The Ascent to the Godhead - Part 2

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

In Part 1 we concluded with:

 

" Beyond that world of the mahat [the great Self] is the 'avyakta', the

unmanifest. Before anything comes into manifestation, to be known by the mind,

it is first unmanifest. It is in the seed. That is what is called 'mula

prakriti', the root nature or the cosmic nature, in which all is gathered up.

Using the language of David Bohm we could say that this is the implicate order.

The mula prakriti is where all things are implicated in one, like a seed from

which the whole creation comes. From the mula prakriti the whole creation comes

into manifestation in the world that we see. Then beyond the avyakta [the

unmanifest] is 'purusha', that great cosmic Person whom we have been

considering, and he is the end. Beyond purusha there is nothing. He is the goal.

So we move from the senses and the mind to the intellect, to the cosmic

consciousness, to the unmanifest and finally to the supreme person. Later, as we

shall see, further distinctions are made within that ultimate, that person. But

at present the 'purusha' is the end. "

 

[1] Isa Upanishad 6

[2] Katha Upanishad 3:10:11

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

Christian Faith), Pg.178

Bede Griffiths

Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

ISBN 0-87243-180-0

 

Here now, is Part 2.

 

Enjoy!

 

violet

 

 

The Ascent to the Godhead - Part 2

 

(P.179) The 'Katha Upanishad' then shows the path to this supreme goal. The text

says, " A wise man should keep down speech in mind " . Speech is that by which we

go out of ourselves, communicate to others, and when we begin to meditate we

have to withdraw from speech into the mind, into the manas. Then " he should keep

the mind within the self which is knowledge. " [3] That is, we should bring the

'manas' into the 'buddhi'. The manas is discursive, it goes from one thing to

another, whereas the buddhi is single-pointed, 'ekagraha', one-pointed. It is

" the still-point " . It is the key point where we open on the transcendent. It

must be realised that not only does modern Western philosophy not go beyond that

but, in fact, it has hardly reached that point. In the West the mind simply

stops at the 'manas'. But in the Hindu tradition, beyond the 'buddhi' is the

'mahat', the great Self, so we open up on the transcendent, cosmic order. It was

common knowledge to all ancient people that beyond the human is this cosmic

order. The angels in the medieval Christian tradition were part of this, and

there were nine orders of angels, nine orders of consciousness, beyond the

human. The human is the lowest level of consciousness and beyond are all the

other orders. In the Hindu tradition there is this vast cosmic order beyond. It

corresponds to a large extent with the world of ideas of Plato, while in

Plotinus it is the 'nous' which includes all the ideas from which the whole

creation comes forth. It is here in Plato and Plotinus that Western philosophy

comes nearest to the eastern tradition, although these developments tended to be

lost later on in the West.

 

So one goes beyond the 'buddhi' to the 'mahat', which is cosmic consciousness.

Then the Katha Upanishad says he should keep that " in the self which is

peace " ,[4] the 'shanta atman'. One goes beyond the world of the gods and of the

angels which are at the limit of creation - to the uncreated, to the source,

which is 'shanta', peace, the peace which passes understanding. (P.180) One goes

beyond understanding, beyond the mind. So that is the path of yoga. One of the

first uses of the term yoga itself is found a little later on where the text

says, " When the five instruments of knowledge, (that is the five senses) stand

still, together with the mind, the 'manas', (when one's senses are still and the

mind is still) " and then the intellect, the 'buddhi', does not move. " When, in

other words, one has brought one's whole being to the still point, then " that is

called the highest state. " [5] When all the external activity ceases, then the

interior reality begins to unfold.

 

We need to notice how this is completely contrary to the Western tradition which

imagines that when one gets to the intellect one has come to the end. In the

Eastern tradition the intellect is really only the beginning, when one has gone

beyond the gross world and is entering into the subtle world and into the

transcendent. The 'buddhi' is the path to that, but the highest state is beyond

both the mind and the intellect; it is the transcendent state. Then the Katha

Upanishad goes on to say, " This form holding back of the senses is what is

called yoga. " So yoga was first the holding back of the senses. Later, in the

yoga of Patanjali, yoga is defined as 'chitta vritti nirodha', the cessation of

the movements of the mind. When the mind stops moving and centres in itself,

then yoga begins. And yoga means union, uniting. " Yoking " is the same word in

English. It is the integration of the whole person. All the elements in our

nature have to be brought into that unity. At that stage one experiences

oneself, one's 'atman'. So that is the path which is mapped out at this stage in

the Katha Upanishad.

 

[3] Katha Upanishad 3:10:13

[4] Katha Upanishad 3:10:13

[5] Katha Upanishad 6:10

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

Christian Faith), Pg.179-180

Bede Griffiths

Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

ISBN 0-87243-180-0

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

i need to make one edit in the last paragraph of this article. i wrote:

 

" Then the Katha Upanishad goes on to say, " This form holding back of the senses

is what is called yoga. "

 

It should have read:

 

" Then the Katha Upanishad goes on to say, " This FIRM holding back of the senses

is what is called yoga. "

 

[in other words " form " should have been " firm " .]

 

regards,

 

violet

 

 

, " Violet " <violetubb

wrote:

>

> Dear All,

>

> In Part 1 we concluded with:

>

> " Beyond that world of the mahat [the great Self] is the 'avyakta',

the unmanifest. Before anything comes into manifestation, to be known

by the mind, it is first unmanifest. It is in the seed. That is what

is called 'mula prakriti', the root nature or the cosmic nature, in

which all is gathered up. Using the language of David Bohm we could

say that this is the implicate order. The mula prakriti is where all

things are implicated in one, like a seed from which the whole

creation comes. From the mula prakriti the whole creation comes into

manifestation in the world that we see. Then beyond the avyakta [the

unmanifest] is 'purusha', that great cosmic Person whom we have been

considering, and he is the end. Beyond purusha there is nothing. He is

the goal. So we move from the senses and the mind to the intellect, to

the cosmic consciousness, to the unmanifest and finally to the supreme

person. Later, as we shall see, further distinctions are made within

that ultimate, that person. But at present the 'purusha' is the end. "

>

> [1] Isa Upanishad 6

> [2] Katha Upanishad 3:10:11

>

> A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

> Christian Faith), Pg.178

> Bede Griffiths

> Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

> ISBN 0-87243-180-0

>

> Here now, is Part 2.

>

> Enjoy!

>

> violet

>

>

> The Ascent to the Godhead - Part 2

>

> (P.179) The 'Katha Upanishad' then shows the path to this supreme

goal. The text says, " A wise man should keep down speech in mind " .

Speech is that by which we go out of ourselves, communicate to others,

and when we begin to meditate we have to withdraw from speech into the

mind, into the manas. Then " he should keep the mind within the self

which is knowledge. " [3] That is, we should bring the 'manas' into the

'buddhi'. The manas is discursive, it goes from one thing to another,

whereas the buddhi is single-pointed, 'ekagraha', one-pointed. It is

" the still-point " . It is the key point where we open on the

transcendent. It must be realised that not only does modern Western

philosophy not go beyond that but, in fact, it has hardly reached that

point. In the West the mind simply stops at the 'manas'. But in the

Hindu tradition, beyond the 'buddhi' is the 'mahat', the great Self,

so we open up on the transcendent, cosmic order. It was common

knowledge to all ancient people that beyond the human is this cosmic

order. The angels in the medieval Christian tradition were part of

this, and there were nine orders of angels, nine orders of

consciousness, beyond the human. The human is the lowest level of

consciousness and beyond are all the other orders. In the Hindu

tradition there is this vast cosmic order beyond. It corresponds to a

large extent with the world of ideas of Plato, while in Plotinus it is

the 'nous' which includes all the ideas from which the whole creation

comes forth. It is here in Plato and Plotinus that Western philosophy

comes nearest to the eastern tradition, although these developments

tended to be lost later on in the West.

>

> So one goes beyond the 'buddhi' to the 'mahat', which is cosmic

consciousness. Then the Katha Upanishad says he should keep that " in

the self which is peace " ,[4] the 'shanta atman'. One goes beyond the

world of the gods and of the angels which are at the limit of creation

- to the uncreated, to the source, which is 'shanta', peace, the peace

which passes understanding. (P.180) One goes beyond understanding,

beyond the mind. So that is the path of yoga. One of the first uses of

the term yoga itself is found a little later on where the text says,

" When the five instruments of knowledge, (that is the five senses)

stand still, together with the mind, the 'manas', (when one's senses

are still and the mind is still) " and then the intellect, the

'buddhi', does not move. " When, in other words, one has brought one's

whole being to the still point, then " that is called the highest

state. " [5] When all the external activity ceases, then the interior

reality begins to unfold.

>

> We need to notice how this is completely contrary to the Western

tradition which imagines that when one gets to the intellect one has

come to the end. In the Eastern tradition the intellect is really only

the beginning, when one has gone beyond the gross world and is

entering into the subtle world and into the transcendent. The 'buddhi'

is the path to that, but the highest state is beyond both the mind and

the intellect; it is the transcendent state. Then the Katha Upanishad

goes on to say, " This form holding back of the senses is what is

called yoga. " So yoga was first the holding back of the senses. Later,

in the yoga of Patanjali, yoga is defined as 'chitta vritti nirodha',

the cessation of the movements of the mind. When the mind stops moving

and centres in itself, then yoga begins. And yoga means union,

uniting. " Yoking " is the same word in English. It is the integration

of the whole person. All the elements in our nature have to be brought

into that unity. At that stage one experiences oneself, one's 'atman'.

So that is the path which is mapped out at this stage in the Katha

Upanishad.

>

> [3] Katha Upanishad 3:10:13

> [4] Katha Upanishad 3:10:13

> [5] Katha Upanishad 6:10

>

> A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

> Christian Faith), Pg.179-180

> Bede Griffiths

> Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

> ISBN 0-87243-180-0

>