"I" can set aside my sensations, emotions, passions, desires,
intellectual faculties, and all the rest of my mental collection of
tools, as "not I" things--and still there remains something--and that
something is "I," which cannot be set aside by me, for it is my very
self; my only self; my real self--"I." That which remains after all that
may be set aside _is_ set aside is the "I"--Myself--eternal, constant,
unchangeable.
[Illustration: "I am"]
THE THIRD LESSON.
THE EXPANSION OF THE SELF.
In the first two lessons of this course we have endeavored to bring to
the candidate a realization in consciousness of the reality of the "I,"
and to enable him to distinguish between the Self and its sheaths,
physical and mental. In the present lesson we will call his attention to
the relationship of the "I" to the Universal "I," and will endeavor to
give him an idea of a greater, grander Self, transcending personality
and the little self that we are so apt to regard as the "I."
The keynote of this lesson will be "The Oneness of All," and all of its
teachings will be directed to awakening a realization in consciousness of
that great truth. But we wish to impress upon the mind of the Candidate
that we are _not_ teaching him that he is the Absolute. We are not
teaching the "I Am God" belief, which we consider to be erroneous and
misleading, and a perversion of the original Yogi teachings. This false
teaching has taken possession of many of the Hindu teachers and people,
and with its accompanying teaching of "Maya" or the complete illusion or
non-existence of the Universe, has reduced millions of people to a
passive, negative mental condition which undoubtedly is retarding their
progress. Not only in India is this true, but the same facts may be
observed among the pupils of the Western teachers who have embraced this
negative side of the Oriental Philosophy. Such people confound the
"Absolute" and "Relative" aspects of the One, and, being unable to
reconcile the facts of Life and the Universe with their theories of "I Am
God," they are driven to the desperate expedient of boldly denying the
Universe, and declaring it to be all "an illusion" or "Maya."
You will have no trouble in distinguishing the pupils of the teachers
holding this view. They will be found to exhibit the most negative mental
condition--a natural result of absorbing the constant suggestion of
"nothingness"--the gospel of negation. In marked contrast to the mental
condition of the students, however, will be observed the mental attitude
of the teachers, who are almost uniformly examples of vital, positive,
mental force, capable of hurling their teaching into the minds of the
pupils--of driving in their statements by the force of an awakened Will.
The teacher, as a rule, has awakened to a sense of the "I" consciousness,
and really develops the same by his "I Am God" attitude, because by
holding this mental attitude he is enabled to throw off the influence of
the sheaths of the lower mental principles, and the light of the Self
shows forth fiercely and strongly, sometimes to such an extent that it
fairly scorches the mentality of the less advanced pupil. But,
notwithstanding this awakened "I" consciousness, the teacher is
handicapped by his intellectual misconception and befogging metaphysics,
and is unable to impart the "I" consciousness to his pupils, and, instead
of raising them up to shine with equal splendor with himself, he really
forces them into a shadow by reason of his teachings.
Our students, of course, will understand that the above is not written in
the spirit of carping criticism or fault-finding. We hold no such mental
attitude, and indeed could not if we remain true to our conception of
Truth. We are mentioning these matters simply that the student may avoid
this "I Am God" pitfall which awaits the Candidate just as he has well
started on the Path. It would not be such a serious matter if it were
merely a question of faulty metaphysics, for that would straighten itself
out in time. But it is far more serious than this, for the teaching
inevitably leads to the accompanying teaching that all is Illusion or
_Maya_, and that Life is but a dream--a false thing--a lie--a nightmare;
that the journey along the Path is but an illusion; that everything is
"nothing"; that there is no soul; that You are God in disguise, and that
He is fooling Himself in making believe that He is You; that Life is but
a Divine masquerade or sleight-of-hand performance; that You are God, but
that You (God) are fooling Yourself (God) in order to amuse Yourself
(God). Is not this horrible? And yet it shows to what lengths the human
mind will go before it will part with some pet theory of metaphysics with
which it has been hypnotized. Do you think that we have overdrawn the
picture? Then read some of the teachings of these schools of the Oriental
Philosophy, or listen to some of the more radical of the Western teachers
preaching this philosophy. The majority of the latter lack the courage of
the Hindu teachers in carrying their theories to a logical conclusion,
and, consequently they veil their teachings with metaphysical subtlety.
But a few of them are more courageous, and come out into the open and
preach their doctrine in full.
Some of the modern Western teachers of this philosophy explain matters by
saying that "God is masquerading as different forms of life, including
Man, in order that he may gain the experience resulting therefrom, for
although He has Infinite and Absolute Wisdom and Knowledge, he lacks the
experience that comes only from actually living the life of the lowly
forms, and therefore He descend thus in order to gain the needed
experience." Can you imagine the Absolute, possessed of all possible
Knowledge and Wisdom, feeling the need of such petty "experience," and
living the life of the lowly forms (including Man) in order "to gain
experience?" To what Depths do these vain theories of Man drive us?
Another leading Western teacher, who has absorbed the teaching of certain
branches of the Oriental Philosophy, and who possesses the courage of his
convictions, boldly announces that "You, yourself, are the _totality_ of
being, and with your mind alone create, preserve and destroy the
universe, which is your own mental product." And again the last mentioned
teacher states: "the entire universe is a bagatelle illustration of your
own creative power, which you are now exhibiting for your own
inspection." "By their fruits shall you know them," is a safe rule to
apply to all teachings. The philosophy that teaches that the Universe is
an illusion perpetrated by you (God) to amuse, entertain or fool yourself
(God), can have but one result, and that is the conclusion that
"everything is nothing," and all that is necessary to do is to sit down,
fold your hands and enjoy the Divine exhibition of legerdemain that you
are performing for your own entertainment, and then, when the show is
over, return to your state of conscious Godhood and recall with smiles
the pleasant memories of the "conjure show" that you created to fool
yourself with during several billions of ages. That is what it amounts
to, and the result is that those accepting this philosophy thrust upon
them by forceful teachers, and knowing in their hearts that they are
_not_ God, but absorbing the suggestions of "nothingness," are driven
into a state of mental apathy and negativeness, the soul sinking into a
stupor from which it may not be roused for a long period of time.
We wish you to avoid confounding our teaching with this just mentioned.
We wish to teach you that You are a real Being--_not_ God Himself, but a
manifestation of Him who is the Absolute. You are a Child of the
Absolute, if you prefer the term, possessed of the Divine Heritage, and
whose mission it is to unfold qualities which are your inheritances from
your Parent. Do not make the great mistake of confounding the Relative
with the Absolute. Avoid this pitfall into which so many have fallen. Do
not allow yourself to fall into the "Slough of Despond," and wallow in
the mud of "nothingness," and to see no reality except in the person of
some forceful teacher who takes the place of the Absolute in your mind.
But raise your head and assert your Divine Parentage, and your Heritage
from the Absolute, and step out boldly on the Path, asserting the "I."
(We must refer the Candidate back to our "Advanced Course," for our
teachings regarding the Absolute and the Relative. The last three lessons
of that course will throw light upon what we have just said To repeat the
teaching at this point would be to use space which is needed for the
lesson before us.)
And yet, while the "I" is _not_ God, the Absolute, it is infinitely
greater than we have imagined it to be before the light dawned upon us.
It extends itself far beyond what we had conceived to be its limits. It
touches the Universe at all its points, and is in the closest union with
all of Life. It is in the closest touch with all that has emanated from
the Absolute--all the world of Relativity. And while it faces the
Relative Universe, it has its roots in the Absolute, and draws
nourishment therefrom, just as does the babe in the womb obtain
nourishment from the mother. It is verily a manifestation of God, and
God's very essence is in it. Surely this is almost as "high" a statement
as the "I Am God" of the teachers just mentioned,--and yet how different.
Let us consider the teaching in detail in this lesson, and in portions of
others to follow.
Let us begin with a consideration of the instruments of the Ego, and the
material with which and through which the Ego works. Let us realize that
the physical body of man is identical in substance with all other forms
of matter, and that its atoms are continually changing and being
replaced, the material being drawn from the great storehouse of matter,
and that there is a Oneness of matter underlying all apparent differences
of form and substance. And then let us realize that the vital energy or
_Prana_ that man uses in his life work is but a portion of that great
universal energy which permeates everything and everywhere, the portion
being used by us at any particular moment being drawn from the universal
supply, and again passing out from us into the great ocean of force or
energy. And then let us realize that even the mind, which is so close to
the real Self that it is often mistaken for it--even that wonderful thing
Thought--is but a portion of the Universal Mind, the highest emanation of
the Absolute beneath the plane of Spirit, and that the Mind--substance or
_Chitta_ that we are using this moment, is not ours separately and
distinctly, but is simply a portion from the great universal supply,
which is constant and unchangeable. Let us then realize that even this
thing that we feel pulsing within us--that which is so closely bound up
with the Spirit as to be almost inseparable from it--that which we call
Life--is but a bit of that Great Life Principle that pervades the
Universe, and which cannot be added to, nor subtracted from. When we have
realized these things, and have begun to feel our relation (in these
particulars) to the One Great Emanation of the Absolute, then we may
begin to grasp the idea of the Oneness of Spirit, and the relation of the
"I" to every other "I," and the merging of the Self into the one great
Self, which is not the extinction of Individuality, as some have
supposed, but the enlargement and extension of the Individual
Consciousness until it takes in the Whole.
In Lessons X and XI, of the "Advanced Course" we called your attention to
the Yogi teachings concerning _Akasa_ or Matter, and showed you that all
forms of what we know as Matter are but different forms of manifestation
of the principle called _Akasa_, or as the Western scientists call it,
"Ether." This Ether or _Akasa_ is the finest, thinnest and most tenuous
form of Matter, in fact it is Matter in its ultimate or fundamental form,
the different forms of what we call Matter being but manifestations of
this _Akasa_ or Ether, the apparent difference resulting from different
rates of vibration, etc. We mention this fact here merely to bring
clearly before your mind the fact of the Universality of Matter, to the
end that you may realize that each and every particle of your physical
body is but a portion of this great principle of the Universe, fresh from
the great store-house, and just about returning to it again, for the
atoms of the body are constantly changing. That which appears as your
flesh to-day, may have been part of a plant a few days before, and may be
part of some other living thing a few days hence. Constant change is
going on, and what is yours to-day was someone's else yesterday, and
still another's to-morrow. You do not own one atom of matter
_personally_, it is all a part of the common supply, the stream flowing
through you and through all Life, on and on forever.
And so it is with the Vital Energy that you are using every moment of
your life. You are constantly drawing upon the great Universal supply of
_Prana_, then using what is given you, allowing the force to pass on to
assume some other form. It is the property of all, and all you can do is
to use what you need, and allow it to pass on. There is but one Force or
Energy, and that is to be found everywhere at all times.
And even the great principle, Mind-substance, is under the same law. It
is hard for us to realize this. We are so apt to think of our mental
operations as distinctively our own--something that belongs to us
personally--that it is difficult for us to realize that Mind-substance is
a Universal principle just as Matter or Energy, and that we are but
drawing upon the Universal supply in our mental operations. And more than
this, the particular portion of Mind-substance that we are using,
although separated from the Mind-substance used by other individuals by a
thin wall of the very finest kind of Matter, is really in touch with the
other apparently separated minds, and with the Universal Mind of which it
forms a part. Just as is the Matter of which our physical bodies are
composed really in touch with all Matter; and just as is the Vital Force
used by us really in touch with all Energy; so is our Mind-substance
really in touch with all Mind-substance. It is as if the Ego in its
progress were moving through great oceans of Matter, Energy, or
Mind-substance, making use of that of each which it needed and which
immediately surrounded it, and leaving each behind as it moved on through
the great volume of the ocean. This illustration is clumsy, but it may
bring to your consciousness a realization that the Ego is the only thing
that is really _Yours_, unchangeable and unaltered, and that all the rest
is merely that portion of the Universal supply that you draw to yourself
for the wants of the moment. It may also bring more clearly before your
mind the great Unity of things--may enable you to see things as a Whole,
rather than as separated parts. Remember, _You_--the "I"--are the only
Real thing about and around you--all that has permanence--and Matter,
Force and even Mind-substance, are but your instruments for use and
expression. There are great oceans of each surrounding the "I" as it
moves along.
It is well for you also to bear in mind the Universality of Life. All of
the Universe is alive, vibrating and pulsating with life and energy and
motion. There is nothing dead in the Universe. Life is everywhere, and
always accompanied by intelligence. There is no such thing as a dead,
unintelligent Universe. _Instead of being atoms of Life floating in a sea
of death, we are atoms of Life surrounded by an ocean of Life, pulsating,
moving, thinking, living._ Every atom of what we call Matter is alive. It
has energy or force with it, and is always accompanied by intelligence
and life. Look around us as we will--at the animal world--at the plant
world--yes, even at the world of minerals and we see life, life,
life--all alive and having intelligence. When we are able to bring this
conception into the realm of actual consciousness--when we are able not
only to intellectually accept this fact, but to even go still further and
_feel_ and be conscious of this Universal Life on all sides, then are we
well on the road to attaining the Cosmic Consciousness.
But all these things are but steps leading up to the realization of
the Oneness in Spirit, on the part of the Individual. Gradually there
dawns upon him the realization that there is a Unity in the manifestation
of Spirit from the Absolute--a unity with itself, and a Union with the
Absolute. All this manifestation of Spirit on the part of the
Absolute--all this begetting of Divine Children--was in the nature of a
single act rather than as a series of acts, if we may be permitted
to speak of the manifestation as an _act_. Each Ego is a Centre of
Consciousness in this great ocean of Spirit--each is a Real Self,
apparently separate from the others and from its source, but the
separation is only apparent in both cases, for there is the closest
bond of union between the Egos of the Universe of Universes--each is knit
to the other in the closest bond of union, and each is still attached to
the Absolute by spiritual filaments, if we may use the term. In time we
shall grow more conscious of this mutual relationship, as the sheaths are
outgrown and cast aside, and in the end we will be withdrawn into the
Absolute--shall return to the Mansion of the Father.
It is of the highest importance to the developing soul to unfold into a
realization of this relationship and unity, _for when this conception is
once fully established the soul is enabled to rise above certain of the
lower planes, and is free from the operation of certain laws that bind
the undeveloped soul_. Therefore the Yogi teachers are constantly leading
the Candidates toward this goal. First by this path, and then by that
one, giving them different glimpses of the desired point, until finally
the student finds a path best fitted for his feet, and he moves along
straight to the mark, and throwing aside the confining bonds that have
proved so irksome, he cries aloud for joy at his new found Freedom.
The following exercises and Mental Drills are intended to aid the
Candidate in his work of growing into a realization of his relationship
with the Whole of Life and Being.
MENTAL DRILL.
(1) Read over what we have said in the "Advanced Course" regarding
the principle known as Matter. Realize that all Matter is One at the
last--that the real underlying substance of Matter is _Akasa_ or
Ether, and that all the varying forms evident to our senses are but
modifications and grosser forms of that underlying principle. Realize
that by known chemical processes all forms of Matter known to us, or
rather all combinations resulting in "forms," may be resolved into their
original elements, and that these elements are merely _Akasa_ in
different states of vibration. Let the idea of the Oneness of the visible
Universe sink deeply into your mind, until it becomes fixed there. The
erroneous conception of diversity in the material world must be replaced
by the consciousness of Unity--Oneness, at the last, in spite of the
appearance of variety and manifold forms. You must grow to see behind the
world of forms of Matter, and see the great principle of Matter (_Akasa_
or Ether) back of, within, and under it all. You must grow to _feel_
this, as well as to intellectually see it.
(2) Meditate over the last mentioned truths, and then follow the matter
still further. Read what we have said in the "Advanced Course" (Lesson
XI) about the last analysis of Matter showing it fading away into Force
or Energy until the dividing line is lost, and Matter merges into Energy
or Force, showing them both to be but the same thing, Matter being a
grosser form of Energy or Force. This idea should be impressed upon the
understanding, in order that the complete edifice of the Knowing of the
Oneness may be complete in all of its parts.
(3) Then read in the "Advanced Lessons" about Energy or Force, in the
oneness underlying its various manifestations. Consider how one form of
Energy may be transformed into another, and so on around the circle, the
one principle producing the entire chain of appearances. Realize that the
energy within you by which you move and act, is but one of the forms of
this great Principle of Energy with which the Universe is filled, and
that you may draw to you the required Energy from the great Universal
supply. But above all endeavor to grasp the idea of the Oneness pervading
the world of Energy or Force, or Motion. See it in its entirety, rather
than in its apparent separateness. These steps may appear somewhat
tedious and useless, but take our word for it, they are all helps in
fitting the mind to grasp the idea of the Oneness of All. Each step is
important, and renders the next higher one more easily attained. In this
mental drill, it will be well to mentally picture the Universe in
perpetual motion--everything is in motion--all matter is moving and
changing its forms, and manifesting the Energy within it. Suns and worlds
rush through space, their particles constantly changing and moving.
Chemical composition and decomposition is constant and unceasing,
everywhere the work of building up and breaking down is going on. New
combinations of atoms and worlds are constantly being formed and
dissolved. And after considering this Oneness of the principle of Energy,
reflect that through all these changes of form the Ego--the Real
Self--YOU--stand unchanged and unharmed--Eternal, Invincible,
Indestructible, Invulnerable, _Real_ and Constant among this changing
world of forms and force. You are above it all, and it revolves around
and about you--Spirit.
(4) Read what we have said in the "Advanced Course" about Force or
Energy, shading into Mind-substance which is its parent. Realize that
Mind is back of all this great exhibition of Energy and Force that you
have been considering. Then will you be ready to consider the Oneness of
Mind.
(5) Read what we have said in the "Advanced Lessons" about
Mind-substance. Realize that there is a great world of Mind-substance,
or an Universal Mind, which is at the disposal of the Ego. All Thought is
the product of the Ego's use of this Mind-substance, its tool and
instrument. Realize that this Ocean of Mind is entire and Whole, and that
the Ego may draw freely from it. Realize that _You_ have this great ocean
of Mind at your command, when you unfold sufficiently to use it. Realize
that Mind is back of and underneath all of the world of form and names
and action, and that in that sense: "All is Mind," although still higher
in the scale than even Mind are _You_, the Real Self, the Ego, the
Manifestation of the Absolute.