It is interesting to see how much of the so called New Age thoughts are a more fashionable continuation of deeply ingrained religious beliefs. And as religions have been the expression of incomplete insight into the nature of our own self, of God and of the world, so are the modern New Age thoughts oftentimes an expression of ignorance, and of incomplete knowledge of reality.
It still looks as if people are more interested in mysterious believes than in real knowledge! The problem with real knowledge however is that it is hardly available.
Although there are many really good books on the market, hardly any author exhibits a total insight into life and living!
Things still remain puzzling and to some degree confusing. Even when the idea of God is presented correctly, still the way to realize him/her/it is often beset with mystifications. This spoils the good name that spirituality otherwise could have, in the minds and intellects of intelligent and grounded people.
Even if one states correctly that “enlightenment” is the goal of life, one fails to describe in plain and sane words what enlightenment is. I myself was running after the juicy sausage called enlightenment, until gradually I was able to see what the word really stands for. And in the clear understanding of what this term actually means, lies the answer to all other questions about life and living!
The main thing to be understood by every human being is hat consciousness is primary and matter is secondary! As soon as a consciousness based worldview is becoming popular, mankind will automatically adopt the harmony model of reality, and on this basis mankind will start to behave more sensibly and more lovingly towards itself, and towards our mother, our beautiful planet earth..
You see, along with the materialistic worldview, comes the conflict model of reality. They always go hand in hand. When you think matter is the only thing that is real, you see yourself as a human body, in stead of as a human being. Then automatically you see yourself as separate from everything and everybody else! And this twisted and dangerous perspective on life happens to be the official viewpoint of all modern sciences!
Modern science tells us that life is a struggle and that only the strongest of us can survive. And since scientists define strength in a materialistic way, those with the biggest muscles or those with the greatest missiles will be running the show as long as the materialistic worldview prevails.
Since the outer reality is understood and digested according to our inner believes and convictions, we always feel that our inner believes and convictions are confirmed by the outer happenings. This is always the case, also when we learn to adopt an all-encompassing view on reality.
This all-encompassing view on reality has been the original inspiration of all true religions, and of all true philosophies. By the way what is truth, and what do we mean when we say ‘it is true’? Words, ideas or stories are true when they adequately describe the reality. Reality is not only concrete, it is also abstract. Take for instance the concept of gravitation. No doubt it adequately describes certain aspects of reality.
Nevertheless, no one has ever seen gravity…only its effect are seen! And even if we don’t see it, gravitation is real! Same thing is valid for love, hatred, happiness, freedom, consciousness. No one has ever seen these items by themselves! Only there expressions can be seen or heard. This does not make these items unreal! They really exist! But not on the material plane. They exist on the absolute level of reality.
Now I know many people have difficulty accepting the truth of this statement. People are not used to think in terms of abstract realities, not to speak of absolute realities!
And here we are at the source op the problem. People are deeply conditioned by the materialistic worldview, which has dominated the thoughts of mankind for many centuries, especially on the western hemisphere.
But you will agree, that when we see matter, it is only logical to conclude that there exists also a source of matter! This source of matter must also be the source of energy, since we know that matter is nothing but concentrated energy. This was proven to us by Albert Einstein, and this truth is widely accepted. Now what is the source of all matter and of all energy? Here I ask you to make a quantum jump in jour mind, in your intuition! Since I have to point you towards that level of reality which is completely abstract. Abstract means formless! And if something has no form and still is the source of all matter and energy, it must per definition belong to the absolute level of reality!
Philosophers have called this level of reality ‘Being’, or the ‘Absolute’. Religious people have called it ‘God’, ‘Jaweh’, ‘Adonoi’ or ‘Allah’, ‘Shiva’, etc. Mystical people have called it ‘Tao’ or ‘Logos’, or ‘Gnosis’. Physicists have called it the ‘Unified field’ and also ‘Zero-point field’. The aboriginals of Australia called it ‘Unity’ and the native Americans called it ‘The great Spirit’. But the most revealing name to it has been given to it by the ancient seers of India. They called it ‘Consciousness’ and they made many people see that it is their own Consciousness, or if you like, their own Self!!!
I know this is a bit of a new perspective on the reality, but if you read a few of the 108 Upanishads, you may be convinced for ever that what they are saying is true! If you read the ‘Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad’, and maybe also ‘Chandogya Upanishad’, (two of the major Upanishads) you may end up like me, being clear that it is so!
You see, the Upanishadic seers elaborately explain that the entire creation, with everything in it, is a manifestation of consciousness. And if you would ask them ‘Whose consciousness are you speaking about?’ They would flatly tell you: ‘ Our consciousness, Your and my consciousness, and the consciousness of each and everything. They would further explain to you that there is only one consciousness in the entire Universe! Again, whose consciousness is this? Our consciousness, our commonly shared consciousness!
How is this possible? Simply because consciousness is the abstract, absolute, omnipresent, cosmic creative intelligence that manifests itself as the entire universe, with its infinite amount of energy, and its infinite multitude of forms. We human beings are only in so far special manifestations amongst all other ones, that we have the potential capacity to reflect about our own origin, our own source, our own essence if you will. And what is our essence, what is our core ?
To answer this all important question we are advised to look within. And what do we find when we look deep within? What do we find when we look to the source of our thoughts? Indeed, pure consciousness, pure, abstract, formless and nameless awareness! There is nothing special to this experience, and in a sense, people do have it all the time! But since we are so fascinated by the outer world, or by our own thoughts and emotions, we usually fail to see the silence in which the thoughts and emotions take shape! In a way, we are like a fish in the unbounded ocean, who is so much used to the element in which he is swimming, that he pays no attention to the simple, transparent and unbounded element that makes his life and living possible!
But if we follow the simple advise of the ancient Upanishadic seers, and start looking at the source of our energy at the source of thought, we soon will realize that unbounded, simple and transparent element, that makes all our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, experiences possible! Then we realize that our consciousness is like the white screen in the cinema. All the films are projected on the white, immovable screen, and without the screen, we would not be able to see and experience the movie!
Thoughts are the most subtle part of our existence. They are small energy fluctuations in our consciousness. Thoughts can be understood as consciousness in motion. Thus our mind is our energetic aspect, and our body is our material aspect. Our consciousness is our abstract aspect.
Note that this runs parallel to what we see in the universe at large. The entire universe exists only of tree categories of ‘things’. We know there is matter in all sizes and forms. Secondly we know that there are all sorts of energies. Thirdly we know there is a source of all energy and matter-fields, and in physics this field is known as the self-interacting Zero point field, and in the Upanishads this abstract, self-interacting field is called consciousness. As soon as we know that something is self-interactive, we know for sure it is consciousness. In fact the only thing in the universe that is truly self-interactive is consciousness. Only consciousness can create something out of itself. Or you may say that only consciousness can create something out of nothing. Then, strictly and truly speaking, consciousness is the absolute Nothingness. Materially it is nothing, but spiritually speaking it is…everything.
And we will have to get used to the fact that this is truly so! Consciousness is not only the source of everything that exists in the universe, it is also the immaterial substance out of which everything is made! This has to be so, since there was nothing else than itself, from which consciousness could create the universe. Note that the very word Universe points to the fact that the infinite diversity of creation has arisen out of a state of unity. This is only logical.
Once we have understood this, we understand that this consciousness is the cosmic factor that has designed everything and has created everything, and thereby has become everything. Consciousness is the source, the maker and the substance of each and everything. When we understand this, we also understand what is meant by these beautiful names as God, Allah, Shiva, Tao, Spirit, unity, Adonai, Jahweh, etc. To be sure: that which in churches is called God, in temples Shiva, in mosks Allah, in pagodas Tao, in tipi´s Spirit, is nothing but Cosmic Consciousness!
And since we as human beings have the potential ability to look within and become aware of our essence, become aware of our source and ultimate substance, we can realize our cosmic essence. Then, together with Joshua Ben Jussuf, we can say: ‘God the father and I are one’, or with the Upanishadic seers we can say: ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, which means ‘I am God, the source and substance of all that exists in the universe’!
Well then, having laid the ground upon which everything in life becomes easily understandable, we can proceed with looking at a series of thoughts, concepts and expressions, that we commonly come across, when we read ‘religious’ or ‘spiritual’ literature. When we look at them in the light of the consciousness based worldview, as outlined above, we start to understand why religions and even the modern day spirituality in terms of New Age Literature, does not always have a good reputation amongst intelligent and realistic persons.
We see namely that the field of religion and even the New Age Literature is full of misunderstandings, misconceptions, mystifications, lack of insight, superstition and confusion! Let us look at the commonly found expression, whereby we don’t need to make a clear distinction between religion and new Age concepts: In the light of the cosmic insight outlined above, they both appear to contain ‘bugs’.
And since we all were brought up with these faulty concepts, it is no wonder why the whole mankind is still groping in darkness. Most persons are adhering to the conflict model of life, since that is still the official paradigm of all school and universities around the world. But it looks like more and more persons are waking up to the consciousness based worldview, and this essay is meant to support this trend. From now on I will call it the consciousness paradigm in contrast to the materialistic paradigm.
Myth 1: Everybody is entitled to his or her own truth!
Myth 2: The ultimate reality cannot be described in words!
Myth 3: The ego is source of all problems: destroy it, or realize that it is illusory, that it does not really exist.
Myth 4: Desires are the source of all suffering: stop desiring and you are in peace and enlightened.
Myth 5: We should live in the Here and Now.
Myth 6: Time does not exist.
Myth 7: Creation is an illusion: in reality, it does not exist. it’s all maya.
Myth 8: Identification with the body is the source of all trouble.
Myth 9: The Age of Aquarius has already started.
Myth 10: In the Age of Aquarius, everything will be better.
Myth 11: Enlightenment is a very unique and difficult to attain state of awareness.
Myth 12: The mind is the source of all troubles: drop it.
Myth 13: Your essence and the essence of the universe is Energy!
Myth 14: If you give up sexuality, your spiritual awareness will shine more!
Myth 15: Enlightenment can only obtained through hard work, discipline and sacrifice.
Myth 16: Enlightenment is far, far away, and may be attained only after many lifetimes (of self-denial and self-sacrifice, and stern discipline).
Myth 17: Jesus is the only begotten son of God.
Myth 18: Christ consciousness is the ultimate state of awareness, which every human being should attain.
Myth 19: In December 2012 everything will suddenly be better.
Myth 20: Life is suffering by nature.
My responses to these 20 Myths can be found on my website!
Drs. Frans Langenkamp Ph. D.
www.selfrealisation.net
Frans Langenkamp is an independent teacher of Spirituality. He demystified the concept of Enlightenment, and proved that it is nothing other than Psychological Maturity.