A young friend proffered these questions about existence, destiny and God. They comprise a metaphysical discussion and the themes seem to me to be extraordinarily pertinent.

Why do we exist?

Your question presupposes a reason outside the event itself, as well as a ghostly 'we'. There are many levels of existence, many realms and worlds. Existence arises from the timeless, spaceless absolute spontaneously, for no reason at all. It is merely the reflection of consciousness... you might say it is God's way of knowing him/herself.

Does destiny exist?

Destiny is the surrender of individual consciousness to life. Really it is more important how you live than what you do in your life. Your destiny is the essence of the individual life, because it is outside your control or personal will to influence events. So destiny is surrender.

Does humanity have a common object?

To know itself.

Why is it important for man to prove the existence or not of God?

God is traditionally the name given to the numinous, un-knowable, spontaneous aspects of creation. Proving that God exists is undesirable, because of the issue of faith. But more importantly the existence of God would prove that we exist and this is why it is important to human beings.

Is there really a duality between body and soul?

No, because in reality there is no duality at all.

Are we made of two different substances (body and soul)?

The ghostly 'we' again! To understand the relative world of appearances (or duality) it is useful to consider the physical body, soul and spirit separately. But the separation does not exist in reality: they are one.

Do we need to find the meaning of life?

Life has no meaning and neither do you. The meaning of life is itself!

Why, whenever we question the origin of the world and of the universe do we always come to a point where we can't carry on going back in time?

Because everything takes place in the present and even that isn't quite true. There is one single eternal moment and in this moment the universe arises and subsides. In reality it is absolute (what we think of as God) untouched by events, unaffected by relativity, space and time.

Why is it in the nature of man to ask questions if nobody can answer them?

The unique capacity of human beings is self-reflection and self-reflection leads to our true nature. Asking questions is the action of self-reflection and, perhaps inadvertently, you have stumbled upon a great truth: Nobody can answer them. This is right.

Does anyone have answers?

The one who asks the questions has the answers.

How should one deal with the certainty of death?

By knowing what you really are, you will transcend death.

Does a life beyond death exist?

Does a life before death exist? The question is redundant - find out who you are first. Only what is born can die.

When we talk about death, is it only bodily?

No, the body is already dead. Only the spirit in the body is truly alive... and deathless, because it is eternal.

Is spirit the same as soul?

If we are to use the two words then let's mean different things by them. Soul is the way in which the physical-emotional-mental entity we call the self experiences the elemental world through the senses. Spirit manifests in human beings as the individual expression of the eternal (what we call God) and it is characterized by awareness which is a reflection of consciousness.

What is the relationship between soul and brain?

Soul relates to the world through the senses; brain interprets the experiences and rationalizes and intellectualizes them.

How does the brain control the thoughts of the soul?

The soul has no thoughts, only the brain.

In what way do people interact?

Often very badly! Always automatically, without spontaneity and authenticity, until they know themselves and become real. 

Is a particular life (way of life) important for the evolution of Earth, human beings and the universe?

The life of awareness, striving towards consciousness, involving oneself exclusively in searching for truth, wisdom, love and Self-realization. This is the ultimate fulfillment of humanity and the only thing of any real importance.

Is human evolution by chance?

Humanity is neither evolving nor not evolving. In its true nature it simply 'is'. That is the secret; that is what we have to surrender to and live by and this is our true relationship with God and the universe, because it is the truth and incarnate wisdom.


BLOG entry #96

This article by Richard Harvey was originally published at http://www.therapyandspirituality.com/articles/  and it is part of an ongoing retrospective series of blogs. ‘A Metaphysical Discussion: From Existence to Incarnate Wisdom’ was first published in 2011.