The way of being
(bare edition)

Anil Mitra, Copyright © August 24, 2021, rev February 11, 2022

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Contents
the narrative | development | plan and execution

preview

introduction > the aim of the way > our world > being > reasons > laws > universe > the greatest universe > the fundamental principle of metaphysics > cosmology of limitless identity > pathways > the real metaphysics > the way

about the way

aim of the way >> this division >> origins > destinations > meaning >> the ‘very bare content edition’ > development

being

being and beings > being, foundations, and grounding > concept meaning, knowledge, logic, and science > kinds and varieties of being > possibility and laws of nature > reasons > the universe and the void >> introduction to the fundamental principle of metaphysics > existence of the void > the fundamental principle > consistency of the principle >> the ultimate

metaphysics

introduction >> metaphysics > the real metaphysics > consistency of the real metaphysics > doubt and attitude >> experience and significant meaning > universe as field of being >> dimensions of being > metaphysics, cosmology, and physics > about religion

reason

introduction > the meaning of reason > developing reason for the way > what the foundation in reason says

pathways

aim of being > paths > ways >> introduction to the path templates > design of the templates > every-day template > dedication > affirmation > universal template > the instrumental vs the intrinsic >> return to the world

resources

resources > resource system > general resources > knowledge resources

the concepts

preview > about the way > being > metaphysics > reason > pathways > resources

The way of being

preview

the universe is limitless; all beings realize its power, but the process begins in the immediate; realization is given for all being(s), but not in any given life

the following preview is elaborated in the main narrative

introduction

the preview is a quick view of the way; the whole view is the narrative, p. 3

the core

the core of preliminary understanding is the aim of the way, p. 4; a quick assessment of our world, p. 4, in terms of the aim; the cosmology of limitless identity, p. 6, which describes what will be achieved; pathways, p. 6, which is about the practical ‘how’ of achievement; and the way, p. 7, which is the essence of the process

the remain sections of the preview, elaborate and deepen preliminary understanding and are essential to effective realization of the aim of the way

foundation

the foundation is in the sections being, p. 4, through universe, p. 5

principles

the essential conclusion from the foundation, the fundamental principle of metaphysics, p. 6, is demonstrated in the greatest universe, p. 5; though the demonstration may be omitted on superficial reading, it is included because it is essential to deep understanding of the way

the fundamental principle is abstract—it shows what will be achieved, but not how; the real metaphysics, p. 7, which provides the how of achievement, is a pragmatic enhancement of the fundamental principle, enhanced by synthesis with concrete knowledge

the aim of the way

the aim of the way is discovery and realization of the ultimate in and from the immediate

our world

what is our feasible and ultimate achievement? two common dogmas and their opposition limit our views and progress—(i) that experiential or scientific secularism reveals the universe (ii) religious and other transsecular dogmas

what is the way forward?

being

a being is that which can have a direct or indirect effect on awareness; being is the characteristic of beings

if a being is defined with limited concrete detail (i.e., abstraction), it may be known perfectly; other beings are known pragmatically (usefully)

reasons

a reason is that which results in an outcome, e.g., existence of a being or a state of being, with some degree of certainty; if the outcome is certain, the reason is necessary; if the reason is another being or state of being, the reason is ‘real’, e.g., physical; otherwise, it is conceptual; a conceptual reason that is necessary is logical

if existence of a being or a state of being is unconditional (i.e., if there are no circumstances in which it does not obtain), it is necessary; and its necessity must be dependent on another or not dependent; if independent, the reason would be a ‘self’ reason, with or without content; in the latter case it may be called null; can a reason be null and necessary (an absolute reason)? though it might seem absurd, it is not—as will be seen in the greatest universe, p. 5

laws

a law is a reading of a pattern (e.g., in our cosmos); the term ‘law’ will refer to the pattern; laws are immanent in the being, e.g., of the cosmos, and therefore have being—i.e., laws are beings

universe

the universe is all being; the void is the being that contains no beings

the creator of a being is another being that causes its being (existence); for the universe, there is no other being—therefore the universe has no creator

the greatest universe

the proof below shows that a reason may be absolute (necessary and null); it may be conceptually difficult; if readers are not interested in the proof, it may be passed over to the conclusion, the fundamental principle, p. 6, (the main narrative has alternate proofs, heuristics, and discussion of doubt) and attitudes to the fundamental principle

if the universe is eternal, its existence is unconditional and so necessary with the null reason; by symmetry, therefore, every possible being exists somewhere and when in the universe; and the possibility must be the least restrictive or greatest possibility; since possibility inherent in things is contingent, the possibility must be logical

on the other hand, if the (manifest) universe is not eternal, it must enter the void state, then every possible being must emerge from the void; and, again, every possible being must exist somewhere in the universe

the fundamental principle of metaphysics

the universe is the greatest possible (this statement is called the fundamental principle of metaphysics); it phases between the void and the manifest; as it is derived from perfect (abstract) and necessary ideas, the principle is perfectly known

cosmology of limitless identity

the universe has identity; the universe and its identity are limitless in variety, extension, and peak of being (which includes any gods, but requires that the concept of ‘god’ must be very different from most of our conceptions); every peak has a dissolution; yet the void has recollection of identities; there are arrays of cosmoses limitless in magnitude, number, arrangement, and kind of physical law; all beings—individuals—inherit the power of the universe for the contrary would be a limit on the universe (that two beings inherit the power of the universe is not a contradiction, for if the peak is local, the inheritance need not be at the same time; and if the peak is absolute, the beings merge as they inherit the power); and death is real but not absolute

pathways

pleasure and pain are unavoidable; enjoyment is the appreciation of pleasure and pain; there are intelligent paths to the ultimate—paths in which enjoyment is optimized; pain is not to be avoided—its best resolution is a combination of therapy and being on a path, pleasure is good when it is pleasure in being on the way, i.e., not merely for its own sake; to be on a path is desirable (‘imperative’) to the degree that enjoyment is a value; to be on a path is not to avoid this world—paths begin in the world; to be on a path is not merely to follow but to share in understanding, and pathways, and their development

the real metaphysics

the fundamental principle, p. 6, shows what is possible but not how to achieve it; the ‘how’ is presented in the main narrative (i) in terms of a real metaphysics, p. 17, that is a join of perfect and pragmatic knowledge that is perfect relative to values revealed by the perfect and (ii) pathways, p. 28, to the ultimate and path templates, p. 30

the way

in the way, ‘experience’ will refer to awareness in all its forms (readers who have questions about experience in this sense are referred to experience and significant meaning, p. 18)

where the paradigm of materialism holds sway, experience is often thought of as having lesser importance and a lower grade of the real—or even not real at all

however, experience will be seen as ultimately real, as the place of all significance (though of course not of all that is significant), the place of all language and concept meaning—and of knowledge; experience will be found to be the place of our being and of the real

thus, meditation is essential in the process and place of realization; this, however, does not minimize the role of our bodies or the ‘material world’, for they are real places in experience; therefore, effective meditation requires attention to the body and various aspects of the material and the secular world, e.g., science, the concrete sciences—natural, social (such as politics and economics), and ‘applied’—and technology, the abstract sciences (which include mathematics), the arts (including literature), and the humanities (which include philosophy, history, and true religion and its understanding); all this may be subsumed under an enhanced concept of yoga

about the way

to know and realize the real

aim of the way

the aim of the way is discovery and realization of the ultimate in and from the immediate; the aim of the way is shown to be aim of being, p. 29

the way is intended as a contribution to understanding of and living in the world; it builds on historical sources, but is not a compendium or representation of them; it is not intended as a textbook

this division

an informal division—‘prologue’; formal discussion is in divisions being, p. 10, through pathways, p. 28, (pathways > section return to the world, p. 32, is also informal)

origins

origins of the way are in pursuit of significant meaning (roughly, the ‘meaning of life’) and becoming in the immediate and beyond; in finding order amid chaos, permanence amid transience; the aim of the way is the aim of being, p. 29; sources of the way are in ideas and action—their history and individual experience, see resources, p. 33

destinations

what is our destination? it is found that while we approach and arrive at the ultimate in some ways, we remain in the present or immediate—this is both good and true; in approaching the ultimate, the paradigm of the way, named the real metaphysics, p. 17, goes beyond common received paradigms—it shows the nature of the ultimate and that it is achieved; this and that it may take effort to bridge the paradigm gap will aid understanding the work

meaning

‘meaning’ will be used in two senses—(i) ‘significant meaning’, p. 18, and (ii) word and concept meaning, p. 11; in this section, meaning has the latter sense

this is a preliminary discussion—for more, see concept meaning, knowledge, logic, and science, p. 11; in approaching the ultimate, the way moves beyond received or consensus experience in an essential way, and so word and concept meanings (aspects of linguistic meaning) must change; therefore, attention should be paid to the meanings given here; but what of received meanings? naturally, to be recognizable, new meanings have continuity though not identity with the old

the ‘very bare content edition’

initial development is informal, imaginative, and, in building on and going beyond sources, it aims at originality; as far as possible, the work would be self-founding; for this an exclusively axiomatic approach is inadvisable—foundation may best occur after significant informal and semi-formal development but before formal development and application; foundation is found in reason, p. 24; for rigor, origins, ground in history (in this edition, treatment of a number of pertinent problems of thought, particularly of philosophy, by incorporation or resolution, is implicit), elaboration, application, and consequences, follow resources, p. 33

this edition has no further introduction or preview; its main principles of organization and flow of ideas are not external to the work and its development, but, rather, are inherent in it; they are informal (development of the metaphysics from its intuitive origins to the formal outcome so far, which is reflected in this division, about the way, beginning above, p. 3; and the arrangement of the text, reflected in the contents, p. 1) and formal (metaphysics, p. 17, particularly the real metaphysics, p. 17; and reason, p. 24); there is some motive and explanation above, but since motive may be slanting, the main motivation is the development, especially in the fundamental principle, p. 15, through metaphysics, p. 17; see resources, p. 33, for explicit introductory and explanatory material

development

in-the-world, i.e., the field

streamline the material; add missing material from resource documents—see plan

New words—res for ‘being’, a res for ‘a being’, logical causes for reasons, entire for ‘universe’, the absence for the void… select a list of main concepts for which to do this

being

to be real

being and beings

being is existence—the quality of that which is validly described by combinations of possible forms of the verb to be; a being is that which has being (noun, plural—‘beings’); knowledge is implicit in the concept of being—an improved an improved characterization is given in experience and significant meaning, p. 18

the definition of being, implies that there is being, for if there were not, these deliberations, even if illusory, would not be; and, since knowledge of being, even if illusory, requires distinctions, there are beings

being, foundations, and grounding

this raises concerns (i) significance of ‘being’, especially for foundation and grounding of the individual in the world for foundation, see reason, p. 24 (it is essential that our intelligence, p. 29, and experientiality, p. 18, are means of discovery of being and that they are important examples of being; to not do so would be, roughly, a narrowness of perspective that would lead to an erroneous materialism, p. 19; however our kind and knowledge of being should not be mistaken as templates for all being, for this would be the errors of anthropomorphism and ‘cosmomorphism’, i.e., universe in the image of man or of our empirical cosmos) (ii) what existence is (‘what it is’ means ‘what it is in terms of another category such as mind or matter’ which is found unnecessary for being sufficient for foundation and grounding, while foundation in terms of mind or matter, would be confusing as they are incompletely known), (iii) whether existence and being are identical (though existence is sometimes thought of as ‘being in relation’, being itself is essentially relational; thus existence and being are identical and it is not necessary to introduce existence as a distinct concept) (iv) whether existence and being are elusive (they are elusive when seen as detached from knowing beings—but we find that such detached foundation, though appealing as objective, is impossible and unnecessary); for such considerations for all concepts of the narrative, follow the resources, p. 33

concept meaning, knowledge, logic, and science

if what a referential concept refers to is in the world (for example, effective in its change which includes maintaining the world as it is), what it refers to is a being

let us consider conditions for a concept to refer; an iconic (picture like)-concept-with-associated-simple-or-compound-sign (e.g., linguistic, i.e., in terms of language), constitute a symbol or concept-symbol; the symbol and its possible referents—existents—constitute meaning (“of the sign, symbol, or concept”); note that even in the known, there is no fixity of meaning—in moving into the unknown, meaning must ‘grow’ (and as noted by A.N. Whitehead, precision and fixity are possible only on the basis of a definite metaphysics) and that here we are not concerned with the issue of precision which is take up and resolved later in the real metaphysics, p. 17, (whose system of meaning and knowledge was arrived at by trial and error—and then shown to be perfect; as noted earlier, to follow the narrative, it is essential to follow meanings as stated)

we continue to consider conditions for a concept to refer; meaning realized is knowledge; a concept may fail to refer (i) when its structure does not permit reference at all—rules for form of structures that do not inherently rule out reference constitute logic and the absence of reference is necessary, (ii) when reference is possible but it does not refer and the absence of reference is contingent, i.e., on account of the structure or the world, the constraints on reference are factual, i.e., science; thus logic and science constitute knowledge (this does not imply that our logics and sciences and their methods and methodologies are proper logics or sciences or that they are the only logics or sciences—e.g., under these conceptions, it will be found that art and value fall under knowledge); thus the central concern with reason includes concern with art, feeling or emotion, and value; this discussion is revisited and repeated later in what the foundation in reason says, p. 27

kinds and varieties of being

in contrast to the use of some thinkers, here ‘being’ is neutral to the richness and depth of being-in-the-world; as noted, this is its conceptual strength; here, kinds and varieties of being are container for depth and richness

the following is a list of examples and kinds of beings (as far as not illusory), which may be passed over on casual reading; development of kinds and varieties continues beyond this section

reasons—see below, p. 14, power, p. 14; sentient or experiential beings, p. 18; facts (including fact of existence or being), states of affairs or being, events, objects, processes, interactions (i.e. cases of power; relations); laws (and patterns as defined below)—i.e., laws of nature; abstractions from beings, p. 25—i.e., by removal of aspects of the concept, being itself, objects anywhere on a concrete-abstract continua, beings known perfectly or pragmatically (tentatively conceive perfect knowledge as the case when the concept is faithful to the object, which is roughly, a correspondence criterion, and pragmatic knowledge as good enough for purposes at hand; these notions will later be improved upon); ideas, concepts including linguistic concepts, signs, letters of alphabets, parts of speech, clauses, sentences and other linguistic constructs, universals (e.g., redness, which is universal to all red existents), particulars (e.g., a red ball), tropes (e.g., the redness of a red ball); beings as defined in the universe and the void, p. 14—the universe, creators, the void, and a cosmos

possibility and laws of nature

a possible being is one whose concept alone does not rule out its existence; as in the ultimate, p. 16—peak being(s), individuals; a necessary being is one whose concept alone requires existence (since existence of manifest being does not seem intrinsically necessary, it would seem that there are no necessary beings; however, we will find in the fundamental principle, p. 15 that there are necessary beings)

a pattern for a being obtains when the data to specify the being is less than the raw data

a law of nature or just law is a pattern that is identified as important, e.g., for a cosmos (an informal concept—defined, e.g., by coherent form and characterized by a system of laws of nature)

a law does not rule out existence of a possible being, for the being could exist in another cosmos

in repetition of an earlier assertion—that which rules out possibility altogether is named necessary or deductive logic

as defined above, possibility is logical possibility; it is the greatest or least restrictive real possibility

reasons

a cause is commonly thought of as something that results in something else; yet, when we read cause-effect, it is done on the basis of analogy (human effort), correlation, or underlying theory (e.g., scientific, which always has an element of hypothesis); it lacks validity to entirely eliminate observation or interpretation as a variable in the fact or nature of causation; however, we can subsume cause and interpretation of the world as having causality under the idea of explanation, especially explanatory mechanism

a reason is an explanation

examples of reasons—reasons for existence of a being, e.g., or any of the examples of beings above

categorizations of reason include (i) logical, recognized in thought but of the real—possible, likely (probable as well as explanatory), and necessary (ii) material, recognized as of the world—power—i.e., material cause (and effect), also called effective cause or just cause, including self-cause (the concept or a reason generalizes that of power)

the universe and the void

the universe is all being

the definition of the universe requires its existence (given that there is being)

a creator for a being is the effective cause of its existence

the universe cannot have a creator but may have a reason for its existence—and since it is clearly possible and probable, the only reason worth consideration is a necessary reason

the void is the absence of being

the definition of the void does not entail its existence

introduction to the fundamental principle of metaphysics

the fundamental principle is the central result that shows (i) the universe to be the realization of the greatest possibility and (ii) so to be greater than in the standard secular-scientific and transsecular views; the principle is a consequence of existence of the void, which is now shown; the abbreviation FP will be used for the principle

existence of the void

though ‘metaphysics’ has not yet been defined, the foregoing development beginning with being, p. 10, is part of the metaphysics of the narrative; the material so far has been metaphysically self-evident; the demonstration of existence of the void is, however, an ontological argument (i.e., it derives from the nature of being), regarding which issues are raised and addressed below and in doubt and attitude, p. 18

given a being, the void is there with the being, therefore the void exists; heuristically, the existence and non-existence of the void are equivalent; also heuristically, since the void joined to a being is the being, the void is there with all beings

the void contains no beings; particularly, it contains no laws; therefore—

if from the void, there is a possible being that does not emerge, that would be a law of nature

all possible beings emerge from the void; this entails that the universe and its parts are mixes of determinism (a part, often but not necessarily a temporal slice, determines the whole) and indeterminism

the fundamental principle

the universe is the realization of (the greatest) possibility (i.e., of logical possibility)

since proof of existence of the void was ontological, therefore the proof of the fundamental principle is also ontological

because there will be doubt about these proofs, an alternate proof and supporting heuristics are presented here; later, we present doubt and alternative attitudes, p. 18, to the fundamental principle and its consequences

that the universe is the realization of the greatest possibility is named the fundamental principle of metaphysics (abbreviated fp); this idea appears in the history of thought under the name, e.g., the principle of plenitude; what is new here is the proof and development of the meaning and application of the principle

equivalently, the universe is limitless; which refers to more than limitlessness in space and time, but also to kinds of extension (e.g., space and time), and ‘things’—i.e., if a being is possible, i.e., if its concept does not violate logic, the being exists in the universe at least once (and as many times and places as not ruled out by possibility)

the manifest existence of the universe is necessary; the universe necessarily phases between manifest and void being

consistency of the principle

the principle is clearly logically consistent, but is it consistent with science? as it is efficient to do so, consistency with science will be shown in consistency of the real metaphysics, p. 18—except, note: that we do not see all possibility in our cosmos is not a contradiction, for our cosmos is not the universe

the ultimate

identity is sense of sameness of self or object; here is a brief cosmology of identity

the universe has identity; the universe and its identity are limitless in kind, variety, extension (spatial), and duration; e.g., there are beings and cosmoses with variety in kind and physical law, without limit; there are peak beings without limit and the ultimate is the greatest of these—whether a state or process—Brahman; all beings, particularly individuals (beings with sapience), inherit or realize this power of the universe (the contrary would be a limit on the universe); individual beings inherit the limitlessness and power of the universe; realization occurs by transformation from the limited forms of beings; it occurs necessarily; death is real but not absolute; all these are in transaction with the void and so at least indirectly with one another; the fundamental principle implies a cosmology of limitless identity

metaphysics

though the previous division is metaphysical and the discussion in reason, p. 24, are ‘metaphysics’, it is convenient to mark off the material that flows from the fundamental principle as metaphysics

introduction

the fundamental principle shows the peak of possibility; details and paths are left open (i) to imagination, action, criticism—rational and ethical, and correction and (ii) tradition, interpreted as cumulative human culture from ancient times to the present moment (it carries with it its own meanings and applications of ‘value’ and ‘validity’)

metaphysics

metaphysics shall be understood as knowledge of the real; the real may be understood as the valid referents of ideas (of some being)—i.e., to what is definitely knowable

the real metaphysics

the real metaphysics is a system comprised of ideal knowledge derived from the fundamental principle, and pragmatic knowledge of traditions; the ideal illuminates and guides the pragmatic; the pragmatic illustrates the ideal, for which it is instrumental; the criteria of this system appear to be dual—‘perfect’ for the ideal and ‘good enough but incomplete and perhaps possessed of some error’ (which may be accommodated on the way from the immediate to the ultimate); but the criterion is one as it derives from the (or an) ultimate value of enjoyment of paths in the present and to the ultimate; the meaning of the real metaphysics is intrinsic—i.e., as just conceived and developed (the reasoning) and extrinsic—generally, that we ought to have a dual concern with the immediate and the ultimate and, particularly, its implications as developed earlier and below

consistency of the real metaphysics

the real metaphysics is consistent with rationality, logic, experience, and science because all these must be modified by the descriptor ‘so far’ and do not necessarily project to the universe (will consistency survive developments in logic and science—yes, for the developments are or will be always ‘so far’); note—it is not claimed that this consistency is proof of truth, but proof was given earlier

doubt and attitude

yet it is good to doubt the proof; and, allowing for both doubt and consistency, and regarding the proof as heuristic, suggests alternate attitudes to the real metaphysics (i) as a metaphysical hypothesis in a scientific metaphysics (ii) as an existential principle of action

let us now look at consequences of the real metaphysics

experience and significant meaning

this section is naturally of apiece with word and concept meaning, p. 9, and concept meaning, knowledge, logic, and science, p. 11; however, the present placement is efficient—(i) as introduction to ‘significant meaning’ and as preliminary to universe as field of being, p. 37

in talking, earlier, of concepts, p. 11, and their references, experience was already implicit

experience, in its first meaning here, is conscious awareness in all its kinds (e.g., cognition, emotion) and modes (e.g., of experience itself and interaction with the world which includes the individual); experience is the place though not the only source of significant meaning (e.g., of life) and without experience the individual is effectively non-existent; all real transformation of an individual and continuation beyond death and approach to peak being must effectively occur in experience (but for continuation beyond death etc, this section is not dependent on the fundamental principle); thus experience, here, is broader than a common use as external experience, i.e., ‘experience of’ something

effectively, experience is the place of our being

with the later expansion of the scope experience in the section universe as field of being, p. 19, occurrences of the term ‘effectively’ in this division may be omitted

experience is the place of our being, significant meaning, and linguistic and concept meaning

an improved characterization of being is that a being is that which can have an effect on experience (of some experiencer)

universe as field of being

an interpretation of experience is a picture of the world (or part of the world) that is consistent with experience and may be suggested by it

the common interpretation of the world of experience is that of selves that are experiential and others, in an environment that is not necessarily categorially non-experiential but possessed of experientiality that is low or numerically zero (just as in physics a force of zero magnitude may be seen as a zero force or no force; for beings for which experientiality it is zero and without significance, the fundamental principle implies that it may acquire experientiality); this interpretation is a weak form of materialism; as used here, the first meaning of experience, p. 19, has been extended to the root of being

a second interpretation is that there is nothing but the experience (of an experiential whose existence would be hypothetical—all that is acknowledged is the experience); this interpretation is called (philosophical) solipsism; the fundamental principle permits and requires the existence of solipsist cosmoses; the difficulty in seeing our world as solipsist arises in relation to the common interpretation in which the individual is seen as limited in experiential scope relative to the world

a third interpretation is the same as the second—but rather than limited, the ‘individual’ of solipsism is the universe (and ordinary individuals are part of the greater individual); under this interpretation, experientiality extends down to the root of being, in fact and in potential, in muted quality and magnitude (as the material ‘side’ of the world); and the universe is a field of being (or just field, or field of experiential being); this reveals a second, enhanced, meaning to ‘experience’, in which experientiality extends to the root of being, not as we have it but as relation which, in human and other beings is additively constitutive of our level of consciousness; ‘matter’ and ‘mind’ are rough words for two sides of being; finally, given the fundamental principle, the greater individual-field of being are peak being and ordinary individuals are part of and approach it

the common and field interpretations are adequate descriptions of the universe; but then, there seems to be conflict between them—they seem to compete as descriptions of the real; but there is no conflict—both are valid; the common interpretation is suited to pragmatic living in our cosmos; the field interpretation is suited to living in our cosmos and seeing and moving beyond to the ultimate; of course, both views may be held simultaneously and are not in real conflict

under the field interpretation, we can see god as ultimate peak being but not as distinct from persons or the world—in that the name ‘god’ has meaningful application (in view of its uses), persons, the world, are rising from their primitive states, by evolution and saltational and other processes, pointing toward the ultimate, being there, and dissolution; the process is repeated eternally

the universe has phases of being an ultimate field of being

dimensions of being

the dimensions of being are variables whose values define kinds of being

experience necessarily has form, which necessitates extension (space); and change, which necessitates duration (time); difference with sameness of identity measures duration; with change of identity, it measures extension; therefore, there are no measures of such change beyond extension and duration (spacetime); but there may be other changes within identity (quality, property)

the pure dimensions of being are experiential form and formation as the world

pragmatic dimensions are chosen from tradition—from considerations of the real metaphysics, these need not be perfect; multiple traditions may be employed; an example from the modern western tradition follows

a system of pragmatic dimensions of being is nature (roughly, the world as found—simple or physical, complex or living, and experiential or of what we call ‘mind’), society and culture (a part of the world constructed by beings, defined in the tradition of a culture, and which includes knowledge or representation of itself and other pragmatic and pure dimensions—see the resources, p. 33, for a knowledge reference; some elements of knowledge are the pure and abstract sciences, art, technology, history, religion, and the humanities; some elements of society are politics, economics, exploration, building civilization, and pursuit of meaning and realization), and the ultimate or universal (the universe as beings become it via yoga, p. 29, which includes metaphysics, p. 17, and reason, p. 24)

metaphysics, cosmology, and physics

on cosmology—cosmology, the study of the extension, duration, and variety of being, is continuous with metaphysics; some cosmology was considered in the ultimate, p. 16; this section takes up some topics in cosmology; there is systematic discussion in the resources, p. 33

determinism vs indeterminism (see determinism, p. 15), the block universe description, individual and peak identity—since the void is precursor to any being, the universe is absolutely indeterministic, but since it is precursor to every being, the universe is absolutely deterministic (in this dual remark ‘the void’ may be replaced by ‘any given being’); to resolve this apparent tension, consider the block universe, i.e., the universe described as a block constituted of the histories of all beings (here the block is regarded as a valid description, but not as ‘more real’ or ‘less real’ than other descriptions); the identities of individuals are elements of the experiential being of the universe; there are multiple trajectories through any given element of being, individual, or cosmos, and it is via these crossings, that the elements merge with peak being; further, the multiple copies of an individual (due to limitless repetition), though locally separate, gain identity via the peaks; for an individual in a cosmos, the cosmos has strong elements of determinism, but the cosmoses beyond are not determined relative to the individual; however, for being in its peak phases, the domain of determinism—of the definitely known—is greater and, considering all peaks, approaches the entire universe

existence of the void, dialetheia, and quantum theory: earlier, existence of the void was argued from equivalence to its non-existence; that the void exists and does not is an example, if it is true, of a dialetheia—a ‘true contradiction’; it has been argued, e.g., by Graham Priest, that there are dialetheias; that a dialetheia would not result in all statements being true, as it would in standard logic, would be ensured by somehow isolating it or via a para-consistent logic; however, many examples of dialetheias involve a shift in meaning such that the claimed contradiction is not a true contradiction

in the present case, again, there is no true contradiction, for the void is a ‘null universe’—and it is not a contradiction for a null universe or its ‘objects’ in a null universe to have contradictory properties as it would be for existing objects in a non-null universe (e.g., the tenth vs the eighth planet of the solar system being green and not green); what is interesting, however, is that this ‘edge case’ models (i) the equivalence of ‘nothing’ and a universe in which the energy of gravitation and matter add to zero (gravitation has negative energy) (ii) a logical precursor to quantum fields (iii) more generally the equivalence of being and non-being and the logical foundation of becoming from the void; why does quantum theory have a degree of indeterminism (if it does—the issue has not arrived at consensus)? perhaps in the emergence of form from the void (partial in quantum theory, complete in classical theories), quantum indeterminism is a residue of the indeterminism of formation from the void

about religion

where does religion fit into the scheme of the real metaphysics, p. 17? referring to word and concept meaning, p. 9, and concept meaning, knowledge, logic, and science, p. 11, and realizing that human endeavors such as religion, science, and art are constructs and objects, it follows that we do not know that our grasp of them is final (until finality is demonstrated); therefore, an empirical and psychological account of such endeavors must be supplemented by a conceptual account; how shall this be done for religion? note that our best science is essentially empirical (even where summarized conceptually as our ‘great’ theories) and that most religion is essentially speculative, especially in its cosmological aspect, and often dogmatic; therefore, there is room beyond what is true in science and our religions for investigation; which may be scientific or rational speculation (i.e. speculation that is both reasonable and consistent with all that we know); therefore, let us conceive religion as an endeavor to know and be the ultimate with all our being—experiential and instrumental; now, however, from the real metaphysics, we know that religion includes but is more than rational speculation—the processes of logic, science, art, religion, and becoming merge as co-extensive under the metaphysics

reason

introduction

this discussion of ‘reason’ is about justification of the development; it is not necessary reading for readers not concerned with justification

though there is concern with validity in other divisions, developing the ideas has taken priority over validity; this section briefly addresses that lack; the concern is addressed via discussion of ‘reason’ (the meaning of reason in this division is quite different from its meaning in reasons, p. 14); see the resources, p. 33, for further sources on reason

the plain fact that we negotiate the local world implies that we have some knowledge according to at least pragmatic criteria; but the question of the validity of knowledge is important if we want (i) to improve quality of life in the local world or (ii) go beyond the local world to the ultimate world; thus epistemology, the study of knowledge, especially of its validity is a vast subject, often deemed the most important division of philosophy (but here we find that metaphysics stands first as it encompasses epistemology, logic, and theory of value); in this division we will affirm what is already explicit—that (i)there is a realm of perfect and universal but abstract knowledge and a realm of instrumental and pragmatic knowledge (ii) the realms mesh to constitute a pragmatic system that is perfect in terms of its necessary and emergent values (iii) that this places received epistemology in context, lessening rather than negating its significance

because a fundamental issue of metaphysics as knowledge of the real is what we know and how, epistemology is sometimes held as central in thought, especially philosophy; however, there is no epistemology without metaphysics (knowledge and knowers are part of the world) and no true epistemology or metaphysics without value (which is essential to criteria for knowledge and aims of metaphysics); metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology ought to be studied as one; further (i) as knowing and becoming are essentially interactive and (ii) knowing is an incomplete mode of becoming (exalted by intellect), metaphysics and action constitute being

the meaning of reason

in the western tradition, understanding commonly refers to direct knowledge and its criteria, and reason refers to reasoning or inference from understanding (and criteria of reasoning)

here, reason shall refer to the join of understanding and reason as conceived above (and because the conceptions include criteria, reason shall also be empirical or experimental—i.e., it shall extend to action—and reflexive, i.e., critical of itself and imaginative with regard to itself); an abstraction from a concept or abstract concept is one from which distortable detail is conceptually removed (with sufficient abstraction, being is a being); sufficient abstraction leaves a perfectly known and non-trivial referent of the concept; used in this sense, an abstract or abstracted referent is not remote or abstruse but is more concrete in its certain knowability and reality than those existents we think of as concrete but whose knowledge is subject to distortion; informally, ‘understanding’ may also refer to the join of understanding and reason in their meanings as received from Kant

developing reason for the way

the main concepts of the ideal treatment are being (and experience), beings, the universe, the void, natural law, possibility, and logic; these concepts lend themselves to perfection (by abstraction) and completeness, as far as possible, by inclusion of being, universe, the void, and logic; this shows that the selected concepts may be foundational and grounding, but not why

classical approaches to foundation are (i) substances, which are simple entities or kinds of entity that generate the variety of the world—once we know substance, the argument goes, we know the world (ii) relative foundation that never refers to a final substance, e.g., infinite regress (iii) coherence of the concepts; but substance is elusive, the relative foundation is not foundational, and coherence is but pragmatic; the idea of ‘being’—that which is, i.e., that which is most immediate, alternatively written “that which may be validly known”—is against substance, but it is what we have and, epistemically we cannot go empirically beyond what we have; therefore should being (and the related concepts above) be capable of being founding, the foundation would be known to be secure; and what we have shown so far is that being is capable of being foundational, precisely, in part, because of its immediacy and givenness—which is unlike the remoteness of substance; further as that which is most immediate, being is grounding—and framing, for, as understood here, it frames the various kinds of being we encounter and which may have been what thought has hitherto sought in substance and varieties of being (it ought to be noted that similar thoughts regarding being are found in the writings of other authors)

the essential supplements regarding reason here are (i) the ideal account of being, beings (including, e.g., the universe and the void), is perfect because all that is employed in the account is an abstraction of those concepts—this leads to the certainty of the ideal side of the pure metaphysics (ii) the logic of the ideal account is so primitive—as immanent in the elementary grammar and lexicon of the abstracted fundamental concepts, i.e., being, universe, the void, law or pattern, logical possibility, logical proof here, for the fundamental principle, p. 15, involving implication and non-contradiction—that no further foundation is necessary (iii) the pragmatic side fits together with the ideal as described in the real metaphysics, p. 17, (iv) the result, the real metaphysics, is a priori not only to experience of the world but all experience including thought, and in this sense, the a priori would refer to a system of knowledge or metaphysics that is self-founding—i.e., makes its foundation apparent—with regard to depth, p. 27, but not breadth, p. 27 (v) the system is not just a system of knowledge but, as seen, incorporates value (e.g., ethics and aesthetics); it is thus holist, but this holism does not deny that the parts may often be treated independently—in fact or of necessity; while the foundation is perfect in the sense stated above, pushing for perfection in other senses remains valuable, yet any quest for perfection ought to remain in balance with action and becoming

are the cosmological consequences of this work speculative—i.e., are they rational speculation in the sense of being reasonable and neither containing nor entailing contradiction? recall that ‘every possibility is realized’ means that concepts that do not violate logic are realized somewhere in the universe (thus imagination is a fertile source of the variety, extent, and duration of being); all logically possible concepts must be realized as many times as do not constitute a violation of logic; if a concept is such that it can be realized only once without contradiction, there is no speculation in asserting its realization (but there may be speculation in asserting its significance); if the concept can be realized in more ways than one (e.g., by adaptive increment or by saltation), it would be speculative to suggest how frequent the ways are, but speculation may perhaps be improved upon by employing tradition and its paradigms; this shows the way to developing general cosmology, i.e., study of the extension, duration, and variety of being

what the foundation in reason says

in terms of the criteria above, it says that the foundation is perfect and complete with regard to depth—there is no need for another layer; with regard to breadth, i.e., the variety of being, the foundation is perfect but complete only for limitless being—for limited beings, though knowledge and realization of the variety is given, it is given only as a process (a good thing, for discovery and realization is an eternal adventure)

the foundation does not eliminate the need for modern studies in metaphysics (in the present and other senses of the term), epistemology, ethics, or philosophy of science; the foundation places those studies in context and (i) limits their significance relative to the value revealed (realization of the ultimate in and from the present) (ii) shows that final foundation of knowledge of our world and local ethics in its detail is not possible and therefore cannot be desirable (if it were possible it would not be desirable relative to the revealed ultimate value)

though only a hint of the case is given here, it reveals logic and the abstract and concrete sciences as empirical and rational in nature and as constituting a unity (with internal diversity); and it reveals that if the various logics concern modes of expression, then the range of developed logics must be enormously incomplete

earlier, in concept meaning, knowledge, logic, and science, p. 11, necessary and contingent conditions for a concept to refer were considered and named (necessary) logic and science, respectively; logic and science can were brought under one umbrella, general logic, as follows; an imagined or created concept may or may not refer to anything; those conditions for valid reference that lie solely in the concept are of necessary logic; the conditions that, over and above those of necessary logic, lie in the world are scientific; but the necessary-logical conditions are not merely of conceptual structure, e.g., grammatical, for both the necessary logical and scientific conditions are of the real; what we now see is that the science of the universe in its entirety is general logic, that science as a procedure (i.e., less than an algorithmic method), i.e., as a process, lies in the finding of logics and sciences, and that the particular sciences or theories pertain to parts of the universe and kinds within those parts; thus science and logic have a symmetry under the ideas of general logic and science as a process

pathways

being in the real

‘pathways’ is about living as and for realization; it begins with begins with three general sections—aim of being, paths, and ways; it then takes up path templates that are adaptable to a variety of individual and social orientations to the ultimate and ways to it; the section return to the world, p. 32, is a perspective on connecting the way to the world; resources, p. 33, provide assistance in understanding the way and in realization

aim of being

intelligence is that which makes negotiation in and for the world effective; enjoyment is appreciation of all elements of experience, inner or intrinsic—especially those of pleasure, pain, and intelligence, and of the world, extrinisic—being-in-the-world; if enjoyment is a value (desirable), it is valuable (imperative) to pursue realization of the ultimate in and from the present (pain ought to be addressed therapeutically and pleasure is not insignificant, but there best address is to be on a path); this is the aim of being, which is not exclusive of immediate value; there are ‘intelligent’ paths to the ultimate; to be on a path is not just to follow others or prescribed paths, which may be useful, but also to negotiate and develop pathways—and, especially, share and support others in the process

the aim of being and the aim of the way, p. 8, are the same

paths

experience and significant meaning, p. 18, suggests that a way to the ultimate is through the experiential self; regard meditation as the place of self and its transformation (i) by expansion of extent and scope (ii) by reflexive action upon the powers of meditation; it would then seem that meditation is the way to the ultimate

however, the experiential self has a ‘physical’ side and so the idea of meditation ought to be enhanced to include it; there seems to be no western term that corresponds to this idea but the eastern term ‘yoga’ (in the eastern sense) comes near to it; regard yoga as the place of the individual and its transformation (see resources, p. 33, for a yoga reference) (i) by expansion of extent and scope (ii) by reflexive action upon the physical and experiential powers of individual; then yoga is the way to the ultimate; yoga can learn from the eastern systems but it must be essentially experimental and experiential; and it will include and emphasize meditation; if it is to have universal purchase it will be synthesized with metaphysics, p. 17, and reason, p. 24

how and when is the ultimate attained? it may be achieved in or from ‘this life’ but this seems rare; more commonly this life is preparation for the individual and by sharing for the community; and in realization of the ultimate, the peak of peaks in dynamic and experiential unity—the peak individual sees and incorporates all beings—individuals and civilizations moving among the universe’s epochs of peak and dissolution, e.g., from cosmos to cosmos

ways

ways are traditional formulations, e.g., secular humanism, the religions, speculative and prescriptive metaphysical systems; they may have useful elements but are often touched by mere speculation, dogma, and limited viewpoints

introduction to the path templates

the development now takes up and presents path templates; and a dedication and affirmation; Internet links to detailed versions are in the resources, p. 33

design of the templates

two minimally prescriptive templates, every-day and universal, are derived from principle; the design of the templates is based on reason, p. 24, and the real metaphysics, p. 17, particularly the dimensions of being, p. 21, and received ways (yoga and meditation), p. 33; their presentation here is skeletal, so as to be adaptable to a range of individual orientations and cultural orientations; the templates cover the immediate to the universal, the community and civilization

every-day template

activities of a day are (i) rise, dedication, affirmation of the way (ii) contemplative review of priorities and plans (iii) realization—work, relationships, tasks (‘chores’), yoga—practice – action – sharing, engagement in the world (iv) supplement with physical activity and exploration (v) evening—rest, renewal, preparation and review for the next day, options of realization, networking, and community engagement

dedication

we dedicate our life to the way of being; to living in the immediate and the ultimate as one

to shared discovery and realization of the way; under the pure dimension of the world as experiential being in form and formation the pragmatic dimensions of the world as found or nature, as we contribute to it or culture, exploration, technology, and society, and as we become it via yoga and action on the way to the ultimate and the universal

to shedding the bonds of limited self so that we can see the way so clearly that life is flow over force

to realizing the ultimate in this life and beyond

affirmation

that pure unlimited consciousness—transcending all principles of form… that is supreme reality; that is the ground for the establishment of all things—and that is the essence of the universe; by That the universe lives and breathes, and That alone am I; thus, I embody and am the universe in its ordinary and most transcendent form (a paraphrase of a quote from Abhinav Gupta, 950 – 1016 CE, a philosopher-theologian of Kashmir)

universal template

for engagement in the world (i) pure being, community, retreat, and renewal (ii) ideas, intellect, and yoga (iii) choice of options for engagement in the dimensions of being, p. 21—nature, society and its culture, technology, and exploration (all the foregoing in themselves and as vehicle and path to the real), and the universal (iv) being in the universe, realizing peak being (‘Brahman’ in Vedanta philosophy), in this life and beyond

the instrumental vs the intrinsic

a pragmatic distinction among the dimensions of being, p. 21, is that of the instrumental—roughly material, vs the intrinsic—roughly experiential; it is pragmatic because it dissolves in the real and the ultimate; technology in our world and politics ‘as usual’ are seen as instrumental, yet technology may be constructed as experiential and social affairs may become experiential by immersion; a question arises: in realization, which of the following distinctions ought we to follow—(i) technical and scientific vs soft knowledge, art, and intuitive metaphysics and (ii) technology and transformation vs experiential realization of the ultimate? the valid response is that until we know better and the distinctions merge, we ought to follow an intelligent (as far as possible optimal) integration of the distinctions

return to the world

In the life of the spirit, we are always at the beginning
Relationship Runes: A Compass for the Heart, Ralph H. Blum, 2004

the remaining material is informal

practice is ‘in the world’; this division emphasizes living in the world

‘return’ turns from the general to the specific in reflecting an author’s thoughts about the future—especially my future, this work, the world, and specifically about connecting the way to the world

some significant ideas for return are—maintaining the narrative, sustaining transformation, connecting past to present to future; immersion in the worlds of nature and culture as transformative, becoming; sustaining commitment, renewal, retreat; challenges, problems, and opportunities of the world; written tradition, literature, maintaining a stream of continuous text via periodic summation of the literature

resources

guides, inspiration

resources

a resource is an established means; the resources below are useful in the way

resource system

a resource system page, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/old/the essential way of being.html#resources

general resources

general resources are the way of being website, http://www.horizons-2000.org, and site development, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/plan.html

reading, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/reading.html

an everyday template, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/narratives/everyday template.pdf (as alternative to ‘pdf’, also available in ‘html’ and ‘docm’ versions)

a universal template, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/narratives/universal template.pdf (‘html’ and ‘docm’ available)

dedication and affirmation, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/resources/dedication-affirmation.pdf (‘html’ and ‘docm’ available)

yoga and meditation, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/topic essays/meditation.html

knowledge resources

a knowledge resource is a system of knowledge, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/resources/system of human knowledge, reason, practice, and action.html (…links to a supplement, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/resources/system of human knowledge, reason, and action-supplement.html)

world problems and opportunities, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/resources/world problems and opportunities.html, detailed system of problems and opportunities, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2021/resources/journey in being.html#Challenges_and_opportunities

the concepts

main concepts are in italics; for convenience, some terms, here and in the main text, are identified as concepts in more than one place

preview

ultimate achievement, dogma, secularism, transsecularism, a being (plural: beings), being, a reason (plural: reasons, related to but distinct from ‘reason’), kind of reason (necessary, logical, unconditional, independent, null, absolute), law, universe, the void, creator, existence, fundamental principle of metaphysics, identity, peak being, the individual, death (is real but not absolute), pleasure, pain, enjoyment, path to the ultimate, therapy, imperative, sharing, experience (in the sense of awareness), meditation, the body, material world, science, the sciences—concrete and abstract, technology, the arts, the humanities, yoga

about the way

aim of the way

origins

origins, significant meaning (‘meaning of life’), becoming; sources—ideas and action—history and individual experience

destinations

destinations, the ultimate, the present or the immediate, the real metaphysics

meaning

consensus experience, concept meaning (‘linguistic’)

this edition

imagination, originality, foundation, self-foundation, axiomatic approach, informal vs formal development, application, introduction, preview, principles of organization, flow of ideas, motive, explanation

being

being and beings

being (the verb to be), a being (plural—‘beings’), characteristic

being, foundations, and grounding

foundation, grounding, anthropomorphism, cosmomorphism

concept meaning, knowledge, logic, and science

referential concept, icon, sign (simple or compound), language, symbol (linguistic), meaning, knowledge, necessity, contingency, fact, science, art, value

kinds of being

kind, correspondence (this concept and the next concern the nature and criterion for validity of knowledge), pragmatic

possibility and laws of nature

possible being, pattern, law of nature, law, cosmos, necessary logic, logical possibility

reasons

explanation (general), a reason (noun, plural—‘reasons’), logical reasons, possibility, probability, explanation (explanatory reason), necessity, material reasons, power, material cause, self-cause

the universe and the void

universe, creator, the void

introduction to the fundamental principle of metaphysics

no concepts introduced

existence of the void

determinism, indeterminism

the fundamental principle

the fundamental principle of metaphysics, the principle of plenitude, manifestation

consistency of the principle

no concepts introduced

the ultimate

identity, cosmology of identity, peak being, the ultimate, the individual, realization, death

metaphysics

introduction

tradition

metaphysics

metaphysics

the real metaphysics

real metaphysics

consistency of the real metaphysics

no concepts introduced

doubt and attitude

doubt, heuristics, attitude, metaphysical hypothesis, existential principle

experience and significant meaning

experience, significant meaning

universe as field of being

interpretation, materialism, solipsism, field of being, field of experiential being, god

dimensions of being

dimensions of being, form, extension, duration, pure dimensions of being, pragmatic dimensions of being, nature, society, culture, the universal

metaphysics, cosmology, and physics

cosmology, absolute indeterminism, absolute determinism, block universe, dialetheia, quantum field, becoming from the void, emergence

about religion

rational speculation, religion

reason

introduction

justification, local world, quality of life, epistemology, axiology, action

the meaning of reason

understanding, reason, abstraction

developing reason for the way

substance, grammar, lexicon, logical proof, implication, non-contradiction, the a priori, self-foundation, ethics, aesthetics, holism, rational speculation, paradigm, general cosmology

what the foundation in reason says

depth, breadth, logic, science, general logic, science of the universe, procedure, method

pathways

aim of being

intelligence, enjoyment, pleasure, pain, value, imperative, aim of being, paths, sharing

paths

meditation, yoga

ways

ways

introduction to the path templates

template

design of the templates

principle, design, adaptability, individual orientation, cultural orientation, immediate, universal, community, civilization

every-day template

dedication, affirmation, review, priorities, realization, (yoga) practice, action, sharing, engagement, networking

dedication

discovery, realization, bonds of limited self

affirmation

consciousness, ‘That’

universal template

pure being, retreat, renewal, dimensions of being, being in the universe, brahman, this life and beyond

the instrumental vs the intrinsic

instrumental (dimension), intrinsic (dimension)

resources

resource, general resources, knowledge resources, resource system