Musings on Immortality (Part 2)

R.M Buck in his book “Cosmic Consciousness,” describes a typical transcendental experience:

Like a flash there is presented to his consciousness a clear conception, a vision in outline of the meaning and drift of the universe. He does not come to believe merely, but sees and knows that the cosmos, which to the self-conscious mind seems made up of dead matter, is in fact far otherwise, is in very truth a living presence. He sees that instead of men being, as it were, patches of life scattered throughout an infinite sea of non-living substance, they are in reality specks of relative death in an infinite ocean of life. He sees that the life which is in man is as immortal as God is, that the universe is so built and ordered that without any peradventure all things work together for the good of each other and all and that the foundation principle of the world is what we call ‘Love’ and that the happiness of every individual is, in the long run, absolutely certain. Especially does he obtain such a conception of the whole, or at least of an immense whole as dwarfs all conception, imagination or speculation, springing from and belonging to ordinary self-consciousness, such a conception as makes the old attempts to grasp the universe and its meaning petty and ridiculous.

This note of joy is a real sign of the new age. It seems to run through so many of the contemporary groups that characterize our era. Despite often difficult and adverse contingencies, the soul can nevertheless be flooded with joy and confidence through the vision of its eternal nature and the certainty that it is on the path to the worlds of light and oneness. Thus the whole of life becomes sacred. And once the same divinity is seen to be working within all diversity, all aspects of daily life begin to take on something of a ritual character. Meditation becomes a necessity at some time during the day, for during this period the stilled consciousness is lifted to approach the higher worlds. It is a ritual of inner listening which leads to a blending with the Creative Intelligence.

The spiritual world view, once experienced, cannot but permeate all our thoughts and actions. Attitudes then begin to change. Many people, for instance, both young and old, find they must change diet. It becomes essential to eat whole foods, organically grown. Many feel compelled to become vegetarian. Not only does flesh become distasteful, but it appears unthinkable to take animal life for the purpose of eating. Instead, one learns to live on the life forces within plant and fruit and grain. And the eating of fresh and uncooked food becomes both a delight and a necessity. Moreover, the need to give thanks to the beings which have produced such food becomes appropriate – a natural and sincere thing to do. The meal, then, like all else, becomes a new ritual. Partaking of the new pattern entails simplification. We must get closer to the heart of life, and too many things or too complex an existence are barriers to our exploration.

There are other dimensions to the spiritual world view as well. Even if one is in no sense a clairvoyant, one awakens to the certainty of invisible planes of consciousness interweaving with our material world – regions peopled by those we love, who have moved on through the gate of physical death. One learns that they have telepathic contact with us and – since they are beyond space and time – can respond instantly to a call sent up to them with love and thanks. This offers further possibilities of inner communion – with both our minds and our hearts.

As we have stated, the inner being in each of us is immortal. It cannot be touched by the ‘death’ which will break down the discarded sheath of the body. The recognition of the spiritual entity in man has immense implications. We are a creature of body, soul and spirit – and the spiritual being within us, the true “I,” is imperishable. It always was and always will be.

In the first centuries of the Christian epoch this was accepted, as it had been in the ancient mysteries. But in 869 A.D., the 8th Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, under Pope Nicholas I, decreed that it would in future be heresy to speak of an immortal spiritual entity. Man was to be regarded as a duality, a creature of body and soul, and all spiritual qualities were categorised as mere adjuncts of the latter. Spirit, in short, was denied its divinity, was thrown back, so to speak, into the mundane world of limited reason and the senses. Thus, sundered from its source, it assumed the forms by which we recognise it today – self-consciousness, intellectual pride and arrogance.