Arguments for Resurrection – Part 20

Seedbed of Light (continuation page 58)

“Memories of conscious beings and the seeds of plants point to the Resurrection and the afterlife.

Here is another proof that they are for eternal existence and not for eternal extinction, that their apparent decay or extinction means the end to their tasks here or their discharge from their worldly duties.”

We have been created with the faculty of memory. What is the wisdom of it in this type of creation? It is teaching us that our experiences are not going into extinction, rather they are preserved. This is a sign for us from the Creator that things are not going to disappear. That is , existence is going to be preserved if not in this type of creation but definitely in another type of creation.

Comment: I understand that the faculty of memory makes us realize that nothing goes wasted. Then, how can we jump into the conclusion that it must be preserved in another type of creation? Are we missing some steps?

This type of creation is a sign that we are not subject to complete extinction since everything is preserved through the faculty of memory. Preserved for what? If my ability to remember what happened yesterday is for this creation only, then the faculty of memory is pointless. Why? Because I am going to die anyway, so why do I keep records of my previous life since I will be destroyed at the end? Why am I given the ability to preserve my previous experiences while I know that I have a short lifespan here? There must be a reason for this and it is a sign pointing to something. Example: You keep record of everything and at the end you burn it. So why do you keep record of everything if you are not going to use them according to human expectations. Human expectations are open-ended. If we listen to our human side, we realize that I do not accept any end to my existence. I cannot imagine the end of my existence. I cannot digest it or accept it. Our human side is open to Eternity. Being created with the ability to “remember” is a sign that the One who created me now, the Creator is demonstrating that my life is being recorded and preserved. But at the same time there is contradiction i.e. everything is preserved but I am dying. Why is memory preserved if I was to go into complete extinction? It is a sign that I will be taken into account for experiences and be preserved according to human capacity. Human capacity is open to Eternity.

Comment: We only have evidence of existence and we logically conclude about non-existence.

When you say: “we logically conclude about non-existence”, it is not the existence of non-existence that we conclude. That is just the way we are created to think about things in terms of its opposite. Opposites do not have to exist. As far as our human qualities are concerned, existence can only make sense when we thing about it in terms of its opposite i.e. non-existence for us. We do not logically conclude that non-existence exists. We only logically conclude that existence exit (that which we experience) but it is known to me only by thinking/imagining it’s opposite. It is a general principle that things are known with their opposites to human capacity.

Fundamental message of revelation: Is it possible that the universe comes into existence by itself? The message encourages us to think about it. However, it does not mean that “coming into existence by itself” has an external existence somewhere. No. By comparing the impossibility of existing by themselves, we conclude that there must be a Source of existence for everything. Then we start searching for it. What can be the Source of existence of things?

Without lailaha (things cannot create themselves), we cannot conclude illallah (they must have a Creator). Lailaha signifies something which does not exist. Apart from the Creator, is there anything in the universe which has the ability to create anything? So why do we say lailaha. That is just how human beings are formed to think and reach a positive conclusion. If we were not able to imagine lailaha (there is no source of existence in the universe), we would never be able to conclude that there must be a Creator.

“Memories of conscious beings and seeds of plants” in the text above, means that the way we are created and things are created points to resurrection, hereafter or continuation of existence. As long as my existence is concerned, I cannot imagine my existence without life. Not necessarily the type of life that I am living here but I must be alive which means that I must be conscious of my existence. If I am not conscious of my existence, my existence would mean nothing to me. Life fundamentally means consciousness. If we are not conscious of our existence, it means we are not alive. We live like dead or non-existent. That is why consciousness is everything.

Comment: Why the expression “after-life” as oppose to “hereafter”?

We need to first establish our understanding in terms of existence. If my existence does not have life, it means that I am not conscious of my existence. If I am not conscious of my existence, my existence would not mean anything to me. These kinds of expressions are not wrong but we have to understand what we mean by any expression we use.

Question: How do we conclude that another existence must be an Eternal existence?

We cannot imagine non-existence so everything must exist. Descriptions of Hell and Paradise are made by taking the example of this creation because we cannot imagine any other way but it does not mean that they should be the same. This type of existence is transient, although I keep it in my memory; but their physical experience disappears from my sight/experience. It does not mean that they are going into non-existence, especially human beings/ consciousness because it contradicts human quality right now that we are experiencing to imagine the extinction or non-existence. It is impossible to imagine non-existence. It is true that nothing will go into non-existence because there is no such thing, specially human beings with their experience, training, learning, educating themselves definitely will be utilized eternally, not temporarily. We cannot imagine temporariness of my existence. It contradicts the way I am made now.

Comment: Another way to look at the above is that in order to confirm for myself that the next form of creation must be Eternal, I have to understand my here and now that since everything here is transient, the purpose for me is to learn from it and which begs the question for why am I learning it for or experiencing it?

We should be careful when we say that this world is transient, it does not mean that it is going into non-existence. It disappears from my experience but I know that they still exist in my memory. When something disappears from my experience, it is immediately replaced with another act of creation. That makes the creation dynamic. Dynamic means continuous manifestation. Why continuous manifestation of Creator is necessary? Creator, by creating in a dynamic form demonstrates that He has no limit. So, we can understand that the Creator must be Absolute from the dynamic nature of act of creation, Creator must be Absolute with no limit or Eternal. It means that the Creator cannot be of the nature of this universe. It is very relaxing to know that my Creator is Absolute, it means that I have nothing to worry about in my existence. I belong to the Absolute. It is very comforting.

Do you feel that?

Answer: Right now, yes. At the moment yes.

If you think about this point that the One who is giving me existence is proving and demonstrating that He is Absolute and I am convinced about it (it must be so), here is the evidence in the universe. I say no worry about anything. That is, nothing worries you. It does not mean that you should disconnect yourself from the order of this creation and your relationship with the order. You just don’t worry about your future/existence of what will happen to you. This should not be confused with when people think that if there was an Eternal life and if I am taken to Hell, it will be unbearable. That is why they say I am worried about my future. Hell/Paradise is a secondary subject. Fundamental subject is that we should never worry about our existence/future because existence is guaranteed. Secondarily, ok let me train myself according to the requirements of Eternal life. Khalideena fiha abadaa (khalid=abad= they will be permanently residing there eternally). The Quran repeats these words to reconfirm the reader that definitely don’t worry about your existence, it will be eternal.

If we are convinced that the Creator of this universe is going to give me Eternal existence and the news is out there both scripture form and the universe, then by establishing this trust in the Creator, we cannot disobey Him, we cannot ignore Him, we cannot deny Him.

The reason why some people worry about their future that is whether they will be in Paradise or Hell is because the base is missing. In other words, their understanding of Paradise and Hell is not according to the perception of creation and hence its Creator so as to live in this world as belonging to the Absolute One.

When people think about life in terms of doing good or bad actions, they fall into the actions only without the base. If we do not have the base for our actions, we concentrate on the good action/bad action in terms of rewards/punishments. That is why people say that they are worried about resurrection, whether God will put them in Hell. Yes, Hell must exist for people who have not prepared anything for themselves in connection with their Creator but in order to have a firm attitude and really prepare ourselves for the Eternal life, we have to have a firm base for our actions/life. If you are really sure that you are a candidate for an Eternal life, death is nothing. Why should you even bother about your caprices, egoistic tendencies, carnal desires…etc.? Why should you fall short with your life by falling into those, it’s not worth it? If you fall into carnal desires, it means that you are missing something in the foundations. That is, you are not really connecting your existence to the Absolute Creator. In other words, you are not convinced about the Absolute Creator. WATCH OUT! When we say that there is a possibility that there may be a hereafter after we die, that understanding of possibility makes us so reluctant in being consistent in our life.

We must make sure whether the existence will be Eternal or not, we have to make sure.
If existence is Eternal, why do you bother about cheating yourself i.e. disobeying, not recognizing, rebelling as if your Creator is not going to take care of you and you are going to take care of yourself as if your Creator is negligent of your choices and thoughts while you know that He is Absolute.

If you know that everything is in the hand of His Dominion, then you start living in the presence of God and it becomes very easy. Take care of your responsibility in terms of acknowledging Him and living according to this acknowledgment: “He is the Creator of everything, He is an Absolute One.” If you are sure about it, you should never neglect it. Example: you should never tell a lie. Why should you tell a lie? He knows it!

Belief consciousness is necessary to solve any problems that we may worry about.

As a result, we don’t worship anything else and say that if I had this, I will be in a better position. Only in terms of my relationship with my Creator, will I be in a better position. I need to practice the relationship through my interaction with the other things but with the consciousness that everything is provided by the One who is Absolute. Do what you are expected to do in the conditions of this type of existence! Eat, drink, go to school, get a career but always bearing in mind that everything is under the Creatorship of the Absolute One, nothing can escape from it because nothing can give existence to itself. That makes life easy!

If one wants to be religious and practice religious life/duties without the fundamental understanding of the Creator being Absolute, he becomes like a puppet. Such a person just imitates religious rituals without any connection with what s/he is doing and who is creating it, saying that I am going to do this and the Creator is going to reward me or punish me. The missing link is thinking that “what I am doing” is independent of the Creator. Example: I am praying and Creator will reward me after I die. The creation of that event is not tied to the Absolute Creator. That is why religious duties become burden like you have to do something and you will be paid at the end of the month like your payroll. Analogy: When you are hungry and food is delicious, do you feel that it is a burden to eat food? No, you enjoy it because it is directly related to your need. Similarly, in exactly the same way, if you want to practice rituals and other duties, only if you know that they are directly related to the Absolute Creator and you are just being conscious of what you are doing, then it becomes a Source of pleasure.

If you do not connect the action to its Creator, it becomes a burden and difficult to execute.

Living with the consciousness of the Creator is the healthiest way of life and everything becomes easy. When you are benefitting from creation, all objects you wanted and the pleasure you wanted from them to satisfy yourself, all of them are in the hand of the Creator and you know that. Just follow it.

Comment: When actions are accompanied by acknowledgment, then nothing becomes a burden. The sense of acknowledgment creates a need to say thank you to the one that is providing the things so nothing becomes a burden even in terms of the worship and ritualistic prayers.

Yes, because you know that everything is created and provided.

Comment: The need to desiring Eternal Satisfaction is within us. We get to know this need when we interact with transient nature and objects here. When you reflect on this need, and you have this realization that the One who has given you this need and the One who has given you existence must be the One to satisfy this Eternal Satisfaction. Can that be requested or acknowledged through supplication?

Acknowledge that even the desire for Eternal Satisfaction is created by the Absolute Being. That is, His act of creation. You are simply connecting this desire to Him saying that: “That is your act of creation, you want me to have this desire and so you must give it to me”. According to your conclusion, if He has created you with this desire, don’t you think it’s a promise that He will give it to you. As long as you put your trust in Him, acknowledge Him, and then it is guaranteed. Because we are here to acknowledge.

Comment: It seems to be as simple knowing that you exist.

Yes. That is it. Be conscious of your existence is the solution. I exist, how? I am created and I am given existence. My existence belongs to an Absolute One because it is continually renewed. It is an active way of creation i.e. dynamic which makes us aware of the continuous act of creation. If I say I am created by God, it is correct but it does not satisfy my human spirit. It is something God created in the past and as a result, we miss the dynamic act of creation in our existence right now. With the awareness that act of creation is dynamic, you cannot really disconnect yourself from the Creator at any time. That is why being aware of the continuous act of creation is very essential. This is what we become aware of from our perspective not from God’s perspective because He is Absolute and we cannot speak about God by using any terms belonging to this universe such as, yesterday, tomorrow… We have to concentrate on our reality from our perspective that my existence is dynamic; I am created in a dynamic way by what? Only by an Absolute Being. Otherwise I cannot exist on a dynamic base. It would be similar to saying that the builder of this building made it and is gone. That is, the building exists without having any direct relationship with its Maker. But existence is not like this. Existence of everything totally depends on the preference or will of its Creator. The relationship between builder and building is the relationship between two created things. But how about existence and the Source of existence relationship is concerned: He must be Absolute and if He is Absolute then we understand that creation is fundamentally based on His Absolute nature, in other words dynamic act of creation.

Question: As far as consciousness is concerned, why is it that we are unable to apply that consciousness when we should be able to constantly?

We are given the freewill so we may consciously choose it or ignore it. That is our reality. Dynamic act of creation calls us to be conscious of our Creator continuously and witness the act of creation and its Creator. Also human capacity is given this ability to be conscious of its Creator but we are free, we may ignore it or bear in mind. Although it is simple but we may ignore it. When we ignore it, it is in two ways:

By denying, not acknowledging the Creator, i.e. concluding that things exist as they are (dalleen). Although it is inexplicable how things are as they are by themselves but their choice is to deny. Whether they are convinced about it or not is another matter.
Accepting the Creator but not relate the act of creation right now to its Source. (maghdoob).

Comment: The discipline of psychology talks about “regret” as something that one should not have during their life-span, specifically when one reaches retirement age, if s/he does not have any regrets that s/he lived a positive healthy life. Is it human to have “regrets” or is it a psychological problem?

We make mistakes and we regret it in the course of time that is very human. Feeling regret opens up the path to repentance. If I make a mistake and if I am honest with myself, I say I should not have done it. If I acknowledge the authority over my existence i.e. the Creator of the event which I experience, I turn back to the Creator of that event and say: “Look I am sorry I misuse the opportunity you gave to me.” It is as if someone gives you something and you misuse it and now you acknowledge that it was a gift to you by the one who gave you. Example: Someone lends me a car just for one purpose but I used it for several purposes. Now I go back to the person and tell her that “Please forgive me as I used the car for various purposes.”

Regret is very human and it’s a doorway for repentance once you realize that it was an opportunity that you missed to acknowledge your Creator. Reflect on it and use it for repentance and ask for forgiveness. It’s very human, that is how we are made. No one can say that I am perfect in any way. It means that we make mistakes and that is our shortcoming. Why do you think secular psychologist say: “You should not regret, forget about it” it is because they don’t feel that their existence belong to someone else and what they did in the past was not the act of creation of the Creator. As far as our consciousness is concerned, we have a responsibility before our Creator: “I made a mistake and so I have to go back to the Creator.” Secular psychology does not accept the Creator, it is in the past it says, its gone and forget about it because there is no connection between actions happening here and the Creator. Secular psychology does not accept the Creator. It says: “You have done something wrong in the past why do you keep remembering it and regretting. Forget about it, it’s gone.” The reason being that the action (right or wrong) does not have an Owner, it happened to be accidental and now it’s gone into non-existence. As long as I acknowledge the Creator now, then I acknowledge that that event has an Owner and you go back to the Creator of that event, the Absolute One and you say: “I am sorry I abused your act of creation.”

Regret is necessary but it does not mean that regret will cause disappointment. “God forgives whomever he likes” is misunderstood sometimes where one thinks; “I may ask for forgiveness but he may not forgive me”. That is one’s speculation. One’s duty is to accept that I made a mistake, whether he accepts or not is not my concern. I performed my duty to acknowledge and repent. But what He promises is by making me with the ability to make a mistake and creating me with the ability to regret and then creating me with the ability to ask for forgiveness. It’s a promise that He will forgive. You can acknowledge Him now or tomorrow but do not choose not to acknowledge the event and its Creator.

Most problems lies when we put our nose into God’s business: “I do not know if God will forgive me.” Take care of your responsibility: “Do you realize that it was a mistake? Do you realize that you should not have done it? Do you realize that you want to be forgiven about it? Express yourself and take care of your responsibility!

Creation says that I am created by a conscious being on a deliberate base. It is as if my Creator says: “I have created you with the memory of remembering what happened in the past and created you with the ability to repent and ask for forgiveness while in regret”. “I forgive every one and I forgive all sins” some verses say. What does it mean? If I do not ask for forgiveness, if I do not acknowledge my mistakes, can I expect God to forgive me? Use your human capacity as you are created. It’s a guarantee that as long as you acknowledge your mistake, you are forgiven. Within acknowledgment, forgiveness lies. If you do not acknowledge the mistake, it means that you have not done your duty. Take care of your duty to acknowledge the mistake and use your ability to ask for forgiveness. Be sincere and consistent within yourself. You cannot say that tomorrow I will steal again and the day after tomorrow, I will ask for forgiveness. That is cheating yourself! It means that you are not honest with your regret. I should be conscious of my own nature as I am created.

My responsibility is to acknowledge Him and live according to this acknowledgment. If you are sure about your existence, you should never neglect Him. Only in terms of the relationship with my Creator, I will be in a better position. I will practice belief through my interaction with things but with consciousness that everything is created/provided by a conscious being who is Absolute. This solves every problem and answers “what am I doing here and who is creating it?”

“Consider a flower, a “word” of Divine Power that looks at us for a very short time and then goes away. Think of it as a spoken word that, by God’s permission, goes to thousands of ears and whose meanings are understood my numerous intellects. When the flower dies, it entrusts itself to the memories of those who have seen it, and its forms and meanings to its seeds. Thus the memory of those who saw it and each seed becomes like a record preserving the decorations of its forms and a place for its permanence. You can compare with that flower other living beings that have a higher degree of life up to beings with eternal spirit.”

Imagine a flower withered away and died. “Think of it as a spoken word” means that when you speak you use a word and follow the speech by using another word. Can I say that you used this word a few seconds ago and since it’s gone now, I do not have anything to do with that? No. Or by giving me the ability to remember, keep it in my memory to evaluate it, utilize it and act accordingly, the words do not mean anything? No.

Do you see that the flower as a spoken word?

The flower is a spoken word by its Creator speaking to you saying that I am the One who made it beautiful and I am the One who made you to appreciate the beauty of the flower and see the qualities manifested in it and lots of message we receive, it’s a spoken word. When it dies, do you think that the spoken word also goes into extinction? No. The main message is this: “whether we see the universe as a means of transferring the message from its Creator or just happens to be accidentally like as it is”. Existence is the fundamental matter. If something exists, definitely it brings news from its Creator, its Source of existence. If I am able to perceive the existence of things and the existence of the qualities on a thing, it means the Creator of that thing is transferring its qualities to me. It means that the dynamic nature of the creation is like a Speech. Speech cannot be static but has to be dynamic. Just like paragraphs follow each other, similarly, the universe is a speech. The universe is a mirror but not like a static mirror. It is a mirror reflecting the qualities of its maker in a dynamic way. It’s a continuous conversation between conscious beings and the Creator of the objects. Can we see the universe as a Speech from its Creator? Yes. We are hearing the speech of God right now by looking at the things. For practical reason, we see that the universe is static and we don’t see it as a dynamic speech. That is the shortcomings of our habit, seeing the world as a static being.

Question: Since its consciousness or memories that one is relying on for this information to transfer to, there are times when I am not aware of the memories I used to have. It’s not that the memories do not exit but I am not conscious of the memories at times. But the answer is here: when the flower dies, it entrusts the memories of those who have seen it. So it’s not the flower but rather the memories of others who are observing it.

While you are speaking right now, the act of creation is renewed. The quality of the flower is preserved in its seed. What you said is also preserved in your mind. As a listener, I also preserve what you say. But that is not the point. We are not analyzing someone’s capacity to remember past experiences because we are looking at the nature of creation. In the nature of creation, is there any preservation, memory? Yes. That is the point as long as there is memory and preservation, then there is a One that is causing this act of creation. Why are things preserved? Why do we keep remembering what happens yesterday? Why are we created with the capacity to remember? Not to keep a memoir of your life story in a diary, obviously not but rather to see that the universe is a continuous speech and I have to remember what has been happening so that I can see the dynamic nature of creation. What is the opposite? We don’t remember the past, what happens? You then see the universe as a static being. When you see the universe as a static being, you can attribute its existence to itself that it has always been like this. Thanks to the dynamic nature of the act of creation, we understand that the Source is Absolute. Otherwise we would not be able to understand that it is created, let alone that the Creator is Absolute. It has always been like that.

The fallacy of unbelief or those who deny the Creator, they see the universe as existing by itself and the dynamic nature of the universe as being static. That is why they say that natural laws don’t change it means they are static. They never question the source of existence of the natural laws.

Yes, the natural laws are constant but their applications are continuously changing. Although how things are coming into existence (the Orderliness) doesn’t not change but the order is continuously changing. That is why people who do not think about the existence of the Creator, they do not want to think about the Orderliness (how things are coming into existence) and they say that the universe has always been like this. They are certain constants and everything is going around according to this constant and that is how it is. But how do you explain the existence of the constants? They don’t deny time because things are changing but they regard universe as static because of the constant laws. That is why they don’t feel the need to look at or question the source of existence of the universe. It has always been like this they claim. They don’t see that everything is continuously being changed despite the Orderliness being constant. But I am being within an order. I am being change by what? By whom? My change is taking place within an order.

There are 2 orders in existence in the universe:

Existence is taking place within an order.
Change is happening in the universe and it is also taking place within an order.

What is the common denominator?
Orderliness does not change.

Orderliness (the order through which things come into existence) does not change and so we have to question the source of Existence of Orderliness. The Source of existence of the order in the universe as it is and the Source of Existence of the change taking place within this order. Who is organizing it? The things cannot have the time concept at all. They don’t say that I am not going to change my existence, the order of my existence. We have to question the moment and the Source of existence of change taking place within an order.

If someone is showing that He is creating Orderliness, then He is Absolute. Nothing can prevent the existence of another thing. Everything is taking place at the same time within perfect wise conscious order. It is incredible! Keep questioning: