The Five Possible Orientations

There are (basically) only five possible orientations (or points of view), each built upon (or Out-Growing, or transcending)
the one immediately previous to itself:
 

I. "CONVENTIONAL MONISM"

The World (or Cosmic Nature) is all there is, and it is a "material" Unity, also expressed as the individual body-mind (which is itself a material unity). And this point of view accounts for all lesser or gross (or materialistic, body-based, and necessarily mortal) orientations or searches in the (always struggling, and never truly, or finally, fulfilled) context of the first three stages of life in the human domain.

II. "CONVENTIONAL DUALISM"

The World (or even the Totality of Existence) is made up of a number of principal pairs. Most typically, the first of these principal pairs is God and the world (with God sometimes called, and otherwise commonly conceived as "Purushottama", combining both "Purusha" or "Being" and "Consciousness", and also "Prakriti", or "Creativity" and "Creative Energy", or "Creator-Energy"). And the other principal pairs include God and the "soul" (or the psyche, or the subtle personality) and also the "soul" and the world, and also the mind (or the psyche, or the "soul") and the body. Each half of each of these pairs is related to the other half of the pair, but each half is also utterly "different" than (or inherently separate from) the other half of the pair. And the obligatory "Goal" of each lesser (or dependent) half of each pair is to submit to (and, eventually, even to ascend to) the greater (or higher) half of the pair. Therefore, from this point of view, the "soul" (and even the total world) must submit to (and eventually and progressively ascend to) God (or God-Realization). Likewise, the body must submit (or be submitted) to the mind (or the psyche, or the "soul"). Indeed, all that which (in the human being) is "of the world" must submit (or be submitted) to (and, in turn, be relinquished by) the "soul", which must itself (in turn, and by submitting to God, and to the Urge to God-Realization) eventually and progressively to God . . .

III. "PRIMARY DUALISM"

According to this point of view, the Totality of Existence is an apparent combination of only two Primary Realities. These Primary Realities are traditionally called "Purusha" (or Non-conditional, and As Such, Inherently Perfect and Perfectly Necessarily Subjective, "Being" and "Consciousness") and "Prakriti" (or "Objective Energy", Which, modified, appears as the body, the mind, all objects, and all others). From this point of view, this "Primary Duality" must, first of all, be understood (by observation and intuition) to be actually (or Really So). Then Purusha (or the conscious self, which, according to the characteristic, and paradoxical, traditional point of view of "Primary Dualism", Is Ultimately, a Perfectly Subjective, or Non-conditional, but also specific, independent, and individual, Self) must separate itself (basically, by willful ascetical discipline) from Prakriti (or the body, the mind, all their objects, and all others) . . .

IV. "SECONDARY NON-DUALISM" (or "SECONDARY ABSOLUTE MONISM")

According to this point of view, there is no inherently independent and separate, or separable, Purusha (either as an eternal, and Non-conditional, individual Self or, according to some proponents, As Absolute Being Itself, or Absolute Consciousness Itself), but the Totality of Existence is only Prakriti (or a beginningless and endless continuum of causes and effects, or, in effect, modifications of Prakriti, or of "Energy Itself"). Therefore, according to this point of view, Prakriti (or "Energy Itself") appears (and must be so observed) only as ephemeral (and observable, or objective) changes, preceded and followed by equally ephemeral (and equally observable, or objective) changes, until (by the Process of observation, insight, and self-pacification) the Inherent (or Original, or Nirvanic) State of Prakriti (or of "Energy Itself") is Realized. (However, there is an Ultimate Paradox necessarily associated with this orientation, or point of view, and Process—for, if the Realization of the Original, or Nirvanic, State of Prakriti, or of "Energy Itself", is in fact achieved, how can That Realization be differentiated from, or otherwise be presumed to Be other than, or not Identical to, Absolute Consciousness Itself ?) . . .

V. "ULTIMATE NON-DUALISM" (or "PRIMARY ABSOLUTE MONISM")

According to this point of view, there is (in Truth) no Prakriti (or separate and independent "Objective Energy", or any separate and independent body, mind, object, or other at all), but the Totality of Existence is only Purusha (or Self-Existing and Self-Radiant Consciousness Itself). Therefore, from this point of view, this "Ultimate Absolute" (or this Non-conditional, and, As Such, Inherently Perfect, and Perfectly Subjective Reality) must, first of all, be understood (and directly intuited) to be actual (or Really So), and then Perfectly (or Utterly) Affirmed (By direct Identification with Consciousness Itself).

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