Edited by author 26-07-2009 12:55 AM
May I share two further awarenesses of this central discussion initiated by Steven, that have arisen following Murti Darshan.
I referred to the Mandelbrot Set and on further reflection, it appears to be an even more likely analogy of the nature of the Awareness Self, than I first appreciated. Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart, in their "The Collapse of Chaos" state "Like thousands before us, we are trying to come to grips with 'emergent phenomena' - collective behaviour of a system that somewhow transcends its components. Because it transcends them, it can't be "in" the components. So where is it?"
Indeed. And as in all the fields you have applied the Awareness Principle to Acharya,it here too "completes" the conceptual resolution.
Here we see in a most mysterious manifestation of mathematics, the Mandelbrot set [I don't presume mathematic knowledge, of which this layman has only the surface, so point to here as a summary statement about the Mandelbrot
http://www.ddewey.net/mandelbrot/] - in its infinite complexity arising from a quite simple ever-expanding reiterative formula. Behind that is also reference to one of the most mysterious and paradoxical conceptions of all mathematics, imaginary numbers, still essentially undefinable, yet used, required and experienced in mathematics constantly. Echoes of quantum science.
Its undefinability and its infinite manifestation have made this as an ever evolving yantra to me. Even its very form is telling, with its ever budding, spiralling creations. As discussion of the nature of the "I" has already been explored extensively here, I will simply raise it for reflection as a suitable analogy.
The other awareness, was from the ground so to speak. Here in Australia as well as elsewhere, there is rising tide of brutal insensitive human attitudes in sections of a new generation, along with a sad rising of youth suicide. The connection I saw was the cold separatism ("I am not you, and you are not me, so if you hurt, what does it mean to me?" ) that has arisen from an equally cold-hearted misconstrued Western science, devoid of soul.
Many have lost a true sense and experience of deep identity, of identity with a Transcendent that contains them and upholds them. Much in religion has this also, that while they use many fine labels and different conceptions, betray a fact by their separatist attitudes to each other. In the Awareness Principle, and Kashmir Shaivism, and indeed in its Mother Hindu philosophy in general, a deep answer to these destructive separist attitudes is to be found.
Only with a true experiencing of Transcendent/Immanent Awareness does the Other become Self. Shiva has many names.
Om Namah Shivaya.
