No, I'm not referring to the type where you need to pass the bar exams to become one, but rather the one where you become a spiritual lawyer! Before I go on, I'm not referring to church dogma, either. A theologian or canon lawyer is not necessarily a spiritual lawyer.
Life is governed by a set of spiritual laws just as surely as Nature is governed by a set of physical laws, such as the law of gravity. Actually, the term "spiritual" law is a misnomer, because they are also natural laws, meaning they are part of Nature. It's simply the way things are.
Let's take a step back first. Why is it important to be knowledgeable of the law? If you're referring to the law within a certain country, it's obvious that you need to have a rudimentary knowledge of it so that you don't get in trouble with the authorities. For the engineer, there is no way he can design an aircraft, for example, without knowledge of certain fundamental scientific laws, such as how lift is generated by Bernoulli's principle and Newton's Third Law (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction), so that the wing should push air down, in order that the opposite action will then push the wing up, creating lift.
If then a basic understanding of laws, whether legal or scientific, is necessary to accomplish important things in life, then it is amazing how many people ignore or are unaware of the natural laws that govern the very fabric of life itself. As Franz Bardon says, the universe is a very legal universe. So a basic knowledge of its workings goes a long way to allowing us to manage our lives well and ensure our development.
Unfortunately, the disillusionment of many people with organized religion has driven many to disavow anything of the spiritual, thus throwing out the baby along with the bath water, so to speak. The sacred scriptures contain a lot of valuable esoteric knowledge, if one but had the key to deciphering them. Unfortunately, within the ranks of organized religion, the knowledge has mostly been lost and dogma has taken its place.
Okay, you may say, this is all very good in theory. But does it actually work? One only has to look at the different prosperity courses and programs by several "life coaches" (e.g. Breakthrough seminar, Firewalk seminar, etc.) to see that there is something to this. These programs actually make a lot of use of the Law of Attraction, building the confidence of students so that only positive thoughts and affirmations are entertained. And this, by the Law of Attraction, brings about the desired prosperity. Watch The Secret, because it's very inspiring. And this is just one law. What if you also gain a working knowledge of the other laws?
It would take too long to expound on all the laws, but with enough research, one should be able to get a basic grasp of them. For those who have read my article about The Master Key System, the following short list is taken from that book and should give enough of an idea what these spiritual laws are about:
1. Law of Attraction - like matter will attract like matter; negative thoughts attract negative circumstances, while positive thoughts attract positive circumstances.
2. Law of Cause and Effect - whereby you reap exactly what you sow.
3. Law of Compensation - which is why you must first give in order to receive, because anything not merited is eventually taken away since Nature seeks to find equilibrium.
4. Law of Periodicity (may also be called Law of Cycles or Law of Rhythm) - Charles Haanel says that this law is governed by the Septimal Law (Law of Sevens), whereby everything happens in cycles of sevens (seven days, seven weeks, seven months, seven years, etc.). For those familiar with Master Choa Kok Sui's Management Through Kabbalistic Cycle, which involves 7 cycles as well, you will appreciate this section. In fact, given Master Choa's prolific reading, I wouldn't be surprised if he had read The Master Key System.
5. Law of Growth - anything given thought is given life, therefore it must build upon itself.
This only scratches the surface, so I encourage you to do some research on the different esoteric laws. The Kybalion is highly recommended reading.
One of the questions that I'm sure all of us have asked at least once in our lives is, if God is perfect and good, how could He have created such an imperfect world, with all its pains and sufferings?
Since we are already on the subject of The Master Key System, let me discuss one of the entries in the Question and Answer portion found at the end of the book, because it has something to do with the question at hand.
The question was: Since the real "I" is spiritual and therefore perfect, and since it "controls and directs both the body and mind," how is it that we see such imperfect results?
Charles Haanel's answer: We see no imperfect results. We see nothing but perfection. Perfection means that the Law operates with immutable precision. Spiritual law always operates perfectly. If the individual thinks constructively, results are constructive and harmonious. If he thinks destructively, he reaps exactly what he sows. The Law works perfectly. We see no imperfect results whatever. We may freely choose what we think, but the result of our thought is governed by an immutable law.
This is important because if we stick to a purely material view of the universe, none of life makes sense. But if we begin to grasp the operation of these hidden spiritual laws, then it sheds new light on the way we live our lives. Just because you imagine one thing doesn't make it any less real, because thought has real power. An architect first thought of the building he wanted to construct, before he ever put it on paper. So everything starts from thought, and makes its way from there.
Therefore, do we continue in ignorance and blunder our way through life? Or do we try to understand Nature's secrets and thereby penetrate into the beauty of all Creation? The choice lies within each and every one of us.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
On the Nature of Illusion
For those of us who have done even the most casual reading about Buddhism, one of its most recognizable precepts is the assertion that everything we perceive as reality is actually maya, or illusion. This idea is not actually limited to Buddhism, because it can be found in the esoteric works of many cultures worldwide, often couched in different terms.
Reality as illusion is quite a baffling concept for the average person. After all, how was I able to type up this article if my computer was an illusion? And won't I get squished if I step in front of a speeding 10-wheeler?
Quantum physics is able to shed some light on this matter. Physicists agree that everything is energy. But while everything is in a state of flux, there are certain concentrations of energy in the universe. The basic form these concentrations of energy take is the torus.
Discussing the torus in detail would take us into the realm of sacred geometry, but since that is not the main focus of this article, it would suffice to say that the torus is a 3-dimensional donut shaped field of energy that is found in all matter. Meaning, if one had the equipment, one would see torus fields in the atoms, and even in the human body. Since a torus is a concentration of energy (energy bent into itself, with a "zero point" at the center), one can say that matter is simply condensed or stabilized energy. If you want a more detailed discussion of the torus, quantum physics and sacred geometry, you may read Souls of Distortion Awakening by Jan Wicherink.
This is the quantum physics view of reality, but it may still be too abstract for most people. So let's take it a step further. According to esoteric teachings, one can only interact with something that one is in similar vibration to. This is the Law of Attraction or "like attracts like". But to apply it to the nature of reality, let's use an example that is familiar for most people: the computer game.
You can think of your favorite computer game, whether it be a first person shooter, RPG or even MMORPG. What are common themes among computer games? There are different goals or missions to accomplish, and accomplishing these quests "levels up" your character, giving you added skills, equipment and abilities. But there's one other common thing: THEY'RE NOT REAL.
At least, not real in the sense that we can physically reach into and interact with the program. A computer dragon's fire will in no way burn you, the player, but you can't slay it either. That's why you need to create an avatar (also called a character), because the avatar, being of the same substance as the computer game, is able to interact with the program and slay the dragon, that is, unless it slays your character first!
So using the conceptual framework of the computer game, transpose it to our reality and the Buddhist concept of maya, and you begin to see the picture. Your soul is the player, and your bodies are the vehicles that your soul uses in order to interact with this world. Your physical body allows you to interact with the physical vibrations of the world (which is why you can get squished by a speeding 10-wheeler), your astral body allows you to process emotions, while your mental body is able to interact with the different ideas being conveyed in this reality, and all of these send signals to your soul, and your soul sends signals back depending on the action that needs to be taken.
The difference, of course, is that our consciousness doesn't reach so far as to encompass the true nature of reality. Some yogis have spent lifetimes (yes, plural) just to be able to get a glimpse of this Greater Reality, writing about it later so that we have something to guide us.
We know about computer games and we say "tut, tut" everytime we see computer game addicts who spend most of their time in front of the computer, the game being more real for them than the people around them. And yet many people spend their whole lives on purely material pursuits such as social status and monetary power, and accolades are given all over, and we often exert all our efforts to earn these accolades. But not one person has succeeded in taking even one cent into the Great Beyond. And so happens the greater tragedy of becoming earthbound. Earthly desires attract the soul so much, but now lacking a physical body, there is no way to interact with the riches, wine, food and mistresses that so enthralled the soul while he had a physical body. Instead of being able to move on, the soul is stuck here, in the physical realm that is not even real for him anymore.
In Georg Lomer's Seven Hermetic Letters, there is one particular exercise that is applicable here, called the death and burial exercise. Basically, you are to imagine your body as it would look like in death, as it is laid out on the coffin. And once the coffin is buried, imagine the body (your body!) decaying, being eaten by worms. Imagine the clothes that the body is wearing decaying as well, the coffin itself starting to crumble. Morbid imagery aside, Georg Lomer writes, "And you have often betrayed your better part (your soul) for this picture of misery, and you were to this body more obliging than it deserved - you pampered it as if it were your most precious possession. And what is your reward? What you see before you!"
Why bother, you may say. What's the use of thinking that this is all one big simulacrum? And assuming this is so, what's the point of it all? The point is to gain a proper perspective about life.
I'd like to end with some food for thought from Franz Bardon, one of the foremost (if not THE foremost) hermetic adept of the 20th century. The following was written in the concluding pages of The Key to the True Quabbalah:
"Everybody must go the way by himself; no one else can do this work for him....On earth every human being has two teachers: first, himself or herself and, secondly, fate. What man is not able to achieve by his own diligence, practice, renunciation, pain, grief, etc., will be served up to him by disappointments and buffets of fate. Life is a school, not an amusement fair. Over and over again, man on this earth is challenged to learn, to develop, to perfect himself. He may enjoy the good; he should learn from the evil; but he must never say die, for nothing on this globe happens without good reason: everything that befalls him happens with good reasons and always at the right time. It is up to man himself to encounter all events courageously and to gain a wealth of knowledge therefrom for his own advancement."
No matter what your belief system may be, there is no denying the wisdom of Bardon's words.
Reality as illusion is quite a baffling concept for the average person. After all, how was I able to type up this article if my computer was an illusion? And won't I get squished if I step in front of a speeding 10-wheeler?
Quantum physics is able to shed some light on this matter. Physicists agree that everything is energy. But while everything is in a state of flux, there are certain concentrations of energy in the universe. The basic form these concentrations of energy take is the torus.
Discussing the torus in detail would take us into the realm of sacred geometry, but since that is not the main focus of this article, it would suffice to say that the torus is a 3-dimensional donut shaped field of energy that is found in all matter. Meaning, if one had the equipment, one would see torus fields in the atoms, and even in the human body. Since a torus is a concentration of energy (energy bent into itself, with a "zero point" at the center), one can say that matter is simply condensed or stabilized energy. If you want a more detailed discussion of the torus, quantum physics and sacred geometry, you may read Souls of Distortion Awakening by Jan Wicherink.
This is the quantum physics view of reality, but it may still be too abstract for most people. So let's take it a step further. According to esoteric teachings, one can only interact with something that one is in similar vibration to. This is the Law of Attraction or "like attracts like". But to apply it to the nature of reality, let's use an example that is familiar for most people: the computer game.
You can think of your favorite computer game, whether it be a first person shooter, RPG or even MMORPG. What are common themes among computer games? There are different goals or missions to accomplish, and accomplishing these quests "levels up" your character, giving you added skills, equipment and abilities. But there's one other common thing: THEY'RE NOT REAL.
At least, not real in the sense that we can physically reach into and interact with the program. A computer dragon's fire will in no way burn you, the player, but you can't slay it either. That's why you need to create an avatar (also called a character), because the avatar, being of the same substance as the computer game, is able to interact with the program and slay the dragon, that is, unless it slays your character first!
So using the conceptual framework of the computer game, transpose it to our reality and the Buddhist concept of maya, and you begin to see the picture. Your soul is the player, and your bodies are the vehicles that your soul uses in order to interact with this world. Your physical body allows you to interact with the physical vibrations of the world (which is why you can get squished by a speeding 10-wheeler), your astral body allows you to process emotions, while your mental body is able to interact with the different ideas being conveyed in this reality, and all of these send signals to your soul, and your soul sends signals back depending on the action that needs to be taken.
The difference, of course, is that our consciousness doesn't reach so far as to encompass the true nature of reality. Some yogis have spent lifetimes (yes, plural) just to be able to get a glimpse of this Greater Reality, writing about it later so that we have something to guide us.
We know about computer games and we say "tut, tut" everytime we see computer game addicts who spend most of their time in front of the computer, the game being more real for them than the people around them. And yet many people spend their whole lives on purely material pursuits such as social status and monetary power, and accolades are given all over, and we often exert all our efforts to earn these accolades. But not one person has succeeded in taking even one cent into the Great Beyond. And so happens the greater tragedy of becoming earthbound. Earthly desires attract the soul so much, but now lacking a physical body, there is no way to interact with the riches, wine, food and mistresses that so enthralled the soul while he had a physical body. Instead of being able to move on, the soul is stuck here, in the physical realm that is not even real for him anymore.
In Georg Lomer's Seven Hermetic Letters, there is one particular exercise that is applicable here, called the death and burial exercise. Basically, you are to imagine your body as it would look like in death, as it is laid out on the coffin. And once the coffin is buried, imagine the body (your body!) decaying, being eaten by worms. Imagine the clothes that the body is wearing decaying as well, the coffin itself starting to crumble. Morbid imagery aside, Georg Lomer writes, "And you have often betrayed your better part (your soul) for this picture of misery, and you were to this body more obliging than it deserved - you pampered it as if it were your most precious possession. And what is your reward? What you see before you!"
Why bother, you may say. What's the use of thinking that this is all one big simulacrum? And assuming this is so, what's the point of it all? The point is to gain a proper perspective about life.
I'd like to end with some food for thought from Franz Bardon, one of the foremost (if not THE foremost) hermetic adept of the 20th century. The following was written in the concluding pages of The Key to the True Quabbalah:
"Everybody must go the way by himself; no one else can do this work for him....On earth every human being has two teachers: first, himself or herself and, secondly, fate. What man is not able to achieve by his own diligence, practice, renunciation, pain, grief, etc., will be served up to him by disappointments and buffets of fate. Life is a school, not an amusement fair. Over and over again, man on this earth is challenged to learn, to develop, to perfect himself. He may enjoy the good; he should learn from the evil; but he must never say die, for nothing on this globe happens without good reason: everything that befalls him happens with good reasons and always at the right time. It is up to man himself to encounter all events courageously and to gain a wealth of knowledge therefrom for his own advancement."
No matter what your belief system may be, there is no denying the wisdom of Bardon's words.
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