Let's look more closely at what the teacher means by "departing this field of experience."
The ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, and the life energy behind life energy. Being free [knowing this], the wise, on departing this field of experience, become immortal.
We already saw that a field of experience or a field of activity is also a room, a place, a world, in fact a whole universe. But there is a deeper meaning also.
To depart a field of experience is to depart from a perspective. After all, if we can describe the world as a series of perceptions, then it is also a perspective. The world looks different to me than it does to you. The world looks different to an insect than it does to a human being. What we call the world, then, can be thought of as the sum of all perspectives, objectively speaking. In physics today, there are theories positing innumerable worlds or universes, each one a probabilistic departure along a decision tree. Note the use of the word "departure" here, as it is close to what the teacher is also hinting.
We can also see the meaning of the word "departing" when we think about the construct of hallucinations. Hallucinations are essentially perceptions that are not confirmed by a consensus or apparently objective reality. To perceive hallucinations is to depart from consensus perception. Taking these examples together, we see that departing from this world can also mean either leaving behind consensus perception or remaining aware of consensus perception while simultaneously going beyond it.
Consider the following scenario. You look in front of you and see a person talking to you. Let's say they're trying to tell you when the train is arriving. And in their excitement, they don't realize that the train is arriving behind them and is boarding currently, soon to leave the station. Your perception is also focused on the conversation; therefore, both of you miss what is happening even while you are talking about figuring out the train's schedule.
In this case, the foreground conversation is the consensus perception, and the train arriving and subsequently departing in the background is departing from that foreground conversation to what appears to be another world of perception. But with an integrated perspective, we can see that the train in the background and the person in the foreground are aspects of the same picture. They need not be considered different dimensions. One need not depart entirely from one to recognize the other, especially if we recognize the close relationship between the two. This is the deep meaning suggested by the teacher's words. Yes, we can depart one world of perception entirely, or we can expand our vision beyond the particulars of one world.
In the case of health, we interpret this to mean the standard perceptions of blood pressure, heart rate, pulse oxygenation, respiratory rate, temperature, and the many laboratory values we measure represent the world of consensus perception. It is important we know how to use them and to use them in the right context. We heavily rely on these to great effect and with great results in the ER, for example. But it is equally important to know that they represent a way of thinking about who we are rather than a singular truth.
The medical model in general follows the same course. Taking a history and doing a particular kind of physical exam, ordering certain lab tests, and interpreting them through a philosophical perspective all suggest a useful way of approaching the human being. Like all approaches, there are opportunity costs to the one that we choose. Departing this world, in this sense, is extending our vision beyond our standard models, seeing into other cultures and their perspectives on human anatomy and physiology, for example, and bringing that knowledge within our vision without discarding any out of hand. This is how we move beyond ideas of alternative medicine, complementary medicine, and integrative medicine to simply health. This is also how we go beyond standard diagnosis and treatment to using the lens of Numocore to assess and act on a health situation with greater clarity and power.
Therefore, the immortality the teacher is indicating is achieved by departing this world, meaning by not remaining solely attached to the meanings and interpretations of consensus perception and interpretation. We can use these functionally and delightfully, yet we are not restricted to them. This, in the teacher's words, is called wisdom and yields immortality.
Tomorrow, we will examine the implications of immortality and health.
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