The Unity of Opposites

Know thou that the Kingdom is the real world, and this nether place is only its shadow stretching out. A shadow hath no life of its own; its existence is only a fantasy, and nothing more; it is but images reflected in water, and seeming as pictures to the eye.

(Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha:177)

Every person has some wonderful qualities, such as kindness and generosity, and some unsightly qualities, such as greed and selfishness.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha states: “…knowledge is a quality of man, and so is ignorance; truthfulness is a quality of man; so is falsehood; trustworthiness and treachery, justice and injustice, are qualities of man, and so forth. Briefly, all the perfections and virtues, and all the vices, are qualities of man.” (Some Answered Questions: 236)

From this viewpoint, human nature is two opposing natures composed of different qualities.  “In man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher nature and his material or lower nature. In one he approaches God, in the other he lives for the world alone. Signs of both these natures are to be found in men. In his material aspect he expresses untruth, cruelty and injustice; all these are the outcome of his lower nature. The attributes of his Divine nature are shown forth in love, mercy, kindness, truth and justice, one and all being expressions of his higher nature. Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man's spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful actions are born of his material nature.” (Paris Talks: 60)  

In another place he further elucidates this duality of human character calling the innate character man’s “essential perfection” and his other character his “absolute imperfection”. (Some Answered Questions:235) This imagery seems a bit apocalyptic, but the nature of the soul is apocalyptic, or revelatory.  For, the contrast between essential perfection and absolute imperfection forms a totality, a unity of opposites which is the structure of the human being in this world.  Such a structure of opposites is necessary for the flow of spiritual energy to occur, so that training, progress and the manifesting of potentials—which are the darkness and imperfection of the world of being--into actualities may take place within the imperfection, making it more perfect. 

Hence when we closely study ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s discussion of human nature we notice that he is not really speaking of two unconnected, separate and distinct orders of human nature and qualities, but of their reciprocal relations.  The polarity that makes up this complementary/contradictory creature is important to know if we are to appreciate the mediating and developmental effect of a proper education.  I mean that he is not defining human nature solely in terms of some essence, nor just in terms of human history and environment.  He is not taking sides in a false nature or nurture debate.  He is saying that both are required if  the human being is to grow through the process of education.  He wrote: “For the inner reality of man is a demarcation line between the shadow and the light, a place where the two seas meet; it is the lowest point on the arc of descent, and therefore is it capable of gaining all the grades above. With education it can achieve all excellence; devoid of education it will stay on, at the lowest point of imperfection.” (Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha:130)

It is true, in one sense, that each nature is defined by the qualities that manifest it.  But that is a static picture of contrasts.  When we, instead, concentrate upon their relations and on the process of education, then, we can see that each quality has two forms or states, its virtue or higher form and its vice or lower form; e.g. the states of knowledge and ignorance.  Virtue and vice form together a unity or, better, a unified whole, like light and shadow.  Virtues are attributes of the essential spiritual nature while vices are, metaphorically, the shadowy silhouettes forming the material nature, but which are gradually enlightened through the effects of spiritual education. 

To explain both the difference in the qualities and human moral development through education,  ‘Abdu’l-Baha states: “Certain qualities and natures innate in some men and apparently blameworthy are not so in reality. For example, from the beginning of his life you can see in a nursing child the signs of greed, of anger and of temper. Then, it may be said, good and evil are innate in the reality of man, and this is contrary to the pure goodness of nature and creation. The answer to this is that greed, which is to ask for something more, is a praiseworthy quality provided that it is used suitably. So if a man is greedy to acquire science and knowledge, or to become compassionate, generous and just, it is most praiseworthy. If he exercises his anger and wrath against the bloodthirsty tyrants who are like ferocious beasts, it is very praiseworthy; but if he does not use these qualities in a right way, they are blameworthy.” (Some Answered Questions:215)  It is in this sense that he says: “Good character must be taught.” (Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha:136)

This leads to an important point of reason and rational proof of spirituality.  We say where there is smoke there is fire.  Likewise, where there is shadow or image there is object.  Hence the material aspect is the sign of a quality that proves the existence of the spiritual capacity.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha said of the Japanese: “That nation has achieved extraordinary progress in a short space of time--a progress and development which have astonished the world. Inasmuch as they have advanced in material civilization, they must assuredly possess the capacity for spiritual development.” (Promulgation of Universal Peace:343)  This reflects the two meanings of the word capacity: as ability or skill or power, and as empty space, like the capacious cavern.

In all these various metaphors, the spiritual or essential self is presented as the abundant self, the one “created rich”, the one in which a universe is enfolded to be unfolded, while the material self is the poverty self, ever needy and dependent, a mere likeness in darkness of the divine, the receptacle into which essential spiritual unfolding takes place, and out of which comes in manifest form material and intellectual unfolding of qualities.  The spiritual self is rich in itself; the material self can only acquire material wealth, for it is empty, or pure potential.  But it can also seek spiritual riches from the higher self.  That is, the material nature being, in truth, a non-entity, a shadowy absence of something real, it can either seek to become materially wealthy or spiritually enriched.  It can wish to become a colossus of wealth, a paradigm of virtue, or both. 

Now, these selves struggle for governance of the soul and trying to resolve their struggle creates contradictory impulses, ends and goals: “Not in any other of the species in the world of existence is there such a difference, contrast, contradiction and opposition as in the species of man.” (Some Answered Questions:235) This “difference, contrast, contradiction and opposition” of our natures is the source of conflict.  What we can do about this conflict will be the topic of the next post. 

A direct link to purchase my book, Renewing the Sacred: A New Vision of Education, is: http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a