Article #23
Subject: 5 Yoga sutras about everything,nothing, and truth
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 2/22/2009 03:53:54 PM

1) Everything changes.

2) Nothing changes as fast as the truth.

3) Truth changes in order to remain the same.

4) Nothing comes from nothing.

5) Under certain circumstances a change of notation can be considered as the
truth.

Article #36
Subject: Leibnitz and Sutra 4
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 7/30/2009 11:50:26 AM

Sutra 4
Another person who used "Nothing comes from nonthing" as a basic principle
in order to help us be able to see goodness everywhere and in everything was
Gottfried Leibnitz in his book Monadology
This sutra, taken as an axiom, along with two others form the basis for his
theory of
rational (provable), metaphysical optimism:

1) Everything exists according to a reason (by the axiom nothing
arises from nothing)
2) Everything which exists has a sufficient reason to exist
3) Everything which exists is better than anything which does not.
(by axiom 1, since it is more rational and hence has more reality)
and consequently, 'it is the best possible being in the best of all possible
worlds (by the axiom:"That which ocntains more reality is better than that
which contains less reality"' http://www.wikepedia.org Monadology

Leibnitz further states in his book that matter is extended, "but not only
extended it is formed by unextended monads".

See elsewhere on this discussion board for a definition of the number One
which is similiar, but not the same as Leibnitz's definition of a monad.


The above five sutras about Everything, Nothing, and Truth are more
concerned both about Truth and reality...in addition to Leibnitz's theory
which was more concerned about reality (because if it is already the best of
all possible worlds we certainly have less of a need to understand what Truth
is)

Article #60
Subject: comments ofHelen Schucman
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 10/7/2010 10:55:51 AM

"Nothing and Everything cannot coexist.
To believe in one is to deny the other.
Fear is really nothing and love is everything.
Whenever light enters darkness, the darkness is abolished.
What you believe is True for you. In this sense the
separation has occured, and to deny it is merely to use denial
inapproriately."
A Course in Miracles
Chapter 2, Section 6

Article #213
Subject: thoughts on the above two years later
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 10/26/2013 01:57:15 PM

A couple of year later reflecting on these thoughts (going back to the
thoughts on how do you prove that "this is the best of all possible worlds".
The proposition seems to be to depend on the statement of Leibnitz that "that
which has more reality is better than that which has less".)

Upon further reflection this axiom seems far from clear and distinct as an
intuitive divine Truth. What we are talking about is enlightened knowledge.
But, enlightened knowledge itself (without divine will power) is not enough
to be divine (ie self existent because of its omnipresence, omniscience,
omnipotence). For knowledge depends on our shared consciousness. And, shared
consciousness by itself its not enough to keep us from passing on infinitely
negative experiences[knowledge] without being able to move us forward beyond
them.