The Light that shines by itself, but by which all things are seen

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Dear All,

 

In my research i have come across an interesting article by Tom Weaver, in which

he states:

 

" The best definition of light that I know comes from the ancient yogis. They

call Light " that which shines by itself, but by which all things are seen. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi has told us that this Light is Prakash. She says that

the vibrations are the Prakash going through us:

 

" Now the Vibrations are that Prakash going through us. " (Shri Mataji Nirmala

Devi - 'Questions & Answers' - 'Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan' - London, England - 22

March 1977)

 

There will be another post soon, titled: " What are these vibrations

(physiologically, scientifically, spiritually) " .... where the above quote is

included in Shri Mataji's answer.

 

But for now, i hope you find this article interesting and informative!

 

violet

 

 

 

That Which Shines

 

by Tom Weaver (Prakasha)

 

What is the nature of awareness? Yogis have long likened the play of Light to

that of pure awareness, asking, What is the nature of Light?

 

People have been trying to understand Light for thousands of years. There is no

complete answer. Light is invisible but it is also everything that I see. The

best definition of light that I know comes from the ancient yogis. They call

Light " that which shines by itself, but by which all things are seen. "

 

I see things but I am not aware at first of how I see them. Something may

obstruct my sight, a solid object or a shadow, so, my first understanding of

light is an inability to perceive. The same can be said for what we call Divine

Light. If Light is something by which all things are seen, it's not surprising

that I've recognized the presence of the Light most in my life when it isn't

there.

 

The simplest definition of light from the point of view of physics is that it is

a special kind of wave. Unlike waves in water, where only the water vibrates, a

light wave arises from the vibrations of two interdependent kinds of energy:

electric and magnetic. Together, they form a moving dance of continual

transformation. Each dies away in providing the energy needed to give birth to

the other, only to be reborn an instant later a little farther along in space

and time. I have come to think of this as a " trading song. " One analogy that

comes up from yoga is the transformation of Radha and Krishna. In one Hindu

myth, Radha longs for Krishna so much that she becomes Krishna. Now Radha is

nowhere to be found. Krishna longs and pines for Radha and turns back into Her,

on and on.

 

In both views, light is not passive, but a form of energy that moves and

interacts and undergoes many transformations. It doesn't remain aloof and

unchanged by its many encounters, it is transformed by them.

 

Yogis and physicists would agree that the source of light is vibrating energy.

In Yoga, especially Kashmiri Saivism, the Light of knowledge and understanding

results from the vibration of the energy of consciousness between a state of

pure awareness and a state in which it takes the form of what it perceives. This

vibration arises from the power of consciousness to reflect on itself in a never

ending sequence: " I know... Who knows?...I know... Who knows? " ...

 

Swami Radha, my spiritual teacher, introduced me to Kashmiri Saivism. She gave

me the second chapter from the Doctrine of Vibration* to read, entitled " Light

and Awareness: The Two Aspects of Consciousness. " I resonated with what I read.

The text was difficult to understand. A convoluted intellectual crust had been

interposed over essentially intuitive experiences. But I felt an intense joy in

discovering new words like prakasha (meaning the light of consciousness or pure

awareness). They seemed to have a life and meaning of their own.

 

A couple of days later, Swami Radha asked me, " What's that word in your mind? "

 

I didn't know what to say, and replied with a smile, " There are lots of words in

my mind. " She waited and didn't make a quick reply, just watching me

expectantly.

Finally, I asked, " Do you mean a Sanskrit word? "

" Yes. "

" Then, it can only be prakasha. I was immediately struck by it, and have been

trying to understand what it really means. "

" That might be a good name for you someday. "

I found this prospect pretty scary at the time.

 

Many scientists choose to ignore the existence of consciousness completely, and

treat the brain as a " black box " whose behaviour can only be " objectively "

studied by an external observer. Those who do consider consciousness tend to

assume that it arises out of the interchange of electrical impulses between the

brain's nerve cells. For them, consciousness emerges from the complex

interactions of matter and then submerges again when those interactions are

disrupted.

 

Even from a strictly scientific viewpoint, it seems to me that such conclusions

are premature at best.

 

Scientists have found that all known forms of energy can be transformed into all

the other forms, including all the forms of matter, implying that they all must

have a common nature. Swami Radha often said that consciousness is energy. That

would mean that physical light and the Light of consciousness are just different

forms of energy. Thus it seems that consciousness could manifest as all the

other forms of energy and all the other forms of energy could have a degree of

consciousness.

 

For me, it seems important to distinguish consciousness from the contents of

consciousness. My tentative conclusion from these explorations of consciousness

is that pure awareness is very different from the limited " data processing " that

western science has so far shown the brain to be involved in. In addition,

phenomena like sleep and dreams, and finer feelings like love, gratitude and

compassion seem to have little explanation or purpose within such a mechanistic

viewpoint.

 

What is the alternative to matter-based consciousness? In many different

spiritual and philosophic traditions, it is consciousness that is held to be

primary, and matter to be only the result of the interactions of consciousness

with itself. Whether matter leads to consciousness or consciousness leads to

matter, the point is that they cannot really be different at a fundamental

level. In either scenario, matter must " contain " the essence of consciousness,

and consciousness, the essence of matter.

 

The Divine Light Invocation is a spiritual practice of identifying with Light. I

have practiced the Invocation for many years and have recently intensified my

exploration of it. It is hard to put these experiences into words, harder still

to try to wrap scientific metaphors around them. Yet how else can I join the two

halves of me?

 

The first line of the Divine Light Invocation Mantra is " I am created by Divine

Light. " If I am created from Light then I must in essence be Light. This is same

conclusion that Einstein reached, that if matter can be transformed into energy

(and vice-versa) it must have the same nature as energy. If Divine Light is

Cosmic Consciousness and I am continuously being created from it then I must

have the same nature as Cosmic Consciousness.

 

The yogi's goal is freedom from all limitations and realization by direct

experience of who he or she really is. The scientist's goal is often said to be

knowledge for knowledge's sake (and by some for " control " of nature). In the

yogi's case the focus is on the subject (self), and in the scientist's case it

is on the object (seen as other). Swami Radha has commented as part of a long

tradition of spiritual teachers that this division is only " apparent, " that

there is no separation between I and the other.

 

Four years after Swami Radha gave me The Doctrine of Vibration, she asked me if

I wanted to take a Sanskrit name as part of my initiation into brahmacharya*. I

told her that taking a Sanskrit name would be very helpful to symbolize the

state of pure mind that I was striving towards. I chose the name Prakasha,

meaning pure awareness, Divine Light, or the Light of Consciousness. Swami Radha

seemed to expect this choice of name and readily agreed to it. In Sanskrit " that

which shines " is the root word for both Consciousness and the Divine. For me the

Path of the Light is the exploration of the Divine in the form of the Light of

Consciousness. In order to grasp the true nature of Consciousness, I know I need

to further explore both my inner and outer worlds, the scientist and yogi in me.

 

http://www.ascentmagazine.com/articles.aspx?articleID=128 & issueID=1