Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 7
Not only so but, again in the language of the Upanishad, the life-force is the food of the body and the body the food of the life-force; in other words, the life-energy in us both supplies the material by which the form is built up and constantly maintained and renewed and is at the same time constantly using up the substantial form of itself which it thus creates and keeps in existence. If the balance between these two operations is imperfect or is disturbed or if the ordered play of the different currents of life-force is thrown out of gear, then disease and decay intervene and commence the process of disintegration. And the very struggle for conscious mastery and even the growth of mind make the maintenance of the life more difficult.
EXPLANATION
Upanishad says life-force is the food of the body; the body is the food of the life-force. Life energy in us supplies the material by which the form is built up and constantly maintained and renewed. At the same time the life-energy is constantly using up the substantial form of itself which it thus creates and keeps in existence.
The disease and decay set in and the process of disintegration starts when the balance between the two operations is imperfect; or if the ordered play of the different currents of life-force is thrown out of gear. Again, the very struggle for conscious mastery and the growth of mind make the maintenance of the life more difficult.
For there is an increasing demand of the life-energy on the form, a demand which is in excess of the original system of supply and disturbs the original balance of supply and demand, and before a new balance can be established, many disorders are introduced inimical to the harmony and to the length of maintenance of the life; in addition the attempt at mastery creates always a corresponding reaction in the environment which is full of forces that also desire fulfilment and are therefore intolerant of, revolt against and attack the existence which seeks to master them. There too a balance is disturbed, a more intense struggle is generated; however strong the mastering life, unless either it is unlimited or else succeeds in establishing a new harmony with its environment, it cannot always resist and triumph but must one day be overcome and disintegrated.
EXPLANATION
Why the disintegration of form of life takes place?
There is an increasing demand of the life-energy on the form. This demand always exceeds the original system of supply. This disturbs the original balance of supply of demand. It takes time for the new balance to be restored. In the meantime, this imbalance leads to many disorders opposed to the harmony and the length of maintenance of life.
In addition to that, the life organised in the body is in constant struggle to sustain itself. It always attempts to master the forces with which it is in continuous interaction. This attempt at mastery over forces creates always a corresponding reaction in the environment. The environment is full of forces that also desire fulfilment. Therefore, they are intolerant of and opposed to the existence. They attack the existence which seeks to master them.
Here again, the balance is disturbed. More intense struggle is generated. However strong the mastering life, it has to be unlimited or it has to succeed in establishing a new harmony with its environment. Otherwise, it cannot always resist and triumph. It must one day be overcome and disintegrated.
PARAGRAPH 8
But, apart from all these necessities, there is the one fundamental necessity of the nature and object of embodied life itself, which is to seek infinite experience on a finite basis; and since the form, the basis by its very organisation limits the possibility of experience, this can only be done by dissolving it and seeking new forms. For the soul, having once limited itself by concentrating on the moment and the field, is driven to seek its infinity again by the principle of succession, by adding moment to moment and thus storing up a Time-experience which it calls its past; in that Time it moves through successive fields, successive experiences or lives, successive accumulations of knowledge, capacity, enjoyment, and all this it holds in subconscious or superconscious memory as its fund of past acquisition in Time. To this process change of form is essential, and for the soul involved in individual body change of form means dissolution of the body in subjection to the law and compulsion of the All-life in the material universe, to its law of supply of the material of form and demand on the material, to its principle of constant intershock and the struggle of the embodied life to exist in a world of mutual devouring. And this is the law of Death.
EXPLANATION
There is one more reason for the destruction of form. The life in the body seeks infinite experience on a finite basis. This is the fundamental necessity of the nature and object of form bound life. The basis of very organisation of form limits the possibility of this experience of infinity. Therefore, the only possibility is, by dissolving it and seeking new forms.
The soul, as we know, has limited itself by concentrating on the moment and field (Pragnana – third status of the Supermind) is driven to seek its infinity again by the principle of succession. It does by adding moment to moment and thus stores up a Time-experience which it calls its past. In that Time, it moves through successive fields, successive experiences or lives, successive accumulation of knowledge, capacity and enjoyment. All this it holds in subconscious or superconscious memory as its resource gathered out of past acquisition in Time.
To enable this process, change of form is essential. For the soul involved in individual body change of form means dissolution of body. This happens in subjection to the law and compulsion of All-life in the material universe; to its law of supply of the material form and demand on the material; to its principle of constant intershock and the struggle of the embodied life to exist in a world of mutual devouring (feeding). This is the law of death.
PARAGRAPH 9
This then is the necessity and justification of Death, not as a denial of Life, but as a process of Life; death is necessary because eternal change of form is the sole immortality to which the finite living substance can aspire and eternal change of experience the sole infinity to which the finite mind involved in living body can attain. This change of form cannot be allowed to remain merely a constant renewal of the same form-type such as constitutes our bodily life between birth and death; for unless the form-type is changed and the experiencing mind is thrown into new forms in new circumstances of time, place and environment, the necessary variation of experience which the very nature of existence in Time and Space demands, cannot be effectuated. And it is only the process of Death by dissolution and by the devouring of life by Life, it is only the absence of freedom, the compulsion, the struggle, the pain, the subjection to something that appears to be Not-Self which makes this necessary and salutary change appear terrible and undesirable to our mortal mentality. It is the sense of being devoured, broken up, destroyed or forced away which is the sting of Death and which even the belief in personal survival of death cannot wholly abrogate.
EXPLANATION
We have seen in the previous paragraph that there is necessity of life to seek infinite experience on a finite basis and for soul to seek infinity by the principle of succession. This is the necessity and justification of Death not as a denial of Life but as a process of Life.
The finite living substance aspires for the sole immortality through eternal change of form. The finite mind involved in the living body aspires for sole infinity through eternal change of experience. For these reasons death becomes necessary.
This change of form cannot remain merely a constant renewal of same form-type that exists between our birth and death. The form type has to be changed. The experiencing mind has to be thrown into new forms in new circumstances of time, place and environment. Only then, the necessary variation of experience which the very nature of existence in Time and Space demands can be made possible.
What makes this necessary and beneficial change appear terrible and undesirable to our human mind? It is the process of Death by dissolution, by eating of life by Life; it is the absence of freedom, the compulsion, the struggle, the pain, that subjection to something that appears to be Not-Self.
We may have belief that personally we can survive death by rebirth. Even this belief cannot do away with the sense of being devoured, broken up, destroyed or forced away which is the sting of Death.