Essays Essays I
Tablet Two
ATMAN
<1>The nucleus of any object is its atman. <2>The nucleus of the universe is the Atman of the universe. The atman controls the object that it is the nucleus of. That is why the nucleus of the universe is the Controller of the universe. <3>Any part that has separated itself from the whole (of the universe in whole) becomes a universe in itself and will have a nucleus as its controller (atman).
<4>The controller of each object as its nucleus has control over the object according to its state of awareness. That is, as the object is in lower awareness, so the atman also has lesser control. As the object comes to a higher level of awareness, so the atman also becomes more aware and gains greater control over the object. <5>That is why man has greater control over himself and his body (as the object of his atman) and God has the greatest control over His object, the universe.
<6>Also as the Father is the Atman of the universe, any other level or universe which is created will have a separate nucleus, but will still be subject to the main center of the universe (God). <7>Also each universe or world itself can be divided into sub-worlds and sub-subworlds and so on until unit consciousnesses are reached, each as a nucleus (atman). <8>However, each nucleus or atman is also a subject of the atman of the greater object to which it belongs. For example, each atom in the human body has a nucleus (atman), and many of them create an organ with its own nucleus (atman), and many organs together become a component or a system in the body with its own controller (atman), and all of them together create the body with its nucleus (atman) as the Soul.
<9>Also each individual is subject to many different, bigger parts with different nuclei, such as home, society, world, galaxy, etc. Each of these has a nucleus which in different ways controls him. <10>So, in a greater sense, he is controlled by the world (Loka) he belongs to, and on a universal scale, all of them are controlled by the Universal Atman, or God.
<11>This truth is what the Shrii Yantra represents by using triangles, each as an object separate and at the same time one with the Controller.
<12>If we mix two objects together, a new nucleus will be created and the old nuclei will lose their identities and become subjects of this new nucleus. <13>So in a sense, atman, or this nucleus, is an imaginary or illusive assumption in any object. That is why when a person realizes that everything is God and He is the true Controller of the universe, the feeling of "I" (atman) will be dissolved and he becomes the subject of the Universal Atman. <14>That is the state in which a person realizes the "Tat Twam Asi," or "That art thou" (God is everything), and no feeling of "I" is left.
DAHARMA
<15>Daharma or Darma means the "innate nature," or the Laws governing each and every thing. In human life and in the universe as a whole, there are Laws (Darmas) which have been set up by God or have existed in the universe.
<16>Deviation from these Laws is violence, because violence means to deviate from a set of rules which have been ascribed to be followed. <17>Therefore, non-violence is to not violate these Laws.
TIME, PLACE, AND PERSON, IGNORANCE, PASSION, OR KNOWLEDGE
Time, place, and person: <18>In this universe many laws, especially those related to the physical body or manifested world, depend on the time, place, and person (or people and situation). <19>With this in mind, first of all we can better understand history and its incidents. Also we can be flexible in many different situations of life and environment. For example, it is true that a vegetarian diet and sentient foods are the most beneficial for the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of a human, but in an environment with cold weather, the rajasic(mutative) foods become satvic (sentient). Also in places with extremely cold weather like Siberia, Alaska, or the North Pole, the tamasic (static) foods might be considered satvic.
<20>Another example is the eating of a dead carcass. It is true that usually the human does not eat a dead carcass, but if he is trapped in a situation where he has no choice for survival and there is a dead carcass there, then one might consider it as food. <21>Every human, however, should use his or her intelligence in deciding about how to act in any situation (time, place, and people involved) and act as close to the Will of God as possible.
Ignorance, passion, or knowledge: <22>According to the time, place, and person, the decision, however, can be of three kinds: from ignorance, from passion, or from knowledge. For example, according to the time, place, and person, service to others can be from ignorance (when someone insists to help another person when it is not necessary or the help will make the other person lazy, or he does not want the help); it can be from passion (when a person has some gain in his mind, for example, he thinks that if he does these services for the other person he will be profited with something for selfish gain, such as love, attention, possession, material things, etc.). <23>The service from knowledge is done when it is necessary and is done completely selflessly. Otherwise it is not a service but a business. <24>This is true in all of the decisions a man can make. They can be from ignorance, passion, or knowledge according to the time, place, and person. <25>Also, the decision-making process is a perpetual process. A good decision (or anything) made now may not be as good six months from now.