Scientology largely consists of arbitrary hypotheses knitted together haphazardly. But there is also some value in it that attracts people.
In terms of valuable data from Scientology, on top of my list is AXIOM 11.
AXIOM 11: THE CONSIDERATIONS RESULTING IN CONDITIONS OF EXISTENCE ARE FOUR-FOLD.
(a) AS-IS-NESS is the condition of immediate creation without persistence, and is the condition of existence which exists at the moment of creation and the moment of destruction, and is different from other considerations in that it does not contain survival.
(b) ALTER-IS-NESS is the consideration which introduces change and therefore time and persistence, into an AS-IS-NESS to obtain persistency.
(c) IS-NESS is an apparency of existence brought about by the continuous alteration of an AS-IS-NESS. This is called, when agreed upon, Reality.
(d) NOT-IS-NESS is the effort to handle IS-NESS by reducing its condition through the use of force. It is an apparency and cannot entirely vanquish an IS-NESS.
It is AS-ISNESS that brings about relief in auditing action. I first encountered it on the first drill in Scientology called TR0 and it was mind blowing. It was from this drill that I came to recognize the value of seeing things as they are. It was later that I connected it with MINDFULNESS and understood what Buddha was talking about. This made perfect sense because Scientology acknowledges its roots in Buddhism.
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Let’s take a deeper look at this axiom.
AXIOM 11: THE CONSIDERATIONS RESULTING IN CONDITIONS OF EXISTENCE ARE FOUR-FOLD.
Yes, the conditions of existence start with CONSIDERATIONS. Considerations form the guts of all manifestations. They are the atomic structure of the spiritual world. It is beautifully explained in Hubbard’s Phoenix lectures.
(a) AS-IS-NESS is the condition of immediate creation without persistence, and is the condition of existence which exists at the moment of creation and the moment of destruction, and is different from other considerations in that it does not contain survival.
Manifestations present themselves to us as we consider them, or as we look at them in NOW. There is no persistence in them. They change as we change our considerations, or change our attention. It is simply a recognition of what is there at any moment. They do not survive from one moment to next as we become fully aware of them. The “cycle” is completed in each moment. Creation and destruction happens there and then. Nothing is carried forward.
Anything that is carried forward is, therefore, not being viewed in its entirety. What a beautiful concept!
(b) ALTER-IS-NESS is the consideration which introduces change and therefore time and persistence, into an AS-IS-NESS to obtain persistency.
Anything that is carried forward is, therefore, not being viewed in its entirety. It is being altered in some fashion. Either one is not looking at all of it, or adding considerations to it that are not there. A good word is “filter”. We tend to look through filters of our expectations (rose colored glasses), assumptions, speculations, etc., and not see what is really there.
I believe that we can overcome this tendency to alter IS-NESS by applying mindfulness. Buddha’s view of mindfulness may be grasped through Mindfulness Exercises.
(c) IS-NESS is an apparency of existence brought about by the continuous alteration of an AS-IS-NESS. This is called, when agreed upon, Reality.
Even when we do not use “filters” consciously, and see things as they are, we are looking at an IS-NESS that is persisting. This IS-NESS is persisting because there are unconscious filters (biases, prejudices, fixed ideas, etc.) in play that are continually altering what is there. We are looking at this IS-NESS through filters that we are not aware of. We now have two choices:
- Either we alter this IS-NESS further by consciously acquiring new filters,
- Or we become aware of existing filters and start recovering from the on-going alter-is.
One way to become aware of existing filters, and to recover from on-going alter-is, is to spot inconsistencies that are present in the IS-NESS. Such inconsistencies provide a window into the filters that we are not conscious of. When we follow the inconsistencies to the realization of how we are contributing to them, we become aware of our existing filters. We can then put them aside.
(d) NOT-IS-NESS is the effort to handle IS-NESS by reducing its condition through the use of force. It is an apparency and cannot entirely vanquish an IS-NESS.
When one blames others or invalidates them, one is using force. One is also using force when one simply tries to impose one’s “reality” on others without engaging in discussions. This was addressed in Discussions and what needs to be avoided . Such use of force contributes to NOT-IS-NESS. By doing so one is denying oneself and others a good look at what is there.
Thus, by NOT-IS-NESS one ends up with a view, which is pretty much made up of one’s own filters. At present, the Church of Scientology is primarily devoted to NOT-IS-NESS. This is just the opposite of what it should be doing.
The above understanding has been very valuable to me.
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