There are three fundamental conceptions upon which the Secret Doctrine (Theosophy) rests. They stand—as all truth stands—upon their inherent reasonableness. They are, in fact, contained—though too often under a misleading guise—in every system of thought or philosophy worthy of the name. Once that the reader has gained a clear comprehension of them and realized the light which they throw on every problem of life, they will need no further justification in his eyes, because their truth will be to him as evident as the sun in heaven.
The first Fundamental Proposition is as follows:
An Omnipresent, Eternal, Boundless PRINCIPLE on which all speculation is impossible, since it transcends the power of human conception and could only be dwarfed by any human expression or similitude. It is beyond the range and reach of thought—in the words of Mandukya—“unthinkable and unspeakable.”
This first principle covers all that every race, people and religion have attempted to define as Deity. All peoples have had, and have, their own conceptions of Deity, and these conceptions have varied in accordance with the nature of their intelligence. What is true of the past, is also true of the present; Christianity has its own peculiar conception; other religions theirs. The fact to be observed is that all these are but conceptions, finite mental idols, to whom attributes are accredited, and that none can be a Reality.
To render the idea clearer to the reader, let us consider Space. Space is the one thing which always is; all things and beings exist in space; space cannot be conceived as having a beginning or ending, for no matter how far we extend our conception of it, there is boundless space beyond. No human mind can exclude space from any conception, or conceive of it by itself. The Infinite and Eternal Cause, the rootless root of all that was, is, or ever shall be, is not less than Space. How far above those whom we term “heathen” are we who construct mental idols rather than those of wood, stone or metal? All that a man can know of the Supreme is what he knows in himself, through himself, by himself; in the East the realization of this is called “The Awakening of the Self,” the Self of creatures. Jesus did not teach an outside God, but the “Father within.” The Bhagavad Gita says, “As a single sun illuminateth the whole world, even so doth the One Spirit illumine every body.” In every being IT is the power to perceive, however small or great the perceptions may be which constitute the being.
The second Fundamental Proposition is as follows:
“The Eternity of the Universe in toto as a boundless plane; periodically ‘the playground of numberless Universes incessantly manifesting and disappearing’ called the ‘manifesting stars,’ and ‘the sparks of Eternity.’
“This second assertion of the Secret Doctrine is the absolute universality of that law of periodicity, of flux and reflux, ebb and flow, which physical science has recorded in all departments of nature. An alternation such as that of Day and Night, Life and Death, Sleeping and Waking, is a fact so common, so perfectly universal and without exception, that it is easy to comprehend that in it we see one of the absolutely fundamental laws of the universe.”
The above statement seems so clear that any further words of application would appear to be unnecessary, yet, as some may be given direction by them, and as certain applications have been found of assistance to others, these will be given:
Speaking of the “Eternity of the Universe as a boundless plane,” refers to what we call “space” in regard to which we know that “it” cannot be conceived of as having beginning or end. “It” always is, whether there are universes, worlds, men, things, or none. In this boundlessness is found prevailing one great law of Periodicity. Just as there are Day and Night, Waking and Sleeping, Summer and Winter, continually alternating, succeeding each other, so there are worlds and solar systems doing likewise, each a continuation of that which preceded it. It is under this Law of Periodicity that all growth goes on; it is the process of evolution. Applying it still further we may see that as Morning, Noon and Night are succeeded by Morning again; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, succeeded by Spring again, so under the same self-evident law, Birth, Youth, Manhood, Death, are succeeded by Birth again. If there were no other evidence available, this law of universal operation points directly to Reincarnation as the process of human development. Applying the same law in a wider sense, we may see first that boundless space contains numberless universes; that as beings differ in degree of attainment, so universes, or solar systems, differ. Further, that each existing solar system is a continuation of others that preceded it, just as our days, or lives, are continuations. The more we apply this law, the more do we see its absolutely universal application, and the more do we gain an insight into the meaning of life. Under this process all growth is governed by the law of laws called Karma; action and its consequent reaction; or as ethically stated, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” A concise statement of Karma is that it is an unerring and undeviating tendency in the universe to restore equilibrium, and it operates incessantly; rigid justice rules the world. It is a Universe of Law, not chance, or the caprice of any being whatever.
The Third Fundamental Proposition is as follows:
“The fundamental identity of all Souls with the Universal Oversoul, the latter being itself an aspect of the Unknown Root; and the obligatory pilgrimage for every Soul—a spark of the former—through the Cycle of Incarnation (or ‘Necessity’) in accordance with Cyclic and Karmic law, during the whole term. In other words, no purely spiritual Buddhi (divine Soul) can have an independent (conscious) existence before the spark which issued from the pure Essence of the Universal Sixth principle—or the Over-Soul—has (a) passed through every elemental form of the phenomenal world of that Manvantara, and (b) acquired individuality, first by natural impulse, and then by self-induced and self-devised efforts (checked by its Karma), thus ascending through all the degrees of intelligence, from the lowest to the highest Manas, from mineral and plant, up to the holiest archangel (Dhyani-Buddha). The pivotal doctrine of the Esoteric philosophy admits no privileges or special gifts in man save those won by his own Ego through personal effort and merit throughout a long series of metempsychoses and reincarnations.”
The statement is so plain and clear that no comment should be necessary; it amounts to this: that every form in every kingdom of nature is an expression of a degree of consciousness, and that points to the fact that form changes in accordance with the demands of the consciousness, but under the law of action and reaction. The higher degrees of consciousness work in, through and upon the lower, thus impelling them in the direction of the higher; the chain is complete from lowest to highest being, the whole purpose of the Universe being the evolution of Soul.