Category Archives: KHTK

Knowing How to Know

Viewing the Beginning

July 4, 2010 – 7:36 AM

Though there are many scientific estimates, we are not sure when this universe began. We are not sure when this universe will end. The sun may end. The life on earth may end. This solar sysem may end. But can this universe end?

The truth is we don’t know if this universe ever had a beginning, or if this universe will ever end. The universe could just well be without a beginning and an end from our point of view.

People who have lived and died has seen the universe continue through their lifetimes. The beginning of a life is visible with birth. The end of life is visible with death. We may only surmise the universe having a similar cycle with a beginning and an end. 

We know that a life goes through a cycle. We observe that the concept of cycle applies pretty much to everything in this universe. Can we apply this concept to the universe itself?

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Cycle and Viewpoint

Our reference point is the life we are living. That viewpoint is there as long as we are living. We cannot experience “before the beginning” and “after the end” of our life because that viewpoint is not there.

In other words, our viewpoint is limited to the cycle we are a part of. If we take the viewpoint of mankind we find it difficult to visualize “before the beginning” and “after the end” of mankind. Similarly, if we take the viewpoint of this universe we find it almost impossible to visualize “before the beginning” and “after the end” of this universe. This is because our viewpoint is there as long as the cycle being referenced  is there. It does not extend beyond that cycle. Therefore, from that viewpoint the cycle, of which it is a part, is “always there.”

We may thus assume that looking from a viewpoint based on this universe the universe will appear to be “always there.”

From that viewpoint we would never know if the universe has a beginning or an end. Science assumes a viewpoint based on this universe. From that viewpoint Science can never determine with certainty whether this universe had a beginning or not.

It is philosophy that lets us postulate a viewpoint beyond this universe. And from that viewpoint we may look at this universe as a cycle.

TO LOOK AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THIS UNIVERSE IT IS ESSENTIAL TO CONCEIVE OF A VIEWPOINT THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF THIS UNIVERSE.

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Glossary

Viewpoint
The viewpoint is the frame of reference, which the self uses to view things. 

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By vinaire | Comments (1)

The Nature of Existence

July 2, 2010 – 10:40 PM

Please refer to The Nature of Thought.

By observing the emergence of thought, one may somewhat grasp the nature of existence. With the manifestation of thought we have some form of existence, no matter how flimsy.

Thus, existence comes about with a manifestation. A manifestation basically means that “something is being.” This fact of being, or existing, may be referred to by a new word BEINGNESS.

The fact of manifestation makes it immediately knowable. The fact that something can be known implies AWARENESS. Thus, beingness and awareness occur together. They are the essence of existence.

BEINGNESS AND AWARENESS MAY BE REGARDED AS THE SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF THIS UNIVERSE.

The awareness of beingness comes about in terms of space, energy, matter and time as described below.

A manifestation imposes a distinct awareness of itself in terms of its scope, extent or dimension. This overall sense of a manifestation may be referred to as SPACE.

A manifestation is alive. It has come into being. It changes and evolves. These changes are part and parcel of its nature. This sense of activity of a manifestation may be referred to as ENERGY.

Through that activity, a manifestation may acquire relatively static structure at certain locations in space. This structure may give a recognizable form to that manifestation. This sense of definiteness of a manifestation may be referred to as MATTER.

Space-energy-matter may continue to evolve throughout the cycle from beginning to end. This sense of persistence and continuous evolution of a manifestation may be referred to as TIME.

SPACE, ENERGY, MATTER AND TIME MAY BE REGARDED AS THE PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF THE UNIVERSE.

Beingness, awareness, space, energy, matter and time may completely define this system called the UNIVERSE.

“Spiritual” and “physical” are not two different universes. They are two different aspects of the same universe.

BEFORE THE BEGINNING, THERE SEEMS TO BE NEITHER BEINGNESS NOR AWARENESS. THUS, THERE WOULD BE NO SPACE, ENERGY, MATTER, AND TIME EITHER.

WHAT IS BEFORE THE BEGINNING IS UNKNOWABLE. BEFORE THE BEGINNING THERE IS NO BEINGNESS OR AWARENESS; THERE ARE NO DIMENSIONS, ACTIVITY OR FORM; AND THERE IS NO PERSISTENCE EITHER. WHAT IS BEFORE THE BEGINNING SIMPLY CANNOT BE DEFINED, COMMUNICATED, OR VIEWED.

This is the simplest supposition one arrives at based on pure observation and thought.

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Glossary

Existence
Any thing that can be sensed and perceived has existence. It is part of the universe.

Beingness
A manifestation means that it has a beingness. Every bit of existence is being, and it is aware of other bits of existence as part of the same universe. In humans, the beingness is very complex and sophisticated. A human being is a bundle of abilities.

Space
Space is the scope and dimensions of the beingness. That means what is being has extents and properties.

Energy
Energy is the changeability of the beingness. That means what is being is changing continually.

Matter
Matter is the solidity of the beingness. That means what is being is staying fixed. 

Time
Time denotes the persistence of the beingness and the successive changes it undergoes. That means what is being is existing and evolving. 

Awareness
Awareness arises on a gradient from associations among the perceptual elements of the universe as sensations, perceptions and knowingness.

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By vinaire | Comments (5)

Beginning

June 26, 2010 – 12:07 PM
new-beginning
NOTE October 13, 2022:
We know the universe only through its copy in the mind. The beginning of the universe is, therefore, the beginning of the formation of that copy in our mind.

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September 25, 2014
In light of The Nature of Awareness (Part 1) we can add the following to this essay.
  1. “Something” lies in the dimension of awareness. Therefore, beginning will coincide with beginning of awareness. Similarly, end will coincide with end of awareness.
  2. This can be visualized on a universal scale. After end there is simply non-awareness. This non-awareness shall continue until something emerges into awareness.
  3. Thus, the universe may go into non-awareness, and then return to awareness. This is the basic cycle of the universe.
  4. We cannot define “nothing” in universal terms. There is simply non-awareness.
  5. Thus, universe implies awareness. The universe is aware of itself.

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Scientists have been struggling with theories about the beginning of this universe. But there doesn’t seem to be much analysis carried out about the concept of BEGINNING itself. A beginning is essentially a beginning of “something”. The moment there is something, the rules of mathematics, physics, metaphysics, logic, etc. come into play. When there is nothing, no rules seem to apply.

We can get an idea of the beginning of a day, the beginning of a city, the beginning of a meal, the beginning of life, or even the beginning of a universe. The common idea here is that of beginning.

The idea of BEGINNING is accompanied by the idea of END. “Beginning-End” forms a pair. They give meaning to each other. If there is a beginning then there also must be an end. If there is an end then there also must be a beginning.

BEGINNING and END together lead to the idea of CHANGE. From beginning to end there must be a change. Thus, we have BEGINNING – CHANGE – END. This has been referred to in ancient texts as a CYCLE. This cycle may be observed universally.

A child is born. It grows to be an adult. It then grows old and dies.

A project is conceived. It is then implemented. It then runs its course as it achieves its goals. Thus, it comes to an end.

An era, such as the Industrial Age, comes about. Progress occurs. It then gives way to another era, such as the Information Age. Thus, an era comes to an end as a new era starts.

The cycle of “Beginning – Change – End” is a universal phenomenon.

The change from BEGINNING to the END can be observed in most things as being made up of successive events.

After the END such events cease to exist, and no event starts until the next BEGINNING. Thus, by definition, no event exists after the end of one cycle and before the start of another.

Thus, there is something and there is also nothing.

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Next: Something and Nothing

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Glossary

Beginning
The beginning of something is essentially the postulate, which forms the awareness of that thing. Therefore, the universe began with the manifestation of a starting postulate, which brought about the awareness of the universe.

Change
Starting from the beginning postulate there are successive changes that bring about the evolution of that postulate and awareness.

End
If there is a beginning, then there also must be an end. A manifestation began with a postulate. It ends when its basis, the starting postulate, is fully realized. At that point there may be either a new staring postulate, or simply non-awareness. At the end of the universe there is either the beginning of a new universe, or there is simply non-awareness.

Cycle
A cycle is something that repeats. Begin-Change-End is the most basic cycle. A cycle can be viewed only from a viewpoint independent of that cycle. Thus, we can see cycles within the universe of which we are not a part. Since we are not independent of the universe; we may only speculate on the cycle of the universe. We cannot say if the universe has a beginning or an end. For us, the universe begins with awareness, and ends in non-awareness. 

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By vinaire | Comments (13)