Theos-Talk Archives (November 1993 Message tl00031)

by Brenda Tucker.

I'd like to respond to Eldon's article of November 2,
1993, subject: religion, philosophy, and science.
First, your discussion is so unbelievably separatist
where I would hope there might be more of a unifying
note.

For instance:

> A scientist seeks practical knowledge of the outer
> world. The philosopher works with pure thought,
> things that cannot be outwardly manipulated. And the
> religious student deals with matters of the spirit,
> matters of perfection, unity, divinity, relatedness
> to the fountainhead of life.

In my mind, you are suggesting that our job is to
choose one area over the other and make it our
specialty, as you have done. You also stress the
presence of a "materiality" in all three domains.

I think we have all found your own general leaning to
be towards philosophy, as much as you might like to be
considered a scientist, it hasn't provided you with the
grander plan and so the category is seriously lacking.
Well, this would be true except that every scientist,
philosopher, and priest are much more than just a
scientist, philosopher and saint. They have an inner
self, a higher self which can exert its influence on
what each man or woman does through actions, thoughts,
and feelings.

I propose to you that all three areas are seeking
practical knowledge, generating pure thought, and
running quarterback for the "divine." Perhaps your
comprehension of a "material age" is the real
limitation at issue here. People can fall victims of
their materiality within their philosophy as well as
through emphasis and manipulation of "things"
scientifically.

You've heard in THE YOGA SUTRAS about obstacles to soul
cognition, and while material studies may take our
minds away from higher ideals, our feelings are still
present to raise our consciousness above the mundane.
Our feelings of awe, wonder, discovery, altruism all
have tremendous impact on the way we are able to
accomplish our work with matter. The mind labeled
"slayer of the real" in THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE, can
make such intricate, amazing systems of thought and
study that we may experience difficulty "going beyond"
what we know. Our philosophy may engulf us and shut
others out.

My real purpose in writing today was to inquire of the
students here about their purification practices. Has
austerity found its way into your life in the form of
vegetarianism, abstention from alcohol, cigarettes,
drugs? Does a celibate life present its ideal as one
worth striving for? The purification practices are for
the body its true, but the brain substance would be
made especially attuned to receiving the higher
impulses, would it not?

As much as I feel theosophy provides an excellent
insight into inner realms, I refuse to allow my
consciousness to stop with a grasping of the fine
points of consciousness. One man's work is as good as
another's and should be judged not only by the effect
it has on us, but by its usefulness over the entire
life period. If I went through a period of time
studying in one particular manner, I would never say
that I since discovered that that was bad and what I'm
doing now is good. Each period in my life accomplished
something by which I would not have been able to travel
on to the next area of study. I'm more than content
saying someday we leave them all for something
"better." As I look back there isn't one lesson that I
would omit in order to travel to the more advanced
studies. (Well, maybe the purifications weren't that
pleasant.) The people that I knew in different life
periods are still able to receive good wishes and
blessings through thoughts of our prior association.
It's not only a road to their blessing, but by removing
steps of the ladder now and tossing them off as
useless, you make it less appealing to people in the
present who might benefit by using that rung of the
ladder for a while.

If people are going to compare philosophical systems by
author, they can exercise their minds, but I don't know
if they can obtain a better life or get any nearer to
the goal. Isn't it the system of morality that
strengthens the inner nature to the point that we are
better able to receive the light? And that system is
alike in the sense that each step, whether through
striving for true speech, or not to steal from others,
or to stop adultery is one which we are freely able to
accomplish in our own time-frame. Once the initial
purifications are accomplished, there are many, more
subtler purification activities awaiting.

One question I have is about how this works, and I
think I would prefer to ask a scientist about the
rarification of matter. Through strict conformity to
dietary laws and moral ones, we've set up such a
momentum that we can't just stop reaching for more of
the same activity. Okay, let's say that matter now is
luminescent with light, do thoughts follow
correspondingly by becoming more and more light-filled?
Does anyone have any theories about extracting all of
the negative from our physical-feeling-mental nature
and thereby allowing the higher planes to completely
control what's left? Or why life springs eternal from a
mechanism that seems so thin? Maybe it only seems that
way and what we've really done is built it up to
withstand the "weight of the world" on our shoulders?
Any comments?

I sometimes end up visualizing a great, big, garbage
heap. Sure, let's clean the air, water, and land from
toxicity and debris, but what about the astral and
mental plane. There's a great big area here which
needs to be cleaned cleaned cleaned and I still feel
like using my powers to rid these atmospheres of
negativity and debris, so that only the good is left.
This would really be an aid to those seeking soul
cognition. I know that I would appreciate it immensely
if someone would step into my atmosphere and all
inharmonious, all discordant, energies disappeared.
What freedom and relief from an engulfing "spralldom."
With perfect order restored, I would feel myself
participating in ways I never dreamed possible.

Is this just a big dream?