Existence - The Unknowable

 

There is far spread bounty and abundance in this material world.  But a spiritual seeker, at some point in time, is hit with a question, is that all there is, or there is more to this world?  We identify ourselves so much with this world, but this world is changing every moment.  Can the changing world be real?  Some of these basic questions bother, more or less, all the seekers.  Hence, we begin our journey into this unknown. 

All that is is existence. Everything that can be perceived and unperceived is existence. Existence is that which is present, past and future.  It is physical and non-physical.  It is even the mental and metaphysical. It is only existence there it is.  It is even the truth and false; it is even that which is imagined and not imagined. 

Existence in itself, we know nothing about it or rather, we must admit that our language falls short of describing the existence. It isn't easy to comprehend Existence in any way of definition.  Nonetheless, we note that there is everlasting experiencing in this existence.  There is a dynamic ever-present experiencing.   However, for better understanding, the Existence – flow of experiencing can be divided into two aspects as Experiencer and Experiences.

So, the whole of existence can be broken down as varied objects and a subject, or more appropriately, Experiencer.  If we actually look at it carefully, there is only an experiencer and varied experiences.  But our affinity seems to be more towards the objects; we tend to lose sight of the subject.  Have we ever wondered how we can experience the world which is changing every second? How is the changing world experienced? If we consider ourselves changing, does it logically fit that a changing object is witnessing or experiencing another changing object? It sounds absurd. Change cannot experience or witness another change.

Only unchanging can experience the change, and thus, the changing borrows temporal existence from the unchanging.  The thing that appears is constantly changing; maybe the rate at which changes are happening may differ from one thing to another, but the change is constantly happening.  What appears does not stay as it is? So logically, we can conclude that what appears does not have any existence. Hence it is false. 

But how can change be experienced? Only that which is unchanging can witness the change. So Unchanging is True, which witnesses the changing.  Going by this logic, can a subject be changing? This is a million-dollar question. If the subject was to change, that subject can't witness or experience the changes.  When we say experiencing a constantly changing object, it includes the human body and the human mind as well. Thus making it crystal clear that we are not this body or the mind. Both are objects of experience. So, this leaves us with an unchanging Subject, that which witnesses this world of change.

Unchanging Subject is the essential and true nature of Existence.  

Due to the change and falsity of experiences, survival is not hampered.  Survival has been designed to happen irrespective of truth or falsity.  All the patterns and things in nature are so designed that survival happens without any difficulty.  The reality that appears to exist and is constantly changing is the relative truth.  Though being false and relative, there is no conflict with Absolute Truth. 

Survival is the survival of the body.  As we seek knowledge, we transcend the instinct of survival and move closer to the Truth with each step towards the absolute Truth, which is the essence of this existence.

The nature of existence is unchanging.  Unchanging existence that is the Experiencer gives temporal existence to the changing objects. For example, Lump of Clay gives temporal existence to Pitcher, pot, plate, etc.  If we remove the clay from these objects, there will be no Pitcher, pot or plate. These are just names and forms of Clay.  Though serve some functionality, but does not have any existence if there is no clay.  Similarly, we can take the metaphor of the Ocean and its waves.  Wave is a phenomenon in the Ocean, though it appears as different from the Ocean. The waves are through and through water from the beginning till it dissolves back into the ocean.  Like foam in the Oceans are nothing but essentially Water, though it appears differently for some time and then merges back into the Ocean. 

The apparent world borrows existence from the Truth, which is unchanging.  As per the above metaphor of Ocean and Clay, waves and pots borrow existence, so they have dependent existence. When clay or Ocean takes different forms and shapes, different names have been given that are registered in the mind for ease of functioning.  There is only clay or water out there, but different names as waves, foam, pots, pitcher, etc. have been given.  These various forms and shapes appear and are experienced but, in actuality, do not have an independent existence.

The impermanence of objects is certain and known; still, objects are considered to have existed only because the rate at which certain objects change is slow. Because the rate of change is slow, the object's appearance makes an impression in the mind and gives it a reality of existence.  Let us take an example of a flower rose that has just blossomed and stays in its vibrant colour and bounty for 2-3 days.  Anyone seeing that rose will say what a beautiful flower it is.  Rose has taken an existence.  Because the rate at which it withers is slower, thus giving it existence.  Let us suppose that the same flower, Rose, blossoms and shows up for a second and withered immediately, then it will have no impact on the mind and will give an impression of having no existence. It would then be considered as some magical event and as non-existence.   None will say that it existed, and now it does not. None of the objects in the world has any existence.  They appear to have existence, but actually, they do not exist.  Hence the world is called an illusion.

The reality of appearances is illusory.  This can be best explained with the example of dreams that we all see.  In our dreams, we see so many things, buildings, people, vehicles, animals and whatnot.  And the appearance of these things during the dream looks very real, and experiences out of them are also considered to be real.  But on waking from the dream, all that appeared collapses into nothing and non-existence.  Similarly, this world also appears, so with the same logic, this world is also illusory.  Only the wise can see this reality.  However, following the Path of Knowledge, one can reach a point where an awakening happens to this reality.  And the seeker can clearly see the illusory nature of the appearances.

The nature of appearances is void or emptiness.  Explaining through Quantum physics will make it easier to understand the nature of appearances.  We all know that science has reached the threshold of breaking the objects into the tiniest possible particles called quarks.  And beyond quarks are strings, which are one-dimensional object which appears like energy circling. There is actually nothing there, but it appears like something vibrating.   The real essence of Appearance's nature is emptiness, or we can name its infinite possibilities. 

Nature is the most fundamental aspect while describing any object.  It is vital to define the nature of things around us, our experiences and our own self, this body-mind complex.  At the beginning of the spiritual journey, the world's nature, our experiences and our own self can be said to be false, unreal or illusory, because it is constantly changing.  However, as the seeker progresses, realizes that the nature of everything around us, including this body-mind complex, is nothing but this emptiness. There are ever-changing experiences, different acts of experiencing and unchanging experiencer, but essentially there are no three different aspects, but just one whole emptiness.

Though we realize that there is only emptiness to everything around us, I like to call this emptiness infinite possibilities. Say if one form was the reality, then how it can be anything else?  Hence for multiple forms to appear, the essence of that appearance must be empty to give dependant existence to infinite possibilities.  A Pitcher is filled with water; for that pitcher to have juice, it has to empty itself of water.  Similarly, the essence of forms has to be empty for innumerable forms to appear.

The Path of knowledge begins with seeking knowledge, seeking Truth, Reality.  The highest and ultimate knowledge is knowing the nature of existence; in turn, we learn about everything around us and about us, this body-mind complex.  Hence the seeking ends with knowing the nature of existence.  

The nature of existence is emptiness. Nothing more can be known about this Existence. It is Emptiness and Unknowable.