SUBMISSION TO UNITY
What does the culture of the Middle East have to teach us about Unity and universal ethics? Everything comes from and returns to the ONE, the impersonal principle of Unity. On a fundamental level everything is connected in the indivisible source of existence which is the root of our peace and security. When all is One, there can be nothing but Oneness. So every being is rooted in Oneness.
That wholeness is illimitable, unsearchable, immeasurable, invisible, unnamable, and eternal. It is an impersonal principle that has no properties, because property implies limitation. Everything exists in the ONE and no one can comprehend it. It is both the manifested and unmanifested reality at the same time and it exists beyond or behind the phenomenal world.
It is thus useless to make any images of the ONE. The ONE transcends our understanding, imagination and our limited mental horizon. Anything you say about it detracts from it. The only thing you can say about the ONENESS is that it is everything - boundless, timeless and unchanging. All we can do is to only acknowledge that this ultimate reality exists and to submit to that ONENESS by living in the perception of Unity which is the basis of the universal worldview. In this way we find lasting, inner and outer peace.
The goal of life is to unify yourself with the ONE and so with your fellow humans, for the ONE is the unifying aspect of human consciousness. You can have a personal relationship with the Unity of life by having good relations with your fellow human beings and no intermediaries are required for that.
COMMUNITY LIFE
The best way to represent the ultimate reality of unity is to abstain from any visual representation by referring to empty space. The space is the Oneness. Submit yourself in the perception of that one unnamable, abstract Unity. All people of goodwill can strive to express that unity in pursuit of meaningfulness in their daily lives. Through voluntary submission under the eternal Law of Unity we express the boundless, timeless and unchanging reality.
If Unity is the basis of reality, then we are all brothers and sisters. You achieve inner peace and meaningfulness by finding a practical way to help the people and community around you. In fact, the whole world is your community to which you can submit and render service. This is the starting point for the right way of living.
We have all emerged from the same source, so we are essentially the same. We consist of the same life. So we are all brothers and sisters. We must live for each other. We should not only help each other but render service to the whole community. The method for returning to the source is to live a virtuous and charitable life. For those who want to achieve the goal faster, there is the path of modesty, detachment and meditation.
UNIVERSAL ETHICS
The universal ethics is based on the concept of Unity. The whole world is a universal community of all people united in the reality of ONENESS. People need to know and learn from each other, so that they can better shape the unity of human flourishing. We need to get over tribalism and tribal ethics and instead pursue the true universal ethics to reach harmonious human relations for everyone. Practise yourself in self-restraint. Be modest in your words, actions, tempers, desires and appetites.
A community can only flourish peacefully if people respect each other. So you should never force someone to accept your opinion. Freedom grants different views for everybody. Our personal and collective worldviews and the resulting rules and laws should be an argument, a process, a way to learn, grow and adapt, and not a matter of blind belief and narrow-mindedness.
In the depths of our hearts we are noble beings. But we might not recognise it. We must learn to become who we really are. And in order to do that, we have embraced materialism. We reached the lowest levels, so that we can return to the highest source again through knowledge and the resulting ethical behaviour.
Therefore, the Middle East’s true message is the study of ethics that opens the path to Unity and the return to the source. To achieve this goal we need to live a mindful life full of reflection and personal, inner struggle so that we better ourselves. Have a concern for the needy and be aware that there are always people with less luck who need your assistance. Keep your mind and body pure. Think well. Speak kindly. Act generously. Practice charity. Share your abundance, however small it might be.
PERSONAL STRUGGLE
Our consciousness identifies itself with the earthly, transient forms and passions. This is our lower nature which we need to overcome to become independent and free individuals. Self-development moves towards the unfoldment of mental capabilities and away from the lower, animal passions.
Be a brave hero and heroine in the struggle against the negative habits of your personal self. Your solemn “fight” goes against your inner passions. Do not yield to the unrestrained desires. Control the lower, emotional nature. Practise healthy detachment from things that don’t matter. Control the physio-emotional urges. The fight against these inner passions is the true holy war inside you. Control yourself, so that your passions serve you and not the other way around.
Detach yourself from the limited and oppressive illusions of your personality through the right knowledge and insights. Contemplate the real and the objective through studying yourself and the world around you. Submit yourself to the drive towards Unity and harmony with fellow human beings. Discover compassion as the highest emotional expression. This is the path back to the source of ONENESS.
Peace be upon you!
ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ
