Infinite Mind

Infinity is an interesting idea. It generally creates a sense of vastness, an unfathomable distance. Some thing far far away. Whether we are looking at it from a numerical perspective or intuitively, it seems daunting to think about it. A sense of overwhelming takes over us. The physical and material world is limited and finite. However large and vast it may be, it is still finite. It is bound by the physical faculties of observation.

The mind however is not material. Hence it is not bound by the physical constraints and hence is infinite. When we say that, it might appear as though the mind is vast and huge and might appear counter intuitive to accept that. The reason is, infinity is not something "out there". Its a mere idea. It is a concept. For example we can simplify the idea as "Whatever there is, there is one more". We can experiment with lots of interesting things.

For example, the mind's needs are infinite. Its true for everyone. no matter how little or how much more one has, the mind seems to need "one more". Similarly the mind can keep on learning. Irrespective of how little or how much more one knows, one can always know or learn about "one more" thing. 

Infinity is possible only in the subtle realm. The material realm is finite and bound. The body is limited but the mind is unlimited. Music, Arts, Literature, Philosophy, Religion, ideas and thoughts belong to this infinite subtle realm. They allow us to travel boundlessly and experience freedom. 

Once we realize that infinity is in itself is a mere idea, that there can always be one more thing, the mind's infinite needs can be let go. No matter how much it travels, and how much it experiences, it will seek for that "one more" thing :). This travel of the mind is cyclic like a circle, and a circle though apparently endless and provides infinite travel is indeed finite. Realizing this liberates one from the bindings of the mind's endless needs.

Arithmetic of the Infiinte

The pursuit of knowledge of various things, primarily beginning at the phenomenon of the perceptible world, eventually leads to the sublime. 

The observable and the measurable lead us to the theories that are perceived only through their manifestation. For instance, the Newton's First law can never be perceived as a thing, except as an idea in the mind or as a string of symbols on apiece of paper. However we can perceive its manifestation by observing real world phenomenon such as a satellite in orbit, or a near perfect snooker table. All laws of Science are of similar nature. H2O is a sequence of symbols. For someone who know the elements and the manner in which they combine to create different substances, this could imply a certain substance.But this can be perceived only by touching and feeling water. Water=H2O is a mere mental activity.

Such generalizations simplify our world and help us perceive and understand reality deeper. 

A progression of such cycles of observations,measurements ,theorizing, validations takes us into a more and more compact representation of the observable phenomena. One can embrace billions and billions of liters of water in the whole of the Universe by the simple three symbol string H2O. All the Gold in the world by 'Au'. Well that's a stretch! The point is, by studying and abstracting the observable phenomena, the mind creates a manageable and simplified repository of the Universe.

In other general pursuits of life, one encounters a variety of experiences, some seem to make you happy, such as possessions, recognition, companionship and so on. All of these have the property of 'diminishing returns'. they seem to loose the edge of making you happy as you keep enjoying them. This is true even to Knowledge. While knowledge of things, a superior abstraction and generalization, seem to boost the ego and make it feel superior and hence happy, even that looses its ability to make one happy perpetually. This is so merely because such is its property. One can verify from observation that it is true about every phenomenon we experience.

In the arithmetic of happiness, if we were to quantify the things that seem to provide us happiness, this quantification will be a number that diminishes over time, and will all individually tend to zero as time progresses.

Limit         H(t) → 0

(t → ∞)

In all these pursuits of life , there is a pursuit of the one who pursues. The investigation and ultimately understanding  who you are. Understanding the true identity of your self, and realizing its separateness from the world of phenomena has a value of ∞ . If we add this to our other possessions, then we have,

Hnew(t) = H(t) + ∞.

Limit         Hnew(t) → ∞

(t → ∞)

This modified equation clarifies the uselessness of the variation is values possible due to various functions of H individuals may have. Thus enabling one to pursue the Infinite, reach it and hence live Joyfully.

Perceiving Infinity

Though the abstract concept of infinity is a very intriguing idea, with little bit of effort, a bit of examples and logic, one can grasp the notion.

Image courtesy  http://sivers.org/infinity

The usual place where infinity is discussed is space. Space is infinite. when such a statement is made, it is not made quietly. it is a progressive conclusion, that begins with the here and now, and goes beyond the boundaries of the town, the city, the state, country, continent, the planet, solar system, galaxy and so forth. each one is an order of magnitude larger. This introduction of infinity is indeed mind boggling. In fact mind numbing. Obviously this results in the incomprehensible nature of infinity. The simple statement infinite is endless, is accepted for its literal meaning by most, and is left at that. 

But an inquisitive mind, is never at rest. For instance, the progression in the expansion of space is very clearly accessible to the human perception. one can see the house, the street, the town, can travel the country, can travel around the planet... and this teasingly possible nature, also creates an ultimate desire to perceive infinity. This perpetual desire, also creates an hopelessness when one keeps on learning the expanding size of the universe, and the impossibility of perceiving the infinity.

The other approach to infinity is through abstract notion of numbers. There are infinite numbers. There is a progression from small numbers to larger and larger numbers , or smaller and smaller numbers, as the case might be. Here again, the act of symbolizing numbers, makes it teasingly a possibility to eventually 'count' infinity.

This problem of grasping infinity by the perception, either through the physical or the mental faculties, is somewhat circumvented by merely simplifying infinity, into a logical notion. "There is always a number after every number". Or in terms of space, space is never ending, so "once you come to an apparent 'end', you always see a further point".

The real solution to the impossibility of the perception of infinite lies in the fact that the physical reality is not infinite. Infinity does not exist.

Image courtesy http://www.trentandsimone.com

Its a mere fabrication of the mind. What you see, what you perceive, what you 'count' is all there is. So in that sense you are perceiving infinity. What you see, what you think, what you know, is all there is, and always so will it be! The notion of time is an illusion, because one can only perceive the present. Past and future are perceived as notions only in the present.

So, the endlessness of space is possible only when we travel in space AND time. There must have been a time when we reached and saw only so much, say point A, and then at another time we pursued and found another further point B. But there were no two points in time to say, "we saw point B after A, and this seems to go on forever and hence space is endless".

Space, time and for that matter anything in this universe is finite, and what we perceive is all there is.