Being Truly Human July 1992 Newsletter

From the Editor

The Summer School took place at the Toc H Centre, Cuddesdon House, near Oxford, from 18th to 22nd June. Thirteen people were present for the entire School, and six attended for part of the time. Although many years ago, Summer Schools had been held, usually with Phiroz present, this was the first one organised by the Trust. Nobody knew quite what to expect.

After arriving in time for supper on the Thursday, we met to hear the tape that Phiroz made at the opening of the Summer School in 1974. On Friday morning, we heard another tape, also given at that Summer School, on the three aspects of meditation. Later that morning we were given an introduction to Ikebana by George Piggott, and in the afternoon Sylvia Swain gave an absorbing talk entitled “The Psychological Approach to the Religious Life”, concerning man’s individuation and his movement towards the realisation of holistic consciousness in the New Age.

On Saturday, we heard Phiroz’s talk given at the Summer School, 1974, on the Zodiac, and this was followed by John Moore, who came specially to visit us to speak on “The Religious and the Spiritual: are they different?”, dealing with the nature of group and of individual authority. In the afternoon, a practical session of Ikebana was held, again ably conducted by George.

On Sunday, Ron Kett gave a very carefully prepared and thought-out talk on Kabbalah, and this was followed by a class taken by Cathie Jansen, who made a special visit to us to give a session on her own form of Yoga. In the evening, Jehanne and Robert Mehta, with their friend Will, came to give us a concert of songs composed and sung by Jehanne accompanied by piano, violin, guitar and mandola.

On Monday morning, we saw the video taken by Ron Kett of Phiroz’s valedictory talk at the Buddhist Summer School in 1987. Then, after lunch and farewells, we departed.

The above gives only the bare bones of the activities. It says nothing of the feeling that was engendered between those taking part, of the sense of involvement, and of the atmosphere created by Cuddesdon House over those few days, aided by the friendliness and kindness of the staff and the peace and beauty of the setting. One felt that a step in the life of the Phiroz Mehta Trust had indeed been taken.

An extract from Zarathushtra: The Transcendental Vision by Phiroz Mehta

Continued from part 1 and part 2

In the next chapter, he (Zarathushtra) says:

Since, O Mazda, from the beginning Thou didst fashion for us physical bodies, discerning souls and directive Intelligences through Thy own Mind; since Thou didst infuse life into the body, grant us capacities to act and true doctrines to guide so that one could hold whatever faith one wills.

Therefore each one loudly announces his belief, be he speaking incorrectly or truly, be he enlightened or unenlightened; but Armati, standing ever close, appeals to the heart and head of each one through his spirit, to resolve his doubts.

Ys. 31.11, 12

It rests with each man to make the right choice. Should he do so, Sraosha (from the root sru, to hear), divine obedience, stirs into action within him and guides him. Armaiti’s ministrations are largely responsible for stirring Sraosha into action, for where there is that devotion which naturally and spontaneously moved the heart of love to Transcendence Itself, it becomes easy to listen to the inner voice. Obedience (ob + audire, to hear) basically means “to give ear to”, to hearken. And it is noteworthy how Zarathushtra emphasizes this meaning:

Give ear to the Highest.

Ys. 30.2

Who giveth ear to and realizes asha becomes the soul-healing Lord of Wisdom, O Ahura. To spread true teaching he becomes capable and eloquent of tongue.

Ys. 31.19

Hearken now with your ear. Listen to me all ye who have come from far and near, yearning to know.

Ys. 45.1

The implication associated with such hearing or listening is that the listener will seriously reflect upon what he hears, and translate it into action out of his free choice. This, and not a thoughtless or unwilling conforming out of fear to a forcible imposition, is true obedience.

In this inward spiritual listening, no words in any language are heard. If the attentiveness is intense and the brain is alert and quiet, free of the endless inaudible chatter which is its usual state of turmoil, the mode of awareness undergoes a transformation, giving rise to deep insights rather than spasmodic intuitive flashes. This transformation can affect the psycho-physical organism favourably and subsequently give rise to illuminating concepts clothed in appropriate and telling verbal formulations. The intellectual clear-sightedness of enlightened consciousness often finds powerful, poetic expression. Very significantly, the great scriptures of the world are couched in poetic language, uplifting and inspiring. Truth and Beauty are close companions.

Our usual mode of awareness — as I have propounded earlier — is the mode of finitude, temporality and mortality. Living the religious life as taught by the Holy ones transforms this mode of awareness. Consciousness evolves, becoming increasingly free of separativeness and isolativeness, and culminates in awareness in the mode of unitary Wholeness. Ordinarily, we are conscious in terms of beginning-proceeding-ending — the usual birth-death process of successive events in our lives — and of our mental states, and of our own psycho-physical organism. Whatever begins or is born at some instant ends or dies afterwards. Something else then begins and also ends. Between the end of one and the beginning of another there is a gap and a break in consciousness. These recurrent breaks in our consciousness throughout our lifetime is one meaning of being aware in the mode of mortality. When there is a break in consciousness we cease to attend, and any cessation of attentiveness produces a break in consciousness.

If there is no disjunction in attentiveness, constant wakefulness prevails. Thus, by going beyond awareness in the mode of mortality, the deathless state is present and the immortal is realized in consciousness. If this happens to you, it does not mean that the psycho-physical organism will continue to live for ever. The organism, like all matter (whether gross or subtle, corpuscular or radiant), is bound within the constraints of space-time, the context of finitude and temporality and the inexorability of change, of beginning or birth and ending or death. The passing away into non-being of whatever comes into being is indeed ineluctable: So, the realization of immortality whilst the deathless state prevails through your organism is limited to your experience of timelessness bounded by two points in time, namely, the moments of immergence into and emergence out of that state.

It is, however, not exclusively yours. For, in that state of deathlessness, the context in which your consciousness functions is the context of the Infinite-Eternal, which fully subsumes and wholly interpenetrates the finite, temporal and hence mortal context in which your psycho-physical organism subsists. As a particular individual in that state you are wholly integrated into the one Total Reality. But the existence of your living psycho­physical organism compulsively re-imposes the limitations of finitude and temporality — the body has to feed, eliminate, sleep, etc. — upon that transcendent state and you “come back” to your organic state and discriminative consciousness. If you did not come back, the psycho-physical organism — you, the person known in the world — would die.

Continued in part 4 and part 5

By Laila de Lys

Transmuted human consciousness marks the evolutionary fruition of homo sapiens. Holistic Consciousness is a work of creation, and as such is God’s gift to humanity through the love and dedication of Phiroz Mehta.

Through a comprehensive historical perspective in both scientific rationalism and the metaphysical world, Holistic Consciousness questions and tries to answer the deep problems of man’s relationship with others and with the environment. Phiroz illustrates his tenets of Love, Harmony and Compassion, giving quotations from the world’s religions and philosophies, illustrating different scientific and religious myths. He places the rational and irrational unconscious element of man’s make-up in perspective, and indicates the danger of man’s position in the twenty-first century, advocating a way for humanity to go.

The author tells us that the root of one’s suffering is one’s own isolative and separative self-consciousness, so most of his teaching has been directed towards showing how to live a “normal” life in such a manner as to transform fragmentary self-consciousness into an all-embracing one.

Truth is not an ego-satisfying reality, but reality unconditioned by our sense of duality; it is a way of life not a school of thought, and can only be understood by being lived. Each human must find his own truth, his own beauty, his own virtue.

Man is the only creature on the globe who has the power to look into his thinking process and re-direct actions which may have a harmful result. Good actions, Phiroz says, are a first step towards the betterment of mankind, our uniqueness will then compel us to find our own way.

In reading Holistic Consciousness, the reader gradually goes through a metamorphosis that enables him to reach for a state that is closer to the truth; from the truth to Truth is man’s destiny.

For all who care to know, Phiroz has performed his duty to the will of God, and shown us a way. He tells us that religious living is in every instant of the day, an action that is total — the whole of the secular life lived virtuously. By virtue we are reminded of the spiritual values of Love, Truth, Wisdom, Beauty and Purity, not the moral humbugs of our society. “The being of the holy one constantly radiates these energies. Many an ordinary man can sense this emanation and experience an unusual, sublime peace; a harmonizing and healing influence.” (Holistic Consciousness, page 88). This is only possible when there is genuine love, that state of mind which transcends all duality, accepts no thing, rejects no thing. Otherwise our discriminative thoughts can only be a barrier to the flow of the light of Transcendence. “Man and God, though existentially separate, are essentially one. Transcendence unceasingly affirms ‘I am God’ through every single atom of its expression.” (Holistic Consciousness, page 5).

Phiroz speaks of Love, not only universal love, but also the privileged relationship between two people, the fire that the celestial hand lights in the soul of man, in which light he who loves finds the loved one. The loveliness and the light of spring eternally recur after winter, so does the charm and beauty of love ever come fresh to consciousness in new forms as the year passes.

Through attunement with the whole of existence we shall then become the polished instrument through which Transcendence will sing the song of eternal life; that song will be utter joy, all-embracing. Only then shall we regain the Garden of Eden.

Phiroz’s work shows compassion for his fellow humans. His message is expressed with urgency.

From Touch the Earth: A Self-Portrait of Indian Existence by T. C. McLuhan

In 1805, a young missionary was sent into the country of the Iroquois by the Evangelical Missionary Society of Massachusetts to “spread the word”. A council was held at Buffalo, New York, and Sa-go-ye-wat-ha, or Red Jacket, Seneca chief, made the following reply:

… Brother, you say that you are sent to instruct us how to worship the great Spirit agreeable to his mind; and if we do not take hold of the religion which you white people teach, we shall be unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right, and we are lost. How do we know this to be true? We understand that your religion is written in a book. If it was intended for us as well as you, why has not the Great Spirit given it to us — and not only to us, but to our forefathers — the knowledge of that book, with the means of understanding it rightly? We only know what you tell us about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people?

Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the book?

Brother, we do not understand these things. We are told that your religion was given to your forefathers, and has been handed down from father to son. We also, have a religion which was given to our forefathers, and has been handed down to us, their children. We worship in that way. It teaches us to be thankful for all favours we receive; to love each other, and be united. We never quarrel about religion, because it is a matter which concerns each man and the Great Spirit.

Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion or to take it from you; we only want to enjoy our own.

Brother, we have been told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbours; we are acquainted with them. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will consider again of what you have said.

Brother, you have now heard our talk, and this is all we have to say at present. As we are going to part, we will come and take you by the hand, and hope the Great Spirit will protect you on your journey, and return you safely to your friends.

By Jacob Trapp

Worship

To worship is to stand in awe under a heaven of stars,
Before a flower, a leaf in sunlight, or a grain of sand.

Response

To worship is to be silent, receptive, before a tree astir in the wind, or the passing shadow of a cloud.

To worship is to work with dedication and with skill;
It is to pause from work and listen to a strain of music.

Response

To worship is to sing with the singing beauty of the Earth;
It is to listen through a storm to the still small voice within.

Worship is loneliness seeking communion:
It is a thirsty land crying out for rain.

Response

Worship is a kindred fire within our hearts;
It moves through deeds of kindness and through acts of love.

Worship is the mystery within us,
Reaching out to the mystery beyond.

Response

It is an inarticulate silence yearning to speak;
It is the window of the moment open to the sky of the eternal.

By Alan Thurley

Bridge Across Forever, by Richard Bach (Pan)

This is the story of one man’s journey from living the life of a wanderer in search of the beautiful, to the self-indulgent life of the playboy. It tells of the underlying discontent with himself, and the loss of belief in his dreams, of his rescue by a Fairy Princess, for whose sake he fights the self created dragons and impregnable defences of his playboy lifestyle. It is a story of flying, of selfishness, and of government incompetence, but above all it is about the re-discovery of a real man with some remarkable abilities, and of the gift of love. Since it is autobiographical, it is also in part the story of the Fairy Princess to whom ultimately we must owe this book.

Recommended light reading with subtle philosophical undercurrents.

One, by Richard Bach (Pan)

The old man sighed his relief. “What a blessed evening!” he said. “How rarely are we given the chance to save the world from a new religion!”

This book invites the reader to let go all preconceived ideas (“Beliefs are ferocious traps”, p. 51). It is a story of exploration in a new world of infinite possibility, where movement is by making choices. The book is a vehicle for new ideas and important insights, and of course it is about unity. It is also about changing the future; (“One way to pick a future is to believe it’s inevitable”), and about modes of awareness. Some of the ideas are difficult to swallow; (“Hatred is Love without the facts”), whereas some are not; (“Time is your name for the motion of consciousness”).

I found the book interesting and thought-provoking, with perhaps one chapter too many, but well worth reading nevertheless.

Reading books written by this author will change your mode of awareness, possibly permanently (I was driven to write the “Creation Myth” after reading his “Illusions”). His writing style is unusually simple and straightforward. Although hardly any isolated section is either remarkable or contentious in itself, each book in its wholeness bears witness to the depth of insight available to this author.

By Joan Dashwood

The wasp
Mistook the platform of the water lily
For dry ground.
His wings, so weighted with unaccustomed moisture
He floundered helplessly,
His aggression lost in the struggle for survival.
I put a finger under the wriggling little body —
Flick
And he was lying kicking on the grass.
Slowly he moved his water-heavy wings as if in amazement,
Then, five minutes preening
And he was off in a buzzing flight, not staying to say “thank you”.
I smiled,
Surely the gratitude was in the flight?