THEEARLYTEACHINGSOFTHEMASTERS1881-1883

EditedbyC.JinarajadasaCopyright

TheAmericanTheosophicalSociety1923

Publishers’Preface

Anewschoolofthoughtisarisingtochallengelong-acceptedviewsof life. Its keynote may be said to be “evolutionary creation.” It is anexposition of the phenomena that surrounds us in terms that are bothscientificandidealistic.Itoffersanexplanationoflife,oftheoriginofourfragmentof theuniverse,ofhiddenandmysteriousnatural laws,of thenatureanddestinyofman,thatappealswithmovingforcetothelogicalmind.This school of thought is at the same timeboth iconoclastic andconstructive, for it is sweeping away old dogmas that are no longertenable in the light of rapidly developing modern science, while it isbuilding a substantial structure of facts beneath the age-long dreamofimmortality.

Theliteraturethatisgrowingoutofideaswhicharesorevolutionaryin the intellectual realm and yet are so welcome to a world gropingthrough the fogs ofmaterialism, is receiving a warmwelcome in otherlandsanditshouldbebetterknownhere.TheTheosophicalPress,Chicago.1923

Introduction

During the year1881, twoveryableEnglishmen,whowere resident inIndia at the time, joined the Theosophical Society. They were AlfredPercySinnett,EditorofthePioneer,andAllanOctavianHume,whohelda very high appointment in the service of the British Government. Mr.Sinnett, in The Occult World, narrates the commencement of hisfriendshipwithMadameH.P.Blavatsky.Byreadingthelettersof“H.P.B.”and thediaries ofCol.Olcott at this period, it is possible to gain a fairideaoftherelationsbetweenherandthesetwoinquirersintoTheosophy.

The instruction given by certain of theMasters of theWisdom toA.P.Sinnett andA.O.Humecame in the formof answers to questionswhichtheypropounded.Theinquirerswrotetheirquestions,whichwerethengivenorsenttoH.P.B.,whowasinAllahabad,SimlaorBombay,asthe case might be, either residing with them or at a distance. Theprocedure adopted by the Masters seems to have been roughly asfollows:Sometimes theMasters, by occultmeans, brought the letter toTheir residences in Tibet; sometimes They read the letter in Indiawhereveritwaswritten.Inafewcases,theMasterK.H.afterreceivingaletterannotatedit,andreturnedittoH.P.B.tobefiled.SeverallettersofMr.SinnettandoneofMr.HumethusannotatedwerefiledbyH.P.B.AndarenowatAdyar.

Inanswer,lettersweresent,mostlyphenomenally,inahandwritingwhichwaseitherinblueorredpencil,orblackorredink.Inonecase,aletter is in green ink. These letters were not written by hand, butprecipitated, that is,notwrittenbyhand,but thewritingmaterialisedonthe paper by a process used by the Adeptswhich involves the use offourth dimensional space. In precipitated letters, there is no differencefoundwhichdistinguishesthemfromaletterwrittenbyhand.Thereisnodifference whatsoever in the handwriting. Each Master has Hischaracteristichandwriting,likeanyofus.

Buttheremarkablefactisthat,whilethishandwritingispersonaltoaMaster,itisalsolikeanofficehandwriting,fromaparticularofficewithaparticular chief. Thus, certain pupils of the Masters M and K.H. weregiven the right toprecipitate [The right given is to precipitate by occult

means, not towritewith the hand.] in Their official handwriting. This isperfectly understandable, if only we realise that the Masters are notascetics living aloof on the slopes of the snow-cladHimalayas, havingnothingtodobuttoliveintheblissofhigherrealms,butratherheadsofgreatWorldDepartmentsofactivity,directingmanyworkers,andhavingverylittletimetospare.Therefore,justasinabigbusinessorganisationtheremay be a particular typewriter which is used by the head of theorganisation,butwhich it isperfectlyallowablefor thePrivateSecretaryto use, when once permission is granted, so it is with regard to thehandwritingof the twoMasters.SometimesTheypersonallywrote,andthis was especially the case with letters which gave directions toaspirantsorChelaswhomTheywerenotable to impressbyanyotheroccultmeans. But often instructionswere given to an advancedChelaoutliningwhathewastosayinreplytoaquestion.Ofcourse,theMaster,like any head of a business office, took the responsibility for thestatements of His private secretaries; but this need not mean that theactual words used by a secretary represent the full or even accuratethoughtoftheMaster.

Itistoalargeextentpossibletosortouttheletterswhichemanatedirect from the Master from those which are written throughintermediaries. The answers of the Master M. are short, direct andimperious, being less the exposition of an instructor and more likemarginal notes of a sovereign on a state paper. Not infrequently, Hisanswersconveyachallengeof thewholebasisuponwhichthe inquirerrestswithconfidence.ThestyleoftheMasterK.H.isliterary,showingageneral, and sometimes a very particular, knowledge of Westernliteratureandscience.Heusesagentle raillery tomakeHispoint,andcanattimesbeextremelywitty.SincemostoftheteachingsweregivenunderHis direction, all that is in thiswork, except the teachings of theMaster M., bear His impress, whether written directly by Him or onlyunderHissupervision.

Needless to say, where a Chela is highly advanced and mostcloselyenrapportwithHisMaster,veryfewmistakeswouldbemadeintransmission,andeventheMaster’sidiosyncrasiesofphrasingmightbereproduced in the answer. But we have to clearly understand that,because a letter happens to be in the well-known handwriting of a

Master,itisnotnecessarilyalwayswrittenbythatMasterhimself.Inthisregard,thefollowingstatementofH.P.B.ismostilluminating:

StatementByH.P.B

[The statement is preceded by these words in Mrs. Gebhard’shandwriting: “Extracts from a letter fromH.P.Blavatsky datedWurzburg24-1-86,copiedbyMrs.Gebhard.ThecontentswereconfirmedverballybyH.P.B.ToMr.andMrs.GebhardinElberfeldinJune,1886.”]

This morning before the receipt of your letter at 6 o’clock, I waspermittedandtoldbyMastertomakeyouunderstandatlast,youandallthesincere, trulydevotedTheosophists, “asyousow,soyouwill reap”,thepersonalandprivatequestionsandprayers,answers framed in themindofthosewhomsuchmatterscanyetinterest,whosemindsarenotyetentirelyblanktosuchworldlyterrestrialquestions,answersbychelasand novices, often something reflected from my own mind, for theMasterswouldnotstoopforonemomenttogiveathoughtto individual,private matters relating but to one or even ten persons, their welfare,woesandblisses in thisworldofMaya, to nothingexcept questionsofreallyuniversalimportance.ItisallyouTheosophistswhohavedraggeddown in your minds the ideals of our Masters; you who haveunconsciously andwith the best of intentions and full sincerity of goodpurpose,desecrated Them, by thinking for onemoment, and believingthatTheywouldtroubleThemselveswithyourbusinessmatters,sonstobeborn,daughterstobemarried,housestobebuilt,etc.etc.Andyet,allthoseof youwhohave receivedsuchcommunications,beingnearlyallsincere (those who were not have been dealt with according to otherspecial laws) youhada right, knowingof theexistenceofBeingsWhoyou thoughtcouldeasilyhelpyou, toseekhelp fromThem, toaddressThemonce thatamonotheistaddresseshispersonalGod,desecratingtheGreatUnknownamillionoftimesabovetheMasters,byaskingHim(orIt)tohelphimwithagoodcrop,toslayhisenemyandsendhimasonoradaughter;andhavingsucharightintheabstractsense,Theycouldnotspurnyouoff,andrefuseansweringyouifnotThemselves,thenbyorderingachelatosatisfytheaddressestothebestofhisorher’s(thechela’s)ability.

HowmanyatimewasI(noMahatma)shockedandstartled,burningwithshamewhenshownnoteswritteninTheir(two)handwritings(aform

ofwriting adopted for the T.S. And used by chelas, onlynever withoutTheir special permission or order to that effect) exhibiting mistakes inscience, grammar and thoughts, expressed in such language that itperverted entirely the meaning originally intended, and sometimesexpressions that in TibetanSanskrit or any other Asiatic language hadquite a different sense, as in one instance Iwill give. In answer toMr.Sinnett’s letter referring to some apparent contradictions in ISIS, thechelawhowasmade toprecipitateMahatmaK.H.’s replyput, “Ihad toexercise all my ingenuity to reconcile the two things”. Now the termingenuity to reconcile the two things”.Now the term ingenuity, used formeaning candour, fairness, an obsolete word in this sense and neverusednow,butonemeaningthisperfectlyasevenIfindinWebster,wasmisconstruedbyMassey,Hume,andIbelieveevenMr.Sinnett,tomean“cunning”,“cleverness”,“acuteness”,toformanewcombinationsoastoprovetherewasnocontradiction.Hence:“theMahatmaconfessesmostunblushinglytoingenuity,tousingcrafttoreconcilethings,likeanastutetricky lawyer”, etc. etc. Now had I been commissioned to write orprecipitate the letter, I would have translated the Master’s thought byusingtheword“ingenuousness”,“opennessofheart,frankness,fairness,freedom from reserve and dissimulation”, as Webster gives it, andopprobrium thrown on Mahatma K.H.’s character would have beenavoided.ItisnotIwhowouldhaveusedcarbolicacidinsteadofcarbonicacid,etc.ItisveryrarelythatMahatmaK.H.dictatedverbatim;andwhenHedid there remained the fewsublimepassages found inMr.Sinnett’slettersfromHim.Therest,Hewouldsay,writesoandso,andthechelawrote,oftenwithoutknowingonewordofEnglish,asIamnowmadetowriteHebrewandGreekandLatin,etc.ThereforetheonlythingIcanbereproachedwith—areproachIameverreadytobearthoughIhavenotdeservedit,havingbeensimplytheobedientandblindtoolofouroccultlaws and regulations—is of having (1) used Master’s name when Ithought my authority would go for nought, when I sincerely believedacting agreeably to Master’s intentions,[Found myself several timesmistakenandnow Iampunished for itwithdailyandhourlycrucifixion.Pick up stones, Theosophists, pick themup, brothers and kind sisters,andstonemetodeathwiththemfortryingtomakeyouhappywithonewordof theMasters!.]and for thegoodof thecause;and(2)ofhavingconcealed that which the laws and regulations of my pledges did not

permitmeso far to reveal; (3)perhaps (again for the same reason) ofhavinginsistedthatsuchandsuchanotewasfromMasterwritteninHisownhandwriting, all the time thinkingJesuitically, I confess, “Well, it iswrittenbyHisorderand inHishandwriting,afterall,whyshall Igoandexplain to these,whodonot,cannotunderstand the truth,andperhapsonlymakemattersworse.”

Twoor three times, perhapsmore, letterswere precipitated inmypresence, by chelaswhocouldnot speakEnglish, andwho took ideasand expressions out ofmy head. The phenomena in truth andsolemnrealityweregreateratthosetimesthanever!Yettheyoftenappearedthemostsuspicious,andIhadtoholdmytongue,toseesuspicioncreepinginto the minds of those I loved best and respected, unable to justifymyselfortosayoneword.WhatIsufferedMasteronlyknew!Thinkonly(acasewithSolovioffatElberfeld)Isickinmybed;aletterofhis,anoldletterofhisreceivedinLondonandtornbyme,rematerialisedinmyownsight,I lookingatthething;fiveorsixtimesintheRussianlanguage, inMahatmaK.H.’shandwritinginblue,thewordstakenfrommyhead, theletteroldandcrumpledtravellingslowlyalone(evenIcouldnotseetheastralhandof thechelaperforming theoperation)across thebedroom,thenslipping intoandamongSolovioff’s paperswhowaswriting in thelittledrawing-room,correctingmymanuscripts;OlcottstandingcloselybyhimandhavingjusthandledthepaperslookingoverthemwithSolovioff.The latter finding it, and like a flash I see in his head in Russian thethought:“Theoldimpostor(meaningOlcott)musthaveputitthere!”,andsuchthingsbyhundreds.

Well, this will do. I have told you the truth, the whole truth andnothingbutthetruth,sofarasIamallowedtogiveit.ManyarethethingsIhavenorighttoexplain,ifIhadtobehungforit.WhentheseletterswerereceivedbyMessrs.SinnettandHume,copieswere sent by order of the Master K.H. To H.P.B. And DamodarMavlankar. Often extracts from them were sent to C.C. Massey inLondon, and others. Slowly as the months passed, an accumulationaroseof thesecommunications. It is fromtheseoriginal lettersreceivedfromtheMastersthatMr.SinnettwrotehisEsotericBuddhism.Copiesoftheseletters,sometimesfullandsometimesonlyimportantextractsfromthem,havebeeninthepossessionoftheolderandtrustedTheosophists

ofMr.Sinnett’soldcircle.OnesuchcopywaslyinginthepossessionofC.W.Leadbeater,andIremember,asaboy,oftenlookingatit.WheninAustraliain1922,IhadacopymadefromthismanuscriptbookofC.W.Leadbeater,andbroughtittoAdyar.Itwasonlyafterthemanuscripthadbeensetupbytheprinterthat,casuallyaskingMissFrancescaArundaleif she had any copies of these early teachings, she brought out threemanuscriptbooks,andhanded them tome.Tomydelight, I found thatthe books of Miss Arundale were far fuller than the book by C.W.Leadbeater. I have very carefully transcribed all that appears in bothbooks, putting together as best I can, and in as coherent a fashion aspossible,theseearlyteachings.

Inarrangingalltheselettersintheformofabook,Ihavethoughtitwise to group, as far as possible, themany topics under six Sections.Thegroupinginthebooktentative,andonfurtherstudymaybechangedin a future edition. I have made no attempt to systematise thetransliterationofSanskritwords.Wemustnotforgetthat,in1881,whenSanskritstudieswereatanearlyage,transliterationandthemeaningoftechnical termshadnotcrystallised into theirpresentshape. Ina futureedition, which I hope to bring out at greater leisure than has beenpossible to give to the publication of this edition, the transliteration ofSanskritwordswillbesystematised.

The effect of these early teachings on the two recipients,Messrs.Sinnett andHume,was different.We all knowhowMr.Sinnett eagerlyrespondedandgainedan inner visionof occult realities. ThewritingofEsoteric Buddhism from the heterogeneous material of the teachingsgiven to him is indeed a most brilliant feat, and a high tribute to Mr.Sinnett’s synthetic ability. His work will always stand out as a brilliantsummary of the Ancient Wisdom. Since the beginning, he has stoodunwaveringinhisloyaltytohisMaster,andhasmadeforhimselfanamein the annals of the Theosophical Society, and earned the gratitude ofthousands.

The effect onMr.Humewas rather different.Mr.Hume,whowasbrilliantinintellectandgreatlyphilosophical,foundthatverysharpnessofintellect a handicap, for the simple reason that he was not sufficientlyimpersonal.Hewasnotsomuchinquirerascritic.“Yourownego,whichhasalready seized theessentials of every truth,”was theway that the

Master K.H., in attempting to draw attention to this vice of intellectualpride,describedMr.Hume’sgreatweakness.Onecontinuousgrievanceofhiswasthathewasnottoldeverythingfullywhichhedesiredtoknow.And furthermore, he could not adapt himself to credit the existence ofanotherphilosophicalwayoflookingatthings,whichwasEastern,whichmighthaveanykindofsuperiorityovertheWesternscientificstandpoint.The result was a continual lack of accommodation on his part to theneedsoftheworkwhichtheMasterswanteddone.HecouldnotrealisethattheMasterswerenotspeciallybentoninstructingtheWesternworldin occult teachings, but were far more intent on building a greatTheosophical Movement, which should break down barriers of race,creed, sex, caste and colour everywhere throughout the world. Mr.Sinnett also partly shared Mr. Hume’s attitude, but finally he adaptedhimselftosomeextenttotheneedsoftheT.S.asaMovement,whileMr.Hume, to put it briefly, cared a great deal for occult knowledge, butnothingwhatsoever for theT.S..,which to himwasbut proclaiming thethreadbaregospelofBrotherhood.

Slowlywithinacoupleofyears,thedivergenciesbetweenhimandthe occult Teachers widened, till finally he lost interest in the wholemovement.Nevertheless, the influencefrombeyondtheHimalayashadsufficiently awakened his intuitions to one great problem, that of India.When therefore he retired from Government service, he threw himselfheart and soul to rouse the political consciousness of Indians. It waslargely the result of his writings on political matters that the IndianNationalCongresstookbirthin1885,andsincethattime,Mr.HumehaswelldeservedthegratefultitlegiventohimbyIndians,asthe“FatheroftheIndianNationalCongress”.

I would mention in passing that all the modern political revival inIndia was a part of the original intention of the Masters, because anattemptwasmadebytheMasterK.H.in1882-83toestablishanEnglishnewspaper to arouse the national spirit and political consciousness ofIndians.SoonafterMr.Sinnett’sinterestsinhisoccultTeachersbegantoinfluencehisthoughts,theproprietorsofthePioneer,ofwhichhewastheEditor, began to dislike the breadth of tone which was coming in thepaperwith reference to Indianmatters,andsoMr.Sinnettwasgivenayear’snoticetoseverhisconnectionwiththePioneer.Itwasatthistime

that the Master K.H. desired to establish an English newspaper to becalledThePhoenix.ThispaperwastobeorganisedbyIndiancapital,butwithMr.Sinnett as theEditor.For nearly a year variousattemptsweremadetogetthecapitaltogether,buttheplanfellthroughintheendandMr.SinnettdidnotreturntoIndiaafterhisengagementwiththePioneerwasover. [See “LetterXIV” inLetters from theMastersof theWisdom,FirstSeries.]

ThosewhoareintouchwiththeworktodayofTheosophistswillbestruckverygreatlybyonephaseofTheosophicalinterestswhichisnotatall represented inthisbook.TodayquestionsofBrotherhoodandSocialReconstructionaresovitalinthemindsofTheosophiststhattheywillbesurprisedtoseethatnoquestionspecificallydealingwithReconstructionwas propounded to theMasters, The Teachers did not go out of Theirway to expound all that They had to give, but merely answered thequestionspropoundedtoThem.Butwemustnot forget thatevenwhileteachingswerebeinggiventoMr.SinnettandMr.Hume,theworkoftheMasterswasbeingdonebyH.P.B.andColonelOlcott.ThetwoFounderswere all the time proclaiming and applying the gospel of Brotherhood,though both Mr. Sinnett and Mr. Hume were, to put it briefly, veryscepticalastoanyrealusefulnessaccruinginspiritualisingtheworldbyproclaiming the ideas of Brotherhood. They held that, if the Westernworldwas to be affected andweaned fromMaterialism, itwas only bygiving itoccultknowledge,andthatanyattemptto“mixupBrotherhoodwithOccultism”wouldinevitablymeanthecollapseinthelongrunoftheT.S.Againandagain,whereveranysuggestionswerethrownoutbytheMastersastopracticalworktobedoneinordertonarrowthegapwhichexisted in India between the Indians and the English, Their hintswererarelytaken,andcontinuallythetwoEnglishmenharpedonthefactthatthey knew the Western mind and the ways to affect Western thoughtbetterthandidtheAdepts.

Finally,soinsistentwereMessrs.SinnettandHumeintheirattitude,thatmattersearlycamealmosttoanimpasse.ThenitwasthatthegreatMaster Who is known as the “Mahachohan”, laid down the generalprinciples which underlie the Theosophical Movement which originatedfromThem.TheremarksoftheMahachohan,asreportedbytheMasterK.H.toMr.Sinnett,appearsas“LetterNo.1”inthelittleworkLettersfrom

theMastersoftheWisdom,FirstSeries.An earnest student, who wants to gain a comprehensive idea of

whatwastheteachinganddirectionsgivenby theMastersat this time,shouldreadinconnectionwiththispresentworkthelittleworkmentionedabove,LettersfromtheMastersoftheWisdom.Sincethepublicationofthatwork,manymorelettersoftheMastershavecomeintomycustody,andasecondvolumewill, Ihope,appearsoon.Quiteapart from thesepublications, a book yet remains to be compiled of the somewhatpersonalletterstoMr.SinnettfromtheMastersM.andK.H.TheoriginallettershasalwaysbeenwithMr.Sinnett,butcopiesmadeof themwithhispermissionareatAdyar.Whenall thesevolumes,which record theguidanceandteachingoftheMastersintheseearlyyearsoftheT.S.arereadandponderedovertogether,thenitwillbepossibleforusmorefullythannowtoenterintothat“OurWorld”,intowhichTheyinviteduswhenTheysharedwithussomeofTheirpricelessknowledge.C.Jinarajadasa

SECTIONI

ThePlanetaryChain

Questions.1-2.Weunderstandthattheman-bearingcycleofnecessityofoursolarsystemconsistsofthirteenobjectiveglobes,ofwhichoursisthelowest,sixaboveitintheascendingandsixinthedescendingcycle,withafourteenthworldlowerthanours.Isthiscorrect?Answer—1.Thenumberisnotquitecorrect.

Therearesevenobjectiveandsevensubjectiveglobes(Ihavebeenjustpermittedforthefirsttimetogiveyoutherightfigure),theworldsofcauses and effects. The former have our earth occupying the lowerturning point where spirit and matter equilibrate. But do not troubleyourself togointocalculationsevenonthiscorrectbasis, for itwillonlypuzzleyou,sincetheinfiniteramificationsofthenumberseven(whichisoneofourgreatestmysteries)beingsocloselyalliedandinterdependentwiththesevenprinciplesofNatureandMan,thisfigureistheonlyoneIampermitted(sofar) togiveyou.WhatIcanrevealIdosoina letterIamjustfinishing.Answer—2.Belowmantherearethreeintheobjectiveandthreeinthesubjectiveregion,withmanasaseptenary.Twoofthethreeformernonebutan Initiatecanconceiveof; the third is the innerkingdombelowthecrustoftheearth,whichwecouldname,butwouldfeelembarrassedtodescribe.Thesesevenkingdomsareprecededbyotherandnumerousseptenarystagesandcombinations.Question— 3. We understand that the monad starting in the highestworld of the ascending series appears there in amineral encasement,andtheregoesthroughaseriesofsevenencasementsrepresentingtheseven classes intowhich themineral kingdom is divided, and that thisdone, it passes to the next planet and does likewise. (I purposely saynothingof theworldsof results,where it takesonthedevelopment, theresult of what it has gone through in the last world and the necessarypreparationforthenext,andsoonthroughthethirteenspheresmakingaltogether ninety-onemineral existences.) (a) Is this correct? (b) If so,

whataretheclasseswearetoreckoninthemineralkingdom?Also(c)inthecaseof inherbationsand incarnations, theplantandanimaldie,butsofarasweknowthemineraldoesnotdie;sohowdoesthemonadinthe firstRoundgetoutofone immetalisation intoanother? (d)Andhasevery separate molecule of mineral a monad, or only those groups ofmoleculeswheredefinitestructureisobservablesuchascrystals?Answer—Yes; in our string of worlds it starts at globe A of thedescendingseries,andpassingthroughallthepreliminaryevolutionandcombinationsofthefirstthreekingdoms,itfindsitselfencased,initsfirstmineral form(inwhat Ishallcallracewhenspeakingofman,andwhatwemay callclass in general) of Class 1. Then only it passes throughseven instead of “through the thirteen spheres,” even omitting theintermediate“worldsofresults”.

Havingpassedthroughitssevengreatclassesofimmetalisation(agoodwordthis)withtheirseptenaryramifications,themonadgivesbirthtothevegetablekingdom,andmovesontothenextplanet.B.(a)Asyounowsee,exceptas to thenumbers. (b)Yourgeologistdivide, Ibelieve,stones into three great groups of sandstone, granite and chalk, or thesedimentary,organicandigneous,followingtheirphysicalcharacteristics,just as the psychologist and spiritualists divide man into the trinity ofbody,soulandspirit.Ourmethod is totallydifferent.Wedivideminerals(alsothekingdoms)accordingtotheiroccultproperties,i.e.,accordingtotherelativeproportionofthesevenmineralprincipleswhichtheycontain.Iamsorrytorefuseyou,butIamnotpermittedtoansweryourquestion.Tofacilitateforyouaquestionofsimplenomenclature,however,Iwouldadviseyoutostudyperfectlythesevenprinciples[The“sevenprinciplesinman”wereclassifiedas follows in1881,when theseTeachingswerefirst given, (Article “Fragments of Occult Truth,” by A.O. Hume,Theosophist,October1881):

1.Thephysicalbody,composedwhollyofmatterinitsgrossestandmosttangibleform.

2. The Vital principle (or Jiv-atma), a form of force, indestructibleand when disconnected with one set of atoms, becoming attractedimmediatelybyothers.

3.TheAstralbody(LingaSharira)composedofhighlyetherealised

matter; in its habitual passive state; the perfect but very shadowyduplicate of the body; its activity, consolidation and form dependingentirelyonthekamarupa.

4-TheAstralshape(KamaRupa)orthebodyofdesire,aprincipledefiningtheconfigurationof—

5. The animal or physical intelligence or consciousness of Ego,analogous to, though proportionally higher in degree than, the reason,instinct,memory,imagination,etc.,existinginhigheranimals.

6.TheHigherorSpiritualintelligenceorconsciousness,orSpiritualEgo, inwhichmainly resides thesenseofconsciousness in theperfectman,thoughthelowerdimmeranimalconsciousnesscoexistsinNo.5.

7. The Spirit—an emanation from the ABSOLUTE; uncreated;eternal;aStateratherthanabeing.

This classification was modified in Esoteric Buddhism (1883) asfollows;

1.TheBody—Rupa;2.Vitality—PranaorJiva;3.AstralBody—LingaSharira;4.AnimalSoul—KamaRupa;5.HumanSoul—Manas;6.SpiritualSoul—Buddhi;7.Spirit—Atma.]inman,andthentodividethesevengreatclassesof theminerals

correspondentially; for instance, the group of the sedimentary wouldanswertothecompound(chemicallyspeaking)bodyofman,orhisfirstprinciple,theorganictothesecond(somecall it third)principle,orJiva,etc.Youmustexerciseyourown intuitions in that.Thusyoumightalsointuitcertaintruthsevenastotheirproperties.Iammorethanwillingtohelpyou,butthingshavetobedivulgedgradually.(c)Byoccultosmosis.Theplantandanimalleavetheircarcassesbehindwhenlifeisextinct;sodoes the mineral, only at longer intervals, as its rocky body is morelasting. Itdiesat theendofeveryManvantariccycle,orat thecloseofone “Round,” as you would call it. It is explained in the letter I am

preparingforyou.(d)EverymoleculeispartoftheUniversal life.Man’ssoul(hisfourthandfifthprinciples)isbutacompoundoftheprogressiveentitiesofthelowerkingdoms.Thesuperabundanceorpreponderanceofoneoveranothercompoundwilloftendeterminetheinstinctsorpassionsof aman, unless these are checked by the soothing and spiritualisinginfluenceofhissixthprinciple.Question—4.Pleasenote,wecall thegrandcycle that themonadhasperformed in themineral kingdom, a “Round,”whichwe understand tocontain thirteen stations, or objective, more or less material worlds; ateach of these stations it performsa “world-ring” [Now termeda ‘world-period’.]whichincludessevenimmetalisations,oneineachofthesevenclassesofthatkingdom.Isthisacceptedfornomenclatureandcorrect?Answer—I believe it will lead to further confusion. A Round we areagreedtocallthepassageofthemonadfromglobeAtoglobeZ(orG)throughtheencasement inallandeachofthefourkingdoms,viz.,asamineral, a vegetable, an animal and aman or theDeva kingdom. The“world-ring” [Now termed a ‘world-period’.] is correct,—advised Mr.Sinnettstronglytoagreeuponanomenclaturebeforegoinganyfurther.Afewstrayfactsweregiventoyouparcontrebandeandonthesmugglingprinciplehitherto.Butnowsinceyouarereallyandseriouslydeterminedto study and utilise our philosophy, it is time we should begin to workseriously.Becauseweareconstrained todeny toour friendsan insightinto the higher Mathematics, it is no reason why we should refuse toteach them Arithmetic. The monad performs not only “world rings,” orseven major immetalisations, inherbations, zoonations (?) andincarnations, but an infinitude of sub-rings, or subordinatewhirls, all inseriesofsevens.Asthegeologistdividesthecrustoftheearthintogreatdivisions,subdivisions,minorcompartmentsandzones,andthebotanisthisplantsintoorders,classesandspecies,andthezoologisthissubjectsintoclasses,ordersandfamilies;sowehaveourarbitraryclassificationsand our nomenclature. But besides all this being incomprehensible toyou, volumes upon volumes out of the books of Kiu-te[See SecretDoctrine, III, 405, for reference to this archaicwork.] and otherswouldhave to be written. Their commentaries are worse still. They are filledwith the most abstrusemathematical calculations, the keys to most ofwhichareinthehandsofourhighestadeptsonly;showingastheydothe

infinitudeofthephenomenalmanifestationsinthesideprojectionsoftheone force, they are again secret, therefore I doubt whether I will beallowedtogiveyouforthepresentanythingbeyondthemereunitaryorrootidea;anyhowIwilldomybest.Question— 5.We understand that in each of your other kingdoms, amonadsimilarlyperformsacompleteRound,ineachRoundstoppingineachofthethirteenstationsandthereperformingineachaworldringofsevenlives,oneineachofthesevenclassesintowhicheachofthesixsaidkingdomsaredivided. Is thiscorrect,and ifsowillyougiveus thesevenclassesofthesesixkingdoms?Answer—Ifbykingdomsthesevenkingdomsorreignsof theeartharemeant—andIdonotseehowitcanmeananythingelse—thenthequeryisansweredinmyreplytoyourQuestion—2.Andifso,thenthefiveoutofthesevenarealreadyenumerated.Thefirsttwoarerelated,aswellasthethird,totheevolutionoftheelementalsandoftheinnerkingdom.Question—6.Ifweareright,thenthetotalexistencespriortothemanperiodis637.Isthiscorrect?Oraretheresevenexistencesineachclassof each kingdom, 4,459?Orwhat the total numbers and how divided?Onepointmore; in these lowerkingdoms, is thenumberof lives,so tospeak, invariable or does it vary, and if so how, why and within whatlimits?Answer—Notbeingpermittedtogiveyouthewholetruthordivulgethenumberofisolatedfractions,Iamunabletosatisfyyou,bygivingthetotalnumber.Restassured,mydearBrother,thattoonewhodoesnotseektobecomeapracticaloccultistthesenumbersareimmaterial.Evenourhighchelas are refused these particulars till the moment of initiation intoAdeptship.These figuresas Ihavealreadysaidareso interwovenwiththeprofoundestpsychologicalmysteries, that todivulgethekeytosuchfigureswouldbetoputtherodofpowerwithinthereachofalltheclevermenwhowould readyourbook.All that Ican tellyou is thatwithin theSolar Manvantara the number of existences or vital activities of themonadisfixed,buttherearelocalvariationsinnumber,inminorsystemsandindividualworldroundsandworldringsaccordingtocircumstances.Andinthisconnectionrememberalsothathumanpersonalitiesareoftenblottedout,while theentities,whethersingleorcompound,completealltheminorandmajorcyclesofnecessityunderwhatsoeverform.

Question— 7. So far we hope we are tolerably correct but when wecometomanwehavegotmuddled.Answer—And no wonder, since you were not given the correctinformation.

(a)Does themonadasman(ape-manandupwards)makeoneorsevenRoundsasabovedefined?Wegatherthelatter.

(a)Asaman-apeheperforms justasmanyRoundsand ringsasevery other race or class, i.e., he performs one Round, and in everyplanetfromAtoZhastogothroughsevenchiefracesofape-likeman,as many sub-races, etc. (See Supplemental Notes) as the abovedescribedrace.

(b) In eachRound does thisworld circle consist of seven lives insevenraces(49)oronlysevenlivesinonerace?Wearenotcertainhowyouusethewordrace,whetherthereisonlyoneraceineachstationofeach Round, i.e. one race to each world circle, or whether there aresevenraces(withtheirsevenbranchletsandalifeineach),ineithercaseineachworldcircle.Nay,fromyouruseofthewords,“andthrougheachofthesemanhastoevolvebeforehepassesontothenexthigherraceand that seven times,”wearenot sure that therearenot seen lives ineachbranchletas youcall it, sub-racewewill, if you like, say.Sonowtheremay be sevenRounds, eachwith seven races, eachwith sevensub-races, each with seven incarnations 13x7x7x7x7=31,313 lines, oroneRoundwithseven racesandsevensub-racesanda life ineach=13x7x7=637 livesor4,459 lives.Pleaseset us right here, stating thenormalnumberof lives(theexactnumberswillvaryowingto idiotsandchildrenasnotcounting)andhowdivided.

(b) As the above described race, i.e., at each planet—our earthincluded—he has to perform seven rings through seven races (one ineach) and 7x7 offshoots. There are seven root-races and seven sub-racesoroffshoots.Ourdoctrinetreatsanthropologyasanabsurdemptydreamof the religionists, and confines itself to ethnology. It is possiblethat my nomenclature is faulty; you are at liberty in such a case tochangeit.WhatIcallraceyouwillperhapsterm“stock,”thoughsub-raceexpressesbetterwhatwemean than theword familyordivisionof thegenushomo.However,tosetyourightsofarIwillsay:onelifeineachof

the seven root-races, seven lives in each of the 49 sub-races, or7x7x7=343,andaddsevenmore.And thenaseriesof lives inoffshootandbranchletraces,makingthetotalincarnationsofmanineachstationorplanet777.Theprincipleofaccelerationandretardationappliesitselfinsuchawayastoeliminatealltheinferiorstocksandleavebutasinglesuperioronetomakethelastring—notmuchtodivideoversomemillionsofyears thatmanpassesononeplanet.Letus takebutonemillionofyears—suspected and now accepted by your science—to representman’sentiretermuponearthinthisRound,andallowinganaverageofacenturyforeachlife,wefindthatwhereashehaspassedinallhislivesupon our planet (in this Round) but 77,700 years, he has been in thesubjective spheres 922,300 years—not much encouragement for theextrememodern reincarnationistswho remember their several previousexistences! [FrenchSpiritualistsof theAllanKardecschoolwereat thistime taught reincarnationby their “guides”anddevoteesofSpiritualismbegan to “remember” their past lives as various historical characters,such as Mary Queen of Scots, etc. All the past personalities wereconsidered, by some of these reincarnationists, as still hovering roundthepersonalityofthislife,andattimesmanifesting.]Shouldyouindulgeinanycalculations,donotforgetthatwehavecomputedaboveonlyfullaveragelivesofconsciousnessandresponsibility.Nothinghasbeensaidastofailuresofnatureinabortions,congenital idiots,deathsofchildrenin their first septenary cycle, nor of the exceptions of which I cannotspeak. No less have you to remember that average human life variesgreatlyaccording to theRound. Ifyouworkoutanyof theproblemsbyyourselfitwillbemydutytotellyouso.Trytosolvetheproblemof777incarnations.[July9,1882]

TheFifthRoundhasnot commencedonourearth, and the racesand sub-races of one Round must not be confounded with those ofanother.TheFifthRoundofmankindmaybesaid tohavecommencedwhenthereshallnotbe leftontheplanetwhichprecededoursasinglemanof thatRound,andonourearthnotoneof theFourthRound.Youshouldknowalso that theusualFifthRoundmen (very fewandscarcetheyare)whocomeinuponusasavant-couriers,donotbegetonearthFifthRoundprogeny.PlatoandConfuciuswereFifthRoundmenandourLord [The Lord Buddha] a Sixth Round man (though his avatar is a

mystery)andnotevenhisson[PrinceRahula]wasanythingbutaFourthRound man. Our mystic terms in their clumsy re-translation from theSanskritintoEnglishareasconfusingtousastoyou;unlessinwritingtoyouoneofustakeshispenasanAdeptandusesitfromthefirstwordtothelastinthiscapacity,heisquiteasliabletoslipsasanyotherman.WearenotintheFifthRound,butFifthRoundmenhavebeencominginforthe last few thousandyears.Butwhat issuchapettystretchof time incomparison with even one million of the several millions of yearsembracesinman’soccupancyofearth!Question— Is the sun (a) as Allen Kardec [The leader of a school ofSpiritualistsinFrancewhotaughtreincarnation.AllanKardecwasanomdeplume,hisrealnamebeingL.H.D.Rivail]saysahabitationofhighlyspiritualisedbeings;(b) is it thevertexofourManvantaricchain,andofalltheotherchainsinthissolarsystemalso?Answer—(a)Mostdecidedlynot.NotevenaDhyanChohanofthelowerorders could approach it without having his body consumed or ratherannihilated.OnlythehighestPlanetarycanscanit.(b)Notunlesswecallitthevertexofanangle.Butitisthevertexofallthechainscollectively.Allofus,dwellersof thechains,wewillhavetoevolve, liveandrunupanddownthescalesinthathighestandlastoftheseptenarychains(onthe scale of perfection) before the solar pralaya snuffs out our littlesystem.Question—Obscurationsareasubjectatpresentwrappedinobscurity.TheytakeplaceafterthelastmanofanygivenRoundhaspassedontothe next planet. But I want to make out how the next superior Roundforms are evolved.When the fifthRound spiritualmonads arrive, whatfleshly habitations are ready for them? Going back to the only formerletterinwhichyouhavedealtwithobscurations,Ifind(a)wehavetracedmanoutofaRoundintotheNirvanicstatebetweenZandA.AwasleftinthelastRounddead.AsthenewRoundbegins,itcatchesthenewinfluxof life, reawakens to vitality, and begets all its kingdoms of a superiorordertothelast.Answer—Take into consideration the following facts and put themtogether if you can:—(1) The individual units of mankind remain ahundred times longer in the transitory spheres of effects than on theglobes; (2) the fewmenof the fifthRounddonotbegetchildrenof the

fifth,butofyourfourthRound;(3)thattheobscurationsarenotpralayas,andthattheylastinaproportionofonetoten,i.e.,ifaringorwhateverwecallit—theperiodduringwhichthesevenRoot-raceshavetodevelopandreachtheir lastappearanceuponaglobeduringthatRound—lasts,saytenmillionsofyears(ofcourseitlastfarlonger)thentheobscurationwilllastnolongerthanonemillion.Whenourglobe,havinggotridofitslast fourthRoundmen and a few, very few, of the fifth, goes to sleep,during the periods of rest the fifth Round men will be resting in theirDevachanic and spiritual lokas—far longer at any rate than the fourthRound“angels”intheirs,sincetheyarefarmoreperfect.Question—Iwant tomakeouthowthenextsuperiorRoundformsareevolved.Answer—Myfriend,trytounderstandthatyouareputtingmequestionspertainingtothehighestInitiations;thatIcangiveyouageneralview,butthatIdarenotnorwillIenterupondetails,thoughIwouldifIcouldsatisfyyou.Donotfeelthatitisoneofthehighestmysteries,thanwhichthereisnohigherone?Question— But has it to begin at the beginning again between eachRoundandevolvehumanformsfromanimal,theselastfromvegetable,etc.?IfsotowhatRounddothefirstimperfectlyevolvedmanbelong?Exhypothesitothefifth,butthefifthRoundshouldbeamoreperfectraceinallrespects.Answer—Of course not, since it is not destroyed, but remainscrystallised—sotosay,instatuquo.AteachRoundtherearefewerandfeweranimals—thelatterthemselvesevolutingintohigherforms.Duringthe first Round it is they that were the “Kings of Creation”. During theseventh Round, men will have become gods, and animals intelligentbeings.Drawyourinferences.BeginningwiththesecondRound,alreadyevolution proceeds on quite a different plan.Everything is evolved andhasbuttoproceedonitscyclicjourney.ItisonlythefirstRoundthatmanbecomesfromahumanbeingonGlobeB,amineral,aplant,ananimalonglobeC.ThemethodchangesentirelyfromthesecondRound.ButIhavelearnedprudencewithyouandwillsaynothingbeforethetimeforsayingithascome.Question—1.SomefifthRoundmenhavealreadybeguntoappearon

earth.InwhatwayaretheydistinguishablefromfourthRoundmenoftheseventhearthlyincarnation?Answer—ThenaturalbornseersandclairvoyantsofMrs.A.Kingsford’sandMr.Maitland’s[MrsAnnaBonusKingsfordandMr.EdwardMaitland,authors of ThePerfectWayorTheFindingofChrist, 1881.] types; thegreat Adepts of whatsoever country; the geniuses, whether in arts,politicsor religious reform.Nogreatphysicaldistinctionyet; tooearly—willcomelateron.Question— 2. I suppose they are in the first incarnation of the fifthRound and that a tremendous advancewill be achievedwhen the fifthRoundpeoplegettotheirseventhincarnation?Answer—Quiteso;ifyouturntoAppendixI,youwillfinditexplained.Question—3.ButifafirstfifthRoundmandevotedhimselftooccultismandbecameanAdept,wouldheescapefurtherearthlyincarnations?Answer—No;ifweexceptBuddha,asixthRoundbeing,ashehadrunsosuccessfullytheraceinhispreviousincarnationsastooutrunevenhispredecessors. But then such a man is to be found one in a billion ofhuman creatures. He differed from othermen asmuch in his physicalappearance [i.e., in the nature of the constituents which compose thevehicles of the Lord Buddha, including the physical body, for Buddhisttraditionsaysnothingaboutanydifferenceofoutwardappearance.SeeSecretDoctrine,Vol.III.,“TheMysteryofBuddha”.]as inspiritualityandknowledge.Yetevenheescapedfurtherreincarnationsbutonthisearth;andwhenthelastofthesixthRoundmenofthethirdringisgoneoutofthis earth, the great Teacher will have to get reincarnated on the nextplanet. Only and since he sacrificed Nirvanic bliss and rest for thesalvation of his fellow creatures, he will be reborn in the highest, theseventh ring of the upper planet. Till then he will overshadow everydecimillennium(letusrathersayandadd,hasovershadowedalready)achosenindividualwhogenerallyoverturnedthedestiniesofnations(SeeIsis,Vol.I,pp,34and35,lastandfirstparagraphsonthepages.)Question—4. Isthereanyessentialspiritualdifferencebetweenamanandawoman,orissexamereaccidentofeachbirth,theultimatefutureoftheindividualfurnishingthesameopportunities?Answer—A mere accident, as you say. Generally a chance work, yet

guidedby individualKarma—moralaptitudes,characteristicsanddeedsofthepreviousbirth.Question—5.Themajorityofthesuperiorclassesofcivilisedcountriesonearthnow,Iunderstandtobeseventhringpeople(i.e.,oftheseventhearthly incarnation) of the fourth Round. The Australian aborigines Iunderstandtobeofalowring?andarethelowerandinferiorclassesofcivilisedcountries,ofvarious ringsor the rings justbelow theseventh?Andareallseventhringpeopleborn inthesuperiorclassesormaynotsomebefoundamongthepoor?Answer—Not necessarily. Refinement, polishedness, and brillianteducation, inyour sense of thesewords have very little to dowith thecourseofnature’shigherLaw.TakeaseventhringAfricanorafifthringMongolian, and you can educate him—if taken from the cradle—andtransformhim(savehisphysicalappearance) intothemostbrilliantandaccomplished English lord. Yet, he will still remain but an outwardlyintellectualparrot.(SeeAppendixNo.II.)Question— 6. The old lady [Madame Blavatsky was often thusaffectionately described by her friends.] told me that the bulk of theinhabitants of this country are in some respects less advanced thanEuropeansthroughmorespiritual.Aretheyona lowerringof thesameRound,ordoes thedifference refer tosomeprincipleofnationalcycleswhichhavenothingtodowithindividualprogress?Answer—MostofthepeoplesofIndiabelongtotheoldestortheearliestbranchletof the fifthhumanRace. IhavedesiredM [TheMasterM., towhomastheManuof thenextRootRace, theMasterK.H.oftenrefersquestionsonraces.]toendhislettertoyouwithashortsummaryofthelast scientific theory of your learned ethnographers and naturalists, tosave myself work. Read what he writes and then turn to numberAppendixIII.

AppendixI

Every spiritual Individuality has a gigantic evolutionary journey toperform,atremendousgyratingprogresstoaccomplish.First,attheverybeginningofthegreatManvantaricrotation,fromfirsttolastoftheman-bearing planets, as on each of them, the monad has to pass throughsevensuccessiveracesofman.Fromthedumboffshootoftheape(thelatter strongly differentiating from the now known specimens) up to thepresentfifthRace,orrathervariety,andthroughtwomoreracesbeforehe has done with this Earth only; and then on to the next higher andhigherstill.Butwewillconfineourattentionbuttothisone.Eachoftheseven races send seven ramifying branchlets from the Parent Branch:andthrougheachoftheseinturnmanhastoevolvebeforehepassesonto thenexthigher race;and thatseventimes.Wellmayyouopenwideyoureyes,goodfriendandfeelpuzzleditisso.

The branchlets typify varying specimens of humanity—physicallyandspiritually—andnooneofuscanmissonesinglerungoftheladder.Pleasebearinmind,thatwhenIsay“man,”Imeanahumanbeingofourtype. There are other and innumerable Manvantaric chains of globesbearing intelligent beings—both in and out of our solar system—thecrowns or apexes of evolutionary and intellectually lower, othersimmeasurablyhigherthanthemanofourchain.Butbeyondmentioningthemwewillnotspeakofthematpresent.Througheveryracethen,manhas to pass making seven successive entrances and exits anddeveloping intellect to degrees from the lowest to the highest insuccession.

In short, his earth cycle with its rings and sub-rings is the exactcounterpartofthegreatcycle—onlyinminiature.Bearinmindagainthatthe intervals even between these special “race-reincarnations” areenormous,aseven thedullestof theAfricanBushmenhas to reap therewardofhisKarma,equallywithhisbrotherBushmenwhomaybesixtimesmoreintelligent.Yourethnographersand theanthropologistswoulddowell toeverkeepin their minds this unvarying septenary law which runs throughout theworksofnature.FromCuvier—thelateGrandMasterofBibletheology—

whoseBible-stuffedbrainmadehimdividemankindintobutthreedistinctvarietiesofraces,downtoBlumenbachwhodividedthemintofive,theywere all wrong. Alone Pritchard who prophetically suggested sevencomesneartherightmark.IreadinthePioneerofJune12,forwardedtomebyH.P.B., a letteron theApeTheorybyA.P.W.which contains amost excellent exposition of the Darwinian hypothesis. The lastparagraph, p.6, Col 1. would be regarded—barring a few errors—as arevelation in amillennium or so, were it to be preserved. Reading thenine lines from line 21 (counting from the bottom) you have a fact ofwhichfewnaturalistsareyetpreparedtoaccepttheproof[ThefollowingistheextractfromthePioneerofJune12,1882,Ihaveputtheninelinesreferredtoinboldface:Darwinnevermaintainedman’sdescentfromtheape. He held that man was descended “from an ape-like animal.”; ofwhich the ape, too, is a branch. In other words,man and ape have acommonorigin.Butitdoesnotfollowthattheapewilleverdevelopintoman.Thedifferentiationcommencedatsomeremoteperiod;andastimerolls on the gulf between themwillwiden indefinitely.Darwin illustratedthe doctrine of evolution by a genealogical tree, in which the trunk orbase represents a common and collective origin; its branches andbranchlets, developments and differentiations. The trunk constantlyascendingandsendingoutbranchesineverydirection,andtheseinturnramifying branchlets, typifies varying forms of life widely removed fromeach other in character and time, such that, if contrasted withoutreferencetothebaseoforigin,wouldbepronounceddistinctandspecificcreations,insteadofmereevolutions.Man,asoccupyingtheKingshipofcreation,isasabranchletformingthepinnacleofthetree.Buthemustultimatelyproveonlyasidebranch,andbesupersededandtoppedinturnbysuperiorracesofbeingsdevelopedfromhim,andasmuchandmoreunlikehimthanheisunliketheape-likeanimalfromwhichheisundoubtedlydescended—forthetreecontinuesitsgrowthandtheendisnotyet.Thebranchesandbranchletsthathaveceasedtogrowarethearrestedformsof life doomed to eventual decay in the “struggle for existence”. Thosethat show decay, indicate forms that cannot exist under “alteredconditionsoflife,”whilethosethathaveperishedpointtotheextinctionofmany forms whose fossils are entombed in the earth’s strata. “Thesurvivalofthefittest”underprevailingconditions,whatevertheymaybe,istheuniversallaw.]Thefifth,sixthandseventhracesofthefifthRound—eachsucceedingraceevolvingwithandkeepingpace,sotosay,withthe“greatcycle”Rounds—andthefifthRaceofthefifthRound,havingto

exhibit a perceptible physical and intellectual as well as moraldifferentiation towards its fourth Race or “earthly incarnation,” you arerightinsayingthat“atremendousadvancewillbeachievedwhenthefifthRoundpeoplegettotheirseventhincarnation”.

AppendixII

Norhaswealthnorpoverty,highnorlowbirth,anyinfluenceuponit,forthis is all a result of their Karma.Neither haswhat you call civilizationmuch to do with the progress. It is the inner man, the spirituality, theillumination of the physical brain by the light of the spiritual or divineintelligencethatisthetest.TheAustralian,theEsquimaux,theBushmen,theVeddahs,etc.,areallside-shootingbranchletsof thatBranchwhichyou call “cavemen,” the third Race (according to your science, thesecond)thatevolvedontheglobe.Theyaretheremnantsoftheseventhringcavemen,remnants“thathaveceasedtogrowandarethearrestedformsof lifedoomed toeventualdecay in thestruggleofexistence,” inthewordsofyourcorrespondent.SeeIsis,Chap.1.—TheDivineEssence(Purusha), “like a luminous arc,” proceeds to form a circle—themaha-manvantaric chain: andhavingattained thehighest (or its first starting-point)bendsbackagainandreturns toearth(the firstglobe)bringingahighertypeofhumanityinitsvortex—thusseventimes.Approachingourearth,itgrows“moreandmoreshadowy,untilupontouchingthegroundit isasblackasnight,” i.e., it ismatteroutwardly, theSpirit or Purushabeingconcealedunderaquintuplearmourofthefirstfiveprinciples.Nowseeunderlinedthreelinesonp.5.[“Theydividedtheinterminableperiodsof human existence on this planet into cycles, during each of whichmankind gradually reached the culminating point of highest civilizationandgraduallyrelapsedintoabjectbarbarism.”Isis,1,p.5.].Fortheword“mankind”readhumanrace,andfor“civilization”readspiritualevolutionofthatparticularrace,andyouhavethetruthwhichhadtobeconcealedatthatincipientstageoftheT.S.Seeagainpage13,lastparagraph,andp. 14, first paragraph, [“For lack of comprehension of this greatphilosophicalprinciple, themethodsofmodernscience,howeverexact,mustend innullity. Innoonebranchcan it demonstrate theoriginandultimateofthings.Insteadoftracingtheeffectfromitsprimalsource,itsprogress is the reverse. Its higher types, at it teaches, are all evolvedfromantecedentlowerones.Itstartsfromthebottomofthecycle,ledonstep by step in the great labyrinth of nature by a thread ofmatter. Assoon as this breaks and the clue is lost, it recoils in affright from theIncomprehensible,andconfesses itselfpowerless.NotsodidPlatoand

his disciples.With him the lower types were but the concrete images of the higherabstractones.Thesoul,whichisimmortal,hasanarithmetical,asthebodyhasageometricalbeginning.Thisbeginning,asthereflectionofthegreatuniversalARCHAEUS,isself-moving,andfromthecentrediffusesitselfoverthewholebodyofthemicrocosm.”Isis,1,pp.13-14.]andnote theunderlinedlinesaboutPlato.ThenseeP.32,rememberingthedifferencebetweentheManvantarasasthereincalculatedandtheMahamanvantara(completesevenRoundsbetweentwoPralayas,thefourYugasreturningseventimes,oneforeachrace).Havingdonesofar, takeyourpenandcalculate. This will make you swear—but this will not hurt your Karmamuch.Lip-profanity finds itdeaf.Readattentively in thisconnection(notwith the swearing process, but with that of evolution) p.301, last line,“Andnowcomesamystery,”andcontinueontillpage304. Isiswasnotunveiledbutrents[IsisUnveiledwasoriginallyintendedtobecalledTheVeilof Isis,anditwasonlyafterVol.1.hadbeenprintedthatthenamewas changed to Isis Unveiled.] sufficiently large were made to affordfittingglancestobecompletedbythestudent’sownintuition.Inthiscurryof quotations from various philosophies and esoteric truths purposelyveiled,beholdourdoctrinewhichisnowpartiallytaughttoEuropeansforthefirsttime.

AppendixIII

AsIsaid inmyansweronyournotes,mostof thepeopleof India,withtheexceptionoftheSemiticMoguls,belongtotheoldestbranchletofthepresentFifthhumanRace,whichwasevolvedinCentralAsiamorethanonemillionofyearsago.Westernsciencefindinggoodreasonsforthe theory of human beings having inhabited Europe 4000,000 yearsbeforeyourera,thiscannotsoshockyouastopreventyoudrinkingwinetonightatyourdinner.[Mr.Sinnettwasnotatotalabstainer,andeventothe end took light wine like claret at dinner.] Yet Asia has, as well asAustralia,Africa,America,andthemostnorthwardregions,itsremnantsofthefourth—evenofthethirdRace(cavemenandTherns).Atthesametime, we have more of the seventh ring men of the fourth Race thanEurope,andmoreofthefirstRingoftheFifthRound,asolderthantheEuropeanbranchlets,ourmenhavenaturallycomeinearlier.Theirbeing“lessadvanced”incivilizationandrefinementtroublestheirspiritualitybutverylittle,Karmabeingananimalwhichremainsindifferenttopumpsandwhite gloves. [Men’s dancing shoes of black patent leather. Men “inSociety”when dancingwearwhite kid gloves.]Neither your knives norforks,operasanddrawingrooms,willanymorefollowyouinyouronwardprogress thanwill the dead leaf colored robes of theBritish aesthetics[Alluding to the “aesthetic” wave which affected one set in LondonSociety,andwhichwassatirised in1881byW.S.Gilbert’scomicoperaPatience]preventtheproprietorsthereofandwearersfromhavingbeenbornamongtheranksofthosewhowillberegarded—dowhattheymay—bythe forthcomingsixthandseventhRoundmenas flesh-eatingandliquor-drinkingsavages“oftheRoyalSocietyPeriod”.Question—7.What other planets of those known to ordinary sciencebesidesMercurybelongtooursystemofworlds?Answer—Mars, and four other planets of which astronomy yet knowsnothing.NeitherA,B,norY,Zareknown,norcantheybeseenthroughphysicalmeans,howeverperfected.

The figure [The figure is found in neither of the MSS.] roughlyrepresentsthedevelopmentofhumanityonaplanet—sayourearth.Manevolves in seven major or Root Races, forty-nine minor races, and in

subordinateracesoroffshoots;thebranchletracescomingfromthelatterare not shown. The arrows indicate the direction taken by theevolutionaryimpulse.I,II,etc.,arethemajororRootRaces;1,2,3,etc.,are the sevenminor races; a-a-a, etc., are the subordinate or offshootraces;N, the initialand terminalpointofevolutionon theplanet;S, theaxial pointwhere the development equilibrates or adjusts itself in eachrace evolution; E, the equatorial points where in the descending arcintellect overcomes spirituality, and in the ascending arc spiritualityoutstripsintellect.

D.K.P.S.InhishurryD.K.hasmadehisfigureinclinedsomewhatoutof

theperpendicular,butitservesasaroughmemo;hedrewittorepresentdevelopmentonasingleplanet,butIhaveaddedawordortwotomakeitapplyaswell(whichitdoes)toawholeManvantaricchainofworlds.

Wheneveranyquestionofevolutionordevelopmentinanykingdompresents itself to you, bear constantly in mind that everything comesundertheseptenaryruleofseriesinthesecorrespondencesandmutualrelations throughout nature. In the evolution ofman there is a topmostpoint,abottompoint,adescendingarcandanascendingarc.

SectionII

ConditionsAfterDeath

Answer—1. [The questions for this and the other numbered answerswhichfollowarenotrecordedintheMS.]WhyshoulditbesupposedthatDevachanisamonotonouscondition,onlybecausesomeonemomentofearthly sensation is indefinitely perpetuated—stretched, so to say,throughoutaeons?Itisnot,itcannotbe,so;thiswouldbecontrarytoallanalogiesandantagonistictotheLawofEffects,underwhichresultsareproportionatetoantecedentenergies.Tomakeitclear,youmustkeepinmind that there are two fields of causal manifestations, to wit, theobjectiveandsubjective.Sothegrosserenergies,thosewhichoperateinthe heavier and denser conditions of matter, manifest respectively inphysical life, their outcome being the new personality of each birthincludedwithinthegrandcycleoftheevolvingindividuality.

The moral and spiritual activities find their sphere of effects inDevachan. For example, the vices, physical attractions, etc., of aphilosopher, may result in the birth of a new philosopher, a king, amerchant,arichEpicureanoranyotherpersonality,whosemake-upwasinevitable from the preponderating proclivities of the being in the nextpreceding birth.Bacon, for instance,whoma poet called “the greatest,wisest,meanestofmankind,”mightreappearinhisnextincarnationasagreedy money-getter with extraordinary intellectual capacities. But themoralandspiritualqualitiesofthepreviousBaconwouldalsohavetofinda field in which their energies could expand themselves. Devachan issuchafield,henceallthegreatplansofmoralreform,ofintellectualandspiritual research into abstract principles of nature, all the divineaspirations,would inDevachancometofruition,andtheabstractentity,previously known as the great Chancellor, would occupy itself in thisinnerworldofitsownpreparation,living,ifnotquitewhatonewouldcalla consciousexistence, at least adreamof such realistic vividness thatnoneof the life-realities could evermatch it. And this dream lasts untilKarmaissatisfiedinthatdirection,tilltherippleofforcereachestheedgeofitscyclicbasin,andthebeingmovesintothenextareaofcauses.This

itmay find in thesameworldasbefore,oranother,according tohisorher stage of progression through the necessary rings and Rounds ofhumandevelopment.

Thenhowcanyouthinkthatbutonemomentofearthlysensationisselected forpreparation?Very true, thatmoment lasts from first to last,butthenitlastsbutasthekeynoteofthewholeharmony,adefinitetoneof appreciable pitch, around which cluster and develop in progressivevariations of melody, and as endless variations on a theme, all theaspirations, desires, hopes, dreams, which in connection with thatparticularmoment hadever crossed the dreamer’s brain during his lifetime,withouthavingever found their realisationonearth,andwhichhenow finds fully realised in all their vividness inDevachan,without eversuspectingthatallthatblissfulrealityisbuttheprogenybegottenbyhisown fancy, the effects of themental causes produced by himself. Thatparticularonemomentwhichwillbemost intenseanduppermost in thethoughts of his dying brain, at the time of dissolution will of courseregulate all the other “moments,” still, the latter, minor and less vividthough they be, will be there also having their appointed place in thisphantasmagoricmarshallingofpastdreams,andmustgivevarietytothewhole.

Noman on earth but has some predilection, if not a domineeringpassion,nopersonhoweverhumbleandpoor,andoftenbecauseallthat,butindulgesindreamsanddesires,unsatisfiedthroughthoughthesebe.Isthismonotony?Wouldyoucallsuchvariationsadinfinitumontheonetheme, and that theme modelling itself on, and taking colour and itsdefinite shape from that group of desires which was the most intenseduringlife,“ablankdestitutionofallknowledgeinthedevachanicmind,”seeminginameasureignoble?Thenverilyyoumusthavefailed,asyousay,totakeinmymeaning,oritisIwhoamtoblame.Imusthavesurelyfailed to convey the rightmeaning, andhave to confessmy inability todescribe the indescribable. The latter is a difficult task, good friend,unlesstheintuitiveperceptionsofatrainedChelacometotherescue.Noamount of description however graphic will help; indeed no words areadequatetoexpressthedifferencebetweenastateofmindonearthandone outside of its sphere of action; no English terms in existenceequivalent to ours; nothing but unavoidable (due to early Western

education)preconceptions:-hencelinesofthoughtinawrongdirectioninthelearner’smind—tohelpusinthisinoculationofentirelynewthoughts!You are right; not only “ordinary people”—your readers—but evenidealists and highly intellectualmindswill fail, I am afraid, to seize thetrueidea,willneverfathomittoitsverydepths.Perhapsyoumaysomeday realise better than you do now one of the chief reasons for ourunwillingnesstoimpartourknowledgetoEuropeancandidates.

A man in the way to learn something of the mysteries of nature“seems in a higher state of existence to begin with on earth than thatwhichnatureapparentlyprovidesforhimasarewardforhisbestdeeds”;perhaps “apparently,” not so in reality, when the modus operandi ofnatureiscorrectlyunderstood.Thenthatothermisconception—themoremeritthelongerperiodofDevachan.“ButtheninDevachanallsenseofthe lapse of time is lost: aminute is as a thousand years.Aquoi bonthen,”etc....

ThisremarkandsuchwayoflookingatthingsmightaswellapplytothewholeEternity, toNirvana,Pralaya,andwhatnot.Sayatonce thatthe whole system of being, of existence, separate and collective, ofnatureobjectiveand subjective, are but idiotic aimless facts, a giganticfraudofthatnaturewhich,meetingwithbutlittlesympathywithWesternphilosophy, has moreover the cruel disapprobation of its bestrepresentatives. A quoi bon in such a case this preaching of ourdoctrines, all this uphill work and swimming in adverso flumine?WhyshouldtheWestbesoanxioustolearnanythingfromtheEast,sinceitisevidentlyunabletodigestthatwhichcannevermeettherequirementsofthespecialtastesofitsaesthetics?Asorryoutlookforus,sinceevenyoufailtotakeinthewholemagnitudeofourphilosophy,ortoevenembraceatonescopeasmallcorner—theDevachanofthosesublimehorizonsof“after life”. I do not want to discourage you, I would only draw yourattentiontotheformidabledifficultiesencounteredbyusineveryattemptwemaketoexplainourmetaphysicstoWesternmindsevenamongthemost intelligent. No, there are no clocks, not timepieces in Devachan,thoughthewholeCosmosisagiganticchronometerinonesense.Nordowemortals—icibasmême—takemuch,ifany,cognisanceoftimeduringperiodsofhappinessandbliss,andfindthemevertooshort;afactthatdoes not in the least prevent us from enjoying that happiness all the

samewhen it does come.Have you given a thought to this possibility,that perhaps it is because their cup of bliss is full to the brim that the“Devanchanee” loses all sense of the lapse of time, and that it issomethingthatthosewholandinAvitchidonot,though,asmuchasthe“Devachanee,” the “Avitchee” has no cognisance of time—i.e. of ourearthlycalculationsofperiodsoftime?

I may also remind you in this connection that time is somethingcreatedbyourselves;that,whileoneshortsecondofintenseagonymayappear, even on earth, as an Eternity to one man, to another morefortunate,hours,daysandsometimeswholeyearsmayseemto flit likeone short moment; and that finally, of all the sentient and consciousbeings on earth, man is the only animal that takes any cognisance oftime, although itmakes him neither happier norwiser. How then can Iexplain to you that which you cannot feel, since you seem unable tocomprehend it? Finite similes are unfit to express the abstract and theinfinite, nor can the objective evermirror the subjective. To realise theblissinDevachanorthewoesinAvitchi,youhavetoassimilatethemaswe do. Western critical idealism has still to learn the difference whichexistsbetweentherealbeingofsupersensibleobjectsandtheshadowysubjectivity it has reduced them to.Time isnotapredicateconception,and can therefore neither be proved nor analysed according to themethodsofsuperficialphilosophy;andunlesswelearntocounteractthenegativeresultsofthatmethodofdrawingourconclusionsasagreeablyto the so-called systemof pure reason, and todistinguishbetween thematterandtheformofourknowledgeofsensibleobjects,wecanneverarriveatcorrectdefiniteconclusions.Thecase inhandasdefendedbyme against your (very natural) conception is a good proof of theshallowness and even fallacy of that system of pure (materialistic)reason.SpaceandTimemaybe,asKanthasit,nottheproduct,buttheregulatorsof thesensations,butonlyso farasoursensationsonearthare concerned, not those in Devachan. There we do not find a prioriideas of Space and Time controlling the perceptions of the denizen ofDevachaninrespecttotheobjectsofhissense,butonthecontrarywediscover that it is theDevachaneehimselfwhoabsolutely createsbothandannihilatesthematthesametime.Thusthe“afterstates”socalledcan never be correctly judged by practical reason, since the latter canhave active being only in the sphere of final causes or ends, and can

hardlyberegardedwithKant—withwhomthetermmeansononepage“reason,” and on the next “will”—as the highest spiritual power inmanhavingforitsspherethatWill.

Theaboveisnotdraggedin,asyoumaythink,forthesakeofa(toofarstretchedperhaps)argument,butwithaneye toa futurediscussion“at home,” as you express it, with students and admirers of Kant andPlato, thatyouwillhave toencounter. Inplainer language, Iwillnot tellyou the following, and it will be no fault of mine if you still fail tocomprehend its full meaning. As physical existence has its cumulativeintensityfrominfancytoprime,anditsdiminishingenergyhenceforwardto dotage and death, so the dream life of Devachan is livedcorrespondentially. Hence you are right in saying that the “soul” canneverawaketoitsmistakeandfinditself“cheatedbynature”—themoresosincestrictlyspeakingthewholeofhumanlifeanditsboastedrealitiesarenobetterthansuch“cheating”.ButyouarewronginpanderingtotheprejudicesandpreconceptionsofWestern readers.NoAsiaticwill everagreewithyouupon thispoint.Whenyouadd that “there isasenseofunrealityaboutthewholeaffairwhichispainfultothemind,”youarethefirstonetofeelthat;itisnodoubtduemuchmoretoanimperfectgraspofthenatureofexistenceinDevachan,thantoanydefectinoursystem.HencemyorderstoaChelatoreproduce,inanappendixtoyourarticle,extracts from this letter, and explanations calculated to disabuse thereader, and to obliterate as far as possible the painful impression thisstatementofyoursissuretoproduceuponhim.

Believeme,naturecheatsnomoretheDevachaneethanshedoesthe livingphysicalman.Natureprovides forhim farmore realblissandhappinesstherethanshedoeshere,wherealltheconditionsofevilandchanceare against him; and his inherent helplessness, that of a strawviolentlyblownhitherand thitherbyevery remorselesswind,hasmadehappiness on this earth an utter impossibility for the human being,whateverhischancesandconditionmaybe.Rathercallthislifeanuglyhorridnightmareandyouwillberight.TocalltheDevachanexistence“adream,”inanyothersensebutthatofaconventionalterm,wellsuitedtoyour languages, all full of misnomers, is to renounce for ever theknowledgeoftheesotericdoctrine,thesolecustodianoftruth

Letmetryoncemoretoexplaintoyouafewofthemanystatesin

DevachanandAvitchi.As inactualearth life, so there is for theego inDevachan the first flutter of psychic life, the attainment of prime, thegradual exhaustion of force passing into semi-consciousness, gradualoblivion and lethargy and—not death—but birth, birth into anotherpersonality and the resumption of action, which daily begets newcongeries of causes that must be worked out in another term ofDevachan,andstillanotherphysical rebirthasanewpersonality.Whatthe lives in Devachan and upon earth shall be respectively in eachinstanceisdeterminedbyKarma,andthiswearyroundofbirthmustbeeverandeverrunthrough,untilthebeingreachestheendoftheseventhRound, or attains in the interim thewisdomof anArhat, then that of aBuddha,andthusgetsrelievedforaRoundortwo,havinglearnedhowtoburstthroughtheviciouscircles,andtopassintoPari-Nirvana.

ButsupposethatitisnotthecaseofaBacon,Goethe,Shelley,oraHoward, but of some humdrum person, some colourless, flavourlesspersonalitywhoneverimpingedupontheworldenoughtomakehimselffelt. What then? Simply that his Devachan state is as colourless andfeebleaswashispersonality.Howcoulditbeotherwise,sincecauseandeffect are equal? But suppose a cause of a monster of wickedness,sensuality, ambition, avarice, pride, deceit, etc., but who neverthelesshasagermorgermsofsomethingbetter,flashesofmoredivinenature—whereishetogoto?Thesaidsparksmoulderingunderaheapofdirtwillcounteractnevertheless theattractionof theEighthSphere,whither fallbut absolute nonentities, failures of nature, to be remodelled entirely,whosedivinemonadseparated itself from the fifthprincipleduring theirlifetime(whetherinthenextprecedingbirth,sincesuchcasesarealsoonour records) andwho have lived as soulless human beings. (See Isis,Vol. II, p.369, thewordsoul standing there for spiritual soul, of course,which,whenever it leavesapersonsoulless,becomesthecauseof thefifth principle—animal soul—sliding down into the eighth sphere.) Ofthese persons whose sixth principle has left them, while the seventh,having lost its vehicle, can exist independently no longer, their fifth oranimal soul of course goes down into the bottomless pit. This willperhapsmakeEliphasLevi’shintsstillmorecleartoyou,ifyoureadoverwhathesays,andmyremarksonthemarginthereon(seeTheosophist,October, 1881, “Death,”) and reflect upon the words used, “uselessdrones,”etc. [SeeAppendixA.]Well, the firstnamedentity thencannot

withall itswickednessgototheEighthSphere,sincehiswickednessisof a too spiritual, refined nature.He is amonster, not amere soullessbrute. He will not be simply annihilated, but punished, for annihilation,i.e., total oblivion, and the fact of being snuffed out of consciousexistence,constitutes,perse,nopunishment,andasVoltaireexpressedit“lenéantnelaissepasd’avoirdubon”.Hereisnotaperglimmertobepuffedoutbyazephyr,butastrong,positive,maleficentenergy,fedanddeveloped by circumstances, some of which may have actually beenbeyond his control. There must be for such a nature a statecorresponding to Devachan, and this is found in Avitchi, the perfectantithesisofDevachan,vulgarisedbytheWesternnations intoHellandHeaven, and which you have entirely lost sight of in your Fragments.[SeeAppendixB.]Remember,tobeimmortalingood,onemustidentifyoneselfwith good (orGod); to be immortal in evil,with evil (orSatan).Misconceptions of such terms as “Spirit,” “Soul,” “Individuality,”“Personality”and(especially“Immortality”provokewordywarsbetweenagreat number of idealistic debaters, and to complete your Fragment, Ifound it necessary to addAvitchi toDevachan as its complement, andapply to it the same laws as to the former. This is done with yourpermission in the appendix. [The “appendix” referred to appears on p.137,Theosophist,March1883.ItwillbefoundattheendofthisworkasAppendixB.]

Havingexplained thesituationsufficiently, Imaynowanswer yourquery No.1 directly. Yes, certainly, there is a change of occupation, acontinualchangeinDevachan,justasmuch,andfarmore,asthereisinthelifeofanymanorwomanwhohappenstofollow,hisorherwholelife,onesoleoccupationwhateveritmaybe—withthisdifference,thattotheDevachanee this special occupation is alwayspleasant and fills his lifewith rapture.Change, then, theremustbe, for thatdream life isbut thefruition,theharvesttime,ofthosepsychicseed-germsdroppedfromthetreeofphysicalexistence inourmomentsofdreams,hopesand fancy,glimpses of bliss and happiness stifled in an ungrateful social soil,blooming in the rosy dawn of Devachan and ripening under its ever-fructifyingsky.Nofailuresthere,nodisappointments.Ifmanhadbutonesinglemomentofidealhappinessandexperienceduringhislife,asyouthink,eventhen,ifDevachanexists, itcouldnotbe,asyouerroneouslysuppose, the indefinite prolongation of that “single moment,” but the

indefinitedevelopmentsofthevariousincidentsandeventsbasedupon,and outflowing from, that one singlemoment ormoments, as the casemay be—all, in short, that would suggest itself to the dreamer’s fancy.Thatonenote,as Isaid,struck from the lyreof life,could formbut thekeynote of the being’s subjective state, and work out its numberlessharmonictonesandsemitonesofpsychicphantasmagoria.

There, all unrealised hopes, aspirations and dreams become fullyrealised, and the dreams of the objective become the realities of thesubjectiveexistence.Andthere,behindthecurtainofMaya,itsvaporousanddeceptiveappearancesareperceivedby theAdeptwhohas learntthegreatsecrethow topenetrate thusdeeply into theArcanaofbeing.Doubtlessmyquestion,whetheryouhadexperiencedmonotonyduringwhatyouconsider thehappiestmomentofyour life,hasentirelymisledyou. This letter is thus the just penance formy laziness to amplify theexplanation.Answer—2.Whatcycleismeant?The“minorcycle”meantisofcoursethe completion of the seventhRound, as decided upon and explained.Besidesthat,attheendofeachofthesevenRounds,comesalessfullremembrance,onlyoftheDevachanicexperiencestakingplacebetweenthenumerousbirthsat theendof eachpersonal life.But the completerecollection of all the lives (earthly and Devachanic—omniscience, inshort)comesbutat thegreatendof thefullsevenRounds(unlessonehad become in the interim a Bodhisattva, an Arhat), the threshold ofNirvana meaning an indefinite period. Naturally a man, a seventhRounder (who completes his earthlymigrations at the beginning of thelastraceandring),willhavetowaitlongeratthatthreshold,thanoneofthevery lastof thoseRounds.That lifeof theElectbetween theminorPralayaandNirvana—orratherbeforethePralaya—isthegreatreward,the grandest in fact, since it makes of the ego (though hemay neverhave been an Adept, but simply a virtuous worthyman inmost of hisexistences)virtuallyaGod,anomniscientconsciousbeing,acandidateforeternitiesofaeonsasaDhyanChohan.Enough, IambetrayingthemysteriesofInitiation.

But what has “Nirvana” to do with the recollections of objectiveexistences?That isastatestillhigher,and inwhichall thingsobjectiveare forgotten. It is a state of absolute rest and assimilation with

Parabrahm,itisParabrahmitself.OhforthesadignoranceofourphilosophictruthsintheWest,and

fortheinabilityofyourgreatest intellectstoseizethetruespiritofthoseteachings!Whatshallwedo,whatcanwedo.?Question—3. [The answer to this is not in theMS.] You postulate anintercourse of entities in Devachan which applies only to the mutualrelationshipofphysicalexistence.Twosympatheticsoulswilleachworkout its own Devachanic sensations making the other a sharer in itssubjective bliss, but yet each is dissociated from the other as regardsactual mutual intercourse. For what companionship could there bebetween two subjective entitieswhich are not even asmaterial as thatetherealbody,theMayavi-rupa?Answer—4Devachanisastate,notalocality.RupaLoka,ArupaLoka,andKamaLokaarethreespheresofascendingspirituality, inwhichtheseveral groups of subjective entities find their attractions. In the KamaLoka (semi-physical sphere, dwell the shells, the victims and suicides,and the sphere is divided into innumerable regions and sub-regions,correspondingtothementalstatesofthecomersattheirhourofdeath.ThisisthegloriousSummerlandoftheSpiritualists,towhosehorizonsislimited the vision of their best seers—vision imperfect and defectivebecauseuntrainedandnon-guidedbyAlaya(hiddenknowledge).Whointhe West knows anything of true Sahalokadhatu, the mysteriousChiliocosm,[MentionedinBeal’sCatenaofBuddhism.pp.101.116.]outofthemanyregionsofwhichbutthreecanbegiventotheoutsideworld,the Tribhuvana (threeworlds), namely Kama,Rupa andArupa Lokas?YetseethesadmessproducedinWesternmindsbythementionofeventhese three. From Kama Loka there is the great Chiliocosm. Onceawakenedfromtheirpostmortemtorpor,thenewlytranslated“souls”go(all but the shells) according to their attractions either to Devachan orAvitchi.And these twostatesareagaindifferentiatedad infinitum, theirascendingdegreesofspiritualitydrawingtheirnamesfromtheLokas inwhich they are induced. For instance, the sensations, perceptions andideation of a Devachanee in Rupa Loka will of course be of a lesssubjectivecharacter,thantheywouldbeinArupaLoka,inbothofwhichtheDevachanicexperienceswillvaryintheirpresentationtothesubjectentity,notonlyas regards form,colourandsubstance,butalso in their

formative potentialities. But not even the highest Devachanic state inArupa Loka (the last of seven states) is comparable to that perfectlysubjectiveconditionofpurespirituality,fromwhichthemonademergedtodescendintomatter,andtowhichatthecompletionofthegrandcycleitmustreturn,norisNirvanaitselfcomparabletoPari-Nirvana.Answer—5.Reviving consciousness begins after the struggle inKamaLoka at the door of Devachan, and only after the “gestation period”.Please turn to my responses on the subject in your “FamousContradictions”.Answer—6. Your deductions, as to the indefinite prolongation inDevachan of some one moment of earthly bliss, having beenunwarranted, your question in the last paragraph of this need not beconsidered. The stay in Devachan is proportioned to the unfinishedpsychic impulsesoriginating inearth-life.Thosewhoseattractionswerepreponderatinglymaterialwill sooner be drawnback into rebirth by theforce of Tanha. [The “thirst” or craving for existence.] As one Londonopponenttrulyremarks,thesesubjects(metaphysical)areonlypartlyforunderstanding.Ahigherfacultybelongingtothehigherlifemustsee;anditistrulyimpossibletoforceituponone’sunderstandingmerelyinwords.Onemustseewithhisspiritualeye,hearwithhisDharma-kayicear,feelwith the sensations of his Astitya Vijnana (spiritual “I”, before one cancomprehend this doctrine fully, otherwise it may but increase one’sdiscomfortandaddtohisknowledgeverylittle.Answer—7. The “reward” provided by nature for men who arebenevolent ina largesystematicway,andwhohavenot focussed theiraffectionsuponan individualor speciality is that, if pure, theypass thequickerforthatthroughtheKamaandRupaLokasintothehighersphereofTribhuvana,since it isonewhere the formationof theabstract ideasand the consideration of general principles fill the thought of itsoccupants. Personality is the synonym for limitation; and the morecontracted the person’s ideas, the closer will he cling to the lowerspheres of being, the longer loiter on the plane of selfish socialintercourse.Thesocialstatusofabeingis,ofcourse,aresultofKarma,thelawbeingthatlikeattractslike.Therenascentbeingisdrawnintothegestativecurrentwithwhichpreponderatingattractionscomingoverfromthe last birthmake him assimilate. Thus onewho died a great ryot [A

cultivator.]mayberebornaking;soadeadsovereignmayseethelightin a coolie’s hut. This law of attraction asserts itself in a thousand“accidentsof birth,” thanwhich there couldnot beagreatermisnomer.When you realise at last the following, that the Skandhas [Thecomponents of a being, according to Buddhism.] are the elements oflimitedexistence,thenyouwillhaverealisedalsooneoftheconditionsofDevachan which has such a profoundly unsatisfactory outlook for you.Norareyourinferences(asregardsthewell-beingandenjoymentoftheupperclassesbeingduetoabetterKarma)quitecorrectintheirgeneralapplication.TheyhavehadaringaboutthemwhichishardlyreconcilablewithKarmiclaw,sincethose“well-beingandenjoyments”areoftenerthecausesofanewandoverloadedKarma,thantheproductionoreffectsofthelatter,even,asabroadrule,povertyandhumbleconditioninlifearelessacauseofsorrowthanwealthorhighbirth.Butofthatlateron.Myanswersareoncemoreassumingrathertheshapeofavolumethanthedecentaspectofaletter.Question— 1. The remarks appended to a letter in the last“Theosophist.”[June1882.]page226,col1,strikemeasveryimportantand as qualifying (I do not say contradicting) a good deal of what wehavehitherto been told in reSpiritualism.Wehaveheardof a spiritualcondition of life in which the redeveloped ego enjoyed a consciousexistenceforatimebeforereincarnationinanotherworld,butthatbranchof the subject has hitherto been slurred over. Now some explicitstatementsaremadeaboutitandthesesuggestfurtherenquiries.IntheDevachanthenewegoretainscompleterecollectionofhislifeonearth,apparently.Isthatso,or isthereanymisunderstandingonthatpointonmypart?Answer—TheDevachan,orlandof“Sukhavati”isallegoricallydescribedby our LordBuddhahimself.What he saidmaybe found in theShan-mun-yihtung. Says Tathagata: “Many thousand myriads of systems ofworldsbeyondthis[ours]thereisaregionofblisscalledSukhavati.Thisregion is encircled within seven rows of railings, seven rows of vastcurtains, seven rows of waving trees; this holy abode of Arhats isgovernedby theTathagatas [DhyanChohans]and ispossessedby theBodhisattvas. It hath seven precious lakes in the midst of which flowcrystallinewatershavingsevenandonepropertiesordistinctivequalities

[thesevenprinciplesemanatingfromtheOne].This,OSariputra, is theDevachan. The divine Udambara flower casts a root in the shadow ofeveryearth,andblossomsforall thosewhoreach it.Thoseborn in theblessedregionaretrulyfelicitous,therearenomoregriefsorsorrowsinthatcycleforthem.Myriadsofspiritsresortthereforrestandthenreturntotheirownregions[thosewhohavenotendedtheirearthrings.]Again,OSariputra,inthatlandofjoymanywhoareborninitareAvaivartyas,”etc. [literally, thosewhowillnever return, theseventhRoundmen,etc.][For the full discourse in the Chinese version, see Beal’s Catena ofBuddhistScriptures.pp.378.382]Question—2.NowexceptinthefactthatthedurationofexistenceintheDevachan is limited, there is a very close resemblance between theconditionandtheHeavenofordinaryreligion(omittinganthropomorphicideasofGod).Answer—Certainly the new ego, once that it is reborn, retains for acertaintime,proportionatetoitsearthlife,a“completerecollectionofhislifeonearth”(seeyourprecedingquery).ButitcanneverreturnonearthfromtheDevachan,norhasthelatter,evenomittingall“anthropomorphicideasofGod,”anyresemblancetoParadise,orHeavenofanyreligion,and it is H.P.B’s literary fancy that suggested to her the wonderfulcomparison.Question—3.Nowthequestionofimportanceis,whogoestoHeaven,or Devachan? Is this condition only attained by the few who are verygood,orbythemanywhoarenotverybad,afterthelapseintheircaseofalongerunconsciousness,incubation,orgestation?Answer—”Who goes to Devachan?” The personal ego, of course, butbeatified, purified, holy. Every ego—the combination of the sixth andseventh principles which after the period of unconscious gestation isrebornintotheDevachan—isofnecessityasinnocentandpureasanewbornbabe.Thefactofhisbeingrebornatallshowsthepreponderanceofgoodoverevil inhisoldpersonality.AndwhiletheKarma(ofevil)stepsasideforthetimebeingtofollowhiminhisfutureearth-reincarnation,hebrings along with him but the Karma of his good deeds, words andthoughtsintothisDevachan.“Bad”isarelativetermforus—asyouweretoldmore thanoncebefore—and the lawofRetribution is theonly lawthatnevererrs.Henceallthosewhohavenotslippeddownintothemire

ofunredeemablesinandbestialitygototheDevachan.Theywillhavetopayfortheirsins,voluntaryandinvoluntary,lateron.Meanwhiletheyarerewarded;theyreceivetheeffectsofthecausesproducedbythem.

Ofcourseitisastate,one,sotosayofintenseselfishness,duringwhich an ego reaps the reward of his unselfishness on earth. He iscompletely engrossed in the bliss of all his personal earthly affections,preferences and thoughts, and gathers in the fruit of his meritoriousactions.No pain, no grief, nor even the shadow of a sorrow comes todarken thebrighthorizonofhisunalloyedhappiness, for it isastateofperpetual“Maya”.Sincetheconsciousperceptionofone’spersonalityonearth is but an evanescent dream, that sensewill be equally that of adream in the Devachan, only a hundredfold intensified. So much soindeed, that the happy ego is unable to see through the veil of evils,sorrowsandwoestowhichthoseit lovesonearthmaybesubjected. Itlivesinthatsweetdreamwithitslovedones,whethergonebeforeoryetremainingonearth; ithas themnear itself,ashappy,asblissfulandasinnocentas thedisembodieddreamerhimself; andyet, apart from rarevisions, the denizensof our gross planet feel it not. It is in this, duringsuchaconditionofcompleteMaya,thatthesoulsorastralegosofpure,lovingsensitives,labouringunderthesameillusion,thinktheirlovedonescomedowntothemonearth,while it is theirownspirits thatareraisedtowards those in the Devachan. Many of the subjective spiritualcommunications—most of themwhen the sensitives are pure indeed—arereal;butitismostdifficultfortheuninitiatedmediumtofixinhismindthe true and correct picture of what he sees and hears. Some of thephenomenacalledpsychography(thoughmorerarely)arealsoreal.Thespiritofthesensitivegettingodylised,sotosay,bytheauraofthespiritinDevachan,becomesfora fewminutes thatdepartedpersonality,andwritesinthehandwritingofthelatter,inhislanguageandinhisthoughtsastheywereduringhislifetime.Thetwospiritsbecomeblendedinone;and the preponderance of one over the other during such phenomenadetermines the preponderance of personality in the characteristicsexhibited in such writings and trance speaking. What you call the“rapport” is in plain fact an identity of molecular vibration between theastralpartoftheincarnatemediumandtheastralpartofthedisincarnatepersonality.

I have just noticed an article onSmell by someEnglish professor(whichIwillcausetobereviewedinTheosophist[ReferringtoanarticleofProfessorWilliamRamsayinNature,June22,1882;areviewappearsinTheosophist,August,1882,underthetitle,“TheHarmoniesofSmell”.See Appendix C.] and say a few words) and find in it something thatapplies toourcase.As inmusic twodifferentsoundsmaybe inaccordandseparatelydistinguishable—thisharmonyordiscorddependinguponthe synchronous vibrations and complementary periods—so there israpportbetweenmediumandcontrolwhentheirastralmoleculesmoveinaccord.And thequestionwhether thecommunicationshall reflectmoreoftheonepersonalidiosyncrasyortheotherisdeterminedbytherelativeintensityofthetwosetsofvibrationsinthecompoundwaveintheAkasa.The less identical thevibratory impulsesthemoremediumisticand lessspiritual will be the message. So then, measure your medium’s moralstate by that of the alleged controlling intelligence, and your tests ofgenuinenessleavenothingtobedesired.Question—4.AretheregreatvarietiesofconditionwithinthelimitssotospeakofDevachan,so thatanappropriatestate isdreamed intobyall,fromwhich theywill beborn into lowerorhigher conditions in thenextworldof causes? It isofnouse tomultiplyhypotheses:wewantsomeinformationtogoupon.Answer—Yes,therearegreatvarietiesintheDevachanstates,anditisallasyousay—asmanyvarietiesofblissasonearththereareshadesofperception and capability to appreciate such reward. It is an ideatedparadise of the ego’s ownmaking, and by him filled with the scenery,crowdedwiththeincidentsandthrongedwiththepeoplehewouldexpecttofindinsuchastateofcompensativebliss.Andit isthatvarietywhichguidesthetemporarypersonalegointothecurrentwhichwillleadhimtobe reborn in a higher or lower condition in the next world of causes.Everything is so harmoniously adjusted in nature, especially in thesubjective world, that no mistake can ever be committed by theTathagatas,orDhyanChohanswhoguidetheimpulses.Question—5.Onthefaceoftheidea,apurelyspiritualstatewouldonlybeenjoyabletotheentitieshighlyspiritualisedinthislife.Butwherearethemyriadsofverygoodpeople(morally)whoarenotspiritualisedatall?Howcantheybefittedtopass,withtheirrecollectionsofthislife,froma

materialtoaspiritualconditionofexistence?Answer—It is a “spiritual condition” only as contrasted with our owngrosslymaterial condition,and,asalreadystated, it is suchdegreesofspiritualitythatconstituteanddeterminethegreatvarietiesofconditionswithin the limitsofDevachan.Amother fromasavage tribe isnot lesshappythanamotherfromaregalpalace,withherlostchildinherarms;and, although as actual egos, children prematurely dying before theperfectionoftheirseptenaryentitydonotfindtheirwaytoDevachan,yetall the same themother’s loving fancy finds her children there,withoutonemissingthatherheartyearnsfor.Sayitisbutadream;butafterallwhat is objective life itself but a panorama of vivid unrealities? Thepleasure realized by a red Indian in his happy hunting grounds in thatlandofdreamsisnotlessintensethantheecstasyfeltbyaconnoisseurwhopassesaeonsintheraptdelightoflisteningtodivinesymphoniesbyimaginaryangelicchoirs.As it isnofaultof the former ifbornasavagewithan instinct to kill, though it caused thedeathofmanyan innocentanimal, why—if with it all he was a loving father, son, husband,—whyshouldnothealsoenjoyhisshareofreward?Thecasewouldbequitedifferent if the same cruel acts had been done by an educated andcivilisedperson fromamere loveof sport.Thesavage inbeing rebornwould simply take a low place in the scale by reason of his imperfectmoraldevelopment,while theKarmaof theotherwouldbe taintedwithmoral delinquency.Everyone but that egowhich, attracted by its grossmagnetism, falls into the current that will draw it into “the Planet ofDeath”—thementalaswellasthephysicalsatelliteofourearth—isfittedto pass into a relative spiritual condition adjusted by his previousconditioninlifeandmodeofthought.

Tomy knowledge and recollection, H.P.B. explained to Mr. Humethatman’ssixthprinciple,assomethingpurelyspiritual,couldnotexistorhaveconsciousbeingintheDevachan,unlessitassimilatedsomeofthemoreabstractandpureofthementalattributesofthefifthprincipleortheanimalsoul—itsManas(mind)andmemory.Whenmandies,hissecondand third principles die with him; the lower triad disappears, and thefourth, fifth, sixth and seventh principles form the survivingQuaternary(readagainp.6,inFragmentsofO.T.)[FragmentsofOccultTruth.Eightarticles with this title appeared in Theosophist, fromOctober, 1881, to

May,1883.Thearticlesareunsigned,butreferencesintheseletters,andin letters of Mr. Sinnett, show that they were practically the jointproduction, inthebeginningat least,ofMr.SinnettandMr.Hume.No.1howeverseemstohavebeenMr.Hume’s.Seven“Fragments“appearedas two pamphlets, the first bearing the imprint “Issued by the ParentTheosophical Society,” and the second, “Printed by the ParentTheosophicalSociety”.]Thenceforth it isa“death”strugglebetweentheupperandlowerdualities.Iftheupperwins,thesixth,havingattractedtoitself the quintessence of good from the fifth—its nobler affections, itssaintly (though they be earthly) aspirations and the most spiritualisedportions of its mind—follows its divine Elder of the seventh into the“gestation state”; and the fifth and fourth remain in association as anempty shell (the expression is quite correct) to roam in the earth’satmosphere with half the personal memory gone, and the more brutalinstinctsfullyaliveforacertainperiod—an“Elementary”inshort.Thisisthe“Angelguide”oftheaveragemedium.If,ontheotherhand,it istheupper duality which is defeated, then, it is the fifth principle thatassimilates all that there may be left of personal recollection andperception of its personal individuality in the sixth. But with all thisadditionalstock itwillnot remain inKamaLoka, theworldofdesire,orourearth’satmosphere; inaveryshort time, likeastraw floatingwithintheattractionofthevorticesandpitsofthemaelstrom,itiscaughtupanddrawn into the great whirlpool of human egos, while the sixth andseventh,nowapurelyspiritual individualmonad,withnothingleftinitofthelatepersonality,havingnoregular“gestation”periodtopassthrough(sincethereisnopurifiedpersonalegotobereborn),afteramoreorlessprolonged period of unconscious rest in the boundless space will finditself reborn inanotherpersonalityonthenextplanet.Whenarrives theperiod of full individual consciousnesswhich preceded that ofabsoluteconsciousnessinPari-Nirvana,thislostpersonallifebecomesasatorn-outpage in thegreatBookofLives,withoutevenadisconnectedwordleft to mark its absence. The purified monad will neither perceive norrememberitintheseriesofitspastrebirths,whichitwouldhaditgonetothe “world of forms” (Rupa Loka), and its retrospective glance will notperceiveeventheslightestsigntoindicatethat ithasbeen.ThelightofSamma-Sambuddha,

Thatlightwhichshinesbeyondourmortalken,

Thelightofallthelivesinalltheworlds.throwsnorayuponthatpersonal life in theseriesof lives forgone.

TothecreditofmankindImustsaythatsuchanutterobliterationofanexistence from the tablets of universal Being does not occur oftenenough to make a great percentage. In fact, like themuchmentionedcongenitalidiot,suchathingislususnaturae—anexception,nottherule.Question—6. And now is a spiritual existence, inwhich everything ismerged into the sixth principle, compatible with that consciousness ofindividualandpersonalmateriallifewhichmustbeattributedtotheegoinDevachan, if he retains his earthly consciousness, as stated in“Theosophist”note?Answer—Thequestionisnowsufficientlyexplained,Ibelieve.Thesixthand seventh principles apart from the rest, constitute the eternal,imperishable, but also unconscious “monad.” To awaken it to life, thelatent consciousness, especially that of personal individuality, requiresthemonadplusthehighestattributesofthefifth(theanimalsoul),anditis that which makes the eternal ego, that lives and enjoys bliss inDevachan. Spirit, or the unalloyed emanation of the One—the latterformingwiththeseventhandsixthprinciplesthehighesttriad—neitherofthe twoemanationsarecapableofassimilating,but thatwhich isgood,pure and holy; hence no sensual material or unholy recollection canfollow thepurifiedmemoryof theego to theregionofbliss.TheKarmafortheserecollectionsofevildeedsandthoughtswillreachtheegowhenitchangespersonalityinthefollowingworldofcauses.Themonad,orthe“spiritual individuality,”remainsuntaintedinallcases.Nosorroworpainforthosebornthere(intheRupaLokaofDevachan)forthisisthepureland.Alltheregionsinspacepossessuchlands(Sakwala),butthislandofbliss isthemostpure.“Bypersonalpurityandearnestmeditationweoverleap the limits of the world of desire, and enter into the world offorms.”(Djnana-prasthanaShastra.)Question—7.TheperiodofgestationbetweendeathandDevachanhashithertobeenconceived,bymeatallevents,asverylong.Nowitissaidtobeinsomecasesonlyafewdays,innocase(itisimplied)morethana few years. This seems plainly stated, but I ask if it can be explicitlyconfirmed,becauseitisapointonwhichsomuchturns.

Answer—Another fine sample of the habitual disorder in which Mrs.H.P.B’smentalfurnitureiskept.Shetalksof“Bardo,”[InarticlereferredtoinQuestion—1.]anddoesnotevensaytoherreaderswhatitmeans;asinherwritingroomconfusionistentimesconfounded,soinhermindarecrowded ideas piled in such a chaos that when she wants to expressthemthetailpeepsoutbeforethehead.“Bardo”hasnothingtodowiththedurationoftimeinthecaseyouarereferringto.“Bardo”istheperiodbetweendeathandrebirth,andmaylastfromafewyearstoakalpa.Itisdivided intothreesub-periods:-I-.Whentheego,deliveredof itsmortalcoil, enters into Kama Loka (Tibetan tuli-kai), the abode of theelementaries.-II-.Whenitentersintoits“gestationstate”.-III-.WhenitisrebornintheRupaLokaofDevachan,Sub-period-I-.maylastfromafewminutes to a number of years (the phrase a “few years” becomingpuzzlingandutterlyworthlesswithoutamorecompleteexplanation);sub-period-II-,isverylong,asyousay,longersometimesthanyoumayevenimagine,yetproportionatetotheego’sspiritualstamina;sub-period-III-,lasts in proportion to the good Karma, after which themonad is againreincarnated. The Agama Sutra saying, “In all these Rupa-Lokas thedevas [spirits] are equally subjected to birth decay, old ageanddeath”meansonlythatanegoisbornethither,thenbeginsfadingoutandfinallydies,” i.e., falls into that unconscious condition which precedes rebirth;andendstheslokawiththesewords,“Asthedevasemergefromtheseheavens, they enter the lower world again,” i.e., they leave a world ofblisstoberebornintheworldofcauses.Question—8. In that case, and assuming thatDevachan is not solelythe heritage of Adepts and persons almost as elevated, there is acondition of existence tantamount to Heaven actually going on, fromwhichthelifeofearthmaybewatchedbyanimmensenumberofthosewhohavegonebefore.Answer—Mostemphatically theDevachan isnot solely the heritage oftheAdepts,andmostdecidedlythereisa“heaven,”ifyoumustusethisastro-geographicalChristianterm,for“animmensenumberofthosewhohave gone before.” But “the life of earth” can be watched by none ofthese,forreasonsofthelawofBlissandMayaalreadygiven.Question—9. And for how long?Does this state of spiritual beatitudeendureforyears,fordecades,forcenturies?

Answer—For years, decades, centuries andmillenniums, oftentimesXbysomethingmore. ItalldependsuponthedurationofKarma.Fillwithoil Denny’s [Denny Sinnett, Mr. Sinnett’s little boy.] cup and a cityreservoirofwater,andlightingboth,seewhichburnsthelonger.TheegoisthewickandKarmatheoil,thedifferenceinthequantityofthelatter(inthecupandinthereservoir)suggestingtoyouthegreatdifferenceintheduration of various Karmas. Every effect must be proportionate to thecause. And as man’s term of incarnate existence bears but a smallproportiontohisperiodsofinternatalexistenceintheManvantariccycle,sothegoodthoughts,wordsanddeedsofanyofthese“lives”onaglobearecausationofeffects,theworkingoutofwhichrequiresfarmoretimethantheevolutionof thecausesoccupied.Therefore,whenyouread intheJatakasandother “fabulous”storiesof theBuddhistScriptures thatthisortheothergoodactionwasrewardedbyKalpasofseveralfiguresofbliss,donotsmileattheabsurdexaggeration,butbearinmindwhatIhave said. From a small seed sprung a tree whose life endures fortwenty-two centuries—the Anuradhapura Bo-tree.[This tree, now inCeylon, was a cutting from the original tree under which Lord Buddhaattained toBuddahood. ItwasbroughtbySanghamitta, thedaughteroftheBuddhistEmperorAsoka,andplantedatAnuradhapura in the thirdcenturyB.C.Itisstillflourishing.]

NormustyoulaughifeveryoucomeacrossPindadanaoranyotherBuddhistSutraandread: “Between theKamaLokaand theRupaLokathere is a locality, the dwelling of Mara [death]. This Mara, filled withpassionandlust,destroysallvirtuousprinciplesasastonegrindscorn.[ThisMara,asyoumaywellthink,istheallegoricalimageofthespherecalled ‘the Planet of Death’—thewhirlpool whither disappear the livesdoomed to destruction. It is between Kama and Rupa Lokas that thestruggle takes place] His palace is 7,000 yojanas square and issurroundedbyasevenfoldwall.”Foryouwillfeelnowmorepreparedtounderstandtheallegory.Also,whenBeal,orBurnouf,orRhysDavidsinthe innocence of their Christian andmaterialistic souls indulge in suchtranslationsas theygenerally do,wedonot bear themmalice for theircommentaries, since they cannot know any better. But what can thefollowingmean:“thenamesoftheheavens[amistranslation—Lokasarenot heavens but localities or abodes] of desire, Kama Loka, so calledbecause the beingswhooccupy themare subject to desires of eating,

drinking,sleepingandlove.Theyareotherwisecalledtheabodesofthefive (?) orders of sentient creatures—Devas, men, asuras, beasts,demons.” (LautanSutra, translatedbyS.Beal.)Theymeansimply that,hadthereverendtranslatorbeenacquaintedwiththetruedoctrinealittlebetter,hewouldhavefirstdividedtheDevasintotwoclasses—andcalledthemthe“RupaDevas”and the“ArupaDevas” (the “form”orobjective,and the “formless” or subjective Dhyan Chohans); and second, wouldhave done the same for his class of “men,” since there are shells and“Mara rupas,” i.e.., bodies doomed to annihilation. All these are: (1)Rupa-devas—Dhyan Chohans having forms (Ex-men). [The PlanetarySpiritsofourEartharenotofthehighestasyoumaywellimagine,since,asSubbaRowsaysinhiscriticismuponOxley’swork,noEasternAdeptwouldliketobecomparedwithanangelorDeva—seeMayTheosophist.[“PhilosophyofSpirit,withanewversionoftheBhagavad-GitabyWilliamOxley,”was reviewed inTheosophist,December1881. InMay1882,T.SubbaRowwriteson thesamework, “Examined fromtheEsotericandBrahmanicalStand-Point”.](2)Arupa-devas—DhyanChohanshavingnoforms (ex-men). (3) Pisachas (two-principled) ghosts or shells. (4)Mararupas(three-principled)bodiesdoomedtoannihilation.(5)Asuras—elementals having no human form. (6) Beasts—second class animalelementals (these two classes, (5) and (6), are future men). (7)Rakshasas(demons)—soulsorastralformsofsorcerers,menwhohavereachedtheapexofknowledge in the forbiddenart;deadoralive, theyhave,sotosay,cheatednature,butit isonlytemporary,untilourplanetgoes into obscuration, after which they will have nolens volens to beannihilated. [In Abidharma Shastra (Metaphysics) we read “Buddhataught that on the outskirts of all Sakwalas, there is a black interval,withoutsunormoonlightforhimwhofallsintoit.Thereisnorebirthfromit.ItisthecoldHell,thegreatNaraka”.ThisisAvitchi.]Itisthesesevengroups that formtheprincipaldivisionsof thedwellersof thesubjectiveworldsaroundus.ItisinstockNo.-I-thataretheintelligentRulersofthisworld ofmatter, and who, with all their intelligence, are but the blindlyobedient instruments of the ONE, the active agents of a PassivePrinciple.

AndthusaremisinterpretedandmistranslatednearlyallourSutras;yetevenunderthatconfusedjumbleofdoctrinesandwords,foronewhoknowsevensuperficially the truedoctrine, there is firmground tostand

upon.Thus,forinstance,inenumeratingthesevenLokasofKamaLoka,theAvatamsakaSutragivesastheseventh“theTerritoryofDoubt”.Iwillaskyoutorememberthename,asweshallhavetospeakofithereafter.Everysuchworld,withinthesphereofeffectshasaTathagataorDhyanChohantoprotectandwatchover,notto interferewith, it.Ofcourse,ofallmen,Spiritualistswillbethefirsttorejectandthrowoffourdoctrinesto the “limbo of exploded superstitions”.Were we to assure them thateveryoneoftheir“Summerlands”hadsevenboardinghousesinit,withthe same number of “Spirit Guides” to “boss” in them, and call these“angels”St.Peters,St. JohnsandSt.Ernests, theywouldwelcomeuswithopenarms.ButwhoeverheardofTathagatasandDhyanChohans,Asuras, and elementals?Preposterous! Still we are happily allowed byour friends (Mr. Eglington at least) to be possessed “of a certainknowledge of occult sciences” (vide Light), and thus, even thismite of“knowledge” is at your service, and is now helpingme to answer yourfollowingquestion:Question—10.Isthereanyintermediateconditionbetweenthespiritualbeatitude of Devachan, and the forlorn shadow life of the only half-consciouselementaryreliquiaeofhumanbeingswhohadlosttheirsixthprinciple?Becauseifso,thatmightgivealocusstandiinimaginationtothe Ernests and Joeys of the spiritual mediums, the better sort ofcontrolling spirits. If so, surely thatmust be a very popular world fromwhichanyamountofspiritualcommunicationsmightcome.Answer—Alas,nomyfriend;notthatIknowof.FromSukhavatidowntothe“territoryofdoubt,” there isavarietyofspiritualstates;but Iamnotaware of any such “intermediate condition”. I have told you of theSakwalas (though I cannot be enumerating them since it would beuseless);andevenofAvitchi,the“Hell”fromwhichthereisnoreturn,andIhavenomoretotellaboutit.“Theforlornshadow”hastodothebestitcan.AssoonasithassteppedoutsidetheKamaLokaandcrossedthe“GoldenBridge” leading to the “SevenGoldenMountains,” theegocanconfabulatenomorewiththeeasygoingmediums.NoErnestorJoeyhasever returned from the Rupa Loka, let alone the Arupa Loka, to holdsweetintercoursewithmortals.

Ofcourse,thereisabettersortofreliquiae,andthe“shells,”orthe“earthwalkers”as theyareherecalled,arenotnecessarilyallbad.But

eventhosewhoaregoodaremadebadforthetimebeingbymediums.Theshellsmaywell not care, since theyhavenothing to loseanyhow.But there is another kindof “spirits”wehave lost sight of: the suicidesandthosekilledbyaccident.Bothkindscancommunicateandbothhaveto pay dearly for such visits. And now I have to explain what I mean.Well, this class is the one that the French Spiritualists call les espritssouffrants. They are an exception to the rule, as they have to remainwithin the earth’s attraction and in its atmosphere, Kama Loka, till thevery lastmomentofwhatwouldhavebeen thenaturaldurationof theirlives.Inotherwords,thatparticularwaveoflife-evolutionmustrunontoitsshore.But it isasinandcrueltytorevivetheirmemoryandintensifytheirsufferingbygivingthemachanceoflivinganartificiallife—achanceto overload their Karma, by tempting them into opened doors, viz.,mediumsandsensitives,fortheywillhavetopayroundlyforeverysuchpleasure.Iwillexplainthesuicides,who,foolishlyhopingtoescapelife,find themselvesstillalive,havesufferingenough instore for them fromthatverylife.Theirpunishmentisintheintensityofthelatter.Havinglostbytherashactoftheirseventhandsixthprinciples,thoughnotforever,astheycanregainboth,insteadofacceptingtheirpunishmentandtakingtheir chances of redemption, they are often made to regret life andtemptedtoregainaholduponitbysinfulmeans.IntheKamaLoka,theland of intense desires, they can gratify their earthly yearnings butthrougha living proxy,andbysodoing,at theexpirationof thenaturalterm, they generally lose their monad forever. As to the victims ofaccident,thesefarestillworse.Unlesstheyweresogoodandpureastobe drawn immediately within the akashic samadhi,—i.e., to fall into astateofquietslumber,asleepfullofrosydreamsduringwhichtheyhaveno recollection of the accident, butmove and live among their familiarfriendsandscenes,untiltheirnaturallife-termisfinished,whentheyfindthemselves born in the Devachan—a gloomy fate is theirs. Unhappyshades, if sinful and sensual, they wander about (not shells, for theirconnectionwiththeirtwohigherprinciplesisnotquitebroken)untiltheirdeathhourcomes.Cutoffinthefullflushofearthlypassionswhichbindthem to familiar scenes, they are enticed by the opportunities whichmediumsafford, to gratify themvicariously. Theyare thePisachas, theIncubiandSuccubiofmediaevaltimes;thedemonsofthirst,gluttony,lustand avarice; Elementaries of intensified craft, wickedness, and cruelty;

provokingtheirvictimstohorridcrimesandrevellingintheircommission.Theynotonlyruintheirvictims,butthesepsychicvampires,bornealongbythetorrentof theirhellish impulses,at last,at thefixedcloseof theirnatural period of life, are carried out of the earth’s aura into regionswhere for ages they endure exquisite suffering and end with entiredestruction.

But if thevictimofaccidentandviolencebeneitherverygoodnorverybad—anaverageperson—thenthismayhappentohim:amediumwho attracts him will create for him themost undesirable of things—anewcombinationofskandhasandanewandevilKarma.ButletmegiveyouaclearerideaofwhatImeanbyKarmainthiscase.In connectionwith this, letme tell you before, that since you seem sointerestedwith thesubject,youcandonothingbetter than tostudy thetwodoctrines ofKarmaandNirvana as profoundly as you can.Unlessyouare thoroughlywellacquaintedwith thetwotenets—thedoublekeytothemetaphysicsofAbhidharma—youwillalwaysfindyourselfatseaintrying to comprehend the rest. We have several sorts of Karma andNirvana in their various applications to the universe, theworld, Devas,Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, men and animals—the second including itsseven kingdoms. Karma and Nirvana are but two of the seven greatmysteriesofBuddhistmetaphysics,andbutfourofthesevenareknownatalltoWesternOrientalists,andeventhosebutimperfectly.IfyouaskalearnedBuddhistpriest,whatisKarma,hewilltellyouthatKarmaiswhata Christian might call Providence (in a certain sense only) and aMahommedanKismet, fateordestiny(again inonesense).That is thatcardinal tenet that teaches that, as soon as any conscious or sentientbeing,whetherman,Devaoranimal,dies,anewbeingisproduced,andheoritreappearsinanotherbirthonthesameoranotherplanet,underconditionsofhisor itsownantecedentmaking.Or, inotherwords, thatKarma is the guiding power, and Trishna (in Pali Tanha), the thirst ordesire to sentiently live, the proximate force or energy; the resultant ofhuman(oranimal)action—whichoutoftheoldSkandhas[I remark thatinthesecondaswellasinthefirsteditionofyourOccultWorldthesamemisprintappears,inthatthewordSkandhaisspeltShandba;[Thiswrongspelling“Shandba”of thewordSkandhaisstillpersisted in,even in thelastreprintof1921.Forforty-oneyearsthemisprintcontinues,inspiteof

theMaster’scorrection!Theon-lineversionisfine]onpage130asitnowstandsIammadetoexpressmyselfinaveryoriginalwayforasupposedAdept]producesthenewgroupthatformthenewbeingandcontrolthenature of the birth itself. Or, to make it still clearer, the new being isrewardedandpunishedforthemeritoriousactsandmisdeedsoftheoldone, Karma representing an entry book, in which all the acts of mangood,badorindifferentarecarefullyrecordedtohisdebitandcredit,byhimself, so to say, or ratherby theseveryactionsof his.There,whereChristianpoetical fictioncreatedandseesa“recording”guardianangel,stern and realistic Buddhist logic, perceiving the necessity that everycauseshouldhaveitseffect,showsitsrealpresence.TheopponentsofBuddhismhavelaidgreatstressupontheallegedinjusticethatthedoershouldescape,andaninnocentvictimbemadetosuffer,sincethedoerandthesuffereraredifferentbeings.Thefactis,thatwhileinonesensetheymay be so considered, yet in another they are identical. The “oldbeing” is the sole parent, the father and mother at once, of the “newbeing.” It is the formerwho is the creator and fashioner of the latter inreality;andfarmoresoinplaintruth,thananyfatherinflesh.Andoncethatyouhavewellmastered themeaningof theSkandhasyouwillseewhat Imean. It is the group of Skandhas that form and constitute thephysicalandmental individualitywecallman(oranybeing).Thisgroupconsists (in the exoteric teaching) of five Skandhas, namelyRupa, thematerial properties or attributes; Vedana, sensations; Sanna, abstractideas; Sankhara, tendencies both physical and mental; and Vinnana,mentalpowers,anamplificationof the fourth,meaningmental,physicaland moral predispositions.We add to them two more, the nature andnamesofwhichyoumay learnhereafter.Suffice it for thepresent to letyouknowthattheyareconnectedwith,andproductiveof,Sakkayaditthi,“theheresyordelusionofindividuality,”andofAttavada,“thedoctrineofself,”bothofwhich,inthecaseofthefifthprinciple,thesoul,leadtotheMayaofheresyandbeliefintheefficacyofvainritesandceremonies,inprayersandintercessions.[Oftheten“Fetters”onthePathtoliberation,thefirstthreeare:(1)Sakkayaditthi,thedelusionofself,(2)Vichikicheha,doubt, (3) Silabbataparamsa, belief in the efficacy of rites andcermonies.]

Now, returning to thequestionof identitybetween theoldand thenew “ego,” I may remind you once more than even your science has

accepted the old, very old, fact distinctly taught by our Lord, [see theAbhidharmaKoshaVyakhya, theSuttaPitakaoranyNorthernBuddhistbook, all of which show Gautama Buddha saying that even if theseSkandhasare thesoul,since thebody isconstantlychanging,and thatneitherman,animalnorplantiseverthesamefortwoconsecutivedaysor even minutes, “Mendicants! Remember that there is within man noabiding principle whatever, and that only the learned disciple whoacquireswisdominsaying ‘ Iam’knowswhathe issaying”]viz., thatamanofanygivenage,whilesentientlythesame,isyetphysicallynotthesame as he was a few years earlier (we say seven years and arepreparedtomaintainandproveit);Buddhisticallyspeaking,hisSkandhashavechanged;atthesametimetheyareeverandceaselesslyatworkinpreparing the abstract mould, the “privation” of the future new being.Well, then, if it is just that amanof forty shouldenjoyor suffer for theactionsofthemanoftwenty,soitisequallyjustthatthebeingofthenewbirth—whoisessentiallyidenticalwiththepreviousbeing,sinceheisitsoutcomeand creation—should feel the consequences of that begettingselforpersonality.YourWesternlawwhichpunishestheinnocentsonofa guilty father by depriving himof his parent, rights and property; yourcivilised society which brands with infamy the guiltless daughter of animmoral criminal mother; your Christian Church and Scriptures whichteach that theLordGodvisits thesinsof the fathersupon thechildrenuntothethirdandfourthgeneration;arenotallthesefarmoreunjustandcruel than anything done byKarma? Instead of punishing the innocenttogether with the culprit, the Karma avenges and rewards the former,which neither of your threeWestern Potentates abovementioned everthoughtofdoing.Butperhaps toourphysiological remark theobjectorsmayreplythatitisonlythebodythatchanges,thereisonlyamoleculartransformation which has nothing to do with the mental evolution; andthattheSkandhasrepresentnotonlyamaterialbutalsoasetofmentalandmoral qualities. But is there, I ask, either a sensation, an abstractidea, a tendency of mind, or a mental power that one could call anabsolutely non-molecular phenomenon? Can even a sensation or themostabstractofthoughts,whichissomething,comeoutofnothing,orbenothing?

Now the causes producing the “new being” and determining thenatureofKarmaare,asalreadysaid,Trishna (orTanha)—thirst,desire

for sentient existence, and Upadana, which is the realisation orconsummationofTrishnaor thatdesire.Andbothof these themediumhelps to awaken and develop ne plus ultra in an elementary, be he asuicideoravictim (alone theshellsand theelementalsare left unhurt,thoughthemoralityofthesensitivescan,bynomeans,beimprovedbythe intercourse).Therule is thatapersonwhodiesanaturaldeathwillremain from “a few hours to several short years” within the earth’sattraction,i.e.,theKamaLoka.Butexceptionsarethecasesofsuicidesandthosewhodieaviolentdeath ingeneral.Henceoneofsuchegos,forinstance,whowasdestinedtolive,sayeightyorninetyyears,butwhoeitherkilledhimselforwaskilledbysomeaccident,letussupposeattheageoftwenty,wouldhavetopassintheKamaLokanot“afewyears”butinhiscasesixtyorseventyyearsasanelementary,orratherasan“earthwalker,”sinceheisnot,unfortunatelyforhim,evenashell.Happy,thricehappy, in comparison, are those disembodied entities, who sleep theirlongslumber,andliveindream,inthebosomofspace!AndwoetothosewhoseTrishnawillattract them tomediums,andwoe to the latter,whotempt them with such an easy Upadana. For in grasping them andsatisfyingtheirthirstforlife,themediumhelpstodevelopinthem—isinfact the cause of—anew set of Skandhas, a newbodywith farworsetendenciesandpassionsthanwastheonetheylost.Allthefutureofthisnewbodywillbedetermined thus,notonlyby theKarmaofdemeritofthe previous set or group, but also by that of a new set of the futurebeing.Were themediums and Spiritualists but to know, as I said, thatwitheverynew“angelguide”theywelcomewithrapture,theyenticethelatterintoanUpadanawhichwillbeproductiveofaseriesofuntoldevilsforthenewegothatwillberebornunderitsnefariousshadow,andthatwitheveryseance,especiallyformaterialisation,theymultiplythecausesformisery—causesthatwillmaketheunfortunateegofailinhisspiritualbirth or to be reborn into a worse existence than ever—they would,perhaps,belesslavishintheirhospitality.And now youmay understandwhywe oppose so strongly Spiritualismandmediumship.Andyouwillalsoseewhy,tosatisfyMr.Humeatleastinonedirection,Igotmyself intoascrapewiththeChohan,[Seebelow]and—mirabiledictu—withboththeSahibs,“theyoungmanof thenameof “[Alluding to the “youngman of the name of Guppy,” well-known toreadersofDickens‘BleakHouse’.]—ScottandBanon.[RossScott,ofthe

BengalCivilService,whomarriedMr.Hume’sdaughter,andCaptainABanonofthe39thBengalNativeInfantry.]ToamuseyouIwillaskH.P.B.tosendyouwiththisapageofthe“Banonpapyrus,”anarticleofhisthathewindsupwithasevereliterarythrashingofmyhumbleself.Shadowsof the Asuras, in what a passion she flew upon reading this ratherdisrespectful criticism! I am sorry she does not print it, uponconsiderations of “family honour,” as the “Disinherited” [Damodar K.Mavlankar was thus nicknamed, as he renounced all his patrimony toattachhimself toH.P.Bandfollowthecallof theMasters.]expressedit.As to the Chohan, the matter is more serious; and he was far fromsatisfiedthatIshouldhaveallowedEglingtontobelieveitwasmyself.Hehad permitted this proof of the power in livingman to be given to theSpiritualiststhroughamediumoftheirs,[ThisincidentisnarratedinTheOccultWorld,“Conclusion,”]buthadlefttheprogrammeanditsdetailstoourselves:hencehisdispleasureatsometriflingconsequences.

Itellyou,mydearfriend,thatIamfarlessfreetodoasIlikethanyouare in thematter of thePioneer. [Mr.Sinnettwas the editor of thePioneer.]NoneofusbutthehighestChutuktusaretheirfullmasters.ButIdigress.Andnowthatyouhavebeentoldmuchandhavehadexplainedagooddeal,youmayaswell read this letter toour irrepressible friend,Mrs.Gordon.[MrsAliceGordon,wifeofColonelGordon,whotestifiesinTheOccultWorld to thephenomenaofH.P.B.]The reasonsgivenmaythrow some cold water on her spiritualistic zeal, though I have myreasons to doubt it; anyhow itmay showher that it is not against trueSpiritualism that we set ourselves, but only against indiscriminatemediumship and physical manifestations, materialisations and trancepossessions especially. Could the Spiritualists be only made tounderstand the differencesbetween individual andpersonal immortalityand some other truths, they would be more easily persuaded thatOccultists may be fully convinced of the monad’s immortality, and yetdeny that of the soul—the vehicle of the personal ego; that they canfirmly believe in and themselves practise spiritual communication andintercoursewithdisembodied egos of theRupaLoka, and yet laughatthe insane ideaof “shakinghands”witha spirit; and that finally, as thematterstands,itistheOccultistsandTheosophistswhoareSpiritualists,while themodernsectof thatname iscomposedsimplyofmaterialisticphenomenalists.

Andnowthatwearediscussing“individuality”and“personality,”itiscuriousthatH.P.B.,whensubjectingpoorMr.Hume’sbraintotorturewithhermuddledexplanations,neverthought,untilreceivingtheexplanationfrom himself, of the difference that exists between individuality andpersonality,thatitwastheverysamedoctrineshehadbeentaught—thatofPachcheka-yana,andAmita-yana.The two termsasabovegivenbyhimarethecorrectandliteraltranslationofthePali,Sanskrit,andevenofthe Chino-Tibetan technical names for the many personal entitiesblendedinone individuality—the longstringof livesemanatingfromthesame immortal monad. You will have to remember then (1) thepachcheka yana (in Sanskrit pratyeka) means literally the “personalvehicle”orpersonalego—acombinationofthefivelowerprinciples;while(2)theamitayana(inSanskritamrita)istranslated“theimmortalvehicle”orindividuality—thespiritualsoul,ortheimmortalmonad,acombinationofthefifth,sixthandseventhprinciples.

[FromA.P.SinnetttoH.P.BlavatskySimla,July25-1882]MyDearOldLady,IbegantotrytoanswerN.D.K’s[N.D.Khandalawala,stillamember

of theT.S., andMember of theGeneralCouncil. This letter appears inTheosophist, Nov. 1882, evidently many months after Mr. Sinnett hadreadit.] letteratonce,sothat ifK.H.reallymeantthenotetoappear inthisimmediatelynextappearingTheosophistforAugustitmightjustbeintime. But I soon got into a tangle. Of course we have received noinformation that distinctly covers the question now raised, though Isuppose we ought to be able to combine bits into an answer. Thedifficulty turnsongivingtherealexplanationofEliphasLevi’senigmainyournoteintheOctoberTheosophist.8 [Article, “Death”.SeeAppendixA.]

Ifhereferstothefateof this,atpresentexisting,raceofmankind,his statement that the intermediate majority of egos are ejected fromnature or annihilated, would be in direct conflict with K.H.’s teaching.They do not die without remembrance, if they retain remembrance inDevachanandagainrecoverremembrance(evenofpastpersonalitiesasof a book’s pages) at the period of full individual consciousness

precedingthatofabsoluteconsciousnessinPari-Nirvana.ButitoccurredtomethatE.L.mayhavebeendealingwithhumanity

asawhole,notmerelywiththefourthRoundmen.GreatnumbersoffifthRoundpersonalitiesaredestinedtoperish,Iunderstand,andthesemightbe his intermediate useless portion ofmankind.But then the individualspiritual monads, as I understand the matter, do not perish whateverhappens, and if amonad reaches the fifth Roundwith all his previouspersonalitiespreservedinthepagesofhisbookawaitingfutureperusal,hewouldnotbeejectedandannihilatedbecausesomeofhisfifthRoundpages were “unfit for publication”; so again there is a difficulty inreconcilingthetwostatements.Butagainisitconceivablethataspiritualmonad, though surviving the rejection of the third and fourth Roundpages-cannotsurvivetherejectionoffifthandsixthRoundpages—thatfailureto leadgoodlives in theseRoundsmeanstheannihilationof thewholeindividual,whowillneverthengettotheseventhRoundatall?Buton theotherhand if thatwereso, theEliphasLevi’scasewouldnotbemet by such hypothesis, for long before then the individuals who hadbecome co-workers with Nature for evil would have been themselvesannihilatedby theobscurationof theplanet between the fifth and sixthRounds, if not by the obscuration between the fourth and fifth, for toevery Round there is an obscuration we are told. There is anotherdifficultyhere,becausesomefifthRoundersbeingherealready,it isnotclearwhentheobscurationcomeson.WillitbebehindtheavantcouriersofthefifthRound,whowillnotcountascommencingthefifth,thatepochonly beginning after the existing race has totally decayed out—but thiswouldnotwork.

A.P.S.[FromA.O.HumetotheMasterK.H.]MyDearMaster,In speaking of Fragments No. III, of which you will receive proof

soon,IsaiditwasfarfromsatisfactorythoughIhaddonemybest.Itwasnecessary to advance the doctrine of theSociety another stage, so asgraduallytoopentheeyesoftheSpiritualists,soIintroducedasthemostpressingmatterthesuicide,etc.,viewgiveninyourlastlettertoS.Well,it is this that seems to me most unsatisfactory, and it will lead to a

numberofquestionsthatIshallfeelpuzzledtoreplyto.Ourfirstdoctrineisthatthemajorityofobjectivephenomenawereduetoshells,1½-and2½- principled shells, i.e., principles entirely separated from their sixthandseventhprinciples.Butasafurtherdevelopment,weadmitthattherearesomespirits,i.e.,fifthandfourthprinciplesnotwhollydisseveredfromtheir sixthandseventh,whichalsomaybepotent in theseance room.Thesearethespiritsofsuicidesandvictimsofaccidentorviolence.Herethe doctrine is that each particular wave of life must run on to itsappointedshore,andwiththeexceptionoftheverygood, thatallspiritsprematurely divorced from the three lower principles must remain onearth,until the fore-destinedhour,ofwhatwouldhavebeen thenaturaldeath,strikes.Nowthisisallverywell,butthisbeingso,itisclearthatinoppositiontoourformerdoctrine,shellswillbefewandspiritsmany.

For what difference can there be, to take the case of suicides,whetherthesebeconsciousorunconscious,whetherthemanblowshisbrainsoutoronlydrinkshimselftodeathorkillshimselfbyoverstudy?Ineachcase,equallythenormalnaturalhourofdeathisanticipatedandaspirit andnot a shell the result.Or againwhat differencedoes itmakewhetheramanishungformurder,killedinbattle,inarailwaytrainorapowder explosion, drowned or burnt to death, or knocked over bycholera,orplague,orjunglefeveroranyoftheotherthousandandoneepidemic diseases of which the seeds were not ab initio in hisconstitution, but were introduced therein in consequence of hishappening tovisitaparticular localityorundergoagivenexperience tothat which he might have avoided? Equally in all cases the nominalnormaldeathhourisanticipated,andaspiritinsteadofashelltheresult.InEngland it is calculated that not 15per cent of the population reachtheir normal death-period, and what with fevers and famines and theirsequeloeIfearthepercentageisnotmuchlargerthanhereeven,wherethe people are mostly vegetarians and, as a rule, live under lessunfavourablesanitaryconditions.

SothenthegreatbulkofallthephysicalphenomenaofSpiritualistsought apparently to be due to these spirits and not shells. I should beglad to have further information on this point. There is a second point.Veryoftenas Iunderstand, thespiritsofvery fairaveragegoodpeopledyingnaturaldeaths,remainsometimeintheearth’satmosphere,froma

fewdaystoafewyears;whycannotsuchasthesecommunicate?Andifthey can, this is a most important point that should not have beenoverlooked.Andthirdly,itisafactthatthousandsofspiritsdoappearinpurecirclesandteachthehighestmorality,andmoreovertellverycloselythe truthas to theunseenworld (witnessX.Y.Z.’s [Iomit the truenameandsubstituteX.Y.Z.See later the reference to thisSpiritualist.] books,pagesonpagesofwhichareidenticalwithwhatyouyourselfteach)andit isunreasonable to suppose that suchareeither shellsorbadspirits.Butyouhavenotgivenusanyopeningforanylargenumberofpurehighspirits; and until the whole theory is perfectly set forth, and due placemadeforthese,whichseemtomeathoroughlywell-establishedfact,youwillneverwinovertheSpiritualists.Idaresayitistheoldstory—onlypartof the truth being told to us and the rest reserved—if so it is merelycuttingtheSociety’sthroat.Bettertotelltheoutsideworldnothingthantotellthemhalftruths,theincompletenessofwhichtheydetectatonce,theresult being a contemptuous rejection of what is truth—though theycannotacceptitinthisfragmentarystate.

Yoursaffectionately,A.O.Hume.[Answer]Except in so far that he constantly uses the terms “God” and

“Christ,”whichtakenintheiresotericsensemeangoodinitsdualaspectof theabstractand theconcrete—nothingmoredogmatic—EliphasLeviisnot inanydirectconflictwithour teachings. It isagainastrawblownoutofahaystackandaccusedbythewindtobelongtoahay-rick.Mostofthosewhomyoucall“candidates”forDevachandieandarerebornintheKama-Loka,“withoutremembrance,”though(andjustbecause)theydogetsomeofitbackintheDevachan.Norcanwecallitafull,butonlya partial remembrance. You would hardly call a “remembrance,” a“dream”of yours, someparticular sceneor sceneswithin thosenarrowlimitsyouwouldfindenclosedafewpersons,thosewhomyoulovedbestwith an undying love, that holy feeling alone surviving, and not theslightestrecollectionofanyothereventsorscenes?Loveandhatredaretheonlyimmortalfeelings,theonlysurvivorsfromthewreckofte-damina[So inMS., presumably wrongly copied from the original letter.] or thephenomenalworld.

Imagineyourselfthen,inDevachanwiththoseyoumayhavelovedwithsuchimmortallove,withthefamiliarshadowyscenesconnectedwiththemforabackground,and—aperfectblankforeverythingelserelatingtoyourinteriors,social,politicalandliterarylife;andthen, inthefaceofthatspiritualpurelycogitativeexistence,ofthatunalloyedfelicitywhich,inproportiontotheintensityofthefeelingthatcreatedit,lastsfromafewtoseveral thousand years, call it the “personal remembrance of A.P.Sinnett,” if you can. Dreadfully monotonous, youmay think; not in theleastIanswer.Haveyouexperiencedmonotonyduring,say,thatmomentwhichyouconsideredthenandnowsoconsiderit,asthemomentofthehighest bliss you have ever felt?Of course not;well, nomorewill youexperienceitthere,inthatpassagethroughtheEternityinwhichamillionof years is no longer than a second. There, where there is noconsciousnessofanexternalworld,therecanbenodiscernmenttomarkdifferences; hence, no perception of contrasts, ofmonotony or variety;nothing, in short, outside the immortal feeling, of love and sympatheticattraction whose seeds are planted in the fifth, whose plants blossomluxuriantly inandaround the fourth,butwhose rootshave topenetratedeepintothesixthprincipleifitwouldsurvivethelowergroups.(AndnowIproposetokill twobirdswithonestone—toansweryourletterandMr.Hume’squestionsatthesametime.)

Remember, both, thatwe create ourselves our Devachan, as ourAvitchi,while yet on earth, andmostly during the latter days and evenmomentsofourintellectualsentientlives.Thatfeelingwhichisstrongestinusatthatsupremehour,when,asinadream,theeventsofalonglifeto their minutest details, aremarshalled in the greatest order in a fewseconds inourvision(thatvision takesplacewhenaperson isalreadyproclaimed dead; the brain is the last organ that dies), that feelingwillbecomethefashionerofourblissorwoe, the lifeprincipleofour futureexistence.Inthelatterwehavenosubstantialbeing,butonlyapresentandmomentaryexistence,whosedurationhasnobearingupon,hasnoeffectnorrelationto,itsbeing,whichaseveryothereffectoratransitorycausewillbeasfleeting,andinitsturnwillvanishandceasetobe.Thereal full remembranceofour liveswillcomebutat theendof theminorcycle,notbefore.InKamaLokathosewhoretaintheirremembrancewillnot enjoy it at the supremehour of recollection, and these twoare theexceptions to thegeneral rule. Thosewho know they are dead in their

physicalbodycanonlybeeitherAdeptsorsorcerers.Bothhavingbeen“co-workers with nature,” the former for good, the latter for evil, in herworkofcreationandthatofdestruction,theyaretheonlyoneswhomaybecalled immortal—in theKabalisticand theesotericsense,ofcourse.Complete or true immortality, which means an unlimited sentientexistence, can have no breaks or stoppages, no arrest of self-consciousness.Andeventheshellsofthosegoodmenwhosepageswillnotbe foundmissing in thegreatBookofLivesat the thresholdof thegreat Nirvana, even they will regain their remembrance of self-consciousness only after the sixth and seventh principles, with theessenceofthefifth(thelatterhavingtofurnishthematerialforeventhatpartial recollection of personality which is necessary for the object inDevachan),havegoneto theirgestationperiod,notbefore.Even in thecaseofsuicidesandthosewhohaveperishedbyviolentdeath,evenintheir case consciousness requires a certain time to establish its newcentre of gravity and evolve, as Sir W. Hamilton would have it, its“perceptionproper,”henceforthtoremaindistinctfrom“sensationproper”.Thus, whenman dies, his “soul” (fifth principle) becomes unconsciousandlosesallremembranceofthingsinternalaswellasexternal.

Whether his stay in Kama Loka has to last but a few moments,hours, days, weeks,months, or years; whether he died a natural or aviolentdeath;whetheritoccurredinhisyouthoroldage;andwhethertheego was good, bad, or indifferent; his consciousness leaves him assuddenly as the flame leaves thewickwhen blown out.When life hasretired from the lastparticle in thebrainmatter, hisperceptive facultiesbecomeextinctforever,hisspiritualpowersofcogitationandvolition(allthosefaculties, inshort,whichareneitherinherent in,noracquirablebyorganicmatter)forthetimebeing.[SoinMS.Butsurelysomewordlike“suspended” omitted!] His Mayavirupa may be often thrown intoobjectivity, as in the cases of apparitions after death; but, unless it isprojectedwiththeknowledgeof(whetherlatentorpotential)or,owingtointensityofthedesiretoseeorappeartosomeone,shootingthroughthedyingbrain,theapparitionwillbesimplyautomatical;itwillnotbeduetoanysympatheticattraction,ortoanyactofvolition,andnomorethanthereflectionofapersonpassingunconsciouslynearamirror isduetothedesire of the latter.[The meaning is clear, though some words seemsomewhereomittedinMS.]

Havingthusexplainedtheposition,Iwillsumupandaskyouagainwhy it should be maintained that what is given by Eliphas Levi andexpoundedbyH.P.B., is “indirectconflict”withmy teaching?E.L. isanoccultistandKabalist,andwriting for thosewhoaresupposed toknowthe rudimentsof theKabalistic tenets,uses thepeculiarphraseologyofhisdoctrine,andH.P.B.,followssuit.Theonlyomissionshewasguiltyofwasnottoaddtheword“Western”betweenthelasttwowords,“Occult”and“Doctrine”.(See3rdlineofEditor’sNote.)(SeeAppendixA]Sheisafanatic inherwayand isunable towritewithanything likesystemandcalmness to remember that the general public needs all the lucidexplanationsthat,toher,mayseemsuperfluous.And,asyouaresuretoremark,“butthisisalsoourcaseandyoutooseemtoforgetit”,Iwillgiveyou a few more explanations. As remarked on the margin of TheTheosophist forOctober, theword immortality has for the Initiates andoccultistsquiteadifferentmeaning.

We call “immortal” but the one Life in its universal collectivity andentireorabsoluteabstraction—thatwhichhasneitherbeginningnorend,nor any break in its continuity. Does the term apply to anything else?Certainly it does not. Therefore the earliest Chaldeans had severalprefixes to theword immortality,oneofwhich is theGreek, rarely-usedterm panoeonic immortality, i.e., beginning with the Manvantara andendingwiththePralayaofourSolaruniverse.Itlaststheaeon(αιωυ),or“period” of all our Pan, or all “nature”. Immortal then is he, in thepanaeonic immortality, whose distinct consciousness and perception ofself,underwhateverform,undergoesnodisjunctionatanytime,not foronesecond,duringtheperiodofhisego-ship.Theseperiodsareseveralin number, each having its distinct name in the secret doctrines of theChaldeans,Greeks,EgyptiansandAryans,andweretheybutamenableto translation—which theyarenot,at leastso longas the idea involvedremains inconceivable to theWesternmind—I could give them to you.Sufficeforyouforthepresenttoknow,thataman,anegolikeyoursormine,maybeimmortalfromonetotheotherRound.LetussayIbeginmy immortality at the present fourth Round, i.e., having become a fullAdept(whichunfortunatelyIamnot)[TheMasterK.H.hadbeenforlonga“fullAdept,”butnot“D.K.”whoIthinkwritesthispartoftheletter.Itwassoon after this, I believe next year, that “D.K.” passed on to his FifthInitiationofAsekhaandbecamea“fullAdept”.]Iarrestthehandofdeath

at will, and when finally obliged to submit to it, my knowledge of thesecretsofnatureputsme inaposition to retainmyconsciousnessanddistinct perception of self as an object to my own reflectiveconsciousness and cognition; and thus avoiding all suchdismembermentsofprinciples,thatasaruletakeplaceafterthedeathofaverage humanity, I remain as K.H. in my ego, throughout the wholeseriesofbirthsandlivesacrossthesevenworldsandArupaLokas,untilfinallyIlandagainonthisearthamongthefifthracemenofthefullfifthRoundbeings.Iwouldhavebeeninsuchacase“immortal”foraperiodto you inconceivably long, embracingmanymilliardsof years.And yet,amI truly immortal forall that?Unless Imake thesameeffortsas Idonowtosecureformyselfanothersuchfurloughfromnature’slaws,K.H.willvanish,andmaybecomeaMr.SmithoraninnocentBabu,whenhisleave expires. There are men among us who may become immortalduringtheremainderoftheRounds,andthentaketheirappointedplaceamong the highest Chohans, the Planetary conscious “ego-spirits”. Ofcourse,themonad“neverperisheswhateverhappens,”butEliphasLevispeaksofthepersonal,notofthespiritualego.

You misconceived the teaching, because you were not aware ofwhatyouarenowtold:(a)whoarethetrueco-workerswithnature,and(b) that it isbynomeansall theevil “co-workerswithnature”whodropinto the Eighth Sphere and are annihilated (annihilated suddenly ashuman egos, personalities lasting in that world of pure matter, undervariousmaterialforms,foraninconceivabletimebeforetheyarereturnedtoprimevalmatter).Thepotencyforevilisasgreatinman,ayegreater,than the potentiality for good. An exception to the rule of nature thatexception,whichinthecaseofAdeptsandsorcerersbecomesinitsturna rule, has again its own exceptions. Read carefully the passage thatC.C.M. [C.C.Massey,President of theLondonLodgeT.S.. oneof theoriginalfoundersoftheT.S.in1875.]leftunquotedonpp.352-3,Isis,Vol.I,paragraph3.Againsheomitstostatedistinctlythatthecasementionedrelates only to those powerful sorcerers, whose co-partnership withnature forevilaffords to them themeansof forcingherhand,and thusaccordsthempanaeonicimmortality.Butoh,whatkindofimmortality,andhowpreferableisannihilationtosuchlives!Don’tyouseethateverythingyou find in Isis is delineated, hardly sketched, nothing completed orrevealed?Well,thetimehascome,butwherearetheworkersforsucha

tremendoustask?SaysMr. Hume (see affixed letter,marked passages).... And now

whenyouhavereadtheobjectionsto thatmostunsatisfactorydoctrine,asMr.Humecallsit,—adoctrinewhichyouhavetolearnfirstasawhole,before proceeding to study it in parts—at the risk of satisfying you nobetterIwillproceedtoexplainthelatter.

Although not wholly dissevered from their sixth and seventhprinciplesandquitepotent in theséance-room,nevertheless to thedaywhentheywouldhavediedanaturaldeath,theyareseparatedfromthehigher principles by a gulf. The sixth and seventh remain passive andnegative,whereas,incasesofaccidentaldeath,thehigherandthelowergroupsactuallyattracteachother. Incasesofgoodand innocentegos,moreover, the latter gravitate irresistibly towards the sixth and seventh,and thus either slumber surrounded by happy dreams, or sleep adreamlessprofoundsleepuntilthehourstrikes.Withalittlereflectionandaneyetotheeternaljusticeandfitnessofthings,youwillseewhy.Thevictim, whether good or bad, is irresponsible for his death; even if hisdeathwereduetosomeactioninapreviouslife,wasanact,inshort,ofthelawofRetribution,stillitwasnotthedirectresultofanactdeliberatelycommittedbythepersonalegoof that lifeduringwhichhehappenedtobekilled.Hadhebeenallowedtolivelongerhemighthaveatonedforhisprevioussinsstillmoreeffectually;andevennow theego,havingbeenmadetopayoffthedebtofhismaker(thepreviousego),isfreefromtheblowsofretributivejustice.TheDyanChohans,whohavenohandintheguidanceof the livinghumanego,protect thehelplessvictimwhen it isviolentlythrustoutofitselementintoanewone,beforeitismaturedandmadefitandreadyforit.Wetellyouwhatweknow,forwearemadetolearn it throughpersonalexperience.Youknowwhat Imean,and Icansaynomore.Yes,thevictims,whethergoodorbad,sleeptoawakebutatthehourofthelastjudgement,whichisthathourofsupremestrugglebetween the sixth and the seventh and the fourth and the fifth at thethresholdofthegestationstate.Andevenafterthat,whenthesixthandseventh, carryingoff aportionof the fifth,havegone into theirAkashicSamadhi,even then itmayhappen that thespiritual spoil from the fifthmayprovetooweaktobereborninDevachan,inwhichcaseitwillthereand then re-clothe itself in a new body, the subjective “being” created

fromtheKarmaofthevictim(ornovictimasthecasemaybe),andenteruponanewearth-existence,whetheruponthisoranyotherplanet.Innocase then, with the exception of suicides and shells, is there anypossibilityforanyothertobeattractedtoaséance-room.Anditis“clear”that this teaching is not “in opposition to our former doctrine,” and thatwhileshellswillbemany,spiritsveryfew.

2.Thereisagreatdifferenceinourhumbleopinion.We,wholookatit from a standpoint which would prove very unacceptable to a LifeInsuranceCompany,saythatthereareveryfew,ifany,ofthemenwhoindulgeintheaboveenumeratedviceswhofeelperfectlysurethatsuchacourseofactionwill leadthemeventuallytoprematuredeath.SuchisthepenaltyofMaya.Theviceswillnotescapetheirpunishment,butitisthecause,nottheeffect,thatwillbepunished,especiallyanunforeseenthoughprobableeffect.Aswellcallasuicideamanwhomeetshisdeathin a storm at sea, as one who kills himself with “overstudy”. Water isliabletodrownaman,andtoomuchbrainworktoproduceasofteningofthe brain whichmay carry him away. In such a case no one ought tocross theKalapani [“Blackwater”—a Hindu designation for the ocean.]norevertotakeabathforfearofgettingfaintinitanddrowned(forweallknowofsuchcases),norshouldamandohisduty,leastofallsacrificehimself forevena laudableandhighlybeneficentcauseasmanyofus(H.P.B.forone)do.WouldMr.Humecallherasuicidewereshetodropdown dead over her present work? Motive is everything, and man ispunishedinacaseofdirectresponsibility,neverotherwise.Inthevictim’scase,thenaturalhourofdeathwasanticipatedaccidentally,whileinthatof the suicide, death is brought on voluntarily, and with a full anddeliberateknowledgeof its immediateconsequences.Thusamanwhocauseshisdeathinafitoftemporaryinsanityisnotafelo-de-se, to thegreatgriefandoftentroubleoftheLifeInsuranceCompanies.NorisheleftapreytothetemptationsoftheKamaLoka,butfallsasleeplikeanyothervictim.AGuiteau[GuiteauonJuly2,1881,shotPresidentGarfieldofU.S.A.GarfielddiedinSeptemberfromtheinjuriesreceived.]willnotremain in the earth’s atmosphere with his higher principles over him,inactiveandparalysedbutstillthere.Guiteauisgoneintoastateduringthe period ofwhich hewill be ever firing at his President, and therebytossing intoconfusionandshuffling thedestiniesofmillionsofpersons,wherehewillbeevertriedandeverhung,bathinginthereflectionofhis

deedsandthoughts,especially thosehe indulged inonthescaffold.Asforthosewhowere“knockedoverbycholeraorplagueorjunglefever,”they could not have succumbed had they not had the germs for thedevelopmentofsuchdiseasesinthemfrombirth.“Sothenthegreatbulkofall thephysicalphenomenaofSpiritualists,”mydearbrother,arenot“duetothesespirits”,butindeedto“shells”.

3.“Thespiritsofveryfairaveragegoodpeopledyingnaturaldeaths,remainsome time in theearth’satmosphere, froma fewdays toa fewyears,”theperioddependingupontheirreadinesstomeettheircreature,nottheirCreator,averyabstrusesubjectyouwilllearnlateronwhenyoutooaremoreprepared.Butwhyshould they “communicate”?Do thoseyou love communicate with you objectively during their sleep? Yourspirits, in hours of danger, or intense sympathy, vibrating on the samecurrent of thought, which in such cases creates a kind of telegraphicspiritualwiresbetweenyourtwobodies,maymeetandmutuallyimpressyourmemories; but then you are living not dead bodies. But how cansuchanunconsciousfifthprincipleimpressorcommunicatewithalivingorganism unless it has already become a shell? If for certain reasonstheyremaininsuchastateoflethargyforseveralyears,thespiritsoftheliving may ascend to them, as you were already told; and thencommunicationmay takeplacestilleasier than inDevachan,where thespiritistoomuchengrossedinhispersonalblisstopaymuchattentiontoanintrudingelement.Isaytheycannot.

4. Iamsorry tocontradict yourstatement. I knowof thousandsofspiritswho“doappear” incircles,and“teachthehighestmorality,”but Idonotknowofoneperfectlypurecircle;IhopeImaynotbeclassedwithslanderers,inadditiontoothernameslatelybestoweduponme,buttruthcompelsmetodeclarethatX.Y.Z.wasnotquiteimmaculateduringhislifetime,norhashebecomeaverypurespiritsince.As to teaching the“highest morality,” we have Dugpa Shaman not far from where I amresiding, quite a remarkableman, not very powerful as a sorcerer butexcessivelysoasadrunkard,athief,aliar—andanorator.InthislatterrolehecouldgivepointstoandbeatMessrs.Gladstone,Bradlaugh,andeven theRev.H.WardBeecher, thanwhom there isnomoreeloquentpreacherofmoralityandnogreaterbreakerofhisLord’scommandmentsintheUSA.ThisShapatungLama,whenthirsty,canmakeanenormous

audienceof“yellowcap”laymenweepalltheiryearlysupplyoftearswiththenarrativeofhisrepentanceandsufferinginthemorning,andthengetdrunkintheeveningandrobthewholevillagebymesmerisingthemintoadeadsleep.Preachingand teachingmoralitywithanend in theviewproves very little. Read J.P.T’s article in Light and what I say will becorroborated.

(To A.P.S.) The obscuration comes on only when the lastman ofwhateverRoundhaspassedintothesphereofeffects.Natureistoowell,toomathematically,adjustedtocausemistakestohappenintheexerciseof its functions. The obscuration of the planet on which we are nowevolving the racesof the fifthRoundman,will of coursebebehind thefewavantcourierswhoarenowhere.Butbeforethattimecomes,wewillhavetoparttomeetnomore,astheeditorofthePioneerandhishumblecorrespondent.

AndnowhavingshownthattheOctobernumberofTheTheosophistwas not utterlywrong, nor was it at variance with the “later teaching,”mayK.H.setyou“toreconcilethetwo”?ToreconcileyoustillmorewithEliphas, I will send you a number of his manuscripts that have neverbeen published, in a large, clear, beautiful hand writing, with mycomments all through. Nothing better than that can give you a key toKabalistic puzzles. [All these were duly published in Theosophist as“UnpublishedWritingsofEliphasLevi”.Oneofthem,“TheParadoxesofthe Highest Science,” has lately been reprinted by the TheosophicalPublishingHouse,Adyar,Madras.]

IhavetowritetoMr.Humethisweek,togivehimconsolation,andto show that unless hehasa strongdesire to live heneednot troublehimselfaboutDevachan.Unlessaman loveswellorhateswell,hewillbeneither inDevachannorAvitchi. “Naturespues the lukewarmoutofhermouth,”meansonlythatsheannihilatestheirpersonalegos(nottheshells,noryet thesixthprinciple) in theKamaLokaand theDevachan.Thisdoesnotprevent them frombeing immediately reborn,and if theirliveswerenotvery,verybad,thereisnoreasonwhytheeternalmonadshouldnotfindthepageofthatlifeintactintheBookofLife.Question— You say, “Remember that we create ourselves ourDevachan,asourAvitchi,whileyetonearth,andmostlyduringthelatterdaysandevenmomentsofour intellectualsentient lives.” It isawidely

spreadbeliefamongalltheHindusthataperson’sfuturepre-natalstateand birth are moulded by the last desire he may have at the time ofdeath.Butthis lastdesire, theysay,necessarilyhingesontotheshapewhich thepersonmayhavegiven tohis desires, passions, etc., duringhispastlife.Itisforthisveryreason,viz.,thatourlastdesiremaynotbeunfavourable toour futureprogress, thatwehave towatchouractionsand control our passions and desires throughout our whole earthlycareer.Butdo the thoughtsonwhich themindmaybeengagedat thelastmomentnecessarilyhingeontothepredominantcharacterofitspastlife?Otherwiseitwouldseemasifthecharacterofaperson’sDevachanorAvitchimight be capriciously andunjustly determinedby the chancewhichbroughtsomespecialthoughtuppermostatlast.Answer—It cannot be otherwise. The experience of dying men (bydrowningandotheraccidents)broughtbacktolifehascorroboratedourdoctrine in almost every case. Such thoughts are involuntary, and wehavenomorecontroloverthemthanweshouldhaveovertheretinaoftheeye toprevent itperceiving thatcolourwhichaffects itmost.At thelastmomentthewholelifeisreflectedinourmemoryandemergesfromalltheforgottennooksandcorners,pictureafterpicture,oneeventafterthe other. The dying brain dislodges memory with a strong supremeimpulse,andmemoryrestores faithfullyevery impression thathasbeenentrusted to it during the period of the brain’s activity. That impressionand thoughtwhichwas the strongest naturally becomes themost vividand survives, so to say, all the rest, which now vanish and disappearforever, to reappear but in Devachan. No man dies insane orunconscious,assomephysiologistsassert.Evenamadmanoroneinafit of delirium tremens will have his instant of perfect lucidity at themoment of death, though unable to say so to those present. Themanmayoftenappeardead;yetfromthelastpulsation,fromandbetweenthelastthrobbingofhisheart,andthemomentwhenthelastsparkofanimalheatleavesthebody,thebrainthinks,andtheegolivesinthesefewbriefsecondshiswholelifeoveragain.Speakinwhispers,yewhoassistatadeathbed, and find yourselves in the solemn presence of Death.Especially have ye to keep quiet just after Death has laid his clammyhandupon thebody.Speak inwhispers, I say, lest yedisturb thequietripple of thought, and hinder the busy work of the Past casting itsreflectionupontheveiloftheFuture.

Question—“Therealfullremembranceofourliveswillcomebutattheendoftheminorcycle.”Doesthe“minorcycle”heremeanoneRound,orthewholeManvantaraofourplanetarychain?Thatis,dowerememberourpast lives in theDevachanofworldZat theendofeachRound,oronlyattheendoftheseventhRound?Answer—Yes; the full remembranceofourcollective liveswill returnatthe end of all the seven Rounds, at the threshold of the long, longNirvana that awaits us after we leave globe Z. At the end of isolatedRounds,we remember but the sum-total of our last impressions, thosewe had selected, or rather those that had forced themselves upon us,andfollowedusinDevachan.Thoseareall“probationary”liveswithlarge“indulgences”andnew trialsaffordeduswitheverynew life.Butat thecloseof theminor cycle, after the completionof all the sevenRounds,there awaits us no other mercy but the cup of good deeds of meritoutweighing that of evil deeds and demerit in the scales of RetributiveJustice.Bad,irretrievablybad,mustbethategothatyieldsnomitefromits fifth principle, andhas to be annihilated, to disappear in the EighthSphere.Amite,asIsay,collectedfromthepersonalegosufficestosavehimfromthisdrearyfate.Notsoafterthecompletionofthegreatcycle;either a long Nirvana of bliss (unconscious though it be in his andaccordingtoyourcrudeconceptions),afterwhichlifeasaDhyanChohanfor a wholeManvantara; or elseAvitchi-Nirvana, and a Manvantara ofhorror and misery as a.............. you must not hear the word, nor Ipronounceorwriteit.But“those”havenaughttodowiththemortalsthatpass through the seven spheres. The collective Karma of a futurePlanetary is as lovely as the collective Karma of a............ is terrible!Enough!Ihavesaidtoomuchalready.Question— And you say, “ And even the shells of those good menwhosepageswillnotbefoundmissinginthegreatbookoflives...eventheywill regain their remembranceof self consciousnessonly after thesixth and seventh principleswith the essenceof the fifth have gone totheirgestationperiod.”Answer—Verily so; until the struggle between the higher and middleduadbegins(withtheexceptionofsuicides,whoarenotdead,buthaveonlykilled theirphysical triad,andwhoseelementalparasites thereforeare not naturally separated from the ego, as in real death) until that

struggle,Isay,hasnotbegunandended,noshellcanrealiseitsposition.When thesixthandseventhprinciplesaregone,carryingoffwith themthe finer spiritual portions of that which was once the personalconsciousnessof the fifth, thenonlydoes theshellgraduallydevelopakindofhazyconsciousnessofitsownfromwhatremainsintheshadowof personality. No contradiction here, my dear friend, only haziness inyourownperception(aphysicalbrain,oncedead,ofcoursecannotretainitsperceptivefaculties).Question— A little later on: “ Whether the ego was good, bad, orindifferent, his consciousness leaves him as suddenly as the flameleavesthewick...hisperceptivefacultiesbecomeextinctforever.”Well,canaphysicalbrainoncedeadretainitsperceptivefaculties?Thatwhichwillperceiveintheshell issomethingthatperceiveswithaborrowedorreflected light (see note) Thenwhat is the nature of the remembranceand self consciousness of the shell? This touches on a matter I haveoften thought about—wishing for further explanation—the extent ofpersonalidentityinelementaries.Answer—All thatwhich pertains to thematerio-psychological attributesandsensationsof thefive lowerskandhas,all thatwhichwillbe thrownoffasrefusebythenewly-bornegointheDevachan,asunworthyofandnot sufficiently related to thepurely spiritual perceptions, emotions andfeelingsofthesixth,strengthenedand,sotosay,cementedbyaportionof the fifth, (that portion which is necessary in the Devachan for theretention of a divine spiritualised notion of the “I” in themonad, whichwouldotherwisehavenoconsciousnessinrelationtosubjectandobjectat all)—all this “becomes extinct for ever,” namely at the moment ofphysicaldeath, to returnoncemore,marshallingbefore theeyesof thenew ego at the threshold ofDevachan, and to be rejected by it. It willreturn for the third time fully at the end of the minor cycle, after thecompletion of the seven Rounds, when the sum-total of collectiveexistences isweighed,merit inonecupanddemerit in theothercupofthescales.Butinthatindividual,intheego—good,badorindifferent—intheisolatedpersonality,“consciousnessleavesassuddenlyastheflameleaves thewick.” Blow out your candle, good friend; the flame has leftthat candle “for ever,” but are the particles that moved, their motionproducing the objective flame, annihilated or dispersed for all that?

Never,Relight the candle, and the same particles, drawn by a mutualaffinity,willreturntothewick.Placealongrowofcandlesonyourtable.Lightoneandblowitout;thenlighttheotheranddothesame,thenthethirdandfourth,andsoon.Thesamematter,thesamegaseousparticles—representing inour case theKarmaof thepersonality—will becalledforth by the conditions given them by your match to produce a newluminosity; but can we say that candle No 1 has not had its flameextinguishedforever?Noteveninthecaseofthe“failuresofnature,”oftheimmediatereincarnationofchildrenandcongenitalidiotsandsoforth,canwecall themthe identicalex-personalities, though thewholeof thesame life-principle and identically the same Manas, (fifth principle) re-enters a new body, and may truly be called a “reincarnation of thepersonality”; whereas in the rebirths of the ego from Devachan andAvitchiintoKarmiclife,itisonlythespiritualattributesofthemonadanditsBuddhithatarereborn.Allwecansayofthereincarnated“failures”isthat theyare thereincarnatedManas, the fifthprinciple,ofMr.SmithorMissGrey;butnotcertainlythatthesearethereincarnationsofMr.SorMiss. G. “But what is then the nature of the remembrance and selfconsciousnessof the shell?” youask.As I said in your note, nobetterthana reflectedor borrowed light.Memory is one thingandperceptivefaculties quite another. A madman may remember very clearly someportionsofhispast life;yethe isunable toperceiveanything in its truelight,forthehigherportionofhisManasandhisBuddhiareparalysedinhim,havelefthim.Couldananimal,adogforinstance,speak,hewouldprovetoyouthathismemoryindirectrelationtohiscaninepersonalityisasfreshasyours;neverthelesshismemoryandinstinctcannotbecalled“perceptive faculties”. A dog remembers that his master thrashed himwhen the latter gets hold of a stick; at all other times he has noremembrance of it. Thus a shell; once in the aura of amedium, all heperceives through theborrowedorgansof themedium,andof those inmagneticsympathywith the latter,hewill perceiveveryclearly;butnotfurther than what the shell can find in the perceptive faculties andmemories of circle and medium; hence often the rational and highlyintelligentanswers;hencealsoacompleteoblivionofthingsknowntoallbut that medium and circle. The shell of a highly intelligent but utterlyunspiritualmanwhodiedanaturaldeathwilllastlonger,andtheshadowofhisownmemoryhelping(thatshadowwhichistherefuseofthesixth

principle left in the fifth), he may deliver discourses through trance-speakers,and repeatparrot-like thatwhichheknewand thoughtmuchoverinhislifetime.

But findone single instance in the annals of Spiritualismwhere areturningshellofaFaraday,oraBrewster(weretheytofallintothetrapof amediumistic attraction) said onewordmore that it knew during itslifetime. Where is that scientific shell that ever gave evidence of thatwhich is claimed on behalf of disembodied spirits; namely, that a freesoul, the spirit disembodied from its body’s fetters, perceives and seesthatwhichisconcealedfromlivingmortaleyes?Letthe“spirit”ofZollner,nowthatheisinthefourthdimensionofspaceandhasalreadyputinanappearance with several mediums, tell the last word of his discovery,complete his astrophysical philosophy. No; Zollner when lecturingthrough an intelligent medium surrounded with persons who read hisworksandareinterestedinthem,willrepeatinvarioustonesthatwhichisknown toothers (noteven thatwhichhealoneknew,mostprobably)thecredulous ignorantpublic confounding thepost hocwith theproperhoc, and firmlyconvincedof thespirit’s identity. Indeed, itwill beworthyour while to stimulate investigation in this direction. Yes; personalconsciousnessdoes leaveeveryoneatdeath;andwhenever thecentreofmemoryisestablishedintheshell, itwillrememberandspeakoutitsrecollectionsthroughthebrainofsomelivinghumanbeing.Question—Isashellconsciousoflosinganythingthatfeelslikelifeasitgraduallydisintegrates?Answer—No,itisnotconsciousofthislossofcohesion.Besidessuchafeelinginashellbeingquiteuselessfornature’spurposes,itcouldhardlyrealize something which could never be dreamt by a medium or itsaffinities. It is dimly conscious of its own physical death—after aprolongedperiodof time, though—that isall.Thefewexceptionstothisrule—cases of half-successful sorcerers, of very wicked personspassionately attached to self—offer a real danger to the living. Theseverymaterialshells,whose lastdyingthoughtwasself,self,selfandtolive! to live!,willoften feel it instinctively.Sodosomesuicides—thoughnot all. What happens then is terrible, for it becomes a case of postmortem lycanthropy.Theshellwillclingso tenaciously to itssemblanceof life that it will seek refuge in a new organism—any beast, a dog, a

hyaena,abird—whennohumanorganismiscloseathand,rather thansubmittoannihilation.Question—What is the explanation of “Ernest” andEglinton’s [WilliamEglintgon, a spiritualisticmedium of great probity, to whom theMasterK.H.appearedonboardS.S.Vega.SeeOccultWorld,“Conclusion”,andalsop.75.“Ernest”wasoneofEglinton’sspirit“guides,”whoofferedtoC.W.LeadbeatertotakealettertotheMasterK.H.,andfailed(seeLettersfrom The Masters of Wisdom, Letter VII, note 10).]other guides? Aretheyelementariesdrawingtheirconsciousvitalityfromhim,orelementalsmasquerading? When “Ernest” took that sheet of Pioneer note paper,how did he contrive to get it without mediumship at this end? [InTheosophist,January1882,appearsaletterfromJ.G.Meugens,thehostofEglinton, that “Ernest has stated that hewill try and takea sheet ofpaper,privatelymarkedbymefor identification, tomyfriend inLondon,andbringitbacktomewithamessageinmyfriend’shandwriting.Ifthisis successfully done I will inform you of it”. No further correspondenceappearsinTheosophiststatingthatErnesthaddonewhathepromised.Possibly “that sheet of Pioneer notepaper” in the question refers to asimilarphenomenonwhereErnestwassuccessful.]Answer—I can assure you it is not worth your while to study the truenatures of the “Ernests” and “Joeys” [Another “guide” of Eglinton wasJoey.] and other “guides” as unless you become acquainted with theevolutionof thecorruptionsofelementaldross,and thoseof thesevenprinciples inman, youwouldever find yourself at a loss tounderstandwhattheyreallyare.Therearenowrittenstatutesforthem,andtheycanhardlybeexpected topay their friendsandadmirers thecomplimentoftruth,silenceor forbearing. Ifyouarerelated to themassomesoullessphysicalmediums are, you shallmeet. If not, better leave them alone.Theygravitatebut to their likes—themediums;and their relation is notmade but forced by foolish and sinful phenomena-mongers. They areboth elementaries and elementals—at best a low, mischievous,degradingjungle.Question—Yousay,itmayhappen“thatthespiritualspoilfromthefifthwillprovetooweaktobereborninDevachan,inwhichcaseit(sixth)willthereandthenreclotheitselfinanewbody,andenteruponanewearthexistence,whetheruponthisoranyotherplanet”.

Answer—The “it” relates to the sixth and seventh principles not to thefifth, for themanaswillhavetoremainashell ineachcase,only in theonehandithasnotimetovisitmediums,foritbeginssinkingdowntotheEighthSpherealmost immediately.“Thenandthere” intheeternitymaybeamightylongperiod;itmeansonlythatthemonad,havingnoKarmicbodytoguideitsrebirth,fallsintonon-beingforacertainperiod,andthenreincarnates—certainlynotearlierthanoneortwothousandyears.No,itisnotan“exceptionalcase”;saveafewexceptionalcasesinthecasesofthe initiated, such as our Teshu Lamas, the Bodhisattvas, and a fewothers,nomonadevergotreincarnatedbeforeitsappointedcycle.

SectionIII

RacesandSub-Races

Question— There is a very interesting allusion in your last, whenspeakingofHumeyouspeakofcertaincharacteristicshebroughtbackwithhimfromhislastincarnation.Answer—All of us, we bring some characteristics from our previousincarnations.Itisunavoidable.Question—Have you the power of looking back to the former lives ofpersonsnowliving,andidentifyingthem?Answer—Unfortunatelysomeofushave.Iforonedonotliketoexerciseit.Question— In thatcasewould itbe improper,personalcuriosity toaskforanyparticularsofmyown?Answer—”Man know thyself,” saith the Delphinian oracle. There isnothing“improper”certainly insuchacuriosity.Onlywould itnotbestillmore proper to study our own present personality before attempting tolearn anything of its creator-predecessor and fashioner—the man thatwas?Well,somedayImaytreatyoutoalittlestory—notimenow—onlyI promise no details; a simple sketch and a hint or two to test yourintuitionalpowers.Question— Is thereanywayofaccounting forwhatseemsthecuriousrushofhumanprogresswithinthelasttwothousandyears,ascomparedwith the relatively stagnant conditionof theFourthRoundpeopleup tothebeginningofmodernprogress?Answer—The latter end of a very important cycle. Each Round, eachring,asevery race,has itsgreatand itssmallercyclesoneveryplanetthatmankind passes through.Our FourthRound humanity has its onegreatcycleandsohaveherracesandsub-races.The“curiousrush” isdue to the double effect of the former—the beginning of its downwardcourse—andofthelatter(thesmallcycleofoursub-race)runningontoits apex. Remember you belong to the Fifth Race. Yet you are but a

Westernsub-race.Notwithstandingyourefforts,whatyoucallcivilisationis confined only to the latter and its offshoots in America. Radiatingaround, its deceptive light may seem to throw its rays on a greaterdistancethanitdoesinreality.Thereisno“rush”inChina,andofJapanyoumakebutacaricature.

A student of Occultism ought not to speak of the “stagnantcondition” of the Fourth Round people, since history knows next tonothing of that condition “up to the beginning of modern progress” ofother nations but the Western. What do you know of America, forinstance,beforetheinvasionofthatcountrybytheSpaniards?Lessthantwocenturiesprior to thearrival ofCortez, therewasasgreata “rush”toward progress among the sub-races of Peru andMexico as there isnow in Europe and the U.S.A. Their sub-races ended in nearly totalannihilationthroughcausesgeneratedbyitself;sowillyoursattheendofits cycle. We may speak only of the stagnant conditions into which,following the law of development, growth, maturity and decline, everyrace and sub-race falls during its transition periods. It is the lattercondition your Universal History is acquainted with, while it remainssuperbly ignorant of the condition even in India was in, some tencenturiesback.Yoursub-racesarenowrunningtowardstheapexoftheirrespectivecycles,andthathistorygoesnofurtherbackthantheperiodsof decline of a few other sub-races belonging most of them to thepreceding Fourth Race. And what is the area and the period of timeembraced by itsuniversal eye?At the utmost stretch, a fewmiserabledozensofcenturies—amightyhorizonindeed.Beyondallisdarknessforit,nothingbuthypothesis.Question—Orhastherebeenanyformerperiodduringthehabitationofthe earth by Fourth Round men, civilisations as great as our own inregardtointellectualdevelopmentthathaveutterlypassedaway?Answer—No doubt there was. Egyptian and Aryan records andespecially ourZodiacal tables furnishuswith every proof of it, besidesour inner knowledge. Civilisation is an inheritance and patrimony thatpassesfromracetoracealongtheascendinganddescendingpathsofcycles. During the minority of a sub-race, it is preserved for it by itspredecessor which disappears, dies out gradually, when the formercomes of age. At first most of them squander and mismanage their

property, or leave it untouched in the ancestral coffers. They rejectcontemptuouslytheadviceoftheirelders,andprefer,boy-like,playinginthe streets to studying and making the most of the untouched wealthstoredupforthemintherecordsofthepast.Thusduringyourtransition-period—the Middle Ages—Europe rejected the testimony of antiquity,callingsuchsagesasHerodotusandotherlearnedGreeks“thefatheroflies,”untilsheknewbetterandchangedtheappellationintothatof“fatherofhistory”. Insteadofneglecting, younowaccumulateandadd to yourwealth;aseveryotherrace,youhadyourupsanddowns,yourperiodsofhonouranddishonour,yourdarkmidnight,andyouarenowapproachingyourbrilliantnoon.Theyoungestof theFifthRace family, youwere forlongagestheunlovedandtheuncared-for,theCendrillon[Cinderella.]inyourhome.Andnowwhensomanyofyoursistershavedied,andothersare still dying while a few of the old survivors, now in their secondinfancy,waitbuttheirMessiah—theSixthRace—torisetoanewlifeandstartanewwiththearrivingstrangeralongthepathofanewcycle,nowthat theWestern Cendrillon has suddenly developed into a proud andwealthyPrincess,thebeautyweallseeandadmire,howdoessheact?Lesskind-heartedthanthePrincessinthetale,insteadofofferingtoherelderandless-favouredsister—theoldestnow,infact,sincesheisnearlyamillionyearsold,andtheonlyonewhohasnevertreatedherunkindly,thoughshemayhaveignoredher—insteadofofferingher,Isay,thekissofpeacesheapplies toher the lex talioniswithavengeance thatdoesnotenhancehernaturalbeauty.This,mygoodfriendandbrother,isnotfar-stretchedallegory,buthistory.Question—EventheFifthRace(ourown)oftheFourthRoundbeganinAsia a million years ago. What was it about for the 998.000 yearspreceding the last 2.000? During that period have greater civilisationsthanourownrisenanddecayed?Answer—Yes;theFifthRace—ours—beganinAsiaamillionyearsago.“Whatwas it about for the998,000 years preceding the last 2,000?”Apertinent question, offered moreover in quite a Christian spirit thatrefuses to believe that any good could ever have come out fromanywherebefore andsaveNazareth. What was it about? Well, it wasoccupyingitselfprettywellinthesamewayasitdoesnow—cravingMr.GrantAllen’spardon,whowouldplaceourprimitiveancestor,the“hedge-

hoggy”man,intheearlypartoftheEoceneAge!Forsooth,yourscientificwritersbestride theirhypothesismost fearlessly, Isee. Itwill reallybeapity to find their fierysteedkickingandbreaking theirheadssomeday;something that is unavoidably in store for them. In the Eocene Age—eveninits“veryfirstpart”—thegreatcycleoftheFourthRacemen,theAtlanteans, had already reached its highest point, and the greatcontinent,thefatherofnearlyallthepresentcontinents,showedthefirstsymptomsofsinking,aprocessthatoccupieditdownto11,446[i.e.9564B.C.,sincetheanswerwasgiveninA.D.1882.yearsago,whenitslastisland, that, translating its vernacular name,wemay callwith proprietyPoseidonis, went down with a crash. By the bye, whoever wrote thereview of Donnelly’s Atlantis is right. Lemuria can no more beconfoundedwith theAtlantic continent thanEuropewithAmerica.Bothsank and were crowned with their high civilisations and “Gods”; yetbetween the two catastrophes a short period of about 700,000 yearselapsed, Lemuria flourishing and ending her career just at about thattrifling lapseof time,before theearlypart of theEoceneAge, since itsracewastheThird.Beholdtherelicsofthatoncegreatnationinsomeoftheflat-headedaboriginesofyourAustralia!NolessrightisthereviewinrejectingthekindattemptoftheauthortopeopleIndiaandEgyptwiththerefuseofAtlantis.Nodoubtyourgeologistsareverylearned;butwhynotbearinmindthat,underthecontinentsexploredandfathomedbythem,inthebowelsofwhichtheyhavefoundthe“EoceneAge”andforcedittodeliver them itssecret, theremaybe,hiddendeep in the fathomlessorrather unfathomed ocean beds, other and far older continents whosestrata have never beengeologically explored; and that theymay someday upset entirely their present theories, thus illustrating the simplicityand sublimity of truth connected with inductive “generalisation” inoppositiontotheirvisionaryconjectures.Whynotadmit—truenooneofthem has ever thought of it—that our present continents have, likeLemuria andAtlantis, beenseveral times already submerged, and hadthe time to reappear again and bear their newgroups ofmankind andcivilisation; and that at the first great geological upheaval at the nextcataclysm, in the series of periodical cataclysms that occur from thebeginningtotheendofeveryRound,ouralreadyautopsized[Thisistheword in MSS., but evidently copied wrongly from original Letter.]continentswillgodownandtheLemuriasandAtlantisescomeupagain.

Thinkof the futuregeologistsof theSixthandSeventhRaces. Imaginethem digging deep in the bowels of what was Ceylon and Simla, andfinding implements of the Veddahs, or of the remote ancestor of thecivilised Pahari—every object of the civilised portions of humanity thatinhabited these regions having been pulverised to dust by the greatmassesoftravellingglaciersduringthenextglacialperiod—imaginehimfinding only such rude implements as now found among those savagetribes, and forthwith declaring that during that period, primitive manclimbed and slept on the trees, and sucked themarrow out of animalbones after breaking them (as civilised Europeans no less than theVeddahswilloftendo),hencejumpingtotheconclusionthatintheyearA.D.1882mankindwascomposedof“manlikeanimals”black-faced,andwhiskered“withprominentprognathousandlarge,pointed,canineteeth”.True, aGrantAllenof theSixthRacemaynot be so far from fact andtruthinhisconjecturethatduringtheSimlaperiod“theseteethwereusedinthecombatsofthemales”—forgrasswidows—butthenmetaphorhasverylittletodowithanthropologyandgeology.SuchisyourScience.

To return to your questions. Of course the Fourth Race had itsperiodof thehighest civilisation.GreekandRomanandevenEgyptiancivilisationsarenothingcomparedtothecivilisationsthatbeganwiththeThirdRace.Thoseof theSecondwerenotsavages,but theycouldnotbecalledcivilised.Andnowreadingonceofmyfirstlettersontheraces(aquestionfirsttouchedbyM.)praydonotaccuseeitherhimormyselfof somenew contradiction.Read it over and see that it leaves out thequestion of civilisations altogether, and mentions but the degenerateremnants of the Fourth and Third Races, and gives you as acorroborationthe latestconclusionsofyourownscience.Donotregardan unavoidable incompleteness as inconsistency. You now ask me adirect question and I answer it. Greeks and Romans were small sub-races,andEgyptianspartandparcelofourown“Caucasian”stock.Lookat the latter and at India. Having reached the highest civilisation and,what is more, learning, both went down, Egypt as a distinct sub-racedisappearingentirely (herCoptsareahybrid remnant), IndiaasoneofthefirstandmostpowerfuloffshootsoftheMotherRace,andcomposedofanumberof sub-races lasting to these times,andstruggling to takeoncemoreherplaceinhistorysomeday.Thathistorycatchesbutafewstray, hazy glimpses of Egypt, some 12,000 years back; when having

alreadyreachedtheapexofitscyclethousandsofyearsbefore,thelatterhadbegungoingdown.Whatdoesorcan it knowof India5,000yearsago, or of the Chaldees, whom it confoundsmost charmingly with theAssyrians, making of them one day “Akkadians,” at another Turaniansandwhatnot?Wesay then thatyour history isentirelyat sea.Wearerefused by the Journal of Science any claim whatever for “higherknowledge”.Saysthereviewer,“SupposetheBrothersweretosay‘Pointyourtelescopestosuchandsuchaspotintheheavens,andyouwillfindaplanetyetunknowntoyou,ordigintotheearth...etc.,andyouwillfinda mineral,’ etc.” Very fine indeed, and suppose that was done, whatwouldbetheresult?Whyachargeofplagiarism,sinceeverythingofthatkind,everyplantandmineralthatexistsinspaceorinsidetheearth,wasknownandrecordedinourbooksthousandsofyearsago;more,manyatruehypothesiswas timidlybrought forwardby theirownscientificmenandasconstantly rejectedby themajoritywithwhosepreconceptions itinterfered.Your intention is laudable,butnothing that Imaygiveyou inanswerwill ever be accepted from us.Whenever discovered that “it isverily so,” the discovery will be attributed to himwho corroborated theevidence, as in the case of Copernicus and Galileo, the latter havingavailedhimselfbutofthePythagoreanmanuscripts.

Buttoreturntocivilisations.DoyouknowthattheChaldeeswereattheapexof theiroccult famebeforewhatyou termas theBronzeAge,that the “sons of Ad” or “ the children of the Fire Mist” preceded byhundreds of centuries the Age of Iron, which was an old age alreadywhenwhatyounowcalltheHistoricalPeriod—probablybecausewhatisknownofitisgenerallynohistorybutfiction—hadhardlybegun?

Butthenwhatwarrantcanwegivetheworldthatweareright,thatfar“greatercivilisationsthanourownhaverisenandbeendestroyed”?Itisnotenoughtosay,assomeofyourmodernwritersdo,thananextinctcivilisationexistedbeforeRomaandAthenswasfounded.WeaffirmthataseriesofcivilisationsexistedbeforeaswellasaftertheGlacialPeriod,that theyexisteduponvariouspointsof theGlobe,reachedtheapexofgloryand—died.EverytraceandmemoryoftheAssyrianandPhoeniciancivilisationshadbeenlostuntildiscoveriesbegantobemadeafewyearsago. And now they open a new, though not by far one of the earliest,page in the history of mankind. And yet how far back do those

civilisationsgo incomparisonwith theoldest?Andeventhemhistory isshytoaccept.

Archaeologyhassufficientlydemonstratedthatthememoryofmanrunsvastlyfurtherbackthanhistoryhasbeenwillingtoaccept,andthesacred recordsofoncemightynationspreservedby their heirsarestillmoreworthyoftrust.Wespeakofcivilisationsoftheante-glacialperiod,and(notonlyinthemindsofthevulgarandtheprofane,butevenintheopinionof thehighly learnedgeologist) theclaimsoundspreposterous.What could you say then to our affirmation that the Chinese—I nowspeakoftheinland,thetrueChinaman,notofthehybridmixturebetweenthe Fourth and Fifth Races now occupying the throne—the aborigineswho belong in their unalloyed nationalitywholly to the highest and lastbranch of the Fourth Race, reached their highest civilisation when theFifthhadhardlyappearedinAsia,anditsfirstoffshootwasyetathingofthefuture?Whenwasit?Calculate.Youcannotthinkthatwe,whohavea tremendous odds against the acceptance of our doctrine, woulddeliberately go on inventing races and sub-races (in the opinion ofMr.Hume)weretheynotamatterofundeniablefact.Thegroupofislandsoffthe Siberian coast discovered by the Nordenskiol of the “Vega” wasfound strewn with fossils of horses, sheep, oxen, etc., among giganticbones of elephants, mammoths, rhinoceroses and other monstersbelonging toperiodswhenman—saysyourscience—hadnotyetmadehis appearance on earth. How came horses and sheep to be found incompany with the huge “antediluvians”? The horse, we are taught inschools, isquiteamodern inventionofnatureandnomaneversawitspentadactyleancestor.ThegroupofSiberianislandsmaygivethelietothe comfortable theory The region now locked in the fetters of eternalwinter uninhabited by man—that most fragile of animals—will be verysoon proved to have had not only a tropical climate—something yourscienceknows,anddoesnotdispute—butashavingbeen likewise theseatofoneof themostancientcivilisationsof thatFourthRace,whosehighest relics now we find in the degenerated Chinaman, and whoselowest are hopelessly (for the profane scientist) intermingled with theremnantsoftheThird.

I told you before now, that the highest people now on earth(spiritually)belongtothefirstsub-raceoftheFifthRootrace;andthose

aretheAryanAsiatics;thehighestrace(inphysicalintellectuality)isthelastsub-raceoftheFifth—yourselves,thewhiteconquerors.Themajorityofmankindbelongstotheseventhsub-raceoftheFourthRootrace—theabovementionedChinamenandtheiroffshootsandbranchlets(Malayan,Mongolians, Tibetans, Javanese, etc., etc.), and to remnants of othersub-racesoftheFourthandtheseventhsub-raceoftheThirdRace.Allthese fallen, degraded semblances of humanity are the direct linealdescendantsofhighlycivilisednations,neitherthenamenormemoryofwhichhavesurvivedexceptinsuchbooksasPopulvuhandafewothersunknowntoscience.Question—TowhatepochdidtheexistenceofthecontinentofAtlantisbelong,anddidcataclysmalchangewhichproduceditsextinctioncomeintoanyappointedplaceintheevolutionofRoundcorrespondingtotheplaceoccupiedinthewholeManvantaricevolutionbyobscurations?Answer—TotheMiocenetimes.EverythingcomesinitsappointedtimeandplaceintheevolutionofRounds;otherwiseitwouldbeimpossibleforthebestseertocalculatetheexacthourandyearwhensuchcataclysmsgreatandsmallhavetooccur.AllanAdeptcoulddowouldbetopredictanapproximatetime;whereasnow,eventsthatresultingreatgeologicalchangesmaybepredictedwithasmathematicalacertaintyaseclipsesand other revolutions in space. The sinking of Atlantis (the group ofcontinentsandisles)beganduringtheMioceneperiodascertainofyourcontinents arenowobserved to begradually sinking; and it culminatedfirst, in the final disappearance of the largest continent, an eventcoincidentwiththeelevationoftheAlps;andsecond,withthatofthelastofthefairislandsmentionedbyPlato.TheEgyptianpriestofSaistoldhisancestor Solon that Atlantis (i.e., the only remaining large island) hadperished9,000yearsbeforetheirtime.Thiswasnotafancydate,sincetheyhadformillenniumspreservedmostcarefullytheirrecords.Butthen,asIsay,theyspeakbutofthe“Poseidonis,”andwouldnotrevealeventothe great Greek legislator their secret chronology. As there are nogeologicalreasonsfordoubting,butonthecontraryamassofevidenceforaccepting,thetradition,sciencehasfinallyacceptedtheexistenceofthegreatcontinentandarchipelago,andthusvindicatesthetruthofonemore“fable”.Itnowteaches,asyouknow,thatAtlantisortheremnantsofitlingereddowntopost-tertiarytimes,itsfinalsubmergenceoccurring

withinthePalaeozoicagesofAmericanhistory!Well,truthandfactoughtto feel thankfuleven forsuchsmall favours, in thepreviousabsenceofany forsomanycenturies.Thedeepseaexplorations,especially thoseof the Challenger, have fully confirmed the reports of geology andpalaeontology.Thegreatevent,thetriumphofour“SonsoftheFireMist,”theinhabitantsofShamballawhenyetanislandintheCentralAsianSea,overtheselfishifnotentirelywickedmagiansofPoseidonisoccurredjust11.446 years ago.Read in this connection the incomplete and partiallyveiledtraditionin Isis,Vol.1,pp.588—94,andsomethingmaybecomestill plainer to you. The corroboration of tradition and history broughtforwardbyDonnellyIfindinthemaincorrect,butyouwillfindallthisandmuchmoreinIsis.Question— I find that the most common question asked about occultphilosophy by fairly intelligent people who begin to enquire about it is,“Does it give any explanation of the origin of evil?” That is a point onwhichyouhaveformallypromisedto touchandwhich itmightbeworthwhiletotakeupbeforelong.Answer—It certainly does, and I have “touchedupon” the subject longago. Strangely enough, I found a European author, the greatestmaterialistofhis time,Barond’Holbach,whoseviewscoincideentirelywiththeviewsofourphilosophy.WhenreadinghisEssaissurlanature,Imight have imagined I had our book of Kiu-ti before me. In theforthcomingTheosophistyouwillfindanoteortwoappendedtoHume’stranslationofEliphasLevi’sPreface[Theosophist,November 1882.SeeAppendixD.] inconnectionwith the lostcontinent.Andnow,sinceIamdetermined tomakeof thepresent answersa volume,bear your crosswithChristian fortitude,and then,perhaps,after reading thewhole,youwillask fornomore forsome time tocome.Butwhatcan Iadd to thatalready told? Iamunable togiveyoupurelyscientific informationsincewecanneveragreeentirelywithWesternconclusions,andourswillberejectedasunscientific.Yetbothgeologyandpalaeontologybearwitnesstomuchwehavetosay.Ofcourseyourscience isright inmanyofhergeneralities, but her premisesarewrongor at any rate very faulty. Forinstance,sheisrightinsayingthat,whilethenewAmericawasforming,theancientAtlantiswassinkingandgraduallywastingaway;butshe isneitherrightinhergivenepochsnorinthecalculationsofthedurationof

thatsinking.ThelatteristhefuturefateofyourBritishIslands,thefirstonthelistofvictimsthathavetobedestroyedbyfire(submarinevolcanoes)andwater.Franceandother landswill followsuit.When they reappearagain, the last seventh sub-race of the Sixth Root-race of presentmankind will be flourishing on Lemuria and Atlantis, both of which willhave reappeared also (their reappearance following immediately thedisappearance of the present isles and continents), and very few seasandgreatwaterswillbefoundthenonourglobe,watersaswellaslandappearinganddisappearingandshiftingperiodicallyandeachinturn.

Trembling at the prospect of fresh charges of “contradictions” atsomefuture incompletestatement, I ratherexplainwhat Imeanbythis.The approach of every new “obscuration” is always signalled bycataclysmsofeitherfireorwater.Butapartfromthis,every“ring”orRootRace has to be cut in two, so to say, by either one or the other. Thushavingreachedtheapexofitsdevelopmentandglory,theFourthRace,the Atlantean, was destroyed by water; you find now but theirdegeneratedfallenremnants,whosesub-racesnevertheless—aye,eachof them—had itspalmydaysofgloryandrelativegreatness.What theyare now, you will be some day, the law of cycles being one andimmutable.

When your race, the Fifth, will have reached is zenith of physicalintellectuality and developed the highest civilisation (remember thedifferencewemakebetweenmaterialandspiritual civilisations), unabletogoanyhigher in itsowncycle, itsprogresstowardsabsoluteevilwillbearrested(as itspredecessors theLemuriansand theAtlanteans, themen of the Third and Fourth Races, were arrested in their progresstowards the same) by one of such “cataclysmic changes,” its greatcivilisation destroyed, and all the sub-races of that race will be foundgoing down their respective cycles after a short period of glory andlearning. See the remnants of the Atlanteans, the old Greeks andRomans [The “autochthonous” Greeks and Etruscan Romans.] (themodernbelongtoalltheFifthRace).Seehowgreatandhowshort,howevanescentwere theirdaysof fameandglory!For, theywerebut sub-racesofthesevenoffshootsoftheRootrace.

No Mother Race, any more than her sub-races and offshoots, isallowedbytheonereigningLawtotrespassupontheprerogativesofthe

Race or sub-race that will follow it; least of all to encroach upon theknowledgeandpowersforitssuccessor.

SECTIONIVCosmicOriginsOntheHypotheticalAbsoluteandInfiniteFinalCauseNote—The followingnotesdown to theendof thepagearemuch

abbreviated. So far as the original essay or memorandum of Hume isconcerned, M’s notes are just made intelligible by a few lines of theoriginalessay.Iamnotnowabbreviatinganything,butamgivingyouallIthought itnecessary topreserveat this time. [A.P.S.] [Iput in italics thepartsfromMr.Hume’sessay.]

TheAbsoluteandInfiniteiscomposedoftheconditionedandfinite.Causesareconditionedintheirmodesofexistence,asattributesandasindividual aggregates—unconditioned and eternal in their sum, or as acollectiveaggregate.

IftheAbsoluteisablindlawhowcanitgivebirthtointelligence?But passive latent intelligenceor that principle diffused throughout

theuniverse,which in itspure immateriality isnon-intelligenceandnon-consciousness,andwhich,assoonasitbecomesimprisonedinmatteristransformedintoboth,can...[SentencenotfinishedinMS.]TheAbsolute,ifintelligent,mustbeomnipotent,omniscientandallgood.

Pleasegiveyourreasonswhy.InthelasttheAbsolute,itselfnon-conscious,islinkedtointelligence

by emanations supposed to be conditioned. How far this satisfies themindas to thepossibilityof intelligenceevolvingoutofnon-intelligencedependsonthemindaddressed.

What do you know of the gradual development of brain since theSilurianperiod?

It is useless... [Sentence not finished in MS.] Show me thephilosopher,whowouldproveituseless...tosaythatevilisasnecessarytomake good apparent, as darkness to make light cognizable. To theunconditioneditmaybe,totheomnipotentnothingisnecessary.

Provehimfirst.

Butclearlyaconditionedagency isnot the finalcause.Above it isthelaworprinciplethatconditionsit.

How’s this?Where?Not unless you create something outside theAbsoluteandlimitless.

Problems lying behind the veil that separates the non-manifestedfinalcausefromthemanifesteduniversearebeyondthegraspofmindsconditionedinthatuniverse.

Indeedtheyarenot....the Absolute infinite is unthinkable and we can neither

comprehenditnorjustifyitswaystoman.Thenwhylosetimeoverit?Whocommissionedyoutodoso?Your all pervading supreme power exists but it is exactly matter,

whoselifeismotion,will,andnervepowerelectricity.PurushacanthinkbutthroughPrakriti.

-------------------------------------------[FollowingthisIhaveanessaybyHumesumminguptheprevious

conclusions,asfollows,A.P.S.]:What you would say would be: “Whether this be so or not (as

regards thehypothesisofanabsolutebeyond theconditioned) it isandmust ever remain a pure hypothesis. The highest intelligences in theuniverse know nothing about it. So far as they can explore, themanifesteduniverseisboundlessandinfinite.Ourphilosophyadmitsonlyofwhat isknownandknowable.This isadmittedlyunknowableeven toPlanetaries,anditisexhypothesinon-existent.Whythenconsiderit?

“Even were this conception correct how does it concern us? Forthousandsofyears thehighestPlanetarieshaveexplored theuniverse;theyhavefoundnolimitstoit,nothinginitisguidedorgovernedbyanyexternal impulse, everything on the contrary proceeding from internalimpulseswhichtheyunderstandandwhichsuffice toexplaineverythingthey have ever had cognizance of. A quoi bon then to introduce theunnecessaryconceptionofasomething(whichasnon-existentforusisanothing) outside and beyondwhat for us is limitless and eternal,whenwhether it exists or not it plays no discoverable part in anything thatconcernsus?

“The fact is, your western philosophical conceptions aremonarchical,oursdemocratic.YouareonlyabletothinkoftheUniverseasgovernedbyaKing,whilewe know it to bea republic inwhich theaggregate,indwellingintelligencerules.”

Wemightsaymore:neverbetter.Thatisjustwhatwewouldsay.Whoaretheartificersoftheworld?DhyanChohans,Planetaries.EssaybyHume,withNotesasbeforefromM.Theuniversemayprimarilybeconceivedasspacepervadedbyan

infiniteandeternalandhomogeneouscongeriesofmolecules, inwhichmotion, their latent unconscious life, is inherent. In this, its passive,unmanifestedstate,mayitberegardedaschaos?

Yes, ifonlypeoplewerecapableofconceivingwhat realchaos is,whichtheyarenot.

Thoughtrulyaunity, itmaybeconceivedinitsvariousaspects,asspace in regard to its boundless extension, co-existing with eternity inregard to itsendlessduration,cosmicmatter in regard to itsmolecules,and cosmic force in regard to its all pervading motion. But these fourconceptions must be held to indicate not four elements composing acompound,butratherfourpropertiesorattributesofonesinglething,justasonearthone thingmaybehot, luminous,heavyand inmotion.Thisuniverse, one and indivisible in its passive, unmanifested form, thischaos,isforusnon-existent.

Foryou,butwhyspeakforothers?But throughout itarescatteredcentersofactivityorevolution,and

wherever and whenever activity prevails, there portions of the wholedifferentiate, and where this occurs, homogeneity ceases. Thisdifferentiationisdue(1)tothegreaterorlessproximityofthemolecules,(2)totheirgreaterorlessattenuation.

Whatdoes(2)mean?Howcantheprimalmoleculesgrowthinnerorfatter—exnihilo,etc.

Iwasnotaware thatatomswereconsideredbyyouassomethingnihil.Arenotthemoleculesconsideredbyscienceascompoundatoms?

Your science knows only of such compound molecules, and a primalatom is and will remain for ever as a hypothetical abstraction for it.Sciencecanknownothingof thenatureofatomsoutside the regionofeffectsonherglobe,andeventhatatomshecalls indivisible,whichwedo not, for we know of the existence and properties of the universalsolvent,theessenceofthePanchamahabhutam,thefiveelements.Eventheexistenceoftheatomswhichcomposetheunseenmedium,throughwhich the power which magnetises instantly a short, iron rod placedacrossthecentreofahooptwoyards indiameter,aroundwhichawirethickly covered with India rubber is coiled, even the existence of suchatoms, I say, remains an open question, and science remains puzzledandembarrassedtodecidewhetheritisanactionatadistance,withoutorwithsomemysteriousmedium,orwhat?

(3) To changes in their polarity. This differentiation in activity ismanifestation,andevery thingsodifferentiatedcomes intoexistenceorbecomesconceivable forus.Eachcentreofactivity (and thesecentresare countless) marks a solar system, but these are still rari nantes ingurgite vasto, hanging in the all pervading ocean of the unmanifesteduniverse,outofwhichnewmanifestationsareperpetuallyevolving,andinto the oblivion of which otherswhose cycle has been completed areeverreturning.

Alternationsofactivityandpassivityconstitutethecyclic lawof theuniverse.As themicrocosm,man,hashisdaysandnights, hiswakingandhissleepinghours,sohastheearth,which,amacrocosmtohim,isamicrocosm to the solar system, and so has this latter, which, amacrocosmtoasingleglobe,isitselfamicrocosmtotheuniverse.

That the universe itselfmust similarly have its days and nights ofactivity and passivity is probable by analogy, but if so, these coverperiods unthinkable, and the fact remains unknowable by the highestintelligencesconditionedintheuniverse.

Thenightofthesolarsystem,thePralayaoftheHindoos,theMaha-BardoorgreatnightofmindoftheTibetans,involvesthedisintegrationofall form,and the returnof thatportionof theuniverseoccupiedby thatsystemtoitspassive,unmanifestedcondition,spacepervadedbyatomsinmotion. Everything else passes away for the time butmatter, whichthese ultimate atoms represent (though at times objective, at times

potentialorsubjective,noworganised,nowunorganised, iseternalandindestructible), and motion is the imperishable life (conscious orunconsciousas thecasemaybe)ofmatter.Even, therefore,duringthenight of mind, when all other forces are paralysed, when omniscienceand ignorance both sleep, and everything else rests, this latentunconscious life unceasingly maintains the molecules in which it isinherent,inblindresultlessandpurposelessmotioninterse.

Why should it be more purposeless and resultless than theunconscious blind motion of the atoms in any foetus preparing forrebirth?

Thesolarsystemhasdisappearedeventothehighestintelligencesinother solar systems. Is this correct?Can thePlanetaries in anywaycognizethepassive,non-beingportionsoftheuniverse?

Theycan.Adepts can atwill, I know, create forms out of cosmicmatter, but

probably thiscosmicmatter ismanydegrees frommatteras itexists inthe passive latent universe, which perhaps should rather be calledpotentialthancosmicmatter.

Potentialityisapossibility,notanactuality.Findabetterword.Butnothinghasbeenannihilatedanymorethananythinghasbeen

evercreated,onlythisrecentlyactive,organised,manifestedandexistingportionof theuniverse, losingalldifferentiationof itsparts,haspassedintoitsprimordial,passive,homogeneous,unmanifested,and,quoadallintelligences, non-existent or unconceivable state. It has resettled intochaos. If it isasked,whencethesealternationsofactivityandpassivity,the reply is that they are the law inherent in the universe. (Here as afootnote would come the purport of the argument approved by youagainst the unnecessary creation of an intelligence outside the self-governeduniverse.)

Ifyoucanshowmeonebeingorobjectintheuniversewhichdoesnotoriginateanddevelopthroughandinaccordancewithblindlaw,thenonly will your argument hold good and footnote be necessary. Thedoctrineofevolution isaneternalprotest.Evolutionmeansunfoldingoftheevolutefromtheinvolute,aprocessofgradualgrowth.Theonlythingthat couldhavepossibly been spontaneously created is cosmicmatter,

andprimordiumwithusmeansnotonlyprimogenitureshipbuteternalism,formatter is eternal and one of theHlun dhub, not aKyen,—a cause,itself the result of someprimary cause.Were it so at the end of everyMahapralaya,when thewholecosmosmoves into collectiveperfection,andeveryatom(thatyoucallprimordial,andwe,eternal)emanatesfromitself a still finer atom—every individual atom containing in itself theactualpotentialityofevolvingmilliardsofworldseachmoreperfectandmore ethereal—how is it that there is no sign of such an intelligenceoutside the self-governed universe? You take a last hypothesis—aportion of your God sits in every atom. He is divided ad infinitum, heremainsconcealed,inabscondito,andthelogicalconclusionwearriveatis that, as the infinite mind of the Dhyan Chohans knows, the newlyemanatedatomsareincapableofanyconsciousorunconsciousaction,unlesstheyreceivethe intellectual impulsesfromthem.Ergo,yourGodisnobetterthanblindmattereverpropelledbyasblindeternalforce,orlaw,whichisthatmatter’sGod,perchance.Well,well,weshallnot losetimeoversuchtalk.

The period of passivity ends, the night of mind ceases, the solarsystem awakes and re-emerges into manifestation and existence, andeverything throughout it is oncemore as it waswhen the night set in.Though a period inconceivable to human minds has passed, it haspassedbutasasoundanddreamlesssleep.The lawofactivitycomesagainintooperation,thecentreofevolutionresumesitswork,thefountofbeingcommencestoflowagain.Iconcludethismustbeso,orotherwisethematterejectedfromthevortexorcentralpoint,wouldfindnoneinadifferentiated state from which to acquire its own impulses ofdifferentiation.

Whenthehourstrikes,thecosmicatomsalreadyinadifferentiatedstate remain instatuquo, aswell asglobesandeverythingelse in theprocessofformation.Thereforeyouhaveseizedtheidea.[IinterpolateawarningherethatHumeandIgotagooddealofftherailsatthispoint.Itwasnottill longafterwardsthattheimpressionssuggestedbythisnote,erroneous themselves though the note was afterwards justified, wereclearedup.A.P.S.] in thestill passiveportionof theuniverse, inwhich,and interpenetrated bywhich, hangs the re-manifested solar system inthe non-being where subsists the eternal mechanical motion, its

uncreated cause or vortex is formed, which in its ceaseless rotationperpetually ejects the polarised active manifested conscious universe,the unpolarised passive unmanifested and unconscious universalelement.

Call itmotion. cosmicmatter, duration, or space, for it is all theseandyetone,thisistheuniversemanifestedandunmanifested,andthereisnothingelseintheuniverse.Butthemomentitpassesoutofpassivityor non-being into activity or being, it begins to change its state, anddifferentiate from contact with what had formerly changed; and so theeternal wheel rolls on, the effect of today becoming the cause oftomorrow for ever and ever. But it must ever be remembered that thenon-being,thepassive,istheeternal,thereal;thebeing,theactive,thetransitory and the unreal. For longer or shorter as its career may beaccording to the impulses it receives, sooner or later the manifesteddisintegratesintotheunmanifested,andbeingfadesintonon-being.

But howabout the highestPlanetaries?They surely do not returninto non-being, but pass on to higher or at any rate different solarsystems?

ThehigheststateofNirvanaisthehigheststateofnon-being.Therecomesa timewhen thewhole infinitudesleepsor rests,whenall is re-immersed in the one eternal and uncreated sumof all, the sumof thelatentunconsciouspotentiality.

Ithasbeenstatedthatadifferentiationoftheprimordialelement isthe basis of the manifested universe and we must now consider thesevendifferentprinciples thatconstituteandgovern thatuniverse,or inotherwordsthesevendifferentstatesorconditionsinwhichthiselementexistsinit.

There is no finite or primordial design but in conjunction withorganisedmatter.Design isKyen, a cause arising froma primary one.Thelatentdesignexistsfromtheeternityintheoneunborneternalatom,orthecentralpointwhichiseverywhereandnowhere,called—(ourmostsecret incommunicable name given at Initiation to the highest Adepts.)SoIcangiveyouthesixnamesoftheprinciplesofoursolarsystembuthavetowithholdtherest,andeventhenameoftheseventh.Call it theunknownandexplainwhy.Adamye (aBrahman)willnotgiveyou the

nameofeven thecrownof theAkasa,butwillspeakof thesixprimaryforcesinnaturerepresentedbythesolarlight.

I’llgiveyoutheprinciplesbyandbye.Studythiswellfirst.

Question—IconceivethatatthecloseofaPralayatheimpulsegivenbytheDhyanChohansdoesnotdevelopfromchaosasuccessionofworldssimultaneously,butseriatim.Thecomprehensionofthemannerinwhicheach in succession ensues from its predecessor, as the impact of theoriginal impulse, might perhaps be better postponed till after I amenabledtorealisetheworkingofthewholemachine—thecycleofworlds—afterallitspartshavecomeintoexistence.Answer—Correctly conceived, nothing inNature springs into existencesuddenly, all being subjected to the same laws of gradual evolution.RealisebutoncetheprocessoftheMaha-cycleofonesphere,andyouhave realised them all. One man is born like another man. One raceevolves,developsanddeclines likeanotherandallother races.Naturefollowsthesamegroovefromthe“creation”ofauniverse,downtothatofamosquito. In studying esoteric cosmogony, keep a spiritual eye uponthephysiologicalprocessofhumanbirth,proceed fromcause toeffect,establishingasyougoalonganalogiesbetweenthebirthofamanandthat of a world. In our doctrine you will find necessary the syntheticmethod;youwillhavetoembracethewhole,that istosay,toblendthemacrocosmandmicrocosmtogether,beforeyouareenabledtostudytheparts separately, or analyse them, with profit to your understanding.Cosmologyisthephysiologyoftheuniversespiritualised,forthereisbutonelaw.Question— Taking the middle of a period of activity between twoPralayas, i.e., of a Manvantara, what I understand to happen is this.Atomsarepolarisedinthe...[QuestionnotcontinuedinMS.]Answer—Polarising themselves during the process of motion, andpropelledbytheirresistibleforceatworkincosmogonyandtheworkofNature, the positive and negative or the active and passive forcescorrespondtothemaleandfemaleprinciples.Yourspiritualeffluxcomesout from behind the veil, but is the male seed falling into the veil ofcosmicmatter.Theactive isattractedby thepassiveprinciple, and thegreatNag, the serpent-emblem of eternity, attracts its tail to itsmouth,

formingtherebyacircle(cyclesoftheeternity)inthatincessantpursuitofthenegativebythepositive.Hencetheemblemofthelingam,thephallusand the eteis. [So inMS.] The one and chief attribute of the universalspiritualprinciple,theunconsciousbuteveractivelife-giver,istoexpandand shed; that of the universal material principle, to gather in andfecundate.Unconsciousandnon-existingwhenseparated,theybecomeconsciousness and life when brought together. Hence again Brahmanfrom the root brih, the Sanskrit for “to expand, grow, or to fructify,”Brahmanbeingbut thevivifyingexpansive forceofNature in itseternalevolution....highest [First part of sentence omitted in MS.] region ofspiritual efflux from behind the veil of primitive cosmic matter. Themagnetic impulse which has accomplished this result flits from oneuniversalformtoanotherwithinthefirstsphere,tillhavingruntheroundofexistenceinthatkingdomofthefirstsphere,itsucceedsinacurrentofattractiontothesecondsphere.Question—Doworldsofeffectsintervenebetweentheworldsofactivityintheseriesofdescent?Answer—TheworldsofeffectsarenotLokasor localities, theyare theshadowoftheworldofcauses—theirsouls—worldshavinglikementheirsevenprincipleswhichdevelopandgrowsimultaneouslywith thebody.Thusthebodyofmanisweddedtoandremainsforeverwithinthebodyofhisplanet.HisindividualJivatma,lifeprinciple,returnsafterdeathtoitssource, so that his Linga Sharira will be drawn into Akasa; his KamaRupa will recommingle with the universal Shakti, the will force oruniversalenergy;hisanimalsoul,borrowedfromthebreathofuniversalmind,willreturntotheDhyanChohans;hissixthprinciple,whetherdrawnintoorejectedfromthematrixofthegreatpassiveprinciple,mustremainin its own sphere, either as part of the crude material, or as anindividualisedunitytobereborninahigherworldofcauses.Theseventhwill carry it from the Devachan and follow the new ego to its place ofrebirth.Question—Themagneticimpulse,whichcannotyetbeconceivedofasan individuality, enters the second sphere in the same, the mineralkingdom, as that towhich it belonged in the first sphere, and runs theroundofmineral incarnations, therepassingonto thethirdsphere.Ourearthisstillasphereofnecessityforit.Henceitpassesintotheupward

seriesandfromthehighestofthesepassesintothevegetablekingdomofthefirstsphere.Withoutanynewimpulseofcreativeforcefromabove,its career round the cycle of worlds as a universal principle hasdeveloped some new attractions or polarisations, which cause it toassume the lowest vegetable form. In vegetable forms, it passessuccessivelythroughthecycleofworlds,thewholebeingstillacircleofnecessity (asno responsibilitycanyethaveaccrued toanunconsciousindividuality and therefore it cannot at any stage of its progress doanythingtoselectoneorotherofdivergentpaths);oristheresomethinginthelifeevenofavegetablewhich,thoughnotresponsibility,mayleaditup,ordown,at thiscriticalstageof itsprogress?Havingcompletedthewholecycleasavegetable,thegrowingindividualityexpandsonitsnextcircuitintoananimalform.Answer—Theevolutionof theworlds cannot be consideredapart fromtheevolutionofeverythingcreatedorhavingbeingontheseworlds.Youraccepted conceptions of cosmogony, whether from the theological orscientificstandpoints,donotenableyoutosolveasingleanthropologicalor even ethnical problem, and they stand in your way whenever youattempttosolvetheproblemoftheracesonthisplanet.

Whenamanbeginstotalkaboutcreationandtheoriginofman,heis butting against the facts incessantly. Go on saying, “our planet andmanwerecreated,”andyouwillbe fightingagainsthard facts, foreveranalysing and losing timeover trifling details, unable to ever grasp thewhole. But once admit that our planet and ourselves are no morecreations than the icebergnowbeforeme(inourK.H.’shome)but thatboth planet and man are states for a given time; that their presentappearance—geological and anthropological—is transitory, and but aconditionconcomitantofthatstateofevolutionatwhichtheyhavearrivedin the descending cycle; and all will become plain. You will easilyunderstandwhat ismeantby the “oneandonly”elementorprinciple intheuniverseandthatandrogynous—thesevenheadedserpentorMandaofVishnu,theNagaroundBuddha,thegreatdragonofeternityfromtheemanations of which spring worlds, beings and things; you willcomprehend the reasonwhy the first philosopher proclaimedall Maya,butthatoneprinciplewhichrestsduringtheMahapralayasorthenightsofBrahma.

Now think the Nag awakes. He heaves a heavy breath, and thelatterissentlikeanelectricshockallalongthewireencirclingspace.Goto your piano and execute upon the lower register of keys the sevennotes of the lower octave, up and down. Begin pianissimo, crescendofromthefirstkey,andhavingstruckfortissimoonthelastnote,gobackdiminuendo,gettingoutofyourlastnoteahardlyperceptiblesound.Thefirstand lastnoteswill represent toyouthefirstand lastspheres in thecycle of evolution. The one you struck once is our planet. The sevenvowelschantedbytheEgyptianprieststothesevenraysoftherisingsuntowhichMemnonrespondedmeantbutthat.Theonelifeprinciplewheninactionruns incircuits,evenasknowninphysicalscience. It runstheround in the human body where the head represents and is to themicrocosmos,(thephysicalworldofmatter)whatthesummitofthecycleis to themacrocosmos (world of universal spiritual forces); sowith theformation of worlds and the great descending and ascending circle ofnecessity. All is one law. Man has his seven principles, the germs ofwhichhebringswithhimathisbirth.Sohasaplantoraworld.Fromfirstto lasteveryspherehas itsworldofeffects, thepassing throughwhichwill afford a place of final rest to each of the human principles, theseventhprincipleexcepted.TheworldAisborn,andwithit,clinginglikebarnaclestothebottomofashipinmotion,evolvefromitsfirstbreathoflifethelivingbeingsofitsatmosphere,fromthegermshithertoinert,nowawakeningtolifewiththefirstmotionofthesphere.WithsphereAbeginstheuniversalkingdom,andrunstheroundofuniversalevolution.Bythetime it iscompleted,sphereBcomes intoobjectivityanddrawsto itselfthe lifewhichhascompleted its roundonsphereA,andhasbecomeasurplus (the fount of life being inexhaustible, for it is the true Archneadoomedtospinoutitswebeternally,saveduringtheperiodofPralaya).Then comes vegetable life on sphere A, and the same process takesplace. On its downward course life becomes with every state coarser,morematerial;onitsupward,moreshadowy.

No; there isnot,norcan therebe,any responsibilityuntil the timewhenmatterandspiritareproperlyequilibrized.Up toman, lifehasnoresponsibility in whatever form, nomore than has a foetus who in hismother’s womb passes through all the forms of life—a mineral, avegetable,ananimal—tobecomefinallyman.

Question—Where does it get the animal soul, its fifth principle from?Hasthepotentialityof thisresidedfromthefirst intheoriginalmagneticimpulsewhichconstitutedthemineral,orateverytransitionfromthelastworldontheascendingsidetothefirstsphere,doesitsotospeakpassthroughandoceanofspiritandassimilatesomenewprinciple?Answer—Thusyouseehisfifthprinciple isevolvedfromwithinhimself,manhaving,asyouwillsay, the“potentiality”ofall thesevenprinciplesasagerm,fromtheveryinstantheappearsonthefirstworldofcausesasashadowybreath,whichcoagulateswith,and ishardened togetherwith,itsparentsphere.Spiritaslifeisindivisible,andwhenwespeakoftheseventhprinciple,itisneitherqualitynorquantitynoryetformthataremeant,butratherthespaceoccupiedinthatoceanofspiritbytheresultsof effects, beneficent as are all those of a co-worker with Natureimpressedthereon.

SECTIONVScience

Question— Can you (i.e., is it permitted) ever answer any questionsrelatingtomatterofphysicalscience?Ifso,herearesomepointsthatIshouldgreatlylikedealtwith.Answer—MostundoubtedlyIamsopermitted.Butthencomesthemostimportantpoint,howfarsatisfactorywillmyanswersappeareventoyou?That not every law brought to light is regarded as adding a link to thechain of human knowledge, is shown by the ill gracewithwhich everyfact unwelcome, for some reasons, to science is received by itsprofessors.Neverthelesswhenever Icanansweryou Iwill try todoso,onlyhopingthatyouwillnotsenditasacontributionfrommypentotheJournalofScience.Question— Have magnetic conditions anything to do with theprecipitation of rain, or is that due entirely to atmospheric currents atdifferenttemperaturesencounteringothercurrentsofdifferenthumidities,the whole set of motions being established by pressures, expansionsetc.,dueinthefirstinstancetosolarenergy?Ifmagneticconditionsareengaged,howdotheyoperateandhowcouldtheybetested?Answer—Mostassuredly theyhave.Raincanbebroughton inasmallareaofspace,artificiallyandwithoutanyclaimtomiracleorsuperhuman

powers,thoughitssecretisnopropertyofminethatIshoulddivulgeit.Iam now trying to obtain permission to do so. We know of nophenomenon in nature entirely unconnected with either magnetism orelectricity—since where there are motion, heat, friction, light, theremagnetismanditsalterego(accordingtoourhumbleopinion)electricity,will always appear either as cause or effect, or rather both, if we butfathom the manifestation to its origin. All the phenomena of earth-currents,terrestrialmagnetismandatmosphericelectricityareduetotheface that the earth is an electrified conductor, whose potential is everchanging owing to its rotation and its annual orbital motion, thesuccessive cooling and heating of the air, the formation of clouds andrainstormsandwinds,etc.Thisyoumayperhapsfindinsometextbook.But thensciencewouldbeunwillingtoadmit thatall thosechangesareduetoakasicmagnetism, incessantlygeneratingelectriccurrentswhichtendtorestorethedisturbedequilibrium.Bydirectingthemostpowerfulofelectricbatteries—thehumanframeelectrifiedbyacertainprocess—you canstop rain on some given point by making “a hole in the rain-clouds,” as the occultists term it. By using other strongly magneticimplements within, so to say, an insulated area, rain can be producedartificially.Iregretmyinabilitytoexplaintoyoutheprocessmoreclearly.You know the effects produced by trees and plants on rainclouds, andhow their strongmagnetic natureattracts andeven feeds those cloudsoverthetopsofthetrees.Scienceexplainsitotherwise,maybe.Well,Icannothelpit,forsuchisourknowledgeandthefruitsofmillenniumsofobservationandexperience.

WerethepresenttofallintothehandsofHume,hewouldbesuretoremark that Iamvindicating thechargepubliclybroughtbyhimagainstus: “Whenever unable to answer your arguments (?) they (we) calmlyreplythattheir(our)rulesdonotadmitofthisorthat”.Iamcompelledtoanswer that, since the secret is not mine, I cannot make of it amarketablecommodity.Letsomephysicistcalculate theamountofheatrequired to vaporise a certain quantity of water; let them compute thequantityofrainneededtocoveranarea—sayonesquaremiletoadepthofoneinch.Forthisamountofvaporisationtheywillrequireofcourseanamountofheat thatwouldbeequal toat least fivemillion tonsofcoal.Nowtheamountofenergy,ofwhich thisconsumptionofheatwouldbetheequivalent,corresponds(asanymathematiciancouldtellyou)tothat

whichwouldberequiredtoraiseaweightofupwardsoftenmilliontonsonemilehigh.Howcanonemangeneratesuchanamountofheatandenergy?Preposterous,absurd!Wearealllunaticsandyouwholistentouswillbeplacedinthesamecategoryifyoueverventuretorepeatthisproposition.YetIsaythatonemanalonecandoitandveryeasily,ifheisbutacquaintedwithacertain“physico-spiritual”leverinhimself,farmorepowerful than that of Archimedes. Even simplemuscular contraction isalwaysaccompaniedbyelectricandmagneticphenomena,andthereisthe strongest connection between the magnetism of the earth, thechangesofweather,andman,whoisthebestbarometerliving,ifhebutknowhowtodecipheritproperly.

Again, the state of the sky can always be ascertained by thevariationsshewnbymagneticinstruments.ItisnowseveralyearssinceIhad an opportunity of reading the deductions of science upon thissubject; therefore,unless Igo to the troubleof catchingupwhat Imayhave remained ignorant of, I do not know the latest conclusions ofscience. But with us it is an established fact that it is the earth’smagnetismthatproduceswind,storm,andrain.Whatscienceseemstoknowofitisbutsecondarysymptomsalwaysinducedbythatmagnetism,andshemayverysoonfindoutherpresenterrors.

The earth’s magnetic attraction of meteoric dust and the directinfluence of the latter upon the sudden changes of temperature,especiallyinthematterofheatandcold,arenotsettledquestionstothepresentday.IbelieveDr.Plimpsonin1867andCowperRanyardin1879bothurgedthetheory,butitwasrejected.Itwasdoubtedwhetherthefactofourearth’spassingthrougharegionofspace,inwhichtherearemoreor less of meteoric masses, has any bearing upon the height of ouratmosphere’s being increasedor decreased, or even upon the state oftheweather.Butwethinkwecouldeasilyproveit;andsincetheyacceptthefactthattherelativeproportionanddistributionoflandandwateronourglobemaybeduetothegreataccumulationuponitofmeteoricdust,(snow,especially inournorthernregions,beingfullofmeteoric ironandmagnetic particles), and deposits of the latter being found even at thebottom of seas and oceans, I wonder how science has not hithertounderstood thateveryatmosphericchangeanddisturbancewasdue tothe combinedmagnetism of the two great masses between which our

atmosphere is compressed. I call thismeteoric dust a “mass,” for it isreally one. High above our earth’s surface the air is impregnated andspace filledwithmagnetic-meteoricdustwhichdoesnotevenbelongtoour solar system. Science, having luckily discovered that as our earthwith all the other planets is carried along through space, it receives agreaterproportionofthatdustmatteronitsnorthernthanonitssouthernhemisphere,knowsthattothisareduethepreponderatingnumberofthecontinentsintheformerhemisphereandthegreaterabundanceofsnowandmoisture.Millions of suchmeteors and even of the finest particlesreachuseveryyearandeverydayandallourtempleknivesaremadeofthis “heavenly” iron, which reaches us without having undergone anychange—themagnetismoftheearthkeepingthemincohesion.Gaseousmatteriscontinuallyaddedtoouratmospherefromtheneverceasingfallofmeteoric,stronglymagneticmatter,andyetitseemswiththemstillanopenquestionwhetherthemagneticconditionshaveanythingtodowiththe precipitation of rain or not. I do not know of any “set of motionsestablishedbypressure,expansion,etc.,dueinthefirstinstancetosolarenergy”.Sciencemakestoomuchandtoolittleatthesametimeof“solarenergy”andevenofthesunitself;andthesunhasnothingwhatsoevertodowiththerainandverylittlewithheat.Iwasundertheimpressionthatscience was aware that the glacial periods, as well as those periodswhenthetemperaturewas“likethatofthecarboniferousage,”areduetothe decrease and increase, or rather to the expansion, of ouratmosphere, which expansion is itself due to the same meteoricpresence.Atanyrateweallknowthattheheatthattheearthreceivesbyradiationfromthesunisattheutmostonethird,ifnotless,oftheamountreceivedbyherdirectlyfromthemeteors.Question— Is the Sun’s corona an atmosphere of any known gases?andwhydoesitassumetherayedshapealwaysobservedineclipses?Answer—Callitachromosphereoratmosphere?Itcanbecalledneither;for it is simply themagnetic and ever-present aura of the sun seen byastronomers for a few brief moments only during the eclipses, and bysome of our Chelas whenever they like—of course while in a certaininducedstate.Acounterpointofwhattheastronomerscalltheredflamesin the corona may be seen in Reichenbach’s crystals, or in any otherstrongly magnetic body. The head of a man in a strongly ecstatic

condition, when all the electricity of his system is centred around thebrain,will represent (especially indarkness)aperfect simileof thesunduring such periods. The first artist who drew the aureole about theheadsofhisgodsandsaintswasnotinspired,butrepresenteditontheauthority of temple pictures and traditions of the sanctuary and thechambersofInitiationwheresuchphenomenatookplace.Theclosertotheheadortotheaura-emittingbody,thestrongerandthemoreeffulgentthe emanation (due to hydrogen, science tells us, in the case of theflames) hence the irregular red flames around the Sun or the “innercorona”. The fact that these are not always present in equal quantityshowsonlytheconstantfluctuationofthemagneticmatteranditsenergy,upon which also depend the number and variety of the spots. Duringperiodsofmagneticinertiathespotsdisappear,orratherremaininvisible.Thefarthertheemanationshootsout,themoreitlosesinintensity,until,graduallysubsiding,itfadesout;hencetheoutercorona;itsrayedshapebeingdueentirelytothelatterphenomenon,whoseeffulgenceproceedsfromthemagneticnatureofthematterandtheelectricenergy,andnotatallfromintenselyhotparticles,asassertedbysomeastronomers.

All this is terribly unscientific, nevertheless a fact, to which I mayaddanotherbyremindingyouthattheSunweseeisnotatallthecentralplanetofourlittleuniverse,butonlyitsveiloritsreflection.Sciencehastremendousdisadvantagesagainststudyingthatplanet,whichluckilyforus we have not, foremost of all being the constant tremors of ouratmosphere,whichpreventthemfromjudgingcorrectlythelittletheydosee.This impedimentwasnever in thewayof theancientChaldeeandEgyptianastronomers,norisitanobstacletous,forwehavethemeansofarrestingorcounteractingsuchtremors,acquaintedaswearewithalltheakasic conditions. Nomore than the rain secret would this secret,supposing we do divulge it, be of any practical use to your men ofscience unless they become occultists, and sacrifice long years to theacquirementofpowers.Only,fancyaHuxleyoraTyndallstudyingYog-Vidya!Hence themanymistakes intowhich they falland theconflictinghypothesesofyourbestauthorities.For instance, theSun is fullof ironvapours—a fact that was demonstrated by the spectroscope, showingthatthelightofthecoronaconsideredlargelyofalineinthegreenpartofthe spectrum, very nearly coinciding with an iron line. Yet ProfessorsYoungandLockyer rejected thatunder thewittypretext, if I remember,

that, if the coronawerecomposedofminuteparticles likeadust cloud(andit isthisthatwecallmagneticmatter)theseparticleswould(1)fallupontheSun’sbody;(2)cometswereknowntopassthroughthisvapourwithout any visible effect on them; (3) Prof. Young’s spectroscopeshowedthatthecoronallinewasnotidenticalwiththeironone,etc.Whytheyshouldcallthoseobjectionsscientificismorethanwecantell.

Firstly, the reasonwhy the particles—since they call them so—donot fallupontheSun’sbody isself-evident; thereare forcesco-existentwithgravitationofwhichtheyknownothing—besidesthatotherfactthatthere is no gravitation properly speaking only attraction and repulsion.Secondly,howcouldcometsbeaffectedbythesaidpassagesincetheir“passingthrough”issimplyanopticalillusion?Theycouldnotpasswithintheareaofattractionwithoutbeingimmediatelyannihilatedbythatforceofwhichnovrilcangiveanadequateidea,sincetherecanbenothingonearththatcouldbecomparedwithit.Passingasthecometsdothrougha“reflection,” nowonder that the saidvapour has “no visible effect upontheselightbodies”.

Thirdly, the coronal line may not seem identical through the best“gratingspectroscopes”;neverthelessthecoronacontainsironaswellasothervapours.Totellyouofwhatitdoesconsistisidle,sinceIamunabletotranslatethewordsweuseforit,andthatnosuchmatterexistsexceptintheSun—notinourplanetarysystem,atanyrate.Thefactisthatwhatyoucall theSun issimplythereflectionof thehuge“storehouse”ofoursystem wherein all its forces are generated and preserved—the Sunbeing theheartandbrainofourpigmyuniverse.Wemightcompare itsfaculae—those millions of small intensely brilliant bodies of which theSun’s surface away from the spots is made up—with the bloodcorpuscles of that luminary, though some of them, as correctlyconjecturedbyscience,areaslargeasEurope.Thosebloodcorpusclesaretheelectricandmagneticmatterinitssixthandseventhstate.Whatare those longwhite filaments twisted like somany ropesofwhich thepenumbraoftheSunismadeup?Whatthecentralpartthatisseenlikeahugeflameendinginfiery(threads)spires,andthetransparentclouds,orrathervapoursformedofdelicatethreadsofsilverylightthathangoverthoseflames?Whatbutthemagneto-electricaura—thephlogistonoftheSun?Sciencemaygoonspeculatingforever,yetsolongasshedoesnot

renouncetwoor threeofhercardinalerrorsshewill findherself forevergropinginthedark.Someofhergreatestmisconceptionsaretobefoundinherlimitednotionsofthelawofgravitation—herdenialthatmattermaybe imponderable, her newly invented term “force,” and the absurd andtacitlyacceptedideathatforceiscapableofexistingperse,orofacting(anymorethanlife)outside,independentof,orinanywayotherwisethanthroughmatter;inotherwords,thatforceisanythingbutmatterinoneofherhigheststates, the three last on theascending scalebeingdenied,onlybecausescienceknowsnothingofthem—andinherutterignoranceoftheuniversalProteus,itsfunctionsandimportanceintheeconomyofnature—magnetismandelectricity.Tellsciencethateveninthosedaysofthe decline of the Roman Empire, when the tattooed Britisher used tooffertotheEmperorClaudiushisnazzur[Tributaryoffering.]of“electron”in theshapeofastringofamberbeads, thateven then therewereyetmen remaining aloof from the universal masses, who knew more ofelectricity andmagnetism than they, themen of science, do now, andscience will laugh at you as bitterly as she now does over your kinddedication tome. [MrSinnett dedicatedhisOccultWorld to theMasterK.H.]

Verily,whenyourastronomers,speakingofSun-matter, termthoselights and flames “clouds of vapour” and “gases unknown to science,”chasedbymightywhirl-windsand cyclones (whereaswe know it to besimplymagneticmatter in itsusual stateofactivity),we feel inclined tosmileattheexpressions.Canoneimaginethe“Sun’sfiresfedwithpurelymineralmatter—withmeteoriteshighlychargedwithhydrogengivingtheSun a far-reaching atmosphere of ignited gas’? We know that theinvisible sun is composed of that which neither has name nor can becompared to anything known by your science on earth; and that its“reflection”containsstill lessofanything like “gases,”mineralmatter,orfire, though even we, when treating of it in your civilized tongue, arecompelled to use suchexpressionsas “vapour” and “magneticmatter”.Toclosethesubject,thecoronalchangeshavenoeffectupontheearth’sclimatethoughthespotshave,andProf.Lockyer ismostlywronginhisdeductions.Thesunisneitherasolid,aliquid,noryetagaseousglobe,but a gigantic ball of electro-magnetic forces—the storehouse ofuniversal lifeandmotion, fromwhich the latter pulsate in all directions,feedingthesmallestatomasthegreatestgeniuswiththesamematerial

untotheendoftheMaha-yuga.Question—Isthephotometricvalueoflightemittedbystarsasafeguideto their distance, considered of course in connection with distance asguessed by parallax, and is it true, as astronomy assumes faute demieuxinthewayofatheory,thatpersquaremiletheSun’ssurfaceemitsasmuchlightascanbeemittedfromanybody?Answer—I believenot. The stars are distant fromus, at least 500,000times as far as the Sun and some as many times more. The strongaccumulation of the meteoric matter and the atmospheric tremors arealwaysintheway.Ifyourastronomerscouldclimbontheheightof thatmeteoricdust,withtheirtelescopesandhavannas,theymighttrustmorethantheycannowintheirphotometers.Howcanthey?Neithercanthereal degree of intensity of that light be known on earth. Hence notrustworthybasis for calculatingmagnitudesanddistancescanbehad,nor have they hitherto made sure in a single instance, except in thematterofonestar,whichstarsshinebyreflectedandwhichbytheirownlight.Theworkingof thebest double star photometers is deceptive.Ofthis I have made sure, so far back as in the spring of 1878, whilewatching the observations made through a Pickering photometer. Thediscrepancy in the observations upon a star (near Gamma Ceti)amountedattimestohalfamagnitude.Noplanetsbutonehavehithertobeendiscoveredoutsideof thesolarsystem,withall theirphotometers,whileweknowwiththesolehalfofourspiritualnakedeyeanumberofthem,everycompletelymaturedSun-starhaving,asinourownsystem,severalcompanionplanetsinfact.Thefamous“polarisationoflight”testis about as trustworthy as all others. Of course, themere fact of theirstarting from a false premise cannot vitiate either their conclusions orastronomical prophesies, since both aremathematically correct in theirmutual relations, and that it answers the given object. Neither theChaldees nor yet our old Rishis had either your telescopes orphotometers,andyet theirastronomicalproductionswerefaultless—themistakes,veryslightones in truth, fatheredupon themby theirmodernrivals,proceedingfromthemistakesofthelatter.

Youmustnot complainofmy too longanswers to your very shortquestions, since I answer you for your instruction as a student ofoccultism,my“Lay”Chela,[Mr.SinnettcalledhimselfaLayChela,ashe

felthecouldnotobservethestrictdisciplinesofatrueChela.]andnotatall with a view of answering the Journal of Science. I am no man ofScience with regard to or in connection with modern learning. MyknowledgeofyourWesternsciences isvery limited in fact;andyouwillplease bear inmind that allmy answers are based upon, and derivedfrom, our Eastern Occult doctrines, regardless of their agreement ordisagreementwiththoseofexactscience.HenceIsay,“thesun’ssurfaceemits per squaremile, asmuch light (in proportion) as can be emittedfromanybody.”Butwhatcanyoumeaninthiscaseby“light’?Thelatterisnotanindependentprinciple;andIrejoicedattheintroduction,withaviewtofacilitatemeansofobservation,ofthe“diffractionspectrum”;sincebyabolishingalltheseimaginaryindependentexistences,suchasheat,actinism,light,etc.,itrenderedtooccultsciencethegreatestservice,byvindicatingintheeyesofhermodernsisterourveryancienttheorythateveryphenomenon,beingbuttheeffectofthediversifiedmotionofwhatwe call Akasa (not your ether), therewas in fact but one element, thecausativeprincipleofall.Butsinceyourquestionisaskedwithaviewtosettlingadisputedpoint inmodernscience, Iwill try toanswer it in theclearestwayIcan.Isaythenno,andwillgiveyoumyreasonswhy.

Theycannotknowit,forthesimplereasonthatheretoforetheyhavein reality found no sure means of measuring the velocity of light. Theexperiments made by Fizeau and Corum, known as the two bestinvestigatorsoflightintheworldofscience,notwithstandingthegeneralsatisfaction at the results obtained, are not trustworthy data, neither inrespecttothevelocitywithwhichsunlighttravelsnortoitsquantity.Themethodsadoptedbyboth theseFrenchmenareyieldingcorrect results(atany rateapproximately correct, since there is variationof 227milespersecondbetweentheresultof theobservationofbothexperimentersalbeitmadewiththesameapparatus)onlyasregardsthevelocityoflightbetweenourearthandtheupperregionsofitsatmosphere.Theirtoothedwheel,revolvingataknownvelocity,records,ofcourse,thestrongrayoflightwhichpassesthroughoneofthenichesofthewheelandthenhasitspointsoflightobservedwheneveratoothpassesaccuratelyenough.The instrument is very ingenious and can hardly fail to give splendidresults on a journey of a few thousand meters there and back, therebeingbetweentheParisobservatoryanditsfortificationsnoatmosphere,nometeoricmasses to impede the ray’s progress, and that ray finding

quiteadifferentqualityofamediumtotravelupontheetherofspace,theetherbetweentheSunandthemeteoriccontinentaboveourheads,thevelocity of light will of course show some 185,000 and odd miles persecond, and your physicists shout “Eureka”, nor do any of the otherdevicescontrivedbysciencetomeasurethatvelocitysince1887answeranybetter.All they can say is that their calculationsare so farcorrect.Could theymeasure light above our atmosphere they would soon findtheywerewrong.Question—IsJupiterahotandstillpartiallyluminousbody,andtowhatcause,as solarenergyhasprobablynothing todowithmatter, are theviolentdisturbancesofJupiter’satmospheredue?Answer—It is,so far;but is fastchanging.Yoursciencehasa theory, Ibelieve,thatiftheearthweresuddenlyplacedinextremelycoldregions—forinstance,wereittoexchangeplaceswithJupiter—allourseasandrivers would be suddenly transformed into solid mountains; the air (orratheraportionof theaeriformsubstanceswhichcompose it)wouldbemetamorphosedfromtheirstateofinvisiblefluid,owingtotheabsenceofheat, intoliquids(whichnowexistonJupiter,butofwhichmenhavenoideaonearth).Realizeortrytoimaginethereverseconditionanditwillbe that of Jupiter at the present moment. The whole of our system isimperceptiblyshiftingitspositioninspace,therelativedistancebetweentheplanets remainingever thesame,andbeing innowiseaffectedbythe displacement of the whole system; and the distance between thelatter and the stars and other suns being so incommensurable as toproducebutlittle,ifany,perceptiblechangeforcenturiesandmillenniatocome,noastronomerwillperceiveittelescopically,untilJupiterandsomeother planets whose little luminous points hide now from sightmillionsuponmillionsofstars(allbutsome5,000or6,000),willsuddenly letushaveapeepatafewoftheRajaSunstheyarenowhiding.Thereissucha King Star right behind Jupiter that nomortal physical eye has everyseenduring this ourRound.Could it be soperceived, itwouldappear,through the best telescope with a power of multiplying its diameter10,000times,stillasmalldimensionlesspointthrownintotheshadowbythe brightness of any planet; nevertheless, this world is thousands oftimeslargerthanJupiter.Theviolentdisturbancesofitsatmosphereandevenitsredspotthatsointerestsciencelatelyaredue(1)tothatshifting,

(2) to the influence of that Raja Star. In its present position in space,imperceptibly small though it be, themetallic substances of which it ismainlycomposedareexpandingandgraduallytransformingthemselvesintoaeriform fluids—thestateofourownearthand itssixsisterglobesbefore the firstRound—andbecomingpartof itsatmosphere.Drawourown inferences and deductions from this, my dear “Lay Chela,” butbeware lest in doing so you sacrifice your humble instructor and theoccult doctrine itself, on the alter of your wrathful goddess, modernScience.Question— Is there any truth in the new Siemens’ theory of solarcombination,i.e.,thattheSuninitspassagethroughspacegathersinatitspolescombustiblegas(whichisdiffusedthroughallspaceinahighlyattenuated condition), and throws it off again at the equator, after theintense heat of that region has again dispersed the elements, whichcombustiontemporarilyunited?Answer—I am afraid notmuch, since our Sun is but a reflection. TheonlygreattruthutteredbySiemensisthatinterstellarspaceisfilledwithhighlyattenuatedmatter,suchasmaybeput inairvacuum tubes,andwhichstretchesfromplanettoplanetandfromstartostar.Butthistruthhasnobearinguponhismain facts.TheSungivesall and takes backnothing from its system.TheSungathers nothing “at thepoles,”whicharealwaysfreeevenfromthefamous“redflames”atalltimes—notonlyduringeclipses.How is it thatwith their powerful telescopes theyhavefailed to perceive any such “gathering,” since their glasses show themeven“thesuperlativelyfleecyclouds”onthephoto-sphere?NothingcanreachtheSunfromwithouttheboundariesofitsownsystemintheshapeofsuchgrossmatter as attenuated gases.Every bit ofmatter in all itssevenstates is necessary to the vitality of the various andnumberlesssystems—worlds in formation, suns awakening anew to life, etc,—andtheyhavenonetospareevenfor theirbestneighboursandnextofkin.Theyaremothers,notstep-mothers,andwouldnottakeawayonecrumbfrom the nutrition of their children. The latest theory of radiant energywhichshowsthatthereisnosuchthingisnature,properlyspeaking,aschemical, light or heat ray, is the only approximately correct one. For,indeed,thereisbutonething—radiantenergywhichisinexhaustible,andknows neither increase nor decrease, and will go on with its self-

generatingwork to theendof theSolarManvantara.Theabsorptionofthe solar forces by the earth is tremendous, yet it is or may bedemonstratedthatthelatterreceiveshardly25percentof thechemicalpower of its rays, for these are despoiled of 75 per cent during theirverticalpassagethroughtheatmosphere,atthemomenttheyreachtheouterboundaryofthe“aerialocean,”andeventheseraysloseabout20percentinilluminatingandcaloricpower,wearetold.Whatwithsuchawastemust thenbe the recuperativepowerof ourFather-MotherSun?Yes, call it radiant energy, if you will; we call it life, all-pervadingomnipresentlife,everatworkinitsgreatlaboratory—theSun.Question—Couldanycluebegiventothecausesofmagneticvariations—the daily changes at given places, and the apparently capriciouscurvature of the isogonic lines which show equal declination? Forexample,whyistherearegioninEasternAsiawheretheneedleshowsnovariationfromthetruenorth,thoughvariationsarerecordedallroundthat space? Have your Lordships anything to do with this peculiarconditionofthings?Answer—None can ever be given by your men of science, whose“bumptiousness” makes them declare that only to those for whom thewordmagnetismisamysteriousagentcanthesuppositionthattheSunisahugemagnetaccount for theproductionby thatbodyof light,heatandthecausesofmagneticvariationsperceivedonourearth.Theyaredetermined to ignore and thus reject the theory suggested to them byJenkinsoftheR.A.S.oftheexistenceofstrongmagneticpolesabovethesurfaceoftheearth;butthetheory isthecorrectonenevertheless,andoneofthesepolesrevolvesroundtheNorthPoleisaperiodicalcycleofseveralhundredyears.HalleyandHandstein,besidesJenkins,weretheonly scientific men who ever suspected it. Your question is againansweredbyremindingyouofanotherexplodedsuggestion.Jenkinsdidhis best some three years ago to prove that it is thenorth end of thecompassneedle that is the truenorthpoleandnot the reverse,as thecurrent scientific theorymaintains. Hewas informed that the locality inBoothia,whereSirJamesRosslocatedtheearth’snorthmagneticpole,waspurelyimaginary;it isnotthere. Ifhe(andwe)arewrong, thenthemagnetic theory that like poles repel and unlike attract must also bedeclareda fallacy;since if thenorthendofadippingneedle isa south

pole,thenitspointingtothegroundinBoothia,asyoucallit,mustbeduetoattraction,and if there isanythingthere toattract it,why is it that theneedleinLondonisattractedneithertothegroundinBoothianortotheearth’scentre?Asverycorrectlyargued, if thenorthpoleof theneedlepointed almost perpendicularly to the ground in Boothia, it is simplybecauserepelledbythetruenorthmagneticpole,whenSirJamesRosswasthereabouthalfacenturyago.

No;our“Lordships”havenothingtodowiththeinertiaoftheneedle.It is due to the presence of certain metals in fusion in that locality.Increaseoftemperaturediminishesmagneticattraction,andasufficientlyhigh temperaturedestroys italtogether.The temperature Iamspeakingof is, in thepresent case, rather anaura, anemanation, thananythingthat scienceknowsof.Of course thisexplanationwillnever holdwaterwiththepresentknowledgeofscience.Butwecanwaitandsee.Studymagnetismwiththehelpofoccultdoctrines,andthenthatwhichnowwillappear incomprehensible, orabsurd in the lightofphysical sciencewillbecomeallclear.Question— Could any other planets besides those known to modernastronomy (I do notmeanmere planetoids) be discovered by physicalinstrumentsifproperlydirected?Answer—They must be. Not all of the intra-Mercurial planets, nor yetthoseintheorbitofNeptuneareyetdiscovered,thoughtheyarestronglysuspected.Weknowthatsuchexistandwheretheyexist,andthatthereareinnumerableplanets“burntout,”theysay—inobscuration,wesay—planetsinformationandnotyetluminous,andsoforth.Butthenthe“weknow” isof littleuse tosciencewhen thespiritualistswill notadmitourknowledge. Edison’s tasimeter, adjusted to its unmost degree ofsensitiveness and attached to a large telescope, may be of great usewhen perfected. When so attached, the “tasimeter” will afford thepossibility,notonlytomeasuretheheatoftheremotestvisiblestars,buttodetectbytheirinvisibleradiationsstarsthatareunseenandotherwiseundetectable, hence planets also. The discoverer [Edison became anhonorary member of the T.S., and a letter of his exists in the Adyarrecordsacknowledginghisdiplomaofmembership,whichhepromisedtoput in his “honour box” where he kept his really valued diplomas.] (anF.T.S.,agooddealprotectedbyM.)thinksthatifatanypointinablank

spaceofheaven—aspacethatappearsblankeventhroughatelescopeof the highest power—the tasimeter indicates an accession oftemperatureanddoesso invariably, thiswillbea regularproof that theinstrument is in range with a stellar body, either non-luminous or sodistantastobebeyondtherangeoftelescopicvision.Thistasimeter,hesays, “is affected by awider range of etheric undulations than the eyecan takecognizanceof”.Sciencewillhearsounds from certain planetsbeforesheseesthem.Thisisaprophecy.UnfortunatelyIamnotaplanet—notevena“Planetary,”otherwiseIwouldadviseyoutogetatasimeterfromhim,andthusavoidmethetroubleofwritingtoyou.Iwouldmanagethentofindmyself“inrange”withyou.

Simpleprudencemisgivesmeat the thought of enteringuponmynew roleas instructor. IfM.satisfiedyoubut little, Iamafraidofgivingyou still less satisfaction, for there are a thousand things Iwill have toleave unrevealed by my vow of silence; I have far less time at mydisposalthanhehas.HoweverIwilltrymybest.LetitnotbesaidthatIfailed to recognizeyourpresent sinceredesire tobecomeuseful to theSociety, hence to humanity, for I am deeply alive to the fact that nonebetter than yourself in India is calculated to disperse the mists ofsuperstitionandpopularerror,bythrowinglightonthedarkestproblems.ButbeforeIansweryourquestionsandexplainourdoctrineanyfurther,Ishallhavetoprefacemyreplieswithalongintroduction.

First of all and again I will draw your attention to the tremendousdifficultyof findingappropriate terms inEnglish,whichwouldconvey totheeducatedEuropeanmindevenanapproximatelycorrectnotionaboutthevarioussubjectswewillhavetotreatupon.Toillustratemymeaning,Iwillunderlineinredthetechnicalwordsadoptedandusedbyyourmenof science, and which withal are absolutely misleading, not only whenappliedtosuchtranscendentalsubjectsasonhand,butevenwhenusedby themselves in their own system of thought. To comprehend myanswers you will have first of all to view the eternal Essence, theSvabhavat,notasacompoundelementyouwillcallspirit-matter,butasthisoneelement forwhich theEnglishhasnoname. It isbothpassiveand active, pure spirit Essence in its absoluteness and repose, purematterinitsfiniteandconditionedstate,evenasanimponderablegas,orthatgreatunknownwhichsciencehaspleasedtocallforce.Whenpoets

talkof theshorelessoceanof immutability,wemust regard the termasbuta jocularparadox,sincewemaintain that there isnosuch thingasimmutability,inoursolarsystemasleast.

Immutability, say the theistsandChristians, isanattributeofGod,and forthwith they endow that God with every mutable and variablequality and attribute knowable as unknowable, and believe they havesolved the unsolvable and squared the circle. To this we reply, if thatwhich the theists call God, and science “Force and Potential energy,”were to become immutable but for an instant, even during the MahaPralaya—aperiodwhenevenBrahmthearchitectoftheworldissaidtohaveemergedintononbeing—thentherecouldbenoManvantara,andspace alone would reign unconscious and supreme in the eternity ofTime.Nevertheless,theismwhenspeakingofmutableimmutabilityisnomoreabsurdthanmaterialisticsciencetalkingof“latentpotentialenergy”and the“indestructibilityofmatterand force”.Whatarewetobelieve isindestructible? Is it the invisible something that moves matter, or theenergy of moving bodies? What does modern science know of forceproper,orsayforces,thecauseofcausesofmotion?Howcantherebesucha thingas “potentialenergy,” i.e.,anenergyhaving latent inactivepower,sinceitisenergyonlywhileitismovingmatter,andthatifiteverceased to move matter it would cease to be, and with it matter itselfwoulddisappear?Isforceanyhappierterm?Somethirty-fiveyearsbacka Dr. Mayer offered the hypothesis, now accepted as an axiom, thatforce, in the sense given it by modern science, like matter, isindestructible,namely,whenitceasestobemanifestedinoneformitstillexists, andhasonlypassed into someother form. As yet yourmen ofsciencehavenot foundasingle instance,whereone form is translatedinto another, andMr. Tyndall tells his opponents that in no case is theforceproducingthemotionannihilatedorchangedintoanythingelse.

Moreover we are indebted to modern science for the novel ofdiscovery that there exists a quantitative relation between the dynamicenergyproducingsomethingand thesomethingproduced.Undoubtedlythere exists a quantitative relation between cause and effect, betweentheamountofenergyusedinbreakingone’sneighbour’snose,andthedamage done to that nose, but this does not solve one bit more themystery of what they are pleased to call correlations, since it can be

easilyproved,andthatontheauthorityofthatsamescience,thatneithermotionnorenergyisindestructible,andthatthephysicalforcesareinnowayormannerconvertibleoneintoanother.Iwillcross-examinethemintheir own phraseology, and we will see whether their theories arecalculatedtoserveasabarriertoour“astoundingdoctrines”.

Preparingas Ido topropounda teachingdiametricallyopposed totheirown,itisbutjustthatIshouldclearthegroundofscientificrubbish,lestwhatIhavetosayshouldfallontooencumberedsoilandonlybringforth weeds. “This potential and imaginarymateria prima cannot existwithout form,” says Raleigh, and he is right, in so far that themateriaprima of science exists but in their imagination. Can they say that thesame quantity of energy has always been moving the matter of theuniverse?Certainlynot,solongastheyteachthatwhentheelementsofthematerialcosmos,elementswhichhadfirsttomanifestthemselvesintheir uncombined gaseous state, were uniting, the quantity of matter-movingenergywasamilliontimesgreaterthanitisnowwhenourglobeis cooling off. For where did the heat that was generated by thistremendousprocessofbuildingupauniversegoto?Totheunoccupiedchambersofspace,theysay.Verywell,butifitisgoneforeverfromthematerialuniverse,andtheenergyoperativeonearthhasneverandatnotimebeenthesame,thenhowcantheytrytomaintaintheunchangeablequality of energy, “that potential energy which a body may sometimesexert, the force which passes from one body to another producingmotion,andwhich isnotyetannihilatedorchanged intoanythingelse”.“Aye,”weareanswered, “butwestillhold to its indestructibility;while itremains connected with matter, it can never cease to be, or less ormore.”Letmeseewhetheritisso.Ithrowabrickuptoamason,whoisbusybuilding the roof of a temple.He catches it and cements it in theroof.Gravity overcame the propelling energywhich started the upwardmotionofthebrick,andthedynamicenergyoftheascendingbrick,untilitceased toascend.At thatmoment itwascaughtand fastened to theroof.Nonaturalforcecannowmoveit,thereforeitpossessesnolongerpotentialenergy.Themotionanddynamiteenergyoftheascendingbrickareabsolutelyannihilated.

Anotherexamplefromtheirowntextbook:youfireagunupwardsfromthefootofahill,andtheballlodgesinacreviceoftherockonthat

hill.Nonaturalforcecan,foranindefiniteperiod,moveit,sotheballasmuchasthebrickhaslostitspotentialenergy.“Allthemotionandenergywhich was taken from the ascending ball by gravity is absolutelyannihilated, no other motion or energy succeeds, and gravity hasreceived no increase of energy.” It is not true then that energy isindestructible.Howthen is it thatyourgreatauthority teachestheworldthat“innocaseistheforceproducingthemotionannihilatedorchangedintoanythingelse”.

Iamperfectlyawareofyouranswerandgiveyouthisillustrationbuttoshowhowmisleadingarethetermsusedbyscientists,howvacillatingand uncertain their theories, and finally how incomplete all theirteachings.OnemoreobjectionandIhavedone.Theyteachthatall thephysical forces, rejocning in specific names, such as gravity, inertia,cohesion, light, heat, electricity, magnetism, chemical affinity areconvertibleoneintoanother.Ifso,theforceproducingmustceasetobeas the force produced becomes manifest. A flying cannon ball movesonly from its own inherited forceof inertia.When it strikes, it producesheatandothereffects,butitsforceofinertiaisnottheleastdiminished.Itwillrequireasmuchenergytostartitagainatthesamevelocityasitdidatfirst.Wemayrepeattheprocessathousandtimes,andaslongasthequantity ofmatter remains the same, its forceof inertiawill remain thesame in quantity. The same in the case of gravity. Ameteor falls andproducesheat.Gravity is tobeheld toaccount for this,but theforceofgravityuponthefallenbodyisnotdiminished.

Chemicalattractiondrawsandholdstheparticlesofmattertogether,theircohesionproducingheat.Hastheformerpassedintothelatter?Notin the least, since the drawing the particles again together, wheneverthese are separated, proves that it, the chemical affinity, is notdecreased, for itwillhold themasstronglyasever together.Heat, theysay,generatesandproduceselectricity,yettheyfindnodecreaseintheheatintheprocess..Electricityproducesheat,wearetold.Electrometersshowthat theelectricalcurrentpasses throughsomepoorconductor,aplatinumwire say, and heats the latter. Precisely the same quantity ofelectricity,nodecrease;whatthenhasbeenconvertedintoheat?

Againelectricity issaid toproducemagnetism. Ihaveon the tablebefore me primitive electrometers, in whose vicinity Chelas come the

wholedaytorecuperatetheirnascentpowers.Idonotfindtheslightestdecrease in theelectricitystored.TheChelasaremagnetized,but theirmagnetism,orratherthatoftheirrods,isnotthatelectricityunderanewmask?Nomorethanaflameofathousandtaperslitattheflameoftheonelampistheflameofthelatter.Therefore,ifbytheuncertaintwilightofmodern science it is an axiomatic truth that during vital processes theconversiononly,andneverthecreationofmatterorforce,occurs,(Dr.J.R.Mayer’sorganicmotioninitsconnectionwithnutrition)it isforusbuthalfatruth.Itisneitherconversionnorcreation,butsomethingforwhichsciencehasyetnoname.

Perhaps now you will be prepared to better understand thedifficultieswith whichwe have to contend.Modern science is our bestally,yet it isgenerally thatsamesciencewhich ismade theweapon tobreakourheadswith.However,youwillhavetobearinmind:

(a)Thatwerecognizebutoneelement innature (whetherspiritualorphysical)outsidewhichtherecanbenonature,sinceitisnatureitself(not in thesenseofnatus, “born,”butNatureas thesum totalofeverything visible and invisible, of forms and minds, the aggregate of theknown and unknown causes and effects, the universe in short, infiniteanduncreatedandendlessasitiswithoutabeginning),andwhichastheAkasa pervades our Solar System, every atom being part of itself,pervades throughout space and is space in fact, which pulsates as inprofound sleep during the Pralayas, and is the universal Proteus, theeveractivenatureduringtheManvantara;

(b) That consequently spirit and matter are one, being but adifferentiation of states, not essences, and that the Greek philosopherwho maintained that the universe was a large animal, penetrated thesymbolicalsignificanceofthePythagoreanmonad(whichbecomestwo,then three,Δ, and finally having become the Tetraktys or the perfectsquare, thus evolving out of itself four and involving three Δ forms thesacredseven[thetriangleΔwithinabox],andthuswasfarinadvanceofallthescientificmenofthepresenttime;

(c)Thatournotionsofcosmicmatterarediametricallyopposed tothose ofWestern science. Perchance if you remember all this, wewillsucceed in imparting to you at least the elementary axioms of ouresotericphilosophymorecorrectlythanheretofore.

Fearnot,mykindbrother,yourlifeisnotebbingawayanditwillnotbeextinctbeforeyouhavecompletedyourmission. Icansaynomore,except that the Chohan has permittedme to devotemy spare time toinstructthosewhoarewillingtolearn,andyouwillhaveworkenough“todrop”yourFragmentsatintervalsoftwoorthreemonths.

My time isvery limited, yet Iwilldowhat Ican.But Icanpromisenothing beyond this. I will have to remain silent as to the Dhyan-Chohans,norcanIimparttoyouthesecretsconcerningthemenoftheseventhRound.Therecognitionofthehigherphasesofman’sbeingonthisplanet isnot tobeattainedbythemereacquirementofknowledge.Volumes of themost perfectly constructed information cannot reveal toman life in the higher regions.Onehas to get a knowledgeof spiritualfactsbypersonalexperienceandfromactualobservation,forasTyndallputsit,“factslookeddirectlyatarevital,whentheypassintowordshalftheir sap is taken out of them”. And because you recognise this greatprinciple of personal observation, and are not slow to put into practicewhatyouhaveacquiredinthewayofuseful information, isperhapsthereason why the hitherto implacable Chohan, my Master, has finallypermittedme to devote to a certain extent a portion ofmy time to theprogress of theEclectic. [TheSimla Eclectic Theosophical Society, thelocalbranchoftheT.S.atSimla.Mr.HumewasitsfirstPresident.]ButIambutoneandyouaremany,andnoneofmyfellowbrotherswith theexception ofM.will helpme in thiswork, not even our semi-EuropeanGreekBrother[TheMasterHilarion.]whobutafewdaysbackremarkedthatwhen “every one of theEclectics on the hill [i.e., Simla.]will havebecomeahereticthenhewillseewhathecandoforthem”.Andasyouareawarethereisverylittlehopeforthis.

Men seek often knowledge until they weary themselves to death,buteventheydonotfeelveryimpatienttohelptheirneighbourwiththeirknowledge;hence therearisesacoldness,amutual indifference,whichrendershimwhoknowsinconsistentwithhimselfandinharmoniouswithhis surroundings.Viewed fromour standpoint, theevil is fargreateronthespiritualthanonthematerialsideofman;hencemysincerethankstoyouanddesiretourgeyourattentiontosuchacourseasshallaidatrueprogressionandachievewider resultsby turningyourknowledge intoapermanentteachingintheformofarticlesandpamphlets.

But for the attainment of your proposed object, viz., for a clearercomprehensionof theextremelyabstruseandat first incomprehensibletheoriesofouroccultdoctrine,neverallowtheserenityofyourmindtobedisturbedduringyouhoursofliterarylabour,norbeforeyousettowork.Itis upon the serene and placid surface of the unruffled mind that thevisions gathered from the invisible find a representation in the visibleworld; otherwise youwould vainly seek those visions, those flashes ofsudden light which already helped to solve so many of the minorproblems,andwhichalonecanbringthetruthbeforetheeyeofthesoul.It is with jealous care we have to guard our mind-plane from all theadverse influenceswhich daily arise in our passage through earth life.Many are the questions you asked me in you several letters, I cananswerbutfew.

SECTIONVl

EthicsandPhilosophy

“Thoushaltnoteatofthefruitofknowledgeofgoodandevilofthetreethatisgrowingforthyheirs,”wemaysaywithmorerightthanwouldbewillinglyconcededusbytheHumesofyoursub-race.This“tree”isinoursafekeeping,entrustedtousbytheDhyanChohans,theprotectorsofour race,and the trustees for those thatarecoming.Try tounderstandtheallegory,andneverlosesightofthehintgivenyouinmyletteruponthe Planetaries. At the beginning of each Round, when humanityreappears under quite different conditions than those afforded for thebirthofeachnew raceand itssub-races,a “Planetary”has tomixwiththeseprimitivemen,andtorefreshtheirmemoriesandtorevealtothemthe truths they knewduring the precedingRound.Hence the confusedtraditionsaboutJehovah,Ormuzd,Osiris,Brahmandtuttiquanti.ButthathappensonlyforthebenefitofthefirstRace.Itisthedutyofthelattertochoose the fit recipients among its sons, who are “set apart” to use aBiblicalphrase,asthevesseltocontainthewholestockofknowledgetobedividedamongthefutureracesandgenerationsuntilthecloseofthatRound.Why should I saymore, since youmust understandmywholemeaning,andthatIdarenotrevealitinfull.EveryracehasitsAdepts;sowith every new race we are allowed to give them out asmuch of ourknowledgeasthemenofthatracedeserve.TheseventhRace,thelast,willhaveitsBuddhaaseveryoneofitspredecessorshad;butitsAdeptswillbefarhigherthananyofthepresentrace,foramongthemwillabidethefuturePlanetary,theDhyanChohanwhosedutyitwillbetoinstructorrefresh the memory of the first race of the fifth Round men, after thisplanet’s future obscuration. Closely allied to this question would beanotheroftenput:“Whatisthegoodofthewholecyclicprocess,ifspiritonlyemergesat theendofall thingspureand impersonal,as itwasatfirstbeforeitsdescentintomatter?”MyansweristhatIamnotatpresentengaged inexcusing,but in investigating theoperationsofNature,andthatperhapstheremaybeabetteransweravailable.

What emerges at the end of all things is not only pure and

impersonal spirit, but the collective “personal” remembrances skimmedoffeverynewfifthprincipleinthelongseriesofbeing.Andif“attheendofallthings’—sayinsomemillionsofyearshence—spiritwillhavetorestin its pure impersonal non-existence as the One or the Absolute, stilltheremustbesomegoodinthecyclicprocess,sinceeverypurifiedegohas the chance, in the long interims between objective being upon theplanets,toexistasaDhyanChohan—fromthelowestDevachaneetothehighestPlanetary—enjoyingthefruitsofitscollectivelives.

Butwhat is “spiritpureand impersonal,”perse? Is itpossible thatyou should not have realised yet ourmeaning?Why, suchaspirit is anonentity,apureabstraction,anabsoluteblanktooursenses—eventothemostspiritual.Itbecomessomethingonlyinunionwithmatter;henceitisalwayssomething,sincematterisinfiniteandindestructibleandnon-existent without spirit, which inmatter is life. Separated frommatter, itbecomes the absolute negation of life and being, whereas matter isinseparablefromit.Askthosewhooffertheobjectionwhethertheyknowanythingof“lifeandconsciousness”beyondwhattheynowfeelonearth.Whatconceptioncantheyhave—unlessnaturalbornseers—ofthestateandconsciousnessofone’sindividualityafterithasseparateditselffromthe gross earthly body?What is the good of the whole process of lifeuponearth,youmayasktheminyourturn,ifweareasgood,as“pure”unconscious entities before birth, during sleep, and at the end of ourcareer?Isnotdeath,accordingtotheteachingsofscience, followedbythesamestateofunconsciousnessastheonebeforebirth?Doesnotlifewhenitquitsourbodybecomeasimpersonalasitwasbeforeitanimatedthefoetus?

Life after all—the greatest problem within the ken of humanconception—is amystery that the greatest of yourmen of sciencewillneversolve.Inordertobecorrectlycomprehended,ithastobestudiedintheentireseriesofitsmanifestations—otherwiseitcannotbefathomednorevencomprehendedinitseasiestform,lifeasastateofbeinguponthis earth. It can never be grasped so long as it is studied separately,apart from the universal life. To solve the great problem one has tobecomeanoccultist,toanalyseandexperimentwithitpersonallyinallitsphases,aslifeonearth,lifebeyondthelimitofphysicaldeath—mineral,vegetable,animal,spirituallife;lifeinconjunctionwithconcretematter,as

well as life present in the imponderable atom. Let them try to examineandanalyse lifeapart fromorganism,andwhat remainsof it?Simplyamodeofmotion;whichunlessourdoctrineof theall-pervading, infinite,and omnipresent life is accepted—though it be accepted on no bettertermsthanahypothesisonlyalittlemorereasonablethantheirscientificones,whichareallabsurd—has to remainunsolved.Shall theyobject?Well,wewillanswerthembyusingtheirownweapons.Wewillsaythatitis and will forever remain demonstrated, that, since motion is all-pervading and absolute rest inconceivable—under whatever form ormaskmotionmay appear,whether as light, heat,magnetism, chemicalaffinityorelectricity—allthesemustbebutphasesofoneandthesameuniversal omnipotent Force, the Proteus they bow to as the greatUnknown(seeHerbertSpencer),andwhichwesimplycalltheOneLife,theOneLawandtheOneElement.

Thegreatestandmostscientificmindsonearthhavebeenkeenlypressingforwardtowardsthesolutionofthemystery,leavingnoby-pathunexplored,nothreadlooseorweakinthisdarkestoflabyrinthsforthem;andall havecome to thesameconclusion—thatof theoccultistswhengiven only partially—viz., that life in its concrete manifestation is thelegitimate result and consequence of chemical affinity. As to life in itsabstractsense—lifepureandsimple—well,theyknownomoreofittodaythan they knew in the incipient stage of theRoyal Society. They knewthat organisms in certain solutions previously free from life will springspontaneously (Pasteur andhisBiblical piety notwithstanding) owing tocertainchemicalcompositionsofsuchsubstances.

If,asIhope,IaminafewyearsentirelymyownMaster,Imayhavethepleasureofdemonstratingtoyouonyourownwriting-table that life,as life, is not only transferable into other aspects or phases of the all-pervadingForce, but that it can be transferred actually into an artificialman. A Frankenstein in nature is a possibility, and the physicists andphysiciansof the lastsub-raceof theSixthRacewill innoculate lifeandrevive corpses as they now innoculate smallpox andoften less comelydiseases. Spirit, Life and Matter are not natural principles existingindependentlyofeachother,buttheeffectsofcombinationsproducedbyeternalmotioninspace,andtheyhadbetterlearnit.LETTERNo.1

[NotesfromtheBookofKiu-te,thegreatrepositoryofoccultloreinthe keeping of the Adepts in Tibet. I believe there are thirty or fortyvolumes, a great deal shown only to Initiates. What follows is merelysome elementary catechism in the very beginning. We began to getthesenotesthroughMadameBlavatskywhenMr.HumeandIfirstsettoworktogether.Butwesoongotoffontootherlinesofrail.

TheveryfirstthingIeverhadinthewayofphilosophicalteachingIsentyouacopyoflastyear;itwasasketchofthechainofworldswhichIsuppose you have somewhere still. Thenwegot in a fragmentarywaythematerialsonwhichHumewrotethefirstofthe“OccultFragments”—that relating to the seven principles inman. It is necessary to have anabsolute comprehension of that division at starting. It runs through allnature in various shapes and ways. I now copy out of my MS book.A.P.S.]Question—Whatarethedifferentkindsofknowledge?Answer—The real (Dgyu) and the unreal (Dgyu-mi). Dgyu becomesFohatwheninitsactivity—activeagentofwill,electricity,noothername.Question—Whatisthedifferencebetweenthetwokindsofknowledge?Answer—Realknowledgedealswitheternalveritiesandprimalcauses,the unreal only with illusory effects, Dgyu stands independent of thebelieforunbeliefofman.Dgyu-mirequiresfaith,restsonauthority.Question—Whopossessestherealknowledge?Answer—TheLhas or Adept alone possesses the real knowledge, hismind being en rapport with the Universal Mind in its fullness, whichmakeshimadivinebeingexisting intheregionofabsolute intelligence,knowledgeofnaturallawsorDgyu.Theprofanecannotbecomeadang-ma(apurifiedsoul),forhelacksmeansofperceivingChhag,genesis,orthe beginning of things [As I go on copying, I see I shall have tointerpolateremarksofanexplanatorynaturenowandthen.TheseIshallidentify by leaving a broader margin than the copied out parts. [I puttheseremarksofMr.Sinnettinsquarebrackets.]Iwantednowtoremarkthat youmustnotbegivingyourself excessive trouble to commit theseTibetanwords tomemory.We soon got out of theway of using them.A.P.S.]

Question— Is there any difference between what produces primalcausesandtheirultimateresults?Answer—None. Everything in the occult universe, which embraces alltheprimalcauses,isbasedupontwoprinciples—KosmicEnergy(Fohatorbreathofwisdom)andKosmicIdeation.[ThyanKam=theknowledgeof bringing about or giving the impulse to cosmic energy in the rightdirection.InFohatallthatexistonearthasultimatesexistasprimates.]Question—Whatistheoneeternalthingintheuniverseindependentofeveryotherthing?Answer—Space.Question—Whatthingsarecoexistentwithspace?

Answer.1.Duration.2.Matter.3.Motion,forthisistheimperishablelife(consciousorunconscious

as the casemaybe).Evenduring thePralaya, or night ofmind (whenChyang, omniscience, andChiyang-mi-shi-khon both sleep), this latentunconscious life still maintains the matter it animates in sleeplessunceasingmotion.

4. The Akasa (Bar-nang) or Kosmic atmosphere (Astral Light orcelestial ether), whether in latent or active condition, surrounds andinterpenetratesallmatterinmotionofwhichitisatoncearesultandthemediumbywhichthecosmicenergyactsonitssource.

5.Purushaortheseventhprincipleoftheuniverse,[LingaShariraiscomposed of the etheral elements of the body’s organism and neverleaves the body but at death and remains near. This note, which isdisconnected from the immediate subject of the paper was probablyaddedbyM.inreplytosomecurrentquestionaskedatthattime.]Question—ArewetounderstandPurushaasanothernameforspaceorasadifferentthingoccupyingeverypartofspace?Answer—The same.Svayambhu occupies every part of space, whichitself is boundless and eternal, hence must be space in one sense.SvayambhubecomesPurushawhencomingincontactwithmatter.

Question—Theuniversalmind is theaggregateofall themindsof theDhyan Chohans or Planetaries, the result of the action of Purusha onmatter,justasthespiritualsoulinManistheactionofspiritonmatter.Answer—Yes.Question—Arewetolookuponthesevenprinciplesasallmatterorallspirit—one thing, with spirit as it were at one pole and matter at theother?Answer—Yes,justso.Question— If so, arewe to view themas different states ofmatter orspiritorhow?Answer—States, conditions, call it whatever you please. I call itKyen,i.e.,cause,itselfaresultofpreviousorsomeprimarycause.Question— All matter consists of ultimate molecules. How may weconceivethedifferentstatesofmatter?Answer—As the molecules go on rarefying, so in proportion theybecomeattenuated;andthegreaterthedistancebetweenourglobeandthem(Idonotmeanheretheregionwithinthereachofyourscience),thegreaterthechangeintheirpolarity,thenegativepoleacquiringastrongerproperty of repulsion, and the positive losing gradually its power ofattraction.(AndnowthetimeforyourmenofDgyutosetmedownasaTibetanass,andformetoreturnthecompliment.)

[Wewere anxious tomake out the correspondences between thesevenprinciplesofManandof theUniverse.M.wroteout thefollowingtable.]

MAN

Tibetan Sanskrit English

1 A-ku Rupa Body

2 Zer Jivatma Life-principle

3 Chhin-Lung LingaSarira Astralbody

4 Nga-Zhi Kama-Rupa Will-form

5 Ngi Lingadeha Animalsoul

6 Lana AtmanorMayavi-Rupa Spiritualsoul

7 HlunDhub Mahatma Spirit

UNIVERSE

Tibetan Sanskrit English

1Sien-chan(animateduniverse)S.S.a=earth,asanelement

Brahm(Prakriti-matterlyam,earth Organisedmatter

2 Zhihna Purusha Vivifyinguniversalspirit

3 Yor-wa Maya,Akasa Astralkosmicatmosphere

4 Od,light(theshiningactiveastrallight) Vach KosmicWill

5 NamKha Yajna UniversalIllusion

6 KonchhogNarayana(Spiritbroodingoverthewatersandreflectedintheuniverse)

UniversalMind

7 Nyng SvayambbuvaLatentSpiritEnsoph

[This may help to throw light on some Eastern metaphysicalwritings, but it seems to me an effort to put into words somecorrespondencesthataretoosubtleforsuchclassification.A.P.S.]Question— Sien chan=animated universe. SSa=earth as an element.Wherethendoescosmicorunorganizedmatterclass?

Answer—Zhigyn (cosmicmatter), Thog (span),Nyng (duration,Khon-wa (motion),areallone.Fire,aseverythingelse,hassevenprinciples.Od,one,butnotthemostmaterialsixth.Question— All matter cosmic or organised has inherentmotion.WhatthendoesZhihna,vitalsoulorvivifyingsouldotoit?Answer—There you see! As well ask “does for human body” when itcomes in conjunctionwith the other five. A dead body is composed ofmoleculesfulloflife,isit?Yetwhenthevitalsoulhasdesertedthewhole,what is itbutadeadbody?Giveupyourpansophyandcomedown toourDgyu.Webelieveinspontaneousgenerationandyoudonot.WesaythatZhihnabeingpositiveandZhigynnegative, it isonlywhenthetwocomeincontactortheformerbroughttoactonthelatterthatorganised,living,self-actingmatterisproduced.Everythinginvisible,imponderable—thespiritofathing—ispositive,foritbelongstotheworldofreality,aseverything solid and visible is negative. Primate and ultimate, positiveandnegative.Somuchinourmanifestedworld.Astheforcesmoveon,and the distance between organised and unorganisedmatter becomesgreater, a tendency towards the reverse begins to take place. Thepowers of attraction and repulsion become gradually weaker. Then acompleteexchangeofpropertiestakesplace,andforatimeequilibriumisrestoredinanoppositeorderateverygradefurtheronwards,orawaytowards their primary state; shifts no more mutually its property, butgraduallyweakensuntil it reaches theworldofnon-being,whereexiststhe eternal mechanical motion, the uncreated cause from whenceproceed,inakindofincessantdownwardandupwardrotation,thefountsof being from non-being—the latter, the reality, the former, Maya—thetemporary from the everlasting, the effect from its cause—the effectbecoming in its turn cause ad infinitum. During the Pralaya, thatdownward and upwardmotion ceases, inherent unconscious life aloneremaining—all creative forces paralysed, and everything resting in thenightofmind.Question—Arewetoconsideranyoftheprinciplesasnon-molecular?Answer—There comesa timewhenpolarity ceases to exist or act, aseverythingelse. In thenightofmind,all isequilibrised in theboundlesscosmosinastateofnon-actionornon-being.

Question—Andiscosmicmatternon-molecular?Answer—Cosmicmattercannomorebenon-molecularthanorganisedmatter.Theseventhprincipleismolecularaswellasthefirstone,buttheformer differentiates from the latter, not only by its molecules gettingwider apart and becoming more attenuated, but also by losing asgradually,itspolarity.Trytounderstandandrealisethisideaandtherestwillbecomeeasy.Thepanspermicandtheospermicconceptionswillbothbeinourwayastaughtbyyourschools.Youwillneverbeabletorealisethelatterasanabsurdity,solongasyoucomprehendbutimperfectlytheincessant work of what is called by occult science thecentral point inboth itsactiveandpassivestates.AsIsaid,webelieveinspontaneousgeneration, in the independent origin ofmatter whether living or dead,and we prove it, which is more than your Pasteurs and Wyman andHuxleyscansay.DidtheyknowthatZhihncannotbepumpedoutorshutout a glass vessel like air, and that hence wherever there is Purushatherecanbenothermallimitoforganiclife,theywouldhavebak-baked[Hindustani for purposeless chatter. A.P.S.] and told the world lessabsurdities than they have. In short, motion, cosmic matter, duration,spaceareeverywhere,and forperspicuity’s sake, letusplaceor fancythismultiplicity inorat the topofacircleboundless.Theyarepassive,negative,unconscious,yeteverpropelledby their inherent latent lifeorforce. During the day of activity, that cyclic force is ejecting from thecausative latent principle cosmic matter, as the wheel of a water-millejectsshowersofwater-dustrounditsrotatingcircle;putitincontactwiththe same principles (but whose condition owing to their findingthemselves outside the state of primitive passivity of the eternalimmutability has already changed). Thus the same principles begin toacquire, so to speak, the germs of polarity, Then coming within theUniversalmindDyan-Kamdevelopsthesegerms,conceives,andgivingtheimpulsecommunicatesittoFohat,who,vibratingalongAkasa,Od(astateofcosmicmatter,motion,force,etc.)runsalongthelinesofcosmicmanifestations and frames all and everything blindly agreed, yet asfaithfully in accordancewith the prototypes as conceived in the eternalmindasagoodmirrorreflectsyourface.

ExtractfromaLetterbytheMasterK.H.toA.O.Hume,1881

Diditeverstrikeyou—andnowfromthestandpointofyourWesternscience,andthesuggestionofyourownego,whichhasalreadyseizedtheessentialsofevery truth,prepare toderide theerroneous idea—didyoueversuspect thatuniversal, like finitehuman,mindmighthave twoattributesoradualpower,onethevoluntaryandconscious,theothertheinvoluntary and unconscious or mechanical power? To reconcile thedifficulties of many theistic and anti-theistic propositions, both thesepowers are a philosophical necessity. The possibility of the first, orvoluntary and conscious attribute in reference to the Infinite Mind,notwithstandingtheassertionsofalltheegosthroughoutthelivingworld,willremainforeveramerehypotheses,whereasinthefiniteminditisascientific and demonstrated fact. The highest Planetary Spirit is asignorantofthefirstasweare,andthehypothesiswillremainoneeveninNirvana,asitisamereinferentialpossibilitywhetherthereorhere.

Take the human mind in connection with the body; man has twodistinct physical brains—the cerebrum with its two hemispheres at thefrontal part of the head (the source of the voluntary nerves), and thecerebellum situated at the back part of the skull, the fountain of theinvoluntary nerves which are the agents for the unconscious ormechanicalpowersofthemindtoactthrough.And,weakanduncertainasmaybe thecontrolofmanoverhis involuntaryactions,suchas theblood circulation, the throbbing of the heart and respiration, especiallyduring sleep, yet how far more powerful, how much more potential,appearsmanasthemasterandrulerovertheblindmolecularmotion,thelaws which govern his body (proof of this being afforded in thephenomenal powers of the Adept and even of the commonYogi) thanthat which you call God shows over the immutable laws of nature.Contrary in that to the finite, the “InfiniteMind”—whichwenamesobutfor argument’s sake, for we call it the infinite force—exhibits but thefunctions of its cerebellum, the existence of the supposed cerebrumbeing admitted, as above stated, but on the inferential hypothesisdeducedfromtheKabalistictheory(correctineveryotherrelation)oftheMacrocosmbeingtheprototypeofthemicrocosm.

So far as we know, the corroboration of it by modern Sciencereceivingbut littleconsideration—so faras thehighestPlanetarySpiritshave ascertained, who, remember, have the same relations with thetrans-cosmicalworld,penetratingbehindtheveilofcosmicmatter,aswehavebehind the veil of this our gross physicalworld—the InfiniteMinddisplays to them, as to us, no more than the regular unconsciousthrobbings of the eternal and universal pulse of nature throughout themyriadsofworlds,withinaswithouttheprimitiveveilofourSolarSystem.Sofarasweknowwithinandtotheutmostlimit,totheveryedgeofthecosmicveil,weknowthefacttobecorrectowingtopersonalexperience;for the information gathered as to what takes place beyond we areindebtedtothePlanetarySpirits,andtoourblessedLordBuddha.

Thisofcoursemayberegardedassecond-handinformation.Thereare those who, rather than yield to the evidence of facts, will preferregarding even the Planetary Spirits as “erring,” disembodiedphilosophers, if not actually liars. Be it so. “Every one ismaster of hisownwisdom,”saysaTibetanproverb,andheisatlibertyeithertohonourordegradehisslave.However, Iwillgoon for thebenefitof thosewhomayyetseizemyexplanationoftheproblemandunderstandthevalueofthesolution.

ItisthepeculiarfacultyoftheinvoluntarypoweroftheInfiniteMind(whomnoonewouldever thinkofcallingGod) tobeeternallyevolvingsubjectivematterintoobjectiveatoms(youwillpleaserememberthetwoadjectivesareusedbutinarelativesense)orcosmicmatter,tobelateron developed into form, and it is likewise that same involuntarymechanicalpowerthatweseesointenselyactiveinallthefixedlawsofnature, which governs and controls what is called the universe or thecosmos. There are some modern philosophers who will prove theexistenceofaCreatorfrommotion;wesayandaffirmthatthatmotion—theuniversalperpetualmotionwhichneverceases,neverslackensnorincreasesitsspeed,notevenduringtheinterludesbetweenthePralayasor nights of Brahm, but goes on like a mill in motion whether it hasanything to grind or not (for the Pralaya means the temporary loss ofevery form,butbynomeans thedestructionofcosmicmatter,which iseternal)—wesaythenthisperpetualmotionistheonlyeternaluncreateddeitythatweareabletorecognise.ToregardGodasanintelligentspirit,

andacceptatthesametimethisabsoluteun-materiality,istoconceiveofanon-entity,ofablankvoid; toregardGodasaBeing,anEgo,and toplace this intelligence under a bushel for somemysterious reasons, ismostconsummatenonsense; toendowhimwith intelligence in thefaceof blind brutal evil, is to make of him a fiend, amost rascally God. Abeing, however gigantic, occupying space and having length, breadthandthickness, ismostcertainly theMosaicDeity.No-beingandamereprinciple lands you directly in the Buddhistic Atheism or the VedanticprimitiveAcosmism.

What lies beyond and outside the worlds of form and being, inworldsandspheresintheirmostspiritualisedstate(andyouwillperhapsobligeusbytellinguswherethat“beyond”canbe,sincetheuniverseislimitless and infinite) is useless for anyone to search after, since evenPlanetarySpirits have no knowledgeor perception of it. If our greatestAdeptsandBodhisattvashaveneverthemselvespenetratedbeyondourSolar System—and the idea seems to suit your preconceived theistictheorywonderfully,myrespectedbrother,theystillknowoftheexistenceof other such solar systems with as mathematical a certainty as anywestern astronomer knows of the existence of invisible stars which hecanneverapproachorexplore.Butofthatwhichlieswithintheworldsofsystems,not inthe“trans-infinitude,”(aqueerexpressiontouse),but inthecis-infinitude,rather,inthestateofthepurestandmostinconceivableimmateriality, no one ever knew or ever will know all; hence it issomethingnon-existentfortheuniverse.

Youareat liberty toplace inthiseternalvacuumthe intellectualorvoluntary powers of your Deity, if you can conceive of such a thing.Meanwhilewesaythatitismotionwhichgovernsthelawsofnature,andthat itgoverns themas themechanical impulsegiven to runningwater,which will profit them either in a direct line or along hundreds of sidefurrows theymay happen tomeet on theirway,whether those furrowsarenaturalgroovesorchannelspreparedartificiallybythehandofman;and we maintain that wherever there is life and being however muchspiritualisedaform,thereisnoroomformoralgovernment,muchlessfora moral governor, a Being who at the same time has no form noroccupiesspace! Ifverily the lightshineth indarknessand thedarknesscomprehendsitnot,itisbecausesuchisthenaturallaw;buthowmuch

moresuggestiveandpregnantwithmeaning foronewhoknows tosaythatlightcanstilllesscomprehenddarknessoreverknowit,sinceitkillsitwhereveritpenetrates,andannihilatesitinstantly.Apure,yetvolitional,spirit is an absurdity for volitionalmind. The result of organism cannotexist independent of an organized brain, and an organized brainmadeout of mind is a still greater fallacy. If you ask me, whence then theimmutablelawssincelawscannotmakethemselves,theninmyturnIwillask: and whence their supposed Creator? A creator cannot create ormakehimself if thebraindidnotmake itself; for thiswouldbeaffirmingthatbrainactedbeforeitexisted;howcouldintelligence—theresultofanorganizedbrain—actbeforeitsCreatorwasmade?

All this remindsmeofwrangling for seniorship. [This refers to the“SeniorWrangler,”thefirstonthelistinthemathematicalexaminationofCambridge University. In the old days, each scholar proceeding to adegree was a “wrangler,” that is, one ready to defend his thesis bydisputationagainstallcomers.]Ifourdoctrinesclashtoomuchwithyourtheories, thenwe can easily give up the subject and talk of somethingelse.

Study the laws and doctrines of the Nepaulese Svabhavikas, theprincipalBuddhistphilosophicalschoolinIndia,andyouwillfindthemthemost learned, as themost scientifically logical, wranglers in the world.Theirplastic,invisible,eternal,omnipresentandunconsciousSvabhavatisforceormotionevergeneratingelectricity,whichislife.Yes,thereisaforceaslimitlessasthought,aspotent,asboundlessaswill,assubtleasthe essence of life, so inconceivably awful in its rending force as toconvulsetheuniversetoitscentrecoulditbutbeusedasalever;butthisforce is notGod, since there aremenwho have learned the secret ofsubjecting it to theirwillwhennecessary.Lookaroundyouandsee themyriadmanifestationsof life,so infinitelymultiform,of life,ofmotion,ofchange.Whatcausedthem?Fromwhatinexhaustiblesourcecomethey,bywhatagencyoutoftheinvisibleandsubjectivehavetheyenteredourlittle area of the visible and objective? Children of Akasa, concreteevolution from the ether, it was force which brought them intoperceptibility,and forcewill in timeremove themfrom thesightofman.Whyshould thisplant inyourgarden, to the right,havebeenproducedwith such a shape, and that other one to the left, with one totally

dissimilar? Are these not the result of varying action of force—unlikecorrelations?Givenaperfectmonotonyofactivitiesthroughouttheworld,we should have a complete identity of forms, colours, shapes andpropertiesthroughoutallthekingdomsofnature.

It is motion with its resulting conflict, neutralization, equilibration,correlation,towhichisduetheinfinitevarietywhichprevails.Youspeakofanintelligentandgood—theattributeisratherunfortunatelychosen—Father,amortalguideandgovernorof theuniverseandman.Acertaincondition of things around us we call normal; under this nothing canoccur which transcends our every day experience (“God’s immutablelaws”).Butsupposewechangethisconditionandhavethebestofhim,withoutwhomevenahairofyourheadwillnotfall,astheytellyouintheWest.Acurrentofairbringscoldtomefromthelake,nearwhichwithmyfingers half frozen I nowwrite to you this letter. I change, by a certaincombinationofelectricalmagnetic,odyllicorotherinfluences,thecurrentofairwhichbenumbsmyfingersintoawarmbreeze,Ihavethwartedtheintentionof theAlmightyanddethronedhimatmywill. Icandothator,when I do not want nature to produce strange and too visiblephenomena,Iforcemynature(seeingnatureinfluencingSelfwithinme)tosuddenlyawaketonewperceptionsandfeelings,andthusammyowncreatorandruler.

But do you think you are right when saying “the laws arise”?Immutable laws cannot arise since they are eternal and uncreated,propelled in theeternity,andGodhimself, ifsucha thingexisted,couldneverhave thepowerofstopping them.Andwhendid Isay that theselawswere fortuitousper se? Imeant their blind correlations, never thelawsor rather the law,sincewe recognizebutone law in theuniverse,thelawofharmony,ofperfectequilibrium.

Then for aman endowed with so subtle a logic, and such a finecomprehension of the value of ideas in general and that of wordsespecially, foramansoaccurateasyougenerallyare tomake tiradesupon an “all-wise, powerful and loveful God” seems tome, to say theleast,strange.Idonot,protestatall,asyouseemtothink,againstyourtheism or a belief in an abstract idea of some kind; but I cannot helpaskingyou,“HowdoyouorhowcanyouknowthatyourGodisall-wise,omnipotent and loveful,wheneverything in nature, physical andmoral,

provessuchabeing, ifhedoesexist, tobequite thereverseofallyousayofhim?Strangedelusion,andonewhichseemstooverpoweryourveryintellect.

Thedifficultyofexplainingthefactthatunintelligentforcescangiverise to highly intelligent beings like ourselves is covered by the eternalprogression of cycles and the process of evolution ever perfecting theworldasitgoeson.Notbelievingincycles, it isunnecessaryforyoutolearnthatwhichwillcreatebutafewpretextforyou,mydearbrother,tocombatthetheoryandargueuponitadinfinitum.NordidIeverbecomeguilty of heresy I am accused of in reference to spirit andmatter. Theconceptionofspiritandmatterasentirelydistinctandbotheternalcouldcertainlyneverhaveenteredmyhead,howeverlittleImayknowofthem.For it isoneof theelementaryand fundamental doctrinesofOccultismthat matter and spirit are one, and are distinct but in their respectivemanifestations and only in the limited perception of the world of oursenses.Farfromlackingphilosophicalbreadththen,ourdoctrinesshowbut one principle in nature, spirit-matter or matter-spirit, the third, theultimateabsolute,andquintessenceofthetwo,ifImaybeallowedtousean erroneous term in the present application, losing itself beyond theviewandspiritualperceptionsofeventheGodsorPlanetarySpirits.Thethird principle, say the Vedantic philosophers, is the only reality,everything else beingMaya, as none of the Proteanmanifestations ofspirit-matter, or Purusha and Prakriti, have ever been regarded in anyother light than that of temporary delusions of the senses.Even in thehardlyoutlinedphilosophyof Isis, this idea is clearly carriedout. In thebookofKiu-tespiritiscalledtheultimatesublimationofmatterandmatterthe crystallization of spirit; and no better illustration could be affordedthan the very simple phenomenon of ice-water-vapour, and the finaldispersion of the latter, the phenomenon being reversed in itsconsecutivemanifestations,andcalledthespiritfallingintogenerationormatter,thistrinityresolvingitselfintounity.Adoctrineasoldastheworldof thoughtwasseizeduponbysomeearlyChristians,whohad it in theschoolsofAlexandriaandmadeitupintotheFatherorgenerativeSpirit,theSon,ormatter-man,andtheHolyGhost, the immaterialessenceortheapexoftheequilateralΔanideafoundtothisdayinthepyramidsofEgypt.

Thus oncemore it is proved that youmisunderstandmymeaningentirelywhenever, for the sake of brevity, I use a phraseology habitualwithwesternpeople.ButinmyturnIhavetoremarkthatyourideathatmatter is but the temporary allotropic form of spirit, differing from it ascharcoal does from diamond, is as unphilosophical as it is unscientificfrom both the eastern andwestern point of view; charcoal being but aformof residueofmatter,whilematterperse is indestructibleand,as Imaintain,canconceiveof.BereavedofPrakriti,Purusha(spirit)isunabletomanifest itself,henceceases toexist,becomesnihil,withoutspiritorforce;even thatwhichsciencestylesasnot livingmatter, theso-calledmineralingredientswhichfeedplants,couldneverhavebeencalledintoform.

Thereisamomentintheexistenceofeveryatomandmoleculeofmatterwhen,foronecauseoranother,thelastsparkofspiritormotionorlife,call itbywhatevernameyouplease,iswithdrawn;andinthesameinstant, with a swiftness that surpasses that of the lightning glance ofthought, the atom or molecule or the aggregation of molecules isannihilatedtoreturntoitspristinepurityofintra-cosmicmatter;itisdrawnto the mother fount with the velocity of a globule of quicksilver to thecentralmass.Matter,forceandmotionarethetrinityofphysicalobjectivenature, as the trinitarian unity of spirit and matter is that of spiritualsubjective nature; motion is eternal because spirit is eternal, but nomodes of motion can ever be conceived unless they be in connectionwithmatter.

Andnowtoyourextraordinaryhypothesisthatevil,withitsattendanttrainofsinandsufferingisnottheresultofmatter,butmaybeperchancethewiseschemeofthemoralGovernoroftheUniverse.Conceivableasthe idea may seem to you, trained in the pernicious fallacy of theChristian, that the ways of the Lord are inscrutable, it is utterlyinconceivable for me; must I repeat again that the best Adepts havesearched the universe during millenniums and found nowhere theslightesttraceofsuchaMachiavellianschemer,butthroughoutthesameimmutable inexorable law.Youmust excuseme therefore if I positivelydeclinetolosemytimeoversuchchildishspeculations.Itisnotthewaysof the Lord but rather those of some extremely intelligent men, ineverythingbutsomeparticularhobby,thataretomeincomprehensible.

As you say, this needmake no difference between us personally;but itdoesmakeaworldofdifference ifyoupropose to learnandoffermetoteach;forthelifeofmeIcannotmakeouthowIcouldeverimparttoyouthatwhichIknow,sincetheveryA.B.CofwhatIknowtobetherockuponwhichthesecretsoftheoccultuniverse,whetheruponthisorthatsideoftheveil,areencrusted,iscontradictedbyyouinvariablyandapriori. My dear Brother, either we know something or we do not knowanything.Inthefirstcase,whatistheuseofyourlearningsinceyouthinkyouknowbetter;inthesecondcase,whyshouldyouloseyourtime?Yousayitmattersnothingwhethertheselawsaretheexpressionofthewillofan intelligent conscious God, as you think, or constitute the inevitableattributesofanunintelligentunconsciousGod,asIhold.Isayitmatterseverything,sinceyouearnestlybelievethatthesefundamentalquestionsofspiritandmatter,ofGodandnoGod,areadmittedlybeyondbothofus,inotherwordsthatneitherInoryetourgreatestAdeptscanknowanymorethanyoudo.

ThenwhatisthereonearththatIcouldteachyou?Youknowthat,inordertoenableyoutoread,youmustlearnyourletters;yetyouwantto know the course of events before and after the Pralayas, of everyevent here on this globe on the opening of a new cycle, namely, amysteryimpartedatoneofthelastInitiations,asMr.Sinnettwastold;formylettertohimuponthePlanetarySpiritswassimplyaccidental,broughtoutbyaquestionofhis.AndnowyouwouldsayIamevadingthedirectissue, that I have discoursed upon collateral points but have notexplained toyouallyouwant toknow,and thatyouaskmeto tellyou.Yousay,“IdodgeasIalwaysdo”.Pardonmeforcontradictingyou,butitis nothing of the kind; there are a thousand questions I shall never bepermitted to answer, and it would be dodgingwere I to answer to youotherthanIdo.Itellyouplainlyyouareunfittolearn,foryourmindistoofull,and there isnotacornervacant fromwhenceapreviousoccupantwouldnotarisetostrugglewithanddriveawayanewcomer.ThereforeIdonotevade. Ionlygiveyoutimetoreflectanddeduce,andfirst learnwellwhatwas already given you, before you seize on something else.TheworldofforceistheworldofoccultismandtheonlyonewhitherthehighestInitiategoestoprobethesecretofbeing;hencenoonebutsuchanInitiatecanknowanythingof thesesecrets.GuidedbyhisGuru, theChela first discovers this world and its laws, then their centrifugal

evolutionsintotheworldofmatter.TobecomeaperfectAdepttakeshimlong years but at last he becomes a Master; the hidden things havebecomepatentandmysteryandmiraclehavefledfromhissightforever;heseeshowtoguideforceinthisdirectionorthat,toproducedesirableeffects; thesecret chemical, electricorodicpropertiesofplants,herbs,roots,minerals,andanimaltissueareasfamiliarasthefeathersofyourbirds are to you. [Mr. Hume was an ornithologist and had a valuablecollection of stuffed birds.] No change in the etheric vibrations canescapehim;heapplieshisknowledge,andbeholdamiracle!andhewhostartedwith the repudiation of the very idea thatmiracle is possible isstraightway classed as amiracle worker and either worshipped by thefoolsasademi-godorrepudiatedbystillgreaterfoolsasacharlatan.

And,toshowyouhowexactascienceisOccultism,letmetellyouthatthemeansweavailourselvesofarealllaiddownforusinacodeasoldashumanitytotheminutestdetails,buteveryoneofushastobeginfrom the beginning, not from the end. Our laws are as immutable asthoseofnature,andwereknowntomananeternitybeforethisstruttinggamecock, modern science, was hatched. If I have not given you themodusoperandiorbegunat thewrongend, Ihaveat leastshownyouthatwebuildourphilosophyuponexperimentanddeduction,unlessyouchoosetoquestionanddisputethisfactequallywithallothers.Learnfirstour laws and educate your perceptions, dear brother; control yourinvoluntarypowersanddevelop in the rightdirectionyourwill, andyouwillbecomeateacherinsteadofalearner.IwouldnotrefusewhatIhavearighttoteach,onlyIhadtostudyforfifteenyearsbeforeIcametothedoctrineofcyclesandhadtolearnsimplerthingsatfirst.But,dowhatwemayandwhateverhappens,Itrustweshallhavenomorearguing,whichisasprofitlessasitispainful.

NotesbytheMasterK.H.

onaPreliminaryChapterheaded“God”,byA.O.Hume,intendedtoprefaceanExpositionofOccult

Philosophy

NeitherourphilosophynorourselvesbelieveinaGod,leastofallinonewhosepronounnecessitatesacapitalH.OurphilosophyfallsunderthedefinitionofHobbes;itispre-eminentlythescienceofeffectsbytheircauses,andofcausesbytheireffects.Andsinceitisalsothescienceofthingsdeducedfromfirstprinciples,asBacondefinesit,beforeweadmitanynewprinciple,wemustknowit,andhavenorighttoadmitevenitsprobability.Yourwholeexplanationisbasedupononesolitaryadmission,madesimplyforargument’ssakeinOctoberlast.Youweretoldthatourknowledgewas limited to this ourSolarSystem:ergo, as philosopherswhodesired toremainworthyof thename,wecouldnoteitherdenyoraffirmtheexistenceofwhatyoutermedasupremeomnipotentintelligentbeingofsomesortbeyondthelimitsofthatSolarSystem.Butifsuchanexistence is not absolutely impossible, yet, unless the uniformity ofNature’s laws breaks at those limits, we maintain that it is highlyimprobable. Nevertheless we deny most emphatically the position ofAgnosticism in this direction, and as regards the Solar System ourdoctrine knows no compromise. It either affirms or denies, for it neverteachesbutthatwhichitknowstobethetruth.ThereforewedenyGod,bothasphilosophersandBuddhists.Weknow that therearePlanetaryandotherspirituallives,andweknowthatthereisinoursystemnosuchthingasGod,eitherpersonalorimpersonal.ParabrahmisnotaGod,butabsolute immutable law,and Isvara is theeffectofAvidyaandMaya,aignorancebaseduponthegreatdelusion.

Theword “God”was invented to designate theunknowncauseofthose effects which man has either admired or dreaded withoutunderstandingthem,andsinceweclaimandareabletoprovewhatweclaim, i.e., the knowledge of that cause or those causes, we are in apositiontomaintainthatthereisnoGodorgodsbehindthem.TheideaofGodisnotaninnatebutanacquirednotion,andwehavebutonethingincommonwith theologists—wereveal the infinite.Butwhileweassigntoallthephenomenathatproceedfromtheinfiniteandboundlessspace,

durationandmotion,material,natural,sensibleandknown(tousatleast)causes;thetheistsassignthemspiritual,supernatural,unintelligibleandunknown causes. The God of the theologians is simply an imaginarypower,“unloup-garou”asDolbackexpressesit,apowerwhichhasneveryet manifested itself. Our chief aim is to deliver humanity from thisnightmare,and to teachmanvirtue for itsownsake,and towalk in liferelying on himself instead of leaning on a theological crutch that forcountless ages was the direct cause of nearly all human misery.Pantheisticwemaybecalled,agnosticnever.

If people are willing to accept and regard asGod our “One Life,”immutableandunconsciousinitseternity,theymaydoso,andthuskeepto one more gigantic misnomer; but then they will have to say withSpinoza, that there is not, and that we cannot conceive, any othersubstancethanGod,orasthatfamousandunfortunatephilosophersaysin his fourteenth proposition—PraeterDeum neque dari, neque concipipotest substantia—and thus becomePantheists.Who but a theologiannursed on the most absurd supernaturalism can imagine self-existentbeing, of necessity infinite and omnipresent, outside the manifested,boundlessuniverse?Thewordinfiniteisbutanegationwithexcludestheideaofbounds. It isevident thatabeing independentandomnipresentcannotbelimitedbyanythingwhichisoutsideofhimself,thattherecanbe nothing exterior to himself—not even vacuum; then where is thereroomformatter?forthatmanifestedeventhoughthelaterlimited.[SoinMS.] Ifweaskthetheists,“IsyourGodvacuumspaceormatter?” theywillreply,‘no.”AndyettheyholdthattheirGodpenetratesmatterthoughheisnothimselfmatter.

Whenwe speak of our “One Life,”we also say that it penetrates,nay,istheessenceofeveryatomofmatter,andthatthereforeitnotonlyhascorrespondencewithmatter,buthasall itsproperties likewise,etc.,hence is material, is matter itself. “How can intelligence proceed oremanatefromnon-intelligence?youkeptaskinglastyear.“Howcouldahighly intelligenthumanity,man thecrownof reason,beevolvedoutofblindunintelligent lawor force?”Butoncewereasonon that line Imayaskinmyturn:“Howcouldcongenitalidiots,non-reasoninganimals,andtherestofthecreationhavebeencreatedby,orevolvedfrom,absolutewisdom,ifthelatterisathinkingintelligentbeing,theauthorandrulerof

theuniverse?”HowsaysDr.ClarkeinhisexaminationoftheproofoftheexistenceoftheDivinity:“GodWhohathmadetheeyeshallHenotsee,GodWhohathmade theear shallHenot hear?”But according to thismode of reasoning, they would have to admit that in creating an idiot,God is an idiot, that hewhomade somany irrational beings, somanyphysical andmoral monsters, must be an irrational being.We are notAdwaitis,butourteachingrespectingtheOneLifeisidenticalwiththatoftheAdwaitiswithregardtoParabrahm,andidenticalineveryrespectwiththeuniversal lifeandsoul, themacrocosmwith themicrocosm,andheknowsthat there isnoGodapart fromhimself,noCreatorasnobeing.Having found Gnosis we cannot turn our backs on it and becomeagnostic.Werewe to admit that even the highestDhyanChohans areliabletoerrunderadelusion,therewouldbenorealityforusindeed,andtheoccultsciencewouldbeasgreatachimeraasthatGod.Ifthereisanabsurdity in denying that which we do not know, it is still moreextravagant toassign to itunknown laws.According to logic,nothing isthat of which everything can truly be denied, and nothing can be trulyaffirmed. The idea, therefore, either of a finite or infinite nothing is acontradiction in terms.Andyet according to theologians, “God the self-existent Being, is a most simple, unchangeable, incorruptible being,without parts, figure,motion, divisibility or anyother suchproperties aswe find in matter; for all such things do plainly and necessarily implyfiniteness intheirverynotion,andareutterly inconsistentwithcompleteinfinity.”ThereforetheGodhereofferedtotheadorationofthenineteenthcentury lacksevery quality uponwhichman’smind is capable of fixinganyjudgement.Whatisthis infactbutabeingofwhomtheycanaffirmnothingthatisnotinstantlycontradicted?TheirownBible,theirrevelationdestroys all themoral perceptions they heap upon him, unless indeedtheycall thosequalitiesperfections, thateveryotherman’s reasonandcommonsensecallimperfections,odiousvicesandbrutalwickedness.

Naymore, thosewho readourBuddhist scriptures,written for thesuperstitious masses, will fail to find in them a demon so vindictive,unjust, so cruel and so stupid, as the celestial tyrant upon whom theChristians prodigally lavish their servile worship, and upon whom theirtheologiansheap thoseperfections thatarecontradictedoneverypageoftheirBible.Trulyandveritably,yourtheologyhascreatedherGodbuttodestroyhimpiecemeal;yourchurch isa fabulousSaturnwhobegets

childrenbuttodestroythem.

TheUniversalMind

A few reflectionsandargumentsought tosupporteverynew idea.For instance,wearesuretobetakentotaskfor thefollowingapparentcontradiction.WedenytheexistenceofathinkingconsciousGod,onthegroundthatsuchaGodmusteitherbeconditioned,limitedandsubjecttochange,thereforenotinfinite,or,ifheberepresentedtousasaneternal,unchangeableandindependentbeing,withnotaparticleofmatterinhim;thenwe answer that it is no-being, but an immutable blind principle, alaw.Andyet, theywill say,webelieve inDhyansorPlanetaries (Spiritsalso) and endow them with a universal mind—and this must beexplained.Ourreasonsmustbebrieflysummedupthus:—

(1)We deny the absurd proposition that there can be, even in aboundless and eternal universe, two infinite, eternal, and omnipresentexistences; (2) matter we know to be eternal, i.e., having had nobeginning; (a)becausematter isnatureherself; (b)because thatwhichcannot annihilate itself and is indestructible exists necessarily, andthereforeitcannotbegintobe,norcannotitceasetobe;(c)becausetheaccumulated experiences of countless ages and that of exact scienceshowtousmatter(ornature)actingbyherownpeculiarenergy,ofwhichnot one atom is ever in a state of absolute rest, and therefore itmusthavealwaysexisted,i.e.,itsmaterialseverchangingform,combinationsand properties, but its principles or elements being absolutelyindestructible;(3)astoGod,sincenoonehaseveroratanytimeseenHim or It, unless He or It is the very essence and nature of thisboundless,eternalmatter, itsenergyandmotion,wecannotregardhimaseithereternalorinfiniteoryetself-existing.

We refuse to admit a being or an existence of which we knowabsolutelynothingbecause(a)thereisnoroomforhiminthepresenceof that matter whose undeniable properties and qualities we knowthoroughlywell (b) because ifhe or it is but a part of thatmatter, it isridiculous tomaintain that he is themover of that ofwhich he is but adependentpart,and(c)becauseiftheytellusthatGodisaself-existent,purespirit,independentofmatter,anextracosmicDeity,weanswerthat,admittingeventhepossibilityofsuchanimpossibility, i.e.,hisexistence,

we yet hold that a purely immaterial spirit cannot be an intelligent,consciousruler,norcanhehaveanyoftheattributesbestoweduponhimby theology, and thus such a God becomes again but a blind force.Intelligence as found in our Dhyan Chohans is a faculty that canappertainbuttoorganisedoranimatedbeings,howeverimponderable,orratherinvisible,thematerialoftheirorganisations.

Intelligence requires the necessity of thinking; to think one musthaveideas;ideassupposesenses,whicharephysicalandmaterial;andhow can anything material belong to pure spirit? If it be objected thatthoughtcannotbeapropertyofmatter,wewillask,“Whynot”?Wemusthaveanunanswerableproofofthisassumptionbeforewecanacceptit.OfthetheologianwewouldenquirewhatwastheretopreventhisGod,since he is the alleged Creator of all, from endowing matter with thefacultyof thought,andwhenansweredthatevidently ithasnotpleasedhim todo so, that it is amysteryaswell asan impossibility,wewouldinsist upon being told why is it more improbable that matter shouldproduce spirit and thought, than that the spirit or the thought of Godshouldproduceorcreatematter.

We do not bow our heads in the dust before the mystery of themind,forwehavesolveditagesago.Rejectingwithcontemptthetheistictheory,werejectasmuch theautomaton theory, teaching thatstatesofconsciousnessareproducedby themarshallingof themoleculesof thebrain; and we feel as little respect for that other hypothesis—theproduction ofmolecularmotion by consciousness. Then inwhatdowebelieve?Well,webelieveinthemuchlaughed-atphlogiston (seearticle“What isForceandWhat isMatter?” “Theosophist”,September)and inwhatsomenaturalphilosopherswouldcallnisus—the incessant thoughperfectly imperceptible (to the ordinary senses) motions or efforts onebodyismakingonanother—thepulsationsofinertmatter—itslife.

ThebodiesofthePlanetarySpiritsareformedofthatwhichPriestlyandotherscalledphlogiston,andforwhichwehaveanothername—thisessence in its highest (seventh) state forming thatmatter of which theorganisms of the highest and purestDhyans are composed, and in itslowestordensestform(soimpalpableyetthatsciencecallsitenergyandforce)servingasacovertothePlanetariesofthefirstorlowestdegree.

In other words, we believe in matter alone, in matter as visible

nature and matter in its invisibility as the invisible, omnipresent,omnipotentProteuswithitsunceasingmotionwhichisitslife,andwhichnaturedrawsfromherself,sincesheisthegreatwhole,outsideofwhichnothing can exist. For as Belfinger asserts: “Motion is a manner ofexistencethatflowsnecessarilyoutoftheessenceofmatter,thatmattermoves by its own peculiar energies, that itsmotion is due to the forcewhichisinherentinitself,thatthevarietyofmotionandthephenomenathat result proceed from the diversity of the properties, of the qualitiesandofthecombinationswhichareoriginallyfoundintheprimitivematter,of which nature is the assemblage”; and of which your science knowsless than one of our Tibetan Yak-drivers of Kant’s metaphysics. Theexistence of matter, then, is a fact; the existence of motion is anotherfact;thenself-existenceandeternityorindestructibilityisathirdfact;andtheideaofpurespiritasaBeingoranexistence—giveitwhatevernameyouwill—isachimera,agiganticabsurdity.

Avalokitesvara

Now that you are at the centre ofmodernBuddhistic exegesis, inpersonalrelationswithsomeoftheclevercommentators(fromwhomtheholyDevasdeliverus),Ishalldrawyourattentiontoafewthingswhicharereallyasdiscreditabletotheperceptionsofevennon-initiatesastheyare misleading to the general public. The more one reads suchspeculationsas thoseofRhys-DavidsandLillie, the lesscanonebringoneselftobelievethattheunregeneratewesternmindcanevergetatthecore of our abstruse doctrines. Yet hopeless as their casesmay be, itwouldappearwellworththetroubletotest the intuitionofsomeofyourmembersbyhalfexpoundingoneortwomysteries,andleavingthemtocomplete the chain themselves. Shall we takeMr. Rhys-Davids as ourfirstsubject,andshowthat, indirectlyashehasdoneit,yetit ishimselfwho strengthened the absurd ideas of Mr. Lillie, who fancies he hasproved belief in a personal God in ancient Buddhism. Rhys-Davids’“Buddhism” is full of the sparkle of ourmost important esotericism, butalways,asitwouldseem,beyondnotonlyhisreachbutapparentlyevenhispowersofintellectualperception.Toavoid“absurdmetaphysics”andits “inventions,” he creates unnecessary difficulties and falls headlonginto inextricable confusion.He is like theCape settlers,who lived overdiamondfieldswithoutsuspectingit.

I shall only instance the definition of Avalokitesvara on pp.202-3.TherewefindtheauthorsayingwhattoanyOccultistseemsapalpableabsurdity:“ThenameAvalokitesvara,whichmeans‘TheLordwholooksdownfromonhigh,’ isapurelymetaphysicalinvention.Thecurioususeofthepastparticipleavalokita inanactivesenseisclearlyevident fromthetranslationintoTibetanandChinese.”Nowsayingthatitmeans“theLordwholooksdownfromonhigh,”orashekindlyexplainsfurther,“thespiritoftheBuddhaspresentintheChurch,”isacompletereversalofthesense. Inshort,Avalokitesvara literally interpretedmeans“theLord thatisseen,” “Isvara” implyingmoreover rather theadjective than thenoun,—lordly, self-existent, lordliness—not Lord. It is, when correctlyinterpreted, inonesense“thedivineselfperceivedorseenbyself,” theAtman or seventh principle ridded of its Mayavic distinction from itsuniversalsource,whichbecomestheobjectofperception,forandbythe

individuality centred in Buddhi, the sixth principle, something thathappensonly in thehigheststateofSamadhi.This isapplying it to themicrocosm. In the other sense, Avalokitesvara implies the seventhuniversal principle as the object perceived by the universal Buddhi or“Mind”orIntelligence,whichisthesyntheticaggregationofalltheDhyanChohans,asofallother intelligencies,whethergreatorsmall, thateverwere, are or will be. Nor is it the “spirit of the Buddhas present in theChurch,” but the omnipresent universal spirit in the temple of nature inonecase,andtheseventhprinciple,theAtman,inthetempleofmanintheother.Mr.Rhys-Davidsmightatleasthaverememberedthe(tohim)familiarsimilemadebytheChristianadept,theKabalisticPaul:“Knowyenot thatyeare the templeofGodand that thespiritofGoddwelleth inyou?” and thus avoided making a mess of the name. Though as agrammarianhedetected theuseof the “pastparticiplepassive,”yetheshows himself far from an inspiredPaul in overlooking the true cause,andsavinghisgrammarbyraisingthehueandcryagainstmetaphysics.AndyethequotesBeale’sCatenaashisauthorityfortheinvention,whenin truth this work is perhaps the only one in English that gives anapproximatelycorrectexplanationoftheword,atanyrate,onpage374.

“Self-Manifested”—how?Itisasked.“SpeechorVachwasregardedastheSonofManifestationoftheEternalSelf,andwasadoredunderthenameofAvalokitesvara, themanifestedGod.”Thisshowsasclearlyascan be that Avalokitesvara is both the manifested Father and themanifestedSon, the latterproceeded fromand identifiedwith theother;namelytheParabrahmandJivatma,theuniversalandtheindividualisedseventhprinciple,thePassiveandtheActive,thelattertheWord,Logos,the “Verb,” call it bywhatevernameyouwill;only let theseunfortunatedeluded Christians know that the realChrist of every Christian is theVach,the“mysticalvoice,”whilethemanJeshuwasbutamortallikeanyof us, anAdeptmore by his inherent purity and ignorance of real evil,thanbywhathehadlearnedfromhisinitiatedRabbisandthealready(atthatperiod) fastdegeneratingEgyptianhierophantsandpriests.AgreatmistakeisalsomadebyBeal,whosays:“Thisname(Avalokitesvara)inChinese took the form of Kwan-shai-yin, and the divinity worshippedunder thatname(was)generally regardedasa female.”Kwan-shai-yin,or the universally manifested voice, is active male, and must not beconfounded with Kwan-yin, or Buddhi, the spiritual Soul (the sixth

principle)and thevehicleof its “Lord”. It isKwan-yin that is the femaleprincipleor themanifestedpassive,manifesting itself “toeverycreaturein the universe, in order to deliver all men from the consequences ofsin”—as rendered by Beal, this once, quite correctly (p.383)—whileKwan-shai-yin, theSon identicalwithhisFather, is theabsoluteactivity,hencehavingnodirectrelationtoobjectsofsenseasPassivity.

Whatacommon ruse it isof yourAristotelians!Withsleuth-houndpersistence they track an idea to the very verge of the impassablechasm;andthen,broughttobay,leavethemetaphysicianstotakeupthetrailiftheycan,orletitbelost.ItisbutnaturalthataChristiantheologian,amissionary,shouldactuponthisline,since,aseasilyperceivedeveninthelittleIgaveoutjustnow,atoocorrectrenderingofourAvalokitesvaraand Kwan-shai-yin might have very disastrous effects. It would simplyamount to showing Christendom the true and undeniable origin of the“awful and incomprehensible mysteries” of its Trinity, Trans-substantiation,ImmaculateConception,asalsowhencetheirideasoftheFather,Son,Spiritus—andmother. It is lesseasy toshuffleat pleasurethe cards of Buddhistic chronology than those of Krishna and Christ.They cannot place—however much they would—the birth of our LordSangyasBuddhaA.D.,as theyhavecontrived toplace thatofKrishna.ButwhyanatheistandamaterialistlikeMr.Rhys-Davidsshouldsoavoidthe correct rendering of our dogmas even when he happens tounderstand them—which does not happen every day—is somethingsurpassingly curious. In this instance the blind and guilty Rhys-Davidsleads the blind and innocent Mr. Lillie into the ditch, when the lattercatchingattheprofferedstrawrejoicesintheideathatBuddhismteachesinrealityapersonalGod.

DoesyourB.T.S.[BritishTheosophicalSociety]knowthemeaningof thewhite and black interlaced triangles of the Parent Society’s sealthatithasalsoadopted?ShallIexplain?Thedoubletriangle,viewedbythe Jewish Kabalists as Solomon’s seal, is, asmany of you doubtlessknow, the Sri-an-tara of the archaic Aryan Temple, the “mystery ofmysteries,”ageometricalsynthesisofthewholeoccultdoctrine.Thetwointerlaced trianglesare theBuddhanymus of creation.Theycontain the“squaringof thecircle,” the “philosopher’sstone,” thegreatproblemsofLifeandDeath—andthemysteryofEvil.TheChelawhocanexplainthis

fromeveryoneofitsaspectsisvirtuallyanAdept.Howisitthenthattheonlyoneamongyouwhohascomesoneartounravellingthemysteryisalsotheonlyonewhogotnoneofherideasfrombooks?Unconsciouslyshegivesout tohimwhohas thekey, the first syllableof the IneffableName!Ofcourseyouknowthatthedoubletriangle,theSalkirChakramofVishnu,orthesix-pointed

star, is the perfect seven. In all the oldSanskritworks,Vedic andTantric, you find thenumbersixmentionedmoreoften thanseven, thislastfigure,thecentralpoint,beingimplied,foritisthegermofthesixandtheirmatrix.Itisthenthus:thecentralpointstandingforseventhandthecircle, the Maha-akasha, endless space for the seventh universalprinciple. InonesensebothareviewedasAvalokitesvara, for theyaretriangles; the upward pointing one is wisdom concealed, and thedownwardpointingonewisdomrevealed(inthephenomenalworld).Thecircle indicates the bounding, circumscribing quality of the All, theuniversalPrinciple,whichfromanygivenpointexpandssoastoembraceallthings,whileembodyingthepotentialityofeveryactioninthecosmos.Atthepointthereisthecentreroundwhichthecircleistraced,theyareidentical and one, though from the standpoint of Maya and Avidya(illusion and ignorance) one is separated from the other by themanifestedtriangle, thethreesidesofwhichrepresent thethreegunas,finite attributes. In symbology the central point is Jivatma, (the seventhprinciple) whence Avalokitesvara, the Kwan-Shai-yin, the manifested“voice” (or Logos), the germ point ofmanifested activity; hence, in thephraseology of the Christian Kabalists, “the son of the Father andmother,”andagreeablytoours,“theselfmanifestedinself”,Jih-Sui, the“oneformofexistence,”thechildofDharmakaya(theuniversallydiffusedessence),bothmaleandfemale,Parabrahmor“AdiBuddha”whileactingthrough that germ point outwardly as an active force, reacts from thecircumference inwardly as the supremebut latentPotency. The doubletrianglessymbolizetheGreatPassiveandtheGreatActive,themaleandfemale,PurushaandPrakriti.Eachtriangleisatrinitybecausepresentinga triple aspect. The white represents in its straight lines: Jnanam(knowledge), Jnata (the knower), Jneyam (that which is known). Theblack: form, colour and substance; also creative, preservative anddestructiveforces,andaremutuallycorrelating,etc.

Well may you admire and more should you wonder at themarvellouslucidityofthatremarkableseeress,who,ignorantofSanskritorPaliandthusshutoutfromtheirmetaphysicaltreasures,hasyetseenagreatlightshiningfrombehindthedarkhillsofexotericreligions.How,thinkyou,didthewritersof“ThePerfectWay”cometoknowthatAdonaiwastheSonandnottheFather,orthatthethirdpersonoftheChristianTrinity is female?Verily they lay in thatwork several times their handsuponthekeystoneofOccultism.Onlydoestheladywhopersistsinusingwithout an explanation themisleading term “God” in her writings knowhow nearly she comes up to our doctrine when saying: “Having forFather, Spirit which is Life (the endless circle or Parabrahm) and formother, the Great Deep, which is substance, (Prakriti in itsindifferentiated condition) Adonai possesses the potency of both andwields the dual powers of all things.” We would say triple, but in thesenseasgiventhiswilldo.Pythagorashadareasonforneverusingthefiniteuselessfigure2,andforaltogetherdiscardingit.Theonecanwhenmanifestingbecomeonlythree.Theunmanifestedwhenasimpledualityremainspassiveandconcealed.Thedualmonad(theseventhandsixthprinciples)has,inordertomanifestitselfasaLogos,theKwan-shai-yin,firsttobecomeatriad(seventh,sixthandone-halfoffifth); then,onthebosomofthe“GreatDeep,”attractingwithinitselftheonecircle,formoutofittheperfectsquare,thus“squaringthecircle”—thegreatestofallthemysteries,friend—andinscribingwithinthelattertheword (the IneffableName)—otherwisethedualitycouldnevertarryassuch,andwouldhaveto be reabsorbed into the one. The “Deep” is space, both male andfemale, “Purusha (as Brahma) breathes in the eternity; when “He”inbreathes,Prakriti (asmanifestedsubstance)disappears inhisbosom;when“He”outbreathesshereappearsasMaya,”saysthesloka.Theonereality is Mulaprakriti (indifferentiated substance), the “rootless root,”the...Butwehavetostoplestthereshouldremainbutlittletotellforyourownintuitions.

Wellmay thegeometerof theR.S. [RoyalSociety.]notknowthatthe apparent absurdity of attempting to square the circle covers amysteryineffable.Itwouldhardlybefoundamongthefoundationstonesof Mr. Roden Noel’s speculations upon the Pneumatical Body... of ourLord,” nor among the debris ofMr. Farmer’s “ANewBasis of Belief inImmortality,”andtomanysuchmetaphysicalmindsitwouldbemorethan

useless to divulge the fact, that the unmanifested circle, the Father orAbsolute Life, is non-existent outside the Triangle and Perfect Square,andisonlymanifestedintheSon,andthatitiswhenreversingtheactionandreturningtoitsabsolutestateofunityandthesquareexpandsoncemore into the circle, that the “Son returns to thebosomof theFather”.There it remains till called back by his mother, “the Great Deep,” toremanifest as a triad, theSon partaking at once of the essence of theFather and that of the mother, the active Substance, Prakriti in itsdifferentiated condition. “My mother (Sophia, the manifested wisdom)tookme,” says Jesus in a gnostic treatise, and he asks his disciple totarry till he comes.... The true word may only be found by tracing themysteryof thepassage inwardandoutward,of theEternalLife throughthestatestypifiedinthesethreegeometricfigures.

Thecriticismof“AStudentofOccultism”(whosewitsaresharpenedbythemountainairofhishome)andtheanswersbyS.T.K.Chany(JuneTheosophist)uponapartofyourannularandcircularexpositionsneednot annoy or disturb in any way your philosophic calm. As ourPondicherry Chela significantly says, neither you nor any other manacrossthethresholdhashad,oreverwillhave,the“completetheory”ofevolutiontaughthimorgetitunlessheguessesitforhimself.Ifanyonecanunravelitfromsuchtangledthreadsasaregivenhim,verywell,andafineproofitwouldindeedbeofhisorherspiritualinsight.Somehavecome very near it. But yet there is always with the best of them justenough error, colouring and misconception—the shadow of manasprojectingacross the fieldofBuddhi—toprove theeternal law thatonlytheunshackledspiritshallsee the thingsof thespiritwithoutaveil.Nountaught amateur could ever rival the proficient in this branch ofresearch;yettheworld’srealRevelatorshavebeenfew,anditspseudo-Saviourslegion;andfortunateitisiftheirhalfglimpsesofthelightarenotlike Islamenforcedat thesword’spoint,or likeChristian theologyamidblazingfagotsandintorturechambers.YourFragmentscontainsome—stillveryfew—errors,duesolelytoyourtwopreceptorsofAdyar,oneofwhomwouldnot,andtheothercouldnottellyouatall.Therestcouldnotbe called mistakes—rather, incomplete explanations. Those are due,partly to your own imperfect education in your last theme—Imean theeverthreateningobscurations—partlytothepoorvehiclesoflanguageatourdisposal,and inpartagaintothereserve imposeduponusbyrule.

Yet, all things considered, they are few, and trivial, while as to thosenoticedby“AStudent,”etc.(theMarcusAureliusofSimla)inyourNo.VII,itwillbepleasantforyoutoknowthateveryoneofthem,howevernowseemingtoyoucontradictory,can(andifitshouldseemnecessaryshall)beeasilyreconciledwithfacts.

The trouble is that (a) you cannot be given the real figures anddifferentageintheRounds,and(b)thatyoudonotopendoorsenoughfor explorers. The bright luminary of the B.T.S [British TheosophicalSociety.]andtheintelligencesthatsurroundher(embodied,Imean)mayhelp you to see the plans; at all events, try. “Nothingwas ever lost bytrying.”Yousharewithallbeginnersthetendencytodrawtooabsolutelystronginferencesfrompartlycaughthintsandtodogmatizethereuponasthoughthelastwordhadbeenspoken.Youwillcorrectthisingoodtime.You may misunderstand us, are more than likely to do so, for ourlanguagemustalwaysbemoreor less thatof parableandsuggestion,whentreadinguponforbiddenground;wehaveourownpeculiarmodesof expression and what lies behind the fence of words is even moreimportantthanwhatyouread,butstill,Try!PerhapsifMr.S.Moses[W.StaintonMoses, thespiritualist,whowroteunderthepseudonym“M.A.(Oxon)” couldknow justwhatwasmeantbywhatwassaid tohimandabouthis Intelligences,hewould findallstrictly true.Ashe isamanofinterior growth, his day may come and his reconciliation with “theoccultists”becomplete.Whoknows?

OurIdeasonEvil

(CopiedoutatSimla,September28th,1882)Evilhasnoexistenceperse, and isbut theabsenceofgoodand

existsbut forhimwho ismade its victim; it proceeds from twocauses,andnomore thangood is itan independentcause innature.Nature isdestituteofgoodnessormalice;she followsonly immutable lawswhensheeithergiveslifeandjoy,orsendssufferinganddeath,anddestroyswhatshehascreated.Naturehasanantidoteforeverypoison,andherlawshavearewardforeverysuffering.Thebutterflydevouredbyabirdbecomesthatbird,andthelittlebirddevouredbyananimalgoesintoahigher form. It is the blind law of necessity and the eternal fitness ofthings,andhencecannotbecalledevilinnature.Therealevilproceedsfromhumanintelligence,anditsoriginrestsentirelywithreasoningman,whodissociateshimselffromNature.

Humanity alone, then, is the true source of evil. Evil is theexaggerationofgood,theprogenyofhumanselfishnessandgreediness.Thinkprofoundlyandyouwillfindthat,savedeath(whichisnoevil,butanecessary law) and accidents, which will always find their reward in afuture life, theorigin of every evil, whether small or great, is in humanaction—in man, whose intelligence makes him the one free agent innature.

Itisnotnaturethatcreatesdiseases,butman.Thelatter’smissionanddestinyintheeconomyofnatureistodiehisnaturaldeathbroughtbyage.Savebyaccident,neitherasavagenorawild(free)animaldiesof disease. Food, drink, sexual relations, all are necessities of life, yetexcessinthembringsondisease,misery,suffering,mentalandphysical,andthelatteraretransmittedasthegreatestevilstofuturegenerations,the progeny of the culprits. Ambition, the desire of securing happinessand comfort for those we love by obtaining honour and riches, arepraiseworthy natural feelings; but when they transform man into anambitious, cruel tyrant, a miser or a selfish egoist, they bring untoldmisery on those around him—on nations as well as on individuals. Allthis,then,(food,wealth,ambitionandthethousandotherthingswehavetoleaveunmentioned)becomesthesourceandcauseofevil,whetherin

itsabundanceorthroughitsabsence.Becomeaglutton,adebauchee,atyrant, and you become the originator of diseases, of human sufferingandmisery.Lackallthisandyoustarve,youaredespisedasanobody,andthemajorityof theherdofyour fellow-menmakeyouasufferer foryourwholelife.Thereforeit isneithernaturenoranimaginarydeitythathastobeblamed,buthumannaturemadevilebyselfishness.Thinkwelloverthesefewwords;workouteverycauseofevilyoucanthinkofandtraceittoitsorigin,andyouwillhavesolvedone-thirdoftheproblemsofevil.

Andnow,aftermakingdueallowancesforevilsthatarenaturalandcannotbeavoided—andsofewaretheythatIchallengethewholehostof Western metaphysicians to call them evils or trace them to anindependentcause—Iwillpointoutthegreatest,thechiefcauseofnearlytwo-thirds of the evils that pursue humanity ever since that causebecameapower.Itisreligion,underwhateverformorinwhatevernation;it isthesacerdotalcaste,thepriesthoodandthechurches.It isinthoseillusions thatman looksuponas sacred, that hehas to searchout thesourceofthatmultitudeofevilswhichisthegreatcurseofhumanityandthatalmostoverwhelmsmankind; ignorancecreatedgods,andcunningtookadvantageoftheopportunity.LookatIndia,lookatChristendomandIslam, at Judaism and Fetichism. It is priestly imposture that renderedthesegodssoterribletoman;it isreligionthatmakesofhimtheselfishbigot, the fanatic, that hates all mankind out of his own sect, withoutrenderinghimanybetterormoremoralfor it. It isbelief inGodorgodsthat makes of two-thirds of humanity the slaves of those who deceivethemunderthefalsepretenceofsavingthem.Isnotmaneverreadytocommitanykindofevil, if told thathisGodorgodsdemandthecrime?Voluntaryvictimofanillusorygod,theabjectslaveofhiscraftyministers,the Irish, Italian or Sclavonian peasantwill starve himself, and see hisfamilystarvingandnaked,tofeedandclothehispadreorpope.

For2.000yearsIndiagroanedundertheweightofcaste,Brahminsalonefeedingonthefatoftheland,andtodaythefollowersofChristandMahomet are cutting each other’s throats in the name for the greatergloryoftheirrespectivemyths.Remember,thesumofhumanmiserywillnever be diminished until that daywhen the better portion of humanitydestroy,inthenameoftruth,moralityanduniversalcharity,thealtersof

theirfalsegods.If it isobjectedthatwetoohavetemples,wetoohavepriests,and

thatourLamasalsoliveoncharity,letthemknowthattheobjectsabovenamedhaveincommunionwiththeirWesternequivalentsbutthename.Thusinourtemplesthereisneitheragodnorgodsworshipped,onlythethreesacredmemoriesofthegreatestastheholiestmanthateverlived.IfourLamas,tohonourthatfraternityoftheBhikkusestablishedbyourBlessedMasterhimself,goout tobefedby the laity, the latter,oftentothenumberof5 to25,000 is fedand takencareofby theSangha (thefraternityofLamaicmonks)theLamaseryprovidingforthewantsofthepoor, the sick and the afflicted.Our Lamas accept food, nevermoney,anditisinthesetemplesthattheoriginofevilispreachedandimpressedupon the people. There they are taught the Four Noble Truths (Aryasachchani),andthechainofcausation(thetwelveNidanas)givesthemasolutionoftheproblemoftheoriginanddestructionofsuffering.

ReadtheMaha-vagga:(Vin.Pit.I.i.1),andtrytounderstand,notwiththeprejudicedwesternmindbutwiththespiritofintuitionandtruth,whatthe fully Enlightened One says in the 1st Khandhaka. Allow me totranslateitforyou.“AtthetimewhentheblessedBuddhawasatUruvelaontheshoresoftheriverNeranjara,asherestedundertheBodhi-treeofwisdomafterhehadbecomeSambuddha;attheendoftheseventhday,having hismind fixed on the chain of causation, he spake thus: ‘Fromignorance spring the Sankharas of three-fold nature—productions ofbody,ofspeech,ofthought;fromSankharasspringconsciousness;fromconsciousness springs name and form; and from these spring the sixnatures (of the six senses, the seventh being the property of but theenlightened); from these spring contact; from this sensation; from thisthirst (or desire Kama-tanha); from thirst—attachment, existence, birth,old age and death, grief, lamentation, suffering, dejection and despair.Againbythedestructionofignorance,theSankharasaredestroyed,andtheirconsciousness,nameandform,thesixregions,contact,sensation,thirst, attachment (selfishness), existence, birth, old age, death, grief,lamentation,suffering,dejectionanddespairaredestroyed.Such is thecessation of the whole mass of human suffering.’ Knowing this theBlessed One uttered this solemn utterance. When the real nature ofthingsbecomescleartothemeditatingBhikkhu,thenallhisdoubtsfade

awaysincehehaslearnedwhatisthatnatureandwhatitscause;fromignorance spring all the evils, from knowledge comes the cessation ofthismass ofmisery; then themeditatingBrahmin stands dispelling thehosts of Maya like the sun when it illumines the sky.” Meditation heremeans the superhuman, not supernatural, qualities of Arhatship in itshighestorspiritualpower.

PlanetarySpirits

Alone the Adepts, i.e., the embodied spirits, are forbidden by ourwise and intransgressible laws to completely subject to themselvesanother and a weaker will, that of free-born man. The latter mode ofproceeding is the favourite one resorted to by the Brothers of theShadow, the Sorcerers, the Elementary Spooks and, as an isolatedexception,thehighestPlanetarySpirits,thosewhocannolongererr.Buttheseappearonearthbutat theoriginofeverynewhumankindat thejunctionorcloseofthetwoendsofthegreatcycle;andtheyremainwithmannolongerthanthetimerequiredfortheeternaltruthstheyteachtoimpressthemselvessoforciblyupontheplasticmindsof thenewracesastowarrantthemfrombeingentirelylostorforgotteninageshereafterbytheforth-cominggenerations.

Themissionof thePlanetarySpirit isbut tostrike theKey-noteofTruth.Oncehehasdirected the vibrationof the latter to run its courseuninterruptedlyalongthecatenationoftherace,andtheendofthecycle,thedenizenofthehighestinhabitedspheredisappearsfromthesurfaceofourplanetuntilthefollowingresurrectionofflesh.Thevibrationsoftheprimitive truth are what your philosophers term innate ideas. To yourquestion:“MayaPlanetaryspirithavebeenhumanelyincarnated?”Iwillfirst say that... there can be no Planetary Spirit that was not oncematerial,orwhatyoucallhuman.WhenourgreatBuddha,thepatronofall theAdepts, the reformerandcodifierof theOccultSystem, reachedfirstNirvanaonearth,hebecameaPlanetarySpirit,i.e.,hissoulcouldatoneandthesametimerovetheinterstellarspacesinfullconsciousnessandcontinueatwillonearth inhisoriginaland individualbody.For thedivineselfhadsocompletelyenfranchiseditselffrommatterthatitcouldcreate at will an inner substitute for itself, and leaving it in the humanform for days and weeks, sometimes years, affect in no wise by thechangeeither thevitalprincipleor thephysicalmindof itsbody.By theway, that is the highest form of Adeptship man can hope for on ourplanet; but it is as rare as theBuddhas themselves, the lastHobelganwho reached it being Tsong-ka-pa of Rokowr (XIVth century), thereformerofesotericaswellasvulgarLamaism.

Manyarethosewhobreakthroughtheegg-shell,fewwhoonceoutare able to exercise their nirupa namaphen [So in MS., but evidentlywrongly transcribed.] fully,when completely out of thebody.Consciouslife in spirit is as difficult for some natures as swimming is for somebodies. Though the human frame is lighter in its bulk than water, andthough every person is born with the faculty, so few develop inthemselvestheartof treadingwaterthatdeathbydrowningisthemostfrequentofaccidents.ThePlanetarySpiritof thatkind, theBuddha-like,can pass at will into other bodies, ofmore or lessmaterializedmatter,inhabiting other regions of the universe. There aremany other gradesand orders, but there is no separate and eternally constituted order ofPlanetarySpirits.ImayanswerwithwhatIsaidtoG.H.FechneronedaywhenhewantedtoknowtheHinduviewonwhathehadwritten:“Youareright; every diamond, every planet and star has its own individual soulbesides man and animal... and there is a hierarchy of souls from thelowest formsofmatteruptotheworld-soul;butyouaremistakenwhenadding to that theassurance that thespiritsof thedepartedholdsweetcommunion with souls that are still connected with a human body, forthey do not.” The relative position of the inhabited worlds in our solarsystemwouldaloneprecludesuchapossibility;forItrustyouhavegivenup thequeer idea (anatural resultofearlyChristian training) that therecan possibly behuman intelligences inhabiting purely spiritual regions.Youwill thenas readilyunderstand the fallacyofChristianswhowouldburn immaterial souls in amaterial physical hell, as themistake of themoreeducatedspiritualistswholullthemselveswiththethoughtthatanyotherthanthedenizensofthetwoworldsimmediatelyinterlinkedwithourowncanpossiblycommunicatewiththem.Howeveretherealandpurifiedof gross matter they may be, the pure spirits are still subject to thephysicalanduniversal lawsofnature.Theycannot,even if theywould,spantheabyssthatseparatestheirworldfromours.Theycanbevisitedinspirit;theirspiritcannotdescendandreachus.Theattract,theycannotbeattracted—theirspiritualpolaritybeingan insuperabledifficulty in theway.

Once fairlystartedupon thatsubject Iwillendeavour toexplain toyou still more clearly where lies the impossibility. You will thus beansweredinregardtoPlanetarySpiritsandseanceroomspirits.

Thecycleofintelligentexistencescommencesatthehighestworldsorplanets, the term“highest”meaninghere themostspirituallyperfect.Evolving from Kosmic matter, which is Akasa, the primeval, notsecondary, plastic medium or ether of science, instinctively suspected,improves with the rest. Man first evolves from this matter in its mostsublimated state, appearing at the threshold of Eternity, as a perfectlyethereal, not spiritual, entity, says a Planetary Spirit. He is but oneremoved from the universal and spiritual world-essence—the “AnimaMundi” of theGreeks or thatwhich humanity in its spiritual decadencehasdegradedintoamythicalpersonalGod.Henceatthatstatethespirit-manisatbestanactivepower—animmutable, therefore,anunthinkingprinciple (the term immutablebeingagainusedherebut todenote thatstate for the timebeing), the immutabilityapplyingherebut to the innerprinciple which will vanish and disappear as soon as the spark of thematerialinhimwillstartonitscyclicworkofevolutionandtransformation.Inhissubsequentdescent,andinproportiontotheincreaseofmatter,hewillassertmoreandmorehisactivity.

Now the congeries of the star-worlds (including our own planet)inhabited by intelligent beings may be likened to an orb, or rather anepicycloid, formedof rings likeachain,worlds interlinked together—thetotalityrepresentinganimaginaryendlessringorcircle.Theprogressofmanthroughoutthewhole,fromitsstartingtoitsclosingpoints,meetingonthehighestpointofthecircumference,iswhatwecallMaha-Yuga,orgreat cycle—theKyklos whose head is lost in a crown of spirit and itslowest circumference in absolutematter, viz., the point of cessation ofactionof theactiveprinciple. If, usingamore familiar term,wecall thegreat cycle themacrocosm and its compound parts or interlinked star-worldsthemicrocosm,theoccultist’smeaninginrepresentingeachofthelatterasperfectcopiesoftheformerwillbecomeevident.Thegreatistheprototypeof thesmallercycles;andassuch,eachstar-worldhas in itsturnitsowncycleofevolution,whichstartswithapurerandendswithagrosserormorematerialnature.As theydescend,eachworldpresentsitself naturally more and more shadowy, becoming at the antipodesabsolutematter.Propelledbytheirresistiblecyclicimpulse,thePlanetarySpirithastodescendbeforehecanreascend.Onhiswayhehastopassthrough thewhole ladderofevolution,missingno rung, tohaltateverystar-worldashewouldatastation,and,besidestheunavoidablecycleof

that particular and every respective star-world, to perform in it his ownlife-cycle,viz., returningand reincarnatingasmany timesashe fails tocompletehisroundoflifeinit,ashediesonitbeforereachingtheageofreason,ascorrectlystatedinIsis.

Thatiswhathappens.Aftercircling,sotosay,alongthearcofthecycle,circlingalongandwithinit(thedailyandyearlyrotationoftheEarthisasgoodan illustrationasany)when thespirit-man reachesourownplanet,which isoneof the lowest,having lostateverystationsomeoftheethereal,andacquiredanincreaseofmaterialnature,bothspiritandmatterhavebecomeprettymuchequilibratedinhim.Butthenhehastheearth’s cycle to perform, and, as in the process of involution andevolutiondownwards,matterisevertryingtostiflespirit,when,arrivedatthe lowestpointofhispilgrimage, theoncepurePlanetarySpiritwillbefound dwindled towhat science agrees to call a primitive or primordialman amidst a nature as primordial, speaking geologically; for physicalnaturekeepspacewith thephysiologicalaswellas thespiritualman inhercycliccareer.Atthatpointthegreatlawbeginsitsworkofselection.Matterfoundentirelydivorcedfromspiritisthrownoverintothestilllowerworlds, into the sixth “gati” or “way of rebirth” of the vegetable andmineral worlds, and of primitive animal forms. From thence, matter,ground over in the workshop of nature, proceeds soul-less back to itsMother-Fount, while the egos purified of their dross are enabled toresumetheirprogressoncemoreonward.

It is here that the laggard egos perish by the millions. It is thesolemn moment of the survival of the fittest—the annihilation of thoseunfit. It is but matter (or material man) which is compelled by its ownweighttodescendtotheverybottomofthe“circleofnecessity” tothenassume an animal form; as to the winner of that race throughout theworlds,thespiritualego,hewillascendfromstartostar,fromoneworldtoanother,circlingonwardtore-becometheoncepurePlanetarySpirit,thenhigherstill,tofinallyreachitsfirststartingpoint,andfromthencetomerge intoMystery. No Adept has ever penetrated beyond the veil ofprimitivecosmicmatter.Thehighest,themostperfectvision,islimitedtotheUniverseofFormandMatter.

Butmyexplanationdoesnotendhere.Youwanttoknowwhyit isdeemedsupremelydifficultifnotutterlyimpossibleforpuredisembodied

spirits tocommunicatewithmenthroughmediumsofPhantomosophy. Isaybecause(1)onaccountoftheantagonisticatmospheresrespectivelysurrounding these worlds; (2) of the entire dissimilarity of thephysiological and spiritual conditions; and (3) because that chain ofworldsIhavejustbeentellingyouaboutisnotonlyanepicycloidbutanelliptical orbit of existences, having, as every eclipse, not one but twopoints—twofociwhichcanneverapproacheachother,manbeingatonefocus of it and pure spirit at the other. To this youmight object. I canneither help it nor change the fact. But there is still another and farmightier impediment.Likearosarycomposedofwhiteandblackbeadsalternatingwitheachother,sothatconcatenationofworldsismadeupofworlds of causes and worlds of effects—the latter the direct resultproduced by the former. Thus it becomes evident that every sphere ofcauses(andourEarthisone)isnotonlyinterlinkedwith,andsurroundedby,butactuallyseparatedfrom,itsnearestneighbour,thehighersphereof causality, by an impenetrable atmosphere (in its spiritual sense) ofeffects, bordering on and even interlinking, never mixing with the nextsphere;foroneisactive,theotherpassive—theworldofcausespositive,that of effects negative. This passive resistance can be overcome, butunder conditions of which you most learned spiritualists have not thefaintestidea.

Allmovement is, so to say, polar. It is very difficult to conveymymeaningtoyouatthispoint,butIwillgoontotheend.Iamawareofmyfailure tobringbefore you these, tous, axiomatical truths, inanyotherformbutthatofasimplelogicalpostulate,ifsomuch,theybeingcapableofabsoluteandunequivocaldemonstrationbuttothehighestSeers.ButIwillgiveyou food for thought ifnothingelse.The intermediaryspheres,beingbuttheprojectedshadowsoftheworldofcauses,areregulatedbythelast.Theyarethegreathalting-places,thestationsinwhichthenewself-conscious egos, to be the self-begotten progeny of the old anddisembodiedegosofourplanet,aregestated.Before thenewPhoenix,reborn of the ashes of its parent, can soar higher to a better, morespiritually perfect world—still aworld ofmatter—it has to pass throughtheprocessof anewbirth, so to say, andasonourEarthwhere two-thirdsof infantsareeitherstill-bornordie in infancy,so inour “worldofeffects”.OnEarth it is thephysiologicalandmentaldefects, thesinsoftheprogenitors,thatarevisitedupontheissue;inthatlandofshadows,

thenewandyetunconsciousego-foetusbecomesthe justvictimof thetransgressionsofitsoldself,whoseKarma,meritanddemerit,willaloneweaveout itsfuturedestiny.Inthatworldwefindbutunconscious,self-acting, ex-human machines, souls in their transition state, whosedormant facultiesand individuality lie asabutterfly in its chrysalis; andspiritualists would yet have them talk sense! Caught at times into thevortex of the abnormal mediumistic current, they become theunconscious echoes of thoughts and ideas crystallized around thosepresent.Everypositive,well-directedmindiscapableofneutralisingsuchsecondaryeffectsinaseanceroom.

Theworldbelowoursisworseyet.Theformerisharmlessatleast;it is more sinned against by being disturbed, than sinning; the latter,allowingtheretentionoffullconsciousness(asbeingahundredfoldmorematerial) is positively dangerous. The notions of hell and purgatory, ofparadise and resurrection are all caricatured, distorted echoes of theprimeval one truth taught humanity in the infancy of its races by everyfirstMessenger—thePlanetarySpiritwhoseremembrancelingeredinthememoryofmanasEluof theChaldees,Osirisof theEgyptian,Vishnu,thefirstBhuddhas,andsoon.Thelowerworldofeffectsisthesphereofsuchdistortedthoughts,ofthemostsensualconceptionsandpictures,ofanthropomorphicdeities, theout-creationsof theircreators, thesensualhumanmindsofpeoplewhohavenevergrownoutoftheirbrute-hoodonEarth.Rememberingthatthoughtsarethings—havetenacity,coherence,and life, that they are real entities—the rest will become plain.Disembodied, the creator is attracted naturally to its creation, andcreaturessuckedinbythemaelstromdugoutbytheirownhands.ButImustpause,forvolumeswouldhardlysufficetoexplainallthatissaidbymeinthisletter.

ThePrincipleofLife

One [In the MS of C.W.L., these two paragraphs exist in acondensed form. In the MS of F.A. they do not appear at all. TheparagraphsasIprintthemarefromacopyofaletteroftheMasterK.H.which I obtained in Paris in 1916. In this copy the Greek words arewronglycopied.Ihavetentativelyrestoredautokrates,apeiron,noumenaand oiakonomos on the recommendation of a Greek scholar.] of yourletters with a quotation from one ofmy own: “Remember that there iswithin man no abiding principle”—which sentence I find followed by aremarkofyours,“Howaboutthesixthandseventhprinciples?”TothisIanswer: Neither Atma nor Buddhi were ever within man— a littlemetaphysical axiom that you can studywith advantage inPlutarchandAnaxagoras;thelattermadehisnousautokrates—thespiritofself-potent—theapeironthatalonerecognizednoumena,whiletheformertaughtontheauthorityofPlatoandPythagoras that theOiakonomosor thenousalwaysremainedwithoutthebody,thatis,floatedandovershadowed,sotosay,theextremepartoftheman’shead.Itisonlythevulgarwhothinkit is within them, says Buddha; you have to get rid entirely of all thesubjects of impermanence composing the body, that your body willbecomepermanent.

Thepermanentnevermergeswithintheimpermanent,althoughthetwoareone.But it isonlywhenalloutwardappearancesaregonethatthere is left that one principle of life which exists independently of allexternalphenomena.Itisthefirethatburnsintheeternallight,whenthefuelisexpendedandtheflameextinguished,forthatfireisneitherintheflamenorinthefuel,noryetinsideeitherofthetwo,butabove,beneath,andeverywhere.

APPENDIXA

Death

BythelateEliphasLevi(Theosophist,October1881)

DEATHisthenecessarydissolutionofimperfectcombinations.Itisthereabsorptionoftheroughoutlineofindividuallifeintothegreatworkofuniversallife;onlytheperfectisimmortal.

Itisabathofoblivion.Itisthefountainofyouthwhereononesideplungesoldage,andwhenceontheotherissuesinfancy.[RebirthoftheEgo after death. TheEastern and especially Buddhistic doctrine of theevolutionofthenew,outoftheoldEgo.]

Death is the transfigurationof the living;corpsesarebut thedeadleavesoftheTreeofLifewhichwillstillhaveall itsleavesinthespring.Theresurrectionofmenresembleseternallytheseleaves.

Perishableformsareconditionedbyimmortaltypes.All who have lived upon earth live there still in new exemplars of

their types, but the souls which have surpassed their type receiveelsewhereanew formbaseduponamoreperfect type,as theymounteverontheladderofworlds;[Fromonelokatotheother;fromapositiveworldofcausesandactivity,toanegativeworldofeffectsandpassivity.]thebadexemplarsarebrokenandtheirmatterreturnedintothegeneralmass.[Into Cosmic matter, when they necessarily lose their self-consciousness or individuality, or are annihilated, as the EasternKabalistssay.]

Our souls are as it were a music, of which our bodies are theinstruments.Themusicexistswithouttheinstruments,butitcannotmakeitselfheardwithoutamaterialintermediary;theimmaterialcanneitherbeconceivednorgrasped.

Man in his present existence only retains certain predispositionsfromhispastexistences.

Evocations of the dead are but condensations of memory, the

imaginary coloration of the shades. To evoke thosewho are no longerthere, is but to cause their types to reissue from the imagination ofnature.[Toardentlydesiretoseeadeadpersonistoevoketheimageofthat person, to call it forth from the astral light or ether wherein restphotographedtheimagesofthePast.Thatiswhatisbeingpartiallydoneintheseancerooms.ThespiritualistsareunconsciousNecromancers.]

To be in direct communicationwith the imagination of nature, onemustbeeitherasleepintoxicated,inanecstasy,cataleptic,ormad.

The eternal memory preserves only the imperishable; all thatpassesinTimebelongsofrighttooblivion.

Thepreservationofcorpsesisaviolationofthelawsofnature;itisan outrage on the modesty of death, which hides the works ofdestruction,asweshouldhidethoseofreproduction.Preservingcorpsesis tocreatephantoms in the imaginationof theearth [To intensify theseimages in theastral or sidereal light.] the spectresof thenightmare,ofhallucination,andfear,arebut thewanderingphotographsofpreservedcorpses. It is these preserved or imperfectly destroyed corpses, whichspread,amid the living,plague,cholera,contagiousdiseases,sadness,scepticism and disgust of life. [People being intuitionally to realize thegreat truth, and societies for burning bodies and crematories are nowstarted in many places in Europe.] Death is exhaled by death. Thecemeteriespoisontheatmosphereoftowns,andthemiasmaofcorpsesblightthechildreneveninthebosomsoftheirmothers.

Near Jerusalem in the Valley of Gehenna a perpetual fire wasmaintainedforthecombustionoffilthandthecarcassesofanimals,andit is to thiseternal fire thatJesusalludedwhenhesaysthat thewickedshallbecast intoGehenna;signifyingthatdeadsoulswillbetreatedascorpses.TheTalmudsaysthatthesoulsofthosewhohavenotbelievedin immortality will not become immortal. It is faith only which givespersonal immortality; [Faithandwill-power. Immortality isconditional,aswehaveeverstated. It is therewardof thepureandgood.Thewickedman, the material sensualist only survives. He who appreciates butphysical pleasures will not and cannot live in the hereafter as a self-conscious Entity.] science and reason can only affirm the generalimmortality.

Themortalsinisthesuicideofthesoul.Thissuicidewouldoccurifthemandevotedhimself toevilwiththefullstrengthofhismind,withaperfectknowledgeofgoodandevil,andanentirelibertyofactionwhichseems impossible in practice, but which is possible in theory, becausethe essence of an independent personality is an unconditioned liberty.Thedivinity imposesnothinguponman,notevenexistence.Manhasarighttowithdrawhimselfevenfromthedivinegoodness,andthedogmaofeternalhellisonlytheassertionofeternalfree-will.

Godprecipitatesnooneintohell.Itismenwhocangotherefreely,definitelyandbytheirownchoice.

Thosewhoareinhell,thatistosay,amidthegloomofevil[Thatistosay,theyarerebornina“lowerworld”whichisneither“Hell”noranytheological purgatory, but a world of nearly absolute matter and oneprecedingthelastoneinthe“circleofnecessity”fromwhich“thereisnoredemption, for there reigns absolute spiritual darkness”. (Book of Kiu-te).] and the sufferings of the necessary punishment, without havingabsolutelysowilledit,arecalledtoemergefromit.Thishell isforthemonly a purgatory. The dammed completely, absolutely and withoutrespite, is Satan who is not a rational existence, but a necessaryhypothesis.

Satan is the last word of creation. He is the end infinitelyemancipated.HewilledtobelikeGodofwhichheistheopposite.Godisthehypothesisnecessary to reason,Satan thehypothesisnecessary tounreasonassertingitselfasfree-will.

Tobe immortal ingood,onemust identifyoneselfwithGod; tobeimmortal inevil,withSatan.Theseare twopolesof theworldofsouls;between these two poles vegetate and die without remembrance theuselessportionofmankind.

Editor’s Note: This may seem incomprehensible to the averagereader,foritisoneofthemostabstruseofthetenetsofOccultdoctrine.Natureisdual:thereisaphysicalandmaterialside,asthereisaspiritualandmoralsideto it;and, there isbothgoodandevil in it, the latter thenecessary shadow to its light. To force oneself upon the current ofimmortality,or rather tosecure foroneselfanendlessseriesof rebirthsas conscious individualities—says the Book of Kiu-te, Vol. XXXI—one

mustbecomeaco-workerwithnature,eitherforgoodorbad,inherworkofcreationandreproduction,orinthatofdestruction.Itisbuttheuselessdrones,whichshegetsridof,violentlyejectingandmakingthemperishbythemillionsasself-consciousentities.Thus,whilethegoodandpurestrive to reachNipang (nirvana or the state of absolute existence andabsoluteconsciousness—which,intheworldoffiniteperceptions,isnon-existence and non-consciousness)—the wicked will seek, on thecontrary, a series of lives as conscious, definite existences or beings,preferring tobeeversufferingunder the lawof retributive justice ratherthangiveuptheirlivesasportionsoftheintegral,universalwhole.Beingwellawarethattheycanneverhopetoreachthefinalrestinpurespirit,ornirvana, theyclingto life inanyform,ratherthangiveupthat“desirefor life” orTanhawhich causes a newaggregation ofSkandhas or theindividualitytobereborn.Natureisasgoodamothertothecruelbirdofpreyassheistotheharmlessdove.Mothernaturewillpunishherchild,butsincehehasbecomeherco-workerfordestructionshecannotejecthim. There are thoroughly wicked and depraved men, yet as highlyintellectualacutelyspiritual forevil,as thosewhoarespiritual forgood.TheEgosofthesemayescapethelawoffinaldestructionorannihilationfor ages to come. That is what Eliphas Levi means by becoming“immortal in evil,” through identification with Satan. “I would thou wertcoldorhot,”saysthevisionoftheRevelationtoSt.John(III,15-16).“Sothenbecausethouartlukewarmandneithercoldnorhot,Iwillspuetheeoutofmymouth.TheRevelation isanabsolutelyKabalisticbook.Heatandcoldarethetwo“poles,”i.e.,goodandevil,spiritandmatter.Naturespues the “luke-warm” or “the useless portion of mankind” out of hermouth,i.e.,annihilatesthem.Thisconception,thataconsiderableportionofmankindmayafterallnothaveimmortalsouls,willnotbeneweventoEuropean readers.Coleridgehimself likened thecase to thatofanoaktree bearing, indeed, millions of acorns, but acorns of which undernominalconditionsnotoneinathousandeverdevelopedintoatree,andsuggested that, as themajority of acorns failed to develop into a newlivingtree,sopossiblythemajorityofmenfailtodevelopintoanewlivingentityafterthisearthlydeath.

APPENDIXB

(Theosophist,March1883)“DEVACHAN” is of course a state not a locality, as much as

“Avitchi”—itsantithesis(whichpleasenottoconfoundwithHell).EsotericBuddhistphilosophyhasthreeprincipallokasso-callednamely(1)KamaLoka,(2)Rupa-loka;and(3)Arupa-loka;orintheirliteraltranslationandmeaning—(1)worldofdesiresorpassions,ofunsatisfiedearthlycravings—theabodeof“Shells”andVictims,ofElementariesandsuicides;(2)theworld of Forms, i.e., of shadows more spiritual, having form andobjectivity but no substance; and (3) the formless world, or rather theworld of no-Form, the incorporeal, since its denizens can have neitherbody,shape,norcolourforusmortals,andinthesensethatwegivetothese terms. These are the three spheres of ascending spirituality inwhichtheseveralgroupsofsubjectivesemi-subjectiveentities find theirattractions.Thetimehavingnotyetcometospeakof the latter two,wewillmerelynoticethefirst,namelytheKama-loka.Thenceitis,thatallbutthe remaining shells, the suicides and the victims of premature violentdeaths, go according to their attractions and powers either into theDevachanicorAvitchistate,whichtwostates formthenumberlesssub-divisionsof“Rupa”and“Arupa”lokas;thatistosay,thatsuchstatesnotonly vary in degree, or in their presentation to the subject entity asregards form, colour, etc.,—but that there is an infinite scale of suchstates, in their progressive spirituality and intensity of feeling; from thelowestintheRupa,uptothehighestandthemostexaltedintheArupa-loka.Thestudentmustbear inmindthatpersonality is thesynonymforlimitation; and that the more selfish, the more contracted the person’sideas, thecloserwill hecling to the lower spheresofbeing, the longerloiterontheplaneofselfishsocialintercourse.

IITouseanantiphrasis,“Avitchi” isastateofthemost idealspiritual

wickedness,somethingakintothestateofLucifer,sosuperblydescribedbyMilton.Notmany,thougharetherewhocanreachit,asthethoughtfulreaderwillperceive.And if it isurged that,since there isDevachan fornearly all, for the good, and the bad, and the indifferent, the ends of

harmonyandequilibriumarefrustrated,andthelawofRetributionandofimpartial, implacable Justice hardly met and satisfied by such acomparativescarcityifnotabsenceofitsantithesis,thentheanswerwillshowthatitisnotso.“EvilisthedarksonofEarth(matter)andGoodthefairdaughterofHeaven”(orspirit)saystheChinesephilosopher;hencetheplaceofpunishmentformostofoursinsistheEarth—itsbirthplaceand playground. There is more apparent and relative than actual evileven on earth, and it is not given to the hoi polloi to reach the fatalgrandeur and eminence of a “Satan” every day. See foot-notes in art.“Death” by Eliphas Levi (October Theosophist, Vol. III), the editorialanswertotheart:“DeathandImmortality”(NovemberTheosophist,p.28);and the words used by the author, when speaking of those who areimmortalingoodbyidentificationwithGod(orgood),andimmortalinevilbyidentificationwithSatan(Evil).Althoughthegeneralruleappliesbutto“Sorcerers,” i.e., adepts in blackMagic, real Initiates and sons of Evil,generally known as “the Brothers of the Shadow,” yet there areexceptionstothatruleastoeveryother.Occasionallymenreachingtheapex of evil become “unconscious” sorcerers; they identify themselveswith“Satan,”andthenAvitchibecomestheirFate.Happytheyarewhenthereby theyavoid aworsepunishment—a loka fromwhich indeed, notraveller—either returns or, once within its dark precincts—pursues hisjourney!

APPENDIXC

TheHarmonicsofSmell(Theosophist,August1882)

The old proverb, that “Truth is stranger than fiction,” is againexemplified. An English scientist—Professor William Ramsay, ofUniversity College, Bristol—has just communicated to Nature (seenumberofJune22),atheorytoaccountforthesenseofsmellwhichislikely to attract much attention. As the result of observation andexperimenthepropoundstheideathatsmell isduetovibrationssimilarto,butofa lowerperiodthanthosewhichgiverisetothesenseof lightandheat.Thesensationofsmell,heexplains,isprovokedbythecontactofsubstanceswiththeterminalorgansoftheolfactorynerves,whicharespreadasanetworkoveramucousmembrane lining theupperpartofthenasal cavity.Theproximatecauseof smell is theminutehairletsofthe nasal membrane which connect with the nerves through spindle-shapedcells.Thesensation isnotexcitedbycontactwitha liquidorasolid,butalwayswithagas.Eveninthecaseofsmellingmetals,suchasbrass,copper,tin,etc.,thereisasubtlegasorpungentvapourgivenoffbythematordinaryatmospherictemperatures.Thevaryingintensitiesofsmellsdependupontheirrelativemolecularweight.Asthesmellgrowingstrongeras thegases rises inmolecularweight, to thequalityof smell;that he thinksmaydependupon theharmonicsof the vibration. “Thus,thequality of tone ina violindiffers from that of a fluteby thedifferentharmonicsorovertones,peculiar toeach instrument. Iwouldascribe toharmonies the quantity of smell possessed by different substances....Smell, then, may resemble sound in having its quality influenced byharmonics.Andjustasapiccolohasthesamequalityasaflute,althoughsomeofitsharmonicsaresohighastobebeyondtherangeoftheear,sosmellsowetheirqualitytoharmonics,which,ifoccurringalone,wouldbebeyondsense.”Twosoundsheardsimultaneously,heremarks,giveadiscordoraconcord,yet theearmaydistinguish themseparately.Twocolours,ontheotherhand,produceasingleimpressionontheeye,anditisdoubtfulwhetherwecananalysethem.“Butsmellresemblessoundandnotlightinthisparticular.Forinamixtureofsmells,itispossible,by

practice,todistinguisheachingredient,”and—inalaboratoryexperiment—tomatchthesensationbyamixtureofdifferentingredients.Apparentlyastonished at his own audacity, he brings forward “the theory adducedwithgreatdiffidence.”Poordiscoverer,theelephantinefootoftheRoyalSocietymaycrushhistoes!Theproblem,hesays,istobesolved“byacarefulmeasurementof the‘lines’ inthespectrumofheatrays,andthecalculation of the fundamentals, which this theory supposes to be thecauseofsmell.

ItmaybeacomfortforProfessorRamsaytoknowthatheisnotthefirsttotravelthepathhesuddenlyhasfoundwindingfromhislaboratory-door up the hill of fame. Twenty or more years ago, a novel, entitledKaloolah, was published in America by one Dr. Mayo, a well-knownwriter. It pretended, among other things, to describe a strange city,situatedintheheartofAfrica,where,inmanyrespects,thepeopleweremorecivilizedandperfected thancontemporaryEuropeans.As regardssmell,forinstance,theprinceofthatcountry,fortheentertainmentofhisvisitors—the hero of the story and his party—seats himself at a largeinstrument likeanorgan,with tubes,stops,pedalsandkeys,andplaysanintricatecomposition,ofwhichtheharmonicsareinodours,insteadofinsoundsaswithamusicalinstrument.Andheexplainsthathispeoplehavebroughttheirolfactorysense,bypractice,tosuchanexquisitepointof sensitiveness as to afford them, by combinations and contrasts ofsmells,ashighenjoymentastheEuropeanderivesfroma“concourseofsweetsounds.” It isbut tooplain, therefore, thatMr.Mayohad, ifnotascientific, yet at least an intuitive cognition of this vibratory theory ofodours, and that hissmell harmonicumwas not somuch the baselessimageofa romancer’s fancyas thenovel-readers took it forwhen theylaughed so heartily at the conceit. The fact is—as has been so oftenobserved—thedreamofonegenerationbecomestheexperienceof thenext.IfourpoorvoicemightwithoutprofanationinvadesosacredaplaceasthelaboratoryofUniversityCollege,Bristol,wewouldaskMr.Ramsaytotakeaglance—justonefurtivepeep,withcloseddoors,andwhenhefinds himself alone—at (it requires courage to say the word!) at..at..atOccultScience.(Wescarcelydaredspeakthedreadfulword,butitisoutat last, and the Professormust hear it.) He will then find his vibratorytheoryisolderthanevenDr.Mayo,sinceitwasknowntotheAryansandis included in their philosophy of the harmonics of nature. They taught

thatthereisaperfectcorrespondence,ormutualcompensationbetweenallthevibrationsofNature,andamostintimaterelationbetweenthesetofvibrationswhichgiveustheimpressionofsound,andthatothersetofvibrationswhichgiveustheimpressionofcolour.Thissubjectistreatedat some length in Isis Unveiled. The Oriental adept applies this veryknowledge practically when he transforms any disagreeable odour intoanydeliciousperfumehemaythinkof.Andthusmodernscience,aftersolongenjoyingitsjokeoverthepuerilecredulityoftheAsiaticsinbelievingsuch fairystoriesabout thepowersof theirSadhoos, isnowendingbybeingforcedtodemonstratethescientificpossibilityofthoseverypowersbyactuallaboratoryexperimentation.“Helaughsbestwholaughslast”—anadagethatthegraduatesofIndiawoulddowelltoremember.

APPENDIXD

(NotestoTheosophist,Vol.4,p.37)A.SeePlato’sHistoryofAtlantis,asgivenbythepriestsofSaisto

hisgreatancestorSolon,theAthenianlaw-giver.Atlantis,thesubmergedcontinentandthelandofthe“Knowledgeof

GoodandEvil”(especiallythelatter)parexcellence,wasinhabitedbythefourthraceofmen(weare thefifth),whoarecredited in thePopol-Vuh(the book of theGuatemalans)with sight unlimited, and “who knew allthings at once.” Eliphas Levi refers to the secret tradition, amongoccultists, about the great struggle that took place in those far-awayprehistoric days of Atlantis, between the “sons of God,” the initiatedAdepts of Sham-bha-la (once as fair a land, an oasis surrounded bybarren deserts and salt lakes)—and the Atlanteans, the wickedmagiciansofThevetat,(seeIsis,Vol.I,pp.589-94).

It isawell-establishedbeliefamongtheEasternandespeciallytheMongolian and Tibetan occultists, that, towards the end of every race,whenmankindreachesitsapexofknowledgeinthatcycle,dividingintotwodistinctclasses, itbranchesoff,oneas the “SonsofLight”and theother as “the Sons of Darkness,” or initiated Adepts and natural-bornmagicians or—mediums. Towards the very close of the race, as theirmixed progeny furnishes the first pioneers of a new and higher race,there comes the last and supreme struggle, duringwhich the “Sons ofDarkness”areusuallyexterminatedbysomegreatcataclysmofnature,eitherby fireorbywater.Atlantiswassubmerged:hence the inferencethatthatportionofthemankindofthefifthracewhichwillbecomposedof “natural-born magicians” will be exterminated in the future greatcataclysm—byfire.

B. (37). What was in reality that much maligned and still moredreaded goat, that Baphomet, regarded even now by the RomanCatholics as Satan, the Grand Master of the “Witches Sabbath,” thecentralfigureoftheirnocturnalorgies?Why,simplyPanorNature.

C.By“thedogmaofelementaryforces”EliphasLevimeans“spirit”and“matter,”allegorisedbyZoroasterforthecommonherdintoOrmazd

and Ahriman, the prototype of the Christian “God” and “Devil”: andepitomisedandsummedupby thephilosophyofOccultScience in the“HumanTriad”(body,soul,spirit—thetwopolesandthe“middlenature”of man), the perfect microcosm of the One Universal Macrocosm orUniverse.IntheKhodah-Avesta theZoroastriandualismiscontradicted:“Whoartthou,Ofairbeing?”inquiriesthedisembodiedsoulofonewhostands at the gates of its Paradise. “I am, O soul, thy good and pureactions...thylaw,thyangel,andthyGod.”

D.P.38.Theseventhstateofmatter-life.TheFireandLightof the“Astral Virgin” may be studied by the Hindus in the Fire and Light ofAkasha.

E....”toavoidseeingwhatGodis,”i.e.,seeingthatGodisbutmanandviceversa,whenheisnotthe liningofGod,theDevil.Weknowofmanywho prefer voluntary life-long blindness to plain, sober truth andfact.

F.(38),Cupid,theGod,istheseventhprincipleoftheBrahmoftheVedantinandPsycheisitsvehicle,thesixthorspiritualsoul.Assoonasshefeelsherselfdistinctfromher“consort,”andseeshim,sheloseshim.Studythe“HeresyofIndividuality”andyouwillunderstand.

G.IntheChristianlegendtheRedeemeristheInitiator,whooffershis life insacrifice for theprivilegeof teachinghisdisciplessomegreattruths.HewhounriddlestheChristianSphinx“becomestheMasteroftheAbsolute,” for the simple reason that the greatest mystery of all theancient initiations,past,present,and future, ismadeplainanddivulgedtohim.Thosewhoaccept theallegory literally,will remainblindall theirlife,andthosewhodivulgeittotheignorantmassesdeservepunishmentfortheirwantofdiscretioninseekingto“feedpigswithpearls.”

The Theosophist, read by the intelligent, who, when theyunderstandit,provethattheydeserveasmuchofthesecretknowledgeascanbegiventhem,ispermittedtothrowoutahint.Lethimwhowouldfathomthemysteryof theallegoryofbothSphinxandCross,study themodes of initiation of theEgyptians,Chaldeans, ancient Jews,Hindus,etc. And then he will find what the word “Atonement,” far older thanChristianity,meantasalso“theBaptismofBlood.”Atthelastmomentofthesupremeinitiation,whentheInitiatorhaddivulgedthelastmysterious

word,either thehierophantor the “newly-born,” theworthierof the two,hadtodie,sincetwoAdeptsofequalpowermustnotlive,and“hewhoisperfect” hasno roomonearth.EliphasLevi hints at themystery in hisvolumes without explaining it. Yet he speaks of Moses who dies,mysteriouslydisappearsfromthetopofMountPisgah,afterhehadlaidhandson the initiatedAaron:ofJesus,whodies for thedisciple“whomhe loved,”John, theauthorof theApocalypse:andofJohn theBaptist,thelastoftherealNazarsoftheOldTestament(seeIsis,Vol.II,p.132),who, in the incomplete, contradictory and tortured Gospel accounts, ismade to die later throughHerodias’whim, and, in the secretKabalisticdocuments of the Nabatheans, to offer himself as an expiatory victimafterbaptizing(i.e.,initiating)hischosensuccessorinthemysticJordan.

In these documents, after the initiation,Aba, theFather, becomestheSon,andtheSonsucceedstheFatherandbecomesFatherandSonat the same time, inspired by Sophia Achamoth (secret wisdom),transformedlateronintotheHolyGhost.ButthissuccessorofJohntheBaptistwasnotJesus,theNazarenessay.Butofthisanon.Tothisday,theinitiationbeyondtheHimalayasisfollowedbytemporarydeath(fromthreetosixmonths)ofthedisciple,oftenoftheinitiator:buttheBuddhistsdonotspillblood,fortheyhaveahorrorofit,knowingthatbloodattractsevil powers. At the initiation of the Chinnamasta Tantrikas (chinna,severed,masta,head) thegoddessbeingrepresentedbyadecapitatedhead, theTantrikShastrassay that,assoonas theAdepthas reachedthehighestdegreeofperfection,hehas to initiatehissuccessorand—die,offeringhisbloodforthesinsofhisbrothers.Hemust“cutoffhisownheadwith the righthand,holding iton the left.”Threestreamsofbloodgushoutfromtheheadlesstrunk.Oneoftheseisdirectedintothemouthof thedecapitatedhead(...”myblood isdrink indeed”... the injunction inJohn that so shocked his disciples). The other is directed towards theearthasanofferingofpure,sinlessbloodtomotherEarth:andthethirdgushestowardsheavenasawitnessforthesacrificeof“self-immolation.”Now, thishasaprofoundoccultsignificancewhich isknownonly to theinitiated: nothing like truth is explained by the Christian dogma: and,imperfectly as they have defined the quasi inspired authors of “ThePerfect Way” reveal the truth far nearer than any of the Christiancommentators.