Ascent

By Sean Mels

A book about the truth. "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31)

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: D C
• Release date: Apr 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201832162

Sean Mels

The tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be spoken is not the eternal Name. The nameless is the boundary of Heaven and Earth. The named is the mother of creation. Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery. By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real. Yet mystery and reality emerge from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness born from darkness. The beginning of all understanding.

Book preview

1. Introduction

This is a simple book about the truth. It is neither fiction nor a book that wishes to turn the reader toward or away from any religion or belief. It can’t and won’t change anyone’s life after reading it. Furthermore, it doesn’t want to pick a favorite doctrine, clash with any, or form the basis of a new one. That’s because everything has been said before, and that makes its writer less of an architect and more of a mapmaker. He connects the dots and serves as a guide but not a spiritual one. No need for him to be someone gifted or of a specific origin. No need to channel an ethereal entity or a higher power, no need for particular insight or intelligence. The truth is for the average sentient, self-aware being: it’s for all.

This book could start and end with the paragraph above, but it won’t. That’s because the writer feels an itch. It’s a challenge to organize one’s thoughts into something coherent, into something that ideally makes some sense. Can it be done? This itch, as a desire that could be fulfilled, chains the writer to reality, as all desires do, but also lifts him to the sky as the truth unfolds between the lines. He is in a limbo phase, somewhere in between, and that may make him ideal to express the ultimate truth. Sadly, it doesn’t feel that way; it feels more like being entangled. Another issue that occurs as he moves on, is that he can’t help but notice how nonsensical trying to express and explain the truth feels. As we all know, it was shared before by charismatic people— prophets, masters, and saints, all vastly superior to this human being, who is struggling to put together a few words about reality or the divine. The author can and will seek help, try to stand on the shoulders of giants, of marvelous men and women that came before him and spoke the truth in their own words, or through their actions.

There is yet another bump on the road for the writer. Deep in his heart of hearts, he knows the truth to be as he feels it to be; the puzzle is in his mind’s eye, complete. But what if he wants to see it that way? His brain can fill in the gaps and connect the pieces as it sees fit, as it is ordered or used into putting thoughts and words together. No matter how many times he’ll use pompous expressions like ultimate truth or divine power, everything boils down to one thing. What he puts on paper or a bright screen can and will be his opinion only, no matter how smart, insightful, or elaborate his deductions are. The writer’s truth can emerge only from his point of view. It will always be an objective truth.

Only one thing left to do. He must stay still and be calm; the hurdles may then flip into something favorable in his mind, something to use to his advantage. For example, the writer doesn’t use his mother language while putting these sentences together. He could hope, then, that this will limit him to simple, easy-to-grasp concepts taking shape from simple words. After all, the truth is for everyone. We’ll see it time and again further on; if words cannot accurately describe a majestic sunset, how can we expect them to outline reality or the divine? Typing out the truth is, without a doubt, not the ideal way to define or try to explain it. On the other hand, language is supposed to be our best tool, our finest code so far; we could try to work with what we’ve got. If poets can do it, maybe we can too.

As for objective and subjective truth, the same can be applied to any belief. The preacher, the prophet, the saint—no matter how wise or insightful—always try to communicate their truth. In the end, whether we pray to Krishna or Christ, even as people of faith we all have a personal way to believe, a way to communicate with God that is our own; no one else knows of it. We can only see the divine through our very own eyes too, paint our own image in our head, and that will always be an objective perspective. If we are ready to overlook the concepts shared in this book, we should be equally ready to ignore even our deepest-rooted beliefs. There is no hard or soft truth here, just truth. It’s in our best interest, religious or not, to be open-minded when seeking and exploring; we can only embrace reality—or anything, actually—with open arms.

2. The Eternal Question(s)

The big question. The one humanity has tried to answer since its first steps on this wonderful planet. To be precise it’s a set of questions, each more puzzling than the one before. Is god or a divine power really out there, and what’s it like? What’s our purpose, if any, in life? Can we find this divine power, can we feel its presence? Science, philosophy, and religion, all still struggle to offer admissible answers but sadly end up mostly fighting each other about their authority or ability to express the ultimate truth. As if this wasn’t enough, the many religions all furiously fight for exclusivity over the big answer. It’s all about having the best God, the true expression of the divine power. To this day, this has led humanity to large-scale conflict; millions of lives are lost over dogmas and symbols.

Fighting over the truth is wrong on every level and only proves that we either don’t hold the truth or that we do not want, or do not feel the need to grasp it. Should religions believe in a loving, omnipotent God, then killing or destroying creation in God’s name, the maker of said creation, can only be an idiotic move. Most consider nature to be a divine expression, and it should teach us that life is destined to flourish and evolve. Unearthing a tree won’t teach the surrounding vegetation a lesson. Killing someone, or eradicating a rival group, won’t make our religion or God stronger. It may lead one’s church to bigger influence, power, or profit, but no one can claim that it is the divine plan.

We’ll encounter the same concept time and again; the more we examine, the more we circle truth, the better our understanding of it will be once it’s revealed to us. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32). This is the best starting point because the ultimate truth can only put an end to pain and suffering; it can take away conflict and ruin. The only truth we should accept is the one that sets us free. Why is there such a furious clash between religions, and how does the ultimate truth guard itself from it? Buddhism states that the ego is the source of our missteps and misunderstandings. It’s easy to see how it works, should we be honest and clear headed. When we hear the truth or even a radical new idea, instead of evaluating it and offering our thought and attention, the ego kicks in. The only thing we can think about is how this idea can work for us.

We twist the idea a little, or a lot, so we can present it as our own and take credit or adjust it so we can benefit from its application. When there are two versions of the same idea, good old ego grabs the wheel once more. We must find out which version is the best; if it’s our idea, we have to flesh it out, defend it if needed, and present it in the best possible light. If necessary, we must belittle the rival idea, even if our own concept originated from it. We’re also, sadly, used to doing it. In science, forming a new theory and trying to overshadow older research and the mind behind it, is the norm. The history of science and technology is filled with memorable rivalries between scientists, brimming with low jabs and unbelievable trash talk between people of high intellect and huge egos. If this is normal in the rational field of science, it’s easy to see why loosely interpreted religion turns into an all-out war.

There are times when a party claiming to hold the truth becomes greedy and depraved, falling into another ego trap. It’s easy to assume, then, that within this group some people will want to differentiate and steer clear of all the crookedness presented to them by those in charge. They might feel the need to express their faith differently, in a manner that will hopefully protect them from corruption and greed. A branching path or an entirely new religion can be formed under these or similar conditions. Christianity is the undisputed champion of branching paths and mostly violent splitting of its devotees. Apostolic, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Baptist Christians are just a few of the thousands of denominations present around the world today. It’s hard to misinterpret or twist the meaning of something like Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself  (Matthew 22:39), yet Christianity was split into many groups even in its early days. There were strong opinions about the true nature of Jesus Christ. Some believed he was just a man, others thought of him as a purely divine creature, and still others believed he carried both the divine and the human nature.

Long story short, the first big schism in 1054 split Christianity into the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Christian churches. In 1517, the Protestant reformation took the Catholic Church by storm and gave birth, in the following centuries, to thousands of Christianity offshoots. As stated, all this was followed by violence and carnage. Events such as the Eight Years’ War and the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre are just a few of the conflicts directly resulting from Christianity’s divergence. The Thirty-Year War, which brought pain and despair to the entire European continent and took millions of lives, was, in part, a war about religion. Ironically, for most Christians, the message Jesus Christ shared is clear as day and one that cannot be altered or twisted in any way.

It’s easy to see then how the ultimate truth can guard itself against pain and suffering; it must be absolute. To be precise, it’s absolute by design, as we’ll further discover. That’s what ensures the power of the timeless principle against any harm that may occur, by accident or ill will. Writing it down won’t make it stronger; ignoring or refuting it won’t make it weak. This may sadden those eager to offer their valuable opinion or elaborate on it but as stated it can never become a divisive mess as it passes through restless, confused, naive, or egoistic minds; that’s what the ‘ultimate’ in the ultimate truth is there for. It’s been around since the dawn of time, long before humanity showed up, and will be there, unchanged, forever.

3. Enlightened

Our newfound understanding should get the ball rolling and lead us to the next question: Can we feel the divine presence during our lifetime? It’s what the Buddhists call Nibbana and what the Christians refer to as holy grace, the visit of the white dove, the Holy Spirit. It’s what the Jewish call Devekut, what the Hindus call Moksh. The moment man bears witness of the divine power and wisdom. Enlightenment being a similar concept in almost every religion seems like a good indication that it exists, proved by people who have found it. There is a hefty list of influential, profound masters that didn’t just discover the truth but felt it right down to their bones. Some felt the need to teach the truth; others just chose to live by it and followed a path of offering, comforting, and expressing unconditional love for their fellow human beings. We tend only to notice the differences between those wise teachers, especially because we’re called to pick a side; but their similarities are those who can offer us another hint, help us take another step to grasp the ultimate truth. They comprise people from every walk of life: composers, carpenters, princes, scientists, poets, lawyers, philosophers, merchants, artists. They are from every corner of this magnificent planet spread over the entire recorded human history. It would be safe to say that there is no visible pattern, no shared characteristics for those reaching nirvana, and no barriers for those who have or want to witness the divine presence.

It’s easy to take the ancient Greek mythology and religion for mere fairy tales of a time long gone, but if we take a close look, we’ll discover interesting bits. We don’t only have Zeus, the father of all gods, but we have the traveler’s god (Hermes), the agriculture goddess (Demeter), and the artisan god (Hephaestus). We get the goddess of wisdom (Athena), the god of arts (Apollo), and the goddess of hunters and wildlife (Artemis); we even have the god of wine and festivities (Dionysus) the goddess of home and family (Estia). Ancient Greeks saw the divine in every aspect of human life, in every blacksmith, farmer, hunter, and poet. Maybe they were on to something.

Most people never witness reality in its true form. Some get a quick glimpse, but others witness this magnificent energy