For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. - St. Paul, Cor. 13:12
Materialism is the belief that our world consists entirely of hard, material objects, which, though perhaps imperceptibly small, are otherwise like such things as stones. This is not merely the scientific view of reality; it is the prevailing view of most of us humans as it jives with how the world appears to us. This extends to how we view ourselves. That is, materialism rests on the idea that we are made of matter. We see ourselves as these discrete separate organisms, distinct and apart from a world out there, that through biological and evolutionary processes gave rise to us being here.
This limited view of ourselves leads to the belief that we did not exist before birth and that our existence will terminate with bodily death. From such a finite, materialistic view, it is not surprising that we would be fearful, vulnerable, cautious, doubtful, and uncertain, for at any moment something or somebody could take from us or take us out. And there are endless needs to address, food, shelter, safety, comfort, and that’s just the base of the human hierarchy of needs. Is it any wonder that most of the prevailing human pastime is occupied with the relentless pursuit of what we need and avoiding what might harm us? And this perspective would lead us to compete for limited resources, and thus see others as a threat to our well-being, or the source of our betterment, and justify behavior to get whatever we need, at whatever cost. Doesn’t quite sound like the promised land or the kingdom of heaven that Jesus described as the actual reality, does it?
The ultimate truth is radically different….and liberating. There is an alternate view of reality. Instead of the materialistic paradigm, there is the consciousness model, which says that consciousness is primary, not matter. And we even have support from modern science that raises significant uncertainty about the existence of what we call matter. Scientists have never found anything called matter that independently exists outside of observation. It was Nobel prize-winning physicist, Werner Heisenberg, who among others, concluded that reality doesn't exist until observed, and asserted “the idea of an objective real world whose smallest parts exist objectively in the same sense as stones or trees exist, independently of whether or not we observe them ... is impossible.”
Beyond scientific theory, the primacy of consciousness also squares with our experience. Have you ever experienced anything outside of consciousness? Is it possible? Can you experience anything outside of your perceptions? Is it even possible to step outside of our perceptions and verify the existence of this material world, independent of perception? It’s not. It can’t be done. So it seems no matter where we look, how we look, or what is observed, there is no exception to the experiential truth of consciousness or that knowing itself is the primary and ever-present substance of experience. We can validate this conclusion through our own experience. Forms come, forms go, and all of this coming and going happens and is observed within this field of awareness called consciousness. And this awareness never leaves us. It is the light by which we know all that is known or can be known. And when we realize this light of awareness is our essential nature, not the body-mind assumption, the implications of this understanding are radically transformative. What, in spiritual or religious language is infinite, ever-present, all-knowing, eternal? We label such metaphysical references as Spirit, Divine nature, the mind of Christ, and Buddha nature. How is pure consciousness any less than this? Knowing this, not just believing it, is the way of liberation. And since awareness is already what you are, there is no waiting to get to Heaven, no prerequisites to peace, no obstacles to happiness. For when we are seeing the Light by which we see, we are living and having our being in the Kingdom of Heaven consciousness. As it turns out, we are, as Jesus said, the Light of the World. See it clearly for yourself, bathe in its luminous, spacious presence, and be free.
Peace and blessings,
Rev. Larry
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