THE DAWNING OF WISDOM ESSAYS ON WALKING THE PATH by Raghavan Iyer Compiled by The Editorial Board of Theosophy Trust Theosophy Trust Books Washington, D.C. The Dawning of Wisdom Essays on Walking the Path Copyright © March 10, 2007 by Theosophy Trust All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical - including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the writt en permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Theosophy Trust books may be ordered through BookSurge, Amazon.com, and other booksellers, or by visiting: htt p://www.theosophytrust.org/online_books.php ISBN 978-0-9793205-0-7 ISBN 0-9793205-0-X Library of Congress Control Number 2007901071 Printed in the United States of America Dedicated To Spiritual Aspirants All Over The Earth That The Dawn Of Wisdom May Arrive Swift ly KRISHNA: A man is said to be confi rmed in spiritual knowledge when he forsaketh every desire which entereth into his heart, and of himself is happy and content in the Self through the Self. His mind is undisturbed in adversity; he is happy and contented in prosperity, and he is a stranger to anxiety, fear, and anger. Such a man is called a Muni. When in every condition he receives each event, whether favorable or unfavorable, with an equal mind which neither likes nor dislikes, his wisdom is established, and, having met good or evil, neither rejoiceth at the one nor is cast down by the other. He is confi rmed in spiritual knowledge, when, like the tortoise, he can draw in all his senses and restrain them from their wonted purposes. The hungry man loseth sight of every other object but the gratifi cation of his appetite, and when he is become acquainted with the Supreme, he loseth all taste for objects of whatever kind. The tumultuous senses and organs hurry away by force the heart even of the wise man who striveth aft er perfection. Let a man, restraining all these, remain in devotion at rest in me, his true self; for he who hath his senses and organs in control possesses spiritual knowledge. The Bhagavad-Gita, Ch. II CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . xi EDITOR'S NOTE ON SANSKRIT TERMS . .xv THE DAWNING OF WISDOM . 1 THE PHILOSOPHY OF PERFECTION. 10 AS ABOVE, SO BELOW . 23 THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE . 31 ANAMNESIS . .38 SPIRITUAL ATTENTION . 49 MENTAL POSTURE. 55 THE JOY OF DEVOTION. 62 THOUGHTFULNESS . 71 SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION. 78 THE HERO IN MAN . 92 BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH . 104 EVOLUTION AND KARMA. 119 KARMA AND DESTINY. 133 INDIVIDUATION AND INITIATION . 142 SELF-TRANSFORMATION . 152 ix x The Dawning of Wisdom EVOLUTION AND CONSCIOUSNESS . 164 THE COMMUNITY OF THE FUTURE . 171 UNIVERSALITY AND SECTARIANISM. 182 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN . 203 PURITY AND POLLUTION . 218 THE HEALING OF SOULS . 230 THE GANDHIAN BRIDGE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH. 245 BUDDHI YOGA AND SVADHARMA . 257 BUDDHA AND THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT . 270 CHOOSING THE TAO . 280 THE ZERO PRINCIPLE . 291 DRAWING THE LARGER CIRCLE . 302 THEOSOPHICAL GLOSSARY IN BRIEF . 311 INTRODUCTION The spiritually penetrating essays in this volume were writt en for the expressed purpose of shedding the pristine light of universal Theosophy on the path of spiritual self-regeneration in the service of humanity. The Theosophical philosophy is predicated on the ageless truth that divine wisdom exists, and, most signifi cantly, that wise beings exist who dynamically embody it in world history; that sages and seers still grace the globe and that they continually oversee the spiritual, mental and physical evolution of man and nature. The secret Society of Sages that guides human progress periodically sends forth one of their own to sound afresh the Divine Philosophy and exemplify the spiritual life in all its richness and mystery. Such an enlightened spiritual teacher articulates eternal but forgott en truths in ingenious ways, adopting modalities that inspire the mind, release soul perception, and cut through the froth of history and the miasma of an age. The wisdom- teachings of such a being are essentially "correctives in consciousness" aimed at redirecting our att ention from the all-consuming mundane to the hidden, unconscious divinity that exists within but which is temporarily obscured by collective ignorance and chronic perversity. To those individuals who seek a deeper understanding of the problems and prospects of contemporary man, these sublime essays can become therapeutic remedies for the innumerable spiritual, moral, and psychological ills of our time. These writings – radiant with a cool 'spiritual fi re' – were originally talks given by Shri Raghavan Iyer at the United Lodge of Theosophists in Santa Barbara, California between 1969 and 1989. They are pellucid, mantramic expressions of Theosophia or divine wisdom – referred to frequently in the journal HERMES as Brahma Vach. They sparkle with deep logoic brilliance and reveal a consciousness att uned to the "great heart and mind of all mankind". These talks were not given simply for the benefi t of a particular group or Lodge – however noble – nor xi xii The Dawning of Wisdom were they presented for present humanity alone, but were sacrifi cially invoked for the humanities yet to come. Like any Promethean forerunner who deliberately enters into the unfolding historical drama, Shri Raghavan Iyer did more than awaken suff ering humanity to the forgott en curatives of the soul and mind. He did more than anticipate the humanity of the future: through the magical power of spiritual sound, he helped to create it. The wide-ranging articles in this volume span the spectrum of human thought from the metaphysical to the mystical, the ethical to the psychological, the spiritual to the material. They reveal the fundamental basis of religion, philosophy and science. The periodic study of these essays turns us back upon ourselves – in the highest sense – and releases that laser-like insight that allows us to increasingly discern the true, the good, and the beautiful in all known religious teachings, in all available philosophical musings, and in all ancient and modern scientifi c discoveries. When carefully meditated upon and skillfully applied to the realm of self-chosen duties, they purify the mind, cleanse the heart, and uplift the human condition. Shri Raghavan Iyer, the transmitt er of these marvelous and mysterious teachings, was himself a man of immense magnanimity and unparalleled spiritual genius. Born in Madras, India in 1930, he matriculated at the University of Bombay at the precocious age of fourteen and received his bachelor's degree in economics at age eighteen. Two years later he was selected as the Rhodes Scholar from India. While studying at Oxford University, he actively participated in a variety of august and intellectually engaging societies: the Oxford University Peace Association, the Voltaire Society, the Socratic Society, and the Buddhist Society. He was also the founder of the Plotinus Society and was elected President of the Oxford Union in his fi nal undergraduate year. At age twenty-four he earned fi rst-class honors in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and later was awarded his doctorate in Philosophy. He was an outstanding teacher of philosophy and politics throughout his public life. He assumed the mantle of teaching at the age of eighteen when he was appointed Fellow and Lecturer at Elphinstone College, Introduction xiii University of Bombay. Aft er completing his bachelor degree at Oxford, he was selected at age twenty-six to be an Oxford don (or tutor) in philosophy and politics. In addition to his tutorials at Oxford, he lectured throughout Europe and also in Africa. His profound insights, sparkling intellectual clarity, mastery of diff erent conceptual languages, and his infectious enthusiasm inspired thousands of students and earned the deep respect of eminent thinkers and professors as diverse as Isaiah Berlin, James Joll, and Houston Smith. Aft er accepting a professorship at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1965, he taught classes and seminars in political philosophy until his retirement at the age of fi ft y-six. His introductory classes and graduate seminars were legendary for their philosophical depth, theoretical openness, and visionary richness. They were full of wit as well as wisdom, and they unfailingly inspired students with an abiding confi dence in themselves as learners and as viable contributors to the emerging City of Man. His formal lectures as well as innumerable informal gatherings aff ected generations of students who later inhabited diverse fi elds of work, worship, and humanitarian service. In addition to his vast and varied gift s as a teacher, Shri Raghavan Iyer was an eminent international author. His most prominent writings were The Moral and Political Thought of Mahatma Gandhi and Parapolitics – Toward the City of Man. Writt en in lucid and impeccable English, each of these remarkable works is accessible to both the profound thinker and the beginning inquirer, the erudite scholar and the dedicated student, the earnest seeker and the committ ed practitioner. He also edited an extraordinary collection of inspirational readings entitled The Jewel in the Lotus, aptly characterized by Professor K. Swaminathan as "a universal bible". In addition, he edited and wrote the introductions for numerous sacred texts, including Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Jewish, Christian, and Sufi teachings. Shri Raghavan Iyer became a Theosophist at age ten when his father fi rst took him to the United Lodge of Theosophists in Bombay. There he encountered the profound writings of H.P. Blavatsky – the founder and teacher of the modern Theosophical Movement. Soon aft er entering the orbit of the Theosophical Movement, he made a sacred resolve to xiv The Dawning of Wisdom serve the Lodge of Mahatmas and increasingly assumed responsibility for forwarding the impulse of the world-wide Theosophical Cause of promoting universal brotherhood.