The Will to Change

3. For the third time, let us consider: If the One is both one and many and is neither one nor many and experiences time, then it must exist when it is the Real One, but not exist when it is the Illusory One.

But It cannot exist when not existing, nor not exist when existing.

Then the One exists sometimes and not exist sometimes, and there is a time when it switches from existence to non-existence.

• ‘Becoming’ is the assumption of existence.
• ‘Destruction’ is the relinquishing of existence.

The One then becomes and is destroyed by taking and giving up existence.

• The One ceases to be one when it becomes many, and becomes one when it ceases to be many.
• It experiences separation and aggregation as it becomes one and many.

Whenever it becomes like and unlike, it must be assimilated and dissimilated.

• Whenever it becomes larger or less or equal, it must grow or diminish or be equalized.

When being in motion it rests, and when being at rest it changes to motion. It can surely be in no time at all.

But it is impossible for a thing to stop and go and go and stop without changing its motion.

And surely there cannot be a time in which a thing can be at once neither in motion nor at rest?

But neither can it change without changing.

When then does it change; for it cannot change either when at rest, or when in motion, or when in time?

This strange thing then really exists in the moment.

The moment implies a something out of which change takes place into either of two states. This change is not a change or shift from either rest or motion. Instead, it is the state in between rest and motion. It is not in any time. It is from this timeless state that motion changes into rest and rest changes into motion.

Since the One is at rest and also in motion, It will change to either. This is the only way it can be in both.

In changing, it changes in a moment. When it is changing, it will be in no time, and will not then be in motion or rest.

This is the same case in relation to the other changes:

• when it passes from existence into non-existence or from non-existence into existence= It passes between states of motion and rest, It is neither Real nor Illusory, It is neither entering existence or leaving existence.
• when it passes from one to many and from many to one= the One is neither one nor many, It is neither separated nor aggregated
• when it passes from similarity to dissimilarity, and from dissimilarity to similarity,= It is neither similar nor dissimilar, It is neither in a state of assimilation nor dissimilation
• when it passes from small to large and equal and back again= It will be neither small nor great, nor equal, nor in a state of increase, or diminution, or equalization.

All these, then, are the affections of the One, if the One has being.