986. Whereas the purpose of all the "relative" or "temporal" answers is to express exclusively answers in terms of weights and measures, which in reality means the effects of life, which are in turn the same as "what" is created, the purpose of the absolute answers on the other hand is to express "who" is creating. Since the concept of "who" expresses exclusively a "living being", and "what" in this connection refers to or expresses "effects", it therefore becomes clear that the old way of formulating the question about life: "What is life?" demonstrates to the very highest degree the materialist's attitude towards life. He is as far as possible away from the belief or view that life is identical to a "living being". He expects the answer to the question to occur only as matter, as effects or at best as something created. Since to him life therefore occurs merely as "matter" or "effects", he does not say "who" is life, but, on the contrary, "what" is life. And the answer that satisfies the materialist's question is therefore to be found in the answers in terms of weights, measures and effects.
      But gradually, through his experiences, his imperfect or unfortunate fate, his illnesses and sorrows, financial worries and so forth, he realises that the answers in terms of effects are not enough. He begins to see "ideas" or "plans" in the special structure of the combinations of matter, as well as a logical management or guidance of these "plans". The combinations of matter become more and more visible as being "guided by will", thereby revealing a manifestation of "thought" or "consciousness". But as the combinations of effects, that is to say Nature, therefore begin to be viewed as a logical process, thereby revealing thought and will, the researcher begins to expect the answer to the question of life to occur – not as matter – but as "a living, thinking originator with its own will". His question is no longer framed as: "What is life?" since it has already become a fact for him that life is "creation with its own will" and must therefore be a "living being". His great question regarding life is therefore now "Who is life or this great creator?" And with this attitude a whole new horizon opens up. The researcher now begins to see the answers in terms of weights and measures in a completely different way or in a completely different perspective. Instead of evaluating the details and combinations of matter as "dead" or as chance effects of other chance effects, he now sees these details as expressions of thought, will and intention, and these details consequently become in his view of existence expressions of life, they become "manifestations of life" or "answers in terms of manifestations of life". And with this method of sensing the individual is no longer seeking to understand the nature of the answers in terms of effects as "answers in terms of effects" but is hungrily seeking to establish the indirect nature of these answers as "answers in terms of manifestations of life". And with this attitude the researcher gradually becomes an expert in manifestations of life, which means that he begins to be able to "read" the true or absolute "something" behind the effects. The effects will consequently become "letters" that in turn can be put together to form "words" and "sentences". These "words" and "sentences" will therefore become a "text" through which the "living something" proclaims its eternal existence, its consciousness, thought and will as well as the researcher's identity with this "eternal something". And it is this form of experience (the ability to read God's manifestations of life) that constitutes "cosmic clear-sightedness" and the resultant "cosmic consciousness". It is in this form of consciousness that one becomes "one with the Father", which means that one sees everything from "the Father's own viewpoint", the absolute viewpoint from which "everything is very good".