Theos-Talk Archives (December 1998 Message tt00095)

In a message dated 12/4/98 8:30:07 PM, Jerry wrote:

>It seems curious to me that while emptiness or sunyata is such an important
>concept in Buddhism, it is hardly mentioned in Theosophy.

Possibly because HPB gave us the three fundamental principles instead--which,
if we examine the First Principle closely, we will realize that "emptiness" is
the same as "voidness", "beness", "Absolute Abstract Space", "Absolute
Abstract Motion representing Unconditioned Consciousness", "Absolute Abstract
Space representing Bare Subjectivity", "The Great Breath", etc.

These are far clearer symbols of "emptiness" for Western minds to contemplate,
rather than the abstract mystifications of "sunyata" as explained and
practiced by Eastern Buddhists or Vedantists--who, incidentally, have totally
different linguistic backgrounds conditioned by thousands of years of specific
word usages with reference to their religious practices--that would totally
confuse Westerners limited by English or other Germanic or Romance languages.
Or, without a living multi-lingual yogi master to guide them every step of the
way.

Consequently, most Eastern language mantras, as well as mandalas and mudras
and their descriptions in native Oriental languages would be quite useless as
meditational aids for Westerners.  Witness the misinterpretations common in
the West of Tibetan and Hindu Tantra paintings--which are usually mistakenly
viewed here as being highly erotic or almost pornographic.  This is one of the
main reasons HPB avoided or even denigrated these Eastern practices to her
Western students.  Unfortunately, these reasons are still valid.

HPB recognized this linguistic difficulty right from the beginning, and took
extraordinary pains to give us the closest understanding of "voidness" or
"emptiness" that was possible using English.  Probably, more than half of the
commentaries in the SD can be attributed to explaining this concept (which,
paradoxically, cannot be conceived by finite minds).

For the benefit of Western students of theosophy, one useful "seed"--culled
from a synthesis of all of HPB's commentaries on this subject, and with
reference to the yoga of Patanjali which I (and some other Western students)
have used successfully to meditate on "emptiness"--is to try to imagine
(visualize(?);  A formless void concentrated in a non-dimensional, timeless
(changeless) zero-point which has no attributes, although having infinite
aspects or potentialities--all contained within an infinite and continuous
spinning circular motion winding (like a ball of string) on an infinite number
of planes (abstractly representing infinite information, knowledge and
wisdom)--being observed, holistically (simultaneously inwardly and outwardly),
from its central zero-point of pure (absolute) consciousness, as a bright and
immediate "blissful" awareness, represented by the *experience* of infinite
"Love" and "Compassion" for all beings in the Universe that is, was, and will
ever be. . .

The end result being, to ultimately merge that Universal point of absolute
awareness with the identical, non-local center of your own individual
consciousness, as well as with the "points" (or sparks) of consciousness of
all sentient beings--until there is no separation between infinite and finite,
all and one, aspects and attributes, inside and outside, cause and effect,
emptiness and fullness, action and inaction, life and death, beginning and
end, positive and negative, attraction and repulsion, before and after, motion
and stillnes, etc.  That state, when reached, corresponds to the merger of the
two states of samadhi, and constitutes the highest state of synyata
experience. (It also give's one the means to eventually discern "the ultimate
division of time"--as Patanjali points out is essential for experiencing
enlightement or "isolation".

In this respect, It helps, also, to return from this "out-of-world" bliss
state, when reached, to the ordinary world state, by carrying this
"visualization" further--toward a discernment of the nature of the initial
expansion of such an "initiating" zero-point into the first ideal aspect of
this 3-dimensional (4, with Time) local material Universe ("in coadunition but
not in consubstantiality" within the timeless, 7 dimensional, non material,
non-local Universal field of consciousness).  This can be accomplished by
visualizing such a zero-point origin as being at the center of a surrounding
diamond shape double pyramid or octahedron--with its 6 outer point-to-point
axes representing the 6 directions of space. . .  While, at the same time,
these outer points (and center point) represent the focus of the spherical
fields generated by the 7 energy centers (or chakras) of both the all-
containing Universe of spirit-matter without, and our individualized universe
of matter-spirit within (represented by our "aura").

This cyclic meditation practice, which can be alternated continuously in one
or more sittings, also has a tendency to awaken our intuition to its highest
levels of discernment while in the ordinary state of material awareness, as
well as to bring together our higher and lower natures through the continued
practice of pure altruism, or "living the life"--rooted in the love and
compassion experienced during the subjective bliss state--which can be carried
over by such practices to the objective state .

I hope that this discussion will help all theosophical students toward
reaching a clearer realization of the Self.

Thank you,

LHM