The 2 are inseparable as I understand it.
Without the absolute, there would be no relative. The relative is a ‘manifestation’ of ‘absolute energy’ is all I can think to phrase my understanding.
If it was 100% absolute - where would be no experience. Duality does have it’s saving graces in that the absolute = “ALL” or “that which cannot be named” or “the Ocean” is pure unity and pure emptiness. It could get kinda boring hanging out on some refuge tree in some buddhaland, because there is nothing to be experienced necessarily.
Add duality and now the amazing smell of flowers can be experienced, the heart-wrenching experience of staring out into a vast ocean, or viewing a sunrise/sunset, the feel of a massage on achy muscles… Those are the gifts of duality. As is pain, suffering, old age, anger, world destruction, Egoic activities (not to be confused with the psychological ‘ego’ structure that without - one could not function).
On the violence and hate blared across TVs and Zoom sessions everywhere, Holecek says “don’t give it a place to land.” I’m not there yet. I hold the aspiration. One intense story and I’m ‘rattled’ for a couple weeks.
I have in my mind to make a diagram/picture. But since I took some time off to digest, here’s one from the web. Sorry for the iconography - that’s my particular flavor of kool-aid. You can substitute whatever makes sense for you.
It’s both bigger - as in a person’s “aura” for those who are able to see that.
But it’s also smaller and deeper - it’s experienced inside the body - I’m told.
This picture has 4 kayas interestingly (‘bodies’ in this particular cosmological model). And erroneously shows ‘space outside of’ the largest, most subtle body, the dharmakaya. (the everything/nothing from which all bubbles forth) There’s no boundary on the most subtle ‘body’ I’ve been told, and read.
(again, as I understand it - jump in and correct me anyone!)
On a relative level, the grass grows when I turn my back.
On an absolute level, there is no grass (imputed label and all connotations - there is only a co-arising experience of energy).
(to steal Andrew’s analogy)
We practice to bring forth the absolute into our relative lives. (or to remember/recognize that it’s been there all along) AND we still experience violence and hate, as well as love and other feel-goods. This body < pats thighs > is real enough, it is sick and will die. “Relative.” So we take action with the best wisdom we have with the relative body and brain.
Some have access to Mind Nature.
Bob Thurman put the police violence and George Floyd march into perspective for me. (which was met with violence…I’m ashamed to admit I’m from the US sometimes/lately)
My flavor of Wisdom Kool-aid says there is wisdom in every moment. My burning question was - where the hell is the wisdom in THIS?!
Thurman said things have to get loud enough before people finally 1) see and 2) acknowledge something has been going on - and this only seems to happen when situations have finally reached a boiling point.
Basically, sh!t has to hit the fan before the herds of zombies/sleepwalkers like myself pay heed. And as with national disasters, the heart of humanity THEN comes forth. It just seems to always take tragedy to get there.
AND - there’s so much more at play. I’m aware of perspectives of some black people, from their shoes. I put on my best “imagination/empathy hat” and try to get a feel for their lived experience.
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A good friend says “I’m not from Africa, I’m American dammit!!” RE: how it’s “pc” to use the phrase “african american” vs “black”.
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My hair gal was prodding me a bit so I gave her an example of a conversation where I brought her up - it had to do with a neighbor saying he had hair longer than mine. 
That conversation was here at my place. I responded without mentioning my hair gal’s skin color. She said "THAT’S how to do it. 
(she’s also OK w/ me saying ‘my hair gal’ as I don’t know how to refer to hair cutters, so I asked!)
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Not sure if you are familiar with a topic that was ‘HOT!’ when I was doing undergrad - late 90’s. “Ebonics.” It was a teacher war. If the kids from rough neighborhoods weren’t learning, how about we teach them in their lingo? The other side - how about they step up and learn proper english? This was a debate of scholars “about a population”.
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Police who work the front line have a TON of pent up genuine fear they had to stuff down in the line of fire. Have they ever coped with that? (Neurosculpting Institute’s Lisa Wimberger works with these (usually) men and how to discharge that energy). What does that repressed energy do when things get hot? The cop goes non-lucid and REacts.
I’ve seen the flip-side: a younger black male who was recently evicted from my place of residence. He ran around with a chip on his shoulder created from very real injustices. But he made it his identity, it seemed. I noticed that he acted in such a way that could confirm a lot of potential biases, but he didn’t realize he was bringing it on himself. (another definition of karma I made up: ‘more of the same, until you sit in the stew’) I’m sure he thought he was just expressing his <fear/anger/astonishment>, yet it came across somewhat “stereotypical.” I saw how people could latch on to the way he was expressing himself as a confirmation bias, if they leaned towards racism. Rather than be curious as to why he was roused in the first place.
The young man was in the right - I looked over and some hippy older white guy puffed up and ‘staring him down’ -0 probably a racist. Very sad.
(p.s. the reason the young man was evicted: a physical fight with another man of same skin color - in my hallway. I stayed put behind my door, the older black ladies came out and yelled. It truly was NOT my place to do anything, not coming from their background! Not to mention both were stronger than me.)
So that’s what I mean - a couple examples of a MANY of things coming together at any one moment. Our beliefs, biases, prejudices are filters until we see them. Heck even language is oriented around nouns and adjectives to further “reify” the nouns.
So add language as another factor.
I heard the Tibetan language was created solely for the purposes of transmitting dharma/spiritual teachings. Ken McLeod is a translator and my only reference to Tibetan language was from one statement he made on an audio. He offers his program talks, now 10+ years old and still relevant, on his website, unfetteredmind.org. He said the Tibetan word for “weather” was "something like ‘hot - not hot’ ". Crude example, but it illuminated for me how “nouns” seem to be “ranges of experience” rather than “things” in that language. Fascinating if it was true! I’m no translator and can’t verify if this is the case across the board.
I just found it curious how even language shapes perception. And perhaps why we grapple with “absolute” and “relative” using English language, when those concepts permeate the Tibetan culture.
Hope some of that makes sense…
Because nothing else in the world does, that’s for sure!!!
– Courtney
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