Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00013)

Jan 2 2005

Dear Etzion:

You ask

”…concerning the chapter Beginnings of Sentient Life, Stanza I, page 160 of
the Abridgement. { SECRET DOCTRINE }
 
Passage no# 4. "After the changeless immutable Nature..."
 
I don't quite see the difference, or the nuance between *changeless and
immutable*


I do not have the “Abridgment” Do you know in the original SECRET DOCTRINE
the page referred to? What is the subject or stanza relevant ?

In any case to me “*changeless and immutable*” are synonyms.

If anything, “immutable” is stronger than “changeless.” 

It implies that the Law of KARMA always applies and sets the limits of all
forms and conditions.  

It is the "forms and conditions" that are temporary, changing and therefore
called illusions or "maya."

Let me illustrate this:

In Mahayana Buddhism, The VOICE OF THE SILENCE (p. 29) we find “SAT”
defined

“The seeds of Wisdom cannot sprout and grow in airless space. To live and
reap experience the mind needs breadth and depth and points to draw it
towards the Diamond Soul. (1) Seek not those points in Maya's realm; but
soar beyond illusions, search the eternal and the changeless SAT, (2)
mistrusting fancy's false suggestions.

---------FOOTNOTE---------------

(2) SAT, the one eternal and Absolute Reality and Truth, all the rest being
illusion. 

------------------------------------------------------

In BHAGAVAD GITA NOTES (p. 147-151) we find:

“As has been before stated, Krishna stands for the Higher Self [SAT] of all
beings; therefore all the discourses under his name are to be taken as
addressed to all men and not merely as from one personage to another. It
will then be understood that when He speaks of “my being manifesting as the
Individual Self ”, “Purusha, the Spiritual Person” or “myself in this body”,
He refers to the constituents of each human being.

“Karma is the emanation which causes the existence and reproduction of
creatures”. Perhaps this sentence may be made more clear if the student
takes into consideration the ancient aphorism that “There is no Karma unless
there is a being to make it or feel its effects;” Karma means action, and
as each being or creature acts according to his own degree of perception and
feels the re-action or effect in the same relation, Karma as a whole, in so
far as any world or system of worlds is concerned, is the interaction of all
the beings
of every grade who constitute, or are connected with, any such world or
system. Karma therefore is inherent in all beings and is not self-existent
as such, or imposed by any imagined originator of worlds. [or CHANGELESS
LAW ]

Krishna shows that the realization of immortality must be had during life in
the body if the highest state is to be attained. This state reached, the
necessity for reincarnation ceases. Those however whose beliefs are strongly
fixed on some particular form of after death existence, have a realization
of what they aspire to and then in the fulness of time are reborn upon
earth.

The meditation spoken of as necessary to the highest attainment is sometimes
called “A LIFETIME’S MEDITATION it means that the immortality of man has
first to be assumed, and then rigidly adhered to as the basis for every
thought and action, for it is only in this way that a realization of
immortality can be obtained by embodied beings. 

AS IT IS FROM THE SPIRIT IN MAN THAT ALL LAW AND POWER PROCEEDS, EACH HUMAN
BEING CREATES HIS OWN LIMITATIONS ON EVERY PLANE OF BEING; HE CAN TRANSCEND
THOSE LIMITATIONS ONLY BY REVERTING TO AND MAINTAINING HIS IMMORTALITY, AS
THE OBSERVER AND EXPERIENCER OF ALL THE PASSING CHANGES, HIMSELF UNCHANGED
AND UNCHANGING. 

Throughout the dialogue Krishna speaks of the various paths of devotion
taken by men. Most of these paths are taken in order to obtain some coveted
reward, such as freedom from rebirth, enjoyment of the individual’s idealof
happiness after release from the body; individual salvation. He shows that
all these rewards may be obtained by constant effort, but that all are
temporary in duration, necessitating a return to earthly existence at some
later period, however remote. “The Brahmacharya laboring for salvation,”
labors for himself alone; he “goeth to the supreme goal,” but in that state
is beyond the power of helping his fellow men. Although he may remain in
that blissful state for an immense period of time, the duties to his fellow
men which set aside in order to obtain salvation for himself, will
inevitably place him where those duties have to be faced and fulfilled. [
see S D II 79-80 :

"The human Ego is neither Atman nor Buddhi, but the higher Manas: the
intellectual fruition and the efflorescence of the intellectual
self-conscious Egotism — in the higher spiritual sense. 

The ancient works refer to it as Karana Sarira on the plane of Sutratma,
which is the golden thread on which, like beads, the various personalities
of this higher Ego are strung. 

If the reader were told, as in the semi-esoteric allegories, that these
Beings were returning Nirvanees, from preceding Maha-Manvantaras — ages of
incalculable duration which have rolled away in the Eternity, a still more
incalculable time ago — he would hardly understand the text correctly; while
some Vedantins might say: "This is not so; the Nirvanee can never return";
which is true during the Manvantara he belongs to, and erroneous where
Eternity is concerned. For it is said in the Sacred Slokas: 

"The thread of radiance which is imperishable and dissolves only in Nirvana,
re-emerges from it in its integrity on the day when the Great Law calls all
things back into action. . . ." S D II 79-80 ]


The case of such an one is quite different from “those great-souled ones who
have attained to supreme perfection” in knowledge and universal duty.

All worlds up to that of Brahmâ are subject to rebirth again and again”In
the
section beginning with these words Krishna is pointing out the Law of
Periodicity which prevails in every department of Nature. [This
"IMMUTABILITY"] 

This more fully explained in the Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky, Vol. I,
in that part referring to the Three Fundamental Principles. [S D I 14-19]


Briefly stated, our present earthly existence is the result of previous
ones; the present earth is the result of previous earths; the present solar
system is the result of previous ones. All of these present progress of some
sort, for the essence of progress is change. All beings have evolved to
their present status, be that high or low, and all are still evolving; an
infinite universe presents infinite possibilities. 

“But,” says Krishna, “there is that which upon the dissolution of allthings
else is not destroyed; it is indivisible, indestructible, and of another
nature from the visible,” This is the Divine Spark of Spirit, Life, and
Consciousness in every form and being. In Man it is called the “Perceiver,”
That which sees, learns and knows, apart from all objects, circumstances or
conditions through which It passes. “This Supreme, 0 son of Pritha, within
whom all creatures are included, and by whom all this is pervaded, may be
attained by a devotion which is intent on him alone”. To “act for and as the
Self” in every state, under all conditions and in every circumstance is the
highest path and leads to the highest goal; it is the path of duty in its
highest aspect." G N 147-51

This is long but I think it illustrates the difference asked.

Best wishes, 


Dallas

-----Original Message-----
From: Etzion Becker
Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2005 12:34 AM
To: 
Subject: [bn-study] Help: SD

Dear friends, I have an English question, concerning the chapter Beginnings
of Sentient Life, Stanza I, page 160 of the Abridgement.
 
Passage no# 4. "After the changeless immutable Nature..."
 
I don't quite see the difference, or the nuance between *changeless and
immutable*
 
I'll appreciate your comments. Etzion