE X TIME= RESILIENCE
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