Theos-Talk Archives (September 2001 Message tt00075)

09/10/2001


Dear Friend Martin:

Your views are analogous to those stated in The SECRET DOCTRINE ( Vol. I pp 14-19 ) . which is well worth a reading.

The 3 "Gunas" or "Qualities" which Krishna says constitute all things, are also as you describe them. The attributes I used are analogous to the onesyou use.

We are looking for agreement in ideas and not a coincidence of words.

1. SATTVA : Spirit, Truth, purity, balance, wisdom, Karma, as generator and planner of EVOLUTION, stability, virtue, eternity and immortality bothknown and acquired, The SOURCE of all progress of a noble and altruistic type, contentment, does not demand or require any special attention, free from the influence of the pairs of opposites, free of any self-interest, acts are sacrificial ( sacred actions), self-restraint, devotion, attention, desire to learn so as to benefit others, search for Spiritual Knowledge, discrimination constantly and unwaveringly applied, engaged in the "right practice of duties," temperate, restraining Thought, acquainted with the TRUE SELF, desire regulated by moral fitness, it is the "heart" where in the Mindis to be imprisoned, "the Ego seated in the "heart" of all beings, the never-failing Guardian of Eternal law, the ONE SOURCE of all things. UNITY, has no fear of any circumstance, seeks to understand CAUSES, the KNOWER, PERCEIVER, WITNESS, Maheshwara (the Great Lord), Spectator, Admonisher, sustainer of Life, Paramatma (the Highest Soul), detached from the passions (Rajas) and from inert forms ( Tamas), 

2. RAJAS	Activity, Thought, planning, feeling, desire, passion, motion, (expansion and contraction), the power of self-ideation, the Eternal Thought in the ETERNAL MIND, a "feeling of incompleteness," involved in the pairs of opposites, concerned with pleasure, ease, attachment to "objects of sense," relates all situation to "feeling" and fails to be impartial and impersonal, adopt rites and rituals without thinking them through as to legitimacy, deluded by the "pairs of opposites" which springs from "liking and disliking," has the power to be free and to control all lower influences and to subdue the feelings, passions and vices, has enmity towards none, love of gain, restlessness, and inordinate, exaggerated desires, 

3. TAMAS	Inertia, indifference, idleness, senselessness, sleep, folly, thefinal contraction of mater into a condition that forces it out of manifestation and back into non-manifestation, vice and injustice, wickedness and evil, a distortion or a breaking of Universal law for selfish gain, the "power of the Material Essence," Centers of Force -- the "building-blocks of Nature, demoniac, deceitful, envious, proud of little learning, holds feuds and enmities towards others, fears death, pain and suffering, ignorance anda refusal to learn truths, 


There are probably far more descriptive ideas and phrases that can be attributed to each of these 3 Qualities in Man and Nature. To know them and their causes gives us freedom from them.

It is said that when under KARMA the time comes for the UNIVERSE (KOSMOS) to awaken to a renewed period of learning and activity, the SUPREME UNITY, splits into TWO and on the plane of the MANIFESTED duality supervenes in thecontrast of SPIRIT and PRIMORDIAL MATTER.

These combined from small to great constitute the MONAD and the monads.

Actually the Monad is not only "dual" but it is triple as the PERCEIVER is the UNIVERSAL MIND, a fragment of which forms the medial line exactly neutral between the SPIRIT and the BUDDHI (or Primordial SPIRITUAL MATTER.  

If looking inward with our Minds, we will soon find this to be true of our own constitution. Active and forceful impartial and impersonal MEDITATION does this. Blanking the mind is a delusion and should be avoided. But, making the Mind indifferent to our physical surrounding and the impulses fromour passions and desires is another practice (a preliminary to meditation)that is to be first observed if sincerity, honesty and truth are to be secure by US.

Moksha, Liberation and Nirvana are conditions of activity and not of passivity nor do those concepts reflect a well-earned rest. What is our capacityfor boredom -- doing NOTHING

You may not agree with this as a concept, but then lets query together further.

Best wishes,


Dallas

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-----Original Message-----
From: D----l H----s 
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2001 7:45 AM
To: 
Subject:: Moderators consider: 3 FUNDAMENTALS, 3 Evolutionary schemes, 3 GOALS of Evolution

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Hello

I'm not a theosophist, but an interested party. I am actually a
longstanding witch & like to have a nose about in other peoples beliefs! I
was reading the bit on the 3 fundamentals, and thought I'd offer my views on
it.

I believe motion is an absolute, but my understanding of Sattva, Rajas &
Tamas are different. Sattva is equilibrium & balance, Rajas is expansion &
Tamas contraction & inertia. This article proposes that doing nothing is &
stopping is negative, I propose that nature shows the opposite is true.
Everything has its place, stillness & contraction included. Nothing can
grow forever, that would be cancerous, growth must stop & reverse to release
the energy needed for more growth & to allow space for it. We need only
look at the cycles of nature, growth of the Spring & Summer harvested & then
the dying back of Winter to nothingness, from which growth can once again
occur. Furthermore, apply this to everyday issues, we must spring clean our
minds & houses to allow space for the new etc etc.

It is further assumed Nirvana is boring, and I'm never one to judge a place
until I've experienced it, but Nirvana is the supposed liberation of
boundaries, release into sunyata where we are unbounded, as is Moksha.
Liberation of boundaries supposedly leads to calmness & a sinless state of
mind, not nothingness. I don't personally view the afterlife in this
fashion, but I just thought I'd throw my ideas in. Anyway, must go,

Martin