This post refers to the Philosophy Project.
The purpose of this post is simply to provide a holding area for ideas.
We shall be looking around at all different kind of stuff to digest it. The ideas shall first be discussed under the COMMENTS section. Anything pertinent will then be added to this post.
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(December 2025) I am writing these comments in color, 13 years after writing this post, just to see how much my viewpoint has changed. This should be fun.
A self (being) seems to be simply a “center of considerations” that it holds and continually outputs.
Self exists to resolve anomalies. The sense of self dissolves when no anomalies remain. There remains only a dimension of awareness independent of the universe.
As the perception point identifies itself with knowledge through considerations, it gets fixed in its place, and loses it fluidity. Thus, “I,” or the self, is generated.
Knowledge, thought, consciousness, etc., are part of the universe. These are subject to awareness, just as the rest of the universe is.
All knowledge, regardless of its source, should be consistent. When there is inconsistency, there must be something unresolved that is underlying that inconsistency. Spiritual progress occurs when one starts to spot inconsistencies as they come up naturally and applies mindfulness to them until they dissolve.
Oneness (continuity, consistency and harmony) is the ideal state of awareness. A violation of oneness appears as an anomaly.
As one starts to look mindfully at an inconsistency, it may lead to a chain of inconsistencies. Just keep looking more closely at the inconsistency that is on the “top of the stack.” It is very important to follow the 12 points of mindfulness.
Inconsistency is referred to as anomaly now. This above link is also updated to The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness.
“I” generates considerations (assessment, speculations, judgments, justifications, assumptions, etc.). These considerations are capable of filtering whatever “I” looks at. Taking responsibility means not letting one’s considerations color one’s perception and seeing things as they are.
“I” (sense of self) exists in the dimension of awareness to resolve anomalies with the goal to bring about oneness. A “filter” is an anomaly of “I” due to identification. Identification is “I” confusing itself with something in the universe.
Considerations seem to bring in the factor of “preservation,” whether it is the preservation of self, or the preservation of property. Justice seems to be concerned with such preservation.
When “I” identifies with anything in the universe, then that is an anomaly. It is moving away from its function of resolving anomalies.
Everything about this universe is in flux. Nothing stays the same. Everything is impermanent. Yet this whole system made up of impermanence seems to be permanently there. How can this inconsistency of “impermanence being permanently there” be explained?
Relative permanence is a view from a higher dimension.
Perception is there as long as manifestation is there. When manifestation is not there, there is no perception either. Thus, there can never be a perception of the state of non-manifestation. We would always perceive manifestation to be there. Ha ha… Q.E.D.
Consciousness starts with sensation.
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(1) An “identity” may simply be a tight “knot” of considerations that needs to be loosened up.
(2) The self is the “center of considerations” analogous to the “center of mass.”
(3) An identity may not affect the self if it is somewhere at the periphery of considerations.
(4) If the identity is closer to the center, it may appear as if the self is stuck with it.
(5) But there are simply a bunch of considerations knotted together, which needs to be loosened up.
(6) Being stuck is simply “some considerations locked into each other.”
An identity comes about when the self (solver of anomalies) starts to identify itself with something in the dimension of the universe.
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There seems to be two different levels of knowledge:
(1) A level of knowledge before SELF comes into being.
This is the dimension of Awareness.
(2) Another level of knowledge, which is generated when SELF starts to react to the previous level of knowledge.
This is consciousness in the dimension of the Universe.
Such a reaction may occur in chain resulting in ballooning of considerations. The only way to stop and reverse such ballooning of considerations would be to look non-judgmentally and see what is actually there.
This is mindfulness.
Then one is no longer reacting to what is there. Instead one is now continually realizing what is there. This starts to deflate the ballooning considerations. In other words, the ego, or self, gradually starts to dissolve.
This is the resolution of anomalies.
One can never predict where this process might lead to. 
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At death, the body disintegrates into its particles, and the identity that was the body is dissolved. Similarly, the observing and thinking part of the person (the living soul) also disintegrates into its particles (considerations), and the identity that was the person is also dissolved. That is my current understanding.
In death, awareness separates from consciousness.
However, the particles remain and they can recombine into another “body plus living soul” combination. There is infinity of such recombination.
In birth, awareness combines with consciousness.
What are the ultimate laws underlying this disintegration and reintegration, I don’t know the details at the moment. But this seems to be going on forever like complex cycles of some eternal wave according to Hinduism.
Nirvana is something different altogether. It happens to a live soul. In my opinion, nirvana is like exteriorization from CONSIDERATIONS. It is the separation of perception-point from all its considerations. This is called giving up of all attachment in Hinduism. One then sees things as they are without any filters as in Buddhism. There is no individuality in terms of considerations. A perception point is the same as any other perception point. It does not add anything to what is observed or experienced.
Nirvana is returning to the dimension of Awareness.
Nothing arrives at Nirvana. it is what remains after all attachments are dissolved. I call it a perception-point. But even the perception-point dissolves at parinirvana by merging into its own manifestation… something like electron merging into positron.
Parinirvana is probably what occurs at death, where the live soul, that was already reduced to a completely detached perception-point, merges back into its own manifestation, extinguishing both. The laws of disintegration and reintegration are thus bypassed. But this is only my speculation.
The basis of this speculation is removal of all inconsistencies that I am aware of at this level.
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Comments
“An ontological catalogue is an attempt to list the fundamental constituents of reality. The question of whether or not existence is a predicate has been discussed since the Early Modern period, not least in relation to the ontological argument for the existence of God.”
The fundamental constituent of reality is PERCEPTION, which may be considered to be made up of SELF, SPACE and MANIFESTATION. That covers everything that there is.
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“Existence, that something is, has been contrasted with essence, the question of what something is. Reflections on the nature of the connection and distinction between existence and essence dates back to Aristotle’s Metaphysics, and it found one of its later most influential interpretations in the ontology of the eleventh century metaphysician Avicenna (Ibn Sina). Since existence without essence seems blank, it is associated with nothingness by philosophers such as Hegel.”
Essence would be a common pattern underlying constantly varying MANIFESTATION. That common pattern is PERCEPTION. Actually, manifestation and perception are two sides of the same coin. What is beyond them can only be speculated upon. That is what philosophers have been doing… speculation. Speculation hasn’t gotten them anywhere.
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(1) There is no perception when there is no manifestation.
(2) When manifestation is present, it can be known only through perception.
(3) Perception is the indicator of manifestation.
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Vin: (1) There is no perception when there is no manifestation. (2) When there is manifestation present, perception might be there. (3) Perception is the indicator of manifestation.
Chris: So sticky this one because I want to leap to the opposite and ask the old-saw of whether there is manifestation without perception…?
I have corrected (2) as follows:
(2) When manifestation is present, it can be known only through perception.
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(1) According to Plato, the Public Office should be awarded based on the skill and ability to administer, which are developed through education.
(2) Plato assumes that proper systems to educate people are already there. This is not possible when the knowledge of human nature is missing.
(3) Not knowing the human nature Plato resorts to indoctrination in God and faith. And there goes down the tube the whole utopia.
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No two people are exactly the same because each person is a “bundle of considerations.” There are infinite number of ways in which the considerations may form and combine into a bundle.
Thus, one simply deals with considerations as they come to view.
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(1) An “identity” may simply be a tight “knot” of considerations that needs to be loosened up.
(2) The self is the “center of considerations” analogous to the “center of mass.”
(3) An identity may not affect the self if it is somewhere at the periphery of considerations.
(4) If the identity is closer to the center, it may appear as if the self is stuck with it.
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These four points are excellent. There is a lot of astute looking packed into these few words.
What I am doing is looking at my notes of John Galusha’s lectures on IDENICS, and commenting on them from KHTK point of view.
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Considerations get all tied up in a knot when there is a confusion. This knot may appear as an identity that one is stuck in.
The solution is to spot the confusion that is uppermost in one’s mind and start looking at it more closely but non-judgmentally.
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In a confusion the self (center of considerations) shifts from being one way to being another way. This shift may appear as a win, but it is still a shift, and an entrance point to resolving the confusion.
Spotting a ‘shift in being’ during a confusion helps one look closer at the confusion.
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In a confusion one is actually looking at a disruption of an intention or expectation.
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(1) People have experienced confusion that has left them being different.
(2) In that confusion they shifted in some way to make that confusion tolerable.
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As one looks closer at a shift during a confusion, one discovers ideas, conclusions, decisions, etc. that may be buried under feelings, emotions and efforts.
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Just keep looking around the shift applying the 12 points of MINDFULNESS until whatever was suppressed starts to come off.
(1) There could be suppressed feelings, emotions and efforts.
(2) Underlying them could be suppressed ideas, conclusions and decisions.
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One looks in and around the shift totally non-judgmentally without blame, shame or regret. If feelings of blame, shame and regret come up then one looks at these feelings themselves non-judgmentally.
There is no avoidance, no suppression. There is only looking and experiencing what is there.
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One is not so much interested in what happened but how one responded to what was happening. One simply accepts one’s responses by taking credit for them.
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One is looking at an area where the attention seems to be stuck. When did a confusion first occur in that area? Was there a shift during that confusion? What material got suppressed around that area? What feelings, emotions and efforts seem to be suppressed there?
Take a closer look and experience what is there. Are there any suppressed ideas, conclusions and decisions? Look at them more closely. If they are yours then accept them as your responses. Be mindful of whatever comes up. Do not search for anything. Do not dig. Simply look closer and closer at whatever that does not make sense.
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A shift consists of a transition as follows:
(1) The person ceases what he was doing.
(2) The persons decides what to do now
(3) The person sets about doing it
A shift is preceded by something that is “shocking” and which leads to some sort of a realization and an impulse to do something.
Looking at that shock helps in uncovering and resolving the confusion.
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It doesn’t matter if there was a win or a loss at that moment of shock and shift. One needs to look at that area more closely to resolve any confusion.
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How does one get stuck? He is clinging to something he values. Let’s take a closer look at this.
He is clinging to it because he is unable to take it to a desirable conclusion. He needs to look at more closely what is preventing him in this effort.
He needs to look at what desirable conclusion he wants with what he values before he can let it go.
If it is continual ecstasy that he wants, then how does that thing, which he values relate to that ecstasy? How could it be turned into a continual ecstasy? What is preventing him from doing so? What are the inconsistencies present?
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For me it is a misunderstanding based on there being a RWOT that can be corralled rather than a perception of my own which I can manipulate.
My oldest daughter was hard to “punish” growing up. By this I mean I could not “threaten” her with taking anything away from her — she wouldn’t attach herself to anything. In the end, she taught me rather than the other way around.
Sounds like your oldest daughter is an enlightened being. 🙂
Enlightenment seems to be living an unattached life to the full.
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RWOT is just one interpretation of perception. The key to the whole thing is that there is perception. How one interprets it is secondary.
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Yes. That is how I see it too.
A WIN seems to be something that gave one a desirable result. To the degree a person desires that result again, to that degree he gets stuck with those actions that gave him a win. He repeats those actions again with the hope of getting the same desirable results. Such an effort may intensify if the desired results start to diminish.
Thus, one gets stuck with the action of auditing in Scientology. One then runs after somebody to audit him, or gets stuck with the mechanical action of auditing, or gets stuck with the use of the e-meter and so on.
All these stuck points gradually drop off as one sees that these things amount to simple LOOKING, and one can look without anxiety (see MORE ON MINDFULNESS).
Then all that effort dissolves and one simply moves through life effortlessly looking at inconsistencies as he comes across them.
There is no attention on getting wins. Life has become a joy itself.
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Chris: “For me it is a misunderstanding based on there being a RWOT that can be corralled rather than a perception of my own which I can manipulate.”
There seems to be two different levels of knowledge:
(1) A level of knowledge before SELF comes into being.
(2) Another level of knowledge, which is generated when SELF starts to react to the previous level of knowledge.
It is like a chain reaction.that results in continually evolving of considerations. The only way to stop and reverse this ballooning of considerations would be to look non-judgmentally and see what is actually there.
Then one is no longer reacting to what is there. Instead one is now continually realizing what is there. This now starts to deflate the ballooning considerations.
In other words, the ego, or self, gradually starts to dissolve.
You can never predict where this process will lead you to. 🙂
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