}
“a devil worth its salt would have endless avenues of deception”...
I’ll be referencing a segment with Sam Harris and Rupert Spira linked HERE…
First, from almost every Christian perspective they are both wrong and are creating another false choice within epistemology via ‘structural false dichotomies’–so intentional misdirection? Perhaps, but there is no way to know their motivations and whether they are lying–one or the other, or both. From the Christian perspective, the adversary comes in the form of false light.
For the record, I’ve experienced non-dual states of being, but I would never espouse rhetoric from those experiences in which I declare any definitive knowledge about any greater reality or metaphysics. To do so, in my opinion, is to elevate human phenomenology far past any reasonably knowable epistemology in the larger cosmic sense. To do so is a type of conflation. These experiences within human consciousness could be local to this earth, our solar system, our galaxy, or the universe within a multiverse–there is no way to know what this consciousness is in totality. Moreover, this segment doesn’t cover the ground of multi-dimensionality and whether sentient beings of another nature exist within them. They do, in my opinion. So there is a ‘state’ dimensional divide within metaphysics. Humans have access to multiple states of experience including non-dual states (which isn’t a state) but some are also able to access a multi-dimensional divide. And don’t get me on any possible extraterrestrial involvement on this earth as it isn’t a far leap from Spira to Icke.
From the Christian Gnostic perspective, the claims of non-duality are another Luciferian gambit wherein *humans can claim to be God. In our view, there is a chasm between this demiurgic construct and the ultimate Godhead or the Pleroma and that chasm is a metaphysical divide not bridged by human phenomenology in the way non-dual schools assert. There is also the separate issue of spiritual idealism and whether the material world is a mirage of the mind or a simulation. I reject the simulation theory as I see no way that an avatar like Super Mario could know it was an avatar let alone do anything about it if it could find out. I do agree with Spira though that all experiences arise within consciousness, we simply don’t have enough data to make definitive declarations about reality on the cosmic scale.
If Spira were correct, though, I don’t see much room in getting around the fact that modern materialist academies are pontificating a false religion to the masses. If everything is mind then surely physics is in a terribly delusional state. See Theoria Apophasis in this regard. And this comment by a Youtuber sarita joshi
Most people here are failing to understand Sam’s position. Consider this: Suppose there were an objective reality and consciousness was somehow an emergent phenomenon of that objective reality, *how would your subjective experience be any different than it is now? Subjectively, everything would still appear in consciousness and no matter what we studied (objects appearing in consciousness) consciousness would still be the filter through which we’d know anything. Even in that universe, nothing about the experience of “oneness” would reveal to you anything about the objective reality. That is what Sam is trying to get at. That subjective experience of oneness alone is insufficient to make a definite claim about THE OBJECTIVE REALiTY. Now it is entirely possible that we can combine subjective & objective means (physics) to come to know about the objective reality but it is also possible we may never get to know anything about the objective reality. It may be beyond our capacity. I’m agnostic on this issue. Before you start hating me, I should say none of this takes anything away from spiritual experience. It is the most important thing one can wake up to. I have had psychedelics in the past and I practice meditation as well and I consider that we are all spiritual beings. Having said that, I’m open to the idea that consciousness might be the basis of objective reality and I do appreciate the fact that some scientists and philosophers like david hoffman and david chalmers for example take the notion of consciousness being a fundamental force seriously. We need people investigating this claim without blindly accepting the idea. In the end, I would say, dogmatism on both sides, be it hardcore materialists, who are convinced that brain produces consciousness and on the other end, some people in psychedelics/spiritual circle who think that experience of oneness alone is a sufficient basis for coming to the conclusion that consciousness is fundamental to the objective reality are both in the end, mirror images of each other. If the experience of oneness tells me something, it’s that consciousness is a deep mystery.
I self-describe as an Agnostic Christian Gnostic so I agree with the assessment above that ultimate reality is beyond the comprehension of humans and that we only have a tiny sliver of knowledge even at our best. But the Christian Gnostic part is about the history, tradition, and teachings of this spiritual view which posits duality as real. If there is a metaphysical chasm between the Pleroma and the demiurgic construct then they aren’t one in the sense of non-duality–which is one spiritual view among millions of spiritual views over the past 10,000 years. The second issue is the mind/matter dichotomy and because I’m not an idealist I also think there is a division there, too…So, bartender, I’ll have a Double Dualist!
In the end, most of my blogging goes to the question of How Should We Live as dogmatic assertions within metaphysics doesn’t get us anywhere but are endless debates going on for millennia. However, the misuse of dogmatic metaphysics within society is a huge problem and disastrous to those at the wrong end of these pontifications as exampled in the caste system and the neo-caste system of our current Kabbalist/Freemasonic rule. The massive amount of homelessness today juxtaposed to predatory and usurious economics isn’t a random coincidence and is arising alongside the nondual teachings once again. That alone is a HUGE red flag! Not to mention that modern economics is built on pyramid and ponzi schemes and inflation is once again starting to run amok. The predatory nature of the government’s policies towards a flu virus is wiping out small businesses at an unprecedented scale and people like myself are now experiencing the doubling of rents within a decade. My ‘dumpy little 1BDR. apt.’ that rented for 750.00 a decade ago can only be replaced with a least 1400.00 worth of rent now. Rent-seeking economics is now a disaster for the average person.
NOTE:* Rupert’s claim of ‘I Am God’ doesn’t have any real-life utility and let me unpack what I mean by that. Compare these two interocular’s lives and you’ll likely find no discernible differences that could demonstrate and justify the claim of being god. So, to say so, within that context, is somewhat meaningless. It would be one thing if Spira could demonstrate some sort of ‘supernatural’ ability but he can’t. So the claim is simply nothing other than a rhetorical device within the inquiry of metaphysics.
As a poetic metaphor, I’m totally okay with it…But that’s as far as it should be taken unless the claim is backed by something more than words.
NOTE:* I’d disagree on this point IF idealism were true. I don’t see how materialist science is accurate if the non-dual schools are correct. I touched on this earlier.