of USAWKF
Birth and Death
March 13, 2006
In order to understand birth, we must first understand creation from the start. The start of this universe, that is. As explained in "the Path" as well as previous essays on the origins of life, all phenomena, sentient and insentient, derive from differentiation. Differentiation is the process of identity. This is demonstrated by the example of a glass. In order for the glass to exist, there must first be non-glass. This is because if all existence were glass, then glass could not "exist". More to the point, "existence" by definition in our universe demands that some phenomena be distinct from everything that surrounds it. A drop of water ceases existence when in a large body of water. The drop "becomes" the water. But, take a small blade of grass and dip it into the "water" and then lift it out and discover on the blade of grass a small drop "of" the water, and you have "identified" a drop of water distinct from the body of water and which is surrounded by anything but the water. You have in point of fact, differentiated the drop from the body of water. This is the process of identity and it is the process of "creation".
Once again, understand that the differentiation process requires a primary cause, volition. In the case of the origins of the universe, the volition to create what precipitated all differentiation to construct the universe we live in was the primary volition or cause. Until the existence of sentient life in the universe, no other causes or volition was exercised. In fact, of all sentient life, human manifestations are the sole contributors to the original cause of the universe. This is a tremendous responsibility. It suggests to us that our every action, word, and thought impacts all of creation, which it certainly does. It also puts us in direct contact, in the actual flow, of creation. This is where We are the Divine. And though the universe is already extant due to the primary cause, each and every cause made by conscious thought in this universe exerts influence on the original and primary. It is as though a huge rocket fired itself into the heavens and later developed billions of little tiny directional rockets along its periphery. Each and every tiny rocket firing in any particular direction may only have a tiny influence on the trajectory of the initial rocket, but each one does affect the trajectory nonetheless. And therefore, the more tiny rockets fire in a similar direction, the more the influence. This is the foundation of the peace movement within Buddhist Philosophy. The greater the number of conscious minds focus their lives on a peaceful existence, the greater the influence on all of creation. This ultimately leads us to the birth of new conscious minds.
The seed of all conscious and sentient births was the original manifestation of all differentiation. Within the non-existence of all potential is all potential consciousness. When the universe first set out to create a physical manifestation with this consciousness, We, that is all of consciousness, at once, gave shape and form to Our idea of differentiation and manifestation. We, "birthed" our species. In so doing, we established a matrix of volition, cause making, which would continue to direct and influence Our primary creation. This brilliant idea allows for us to continue being involved with the beauty of creation, and, due to the tedious requirements of differentiation, demands also the existence of the obstacles to our influence. This Yin/Yang is sometimes confounding and tiresome, but absolutely concomitant with the mandates of identity as described earlier. Stated once again, nothing can exist without the "other" to differentiate it. So, to recap, all phenomena is "borne" of Volition, and manifest as duality of differentiation. Therefore, Birth necessitates three entities.
Most convention sees the birth process as just that, a process. Spermatozoa, in a chance sprint, bombard an Ovum, with a percentage of success dependant on Sperm and Ovum "Joining" together to initiate the development of "life". But, as we have already defined life in many repeated ways, Life cannot exist in this manner. If all that is needed is two biological cells, then why do not menstrual cycles fill our sewers with children? All those ovum spilled into the waters of the world. Or for that matter, sperm and any dust mites or bacteria etc. And what of the thousands that do not develop. The answer is obvious; that all life requires volition! Volition is the driver of all consciousness to participate in the "duality" (differentiation) of sperm and ovum. That consciousness is affected by, or influenced by, the conscious participants in the development of the embryo. This will alarm the factions surrounding the abortion debate, but the fact is that the consciousness is the first to arrive on the scene. In fact, the development of the embryo cannot proceed without this consciousness (volition).
It would not be incorrect to say that our entire existence then is to recognize our God-Ness and to use our lives in the practice of that realization in influencing the path of the universe to our return, full circle, to our primary state. This existence, this universe, is but one manifestation of the idea of self. It is a playful diversion into which we have projected our Selves to experience the tremendous joy and beauty of Our innate ability to create. After all, what fun is there in creation if one cannot experience it. Of course, Joy cannot be perceived without differentiating it from what it is not. So we also have sadness and more. It is Our Consciousness, which allows us to see that sadness and other destructive phenomena are proof and support for our Joy and Happiness. Fore without differentiation, we could not manifest the Joy of creation.
Death
If We understand the nature of Birth, it then becomes a much simpler matter to comprehend what happens to us at death. Death is simply the reversal of the process and a return to Our innate Entity of Consciousness. There are a few labels for this original consciousness like "Ein Sof" in mystic Jewish Kabbalah and "Buddha" in Lotus Sutra Buddhism. God is a more splintered term with interpretations closer to the volition or a separate entity all together, as though some puppet master were toying with his home chemistry set and making sea monkeys for his own entertainment. God has in fact become an almost useless term with regard to the actual understanding of life and the universe. But, for those who define God as a primary force expanding through all phenomena and extant within and of Our lives today, we can make exception, and include this label for the conscious force of all potential in Wuji (Chinese) Ku (Japanese) Ein Sof (Hebrew) The Void (Various).
As attitude (consciousness) is an influence on the birth child, so too is it influential on the experience of death. If our attitude toward death is that we are going on to an unknowable place where entities will be reviewing every action of our lives to determine at their whim what is of merit and what was of unredeemable behavior to send us to myriad punishments or country clubs, We are bound to be consumed with anxieties and fear. This is politics, not philosophy. This attitude always produces tremendous stress and discomfort and prolongs the agony of the process of death because of the resistance to what can only be a horrifying unknown.
However, if One understands the nature of Our Consciousness and the purpose of joy in Our lives, then death is an opportunity to get on another ride! To rejoin with Our total consciousness and start another trip! Death becomes a bit of sadness as We prepare to leave the attachments We have made in this manifestation, and achieve the openness to begin anew in new circumstances, or to enjoy the potential of all phenomena in a state of inactive potential (Wuji, Ku, etc…). This is why detachment from material things is highly regarded and taught in spiritual teachings. The more clinging We are to material or physical phenomena, the more agony as the time of death approaches. That is not to say one cannot take pleasure in material things. It is in fact, one of the functions of our lives to experience joy. It is the attachment or expectation or belief that Our joy "comes from" the material phenomena that is the source of suffering. This is a misunderstanding. The physical world is Our creation, and therefore Ours to play with. The joy comes from Our experience of Our creation, not the material itself.
Due to the constant evolution of identity in this universe, we also are constantly evolving differentiation. More and more physical manipulation and manifestation add to our experience of the physical universe. The twentieth century alone was an unfathomable time of creation and manipulation. So much activity can shake Our identity and challenge Our perception of all phenomena. This is the reason that spiritual practice is of vital importance. It is Our nature to absorb the occurrences that surround us. It is in fact Our defined purpose to experience the grandeur of creation. This is what we call knowledge. Our attempts at remembering, collating, selecting and using choices within the great scope of phenomena is the way We determine the influence We will have upon the entirety of the universe. It is redundant to state the enormity of this task. But, it is in this task that We define Our specific identity, or in the universal perspective, the aspects of the whole which We will develop. This also is a spiritual task. To develop Our spiritual strength requires that We also maintain a strong mind and body. A Philosophy that does not teach all three is bound to fail in its mission. This is the reason that Quantum Life practice includes training for Body, Mind, and Spirit. To live a full, eventful, joyful, and beautiful life is the perfect compliment to a conscious birth and a conscious death.
With all my respect,
Reverend Sylvain Chamberland
BACKGROUND
This essay was composed in the course of the Reverend's teachings as the origins of life on a personal level predominate mortal consciousness either in birth or in death. Anticipating questions in this regard, the Reverend set pen to paper in order to assuage the fears of those reading and studying his teachings, as well as to leave a record of the true nature of both birth and death. In reading this essay one discovers that while the subject is certainly the process of both birth and death, the essay provides strong reasoning and exigencies to the way and reason to live a full life while developing all three aspects of life. The three aspects of life are presented in several ways in this essay and breakdown as follows: 1) Consciousness, 2) Duality of Body and 3) Mind. All three are essential to life. The only constant is Consciousness from which We derive Volition.
