NMT (No-Me Teaching) new series 63:
Some Ramana Maharshi quotes:
Of 3 classes of spiritual aspirants, the most advanced realize the Self as soon as they are told about its Real Nature.
Those in the 2nd class need to reflect on it for some time before Self-awareness becomes firmly established.
Those in the 3rd category usually need many years of intensive spiritual practice to achieve the goal of Self-realization.
As a metaphor, Combustion describes the 3 levels: Gunpowder ignites with a single spark, Charcoal needs application of heat for a short time, & wet Coal needs to dry out & heat up over a long period of time before it will begin to burn.
For the benefit of those in the top 2 categories it is taught that the Self alone exists & that it can be directly & consciously experienced merely by ceasing to pay attention to the wrong ideas we have about ourselves, These wrong ideas are collectively called the “not-Self‘ since they are an imaginary accretion of wrong notions & misperceptions which effectively veil the true experience of the real Self.
The principal misperception is the idea that the Self is limited to the Body & the Mind. As soon as one ceases to imagine that one is an individual person, inhabiting a particular Body, the of wrong ideas collapse & are replaced by a conscious & permanent awareness of the real Self.
There is no question of effort or practice All that is required is an understanding that the Self is not a goal to be attained, it is merely the awareness that prevails when all the limiting ideas about the not-Self have been discarded.
Perfect Bliss is Brahman.
Perfect Peace is of the Self.
That alone exists & is Consciousness.
Happiness is only the Nature of Self.
Self is not other than perfect Happiness.
Happiness alone exists.
Knowing that & abiding in the state of Self, enjoy Bliss eternally.
Obstacles which hinder Realization the Self are habits of Mind [vasanas].
Overcome the mental habits [vasanas] by realizing the Self.
It is the Ego which raises such difficulties, creating obstacles & then suffering from perplexity of apparent paradoxes.
Find out who makes the Inquiries & Self will be found.
Prior to excerpting the Ramana Maharshi disciple, Master Nome in the text below we continue the series: Fine-Tuned Universe , the premise that a small change in several of the dimensionless fundamental physical constants would make the Universe incapable of Life.
Fine-Tuned Universe 43:
[In the unreal reflection called the “Universe”, a product of an unreal Mind, even there, Infinite Intelligence is evident and inspiring.]
Henderson‘s Biological “Fitness”:.
“Fitness” and “Order” have taken on other meanings more expansive than Henderson intended. Henderson to limit what he saw as some of the metaphysical turns given. In some ways, these views were unavoidable given Henderson’s own often imprecise ideas and his choice to use a term like “Teleology” & attempt to give it his own meaning.
From early on in the years after “Fitness”, Henderson kept making clear his lack of sympathy with ideas of Vitalism; & although he resisted announcing himself a committed Mechanist [~ Scientist, Physicalist, Atheist, Materialist], he clearly indicated his receptiveness to its explanatory outlook. In his paper “Mechanism, from the standpoint of physical science” he once again revisited the debate begun as early as 1915 & rejected the Vitalism proposed by Haldane. Haldane’s conviction that it is impossible to conceive organization in physical & chemical terms, this seems by no means impossible to most physiologists. .
When Henderson turned to the organismic views of Alfred North Whitehead he was cautious. Yet in his review of Whitehead’s “Science and the Modern World”, while clearly appreciative of the development of the concept of organization, the “. . . doctrine Whitehead calls the theory of organic mechanism,” Henderson is not fully enthusiastic. He notes a “lack of unity in the exposition,” with the author “still engaged in working out his theories.” Although he can “dimly . . . perceive” the possibility of overcoming the difficulties “. . . that have produced the conflicts between Mechanism & Vitalism, & between Freedom & Determinism . . . hope has been so long deferred…it is natural to be a skeptic”.
other perspectives on Biological “Fitness”
Terminology in this context is still somewhat fluid. The term “Multi-Verse” is also often used where a single originating event brings about an Ensemble of Domains that do share a causal relation with one another at the moment of Origin, although not later. We restrict the term “Multi-Verse” to the Infinite Domain with its infinite series of Inflation events.
But this is likely to be the exception. At any rate, in the case of Carbon, recent calculations seem to indicate that the Fine-Tuning first apparent in the Chemistry of the various nuclei involved carries over to the level of basic Physics: were the Strong Force to be greater by as little as 5 %, or the Electro-Magnetic Force to be greater by perhaps 4 %, the production of Carbon & Oxygen in the infant Universe could have shut down.
Chemistry plays a double role here, 1st in revealing the Fine-Tuning required in order that Carbon should form, & 2nd in implying the plausibly necessary role that Carbon plays in the economy of Life generally. These are 2 separate arguments.
But the decisive element in establishing the Fine-Tuning itself still lies at the level of fundamental Physics: must the relevant Physical Constants be constrained within a tight percentage range so that the Chemistry of the Universe should be open to the development of Life ? Do any other plausible instances of Fine-Tuning exist in the basic Chemistry of the raw materials required for living processes ? .
Fine-Tuning in Biology
What are the prospects for discovering instances of Fine-Tuning in realms other than Physics & Chemistry – in Biology, say ? It is helpful to draw some inferences 1st from the structure of the Fine-Tuning argument in its native home, Cosmology.
Biological considerations play an indispensable role in all discussions of Cosmic Fine-Tuning. But in this role they are not part of the Fine-Tuning claim itself. Typically, proponents of Fine-Tuning allege that an unexpected degree of constraint on some Physical parameter or basic constant is necessary if some other Physical condition is to be realizable in the Universe. Then, in a separate argument, this latter condition is held to be necessary for the Universe’s being open to the development of complex Life.
Some more selected verses from the Ramana Maharshi disciple Master Nome:
If one is immersed in Samsara, the repetitive Cycle of Illusion, Birth, & Deaths, filled with Suffering, the way to liberate oneself is by Self-Knowledge. Liberation, which is the goal of spiritual practice, is one’s own if, inquiring to know the Self, he discards all notions of “me” & “mine” attains complete certitude as to the Space-like nature of Reality, & “abides” devoid of physical & mental forms, & the assumption of an Ego-entity.
If the Self would change states, such as states of Ignorance & Knowledge, of Bondage & Liberation, that Self would be destructible, & Liberation itself would be artificial or unreal. Liberation is not a change of state from one state into another state. It is not reasonable to imagine a separation & later union in relation to the Self, for then both would be transitory. Transience cannot be attributed to the Real, just as the unreal cannot be attributed to the Real, or the dual to the Non-Dual. Since there truly can be neither later union nor prior separation, Liberation cannot consist of an Individual entering into Brahman or Brahman coming to the Individual. The True Nature of the Self is never destroyed, is changeless, is uncaused, & cannot be obtained or lost. Any new appearance, or coming into being of any state would be the Effect of a precedent Cause. Such would be changeful, transitory, & not self-existent. Such cannot be permanent Liberation. Self-Knowledge alone is Liberation. Knowing the Self to be oneself is the greatest attainment. To wrongly assume the non-Self to be the Self is Ignorance.
The removal of the superimposed mis-conceptions of what the Self alone is constitutes the path to Liberation. No other view is reasonable, since such always involves some Dualism, some belief in an existent individual experiencer & a self-existent objective thing. There is also then the conception that Reality becomes other than what it is, & that the unreal actually comes to be. Liberation cannot be a change of condition, because such involves mutability & thus destructibility, parts or divisions, & a change in its nature.
Any belief that superimposition occurs on some substrate of non-existence, or that belief that Illusion can actually create itself, or that there is no Absolute Self, all such beliefs should be abandoned. This is because of the existence of Being itself is irrefutable. Furthermore, it is not reasonable that something could come out of “nothing”. Superimposition (in Illusion) occurs on some real thing, & this for “someone” who knows the Ignorance. What is it Ignorance of ? And who knows is the Ignorance for ? If one so inquires, one find that Being alone exists, Consciousness alone exists.
Calculus for Yogis, part 6
Now just as we call the Integral the inverse of Derivative, will then Derivative is the inverse of Integral. This reciprocal kind of relationship also applies to functions themselves. So the inverse of Multiplication is Division as we saw in going from Polymer Derivative to Integral; & the inverse of Addition is Subtraction.
Well the inverse of something more complicated like the Exponential function acquired the name Logarithm. This was part of its role in making calculation feasible before they were calculating machines. The qualities of Exponents are such that Multiplication of Terms raised to a Power involves Addition of the Exponents. And so the Logarithm creates a relationship between Multiplication & Addition. So devices like a slide rule could use Addition distances to effect Multiplication & tables of Logarithms allowed Addition to serve the purpose of Multiplication,
Logarithms, the inverse of the Exponential function happens to be called the Natural Logarithm designated “ln x” whereas “Log x” with no special base mentioned is assumed to be aligned with the Decimal number system, meaning the inverse of 10x , that is the Log to the base 10, can often just be called “Log” as the default.
But with computers using Even numbers of what are called “buses” or wires to build on the duality of 0 or 1, of a voltage On / voltage Off, the Binary number system introduced the usefulness of raising 2 to various powers, or taking the Logarithm to the base 2.
Other Powers of 2 are also useful in computer science, specifically 2 to the 4th which is 16. This “Hexadecimal” alternative to the Decimal number system uses 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F instead of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.
In any case, the Logarithm serves another good purpose, besides being the Inverse of Exponential. It gets us around the difficulty of dividing by 0 when we take the Integral of 1/ x . There it looks like raising the –1 power to 1 higher would take us to Zero power, thereby “losing” the Variable since x 0 = 1. Mysteriously, that Integral turns out to be “ln x“; & d x/ x = d ln x. On occasion we will glance at “Mysterious” coincidences presented to us by Mathematics. The relationship between ln x & 1/x is only a minor example, only slightly mysterious. Uncountable others show up in the annals of Mathematics a few small examples here follows:
92 = 81 8 + 1 = 9
452 = 2025 20 + 25 = 45
552 = 3025 30 + 25 = 55
992 = 9807 98 + 01 = 99
2972 = 88209 88 + 209 = 297
7032 = 494209 494 + 209 = 703
9992 = 998001 998 + 001 = 999
1/ 27 = .0370370370 … & 1/ 37 = .0270270270 …
There are no tricks explaining these coincidences, even multiple coincidences in one expression, like there are tricks in some elementary grade school math puzzles. These truly amazing coincidences, when by accident noticed by mathematicians & scientists, are sometimes referred to in ways like “God winking at you.”
The above themes & 1600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:
http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/
or with Caps-sensitive:
Duplicates (but with graphics) have been available on:
http://www.blogger.com as “Being-as-Consciousness, Non-Duality – new & final version” with link:
http://being-as-consciousness.blogspot.com/
[But from now on, they will be different & still usually daily.]
“There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth.” – the “no creation” school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada
for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see: www.ajatavada.com/
Nonduality and Science 