Outside

Our universe consists of an 'inner' world and an 'outer' world. The 'inner world' spoken of here refers to mind. The 'outer world', in turn, refers to matter. In order to properly understand the 'inner' and the 'outer' world we must be made familiar with certain specific concepts. One concept of importance is the concept of universal consciousness. Universal consciousness, though it is what created mind and matter, is yet neither mind nor matter. Universal consciousness created mind and matter out of an effort to more intimately know Itself.

Matter is universal consciousness manifesting Itself. Mind is universal consciousness observing this manifestation. There is, however, a "side-effect" to the bringing forth of mind and matter: the mind experiences itself as being separate from the matter - a condition that the universal consciousness perhaps never anticipated. As a result, the universal consciousness, in encountering the concept of separateness, would appear to be working with a concept with which It is unfamiliar. This arrangement is what we call "reality". It is in grasping these concepts that we can better understand how the 'inner' and 'outer' worlds described earlier developed: mind cannot help but label matter as being 'external', because of the very nature of the relationship that exists between mind and matter. How do we give further meaning to these concepts?

Universal consciousness, as stated, had to bring about mind and matter in order to know Itself. This, however, had the unavoidable result of mind experiencing itself as separate from matter. Matter existing external to mind created the illusion of what we call being outside. To us, the concept of being "outside" something is an everyday occurrence. To universal consciousness, however, "outside" has no meaning. To us, the world exists solely as mind (observer) and as matter (observed). This puts before us what could perhaps be the perfect opportunity to convey the concepts we've been discussing. We are to consider what could perhaps be the question of questions: if the universe is everything, what's outside of it? Let us examine the nature of this question.

One issue brought forth by this question is man's concept of what we call 'everything'. 'Everything' is simply an impossibility, take note, because in order for 'everything' to exist, the universe must be contained in the form of a finite concept. The universe, quite clearly, cannot exist in the form of a finite concept. The question of what's outside the universe is an issue that could only have been brought about by the mind / matter situation that we call "reality". When you are a mind looking out into the matter that surrounds you, you perceive yourself as being separate from that matter. In terms of what universal consciousness represents, however, separateness is nonexistent! When there is no 'inner' and 'outer' world, the concept of "outside" does not exist because no observer (nor observed) exists: universal consciousness is PURE BEING, beyond observer and observed. Let this dictate the true nature of the 'inner' and the 'outer' worlds discussed here. As stated, mind and matter are merely creations of universal consciousness, and are not the universal consciousness Itself. Perhaps the ultimate personal goal would be to apply that knowledge to make better sense of the mind-matter struggle we call "reality" - the effort of universal consciousness to more intimately know Itself.