Shree: Form as being in the world

 

Shree: Form as being in the world

The idea of modern architecture is about coming to terms with search of a form that can convey or express the essence of changing/ changed times by various factors. These factors seem to be external as well as internal. In this, the search for the form is a general idea, the search for which, is an individual process of synthesis of the context.

What constitutes change? Colonialism seem to have resulted in formation of industries, mass migrations, displacement from place, changing attitudes towards cities, way of life, production, relationship with work and education and leisure and healthcare and this change has accelerated over the years. This has resulted in newer requirements for which architectural solutions were required (hence new building types) and by this we also mean new design programs, new sequences, new patterns and new functions. Technology and the process of using technology also necessitated changes as compared to more hands on ways of doing. What seems to have changed is the meaning and the sense of scale, proportions, textures, volumes or massing and through this change the impact on the psychological effects.

To make  a dwelling previously, either at a collective or an individual level meant response to the territory as a whole  (making of a place), memories, collective wisdom, hands on doing and so on – the idea of form making has changed drastically (or forced to change).

Every change necessitates finding different ways of “belonging” in this world. Some architects may have taken the path of industrial aesthetics, others have abstracted principles of design, still others have played with mystical ways of responding, yet others have interpreted lessons of primitive architecture.

We are also talking about the role of architect – having to deal with a ‘site’ (instead of working among the community), architect who maybe from a different place, who is required to deal with universal idea of technology, and who has a different program to conceive. Perhaps he is required to ‘deliver a solution’ rather than express a mode of living.

In all the years of modernism and movements that have followed modernism, there has been a backlash as well and the discourse concerning social dimensions, cultural sensitivity, climate, humane architecture, textural qualities, poetics in architecture, universal feelings, empathy seem to gravitate back into the search for a form. This is a discourse that will continue. Placing feelings, empathy, hands on etc as the core of making has been prevalent in non industrial and pre modern cultures because the sensitivities seem different. At the core is the issue of sensitivity of perceiving ‘space’.

And space is not just an architectonic term, but has human, cultural, traditional, mythical, transcendental dimensions as well.

We live in a strange world of extreme fragmentation and a ‘form’ that can address this experience maybe appropriate for today. A form is a concern/ intent of being in the world – it is not merely architectonic expression.

Hari Om.

Shree: Architecture and Learning

 

Shree: Architecture and Learning

Learning happens slowly and is sort of awakening of the mind that gets attuned to the spirit. Mind operates in some medium – which we call as space – time or as vibrations. Mind already exists as a phenomenon eternally; and it is shared by all forms of being. Hence the issue is only about a preferred state of existing – either as Truth or Bliss; or as vibration, waves, temporariness, impermanence and so on. These words convey a constructed experience or something that the mind can do – make anything ‘real’. The definition of reality therefore is based on mind and not something absolute. Or, in other words, absoluteness and relativeness is a state of being/ state of mind. The human mind has introspected the nature of the phenomenon and come to some discovery of Principles. This is philosophy or the ability of the mind to do so. We are not talking of history here, but the ability to assess this mysterious dimension deep within us and for which any situation of space and time is fine. In this perspective, “progress” is the ability to assess deeper levels of being.

The history of architecture can then be seen from this aspect as well – and it may throw surprising findings. Linear progress defined on colonial expansion agendas, industrialization, advancement, technology give the view of anxious intellect and raises distinctions amongst ‘categories’ of vernacular, indigenous, local, advanced, global, isms, and so on.

But the view of philosophy is concerned about discovery or realization of consciousness and which every society, culture, person or a process has done this, is profound. Maybe one can then see certain processes of engagement contributing to realization of consciousness – say the idea of indigenousness or methods of inquiry suggested by Ar. Christopher Alexander or a personal interpretation of philosophical stance as in Ar. Louis Kahn. The choice of three examples is deliberate since it cuts across attitudes or scales or times but the central concern remains perhaps common for the three examples. And there maybe many more such examples seen across the physical world.

Hari Om.

Shree: Arrive

 

Shree: Arrive

Decoding perception as a process does not “end” as getting a start point or coming to an inference – it goes on in breadth and depth – web of variables. Knowing more variables need not be a “forced” undertaking and some of these variables are born from the passage of time and with wisdom  - some of the variables collapse, condense, organize, dissolve and so on.  This is a living entity and this entity makes all such things possible. However knowing variables of whatever size, scale, intensity is not an invitation to assert control in any way or even to define perfection! No matter the extent of knowledge one gets, it is bound to change and remain incomplete. If the purpose of knowledge is to assert control, then it is in contradiction with itself, for “real” knowledge comes from becoming subtle, interconnected and unconditional – to dissolve the self.

As phenomenon, we are always in loops of perception that engage us and that make us believe (as an illusion) ideas of protection. A sense of protection comes from remaining in a loop of thoughts and all phenomena have a dimension of this. “Thought” is a phenomenon having a dimension of manifestation/ vibration/ space-time. Whatever manifests, is created and follows the laws or nature of vibration (differentiation/ separation/ relativeness/ uniqueness/ individualness/ connectedness)  - it is the character of perception as some form of existence. To know the truth is to realize it and that means to go beyond the laws of manifestation and become steady.

Manifestation is a function of Truth or blissfulness and the phenomenon will follow the Truth. We seem to have been made in unique ways (as a constructed perception) but the fundamental medium present in all such unique awareness is the Truth. As long as manifestation as a phenomenon happens (or gets created) there is always a scope for perception. A thought cannot exist if it is expected to become universally same across the universe! This means that phenomenon is a consciousness’s undertaking! Philosophically Existence is felt as Truth or as phenomenon. We are required to “arrive” at the Truth.

Hari Om.

Spirituality in Architecture

 

Shree

 

Presence of consciousness as a medium initiates vibration, movement and action. Space and time are not external or static and one does not exist (only) as a causal relationship with the changing external world. The point is perception is a function of existence and it projects an external world or it can focus the presence of internal world. An important inference from this is staticness or externality or causal relationships are constructs or born from a state of mind. It can make anything “possible”.

At the core perhaps the term spirit or spirituality means to know and operate from the feeling of existence. Values of inner world are different from outer world although they are interlinked but yet appear to be extremely different since one cannot exist (or have memory) of both inner and outer worlds!

One of the inferences of operating in outer world is the idea of linear progress, development, causal idea of context, desperation to fix things, to seek control, to establish hierarchy, to define a problem, to lay focus on intellect. The fallout can be seen when one defines architecture in terms of space and time, or pitted against polar attitudes of tribal, vernacular, developing, developed or advanced and so on. The fallout is seen in terms of pace of development, intent of development, the human centric view that supercedes all other life forms, focus on intellect alone and probably relegation of feelings, less of tactile use of creating architecture, alienation, loss of public space, increased surveillance and so on and many other things while looking at other disciplines of knowledge.

If we see the operation of inner world, there seems to be a fundamental realization of connectedness and a sense of belonging. If this is the experience, then what happens about the idea of ‘progress’ or how does one define appropriate action geared towards some development? Should things still exist as polarized positions; should things only be seen from linear/ algorithmic/ logical point of view; should things be pitted against eachother and so on.

Perhaps the question is how does one retain the experience of spirituality in architecture or the idea of interconnectedness? This may not be an inquiry to change the world or fix anything, far from it and since that motto does not hold valid, the inquiry is self driven and not dependent on any external conditions.

 

·         Idea of spirituality and its reflection when creating a built environment (planning, siting, building, rituals, living)  - Tao of Architecture as an example

·         Idea of spirituality as a living experience when one perceives a phenomenon geographical/ historical/ cultural): Tribals and pre modern cultures

·         Idea of spirituality by understanding Ground Zero – Louis Kahn  

·         Idea of spirituality through recognition of universal values of life – Christopher Alexander

 

Hari Om

Shree: In the Now…

 

Shree: In the Now…

Apparently things are present in the ‘now’ and they do not change in a linear way – perhaps a linear way is a separated way or a logical way of constructing change or our relationship with reality which causes compartments and stress and anxiety and notions of production of space and time and expectations etc. this is a very narrow definition of intellect’s potential.

However, in reality all forces of change, things, intentions, feelings are connected and inform a way of becoming or taking up a form. One cannot necessarily say it historical or ahistorical or modern or futuristic or sustainable or ecological or biophilic or any term thrown in. ‘I’ am not a being who is required to define a ‘position’ since that means loss of change or movement and that is not how life exists. Or perhaps positioning oneself is a pause of movement which hints at some intangible beginning and intangible futuristic idea (as a continuation) and if one ought to talk of a position then one is taking a ‘pause’ in the journey of becoming. In this respect, a form is a ‘pause’ in consciousness.

Hence even as a philosophical reality, the life one sees is a ‘pause’ in the movement of consciousness and hence one experiences and creates a meaning of life. In actual practice, there is no vibration! A visual movement is a pause (or any perception thereof) and steadiness is going beyond the experience of movement and knowing that everything stems from ‘here’; centrally; self; by presence of consciousness. So perception is either a pause (that senses a movement) or goes beyond the pause itself and becomes steady.

Hari Om.

Shree

 

Shree

Cleanliness and control or deliberate silence is a form of extreme ego. If one considers the development of AI tools it seems that more and more the aim is to make the mind “independent” of all real space-time variables – to an extent that the contact and consideration of existence of “real” space-time is assumed to be made redundant for the mind’s survival! Of course the core issue is what does one call “real” and from that perspectives, one is only changing the “nature” of reality of the mind by AI tool, rather than saying whether things seem real or virtual.

In other words the manner of using terms real or virtual is only indicating the manner of existence or how the mind choses to engage or operate or “exist”. 

In transitioning from real to virtual, what sort of changes in the mind’s behavior therefore occur? If the aim is to “escape” hardship and have absolute control and absolute independence, then one is running after a ghost. Any aim defined by the mind has limitations and will not offer peace – no matter whatever the levels of technological imaginations are discovered, since the behavior of mind will continue to exist in all kinds of imaginations.

However, the process of realization occurs at some point of imagination of time and space. And this is the beginning of transcendential experience or moving beyond mind.

Therefore we then come to the fundamental requirement of peace – that of transcendence, which is possible in traditional real or contemporary virtual nature of space and time.

Hari Om.

 

Shree

 

Shree

 

There will always be an intent of undertaking actions and all the relationships that get created to form an action (which is a creation of the individual construct). The best relationship is with God (or knowing that the self is God) and in this all imagination components of time and space get related, sequences, dissolved and so forth. Past and future are seen as static terms (much like space and time) and I feel that an outsider perspective always assumes that these entities are static and our role is with respect to such entities.

However space, time or past, present and future are related phenomenon born from/of self and hence are part and parcel of ‘imagination’ (as a process of becoming). So all is an experience and nothing is externally ‘static’ wherein the being (or me) gets “placed” in the overall outside medium of space and time and ‘hence’ ‘I’ ‘think’ of ‘past-present-future’ ideas!

‘hence’ – assumption of causality

‘I’ – phenomenon

‘past-present-future’  - creation of ‘I’

 

Above terms are not separate. Externality and staticness means separation, variables, sequences and loops. However “relationships” means creation and in that there is no linearity or loops. It only is.

 

Hari Om.

Shree

Shree

Many thoughts today – of course the impetus always is Yours!

One just needs to undertake action and trust. In action, I need not be concerned with space and time, although the action takes place in that manifested medium of conditions. It is also understood that ‘I’ will mean space and time and the intent will get formed in that constructed medium of phenomenon, yet the trigger for phenomenon is consciousness. Hence we can act to an extent that the mind seems to perceive.

Perception is a mysterious phenomenon of existence. It does not mean anything absolute but only a relative and a construct of the creation process – mind in our case and the role of consciousness in shaping the mind. Hence we will feel the behavior of the intellect, feelings, body and what they suggest us to undertake. In doing so, the sight of consciousness ought not to be forgotten and that is required to be done in various imagined ways and which also happens automatically. Whatever one does is contained in consciousness and hence no effort goes for a waste at all. There is no such thing as a ‘waste’ since the idea does not exist in consciousness.

It should also be known that creation happens in invisible ways, comes to visible phenomenon and dissolves into invisible medium. Why should this happen? It does. And it is a wonder it continues to happen eternally. All changes happen. Change is. Change is existential nature. What is written, said, seen, heard, analyzed…..is. It is sent from God and hence the actions endorse God’s presence.

Trust this nature.

Hari Om.