Seedbed of light, continuation (page 56)
“The Creator has infinite Munificence and Generosity, and treasuries of blessings and favor. Among these are suns replete with light and trees full of fruit. This infinite Generosity and Wealth demand an eternal realm of feasting and the permanent existence of those who are in need. An infinite generosity requires an infinite bestowal of favor that, in turn, demands the perpetual existence of those who will be favored and return it by giving thanks. Otherwise, returning that perpetual favor would be restricted to each individual’s limited life-span.”
Just as the production of certain goods points to a source that can produce an unlimited supply of the goods, the author of this text mentions that Munificence or Generosity are qualities that are infinite. Is it really so? I have to study it for myself. Although these qualities that I experience are taking place in a limited world, it points to an unlimited realm. If the qualities we experience are finite, then why can’t they not be manifested in infinite form.
Since the universe is always in continuous motion with simultaneous happenings indicates that the Source must be infinite. Also, since everything comes into existence perfectly demonstrates that the source must be infinite.
Conscious people are happy because they are aware that the source of existence of these qualities is infinite and hence are appreciative. Just as through one cup of tea, I can thank the source of my existence for all its generosity that I experience here. That is to say, through one cup of tea, I can acknowledge that the source of Generosity is infinite. Let’s break it down:
- Source is infinite.
- Conscious human beings are responding to the Source for Its infinite generosity, not just one cup of tea.
What does this require?
- The infinite source must respond back to human beings by saying that: “since you did not acknowledge me only for one cup of tea but as the Source to give out infinite generosity, so yes I will give it to you in infinite form!”
As a human being, if you think that It will not do it, then you need to re-evaluate your thoughts. We have to make sure of the following otherwise we can NOT conclude the existence of the necessity of an Eternal life:
- Universe is limited but points to the necessity of the existence of an infinite source.
- We must make sure that the Source is infinite by witnessing the limited universe.
- Since we are living in a limited universe, we are receiving limited bounties or grace here continuously.
- We have to use our human qualities to realize that limited bounties we are receiving points to an unlimited source.
Going back to the cup of tea example, it is NOT enough to say “all grace is due to God for giving me a cup of tea”. Through a cup of tea, I have to acknowledge that the One who gave me a cup of tea (what I refer to as God) is an infinite source. “I am thankful for your infinite generosity!” Only being thankful for a cup of tea implies that those who do not have cup of tea should not be thankfulWrong way of reasoning! We should be careful not to thank for an amount. Use the amount (cup of tea) as a means of acknowledging that the Source is infinite. One atom is enough to understand that in order to give existence to this atom, One must be an infinite source. Hence, quantity is NOT important.
Do we get to know that the Creator is more generous by giving ten cups of tea or one?
- One or two cups of tea should not make any difference for us.
- Whether you are given one cup of tea or ten, does not matter.
- One cup of tea is enough to understand that the Creator of this cup of tea by exhibiting the qualities of the tea and how it comes into existence is related to your needs. As a result, we understand that the Source is knowledgeable and absolutely powerful with no limit to its power and mercy and It is demonstrating it.
- We miss these points because we are thankful for things in and of themselves that we are given.
Quranic argument: Every single being glorifies its Creator. This means that every single being demonstrates that its Creator is Absolute (i.e. with no limitations, no faults, no shortcoming, nothing is missing=tasbeeh). Nothing is exempt from it. For example: I do not like a rotten orange. However, in the existence of the particles of the rotten orange, I witness that only an Absolute being can give existence to the rotten orange. One’s disliking of things is another matter but the “existence of the things” you dislike is the topic under discussion. Another example: It is very human to dislike an earthquake. In order to create earthquake, one must have to have an absolute power.
In order to make sure that Eternal Existence must take place, I must look at my existence and the existence of the universe as evidence and conclude that every single being is a witness to the necessity of an Absolute Being. If we do not witness and experience here and make sure for ourselves that the Source of Existence of anything we experience here must be absolute, then there is no possibility to believe in the existence of an Eternal life i.e. resurrection. If we think that everything is limited here, then how can we think about an Eternal life? Such thought never occurs.
- Belief in infinite life necessitates our attitude in this world. That is, how do we see creation in this universe? Everything in this universe must be used as a witness to conclude resurrection. The logic must be complete.
Why should resurrection take place?
I am limited and I am given continuous limited opportunities in the universe. However, my communication with the Creator here is not in a limited form whether I realize it or not. Example: thank you for giving me a brother. We have to see how this limited quality points to the infinite quality of its Maker. Therefore, quantitative appraisal of the universe does not work. The transition to infinite must take place otherwise there is no hope for Eternal satisfaction here because everything passes with the blink of an eye and if one attaches themselves to the events/objects only, disappointment is surely to take place.
- Even one slice of an orange is enough to thank the Absolute Creator, which in turn opens up the door to believe in the existence of an Eternal life. Human capacity can acknowledge the existence of an unlimited source!
Question: Why doesn’t the Absolute Creator manifest Its creation in Absolute form?
Answer: It would defeat the purpose of existence of this universe, which is for human consciousness to recognize and acknowledge its source of existence.
The subject under discussion urges us to find the infinite Source within the smallest particle of matter. Our likes and dislikes of different objects/events is another matter. Example: In order to create a cat without legs, what needs to be out there? Your desire of not liking any being to be without legs is different than the being’s “existence” without legs. Usually if you dislike something, you start complaining: “why the One who made it did not make it perfect as I would like to have it? You complain because it is not according to your expectations. We have to think of every matter from an existential point of view. Our relationship with things, like/dislike is a way for us to train in this universe: Who am I? Who the Creator is?
- I am given the opportunity to experience that I cannot guarantee the result of anything in this transient universe + things do not have to happen as I expect but every existent being points to its source to be the absolute.
- Only through our expectations that we realize that this transient creation cannot exist by itself, and it refers to the necessary existence of its permanent creation. This is how we conclude that resurrection must take place. If we have not been given expectations we would have not been in need of looking for the Source of this transient creation and finding out that It is Absolute. We practice our sense of expectation and thus conclude that this sense needs to be satisfied. Since the Creator is Absolute, why It should not satisfy the need of this sense, while It is the One who gave existence to this sense.
After being convinced about the necessity of an Eternal life, only then one can confirm the Quranic message. Quran is a guide which needs to be investigated and then confirmed.
Thanks to the createdness (dependency) of our existence, we can find that the Source is infinite. This in turn points to the necessity of the existence of an infinite Source. Our createdness is not an excuse or a handicap for us to confirm the unlimited Source but instead our created capacity of comprehending the reality of this universe points to an unlimited source.
- We are here to investigate and conclude lailaha (there is no source of existence in this universe) and its confirmation is illallah (therefore, there must be a source giving existence to this universe which cannot be found in physical terms of this universe).
- That is belief!
Again, the concept of a Creator comes from the existence of one atom because one atom needs to be given existence and I cannot find anything within it to give existence to it. The atom is subject to continuous change. If something is demonstrating perpetual/infinity while having no quality to give existence to itself, then, we conclude that it itself cannot produce itself.
Example:
- Look at a building and investigate whether:
1. Can it give existence to itself?
2. Can it be accidental?
3. How does it exist in this universe?
Building itself says: “I am made and subject to the rules of this universe. Whoever establishes the order of the universe must be the One to establish my existence as well within the order of the universe.”
In order to believe in resurrection we have to make sure how we are using our human qualities by going through the following stages:
- Stage 1: The very existence of the building (the universe) shows that there must be an external source giving existence to the universe.
- Stage 2: This external source must give existence to the universe within the whole context of the order of the universe as much as I know or have developed my capacity.
- Stage 3: My capacity is subject to expansion when I properly train my being here.
In conclusion, the Creator must provide a continuous creation.
- “The Creator has secret Perfections. His miraculous works of Perfections must be manifested for appreciative observers. Perpetual perfection requires perpetual manifestation and the existence of appreciative observers. Perfection loses its value in the view of observers condemned to eternal extinction.”
A source is demonstrating itself to us here in this universe consciously introducing Itself as the infinite source. We are given the quality to appreciate Its endless qualities. That is to say, someone demonstrates to us that within Its capacity, it is infinite. As a result, we conclude that this Source must be infinite. However the question remains that how can I make sure that I will be given existence in an unlimited form. Yes, I understand that the Creator must be Absolute and it manifests its qualities in an Absolute form as well. But the burning question still remains:
How can I be sure within myself that I can be given existence infinitely as well?
Since the universe is created in such a way that my consciousness and capacity acknowledges the infinity of the Creator and I respond back to the Creator in an infinite form. That is, I have the ability to expand my capacity of knowing the Creator infinitely in this finite universe because every moment is an opportunity to train and develop my human senses. As a result, I am more convinced that the Creator of the Universe must be Absolute and must manifest its qualities in Absolute form.
Since this is what I am experiencing in this universe, it means that the universe is created in such a way that if I respond back to the Source of this universe, it is for my personal conviction. As the author of this text states, the universe is given existence for appreciative observers. Otherwise it would be against my experience in this universe. The infinite demonstrates itself as the Absolute One and gave me the ability to acknowledge It. That is how I train myself i.e. I am here for the expectation of the infinite manifestation of the Absolute creation and if It does not create it for me, then It is going against my human expectations which It endowed in me. There is no evidence that the Creator of me is going against my expectations or is cheating me. Since It enabled me to acknowledge It and if I appreciate its manifested qualities, by reflect and respond back to it, I can conclude that this is a sign. A sign that will not only will it create the qualities that I desire in infinite form but will also get me to experience them by creating me in an infinite form as well, hence giving me eternal existence. The correspondence between my qualities and the qualities manifested in the universe demonstrates that I have to be given Eternal existence as well.
We are not talking about life but ‘existence’. The existence of my life here is limited but continuously renewed. But once I realize that my existence is coming from an Absolute Source, then I conclude that my existence must be given eternity. That is, the existence of life must be eternal. The existence of my consciousness must be eternal. The existence of my expectations of perfect life must be Eternal. All my desires must be eternally accomplished here through training my human senses. Ask yourself: Am I training my human senses with this consciousness that I am given the ability to acknowledge the Absolute Creator? This training ensures that you will be given eternal existence together with your senses because no one wants to lose a sense even after a certain time period.
If I am going to die and my existence ends here, then it contradicts my human expectations + it becomes an accusation to the Source of existence of my qualities.
In conclusion, I must be given Eternal existence of all my human qualities.
- “The Creator has a peerless, transcendent Beauty. Each Name is perfectly beautiful due to this Beauty’s radiations. How can we grasp such Beauty? Earth, one of His “solid” mirrors of ever-changing scenes displayed annually and seasonally, as well as at every moment, is but a shadow of a few radiations of that Beauty, and spring is only one of its flowers.
A perfectly Beautiful One must desire that His Beauty be seen by Himself and others. He desires the existence of “mirrors” to reflect His Beauty, and of lovers to show part of His admired Grace. Eternal Grace and Beauty require eternal lovers and admirers. Since one feels enmity toward that which cannot be attained or comprehended, the love of an ephemeral lover for an eternal Beauty turns into enmity. Therefore, just as this world requires the existence of a Maker, the Maker demands the existence of an eternal realm.”
At every moment, each quality manifests itself with perfect beauty because everything has a design in this universe. Nothing exists without décor in this universe. Existence and giving form to existence is a form of design; it is part of the universe. The design demonstrates that the Creator beautifies everything. We see that the quality of beauty is repeating its existence in everything we experience.
His qualities are made beautiful to be seen by everyone. Why is everything made beautiful here? Because there will be some creatures who will appreciate it. Just as why would someone make an art if no one is going to appreciate it including the artist? Beauty is to be seen by Himself means that He is aware of what He is doing. I must understand that He is making it beautiful because everything is made deliberately beautiful. Nothing is accidental here. As a conscious human being, I must conclude that the One who is making things beautiful is aware that He is making things beautiful.
- The Creator makes everything consciously beautiful + I am presented to the beauty consciously and deliberately and I am given the ability to appreciate beauty consciously and deliberately.
Eternal grace and beauty requires eternal grace and lover means that He is the source of eternal grace and I am given the ability to appreciate it to understand that it is consciously designing it. Hence, I must be created in a form where I will observe eternal happiness, eternal grace and beauty in an eternal form. If I am not given eternal existence how can I appreciate eternal grace and beauty? I must conclude that I must be given Eternal existence that is PARADISE. If I do not come to such conclusion, or have a denying attitude, then I will be eternally deprived of Paradise, the opposite of which is Eternal HELL.
- I am given the quality to acknowledge the eternity of the Creator so I have no reason NOT TO CONCLUDE that the Creator is going to give me eternal existence. My Source of existence is eternal and I expect him to give me eternal life.
WRONG to say: My existence is Eternal.
INSTEAD we must work on coming to a conclusion that since my Creator is Eternal, He must give me Eternal existence. However, in this universe my existence is subject to death and is limited. But after an investigative approach of observing the universe, I conclude that my Creator must give me Eternal existence in another type of creation. That is belief confirmation!
We do not use belief but we use our human qualities to confirm the content of belief if we use it in the correct way. That is, we are given the ability to confirm belief matters. While we are reasoning about belief matters, we use pre-requisites. The pre-requisite is yourself and your human qualities which you use to come to your conclusion and confirm belief. This conclusion is your belief. Practically speaking, nowadays, we only use belief when we do ritualistic prayers: “I must do it because I concluded my belief in God by seeing that the universe is wonderful; it must be created by God.” Therefore, religion, which is based on belief in God must be correct. Religion asks me to do rituals so I do them.
This made the universe points to a self-existing source which cannot be made, therefore, which cannot be limited, i.e. dependent. The unlimited source demands the existence of an unlimited manifestation of existence which is called “eternal realm” and what we refer to as resurrection. Since resurrection must take place because this universe exists on a temporary base in a limited form that is why eternal realm must exist.
When you miss questioning “existence”, you fall into presumed language. If you neglect existence, you cannot be convinced about anything including resurrection. If you ignore existence, you cannot make sure about your conclusion which is belief. This is equally true for those people who deny the Creator by neglecting the existence of things saying that science will discover it. Is science looking for the Source of Existence of the atom, let alone finding the Source of its existence within the atom? Any sign of a logical evidence to prove the Source of existence of any matter is a must to confirm belief. When you neglect the existential side of things, your argument for belief and denial are equally baseless. Start with your own being. Never fall into denial or imitation. We are responsible for confirming our reality here.