the Equinox - The Hermetic Library
the Equinox - The Hermetic Library the Equinox - The Hermetic Library
62 THE EQUINOX From him,* who alone shines, all else borrows its brightness. The whole world bursts into splendour at his shining. And again in Maitrâyana, 6. 24. When the darkness is pierced through, then is reached that which is not affected by darkness; and he who has thus pierced through that which is so affected, he has beheld like a glittering circle of sparks Brahman bright as the sun, endowed with all might, beyond the reach of darkness, that shines in yonder sun as in the moon, the fire and the lightning. Thus the Âtman little by little came to be known and no longer believed in; yet at first it appears that those who realized it kept their methods to themselves, and simply explained to their followers its greatness and splendour by parable and fable, such as we find in Brihadâranyaka, 2. 1. 19. That is his real form, in which he is exalted above desire, and is free from evil and fear. For just as one who dallies with a beloved wife has no conscious- ness of outer or inner, so the spirit also dallying with the self, whose essence is knowledge, has no consciousness of inner or outer. That is his real form, wherein desire is quenched, and he is himself his own desire, separate from desire and from distress. Then the father is no longer father, the mother no longer mother, the worlds no longer worlds, the gods no longer gods, the Vedas no longer Vedas. . . . This is his supreme goal. As theory alone cannot for ever satisfy man's mind in the solution of the life-riddle, so also when once the seeker has become the seer, when once actual living men have attained and become Adepts, their methods of attainment cannot for long remain entirely hidden.† And either from their teachings directly, or from those of their disciples, we find in India * The Âtman. † As the light of a lamp brought into a dark room is reflected by all surfaces around it, so is the illumination of the Adept reflected even by his unilluminated followers.
THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON THE KING sprouting up from the roots of the older Upanishads two great systems of practical philosophy: 1. The attainment by Sannyâsa. 2. The attainment by Yoga. The first seeks, by artificial means, to suppress desire. The second by scientific experiments to annihilate the consciousness of plurality. In the natural course of events the Sannyâsa precedes the Yoga, for it consists in casting off from oneself home, possessions, family and all that engenders and stimulates desire; whilst the Yoga consists in withdrawing the organs of sense from the objects of sense, and by concentrating them on the Inner Self, Higher Self, Augoeides, Âtman, or Adonai, shake itself free from the illusions of Mâyâ—the world of plurality, and secure union with this Inner Self or Âtman. 63
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62<br />
THE EQUINOX<br />
From him,* who alone shines, all else borrows its brightness.<br />
<strong>The</strong> whole world bursts into splendour at his shining.<br />
And again in Maitrâyana, 6. 24.<br />
When <strong>the</strong> darkness is pierced through, <strong>the</strong>n is reached that which is not<br />
affected by darkness; and he who has thus pierced through that which is so<br />
affected, he has beheld like a glittering circle of sparks Brahman bright as <strong>the</strong><br />
sun, endowed with all might, beyond <strong>the</strong> reach of darkness, that shines in<br />
yonder sun as in <strong>the</strong> moon, <strong>the</strong> fire and <strong>the</strong> lightning.<br />
Thus <strong>the</strong> Âtman little by little came to be known and no<br />
longer believed in; yet at first it appears that those who<br />
realized it kept <strong>the</strong>ir methods to <strong>the</strong>mselves, and simply<br />
explained to <strong>the</strong>ir followers its greatness and splendour by<br />
parable and fable, such as we find in Brihadâranyaka, 2. 1. 19.<br />
That is his real form, in which he is exalted above desire, and is free from<br />
evil and fear. For just as one who dallies with a beloved wife has no conscious-<br />
ness of outer or inner, so <strong>the</strong> spirit also dallying with <strong>the</strong> self, whose essence is<br />
knowledge, has no consciousness of inner or outer. That is his real form,<br />
wherein desire is quenched, and he is himself his own desire, separate from<br />
desire and from distress. <strong>The</strong>n <strong>the</strong> fa<strong>the</strong>r is no longer fa<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> mo<strong>the</strong>r no<br />
longer mo<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> worlds no longer worlds, <strong>the</strong> gods no longer gods, <strong>the</strong> Vedas<br />
no longer Vedas. . . . This is his supreme goal.<br />
As <strong>the</strong>ory alone cannot for ever satisfy man's mind in <strong>the</strong><br />
solution of <strong>the</strong> life-riddle, so also when once <strong>the</strong> seeker has<br />
become <strong>the</strong> seer, when once actual living men have attained<br />
and become Adepts, <strong>the</strong>ir methods of attainment cannot for<br />
long remain entirely hidden.† And ei<strong>the</strong>r from <strong>the</strong>ir teachings<br />
directly, or from those of <strong>the</strong>ir disciples, we find in India<br />
* <strong>The</strong> Âtman.<br />
† As <strong>the</strong> light of a lamp brought into a dark room is reflected by all surfaces<br />
around it, so is <strong>the</strong> illumination of <strong>the</strong> Adept reflected even by his unilluminated<br />
followers.