The Dual Characteristics of the Causal Being

Even though we did not think about this or want it, and did not understand the process or the result, we were born as we are. No one can deny that we are the resultant beings, not the causal being. This implies that there has to be a first causal being. Whether called God or something else, that causal being must exist.

The Dual Characteristics of God and the Created Universe

How can we know the divine nature of the invisible God, the Causal Being?

One way to fathom His deity is by observing the universe which He created. Thus, St. Paul said:

Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. —Rom. 1:20

Just as a work of art displays the invisible nature of its maker in a concrete form, everything in the created universe is a substantial manifestation of some quality of the Creator’s invisible, divine nature. As such, each stands in a relationship to God. Just as we can come to know the character of an artist through his works, so we can understand the nature of God by observing the diverse things of creation.

Internal Nature & External Form

Let us begin by pointing out the common elements which are found universally throughout the natural world. Every entity possesses both an outer form and an inner quality. The visible outer form resembles the invisible inner quality. The inner quality, though invisible, possesses a certain structure which is manifested visibly in the particular outer form. The inner quality is called internal nature, and the outer form or shape is called external form. Since internal nature and external form refer to corresponding inner and outer aspects of the same entity, the external form may also be understood as a second internal nature. Therefore, the internal nature and external form together constitute dual characteristics.

Let us take human beings as an example. A human being is composed of an outer form, the body, and an inner quality, the mind. The body is a visible reflection of the invisible mind. Because the mind possesses a certain

structure, the body which reflects it also takes on a particular appearance. This is the idea behind a person’s character and destiny being perceived through examining his outward appearance by such methods as physiognomy or palm reading. Here, mind is the internal nature and body is the external form. Mind and body are two correlative aspects of a human being; hence, the body may be understood as a second mind. Together, they constitute the dual characteristics of a human being. Similarly, all beings exist through the reciprocal relationships between their dual characteristics of internal nature and external form.

Animals live and move because their bodies are directed by an internal faculty corresponding to the human mind, which endows them with a certain purpose. Plants maintain their organic functions by virtue of their internal nature, which also operates like the human mind in some respects.

What is the relationship between internal nature and external form? The internal nature is intangible and causal, and stands in the position of a subject partner to the external form; the external form is tangible, resultant, and stands in the position of an object partner to the internal nature. The mutual relationships between these two aspects of an entity include: internal and external, cause and result, subject partner and object partner, vertical and horizontal. Let us again use the example of a human being, whose mind and body are his internal nature and external form, respectively. The body resembles the mind and moves according to its commands in such a way as to sustain life and pursue the mind’s purposes.

God’s Original Internal Nature & Original External Form

Probing deeper still, we search for the Ultimate Cause which brought this energy, with its elements of internal nature and external form, into existence. This being would be the First Cause of all the myriad things in the universe. As the First Cause, it must also possess the dual characteristics of internal nature and external form, which stand in the position of subject partner to the internal natures and external forms of all beings. We call this First Cause of the universe God.

This means that God is a God of Heart. Just like we have emotion, intellect, and will, God also has emotion, intellect, and will. Whenever we feel happy or sad, God also feels that same way and shares the same experience. God is not a God on a throne who just watches us from a distance, but God is a God who desires to live with us.

All people possess an emotional impulse to seek joy. The reason why we seek joy and happiness in our life is because that was something that was inherited from God’s nature that seeks joy.

This means that God’s motivation for creating was to give love to human beings out of an irrepressible impulse/desire to do so. In fact, God created all things in order for human beings to feel God’s love as His Children. God’s position as the Original Parent never changes, and more importantly, his Heart never changes. His Heart/Love towards creation is unchanging.

“God created all things because of God’s irrepressible impulse to seek joy through love.”

Yin & Yang, Masculinity & Femininity

Now, there is another pair of dual characteristics in reciprocal relationship which are also fundamental to existence. Every entity possesses dual characteristics of yang (masculinity) and yin (femininity) and comes into existence only when these characteristics have formed reciprocal relationships, both within the entity and between it and other entities.

For example, subatomic particles, the basic building blocks of all matter, possess either a positive charge, a negative charge or a neutral charge formed by the neutralization of positive and negative constituents. When particles join with each other through the reciprocal relationships of their dual characteristics, they form an atom.

Plants propagate by means of stamen and pistil. Animals multiply and maintain their species through the relationship between males and females. According to the Bible, after God created Adam, He saw that it was not good for the man to live alone. Only after God created Eve as Adam’s female counterpart did He declare that His creations were “very good.”

God’s Masculinity & Femininity and its Significance

It is only natural to surmise that God, the First Cause of all things, also exists based on the reciprocal relationship between the dual characteristics of yang and yin.

Therefore, God who is motivated by heart and love, has the expression of being a Father and a Mother.

The Bible declares this in Genesis 1:27:

  • So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Most world religions reiterate the existence of this fundamental pair system:

  • In the Qur’an it states: “And all things We have created by pairs, that you may receive instruction.” (51.49)

    In Hinduism it states: “All life, all pulsation in creation throbs with the mighty declaration of the truth of Shiva-Shakti, the eternal He and the eternal She at play in manifestation.” (Kularnava Tantra 3)

Understanding yang and yin also helps us understand the significance and meaning of life:

  • The significance is not in the existence of each entity, but it is in the relationship that is created between the dual characteristics. This is what gives meaning and significance to life.

What is the relationship between the dual characteristics of internal nature and external form and the dual characteristics of yang and yin? God’s original internal nature and original external form each contain the mutual relationship of original yang and original yin. Therefore, original yang and original yin are attributes of original internal nature and original external form.

What does this mean? It means that the attributes, Yang and Yin, gives rise to the character of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother.

  • God Exists as a harmonious union of a masculine being with masculine internal nature and external form, and as a feminine being with feminine internal nature and external form.

This means that God is our Heavenly Parent to human beings, who are God’s children.

We have discussed so far that all entities consist of 2 sets of dual characteristics of (1) internal nature and external form, and (2) yang and yin. Therefore, God, as the First Cause and Heavenly Parent, must also have 2 sets of dual characteristics of internal nature and external form, as well as yang and yin. This means that everything in the created universe is a substantial manifestation of some quality of the Creator’s invisible, divine nature.

So God stands as the absolute subject partner to human beings and all of creation, and that the whole universe is God's object partner of love. Therefore, each person, each creation, stands in a relationship to God!

God is…

So let’s summarize what we know about God. 

  • God is (1) the subject in whom the dual characteristics of original internal nature and original external form are in harmony.

This means that God is God of Heart and personality. Just like we have emotion, intellect, and will, God also has emotion, intellect, and will. Whenever we feel happy or sad, God’s heart is an irrepressible emotional impulse to seek joy through love, so God had a motivation in creating us, which was to love and share joy with us.

The second point is that God created the universe in pairs, so therefore, God must the harmonious union of a masculine being with masculine internal nature and external from, and as a feminine being with feminine internal nature and external form.

This means that God is our Heavenly Parent.And thirdly, in relation to the universe, God is the absolute subject partner.