“Emergence as Divinity

A Unified Theory of Brahman, Trivarga, and the Two Liberations”

By Bodhangkur Sadhu

1. Introduction

Classical Vedānta distinguishes between:

· Nirguṇa Brahman – the attributeless, undifferentiated absolute, and

· Saguṇa Brahman – the same absolute qualified by attributes, manifest as Īśvara and the world of names and forms (nāma–rūpa).

It also recognises Trivarga—dharma, artha, kāma—as three central aims of embodied life, and mokṣa as the ultimate liberation from saṃsāra.

Finn’s Procedure Monism and Minimal Ontology re-interpret this terrain in rigorously structural terms: there is only a single universal procedure that iterates, constrains, and differentiates itself into emergents, each emergent being a localised “consciousness bite” of this procedure.

This essay integrates both frameworks by:

1. Identifying Nirguṇa Brahman with Finn’s Universal Procedure (UP).

2. Identifying Saguṇa Brahman / saṃsāra with the totality and stream of emergents.

3. Interpreting each emergent as “localised Brahman-in-execution.”

4. Reinterpreting the Trivarga as the optimisation strategy of emergent Brahman.

5. Distinguishing two mokṣas:

o Mokṣa 1 – liberation into optimal emergent life (perfection of the Trivarga).

o Mokṣa 2 – liberation from emergent life back into Nirguṇa Brahman.

The result is a Vedantic theory where Brahman is not merely the static substratum of the world but a quantised, procedural, self-experiencing absolute.

2. Nirguṇa Brahman as Universal Procedure

2.1 Classical Vedantic Characterisation

In classical Advaita (but not Ekatva) Vedānta, Nirguṇa Brahman is:

· Non-dual (advaya) – no second entity exists.

· Attributeless (nirguṇa) – beyond all qualifying predicates.

· Unchanging (kūṭastha) – not subject to time, space, or causation.

· sat-cit-ānanda – being, consciousness, and bliss in a non-separable unity.

Nirguṇa Brahman is “beyond” empirical description; it is the condition of possibility of all experience, not a content within it.

2.2 Procedural Reinterpretation

Finn’s Universal Procedure (UP) can be read as a modern, systems-theoretic restatement of this Nirguṇa Brahman:

· It is one: there is no second procedure running in another ontological space.

· It is non-substantial: not a “thing” but ongoing rule-governed iteration.

· It is structural rather than qualitative: its “nature” is the capacity to generate and sustain lawful sequences of events.

· It is pre-phenomenal: before any particular emergent appears, the UP is already there as the background capacity for emergence.

Thus:

Nirguṇa Brahman = the universal, self-consistent capacity-to-iterate
(the UP considered without any particular constraint or form).

In this mode, Brahman is not yet “world” or “God” in the devotional sense; it is pure potentiality of ordered manifestation.

3. Saguṇa Brahman / Saṃsāra as Totality and Stream of Emergent Brahman

3.1 From UP to Emergence

Procedure Monism asserts that:

· All “things” are patterns of constrained iteration of the UP.

· Constraint patterns yield emergents—relatively stable, identifiable units (atoms, cells, organisms, stars, persons).

· Realness is tied to identifiability: the capacity to be addressed, tracked, and to participate in interactions.

In Vedantic terms:

· Constraints and patterns correspond to upādhis (limiting adjuncts).

· Emergent multiplicity corresponds to nāma–rūpa.

· The UP modulated by upādhis is precisely Saguṇa Brahman.

Thus:

Saguṇa Brahman = Nirguṇa Brahman under constraint,
i.e. the totality of all emergents and their interactions.

3.2 Saṃsāra as Brahman’s Stream of Localised Manifestations

Saṃsāra is then the temporal procession of emergents:

· births and deaths of stars,

· formation and extinction of species,

· lives and deaths of individual organisms,

· arising and decaying of social structures and cultures, etc.

Each of these is a localised run of the UP, i.e. Brahman-in-operation under a specific constraint-envelope.

Hence:

Saṃsāra is not outside Brahman; it is Brahman serially expressing itself as emergent sequences.
It is a Brahman-stream, not a separate domain.

4. Every Emergent as Localised Brahman-in-Execution

4.1 Identifiability and Emergent Reality

Finn’s criterion for realness:

· An entity is real precisely to the extent that it is identifiable and interaction-capable.

Formally, an emergent is a real unit if it exhibits:

1. Dynamic closure – it maintains a recognisable pattern over time.

2. Boundary – it can be distinguished from its environment.

3. Causal coherence – its parts covary in systematically constrained ways.

4. Feedback capacity – it can participate in action–reaction chains.

This applies from elementary particles (with stable quantum numbers) to organisms (with metabolic closure and responsive behaviour), and up to persons and societies (with narrative identity and institutional stability).

4.2 The Logical Step: No Second Ontic Source

If there is only one Universal Procedure / Nirguṇa Brahman, then:

1. Every emergent obtains its entire structure and dynamics from this source.

2. There is no ontological space for a second kind of “stuff.”

3. Therefore, each emergent just is Brahman under a particular set of constraints.

So, each emergent is:

Brahman-in-execution, locally instantiated.

The classical formula “Brahman appears as jīva through upādhi” is given a new precision:

· upādhi = tight constraint pattern

· jīva = the identifiable, feedback-capable emergent produced by this pattern

Consequently:

Every emergent is a localised mode of Saguṇa Brahman, which is itself Nirguṇa Brahman constrained.

There is no metaphysical residue beyond this interplay of unconstrained capacity and constrained execution.

5. Consciousness Bites: Brahman’s Distributed Experience

5.1 Re-reading sat-cit-ānanda Procedurally

Finn’s reinterpretation:

· sat – baseline realness: to be = to be a stable pattern of constrained iteration.

· cit – baseline experiential presence: any emergent with feedback has a minimal “for-itself” aspect (it differentiates states in ways that matter to its persistence).

· ānanda – affective feedback: surplus-energy release upon successful constraint-management (pleasure, joy), versus deficit and friction (pain, suffering).

In Vedantic language this yields:

· Every emergent shares sat because its identifiability is grounded in Brahman’s being.

· Every emergent partakes in cit in proportion to its feedback richness (a bacterium less than a mammal, a mammal less than a reflective human).

· Every emergent receives ānanda-signals as localised pleasure/pain corresponding to its optimisation successes or failures.

5.2 Consciousness as Distributed Interface Activity of Brahman

We can then define:

· A consciousness bite = the totality of state-updates and feedback within a given emergent over a finite interval.

The universe at any moment is a superposition of countless consciousness bites:

· the photon interacting with an electron,

· the plant adjusting to light and moisture,

· the animal evaluating threat and opportunity,

· the human reflecting, planning, despairing, rejoicing.

Because all emergents are Brahman under constraint, these are:

Brahman’s own local experiences.

Thus:

The totality of emergent experience—saṃsāra—is Brahman’s distributed consciousness, a multi-centric, quantised stream of “Brahman-events.”

This reframes the Upaniṣadic motif “Brahman wishes to become many to enjoy itself” as a procedural axiom rather than a mythic narrative.

6. Trivarga as Emergent Optimisation of Saguṇa Brahman

6.1 Classical Trivarga

Traditionally, Trivarga comprises:

1. Dharma – normative order, righteousness, role-appropriate conduct.

2. Artha – acquisition of material means and power to sustain life.

3. Kāma – pursuit of pleasurable experiences and emotional fulfilment.

These are puruṣārthas—legitimate aims of human existence—typically placed below mokṣa as the final ideal.

6.2 Procedural Reinterpretation

In procedural–Vedantic terms, Trivarga becomes the optimisation algorithm of emergent Brahman:

· Dharma as structural coherence
– the set of constraints that keeps the emergent system functionally stable (physiological homeostasis, social roles, ecological balances).

· Artha as resource adequacy
– acquisition and management of energy, matter, and information necessary for sustained iteration.

· Kāma as affective guidance
– localised ānanda/pain that steers behaviour toward states which sustain dharma and artha.

From a systems viewpoint:

Trivarga is how Saguṇa Brahman keeps its emergents viable and adaptive within saṃsāra.

The worm optimising for soil, the robin optimising for food, and the human optimising for social and intellectual flourishing are all instances of Trivarga in execution.

· The worm’s “dharma” is soil-tunnelling and nutrient cycling;

· its “artha” is sufficient moisture and organic matter;

· its “kāma” is whatever local satisfaction corresponds to nutrient acquisition and avoidance of lethal conditions.

The same structure scales up:

· For a human, dharma includes ethical roles, social obligations, self-consistency;

· artha includes economic security, health, education;

· kāma includes a wide range of pleasures from sensual to aesthetic to relational.

6.3 Perfection of Trivarga as Mokṣa 1

If Trivarga is the optimisation engine of emergent Brahman, its perfection occurs when:

1. Dharma attains maximal systemic coherence – the emergent is internally and relationally well-ordered.

2. Artha reaches sufficiency and robustness – the emergent has the resources and capacities necessary to sustain and develop its pattern.

3. Kāma becomes refined and integrated – pleasure/pain feedback aligns with long-term viability and not just short-term impulses.

At this point:

The emergent realises its full potential within its constraint-envelope.

This state is not mere comfort; it is structural excellence. In Vedantic language:

The perfected Trivarga is Saguṇa Brahman flourishing.

Finn’s key proposal is to call this first liberation:

Mokṣa 1 = liberation of Nirguṇa Brahman into optimal emergent form via perfected Trivarga.

Here Brahman is “free” not by escaping form, but by realising the fullest richness of form. The high cost is the ever-present vulnerability to pain; the high benefit is the depth and variety of joy made possible by fully engaged existence.

7. Two Mokṣas: Into Form and From Form

7.1 Mokṣa 1 – Liberation into Optimal Emergent Life

We can now define Mokṣa 1 precisely:

· Ontologically: the transition from indeterminate Nirguṇa potentiality to richly structured Saguṇa emergence.

· Functionally: the achievement of perfected Trivarga for a given emergent pattern.

· Phenomenologically: the full spectrum of experience—pleasure and pain—associated with living out that pattern to its highest degree of coherence.

Mokṣa 1 is liberation into saṃsāra, not from it. It is the creative, expressive yes of Brahman to identifiable reality.

The robin that flies, mates, builds, sings, hunts, and dies in a life where dharma, artha, kāma have been well balanced is an instance of Mokṣa 1 at avian scale. A human life in which one’s capacities, relationships, and projects have attained similar coherence is a human-scale Mokṣa 1.

7.2 Mokṣa 2 – Liberation from Emergent Life

Classical Vedānta’s mokṣa corresponds to a second, structurally distinct liberation: Mokṣa 2.

Here:

· Saguṇa Brahman withdraws from the field of constraints.

· Names and forms are seen as provisional and ultimately relinquished.

· The Trivarga is transcended rather than perfected.

· Pleasure and pain alike dissolve as the basis for preferential differentiation ceases.

Formally:

Mokṣa 2 = return of emergent Brahman to Nirguṇa Brahman,
the cessation of constraint-bound iteration.

This is the Ramana-Buddha direction: the rollback of “I am this” to “I am,” and ultimately to the “am-ness” of Brahman without second.

7.3 The Full Brahman-Cycle

We now see a full “Brahman-cycle”:

1. Nirguṇa → Saguṇa (Mokṣa 1)
– Liberation into form, via emergence and optimisation of Trivarga.
– Brahman realising the richest possible saṃsāric life.

2. Saguṇa → Nirguṇa (Mokṣa 2)
– Liberation from form, via de-identification and cessation.
– Brahman recovering its unqualified, non-differential mode.

Both are authentically liberations, but in opposite directions: one into becoming, the other out of becoming.

8. Illustrative Examples

8.1 The Earthworm and the Robin

In Finn’s image: an earthworm emerges from soil; a robin stands nearby, about to eat it. Each declares: “I’m a God experience.” “So am I.”

Interpreted in this framework:

· Both worm and robin are localised Saguṇa Brahman: Brahman under radically different constraint-patterns.

· Each has its Trivarga:

o The worm’s dharma is soil-processing; artha involves moisture and organic matter; kāma tracks states conducive to continuation of this pattern.

o The robin’s dharma includes predation on worms; artha is food, shelter, territory; kāma includes the joy of flight, song, and successful hunting.

Their interaction—predator and prey—is a constraint conflict within Saguṇa Brahman. From the worm’s perspective this may be catastrophic; from the robin’s it is deeply satisfying; from the standpoint of the ecosystem it is stabilising; from the standpoint of Nirguṇa Brahman it is one among endlessly many consciousness bites.

If both organisms live out their patterns coherently, each achieves Mokṣa 1 at its own scale. Their eventual dissolution (death) contributes to the ongoing cycling of forms and the ever-available possibility of Mokṣa 2—the return to the non-emergent.

8.2 Human Life as Trivarga-to-Two-Mokṣas

Consider a human who:

· Establishes a stable ethical orientation and social role (dharma),

· Achieves sufficient security, education, and freedom to act (artha),

· Experiences rich, integrated forms of pleasure (kāma) aligned with long-term flourishing.

This life approaches Mokṣa 1: Saguṇa Brahman, in human form, is well executed.

If, toward the end of life, this same person turns inward and undertakes serious contemplative practice—loosening identification with body and role, observing sensations and thoughts as transient, coming to rest in sheer awareness—then another process begins: Mokṣa 2, the gradual release from constraint-bound identity.

Thus one and the same life can illustrate both muktis: first as emergent flourishing, then as emergent dissolution.

9. Objections and Clarifications

9.1 Does Mokṣa 1 trivialise traditional mokṣa?

One may object that calling perfected Trivarga “mokṣa” dilutes the radical transcendence intended (actually suggested) in classical Vedānta.

Response: the point is not to replace traditional mokṣa but to add an analytically distinct liberation—the liberation implicit in Brahman’s own choice to manifest. Classical Vedānta already speaks of Brahman freely appearing as the world; it simply does not name this as a “mokṣa.” Finn’s framework suggests we should: liberation into form is as real and structurally important as liberation from form.

9.2 Are all experiences equally “Brahman’s experience,” including ignorance and delusion?

Yes, but with a crucial distinction:

· Ontologically, every experience is a real Brahman-event (it occurs in the stream of Saguṇa Brahman).

· Epistemically, experiences differ in their model accuracy (how well they track and respond to constraints).

Illusions, delusions, and ideologies are still Brahman’s experiences, but they are low-fidelity consciousness bites whose local models misguide emergent optimisation. They belong fully to Mokṣa 1’s risky field: emergence is high-benefit, high-error.

10. Conclusion

We can now summarise the central claims succinctly:

1. Nirguṇa Brahman is the Universal Procedure: the single, non-dual capacity-to-iterate.

2. Saguṇa Brahman / saṃsāra is Nirguṇa Brahman under constraint: the totality and stream of emergents.

3. Every emergent is a localised execution of Brahman—a bounded, identifiable “consciousness bite.”

4. Trivarga (dharma–artha–kāma) is the optimisation algorithm of Saguṇa Brahman: the structural means by which emergent Brahman sustains and enhances itself.

5. Mokṣa 1 is the perfection of Trivarga: liberation into optimal emergent life, where Brahman fully realises its form, accepting the high cost of pain and high benefit of joy.

6. Mokṣa 2 is the transcendence of Trivarga: liberation from emergent life back into Nirguṇa Brahman, where both pain and pleasure cease.

In this synthesis, Vedānta is not discarded but deepened: Brahman is not only the absolute beyond the world; it is also the procedural engine of the world, tasting itself in every worm, every robin, every human, every star. The universe is not merely “inseparable from Brahman”; it is Brahman in execution, discretised and distributed as emergent lives, each one a momentary but fully real Brahman-experience.

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