The Way of Being—a Little Manual

Contents with Summaries

Definitions and content	6

As this work attempts to go beyond received understanding, its concepts necessarily go beyond received meaning. So, to understand the work, it is essential to follow the meanings as defined. Small capitals indicate important terms and when they are associated with the word ‘is’, it is to be read as ‘is defined as’ or ‘is conceived as’.

Most sections begin with a brief version, separated from a detailed version, by a paragraph with just a line ‘___’.

Prologue	6

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

Being and experience	7

A being is that which exists; being is existence.

Experience is conscious awareness in all its forms.

Experience is the place of our real being and sense of significance of the world and all that is in it.

The elements of experience are the experience itself, ‘experience of’ and ‘the experienced’—so, experience is relational, i.e., it relates the intrinsic and instrumental.

Meaning and knowledge	9

The universe, the void, constraints, and laws	10

The universe is all being.

The universe is a being—i.e., it exists.

The void is the being that contains no beings.

The void is a being, for its existence and nonexistence are equivalent.

A constraint or limit on a being (for example a human being or a cosmos), i.e., something it cannot do, be or achieve, may be conceived but to be a real constraint, it must be immanent in the being. Therefore constraints have being—i.e., constraints are beings.

The void has no constraints.

Possibility	12

A being has conceptual possibility if there is nothing in its conception that rules out its existence. If, further, nothing in the nature of the universe rules out its existence, it is possible, i.e., we say it has real possibility or just possibility. Thus, conceptual possibility is absence of contraries in the concept—i.e., it is logical possibility and, equivalently, the greatest possibility.

The fundamental principle	12

Every logically possible being emerges from the void, for non-emergence of a possible being would be a constraint on the void.

The universe is the realization of the greatest or logical possibility—i.e., the greatest or logical and the real possibilities are identical—this assertion is named the fundamental principle of metaphysics or just the fundamental principle.

An abstract or ideal metaphysics	13

Consequences of the fundamental principle	15

The universe has identity; it phases in and out of manifest being; the universe and its identity are limitless in extent, duration, variety, and highest or peak being; the variety and duration include cosmoses without limit to number, kind, beginnings and endings, all in transaction with one another and with the void.

All beings inherit this limitlessness; there are of course limits, which are real but not absolute, for limitlessness will be attained beyond death; there are intelligent and effective pathways to the ultimate.

enjoyment is appreciation of all aspects of experience; if enjoyment is the essential value, it is imperative to be on an intelligent path to the ultimate; pleasure and pain (and suffering) are unavoidable; pleasure is good, but to seek it excessively for its own sake is diversionary; pain is unavoidable, but its best address is, so far as possible, to be on a shared pathway to the ultimate, into which the best therapy is integrated.

Peak being (god)	17

What is peak being? Imagine a scene at lake, the wind does not quite ruffle the water, it is teeming with living activity—the coming and going, the competition and cooperation of creatures and species; see yourself as part of it; think of it, not as life branching as in evolutionary accounts, but as living form arising from primality, as if inevitable; it is a phase in the process named peak being—the real god of which we are a part. We, all life and being, are part of that process. It is the one, the eternal, in our corner of the universe still primitive, on the way to—already there if it would be seen—ultimate being.

The real metaphysics	18

Dimensions of being	19

Since the ideal picture of realization is given, we choose to complement it with pragmatic knowledge. The chosen local and pragmatic dimensions are the natural, the social, and the universal-ultimate.

A program of realization	22

Everyday program—everyday action is a flexible daily routine attending to development and execution of a way of realization, physical and experiential yoga, work and relationships, and material and health needs and concerns.

Universal program—everyday to life action, focusing on the ultimate via the everyday elements and sharing and on the social dimension via instrumental and immersive action in its sub-dimensions, and instrumental and immersive action in the universal-ultimate dimension.

Epilogue	23

A phase of reflection, though not of inaction, comes to fulfilment; it is now time for a phase emphasizing immersive action and commitment, though not of unreflective life. Death will be unremarkable in itself, but, if I am then incompletely realized, it will be a gateway to the ultimate.

Little Manual

Definitions and content

As this work attempts to go beyond received understanding, its concepts necessarily go beyond received meaning. So, to understand the work, it is essential to follow the meanings as defined. Small capitals indicate important terms and when they are associated with the word ‘is’, it is to be read as ‘is defined as’ or ‘is conceived as’.

Most sections begin with a brief version, separated from a detailed version, by a paragraph with just a line ‘___’.

Prologue

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

___

Though human beings live in an apparently limited world, they seek not only to live with limits as they are understood, but also to transcend those limits. The origins of the way are in reading and reflection on history and human culture; and in individual—personal—experience, exploration, reflection—imaginative and critical, narrative, and learning.

The aim of the way of being is discovery and realization, as far as possible, of the ultimate in and from the immediate world (it is not a prescription to be followed, but is reasoned, requires process, and taking part in the process is an element of realization) and thus the concern with the ultimate promotes the immediate.

Being and experience

A being is that which exists; being is existence.

Experience is conscious awareness in all its forms.

Experience is the place of our real being and sense of significance of the world and all that is in it.

The elements of experience are the experience itself, ‘experience of’ and ‘the experienced’—so, experience is relational, i.e., it relates the intrinsic and instrumental.

___

A being (plural—beings) is that which exists; being is existence (i.e., being is the property of beings as beings—that which itself has being is a being).

In the short account, existence is undefined. For the longer account, existence is later defined in terms of experience, which is ground or foundation, and therefore named and explained but not defined.

Experience (or awareness) is conscious awareness in all its forms.

Experience is the place of our real being and sense of significance (or meaning) of the world and all that is in it. Experience is also the place of concept and linguistic meaning and knowledge.

The elements of experience are the experience itself, ‘experience of’ and ‘the experienced’—so, experience is relational, i.e., it relates the two ‘sides’, the intrinsic (experiential) and instrumental (object or material).

Even ‘pure experience’ is relational—the relation is internal to the aware being (that without internality cannot have interaction—which may seem contradictory on a particle ontology but is not so on a field ontology). There is experience of experience (I know I am aware) and (i) this is the source of knowledge of the reality of experience (the fact is not proven, rather, it is a given and ‘experience’ is here used a name for this given) (ii) thus an experience is also an object and experience is as real as anything, particularly the—as if—material.

‘Experience of’ is a concept and ‘the experienced’ is an object, which may be as if or real; if real it is a being.

An effective conception of concept and linguistic meaning can be derived from experience as a concept-object relation. The conception that follows is fundamental to the theoretical side of the development of the way (for greater detail see the little book).

Meaning and knowledge

Here, ‘meaning’ refers to concept and linguistic meaning. To avoid confusion ‘significance’ was used earlier to talk of ‘the meaning of life’.

A meaning is a concept and its possible objects. A sign is an object that, in itself has no meaning—but is in fact or potentially associated with meaning by use, convention, or definition. Linguistic meaning is concept meaning, supplemented by association with a sign; the concept and sign may be elementary or complex and the sign-concept is a symbol. Thus, linguistic meaning is a symbol and its possible objects.

Knowledge is meaning realized. Search for knowledge occurs in a dual space of concepts and objects.

An earlier definition was—Being is existence and beings are existents.

But what is ‘an existent’ and what is ‘existence’? Given a concept that has reference, what is referred to is an existent (a being) whose name is the same as that of the concept—and existence (being) is the property that marks existents as existents (beings as beings). Thus, an example of an existent (or being), given later, is ‘the universe’, whose concept is ‘all being’. Where precision is not available via abstraction, a tentative thought is to think of the name-referring concept-referred object as the existent (the being).

Thus the concept of meaning as introduced here enables clear definition of existence and so of being. It is shown in another version of the way, that the present concept of meaning is necessary and sufficient to what meaning is needed to do and effective in the clarification and specification of many concepts. Indeed a true metaphysics is not possible on lesser accounts and the present account empowers metaphysics.

The universe, the void, constraints, and laws

The universe is all being.

The universe is a being—i.e., it exists.

The void is the being that contains no beings.

The void is a being, for its existence and nonexistence are equivalent.

A constraint or limit on a being (for example a human being or a cosmos), i.e., something it cannot do, be or achieve, may be conceived but to be a real constraint, it must be immanent in the being. Therefore constraints have being—i.e., constraints are beings.

The void has no constraints.

___

The universe is all being (over all time, space, and other marker of situation). It is obvious that—

The universe is a being—i.e., it exists.

The void, if in fact the following defines a real object, is the being that contains no beings—i.e., the void is the absence of manifest being.

The void is a being, for its existence and nonexistence are equivalent.

The foregoing is a dialetheia or true contradiction. However, if a disallowable contradiction (a more general term would be ‘disallowable symbol’) is one that cannot be realized, then this dialetheia is not disallowable—that is, it does not define an impossible object as does ‘the barber in the village who shaves everyone except those who shave themselves’. The fact and possibility of dialetheia, at least of this one, can be figuratively put—a contra-diction is allowable provided it does not entail reality violating itself. Now we know that disallowable contradictions, if assumed true, result in explosion—i.e., all assertions in the relevant logical universe (of propositions) will be true. Since this does not happen with disallowable contradictions, this requires a logic that (i) does not result in explosion for allowable contradictions (ii) reduces to standard logic if the allowable criteria are excluded. Such paraconsistent logics have been developed. An alternative to paraconsistent logics is to exclude the dialetheia from the logical universe and treat them separately.

A constraint or limit on a being (for example a human being or a cosmos), i.e., something it cannot do, be or achieve, may be conceived but to be a real constraint, it must be immanent in the being. Therefore, constraints have being—i.e., constraints are beings. A law of nature is a constraint and therefore laws are beings.

The void has no constraints (for a constraint is a being and the void contains no beings).

Possibility

A being has conceptual possibility if there is nothing in its conception that rules out its existence. If, further, nothing in the nature of the universe rules out its existence, it is possible, i.e., we say it has real possibility or just possibility. Thus, conceptual possibility is absence of contraries in the concept—i.e., it is logical possibility and, equivalently, the greatest possibility.

___

A being’s existence has conceptual possibility if there is nothing in its conception that rules out its existence. If, further, nothing in the nature of the universe rules out its existence, it is possible, i.e., we say it has real possibility or just possibility (physical possibility is a case of possibility). Thus, conceptual possibility is absence of contraries in the concept—i.e., it is logical possibility and, equivalently, the greatest possibility (it is tacit that the case is ideal in that the mode of expression is limitless, the sense of ‘greatest’ is not ‘highest’, but the greatest will include the highest, when it is properly conceived).

The fundamental principle

Every logically possible being emerges from the void, for non-emergence of a possible being would be a constraint on the void.

The universe is the realization of the greatest or logical possibility—i.e., the greatest or logical and the real possibilities are identical—this assertion is named the fundamental principle of metaphysics or just the fundamental principle.

___

Every logically possible being emerges from the void, for non-emergence of a possible being would be a constraint on the void. Therefore—

The universe is the realization of the greatest or logical possibility—i.e., the greatest or logical and the real possibilities are identical—this assertion is named the fundamental principle of metaphysics or just the fundamental principle (some important consequences will now follow).

An abstract or ideal metaphysics

The demonstration is formal but let us review how we know it to be true. The fundamental concepts and elementary inference involved are abstract—concepts and operations from which distortable elements are conceptually removed, leaving only undistorted content. Thus, given that being is existence, there is being; given that the universe is all being, there is one and only one universe; and so on. In this sense of the term, the abstract is neither remote nor abstruse but immediate, real—more definitely real than the concrete (which itself participates in abstraction). The elementary inferences are of the type in the following semantic description of a simple propositional calculus—

If A is true then not A is false,

where ‘not A’ or ‘not-A’ is the negation of ‘A’, usually written‘A’, where ‘’ is the ‘tilde’ operator of negation,

If A is true and B is true then A and B is true,

‘A and B’ is often written ‘AB’ or ‘A B’ where ‘’ is the ‘wedge’ operator, and

If A is true or B is true then A or B is true,

where ‘or’ is used in the inclusive sense for which ‘A or B is true’ means ‘at least one of A and B is true’; ‘A or B’ is often written ‘A B’ where ‘’ is the ‘vel’ operator.

With metaphysics as true knowledge of the real, this is metaphysics—it is an abstract or ideal metaphysics.

From the logic of the inference, this is consistent with science and experience. However, it shows that the scientific (big bang) model is that of a world that is infinitesimal in relation to the universe. From its method, science has pragmatic truth, but its truth is not known to be real (precise) or complete. The history of science suggests that its truth may be far from real and far from complete and this is confirmed by the fundamental principle, which shows that ‘far’ should be replaced by ‘limitlessly far’.

A limitless or substance world would have the character of experientiality (rather than matter), not in being experiential like a human being or other higher animal, but in having its root elements have ‘primitive experientiality’, which, in complex structures such as bodies, combine to constitute experientiality such as in human beings. Such a worlds would be a ‘field of experiential being’ in which humans and animals are locations of focal experientiality. The main relevance of these conclusions is that (i) since we have shown that the universe is limitless, the universe is an experiential field and (ii) since our cosmos is approximately substance-like, it is approximately an experiential field. This extends the meaning of experience to the root of being, in a dual space of concepts and objects—i.e., both conceptually (in intension) and in its application (in extension).

Consequences of the fundamental principle

The universe has identity; it phases in and out of manifest being; the universe and its identity are limitless in extent, duration, variety, and highest or peak being; the variety and duration include cosmoses without limit to number, kind, beginnings and endings, all in transaction with one another and with the void.

All beings inherit this limitlessness; there are of course limits, which are real but not absolute, for limitlessness will be attained beyond death; there are intelligent and effective pathways to the ultimate.

enjoyment is appreciation of all aspects of experience; if enjoyment is the essential value, it is imperative to be on an intelligent path to the ultimate; pleasure and pain (and suffering) are unavoidable; pleasure is good, but to seek it excessively for its own sake is diversionary; pain is unavoidable, but its best address is, so far as possible, to be on a shared pathway to the ultimate, into which the best therapy is integrated.

___

The universe has identity; it phases in and out of manifest being; the universe and its identity are limitless in extent, duration, variety, and highest or peak being (which may be a relational process); the variety and duration include cosmoses without limit to number, kind, beginnings and endings, all in transaction with one another (the degree of transaction will be nil at times) and with the void.

All beings inherit this limitlessness (for the contrary would be a limit or constraint on the universe); there are of course limits (on limited beings, which include natural as well as developmental limits), which are real but not absolute, for limitlessness will be attained beyond death (if not in ‘this’ life)—which occurs across migration of identity across, e.g., cosmoses (it is not contradictory for two limited beings to simultaneously become the ultimate, for they merge in doing so); though (contrary to conceptions in which the ultimate is remote, true) ultimate realization is given, and there are intelligent and effective pathways to the ultimate (intelligence being regarded as effective negotiation of the ultimate in and from the immediate).

Let us say a little more on the migration of identities. While it occurs across cosmoses, it occurs, at least, in the identity of being with the void, which may be seen as a reservoir of ultimate identity. Relationality lies in the substrate of being and the universe, which is the void. Equivalently, it lies in the universe itself.

enjoyment is appreciation of all aspects of experience (and the world), including perception, cognition, emotion, and pleasure and pain; if enjoyment is the essential value, it is imperative to be on an intelligent path to the ultimate; pleasure and pain (and suffering) are unavoidable; pleasure is good, but to seek it excessively for its own sake is diversionary; pain is unavoidable, but its best address is, so far as possible, to be on a shared pathway to the ultimate, into which the best therapy is integrated (and which is therapeutic in itself).

Peak being (god)

What is peak being? Imagine a scene at lake, the wind does not quite ruffle the water, it is teeming with living activity—the coming and going, the competition and cooperation of creatures and species; see yourself as part of it; think of it, not as life branching as in evolutionary accounts, but as living form arising from primality, as if inevitable; it is a phase in the process named peak being—the real god of which we are a part. We, all life and being, are part of that process. It is the one, the eternal, in our corner of the universe still primitive, on the way to—already there if it would be seen—ultimate being.

___

What is peak being? One term for it is God—but ‘God’ has so many meanings and senses (as in god and other ultimates). There are limitlessly many Abrahamic and Hindu Gods in far and near corners of the universe (subject to straightening of the narratives), limitlessly many Buddhas. They are neither ultimate nor ultimately robust. How may we visualize an ultimate and robust god? Imagine a scene at lake, the wind does not quite ruffle the water, it is teeming with living activity—the coming and going, the competition and cooperation of creatures and species; see yourself as part of it; think of it, not as life branching as in evolutionary accounts, but as living form arising from primality, as if inevitable; it is a phase in the process named peak being—the real god of which we are a part. We, all life and being, are part of that process. It is the one, the eternal, in our corner of the universe still primitive, on the way to—already there if it would be seen—ultimate being. The imaginative side of these thoughts have derivation from the Advaita Vedanta.

The real metaphysics

The fundamental principle shows what may be achieved but not how. Tradition shall mean all our pragmatic and pure knowledge. Append this to the ideal content (metaphysics) developed so far. Tradition is the how; imperfect in itself, regarded as in process it is the best we have; therefore, relative to the imperative of realization, it may be truly and realistically be called perfect. In the join, the ideal illuminates and guides the pragmatic and the pragmatic illustrates and is instrumental toward the ideal. The combination, which is thus a dynamic join, is named the real metaphysics, or just the metaphysics. Since tradition is in process, we take elements from different cultures and we emphasize the modern west and some elements of Indian philosophy, with the understanding that what we take remains in process, reflectively, experimentally, and is open to and seeking further supplement. From the comprehensive system of human knowledge, we take only certain elements as follows (the little book has explanation and elaboration). The elements to be taken are aspects or dimensions of being.

While the above is ideal, we know from inference to the real metaphysics, that the local need not be ideal. We choose disciplines typical of western culture. The description that follows may seem to derive from a material worldview (‘materialism’) but may also be derived from and experiential worldview (thus the ideal, the approach from being, the cultures of the east, and the existential thought of the west are not excluded).

Dimensions of being

Since the ideal picture of realization is given, we choose to complement it with pragmatic knowledge. The chosen local and pragmatic dimensions are the natural, the social, and the universal-ultimate.

___

Since the ideal picture of realization is given, we choose to complement it with pragmatic knowledge. The chosen local and pragmatic dimensions are the natural, the social, and the universal-ultimate.

Nature, ground, has flexible and apparently fixed aspects; sub-dimensions are elementary or physical, complex or living, and experiential as intrinsic ground; which ‘give rise’ to society and creativity, and show nature as more flexible than previously thought. From the natural sciences we derive certain paradigms of form and formation and of paradigms of thought. These include incremental change and emergence via variation and selection from biology and mechanism (on determinism-indeterminism continuum) from physics. The paradigms enable understanding of formed and robust cosmoses and beings from the void which exhibit high symmetry and stability and thus effective population of the universe by robust cosmoses with experiential beings.

society (community to civilization); sub-dimensions are cultural, and political-economic-ethical; and transsecular, which entails, as we now know, the universal-ultimate. In detail—the cultural encompasses language, custom, science, reason, metaphysics, and human knowledge and exploration, generally; economics is about organization and distribution of resources—means and principles; politics concerns group decision and its organization, practical and ideal, whose address is immersive and instrumental (elements of power include: individuals, wealth, economy, institutions, charisma and anti-charisma, force, e.g., military, information, e.g., media); ethics is seen as being about good ideals and ends, right actions, and virtuous behavior and thought, but, though ought to be given weight, the significance of different ethical systems, folk and philosophical, is unclear, and, further, it is not at all clear to what extent and in what manner they universalize: ethics ought to remain experimental and reflective. Paradigms from the social and ethical realm are tentative. Some themes are sustainability vs growth; political-economics and ethics in wealth distribution; charisma and institution in power; populism vs liberal democracy in stable and effective governance; power and history; secularism and transsecularism in history and ultimate being.

Real metaphysics shows the universal-ultimate (abbreviated to ‘universal’) to be absolutely flexible in its realization of the ultimate. The universal (ultimate) begins with understanding of limitlessness, and yogic and instrumental intention and action toward its realization. It merges with culture in art, science, philosophy, exploration, and spirituality and religion-in-an-ideal-sense. It is critical that these disciplines (yoga through religion) be understood not just in terms of their canon but as in process, experimental, subject to reason, informed by the metaphysics, and interactively. Paradigms arising here include necessary design (for example, we as beings are on the way to peak capability), necessary cause—premised and spontaneous, and general logic (the logic of the real metaphysics, which includes induction of logic and science and deduction within those systems, and necessary fact as well as pragmatic fact).

A program of realization

Everyday program—everyday action is a flexible daily routine attending to development and execution of a way of realization, physical and experiential yoga, work and relationships, and material and health needs and concerns.

Universal program—everyday to life action, focusing on the ultimate via the everyday elements and sharing and on the social dimension via instrumental and immersive action in its sub-dimensions, and instrumental and immersive action in the universal-ultimate dimension.

___

Here is a program of realization, in outline (for action and for construction of a detailed template see, e.g., as in templates for realization, a pdf document, and its Word docm version). The program is in two parts, each addressing all aspects of realization, but having different emphases. The everyday focuses on individuals and communities, relationships, inner transformation and immersion in the world, and attention to daily and career material needs. The universal program focuses on pure being and action in the dimensions of being.

Everyday program—everyday action is a flexible daily routine attending to development and execution of a way of realization, physical and experiential yoga (see received ways), work and relationships, and material and health needs and concerns.

Universal program—everyday to life action, focusing on the ultimate via the everyday elements and sharing and on the social dimension via instrumental and immersive action in its sub-dimensions, and instrumental and immersive action in the universal-ultimate dimension.

Epilogue

A phase of reflection, though not of inaction, comes to fulfilment; it is now time for a phase emphasizing immersive action and commitment, though not of unreflective life. Death will be unremarkable in itself, but, if I am then incompletely realized, it will be a gateway to the ultimate.

___

Life is reflection and action. A phase of reflection, though not of inaction, comes to fulfilment; it is now time for a phase emphasizing immersive action and commitment, though not of unreflective life. Narration will continue in-the-world and its foci shall be improvement of the via imagination and criticism, an issue of what I have not seen due to focused seeing in some regions of the real, and universal text—i.e., collapsing the essential history of text and thought so as to extract what is essential and to have balance against tendencies to infinite detail and the sheer weight of the cumulative record. Death will be unremarkable in itself, but, if I am then incompletely realized, it will be a gateway to the ultimate.