Lesson X The Riddle of the Universe.

In Lesson VI, of the present series, entitled 'Gnani Yoga,' we reminded the student that we had touched merely upon one phase of that branch of the Yogi Philosophy, and that we would take up some of its other features in subsequent lessons. The subject of Gnani Yoga is so large that many volumes could be written upon it, in fact, very many have been written in past ages, and thousands of volumes have been inspired by its teachings. In this lesson we shall touch upon some of the more important phases, and endeavor to present them in a plain simple style that the underlying principles may be grasped, at least partially, by many who have found other presentations of the subject too abstruse and technical. As we stated in Lesson VI:

All existence, conscious or unconscious, is an EMANATION of one Being.

This underlying 'Being' has been called by many names by philosophers, the terms best adapted to it being 'Spirit' or 'The Absolute.' The word 'Absolute' is used in the sense 'Unconditioned; Free from Limitation; Complete in Itself; Depending on nothing else; Actual; Real.' In other words, it is 'The Real Thing.' We wish you understand how we use the word as much misunderstanding arises from a confusion of terms, and their meanings.

In our consideration of the subject we shall use the word 'Relative' quite frequently. This word is opposed in meaning to 'Absolute,' to the extent that it implies that it arises from the Absolute – it is incomplete; conditioned; limited; depending upon something else; partial (not in the sense of a separate part, but in the sense of an incomplete view or conception.) In our consideration of 'Things as They Are' we may cast aside one after another relative feature or quality – that which remains at the last, incapable of further analysis, exclusion or division, is 'the thing in itself;' the 'absolute' thing. The Yogis often speak of the Absolute as 'the Thing as It is' – the Relative being 'The Thing as It Seems.' A simple plan of keeping the idea clearly before the mind, is to think of the Absolute as 'The Whole Thing, as it is' – and of the Relative as 'An incomplete and imperfect view of one phase, aspect or quality of the Whole Thing.' It is quite difficult to give an intelligent idea of the exact meaning of the two terms, for the reason that if we could understand the exact meaning of the word 'Absolute,' we would understand the Absolute itself. The word is the feeble effort of man's mind to express an inexpressible idea. Man's mind, in its present state of unfoldment, is 'relative,' and therefore is unable to grasp within itself the full meaning of the term 'Absolute.' So all it can do is to form an idea of its own limitations and boundaries, and then, realizing the relativeness of its own conceptions, it calls that which is without the boundary 'Absolute.' Man's mind cannot grasp the full sense of Absolute Space (Infinity); Absolute Time (Eternity); Absolute Intelligence; although it may be able to understand the general meanings of the terms by reason of its understanding of the relative phases of the things. For instance, man is able to draw a circle on a piece of paper, the circle enclosing a measure of Space – by thus expressing Relative Space he forms a conception of Absolute Space (Infinity), as 'all the space lying outside of the circle, in all directions, to infinity.' In the same way he knows Time – he measures off a second, a minute, an hour or a year – all relative terms. Having done this, he is able to think and say that all that lies on either side of the measured time – back of it, or ahead of it – is Absolute Time, Infinite Time, or Eternity. In the above illustrations, the Absolute Time and Absolute Space, of course include the relative thing that man has measured off or set aside, the separation or setting aside existing wholly within the mental conception of the man, and having no actuality or reality in truth. One may form a mental conception of a 'part' of the Absolute, in the sense that his attention is limited to that particular presentation of the thing apparent to his immediate consciousness, just as one may see a 'part' of the ocean, by looking through a telescope pointed at it, but that 'part' is not a part in the sense of a 'separate' or 'divided' thing – the 'separateness' or 'division' being wholly a matter of his consciousness, due to his inability to see the whole. Likewise, one cannot separate a portion of Space or Time from the whole – all that he can do is to form a relative conception of Time or Space and give it a name – he cannot detach either from the whole, in reality. In fact both Time and Space are purely relative terms, used by man to help him form a finite idea of Eternity and Infinity. Both words presuppose, of necessity, a measuring, or setting apart, while Infinity and Eternity having no limits, cannot be measured at either end, and are Absolute terms.

This Being – Reality – Spirit – Absolute – The Thing that IS – The Real Thing – The Whole Thing – of course is inconceivable to the finite human intellect. Man's higher states of consciousness, as they unfold, help him to understand the matter more fully, but none may understand the Absolute fully, unless he be the Absolute himself. The Final Secret is insoluble to our ordinary consciousness, or any consciousness outside of the Absolute Consciousness. But as our consciousness unfolds, we may obtain (and do obtain), further and fuller knowledge – as sheath after sheath is thrown off, and the rays of the Spiritual Mind beat upon our consciousness, we are able to know many things formerly thought to be unknowable. And we may make good use of the intellect in this matter. We have been told, so often, that we must take certain things 'on faith,' and that it was 'no use bothering our minds concerning them,' but this is only a partial statement of truth, for the Intellect does give us a reliable report concerning the real nature of things, and which reports, although only partial and incomplete, are worthy of respect. This is particularly true when the Intellect has received the beneficent light from the Spiritual Mind resulting from the recognition of the higher principle and the willingness to accept light from it. Although our first realization of God does come in the way of a blind faith, caused by a feeble ray of the Spirit breaking through even the dense material sheaths of the soul, and although much of the following 'knowledge' of the Supreme Something that is back of and under it all is 'intuitive' and 'not from the Intellect,' still the Intellect is able to give us valuable information, and is a proper instrument for such inquiry into truth. The higher teaching – the Spiritual Knowing – is not contrary to Intellect, but simply goes further along the line – it does not contradict Intellect, but simply transcends it. And Intellect will bear it out from its own store of knowledge, if properly asked. The Intellect is not a mocker – a liar – although many metaphysicians would have us to so consider it. It gives accurate reports of matters coming before it, although often our undeveloped powers of judgement and discrimination cause us to misinterpret its message. When the Intellect is held to a clear answer, it will show us that it is forced to admit certain things from certain premises – that it is unable to conceive the opposite conclusion. Let us not fear the conclusions of the Intellect – let us not fear to apply its tests to our Faith. The Intellect has its limitations, but it is true so far as it goes, although our imperfect and mistaken judgement of its messages often leads us astray. In our search for knowledge we must call on all planes of the mind. Let us not, with many denominational teachers, consider the Intellect foreign and antagonistic to religious knowledge. Let us not, with many of the material teachers, consider Intellect everything and the higher states of consciousness mere illusions, and false witnesses. Each phase of the mind has its province – they are sisters – let them walk hand in hand, helping, explaining, agreeing – instead of declaring themselves sworn enemies. Let us see what the relative Intellect can tell us regarding the Absolute – what the finite Intellect can inform us regarding the Infinite. It is true that we cannot see 'the Thing in Itself' by the Intellect, but inasmuch as the Intellect is a partial manifestation of that 'Thing,' and inasmuch as unless we use the Intellect, we, in our present state of unfoldment, cannot think of the 'Thing' at all, we may feel fully justified in asking the Intellect the question: "What can you tell us concerning this thing/" And in the following pages we will endeavor to tell what is the answer of the Intellect. Later on, we will offer the evidence of the higher plane of the mind – the message of the Spiritual Mind, so far as it has been shown us.

The mind of Man when it unfolds sufficiently to reason at all about the Universe – Life – Existence; when it forms even the elementary idea of Cause and Effect – when it reaches the stage of consciousness known as Self-Consciousness, that is, at which it forms the idea of the 'I' and the 'Not I' – invariably conceives the idea of 'something back of its all.' The man's first ideas are crude, but he grows in understanding and constantly improves upon his idea of the underlying cause of Life and the Universe. In addition to his intellectual conception, he is impressed by a 'feeling' of a Higher Power, which feeling he afterward called 'faith,' and the manifestation of it 'religion.' He evolves fanciful theories, according to the direction of his religious thought and teaching, and invents gods without number (not to speak of devils), to explain that which the mind and 'feeling' insisted upon.

After a bit the thought on the subject splits into two forms – the thought of the priests, and the thought of the philosophers. The priests contented themselves with assertions that their particular god or gods 'created' everything and invented fanciful tales to illustrate the same, as time went along. The philosophers generally discarded the theory of the priests, and attempted to explain the thing by theories of their own, although as a matter of safety and prudence, they generally took care to fall in with the prevailing religious ideas, at least so far as words were concerned. After a time, the priests, inoculated with the reasoning of the philosophers, invented 'Theology,' a system of philosophy attempting to explain 'why' and 'how' a preconceived personal god did certain things, and what was the logical conclusion of certain theories starting from a certain premise. Then metaphysics sprang into existence in response to the needs of men's minds. Metaphysics is the name given to the science of the inquiry into the 'reality' of things – the reality as compared with the 'seeming' – the seen, as compared with the unseen – the subjective as distinguished from the objective – an inquiry into the Absolute, in fact. Metaphysics tried to find 'the thing in itself,' while Theology contented itself with assuming a Deity (usually a personal God), and attempting to reason out the attributes, nature, etc., of that Deity, and the relation of the Universe to that Deity, who was assumed to be its Creator. Later on came the material or physical scientists, who attempted to explain the Riddle of the Universe upon a purely physical or material basis. The theologians, metaphysicians, and physical scientists of the Western world have fought each other's theories vigorously, and for a time were very far from each other. The Oriental thinkers, however, saw in theology, metaphysics, and science only varying phases of the same subject, and so the friction was avoided. In passing, however, let us say that the advanced theologians are fast coming to an understanding with the advanced metaphysicians, and the advanced scientists are meeting the other two on many points. They eventually will agree in the main, the principal points of difference now being mere words – they are searching after the same Thing, and must eventually meet.

The theologian; the metaphysician; the philosopher; the scientist; each assumed the necessity of there being 'something underneath' Life and the Universe. Their minds could not get away from that idea – something forced upon them by their Intellect. Some thought that this 'something' was an extra-universal thing – a something outside of Life and the Universe, and which 'created' it. Others thought that the 'something' was the 'Reality' of Life and the Universe, as distinguished from the appearance or partial-reality, but which was not apart from the Universe, but the soul or moving spirit within and of it. The theologians called it God; the metaphysicians called it Mind, Reality, Actuality, Truth, and similar names; the scientists called it Matter, or Force, or even Force-Matter; the philosophers called it Substance, Life, etc. But by each name, these thinkers meant 'The Thing in Itself' – the Thing after all its 'appearances' had been drawn into it – The Ultimate – The Absolute.

We do not think it necessary to devote more space to the statement that the human mind is compelled to think of an 'underlying something' – the Thing in Itself. All thinkers (no matter what their schools or theories) admit this conclusion, and every man will surely find this conclusion in his own mind, if he will search for it. Therefore we may assume as an axiom ('a self-evident and necessary truth; a proposition which it is necessary to take for granted' – Webster), the following statement:

First – The Absolute IS

We are then led to a consideration of what our Intellect informs us regarding this thing that IS – we must see whether the mind contains any more 'self-evident truths;' 'propositions necessary to take for granted;' things which the mind cannot help believing. The conception of the fact that the Absolute 'is,' carries with it the corollary, or consequent conviction, that:

Second – Whatever really 'is' must be the Absolute.

There cannot be two or more Absolute Beings or Final Things. There can only be One Absolute or Final Thing. All else that appears to be must be relative – things relating to, or arising in connection with the Absolute – 'of' It. The Absolute is what really IS; and everything that really IS must be the Absolute. The two statements of truth are necessary to each other, and cannot be divorced. When we say 'IS' we of course mean really is, in its entirety and completeness – not that which is incomplete and unable to stand by itself – not 'appearances' of reality. Or, perhaps this may appear plainer to you: There cannot be two Whole Things, or two Totalities, or two Alls. One Whole Thing; Totality; All; is the necessity of the Intellect. These terms, of necessity, are all more or less imperfect, and fail to carry the full meaning. Some words will mean more to one student – others more to other students – therefore we have used several. The one term, in place of 'The Absolute,' that seems to be more readily grasped by beginners, is the one used in the first part of this lesson, i.e. 'The Whole Thing, as It Is.' This second statement leads us to a third, which is akin to it, namely:

Third – The Absolute comprises ALL that there really is; all that there ever really has been; all that really ever can be. The All must comprise ALL. And it must always have comprised ALL. And it must always comprise ALL. This from the very nature of things, as conceived by the Intellect. All must always be ALL. There can be nothing outside of the ALL. And whatever IS must be in the ALL. There is no outside of the ALL – nothing can exist outside of it. To say that a thing exists outside of the All, is to state an absurdity. The Absolute never had a beginning, therefore there could have been nothing before it. And there can be nothing come from anything but it. And as it has no ending there can be nothing to come after it. So it must comprise all there is, has been, or will be. With this idea in mind, let us consider the fourth statement:

Fourth – The Absolute is Omnipresent – present everywhere at the same time.

This statement is self-evident. There can be no place outside of the All. There can be no existence or presence except in the All. The All must be Everywhere. There cannot be a place with nothing in it. The Intellect is unable to grasp a conception of Nothing as an actuality; a reality; an absolute fact. An absolute Nothing is unthinkable, for an absolute thing is something, and 'something' is opposed to 'nothing.' 'Nothing' is a negative term, and is used to denote the absence, or apparent absence, or of some relative thing. The Absolute being All, it must include everything (see Statement III). That which we call space; time; matter; mind; energy; etc., are but relative manifestations of the Absolute. Therefore it must be present everywhere, at the same time. Any other idea is unthinkable.

Fifth – The Absolute is Omnipotent – All-Powerful – Possessing Unlimited Power – Possessing all the Power there is.

This statement must be self-evident, if we admit the statements that the Absolute is All; is everywhere; is universal, and providing that we admit that there is such a thing as Power or Strength. Of course, it may be argued that Power and Strength are relative terms, being things relative to or incidental to the Absolute, rather than absolute things in themselves. This reasoning is correct, at the last, but we are conscious of something we call Power or Strength, which we are justified in considering a relative manifestation of the Absolute. If there is Power (even relative) it must be 'of' the Absolute. There can be not other Power. The Absolute must be given credit for All Power – not partial Power – not simply more Power than something else possesses – but ALL Power; All the Power there is – Unlimited Power – Power enough to accomplish anything. Later on, we shall speak of Power as an Appearance or Manifestation of the Absolute, and as relative in that sense. This axiom conveys the self-evident truth that all of that which we call Power, is a manifestation of the Absolute, and that there is no Power possible from any other source, for there is no other source from which it can come. Some metaphysicians make the statement: "The Absolute is All-Power – God is Power," but we regard Power as a relative manifestation of God or the Absolute, instead of a name for 'the Thing in Itself.' We regard Matter and Mind in the same way, as shall more fully and at large appear, in this and following lessons.

Sixth – The Absolute is Omniscient – All-Wise – All-Knowing – Possessing All Knowledge – Knowing Everything – Having Infinite Knowledge.

This means that there is nothing not known by the Absolute; nothing not absolutely understood. If there is a single thing that is not fully known by, and understood by, the Absolute then the words 'Absolute' and 'Omniscient' are meaningless and absurd. This, of course, applies to all knowledge appertaining to and concerning the past; present; and future, if we may be permitted to use these relative terms. The Knowing must be complete to be Omniscient – complete down to the smallest detail – to the final point. The Being possessing Omniscience cannot make mistakes; change its mind by reason of improved knowledge; cannot err in judgement, discrimination, or any other process of what we call 'mind.' Such Knowledge and Wisdom must indeed be absolute, to fit the term. When the Absolute knows everything, it simply knows itself, for it is everything in everything. We must admit the existence of 'Knowledge,' for we know it, relatively, in an incomplete and unfolding degree in ourselves. We not only 'know,' but 'know that we know.' And admitting the existence of 'knowledge' or 'intelligence,' we of necessity must admit that such 'knowledge' or 'intelligence' must pertain to the Absolute, and be possessed by it or within it, or at least be 'of' it. Whatever Is must be of the Absolute. And the Absolute must possess ALL that there IS of anything, or everything. In our consideration of that manifestation of the Absolute which is called 'Mind,' we shall speak of the universality of intelligence.

Seventh – The Absolute is Infinite.

This statement is almost superfluous, as the term 'Absolute' carries the term 'Infinite' with it, and yet there is a shade of difference between the two, and so, 'Infinity' may be spoken of as a quality of the Absolute. Infinity means: "Unlimited or boundless, in time or space; without limit in power, capacity, intensity or excellence; perfect; boundless; unlimited; unbounded." – Webster. 'Without Limit' gives the idea. The Absolute is without limit or bounds, because it is everywhere in space and time (if we must use the words); because there is nothing with which to limit or bound it, and a thing cannot limit or bound itself; because there is nothing outside of; beyond; or back of it; because there IS nothing but itself. Infinity is an absolute term, and the mind cannot fully conceive it, although it intuitively perceives it.

Eighth – The Absolute is Eternal

Webster defines the word 'Eternal' as: "Without beginning or end of existence; always existing; underived and indestructible; everlasting; endless; infinite; ceaseless; perpetual; interminable." We cannot conceive of the Absolute as having had a beginning, neither can we conceive of it as ever having an ending. If we try to think of it as ever having a beginning, we must think of it as proceeding from something else, and in thus thinking we make the Absolute a relative, and set up a new Absolute a little farther back, and so on ad infinitum. The mind is unable to think of the Absolute as having a beginning, for a beginning presupposes a cause, and that cause another cause, and so on. The mind cannot admit such an idea, and so must be forced to admit that back of all the effects arising from causes there must BE a something without a cause – a something that always existed – a 'Causeless Cause' – The Absolute. It is true that in the world of relativity we have never seen a thing without a cause, because the law of cause and effect is in operation in that relative world, but all these so-called causes and effects are within and 'of' the Absolute. There is no cause outside of the Absolute to affect it – there is nothing outside – there is no outside. This is hard for the untrained mind to grasp, but every mind must be forced to this conclusion, for there is no escape for it – the mind cannot help itself, and must admit the truth, although not able to understand it. The Intellect likes to cling to the idea of Cause and Effect, and is loath to part with it, even in considering the Absolute. But abandon it it must, for it is compelled to admit an exception, and a single exception breaks the law, and shows its relativity. For instance, if one admits that there is a 'First Cause,' the chain of cause and effect is broken, for the the 'First Cause' is something without a cause, and therefore the law cannot be an absolute one – the exception breaks it. Or, on the other hand, if one claims that the law of cause and effect is infinite, the answer comes that an infinite thing can have no beginning; and a thing without beginning – a beginningless thing – can have no cause. And so in this case, also, the chain is broken, and the mind must admit that there must be something without a cause. In the last case, the Intellect is using an absolute term, 'Infinite,' which it cannot understand, has knocked the bottom out of its own argument, and is forced to assume that there is a 'Causeless Cause,' although it is unable to illustrate that thing by anything in its own experience. It does the best it can, and so, at least, is frank to admit the existence of something which it cannot understand – in fact, it is compelled to do so if it is honest with itself. Cause and effect are relative things, not a necessity to the Absolute. Eternity is an absolute term, and the Intellect cannot fully conceive of it, although the mind intuitively perceives it. 'Time' is a relative term used by man because of his inability to grasp the absolute truth. Man is never able to grasp a moment in time, for before the mind can fasten upon it it has passed into the past. Time is relative and the greatest period of time that the human mind is capable of imagining or thinking about, when compared to Eternity or Absolute Time, is but as a strand of a spider-web when stretched before the lens of a telescope the field of which embraces Infinite Space – in fact the spider-web would have to be reduced an infinity of infinity before it would begin to answer for the purpose of comparison. An æon of countless millions of years, when compared with Eternity, or Absolute Time, comes so near being absolutely nothing, that only the Absolute Mind could distinguish it. Advanced minds in their teachings inform us that they often lose their sense of relative time entirely, in their consideration of Eternity or Absolute Time, and a million years seems as but a moment, in the thought. The same thing happens when the advanced mind explores the mental regions pertaining to Space – the relative is lost in the Absolute, and relative Space melts into Infinity. Time and Space are relative terms, belonging to the finite mind of Man of today – when the Absolute thinks, it thinks in terms of Infinity and Eternity – its own terms. From the Absolute (even our puny intellect can grasp this) everywhere is Here – every Time is Now.

Ninth – The Absolute is Indivisible.

The Absolute is the All – the Whole Thing. It cannot be divided into parts, because there is nothing to divide it – nothing to divide it with – and nothing to 'fill in the cracks.' There can be no real partition, division, or separation of the Absolute. It always has been the Whole – always will be the Whole – is the Whole now. It is an Ultimate thing – not capable of being separated, divided or parted. The mind is incapable of conceiving of the Absolute as being broken up into bits; separated; divided, etc., for the reasons given above. The mind refuses to form the picture, and is forced to acknowledge the truth of the above statement. It is true that in our finite conception of things we may use the relative terms: 'part of,' or 'portion of' the Whole Thing, or Absolute, meaning the particular presentation of the Whole coming within the field of our consciousness. We are unable to see the thing in its entirety, and consequently speak of that which we see as 'a part,' or 'a portion' of the Absolute or Whole. But the limitation is within ourselves, and our mind makes the relative distinction because its field is too limited to take in a view of the whole. The mind breaks up the Whole into these limited and partial views, and calls each 'a part,' although in the absolute and true sense there is no partition, division or separation of these so-called 'parts, and in reality and truth the Whole remains unchanged and unseparated, although the little finite, relative, field of consciousness breaks it into imaginary 'parts' for its own convenience and accommodation. The matter may be illustrated crudely, by the following example. From the window by the side of which this lesson is written, there may be seen a great mountain range. As far as the eye reaches, it extends. Our eye takes it in as a whole, or rather recognizes it as a whole as it sweeps along its stretch, notwithstanding that at no time does the field of vision cover the whole range. Still the sense of continuity and wholeness is there, and if the eye were to be placed at a sufficient distance, it would take in the whole picture as one. But suppose that we wished to photograph this range, from this window. We would be compelled to first point the camera at one 'part,' and then after snapping it, point it at another 'part,' and so on until we had secured pictures of the whole. The several pictures would show no connection with each other, and the whole range would appear as if broken up or separated into 'parts' or 'portions,' and yet in reality there has been no partition, separation or division in the mountain itself. The mountain itself remains unchanged – whole, and undivided. Distribute the pictures, and each person looking at his particular one would see only a 'part,' each looking different, and having no connection with any other, unless the two be placed together. One wishing to get a correct view of the range, would have to piece together the 'parts' before he could see a representation of the whole without division or separateness. And yet, whether the pictures be viewed separately or together, the mountain itself remains the same, undisturbed and unaffected by the 'appearances' of the pictures. The illustration is quite crude and imperfect, but may help to show you how, even on the physical plane, a partial view may give one the impression of 'parts' and 'separateness,' which impression has no basis in reality or truth. Every so-called 'part' of the Absolute is in touch with every other 'part' and the Whole – all is One, undivided, indivisible, incapable of partition or separation. Remember this, students, you will need this truth so solve problems as we proceed.

Tenth – The Absolute is Unchangeable, Constant and Permanent.

Intellect is compelled to admit this statement as self-evident. The Absolute cannot change, because there is nothing into which it can change without losing itself, and it is inconceivable that the Absolute could lose itself or its identity. All outside of the Absolute – the All – is 'nothing,' and something cannot be nothing, much less can the 'Whole Thing' become 'No-Thing.' The Absolute, of necessity, must be the same thing always, yesterday, today and tomorrow. It is perfect, therefore cannot be improved upon. It is all wise, therefore cannot commit the folly of making mistakes and losing its Perfectness. It is all Powerful, therefore it cannot lose or suffer to be taken away from it anything that it has, even if there were anything outside of itself to take it away. There is nothing outside – there is no outside – there is nothing that can affect it in any way. Being Everything that really IS there cannot be anything into which it can change. There is an unvarying stability and constancy about the Absolute. There can be no evolution, development, or growth on its part for it is already Perfect, and there is no field for growth. These things being the case, we must realise that all that we call change; growth; improvement; progression; retrogression; life and death (as commonly understood) are relative terms, and are but incomplete appearances of the Absolute, and are not absolute facts. They are only 'appearances' of Reality, the trouble being with our finite minds which see only a small and often distorted part of the Whole, and, not understanding, mistake that imperfect part for the Whole – mistake the appearance for the reality. We turn our telescope on the star, and when, shortly after, it passes out of the field of vision, we say: "It is gone," when in reality, the star is still in its place , but we have moved and seen it not. The shifting and changing that we think are real, are but the waves, foam and bubbles on the bosom of the ocean, mere surface appearances – the ocean is unchanged. The Absolute is outside of the law of cause and effect. Cause and effect cannot touch it, because they are relative things, dealing with other relative things, and touching not the Reality or Absolute at all. The Absolute has no beginning, can have no ending; has no cause, and is not the effect of anything. From the position of the Absolute, there is no such thing as the law of cause and effect, such law being a relative thing having only the world of relativity for its field of operation. Cause and effect are relative appearances within the Absolute, and having no control over it – they are creations, mere instruments or tools of the Absolute, serving some Divine purpose of the moment, but possessing no reality to the Absolute. The Absolute is free.

Eleventh – That which is not Absolute must be Relative to the Absolute, or else Nothing at all. That which is not the Absolute Being ('the Thing in Itself')must be 'of' it, or else be nothing at all.

This statement is a corollary of statements I, II and III. All Reality – and all of relativity – must be either the Absolute itself, or else 'of' the Absolute. In other words it must be either the Absolute (the Whole Thing as It Is), or else the Relative ('an imperfect and incomplete view or aspect of the Whole Thing'). If it is neither of these two things (which are really one thing, you must remember), then it is NOTHING – a Lie – an Illusion of an Illusion – a mistaken judgement of a Relative thing (or a series of such mistaken judgements), or a positive lie having no foundation either in the Absolute or the Relative.

THE THREE GREAT MANIFESTATIONS OR RELATIVITIES

The ordinary Intellect is unable to see plainly, or comprehend fully, the Absolute in Itself. But the relative aspects of the Absolute are apparent to the ordinary consciousness, and a glimpse of the 'thing in itself' (Spirit) may be had through the Spiritual Mind as the consciousness unfolds so as to admit its rays. Although a little ahead of that part of our subject, we think it better to make the following statement in order that the student's mind may rest for a moment in the asking of the question that must inevitably come after a consideration of the above eleven statements. The question we mean is this, coming from Man: "And where am I in this Absolute and Relative?" Or as an American recently asked: "Where do I come in?" The question will be taken up in our final lesson, but we have to say this here: Man, as he seems to himself today, has within him both the Absolute ; the Relative. This is what we mean, he has within him, his Real Self, Spirit, which is Absolute. This Spirit is surrounded by a mass of the Relative, viz: (1) Matter; (2) Energy or Force; (3) Mind. The Sanskrit terms for the above are: Atman, meaning Spirit, or the Eternal Self; Akasa, meaning Matter, or the all-pervading material of the universe; Prana, meaning Force, Energy, etc., and Chitta, meaning 'Mind-substance.' The Yogi Philosophy teaches that these four things are found in all things in the Universe of Universes. The Atman or Spirit being the Reality, is present everywhere, in everything. But not in the way of being shut off, or separate, or a piece allotted to every particular object. It may be described as 'brooding' over the Universe and being in, under, around, and all about everything. We may speak (and we have in these lessons), as Man having within him (or else, as 'being'), a 'drop from the Ocean of Spirit'; a 'Spark from the Divine Flame,' a 'Ray from the Sun of Spirit,' etc., but these are mere figures of speech, for there is no separation of Spirit – there cannot be (see Statement VIII). Instead of individual men being like pearls having a bit of gold in their center, they are like pearls strung upon a gold chain, the same chain being in and through each. This is a most clumsy illustration, but may give a faint idea of the essential difference between the two conceptions.

Each relative entity, or center of consciousness, or atom, or thing (call it what you will), rests upon this golden chain of Spirit, is a point on that chain, in fact. The pearls passing along the chain are composed of matter(Akasa); possess Force or Energy (Prana); and Mind Substance (Chitta), all of which three substances, or things are relative manifestations of the Absolute, the Spirit being the only 'thing in itself' apparent – the only 'real thing' about man, for the other three are interchangeable, temporary, incomplete, etc., and lacking in the qualities that belong to the Absolute as we have mentioned them in the above statements. We shall take up this matter of the constitution of Man, in our next lesson, and merely mention the above in this place, as an aid to the student, and partially to answer the inevitable question that comes up at this part of the instruction. We must now go on to a consideration of the Three Great Manifestations or Relativities. We will then speak of the Spirit, Atman, or Absolute, and Man's Relation to God, which is the heart of 'The Riddle of the Universe.' The Spirit is the Unmanifest – Matter, Energy and Mind are Manifestations (relative, of course) of the Absolute. Remember this always, in order to prevent confusion.

The Three Great Manifestations of the Absolute, which may be sensed, studied, and comparatively well understood by the Intellect of even Man of today, are as follows:

(1.) Matter, or Substance (Akasa)

(2.) Energy, or Force (Prana)

(3.) 'Mind-Substance' (Chitta)

These three divisions are recognized by the modern advanced Western physical scientists, although some of them try to 'dodge' the last-mentioned form. In our consideration of the subject, we shall give you the views of the best Western thinkers, or rather the result of their speculations and investigations, so that you may see how closely they are approaching the Yogi Philosophy, at least so far as the relative 'world of form' is concerned. The Yogis know that the above-mentioned manifestations are not really three, but are three phases of one manifestation, their teachings being that Matter is a grosser form of Energy or Force, gradually shading and melting into the latter; also that Force or Energy is a grosser form of 'Mind-Substance,' gradually shading and melting into this last-mentioned manifestation. And the Mind-Substance in its highest phases and operations almost reaches the plane of Spirit, from which it has emerged, in fact, it becomes so fine at the point of its emergence, that the human mind (even the mind of the most advanced souls), cannot point to the exact line of difference. These things we shall consider later. Our first concern is a consideration of the Manifestation of Matter.

(I) Matter. (Akasa)

'Matter,' is a word or term used by scientists to designate that substance of which the material and physical Universe is composed, which substance is claimed to have extension in space which it occupies, and to be perceptible to the senses – the 'body' of things – the 'substance' of things. It is usually divided into three classes, or phases, i.e. Solid, Liquid and Aeriform. Solid Matter is matter whose parts firmly cohere and resist impression, such as stone, metal, wood etc. Liquid Matter is matter having free motion among its parts and easily yielding to impression, such as melted metals, tar, treacle, oil, water etc., in short, matter that 'flows.' Aeriform Matter is matter that may be called 'elastic fluids,' such as vapor, gas, air etc. Of course, these three forms of matter are really variations of one form, for all matter may be placed into either and all of the three classes by a change in temperature, for instance, Ice is a kind of matter in Solid form; Water the same kind of matter in Liquid form; Steam the same kind of matter in Aeriform. The degrees of temperature, producing any of the three mentioned forms vary, but any and all forms of matter are capable of changing their form, as above, upon being subjected to the proper temperature. For instance, Air, which is generally thought of as being Aeriform, has been liquidified and changed into Liquid Air by the application of a very low degree of temperature, and science knows that if a sufficiently low temperature be produced, the Liquid Air would 'freeze' and become solid. Likewise, take Lead, which appears as a solid in our ordinary temperature, and subject it to sufficient heat, and it 'melts' and becomes a liquid, and if a still higher temperature be applied it will pass off into a 'gas' and become Aeriform. This is true of all the elements of Matter, the degree of heat regulating the form. Heat is known to science as a form of force, the degree depending on the rate of its vibrations, so that the change in the apparent form of matter is the result of the playing upon it of Energy or Force (the Second Manifestation). Certain gases combining in certain proportions produce liquids, for instance, Water is composed of two parts of Hydrogen gas, combined with one part of Oxygen gas. And certain other Aeriform substances are composed of other 'gases,' for instance Air is composed of Oxygen and Nitrogen, combined in certain proportions. Of course, both Water and Air may, and do, hold other substances in solution, but the elements named are the only ones necessary, and the matter held in solution may be subtracted without impairing the virtue and nature of the solvent. The same form of matter may assume apparently different phases, for instance, the rocks composing the earth's surface crumble, disintegrate and are resolved into 'earth,' 'dust,' 'dirt,' etc. Then the plant-seed, sprouting and sending forth roots and shoots, draws upon this 'dirt,' taking from it certain elements needed for its welfare and life, transmuting these elements into its own substance, cells, etc., and so that that was once a part of a rock, is now a part of a plant. Then along comes Man, who eats the plant, and its matter is transformed into bone, muscle, blood, and even brain of the man. If an ox eats the plant, and man eats the ox, the result is the same. The element in the rock is now in the man. And throughout this change, although the form, shape, and character of the matter has changed, not a single atom of the original matter has been destroyed. Constant change and infinite combinations, but eternal existence is what physical science claims for the atom of matter. That which was once an atom of the rock, and is now an atom of matter in your body, will, in time, be a part of the plant or animal life of some other form of creature, and will always be so, and has always been so, according to science. Science seeing this apparent eternity of Matter, naturally jumps to the conclusion that Matter is the Absolute thing, ignoring the fact that it is but the relative manifestation of something behind it – the Absolute Being. Physical Science has analyzed matter until it has been able to classify it into about seventy classes, called 'elements,' which it has assumed to be ultimate, that is, incapable of further analysis or division. The Yogi Philosophy teaches that these so-called elements are but forms of one element – that there is but one form of matter, as may be found when chemistry reaches a higher stage of development. Modern science is reaching the same conclusion, although it has not been able to positively demonstrate it by experiment.

Then science has assumed that Matter is composed of minute atoms, not visible to the sight, and that the Ultimate Atom is incapable of further division, and is therefore the 'real thing' in matter. Some have held that this Ultimate Atom is the Absolute, from which all the elements, and then all the forms of matter have sprung, and also all that we call Energy and Mind are incidents and qualities of this Atom. They would have made this Atom their God, but alas! still more recent discoveries have shown them that their Ultimate Atom is not ultimate at all, and they are now hunting for another Ultimate Something in Matter. They will find, as did the Yogis thousands of years before, that when they reach their 'Ultimate' in Matter it will dissolve and melt into Force and Energy, and then they must hunt for their Ultimate Atom of Force. Advanced science has hinted at this very fact within the last few years, and we may expect the fact to be accepted generally before very long. When the scientists then probe Force and Energy until they find its 'Ultimate,' they will come to a melting point when the elusive Force will dissolve into Mind-Substance, and that back of 'Mind-Substance' is the Absolute. But that is a long way off for the physical scientist, although an old fact for the Yogis.

We have reached the end of our space, and must postpone the further consideration of Matter until the next lesson.

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