Theos-Talk Archives (February 2005 Message tt00197)

Feb 8 2005

Dear Estela:

[bn-study] chapter 2, pages 16 & 17 Deity, Cosmos and Man

Here are some notes:

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

1 QUERY

Akasha - a substance that is neither matter nor spirit, but in between. 
Many refer to this substance as Ether, which scientist in the 20th century 
denied existed, but which some today refer to as "Quintessence". Just what 
is Akasha, and does it have anything to do with Akashic?

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

1 NOTES

[AKASA]	",...the invisible sky...the source of life, the reservoir of all
energy, and the propeller of every change of matter. In its latent state it
tallies exactly with our idea of the universal ether; in its active state
it became the Akasa, the all-directing and omnipotent god...occult
electricity; the alkahest of the alchemists in one sense, or the universal
solvent, the same anima mundi as the astral light..."	ISIS I xxvii


"...the existence of an imponderable, tenuous medium which interpenetrates
the entire globe, and in which all the acts and thoughts of every man are
felt and impressed...an enormous hypnotizing machine is
about... "Akasa"...the "Astral Light"--is entirely beyond our control, we
are
at the mercy of the pictures made in it and reflected on us...we are moved,
without our knowledge, by the impressions made in the Astral Light...as the
evil thoughts and deeds are the more material and therefore more firmly
impacted into the Astral Light, while the good, being spiritual, easily fade
out, we are in effect at the mercy of the evil done." Echoes 5-6

	
"ETHER. [ Often ]... confused with Akasa and with Astral Light. It is
neither, in the sense in which ether is described by physical Science.
Ether is a material agent, though hitherto undetected by any physical
apparatus; whereas Akasa is a distinctly spiritual agent, identical, in one
sense with the Anima Mundi [ "Soul of the World"...Alaya...the essence of
the seven planes of sentience, consciousness and differentiation, moral and
physical. In its highest aspect it is Nirvana and in its lowest Astral
Light... esoterically... our higher Egos are of an essence identical with
It, which is a radiation of the ever unknown Universal Absolute. Glos. 22-3
], while the Astral Light is only the 7th and highest principle of the
terrestrial atmosphere, as undetectable as Akasa and real Ether, because it
is something quite on another plane. The 7th principle of the earth's
atmosphere, as said, the Astral Light, is only the second on the Cosmic
scale. The scale of Cosmic Forces, Principles and Planes, of Emanations--on
the metaphysical--and Evolutions--on the physical plane--is the Cosmic
Serpent biting its own tail, the Serpent reflecting the Higher, and
reflected in its turn, by the lower Serpent. The Cadeuceus explains the
mystery [Glos 71], and the 4-fold Dodecahedron on the model of which the
universe is said by Plato to have been built by the manifested
Logos--synthesized by the unmanifested First-Born--yields geometrically the
key to Cosmogony and its microcosmic reflection--our Earth." Glos 115-6


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


2	QUERY

Astral Light - We read and hear a lot about Astral, but what is it really? 
Do we all have this astral light as part of our aura? What is an aura?


2	NOTES

"Before the path is entered, thou must destroy thy lunar body(*), cleanse
thy mind body(**), and make clean thy heart."

Footnotes:  
(*)	Lunar body: The astral form produced by the Kamic principle, the
Kamarupa, or body of desire.
(**)	Manasa-rupa. The first refers to the astral or personal Self; the
second to the individuality, or the reincarnating Ego, whose consciousness
on our plane, or the lower Manas, has to be paralysed."	Voice p. 12


"Learn that no efforts, not the smallest--whether in right or wrong
direction--can vanish from the world of causes. "A harsh word uttered in
past lives is not destroyed but ever comes again."	Voice p. 37


"Thou hast to saturate thyself with pure Alaya, become as one with Nature's
Soul-Thought. At one with it thou art invincible; in separation, thou
becomest the playground of Samvriti, origin of all the world's delusions.
All is impermanent in man except the pure bright essence of Alaya. Man is
its crystal ray; a beam of light immaculate within, a form of clay material
upon the lower surface."	Voice 62-3


"Experiment and induction will confer a great deal of knowledge about the
inferior nature...but before knowing the occult, hidden, intangible realms
and forces--often called spiritual, but not so in fact--the inner astral
senses and powers have to be developed and used. This development is not to
be forced, as one would construct a machine for performing some operation,
but will come in its own time as all our senses and powers have come. It is
true that a good many are trying to force the process, but at last they will
discover that human evolution is universal and not particular; one man
cannot go very far beyond his race before the time."	GITA NOTES p. 134


"...an entity, that is passing through the occult training in its successive
births, gradually has less and less (in each incarnation) of that lower
Manas until there arrives a time when its whole Manas, being of an entirely
elevated character, is centered in the higher individuality, when such a
person may be said to have become a Mahatma...

The real Mahatma is then not his physical body but that higher Manas which
is inseparably linked to the Atma and its vehicle (the 6th principle)--a
union effected by him in a comparatively very short period by passing
through the process of self-evolution as laid down by the Occult
Philosophy....whoever therefore wants to see the real Mahatma, must use his
intellectual sight. He must so elevate his Manas that its perception will
be clear and all mists created by Maya must be dispelled. His vision will
then be bright and he will see the Mahatmas wherever he may be, for, being
merged into the 6th and 7th principles, which are ubiquitous and
omnipresent, the Mahatmas may be said to be everywhere...although the whole
of humanity is within the mental vision of the Mahatmas, they cannot be
expected to take special note of every human being, unless that being by his
special acts draws their particular attention to himself.  

The highest interest of humanity, as a whole, is their special concern, for
they have identified themselves with the Universal Soul which runs through
Humanity, and he, who would draw their attention, must do so through that
Soul which pervades everywhere. This perception of the Manas may be called
"faith" which should not be confounded with blind belief...This belief
should at the same time be accompanied by knowledge, i.e., experience, for
"true knowledge brings with it faith." Faith is the perception of the Manas
(the 5th principle), while knowledge, in the true sense of the term, is the
capacity of the Intellect, i.e.., it is spiritual perception...divine things
can be sensed only by divine faculties..." --HPB "Mahatmas and
Chelas" HPB Art. I 293-4 


"The first steps in true occultism are Self discipline, self knowledge and
devotion to the interests of others--i.e., unselfishness.

One cannot hope to be a chela until the elementary stages are gone through.
Your own heart will tell you how much you are prepared for chelaship.
Secondly, the adepts when they do take a chela nearly always stop psychic
powers for a while, until the disciple has got to know himself, his faults,
his follies, his vices and his thoughts as well as his virtues."

When the disciples are ready the teachers will appear. By doing just what
it can in studying theosophical doctrines, and with their minds the members
of a Branch will grow and teach each other, for as yet it is not teachers
that are wanted, but the preparation found in study, work and
self-discipline. The branch should also try to spread before the
people--without proselyting --the doctrines of Theosophy such as
Brotherhood, Karma and Reincarnation, and meanwhile should exemplify
Brotherhood, and act with energy as well as discrimination."
WQJ --Practical Occultism, p. 148


"It is wise to remember that "Ishwara" the Spirit that is common to all
dwells inside of us and if that be so, our sincere belief in and reliance
upon it will gradually awaken us to the consciousness that we are that
spirit itself and not the miserable creatures which walk on this earth
bearing our names. Hence I would ever reflect on the spiritual unity of all
beings, continually saying to myself that I am actually that spirit. Our
difficulties are always due to the personality which is unwilling to give
itself up to the great idea that it has no real existence except in the one
Spirit."	WQJ -- Practical Occultism, p. 221

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


3	QUERY

What does happen in the after-death states? What does Farthing mean by 
discarnate existence, is there then an existence in the after-life? What 
does Theosophy have to say about this after life?



3	On Death -- a general note:


WHAT IS DEATH?


At whatever period of history we look, we find that man has never been
without a friend. Even at the darkest moments of the world's history or of
our own individual lives help and comfort can always be derived if we know
where to look for them.

Of real help and comfort to us is the understanding of the meaning of a
circumstance and the way it should be faced. There are few philosophers as
helpful in this respect for the ordinary man as Marcus Aurelius, the Roman
Emperor of the second century, and Epictetus, the slave philosopher. They
are far better teachers on how to live than many of the present writers and
psychiatrists.

If, indeed, we are a superior genus of animal, and to die is to cease to be,
then let us "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die." If we are
immortal, divine beings in animal-human forms, having a goal of perfection
that must be reached by our own efforts, then we can joyfully shoulder the
burdens of life. Life invests itself with a purpose, not a purpose limited
to "three-score years and ten," but a purpose that lasts from life to life.
There is no death, i.e., cessation, but immortal LIVING.

What is death? Materialistic science says that when we die we are no more;
the substance of our bodies goes back to Nature. Religions speak of Heaven
and Hell and offer Eternal Bliss or Eternal Hell. Occult Philosophy and the
Great Teachers of all ages have given a different teaching, infinitely more
reasonable and constructive.

Scientifically, that which exists can never cease to exist; that which does
not exist can never exist. Unfoldment takes place and forms change, but Life
itself goes on. If our consciousness leaves the body at death, does it cease
to be? It leaves the body during sleep, but reenters when we wake. What
happens to it at death when it does not reenter the body? Are the
Spiritualists correct when they say that the consciousness lives, on in a
finer body? The ancient EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD describes the after-death
states very graphically, though allegorically. Shall we believe in it? Do we
accept what Jesus said to the thief on the cross: "Today shalt thou be with
me in paradise?"

Let us go a little deeper and study more fully the ancient teaching on the
after-death states.

When a man dies, the immortal part of him leaves the body. As that body has
a magnetic counterpart called the astral body, it dwells in that.
Immediately, he is pronounced dead. He sees in review his entire past life
down to the smallest detail. He sees it in a way he had not seen it during
life, for the Divine Parent itself descends at the moment of death and
floods the personal consciousness with light so that the whole field of the
life just lived is illuminated and the meaning of the experiences gone
through shown.

But when this is done, consciousness withdraws entirely and falls into a
sleep which may last for a few hours, a few days, weeks, months or years,
depending on the grossness of the last life or its "goodness." During this
sleep, either dreamless or nightmarish, another death or separation takes
place. All the memories that pertain to the higher side of life stay with
the consciousness, while all the gross, selfish desires, feelings, and
thoughts form an entity which remains in that astral form. The consciousness
of this entity is not what we would call consciousness, but unconsciousness,
and it drifts like a leaf in the wind while it undergoes the process of
disintegration. This second corpse may last for a short while or for a very
long while, and if it is left alone the normal process of decomposition will
take place. If it be contacted by a medium or attracted to a seance, the
memories can be reawakened, as the record on a gramophone can be brought to
life by the gramophone needle, the medium representing, in this analogy, the
needle. This reawakening of the memories of the past life is good neither
for the medium nor for the corpse, for its decomposition is hindered.
Therefore, necromancy has always been strongly denounced by all sages.

The consciousness, however, has left the second corpse and, clothed in its
highest and purest memories, has risen to what is called the heaven world or
Devachan, the place of the Gods. Here it relives the past life, but
surrounded only by the memories of the aspirations cherished, the good and
loving deeds performed during life, and hence it is in a state of complete
bliss. The consciousness, the real man, does not know he is alone, but is
surrounded by the images of all his loved ones and is in a state of
beatitude, out of touch with the earth and therefore not knowing at all what
is happening here. As love and thoughts are not mere ephemera but forces,
they affect the living, and at night when the living sleep, their
consciousness may touch the consciousness of the departed.

The ancient teaching is adamant on the point that the living cannot
communicate with the dead as the latter are in a state of subjective
consciousness and cannot be awakened to any objective awareness until the
next rebirth. Does this sound heartless? Why should it? We leave one another
in sleep every night. Death is only a longer sleep. The living benefit from
love poured out by departed friends, refreshing themselves by ascent to
their high plane during sleep. What does it matter whether we can or cannot
carry on conversations with those who have passed onto the higher spheres?
Our selfishness seems to demand it. There is much more comfort in the
thought that no one can wake them until they themselves awake after they
have assimilated the experiences of the past life. The period required for
this process is given on an average as 1,500 years, though it may be much
shorter or much longer, depending on that which has to be assimilated.

The question is sometimes asked if consciousnesses on that high plane
communicate with one another. The ancient teaching again is adamant: they do
not. Magnetically separated from all other entities on that plane, they are
left undisturbed until their dream condition is over.

As this dream condition is of each man's own making, those who have believed
in the Christian heaven will find themselves in their thought in the typical
heaven of pearly gates and harps of gold. The Mohammedan will find himself
in the kind of heaven his religion has taught him to expect. The
consciousness of those who have been materialists, who have not aspired
towards the spiritual world, will be a blank. Man is truly thought-formed.
He builds his own environment, both on earth and in the after-death
conditions.

Suicides and those cut off from life prematurely by accidents or execution
do not go through this full process until the time comes when they would
have died a natural death. All that a suicide or the executioner can do is
to cut off the physical body; the process of second death, above described,
has not taken place, so that the man is alive minus the physical body. If he
has led a good and pure life, he sleeps; if his character during life was
evil or coarse, he thinks and feels accordingly but has no physical form
through which to act. This is a very dreadful state to be in, for without a
body, cravings cannot be satisfied. Such entities deprived of bodies haunt
the sites of crime, drinking dens, and so on, and gain some degree of
satisfaction. Or they "obsess" living men, often causing them to perform
actions of which they are not fully aware. This is one reason why crimes are
often in greater evidence after wars. Motive is the important factor and the
state of one who sacrifices his life for others will differ greatly from
that of one who kills himself to avoid punishment for wrongdoing.

The last words of the Buddha should be borne in mind: "Impermanent are all
conditioned beings." Quiet acquiescence in what happens at its proper time
affords no occasion for grief.

We have had many bodies and have died many times, so why should we fear
death now? Indeed natural death is a gateway to a life of bliss, unalloyed
bliss, without worry or care of any kind. We do not know we are dead; there
is no loneliness, no fear, for we live entirely in our thoughts and
surrounded by the memories of loved ones and of the happy times that we have
known, as lost in that happy dream as we have been on earth when lost in a
daydream.

All things end and so does this dream. Life again wakes us, and once more,
the ray of the Spirit goes out to inhabit a body and to gain further
experience. We meet again those we have loved (or hated) and work with them.
We have our hard corners rubbed off and our good points of character
strengthened, and even though "sorrow is," yet life is good. Rebirths take
place compulsorily until all has been learnt and then rebirth becomes
voluntary.

Does this teaching throw any light on the problem of birth control, or that
of population? It does. If souls are waiting to incarnate, what are we doing
when we try to stop them? Nature works according to the law of perfect
economy. When we thwart it, we reap consequences of which we had not dreamt!

[From THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT, January 1960, pages 101-103.]


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

Prologue: -- Some basic Concepts
___________


Theosophical doctrines draw our attention to some basic concepts:--


1. The Universe is All. IT has no limits, either in space

or in time. It is Immortal. It is Life.


2. The Universe operates under cyclic Law. Law cannot be 	
broken. It supports universal progression. Mor-

ally It can be said to provide justice and compas-
sion to all beings. Universe = Nature in toto.


3. Each being is a unit of Life. In its essence it is a

ray of the Universal One. The unit is variously

called" Monad, or "Life-atom," etc... it is a 	
"perpetual motion machine" and is an immor-	
tal entity, it passes through all evolutionary 
processes, acquiring intelligence and experience.
It is analogous to a solar system, or to a galaxy.


4. Every being shares in the immortality of the One in its

essence. It therefore cannot be destroyed or

annihilated as a Unit of Life. Life or energy
is universal, and in its diversity it animates
every "unit of life."


5. In essence each "part" (Unit of Life), is united through

'electro-magnetic' links with all others. There

is one whole; only the 'units' seem to be sepa	
rate, divided from one-another in terms of our 	
gross perceptions of "matter." Their unity is the

basis for cooperation expressed in brief as Uni	
versal Brotherhood.


5. To make a physical form each 'unit' draws together other

units of lesser experience than itself on the 	
"Ladder of Being." In doing that it makes itself

responsible for their growth and well-being. Just

as a "teacher" makes himself responsible for the

progress of many pupils. It should be noted that

while the "Teacher" offers instruction based on

his experience, it is the responsibility of the

"pupils" to test and adopt it when they are satis

fied as to its accuracy. We call this, in general

terms : Evolution, when viewed as a whole.


6. Any "form," serves temporarily as a place for those

beings of lesser experience to acquire more ex	
perience and thus have opportunity to "advance."
Under the operation of LAW, Karma, they acquire,

each in its own way, a wider experience, a higher 
degree of consciousness. All those who have not

yet reached the "human-mind" state, are called 	
non-self-conscious "life-atoms." They are in-

cipient men-to-be. They inform for the moment,
the elemental, mineral, vegetable and animal 	
kingdoms, or divisions, of Nature.


7. When the level of self-consciousness (mind, manas, man,

soul) is achieved by any of the "lives," it

proceeds further, as a human being, through the

process of reincarnation, using many successive
physical bodies. All live in the same framework
of law, progression and mutual support. The 	
whole evolutionary scheme is a vast brotherhood.
In the man-mind condition/stage, progress is by
trial/error, and thus the awareness or attentive
faculty is developed as the individual studies 
the operation of universal laws operating in and
around him.





8. Like the Universe, man is seven-fold in constitution:

1. Spirit - Atman, (a "Ray" of the Divine.)

2. Discrimination-Intuition-Conscience 	
- Buddhi, ( memory of experiences)

3. Thinking, Intellection, Reason, 	
- Mind - Manas, (choice & free will

4. Emotion, Sensation, Selfishness - 	
- Kama,	( desire, passion )

5. Vitality, Life-energy, magnetism - 	
- Prana, Jiva (vitality, life-force)

6. Electro-magnetic model form - 
- Astral body, (electro-magnetic form)

7. Physical Body. (Known to us.)



9. The Universe, Man, and all other beings go through an 
evolutionary cycle which is seven-fold, covering an immense time, during
which each being passes through every one of the seven phases that this
seven-fold scheme provides, so that each may secure the highest degree of
perfection by its own experiences and voluntary decisions. All progress is
by self-effort. [ Very much as in our educational system.]


10. The self-conscious man, in which Manas (mind) or self-
consciousness is the active principle, makes decisions. Motive actuates
Karma. If the decisions are universally-based, 'good' and progress for the
unit, and the whole accrues rapidly. Should decisions be self-focused, as
opposed to the general good, 'evil' results. Karma thus actuated, teaches
the unit through disciplining circumstances what the ideal decisions ought
to be. Thus evolution proceeds. All karmic events are the direct result of
the choices that are individually made.
    

11. Graduates from this "School-of-Life" face the choice or
responsibility of becoming, in their turn, "teachers."  	
That is, of actively assisting in the process of diffusing 	
and explaining this universal process. They are superior 	
men. [ Similar to the Professors in our Universities.]


12. These are designated Sages, Wise Men, Adepts, 	
Masters-of-Wisdom, Arhats, Bodhisattvas, Buddhas, Dhyan
Chohans, Tathagatas, Prophets, etc... [ In history we may 	
name Jesus, Gautama the Buddha, Krishna, Pythagoras, Lao 	
Tse, Plato, Shankaracharya, Apollonius of Tyanna, and many 	
others.] they all came as reformers, and if their original
teachings are compared it will be found that they all taught 	
the same metaphysical doctrines and practical ethics.


13. The process of securing experience by mankind is called

reincarnation. The "Life-atom" that is self-conscious, or 	
the Real Man, uses a physical body which is assembled, as 	
above described for it to live in. In this life process it
not only advances (or recedes) depending on its choices, but 	
at the same time serves to assist and elevate by its example 
the whole mass of "life-atoms" for which it has specific 	
karmic responsibilities.   

At death the man-consciousness passes first into a 	
state called Kama-Loka, where a separation between the 	
moral, and the immoral occurs. A 2nd "death" occurs in a 	
short while and the immoral side of one's nature is allowed 	
to disintegrate gradually in the astral plane of Kama-Loka.  

The higher, immortal Ego, the moral side of our being, 	
passes into a state called Devachan, which has three stages
1st the rupa-loka, where the consciousness of the Ego is 	
occupied with the aspirational and noble feelings, thoughts 	
and actions of the last personal life. This process of 	
assimilation being over, the MIND-EGO enters a spiritual 	
plane where, united with the "Ray" of the Universal Spirit, 	
it is quasi-omniscient. This 2nd stage is called the arupa-	
loka [formless stage]. In that condition it is able to 	
review the life last lived within the perspective of all 	
previous lives, and thus trace the line of its Karma. The 	
3rd stage is one of preparation for a new incarnation, and 	
it begins to draw to itself those personal elements (skandhas) 
which will be used to make up its new personality. 
 

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


Best wishes,


Dallas
 
====================================

-----Original Message-----
From: Estela 
Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2005 8:23 AM
To: 
Subject: [bn-study] chapter 2, pagtes 16 & 17 Deity, Cosmos and Man

Chapter 2, page 16

9. After-Death States

The preceding section states, that in the life of man there are alternating 
periods of activity and rest, or, more precisely, periods of 
incarnation-that is, life in a body of flesh-alternating with periods of 
discarnate existence, analogous to the twenty-four hour cycle of 
wakefulness and sleep. In Section 3 of this chapter, some information was 
outlined concerning the seven planes of Nature and the seven states of 
consciousness. Incarnation is the process of assuming vestures or vehicles 
through which consciousness can function in the lower planes: death is the 
process of withdrawal from these vestures. It must already be evident to 
the student that every aspect of Esoteric Science is inextricably related 
to every other aspect. To understand death and the after-death states, one 
must study the sevenfold constitution of man and cosmos, and this must lead 
to-or be preceded by-the study of Akasha and the Astral Light. 
Nevertheless, whatever aspect is being considered, it must be seen as part 
of a whole, the functioning of which, in all its parts, is subject to 
universal law. At every stage of the study it is necessary to remind 
oneself of these facts.

_____________________________________________

Akasha - a substance that is neither matter nor spirit, but in between. 
Many refer to this substance as Ether, which scientist in the 20th century 
denied existed, but which some today refer to as "Quintessence". Just what 
is Akasha, and does it have anything to do with Akashic?


Astral Light - We read and hear a lot about Astral, but what is it really? 
Do we all have this astral light as part of our aura? What is an aura?



What does happen in the after-death states? What does Farthing mean by 
discarnate existence, is there then an existence in the after-life? What 
does Theosophy have to say about this after life?