Tim Boyd – India, USA
Responding to a recent interviewer who asked me for a “Message in a Bottle”, I offered a brief reply: “Trust. Be open. Do something.” Having considered the first two statements in previous articles, it is time to expand on “Do something”. The three parts of the message are brief, and the common question which they invoke is equally brief. Trust. In what? Be open. To what? And for “Do something”, the briefest question of all, “What?” It is a fair question, but a reasonable answer must be something more than a list of “Thou shalt . . .” activities.
The world we live in is action oriented. It is a world of causes invoking effects, which in turn become new causes. In the interest of smoothing relations among people every society develops rules of etiquette — sometimes quite specific and involved. In French there are two forms of the word “you”. Years ago I spoke the language fairly well, but not well enough to be aware of some of its nuances. On one occasion I was in a park looking for a bench to sit and enjoy the outdoors. A man and his friend seemed to be getting up to leave, so I asked, “Are you leaving?” My mistake was that I used the more familiar form of the word “you”, which evoked an angry response in the man. He felt I was somehow disrespecting him with my inappropriate use of language. For me it was an instructive moment, but to be honest, it also left me feeling a little proud that my French accent was good enough that he did not blame my rudeness solely on my ignorance and unfamiliarity.
In societies around the world much of our action is defined by cultural norms, to which we conform. In most cases our conformity is not actively harmful, beyond the fact of our acceptance of yet another layer of conditioning. However, the admonition in my message to “do something” was not intended to evoke etiquette. The fundamental issue for someone who has awakened to the possibility of an inner or spiritual life begins with trying to understand who or what we are, and how we got here. From the macro perspective all of us have our roots in a Universal consciousness and energy. The scriptures and myths of global spiritual traditions give indications of the process that has placed us here.
In the Yoga and similar traditions of India the descriptions are specific. In the short text, Pratyabhijñâ-h·dayam, which I. K. Taimni translated as The Secret of Self Realization, it says:
The Atma, or the individual Monad (each of us), is merely a contracted or centralized form of universal consciousness. Even though it is nothing but pure consciousness, this is obscured by the mental world of the individual which fills it.
So, the process of awakening, or Self realization is actually a returning to a non-contracted, non-centralized state by overcoming the obscuring influence of the mental world in which we find ourselves embedded. In contrast to the limitations of the diminished personal center of consciousness, the wisdom traditions assert our potential for a limitless expansion of awareness and power. The Bible story of the Prodigal Son is an allegorical depiction of that Path of Return — called in Sanskrit, niv·tti mârga.
In all of this our actions are of supreme importance. Because action goes beyond the limits of the body and physical world, the quality of awareness that we bring to each action has an enormous effect. In the journey toward freedom, it can be said that there are actions that move us toward freedom, and actions that serve to deepen our involvement in the things, places, people, experiences, and desires that strengthen our bondage to the severely limited personal experience. This is the reason why spiritual and religious traditions place strong emphasis on “right” and “wrong”, or even “evil” and “sinful” actions. Even at the level of the person whose awareness of a spiritual potential is still dormant, guidelines which, at the minimum, prevent one from doing harm to themselves and others can help. An example in Christianity is the Ten Commandments; in Buddhism there is the Pañchasila (Five Precepts) which list the things that one should not do. ‘
Functioning in our world of duality, action and the conditions it precipitates are our prevailing experience. In HPB’s introduction to The Secret Doctrine she gives an extremely condensed description of the journey from an undifferentiated Absolute, to the manifestation of a Universe (necessarily dual in nature), and to the “obligatory pilgrimage for every soul” — the place where we all find ourselves. Her use of the word “pilgrimage” brilliantly depicts the process of our progressive involvement in a material world, our present condition, and the road “home”.
For any pilgrim the journey is intentional and has a specific destination. Along the way many things are encountered — upsets, delays, revelations, despondency, exaltation — and ultimately arrival at the sacred place, enriched by the travails and triumphs of the journey. She also emphasizes the all-important role of action — that it is by “self-induced and self devised efforts” that we move toward the freedom of a return to our essential, undivided nature.
The brief essay at the end of Light on the Path, by Mabel Collins, titled “Karma”, uses a fascinating and instructive image to describe this pilgrimage. It is not an image of a human being, or even a soul, but a rope “formed of innumerable fine threads”. The rope is described as passing “through all places”, and in doing so it “suffers strange accidents”. Along its journey some thread “is caught and becomes attached” and is only violently pulled away. In the image we can see that the effects of that entanglement disorders the rope, not just in that one spot. The image is also given that along the way some thread may be “stained with dirt or with color”. That stain spreads and affects other threads. Ultimately the threads and the rope “pass out of the shadow into the shine”, no longer colorless, but golden and level from their accumulated experience.
These threads, as a whole, are meant to illustrate the human being, our obligatory pilgrimage, and the relationship of action, embodied in Karma. Many people describe Karma as the “law of cause and effect” — a description which is not inaccurate. But Karma is much more. It is more than the cause-and-effect components of action; it is action itself. It could also be described as the “law of harmony”, or restoration of harmony.
There is an approach to action elaborated in the Bhagavadgitâ that is said to lift one out of the realm of karma. Essentially it says that all actions engaged in as “sacrifice” to the Divine are freeing. A similar idea is emphasized in Buddhist practice as “dedication”. The practice is intended to diminish our normal preoccupation with self, with “me”. It begins as an imaginative exercise.
For example, in our study, we can dedicate the action to developing knowledge that can be shared in healing and helping ourselves and others; when we engage in physical exercise, we can dedicate the exercise session to the cultivation of a strong, healthy body usable for the upliftment of all beings. As an act of imagination there are few limits to the normally self-centered actions that can be elevated and offered to the Divine.
Obviously, it would require a twisted imagination to fantasize the manufacture of weapons intended to destroy life, or the production and sale of substances that degrade health and consciousness as activities dedicated to the Divine. Although our initial practice begins as an act of imagination, over time it can become the set point for our living. In the words of the poet William Blake: “What is now proved was once, only imagined.”
Returning to the beginning, when I say “Do something”, what do we do? In answer to this question St Augustine is widely quoted as writing: “Love and do what you will.” For some this statement only adds to their confusion. “Are you saying that all I have to do is love and then I can rob a bank because of my family’s need and my love for them? Can I lie to a neighbor because I want to keep the peace?” Such a line of thought reflects our unlimited capacity to rationalize and our limited comprehension of Love. Yes, under the influence of the unifying power of Love one is free to act as they will. But what is the nature of that love?
The full context of St Augustine’s statement gives a richer picture.
If you keep silent, keep silent by love: if you speak, speak by love; if you correct, correct by love; if you pardon, pardon by love; let love be rooted in you, and from the root nothing but good can grow. Love and do what you will.
So, back to the Message in a Bottle: Trust. In what? Trust in yourself; not the impermanent personality which is continually stumbling its way through the world, but in the Higher Self, the unobscured Universal Self whose consciousness and power have brought this personality into being.
Be open. To what? Be open to the “still, small voice” of that Higher Self which is continually whispering, as intuitions within us, messages of Oneness, of Love, of Inspiration, and possibilities.
Do something. What? Every action rooted in Love is freeing and moves us closer to our true identity as divinely empowered messengers of the Highest. Such action is dedicated; it is sacrificial.
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This article was also published in The Theosophist, VOL. 146 NO. 1 OCTOBER 2024
The Theosophist is the official organ of the International President, founded by H. P. Blavatsky on 1 Oct. 1879.
To read the October 2024 issue click HERE