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Showing posts from September, 2023

East-West Comparative Philosophy III

 Subsequent to the discussion on the comparative philosophy, this post alludes to a synthesis of East, West philosophies leading to Synthetic global philosophy. As a prelude to the synthesis, let me recall these words of Sri Aurobindo in context of synthesis of ancient Vedantic Yoga philosophies, "The synthesis we propose cannot, then, be arrived at either by combination in mass or by successive practice. It must there- fore be effected by neglecting the forms and outsides of the Yogic disciplines and seizing rather on some central principle common to all which will include and utilise in the right place and proportion their particular principles, and on some central dynamic force which is the common secret of their divergent methods and capable therefore of organising a natural selection and combination of their varied energies and different utilities." (The Synthesis of Yoga, Volume 23, Collected Works Sri Aurobindo) One can extend this essence of synthesis into the domain

East-West Comparative Philosophy II

 Let us pick up where we left off comparative philosophy (pointing towards a synthetic world philosophy). I have made a table giving a quick comparative analysis (using specific parameters such as epistemology, metaphysics, Life's ideal, man's ultimate nature, civilization and cultures, evolution etc) of the three main philosophical traditions.  In simple words, if we were to take the three traditions together, we find three overall standpoints of their philosophies:  1. The inward (Indian) : The most important characteristic is the reflective inwardness and Intuition. Intuition being naturally coexistent and continuous with intellect yet a faculty of wider cognition and working without the distinction. Indian philosophy, particularly the dominant Vedanta and the highest forms of Buddhism, recognized the possibility of mind's witnessing itself (through higher grades or categories of self, the intuitive mind being one of them), through which it can realize the grand consciou

East-West Comparative Philosophy I

 We have been discussing (wisdom/yoga/philosophy of) synthesis keeping esoteric philosophy (Theosophy with 24 Books of DK/AAB and Synthetic Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo) as a cornerstone. In next few posts we summarize the findings of studies in comparative philosophy in the humanities departments of Universities. For that purpose we will keep an introductory yet academically rigorous book "Introduction to comparative philosophy by P.T. Raju" as our reference. Usually the important philosophical traditions of the world are regarded as four: the Greek, the Jewish, the Chinese, and the Indian. The Jewish tradition has become part of the western, and the author has included it this book. The world situation is such that the East and the West have come once for all into intimate contact on a vast scale. Each feels the necessity for mutual understanding and even for assimilating whatever in the other is true and useful. This need to understand is no longer a matter of mere intel

Seven Rays Methods of Service and Repulse

 Today we summarize in the next table, statements covering the seven rays methods of the law of service (3rd law of Soul) and the direction of law of repulse to the psychological problem of Desire (4th law of soul) , from the volume 'Esoteric Psychology II by Djwal Khul and Alice Bailey'. Service can be defined as the spontaneous effect of soul contact. Service is not a quality or a performance; it is not an activity towards which people must strenuously strive, nor is it a method of world salvage. Service is a life demonstration. It is a soul urge. It is the outstanding characteristic of the soul, just as desire is the outstanding characteristic of the lower nature. It is group desire, just as in the lower nature it is personality desire. It is the urge to group good. It cannot, therefore, be taught or imposed upon a person as a desirable evidence of aspiration, functioning from without and based upon a theory of service. Thus authentic service is essentially difficult as it r

The Book of the Traveller of the Worlds

 Today we briefly review our synthetic table of planes of consciousness (from an earlier post) of Blavatsky, Djwal Khul and Bailey and Sri Aurobindo as described in the second book of Savitri (An epic occult poetry of 24000 lines giving cosmic Answer to the cosmic Question through direct artistic experience (Ray 4) in contrast to philosophical, psychological and scientific perspectives of Blavastsky and Khul). Those planes are covered in Book 2 The Book of the Traveller of the Worlds with cantos roughly describing:   Canto 1 - The World-Stair: An introduction describing the planes which King Aswapati (traveller) sees as an immobile worlds pile, layers of worlds upon worlds rising from the lowest layer of Matter and ascending into the unknowable summits of the Spirit. This macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm of our inner being. ALONE he moved watched by the infinity Around him and the Unknowable above. All could be seen that shuns the mortal eye, All could be known the mind has neve

Micheal Leyton and Art Triangle

 In response to a post on a precise mathematical equation of synthesis one of my artistic friends expressed the mathematics being beyond his ken. Meditating on his thought, it suddenly dawned on me - "But this equation was derived using from an idea of an artist when he was a student in Univ of California Berkley in 90s named "Micheal Leyton" who was later a professor in the the Psychology Department and DIMACS center of Rutgers University." so let me try to express that triangle of synthesis through an artistic viewpoint.  Today as I sit in a guest house of Sri Aurobindo Ashram (Savitri being an artwork) watching the rising sun (Enjoy Image attached), I recollect the original idea of Micheal Leyton which was one of my inspirations to begin my doctoral work (in the sense I wondered at the beginning if there was a way to look at the music signal or artwork that gives us some clue regarding the consciousness of that artist). He wrote a few books on his theme of transf

Rays of an Individual - Part I

 Let us continue our brief study of the rays today, gradually making it more practical so that one can find his rays and his full potentiality rising above the matrix of chaos and confusion. Every individual man is curiously and subjectively a synthesis, producing a fusion of life and power, of harmonious intent and of mental activity. His rays are influenced by the following factors, for these make him what he truly is and his evolution: 1. The ray of the solar system itself. (Ray 2) 2. The ray of the planetary Logos (Sanat Kumara) of our planet. (Ray 3) 3. The ray of the human kingdom itself. (Ray 5) 4. Our particular racial ray, the ray that determines the Aryan race. (Ray 3) 5. The rays that govern any particular cycle.  6. The national ray, or that ray influence which is peculiarly influencing a particular nation. (Rays of a few nations are revealed by DK) 7. The Ray of the Monad (Ray 1,2 or 3) 8. The ray of the soul, or ego. (found on one or other of the seven rays, therefore in

Occult Statements and Mantrams of 7 Rays

 Today's post summarizes few of the deep occult statements and mantrams regarding study of the seven rays from EP I and II in two tables. The entire treatise on seven rays is divided into five books extending over 3000 pages of pure ageless wisdom. "As part of the initial Plan, the one Life sought expansion, and the seven aeons or emanations came forth from the central vortex and actively repeated the earlier process in all its details. They too came into manifestation and in the work of expressing active life, qualified by love and limited by an outward phenomenal appearance, they swept into a secondary activity and became the seven Builders, the seven Sources of life and the seven Rishis of all the ancient scriptures." - Esoteric Psychology I. These Seven Lords we summarize them in a table through names, qualities as well as the mantrams denoting their purpose. 1. The Three Rays of Aspect: Ray I....Will, dynamically applied, emerges in manifestation as power. Ray II...L