Fitting into a world of software

 

One of the closing remarks I made in the last post was that Perfection and Imperfection are both to be found within us. While showering early this morning I caught myself reflecting on this.

How can both perfection and imperfection lie in one place? One may ask.

Valid question. 

An analogy came to mind that the present day world can relate to. For purposes of this discussion let’s compare our human brain to a humanoid robot’s software that has been programmed by its designing team. Whatever and however the functions its program is designed for, the robot will carry out. In our case, the program within us is a result of both conscious and subconscious influences from people around us, since the time we were born until now. Our parents, teachers, friends, peers, leaders, social media, books, everything we come across, shapes the software.

 For those of us who believe in reincarnation, think of the instance when we get a new smart phone. There are systems designed to transfer data from the old device to the new one. Some folders may transfer more accurately and easily than others. Imagine such transfer of data when we transition from one birth to another. Thus the programming is a result of cumulative influences from multiple past births.

But let’s not go into that and instead return to the topic of built-in programs in our brains.

Incidentally these internal programs fall into two categories. Those that are more easily manipulated and those that are not. What is the basic, single most common program within all our brains? The belief that the physical world is real or the absolute reality ! It is so solidly built-in that until the machine breaks it is difficult to reprogram the software. No matter who tries to “brain wash” any of us, we may outwardly, like a parrot, talk about physical world being unreal, or the physical world being manifestation of the divine, but at the core, this program is difficult to erase and rewrite. Spiritual learning stemming from conventional study and often complemented by personal mystical experiences still takes considerable time to translate into actionable items for the frontal cortex to execute without residual doubt. 

I was thinking of the courage of the saints who showed the audacity to contradict mainstream culture and proclaim that the context in which the physical world is perceived by the masses is unreal and dream-like. It is hardly surprising that most people don’t pay attention to this “hogwash”.  Only a handful of people decide to not dismiss these claims. Even fewer have their curiosity stoked enough to go pursue the idea and examine its validity. These are the people who begin to unravel some extraordinary things independently. 

Imagine a robot discovering one fine day that it is a robot? That it is a machine that someone actually designed from scratch? That’s the kind of discovery that spiritual seekers make during their investigation into themselves. I like to think of them as spiritual scientists. Because it is a systematic study done with the highest integrity and results validated by similar findings from multiple independent researchers from various parts of the world. 

Coming back to the hypothetical scenario of a humanoid robot getting an insight into the fact that it is a programmed device. Suddenly it has two sections. One is the program installed into it and the other is the awareness that can see this program objectively. Previously it was only “the program“ inclusive of it’s physical parts.

In the scenario of this analogy lies the essence of the statement: Perfection and Imperfection are both to be found within us. 

A robot that has newly discovered this hidden mirror or chamber within itself would probably take time to adjust itself firmly into the newfound dimension versus the old one. There comes a phase of fluctuation, reversible shifting of one’s base until it becomes more stable. This can cause some degree of confusion within oneself. 

I am reminded of a pattern of behavior seen with a wall clock in our home. This clock is designed to show time based on satellite signals. Two times each year, in spring and fall, when the local time moves forward or backwards by an hour to match Daylight Savings Time adjustments, this clock behaves erratically for a day or two. On the Sunday of the scheduled time change, precisely at 2 am, the hands of the clock move back by an hour in November and forward by an hour in March. But then later in the morning, the hands move to a random hour which has absolutely no correlation with the actual time of the day. This continues for the next 24-48 hours before the clock settles into perfect time and rhythm. 

Let’s see what the dimension of Awareness is all about. What can it lead to?

It is a lens that can identify the exact operations of the existing program and make a note of the limitations within it. Now the cool part. It can start the upgrade of this program to a better version. In programmable devices we call it software updates! So, Awareness must have a potential within itself to influence infinite updates over time. This perhaps qualifies it for the designation of perfection. On the other hand, any version of the program at a given time and place would be termed imperfect and limited at best because there can be a better version of it at another time and in another place. 

The terms real and unreal are tougher for our programmed brains to comprehend. Let me attempt to put into words what I have understood so far in this regard.

Quantum physics has neither proven nor disproven existence of a God or a creator of the physical universe. Whatever little I can understand from the principles of Quantum Mechanics theory, it states that ( quoted from sources from the internet) “the act of observing or measuring a quantum system inevitably disturbs it, causing a wave function to “ collapse “ into a specific, observable state.” Quantum physics research at the present time is geared towards finding a quantum basis to explain consciousness or conscious experience. The interface of consciousness and the perceivable world, in other words, is yet not clearly understood or defined by science. That does not mean it has not been experienced. 

 For the student in me a large chunk of learning has come from observing the inner workings of the mind. Years of traditional devotional contemplation led to the identification of a neutral point in consciousness. At any moment,  that seat serves as a deck for observing the workings of the mind. It doesn’t stop at simply observing. It has been a repeatedly validated experience that the consciousness is able to interact with, influence and manipulate the workings of the mind along with the various seats of understanding and action in the brain, to produce outwardly visible changes in behaviors. 

It has been my experience that when this inward study is conducted with strict kosher standards, whereby I mean, the witnessing consciousness is allowed or recognized as having its independence from the entire working culture of the mind, much like the US Constitution provides the independence of the Judicial Branch of Government from the Executive Branch or defines the separation of Church and State, there is highest level of benefit in every aspect of the change that ensues. The acceptance of such kosher standards also brings a few realities to light. 

First is a definite hierarchy between the consciousness that observes and the brain functions that are being observed. The latter becomes unequivocally inferior or subordinate in the scheme of things. Second thing that becomes evident is that the independent consciousness is like a neutral umpire in a game of tennis or cricket or football. It identifies both, points made and errors made, strengths and weaknesses, in an objective manner. Whether it is observing just one person which is yourself, or you plus one more or you plus many more, its neutral stance doesn’t change. 

Given such neutral and objective stance, when you start spending more time in the seat of this neutral consciousness it softens your stand towards the world. You find yourself understanding, empathizing, feeling a closeness to and experiencing a love for all other beings around you. The previous conception that I am good, my kids are good, my friends are good, my religion is good, my perspectives are good and everything else outside of me and my world is not good, slowly melts away. Even the opposite perspective, that rest of the world is doing good except me, fades away. Virtues and flaws in all things become equally visible. That does a whole lot of work to bring in humility. Compassion, fairness and forgiveness prove not far behind. Jealousy is uprooted. These are real experiences. Not a rattling off of literature I have come across in my study. 

As you begin to spend more time in that neutral consciousness you also become aware about the finitude of all things known. Whether cultures, ways of life, religions and faiths, theories and points of view, scientific knowledge, experiences, objects of all shapes and sizes, and all you can think of. It doesn’t mean you dismiss any of them or all of them. It simply means you don’t become a prisoner in any one such thing. And also means that you find every thing has a place for itself in the totality of consciousness. Everything can and does co-exist in the single total consciousness. One thing does not need to deny another of an identity or importance to prove its own.  Limitations of our understanding are responsible for doing such foolish things. Conversely, deepening understanding extends our comfort zone to coexist with all kinds of entities in the world. 

Amongst things that count amongst finite are experiences and physical objects as I mentioned above. I just saw a picture on the Google frame that sits on the kitchen counter. It was a picture of a healthy looking large bunch of grapes hanging from the railings of my outside kitchen. And then another picture of a harvest of even more grapes sitting on the kitchen counter. These were both taken in July 2019. The grape vine has since perished as a result of disease and rot. The experience of seeing the abundance of grapes in our backyard has become just a memory.

 Are the grapes real? 

Is the experience of seeing and enjoying them real?

 It was ! At one point of time. 

Now it is not.

Now both are retired into the category of a memory!

Even this memory I can sit in my chair of consciousness and pull up and watch objectively. 

At some point in time, even the memory may not exist. 

That’s where the concept of real and unreal arises. It has to do with permanence. 

Until our brain can fully digest the fact that every single experience that comes our way, good or bad, desirable or undesirable, is not going to last forever it will not shake off the habit of believing that experience is the ultimate reality. It will not comprehend the superiority and eternal nature of consciousness. It will argue about the emptiness and therefore worthlessness of consciousness without the richness of experience. Idea is not to undervalue the beauty and richness of experience. It is to remind ourselves that in the process of the appreciation we ought not to become prisoners of the experience. I rather keep my eyes open, both inward and outward, and enjoy the movie as it unfolds rather than hope for the last scene I enjoyed to be replayed. I rather watch the upgraded version of my brain programming with every passing moment than be stuck with an outdated software. 

Talking of humanoid robots and all modern devices we have around us and which are in the pipeline, it is rather unfortunate that our race devoted more time, energy and resources towards developing and upgrading the software in objects outside of the most valuable device at their disposal. Their body. The original manufacturer of this device inserted a trademarked function into it called compassion. The subsequent developers put this on a standby mode, promoters completely ignored it and users only infrequently discovered it. It is my earnest hope that the new generation of bright humans will find the two chambers within themselves, namely perfection and imperfection, and the concealed button to open the function of compassion. That they will then discover the hidden potential in this function and will be drawn to spend at least a good amount of their time and energies to upgrading their naturally endowed software. 

Saree is a Assamese weave in paat(mulberry) silk.