On the Perfection of Being

Of all the things that transcendent experience can teach us about ourselves and the world around us, perhaps the greatest is the serenity that is discovered when everything is seen within the greatest context of all. That context is provided by transcendence and it reveals a certain perfection in the universe, as it exists in this moment: the perfection of Being. This perfection can be seen even in the face of all the terrible tragedies that take place in our lives. We can acknowledge that bad things happen, that life comes with suffering, and that these things fill our lives with pain that we would rather not experience. Yet, despite all that, the perfection of the universe remains. We are spiritual beings living incarnate in the physical world. These two things are inseparable. As long as we are bound by the laws of physics, living in a material world, we must suffer the limitations of those physical laws, including death and decay, because without the forces of destruction at work, nothing new could ever be created. What most people imagine as a perfect world, if it could be achieved, would turn out to be completely static and unchanging. Life could not evolve. Planets could never be created. Intelligent species could never develop the technology necessary to explore the galaxies. This story is fourteen billion years old and it is far from over. Where it is going next is unimaginable, but we are living in a special time, where we can peak into the future and see new worlds all around us, containing planets much like our own, in numbers that boggle the mind. Humans will set out for the stars and long before that, we will create quantum communication systems, which may even connect us to other intelligent life in the universe. This is the nature of the physical universe. Creation and destruction go hand in hand. It cannot work any differently. Destruction is just a natural part of the order of things. Still, it is our spiritual nature that shines through it all. Once seen for what it is, we can recognize that what we are, at our very center, is nothing less than the same spiritual foundation that underlies the entire universe. We are one with this foundation and our spiritual essence is eternal and everlasting. Our bodies will age and die. Our physical presence in this incarnation will pass away. The personal sense of self that we identify with will cease to exist. But we will never die. Like the geese that have faded into the distance after they have flown away, we are never gone because we are continuous with the unformed and uncreated void that contains the field of consciousness that fills the entire universe. We imagine that we know so much about how the universe works, but that knowledge belies our ignorance. We know virtually nothing about what happens inside black holes, the most powerful force that exists in abundance at the center of every galaxy. We know nothing about how universes within the multiverse are created or disappear. We know nothing about dark matter or dark energy other than they exist. We know nothing about how we might evolve in the future or what comes next. We know nothing about other intelligent life forms which almost certainly exist in abundance as well. Yet, we listen to scientific expert’s pontificate as if they have all the answers. The smartest people I know, begin a conversation by telling you what they don’t know. Human knowledge has achieved amazing understanding about how the physical world operates but that knowledge, no matter how impressive, sits within a vast sea of ignorance. It is within this context that we must accept life as it is.

This existential dilemma may shake the unfaithful to the core. It may drive the feeble minded to despair, but transcendent experience provides the antidote for this fear. It is within transcendent experience that we find the perfection of the natural order and recognize that despite all our personal suffering, we are one with the very essence of Being, and it is good. Regardless of the pain you find along your personal journey, you can also find, if you choose to look, peace and joy, love and compassion, and a deep connection to the spiritual reality that is completely united with the physical world. 

If you choose to continue to live in ignorance, you will only fill your life with more pain and suffering. The goals you set to achieve perfection will all turn out to be lost causes, driving you to greater attachment to a personal sense of self that divides you from the spiritual wellbeing that is yours for the asking. A transcendent person seeks nothing, ascribes to nothing, and claims nothing. A transcendent person learns to accept his or her own shortcomings, and in that acceptance, transforms themselves with a silent humility that opens the mind to the peace and tranquility of a serene life.

Acceptance is love, and it is the secret lying at the center of all experience, waiting for you to accept it. There is nothing else you need to know. Accepting this love is simply a matter of seeing through the illusion that you exist as a separate being, an individual personal entity, ego, or distinct self. When you see through this illusion, you can see the world as it is, without layering on any judgements or trying to analyze it in any way. When you give up conceptual thinking altogether, you can see it as clear as day, and your personal sense of self simply disappears. What is left is pure consciousness filled with peace and joy.

In this state of mind, you can see the perfection of Being. There are bad things and bad people in the world, understood in the conventional way, but the perfection of the universe exists beyond all concepts, even of good and evil. When you discover your connection to this spiritual foundation you can see the beauty of the universe in all its glory. There is a time for living and a time for dying; a time for growing up and a time for growing old; a time for personal struggle and a time for transcendent realization. Transcendent experience reveals all these things and makes the world new again, so you can see it with the same wonder as a child, seeing it for the first time. 

The perfection of Being is fully achieved from the beginning. There is nothing you can do to achieve it; there are no actions you can take to discover it; there are no paths to be traveled that will reveal it, except for the path of least resistance. Let your mind come to rest and stop focusing on concepts and ideas; stop trying to understand it intellectually and just open your mind up and see the world right before your eyes. The first act of looking may seem like nothing, but the act of observing quietly, without thinking about it at all, reveals its true nature. The secret is this: The true nature of Being, the thing you are looking at, is the thing that you are. You are not separate from it. You are completely one with it. You are a part of a continuous whole that includes every tiny bit and piece of the whole thing. Consciousness is not something you possess. It is what you are. That consciousness is also continuous with the entire universe. There are only two things in the world, the physical “stuff” of the universe, as it exists in space and time in all its forms on the one hand, and consciousness on the other. These are two fields. Matter can be subdivided into a multitude of forms, energies, and particles. It can be distinguished from time and space. But altogether, the physical universe is of one substance. It is the “physical stuff of the universe”. Consciousness is the manifestation of the spiritual side. Physical stuff and spirit go together, and they come alive in the field of consciousness flowing through you. This is what you are seeing in every moment of your life. You become distracted by the many forms of things and places, including all the people in your life, but underlying all these things is just Being. 

Being is completely passive. It has no characteristics except for the inherent nature of love. It lays no claim on the things that pass through it. It does not judge the world as it goes by. It does not label the multitude of things it sees, nor does it create ideas about any of it. Being simply observes, accepts, and appreciates what it sees, not because any of this fulfills some abstract set of goals or purpose. It appreciates the world just for what it is, in all its amazing manifestations. The universe exists because without it, there would be nothing to admire. Consciousness exists because without it, the universe could not admire what has been created. This is the perfection of Being. It is empty and marvelous. When you see the perfection of Being, you are transformed, becoming enlightened by its beauty, and made whole, accepted, and loved as part of the whole of creation. 

There is nothing else to do but accept the loving embrace of the physical world and admire it through the perfection of Being that exists within you. It has been called many things, but that just creates concepts that lead to endless confusion. There is nothing to be confused about once you discover the perfection of Being within yourself. You may find it difficult or even impossible to describe, but you will have no difficulty at all understanding what it is you have discovered, and you will appreciate it as the most amazing and wonderful gift there is. This is a world of wonder, existing in perfect order, devoid of darkness and ignorance, filled with light and spiritual bliss. It is waiting for you, if only you have the eyes to see it. What you are looking for exists within and without you. It is your true nature, and it is continuous with all of creation. It is not the imperfect being that you imagine yourself to be. That is only an illusion, a phantom and a thief who steals away this beautiful gift. But the gift is continuously offered, and all you must do to accept this gift is see through the illusion that you exist as a separate being, an individual personal entity, ego, or distinct self. You begin to do that when you embrace transcendent experience and learn to let your mind come to rest, so that you can silently observe the world as it really is, a world without end, filled with the perfection of Being, and the wisdom that comes with transcendence. 

There is nothing else to say about it. You know everything you need to find it. It is waiting for you. There is within all of us a deep need for this missing part of ourselves, the most important part of all. You can go through life, ignoring the opportunity to connect to it or you can open your heart to the truth that you know is real. The existential ache inside you is this need calling out to you. The path forward is clear. You only need the faith to take the first step. Everything else will follow in due course. The skills you need will appear.  Just stop thinking about it conceptually and start observing with a quiet mind. Learn to love the Perfection of Being when it appears in your life. Learn to forgive others and love your neighbors as if they were yourself. You will polish off these skills simply by using them. When it is all said and done, you will find this world for yourself and the Perfection of Being that is waiting for you, filled with peace and joy and a deep abiding love for all things and all people, yourself included.