Theos-Talk Archives (April 2005 Message tt01626)

Apl 24 2005

Dear Friends:	 

Re: PATHS TO PERFECTION where ? How many ? What are sure ones?

'The path of the mystic - through love of intuition
The path of the thinker - through love of intellect
The path of the ritualist -through love of ritual
All having love as their basis. All equal"

THEOSOPHY offers a key to these, as it speaks of the 7 "principles in Nature
and in man: It holds these to be basic to the universe, which evolves from
the "UNKNOWN," on seven planes, and in seven ways in all worlds. And this
sevenfold differentiation causes all the worlds of the universe, and the
beings thereon, to have a septenary constitution.

This provides 7 means or methods, and it offers suggestions to explore them
since we have those same 7 divisions present in our own natures right now. 

The divisions of the sevenfold universe (and our inner selves) may be laid
down roughly as: 

The first is invariable, timeless, all enclosing -- an
INDESCRIBABLE UNKNOWN. Of "IT" we can only say: "IT" IS, as a BACKGROUND,
whether there is "manifestation," or "non-manifestation." :IT" is constant
and consistent.

1	The "ABSOLUTE," or "Space." For "Space" is that which ever is, and
in which all manifestation must take place.

	
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The next series arise in "manifestation," or differentiation.


2	SPIRIT, -- total perfection, wisdom, intuition, excellence,
"sattva." [The "Life-currents" that support and provide for the interactive
continuity of all beings are derived from this principle as "IT" is present
as a "ray" or "fragment" in every one of them. It is also designated THE
HIGHER SELF.]

3	MIND, -- the sense of "self," activity, independence of choice,
perception of diversity, "rajas." [ With this is associated the creative
force of the will. It is dual: The Higher Manas (Buddhi-Manas or the
"Individuality") and the Lower Manas (Kama-Manas or the "Personality"). As a
"principle," it bridges the gap between "Spirit" and "Matter." As a chooser
it initiates all actions. Its decisions are the seeds that ultimately grow
and bear the inescapable fruit of Karma. ]

4	MATTER, the ocean of Monads, or immortal "life-atoms," each a mirror
of the ONE and having the same potentials, though undeveloped and
unexpressed individually. These make up the innumerable "forms," and its
characteristic is inertia, or "tamas." With this is associated the Akasic
records and the Astral model universe that underlies the physical one. ]


The interaction of these may be considered under 3 forces:


5	WILL, the dynamic force of choice and decision made by the Spirit in
every immortal Monad as it eternally progresses towards the "Supreme
Perfection" of universally conscious Wisdom.  

6	AKASA or AEther, an electro-magnetic all-pervasive medium, having
the faculty of providing a basis for monadic associations under Karma, and
also serving as an impersonal and ineffaceable medium, wherein are recorded
all the many histories of action by all beings in all departments of living
Nature. 

7	LIFE. Currents of affinity and of repulsion working under the Laws
of the Universal Plan for all evolutionary progress. These are modified by
free-willed beings (minds) -- thus producing individual Karma based on the
illusion (Maya) of separateness, selfishness and irresponsibility.


Our knowledge (as mind-humans) begins with differentiation, and all
manifested
objects, beings, or powers are only differentiations of the Great Unknown.

The most that can be said of the "ABSOLUTE" is that IT periodically
differentiates itself, and periodically withdraws the differentiated into
itself. As to "the ABSOLUTE," we can do no more than say IT IS. None of the
Great Teachers of the most Ancient School ascribe qualities to "the
Absolute," although all qualities exist in It.

The first differentiation -- speaking metaphysically as to time -- is
Spirit, with which appears Matter and Mind. [These three, as a unit, form
the MONAD.]

This is a Unit, and, called the "Monad." [ In manifestation, it is an
immortal triune Unity, consisting of ATMA-BUDDHI-MANAS, or, Spirit - Wisdom
- Mind] The Monad is held to be immortal throughout the great life-cycle,
whether Manvantara or Kalpa. It is the basis for human Individuality and
responsibility.

The term "Akasa," (Sanskrit), is used in place of AEther, to properly
designate that tenuous state of matter which is now sometimes called "Ether"
by modern science. Akasa is produced from Matter and Spirit.

Will is the force of Spirit in action. And Life (Jiva) is a resultant of
the action of Akasa, moved by Spirit, upon Matter. [This is the basis and
means of operation for all individual and personal Karma.] 

The Real Matter is always invisible, and has sometimes been called
Primordial or Pure Matter. In the Brahmanical system it is called
"Mula-prakriti" (or "Root Matter"). And it is sometimes referred to as
"Maha-Buddhi." [In considering this, one may think of an "atom" as
essentially an eternal, individualized field of electro-magnetic Force.]

Physical material is condensed in and around it by attraction. The formation
of worlds, and the reincarnation of human Souls, may be thought of in
similar terms, and are seen to follow a similar pattern.

The ancient teaching always held, as is now admitted by Science, that we see
or perceive only the phenomena, but not the essential matter of Nature,
which is the cause or being of our known "matter."

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

PATHS TO PERFECTION

We find an expression of these made 5,000 years ago in the BHAGAVAD GITA: 

"My devotee who is free from enmity, well-disposed towards all creatures,
merciful, wholly exempt from pride and selfishness, the same in pain and
pleasure, patient of wrongs, contented, constantly devout, self-governed,
firm in resolves, and whose mind and heart are fixed on me alone, is dear
unto me. He also is my beloved of whom mankind is not afraid and who has no
fear of man; who is free from joy, from despondency and the dread of harm.
My devotee who is unexpecting, pure, just, impartial, devoid of fear, and
who hath forsaken interest in the results of action, is dear unto me. 

He also is worthy of my love who neither rejoiceth nor findeth fault, who
neither lamenteth nor coveteth, and being my servant hath forsaken interest
in both good and evil results. 

He also is my beloved servant who is equal-minded to friend or foe, the same
in honor and dishonor, in cold and heat, in pain and pleasure, and is
unsolicitous about the event of things; to whom praise and blame are as one;
who is of little speech, content with whatever cometh to pass, who hath no
fixed habitation, and whose heart, full of devotion, is firmly fixed. 

But those who seek this sacred ambrosia— the religion of immortality— even
as I have explained it, full of faith, intent on me above all others, and
united to devotion, are my most beloved." G. 91-92
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2
SOUL -- EGO -- MIND

Nearly everyone says he has a soul and a body, and there it ends. What the
soul is, and whether it is the real person or whether it has any powers of
its own, are not inquired into, and by thus talking of it as something
different from oneself, 
people have acquired an underlying notion that they are not souls because
the soul may be lost by them. From this has come about a tendency to
materialism causing men to pay more attention to the body than to the soul,
But when the true teaching is known it will be seen that the care of the
soul, which is the Self, is a vital matter requiring attention every day,
and not to be deferred without grievous injury resulting to the whole man,
both soul and body....


THE 7-FOLD CLASSIFICATION

H. P. Blavatsky, directly from the Great Lodge of Initiates, places the old
doctrine [of seven-fold Man] before western civilization.  

The classification is:

1. The Body, or Rupa. (physical form)
2. Vitality, or Prana-Jiva. (Life)
3. Astral Body, or Linga-Sarira. (Model form)
4. Animal Soul, or Kama-Rupa (Desires, passions, needs, wants,
vice)
5. Human Soul, or Manas. (Mind, thought, logic, memory)
6. Spiritual Soul, or Buddhi. (Intuition, wisdom, virtue)
7. Spirit, or Atma, (The family of undying Immortals)

the compact presentation of the sevenfold constitution of man in intimate
connection with the septenary constitution of a chain of Globes through
which the
being evolves, had now been given out by THEOSOPHY .

Considering these constituents in another manner, we would say that the
lower man is a composite being, but in his real nature is a unity, or
immortal being, comprising a trinity of Spirit, Discernment, and Mind which
requires four lower mortal instruments or vehicles through which to work in
matter and obtain experience from Nature.

This trinity, called Atma-Buddhi-Manas in Sanskrit, are difficult terms to
render in English. Atma is Spirit, Buddhi is the highest power of
intellection, that which discerns and judges, and Manas is Mind. This
threefold collection is the real
man; and beyond doubt the doctrine is the origin of the theological one of
the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

The four lower instruments or vehicles are shown in this table:

Real Man (Trinity) is :

Atma,
Buddhi,
Manas,

Lower Vehicles (Quaternary) are :

The Passions and Desires,
Life Principle,
Astral Body,
Physical Body.

These four lower material constituents are transitory and subject to
disintegration in themselves as well as to separation from each other. When
the hour arrives for their separation to begin, the combination can no
longer be kept up, the physical body dies, the atoms of which each of the
four is composed begin to separate
from each other, and the whole collection being disjointed is no longer fit
for one as an instrument for the real man.


Dallas

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

 
-----Original Message-----
From: leonmaurer@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2005 2:56 AM
To: 
Subject: Re: To Krishta, Morton, etc...: About Anand's Latest "Answers" 

In a message dated 04/22/05 : silva _ cass writes:

Hi Leon,
 
Are you saying that there are many paths, three that I can bring to mind.
 
The path of the mystic - through love of intuition
The path of the thinker - through love of intellect
The path of the ritualist -through love of ritual
All having love as their basis. All equal
 
Do you think we are either Apollonian or Dionyssian in nature? Or perhaps,
is it the balance of the two that brings harmony and equilibrium?  
 
Regards
Cass

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

That's too simplistic for my taste. Actually there are at least seven yoga 
paths, which include love of power, love of wisdom, love of God, etc. -- all
of 
which boil down to love of Self. So we can follow them all -- with the 
ultimate one being the Raja Yoga [Kingly Science] that works up from the
physical to the higher mind, and that includes all seven yoga's.  

The path the SD shows us is the intellectual path of the Jnana Yoga that 
gives us the foundation of the true metaphysical reality which enables us to

ultimately have the omniscience of the Dhyan Chohans [Lords of Wisdom] after
we finish the practice of gaining self realization through practice of the
Rajah yoga path of Patanjali. 

This Rajah path is a particular method to control the mind, awaken its 
higher intuitive aspect, and attain the same results that the path of the
Zen Koan 
"Ten Bulls" leads to.

So, I think our nature can be anything we make it. As Buddha said,

 
"Everything we are is the result of what we have thought."  

The problem is to make that thought in harmony with the true nature of the
all -- which is neither this nor that, but is everything that is the perfect
balance and equilibrium between all the extremes of possible thought. Thus,
any path that leads to that is the right path.  

In my case, I chose the Jnana Yoga to Rajah Yoga path -- which is where my
karma pointed me to.

Therefore each of us must find that particular path that we must choose for 
ourselves based on our own individual karma. And then follow it until it
leads 
us to a higher path.  

As the Master said, "The path of another is fraught with danger."

Best wishes,

Leon