Theos-Talk Archives (November 1998 Message tt00010)

Al:

Along with the many other replies you'll likely receive,
I'll add a few words of my own.

>1. How did Madam Blavatsky receive her teaching? Was it by face to face
>contact with the Adepts, or by Channelling?

There was a number of sources. She was able to remotely read literature
in the astral light, sort of a "psychic internet" with clairvoyant access
to remote materials. She had a Master for a spiritual teacher, and
received training. She visited Tibet and travelled the world, learning
and observing wherever she went. And in certain cases she was like a
channel, where one of a few Masters spoke and/or wrote through her.

>2. (I'm only grasping here). As the Higher Self is called a True Sun which
>radiates light - am I right in thinking that it 'always' shines and that the
>light possess the same quality and nature of the Source? And if so...

What we are aware of, in our personal selves, is a limited, frustrated,
restricted expression of our true selves. It's like we're playing a game,
and playing it as well as we can, putting as much of ourselves into it as
possible, but the game pieces and rules are so restrictive that only a
small part of who and what we are gets expressed in the world.

>3. Partaking of the light leads us to seek the Source of the Light. Is this
>our True Self and True Will?

There's a part of our awareness that remains unstained by the experiences
of life, and can act as a source of inspiration to that part of us that
learns, adapts, and is fashioned by outer life. It can have a powerful
influence in our enjoyment of life, or it can be forgotten and ignored.
It could be called our "source of light," but we really never part from
it, so there's no source to return to.

>4. If Atma comes (I don't know how) from the First Cause, does it possess a
>personality, attributes or/and character? If so, is it our aim to become one
>with the personality &c.?

Atma is our first experience of manifest life, our first experience of
existing in space/time. We have no awareness of self, of particular
relationships, of karmic ties. In Atma, we observe and enjoy the whole
of the universe, without being concerned with having a particular form,
location, role in life; e.g. it is the nirvanic or "blown out" state of
awareness. There is the *observing*, but no consciousness of being a
observer yet.

>5. Is Atma and Buddhi already merged together, or is this also part of the
>Great Work as in the merging of Manas and Buddhi?

Each principle represents a different functioning or expression
of consciousness, from the first awareness of the presence of the
universe to the actual embodiment as a particular being or creature
in it. Buddhi is the second step in coming into existence, where
there's no particular self, no sense of ego, no "I as distinct from
thou," all of which come with Manas. With Buddhi comes an involvement
with others, a sense of connectness, a sense of rapport, of living
bonds of personal karma, of being associated with some beings and
not associated with others. With Atma-Buddhi, there's an involvement
in interaction with others, but no sense of personal self, no awareness
that "this is me" on one side of the interaction and "this is you"
on the other end. Sequentially, then, Atma is Dharmakaya, with no
notion of particular place or situation, Buddhi is Sambhogakaya, with
no ego-awareness but complete enjoyment of the current situation before
one in life, and Manas is Nirmanakaya, with an "I and thou" awareness.
(Note that this is a different use of "Nirmanakaya" that you might have
seen in the literature, but there's several ways in which the terms
may be used, not just one meaning.)

>And last but not least...
>
>6.  Is channelling the art of concentrating a beam of the light from the
>"Sun" into the Mind?

I'd use another analogy. You -- your awareness -- is the light, and
your physical consciousness is a dirty window, not letting the light
though very well. You can work both on making the window bigger, and
on making it cleaner, more translucent. The goal, as I see it, is
*expressiveness*, or letting more of yourself come through. There's
nothing outside of yourself to invoke or to channel.

The starting of the Path is the initiation of a process of self-expression,
of consuming one's life energies in the outflowing of light, energies
that are ever replenished, as melted wax fuels the further burning of a
lit candle. There's a sense of excitement, of something special happening,
of participating in something both cosmic and yet simple, humble, and
unadorned with any self-pride. The feeling is on "this thing that is
happening, that I'm helping give birth to" rather than on "how great and
advanced and grand a person I'm becoming". The enjoyment is in looking
on the fruits of action rather than on gaving into a mirror with
self-admiration.

-- Eldon