Atman and Brahman paradox
by Marinus Jan Marijs
How can Brahman, which is one without a second, be identical to the many Atmans? Brahman has been described as a circle of which its center is everywhere and its circumference nowhere. The Absolute is a point so to speak that transcends space and time. This point is present simultaneously everywhere and anytime. This means that the Absolute is present within every point in space and time simultaneously. There are no multiple space-time coordinates here so the Absolute is One without a second.
Because the Atman is a point within space and time, there can be many Atmans. Because Brahman as a point is present everywhere, this point coincides with all points (Atmans) that reside within space and time. Therefore Brahman and Atman are One.
“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me ; my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.” Meister Eckhart
Said in other words:
Atman is the focus-point of consciousness,
Brahman is pure consciousness without contents.
To use a metaphor: Atman is like a laser that scans a compact disk, a process which is localised in space and time,
Brahman is like the visual perception of that compact disk, which holds all space and time coordinates at the same time, it transcends space and time.
Consciousness and levels of consciousness
The question one could ask is when consciousness is One, how can there be different levels of consciousness? The existence of different levels of consciousness becomes apparent within academic research of developmental sequences related to psychological development. These identified levels of consciousness are related to the existence of different levels of subtle energies. When subtle energies on a certain level are activated, only then it becomes possible to be conscious at this level. For every level of consciousness there is a level of corresponding subtle energies.
Within mystical experiences, be it nature mysticism or higher forms of mysticism, there is an union with higher levels of existence.
In this mystical experiences the surrounding world is experienced as intensely alive. For the mystics it becomes clear that the non-physical energies which penetrate the Kosmos are not only alive but are also conscious.
In other words:
The Kosmos has a layered structure that has a ‘background’ which is present at all levels, but is in itself not a level.
If at one of the levels subtle energies are activated and are in contact with the background, this creates consciousness at that level.
As there are different subtle energies at different levels, they generate different kinds of consciousness at every level.
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"A philosophical treatise can be mostly written in object or process language,
but phenomenological descriptions must be by its very nature first person descriptions.
It is for this reason that self-observations, and personal experiences of the author are included."
Marinus Jan Marijs.