Must everything in Potentiality actually manifest?

[Bryan Lettner]

So there is an infinite amount of possible experiences.  Some unpleasant, some pleasant, some weird, etcetera.

My question is: does everything that can happen have to actually occur?  
Perhaps there is some universal law which requires this.

But I hope not, because if so, that might mean that 50% of Reality is on fire in some degree or torment. Forever, without hope of reconciliation.

Some texts like Bhagavad Gita talk about "facing the unfaceable".  I hope this is not what that phrase is referring to.

Definitely a barrier for me on the path... I don't want to go any further cuz I'm afraid I might find out some ugly facts such as the above.

Also, if anyone wants to weigh in on this one:  Is there an "absolute pain", analogous to absolute zero in temperature?  A "maximum degree of suffering"?  Or is the potential for suffering limitless?  Not sure I want that one answered either actually.  Makes me want to stick my head in the ground and stop existing.

Thanks in advance!

 

 

Edited May 26, 2018 by Bryan Lettner

[Ananta]

Hi there,

Yes, there is an infinite amount of possible experiences, of course!

No, everything that CAN happen, doesn't have to occur.

Facing the unfaceable. ..well, for me that is my child moving away and unfortunately that is exactly what I'm facing at the moment. So, Id say that is individual and you'd have to answer that your self.

The potential for suffering is limitless, imo, but...if you see you are not that which can suffer, then you are free.

So, this action figure has cried and had emotion moving through it about "my" son moving,  but that is just phenomena, witnessed by awareness.

[Solace]

Yes. There are infinite versions of you and infinite parallel realities. Anchor the light to be the be at version of yourself. Peace.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Solace

[InfinitePotential]

This is such a freaky, mindfuck topic. I've had the exact same thought, and it's scary (but also magnificent and beautiful).

I believe the answer is yes. Even with the most conservative multiverse theory (which imo is that big bang happens, universe plays itself out, universe ends, another big bang happens), this would necessitate that anything that could happen would happen. And at least that kind of infinity must be the case, I mean it would make no sense for one universe to happen and "then" pure eternal nothingness. But I think reality is much more infinite than that still.

If it helps, like the others have said, You remain unaffected. In fact, to be technical nothing ever actually happens. It's all just appearances.

You may have had some horrific dreams which royally sucked, but then you woke up to find out it was just a dream and you were safe and unharmed.

[Arkandeus]

we are all one

the love that we share makes it possible to experience everything

for those beings who experience the worst hell possible ,there are beings who experience heaven, and the love of heaven supports those beings who explore more daringly, you have to to take account that if we are all one and connected no being can be in hell while not being in heaven, freedom, a love so grand and connected we can even explore hell

the ultimate truth no matter what the question, the answer lies in love,that is my humble opinion

[Erlend K]

Acording to the multiverse interpretation of quantum mechanics: Yes. 

Acording to the copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics: No. 

So far we have no idea wich of these interpretations, if any of them, is correct. 

[Bryan Lettner]

Thanks everyone. I think i just have to get more comfortable with the uncertainty. 

The "it's just a dream" perspective doesn't do it for me.  It's easy to take that perspective from a position of current ease and homeostasis, but while all may be a dream, one who is being tortured will assure you that it is not "just" a dream.  It's also real. Pain hurts.  It doesn't not hurt.  And the essence of who we are is pure awareness or consciousness or maybe nothingness... yes, we are that, but trapped.  You're trapped awareness, conditioned, bound.  A grain of sand is the same in essence as the whole beach, but it is not the whole beach. If you think you are everything, try levitating that cup in front of you or morphing it into a cow with your thoughts.  Right, you can't, so we are imprisoned consciousness, confined to a tiny little blob. We are not the body in essence, but we are certainly stuck in one, even if it is "just a dream" that we are.

But I guess even if pain is always occurring, adding worry, stress, and fear won't resolve it. So we can still retain some peace of mind at least.

[cetus]

@Bryan Lettner Good question. Don't believe so because potential arises from an infinite source. An empty ground state pregnant with all possibilities. Manifestation could be anything happening within infinite realms or realities that we can't even think of. This reality we experience is just a minute sliver of infinite possibilities of manifestation.

What is most important here is direct experiance of the ground state itself. Than you see that it doesn't matter if something has manifested into form or not because it exists as potential.  The ground state (Tao) is both empty and complete.

[tsuki]

Awareness is equal parts conscious and unconscious.
Body is an integral part of the environment. Mind is matter.
It is both yin and yang.
Reality is such that these dualities are illusory. The boundary between them cannot be strictly defined.
The boundary between black and white is Ego. It is arbitrary and fuzzy. Seeming dualities blend when inspected closely.

The imprisonment you speak of is the expression of ego. In reality you are both consciousness and unconsciousness.
The fact that you cannot 'see' the unconscious part is what makes you identify with the conscious part.
The other mistake is that you think that you are 'doing' it. You're not.

A tortured person may be hurt, but suffering comes from rejection of the pain. You can be in pain and yet, not suffer.
The pain is brought to you by the 'black', 'unconscious', 'unseen' part. It has no origin. It simply is.
If you do not accept it as yours, you will fight it. Since it is you, you cannot win with it. Hence suffering.
When you don't know what suffering is - you may suffer because of pleasure and mistake it for desire to be satisfied. 
Suffering is the other face of desire.

The argument that you cannot manipulate matter with mind is absurd.
Have you ever tried to manipulate matter with mind? Did it work?
Is it physically impossible, or perhaps you simply don't know how to do it?
Or is it perhaps that it is physically impossible because you don't know how to do it?
What if physical impossibility  is just lack of skill/knowledge?

[student]

"does everything that can happen have to actually occur?"

It only depends on you, if you want that. The answer is yes and no. You can experience everything that another wholly different individual experiences, or you can not. It depends on you if you allow it. You may think you are some way, but that is actually untrue. In every moment you can adopt a whole different mentality, and therefore have a whole different reality. It only depends on what you want. The ego can always change. Manipulation works because of this. External opinions stick because of this. Anything futile can stick because of this.

"facing the unfaceable"

I think this refers to karma. We all have different deep problems, fears. I have fears that just make my whole body tremble and wanting to run, even if I am there, seeing reality, seeing things for what they are. The body is just doing what it wants, it is in the way of my authentic desires. And I can only face that fear right there, in that moment. And this isn't some cruel "law" that we must inevitably obey. It is something that an individual will do when he will recognize the true power of the almighty self. Consciousness is the answer. When we face fear we are unconscious. In that moment we must regain consciousness, we must think of that which makes us feel pure again. You must have something like that. By facing the fears you will learn that nothing is evil, that nothing can obliterate your higher self. Just an illusion can be destroyed, not your true self. You can realize this or not. It is your choice. It depends on how much you love yourself, how much respect you have for yourself, how much you cherish yourself.