THE NATURE
OF THE INNER AND OUTER WORLD
An address
given by V.W.Fra.
M.H.J.W. Maas VIIº
to Felkin College on the 1st December 2006
Fratres,
Some time ago
I put before you some thoughts on the Inner and Outer
World.
We considered
some of the differences and
similarities between the two and concluded that
despite our instinctive belief there is no reason to
attribute more reality to the Outer World than to the
Inner. The proof for the existence is equally valid for
both the Inner and the Outer World. That proof we saw is
the fact that we experience them both. We ended with
concluding that the Inner and Outer World are part of
one system and that they are connected in our person. I
ended with some speculation on the shape of the combined
Inner and Outer World and suggested that it might be
circular
Tonight when
reflecting on the nature of the Inner and the Outer
World I have to say that those speculations were
somewhat ill considered for two reasons. First
apparently in the discussion we assumed that what we
experience is actually how things are and that the
Universe as a whole can be experienced by us. We have no
proof for that and given the change our concept of the
Universe has gone through over time it is wiser to
assume that our concept of the Universe does not
describe the Universe as is but only our relations with
it and how we experience it.
Second:
attributing a form to the known Universe which the
combined Inner and Outer World are is somewhat hasty.
Form implies a boundary a plane which separates the
Universe from what is not the Universe. That immediately
implies a new unity consisting of our Universe and that
which is not our Universe or outside it. This will
constitute a new Universe consisting of our Universe and
that which it is not or which is beyond its boundary. We
can of course repeat this trick and again and again. It
seems simpler to state that our Universe is larger or
beyond what we can think. It will be safest to stick
with Lao Tse who stated that the Universe or All which
can be defined in some way can not be the All.
In our
discussion further we noted that
the Inner World had some characteristics that are
not seen in the Outer World. In our Inner World we are
not bound by the Necessity of time. We saw that we can
be at two place at the same
time and can go from one time location to another
without having to go through the sequence of events in
between. We saw that both worlds, the Inner as well as
the Outer, contain similar and in many instances the
same events. They only differ in the
arrangement of those events in time and place.
On the basis
of the fore going considerations we have to reconsider
the nature of the Inner and Outer World.
Our early
reflections did suggest that the Inner and Outer World
are somehow not coinciding but in some way separate and
only connected in our person through our perception. In
hindsight I do believe that this concept is not tenable.
In the case
of our Worlds it will be as in science: the simpler
explanation has a higher likelihood of being a more
accurate representation of the reality.
The
hypothesis that we are dealing with one Universe or All
which we perceive in different modes is by far the
simplest explanation of the phenomena we described in
our first discussion of the Inner and Outer World. It
leaves the Universe or All as one continuos reality and
explains the two worlds as the outcome of two modes of
perceiving. We organise our experiences of the All in
the two modes in two different conceptual frameworks.
One 3D concept which we earlier
called the Outer World and one concept in 4D which we
named our Inner World. We are by far better
trained and possibly equipped to construct 3D concepts
of the All, but we have seen that we do perceive the All
in 4D.
The foregoing
has some intriguing implications. It firstly implies
that the All is at the same time and 3D and 4D. We are
so used to regarding our 3D concept of the All as the
All that the concept of the Universe to be and 3D and 4D
at the same time is a bit unreal. But we have earlier
seen that the All that can be defined is not the All. So
we must not define the Universe or All as structured in
a defined number of dimensions. The All is non
dimensional meaning that it can be experienced in any
system of whatever dimensions be it 2D 3D.
6D whatever D, each system
will give a true concept of the All be it a defined and
therefore imperfect one.
It is this
experience that is expressed in the Buddhist concept of
the World as Maya that is a phenomenon an image created
by our senses which has limited reality if any at all.
As the All is
undefined and beyond definition there is a deep truth in
this concept.
Our concept
of the All is only an awareness of our relation with the
All and is shaped probably more in our image than that
it shows some of the intricate complexity of the All and
Ultimate Reality.
But there is
more. We saw that in the 3D world we could be in one
place only at any given time and to go from one place to
another we had to follow the time line. We are free in
the 3D world to move but we
are bound to Time. Time is the necessity we can not
escape.
We also
observed that in our 4D world, which we named the Inner,
we are no longer bound by time we can be on two places
at the same time and when going from one place to
another we do not have to go
through a sequence of places on a timeline.
Apparently
the necessity of our 3D world is the Fourth Dimension or
Time.
It seems to
be logical that the necessity in our Inner or 4D world
will be the Fifth dimension.
And what is
this Fifth dimension this
Necessity we can not escape from in the 4D world?
In order to
have a concept of the All or coordinated experiences of
the All we do need a person, a centre in which these
experiences are coordinated. It is logical to take our
person or awareness of our
individuality and the organising core of the concept of
the world as the Necessity in our 4D world, the Fifth
Dimension we can not transgress. Accepting the validity
of our thinking will raise some questions.
This
is all very interesting but
have we any indication that this concept is anything
more than an imagination or a play on words?
Can we all
learn to perceive the 4D and 5D
All.?
When it is a
valid concept is it any use to develop and investigate
this further?
The reality
of the 4d World is not really in doubt. We all have had
experiences of it.
How about the
5D Universe the one beyond the necessity of our
individuality?
There are
some indications that perception of the All beyond our
individuality is possible. I believe that the
description of the Mystic Union , Nirvana,
Enlightenment amongst many others as described by
various mystics of all kind of religions are proof that
a 5D perception of the All is possible .
Not many of
us have had experiences of it and those who profess to
have had them have pointed out ways to get there that
are impractical and based on the support of many others
to provide the daily needs of those who go there.
Can we all go
there. Contrary to many
religions and Esoteric societies who adhere to the
saying many are called but only few chosen I believe we
can. We humans have 99.999 or so of our genes in common,
only a few minor variations separate us. Undoubtedly
some will be better at it than others but we all can.
Just like we can not all run 100 m within ten seconds,
but we can all run 100 m.
Why have we
not developed these skills and have only very few of us
been able to experience this World?.
The answer is
a bit longer. In our long evolution we have been very
dependent on the our 3D
concept of the world for our survival. We have been very
much evolved towards favouring our senses that
contribute to the 3D concept of the world. We have so
far neglected developing our senses for perceiving 4D
and 5D.
What we now
need to do is like we have done in the 3D concept, we
need to systematically observe
,describe form concepts and theories and go back
and test those. In this way we can raise our sensitivity
and learn to be aware of our 4D and 5D experiences and
learn to bring these together in a coherent concept.
Last would we
want to do this, would there be any gain for us humans?
You never know.
The Greeks
who were the first to develop a non religious world
concept and embarked on forming a concept of the
Universe based on experience organised in a coherent
concept which could be tested did not know that this
would ultimately lead to an increased power to shape our
world and influence the course of events like we now
know it has. Had they asked this question they would
have had to say I do not know where it will lead. They
believed that a better understanding of the world and
ourself is worth pursuing.
So I believe
we should try it is worth pursuing even while we do not
know to what good it may lead. To me a world in which we
are able to transgress the limitations of our
individuality and can look at the Universe as a whole
from a non personal perspective certainly would be a
better world.