What is Time as a spiritual path? What are the foundational tenets that distinguish Time from other spiritual paths? This essay seeks to answer those questions.
Time, as a spiritual path is founded on the recognition that the present moment serves as both a universal focal point that all living creatures instinctively recognize, as well as the basis of our clock and calendar system. That is, we measure the intersection of the present moment with the subjects and objects of Time-space in order to create clock and calendar time.
Time as a spiritual path operates under the knowledge that Time should be understood as Time. That is, the phenomenon of the present moment should not be reconceptualized as something else. We recognize that nearly every other human spiritual path chooses to reconceptualize Time as something else. These "somethings else" include: Christ, God, Buddha Nature, "The Way", etc. In each case these are reconceptualizations of the present moment.
Time, as a spiritual path begins similar to the multitude of human spiritual paths. This beginning, or pathway, toward spiritual knowledge and wisdom, begins with mental silence. We recognize that mental silence is both the pathway to entering into the flow state, understanding Time, as well as cultivating inner peace. Indeed, mental silence is the result of concentration upon Time. In other words, the natural functioning of Time, especially it's consistent rhythm/flow serves as the foundational/universal focal point upon which all other focal points are built. In this sense Time is understood as the primary focal point and other focal points are secondary to Time. Indeed, Time can be understood as an "empty" focal point.
As an example, in order for you to concentrate upon the in and out breath through the nostrils Time needs to behave as such. Thus, it is the primary focal point and the in and out breath through the nostrils is but a secondary focal point. An intention of secondary focal points is to train the mind to remain steady upon the primary focal point.
We emphasize the "wisdom of time ", which, numerous spiritual traditions throughout human civilization have recognized. The perpetual flow of time allows us the opportunity to let go of what was and embrace the now.
We recognize that in order to cultivate inner peace a focal point must be utilized in order to train the mind to rest upon Time's passage/structure. Furthermore, once trained, the mind can effectively cultivate specific states of consciousness such as love, joy, compassion, etc. It can also effectively cultivate knowledge upon objects of concentration.
We recognize that, while the pathway is silence, a primary goal is knowledge production. This refers to knowledge production on the specific attributes of Time itself.
We recognize that meditation can be used as a method of knowledge production. When one meditates, or focuses their mind, on an object, knowledge of its specific attributes can be realized. This underscores the significance of recognizing Time qua Time.
We recognize that in nearly 10,000 years of modern human civilization, the human species has yet to arrive at a fully articulated knowledge of Time. We recognize that the current understanding of Time is in itself incomplete. While clock and calendar Time are valid measurements of Time, Wisdom invites us to realize that the phenomenon of the present moment is far more complex than a simple line in specific direction. Indeed, clock Time/calendar Time is a linear measurement of a directional flow from past through present into future. We acknowledge the present moment to be better conceptualized as an amorphous field, instead of a line with a directional flow. Thus, a linear measurement by itself is incomplete.
Time as a spiritual path seeks to produce the fully articulated knowledge of Time.
We recognize that the foundational application of the knowledge of Time is to cultivate inner peace through concentration upon the present moment.
We recognize that a secondary application of the knowledge of Time is world peace. This is realized when the entire human species adopts Time as their spiritual path, and works together in harmony, to produce the fully articulated knowledge of Time.
We recognize that Time serves as the prerequisite knowledge for anything that may or may not be beyond Time. In order to properly produce the knowledge of that which is beyond Time, if such a thing is even possible, the human species must first arrive a collective vantage point of a fully articulated knowledge of Time. From this collective vantage point, we can determine as a species, if attempts to produce knowledge of that which is beyond Time are irrelevant or if the knowledge of Time serves as necessary prerequisite knowledge for the knowledge of that which is beyond Time. Indeed, we are animals subject to Time. Thus, Time serves as our vantage point for any and all observations and attempts to produce knowledge.
We recognize that attempts to produce knowledge of that which is beyond Time prior to producing the knowledge of Time contribute to a milieu of conflict. We recognize that they sacrifice, long-term species harmony in favor of short term, personal comfort, in the face of the Unknown.
We also recognize that attempts to produce knowledge on Time qua something else (Christ, god, Buddha Nature, "The Way," etc.) encounter a similar problem. In this case, beginning not with the tautology that "Time is Time", but rather that Time is reconceptualize qua something else skews subsequent knowledge production. This skewed knowledge production process also contributes to a milieu of conflict.
As a secondary application of the knowledge of Time is world peace, we relinquish attempts to produce knowledge of that which will inevitably contribute to a milieu of conflict.
Time as a spiritual path can operate in a decentralized manner. Indeed, it is recommended at this point in human evolution that Time as a spiritual path is decentralized. This means that anyone who resonates with these tenets can adopt Time as their spiritual path, and seek to produce knowledge on Time's specific attributes while cultivating inner peace and collective harmony.
We recognize that there are three intersecting components of reality. These are subjects/consciousness, objects, and flow. Heretofore the human species has condensed these three components into two: subjects/consciousness and objects.
Time can be understood as flow or that which organizes the subjects and the objects. As an organizing principle, Time can fulfill the role previously occupied by "a power greater than ourselves"/Intelligent Designer.
In this sense, the human species can be understood to have attempted to condense a trinary information system (subjects, objects and flow ) into a binary information system (subjects and objects). With such a reductionist perspective, information has inevitably been lost in translation from trinary into binary.
Time, as a spiritual path, creates the space for knowledge to be properly produced on flow, thus allowing the human species to engage with the trinary information system that can be understood as the Multiverse.
Time as a spiritual path, recognizes the validity of attempts to produce knowledge on deities, or entities that are subject to Time. Moreover, we recognize that a fully articulated knowledge of Time, serving as prerequisite knowledge, will facilitate more advanced knowledge production upon deities, as they too, are subject to Time.
Knowledge produced on deities is distinguished from attempts to produce knowledge of that which is beyond Time or entities that are not subject to Time. Such knowledge is not possible to properly produce, at least, without first, having fully articulated the knowledge of Time.
We recognize that language is a technology consisting of a system of verbal/written symbols that refer to an underlying reality via a cipher. We acknowledge that language qua technology is a two-sided coin. On one hand it is a technology of communication. On the other hand, it is a technology of knowledge production. As a technology, the human species has a responsibility to advance language so that both of these applications function in a more effective and advanced manner.
We acknowledge that the human species, in general, has a unique and antithetical relationship to language itself. Instead of advancing the technology of language, so that communication and knowledge production are more effective and evolved, humans generally adopt this technology as their personal identity. This tends to manifest as the incessant internal reproduction of verbal symbols. Understanding language qua identity causes humans to put substantial effort into preserving the linguistic symbols with which they identify strongest. It also obstructs a human being's natural right to a satisfied and content subjectivity. We recognize that such a unique and antithetical relationship to this technology also contributes to a milieu of conflict.
We acknowledge that training the mind is integral to both happiness and effectively navigating the Multiverse. Time as a spiritual path guides us such that non-conceptual observation becomes the default state of consciousness. Such a default state is naturally blissfully content/satisfied. Moreover, from this default state humans can engage in conceptual thinking, and/or the reproduction of verbal symbols to assist them in navigating the Multiverse.
We recognize that the Wisdom Story of the Multiverse is guided by engaging with the Unknown through the process of knowing that which we do not know.
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