Theos-Talk Archives (November 2002 Message tt00266)

--- In theos-talk@y..., leonmaurer@a... wrote:
> Could you please quote the particular text?

"the [Higher] Ego ... is highly spiritual, and is linked very closely 
with the higher principles, Buddhi and Atma."

But she says that:

"the Higher] Ego must not be confused with what we call the 'Higher 
Self.'"

The reason is undoubtedly that the Higher Self does not reside within 
the body, whereas the Higher Ego, being "linked very closely" with 
it, is a reflection of the Higher Self within the body.

"These higher principles are entirely inactive on our plane, and the 
higher Ego (Manas) itself is more or less dormant during the waking 
of the physical man. This is especially the case with persons of very 
materialistic mind. So dormant are the Spiritual faculties, because 
the Ego is so trammelled by matter, that It can hardly give all its 
attention to the man's actions, even should the latter commit sins 
for which that Ego ? when reunited with its lower Manas ? will have 
to suffer conjointly in the future. It is, as I said, the impressions 
projected into the physical man by this Ego which constitute what we 
call "conscience"; and in proportion as the Personality, the lower 
Soul (or Manas), unites itself to its higher consciousness, or EGO, 
does the action of the latter upon the life of mortal man become more 
marked."

The statement that "these higher principles are entirely inactive on 
our plane" can be understood in terms of the Adwaita Vedanta theory 
that one must pass from the waking state to the dreaming state to 
dreamless sleep or oblibion to get to the fourth (turiya) and then 
return through oblivion to get back to the waking state. Part of the 
goal of the yogi is to pass through dreamless sleep and return 
through dreamless sleep without losing consciousness or memory. HPB 
says only an "Adept" can do this but that is not true. Lesser 
mortals than Adepts have done it. Incidentally, HPB and Judge both 
are said in Theosophical lit to have achieved this.

The process by which "the Personality, the lower Soul (or Manas), 
unites itself to its higher consciousness, or EGO" is brought about 
by the Higher Self connections taught by K.H. and others. That this 
is true can easily be seen when you consider that the HS connection 
gradually makes the higher principles more accessible to 
consciousness and v.v.

When I first read this many years ago the statement that "the Ego is 
so trammelled by matter, that It can hardly give all its attention to 
the man's actions, even should the latter commit sins for which that 
Ego ... will have to suffer conjointly" suggested that "the Ego" 
watches the actions of the lower manas with anxiety. That seems 
intuitively obvious since the "Ego" has no say and yet must take 
responsibility. However it is plain that the "Ego" is not anxious, 
and if you examine the text carefully, it is plain that HPB does not 
imply that it is.

This whole discussion of hers has to do with yoga experience and 
cannot be properly appreciated IMO without reference to that.