C O S MIC

C O NS C IO US N ESS

TH E MA N GO D -
WHO M
WE A WA IT

BY

A L I N O MA D

P UB LIS H ED BY

A DVANCED T H O U G H T PU B LJS H IN G C O MPANY

1 59 N . S ta te S t “
. C hi cag o, U s A . . .

H aus a n m n xn rrv u
N FO WL ER 6; CO
L
m
. . , . .

1. I peri al Arcad e L udn te Ci rcus . .

Lon d on En glan d ,
 (DPYN GHT. 101 3

ADVA NCED TH OU G HT
m
PU B CO.
.

C HICA GO.
 C O NT ENTS

I C HA PT ER
T H E N E W B IRT H ; W HAT I T I S ; I NST A N CE S DES C RIB ED
l i gi d ph il ph i f h O i O id t
Th e

C m
mre
co
on s
p d ; th i h i f diff
are
an

m m ; Th
e r c m oso
i k id f d h
e
d th es
e re n ce
o t e
e
r en t
s ta
an
en ea
e
o
cc
e at
en

i C h O i Wh y ? Wh
.

os c i u t
on sc o i s n e ss no co on n t e r e n t. at
t di i p l t iv R l d h u l
g i d y i g wh y h w mv d b y th m
th e e arn es f sc Th e s r es or e ea an t e n re a
B uddh
. .

ul i m v i
’
a s a on z e o e
'
earn n s e as e
w i h u h i i ibl
t s c w rre s s t
; e y T h id i y
er t e t at e ctor e en t t
Ab l u ; O i l t h i g ; Th S pi i u l
M m m
.

m m
“
f Th
o e so te e r e n ta ea c n s e r t a
f B L w i ly ul u
"
a s h o ; Th
rot er a i ren ce e see n rac o s
p w f h O i tl i ii ;d h l! ‘ g lk bi d
im
”
o er o t e r en a n t at e oes e re a ta to r s
l ? H w th y l d h h
m k w “
d
an an a s t o e e arn o no an re a t e ea rt
f th
o w ld e Th i or l h ug h u J
e n n er Th te es t ro o t a an e
g xp i .
ly O d f J p ud
i g m
.

s t ran e f e Z (
er e n ce o a en 3 o r er o a an st en t
l “ Th k y t R li dd
g Tm
i i
r es t t n at ai n n ae i A e e o ea z a t on . n a res s

y M il i
.

f C m
f S uh
I d i g Hi d u
an f th
avs s ay ar, on e o e re at a sa n t s o o t ern
p ti C
Li f v i g m
n a e n i
con ce i u onTh o os c o n sc o sness e

J p id B udd h i
. .

im
“ "
a an es e f h ea Th o t e s ta t e e st e sa-
n on
pi x d th i
.

m
i n
i
e at e r es
e as
; h w

n
ra di t
h

I di H i mv l u i i gh t Th u
u bl
a.
e
o
w i ll Th l
s
t
s an ce s
e

ar e o
i
i u
r es t s
at
f h
i
s
t e
f G d
pi i u l
ns
te n
. e
e r
as t
e
con sc o s n e s s
n carn at on
r e o
o
o

t e s r t a
o

y i g f V i M h i t w lv
.

fi l i ll um
“ ”
earn n th or f th e o ce o f e ot er s e e e ars o
t ugg l b l b i pi
.

w d W h t th P i m
s r Hi e i i s Th na u u n at on . e n tte ra e ss c
y i ll u i
.

tu d i re hi wn s o n or s a e e rs an s t cs a s on
w i h th B l v d i g i fi x i
.

m
“ ”
t o u i n on t it
e e o d
e s n e3
°
s e ot er c an i ts
i g W y f h Gd h i f dif
b tw th m g f J u d h f h h ly
“
t i
e s o er c Th e an n e Th a o t e o s ec e
f
m ti Th ; f mwu v S i g fAS l mh w i d h vdiff
. .

e ren ce e e en e ess a e o es s an t at o ot e r o

id t gl im
“
i "
en . e a o s on o o o on an t e e re n t n t er

p re ta on s a ne F e rs o n . p re n c r t er s e
’
en se s
w b i th M l i
.

17
'
f h
o t e ne r t . th an s re at on o e

C H APT ER I I
MAN S RE LAT I ON TO GO D AND TO H I S F E L LOW M E N
’
-

Th ge tre a i dd l r d w e lu i an Th p a ne i t sof th i d l t on e ers s en ce o e ea

f P f d M ; H i t y b i i h i t y T h up l i v
.

o e r ect e an as an as s n s or ? e s e r at e
f ul ty f i i tu l h t d pi d b u i p i
ym
ac a d cte t s ts , a n t e rs an
h y y i w h i h th
o r si as e
f
s
ul p t
sc ors b l iu
con sc o s n e s s e v a
o s o n c e
h i gh xp l f C t i p ul i t i
. .

u
e r co n sci o sn ess e re s s e s ts e i er a n ec ar ra ts
w h i h di i gui h h e d i d i fl ux bd
di ti d p m
.

c st n s t os e st n e to e n th Th e a o e
g d ; Th
.

f h
o t e o s e con on e ro se o io f dh d i M oo n an
Wh t i N i v ? Th V d t i d Ch i id
.

h th ki gd mf G d
a s r an a e e an an ea . e ri s t an ea .

l i i i ph i l i m m
Di d u t cs s eac e th ? n I th o b o o on ear s e re a aS i s
f or c n t l i ty ? A w xpl i
cs Th
or a ne e an at on e
p i l u p h Th wh w il l
e s
Ev l u i
f mp h i i m t th h i gh
.

“ ”
er o s at s. G d ose o f s ee o . o t on o con
i u s t or d cl p cl o es t ev e o
za
sc o s n ess ro re an e

C HAPT ER I II
AR E AS O F C ONS CI O U SN E SS
Th Di vi p k C ci u Axi m
l Occul ti m Th g t c t l l g gt gh t ch
e ne s ar th on s f th i
o snes s e e s s en ce o ev er n o s
:
.

f u iv
o n ersa s . e rea en ra i . e ea

111

20 6 4 87 1
 C on ten ts

g l s e s ga d i g th e ul ti m
O ate goal Di fi erent
of m k i d
'
in s of ri e n ta e r re r n
t g B i th i co ci ous Ph y ical co
.

li m
s a es an n r s n ns n ess s n
M tal co sci ou ju g l s
. .

ci o u
s
of th mug
i d
; t
s n es s
e
i t ti o
S oul co ci oun
i
.
s
; w h i th
Wh y w ob y i t S y i g of a ci t m
t l
; th
d Th i
a
ns
n s.
s n es s
en n

er i
sn e ss
ea s .
e
e
n
rre
e

i t bl
s s i e r e a u e e a n s n en n
c ip t P f cti g L i gh t T h d i cip l t t A w ak i g
di v i m
. .

Wh at i man t b y
’
s r s er e n . e s e s es . en n

S l f I th atm l p ? Th e
o f th e an I h n ow on arth
ne s e e ? s e

d oct i of ii usxon ; i ts r l ation to C osm

.

th w k
e i
a o f th
a in
en n e n er e s e an a s ee
i c C onsci ous n ess 67
.

r ne e . .

C H A P T ER I V
S E L F N E SS A N D S E L FL E SSN E SS
ic m
-

Th e D k Ag a i g of l i ous p actic s Th e
p t t i g p o w of p i i t u l i i g h t h m
’

ar Th otes . e es er e n n re r e
y t y of co
v i o Th e a ad x of S l f tt i mt a d th n c i ty f o
.

e n e ra n er s r a ns . e s er n
e rs n r o e -
a a n en n e e es s r
O i t l t ch i g g di g th S lf Th
.

w i d mof th I ll um
selfl h
e s s n es s . e r en a ea n s re ar n e e e
d M t
.

s o i Th
e t t of fi tn s fo ne as e r e es es r
N i v a Wh t c u d B udd h t h g at t a xi t
.

ti m
r an a a Ex pe i
se a e re es n e r
f O i t al g d th i o y W at co la
.

at t ai n m t of
en c es o r en t sa es an e r es n rre
x i t b tw B uddh d i
.

Co m m
ti o
’
n e s s e d the en a s e s re an e en
i c C o s ci ou
s o g O ccid
n tal d i ci p l s
s n es s 86 a n en s e

CHA P T ER V
I NS TA N C E S O F I LLU M I N ATI O N A N D IT S A FT E R
E F F E CT S
Th e w o d ful b i lli a I l l um D E nck e d sc i p
Co m
of i ati on ’
n er r n n r s e r
i c i g h t ; h i op i i o g d i g th po i b i l ity
. .

of b com i g m l P cul i mth od of p oduci g

ti on of th e s s n n re ar n e ss
e o g n re en e ra e ar e s r n
pi i tu l c t cy a d c i b d b y L o d T y o a d oth
.

s r a e s a s es r e r enn s n n e rs
Pow an d P ,

a l i ty d i ol utio
.

Th
f ac b
I ll um
o
e
r i
er
fl ac m t of th s
c of G od a

W h at i ma t b y th ph
e Th arr e rs
a
of
Th
m
re s e n
am o g th
e e
ak d
e
'

e en
, s
e
re
en s e
.

s
e ss
n
n
e

h m
“
i ti na s an d e n e ras e n e
d W i ll uch a tat v x i t on th arth ?
.

c d Co m
u n as a e s s e e er e s e e

ic C on ci ou
.

sim
E fl o t o f th o
.

w h o h av
.

r s x se s e e eri e n e s s s n es
xp t a g i l i ty fou d ‘

all att m v i d c th at C o m
to e th x
re s s c e e e ri e n e e s r n e ar n in
pt I t e a ys s i c C o sci ou
e re n e en e s n s
n ess p os ib l to all ?
is s e

C HAPT ER V I
EX A M P L E S O F CO S M I C C O N S C IO U SN E SS WH O H AV E
F O U N D E D N E W S Y S T EM S O F RE L I G I O N
,

Th e sim pl l i gi o of a ly Jap a Th i
e re n o e c t sh i r : i ts n e n n er r se re r ne
x ot i c offi c M y ti c B oth h ood
.

ic m i g
t
es o e r ic d t an Th
i s e er e e s r er s.
Wh y th h av alw y b v l d Th
.

g t t ch an d th u ifo m
ot e es er e an n s e a s e en ei e e
i ty f th i i t uctio Ph i lo o
.

d Th fu d m tal d octri of
re a ea e rs e n r o e r ns r ns s
t ugh t b y V i v k a
.

fiuddh i m H av th p
hy as a e n an a e n a en ne
B udd h i t l o t th k y ?
.

y to I ll um f uits of Cos m
s t d y e e re s e n -
a s s s e e
l i gi o
.

I s re c n ne i ati Th
e s s ar ic n on ? e r
C O DS C IO U S H C S S 0 0 0 0 0 0 s o o o o o o o o o o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 127

C HAPT ER VII
M O S E S TH E L A W G I V ER ,
-

l i t f t u of th L w gi v b y M o es to h is people
of I l l um
Th e sa en ea re s e a as en s
t H b w y k ow l dg i to d
.

ym b ol of l ib ti o It ot c m g 4 45
H d th
_ .

a ci e an en e re s an n e e na i n an
t
i ul t
s re s Th s? e s e ra n . s es e ri eani n .

C HAPT ER V II I
GA U TA M A— TH E C O M PA SS IO N AT E
Pr tal co d i ti o i fl ue ci g B ud dh a ge t m pe ram
hi m Wh y B ud dh a
en a n H i st ns ent n n n s ran e
H s p cul i fl ect up o
. .
'

i t a c e d th i ar r n es an e r e n ,
 C on ten ts

d ur d l s t ug gl s : i suff i
Co m
su
F omw h at w B udd fi lly ib
en e ch n c a t errib
to e r e s er n
-
e es s r
'

ic C o
imp l ici ty of B uddh a com ma d mt
.

s
f ? n S C l O U S l eS S r as a na er
at d ? l i gh t
of C o m fu d m tal t uth taugh t b y
Th ’
e e s i th s n en s n e
i c C o cw u s Th ns sn e s s e n a en r s
B udd h a a d all oth ag B uddh ow w o d g di g
.

’
n er s es a s n r s re ar n
d a th a d N i v a L t w o d to h i d i ci pl
.

B uddh a coma w i th th Co m
e n H ow th
r na as r s s s es e
t ach i g ic
.

mth o of d v l op mnt of pi i tu l c
.
.

e of n s o of re e V iSi ri s
C o cw u n s
ns H s es . is e e e e s r a on
1 51

CH AP T ER I!
J E SUS O F N AZA RE T H
Th e a t s i h i
on s
g im il i y f u d i n ll l i gi u p p t
s ar t h o n n a re o s rece s
’
t e
di i gui h i g f u f h t h i g d liv d b y u
st n e at
m o t e ac
s n re e n s as e e re es s
p d l l u i t h l igh wi h i g
.

m dm h
“ ”
H is re e at e a Th s on o t e t t n e re at co
v d i i pl L v th b
.

d m m
an hi
ent e a f
e hto sc o e aS i s o t e
lg I llu i
s es e
i d d C i g
Ch t T h i g f th ti m
.

te ac hi
g f n
’
s o Th a S f
in n e n s e
“
e con o n o
ri s . e s ns o e es

C HAPT ER !
P A UL O F TA R SUS
H is u d ub t d
n o xp i f i l l um
e i i e d it ff t
er e n ce W o n at on an s e ec s as
P ul h g d b y v i w d ful
.

“ ”
a c an e wh w h con e rs on , or at as t e on er
p w h l d h w h l l i f Wh y P ul ugh
f h i i ll um i i i f ll Illum m
o er t at a te re lu is o e e? a so t s ec
Ch
m P ul i m b l d i p
i
s on a te r s d
i n at on a r acte r s t cs o a e
d i f
.

pli i
’
on es Th e e s re or Si ct a s n co ara e es cr
L v h v il h guid i ll u
.

m
“ ”
ti on f h o t e Th o e t at n e e r a et e sa e e to
f ui f th p i i p ph i d b y
.

“ "
i i
n at on Th fi . e rs t r ts o e s r t, as ro es e
P 1 8 11

CHA P T ER ! I
M O IIA MM ED
M oh m m d p d ti d L d C d i ti f A bi
bi th P p h i f M i h H p ul i p y h i t m
a e a re est hi ne ea er . on on o ra a a s

m t ; h id ufb q uh
r
cr a
.

en
v
k f
ro

i g ug
l p y; h
t w
ec e s
s
d
ufi re
g
l
o
ent
a es s a
at t ac s
.

o
is
cat a e
ec
s
ar
is
s c
s
c
e ri n
e
s
u
eca f t; se o o fi is ne e r- ce as n r e o ar a na
v l i g d t t f th v l ti
H
re
ara
e at on H
.
h
H i u w vi g b l i f i
T uth ; H i i m p l i i ty d h um
.

hi
il i y
mi i
s
H
; hi
s
ns
is
d v ti t
l i mt C m
Mt
i
c an
er
c
n
e

an
e
s
e
a e
n
a ter

t
s
e
s s on
is
re

ca
e a
s
on
e
o
on
o on
os
.

o
c
r s
C iu
.

on s c o s n e s s 1 98
CH AP T ER ! II
EM ANU E L SW E D E NB OR G
Sw d b g
e en l y li f
or Hi ’
ud d
s h
e arg f mmt i l i m e. s s en c an e ro a er a s
f l u i i u f ili g b l i f i
.

d fli ul H
m
Th e i c t o h
c e ar e n n c a t on is n a n e e n t e
d i v i i ty f hi v l ti H w th y p wi h p i
.

n o s re e a on s o e co are t ex er

f qu t pi L igh t T h
.

i g of C m
e n ce s f th Th o o f th
e rs . e re en re ce t on o e . e
bl es s n ic os

CHAPT ER X I II
M OD ER N EX A M P L E S O F I N T E LL E CT U A L CO S M I C
C O N S C IO U SN E SS I I I I S O N ; TO L S TOI ;
BA EEEC
I
I ll um ll tu l ul i v ti ; E m
bl x m m
Th e w ay to i ti th u h i na on ro n te ec a c t a on e rs on
pl ; T h i y
Em fm
a n ot a e ei h a d e e os c n ot e n is es s a s an con
l ig u i l i i y Wihh
m k b l di i m
i
v e rsat on s . u Hi e rs on s
’
re i o s n at re s a ar t t
O i t l p h i l ph y ; h i i i ;
.

r en a os o s re ar a e s cr n a t on t e
p ul i p i g q u li y ll f ili g
D m H
ec ar f h i H
e n e trat n a t o is n te e ct. is p ev e r a n

f u i ty W i h h b li f pi i hu l
l i f Di d E m p d i
u
m? H w i wi ug
as s ran ce o n t t e iv e is e e in a S t a r
y
t i mt f C m
M ill
_

e ers on re ct a en i ii lS r t n s as t e
fl t l i gh t up i C
.

227
.

re ec h on is at a n en o os c on sc s nes s . .
VI C on ten ts

T O L ST OI —RU SS I AN P H I L O SOP H E R
L EO
T l i th t g t d mt u u u l fi gu f th N i t th
C u y ; H i l m u b b l uff ri g ; h v w d mt r l
o s to e s ran es an os n s a re p e n e ee n

i mh l g g l mf h
ent r s a os t n e ara e s e n s is a o e a e ia
f d wii g
w h t du I id t i i l i f p v i u t h llum
hs ; is h Th orro r o e at ; e re v ai i n oo o is r t n s

m d i al h g md b y h
dan to a e nc en s n s e re o s o is i i na
k bl
.
. .

ti Th on d e re p ar a c ec an e an a e i s ex en
ra
w h t w du T l i g g
u f
.

T
e n ce. o g l d u f a as e
'
o s to s r e at s t r e an s er
i g ? Wh y th g t ph l h uh t d h ut Hi i os o er so t o i e in a s
g h g
n re a
Th
e
id f p l if f
.

m
.

ea n ot ig on e h o e n an ce e s ns c an e i n is e a ter
W y
.

ll
i u i nati on . h at h e sa s o f

m
H ONO RE DE B A LZA C
B alz ac s cl a ifi cati on as of th e p sych ic t em i t H is am
of m g t i c att acti on H i m re fi mt n
’
ss as er
i g po w
p i ation gav h i mh i s plac mF ch
.

n er a ne r s e i nin e ne en i

d
.

d om t m
ress Hi wer of i s ns r e e ren
l it tu o ti v w ti gs H s
u sh ak ab l e co n v ict i on of i m m
.

e ra e in
re of all h is an e ri n i
H is pow
both p l an of consci ou s Th l es on to be d rawn f om
o t al i ty to funct on
. .

n r . er i
o n es s n es e s r
B al ac v i d t i t ti on and wh y v i l d Th
v i t b l co cl usi on to b e d awn f omth e S y m
.

'
S e ph i t a
ra z s e en n en e e e
bol ical ch a
. , .

i ne a e n r r r
S cl et
'

C H APT ER ! IV
I L LU M I NAT I ON A S EX P RE SS E D I N T H E PO E T ICA L
T E M P E RA M E NT
P t y th l gu g f C m i C
m C m p t d th mk f
oe r e an os c i u
on sc o sn ess
a e o U co
n i u i t u
n sc o s n s r

Th m p f h p ti l m
.

h ym p m
e n ts o f h t e os i
c a l w Th e t u
r e oe an e a er o .

es
m p m
i i
s s on an d sco e o t e oe ca te era e n t .
r e
ff xp oy l d
T hi g f O i l m y ti i m Wh i tm
.

I l l um
“
H w o te era en t
"
a ects e re s si on N o r a roa to .
'
i i
n at on ea c n o r e n ta s c s an s
x di y Hi id P f cti L d
. .

“ ”
e traor n ar i
ex e r e n cc s ea o f er e on s or
T y
b ut h i ll um ti
y b y
. .

i f i u l
'
en n s on s tw o i st nc t t t
s a es o con s c o s n es s hi
s e ar o
h ood d an s t ran e e
gp i
e r e n ces Facts a o i n a on
f y
g is
f ff fu u W d
. .

Th e a t er e e ct s e n n s on s
’
vi i
s on o f the t re or s
w h th p f N u d d l t pi i u l
. .

i ll um
ort , e o et o at re H w b
o tt i
e a a ne an os s r t a
i v d th
.
‘
i i
n at on H w h
o e a n rece e ca t Li t Th
gfi
e e
vid
.

m N gu h i— mt mk b l i t f I l l um
.

e e n ce s o f tw o s tate s 0 i u
con s c o s n ess li
t ne 0 h i i llu
s o

i i
.

n at on o c a os re ar a e n s an ce o nai
i i l y y uh L i p iv f lt d t
.

t on n e ar o t
'
n e s e x res s e o an e xa e s ate o f
; h w i ul d i l t l if Th g c
f W i ll i m p f t x ml f
i u
con s c o s n es s o t re s te n a er e. e s tran e ase
o Sh p d Fi a M l d ar an
“
on a ac eo
‘”
a er ec e a e o
du l i u ; h d i i gui h i g u f th f d
f d m
.

a con s c o s n es s t e st n s n eat re s o e an
S l f ; h fi li
R mk b l
ht e e t e ne i H w th wine ou e arcat on o e r ter s c
l i v i g tw d i i l iv ul
.

ce ed d i e n n d th o s t n ct es an e re s t e ar a e
ib u i A pu l i g i f ph
.

con t r t li
t on u o t erat re f z z n n s t an ce o as es o
iu
.

cons c o s n e ss

CHA PT E R ! V
M E TH OD S O F ATTAI N M E N T TH E WAY :
O F I L L U M I N ATI O N
f u O i t l mth d f l ib i
phi l g i mg S g h y d v d R v l uti y ul
Th e o r r en a o s o Th g
e rat on. e l of th oul e oa e s
’
s
r a e t ran e t e o r a an ce e o on ar res ts
iv tu l i h i gh
. .

S lf G i i g im m
t at f l w o H w o
p o to h
e rce e t e ac f h a t o t e er
l i y I h fl h ; Ill/h R v l i
p m i d d i ub ti ti i md S i
“
o
"
e . a n n ort a t n t e es at e e a t on

S m v lu bl Y
h as ro se an ts s s tan a on n Th o ern c en ce e
pi pi x i t i du
.

m
r z e d h an t e r ce o e a a e o e erc s es o n ce
W w lly
B hm
.

“
s uli ri t a
cy h
ecs t a u i at i h Gn on t Th rea

m
e an s . e
‘
i Bl i
m g d w h mw
'
"
ra f
c h ss Up o t e h d Th
an as a s. w i ne race ts
d p ivil g wi ; e

c ib d by Em
.
“
w e rs an Th r e es . e an - o o e a a as
es r e ers on 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 Q O C O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
 TH E S ELF A ND S YMB O L

Th o u m o st Di vi n e l abov e a l l wo e n m
A b ove al l m e n i n consciousne ss .

Th ou i n thy nearne s s to m e
H ast sh own m e path s of love .

Ye a ; walk s that lead fro m h e l l

To th e gre at l igh t ; w here l ife a nd lov e
D o e ve r reign .

Thou h as t taugh t to m e a pa ti ence

To b eh o l d wh atever state ;
H o w ev er beauti ful and j oyfu l ; how ever ugly
and s orrowful .

To k now th at th ese are— all F—b ut

Th e g l im m e rings o f the greater life
Expre ssi ons of th e i n finite .

A cc ordin g to th e fi nality of th at m om ent

N ow t o c om e ; in th e e t e rnal n ow wh i ch th ou
,

S weet P resence hast awaken ed me to

,

I se e th e l igh t— th e way .

An everlasting i ll um inatio n
That t ak e s m e to th e ga t e ; th e ope n doo r
T o th e h ous e of G od .

I
2 m
Cos ic C ons ci ousness

Th e r e I find m ost pric e l e s s j ewels ;

The k ey to a ll th e ways
m
,

That l e ad from O to th ee .

A mi st ak e— an off turn fro m th e apparent

-

road of righ t
I s but th e bruis ing of thy te m p l e ,

Ca ll ing thy S el f— thy sou l

T h e God with in ; sh owing th e e ,

Th e ni ta of it all ; wh i ch i s b ut th e h alf of m e.

And as thy consciousnes s of th e tw o

m '

The ta and th e i ta co m e s to the e

,

A th ree is form e d— th e trinity is fo und .

Through the e th e D e ity h as t spo k e n

U n iti n g th e two in th e one ;
Rev e a l ing the i l lusion of m orta l ity
m
m
The m essage of O to the Illumin ed .

— A li N o ad
.
 A RG UMENT

Man i s e ssenti ally a spiritual b eing .

T h e s ourc e of this spiritua l Omni s ci ence w e

m ay not i n our finit e i nt e ll ig e n c e fu ll y
, ,

c ogn i z e b e caus e fu l l c ogniti on w ou l d pr e c l ude

,

th e p os s ib i l ity o f finit e e x pr e s si on .

T h e d e stiny o f m an i s p e rf e cti on .

M an p e rf e ct e d b e c om e s a g od .

“ ”
O n l y th e g ods are i m m orta l w e are tol d, .

Le t us con s id e r w h at th is m eans supposing ,

it to b e an a x i om of truth .

Morta l ity is subj ect to cha nge and d eath .

Morta l ity is the ma n i f es t— the stage upon

w hi ch “
man in h i s l if e p l ays m any parts
”
.

I m m orta l ity i s w h at th e w ord says it is

m
,

“ ”
godh ood re cogniz ed in the morta l I or
m
-
.
,
”
O — th e m or e g e n e ral t e rm — st and s f or

th e Chan g e l e ss B irth l e ss D e ath l e ss U n

, , ,

namab l e P ow er that h ol ds the worlds in space ,

a n d put s i n t e ll ige nc e i nt o man u p u . s , .

B io l ogi sts e v e n th ough th ey w e re to s uc

,

cee d i n repr o ducing l if e by ch e m ica l pr o ce sse s

from so called li f eless

-
“
(steril ized ) atter m ,

3
4 m
Cos ic Conscz ous nes:
’

m ak ing so h igh a form of m anife stati on a s

man h ims e l f y e t c ou l d n e v e r nam e the p ower
m
,

by which they acco p lis hed i t .

Always th ere must r ema in the U nknownable

— th e Ab so l ute .

“ ”
Om ,
th eref o re i s th e word we u se t o
,

expres s this Omn isci ent Omnipotent and Omni ,

p r es e n t po w er .

“
The t e rm m orta l we h av e a l r e ady d e fined
m
.

Th e com pound i m orta l app l i e d to individ-

,

“
ual m an stand s for o ne wh o h as m ade hi s at
,

”
one m e nt w ith O m and wh o h as wh i l e sti l l
-
, ,

in the m ortal body re cogniz ed hims el f as one

,
-

with O m .

Thi s is w h at it m e an s to e scap e th e se cond

death to wh ich th e m e re l y m orta l consci ou s
,

ne ss is subj e ct .

This i s th e goal of ev e ry h um an l ife ; th is i s

th e e sse nce th e s ubs tance of a ll r el igi ou s sys
,

tems and al l phi l osophi es .

T h e only chanc e f or di sputati o n a mong

th e ol ogians and ph i l os oph e rs l ie s i n th e way ,

o f acc o mp l i s h ing th is at on e m e nt Th ere i s - -

.

not the s l ight e st opportunity f or a d iff e rence

of O pinion a s what th ey wish to acco mpli sh .

Admitting th en th at th e g oal of ev e ry s ou l
,

is th e sam e— i mm ort a l ity— (th e m ortal con

s ci ou s n e s s c o gni z ing its e l f a s O m
) w e come ,

to a con s ideration o f th e e vide nce we m ay

 m
A rg u en t
5

find i n support of th i s a x iom T h is evide nce .

we do n ot find sati sfactory i n spirit co m m uni ,

cation ; i n psych i c experience s ; in hypnoti c M24

I
ph en om ena ; a nd astral trip s ; important and ,

re l iabl e a s th e s e m any p sych i c re se arch

phenomena are .

Th e se are not satisfactory or c onv inci ng

e vid e nce s of our at one m e nt w ith O m - -
,

b e cause th e y do no t pre clud e th e probab ility

“
of th e s e c ond death b ut o n th e contra ry .

th ey verify i t .

H oweve r a sid e fr om all the s e p sych i c

,

phenomena there is a phase o f human experi

,

e nc e m uch m or e rar e b ut b e com ing so m e

,

what gen eral that transc ends phenomena o f

,

every k ind .

Th e we stern world h as give n to th e s e

experien ce s th e ter
M
m
cosm i c consciou sne s s }
B
;
wh ich term i s self exp l anat ory .
M “

Th e O rie ntal s h ave l ong k n own of th i s goal

of th e sou l and th ey h av e term s to expre s s
,

this varying with the many types o f the

,

O rie ntal m ind b ut a ll m eaning th e sam e th ing

, .

This m eaning from our Occid ental vi ewpoint

, ,

i s b e st trans lat e d in th e term l iberation s ig n i ,

fy i ng to b e s e t fr e e fro m th e l im itat ion s of

s e ns e and of s e l f c onsciousn e s s and to h av e
,
-
,

gl im p s e d th e l arg e r ar e a of co ns ci o u s nes s .

that tak e s i n th e ve ry cosm os .

6 m
Cos ic C ons ci ous ness

m
as

spiritua l , or a s int e ll e ctua l p ow e r d e t e rm in e s

,

pre s s i on .

Th e obj e ct o f th i s b ook i s to ca ll att e ntio n

to s om e of th e m ore pr on ou nc e d inst anc e s o f
this I ll uminati on and to c las s i fy th em acc ord
, ,

i n g a s th ey h ave b e e n e x pr e s s e d th rough
r el igious enth usias m ; poetica l f erv or ; or gr eat
intell ectua l po w er .

B ut w e h ave a l s o on e oth e r argu m e nt to

ma k e and this we pr e s e n t wi th a co nvi cti on
,

of its tru th wh i l e conced ing th at i t m u st re

,

m ain a theory unti l pr ov e n e ach indi v idua l

, ,

m an or w om an for h im s e l f and h erself Th e

,
.

o s tu l ate i s thi s

m
p
I mort a l ity (i e godh ood ) i s b i s e xual
-
. .
-
.

N o m a l e pers on can by any pos s ibi l ity b e c om e

a n im m orta l god in of a nd by h i m s el f ; no
, ,

f e ma l e person can b e c om p l ete with ou t th e

“ ”
oth e r ha l f that m ak e s th e O N E .

Each and e v e ry S O U L th e r e f or e h a s its , ,

spiritua l c ounterpart— its oth e r h a l f with ,

whi ch it unit e s o n th e sp iritual p l ane wh e n

m
.

th e t im e com e s for attainm ent of i m ortality -

.

S e x i s an e t e rna l ve rity The e n ti re Co sm o s .

is bi s exual
-
Ev e ryth ing in the visible uni
.

v e rs e ; in th e manife st i s th e re su l t o f th i s ,

“
u niv e rsa l principl e A s ab ov e so b elow i s
.
,
 A rg u m ent 7

a safe rul e as far a s th e I D E A goe s T h i s

,
.

hy po th e si s d oe s not pr e c l ude p erf ecti on ab ov e ,

o f tha t wh i ch w e find b el ow b u t any ,

radica l reve rsi on or r epudiation of nature i s

inconce ivab l e .

“
M ale and f e m ale cre ate d h e th e m Th i s .

b eing tru e m a l e an d f e m al e m ust th ey return

,

to th e s ou rce fro m wh ich th ey sprung co m ,

l ti n g t h e circ l e an d gaining wh at ?

m
p e ,

C ons ci ousness of g odh ood; of co p leten ess i n

coun terpartal uni on N ot abs orp ti on of con
.

sci ous n es s b u t un i on wh ich i s quite a di ff ere nt

, ,

idea .

O ut of thi s coun terpartal u n ion a race of

god s wil l b e b orn and th ese sup er en sh a l l
“ ”
,

“
m ,

inh e rit th e earth m aki ng it a fi t dwe ll ing

p l a ce for th e g ods .

Th i s e arth i s n ow b eing m ad e fi t Th i s .

fact m ay s e e m a fa r di stant h ope if w e do n ot

j u dge with th e e y e s o f th e s e e r bu t it s proof ,

l i e s i n th e e m ancipation of w om an I ts evi .

de n ce s are m any and vari e d b u t th e a w ak en ,

i ng of wom an i s th e caus e .

Th i s awak e nin g of w om an c onstitut e s th e

first rays of th e dawn— th at l ong l ook ed for -

Mi l l enium which many o f us h ave regard ed as

,

a m ere fi gure of sp e e ch ins t e ad of a s a literal

,

tru th .

T he argu m e nt is not th at th ere h a s b e en no

8 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

i ndividual awa k ening u nti l th e pre sent tim e ;

but th at neve r b efore i n th e finite h i story of
th e wor l d has th ere b e en such a general awak
cuing and as it i s sel f evide nt tha t condition s
,

wi l l re flect th e ide a of th e m aj ori ty th e fact ,

that woman i s b e ing given h e r righ tful p l ace

in th e sense cons ci ou s life prove s th at th e
-
,

earth wi l l b e a fi t dw e l ling place fo r a h igh e r

order of b e ings than h ave h ith erto constitut ed
th e m aj ority .

The numerous instances o f I l lumination or ,

cosm ic consci ou sne s s wh ich are f orcing atte n

ti on a t th e pre se nt t im e prove that th ere i s a
,

race awakening to a reali z ation of o u r unity

-

with O m .

Anoth er point which we trust these pages

“ ”
wil l m ak e c l ear i s thi s : S o calle d revel atio n
-

“ ”
i s neith er a p ersonal discove ry nor an y ,

“
spe cial act of a divin e powe r God spak e .

”
thus an d s o to m e i s a phrase wh i ch th e se l f
,

con sciou s i nitiate e m ploys becaus e he has lost

,

s ig h t of the cosm i c light or b e cau se h e find s it

,

expedi e nt to use th at ph rase ol ogy i n delive r

i ng th e m e ssage of cosm i c conscious ne s s .

“
If we w il l sub st itute th e te rm i ni tiati on
m
,

“ ”
for th e ter rev elati on we w i l l h av e a
,

cle arer i dea of th e truth .

P erh aps som e of our re aders wi l l feel th at

the te rm s m ean th e sam e b u t fo r th e m o s t
,
 A rg u ment 9

part th o s e wh o h ave e mpl oye d th e word

,

r e v e l ation h ave u sed i t as im p l ying that th e

,

p l a n o f th e cos mo s wa s u nfinish ed an d th at ,

th e Creato r h av ing found s om e perso n su it

,

abl e to co nvey th e l ate st de ci si on to m a nk i nd ,

na tural l aws h ad b ee n s uspe nde d and th e

revelatio n m ade .

I t i s to c orre ct th i s vi ew th at we e m phasi z e
,

th e distinctio n b etwe e n th e t w o word s .

“
Th e cosm o s i s c om plete A s i t wa s i n th e
.

b egi nning it i s n ow and ever sh al l b e wor l d s

, ,
”
with ou t e nd .

A circ l e i s without be gi nning or end W e .

,

i n o ur i ndivi dual consci ousn es s m ay travers e

thi s circ l e b u t ou r fai l ure to r e a l i z e it s co m
,

ple te n e s s d oe s not ch ange th e fa ct th at it i s

fini shed .

W e can n ot ad d to th e un ivers al conscious

ne s s ; nor tak e away th er e from .

But we can extend our own area o f con

s ci ous n e s s fro m th e narrow li m its of th e per

sonal se l f i nto th e h eigh ts an d d epth s of th e

,

atm an and wh o sh all set l im itati o ns to th e

m
power o f the at an the higher S el f when it
, ,

h as attaine d at o ne m ent with O m ?

- -

I t i s n ot th e purpo s e of th is boo k to trace

th e spiritu al a scent o f m an furth e r tha n to
p oint out th e w ide gulf b e t w ee n th e d e gree s
e ! co nsciou snes s m anife ste d i n th e lower an i
IO C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

m a l s a nd that o f h uma n cons ci ousne ss ; again

tracing i n th e h um an th e ev e r widening ar e a
,
-

o f h is c o gn i tio n of th e personal se l f and its ,

n e eds to th e awak ening o f th e s ou l a nd i ts

,

ne e ds ; wh ich n e ed s include th e we l fare of a ll

l iving th ings a s a n ab so l ute ne c e s sity to i n
d ividual h appi n e s s .

Altruism ther e f ore is not a virt ue It is a

, , .

m eans of s e lf pr e se rvation— with out th is

-

d e gre e of in ititati on int o th e b ound l e s s area

o f univ e rs a l or cosm i c cons ciousne ss w e m ay
, ,

not e scap e th e k arm i c law .

Th e rev e lations th ere f ore u po n wh ich are

, ,

f oun d ed the numerous r el igious syst ems are ,

c omparab le with th e m any and vari ou s

d e gr ee s o f initi ati on i nto T HAT W H I CH I S .

T h ey repr e s e n t th e degre e wh ich th e i nitiate

ha s take n i n th e l odg e .

I t m ay b e argu e d that th i s fact of indi v idu al

initiati on into the ever pres ent truth o f B eing
-
,
'

a s i nto a l odg e ofi ers n o pr oof th at th i s e arth

,

i s to ultim at e l y b e c om e a h e ave n I t m ay b e .

th at th i s p l an e t i s th e ou ter m os t l odge r oo m-

and th at th ere wi ll n e ve r b e a s u ffi ci e nt num

b er of initiat e s to m ak e th e e arth a fit dwelling
place f or a high e r ord er o f be ings than n ow
i nh abit it Thi s m ay inde ed b e tru e B ut all
.
, , .

eviden ce t e nds t oward th e h ope that eve n th e

12 m
C os ic C ons ci ousness

y et the r ays of th e dawn a re d is pelling th e

’
wor l d s long nigh t .

I n h i s powerful and proph e ti c s to ry I n the

”
D ays of th e Come t H G W ells tell s of a
, . .
,

g r e a t cha ng e that com e s ove r th e world fo ll o w

ing a n atm osph e ri c ph e no m e no n i n wh i ch a
“ ”
gre e n v apor i s genera te d i n th e clouds and
fa ll s up on th e ea rt h with ins tantaneou s efi ect .

A s this pecu l ia r v apo r de s ce nds i t h as the ,

e ff ect of putting eve ry on e to sl e ep ; th i s slee p

continue s for th ree day s and wh en p eop l e
final l y awa k e their interior nature h as u nder
,

g one a comp l ete ch ange .

“
Wh ere b efore th e y saw diml y th ey now ,

se e c l early ; th e pe tty diff erence s an d q ua rrels

are perce ived in thei r true pe rs pe cti ve I n .

stead of place and powe r a nd infl uen ce an d

, , ,

wealth b e ing al l im po rtant goals of a mb itio n

,
-

a s before th e ch ange eve ry one now s trive s

,

to b e of service to th e world Love and k ind .

n e ss b e com e greate r factors th an com m ercial

expedie ncy and busine s s su cce ss .

I n m any re spects W ell s de scri ption of the

,
’

g reat change and its eff e ct upo n pe op l e corre ,

sponds with the e ff ect o f Illumination .

Th e s e nse of e nte ri ng i nt o th e ve ry h eart

of things ; of gr owing plants ; th e b ird s an d
the l itt l e w ood ani mal s ; th e inte nse sym pathy
an d understan di ng of l i fe de scrib e d by h i m .
 A rg u m en t 13

s ound s li k e th e e ff e c
t of cos m i c cons ciou sn ess ,

a s re l ate d by near l y al l wh o h ave attaine d it .

H ow the world s activiti es are r esum ed a ft er

’

th e ch ange and u nde r wh a t vast l y di ff ere nt

,

i ncentiv e s pe op l e work form a p art of th e ,

s t ory wh ich i s writte n a s fiction b ut wh ich

, ,

contain s th e s e ed of a great truth .

Th i s tru th i s expre sse d i n scie n c e a s

‘

human ach iev emen t and in religi on as fulfilled

,

prophe cy b ut th e truth i s th e sam e

m
.
,

Bo th religio n and s cie nce point to a ti e

wh e n th i s earth will k now freedo m fro m strife
and s uff ering Eve n th e e l e me nt s wh i ch have
.

h ith erto b e e n regarde d a s b ey on d th e b ound

’
arie s of ma n s wi l l m ay b e com p l ete l y con
m
,

trol l e d ; not ay be b u t will be Manual lab or

, .

wi ll cease N ational E ug en ie soci etie s w ill

.

put a stop to war wh e n th ey co m e to th e,

i nevitabl e conclusion th at n o ra ce can by any

,

po ssib i l ity b e im prov ed wh i l e th e m o st pe r

,

feet physical s pe cie s are re s e rv ed for arm ies .

A wak e ning wom an wil l refus e— i nde e d th ey

are now refusing— to b ear ch ildren to b e sh ot
d o w n i n warfare and cru sh e d u nde r th e j u g
,

g e rn au t of co m m erci al co mpetition .

Those wh o rea l i z e th e sign s of th e t i m e s ,

l oo k for th e b irth of c os m i c cons ci ousne s s a s a

race con sci ou sne ss f or e sh adowing th e new
-
,

“
d ay ; th e se cond co m ing o f Chri st n ot a s a ,
I4 Cos mC ic ons ci ous n ess

pers ona l vicariou s sacri fice b ut as a fa ctor i n

, ,

human a tt ainm e nt .

“
F or I am p e rsuaded s aid S t P au l th at
, .
,

n e i th e r de ath no r lif e n or ange l s n or prin

, ,

ci pali ti e s n or thi ngs pre sent

,
n or things to ,

c om e n or p ow e rs n or h e ight n or d epth no r
, , , ,

an y oth e r cr e atur e sh all b e ab l e to s e parate

u s fr om th e l ov e of God .

I f w e interpre t th is i n th e ligh t of cos m i c

c on s ci ou sn e ss we r e a l i z e th at w e sha ll k now
, ,

and exp erience that b ou nd l e s s death le s s pe r , ,

f eet s ati s fyi ng c omp l ete and a ll e mb raci ng

, ,
-

l ov e which i s th e g oal of i m m ortali ty ; wh i ch

i s an attrib u t e (w e m ay s ay th e on e attribut e )
of G od .

We are n ot l ooki ng f or th e b irth Ch rist of a

ch i l d but of the Ch ri s t ch i l d ; w e are no t l oo k

,
-

ing f or a s e c ond co m i n g o f a m an w h o sh a l l
b e as J e su s was b u t w e are anticipat ing th e
m
,

c omi n g of th e an (h om o ) w h o sh a l l b e co s
m
,

i cally con sci ou s ev e n as wa s J e su s of

m
,

Naz ar e th ; a s w a s Guata a th e B uddh a , .

Th at th e re may b e on e m an an d on e w om an
w h o sh al l first a ch iev e th i s cons ci ous ne s s and
rea l i zati on i s bar e l y p os s ib l e b ut th e prepon d,

cra n c e of e v id e nc e i s f or a m ore ge neral aw ak

en in g to th e l ight of I ll uminati on .

“
W e sha ll n ot a ll s l e ep b ut we sh a l l all b e
,
 A rg u men t 15

changed i n the twink l ing of an ey e said St , .

Pau l .

Th e proph e cy of th e wom an c l oth e d with

th e sun and w ith th e m oon u nd e r h e r feet
, ,

is not o f a w oman but of W oman in the l i g ht

, ,

o f a ra c e of m e n w h o h av e attai n e d c osm ic
cons ci ou s n e ss .

N oth ing m ore i s n eede d to mak e a h e av e n

o f e arth than th at th e gre at l igh t and l ove
,

that com es of I ll uminati on sha l l bec ome d omi

,

nan t
I t wil l solv e al l pr ob l e m s b ecau s e prob l e m s
,

aris e on l y b e cau s e w e are gr oping i n th e dark

m
.

T h e elim i n ati on of se l fish nes s ; of con de n a

tion ; of f e ar an d ange r an d doub t m ust h av e
, ,

far gr e ater powe r f or universa l h appines s and

we l l b e ing th an all th e syste m s wh i ch th eology
-

o r s cie nce or po l itics c ould devi se I ndeed a ll

.
,

th ese syste m s are sporadi c and e mpiri cal at

t e mpts t o e x pre s s th e vague dawning of
I ll umination .

I n th e fu l n es s of it s l igh t th e n ee d fo r s y s
,

te m s wil l have pas sed awa y .

 C H A PT E R I

T H E N EW B I R T H W H A T I T IS :

I NS TA N C ES D E S C RI B E D
Th e ch ief diff ere nce b e twee n th e re l igi on s
and the phil osophies o f the Orient and those
of the Occident lies in the fact that the Orien
,

tal systems methods and practices emphas iz e

, , ,

th e assumption th at th e goal of th e s e eff ort s ,

is attainab l e a t any m om e nt as it we re , .

That is Oriental religion— speak ing in the

,

b ro ad s en s e— teache s th at th e di scipl e ne ed
n ot wait fo r th e expe rie nce cal l e d death to

m
l ib erate the S el f the at an from the ench ant
m
, ,

m en t o r del us ion th e ay o of th e e xtern al

, ,

world Indeed the Oriental d evotee well know s

m
.
,

that physical death ri ty u is not a guarantee o f

, ,

l iberation ; doe s not necessari l y bring with it

m
i mortality .

H e we ll rec ogni z es that phys ical death is

but a proc edur e in ex ist enc e D eath d oe s not
m
.

of itsel f change the c ondition o f

, ay a in ,

w hich the di scip l e is bound until such a tim e ,

as he has earne d l ibe rati on—a n ukti w hich con ,

diti on may be defin ed as immunity from

furth er incarnation .
18 Cos mC ic ons ci ous n ess

I m m orta l ity i s ou r righ tful h e ritage b ut it

m us t b e c l aim ed yea i t m ust b e earn ed
,
-
,
.

I t is a m istak e to im agine th at de ath m a k e s

m an im m orta l I m m orta l ity i s an at trib ute of
.

th e g ods B ut sinc e al l sou l s pos se s s a spark

.

o f the divine ess en ce of Brahman (The Abeo

m
lute ) ukti may b e attaine d by earne s t s ee k
,

i n g a nd thu s i m m orta l i ty b e realiz ed

,
.

Th is conditi on o f awak ening i s vari ou s l y

’

nam ed am ong Ori enta l sages and ch el as such

m
,

f or instance a s g l im psing th e B rah i c sp lendor

m mhi mk h
,

u tki ; s a o s a ; en teri ng N i rvana; be

'
aa ;
“ ”
c om ing twice born -
.

I n r e c e nt y ears th ere h av e com e to ligh t i n

the Occident a numbe r o f inst ances of the
attainm e nt of th is state and th e se h a ve b ee n
m
,
“
describe d a s cos m i c consciou sne ss i llu i ,

“ “
nation l ib erat ion th e baptis m o f th e
”
H ol y Ghost ; and b e com ing im m erse d i n th e
gr e at wh ite ligh t .

B aptism wh ich i s a ce re m ony v ery g e ne r

,

a ll y in c orp o r a t e d into re l igiou s syste m s i s a ,

symbol of thi s es ot eric truth nam el y the n ecessity

m
,

f or I ll u i ati on in ord e r that the soul may be

fr om furth er incarnati on s — fr om further
”
ved

T h e term c osm i c consciou sne s s as w ell

ao C os mC
ic ons ci ousn ess

O ne purpose on l y actuate s th e e arne st dis

,

ciple li k e a g l oriou s star ligh ting th e path of

,
’
the marin e r on li fe s troub l ous sea That .

o al is the attainment o f that beatific state in

g
wh ich i s reveale d to th e s oul and th e m ind th e ,

real and th e unrea l ; th e e t e rn a l sub stance of

truth and th e sh iftin g k aleidos c ope of ayo
,
m .

N or can th e re b e any purp ose i n th e purs uit

o f eith e r r el igion or philosophy oth er than th is

attainm e nt ; nor doe s th e u nceasing practice of

ri te s and cere monie s ; o f conte m p l ation ; re
n un ci ati on ; prayers ; fa sting ; pe nance ; de v o

ti on ; s e rvice ; adoration ; abs te i n ous n ess ; or m

i so l ation in sure th e attainm e nt of th is state
,

of bliss T here i s no b arte ring ; no assuranc e

.

of reward for good conduct I t i s not as .

“
th ough on e w ould say Ah my child i f thou , , ,

wouldst purch ase liberati on th ou shalt follo w

”
th is r e cipe .

No gol d en promises o f s peedy entran ce into

Para dis e may be giv en the discip l e N or any .

ex act rules or l a w s o f eq u
, as ion by vi rtu e o f

w hich th e goal sha ll be r eached N or y et may .

any specific tim e be correctl y estimated in

w hich to s erve a n ovitiate be for e fina l ,

initiation .

Many indeed attain a high degree o f spirit

,

uality and y et n ot have found the k ey o f per

,
 The N e wB i rth 21

f e et l ib eration altho u g h th e
, g oal m ay b e not

far off .

M any v e ry m any o n e arth tod ay are l iving

, , ,

s o c l o se to th e b orderland of th e new b irt h

that they catch fleeting glimps es o f the longed

for fre edo m b ut th e fu l l im port of its m ea n
,

ing does not dawn There is y et another veil

.
,

h oweve r th in b etwee n th e m and th e L ight

, .

The B uddha spent seve n y e ars in an ia

te nse longi ng and des ire to attain th at libe ra
tion wh i ch b rough t h i m consciousne s s of
godh ood— delive rance from th e s en s e of sin
'

and sorrow th at h ad oppre sse d h im ; i m m u nit y

from the necessity f or reincarnation .

Je su s b e ca m e a Chris t only afte r p as sin g

‘
th rough th e agonie s of Ge th se mane A C hri st .

i s one wh o ha s found lib eration ; wh o ha s b een

born agai n i n h i s indiv idual consciou sne s s int o
th e inne r ar e a s of consciousne s s wh ich are of
m
th e at an and th is attainm ent e stabl i sh e s his
,

ide ntity w ith Th e Ab solute .

A l l oriental r eligions and philos ophies teach

that th i s s tate of consciousne ss i s possible to ,

a l l m e n ; th erefore all m e n are gods i n e mb ry o

m
.

B ut n o ph i l o sophy or religion m a y pro i se

th e devote e th e r e a l i z ati o n of th i s grace n or ,

yet can th ey de ny its possibl e attainm ent to

m
any .

S trangely e nough if we e sti m ate en by ,

22 m
Cos ic C ons ci ousn ess

externalities we discove r that th e re is no

m
,

m easure by wh ich th e supra c onsciou s an -

may b e m e asur e d Th e ob scure and unle arne d

.

hav e been kn own to poss ess this w ond er ful

p ow e r w hi ch di s s ol v e s th e s ee m ing and leave s ,

only the cont emp l ati on of the Rea l .

So als o me n of grea t learning h ave expe

,

rie n ced th is r e b i rt h ; b u t i t wou l d se e m th a t

much cultivati on of th e intel l e ctual q ua l itie s ,

un l es s a cco mpan ie d by an h umbl e an d rev

erent spi rit frequent l y acts as a barrier to the
,

re al i z ati on of supra c on sci ou sn e s s -

.

“
I n Text s of Taois m K wang T s e o ne of -
,

th e Illum inati write s ,

“
H e wh ose m i n d i s th u s grand l y fixed e m it s ,

a h eav e n l y l igh t I n h i m w h o e m its th i s

m
.

heav enly l ight en s ee the true man (i e

m
, . .
,

the at an ; the S el f ) Wh en a man has culti .

v ate d h im s e l f t o th i s p o i nt th e nc e f orth h e ,

remains c onstant i n h im s e l f W h e n h e i s th u s .

c onstant in h i m s e l f wh at i s m er e l y th e h um an
,

e l e m ent wil l l e av e h im b ut H e av e n wi l l h el
p
,

h i m Th os e wh om H e ave n h elps w e call the

.
,

sons of H e av en Th os e w h o w ou l d by l e arn
.
,

ing attain to th i s s e ek for wh at th ey can not

, ,

”
learn .

‘
Th u s i t wi ll b e se e n th at a ccording t o th e ,

r ep orts off e re d u s by th i s wi s e m an th at wh ich ,

m en cal l l e arni n g guarante e s no power re gard

 The N ew B i rth 23

ing th at ar e a of c ons ciousnes s w hi ch b rings

I ll um inati on— l iberati on fr om enchantm ent of
th e s ens es— mukti.

Ag ai n in th e case o f Jac ob B oeh m e th e Ger

, ,

m an mysti c a l th ough h e l e ft t o m e s oi m anu

,

script it i s a ss e rt e d auth oritative l y th at h e

, ,

“ ”
p osse s se d n o l earni n g a s th at word i s un
de rs tood to m e a n a ccu m u l ate d k n owl e dge .

“
I n Th e Spiritu al M a x im s of B r oth e r
L awr e nce th e Carm e l it e m onk w e find this
, ,
'

“
Y ou m us t r e a l i z e th at y ou r e ach Go d
th r ough th e h e art an d n ot th r ough th e m ind
,
.

“
S tupidity i s c l os e r to d e l iv e ranc e th an in
”
te llect w h ich i nn ovat e s ,i s a phras e a scrib e d
to a Moh am m e da n s a int and do n ot m ode rn
,

th e ol ogian s r ep ort w ith e nth u sias m th e un ,

l ett e re d c onditi on of Je su s ?
I n th e O rie nt th e w o u l d b e i nitiate sh uts
,
-

o ut th e v oi ce o f th e w or l d th at h e m ay k now
,

th e h e art of th e w orl d M any v e ry m any

. , ,

are th e ye ars of i s ol ati on a nd pr e paration

whi ch s uch a n e arne st on e a ccepts i n ord e r
that h e m ay attain to th at stat e of supra
“
consci ou sn e s s in w h ich n oth ing i s h idde n th at
”
shall n ot be r ev ea l ed to his c l arifi ed v isi on .

I n th e i nn e r t e m ple s th rough ou t Japan f or ,

exam p l e th e r e are p e rs on s w h o h ave n ot on l y

,

attained th i s state o f c on sci ou sn e s s b ut wh o ,

h ave also retaine d it to such a de gre e and to

,
24 C os mC ic ons ci ous n ess

such an exte nt th at no e ve nt of co sm i c impor t

,

m ay occur i n any pa rt of th e world withou t ,

thes e ill umin ed ones instantly becoming aware

of its h app e ning and indee d this k nowledge
, ,

is posse ssed by th e m bef ore th e eve nt h a s ta k e n

place i n th e external wor l d s ince th e ir con ,

sci ous ness is not limited to time space or , ,

place (relative term s o n l y ) b ut i s cos m i c or , ,

universal .

Th i s powe r i s not co m parable with wh a t

“ ”
Occidental P sychi sm knows as clai rvoyance ,

“ ”
o r spirit com m uni cation .

Th e s ta te of consciou sne s s i s wh oll y u n l i k e

anything wh ich m odern S piri tua l is m rep o rt s

in i ts ph enome na Fa r fro m b eing in any

.

de g ree a sus pe nsion of cons ciousnes s as i s

what i s k nown a s m e dium sh ip thi s powe r ,

parta k e s of th e q uality of o m nis ci en ce I t .

h ar mo ni z e s w ith and blends into all th e

various de gree s an d qua l iti e s of conscio usne s s
“ ”
in th e c osmo s and b e com e s at o n e with th e
,
-

universal h e art th r ob -
.

A Ze n student pri e st was once d iscovere d

lying face downward on th e gras s of th e h i ll
outside th e te m pl e ; h i s li mb s were ri gi d and ,

not a puls e throbb e d in h is te nse and i m m ov

abl e form H e wa s a l lowe d t o re m ai n u ndi s
.

turbed as l ong as he wish ed Wh en at l ength .

he stood up his f ace wore an expres sion o f

,
 The N ew B i rth 25

terrible anguish I t se em ed to h av e grow n

.

old H i s g uru stoo d b e sid e h i m and gentl y

.

“ ”
as k e d : W h at d id you my so n ? ,

0 m y Mas te r
“
, crie d out th e y o u th I
, ,

h ave h eard and felt al l th e bu rde ns of th e

world I k now how th e m oth er feel s wh e n
.

sh e l oo k s upo n h e r starvi ng b ab e I h av e .

h eard th e cry of th e h unted th ings i n th e

wood s ; I h av e fe l t th e h o rror of fear ; I h av e
born e th e l ash e s a nd th e stripe s of th e con
vict ; I hav e e ntere d th e h e art of th e outcas t
and th e sh a m e stric k e n ; I h ave b e e n old and
-

unlove d an d I h av e s ought refuge in self

de structio n ; I h ave l ived a thousan d l ive s of
sorrow an d stri fe a nd o f fea r an d O m y , ,

Maste r I wou l d that I could e ff ace th i s ah

,

”
gui sh from th e he art of th e world .

Th e g uru look e d i n wonder up on th e young

“
priest and he said It i s well my son S o on
, , .

th ou sh alt k no w th at th e burde n i s lifted .

G r e at compas sion th e attrib ute of the L or d

,

B uddha was th e k e y wh ich opene d to th i s

m
,

y o ung s tude nt prie st th e door o f ukti an d

, ,

al th ough h is co m pas sio n wa s not les s after h e ,

h ad e ntere d i nto tha t b l i ssful rea l i z ation ye t so ,

fil le d did h e b e co m e with a s ense of bl is s and

inexpre ssible reali z ation of e ternal l ove th at ,

al l co nsc iou sn e s s of sorrow was soo n wipe d

out .
26 Cos mC ic ons ci ous n ess

'
’
Th is conditi on of e ff ac e m e nt of all id e ntity ,

a s it wer e w ith s o rr ow sin a n d d e ath s ee m s

, , , ,

i nseparab l e fr om th e attain m e nt of l ib eration ,

and h as b e e n t e stifi e d to by a ll who h ave re

cord e d th e ir e m oti on s in re ach ing th i s state
of consciousne ss I n oth e r re s pe ct s th e
.
,

acquisition of th is supra consci ou s nes s varie s -

gr e atly with th e initiate .

I n a l l i n stanc e s th ere i s al so an ove r

,

wh elm ing c onvicti on of th e transitory ch ar

act e r of th e e x t e rna l w or l d and th e e mptines s ,

of al l m an b e s t ow e d h on ors and ri che s

-
.

A s t ory i s t ol d of th e M oh a m m ed an saint
F udai l Ib n T y ad wh ich w e l l i ll ustrate s th i s
,
.

T h e Ca l iph H arun al R ash i d l e arning of th e

- -
,

extrem e s imp l icity and asceticism of his l i f e

“
e x c l ai m e d ,
O S aint h ow gr e at is thy s e l f
, ,

ab n eg ati on . T o w h ich th e sain t m ad e

“ “
ans w e r :
Th ine i s gr e at e r Th o u dos t b ut .

” “
j e st s aid th e Ca l iph i n w onderm e nt
, Nay . ,

” “
n ot s o , great C al iph r ep l ied the saint
,
I .

do but m ak e abnegati on of th is w orld wh ich

i s transito ry an d th ou m ak est ab negation of
,

”
th e ne x t wh i ch w il l l ast f ore v e r .

“
H ow e v e r th e phrase
, s e l f ab n e gation ,
-
,

pr edi cat e s th e c onc e pt of sacrific e; th e giv ing

up o f some th ing mu ch to b e d e sired wh ile a s , ,

a m att e r of t ruth th e re aris e s i n th e c on scious

,

ness o f the Il l umined O ne a natural c ontempt ,

28 m
Cos ic C ons cious ness

tu ry Th is wom an was v ery poor and oh

.

scure m ak ing h er frugal living by b raiding

,

m ats S o i nte ns e wa s h e r c on sci ousn e s s of

.

u n i ty wi th a ll th a t i s th at o n se eing a flowe r
,

“
gr owing by th e ways id e sh e w ou l d e nter i nt o
,

its spirit a s sh e said with a n e cstacy o f

, ,

e nj oym e nt th at would caus e h er to b e com e

,

m om e ntari l y entranced .

Sh e was k n own to th e country people

around he r as S ho N i n m eaning l it e ral l y
-
,

“ ”
above m an i n con sciou sn e ss .

I t i s said th at th e wi l d ani ma l s of th e wo od ,

w e re w on t to c om e to h er door an d sh e talk e d ,

to th em ,as though they were humans An .

inj ure d h ar e cam e l impi ng to h e r door i n th e

“ ”
early m orning h ours and spo k e to h er .

Up on which s h e aro se and dresse d and

, ,

open e d th e d oor of h e r dw e ll ing with words

o f gre eting as sh e w oul d u se to a n eighbor
, .

She wash e d th e soi l fr om th e inj ured foot ,

“ ”
and l ov e d it b a ck to wh o l ene ss s o that wh e n ,

th e h are d e parted th e re was no trace of inj ury .

Sh e d e c l ared th at sh e sp ok e to and w as
answere d by th e b ird s and th e flowers and
, ,

th e anim a l s ju st as sh e was by p ers on s

, .

I nde e d among th e h igh prie sts of th e Jain s

, ,

and th e Z e n s (s e cts wh i ch m ay b e cl as sed as

hi gh ly dev elope d O cculti sts ) e nte ring in t o ,
 The N ew B irth 29

a ni m al consciousne s s i s a powe r po sse s se d b y

,

a ll initiate s
.

P assing along a h ighway near a Ze n te m pl e ,

th e drive r of a cart wa s st oppe d by a prie st ,

wh o ge nt l y s aid : My g ood m an with so m e

“
,

of th e m on ey y ou h av e in y our purs e pleas e

b uy you r fai thful h ors e a b uck et of oats H e .

te ll s m e h e h as b ee n s o l on g f e d o n rice straw
”
th a t h e i s de sp on de nt .

T o the Occidenta l mind this w ill doubt l ess

appear to be the res ul t o f k een obs e rvati on ,

th e prie st b e ing able to s e e fro m th e app ear

an ce of th e anim a l th at h e w as f e d o n straw .

Th ey wi l l b elieve perh aps th at th e prie st

, ,

expre ss e d h i s ob servati on s i n th e m anner de

s crib e d to m ore fu ll y im pre s s th e driv e r b ut ,

th i s c onclu si on wi l l b e err one ou s T h e priest

.
,

p osse ssing th e en l arge d or al l inc l usive con

-

s ci ous n e s s wh ich in th e we s t i s t erm e d

“
cosm ic actua l ly di d sp e ak to th e horse .

N or 1 5 th is fact o ne wh ich t h e we stern

m ind sh ould b e u nab l e to f ol l ow Sci e nce
.

prove s th e fact of c ons ciousne s s exi sti n g in th e

atom s com posing even what h as b e e n term e d
m
i nani ate obj e ct s . H ow mu ch m ore c ompr e
h en s ible to o ur underst and ing i s th e con sci ou s
ne s s of an anim at e organi sm eve n th ough thi s
,

organi sm b e n ot m ore com pl ex th an th e h orse .

There is a B uddhist monastery built h igh

30 Cos mC
ic ons ci ous ness

o n th e c l i ff ove rlook ing th e Japan I n l and se a ,

“ ”
wh ich i s ca ll e d a l ife s aving m ona stery
-
.

Th e prie sts wh o preside ov e r th is te mp l e ,

poss e s s th e p owe r of extending th eir con

s ci ous n e s s ove r m any m i l e s of s ea an d o n a
,

v ibrati o n attune d to a pi tch ab ov e th e s oun d

of win d and wav e s o th at th ey can h ear a ca l l
,

of di s tr e s s fr om fish erm e n wh o ne ed th e i r
h el p.

Th i s fact b e ing adm itte d m igh t b e a ccount

,

e d f or by th e uninitiated as a wonderfu l ly
,

“ ”
train e d e ar wh ich by cultivatio n and long
,

pract ice d e te ct s s ounds at a s ee m i ng l y m irac

n lous di s tance .

B u t th e p ri e st s k now h ow m any are i n a

wre ck e d b oat and can des crib e th e m an d
, ,

m
“
c onv e rse with th e m alth ough th e fi s h er
,

“ ”
en are not aware that they have ta l ked
to th e prie s t
mm
.

Sri Ramakrishna Para aha sa th e lates t ,

incarnati on of God in I ndia and th e m aste r

,

to wh om th e late S wam i V ive k ananda give s

such high prais e and d e votion l ive d alm ost ,

wh ol ly i n th at exa l ted state of con s ciou sne ss

wh ich woul d appear to b e m ore e sse ntiall y
sp i ri tual th an cos m
i c i n th e stri ct s en s e o f th e
m
,

latt e r w ord since cos i c sh oul d certain l y

,

i mpl y all inclu sivene ss rath er than wh ol ly

-
,
 The N ew B irth 31

p iri tual (s piritual b eing h ere u sed a s a n ex

m
s

tre h igh v ib ratio n of th e c os m os )

ely .

W e l earn th at Sri Ra m ak rish na was a man

com parative l y u nlettere d and yet h is i nsight
,

was so m arvel ou s h is cons ciousne s s so ex

,

a l t e d that th e m ost l e arne d pundits h onore d

an d respe ct e d h i m a s o ne wh o h ad att a ined
unto th e g oal of a l l e ff ort— l ibe ration ukti , m ,

whi le to m any person s through ou t I ndia to

day and i nde e d thr ough out th e wh o l e world
,
,

h e i s lo oked upo n a s an in carnati on of

K rish na .

It is r el ated o f S ri Ramakrishna that his

yearning f or Truth (his moth er he ca ll ed it )
, ,

was s o great that he fina ll y became unfit to

c ondu ct s e rvi ces i n th e t e mple an d r e tire d,

to a l ittle w ood n ear b y H ere h e se e m e d to

.

b e los t in c oncentration up on th e o ne th ough t ,

to su ch an e x t e nt tha t h ad it n ot b ee n for de
vote d atte nd ants w h o actua l ly p ut foo d i nto
,

h is m outh th e sage w ou l d ha v e st ar v ed to
,

death .H e had s o c omp l et el y l os t all th ou g ht

of hims el f an d h is s urr oun din g s th at he
c ou l d n ot t ell w h en the day da w n ed or w h en
th e n ight f ell S o t erribl e w as h is y ear n i n g
.

f or th e v oic e o f Truth th at w h en day a ft er day

pass ed an d the l i g ht h e l onged f or had not
c om e to him h e w ou l d w eep in agony .
3 2 Cos mC
ic ons ci ousn ess

Nor cou l d any w ords or argu m e n t dissuade

hi m fr om h is purp os e .

H e o nc e said to Swam i V iv e kananda

“
My s on suppose th ere i s a bag of gol d i n
,

yonder ro om and a robbe r i s i n th e next room

, .

D o y ou think th at robbe r ca n slee p ? H e can

not H is m ind will b e a l w ay s th i nk ing h ow h e
.

can e nter that r oo m and ob tai n p os s essi on of

that go l d D o you th i nk th e n th at a m an
. , ,

firm l y persuade d th at th ere i s a re a l ity b eh ind

a l l th e se appearance s that th ere is a God that
, ,

there is One who n ever dies On e who is Ih ,

finite B l iss a bliss compar ed with which these

,

p l easure s of th e se ns e s are si mp l y playth ings ,

—can re st c ontente d withou t struggling to

attain it ? N o h e w il l b e com e m ad with

,

longing .

A t l ength a fte r a l m ost twelve y e ars uncea s

,

i ng eff ort and u ndiv id e d pu rp o s e S ri Ram a

,

k ri sh na was rewarded with wh at h a s b ee n

describ ed a s a torr e n t of spiritu al l ight delug ,

”
ing h is m ind and gi v ing h i m peac e .

Th i s w onderful i nsigh t h e di splaye d i n al l

th e aft e r years of h i s earth l y m ission and h e ,

n ot on l y attai n e d gl im pse s of th e c o sm ic con

sci ous state but he also r etained the I ll umina

,

tion an d th e p ow e r to i m p art t o a great

,

d e gr ee th e r e a l iz ati on of tha t s ta te of b eing

,

w h ich h e h im s e l f pos s e ssed .

 The N ew B irth 33

L ik e th e L ord B uddh a th is I ndian sage al so

,

de s crib e s h i s experie nce as acc ompanie d by

“ ”
unbounded light . Speaking o f this strange
and ov e rp owerin g se nse of b e ing im m ersed in
“
ligh t Sri Ra m ak rish na d e scrib e d it th us : Th e
,

l iving l igh t to w h i ch th e earne s t devote e is

drawn d oth no t b urn I t i s lik e th e l igh t co
. m
ing fro m a ge m sh ining yet soft cool an d
, ,

s ooth ing I t b urneth n ot I t giveth peace

. .

”
a nd joy .

Th i s e ff e ct o f gre at l igh t i s a n a l m ost i n

,

variabl e accom panim e nt of supra consciou s -

n e ss alth ough th e re are i nstance s of un

,

d oubte d c o sm ic consciou sne ss i h which the

re a l i z ati on h a s b e e n a m ore gradua l growth ,

rath e r th a n a su dd e n influx i n wh ich th e ph e

m
,

no e n on o f lig h t i s n ot r e at ly m ar k ed
g .

Moham m e d i s said to h av e swoone d with

“ ”
th e i nto l e rab l e sp l e nd or of th e floo d of wh ite
ligh t wh ich b r ok e upon h i m after many days
,

of c o n stant pray e r an d m e ditation in th e so l i

,

tude o f the cav ern outsid e the gates of Mecca .

Sim i l ar i s th e d e scription of th e attainm e nt

o f cos m i c c onsci ous n e ss give n by th e P ersia n
,

mystics a l th ough it i s e vid e nt th at th e S ufis

,

regard e d th e re su l t a s r e u nio n with th e oth er

”
half of th e sou l i n exi l e .

Th e b urd e n of th eir cry i s lov e an d unio n

,
34 Cos mC ic ons ci ousn ess

w ith the b e l ov e d i s th e l ong e d for goal of a l l -

earthly stri f e and ex p eri e nc e .

W h e th e r th i s r e u n i on b e con sid e r e d fr om
th e s t an dp oint o f fin ding th e oth er ha l f of th e
p e rfe ct on e as e x e m p l i fi e d i n th e pr e s e n t day
,
-

s e arch f or th e s ou l m ate o r wh e th e r i t b e
,

c on s id e r e d in th e l igh t of a spiritual m e rging

into the One Ete rn al Ab s o l ute i s th e qu esti on
of qu e sti on s .

C e rt ai n l y th e t e rm s us e d to e x pres s th i s
stat e of s piritua l e cstacy are words wh i ch
m igh t rea di l y b e app l i e d to l ov ers unite d in
marriag e .

O n e th i n g i s ce rtain th e S ufi s did not per

,

s onify th e D e ity e x c e pt symb olica ll y an d th e

, ,

“
b el ove d on e i s i mparti a ll y referr e d to a s
”

m ascul ine or f eminin e ev en as mod ern .

thought has c om e to r ealize God as Fath er

Moth er .

I n a l l mystica l writings w e find th e ,

conc l usi on that th er e i s n o one way i n wh ich

the s eek er may fin d r eu n i on w ith T he B el oved .

“
T h e ways of God are as th e nu mb e r of th e
”
souls of m en d e c l are th e f ol lo w e rs of I slam
, ,

“
and f or th e l ove that th ou wou l dst fi nd de
m ands th e s acrifice of s e l f to th e e nd th at th e
m
h eart ay b e fi ll e d w i th th e pas sion t o stand
with in th e H ol y of H ol i es in w hich al one the
,

mysteries o f the Tru e Be l ov ed can be r ev eal ed

36 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

eve nt they are an excel l en t de scriptio n of th e

,

r e ali z ati o n of th at m uch to be de sire d co n - - -

sciou sn ess which is fi tting ly d e scribe d in O cci n

“ ”
d ental phras eo l ogy as cosmic consciousn e ss .

W heth e r th is r e a l i z ation i s th e re sul t of unio n

“
with the so u l s oth e r h alf o r wh e th er it i s
’
,

an impersonal r eunion with the C auseless

Cause The Absolute fro which we are earth
, , m
wanderers i s n ot th e d ire ct purp ose of thi s
,

v ol um e to answer although th e q u es tion wi l l

,

b e answered and th at soon ,

.

From wh ence and by whom we are n ot pre

“ ”
pared to say but the signs and portents
,

which prec e de th e s oluti on of th i s p roble m

h ave a l r e ady m ad e thei r appearance .

Christian students of th e P e rsia n mystics ,

ta k e exception to state m e nts l ik e th e above ,

“ ”
and regard th e m a s erotic rathe r th an ,

spiritual .

Mah mud S h ab i s tari e m pl oys th e f ollo wi ng

symbolism but unqu estionably s eeks to ex
,

pre ss th e same e motion

G o sweep ou t th e ch ambe r of your h e art

, ,

Mak e it ready to b e th e dwel l ing p l ace of th e -

B el ov ed .

Wh en you depa rt out h e will e nte r in , ,

In you v oid o f yours elf w ill he display his

, ,

”
b e auty .
 The N ew B i rth 37

Th e S ong of So l o mon i s i n a si m i l ar k e y ,

an d wh eth e r th e wi se k ing r e ferred to th at

m
s tate of sa adhi whi ch a cco mpani e s certa in

experie nce s of c osm i c consci ousnes s o r ,

wh e the r h e was r e citing l ov e lyrics m us t be

-
,

a m oot qu e sti on .

”
Th e persona l note i n th e fam ou s song h as
been a ccounted f or by ma ny com m ent a tors ,

on th e grou nds that S olom o n h ad on l y partial

m
g l im pse s of th e supra cons ci ous state and that
-
, ,

“ ”
in other: words h e fre q u ently bac k s l id fro
,

divine contem p l atio n an d al l owe d h i s yearn

,

ing f or the state o f liberation to express its el f

,

i n l ove of w om an .

A n attrib ute of th e pos ses si on o f cos m ic

cons ci ousne ss i s wisdom and th is S olo mo n i s
,

s ai d to h av e pos se sse d fa r b eyond h is conte m

p o ra ri
, e s and t o a degre e i nco m patib l e w ith
h i s years I t i s sai d th at h e b ui l t an d co use
”
crate d a te m p l e for th e Lord and th at a s , ,

a re sult o f hi s extre m e piety and devotion to

G od h e was vouch safe d a vision o f God
, .

A s the se r e port s h ave com e to u s th rough

m any stage s of ch urch h ist ory a nd as S olomo n
l ive d m any centu ries b ef ore th e b irth of Je su s ,

i t se em s hard l y fitting to ascrib e th e rapture s

o f S ol om on as typi fying the love o f the Chu rch
( th e b ride ) f or Chri st (th e bride gr oom) .

Rather it is eas ie r to beli eve the wisdom

'

,
38 m
C os ic Cons ci ousn ess

of th e k ing argu e s a d e gr e e of consciousne s s

far b ey ond that o f th e s e l f cons ciou s m an and -

h e r ose to th e qua l ity o f spiritual re ali z ation ,

expressing i ts elf i n a l ov e a nd l ongi ng for th at

s oul c om m unio n wh ich m ay b e c onstrue d as
quit e p e rsona l referring to a pe rsonal though
, ,

doubtl ess n on c orporeal union with h is spiritual

-

compl em ent .

A l though th e pr onou n h e i s u s ed s ig n i ,

fy i ng th at S o l omon s l onging w as w h at th eo l
’

“
o gy term s spiritual a nd c onse q ue nt l y i m
pe rs ona l meaning God The Abs ol ut e y et w e
, ,

sugge st that th e us e o f th e m a s cul ine pro noun

m ay b e due e ntirely to th e translators and
com m e ntat ors (of wh om th e r e hav e b e e n
m any ) and th at i n th e ir z eal t o re con ci l e th e
, ,

s ong with th e e ccle siastica l i de as of spiri tu

a l ity th e gende r of th e pronoun h as b e e n
,

ch ange d W e sub m it that th e id ea i s more

.

than p os sibl e an d i nd e e d i n v ie w of th e
,

av ow e d pr e dil e ct i ons of th e anci e nt k ing and

sag e it is h igh l y probabl e
, .

He sings
Let m
h i m k iss e w i th th e k isse s of h is m outh
”
F or h i s l ov e i s b e tt e r th an wine .

A ga in he cri es :
“
B eh old th ou art fair my l ove b eh o l d th ou ,

”
art fai r th ou has t dove s ey es
,
’
.
 Th e N ew B i rth
39

m
The realizati on of ukti i e the p ow er of
m
.
, .
,

the at an to tra n s c end the physica l is thu s ,

ex pr es s ed by S ol om on c l ear l y indicati n g that

,

h e had f ound l ib erati on

“
My b el oved s pok e and s aid unt o e Ris e ‘ m ,

up my l ov e my fair on e and c om e a w ay F or
, .

10 th e w int er is pass ed th e rain i s ov er and

, ,

gone .

‘
T he fl ow ers app ear upon the earth ; the
tim e o f s inging of birds has c om e and the ,

v oice of the turtl e d ov e is h eard in our land .

‘
T he fig tr ee putt eth f orth h er gr een fi g s ,

and the vin e w ith the t end er gr apes g i v es a

good l y sm ell Aris e my l ov e my fair on e
.
, ,

and c om e a w ay .

It is assum ed that th es e lin es do n ot r e f er

to a p er s on al h egira but rath er to the act o f
,

withdra w ing the S el f from the things of the

out e r l i f e and fi x ing it in c ontemplati on upon
,

the larger li f e th e supra c onsci ous li f e

,
-
but ,

ther e is n o r eason to d oubt that th ey may

re f er to a l on ging to c ommun e w ith the b eau
ti fu l and t ender things of natur e .

Anoth er p oint to be n ot ed is that in the

spring and earlv s ummer it is w ith di ffi culty
that the mind can be mad e to remain fi x ed
upon the petty d etails of everyday busi n ess
li fe The a w ak ening o f the earth from th e
.

l ong cold sleep o f winter is typical o f the

40 Cos mC ic ons ci ous n ess

awak ening o f the mind fro its hypnotisms m

of external consciousnes s .

I nstinctively the re ari se s a rea l i z a tion of

,

th e divinity of creative a ctivity and th e m ind ,

s oars up to th e h igh er v ibrati on s and aw ak e s

to th e real purpos e of life m ore or le s s ful l y , ,

a ccording to individual d ev elop m ent .

Thi s ha s give n ri se to th e a s su mption pred i ,

cate d by som e write rs o n co sm ic cons ciou s

n e ss th at th i s state o f cons ciousne s s i s at

,

tai ne d in th e ear l y su m m e r m onth s an d th e ,

i nstance s cit e d woul d s e e m to corrob orate thi s

a ssumpti on .

B ut a s a poe t h as sung i t i s always sum

, ,

m e r in th e Sou l so th ere i s no S pe ci fi c tim e

, ,

nor age in wh ich i ndivi dual co sm i c cons cious

,

n es s m ay b e attained .

A point wh ich w e sugge st and wh ich i s ,

verified by th e apparen t conn ectio n b etwe en

th e spring m onth s and th e full reali z ation of
,

cosmic c onsci ousn ess is the point th at thi s

,

ph enom en on c om es through c ontemp l ati on

and des ire f or l ov e Wh eth er this l ov e be ex
.

pressed as the a w akening of creative l i fe as in ,

’
natu re s springtim e or wh e th e r it b e ex
,

presse d as love o f the lov er f or his bride ; the

dov e for h i s m ate ; th e m oth er for h e r ch ild o r ,

as th e religiou s d evote e for th e Lord th e k ey

,

th at unlo ck s th e d oor to il l u m ination of b ody ,

 The N ew B irth 41

sou l an d spirit is Love the mak er the on

,

”
, , m
arch and savior o f a ll but wh eth er this l ove ,

in its fu ll ness o f per fecti on may be found in

t hat per f ect S piritual mating w hich we see ,

e x empl ifi e d in the tender but ard ent mating ,

o f the d ov e (the symbol o f P urity and P eace ) ,

or w h eth e r it m eans spiritu al uni on with the

Absolute i s not c onc l usive .

The mystery of S eraphita Ba l zac s won

’

derf ul creati on is an evid enc e that Ba lz ac had

,

g l impse s of th at perfe ct u nion wh ich ,

giv es r is e to the experi ence call ed cosmic

c onsciousne s s .

I t i s we l l to re m e mb er th at i n every insta n ce
of cosmic consci ousness the person expe
m
,

ri e n cin g th is state fi nd s i t practi c ally i pos

,

sib l e to ful l y d e s crib e th e state o r its exact ,

significance .

T h ere fore wh e n th es e e ff orts h ave b e e n

,

m ade we m u st expe ct to fi nd th e de scriptio n

,

co l ore d very materia l ly by th e h ab it of thoug ht

W
,

of th e p i c ”
g t e xp e er en e .

B al z a c wa s e sse ntially reli gi ou s b u t h e w as ,

also extre m ely suggestib l e a nd u ntil v ery , ,

recently Th eology and Religion were supposed

,

to b e synonym ou s o r at least to wa lk h an d ,

’
i n hand B al z a c s early training and h is en vi
m
.

ron en t a s well a s th e th ough t of th e tim e s in

,

wh ich h e lived were cal culated to insp i re in

,

v W 77 1 , t —
{
W u t
7
o u ‘ ln k
42 Cosnz i c C ons ci ousness

him the fa ll aci ou s b el i e f that God w oul d ha v e

us r en ounce the l ov e o f our f ell ow b ei ngs f or ,

l ov e of Him .

B al zac mak es L oui s Lamb ert r en ou n ce

h is gr eat p as s i on f or P au l in e and s ee ms to
,

sugg e st th at th i s renuncia tio n l e d to th e s ub

s e qu e nt real i z ati on oi co sm i c c onsciou sne s s ,

w h ich h e u nqu e s tionab ly experi e nc e d .

N or is i t p o ssib l e t o say th at it did n ot s inc e ,

re nunci ati on of th e lower m u st inevitab l y lead

to th e h igh e r and we give up th e le s se r on l y
,

that w e m ay enj oy th e gr e ater .

“ ”
I n S eraph ita B a l z ac exp re s se d wh at m ay
b e t e rm ed spiritu al lov e an d that spiritu al
uni on w ith the B el ov ed which the Su hs be
,

li e v e d to b e th e resul t of a pe rfe ct a nd com

“ ”
l m ati ng b et w e e n th e sexe s o n th e
m
p e te , ,

spiritua l plan e regard l e s s of physi cal proxi

,

i ty or r e c ognition b ut wh i ch i s a l s o el s e w h e r e
,

d e scrib e d a s th e soul s g l i m ps e of its u nion

’

with th e Ab s olute or God .

T h e f orm er view i s i nd ividual wh il e th e ,

l att e r i s im p e rsonal and m ay or m ay not

, , ,

i nv ol v e ab s orpti on of individu a l con sciou sne ss .

In sub se qu e nt ch apters we sh all a gain re fer

’
to Ba l zac s I ll umi n ati on as e x pressed in h is

writings an d wi l l now ta k e u p th e q u e stion

,

’
of man s re l ati on to th e u nive rs e a s i t appe ars ,

i n th e l igh t of co sm i c consciousne s s or ,

li berati on .
44 C os m
i C c ons ci ousn ess

est ; or wh eth e r it i s symbo l i z ed by the old the

’
olog ic i dea o f man s fall fr om godh ood to sin ,

the f act r emains that w e kn ow n o oth e r ideal

than th at r epres ent ed by p er fected man ; and we
kn ow no l ow er id e a than that o f man sti ll in
the anima l s tage o f c on s ci ousn ess .

Artists p ainters scul ptors w ishing to d epict

, , ,

the beauty o f spiritual th ings must still use the

,

h uman idea for a m od el— refi ned spiritua l ized , ,

supra h u man b u t s till m an

-
, .

I t i s a truis m th at m an e pito m i z e s th e uni

v ers e Th e refore th e law of gr owth wh ich
.
, ,

science n am e s e v ol ution m ay b e stud ied an d

,

app l i e d with e qua l pre cisio n and a ccuracy to

th e individua l ; to a b ody of indivi dual s calle d

a n ati on ; and to w orlds o r plan e ts

, .

T h e e v ol ution of an ind ivi du al i s a ecom

p l i s h e d w h e n h e h as l e arn e d th r ough the

vari ous av en u e s of e x p e ri e nce th e fact of h i s
,

ow n godh o od ; and w h e n h e h as e stab l ish e d

h i s uni on with th a t ind e s cribab l e spiritual

e ss en c e wh ich i s ca ll e d O m ; G od ; N i rvan a ;
Sam adh i ; B rah m ; K a m i ; Al l ah ; and th e
Abs ol ute .

A Japan e s e term i s Dai Zi kaku Th e Ze n .

se ct of Japanese B uddh i st s say Daig o Tettei ,

and on e w h o h as attain e d to th is superior

ph a s e of c onsci ousn e s s i s ca ll e d S h o— N i n,
“ ”
m eaning l itera ll y ab ove man .
 M an s
’
R elati on to God 45

Em ers on , great Am erican s eer ex

th e ,

pre ssed this Name l ess One as T he O v ers ou l , ,

and H e rb e rt Sp e nc e r th e i nte ll e ctua l gi ant of

,

Engl and used the term U niversal En ergy

, .

E m erson was a s ee r ; Spe ncer was a s ci

e n ti s t
, which w ord unti l re cent l y wa s a
, ,

syn onym for m aterial ist .

B ut wh at are words ?
M e re symb ol s of con sciousne ss and subj e ct ,
’
to change and ev olve m ent a s m an s c onscious ,

n e ss ev ol ve s Th e stud e nt of truth wi ll re c og
.

ni z e in th e se di ff e re nt words exact l y th e sam e ,

“
m e aning Th e e terna l en e rgy fro m wh ich a l l
.

” “
things pr oce ed i s a phrase i den tica l w ith The
Ov ers ou l or The Abs ol ute fr om w hich a l l
”
,
”
,

m anifes tatio n c om e s .

Ma n s e vo l uti on th en i s an ev olutio n i n
’
, ,

c onsci ou sne ss fr om th e subj e ctiv e aw aren ess

,

o f th e m ona d to a rea l i z ati o n o f th e e ntir e

c os m o s .

Ea ch ph as e o f life i s a spe cifi c d e gr ee o f

consciou snes s and e ach su cc e ssiv e d e gr ee
b rings th e individual n e are r to th e r e a l i zati on
m
o f th e s u of a ll d e g re e s o f c onsci o usn e s s int o ,

o o —
g dh od the high est d egr ee w hich w e can
c onc e i v e .

S uch b ri e fly i s a stat e m e nt of th a t ph e n om
, ,

e n on wh ich i s attractin g th e attenti on of

occid e nta l stude nts of p sych ol o g y and w h ich ,
46 C os mC ic ons ci ousness

h as b ee n fi ttin g ly term e d th e a ttai nm e nt of

”
co s m ic c ons ciou snes s .

T h e ph ras e expre s se s a d e gr e e of cons ci ou s

ness which includ es the enti re cosmos— not
on l y th is plan e t ca ll e d earth a nd eve ry ,

th ing th e reon b ut also th e sph ere s of th e

,

Constell ati on .

Not th at this degree o f consciousness carries

w ith i t th e power to expre s s i n word s th a t ,

wh ich i t i s I n fa ct th e on e wh o h as h ad thi s
.
,

m arv elou s awak e ning ca nnot ade quately ,

de scrib e o r ev e n retai n a ful l co mpreh ension

, ,

of wh at i t s ign ifie s .

All inclusiv e k n ow l edg e wou l d indee d pre

-
,

clude th e possib i l ity of expre ssio n Th e ref ore . ,

eve n if it wer e possib l e to retai n i n th e finite

m ind th e ful l rea l i z ation o f cos m ic conscious
,

ne ss word s coul d not b e foun d in whi ch to

,

expres s i t to o th ers .

Th ough t i s th e cre ato r of word s b ut th ough t ,

i s bu t th e m ate ri al wh ich th e m ind e m p l oys ,

an d co sm i c c on sciou sne s s trans cend s th e m ind ,

engu l fs th e s ou l and re ach e s to th e tr ack l es s

,

areas o f Spi rit .

I t m ay b e doub t ed if any o ne m ay retain a

fu l l reali zati on o f cosmic c onsci ousness and ,

r e m ain i n th e physical b ody .

Great and wonderful a s h ave b ee n the ex

peri ences o f th os e w ho have sought to relate
 Man s Relation
’
to God 42

th e ir se nsations it is prob ab l e th at the se

,

flash e s of ins igh t h av e b e e n i n th e nature of

co s m i c p ercep ti on a nd h ave lac k e d full
,

re a l i z ati o n
.

O f th ose w h o h av e h ad g l im ps e s of that
l arge r are a o f cons ciousn e s s wh ich in c l ude s
a n aware n e s s of eterna l u nity with th e cos m o s ,

th ere are w e b eli e ve m any m ore th an

, ,

students of th e s ubj e ct have any i dea of .

This c entury marks a di s ti n ct epoch in w hat

i s ca ll ed ev ol uti on .

T he en d o f a kalp a or cyc l e o f mani f est ati on

, ,

i s symb ol iz ed by the pr esenc e on a p l an et o f

ma n y a v atars mast er s an d angel s
, , .

By th eir v ery pr es enc e th ese en l ighten ed

on es arou s e in a l l w h o are r ea dy f or th e ex

p eri en ce a g l impse o f th at stat e o f b e ing to

w hich a ll s oul s are d estin ed and to w hich all ,

s ha ll u l timat el y attain .

“
A tim e wh en gods sha ll w a l k the earth
i s a pr oph ecy w hich a ll nations have heard and
l ook ed f or ward to .

That tim e is n ow We s ee the e ff ect o f .

th eir pr esenc e in Peac e Con f erences ; in aboli

ti on o f chi l d labor ; in pris on r e f orm ; in the
ama l gamati on of th e rac es ; in att empts at

socia l equal ity ; in Nati onal Eug en ie S oci eti es ,

and abov e a ll as w e hav e be f ore s tat ed in the

, ,

Emancipati on o f W oman In fact it is s een

.
,
 48 C os mC ic ons ci ousn ess

in all th e variou s ways i n wh i ch the high er

con sci ousn e s s finds expres sion .

O n e of th e chara cte risti c sign s of th i s awak

en ing th e M i ll enium Dawn
, as it has been
,

!nam ed l ie s in a v e ry ge neral optim is m sh ining

,

‘
through th e m ist s of doub t and unre st a nd i n
expressib l e d esire w hich accompany the n ew
,

b irth i n c onsciou sn e ss .

A m id th e se e m ing ch ao s of pre se nt day con

diti on s i s i t n ot e asy to di scern th e com ing
of that dawn of wh ich a ll grea t one s of e arth
— “
h ave f oret old a ti m e wh e n th e e arth sh all
”
b e m ad e a fi t habitation fo r th e god s ?
“ ”
Th e h e av e n s i s a term e mp l oyed to
sp eci fy the C onst el l ati on w hich is compos ed o f
p l anets a n d stars bu t we u s e th e t e rm
,
”
H eav en a l so to m ean a stat e o f happiness
and b l i s s attainabl e through c ertain method s ,

a consid e ration of wh ich we w ill tak e u p later .

Th e im m e di ate point i s th at th is pl ane t i s

b eing pr e pare d for a p osition i n th e s o l ar sys
te m c on si stent with that wh ich i s th e ab ode
o f the gods— Heav en .

This pr op osition i s m ad e i n it s l iteral m e an

ing Corrob orativ e of th i s state m ent wh i ch
.
,

i s con siste nt with al l proph e cies i s th e i n f or ,

m ation rece nt l y give n to th e world by Cam i l l e ,

F l am m arion and oth e r gre at a str onom ers

, ,

“
th at th e earth i s ch angin g its position i n th e
 Man s ’
Relati on to God ‘ 49
Q
uo

h eave n s at a n astonish ing ra te Th e idea .

“
that th ere s ha l l b e no nigh t th e re i s fore ,

shadowed by th e e sti mate th at th i s ch ange

w il l gi ve to th e e arth a perpetu al and u niform
h W “I L
light and h eat
, 7
/ “

The N ew Thought pr eachm ent o f physical

i m m ortalit y i s b ut a fa int and imp erfect per
“
ce ption of th i s ti m e wh e n

m
the re sha l l b e n o
,

”
d ea th b e cau se th e ani m al
, an subj e ct to ,

change sh all gi ve place t o th e C h angel e ss

, ,

de athle s s spiritu al m an ; n ot through cata

m
,

cly s s an d de stru ction b ut through th e

, ,

natura l b irth into a h igh er consciou sne s s .

The Occidental mind i s easily a ff right ed by

a nam e Pe rhaps we sh ould not specify th e
.

Occiden tal mind but rath er the m ind o f man

,

am ong all race s i s e asily pu t to sl eep by the

hypnotism of a word
m
.

The word Pantheis is a bugaboo to the

Occidentalist He fears the destruction o f the
.

Monistic faith i f he admits that man is in

,

e sse nce a god and that th e refore th e re are

,

m any god s i n th e o ne God e ve n a s th e re are ,

m any me mb ers to th e one physical organi sm .

N everth el es s all l iterature wh eth e r s acre d ,

o r profane teach e s th e attainm en t of godh ood

,

by Man Th is can not mean other than the

.

atta inm en t of realiz ati on of g odh ood by th e ,

i ndiv idua l and th e retenti on o f th i s rea l i z a ti o n

50 C os mC
ic ons ci ousness

to th e e nd th at r e in ca rnation sh al l ce as e and
identity with th e c osm i c pri ncip l e b e estab ,

lish ed beyond furth e r l oss or doub t o r strife

, , , ,

o r death .

Th i s i s wh at i t m e an s to attain to cos m i c
con s ci ousne s s I t i s i nclu siv e cons ciousne s s
. .

I t i s not ab sorptio n into th e va st u nk nown i n ,

th e sense of annih i l ati o n of i dentity I t i s .

consciousn es s plus not m inu s

, .

An anci e n t w riti ng s ays :

“
And th ou shalt awak e as from a long
.

dre am T h ou sha l t b e l ik e th e pe rfum e ari s

.

ing fro m th e flowe r i n w h ich it h a s b ee n s o long

enclose d And th ou wi l t fl oat ab ov e th e ope ned
.

‘
fl owe r A nd th ou w ilt say Th e re i s t im e be
.

’
fore m e i n e te rnity .

Th ere i s n oth ing i n th e testim on y of those

who have described as best they could their
, ,

e m otions upon attai n m e nt o f th i s consciou s

nes s wh ich w oul d argu e th e ab sorption of th e
,

individual soul into Th e Absolute .

Th e re i s n o t e sti m ony to a rgu e th at th e

attainm ent of cos m i c c onsciousn e s s carrie s ,

with i t anyth ing approach in g a nnih ilation of

s en ti ency .

R ath e r i t woul d see m to t e sti fy to an accel

crati o n o f all th e h igh e r facu l tie s .

m
Th at this wou l d b e a m or e apt interpretati on
ay b e s ee n by com pari ng th e diff ere nt re
52 m
Cos i c C ons ci ousness

th ereunto b ut a s to exact ly wh at conditions

,

are repre sente d by godh ood how indee d i s i t , ,

p ossib l e for m an to know m u ch l ess to ,

expre ss ?
S ince w e are co nscious of a divine and irre
s i s ti ble urge toward th e a t ta inm en t of thi s

state of b e ing it i s h ard l y con si stent with wh at

m
,

w e k now of m er el y hu an n ature th at th e wa y ,

l ie s i n th e dire ction of l o s s of i dentity or i n ,

o th e r word s , i n wh at i s popular l y co mpre

h e nded a s abs orp ti on Th at th i s ide a prevails
.

in many Oriental sects o f Buddhism and Ve

danta we are aware bu t we are confide nt th at
,

th i s i dea i s erroneou s and com e s fro m th e

,

fact th at it i s im possible to de scrib e th e cond i

t ion of con sci ou sne ss e nj oye d by th e i nitiate
into Nirvana which term we be l ieve is
, ,

i de ntical, or a t l e as t co mparabl e with

co sm i c con sciou sne s s .

Th e very fact th at external l if e repre sent s

so un ive rs a l a strugg l e for attainm e nt of th i s
state o f being or high er c onsciousness indi
, ,

ca te s at least eve n i f it doe s no t a ctu a l ly

,

g uarantee a fu l le r deepe r m ore com pl et e state

, ,

o f consciou sne s s than h ithe rt o enj oye d rath e r ,

than an ab sorpti on or annih ilation of any o f

that dearly bought consciousness which dis
ti n g ui sh e s th e se l f fr o m it s e nviron m ent and

m
,

“ ”
w h ich says with convictio n I a .
 Man s
’
R elati on to God 53

m
I t i s adm itte d th at tho s e wh o h ave expe
ri en ce d lib e ra tion il l u m ination
, ,
ukti h ave,

reporte d the ir s e nsations w ith such relative

vague ne s s an d with such appare nt variance of
m
conclusion as regards the eani ng o f the expe
ri en ce that th e reader i s l e ft to h i s own inte r

p r e tat i on o f th e charact e r of th at state o f

b e ing oth er than a ge neral uniform ity of
,

de scription .

Ref e rring t o th e p l easure wh ich th e lowe r

nature fe e l s unde r certain co nditions th e late,

S wam i Vivek ananda sa y s

“
T he wh ole i dea of th is nature is to m a k e
th e s ou l k now th at it i s e ntir e l y separate fro m
nature and wh e n th e s oul k nows th is n atur e ,

ha s no m ore attractio n for i t B ut th e whole

.

o f nature vanish e s on ly for th at m an wh o has

b e com e fre e Th ere will always re m ain an
.

infinite nu mb er of oth e rs for wh o m n ature

”
will g o o n work ing .

B ut did Vivekananda e m p l o y th e ph ras e

”
nature h as no m ore attracti on for h i m to ,

de scrib e th e se nsatio n of unappre ciative ne s s

of th e wonders o f th e natural world ? W e
thin k not . Ra th e r th e ge ntle h earted sage
-

m ean t t o report th e fact th at th e s oul i s no

longe r held in bon dag e to th e external world ,

wh en it has once attaine d supra consciou sne s s

-
.

I f th i s expre ssio n referre d to th e pleasure th e

54 m
C os i c C ons ci ousness

true l over of nature f e e ls i n the out oi doors - -

,

“
h e m igh t w e l l s ay I tru st th at I sh a l l neve r
attain to that stat e o f c ons ciou sn e s s O r if .

attai nm e nt b e c om pu l sory th e n sh a l l I pro,

l ong th e tim e of a cc om pl ish m e nt a s long as

”
po s sib l e .

An d wh o w ou l d b l a m e h im ? W hy sh ou l d
‘
w e str i v e f or th e attainm e n t of a stat e of b e e

ing d e scrib e d s o u nattractiv e l y as to gi ve u s

th e impressi on o f e ntir e loss o f so enj oyable
and uns e l fi sh a s e nsation as l ov e of natur e ?
Th e V e dantic id e a acc ording to i nt e rprete d
,

t ranslations i s that out o f The Abso l ute th e All

m
,

(O m ) w e co e and th e r e fore b a ck to it we go
, , ,

b eing n ow i n our pr e se nt st a t e of cons ciou s

nes s e n r oute as i t wer e to return
, , .

B u t returning to wha t? T h at i s th e un
an swe rable pr ob l e m o f a l l re l i g ions ; a ll
ph i l os oph i e s ; a ll s cie nce I f w e return to a
.

void such a s s om e i nt e rpr e t e rs of th e V edas

,

d e cl ar e th e n su r el y th is u rge wi th in m a n k ind
,

t ow ard th i s a nnih il ato ry state wou l d h ard l y

b e e x pe cte d I t w ou l d b e in co ns ist e nt with
.

that insti n ct o f se l f pr e s e rvation wh ich w e are

-

t ol d i s th e first l a w of natu r e .

Compared to this V edantic concept o f the

Ab s olut e th e Chri stian s si m p l e and v e ry
,
’

e mpiri ca l idea l of ete rn a l h app in es s i s

pref erab l e .
 Man s Relation
’
to God 55

To w alk s treets pav ed w ith go l d and play

a harp inc es s an tly w hil e chanting d oleful
prais es to a D eity who ought to become
w eari ed of the n ev er ceasing adulation w ould
-
,

sti ll be a m ore d es irabl e goal o f our stri fe ,

than that s o i n accurat el y and unattractive l y

d escribed by m any stud ents o f Oriental r el i
gi on s an d phi l osophi e s as the state n i rvana
mi
,

or s a adh .

’
Again quoting from V iv ekananda s Raj a
Y oga °

“
Th er e are n ot w anti n g pers ons w ho thi n k
that thi s mani f es t stat e (our pr es ent ex ist
enc e ) is th e hi g h est state o f man Think er s .

o f gr eat ca l ibr e are o f the opini on that w e are

m an i f es t ed sp ecim en s of undi ff er en ti ated B eing ,

an d this di ff er entiat ed s tat e is hig her than th e

A bs olute .

A l th ough as V iv ekana n da s ays th er e are

think er s w ho make th is c l aim the i dea d oes ,

n ot find r eady acc epta nc e am ong th eol ogi an s ,

e ith er Eastern or W est e rn

,
N eith er do phi l os
.

Oph ers as a general thing inc l i n e to ad opt thi s

,

v i ew T he rea s on f or this gen eral dis in clin a

ti on is n ot di ffi cu l t of disco v ery It i s due to .

the pres ent state of man on this plan et .

I f man as w e see an d kno w ma n kind i s

, ,

th e hi g hest stat e o f B eing (n ot m ere l y o f

56 C os mC ic ons ci ousn ess

mani festati on but of B eing ) th en th ey say

, , ,

“
we hav e n oth ing to h ope f or .

But have w e n ot ? May we n ot hope that man

m
wi ll anif es t on this plan et a full er rea l i zati on
m
, ,

o f that w hich h e i s in B ei ng and that far fr o , ,

dissolving what con s ci ousn ess he has he w i ll ,

but plus this c onsci ousn ess by a l arger— an all

embracing c on s ci ousn ess that sha ll make earth

a fit habitati on f or g od l ik e en ?
’
-
m
In V iv ekananda s Raj a Y oga w e find the
f oll ow ing :
“
There w as an old s ol uti on that man a ft er ,

death remain ed th e s am e ; th at all h is good

,

s id es minus his ev i l si des remai n ed f or ev e r

, , .

Logicall y stat ed this m ean s that ma n s goa l is

,
’

the w orld ; this w or l d m eani n g earth carri ed

to a s tat e higher and w ith el iminati on o f its

ev i l s is the state th ey ca ll h eav en This .

th eory on th e face of it is absurd and pu eri l e

, ,

becau s e it cann ot be Th ere cann ot be good .

”
w ith out evil or e v i l w ith out good T o li v e
, .

in a w or l d wh ere th er e is a ll good and no ev i l ,

‘
is w hat S anskrit logi cian s ca l l a dream in the
a ir
’
.

It is n ot n ecess a ry to argue h er e that th er e

is no such thi n g as positiv e evil .

“
S t Pau l said
. I kn ow and am pe rsuad ed
that nothing is unclean o f its el f ; sav e that to

a w e. N
e
w ar
e ?
 Man s
’
R etati on to God 57

h im wh o accoun teth anyth ing to b e u nclean ,

t o h im i t i s unc l e an .

And agai n w e are assure d tha t there i s

noth ing good o r b ad b u t thinking m ak e s i t
,

so ; wh ich m ean s th at evil h a s no m ore

foundation i n r e a l ity th a n has tho ught a nd ,

th ought is ever changing ; tran sit ory

-
Evil .

therefore m ay b e e nti r e ly e l im in at e d by
th ough t s ince i t i s cr e at e d by th ough t
, .

That th ere is a condition o f mankind w hich

“ ”
h as b e e n a ll ude d to a s evi l i s s elf e vi de n t o
.

Th e t e rm h as b e e n em p l oye d to de scrib e a
c onditi on of e ith e r a n indiv idu al o r a s ocie ty , ,

o r a natio n or a race wh e rein th e re i s i h

,

h arm ony ; d is ease ; u nhappin e s s Anyth ing .

t hat m ak e s f or su ff e ring on any p l an e of con

“ ”
s ci ous n e ss m ay b e t e rm ed
, ev i l as h er e u s e d .

'
Le t us c onsider f or a m o m ent if i t b e i llog i
cal to i m agine a w or l d i n wh ich th i s inharm ony
h as b e e n el im inate d I magin e a fam ily i n
.

wh i ch a l l th e m e mb e rs radiat e l ov e and un s e l
fi sh c o nsideration A dd to th i s or we m ay say
.
,

c omple m e ntary to th is w e h ave p e rf e ct h e a l th

,

and pr o sp e rity ; and ov e r and ab ove a l l w e

ha v e a c onvi cti on o f im m orta l ity e l im inating ,

d oubt and f e ar an d w orry as to future s orr ow s

or p artings with n o k n o wl e dg e that th e re are
,

oth ers i n th e w o r l d su ff e ring .

Do w e n ot find it q uite po ssibl e to say th e ,

58 m
C os ic C ons ci ousness

l e ast and e ve n des irab l e to live i n su ch a

, ,

fam ily parti cularly if we h ad previou s l y

,

acquire d a k now l e dge of th at wh ich i s evi l and

th at wh ich i s good— m ere l y term s u se d to de
s crib e l im it e d or e n l arg e d consci ousne s s
,
.

I f we adm it th e de sirab ility of liv ing i n suc h

? “
a fami l y why n ot i n s uch a wor l d
,
Logical l y
stated says th e H indu swam i th is m e ans
, ,

th at m an s goal i s th is wor l d (ea rth p l an e t ) ;

’

carrie d to a stat e h igh er and with th e e l i m ina

ti o n of it s evi l s th i s world is th e stat e (place )
,

th ey ca ll h e aven .

Again w e m u st qu e sti on W hy not ? .

This p l an et w e ca l l earth is a great and ,

m arv elo u s w ork wh ethe r it b e th e w ork of a n

,

ab s tract G od o r wh eth e r it b e th e wor k of th e

,

god in Man .

A n d wh e th er thi s e arth b e th e gift of a n

ab s tract God or wh e th e r i t b e th e gen e rating
,

b e d o f th e l ife n ow up on it th e fact r e m ai ns ,

that w e h av e n o bu sin e s s to de spis e th e gift ,

or th e w or k of s e l f g e n e rati on O ur b usi ne s s
-
.

i s to e nh anc e it s b eautie s and e l i m inat e i ts u gl i

ness Why have w e prayed that th e will o f
.

“
God which is Lo v e be done on earth as it is in ,

”
th e h eav ens i f w e despise the planet and
,

h o pe to l eav e it ?
Al though th e gen eral impr ession given in
al l r e l igi ou s syst e m s i s th at th e p e rfected soul
60 m
C os ic Cons ci ousness

h e ave n we are w i th God if no t abs orbed i nto

, ,

God .

Je su s th e m ast e r taugh t th e co m ing of th e

, ,

k ingdom of Go d on earth an d urge d m a n k ind

t o p ray f or its com ing a sk ing th at th e w i ll of
,

G od (or g ods ) b e done on e arth as it i s i n th e

h e av e n s fr om wh ich i t i s not i ll ogi ca l to inf e r
,

th at th e earth its e l f a s a p l an e t i s no t out s i de

, ,

th e pa l e o f that b l issfu l stat e wh ich w e ascrib e

to God and wh ich a t th e s am e ti m e we ex

, , ,

p e c t to e nt e r with o u t b eing swa ll o w e d up i n

th e s e n s e th at w e l os e th at c ons ci o us ne s s
wh ich c ogniz e s it s e l f a s a n e t e rnal v e rity .

“ ”
I f the n th e h e av e n s a s app l ie d to th e
,

pl an ets r ev ol v ing abov e the earth in the s olar

“ ”
system and H eav en as a te rm us ed to de
,

scrib e a s ta t e of h appin e ss b l i s s sa madh i , , ,

“ ”
nir v an a or l ife w ith God b e syn onym ou s
, ,

it m ay r ea s onab l y b e i nf e rr e d th a t i n th e so l ar
syst e m a re p l an e t s up on w h ich l iv e s e nti e nt
b e ings i n a stat e to wh ich w e on earth are
, ,

s e ek i n g to attain ; a stat e w her e i n s o ca l l e d -

evil ha s b e e n e l im inated and th e g ood r e tain ed .

I n fa ct we m ay s e e with n on e too pr oph e ti c

,

ey e s th e e l im inat ion o f evil righ t h e re i n th e

visib l e Al l w h o h av e att aine d a g l im pse of
.

I l lum inati on have r eported the l oss o f the

“ ”
sense of s in and dea th an d h av e re tai ne d ,
 Man s ’
R elati on to God 61

thi s fe e l ing of se curi ty and al l i s we ll ne s s as - - -

l ong a s th ey h ave l iv e d th ereafte r .

“
F ro m th e old c onc e pti on of e vil a s a po si
t ive opp os ing and ind ep e n de nt forc e m od e rn
m
, ,
'

th ough t i n all it s b ranch e s n a ely s ci e n ce ;

, ,

r e ligion ; s ocia l ev ol uti on an d ph i l os ophy ha s

, ,

a rrive d a t th e c onc l usi on th at evi l i s n ot a

p ower or f orce in and of its e l f b ut th a t it i s
m
,

evid e nc e of a li i te d d e gr e e of c ons ci ousn e s s

.

wh ich s e e s on l y on e s id e o f a subj e ct— o n l y a

lim it e d ar e a of a n infinit e l y w i de an d vari e d
m a nif e s tati on of th e on e supr e m e c on s ci ou s
n e ss Th er e f or e it i s th at e vi l per s e doe s n ot
.
, , ,

e x ist a s pow e r b u t th at it i s th e eff e ct of a

,

m is app l icati on of p ow e r .

T he cure th en f or this s tat e o f Rel ati v ity

, ,

i s f ound l ogica ll y en ough in an exten s ibn of ,

individual c o ns c i ou s ne s s .

That this id ea is l ogi cal may be deduc ed

fr o m th e fact th at a s th e m ind e x p ands ,

th r ough th e vari ou s ch ann el s of l e arning ;

ob se r v a ti o n ; c ont act w ith e ach othe r and by ,

the many roads o f Ex pe ri ence a l truism be ,

c om e s m or e general A l m ost ev e ry on e
.

r e adi l y adm it s th at th e wor l d i s growing b et

”
t er a s th ey expre s s i t
,
.

Th i s m ean s th at th e i nd iv idu al c on sci ou s

n es s is bec oming br oad en ed d eepen ed en , ,

larg ed ; and this enlargement m ak es it poss ib l e

62 C os mC ic ons ci ou
s n ess

to sh ow th a t th e h a ppi n e s s of e ach o ne m e an s ,

the happi n e s s o f a ll and th at n o on e h u m an

,

l ife can r e ach th e g oal of fr e e d om an d etern a l

m
l ife ( ukti w h ich can m e an n oth ing l e ss th an
,

g odh ood ) u n l e s s h e doe s s o by som e one of

th e m any path s of s e lfl e s s n e s s .

U p th rough th e p e ri l ou s p ath s and th e de

v i o n s w ays of b rut e c on sci ou s n e s s t owa rd a
m or e or l e ss perf e ct p e rc e pti o n of th at b l i ssful
s t at e w hich the I ll u min ed have s ought to de
s crib e e ach i ndivi dua l h a s c om e to h i s pr e s e nt
,

st a t e ; and i t i s on l y by virtu e o f th e ab i l i ty to
l ook b a ck ov e r th e path and to l ook on w ard a
,

l itt l e int o r e l ativ e futuri ty th at e a ch m ay ,

r e c ord th e f a ct of h i s gai n i n c on s ci ousn e s s ,

and w hat th is gai n m e an s to th e future of th is

e arth .

B ut w h o i s th e re wh o cannot s ee th at e a ch
s t e p i n attainm e nt o f c on sci ou s n e s s b rings
with i t a corre sp onding fre e d om fro m
s uff e ring ?
T h e p l ane t i tself d oe s n ot m a k e u s suff e r .

T h e l a t e st d isc ov e ri e s of a str on o m ers i ndicate

th at a s th e standard o f m oral ity (u sing th e
“ ”
t e rm m o ra l ity i n it s tru e s e n se ) be c om e s ,

h igh e r th e p osition of th e e arth its elf b e c om e s

,

ch ange d i n its re l ation to th e so l ar syst e m

, .

I n th i s way it i s expec ted th at a un iform

,

te m pe rature will prevail all ove r th e e arth s ’

g/a /
fl

“
k J' W ”(a a ki n“ . o fi
 Man s’
R elati on to God 63

s urfac e ; an d w i th th e ce s satio n of war a n d

‘

of c ompetition (w hich i s m ental war f ar e )

catac l y s m s st orm s and e arth quak e s wi ll c ea s e
, ,
.

W h e n w e com e as w e wi ll i n succ e e di n g
, ,

chapters of th i s b ook to a revie w of th e ex pe ri

,

en ces o f th ose w h o h ave attain ed cosmic con

s ciou s n es s (mukt i ) we w i ll find that ; in e ach i h

s ta n c e th er e has c om e a rea l izati on of the n othing

,

n ess o f s in and c ons equ ent su ff ering .

T h e tr oub l e th e n i s n ot with th e e arth as

,

a p l an e t bu t w ith th e l a ck of con s ci ous n e s s o f

,

’
e arth s i n habitants w hich lack makes poss ib l e
,

a l l th e su ff e ring which a ffl icts h um an l ife .

T h os e wh o h av e attain e d to th e s tat e o f
c osmic consciousn ess in b oth Occid ental an d
Ori ental instanc es of this pe rc epti on h ave ,

r e p orte d an ab iding se nse o f r e s t an d p e ac e

and s at i sfacti on— a c onditi on wh ich w e a s s o
ci a t e w ith a cc e pt e d id e al s of h e a v e n as taugh t
in Occid ental creeds and among some sch ool s
o f Ori ental phi l os oph ers and s ects o f r el igi ous
,

w orsh ip .

Th e r e i s a far gr e at e r u n ity of id e a b e t w e e n
the Oriental and th e Occid ent al m eth od s and

s yst e m s a s to th e g oal o f ultim a t e att a i n m e nt

,

th a n i s g e n e ra ll y b e l i e v e d or und e rst ood ,

.

T h e h igh e st e x pr e s s i o n of Ja pa n e s e B u dd
h ism di ff e rs fr o m H indu B ud dh is m a n d fr o m
Vedanta a n d th e m any oth er form s of H indu
,
64 m
Cos ic C ons ci ousn ess

phi l os ophy and r el igi on in the same way th at ,

the Japa n ese ,as a nation di ffer from th eir ,

H in du br oth ers .

T h e Japa n ese emphasiz e m ore than do the ,

Hi n dus the pr es er v ation of the nation and to

, ,

“ ”
this en d th ey are cal l ed mor e practica l
,

mind ed but w ith the Japanese as w ith a ll

, ,

th e Orienta l s w e find an intense contempt f or

,

an y on e wh o w ou l d se ek to preserve his phys i

cal e x istence or h esitate at any personal

,

s acrific e .

This un w ritten c od e has its origin as have ,

a l l Ori ental traditi ons and concepts in the ,

t eachings o f r el i g i ous systems According to .

Ori ental ethic s th e person i s v ery low in the

sca l e of con sc1ousn ess w h en h e c onsider s h is
,

physic al body as o f c omparative c onsequ enc e ,

wh en the qu estion o f ex pedi ency or o f the ,

w el far e of his c ou n try is in the ba l anc e

, .

N ev e rth el ess Japan has offered far m or e

, ,

than has India a f e rti l e fi eld for the grow th

,

o f m at eria l ism o w ing to th e fact that under l y

,

in g the appar en t obs ervanc e of and loya l ty to ,

r el igi ou s pr actic es the Japanes e t emperam en t

,

inc l in es to a practica l application o f the wis

do m attai n ed thr ough r el i i ous inst ruct ion
g .

Th er e f or e w e fi n d am ong the Illumined On es

of J apanes e hist ory sages w ho taught the
,

attainm ent of lib eration th rough paths which

 Man s ’
R elati on to God 65

are not ge nera ll y accepted by int e rpr e ters of

H induism .

F or e x am p l e a m ong th e o rth odo x S intoists

, ,

(th e origi na l r e l igi on of th e Japan e s e b ef ore ,

th e a dv e nt of B uddhism ) w e find th at cle an li

,

n e s s o f m ind and b ody wa s taugh t a s th e

,

pri m e e s s e ntial to attainm ent of unity with

m
Ka i rath er th an c ont e mp l ation m editati on
, ,

and i s ol ation a s w ith th e H indu s

,
.

And i n th e Ch ristian world w e h av e a c orr e s ~

“
p onding adm on iti on i n th e ph ras e cl e an l ine s s
”
i s n e x t to g od l ine s s .

S impl e as this rule of c onduct is it neverthe ,

l e s s e mb od i e s th e k ey to th e s ituatio n inas ,

“
m u ch a s we are assur e d th at b l e ss e d are th e
”
pure i n h e art f or th ey sh a ll s e e G od .

Again Je sus to l d h i s h ear e rs that th ey m ust

”
b e co m e as little ch ildr e n evid e nt l y m e aning
,

that th ey m ust po ss e s s th e cl ean pure gu i l e , ,

l e s s m ind of a litt l e ch i l d if th ey w ou l d r e ach

,

th e g oal o f l ib e rati on fro m strif e ; d e ath (re

,

“ ”
pe a ted incarnati o n ) and a ll s o ca ll e d e vi l
-
.

To th i s e n d m an i s striving wh e th e r by rit e s
,

and cere m oni e s o f r el igi on ; by w orsh ip ; by

c o nt e m p l ati on ; by e ff ort and strugg l e ; by i n
v e n ti on ; by a spirati on ; by s acrifice ; or by

wh at e v e r p ath or d e vic e o r s ystem

, ,
.

W hat th e n i s th e g oa l and h ow m ay i t b e
, ,

attaine d ?
66 Cos mC
ic onsci ousness

B efore t ak ing up th i s q u e stion le t us go ,

b ac k a l ittle over th e h isto ry of h u m a n lif e and

atta inm e nt and tra ce b rie fly th e evo l uti on of
, , ,

cons ciousne ss fro m pre h is tori c m an to th e

,
-
,

h igh e st e xam ple s of h u m an dev otion an d w i s

d om o f wh ich h appily th e worl d aff ords not
, , ,

a f ew in st anc es .
68 C os mC
ic ons ci ous n ess

n i z e th e fact th at consciou sne s s in va ry ing ,

d e gre e s ch aract e ri z e s all m ani f e ste d li fe

, .

Th is fact every phase o f Orien ta l ph il osophy

re c ogni z ed an d a l ways h as r e c ogni z ed T he
, .

as sumpti on of th e Ch ristian S cience d e v ote e ,

th at th e r e i s anyth ing new i n th e p ostul at e

“
that a l l is spirit i s pos sib l e on l y b e ca use
,

o f h is ign orance o f Oriental philos ophy as ,

w i ll b e s ee n l ate r on i n th e s e pag e s wh e n w e ,

tak e up th e r e l ative c o mparis on b etw e e n th e

“
O riental and the Occidental systems o f salva
”
tion .

To re su m e th e refor e we p ostulate th e fol

,

l owing r ecogni z ed a x ioms o f U niversal Occult

Al l l ife i s s e ntient or cons ci ou s .

A l l l ife i s fr om th e one s ource an d th ere ,

“ ”
fore contain s thi s d ivine spark .

A l l m an if e stati on expre ss e s d e gree s or

ph as e s o f c on sciousne s s .

Th e d e gre e o f th i s con sci ou sn e s s fix e s th e

statu s of th e organis m and determ ine s it s
,

cl a s sificati on wh e th er it i s orga nic or i h

,

organi c ; sim p l e or com pl e x

, .

E v e ry ce ll each se parate c e ll i n fact ha s its

, , ,

own consci ou sne s s— th at i s e ach c e l l i s a cen

te r of th is p owe r th at we t erm c onsci ousnes s
a gr oup of cells w ith th i s p ow e r f oca l i z e d to a
g ive n po int o r ce nte r m ak e s a n organ of con
, ,
 A reas f Cons ci ousness
o 69

s ci ous n e s s , and s o ‘
u p th e scale through
on

many m any d e gr e e s of c om p l e x ity of organ

ism unti l w e co m e to m an
, .

Webste r de fine s c onsci ousne s s a s th e ab il

ity to k now o ne s m e ntal ope rati ons B ut ,

w e do not tak e th i s definiti on i n O ccu l tism ,

f or th e obviou s r e ason th at i t i s not po ssib l e

,

‘
to state arb itrarily wh e th e r or n ot th e cel l ,
“ ”
k n ows its operati on s and since a ll O pe ra
,

ti ons are ne c e s sar il y m e nta l in th e fi nal an aly

s is we a ssu m e that th e re i s a ph ase of co n
,

“ ”
s ci ous n e s s b e l o w th at o f co gniti o n of self ,

“
wh ich m ay b e term e d th e u nconsciou s con
”
s cious n e s s , wh ich agai n i s syn onym ou s with
”
the ph ra se aut om ati c c e reb rati on .

C om ing up th rough th e v ari ou s myriad de

gre e s of sub consciou s life (sub b eing h ere
-

u se d a s b elow se l f consci ou sne s s ) we a rriv e at

th e stage o f sim p l e cons ciou sne s s wh ich
ch ar a ct e ri z e s th e anim al k ingdo m rem e mb er ,

ing that c on s c i ou sn e s s i n th e ab stract i s n ot a

con di ti on o r state of enviro nm ent
, I t i s on e
.

o f th e ete rn al ve ritie s I t i s j ust a s Au m is

. .

T h e attainm e nt of a wide r and wide r are a

of c onsci ou sn e ss i s b ut th e un coveri ng
,
or th e ,

attractin g to a c e ntra l p oint or to an indiv idu a l

o rga ni s m o f thi s that i s Th u s consci ousn e s s
. ,

“
i n th e ab stract m ay say of itself before crea
,

”
t ion was I am, .
70 m
Cos ic Cons ci ousness

That i s wh at is m ean t w h e n i t is said th at

Go d i s o mn ipote nt and o m ni s cie nt
, .

The di ff erence between mere power o r ,

e nergy and c ons ci ou s n e s s w h e th e r c ons idere d

, ,

fr o m th e stand po i nt of th e organ ic or th e i n
organi c k ingd om m ay b e l ik e n e d to th e diff e r
,

e nc e b e twee n a blin d f orce and a po w e r tha t

,

k nows its elf .

C ons ciousn e ss i s practica ll y th e great ce n

“
tral l igh t th at l igh teth ev e ry m an th at c o m e th
”
int o th e world . W itho ut c onsci ou sn e ss ,

m anife stati on woul d b e dark n e ss Th us i t i s .

“
said th e l igh t sh ineth i n dark n e s s an d th e
m
,

”
d ark ne s s co preh en deth i t n ot T his app l ie s
.

t o th at ti ny spark o f d ivinity in wh ich con

s ci ous n e s s exi st s b ut whe r e th e re i s not rea l i z a

ti on of it s d ivinity .

T hi s fa ct i s n ot app l icable to th e i n organ ic ,

or th e anim al k ingd om s a l one M any m e n .

are n ot conscious of th e l igh t th at sh ine th

w ith in th e m save a s th er e i s a n aggr e gate of

,

c e l l c onsciou sn e ss w h ic h rec o gn i z e s it s foc al

liz e d p ow e r a s an organis m .

Manif e station th en i s th e v eh icl e (carryin g

,

ch a ract e r ) of universa l consci ou sness an d w e ,

m ay l ogi ca ll y a ssum e th at m an ifestation i s due

to th e n e ce s sity o f d e v e l opin g individualiz ed

e ntitie s wh o m ay th r ough su cce s si v e ph ase s

, ,
 A reas f C ons ci ousn ess
o
71

of con scious unfo l dm e nt or uncovering o f

,

areas o f B eing become gods

, .

T h e we stern writers and ind e ed many

, ,

“
Ori ental seers pre fer to put it thus : become
fi t to dwe ll w ith God i n e ternal b l is s and
,

power .

T o dwe l l with God m u st b e to b e com e gods

, .

O nce m ore we m us t re m e mb er that on l y god s

,

are im m ortal S ou l s c ontinue to exist after

.

th e physical b ody h as b e e n dis carded f or th e ,

r e as on that n o b ody in th e s e days l ive s a s l ong ,

as its psych i c c ount e rp art o r dwel l e r B ut .

,

alth ough th e sou l c o ntinue s to e x i st on an oth e r

p l an e or n ot e of th e s cale of vi brati on it doe s ,

n o t argu e th at th e id e ntity sh a l l c ontinue e t e r

na l ly e x c e pt i n su ch in stance s as wh e n th e
, ,

s ou l th rough numb er s of i ncarn ati ons sha l l

h ave fi nal l y accom p l ish e d th e purp os e of it s
pil grim age and a ttaine d to ukti (l iberatio n m
fr om th e law of ch ange and d e ath ) .

R e turning to a c on sid e rati o n o f wh at m ay

b e said to c onstitute certain s pe cific phas e s o f
c onsc iou sn e s s w e w i ll ta k e i nt o c onsiderati on
,

th e ph as e o f con sci ou sne ss wh i ch we se e e x

m
,

pre s s ed ih th e m ineral k ingd o That th ere .

i s a di stinct and sep ara te ch ara cte r of con

s cious n e s s th u s e x pr e sse d i s e vident from th e

fact th at th e r e i s a law of ch em i cal affi nity ,

i e at traction and r e pul sion w h ich cau se s dif

. .
,
72 Cos mC ic ons ci ous ness

feren t m i neral s to r e spond o r to refuse to ,

re spond as th e ca se m ay b e to ce rtai n condi

, ,

ti on s or ch e m ic a l proce ss e s m or e or l e s s crud e ,

in ch aract e r .

Fro m th is to th e v ege tab l e k ingd om we

assu m e a step in advance a s v ege tab l e l ife ,

m easure d by com p l e xity and re fine m ent re ,

s po n ds with a greate r d e gr e e o f s e n sitiv e ne ss

to th e l aws of e vo l ution a s e x pr e sse d i n cult i

,

vati on s el e ct i on and environm e nt

, .

E ve n i n th is ph ase of m anif e stati on we find ,

the law o f Being i s measured by th e p er f ecti on

,

of sp e ci e s E vo l ution of i norgani c life is a s

.
,

re al and a s m u ch a part of th e p l an (or wh at

, ,

eve r nam e we ch oo s e ) a s i s organic and self

, ,

cons ciou s l ife .

T h at wh i ch i s l es s pe rfect m ea sure d by ,

th e law of b eau ty and u sefulne ss w e find gr ad ,

ually b e ing exte rm inate d Th at th e e arth a s .

,

a p l anet is ob eying th i s cosm i c law of e volu

,

ti on fro m grossne s s to refine m e nt ; fro m crud

ity to perfection ; from the limited to the all
inclusive i s indi sputable A s th e m otor pow e r
, .

o f e l e ctri city h a s b eco m e g e neral w e find th at ,

b east s of b urd e n are fast d is appe aring fro m

“
th e earth according to th e law of th e surv iv al
,

”
of th e fi tte st th i s law al ways b e in g subj e ct
, ,

“ ”
to ch ange Th e fitte st m e an s th at w h ich is
.

be st fi tte d to th e conditi on s of th e ti m e .
 A reas f
o C ons ci ousness 73

B rute force s urv ive s a m ong brute s i n th e ,

de gre e that i t i s stron g or wea k ; c o m ing out

o f tha t e x pre s sion of l aw into the m e nta l ar e as

of c ons cio usne s s w e fi nd th at th e

,
m
en tally fit

s urv iv e a m ong th ose wh o live o nly i n th e are as

o f th e m ind ; s o o n i nt o th e S piritua l we will
, ,

“ ”
fi nd th e su rvival of th e fitte s t w i ll b e th ose
wh o are b e st fitte d f or spiritual e t e rnity— for
g odh ood .

C om ing agai n to our consideration of th e

,

t e rm c ons ci ou sn e ss w e wil l tak e a brie f sur

,

vey o f that phase o f consci ousness which we

see mani f ested in the forms o f li fe that have

the power to m ove f rom th eir immediate

e nvironm ent ; such f or instance wou l d i nclude

th e fi sh i n th e se a ; inse ct l ife ; re ptile s ; th e

b irds in th e air ; and all f orm s of anim a l lif e .

W hile expre ssing a ve ry l i mit e d degre e o f

c onsciousness y et there is evident a ce rtain
,

d e gree o r aggr eg ate o f cel l consciou snes s ,

wh ich transcend s th at of th e m inera l and v eg e

tab l e l ife Th i s appare ntly advanced degre e of
.

consciou sne s s doe s n ot a s w e h ave st ate d

, , ,

p re sup pose a neare r appr oach to i m m ortality ,

h owever f or th e re ason th at we apply th e l aw

,

o f th e su rv ival o f th e fi tte st to all m anif e sta

tion an d th at wh ich i s b e st fi tted for certain
,

’
stage s of th e pl anet s life during th e proce s s
of evolve m en t m ay b e m ost un fi tted fo r suc
,
74 Cos mC ic ons ci ous ness

ce e di n g stage s a nd wi l l by th e i nexorable law

, ,

of surviva l b e di sc o ntinu e d— d iscarded eve n

, ,

a s th e propertie s and stage se ttings of a dram a -

a re thr own asid e wh e n th e play h as b e e n

,

“
tak e n ofi th e b o ards .

It is a dmitt ed th ere f ore that th ose form s

, ,

o f l ife h av ing the power of l o com oti on in ,

volv e a m ore c ompl e x d egre e o f c onsciousne ss ,

th a n d oe s th at o f th e m inera l or v egetab l e .

I n th at ph as e of life th at w e s e e pos se ssing

th e p owe r to m ove to ch ange its i m e d iat e
,
m
e nvi r on m e nt , eve n th ough not ca pabl e of
ch anging it s ha bi tat w e m ay p erceive the b e gi n
“
n ing of th at c on scious ness expre s sed as fre e
”
wi l l
. H er e w e a s su m e th e organis m r e c og
, ,

n i z e s its s e l f a s distinct fro m it s environm ent ,

an d fr o m i ts c ount e rparts et c b u t th is r e c og , .
,

n i ti on h a s n ot su ffi ci e n t c o nsciou sne s s to ass ert

th at r e c ogniti on an d s o we say th at th e re i s no
,

s elf c o nsci ou s n e s s
-
Th ere i s wh at o cculti sts
.

h av e a gre e d to ca l l si mpl e con sci ousn e ss b ut ,

th i s doe s n ot inc l ud e a re al i z ation of ide ntity ,

a s apart fr om e nvi r onm ent T hi s m ay b e b e t .

te r un d e rsto od if we se parat e th e se d egree s or

ph as e s o f c on s ci ou sne ss i nt o gr oup s appl icab l e ,

t o th e h um a n o r g ani s m l e av in g for a ti m e th e
, ,

c on side rati on of w h eth er or n ot som e h u m an

spe cim en s are h igh er in th e s cale s than are
s o m e anima l s .
76 C os mC ic ons ci ousness

and spiritual S el f which he reali z es is th e real

of h im .

T o th is e nd h e cultivat e d phys ica l for ce

, ,

suffi ci e nt to ove rcom e h is e nv ironm e nt ; and

a s h e d e vel op e d a l itt l e of th at consciousne s s
wh i ch w e t e rm m ental (u sing th e term m ere l y
a s a part of th e physica l organis m ca l l e d th e
b rain ) h e reali z e d th at co op e ration w ould
,
-

gre at l y enh ance h is ch ance s for se l f pr e s e rva -

ti on and th e refor e th is m ental c onsciou s ne s s

, ,

im p e ll e d h i m to a nne x to h i s f orce s oth e r

physical organi sm s s o th at th e ir unite d
str e ngth m igh t pre s e rve each oth e r .

’
T h is side o f th e story of m an s evo l uti on i n
c ons ci ousne s s i s n ot h owever a part of o u r
pre sent work and w e wi l l th er e f ore l e ave it
, ,

f or a b ri e f c on sidera tio n o f th e succe s sive st e p s

i n a ttainm e nt of consci ou sne s s l eading ,

through d e vi ou s p ath s and th rough m i ll i on s

,

of relat ive ti m e cal l e d y e ars i nt o th e pr e s e n t

,

’
state of man s consciousn ess which in so many
instan ce s pr e sage s th e o ncom ing of that state ,

ca ll e d libe rati on or i ll u m in a tion— m ukti

, .

Th r ough m ental se l f consci ousnes s th e way

-

h a s b e e n l ong an d arduous Th e re are m a ny

.
,

m any degre e s of th i s ph ase of consci ou sn e s s ,

and to th i s ph as e w e ow e what i s ca ll e d our

pr e s e nt civi l i z ation .

Th e true o ccultist wh eth e r vi e wing m ani

,
 A reas f Consci ousn ess
o 77

testati on from the standpoint of Ori enta l or

of Occidental ideals rea l i z es that ev erything
,

is right which mak es f or human betterm en t

m
,

and that dhar a (right action ) c onsi s ts in act -

ing in acc ordance with the high est m otive of

which on e s consci ousn ess is capab l e
’
.

That our present civi l izati on is m ost nu

civili z ed in many respects wi l l be admitted by ,

a l l wh os e range o f consciousn ess has touch ed

in any degree the infinite a reas o f w isd om
,

expressed in a l truistic acti on .

But though the path be long and th orny

, , ,

the cyc l e i s c l osing and many hav e r each ed

,

the goa l through its z igz ag course .

But underlying as it were and upho l ding

, , ,

and upl i fting the expression of sense con

s ciou s n es s in w hich so many pers ons seem lost

today there are evidences of a c onsciousness

,
“

which obs erves the eff ects of this trem end ou s ,

mental activity and kno w s itsel f as som ething

,

apart from and superior to this mani festati on

, .

Th is we d efine as soul— individua l ized e x

,

pres si on o f the spi ritual c onsci usness the

o —

c entral light w hich as w e previ ou s l y qu ot ed

“

, ,

“
l ight eth every man that cometh into the
”
world .

Many there are who m erely p ercei ve this .

T o th em th ere is a vague and in definable

m
s o ethi ng which seems to r ea l iz e that the
78 m
C os ic C ons cious ness

o pe ration s of th e m ind are som e th ing

phenomenal and apart from the real S el f .

P sych ol ogy even s o e mpirica l a psy ch o l ogy

,

a s i s possib l e of d e m onstratio n i n we stern

s ch ool s and co ll e ge s evide nce s th e fact that
,

m
th e r e i s a far gr e ater fi el d of m e nta l operati o n
than i s c overe d by th e o uter or en tal con ,

s ci ous n e s s .

Th e out e r or obj e ctiv e action of th e m ind

, ,

consid e rs bu t on e subj e ct on e qu e sti on one , ,

pr obl e m at a ti me M any vari e d p has es of th is

m
.

pr obl e m m ay pre sent th em s e lv e s b u t th e e n ,

ta l f orce s are fo ca l i z e d up on on e subj e ct at a

tim e A n d ye t to stat e th at b u t on e i d e a ,

th ough t concept o r de sir e ca n e nter th e m i nd

-
, ,

at a ti m e i s n ot a saf e a s su mpti on
, .

Aft e r m any centuri e s of m at e ria l s trif e with ,

th e obj e ct of sati s fying th e d e m a n ds of

h u man l i f e th e c onvicti on i s f orcing its e l f
,

upon pe opl e i n al l walk s of l if e th at we a l th , ,

amb ition p ow er and p os s e s sions do not giv e

, ,

u s th e ans w e r to th e et e rn a l une s cap ab l e an d

insi st e nt qu e sti on of th e way to h appine s s .

T his m e an s th at th ere i s awak ening in th e

h um an rac e m or e gen e ral l y than at any oth e r
tim e in re c ord e d h i st ory a r e a l i zation th at th e
,

h um an orga ni s m i s n ot m e r e l y a phys ical

aggr e gat e of c e l l s n or y et th at it i s m ind
,

indivi dua l i z ed and i n operation f or th e purpos e

 A reas o f C onsci ousness 79

of exerci sing ne w p owers Th e fact i s be co . m

i ng appar e nt that a l l discovery is b ut an un
cov ering of th os e vast are as of consciousn e s s
wh ich are l i m itle s s ; and wh ich inc l ude n ot
on l y a l l l if e on th i s p l anet b ut a l l life i n th e
,

Co s mos . In short c osmic c onsci ousn ess is

,

b e c om ing p erceived by a v ast m aj ority and i s

, ,

b e ing realiz ed by n ot a f ew .

B ut in th e i m m e diate future of th e rac e we ,

find th e n e x t st e p f or th e m aj ority to b e that

,

o f soul co nsciousn e s s
-
.

B ack of thought l ik e a guardian angel

,

stands th e desire of th e s ou l stim u l ating and ,

dire cting ; b a ck of acti on stan ds though t a s ,

th e m aster dir e cts th e s e rvant o r a s th e cap ,

tai n d e cid e s th e cours e of th e sh ip .

Spiritua l e vo l uti on m ay b e u ndersto od or ,

at le ast p ercei ved from a study of physical and

,

m e nta l evolution Fro m th e crude to th e pe r

.

f e ct is th e law ; if th i s perfe cti on of spe cie s or ,

of ph a se s cou l d b e attained with ou t pain i t

, ,

we re we ll Pa in com e s fro m lack of wisdom

.

to realiz e th at out of th e l owe r th e h igh er

inevitably sp rings as th e b utterfly springs
,

fro m th e cocoon ; a s th e flowe r springs fro m

“ ”
th e see d ; a s ab ov e s o b elow i s a translation
of an old S into s aying whi ch a l so b ids u s ,

“
t rust i n K am i and k ee p clean .

“
Again it i s said to h i m wh o overcom et h
'

,
80 C os mCic ons ci ous n ess

will I gi v e th e inhe ritance Overco ing m ay

. m
be vari ous l y i nt e rpreted I n th e pa st it h as
. ,

been presented to the initiate as sacrifice If ,

.

s o it b e th e n i s i t b e caus e o f lack of th at wi s

m
,

do wh ich k n ows that th e re i s n o sacrifice

i n e x ch a n ging th e physical for th e spiritual
th e eph e m e ral f or th e ab iding .

Says th e anci ent m anu s cripts

“
T h e b ody i s purifie d by wate r th e m ind by ,

truth th e s oul by k n owl e dge an d au st e rity th e

, ,

”
reas on by wi sdo m .

B ut a s th e gr oping undevelope d soul ,

struggl e s for consci ou s ne ss it reach e s ou t fo r ,

th e gratificati on of m e ntal de s ire s Th e s ou l .

i s m ov e d by d e sir e f or p e rf e ct h appine ss Th e .

m ind seek s to sati sfy th is craving for happi

n e s s i n i ncr e a s e d a ctiviti e s ; in a ccu m u l ation ;
i n s o ca ll e d p l easur e i e always look ing out
-
, . .

s ide— th ink ing outsi de l iving i n th e out side

m
,

th e ay o . B ut th e s ou l h a s b ut o n e a nswer to
th is qu e st f or h appine s s I t i s love b e cau se
.
,

on l y l ov e and wi sd om give i m m ortality

wh ich is s el f pr e s e rvati on in th e tru e sen s
- e

“
It is written in the Shruti : B rahman is wis
”
do m and bl is s .

No h igh e r text ca n b e giv en th e disciple .

W isd om com e s fr om re fle cti on up on th e

resu l ts o f Ex perience in the search for happines s
, .

W h e n th e m ind h a s sound ed th e depth s of

 A reas f C onsci ous ness
o 81

it s re source s and th e urge forward can not

,

b e appe ase d wh e n th e v o ice of th e inner s elf

,

-
th e soul cannot b e sile nce d ; t h e discip l e
,

pau se s to ask th e way H e wants to k n ow

.

what it i s a ll ab out an d why it i s th at al l h e

,

has s o strive n and struggl e d f or fai l s to sati s fy .

H e wants to kno w h ow to avoid pain ; and

h ow to find th e m os t dir e ct r oad to that satis
facti on wh ich e n dure s ; a n d wh ich i s not
“ ”
syn onymo u s with the s o ca ll e d p l e asure s of
-

th e s e n s e s.

Wh e n th i s stage of deve l opm e nt h as be en

r e ach e d th e di sciple is re ady f or anoth er ph ase
,

o f Experience which sha ll ex tend his c onsci ous

ne s s int o th os e ar e as of k n ow l edg e in which ,

the Real is distinguishab l e from the Il l usory .

E x perience will th en t each him that on l y Lov e

i s rea l
.

Th at wh ich i s f or th e perm anent g oo d of a l l ,

a s opp os e d to th at wh ich i s transit ory and

o n l y s e e m ing l y sati sfying to th e f e w m ay b e ,

said to constitute the p ercepti on of the Rea l ,

and the avoidanc e of I ll u s i on .

T o e x chang e a pre sent s e e m ing advantage

t o th e physica l e nviron m ent fo r a future and ,

p e rmane nt s atisfaction of th e s oul i s th e pre ro

at i o f th e wi s e — th e soul th at h as di s cov
g v e

e re d its e l f and it s m is si on .

I n a l l organism s b e l ow th e s ca l e of th e h u
82 Cos m i c C ons ci ous ness

m an th e re i s a con stan t growth i n co mplexity

,

o f organi sm with spe cia l i z atio n o f fun cti ons

,
.

W h e n we com e to th is las t m enti on e d stage -

o f hum an dev e lopm ent we fi nd that there i s

,

no m ore spe cia l i zati on i n th e way o f d evel op

m ent o f th e phys ical fun ctions I nstead th er e .
,

i s a d e term in e d eff ort at p e r f e cting th e h igh e r

functi ons th r o ugh th e gradation s of c onsci ou s
,

n e s s until th e spiritua l c on s ciou sne s s of th e

,

i ndividua l e ntity h a s b e e n awak e n e d .

Th e n i nd e ed ha s b ee n awak e ne d th e d i
, ,

”
vine m an an d th e path to i m m orta l ity i s
h e nc e fo rt h c omparative l y sh ort a l th ough by ,

no m e an s stre w n w i th ro s e s j udge d fr o m th e ,

limited standard o f Rel ativity .

’
A m an s karm a s imply and m ath e m ati cally ,

prove s th e d ire ction o f h i s form e r d e sir e s .

K arm a doe s no t punish or re w ard a s i s f re ,

q u e ntly i m agined .

Th e gen e ra l im pre s si on th at one i s reaping

”
g ood or b ad k arm a accordin g a s h i s life i s
on e o f p l ea sure o r o f pain is not th e s ol uti on
,

o f th e probl e m o f k arm a and ha s n o relation

,

t o th e la w of karm i c action .

I f a s oul h a s i n a prev iou s life out grown or

o utw orn th at e vo l uti o nary ph as e of d evel op

m ent i n wh ich th e m in d seek s tem po ra ry

,

p l e asure s and h a s c om e to th e pla ce wh ere h e

,

wants to disting uish the Real from the Il l usory ,

84 C os mC ic onsci ous n ess

of th ei r karm a An d of th is c l as s o f s ou l s the
.
,

w or l d today has a good l y number .

Th e e n d of a ka l p a fi nd s m any avatars an d ,

ang el s o n e arth an d h oweve r ob scure d th e

,

m ind o f these may become in the f og o f I llu

sion th e i nn e r l igh t gu ide s th e m th r ough it s
,

m i st s t o th e safe a cco m p l i sh m e nt of th e ir
m ission .

Th e re i s a story of a B uddh ist pri e st w h o ,

wh e n dying was co mfort e d by h i s l ov ing di s

,

ciple s w ith th e r e m ind e r that h e wa s a t l ast

e nt e ring upo n a state o f b l i s s a nd re st To .

wh i ch th e e arne st one r e p l ie d
“
N e ve r s o l on g a s th e re i s m i sery t o b e
assuaged sha ll I ent er Ni rvana
, I shal l be
.

reborn wh ere th e n e e d i s gre ate st I sha ll .

wi sh to b e reb orn i n th e ne th e rm o st de pth s of

h e l l b e cau se that i s th e p l ac e th at m ost ne e ds
,

e n l igh te nm e nt ; that i s th e place t o point out

t h e path to de l iv e ranc e ; th at i s th e place

wh e re th e l igh t w i l l sh ine m os t b ri gh t l y .

Th u s it will b e see n w e m ay n ot re adi l y de

“ ” “ ”
term in e wh at i s g ood and wh at i s b ad
k arma by j udging fro m e x te rna l c onditi ons
, .

“
A s w e are t ol d th at w e m ay e nt e rtain an
”
g e l s u naware s s o w e m ay pa ss th e w orl d s
,
’

avatars u p on th e street and j udging fr om th e

,

e xte rn al th e physic al e nviro nm e nt we m ay

, ,
 ‘
A reas f Consci ousness
o 85

n ot k n ow th e m from th e vampire soul s tha t

c ontact th e m .

T h e p oint of our pr e s ent consid e ratio n i s

“ ”
th at th i s y e ar of grace m ean ing n ot th e
,

m e re tw e lve m onth s of th e ca l e nd a r y e ar but ,

th e c e ntury i s th e e nd o f th e pr e se nt kalp a
,

( cyc l e ),and d e m o nstrat e s that p e riod of e vo

luti on h a s t e rm inat e d an d th e e ra i s at h and
,

wh en spiritua l alch e my shal l transform th e old

i nto th e new and th at th e de sir e which ha s
, ,

s o l ong m ini stere d t o th e wants of th e phys

i cal b ody sh a ll b e turne d (converted ) int o th e

,

ch ann e l s th at l e ad to spiritual c onsciousnes s .

T h e u nde fined i nsti n ctive urge that h as

,

actuat e d s o m any intr e pi d s ou l s i s b e c om ing

,

r e cogni z e d f or wh at i t is — th e a w ak e ni ng of
the inn er Sel f ; the blind groping in the dark
will c e ase and th e re sh a ll ari s e a race of hu ma n
b e ings l ib er at e d ; fre e ; awar e of th e i r spiritual
o rigi n and th e ir inh e rent di v in ity .

A ll w h o h av e c on f orm e d th e i r l if e activities
t o th e div ine law of acti on wh ich m ay b e ,

“
te rse l y state d a s N ot m ine b ut th in e dea r
, ,

”
b r oth e r will h av e a ch i e v e d th e g oal of th e
,

soul s purpose— will have found Ni rvana

’
.
 CHA PT ER IV

S ELF N E S S AN D S ELF LE SS N ES S
-

Durin g what i s h istori ca ll y k nown a s th e

D ark Ag e s th e e s oteri c m e aning of religi ou s
,

practice s b ecam e ob scur e d Th is i s tru e n o .

l ess and no more o f Orien tal countries than

, , ,

o f E ur op e an T h e l ong nigh t th r ough wh ich

.

th e e arth pa ss e d d uring that ti m e a nd since ,

b ut fo r e sh a d owe d a com ing dawn I n th e .

s ti l l v e ry i m p e rf e ct l igh t of th e da w ning day ,

truth i s s ee n b ut di m l y and its ray s appear,

“
di s t orted w h e r e a s wh e n s e e n with th e pure
, ,

”
and spotl ess ey e th ey are straight and c l ear
and sim p l e .

Indeed the v ery s implicity of Truth causes

,

h e r to pa s s un n oticed .

W h il e to th e s u perficia l ob s e rver ; th e
stu dent w h o i s m e ntal l y e ag e r b ut w h o l ack s
th e w ond er ful pen etrating po w e r o f spiritual

i nsigh t th e re s e e m s to b e a great com p l exity

,

in O riental phil os ophy the fact is that the

, ,

e ntire a ggr e gati on of s yste m s i s s im p l e e nough

wh en w e h av e th e k ey .

O n e of th e stu mb l i n g b l ock s ; th e i n ex plic

m
ab l e eni g a to many Occidenta l students is ,

86
 S elf -
n es s and S elfles sn ess 87

the problem of the pres e rvation o f the Sel f ,

and th e c onstant adm onition to b e com e se l f

l e s s Th e tw o appea r parad ox i ca l
. .

H ow may the S el f acquire c onsciousness and

yet b eco m e selfles s ?
Through out the Ori ental teachings n o mat ,

te r wh i ch o f th e m any syst e m s we study w e ,

fi nd th e of t r e p e a t e d d e c l arati on that lib era

-

ti on can never be accomp l ish ed and Nirvana

“
r e ach ed by h i m w h o h old s to th e ide a of
,

”
se l f
.

I t i s th is u n iversa ll y r e cogni z e d aph oris m

wh ich has giv e n ri s e to th e e rr on e ou s con cep
ti on o f Ni rvana as ab s orption o f a ll id entity .

H ak ui n D aisi th e S t P aul of Japan e s e

,
.

B u ddh i sm cauti on e d h i s d iscip l e s th at th ey

,

“
m ust ab s orb th e s e l f i n to th e wh o l e th e ,

c osm os if th ey wou l d n ev e r die and J e sus

, ,

“
assured h i s h ea r e rs th at h e wh o l os e s h is l ife
f or my sak e shall find it .

Ch ristian s h ave tak e n thi s s im pl e state m e nt

to me an th at h e w h o endur e d p e rs e cuti on and
d e ath b e cau se of h i s e spousal of Christi anity ,

would b e r e w ard e d in th e way that a k in g

b e st ows land s a nd tit l e s f or d e f e nse of h is
,

p e rs on and th r one .

Th is i s the l imited v i ew point of the personal

se l f ; it i s far fr o m be ing consist e nt with th e
wisd om o f the I ll umin ed M aster .
88 m
Cos ic C ons ci ous ness

H e w h o h as s u fficie nt spiritua l cons ciou s

n e s s t o de s ire th e we l fare of all ev e n th ough ,

h i s ow n life and h i s ow n po sse ssion s were th e

p ri c e th e ref or can n ot l os e h i s l ife Su ch a
,
.

on e is fit f or im m orta l ity an d h is g odh o o d i s

claim e d by th e v ery act f renunci ati n n ot

o o —

a s a reward b e st ow e d f or s uch renunciati on .

By the v e ry a ct of wil l in gn e s s to l ose th e

sel f we find the S el f N ot the s el f o f ext er
.

n ality . N ot th e s e l f th a t says I a m a wh it e
m an ; or a b lac k m an ; or a y el l ow m an ; or a
“ ”
re d m an T hat say s I am Joh n S m ith — or
.
"

any oth e r nam e T he aware n es s o f th is ki nd

.

o f selfh ood th i s pe rs onal s e l f i s l ik e lookin g

, ,

’
at one s r e fl e cti o n i n th e m irro r and saying ,

“ ” “
Ah I hav e on a bec oming atti re or my
, ,

” “ ”
face lo ok s sick l y t o d ay I t i s th e sam e I
.

th at lo ok e d y e st e rday and f ound th e face loo k

ing exc e l le nt l y w e ll s o th at th e re m u st h av e
,

be en c on sci ousn e s s b e h ind th e ob s e rvati on ,

th at cou l d tak e c og n izan c e o f th e di ff e re nc e i n

app e arance o f ye st e rday s r e fl e cti on a nd that ’

w h ich m e t th at cogn iz in g e y e tod ay .

E age rn e s s to retain cons ci ou sn e s s of th e

person al sel f blocks the w ay of I l luminati on
wh ich unc ov e rs th e r e al th e greater th e
m
, ,

high er S el f— the at an .

Th i s c on stant adj uration to s ink th e s el f

into Th e Abso l ut e is w hat has giv en rise to so
,
 S elf -
n ess and S elfles sness 89

m u ch diff e re nce o f inte rpr etation a s to th e

m
m e anin g of ukti l ibe ratio n I t sou nds par
,
.

adox i cal to s tat e th at i t i s on l y by giving up

al l c onsci ou s nes s of s el f that immort al S el f ,

ho od i s gai ned .

Thus h as aris e n al l th e confusio n a s to th e

“ ”
m e aning o f ab s orpti on int o a state of b liss .

H ow may the S el f r ea l ize a state o f s elfles sness

t u
and y e not be l os t in a sea o f nconsci ousn ess ?

O n l y on e w h o i s capable o f s e l f s acri fi ce -

w er e h e c all e d upon ca n correctly answ e r thi s,

qu e st i on an d by wh at m ay b e te rm e d th e
,

v e ry low of equati on th e sacrifice b e com e s ,

im pos sib l e .

Sh ou l d an y on e s e ek to b argai n with h i m
s el f to pay th e price of l o ss of s e l f so th at h e ,

m igh t gai n th e high e r fu ll e r l if e h i s sa crific e , ,

w ou l d b e i n v ain b e c a u se i t w ou l d n ot b e s el f
l e ssn e ss b u t s elfi sh n e s s— th e re c ou l d b e n o
,

s acri fi ce wer e it a b ar g a in
, .

Let n o on e th ink th at th is un ch anging law

o f the Cosm os is in the nature of eith er r eward

or punish m e nt o r th at i t was d e vis e d by th e

,

g o d s as a m e th od o f initiation— a te st of fi t
,

n ess for Nirvana Ev en though the t est be

.

a pplied by th e g ods i t i s not o f th e ir planning

,
.

I t i s j ust as th e ab so l ute is an d an a l ysi s of

, ,

th e w ay an d w h e refr o m i s not po ss ibl e of

contem p l ation .
90 Cos mC ic ons ci ousn es s

I f it sometimes appears that I ll um ined Ones

h ave s ee m e d to i nf e r a lo ss of i de ntity of th e
S el f it sh ould be rem embered that not only ‘
,

hav e th es e reported i ns tances o f l iberation

( c o smic c onsci ousn e ss at t ain e d ) be en vagu e , ,

but th ey hav e ne ce s s ari ly su ff er e d fro m th e

im possibi l ity of d e scrib ing th at which i s i n
d e scrib ab l e W e sh oul d a l so re m e mb e r th at
.

tran s l at ors e mploy th e words i n th e E ng l ish

l angu ag e wh ich m ost n e ar l y e x pr e s s th eir i n
t e rpretati on of th e origina l m e aning .

W ord s are at b e s t b ut clu m s y symb ol s .

Pe rfect b l i ss i s v oice l e s s — in e xpre ssib l e .

Th is d oe s n ot h ow e v e r m e an that p er f e ct
, ,

b l is s i s noth ingn e ss Rath e r i s i t every thi ng

.

n es s i n th at it is a ll e mb racing i n i ts rea l i z a
,
-

tion . In comp l ete rea l i zation o f the Cosmos

n othing i s e x c l ud ed E x c l u s iv ene ss i s a con
.

c omitant of th e state o f consci ou sn e ss

p e rtine nt to th e p e rsonal s elf wh ich stat e i s ,

n ot e x c l ud e d fr om th e c ons ci o usne s s d e scrib e d

, m
as cos m i c n i rvana or ukti b ut on th e con ,

t rary , i s inc l ud e d i n it ev en a s th e si mp l e
,

vibrations of th e m u sica l s ca l e a re in
c l uded i n th e gr e at h arm onie s of W agner s ’

co m positi on s .

“
H e wh o h a s rea l i z e d B rah ma n b e c om e s
” “
s ile nt says Ram a k rish na
, Dis cus si ons and
.

ar g u m e ntat ions e xi s t s o l ong as th e rea l i z ation

92 C os mC ic ons ci ousn ess

th e neophyte b e gins to drink th e ne ctar of

D ivin e Love at the l otus f eet o f th e Bliss ful
,

”
O ne .

W ho will no t sa y that th e b e e i s m ore s at

is fi e d wh e n h e h a s foun d a nd dran k o f th e
h on ey tha n wh en h e i s b u zz ingly s e ek ing it ?
Sur e l y it i s no t n e ce s s ary to b e of one m ind ,

in ord er that we may be of one heart Ev en .

“ ”
th ough w e we re as l ik e a s two peas in a pod ,

i t i s w el l to note th at th e tw o p e a s are two

sph e r e s— nature h as m ade th e m sep arat e and
di s tinct d e spite th e ir c l os e r e s e mb l anc e .

T o uni te w i th th e ab so l u te sh ould cor

re s p ond to th i s u nity of al l h earts in th e de sire
f or a c om m o n eff ort to e stabli sh h arm ony ,

wh i l e w e p e rm it to e ach i nd ividu al th e fr e e d om
o f m ind ; o f taste ; of choic e of pursui ts ; o f

ch oice of pl ea sure ; of di scri m inati on ; and

pre s e rv ation of i d e ntity
m
.

O u r c ontenti on i s th at ukti or l ib era ,

ti on (wh ich we b el i e ve to b e i d e ntica l w ith

atta inm e nt o f co sm i c c onsci ou sne s s ) doe s no t
m ean an absorption into the Universal the ,

Absolut e B rahm to the extent o f an nihilation

, ,

o f id e n tity .And w e clai m that th is v i e w finds

corr oborati on in the best int erpretati on o f
Ori ental phi l os ophies and r eligions as well as ,

i n th e Ch ristian do ctri ne .

S ays Naga sena the Buddhist sa g e

,
 S elf -
n ess and S elflessness 93

H e wh o i s not fr ee from passi on e x peri

e n ce s b oth th e tast e o f f ood and also th e
,

passion due to th at ta s te ; wh i l e h e w h o i s fr e e
fr o m passi on e x p e rie nces th e tas te of food bu t
”
n o p a s s i on

m
.

H ence we discov er that the stat e of Illu i

, m , m
nation s a adhi o r ukti a ccording to th e ,

m ost e nlighte n e d an d l o gica l int e rpr e tati on ,

m e ans a ca l m and peac e fu l consciou s n e s s un ,

‘
disturb e d by pass i on B ut w e sh ou l d n ot
.

“ ”
i nterpr e t th e word passi on a s h er e u s e d to ,

m e an ab s e nce of al l s e nsation fe e l ing o r ,

k n owl e dge .

Th e r e i s ab so l utely n o arb itrary interp reta

tion or trans l ati on o f th e words o f B uddh a ,

n or can th er e b e Th e sam e i s tru e of C on

.

f uci us ; of M oha m m e d ; of K ri sh na ; o f La ot z e ;
of J e su s ; of all th e teach ers and ph i l o sophers
of th e wor l d .

Wh o of you wh o r e ad th e se word s h as n ot
l i st e n e d to deb ate s and e nd l e s s discu s sion s
a s to wh at ev e n s o m od e rn a writ e r as
E m ers on or W hitm an or N ie tz ch e or K ob o
,

D ai s i o r som e oth e r m ay h ave m e ant by

, ,

cert ain state m ents ?

m
I n th e S a y utta N ik ay a we r e ad
“
m
Let a an who h olds th e S el f d ear k eep ,

that S el f free from wick edn ess .

Th i s doe s n ot i mply ann ih ilation o f identity ,

94 C os m
i C
c ons ci ous ness

abs orp ti on of c ons ci ou sne ss a l th ough i t h as

,

b ee n s o i nt e rpr e te d by m any students O n th e .

c ontra ry inste ad o f l osin g consci ousn e s s of

,

th e S el f (which is n ot merely the personality ) ,

we fi nd the Real S el f .

A s an adu l t we re a l i z e m ore co ns ci ousne s s

‘

th an w e do a s infants No t th at w e poss e s s
.

m o re c onsciou sn e s s W e cann ot a cquire con

.

s ci ous n e s s a s w e a ccu mulate thing s W e can .

n ot ad d o ne iota to th e su m of c o n sci ou sne s s ,

b ut w e can and do u nc ov e r po rti on up on por

ti on of th e vast ar e a of c ons ci ousne ss wh ich is .

S ays th e Dham m ap ad a
“
A s k i n s m e n friend s and l ove rs salute a
,

m an wh o ha s b e e n l ong away an d r e turns safe

fro m afa r ; in l ik e m anner h is goo d d ee d s re
ce i v e h i m w h o h a s don e g ood and w h o h a s,

g o n e fr o m th i s w or l d to th e oth er as k insm e n ,

r e c e i v e a fri e nd o n h i s return
m
.

I f th i s stat e of ukti w ere an nih ilation of

individu al cons ci ousn e sss i t would h ard l y b e
an i nc e ntive to do good de ed s excep t th at ,

g ood d e e d s in th e m sel v e s b ri ng h appine ss b u t ,

i f th e b ri n g ing of h appines s did n ot a l s o b ri ng

w ith i t a l arge r c onsci ou sne ss it w ou l d not b e
m
,

tru e h appin e s s but

, erely a con diti on an d ,

condi ti on s are a l w ays subj e ct to ch ange .

“
I t i s not sep arat e ne ss y ou sh ou l d h 0 p e an d
l g
o n for i
; t i s un i on —fi ne se n se of on ene ss
96 m
C os ic C ons ci ousness

a b s orptio n of c on s ciou sn e s s far b ey ond t hi s

state of be in g whi ch is descri bed as N irvana .

Th eosophy lays much stres s upon the as

s ump tio n th at th e attain m e nt o f go dh oo d is
po ssib l e to ev e ry h u m an s ou l b u t that th is
,

godh o o d m u s t i n e vi tab l y have an u l timate

conc l u s i on That i s th e r e is a p lace or h e av e n
.
, ,

wh ich i s ca ll e d th e De v ach an ic p l ane an d th i s ,

“ ”
plan e or p l ac e i s i nh ab it e d by g ods f or a
, , ,

d efi nit e pe ri od appr ox im ating th ousands of

,

years b ut th at th e final c onclus i on m u st be

,

ab sorpti on o f i d e ntity i nt o th e un i v e rsal

rese rv oi r of m ind or c on s ci ousn e s s B u t we
, .

m ay r e ad i l y se e th at b ey ond th e De v ach an ic
p l an e we m ay n ot p e n etrat e with th e lim it e d
,

c onsciousn e s s w h ich t ak e s c ogn i z a n c e o f ex

t e rnal c onditi ons Any att e mpt th erefore at
. , ,

a d e s criptio n o f w h a t oc curs to th e i ndivi dual

consci ou s n e s s b ey on d th e areas of D e vach a n ,

m ust b e futi l e .

T h e argu m ent tha t m o s t l ogi cal l y postulates

the as sum ption th at al l id e ntity o r diff er enti
,

ati o n of c onsci ou snes s b e c om e s ab sorb e d int o

,

The Abs olut e i s ba sed upon the fact that we

,

r e m e mb er n oth ing of previou s stat e s of con

s ci ous n e s s
. Th at i s th e devi ous path way by
,

wh ich the ad v a n ce d and pr ogre ssive indi v id ual

has reach ed h is pr es ent state or real izati on
of consciou sne s s is sh rou ded i n obl ivi on
, .
 S elf -
n ess and S elfless ness 97

From thi s i t i s not unnatura l to assum e that

s inc e we h ave c om e O U T O F T H E V O I D ,

h avi n g appare nt l y n o m e m ory or r e a l izati o n

o f w h at preced e d this c o m ing w e wi l l r e turn

m
,

to th e sam e stat e wh e n we sh a l l h ave co

,

ple te d th e round of e vo l uti on .

Th is p ostu l at e is h ow ev e r m erely th e
, , ,

resu l t of our l im it e d p ow e r of c ompr e h e nsi on ,

and m ay or m ay n ot b e tru e T h e answe r i s .

a s ye t in exp l icable to th e finite m i nd con ,

s i dere d fr o m th e standp oint o f r e l ativ e pro of .

I f it w ere a fact that al l Ori ental sages ex

,

i i the ph e n o m e no n f l ib e rati on

m
p e r e n c n
g o ,

ukti had r eported w hat w oul d s eem to be

,

annihilation of id entity of c onsci ousn ess we ,

still maintain that this fact wou l d n ot be pro of

su ffi ci en t upo n whi ch to p ostu l at e thi s con
elusi on f or th e v e ry obv i ous r e as on that th e
,

pr esent era promi s es w hat Occid ental th eol ogy ,

s ci e nc e and ph i l o s ophy unit e i n d e signating

,

“ ” “
a s a n ew disp e nsati on wh e r e i n th e old
”
sh a l l pa s s away and a n e w ord e r sha ll b e
,

e stab l ishe d.

“
Look how the fi n e and va l uabl e gol d dust -

sh i fts through the screen l eaving only the ,

useless stones and d ebris in the catch es ; e v en

s o that w hich is i nfinit ely fin e subs tance be
comes lost wh en si fted through the screen o f
98 m
Cos ic C onsci ousness

th e lim i te d m ind of m an said a wise Ja pane se

,

h igh prie st .

H o w e v e r it i s our c ontenti on th at B uddh

m
,

is m far inde e d fro m postul ati ng th e assu p

,
~

tion th at indivi dual consci ousne ss is swal l owed

up in T he Absolut e as i s freq uently understood
,

by Occid ental translators of B ud dhistic writ

ings announce s a ca l m and u n q uestioning
,

conviction in the pow er o f man to attain

to i m mortality and conse q uent go dhoo d
, ,

th rough c ont e m pl ati on of faith i n h i s own

i de nti ty with th e S up re e O n e m .

W he n we consid e r th at th e re a re in th e
religi on of B u ddh ism as m any a s s ixty dif
,

fe re n t expo sition s o f th e teach ings of th e L o rd

B uddh a a nd th a t th e s e vary ev e n a s th e
, ,

Ch ristia n se cts v ary i n th ei r interpretations

an d pr e s e ntm e nt s of th e i nstructi on s o f th e

Ma ste r Je su s of N a z areth w e b e gi n to h av e
, ,

s om e i d e a o f th e diffi culties of corre ct inte r

i of th e ob scu re a nd mystic al
m
p re tat on

l anguage in wh i ch ukti i s ev er de scrib e d .

O ne of th e m os t q uot e d of th e tran slations

of th e L if e of B uddha reach e s th e E ng l i sh
,

readers th r ough dev iou s w ays nam e l y from , ,

th e S ansk ri t i nt o Ch ine se an d f ro m th e ,

Ch in e s e i nt o E nglish a nd a ga in e d ite d by an
,

Engl ish sci entist w ho is also an O riental scholar .

W e m us t a l so consid e r th e pove rty of th e

roo m
Cos ic Cons ciousn ess

N o t th at I m ay g e t a h eav e n l y b irth m uch ,

l e s s b e cau s e I have n o t e nd e rne ss o f h e art ,

or that I ch erish a ny c aus e of b itte rne ss b ut ,

o n l y th at I m ay e scape th i s we ight of s orr ow ;

th e a ccu m u l at e d l ong nigh t we igh t of c ovet ou s

-

de s ire I n ow d e sire t o e ase th e l oad s o th at

.
,

i t m ay b e overth r ow n foreve r ; th erefore I

s e ek th e way of u l timate e scap e
“
I f I sh ou l d gai n th e way of e m ancipati on ,

th e n shall I n e ver nee d to pu t away my

k indre d to l eave my h om e to se ve r ti e s o f
, ,

love 0 gr iev e no t fo r your so n T h e five

. .

d e sire s o f s ens e b e ge t th e s orrow ; th ose h e l d

by l u st th em s e lve s i ndu ce s orrow ; my v e ry
a n ce st ors vi ct oriou s k ings h a v e handed down
, ,

t o m e th e ir k ingly w e alth ; I th inking on l y o n ,

”
e te rnal b l i s s put i t a l l away
, .

Th e m eaning h ere conveye d i s sim p l e

e n ough to u nderstan d F rom a long line o f
.

a n ce st ors wh o h ad rul e d w ith th e un q u e stion e d

auth ority of Orien tal m onarchs the young ,

princ e fel t that h e h ad inh e rit e d m uch th at

w oul d re tard h i s sou l s fr e ed om Th e e x’
.

am pl e s of k ings a nd e m pero rs wh o h ave

abandoned th eir poss essions hav e been too f ew
to cause us to bel i eve that they have h eld these
poss essi ons as naught .

Th r ough riv e rs of bl oo d ; th r ough age s of

de spoti s m and se l f s e e k ing k ings and e
,
-
, m
 S elf -
n ess an d S elfles sn ess 10 x

pe rors h av e m aintaine d th e ir v ested righ ts ,

b e qu e ath ing to th e ir p roge ny th e s am e de sire s ;

th e sam e covet o usn e s s o f w orld l y p o we r ; th e
s a m e c onsidera ti on for th e l e s ser self ; th e
sam e hypn otis m that tak e s a ccount of cast e .

T o e scape from th e se f e tt e rs of th e s o u l ,

into a rea l ization of the Eternal Oneness o f

l ife wa s no e asy task f or th e inh erit or of such
,

d e sire s and b e l i e fs and appetit e s as an an

ces try o f ru l ers imposes .

And P rince S i ddarth a was anxi ou s to e s cape

re incarnati o n— a th eory or c onv ictio n ins ep
arable from Orien tal re l igi on
m
.

“
H i s ref e re n c e to fickl e a ff e ction ean s
lit e ral l y that selfi sh a ff e cti on of th e parent ,

wh ich wou l d re tain th e fle e ting joy of a few

sho rt e arth l y years of companion sh ip wh ile ,

th e large r and m ore pe rfe ct love would b id

th e ch ild see k i ts b irth righ t of godh ood Th e .

“ ”
word fi ckl e h ere woul d m ore pr operl y b e
translate d tran sitory .

’
B uddh a s de sire to e scape from a con
“
ti n uous r ound o f d eath s an d leave ta k ings -

fr om k indr e d doe s n ot n e ce ssari l y imply a n

,

absorption into The A bs olute ; it may as logic

ally b e i nt e rpret e d to m ean th at l ibe ration
m
,

from the hypnotisms o f externality ( ukti ) in

sur e s th e p oss es si o n and p owe r of th e god s
power ove r physical life and death and th i s ,
102 C osmC ic ons ci ousn ess

power nee d n ot m e a n a ce s sation fro m i ndi

v idu al co ns ci ou sn e s s b ut rath e r a fu l l
, ,

rea l i z ation of individ ual uni ty w ith th e su m o f

a ll consci ou sne s s .

Th e r e i s an oth e r m ist ak e n i nterpre tatio n of

th e m e an s of attainm ent of that state of l ib er
ation wh ich h as b e e n al l uded to i n s o m any
,

varied t e rm s T h e fact th at B uddh a l ik e m any

.
,

o f the Or iental Mast ers sought the secl usi on

,

o f th e for e st ; th e is olati on a n d s i mpli city o f

,

the h ermit —has given rise to the beli e f

, ,

almost un iversally held am ong O ri ental dis

ci ple s th at l ib e ra tio n fr o m
, m
a y o th e d e l usi o n s
,

of th e wor l d ca n n ot b e attai n e d s ave by th e se

,

m eth ods .

M ona st e ri e s are th e r e su l t o f th is i d e a and ,

th is B uddhi sti c pra ctic e w as ad opte d by th e

first Christia n ch urch sinc e w h ich tim e th e
,

re a l purp os e and i nte nti on of th e m onaste ry

a nd th e nu nne ry h ave b e c om e l ost in th e
concept of sacrifice or puni s h m e nt The .

Ch ristian m onk al m o s t invariably r e ti re s to

a m ona ste ry no t for th e purpo se of con
,

s ci ous ly att ainin g to th at e n l arg e d ar e a of

c ons ciousne s s wh ich insur e s l ib e r a ti on
“ ”
ukti , m ,

b ut a s an ou t w ard and vi s ibl e sign that h e

is wil l ing to u n d e rg o th e sacrifice of world l y
pl e a s ur e s at th e b e h e st of th e L ord Je su s .

Th us th e rea l obj e ct of re tir e m ent is lost and

, ,
1 04 m
Cos i c C ons ci ous ness

N o h igh e r s e nti m en t i s k n ow n to struggling

“
h u manity th a n love of e ach o th e r Gr e ate r .

love h ath n o m a n th a n th is that h e l il y down

,

h is l ife for a fri e nd .

Oriental o r Occidental phil os ophy which ,

e ve r m ay b e pre s e nt e d to th e m ind a s a n ,

un failing guid e sh ould be distrusted i f that phi

, ,

los ophy pr e s crib e s th e ab a nd on m ent of l ov e r ,

fri e nd r elativ e n e ighb or b roth e r c om p a ni on

, , , , .

Th at i s if w e a ccept th e dicti onary m e an ing

,

“
o f th e w ord ab andon e d a s trans l at e d into
E ngli sh .

A we ste rn av atar h as said

“
I w il l not h ave w h at my br oth e r can n ot ,

and i n th i s w e h e arti l y c oncur not h e sitating,

to say th at un t i l a l l hum a n l ife sh a ll acc e pt

and r e aliz e th e fu l l ne s s of th is m e ssage w e ,

shal l not as a race hav e attain ed to the in

, ,

h e ritance th at i s ou rs .

But shall we th en beli ev e that the Ori ental

,

doctrin e i s e rr on e ou s ? N ot n e c e s sarily .

E rr ors of int e rpr e tation are n ot on l y natura l

but in e vitabl e and th i s int e rpre tatio n of ab an
m
,

don e n t i s i n li ne with th e id e a of sa crifice

(u s in g th e w ord in it s o l d s e ns e of paying a
debt ) which prevail ed through out all the cen
,

f uri e s j u st pas se d— ce nturi e s in wh ich th e id e a

of God w a s e s ti m a te d by th e conduct o f th e
k in g s and m on arch s of earth .
 S elf -
ness and S elfles sn ess 105

A lat e r r e v e lat i o n o r dispe nsati on h as gi ve n

w hat the Illumi ned One said was a new co
”
“
m
m andm e nt and it is o ne m ore i n acc ord with
,

our ide als of g odhood .

“
A new c om m andm en t I give u nto you th at ,
”
ye love on e an oth e r .

B ut love l ik e e ve ryth ing wh ich is m eans

, ,

m u ch or l ittl e a cc ording a s th e sou l is ad

,

v an ce d i n k nowledg e or i s u nd e v elop e d
, .

P e rfe ct an d c omp l e te l ov e i s n ot selfish ; it

de sire s n ot pos se ssi on b ut union There i s
, .

a world o f di ff er e nce b e twe e n th e two words .

“
Th e s oul ench a ine d i s m an and fre e from ,

”
ch ai n is Go d said S ri R am a k rish n a
, .

And th e s oul i s ench aine d by i ll us i on— by

m ista k ing th e e ff e ct for th e caus e and by ,

regarding th e eff e ct a s th e real i nst e ad of ,

r e ali z ing th e in com p l e t e nes s ; th e lim it e dn e s s ;

th e unsatisfyin g ch aract e r of th e ch anging

th e ext e rnal .

Not th at th e pursu it of th e externa l i s sinful ,

b u t it is u nsatisfying wh i l e th e sou l that h a s

,

caugh t a g l i mps e of th at wond e rful ecstacy of

m
Il l u inati on has f ound that which sati sfies
,
.

U pon th i s p oint of attainm ent o f compl e t e

sati sfacti on and certainty all w h o h ave
, ,

exp e rienced th e consci ou sne ss we are con

s i de ri n g s e e m to agre e ac c ording to the
,

te stim ony h ere sub m itte d .

 C H A PT E R V

I N S TA N C E S O F I L LU M I NAT IO N
A N D I T S E FF E CT S
The term I llum ination seems a fi tting de
scri pti on o f th e state o f consciousness wh ich
i s fr e quent l y a ll ude d to as c o sm i c cons ci ou s
n e s s W ithout th e l igh t of u nd e rstanding
.
,

wh i ch i s a spiri tua l q u a l ity word s th em s e lve s

,

a re m e aningle ss . W h e n th e m ind b ec om e s
Ill um ined the spirit o f th e word is clear and
w h e re be f ore th e m e aning w as cl ou ded or ,

p e rh ap s a l t ogeth e r ob scure d th e re c o m e s to
,

the Il l umin ed One a d epth o f compreh ensi on

u ndr e a m ed o f by th e m e re l y se ns e con sci ou s
-

p e r s on
.

I f w e c on sid er th e re cord e d in s ta nce s o f

I l luminati on f ound am ong Occid ental s w e will ,

fi n d th at such e x tr e m e i nten s ity of eff ort a s

th at w h i ch i s r e p orted of Sri R am a k rish na ,

and other Ori ental sages does not appear

, .

I t w ou l d s e e m th at th e late Dr R ich ard

.

M auri c e B u ck e of T oronto Canada was th e

, ,

first in thi s country to pre s ent a s pe ci fi c cl a s si

fi cation of wh at h e t e rm e d th e n ew

consciou sne s s and to d e scrib e in so m e detail

, ,

106
1 08 m
C os i c C ons ci ous ness

t oday and i t h a s b e e n my privi l e ge to k no w

,

p erso na ll y and to h ave h ad th e oppo rtunity of

studying s ev e ral m e n and wom e n wh o h ave
,

po s s es se d it I n the c ours e of a f ew m ore

m m
.

ille n i u s th e re shoul d b e born fro m th e

pr e s e nt h uma n race a h igh e r typ e of m an
, ,

pos se s sin g th is h igh er type of consciou sne s s .

Th is n ew race a s i t m ay well b e ca ll ed woul d

, ,

occupy t oward u s a positio n s uch as th at

,

o ccu pi e d by u s toward th e sim p l e con sci ou s

‘
al ulus h om o
’
Th e adven t of th is h igh e r b et
.
,

te r an d h appi e r race woul d s im p l y j u sti fy th e

,

long ag ony of its b irth th r ough c ountl e s s age s

o f ou r past A nd i t i s th e first artic l e of m y
.

b e l i e f s o m e of th e gr ounds f or wh ich I h av e
,

e nd e av or e d to l ay be f o re you th at a n e w ra ce ,

is i n c ours e of e v ol uti on .

At a sub s e quent d at e h aving given th e sub ,

ject furth e r c ons ide rati on and h aving c oll e ct e d

data c orrob orat iv e of hi s form e r ob servations ,

D r B uck e sai d
.

“
I h ave i n th e l as t th re e years col l e cte d
, ,

-
‘
twe nty thr e e case s of th i s s o ca ll e d cos m ic -

c ons ci ou sn e ss I n e ach c ase th e onse t o r i n

.

c om ing of th e n ew facu l ty i s a l ways s udden ,

instantane ous A m ong th e unu sua l fe e l ings

.

th e m ind e x p e ri e nc e s i s a sudd e n s e nse o f

,

be ing imm ers ed in flam e or in a bril l iant light .

Th i s occurs e ntire l y with out worry ing or out

 m
Illu i nati on and Its Eff ects 1 09

ward cau se and m ay happe n at no onday or i n

,

th e m idd l e of th e night and th e pe rs on at first

,

feels th at h e i s b e com ing i nsane .

“
A l ong w ith th e s e fe e l ings co me s a s e ns e of
i m mo rta l ity ; not m e re l y a fee l ing of c e rtainty
th at th ere i s a future l ife — th at wou l d be a ,

s m all m atter— b ut a p ron ounce d cons ci ousness

th at th e l ife n ow b e ing l ived i s e t e rn a l d e ath ,

b eing s e e n as a trivial incid e nt wh ich doe s no t

afi e ct its conti nuity .

“
F urth e r th e re is annihilat i on of th e s ens e
,

o f s in and a n inte ll ectua l c omp e t e ncy n ot

, ,

s im p l y s urpas sing th e old p l an e b ut o n an ,

entire l y new and higher p l ane The

.

c o s m i c con sci ou s ra ce wi l l not b e th e rac e

th a t e xists today a ny m or e than th e pr e s e nt
,

i s th e s am e r ace that e x is t e d pri or to th e

ev ol ution of s e l f c onsci ou sn e ss A n e w rac e
-
.

i s b e ing b orn fr o m u s and th is n ew race w il l

,
”
in th e n ea r future p osse s s th e e arth
,
.

D r B uck e l ate r pub l i she d an artic l e i n a

.

cu rr e nt ma ga z in e i ll ustrating th e i ll u m inati o n
,

of h is fri e nd W a l t W h itm an and supp l e

m
,

e n te d w ith an acc ount o f hi s ow n e x peri e n c e .

We qu ot e b ri e fly fr om D r Enck e s account of.

’

h is ow n exp e ri e nce
“
I h ad s p e nt th e e v e ning i n a gr e at city
with so m e fri e nds reading an d discus s ing
)0 e try and ph i l os o phy W e h ad occupi e d
.
I to m
Cos ic C ons ci ous ness

o urselv e s with Wordsworth Sh elley B r own , ,

i ng and e sp e cia ll y W h itm an W e part e d a t

,
.

m idnight I h ad a long driv e i n a h ans om to

.

my lodgings My m ind d e e ply u nder th e i n

.
,

fl ue n ce of th e i d e as i m age s and e m oti ons ,

ca ll ed up by th e r e ading and ta l k was ca l m ,

and p e ace fu l I was in a state of q ui e t a l m ost

.
,

pass iv e e nj oym e nt not actual l y th ink ing b u t , ,

l e tting id e as i mage s and e m oti o ns fl ow of

,

th e m se l v e s as i t w e r e th r ough my m ind A l l
, ,
.

a t onc e with ou t warning of any k ind I foun d

m
, ,

mys el f wrapp e d i n a fl a e colore d cl oud F or -

.

an in stant I th ough t of fi re a n i m m e n se con ,

fl ag r ation s o m e wh e re clos e by i n th at gr e at
city T h e n ex t m om e nt I k n e w th at th e fire
.

”
wa s w ith in my s e l f .

W h i l e D r B u ck e i s unqu e sti onab l y righ t i n

.

“
h i s e stim at e of t h e f a ct th at a n e w race i s
”
b e ing b orn a s h e e x pr e ss e s it th e r e ca n
, ,

s ca rc e l y b e any qu e s ti on o f indi v i du al ag e i n ,

wh ich th e n e w c on sciou sn e ss m ay b e e x p e ct e d .

P hysic a l m aturity can h av e n oth i ng wh at e v e r

to do with th e m atte r si nc e th e a cqui s iti on o f ,

supra con sci ousne ss i s a m att e r of th e m a

-

turi ty of th e s ou l Th i s c om p l e t e m e nt of th e
.

cycl e of th e s oul s pi l grim ag e an d s e rvic e m ay

’

c om e at any ag e as far as th e physical b ody i s

,

c onc e rne d I n de e d s ci e nc e r e c o rd s n o d e finite

.
,

a e at wh ich e ven ph s ical m aturit y i s i n

g y
1 12 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

ev en by those o f the Illuminati who are known

,

t o th e world a s avatars and saviours .

S ev e ral i nstance s of th e po ss es sio n of cos

m i c consci ou sne s s by ch ildre n are p e rs onal l y
,

k nown to th e writer A w e ll k no w n w oma n

.
-

wri t e r i n A m e rica thu s de scrib e s a s ucce ss i on

o f experi e nc e s i n wh at were evid e nt l y con
di ti on s of c osm ic consciousne ss a l th ough as ,

s h e said , s h e did not until m any years later

r e a l i z e wh a t h a d tak e n p l ace .

L i k e L ord A l fre d T ennys on wh o te l ls of,

in ducing i n h im s e lf a state o f spiritual e cstasy

o r lib e ration by r e p e at e d l y i ntoning h i s ow n
,

nam e th i s l ady a cquir e d th e h ab it o f r e pe at

,

i ng i n w onde r an d awe th e nam e by wh ich

s h e wa s call e d i n th e h o useh old w h ich wa s an
,

a b b rev iati on of h e r baptism al nam e Th e .

e ff e ct is be s t d e scribe d in h er ow n word s
“
I t se e m s to m e th at I n eve r c ou l d quite
b e c om e accust o m e d to h e ar myself addresse d
by nam e Wh e n som e m e mb e r of th e h ous e
m
.

h ol d w ould call e fr o m study o r p l ay— e v e n

at th e e ar l y age o f fiv e or six y e ars— I woul d
i nstant l y b e s e i z e d with a f e e l ing of great an d
a l m o st ov er w h e l m ing a w e and am a z e m e nt at ,

th e sound w h ich I k new w as i n so m e w ay

,

a s s ociat e d with m e .

“
I found i t e xtr e m ely d iff i cul t to id e nti fy
m y s el f with that n am e an d oft en wh e n alon e
,
 m
Illu ina ti on an d Its E ff ects 1 13

would repeat th e nam e over and over tryi ng ,

‘
t o find a s o l ution of the why and w h eref or e ’

m
.

“
A t l e ngth th is w onderm ent grew up on e
t o su ch an extent tha t I felt I m ust se e th is
s e l f of m e that was ca ll e d by a n ame .

“
I acquir e d th e h ab i t of standing on a chair
to ga z e i nto th e m irror above th e ch e st of
draw e rs in my m oth e r s b e d r oom and putting
’
-
,

my face cl ose to th e m irr or I wou l d ga z e and

,

ga z e i nto th e eye s I s aw th er e and r ep e at ove r

,

and ove r the name wh ich s eem ed to me not to

‘
be l ong to that oth er s el f hidd en behind th ose
’

ey e s
. O n on e o cca sion I b e ca m e qu ite en
tranced and f ell from the chair a fter w hich ,

I refraine d f ro m l ook ing int o th e m irror ,

a l th ough I did n ot for m any years ge t ov e r

th e fe e l ing of wonde rm e nt at th e s ound of my
o w n na m e and m any ti m e s on re p e ating th e
m
, ,

nam e aloud I w oul d f e e l yse l f b e ing l ifted

m
,

u p into what s e e m e d to e th e c l ouds ab ove

‘ ’
my h e ad until I f elt myse l f b e ing m e l t ed a s
, ,

I t e rm e d it int o th e m oving c l oud of so ft

,

transpar e nt l igh t .

“
At th is tim e I w a s b e t w e e n sev e n and e ight
ye ars o f ag e an d alth ough I w a s f ar b ey ond
,

ch i l dr e n of my age in my sch ool s tudi e s I w as

, ,

‘ ’
fre q u e nt l y adm o nish e d for b e ing stupid ,

owing to th e fact th at I could n ot rem embe r

1 14 m
Cos i c Cons ci ousness

th e nam e s of obj e cts n or cou l d I b e tru ste d o n

,

an errand .

“
Wh il e w a l k i n g from our h ous e to th e
gr ocer s s carce l y a b l o ck away I w oul d f e el
’

, ,

th at s udd e n wo nd e rm e nt and aw e of my nam e

stea l ov er m e and again I w ou l d b e trans
,

po rt e d to s o m e unk n own y e t i m m anent ,

re gi on utterly l osi n g c o n s ciousn e s s o f my sur

,

roundings I w ould s om eti m e s a w ak e to fi nd

.

myse l f standing b e fore th e count e r of th e

gr oc e ry st or e strugg l ing to r e m e mb e r w h o
,

and w h e r e I was an d wh at i t was that I h ad

,

b e en se nt to th at s tr a nge p l ac e f or .

Thi s lady re l ate s th at sh e n e v e r dare d to te l l

of h e r strange e x p e ri e n c e s a l th ough s h e d id
,

“ ”
not outgrow th e m unt i l e ar l y w omanh ood ,

wh e n sh e dr opp e d th e abb re v iati on o f h e r

nam e and a ssum e d h e r full b aptis m a l n am e
, .

Wh e th e r th is l att e r fact h ad anyth ing to do

with th e c e s sati on of th e e x p e ri e nce i s d oub t
fu l At th e sam e ti m e s h e de clare s th a t s h e
.
,

ca n e ve n n ow i n duc e th e sa m e sens ation s an d ,

transp ort h e rs e l f i nt o ch i l dh o od again by

rep e ating h e r ch i l dh ood nam e .

Th e f oll owing e x tra ct fro m a pap e r pub

li s h e d i n L ond on E ng l and i n 1 890 giv e s a
, , ,

d e scripti on of a n e x pe rie nc e of a young m an

w h o h ad fa lle n into a co n d ition wh ich th e
“
ph y sic i n s pronounce d
a
catale psy Th i s .
1 16 m
C os ic C ons ci ous ness

us to D r B uck e
’
v io . st ate m e nt and ye t s rn ce
s , ,

it is not qu ote d in Dr B ucke s account it is

’
.
,

m ost u nlik e l y th a t h e h ad s e e n th e artic l e .

C e rtain l y th e young m an had n e v e r h e ard of

th e e x p e ri e n c e w hi ch Dr B uck e l at e r r e c ord s ,

“
a s c osm i c c on s ci ou s ne s s and y e t th e si m i
,

lari ty of th e e x pe rienc e w ith th e m any wh ich

h av e b ee n re c ord e d i s a l m ost start l ing .

T h e sa l ient poin t i n th i s acc ou n t as in m ost ,

o f th e oth ers whi ch h av e f ound th e ir w ay i nt o

pub l i c print i s th e f e eli ng of b e ing i n pe rf e c t

,

harm ony an d uni on with ev e rything in the

“
univ e rs e I w as e v e ryth ing an d ev e ryt h ing
.

” “
wa s I sai d th i s young m an a nd again I w a s
, ,

”
h e r e th e r e an d e v e rywh e r e at onc e h e s ays
, ,

i n an eff ort to describe s om ething w hich in

the v e ry n ature of it m us t b e i n d escribabl e
,

in t e rm s o f se n se c o nsci ous n e s s .

I ll ustrativ e o f th e conn ecti on be tween r elig

m
ious ecstasy and cos ic c onsciousness we fin d ,

th e ex peri enc e o f an i l lit e rat e n egr o woman ,

a c e l eb rate d re l igi ou s and anti s l av e ry w or k er-

o f th e early part of th e l as t c e ntu ry .

“
Th i s wo man wa s k n own a s Soj ou rn e r
”
Truth a nd was at l e a s t f o rty y e ars of ag e
i n 1 81 7 wh e n sh e wa s gi ven h e r fr e e d om
,

und e r a l aw wh ich fr e e d a l l s l ave s in N e w

Y ork state wh o h ad attaine d th e age of forty
,

y e ars .
 Illu inati on m and Its Eff ects 1 17

S oj ourne r Truth never learne d to read or

writ e and h er e du cation consisted almost e n
,

ti re ly of th at prese nt ati o n of religious truth

wh ich find s i ts m ost su cce s sful co nverts i n
revivalis m .

W ith th i s fa ct i n m ind noth ing l e ss than th e

,

atta inm e nt of a w onderfu l degr e e of spiritua l

c onsci ousness c ould account f or her marvel
o us p ower of de s cripti on and h e r ready fl ow
,

“
o f l anguage when ex horting
, .

M rs H arri e t B e e ch er St ow e wr ote of h er
.
,

in an articl e pub lish e d i n th e At l antic Month l y ,

a s early as 1 863
“
I do n ot r e c ol l e ct ev e r to h ave b ee n con
versant w ith any on e w h o h ad m ore of that
s il e nt and sub tle p owe r wh ich w e call per
sonal pre se nce than th i s woman I n th e
, .

m ode rn s piri tu ali stic phr a s e ol ogy sh e wou l d ,

‘ ’
be described as having a strong s phere .

T h e wonderfu l m e nta l end owm ent which

s ee m s to f oll ow a s a comp l e m e nt to th e ex
p e r ien ce o f I ll umination wh en not
, already
pre se nt as i n th e case of Wh itman f or e x
, ,

“
ampl e is characteristic o f S oj ourn er Truth
"

, ,

o r I sab e ll a as sh e w as b aptiz e d
,
.

Natura ll y th i s m e nta l p owe r s e em ing l y

, ,

i nc on s istent with h er hu mb l e origin and h e r ,

unlett ere d c onditi on i s evidenced a l ong tho s e

,

li n e s wh ich m ade up th e sum and sub stance of

1 18 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

h er l if eJudging h e r fr om th e b road e r con

.

c ep t of ph i l os ophy I s ab e ll a app e ars s om e w hat

,

f anatica l b ut th e influ e nce of h e r l if e and

,

w ork w as so gr eat that W end el l P hi ll ips,

wr ote of h e r :
“
I on c e h e ard h e r d es crib e th e captai n o f a
s l av e s hip g oi n g up to j udgm e nt f oll ow e d by ,

h i s vi ctim s as th e y gath e r e d fr o m th e d e pth s

o f th e s e a i n a strain th at r e m ind e d
,
e of m
C l a r e nce s dr e am in Shak e sp ea r e and e qua l l e d
’

i t T he an ecd ot e s o f h er r eady w it an d quick

.

strik ing rep l i e s are num be r l e ss B ut th e wh ol e .

t ogeth e r gi v e l itt l e id e a o f th e ri ch q uaint , ,

p oe tic and ofte n pr o foun d s p e e ch of a m ost

r emarkab l e person w ho u sed to say to us
,

‘Y ou r e ad b ook s ; G od H im s e l f ta l k s to m e .
’

“
I sab e ll a s c onv icti o n th at s h e h ad ta l ke d to
’

”
G od , w as u n s h ak ab l e an d was indee d th e
, , ,

dynamic f orc e w h ich mov ed h er She was .

a ccust om e d to t e ll o f th e strang e and start l ing

e x peri enc e in w hich s h e met Go d face to fac e ,

“
and i n wh ich s h e said to H i m : Oh God I , ,
’ ”
didn t k n ow as you w as so big In the N ew .

E ng l and M a g a z in e f or M arch 1 90 1 th ere wa s , ,

g v e n a fu l l acc ount of th e w ork of th i s n ot e d

i
n e g r o w o m an C om m e nting on h e r s e nse of
m
.

“
aw e o f th e i m m en s i ty o f G o d w h e n she e t
”
h im th e w ri t e r says :
,

“
T h e c on sci ou sn e s s of G od s pre sence was
’
1 20 m
Cos ic Consci ous ness

th e m i nd is th e m edi um thr ough which th e

spi ri tual r eali zati on must be exp ressed and as ,

has been stated previous l y the description o f

,

the phen omen on o f I llum i nation particularly ,

wh e n exp e ri e nc e d i n a sudde n influx m us t par

tak e oi th e ch ara cter of th e m ind of th e
il lu m ine d o ne
.

Wi ll iam James lat e pro fessor o f Psychology

,

of H arvard Unive rsity i n h i s e xh au stiv e b oo k

,

The Vari eties of R elig i ou s Exp eri en ces i n th e ,

“
ch apte r o n Th e Value of S aint l ine s s s ays : ,

“
N ow in th e m att e r of inte ll e ctual standards ,

we m ust bea r in mind that it is un fai r where ,

w e fi nd narrowne s s of m i nd a l ways to i m pute

,

it as a v ic e to th e i nd ividua l for in reli giou s

an d the o l ogi ca l m atters h e pr ob ab l y ab s orb s
,

h i s n ar rown es s fr om h is g e nerat i on M ore .

ove r we m u st n ot c onfound th e e sse ntials of

,

s aintline s s w ith its accid e nts wh ich are th e

,

spe cial d e term ination of th e s e pas s i on s at an y

h i storic al m ome nt I n th e se de t e rm ination s
.

th e saints wi l l u sua ll y b e l oyal to th e te m po

”
rary id ol s of the i r tribe .

A pplyi n g th is explanati on to th e ca se o f
”
S oj ourn e r Truth we m ay re a l i z e th at th e
,

literal conc e ption o f Je su s a s h er gui d e an d

sh ie l d wa s a m e ntal im age inevitab l e with
, ,

h e r as J e su s w as th e motiv e p ow e r of h e r
,

e ve ry th ough t and act And alth ough at th e

.
 m
Illu i nati on and Its E ff ects 121

moment o f her Illumination she realiz ed the ,

“ ”
bigne ss of God late r i n arrangi ng and re
, ,

cording th e ph en om enon i n her m ental note

,

m
book sh e tab ulate d it with a l l sh e k new of God
,

— th e religiou s e nth usias of h e r work of co n

vers io n to th e rel igio n of J esus .

S ay s Jame s com m enting upon th e q uestio n

,

o f conversion i n h uma n experie nce : and th i s

te nd e ncy to what s eem s a narrow a nd lim ite d

vie w po int
“ ‘
I f you open the chapter on Ass oc iation ’
,

o f any treatise on Psych ol ogy you will read ,

’
that a man s ideas aims and obj ects f orm
,

diverse internal groups and systems rela

, ,

‘ '
ti v e ly indep e nde nt of o n e anoth er E ach ai m .

wh ich h e fo l lows awak ens a certain specifi c

k ind o f inte re ste d excite m ent and gath ers a ,

certai n group of idea s toge th e r i n subordina

”
tion to it as its as sociate s
m
.

I t i s perhaps natural to a ssu e th at mos t

instan ces of the attainment o f Ill uminati on ,

h a ve b e e n ins eparable fr o m re l igiou s devotion ,

or at le as t conte m p l ative mysticism .

Th i s vie w i s h e l d a l mo st exclusive l y b y
Orientals and seems to have be en shared to a
,

great extent by western commentators upo n

th e subj ect .

A n otabl e exampl e among O ccidentals ,

bea ri ng th e re l igi ou s as pe ct and one wh ic h

,
1 22 Cos m
i C c ons ci ousness

is im portant from th e fact th at th e person de

t ai l ing h i s experi ence w as a m an of m ental
,

training i s th e cas e of Rev Charle s G Fin

, . .

ney form erly p res ident o f O berl i n Col l ege

, .

I n h i s M e m oirs D r F in n ey de s crib e s what

“ ”
, .

“
O rth odox Ch ris tians gene ra l ly ca l l th e bap
m
~

”
ti s o f the H ol y Spirit
“
I h ad retired to a ba c k roo m for p ray e r ,

“
writ es Dr Finney and th ere was no fire or
.
,

ligh t i n th e ro om ; n e v erthe l es s i t app e ar e d

to me as i f it were perfectly l ight As I w ent
m
.

in and shut the d oo r a ft er e it seem ed as i f

m
,

I et th e Lord J esus Ch rist face to face It did .

not occur to me then nor did it for some tim e

a fter wards that it was w holly a m ental state
,
.

“
O n th e contrary i t s ee m e d to m e a rea l ity
, ,

th at h e stoo d b e fore m e an d I f ell down at h i s

fe e t and p oure d out my s oul to h i m I w e pt .

a l oud l ik e a child and m ade su ch co nfe ss ions

as I cou l d w ith ch ok e d u tterance .

“
I t s e e m e d t o m e th at I b ath e d h is fe e t
with my t ea rs and y et I h a d no distinct i
, m
pr e ssion th a t I touch e d h im th at I re c oll e ct
, .

A s I turne d and was ab out to tak e my s e at I ,

re ceive d a m igh ty baptism of th e H ol y Gh ost .

“
Without any exp ectation with out even ha v
,

i ng th e th ough t i n my m ind th at th ere w as ,

any su ch th ing f or m e with ou t any re collec

,

tion th at I h ad eve r h eard th e th ing m e ntion ed,

1 24 C os m
i C c ons cious ness

seeing an intense light and o f the real i zation

,

of th e ove rw h elm ing f or ce o f l ove .

The relation o f th is experi ence to a cr eed

o r s y ste m of re l igi on i s so m eth ing wh ich w e
, ,

b e l ieve m ay b e a ccou nte d for a s P rofe ssor

, ,

“
Ja m e s h a s said o n th e fact of h istori cal
,

”
determ i nation .

Until v e ry re ce ntly th e id e a th at spiritual ity

,

was impossible save i n conn ection with relig

ious syst ems and rigid discipline has been
, ,

quite gen eral .

I n th e cas e of D r F i n n ey w e fi nd th at all
.
,

h is life previ ous to th i s e xp e rie nce h e h ad b ee n

n ot e d for h i s s im p l i city and ch ild l ik e tru st -
.

Foll ow ing hi s I l luminati on we learn that he

b e ca m e a m an of great influe nc e and power , ,

“
b e cau se of th e wonderful hu ma nity wh ich h e
”
radiat e d .

S im i l ar in experi en ce i n its e fi ects i s a ca s e

, ,

re l at e d by Th e od ore F S eward th e well ,

kn ow n A m er ica n ph ilanth ropi s t .

M r S e w ard re l at e s th e f ollo w ing s tory

.

“
Th e strange exp e ri e nce w h ich I h ere re l ate
cam e t o a fri e n d wh o m I k new intim ate l y a nd ,

from wh ose l ip s I re ce ive d th e a ccou nt I t .

i s a lady i n m iddl e l ife wh o h as fo r years b e en

,

an e arne st se ek e r f or t ru th and spiritu al ligh t .

S h e wa s alone in h er roo m sewing .

“
Th in k ing a s wa s h er won t o f spiri t ual
, ,
 m
Illu inati on and I ts E ff ects 1 2 01

th ings and fe e l ing a s tr ong s e ns e of th e pre s

e nce and pow e r of God sh e suddenly h ad a
,

c onsci ousn e s s of b eing surr ounded by a bril

liant wh ite ligh t which se e m ed to radiate fro
, m
h e r person T h e l igh t c ontinu ed f or som e
m
.

inut e s and at th e s am e tim e sh e f elt a great

, ,

S piritua l uplifting and an en l arg e m e nt o f h er

m e nta l po w ers a s if th e l im itati ons of th e b ody
,

w ere tran s cend ed and her soul s capacities

,
’

w e re i n a m ea sure set fre e f or th e m oment .

Th e e x p e ri e nc e wa s unique ab ove an d b ey ond

,

t h e ordinary curr e nt of h uman l ife and wh i l e ,

th e visi on or impr e ssi on passed away a per ,

m an e nt e ff e ct wa s pr oduced up on h er m ind .

‘
S h e h ad n eve r h e ard th e t e rm c os mi c con
s ci ousn e s s and di d n ot k n ow th at th e subj e ct
,
’

”
it cov e rs i s b e gi nning to b e di scussed .

I t m ust b e not e d that i n th es e e x periences ,

th e id e a m ost s tr ong l y f e l t was th e one of th e

“ ”
p owe r and pr e se nce of God and we are i , m
pr e ss e d wi th th e fact th at n o m atter h ow
,

v arie d m ay b e th e creeds of th e w orld a s ,

“ ”
f ound e d by s aviours and incarnati ons of
G od th ere i s a unity am ong a ll ra ce s as to
, ,

th e fact of a one supr e m e universa l p ow e r ,

wh ich i s Aum th e Ab solute and wh ich m us t

, ,

re pr e se nt p e rf e ct l ov e and p e rf e ct peac e s inc e ,

all wh o h ave glimpse d th eir unity with this

1 26 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

po w er testi fy to a feeling o f happiness peace

, ,

and sati sfaction rare and e xalted

, .

B y co m paring th e experie nce of th ose wh o

h ave attained th i s s tate of l ib erat io n fro m i ll u
s ion through reli gious ri te s and ce re m onie s
, ,

“ ”
o r sacrifice to God as i t i s not i nfre q ue nt ly
,

ca l l ed with th e experience of th ose wh o h ave

,

re cord e d th e ph en om enon apparently arri ving

,

a t th e goal th rough int e ll e ctu al and m oral

aspiration we wi l l find th at th e resu l ts are
,

alm o st ide ntical and th e afte r e ffe cts s im il ar

,
-
.

I t h as b e e n said th at tho se wh o a ttai n l ib

cration h ave in vari ab l y sough t to foun d a n ew

syste m of worship and th i s fact h as gi ven ri s e

,

to th e m any path s or m eth od s o f attai nm ent

which hav e been taught by various Il l um in ed
On es both i n the Orient and in the western
,

w or l d supp l e m entary a s i t were to th e m ai n

,

great religi ou s syste m s .

We wil l take a short surv ey of a few o f th ese

syste m s in Ja pan and I ndia i n com paratively
m ode rn tim es or at l east durin g th e l as t tw o
,

th ou sand years wh ich i s m ode rn co mpare d

,

to th e h i s to ry of th e O ri e nt .
1 28 m
C os ic C ons ci ousn ess

the unquestioned be l i e f that the actual body

and bl ood of Jesus the Ch rist is contained in
th e E u ch ari st .

Th e S h i nto te mpl e always co ntains a n

”
i nne r o r sacre d sh ri n e wh i ch i s e q u ivalent
,

“
to th e h oly of th e Mysti c B ro ther
h oo ds and typi fi e s th e fact th at withi n a nd
,

not wi thout wi l l b e found th e God i n m an b y

, ,

fi nding wh ich m a n reach e s l ib erati on o r ce ss a

, ,

t ion fro m th e cy cl e of b irth s and d e ath s .

A S h into funeral i s an oc ca sio n for rej oi cing ,

b e cau se th e d ep art e d on e m ay b e a s tep farth e r

on the way to God and since his ance stors
,

we re d ire ctly re sponsibl e a s a favor for h is, ,

occasion to become reborn th us fulfi lling the

m
,

l aw o f kar a th e S h int oist pays m uch re spe ct

,

to h is an ce stors .

Th e advent of B uddh i s m i nto Japan was

m ad e po ssibl e by th e si m pl e fact th at th e
people we r e b e co m ing so mewh at dis gru ntle d
with Shi ntoism b ecau s e of its e m pha si s upo n
,

th e n ever to be q u e stione d po stu l ate th at th e

- o

Mikado and his p rogeny w as the direct gi ft

m
o f K a i t o h i s peo ple t o b e ob eyed with ou t
,

d e m ur and to b e adore d a s divine

, .

Severa l gen e rati ons of M i k ado s wh o did no t

fu l fi l th e id e al of D e ity— an i d ea l to wh ich
even savages attach the qualities o f j usti ce
an d mercy— le ft the m asses ready and eage r to
 m
Exa ples o f C os m
i C
c ons ci ous ness 1 29

grasp a t ar e l igi on th at gav e th e m s om e o ther

p e rs on ifi e d g od th an th e M ikad o m uch as a
, ,

dr owning m an c l utch e s at a stra w .

T h e L ord B uddha w a s a princ e th e ref or e ,

w o rsh ip of h im wou l d n ot b e an ab s ol ute l y

i m p ossib l e st e p— an un f orgiv ab l e br e ach of
c on tract w ith the M ika do and as h e exh ib it e d,

th e q ua l itie s of h um i l ity an d m e rcy and to l er

an c e he w as w el c om ed
, T he r el igi on o f Japan
.

i s t oday reg a rd e d as B u ddh isti c a l th ough th e ,

Imperial fami l y and c on s equ entl y th e arm;

,
r

and th e navy are to a l l out w ard a pp earanc e ,

Sh intoists .

C oming th en to a considerati on of the vary

, ,

ing se ct s of B uddh ism i n J ap a n and th e corr e s ,

p ondi n g sect s i n I ndi a w e fi n d th at th e r e have

,

b e e n nin e di ff e r e nt i ncarnati on s of God and ,

that an oth er and it i s b e l iev e d th e final on e

, , ,

i s e x pecte d .

Th e i nt e l lige nt and open m ind e d seeke r

aft e r truth of wh ate ve r ra c e or co l or wi ll find ,

i n th e instruction s giv e n man by e ach and

e v e ry gre at t e ach e r w h e the r w e b e l i e v e i n
,

“ ”
th e m a s e spe cia ll y d ivin e or a s m e r e h um an s
w ho hav e attai n e d to th e r e a l iz ati on of th e ir
g odh ood (avatars ) a c omp l e t e unity of pur
m
,

p os e and if th e s e t e ach ers d iff e r in ethod of

m
,

en t i t i s o n l y b e caus e o f th e im mutab l e
‘
attai n ,
1 30 Cos m
i C c ons ci ous ness

f act tha t th e re ca n b e n o one and only way of

attainm e nt .

M e th od s and sys te ms are e stab l ish e d co n

s i s te n tly w ith th e ag e and ch aracte r o f tho se

w hom th ey are de signe d to as sist in find ing

the way .

And a g a in w e m u st e m phasiz e th e fact that

“
by th e ph r a se th e way w e m e an th e way ,

to a r e al iz ati on of th e godh ood with in th e

inn e r t e mp l e of m an s th r e ef ol d n atur e
’
.

Thu s th e i nt e l lige nt unpr ej udic e d stude nt

, ,

o f the re l igi ons and phi l osophies o f all times

and a ll race s w i ll find th at wh i l e th ere a re
, ,

“
m any and div e rs e path s to th e goa l o f salva
ti on th e g o a l its e lf m e ans unity with th e
,

Causel ess Ca use wh erein exists per f ecti on

, .

P erh aps i t h as b e e n l eft for th e e x p e cte d

I ncarn at e God wh ich Ch ristians s pe ak of a s
,

”
th e sec ond c oming o f Ch rist to mak e c l ear ,

th e prob l e m a s to wh e the r th i s attain me nt o r

compl etem ent means an absorption of indi vid
ua l c ons ciou sne s s or wh e th er it wi l l b e an
,

add i n g to th e pre sent i nca rn ati on of th e ,

m e m ory of p a st l iv e s i n such a m a nn e r th at
,

n o cons ci ou sn e s s sh al l b e l o st b ut a ll sh a l l b e ,

f ound .

I n consid e ring i nstance s of c os m ic con

sciou s n es s , m
ukti w hich hav e been rec orded as
,

dis ti nct l y r e ligious e x perie nce s and th e e ff e ct ,

1 32 m
C os ic C ons ci ous ness

o f the Vedanta system as f ounded by V y asa or , ,

by Badaray ana auth oriti e s fai l ing to agree as

,

to which o f these tradi tional sages o f India

f ounded the Vedantic system o f religion or phi
losophy .

Vedanta particu l a r l y as int e rpr e te d by S ri

,

Ram ak ri sh na an d h is succe ss ors off ers a ,

wid er field of eff ort an d a m ore intel l e ctua l

,

consid e ratio n o f H indu r e l igion th an th at o f

th e Yog a system as i nterpre te d fro m th e
o rigina l S ankhya syste m by P atanjali ab out ,

30 0 B C . .

P atanjali s s utras are cons ider e d th e m o st

’

co m p l e te syste m of Y oga practi c e for th e pur ,

pos e of m e ntal c ontr ol and p sych i c d e ve l o p ,

’
m ent P atanjali s s utras are al m ost id e nti cal
.

with th ose e m p l oy e d in th e Z e n se ct o f B udd

h ist m onast e ri e s th r ough out Japan
, .

Th e s e sutra s t og e th er w ith B uddh i s t ma n

,

tram s wi l l b e consi dere d in a sub s e qu e n t ch ap

te r dev ote d to th e deve l opm e nt o f spiritua l
,

c onsc iou sne s s a s taugh t by th e O ri e nta l sage s

and ph ilosoph ers .

O ne oth e r great te ach e r of m od ern ti m e s

wh o h as left a large f ol l owing wa s Lor d , .

Gauranga who was born in India in the early

,

part of th e fifte enth centu ry Gauran g a wa s .

worshipped as the Lord God wh eth er with his ,

con se nt or with out it i s n ot e x a ct l y cle ar

, , ,
 m
Exa p les o f C os mC ic ons ci ous ness 1 33

e ve n though hi s b i ograph e rs are united o n th e

fact of h is divine origi n .

Thos e who h av e e spou se d th e m e s sag e of

Gauranga c l aim that h e brought to the world
“
a b eauti fu l religion such a s had nev e r b e f ore
,
”
b e e n k n own . B ut a s th i s clai m i s m ade for
,

all t each ers and found ers of religi ons and

ph i l os ophie s , w e sugg e st th at th e r e ad e r co m
pare th e m e s sag e of L ord Gauranga with
th ose of oth e r av atars and t e achers .

Lord Gauran g a s m ess age i s k nown a s

’

m
Vai s h n av i ti s and we w i l l h er e consid e r on l y
,

those pa ssages of his d octrine which shed light

up on h is attainme nt of c osm ic c onsciousnes s .

C e rtain l y h i s b r e adth of m ind and h i s stand ,

ard s of tolerance j ustice and consid e ration for

,

al l oth e r syste m s of w orsh ip would i ndi cate ,

his claim to cosmic consci ousness .

O ne of th e conte ntion s of th e V aish navas

is that they alone of a ll r el igious faiths admit ,

th e divin e b irth and m i s si on of th e founders

o f all r eligi ons .

Th u s th e Ch ri stian s have d e c l ar e d tha t

Je su s was th e on l y S on of G od ; th e B uddhists
h av e c l ai m e d B uddh a ; th e Hebr e ws have
clung t e naci ou s l y to th e ir pr ophets a s th e
o n l y tru e m e ss e ngers from h eav e n and th e ,

Moh am m e dan s h ave refus e d unti l th e present ,

century to even s it at th e table with the

,
1 34 m
Cos ic C ons ci ousn ess

i n fi dels who would no t a ck nowl edge

Moh am me d as th e o n l y tru e incarnation of
A ll ah .

I t is we ll to re m e mb e r th at th e s e claim s
h ave b ee n m ade by th e bl ind f ol l owe rs of th e se
great teach ers and that it is almost certa in
,

th at n ot any on e o f th e m m ade su ch c l ai m
for h im self Ce rtai n l y h e di d n ot if h e had
.
,

a ttained to spiri tua l con sci ousne s s .

O ne passage fro m th e do ctrin e s of Gauranga

i s al mos t ide ntical with m any o th e rs wh o
h av e s ough t to e x pres s th e fe el ing of se curi ty ,

of deathless n es s whi ch com e s t o th e soul w h ich

h a s re a l i z ed cos m i c cons ciou sne ss H e s ays .

“
My B el oved wh eth e r you clasp me unto
,

your h eart or yo u c ru sh m e by th at e mb ra c e
, ,

i t i s all th e sam e to m e F o r y ou a re n o oth er

.

th an my own th e s ol e partn e r of m y soul

, .

T h e gospel o f Gauranga and his f ollowers

i s ind eed much more a gospe l o f l ove than
, , ,

of m e th od s of worsh ip or of i nte l lectu al re ,

s e arch . Th e re ali z at ion of our u n i on w ith

God in deathl ess lov e is the k ey not e o f th e
, ,
-

m e ssage an d th i s gre at j oy or blis s c om e s to

,

the soul as soon as it has attain ed Illumination

th r ough lov e .

Go d i s a ll ude d to i n Va ish navis m mo st f re

qu e ntly a s A nan da ay a— m e aning al l joy m .

Vaish navi s m m ore n ea r l y res e mbl e s th e gos

1 36 m
C os i c Cons ci ous ness

God whose Maj esty and All Mightiness have -

b ee n e x p l oited .

B e th at as it m ay th e fact re m ain s th at
, ,

L ord Gauran ga i s s ai d to h av e earne d th e

d evotio n and l ov e of so m e of th e m ost learne d
pundits o f India and according to a recent,

“
biograph er h e h ad all th e frail tie s o f a m an ;
,

he ate a nd sl e pt l ik e a m an I n sh ort h e b e
m
.
,

h ave d general l y l i k e an o rdinary h u a n

being but yet he succeeded in extorting fro
, m
th e fore m ost sage s of I ndia th e w orsh i p a n d ,

re verence du e a God .

Th e fact tha t L ord Gauranga beh av e d

lik e a m an i s com forting to say th e l e ast
, , ,

“
an d pre sage s th e com ing of a day wh e n be
”
h aving li k e a m an will n ot b e consi dere d un
g od l y W h e n tha t tim e shall h av e arrived
.
,

s urely th ere w il l b e le s s mystici s m of

th e hysterical variety and probably f ewer
hypocrite s .

V ery un l ik e L ord Gauranga i s th e re port ,

o f a write r of I ndia wh o t e ll s of th e eff e cts

m
,

o f cos m i c consciousne s s upo n T ukara con ,

s i de re d to b e one of th e gre atest sai nts and

p oet s of An ci ent I ndia T ukara lived early. m

in the sixteenth cent ury som e years later than ,

L ord Gauranga .

T hi s M ah arash tra s aint i s ch ie fly re m e m

b ere d f or h i s b e autiful d e scripti on of the
 Exa p lesm f Cos
o mC ic ons ci ous ness 1 37

e ff ects o f Illum ination in which he li kens the

,

h um an so ul to th e bride and th e bridegroom

,

“ ”
i s God Thi s poe m i s ca l le d L ov e s Lam ent
.
’

and m ight h av e b e en written by a n impas

s i on ed love r to h i s pro m ised bride

m
.

T h e l ife of T uk ara l ik e tha t of th e late

m
,

S ri Ra m ak ri sh n a P ara anan sa wa s on e long ,

agony of yearn ing an d struggle for that peace

o f soul w hich he cra v ed One o f his chroni
.

clers thus d escribes in brie f the fin a l struggle

, ,

and the subsequ ent attainm ent of Ill umination

o f thi s good m an

S elfl ess h e sought to gath er n o crow ds o f

m
,

idle adm iring disci ple s ab out h i but followed ,

wh at h i s c ons cie nce d ictate d H e l ist e ned not

.

to th e counsel of h i s re l at ive s and fri e nds who ,

th ough t h e had gone m ad ; and he b ore in

pati ence the w ell meant but harsh r ebukes of
-

h i s se cond w ife A ft e r a l ong mental strugg l e

. ,

th e agonie s of wh i ch h e h as recorded in h eart

re nd ing word s now e ntreatin g G od i n th e
,

t e nd e re st of t erm s no w resigning h im s e lf to
,

d e spair n ow appea l ing w ith th e p etu l ance of

,

a pe t ch ild fo r wh at h e dee m e d h is b irth righ t ,

n ow apo l ogi z ing in a ll hum i l ity f or th u s tak ing

l ib ertie s with h i s Mother God h e succ e ed e d at

-
,

last in g aining a re stfu l p l ace of b eatitude

a st ate in which h e me r ge d h is sou l in th e um
 1 38 Cos mC ic ons ci ous ness

v ersal soul — that is I ll um ination or cos mic

, , ,

consci ousn ess .

S adas iva B rah ma n o ne of th e gre at S iddha s

, ,

an d a c om parativ ely m od ern sage of I ndia

m
,

l e ft a S anskrit po em called A t a vidy avilas a ,

wh ich give s a c ompreh e nsi v e de scriptio n of

th e experi ence and the efi ects of Ill umination
'

a s for e xa mp l e
“
Th e sage w ho s e m ind by th e gr ace of h i s
blessed Guru is m erged in his own true natu re
(E x i s t e nce I nt e ll ige nce and B l i s s Ab so l ut e )
, , ,

that gr eat I llumin ed one w ise w ith a ll egotism , ,

suppr e s s e d and e xtre m e l y d el igh te d wi thin

m
,

”
hi s elf sp orts in joy
,
.

“
H e wh o i s him s elf alone w h o h as k nown ,

th e s e cr e t of bli ss w h o h as firm ly emb race d

,

peace who is magnanimous and wh ose feel

m
,

ings o ther than th ose o f the at an have been ,

a ll ay e d that p e r s on sp orts o n h is ple asant

,

”
c ou ch of s e l f b l is s
-
.

“
Th e pure m oon of th e prince of re clu se s ,

w h o i s fit to b e w orsh ipped by gods an d whos e

m o o nl igh t of i nte ll ige nce th at dispel s th e
darkn ess o f ign orance caus es the l ily o f the
e arth t o bl os s om sh ine s f orth in th e ab ode of
,

”
th e a l l pervading E ssence of Light
-
.

Th e ab ov e s ta n z a s r e pre sen t a m ore i m per

sonal idea of th e bli ss of attainm ent than those
o f many oth ers w ho have experienced Illu i m
1 40 C os mC ic ons ciousness

mean s als o illum ination or real i zati on o f the

,

saving charact er o f the li g ht within .

T he lamp is the m ost importan t symbol in

Bud dhism as it typifi es the di vi ne flame or illu i
, m
nation (w hi ch i s cosmic consciousness ) as the ,

goal of the discipl e .

Anoth er interpretation o f th e symbol o f the

lamp is that of the po w er o f the la p to shed
, m
i ts rays to light the way o f those who are trav el
“ ”
i ng in th e gloom and by so d oing it l ights the
, ,

flam e o f ill um ination in others without d im inish

,

ing its own power An article o f faith reads

.

A s one h ol ds out a lamp in th e d arkn e ss that

those wh o have eyes may see the obj ects even ,

so has th e doctrine be en made c l ear by the Lord

”
in mani fold exposition .

Again in the B ook of the Great Deceas e w e

, ,

lea rn that Bud dha adm onished his discip l es to

“
d w el l as l amps unto yours el v es An oth er .

symbol used throughout Japan as a means o f

teaching the masses the es s ential doctrines o f
“ ”
The C omp ass i onate One has becom e f amili ar
,

“ ”
to occid en tal pe opl e as a sort o f curi o It is .

that of th e three m onkeys ca rved in wood or

ivory .

One monkey is cov ering his eyes with both

pa w s ; another has stopped his ears ; and the
third has his paw press ed tight ly ov e r h is m outh .

“
Th e l esson bri efl y told is to see no evil ; hear
 Exa plesm of C os mC ic ons ci ous ness 1 41

no evil ; speak no evil and the reas on that the

,

monk ey is empl oyed as the symbol is b ecause ,

the m onkey more than any other animal r esem

, ,

bles primitive man I f th en we wou l d rise from

.
, ,

the monk ey or anima l c ondition (the phys ica l

,

or animal part o f the human organism ) we ,

must avoid a k arma o f c onsciousn ess o f evil .

B uddh ism is full o f symbolism and these sym ,

bols must be inte rpreted according to the age ,

or o f the individual consci ousn ess o f the inter

preter or the translator B ut the fundamental
, .

doctrine of Buddh a is essentiall y on e of renun

ciation as app l i ed to the things o f the world .

Neverth el ess this qua l ity o f renunciation has

been greatly ex aggerated during the c enturi es ,

becaus e o f the fact that the Lord Bud dha had

so much to give up vie w ed from the standpoint
,

o f world l y ethics
In the followi ng sayings o f Buddha we find ,

that the quest o f the noble sage was f or that

supraconsciousn ess wherein change and decay
were n ot rather than that he regard ed the
,

things o f the sen ses as sin ful For e x ampl e

, .

“
It is not that I am carel ess about beauty or ,

am ignorant o f human j oys ; but on l y that I see

on all th e impress o f change ; th ere fore my ,

”
heart is sad and heavy Or this
.

“
A h ol low compl iance and a protesting h ea rt ,

su ch meth od is not f or me to fol l ow : I now-

1 42 m
C os ic C ons ci ous ness

will seek a noble law unlike the worldly methods

m
,

known to en I will oppose dise ase and change

.
,

and d eath and strive against the mischie f

m
,

wrought by th ese on en
m
.
,

According to the S a y utta N i hay a the twelve ,

N idanas (or chain o f consequences ) are :

“
On ign orance dep ends k arma ;
On karm a d epends consciousness ;
On consciou s ness d epends name and form ;
On nam e and form d epends the six organs o f
”
s ens e .

“
On c ontact d epends sensation ;
On s ensati on d epends d esire ;
On d esir e depends attachm ent
On attachm ent d epends existence ;
On exist ence d epends birth ;
On birth d epend old ag e and d eath sorrow , ,

lam entati on m is ery gri e f an d d espair

, , , .

“
Thus does this entire aggregati on o f misery
aris e .

Having arriv ed at this c onclusi on the probl em ,

may be solv ed by learning how to a v oid ex istence .

B ut let us consider w hat the t erm ex istence

,
"

m eans T he common acceptance o f the word

. ,

as us ed in the Engl ish s eems to in clude bei ng ; ,

but i f we will consider the w ord in its literal

m eaning when analyz ed we fi nd that it c omes
, ,

“ ” “
from est (to be ) and th e prefix ex meaning , ,

“ ”
actua ll y n ot bei ng -
.
 m
Cos ic Consciousn ess

On the ces sation o f birth cease old ag e and ,

death ; sorrow ; lamentation ; misery ; gri e f and

despair Th us does the entire aggregation o f
.

”
mi se ry cease .

B ut as to the exact interpretation o f all these

, ,

B uddha hims el f says :

“
Y e must rely upon the truth ; thi s is your
highest strongest vantage ground ; the foolish
,

mast ers practicing superficial wisd om gras p not ,

the m eaning o f the truth ; but to receive the law ,

not skill fu ll y to handle words and sente nces the ,

meaning th en is hard to know as in th e night,

tim e i f trav eling and se eking f or a house i f all

, ,

”
be dark with in how diffi cult to find
, .

But l et it be und erstood that Buddhism as

,

now taught and practiced is neces sarily colored

by the e ffect of the centuries which have e lapsed
since the L ord Buddha lived and taught the
prec epts of h is I l lumination Modern Buddh ism
.
,

as a religi ous system o f worship bears the same

relation to P rince S iddartha as does modern
,

Christianity to Jesus o f Naz ereth .

A short revi ew o f the li fe and characte r o f

the personal ities around whom the great religious
systems o f the world have been f ormed will aid
us in pe rc e iving the unity o f thought and char

m
act er of th e I ll um in ed and the simi l arity o f re
,

ports as to the eff ect o f this reali z ation o f cos i c

consciousness will be apparen t .
 C HAPT ER VI I
MO S ES , T HE LAW G IV ER
-

Th e sali ent feature o f the law as gi ven by

Moses unto his people the Jews is that o f strict
, ,

cl ean l iness o f mind and body In this we find

.

a similarity to the o ft r epeated behest o f Gau

-

tam a the Buddha who constantl y admonished

, ,

h is f ol l owers to k eep th eir hearts pur e and th eir

minds and bodi es cl ean .

This spirit o f cl eanl in ess fi nds also a counter

“
pa rt in the saying ascribed to Jesus bl essed are ,

”
the pure in hea rt .

The c l eanliness h ere referred to is doubtless

n ot so much phys ical neatness as m ental purity

o f thought— th ought f ree from doubt and

calumny and petty deceits and hypocrisy an d
se l fishn ess and debasing perv er s i ons of the li fe
forces ; but during various stages of history we
find that a ll t eachings have thei r esoteric and
thei r exoteric app l ication .

The law as enunciated by Moses acco ding

, ,
r

to the Je w ish repo rts l aid much stress upon

,

physical cl ean l iness as an attribute o f godh ood

m
.
,

But Moses i f we
, y credit reports was ,

somethi ng far more inspired and illumined than

I 4S
1 46 m
Cos ic C ons ci ous ness

a mere physic al cultu rist— commendable as is

ersonal cleanl ines s— a nd his admonitions we re
p
the r esult of that fine sen se o f discriminati on
and enlightenment which comes from c osmic per
cepti on even i f he had not expe rienced the
,

deeper full er realization of libe ration o f which

, ,

B uddha is a sh ining exampl e .

It is evid ent that the la w s laid down by M oses

w ere taught and practised by the Eg y ptians
many many years prior to the time in which
Mos es liv ed w hich from the most r el iable auth or
,

iti es must have be en about four to five hundred

,

years be fore the Exodus .

This does not d etract f rom the evidence that

the great Egy pti an Hebrew was a man o f won
-
,

derf ul int ell ectual attainm ents and from what

m
,

w e kn ow o f m odern exa ples o f I ll um inati on ,

he also possessed a degree o f cosmic conscious

ness .

The story o f the seemingly m iracul ous birth

o f Moses and the mystery with which his ances
,

try is surrounded is also typical o f one who has

,

attain ed to cosmic consciousness .

The I l lumined on e rea l iz es h is birthless ness

and his death l essness and expres se s it in sym
,

holism meani ng o f course the real i z ation that

, ,

as the S pi ri t is never born and can never die the ,

id ea o f ag e is an unreality— and should find no

place in the con sciousness o f one who regards
1 48 m
Cos ic Consci ousness

those who have not atta ined to this degree o f

consciousness the esoteric meaning is necessar
,

ily hidden .

The phenomenon o f the st range mystical li g ht

which seems to en fold and bathe the Illumined
one is concisely expressed in the cas e o f Moses
, .

“
A nd it came to pass that when Moses came
m
,

down fro Mount S inai with the tablets o f the

testimony i n hand that Moses wist not that
,

the s ki n o f his face sh one or sent forth beams

,

by reason o f his spea king with H im .

“
And when Aaron and all the children o f
Israel saw Moses behold ! the s ki n o f h is face
”
shone and they were a fraid to come nigh him
'
.

Again we fin d in the case o f Mos es a momen ,

tary fear o f the phenomenon which he was ex

pe riencin g in the infl ux o f light and the sound
,

o f the voice which seems to accompany the light .

The interpretation given the words spo k en ,

and the identity o f the voice is ever dependent

upon the time and character o f the m ind experi
encing the Illumination .

Thus Mos es cla ims to have heard the voice

o f the God o f the Hebrews but the probabi lities
,

“ ”
are that the
, voice is the men tal ope rations o f
th e pe rson experiencing the phenomen on o f
supra conscious ness and th is interpretati on will
-
,

“
vary with what P rofessor James calls the his
”
tori cal determination , i e it is dependent upon
. .
 Moses The
, L aw Gi ver
-
1 49

the age in which the illumined one lived and ,

upon the cha racter o f the impressions previously

absorbed .

This appar ent di fference o f report as to the

m
,

“ ”
identity o f the voice is o f small i port
, .

Th e salient point is that each person relating

his experience has heard a voi ce giving more
or less explicit instructions and promises .

In each instance it has been characteri z ed as

the voice o f the God o f their desire and adora ,

ti on .

C ertainly, whatever may be our opinions as to

whether God as we understand the term talked
, ,

to Moses giving him such explicit commands as

,

the great l eader a fterwards laid down to his peo

ple accom panied by the insurmountable barrier
“ ”
to dissent or discussion thus saith the Lord
, ,

we can but admit that the prophet was possess ed

o f int ellectual power far in advance o f h is time ,

and his la w s did ind eed save his p eople from sel f
,

d estruction through uncleanliness and stri fe and

, ,

dense ign orance .

T h e ten commandments have be en the word

o f God to a l l men for 10 ! these many ages and ,

ev en J esus could but add one oth er commandment

“
to those already in use : Another commandment
”
give I unto you— that y e love one an other .

To sum up the evidences o f cosmic consci ous

1 50 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

ness or Illumi nati on as r eported in the case o f

, ,

Moses we find ,

Th e e x peri enc e o f great light as seen on H or eb .

“ ” “
T he v oic e which he calls the voi ce o f The
L ord .
"

T he sudden and m om enta ry f ear and humility ,

.

T he S hining o f h is fac e and form as tho ugh ,

bath ed in l ight .

Th e subsequ ent int el l ectual supe ri ority over

those o f h is tim e .

The per f ect assuran ce and confid enc e o f au

“ ”
thority and salvati on

m
.

T he d esire f or s olitud e w hich caused hi

, to
die alone in the vale of Mo ab .

The intense des i re to upl i ft h is peopl e to a

h igher consciousness .
1 52 m
Cos ic C ons ci ousness

seriousn ess and a d eep sympathy with th e sor

,

r ows of th eir fel l o w men woul d naturally char

,

acteriz e th ese inspir ed on e s ev e n whi l e th ey w ere

,

still in th eir ear l y youth .

It is evident that the young P rince S iddhartha

was subj ect to meditation and that the se medita
tions led at times to compl ete t rance .

It is r epo rted that one day whi l e out riding in

a l l the pomp and accoutrements o f the son o f a
rul ing king he w as visited by an angel (a m essen
,

r from th e gods o f D evachan ) and t ol d that

g e ,

i f he w oul d l ess en the sorrows of th e world that

he must r enounce his right to hi s fath e r s king ’

do m and go into the j ungle becoming a h ermit , ,

and devoting his li f e to fasting prayer and m edi ,

tati on in order to fit h ims el f for the work of

,

“ ”
preaching the way o f l iberation which con ,

sisted o f first of all to take n o l i f e ; be pure in

, ,

m in d ; be as the humb l est wh ich latter admonition

,

f oun d little fav or w ith the w orl d o f h is pers onal

e nvir onm ent wh er e ca ste w as and still i s a seem ,

in g ly in eradicabl e race th ought

-
.

The sorr ows of humanity w eighed hea v ily upon

his hea rt and the s uperfi cialities o f the wealthy
,

and ostentatious c ourt in w h ich he li v ed irk ed ,

his outspoken and truth loving spirit

-
.

S urr ound ed as he was by wealth and eas e

, , ,

with time f or c ont emplation and a mind giv en

to ph i10 5 0 ph ic speculation the young prince
,
 Gauta ma, The m
Co p as si onate 1 53

found no sense o f com fort or permanent satis

f action in his own immun ity from wan t and sor
row . He pondered long upon the way to become
“
freed from the successive round of births and
”
deaths and th us pondering he sought solitude
, ,

in which to fin d his questions answered .

F asting an d penance have ever been the gist of

“
the instruction gi ven to those who woul d find
the way to God and so to this end Gau w a
”
,

fasted and prayed and practised s el f sacrifice

,
-

But the attainmen t o f liberation was not easy ,

and S iddhartha su ff ered long and practiced sel f

m ortifi cati on ass iduous l y at len gt h being t e
m
,

“
warded ; and there arose within h i the eye to
pe rceive the great and noble truth s which had
been handed do w n ; the knowledge o f the ir na
ture ; the understanding o f their cause ; the wis
dom that lights the true path ; the light that ex
”
p els darkness .

The t erribl e struggl e which cha racterized the

attainment o f c osmic consci ousness by so many o f
,

the sages and saviours o f history is w e be l i ev e

, , ,

due to the fact that no one individual may h ope

to ris e so imm easurably above the pl an e o f the
race consci ousness o f his day and age except
-
,

through intense and overwh elming desire .

Gautama abandoned his heritage his r elatives , ,

his wi fe to whom he was d ev oted and his in fant

,

son as we have previous l y stated

,
not because
,
1 54 m
Cos ic Cons ci ous ness

Illum ination is purchasable at so terrible a pri ce ,

but because his des ire to kn ow transcended all

other des ires and in order to be f ree f rom the
m m
,

d e ands made upon hi he must o f necessity

, ,

seek solitude .

F ew ex amples o f the attainment o f cosmic

consci ousn ess are as compl ete and o f such full
n ess as that atta ined by B uddha and n o ins tance
, ,

wh ich histo ry aff ords has le ft so great an effect

up on the w orld .

It i s estimat ed that at least one third o f the -

human race are Buddhists Th is is n ot sayi ng .

that any such numbe r o f persons are like unt o

Buddha nor do w e c ont end that this is any evi
,

dence that h is message is greate r or more fraught

with truth than that o f other illum ined on es .

The int el ligent stud ent o f occultism in a ll its

phase s w i ll a rriv e soon er or later at the in evit
, ,

ab l e c onc l u s ion that a ll illumin ed souls have seen

and ha v e taught th e sam e fundam ental truth .

Buddha w as c onvinc ed that in The Abs ol ute ,

o r First Caus e ther e could be no sin and conse

,

qu ently no sorro w and he persistently sought to

,

inaugurate such systems o f conduct and such a

standard o f mora l s as w ould lead the disciple
“
back to godhood or liberation from the wheel
,

”
o f causation .

To keep the mind pure and cl ean was the bur

den oi h is cry w e ll kn o w ing that the mi nd is
,
1 56 m
C os ic C ons ci ousn es s

It is al so as serted that Buddha appear ed in his

“ ”
ow n glorifi ed body to his discipl es a fter hi s
physical diss olution plainly indicating that far
,

from bein g s w a llo w ed up in T he Absolute he had ,

acquir ed godh ood in h is pres ent body .

Detailing the advantages o f a pure li f e Buddha,

said to his disciples :

“
The vi rtu ous man rej oices in this w orld and ,

he w i ll r ej oice in the next ; in both worlds h as he

joy H e r ej oices h e exults seeing the purity of
.
, ,

”
his de ed.

Again alluding to a sage (rahan ) Buddha is

, ,

report ed to hav e said

“
He is ind eed bl est having conqu e red all his
,

”
passions and atta in ed the state of Nirvana
,
.

This a ll ud ed to the acquisiti on o f N irvana

w hil e sti ll in the physical body In other w o rds
.
,

as w e o f th is c entury understand the teaching ,

h e had ex peri ence d cosmic c onsci ous ness .

The mod ern v ersi on of the c ommandm ents of

Buddha are almost id entical with th ose o f the
Chri stian creed and th ese comman dments are as
, ,

we have pr eviously obs erved the same that Moses

,

laid down f or the gui dance o f his peopl e That .

they were old be fore Moses was bo rn is al so ,

mo re th an problematical
It is also more than probabl e that Buddha did
not pe rs onall y w rite th e eth ical code w hich w e
n ow find submitted as the
“
m
Com an dments o f
 Gauta m
a, The m
C o p as si onate 1 57

Buddha but that Buddha mere l y emphasi z ed

,

them .

Th ese commandm ents are not however under , ,

“
stood by the intel l igent Buddhist as sacred in
, ,

“ ”
the s en se that God spoke unto Buddha
m
.

Moses doubtl ess assu ed to have be en divinel y

instructed in the law although that suppo s iti on
,

may be err oneous He may have had in mind the

.

sam e fun damental idea which a l l th ose expressing

co s mic c onsci ousn ess have had that of be ing a ,

m ou thpiece of a high er power rath er than to at ,

tract to thems elves any adulati on or worship as ,

being specia l ly di v ine .

“
T he Commandments theref ore as trans
, ,

lated and ascribe d to mode rn Buddhism are an ,

ethical and moral cod e for the M OR TA L con

sciou sn ess rather than a f or ula f or dev eloping
,
m
cosmic c onsciousness These commandm ents are :
.

1 — Thou shalt kill no animal what ever from ,

the mean est insect up to man .

2 — Thou shalt not st eal .

— Thou shalt n ot vi olat e the w i fe of another

3 .

— Th ou shalt speak n o w ord that is f als e

4 .

— Th ou sha l t not drink wine nor anything

5 ,

that may intox icate .

6 — Thou sha l t av oid all anger h atred and bit ,

ter lan g uage .

— Thou shalt not indulge in id l e and vain

7
tal k but shal l do all for others
,
.
1 58 m
C os ic C ons ci ous ness

8— Thou sha l t not covet thy neighbors good s .

— Thou shalt not harbor envy nor pride nor

9 , ,

rev enge nor mal ice nor the des i re o f thy neigh
, ,

’
bor s d eath or mis fortun e .

1 0 — Thou shalt not follo w the doctrines o f

fa l se gods .

And th e devotee is assured even as in the ,

“
Christian c re ed that he who k eeps th ese com
mm
,

an d ents shall enter N irvana— the rest o f

,

”
Buddha B ut let it be und erstood that Gautama
m
.
,

th e Lord Buddha did n ot f ormu l ate these co

mm
,

an d en ts Neither are th ey c onsid ered as in

.

fa ll ibl e f ormulae by the en l ightened Buddh ist

,
.

Th ey constitute th e ethical and moral code o f

the un de v eloped man in all ages o f th e w orld ,

an d am ong a ll peopl es They had become tradi

.

“
tional l on g be f ore Buddha cam e to int erpret the
”
w ay of the gods Bu t Gautama like Jesus was
.
, ,

an ev ol uti onist and not a revolutionist H e cam e

, .

“ ”
n ot to d estroy but to fulfi l l
, and so Buddha ,

paid no att enti on to the code o f morals as it stood ,

but merely contented himsel f with em ph asi z ing

th e impo rtance o f unselfi sh ness— purity o f heart

and m ind because he real ized that the mental

,

“
w or l d is the trap o f the soul even as the el e ,

”
phant is h eld t ethered by a g alucchi creepe r .

Budd ha taught the way o f emancipati on o f the

soul held in bondage by means o f the illusions
of m a o eve n as the elephant is held in captivity
y ,
 m
Cos ic C ons ci ous ness

n ot be li eve that the B udd ha has left you and ,

c eased to dw ell among y ou Do not th ink th ere

.

f ore n or believe that the Buddha has disap

, ,

p e a red and is n o more with you

, .

Fr om these words it i s evident that th e state

,

o f N irvana wh ich Buddha assured his f oll ow ers

that he had already attained did not argue l oss ,

o f identity nor translation to another pl anet

, .

Nor is th ere anywhere in the sayings of

B uddha rightly interpreted any suggestion of
, ,

ex pecting or des iring personal worship This the .

,

gr eat sage particularly avoid ed as indeed have all ,

ill umined ones .

It is evid ent that Gautama the Buddha had

experi enced that di v ine i nflux o f light and w is
m
do in w hich h e sought for others the happines s
he had gain ed f or himsel f and to this en d he ,

was eager to l eave to his f ri en ds and disciples

such ru l es o f conduct o f li fe as should aid the m
in atta i n ing th e divine peace that comes from
il l umination .

But th at he foun ded a religi ous system o f w or

ship of hims el f is wh ol ly unbe l i evabl e in the
,

li g ht of a study o f c omparati ve religions and the

wi sd om w hich i ll um ination con fers .

T o rea l i z e that one has attain ed to imm ortal

ity and c l aim ed his bi rthright of godh ood is not
, ,

syn onymous with the claim to worshi p as the one

eterna l sourc e o f li fe .
 Gauta m
a, The m
Co p as si onate 1 61

It is a part o f human w eakness to insist upon

idea l izing the persona l ity of a teach er and th is ,

tend ency becomes in time merged into actual wor

ship w hereas the t each er i f he or she be tru ly il
, ,

lumin ed seeks only to inculcat e the phi l os ophy

,

w hich will bring his faith fu l f ollo w ers into a

realizati on of cosmic c onsci ousness .

The points which charact eriz e the person who

has experienc ed a d egr ee of i ll umi n ation (en
tered int o c osmic consci ousn ess ) w ere particu
,

larly evid ent in the li f e and charact er o f Gautama ,

the Buddha Th ey may be summ ed up thus :

.

A marked seriou sn ess in youth .

A great sym pathy and c ompassion with the

s orrow s o f oth ers .

A d eep t end ern ess f or all f orm s of li f e .

A r ealizati on of the n othingn ess of caste and

pomp and po w er .

The firm convicti on that he w as instructed by

h is pers on .

— e e se
T he firm conviction of imm rtal ity r l a d
o
“ ”
f rom the w h eel of l i f e as he express ed it .

The kno w l edge o f w h en and w h er e he was to

a ss out from t h e li fe o f th e body
p
.

l
T he o ve o f s ol itud e and m e dit ati on T h.e i n

tellect ua l po w e r maintain e d ev en int o old age .

The uns elfish d esire to h el p others .

1 62 m
C os ic Cons ci ousness

Gr eat and never failing sympathy with su f

-

f ering a divine patien ce and in s ight into the

, ,

hearts o f all f orms of li fe earn ed for this gr eat

,

“ ”
soul the name Buddha T he Compassionate .
1 64 m
C os i c C ons ci ousness

the B ud dhist doctrin es or whe ther H e S pent the

years o f H is li fe which are shrouded in mystery ,

in the inner t emples o f either Thibet India Per , ,

s ia China or oth er ori ental country w i l l d oubt

, , ,

l ess a l ways be a disputed point among controver

salists .

T he fact does not matter e ither way , .

There is an encouraging similari ty in the f un

m
da entals o f all r eligi ous prec epts arguing tha t ,

wh en a teach er is real ly inspired the truth mak es

m
,

friends with hi or her .

S ome writers on the subj ect o f Illuminati on

give exact dates wh en the flash o f cosmic con
s ciou sn es s came to the vari ous teachers o f th e

w orld but th es e dates are problematical and they

, ,

are also inconsequ ential .

Th at J esus was among those historic characters

who had attained cosmic cons ci ousness th ere can ,

be n o possible doubt even though h is exact words

,

will be disputed .

Enough has com e down to us throu g h the a g es

to prove the fact that J esus kn ew and taught the
i l lusory charact er o f external l i f e ( ay o) and m
that he was h imsel f absolutely certain o f the
“ ”
kingdom within which he a dmonished his
,

hearers to seek rath er than to live s o much in the

,

external This he did because he well k ne w that

.

c onstant dwell ing in the external consciousness

led not to liberation .
 Jes us of N az areth 1 65

The lig h t wi thi n, w as the substance o f his cry ,

and that light wh en perce iv ed l eads to il l umina

, ,

tion o f ev e rything both the within and the

,

with out .

The transfig uration o f J esus was und oubtedly

the e ff ect of his b eing in a supra conscious state -
,

a state o f exa l tation in which many mystics enter

,

at more or l ess frequ ent intervals according to ,

their mode o f li f e and their obj ective environ

,

ment .

“
And he was transfig ured be f ore them ; and
"
his garm ents became exceedingl y white we are ,

told in the gosp els and th er e are many persons in

,

the world today p ossessing the pow er o f the inn er

or clai rv oyant visi on (n ot id en tical with cosmic

consci ousness ) who hav e witness ed similar phe

m
,

m
no ena .

In the Ser on on the Mount we find that ,

J esus sp oke with such certainty and such author

ity as one w ho had experienced the ve ry essence
,

o f the c osmic consci ous state and w as already ,

fre ed from the illusions of the s enses His .

wo rds lik e those of a ll who hav e sought to gi v e

,

directi ons and instructi ons for the attainment of

freed om from e x ternality are capabl e o f inter
,

p re tati on in vari ous w ays acc ording to the de

,

gree of c onsciou sn ess of the ag e in which the

interpr etati on s hav e b een made .

F or ex ampl e w e find th es e w ords o f Jesus

,
1 66 C os mC ic ons ci ousness

g iven di fferent mean ings and in fact there have

, ,

be en many and diverse discu s si ons an d c onc l u

sions as to exactly w hat th e Mas ter did mean
by th e
“
m
Bl essed are th e poor in spirit for th eirs is ,

”
the kingd om o f heav en .

Let us examine the phras e and s ee i f it accords ,

w ith our ideas of cosmic consciousness To be .

“ ”
poo r in spirit is not c onsistent with our und er
,

standing of the requirements f or the ex pans ion

o f the soul .

Th ose w ho tak e this ph ras e literally and w ho ,

are opposed to religi ous conc epts as a factor in

m
,

human b etter ent are f ond of using th is phrase

m
,

as an evid ence o f the f anatacis of J esus and his ,

c oncurr enc e in the w orld l y habit o f e x pl oiting the

“ ”
poor and riding the backs o f th e w age slav es
, ,

as our Socia l ist brothers put it .

N ow let us f or a mom en t c onsid e r the ph ras e

m
, ,

as a p ers on wh o p oss ess ed cos i c cons ci ous n es s

w ould have s ai d it .

O ne poss es sing the cosmic sense vi ew ing the ,

e x t ernal mor e as a trap o f the s enses than as ,

r ea l iti es w ould r eadi l y pe rcei v e that to amass

,

w ealth (external poss es s ions ) th e mind must be ,

in harm ony w ith the methods and the ideals of

th e w orld rath er than that it shoul d be con cen
,

“ ”
trated upon th e th ings o f th e spirit .

Th is idea is express ed in the phras e no man ,

I 68 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

wealthy hav e large financial interests to ma in

tain ; busine ss probl ems to solve ; that take about
all th e ir tim e The poor fin d the maint enance of
.

physical exist enc e a task that absorbs the greater

part o f their mortal m ind an d th ere f or e th os e
, ,

w ho are d ev oting their tim e and ta l ents to the

w ork of r egen eration (the coming o f the cosmic
s ens e ) are n eces sari l y in the minori ty and the
, ,

majority ru l es in th ought as in act , .

The present metaphysical mov em ent lays gr ea t

“ ”
stress up on w orld l y succe s s and attraction o f
w ealth as an ev id ence o f possessi on of po w er and
,

truth but the law o f equati on proves that we

m
,

obtain that whi ch w e os t des i re A religi ous

.

system w hich amasses great w eal th in a sh ort

tim e d oes so only because its do i nan t t eaching
, m
inspires the d esire f or world l y advanc ement as
m
,

the pri e req uis i te

.

T he same is true o f an individual as o f a

,

system .

N ot that the attainm ent of cosmic c onscious

n ess is abs olutely imp ossibl e to a rich man be ,

cause a man may inherit riches and positi on and

po w er as in the case o f P rince S iddhartha th e
, ,

Lord B uddha ; or he may have set in m oti on cer

ta in currents o f d esir e f or w ealth and later in
m
,

li fe ay change that desire w h en naturally the , ,

“ ”
busin ess he has created will follow the law
 Jes us of N az areth 1 69

which instigated it and increas ing wealth will

,

r esu l t.

But l et it be kn ow n that Buddha renounced

, ,

a ll his poss essions and there are many instances

,

t oday o f renunciati on o f w orld l y li f e and w ealth ,

in ord e r to attain to that supreme consciousn ess

in w h ich the i l lumined one p oss esses a ll that he
d esires ev en though he hav e but one coat to his
,

back .

Let it not be thought that w e mean to in f er

that God is part i al to pov erty and that the rich
m
,

man w ill be ex c l ud ed fr om th e attain ent of th e

kingdom m erel y because of his rich es ; but i f
,

’
rich es be any man s aim th en assured l y he cannot
,

“ ”
s erve t w o mast ers and it w i ll n ot be possib l e
f or h im to become illumined whil e in pursuit o f
wor l d l y goods .

J es us said :
“
It is easi er f or a cam el to g o through the
needl e s ey e than f or a rich man to enter the
’
,

”
kingd om o f h eaven .

It is n ow thorough ly establi shed that the

N eedle s Ey e w as the n ame gi v en to a certain
’

narrow and di ff i cult pass thr ough w hich camels

bearing h eav y burdens c ou l d not find roo to,
m
pass and J esus s ought to c onv ey to his h ear ers
,

the truth th at persons bearing in their m ental de

sires the load of man y poss essi ons would hardly ,

find room for the one supreme de s ire which w ould

 1 70 m
Cos ic Cons ci ousness

brin g them into the kingdom (the poss ession o f

cosmic consci ousn ess ) .

But the m ost significant of the utterances o f

th e il l umin ed Na z aren e is the one in which he
said
“
Except y e become as littl e ch ildren ye can in ,

”
no wise ent er the ki ngdom o f heav en .

The p ossess ion o f cosmic c onsciousness brings

with it invari ab l y the simplicity the faith and
, , ,

i n nocence o f a l ittl e child Th e chi l d is pleas e d

.

with natural pl easures and does n ot kn ow the

,

worldly standard o f valuation And abov e a l l .

,

th e s oul whi l e stil l attach ed to the physi cal body

, ,

is lik e a li ttle chi l d.

T he attainment of c osmic c onsciousn ess is pos

“
sible only to on e wh o has firs t g ot acquainted
”
w ith his s ou l ; wh e n w e are r eall y s oul conscious -

w e poss ess th e innoc en c e (n ot ign orance ) o f a ,

l ittl e chi l d and w e also p osse ss a chi l d s w i s dom

,
’
.

We are in oth er w ords as w is e as the s erpent

,
“
,

”
and as harm l e ss as the d ove Wi sd om brings
.

w ith it harm l es sn ess . T he truly w is e person

w ould n ot w il fu ll y h arm any l i v ing thing ;w isdom
“ ”
kn ow s no re v enge ; n o eye f or an ey e philoso
phy ; mak es no d emands .

And what may be considered th e s econd most

significant r emark of the Mast er i s this :
“
Th e kingd om of God cometh n ot wi th obse r
vati on ; neither shall they say L o here ; or L 0 , ,
1 72 m
C os ic Cons ci ous ness
“
A new
commandment give I unto you : that
”
ye l ove one another .

All truly ill umined minds have made love the

basis o f their teaching w el l knowing that where
,

tru e l ov e r eigns th er e can be no d estruction .

Love conquers fea r— the arch enemy o f man-

kind
m
.

Love makes it impossible to har the thing

l ov ed and univ ersal l ove would mak e it i pos
, m
sib l e f or on e experi encing it to consci ous l y bring
, ,

th e s l ightest pain to any l iving thing .

Th ere fore J esus taught r epeated l y the d octrin e

o f l ov e m
and he ad e no n ew commandments
,

oth e r than this .

It has been said that in asmuch as Jesus laid

m
greater e ph asis upon this on e great need than
had any pre v i ous ins pired t ea ch er he des erves
,

greater h onor .

The ol ogians wh os e purpos e it is to promulgate

the d octrin e o f Christianity as superi or to oth e rs ,

use th is argum ent in support o f th ei r contention

that J esus was the on l y true s on o f God .

But this view w ill be rec ogniz ed as prej udiced ,

and lacking in the ve ry essentials taught and

practiced by the Ch rist .

In the light of I ll umination it w ill r eadily be

,

perc ei v ed that all pers ons expressing any con

s iderable d egree o f cosmic consciousness have ,
 Jesus of N az af eth I 73

taught the same fundamental and simple truths ,

as witness the fo ll owing :

D o as you would be done by — P ersian . .

Do n ot that to a neighbor which y ou would

m
,

take i l l from hi — Grecian .

What you would not wish done to yours el f do ,

not unto others — Chi nes e .

O ne should s eek for others the happin ess one

desire s f or on esel f — B uddhis t .

He sought f or oth ers the good he d esired for

himsel f Let him pass ou— Eg y p tian
. . .

All things whatsoever y e w ou l d that men

should do to you do y ou even so to th em
, .

Chris tian .

L et n on e of you tr eat his brother in a w ay

he hims el f would dis l ike to be treated — M oha m
m edan .

T he tru e rul e in li fe is to guard and do by the

things o f others as they do by th eir own — H i n du
m
,

The law imprinted on the h earts o f al l en is

to love the members o f soci ety as thems el ves
m
.

Ro an .

Whatsoever you do n ot wish your n eighbor to

do to you do not unto him This is the w h ol e
,
.

i — f ewis h
law The rest is a m ere ex position o f
. t . .

While it is probable that J esus gav e no direc

‘
m
tions or methods o f attain ent y et the records ,

o f his sayings give the clue to the charact er o f

his instruction to those o f his students who were
I 74 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

capable o f underst anding particularly as sho wn

,

in a recent l y disc ov er ed papyrus authentica l ly ,

identified as bel onging to the ear l y Christians .

This papyrus was discovered by Eg ypt ian ex

p lo re rs in 1 90 4. Although the papyrus was more
or l ess mutilated the meaning is s ufii cien tly clear
,

to j usti fy the translators in inserting certai n

w ords . H ow ever we will h ere q u ote only such

,

of the sayings as wer e deciph erab l e without ,

having anything supp l ied by tran s l ators .

Ev i dently ha v ing been ask ed when his kin g dom

sh ould be r ealiz ed on earth he ans w ered :
“
Wh en ye r eturn to th e state o f innocen ce
w hich e x isted b e f ore the f all (i e when mani. .
,

f estation w ill be perc e iv ed in its i ll usory ch arac

ter and the soul fr eed fr om the enchantm ent o f
,

th e m orta l c onsci ousn e ss ) .

“
I am c om e to end the sacrific es and i f ye cea se
n ot from sacrificing the w rath shall not ceas e
,

”
from y ou .

This evid en tly corr esp onds to h is sayi ng ,

Th ey w ho use the s w ord shall perish by the

,

”
s w ord.

T he c onclusi on is obvious that hate and de

st ructi on beget the i r kind an d th at l ov e is the
, .

on l y po w e r that can pr ev ent the continuation o f

d es tructi on This may w ith equal l ogic be ap

.
,

plied to th e sacrifice o f animal and bird li fe for

1 76 m
C os ic Cons ci ous ness

o f radical changes in our attitude toward the

function of sex and the divinity o f love .

“
Wh en the two sha l l be one and the outside
,

as the insid e and the mal e as the female neith er

, ,

ma l e n or fema l e— these things i f y e do the king ,

dom o f My Father sha l l come ”

.

Again the meaning o f these words depends

,

upon th e d egree o f illumination o f the person

r eading th em They mean the present inevitable
.

equality of the sexes wh en each individ ual will

,

count n ot as a m ere man or a mere woman but ,

’
as an important factor in the world s redemption .

O r it will appeal to a few as the promised time

,

when every s oul which has compl eted the circle ,

end ed its karma and claimed its god hood unites

,
-
,

w ith the s oul o f its mate the two blending into

,

one per fect whol e— the F ather Mother God o f

-

the N ew D ispe nsation .

Again we find i n th es e n ewly discovered papyri

a ph rase bearing upon this subj ect :
To the question o f Sa l ome :
“ ”
H ow long sha l l d eath reign ? The Lord
ans wered
“
As long as y e women give bi rth For I am .

”
come to make an end to the works o f the woman .

Th en Salome said to him :

“
Then hav e I don e well that I have not given
”
birth ?
To th is the Lord repli ed
 Jesus of N az ar eth 1 77

Eat of every herb but o f the bitter one eat

,

not
When S alome ask ed wh en it shall be known
what she asked the L ord said ,
:

“
When you tr ead und er f oot the covering of
s hame and when two is mad e one and the male
, ,

”
with the fema l e n eith er ma l e n or f ema l e
, .

“
Ho w beit he who l ongs to be rich is l ik e a
m
,

an who drink eth s ea wat er : the mor e he drink

eth the m or e thirsty he bec omes and n ever l eav es ,

”
off drinking ti ll h e p eri s h .

“
Bl essed is he w ho a l s o fasts th at he may feed
the po or f or it is m ore b l ess ed to give than to
,

”
r ec eive .

“
L et thy a l ms sw eat in thy hand unti l th ou
”
know est to wh om th ou gi v est .

It is n ot probab l e that any on e who reads these

words wi l l make the mi s take of assuming that
Jesus ad v i s ed us to inquire into the character or
the ant ec edents o f the on e on wh om w e are to
be stow a gi ft N either are w e expect ed to ascer
.

“ ”
tain wh ether he be l ongs to our l odge or not .

I f y ou give alms as th ough to an in f erior ; i f

you assume a s el f righteous mind ; i f y ou give
-

f or h ope of re w ard ; then withh ol d your gi ft In .

fact unless y ou can rea l i z e that y ou are giving

,

as though to yours el f k eep your gi ft It wil l do

,
.

n eith er you nor the one receiving it any good ,

whatsoev er .
1 78 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

Good th ings must come H e is bl essed .

”
throu g h wh om th ey come .

Th is pre sages the c omi ng o f the k ingdom o f

l ove on earth as a f oregon e concl usi on Y et
,
.
,

those w ho l end thems elves cons ci ous ly as s erv ,

an ts oi the ca us e —h elpers in the es tablishmen t o f

the n ew order— are b l essed .

“
Love c ov ereth a multitud e o f sins so be not ,

’
j oyful save when you look upon your broth er s
”
c ounten ance in l ov e .

“
Let n ot the sun g o do w n upon yo ur wrath ,

for the greatest of cri m es is th is : i f a man shall

’”
sadd en his broth er s spi r it .

“
For our poss essi ons are in heav en ; there f or e
m
,

sons o f en purcha se unto yoursel v es by th e s e

,

transitory things w hich are not yours what is ,

”
y ours and shall not pas s away
, .

“
F or th e Lord has said i n a mystery : U nl ess
ye make the right as the le ft ; th e l e ft as the ri ght ;
the top as the bott om ; and th e front as the
bac kward ye shall not know the kingdom o f
,

God .
"

“
Keep the fl esh h ol y and the seal undefiled that ,

ye may rece i v e eternal l i fe .

“ ’
I f a man shall sadd en h is brother s spiri t .

Th is indeed is the g r eat est o f a l l crimes because ,

out o f man s inhumanity to man sprin g s all the

’

sin and sorro w o f the w orld .

“
Unless ye mak e the right as th e le ft ; the top
1 80 C os mC ic ons ci ousness

mystery o f mysteries finds h ims el f caught in the

,

trap o f his desires and he can not escape H e is

, .

under the spell o f enchantment wh erein the nu ,

real appears as real and the real becomes the

,

i l l us ory
m
.

T o su up the fragmenta ry accoun ts we have

m
,

o f the li fe and character o f the an Jesus are

c onclusive proo f that he had entered into full

reali z ation o f cosmic consciousness .

L ike L ord Gautama he appeared to his dis ,

“
ciples a fter he had le ft the physical body gl o ,

”
rifi ed , as one who had taken on immorta l ity .

Nor was there ever it would appear any doubt

, ,

in the m ind o f J esus o f his right to godhood

, ,

while r etaining also his se l f consciousn ess

, ,
-
.

The int ell ectual superi ority .

The wonder ful spiritual magn etism and attrac

tion o f h is presence .

The absolute unwav ering convicti on o f his

,

mission an d o f h is immorta l ity

, .

T he tran sfig uration a fter his temptation and

,

his proph etic vision .

His gr eat l ove and compassion for ev en his

en emies .

Th ese are what mad e him indeed a Christ

m
.

“ ” “ ”
The te rm Christ and the te r Buddha
are synonymous Th ey both mean one who has
.

m
en tered into his godho od One w ho has attained .

to cosmic consci ousness leavi ng forever the li ,

itations o f the lower s el f .

 C H APT ER !
PA UL O F TA RS U S
The system o f worship known as Christianity
owes its systematic f oundati on to P aul of Tarsus
‘

’
P au l s sudd en conversi on from z ea l ous persecu
ti on o f the f oll o w ers o f Je sus of Na z ar eth to
an equa ll y z eal ous pr opagan da o f the gospel of
Light off ers a per fect example o f the pecu l iar
,

oncoming o f c osmic c onsciousness .

P aul evid ently occupi ed a position o f auth ority

am ong the Je w s and it is equa ll y probabl e that
h e was near the same age as Jesus as he is re ,

“ ”
ferr ed to as a y oung man named Saul in Bibl e
accounts of the persecuti on o f the early Chris
tians His illumination occurred short l y a fter
.

the crucifixi on probab l y within two or three

,

years .

In Acts chapter 8 9 we read

,
-
,

“
And Saul was consenting unto his death
St ph n And at that time ther e w as a great
( e e ) .

persecuti on against the church which w as at Je

ru mand th ey were all scatter ed abr oad
m
sale

through out the r egions o f Judea and Sa aria , ,

except the apos tles

m
.

“
And d evout en carried S tephen to his
burial and made gr eat l amentation ov er him
,
.

1 81
1 82 m
C os ic C ons ci ousness
“
As f or S aul he mad e havoc o f the church eu
, ,

tering into every h ous e and hailing men and

m
,

women com itted them to pris on

, .

“
And Saul y et breath ing out threatenings and
, ,

slaughter against the discip l es o f th e Lord went ,

unto the high pri est and desir ed of him l ett ers
to Damascus to the synagogu es that i f he f ound ,

any of thi s w ay wheth er th ey were men or,

w om en he might bri n g th em bo und unto J eru

salem E M
,

p o
l f- }w W h ,
_

M
,

“
And as he j ourn eyed h e came near unto D a
ma sons and suddenly there shone round about
,

h im a light from h eav en .

“
And he f el l to th e earth and heard a voice
‘
s ayi ng unto h im : Sau l Sau l why p ers ecutest
m
, ,

thou e ? ’

‘
“ ‘
And he said : Who art th ou Lord ? And ’
,

‘
th e Lord said : I am Jesus wh om th ou perse ,

cutest ; it is hard f or th ee to kick against the

’
prick s.

“ ‘
And h e trembling and astonish ed sa id : Lord , ,

’
what w ilt thou have me do ?
“ ‘
And the Lord said unto h im : A rise and go
into the city and it shall be t ol d thee what th ou
,

’
must do
m
.

“
And the men which j ourneyed with hi stood
spe echl ess h earing a v oice but seeing no man
,
.

“
A n d Saul arose from the ea rth an d w h en his ,
1 84 C os m
i C c ons ci ous n ess

there fell from his eyes as it had been scales ; ,

and he rece ived sight forthwith and arose and ,

”
was bapt iz ed .

L ik e all th ose who have en tered cosmic con

sciou sn ess P aul sought the bl essing o f so l itude
, ,

that he might readj u s t h imse l f to his changed

viewpoint since he n ow saw things in the light
,

o f the la rger consciousness .

He says
“
Imm ediately I con ferred not with flesh and
m
,

blood ; neither w ent I up to J erusalem to the

which were apos tles be fore me ; but I w ent away
into Arabia ; and again I r eturn ed unto Da
muasc s .
”

The i rresistibl e l onging to get away from the

sights and s ounds of the ext ern al w orld is one
o f the m ost characteristic phases o f Illum i nati on .

It i s on l y in ord er that they may take up the w ork

o f bringing to others th is great bless ing that

th ose w ho have entered into th e l arger con s cious

n ess ev entually bring themselves to enter the li fe
,

o f the world .

’
Thus we fi n d that Paul s great desi re to bring
m
,

the light to o thers too k h im again to D a ascus ;

,

and from the records we have o f his utte rances

and h is mod e of living we may gather some idea
,

o f the great change which Illuminati on mad e in

h im .

Certain statem ents w hi ch characteri z e all who

,
 P aul f
o Tarsus 1 85

poss ess cosmic consciousness in any degree o f ,

fullness emanate from the converted Paul He

, .

says :
“
I must n eeds glo ry though it is not expedient ,

but I will come to visions and revelations of the

—
Lord for i f I should desire to glory I shall not
be foolish ; for I shall spea k the truth ; but I for
bea r l est any man sh ould account o f me above
,

that which he seeth me to be or heareth from

m
,

.e And by reason o f the exceeding greatn ess

o f the revelation s— where fore that I should not
be exalted ove rmuch th ere was given to me a
,

thorn in the flesh a messenger o f S atan to

,

bu ff et me .

“
One o f the characteristics o f the I llumined
i s a deep humi l ity This is not in any s ense an
.

abasem ent o f the s el f ; n ot in any sens e a feeling

“
that it is neces sary to bow down and w orship ;
n or yet a tinge of that nam el ess fear w hich the ,

carnal m inded s el f f eels in the pres ence o f ex

-

alted be ings .

It is a humility born o f the d esire to mak e

every one kn ow and feel a sense o f kinship
with him ; he h esitates to reveal a l l that has been
r eveal ed to him l est those w ho hear his words
,

“ "
may think he is either speaking foolishly ,

through egotism or el se that th ey may look upo n

,

h im as a being superi or more exalted than th

, ,

sel ves And a divin e compassi on and l ove f or

.
1 86 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

h is fellow be in g characterizes the Illumined .

Again Paul wi shes to make c l ear the fact that he

,

is still living in the physical body ; l iving the l i fe

o f a body and un til liberated from the condi
,

ti ons that influ ence the ext e rnal wor l d he is h im ,

sel f subj ect to the l esser c onsciousness and he ,

does not want th em to expect more o f th e per

sonal s el f than th at personal sel f is capable o f
, ,

under the c onditi ons in wh ich he lives .

He desires no personal ex a l tation or praise , ,

th er e fore he h esitat es to speak fu ll y of his ow n

rev el ati ons but pr e f ers to teach by re f erence to
,

the experienc es of oth ers .

N everth el ess he tri es to make c l ear the fact

,

that he is n ot m er el y preaching a be l ie f which ,

h e has embraced beca us e o f d oubt or fear or be ,

cau s e it is a creed Indee d he is fr ee fr om the

.
,

“ ”
l a w and is ther e f or e n ot m er el y f oll ow ing a
, ,

syst em n eith er th e old on e w hich he has aban

,

d ou ed nor a n ew one w hich h e has accepted He

,
.

“
speaks fr om th e L ord w h ich is no oth er than
,

the highest authority that man may know

nam el y the authority that com es fr om the real i
,

z ation o f h is ow n imperishab l e godh ood— the e f

f eet o f cosmic c onsciousness .

He says
“
For I make kno wn to y oubrethr en as touch
m
,

ing the go s pel as preach ed by e that it is n ot ,

after man .F or n eith e r did I rec eive it fr om man ,

1 88 m
C os ic C ons ciousn ess

ing compassion f or the un f ortunate and a rela ,

tionship gr eat e r than ev er to mankind .

B ut this s ens e o f freedom causes him to do all

i n love w hich he hith erto did becaus e it was so
,

“ ”
laid do w n in the law .

Again St P aul makes this p l ain

.

T he f ruit of the spi rit is l ov e j oy peace lo n

“
g , , ,

suff ering k indn ess goodn es s faith fulness m eek

, , , ,

n ess t emperance ; against such as these th ere i s

m
,

n o la w— n e ith e r is circu cisi on anything n or nu ,

”
circ umcision but a n ew cr eature
m
, .

Wh en w e are ar or ed with th e f ruit of the

”
spirit w e ha v e no n eed f or rules of c onduct :
,

f or m e thod s o f salvati on ; or f or any o f the b onds

that are n ecessary to th e m ere ly s ense conscious -

man .

P lainly Paul r ec og n i z ed th e fact that system s

,

o f r el igi on o f phi l os ophy o f ru l es and e thics o f

, ,

int ercours e are n ece s sa ry on l y so l ong as man

,

r emains on the s ens e c onsci ous plan e When Il

m
-
.

lu inati on comes th er e comes w ith it absolute

,

freed om God d oes n ot want to be w orshippe d

.

on bend ed knee ; by rites and c er em onies ; bv

ob edi enc e to com m

andments but the undiscip ,

l in ed sou l acquir es po w er and poise th rough th e se

e x ercis es an d in tim e gr ow s to th e fu l l stature o f
,

g od
-
c onsci ou s n es s .

N or is inte l l ectual greatness to be con f ounded

 P aul o f Tars us 1 89

with th e
godl ike character of the one who has at
tain ed to I ll um ination .

Els ew h ere in these pages we have mad e the dis

tincti on be tween kn owl edge and wisd om Kn ow l .

edge alone can n ever bring a s ou l into the path

of I l lumination .Wisd om w ill po int the way but ,

l ove is the un erring guid e to the v ery goal .

’
S t P aul s expressi on of this fact is concis e
.
,

and to the point This observati on al one stamps

.
,

him as on e possessing a very high d egree o f re

aliz ation of w hat c osmic c on s ci ou s ness is .

“
I f an y man think eth that he is w ise among
y ou in this w or l d let him bec ome a f ool that he
,

may become wise F or the wisd om of this world

.

”
is f ool i shn ess to God .

T he w orldl y w ise man or w oman as ks how

”
much do I g et ? The tru ly wise o car es
n othing at all f or poss essions IHpers k o l ny as ks
z
.

“ / ‘
”
N
“ a “ “ A '
how much can I giv e .

And a l th ough we find 1n the marts o f c omm er

cialis m a contempt f or the gullible an d the credu ,

l ous ; the trusting and the confi ding let it be ,

”
kn ow n that the smart bargain er w i ll indee d
smart f or his sma rtness f or in the light o f cos
m
,

“ ”
m ic con sciousness this all eged wisd om of en
, ,

appears as utt er f oolishness ; w asted effort ; a

perv ersi on of opportunity .

“
B ecause all thes e things shall pass away .

Love alone is imperishabl e .

1 90 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

Love alon e is the savior o f the human race ,

and w h en ever we fail to act f rom m otiv es of

lov e w e are disloya l to th e l ight within us
,
.

Again s ays S t Paul

m
.

“
I f I speak w ith the t ongues o f en and of
angels and hav e not l ov e I am as sounding brass
m
, ,

an d a tink l ing cy ba l .

And i f I hav e th e gi ft of pr oph ecy and kn ow ,

al l myst eri es and a l l kno w l edge ; and i f I hav e a l l

faith so as to r em ov e m ountains but ha v e n ot
, ,

lo v e I am n othing
, .

“
And i f I bestow a l l my goods to f eed the poor ,

and i f I give my body to be burned but have n ot ,

l ov e it profiteth me nothi n g
, .

“
L O VE N E VER F A IL E TH .

“
But w h eth er th er e be proph eci es th ey sh all
be d on e a w ay ; w h ether there be t ongu es th ey s ha l l
ceas e ; wh eth er th ere be knowl edge it shall be
d one a w ay F or w e kno w in part and w e pro
.

phecy in part but w h en that w h ich is per f ect is

,

”
c om e that w hich is in part sha l l be d on e a w ay
, .

It must be remembered that in the days of S t .

P a ul th e high pri est s and the prophets w ere ac

c ount ed the wis est and most e x alt ed pe rsons in
th e c ommunity .

T he ability to pr ophecy presuppos ed a special

’
favor of the God o f the Je w s St Pau l s expo . .

sitiou o f the ch anged viewpoint that com es to

one who has entered into cos mic consci ousness .
1 92 C os mC ic ons ci ous n es s

al w ays a sa f e guide N o matte r w hat may be

.

said to th e c ontrary ; no matter how much s uffer

ing it entails ; no matter how seemingly f rui t
l ess the sacrific e ; or how ungrate ful the r es ults ,

love nev e r fai l eth .

H ow can it fail wh en w e seek not our own .

’
but only l ove for love s own sake without r egard ,

to c ompensation or gratitud e ?

St P aul with all w ho have expressed in any

.
,

c onsid erable d egree this cosmic real i zation se em s ,

to have expected a time when cosmic consci ous ,

ness should be come so gen eral as to brin g the ,

kingdom o f love upon earth This corr esponds .

to the Mi l lenium wh ich has always been pro

,

ph es ied and which the pres ent era fulfil l s in a ll

, ,

“ ”
the signs o f the times that w ere to usher in
The D awn .

More ov er the idea that th ere shall come a

,

time when death sha l l be overcome is a persistent ,

pa rt of e very proph ecy and o f eve ry re l igious

,

cult In these days we fi nd that sci ence is specu

.

l ating upon the pr obabi l ity o f discovering a spe

cifi c for senile d eath as w el l as for the fi na l
,

el iminati on o f death from diseas e and accid ents .

Wh eth er or not this is to be the mann er of

”
o v ercoming the last en emy the fact remains ,

that the alm ost univ ersal l y held idea o f physical

m
i morta l ity has a basis in fact which th is postu ,

late o f science symboli z es .

 P al o f Tarsus 1 93

For this corruptible must put on incorruption

m
,

an d this m orta l ity must put on im orta l ity but ,

w hen th is c orruptib l e sha ll hav e put on incor

ruption and thi s m ortal sh all have put on i
, or m
m
ta l ity then sha l l com e to pass the sayi ng that is
,

‘
written : Death is s w a ll ow ed up in victory .
’

S o said St P aul and his w ords show c l ear l y

.
,

that be fore his time th ere had been a pr oph ecy

and bel i e f in the fina l triumph of l ov e ov er d eath ,

n ot as an artic l e o f faith but as a c ommon kn o w l ,

edge .

S t P aul speaks of the time when we shal l not

m
.

a l l sleep but we sha l l all be changed in a o

, ,

ment in the twinkl ing o f an eye at the last

, ,

trump .

“
And th en come to the end w h en he shal l de ,

liver up the kingd om to God ev en the Fath er ; ,

w h en he sha l l h ave ab ol ish ed a l l ru l e al l au ,

”
thority and all p ow er
,
.

U nque sti onab l y i f a l l men on earth in the

,

fl esh and in the a s tral w e re to com e i n to the ,

l ight of the c osmic consci ou snes s th er e w ould be ,

n o n eed f or la w s f or auth ority or power

,
T he .

kingd om w hich signifi es the earth as a p l an et

,
,

w ould ind eed be d eliv er ed to God which m ea n s ,

“
Love and Love nev er fail eth
,
.

And whi l e we admit th at th ese word s o f St .

P au l may be app l i ed to indi v idu al att ai n m en t o f

cosmic consci ousness and n ot r e fer to an era o f
,
1 94 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

earth li fe , in
which the f ruits o f this larger con
sciou sn ess are to be gath ered in the physical y et ,

w e maintain that th e argument f or such an hypo

th esis is strong ind eed He says : .

“
For th e ea rn est expectation o f cr eation
”
wait eth f or the r ev ealing o f the sons o f God .

“ ” “
F or the te rm sons o f God int erpr et those
”
wh o hav e attained cosmic c onsciousness and we ,

may readily para l lel this with the many a ll usions

’
to the ea rth s r ed emption with which history is
,

strewn .

“ ”
To red eem the earth is q uite comparable with
’
th e idea o f red eem ing any part o f the earth s sur

fac e —eith er as a nation or as a tract o f land

,

which i s n ot yi elding the best that it is capable o f .

In the c osm ogony o f the heaven s the planet ,

e arth may w e ll be likened to a t e rrit ory that has

possibi l ities but which needs cultivati on ; en

m
,

courag e en t ; w o rk ; to bring out its pos s ibiliti es

and mak e it a place o f com fort and enl ighten

ment .

S o w e have been in formed— and an un der

standing of d eeper occultism wi l l bea r out the
in formation— that thi s earth is being made a
“ ”
fit habitati on f or the gods (i e cosm ically con . .
,

scious beings to whom love i s the only author

,

ity necessary )
Paul clearly alludes to the redem ption o f the
1 96 Cos mC
ic ons ci ous ness

coming o f avatars— s ons o f God who are to

“
,

“
deliver Creation from the bondage o f corrup
”
tion .

This also is cl ear l y stated by Paul

“
There is n o c ond emnation to th em that are
in Chri s t F or the law o f the S pirit of li f e in
.

C hrist made me free from the law o f s in and

death .

Th ere n ever is any doubt i n the minds of th os e

wh o hav e attained c osmic c on sci ousn ess that th ey ,

are s piritual be ings and imm orta l— fr ee fr om the

law o f k arma ; n either is there any thought o f

evil or of c ondemnati on
m
.

Th ey kno w that en are gods in embryo

and that until they have been born into the cos
m ic consciousn ess— the reali z ati on o f their
reali ty as s p i ri t th ey must t ra v ail ; but this s ens e
,

conscious state is n ot to be c ondemn ed any m or e

than the child is to be condemned b ecause it has
not yet gro wn to adultsh ip .

T he advice of S t Paul hims el f was simple

.

e n ough and straight f or w ard en ough It was de .

v oid o f a ll subtl eti es ; fr ee fr om compl exity ; fre e

from f ear or hast e or d oubt or stri f e while
, , , ,

confid ent l y awaiting the univ ersal attainment of

I l lumination .

To the qu esti on as to what path to foll ow ;

what should be don e to gain thi s great boon i f ,

the law of the anci en t Hebre w s w as n ot to be

followed in its literal signifi cance P aul said ,
 P aul f
o Tars us 1 97

Whatsoever things are h onest ; whatsoever

things are true ;whatsoev er thi ngs are j ust ;w hat
s oever things are pure ; whats oev er things are
l ovely ; whats oev er things are of good report ; i f
th er e be any virtu e and i f th er e be any praise
, ,

TH IN K ON TH ES E TH IN GS .

Which is to say do not seek the l ett er o f the

,

way of I ll uminati on Do n ot l ook f or f orms and

.

cer em oni es and ru l es and syst ems but look f or ,

that which is cl ean and pur e and good wherever

it may be found .

In St Paul we have fulfi l l ed a l l the points

.

that charact eriz e th os e who have been bl essed

with the gr eat Il l umination .

His broad outl ook upon humanity which re ,

fused to see evi l or to condemn wh ere f ormerly

h e had be en noted f or his z ea l in bringing to con
m
de nation all w hom h e beli ev ed to be h eretics ;
his convicti on of immortality ; his humi l ity as ,

far as pers onal aggrandiz ement was c oncerned ;

the great light in which was r ev ea l ed to him the

truth ; the annihilati on o f th e id ea o f sin and

'

d eath ; the realizati on that systems and l a w s and

m eth ods of worship and gi ving of a l ms and all
the by paths which f ormer l y he had d eemed
-

n ec essary w ere as n aught c omp ar ed to the great

,

i l luminating a ll embraci ng p ower o f Lov e— the

,
-

Savi or wh ose ki n gd om sh ou l d s om etim e be es

u n rth — the time b eing w h en co smic
tablish ed po e a

c onsciousness sh ould be general .

 C H A PT ER ! I
MA H O MMED

D espite the fact that the f ollowers o r Ma

hom
m ed the prophet are among the m os t fanat
, ,

ical and prej udiced o f all re l igious sects Ma

m
m
,

ho e d hims el f was unquesti onab l y am ong th e

I ll umin ed On e s o f earth and had attain ed and

,

retain ed a h igh d egr ee of cosmic consci ousn ess .

The wars ; the pers ecutions ; th e horrors that

hav e b een c ommitt ed in the nam e of Islam are ,

perhaps a l ittle more a troci ous than any in his

tory a l th ough th e un sp eakab l e crue l ti es of the
In q uisiti on w ou l d s eem to have n o para ll el .

T he r el igi on o f P ersia w r ongl y a ll ud ed to

,

”
as fi re w orship marks Zoroast er as am on g the
-

Illuminati but as the pr es ent v ol ume is c oncern ed

, ,

in the rel igi ous aspe ct of it on l y w ith th os e cas es

,

of I ll uminati on wh ich we are c l assi fying among

the pr es ent great re l igious syst ems we cite the

m
m
,

cas e of Mah o ed the Arab as on e cl early es

m
, ,

tabli sh in g the characteristic points o f Illu ina

ti on
m
m
.

Wh en Maho ed w as b orn in th e early part

,

o f the fi fth century the c onditi on o f h is country

,

men was primitiv e in the extr em e .

1 98
20 0 m
C os ic C ons ci ous ness

and cared less about th ose spiritual q ual ities that

look beyond the physical ; n ot q uestioning as did
m
m
,

Maho ed w hat l i es bey ond this va l e o f stri f e

, ,

whose on l y exit is the dark and inscrutabl e fac e

o f death .

B esides the tribal gods individ ual hous eholds ,

had th eir speci al P enates to w h om w as due th e ,

first and th e l ast sa l am o f the r eturning or out

going h ost But in spit e of a l l this s up er s titi ous
.

apparatu s the Arabs w er e n ev er a r eligi ous peo

,

p le
. In the old days a s n ow th ey w e r
,
e r eck ,

less s k eptica l mat erial istic Th ey had th eir

, , .

gods and th ei r divining arr ow s but they w ere ,

ready to d emo l i s h both i f th e respons es prov ed

contrary to th ei r w i sh es A great maj ority be .

liev ed in n o future l i f e n or in a r eckoning day o f

,

good and ev i l .

Such th en was the c ondition of th ought among

m
m
, ,

the vari ous trib e s w h e n Mah o ed w as born .

It w as n ot h ow ev er until he w as past forty

, ,

years of ag e that the rev el ati ons cam e to him

, ,

and although it w as som e tim e lat er that thes e

w ere set do w n togeth er w ith h is ad onitions
, m
and couns el to his fol l ow ers it is beli ev ed that ,

they are for the most part w el l auth enticated

m
m
,

as the Koran was compil ed during Maho

’
ed s

li fetime and th us in the original doubtless rep

m
m
, , ,

res ents an auth entic account of Maho

’
ed s

experiences .
 m
m Maho ed 20 1

It is r lated that M
e mm fath r di d
’
ah o
’
ed s e e be
f r his s s birth m th r six y an d his rs
l at r Thus M m m l ft
o e on o e ea

e . car aho ed w as e to the e of

h is grand father th e virtua l chi e f of Mecca The

m
.
,

v en erabl e chi e f l i v ed but two years an d Maho

m ed who w as a gr eat fav orit e w ith h is grand
,

f ath er b ecam e the specia l charge of his un c l e

, ,

Aboo Ta l ib w h ose d ev oti on n ev er w a v er ed ev en

m
m
-

, ,

during th e trying lat er years wh en Maho

’
ed s
,

p ersecuti ons caus ed the unc l e untol d hardships

and trials
m
m
.

At an early ag e Maho ed t ook up the li f e o f

a sh eep h erd er caring f or th e h erds of his kins

m
,

en . This st ep became n ec es sary b ecau se the

onc e princ ely f ortun e of h is n ob l e anc est or s had

d w ind l ed to a l m ost the e x tr em e of pov erty but ,

a l th ough the occupati on of s h eep h erd er was des

p i se d by the tribe s it i s sai d that Mah o
,
ed him m
m
s el f in l at er li f e oft en a ll ud ed to his early ca ll ing
“ ”
as the time wh en God ca ll ed him .

At the age of t w enty five he took up the m or e -

d esirab l e post of cam el dri v er and w as taken ,

into the emp l oy of a w ea l thy kin sw oman Kha ,

deejeh w h om he aft er w ard s m arri ed al th ough

,
,

fi ft n y ar h i nior — disp rity in

sh e w as ee e s s s e a a

ag e w hich m ea ns far mor e in th e E ast w h er e ,

physical charm and beauty are the on l y r equi sites

for a wi fe than it does in the West w h ere men
,
20 2 C os m
i C c ons ci ous n ess

l ook m ore to the m enta l endo w m ents of a w i f e

than to the fle eting charm o f youth
m
m
.

It i s a l so to Mah o
’
ed s cr e dit that hi s d ev o

ti on to h is first w i f e n ev e r w aver ed to the day o f

her d eath and ind eed as l ong as h e him s el f l i ved
, ,

h e spok e w ith r ev er enc e and de ep a ff ection of

Kh adeejeh .

We l earn that th en ext fi ft ee n years w er e li v ed

in the u s ua l man n e r o f a man of h is s tati on .

Khadeejeh brought him w ea l th and th i s ga v e him

the n ec es sary tim e and eas e in w h ich to m edi

tat e and the n ev er v aryin g d ev oti on an d trust of

,
-

his f aith fu l w i f e brought h im r epose and the

m
pow e r to aid h is i p ov erish ed uncl e and to be ,

r egard ed am ong th e tribes as a man of i n flu ence .

His s impl e un ostentati ous and ev en ascetic

, ,

l i f e during th ese years w as n oted H e w as .

kn ow n as a man o f e x tr em el y r efin ed tastes and

s en siti v e th ough n ot qu e ru l ous nature A co m
m
.

en tator says o f him :

“
His constituti on w as extr em ely d el icat e H e .

w as n erv ousl y a fraid of bodi l y pain ; he w ould

s ob and r oar und e r it Emin ently unpractical in
.

th e c omm on thin g s o f l i f e h e w as g i fted w ith

,

m ighty pow ers o f imagi n ati on el ev ati on o f mind

, ,

“
d el ic acy an d r efin em ent of f eeling H e is m or e
.

”
mod est th an a v irgin b ehind her curtain it has ,

been said of him .

“
H e w as m os t i n dulgen t to his in feriors and
20 4 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

tempe rament and allo w in g that in these days

,

there is much posing and pretense we stil l must ,

“ ”
admit that the qual ity kn own as temperament
i s a psych ol ogica l study suggestin g a stage o f de
m
velop en t hithert o un class ified It is said al so
m
m
.
,

that in his youth Maho ed w as subj ect to at

tacks of catal epsy evidencing an organism pecu

,

“ ”
liarly p sych ic
m
m
.

It is evid ent that Maho ed regarded him

sel f as one havin g a miss ion upon earth e v en ,

be fore he had rec eived the r ev el ations w hich

announ ced h im as a proph et ch os en of A ll ah ,

for he l ong brooded ov e r the things o f the S pirit ,

and alth ough he had not up to his f ort i eth year

, ,

openly protest ed against the f etish w orship o f

th e Kurey sh y et h e w as regarded as on e who
,

had a di ff er ent id ea o f w orship from that of the

m en w ith w h om h e cam e in c ontact .

Gradu all y he b ecam e m or e an d m or e incl in e d

,

to so l itude and mad e frequ en t ex curs i ons int o

,

the hi ll s and in his sol itary w and erings h e su f

, ,
~

f ered agoni es of d oubt and s el f distrust fearin g ,

lest h e be s el f d ecei v ed and again l est h e be in

-

, ,
~

deed ca l l ed to becom e a proph et o f God and fail

in his missi on .

Her e in a ca v e the r ev elati on cam e Mabom

m
.
,

ed had spent nights and days in fasting and

prayer bes eeching God f or s om e si g n s om e w ord ,

that would settle h is doubts and agoni es of dis

 Moha m
m
ed 20 5

trust and longing f or an ans w er to li fe s rid dl e ’

.

It is related that sudd enly during the w atch es

of the night Maho , m
m
ed awok e to find his s ol i

tary cave fill ed with a great and wondrous light

“
out o f which issued a v oice saying : C ry cry ,

“ ”
aloud .
What sha l l I cry ? he answers and ,

the voice answer ed

“
C ry in the name of thy Lord who hath
created ; He hath created man from a c l ot of
bl doo C r — and thy Lord is the m os t bounti
.
y
fu l who hath taught by the pen ; H e hath taught
,

”
man that which he knew not .

It is r eport ed that alm ost immediatel y Mab om

m
,

ed f elt his int el ligenc e i ll uminat ed with the

l ight of spiritua l und er standi n g and a ll that had

,

previ ou sl y vexed his spirit with d oubt an d n on

compreh ensi on w as c l ear as crysta l to his u n d er
,

standing N everth el ess this f eel ing of a ssur

.
,

anc e did n ot r emain with him at that time defi

m
m
,

f or we are told that Maho

“
n itely ,
ed ar ose

tremb l ing and went to Khadeejeh an d tol d her

wh at he had se en and h eard ; and sh e did her
w om an s part and b eli ev ed in him and s ooth ed
’

his t e rror and b ad e him h op e f or the future Y et .

he could not b el i eve in hims el f Was he not pe r

.

haps mad ? or posses sed by a d evil ? Were th ese

,

v oices o f a truth from God? A n d so h e w ent

again on the solitary wand eri ngs h earing strange ,

sounds and thinking them at one tim e the testi

,
20 6 Cos mC ic ons ci ous n ess

m ony o f heav en and at anoth er the temptings o f

Satan or the ravings o f madn ess D oubting
, .
,

w ondering hopin g he had fain put an end to a

, ,

li fe which had become intolerabl e in its chang

ings from the hope of heaven to the hell o f des
“
pair w h en he again heard the v oice Thou art
,
°

“
the m e ss enger of God and I am Gabri el C on .

v iction at l ength sei z ed h old upon him ; he was

ind eed to bring a mes sage o f good tidings to the

Arabs the message o f God thr ough H is angel
,

Gabri el He w ent back to his faith ful w i fe ex

.

h austed in mind and body but w ith his doubts ,

”
laid at rest
m
m
.

With th e hi s tory of the spread o f Maho ed s

’

m essage we are n ot conc ern ed in this v olum e .

T he f act that his ow n nearest o f kin those o f

m
,

his ow n h ouseh old believed in h is d ivine is

, _

si on and h eld to him w ith un w av ering faith dur

,

ing the many years of per s ecuti on that f oll ow ed

m
m
,

is proo f that Maho ed w as ind eed a man w ho

had attai n ed I ll um inati on I f the c onditi on of

.

w oman did not ri s e to the h eights wh ich w e

hav e a right to expect of the cosmic consci ous
man of the future we must remember that east
,

ern traditi ons have ever gi v en w oman an in feri or

plac e and f or the matt e r of that S t P aul h im
, , .

sel f se ems to hav e shared th e th en general belie f

in the i n f eri ority of th e f emal e
m
m
.

It is und en i ab l e th at Mah o ed s domesti c

’
20 8 C os mC ic ons ci ousnes s

P rais e be to God th e Lord o f the worlds

, ,

The compas s i onate the m erci fu l

, .

T he king of th e day of j udgm ent .

Th ee do w e w orship and o f Th ee do we beg

a ssi stance.

Guid e us in the right w ay ,

The w ay of th os e to w h om Thou hast been gra

cious ,

N ot o f thos e with whom Th ou art wroth nor o f ,

”
th e erring .

Mah o m
md nev r tir d o f t ll ing his discipl s
e e e e e

and f oll ow ers that God w as The Very F org iv -

ing. Am ong the many and sometimes strangely

vari ed attributes of God (T he Abs ol ute ) w e ,

find thi s charact eristic m ost strongly and per

s istently dw el t up on— the ev er ready f orgi v en ess

and m erci fu l n ess of God .

Ev ery s oorah o f the K ur cu begins w ith th e -

words : In the nam e of God the compassi onat e , ,

the merci fu l but ev en as J esus laid persistent

, ,

emphasis up on the love o f God and yet up to ,

v e ry r ecent tim es Christianity taught the f ear and

,

wrath o f God l os ing sight of the one g r eat and

,

important fact that God is love and that love is ,

God s o the Muslims ov erl ook ed th e real m essage

, ,

and th e gr eatn ess an d the pow er an d the f ear fu l

n es s o f God is the i n c entive of the fo ll owers o f
m
m
,

the I ll umin ed Maho ed .

 Moha m
m ed 20 9

The fo l lo w ing ex tracts fr om the Kur an are -

almos t id entical w ith many passages in th e H oly

Scriptur es o f the Christian and are c omparabl e
,

with the sayings of the Lord Buddha .

“
God Th er e is no God but H e the ev er liv
.
,
-

ing th e ev er subsisting S l umber s eiz eth Him

,
-
.

n ot n or s l eep . T o Him b el ongeth w h at soev er is

in the h eav ens an d w hat soev er is in th e ea rth .

Who is he that sha ll intercede w ith Him save ,

”
by H is p ermi ssi on ?
T he M u sl im i s a fata l i st but this may be due
,

l es s to the t eachings of th e pr oph et th an to th e

pecu l iar qua l ity of the Ar ab n atur e w hich mak es,

h im s tak e ev erything ev en his own l iberty upon

,

th e cast o f a die .

T he l eading d octrin e of the a ll p ow erfu l ness

-

o f God s eems to w arr ant the b el i e f in fata l i sm

a b el i e f w h ich off er s a stumb l i ng b l ock to all

th eol ogians a ll phi l os oph ers a ll thi nk ers I f

, ,
.

God is omnip ot ent omnipr es ent omni sci ent how

, , ,

and w h er e an d in w h at mann er can be expl ained

the n ec ess ity o f indi v idu al e ff o rt ?

This pr ob l em is n ot at all c l ear to the w estern

mind and it is equa ll y obscur e to that of the Ea st
m
m
.

It is sa i d of Maho ed th at w h e n ask ed con

“ ”
c ern i n g the doctrin e of fata l i sm he w ou l d sh ow
more anger than at any oth er qu esti on th at c oul d
be put to him H e f ou n d it imposs ibl e to ex p lain
.

th at w hi l e a l l knowl edge w as God s y et the indi

’

,
2 10 Cos mC
ic ons ci ousn ess

vidual was r esponsib l e for his own salvation by ,

virtu e o f his good d eeds and words N everthe

m
m
.

less it is n ot unlike l y that Mah o

, ed po ssessed

the key to this seeming riddle ; but how coul d

it be possib l e to speak in a language w hich was
totally incompreh ensibl e to th em o f this knowl
edge — th e language o f cos mic consciousn es s ?
L ike Jesus who said : Many things I have to
,
“

tell you but you can not bea r (und erstand )

,

them now so w e may wel l beli ev e that Mabom

m
, ,

ed w as hard pressed to fin d language compre

-

hens ible to h is f oll ow ers in which to e x p l ain the

,

all kn ow ingn ess and all power fuln ess o f God

- -

and at the same tim e not hav e th em fa ll into

,

the err or of the f atal doctrine of fatal ism

m
m
.

But throughout a l l his teachings Maho ed s

’

ch ie f concern se em ed to be to dra w his peopl e

a w ay from th eir w orship of id ols and to th is en d ,

he laid c onstant an d r epeated emphasis upon the

on e ness o f God ; the al l n ess the c ompl et en ess o f

m
- -

“
th e one God ; al ways adding the C o p as s ionate ,

”
the Loving .

This c onstant al l usi on to th e al l n es s o f God -

is in lin e w ith a ll w ho hav e attain ed to cosmic

c on sci ousness N othing more impress es the illu
. m
in ed mind than th e fact that th e univ erse is On e
,

— uni — on e gl ori ous

(on e ) vers e (song )
harm ony wh en tak en in its entirety but wh en ,

broken up and segregat ed and set at va riance , ,

212 C os mC
ic ons ci ousn ess

and in the angels and in the Scripture ; and the

proph ets and w ho giv eth m on ey notw ith stand
,

ing his l ove of it to relati ons and orphans and ,

to the n eedy and the s on o f th e r oad and to ,

the a s k ers f or th e f reei ng of s laves ; and who

m
pe rfo r eth prayer and giv eth the alms and ,

those w ho per f orm th eir c ovenant wh en th ey

c ov enant ; an d the pati ent in adversity and a th i e
ti on and the time of vi ol ence T hese are th ey .
'

w ho h ave be en true ; and these are th ey who

”
f ear God .

P ara ll el with the doctrine tau g ht by Buddha ,

and J esus is the ad v ice to ov erc ome evil w ith

,

good In our modern m etaphysical l anguage

.
,

w e must di s sol v e the vibrati ons o f hat e by the ,

power of l ov e inst ead o f opposing hate w ith hate

, ,

war w ith w ar r ev enge with re v enge

m
m
.
,

Maho ed ex press ed this doctrine o f n on

resistanc e thus
“
Turn a w ay evi l by that w hich is bett er ; and
10 he bet w een w h om and thys el f w as en mity
, , ,

”
sha l l bec om e as though h e w ere a warm f ri end .

“
But none is end ow ed with this except th os e ,

who hav e be en pati ent and none is endowed with

it exc ept he w ho is gr eatly favor ed
m
m
.
,

Maho ed m ea n t by th es e w ords h e w ho is
”
great l y fav or ed to explain that in ord er to see
,

the wisdom and the gl ory of such c onduct one ,

must hav e attain ed to spi ritua l c onscious ness .

 M aho m
m ed 2 13

This w as especia l ly a new doctrine to the people

to w h om he was preaching b ecause it was con ,

s idered c ow ardic e to f ai l to res ent a b l ow P rid e .

o f fami l y and birth w as the str ongest trait in

the Arab n atur e .

In furth erance of this d oing good to oth ers ,

“
w e find thes e w ords : I f ye are gr eet ed w ith
a gre eting th en greet ye w ith a b ett er gr eeting
, ,

or at l ea s t r eturn it ; veri l y God tak eth c ount of ,

th es e thi n gs I f th ere be any under a di ffi cu l ty

.

w ait unti l it be easy ; but i f y e remit it as a l ms ,

”
it wi ll be better f or y ou
m
m
.

Maho ed her e re f e rr ed to d ebtors and

cr editors ; as he w as ta l ki n g to traders mer
m en w
,

chant s ,
ho w ere c onstantly buying and
s el l ing this adm oniti on w as in l i n e w ith his
,

“
t eaching which w as to do unto oth ers that
,

”
w hich y ou w ou l d that th ey do u n to y ou .

In furth er comp l ianc e w ith h is d octrine of

d oing good f or g ood s sake Maho ed said
’
m
m
I f y e ma n i f est a l ms good w i ll it be ; but i f y e
,

c onc ea l th em and giv e th em to the poor it wi ll ,

be better f or y ou; and it w i ll expiate s ome of

your sin s .

Al ms giving as an ost entati ou s di spl ay am ong

-
,

church m emb ers w as h ere gi v en its rightfu l ,

pl ac e It is w ell an d good to give openl y to or

.

a iz ation s but it is b ett er to giv e to individua l s

g n ,

who n eed it secretl y and qui etly to giv e with

,
,
214 mC
Cos ic ons ci ousn ess

out hope or expectation or desire for than ks or

, , ,

for reward to give f or the l ove o f giving f or th e

, ,

sol e wish to mak e oth er s happy Th is desire to .

bestow upon oth e rs th e happin ess which has come

to them is a characteristic o f th e c osmic con
,

scious man or w oman

m
m
.

It is com f orting to kn ow that Maho ed ,

lik e Bud dha and The Man of S orrows ; and l ik e

Sri Ramakr ishna the saint of In dia at length
, ,

attained unto that peac e ful calm that c om es to

one w ho has f ound the w ay o f Illu inati on It m .

is doubtl es s impossib l e f or th e merely sense con

m
-

scious person to f or any adequate id ea o f the

inward urge ; the agony of d oubts and ques tion
ings ; th e impe rativ e necessity such a one feels ,

to K N O W .

The s ense conscious pers on reads o f the lives

m
-

o f th ese en and w ond ers w hy they cou l d not

be ha ppy w ith the th in gs o f the w orld The .

t emptati on that w e are t ol d came to J esus in

th e gard en is typical o f the s tat e o f transiti on
,

f rom sens e consciou sness to cosmic consci ous

-

n ess The s ens e co n scious pe rs on regards the

m
-
.

thi ng s of th e s ens es as i po rtant He is .

actuated by ambiti on or sel f s eeking or by love -

o f phys ica l com f ort or by phys ica l activity to ,

obtai n the poss essi ons o f sense T o such as these .

,

the agoni es o f mi n d ; th e physica l hardships ; the

ever ready f orgi v eness and the desire for peace

-
2 16 m
C os ic C ons ci ousness

f or example we must tak e into consideration

,

the t emperament o f th e A rab and the conditions ,

under which he labored B ut that he had at

.

tain ed a high degree o f Illumination is beyond

disput e This fact is evidenced by the fo l l ow ing
.

salient points cha racteristic o f cosmic co nscious

ness : A fin e sensitive highly strung organi z a
,
-

tion ; a deep and s erious thought fu l ness espe ,

cially regarding the r ealities o f li f e ; an in di ff er

ence to the call o f personal ambition ; love o f

solitude and the mental urge that demands to
’
know the answer to li f e s riddle .

Follo w ing the tim e o f illumination on Mount

H ara we fin d Maho m
m
ed possessing a conv ic

tion o f the tru th o f immortality and the good

nes s o f God ; we find him also with a wonderf ul
power to draw p eople to him in loving service ;
and the irresistible desire to bring to his peopl e
the message o f imm ortal li fe and the necessity to
,

look more to spiritual things than to the things

o f the flesh . Added to this we fi nd Maho , ed m
m
changed f rom a shrinking s ensitive youth given
, ,

to much reflection and silent m editation into a ,

man with per f ect confidence in his own mission

and in h is ultimate victory .
 CHA PT ER ! II

EMANU EL S W ED ENBO RG
While the Swedenborgians as a religious sect
, ,

are not numerica ll y su ffi cient to be reckoned

’
among the world s great r el igions it is y et a ,

fact that the f ol l owers o f the great Swedish seer

and scientist hol d a prominent p l ace among the
innumerable sects which the beginning o f this
century finds flourishing .

S wedenborg was born in S tockholm in Janu ,

ary 1 688 and lived to the advanced age o f

, ,

e ighty four y ears

-
.

Swedenborg was well born ; he was the son o f

a bish op o f the Sw edi sh church and during his
,

l i f etim e held many positions o f honor He w as .

a fri end and advis er o f the king and his expert

,

kn ow l edge of mining engineering gave him a

place among the sci entists o f his age .

He was a v ol uminous w rit er his early w ork

,

being confin ed to the pha ses o f m at erial istic

sci ence notabl y on mines and metals and later
, ,

upon man in his physi ol ogica l aspect

,
.

“
His D e Cer ebro and Psy cholog ia Rationales .

m
publish ed in h i s fi f ty s ev enth year sho w ed a di f
-
,

f erent S wedenb org fr om the one to who hi s

2 17
2 18 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

colleagues were accustomed to r e fer with much

respect .

Th is book deal t with man not as a product o f ,

b rute creation but as an evolutionary creature

, ,

having at l east a possibility o f divine o ri gin It .

“ ”
is ho w ever his Arcana Coelestia upon which
, ,

“
Th e Church o f the N ew J erusalem is f ound ed ;
and it is th is work which caused S wed enborg s ’

friends and colleag ues to det ermine that he had

becom e insane It is in fact only within very
.
, ,

recent years that the so cal l ed scient ific world

,
-

has deign ed to r egard Sw edenborg s r ev elations ’

w ith any d egree o f serious and r espe ctful atten

tion .

’
S w ed enborg s Illumination w as not like that ,

of so man y oth ers w h o have founded a n ew r el ig

,

ion a sudden influx o f spiritual c onsciousnes s

, ,

but rather a gradual l eading up to the inevitable

goal by virtu e of serious th ought d eep study
, , ,

and a high ord er of m entality .

B ut that the Sw edish s eer r ec eived in full

m
,

m easure the bl essing o f cos ic consciousness is

, ,

beyond doubt .

’
S w ed enborg s extremely simpl e habits o f li fe ;
h is f reedom from any des ire for displa y or for ,

those social advantages into which he was born ;

h is gentl en ess and u nassum ing manner o f w hich ,

much is wri tten by h is follo w ers all point to ,

h im as one upon whom the bl essing might read

220 C os mC
ic ons ci ou
s n ess

nature o f man and th e ir rel ati on to each oth er

,
.

It shou l d be rem embe red that at th e tim e Swed en

borg w r ote h is th eol og i cal w ork s th e church had ,

fa ll en into rank mat eria l ism an d supersti ti on .

That S w ed enb org sh ou l d have r ec ei v ed h is i ll u

minati on or r ev el at i on direct from the Lord
, , ,

on l y s er v es to pr ov e th at th e mortal conscious

ness cl oth es th e r ev elation w i th w hat ever per

s on ality appea l s to it as having auth ority
, .

Thus the angel Gabriel was the dictator in the

m
m
,

cas e o f Mah o ed and the

“
Bles sed Moth er ”

m
,

o f th e H indu r ev eals to th em the visi on of ukti .

“
S w edenborg says o f his vision : God appeared
m ‘
to e and said I am the Lord God the Creator
, ,

an d Red eem er o f the w or l d I have chos en thee .

to un f ol d the spiritual s ense of the Holy S crip

tures I w ill mys el f dictate to th ee w hat thou
.

shalt w rite .
’

“
In The Tru e Christi an Religi on pub l ished ,

sh ortly be f or e his d eath he s ays : Since the

Lord can n ot man i f est H imsel f in pers on as has
be en sh ow n and yet H e has f or et old that He
,

w ou l d c om e and e stablish a n ew church w hich ,

is th e N ew J erusal em it f ol l o w s that H e is to
,

do it by means of a man who is abl e n ot onl y

, ,

to r ec ei v e th e d oc trin es o f this church w ith h is

und erstanding but als o to publ ish th em by the

,

pr ess That th e Lord h as mani fest ed Hims el f

.

be f or e me H is se rvan t an d sent me on th is
, ,
 E mu an el S weden borg 22 1

‘
ofli ce and that a ft er th is H e op ened the sight
, , ,

o f my spirit and thus let me into the spiritual

m
,

w or l d an d gav e e to see the h eav ens and the

,

h el l s and als o to speak w ith spirits and an gel s ,

and thi s n ow continua lly f or many years I tes ,

ti f y i n truth ; an d al s o that from the fir s t day ,

o f that ca ll I hav e not rec eived anything th at

,

pe rtains to the d octrin es of that church from

my angel but fr om the Lord a l on e w hi l e I r ead
, ,

th e W ord .

It is s tated w ith gr eat positi v en ess by S w ed en

’
borg s f oll ow er s an d ind eed apparen tl y by the
, ,

seer him s el f i f w e may take as auth oritati ve the

, ,

tr an sl ati ons of his w ork s th at the r ev el ati ons ,

acc ord ed to him cov er ed a period o f many years ,

w h ereas w e fi n d in m ost in s tances of cosmic

,

c onsci ousn ess the i ll umin ed on es ha v e all uded

,

to s om e sp ecific tim e as the gr eat e v ent ev en , ,

w hi l e cl aiming that the e ff ect of this i ll uminati on

r emains in defi n itely— in fact f orms a part of a ,

w id er area o f c onsci ousn es s w hich is ev er increas

ing .

But wh en w e tak e the numer ou s instanc es o f

r ev elati ons in w hich the d ev out on es firm ly be
,

l i eve that th ey and th ey a l on e ha v e been accord ed

the vision w e must r eali z e that this phen om en on
,

is impers ona l l ook ed at as a fa v or to any one

,

human being By that w e m ean that Illumina

.

ti on com es to ev ery s oul who has earn ed it ,

22 2 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

j ust as mathematica lly as the sun s eems to set ,

a ft er th e earth has made its hourly j ourn ey .

P erhaps this c ompari son is not as clear as to

say : when the normal child has grown to man
hood or womanhood his c onsci ousness has ,

w iden ed beyond th at o f the in fant ; not exclud

,

in g that of the in fant but inclusive o f a l l hith erto

acquir ed kno w l edge Without in any d egree
.

l ess ening the importanc e and the verity o f

S w ed en b org s visions it may be ass um ed that h is
’

r ecord of th es e vi s ions and th eir m eaning has

p artak en m ore or less o f the limitations o f or m
tal min d .

Spiritua l c onsciousness can not be s et down

in terms of s ense The external w orld symb ol
.

izes spiritual truths ; each interpr eter must of

n ec ess ity w ea v e into his interpr etation and at

t empt at finite expr essi on of th es e truths s ome ,

thi n g of his ow n m ortal c onsciousness ; and thi s

“ ”
m ortal mind c onsciousness is bound to partake
o f the tim e and ag e and c onditi ons o f environ
,

ment of the person who has experienced the

r ev elation
m
.

M aking due all ow ance there fore for the i

, ,

possibility oi exact expressi on o f any spiritual

i ll uminati on w e find in the r ev elation of Sw ed en
,

borg e x act l y w hat w e find in all who have at

tain ed to c osmic c onsciousness nam ely the abso, ,

lut e, c on fi dentia l as surance of immo rtal li f e ; the

2 24 C os mC ic ons ci ous n es s

th e Fath er Moth er id ea of godhood clear l y and

-
,

lite rally signi fyi n g the coming c onsci ousness

w hich is bi s exua l ; ma l e and fema l e ; per fect
-

count erparts or compl em ents and thr ough w hich

,

“
a l on e this earth can be mad e a fit d w ell ing pl ac e
,

”
for god s This too is the message of the great
.
, ,

s eer S w ed enborg as it r elates to l ov e as it is

, , ,

when rightly und erstood and interpreted o f a ll ,

w h o h ave felt the b l ess ing o f per f ecti on as ex

m
,

plifi ed in I ll uminati on
m
e .

T h e fun da ental points o f Sw ed enborg s doc

’

trin e agree with th ose o f a l l oth er I ll umined

on es w ho have fo unded a syst em o f worship ;
,

“ ”
a Way of Illuminati on it may be ca l led ; or in
whose name such syst ems have be en f ormed .

That is he t es tifi ed to
,

A conviction o f imm ortal ity ;

A r ea l ization o f absolute j ustice wher eby all ,

s ou l s s ha ll fin a ll y com e i n to c osmic consci ousness .

An actual tim e w h en Christ (th e c osmic illu

m inati on ) shal l com e to earth .

A gr eat and abiding lo v e f or and pati ence

w ith the frailti es o f his s ense c on sci ous fel l ow -

beings ;
A tran sc end ent d es ir e to bestow upon al l en m
,

th e b l essing o f c osmic c onsci ousn ess .

F ew i f any ha v e ev e r attain ed a fu ll and

,

c ompl ete r ea l izati on of cosmic consci ousn ess and

r emained in the physical body .
 E mu
an el S wedenborg 22 5

Thos e who hav e attained and r etained the high

est d egree of th is gl imps e of th e Paradis e o f the
gods fin d it practica lly impossibl e to d escribe or
,

exp l ain the s ensati ons ex p eri enc ed e v en though ,

th ey are mor e convinced of the truth and th e

rea l ity of this r ea l m than o f anything in the
merely s en s e conscious l i fe
-
.

Last l y let us n ot l os e sight of the a ll impor

,
-

tant fact that no one system creed phi l osophy

m
, , ,

or way o f Il l u ination w i ll ans w er f or a ll types

“
and d egr ees of men A ll things w ork togeth er
.

”
f or good to th ose who hav e the k eenn es s o f
vision w hich precedes the ful l attain ent of m
cosmic c on sci ou s n es s as w el l as to th ose w ho
,

hav e graspe d its fu l l sign ificance .

T he ch ar act eri s tic e v id ence of the potential

ity of the pr es ent era o f the w orld is pree i , m
uent l y that o f a desire f or unity .

This d esire is expres s ed in a l l the a v enues o f

e x ternal l i f e ; its inner m eaning is obscured by
m
comm erci al is and s el f interest as in tru sts and
-
,

l abor u n i ons but it is th ere n v rth l ss th e

e e e e —
,

symbol of the inn er urge toward unity in con

sciou sn ess . It is f ound in e ff orts at Communism ,

and in a ll i ed r e f orm m ov em ents It is parti en .

larly evid ent in the bre ak ing down o f church

pr ej udices In th ese days a Cath ol ic pri est and a
m
.

Jewish rabbi find it not on l y e x pedi ent but u

tu ally help ful to unit e in the work o f municipal
,
2 26 m
C os ic C ons ci ousness

m
r e f or ; in the abolition o f chi l d labor ; in all
things that wi ll bring a better state o f existence
into da ily human l i fe .

T he busin es s man uses th e phrase let us get

”
together on th is w ith out kn ow ing th at h e is ex
pressi n g in t erms o f s en se c onsci ousn ess th e urge
-
,

o f his ow n and his fellow bein gs inne r mind

’

w hich sens es the fact o f our un escapabl e Br other

h ood .

A l l r eligi ous syst ems th en are good as are all

, ,

systems o f phi l osophy They are good be cause

m
.

th ey are an att e pt at bringi ng int o the pe r

specti ve o f th e mortal mind th e reality o f the soul

an d the soul li fe ; th e rule o f the spi ritua l ly con

scious eg o ov er the physical body in order that

w e may n ow in our pres ent in carnation cla im
, ,

i mmortality .
2 28 Cos m
i C
c ons ci ous n ess

it carries the p ow e r of ana lysis into the uns een ;

in fact what we habitua ll y term the uns een is a
part o f the visib l e to this type of mind True in .

tellect is a natural inh eritanc e a karmic attribut e

, .

The spurious kind is the r esul t o f education and ,

it in v ari ab l y has its l im ita tions It stops sh ort

.

o f the fin er vibrati ons o f c onsci ousn ess and de

ni es the reality o f th e inn er li fe of man— which
inn er li fe c onstitutes the real to the character of
int ell ect that pen etrat es beyond ay o m .

O f such a quality o f in tel lect is that ex em pli

fi ed in Em erson . N o m ere tabu l ator o f fact s
was he but a dissector o f the causes back o f al l
,

the mani f estation wh ich he obs erved and studied

and c l assifi ed with the mental powe r o f a g od .

. N or is there lacking ampl e proo f that Emer

son exp erienced the phenom en on of the sudd en
n ess o f cosmic consciousnes s — a degree o f which
he see ms to have poss ess ed from earli est youth .

In his es say on N ature w e find the se words

m
,

“
Cros s ing a bare c o mon in snow puddl es at
t w i l ight und er a cloud ed sky w ith out having in
, ,

my th oughts any occurr ence o f special good f or

tune I have enj oyed a per fect exhilaration I am
, .

”
gl ad to the brink o f f ear .

Em erson h e re a l lud ed to a f eeling o f f ear ,

which s eems to ha v e be en e x peri enced during a

certain stage by many of those w ho have ente red
into cosmic consci ousn ess .
 In tellectual C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness 2 29

This f ear is d oubt l ess due to the pre sence in

the human organism o f w hat w e may t erm the
“ ”
a n ima l in stinct which is an i n h eritan ce o f the
,

physical body This sam e pecu l iar ph enom enon

.

oppr ess es a l m os t ev e ry on e w h e n c omi n g int o con

tact with a n ew and hith e rto untri ed f orce .

A c ertain lady w ho r el ates her ex perienc e in

,

ent e ri n g int o the c osmic c onsci ous s tat e s ays :

m
,

“
A certain part of e w as una fraid certain s e , ,

cur e and conten t at the s am e tim e my m ortal

,

consciousn es s f el t an a l most ov erwhelmi n g sens e

”
o f f ear .

Continuing Em erson s ays ,

“
All mean egotism vanishes I become a trans
m
.

par ent eyeball ; I a nothi ng ; I see a ll ; the cur

r ents of the Univ ersa l B e ing circul ate thr ough
”
me ; I am part or partic l e o f God .

Emerson s pow er ful int ell ect w ould naturally

’

d escribe s uch an ex peri ence in intell ectual term s

rath er th an as in the i n stanc es h eretofore re
,

cord ed in r el i g i ous phras eol ogy but it mu s t not

, ,

be in ferr ed that Em erson w as l ess relig ions in

m
m
,

the tru e sens e than w as Maho,

ed or St Paul . .

Em e rs on li v ed in an ag e w h en orth odoxy flour

i shed and he and his as sociates o f the Trans
,

cen dentalist cu l t w e re r egard ed as n on r el igi ous

m
-

, ,

i f n ot actua ll y h er etica l Th er e f ore it is that E

.
,

ers on s k een int ell ect w as br ought to bear upon

’

e v erything h e encount er ed not on l y in his own

,
2 30 C os mC
ic ons ci ous n ess

i n timate expe ri enc e but a l s o in a ll th at h e r ead

and h eard l es t he be trappe d into c ommitting
,

th e err or w hich he s aw a ll about h im nam el y , .

o f mi s t aki n g an acc ept e d vi ew poi n t as an artic l e

o f actu al faith .H is w ay to th e Gr eat Light l ay

thr ough th e j ungl e o f the mind but h e f ou n d ,

th e path cl ear and p l ain and he l e ft a t orch l igh t

a l ong the w ay .

Em er s on fu ll y r ec ognize d th e i ll us ory charact er

o f e x t e r n al li f e an d th e et e rna l v erity o f the s oul
, ,

a s w itn ess

“
I f th e red s l ayer thi nk s he s l ays ,

Or i f the s l ain think s he i s s l ain ,

Th ey kn ow n ot w ell th e subt l e w ays

, ,

”
I k eep and pass and turn again .

H orribl e as is war becau se of the spirit o f

,

hat e and d es tructi on it embodi es and k eeps alive

m
,

et th fact r em ains that an in h is s ou l kn ows

y e

th at h e can n eith e r s l ay n or be slain by the m ere

act o f d estroying the phys ical sh ell ca ll ed the
body It i s inc onc e i v ab l e that human be ings
.

w ould l end thems el v es to w ar fare i f th ey did ,

not kno w as a part o f that ar ea o f supra con

m
-

s ciousn es s th at th ere is a s o ethi ng over w hich

,

bul l ets hav e n o power .

This fact r egard ed as a m ore or l ess vagu e

,

beli ef to th e maj ority be com es incontr ov e rtible

,

‘
fact to the pe rson w ho has enter ed cosmic con
2 32 C os mC
ic ons ci ous nes s

to f erti l e land s by fil l in g the be d of the stream

,

with r ocks and s tick s .

Th e fl ow of th e spiritual curr ents bec om es

cl ogged by th e activiti es o f the mi n d in its acqui :

s iti ou o f m er e kn owl edge and b e f or e that kno w l

,

e dge has been turn ed int o w isdom The same .

“
truth is ex pr esse d in th e aph orism a littl e kn owl
”
edge is a d angerous th ing It i s da n gerous
.

be caus e it ch ains th e mind to the externa l th i ngs

o f l i f e wh ereas the t ota ll y unl ett er e d (w e do
,

n ot u s e th e t e rm ign orant h er e
) p e r s on w i ll i f ,

h e ha v e his heart fill ed with lo v e p erc eiv e the ,

reality o f spiritual things that transcend m ere

kn ow l edge of the physical univ ers e .

B eyond th is p l an e of m orta l mind conscious -

“
ness w hich is fi tly d escribe d as danger ous
, ,

there is th e w id e open ar ea of c osmic p ercep ti on .

w hich may l ead u l tim at el y to the l imitl ess areas

o f cosmic consci ousn ess I f th ere for e an edu
.
, ,

cati on w h eth er acquir ed in or out of c oll ege s o

, ,

w h ets th e grain of th e mind th at it b ecomes ke en

and fine en ough to rea l iz e that kno w ledge is v al
uable O N L Y as it l eads to r eal w is dom th en in ,

d eed it is a be n efit ; un l es s it d oe s th is it is tem ,

porari l y an obstructi on .

Out of the lo w er int o the higher v ibrati on ;

ou t o f sense consciousn es s int o co s mic c onsci ou s
-

n e ss ; out of organi zati on and limitati ons int o

—
freed m th e freed om o f per f ect ion is the law
o ,
 Intellectual C os mC ic ons ci ous n es s 2 33

and the purpose This Em erson with h is c l ear

.

n ess o f spiritual v ision saw and this pr emis e he

, ,

subj ected to th e microscopic lens o f his p ene

trating int el l ect In his essay on Fate he says
.

“
Fate 1nvolves am el i oration N o s tatement of .

the U ni v erse can ha v e any s oundn ess which do e s

n ot admit its a s c ending e ff ort Th e directi on of .

th e w hole and of th e pa rts is t ow ard ben efit Be .

hi n d ev ery indi v idual cl os es organi z ation ; be ,

for e him Op ens lib erty The Bett er ;

.

th e B est. T he fir st and w ors e rac es are d ead .

T h e s ec ond and imp e rf ect rac es are dy ing out ,

or remain f or th e maturing of higher In the

m
.

l at est rac e in an ev ery gen er os ity every n ew

, , ,

p ercepti on the l ov e and prais e h e ex torts f rom

,

his f ell o w s are c ertificates o f advance out of

m
,

”
f ate i n to f reedo .

“
This phras e out of fat e into fr eedom may
, ,

be r ead to mean litera ll y out of the bondage o f

, ,

the s ens e conscious li f e wh ich entai l s r ebirth and

-

c ontinued experi ence into the l ight of Illumina

,

ti on w hich mak es us free .

Furth er comm enting Emers on says ,

“
Liberati on of the w ill f rom the sh eaths and
cl ogs o f organizati on wh ich he has outgr ow n i s

mf
,

the en d an d ai o the w orld T he

wh ol e circle of animal li f e— t ooth against tooth ,

d evouring war war f or f ood a yelp of pa in and

m
, ,

a grunt o f triumph until at last the whol e en

,
2 34 c os mC ic ons ci ous n ess

ag erie, the wh ol e ch emical mass is m ellowed and

,

r efin ed f or h ig h er us e
T he s ens e o f unity w hich is so ins eparab l e
from the c osmic c onsci ous state w as al w ays up
m
,

p e r o s t in E m ers o n s mind N e ith e r

. did h e

e v er pr esent as unity that s tate o f con s ci ousn ess

m
that may be ter ed organization c on s ci ousn es s -

group c on sci ousn es s it is o ft en ca ll ed H e re

-
.

aliz ed that the p er son w h o stands f or Individu

alism is much m or e than apt to r ecogniz e his in

disso l ub l e r elati on s hip w ith the C osm os A per .

ception o f unity is a c omp l em ent o f In divid

ualis m .

That w hich in mod ern metaphysical phras e

,

“ ”
ol ogy is b est t erm ed Th e Abs ol ut e w as ex
, ,

pr ess ed by E m ers on as the Ov er S oul and thi s -

,

t erm m eant s ometh ing much gr eat er m ore nu

m
,

e sc ap abl e tha n the an thropo orfi c God of the

,

church go ers H is a s suranc e of unity w ith thi s

-
.

Di v in e Spiritual Ess enc e w as per f ect It sa v ors .

m or e of w hat is term ed th e r el igi ous vi ew o f li fe

than o f the phil os ophic but w e c ontend that in
,

the c oming era o f th e c osmic c on s ci ous man a l l ,

li f e w i l l be r el igi ous in the true s ens e and that

, .

th er e w il l be n o di v iding l in e be tw e en phil osophy

an d w orship b ecau s e w or s hip w i ll c on s ist o f li v
,

mg th e l i f e of the spiritua l man and n ot in any ,

s et f orm s or rit es B earing upon this we find

.

Em e rs on s aying :
2 36 m
Cos ic C ons ci ousn ess

points o f the cosmic conscious man or woman ,

w hich points are th e c omplete assurance o f the

et e rna l v erity and indestructibi l ity o f the soul ;

o f its u l timat e and in evitable vict ory ov e r

“ ”
ay o m
or th e w h eel of causati on ; and the j oyousn ess
and the s ens e of at on e n ess w ith the univ ers e
- -

which com es to the i l lumined on e bespeaking an ,

unqu enchab l e optimism and an utt er d estruction

o f th e sens e o f s in— p oints w hich charact eriz e a ll

who have attain ed to this supra conscious state o f -

B eing
m
.

Th es e po ts are a l l express ed repeatedly in

a ll Em ers on s utteranc es and mark him as on e
’

o f the m
ost i ll um in ed phi l osoph ers as he was ,

on e o f th e gr eat est int ell ect s o f the last century ,

or o f any oth er century .

L E O TO L S TO I : R U SS IA N P H I L OSOP H ER

A strange l on ely and w onder ful fi gur e was

,

T ol stoi no v elist phi l os oph e r s ocia l ist artist and

, , , ,

r e f orm er .

Great s ouls are al w ays l on el y s ouls estimat ed ,

by sens e c on sci ou s humans In the midst o f the

-
.

so ca ll ed pleasur es and l u x uri es o f the s ens es a

-
.

wise sou l appears as barren o f com f ort as is a

des ert o f f ol iage
m
.

Without th e divi n e optimism that com es fro

soul c on sci ousn ess such a one could not endure
-

the l i f e o f the body ; w ith out th e absolut e as su r

 Intellectual C os mC ic ons ci ous nes s 2 37

ance that comes with cosmic consciousn ess en ,

m
l ike the late Count T olstoi must n eeds die o f
s oul l one l in ess
-
.

From early chi l dho od up to the time o f his Il

l umination T olst oi indu l ged in s eri ousn ess o f
th ought Like Maho
. m
m
ed great and overpow
,

ering desire to fathom the myst ery o f d eath took

poss ession o f him He w as ever haunt ed by an

.

“ ”
e xcessiv e dr ead of the dark n ess of the grav e ,

”
and in his essay Childh ood he d escrib es with
, ,

that w ond er ful r ealism which charact eri zes all

,

his works the effect on a chi l d s mind of s eeing ’

m
,

the fac e of his d ead m other This ay be taken .

in a s ens e as bi ographical a l though it is n ot prob

,

ab l e that T ol st oi h ere a l lud es to the d eath of his

own m oth er as s h e di ed w h en h e w as too y oung

to hav e r em emb er ed H e d escribes the sc en e in

.

the w ords of Irten iev

“
I c ou l d n ot b el i eve that this w as h er face I .

b egan to l ook at it m or e c l os el y an d gradua l ly ,

discov er ed in it the fami l iar an d b el ov ed f eatures .

I shuddered with fear wh en I b ecam e sur e that

it was ind eed she but why w er e the c l os ed ey es
,

s o fall en in ? Why was she so terrib l y pa l e and ,

w hy w as th ere a blackish mark und er the c l ear

”
skin on on e che ek ?
A terror o f d eath an d y et a h au n ting urge
,

that c omp ell ed him to be f orev er thi n ki n g upon

the myst ery of it is the d om inant n ot e in ev ery
,
2 38 Cos m
i C c ons ci ous n es s

l i n e of Tolstoi s w riti ngs up to the tim e w hich

’

“ ”
h e d escribes as a ch ange that cam e ov e r him .

F or ex amp l e w h en C oun t L eo w as in h is 3 3d
,

year h is br oth er N icol ai di ed L eo w as pres ent

,
.

t th e b ed s i de an d d escri bed th e sc en e w ith the

utm os t frank n es s r egarding its e ff ect upon h is
mi n d ; an d again we n ote that a w ful f ear an d
h op el es s ques tioning which characteri z es th e
s en s e consci ous man wh os e int ell ect h as been cul
-

ti vated to the very edge o f th e l ine w hich sep

arat es the s el f c onscious li fe from the cosmic

-

consci ous .

Th i s qu esti oning w ith the fear and dread and

,

“
terr or of d eath and of th e c ea sel ess r ou n d of
”
bi rths and the car es and sorr ow s of e x istence -

w as what drov e P rinc e Siddhartha from his

f ath er s court and Maho
’
m
m
ed int o th e m ountains

to m editat e and pray unti l th e ans w er cam e in

th e l ight of i ll umi n ati on .

It cam e to T olstoi through the v ery int en s ity

o f his p ow ers of r eas on and ana l ysis ; thr ough
th e s w ord l ik e quality o f m enta l urge— a much
-

more s orr ow ful path than th e on e thr ough the

simpl e w ay o f l ov e an d servic e an d prayer .

His comm ents upon th e death o f h is br oth er

giv e us a vi v id id ea of th e stat e o f mind o f the
Tol stoi of that ag e
“
N ever in my l i f e h as anything had such an
eff ect u po n me H e w as ri ght (re f erring to h is
.
2 40 C os m
i C c ons cious nes s

with a po w er fu l m enta l ity— both o f w hich are

barri ers to the sti ll sma ll v oic e o f the soul ,

through w hich a l on e c om es th e convicti on of th e

n oth ingn es s of d eath .

A bi ograph er says o f T ol s t0 1
“
T h e fit of the f ear o f d eath which at the end
o f th e s ev enties br ought him to th e v e rge o f sui

cid e w as n ot the first and apparent l y n ot th e

,

l a s t an d at any rat e n ot the onl y one H e f el t .

s om ething l ik e it fi ft ee n y ears be f or e w h en his

br oth e r N ic ola i di ed Th en he f ell i ll and con

.

jectured th e pr es enc e o f the compl aint that ki ll ed

his broth er— c onsumpti on H e had c onstant
.

pa in in h is ch est and s id e He had to g o and try

.

to cure hims el f in th e St eppe by a cours e o f kou

m iss and did actu all y cur e hims el f Form er l y

, .

th es e recurrent attacks o f spiritual or physical

w eakn ess w ere cur ed in h im not by any mental ,

or m ora l upheavals but simply by h is vitality

, ,

”
its ex uberance and intox ication .

The birth o f th e n ew consciousn ess w hich

cam e to T ol stoi a f ew years lat er was born into ,

e x i s t ence thr ough th ese terrib l e struggl es and

m ental agoni es i n evi tabl e becaus e of the v ery

,

nature of h is h eredity and education and environ

m ent A l though as w e kn o w h e came o f gentl e
.
,

fo l k th er e was much of the Russian peasant in

,

T ol st oi s mak eup His organism both as to

’
.
,

physical and m ental el em ents was like a piece o f,

 In tellectual m
Cos i c C ons ci ousn ess 2 41

s olid ir on un temper ed by the r efining proc esses

,

o f an inh erent s piritua l ity H is n ev er c easi n g

.
-

struggl e f or attainm ent of the d egr ee of c osmic

c on sci ous n ess w hich h e fin a ll y r each ed w as w h oll y
an int ell ectua l s truggl e H e poss ess ed such a.

po w er of ana l ysi s such a d epth o f intell ectual

,

perc epti on that h e mu s t n eeds g o on or g o mad

,

w ith the s train of the questi on unan s w er ed .

“
T o such a mi n d the a dm oniti on to n ev er mind
,

’
about th os e qu esti ons ; d on t thi n k about th em ,

f ell upon du ll e ars He cou l d n o m or e c ea s e

.

thinking upon the mysteri es of l i fe and d eath

than h e c ould c ease respirati on N or c ou l d h e .

bl ind l y trust H e must kn ow N othing is m or e

. .

un escapabl e than the s ou l s urge t ow ard fr eedom ’

-
and freed om can be won only by lib eration
fr om the b ondage of i ll u s i on .

Tolstoi s fri ends and bi ogr aph ers agree that

’

a l ong about his f orty fi f th year a gr eat moral

-
,

and r el igi ous cha n ge t ook p l ac e The w h ole .

tr end of h is th oughts turn ed fr om the m ortal

c on s ci ousn ess to that inn e r se l f w h enc e issu es
th e high er qua l iti es o f mankind
m
.

From a an w ho a l th ough he was a great

,

writ er an d a Ru ss ian n obl eman w as y et a man ,

lik e oth ers of h is kind influ enced by traditi onary

m
,

id eas o f cl ass and out w ard appe arance ; a an

o f c onv enti ona l habits and ideas ; Tol stoi em erged
a fre e s oul H e shook off the i ll usion o f his
.
2 42 Cos m
i C c ons ci ous ness

torical li fe and cu l tur e and stood upon f ree

, ,

m ora l ground estimating himsel f and his fel

,

lo w s by m eans of an insight which ignores the

’
world s c onventi ons and despises the w orld s
’

standa rds of succ ess In short T olstoi had re

.
,

ceived I l luminati on and hen ce forth sh ould be

reck on ed among thos e o f the new birth .

In his own words written in 1 879 this change

, ,

i s d escr ibed
“
Fiv e year s ag o a change took pl ac e in me .

I be gan to ex peri enc e at first tim es of mental

vacuity o f c essati on o f l i f e as i f I did not know
, ,

w hy I w as to l ive or w hat I w as to do These .

suspen si ons o f li f e a lw ays foun d ex pres s ion in

‘
the same probl em Why am I h ere ? and th en
,
’

‘
What n ex t ? ’
I had liv ed and liv ed and gone
on and on ti l l I had d ra w n near a precipic e ; I

saw c l ear l y that be f ore me th er e l ay n othing but

destructi on With all my might I end ea v or ed to

.

e scape fr om th is l i fe And sudd en l y I a happy

.
,

man be gan to hid e my bootl ac es that I might not

,

hang mys el f bet w een the w ardrobes in my room

when undr essing at night ; and c eased to tak e a
m
gun w ith e out shooting so as to a v oid te pta , m
ti on by these tw o means o f freeing mys el f f rom
this li fe
“
I lived in this way (that i s to say in com ,

muni on with the people ) f or tw o years ; and a

change took place in me What be f ell me was .
2 44 Cos mC ic ons ci ous ness

agonies o f d oubt specu l ati on and q uestionin g ;

,

but that it is w orth th e price paid h owev er seem ,

ing ly great ther e can be no possible distrust

, .

H O N OR E DE B A LZA C

Balzac should head thi s chapt er i f we were ,

con s i dering th es e phi l os oph ers in chr on ol ogica l

ord e r as Ba l zac w as born in 1 799 prec eding E
, ,
m
’
ers on by a matt e r o f f our years But Ba lz ac s .

p eculiar t emperament might alm ost be class ed as

a r eligi ous rather than strictly intel l ectua l ex
ampl e o f cosmic consci ousn ess O f the l atte r .

“
ph as e or expressi on o f th is new s ense as pr es ,

ent day w rit ers frequently ca l l it

-
Emers on is ,

th e m ost per fect exampl e becaus e he was the ,

m ost balanc ed ; the m ost li terary in the strict i n ,

terpretation o f the w ord .

Bal zac s place in l iterature is due far more to

’

h is w ond er f ul spiritua l insight and h is pow er f ul ,

imaginati on than to his int el l ectua l ity or to l it

, ,

erary sty l e But that he w as an alm ost c ompl et e

m
.

cas e of cos ic consci ousn ess is evid ent in a ll he

wr ote and in all h e did His li fe w as abs olutely
.

c onsist ent with the c osmic conscious man living ,

in a world w h ere th e race c onsciousn ess has not

y et ri sen to th e h e ights o f the spiritua ll y con

sci ous li f e .

Bucke comm ents upon his decisi on against the

state of matrimony because as Balzac himsel f
, ,
 In tellectual m
Cos ic C ons ci ous n ess 245

d ec l ar ed it would be an obstacl e to the per f ecti

,

bility o f h is interi or sens es and to his flight ,

“
through the spiritua l wor l ds and says : Wh en ,

w e c on s id e r the antagonistic attitud e o f s o many

o f th e gr eat ca s es t ow ard this r el ati on (Gautama ,

J esus P au l Whitman
, , th ere seems l itt l e
,

d oubt that anyth ing l ik e gen eral pos s es si on of

c osmic c on s ci ou s n ess must abol ish marriage as
”
w e kno w it t oday .

Ba l zac ex pl ai n s this seeming a v ersi on to the

marriage state as we know i t today in his two ,

books writt en during his ear l y thirti es nam el y

, , ,

“ ”
L ouis Lambert and S eraph ita Louis Lambert
.

i s regard ed as in the nature of an autobi ography ,

sinc e Balzac l ik e his mouthpi ece L ouis vi ew ed

, , ,

e v erything f r om an inn e r s en s e —from intuition ,

or the s ou l faculti es rath er than fr om the stand

,

ard of m ere int el lectua l observati on ana l ysis and ,

synth es is This inn e r s ens e so r ea l and so thor

.
,

ough l y und erstandab l e to th os e poss essing it is ,

a l m os t i f n ot quite imp ossibl e of d es cription to

, ,

the comp l et e compr eh en s i on o f th os e who have

n o intim ate r el ati onship with this inn e r vision .

T o the per son w ho vi ew s l i fe from the inn e r

s ens e the s oul s en s e (w hich is the approach to
, ,

and is includ ed in cosmic consciousn ess ) the ex

, ,

t erna l or physica l l i fe i s lik e a mirr or refl ecting ,

m ore or l es s inaccurat el y the r ea l ity— the soul

,

is the ga z er and the visib l e li f e is what he sees

,
.
246 m
Cos ic C onsci ousness

Balzac express es this vi ew in all he says and

“ ”
d oes . All w e are is in th e sou l h e says an d , ,

th e per f ecti on or the imperf ecti on o f what w e

e x t erna l iz e d epends upon th e d ev elopment o f the

,

sou l
.

It is this marv el ous l y d ev el op ed inner visi on

that mak es marriage on th e sens e consci ous
,
-

p l an e which is the plane upon w hich w e kn o w

,

marriage as it is t oday obj ecti onab l e to Balz ac

, .

H is spirit had alr eady unit ed with its Spiritual

counterpart and h is sou l sought the embodim ent
,

o f that uni on in th e fle s h This he did n ot find

.

in the per f ection and compl et eness w hich fr om

his inn er v i ew he knew to exist .

Barri ers of caste or cla s s ; of time and S pace ;

,

o f age ; o f race and color ; o f conditi on ; may in

terv en e bet w een c ount erparts on th e phys ical

plan e ; nay one may be mani festing in the phys

,

i ca l body and the oth er ha v e aband oned th e body ,

but as th ere is neith er time n or space n or condi

ti on to th e spirit this u n ion may hav e be en s ought
m
,

and found and reflected to th e ortal consci ous

,

n ess in w hich case marriage w ith anything l ess

,

than the one true counterpart w ould be unsatis

factory i i n ot a l togeth er obj ecti onab l e
, .

With this vi ew in mind S e raph ita becomes as

,

lucid a bit o f r eading as anything to be f ound i n

literat ur e .

S eraph ita i s th e per fect ed being— the god into

2 48 m
Cos ic Cons ci ousness

and en during as it w as partook far mor e o f a

,

beauti ful fri endship be t w een tw o souls w ho kne w

’
and und erstood ea ch other s needs than it did o f ,

that bl i s s fu l an d ecstatic union o f c ount erpa rts ,

w hich e v e ryw h e re is described by th ose w ho have

experi enced it as a sen sation o f elting or erg
,

’
m m
i ng i n to the other s be ing .

S eraphi ta is the embod iment in human form , ,

o f the i dea expressed in the w orld old be l ie f in a -

perfected be ing ; w h ose per f ection was c ompl ete

when th e two halves o f the on e should have found
each oth e r .

The in f erence is very generally made that

B al zac beli ev ed in and sought to expr ess th e id ea
o f a bi sexual individua l— a p ers onali ty who is
-

complete in himsel f or h ers el f as a p ers on ; one

in w hich the intuiti v e feminine principle and
,

the r easoning mas cu l in e principl e had becom e

,

perf ect l y ba l anced— in sh ort an androgyn ous ,

human .

This id ea is apparently furth er substantiated

by the fact that S eraph ita w as l ov ed by M inna a ,

beauti ful young girl to w h om S eraph ita w as al

ways S eraph itus an id eal l ov er ; and by Wi l f rid
, ,

to w h om S eraph ita repres ent ed his id eal o f fem

inin e lov el in es s both in mind and body ; a young
,

girl po ss es s ing marv el ous alm ost mi raculous , ,

wi sdom but y et a woman with human passions

,
 Intellectual Cos mC
ic ons ci ousn ess 2 49

and human vi rtues his ideal o f wi f ehood and

-

moth erh ood .

But whatever the idea that Bal zac intend ed to

conv ey w h eth er as is gen eral l y be l ie v ed Sera ‘
, , ,

ph ita w as an andr ogyn ous be ing or whether she

m
,

sy bol i z ed the p er f ecti on of soul uni on our con-

,

t enti on is that this uni on is n ot a creati on of the

mm
i ag ation but th e accomp l ishm ent of the plan
,

o f cr eation — th e fina l goa l o f earthly pi l grimage ;

th e rai s on d etre of lov e its el f

’
.

O n e argum ent against the id ea that S eraphita

w as int end e d to i ll u str at e an an dr ogy n ous being ,

r ath er than a per f ect ed human who had her spir ,

itual mate is found in th e w ords in which she

,

r e fus ed to marry Wil frid a l though Bal z ac mak es

,

it p l ain l y evid ent that sh e was attracted to Wil

frid w ith a d egr ee o f s ens e attracti on due to the
-
,

fact th at sh e w as sti ll l iving w ithin the environ

m ent of the physical and th ere f or e subj ect to the
,

i ll u s i ons of the m orta l ev en w hi l e her spiritual

,

c onsci ou s n ess w as s o fu ll y d ev el op ed as to en
abl e her to perc eiv e an d r ea l iz e the di ff er enc e be
t w een an attracti on that w as ba sed largel y upon
s ens e and that w hich was of the s ou l
,
.

Wi l frid s ays to h er
“
Ha v e y ou n o s ou l th at y ou are n ot s educed
by th e prosp ect of c ons ol ing a gr eat man who ,

w i ll s acrifice all to l i v e with y ou in a l itt l e house

”
by the bord er o f a l ak e ?
2 50 C os mC
ic ons ci ous n es s

But an s w ers S eraph ita I am loved with

, ,
”
a l ov e w ithout bounds .

And w h en Wi l frid w i th insan e anger and

j ealousy ask ed who it was whom S eraphita l oved
“ ”
and who l oved her she ans w er ed God
, .

At anoth er time w h en M inna to w h om she

, ,

had o ft en S pok en in v ei l ed t erms of a myst erio us

being wh o l ov ed h er an d wh om s he l ov ed asked ,

h er who this person w as s h e ans w er ed :,

“ ”
I can l ov e n othing h ere on ea rth .

What d ost thou l ove then ? ”

ask ed M inna .

”
Heav en was th e repl y .

This obscurity and un certa inty as to w hat

mann er of l ov e it w as th at abs orbe d S eraph ita ,

and who w as the obj ect o f it c ou l d n ot ha v e ,

b ee n p os sibl e had it be en the usual d ev oti on o f

th e u
relig e s e .

S eraph ita w ho s e c on sciousnes s ext end ed far

,

b eyond th at of the peop l e about h er cou l d n ot ,

h av e ex pl ai n ed to h er fri en ds th at th e invi s ibl e

r eal ms w er e as rea l to her as the v i s ibl e u n i v erse
w as to th os e w ith on l y sens e consci ousn es s It
-
.

w as impos s ibl e to ex p l ain to th em that S he had

f ound and kn ew h er mat e ev en th ough she had
m
,

n ot et him in th e physical body .

T o Wi l frid sh e said sh e l ov ed God To

m
.

Minna she us ed the t er “

H eav en and w h en ,

Minna q u estion ed : But art thou w orthy of

“
2 52 Cos mC ic ons ci ous nes s

the love o f the religi ous d evotee to The Abs olute .

i n stead of a per f ect ed sex l ove sh e w ould not

-
,

have pointed out to both Wi l frid and Minna that

which s he in her s uperi or vision her supra con
, ,
-

s ciousn ess, perc eiv ed nam el y that Wil frid and

, ,

Minna w er e rea ll y int end ed f or spiritual mates .

and that what th ey each sa w in h er was really a

proph ecy of th eir ow n p erf ected and spiritual i z ed
l ov e
m
.

T he s ubj ect i s on e that is positi v ely in co pre

hen s ible and un ex p l ain ab l e to th e average mind .

A ll mystic l iterature w h en read with th e eyes

,

o f und e r s tanding e xal ts and spiritual izes sex

, .

T h e l att e r day d egen erati on of sex is the trail

o f th e s e rpent , w hich Woman is to crush w ith
her h eeL And Woman is crushing it t oday al ,

th ough to the sup erficial obs erv er w ho s ees on l y ,

sur face conditi on s it w oul d appear as th ough

,

W oman had fa ll en from her high estate to take ,

h er p l ac e on a f ooti n g with man This vi ew is .

the ex ote ric an d n ot th e es ot eric one

, ,
.

Th ey w ho h av e ears h ea r th e inn er v oice and ,

th ey w ho ha v e eyes see w ith the i nn er sight T he .

myst ery of sex i s the ete rnal mystery which each

m
must sol v e for h i s el f be f or e he can c ompreh end
it an d w h en s olv ed el imi n ates all s ens e o f s in
,

and s ham e ; bri ngs I ll uminati on in w hich ev ery

thi n g i s mad e c l ear and mak es man w oman i -
m
mortal— a g od .
 In tellectual Cos mC
ic ons ci ous ness 2 53

’
S w ed enborg s th eory of H eaven as a n ev er
ending h oneym oon in w hich spiritua ll y mat ed -

humans dwe l l has been d en ounced by many as

,

”
S h ocking to a refin ed and sensitive mind But .

this id ea is Sh ocking on l y becaus e ev en th e m os t

adv ance d minds are s el d om I ll umined th eir ad ,

vancem ent bei n g a l ong the l ines of intell ectu al

r es earch and acquired kn owledg e w hich as w e
m
, ,

ha v e previ ous l y exp l ain ed is not syn ony ous

m
,

with i n teri or wis do .

T he i ll umined mind is bound to find in the

ete rna l and ev er pres ent fact of sex the key to
m
-

the my s t eri es— th e pass w ord to im ortal g od

h ood.

T he subj ect is on e th at cann ot be set f orth in

pri n ted w ord s ; this fact is ind eed the v ery P lan
, ,

o f I ll uminati on It can n ot be taug ht It must

. .

be f ound Only th os e wh o h av e gl impsed its

.

truth can ev en imper f ectly point the w ay in w hich

m
it ay be disco v ered N o t each er can guara n tee
.

it It is the m ost evan esc ent the m ost d el icate

.
, ,

th e m os t ind escribab l e thi n g in the Cosm os It is .

th ere f or e the most readi l y misinterpr et ed and

m i s und ers tood .

Balzac d oubt l es s und erstood n ot as a matter

,

o f p erc eption of a truth but as an e xp eri enc e an d

m
,

this fact i f no oth er marks h i as one having

, ,

a v ery high d egr ee of cosmic consci ou sn es s .

“ ”
S eraph ita ca ll ed h ers el f a Specia l ist Wh en .
2 54 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

Minna inquired how it w as that S eraph itus cou l d

m
read the s ou l s of en the ans w er w as ,

“
I hav e th e gi ft of Specia l i s m S pecia l ism is .

an in w ard sight that can pen etrate a ll things ;

y o u w i ll u n d erstand its fu l l m eaning on l y thr ough

c omp arison In the gr ea t citi es o f Europe w ork s

.

are pr oduc ed by which th e human hand s eeks to

repr es ent the eff ect s o f the m ora l nature as w el l

as th os e o f th e physic al natur e as w ell as those ,

o f th e id eas in marb l e T h e scu l pt or acts on the

.

ston e ; h e fash i ons it ; h e puts a rea l m o f id eas

into it Th er e are statu es w h ich the hand of man
.

has end ow ed w ith th e facu l ty of r epr esenting the

wh ol e n obl e s id e of humanity or the ev il S ide o f
m
,

it ; m ost en see in such m arb l es a human figur e

and n othing m or e ; a few ol d er en a l ittle high er m ,

in the s ca l e o f be i n g perc ei v e a fract ion of the

,

th oughts ex pr esse d in th e statu e ; but th e Initiat es

in the s ecr ets of art are of th e sam e i n t ell ect as
th e scu l pt or ; th ey s ee in h is w ork the w h ol e uni

v er s e of th ought Such p ersons are in th em

.

s el v es th e pri n cipl es of art ; th ey bear w ithin th em

a m irr or w hich r efl ects natur e in h er slight est
m ani f estati ons W ell so it is w ith e ; I hav e m
m
.
,

w ithi n e a mirr or b e f ore w hich th e moral na

ture w ith its caus es and its e ff ects appears and
, ,

is r efl ect ed Ent ering thu s int o the consciousness

.

o f oth ers I am ab l e to di v in e both th e future and

the pas t th ou g h what I ha v e said does

2 56 C os m
i C
c ons ci ous n ess

sci ous on e th e one who catch es a gl imps e o f h is

,

”
des tiny.

Ba l zac in compan y w ith a l l w ho attain c osmic

,

c onsci ous n ess had a gr eat capacity f or su ff eri n g ;

,

an d th is s ou l l on el in ess becam e crysta l iz ed into

-

S piritua l w isd om w hich he expr es s ed in th e words

,

an d in th e mann er most likely to be accept ed by

the w or l d .

H ow else can that divin e uni on to which w e

are h e irs and f or w hich w e are e ither blind l y ,

c onsci ous l y or supra consci ous l y striving be de

,
-
, ,

scribed and exploited with out dange r of d ehle s

m ent and d egeneracy s ave and except by the

,

“ ”
phras e unity w ith God ?

A l l mystics ha v e f ound it nec essa ry to v eil

“
the s ecr et o f s ecr ets l est the un w orthy (because
,

unready ) d efi l e it w ith his gaz e ev en as the sin ,

ful d ev otee pro st rat es hims el f hiding his face ,

w hi l e the p riest rais es the chal ice containing th e

h ol y eucharist in the c erem ony o f th e mass .
 CHA P T E R ! IV

I LLU MINATION A S E! P RE SS ED IN T HE
PO ETICAL T EM P E RA MEN T
Poet ry i s natural l anguage of cosmic con
th e
“ ”
sci ousn e ss T he music o f th e sph er e s is a l it
m
.

era l ex pr essi on as al l w ho ha v e ev er g li ps ed
,

th e beauti es o f the spiritual r ea l ms w i l l te s ti fy .

“
P oe ts are the trumpets w hich sing to batt l e .

P oets are the un ackn owl edged l egis l at ors of the

”
w or l d said Sh el l ey
, .

N ot that al l poets are a w ar e in th e1r m ortal ,

c onsciou s n e ss of th ei r di v ine missi on or o f th eir

, ,

spiritua l gl impses .

T h e out er min d the m ortal or carna l m ind

,

that pa rt of our organi s m w h os e ofli ce it is to

take care of th e physica l body f or its pres er
m
,

vati on and its w ell be ing ay be so dominant as

m
-

to h old in bondage the at an but it can n ot ut ,

terly si l ence its v oice .

Thu s the true p oe t is also a se e r ; a proph et

a spiritual l y co n sci ous being f or such tim e or
-
, ,

during such phas es o f inspirati on as h e becomes ,

imbu ed w ith the spirit o f poetry .

A person who w rites rhym es is not n ec es sarily

a poe t .So too ther e are poets w ho do not ex
, ,

2 57
2 58 m
C os ic C ons ci ousn ess

press th eir in spirations according to the rul es o f

m etr e and s ynta x .

B et w e en that wh ich Ba lzac tabu l ated as the

”
abstracti v e type of human ev ol v em ent and that
which is fu ll y cosmic in conscious n es s th ere are
,

many and div ers e d egrees of the high er f acul

ties ; but the poet a lw ays e x presses some one o f
th es e d egr ees of the high er consci ousness ; in
dee d s ome poets are o f that v ersatil e nature that
th ey run the entir e gamut of the emoti onal nature ,

n ow d esc ending to the ordinary normal c onsci ou s

ness w hich tak es acc ount only o f the pe rsonal
s el f ; again ascending to the heights o f the impe r
sonal f earl essness and unas sailable confi d ence that
is the h eritage o f th os e who have r each ed the ful l
stature o f th e
“
man g od whom we a w ait
- —the
c osmic c onsci ous race that is to be .

A ll comm entators upon m odern instanc es o f Il

luminati on unite in r egarding Walt Whit a n as m
one o f the m ost i f n ot the
, m
os t p er fect ex amp l e
,

o f wh om w e have any record of cosmic c onsci ous

ness and its sublime eff ects upon the charact er and
pers onality o f the illumined one .

Whitman is a sublime type for r easons which

are o f first importance in th e ir relation to char

acter as vi ew ed from the id eals o f the cosmic

consci ous race to be

- -
.

Moralists have criticiz ed Whitman as immoral ;

religionists have d eplored h is lack o f a religious
2 60 m
C os i c Consciousn ess

and my nation is and I say th ere is in fact no

,

Compar ed to the religi ous aspect o f cosmic con

s ciou sn ess in which previ ous to the time o f Il
,

l uminati on the d evot ee had striv en to ris e to S pir

,

i tual h eights th rough disdaining the flesh th is n ot e ,

o f Whitman s is a new n ote— the n oth i n gn ess of

’

e v il as such ; the righteous ness o f the flesh and the

holines s o f earthly or human l ov e bespeaks the
, , ,

pr oph et o f the N ew D ispensati on ; the time hinted

o f by J es us th e M as ter w h en he said
“
, wh en the
, ,

”
t w ain shall be one and the outside as the in s id e ,

as a S i g n and symbol o f th e blessed time to com e

when the kingdom he spo k e o f (n ot his personal
ki ngd om but the kingdom w hich h e r epr es ent ed
, ,

the kingd om o f Love ) shoul d come upon earth , .

Whi tman s i l l umination is es s entially poetic ;

’

n ot th a t it is n ot als o intellectual and m oral ; but

a fter his experienc e— a t l east an experi ence m ore

n otab l e than any hithert o recorded by him in or ,

about his thi rty fi f th year— we find his c on v ersa

-

tion invariab l y r efl ecting th e beauty and poetical

ima g ery of his mind He may be said to hav e .

li v ed and m oved and had his being in a state o f

b l is s f ul unconsci ousn ess of anythi ng uncl ean or
mi pur e or unnatural .

This abs en ce o f cons ci ousn ess of evi l is in no

wise synonym ous w ith a type of p ers on wh o ex
alts his undev eloped animal t endencies und er the
 m
Illu i nati on i n P oeti cal T e p era mm en t 2 6 1

guis e o f l ibe rati on f rom a s ens e of sin N eith er

.

is this discrim inati on easy of attainment to any

but th ose who realiz e in th eir own h earts the v ery
di stinct di ff erence bet w e en the n othingn ess of sin
and th e pretended acceptance of perv ersi ons as
purity
m
.

Whi l e w e are on this p oint w e mu s t again e

phas iz e th e truth that c osmic c onsciousn es s ca nn ot
be gained by pres cripti on ; th er e is no roya l road
m
to ukti Libe rati on from the l ow er anas can
. m
n ot be bought or s ol d it can n ot be ex plain ed or
,

c ompr eh en ded sav e by th os e to wh om the attain

,

m ent of such a state is at l east p ossi ble i f not

p robable .

Il l u strative of h is unity w ith a l l l i f e

s en se o f
,

f h m st s a l i ent char act eristics o f th e

(o n e o t e o

fu lly cosmic consci ous man ) are th ese lin es o f

,

’
Whitman s

Voyaging to ev ery p ort to dick er and adventure

,

Hurrying with the m od e rn cr ow d as eager and,

fick l e as any ;
H ot to w ard on e I ha t e r eady in my m adne s s to
,

kni fe him ;
S ol itary at midnight in my back yard my
m
,

th ought s gon e from e a l ong w hi l e ;

Wa l king th e hi ll s of Judea with the beauti ful
,

gentl e God by my side ;

2 62 m
C os ic C ons ci ousness

Speeding through space— sp eeding through

”
H eav en and th e stars .

O ri ental mysticism t ell s us th at one o f the at

tribut es o f the l ibe rat ed on e i s the pow er to r ead
th e h eart s and s ou l s o f a ll m
en ; to fe el w hat th ey

f eel ; an d to s o u n it e w ith th em in c onsci ousness

that w e are for th e time be i n g the v ery pers on or
thing w e c ontemp l at e I f thi s be i n d eed th e t es t
.

o f godhood Whitm an e x pre ss es it in e v ery l in e

,

T he disdain and calmn ess of ol d en martyrs ;

"

The m oth er cond emn ed f or a w itch burnt w ith ,

dry w ood h er chi l dren gazing on ;

,

The hounded s l av e that fl ags in th e race l eans by ,

th e f enc e b l ow i n g c ov er e d w ith s w eat ;

, ,

T h e t w inge s that sti n g lik e n eed l es h is l egs an d

n eck— the murd e r ous buckshot and the bu l l ets ;
”
Al l th es e I f eel or am, .

S eeking to e x pr ess the s en s e o f k n ow ing and

e s peci all y o f f eeli ng and th e bi g n es s and broad
,

n ess of l i f e the sc orn o f petty aims and stri f e ;

,

in sh ort that int eri or pe rc epti on wh ich I ll umina

,

ti on brings h e says :
,

Ha v e y our eck on ed a thousand acres much ? have

y ou r eck on ed th e e arth much ?

Have y ou practis ed s o l ong to l earn to read ?

Hav e y ou f elt so proud to get at the meaning of
poems ?
2 64 C os mC
ic ons ci ous n ess

and heaven are n ot s eparated from us by any

reality ; th ey become every day facts -
.

Whitman t el ls o f the annihi l ati on o f any sense

o f s eparateness from his soul sid e in the fo l ,

l o w ing words
“
C l ear and s w eet is my s oul and clear and ,

”
s w eet is a l l that is n ot my s ou l .

He did not con fo und h is m ort al consci ous n es s

m
,

the lo w er ands w ith the high er— the soul ; n ei

,

ther did he r ecogni z e an impassable gul f bet w een

them .

Whil e admittedly ascending to th e high er con

s ciou sn es s fr om th e l ow e r Whit an r e fus ed to
, m
foll ow th e ex ampl e of the saint s an d sages of o l d
m
,

and morti fy or d espi s e th e lo w er sel f— th e an

i f estation He had ind eed s truck the balance; he
.

recognized h is dual nature each in its rightful ,

plac e and with its right ful poss es si ons and t e ,

“ ”
fus ed to ab ase eith er I am to the oth er He lit .

“
erally r end ered u n to Caesar the things that are
”
C ae sar S by cl aiming f or the fl esh the purity and
Q

’
the cleanlin es s o f God s handi w ork .

In Wh itman too w e fin d an almost pe r f ect re

m
, ,

al iz ation of i m ortality and o f b l iss fu l nes s o f

li fe and the compl ete harmony and unity o f h is
soul w ith all there is F oll ow ing cl ose l y upon the
.

ex peri enc e that s eems to hav e be en th e m os t v i v id

of th e many instances o f i ll uminati on which he
en j oyed th roughout a long li fe he wrote the fol ,
 m
Illu i nati on i n P oetical Te p era mm en t 2 6 5

lo w ing l in es indicati v e o f th e emoti ons imm e

,

diately associat ed with the influx o f illumina

ti on
“
m
S w i ftly aros e and spread around e th e peac e ,

an d j oy and kn owl edge that pass all the art

and argum ent o f earth

And I kno w that the hand of God is th e elder
h and o f my own ,

A n d I know that the spiri t o f God is the el d est

broth er o f my o w n
m
,

And th at a ll the en ev er born are a l s o my broth

ers and th e w om en my sist e rs and l ov ers
, ,

And that a kel s on of cr eation is l ov e .

In lin es writt en in 1 860 about sev en years

,

a ft e r the fir s t vivid i n s tanc e of the ex peri ence o f

i ll uminati on w hich a ft er w ard becam e o ft r ecur -

“
rent Whitman spea ks of w ha t he calls Perf ec
m
,

”
ti ons an d fr om w hat he w rit es we may assu e
,

that he re f err ed to th ose pos s essing cosmic con

s ciou s n es s and the practical imp os s ibility o f de
,

scribing this peculiarity and accounting f or the

a l t erati on it m ak es in character an d outl ook .

Says Whitman .

Only th ems elves und erstand th emselves and the ,

like of th em s elv es ,

As sou l s on ly und e rstand souls .

It has be en point ed out that Whit an more m

266 C os mC ic ons ci ous n ess

per f ectly i l lustrat es the typ e o f the coming man

’
the cosmic c onscious rac e beca us e Whitm an s il ,

lum ination s eems to have com e w ith out the ter

ribl e agoni es of doubt and prayer and ortifi ca m
ti on of th e fl esh which ch aract eri z e s o many o f
,

tho s e saints and sages o f w hom w e read in sacred

l iteratur e But it must n ot be in f erred from th is
m
.

’
that Whit an s li f e was d evoid o f su ff ering .

A biograph er says of him

“
He has loved the earth sun animal s ; despised , ,

riches gi v en a l ms to ev ery on e that ask ed ; stood

,

up f or the stupid and crazy ; de v ot ed h is income

and labor to oth ers ; according to the c omma n d o f
the di v in e v oic e ; and w as impe l l ed by the di v in e
impu l s e ; and n ow f or r ew ard he is po or d espised , ,

sick paral yzed n egl ected dying H is me s sage

m
, , , .

to en to the d el iv ery of w hich he devoted his

,

li f e w hich has be en d ear er in his eyes (for man s

,
’

sake ) than w i f e chi l dr en li f e its el f is unread

, , , ,

or sc off ed an d j e er ed at NVhat sha ll h e say to

.

God ? H e s ay s that God kn ow s him through and

through an d that h e is w i ll ing to l ea v e h imsel f
,

”
in G od s h and s
’
.

But abov e an d b eyond all this is the s ens e o f ,

onen ess w ith all w h o su ff er which is ev er a h erit

ag e of the c osmic c onsci ous on e ev en whil e he is , ,

at the sam e tim e the r ecipi ent of stat es o f bliss

,

an d c ertai n ty o f imm ortality and m elting s oul ,

l ov e i ncompr eh ensible and indescribable to the

,
2 68 C os m
i C
c ons ci ous nes s

I say that no man has ev er y et be en h al f d evout

e n ough ;

N one has ev er yet adored or worshipped hal f

e nough ;

N on e has begun to think how divine h e himsel f

”
is and how c e rtain th e future is
, .

Th ere is a sublime confid ence and worship i n

’
thes e words w hich b elittles the churchman s hope
and prayer that God may be good to him and bl ess
’
him w ith a future li f e Whitman s phil osophy
.
,

less spe cific as to meth od is assuredly mor e cer

,

tain mor e faith ful in eff ect Whitman had the

, .

ex p eri ence o f b e i n g imm ersed in a s ea o f light

and l ove so fr equ en tly a phen omenon o f Illu i

, m
nation ; he retain ed thr oughout a ll h is li fe a com
p le te and p e r fect assurance o f immortality .

His s ens e o f uni on w ith and r el ati on ship to al l

li v i n g thi n gs w as as much a part o f him as the
col or o f his eyes and hair ; h e did n ot have to
r emi n d himsel f of it as a r el igi ous duty
, .

He ex peri enc ed a ke en joy in nat ure and i n

the inn oc ent ch i l d l ike p l easur es of ev eryday
,

th ings and at the same time poss es sed a spl en did

,

int ell ect .

A l l c onsci ousness o f s in or evi l had been eras ed

from his mind and actual l y had no place in his
li fe
.
 m
Illu i nati on i n P oeti cal T e p era m m en t 2 6
9

ALF RED LO RD T E NN Y SO N
,

In th e cas e of L ord T ennys on w e hav e a defi

,

nit e r ec ogniti on of tw o di sti n ct s tat es o f con

s ciou s n es s
, fina ll y cul minati n g in a c l ear experi
enc e o f c osmic c on s ci ou s n es s ; th is e x p eri en c e w as

s o p os itiv e as to l eav e n o d oubt or ind ecisi on in

his mi n d r egarding the r ea l ity of th e s piritual ,

and the illus ory charact er of the ex t erna l l i f e .

In truth Tennys on had so fi x ed h is c on s ci ous

n es s in the spiritu al rath er than in the ex t ern al ,

that he l ook ed out fr om that inn er sel f as throu g h ,

the wind ow s o f a h ou se ; h e w as pr epared as ,

h e sai d to be l i ev e that h is b ody w as but an imagi

m
,

nary s y bol of him s el f but n othi n g an d n o on e

,

c ou l d persu ad e h im th at the r eal T ennys on th e

m
,

I a c on s ci ou sn ess o f be ing w h ich w as he w as ,

oth e r than S piritua l et erna l un dyi n g

, , .

Lik e s o ma n y oth ers n otab l y Whitma n w h o

, ,

h ave r ea l iz ed a m or e or l es s fu ll d egr ee of c os mic

c on sci ous n ess T ennys on w as d eep l y an d r ev er
,

ent l y r el igi ou s a l th ough n ot parti san l y c on n ect ed

,

with church w ork T ennys on s ear l y b oy h ood

.
’

was mark ed by ex peri enc es w hich usua ll y b e f all

p er s on s o f th e psychic t emp e ram en t A

. s h e him

s el f d escrib ed th es e stat es o i con sci ou s n es s th ey,

w er e m om ent s in w hich the eg o tran sc en ded th e

l imits of s el f consci ou sn es s and ent er ed the limit
l ess r eal m of Spi rit .
2 70 m
Cos ic Cons ci ous ness

They do n ot tabulate w ith the ordinary tranc e

conditi on of the spirituali s tic mediu
“
w ho s ub
”
m
,

je c ts his o w n s e l f c onsciousn ess to a c ontr ol ,

a l th ough T ennys on a lw ays believ ed that the best

o f h is w ritings w ere inspired by and w ritten ,

“
und er th e dir ect influ ence of high er intelli
g en ces of w h os e presenc e h e was distinct l y con
,

sci ous H e f elt them n ear him and his mind was
m
.

”
i pr ess ed by th eir ideas .

T h e point w h ich w e emphasize is that th ese

pecu l iar stat es of consci ousn ess are n ot sy nony
m ous w ith the western id ea of tranc e as s een in
me dium ship a l th ough T en nyson uses the t erm
,

“ ”
tranc e in d escribing th em .

H e says :
“
A ki n d of w a l king tranc e I have frequ ently
had quite up fr om boyh ood w h en I hav e be en
m
, ,

a ll a l on e This has o ften com e upon e through

.
~

repeating my o w n nam e to mys el f si l ent l y unti l

a ll at o n c e as it w ere out o f the i n t ensity o f
, ,

the c on sci ousn ess o f i n di v idua l ity the indi v idu

,

a l ity its el f s eem ed to di s s olv e and fad e into

”
bound l ess being .

It is a fact that childr en o f a pecu l iarl y s en s i

ti v e or psychic t emp eram ent s eem to h av e strange
id eas r egarding the nam e by w hich th ey are ca ll ed ,

and n ot in frequ ent l y becom e c on fused and fil l ed

with an in ex p l icabl e w onderment at the sound
2 72 C os mC
ic ons ci ousn ess

to defin e in t erms compreh ensibl e to sense con -

s ciousn ess on l y em oti ons and ex periences which

,

inv olv e l oss of s elf and at the sam e time gain

,

o f th e S elf ?
T enn y s on s frequ ent e x cursions into the r ealm
’

of spi ritua l c ons ciousness w hil e sti ll a child ,

bears out our c onten ti on that many chi l dr en n ot

in fr equ ent l y hav e this exp eri ence and e ither ,

thr ough r es erve or from lack o f abi l ity to ex

p l ain it ke ep th e matt er to th ems el v es ; gen er
,

“ ”
a ll y l os ing or outgrow ing the t endency as th ey
en t er th e activiti es o f sch ool li f e and the mortal
,

min d be com es d ominant in th em This is espe .

cially tru e o f th e rising generati on and w e pe r ,

s onally kn ow se v e ral cl early defined instances

w h ich hav e be en repo rted to us du ring conv er

,

sation s upon th e th em e o f cosmic consciousness .

YON E N O GU CH I
Any on e who has ev er had the good fortune
“
to r ead a l itt l e book o f verse entitl ed From the
”
Ea st e rn S eas by Y on e Noguchi a young Jap
, ,
o

an es e w i ll at once pron ounc e th em a be auti ful

,

and p erhaps p er f ect exampl e o f verse that may

”
be corr ect l y labeled co s mic .

Noguchi w as und er ninete en years of ag e w hen

h e pe n n e d the s e v er ses but they are th oughts
,

and ex pr es s ions p ossib l e on l y to one w ho lives

the gr eat er pa rt of his l i fe within the illum in a
 Illununatton i n P oeti cal Te p era
' '

mm en t 2 73

ti on o f the cosmic s ens e They are s o d el icat e .

as to hav e l ittle i f any o f the m orta l in th em

, , .

It is also significant that N oguchi in th ese l ater

years (he is now on l y a l itt l e past thirty ) d oes ,

n ot r epr oduc e this cosmic atrnO Sph ere in his writ

ings to such an extent due n o d oubt to the fact

,

that his dai l y occupati on (that of Pro f essor of

Languages in the Imp eria l C oll ege o f Toki o ) ,

compe l s his out er attenti on ex c l uding th e fu ll n ess

,

o f the inn e r vi s i on .

T h e fo l lowing l in es are p er f ect as an expos i

ti on of spiritual c onsci ou sn es s in w hich the l esser
s el f has become subm erged

Und ern eath the shad e o f the tr ees mysel f ,

pass ed into s ome w h er e as a c l oud .

I see my soul floating upon the fac e of the d eep ,

nay the facel ess face of the deeples s d eep

Ah the s eas of l oneliness
, .

T he si l ence w aving w at e rs ever shor el ess bot

m
-
, ,

to less ,c olorl ess hav e n o shad ow o f my

,

passing s oul .

I w ithout w isd om w ith out fo ol ishness w ithout

m
, , ,

goodn ess w ith out b adness — a l ike God a

, ,

”
n egativ e g od at l east .

The alm ost p erpetual state of spiritua l con

sci ous n es s in w hich th e y oung po et lived at thi s

tim e is appar ent in the f oll ow ing l ines

2 74 Cos mC
ic ons ci ousness

When I am l ost in the deep body o f the mist

on a hill ,

The univ erse s eems built w ith me as its pillar .

Am I the g od upon the face o f the d eep nay ,

”
The deepless deepness i n the beginning ?

And the f ol l owing possibl e o f comprehension

,

only to one w ho has gl impsed the et ernal verity

’
o f man s spiritual rea l ity and the shadow like ,
-

qua l ity o f the exte rn a l ; could have be en writt en

on l y by one free d from th e bonds o f i l lusion

The mystic si l ence o f the moon ,

Gradua ll y revived in me imm ort ality ;

T he s orr ow that gently stirr ed
Was m elanch oly s w eet ; s orrow is higher
-

F ar than j oy the sweetest s orrow is supreme

,

A mid al l the passi ons I had .

N o sorrow o f mortal hea rt : my sorr ow

Was one given be fore the human sorro w s
Were given me Mortal speech di ed
.

Fr om me : my spe ech was one spoken be fo re

God be stowed on me human speech .

Th ere is nothing like the moon night -

When I parted from the v oice of the city

, ,

Drink d eep o f Infi nity with peace

From an other a stranger sph ere There is noth
, .

ing
L ik e the moon night when the rich noble stars
-
,
z 76 m
C os ic Cons ci ousn ess

the sympathies and attunes the s oul to the vibra

tions o f the h eart cries o f th e struggl ing evolv
-

ing on es who are sti ll travai l ing in the pains of

the new birth We must be w i ll ing to endure th e
m
.

su ff eri ng i n order that w e ay realiz e the joy ;

not because j oy is the reward for su ff ering but ,

because it is o n l y by losing sight o f the persona l

s el f that we become a w are o f that inn e r S el f

which is i mmortal and bliss ful ; and w h en w e

become aware o f the reality o f that inner Sel f ,

we kno w that w e are united with the all and ,

must feel with all .

It would be impossible in one v olume to

enum erate all th e poe ts w ho have gi v en evid ence
o f supra co nsciousness
-
As has be en previ ou s ly
.

pointed out all true poets are at leas t temp o

,

rarily a w are of their dual nature— rather on e ,

sh ould say the dual phases o f th ei r conscious

,

n ess Many perhaps do n ot functi on beyond the

.
, ,

high er planes o f the ps ychic vibrati on s but ev en ,

th ese are awa re o f the reality o f the soul and ,

the i ll usi on o f the sense conscious mortal li f e

-
,
.

Dante ; the B row nings ; Shell ey ; S w inbourn e ;

Goeth e ; Milt on ; Ke ats ; Ro setti ; Shake s pea re ;
“

Pope ; Low el l— wh er e sh ould we stop did we ,

e ssay to draw a lin e ?

 m
Illu inati on i n P oeti cal Te p era mm en t 2 77

WO RDS WO RTH
Words w orth the p oet o f Natur e has gi v en us
,

i n h is own w ords s o c l ear l y cut an outl ine o f

,

his I ll uminati on th at we can n ot r es ist r ecord

,

i n g h ere the sa l i ent points which mark his ex

perien ce as that o f cosmic consci ousn ess tran ,

sc ending the m ore frequ ent ph enom en on o f soul

c onsci ousn ess and its psychic functions .

’
W ord sw orth s Ode to Imm orta l ity epitomi z es
th e l ess on o f the Y oga sutra s — out of Th e A b

so l ut e we c ome and r eturn to immortal bl iss

,

with consci ou s n ess a dd ed Wordsworth al so

.

a ff ords an exc ell ent e x ample o f our cont ention

th at cosmic c onsci ousn ess d oes not come to us at
any specific age or tim e W ords w orth di s tinct l y
.

says that as a chi l d he poss ess ed this faculty as ,

f or e x amp l e his of t r epeat ed w ord s both in con

-
,

v ersati on and in his biography :

“
N othing was m ore di fficu l t f or e in child m
h ood than to admit the n otion of d eath as a ,

st at e appl icable to my ow n be ing It w as not .

s o much from f eelings o f animal vivacity that

my di fficu l ty came as from a s ense of the in

m
,

do itablen ess o f the spirit within me I used .

to br ood ov e r the stori es o f En och and El ij ah ,

and almost to pe rsuade mys el f that whatev e r ,

might b ecome o f others I should be trans l ated

, ,

in som ething of the same way to h eaven W ith , .

2 78 m
Cos ic C ons ci ousness

a feeling congenial to this I w as o ften unable

,

to thi nk o f ext ernal things as ha v ing external

existence and I c ommun ed w ith all that I saw

,

as som ething n ot apart from but inher ent in , ,

my own immaterial nature Many times while .

g oing to sch o ol ha v e I grasped at a wall or tree ,

to reca l l mys el f from th is abyss o f id ealism to

”
the rea l ity .

In lat er l i f e Wordsworth lost the real i zation

m
m
,

o f this supra consciousness in what a co

-
,
en
“ ”
tator calls a fev er o f rati onalism ; but the
po w er o f that wond er ful spiritual vision pro ,

n ou nced in h is youth could not be utterly lost

,

and s oon a fter he r each ed his thirtieth year he ,

again be comes the spiritual po et fully c onscious ,

o f h is high er naturc the c osmic c onscious sel f

h -
.

W ILL IA M S HA R P FIONA MACL EOD ”

A pr on ounced instance o f the tw o phas es of

c onsci ou s ness is that o f the late W illiam S harp
, ,

on e o f the best kno w n writ ers o f th e mod ern

Engl i sh school
It w as n ot until a ft er the d eath o f Wi ll iam
S harp that the secr et o f this d ual pe rsonality
,

was gi v en to the public a l though a f ew o f his

,

m ost intimate s had kno w n it for several years .

In the Mem oi rs c ompil ed by El izabeth S harp

“ ”
,

w i fe o f th e writer w e find the f oll ow i n g :

,

“
T he l i f e o f Wi ll iam Sharp di v id es its el f
2 80 C os mC
ic ons ci ous ness

se emed a di ff erent person wh en the Fi ona mood

w as on him ; but that he had n o reco ll ection of
w hat h e said in that mo od was not the cas e
the psychic vi s i onary pow e r belonged ex clusive l y

to n eith er ; it influ enc ed b oth and w as dictat ed

”
by la w s he did n ot und er s tand .

Mrs Sharp r e f ers to Wi ll iam Sharp and Fi ona

.
,

“
as t w o persons saying that it influ enc ed both
, ,

but both sid es o f h is persona l ity rath er than both

per s ona l iti es is wh at she claims In furth er ex
, .

p l anati on she writes

“
I remember f rom early d ays h ow he would
‘
speak o f the mom entary curi ous dazz l e in the
brain which preced ed the f alling a w ay o f a l l
,
’

mat erial things and precluded s om e inner visi on

o f gr eat beauty or great pr es enc es or s ome sy
, , m
bolic imp ort— that w ould pass as rapid l y as it
came I have be en besid e him w h en he h as be en
.

i n tranc e and I h av e f el t th e room throb with

”
h eight en ed v ibrati on .

“
One o f th e dr eam visi on s w hich Wil l iam
-

S harp experi enc ed s h ort l y b e f or e h is l ast i ll n ess ,

“
is head ed El ementa l S ymbo l ism and was re ,

c orded by him in th ese beauti ful w ords :

“
I sa w Se l f or Li f e symb ol iz ed al l about me
, ,

as a limitl es s f ath om l ess and l one l y sea I took

,
.

a hand fu l and thr ew it int o the gr ey si l ence of

oc ean ai r an d it r eturned at onc e as a swi ft and
,

pot ent flam e a red fi re cr es ted w ith brow n sun

,
 m
Illu i nati on i n P oeti cal Te p era mm ent 2 81

ris e rushing from bet w een the lips of s ky and

,

”
s ea to th e s ound as o f innum erabl e trumpets .

“
In anoth er dr eam h e visited a land where
th er e w as n o more w ar w h er e al l en and wo m
m
,

en w er e equal ; w h er e hum an s birds and beasts ,

w er e n o l onge r at enmity or pr eyed on one an

m
,

oth er . And he was t ol d that the young en of

the land had to s erv e two years as mis s ionari es
to th os e wh o li v e d at the utt e rm ost boundari es .

‘ ‘
T o w hat en d h e ask ed T o cast out fear our
’
? .
,

’
la s t en emy .In the h ouse o f h is h ost he was
struck by th e b eauty o f a fram ed painting that
‘
s eem ed to vibrate w ith rich col ors Who .

‘
pai n t ed that ? h e ask ed H is h ost smil ed We
’
.
,

hav e l ong sinc e c eas ed to use bru sh es and paints .

’
That is a thought proj ected fr om the artist s
brain and its duration wi ll be proporti onat e
,

with its truth .

’

In exp l an ati on of w hy he ch os e to put out so

much of th e creativ e w ork o f his br ain und er
th e s ign atur e o f a w oman and h ow h e happ en ed
,

to us e th e nam e F i on a M acleod Sharp ex p l ain ed,

th at w h en he b egan to r eal iz e how str ong w as

th e f emi n i n e el em ent i n th e book P harai s h e ,

’
d ecid ed to i ss u e the b ook u n de r a w oman s nam e
”
and Fi on a M acleod flash ed r eady mad e into
“
-

h i s mi n d.
“
My tru est s el f the s el f who is be
,

”
low all oth e r s el v e s mu s t fi n d express i on he ,

e x p l ain ed T he S el f th at i s above the oth er s el f

.
282 C os mC ic ons ci ous n es s

is w hat he sh ould hav e said Th e f oll o w ing ex .

tracts are from the F i on a M acleoal phase o f Wfl

l iam S harp and are characte ristic of the S el f as ,

evid enc ed in all instances o f I ll umination par ,

ticularly as these expr e ss ions re fer to the noth

ing n es s o f d eath and th e beauty and po w er o f

,

Love .
“
Do not speak o f the spiritual l i fe as
‘ ’ ‘ ’
another li fe ; there is no o ther li f e ; w hat we
m ean by that is w ith us n ow Th e great mis
, .

conc eption o f d eath i s that it is the only door

”
to anoth er world This t esti mony corroborates
m
.

that of Whit an as we l l as o f St Paul not .

,

withstan ding a ll the c enturi es that s epa rat e the

two . S t Paul did not say that man w ill ha ve a
.

spiritual body but that h e has a spiritual body

,

as w e l l as a c orpor eal body .

A fter th e e x peri ence of his i l lum inati on W i l ,

liam Sharp writing as F i ona M acleod constantly

,

t estifi ed to the ever pres ent rea l ity of h is spi ritua l

-

l i f e ; a l i f e far m or e real to him than the sense

conscious li fe alth ough he a ll ud ed to it as hi s
dream In on e plac e he says :
.

“
N ow truly i s dr eamland no l onger a ph an
,

tasy o f sl eep but a lov eliness so great that like

.

, ,

deep music th ere could be no w ords wh er ew ith

,

to measure it but on l y the br eathl ess un s poken

,

s peech o f the soul upon w h om has fal l en the

”
sec ret dews .

O f the impossibi l ity o f adeq uat ely ex plaining

2 84 C os mC
ic ons ci ousn ess

part o f the price of li berati on The illumined.

mind sees and h ears an d f eels the vibrati ons

that emanate from a l l who are travailing in the
m es h es of the sense conscious li fe ; but through
-

a ll th e sympath etic sorro w there runs the thread

,

o f a di v in e assurance and c e rtainty of pro found

— a bl iss that pass es compreh ensi on or descri
j y
o p
ti on
m
.

M rs S ha rp in the fi nal c onc l usi on o f the M e

.
,

“
oirs says to qu ot e my hu sband s ow n w ords ’

ever b elo w a ll the st ress an d fai l ure b el ow all

,

the t riumph o f his toil lay th e beauty of his

m
,

”
drea .

In accordance with an o ft repeated requ est

-
,

thes e l in es are inscrib ed on the Iona cr oss carv ed

in la v a w hich marks the grave wh er ein is laid to
,

r est the earthly f orm of Wi ll iam Sharp

“
Farew ell to th e kn own and exhausted ,

W elc om e th e unkn ow n and i ll imitable .

An d this :
“
Lov e is more gr eat than we conce ive and ,

”
d eath is th e k eepe r o f unkn ow n red emptions .

Th ey are fr om h is h igh er S el f ; from the ill u

”
min ed D ominion of Dreams .
 CH A P T ER !V

METHODS OF ATTAIN M ENT : T H E WA Y

OF ILLU MINATION
Oriental phi l os ophies r ecogni ze f our impo rtant
methods of yoga .

Y oga is the word which signifies uniting w ith

”
God .

From w hat has gone be f ore in th es e pages ,

the r eader w i ll un de r s ta n d that unity w ith God

m ean s to us th e uncov ering of the g od nature
,
-

w ithin or abov e the human p ers ona l ity ; it m ean s

,

the attainm en t an d r etai n m ent in f ulln ess o f cos

mic c on s ci ousn ess We do n ot bel i ev e th at any
.

on e r et ains ful l and comp l et e rea l iz at ion o f c os mic

c onsci ou sn es s and r em ains in the physical body .

T he num erous instanc es to w hich w e a ll ud e i n

f orm er chapters are at b est but t emporary flights
, ,

int o th at stat e w hich is the goal o f th e s ou l s

,
’

pi l grimage and th e on l y m ean s of esc ap e from

,

“ ”
the c eas el ess r ound of birth s and d eath s w hich

s o w e igh ed up on th e h eart o f Gaut ama .

The paths of yoga then are the m eth ods by

,

which the mind in th e pers on al s el f i s m ad e to

, ,

perceive the r ea l ity of the high er S el f and its ,

2 84
2 86 C os m
ic C ons ci ousness

r el ati on to th e S upreme Int ell igence— The A bs o

l ute .

T h e vari ous m eth ods or paths are point ed out ,

but n o one n or a ll o f th es e path s guarant ees

,

i ll uminati on as a rew ard f or di l igenc e That .

w hich is in th e heart o f the disciple is the key

th at un l ock s the d oo r .

Th es e paths are call ed

m
K ar a Yog a; R aja Yog a; Gna ni Yog a;
B hakti Yog a
m m
.

K ar a Yog a is the path of che er ful s ub is

si on to th e con diti ons in w hich th e di scip l e fin ds
h im s el f bel i ev ing that th os e c on diti on s are h is
,

becaus e o f h is n eeds and in or der th at he may

,

fu l fi ll that w hich he has attracted to hims el f .

Th e adm oniti on w hat ev er thy ha n d find s to do

”
th at d oest th ou w ith all thy h eart sums up the ,

l es son s of the path of Karma Y oga T he urge to .

achi ev e ; to do ; to accompl i sh ; to stri v e an d at

tai n actuat es th os e w ho h av e w h eth er w ith con
, ,

“
sci ou s inten t or be cau se of a vagu e in w ar d
,

”
urge d ev oted th ei r liv es to taki n g an activ e part
,

in the mat erial or inte ll ectual achi evem ents o f

the race .

Th ere are th os e w ho are bl ind ly fo ll ow ing (as

far as th eir m enta l o perati on s are c onc e rn ed ) ,

th e path o f Karm a Y oga ; that i s th ey w ork ,

w ith out kno w i n g w h y th ey w ork ; th ey w ork

becaus e th ey are c om pell ed to do so as sla v es of ,

the law ; th ese will w ork th eir wa y out o f tha t

2 88 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

practic e magi c in its high er aspect s but unl ess

m
,

h e is extr em el y car e fu l this pow e r w i l l te pt

him to use h is kn owl edge for s e lfish or unworthy
purposes .

L et th e stud ent of Raj a Y oga bea r in mind

th e on e gr eat an d high purpos e o f his efforts ,

w hich sh ou l d be : the rea l i zati on o f his s piritua l

nature an d the d ev el opmen t o f his individua l
,

s el f s o that it fin a ll y m erges int o the spi ritual

,

“
Se l f thus gai n i n g imm orta l ity in th e fl esh
, .

“ ”
D oes thi s fl es h m ean the phy s ical body ?
N ot n ec es sari l y be cause this that we s ee and
,

“
nam e th e phy s ica l bod y is n ot th e real body
’
,

any m or e th an the c l othi n g that cov ers it is the ,

person a l th ough fr equ en t l y w e recogniz e ac

,

q uain tan ces by th ei r clothi ng Imm orta l ity in the

.

flesh m eans ces sati on from furth er incarnati ons ,

the l ast an d pres ent p er sona l ity including all oth

“
ers in consci ou s n ess until w e can say I mani
, , ,

f esting in the physica l as so and s o am n ow and

,
- -
,

f or ev er immort al r em embe ring oth er mani f esta

,

ti ons w hich w ere n ot su ffi ci ent l y compl ete but

m
,

which add ed to th e su o f my c onsci ousn ess

m
until n ow I kn ow y s elf a deathless bei ng ”
.

T o th os e w h o s eek th e path of Raj a Y oga w e ,

’
rec omm end m editati on upon P atanjali s Y oga
S utras o f which th er e are s ev eral translati on s
, ,

diff e ring s l ightly as to int erpretation We ha v e .

selected some of the m ost import ant from th e ,

 M ethods f
o A ttai n m
en t 2 89

trans l ati ons by j ohnston They are d esign ed to

.

make c l ear the di ff erenc e b etween the s el f o f

pers on al ity and the S el f or at an w hich mani
, , m
f ests in pers on a l ity
“
T h e personal s el f se eks to f east upon li f e ,

through a fai l ure to p erc ei v e the distincti on be

t w een the pe rs on a l s el f an d the spiritu al man .

A ll p ersona l ex peri enc e r ea ll y ex i sts f or th e s ak e

o f an oth e r : nam el y the spiritua l man
, By per .

f ectly c onc entrat ed m editati on on ex pe ri enc e f or

th e sak e o f the S el f c om es a kn owl edge o f the
,

”
spiritual man .

T he wi s e pe rson s eeks ex peri enc e in ord er that

h e may attain to th e s ta n dard o f the spiritua l
man ; d oing a ll things f or the l ess ons th at th ey
“
t each w orking as th ose w ork w ho are ambi
:

ti ou s and y et ha v i n g n o pe r s ona l ambiti on

,
.

Looking on al l l i fe and at the s el f o f pers on

,

a l ity and kn ow ing the i ll usi on o f th e s el f he is

rai s ing the p ers onal s el f to the spiritual p l ane ;
but a lw ays he has the h an dicap o f the d esires
“
o f the l ow e r s el f th e pe rs on al w hich
,
s eek s to
,

”
f ea s t on li f e b ecau s e it is born of th e ex te rnal
, ,

an d its i n h er ent appetit es are f or the satis faction

an d pl easur e s o f that phys ical sel f .

We do n ot say to l ook upon the body with

i ts ne eds and i ts d esir es as an en emy to be ov er
,

c om e ; or that its a ll ur em ents are dangerous

alth ough p l easurab l e N o We say to the stu
. .
290 Cos mC ic ons ci ousness

d en t c ontro l th e des ires of the body Mak e

, .

them do th e bidding of th e Sel f becaus e it is ,

on l y by so d oin g that y ou can gain the immortal

h eights o f g od hood looking d ow n upon the

-

fleeting dream o f pe rs onal ity w ith i ts so call ed

m
-
,

p l eas ur es as a bad nigh tmar e co pared to the

,

j oys that await the immortals .

Th ere f ore con c entrat e upon expe ri en ce f or

,

th e sake o f the S el f that y ou are an d l earn the ,

l esson o f your ex pe ri ence throwing aside th e ,

e xperi ence its el f as you wo ul d cast a s ide the

,

skin of an orange from w h ich th e j uic e had

be en extracted Don t fill th e ar eas o f your
.
’

m orta l mind w ith rubbish— w ith m em ories of

“ ”
benefits forgot ; or l oves u n requit ed ; or
f ri endships brok en ; or mi sspen t h ours ; or un
hall ow ed words and acts .

’
Cu ll from each day s ex per i enc e all th at he l ps
to d ev elop the spiritual an— a ll that w i l l stand m
the tes t o f immortal ity— kind w ords and d eeds ;

princip l e maintai n ed ; a wrong f orgiven ; a ser

vic e ch eer fu ll y ext en d ed ; a to l erance and g en
e ros ity f or th e mistak e s o f oth e rs as w el l as for

your ow n Th es e s eem small things to the per

.

s onal sel f — the ambitious the gl oating the s ense , ,

d esiring s el f o f th e p ers onality ; we scarc ely tak e

m
the int o account but to the Sel f that is s eek
,

in g imm ortality th es e are the grains of wh eat

,

f rom th e load o f cha ff ; the diamond in the car

2 92 C os mC ic ons ci ous n ess

up and arous ed to c onsciousness by m editation

,
.

Rea l izing and f ocus ing the li g ht o f the spiritua l

nature upon thi s part of the h ead op ens up th os e ,

un ex p l ored ar ea s o f con s ci ou sness in w h ich the

masters d w el l an d the stud ent kn ow s by intui
,

tion w hich is a hi g her aspect o f r easo n many

, ,

things w hich w ere h eretof ore incompr eh ensibl e

to the m erely s ens e conscious man -
.

T h e spiritual Sel f is n ot a being unlik e and

w h ol ly f or e ign to our conc ept o f th e per f ect or m
tal man ; all the powers of disc ernment which
-

w e find in m ort al consci ousn ess are acc entuat ed

m
,

int ensifi ed refin ed ; a ll gr ossn ess a l l i perf ec

, ,

tions and embarrassm ents r em ov ed ; p l easur e

s ensitiz ed to ecstasy ; l ov e gl or ifi ed to worship .

“
S hape l in ess b eauty f orce th e t emper of th e
, , ,

diam ond ; these are the end ow m ents of that

”
body .

T h e spiritual body is s hape l y stron g beauti fu l , , ,

imp erishab l e as the diam ond w ith a ll its bri l

, ,

liancy N o v ap ory unc e rtain or unreal bei ng

.
, , ,

but the Rea l with the hu sk of s en s e c onsci ous

,
-

n ess dr opp ed off and on l y the k ern el s o f truth

,

buri ed in the chaff of Experi enc e r etain ed from ,

the ex peri enc es of the p ersona l s el f

m
.

“
Wh en th e spiritua l an i s pe r f ect l y disen
tangl ed fr om th e p sychic body h e att ains to ,

”
mastery ov er a ll thi n gs and to a kn owl edge o f a ll .

Th e spiritua l S el f the cosmic conscious S el f

, ,
 Meth ods f
o A ttai n m
en t 29 3

m
ust n ot be
con found ed w ith the psychic body ,

which is f orm ed from the em oti on s — passi on s ;

f ears ; hatreds ; ambiti ons ; res entm ents ; envy ;
r egr ets Kn ow thys el f as a b eing sup erior to
.

a ll bas er em otions and the mastery ov er th em

,

is c omp l ete .Th ey are n ot d estroyed but con ,

vert ed into l ov e— the ev er l asting Sourc e o f Li fe .

“
Th er e sh ou l d be comp l ete o v ercoming o f
all ur em ent or prid e in th e invitati ons o f the di f

f eren t r egi ons of l i f e l est attachm ent to things

,

”
evil aris e onc e mor e .

It is said that the discipl es s eeking the paths ,

o f Y oga r each thr ee d egr ees or stages o f d ev el

m
,

op en t ; fir s t tho se who are j ust ent ering the

,

path ; s ec on d th os e w ho are in the r eal m of

,

a ll ur em ents subj ect to t emptati on s ; third those

, ,

w ho have w on the vict ory ov er the s ens es and the

e x t e rnal l i f e— m
ay o; f ourth th os e w ho are
,

firm l y entr ench ed b ehind the bu lw ark of cer

tai n ty ; the spiritual b eing r eal iz ed ; cosmic con
s ciou sn ess attai n ed and r etain ed .

“
By abs ence of a ll sel f i n du l genc e at this poi n t ,

als o the s eeds o f bondage of sorrow are de

,

s tr oyed ,
and pure spiritua l b e i n g is attained .

S el f abn egation and s el f sacrifice have ev er

- -

b een the w ay of spiritua l dev el opm ent ; but we

are pr on e to misund erstand and mi s tak e the tru e

int erpr etation o f this adm oniti on ; en shut m

thems el ves in m onasteries and women become
294 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

nuns and r eclus es as a p enance in ord er to pur ,

chas e as it w er e abs ol uti on (at one ness w ith

, ,
- -

T he Ab sol ut e w hich k n o w s n ot s in ) this is n ot

,

th e p oint int end e d h er e Spiritua l c onsci ousn ess .

can not be bought ; the d e sires o f the personal

m
sel f may be s ubli ated i n to divin e f orc e and
pow er thr ough rec ognizing th e desires of the
,

s el f as baub l e s w hich attract and fil l th e ey e ,

until w e fai l to s ee the gl ories o f that wh ich

a w aits us .

“
Th er ea fter th e wh ol e pe rsona l be ing ben ds
,

t ow ard i ll uminati on full of the spirit o f Eternal ,

”
Li f e.

H er e again w e ha v e assuranc e that the spirit

,

ually —
“ ”
conscious man the l umin ous body is n ot ,

a b eing apart fr om th e sel f that w e kn o w our

inner natur e to be but rath er it is the inn er S el f
,

e v e n as w e in ou r ign orance and our l ack of

initiation kno w it rais ed to a high er r eal m of

, ,

con s ciousn ess ; our desir es r efin ed spi ritu al iz ed , ,

mad e pure and our faculties str ength en ed an d

,

imm ortaliz ed We do n ot withdra w from ex

.

peri en ce but w e draw f rom Ex perience the less on

— th e h id den w isdom of the initiate .

M edi tate up on th es e s utras .

“
H e w h o a ft e r h e has attain ed is w holly free
, ,

from s el f i s set in a c l oud of h olin es s wh ich is

m
,

ca ll ed I ll u ination This is the true spi ritual .

”
consciousn ess .
2 96 C os m
i C c ons ci ous n ess

it is like awak ening fr om a dr eam o f the s enses ) ,

c om es startl es and s urpris es us and th en we be

, ,

c om e ast oni s h ed at the transparency of the bonds

that bound us to th e limitati ons of the m orta l ,

w h en w e might have soared to realms o f l ight .

“
By per f ectl y concentrated m editati on on the
c orr el ati on of the body with the ether and by ,

thinking of it as light as thistl e do w n w i l l come

-

the power to trav ers e the eth er .

The Z ens say th at the way of the gods is

through the ai r and a ft erwards in the eth er .

This means that w e must evol v e from the physi

cal to the psychic and th ence to the eth eric or
,

spiritual body Thi s i s the way of the many It

. .

is only the f ew w ho attain to perf ect spiritu al

c on s ciousness w hil e mani f esting in th e phy s ical ,

“
but th es e do n ot hav e to undergo the s eco n d
”
d eath w hich is the dr opping off o f the psychic
b ody and a ss uming the s piritu al body Th ey
, .

attain to imm ortality i n th e fl es h (i e in th e , . .

,

present p ersonal ity ) .

“
Th ereupon w i l l c om e the mani f estati on o f the
atomic and oth e r po w er s w hich are the en d ow
,

m ent of the body together with its unassai l abl e

,

’
f orcef
The body h ere re f err ed to it must be borne in
,

mind is the eth eric or spi ritual body which

, ,

poss ess es the po w er to disint eg r at e matt er ; the

power to an n ihi l at e tim e and space ; so that h :
 M ethods f
o A ttain m
en t 29
7

may look back w ard i n t o r em ote antiquity and

f or w ard into b ound l es s futurity ; or as the co m
m en tator says
“
, he can touch the m oon w ith the
”
tip of his finger ; the powe r of le v itati on and
l imit l ess ex t ensi on ; the p ow e r of command ; the
pow er of creativ e w i ll Th es e are the endo w
.

m ents of the spiritu al bo dy w ith w hich the dis

ciple i s s eeking to e s tab l i sh his i dentity— that he

m ay ov erc om e th e s ec on d d eath an d b ec om e i m
m ortal in cons ci ousn ess h ere and n ow, .

O f this spiritua l or eth eric body it is said

, ,

Fir e burns it n ot ; w at er wets it n ot ; the s w ord

c l ea v es it n ot ; dry w i n d s parch it n ot It is un .

”
a ss ai l ab l e
.

M edi tate up on this s utra .

“
F or him w ho disc ern s b et w een the mind and
the spiritua l m
an (the S el f ) th er e c om e s p er f ect
”
fruiti on of the l ongi n g a ft er the r eal be i ng .

!Vh en the discip l e has once gra s pe d the fact

t hat he i s a s ou l and p oss es ses a mind and a
,

phys ica l c ov eri n g he h as ent er ed on th e w ay of

,

I ll uminati on and must in evitably r each the go al ;

,

“
th en sha ll he fi n d p er f ect fruiti on o f the l ong
”
i n g a ft er the p er f ect S el f and i ts c ompl et em ent
,

“
in uni on with the l ov e that h e crav es Hav e y ou
.
,

in l on ely darkn ess l onged f or companionship and

c on s ol ati on ? Y ou sha ll ha v e angel s and arch
an gel s f or y our fri ends and a ll th e immortal
”
ho sts of the Da w n .
2 98 C os m
i C c ons ci ous ness

Such are th e Y oga sutras or aphori sms as , ,

enunciated by P atan jal i .

I f th e aspiring on e w er e to giv e up a w hol e

l i f etime to th e ir practic e gaini n g at last th e
,

c onsci ousn ess o f imm ortal l i f e and l ove what a ,

sma ll pric e to pay .

R aj a Yog a w ith i ts m eth ods and exercis es is ,

t he path of kn owl edge through ap pl ication ; con

,

c entrati on ; m editati on .

T he practice of Raja Y oga w i ll l ead the student

to th e path o f Gna n i Y oga ; and to the r ealiza
ti on that Bhakti Y oga th e way of lo v e and
,

s ervic e w i ll be i n cl u ded n ot as an ardu ous task ;

,

n ot as a study or as a m eans to an en d but be

, ,

caus e of the l ov e o f it .

Gnani Yog a comes as c omp l em entary to pra e

tic e of the s utras becaus e kn o w l edge app l i ed f or
th e purpose of spiritual attainm ent brings wis do m
.

G nan i Y og a th en i s th e path of wisd om

, , T he .

f oll ow e r o f Gna n i Y oga s eeks th e occu l t or hid

den w i s dom an d a lw ays has be for e him th e id ea
m
,

o f w h eth e r th is or that be o f the S el f the at an

m
, ,

or o f th e s el f th e p e rs onal gradua ll y eli

, in at
,

ing from h is d esir es all that d oes n ot ans w er the

t est o f its rea l ity in spi ritual c onsciousn ess ; h e
w el com es ex p eri enc es of a l l kind s as so many ,

l essons from w hich he ext racts th e fi n e grain o f

truth and throw s a s id e the husks ; he accepts
,

“
nothing blind ly or in faith but prov es al l thin g s
,
30 0 C os mC ic ons ci ous ness

God as there are soul s And y et all persons who

.
,

are on the upward climb are demonstrating some ,

on e o f th es e four paths or a combination o f the

,

paths It is howev er a significant fact that we

.
, ,

do not hear anyth ing o f the great intel lectual

a ttainm ents o f th e th ree great masters— Ki rshna ,

B uddha and J esus but only o f th ei r great com

,

passion ; their wond er ful l ove for manki nd and ,

all li v ing th ings .

S t Paul who w as probably an educated man

.
, ,

as h e h eld a posi ti on o f promin enc e among those

in auth ority previ ous to his conversion laid par

, ,

ticular str ess upon the l ove nature as th e w ay o f -

illum ination .

A n d Jes us r epeatedly said Love is the f ulfill

”
ing o f the law W hat is the law ? Th e law
.

o f evo l ution and i nv ol ution ; o f gen eration and

r egeneration ; when the time should com e tha t ,

Love was to reign on the plan et earth as it d oe s

in th e heavens abo v e the earth then should the ,

“ ”
kingd om of w hich he f oretold be at h and an d ,

in c onclusi on o f this to be Jesus promised th at -

,

the law w ould be fu lfilled when Love should

come .

So Sw am i V ivekananda in his exposition o f

Vedanta declares :
“
Lov e is higher th an work than yoga ; than ,

know ledge D ay and night think of God in the

.

m idst of al l your acti v iti es Th e d aily necessary .

 Methods o f A ttai n m ent
3 1
0

thoughts can all be thought through God Eat .

to H im drink to Him sle ep to Him see Him in

, , ,

all
. Let us open ourselves to the one Di vine
A ctor and let Him act and do nothing ourselves
, .

Compl ete s el f surrend er is the on ly way Put

-
.

”
out sel f l ose it ; f orget it
, .

Le t us substitute for the w ords God and ,

”
Him the one word Love and see w hat it is
, ,

that we are told to do .

Love o f doing good frees us from work ev en ,

th ough we labor from early dawn until the night

fall s ; so too i f we have some loved one f or
, ,

wh om we strive we can en dure every hardship

,

with equanimity as far as our o w n c om f ort i s

,

conc e rned Few human beings in the world to

m
.

day are so en eshed in the p ersonal sel f as to

work m erel y for the gr atification o f selfish in
s tincts .The hard working man whether labor er
-
,

or ba nk er must have som e one else for wh om he

,

struggles and strives ; otherwise he descends to ,

a leve l below that o f the brute .

This i s the reason for the family ; the l odge ;

th e community ; the nation ; there must be som e
motive other than the preservation o f the personal
s el f in order to develop the high er qual ity of
,

love which embraces the world until the spirit ,

o f a Christ tak es pos session o f the human and

he would gladly off e r himsel f a sacrifice to the
30 2 C os mC
ic ons ci ous n ess

w orl d i f by s o d oi n g he c ou l d el imi n ate a l l the

,

pain from th e w or l d .

Ho w natural it is to f eel wh en w e s ee a l ov ed
,

on e suff e ring that w e w ou l d gl adly tak e upon

,

ours elv es that pain ; the h eart fill s with l ove unti l
it ach es w ith the burd en of it ; this l ove enlarged ,

e x pand ed and impers ona l in its app l icati on is the

sam e l ov e with w hich w e are t ol d to l ove God ,

“
and to do all f or Him ”
Do a l l f or l ov e of a ll
.

the oth er hearts in th e U ni v ers e that f eel as w e

f eel w h en th eir l ov ed on es s u ff er— that is the

way to l ove God— it is the on l y way we know .

We onl y kno w di v i n e l ove through human l ove ;

human l ove i s divi n e w h en it is uns el fish and
et e rn al— n ot f ed upon ca m
ality but anchor e d in ,

spiritual c ompl em ent .

T h e st ory of Abou Be n Adh em may h is

”
trib e increase ) t ell s us how w e may kn ow w ho
l ov es the L ord T he angel w rot e the nam es of
.

th os e w ho l ov ed the Lord m ost faith fu ll y and

fu ll y and coming to Abou B en Adh em ask e d
,

i f h e s h ou l d w rit e his nam e and rec eiv ed the ,

r epl y th at he coul d not say w h ether he d eepl y

l ov ed the Lord but he was quit e certain th at
m
,

“
the a n gel could w rite e as on e w ho l ov es his
fe l lo w en -
”
m
. And 10 ! w h en th e list was made
,

and th e nam es o f all w ho l ov ed the Lord re

m ’
c ord ed Ab ou Ben A dhe s nam e h ead ed th e list
, .

The V edan ta phi l os ophy t eache s non attach -

30 4 C os mC ic ons ci ousness

as k whether it is f rom the sen ses or from the

heart .

The way o f the B hakti y og a is the way o f l ove ,

and s e rvice becaus e se rvice to our fellow beings

, ,

is the in evitable c omplement o f love W here we .

trul y l ov e we gladly se rve It has been said :

, .

“
The ch el a treads a hair li ne That is to say
-
.
,

the initiate must be prepared to meet d e feat at

ev ery turn Not d e feat o f his obj ect o f attain
.

ment but the pe rsonal de feat that so many seek

,

’
in the d elusion that the world s ideal o f success
is the real success .

I n concl usion we can only repeat what has

been told and ret old many times by all ins pired
ones o f whatev e r cr eed and race ; n amely th ink
, ,

and act al w ays f rom the i nn er S elf cheer fully ,

taking th e consequences o f your choice L et .

n ot the opini ons o f th e i lluso ry world o f the

“
senses bal k and thwart you Let not the world .

”
ly wis e sw e rve you from your ideal and your
-

fai th in the fin al goal o f your earthly pilgri mage

— the attainment o f spi ritual consci ousn ess i n

y o u r pr esen t p ers onali ty ; this is the meaning o f

immortality in the fl esh Doubt not this .

Make l ove your ideal ; y our guid e ; y our final

goal ; l ook f or the inne r S el f o f all w hom you
“ "
m eet . Learn to l ook into th e hearts o f men ,

sa ys the inj u n cti on in Light on the Path ; dism iss

from your mind al l the accumulation o f tradi
 Methods of A ttai n m en t
30 5

tional concepts and prej udices that are not

g rounded in love and above a ll f alter n ot nor
, ,

—
doubt no matter what s eeming hardshi ps you
encounte r in your ea rth l y pi l gri age ; they are m
bu t th e Indian clubs o f your s oul s gy nasium m
’

m
-

Experience
“
Meet wi th Triu ph and D isaster
m
.
,

”
and treat thes e tw o i p os tors j ust the same .

Tri umph and Disaster as seen with the eyes

o f sense consci ousn ess are both illusions ; but
-

’
don t for this reason cease your wo rk T he
“ ”
phras e you must work out your own salvation
i s true S o al so you must be willing to do your
.
,

part in wo rking out the salvation o f the world ;

salvation means s imply the reali zation o f the

spiritual B eing that you are—t he attainmen t of

that state o f Illumination whi ch guaran tees i m
mortality .

Expe rience teaches one important lesson : Ou r

sense conscious li fe is fi l led w ith symbo l ic lan

-

g uage i f we hav e the inner eye o f discernment .

An un escapable truth is symboli z ed in our daily

li fe by the evid ence that we get noth ing for noth
ing Ev erything has its price
. .

Immortali ty godhood wil l not be handed to

,

you on a silver sa l ver ; neith er can any one w ith

hold it f rom you i f you d esire it above all thin g s
, .

And alth o it has its price y et y ou can n ot buy

,
’
,

i t A seeming paradox but the Initiate will se e

. ,

it all clearly enough wh e n the time comes .

30 6 Cos mC
ic ons ci ous n ess

He who wou l d sca l e the H eights o f Understand

ing
Fr om w hence the s oul l ooks out for ev er fr ee
M ust fa l t er n ot ; n or fai l ; a ll truth dem andi n g
Though he bear the cr oss and kn ow Geths emane .

T he disc ouraged stud ent says to h ims el f

-
If
Truth demands such sorrow and sacrifice as this ,

I wi l l not serv e her It is a fa l se god that wou l d

.

s o try his devot ees .

Hav e y ou not said it ?

Th e tol l you pay is n ot to the Di v ine S el f
with in but to the keepers of the thres h old
, ,

that guard the entrance to the dwe ll i n g p l ace o f

th e I l luminati .

Earth l y l odges and broth erhoods are symbo l s

o f th e high e r initiati ons .

Ther e is a comm on mistak e in the i dea that the

invisibl e states of c onsci ousn ess are cha otic or ,

radically diff erent from the visibl e .

“
As b elow so abov e and as abov e so belo w
, ,

is an aph orism constant l y h el d b e f or e th e eyes

o f the would be initiat e
-
Each of w hom must
.
,

interpret and kn ow it f or hims el f .

I f th e stud ent finds the Raj a Y oga sutras di f

fi cult o f compr eh ension or o f practic e let him
m editat e upon the f oll ow ing mantrams
I kn o w mysel f to be abov e the fa l se c onc epts
w h ich assail th e p ers onal sel f that I app ear to be .
 S UMMA RY .

In the f oreg oing chapters we have set forth

only a few o f the facts and instances which the
in q uirer will find i f he but seek o f the real ity
, ,

o f a supra conscious faculty no less actual

-
, ,

than are the faculties o f the se nse conscio us -

human which type forms the av e rage o f the race

, .

This faculty or rath er we should say thes e f ac

,

ulti es— because th ey find expression in many

ways through avenues corr elative to the phys
,

ical senses— prove the existence o f a realm o f

consciousness far above the planes o f the mortal
,

or sense conscious man and transcending the re

-
,

g i on known as the as tral and psychic areas o f

consciousness .

All who hav e r eported their experi ences in con

tactin g th is i l limit able region unite in the essen
tial po ints of experience namely ,

The ex peri ence is indescribable

m
m
.

It con fers an unshakable conviction o f i or

tality.

It discl os es the fact that we are now living in

this supra consci ous realm ; that it is not s ome
-

thi ng which we acquire a fter d eath ; it is n ot to be .

Th i s r ealm is charact eri z ed by a beauti ful won ,

derf u T rad iant i ride cent light

s .

30 8
 M ethods o f A ttai n m en t
30 9

0 g reen ti re f
o lif e, p uls e f
o the world, 0
”
love.

It fills the h eart with a gr eat and all embracing -

love establ ishing a rea l izati on o f the silent Broth

,

erhood o f the Cosmos demo l ishin g all barriers o f

,

race and co l or and class and conditio n .

Il l umination is inclusive It knows no separa

.

tion.

It announces the fact that every person is right

from his point o f view .

“
That noth ing w alks with aimless feet ; that n o
one li fe shall be destroyed ; or cast as rubbish on
”
the void ;when God hath made the pile complete .

T hat L i f e and Love and Joy unutterable are

the reward o f the seek er ; and that th ere is no one
and only path .

All systems ; all creeds ; all methods that are

formulated and upheld by altruism are righteo us ,

and that the Real is the spiritual— the external is

a dream from which the w orld is awaken ing to
the consciousness o f the spiritual man— the at

m a n — the S el f that is age l ess ; birth l ess ; death

l ess— d ivine On all sid es are evid ences that the

.

race is entering upon this n ew consci ousness .

S o many are weary w ith the stri f e and struggle

and noise o f the s ense consci ous l i fe
-
.

The il l usi ons of poss essi ons w hich break in our

hands as we g rasp th em ; of empty titl es o f so
“ ”
called honor build ed upon pro w ess in war ;
,
3 o
t m
C os ic C ons ci ousn ess

the feverish race a ft er w ealth — cold as the marble

pa l ac es w hich it bui l ds to shut in its w orship
p ers — a ll these things are becoming sk el eton lik e
-

and n o l onger d eceiv e those w ho are even remotel y

discerning the n ew birth .

The n ew h era l dry will have for its badge o f

“ ”
roya l ty Lov e and S e rvice to my F ell ow B eings ,

“ ”
di s placing th e D i eu et mon Droit of the anci ent
id eal.

T h e Da w n i s here
. A re y ou a w ak e ?
In th e h eart of T o day is the w ord o f
-

Tom orrow .

The Build ers of Joy are the Children of S orrow .

 An Es s ay on An aly z i n g the Con ten ts of Lo ve an d Al
’

ecti os

By VE IKKO P ALA MOA and S HERIJ A L UCY GOO DEN O

Th e Hu mW an orld Is P eri shin g f or th e Want

Realiz ed Love Ideals

m A ll
ore .
of us ul d
sh o l earn to l ove m
ore :
“
To kn ow m ore is to

mf te r y ou re ad Love an d A ff ect i on
m
“
A y o wi l n ders tan d
”
u l u
m
m v
ore l o e f or h us b an d, m lv
th e h u an w orld i s pe ri s h i n g f or th e l ack of
ore o e f or ch i d,
ore love f or
ore ove f or n e i gh l ml
m
l v
m v
ore o e of th e h i gh er reali ti es whi ch are of th e Ki n g do

m
H ve a en , th e Ki n g do

Hg
th e
u
O f Lo e
v
Th e true st aff ecti on s of

m
wo en are n de elop ed because th e Lov e N ature i s crush ed be
i h er Ideal s of Hu an Lif e are re ali z ed
. en

F ri en ds ,
“
Love an d Aff e cti on wi ll sh ow y ou h ow to l ov e In
”

It te ach e s y ou h ow
y ou h ave a s i i lar
and sci e n ce of l ove
m .
t o i n s p i re f ee l i n gs of l ove in th os e f or w
f ee li n g It ex p l ai n s all about t h e phi los o
.

If y ou l ove an d y our lov e i s n ot re turned

b ook wi ll en ab le y ou to turn in diff eren ce i n to si ncere devoti on .

our love i s re tu rn ed y ou can in cre ase i t a th ousan d f old

Ol d i t.

‘
If y ou h ave been di sa pp oi n ted i n lov e, re ad thi s book an d f o

m
.

the p ri n ci p le s s et f orth With thi s kn owl edge y ou act and By !

.

a hi gh er p l an e an d thi s en ab l e s y ou to win y our true s oul ate -

Th e F orce of Love
Wom an s s oul i s b orn w h en sh e re all y l oves !
’

Love i s th e gre atest of all f orces It i s s ai d th at one of

.

so m uch s elf i sh n e s an d s o littl e l ov e ev erywh ere th at h um

reas on s w h y th e w ar f ell up on th e w orl d w as because th ere
s

m
h ad to be taught s o e g reat les s on i n suff eri n g
a

m
.

p ath et ic But th ere i s s om eth i n g e l se wh i ch stal ks arorm

Th ere i s true Love It i s w on derf ul and h ol y an d s o ati
.

th e ass um
.

my m
mm
ed n a e of l ove It i s very ca p ti vat i n g but
.

an and w o an
d u

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T AB LE O F C O NT E NT S

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ass a on o a a. o n sci ous n ess

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