The Depth of Beingness

In 1888 a gifted, troubled artist painted a chair. The Chair. But this was no ordinary chair. Well, it may have been inspired by an ordinary chair. But what Van Gogh painted was aptly described by Aldous Huxley as "an astounding portrait of a Ding an sich". Thing in itself.

This is a fundamental concept in Kantian philosophy as well as much non-dualistic literature. Existence independent of observation or representation. Beingness beyond perception or comprehension. Ding an sich.

It is the core is-ness, or what Eckhart Tolle refers to as the suchness, of every-thing.

Of course, that's not what we typically see. The chair is for sitting. The mug for drinking tea. The person for a relationship. The body for seeking and providing satisfaction while minimizing suffering.

We see purpose in everything. Some utility in one form or another. What we rarely see is the depth of beingness. Judgment precludes such transcendent vision. As we read in A Course in Miracles, "The choice to judge rather than to know is the cause of the loss of peace."

By choosing not to see the suchness, the is-ness, in every-one and every-thing we forfeit freedom. Sorrow the inevitable consequence of judgment. But, as the Course continues, "Yield not to this, and you will see all pain, in every form, wherever it occurs, but disappear as mists before the sun."

Channeling our inner Van Gogh to find the depth of beingness in all phenomena is the gateway to liberation. Inner serenity the certain outcome of such seeing. For then we're looking with the vision of perfect Love.

Join me in Thursday's class where we'll explore the infinite depth of beingness and the resultant tranquility of pure perception. I look forward to seeing you then.