4. BEHIND BLOSSOMING APPLE TREE BRANCHES RISES THE MOON

The foregoing pages that characterized movement and significance of the morphogenic process require even more exploration. For the event streaming in it is the penetration of growth and decay. Only by paying attention to this, does one become aware of the seriousness and jubilation, the drama and appeal to one’s conscience of the cognitive happening. For the introspection of our cognitive experience there develops, on the one hand, a growth. Because through the universalization of its percepts the tree shape is developed, it reveals next to its natural-living a second psychic-spiritual growth – from the particulars having previously died away in isolation the abundance of their properties is revived, a common thread like a life-giving sap begins to flow through the parts of the tree. Yet the introspection of our cognitive experience, on the other hand, also follows a passing away. The many-sided mobility of the general concept is, through the relationship to a certain case of its scope, deprived of its spiritual order and adapted to the other material disorder – but beyond that however is also congealed in the representational fabric that flows into the perceptual realm of the tree. The process of a revival on the perceptual side corresponds to the process of dying away on the conceptual side.

            When we turn our introspection to the formation of the tree shape, which owes its realization to our cognitive experience, we then not only observe the growth of a tree shape – in fact, two tree shapes appear before our eyes with entirely different life cycles. For the supersensible tree shape passes away, while the sensible tree shape grows, while the latter comes to life, the former dies.

            This is the endearing and serious saga that the little word With relates to us. It is the saga of the intertwining of growth and decay. It is the saga of the word With, because it tells that the one is joined to the other, and how and by which means the one occurs with the other. And this saga is true for all world phenomena. For there is nothing and neither no being that through such a formative process would not come into reality, such as we concur in cognition as a cycle of growth and passing away, occurring in us through the unification of percept and concept. This unification however is one of universalization and individualization, perfused and penetrated by a reviving and dying out.

            The secret background of every revival is thus formed by a dying out, every growth is shimmered through by a decay. Our introspection whispers incessantly the saga of the marriage of conception with contraction.

            Arno Holz[1] has expressed this (probably more out of a genial instinct than artistic conscious awareness) in a superb verse:

            B e h i n d   b l o s s o m i n g   a p p l e   t r e e  B r a n c h e s   r i s e s  t h e   m o  o n.

In the foreground of our concurring inner awareness of this poetic expression shines the sun-like jubilation of the vibrant apple tree blossoms. Behind its branches we become with deep earnestness conscious of the slowly rising moon of the contrary event that manifests the spirit dying out in the life of the sensible world.  



[1] Arno Holz (1863 - 1929) was a German author, poet and playwright. His most important work belongs to the school of naturalism, with influences from impressionism.

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PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOR

This work was originally published in German as Was ist Meditation? - Eine grundlegende Erörterung zur geisteswissesschaftlichen Bewusstsein...