Well, thus far we have examined this becoming world in the shape of physical phenomena whose condition is determined by the "MAYA" operating from the internal abyss, "Noesis." In this chapter, we are to describe the development of souls internally by turning back to the "Noesis" and looking at the internal experience there.
α. Emotive Sea and Sky Inside the Internal Abyss
As we have studied before, those real existences represented as external objects are nothing but images or shadows of the intellectual light. Emotion, however, showing directly the internal state of a soul itself, projects its own characterized color on the external world.
That is, in the domain of emotion, even though the subject of knowing does not unify and represent it, the emotive sea inside the dark abyss never fails to exist embodying a state of the soul, which determines the meanings of the existences represented in the other domains. And when the soul changes its own condition considerably, the subject comes to unify it and represent emotion as an existence.
Now, let me describe the following internal scenes here.
That is, the unifying subject is steering a boat on the primitive sea of emotion and drawing the worlds of either intuition or reflection around itself. And it sometimes directs its attention to the sea itself which rocks and draws the boat. When night falls and the sea calms down, being set free from all the anxiety, the subject soars into the sky of the emotive sea inlaid with innumerable stars and flies about them.
Well, with those images above, let us have a look at internally the state of a soul according to the hierarchical structure of desire next.
1. Firstly, under the material desire
As long as the soul is cast into this becoming world, the material desire is to be satisfied in one way.
In this case, describing the internal phenomenon of the desire, we can see the desire staying in the bottom of the dark sea and pressing heavily and unreasonably on the soul, as makes us sense the distressful condition of all souls, which is caused by the very fact that they are chained to and stired by the "MAYA," though.
If the soul comes to have high intellectual ability, we can see the emotive waves of such as joy, depression, and so on rising and falling on the surface of the sea according as the subject knows whether it gets objects of the desire or not.
2. Secondly, under the survival desire
The subject casts its intellectual light around the dark sea and seeks after the objects of the desire, that is, water and food in the real intuitive world.
In this case, the meaning of the objects varies according as the soul has the desire or not. That is, if it has the strong desire for them, they draw its attention and nail it to the spot.
Describing internally, we can see those objects represented in front of itself reflecting the special color of the sea characterized by its emotive waves and whirlpools and absorbing the soul.
And if it fails to obtain them in spite of all its efforts, it may happen that the sea of emotion swallows up all the things on its surface and its sky for a moment with the intellectual functions themselves stopping on account of its despair. Thus, after regaining the functions, the subject comes to paint the whole real intuitive world the emotive color of despair.
Even when it succeeds in obtaining them, once the desire becomes satisfied, new objects have to disappear as mere images of the intellectual light without drawing its attention strongly. No matter what a wonderful taste they may have, it does not have a specific meaning for a while to the soul satiated with food.
3. Thirdly, under the sexual desire
This desire comes forth strongly when the survival desire is satisfied to some extent and the soul has more energy than necessary to maintain its own life.
As for objects of this desire, they will become narrowed down so that they may meet the metaphysical intention of prospering their own race. Although the intention of the Supreme Being seems to gather the same souls, yet it becomes rare to see such a holy marriage in our human society because one tends to be so calculative about its own life.
But, when two souls devote their strong affection on each other from their own virtue, the subject of each being washed by the strong waves of the emotive sea, the real intuitive world cannot but become mere shadows of the intellectual light. Thus, even if it tries to think of other things, all what emerge from the raging sea will be only the images of the other. And it sometimes happens that they try to make the eternal ties of marriage in the other world.
Those conditions can be experienced by even the soul who suffers from one-sided love but loves a person from the bottom of its heart.
By the way, when it turns out that it cannot but resign the object after all, the despair engraved on the soul itself becomes deep and stirs the emotive sea. But, as long as the desire exists, with it squirming in the depths of the sea, the soul will continue to seek after another as a substitute for the object or cling to the memories of it.
On the contrary, when it can obtain the object of the desire, the swell of the sea becomes so huge at the very moment of the winning that the whole representation itself may be swallowed up and the subject sings the joy of life on the surface of the big stream swirling in the sea with its own clear consciousness almost lost.
After attaining the goal, however, since the desire is satisfied, the subject has to find the object itself change its own meaning in the emotive sea calming down after the storm. ※(1)
Even though they are tied to cooperative life as a married couple, it is because they are impelled to take into consideration their baby which needs help for its own survival. Under the metaphysical intention, they try to have and support their descendants, leading to the maintenance of their own race.
In this case, although most of the souls in the human world incline to manage their each own cooperative life in order to satisfy their insatiable desire, yet on the other hand there appear new other relations worthy of this human world. That is, the spiritual one under the intellectual desire and the divine one under the desire for the Supreme Being, through which there come out permanent ties different from the impulsive ones under the sexual desire. ※(2)
At this point, we for the first time see the world worthy of we human beings opened toward us.
※(1) We often fail to realize that the object itself does not have the nature of freedom but a mere clue to the freedom. For the very reason, we incline to persist in the same object so as to attain the wonderful state of freedom thinking itself something substantial which vouches for the state.
※(2) In the intellectual stage, one can conceive spiritual babies regardless of age or sex only by exchanging glances and smiles. In the holy stage, even the distinction between the subject and the object melting away, one itself becomes a baby in the womb of this whole universe. Thus, before long it gives a new birth to the individual.
4. Fourthly, under the intellectual desire
When the intellectual faculty develops high enough for the subject to play with images without being chained to lower desires, there comes forth the intellectual desire to satisfy its heightened intellect.
Therefore, this desire will be characterized by the play of the intellectual light in the sky over the emotive sea. And it does not matter how the play is initiated, though of course the survival desire has to remain satisfied to some extent. It is because all its intellectual ability is forced to serve the desire when it does not.
As is the same with the soul whose material desire becomes so strong because of its unhealthiness that it remains chained to the insatiable desire in spite of the fact that its survival one is satisfied.
In such a condition, we can see not the sky appearing over the emotive sea but only the emotive waves of such as joy, depression, and so on rising and falling on the surface of the sea according to its own profit and loss.
Even though the soul can suppress those waves by appealing to its reason, an indication of its high intellect, as long as it remains chained to the material desire, it will not satisfy its intellectual one with its intellect becoming a pure mirror and playing with the stars shining in the dark sky.
By the way, we can find a considerable part of products in such fields as music, painting, poetry, and so on derives from the sexual one as well. It is because the metaphysical intention of the desire and the inspirational state of the heightened intellect are never contradictory. On the contrary, the raging sea stirred by the sexual desire heightens the intellect of inspirable souls all the more.
Now, let us look at the internal state of the intellect activated by the sexual desire first.
To begin with, the unifying subject of intellect stirred up by the sexual desire will soar into the sky having the wings of inspiration and mirror in its flight the power which is working on the emotive sea.
It is the metaphysical intention which brings about the sexual desire, that is, "Eros." And mirroring the nature of it, which the subject itself begins to embody in the depths of the sea, it foresees the coming destruction caused by the burning of itself.
As the force of "Eros" becomes stronger and stronger, the intellect itself heightens all the more, which enables the subject to fly up as high as possible over the raging sea and express what is mirrored in the flight in some perceptible forms, thus leave the works of art behind gazing at the approaching destruction and hoping for it.
When the force intensifies to the limit and the emotive sea with roaring waves is about to swallow up its whole sky, the subject which has endeavored to fly as long as possible in the turbulence thus far is to be cast into the climax of the disorder seeing from the height of the sky the destruction approaching in front of itself.
In such a situation, all what are left behind as perceptible objects are deranged, which allows a feeling of giddiness, that of nausea, or a groan itself to replace the previous works of art and show itself the highest product of the inspired and disordered soul.
When the raging billows swallow up the whole sky, it is also pulled into the sea and remains at the mercy of the huge whirlpool of the universal life with its reason almost lost in the feeling of giddiness.
Thus, when the sea calms down, the subject is to find itself cast up on the sands in due course.
Well, now, let us look at the case of the intellect flying up with the wings of inspiration next.
In this case, since the intellect keeps in fairly high condition, the subject usually soars directly with the wings of inspiration into the sky spreading out over the calm sea of emotion by some chance and fly about the nocturnal sky inlaid with unnumerable shining stars listening carefully for what they are whispering.
Therefore, when a sense of something drags forcibly the subject out of the internal sky into the external world, the real intuitive one, the sky being smashed into pieces and disappearing at once, it is to turn its attention to the real world with astonishment.
Well, as mentioned before, although this intellectual desire comes forth because the intellectual faculty develops high enough for the subject to play with images as it pleases without being chained to lower desires, yet, generally speaking, people are given only the intellect of such level as signifies a mere means to serve lower desires, and even though they are given a high intellectual faculty, once the material desire appears, the subject of them will seldom fly about as it pleases because it soon becomes a means to satisfy the insatiable desire.
Thus, we may say that the pure internal phenomenon noted above can be found only in our childhood. It is because the intellect itself develops rapidly in that period, while the desires of soul are still sleeping without stiring up the emotive sea.
For the very reason above, "children" have the ability to enter their each own imaginary world and that to be absorbed in some play in it in any external condition.
At this time, the internal flight of the subject becomes pure with its intellect relatively heightened and it flies about the sky which radiates the brilliant light free from any cloudiness reflecting the calm and innocent sea of emotion.
But, as they grow to youths of both sexes and then to men and women with the desires beginning to wake and come out strongly, the subject with its heightened intellect becomes compelled to serve those desires, which usually causes it to lose the wings of inspiration resulting in its fall from the brilliant sky.
That is, as they grow, the billows can be seen to rise high on the stormy sea which becomes characterized by a huge whirlpool moving inside it. And even though the subject happens to fly up into its internal sky, it has to realize that the sky is not what it was before any longer. That is, it comes to see various dark clouds spring up in the internal sky which was clear because it reflected the sleeping calm sea, an innocent state of soul, and then cover the whole sky with thunderstorm making its flight very difficult.
All what it can see in its flight is nothing but a state of soul imprisoned in the individual desires, that is, the whirlpool formed by so many troubles in the depths of the stormy sea, on the surface of which on the other hand such emotive waves as joy, anger, sorrow, and so on rising and falling. Thus, it may be led to feel the sadness and meaninglessness of life itself.
By the way, those souls which cannot love a person from the bottom of their each own heart or fly about the internal sky from their own virtue will try to keep the feeling of dissatisfaction unnoticed by stirring the bottom of the sea and making it muddy. And causing the muddy sea to supress the innocent play of the waves which has been appearing on the surface, they will only long for the very state of the virtue to come out in vain.
Thus, as long as they are not set free from the prison, they may come to crush the voice of its own real self in the depths of the sea and allow themselves to spoil without being ever satisfied from each own virtue, then finally force the smell of rot on innocent young souls as if it were of great value.
Well, even though the emotive sea is stormy and the sky is covered with the dark clouds, a soul who is artist by nature would be able to soar into its own internal sky by going through the clouds and with the help of its fairly high intellect fly as far as to the uttermost ends of the sky, where the subject may mirror that dark, transparent blue of the sky colored by the feeling of sadness and meaningless which all the souls in this becoming world would keep in each own abyss. The color is no longer that brilliant blue full of sunshine which was reflected in childhood, but the dark, transparent blue gradating into the darkness of infinite space.
At another time, the subject may fly up above the dark clouds and see the "MAYA" working on the course of the times there.
What has been left behind as a work of art then may attract the attention of all souls forcibly by revealing the intention of the power which is to swallow up all things into a huge whirlpool moving in the depths of beyond individual. Thus, seeing the panorama of the raging deep, those souls will have a feeling of dizzy.
On the contrary, as long as the subject wanders about the dark, thick clouds which sometimes cause thunderstorm, all what it can see is no more than a state of itself imprisoned in the bounds of individual. But, even though it cannot go through the clouds, wandering about them, a soul of artistic nature would reveal the depth of its individuality.
By the way, the appearances of itself caused by the ever-changing waves of emotion are nothing but bubbles rising and bursting away with time. So, we may say that the work of art treating them is no more than an empty ghost. But, we sometimes see that of "bon sens," that is, the pleasing play of refined sensation represented by intellect alone, given the honor of being artistic, replacing all the others mentioned above.
So, let us make a detour to examine the system of communicating "art" with others next.
Well, we are to look into here the work of art given as objective existence in our representation, which signifies that it is a medium of the communication. In this case, we need to admit that it covers that of lower soul besides that of human being. It is because we can take it that the lower soul is also expressing some state of soul directly by means of its own body.
That is, those souls in the world of either inorganic matter or plant show their appearances reflecting their each state of soul as their works of art to us. Therefore, if we ourselves have gone through the same one before, we can at once imagine the state internally from the appearances alone.
As concerns the souls in the animal world, since all their intellect has to serve the lower desires, they also cannot but allow their bodies to appear directly in our representation as their works of art.
When life itself develops into souls in the human world, they come to have the intellectual desire to satisfy their heightened intellect, under which the works of art in various forms besides body are to become produced. And those works as well as their bodies reflect not only some state of soul belonging to the lower worlds but also spiritual one that only human being can develop under some circumstances.
In this case, however, it sometimes happens that the mere play of sensation separated from the state of soul becomes so significant because of its pleasing nature that the subject comes to be tempted to pursue a refined form of sensation as the object of interest.
In other words, when the subject produces a work in the reflection of the emotive sea, some emotive elements are sure to be fixed in the work through such forms as sensational qualities, shape, and word. But, on the other hand, since the play of intellectual light has an important role in controlling souls by causing either pleasant or unpleasant sensation, it allows souls to follow the pleasant one.
As a result of it, the refined form of sensation which gives us pleasant feeling becomes the very object of its strong interest. Thus, there comes forth the work of art which is valued on account of its "bon sens."
But, I think, the works produced by the mere play of intellect alone will not be able to attract other souls from the depths of life itself.
Well, as concerns the receiver of a work, the subject must represent and mirror the emotive elements reflected in the work by means of its inception and grasp at once a state of the producer.
In this case, however, if the receiver has not experienced the same state of soul as this before, they cannot sympathize with it from its depths, the elements only being engraved inside its internal abyss as something which awakens a feeling of anxiety about what is to be developed on itself in future.
Therefore, as long as it remains inexperienced, it will continue to show its tendency to follow the refined, pleasant form of sensation or the mere play of intellectual light stirred up by minute waves on the emotive sea.
By the way, when it is chained to its lower desires, the subject will not be able to become a pure mirror and grasp the state of soul reflected in the work immediately. Because, the work given some meaning in its reperesentation is nothing but the reflection of a warped state of its own soul.
On the contrary, when it has fairly high intellectual state without being chained to the lower desires, the subject will be able to grasp not only the state of soul reflected in the work but also its "Idea," and furthermore, the "MAYA" itself by becoming a pure mirror. Thus, when the consciousness reaches as deep as the "MAYA" which all the souls in this becoming world are chained to, then, one may realize the nature of it in the dark, but transparent blue sky.
β. Anxiety
Now, let us look at a secondary product deriving from the high intellectual state, that is, a feeling of anxiety.
By the way, although we can trace the real ground of the feeling to the unknown abyss and which enables us to define it from the essential aspect, yet here we need to divide it into two groups according to its nature. That is, one is the anxiety caused in the course of development and the other is that about the collapse of our internal construct built by the reflective functions.
1. Anxiety in The Course of Development
To begin with, we are to study the reason why we come to have this kind of anxiety.
We can define this anxiety as follows: that is, it is felt when the subject, with its intellect fairly heightened, foresees what is to be developed on itself and fears the unexperienced thing.
Therefore, the anxiety is felt only when it keeps high intellectual state. And the cause of the feeling is no more than the vague image about what will happen to itself. Thus, the feeling lasts as long as it remains vague and unexperienced.
Well, the character of the anxiety will change as we grow.
Having relatively high intellectual condition in childhood, the subject foresees what is to be developed on itself in future. But, the feeling comes up as a sweet sentiment usually seen only in childhood, because it takes long time for children to experience directly those things which are to happen to them in their course of life.
And, as is often the case with the children who have high intellectual state, the subject sometimes mirrors the "MAYA" working on this becoming world from the transpersonal field and feels sad becoming conscious of the true nature of this universe.
When their desires become strong as they grow, their intellect becomes compelled to serve the lower desires, and with such a sentiment as seen in childhood fading away, only individual things of each concern come to cause the feeling thereafter. That is, the feeling of anxiety comes to appear and disappear repeatedly as they begin to experience those things in their life.
By the way, a soul who has a heightened intellectual state would see the dark abyss behind objects of its desire, and it sometimes foresees through its heightened intellect stirred up by the strong desire that it may be swallowed up into the abyss and brought to destruction.
When the subject tries to attain its desire, it will feel the strong anxiety facing the dark unknown abyss. That is, since the abyss seems to bring the subject of knowing to the destruction, it comes to take on a look of death.
Thus, with the feeling heightened to the limit, it becomes torn violently by two opposite movements, that is, that of escaping from the death and that of freeing itself by accepting the death positively. In that contradiction, it keeps writhing with the laceration for a while.
But, at the climax of the anxiety feeling giddiness and nausea, it falls into the abyss and allows itself to become at the mercy of a huge whirlpool of the universal life. As a result, the strong anxiety disappears.
Well, those who accept the death positively from its own virtue and free themselves from each personal prison would from then on continue to jump into the abyss of the anxiety caused in their course of development and make it disappear repeatedly.
On the contrary, those who cannot ever free themselves because they keep escaping from the death would be unable to let the anxiety fade away, thus, it is to be deposited in the depths of each own internal abyss, causing them to spoil in due time without going through a joy of satisfaction.
Well, it sometimes happens that they try to pursue greedily the objects of their desires represented in the outer world and dominate them. It is because they have to turn their attention to the external objects in order to keep the feeling of dissatisfaction close in the depths by ignoring the true voice of the real self.
But, however hard they may try to pursue and dominate them, they never obtain the eternal joy of satisfaction as long as they keep searching the objects in the outer world for the joy. And as a result, which intensifies their dissatisfaction all the more.
In this way, the pent-up anxiety deposited inside the abyss is to undermine the souls from the depths and finally brings them to irrecoverable total corruption.
Therefore, such desires as spring from their own virtue are never sins. On the contrary, it is those souls that deserve the true sin who escape from the death ignoring their own virtue, pervert their natural development by making themselves seek after what in reality they do not desire, and allow themselves to spoil in the result.
Once they experience their each own virtue, they are spurred to keep seeking after it. And their resistance made for the sake of it will become so strong as to destroy each own mere appearance. In this way, those who have ever gone through the joy of satisfaction would struggle their ways to develop into what they ought to be according to their respective "Ideas" as a result of longing for the very virtue. With the joy staying in the depths as a star which shows them the right direction, they come to purify their each soul in the laceration.
In this case, the anxiety felt in the course of development will turn out to be the very voice leading us to the divine place toward which each ought to direct its steps. Following the voice and purifying each own soul in the struggle, we can for the first time make each own emotive sea bright with deep transparency, which causing surrounding souls to feel giddy.
By the way, the soul who keeps its intellect high for life would mirror the nature of the "MAYA" which is reflected in the real intuitive world and feel sad meditating on the innumerable troubles which all the souls in this world have to keep taking on their respective shoulders throughout their lives again and again as long as this universe continues to exis.
After realizing by some chance the root of the feeling and the original sin brought by existing itself, the soul, regarding all their troubles as its own, takes them all on its shoulders and comes to begin its own struggle hoping for the salvation of all souls.
2. Anxiety about the Collapse of Rational Construct
Next, we are to study the anxiety which can be classified into the other group.
Although the anxiety in both the groups is derived from the unknowable abyss, the anxiety we are to study here is caused when we come to sense the difference between the rational construct projected on the "Noema" and the real substance in the abyss which makes the subject of knowing to project the shadow through the intellectual functions from the depths.
Well, as the human history advances, we can accumulate a huge quantity of knowledge by transmitting and recording it with the help of words. But, unless it is systematized with substantial concepts formed by each own deep thinking, it cannot but become the illusive construct with ease which leads us to regard itself as something substantial and believe in its reality.
In this way, being unconscious of the indefinable abyss which gives rise to all the "existences" in the "Noema," most of us come to lose the intuitive ability to sense the real existence of the abyss itself, though which we had early in the human history.
In childhood, however, when we can obtain a high intellectual state with the rational construct undeveloped yet, we can see into the true nature of things in this world and will keep having a sense of anxiety about the unknowable world.
In the same way, even adult persons who can keep their intellectual state relatively high without being chained to their own desires would have a sense of anxiety about the rational construct built by means of the reflective functions. That is, even though it is systematized magnificently with clear definition of concepts, the nature of itself is no more than a shadow projected on the world as representation, behind which the indefinable dark abyss can be seen to rise threatening to swallow up all the construct.
By the way, the construct formed especially by some personal desire may incline to become wobbly, which makes the subject foresee its collapse.
In this case, as it is chained to the desire, it will do its best to protect the construct from collapsing in vain. It cannot but wait for it to collapse with strong anxiety about the approaching dark abyss because it can see into its illusional nature and its inability to keep protecting it.
As the collapse of the construct, a product of the desire, takes a look of death, one may replace the construct with others in order to escape from the death. But, as long as they are products of the same desire, they must be considered same as well.
We have to say that one can never overcome the death by such measures. We have to accept the death positively in order to overcome it in a true sense and allow all the warped construct based on the desire to collapse. Our enslaving desires have to be broken down and we each soul has to be set free from the each personal prison.
At the time of the collapse, what on earth will the subject see in the depths where all the emotive sea disappears ?
γ. The Way to "Nirvana"
By the way, going out of the intellectual light into the unknowable darkabyss results in the disappearance of all existences belonging to its representation.
We can certainly represent that this universe will go on becoming forever after we pass away, and that behind this universe there exists a something substantial which unifies and supports it all the times, and furthermore that the very Single Being unifying it in truth stays in the depths of our each own internal abyss and makes the subject of knowing draw the world as representation. But, even so, we have to admit that the "Single Being" represented by means of its intellectual light is nothing but a shadow of itself.
The above can be compared to the scene that from the represented world, that is, the "Noema," the subject looks back toward the "Noesis" to the unknowable abyss which cannot but be defined as nothing, and as is by no means the direct experience of itself, though which may be obtained only by jumping into the depths positively.
Even though it can take the indefinable abyss as everything, as long as the subject remains chained to the represented world, the knowledge will turn out to be a mere illusion because of its lacking in the substantial content. Even though the knowledge is given a nature of absoluteness, it is no more than a shadow projected on the relative world as representation. Thus, it has to disappear before long without being impressed with the absolute content.
Therefore, we have to examine here the way to the perfect vacuity where the Supreme Being stays.
First of all, as we have seen above, we never light up and know it directly through our reflective functions.
That is, through the reflective functions we can suppose behind physical phenomena only the magical power which animates and unifies all the souls in this becoming world. On the other hand, behind the internal phenomena such as emotion, intuition, and reflection, we can also suppose only the same power as the former, which makes the subject unify and represent them through its intellectual functions.
In both the cases, we cannot make further definition positively but only represent that there stays an indefinable something in the depths of those phenomena, though which cannot but be defined as nothing.
Next, although we have studied before that we can know what the "MAYA" is by experiencing directly the waves and whirlpools of the emotive sea inside each own internal abyss, yet we have to also admit that the knowledge does not go further than the embodiment of the power, and the Supreme Subject of unifying, which is never unified by others, remains unknown in the depths of its darkness.
That is, all the souls in this becoming world, which are chained to the grand whirlpool of the universal life exhaled from the Single Being, cannot but continue to rise and disappear like bubbles forever. In the same way, even though we can experience all the operations of the "MAYA" inside each own abyss, the knowledge obtained there is no more than a state of soul which is always changing like bubbles.
The above is the same when the subject of knowing flies about the internal sky and mirrors the operations of the power.
That is, as long as it is chained as a part of soul to the Single Being which unifies all the universe, even though it can fly about the internal whole sky and represent what is working on itself, it will never look back to the ever unifying Supreme Subject. Even the works of art produced by a soul of genius could not expose itself but only suggest its existence.
Therefore, for the reason above, do we have to admit that we can never attain to the place where the Single Being stays after all in any way ?
Here, we come to stand on the summit of metaphysics.
"What on earth is the Single Being which is staying in the depths of our each internal abyss and unifying both the physical world and the internal one ?"
Well, now, let us clarify here the conditions first which enables us to get into the place it stays.
That is, the ultimate standard for the judgment should be whether or not there is a something which can keep existing while being released from the chains of the "MAYA."
First of all, the soul itself which is chained to the "MAYA" and given desires by it can never free itself from the control of the power and keep existing in this universe at the same time. That is, seeing that it is obliged to be washed away by the pressure of the dark sea, it can never get into the perfect vacuity.
Next, as for the subject of knowing, a means of soul itself to work on the represented external world, as long as it operates as a part of soul representing either the world of intuition or that of reflection, it cannot but be still chained to the power from the depths.
Even when it mirrors what is working on itself from the internal sky with its intellectual state heightened, it still remains under the control of the power. Thus, the flight cannot be considered entirely free.
When the soul dreams, it seems that the subject flies about the whole universe and witnesses so many scenes. But, they are drawn or performed by the operations of the "MAYA," which forces the subject of knowing to keep its seat and watch them until its intellectual light is put out.
While the light is off, it can never see what is working on itself. But, the above state is by no means free. It is only resting for a while in the dark abyss where the power dominates.
Lastly, when the soul dies, after having developed as an individual entity, it is certainly set free from the personal prison and all the desires stirred up by the power. But the above does not mean that it can attain to the perfect vacuity.
What we usually call death is nothing but an illusion produced by the magical power. That is, the dying soul is to be cast into the grand whirlpool of the universal life caused by it after the release from its own personal prison. Supposing the individual entity is a wave, we may compare the death to a state of the wave on the sea of the universal life. Thus, a new soul with its individuality comes into existence and comes to repeat the course of its development again according as a new wave begins to rise on the sea. In that sense, we all souls can be considered the unfortunate being that can never "die."
As for the subject of knowing on the other hand, it may have a chance to be set free from the control of the power in the death. But, since it is nothing but a part of soul itself, it cannot but disappear the moment the soul itself passes away.
That is, even though it has a chance to be set free from the control in the death, it cannot keep existing with its intellectual light on. It has to disappear as nothing into the dark abyss without looking back to the Single Being staying in the deepest.
For the reason above, do we have to admit that we are destined to continue to exist again and again forever under the control of the magical power, and that all the beings cast into this grand whirlpool of the universal life can never attain to that perfect vacuity, "Nirvana," and that we cannot but resign all our efforts to follow the way to "Nirvana" ?
Well, before forming the hasty conclusion, we need to investigate further the above possibility again which is to be shown in the death. Because it is the only possibility left to us.
We usually use the word "death" when a soul itself loses its individual entity, that is, its own body from the viewpoint of physical phenomenon. But, the image of death should not be limited to it, because we sometimes experience the same state of the above death even when we lose each own desire for an instant.
The declined power brought on suddenly after sexual intercourse, or the disappointment resulting from a failure to obtain an object of desire, they all suggest the death. And, the more strongly we desire, the bigger becomes the image of the death which is to appear when the desire is shattered.
But, as long as the root of the desire is left unremoved, the subject will go on drawing the similar world again according to the same desire, rationalizing what it failed to obtain as something less important for itself, and pursuing either other new objects or other ends under the same desire.
By the way, what will become of it when all the desire including the root itself is shattered ?
Then is the time for it to free itself from the chains of the "MAYA" and float in the perfect vacuity, that is, "Nirvana." Then is the time for us to obtain the "death" which enables a soul to put a stop to the "Samsara," the chains of the "MAYA."
A man may develop the material desire very strongly pursuing greedily an object of the desire, taking advantage of anything available, and rejecting all what turns out to be an obstacle. But, the time when he has to know the illusional nature of the object will sure to come in due course.
When the strong material desire is broken into pieces through the huge pressure in the dark abyss, the subject may for the first time free itself from all the chains and look back to the Single Being itself.
When the strong desire, which has stirred up the sea of emotion violently and made it muddy, is smashed into pieces, the subject whose flight has been disturbed by dark clouds and thunderstorm thus far will be left alone in the middle of the perfect vacuity in that very moment, where the raging emotive sea, the dark clouds, and the thunderstorm have all disappeared. Floating in the vacuity, he will realize the emptiness of the desire itself by mirroring the true nature of this whole universe through his bloodless internal eye.
On another occasion, he may develop the sexual desire so strongly yearning for an object of the desire that he seems to risk even his life for the end. In such a case, from its internal sky the subject will foresee its own destruction approaching and desire for the object all the more hoping for its ruin.
When the subject is about to obtain the object, and when the emotive sea with raging billows is about to swallow up the whole sky, if the object smashes all the desire of the subject by informing the subject of its illusional nature, then, the raging sea itself being shattered into nothing the moment the raging billows is about to swallow up the subject pushed up at the height of the sky, the subject hovering at the height suddenly gets into the perfect vacuity with its intellectual light kept extremely high and floats in it. In that very moment, the subject will mirror as purely as possible the image of the Single Being in the lightened vacuity.
A soul who has strong desire would try to win all the things in this world and assert himself to be everything. But, when all the things disappear as mere illusion and all his desire is shattered, then is the time for him, the subject of knowing, to free himself from the chains of the "Samsara" generated in this world and controlled by the "MAYA," and to be filled with the eternal joy of the total freedom in the perfect vacuity where there stops even a breath of wind, that is, "Nir-vana."
Although he has to be breathed into this becoming world and chained to the "Samsara" again, from then on he will come to regard all the things in this world as nothing with the help of the divine light given as his internal eye, and long for and pursue the very moment he attains to the perfect vacuity keeping his internal eye on it, though which has been regarded as nothing thus far.
By the way, a weak soul would have a feeling of sadness constantly toward not only the world as representation but also his own life itself. Therefore it sometimes happens on some occasions that he enters the priesthood trying to resign all his lower desires, and on rare occasions, he may kill himself. But, we cannot but admit that the above death leads not to the "Nirvana" but only to the chains of the "Samsara."
On the contrary, a sound and strong soul would not be able to resign his own life, even though he could realize the true nature of the things in this world. He cannot but be attached to this world, even though it is filled with trouble. Because there comes forth a passion which overcomes his reason before long.
Thus, adhering to the resignation imposed on him by his own reason is nothing but strangulating his own vital force, that is, becoming a living corpse.
Even though he knows the emptiness of the things in this world, he cannot but keep having an attachment for this world and love his own life, or rather, hope to keep pursuing the moment he attains to the total freedom in the perfect vacuity at the summit of trouble. Because he is enlightened with such total freedom that he comes to be not satisfied with anything else than it.
From then on, keeping his internal eye on the perfect vacuity, he will continue to wish for objects of his desires under the new vital force and risk his own life for them, even though he knows their illusional nature. But, now that he has attained the enlightment, he will not be chained to them any longer allowing them to disappear like a blast.
Although he is chained to the "MAYA," that is, the "Dream" of the Single Being, he wish to embody the will of the Supreme Subject dancing his life away with light steps. He will have neither a goal to attain nor objects to stick to any longer. The only thing he wishes for is dancing his way with light steps all his life and embodying in this world the "Ideal" world the Single Being conceives as clearly as possible.
Thence the emotive sea extending in his internal abyss will show its transparency with crystal sparkle going down to the depths, though it is impressed with the color of trouble.
On the surface, on the other hand, there coming out the same innocent play of the waves as seen in his childhood, and being held in the deep bosom of the mother sea and given a warm support of it, the waves will continue to repeat dancing with the lightest steps.
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CONTENTS
HOMEPAGE