Part 4: Parinama - The 3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen'

3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen'.

Part 4:
Parinama – Change is Eternal.

By Swami Nostrumananda
(Rev.Dr. Devi Nostrum)
December 20^th, 2010

Invocation for Enlightenment:
Om,
Bhur bhuvah swaha,
Om tat savitur varenayam.
Bhargo devasya dhimahi,
dhiyo yon aha prachodayat,
Om.

(We meditate on the Supreme Effulgence
of the Three Universes.
May It enlighten our consciousness).

INTRODUCTION:
There are always going to be challenges, test and situations that compel one to either adapt, grow and evolve into a larger world view landscape, into a greater sense of mastery over ones divine sovereignty, or to remain in status quo. Each Status Quo, is called a Chakra Level, where the life lessons of that stage of psycho-spiritual and Soul ‘ripening’ have not yet been fully mastered due to the obscuring capacities of Karma and Maya.  Mastery of each level can only be accomplished by surrendering the numbing walls and mountains of mistaken identity of the Limited-Self, created by the 5 Kanchukas of Maya discussed in the previous lesson, Part 3. Dharma . Let us break this process down further, exploring the geography of this ‘land of delusion’.

Landscape of the 5 Kanchukas of Maya:
The writings of St. John of the Cross, a 16^th century Christian Saint, also wrote of this, ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ and its stages of psycho-spiritual surrender. It is a deep, sacred miracle common to all true religions and spiritual paths. The mind creates its own reality. The Lower Ego-Mind, (Chitta Shakti, in Sanskrit),creates a delusional landscape of maya called samsara, having forgotten itself as Self-of-All, (Atman) and God-Consciousness, (Chitti Shakti), and therefore misinterprets reality, seeks safety behind mountains of mind-body debri.  The perpetuation of this misperception are like the muddied the waters of our once clear mental faculties of honest introspection.

The poisonous muck that grows from disturbed, muddied waters of mental-emotional delusions of Prideful actions, is substrate for all latent and manifest diseases of Mankind.  Because of this, the agreed upon primo cardinal sin of all religions and spiritual paths, is Pride and its twin, Solipsism. These numbing mountains of walls put up by the lower ego-mind are reinforced to the death by little muck-building beavers of Pride, with the tree limbs of incorrect ideas and concepts of how the universe works. Incorrect interpretations of the nature of Man & the Universe are fed by the stream of impure sensory information hitting one’s brain every second.  Pridefullness packs down the dirty, sticky muck on the walls of egoic self-protection by a ‘positive-feedback loop’ / Domino effect, fed by the gathering instruments of ones’ sense organs: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting, which themselves are innocent, but simply incorrectly used.
In Jainism, a denomination of Hinduism which focuses on Karmic redemption of the soul, Pride is the Perversity of Outlook, which may be inherent or acquired (Domino Effect from other souls)

Jains feel that ‘perversity of attitude is the root cause of all evil’.¹  Pride is the greatest enemy of the Prapanna. Inability to be introspective is due to the 5 five senses of touch, seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting and their insatiable seeking and latching onto sensory objects.  The lower ego-minds incessant desire for sensual satisfaction is never met and causes dissatisfaction and discontent for as long as the Mind allows it, usually our entire lives.  Of all the defenses and weapons at the disposal of the prideful lower ego-mind, the most insidious are Fear, Shame, Doubt and Solipsism.

 These ego defenses create tremendous resistance to any changes in the Status Quo deemed to be a threat to it.  Thus the bindings of Maya entrap and enslave us to shame, misery and sicknesses.  How can one possibly begin to remove oneself from this nasty mess? Where shall we wage war?  With what? The task is overwhelming and one has no faith or hope.  The knowledge taught us by ‘the sleeping’ will not awaken us to the freedom and happiness of true Knowledge and authentic Power.   Where can we find true Knowledge? What is the ultimate Knowledge? How do we trust that it is real?

PARINAMA:
Synonyms for this Sanskrit word are, 'change', 'transformation', 'evolution'.  (Closely related is prapatti: Sanskrit for surrender).  Parinama can not happen without prapatti.  Surrendering to the Will of God for the sake of achieving immortal and eternal inner peace, love and contentment, redeems, heals and propels us ever forward in the Divine Plan. Parinama, or as I call it, personal psycho-spiritual evolution,  marks the pivotal milestones of redemption and initiation which mark the rites of passage through the personal Dharma of Divine Plan of our incarnation, as a Prapanna, (seeker of God in absolute surrender). 

Mastery and transcendence through each stage of our personal Dharma, is an initiatory process.  Just as with the latest scientific theory of evolutionary change, psycho-spiritual development occurs both as gradual unfoldment as well as spontaneous leaps of realization of the highest Knowledge and Divine Communion with God.  The Hindus recognize the evolutionary process of unfolding spirit as the Divine Mother, Shakti ascending as the yogic Shri Shakti Kundalini up towards heaven to meet her Husband, Shiva, with the reward of eternal, ever-new and blissful divine union. The Christians hold symbolic rites of passage called the Sacraments, of which there are seven.  The Hebrew ‘Tree of Life’ and the supporting Angelic Realms, or 10 Sephirot, guide the souls of mankind up to the Godhead through stages very consistent with the Shakti Kundalini’s journey through the 7 Chakra Levels.  The Islamic and mystic Sufis seek God and the fruits of their sacrifices, the ‘7 Virgins’, being symbolic of the return of supreme innocence and purity of the Light of Consciousness in all inner and outer realms of the Self-in-All.

As we discussed in Part 3 - Dharma, within the arch of the Souls ripening, humans will evolve and grow towards the Godhead, regardless of all their failings, misinterpretations and misperceptions.  The Fractal Dynamics of the various stages of soul development are but the Causal Principle of Brahman, (the absolute full, unmanifest potential of the Divine). This divine potentiality of God the unmanifest, is caused to be manifest by the effects of Karmic Action.  The divine guiderails of Karma, being the Natural Law of Cause & Effect, do justice to Dharmic Integrity.  The more resistance  due being mired in ‘Karmic Stickiness’, the more off-path one is in Dharmic Integrity, the slower ones ascension progress to Self Realization and Liberation.  On the other hand, with Dharmic Integrity, the potential mastery of each Chakra level is hastened.  The levels have no timeline – they may be mastered faster or more slowly based on the Trine Adaptogenic Principles of Karma, Dharma and Parinama/Prapanna.

Here is an example of how we, at each Chakra Level, interpret ‘why bad things happen’.  We stay in Dharmic Integrity as we work our way through the Chakra Levels, at our own pace, based on Karmic worthiness, i.e. Soul Purity.   Dr.Deepak Chopra and his pivotal work in this area, culminating in a landmark book, ‘How to Know God’, is the inspiration for the below example.

The 7 Chakra Levels of Psycho-Spiritual Human Development

CHAKRA 1.    ‘I survive’.
Good creature comforts. Lack thereof is bad.  Good is whatever keeps me safe, well feed, and appeases my basic physical, emotional and mental instincts and survival needs. Food, clothing, shelter, family, safety is good.  Bad things happen when something gets in the way of that. The siren call of the Divine Plans Learning Lesson is: be able to exist.  Is there contentment here? This Chakra Level is full of pain and suffering.  For most Humans on earth, this is good enough of a challenge, and they do not have either the compulsion or mastery over this soul stage to move into the next level. Answer to the challenge of existence in Chakra Level 1 world view: ‘no thank you’….

CHAKRA 2.   ‘This is good, something is missing, I want MORE POWER’.

Good is ultimate power over my ‘situation’. Bad is whatever gets in the way of my absolute and ultimate power over my ‘situation’. Divine Plans’ Learning Lesson is: go forth & multiply. I strive for things that give me power so I can exist better. Money, sex, status, possessions, social position, authority over others, pecking order, alpha male/female, etc. This is the, ‘Rat Race’.  Most Humans are either in Chakra Level 1 or 2: where the ‘rat race’ of life is their limited world view and their survival & prosperity as ‘top dog’ is their limited perception of their highest selves. But, alas, this gets to really be a drag after a while.  Being ‘top dog’ is a cruel and ruthless, toxic world view. It’s too draining and I am burnt out. Answer to the challenge of Chakra Level 2 world view: ‘no thanks you…’

CHAKRA 3.   ’This has its merits but something is missing, I want PEACE & QUIET’.

Good is anything that nurtures my inner self-esteem and self-worth. Bad is anything that makes me ‘lose my space,’….’lose my personal power’.  Divine Plan’s Learning Lesson is: catch the scent of authentic power.  There is usually a sentinel event which precipitates such a radical shift in world view of a person. Common examples of this ‘Spiritual Crisis’, are St. Augustine’s writings on ‘the dark night of the soul’, a car accident or other crippling bodily injury, a divorce, loss of job or death of a loved one.  Shaktipat Diksha, i.e. True Baptism by the Holy Spirit usually occurs in this level of development of the soul.²

We realize, as masters of the previous level, that no amount of external social power over others can bring inner peace, joy or lasting contentment. Indeed, everything so far has been at best, bittersweet;  at worst, a lie. That is, at first fantastic and wonderful, but sooner than later, a terrible failure and/or disappointment.  Perhaps getting away from it all will give us a reprieve for inspiration and guidance from some source within me.  When I am in my personal power, in my own space, I get a faint feeling, a fleeting glimpse of joy and contentment.   

What is this fleeting mystical experience of rapture, great contentment, bliss? Where is it coming from? I would give my kingdom for this secret source of such great joy,  happiness and utter contentment, but this sense of love is fleeting and I can’t put my finger on the source.  The experience is still bittersweet but not draining,  not a lie. How intriguing! Chakra Level 3 is considered the beginning of the ‘Spiritual Seeker’. Answer to the challenge of Chakra Level 3 world view: ‘no thanks you…’

CHAKRA 4.   ’This is nice but something is missing. I want to Know the Source’.

Good is anything that brings a greater expansion of inner peace, joy, love & contentment in my life and my divine connection with others.  This source of power is not external, not even my ordinary self.  The Source is God within, my heart of hearts, (Hridya, in Sanskrit). Bad is anything that disconnects me from this deepening connection of inner power deep within and greater than myself.  The Divine Plans Learning Lesson is: to connect with the Higher Power.   Even so, the need for not only power but manifestation, creation, is a compelling force.   We want to integrate this inner landscape into our ordinary life outside, bringing into it our new abilities, borne of blooming inner senses and expanding consciousness.  Answer to the challenge of Chakra Level 3 world view: ‘no thanks you…’

CHAKRA 5.  ‘This is good, but something is missing. I want to Co-Create with the Source’.

Good is anything which validates and supports my newly emerging presentation and role in society as a Healer, Intuitive, Mystic, Clergy, divinely inspired master of arts & sciences.  Bad is anything that invalidates and stifles my new social role, my ability to co-create with God into the mundane world.  The Divine Plans’ learning Lesson is: surrender absolutely and completely all vestiges of the mistaken,  Limited Self. 

This is the last stop of surrendering all self-labels, such as wife, brother, teacher, psychic, healer, female, male, tall, short, driver, American, person, human, etc.  Re-identification of the Self, as well as full, single-pointed focus and commitment is required for any further ascension process. 

  This is the most difficult Chakra level to master as a spiritual seeker - so much surrender and sacrificing of our former world views are called for. Solipsism is the most insidious challenge at this level, where all these new found powers and abilities to co-create with the Creator are misidentified with the Limited Self.

 This mistake keeps the Limited Self in a deep state of duality, so difficult is it to separate the true Doer from the Doing.  In fact all ‘subject-object’ duality must be folded into a singularity, without form nor function, in order to transcend into the final 2 Chakra Levels.  An example of this subject-object merging into non-duality is when the ‘Seeing’, ‘Seen’, and ‘See-er’ become one.  The final 2 Chakra Levels are often so closely related and happen so quickly, that they are often seen as the one final step into the Supreme Power. Answer to the challenge of Chakra Level 5 world view: ‘no thanks you…’

CHAKRA 6.  ‘This is fine, but something is missing.  I want to BE the Source’.

Good is the non-dual connection with the Divine, bad is anything that keeps me in a state of duality.  The Divine Plan’s Learning Lesson is:  simply be.   There is nothing more to do.  The Limited Self has been all but reintegrated with the Supreme Source.  It is up to Gods Will alone to carry us across the threshold into permanent Divine Communion.

CHAKRA 7.   ‘I exist’.

Good and bad no longer exists. “I”  no longer exists.  (‘Neti, Neti’ = not this, not that, in Sanskrit. ).  The goal is to continue in this ‘Play of Consciousness’  in authentic existence as the Highest Self, ‘Satchitananda’.  Sat-chit-ananda is Sanskrit and describes our True Self as being Divine Will, God Consciousness and Divine Love/ Bliss.  We remain seated in perfect contentment as the Highest Self, as the Witness. Basic personality remains, our lives around us continue, as do our basic needs; and social roles,  expectations and responsibilities.  The greatest challenge from there on for our realized, liberated true nature, is to remain manifested and integrated into the mundane world around us for the highest good of humanity.

Key Notes:
Of note, what was the common learning lesson for each of the Chakra Levels? It may sound contrite, but simply put, ‘just say no’.   Perpetuating the beliefs & behaviors that produce restlessness and discontent innate to each levels world view is a clue that few pay attention to until a major de-railing happens, hence the ‘Spiritual Crisis’ which occurs in Chakra Level 3.  A Spiritual Crisis, however,  is an absolute pre-requisite to starting pathwork home to God.

 It is not a ‘bad thing happening’.  It is a truly great blessing, as odd as that sounds.   As I had alluded to earlier, unless the spiritual seeker is thoroughly in disillusionment with the world, their spiritual questing will not be fruitful.  One must be so disenfranchised with the lie of the mundane world, that one is very willing to renunciate it all for the hopes of a greater and more palatable truth and reality.  Renunciation of the mundane world is a rite of passage lost to the modern world.  In some ancient native cultures, as with the Australian Aboriginies, their ‘Walkabouts’ suffice.  Monks are still synonymous with Renunciates.  Those who want higher, greater power and are still even fairly satisfied with their lot in life are absolutely not candidates for spiritual growth.   

Similarly, those at the highest levels of ascension who still believe they themselves are the cause of their exceptional abilities and extraordinary powers, are also at peril of becoming ‘Lost Souls’.  Of note also is that the re-identification cycle that occurs as one transcends through the Chakra Levels speeds up.  Where it takes many hundreds or thousands of life-times of pain & suffering to traverse the first few levels, pain and suffering ease off, and it takes fewer life-times to traverse the higher levels.  Most Hindu Satguru lineages have noticed that devout disciples often complete their pathwork in as little as 4 lifetimes after receiving the Shaktipat Diksha. A rare few complete in one lifetime, but that is exceptionally rare, with untold stress to the physical body, as residual karmas must play out.

All in all, this 3 part series on the 3 Categories of ‘Why Bad Things Happen’, Karma, Dharma and Parinama/Prapanna is a tongue-in-cheek title for, actually, a firm testament to the infinite wisdom, compassion and elegance of the dancing cosmos and its eternal play of consciousness. Hari Om Tat Sat!

Swami Nostrumananda

(Rev.Dr.Devi Nostrum)

Footnotes:
1. Shah, Natubhai. “Jainism – the world of conquerors’, Vol2.p62. Sussex Academic Press, Portland, OR, 1998.
2.  Shaktipat Diksha, i.e. True Baptism in Sanskrit - by the Holy Spirit usually occurs in this level of development of the soul.  Fleeting mystical experiences are more often than not,  a brief, elevated perception of that state of divine being from which the initiation was sent from.  For more on Shaktipat, see my teachings at www.ibasi.org as it is beyond the scope of the current topic.

IBASI Healing Ministries. Copyright 2010. Contact IBASI for permissions.

Part 3: Dharma - The 3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen'

The fractal nature of Dharma

3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen':

Part 3: Dharma
The Divine Blueprint vs. Maya, or
 ‘You Pay if You Stray’.

By Swami Nostrumananda
(Rev.Dr. Devi Nostrum)
December 20^th, 2010

Invocation for Enlightenment:
Om,
Bhur bhuvah swaha,
Om tat savitur varenayam.
Bhargo devasya dhimahi,
dhiyo yon aha prachodayat,
Om.

(We meditate on the Supreme Effulgence
of the Three Universes.
May It enlighten our consciousness).

INTRODUCTION:
In the previous chapter, we discussed Karma as one of the causative agents in the question, ‘why bad things happen’. Original Sin was introduced as the moment, when through Divine Intercession, i.e. the Will of God had Humans Souls ‘Fall from Grace’.  The concept of ‘the Domino Effect’ gave us a way to understand the mechanics of how this Original Sin, i.e. original fall from Grace, is perpetuated through time, space and the manifest world, (Prakriti, in Sanskrit) to now, in you and me. 

THE FALL FROM GRACE:
This was not an arbitrary move by God.  It was His Divine Plan, in sheer sport, to create a contracted mirror image of Himself as a multiverse of delightful variations and diversities. From His unmanifest, untouched perfection, He enjoys this Self-born play of consciousness for His own pleasure.  Thus Souls of all kinds are created, and evolve over time as a contracting extension and then expanding resorbtion of His very own Self.  So, it follows that in Humankinds ‘Fall from Grace’, the divine fullness of the Atman was concealed as many inidivudal Souls, veiled in Maya, borne of 5 Cloaks of Ignorance, (Kanchukas of Maya, in Sanskrit

The 5 Kanchukas of Maya:

• Kala* = limited omnipotence (authorship, power, creation)
• Vidya = limited omniscience (knowledge, awareness, cognition)
• Raga = limited completeness (comprehension, realization, discernment)
• Kala **= limited eternal existence (sequential vs. multidimensional time/existence)
• Niyati = limited omnipresence (time and space, the ‘where’ of Self)
  * accent on second ‘a’
  ** accent on first ‘a’

reference: ‘What is Shaktipat?’  http://www.ibasi.org/shaktipat.html

These veil the Atman Souls’ original powers of omniscience, omnipresence  (spatial & dimensional), omnipotence and omnisentience, causing forgetfulness of the Soul’s true power and origins.  Clearly, we are referencing Hindu cosmology and scripture to explain the details of how the, ‘Fall from Grace’ occurred and the results .  These sheaths can be considered Divine Justice, or payment for having ‘strayed off path’.  These Sheaths of Maya are why ‘bad things happen’.  Let’s take a deeper look at the scriptural sources of this concept from the Vedic perspective.

Maitri Upanishad: the ‘Fall from Grace’.
The Vedic scriptures are vast and ancient, covering every conceivable and not yet imagined nature of Mankind and his relationship to God.  Within the Vedas are philosophical discussions explaining things.  The Maitri Upanishad explains in detail this ‘fall from grace’ and veiling of the highest seat of the Soul, the ‘Atman’, into the Limited Self, the ‘Jiva’.  This philosophical discourse from Hindu scripture is in the traditional prose form of call-and-response between an unsaved mortal and God. This yin-yang to-and-fro exchange is evident as the ‘call and response’ in Christian services and is part of the Grace-mediated dialogue between a Master and his/her students in gatherings called ‘Satsang’, in Sanskrit.  

Satsang, engaging with divine source, is a powerful, ancient mechanism for catalyzing spontaneous soul purification and ascendance. The seekers progress is limited only by their of the individual karmic worthiness and dharmic integrity.  Satsang is said to be the fastest and therefore most intense and rigorous yoga there is.  Below are excerpts of the Maitri Upanishad, a Satsang discourse between the ascetic King Bṛihadratha and God in the form of an old sage,  Śākāyanya:

~~~~~~~~~

MAITRI UPANISHAD

FIRST PRAPĀṬHAKA

Meditation upon the Soul (Ātman), the essence and the true completion of religious sacrifice

1. That which for the ancients was [merely] a building up [of sacrificial fires] was, verily, a sacrifice to Brahma.1 Therefore with the building of these sacrificial fires the sacrificer should meditate upon the Soul (Ātman). So, verily, indeed, does the sacrifice become really complete and indeficient.
Who is he that is to be meditated upon?
He who is called Life (prāṇa)!
A tale thereof:—

The ascetic king Bṛihadratha, being offered a boon, chooses knowledge of the Soul (Ātman)

2. Verily, a king, Bṛihadratha by name, after having established his son in the kingdom, reflecting that this body is non-eternal, reached the state of indifference towards the world (vairāgya), and went forth into the forest. There he stood, performing extreme austerity, keeping his arms erect, looking up at the sun.
At the end of a thousand [days]2 there came into the presence of the ascetic, the honorable knower of the Soul (Ātman), Śākāyanya, like a smokeless fire, burning as it were with glow. ‘Arise! Arise! Choose a boon!’ said he to the king.
He did obeisance to him and said: ‘Sir, I am no knower of the Soul (Ātman). You are one who knows its true nature, we have heard. So, do you tell us.’
‘Such things used to occur! Very difficult [to answer] is this question! Aikshvāka, choose other desires!’ said Śākāyanya.
With his head touching that one’s feet, the king uttered this speech:—

Pessimistically he rejects evanescent earthly desires, and craves only liberation from reincarnate existence

3. ‘Sir, in this ill-smelling, unsubstantial body, which is a conglomerate of bone, skin, muscle, marrow, flesh, semen, blood, mucus, tears, rheum, feces, urine, wind, bile, and phlegm, what is the good of enjoyment of desires? In this body, which is afflicted with desire, anger, covetousness, delusion, fear, despondency, envy, separation from the desirable, union with the undesirable, hunger, thirst, senility, death, disease, sorrow, and the like, what is the good of enjoyment of desires?
4. And we see that this whole world is decaying, as these gnats, mosquitoes, and the like, the grass, and the trees that arise and perish.
But, indeed, what of these? There are others superior, great warriors, some world-rulers, Sudyumna, Bhūridyumna, Indradyumna, Kuvalayāśva, Yauvanāśva, Vadhryaśva, Aśvapati, Śaśabindu, Hariścandra, Ambarīsha, Nahusha, Śaryāti, Yayāti, Anaraṇya, Ukshasena, and the rest; kings, too, such as Marutta, Bharata, and others. With a crowd of relatives looking on, they renounced great wealth and went forth from this world into that.
But, indeed, what of these? There are others superior. We see the destruction of Gandharvas (demigods), Asuras (demons), Yakshas (sprites), Rākshasas (ogres), Bhūtas (ghosts), spirit-bands, goblins, serpents, vampires, and the like.
But, indeed, what of these? Among other things, there is the drying up of great oceans, the falling away of mountain peaks, the deviation of the fixed pole-star, the cutting of the wind-cords [of the stars], the submergence of the earth, the retreat of the celestials from their station.
In this sort of cycle of existence (saṁsāra) what is the good of enjoyment of desires, when after a man has fed on them there is seen repeatedly his return here to earth?
Be pleased to deliver me. In this cycle of existence I am like a frog in a waterless well. Sir, you are our way of escape—yea, you are our way of escape!’

SECOND PRAPĀṬHAKA

Śākāyanya’s instruction concerning the Soul (Ātman)1

1. Then the honorable Śākāyanya, well pleased, said to the king: ‘Great king Bṛihadratha, banner of the family of Ikshvāku, speedily will you who are renowned as “Swift Wind” (Marut) attain your purpose and become a knower of the Soul (Ātman)!
This one, assuredly, indeed, is your own self (ātman).’
‘Which one is it, Sir?’
Then he said to him:—

The Soul—a self-luminous, soaring being, separable from the body, identical with Brahma

2. ‘Now, he who, without stopping the respiration, goes aloft and who, moving about, yet unmoving, dispels darkness—he is the Soul (Ātman). Thus said the honorable Maitri. For thus has it been said2 : “Now, that serene one who, rising up out of this body, reaches the highest light and appears with his own form—he is the Soul (Ātman),” said he. “That is the immortal, the fearless. That is Brahma.”

The unqualified Soul, the driver of the unintelligent bodily vehicle

3. Now, indeed, O king, this is the Brahma-knowledge, even the knowledge contained in all the Upanishads, as declared to us by the honorable Maitri. I will narrate it to you.
Now, the Vālakhilyas are reputed as free from evil, of resplendent glory, living in chastity. Now, they said to Kratu Prajāpati3 : “Sir, this body is like a cart without intelligence (a-cetana). To what supersensuous being, forsooth, belongs such power whereby this sort of thing is set up in the possession of this sort of intelligence? Or, in other words, who is its driver? Sir, tell us what you know!”
Then he said to them:—
4. “He, assuredly, indeed, who is reputed as standing aloof, like those who, among qualities, abstain from intercourse with them—He, verily, is pure, clean, void, tranquil, breathless, selfless, endless, undecaying, steadfast, eternal, unborn, independent. He abides in his own greatness. By him this body is set up in possession of intelligence; or, in other words, this very one, verily, is its driver.”
Then they said: “Sir, how by this kind of indifferent being is this sort of thing set up in possession of intelligence? Or, in other words, how is this one its driver?”
Then he said to them:—

Every intelligent person a partial individuation of the supersensuous, self-limiting Person

5. “Verily, that subtile, ungraspable, invisible one, called the Person, turns in here [in the body] with a part [of himself] without there being any previous awareness, even as the awakening of a sleeper takes place without there being any previous awareness.
Now, assuredly, indeed, that part of Him is what the intelligence-mass here in every person is—the spirit (kṣetrajña, ‘knower-of-the-body’) which has the marks of conception, determination, and self-conceit (abhimāna), Prajāpati (Lord of Creation) under the name of individuality.1
By Him, as intelligence, this body is set up in possession of intelligence; or, in other words, this very one is its driver.”
Then they said: “Sir, if by this kind of indifferent being this kind of body is set up in possession of intelligence, still how, in other words, is this one its driver?”
Then he said to them:—

The primeval Person progressively differentiated himself into [a] inanimate beings, [b] the five physiological functions, [c] the human person, [d] a person’s functions

6. “Verily, in the beginning Prajāpati stood alone. He had no enjoyment, being alone. He then, by meditating upon himself (ātmānam), created numerous offspring.
[a] He saw them inanimate and lifeless, like a stone, standing like a post. He had no enjoyment. He then thought to himself: ‘Let me enter within, in order to animate them.’
[b] He made himself like wind and sought to enter within. As one, he was unable. So he divided himself fivefold—he who is spoken of as the Prāṇa breath, the Apāna breath, the Samāna breath, the Udāna breath, the Vyāna breath.
Now, that breath which passes up—that, assuredly, is the Prāṇa breath. Now, that which passes down—that, assuredly, is the Apāna breath. Now, that, verily, by which these two are supported—that, assuredly, is the Vyāna breath. Now, that which conducts into the Apāna breath [what is] the coarsest element of food and distributes (sam-ā-nayati) in each limb [what is] the most subtile—that, assuredly, is named the Samāna breath. It is a higher form of the Vyāna breath, and between them is the production of the Udāna breath. Now, that which ‘belches forth and swallows down what has been drunk and eaten’—that, assuredly, is the Udāna breath.
[c] Now, the Upāṁśu vessel is over against the Antaryāma vessel, and the Antaryāma vessel over against the Upāṁśu vessel. Between these two, God (deva) generated heat. The heat is a person,1 and a person is the universal fire (Agni Vaiśvānara). It has elsewhere2 been said: ‘This is the universal fire, namely that which is here within a person, by means of which the food that is eaten is cooked. It is the noise thereof that one hears on covering the ears thus.3 When he [i. e. a person] is about to depart, one hears not this sound.’
‘He, verily, having divided himself fivefold, is hidden away in secret—He who consists of mind, whose body is life (prāṇa), whose form is light, whose conception is truth, whose soul is space.’4
[d] Verily, not having attained his purpose, He thought to himself from within the heart here: ‘Let me enjoy objects.’ Thence, having pierced these openings, He goes forth and ‘enjoys objects with five reins.’ These reins of his are the organs of perception. His steeds are the organs of action. The body is the chariot. The charioteer is the mind. The whip is made of one’s character (prakṛti-maya). By Him forsooth driven, this body goes around and around, like the wheel [driven] by the potter. So, this body is set up in possession of consciousness; or, in other words, this very one is its driver.

But the Soul itself is non-active, unqualified, abiding

7. Verily, this Soul (Ātman)—poets declare—wanders here on earth from body to body, unovercome, as it seems, by the bright or the dark fruits of action. He who on account of his unmanifestness, subtilty, imperceptibility, incomprehensibility, and selflessness is [apparently] unabiding and a doer in the unreal—he, truly, is not a doer, and he is abiding. Verily, he is pure, steadfast and unswerving, stainless, unagitated, desireless, fixed like a spectator, and self-abiding. As an enjoyer of righteousness, he covers himself (ātmānam) with a veil made of qualities; [but] he remains fixed—yea, he remains fixed!”

THIRD PRAPĀṬHAKA

The great Soul, and the individual, suffering, transmigrating soul

1. Then they said: “Sir, if thus you describe the greatness of this Soul (Ātman), there is still another, different one. Who is he, called soul (ātman), who, being overcome by the bright or the dark fruits of action (karman), enters a good or an evil womb, so that his course is downward or upward and he wanders around, overcome by the pairs of opposites (dvandva)?”

The soul that is subject to elements and qualities, confused and self-conceited, suffers and transmigrates

2. [Then he said:] “There is indeed another, different soul, called ‘the elemental soul’ (bhūtātman)—he who, being overcome by the bright or the dark fruits of action, enters a good or an evil womb, so that his course is downward or upward and he wanders around, overcome by the pairs of opposites.
The further explanation of this is:—
The five subtile substances (tan-mātra)1 are spoken of by the word ‘element’ (bhūta). Likewise, the five gross elements (mahā-bhūta) are spoken of by the word ‘element.’ Now, the combination of these is said to be ‘the body’ (śarīra). Now, he, assuredly, indeed, who is said to be in ‘the body’ is said to be ‘the elemental soul.’ Now, its immortal soul (ātman) is like ‘the drop of water on the lotus leaf.’2
This [elemental soul], verily, is overcome by Nature’s (prakṛti) qualities (guṇa).
Now, because of being overcome, he goes on to confusedness; because of confusedness, he sees not the blessed Lord (prabhu), the causer of action, who stands within oneself (ātma-stha). Borne along and defiled by the stream of Qualities (guṇa), unsteady, wavering, bewildered, full of desire, distracted, this one goes on to the state of self-conceit (abhimānatva). In thinking ‘This is I’ and ‘That is mine,’ he binds himself with his self, as does a bird with a snare.
Consequently (anu) ‘being overcome by the fruits of his action, he enters a good or an evil womb, so that his course is downward or upward and he wanders around, overcome by the pairs of opposites.’ ”
“Which one is this?”
Then he said to them:—

The inner Person remains unaffected in the elemental soul’s transformations

3. “Now, it has elsewhere been said3 : ‘Verily, he who is the doer is the elemental soul. The causer of action through the organs is the inner Person. Now, verily, as a lump of iron, overcome by fire and beaten by workmen, passes over into a different form—so, assuredly, indeed, the elemental soul, overcome by the inner Person and beaten by Qualities, passes over into a different form. The mode of that different form, verily, has a fourfold covering,1 is fourteenfold,2 is transformed in eighty-four3 different ways, is a host of beings. These varieties, verily, are driven by the Person, like “the wheel by the potter.” Now, as, when a lump of iron is being hammered, the fire [in it] is not overcome, so that Person is not overcome. This elemental soul (bhūtātman) is overcome (abhibhūta) because of its attachment [to Qualities].’

The body a loathsome conglomerate

4. Now, it has elsewhere been said: ‘This body arises from sexual intercourse. It passes to development in hell[-darkness] (niraya).4 Then it comes forth through the urinary opening. It is built up with bones; smeared over with flesh; covered with skin; filled full with feces, urine, bile, phlegm, marrow, fat, grease, and also with many diseases, like a treasure-house with wealth.’

The overcoming and transforming effects of the dark and of the passionate qualities

5. Now, it has elsewhere been said: ‘The characteristics of the Dark Quality (tamas) are delusion, fear, despondency, sleepiness, weariness, heedlessness, old age, sorrow, hunger, thirst, wretchedness, anger, atheism (nāstikya), ignorance, jealousy, cruelty, stupidity, shamelessness, religious neglect, pride, unequableness.
The characteristics of the Passionate Quality (rajas), on the other hand, are inner thirst, affection, emotion, covetousness, maliciousness, lust, hatred, secretiveness, envy, insatiability, unsteadfastness, fickleness, distractedness, ambitiousness, acquisitiveness, favoritism towards friends, dependence upon surroundings, hatred in regard to unpleasant objects of sense, overfondness in regard to pleasant objects, sourness of utterance, gluttonousness. With these this elemental soul (bhūtātman) is filled full; with these it is “overcome” (abhibhūta). Therefore it undergoes different forms—yea, it undergoes different forms!’ ”

~~~~~~~~~~

So, we see from this extensive quote of the first portion of the Maitri Upanishad, how God as the one OverSoul, or Atman, mirrored itself and then differentiated itself, becaming the lower, denser vibrations of many limited Jiva Souls by way of self-concealment, as well as dialogue about the nature of that level of existence.  Let’s continue now in studying the second of the Trine Adaptogenic principles, Dharma, in this 4 part series exploring the, ‘3 Categories of Why Bad Things Happen’.  Remember, IBASI registered students/disciples are studying principles and theory first, then learning and integrating yoga & meditation skills and competencies through Satsangs, workshops and other training venues, as the general approach to their sadhanas, (spiritual pathwork with the guru-principal/ spiritual preceptor).

The Return to Grace:
This is a good time to discuss the Sanskrit term Parinama-vada = Transformation Theory and how it is related to the 5 Sheaths of Maya. In Parinamma-vada, the cause is continually transforming itself into its effects. This is supremely tantric in that it implies that God is continuously transforming Himself into Man, in a dynamic, quantum nature.  The Primordial Cause is Brahman, 1 of the 3 aspects of God; as the infinite creative potentiality of the multiverse.  One of the trickle-down effects of the Primordial Cause was the 5 Sheaths of Ignorance which cloak the individual soul of humans. 

 The Limited Self, therefore, is mired by its ignorance, called Maya.  Despite entrapment of the human soul in Maya, it is still a pliable, plastic and spontaneous manifestation of the Primordial Cause, and as such, continually transforming itself back into Primordial Cause.  Eventually, despite the effects of Maya, the Sheaths are removed and the Human Soul continues to convolute back into the Primordial Cause, being Brahman, or the Creative Aspect of God. 

This is the cosmology of the Tattvas, and explains the cause and existence of Chakra Ascension as the convoluting or resorbing path back to the Primordial Cause, God.  It is important to remember that even the most darkest places in the Universe, spiritually and otherwise, are still part & parcel of God and the Divine Plan for His children. In any case, the Biblical parable of the Prodigal Son clearly sets the precedent: that offspring leave and eventually find their way back home.  Not only is this seen in the Great Migrations on the Nature Channel, but also the transmigratory nature of the Human Soul.  

Dharma:
Dharma is Supreme Knowledge as a landscape of 2 plains.  The lower plain is the Knowledge of Man and even the written scriptures, for example, the 4 volumes of the Vedas, the 6 Vedangas and numerous Upanishads of Hinduism, or the Bible, Torah or Koran. The higher plain is ineffable, undefinable God.  A stanza from Hindu scripture (Mundakopanishad 1:1) says God, the landscape of Higher Knowledge is, ‘That which is invisible, ungraspable, unoriginated and attributeless, that which hs neither eyes nor ears nor hands nor legs – that is eternal, full of manifestations, All-pervading, Subtlest of the subtle, that Imperishable Being which the wise perceive as the Source of all Creations”.  Even so, the Book of Genesis says, ‘…and God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’.  It becomes clear from discussions so far,then, that the higher plain is within the lower plain, and the correct approach to understanding our journey, is not through linear, horizontal, 3-dimensional movement or action.  The greatest attainment is but the piercing of the veils of ignorance with Self-Recognition, the supreme non-action of the Light of Intellect, Chitti Shakti, or, Kaivalya ChitPrakasha.

Dharma can be seen as the working Divine Blueprint, or master vibrational wave-form, or matrix, for achieving Self-Recognition, paradoxically as both the higher and lower plains, since one resonates within the other.  The workings of Dharma provide for synchronistic, pre-ordained Divine Learning Lessons for each Jiva Soul incarnation. Each ‘learning lesson’ is a transcendent cross-link, and therefore opportunity to transcend from the lower to higher plain, much like the touching of 2 membranes in the multiverse of M-Theory/String Theory. Indeed, it is more than just an opportunity, it is the workings of pre-ordained destiny, or fate.

Free Will versus Divine Will:
The ancient Vedas and teachings of saints, seers and sages have been familiar with this dynamic for 10,000s of years. It is akin to the Causal Principle of the Transformation Theory of Parinama-vada.  In the example of personal free will, it states the over-riding ‘cause’, God as Perfect Freedom in Divine Will, is the siren call that compels all our actions in life, no matter how much the individual ego-mind, (Jiva, in Sanskrit), insists it has personal free will.  Our intellect believes we have free will, however, due to the concealing effects of the 5 Kanchukas of Maya, we can not perceive the paradox of ‘transcendent within immanent’.  Hence, the self-corrective action of Karma within Dharma.  Simply, if we stray off this yet pre-ordained path laid out for us by Divine Will, we shall ‘pay for it’ through Karmic Action.  

It is said God speaks in the language of paradox, couched amongst the cushions of chaos, sipping the delicious tea of creation, maintenance and destruction.  Through the ascension process, the Jiva eventually recognizes the transcendant within the immenant within and without the Self-of-All, and enjoys the sport of merging paradoxical paradigms.  This is called Chakra-Ascension.

Yin & Yang the Push-Pull Engine:
So we see here the purpose and value of the 2 basic meditation categories I’ve mentioned in previous lessons: ‘contemplative meditation’ and ‘creative meditation’.

Contemplative Meditation
Yogas, Blessings & Prayers, focus on the intense longing for communion with God through the siren call of the Divine Throb in our heart of hearts: the primordial causal underpinning of Brahman, the Absolute; the Christ Consciousness.   Catching, latching onto and synchronizing our personal will with the ‘pulling’ action of Divine Will is an essential component of the interplay of Yin/Yang alchemy which the Ascension process within all religions and spiritual paths.

Creative Meditation
Yoga’s, Blessings & Prayers are all about using the inner senses for releasing, and ‘pushing’ away from the lower-egomind.  So Contemplative Meditation yogas keeps us ‘on path’ with the Causal Principle which continuously manifests as the effect in our lives, and Creative Meditation yogas releases us from having strayed off path.  Paradoxically, even the ‘straying off path’ is all part & parcel of the larger, more simpler equation at play, as it ‘pushes’ us back on path.  ‘Push Hands’ is actually a fine example of this yoga, a Tai-Chi moving meditation between 2 students which attempts to integrate the symbolic play of opposing forces of the Yin/Yang principle in yoga and meditation.

Fractal Dynamics – ‘Step by Step’:
The actual process of transcendence is very difficult to achieve, let alone articulating instruction on the nature and process of it.  This is where the poet and quantum astrophysicist have the advantage of being able to invoke and then embody Symbolic Language, but let’s give it a try, shall we?  Imagine a beautiful graphic image of a Fractal Equation. When we look at this ‘leaf’, a graphic image of a simple fractal mathematical equation, we see a simple image repeating itself into itself in a continuous loop where the overall body grows larger and larger.  We see that there is an overall pattern and each smaller part is merely the next step or cycle in the same pattern.  The cause of the effect continually manifests itself, in integrity with the mathematical equation.  The result is exquisitely perfect, elegant and beautiful.  It is holographically self-contained and the ‘cause’, the mathematical equation, creates levels of leaflets that do seem to tangentially ‘stray off path. 

If it were to animate, there would be no beginning and no end to its growth, expansion and ‘ascension’. These smaller repeating patterns of the ‘cause’ seem to stray off to the side in ascending levels.  Individually they are ‘off path’, but overall, these straying levels are essential to the overall ‘ascension’ of the overall, foundational pattern of the leaf.

This dynamic illustrated in mathematics and Nature itself is also at play in Soul growth and maturation.  Just as there are stages, levels, phases, with Lifespan-stages and in Child Psychology, so are there Spiritual/ Vedic Psychology.  No stage or level is ‘right’ nor ‘wrong’, neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’.  In fact, as with Chakra Ascension from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, and as with each ‘leaflet’ of the fractal equation image above, each stage or level is a complete world view or ‘paradigm’. 

These psycho-spiritual life-stages are therefore going to through us off-path again in one way or another, but are paradoxically necessary for continued soul maturation towards Self-Realization and Liberation. Self-realization is achieved by Contemplative Meditation and Liberation is achieved by Creative Meditation, where one realizes the true cause and natural of one’s Self as the Absolute by the former, and is liberated and saved from the illusory and limited existence caused by the 5 Sheaths of Ignorance.

You may have guessed already that not all pain & suffering is either 'good' or 'bad', and the subjective term 'suffering' itself is interpreted as such by each individual in each instance. For instance, a 'Healing Crisis' is when the body is attempting to purge toxins from itself and tissue or organs are damaged 'downstream'. Is vomiting or diarrhea to purge toxins 'good' or 'bad' in that case? Is the person really suffering, then, or it-is-what-it-is, i.e. no judgment?  Another common example is stubbing a toe or even sneezing. Whose fault is it, is it good or bad, or is it 'just is'?

There are learning lessons that enable us to adapt to changes within us and around us. Hence the common saying, ' We learn from our mistakes'. Are these learning moments 'good' or 'bad' or 'just is'? Through our physical, mental & emotional lives and even the arch of our soul development, challenges, tests, changes and ultimately adaption and evolution is a natural process, which is neither good nor bad, it simply IS.

Similarly, when we stray off-path, be it from effective spiritual hygiene or dental hygiene, there will be pain as a signal that something needs attention. Is pain per se 'good' or 'bad', then, if it signals a warning that if not attended to, much worse will happen soon? So we see that 'cause-and-effect' natural law is a guide-rail to keeping us on track - in what I call 'Dharmic Integrity' with the divine blue-print of our lives, which in turn naturally brings us in closer relationship with God.

Swami Nostrumananda

(Rev.Dr.Devi Nostrum)

Bibliography:
MAITRI UPANISHAD - Misc (Upanishads), The Thirteen Principal Upanishads [1921], Robert Ernest Hume (Oxford University Press, 1921). Accessed from http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/2058/155113 on 2011-01-03

IBASI Healing Ministries. Copyright 2010-11. Contact IBASI for permissions.

Part 2: Karma - The 3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen?',

Part 2. Karma
Why Bad Things Happen?

By Swami Nostrumananda
(Rev. Dr. Devi Nostrum)
December 15^th, 2010

Invocation for Enlightenment:
Om,
Bhur bhuvah swaha,
Om tat savitur varenayam.
Bhargo devasya dhimahi,
dhiyo yon aha prachodayat,
Om.

(We meditate on the Supreme Effulgence
of the Three Universes.
May It enlighten our consciousness).

INTRODUCTION:
This is a continuation of the last posting where I introduced the '3 Categories of Why Bad Things Happen'. The postulate being that all humanly conceivable experiences of pain & suffering can be distilled down, (or up, as a matter of perspective), to 3 broad, transcendent words: Karma, Dharma and Parinama.  These are Sanskrit terms right out of the ancient Hindu Vedic scriptures, which are tens of thousands of years old. Sanskrit or any other holy words of scripture, which are bestowed with Grace, are like zip.doc files.  Sitting in silence and stillness with a single Sutra word or Mantra unzips and downloads volumes of wisdom for the opened heart and tranquil mind to install and activate positive, empowering synchronicities in our lives.  (EDITORIAL NOTE: parinama vada = transformational theory, change, evolution, ripening, whereas Prapanna/prapatti = the ability to realize; one who has surrendered one's self to God; a seeker of God; complete & absolute surrender.  Sanskrit. Both terms are implied as the 3rd Category of ‘surrendering to change by Gods Will’.).

Book Knowledge Alone is not a Path to God:
 I have found in my comparative religions and cultural anthropology studies that where the Bible, Torah, etc., offers laws, decrees, and images of earthly Man and heavenly Father, it does not articulate well how to get from here to there.  The philosophy of true religions necessarily includes the science of how spiritual form & function work in technical terms. 

When we understand and have courage in testing the psychological and energetic mechanics of personal salvation, nothing can stop us from having meaningful experiences of soul cleansing redemption. Take for instance the 10 Commandments, and concepts like Original Sin.  Each term is like a zip. file, a 'How To' manual for returning to ones body in the present moment and empowering it to heal, purify and find eternal happiness.  Like a computer zip. file in the mind, a device is required to unlock its contents.  For humans, it is meditation. Nothing else works. Who/what installs the ‘zip-unlocker’?  Some would say their religious scriptures are all that is needed. But how can a bunch of zipped files unlock themselves? Equally so is the dilemma of how to awakening the Living Truth of God’s Word, in scripture, or otherwise.

The answer is a paradox of simultaneous correct self-effort exercised by the Mind requiring action, versus correct Heart-centered meditation requiring stillness and silence.  This is the secret Yin/Yang mechanism that unlocks and downloads the divine essence, the very God Vibration of not only the scriptural word but the 4 other true sources of God.  A subtle combination of correct understandings of scriptural knowledge, divine intercession in the form of transmitted Grace/ Holy Spirit, and a vector, or catalyst in the form of a qualified spiritual preceptor, either living or in spirit, is required, however, for correct self-effort of spiritual disciplines, and correct meditation/ prayer skills.  Remember, the philosophy and science of finding God is technically delicate and subtle, requiring intense and perpetual focus. So, here, as a Spiritual Preceptor, i.e. vector and catalyst, while we are not sitting face to face over a fire & under the stars, or in a physical temple, the Ancient Ones are with you in sacred space nonetheless, summoning divine intercession and Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Truths),  to bring home the mystery of:  1. Karma:  'You Sow what you Reap'.


Category 1. Karma, Domino Effect & Original Sin:
Some of you may have caught the heading in the subject line yesterday in the introduction posting. No, it was not a mistake, not only is karma synonymous with the English axiom of 'You reap what you sow', the reverse is true too! Not only is it true, but it is incredibly important to understand how the latter happens, as it explains the Old Testament concept of Original Sin and the root cause of how it has perpetuated through the ages from Adam and Eve to you and me this very moment.  Paradoxically, the axiom is also an example of the universal law of Karma.  Karmic Law of ‘Cause and Effect’ is intimately involved in vanquishing Original Sin, where we, as the Prodigal Son, come back home to the Father. That, however, will be for the next posted lesson. (Consider this a HINT for the Lesson Homework Assignment, below, for IBASI Students and all those who wish to participate through www.ibasi.org  - Study Group and the portal to the Chakra-Ascension Study Group on line at Yahoo.groups.com )

A Little Story called  'Original Sin -  Domino Effect'
Imagine a line of dominoes. Let 1 line split into 2, then 4, then 16, and so on. Tip one over and it topples the next one, and so on. Originally, each domino was in its own body-of-space and holding its own integrity, but when the cascade of toppling started, each one eventually 'invaded' another’s space, and automatically went down. If each human was a domino, then Divine Intercession tipped the first domino over and it was 'the domino effect' that carried this 'Original Sin' to the last ones, you and me.  This may explain the mechanics of how Original Sin has travelled through the ages to the present moment, but let’s put this into more human psycho-spiritual terms.

We all understand it when someone says, ' I get a bad vibe' from him/her/situation. We all have had experiences when another person has 'gotten in our space' with their words & behaviors - usually without any physical contact at all.  The experience is still very physical, especially to introverts and those naturally or trained intuitives - the 'sensitive types'. The very interesting thing that happens in that instant is that the offended person, ( person A), has literally moved some or his/her 'body' of space into another persons' 'body' of space, person B.  The offending person A  didn't know this happened, it happened so quickly, and invisibly. Why? Because person A has also been 'offended' and has lost much of their own space.

Remember, we are now talking about Human Dominos smack in the middle or the very end of the Domino Effect.  By now, it has become a cumulatively massive, powerful wave of force that is truly difficult to fight against. Person B didn't fully perceive that happening either, he/she just took on someone's space (A), forever, and just lost some of their own space forever, and they are both clueless! The sad thing is that this domino-toppling wave is not unidirectional, nor is it painless.  Losing bits and pieces of our power, integrity and self-will is very painful, yet not immediately obvious.   With its cascading effect of bouncing wave forms,the Karma of ‘You reap what you sow’ is in full force. Imagine many rain-drops and their colliding rings in a pool of water.  This is not a peaceful scene! With each ‘toppling collision’ a person losses more and more of their sovereign divine power, access to their Greater Self and therefore more and more of their innate brilliance,  intelligence, creativity, resourcefulness, & love and reverence for all life.

‘I’ and ‘Mine’ are born:
The Bhagavad Gita reveals the mechanics of how this happens: “ for a person dwelling on the objects of the senses, an attachment to them is born, ( ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ is created in the instant one loses the integrity of Self-in-All and ownership of attachments is born).  From (the cords of ) attachment (through the 5 external and internal sense organs), desire is born, (karmic stickiness); from desire, anger is born. From anger arises delusion (loss of ability to discern authentic self) and loss of memory (of authentic self); from loss of memory, destruction of discrimination, ( loss of ability for insight…the falling of the ‘domino into others’ space begins), from destruction of discrimination one is lost.(domino falls invasively into others, loss of personal space & power, perpetuating the cycle).”(BG 2:62-63).  Then God explains to Arjuna the Warrior King, “I am not manifest to all those who are enveloped (covered in the foreign energy-information of others), in the workings of Maya (resulting delusion, ignorance).  This deluded world does not recognize Me, the birthless and immortal.(ones’ authentic Self)” (BG 7:25).

Each person who invades their space into others, triggers an avalanche where these others, who are now more compromised, ungrounded, no longer their full, authentic beautiful self, are toppling each other again and again from all sides, over and over, and it goes on and on! OMG!  Perhaps Zombie movies are so appealing because somewhere deep inside we recognize this energetic dynamic - it's so obvious - but not really, right?  Not until it's way too late. 

Woe is the human family. Do the opening chapters of the Bhagavad Gita make more sense now? Why did God come down to the Warrior King, Arjuna, to explain why it was necessary for him to go into battle and viciously kill all his brothers and sisters, nephews, cousins and uncles, who were all there, the entire clan on the battlefield waiting to kill him?  Perhaps they have all misplaced themselves in each other so much that they can no longer recognize themselves or each other from the true enemy anymore?  Perhaps, they are all symbolic of the different non-Self entities within Arjuna himself that he must do battle against in order to find God within?  Hmm?  Why in the Bible did the Son of God tell Matthew (10:24) that He shall take out His sword and have daughter fight mother, son fight father? Think about it. Why in the Koran/Old Testament, God says, 'An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth'. (disclaimer - I am loosely quoting here, lol).

Karmic Phlegm and Samskaras:
Swami Muktananda says, “ There is the mother called Maya, and she makes you forget everything.  She has six children, who keep you away from God all the time.  These children are: desire, anger, greed, jealousy, pride and infatuation.” These inner tendencies are the Christian vices which ensnare us into believing we are incomplete, different and separate, lonely beings, robbing us of tremendous personal space and personal power, obscuring our self-worth, purity and integrity.   Some systems of belief regard Karma and Maya as purely action, others purely energetic/unmanifest, and others, as a form of matter. In truth, all 3 forms exist in unison.  

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, for example,  a pathological condition called, ‘Phlegm’ which is an actual energetic substance, can settle into meridians, joints and organs like the heart and lungs, causing everything from mental disorders like Bipolar Disorder to Arthritis, Strokes and Insomnia. ‘Phlegm, and the impurities of the Po, create karma-filled latencies of the incarnated soul.  Like Hindu samskaras, these are mind-body impurities that are a result of external energies invading our personal space, obscuring harmonious well-being and inducing latent mental-emotional disorders, physical diseases and more insidious Karmic Action.

The Blooming of Latent Tendencies:
 In Chakra Levesl 1-3, Lokavasana is th dominant  karmic latency causing one to think, ‘this is mine, my country, my tradition, my culture’. In Chakra Levels 4-5, the greatest challenge is the karmic latency of Dehavasana, making one think, oneself to be of ‘such and such age, young or old, and ambitiously desire the full span of life with health, strength and good looks. Generally thoughts pertaining to the body and body status indicate these latencies. Next must be effaced the latencies connected with the objects of the senses (vishayavasana) such as sound, sight, etc, and the ravenous chasing and ‘hooking into’ objects by the 5 external sense organs, (hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling), and 5 inner or psychic senses, such as clairvoyance and clairsentience.  Next all latencies connected with cording attachments via wrong identity, (viparita vasana), and the sense of differentiation, (bheda vasana), must be mastered. Chakra Levels 5-6 are challenged most by these most subtle yet difficult and insidious karmic tendency.  Though the senses are restrained, yet the mind always thinks of objects: ‘there is that; there is this; it is such and such; it is this-wise or otherwise’ and so on.

The Effects on Health & Sanity:
Add to this that after about 72 hours, the human body can no longer recognize foreign energy as any different from itself, and can no longer 'shake off' this thing that has attached itself to it, like an invading parasite.  From here the 'invaded' body who has lost some of themselves, perhaps forever, (that would be everyone, by now), recognizes that this particular (foreign)  part of itself is not meshing, not working with the rest of the system. 

 It begins to try to heal this foreign energy, but that is not possible because it is intrinsically foreign.  So much life-force is taken up that the rest of the body begins to get out of balance & harmony, and eventually 'dis-ease' and illness comes to the 'Offended-toppled-Offender-who Offends & is Offended again-and-again'.   Do we wonder why there is so much irrational, insane, nay - sinful - behavior from mankind these days  - from the beginning of days, to the end-of-days?


Swami Nostrumananda
(Rev.Dr. Devi Nostrum)
www.ibasi.org

 

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