Being, Consciousness, and Bliss

These three words—Being, Consciousness, and Bliss—describe the subjective experience of Ultimate Reality, called Brahman in Vedantic philosophy. All three are considered inseparable from the nature of the One. Let’s look closer at each aspect.

First, the One is Being—not a being, but Being Itself. According to the Sufi master Ibn ʿArabī, Ultimate Reality alone has the “oneness of being.” In other words, the One is the only true Being. Everything else is less than Being; process philosophy calls these “events.” The One is Being; all else is becoming.

Second is consciousness. The One is pure consciousness. The One does not think; it knows. It is aware. This is spirit.

Third is bliss. Only one reality experiences pure, uninterrupted happiness and eternal joy, and that is Ultimate Reality.

Ultimate Reality is nondual; it is an absolute unity. That is why Plotinus calls it the One and Gotama calls it the Unconditioned. It is beyond anything we know. The closest we can come to describing it is by saying it is Being, Consciousness, and Bliss.

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