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The meaning of the “androgynous" has been discussed and defined in various ways since ancient times.
In this study, I try to generalize those various concepts from one central point of view, systematize them, and reveal the structure of their development following the evolution of life itself.
In the latter half of this study, I try to point out the path that is being taken by possible sacred natures who are struggling to go far beyond supremacy by embodying their "androgynous" nature.
1. The Scene at the Beginning.
First, the stage of inorganic substances (minerals).
We cannot find what we call “sex" here. But, in the nature of"MAYA" (the marvelous power which animates the universe), we can find "yin-yang" (陰･ 陽) operating as the principles of each sex.
The movement is as follows:
First of all,"yin" and“yang" are separate while being opposites.
Next, both unite and have the state of total fusion as the embodimentof the "androgynous." Before long the state returns to that of separation and opposition again, and is continued repeatedly forever.
The concept of this "yin-yang" stems from the following fact:
On the sea of life, there are so many various waves evidenced by various whirlpools of souls, which are being breathed out from the Brahman. The state of waves can be distinguished as either "yin" and "yang."
In this case, seeing the same wave from different aspects, we come to establish "yin" contrary to "yang," or "yang" contrary to "yin." But, we must confirm that both are phenomena brought about by seeing the same wave from different aspects. So now we can explain the reason why the extinction of one results in the extinction of the other.
As long as they are supported by the whole whirlpool of the universal life, they cannot help moving toward a state of total fusion.
To be brief, as waves arise on the whirlpools of souls (ie, separate forms of life itself), and are extinguished in them, the "yin-yang" also begins to separate, operating on one another. At the climax of the separation, they collapse into the state of total fusion, and end their separation for a while.
It should be noted that we cannot treat this universe as something unitary in the nature of life since it has the nature of "yin-yang." Thus even a mere "weak power" can evolve into a huge power by attracting the nature of others.
The huge power that is brought about from the two poles (extremes of the "yin-yang") produces such souls as live in the next stage.
Secondly, the stage of plant life.
The desire for survival evolves within organic matter. Thus the "yin-yang" arise, desiring water and nourishment. As they take them in, the "yin-yang" is extinguished and it becomes the state of fusion arrivedat by complete nourishment.
As for sexual desire, at first a cell remaining asexual splits and propagates simply. But, even in that case, the separation of the "yin-yang" arises in the cell during the propagating season. After the development of life, the formation of sexes will follow the separation.
When plants develop to higher levels, though the seeds germinate and remain asexual, their sex is formed and the new seeds are reproduced by the union of both sexes as they begin to propagate.
However, even though both sexes come to be formed only in the propagating season, this is not the only way to reproduce, for the propagative power is also very strong. Therefore we may say that the sexual desire (ie, the desire for unity of both sexes) is not as high as that of animals.
The reason why the sexes evolve and come to unite during a generation may be considered as follows:
The higher that life develops, the more power it needs to reproduce itself. So, as it develops from the stage of asexual fission and propagation, it comes to give rise to the two sexes creating a great power between them for reproducing.
The power was called "Eros" by the ancient Greeks, which is intensified when life develops to higher levels as in advanced animals.
Thirdly, the stage of animals.
Let's examine especially the sexual desire here.
We can observe various levels at this stage from a cell splitting and propagating asexually to higher ones having sex only in reproductive seasons as discussed above. Moreover, we can find advanced forms which have developed so highly that it can be sexually active all its life, as is represented by the differences in shape according to its own sex.
This means that the soul has been separated from its other half and they have to run after each other all their life. (In this case, "all their life" will be limited to the period of time during which the sexual desire lasts.)
As Plato spoke metaphorically, this state of the separation can be described as follows:
Before being cast into this world, they were one. But in this world, being separated from the other half, each tries to find the other and unite with it.
At this level, since the halves must remain in a state of separation, each longs for unity with the other half all the more in order to be a perfect being.
In these circumstances, at the point of fusion, great energy must be used, and some fail to survive after the critical moment. As for the survivors, they are destined to split into two in the next moment following the state of fusion.
At higher levels of animals, as above, greater energy is needed to reproduce themselves, and the separation of both sexes comes to be all the more inevitable.
Lastly, the stage of human beings. When the faculty of reflection is given and productivity has become higher, the material desire may come to exist in addition to the survival desire. With this desire, we begin to seek objects feeling an intense separation between "yin" and "yang."
On obtaining the object, we are satisfied by fusion of the "yin" and "yang." But immediately after the fusion, it begins to separate again urging us to seek more objects.
As to sexual desire, it comes forth very strongly because of the complete separation between both sexes.
While babies have only the survival desire, boys and girls develop to relatively high intellectual levels without this separation. For that reason, we can see the sign of the "androgynous" in their innocent form. But it will soon disappear as they grow up, because they begin to seek after the other sex as they become man and woman.
Concerning the female sex, first, they take a great interest in love and attracting the opposite sex, and also in things associated with them.
Next, while male sex means to fly away after sowing seeds, the female sex comes to take a great interest in bearing and supporting its own babies. Therefore, even though the sex has a passive nature, it can be said to take root deeply in the ground of life. But as long as their intellect has to serve the survival desire, they tend to cling to present trifles and stick to present profits.
Their intuitive ability is so sharp because of their desire that they can penetrate the objects in front of them, though, having narrow mental vision, they cannot forecast the things of the more distant future.
For the reasons mentioned above, the female sex is not suitable for philosophy and thought. It will find its own creative expressions in the fields of intuition, such as music and painting. But even in those fields, their intellect cannot get inspiration easily because of their desires.
When the material desire comes forth strongly, the female sex begins to pursue various objects (e.g., material possession, money, power, fame, authority, comfort, etc.) by means of her husband and her children. In this case, rarely having the tendency to dominate directly in this male-dominated society, women seek power through the success of their husband or children.
In the last place, the female sex cannot understand solitude, always trying to have some kind of relations with others. In these relations such as "friend," "lover," "wife," and "mother," she comes to have relations based on both obedience and domination.
Let us now look at the male sex.
The sex is not given the role of supporting his own children but just supplying the other sex with sperm. But when the existence of his descendant or family is threatened with extinction, he may come to have no choice but to collaborate with the other sex in taking care of his children.
Judging from the nature of the sex, he doesn't take root so deeply as the female sex does, which accounts for the superiority of the malesex in reasoning, though it tempts him to rationalize wrongly about what he feels in the intuitive world. On the contrary, since the female sex has less reasoning ability, she can penetrate objects all the better with intuitive ability.
As mentioned above, while the female sex always serves lower desires, the male sex can create various thoughts and philosophies by means of reason. And likewise, he comes to develop inspiration, and being released from lower desires, he can create fine art by following such inspiration.
Considering the nature of the sex, he always tries to dominate and possess objects directly and actively. As we noticed before, the "yin-yang" springs from all the desires which souls happen to have. But at this stage of human beings, souls come to have the intellectual desire, which can be satisfied only when the "yin-yang" cease arising and the intellect can fly up as far as possible, not having interference from the lower desires.
In this case, we find the sea of emotion showing a state of total fusion and purification not disturbed by the waves of "yin-yang," that is, the sign of the "androgynous."
Those artists or philosophers who have inspiration are sure to have the sign without the state of separation. But even so, the state of total fusion is transient, and the waves of emotion soon arise putting souls into the state of intensive separation.
For the reasons mentioned above, we can say the following:
The fusion of the wave "yin" and "yang" in the stages of both material and survival desires is transient, leading to states of separation with feelings of hunger and thirst. The union of both sexes in the stage ofsexual desire is also transient, leading to the state of separation with a feeling of dissatisfaction. And the state of total fusion in the stage of intellectual desire is also transient, leading to a state of separation again with the feeling of disturbance.
Therefore, souls must continue to have feelings such as thirst, and constantly try to satisfy their feeling for good.
In this struggle for eternity, the more violent the separation, the stronger becomes the power produced from it, resulting in the stronger desire to fuse into one. In due time it leads to the state of climax in the separation, then to that of total fusion after the two extremes collapse into the whirlpool of life with its roaring waves.
But, in that case, when the intellect is led to the supreme height, it might be able to enter the perfect vacuity. That is, being washed away and led as high as the supreme height by floating on the raging sea of life, as is the result from the separation between "yin" and“yang," the intellect, when all its desires are broken by chance, enters into eternity with great joy.
At that moment, escaping from not only the state of separations but also life itself which controls all souls, he becomes the perfect "androgynous". Out in the perfect vacuity, he finds eternal sex, and fuses into it.
From then on, however hard the separation he experiences might be, he will always represent the sign of the "androgynous." He can find eternal sex inside himself all his life.
2. Beyond the Supreme
Separated thoroughly and cast into this world, the soul is completely solitary in his state of separation. For that reason, he is eager for the state of fusion. The more solitary the soul, the more inevitable becomes the desire for fusion. The higher the separation, the deeper the fusion, and he feels the sense of liberty more strongly.
Therefore, he cannot endure partial liberty as he becomes more and more solitary. Yearning for eternity, he continues to take the steps to go beyond the supreme. Although the path proves to be that of solitude entailing agony, the great joy obtained in the process becomes the highest.
He is never misled by mere trifling emotions any longer. Sentimental and lukewarm relations are thoroughly denied. The sky characterized by its frozen inorganic matter and the spurting blood becomes the image of the solitude and fusion.
The complaint about others' ignorance of his own world just proves his need to rely upon others. But, however hard he may look for help, so long as he clings to relationships, he is sure to be disappointed. The necessary thing is just to confront oneself, to face the opening wound, and to die in one's solitude.
Since then, he comes to never rely on anybody for anything, trying to attain that state of fusion that burns him up into ashes.
When he is about to attain the state far beyond the supreme, he feels all the relations around him too annoying, and denies them completely. That is, he denies all the contentment with his family, all security for his life, all the half-hearted time, etc. But, at the last stage, getting extraordinary power from the separation, he will come to deny himself, the subject itself, as well as all the objects around him.
The man who has attained the perfect emptiness by extinguishing all the life inside him at the climax of his agony can for the first time find the eternal (transcending) sex there, fusing into one as the "androgynous." Just like a white lotus flower sprouting from a muddy marsh and flowering on the surface of the water, just like the Himalaya mountains rising high over the chaotic world, he has attained the perfect vacuity (NIRVANAM) as Brahman.
From then on, new relationships will come into existance, those only the transcendent sex can obtain, in which they become comrades without a relation of domination and obedience. With the annoying wind blowing, their eyes are invariably staring at one point.
Though the souls have been perverted by relationships, and the relationships also have been perverted by money, power, authority,fame, etc.., they are now free from material desire and relationships, trying to construct an ideal community in this world by attaining their own alloted stars.
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