Excerpts

Before the beginning of the universe was undifferentiated awareness. Nisargadatta says, "That which is prior to consciousness is the Absolute…The original state prior to Consciousness cannot be described; one can only be That." At this point there is no conception of you as a conscious entity. The word “You” is entirely inappropriate here. Awareness of self comes later on.

The Absolute is not aware of being aware, and has no conception of Self. It is of course impossible to accurately talk about the Absolute in language, because language describes things that exist, and these terms don’t apply to the Absolute. The Absolute is not define–able, but we have to say something about it in order to make this discussion sensible! With that in mind, let’s say that the Absolute is eternal; beyond time and space, because these have not yet been brought into being. The Absolute is purely latent, with the potential for creativity. The universe does not yet exist, so there are no planets or galaxies, no matter and energy, only a feeling of joy and perfect bliss. There is nothing to look at, nothing to compare to, yet the Absolute feels a sense of complete fulfillment. Imagine floating on a completely calm ocean in a perfect state of serenity.

We begin this way because it is illogical to suppose that the animating principle that created the universe is psychotic, or negative. Only a psychotic would want to live a life of eternity feeling lousy; and in fact, only a nutcase wouldn't want to feel as wonderful as it could. So we give the Creator of All the benefit of the doubt, and assume he/she feels pretty good about himself/herself. We begin by assuming that the inherent nature of this eternal quality is one of perfection and infinite well being.

In an attempt to explain the creation of a universe more understandably from the point of view of a human being immersed in the flow of time, we will create artificial hierarchies of awareness. The human mind understands ideas better if they are compartmentalized; even if it is not entirely accurate to do so.

Hierarchies of Awareness

First in our artificial hierarchy, we define Pure Awareness, which is what I am calling the Absolute. Some people like the word God better, but because God has religious overtones, I prefer to use the term Pure Awareness, or Creator. I want this discussion to be inclusive of all beliefs. Moreover, God, or Supreme Being, has the connotation of a distinct, individual personality; however, as we will soon see, the very idea of Self is dependent on Other–ness, and that only occurs after the creation of the first something. Right now, there is nothing, just an undefinable, latent Absolute with the potential for creativity.

Pure Awareness has no conception of itself as a distinct personality, or anything outside of itself. Those who have had near-death-experiences describe a state of bliss in which thought is not present -- this is the state or condition of Pure Awareness. Pure Awareness is a potential, a pure quality, which will have, as we shall see, the capability of creating something for it to perceive outside of itself. There are no universes yet; there is Nothing, but a Nothing with the potential power to create worlds.

Lets talk a little bit about a pure potential being a Nothing. Since matter and energy do not yet exist, there is nothing to look at. Nothing exists. So it is reasonable to suppose that this pure potential must be Nothing, but this is far from the truth. The Quality-which-creates-all is more accurately described as an Everything, because that is what it feels like. In other words, we are not talking about a Nothing that creates the things of existence, because this always leads to an intellectual contradiction (something from nothing). We want to think about the basic nature of Pure Awareness, or the Creator of the universe, as an Everything which is, in itself, a Creative Potential that is completely and utterly fulfilled and is the very definition of well being. We can then say that the universe was created from an Everything, which is mimicking itself in creating the infinite vastness of a universe. In other words, it is true that a Nothing cannot create a something, just as a person who has never before played the piano cannot play like Horowitz, just as a person who is feeling angry cannot, at the same time, create a work of beauty. However, an Everything has the potential to create every–thing! In order to create a work of beauty, you have to be in an inspired place of feeling beautiful. In order to create an infinite and beautiful universe to play in, you must already be infinite and beautiful!

If you have ever felt a rush of love or joy, you are feeling the inherent quality of who you are at the very roots of your being. You are feeling the way Pure Awareness feels in every instant. This feeling is one of perfect fulfillment, complete understanding, exhilaration, and knowing of self as eternal, divine, and perfect. This is what it feels like to be a pure quality. So the pure potential/creator which the intellect describes as a Nothing is really a wonderful, delicious thing. In this conception, the stuff of existence does not come forth from a sterile, Great Void. This notion always frightened me, because it says the ultimate future of everything in the universe is non-awareness. I always pictured myself as being snuffed out, like a candle flame. But I have personally discovered that the Nothing idea isn't true. The circle of creation, of life, begins and ends with complete and utter well–being. The feeling of well–being is the ultimate nature, quality, or property of all consciousness everywhere in any universe. If you have never felt the power of this wonderful energy, then what I'm saying will not be real to you at all. It may even seem ridiculous. But I am assuming that every human being reading this, no matter how troubled, can remember a time in his or her life, even if for only an instant, when you felt this way. This wonderful feeling is who you are at the very core of your being. ...

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