Theos-Talk Archives (April 2003 Message tt00013)

Monday, April 07, 2003

These ideas form a part of the Theosophical presentation and are
worthy of a consideration.

Dallas

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



SOME VIEWS OF AN ASIATIC
[ D K M ]


Personal God Is No One

YOU ask me what is my belief about "reincarnation." Well, as it is a
complicated question, I must give you a plain statement of my full
belief. To begin with, I am a Pantheist. I believe that the whole
universe is God. You must, however, well understand that the word
"God" does not convey to me any meaning attached to that word by the
Westerns. When I say "God" I understand it to be nature or universe,
and no more. Therefore I might more appropriately be called a
"naturalist." To my mind there is no possibility of the existence of
an extra-cosmical Deity. For if there were, the harmony or equilibrium
of nature could not be preserved, and the whole, instead of being one
harmonious whole, would be a Tower of Babel. This harmony can be kept
only by the working of the immutable laws of Nature. And if the laws
of nature be immutable, they must be blind, and require no guiding
hand. (1) Hence the existence of an extra-cosmical Deity is
impossible. This is, as far as I can understand, the chief teaching
and principle of Aryan philosophy. As the position is logical, I must
accept it in preference to the Semitic theory, which rests on blind
faith alone.


Spirit & Matter

Some of the Pantheists recognize the existence of two distinct
entities viz, Matter and Spirit. But thinking deeply over the subject
has lead me to the conclusion that their position is not quite
logical; for, as far as I can understand, there can be but one
Infinite entity and not two. Call it either matter or spirit, but it
is one and the same. Who can say that this is spirit and that matter?
Take an instance: Ice is a gross form of matter. If a little rarified
it will be water, which is still matter. Higher still it is vapor;
still matter. Higher, gas; it is still matter. Further it becomes
ether, but it is still matter; and then you may go on ad infinitum.
Thus becoming more and more sublimated, it will reach its climax by
the way of spiritualization. But still it does not become nothing. For
if it does, there

-----------------------------------------------------
NOTE-Portions of this letter by Damodar K. Mavalankar to Wm. Q. Judge
appeared in The Platonist, and later in The Theosophist, June, 1884,
under the title "Reincarnation." It is reprinted here from The Path,
with Mr. Judge's footnotes.

1 Allowance must be made all through for a lack of complete knowledge
of the English language. What is here meant is that the inherent
impulse acts according to its own laws without any extra-cosmic power
meddling with it as a guide-EDITOR
-------------------------------------

must come a time when the whole universe will be nothing. If it is so,
it is not infinite, as it has an end. If it has an end, it must have
had a beginning; if it had a beginning, it must have been created; and
thus we must assume the existence of an extra-cosmical Deity, which,
as said above, is not logical. Then we thus logically find that this
highest sublimated form of matter cannot be nothing. In this case
matter has reached that climax of sublimation or spiritualization,
when any further action would make it grosser, not finer. What is
commonly understood by the word spirit, then, is nothing but that
highly etherealized form of matter which we, with our finite senses,
cannot comprehend. But it is still matter, inasmuch as it is still
something and liable to be grosser.

There is then only one eternal infinite existence, call it either
spirit or matter. I will, however, call it by the latter name, as that
is most suited in its common understanding for what I am to state.
Matter, as you know, we call Maya. Some say that this thing does not
really exist; but I do not agree to that. In my opinion it is called
Maya simply on account of these transformations. It is never steady.
The process is ever working. The one infinite agglomeration of matter
is in some of its modes becoming grosser, while in others becoming
more sublimated. The circle is ever turning its round. Nothing goes
out of that circle. Everything is kept within its bounds by the action
of the centripetal and centrifugal forces. The forms are changing, but
the inner substance remains the same.


Soul

You will ask: "What is the use of being good or bad; our souls in
proper time will be etherealized?" But what is a soul? Is it material
or immaterial? Well, it is material for me, and there is nothing
immaterial, as we said above. As far as I can think, it is an
agglomeration of all the attributes together with that something which
gives us the consciousness that we are. But in the case of the ice, it
was not sublimated until touched by heat. The centripetal force was
strong in its action, and it required the centrifugal force to refine
the ice. Just so with man. The action of the centripetal force keeps
us to our gross forms, and if we have to etherealize ourselves, we
must supply the centrifugal force, which is our will. And this is the
first principle of Occultism. We must study and know the forces of
nature. Every result must be in proportion to the cause producing it.
We are every instant emitting and attracting atoms of matter. Now, a
person who is not an occultist will have


various desires, and unconsciously to himself he will produce a cause
which will attract to him such atoms of matter as are not suited for
his higher progress. The same way, when he is emitting others, he may
give them such a tendency that they will mix with others evilly
inclined; and thus other individualities, which are thus formed, will
have to suffer for no fault of theirs. But an occultist directs both.
He is the master of the situation. He guides them, and by knowing
their action he produces such conditions as are favorable to his
obtaining of "Nirvana."


Nirvana

But what is Nirvana? By Nirvana I mean a state, and not a locality. It
is that condition in which we are so etherealized that instead of
being merely a mode of the Infinite Existence, as at present, we are
merged in totality, or we become the whole. (1) Another thing about
the advanced occultist is that he is in a better position to benefit
humanity.

The particles of which I am formed have always existed; yet I do not
know in what form they existed before. Probably they have passed
through billions of transformations. (2) Why do I not know these?
Because I did not supply the force that would have prevented the
disintegration of my individuality. ( 3) I will, if I attain Nirvana,
remain there till the action of the force that put me there ceases;
the effect being always in proportion to the cause. The law of
Exhaustion must assert itself (4)

In passing through this process of etherealization, you all along give
a certain tendency to the particles of which you are composed. This
tendency will always assert itself; and thus in every cycle, or
reincarnation, you will have the same advantages which you can always
utilize to soon be free, and by remaining longer in the Nirvana state
than the generality of humanity, you are comparatively free. (5) So
every consciousness, which has been once

----------------------------FOOTNOTES-----------------------------

1 It is said that Buddha attained to Nirvana before he left this
earth, hence he was always free-EDITOR.

2 That all the particles of the matter of our universe have passed
through millions of transformations, and been in every sort of form,
is an old assertion of the Adepts. H.P.B. in Isis Unveiled, and the
Secret Doctrine points this out as showing how the Adept may use
matter, and it will also bear upon the protean shapes the astral
matter may assume-EDITOR.

3 This word is used to mean the personalities; the person in any
birth. Since the letter was written, individuality is much used to
mean the indestructible part-EDITOR.

4 If this be right-and I agree with it-Nirvana has to come to an end,
just as Devachan must; and being ended, the individual must return to
some manifested plane or world for further work-EDITOR.

5 The comparison made is with the general run of men in all races.
They are not free at any time. In the writer's opinion there is a
certain amount of freedom in being in Nirvana, but he refers to other
and secret doctrines which he does not explain.-EDITOR.
--------------------------------

fully developed, must disintegrate, if not preserved by the purity of
its successive Egos till the Nirvana state is attained. Now I believe
that the full development of my consciousness as Krishna is possible
only on this earth, (1) and therefore if I die before that is done I
must be reborn here. If I reach the Nirvana state, even though I am in
another body, I shall know myself as Krishna.
Now I suppose this is sufficient for you. It is difficult to put such
ideas on paper. Such things are to be understood institutionally.

*	*	*
Path, January, 1896

1 This has always been accepted, that only on earth could we unify the
great potential trinity in each, so that we are conscious of the
union, and that when that is done, and not before, we may triumph over
all illusions, whether of name or form, place or time.
-----------------------------------

[from THEOSOPHICAL ARTICLES & NOTES pp. 257 - 260]


DTB