Kastrup: Idea of the World

Whirlpools in Universal Consciousness

Nithin Nagaraj, PhD

One can ponder on what constitutes a good metaphor. There are several features that it should contain. The metaphor must employ objects, things, events, phenomena that are very ordinary and familiar, which are encountered often in one’s daily life. Furthermore, the relationship between the elements of the metaphor must be a matter of common knowledge. This makes the metaphor relatable to a large number of people (adults and even children beyond a certain age and basic education). The simplicity of the metaphor is equally important. The obviousness of the truth of the metaphor typically makes any further explanation redundant and unnecessary. All that a teacher does over and beyond the metaphor is to provide the connecting link from the elements in the metaphor to elements of reality that she desires to convey. A good metaphor in philosophical discussions is one that, upon deep reflection, succeeds in catapulting the mind into silence, into the ground of our shared Being. The whirlpool metaphor does precisely that; it delivers us the experience of Swami Vivekananda’s words: “we are universal and individual at the same time.”

Based on his words elsewhere I do think Vivekanda meant the last line, but I don't think this is what BK or other Absolute Idealists believe. It seems to me their position is that the individual is ultimately illusory, and there is only a Transcendent Mind.

All the usual complaints arise in this latter case, though admittedly it is hard to describe how both the I-Self and the Transcendent One can co-exist. (The One-Many Problem)