Second Nature, First Nature

 The Oxford English dictionary defines “Second Nature” as:
“a tendency or habit that has become characteristic or instinctive: deceit was becoming second nature to him.”

There is a term in English called ‘second nature’: this presupposes that there is a ‘first nature’.
From a Dharma point of view this makes perfect sense. However, it makes one wonder if the dictionary compilers had this in mind! What did they think the first nature was?

Our second nature is something acquired. It’s a mental image of ourselves – an acquired characteristic – our earthly being – a ‘me’.

This is not our first nature. Our first nature is non-human. It is pure being…more or less.

Our second nature has no reality as it is changeable.
Our first nature is reality, as it is unchanging.

When we live in non reality, we live in our dark side
When we live in reality, we live in our light side.

(The word “we” refers to our ego-consciousness. Broken down, there are eight consciousnesses: five are of the senses and three are of the mind. The three of the mind are the sixth (perception), seventh (judgement) and eighth (memories). This is an article in itself, but briefly, consciousness moves around from one to another.)

It’s like this: our consciousness is like a fulcrum ^ which moves back and forth.

SECOND NATURE – RELATIVE                                         FIRST NATURE – ABSOLUTE
                                               Essence and I= dual——non dual =Essence

                                __________________________________________________

                                                                              ^

                                                                     consciousness

We oscillate between the two hardly noticing. Our consciousness is constantly moving outwards and inwards….more or less. However there does come a time (through practice) When our ‘set point’ reaches the point of no return, it has stabilised into abundance, to this:

SECOND NATURE – RELATIVE             FIRST NATURE – ABSOLUTE

 dual—-—————————————————non dual

^

consciousness

What is actually happening is that non-duality is not increasing as it’s there all the time: the obscurations of duality are decreasing.