Being - Towards real democracy and better global governance

The menu topics below provide supporting information relating to the linked section of [The Case: Life choices]

[The Case: Life choices] considers the basis upon which individuals make life choices and decisions, and focuses particularly on decisions made by powerful élite individuals. These decisions are made within an 'amoral' legislative framework which has been gradually established over hundreds of years by powerful élites, largely for their benefit.

This prevailing legal mandate of judicious corporate amorality is therefore at the root of the major global human caused predicaments that we face. Unless and until a moral compass is incorporated within the legal mandate, the existing global problems can only get worse.

This page discusses the importance of Being, and how it can be nurtured. It is argued that doing without being leads to wrong actions.

Towards being

This section addresses some of the implications of a personal inner journey. After much questioning and sitting on the fence, it became necessary to make a free will choice to commit to what is believed to be a 'right path'. This has the follow-through implication of shaping the criteria used for life choices.

As yet there is no mainstream scientific or philosophical consensus on what conscious Awareness actually is. Facing the bleakness of the mainstream scientific worldview, as described by Whitehead and C.Alexander, and the oppressive dominance of dark governance, have been significant personal challenges.

The bifurcation problem [Moral compass] (Whitehead and C.Alexander)

What is wrong with dark governance? [The Case]

My understanding of the more philosophical issues was particularly influenced by Abraham Maslow, Ken Wilber (many of his books), Peter Russell, Amit Goswami, and more recently by Bernardo Kastrup and the Direct Path as taught by Francis Lucille. Some of these resources are listed in the [Bibliography].

In his very readable book The Self-Aware Universe, Amit Goswami explains how quantum mechanics has transformed our understanding of the nature of reality. In my view, his bold argument justifies his bold title.

The mind-body problem is often referred to as the hard problem of consciousness; a term coined by David Chalmers (Chalmers, 1995). It has also been described as the problematic impasse that "we inhabit both a subjective world and an objective world" (Watson, 2014). Experience of living with this duality could be logically expected to follow from adopting a materialist, and/or atheistic philosophical view of life.

Notes: [Moral compass] A problematic impasse...

It is accepted that the 'I am' feeling of sentience is currently inexplicable by mainstream (materialist) science. While an intellectual understanding of this impasse is necessary, it is not sufficient. Wilber explains that it cannot be resolved by rational thought alone, but requires a type of knowledge he refers to as spiritual injunction. This involves following a particular spiritual practice in order to reconcile the problem experientially.

Notes: More details from Wilber on the mind-body problem, and spiritual injunction

A promising post-materialist idea for a plausible portal/ interfacial mechanism could be from a combination of Bernardo Kastrup's alters model (Kastrup, 2018) and filter theory:

"Metaphysical idealism fits well with filter theory, the framework emerging today in neuroscience and philosophy of mind promoting a more viable linkage between brain and consciousness. In filter theory, the physical brain serves as the reducing valve or filter through which universal consciousness, or the Collective Mind, is filtered, or allowed in, to our more restricted human perception of the world around us." (E.Alexander, 2017, p.63).

In the final chapter of Up from Eden, after contrasting general differences between 'Republicans' and 'Democrats', Ken Wilber focuses on arguably the most significant personal development issue affecting us all, and the root of all human problems. This is how to transcend our attachment to our separate selves (Wilber, 1996b, pp.356-361). The background to his argument is explained in a number of his books, for example (Wilber, 2000a).

On the dimensions of politics /Individuals and political left/ right: The political spectrum can also be considered from the perspective/ perception of individuals [Big 3 reform].

Amit Goswami explains how quantum theory helps to explain how our perception of I-am-ness (a separate self) arises from universal consciousness (Goswami, 1995).

My personal conviction is that the mainstream materialist view of consciousness is fundamentally limited. Rather in the manner, and using Wilber's phraseology, that Einstein's perspective "transcends and includes" Newton's perspective, in order to move towards a better understanding the true nature of reality, it is necessary to consider a post-materialist view of what conscious Awareness actually is:

There is only conscious awareness, and what we can actually know from our own experience. The concept is called the direct path, as other routes imply seeking enlightenment or happiness. It is a cruel irony that such seeking is to look in the wrong place.

By perpetuating belief in a separate self, one is creating a thicker 'veiling' of the true nature of Unity Consciousness. There is no separate self, there is only Unity Consciousness which is the source of love, peace, and happiness.

To embark on learning more from the vast literature in secular and spiritual philosophy is very time consuming. There comes a point where it becomes very unsatisfactory to sit on the fence with umpteen plausible scenarios, each with a specific list of as yet unanswered questions. Inevitably some self-selection takes place in the sources of interest, and the subsequent adherence to particular arguments. Such preferences will depend on all that one is.

Until it is possible to prove scientifically what the 'true' nature of reality is, whatever truth is taken to mean, it doesn't seem unreasonable to choose a right path based upon one's personal experience to date.

All of us, materialists and post-materialists included, have to make assumptions at some level, even if these are subconscious. In effect, we accept some provisional life assumptions which are presumed to be valid, in order to allow the next stage of life exploration. For some, this would be to follow a particular religious faith.

In order to move forwards, pragmatic judgements have to be made.

At a pragmatic level, a personal free will choice to identify and follow a right path can give life meaning. It can be chosen for the sole reason that it is genuinely believed to be a better way to live.

It is hoped that this avoids Ken Wilber's criticism of flatland holism [Moral compass], given that the purpose of such a free will choice would be to learn how to better inform one's higher values from top-down transcendent Awareness. This implies an acceptance of a hierarchy/holarchy of levels of (un-veiling of) conscious Awareness.

Giving life meaning and purpose through the free will choice of a right path amounts to an answer to one of the key questions [Moral compass] posed at the beginning of the original ongoing quest, and is applicable irrespective of whether or not one believes in a God. Physicist Paul Davies refers to the "existentialist ethos - that there is no significance in human life beyond what humans themselves invest in it" as the lietmotif of science (Davies, 1992). This is discussed further in the links below.

The bifurcation problem [Moral compass] (Whitehead and C.Alexander)

Mind-body problem [Moral compass].

The issue of individual internal values conflicts between life at work and life outside work is discussed in [Life choices]. Within any group, including a group of élite individuals, there will be a spectrum of different views and genuinely held beliefs.

The paradox about whether we believe in something because it is true, or that something is true because we believe it, has to be faced. I have chosen to believe that non-dual spirituality is a right path to truth about the nature of reality.

If the primary task on a right path is to transcend and let go of attachment to the separate self, it might therefore be inferred that a primary aim of a non-direct path meditation practice would be to attenuate an individual's veil, which is a long job.

Notes: About non-dual meditation practice

However, the 'direct path' method of self-enquiry, as taught by Francis Lucille, and I trust I am not misrepresenting him, leads to the understanding that such a veil, which seems to be inherent to a limited extent in non-direct path meditation practices, is in fact illusory. Although the direct path concept is not complicated, it can take time for the body to catch up and feel the new reality. His teachings include explorative meditations to assist with this process (Lucille, 2025).

A quotation from The Perfume of Silence (Lucille, 2006):

"If you want to practise self-inquiry when you feel that you are separate, then do so. Ask yourself, “Who feels separate?” This will lead to the higher understanding that you are this consciousness. Then there is no need to practise self-inquiry, just enjoy life and be happy. Therefore, practise self-inquiry only when you feel something is missing. When you feel happiness just rejoice. Know that it comes from your true nature, give thanks, and celebrate. That’s all!

We can travel on the path of the individual, the truth seeker, practising and seeking and, in parallel, on the path of the truth lover for whom there is no need to do anything. We can move back and forth from one path to the other. More and more, we remain as a truth lover and forget the truth seeker."

Loving the truth implies that further seeking is unnecessary. But how far does a meditator need to go to be sure what right concrete action should be taken in the world? To what extent can the pursuit of happiness feel justified when the world is crying out for concrete remedial action?

Necessary, but not sufficient

Aim 2 for the website was to identify and suggest ideas for positive actions by citizens to help safeguard the habitability of the planet. Aim 3 was to identify and suggest ideas for positive inner journey actions.

Website aims [General]

These two aims overlap where being affects doing, and where findings from the inner journey suggest steps in the 'right' direction. My suggestion for a possible mechanism by which being might so influence values and habits, is described in the link below.

Influences on values [Moral compass]

For someone new to spiritual practice, it will sure feel like doing, but actually will involve undoing the cumulative personal psychological baggage that is the physiological manifestation of one's own will/ efforts to date - the wanting for the separate self.

Notes: Effects of being on doing

It seems reasonable that a self-consistent big-picture framework which has been informed by non-dual spirituality would be a good basis from which to derive guidelines and principles for subsequent individual actions.

It seems unlikely that such principled action would conflict with that which might be carried out by individuals acting with genuine secular/ humanitarian concern for the common good. But only the engaged individual, however inspired or motivated, can know the intent behind her/his course of action.

The material starting from the following link is relevant, down to 'When more is not better'.

A related question "How is non-dual spirituality different from humanism" is addressed in the [Notes].

(Wells, 2020) referred to the notion of conspiracy theories, which allege that a particular group/ hidden force lies behind unexplained events. These theories assume that the most powerful forces in the world are sinister, work in secret, and undermine public good for private gain. But without sufficient corroborating evidence, belief in such a theory becomes a matter of faith. He suggested that, in many ways, religious faith could also be viewed as a sort of conspiracy theory; but with the fundamental difference that it was about goodness. Referring to Christian faith, he listed some of the attributes arising from the assertion that the energy behind all things begins and ends in love. He concluded with the thought that when considering a conspiracy theory, the question is whether the underlying hidden force is evil, or good.

On the face of it, this appears reassuringly clear-cut. But are these 'hidden forces' actually corrupting our conception of good and evil?

An insidious form of corruption, which can adversely influence anyone, is that arising from regular exposure to semantic inversion.

Arrogance and semantic inversion [Power structure]

Those in politics and business use semantic inversion routinely in order to manipulate public opinion. We have become so used to it that we don't even notice it. Similarly we are being more frequently exposed to episodes of extreme hate-speech, especially on some election platforms.

Divisive public behaviour by leaders [Power structure]

But it becomes an issue of fundamental significance if semantic inversion is used to invert the very concept of good versus evil. Hagger discusses "the corruption of a spiritual vision" by one of the powerful groups referred to by Wells (Hagger, 2004, pp. 283-290).

(Kramer, 2022) describes a disturbing perspective from the field of psychonalysis. "Across many cultures and populations, experimental findings have shown that human beings tend to project their terror of death on to 'the other', thereby sanctifying group paranoia, hatred, scapegoating, and in the most vicious form, even genocide"... "We kill other human beings, according to [Otto] Rank, to show that we can triumph over death"... "Preserving our illusion of immortality is more important than preserving our bodies" (Rank, 1950).

(Wells, 2022a) distinguishes between sin, which we know to to be wrong, and evil which is wrong but we convince ourselves that it is good, and are proud of it.

Delusions of right motive [Moral compass]

Earlier in the website narrative, in the context of outlining a light/ dark^ldvm conceptual metaphor, an alternative reframing of the original ongoing quest evolved:

It is part of the human condition that the nature of individual life choices moment-to-moment characterise a unique life journey. The cumulative effect of these choices could be imagined to provide coarse indicators of what this journey actually amounts to.

This concept later informed my What an acceptable form of business activity might look like [Power structure]

It does not seem unreasonable to speculate that the ultimate explanation for extreme criminal behaviour would point to an absence of love somewhere in the perpetrator's life; adversely affecting the perpetrator's perceptions, motivations, and/ or self-control.

A need to better understand the psychology underlying susceptibility to becoming 'radicalised' ^yoa has become important. Whatever the explanation, perceptions of gross injustice and a lack of valuing human life would appear to be factors.

When a serious crime has been committed, the legal system prioritises getting a conviction over seeking to understand the reason why the crime was committed in the first place. However, when a case of someone 'going off the rails' is analysed in any depth, the cause can invariably be explained by factors such as a 'bad start in life', 'mixing with the wrong people', etc., which trace back to the rights and responsibilities of parenting.

A bad start in life might be caused by a number of biological, psychological, and social factors, which taken together, constrain free will and predispose the perpetrator to act criminally. This was the theme of the documentary series What Makes a Murderer? (Anon., 2019i).

Forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes says that the question she is asked, "perhaps more than any other ... is what the hell is wrong with these people?" (Daynes, 2019, p.9). But it turns out to be the wrong question. Instead we should be asking "what has happened to them?", and then "what has happened to us as a society?" She concludes that "prevention is always better than a cure", and that we need to look at the causes of extreme behaviour in order to begin to improve the situation (Ibid., pp.284-286).

A 'good start' in life surely begins with caring and responsible parenting/ grandparenting, a just and equitable society, and a healthy habitable environment.

In brief, it is inferred that:

'I need' is inherent, natural, and an essential motive for human survival.

'I want' is a natural tendency towards greed.

The 'I want' trait is shamelessly exploited by the business as usual (BAU) facet of dark governance.

'I want' can become a craving for power, wealth, and control. Power is very corrupting of human values.

The apparent absence of caring about individuals by the business as usual ethos is not personal, but is a function of the in-built 'amoral' corporate legislature (the robotic 'corporate person' concept).

Taking a post-materialist perspective:

Greed (and addiction) arise from an inherent human tendency towards addiction to a (separate) self.

A lack of caring by individuals is a consequence of the greed and addiction problem; we are too wrapped up in our (separate) selves.

Psychology/ therapy, and a non-dual spiritual practice can help in the recognition and addressing of these issues.

A non-dual spiritual practice can reduce craving and increase equanimity. It can inform values which can be used as criteria against which a problem and the consequences of the problem can be exposed, and right remedial action formulated.

Influences on values [Moral compass]

Citizen action [The Case: Citizen action]

The separate self

It can be assumed that the post-materialist concept of spiritual healing will simply be dismissed by scientific materialists.

It is understood that the necessary transmission of healing energy could not be sustained without the healer having transcended attachment to his/ her separate self, and by implication, embracing the Transcendent. To be in such a position is perhaps a perfect example of being and doing. To attain such a level of spiritual purity to be an effective spiritual healer would take many years of dedicated practice.

The healer

Digital art image of a spiritual healer in deep micro-healing meditation for a patient. The intended size for framing was A2 (59.2 cm wide, 42 cm high). Completed in 2010:

The composition was inspired by the teaching and healing work of Master Yap Soon-Yeong, founder of Chaoyi Fanhuan Qigong (CFQ).

The use of light as a visual metaphor [Artworks]

The healer, II

Image of a relief-carved wooden plaque, depicting a spiritual healer in deep macro-healing meditation. The plaque is 30.2 cm high, 23.4 cm wide, and was completed in 2010:

The composition was inspired by the teaching and healing work of Master Yap Soon-Yeong, founder of Chaoyi Fanhuan Qigong (CFQ). The plaque was made specially for him, on behalf of those attending his final UK CFQ residential retreat in 2010.

Closing remarks

The website describes a personal quest to better understand the potential role of a private citizen in life, beyond that of normal family commitments.

Some key practical conclusions :

Reality is non-dual; actions manifested in the world and the inner intentions behind them are two sides of the same coin

Being informs Doing

Doing without Being leads to wrong actions

Being informs Doing

Living in a society inevitably involves some compartmentalisation of life, for example between work and non-work. But for most people such divisions of activity do not cause serious internal values conflicts. However, for some people, and for some high-ranking élite executives in particular, their work activities have to be sharply segregated from their private home lives. At work they might be ruthless and unethical, while at home they are good, nice people. At work amorality and the Corporate Person rules, at home they are human Beings.

This type of life is incompatible with non-dual Being. Individuals who live like this are conflicted; they are living a lie.

Extreme work/non-work life compartmentalisation [Life choices]

Notes: About the word Being

Doing without Being leads to wrong actions

The main theme of this website concerns the misdirection of resources for the unjust primary objective of maximising profit for a select group of beneficiaries, and not for humanity or beings at large. In this context of the 'amorality' of dark governance within a biosphere, the presumed right of the Corporate Person is exercised on the grounds of an assumed right or entitlement, mandated by the judicious excuse of amorality. This is presumed without even a legal damage limitation clause, such as 'subject to the irreversible degradation of the necessary natural and human resource base'.

Viewed 'on a case by case basis', it could be said that while these selfish actions - in the eyes of those actors - are neither right nor wrong technically, they are wrong in relation to other beings living within a shared biosphere. Such actions would certainly be regarded as selfish in the context of Absolute Truth.

Those exhibiting rogue operator behaviour detach themselves from any social or environmental responsibility by hiding behind the legal clause which defines Corporate Person.

On rogue operator behaviour: Rogue operator behaviour [Power structure]

Nature is also amoral, and while selfish predatorial behaviour has evolved as one successful, largely non-community, survival strategy, apparently altruistic 'defensive community' behaviour has also evolved as another survival strategy.

Given that humans are endowed with large brains (Porritt, 2005, p.305) citing (Dawkins, 2002), it is to be hoped that we might deploy this faculty for the benefit of all life on the planet.

It is concluded that the amorality of the natural sciences do not preclude the incorporation of a moral compass within corporate law.

For the sake of all life on the planet, we have to hope that the life-priorities of enough capable individuals might evolve to facilitate change in the right direction, before it is too late.

Pragmatically, it must be us - the vast majority of people and all life on the planet - against them - the very small, but very powerful, pack of predatorial individuals who exhibit type (i) and type (ii) rogue operator behaviour.

It is not right that such a minority of self-interested predatorial élite individuals should hold the rest of the human population, and life on earth in general, to ransom.

It is ludicrous to allow them to continue to destroy the habitability of the planet without any resistance. By standing up for common sense and for long term survival, everyone will gain; misguided predators included.

Standing up for common sense... [Moral compass]

If the flow from enough (con)tributaries all go the same way, the aggregate flow can become a great river...

Tranquillity [dur.1'42"] [Artworks]

Notes

Notes: 'Towards Being'

For a newcomer to meditation/ spiritual practice it may be difficult to know where to start. Many different spiritual practices have been developed, which are presumably helpful to those who practise them. Some are described in books which may provide information about related events such as retreats, workshops, courses, and/or educational videos.

Peter Russell's book The White Hole in Time - Our Future Evolution and the Meaning of Now includes a short chapter titled Meditation - the Art of Nothing (Russell, 1992, pp.140-143). This provides a very accessible introduction to non-dual meditation. He has since written From Science to God (Russell, 2003), and Letting Go of Nothing (Russell, 2021).

I do not consider myself sufficiently qualified to write about meditation practice, other than to make some general observations from my own limited experience, which may be helpful to those who have not tried it before.

My main experience of tutored meditation was of Theravada Buddhism and cfq (a particular form of chi gung which also includes meditation). I found that I made most progress when I was able to participate in an immersive retreat, of about one week duration, each year. That way new skills can be learned progressively, and the teacher can pick up and correct any errors which might have crept in during regular practice over the previous year. The group synergy with a good teacher on this type of retreat is always uplifting, and helps to reset lapsed personal targets for daily practice.

Patient mindfulness is necessary for meditation practice. A classic technique, taught by the Buddha, involves sitting quietly while concentrating on the deceptively simple task of watching (not controlling) each in-breath, and then watching each out-breath. To start with it may be helpful to think 'in', and then 'out' etc..

Initially the task is invariably difficult to sustain, as the thinking mind tends to wander off - anything is more interesting than the task in hand. But this is the point; the purpose of the practice is to attain and sustain 'presence' in the now. This cannot be done if one is daydreaming, thinking about the future, or remembering the past. Until the meditation practice is second nature, even the minimal thinking effort required to focus on the breathing perversely clashes with the attempt to be present. But one's concentration will improve with practice, and the duration of practice which can be sustained will increase. Each time genuine moments of presence are attained, some healing will take place.

Letting go of attachment to the separate self involves a free will choice, moment-to-moment during meditation. In very general terms:

Giving in to cravings of I want increases personal psychological baggage (ppb)

Slowly letting go of attachment to I want through non-dual meditation practice will gradually dissolve the attachment.

Discovering and progressively letting go of one's own personal psychological baggage might not be much fun, but there is an openess and honesty about the process which feels right.

To the extent that I have persevered with a spiritual practice, I can report that it has resulted in some ability to switch from the usual mode of 'thinking mind' to a mode of increased awareness of bodily sensation and feeling. Over time this has led to a discernible lightness and clarity of mind, which is liberating.

Getting what one wants, or thinks one wants/ doesn't want, is depicted as growing the self in the image detail The use of now [Life choices]. It results in an accumulation of ppb. Non-dual meditation practice provides a way to gradually let go of the attachment to this baggage, but is a long job.

The reader may encounter material describing the attainment of altered states of consciousness through the controlled use of psychotropic drugs legally, under medically supervised conditions; for example (Huxley, 1970), (Bache, 2019). Some of the experiences reported under such conditions give much food for thought.

My understanding is that although ordinary meditation is a long path to the attainment of altered states of consciousness, it is much safer than using psychotropic drugs, and the results are more repeatable and better consolidated. Stanislov Grof's technique of holotropic breathwork achieves altered states of consciousness without the use of psychotropic drugs (Bache, 2000).

Meditation research [Moral compass] must include the subjective experience of meditation!

An effective meditation practice will help the practitioner towards equanimity, which is a sublime state of mind - see The Four Sublime States (Thera, 1998).

Although having no personal experience of this form of non-dual meditation to date, it would seem to be well worth pursuing.

The 'direct path' method of self-inquiry

This webpage describes some of the differences of view between materialism and post-materialism. Insights from emergent materialism, sociobiology, and behaviourism seem to me to be closing the gap. (Watson, 2014) refers to the inescapable duality experienced by Thomas Nagel [Moral compass] that "we inhabit both a subjective world and an objective world", but that this could be accommodated by making some 'adjustments'. Nagel says that one of these adjustments is just to accept that this is how life is, but he then advocates living a moral life as a way of easing or escaping the predicament. The nature of Nagel's duality, and the extent to which he has reconciled it, goes some way towards answering the posed question "How is non-dual spirituality different from humanism?".

An acceptance that 'this is how life is' is en route to equanimity, which is regarded as a sublime state in Buddhism.

To fully reconcile the predicament would require letting go of the separate-self-imposed 'left-brain' rational constraint, and opening up to the experiential world of the mind-body problem and spiritual injunction (discussed in the next note). The mind-body problem is the 'predicament' experienced by Thomas Nagel and Bertrand Russell, which could be logically expected to follow from adopting a materialist, and/or atheistic philosophical view of life.

Perhaps some scientists have explored non-dual spirituality and obtained insights, but do not attribute them to transcendent wisdom, or are not in a position to say so.

This might explain why materialism has evolved towards 'closing the gap', and is no longer so reductionist.

Another aspect of addressing the question posed in the above title concerns the 'benefits' which might accrue from a non-dual meditation practice, in relation to just living with Nagel's 'predicament'.

My understanding is that a pragmatic reason for working towards transcending/ letting go of attachment to a separate self is that it offers a type of healing, which is more fundamental than conventional psychological therapies, and can be learned by anyone.

The mind-body problem^mbp is also referred to as the 'hard problem'; a term coined by David Chalmers in the context of consciousness (Chalmers, 1995). It has been described as the problematic impasse [Moral compass: Notes], experienced by materialists, of living with the duality that "we inhabit both a subjective world and an objective world" (Watson, 2014).

^mbp Basically, the mind-body problem is how to explain, in a scientifically acceptable way, the felt experience, in the present moment, of "I am". Now. Personal subjective experience, moment to moment, is all any of us can actually vouch for, however rational, objective and scientific we think we are.

In Integral Psychology (Wilber, 2000b, pp.174-187) Wilber argued that one could not resolve the mind-body problem by a scientific materialist rational argument alone. The important concept here is that spirit transcends and includes rationality; it embraces rationality, but is more than rationality (Wilber, 2000a, pp.210-261).

For the sceptical, and especially those used to the scientific method, spiritual injunction^si is a valid form of experiential knowledge. There is nothing to lose by following a spiritual injunction other than the time spent trying it out.

The trans-rational (rational-plus) eye of contemplation, when engaging with a spiritual injunction by meditation in accordance with long-established procedures is also necessary. "If you want to know this, you must do this" (Wilber, 2001a, pp.156-158).

^si ..."As G.Spencer Brown said, it's very like baking a pie: you follow the recipe (the injunctions), you bake the pie, and then you actually taste it. To the question "What does the pie taste like?", we can only give the recipe to those who inquire and let them bake it and taste it themselves..." Quotation from The Marriage of Sense and Soul (Wilber, 2001a, p.173) in which Wilber describes spiritual injunction as a valid form of knowledge. See also (Maslow, 1993, pp.101-106)

The quotation by Spencer Brown is from the Notes section of (Brown, 1972, p.77), where he refers to Chapter 2.

There seems to be a grey area in what different authors mean by the Buddhist term 'no-self'. This is not surprising as the concept is in the 'ineffable' domain - beyond words to properly describe, other than to someone who has had a similar experience.

In an very informative and long 'footnote' in his epic book Sex, Ecology, Spirituality - The Spirit of Evolution (Wilber, 2000a, pp. 717-734!), Ken Wilber explains how the no-self doctrine (a central teaching of Theravada Buddhism) was not regarded as a complete and adequate system by virtually all the later schools of Buddhism, and how the doctrine subsequently developed.

The Christian contemplative Bernadette Roberts' description of her experience, and of her rationalisation of it: The Experience of No-Self - A Contemplative Journey (Roberts, 1993) is profound and unsettling. Her book The Real Christ (Roberts, 2012), (Roberts, 2017) would be too radical for many Christian readers, and she provides a warning to this effect at the front of the book.

My understanding is that theological differences between the main world faiths disappear [Artworks] as Unity Consciousness is approached.

Some years after producing the The use of now [Life choices] graphic, I discovered a more sophisticated and informative diagram in The Atman Project (Wilber, 1996a, page 194).

Apparently the original idea of first involution and then evolution of consciousness was due to the Hindu mystic-philosopher Sri Aurobindo. Amit Goswami presents an alternative graphic of the process, framed around quantum physics (Goswami, 2008b, pp.127-130).

In my simple bidirectional graphic (the above The use of now image detail), 'more selfish' is denoted as upwards, and 'less selfish' as downwards. However in Wilber's more sophisticated diagram (which refers to the Bardo involution/ evolution process), agape is shown as up, which is more appropriate (towards the light). His diagram also shows a vertical transformation between the forces of agape and contraction, and a horizontal translation between the forces of eros and thanatos. Loosely: agape equates to love and compassion; contraction to selfishness, eros is desiring and grasping, and thanatos is death and the fear of death.

Consideration of the interplay of these four forces might provide some insights into the kind of inner life challenges someone might face when choosing to move towards equanimity in relation to their own motivations. For example, when growing through caring for others.

"The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of several spiritual documents which purport to tell of 'events' prior to birth (or rebirth)" (Wilber, 1996a, p.187). It refers to a notion called the Bardo, meaning " 'gap', 'transition state', 'intermediate state' "... which describes a "series of events said to take up to a 49-day period" between the moment of physical death until the moment of rebirth in a new body" (Ibid., p.187).

Wilber discusses how this process can also be viewed as an ongoing moment to moment phenomenon, which he refers to as 'microgeny', whereby an individual is being continually updated/ reborn throughout life (Ibid., pp.202-203). In this sense therefore an insight into the process of dying can be gained by an appropriate spiritual path.

I confess to having really struggled with this notion. However at the risk of incurring materialist ridicule, it must be mentioned that many in post-materialist/ non-duality circles have come to accept that incarnation/ rebirth might really be how things work; that it is part of the non-dual cosmic infrastructure. Every now and then, some information comes to light which is very difficult to take seriously, but it has to be because of the credibility of the data source^eari. It implies a different picture of the nature of reality; one in which matter exists within Consciousness, and not the other way around.

^eari The testimony of Dr.Eben Alexander regarding the validity of reincarnation is especially striking, given his background as an eminent neurosurgeon, who always considered himself a man of science. Following a rare illness which resulted in him being in a coma for 7 days, his worldview was radically changed by his near-death experience (E.Alexander, 2012). On the subject of reincarnation, he writes (E.Alexander, 2017, p.179) :

"Reincarnation is a process of education for all beings in the grander evolution of consciousness. This apparently standard procedure was part of the lessons I learned in my coma journey. Reincarnation was presented in the Core realm as part of the very fabric of all existence - not as some blind mechanistic wheel (as in some interpretations), but a process that is more directly related to our soul's purpose of existence and transformation."

A large body of observational data^rirb relevant to the question of survival has been researched, which should at least be taken seriously in an unbiased way (Woollacott, 2018, p.156).

^rirb For example the research by the late psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, who was for many years the head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Also by Jim Tucker from the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, who took over the work of Ian Stevenson (Woollacott, 2018).

In Buddhism a distinction is made between physical death, as commonly understood, and the notion of no-self/ death/ no attachment to the separate self. Ken Wilber explains that fear of death arises from attachment to one's separate self (Wilber, 2001c, p.69). If this attachment is 'let-go', or transcended by appropriate spiritual development, fear of death would no longer exist.

When physical death occurs the usual concept of the Bardo describes the spiritual transition, during the process of dying, whereby the essence of the deceased person is reborn. It is believed that the essence of the deceased person continues to learn and develop by virtue of the life circumstances of the newborn.

However bizarre to the sceptic, the idea of accumulating learning from multiple lifetimes does provide another mechanism by which one individual might exhibit a stronger drive to do the right thing [Notes] than another.

Playing along with the theme, perhaps during the Bardo process there is some opportunity for the deceased person to consider the necessary learning profile of the potential experience to be gained from particular available rebirth placements, and to be able to choose accordingly. Or perhaps that process would be optimised automatically. Depending upon how the spiritual essence of a person is configured, one could imagine that, in principle, a rebirth could take place anywhere in the material universe where the habitability conditions were viable.

Belief in a rebirth cycle process would certainly change a person's perception about the importance of conserving the habitability of planet earth.

The Buddhist idea of rebirth into different forms, and/or different realms of existence is a very big stretch for a rationalist. This is the aspect I had most reservations about when I first learned to meditate in 2004.

A humanist activist who later becomes interested in non-dual spirituality might struggle with the prioritisation of time spent on doing activism versus doing a spiritual practice. Perhaps an important aspect of a spiritual perspective is to facilitate equanimity and acceptance that things are the way they are, and that letting go of what one might want by doing a spiritual practice is doing something. A scientific materialist might think that this is delusional.

The essence of advice on this matter, which I have heard from several experienced non-dual spiritual teachers, has ranged from (paraphrasing): (i) everything is just as it should be (given what man has done); man is the problem, hence the need for spiritual practice; (ii) you need both - the spiritual practice informs effective activism; (iii) do the practice to offset the consequences of daily life, but the more you practise, the better, and since thinking is 'karma-creating' it should be minimised consistent with necessary and right action. The point being that what constitutes right action is perceived through conscious Awareness - not by thinking.

In addressing the need and greed issue, [The Case: Life Choices] considers the idea that a bigger picture view of the attributes of more might provide a way to take the analysis forward. Hypothetically, if an élite individual was to consider that more might not always be better, she/he might decide to become part of the solution, rather than a driver of the problem.

Ken Wilber has developed an Integral Transformative Practice (ITP) to help those wishing to develop a balanced spirituality (Wilber, 2006). ITP is based upon his well argued and documented 'all quadrants, all levels' (AQAL) model, and provides a basis for individual spiritual development in each of three 'value spheres' in a balanced way. The three value spheres are morals, science, and art. These were first referred to by the Greeks as The Good, the True, and the Beautiful [Moral compass:Notes].

Maslow's ideas on Being-Psychology refer to end states and peak experiences of pure happiness (Maslow, 1993, pp.121-142). Latouche expressed his view that happiness 'relates less to having than to being' (Latouche, 1993, p.241). The way Maslow's needs-levels correlate with the basic structures identified by Wilber and other researchers is tabulated in Chart 7 (p.212) of Integral Psychology (Wilber, 2000b).

Where Wilber refers to a consciousness 'level', I find it helpful to view 'level' more as a level of veiling, and thereby a measure of the extent to which a developed spiritual practice is able to transcend the separate self, and thereby be more open (less veiled) to Unity Consciousness, which just Is. This requires that a suitable meditation practice be complemented by appropriate activities.

In the context of seeking guidance on how a non-dual spiritual practice might affect 'principled action', it is inferred from Ken Wilber's AQAL model that:

More is better if the values of morals, science, and art are in balance; consolidation at a higher consciousness level requires a balanced attainment across all values, not just in one 'quadrant'.

More would become 'best' when it is pure agape (loving kindness). This would be a sublime state of pure being, love, peace, and happiness.
Such a state is incompatible with attachment to a separate self. The concept of 'more' would cease to be meaningful in such a state.

Values are needed to guide separate selves towards treating each other better in the world.
When an individual is able to sustain pure unveiled Awareness, the separate self would cease to be meaningful.
Values would no longer be needed at the point the separate self ceased to be meaningful.

Applying conventional worldly logic, it might be argued that 'more' for an individual separate self would only be better if other (separate selves) benefited too. With pure agape, all would seem to benefit from 'more'. But hypothetically, if there was no inequality in the world, and the entire population were materially well-satisfied, then living within a finite ecosystem would still place limits on the possible material consumption. This would require a more enlightened view of 'more', which depended on many factors, just as it does now.

The 'amoral' BAU ethos sidesteps collective values, but interprets more is better by:

Notes: 'Closing remarks'

Dictionary definitions of the word Being are inevitably mainstream and secular; referring to 'existence' and 'consciousness'. By virtue of being human, we have the faculty of conscious Awareness. This is a given. That momentary sense of I-amness, which we are all aware of, is Being.

Full 'presence', or Being, Oneness/ detachment from the separate self would be a sublime state of pure agape/ loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity (Thera, 1998). Presence means Being - in the timeless now. Progress can be made towards such attainment by following an appropriate non-dual meditation practice.

We are rarely 'present'. Our thinking minds are busy with what we are going to do, or what we did, or we are absorbed in some activity. Our identity is rooted in our memories, who we are, and what we do. We are 'separate selves', and become attached to other separate selves, to resources, and to material things etc.. Implications of such everyday attachments, and how beneficial moments of 'presence' can be attained through a non-dual meditation practice are discussed in:

Notes: About non-dual meditation practice

Although a state of Being is accessible by anyone, those committed to extremely conflicted lives will find their internal values conflicts to be incompatible with genuine Being.

What is right, and what is wrong?

It seems reasonable to suggest that an awareness of what is right and wrong, and ultimately any innate goodness, derives through (and in relation to) caring about others; which is love and compassion. These qualities can be further developed through an appropriate non-dual meditation practice.

Perhaps this is where an idealist inclination to pacifism comes from?