Co-Arising

I don't want to unduly complicate our search for a name but I do want to comment on the "mind-blowing" idea Jeff brings up (that an evolutionary sense of time unfolding from past to present to future may be an artifact of our mode of perception and interpretation and not fundamental to the nature of the universe). This insight is at the foundation of my book, "The Living Universe." Increasingly, cosmologists/physicists are suggesting that the horizontal-linear view of time is an illusion and, instead, regard all relativistic time as contained within the arising of the entire universe in a holographic "NOW." This view does not negate the unfolding of reality "through time" (e.g., see my book "Awakening Earth") but rather contextualizes it in a larger framework of happening (a cosmology continuous creation). In the words of cosmologist Brian Swimme, “The universe emerges out of an all-nourishing abyss not only 14 billion years ago but in every moment.” At every moment, the universe emerges as a single orchestration—a uni-verse or single verse of manifestation. From this perspective, central to our spiritual journey is awakening to the universe emerging at every moment and our participation in this cosmic process.

Not only is this insight growing in cosmology, in addition, each of the world’s major wisdom traditions speaks to the reality of an ever-emergent or continuously regenerated universe (described in "The Living Universe"): Buddhists state that the entire universe arises freshly at every moment in an unceasing flow of interdependent, co-origination where everything depends upon everything else. Hindus proclaim the entire universe is a single body that is being continually danced into creation by a divine Life force or Brahman. Taoists see the Tao as the “Mother of the Universe,” the inexhaustible source from which all things rise and fall without ceasing. Confucians view our universe as a unified and interpenetrating whole that is sustained and nourished by the vitality of the Life force or ch’i. Christians affirm that God is not separate from this world but continuously creates it anew, so that we live, move, and have our being in God. Muslims declare the entire universe is continually coming into being, and that each moment is a new “occasion” for Allah to create the universe. Indigenous peoples declare that an animating wind or Life force blows through all things in the world and there is aliveness and sacred power everywhere. And a stream of Western thinkers portray the universe as a single, living creature that is continually regenerated and is evolving toward higher levels of complexity and consciousness.

Beneath differences in language, a common reality is being described—the universe is an emergent system of which we are an integral part. In turn, I regard “co-arising” or continuous creation as the “mother of all insights” because it is the foundation for all the world’s wisdom traditions. From this perspective, "evolution" concerns the progressive awakening to "power of now" and understanding the universe is a system that is continuously arising as a unified whole. I know this discussion is too complex for a general audience, so as Jeff wrote, "I hope this is not too tedious" and thanks for reading this far! What this does suggest to me is that a more poetic or metaphorical name may not include the term "evolution" but perhaps "awakening" as more generative of a new story. Having said all of this, I'm very open to our name and, again, don't want to unduly complicate the process.