The Wisdom of the Triangle

The Wisdom of the Triangle leads to the Circle

1- Introduction

Usually the symbol of Wisdom and Perfection is not the Triangle but the Circle, since the latter is a perfect geometrical shape. In the other hand, Life is imperfect, but its imperfection is perfect, as Osho used to say ! So the perfect Circle does not exist in Life and a simpler shape such as the Triangle could be a mean to approach the Circle by an iterative process. Hence the title of this article.  

Firstly, I will start by recalling briefly a historical mathematical problem, "Squaring the Circle". Then, I will use the analogy of the transcendental number PI (π) to introduce the transcendence of all dualities in life : right/wrong,  beautiful/ugly, happy/sad, etc. This transcendence is the ultimate Wisdom.

Since my goal is not to write a philosophical article but to share spiritual experience, I'll show how we could progress in our spiritual life by transcending the dualities we experience in everyday life. The "Wisdom of the Triangle" can therefore be a powerful tool to attain the state of meditation or no-mind in day to day activities.

2- The Problem of Squaring the Circle

The expression "Squaring the Circle" means trying to do an impossible action. The source of this idiom comes from ancient geometers who challenge anyone to "Construct a square with the same area as a given circle by using only a finite number of steps with compass and straightedge". Since the area of a square is SxS  (S=side of the square) and the area of a circle is PIxRxR (R=radius of circle); solving the above problem means that PI is a rational number, that is a fraction of two integers (SxS/RxR). But PI is not rational. It is not even an algebraic number. It is transcendental. To put it in simple words, an algebraic number can be precisely defined using algebraic (simple) equations. But a transcendental number is a "wild" number which can't be confined in any simple equation. We can't neither calculate its value precisely even using the most powerful computers. We can only calculate approximates and finite values of it. The ancient mathematicians failed to prove the transcendence of PI and the "Squaring Circle" remains an unsolved problem until the 19th century when ultimately it had been proved that PI is transcendental. So it is useless to try to solve the problem of "Squaring the Circle". There is no solution for it.

The figure below shows a simple method to calculate an approximate value of PI by paving the area of the circle using many little triangles. We  can then calculate the sum of the areas of the triangles, divide the result by the square of the radius of the circle and then obtain an approximate value of PI. The greater is the number of triangles, the better is the approximation of PI and the nearer we approach the perfect circle.

From Triangle to Circle.
The sum of areas of the little triangles in step 3 is almost equal to the area of the circle.
We can refine the approximation of the circle by increasing the number of triangles.

3- From Transcendental Numbers to Spiritual Transcendence

Why the circle is the symbol of perfection, of wisdom ?  Here are some reasons :

• The Circle has no edge. Its shape is smooth without any angle. It can't "hurt". So the Sage.
• The Circle has no preferred direction. It is neutral; at equal distance from anything. So the Sage.
• The Circle has an unmoving center. The periphery can rotate, can be disturbed, but the center remains untouched. The Sage is also centered in his being. He is not touched by all what happens in the world. He remains a witness. A storm can raise huge waves on the surface of the ocean. But deep in the ocean, the stillness is not disturbed.
• During centuries mathematicians didn't accept the transcendence of PI trying to confine it in a simple equation. Finally the transcendence of PI is established and the "perfection" chased is definitely abandoned. So is Life. So is Wisdom. Life is not perfect since it is not dead. It is a perpetual evolution. It is not simply defined and we are done with it. No, Life is transcendental, has no beginning, no end. It is a perpetual celebration, a continuous creation, an infinite improvement.

4- What is the "Wisdom of the Triangle" ?

The world, as it is perceived by an ordinary human being, is full of dualities or contradictions. The mind can't perceive a thing if there is no contrary of it. Example of dualities : I/you, beauty/ugliness, happiness/unhappiness, wealth/poverty, positive/negative, female/male, etc. In the other hand, an enlightened person had transcended all these dualities.

But an enlightened man is almost a "perfect" circle. What about a simple spiritual seeker like me and you ? Here comes the "Wisdom of the Triangle". It is difficult to transcend all the dualities together. But we can proceed step by step. We can consider for example one duality : happiness/unhappiness. What does it mean to transcend this duality ? it means to go beyond ? what is beyond ? It is Peace ! So we can symbolize this by the following triangle :

To be in Peace is to go beyond Happiness and Unhappiness.
Source : Eckhart Tolle, "The Power of Now".

So a duality consist of two poles/ends of a segment. To transcend this duality is not to choose any pole, but to go beyond. Going beyond is to be in the state where the two ends merge in the third apex of the triangle. This is the what I mean by the "Wisdom of the Triangle". But the idea of triangle as symbol of transcendence is not mine. It is originated from Osho discourses.

Beware, to be effective, the transcendence should not be in the mind, but it must be existential. You should feel and live this transcendence. Otherwise there is no transformation, no progress in the spiritual path. Without existential experience of transcendence, we are just stuffing our mind and enhancing our ego. 

The beauty of the "Wisdom of the Triangle" is that by repeating the process of existential transcendence for each duality, the circle of our consciousness will be more and more perfect; and one day, suddenly, we are enlightened, fully aware ...

5- Practical use of the "Wisdom of the Triangle"

In this paragraph we will  enumerate some dualities and how we can go beyond them using the "Wisdom of the Triangle". 

5.1- Beyond Happiness/Unhappiness : Peace

Life can't be always "Un Long Fleuve Tranquille" (Long Quiet River). It always challenges us. Every challenge is intended to teach us something to let us grow spiritually. So we should try to find out what is the lesson behind each unhappy situation. For example, an unhappy situation can make us angry. So the lesson is probably to let us experience anger with awareness. We are are not supposed to suppress the anger or to express it while being unaware, but to be fully aware of the anger. If we succeed, it is beautiful; we will grow spiritually. If we fail, it is beautiful too. The Life will challenge us again in a similar situation until we learn the lesson. So in each situation we have transcended the unhappiness. In the case of success we grow. In the case of failure there is no guilt, no sadness : This is Peace.

Life can challenge us with happiness too. What is the challenge in this case ? we shouldn't cling to the the situation of happiness. We can enjoy it but not cling to it. Since we know that every situation should pass. Happy or unhappy, no situation is eternal. So we enjoy the moment present and if the happiness ends, we let it go without clinging, without suffering, with total acceptance : This is Peace.

So Peace is really beyond happiness and unhappiness. By accepting the unhappiness and not clinging to happiness we attain the eternal Peace. Here and Now. Situations of happiness or unhappiness can come and go. They are like ripples on the periphery of our circle and we are rooted and centered in our central being, in peace ...

5.2- Beyond I/You : Oneness

The mind divides and the first division is between I and the Other. Next divisions are : my family and the neighbours, my city/other cities, my country/the world, my religion/other religions, human being/nature, etc. So the root of all divisions, wars, environmental problems, are originated from the first division I/You. In fact the other is not really separated from me. If we go deep inside ourselves the borders disappear. We are the same Life expressing itself in different forms. We are all divine beings at various stages of consciousness. We, human beings, and other forms of life on Earth are not really separated. We are all divine beings at various stages of our evolution. 

So it is really ridiculous to be identified for example with a country, with a religion and consider oneself different from the other. Our birth nationality or birth religion is just an "accident" or perhaps a "choice" to learn something for our spiritual growth. So it should not be a serious matter. I can claim my nationality or my country if I want to enrich the other not to be separate from him. Really the difference of colors, religions and nationalities is a beautiful thing like the richness of flowers of many colors and shapes. Diversity of human beings make this world more beautiful, more exciting, more rich. But to transform this opportunity of complementarity into separation and even conflicts is totally stupid. 

In conclusion, to go beyond I and You is to feel and live the oneness with other human beings and with Nature. This transcendence is a must these days since the stupid mind of human beings is leading us towards destruction of our Planet. We must transcend this duality I/You and experience the Oneness if we want to continue our existence on this Earth. Otherwise we will die with an already dying planet ...

5.3- Beyond I/Myself : Wholeness

Almost all human being on Earth are mad. Since almost of them are identified with their mind. But the mind is not whole. The mind is fragmentary. So the identification with mind leads to schizophrenia. The I, the subject, is different from myself, the object. So we start judging ourselves , feeling sorry for ourselves, being proud of ourselves, not loving ourselves or hating ourselves, etc. When we transcend this duality, we are no more split, we are whole. 

When I am whole, I accept myself as I am. When the identification with mind occur, we start apply our knowledge, religion, society rules, etc to judge ourselves. But all our knowledge is fragmentary, contaminated by society illness, historical madness, etc. It is not the role of my mind to judge myself or to let me feel guilty. Its role is to be my servant not my master. I should hear my body, feel my being and align myself with Nature, not with the madness or illness of the mind. The society uses many mechanisms to make us slaves and serve its own agenda. One of these ugliest methods is to filling our mind with knowledge and moral concepts aiming to make us feel guilty whenever we listen to our heart and go in directions not allowed by the society. So let be whole and not judge ourselves nor feel guilty. Let accept what we are, how we are. We have not created ourselves and the Creator has certainly a purpose behind each of our traits. Life challenges us with outer situations and with inner situations too. We go beyond outer situations with Peace and go beyond inner situations with Wholeness and Acceptance. To be proud of oneself is the other end of feeling guilty : it is an illness too. There is nothing to be proud of or to feel guilty for. Let's go beyond and be whole.

6- Conclusion

In the last paragraph I presented some dualities and showed how to transcend them. But there is so many contradictions, so many dualities.  As said above, all our limited mind perceptions are dualities. And all these dualities should be transcended to be fully aware, fully alive and liberated from the slavery of the mind and the society. So it is up to each of us to meditate on all the dualities in his life and see how to go beyond them. The teaching of some spiritual teachers can be helpful; but the great teacher is our own heart. Let our body relax, our mind stop and listen to our heart, to the inner voice inside our being. If we are puzzled by some duality and don't know how to transcend it, let's not think about it. Thinking is always out of our knowledge, out of our past, so out of ill societies. Instead let's ask our heart, be patient, and listen to our inner voice. One day we will understand spontaneously how to go beyond the duality. After that, we can think about it and share it, using words, with other seekers on the path returning to God, our Ultimate Source.