Theosophy - The Philosophy of Self-Knowledge by Franz Hartmann
THE
PHILOSOPHY OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE or The Mystery of the Three Worlds Revealing Itself in Man
by Franz Hartmann
reprinted from “Theosophical Siftings” -
Volume 5 - 1892
[The Theosophical Publishing Services
are not responsible for the contents of signed articles.
“The true state
of being begins only with the attainment of the knowledge
of the true Self.”
PREFACE
[Page 3] THE object of the following pages is to aid those
who are in search of the truth in realizing that there is
no other real knowledge, except the knowledge of the reality
in one's own soul. The reality in man is the truth, and although
truth is eternal and independent of the recognition of men,
nevertheless it is nothing to men if they do not realize
its existence. He who refuses to seek for the light within
himself will not find the true light anywhere in externals,
and will continue to dwell in his darkness. He who finds
truth within himself will also recognize the spirit of truth
throughout all nature; for it is the spirit of truth in him
who recognizes itself in everything.
There are many ways of drawing a picture of nature, and
each of them may be true. Nature is only one, but it represents
itself to man in various aspects. While in the tropical south
nature is adorned with a luxurious vegetation, in the cold
regions of the polar seas it is clothed in snow and ice,
and to the inhabitant of either zone the sights of the other
appear unfamiliar and perhaps improbable. Thus there are
many ways of describing the way in which the truth manifests
itself in the heart and mind and the actions of man; and
whether we describe it in intricate Sanskrit terms or in
the more familiar language of the West, it will lead to the
same result, provided that we do not misinterpret the meaning
of the words used in the description. We claim no dogmatic
belief and no authority whatever except such as comes from
the self-perception of truth in ourselves, and we merely
ask those who are inclined to doubt the truth of the statements
contained in these pages to appeal for its confirmation to
the power of truth within themselves, [Page
4] and to remember
that not the imagination of the speculative brain, but only
the spirit and light of God in the heart and mind, can penetrate
into the mysteries of divine being.
He who knows others is clever; he who knows himself is illumined.
The unknown exercises
a great fascination over the mind of man. We are told that
for ages, man, in an ethereal or spiritual state, rested
in his paradisiacal surroundings in blissful ignorance
of evil and suffering, until, when he ate of the fruit
of self-will, which he plucked from the tree of life, he
descended into a more material state, a lower nature became
developed in him, and he became entangled in the wilderness
of delusions, losing sight of the light of divine truth.
This allegory, far from being restricted to illustrate
merely a historical occurrence having taken place in the
forgotten past, states what may be seen to take place every
day; for now, as in times of old, the soul of man is attracted
to what he loves, and therefore the seeking for the knowledge
of good is good, and the seeking for the knowledge of evil
is attended by evil results. Even this day and in millions
of human beings, "Eve" (the
will) stretches forth her hand to pluck the fruit from the
tree of knowledge of that which is pleasing to the senses,
but nevertheless false and deceptive, and for ever the "Adam" (the
intelligence) in man is willing to taste. The eyes of the
king of the world, whose name is sensuality, for ever seek
within the depths of gross matter for the treasures by which
selfish desires may be gratified and passing comforts obtained;
for that king is an animal and has no wings for rising upwards
towards the realm of freedom. He keeps imprisoned within
his grossly material nature that part of man's soul which
is of a higher origin. Digging the earth in search of the
gold of wisdom, he rejoices when he finds only worms. Fortunate
is he in whom during the struggle for terrestrial existence
the celestial part of his nature does not become unconscious
of its own true nature and majesty, remembering that it is
a child of the kingdom of light.
The tendencies for good and for evil, and also the power
of receiving external impressions, are dwelling in man's
own little world, and the good and evil and the attractions
of external nature, by which he is surrounded, act powerfully
upon the corresponding elements in his constitution. From
the action of good and evil tendencies and desires in him
which are the results of his past experiences, results the
duality of his will, in which either good or evil inclinations
may preponderate; while, by means of the impressions he receives
from external nature he [Page 5] receives a continual influx,
of food for thought, which he may use according to the capacity
of his understanding, either for aiding him in realizing
the truth, or for the purpose of feeding his fancies.
The desire of
obtaining real knowledge of a thing is inseparable from
a desire for realizing its qualities. To realize qualities
is to possess them. To thoroughly love is to become. To love
to know the high is to become exalted; to earnestly desire
the low is to become degraded. Love and desire are qualities
of the will, and the will is "the heart" of man. "Wherever
one's treasure is, there is one's heart"; "where
the carrion lies, there will the eagles assemble." The
continued desire for unreasonable things leads to the loss
of reason; the love of divine truth opens the portals of
wisdom. To seek to know a thing, not merely superficially,
or for the love of gratifying one's curiosity, but for the
love of the thing itself, is to approach its essence and
to enter into its sphere. Therefore the revelation of a heretofore
unknown great truth fills the soul with delight; while the
realization of a heretofore unknown evil causes it to be
pervaded by terror, evil being perverted good and therefore
a falsehood. To realize a new truth means the opening of
the eyes to a new light of the understanding; it means the
initiation into a new state of existence, the awakening of
a new life.
Such a state of
self-knowledge is not attained merely by believing in some
new information received from somebody, nor by the accepting
of some new opinion which seems more plausible than the
ones that were held before. True enough, the soul may rejoice
in believing of having found a new truth by discovering
a new theory; but such joy is not the same and not so convincing
as that which arises from the self-recognition of divine
truth in oneself, and it is merely caused by the gratification
of some illusive desire, forming a part of oneself, but
not by the realization of one's own true self. It is as
different from realizing the truth, as the holding to a
favourite opinion about the nature of a thing differs from
seeing and feeling and entering into the state of that
thing, and being that thing itself. To realize is to
be. To truly know is to become. The attainment of real knowledge
involves an internal transformation of one's own being; it
is not a mere "science", but an entering into truth.
Thus, for instance, if we were to believe that the stars
in the sky were merely lights, nailed to a solid vault constituting
the firmament, and it were then demonstrated to us by logical
inferences that this theory cannot be true, and that these
stars are inhabited worlds, or suns around which revolve
inhabited planets, such an enlargement of [Page
6] our conception
would surely fill us with joy as soon as we would give room
in our mind to this new theory, because we behold a glimpse
of a new truth; but nevertheless it would still be merely
a theory, and not approach that realization of truth which
would result if we could leave our terrestrial form upon
the earth and visit ourselves the planets in space and become
ourselves their temporary inhabitants. If we had passed through
such an experience, we might then well afford to laugh at
any theory to the contrary which a mere "scientist" might
advance and which would be opposed to our self-knowledge.
We would be in regard to him in the same position as he would
be in regard to an Australian savage who were to dispute
with him the possibility of making railways and telegraphs.
What is self-knowledge?
The dictionary informs us that it is the knowledge of one's
own real character. But my character is myself, my own
substance. My character is that which characterizes my
own state of existence; I cannot actually realize anything
that is foreign to me. Real knowledge is the realization
of one's own real state of being. I cannot realize anything
unless I have the power to do so. It will therefore be correct
to say: "Self-knowledge is the power by which a being
truly realizes its own state of existence. Real self-knowledge
is the power by which the eternal reality realizes its own real
existence in man."
There can be only
one true self-knowledge, namely, the self-realization of
truth; for that which is false is not true, and if there
is no truth in it there can be no power in it for recognizing
that truth which does not exist. In every being in which
there is a spark of truth, there is also a spark of the power
for attaining self-knowledge; but this spark only becomes
a power when it begins to act. A power is a principle, and "principle" means
a beginning capable of growth. That which does not
begin to exist has no existence in him in whom it does not
grow and enter in power. True self-knowledge is the manifestation
of the power of truth to reveal itself in man. Man cannot
by his own power reveal the truth to himself; he cannot himself
create a power which he does not possess; he is not a "truth
maker", and
that which is false in him can have no self-perception of
truth. The darkness in him can never attain the realization
of its being the light, because it is not the light; it is
only the light of truth in him, eternal, uncreated and self-existent,
that can realize its own existence in him, and thus lead
him up to a recognition of truth by entering himself into
its light, in which there is no limitation of self; for truth
is universal and only one. [Page 7]
There can be no other
real knowledge than the realization of the real within oneself.
This is so self-evident, that it would hardly be worth the
while to dwell upon this fact, if it were not for the circumstance
that while this truth is universally admitted in theory,
it is also universally disregarded in practice, because it
is generally only believed in by the intellect, and not truly
realized by the understanding. Thus merely negative science
is often mistaken for positive knowledge, and a mind full
of adopted opinions forms that treasure of imaginary self-knowledge
of which many learned persons are proud. There are many who
believe that they know almost everything that can possibly
be known, while they are forced to admit that they do not
know their own self; but if any one does not know the true
self in him, how can he consistently affirm that this self,
which he does not know, knows anything whatever? If the "self" which
in him seems to know, is false, then surely its so-called
knowledge is equally false and illusive, and does not belong
to himself. If the presence and power of the true, the only
real and divine self in man is not recognized by man, or
to express it in other words, if he wilfully refuses to recognize
the power of the spirit of God in him, which is the light
and the truth, and his Christ and Redeemer, how then could
the truth realize its existence in him, and he enter into
its light?
Every being constitutes
a certain state of the one universal consciousness, and
it cannot be self-conscious of anything higher than that
which it is itself. An animal can have no higher self-consciousness
than that which belongs to an animal; the lower mind in
man can have no self-consciousness of being the higher
mind. A man may fancy himself to be a god, but he can have
no real knowledge of God unless he enters into the divine
state, when God will know himself in him, a state which
is conditioned by his giving up the delusion of what is
commonly called "self". There is no power, no
principle, no being, that can rise above its own level, its
own state of existence, except by being changed into something
higher, by the power of the highest becoming active within
its own constitution. Mortal man, being not immortal, cannot
save himself or confer immortality upon himself; he can only
be saved by the power of his own true real self, which is
already immortal and which will render him so as soon as
he is ready to realize his oneness with the immortal being
in him.
Man has always
been a conundrum unto himself, and will remain misunderstood
as long as he refuses to recognize the truth hidden within
himself, and mistakes his ever-changing personality for
his real self. There are two natures in man. One is the
product of the manifestation [Page 8] of
truth in him, it is a child of light and easily understood
by itself, for its knowledge does not consist in vagaries
or in a collection of opinions; it is itself a manifestation
of truth, and therefore it knows the truth in itself. The
other nature is a product of darkness and misconception,
it will remain for ever incomprehensible, because it continually
changes, even while we are investigating its character; it
is one compound today and will be another compound tomorrow.
The real self is filled with joy and tranquillity; in the
illusive "self" rules discontent,
confusion and unrest, it does not enjoy, peace and silence,
tranquillity is a torment to it.
That which at
the present stage of evolution the majority of men and
women fancy to be their "self" is not
their true real self. The latter is a manifestation of the
true light; the former its changeful shadow by which the
eternal image of God in man has become turned into a caricature.
No one can really know what "man" really is unless
he has himself begun to be truly and in reality a man.
Oh, the joy and
freedom, the sublime peace and serene tranquillity that
enter the heart of man if by the fulfilment of some high
duty he becomes self-conscious even for one short moment
of what it means to be truly a man, and seeing himself
reflecting the true image of his own inner God. When this
truth is revealed to him — not by the reading of books,
nor by any information received from external sources — but
by the power of his own true manhood manifesting itself within
his own constitution and penetrating even the physical form,
then during such a moment will he be in possession of a ray
of the light of real knowledge. little will he care during
such a moment what classification of his principles is accepted
by science, or what are the views of the philosophers regarding
the constitution of man. He knows himself to be, for no other
reason except that his God in him recognizes himself in him,
and this is sufficient for his purpose — which is to
enjoy the presence of divine truth. All other knowledge,
such as does not consist in the self-realization of truth
in oneself, does not constitute real knowledge, and can have
no other ultimate object than by destroying the misconceptions
of truth which exist in the mind, to make the mind receptive
for the light of eternal truth, in which alone rests the
power of the true understanding. There is no other way to
real knowledge except the self-recognition of truth.
Man's constitution may be compared with a harp of many strings,
some representing a high and others a lower scale. Some give
discordant, others concordant sounds. If a man identifies
himself with one of these strings constituting his harp,
he will be harmonious or [Page 9] inharmonious according
to its quality. He will be played upon by the forces of nature,
but he will not be the master of the instrument. Only he
who rises by the power of the divine will in him beyond the
realm of illusion, he in whom the truth realizes its own
eternal reality, will be removed beyond pleasure and pain,
and may use his own instrument in praise of divine wisdom.
Truly there is
nothing which a man can really call permanently his own,
except that power which is permanent in him, and which
constitutes his real self — the light of eternal
truth in him. Man's body belongs to material nature, his
animal emotions to the animal soul of the world; his intellectual
acquisitions are the result of play of the intellectual powers
in him. Only his spirit belongs to God, and the self-consciousness
of the divine spirit within his soul is all that really constitutes
his own individuality. Once attained, this spiritual self-consciousness
of the truth, the real in man, constitutes the inextinguishable
light which will illuminate his path in the darkness during
his terrestrial life and in eternity. This world with its
illusions does not belong to that which is real in man. It
is merely a school of learning, and the knowledge to be acquired
therein is the realization of its impermanency and worthlessness.
Man in this mundane existence is like a pilgrim in a foreign
land, where he is for a while housed and fed, but not permitted
to remain. Physical life is for him like a book, lent to
him for the purpose of learning the follies described therein;
it is not his own permanent property, but has to be returned
to the library when the time of his lesson is ended. All
that man really can possess and keep is his own inner spiritual
life, which is non-existent for him as long as he is not
conscious of its possession. Therefore, the divine knowledge
of self is the highest good; it is a creative power which
eternally manifests itself in creating worlds, for it is
the self-conscious will of God in man, beholding itself in
its own light of divine wisdom. Therefore, the greatest advice
that was ever given by any sage is: "Man, know thyself".
What does self-knowledge
embrace? The answer to this is
plain. It can embrace neither more nor less but the qualities
of one's self. The self-knowledge of the illusive self is
an illusion, the self-knowledge of the real self is the realization
of truth. Truth is the only universal reality, and therefore
true self-knowledge embraces the all. Nothing can therefore
exist outside of the self-knowledge of God in the divine
man, and this fact becomes still more evident if we consider
that all that exists in its original state is a manifestation
of divine wisdom.[Page 10]
Let not the reader refuse to recognize
this truth within his own soul because his limited intellect
is unable to grasp it. That which is finite cannot comprehend
the infinite; the creature cannot rise above the creator;
the form is not greater than the spirit of which it is a
symbol and external expression. The mortal intellect cannot
have self-knowledge of its own divinity, because it is not
divine; divine wisdom does not belong to a man without truth,
it belongs only to God, and he who wants to acquire it must
die in regard to his own illusive self with all its possessions,
and not become merely "godlike", but God himself,
by having his so-called "self" absorbed in and
transmuted in the power of God in him. To know in spirit
and in truth means to be. No one can know life unless he
is living; to know what is consciousness one must be conscious;
to know desire one must be in its possession; only the just
can know the manifestation of justice; the true the manifestation
of truth; the beautiful soul the manifestations of beauty;
the harmonious harmony, etc. To know the essential nature
of any spiritual power it is necessary to step out of the
narrow limits of "self". That
self, which is the product of darkness, must be abandoned
and disappear if the light is to manifest itself to itself
in man. Man can know nothing real about the attributes of
his own divine powers, if not by means of the disappearance
of his illusions these divine attributes attain self-knowledge
in and through him.
Thus it appears
to be plain that each principle can have real knowledge
only of its own self, and of nothing else. Each can truly
realize only its own reality, but not the reality of another.
If man were formed only of one principle he could know
only one thing, because only that one principle and none
other could attain self-consciousness and self-knowledge
in him. But the mind (manas) of man is a "mixed being";
in man all the three kingdoms — the realm of light
(the truth), the realm of darkness (illusion), and the kingdom
of external nature — are fully and completely contained,
and each of these kingdoms is seeking to manifest itself
in him. Therefore he is called the "lord of creation",
because all the powers of heaven and hell and of physical
nature are striving to assume form and become manifested
in him. All these powers are striving in him for the attainment
of life and self-consciousness; or, as Angelus Silesius expresses it: "All nature rushes to man, so that man
may lead it to the knowledge of God", Man's mind may
be compared to a mirror, in which all things may be reflected,
be they good or evil or a mixture of both; but the images
in his mind are not unsubstantial images like those in a
looking-glass, they attain
[Page 11] life and consciousness
and substance in him; and as in a forest a tall tree springs
from a tiny seed, fed by sunshine and water and air and
drawing nutriment from the soil, so the seed of an emotion
taking root in his soul may grow; an idea for good or for
evil, forming itself into a thought, taking shape in the
realm of his imagination, being fed by the power arising
from the material body, being "watered" by his
will and receiving life from the reflection of the light
of the spirit within. Man's desires, thoughts and ideas form
the plants that grow in the garden of his mind. The light
of spirit within his heart causes them all to grow. If the
seeds are evil the products will be noxious growths; if the
seeds are good the results will be beautiful. Each product
is a being, an entity in itself; be its existence of ever
so short a duration, each may according to the action of
the will of man grow and become manifested in him, and even
become his master and make him its slave — for experience
teaches that there are many persons whose minds are so full
of opinions, speculations, chimeras, phantasms and morbid
desires, that there is no room in them for the manifestation
of the light of divine wisdom.
Everybody knows
that what a man actually perceives of any external object,
is not that object itself, but the impression he receives
from it by means of his senses. Thus the lover is actually
in love only with the image of the beloved which has assumed
a form within his own mind, and he endows his own creation
with his own desires and qualities; so that, as it often
happens, his ideal conception of the beloved person does
not at all correspond with the qualities of the original;
and when he discovers the difference between the two there
is an end to his love. Thus we may say that the image of
the beloved ideal has become a conscious entity within
his mind, and seeing its own qualities reflected in the
beloved object, it loves itself in that object, until it
finds out its mistake and sees that this object is not
a true representation of its own qualities; for love is
a principle, a unity, and can know nothing else but itself,
love is always self-love, in every state of existence,
and even the highest manifestation of love, divine and
universal love, is the love of God in man, recognizing
its own existence in everything in the universe.
As with love, so it is with every other power, or with the
manifestation of a power as an image or form. Man is continually
subjected to the action of powers that have become developed
in him, and he is continually encompassed by his own creations,
even if they are not all at all times present before his
consciousness. As the clouds float in the atmosphere surrounding
our planets, so the creations in the mind of [Page 12] man
move above in his mental sphere. They are living and relatively
substantial entities, drawing their life and consciousness
from their creator. These "spirits" may be his
guardian angels or his destroyers; they may lead him to the
perception of truth or veil him in darkness.
If a person has
possession of a well-developed idea, that idea forms a
part of his nature and has also possession of him. The
first sight of an entirely new and unknown thing, such
as a steam-engine would be to a savage, produces no perceptible
definite impression upon the mind; an idea has to take
root in the mind and grow, so to say, into an organ of
interior sense before it can attain self-consciousness
therein and the mind know its nature. When this is accomplished,
it will be as true to say "the idea works through the
man", as it is to say "the man works through the
idea". Thus in an experienced engineer the idea of the
engine with which he works, has become an entity in his mind,
which supervises the external original. The engineer does
not need to have the image of the engine continually objectively
before his mental vision. It is, so to say, the living idea
of the engine existing in his mind, which supervises and
attends to the objective engine through the instrumentality
of the engineer, who may often be seen to attend to his work
instinctively and without ratiocination. In the same way
one of whom a certain passion has taken possession, will
act according to the dictates of his passion, without elaborate
mental reflection; and one in whom divine love, wisdom and
truth have grown into power will instinctively act according
to their dictates and as their instrument, without going
to consult the views of his intellect, or considering his
personal desires.
He who says: "I
am good, I am virtuous, I am wise, I am beautiful",
etc., is deluded; for he attributes to his illusion of
self, qualities which that "self", being
an illusion, cannot possess in reality, and of which it can
at best express outward effects, in the same sense as a cloud,
tinctured with crimson and gold by the setting sun, is not
the light of the sun, but merely an object on which the light
is manifesting its beauty. The conception of the personal
self, far from being necessary for the attainment of wisdom,
is in fact the greatest obstacle in its way. "Persona" means "mask";
our personal self is merely the mask in which in our impersonal
self is forced to parade during its pilgrimage upon the earth,
and when true self-knowledge is attained, the illusory character
of the mask will be realized. Instead of seeking to be good
and virtuous, etc. ourselves, we should seek to let goodness,
virtue, truth, beauty, justice, etc. become manifested in
us; and there is nothing to hinder the manifestation of these
powers in us, except that very [Page 13] clinging
to the personal limited self, which is to be overcome by
the power of the higher understanding. The personal delusion
of self can have no real knowledge of truth, because it is
not true, but delusive; its very limitation and separateness
prevents it from knowing that which is one and universal
and infinite. But he who by entering into the kingdom of
truth has outgrown the conceit of the narrow "self," and
in whom the truth has grown into power may truly say, " /
am the truth ! " for it is not "he" (his personality)
speaking these words, but the truth itself having attained
self-knowledge in him, speaking these words through his mouth,
and being the truth, it cannot say anything else but what
is true.
Truth is a nothing
to us as long as we are nothing in regard to the truth.
The reason why only few are recognizing the nature of truth
in the world is because in the many divine truth has not
yet become manifest, owing to their love for the illusion
of "self". Only he in whom the truth
has become manifest can recognize the nature of the one truth
in the universe; for each principle can have real knowledge
only of its own self. He who is full of falsehoods and entangled
in lies, will never know the truth unless he rises above
his delusion, even if the truth were placed before his eyes.
He will not attain it neither by external observation nor
by logical inferences, nor by means of philosophical speculations,
mathematical calculations, information coming from accepted
authorities, or any so-called "revelations" coming
from any outside source whatever. All such things can only
give him certain ideas and opinions of what the truth appears
to be, but nothing less than the truth in him, having grown
into power, can endow him with real knowledge of that which
is true. The light of the true understanding is not manufactured
by any man; it is like the sunshine; no man can make it shine,
he can only step out of the darkness and open his eyes to
receive it, and if there is any principle of light in himself,
then will the light from without call forth his internal
light, rouse his power of seeing into action, and he will
see the light, and through the light in him recognize the
light in the world.
If then we wish
to attain real knowledge of eternal truth, and to truly
know our own real self, we must keep our inner eye directed
steadfastly upon the sunlight of truth in ourselves. The
truth is the one unity — the reality; man without
truth is a nought. If the noughts are put before the one
they are of no value, but if the nought is put after the
one it gives to the one ten times its value. Reasoning without
reason is worthless; only if we stand upon the basis of reason
can our reasoning be of some use. True learning is useful,
but the acquisition [Page 14] of
knowledge in which there is no foundation of truth is destructive.
External science, if based upon perception of the appearance
of truth, is not an impediment, but rather an aid in opening
one's eyes to the attainment of self-knowledge; but a science
based upon mere outward and delusive appearances leads away
from the self-recognition of truth. Therefore M. de Molinos
says: "Ordinarily
it is seen that in the man who hath much scholastical and
speculative knowledge divine wisdom doth not predominate;
yet they make an admirable composition when they both meet
together, The men of learning who by God's mercy have attained
to this mystic science, are worthy of veneration and praise
in religion." [M. de Molinos, “The Spiritual Guide”.]
Everywhere resounds
the cry: "Lo! here is the truth!" and "there
is the truth!" but the truth is everywhere for him in
whom it is a living power, and it is nowhere for him in whose
soul it is not manifest. Everything in nature is a symbol
expressing a truth, but we must have truth in ourselves if
we wish to understand the meaning of the symbols. It is of
little use to enter a church edifice for the purpose of offering
selfish petitions. If we realize that we ourselves are temples
of the living God, then will the meaning of the symbol represented
by the external temple also be clear. If I know the light
of the truth in my heart, I will without further explanation
know the meaning of the light which burns in the sanctuary
of the church edifice. Every symbol is true if it is representing
a truth, but if the truth which it is to represent does not
exist, then is the symbol a representation of nothing, a
mere pretension, a lie.
Thus a man is a walking lie if in dress, external appearance,
title or position he represents a character or power which
he does not truly possess. A black coat does not make a spiritual
guide, a diploma does not make a true physician, a man in
the garb of a saint, in whom there is no sanctity manifest,
is merely a man masquerading in the garb of a saint and nothing
more. If personal man is to know God, God must become personified
in him; if he wants to attain real knowledge of the devil,
the devil must take form in him and render him a personal
devil. If he wants to attain real knowledge of the essence
of natural things he must be able to perceive in all of his
internal senses the truth of such things by the power of
truth in himself.
It has often been stated that man has been made in the image
of God. This means that man in his purity is an undefiled
expression of divine truth, but he cannot be or become again
such an expression unless the truth in its purity becomes
manifested in and through his [Page 15] own
substance; the falsehoods finding expression in him are not
manifestations of truth — they do not represent his
true self. If it is stated that his personality his mask,
is merely an illusion, this does not mean that this personality
does not exist, but that the consciousness of that personality
does not constitute the true self-consciousness of the real
and inner man. This personality is a compound of many and
ever-changing states of consciousness, the total of which
produces a focus of illusory self-consciousness, in which
we find our personal identity, but which is not our real
self. Our real self is the self-consciousness of God in us,
a self-consciousness which is attained only by few, while
those who have not attained it live in an illusory state
an illusory life. The so-called self-consciousness of the
ordinary personality rests therefore in misconception and
ignorance, that of the true self in the self-recognition
of divine truth. The former is the compound result of the
aggregate of many conscious and ever-changing powers in us;
the latter is simple, permanent and pure, it is the self-consciousness
of eternal truth in man.
The true self
is infinite; the falsehood of personal identity is within
narrow limits, and the more the mind is captured by this
narrow conception, the narrower will it grow until insanity
is the end. In the true self-consciousness of the divine
man is freedom and rest, the misconceptions in man constituting
his false egos are continually at war with each other,
being engaged in the struggle for existence. Sometimes
one and at other times another of these impermanent states
of consciousness and will attain mastery in him over the
rest, and as his mind becomes tinctured either with one or
another, his personal identity changes, although his outward
appearance remains on the whole the same, owing to the slow
changes taking place in his physical body, on account of
the grossness and inertia of its material constituents, but
the true master in him, the truth, does not change; it is
indestructible. The truth having become self-conscious in
him, is his "Christ" his own saviour. It redeems
him by bringing him from the darkness of ignorance and falsehood
into the light of divine wisdom.
If this truth
were truly realized (but it cannot be realized by anything
less than the divine part in man) then would the world
as it is at present indeed appear as a great insane asylum
filled with elementals and animals in human forms, but
with very little real humanity being manifested therein.
It is, however, of little use to preach against the "illusions
of life", while recognition is refused to the existence
of truth, for that which is nothing cannot make itself into
something. The object of existence cannot be, as certain
philosophers put it, "the [Page 16] negation
of the will to live," nor "a giving up of one's
will", but
an entering into a higher and everlasting life by arising
out of the narrow grave of illusion of the so-called self-will
into the will of the true self, by means of which the personal
will enters into harmony and becomes one with the divine.
The unity and
universality of the true nature in man, i.e., the divine
humanity in him, has been recognized by all great souls
and true philosophers in all countries, irrespective of
the systems of religion to which they held. It is the doctrine
of the Vedas and of the Bible; it has been recognized by
Christian saints and philosophers, and by the initiates
of every nation. It forms the sum and substance of the teachings
of Angelus Silesius, Michael de Molinos, Jacob Boehme, Paracelsus,
and is taught throughout Christendom, although perhaps the
majority of its modern professional teachers do not really
know or believe it themselves. Even some so-called "infidels" have
recognized its truth. Thus in Voltaire's cottage, near Geneva
in Switzerland, there is an inscription composed by himself,
saying: "Mon esprit est partout, et mon coeur
est ici". (My spirit is everywhere, and my heart is
here.) The true man is everywhere, but the desires that belong
to that part of his nature which does not recognize itself
as being one with the God of the universe, form the ties
that bind him to the material plane. If soul and spirit were
fully united in one, then would man be free in the realization
of his freedom, i.e., in the self-knowledge of divine and
universal truth, and his outward form would become a true
expression of the manifestation of truth. Then would the
misconception of his separateness disappear, and he would
recognize his true individuality, or to express it in other
words, the aggregate of his false egos would no longer produce
in him the illusion that they are his real self; but these
false egos having disappeared, he would recognize himself
to be a universal being, and his form a local manifestation
and personification of truth.
The divine life in humanity is the tree, the colours which
characterize our individuality are the branches; but the
personalities of men and women are the leaves which drop
away in autumn and grow again in the spring. Man's divine
self-consciousness is a light which in no way differs from
the light of divine self-consciousness in all others, for
it comes in all from the same source; but while in some it
shines bright, there are others in which it has only begun
to become manifest, and there are many in whom it is in an
entirely latent state, because they cling to the darkness.
If the truth is permitted to manifest itself in the soul
(the life), then will the soul become luminous and self-conscious [Page
17] in its light, and grow into power; and if
this power were permitted to manifest itself in all parts
of the body, then would the whole body become self-conscious
and luminous in the light of the soul, such as is actually
the case with the bodies of the Adepts. We are all "temples
of God", and the holy spirit of God dwells in us, but
we know it not, and because we do not know it, we do not
keep our temple pure enough for God to be born and personified
in us, and the spirit of God flows in and out without becoming
substantial in us, and without taking up in us its permanent
habitation.
There is no manifestation
of spirit possible without a substantial organism of some
kind, be it of physical, psychical or any other kind of
matter; but the body is also the cause of the delusion
of separateness, isolation and "self". Our
true self is not our limited form; our form is only an instrument
of its manifestation; a true symbol and expression if it
expresses the truth, a caricature if it expresses falsehood.
The true self of man is too great, too unlimited, to be wholly
enclosed in a limited form. How insignificant is the terrestrial
body of man if compared with the spirit that strives to become
manifested in it. Even external nature preaches to mortal
man his insignificance. If from the top of a high mountain
we look down upon the valley below where we see human beings
move about like tiny specks of matter, how little do they
appear! Looked at from such a distance all of man's works
appear insignificant. His houses and palaces and the railway
train as it creeps over the plains appear like toys of children,
and while it seems to him who stands upon the summit as if
he were an inhabitant of the air, he is inclined to pity
the beings that crawl upon the earth. Thus, if by the wings
of the free will of the soul man is carried up into the kingdom
of truth, how insignificant appear the illusions of life,
to which so much importance is attributed! In the unlimited
expansion of the soul how infinitely little appears that
insignificant "self", around which, nevertheless,
all of mortal man's earthly hopes and desires are centred,
and to which he clings with so much tenacity, because he
does not recognize the power which is its fountain and its
creator.
We do not recognize the power of universal life, because
it never represents itself to us in an objective state apart
from its manifestation. We only know of its manifestation
in some objective form, and thus we mistake the expression
of life for life, and the form for the spirit; but the capacity
of feeling the power of truth, justice, beauty, sublimity,
and the grandeur and universality of nature, ought to convince
the ever doubting mind that we have a higher than a merely
animal-intellectual nature, for these powers do not exist
for the animal, nor [Page 18] for "orthodox science";
they belong to man's spiritual nature, and their possession
furnishes logical evidence of the qualities of his spirit,
for if these powers were not in him, his soul could not be
impressed with their presence in external nature, for each
principle can recognize only itself.
The daisies upon
the field or the animals in the forest are neither the
light nor the life itself, but living forms in which certain
qualities of life and light have become manifest. Likewise
there is one universal consciousness, which is the root
and fountain of every individual consciousness. The forms
of men and women are vehicles for the manifestation of
consciousness; but not in everyone is this consciousness
characterized as that self-recognition of truth which constitutes
divine wisdom. Surely the sun is not affected by the qualities
of the products caused by the manifestations of its light
in terrestrial forms; he would exist all the same, even if
there were no such products; but the forms themselves need
the presence of the sun and his light, if they are to live
and exist. Thus there is no reason why the divine principle
in man should concern itself with the affairs of the terrestrial
personality, in which it strives to manifest its own qualities;
while it is of the highest importance for these individual
minds that they should cling to the
light of truth in them, for that which is not true in them
is false, and illusive and cannot enter into the true life.
God without man is nothing to man, because a man without
God is nothing to God. A man without any recognition of that
which alone is real in him, is a mere apparition without
any reality; his recognition of the power of God, the truth,
the real in man, is all that can really be called his own.
Motion and life are universal in nature; but the belief
in this fact would serve me very little if my own form were
paralyzed and without life. Not the life of another, but
the life manifested in me is my own. Thus it is with the
worship of God. The belief in a universal God external to
myself will serve me little if by my own self-conceit I prevent
the manifestation of God in myself. The power of another
person is not our own. Only that which grows into power in
us is truly our power. Like the sleeping princess in the
enchanted castle the spark of the self-consciousness of God
in man sleeps within the human soul until it is awakened
by the power of divine love becoming active within his own
heart. Then will the soul, the life, of man recognize its
own divine nature and immortality, for immortality will recognize
itself in the soul. There is no outside power of any kind
that can save man, if that power does not become manifested
in him. It is therefore not to any outside God or gods, but
to the light in ourselves [Page 19] that we must look for
redemption from darkness. This light of divine wisdom is
neither the visible light in nature, nor the deceptive light
of the arguing intellect, but the spiritual light of divine
wisdom becoming manifest in the soul produces the interior
awakening from an illusive existence into real life in divine
truth.
What then must
we do for the purpose of attaining divine wisdom ? The
answer to this question is plain: We must let divine wisdom
become manifested in us by ceasing to cling to that which
will hinder its manifestation. We cannot expect to be redeemed
from ignorance by that conception of self which is itself
the product of our own ignorance; we cannot by the exercise
of the will of our illusive self transform ourselves into
gods, this will being itself an illusion, nor by fancying
ourselves, to be gods become gods in reality; all that
we can really do, is, by the power which we have already
received from our own real self, cause "the
illusive self to disappear in its nothingness and become
inactive, so that the falsehoods will die and the truth in
us become manifest. Thus we need not trouble our brains and
exercise our ingenuity for the purpose of finding out what
we shall do to save that "self", which is an illusion
and which cannot be saved, it having never had any real and
permanent life of its own, but being like a cloud in the
sky, that changes its form and disappears; while our real
self is already safe and only awaits our recognition of its
own divine state.
We find it stated
in many books that we must sacrifice our self-will to God;
and this has been unfortunately misinterpreted by many
that there should be no will, and that one must abandon
himself to the power of unknown influences such as may choose
to take possession of him. Such a misunderstanding is detrimental
in the highest degree, and would make us helpless instruments
in the hands of the powers of darkness. The divine will is
the greatest of all powers in the possession of man, and "to
sacrifice the self-will to God" does not mean to sacrifice
it to nothing. It means to cease to leave the power of will
at the disposal of the falsehoods constituting the illusive
self, and to employ it in the service of the power of truth.
Thus by bringing the will with which we are endowed into
harmony with the will of God, our power to will does not
become extinct nor annihilated, but is lifted up higher and
becomes itself divine and free from the domination of the
illusive self. The divine will is divine love, and the love
of God is the love of truth, the recognition of light, which
destroys the love for the illusive self and its self-interests
and selfish desires, which are the products of egotism and
non-recognition of truth. There can be no annihilation of
self-will by means of the self-will. The illusion of "self" must
itself [Page 20] disappear, and when this misconception has
once been dissolved in the light of divine wisdom, then will
its will and desires have also ceased to exist.
This love to God is not a sentimental attraction towards
something objective, external, unknown, or imaginary; it
is the self-recognition of the power of love, by itself and
in everything, which can take place only after love (the
will) has become free from the delusion of the so-called
self.
The "I" is the great delusion which captures the
mind, whether we refer it to the limited "lower self" or
to come "higher self", which we limit in our imagination.
The idea of self presupposes the existence of another. If
I imagine that besides my true self, the truth, there is
still another truth, I am then not realizing the one and
the all. If I delude myself in believing that I am the segment
of a circle, existing at its periphery, I do not realize
ray true universal nature. I can recognize my true nature
as all in all only if I reside at the centre, from which
I can perceive in every direction the all of my nature, wherein
no sense of limitation and separation exists.
This disappearance
of the one in the one, the limited in the infinite; this
giving up of the illusion of limitation in the universal
divine self-consciousness of the truth, is the meaning
of the often-used and rarely-understood expression, "to
die in the Christ"; and there is no other way of attaining
this glorious resurrection except by the death of that which
is illusive and false. There is nothing in man that can have
any real knowledge of God, except God in him. To really
know is to be. It is not that "Mr. Smith" or "Mrs.
Brown" can truly know God; but if God recognizes His
own true self in them, then will divine wisdom in them arise
and become manifest, and there will be no more "Mr.
Smith" or "Mrs. Brown", they are only external
forms in which this manifestation takes place.
This self-recognition
of the one and eternal truth in man is also testified to
by Gautama Buddha; for after having attained his interior
illumination, he did not state that by his own personal
cleverness he had obtained real knowledge of the causes
of sorrow; but he said, "This noble truth
concerning the origin of sorrow was not, O Bikkhus, among
the doctrines handed down; but there arose within me the
eye (the power to perceive it); there arose the understanding;
there arose the wisdom; there arose the light" (Dhamma-Kakka-Tattavatana-Sutta).
Unsanctified man cannot sanctify himself; he can only desist
from clinging to that which is an obstacle to his becoming
sanctified by the power of divine grace, or the light acting
in him. This power of [Page 21] divine
grace, which is in ourselves and everywhere, is the only
means for salvation — not
for the salvation of that illusion of "I," which
constitutes at present our personal identity, and which cannot
be saved — but for that salvation which takes place
if man recognizes his own true divine nature, and thus becomes
himself the reality.
Thus real "practical
occultism" does
not consist in the selfish acquisition of certain secrets
of nature which may be used for the benefit of the personal
self, but in the art to die to the darkness; so that the
divine life and light may become manifest. It means that
while the true lover of wisdom lives, still it is not he
who truly lives, but the truth (the Christ) is living and
manifested in him. This cannot be accomplished by the illusion
of self, for ignorance cannot will ignorance, self cannot
destroy self; but it may be accomplished by the practice
of Yoga, which means the habitual recognition of the power
of divine truth in oneself. The illusive self is an illusion,
and therefore all of its apparent knowledge of truth, all
of its virtues and vices are equally merely appearances.
If we know divine wisdom in us, we need no other knowledge;
if the truth recognizes itself in us, there will be an
end to desire. All that can possibly be good or virtuous
in a man is the manifestation of goodness and virtue in
him.
It is surely an
absurdity to offer selfish petitions to some external god,
and, speaking from the personal point of view, to say, "O Lord, give me this or that!" Such
a "prayer" is a manifestation of selfishness, and
identical with asserting that we pretend to be something
besides God, and that God is not the all in all. We should
not ask anything for the benefit of what is false in ourselves,
but let the falsehoods die in the light of the truth, so
that the truth itself may become manifest.
Let then the "student
of Occultism" cease
to run after chimeras and fancies, and seek by becoming
true to realize the nature of divine truth. Let him seek
to facilitate the manifestation of truth in him, and increase
its power by acting according to truth and doing his duty
on all planes of existence. Let him not fear to act wrongly
if he acts according to the dictates of the truth in him.
He who acts according to his inmost conviction of truth
is a saint; he who lives in fear is a fool. The highest
wisdom is obedience to divine law, and from the death of
egotism arises the true realization of the highest ideal,
the self-knowledge of divine wisdom in man.
ORACLES
(Translated by Thomas Taylor.)
[Page 22] DIVINITY is never so much turned away from man,
and never so much sends him novel paths, as when we make
our ascent to the most divine of speculations, or works,
in a confused or disordered manner, and as it adds, with
unhallowed lips, or unbathed feet. For of those, who are
thus negligent, the progressions are imperfect, the impulses
are vain, and the paths are blind.
PROCL. IN PARMENID.
THINGS divine cannot be obtained by those whose intellectual
eye is directed to body; but those only can arrive at possession
of them, who, stript of their garments, hasten to the summit.
PROCL.IN CRAT.
THE oracles often
give the victory to our own choice, and not the order alone
of the mundane periods. As for instance, when they say, "On beholding yourself fear." And
again, "Believe yourself above body, and you are." And
still further, when they assert, "That our sorrows germinate
in us voluntarily as the growth of the particular life which
we lead."