The Hindu system of physics, on which the metaphysical thought of
the East is based, does not in its beginnings differ widely from
the latest physics of the West; but it goes so much farther that
our physics is soon lost sight of and forgotten. The Hindu
conception of the material universe, taken from the Upanishads
and some open teaching, will serve for an illustration. They
divide physical matter into four kinds--prakriti, ether, prana,
and manasa--which they call "planes." These differ only in the
rate of vibration, each plane vibrating through one great octave,
with gulfs of "lost" octaves between. The highest rate of
vibration of prakriti is measured by the thousand, the lowest of
the ether by trillions, and the lowest of prana by--never mind;
they have, and we have not, the nomenclature.
The earth, they teach, is a globe of prakriti, floating in an
ocean of ether, which, as it has the sun for its center of
gravity, must necessarily be a globe. This etheric sun-globe has
a diameter of over 300,000,000,000 miles. All the planets
revolve around the sun far within its atmosphere. The etheric
sun-globe revolves on its axis once in about 21,000 years, and
this revolution causes the precession of the equinoxes. This
etheric sun-globe is revolving around Alcyone with other etheric
globes having suns for their centers and solar systems of
prakritic globes within them in a great year of 5,640,000,000 of
our common years. Its orbit has a diameter of
93,000,000,000,000,000 miles.
Beyond the etheric globes, and between them, is a third form of
matter called prana, as much rarer and finer than the ether as
the ether is rarer and finer than prakriti. As this prana has
Alcyone for a center of gravity, it is necessarily a globe; and
there are many of these pranic globes floating in a vast ocean of
manasa--a form of matter as much finer than prana as prana is
finer than ether, or ether than prakriti. With this manasa
(which is a globe) the material, or physical, universe ends; but
there are spiritual globes beyond. The material universe is
created from manasa, downward, but it does not respond to or
chord with the vibration of the globes above, except in a special
instance and in a special way, which does not touch this inquiry.
The physical universe of the ancient (and modern) Hindu physicist
was made up of these four kinds or planes of matter, distributed
in space as "globes within globes."
Professor Lodge in 1884 put forth the theory that prakriti
(physical matter) as we call it, was in its atoms but "whirls" of
ether. Since then speculative science has generally accepted the
idea that the physical atom is made up of many cubic feet of
ether in chemical union, as many quarts of oxygen and hydrogen
unite chemically to make a drop of water. This is an old story
to the Hindu sage. He tells his pupils that the great globe of
manasa once filled all space, and there was nothing else.
Precisely as on this earth we have our elementary substances that
change from liquids into solids and gases, so on this manasic
globe there were elementary substances that took the form of
liquids, solids and gases. Its manasic matter was differentiated
and vibrated through one octave, as the prakritic matter does on
the earth. Its substances combined as that does.
One combination produced prana. The prana collected, and formed
globes. On these pranic globes the process was repeated, with
ether as the result, and the etheric globes formed. Then the
process was repeated on the etheric globes, as the modern
scientists have discovered, and prakriti and prakritic globes
came into being.
The true diameter of the earth, the ancient Hindu books say, is
about 50,000 miles. That is to say, the true surface of the
earth is the line of twenty-four-hour axial rotation; the line
where gravity and apergy exactly balance; where a moon would
have to be placed to revolve once in 86,400 seconds. Within that
is prakriti; without is ether. It is also the line of no
friction, which does exist between matter of different planes.
There is friction between prakriti, between ether, between prana;
but not between ether and prana, or ether and prakriti. Friction
is a phenomenon confined to the matter of each plane separately.
We live at the bottom of this gaseous ocean--on its floor
--21,000 miles from the surface and only 4,000 miles from the
center. Here, in a narrow "skin" limited to a few miles above
and below us, is the realm of phenomena, where solid turns into
liquid and liquid into gas, or vice versa. The lesson impressed
upon the pupil's mind by Hindu physics is that he lives far
within the earth, not on it.
There is a comparatively narrow "skin" of and for phenomena
within the etheric sun-globe, say the Eastern teachers, where the
etheric solids, liquids, and gases meet and mingle and
interchange. Within this "skin" are all the planets--the
"gaseous" atmosphere of the etheric globe stretching millions of
miles beyond the outermost planetary orbit. The earth is in this
skin or belt of etheric phenomena, and its ether is in touch with
the ether "in manifestation" on the etheric globe. The sun and
other etheric globes are within the corresponding "skin" of
phenomena of the pranic globes. The prana, manifesting as solid,
liquid, and gas, or in combination and in forms, is in perfect
touch with that of the etheric globe, and through that with the
prana of the earth. That our prana is in touch with that on the
pranic globe in all its manifestations means much in metaphysics.
The same is true of the manasic globe, and of our manasa.
The great lesson the Eastern physics burns into the pupil is that
we are living not only within the prakritic earth, but within
each of the other globes as well in identically the same way and
subject to the same laws. Our lives are not passed on one globe,
but in four globes. It is as if one said he lived in Buffalo,
Erie county, New York, United States; that he was a citizen of
each and subject to the laws of each.
This question of the four globes, of the four planes of matter,
of the four skins, and of the four conditions or states of all
matter and necessarily of all persons, from the purely material
standpoint, is not only the foundation of Oriental physics, but
the very essence of Oriental metaphysics--its starting-point and
corner-stone. To one who carries with him, consciously or
unconsciously, the concrete knowledge of the physics, the
abstract teaching of the metaphysics presents no difficulty; it
is as clear as crystal. But without the physical teaching the
metaphysical is not translatable.
Our Western physics teaches that physical matter is divided into
two kinds prakriti (commonly called "physical matter") and ether;
that the differences of each of the elementary prakritic
substances (iron, copper, sulphur, oxygen) are in their
molecules, the fundamental atom being the same; that each of
these elementary substances vibrates only through one octave,
though on different keys; that it changes from solid to liquid
and gas as the rate of vibration is increased and from gas to
liquid and solid as its vibration is decreased within its octave;
that the ether obeys identical laws; that it has elementary
substances vibrating through one octave only, and that these are
solids, liquids, or gases on the etheric plane as prakriti is on
this; that these etheric substances change and combine in every
way that prakriti does; and that while all our prakritic
substances vibrate within (say) fifty simply octaves, the lowest
vibration of etheric matter begins over one thousand octaves
beyond our highest, making a gulf to leap. The Eastern physics
presents this with a wealth of detail that dazes the Western
student, and then adds: "But beyond the etheric plane (or
octave) of vibration for matter there is a third plane (or
octave) of vibration called prana and beyond that a fourth called
manasa. What is true of one plane is true of the other three.
One law governs the four. As above so below. There is no real
gulf; there is perfect continuity."
The Western scientist teaches as the foundation of modern physics
that "each and every atom of prakritic matter is the center of an
etheric molecule of many atoms;" that "no two prakritic atoms
touch," although their etheric envelopes or atmospheres do touch;
and that "all physical phenomena are caused by the chording
vibration of the prakritic atom and its envelope of ether," each
"sounding the same note hundreds of octaves apart." The "solid
earth" with its atmosphere represents the atom with its ether.
As all the oxygen and hydrogen do not combine to make the drop of
water, some remaining in mechanical union to give it an
atmosphere, and about one-fourth of its bulk being gas, so the
atom formed of the ether does not use all the ether in its
chemical union, retaining some in mechanical union for its
envelope or atmosphere.
The Hindu physics goes much farther along this road. It says
that, when the pranic globes were formed, each atom of prana had
its manasic envelope--was the center of a manasic molecule.
When the etheric globes formed, each atom of ether was the center
of a pranic molecule, each atom of which was surrounded with
manasa. When the prakriti was formed from the ether, each and
every atom of prakriti had the triple etheric-pranic-manasic
envelope. "Each and every prakritic atom is the center of an
etheric molecule," says our Western science; but that of the
East adds this: "And each atom of that etheric molecule is the
center of a pranic molecule, and each atom of prana in that
pranic molecule is the center of a manasic molecule." The four
great globes of matter in the material universe are represented
and reproduced in each and every atom of prakriti, which is in
touch with each one of the four globes and a part of it. The
same is true of any aggregation of prakriti--of the earth itself
and of all things in it, including man. As there are four
atoms in each one, so there are four earths, four globes,
consubstantial, one for each of the four elements, and in touch
with it. One is formed of prakritic atoms--the globe we know;
another, of the ether forming their envelopes; another, of the
prana envelopes of ether, and a fourth of the manasa around the
pranic atom. They are not "skins"; they are consubstantial.
And what is true of atoms or globes is true of animals. Each has
four "material" bodies, with each body on the corresponding globe
--whether of the earth or of the Universe. This is the physical
basis of the famous "chain of seven globes" that is such a
stumbling-block in Hindu metaphysics. The spirit passes through
four to get in and three to get out--seven in all. The Hindu
understands without explanation. He understands his physics.
The Hindu physics teaches, with ours, that "the ether is the
source of all energy," but, it adds, "as prana is the source of
all life, and manasa of all mind."
"When the prakritic atom is vibrating in chord with its etheric
envelope," say our textbooks, "we have physical phenomena
--light, heat, electricity." "Yes," says the Hindu teacher; "but
when the atom and its ether and its prana are vibrating in chord,
we have life and vital phenomena added to the energy. When the
atom and its ether, prana, and manasa are vibrating in chord, we
have mind and mental phenomena added to the life and energy."
Each atom has energy, life, and mind in posse. In the living
leaf the prakriti, ether, and prana are sounding the threefold
silver chord of life. In the animal, the manasa is sounding the
same note with them, making the fourfold golden chord of mind.
Even in the plant there may be a faint manasic overtone, for
the potentiality of life and mind is in everything. This unity
of the physical universe with the physical atom, and with all
things created--earth, animal, or crystal--is the physical
backbone of Oriental metaphysics. Prakriti, ether, prana, and
manasa are in our vernacular the Earth, Air, Fire, and Water of
the old philosophers--the "Four Elements."
The Oriental physics has been guarded most jealously. For many
thousands of years it has been the real occult and esoteric
teaching, while the Oriental metaphysics has been open and
exoteric. It could not be understood without the key, and the
key was in the physics known only to "the tried and approved
disciple." A little has leaked out--enough to whet the appetite
of the true student and make him ask for more.