Imagination is only a groping. It has no value unless it is divinely inspired, for then it becomes inspiration. Completely new terms can be made up by new-age authors. A lot of science fiction and fantasy movies also come up with several new terms which you might not have heard before. Ingenious sure, but empty all the same. Sometimes they run out of terms to explain what they are trying to say, so what do they do? They borrow from other age-old cultures and just use terms superficially. So, before one reads new-age books, one must read some real spiritual books, try to have real inner experience, and then you will have the discerning ability to tell the real from the false. But if you rather just be swooped up in some fancy imagination than the real truth, then you should just continue reading novellas and short stories and have fun.
Imagination, as beautiful and as creative as it can be at times, is aesthetically pleasing but is also vacant and void and often baseless and non-revealing of any higher truth. It may correspond to something higher in a very faint and obscure way but it has the danger of leading you astray and away from the harsh realities that must be endured on the way to the truth if you lack discernment and rational discrimination. Imagination is a tool for us lower beings with our limited mentality and our obscure groping for truth. However, if used well it can be a good tool to reach out into the unrealized possibilities, and our minds could be like antennae that pick up on the unmanifest and will to create it here in the material realm. Some beings tend to have more power to realize and manifest what they imagine and sometimes it betters humanity and sometimes it worsens and sometimes it’s neither. It comes from the universal mind. The universe is impartial so it allows the complete and utter realization of any possibility that can be thought up and there is nothing we can imagine that isn’t already contained in the framework of the universe. It may not exist in our current world or be a part of our present existence but it still exists in seed state or realized in subtler realms. Otherwise, somebody like a Tesla could never have invented things that were yet incomprehensible to most people then. So, I admit that imagination can be used as a tool towards realization of truth, but when one ascends to higher levels of consciousness, the dependence on imagination recedes and must be abandoned in favour of inspiration and intuition combined with higher discrimination from higher and deeper realms. Also, there is a strong will required and a detailed thought process involved in converting these ideations, imaginations or inspirations into something material that is utilizable and applicable in Life.
Things that have fancy names and are colourful and make a lot of noise obviously lack content and attract attention through vacant polysyllables. The beauty should be in the content and the living truth that it represents, not some far off fantasy. These things often don’t have a definite demarcation between them. We can ideate and try to define them but that would lower its content. Then it loses value. Our language is insufficient to express higher truths. So one must first realize and live in the truth oneself and then transform one’s own being entirely before his exterior equipments (mind, life, body) are ready to express it without dilution or distortion. But most new age authors just read a lot of ancient history and scriptures from various great civilizations of the past and then just use their extremely imaginative mind to make up their own little world by which they then try and proselytize undeveloped minds. And people just buy into it because it’s been published as a book. These shouldn’t receive more importance than a novel or a short story that took you on a surreal journey yet when you’re back on the ground you must use your rational mind to discern the truth alone. Often times certain novels and stories written in the right spirit expresses more truth than this new-age nonsense. It is just a marketing gimmick. I am all for synthesizing and integrating truths from various timeless cultures but it has to be a synthesis of truth and truth alone. It must not be a mere enthusiastic and ecclesiastical orgy of polysyllables and exotic terminology engineered to invade the undeveloped minds of the ignorant mass. It must be an integration of the essence and not just terms and false symbols. None of these authors have had any authentic spiritual realizations. Neither is their outer nature transmuted enough to express the truth in any form.
Almost all ancient texts from around the world are esoteric in the sense that they contain hidden truths, which they represent in an interactive, often extra-logical ways; kind of like a fairy tale. They exaggerate it to such an extent that it is purposely meant for you to look beyond the literal and into the deeper psychological subtleties leading to truths. However, majority of the world still hasn’t developed much of a thought-force and rather not think and just repose on the mundane. Once you have been awakened to deeper meaning behind the ancient symbolism, your perspective changes for ever. You tend to see it everywhere you look.
Terms such as religion, God, spirit and soul have all been corrupted indeed, by the limited understanding of puny minds. So, when science advanced, it found it easy to disprove all the so called “religious” truths because even the so called “religious and spiritual” leaders did not have a proper understanding of their own beliefs as science did of science. So materialism took over and we see the world today as its most extreme form. It seems today that matter and spirit are mutually exclusive but the perfect reconciliation of the two is what will set humanity free and immortal.
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In the words of the great Seer-poet-philosopher Sri Aurobindo:
”Atheism in Europe has been a shallow and rather childish reaction against a shallow and childish exoteric religionism and its popular inadequate and crudely dogmatic notions.”
This sort of atheism, materialism, capitalism, positivism and agnosticism is more pronounced in the west than the East. In the east there never was and possibly never will be such an unbridgeable gap between spirituality, mysticism, Religion and Science because all Eastern philosophies work towards synthesis and reconciliation. This comes easy to them because they start from an essential unity whereas all western thought begins from a multiplicity and differentiation and division. The West tends to live in the realm of the mind which has a natural tendency to division and separation and exclusive analysis and thus cannot look at the whole. It takes a part for the whole and gives it an absolute value. Thus its perspective is limited only to that portion no matter how large the portion. Eastern thought on the other hand views the world from the largeness and vastness of the spirit and thus even the most opposite of principles fuse into one essentially instead of an eternal dichotomy.
Science is still playing catch up to Spirituality & Occultism, which have a few thousand years of head start. Yet science arrogantly claims the findings as its own & discredits others; fails to acknowledge the truth in them. Perhaps, it has become a new kind of dogma and a new church. The Power of the Mantra, known to ancients millennia ago is now starting to be accepted by science as per the article by Grazyna Fosar and Franz Bludorf, “Scientist Prove DNA Can Be Reprogrammed by Words & Frequencies”. Take the long route science. I shall be waiting on the mountain peaks of the Spirit, if & when you transcend your limiting intellect & eventually get there. For our destination is the same.
However, Science cannot be completely discredited or dismissed. Science has made an immense contribution in terms of analyzing and classifying details of creation. It has brought to light the minute and detailed workings of world nature and physical matter and is constantly moving towards further perfection. However, it must work within its limits and stick to what it knows and what it’s expertise entails. It must not state its claim on non-physical or supra-physical phenomenon using physical means. It must constantly move towards a truth and be flexible in its approach and not be fixed in its ways. It must be willing to accept other possibilities beyond the physical and widen its scope and its future development. It must not become a new religion but be constantly in pursuit of truth be willing to accommodate varied viewpoints if it is to enlarge its scope.
The superficiality and the superfluousness of the world can be really frustrating at times and the Ignorance and stupidity that brews daily is just simply repugnant. However, we can only try and live the truth. That is the only way we can lead by example. Whatever truth is concretely and subjectively realized must be objectified and externalized in life and must constantly remain living. This is what the ancient rituals of various traditions such as Vedas and Tantras aimed at when they translated their inner realization as outward rites and actions. However, they have a tendency to become mechanical over time since the average man is unable to see the living truth behind the form and hold it in his heart and mind whilst performing such a rite. Hence, Spiritual realization must come first and we must be a conscious instrument, forever spontaneously acting out the truths based on the intimations received from that infinite spiritual space.
Reason used upon itself and for itself only leads to agnosticism and facts or logic leave no room for other possibilities. Reason must be used to transcend itself and turn its gaze upwards. Logic must become super-logic.
“Be the change you want to see in the world” said one adherent of non-violence and peace. I suppose that is all we can do and hope that some awakened souls follow, some hear the call, some start to think or at the least a general atmosphere of awareness and aspiration is created. And I don’t think we can be compared to animals because they are much more receptive and in-tune (albeit on a lower scale) with life than we are and so are plants (even more so). When I think for trees, especially those which have lived for years, I think of an immensely focused Yogi. Trees are best examples of absorbed meditative action. They direct all energy inwards and are inwardly receptive and yet expressive on the outside and provide selflessly. Since there is no development of ego on the plant level, the expression is unadulterated. This is very evident from the variety of flowers and fruits with their varying colours, fragrances and tastes. They are expressions, rather a glimpse at a divine truth. They are an aspect of the Divine incarnate in physical form. Such is the example to be followed.
The eating of the forbidden fruit and the gaining of knowledge of “Good and evil” can also be seen as the advent of “Mind” in man which has been the main cause for the perversion of its outlook on life. Before mind, as in animals, with only a primitive brain and much more vitality and instinct, we were more in Harmony with Nature and its movement as are animals still today. Animals do not have greed, only taking what they need to survive. This was very prevalent among the more ancient shamanistic peoples of the world whom these elitist rationalists terms “Uncivilized”. Animals don’t have hate when they kill, or lust when they mate. However, the Human mind had taken up those lower vital and physical parts of our animal selves and perverted and deformed them into what we see as primal desire selves. However, those who become more conscious and attain self-mastery and move upwards along with the progressive evolution of Nature and consciousness shall hover above these dualities of good and evil and shall have an ever increasing and Universal perspective of the life.
We must get rid of existing perceptions such as work is done only when we are moving around a lot. We must indeed be in touch with life because life is where higher truth and beauty must manifest. However, it must be from a high-seated wisdom and not a stooping to the levels of lower nature.
And about geniuses, I think they are certainly chosen in a way. Let me clarify. What I mean is that nature usually personifies itself in various means to effect a change, a revolution, a heightening of consciousness. All of this contributes to the overall evolution of the collective consciousness. So sometimes it personifies itself as genius, sometimes as great conquerors who unite many lands and spread culture and improve education and enhance progress, sometimes as destructive personas that annihilate entire civilizations through wars and genocide. Each one has its own reasons of course. If you notice, all three categories of people bring about a destruction of the old ways and establishment of the new. They all find a fault with the existing order of things and hint at the fact that it isn’t sound enough and requires improvement, modification or a complete rebuilding.
However, a balance must be achieved in the average humanity in terms of temperament. There must also be a calm openness, receptivity, confidence and belief that such examples of genius can be followed by all and can become a natural state of humanity in the future. Geniuses themselves only display an acute capability in one or two aspects and other aspects often are not very well developed and are translated into some form of eccentricity or weakness. Nature thus uses life as a field and a laboratory and humans as an experiment in progress and evolution. Thus she prepares all of humanity using exceptional individuals in specific fields so that one day a higher consciousness may descend and all humanity may be ready to receive it. This balance, in order to be achieved, needs to deter itself from extremes as has happened in the past. One must not have tendency to exclusive spiritual absorption, extreme renunciation of life through asceticism, self-annihilation of old Buddhism, pure materialism or over-indulgent hedonism. There must be a perfect balance in living. As Sri Aurobindo would put it:
“It is much more difficult to lead a life of moderation and balance, in equanimity and serenity, than to try to contend with over-indulgence in pleasure and the obscuration it entails, by over-indulgence in asceticism and the disintegration it causes.”
It is this excessive obsession with the Buddhistic shunya (Void, Zero) that has ripped India and other parts of Asia of their Life force and creativity and rend them inept to actualize and materialize their inner spiritual richness in the life of its people and this pro-ascetic attitude has created a huge gap between the spiritual and material life. India, thus losing its mental link, has suffered due to its depletion of intellect and original thinking while Europe and the United States have excelled and surpassed us in the mental realms and this was the main reason of us coming under their dominion. Now, India may be politically free from their influence, but their social and cultural and moral standards seem to have overshadowed our lofty spiritual truths and ideals. Divine Delight is the answer, Divine Ecstasy the Solution, Divine Love the cure and Divine beatitude the aim and goal not just for Asia but for the whole world.
Even Buddhism couldn’t survive for too long on its basis of absolute void or Shunya. It had to eventually adopt the Tantric attitude (Tibetan Buddhism) of transmuting life into a divine force rather than annihilating it. Chinese Buddhism and other Indo-Chinese regions have even adopted a Bhakti (Devotion) like Buddhism with a pantheon of Buddhas and Tantric Goddesses. The Japanese still perform rites with fire to Vedic gods under Japanese & Buddhistic names (refer Wikipedia). They call it Goma (from the Vedic Homa). The souls keep marching towards a divine life and though a stray soul may prefer a divine death and annihilation into a mystic void, the Lord of the creatures shall shepherd us towards the divine Brindavan.
Buddhism itself has only survived for over two millennia because Buddha was made a deity, a god (the very thing he denied and annulled) and has been remembered and revered till today through statues and idols (very thing he revolted against). The Divine works in mysterious ways. The same analogy applies to Ché Guevara’s fight against capitalism and how after his death people wear T-shirts that are commercially made with his face on them. They believe their fight is also against capitalism all the while supporting it by buying Ché Guevara “branded” T-shirts in their thousands. The Divine loves Irony and he often makes a fool of you to make you realize your own folly in your convictions, your beliefs and realizations no matter how absolute they may seem to the mind. Also, he does it to remove the obstacle of the ego and the superiority of intellect and to show us that it is only his Lila, his play and we must be only the occasion as Krishna states in the Gita.