Theos-Talk Archives (November 2002 Message tt00711)

--- In theos-talk@y..., "rnewman2003" <robertnewman@e...> wrote:
> Those who have described this ultimate plane have 
> also clearly described the plane of absolute formlessness, devoid 
of 
> personality (i.e., beyond all earthly forms and personalities), and 
> these descriptions tally with the descriptions of the Adwaita 
masters 
> who claim that that is the ultimate level.

First I want to thank you for the most interesting comments I have 
seen on this list in some time. Regrettably, if these masters 
have "described" their experience then the experiences afe 
necessarily phenomenal in character, else they would not be 
describable. People who have experienced the ultimate reality are 
unable to give any descriptions of it because the experience cannot 
be stated in phenomenal terms. That is the meaning of the Chinese 
Zen maxim:

"He who knows does not speak
He who speaks does not know."

As Blavatsky riht said, the Absolute can only be "described" in 
negative terms and the word "described" really cannot be properly 
used in this context.

That said, I am not contending that people do not have experiences of 
personal sort. When I chant the Babaji mantra I have no 
difficulty "seeing" Babaji standing before me in my mind's eye with 
eyes closed. That is rather odd because I find it impossible to 
maintain any other image in my mind for the twenty minutes or so 
required to chant the mantra 108 times. However Babaji would be the 
first to insist that his phenomenal appearance is just that and not 
ultimate reality.

Blavatsky contends, and others concur in this, that your experiences 
of "God" are actually experiences of youu Higher Ego or buddhi-manas, 
which is that part of tour Higher Self which resides in your body. 
This experience is of great value, but it is not proof tat the 
ultimate reality if personal and phenomenal.