Reference: The Book of Scientology
Cause-Full Effect
Please see the original section at the link above.
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Summary
Hubbard uses “cause” in the sense of a person who acts and produces an effect. If a person is not being a cause then he is being an effect. Hubbard views ‘theta’ as cause and ‘MEST’ as effect.
Hubbard says, “Above the level of all else on the Chart of Attitudes is Cause. Causation is the highest attainment which can be envisaged by the thetan.” To cause is to bring about something, to postulate. Hubbard assigns this attribute of cause to thetan. He views thetan as a unique individuality that remains the same throughout eternity. Hubbard identifies each person as a thetan. Accordingly, there are as many thetans as there are people. We may say that Hubbard is a unique thetan who has postulated Scientology, which includes the concept of thetan.
Hubbard does not explain how a thetan comes about. But he does talk about an “eighth dynamic” that is unknowable. We may say that thetan comes about as a postulate emerging from the eighth dynamic. A thetan becomes knowable with its unique abilities. This reveals the dichotomy of Unknowable-knowable that is cleverly hidden in Scientology. Hubbard does not delve into it. Cause may then be defined as the ability to postulate knowingness.
Hubbard says, “To be Full Cause, one would have to be able to cause space.” A more accurate statement would be, “To be cause one would have to be able to postulate.” A postulate is a thought that can be sensed. It is, therefore, a substance and substance has extents. These extents are seen as space. Therefore, space is the by product of a postulate.
Hubbard says, “Everyone, to a greater or lesser degree, attempts to be cause until he is at last the full effect. The fullest effect in this universe is to be MEST itself.” Everyone is a unique thetan that is being cause. But this ability to be cause deteriorates into becoming an effect as the thetan assumes fixed identities that turn him into MEST.
Hubbard says, “One of the principles of causation is outlined in the cycle of action.” In a cycle, the action is started, is continued for as long as is required and then is completed as planned. For a cycle of action to exist, the postulates involved must be continuous, consistent and harmonious as per the principle of oneness.
Hubbard says, “It is one of the ‘facts’ of objects that space and energy must have been caused before the object could exist in the MEST universe. Thus any object has prior cause.” The fact is that objects are a form of matter. Matter is a condensation of energy, and energy is a condensation of thought. Thought is postulated. The condensation and forms are also postulated. Therefore, an object is a complex postulate.
Hubbard then says, “For this reason when anyone in the MEST universe begins to study in order to resolve some of the riddles of the MEST universe, he falls into the trap of supposing all cause to be prior and time itself to exist.” A complex postulate has the complexity and the solidity of time built into it. To think that a complex postulate would take a series of causes over some time, is a false notion in which one can get trapped. A complex postulate can be a single postulate with complex structure.
Hubbard says, “This would make one the later effect of everything he caused.” The complex structure of a postulate has elements, such as, beingness, awareness, form and qualities. There are similarities and differences among these elements. The overall oneness of the complex postulate imposes the constraint of continuity, consistency and harmony over all these elements. Cause appears as change in what exists. Beingness is what exists. Therefore, beingness is naturally affected whenever anything is caused. How it is affected would depend on the oneness of the overall structure.
Hubbard says, “If he made a postulate, he would then immediately afterwards become the effect of that postulate.” This is not so simplistic. All it means is that a person cannot just make any arbitrary postulate disregarding the principle of oneness, and have it make sense. When a person makes an arbitrary postulate, it results in an aberration in the person.
Hubbard says, “The preclear has become aberrated by the process of making an effect out of him.” Here Hubbard blames the MEST universe, but the person has become aberrated because of his ignorance and disregard for the principle of oneness.
Hubbard agrees with Freud that sex is a major aberration, “for in sex one desires to be the cause of little or nothing and desires to be the effect of pleasurable sensation.” This is a very cynical view of sex, because sex can be wonderful when a person follows the principle of oneness. But Hubbard rejects that principle and blames the MEST universe for snaring a person with pleasurable effects. In truth, a person becomes an effect when he makes an arbitrary postulate and doubles down on it. Thus, he becomes so fixated on his postulates that he cannot postulate otherwise. The remedy is to consciously bring about continuity, consistency and harmony of postulates by resolving anomalies.
Hubbard says, “He judges these things [good or bad] by moral codes and so bends his conduct as to make bad cause antipathetic to himself and others. Thus he gives away responsibility for bad cause and in that very action becomes the effect of bad cause.” Again, this is a superficial observation of Hubbard. A person becomes effect of the bad cause by not being able to spot anomalies because of his fixations. Therefore, instead of resolving anomalies he generates them.
Hubbard says, “To be complete cause, theoretically, a person would have to be willing to be bad cause and good cause.” This is a confusing statement based on the misunderstanding of “cause”. A cause cannot be arbitrary. A cause must adhere to the principle of oneness, which is to ensure continuity, consistency and harmony as much as possible.
Hubbard says, “The criminal who has elected himself bad cause through having found it impossible to trust himself can only escape becoming an effect by fighting all good cause.” A criminal is basically doubling down on his arbitrary postulates. The reformation or reclamation of the criminal depends on helping him resolve his confusions by have him look at his “bad” experiences and discover the arbitrariness of his postulates that may have resulted from them.
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Comments
The key datum is that any fixation leads to aberration, because it limit’s a person’s ability to observe. He is, therefore, unable to spot anomalies and resolve them. Instead he generates more anomalies. If we trace down the fixations that people have, it comes down the idea of preserving one’s individuality and wanting it to be immortal.
A fixation on individuality is no different from fixation on identities that a person acquires from identifying himself with the MEST universe. Hubbard makes a distinction between individuality and identity. He postulates thetan and identifies it with individuality of a person. He then postulates immortality for the thetan. Thus, Hubbard preserves the basic fixation on individuality through his limited idea of survival.
The key arbitrary in Scientology is the permanency postulated for individuality. Buddhism does not make this postulate. Buddhism considers that beingness can change in accord with the principle of oneness. Thus, extinction and regeneration of beingness is possible. This is nirvana.
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