Introduction to the Time,
Space, and Knowledge Vision
"Time, space and knowledge are the most basic facets of human experience.
They are the Being of our being as it manifests in this world. Space allows
the world of objects to appear; time makes possible the sequence of events
that gives order to our lives; knowledge gives meaning and significance
to whatever appears or unfolds. Time and space are the ordinary stuff of
existence, which ordinary knowledge aims to know.
"Precisely because of their 'ordinariness'--because there is nothing
more basic to our reality--time, space, and knowledge can also serve as
the gateways to new vision. Knowledge in dynamic interplay with Space and
Time can challenge familiar assumptions about self and world, knowing and
the knowable. Time can present and Space can allow a new kind of inquiry,
revealing Knowledge in a light that illuminates the whole of Being.
"The world we live in today is in need of a more comprehensive
vision that reveals our true relationship with time, space, and knowledge,
for it appears as if time, space, and knowledge are becoming unfriendly
towards us. Time seems to move too quickly: When we try to match its rhythm
in our lives, we find it difficult to 'find the right time', to 'be on
time', and to 'catch things in time'. We are always 'running out of time':
We simply do not 'have the time' to do everything that we need or want
to do.
"Space is increasingly crowded with the abundance of objects modern
technology has created, and this in turn is reflected in the crowded inner
landscape of our thoughts and desires. While knowledge continues to subdivide,
specialize, and proliferate, we appear to be moving toward less certainty
rather than more. The light of knowledge as it is projected from the past
into the future has somehow grown dim, and is now powerless to illuminate
a clear path of action. We no longer see where the arrow of the future
is pointing; we do not know the direction of human destiny.
"When time is short, space is limited, and knowledge is uncertain,
where can we turn? This is a serious situation, for although we can no
longer look upon time, space, and knowlege as joyful participants in our
lives, we cannot simply turn away from them or 'divorce' ourselves from
them. They are an integral part of our lives . . . we could say they are
our lives.
"As human beings, we all participate in the same play; we are all
active together. In the course of our lives, we play different roles, developing
through space and time. This activity is already the expression of knowledge.
Mind engages the quality of knowledge, and we participate in this engagement
whether we are aware of it or not. Our lives naturally embody a momentum
that unfolds from knowledge as the central truth of our being.
"A new kind of inquiry would invite a new appreciation of ordinary
existence through investigating experience from the perspective of time
itself, space itself, and knowledge itself. Instead of looking at
objects, we might notice the space in which they appear. Instead of accepting
the patterns and positions of the self, we might look at the temporal dynamics
of the self in interaction with its world. This shift in attention begins
to shift our concern from the content of what is known directly to knowledge
itself.
"When we shift our attention from what is given in experience
to the way in which it is given, new facets of time, space, and
knowledge are revealed. As we learn to look at the indistinct edges and
boundaries of what we know, rather than the impenetrable center, our eyes
adjust to a different kind of light, and we see much that we had previously
overlooked.
"New ways of knowing emerge, inviting us to go beyond the structures
of thought and the patterns of desire, and discover a far more abundant
body of knowledge. Embodied in being, such knowledge manifests spontaneously,
without the effort characteristic of thought or the distortion that comes
with wanting, and without having to be prepared for in advance. It makes
possible action free from obscuration, not bound by judgments and presuppositions
about the way things are. It works a change in thinking, character, and
being." (Tarthang Tulku, pp. xv-xvii, Knowledge of Time and Space
)
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Another Introduction to the Time, Space, and Knowledge
Vision
"Space and Time are not simply backgrounds or supporting mediums
for our ordinary pursuits and experience; they can provide a very special
and direct form of nourishment for our 'humanity' or human nature, which
is usually fed only indirectly through the pursuit of sensory and emotional
gratification. Our attitudes, emotions and even our actions are usually
rather 'closed' states of being. We can use knowledge to open space and
time, and to inspire personal growth and integration. The liberating presence
of space and time shows us that within all stagnant and oppressive conditions
there is actually room for movement and growth. We do not need to escape
from these situations. Knowledge can inspire a new way of being in which
the usual difficulties and conflicts which we experience in our daily lives--and
which also seem to be inherent in the world situation--can be seen in a
new light--they are no longer so rigid or unsolvable. As these experiences
take on a more open, transparent quality, we are more literally able to
create balance and harmony in our lives, and in our world as well.
"When we open all our perspectives and our senses, and learn to
view life in a holistic way, we can see that the time, space, and knowledge
which have established restrictive perimeters have done so only because
they have been insufficiently challenged, explored, and appreciated. We
can learn to recognize whatever we experience to be space and time.
"As our perception of time and space opens, we can begin to see
and appreciate a new kind of knowlcdge, a knowledge beyond duality and
dichotomies, which is all-pervasive. With this knowledge we can learn to
see the playfulness of all situations; we can open to the natural tendency
of our energies to flow toward the exploration of understanding and beauty-toward
the deeper values of humanity.
"Once our perspective is sufficiently open, all experience can
be seen as the dynamic play of Space, Time, and Knowledge. The inherent
beauty of appearance, which is the dance of Time, Space, and Knowledge,
unfoIds naturally before and with us. We can then directly experience our
Being, which expresses itself as a dynamic and complete freedom. In this
way we can discover what it means to be truly human.
"As we develop our faculty of appreciation still further, we can
begin to see our situation in a more global perspective. We gain a more
balanced view regarding the limits of our material emphasis, as well as
a discernment of what is necessary to complement and fulfill it. We can
thus achieve a balance. By the development of an appreciative capacity
which is built on the broadest possible base, and yet is entirely flexible,
all humanity can be both fulfilled and unified." (pp. xxxviii-xxxix,
Time, Space, and Knowledge )
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TSK ASSOCIATION
email: steve@manage-time.com
phone 510-303-1035
1815 Highland Place, Berkeley CA 94709
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