Theos-Talk Archives (February 2002 Message tt00417)

Tuesday, February 12, 2002

Dear John:

many thanks for sending this to me.

I like the analogy: Of course no physical thing can limit or
"hold" the unlimited, invisible, and totally unrelated
"otherness" of SPACE.

But, we can think about it.

We can trace a pathway of logic between the SPIRITUAL perfections
and all-ness to the finite limits of the phenomena of Matter and
its limitations.

Interestingly, if you look closely at matter we are faced with a
paradox.

The "sub-atomic particles" are in effect electro-magnetic forces
and fields that interact. It is assumed that the vibrational
amplitude of these cause a distortion in space and we register
this as "matter." Actually it is immaterial space which has been
distorted into something that is constantly changing and our
perceptions happen, in our bodies, to be attuned to those
changes. We perceive them as the many kinds of barriers offered
by "matter." On these are based all the Laws and relationships
of our Physical Universe.

The Physical Universe is to be viewed, says Theosophy, as the
lowest and grossest of the 7-fold divisions of our Universe (see
S D i 200, 157, II 596).

Every physiologist knows from experimental tests that the
physical body of every human being changes enormously from hour
to hour and from day to day -- so that medical science will state
that the whole body in a year's time has altered to about 98%,
and has been replaced with fresh matter taken from food, water,
air, etc... The digestive tract is said to renew itself every 4
to 6 weeks entirely. Somewhere in each of us is a stable
"pattern body" on which the physical particles arrange themselves
according to laws still to be discovered by our Science.

Curiously enough, our minds and feelings relate closely to this
bundle of changing stuff. So the actual sense of identity is not
resident in any of the organs or materials used, but rather in
that which is the CAUSE of their being. Our thoughts and our
moods of emotion are seen to be variables and those are perceived
from moment to moment by the "Real Man" (or the Monad --
Atma-Buddhi-Manas) and controlled by it.

Theosophy speaks of astral substance of an electro-magnetic type
which offers the physical molecules and their component atoms a
location on which to attach themselves. While this is probably
correct it does not say (until we discuss the doctrine of the
"skandhas") how one molecule or atom is selected (or selects
itself through innate intelligence resident in it) to become a
temporary part of us and our bodies.

Presumably, following the view of the 7-fold division of Nature
and of man, the astral form is dependent on the Pranic
(life-energy centers and currents) for its coherence. We might
then surmise that Kama (desires and passions) have something to
do with the Pranic nature (the form of life-energy assigned to
us).

Above these 4 variables that compose the "form" resides the MIND
(Manas), the ACCUMULATED WISDOM OF PAST EXISTENCES ( Buddhi) and
the "Ray" of the Universal SPIRIT that is resident in each of
us -- giving us our "Individuality" (ATMA).

In point of fact, is we are so very material, it is because we
think of ourselves as such. It is our thought that basically
maintains our separative existence.

And, we may wonder, why is that? In one mystical sense, it is
said by the ancient sage Patanjali: "The Universe exists for the
Soul's experience." Does this explain anything? Only that there
is apparently permanence in our power to think and our sense of
"I-ness." And both are quite immaterial.

So one might hazard a disturbing thought: It is the "subjective"
which is more permanent than the "objective."

How have we got it so wrong and for so long a time ? What is the
truth of this ?

Perhaps SPACE is to remain undefined as a basis for all
manifestation, but then, it is a SPACE that is forever a matter
for our study, as we cannot eliminate ourselves from the
following three "certainties:"

1.	We exist,

2.	the Universe (SPACE) exists, and

3.	There is an on-going relationship between IT and ourselves.


The rest is detail and description of the laws that govern
evolution.

The real problem is "When and Where did it all begin?


Ancient Vedic Sages offered this verse"

"Desire first arose in IT which is the primal germ of mind, and
which Sages seeking in their heart discovered to be the bond that
unites BEING with non-being."
SECRET DOCTRINE II 176 (top) II 578-9 THEOSOPHICAL GLOSSARY
pp. 170-1.

Best wishes,

Dallas

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


-----Original Message-----
From: samblo
Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2002 6:42 PM
To:
Subject: Re: Man the Monad in Evolution

Dallas,
Thanks, I enjoy them immensely myself, and posted partly
because
of the Tibetan, Hindu, Buddhist, Gnostic works can
intimate there
is at
correlates of "Agreement" upon the Land in the realm of
the
Non-dualist
Teaching.

Once in Buddhist Chat Room I posted:

Put out your hand
Open your hand
Close your hand
Open your hand
What is in your hand?

Of course to the view of conditioned patterned mind,
nothing
was in the hand.

What the hand cannot grasp nor the mind apprehend is
like one's
essential original Nature.

We have participation in Life in Space, and what is
space once the
view
of conditioned mind is set aside?

John