Theos-Talk Archives (January 1998 Message tt00049)

True emptiness is not empty;
clinging to appearances is not reality,
nor is denying appearances.
How did Buddha communicate this?
"Be in the world, yet beyond the world."
Pursuing desires is painful,
but so is stopping desire altogether.
It is up to us to cultivate ourselves skillfully.

Huanchu Daoren
"Back to Beginnings" circa 1600

-------------

"He who would be an occultist must not separate himself or anything
else from the rest of creation or non-creation. For, the moment he
distinguishes himself from even a vessel of dishonor, he will not be
able to join himself to any vessel of honor.

He must think of himself as an infinitesimal something, not even as an
individual atom, but as a part of the world-atoms as a whole, or become
an illusion, a nobody, and vanish like a breath leaving no trace behind.

As illusions, we are separate distinct bodies, living in masks furnished
by Maya. Can we claim one single atom in our body as distinctly our own?
Everything, from spirit to the tiniest particle, is part of the whole,
at best a link. Break a single link and all passes into annihilation;
but this is impossible.

There is a series of vehicles becoming more and more gross, from spirit
to the densest matter, so tyhat with each step downward and outward we
get more and more the sense of separateness developed in us. Yet this is
illusory,. for if there were a real and complete separation between any
two human beings, they could not communicate with, or understand each
other in any way."

HPB
Secret Doctrine Commentary - Meeting 10 March 14, 1889.