The Boundless Ocean of Being

By editor in World picture April 15, 2020

Among the questions that modern science seeks to resolve is this one: Is our Universe a closed system or not? Simply put, does it have boundaries, or is it infinite? At first glance, this question might not seem particularly relevant. Whatever the answer, it is unlikely to influence the fate of humanity. However, there are reasons to seek an answer. It is crucial for understanding the structure of the Cosmos and the laws by which it exists. Consequently, it is essential for understanding humanity’s place in the grand scheme of things. But finding this answer is far from simple. The scientific tools available for such studies leave much to be desired, and the methodology is largely experimental. Thus, researchers work with fragmented, insufficiently substantiated, or indirect data, making it impossible to draw definitive conclusions.There are several theories that argue, more or less convincingly, for either the closed or infinite nature of the Universe. Based on the data available today, the latter option seems more likely. However, considering that the properties of space and time are still poorly understood, and even the most fundamental and seemingly unshakable theories are being revised, who knows which option will seem more plausible in ten years — and for how long?

The Teaching offers a definitive answer to this question: Our Universe has boundaries. In other words, it is a closed space. But this raises new questions, the most obvious being — what lies beyond its boundaries? Hypotheses proposing a closed Universe offer several answers. For example: Beyond the Universe is absolute nothingness, compared to which cosmic vacuum is as dense as matter compared to a vacuum. Or this: The Universe is like a gigantic bubble, a cavity within a solid medium. Both versions also allow for the possibility of other universes — similar formations within absolute nothingness or cavities within the solid medium.

According to the Teaching, our Universe is part of an even larger system, which can also be called a Universe. This can be likened to the “stacking dolls principle”. An atom is part of a living cell; a cell is part of a human organism; a human organism is part of our Universe; and our Universe is part of an even more colossal Universe. This scheme is greatly simplified but generally reflects the principle. What can be said about that other Universe? For instance, that it, in turn, is a particle of an even more grandiose system. And so on. However, the term “grandiose” doesn’t quite fit here. In fact, no term does. Adequate definitions simply don’t exist. The scale of our Universe, even if it is closed, already surpasses all imagination, making “grandiose” entirely insufficient. What, then, can be said about a Universe in which ours is but a grain of sand? And even that is not the limit. There is no limit at all.

The totality of everything that exists, stretching endlessly in space and time, is called Being in the Teaching. Being is not a specific closed system, substance, or state but all systems, substances, and states combined. It resembles an organism composed of an infinite number of systems and structures. This organism develops and evolves. The evolution of larger systems consists of the evolution of their smaller constituent systems. Simply put, Being is an infinite living mass, constantly changing, evolving, and generating within itself diverse systems according to the evolutionary needs of its… areas, sections, regions? One could say any of these — and still convey only an approximate idea. In what terms can one describe something for which no words exist?

Despite its boundlessness and infinite diversity, Being is a unified system in a single evolutionary process. The principles of existence are the same for all its systems and particles. Thus, in every part of Being, there is space, time, substance (i.e., some form or state of matter), and activity (i.e., the occurrence of processes or actions). The foundational laws governing all parts of Being are the Great Principles — four fundamental tenets that underpin the existence of Being as a whole and each of its elements individually. These will be discussed in detail elsewhere.

The question arises about the beginning of Being. What was it like? What existed before Being and served as its origin? In fact, attempts to uncover the beginning of everything, to find a starting point, are doomed to failure. Because when a starting point is found, the question “What came before this?” immediately arises. But whatever came before also didn’t arise from nothing. So, what preceded that? And so on, infinitely. There is always something that came “before.” Thus, in Being, forms and states replace one another; one begins where another ends. The beginning of all beginnings is Being itself. It has no beginning as a specific moment but is the beginning itself. The existence of Being is a moment of creation equivalent to Eternity. It extends endlessly in time, continuously generating Being that is infinite in space. This is a moment of creation and emergence that never ends, in which development occurs simultaneously with creation. Being generates itself. And before Being, there was Being. Any starting point is merely the starting point of a local system within Being. Before it was another system, and so on. The origin of all systems combined is Being, perpetually existing in the moment of its creation. This moment stretches infinitely backward along the time axis.

What lies ahead? Where is everything heading? Searching for an ultimate endpoint is as futile as searching for the beginning. Life is movement. To live, any system must develop. This applies to Being as well — and primarily so. This is the principle of existence for systems, which together constitute Being — and they adhere to this principle because Being dictates it. From the less perfect emerges the more perfect, and so forth. Only in this way can existence persist. And for infinite Being to exist, it requires infinite improvement. This is both its goal and the means to achieve it. Being strives for eternal life and perfection; it perfects itself to live forever. Riding the wave of its creation, it advances infinitely along the time axis.

When I speak of this, some remark that it seems meaningless. They ask, “What’s the point of endless development? Where’s the result?” To that, I respond: Any result is intermediate — whether in the evolution of the Universe or human life. The result is always followed by a new process and a new result. This chain is endless. The particulars — scales, structures, patterns, goals, etc. — may change, but the process itself does not end. If constant development is deemed pointless, then each specific result is also pointless. Why live, act, or strive for anything, then? Conversely, what sense is there in aiming for an outcome after which everything ends? What’s the benefit of such a result? Should death be the culmination of all? That would be, at the very least, strange. What purpose could be better than eternal existence, constant development, progress, and the joy of achieving new goals? Even for a brief human life, these principles hold true. We live by constantly striving and achieving. Remove that, and what’s the point of living? Being encompasses all processes and results; for it, eternal achievement and eternal life are one and the same. Could anyone propose a better purpose for existence? I doubt it.

Human beings are particles of Being. They exist according to the same fundamental laws and principles that govern all of Being. Their flesh is the flesh of Being; their actions are the actions of Being. They extend with Being into infinity in time and space. They are Being itself. Understanding this changes how one perceives humans and everything else. Looking at a simple stone, one realises it’s not merely a person looking at a rock — it is Being gazing into its own infinity.