absolute precepts
The "Absolute" As The Primary Attribute
of Divine Consciousness
Western academic circles use the terms Omniscient and Omnipresent, which are “ontological terms” (ontology, the philosophic science that deals with the nature and existence of God) to describe God in limited semi scientific terminology. The Tantric and Yogic sciences take a much broader step in defining God, using the all encompassing term “The Absolute”. To attempt to conceive of the nature of the Absolute by the thinking process is considered futile, hence the need for enlightenment to begin with. However, this term reflects the all pervasive, all encompassing, eternally unchanging nature of God as all existence, and is more exact when it comes to defining the actual nature of God as experienced through the modalities of the yogic and tantric tradition via achieved states of God or divine consciousness.
The term Absolute when used in spiritual terms pertains to a divine finality that is supreme and un-surpassed. It is unimaginable by the finite mind, especially when applied to Absolute Siva. So when the term Absolute is used with any divine connotation, it should be taken in the highest divine perspective. The term “Absolute” is a very important term when applied spiritually, one designating an extreme level of divinity and the macro cosmic consciousness that goes with it.
The goal of yoga/tantra is to experience “this Absolute God Consciousness or Absolute Siva Consciousness” as the living reality of ones own self, as a state in which we literally become that God consciousness. We’re talking the highest levels of transcendental realization available to the human here, and the terms Nirvana, Samadhi, and Turiya all fall under this heading. All of these are direct experiences of “The Absolute”, and when experienced as a conscious state their “absoluteness” is unmistakable. Consequently, the Absolute state of God Consciousness reveals its nature through these states and therefore is categorically called The Absolute Truth. These revealed states form the sum and substance of the tantric, yogic, and Vedantic scriptures.
As one would suppose, this conscious experience of the Absolute God Consciousness is in essence the Consciousness of Brahma or Siva, technically Caitanyatma, and is synonymous with the highest state of Enlightenment.
Absolute Divine Reality Summarized
The reality of God and His Consciousness comprise three basic components: Absolute Truth, Absolute Being, and Absolute Consciousness. These three words overlap and are essentially the same thing.
Absolute Truth: God is not limited to being an entity up high in the sky somewhere or in heaven. God is the final and ultimate truth of existence. So from the Absolute perspective, the truth of the reality of God is the only reality, the only truth. God is the Ultimate Truth of existence.
Absolute Being: God is the ultimate Being of that Truth. So all being is God proper, and of course, all “beings” are continuous with that God Being and His reality. Hence, Absolute Being and Absolute Existence are synonymous.
God is the very fabric of Being, the very fabric of existence. He is verily Reality at all levels. So God is not an aspect of reality-He is the truth, being and complete substance of all existences, of all realities. Simply put, God is Reality, God is Existence Itself; essentially God is the existential truth of His own being.
Absolute “Consciousness”
Ultimate Qualifier of Absolute Reality
Absolute Truth and Absolute Being have as their basis one common factor- divine consciousness, “Absolute Divine Consciousness”. Consequently, consciousness, Absolute Consciousness, is the ultimate qualifier of the previous two terms, because Absolute Consciousness as the ultimate sum and substance of them both forms the final basis for the actual reality of God. As put forth in the annals of Kashmir Shaivism, coupled with my personal experience, the most complete and demonstrative characteristic of Absolute Truth and Absolute Being is “consciousness”, Absolute Consciousness”. In fact, as you will read further, Absolute Consciousness and Absolute Being are synonyms in Kashmir Shaivite philosophy. Hence, Absolute Consciousness is essentially the basis and substratum of Absolute Being, and in essence is its sole attribute.
We take “Consciousness”, what one would call our mental alertness or awakeness, as a singular or exceptional component to our being, and that may be true at our extremely lower level of understanding. But in terms of the Absolute, in terms of God as revealed by Siva Himself in the Siva Sutras, Consciousness, His Absolute Divine Consciousness of Self, is all there is, and it is what constitutes the universes, both at the material atomic levels and all spiritual levels as well.
So as just described, God’s Consciousness is basically Reality-including all levels and all beings in possession of Consciousness. Siva is the Divine Absolute Consciousness of God that comprises all of existence, and if you are in possession of consciousness, which we all are, then that consciousness you live is in essence Siva’s consciousness as well. Going one step further, all physically manifested being’s consciousness’ are created by a divine process which has the Kundalini as its basis.
Now that we understand that God pervades all of universal reality as an omniscient absolute consciousness, this pervasive divine consciousness would indelibly include the life within that universe. So all realities, those physical and spiritual realities that we both seem to perceive and cannot perceive are in actuality God, and are one omniscient absolute divine being that is conscious of its oneness, and in fact is the total reality of existence. So it goes without saying that that same God Consciousness is directly responsible for our experience of living. In fact, the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana states this explicitly when it says-Shabda Brahman is the Caitanya (Consciousness) in all creatures. 2
Many would find this stance hard to believe-in their line of thinking, God must be separate from us, and the physical world as well. I have had this discussion with many a Biblican. The issue is, they have no real spiritual awareness. When you say that to a Church goer, they are flabbergasted. “What do you mean, I have no spiritual awareness? I know the Bible front to back”. You see that is just it-they know the book of the Bible, but word and scriptural knowledge does not translate into an actual spiritual consciousness awareness, let alone an awareness of the Kundalini imposed pranic mechanisms that manifest and control their minds. Authentic transcendental spiritual awareness that is the result of the Kundalini retracting Her spiritually blinding capacities, i.e. their “pranic minds and self”, nets in the above explained divine structure, that God is their mind and life-literally.
1 Merrium Webster, Webster New Encyclopedic Dictionary, “definition of Kundalini”, p.1021, 2002.
2 Caitatanya as Shabda Brahmin is the consciousness in all creatures-sat-cakra Nirupana-page 100.