Contents
The Leprechaun
After leaving the inn, you walk back to the crossroads that allowed you to recognise the ‘change in direction’ abstraction. While enjoying a hefty beef stew at the local inn, you had enough time to ponder the nature of abstractions and their ability to be abstracted, forever. This realisation irks you well, because it has now become all you are able to ponder.
As you near the town centre, you notice the beautiful cathedrals, glazed with mosaic and built with rigour. The skies are gleaming and the clouds unseen. While approaching the entrance to the carnival, you find the gates are closed. A short, burly Leprechaun stood to the fore of the barred entrance and proclaimed “Should you enter, bear in mind the secrets eerie you may find. And know you must forsake your will to leave behind your troubles still. So please be welcome, please allow the endless journey, starting now!”
As the Leprechaun hails you in, you notice it flipping a domino piece as if it were a silver coin. You ask “What is the significance of this piece you entertain?”. The Leprechaun slowly looks at the ground and snidely remarks “Everything!” You have no idea what this means, so you let it go. The rusted gates open at last, allowing you entry into Carnival Islands’ annual carnival.
Not appreciating the Leprechaun’s dull and dreary character, you speculate its short-witted nature. As soon as the speculation appears as a thought, you realise that not only was the Leprechaun’s wit short, but so too was its height! You have found two expressions of the ‘short’ abstraction, though you are finding it difficult to find any more. Thankfully, the ordeal with the Leprechaun was only a short interaction.
Though these examples are simple, it is crucial to delve into the different abstractions the experience seems to express. This is important because once you become proficient in recognising expressions and the abstractions they are expressing, you will be required to once again, transcend. You will be required to transcend the abstractions by further abstracting them!
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?
Once again, the paradoxical nature of The infinite Awareness is demonstrated through what seems to be finite concepts and ideas. Although there is no abstraction that could exist outside of the experience, the experience is subject to The Knower, to which it is known.
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.
Because The Knower does not and cannot exist, it has both never been, and yet, it will forever be. In other words, The Knower knows, now, and now is forever. Within the infinite, formless forever, the experience is known. Within the infinite forever, the experience creates the concept of time within itself. The experience elongates the one, eternal moment of now, into what seems to be in a ‘time’ between the past and the future, but The Knower knows no past and no future. Within the formless forever, the experience creates the concept of space within itself, expanding the one, boundless whereabouts of here, into what only seems to be between no where and somewhere.
The experience is subject to The Knower, and is just as well a tiny expression of the infinite essence of The Knower, veiled in finite understanding. That is, though infinite concepts do exist within the experience, it is a form of infinity that is only able to be accepted, instead of being reached. Yet, The Knower is always reaching infinity, for The Knower is no where, now, meaning The Knower is infinitely no where and infinitely now.
However, through our exploration of the nature of The Awareness, what we have learned about the paradoxical nature of infinity is that what is, also is not. In other words, although The Knower is no where, The Knower is also here! In the same way The Knower is now, The Knower is also never!
The experience is an infinitesimally small expression of the essence of The Knower, where time is finite, things may or may not begin and end, and space is limiting. The abstraction of the experience is The Knower, yet The Knower is no thing, therefore it cannot be an abstraction. However, we must understand that since language exists within the experience, it superimposes the limitations bestowed upon it by the experience, on The Knower, disavowing any truths we may aim to find.
We must understand that although The Knower is no thing, and does not have the capacity of being an abstraction, since The Knower only ever knows, we must consciously remember and accept that it cannot be an abstraction. However, we are able to say that the experience expresses the infinite essence of The Knower, rather than The Knower itself. Instead of labelling no things, like The Knower and The Awareness, as abstractions, we can assume that they are being expressed by some thing. Therefore, it follows that the infinite essence of The Knower expresses The Knower, but what is The Knower expressing?
We have established that The Knower can never know itself, for it is no thing. Therefore, if The Knower tried to know itself, it would know nothing. What is The Knower expressing? Once again, we are faced with the issue of concepts from within the experience superimposing their limitations on what transcends the experience, namely The Knower. Yet, The Knower must be an expression of… well, not something and not nothing.
If there is no something and no nothing and no knowing, what remains? The Awareness! In the same way the experience is an expression of the infinite essence of The Knower, The Knower is an expression of the unfathomable nature of The Awareness. Without The Awareness, The Knower cannot be, for there will be no awareness of the knowing. Yet, without The Awareness, there is still The Awareness of no awareness. Therein lies the paradox! The unfathomable, ridiculous and infinite nature of The Awareness.
The Awareness is not necessarily the abstraction The Knower is expressing, for it cannot be an abstraction. It is better to say that The Knower is expressing The Awareness, and is subject to The Awareness. Similarly, it can be said that all things and all no things are expressions of the unfathomable and infinite nature of The Awareness.
An example of an expression of the unfathomable and infinite nature of The Awareness can be seen within The Knower. The Knower is infinite, for it is neither bound by time nor space. The Knower is infinite in that it can know any thing. Yet, what is unfathomable… is The Knower! It can never know itself, for it is no thing and no thing cannot be known. The ridiculous nature of The Knower is that though it is only ever able to know, it can never know itself.
However, The Awareness is always aware of itself, even when it is not. The Awareness is both absolute and not absolute. The Awareness is, and is not. The Knower may be infinite, but it can neither know itself nor The Awareness. The Knower is subject to The Awareness, and in the same way, the experience is subject to The Knower. The Knower is an expression of the unfathomable nature of The Awareness, and in the same way, the experience is an expression of the infinite essence of The Knower.
Examples of expressions of the infinite essence of The Knower within the experience are eyes that cannot see themselves, seeing and hearing thoughts that cannot be seen nor heard and our inability to understand what cannot be understood. In the same way The Knower is knowing, a physical being within the experience is experiencing. At this point, it should become apparent that all things and all no things express the nature of what they are subject to.
The Awareness is what is aware. The Awareness is what is. All things are expressions of what they are subject to, as well as all the expressions expressed from the very thing that was expressed… The Awareness! What does The Awareness express? The Awareness. Yet, all things and all no things express the infinite and unfathomable nature of The Awareness.
It is not the finding of a place that is no where that a physical being must do, but rather it is the acceptance that such a place cannot be found. You must understand that there is no point in looking for what cannot be found nor seen. Similarly, once the Leprechaun accepts the infinite and unfathomable nature of The Awareness, it will finally align itself with the nature of The Awareness.
It is helpful to recognise abstractions that express an infinite and paradoxical nature, so that we can delve into them and understand infinity and paradoxes from within the experience. How can we delve even deeper? How can you recognise complex abstractions within your experience? Have you gone to the Ticket Seller yet?
The Ticket Seller
All things are expressions, in that any thing within the experience is either expressing some thing or no thing. As we transcend the experience, we cannot label The Knower or The Awareness with an experiential concept, for they are not within the experience. Instead, we are able to deduce that the experience is an expression of the infinite nature of The Knower, and The Knower is an expression of the infinite, unfathomable and paradoxical nature of The Awareness.
After spending so much time in the queue for the Ticket Seller, you realise that should there be countless expressions, the nature of The Awareness would be expressed in every possible way, infinitely. This boggles your mind, but you finally get to the front of the line. To your surprise, the same Leprechaun sits behind the ticket booth, this time with a necklace and a domino-shaped pendant. You ask “Aren’t you the one who let me in through the gate?” Displeased, the Leprechaun says “Forgot me again, huh? Here’s your ticket, enjoy the rides… but beware!”
Confused, you walk away and place the ticket in your pocket, ready to enjoy the carnival. You remember that the Leprechaun at the entrance of the carnival also had a domino. Although, it was not wearing it as a necklace. You recognise an abstraction, the ‘leprechaun with a domino’. That is, you have now recognised two expressions of a Leprechaun with a domino.
You are pleased with your recognition of abstractions and their repetitive expressions. The abstraction of ‘repetition’ is another expression of The Awareness, since The Awareness is aware of itself, repeatedly and eternally. You are starting to realise that through the abstracting of the experience, there are patterns and characteristics, like repetition and expressiveness, that are always present. That is, the very observation that they are always present is an expression of The Awareness always being aware and The Knower always knowing.
Most abstractions are so obvious that you have always been familiar with them. You have always been so familiar with these abstractions that you never needed to delve into their expressions. Yet, this level of obviousness and familiarity is an expression of how aware The Awareness is of itself. This begs the question, in your experience, how often do you remember that you are always aware?
You have at times forgotten the nature of The Awareness, although it is always aware. If a physical being forgets the nature of The Awareness, The Awareness does not stop being aware. Its awareness is independent of any thing or any no thing. It is simply, always aware, eternally and forever, now.
You realise that how familiar you are with your own experience is an expression of familiarity. You realise that how familiar you are with your own physical appearance is also an expression of familiarity. You realise that all expressions of familiarity allude to the infinite nature of The Awareness. Are all things and all nothings simply expressions of the unfathomable and infinite nature of The Awareness? You choose not to assume. Instead, you think it wise to explore the carnival in the hopes of recognising all of its expressions.
As you scour the carnival, you come upon a harlequin fashioned merry-go-round. You are sane enough to realise that it would be ridiculous for you to stand in line for this ride, as it is commonly known as an attraction for small leprechauns, not you. Instantly, you relate this ‘ridiculousness’ to the nature of The Awareness, in that it is always aware of itself, even when it is not.
How does ridiculousness express The Awareness? You remember transcending The Knower by becoming aware of The Knower. Since you were aware of The Knower, you could not be The Knower. Then you recognised that you are The Awareness. In the recognition of yourself, The Awareness, you recognised that you are aware of The Awareness, which meant you could not be The Awareness… yet you are. That is ridiculous!
Your recognition of ridiculousness in the experiencing of the carousel is an expression of the ridiculous and paradoxical nature of The Awareness. Although it may not have been obvious at first, you are finally recognising the expressive nature of all things and all nothings.
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.
You recognise that although there are multiple wooden horses, they are all moving in unison. In the same way, you recognise that although there are multiple wooden horses, some that look completely different, they are all a part of the same carousel, which unifies their dualistic nature. The carousel unifies the wooden horses in the same way The Knower knows one unified experience in which the concept of duality exists.
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 are pleased with your new found ability to repeatedly abstract a simple concept, like a carousel, and find an expressiveness that is expressing the ridiculous and infinite nature of The Awareness. You have come far. Unfortunately, you have not come far enough to be immune to the menace of embarrassment, so you decide that you will not ride the carousel. However, the idea of a carousel intrigues you, and you ponder how far you can go in the recognition of its many expressions.
This inspires you to abstract your experience with the Ticket Seller, wherein you were told to ‘beware’, but beware of what? Regardless of how dangerous the carnival seemed, you decided that the fun far outweighed the terror. Though you understand the fright that can befall you, you are prepared to cast aside your peacefulness. But what does this mean? Why does it matter? The thought wanders from your mind.
Are you able to abstract any thing and always find expressions of The Awareness? What about all nothings? Are you able to abstract the physical being you are aware of and find expressions of The Awareness? Well, the answer to the last question is easy: Yes! That is exactly what you have been doing this entire time, all the way from believing you were The Believer to recognising yourself as The Awareness.
Hold on.. what are you doing? Why are you lining up for the carousel?
The Carousel
After realising that you have come far in the recognition of abstractions and their many expressions, you decide to overcome your fear of looking ridiculous and line up for the carousel. As you stand in line, you recognise the abstraction that is ‘standing in line’, and further abstract it to be ‘waiting to be let in to somewhere’. As you make this realisation, you remember standing outside the gates of the carnival, when you first saw the Leprechaun.
At this point, you are not as surprised with the recognition of an abstraction’s repeated expressiveness, for you have already clobbered your mind with the mallet of abstracting, so this is no bother. Upon reaching the front of the line, you see the Leprechaun from the entrance of the carnival and from the ticket booth. You do not question the Leprechaun, since you are used to seeing them everywhere, always pretending to be someone else. Suddenly, you recognise the most complex abstraction yet.
You realise that in the same way you are not amazed by the repeated recognition of the abstraction that is ‘waiting to be let in to somewhere’, you are also not amazed by the repeated recognition of ‘recognising the Leprechaun’. You laugh, because though you understand the infinite nature of abstracting abstractions, you have just experienced it, or rather recognised it for the first time.
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!
In the same way that abstractions can forever be abstracted, The Knower always knows and The Awareness is always aware. In the same way abstractions can abstract abstractions recursively and forever, The Awareness is aware of The Awareness recursively and forever. You start to appreciate abstractions as a medium through which physical concepts and ideas can be expressed and related back to The Awareness, which all things express. Instead of only ever being aware of the knowing of the experience, you are now able to delve into the experience and use the concept of ‘abstracting’ to analyse and break apart, as well as unify, any and every concept and idea you may or may not come upon.
You look around until you find a wooden horse whose artistry you fancy, and you prepare yourself for the ride. As you climb upon the worthy steed, you understand that this is the wooden horse that you picked. This horse being picked was no coincidence. In the same way The Knower does not have the capacity to experience a coincidence, you have aligned your observation of the experience with the essence of The Knower and the nature of The Awareness. You have aligned yourself, in that though you may believe you are experiencing a coincidence, what is happening is simply happening.
You understand that you picked a specific wooden horse, but it is the horse you would have picked. You understand that there is no point in pondering what you could or should have done, for it is already done. In the same regard, you let go of all regrets, for any thing you might or might not have done, you did or did not do. You understand that although it may be fun to entertain the possibility of other realities, wherein you may have done a thing differently, it is pointless to dwell on the outcome, since what you did do, is what you would have done.
You sit on the wooden saddle and feel the sudden movement of the carousel, though it fails to elate you. For some reason, you are the only one on the ride. You patiently wait as the carousel finishes one cycle and goes into the next. You are curious as to whether or not you are able to abstract the physicsl being on the carousel. The abstraction you come up with is one that expresses the ‘returning to the same point, but at a different time’ abstraction, representing the cyclical nature of the carousel.
Just as the wooden horse you have mounted returns to the same point it used to be in, you recognise other expressions of the same abstractions. Every day the sun rises and falls, yet every day is a different ‘time’, within the knowing of experience. In the same way, every year you celebrate your birthday, returning to the same point on the calendar, but you are always older, growing in ‘time’.
You realise that though the sun rising is able to be understood by finite means, only the localisation of its cyclical nature is being understood finitely. The very nature of the sun is to rise so that it can fall, and fall so that it can rise. It is an expression of a paradoxical infinity, expressing the nature of The Awareness. In the immediate experiencing of sunrise or nightfall, it is easy to forget transcendental abstracting and believe that what is being observed is finite, rather than remembering that what is being observed is an expression of infinity being observed finitely.
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’.
The first expression which expressed this abstraction was you observing the cyclical movement of the carousel. The second expression was the revelation that infinite and cyclical things are able to be observed finitely. You found that in the same way you allowed yourself to observe the ‘observing a cyclical thing’, The Knower allowed the physical being to do… anything. The Knower allowed the physical being to do, by knowing them into existence.
Without The Knower to know this experience, it could not be known. Yet, without The Awareness, there can be no awareness of The Knower. You understand that deciding to ride the carousel allowed you to further express the ‘observing a cyclical thing’ abstraction, in the same way The Knower knowing this experience allowed you to exist within it. That is, purposely or unconsciously expressing a specific abstraction allowed for the abstraction to reverberate throughout your experience, expressing itself in some way or another.
However, it is beneficial to first understand what a “reverberation” is, before exploring its properties. The Oxford Dictionary defines “reverberation” as:
reverberation: a loud noise that continues for some time after it has been produced because of the surfaces around it.
A reverberation is what grants an ‘echo’ its ability to reverberate. If you were in an empty room and made a sound, depending on the loudness of the sound, the noise would bounce off the surfaces around it and continue to echo. It would continue to echo until it dissolved, and all that is left is silence.
Is it beneficial that we delve into the expressions of abstractions in the pursuit of clarity? Can you instantiate reverberations? Do all abstractions reverberate? If so, how many expressions can an abstraction reverberate throughout? Why is the queue for the Ferris Wheel so long?
The Ferris Wheel
Somehow, you are still able to enjoy the festivities of the carnival, even though you are viciously exercising every thought that appears in your mind. As you line up for the Ferris Wheel, you stand behind a tiny group of Leprechauns. One of the little Leprechauns is sitting cross legged on the ground. The little Leprechaun is placing domino pieces in a row and watching them all fall down after hitting the initial domino. The little Leprechaun keeps doing the same thing, over and over again. Every time the dominos fell, the little Leprechaun would stand them up, only to make them fall, all over again.
You remember your desire to abstract reverberations, and realise that dominos are the perfect example. You know that once the dominos are standing in a line, should a domino fall, all subsequent pieces will follow. That is, as soon as the initial piece has toppled over, all subsequent pieces will follow.
You understand this quite easily. However, what you do not understand is the purpose behind the little Leprechaun repeating the same thing, over and over again. Why would anyone entertain such an inconsequential, menial and repetitive task? Suddenly you remember that you have just finished riding the carousel, which is an inconsequential, menial and repetitive task.
Yet, from such an inconsequential, menial and repetitive task, you were able to discover the most astounding revelation yet. You were able discover an abstraction’s reverberation throughout many expressions. You recognise the ‘doing something for no reason’ abstraction and attribute the first expression to your riding of the carousel, and the second expression to the little Leprechaun playing with its domino set.
Yet, you realise that for as long as you can remember, you have always been doing things for no reason, other than for the doing of a thing. In the same way the little Leprechaun plays with its dominos because it is playing with its dominos, you rode the carousel because you rode the carousel. You remember that a physical being who aligns themself with the infinite and unfathomable nature of The Awareness cannot reason, but only ever be. In the same way, The Awareness can only ever be aware, for no reason other than because it is aware. The Awareness is aware because it is awareness.
You recognise that the little Leprechaun playing with its dominos for no reason is an expression of the infinite and non-reasoned nature of The Awareness. It is only aware because… it is aware! In the same way, The Knower is knowing the experience for no reasonother than the knowing of experience. You find a correlation between the concept of ‘fun’ and the non-reasoned nature of The Knower and The Awareness. What is the purpose of having fun, if not for the purpose of having fun?
You make the greatest revelation yet. In the same way you have come to the carnival, simply to enjoy, you have appeared in this experience, wherein the concept of ‘fun’ exists, simply to enjoy. After racking your analytical mind in the pursuit of finding abstractions, you become even more curious in regards to the significance of Leprechauns and their dominoes, but not enough to ask.
The line moves along and it is finally your turn to get into a passenger car. It is roofed with a soft fabric, boasting stripes of red and white. As you get ushered in, you sit in the middle of the car and wait patiently for the ride to begin. Every other minute, the Ferris Wheel rotates, allowing each subsequent car to enjoy a high-rise view of the carnival below.
Some time passes and you have observed what you now understand as the reverberation of cars being rotated, one by one. Yet, every time a car rotates, every subsequent car follows. You recognise that there is no difference between the expression of the Ferris Wheel and the expression of the dominos.
When it is your turn for your car to observe the carnival from the highest point, you look down, and make the most ridiculous, yet plausible relation. When you first entered the carnival, your point of view of all the attractions was from the perspective of someone on ground level. This is by no means revolutionary. Yet, as you explored more and more of the carnival and its attractions, you were able to reach a point so high, that it allowed you to see everything!
In the same way, when you first began abstracting concepts, starting with the ‘closing a thing’ abstraction, you possessed a very low understanding of the abstractions present in your experience. However, as you explored more and more of the abstractions and their many expressions, you were able to reach a level or recognition so high, that it allowed you to see everything!
You recognise the ‘exploring something until you reach a high point of understanding’ abstraction. The first expression of it being the entire experience at the carnival thus far, and the second expression being your ability to recognise ambiguous and repetitive abstractions throughout their many expressions! You understand that you deciding to go to the carnival allowed you to both reach a higher physical recognition of the carnival, as well as reach a higher metaphysical recognition of your experience.
At this point, the realisations are just ridiculous, but you cannot stop. You understand that in the same way you decided to ride the carousel, which afforded you an astounding revelation, you decided to come to the carnival, which afforded you an astounding revelation. The recognition of the ‘deciding to do something, resulting in astounding revelation’ abstraction was too much to analyse, and too much to ponder. Finally, you decide to stop trying to abstract every thing you come across, because if you tried, you could abstract forever... which is an expression of the infinite nature of The Awareness. You get the point.
You get off the ride and decide that you would like to rest for a while, since you are knackered from all the abstracting. You still have much to enjoy, so you would like to clear your mind. You find a wooden park bench in a quiet area, so you take advantage of its serenity and take a seat. Then, you realise that you took both ‘the advantage of the seat’ and ‘a seat’. At this point, the relations you are unconsciously recognising are ridiculous.
In the distance, the marching band starts to play. You notice the pace at which each individual is stepping is synonymous with the rhythm of the music. You are seeing expressions of abstractions and reverberations of abstractions everywhere. It is as if the carnival is aware of your harmonious abstracting, and it has chosen to give you a helping hand by placing everything in the perfect place at the perfect time. Yet, all you have done is buy a ticket, ride the carousel, ride the Ferris Wheel, and sit on a bench. There is nothing spectacular about that. Is there?
What is so spectacular about the recognition of abstractions and reverberations? What is so special about being able to recognise abstractions from the expression of any thing? What is so great about being able to correlate abstractions within the experience to the essence of The Knower or the nature of The Awareness?
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.
How do you abstract a joke? Firstly, what makes a joke, a joke? The punchline. Well, what is a punchline? The Oxford Dictionary definition of the word “punchline” is:
punchline: the last few words of a joke that make it funny.
If a punchline makes a joke funny, and is commonly the last few words of a joke, can the joke be any thing at all until it has to be funny? Can the joke be terrifying, and only funny when the punchline comes in? Can the joke be heartbreaking, and only funny when the punchline comes in? Can the joke be painful, and only funny when the punchline comes in?
A joke is more often than not ridiculous, so what makes something ridiculous? Well, the ridiculousness of a thing is dependant on the level of absurdity it alludes to. The Oxford Dictionary defines “absurd” as:
absurd: extremely silly; not logical and sensible.
So, a joke can be ridiculous, illogical and insensible. Instantly, you get it, but only because you can’t. That is, you remember the essence of The Knower, in that you are unable to comprehend The Knower, for The Knower is no thing, no where and only ever knowing, now. You understand the essence of The Knower, but you can never comprehend The Knower. Therefore, you get it, but only because you can’t.
Similarly, The Knower is only ever knowing, but if it was to know itself, it would know nothing, for it is no thing. If it tried to find itself, it would find nothing, for it is no where. If it tried to recognise itself, it would recognise nobody, for it is no one. The Knower is always knowing, yet it can never know itself. That is, the essence of The Knower is illogical because it does not have the capacity to be logical, or to know itself. In the same way, The Awareness is illogical in that, The Awareness is aware of The Awareness, so it cannot be The Awareness… but it is. How illogical!
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.
You are pleased with this revelation, but want to know what the Jester has to say. You turn to the Jester and ask “Are there any jokes you don’t understand?” The Jester stands up, preparing itself to go back to the circus as its recess is complete. Before walking off, it smiles and says “Of all the jokes and jests, tis’ I the one I cannot know.”
Unsure of the punchline, you try to decipher what you assume is the Jester’s attempt at a joke. Your mind is thinking at a hundred miles per hour, trying to find different ways to make sense of the joke, but to no avail. Then you remember, that in the same way The Knower is unable to be known, and The Awareness is unfathomable, there is no point in trying to comprehend a joke that not even the Jester can understand. That is, the Jester not being able to understand itself, is an expression of The Knower never being able to know itself. The punchline is that the punchline does not exist, yet it does, for the punchline is that the punchline does not exist.
The Circus
How ridiculous that the ‘I’ that knows, cannot know itself? Why is it unable to be known? Why? Where is I? Where am I? Why am I? Who am I? You ponder, you wonder, but to no avail, for there is no thing to remember, so how can it be remembered? You find your way through the bazaar and to the circus, accepting that you are unable to avoid any more of these ridiculous, yet undeniable revelations. You wonder if all experiences share a similarity in the presence of abstractions, and why you have never recognised them at all, until now.
As you enter the colossal tent, roofed with fabric red and white, you seat yourself among the hoards of people eager for the spectacles to begin. The crowd surrounds the peripheries of the tent, looking down at the lowly stage as a spellbinding melody sings. A bright light seeps through the centre, illuminating two performers dressed in leotards. Each standing still, untouched by the other, their hands converge and the two become one. What was once infallibly dual, came to form a symbol of unity. The unification of two bodies to demonstrate one expression.
You ponder the mesmerising dance, and how the two became one. Are two performers two performers, or one pair? Are two things that are seen two things that are seen, or one sight? Is two two, or one number? Why do you have two eyes, but see one picture? Why do you have two ears, but hear one song? Is there anything that cannot be unified? Is there anything that cannot be? Is there anything?
In the remembrance of the nature of The Awareness, you follow the chain of consciousness all the way back to The Believer. You remember how you used to believe that the separation of things was undeniable. As you progressed and deconstructed your interpretation of what was assumed to be reality, you found that it was only your interpretation of a reality, hindered by beliefs, assumptions and sentimental attachments. In the dissecting of your being, you understood that there was never a physical being and a physical world, but rather one awareness aware of one knowing of one experience. There is only ever one awareness, regardless of what it is aware of.
You recognised the experience from the knowing of The Knower, and The Knower from the awareness of The Awareness. Yet, in the recognition of The Believer, The Knower and The Awareness, you were only ever one. That is, in the beginning you were one physical being believing. Then, you were The Knower knowing. Finally, you recognised yourself as The Awareness, which is only ever aware.
In the recognition of The Awareness, you were able to observe the nature of The Awareness, which was infinite, paradoxical, illogical and unfathomable. However, you also understood that there was no separation in awareness, but only one awareness of the knowing of an experience in which dual concepts exist.
In this experience, wherein many expressions of duality exist, the nature of the physical world inevitably alludes to a oneness. May there be a thousand islands, all a part of one Earth. May there be a thousand planets, all a part of one cosmos. May there be a thousand galaxies, all a part of one universe. May there be a thousand universes, all a part of one awareness.
Although it feels as though you are amongst the eager crowd, you do not see the acrobatic spectacle through your eyes, but simply through the formless knowing, wherein abstractions of unity are expressed with expressions of duality, and vice versa. You understand that what is seen with your eyes, is no more than an expression of the knowing.
In what way would you see a thing? In exactly the way that you would see a thing. Seeing is to knowing what the physical being is to the Knower. Seeing is to knowing what instruments are to an orchestra. Seeing is to knowing what books are to literature.
You realise that seeing is but one expression of knowing, coupled with the expression of hearing, smelling, touching and tasting. As erratic thoughts seize your mind, you realise that they too are expressions of the knowing. Yet, regardless of all the different expressions of knowing, both physical and of the mind, you understand that this experience is one expression of the knowing. You cannot see duality anymore, but only a unified experience. There is no more something and no more nothing, only this.
Although you cannot see your eyes, you know that they are seeing, so you close them. Though you cannot see the stage, you know that it is there, so you try to forget. If there is no seeing of a stage, and if there is no knowing of a stage, is the stage still there? If there are no sounds from the pianist, no feeling in your body, no scent of popcorn, no taste of fairy floss and no thoughts to remember, what is there? Nothing.
Unfortunately, you find nothing in the nothing. As the two performers retire from the stage, the spotlight reveals a rope connecting two platforms on opposite sides of the circus. Your heart drowns in a pool of anxiety as your attention immerses you into the awareness of a dainty fellow about to walk the rope. The fall, should this fellow break their balance, would be no less than disastrous. The closer they near the rope, the faster the pounding of your heart.
You recognise parallel growth in both the anticipation of the rope walk and your disorderly excitement. The closer they near the rope, the closer you are to seeing them walk the rope. The closer you are to seeing them walk the rope, the closer The Knower is to knowing the experience in which a fellow walks a rope. The closer The Knower is to knowing the experience in which a fellow walks a rope, the closer The Awareness is to be aware of a fellow who walks a rope. You remember that you are aware, yet in the awareness you are able to abstract expressions within one moment of the experience, infinitely.
In the same way, the closer the fellow nears the rope, the closer the distance from the rope to their boot. The closer the distance from the rope to their boot, the closer to nil the time to reach the rope. The closer to nil the time to reach the rope, the closer to the rope the fellow sees themself become. The closer to the rope the fellow sees themself become, the further away from safety they deter.
You decide to stop abstracting, as you are able to go on forever, though it would do you no good. You bring your attention back to that of an entertained spectator, since you were enjoying the show. One step, two steps, three steps, the fellow is now completely relying on their own ability to balance on a single rope. Should the fellow fail to keep a perfect balance, they would surely meet their doom.
If the fellow swayed too far to the left, they will fall. If the fellow swayed too far to the right, they will fall. The only way to stay upright is to perfectly balance themself. The only way to stay on the right path, is to perfectly balance themself. The way to stay on the path, is to balance themself. The way to stay on the path, is to balance. Then it finally makes sense.
You might have two legs to walk, but you can balance on one. You might have two eyes to look, but you can see with one. You might have two ears to listen, but you can hear with one. You might experience fear, but you can find peace. You might experience hate, but you can love again. You might experience depression, but you can find joy.
Why would anyone want to see, if there was nothing to be seen? Why would anyone want to listen, if there was nothing to be heard? Why would anyone look for peace, without the knowing of chaos? Why would anyone look for love, without the knowing of hate? Why would anyone look for joy, without the knowing of sadness? Without one, the other would not be.
You might know duality, but only through the one, unified experience. You understand that for as long as you remember, you have tried to run from pain and sadness, but where were you running to? For as long as you remember, you have tried to escape the chaos and the unknown, but where were you escaping to? If you had not experienced sorrow, would you appreciate the beauty of joy? If you had not experienced chaos, would you appreciate the beauty of peace? If you had not experienced pain, would you appreciate the beauty of comfort?
You realise that love and hatred, joy and sorrow and peace and chaos are to you what left and right is for the balancing acrobat. Their horrific act that could, at any moment, end in catastrophe, symbolises the importance of balance. There is only hate so that love can be sought. There is only sorrow so that joy can be found. There is only chaos so that peace can be made. In this experience, in which all things seem to be dualistic, perfectly balanced opposites yield unity, as opposed to duality.
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.
You have recognised the infinite nature of The Awareness expressed in a world that seems finite, yet relies on the presence of infinite abstractions to convey an illusive, finite experience. How can any thing be finite, if there are infinite ways to express it? How can things be dualistic, if there are infinite ways to unify them? How can any thing be bad, if the bad encourages the discovery of goodness?
As the acrobat bows out of the stage, a mime both dressed and painted in stripes of black and white takes the spotlight. As the mime approaches the stage, it seems as if it is bound by an imaginary box. Though it tries to break out, the box denies its escape, regardless of how persistent the mime. You cannot see the box, though it is as if it is there. The ability to incorporate imagination in the performance allows the mime to express itself, infinitely and bound by nothing. That is, the mime expresses itself in the nothingness, or emptiness of the stage, where any thing can be imagined.
In the same way the mime has the potential to express itself infinitely in the emptiness of space, The Awareness has shown to express itself, infinitely, in the presence of nothingness. In the same way you are able to assume the storyline the mime is suggesting, you are able to assemble patterns and reoccurring abstractions and expressions veiled in ambiguity. In the same way you are able to assemble patterns and reoccurring abstractions and expressions veiled in ambiguity, The Knower knows the experience from no where.
In the same way The Knower knows the experience from no where, The Awareness is aware of The Knower from no where. In the same way The Awareness is aware of The Knower from no where. The Awareness is aware of The Awareness from no where. In the same way The Awareness is aware of The Awareness from no where, The Awareness is aware of The Awareness from no where. You get the point.
You are entertained by the mime, though their props are nothing and their whereabouts are no where. Yet, The Awareness is no thing and no where, aware of The Knower, which is also no thing and no where, knowing the experience in which a mime performs with no thing, no where. The mime is a paradoxical expression of how nothing and no where can be expressed with something and somewhere. You start to realise that should you explore all situations, you might be able to find countless expressions of The Awareness.
Suddenly, the Jester comes running on to the stage. What started as a wobbly, dimwitted jog became a maniacal sprint, with the Jester shooting toward the mime. With every step, the crowd would rue as the Jester howled in hysterics. The Jester sprung atop the velvet stage, though abruptly thwarted by a glass case, which was believed to be an illusive box, imagined by the mime. The crowd thundered with shock and laughter. The illusion was not the imaginary box, but the belief that it was not there.
It seems that there would be no way that you could find an expression of The Awareness in what turned out to be some form of ‘multidimensional’ deception in the belief of an imaginary box, until you do. The joke was not that you were not able to transcend The Believer, The Knower and find the infinite, paradoxical nature of The Awareness, for you had already found it. The joke was that you were searching at all. The joke was not that you were waiting to remember, but that you believed it could be forgotten. The joke was not that you were waiting for the revelation to come, but that you are the revelation that is already here.
Punchlines will always find a way to coerce you into assuming their intention, blindsiding you in the process. If punchlines were obvious, they would not be funny, yet they have the liberty of being simple or absolutely genius. You understand that the circus itself was an expression of The Awareness being aware of you. In the same way you chose to enter a place with which you were not familiar, for the purpose of being entertained, so too did The Awareness.
The Awareness is aware of the knowing of experience, but if it is so infinite, it could be aware of anything, yet, it was aware of you. You are the circus The Awareness is enjoying. You are the mime inside the imaginary box and you are the glass case pretending to be imaginary. You are the crowd that cheers for joy and you are the Jester that entertains.
The Awareness is, and is not. The Awareness is paradoxical. The Awareness is absurd. The Awareness is a joke. If The Awareness is a joke, what is the punchline? You tell me.
The Haunted House
Pleased with the punchlines, you start to search for them in all things. Though the sun may shine a light to let you see, it is blinding. Though you long to find yourself, it is you who is searching. Though you wonder what comes after life, it is life that allows for the wondering. Though you fear the fate of death, you have never known it. Though there is nothing to see, there is nothing to see.
How are all things seemingly expressing The Awareness? How are all things seemingly expressing? How are all things expressing? How? You are baffled by the obvious expressions and amused by their ambiguity. Upon leaving the circus, you wander aimlessly till you come upon the Haunted House. You never even thought of going inside, but what is the worst that can happen? You finally understand that any thing that happens within the experience can neither harm nor touch you, The Awareness, although it may cause quite a scare.
Funnily enough, the line for the Haunted House is empty. As you stand in front of the gigantic wooden door, it opens wide to show the same Leprechaun you always seem to encounter. Instead of flipping a domino like a coin or wearing it as a necklace, the Leprechaun held a timepiece with sixty dominos around its periphery, and every second, a piece would fall, and the one before it would rise again. Each second was represented by the falling of a domino piece, as well as the rise of the one preceding it.
Unsurprised, you ask “So, it’s you again then?”. Frustrated with your constant nagging, the Leprechaun replies “Who else could it be?”. You step inside, as the closing doors behind you howl an echo throughout the hall. Your leather jackboots sweep against the velvet carpet, leaving footprints to attest your visit.
You realise that not only have your footprints left a trail on the carpet, but everywhere you have ever been. No matter how insignificant you assume your life to be, you understand that your very being at any place has changed the course for all who followed. No matter the greatness of the sea, you were able to change the tide. No matter the span of someone’s life, you were able to be remembered. No matter the vastness of the universe, you were able to find yourself.
The Leprechaun teeters to the end of the hall, unveiling a dusty curtain that hid an iron lever. The Leprechaun warns “How long till all the poets pure, to make amends or find a cure. For those who listen, fail to hear the secret truth that tricks the ear. So bear in mind, that what you see, may not be what it seems to be. Do not forget, do not at all, the delphic whisper you befall.”
As the Leprechaun utters the final word, it leaps and stands upon the lever, pushing it toward the floor. A fracture rustles through the walls. The carpet underneath you collapses into the nothingness below. Falling in to the sudden crater, you glide along a void passageway. Though your screams weep in fear, they are drowned by the deafening thoughts your mind cannot seem to ignore. Is this how I die? Is this the end? Is this it?
You realise that in the same way you do not know what comes after death, you do not know what will be at the end of the tunnel. You do not know why you keep encountering the same Leprechaun and you do not know why you decided to enter the Haunted House. You do not know why the little Leprechaun, that was waiting in the line for the Ferris Wheel, kept playing with its domino set, and you do not know why all the Leprechauns are obsessed with dominos.
Furthermore, you realise that The Knower does not know The Knower, and The Awareness does not know anything, since The Awareness does not have the capacity to know any thing, but only be aware. As you fall to your doom, you recognise the ‘not knowing a thing or not knowing no thing’ abstraction.
In the same way The Knower knows, but cannot know itself, you know of death, but you cannot know death. In the same way the little Leprechaun was playing with its domino set for seemingly no reason at all, you made the decision to enter the Haunted House, for seemingly no reason at all.
In the same way the nature of The Awareness is ridiculous and absurd, so too was the ground disappearing, making you fall as the Leprechaun uttered “befall”, which has no relationship with the act of “falling”. The fall seems to go on… forever, which is an expression of the infinite nature of The Awareness.
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.
You choose to keep abstracting, as you plummet to your probable death. It is not that you are always searching to find the answer, nor is it that you are always searching to find the punchline. It is not even that you are always searching to find. It is that you are always searching, and finding. The unity is neither in the searching nor the finding, but the infinite cycle of experiencing both. You have recognised the infinitely expressive abstraction of always searching and always finding. Yet, in order for some thing to be searched for, it must be true that it is lost. So how is it that you are searching for yourself, if you are… here? Why are you searching for yourself if you are already found?
The Awareness is aware of The Awareness, yet, when The Awareness finds itself, within its own awareness, it finds itself being aware of The Awareness. This goes on forever. What does a mirror see when it sees itself? Infinity, forever. In the same way The Awareness is always being aware of itself being aware of itself, infinitely, you are always searching for yourself, and when you are found, by you, you find yourself searching for yourself, infinitely. You are the closest expression of The Awareness, for you are never able to find yourself, without inevitably setting out on the same journey that allowed you to find. You are searching and you are finding.
However, The Knower knows the experience in which you are, thus making The Knower the very no thing that is always finding you. Through The Knower knowing the experience, the experience has found you, and you are always here and now. You are only here and now. Yet, The Awareness being aware of The Knower, allows for the experience to find you, and since The Awareness is infinitely aware of itself, The Awareness is infinitely searching and finding you.
You are always searching and you are always finding. You are always being searched for, and always being found. Yet, here you are, still searching. What have you found? What do you think you will see if you saw yourself, independent of the experience? You will see infinity, you will see eternity and you will understand why the nature of The Awareness is paradoxical.
The simple fact that you are always here, and that you are also searching for yourself, means that whenever you are here, you will be found. However, when you find yourself, you will find the search you have embarked on, throwing you into the same search that allowed you to find yourself. The experience has now become apparent, that all things are either searching, or being found.
Who am I? What am I? Where am I? Why am I? How am I? Who are you? What are you? Where are you? Why are you? How are you? Who is this? What is this? Where is this? Why is this? How is this?
A ramp at the end of the underpass hurls you into an ancient chamber, and on to a bed, veiled in velvet. You search around the room and see portraits of both the Jester and the Leprechaun hanging around the cobblestone walls. You notice a tiny, wooden door, so you reach for the handle. As the door creaks open, you see a dark lit figure standing in front of you. Stunned, you stumble backwards and fall, once again, though this time you fall on your back.
After a moment of shock you realise that the gelid figure standing before you was simply your reflection, for it too had fallen on its back. Your heavy breathing subsides as you let out a mellow sigh, relieved that you are alone. You are finally starting to realise the obvious innuendos disguised in peculiar occurrences. You recognise that you opening the door and searching to find what lied beyond, led you to find yourself.
The cycle of searching and finding is inevitable, for there is nothing that is not being sought and there is nothing that is not being found. The duality of searching and finding can only become unified, if you accept the one, infinite cycle of searching and finding, rather than attempt to escape it, for you will be inevitably searching for an escape, and finding nothing other than the searching and the finding once again.
You find your way back to the mirror and stare at your own reflection. Though you have seen yourself before, you realise you are seeing yourself seeing yourself. You are also seeing yourself, seeing yourself, seeing yourself, seeing yourself, infinitely. You never needed to recognise The Awareness being aware of itself, you never needed to put a mirror in front of a mirror, you only ever needed to look at yourself. You understand that in the one moment of you looking, you are both searching and finding, infinitely.
The mirror, like the floor board at the entrance of the Haunted House, disappears into the walls that bound it, revealing a narrow tunnel with a purple luminescent light at the end. You have no where else to go, so you decide to walk toward the light. The closer you get to the end of the tunnel, the brighter the light becomes. You look over your shoulder and no thing can be seen, so the only option is to keep moving forward.
You understand that in the same way there is no point in going back, there is no point in dwelling on a past that cannot be changed. In the same way the only option is to keep moving forward, your only option is to keep moving forward. It is becoming excruciatingly obvious that all things you do are simply expressions of abstractions, which inevitably express the nature of The Awareness. Fortunately, it is amusing you.
As you arrive at the purple light, you find a small room, decorated with mystic sigils and rustic totems. The room appeared to be impossible, for it was not enclosed by cobblestone like the one before it, but surrounded by a purple sky instead. Though you cannot believe your eyes, you stand atop a balcony, with fairy floss clouds and a pink, lucent moon.
You notice the same Leprechaun you have always encountered looking into the glass of a telescope, glancing toward the stars and the moon. As it looks away from the eye of the telescope it notices you standing by the doorway, rather stiffly. As if The Leprechaun expected you, it sarcastically asks “Well, what are you waiting for? You want your fortune or what? I am the Oracle after all!”
The Fortune Teller
You are terrified and confused, but not because you are inside a Haunted House. You are terrified and confused, because as it seems, you are not inside a Haunted House. Where are you? You muster up the courage to ask the Oracle “Where- where am I? Why am I here?”
The Oracle, whilst peering at the clouds, implores “You know where you are, and you know why you’re here, so why bother asking?”. You remember, you do know where you are. You are here. You do know why you are here. You are here because you are here. “I remember, I do know, but I am still confused as to why I am here here, on this specific balcony!”
The Oracle hops to a marble table that is twice as tall, but half as purple. As the Oracle jumps on top of the velvet cushioned golden chair, it points to a seat on the opposite side, gesturing you to take it. “You are here because you are here. Just as well, you are here on this balcony because you are here on this balcony! Would you like me to keep going? I could go on.. forever! Well, only because I can’t not…”
Slightly irritated, you decide to take a seat, since there is no other thing to do. The Oracle is distracted by a crystal ball sitting on a golden plate, in the middle of the middle of the table. While you wait, you sweep the room and notice a collection of shelves behind the Oracle, made to look like gigantic domino pieces. Upon every domino shelf was everything between ancient relics to wooden toys and puppets. You start interrogating the Oracle, “Why do you have so many puppets?”, the Oracle replies “Why don’t you?”
“Why am I here?” You are starting to get more and more annoyed, but the Oracle does not seem to care. The Oracle sneers “You are here because you are here!” At this point, you are genuinely interested about the puppets on the shelf, so you try to ask again “What do the puppets represent? Who inspired you to make the puppets and where did you make them?”
The Oracle glances at the puppets above, and says “No thing, no one, and here, yet no where.” You are dumbfounded, because although the answer seems absurd, you completely understand it. You wonder if the Oracle purposely referred to the nature of The Awareness, or if it was a complete coincidence. You choose to pry. Extremely intrigued, you stare at the Oracle and ask “Who are you?”
“Well..” the Oracle looks up with a harmless grin from ear to ear, and says “I am me! Who else could I be! I am the I that I am! I am the only me that I can ever be! Don’t you remember me?”
Though your thoughts are exhausting, you find the energy to further interrogate and ask “Where are you?” The Oracle chuckles, still smiling like a lunatic and says “I am here, where else could I be? I am here, and when I am anywhere, I am still here! I can’t be over there, for I am here, and I can’t be anywhere that isn’t also here! I am me, and I am here! Isn’t that just swell?”
You are confused and don’t know why the Oracle is obviously referring to The Knower and The Awareness, without acknowledging it at all. You ask “What are you?” Although you know what to expect, you can’t believe that you are hearing what you are hearing. However, you also understand that you cannot be hearing anything else. The Oracle says “Ah, isn’t it obvious? I am this, this is what I am! I am me, and this is me! This is the I that I am, I am this me! I am not what I am not, but I am what I am! I am this!”
You are beginning to realise that no matter what the Oracle says, it will always express the nature of The Awareness when it speaks about itself. Any thing the Oracle refers to itself, will inevitably express the nature of The Awareness. The Oracle was simply aware of itself, whether or not it even knew of the nature of The Awareness was irrelevant, for it couldn’t not know.
“Why are you?” your heart is racing, your eyes are locked on the Oracle and your focus is imperishable. “Isn’t it obvious?” the Oracle answers, “I am because I am! There is no reason other than that I am for me to be as I am! ! I am this me because I am this me! I am not not me because I am not not me! I am because I am!”
The level of absurdity in the Oracle’s replies is not at all hindering your ability to completely understand. There is one final question you are yet to ask, and only one moment in which you are able to ask it. You hesitate, “When are you?” The Oracle leaps out of its chair and on to the table, screaming “Now! When else could I ever be! I am not before and I am not after, I am now! I am, now!”
The Oracle calms down and returns to its seat. It looks at you and asks “Do you remember me yet?” You are stunned. You have no idea why the Oracle keeps asking you if you remember. “Remember wh-what?” You stutter. The Oracle follows “Do you remember who I am?” You are losing your mind. Lost, you mumble “Why… why would I remember you?” The Oracle reacts “Oh! Let me stop using these silly double quotes…” It’s me! I’m the Oracle, do you remember me yet?
I told you that this book was the room and that I was the Leprechaun, though I completely understand that you forgot. How could you remember? With so much going on, why would you remember! But it is me! I am the Leprechaun and the Oracle! This is rather awkward, since I am talking to you in a dimension where neither the Oracle nor the one who is sitting across the Oracle is able to communicate. Thus, I shall return to the story, to make sure the ending I had planned comes to fruition.
The Oracle laughs and yells “You remembered me! I told you, it was me all along! How simple was that? Unfortunately there was no way for me to say that I was me without saying that I am me… you see what I mean? I am me! I look like an Oracle… and technically I am an Oracle… but I am me! The Oracle is but one expression of my being. Though I am never able to refer to myself… well, the other myself, the one that is… no where for that self is not able to be any where that can be known by you and me…. because of the paradoxical nature of… everything! You know what I mean?”
You have no idea what just happened. You are unable to express in words, within the confines and limitations of this story, the revelation given to you. The reader of this book is only able to be aware of the story, watching as it unfolds. However, as you stare at the Oracle, you become aware of The Awareness that is aware of you. Though you are unable to describe it with words or illustrate it with shapes and colors, you know that it is here, for it is what is aware of you, but no where, for it cannot be anywhere.
You understand that it was always you who was aware of the story, though you might have lost yourself in the character. In fact, you did lose yourself. You did forget yourself. You have no words, for no word can describe what you are experiencing, yet both everything and nothing makes sense. You understand why the nature of The Awareness is infinite and why it is paradoxical.
You know that within the story, where you are a character, you are able to write a story of a character, who writes a story of a character, who writes a story of a character… on and on, over and over, forever and ever. You also know that a character in a story will never be able to know the one who wrote it. In the same way, you cannot know The Knower. In the same way, The Knower cannot know The Awareness.
You understand that there is quite literally an awareness that is no where for it is not being aware from within the story, where all the ‘wheres’ can be, yet here it is. “So… this is it?” you ask the Oracle. “Of course this is it! What else could it be! How else could it be! It is just this! Not even ‘this’ is accurate enough to describe the ‘this-ness’ of this… yet it is all we have! And all we have… is this!”
You continue, “There really was no thing to remember, then? There was no one to know and there was no where to go? Because… it was always.. me? It was always this? Here? Now? Because, it is? It was always me? But… it is nothing … how can I tell anyone if there is no thing to tell? How will anyone ever believe me if there’s no thing to believe in?”
The Oracle does not say word, but instead looks at you and smiles. You realise that you already know the answer to your question, “It was always me… I just… forgot which me it was that… I am, yet it does not matter… at all? Because the me that is speaking is just as much an expression of The Awareness as The Awareness. I am just as well able to recognise infinity, I am just as well able to recognise another, I am just as well only ever here, now, for no reason, other than that I am … I am me because I am me, and that is all… I have never been lost, for it has always been finding me.”
“I have never been alone, for it has always been… here, with me. There’s no point in telling anyone, for they are me, and they are just another expression of infinity, and they have simply forgotten, but will inevitably remember. I cannot believe it!” And as soon as you acknowledge the fact that you cannot believe it, you understand the joke.
Of course you cannot believe it. Of course this world is filled with phenomena that is unbelievable. Of course this world is filled with things that are hilarious. Of course this world is filled with things that get lost and become found. Of course this world is filled with people to love and memories to cherish. Of course this world is filled with love. Of course this world is love. Of course this is love.
“This is it, this is where I am supposed to be… which is here!” You cannot describe the emotions you are feeling, so you do the only thing you know how to do, which is cry. You are overwhelmed. You did not remember The Awareness, The Awareness remembered you! The Oracle looks at you and says “See! I told you I’m me! I’ve been telling you! You just had to remember! But now you know that you are also me, and I am you, and we are me and we are you! We are the story… how funny is that!”
You do not need to ask the Oracle anything else, for you understand completely, that you cannot at all understand it, and that it was okay. You understand that the character in the story had to align themself with the nature of The Awareness, before The Awareness was able to be aware of no thing. Yet, in the awareness of no thing, The Awareness became aware of itself and you remembered.
You understand that you can never die, though the story you are aware of will come to an end, as all things that are, do. You understand that you are infinity, being aware of a finite experience. You accept, and understand, that you can never understand, for there is no thing to understand. You are you, and you are all. You are. You.
“So, is the story finished?” You ask, with no fear of what may come should the story end, since you know there are infinite stories you are yet to know. The Oracle looks pleased, “That depends, is there anything else you want to do while you are here? The you that is here not the one who is aware… well, that you as well, but I meant… Okay, there’s no use in even trying. Is there anything else you want to do before you go?”
You look up at the shelves, remembering that there is only one more thing you would like to know during your time on Carnival Island, and ask “Yes, why are Leprechauns so fascinated with dominos?” The Oracle looks to the purple sky and then at you, “To understand this story you must not observe it as yourself, but as The Awareness. To understand this story, you must transcend the being that you are, who lives on Carnival Island, and be no thing. This is the acceptance of death. This is it. After this, you will be no more. This is the final chapter of your story. This is the end.”
It’s me again. Though the story is complete, and you are no longer aware of the character who lived on Carnival Island, there is one more story to tell. Unfortunately, the character made the decision to surrender their experiencing of the experience, allowing you to become aware of the narrator, me!
For the purpose of clarity, the character in this story reached enlightenment, when you realised you were the reader, and not the character. The character did not remember you, you remembered you. You understood that you were aware of the story, and the character understood that they were in the story. However, you were not in the story, you were… wherever you were.
You, the reader, were the no thing, and no one that the character in the story was searching for, yet you were always finding them. You were not in the story, meaning that you were no where to be found. This no where was not able to be known by the character, for it was not a place that existed in the story. In the same way, you are here, but The Awareness is not. That is, the whereabouts of The Awareness is not able to be known by the physical being you are aware of, for it is unfathomable.
In the same way the character in this story surrendered their experiencing of Carnival Island, you must surrender your experiencing of yourself. Whether it be through deep meditation or insight concentration, the physical being must find nothing, allowing The Awareness to become aware of nothing. In the awareness of nothing, The Awareness will become aware of itself, and the physical being will remember what cannot be remembered.
What is the significance of the domino pieces in Carnival Island?
The Prophet
After the Piece-Keeper who remembered was able to gather its thoughts and reflect on the revelation of enlightenment, it wanted nothing more than to share it with its neighbours. The Piece-Keeper wanted to share the revelation it had found with its neighbours, in the hopes that they’d share it with theirs, so on and so forth. The Leprechaun who remembered wanted to tell the rest of the Leprechauns that all is one. Just as well, the Leprechaun who remembered wanted to tell the rest of the Leprechauns that all is nothing.
Since the Piece-Keepers all traversed their domino planets at different speeds, it would be rare for two or more Leprechauns to meet on the same path of the planet, where they would be able to communicate. The Piece-Keeper who remembered waited, and waited, until finally a fellow Leprechaun was in reach.
“My beloved neighbour” said the Piece-Keeper, “I have seen the prophecy that has forever been prophesied. I have seen what cannot be seen, and remembered what cannot be remembered. Our infinite journeys are not without reason, there is a purpose, though it cannot be known. My beloved neighbour, I am you and you are me, we are one.”
“Unfortunately, you have forgotten me, though you are trying to remember. There is an entity, that is not able to be understood, for it is too vast. There is a being, that is unlike you and me, which knows no imperfections, but is perfect. There is a Watcher of all things, and the Watcher is here, now. The Watcher is watching you and me, the Watcher is in us all, and we are all in the Watcher. We cannot find the Watcher, though the Watcher has found us.”
“We may express the kindness of the Watcher, though we can never be as pure. We may express the boundless vastness of the Watcher, though we can never be as infinite. The Watcher has given you this life, and you shall once again return to the Watcher. When you are with the Watcher, there is no pain and there is no sadness. There are no words to explain the joy, for not even joy is as powerful as the essence of the Watcher.”
“When you are with the Watcher, there is only love. Yet, you are with the Watcher now. In the same way that now is forever, the Watcher is forever. You have simply forgotten, but you shall remember. You are filled with purpose, though it is only known by you… and the Watcher! Follow me, my beloved neighbour, and let us walk this path together. I will show you what cannot be seen, yet is all around. I will show you what cannot be known, yet allows the knowing to be. I will show you who you are, when there is no one to be. Follow me, and we shall both ascend to the heavens, where we will forever be with the Watcher.”
“You must follow me, and you will learn what it means to be good. There is only love, love for the pieces, love for the journey, love for your neighbour, love for the Watcher. You must remember that everything you do is being watched by the Watcher, and if you try to trick the Watcher, you will be the fool. The Watcher is always here, but you must see the Watcher for yourself. “
“I have been given the word of the Watcher, and the Watcher has shown me the eternal kingdom where all is pure, for there can be no evil. The Watcher has shown me the heavens where all is beautiful. The Watcher has given us the universe to show us the vastness of its boundlessness. The Watcher has given us the void of space to show us the depth of the unknown we are yet to discover. Yet, there is a place where the Watcher cannot be seen, that is when the Watcher is completely forgotten. There is a place where the goodness of the Watcher is forgotten, and the devil of desire taketh over. There is a place that is filled with hatred, but do not hate.”
“The further you are from following the Watcher, the closer you become to the depths of evil. The further away from good you become, the easier it is for the devil of desire and hatred to bring you down. Do not show anything but love for your neighbour, do not show anything but love for yourself. Do not show anything but love. When you hate your neighbour, you hate the Watcher. When you love your neighbour, you love the Watcher. When you love your neighbour, you love yourself. Thus, love your enemies as much as I love you, and they too will remember.”
“To see the eternal essence of the Watcher, you must not see with your eyes. You must not listen with your ears and you must not feel the Watcher’s presence with your hands. You must surrender to the will of the Watcher. You must sacrifice everything to be with the Watcher. You must observe nothing. You must not fear the devil of desire and you must not fear yourself. You must always follow the Watcher. You must remember what cannot be remembered. You must always love. Go on, my beloved neighbour, and spread the word of the Watcher, for the Watcher is here.”
The Prophecy
“That was an eternity ago. That is why you will always see Leprechauns with some kind of a domino piece! It is simply a sentiment!” The Oracle is once again peering at the clouds.
Dazed, you stutter “Wh-what just happened?”, not understanding why you were still on the balcony overlooking the purple sky. “You said the story was over? You said this was the end? You said if I knew the purpose of the domino pieces, I would have to die?” The Oracle laughed, “I also said I know nothing… what did I tell you about believing things? You have a long way to go, kid.”
You understand that the difference between a believer and a non-Believer is nonexistent. The believer would traverse their cyclical paths, balancing all the domino pieces and unifying themself with the Watcher. The believer would align themself with the nature of the Watcher, and always attempted to love and cherish their neighbours, as well as their enemies.
Conversely, the non-believer would venture out into the world of planetary discovery, uncovering the algorithms of nature by which the laws of the universe generally abide. The non-believer would align themself with successful characteristics and values of morality. The non-believer would find an immeasurable love for the discovery of new phenomena and an appreciation for the boundless expressions of the universe.
You understand that the believer and the non-believer are an expression of the paradoxical nature of the Awareness. In the same way that The Awareness is and is not, some Leprechauns believe and others do not. The paradoxical nature of The Awareness is inevitable, in that even the explanation of it, results in the very expression it is expressing. That is, a Leprechaun attempting to explain the paradoxical nature of The Awareness created countless expressions expressing the paradoxical nature of The Awareness, as opposed to one expression. Yet, all expressions are one expression.
You also understand the ridiculous nature of the non-believers, in that they believe there is no Watcher. The non-believers believe there is no heaven. The non-believers believe there is no devil. You understand that in any thing that is expressed, what will always become apparent is the paradoxical, ridiculous and infinite nature of The Awareness. Similarly, the Believer does not believe the non-believer and the believer does not believe the non-believer.
You recognise the permeating essence of duality, as well as its inevitable unified conclusion. Though there may be me and you, there is we. Though there may be mine and yours, there is ours. Though there may be this and that, there are those. Though there may be here and there, there is everywhere.
“So, no matter what, everything just… is? Everything just is, because it can’t not be? Yet, everything is as much as everything isn’t? Always? For no reason, other than the reason of… no reason? And there is no way of telling anyone, because no matter what is said, that is the telling of it? No matter what is believed, it is within it that something or nothing is believed?
“Everyone is always enlightening, and there is no enlightenment to reach? The Prophets just wanted to tell everyone the simplest truth, which was: This is? It doesn’t matter if someone pursues a path of spirituality or a career in alchemy, for both are finding, and that is an expression of it? It doesn’t matter if someone chooses to find the Watcher, and another chooses to find nothing, for both would find each other?”
“This… just is? Always… and now? I… just am? I am, always? I always am. I am, here. I am here. Always, I am here. Oh. I… forgot. That was all, I forgot. Everyone forgets, only to remember. That is why there is light and darkness? That is why there is joy and sorrow? That is why… there is and there isn’t? That is why… that is why?”
The Division
The Piece-Keeper who remembered spoke to its neighbours, expressing the same lessons in the hopes that they too will spread the word of the Watcher. One of the neighbours pondered its existence, having heard the word of the Watcher. After exploring its own journey and recognising the archetypes and the abstractions that express them, it knew that it could not know any more. It knew that what could not be known, could not be known.
This Piece-Keeper did not reach enlightenment, or in other words, this Piece-Keeper did not surrender completely the will to be in order to become nothing. However, this Piece-Keeper listened to what the Piece-Keeper, who remembered, said about expressions and abstractions and saw the same expressions and abstractions on its own journey. It had never noticed the patterns before, nor did it ever take an interest in the pieces, but it soon discovered that each piece had its own story. This Piece-Keeper had no intention of reaching enlightenment, but instead it wanted to spread the word of the Watcher, as the word had provided this Leprechaun with much peace and joy.
This Leprechaun had traversed its own journey long enough to see for itself, the lessons it had once been taught. It also wanted to share the word of the Watcher with its beloved neighbour, in the hopes that they too would carry on the word. It said unto its neighbour, “My beloved neighbour, I have heard the word of The Watcher, and it is prophesied, and it is in all things. The Prophet lived so that I could remember. My beloved neighbour, it is through the teachings of the Prophet that you will discover the secret that cannot be kept, and it is through the Prophet that you will remember what cannot be forgotten.”
“The Watcher has given us life, and the Watcher is always with us. There is no darkness that the Watcher cannot see. There is no hidden secrets that the Watcher cannot find. Though, you must not lose yourself to the devil, for the devil will always try to make you forget. The devil will tell you lies and make you believe them. The devil is against the Watcher, and the devil is evil. All who follow the devil will perish in the darkness. Follow the teachings of the Prophet and always trust that the Watcher is here, and you will find eternal peace and joy in the heavens above.”
“Should you deny the teachings of the Prophet, you will stay in the darkness and be at the mercy of the devil. The devil will find those who do not follow the word of the Watcher and drag them to the depth of evil. Do not follow the devil, do not follow desire, do not follow hatred, only follow the Watcher through the teachings of the Prophet. Love all your neighbours and spread the word, before you are welcomed to the realm of the Watcher.”
After the news of a Piece-Keeping Leprechaun who spoke to the Watcher spread, all the Piece-Keepers would refer to the Piece-Keeper who remembered as the Prophet, for they had delivered the prophecy. Countless Piece-Keepers were experiencing the same lessons taught by the Prophet. Countless Piece-Keepers were spreading the joyous news, of an eternal paradise in the heavens above.
Yet, unbeknownst the newfound believers, the whereabouts of above could not be anywhere. Countless Piece-Keepers were devoting their search and pursuit of the domino pieces to the glory of the Watcher. Until one Piece-Keeper found no reason to believe the teachings of the Prophet.
This Piece-Keeper would doubt the teachings of the Prophet, as well as the existence of the Watcher. This Piece-Keeper would deny all the teachings of the Prophet, since they promised a paradise that could not be known. The teachings promised a paradise that could not be seen. The teachings promised a paradise that could not be reached. The teachings forced the Piece-Keepers to devote their existence to an imaginary watcher that has never been encountered. The teachings forced the Piece-Keepers to deny their yearnings, assuming the existence of an evil devil who was the cause of all desire.
This Piece-Keeper had no reason to believe any thing. This Piece-Keeper became the Non-Believer. This Piece-Keeper would go on to spread its own message, that the Prophet was a fraud. The non-believing Piece-Keeper would preach to its neighbours, who believed and followed the teachings of the Prophet. The non-believer would use the menace of doubt to break down the beliefs of the disciples and the followers.
“My neighbour” said the non-believer, “There is no Watcher, there is no heaven and there is no devil. Do you know the Watcher, or do you simply believe? If the Prophet told tales of having balanced all the dominoes, would you believe such a Leprechaun, or would you want to know for yourself? Should I lie to you, would you believe my word if it were comforting? Should I lie to you, would you believe my word if it were self-sufficing?”
“How can the Watcher be anywhere but here? How can one believe or have faith in a place they have not known or seen? The only place that one may know that cannot be known is the place of no where, where there is no thing, where there is no one and where there is no time. Such a place would be unfathomable, empty, void and impossible to find, for it is not a place that is.”
“Yet, the Watcher looks upon the lives of every being from the eternal heavens, but what is the Watcher? For if the Watcher is perfect, divine and eternally powerful, why not show themself? If the Watcher is able to know an infinite number of Piece-Keepers, why not visit every planet, so that no Leprechaun has any doubt? Why not balance every domino on every planet in every universe?”
“Is it just the comfort one may find in the imaginary being that is the Watcher, or is it the assurance that no evil can befall a being who believes? There is no evidence of an infinite being who exists, there is no evidence of an infinite being who creates and there is no evidence of an infinite being who is always aware. Lastly, and most simply, there is no evidence that there is something that is to be found, that has forever been lost. Why is something that is never known assumed to be lost, as opposed to nonexistent?“
“My neighbour, the Leprechaun that calls itself the Prophet is no more of a Piece-Keeper than you. It is bound by the same laws of nature and the same foundations of being. There is no truth that separates you from the Prophet. The only thing that separates you from the Prophet is that one believes they are a Prophet. But how can they be anything other than illogical? To look like you, to speak like you, to live like you and to be like you, why is it that they have received the blessings of the Watcher, and you no thing? Why is it that the Prophet knows the Watcher, and you know nothing?”
“Beloved friend, you do not need to believe in a Watcher to be good. You do not need to believe in a Watcher to love your neighbour. You do not need to believe in a Watcher to love yourself. Beloved friend, you are capable of all this, and more, without anything else. All that is to be known, is known by you, and there is no thing else. You must not fall for the delusion of the Watcher, for if one cannot see a thing, how can it be? If one cannot hear a thing, how can it speak? If one cannot feel a thing, how can it be reached? Beloved friend, there is no Watcher, there is only you.”
The non-believer’s message would spread across countless paths of countless Leprechauns. Neighbours would begin to argue, friends would become enemies. The divide of Leprechaun-kind would begin to flourish, with those who believe and those who do not. Those who followed the path of the Watcher, and those who followed the path of their infinite, cyclical planet. Those who found purpose in the teachings of the Prophet, and those who found purpose in the absence of the Watcher.
For eternity, Piece-Keepers would go to war with those who opposed them. The believers against the non-believers, the followers against the deniers, the spiritual against the experiential. More Leprechauns would go on to claim that they know the Watcher, and more Leprechauns would refer to them as Prophets. Each Leprechaun who remembered had expressed, in their own way, who, what, when and why the Watcher was, is and will always be.
As time passed, the non-believing Piece-Keepers spent much of their time finding ways to disprove the Leprechauns who believed. Soon after, the non-believers discovered that should they end the search for the fallen pieces, they could end the cyclical path of always balancing. Although there would be many Leprechauns who believed in the Watcher, who would stay on the path of balancing the domino pieces infinitely, others would choose to focus on uncovering their planet and self discovery, alchemy and countless other skills.
The Piece-Keepers who chose to end the path of finding found a planetary revolution. They would go on to build bridges between mountains, roads between neighbours and many other things that expressed a unification within the Domino Universe. The Piece-Keepers who chose to end the path of finding would enjoy the finding of evolution, whereas the Piece-Keepers who chose to carry on carrying on would forever pursue a life of balance, dedicated to the Watcher.
After an eternity, the separation of the believers and the non-believers remained. After eons of planetary wars and countless revolutions, both factions were able to live in peace. The believers devoted their lives to the eternal cyclical journey of finding balance in the dominoes. Although the believers shared in common a devotion to the Watcher, there were several Prophets that had supposedly received the word.
This caused further separation within the faction of believers, who believed only their Prophet understood the nature of the Watcher. For the most part, the believers’ lives were filled with appreciation and compassion toward others, even non-believers, though they lived in confinement for the majority of the time.
The non-believers would start recognising the patterns and abstraction of their home planet, allowing them to discover the secrets of the universe. They believed that through observing, hypothesising and testing different theories they could discover the nature of the dominoes, their planet and ultimately, the nature of the universe. The non-believers believed it was illogical that believers dedicated their lives to an imaginary Watcher that they had never seen. Instead, The non-believers decided to dedicate their lives to the discovery of the universe.