Part 5 (2/2)
You will see by reference to our ”_Advanced Course in Yogi Philosophy, etc._,” the general Yogi teachings regarding the Emanation of the One, known respectively as Mind, Energy, and Matter. You will see that the Yogis teach that Mind, Energy, and Matter comprise a threefold emanation of the Absolute. You will also see that it is taught that Mind was the Parent-Emanation--the Universal Mind; and that the Universal Energy was the Second-Emanation (proceeding from Mind); and that the Universal Matter was the Third Emanation (proceeding from Energy) In the same book you will find that the Teaching is that above Matter, Energy, and Mind, is the Essence of the Absolute, which is called Spirit--the nature of which is non-understandable to the mind of Man, the highest conception of which is the highest manifestation of itself--Mind. But as we cannot comprehend spirit otherwise, we are justified in thinking of it as Something like Infinite Mind--Something as much higher than Finite Mind as that is higher than mere energy.
Now, then--we have seen the folly of thinking of the Divine Substance as Matter or Energy. And we have come to know it as Spirit, something like Mind, only infinitely higher, but which still may be thought of in terms of Infinite Mind, for we can have no higher terms in our thinking operations. So we may then a.s.sume that this Divine Nature or substance is SPIRIT, which we will think of as Infinite Mind, for want of a better form of conception.
We have seen the folly of thinking of the Divine Essential Substance as the Body of G.o.d. We have likewise seen the folly of thinking of it as the Vital Energy of G.o.d. And we have found that we could not escape thinking of it as the Spirit, or infinite Mind of G.o.d. Beyond this we cannot think intelligently.
But do you not see that all this exercise of the Reason has brought us to the point where we must think that this Divine Substance, which the Absolute-G.o.d uses in the manifestation of Universal Life; the Universe; and all the forms, and shapes, and manifestations of life and things in the Universe--this Divine Substance which must be _in_ All Things--and _in which_ All Things must rest, even as the bubble rests on the Ocean--that this can be nothing less than Spirit, and that this Spirit can be thought of only as Infinite Mind?
And, if this be so, then indeed must _All be Mind, and Mind be All_--meaning, of course, the Infinite Mind, not the finite manifestation that we _call_ Mind.
Then, if this reasoning has been correct, then must we think that All Life--all the Universe--Everything except the Absolute itself--_must be held in the Infinite Mind of the Absolute_!
And, so, by the exercise of our Reason--by listening to, and examining its reports, we have been brought face to face--eye to eye--heart to heart--with the Teaching of the Illumined Ones, which has come down to us as the Highest Teaching of the Yogi Philosophy! For this, indeed, is the highest conception of Truth in the Yogi Teachings--this, that ALL MANIFESTATIONS AND EMANATIONS OF THE ABSOLUTE ARE MENTAL CREATIONS OF THE ABSOLUTE--THOUGHT-FORMS HELD IN THE INFINITE MIND--THE INFINITE SPIRIT IN THEM--AND THEY IN THE INFINITE SPIRIT. _And that the only Real Thing about Man is THE SPIRIT involved in the Thought-Form, the rest is mere Personality, which changes and ceases to be. The Spirit in the Soul of Man, is the SOUL OF THE SOUL, which is never born; never changeth; never dieth--this is The Real Self of _Man, in which, indeed, he is ”One with the Father.”_
This is the point where the Reasoning Mind of Man has come to a sense of Agreement with the Highest Yogi Teachings. Let us now pa.s.s on to the Teachings themselves--let us listen to The Message of Truth.
In this consideration of the Highest Yogi Philosophy, and its teaching, we would again say to our students, that which we said to them in _”The Advanced Course”_--that we do not attempt to teach the ”why” of the Manifestation of The Absolute, but rest content with delivering the Message of the Yogi Sages, which deals with the ”how.” As we stated in the lessons referred to, we incline to that school of the Higher Teachings, which holds that the ”Why” of the Infinite Manifestation must, of necessity, rest with the Infinite alone, and that the finite mind cannot hope to answer the question. We hold that in all the Universal Mind, or in any of its Mind Manifestations, there is to be found no answer to this question! Wrapped in the Essence of the Absolute Spirit, alone, is this Final Answer!
The Sages, and Masters, from their high spiritual points of observation, possess many truths regarding the ”how” side of the question that would appear almost like Infinite Wisdom itself, compared with our puny knowledge. But even these great souls report that they do not possess the answer to the Final Question--the ”Why” of the Infinite Manifestation. And so we may be excused from attempting to answer it--and without shame or sense of shortcoming do we still say, to this question, ”We do not know!”
In order that the Final Question may be fully understood let us consider it for a moment. We find the Question arising from the following condition:
The human Reason is compelled to admit that there is an Infinite, Eternal, Causeless REALITY underlying all forms of manifestation in the phenomenal world. It is likewise compelled to admit that this REALITY must comprise All that Really Is--and that there can be nothing Real outside of Itself. Arising from this is the Truth, that all forms of phenomenal manifestation, must emanate _from_ the One Reality, for there is nothing else Real from which they could emanate. And the twin-Truth that these forms of manifestation, must also be _in_ the Being of the One Reality, for there is nowhere outside of the All wherein they might find a place. So this One Reality is seen to be ”That from which All Things flow”; and ”That in which All Things live, and move and have their being.”
Therefore All Things _emanate from_, and are _contained in_ the One Reality. We shall consider ”just how” later on, but the question which confronts us, and which has been called the ”Final Question”--and that which we p.r.o.nounce unanswerable--is this: ”Why has the Infinite manifested and emanated Finite forms of being?” You will see the nature of the question when you stop to consider: (1) The Infinite cannot have Desire, for that is a Finite quality; (2) It cannot lack anything, for that would take away from its Infinity; (3) and even if it did lack anything, from whence could it expect to acquire it; for there is nothing outside of itself--if It lacks anything, it must continue to always lack it, for there is no outside source from which It could obtain anything which it does not already possess. And Desire would be, of course, a _wanting_ for something which it lacked--so It could not Desire unless it Lacked--and it would know that Desire would be hopeless, even if indeed it did Lack.
So you see that if we regard the Infinite Reality as Perfect, we must drop all ideas of It Desiring or Lacking--and of it Growing or Improving--or of it obtaining more Power, or Knowledge. These ideas are ridiculous, for an Absolute, Infinite Reality, must possess All-Knowledge; All-Power; All-Presence, else it is not Absolute and Infinite. And, if It does not possess these attributes of Being, then It can never hope to acquire them, for there is Nowhere from whence they could be acquired--there is no Source outside of the All-Source. A Finite Thing, may lack, and desire, and improve and develop, for there is the Universal Source from which it may draw. But the Infinite has no Universal Source, for it is Its own Source. Do you see the nature of the Final Question? If not we will again state it--it is this:
”Why should the Infinite Reality, which possesses all that may be possessed, and which in itself is the only Source of Things--WHY should It Desire to manifest a Universe from and within Itself?”
A little consideration will show you that there is no intelligent answer to the ”Why,” either in your own minds, or in the writings and teachings of the greatest minds. The matter is important, to those who are confronted every day with some of the many attempts to answer this Final Question--it is well that our students inform them regarding the futility of such questioning. And with this end in view, we shall herein give a few of the wise ”guesses” at the answer, and our reasons for considering them inadequate. We ask the student to consider carefully these remarks, for by so doing he will post himself, and will be saved much tedious and perplexing wandering along the dangerous places in the Swamp of Metaphysics, following the will-o'-the-wisp of Finite Mind masquerading as the Infinite Wisdom! Beware of the False Lights! They lead to the quagmire and quicksands of thought!
Let us now consider some of these ”guesses” at the answer to the Final Question. Some thinkers have held that the Absolute was bound by a Divine Necessity to manifest itself as Many. The answer to this is that the Absolute could not be _bound_ by anything, inner or outer, else it would not be Absolute and Infinite, but would be Relative and Finite.
Another set of thinkers have held that the Absolute found within itself a Desire to Manifest as Many. From whence could come such an action-causing Desire? The Absolute could lack nothing, and there would be nothing for it to desire to gain, other than that which It already possessed. One does not desire things one already has, but only what he lacks.
Another school would tell us that the Infinite wished to _Express_ itself in the phenomenal world. Why? Such a phenomenal world could only be reflection of Its power, witnessed only by Itself, and could contain nothing that was not already contained in the All. To what end would such a wish tend? What would be accomplished or gained? The Infinite All could not become anything more than It already was--so why the wish for expression? Some say that the whole phenomenal world is but _Maya_, or Illusion, and does not exist at all. Then who else than the Infinite caused the Illusion, and why the necessity? This answer only removes the question back one point, and does not really answer it. Some would say that the Universe is the ”dream of the Infinite.” Can we conceive the Infinite Being as exercising the finite faculty of ”dreaming”--is not this childish?
Others would have us believe that the Absolute is indulging in a ”game”
or ”play,” when he makes Universes, and those inhabiting them. Can anyone really believe this of The Absolute--playing like a child, with men and women, worlds and suns, as Its blocks and tin-soldiers? Why should the Infinite ”play”?--does It need amus.e.m.e.nt and ”fun” like a child? Poor Man, with his attempts to read the Riddle of the Infinite!
We know of teachers who gravely instruct their pupils in the idea that the Absolute and Infinite One manifests Universes and Universal Life, and all that flows from them, because It wishes to ”gain experience”
through objective existence. This idea, in many forms has been so frequently advanced that it is worth while to consider its absurdity.
In the first place, what ”experience” could be gained by the Absolute and Infinite One? What could It expect to gain and learn, that it did not already know and possess? One can gain experience only from others, and outside things--not from oneself entirely separated from the outside world of things. And there would be no ”outside” for the Infinite. These people would have us believe that The Absolute emanated a Universe from Itself--which could contain nothing except that which was obtained from Itself--and then proceeded to gain experience from it. Having no ”outside” from which it could obtain experiences and sentences and sensations, it proceeded to make (from Itself) an imitation one--that is what this answer amounts to. Can you accept it?
The whole trouble in all of these answers, or attempted answers, is that the answerer first conceives of the Absolute-Infinite Being, as a Relative-Finite Man, and then proceeds to explain what this Big Man would do. This is but an exaggerated form of anthropomorphism--the conception of G.o.d as a Man raised to great proportions. It is but an extension of the idea which gave birth to the savage conceptions of Deity as a cruel chief or mighty warrior, with human pa.s.sions, hates, and revenge; love, pa.s.sions, and desires.
Arising from the same cause, and akin to the theories advanced above are similar ones, which hold that the Absolute cannot dwell alone, but must forever bring forth souls from Itself--this was the idea of _Plotinus_, the Greek philosopher. Others have thought that the Infinite was possessed of such a consuming love, that It manifested objects upon which it could bestow Its affections. Others have thought that It was lonesome, and desired companions.h.i.+p. Some have spoken of the Absolute as ”sacrificing” itself, in becoming Many, instead of remaining One. Others have taught that the Infinite somehow has become entangled in Its Manifestations, and had lost the knowledge of Its Oneness--hence their teachings of ”I Am G.o.d.” Others, holding to a similar idea, tell us that the Infinite is deliberately ”masquerading”
as the Many, in order to fool and mystify Itself--a show of Itself; by Itself, and for Itself! Is not this Speculative Metaphysics run wild?
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