Theos-Talk Archives (February 2012 Message tt00107)

Why the need to sacrifice oneself in order to redeem all creatures?
Cass


"Starting upon the long journey immaculate; descending more and more into sinful matter, and having connected himself with every atom in manifested Space--the Pilgrim, having struggled through and suffered in every form of life and being, is only at the bottom of the valley of matter, and half through his cycle, when he has identified himself with collective Humanity. This, he has made in his own image. In order to progress upwards and homewards, the "God" has to now ascend the weary uphill path of the Golgotha of Life. It is the martyrdom of self-conscious existence. Like Visvakarman he has to sacrifice himself to himself in order to redeem all creatures, to resurrect from the many into the One Life. Then he ascends into heaven indeed; where, plunged into the incomprehensible absolute Being and Bliss of Paranirvana, he reigns unconditionally, and whence he will re-descend again at the next "coming," which one portion of humanity expects in its
 dead-letter sense as the second advent, and the other as the last "Kalki Avatar." 
SD I 268
"Theosophy considers humanity as an emanation from divinity on its return path hereto. At an advanced point upon the path, Adeptship is reached by those who have devoted several incarnations to its achievement...many incarnations are necessary for it after the formation of a conscious purpose and the beginning of the needful training..." 
KEY 214-5

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