Spectrum of Development

In previous blog entries I have mentioned the fundamental importance of mathematical notions esp. with respect to number and the operations of addition (and subtraction) and multiplication (and division). These serve as the essential interface as between the (spiritual) world of emptiness and the (material) world of form, thereby in a crucial sense embodying both aspects, though not being capable of direct identification with either aspect separately. An equivalent way of expressing this point is that such mathematical notions represent the original archetypes from which all phenomenal reality is necessarily derived. So I have already referred to the somewhat paradoxical conundrum that whereas neither emptiness nor form can be directly identified with mathematical notions in their separate analytic and holistic aspects yet, what we identify as phenomenal creation (which represents the interpenetration of emptiness and form) simply results from the dynamic interaction of both th...

The transition between Band 5 (level 3) and Band 6 (level 1) can be referred to as a bardo which resembles very closely indeed Buddhist notions of the transition as between death and rebirth. Now according to the Tibetan tradition this represents the state of existence as between two lives on Earth. Of course this presupposes the doctrine of reincarnation in its somewhat literal sense, to which I personally would not subscribe. However accepting the traditional accounts, the question arises as to how precisely this transition as between death and rebirth (in a new body) takes place. So on the one hand after death there is the clearest spiritual experience of reality of which one is capable which then gives way to terror arising from one’s previous sinful inclinations. So we have here in starkest form the battle as between the “higher” and “lower” aspects of the self. And the manner in which this is resolved then plays a key role in determining the nature of one’s next...

Yesterday I was dealing with the transitions between levels. In today’s entry I am concentrating specifically on that important transition as between Band 5 and Band 6 or more precisely Band 5 (Level 3) and Band 6 (Level 1). From a spiritual perspective, this is typically viewed as representing the culmination of spiritual emptiness. In other words though phenomena of form - both of a direct and indirect conscious nature - still arise, experience is now so dynamic that they can gain no lasting permanency, being eroded immediately. Put another way one has approached that point where realisation of the purely relative nature of all form has reached its greatest expression. So the absolute nature of spirit (as emptiness) coincides with the purely relative nature of matter (as form). Expressed in yet another equivalent manner, both transcendence (as spirit beyond form) and immanence (as spirit already inherent in form) reach their closest point in the same undivided experie...

As we have seen there is a rich variety of features that characterises the human development process, most of which have already been dealt with - at least in summary fashion - through previous blog entries. For example I define - as the broadest grouping of stages - 8 Bands (though I have suggested a possible future cyclical refinement of this approach in the previous blog entry).   Then each Band consists of 3 Levels with therefore 24 levels in all . Though the nature of interaction involved can vary greatly throughout development each level in turn is defined by 3 Sub-Le vels. Then with respect to each sub-level I define up to 8 Dimensions (or Directions),   the number of which depends on the band (and level) of development involved. The notion of 1 dimension is especially important from the conventional rational perspective where opposite polarities of experience are abstracted from each other. 2, 4 and 8 dimensions are then especially important in integ...

I have been taking time out for several months now - as dictated by the nature of present development unfolding - from contributing to any of my various blogs. However as always one of the advantages of this “enforced idleness” is that I have been enabled to look at some developmental matters from a new perspective (once again reflecting personal experience of the various stages of the overall spectrum). And when I was last writing I was especially identifying the (default) nature of Band 5 (Level 3) . In many respects this is the most empty of all levels where the conscious experience of phenomena (of a direct and indirect kind) become so dynamically interactive that they seem to scarcely arise in experience. This equally culminates with a very close balancing of both the transcendent and immanent aspects of spiritual development. Any remaining distinction as between - relatively - “higher” transcendent and “lower” immanent aspects are now dissolved with both emanating...

In continuing with this latest series of blog entries, I will now endeavour - based largely on a personal appreciation of the developmental stages - to show how the affective mode evolves through the full range of the spectrum (containing 8 Bands and 24 major levels). As we have seen Band 1 commences from a state where neither differentiation nor integration with respect to development has yet taken place. This therefore represents - with respect to the affective function - a state of total confusion. The first task then in development is to obtain separation with respect to - what I refer to as - the diagonal polarities of form and emptiness relating directly to the volitional mode (of instinctive motivation). So the infant - indeed strictly this stage commences at the foetal stage - beings to become dimly aware of a phenomenal world (of form) as distinct from a void (of emptiness). Then when successfully negotiated (Band 1, Level 1) this leads to differentiation of ...

In the previous blog entry, I showed that though Bands 1 and Bands 2 are indeed vitally necessary for the differentiated conscious development of both the cognitive and affective modes, that considerable problems are however associated with this form of understanding. Though in experience both modes are necessarily related to a degree, we are concentrating here mainly on the affective mode. As we have seen the key problem with the conscious development of the affective mode, is that it screens out to a considerable degree the holistic nature of the unconscious. And insofar as the unconscious then does operate it is frequently projected in an immature fashion into consciousness whereby it is directly confused with conscious symbols. As we have seen earlier development involves the gradual separation of the three fundamental polarities. Whereas this is necessary for initial differentiation, for successful integration it is then necessary to discover the complementari...