We learn from this virtual dimension that all aspects and forms of essence are nothing but the absolute, inherent in the very fabric of the absolute. They are its inherent, implicit, nondifferentiated, and nonmanifest perfections. When they manifest they are basically the manifestation of the inherent perfections of the absolute appearing differentiated and explicit. They are always the absolute appearing in its various perfections. The hidden treasure is simply revealed, as the inherent perfections of the mystery of Being.

One significant insight we may have here is that pure being is the ground for all essential aspects, for all qualities of Being. The qualities are simply the differentiation of the implicit perfections of true nature into explicit qualities of presence. True nature prismatically differentiates its presence into these qualities. In other words, these aspects are true nature itself, but true nature that has manifested itself in an explicit perfection that it timelessly possesses in potential, implicitly. It is the pure presence of true nature, with an added quality, a color and flavor. The added quality, which has timelessly been implicitly present, pervades the transparent purity of Being. Through her opening up to the dimension of pure presence, the soul realizes the deeper ground of her essence, non-differentiated presence. By being undifferentiated it is not only simpler but more fundamental, more basic, forming the ground and background of all manifestation. It is the ground not only of essential qualities and forms, but of all forms, all manifest differentiation.

Thus the essential ground, the coemergence of non-conceptual awareness and basic knowledge, possesses implicit qualities that we refer to as its perfections. In its nondifferentiated and fundamental mode it implicitly possesses peace, love, compassion, truth, authentic existence, pleasure, joy, strength, will, clarity, intelligence, impeccability, purity, contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction, spaciousness, and so on. They are not explicitly recognizable, but the presence feels complete and does not lack any of these qualities that the soul always needs.

This is similar to our view and understanding of the process of spiritual development and the role of the Essential Identity in it. We have explored this in detail in previous chapters, so we will recapitulate it briefly here, to help us situate our work in relation to other spiritual teachings. In our view, Being has a final, irreducible simplicity that we call the Absolute or absolute dimension. It is the original nature of everything, the source of all manifestations (see Chapter 41). Everything arises out of this ground and ultimately returns to it. This ground is totally mysterious and indeterminable, but implicitly contains all the perfections of spiritual nature. It manifests these perfections in a differentiated and explicit way within the soul as the essential aspects. So each aspect of Essence is a differentiated manifestation of an inherent, implicit perfection in the Absolute Essence, each explicitly expressing a specific quality and function. Each aspect serves to provide the soul with a quality and function needed for her life, development, and maturation. But centrally, each aspect reveals one of the perfections of the Absolute in the experience of the individual soul and its role in the relationship of the soul to the Absolute.

The soul is not only an expression of coemergent Being, for everything is an expression; she is a special kind of expression. She has the potential to consciously experience herself as an expression of Being and to consciously experience and know Being in its totality; hence she is the only individual manifest form we know that has such potential. Also, she has the potential to become an individual replica of the personal Being, as an integrated totality, an individual soul, a real person. Furthermore, this development is always unique. No two souls develop identically, though they begin with fundamentally the same potential. Because of this each soul possesses a unique function in the totality of Reality, with a specific contribution, and an original combination of qualities.

We begin this exploration with the Absolute, which is the essence of our Being. The absolute essence of Being is complete in all ways, perfect in all possibilities; it is completeness and perfection in a total way. It implicitly has in it all the essential aspects, all the perfections. These perfections are the perfections of the Absolute, the explications of all the perfections inherent in our deepest nature, which is our absolute identity. All these perfections—all the essential aspects—are implicit in the Absolute. They are not only implicit and unmanifest, but they are also undifferentiated. So the Absolute is completeness, perfect in all ways in an unmanifest, implicit, and undifferentiated way. In this context, “undifferentiated” means that the qualities of Being are not separate from each other. At this level of experience, we cannot separate or differentiate them, even though they are all there. Not only are they not differentiated, they are not manifest. In other words, we can’t experience them in a positive sense; we can only know that they are there because there is no deficiency, no need, in the experience of the Absolute. The Absolute is complete when we experience it as qualityless. It is qualityless because although it implicitly has all the perfect qualities, they are all unmanifest. That is why we call it the Mystery. We know its perfections explicitly only when the Absolute is manifest.