WHEN we are dealing with the highest theology, there are some big imponderables to confront. Such as the biggest of all: why does anything exist at all, why isn't there just one big nothing? Obviously there is a something or I wouldn't be bringing this to you!
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Matthew 22:37-38
This is the first and great commandment."
Through following this commandment firstly, love for neighbour follows secondly. This is why paradoxically, the Desert Fathers could enstrenghen their love for humanity while living in brutal solitude.
Therefore our Father as spoken of by Christ, is a most definite Divine Persona.
How does, what is called in Christian Esotericism, "our Heavenly Father" relate to the Hindu concepts of Brahma or even the Hindu Trimurti? In India there are many temples dedicated to Shiva, less to Vishnu and only a handful dedicated to Brahma.
Comments from H.P.Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine:
"Parabrahm is, in short, the collective aggregate of Kosmos in its infinity and eternity, the "THAT" and "THIS" to which distributive aggregates can not be applied. "In the beginning THIS was the Self, one only" (Aitareya Upanishad); the great Sankaracharya, explains that "THIS" referred to the Universe (Jagat); the sense of the words, "In the beginning," meaning before the reproduction of the phenomenal Universe."
So Parabrahm is THAT (tat) being a “term for the unknowable Rootless Root” - a good description. As I quoted before this describes the principle of our Heavenly Father but not His Persona. Can an infinite Principle create? - No, Being (Persona) creates.
"Since there can be neither two INFINITES nor two ABSOLUTES in a Universe supposed to be Boundless, this Self-Existence can hardly be conceived of as creating personally. In the sense and perceptions of finite "Beings," THAT is Non-"being," in the sense that it is the one BE-NESS; for, in this ALL lies concealed its coeternal and coeval emanation or inherent radiation, which, upon becoming periodically Brahma (the male-female Potency) becomes or expands itself into the manifested Universe."
-HPB, Secret Doctrine
Maybe we can reconcile the Persona of Father God with Brahma, I don't know.
One must keep in mind the difference between the Principle (and working power) of something and its persona (in being primarily and in quality).
From the discourse "The Greater and Lesser Principles"- This had some very good points in it which are heplful to the present discussion:
"All manifestation is being and comprised of beings firstly. Substance makes it its own by gravitating around being (or more correctly, a being). Beings are not born of substance, substance is born of they.
Out from the being of Father God has spun whorls of substance. We cleave to His Persona essentially, yet live in His Principle finding the lively realities therein made manifest."
From the Greater & Lesser Principles:
“Life with Christ in Man and throughout his multifarious adjuncts, is Principle.
Principle builds worlds.
And the substance of Principle is Love.”
"This passage is saying that the Principle is Christ. It is Christ that builds the worlds and out from Christ we know the Love, that being His own and very substance.
“...What is Principle?”- half of the question answered here is - that Christ Himself is that Principle. That Being (Christ) precedes any projection, principle or subsequent substance. All life comes from a personified being firstly.
"Before we examine the lesser principles which maintain the world and Man we can acknowledge also that as well as Christ being the greater Principle here He is, though dearly held, the lesser Principle to that of Father God too. This of course goes without saying, but needs be said
anyhow!
"If we are given to understand that love is the very substance of Principle - and of all subsequent principles - then there may be no real principle of substance without it. It is interesting here to note that the whole entire concept of Maya, of illusion, is born from loveless conceptualising. When reality is underpinned by love, ie. by principle, by the Principle, it is no illusion. The only illusory material is that which is artificial: without true life existing or origins thereof - without love."
I hope this is not too much. We could carry it further with a look at how the Trinity manifest in the principles of the four Elements.
God Bless,
Br. Bruce
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Matthew 22:37-38
This is the first and great commandment."
Through following this commandment firstly, love for neighbour follows secondly. This is why paradoxically, the Desert Fathers could enstrenghen their love for humanity while living in brutal solitude.
Therefore our Father as spoken of by Christ, is a most definite Divine Persona.
How does, what is called in Christian Esotericism, "our Heavenly Father" relate to the Hindu concepts of Brahma or even the Hindu Trimurti? In India there are many temples dedicated to Shiva, less to Vishnu and only a handful dedicated to Brahma.
Comments from H.P.Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine:
"Parabrahm is, in short, the collective aggregate of Kosmos in its infinity and eternity, the "THAT" and "THIS" to which distributive aggregates can not be applied. "In the beginning THIS was the Self, one only" (Aitareya Upanishad); the great Sankaracharya, explains that "THIS" referred to the Universe (Jagat); the sense of the words, "In the beginning," meaning before the reproduction of the phenomenal Universe."
So Parabrahm is THAT (tat) being a “term for the unknowable Rootless Root” - a good description. As I quoted before this describes the principle of our Heavenly Father but not His Persona. Can an infinite Principle create? - No, Being (Persona) creates.
"Since there can be neither two INFINITES nor two ABSOLUTES in a Universe supposed to be Boundless, this Self-Existence can hardly be conceived of as creating personally. In the sense and perceptions of finite "Beings," THAT is Non-"being," in the sense that it is the one BE-NESS; for, in this ALL lies concealed its coeternal and coeval emanation or inherent radiation, which, upon becoming periodically Brahma (the male-female Potency) becomes or expands itself into the manifested Universe."
-HPB, Secret Doctrine
Maybe we can reconcile the Persona of Father God with Brahma, I don't know.
One must keep in mind the difference between the Principle (and working power) of something and its persona (in being primarily and in quality).
From the discourse "The Greater and Lesser Principles"- This had some very good points in it which are heplful to the present discussion:
"All manifestation is being and comprised of beings firstly. Substance makes it its own by gravitating around being (or more correctly, a being). Beings are not born of substance, substance is born of they.
Out from the being of Father God has spun whorls of substance. We cleave to His Persona essentially, yet live in His Principle finding the lively realities therein made manifest."
From the Greater & Lesser Principles:
“Life with Christ in Man and throughout his multifarious adjuncts, is Principle.
Principle builds worlds.
And the substance of Principle is Love.”
"This passage is saying that the Principle is Christ. It is Christ that builds the worlds and out from Christ we know the Love, that being His own and very substance.
“...What is Principle?”- half of the question answered here is - that Christ Himself is that Principle. That Being (Christ) precedes any projection, principle or subsequent substance. All life comes from a personified being firstly.
"Before we examine the lesser principles which maintain the world and Man we can acknowledge also that as well as Christ being the greater Principle here He is, though dearly held, the lesser Principle to that of Father God too. This of course goes without saying, but needs be said
anyhow!
"If we are given to understand that love is the very substance of Principle - and of all subsequent principles - then there may be no real principle of substance without it. It is interesting here to note that the whole entire concept of Maya, of illusion, is born from loveless conceptualising. When reality is underpinned by love, ie. by principle, by the Principle, it is no illusion. The only illusory material is that which is artificial: without true life existing or origins thereof - without love."
I hope this is not too much. We could carry it further with a look at how the Trinity manifest in the principles of the four Elements.
God Bless,
Br. Bruce
