The holistic hierarchy
described here is reminiscent of Leibniz's system of monads, which are basically
spiritual, psychic entities positioned in a metaphysical hierarchy (104). The
higher a monad is positioned, the more it represents the reality of the universe,
each from its own perspective. There is an all-encompassing supreme monad: God.
"The source of mechanics lies in meta-physics", according to Leibniz.
He pointed out that the whole overall system is totally homogeneous, without
discrete steps. The interaction between monads at different levels, such as
the soul and the body, is due to a harmony preestablished by God, according
to Leibniz.
Causality
There are two types of causality. We are used to the type confined to space
and time: if certain conditions exist and certain events occur at some time,
then these cause another set of conditions and events at a later time. This
is the scientific type of reasoning. It deals with parts on the same order level,
for instance within our 3-D world. We shall call this type of causal relationship
"temporal causation", because time passes between its cause and effect.
The maximum speed with which temporal causation can occur is the speed of light,
according to Einstein. The other type of causation occurs between wholes and
their parts, between dimensional orders (HP10). This type was more perceived
by the Greek philosophers (105). We shall call it "holistic causation".
In contrast to temporal causation, holistic causation can cause correlated events
to appear in our world perfectly simultaneously, giving us the impression that
they communicate faster than the speed of light. This is so because one of these
events is not the result of another in time and space, but both events are the
result of the same "super-event" in M-D space. The super-event may
or may not appear simultaneously in our physical world, depending on what aspect
of the M-D event we observe, depending on which of the multiple worlds we happen
to occupy. Quantum physicists have indeed observed causation with higher speed
than light. They call it "superluminal causation". The Aspect experiment
mentioned before demonstrated holistic causation. The polarization of one photon
changed instantaneously with that of its twin photon.
Holistic causation occurs between the soul and its constituent selves (Sect.4).
All selves influence their common soul, and the soul influences all its selves
simultaneously, no matter where they happen to appear in time and space. No
temporal causation exists between reincarnations, unless they meet in physical
life. From the holistic point of view, the prevailing understanding of karma
is misleading. Originally it meant the force of creation, wherefrom all things
have their life. Later the meaning was distorted to imply fate, caused by one's
own actions in former incarnations. The original meaning represents holistic
causation. Apparently, with time people lost this understanding, and the definition
of karma deteriorated to the temporal causation version.
Between our inner self and the sum of our body and conscious mind is a constant
flux of holistic causation. Carl Jung coined the term "synchronicity"
for correlated psychological events that occur coincidentally, although they
don't appear to be causally related to each other. Such experiences are not
infrequent. For instance one may think of a person and then meet this person
by chance, or one receives the news that the person has passed away. Jung referred
to an extensive literature on telepathy, extrasensory perception, clairvoyance
and similar phenomena in support of the principle of synchronicity (106)(107).
Another example of holistic causation are similar experiences that occur frequently
to monozygotic twins. They often feel the same physical pain simultaneously,
even though they may be separated by great distances. In holistic terms monozygotic
twins form one M-D entity.
5. PRACTICAL IMPACT
IMPACT ON THE INDIVIDUAL
Aristotle said that happiness is the goal of human nature (108). What does holistic
reasoning tell us about reaching this goal? We can say that happiness is a state
of harmony within our self and with the world. The state of harmony exists in
the whole of a holon (HP5). Therefore we want to identify with the whole that
is immanent in us and that unites us with the world: All-Entity. This discussion
is not an attempt to coax the reader into a religious conversion. Instead it
shows how straightforward, rational holistic logic leads naturally to the key
tenets of major world religions.
The highest form of identification between living beings is love. Thus one gains
happiness through loving All-Entity. This is exactly what Jesus Christ told
us, it is his first commandment (109). One cannot love the whole without loving
its parts. So one cannot love All-Entity without loving one's fellow humans.
Hence Christ's second commandment, to love one's neighbor as oneself. This message
is perceived as a moral demand. Holistic reasoning tells us that it is the logically
smart thing to do, smart from an egotistical point of view as well as from an
altruistic one. Thus holistic logic transcends opposites. The ten commandments
revealed earlier to the Jewish people are in line with the basic commands for
love, spelled out in specific detail, as may have been more appropriate at that
time.
Hinduism, as mentioned earlier, is based on its ancient Veda scriptures. Its
ultimate aim is to identify with the inner "Atman", who is also "Brahman"
when perceived as the whole of the universe, our concept of All-Entity. It is
the path of mysticism. A step-by-step description of a mystic path towards enlightenment
is given in the "Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali" (110).
Buddha, after his mystical enlightenment, taught that the world of appearances
leads us to errors in judgement, with corresponding unpleasant consequences.
According to him, no permanent security can be found except in the identification
with the ultimate transcendent whole, the "Nirvana". Nirvana cannot
be described in words, "because human language is too poor to express the
real nature of the Absolute Truth or Ultimate Reality that is Nirvana"
(111). Buddhism follows a mystic philosophy similar to Hinduism, with the difference
that the ultimate whole does not have the theistic connotation. However, such
differences come from the limitations of human perception and do not affect
the principle. Ultimate mystic union is sought in the Eastern philosophy-religions
through meditation, with a tendency to withdraw from our world of appearances.
This aspect of Eastern thought goes against the grain of Western thinking. We
see our society as antithesis to introverted withdrawal. However, if meditation
is done correctly, it puts us in an intimate contact with the rest of the world,
as it must, because the whole world is immanent in us.
Westerners tend to be extroverted and find satisfaction in expressing their
inner potentials. This is totally compatible with holistic thinking and akin
to the Eastern philosophy of Karma Yoga. In striving for active expression of
one's innermost core, one strives ultimately for identification with All-Entity
that is immanent in us. The challenge is to clear the channel, one's own psyche,
to foster the free flow of the energy, wisdom, and harmony from within. In each
type of philosophy, Eastern and Western, the individual is encouraged to overcome
the inner blocks and conflicts caused by misunderstanding of true reality. Holistically,
both approaches should go together.
Eastern philosophies point out, as did Socrates, that our problems are caused
by our lack of understanding, lack of the right kind of knowledge. There is
nothing wrong with physical reality. There is only inadequate understanding
of the transcendent and immanent laws of nature. A malicious act is born from
the misconception that one can gain an advantage by hurting somebody else. If
we think and act like this, we emphasize the separation between us and others.
This reduces our inner awareness of the harmonious whole that exists between
us and others, our source-entity. Focusing on the conflict between sub-entities
prevents awareness of the source-entity (HP4&6). Since our source-entity
is immanent in us (HP9&10), the conflict blocks our access to our very source
of life, health, and harmony. In this quite automatic way, a person can create
a "life in hell" for him/herself, without anybody ever passing a judgement.
On the other hand, the love that you give unselfishly emerges in your own heart.
It is our mindset that creates our type of experience, as described under the
Multiple Worlds section. The mindset acts like tinted glasses that impede access
to the M-D whole.
This does not mean that every bad experience is due to some malicious intent.
Challenging experiences can be important stepping stones for inner growth, set
up by the inner self, without us being conscious of it in our daily life. Inner
growth toward lasting happiness requires that we face our weaknesses, our conflicting
notions that block our way. A firm conscious decision by a person to go the
route towards enlightenment permeates the inner self and the soul, as any change
of a part does (HP10). The self and the soul then lead the person via intuitions
and impulses, perceived by us as our will. Depending on the determination of
the individual, this may lead into unexpected challenges. What matters are the
lessons learnt, the blocks purged, the consciousness expanded.