Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 32
A certain difficulty arises for our mind in reconciling these different faces or fronts of the One Self and Spirit, because we are obliged to use abstract conceptions and defining words and ideas for something that is not abstract, something that is spiritually living and intensely real. Our abstractions get fixed into differentiating concepts with sharp lines between them: but the Reality is not of that nature; its aspects are many but shade off into each other. Its truth could only be rendered by ideas and images metaphysical and yet living and concrete,—images which might be taken by the pure Reason as figures and symbols but are more than that and mean more to the intuitive vision and feeling, for they are realities of a dynamic spiritual experience.
EXPLANATION
The One Self and Spirit has different faces or fronts. But our mind has difficulty in reconciling the different aspects of one Divine Reality. This is because we are forced to use abstract conceptions and defining words and ideas while describing the Divine Reality.
But the Divine Reality is not abstract. It is something that is spiritually living and intensely real. The difficulty with our abstractions is that they get fixed into differentiating concepts with sharp lines of division between them.
But the Reality is not of that nature. Its aspects are many but shade off into each other. The Truth of the Reality could only be rendered by metaphysical ideas and images. Yet these images are living and concrete.
Our pure Reason (reason which is not limited by our senses but going beyond them) takes these images as figures and symbols. But these images are more than that. They mean more to the intuitive vision and feeling. Because they are realities of a dynamic spiritual experience.
The impersonal truth of things can be rendered into the abstract formulas of the pure reason, but there is another side of truth which belongs to the spiritual or mystic vision and without that inner vision of realities the abstract formulation of them is insufficiently alive, incomplete. The mystery of things is the true truth of things; the intellectual presentation is only truth in representation, in abstract symbols, as if in a cubist art of thought-speech, in geometric figure. It is necessary in a philosophic inquiry to confine oneself mostly to this intellectual presentation, but it is as well to remember that this is only the abstraction of the Truth and to seize it completely or express it completely there is needed a concrete experience and a more living and full-bodied language.
EXPLANATION
The impersonal truth of things can be expressed into the abstract formulas of the pure reason. But there is another side of truth which belongs to the spiritual or mystic vision. But mere expression of abstract formulas is insufficient. Without the inner vision of realities the abstract formulation of truth of things is insufficiently alive, incomplete.
The mystery of things is the true truth of things. Intellectual presentation is only truth in representation, in abstract symbols. It is like a cubist artist expressing his thought-speech in his painting by abstract geometric figures.
In a philosophical expression one limits oneself mostly to the intellectual presentation. But one should remember that what is thus expressed is only the abstraction of the Truth.
To seize or express the Truth completely what is required is a concrete experience. It should be expressed in a more living and full-bodied language.
PARAGRAPH 33
Here it becomes opportune to see how in this aspect of the Reality we must regard the relation we have discovered between the One and the Many; this amounts to a determination of the true connection between the individual and the Divine Being, between the Soul and the Ishwara. In the normal theistic conception the Many are created by God; made by him as a potter might make a vessel, they are dependent on him as are creatures on their creator. But in this larger view of the Ishwara the Many are themselves the Divine One in their inmost reality, individual selves of the supreme and universal Self-Existence, eternal as he is eternal but eternal in his being: our material existence is indeed a creation of Nature, but the soul is an immortal portion of the Divinity and behind it is the Divine Self in the natural creature.
EXPLANATION
We have seen that there is no contradiction or incompatibility between the three aspects of Divine Existence: One Being, one Reality as Self bases, supports, as Purusha or Conscious Being experiences, as Ishwara wills, governs. In this aspect of Reality what is the relation between the One and the Many?
By discovering the relation we determine the true connection between the individual and the Divine Being, between the Soul and the Ishwara. In theistic belief it is supposed that it is the God who created the world; the Many we find in this universe are creations of God. It is believed that as a potter makes a vessel, God made this world with its creatures dependent on him.
But in this larger view of the Ishwara the Many are themselves the Divine One in their inmost reality. They are individual selves of the supreme and universal Self-Existence. They are eternal as he is eternal but eternal in his being.
Our material existence is indeed a creation of Nature. But our soul is an immortal portion of the Divinity. Behind our soul is the Divine Self in the natural creature.
Still the One is the fundamental Truth of existence, the Many exist by the One and there is therefore an entire dependence of the manifested being on the Ishwara. This dependence is concealed by the separative ignorance of the ego which strives to exist in its own right, although at every step it is evidently dependent on the cosmic Power that created it, moved by it, a part of its cosmic being and action; this effort of the ego is clearly a misprision, an erroneous reflection of the truth of the self-existence that is within us.
EXPLANATION
The One is the fundamental Truth of existence; the Many exist by the One. Therefore there is an entire dependence of the manifested being on the Ishwara. As normal human beings we are not aware of this dependence. It is concealed by the separative ignorance of the ego.
Our ego always works hard to establish itself and to exist in its own right. Yet it is evident that at every step our ego is dependent on the cosmic Power that created it, moved by it and remains a part of its cosmic being and action.
The effort of the ego is clearly a concealment. The truth of the self-existence is the Soul that is within us. It is erroneously reflected by our ego.
It is true that there is something in us, not in the ego but in the self and inmost being, that surpasses cosmic Nature and belongs to the Transcendence. But this too finds itself independent of Nature only by dependence on a higher Reality; it is through self-giving or surrender of soul and nature to the Divine Being that we can attain to our highest self and supreme Reality, for it is the Divine Being who is that highest self and that supreme Reality, and we are self-existent and eternal only in his eternity and by his self-existence.
EXPLANATION
There is an inmost being within us, which is not our ego. It suprasses cosmic Nature and belongs to the Transcendence. But it is independent of Nature only by dependence on higher Reality. It is through self-giving or surrender of soul and nature to the Divine Being that we can attain to our highest self and supreme Reality.
Because it is that Divine Being who is that highest self. We are self-existent and eternal only in his eternity and by his self-existence.
This dependence is not contradictory of the Identity, but is itself the door to the realisation of the Identity,—so that here again we meet that phenomenon of duality expressing unity, proceeding from unity and opening back into unity, which is the constant secret and fundamental operation of the universe. It is this truth of the consciousness of the Infinite that creates the possibility of all relations between the many and the One, among which the realisation of oneness by the mind, the presence of oneness in the heart, the existence of oneness in all the members is a highest peak, and yet it does not annul but confirms all the other personal relations and gives them their fullness, their complete delight, their entire significance. This too is the magic, but also the logic of the Infinite.
EXPLANATION
This dependence of the soul on the higher Reality is not contradictory of its Identity with the Divine. Rather it is the door to the realisation of the Identity with the supreme Reality. Here again we meet that phenomenon of duality (individual soul and the supreme Reality, the Ishwara) expressing unity. It is proceeding from unity and opening back into unity. This is the constant secret and fundamental operation of the universe.
It is this truth of the consciousness of the Infinite that creates the possibility of all relations between the many and the One. Among these relations the realisation oneness by the mind (mental oneness), the presence of oneness in the heart (vital oneness), the existence of oneness in all the members (physical oneness) is a highest peak.
At the same time it does not cancel but confirms all the other personal relations and gives them their fullness, their complete delight and their entire significance. This too is the magic but also the logic of the Infinite.