Transcending Duality / The Paradox of "Good" vs. "Evil" / Chapter 11: Transcending the World

"I: Reality and Subjectivity" by David R. Hawkins, pp. 224–240

Transcending Duality: The Polarity of "Opposites"

To successfully transcend what appear to be "opposites," one only needs to understand that what seem to be two different things, or contradictory concepts, are merely gradients of possibility that change their characteristics as one moves along a single baseline of perception. We have already used temperature as a model to break down the seemingly polar concepts of "hot" and "cold."

To facilitate language, the mind selects points on a continuous scale and sorts all measurements and characteristics into two distinct groups. Consequently, we perceive them dualistically as "opposites," which becomes the seed of conflict. When we look at nature, there are no "opposites" anywhere. We realize that they are merely the result of mental activity and have no substance.

When conditions change, appearances change. At low temperatures, water solidifies and becomes what we call ice. As it warms, it becomes liquid water. At high temperatures, it boils and becomes gas or steam. At even higher temperatures, water becomes separated gases: hydrogen and oxygen. However, we do not say that ice and gas are "opposites," nor that hydrogen and oxygen are "opposites." Labeling is, at best, a practical and convenient method for linguistic ease.

The above explanation may sound obvious or mundane, but it actually holds extremely significant meaning. This is because it demonstrates a fundamental principle and can clarify the perceptual errors that create duality. By examining it closely, we can see that what appear to be social opposites are merely points on a continuum. Examples include wealth and poverty, the haves and the have-nots, the educated and the uneducated, health and illness, wisdom and foolishness, strength and weakness, and liberals and conservatives.

A state considered "poor" in America might be "very wealthy" in another country. As possessions increase, an imaginary line is drawn between wealth and poverty. This is an arbitrary definition influenced by economic conditions and political leanings. However, just as length is not the opposite of shortness, and strength is not the opposite of weakness, it merely represents a point on a gradient scale.

Emotion is another example of a gradient; happiness is not the opposite of unhappiness. Every emotion has various gradients. Love is not the opposite of hate, and greed is not the opposite of generosity. To describe emotions, one must clarify the degree and the criteria for judgment. For example, what degree of absurdity separates sanity from insanity?

In "Truth," there are no opposites. Stances are merely arbitrary mental activities. When sunlight passes through a prism, light disperses into a spectrum of colors. It is foolish to define infrared as the "opposite" of ultraviolet.

The emotions we experience subjectively every day are reactions to our preferences, known as the pleasure principle. The pleasure principle is innate to brain function, and the words we use casually in daily life relate to our likes and dislikes. These are then incorporated into society as seemingly opposite things.

The Paradox of "Good" vs. "Evil"

To transcend the classic ultimate opposites of good and evil, it is effective to recognize that all visible opposites are illusions arising from a collection of arbitrary labels for points along a single scale. For example, if one were to create a scale of "desirability" for human actions, behaviors, and events, it would start at the top with "wonderful," descend through "undesirable" and "unpleasant," and eventually reach "horrific" or "catastrophic."

The above scale can be applied to every area of human life, depending on the outcomes and values people prefer (business profits, agricultural production, personal happiness, conduct, etc.). Consequently, the results of all events are automatically sorted and labeled as "good" or "evil" based on how desirable they are. From this, we can confirm that what is considered "truth" is dependent on context.

Looking at traditional historical religious perspectives, disobeying God (the Garden of Eden) stands at the top of the list of evils, followed by fratricide (Cain and Abel), then patricide, matricide, infanticide, and defilement. The list continues with torture, cruelty, enslavement, rioting, manslaughter, rape, and assault or attacks against people. Next come infringements upon sovereignty, property, money, and precious metals, followed by infringements upon human values such as freedom, dignity, and individual choice, as well as ethics, morals, and moral rights, and finally, emotional infringement.

The ambiguity of rules, laws, and codes of conduct reflects the uncertainty of context. The context itself is highly complex, often vague and unspecified, yet jurisprudence is forced to define the nuances of the severity of an infringement. Even seemingly simple definitions of "right" and "wrong" often baffle even the highest human intelligence. Judgments reflect the processing results of complex, intertwined factors, including education, age, IQ, maturity, ethics, region, and historical factors.

As a result, officials cannot easily fulfill their duties. Morals and ethics shift depending on one's position, and this position reflects the social thinking at a certain point in the development of history and civilization. A small scientific discovery in a laboratory can even overturn a "guilty" verdict, reached after exhaustive investigation, into an "innocent" one (such as DNA testing).

When one realizes how complex it is to define context, wisdom advises avoiding glib remarks, rash statements, and criticism. Even what appears to be clearly true can become the exact opposite the next moment due to a simple discovery calculated by a computer using more advanced algorithms.

What is considered "truth" fluctuates every second, and with it, ethics, morals, and even the criteria for good and evil seem to waver. For example, recent brain research has proven that psychopaths (chronic habitual offenders) have genetic defects in the frontal lobe. They are genetically unable to learn from experience, delay gratification, or give up immediate pleasure for long-term goals. Can we punish a genetically disabled person by calling them an evil person or a criminal? There is a famous case of a murderer who cut off a woman's arms so she could not resist and committed rape and murder; after serving eighteen years, he was released and raped and killed another woman within twenty-four hours. Ironically, this man had pleaded not to be released. He knew he would repeat the same thing.

We usually define as evil that which is very animalistic. In other words, the implicit context of good and evil reflects one's stance, labeling everything that supports human life, public interest, or spiritual values as good, and everything that opposes this as evil.

When we examine the arbitrary scale of good and evil from the perspective of how things beyond the human condition affect life, all morals and dualistic judgments collapse within a larger context. Human life itself has no opinions or views. It simply "is." Life changes form from one thing to another with ease, and there is no innate resistance or reaction to it. It does not even leave a trace of reaction when changing form. Human life is like light; it is inherently formless and transcends preferences, resistance, and reactions.

Moral dilemmas are resolved by understanding the teaching of Jesus Christ that evil is in the eye of the beholder. Paradoxically, however, there are serious consequences for those who willfully commit sins and trample upon spiritual truth. Spiritual growth brings us new responsibilities and karmic causality.

According to kinesiological testing, animal life is generally unconscious, and even when they 'die,' they are barely aware of it. This is because their life continues uninterrupted as an etheric body after death. Indeed, animals are indifferent to the form of the physical body. Therefore, when a fly is swatted, it continues to fly as an etheric body and does not even notice the change. Dreaming cats and dogs seem unable to distinguish between the world of dreams and the world of experiential reality. Nor do they place value on either one.

It is impossible for death to be possible for life. It is the same as saying that a shadow cannot kill the light. Similarly, truth cannot be damaged or denied by falsehood. It is only that its expression is misunderstood or inaccurately conveyed. There is no opposite to life, God, 'Truth,' or the 'Integrity of Truth'.

Analyzing the origin of the concepts of good and evil perceived by human consciousness allows us to understand the answer to the question that has been pondered for many years: 'Why did a good God create a world that contains evil?' Naturally, the answer is that God did not do such a thing. Things that appear to be opposites exist only in the human mind as perceptions or standpoints.

As human consciousness grows, all depictions of good and evil and value judgments reflect that level of consciousness, which is measurable and relatively predictable. And as consciousness improves, one becomes capable of assuming higher moral, logical, and spiritual responsibilities. A virtue at one level of consciousness may be a flaw at another. Kindness, consideration, and forgiveness are valued at higher levels, but at lower levels, they are viewed as their opposites: weakness, defects, or negligence. Similarly, we have seen that values change as the context shifts significantly. For example, codes of conduct during wartime differ from those in times of peace. All nations and cultures have formed friendships and hostilities over long periods of time. Allies of ten years become enemies in the next ten, and the cycle repeats. The phenomena of human life and society at any given time reflect changes in content, context, and perceptual standpoint, all of which act as mediators or mirrors for the measurable level of consciousness prevailing at that time.

The duality of morality has long been the greatest source of conflict in the process of civilization. Morality has killed more people than any natural disaster. This is because morality splits humans into hatred, guilt, revenge, and suicidal behavior. Furthermore, morality provides the foundational ideology for all false religious wars, and conflicts are waged under the banner of religion. However, this remains an act that completely violates and ignores all the great principles of religion. Persecution and terrorism are ostensibly carried out in the name of God.

Even 'Heaven' and 'Hell' are not opposites, but merely represent quite different spiritual realms. The same thing happens within political ideologies—'Communism' vs. 'Capitalism,' 'Totalitarianism' vs. 'Liberalism,' 'Communism' vs. 'Socialism,' etc. If we investigate what has long been called evil in the world, we find that it is not evil, but merely an abstraction, a pejorative, or a label. Instead of evil, we witness behaviors that can be described as primitive, childish, selfish, narcissistic, self-centered, or ignorant, which are complicated by psychological mechanisms such as denial, projection, and paranoia used to justify hatred.

Looking at most criminal acts, it is easy to see that 'evil' is the manifestation of mental abnormality, the acting out of childish impulses and irrationality. The excesses of religion and politics arise from righteous indignation, but this seems to eliminate individual responsibility. And the basic pretext for this is rationalized so-called 'morality.' The ego loves to act out of the vanity of 'morality.' Surprisingly, research shows that nations, states, and civilizations easily fall for propaganda and sacrifice their own lives, property, families, and even children for trite slogans. Because of their childishness, immature minds seek authority outside themselves. And that authority merely reflects the consensus of public opinion swayed by demagoguery. The true defect can be recognized more clearly as an innate flaw of the mind that cannot distinguish truth from falsehood, in addition to the immaturity of consciousness.

To get to the heart of the matter, one must know that the matrix or foundation of belief is the will. Propagandists know very well that people are happy to believe lies in order to let the ego experience emotional rewards. People secretly enjoy the pleasure brought by 'righteous anger,' hatred, and self-pity. Eventually, we came to call this 'temptation,' and we came to view temptation as being 'out there' rather than 'in here.'

Temptation arises from within. Even if it is a small curiosity or desire, it wants to satisfy the ego's impulses or experience rewarding the ego. The ego wants to get a secret thrill, a high, or a fleeting sense of self-satisfaction. For that reason, someone might kill a classmate for the reason that 'I wanted to know what it felt like to kill.' From this, too, we can see that the location of temptation is within the ego itself. The external world merely provides pretexts, attractive stimuli, or opportunities. All personal responsibility, guilt, and blame are mitigated by projecting the root of the problem onto the external world, such as 'them' or 'the past.'

Just as there is no 'thinker' behind thoughts or 'doer' behind actions, there is no internal 'tempter.' The ego wants to make it appear as if evil existing 'outside' is trying to catch the unsuspecting, innocent ego in a trap of temptation. The true tempter is the ego's desire for acquisition. It makes no difference whether it is sensory, excitement, or profit, privilege, or control over others.

By understanding the above truth, we are freed from the shackles of guilt and hatred. And it becomes clear that guilt and hatred arise from the classic dualism of good and evil that has been prevalent since the fable of Adam and Eve. This evil reflects the ego's own tastes and repressed desires. Humans are not only unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, but they also become targets for the ego's temptations.

The measured level of consciousness reflects the degree of the presence of 'Love.' It is the same as a thermometer indicating the degree of heat. Each level of the energy field has innate characteristics, and one can identify them by those characteristics. Each level has a unique culture, and each has its own leaders and symbolic representatives. Also, 'success' and 'excellence' are determined according to the standards and definitions of each level.

From the 'Supreme' infinite power that transcends the entire universe, the 'Unmanifest' manifests as the 'Light of Creation' and all life. The radiation of the Light of Creation passes through the heavens and celestial realms, appearing on Earth as great avatars, as well as saints and awakened sages. Then there are devoted people who dedicate their lives to the good and to liberation from suffering. Next, there are those who express inherited love conditionally. Furthermore, a consciousness dedicated to intellect and knowledge arises. And this human world is supported by the willingness and sociability of the masses and the sincerity of the workforce.

When devotion to 'Love' fades, pride, self-love, and anger become dominant to that extent. Self-centeredness and the selfish ego replace love, and darkness spreads in the world. As a result of rejecting God, the energy field loses love and becomes the 'lower astral.' Here, Luciferian and Satanic entities hate and envy good and love as enemies, wishing to subjugate the weak and destroy. True evil occurs as a result of a choice of spiritual will and invites extremely serious spiritual and karmic consequences. In the worst cases, one may choose extreme evil simply because one wants to do evil. That represents a genuine demon.

Considering evil from a psychological perspective, in most cases it is an expression of the infantile nature of the immature ego's animal instincts, and the ego tends to fly into a rage when its impulses are obstructed by external authority. Similar rebellious fury and narcissistic defiance are seen equally in criminals, juvenile delinquents, warmongers, and Puritanical moralists, and none of them are any different.

To fear evil is to fear losing control over one's own impulses. Most heroin addicts say that they started because they didn't want to be thought of as a 'wimp' among their peers. However, they soon realize that that one hit is enough to keep them addicted to drugs for a lifetime. Addiction is not to the drug itself, but to the euphoria that transcends all human experience. Addiction is a psychological, social, and physiological phenomenon born of immaturity and denial.

It is wise for a spiritual seeker to detach themselves from all standpoints and perspectives and be willing to abandon temporary ego satisfaction for a higher purpose. Human history is a drama woven by the collective ego of the masses, most of whom are below the level of integration.

Q: The above helps in understanding the teachings of Ramana Maharshi. He states that it is useless to try to save the world, because the world you perceive does not exist. Maharshi recommends surrendering the world to God and focusing on self-inquiry instead.

A: Ramana Maharshi clearly knew that what appears in the world is the result of dualistic perception and the innate mechanism of the ego. Everything we actually see in this world is difference and preference. If you look at a forest, there are big trees and small trees. There will be bent trees and twisted trees. It makes no sense to go into the forest and try to straighten all the bent trees. There is nothing wrong with the bent trees or the trees that are about to fall over.

Q: Has the awakened saint transcended karma?

A: Yes. However, that is in the sense of individual karma born from the ego. Everything that exists is encompassed within the comprehensive karmic patterns of the entire universe and "Creation." All things exist as the "Self" within the "Presence of God." As long as they exist, all things cannot escape the "karma" of having been created by God. The fundamental karma of "God's Truth" creates the ultimate context for "manifestation."

The potential for the evolution of consciousness is something one has inherited karmically. It is cosmic, not personal. You have been given the freedom to choose, and also the freedom to reject God. The lower astral realms were not created by God, but were created by their own choices.

Dandelion seeds drift in the air, and their destination is determined by the interaction of the wind with the shape of the seed. Like these dandelion seeds, humans have been given a physical body, but the difference is that humans have a rudder called mind and spirit, and can decide their own destination and take responsibility. However, until very recently, even though people had a rudder, they did not have a compass, and because of ignorance, they could not take responsibility. Even though humans have been taught since ancient times to be obedient to God, they did not know what kind of being God was or what God was like. And for centuries, spiritual truth has been completely distorted, and even the most devoted people to God have been misled by false beliefs, taking extreme actions such as sacrificing innocent children and people to honor and please God.

We do not need to utter the word "evil." It is a word that stimulates emotions. Instead, it is more appropriate to describe it as narcissistic selfishness, ego inflation, ignorance, mass hysteria, or psychopathic/criminal acting out due to animalistic impulses. These acts are characterized by the absence of love.

Q: How can we distance ourselves from such human tragedies?

A: By having a broader context, you can have a more impartial perspective. Human consciousness begins with animals and grows from infants to curious youths, and then to mature adults. However, growing into the new human, "Homo Spiritus," can be said to be extremely rare. Even though there have been spiritually inspired talented individuals and groups for thousands of years, their numbers have not grown, and their apparent influence has been limited and undermined by opposing forces and distortions. We can view the ups and downs of life as fluctuations, and there is no need to label them with contempt. Life is the ultimate school.

By detaching from our position (especially the position that arises from labeling), we can gain peace, freedom, and security. Greater peace is brought about by looking at the context of life, not the content. This is because content is merely a game board where egos clash with each other. By approaching life more broadly in this way, further compassion is born, and you will no longer be swayed by the world.

It is good to remember that the ego/mind is not experiencing the world, but is experiencing its perception. The media skillfully works on emotions and senses, using images and words to induce sentimentality and resentment, or to satisfy obscene curiosity. However, by looking directly at things as they are, you can reject the invitation to react. Every life has its ups and downs. Everyone is born, suffers, and dies. There is happiness and sadness, disaster and success, and for every rise, there is an equal fall. The stock market also goes up and down. Illness and accidents come and go. The karmic dance of life manifests in the karmic theater of the universe.

All reactions to life are subjective. Terrible experiences that seem unbearable, things that are fun, sad, good, or bad—in reality, nothing has actually happened. Therefore, it is meaningless to view things by asking why calamities or disasters "happen," saying "how could an innocent person suffer like that," "how terrible," or "it must be someone's fault." By having a larger perspective, we are no longer disturbed by the content or context of life. To do this, we must let go of value judgments, expectations, and "hypersensitivity."

The potential of things can be modified by changing the conditions (environment). By influencing the balance of the phenomenon or the tendency of things, it can be changed in any way. For example, a wise witness who encountered a forest fire stated in a newspaper article, "The fire itself is neither good nor bad. It reflects the conditions of the region" (Paxon, 2002). While it may be "bad" for the residents, it may be healthy, natural, and "good" for the forest in the long term.

In "Truth," there are no events. There is no beginning and no end. The background is always quiet and still, and is not disturbed by the movie. The oneness of life is perceived by the human eye as diversity. It is the "radiance of the Self" that makes the events of the world look real. In the movie itself, the reality that is perceived does not essentially exist. The sense of reality is actually entirely within subjective consciousness. Even if there were an independent, objective reality, it is human internal subjectivity that perceives it.

Q: Then, is God the only "Truth"?

A: People can only know God, they cannot prove God. If you go beyond subjectivity, the world does not exist. Without the Presence of God, you cannot know or experience anything. Including your own existence. Existence as subjectivity is perfect, complete, and finished. And that is the source of joy. The "Self" is the "Presence" of the "Source of Existence" as the "Infinite I."

Q: What does subjective experience, or the realization of "Wholeness," feel like?

A: It is an awareness of a state that is always there. The novelty of the continuous stream of experiences that gave rise to expectations, regrets, predictions, and the desire for control disappears. "Existence as Existence" is perfect and complete. Needs are already met. It is not something to be acquired or lost; everything is of equal value. It is just like how going to the movies itself is fun, so every movie is equally fun. It has nothing to do with the content of the movie itself.

When preferences disappear, equal value is seen in all forms. The common value is that each has a form. Weeds and diamonds are no different. They may look different, but their innate value does not change. Their beauty is equal. This is because beauty is inherent in every form. In the fact that they have been given existence, all are equal. Nothing is in the process of "becoming" something. It already has a finished, perfect identity. Existence cannot be incomplete.

The "moment" is an illusion and not an independent reality. There are no "moments" in the world. The unfolding of "Creation" is continuous. It does not transition from incomplete to complete, but continues from complete to complete. One moment appears perfectly as "this," and the next moment appears perfectly as "that."

All things exist outside of time, not within time. Therefore, they do not exist along time, nor are they limited by time. Time is merely a method of perception. If there is a chair there, you see the chair, not time. Similarly, if there is a clock there, you see change, not time. Time is an abstract concept, and we project it onto observable objects.

If we were to describe the nature of what we call "time," it is something stationary. Events appear to be moving, but time remains stationary. Time does not exist, nor does it change or continue. It is just stationary. Measurement methods change, and planets move, but the context of space and time just sits still. There is no such thing as an independent existence called time, and because it is stationary, it is always beyond "here" and "now." Time never changes. This is because there is nothing that changes. To change, you need form. Time has no form.

Time is a concept of measurement, and concepts are merely phenomena within the mind. Without the human brain, even the concept of time would not exist. The mind believes that all things exist within time, but that is nothing more than a game of the mind.

If time does not exist, what about the concept of "place"? We observe positional relationships, but in reality, there is no such thing as a "place." "Place" is not an independent existence; it, too, is merely a product of mental activity.

"Space" is also a concept. The mind uses its imagination to assume that if something exists in a place, there must be space there. However, there is no "place" there, nor is there a "where," "here," or "there." Of course, there is no "when" either. Existence is independent of form, time, space, and place.

"Now" is also a concept. All that exists is eternity, and eternity is the feeling/knowing of the "Self" as permanence; it cannot be grasped as a momentary experience. The same can be said for places and episodes on a linear timeline. In the non-linear "Truth," there is no timeline to position the moments recognized as an instant or "now."

That is all.

To be able to explain the concepts of time, place, space, and now, I thought that one might come to realize them by continuing to be conscious of all that exists is eternity, and eternity is the feeling/knowing of the "Self" as permanence; it cannot be grasped as a momentary experience.

As of 2023/7/24 KIN171, I conveyed my thoughts to a friend.

Human Life Science ↓

This article is the 135th one. May more people be able to view information with a Truth Level of 999 from the standpoint of an aware mind based on love.