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Reference: Postulate Mechanics (PM)

Ours is a knowable universe because we can come to know it by sensing it. We are also a part of this universe because we can sense and come to know ourselves. 

If we are a part of this universe then how did the fundamental postulates of this universe come about?

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The Postulates

How the fundamental postulates of this universe came about can only be answered as follows:

1. The universe created itself, or
2. The universe has always been there.

These are possible postulates that attempt to explain the unknowable.

We come across the “religious” belief that God created this universe. However, God happens to be a part of the knowable universe, because God is knowable. This essentially means that the universe created itself. This is a variation of the first postulate above.

The answer from Kantian philosophy is that the ingredients of this universe exist as “thing in itself” independently of human perception, sensation, or sensory experience. This answer reduces to the second postulate above that the universe has always been there.

Phenomenology says, “What is sensed is the thing itself as experienced, not an inner proxy, but precisely as given in intuition—within limits.” This also reduces to the second postulate above.

Science says, “Sensations are effects of an underlying mind‑independent physical universe whose structure we infer.” This also reduces to the second postulate above.

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The Fundamental Postulate

For the universe to create itself, there must have been an earlier version of the universe. God could be an earlier version that transformed itself into the current universe. This adds the idea of a cyclic universe; but essentially it is also a variation of the second postulate above.

We may conclude,

The basis for the universe has always been there. How it was created initially is unknowable.

The Vedas assert rightly that the universe has neither a beginning nor an end.

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The Knowable Universe

The basis of the universe is made up of certain postulates. The postulates provide meaning in the form of sensations. The outcome of the sensations is the knowable universe.

So, the postulates that make up the SELF are the same that make up the UNIVERSE.

In the ancient Vedic religions, such as, Hinduism, the Nirākār Brahman uses Māyā to arise as Sākār Brahman. The Nirākār Brahman is considered to be a reality without attributes. Māyā is considered to be the process that generates attributes. And Sākār Brahman is considered to be the reality with attributes. We may say that the Nirākār Brahman is “unknowable,” Maya represents the postulates. Sākār Brahman is the outcome as the knowable universe.

Thus, the Postulate Mechanics parallels the Vedic religions.

In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) God is postulated as the source of all creation. God is then assigned the attribute of omniscient (all-knowing) among others. But God itself is presented as a mystery. Here God is something that needs to be unpacked and understood.

We come to the conclusion that,

The basis of the universe are certain postulates that give meaning to the universe in the form of sensations.

These postulates are inherent to the universe and also to us. So, the postulates that make up the universe are the same that make up the SELF. The self then assimilates the sensations to perceive the universe.

As sensations may assimilate differently from person to person, different perceptions and concepts of the universe may arise.

We may not know the postulates, but our perceptions and concepts can help us trace back to discover the underlying postulates. As we discover the postulates we come to know both the universe and ourselves so clearly that all our aberrations drop away.

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Considerations

The major concepts introduced in Chapter 1 are CREATION, GOD, VEDIC RELIGIONS, and ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS. These concepts are defined in Glossary: Postulate Mechanics.

1. The basis of this universe is eternally present.
2. This basis is made up of certain postulates.
3. These postulates underlie the self as well.
4. These postulates provide meaning in the form of sensations.
5. The self assimilates sensations into perceptions and concepts.
6. Essentially, these are considerations that arise from postulates.

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Reference: Postulate Mechanics (PM)

The fundamental datum is:

Substantiality and Awareness are two attributes of self, and the balance between the two establishes the reality of Self. We refer to this balance as oneness.

Oneness is the consistency that is observed from one moment to the next. This consistency appears as continuity at very small scales, and as harmony at very large scales. The oneness of substantiality can be seen in a smooth spectrum of substance from thought to matter. Thus, there is oneness between the spiritual and the physical aspects of existence.

The awareness of substantiality brings to attention knowable dichotomies, such as, creator-creation, cause-effect, etc. The oneness of a dichotomy may be expressed as a gradient between the two opposite attributes. This introduces a DIMENSION between the two attributes. This dimension may be represented mathematically as a scale. For example, hot-cold is a dichotomy. When the gradient of temperature is introduced between hot and cold, it clarifies that dichotomy as a temperature scale, where hot and cold appear at the opposite ends.

When oneness exists there is clarity of reality of existence. But to the degree oneness is violated we have unreality.

Postulate Mechanics refers to violations of oneness as anomalies. An ANOMALY may take the form of a discontinuity (missing data), an inconsistency (contradictory data), or a disharmony (arbitrary data). For example, in a knowable dichotomy, such as, cause-effect, there is a missing dimension. Therefore, it is an anomaly of discontinuity. All unrealities, confusions and sufferings consist of anomalies.

An unreality, confusion or suffering of self can be eliminated only by confronting and resolving the underlying anomaly.

Liberation of self lies in the resolution of all its anomalies. As self is liberated it evolves to higher states.

The resolution of anomalies occurs through a process called ASSIMILATION. To assimilate is to “make similar.” This is done by making all the elements of an anomaly continuous, consistent and harmonious.

To assimilate, a person looks at the anomaly more closely until its exact nature is recognized. When sensations are assimilated they provide clearer perceptions. When perceptions are assimilated they provide clearer memory. When memories are assimilated they provide clearer experience. When experiences are assimilated they provide clearer knowledge. When knowledge is assimilated it results in wisdom.

To summarize, he key attributes of self are: substantiality, awareness and oneness, as described in recent chapters.

Next we look at where the self stands in relationship to God, because the thinking of most people in our civilization arises from the concept of God.

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Notes and Postulates

The major concepts introduced in Chapter 5 are DIMENSION, ANOMALY and ASSIMILATION. These concepts are defined in Glossary: Postulate Mechanics.

PM Postulate 5.1: Oneness is continuity, consistency and harmony.
PM Postulate 5.2: An anomaly is a violation of oneness.
PM Postulate 5.3: Anomaly is a discontinuity, inconsistency or disharmony.
PM Postulate 5.4: A knowable dichotomy has a missing dimension (an anomaly).
PM Postulate 5.5: All unrealities, confusions and sufferings consist of anomalies.

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Reference: Postulate Mechanics (PM)

When something is substantial, it means that it exists and it can be sensed. Substantiality refers not only to something physical made of matter, but also to something spiritual made of thought. A rock is substantial; but the subject of physics is substantial too. A picture printed on a photographic paper is substantial; but a mental image picture created by imagination is substantial too, because both can be sensed.

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Substance

We may define SUBSTANCE as something substantial enough to be sensed. Generally substance is identified as matter, but substance is more than just matter. Einstein famously showed radiative energy to be equivalent to matter with his equation, E = mc². Experiments have shown  that the light from the sun can push a large sail in outer space. Thus, we may place radiation also in the category of substance.

When we think of a rose, and we get a picture of a rose in our mind. This mental image picture exists. It is made up of thought. Thus, we may place thought also in the category of substance.

In Postulate Mechanics, we have three categories of substance: 

1. Matter
2. Radiation
3. Thought

The universe is made up of matter, radiation and thought, and so is the self.

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Consistency

Consistency means a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc. Consistency is inherent to substance. The three categories of substance have different degrees of consistency.

When the substance is matter, we refer to its consistency as “mass.” Matter is made up of atoms. An atom consists a whole gradient of mass. Its extremely small nucleus consists of “solid mass”. The nucleus is surrounded by a large field of electrons, which can be said to consists of “liquid mass.” This electronic field is surrounded by still larger field of radiation, which can be said to consists of “gaseous mass.” Therefore, matter is made of a spectrum of mass.

The current science assigns a mass of zero to radiation because it is almost impossible to measure. Therefore, the idea of “gaseous mass” is not acknowledged. Instead, the consistency of radiation is measured in terms of “frequency.” There is a spectrum of radiation based on “frequency” called Electromagnetic spectrum. Gamma radiation has the highest frequency; and radio waves have the lowest frequency on this spectrum.

The current does not acknowledge thought as a substance because it cannot measure it. But we are familiar with light, free flowing enthusiasm  on one hand; and heavy, fixed seriousness on the other. So, there exists a spectrum of thought in terms of its “weightiness.” At one end of the spectrum thought is clear and rational (low consistency); and at the other end, the thought is muddy and mechanical (high consistency).

Consistency increases from thought to radiation to matter.

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Motion

Motion is also inherent to substance. It is the opposite of consistency of substance. As consistency increases from thought to radiation to matter,  the motion decreases. It is well known that the speed of light (radiation) is many orders of magnitude faster than that of matter. The higher the consistency, the lower is the inherent motion of substance. This is better visible on cosmic scales, because the structure of the cosmos is quite complex. The current science does not have the concept of inherent motion.

In case of matter, the consistency in terms of mass or inertia is the highest. The black hole at the center of a galaxy has the highest mass or inertia; and the least inherent motion. The lesser is the mass of a body in the galaxy, the greater is its inherent motion; and the farther it is from the black hole, while rotating around it.

The inherent motion of radiation is many orders of magnitude faster than that of matter, as mentioned earlier. Within the spectrum of light itself, the radio waves may travel much faster than gamma radiation in space.

The inherent motion of thought appears to be instantaneous. If it can be measured, it will be many orders of magnitude faster than that of radiation. Within the spectrum of thought itself, enthusiasm may travel much faster than the serious, fixed ideas.

Inherent motion decreases from thought to radiation to matter.

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Considerations

The major concepts introduced in Chapter 3 are SUBSTANCE, MATTER, RADIATION, THOUGHT, CONSISTENCY and MOTION. These concepts are defined in Glossary: Postulate Mechanics.

1. The postulate of the substantiality manifests as substance.
2. The spectrum of substance extends from thought to matter.
3. Matter is most concentrated and thought is the least.
4. Matter has the least motion and thought has the most.
5. Matter and radiation are physical; thought is spiritual.

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