Episode 7: The Stillness of the Absolute
- Author
- Hans Pinto
- Published
- Mon 15 Sep 2025
- Episode Link
- None
Before monotheism dominated our spiritual landscape, morality emerged from a rich dialogue between humans and countless divine forces. The ancient world operated as a chorus where no single voice claimed absolute authority. This podcast explores what happened when that dynamic balance was replaced by the "stillness of the absolute" – a perfect, unchanging God governing an imperfect, ever-changing world.
We examine how this fundamental contradiction creates moral rigidity. Laws established for ancient societies become frozen in time, struggling to adapt as humanity evolves. While polytheistic systems function conversationally – allowing each generation to participate in rebalancing cosmic order – monotheism transforms this dialogue into a monologue where humanity's role becomes obedience rather than participation. This pattern explains why religious traditions often resist societal transformations like women's liberation or recognition of new identities.
The Buddhist perspective offers a striking alternative, beginning not with commandments but with observation. Using the metaphor of tablet versus mirror – representing command-based ethics versus reflective understanding – we explore how each approach shapes our moral vision. The tablet provides certainty but risks tyranny; the mirror offers clarity but risks chaos without discipline. Jung's psychological framework helps us understand these approaches as persona/superego (tablet) and shadow work/individuation (mirror).
The middle way requires both: using the mirror to see clearly and the tablet as a temporary guide without mistaking it for ultimate truth. True morality emerges naturally when delusion fades and we recognize our interconnection with all life. Both approaches are necessary tools, but neither contains the final answer. The question that remains is what we become when both inevitably shatter in our hands. Join us for this profound philosophical exploration of how we navigate between the hunger for certainty and the courage to face life's fundamental uncertainty.
