Theos-Talk Archives (December 2001 Message tt00416)

Wednesday, December 19, 2001


Dear Friends, Andy and Charlie:


Very good questions. Where shall we begin ?

Perhaps, lets look for the oldest of scriptures -- diagrams, symbols and
rock cut scratches.

H.P.Blavatsky begins both ISIS UNVEILED and The SECRET DOCTRINE with these
suggestions that are derived from “A very Old Book.”. It is a study in
universal symbology.

It illustrates the FUNDAMENTALS of THEOSOPHY and gives reasons we can
understand.

1. CIRCLE

The first is a CIRCLE and it separates an area from its surroundings. May
be it symbolizes a UNIVERSE, or a CELL, or a WORLD. But it is a Unit, and
is separated from its surroundings ( or maybe they are the SOURCE of its
being ?) by a circle. So we have three thing:

2. BACKGROUND

perhaps this ought to come before the circle, but as it is EVERYTHING, it
cannot be noticed until a limit is placed in it. Then, it becomes a
“background” -- and can never be eliminated from any consideration.

It is a background, which some symbologists say may be used to indicate the
indescribable ABSOLUTE. It is a mind-boggling concept. Here we are
ordinary people talking of ultimates we cannot describe in any terms we know
of.


ABSOLUTE

Some assume that ABSOLUTENESS is the ultimate perfection of everything. Or
even they go so far as to say it is: NO-THING [ No physical, emotional or
mental “think” which we might be able to think of. ] Some have argued it is
“emptiness.” And as far as I can think this cannot be argued about.


CENTER of Manifestation

3 A CENTER around which the line of the CIRCUMFERENCE is drawn.
This can be placed anywhere. It may be the FIRST difference from its
“background.” We might call it’s the UNIVERSAL SPIRIT -- or rathera
symbol for THAT.


PARAMATMA

The old Hindus might have called it the PARAMATMA or that which is beyond
the ATMA (Spirit of the Universe).


WHERE IS THE CENTER OF SPACE ?

In fact, a friend of mine in a conference of mathematicians and astro
physicists who were discussing the “curvature of Space” said: Supposethat
we use the definition you just came up with. You said that the radius of
the curvature of Space started in a point. I am thinking of Space. I am
the Center. Space is infinitely extensive -- so, are not each of us, the
CENTER of their own SPACE? And are not the combination of all beings
responsible, then, for the overlapping and inter-combination of SPACE areas
in common? They all saw the logic of that and agreed there could be no
finite “curvature” to an immeasurable and undefinable SPACE.



DIAMETER IN THE CIRCLE

4 The next symbol shows a CIRCLE with a DIAMETER RUNNING THROUGH
THE CENTER. It shows, in this limited space, the fundamental contrast of
DIVISION: SPIRIT and MATTER would be one of those contrasts. MOTION and
INERTIA, would be another. LIFE and DEATH, DURATION and TIME-LIMITS, and so
on.


DUALITIES

The interesting thing is that these DUALITIES all imply another, a THIRD
FACTOR. It is the impartial intermediate OBSERVER who is the WITNESS to
these changes and any subsequent events and phenomena. [ The “circle” can
also be taken to be representative of a “sphere” ]


MIND -- WITNESS and OBSERVER

This Witness or Observer may be said to be the MIND. It is a universal
factor in manifestation and represents the great PLANS on which the new
universe (child of the older one) is to be reconstructed using the same
elements that lived before and which had been guarded under conditions of
rest during an immense period of “non-manifestation.


REINCARNATION and REEMBODIMENT

Thus Reincarnation (OF THE universe, the world, and of humans) is one of the
basic ideas of continuous progress. No single time-period is adequate to
learn everything in a limitless Universe, hence the concept of the return of
the SPIRITUAL SOUL to live and work in new bodies is not unnatural.


PLANS and LAWS

PLANS imply LAWS, and reconstruction implies that the materials used are to
be fitted in a way that gives their properties the best exposure to
improvement in the “new” Universe.


KARMA THE LAW OF ADJUSTMENT AND HARMONY

Thus we have the innumerable adjustments of KARMA -- and this works for the
whole, as for each of the UNITS that in their entirety constitute this ONE.

4. But implicit in the symbol is the fact that the circle which
marks a differentiation, an emanation, a radiation, a change, has to be
produced under LAW. This factor introduces the limit of TIME which will be
comprised within DURATION -- as immeasurable CAUSE. In other words there
has to be, within the ABSOLUTENESS, another factor which we might think of
as the CAUSELESS CAUSE. It is totally undefinable, but logically it has to
be there.


TO RECAP

We now have:

1 the Background -- ABSOLUTENESS

2. A CENTER

3. A CIRCLE.

4. An AREA circumscribed by the CIRCLE ( which also represents a
SPHERE in 3 dimensions.

5. A CAUSE for the change

6. LAWS that demand reason (cause) and planning, Karma is
implicit in operation here,

7. TIME. [ Time in contrast to DURATION implies a VIBRATION of
some kind. And vibration demands some kind of MATTER to vibrate, and a
medium through which SOUND can travel and impact on the sensitive tympanum
of a LISTENER. ]


To return to the development of the symbols


5. Inside the CIRCLE we can now place 2 diameters at right angles
to each other, thus making the area of the circle divided into 4 equal
portions. Symbologists are inclined to consider that these may represent:
MATTER, LAW, MOTION, and PROGRESS through CHANGE.

Remove the circumference of the CIRCLE nd you are left with the universal
symbol of the CROSS.

The vertical Line symbolizes SPIRIT and the horizontal line symbolizes
MATTER.

How is Mankind -- the ever-evolving INTELLIGENCE to be represented ?

6. The TAU symbol follows and the T is seen surmounted with a
small circle, so that it represents HUMANITY. The physical form (4)
surmounted with a MIND that is able to encompass the universe (the circle)
with its power of thought. It is the Microcosm within the Macrocosm.

7. Since all is propelled by Law and Laws the final figure is a
CROSS with the 2 diameters

This brief study is based on The SECRET DOCTRINE Vol. I pp 4 to 6. all
these points are taken up there and elsewhere. I have introduced some later
points to show how they fit (as I understand it) . It is better to read
carefully the first 300 pages of The SECRET DOCTRINE as there will be found
the fuller answers to your questions.

NATURE is the entire Universe which manifests on 7 great interlocking
planes of being. The diagram on p. 200 of vol. I of the S D shows this.

The LAWS OF NATURE are the same as the laws that our Science has been
discovering in all its many departments of investigation. But what our
Science still has to learn and master is the concept that underlying the
physical forms we are so familiar with are the energic Powers and Forces.
The “Astral Plane” contains all these support fields and patterns of force
on which the atoms, molecules, cells, and other structures are fixed by
their inherent laws.

But the greatest of all secrets is exposed by THEOSOPHY for consideration,
and that is the MORAL and the ETHICAL impact of misuse and abuse of Nature’s
laws. Thus the doctrine of KARMA receives it most important support --
every choice made and every feeling act and word that human minds make has
an impact on nature and this is reflected back to the human mind and being
who originated it.

The result is the importance of complete “openness.” [ Glasnost ] The
exactitude, sensitivity and response from Nature is uniform and exact. None
of us can hide our acts away from this all-perceptive and all sensitive
medium of LIFE which imbues the entire Universe. We only fool ourselves if
we think we can do anything in “secret” and unknown to any one else. Karma
is the exact responsive action of the whole of Nature directed at one single
effort: to restore HARMONY where it has been disturbed.

I hope this will be of some help.

Best wishes to all at this change of seasons, and may the coming year be
prosperous and well with these great and important Theosophical ideas in
mind.

Apart for the KEY TO THEOSOPHY (HPB) there is Mr. Judge’s marvelous little
book (only 200 pages) called the OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY . It summarizes The
SECRET DOCTRINE , and has the same teachings on Karma, Reincarnation, and
Perfection that are to be found in the KEY TO THEOSOPHY (HPB) : both are
available at http://www.blavatsky.net



Dallas
==================================================
-----Original Message-----
From: A--y N------n
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 9:46 AM
To:
Subject: Essence of evil.

Hello Charlie,

to make really sure I am not you,I am Andy!!

Do I understand you right when you say that it is part of human nature to
have agression too and that it is natural and good and not evil to hurt
someone by defending ourselves and that the attacker is evil,or better:
“the Principle that makes it Reality that people attack,causes people to
attack is Evil itself."


So the question remains why is there evil,the essence of evil seems to be
breaking the laws of Nature.

Other questions which then come up to me:-

What is exactly the definition of Nature according to Blavatsky?

-How many laws of Nature and which are there?

Maybe these questions are for Dallas,but others who know the answers please
respond too.

With friendly greeting:*Andy*


CUT




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]