Theos-Talk Archives (November 2002 Message tt00679)

Comparing Goswami's views with those of Gerald Schueler

In "Monads and Emptiness" by Gerald Schueler, 
[ http://www.schuelers.com/Theosophy/docs/monads_and_emptiness.htm ]
he mentions the "divine monad". In his writings on Theos-L, Schueler 
has gone into much greater detail concerning his views of 
this "monad.' Compare his view with what Goswami writes below:

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THE VEDAS AND UPANISHADS ETC. DESCRIBE THREE KINDS OF GOD 
REALIZATION, THAT OF THE IMPERSONAL BRAHMAN IS THE FIRST AND LEAST 
INCLUSIVE, NOT THE MOST. IT IS FOUND IN MANY RELIGIONS AND ASSOCIATED 
WITH THE UNITIVE EXPERIANCE OF 'NATURE MYSTICISM'. EXPERIENCE OF THE 
BRAHMAN OR PARABRAHMN, AS IT IS SOMETIMES CALLED IN THEOSOPHY, IS 
CONSIDERED IN VAISHNAVA ADVAITA VEDANTA AS THE FIRST RUNG ON THE 
LADDER OF GOD-AND-SELF REALIZATION. THEN THE SECOND RUNG IS THE 
REALIZATION OF PARAMATMAN (THE IMMANENT, PERSONAL HOLY SPIRIT AND 
IT'S BELOVED JIVATMA), WHICH INCLUDES BRAHMAN VISION, AND FINALLY THE 
SUMMIT AND MOST INCLUSIVE, WHICH IS BHAGAVAN REALIZATION, IN WHICH 
THE BRAHMAN, PARAMATMAN AND BHAGAVAN, THE ORIGINAL SUPREME 
PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD ARE ALL EXPERIANCED / REALIZED OR 
DIRECTLY 'SEEN'. . . . 

THE FINAL REFERENCE TO THE ONE, HE, THE OBSERVER IN THE HIGHEST 
HEAVEN POSSIBLY KNOWING "NOT", IS A DIRECT REFERENCE TO THE DOCTRINE 
OF YOGA MAYA, IN WHICH GOD 'COVERS' (HIDES OR DENIES) A PORTION OF 
HIS OWN CONCIOUSNESS 'OVER' WITH YOGA MAYA FOR THE PURPOSE OF PREMA, 
DIVINE LOVE. THE REALM OF BHAKTI LILA EXISTS WITHIN THE MAYA OR 'NOT-
ME' PLEASURE POTENTIA OF GODHEAD, IN THE ORIGINAL GIVER'S (ADI 
PURUSHA'S) FEMININE RECIEVING SHAKTI OR SHEKINAH. ONE OF THE ADI 
SHAKTI'S POTENCIES IS MAYA, ILLUSION, BUT THERE ARE TWO FORMS OF 
MAYA. THE ATHEISTS ONLY KNOW ABOUT MAHA-MAYA OR THE KIND OF ILLUSION 
DEALT WITH BY THE ADVAITIS AND BUDDHISTS. HOWEVER THAT MAYA IS ONLY 
CO-EXTENSIVE WITH THE SAHA WORLD OF BIRTH, DEATH, DISEASE, AND OLD 
AGE, WHILE THE ORIGINAL TRANSCENDENTAL MAYA, YOGA MAYA, IS ALSO 
ASSOCIATED WITH THE IMMATERIAL HEAVEN-OF-HEAVENS, VAIKUNTHAS (PURE 
LAND) OR PARADISE. WHEN AND WHERE YOGA MAYA IN UNION WITH ADI PURUSHA 
IS REALIZED WITHIN A MATERIAL WORLD, THE 'KINGDOM OF HEAVEN' IS MADE 
MANIFEST WITHIN IT ! THERE 'GOD-WHO-IS-LOVE' REIGNS SUPREME, AND ALL 
THE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED!
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Daniel