The Philosopher from Carnival Island

The Fallacy

Sam Chahine(sechahi at gmail.com)

Contents

The First Letter

The Knower

The Fallacy

The Delusion

The Awareness

The Second Letter

The Expression

The Seeing

The Carnival

The Domino Universe

The Third Letter

The Innuendo

The Champion

The Guardians

The Storyteller

The Final Letter

The Probability

As you waddle on back into your humble abode, you snicker at your timely encounter with the mailman. “What are the chances of the mailman delivering nothing?” You think to yourself. As you ponder the chances of nothingness, you realise that they cannot be pondered. That is, the chances of nothingness are no chances at all, for nothingness does not have the capacity to have chances, for it is no thing. Nothingness does not have the capacity to have anything, and it has absolutely no properties. Do you get it? Nothing has… nothing!

The vines that seep through the cracks of your dwindled roof dangle like the thoughts that seep through the cracks of your mind. You notice a similarity in both your dwindling roof and your dwindling mind, in that they are both overwhelmed. “What are the chances… again!” You think to yourself… again! Suddenly, you remember that you are not a physical being that has the capacity to have chances, you are The Knower. You are The Knower, and The Knower is no thing, no where, no one and is only able to know, now.

An age-old concept that has fascinated philosophers and mathematicians for centuries is the likeliness of a thing to occur, or the probability of a thing. This is important to mention because of the doubtful nature of the mind. What is the probability that you are the one who will find this something? How can it possibly be you? You must understand that if the mind is doubting itself, and you know the experience in which the mind is observed, then you are not the mind.

You are not the mind, and the mind cannot doubt you, for the mind is subject to you. In the same way, you, The Knower, are not within the experience, therefore you cannot experience probability. What I am trying to say is that The Knower has nothing to worry about in terms of doubt, unless the physical being succumbs to the beliefs of the mind. Probability is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as:

probability:  how likely something is to happen.

That is, how likely is the sun to rise after it has set? How likely is the rain to fall during winter? How likely are you to be the one who finds this something that many can only ponder? How likely is this book to be the book that the physical being you know of needs in order for you to find this something? And finally, why is it that this book is being read, and not another? These questions only exist within the experience in which a physical being has the capacity to ask questions, yet they can never comprehend you, The Knower, so persistent curiosity is inevitable.

As the musty vines spill from above, the fragrance from the tabletop candle spills into the smoulder of the fireplace. The tinder smoke melds with the burning wick. While you wander, you find yourself pondering the act of pondering, and think “What is the probability that out of all the living beings in this world, I am the one to figure it out?” You must remember, that you are not the one to figure it out, because you are The Knower, and The Knower is no one at all. You are no one, and you are only ever able to know. Do not superimpose the limitations of the physical being upon the unfathomable essence of The Knower.

Before exploring the concept of probability, it is important to note that you, The Knower, are not bound by the probability of any thing. You are only ever knowing, and you are only ever knowing, now. The Knower cannot ponder the probability of a thing, but can know the experience in which a physical being may or may not ponder the probability of a thing.

The probability, or rather the lack of probability, of something is what allows for the development of a belief in regards to a thing happening, at all. For example, how likely is the physical being to believe that what was learned in the previous section, “The Knower”, is at all valid? How likely are you to know the experience in which out of the several billions of people, the physical being experiencing this book is the only one who is knowing an experience to which everyone belongs?

The Knower does not exist within the experience, nor can The Knower ever exist, for existing is subject to the experience. In the realisation that you are not a physical being, but the knowing of an experience in which a physical being exists, many problems concerning doubt will arise. However, it is important to remember that you are not a physical being who is aware of all things, but rather you know the experience in which a physical being is experiencing doubt.

There are many delusions that come about in the uncovering of the illusion, one of which is doubt. It is the doubt in the probability that it is you who is able to know such a momentous truth, a truth that only you are able to know, while others do not. Yet, there are no others. There are no others, and what you are searching to find cannot be known by the physical being. What you are searching to find can only be known by you, for you, The Knower, are the only Knower who is knowing. You are the only Knower of what is known.

When I refer to you knowing your ‘something’, I am not referring to the physical being reading this book, but The Knower, who is knowing the experience in which a physical being is reading. There are no others to know this experience, for the concept or belief that any one else can exist remains within the experience you are knowing. There is no probability or likeliness that you are the only one who is able to know, because there is no probability or likeliness at all. The probability of something happening is a concept exclusive to the experience you, The Knower, know. It cannot exist outside of the experience.

You are no thing, you are no where, and you are knowing now. The probability of you knowing an experience is not a quantifiable number, for you are only ever knowing the concept of “probability” when you know a thought in which probability can be pondered. You are only ever knowing of the concept of “probability” when you are knowing an experience in which the concept of “probability” exists. When are you knowing this experience? Now.

Do not be fooled by the delusion that is trying to assign a quantifiable probability to no thing, for it is impossible. This knowing of an experience is happening now, to no one, no thing, and it is happening no where. The probability of this happening is both impossible, and definite, which yields a paradoxical truth that will not help you at all in the search for comfort, but instead further confuse the physical being. There is no point in trying to comprehend the probability or likeliness of you, The Knower knowing this experience, being the only one who is able to know, because you are the only one at all. The Knower is the only Knower, and you are The Knower.

You, The Knower, are not able to have chances, nor do you have the capacity of depending on the probability of something, for you are nothing at all. You walk to the journals that remain scattered on the wooden table. Curious of all the titles in your possession, you slowly pick up the Book of Han. To your surprise, you think it a wondrous coincidence that all of the titles are missing the letter “I”. ‘Odyssey’, ‘Ramayana’, ‘Book of Han’ and ‘The Wasps’ were all titles that were missing the letter “I”. However, the coincidence was not the unlikely linguistics, but that in the same way the “I” cannot ever be found, The Knower too cannot ever be found.

“Oh, I cannot be found… and “I” cannot be found… What a coincidence!” You laugh to yourself. Unfortunately, when the nature of probability is disavowed, what remains is the belief in a “coincidence”. However, it is no coincidence that you are you.

The Coincidence

Is it a coincidence that the physical being was able to come across this book, instead of countless others? Out of all the books that the physical being could have picked up, why is it this one? Out of all the hours in a day that the physical being could have been reading, why is it this hour? Out of all the people in the world that the physical being could have been, why are they no one other than themself? These are all entertaining questions to contemplate, but there is no answer you can find that will help you on the journey to your something.

The Oxford Dictionary defines “coincidence” as:

coincidence: the fact of things being present at the same time.

It may seem coincidental to have come upon the existence of this book, but it is not you who came upon it. You do not have the capacity to come upon any thing. Rather, you know the experience in which a thing may or may not be come upon. You know the experience in which a book may or may not exist. You know the experience in which an event may or may not be associated with the phenomenon that is a coincidence.

Remember, you are The Knower, and you are only ever knowing, now. If you happen to know any thoughts along the lines of: “What are the chances of me coming upon this book which just happens to know that I am The Knower, and not just another reader!” or “Is it just a coincidence that I was able to find this book or was I meant to find it?” try to understand that you are not the physical being who found the book, you are The Knower, knowing the experience in which a physical being finds a book. Do not ponder the significance of the experience at all, nor the nature of such an unlikely coincidence, for it is not a coincidence happening to you. It is a coincidence happening in the knowing of an experience.

As you place the Book of Han back on the heap of journals, you place yourself on the rickety, wooden stool. “Oh!” You realise, “I placed both the book and myself!” You are now frantically overthinking everything, believing that everything is a perfect “coincidence”. Be that as it may, these coincidences are not happening to you, because you are The Knower, and you do not have the capacity to experience anything, let alone coincidences.

To further clarify, coincidences may or may not happen in the experience known by you, The Knower. However, you are neither the experience nor are you within it. You are not within the experience, making you unable to experience the phenomenon that is coincidence. This is not to deny the existence or presence of coincidences in the physical world, but rather to demonstrate that you are not within the physical world. You are not within the experience in which coincidences may occur, so it would be invalid to ponder the possibility that what is happening right now, which is The Knower knowing, is a coincidence.

Conversely, since the basis of a coincidence is when two or more things happen at one time, it would be ridiculous to ponder the possibility of coincidence of no things in no time. That is, The Knower only knows one moment, now. Any coincidence that is able to exist, can only exist within the experience, yet you are not within the experience. Any coincidence that is able to happen, can only happen within the experience, yet you are not within the experience.

Once you try to contemplate the relationship between any concepts belonging to an experience and yourself, The Knower knowing an experience, only paradoxical answers will arise. The experience, or the concepts within the experience, cannot comprehend the nature of something that is non-experiential. The experience cannot comprehend the nature of you, The Knower, for you are non-experiential. Paradoxes will arise when the experience attempts to comprehend all that is non-experiential.

Do not dwell on the impossibility or certainty of concepts belonging to the experience, for you are unable to be quantified or comprehended, since you are no thing, no where, happening now. You are not within the experience, and the experience will never be able to comprehend you, The Knower.

To ponder the likeliness of coincidence or probability that The Knower is knowing at all will only bring your awareness back to the experience you have transcended. You, The Knower, are not able to know coincidence or probability, only the experience in which coincidences or probabilities may or may not exist. You are not within the experience, making you unable to experience any thing at all, including the recognition of coincidence and probability; you are only ever knowing the experience, not experiencing it.

You know the experience in which a physical being is able to recognise coincidences in the picking up of a book, but you are not within the experience, so there is no coincidence to recognise. What if this was not a coincidence at all, but a conscious decision you made to read this book? How can The Knower, who is only ever capable of knowing, choose anything? How can The Knower, who is only ever capable of knowing, decide anything?

The Choice

You are The Knower, and you are only ever able to know an experience, whether it is physical or of the mind. You are no thing, you are no where, and you are only ever knowing, now. The probability of you knowing now is definite, because you are always knowing. However, the probability of you knowing now is also impossible, because you are not a thing that has the capacity to have a probability of happening.

For a coincidence to be valid, there must exist a spectrum of time along which things may or may not happen, but The Knower exists in no time. You, The Knower, are knowing the experience in which a physical being is able to recognise a coincidence in the picking up of the book, but you are not within the experience. It is inconsequential to try and relate concepts belonging to the experience to The Knower, since the experience is subject to The Knower, not the other way around.

You ogle at the tangled mess that sits upon your wooden table. “I choose to pick up this candle” you mumble as you pick up the burning candle. It is not that the physical being is not able to make decisions, but simply that you are not the physical being. The Knower knows the experience in which a physical being makes a decision to pick up a burning candle. You are The Knower, not the physical being.

Although you are aware that you are The Knower, that can only ever know, it may be distressing to realise that The Knower cannot, and does not make decisions. You, The Knower, do not have the capacity to make choices or to use decisiveness in any way or manner. This is one of the hardest realisations to come to terms with, one that supposedly disavows a physical being’s right to freewill. However, if distress and affliction arise, remember that you are not the physical being experiencing them, but The Knower knowing the experience in which distress and affliction may or may not arise.

You are unable to make decisions, instead you know the experience of thought, wherein the mind alludes to the making of a decision. Although the physical being may remember previously making decisions, followed by necessary actions so as to bring the decisions to fruition, it was not you who made the decision. You are The Knower, unable to make any thing. You are, however, knowing the experience in which a physical being believes they have the capacity of making decisions.

This is not disavowing freewill, only denying its existence outside of the experience. This is not suggesting that the physical being is not in control of what decisions are made, but rather that it is inconsequential to even question The Knower knowing, from within the experience. You are no thing, you are no where, you are only ever knowing, now, and you are incapable of making decisions, for there are no decisions to be made outside of the experience. It is not that you are choosing to know, but rather that you are knowing and that is all. The concept of decisiveness exists within the experience, but you are not within the experience.

This is not a suggested philosophy you can choose to embody, whereby you accept all decisions as inevitable, because The Knower does not know how to accept anything, only how to know. Rather, you are only ever knowing the experience in which philosophies may or may not exist, but you are not within the experience. If there are feelings of distress, remember that you are knowing the experience in which feelings may or may not express distress, but you are not the experience. You are not the experience, nor do you have the capacity to comprehend decisiveness, only the knowing of an experience in which decisiveness may or may not be used.

The Happening

It is not uncommon to fall victim to the menace of doubt, which will tirelessly challenge the physical being’s efforts in aligning themself with The Knower. You are only ever knowing the experience in which doubt may or may not exist. You do not have the capacity to experience doubt, in the same way you do not have the capacity to experience belief. You only know the experience in which a physical being may or may not experience doubt.

You are The Knower, you do not have the capacity to know probability, coincidence, decisiveness or any concept that is subject to the experience. Rather, you know the experience, in which probability, coincidence, decisiveness are phenomena that may or may not be experienced. You are no thing, no where, only ever knowing, now.

If you ever want to find yourself, know that you cannot be any where, meaning you are no where. You are no where. If you ever want to see yourself, know that you are no thing, and no thing cannot be seen. You are no thing. You are nothing. If you ever want to know when you are, know there is only one moment you know, now. If you ever want to know what you are knowing, know that you are only ever able to know knowing. If you ever seem to ponder the happenings you are knowing, know that it is not you who is pondering.

All that is happening, is just happening. You do not have the capacity to know any thing other than the knowing of experience. If you ever ponder any thing, know that it is not you who is pondering. You are only ever knowing the experience in which a being may or may not choose to ponder.

But what if the physical being within the experience forgets? What if the physical being forgets that you are The Knower, who is only ever knowing? How can they remember?