Theos-Talk Archives (May 2001 Message tt00002)

Wednesday, May 02, 2001

Re: Thought, Will and
Feeling



There is forever a difficulty in dealing with the two opposed
"poles" of existence.
Theosophy has offered us for consideration the concept of the
MONAD. It seems to me this is of help -- as follows:



The Monad (Spirit/Matter conjoined)

The idea of the MONAD epitomizes this, because it is said to be
eternal. In
the Secret Doctrine, H.P.B. deals with this extensively. ( S.D.
I 173 -
184 ) One of the key statement is in S.D. I p. 289, where we
read from an
ancient "Commentary" :"there is not one finger's breath (Angula)
of void
space in the whole of Boundless (Universe) ..."


Eternity - Time - Duration

Eternal means it began its existence when the Universe started.
And that
cannot be defined. Instead of "Time," the concept of eternal
DURATION has
to be invoked -- and we enter the realm of meta-physics.


MANVANTARA

The present "manifestation" or MAHA-MANVANTARA (period of waking
and doing)
is said to be a little more than half over. (S.D. II 68 - 70)

It consists of two parts: 1. the descent of Spirit into matter
and then
when thoroughly mixed, MIND acts and gives the Monad its
INDIVIDUALITY, its
power of perception (I am putting this badly, of course for all
this occurs
under KARMA -- the great LAW of life and of individual living)
the phase 2
begins and this is the "ascent of Matter made Intelligent" back
into Spirit
(plus all the experience gained). (S.D. I 200)


Beginning and Ending

The problem of "beginning" (or "ending") starts when one
considers that
Pralaya (rest, non-activity) is always followed by one of
Manvantara
(activity, life, awareness, intelligence and all their
interactions,
growths, failures and increments). These cycles endlessly
intertwine as the
process of "raising 'matter' up to the "nature, stature and
dignity of
conscious godhood" ever continues.


CYCLES OF WORK AND REST

Each Manvantara is like a new birth (after a gestation period --
so to say)
which began in the rest period. And this is the lawful result of
all the
energies and forces used in an earlier Manvantara -- just as
reincarnation
of the human Ego is a result of the life last lived.

Each birth of a Universe and of all beings composing it, sees a
period of
growth and learning, and this is then followed by one of support,
work, and
imparting of wisdom to those who follow or surround it.

Then, when the cycles close, there always follows the destruction
(or
dispersal) of the "form," and the transfer into another plane of
consciousness of the spiritual consciousness. But, Theosophy
teaches that
the components of the "form" are not "destroyed." They too, are
immortal
Monads, though of a lesser degree of learning. They enter into a
period of
introspective rest, and assimilate the essence of the experiences
they
underwent during the previous Manvantara. This is analogous to
reincarnation for all of us.

This process occurs in mankind, as well as for the Atoms of the
Earth, for
the world, the solar system, and ultimately, the whole Universe.
But here
there is a paradox. The Universe being immeasurable it is not
possible for
the WHOLE to be at any time totally involved in the rest-period
of a
Pralaya, however vast. There is always some section somewhere
that is awake
and active.


CONSCIOUSNESS -- 7 and 10 states

We think we know something of the 7 states of Consciousness
S.D. I 157,
181) but there are states of Universal consciousness which we can
only
vaguely guess at. Perhaps they are left unidentified purposely
as H.P.B.
does in the diagram at S.D. I 200 where she places a triangle in
the 3
planes above the 4 planes of the 7 GLOBES. She names them: "The
Divine And
Formless Plane Of Spirit." (see also SD I 242, 267, 434 II
300-1, 540,
759, 607 footnote. This ought to give us all plenty of room for
meditation -- but not for speculation unless sound logic
supports.

Thus cycles overlap all the time and as far back as one might go,
or as far
forward as one might anticipate in time, there has always been
this duality
and the eternal and indestructible MONAD host has always been a
part of it.
Manifestation always imposes the limits of Karma on all entities
that revive
and begin to participate each in their own legitimate place in
the process
of continuing this vast journey towards ULTIMATE WISDOM and true
Living.


Parent and Child

Using your query the "parent" is like a Monad that has
accumulated much
experience and has accumulated around it many other Monads which
together
frame its WISDOM. In terms of ultimates it is still limited. It
has its
own "path" and "journey." As a comet has a 'tail,' so each Monad
has an
assembly of "monads of lesser experience," which surround and
follow it, for
which it acts as a "parent." And yet, we find in the S.D. (S.D. I
174-5
footnote) the idea that the Monad per se remains unaffected --
and it is the
late-comers who have to voluntarily choose to "adhere to it."
It is a
puzzle and a paradox. A statement which it is hard to
rationalize. In any
and all cases the law of affinity works and this is propelled by
the law of
Karma that covers everything -- it is the CAUSELESS CAUSE. On
examination,
this concept is as difficult of definition as would be a
definition for the
ABSOLUTE. The first volume of the S.D. gives us a survey of most
of the
important factors involved -- enough to enable us to reason out
and 'intuit'
more.

To this primary center, Monads of lesser experience continually
come from
the ocean of the "Monadic Essence." ( see S.D. I 619, 178-9,
632 II
273 ) They are said to adhere to it and give it an
"individuality" which
H.P.B. says survives the greatest of Pralayas. The INDIVIDUALITY
is never
"lost." [ see H.P.B. ARTICLES, (ULT) Vol III, P. 265 -- ISIS
UNVEILED AND
THE VISISHTADWAITA (Theosophist January 1886 -- BCW Vol. 7, p.
50)
Speaking of the vat line of gurus that are seen to extend
infinitely from
the past into our present and then into the future H.P.B. names
them the
"Guruparampara Chain." Some more details of this are given in
TRANSACTIONS
of the BLAVATSKY LODGE, pp 23-26. (ULT Edn. -- Vol. 10, BCW)


Purpose ?

One of the obligations of existence is the imparting of wisdom
and true
knowledge to others, so that they too may consider, think and if
they can,
test and try to adopt for themselves, these great concepts of
life, its
purpose and a correct way of living. The Buddha, Krishna, Jesus,
Lao-Tze,
Pythagoras, Plato, Hermes and hundreds of great men and
"prophets" have
always come, worked, and left the same general message. Slowly
but surely
the power of the concept of brotherhood attracts the attention of
those who
suffer and seek to bring their pain (and that of their fellows),
to an end.

It therefore follows that Moksha or Nirvana does not see the
"erasure" of
any CONSCIOUSNESS. It continues, and Nature (the Universe)
supports and
nurtures it. From these states of spiritual selfishness they who
took
temporary refuge there, eventually return (see S.D. II 79-80, 94,
110-1)

The difference between the "Parent" and the "child" is the amount
of
experience that the parent has, compared to the child during its
growing and
learning period. If one reads Plato's REPUBLIC one may gain an
insight into
the way an ideal society might be made to function -- based on
responsibility and brotherhood, in our world. Tis is perhaps a
5th or 6th
ROUND probability when every human being voluntarily adheres to
brotherhood
as a rule of life. Here we have planted for us (in Theosophy)
the "Seed"
of the Great Idea. The plant and tree are yet to come and bear
their golden
fruit in the 7th ROUND.


The WISE

The "WISE ONES" are truly our "parents." And physical age has
little to do
with it. (see S.D. I 207-210, 272-3)

Another idea to consider:

THOUGHT means there is a MIND functioning. It has 3 main
faculties: it
remembers, it thinks constructively, it forgets (and destruction
generally
follows, unless anticipation leads WILL to choose a "path" that
is
constructive). It is the INDIVIDUALITY and represents the
spiritual base of
the eternal MONAD for each of us.

WILL implies the POWER TO CHOOSE, to see polar opposites like
"good and
bad," like "Matter and Spirit," etc... It resides in between
the two
opposites and its function is to assist the growth of the
"personal" into
the impersonal and universal. It Knows the truth of things and
their Ideal
nature. It can recommend on appeal a course of action to the
"Lower mind."
But in n o way can it compel (Transactions pp 66-76)

FEELING implies a sensitivity to the effect of any concept, act,
or thought.
This sensitivity is balanced between two extremes: generosity
(brotherhood)
and selfishness (isolation). Here is the difference between vice
and
virtue. Broadly speaking, one may say that vice is an
exaggerated virtue --
one that has not been tempered by harmony and balance in this
dynamic
universe of continuously changing situations and contrasts. Those
chaotic
situations have been produced by our earlier choices and those
which have
affected the lives of others who like us are weaving their
freedom.

LIFE and LIVING is an on-going condition with many variables in
which we are
all engaged. The Spirit is immortal and employs many 'personal'
lives.
Many forms are created out of the matter which the Spirit
continually calls
together to frame a new focus of experience in the plane of
"physical
existence." This matter are the "skandhas" the "life-units,"
all Monads of
lesser experience which accrete to the Individuality because of
affinity and
past use. This is Karma in action in regard to our physical and
personal
living.


The Spirit in Man

On examination the Spirit in Man, (which is immortal and the
cause of
incarnation) finds itself confined in Matter (which gives it a
limited form,
and with that, fear and ignorance arise, because the vision of
matter
without Spirit to illumine and guide it, sees only death,
frustration and
dissolution. ). Fear and ignorance cause suffering when the
light of Spirit
is denied or avoided.


Wisdom and Progress

The "fight" for supremacy and for WISDOM is always in the Mind.
One half of
the Mind is spiritual and wise, and the other half, allied to the
form of
the present moment, is ignorant of its potentials -- and
therefore, fearful
of pain and its ultimate death.

The mission of the Spirit is to illuminate the Mind, so that its
spiritual
half may reflect its WISDOM and assurance of continued life on to
its other
half, that is deluded by the limited vision that matter provides.
The
faculty known to us as FEELING works extensively in the material
planes, and
it not a substitute for the Spirit, because its present material
limitations
lead it to perceive only the present form and its needs and
desires.

Mankind, (as Monads) endowed with both WISDOM-MIND and the
DESIRE-MIND has
to work his way out of this paradoxical state and choose which of
the two he
will use in making decisions. This decision process is universal
and is the
only method whereby Mankind (each one as an Individual, and the
whole, as an
intelligent army) moves out of "matter" and its false limits,
into the
universal plane of "Spirit" and its universal power to provide
answers that
resonate (honestly, sincerely, justly and truly) in every
context.

Tis is of course, as I see the problem and as I see Theosophy
makes this
view reasonable. But there may be other views and it would be
good to hear
them and discuss them.

Best wishes,

DTB