Theos-Talk Archives (April 2011 Message tt00138)

mkr, 
Here is a reply that some may find useful: 

Contents Verses Delineating the Eight Consciousnesses: 

>>>http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/Yogacara/BasicVersessontents.htm<<< 

I personally hold the idea that Madame Blavatsky read this or a close sister to it in forming her outward Doctrine. I also think it is not possible to obscure the machine of the Universe that is spoken of in the above. The character of the sixth, seventh and eight, Karma and it's manifestation is a eternal obstacle to that spoken of "unity" that the text posted so desires. There are realities and there are realities, and there are fancies that replace reality, and ignore what must happen to advent the postulated desire. 

John 





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "MKR" <mkr777@ZibcsK5Mom0YhKYy0Zo-wBwPKtLt22O4f5FSvU1tlci85JRXOT83-u_VNa9IlJBia1N1M1gZPiY.yahoo.invalid> 
To: "theos-talk" <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com> 
Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 7:29:04 AM 
Subject: theos-talk Hodson on Spiritual Awareness 






Geoffrey Hodson, is one of the a well known theosophist has travelled, 
lectured and written on many theosophical topics for decades. I ran into a 
presentation he made on Spiritual Awareness to a convention. Here is a 
summary, which some may find it interesting and useful. 

MKR 

We are to consider together the truly theosophical idea that a continually 
deepening realisation of unity concerns not only the servants and would-be 
servants of the Race, but the whole of mankind. This is especially apparent 
at this present time of the tragic and dangerous dividedness of humanity. 

At a gathering of NATO heads early in March, 1965, Henry Cabot Lodge said: 
'There is today no organized grouping, on a world wide scale, of the free 
peoples. The great tragedy of our age is the inability of free men to create 
one well-rounded and essentially spiritual view of life by harnessing toward 
common goals their talents. Sometime, somehow, somewhere, power and 
responsibility must meet'. This, I conceive, is the fundamental human 
problem, 'to create talents'. How may it be solved? How may we know with 
Blake that' A skylark wounded on the wing, a cherubim doth cease to sing' 
and with Kabbalism that in the chain of being everything is magically 
contained in everything else? 'Where you stand, there stand all the worlds. 
What is below is above, and what is inside is outside, and also acts upon 
everything else' so that man may be regarded as a symbolic transparency 
through which the secret of the Cosmos can be discerned. 

Ruysbroeck, the Flemish Mystic, expressed this truth like this: 

'Beyond contemplation, mode of the mind; beyond ecstasy, mode of the 
enraptured feelings; beyond even intuition's power to pierce to Reality 
there is the Supreme Life where-into the Spirit is led - a boundless 
''unwalled world," "the hill of the Lord ... His holy place".' 

'This fruition of God is a still and glorious and essential Oneness beyond 
the differentiation of the Persons, where there "is neither an outpouring 
nor an indrawing of God", but the Persons are still and one in fruitful 
love, in calm and glorious unity. There is God our fruition and His own, in 
an eternal and fathomless bliss'. 

'As a sponge is in the ocean and the ocean is in a sponge, so we are in God 
and He is in us', or 'In Him we live and move and have our being'. 

There is a parable concerning two little fishes who met a frog beneath a 
rock. 'Don't you know you're in great danger, little fishes?' croaked the 
frog. 'No!' cried the fishes, much frightened. 'Don't you know fishes can't 
live without water?' teased the cruel frog. 'You'd better find some water 
quickly, or you'll die'. The little fishes swam to their mother in great 
distress. 'Oh Mother, Mother! The frog says if we don't fmd some water 
quickly we'll die! Mother, what's water?' 'I don't know', confessed the 
mother fish who was an agnostic. 'I never heard anything about water. Let's 
go and ask the otter'. 'Water, my dears?' laughed the otter. 'Why, you live 
in water! That's what you breathe!' 

So human beings also live in God and God is what we breathe. How may we 
first know and then become dissolved in God? 'Like water in water, light in 
light, space in space' (From the Upanishads). 

One answer given is to be straightforward, simple and natural, and this 
answer has been rather well put concerning sainthood. 

What makes a saint? Why were the saints saints? Because they were cheerful 
when it was difficult to be cheerful; patient when it was difficult to be 
patient; and because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still; and 
kept silent when they wanted to talk; and were agreeable when they wanted to 
be disagreeable. THAT WAS ALL. It was quite simple, and always will be. 

Since some of us do not find self-illumination to be so simple as that, let 
us look further. 

Before 1 speak of contemplation, let us look at certain practical 
necessities. The study and thought of Theosophy, especially concerning the 
true nature and destiny of man, are necessary to ensure a stable mental 
attitude towards life based upon true understanding. 

The purification, and so sensitization, of body must be carried out through 
abstinence from meat, alcohol, and narcotics and the adoption and practice 
of the ideal of harmlessness. 

Selflessness in motive and deed and regular meditation or contemplation of 
the Divine are essential. Whilst we should not expect any wonders during our 
meditations, we may experience happiness giving realization of unity without 
phenomena, and this is the goal. 

Mental stillness eventually falls upon one and this leads to entry into that 
state of consciousness in which the principle of unity, oneness, is realized 
as the 'All Truth'. Thus, not dazzling enlightenment or active, Nirvanic 
experience, but rather a gradual, deepening knowledge and realization that 
the oneness of things is the natural state of affairs, may be attained. This 
discovery and realization is far beyond all other Siddhis in vital, 
evolutionary importance. These latter follow, but even they are dependent 
upon the interior knowledge that all life is one. One must, therefore, 
acquire the knack of active, perceptive mental stillness, if only that the 
personal nature and consciousness may participate more and more fully in the 
wondrous life of the normally hidden Inner Self, the 'YOU' in every one of 
us. 

In conclusion, let me describe some helpful procedures in successful 
meditation which is found to have its own rules. Amongst them are the 
following: 

Day by day regularity so that steady progress may be made. 

Privacy to ensure freedom from interruption and possible shock if intruded 
upon whilst deeply abstracted in thought. 

Relaxation of body, every nerve and muscle of which needs to be at rest. 

Reduced rate of breathing, avoiding advanced pranayama until an accredited 
teacher is found: straight spine, preferably erect: closed eyes so that 
external sights may not obscure inward vision, and affirmation of 
self-dissociation from body, emotion and mind. 

These preliminaries achieved, the whole thought needs to be for The 
Attainment of Spiritual Awareness focussed upon the divine Self which one 
is, with due pauses using perhaps such affirmations as: '1 am the Spiritual 
Self immortal imperishable - etemal- radiant with spiritual light - I am 
that eternal 
Self of Light, that Self am l' . 

Eventually such thought processes cease, the mind becoming stilled as if it 
were dissolved in its Source. This mental stillness should not be disturbed, 
for from within it a Self-declaration and realization of 
divinity and unity occur. 

Such is at least one way in which the Oneness of all Life may be known. 

***** 

MKR 

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