A Series of Lessons in Gnani Yoga | Page 3

of his
Essence permeating it.
In passing by the conceptions of the various thinkers, we are struck by
the fact that the various schools seem to manifest a one-sidedness in
their theories, seeing only that which fits in with their theories, and
ignoring the rest. The Materialist talks about Infinite and Eternal Matter,
although the latest scientific investigations have shown us Matter
fading into Nothingness--the Eternal Atom being split into countless
particles called Corpuscles or Electrons, which at the last seem to be
nothing but a unit of Electricity, tied up in a "knot in the
Ether"--although just what the Ether is, Science does not dare to guess.
And Energy, also seems to be unthinkable except as operating through
matter, and always seems to be acting under the operation of Laws--and

Laws without a Law giver, and a Law giver without mind or something
higher than Mind, is unthinkable. And Mind, as we know it, seems to
be bound up with matter and energy in a wonderful combination, and is
seen to be subject to laws outside of itself, and to be varying, inconstant,
and changeable, which attributes cannot be conceived of as belonging
to the Absolute. Mind as we know it, as well as Matter and Energy, is
held by the highest occult teachers to be but an appearance and a
relativity of something far more fundamental and enduring, and we are
compelled to fall back upon that old term which wise men have used in
order to describe that Something Else that lies back of, and under,
Matter, Energy and Mind--and that word is "Spirit."
We cannot tell just what is meant by the word "Spirit," for we have
nothing with which to describe it. But we can think of it as meaning the
"essence" of Life and Being--the Reality underlying Universal Life.
Of course no name can be given to this One, that will fitly describe it.
But we have used the term "The Absolute" in our previous lessons, and
consider it advisable to continue its use, although the student may
substitute any other name that appeals to him more strongly. We do not
use the word God (except occasionally in order to bring out a shade of
meaning) not because we object to it, but because by doing so we
would run the risk of identifying The Absolute with some idea of a
personal god with certain theological attributes. Nor does the word
"Principle" appeal to us, for it seems to imply a cold, unfeeling, abstract
thing, while we conceive the Absolute Spirit or Being to be a warm,
vital, living, acting, feeling Reality. We do not use the word Nature,
which many prefer, because of its materialistic meaning to the minds of
many, although the word is very dear to us when referring to the
outward manifestation of the Absolute Life.
Of the real nature of The Absolute, of course, we can know practically
nothing, because it transcends all human experience and Man has
nothing with which he can measure the Infinite. Spinoza was right
when he said that "to define God is to deny him," for any attempt to
define, is, of course an attempt to limit or make finite the Infinite. To
define a thing is to identify it with something else--and where is the
something else with which to identify the Infinite? The Absolute cannot
be described in terms of the Relative. It is not Something, although it
contains within itself the reality underlying Everything. It cannot be

said to have the qualities of any of its apparently separated parts, for it
is the ALL. It is all that really IS.
It is beyond Matter, Force, or Mind as we know it, and yet these things
emanate from it, and must be within its nature. For what is in the
manifested must be in the manifestor--no stream can rise higher than its
source--the effect cannot be greater than the cause--you cannot get
something out of nothing.
But it is hard for the human mind to take hold of That which is beyond
its experience--many philosophers consider it impossible--and so we
must think of the Absolute in the concepts and terms of its highest
manifestation. We find Mind higher in the scale than Matter or Energy,
and so we are justified in using the terms of Mind in speaking of the
Absolute, rather than the terms of Matter or Energy--so let us try to
think of an Infinite Mind, whose powers and capacities are raised to an
infinite degree--a Mind of which Herbert Spencer said that it was "a
mode of being as much transcending intelligence and will, as these
transcend mere mechanical motion."
While it is true (as all occultists know) that the best information
regarding the Absolute come from regions of the Self