I want to show you everything I needed to learn before I deserved to know anything, let alone something. I want to help you abstract every single part of your being until there is nothing left to abstract. That is, the abstraction of nothingness is all that is left to abstract. I want to remind you of the frailties of your mind, the fallibility of your beliefs and the paradoxical nature of remembering.
On your way back inside, you close the envelope, and then you close the door. You pause for a moment and recognise that your experience has just expressed the abstraction of ‘closing a thing’. Although there is no meaningful connection between the closing of the envelope and the closing of the door, you observe the expression of a thing being closed in two instances. This is by no means a revolutionary discovery, so you do not dwell on your findings, but instead you choose to become more observant of your surroundings. Who knows what can be found! You choose to become more observant in the hope that you can recognise more abstractions that are being expressed within the experience.
Before you change into the proper carnival attire, you close the curtains for some privacy. After grabbing a pair of socks you close the drawer and start putting on your boots. The thought appears once again, that the abstraction of ‘closing a thing’ has been expressed time after time. You grow weary of the pointless abstracting your mind seems to entertain, and decide to meditate in the hopes of calming your thoughts, so you close your eyes. Then, you get it.
Although you are not mesmerised by your ability to recognise repetitive expressions, you are intrigued by what can be uncovered regarding the patterns and the order in which things may or may not occur. To clarify, the abstraction of the ‘closing a thing’ is only one out of an infinite number of abstractions. Any thing and every thing that is able to be known in this experience can be abstracted. The only reason we are observing the experience is to form an understanding of what these abstractions mean and how to even find them.
The physical being must remember the infinite nature of The Awareness, always abstracting any concepts and ideas observed in the experience. Furthermore, in the same way you were able to transcend The Believer and The Knower to recognise yourself as The Awareness, you must attempt to not only abstract obvious concepts and ideas, but you must also abstract… abstractions! Should you recognise the abstraction of ‘two things side by side’ , or the abstraction of ‘a thing that is blue’, understand that each abstraction can always be further abstracted.
The Leprechaun in the experience expresses the abstraction of a Leprechaun. Accordingly, the Leprechaun is subject to the abstraction of a Leprechaun, and the abstraction of a Leprechaun is subject to an abstraction. What is an abstraction subject to?
Though it seems ridiculous, an abstraction is subject to the abstraction of an abstraction! This may remind you of the nature of The Awareness, in that it can forever be aware of itself! Ridiculously, the abstraction of an abstraction is subject to the abstraction of an abstraction of an abstraction. There is no use in diving deeper, for it is quite obvious that it can go on forever. However, we are looking for the abstraction of an experiential concept within the experience, but what is… experience?
Experience is simply what is known by The Knower, yet, its mere existence affects all things within it. All things abiding by and adhering to the laws of physics, as well as all people and corporations abiding by and adhering to the laws of the state. Experience itself is an abstraction! The concept of an abstraction is simply an expression of this known experience. Therefore, the abstraction of abstraction is the experience. But what does the experience express?
In the same way the Leprechaun is subject to the abstraction of a Leprechaun, the abstraction of a Leprechaun is subject to an abstraction, an abstraction is subject to the experience and the experience is subject to… no thing. How can experience itself have an abstraction, if the very fabrication of the concept of abstraction exists only within the experience?
In the same way the Leprechaun is subject to the abstraction of a Leprechaun, the experience is subject to The Knower. Without the abstraction of a Leprechaun, the Leprechaun could never be. Similarly, without The Knower, the experience could never be known. If the abstraction of abstraction is experience, does that make the abstraction of experience no one? That is, the abstraction of experience is The Knower, and The Knower is no one, no thing, no where only ever knowing, now.
In the observation of the carousel, you notice its cyclical nature, wherein every wooden horse will forever rotate, until each horse is back to the same place. Every wooden horse will rotate until each one is back to the same place, again, and again, and again, forever. You recognise the abstraction of a carousel. Just as well, you recognise how the wooden horses are expressing the abstraction of a carousel. Since you are now a professional in the art of recognising abstractions, you dig even deeper.
Though the immediate experiencing of a thing may not hold any significance or value, it is the abstraction of such experience that allows for a transcendental analysis. In this case, the unifying nature of the carousel is seen as an expression of the unifying nature of The Knower only ever knowing one experience, in which the abstraction of ‘two’ exists.
You recognised the abstraction of ‘not being amazed by a thing that has happened before’, and now understand that in the same way infinity is a point that can never be reached, the infinite nature of abstracting will only let you believe that you have it all figured out. In the same way the physical being cannot comprehend The Knower, you cannot out-abstract the infinite nature of abstracting, for you are an abstraction. You cannot transcend the nature of abstracting with abstracting, for you will still be abstracting!
After several rounds on the carousel, the ride ends and you walk away rather unimpressed with the experience, but elated with the revelations uncovered. As you continue exploring the carnival, you realise that your decision to observe the experience of the carousel allowed for a wondrous revelation. This revelation was that infinite and cyclical things are able to be observed finitely. That is, you allowed yourself, by deciding to ride the wooden horse, to recognise the abstraction of ‘observing a cyclical thing’.
Suddenly, a Jester appears. The Jester asks “Tis’ my recess, mind if I sit?” of course, you agree. At first, you find it odd that the Jester would even need a recess, for all it ever does is enjoy itself. The Jester wore the same motley colors which the passenger cars expressed, as well as the enormous circus tent whence the Jester came. You tried to gauge the abstraction of the Jester, before realising that the abstraction a Jester tends to express is simple: the abstraction of a joke.
A Jester is subject to and an expression of the abstraction of a joke. A joke is subject to and an expression of the illogical essence of The Knower. The Knower is subject to and an expression of the paradoxical nature of The Awareness. The Awareness is subject to and an expression of… itself! The Awareness is a joke, for it is both illogical and unreasonable, whether or not it is a funny joke is subjective.
The crowd roars with applause as the fellow makes it across the rope. You appreciate the expression you have come to realise, understanding the abstraction of balance. The abstraction of balance is not sparing with its expressions, but rather abundant in all the ways that it is expressed.
Though you are able to explore the abstraction of ‘not knowing’, you are more fascinated by the realisation that you either know, or you do not. You either have a question, or the answer. You either tell a joke, or wait for the punchline. You are either curious, or wise. You either believe, or have enough reason to doubt. The duality becomes clear again, yet what unifies the question and the answer is neither the question nor the answer, but rather the experiencing of both having a question, and finding the answer. What unifies the knowing and the not knowing is neither the knowing nor is it the not knowing, but rather the experiencing of both wanting to know, and knowing.
The domino pieces represent the abstractions and patterns in this cyclical, physical expression of life. Regardless of how unique the pieces may seem, they all belong to the same expression. The objective of every piece is to fall so that it can once again return to a perfect, standing equilibrium. Not only do the pieces express the abstractions and patterns of life, but also the abstraction of you.
The most important abstraction to become aware of is the abstraction of you. What is the abstraction that you have always seemed to express? In what way or manner do you choose to tackle obstacles and challenges? Is your expression of the ‘way or manner’ abstraction at all representative of how you choose to live your life? Similarly, is your expression of the ‘way or manner’ abstraction representative of how you choose to treat your friends and families? Is your expression of the ‘way or manner’ abstraction representative of how you choose anything? If this abstraction is the abstraction of you, are you able to predict what will happen next within the observation of your experience?
Find the joke in all that you have ever accomplished by not taking yourself too seriously. Why would you take yourself at all? You do not have the capacity to take, so stop taking yourself right now. Why is it that children long for the playground, but adults their grave? Or that the number two is one word? How can infinity be described with one symbol? There is one common abstraction among all these situations, the abstraction of ridiculousness. A ridiculousness that is essential in the pursuit of yourself, whose very nature is ridiculous.
You realise that the abstraction of the patterns in your thoughts are parallel to the score of the orchestra. Your experience is seen as one expression of the theatrics you have long admired. Not only does the score of the orchestra match the patterns of your thoughts, but also the abstraction of your progress of self discovery.
What is apparent now? The multiple expressions expressing the abstraction of ‘withering’ are apparent now, within the experience. You already know that it is important to stray away from the notion of sentimentality throughout the recognition of all the expressions. That is, all expressions of the abstraction of ‘withering’ must be recognised with the same apathy so as to not exaggerate the physical being’s illusory self-importance over the experience. All things within the experience hold exactly the same meaning, or exactly the same lack of meaning.
Instead of feeling pitiful toward a miserable situation, whether it be your health, current financial status or environment, understand that you are simply aware of many expressions expressing the abstraction of ‘feeling pitiful toward something’, one of which is the physical being’s state of mind. Always aim to transcend the experience’s attempts to distract you back into itself, by repetitively abstracting concepts and ideas until there is nothing left to abstract, apart from the untethered abstraction of an experience.
For example, the physical being may believe their withered state of mind is not an expression of their withered garden, or of their withering experience. Yet, regardless of what is believed, the abstraction of ‘withering’ is being expressed throughout the physical being, the garden and the experience.
You understand that within your recognition of the abstraction of ‘withering’ and its many expressions, things are withering. Some of the things are the physical being’s state of mind and health, their garden and the experience. You also understand that within the experience, any expression that the physical being is able to express is subject to the abstraction of the physical being. Similarly, the physical being is subject to the experience.
With these understandings, you are able to deduce that should you apply an abstraction, by expressing it within the experience, it will reverberate successive expressions. In other words, if you apply the abstraction of ‘growing’ to the experience, by expressing it through the ‘growing’ of a tree, a ‘growing’ of a plant or a ‘growing’ of some understanding, more expressions of the abstraction of ‘growing’ will begin to appear. It is important to note that though these expressions will appear, they will not do so by defying the laws of physics, nor the nature of the universe. Though these expressions will appear, they will not do so magically, or supernaturally.
For instance, a simple thought about the abstraction of ‘growing’ will not magically express the abstraction of ‘growing’, physically, throughout the experience. A simple thought will bring about a simple thought, and that is all. If you want to apply any abstraction, you must wilfully and physically express it throughout the experience. That is, you must express ‘growing’ in different aspects of your experience.
Before applying anything, you must know what it is you are applying to. Should you want to influence a withering experience to express the abstraction of ‘growing’ as opposed to the abstraction of ‘withering’, you must find as many expressions expressing the abstraction of ‘withering’. In other words, you must concentrate on the experience, and search for all situations, things or expressions alluding to the abstraction of ‘withering’. Whether it be a withering garden, a withering fence, a withering house, a withering state of mind or a withering experience, you must be aware of these expressions, for they are most important.
The purpose of this practice is to isolate all instances of the abstraction you are trying to influence. You are trying to find every single instance, or expression, of the abstraction of ‘withering’, so that there remain no expressions of ‘withering’ unknown. Why do you need to recognise all current expressions of the abstraction you are trying to influence? What does the abstraction of ‘withering’ have to do with the abstraction of ‘growing’?
In the same way you recognised abstractions and their many expressions when you first visited the annual carnival, you recognised the abstraction of ‘withering’ and its many expressions. In the same way all things dual are able to be expressed in unity, so too are the many expressions of abstractions. For example, though there are multiple islands, they are all a part of one ocean. In the same way, though there are multiple expressions of ‘withering’, they are all expressing one abstraction.
As long as there are expressions of an abstraction, the abstraction will continue to be expressed, or reverberated, throughout the experience. This means that as long as there are expressions expressing the abstraction of ‘withering’, the experience will continue to express, or reverberate, the abstraction of ‘withering’. Does this mean that you are doomed with whatever abstractions are present in your experience?
Where there is fear, you can find serenity. Where there is hatred, you can find love. Where there is chaos, you can find peace. Where there is a thing, you can find the opposite of it. That is, if there is an abstraction of ‘withering’, you can find the abstraction of ‘growing’. Where do you find it? Here. You can find the abstraction of ‘growing’ here, right now. You can find the abstraction of anything here. Whether you find such an abstraction within the knowing of a thought or the knowing of a physical experience, it remains true that the same abstraction is what is being expressed.
Even if you are unable to find expressions of the abstraction of ‘growing’ within the physical experience, you are able to find a thought expressing the abstraction of ‘growing’. This is done, of course, by using your imagination. By “using” your imagination, I mean knowing the experience of thought, in which imagination is entertained. Within imagination, any thing can be expressed, of course within the confines and limitations of thought. That is, you are able to imagine absolutely anything you are able to imagine.
If your experience is festering with expressions of ‘withering’, and you are unable to find any physical expression expressing the abstraction of ‘growing’, do not underestimate the power of imagination. Even if there is no physical expression of ‘growing’, you are still able to imagine a thing that is growing. You are able to imagine the expression of a thing, expressing the abstraction of ‘growing’.
The imagination, or knowing of a thought, is not more or less significant than the knowing of a physical experience. Similarly, the knowing of a thought expressing the abstraction of ‘growing’, is not more or less significant than the knowing of a physical experience in which a thing is expressing the abstraction of ‘growing’. The Knower cannot know significance, but rather The Knower knows the experience in which a thing may or may not be deemed more or less significant than another thing.
Weeks go by and your withered garden is no more. When you step outside of your cabin, you are greeted with vibrant, blossoming flowers, a glistening cobblestone path and a fence whose iron gate could stand in heavy rain and thunderous hail. You are delighted with the growth of your progress, and you are delighted with the growth of your delight. It seems as though the abstraction of ‘withering’ has withered away, leaving room for the abstraction of ‘growth’ to grow.
What does it cost the physical being to exist within the experience in which a beautiful garden belongs? What did it cost the physical being to exist within the experience in which a withering garden belonged? What did it cost the physical being to exist within the experience at all? The physical being is not able to escape the expressiveness of the experience, for without the experience, the physical being could not be. In other words, if the experience expressed the abstraction of ‘withering’, and the physical being is subject to the experience, they too will inevitably express the abstraction of ‘withering’.
The physical being will express whatever the experience is expressing, inevitably. That is, unless the physical being is willing to go against the grain. In other words, the physical being will express whatever the experience is expressing, unless they are willing to contradict the experience’s current disposition. If the experience is expressing the abstraction of ‘withering’, displeasing the physical being, the physical being is able to force themself to express the abstraction of ‘growth’ within the experience.
The physical being must express the abstraction of ‘growth’ in any instance of the experience which evidently expresses the abstraction of ‘withering’. This is no easy feat, as the whole experience will be against you, until it is not. The whole experience will be against you, as you will be against it. If you are displeased with its current withering disposition, or whichever abstraction it is so prevalently expressing, you must do what you can to create or influence as many instances as possible, wherein the abstraction of ‘growth’ is expressed.
What did you have to sacrifice before your garden expressed the abstraction of ‘growth’? How much time did you spend outside in the scorching sun? How much discipline did you have to develop? How difficult was it? Since you challenged the experience’s disposition, it challenged you. It did not allow you to get what you wanted simply by imagining it. It did not allow you to get what you wanted simply by desiring it. It needed you to prove to it that you were deserving, against all odds, and only then would it comply with your desire.
Should you have stayed inside, day after day, not at all putting in the effort to improve your garden, the experience would have remained the same, unchanged. That is, the experience in which a withering garden belongs. Even if you had not put in any effort at all and imagined or desired the expression of the abstraction of ‘growth’, no thing would have changed. To change any thing within the experience, you must express some thing within the experience to influence change.
The crowd is excited and enjoying the entertainment, the perfect expression for The Awareness that is aware of the ridiculous chaos unfolding at the old bazaar. You remember that it is not two awareness’ that are each aware of one physical being, but rather one Awareness aware of countless experiences, one of which is you. You recognise the abstraction of conflict, first expressed by the merchant and the thief, and then by the preacher and the unholy.