There is a state,
Quite hard to tell,
Beyond what language
Can dispel.
It’s not this world we think
We know,
Where minutes tick
And seasons flow.
Imagine now
A domain so vast,
Where time’s constraints
Have all been cast
Into an open, timeless sea –
An endless stretch
Of just to Be.
And yet this realm
Is not mere naught,
A lifeless void
Of absence sought.
For it’s alive with
Pure Presence bright,
A fullness radiating light.
Within this state freed
From time’s veil,
Our ideas of change
Cannot prevail.
Neither fixed nor ever-shifting,
It encompasses all
Without drifting.
Both boundless as the infinite,
And intimate as the divine wit,
This atemporal,
Uncaused Cause
Pervades all realms
Without pause.
So do not ask,
“Is it moving still?”
For that’s a question
Born of ill –
The ill of thinking
In past and future,
Which this existence
Does not nurture.
It is and isn’t,
All as one,
Like mai-un-mai
In Vedanta’s sun.
The final truth words
Fail to render,
An is-and-is-not
Must we tender.
This essence beyond measure,
Is life’s great everlasting treasure.
Though reason cannot
Here reside,
Our hearts and souls
Can well abide.
The Timeless Essence
Isn’t it intriguing how we can sense realms beyond our everyday experience? This piece beautifully captures a state that goes beyond our usual ideas of time and existence.
In “Time and Free Will,” Bergson writes, “Pure duration is the form which the succession of our conscious states assumes when our ego lets itself live, when it refrains from separating its present state from its former states.” This concept of time as a continuous flow of consciousness is reflected in the poem’s portrayal of a state “Beyond what language / Can dispel,” where conventional notions of time break down.
The notion of a state “beyond what language can dispel” brings to mind what Ludwig Wittgenstein said: “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” Some experiences truly lie beyond words, touching something deeper.
The idea of a place “where time’s constraints have all been cast” echoes what Meister Eckhart, the medieval mystic, called the “eternal now.” He believed that time itself was the greatest barrier between us and the divine.
This description of a realm “Where time’s constraints / Have all been cast / Into an open, timeless sea” also echoes Bergson’s distinction between “time as we actually experience it” and “time as it is mathematically and scientifically conceived.” Bergson argues that true duration is qualitative and heterogeneous, not quantitative and homogeneous as clock time suggests.
When the poem speaks of a state “alive with Pure Presence bright,” it reminds us of what Martin Heidegger called “Being.” He spent his life exploring this fundamental aspect of existence that transcends our usual categories.
Furthermore, the emphasis on a state of “Pure Presence bright” aligns with Bergson’s idea that true reality is constant change and becoming, rather than static being. As Bergson states in “Creative Evolution,” “To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” This resonates with the verse’s portrayal of an atemporal state that is nonetheless alive and dynamic.
The paradoxical nature of this state, both boundless and intimate, reflects what Zen Buddhism calls “satori” or sudden enlightenment. It’s a state where opposites unite, defying our usual logic.
The reference to “mai-un-mai” in Vedanta philosophy points to the concept of “neti neti” or “not this, not that,” a way of describing the indescribable nature of ultimate reality.
So what does all this mean? Perhaps it’s about recognizing that our everyday view of reality is just the surface. There might be ways of being that go beyond our usual ideas of time, space, and existence.
Remember, every moment of stillness, every experience that feels beyond the ordinary, is a glimpse into this timeless realm. As Rumi said, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”
So next time you find yourself caught up in the rush of life, consider: How can you touch that timeless essence within and around you? Because isn’t that what makes our existence so amazing? This ability to sense, even if we can’t fully grasp, something infinite within the finite, something eternal within the passing moment. Your connection to the timeless is always there. How will you explore it today?