GNANY YOGA/PART 1
THE FIRST LESSON
THE ONE.
The
Yogi Philosophy may be divided into several great branches, or fields. What is
known as "Hatha Yoga" deals with the physical body and its control;
its welfare; its health; its preservation; its laws, etc. What is known as
"Raja Yoga" deals with the Mind; its control; its development; its
unfoldment, etc. What is known as "Bhakti Yoga" deals with the Love
of the Absolute—God. What is known as "Gnani Yoga" deals with the
scientific and intellectual knowing of the great questions regarding Life and
what lies back of Life—the Riddle of the Universe.
Each
branch of Yoga is but a path leading toward the one end—unfoldment,
development, and growth. He who wishes first to develop, control and strengthen
his physical body so as to render it a fit instrument of the Higher Self,
follows the path of "Hatha Yoga." He who would develop his will-power
and mental faculties, unfolding the inner senses, and latent powers, follows
the path of "Raja Yoga." He who wishes to develop by
"knowing"—by studying the fundamental principles, and the wonderful
truths underlying Life, follows the path of "Gnani Yoga." And he who
wishes to grow into a union with the One Life by the influence of Love, he
follows the path of "Bhakti Yoga."
But
it must not be supposed that the student must ally himself to only a single one
of these paths to power. In fact, very few do. The majority prefer to gain a
rounded knowledge, and acquaint themselves with the principles of the several
branches, learning something of each, giving preference of course to those
branches that appeal to them more strongly, this attraction being the
indication of need, or requirement, and, therefore, being the hand
pointing out the path.
It
is well for every one to know something of "Hatha Yoga," in order
that the body may be purified, strengthened, and kept in health in order to
become a more fitting instrument of the Higher Self. It is well that each one should
know something of "Raja Yoga," that he may understand the training
and control of the mind, and the use of the Will. It is well that every one
should learn the wisdom of "Gnani Yoga," that he may realize the
wonderful truths underlying life—the science of Being. And, most assuredly
every one should know something of Bhakti Yogi, that he may understand the
great teachings regarding the Love underlying all life.
We
have written a work on "Hatha Yoga," and a course on "Raja
Yoga" which is now in book form. We have told you something regarding
"Gnani Yoga" in our Fourteen Lessons, and also in our Advanced
Course. We have written something regarding "Bhakti Yoga" in our
Advanced Course, and, we hope, have taught it also all through our other
lessons, for we fail to see how one can teach or study any of the branches of
Yoga without being filled with a sense of Love and Union with the Source of all
Life. To know the Giver of Life, is to love him, and the more we know of him,
the more love will we manifest.
In this
course of lessons, of which this is the first, we shall take up the subject of
"Gnani Yoga"—the Yoga of Wisdom, and will endeavor to make plain some
of its most important and highest teachings. And, we trust that in so doing, we
shall be able to awaken in you a still higher realization of your relationship
with the One, and a corresponding Love for that in which you live, and move and
have your being. We ask for your loving sympathy and cooperation in our task.
Let
us begin by a consideration of what has been called the "Questions of
Questions"—the question: "What is Reality?" To understand the
question we have but to take a look around us and view the visible world. We
see great masses of something that science has called "matter." We
see in operation a wonderful something called "force" or
"energy" in its countless forms of manifestations. We see things that
we call "forms of life," varying in manifestation from the tiny speck
of slime that we call the Moneron, up to that form that we call Man.
But
study this world of manifestations by means of science and research—and such
study is of greatest value—still we must find ourselves brought to a point
where we cannot progress further. Matter melts into mystery—Force resolves
itself into something else—the secret of living-forms subtly elude us—and mind
is seen as but the manifestation of something even finer. But in losing these
things of appearance and manifestation, we find ourselves brought up face to
face with a Something Else that we see must underlie all these varying forms,
shapes and manifestations. And that Something Else, we call Reality, because it
is Real, Permanent, Enduring. And although men may differ, dispute, wrangle,
and quarrel about this Reality, still there is one point upon which they must
agree, and that is that Reality is One—that underlying all forms
and manifestations there must be a One Reality from which all
things flow. And this inquiry into this One Reality is indeed the Question of
Questions of the Universe.
The
highest reason of Man—as well as his deepest intuition—has always recognized
that this Reality or Underlying Being must be but ONE, of which all Nature is
but varying degrees of manifestation, emanation, or expression. All have
recognized that Life is a stream flowing from One great fount, the nature and
name of which is unknown—some have said unknowable. Differ as men do about
theories regarding the nature of this one, they all agree that it can be but
One. It is only when men begin to name and analyze this One, that confusion
results.
Let
us see what men have thought and said about this One—it may help
us to understand the nature of the problem.
The
materialist claims that this one is a something called
Matter—self-existent—eternal—infinite—containing within itself the potentiality
of Matter, Energy and Mind. Another school, closely allied to the materialists,
claim that this One is a something called Energy, of which Matter and Mind are
but modes of motion. The Idealists claim that the One is a something called Mind,
and that Matter and Force are but ideas in that One Mind. Theologians claim
that this One is a something called a personal God, to whom they attribute
certain qualities, characteristics, etc., the same varying with their creeds
and dogmas. The Naturistic school claims that this One is a something called
Nature, which is constantly manifesting itself in countless forms. The
occultists, in their varying schools, Oriental and Occidental, have taught that
the One was a Being whose Life constituted the life of all living forms.
All
philosophies, all science, all religions, inform us that this world of shapes,
forms and names is but a phenomenal or shadow world—a show-world—back of which
rests Reality, called by some name of the teacher. But remember this, all
philosophy that counts is based upon some form of
monism—Oneness—whether the concept be a known or unknown god; an unknown or
unknowable principle; a substance; an Energy, or Spirit. There is but One—there
can be but One—such is the inevitable conclusion of the highest human reason,
intuition or faith.
And,
likewise, the same reason informs us that this One Life must permeate all
apparent forms of life, and that all apparent material forms, forces, energies,
and principles must be emanations from that One, and, consequently
"of" it. It may be objected to, that the creeds teaching a personal
god do not so hold, for they teach that their God is the creator of the
Universe, which he has set aside from himself as a workman sets aside his
workmanship. But this objection avails naught, for where could such a creator
obtain the material for his universe, except from himself; and where the
energy, except from the same source; and where the Life, unless from his One
Life. So in the end, it is seen that there must be but One—not two, even if we
prefer the terms God and his Universe, for even in this case
the Universe must have proceeded from God, and can only live, and move and act,
and think, by virtue of his Essence permeating it.
In
passing by the conceptions of the various thinkers, we are struck by the fact
that the various schools seem to manifest a one-sidedness in their theories,
seeing only that which fits in with their theories, and ignoring the rest. The
Materialist talks about Infinite and Eternal Matter, although the latest
scientific investigations have shown us Matter fading into Nothingness—the
Eternal Atom being split into countless particles called Corpuscles or
Electrons, which at the last seem to be nothing but a unit of Electricity, tied
up in a "knot in the Ether"—although just what the Ether is, Science
does not dare to guess. And Energy, also seems to be unthinkable except as
operating through matter, and always seems to be acting under the operation of
Laws—and Laws without a Law giver, and a Law giver without mind or something
higher than Mind, is unthinkable. And Mind, as we know it, seems to be bound up
with matter and energy in a wonderful combination, and is seen to be subject to
laws outside of itself, and to be varying, inconstant, and changeable, which
attributes cannot be conceived of as belonging to the Absolute. Mind as we know
it, as well as Matter and Energy, is held by the highest occult teachers to be
but an appearance and a relativity of something far more fundamental and
enduring, and we are compelled to fall back upon that old term which wise men
have used in order to describe that Something Else that lies back of, and
under, Matter, Energy and Mind—and that word is "Spirit."
We
cannot tell just what is meant by the word "Spirit," for we have
nothing with which to describe it. But we can think of it as meaning the
"essence" of Life and Being—the Reality underlying Universal Life.
Of
course no name can be given to this One, that will fitly describe it. But we
have used the term "The Absolute" in our previous lessons, and
consider it advisable to continue its use, although the student may substitute
any other name that appeals to him more strongly. We do not use the word God
(except occasionally in order to bring out a shade of meaning) not because we
object to it, but because by doing so we would run the risk of identifying The
Absolute with some idea of a personal god with certain theological attributes.
Nor does the word "Principle" appeal to us, for it seems to imply a
cold, unfeeling, abstract thing, while we conceive the Absolute Spirit or Being
to be a warm, vital, living, acting, feeling Reality. We do not use the word
Nature, which many prefer, because of its materialistic meaning to the minds of
many, although the word is very dear to us when referring to the outward
manifestation of the Absolute Life.
Of
the real nature of The Absolute, of course, we can know practically nothing,
because it transcends all human experience and Man has nothing with which he
can measure the Infinite. Spinoza was right when he said that "to define
God is to deny him," for any attempt to define, is, of course an attempt
to limit or make finite the Infinite. To define a thing is to identify it with
something else—and where is the something else with which to identify the
Infinite? The Absolute cannot be described in terms of the Relative. It is not
Something, although it contains within itself the reality underlying
Everything. It cannot be said to have the qualities of any of its apparently
separated parts, for it is the ALL. It is all that really IS.
It
is beyond Matter, Force, or Mind as we know it, and yet these things emanate
from it, and must be within its nature. For what is in the manifested must be
in the manifestor—no stream can rise higher than its source—the effect cannot
be greater than the cause—you cannot get something out of nothing.
But
it is hard for the human mind to take hold of That which is beyond its
experience—many philosophers consider it impossible—and so we must think of the
Absolute in the concepts and terms of its highest manifestation. We find Mind
higher in the scale than Matter or Energy, and so we are justified in using the
terms of Mind in speaking of the Absolute, rather than the terms of Matter or
Energy—so let us try to think of an Infinite Mind, whose powers and capacities
are raised to an infinite degree—a Mind of which Herbert Spencer said that it
was "a mode of being as much transcending intelligence and will, as these
transcend mere mechanical motion."
While
it is true (as all occultists know) that the best information regarding the
Absolute come from regions of the Self higher than Intellect, yet we are in
duty bound to examine the reports of the Intellect concerning its information
regarding the One. The Intellect has been developed in us for use—for the
purpose of examining, considering, thinking—and it behooves us to employ it. By
turning it to this purpose, we not only strengthen and unfold it, but we also
get certain information that can reach us by no other channel. And moreover, by
such use of the Intellect we are able to discover many fallacies and errors
that have crept into our minds from the opinions and dogmas of others—as Kant
said: "The chief, and perhaps the only, use of a philosophy of pure reason
is a negative one. It is not an organon for extending, but a discipline for
limiting! Instead of discovering truth, its modest function is to guard against
error." Let us then listen to the report of the Intellect, as well as of
the higher fields of mentation.
One
of the first reports of the Intellect, concerning the Absolute, is that it must
have existed forever, and must continue to exist forever. There is no escape
from this conclusion, whether one view the matter from the viewpoint of the
materialist, philosopher, occultist, or theologian. The Absolute could not have
sprung from Nothing, and there was no other cause outside of itself from which
it could have emanated. And there can be no cause outside of itself which can
terminate its being. And we cannot conceive of Infinite Life, or Absolute Life,
dying. So the Absolute must be Eternal—such is the report of the Intellect.
This
idea of the Eternal is practically unthinkable to the human mind, although it
is forced to believe that it must be a quality of the Absolute. The trouble
arises from the fact that the Intellect is compelled to see everything through
the veil of Time, and Cause and Effect. Now, Cause and Effect, and Time, are
merely phenomena or appearances of the relative world, and have no place in the
Absolute and Real. Let us see if we can understand this.
Reflection
will show you that the only reason that you are unable to think of or picture a
Causeless Cause, is because everything that you have experienced in this
relative world of the senses has had a cause—something from which it sprung.
You have seen Cause and Effect in full operation all about you, and quite
naturally your Intellect has taken it for granted that there can be nothing
uncaused—nothing without a preceding cause. And the Intellect is perfectly
right, so far as Things are concerned, for all Things are relative and are
therefore caused. But back of the caused things must lie THAT which is the
Great Causer of Things, and which, not being a Thing itself, cannot have been
caused—cannot be the effect of a cause. Your minds reel when you try to form a
mental image of That which has had no cause, because you have had no experience
in the sense world of such a thing, and there fail to form the image. It is out
of your experience, and you cannot form the mental picture. But yet your mind
is compelled to believe that there must have been an Original One, that can
have had no cause. This is a hard task for the Intellect, but in time it comes
to see just where the trouble lies, and ceases to interpose objections to the
voice of the higher regions of the self.
And,
the Intellect experiences a similar difficulty when it tries to think of an
Eternal—a That which is above and outside of Time. We see Time in operation
everywhere, and take it for granted that Time is a reality—an actual thing. But
this is a mistake of the senses. There is no such thing as Time, in reality.
Time exists solely in our minds. It is merely a form of perception by which we
express our consciousness of the Change in Things.
We cannot
think of Time except in connection with a succession of changes of things in
our consciousness—either things of the outer world, or the passing of
thought-things through our mind. A day is merely the consciousness of the
passing of the sun—an hour or minute merely the subdivision of the day, or else
the consciousness of the movement of the hands of the clock—merely the
consciousness of the movement of Things—the symbols of changes in Things. In a
world without changes in Things, there would be no such thing as Time. Time is
but a mental invention. Such is the report of the Intellect.
And,
besides the conclusions of pure abstract reasoning about Time, we may see many
instances of the relativity of Time in our everyday experiences. We all know
that when we are interested Time seems to pass rapidly, and when we are bored
it drags along in a shameful manner. We know that when we are happy, Time
develops the speed of a meteor, while when we are unhappy it crawls like a
tortoise. When we are interested or happy our attention is largely diverted
from the changes occurring in things—because we do not notice the Things so
closely. And while we are miserable or bored, we notice the details in Things,
and their changes, until the length of time seems interminable. A tiny insect
mite may, and does, live a lifetime of birth, growth, marriage, reproduction,
old age, and death, in a few minutes, and no doubt its life seems as full as
does that of the elephant with his hundred years. Why? Because so many
things haze happened! When we are conscious of many things happening,
we get the impression and sensation of the length of time. The greater the
consciousness of things, the greater the sensation of Time. When we are so
interested in talking to a loved one that we forget all that is occurring about
us, then the hours fly by unheeded, while the same hours seem like days to one
in the same place who is not interested or occupied with some task.
Men
have nodded, and in the second before awakening they have dreamed of events that
seemed to have required the passage of years. Many of you have had experiences
of this kind, and many such cases have been recorded by science. On the other
hand, one may fall asleep and remain unconscious, but without dreams, for
hours, and upon awakening will insist that he has merely nodded. Time belongs
to the relative mind, and has no place in the Eternal or Absolute.
Next,
the Intellect informs us that it must think of the Absolute as Infinite in
Space—present everywhere—Omnipresent. It cannot be limited, for there is
nothing outside of itself to limit it. There is no such place as Nowhere. Every
place is in the Everywhere. And Everywhere is filled with the All—the Infinite
Reality—the Absolute.
And,
just as was the case with the idea of Time, we find it most difficult—if not
indeed impossible—to form an idea of an Omnipresent—of That which occupies
Infinite Space. This because everything that our minds have experienced has had
dimensions and limits. The secret lies in the fact that Space, like Time, has
no real existence outside of our perception of consciousness of the relative
position of Things—material objects. We see this thing here, and that thing
there. Between them is Nothingness. We take another object, say a yard-stick,
and measure off this Nothingness between the two objects, and we call this
measure of Nothingness by the term Distance. And yet we cannot have measured
Nothingness—that is impossible. What have we really done? Simply this,
determined how many lengths of yard-stick could be laid between the other two
objects.
We
call this process measuring Space, but Space is Nothing, and we have merely
determined the relative position of objects. To "measure Space" we
must have three Things or objects, i.e., (l) The object from which
we start the measure; (2) The object with which we measure; and (3) The object
with which we end our measurement. We are unable to conceive of Infinite Space,
because we lack the third object in the measuring process—the ending object. We
may use ourselves as a starting point, and the mental yard-stick is always at
hand, but where is the object at the other side of Infinity of Space by which
the measurement may be ended? It is not there, and we cannot think of the end
without it.
Let
us start with ourselves, and try to imagine a million million miles, and then
multiply them by another million million miles, a million million times. What
have we done? Simply extended our mental yard-stick a certain number of times
to an imaginary point in the Nothingness that we call Space. So far so good,
but the mind intuitively recognizes that beyond that imaginary point at the end
of the last yard-stick, there is a capacity for an infinite extension of
yard-sticks—an infinite capacity for such extension. Extension of what? Space? No!
Yard-sticks! Objects! Things! Without material objects Space is unthinkable. It
has no existence outside of our consciousness of Things. There is no such thing
as Real Space. Space is merely an infinite capacity for extending objects.
Space itself is merely a name for Nothingness. If you can form an idea of an
object swept out of existence, and nothing to take its place, that Nothing
would be called Space, the term implying the possibility of placing something
there without displacing anything else.
Size,
of course, is but another form of speaking of Distance. And in this connection
let us not forget that just as one may think of Space being infinite in the
direction of largeness, so may we think of it as being infinite in the sense of
smallness. No matter how small may be an object thought of, we are still able
to think of it as being capable of subdivision, and so on infinitely. There is
no limit in this direction either. As Jakob has said: "The conception of
the infinitely minute is as little capable of being grasped by us, as is that
of the infinitely great. Despite this, the admission of the reality of the
infinitude, both in the direction of greatness and of minuteness, is
inevitable."
And,
as Radenhausen has said: "The idea of Space is only an unavoidable
illusion of our Consciousness, or of our finite nature, and does not exist
outside of ourselves; the universe is infinitely small and infinitely
great."
The
telescope has opened to us ideas of magnificent vastness and greatness, and the
perfected microscope has opened to us a world of magnificent smallness and
minuteness. The latter has shown us that a drop of water is a world of minute
living forms who live, eat, fight, reproduce, and die. The mind is capable of
imagining a universe occupying no more space than one million-millionth of the
tiniest speck visible under the strongest microscope—and then imagining such a
universe containing millions of suns and worlds similar to our own, and
inhabited by living forms akin to ours—living, thinking men and women,
identical in every respect to ourselves. Indeed, as some philosophers have
said, if our Universe were suddenly reduced to such a size—the relative
proportions of everything being preserved, of course—then we would not be
conscious of any change, and life would go on the same, and we would be of the
same importance to ourselves and to the Absolute as we are this moment. And the
same would be true were the Universe suddenly enlarged a million-million times.
These changes would make no difference in reality. Compared with each other,
the tiniest speck and the largest sun are practically the same size when viewed
from the Absolute.
We
have dwelt upon these things so that you would be able to better realize the
relativity of Space and Time, and perceive that they are merely symbols of
Things used by the mind in dealing with finite objects, and have no place in
reality. When this is realized, then the idea of Infinity in Time and Space is
more readily grasped.
As
Radenhausen says: "Beyond the range of human reason there is neither Space
nor Time; they are arbitrary conceptions of man, at which he has arrived by the
comparison and arrangement of different impressions which he has received from
the outside world. The conception of Space arises from the sequence of the
various forms which fill Space, by which the external world appears to the
individual man. The conception of Time arises from the sequence of the various
forms which change in space (motion), by which the external world acts on the
individual man, and so on. But externally to ourselves, the distinction between
repletion of Space and mutation of Space does not exist, for each is in
constant transmutation, whatever is is filling and changing at the same
time—nothing is at a standstill," and to quote Ruckert: "The world
has neither beginning nor end, in space nor in time. Everywhere is center and
turning-point, and in a moment is eternity."
Next,
the Intellect informs us that we must think of the Absolute as containing
within Itself all the Power there is, because there can be no other source or
reservoir of Power, and there can be no Power outside of the All-Power. There
can be no Power outside of the Absolute to limit, confine, or conflict with It.
Any laws of the Universe must have been imposed by It, for there is no other
law-giver, and every manifestation of Energy, Force, or Power, perceived or
evident in Nature must be a part of the Power of the Absolute working along
lines laid down by it. In the Third Lesson, which will be entitled The
Will-to-Live, we shall see this Power manifesting along the lines of Life as we
know it.
Next,
the Intellect informs us that it is compelled to think of the Absolute as
containing within Itself all possible Knowledge or Wisdom, because there can be
no Knowledge or Wisdom outside of It, and therefore all the Wisdom and
Knowledge possible must be within It. We see Mind, Wisdom, and Knowledge
manifested by relative forms of Life, and such must emanate from the Absolute
in accordance with certain laws laid down by It, for otherwise there would be
no such wisdom, etc., for there is nowhere outside of the All from whence it
could come. The effect cannot be greater than the cause. If there is anything
unknown to the Absolute, then it will never be known to finite minds. So,
therefore, ALL KNOWLEDGE that Is, Has Been, or Can Be, must be NOW vested in
the One—the Absolute.
This
does not mean that the Absolute thinks, in any such sense as does
Man. The Absolute must Know, without Thinking. It does not have to gather
Knowledge by the process of Thinking, as does Man—such an Idea would be
ridiculous, for from whence could the Knowledge come outside of itself. When
man thinks he draws to himself Knowledge from the Universal source by the
action of the Mind, but the Absolute has only itself to draw on. So we cannot
imagine the Absolute compelled to Think as we do.
But,
lest we be misunderstood regarding this phase of the subject, we may say here
that the highest occult teachings inform us that the Absolute does manifest
a quality somewhat akin to what we would call constructive thought, and that
such "thoughts" manifest into objectivity and manifestation, and
become Creation. Created Things, according to the Occult teachings are
"Thoughts of God." Do not let this idea disturb you, and cause you to
feel that you are nothing, because you have been called into being by a Thought
of the Infinite One. Even a Thought of that One would be intensely real in the
relative world—actually Real to all except the Absolute itself—and even the
Absolute knows that the Real part of its Creations must be a
part of itself manifested through its thought, for the Thought of the Infinite
must be Real, and a part of Itself, for it cannot be anything else, and to call
it Nothing is merely to juggle with words. The faintest Thought of the Infinite
One would be far more real than anything man could create—as solid as the
mountain—as hard as steel—as durable as the diamond—for, verily, even these are
emanations of the Mind of the Infinite, and are things of but a day, while the
higher Thoughts—the soul of Man—contains within itself a spark from the Divine
Flame itself—the Spirit of the Infinite. But these things will appear in their
own place, as we proceed with this series. We have merely given you a little
food for thought at this point, in connection with the Mind of the Absolute.
So
you see, good friends and students, that the Intellect in its highest efforts,
informs us that it finds itself compelled to report that the One—the
Absolute—That which it is compelled to admit really exists—must be a One
possessed of a nature so far transcending human experience that the human mind
finds itself without the proper concepts, symbols, and words with which to
think of It. But none the less, the Intellect finds itself bound by its own
laws to postulate the existence of such an One.
It
is the veriest folly to try to think of the One as It is "in
Itself"—for we have nothing but human attributes with which to measure it,
and It so far transcends such measurements that the mental yard-sticks run out
into infinity and are lost sight of. The highest minds of the race inform us
that the most exalted efforts of their reason compels them to report that the
One—in Itself—cannot be spoken of as possessing attributes or qualities capable
of being expressed in human words employed to describe the Things of the
relative world—and all of our words are such. All of our words originate from
such ideas, and all of our ideas arise from our experience, directly or
indirectly. So we are not equipped with words with which to think of or speak
of that which transcends experience, although our Intellect informs us that
Reality lies back of our experience.
Philosophy
finds itself unable to do anything better than to bring us face to face with
high paradoxes. Science in its pursuit of Truth finds it cunningly avoiding it,
and ever escaping its net. And we believe that the Absolute purposely causes
this to be, that in the end Man may be compelled to look for the Spirit within
himself—the only place where he can come in touch with it. This, we think, is
the answer to the Riddle of the Sphinx—"Look Within for that which Thou
needest."
But
while the Spirit may be discerned only by looking within ourselves, we find
that once the mind realizes that the Absolute Is, it will be able to see
countless evidences of its action and presence by observing manifested Life
without. All Life is filled with the Life Power and Will of the Absolute.
To
us Life is but One—the Universe is a living Unity, throbbing, thrilling and
pulsating with the Will-to-Live of the Absolute. Back of all apparent shapes,
forms, names, forces, elements, principles and substances, there is but One—One
Life, present everywhere, and manifesting in an infinitude of shapes, forms,
and forces All individual lives are but centers of consciousness in the One
Life underlying, depending upon it for degree of unfoldment, expression and
manifestation.
This
may sound like Pantheism to some, but it is very different from the Pantheism
of the schools and cults. Pantheism is defined as "the doctrine that God
consists in the combined forces and laws manifested in the existing
Universe," or that "the Universe taken or conceived as a whole is
God." These definitions do not fit the conception of the Absolute, of the
Yogi Philosophy—they seem to breathe but a refined materialism. The Absolute is
not "the combined forces and laws manifested in the universe," nor
"the universe conceived as a whole." Instead, the Universe, its
forces and laws, even conceived as a whole, have no existence in themselves,
but are mere manifestations of the Absolute. Surely this is different from
Pantheism.
We
teach that the Absolute is immanent in, and abiding in all forms of Life in the
Universe, as well as in its forces and laws—all being but manifestations of the
Will of the One. And we teach that this One is superior to all forms of
manifestations, and that Its existence and being does not depend upon the
manifestations, which are but effects of the Cause.
The
Pantheistic Universe—God is but a thing of phenomenal appearance, but the
Absolute is the very Spirit of Life—a Living, Existing Reality, and would be so
even if every manifestation were withdrawn from appearance and expression—drawn
back into the source from which it emanated. The Absolute is more than Mountain
or Ocean—Electricity or Gravitation—Monad or Man—It is
SPIRIT—LIFE—BEING—REALITY—the ONE THAT IS. Omnipotent, Omnipresent; Omniscient;
Eternal; Infinite; Absolute; these are Man's greatest words, and yet they but
feebly portray a shadow thrown by the One Itself.
The
Absolute is not a far-away Being directing our affairs at long range—not an
absentee Deity—but an Immanent Life in and about us all—manifesting in us and
creating us into individual centers of consciousness, in pursuance with some
great law of being.
And,
more than this, the Absolute instead of being an indifferent and unmoved
spectator to its own creation, is a thriving, longing, active, suffering,
rejoicing, feeling Spirit, partaking of the feelings of its manifestations,
rather than callously witnessing them. It lives in us—with us—through us. Back
of all the pain in the world may be found a great feeling and suffering love.
The pain of the world is not punishment or evidence of divine wrath, but the
incidents of the working out of some cosmic plan, in which the Absolute is the
Actor, through the forms of Its manifestations.
The
message of the Absolute to some of the Illumined has been, "All is being
done in the best and only possible way—I am doing the best I can—all is
well—and in the end will so appear."
The
Absolute is no personal Deity—yet in itself it contains all that goes to make
up all personality and all human relations. Father, Mother, Child, Friend, is
in It. All forms of human love and craving for sympathy, understanding and
companionship may find refuge in loving the Absolute.
The
Absolute is constantly in evidence in our lives, and yet we have been seeking
it here and there in the outer world, asking it to show itself and prove Its
existence. Well may it say to us: "Hast thou been so long time with me,
and hast thou not known me?" This is the great tragedy of Life, that the
Spirit comes to us—Its own—and we know It not. We fail to hear Its words:
"Oh, ye who mourn, I suffer with you and through you. Yea, it is I who
grieve in you. Your pain is mine—to the last pang. I suffer all pain through
you—and yet I rejoice beyond you, for I know that through you, and with you, I
shall conquer."
And
this is a faint idea of what we believe the Absolute to be. In the following
lessons we shall see it in operation in all forms of life, and in ourselves. We
shall get close to the workings of Its mighty Will—close to Its Heart of Love.
Carry
with you the Central Thought of the Lesson: CENTRAL THOUGHT. There is but One
Life in the Universe. And underlying that One Life—Its Real Self—Its
Essence—Its Spirit—is The Absolute, living, feeling, suffering, rejoicing, longing,
striving, in and through us. The Absolute is all that really Is, and all the
visible Universe and forms of Life is Its expression, through Its Will. We lack
words adequate to describe the nature of the Absolute, but we will use two
words describing its inmost nature as best we see it. These two words are LIFE
and LOVE, the one describing the outer, the other the inner nature. Let us
manifest both Life and Love as a token of our origin and inner nature. Peace be
with you.
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