Evolution of Life and Form: Four lectures delivered at the twenty-third anniversary meeting of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras, 1898Besant, Annie
Religion
Evolution of Life and Form: Four lectures delivered at the twenty-third anniversary meeting of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras, 1898
Besant, Annie
Evolution; Life -- Origin; Theosophy
goes on, and on, and on, till the new centre of life has grown strong,
but not until that centre can hold itself together amid the vibrations
of the outer universe, is the new form with its ensouling life sent
forth on its own independent course. So does the brooding mother-life of
Íshvara envelope the children of His love, and so does He nourish them,
building them within Himself as the ages pass, until they are able to
hold their own centres in the illimitable life of the One, the Supreme.
That is another principle which you have to remember throughout the
details of the evolution of form.
One other that has two divisions and then the statement of our main
principles will be sufficiently complete. There are three aspects, we
recollect, which the evolving Self has to unfold. We must add to this a
comprehension of the nature of these aspects, when externalised; for we
did not yesterday, for lack of time, glance quite precisely at the in
characteristic outer mark of each aspect of life. As these aspects
modify the evolution of form, the form cannot be understood unless its
relations to the aspects of life be realised. We have, as we know, to
show forth Knowledge, Bliss, and Being. These will come out as powers
into the world of form as evolution reaches its later stages, and the
form will be able to express those powers of the evolving life.
Knowledge, showing forth through form, has as its power Intelligence;
Bliss, shown forth through form, has as its power Love; Being, shown
forth through form, has as its power Existence; so that the fundamental
aspects may be said severally to manifest as the powers of intelligence,
of love, of existence. Otherwise put, the nature of intelligence is
knowledge, the nature of love is bliss, the nature of existence is
being. The intelligence, love and existence of our worlds are the
manifested Knowledge, the manifested Bliss, and the manifested Being of
the Self. That is the outward aspect of the Self as the other is the
inner aspect, and these characteristic natures seek their expression in
form. This expression is sought cosmically and individually, alike by
the life of Íshvara and the life of the Self. Cosmically they make the
planes of the manifested universe, the five planes on which we are
evolving. That which manifests as existence, the power of Being, has as
its form the Akâsha of the higher realm; that which manifests as love,
the power of Bliss, has as its form of matter Vâyu; that which manifests
as intelligence, the power of Knowledge, has as its material Agni. These
are the three fundamental manifestations in form. The other two are
reflections: That which is love, reflecting itself in the lower form of
matter--the denser matter of Varuna--takes on the aspect of desire and
passion, and becomes kâma. That which is existence, reflecting itself on
the yet grosser form of Prithivî, shows forth what we call objective
reality. See how the planes correspond, the one with the other. Try and
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