Theos-Talk Archives (September 2000 Message tt00029)

Sept 20 2000

Monads:

As there are some interesting exchanges being currently made in
regard to the subject of the MONADS, it might be a good idea to
refer in the SECRET DOCTRINE INDEX (a separate book) to that as a
subject.  If one draws together the various statements made by
HPB explanations emerge that show how the concept of UNIVERSAL
BROTHERHOOD is a statement of the vast Unity of all beings -- and
the community of effort that tends to draw every individual
towards the utmost perfection of potential possible to all.

One might start with a question: Why does Theosophy put forth a
doctrine that could be titled:  Monadic Evolution?

Some quotations might be used to precede discussion:

"It is on the right comprehension of the primeval Evolution of
Spirit-Matter and its real essence that the student has to depend
for the further elucidation in his mind of the Occult Cosmogony,
and for the only sure clue which can guide his subsequent
studies. "  -- Secret Doctrine, Vol. I, page 277.

"It is the Spiritual evolution of the inner, immortal man that
forms the fundamental tenet in the Occult Sciences...the student
has to believe a)  in the ONE Universal Life, independent of
matter...and, b)  in the individual intelligences that animate
the various manifestations of this Principle."      -- SD  I  634

"The ONE LIFE is closely related to the One Law, which governs
the World of Being--KARMA...action," or rather "an
effect-producing cause."...in its far-reaching moral effects.  It
is the unerring LAW of RETRIBUTION."...eternal and
mutable..."   -- SD  I  634


"...man is a free agent during his stay on earth.  He cannot
escape his ruling Destiny...which from birth to death every man
is weaving thread by thread around himself;  and this destiny is
guided either by the heavenly voice of the invisible prototype
outside of us, or by the evil genius of our more intimate astral,
or inner man."   --  SD   I  639


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


If one considers that the entire MANIFESTATION is made up of
imperishable (immortal) MONADS and.  Each one is a compound that
cannot be separated of SPIRIT/MATTER, then it is possible to
consider another deduction:  INTELLIGENCE is a mark of the
individual progress of each MONAD as it wends its eternal journey
through the experiences that MANIFESTATION gives.  And,
CONSCIOUSNESS implies a sensitivity that is self-developed
towards understanding of one's position in relation with other
sentient and living beings.

CONSCIOUSNESS is said to be:  the PERCEPTIVE power which it, the
Real Man, uses to experience on the 7 planes of Nature -- using
the 6 "principles" of its nature as a basis for making this
contact, and it stores the memory of those experiences in the
7th.  The imperishable MONADIC SELF.  The idea, rather than the
words, are what is attempted to be conveyed.

But that MEMORY is not always available to the embodied Mind
(Lower-Manas), embodied in our personalities and also, the
visible physical bodies we now live in as waking consciousness.
This makes the progress we seek (in the here and now) to become a
process of purifying the nature of the psychic impressions we
have imposed on living matter (skandhas) that we have drawn
together to make up these bodies of ours.

The "path" of this purification would seem to direct us to make
all our efforts of life focused on the application of virtue:
that which is honorable, fair, true, and the most honest method
of living with and dealing with other beings, whether those be
men or other aggregates of skandhaic intelligence that we might
call stones, plants, animals or men.  In other words we
voluntarily decide to so order our lives so as to harmonize with
nature to the best possible extent.  Obviously for our personal
consciousness (arising out of the animal and placed in
coadunition with a Mind) it is seemingly a great discipline.  The
"conflict" in the psychic nature is intense. (SD II 79-80, 93-4)

The MONAD (in itself) is unaffected.  But it draws SKANDHAS (or
Monads of lesser experience around it and to it)  They "hook up
to it."  They choose it to be the center of their progress.  They
form the highest and best vehicle for it to begin to manifest
CONSCIOUSLY on the lower planes of MANIFESTATION -- of which
there are the 7 we know (both in Nature and in Man).

"The Monads are the Souls of the Atoms, both are the fabric in
which the Chohans (Dhyanis, gods) clothe themselves when a form
is needed."  --  SD  I  619.

To be brief we call the MONAD when it is the mineral stage the
"MINERAL-MONAD."  When it is in the animal stage of its
evolution, we call it the "ANIMAL-MONAD."  And when it finally
reaches the Human stage, we call it the "HUMAN-MONAD."  And when
the purely human is transcended we might call the MONAD, one that
has returned to its primitive Divine state.  It has attained
Universal Self-consciousness.  It lives with and works with
Karma.  It therefore chooses to return to the limited conditions
provided by the 'Lighting up of Manas" and again inspire a
developing MONAD to achieve perfection.

If one considers the scope of Theosophical doctrines we can see
that this can be applied everywhere in our teachings -- if we use
the concept that everything is a Monad that is constantly engaged
in its own way as a developing pupil of the great Law.  Karma is
process that is enormously sensitive, and  it operates at all
times and on all beings to adjust any disturbance and restore
harmony.

"Bad" karma is the effect of any choice that has selfish motives
inherent in it. The Monadic being that created the disharmony has
to be brought (by Nature using Karmic law) to "teach himself" or
"to become a volunteer for the good."  All the situations he is
placed in are framed so as to awaken his questioning
intelligence, to make him reflect on his advantages and
limitations, and finally to ask:  Why am I here?  What can I to
do?  Where should I be going?  "Is there a final GOAL?"

This leads the thoughtful man out of any blind following of
leaders in religion, philosophy, politics or science into
deciding what he should study and accept as his own guiding
principles.  The closer that those are to universal morality and
ethics, the more perfect will he live his life.

This is what Theosophy is:  It is a record of the history of the
Universe in terms of universal experience.  It is like a great
wall.  We can not "bite" it.  It is the "reality" we are looking
for.  Now we have to find out how it works, and what is that
final objective of manifested existence.  How does our MONAD
reunite with the universal MONAD in which it all beings are now
dwelling, perhaps unconsciously for aeons of time?  "The whole
past of our globe is nothing but an unfolding present."  -- SD  I
639.

If one looks closely at religion and politics one soon finds that
they deal with temporary things, and limited objectives.
Theosophy as a fund of actual data from the past (a record), and
a body of history is unassailable.  It is a record of the
observations of facts, events, results of events down the ages --
so the cycles of effect that follow causes and thus are Laws,
become apparent.  When the complexity of the Universe and Nature
is apparent to us as our perception and intelligence grow we will
grasp the fact that we are the ones who drive that.  We are the
immortal CHOOSERS.

The differences of our many starting points in life and education
in this present incarnation, do not matter, we find that all
conflict arises only over DIFFERENCES of outlook.  Once that we
all are looking at the same thing, on a voluntary basis, all
conflicts disappear and we see each other's view-points as well
as our own.

Similarity can never to be identity.  That is impossible.   Hence
logically there are no "leaders," and no "authorities."  Our true
leader and authority (for our own personality) is seen to the be
the MONAD within  (ATMA-BUDDHI), also called THE HIGHER SELF.
And our MONAD is no different form any other MONAD.  "Every monad
reflects every other.  Every monad is a living mirror of the
Universe within its own sphere."  -- SD  I  631.  We do exhibit a
great degree of intelligence and have corresponding great
responsibilities.  Using the process of introspection and
observation of our own natures and thoughts and acts, we
gradually become conscious of their power, and then it is that we
notice the conflict that arises between the "necessary" and the
"pleasant" (to the personality -- which cannot see with the
"instinct" alone, the inevitable suffering that indulging the
"pleasant" entails.  Alone the awakened Mind can see this
potential and guard against it.

In practical life one finds that all systems and methods embody
inefficiencies.  This is a saving grace.  There should never be
any imposition of "personal efficiency" on others.  Each has to
create their own.  In the meantime in cooperation with others we
learn to tolerate the inefficiencies of others, and work in and
around them.

These views based on Theosophical fundamental teachings are
offered in the hope that they will evoke response, questions, and
challenges.

There has to "something" at the base of all existence.  That
"something" has to be 'stable' so as to notice CHANGE.  Any
change implies at least two separate elements, actually there are
three.  There are two which are CONTRASTS, and there is the ONE,
which Is stable and is the "observer."  Each of us has such an
"observer" or "perceiver" within.  We continually contrast our
memories with what we are this moment observing and thinking
about.  Change, similarity or analogies are then noted.  Why is
this?  Why are we all endowed with such a capacity?  What is the
faculty of "self-reflection?"

Theosophy posits an infinity of immortal beings called "Monads"
because of the indestructible triad described just above.  From
the back-ground of a "Monadic Essence" emerge periodically
differentiated Monads, each is a reflection of all the rest and
of NATURE (a word used to be inclusive of all Being and of the
evolutionary processes that proceed under uniform and impartial
laws (Karma).  If a purpose and a cause be demanded, the concept
of "perfectibility," or the acquirement of "All-Wisdom" is
posited as cause and resultant of evolutionary effort.

Best wishes,

D T B


D. T. B.


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