This post is intended to be a continuation of sorts, of a previous post; “Balance”. and… perhaps it is.
In the previous post, I explored my perceptions of the universe from a strictly humanistic side, from what can be observed with the eye and the analytical thought processes.
However, that is the yang of it. There IS, of course, a yin side to things also. There is a yin side to everything! That’s the duality of our universe.
One of the greatest, and ultimately insurmountable, challenges facing anyone who embarks on the path to understanding, is the indisputable fact that there will ALWAYS be more to know than we CAN know!
In counterpoint to the yang side of human reasoning, (or logic) is the fact there is a spiritual side (yin) that cannot be accessed by logic. Commonly referred to as “faith”, it is usually much harder for us to accept, for several reasons.
- People today tend to rely heavily on “science”, “logic”, and the evidence of the five senses, whereas 500 years or more ago, the world relied heavily on faith.
- We are creatures of this physical universe, this conditional reality, and therefore tend to rely almost exclusively on phenomena existing in this reality, forgetting the little circle of yin which is our connection to the world of spirit, or Ultimate reality. (see yin/yang diagram)
- We, and conditional reality, are only one half of an indivisible and mutually complimentary whole, the other half being Ultimate reality. (see explanation in “Does True Enlightenment Preclude the existence of God?” )
The above explanation should make clear why I believe in two apparently contradictory things, God and Enlightenment. Also I hope it helps to explain (at least in a very rudimentary fashion) why I feel that true enlightenment would at least include the understanding that all the questions we so earnestly meditate upon concerning our reality must take into account the spiritual side, Eternity, or Ultimate Reality.
If none of this is making sense to you, bear in mind that words are a poor conveyance sometimes. Lao Tzu said: “…words may be used to speak of it, but they cannot contain it.”
Filed under: bhuddist philosophy, cessation of ignorance, enlightenment, spiritual discoveries, Uncategorized, understanding, wisdom
