Applying Realization to Relationships

This is the one principle of Eastern metaphysics (or our Western mis-interpretation of it) that I've always found puzzling, even depressing - this whole "dissolution of the self" concept.

In the instance of this article, how can love exist without a lover and a beloved, a relationship, and an action between them as independent personalities? Can love exist in a vacuum? Would it not be like a song without a singer or an audience? Even if such a thing could exist, what would be the point?

Many religious philosophies are so eager to denigrate the self and existence in the material world, yet why would such an elaborate phenomenon be created if the goal were merely to throw it away? On the contrary, I've come to believe that whatever powers that be, that are responsible for our existence, they *depend* on us being here, living, loving, doing, being - and generally making divine principles into actual, manifested realities. Otherwise, these principles would just remain in the realm of abstract potential, as archetypes or Platonic forms. As Meister Ekhart observed centuries ago, God needs us as much as we need God.

I'm told that the mathematical definition of "zero" is "the sum of all positive and negative integers". In other words, zero is not "nothing", in fact it can be thought of as *everything*. I believe a similar principle holds regarding the perfect unity of all things. I see it as moving in the opposite direction to that described in the article. Rather than the elimination of all personality and identity, it is the full completion and integration of all personality - on a cosmic scale! Whenever I eventually get to be fully realized, I will not only fully know who I, "Bill" am, but I will also equally know the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of Pancho, Nipun, Viral, Pavi, Somik, Aumatma, Guri, Chris, Toys, Hashida, Dinesh, Vijay, ... and on to infinity.

I don't want to live in an eternity that consists of abstract principles, floating around in a sea of blissful nothingness. I want to be with all my "Buds" - and infinitely more of them!

-Bill Miller

 

Thankyou.
I enjoyed your comments
Reading this in October 2021.
Arrived on this page as i was doing searches of Anthony de Mello and Jeff Foster.
Your interpretation is much more uplifting. Though is that wishful thinkin on my part?....that i cannot even begin to consider what original post suggests
ie dissolution of self.
who knows
but thankyou again for your articulation
D
Northern Ireland