All manifest things have a certain predominant quality. For instance, if an oak tree seed were planted, an oak tree would manifest, not a pine or maple tree. The oak tree's DNA has instructions and memory to form an oak tree; of course within the instructions are continuous adjustments of internal relations to external relations. Therefore, not all oak trees would look 100% identical, but their oak treeness, their quality, their essential characteristics, and their function would predominately remain the same.
You the reader, have probably noticed the difficulty of confidently understanding some of the meaning of certain ideas put forth in this bloge. This difficulty arises first, from your unfamiliarity with the ideas put forth, and the limits of the English language for explanation. The English language has no equivalent words for some of these ideas. They are beyond its syntax. That is the reason Sanskrit and other languages are used. These other languages have incorporated these ideas into their word syntax.
So without further adieu, there is a Sanskrit word, "gunas," which identifies the three qualities inherent in all differentiated matter. The three qualities are called, (in Sanskrit): "satta, rajas, tamas" (see Bhagavad-Gita for reference, Chapter XIV). The explanation that follows will be a paraphrase from the Gita. Universal Nature is the womb where the seed and production of all things emanate. The three qualities run throughout the web of Nature, each participating of the nature of the other two, yet each one possing its predominant characteristic. However, not one of these three can be considered apart from the other two. The sattva quality is light or truth: the rajas quality is passion or desire, the tamas quality is indifference or darkness. The sattva quality by reason of its lucidity and peacefulness entwines the soul to rebirth through attachment to knowledge and that which is pleasant. Rajas, is of the same nature of desire, producing thirst and propensity, imprisoning the Ego through the consequences produced from action. Tamas, the offspring of the indifference in nature is the deluder of all creatures and imprisons the Ego in the body through folly, sleep, and idleness. Therefore, the gunas emanate from Universal Nature and affects all differential matter. The predominate quality of all things comes from the constancy of our higher consciousness, moving through all manner of experiences, aggregating those experiences into individualized characteristics or qualities.
The idea of constancy of the predominant quality within a world of constant change appears paradoxical, and because our world is partly built upon dualistic principles of attraction and repulsion, many ideas are paradoxical. Yet, there is a way through paradox, but it takes a shift from linear thinking to a more expansive, universal thinking. The Zen Buddhists use "koans" as one technique to help initiate a brake down in the inductive thinking pattern of their students. Koans are paradoxical questions sprinkled with nonsense, ie., 'You know the sound of two hands clapping, what is the sound of one hand clapping'? The student tries to solve the koan through inductive thinking, but after spending much time, energy, and frustration, ultimately fails to understand. Understanding only comes after the student surrenders their inductive thinking pattern, thus allowing a shift of thinking into a more universal pattern.
So, how does our predominate quality of being stay constant through constant change? All manifested things have at their core, the essence of their being, an indivisible god-spark. Pythagoras called this essential core a "monad." Because the monad is indivisible its quality is homogeneous, stays the same essentially and is not affected by change. Thus the monad stays within its divine realm or plane, and is not affected by change.
One truth many paths. Be good, due good.
Louis DiVirgilio
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