Theos-Talk Archives (December 2000 Message tt00054)

December 19, 2000

Some comments below:

I think that a review of metaphysics in terms of practical and
daily life reveals the Moral/ethical Nature as the plane of
reciprocal Karma.

I also think that the quotations you append are most useful.

Best wishes,

Dal


===========================


-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Merriott [mailto:nous@btinternet.com]
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2000 2:59 PM
To: sd@blavatsky.net
Subject: [bn-sd] RE: Summary of First Fundamental Proposition

==================

The following summary will afford a clearer idea to the
reader.

(1.) The ABSOLUTE; the Parabrahm of the Vedantins or the one
Reality, SAT,
which is, as Hegel says, both Absolute Being and Non-Being.
-------------------------------

DTB If we perceive IT [SAT, PARABRAHM, THE ABSOLUTE,
etc...] not as an object, but as a necessary ALL or EVERYTHING;
we deny IT particularity. Thus we immediately are confronted with
the Paradox of the ABSOLUTE developing (by what process ?) some
aspect of ITSELF which thinks, senses, meditates, searches for
ITSELF.

This ONE SOURCE can only be expressed in terms of infinitudes in
time, distance, and motion. Any "solidity" on any plane of
matter might be considered to be the result of motion in time and
space. But the concept of MOTION alone demands a depth of
beginning which can never be defined in either "time," or in
"space.". Each plane of matter therefore demands a record of
events, motions, purpose, achievement, etc... and such a record
would be permanent and eternal -- These in their totality are
BUDDHI -- the wisdom of experience.
For this purpose of recording, another factor is necessary and
that would be stability, immobility, as contrast can only be
recorded accurately if there is some one point that is immovable,
and some substance that is unchangeable and permanent, unaffected
by time, or any kind of change. One might take the mental
faculty, the Mind, to be such an AGENT. Its capacity to remain
unaffected gives the PERCEIVER, OBSERVER, WITNESS (the real
Man/Woman) the capacity to measure motion in time and distance in
space/volume.

This also suggests a mirror. And since the ABSOLUTE may be
surmised (by the Particular) to stretch between the ABSOLUTE
LIMITS (which are INFINITE) of SPIRIT (ATMA) on one hand, and of
Matter (Buddhi, Mulaprakriti, acquired Wisdom of all experience,
etc...) on the other hand, this/these "mirror(s) would have to be
the closest and most minute "beings" (and would have to
absolutely fill the Universe -- whether manifested or not) --
for which the word "Unit," "Monad," Atma-Buddhi, Spirit-Matter,
might be devised.
Hence the whole of Nature/Universe may be said to be sentient in
all degrees, although not necessarily all Monads manifest the
same degree of consciousness at the same time. Each Monad is
either non-conscious, partially conscious (ignorant),
self-conscious (Egoity --- which is either self-centered, or
Universally centered and therefore impartially a practitioner of
compassion and brotherhood).

Becoming voluntarily one of Nature's supporters it (MONAD)
creates gradually an environment where the rights and duties of
every monadic being of any capacity are understood and respected
by all others. This brings on the reconstruction of a "morally
virtuous" condition where the condition of immortality is always
weighed when free-will is exercised. The "Selfishness" and
"isolation" of any one Monad is found to voluntarily merge with
the needs, actions and purposes of a whole host of Monads, all
acting for each-other and as one "tide."

It is clear that this limited "I" (of our present knowledge and
current living) is to pass (in the course of its "Eternal
Pilgrimage") from ignorance, through experience to realization.
This "realization" is the assurance (acquired by applying
logic) -- that "it" is a vital and essential PART of the WHOLE.
And yet, the WHOLE will still be undefined by and to the
"particular I" which is doing this.

=================================

(2.) The first manifestation, the impersonal, and, in philosophy,
unmanifested Logos, the precursor of the "manifested." This is
the "First
Cause," the "Unconscious" of European Pantheists.
----------------------------------

DTB To me this is the action of the Compounded KARMA of a
whole host of beings (ourselves, and all other Monads) which
having been at rest for an immensity of (our) years, now begins
the preliminary change from that period of "sleep" to one of
resumed activity, each awakening MONAD having to resume its
active work (of receiving and generating Karma) in a new "day."
( A Manvantara which like our days, succeed each-other
endlessly. ) The First Cause emanates in a lawful matter from
the causes that preceded it. [ As an analogy, we need only
recall how we proceed to "wake up" each morning. Some mornings
the process of reanimating and taking control of our physical
body, is more detailed and clearer than on others. ]

========================================


(3.) Spirit-matter, LIFE; the "Spirit of the Universe," the
Purusha and
Prakriti, or the second Logos.

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

DTB This is the personal Ego resuming voluntary control of
the waking physical man, principle by principle and memory by
memory as we develop the record of the past and the sense of
duties to be filled during the day that is to begin.

================================

(4.) Cosmic Ideation, MAHAT or Intelligence, the Universal
World-Soul; the
Cosmic Noumenon of Matter, the basis of the intelligent
operations in and of
Nature, also called MAHA-BUDDHI.

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

DTB We are, as "Personal Ego," the "Mahat" for our small
universe of the "Personal and the physical "man." It is not the
"brain" that does this, but the unitary Human Intelligence, (the
Real Man), MANAS, that provides the focus for "waking
consciousness" to return. If we assume it is only the "brain,"
we assume there is some special function which happens to be the
prerogative of the brain.

But such a statement does not account for the constitution or the
particularity of the brain stuff. Whet we do see is the
cooperative action of very sensitive material drawn into the
configuration we call "brain," and to which we attribute the
coordination of many physical body functions. It does NOT
provide any answer to the functions and changes of consciousness
that occur outside of purely physiological needs. Nor does it
account for the urges we would file under desire, passion, and
the many vices which are caused by placing our "personality" in
an isolated situation in contrast with the needs of others like
us -- our family, friends, race, nation, etc... Nor does it
account for the question of what happens to the acquired
experience of each Monad/Ego at the end of its "life." Where is
that taken? Where is it stored? Is it restored to activity by
reincarnation? Does Karma (of the individual, race, earth,
etc...) exist ?

==================================

The ONE REALITY; its dual aspects in the conditioned
Universe. (SD I 16)

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

DTB This ONE REALITY has the paradoxical duality of not only
SPIRIT and MATTER, but the far more paradoxical duality of
WHOLE and its infinite number of PARTS (each reflecting the ONE).
/what thoughts can we bring to each other to compare, so as to
get deeper into understanding what we have, and what we are
dealing with. Our whole future and the future of humanity
depends on such inquiry. Will be take the time to do this? As
free-willers we are volunteers. Will we then, work at this and
discover what we can?
We have the teachings (and an historical review begins at S.D. I
272). We need to verify them for ourselves.

Best wishes,

Dallas

--------------------------------------------------====

Friends,

Reflecting upon the summary, above, and trying to bring some
thoughts and
hopefully understandings together, the following came to mind for
me.
Please accept everything said as tentative, even though it may
sound
definite in places.

The Absolute is that which ever IS. We cannot ever 'know' it as
an object
of consciousness, or *cognise* it, because our conceptual
thinking is always
limited and finite, hence it cannot 'grasp' the 'unlimited'.
Though
un-graspable, the Absolute is nonetheless the ONE TRUE and
ULTIMATE nature
of all BEINGS and all FORMS, in the sense that it is the source
and basis of
all CONSCIOUSNESS and SUBSTANCE in Kosmos.

Though it cannot be 'cognised', perhaps we can 'sense' something
of IT'S
fathomless depths in the same way that we might stand in awe and
humility
before the infinite and star-lit ocean of universal space that is
always
beyond our capacity to cognise and adequately describe.

Is this why it is that when we read that even the Highest Dhyanis
bow down
before that awful Mystery of Non-Being, these ideas resonate as
'true'
somewhere inside us?.... as the still small voice makes its
silent
acknowledgement felt within our hearts, confirming that the
Mystery of
'Non-Being', the Absolute, is not just a Mystery that exists
somewhere *out
there*, but is THE Mystery at the very heart of our own BEING.

"The ever unknowable and incognizable Karana alone, the Causeless
Cause of
all causes, should have its shrine and altar on the holy and ever
untrodden
ground of our heart -- invisible, intangible, unmentioned, save
through "the
still small voice" of our spiritual consciousness." (SD I 280)

The first 'stirrings' within the Absolute prior to manifestation
are
symbolised by the 'Point within the Circle'. This 'point', a
dimensionless
centre, cannot be limited to any one place. It is simultaneously
everywhere
throughout the infinitudes of SPACE, hence it is sometimes
referred to as
being "everywhere and nowhere". It is beyond TIME. It is called
the First
Cause, the un-manifested First Logos. It is the ONE MONAD, the
"Universal
Unit" from which all other Monads will spring forth (see, for
example SD I
614). At the level of Kosmos, it is like ATMA, the seventh
principle in
'man', which is both the point and the line, the indestructible
'Centre' at
the heart of every being, and the RAY of the Universal Mind. It
can never
manifest itself, but its Light may be reflected in its various
upadhis,
vehicles of cosmic substance.

The light of ATMA reflected in BUDDHI, becomes latent IDEATION or
WISDOM.

The light of the First Logos (precosmic Ideation) reflected in
Mulaprakriti
(precosmic Substance) becomes latent Divine Wisdom (the second
Logos?).
This reminds one of the Divine Thought, referred to on the first
page of the
Proem, "wherein lies concealed the plan of every future Cosmogony
and
Theogony" (SD I 1). Divine Thought is described as the "Eternal
Mother-Father" (CW X 313), or, the "Seven-skinned Mother-Father"
"which will
become the seven planes of being, commencing from the spiritual
and passing
through the psychic to the material plane. The seven planes of
thought and
the seven states of consciousness correspond to these planes."
(CW X 304, or
see Transactions of Blavatsky Lodge) It is the Golden Egg in
which Brahma
(the Creator, the 3rd Logos, Mahat) is born.

Perhaps we can see a very suggestive analogy in these lines from
"Transactions". Might it be that the human Monad of Atma-Buddhi
is the
"Golden Egg" in which Manas is 'born', and is the seven skinned
'mother-father' (Auric envelope) from which are differentiated
the seven
planes of thought and consciousness of the human being?

It is from the Second Logos (Spirit-Matter, LIFE) that MAHAT
springs forth
as the Third Logos, which is described as the Synthesis of the
Seven
creative rays, the 7 Logoi. These seven are the seven 'forms' or
manifestations (Dhyani Buddhas) of the Divine Wisdom which
overshadow the
seven classes of Dhyan Chohans and Adepts (see SD I 574).
Collectively,
this host of spiritual beings, which is also known as the AH-HI
(see Stanza
1), is MAHAT, the third Logos. It is the Universal Mind *in
action*. In
Mahat is reflected the plan and will of the Divine Thought
(Universal Mind
in potentia). Pre-cosmic Ideation becomes Cosmic Ideation. Thus
the
Dhyanis are the intelligent forces that give to, and enact in
nature, her
Laws (see "Transactions of BL"). They, as Mahat, are the
noumenon of
Matter, the basis of the intelligent operations in Nature.

If we consider that Manas, in 'man', corresponds to Mahat in the
Universe we
see the great potential that is awaiting humanity. For it is
through Manas,
and Manas alone, that we have the possibility of reflecting the
'latent
ideation' or 'Wisdom' of Atma-Buddhi (the Monad). Latent Wisdom
may then
become Wisdom in action. The more that we are capable of doing
so, the
more we will be able to become intelligent co-workers with
Nature.

...Peter


"Divine thought cannot be defined, or its meaning explained,
except by the
numberless manifestations of Cosmic Substance in which the former
is sensed
spiritually by those who can do so."
(SD I 327)


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