David Grossman – USA
At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
At a recent lecture titled “True Sacrifice” a presentation in the ongoing “Aquarian Series” at the United Lodge of Theosophists, San Diego many meaningful ideas were explored. One was that true sacrifice is the process of “restoring ones’ relationship with the Universe consciously.” To put it another way sacrifice is the process of giving up the ever fleeting on behalf of the ever lasting.
The word Sacred is found at the root of Sacrifice and usually refers to something religious or spiritual as in the idea of sacred texts. So true sacrifice from a Theosophical and/or esoteric standpoint is an action that dedicates itself to the higher life or the good of the whole rather than our personal desires, wishes or aims.
An archetypal example of sacrifice is found in The Secret Doctrine (SD) by H.P. Blavatsky which presents the ideas of The Initiator and The Great Sacrifice.
Red poppies, symbol of Sacrifice
She speaks of higher beings, that is, souls who have evolved far beyond our present humanity in this evolutionary cycle, termed the fourth round in theosophical nomenclature. Much earlier in this round these more progressed beings from the (Lemurian) “third race” performed interestingly enough what she calls “The Great Sacrifice.” It involved igniting the spark of individualized self-consciousness, referred to as “the lighting up of Manas” or mind. This marks the point of the “Promethian gift and sacrifice” (See Myth of Prometheus) that allowed for the continued spiritual evolution of man, fully incarnated into material form, which is the most physical point (the middle of the fourth round) in this manvantara or great cycle.
HPB comments in (SD) vol. 1, pg. 207: “It was not a Race, this progeny. It was at first a wondrous Being, called the “Initiator,” and after him a group of semi-divine and semi-human beings. “Set apart” in Archaic genesis for certain purposes, they are those in whom are said to have incarnated the highest Dhyanis, “Munis and Rishis from previous Manvantaras” — to form the nursery for future human adepts, on this earth and during the present cycle. These “Sons of Will and Yoga” born, so to speak, in an immaculate way, remained, it is explained, entirely apart from the rest of mankind.” ……. “The “Being” just referred to, which has to remain nameless, is the Tree from which, in subsequent ages, all the great historically known Sages and Hierophants, such as the Rishi Kapila, Hermes, Enoch, Orpheus, etc., etc., have branched off.”
“He is the “Initiator,” called the “great sacrifice.”(208)……
.“Because, in short, he has sacrificed himself for the sake of mankind, though but a few Elect may profit by the great sacrifice.” (208)
Simply put, this is the transitional evolutionary (major) event that permitted the infusion of self-consciousness to arise in human form and allow for the coming forth of the self directing human Ego to arise on this plane and continue its evolution.
Lotus, symbol of the Sacred
Another expression of true self-sacrifice is the action of what in Buddhist philosophy is referred to as the Nirmanakaya, who is often paired with the idea of the Dharmakaya.
In a footnote from The Voice of the Silence, fragment lll, The Seven Portals, HPB explains:
The Dharmakaya body is that of a complete Buddha, i.e., no body at all, but an ideal breath: Consciousness merged in the Universal Consciousness, or Soul devoid of every attribute. Once a Dharmakaya, an Adept or Buddha leaves behind every possible relation with, or thought for this earth. Thus, to be enabled to help humanity, an Adept who has won the right to Nirvana, “renounces the Dharmakaya body” in mystic parlance; keeps, of the Sambhogakaya, only the great and complete knowledge, and remains in his Nirmanakaya body. The Esoteric School teaches that Gautama Buddha, with several of his Arhats, is such a Nirmanakaya, higher than whom, on account of the great renunciation and sacrifice for mankind, there is none known.
Kwan Yin, also known as Guanyin or Quan Yin, is a widely revered bodhisattva in Buddhist and Chinese traditions, embodying compassion and mercy. The Kuan Yin pledge is a beautiful and inspiring expression of what we might call the sacred vow of the Nirmanakaya:
Never will I seek nor receive private, individual salvation; never will I enter into final peace alone; but forever and everywhere will I live and strive for the redemption of every creature throughout the world from the bonds of conditioned existence.
What we call sacrifice seems to be built into nature itself when we observe how the earth provides for all its inhabitants.
The mineral kingdom along with sun and water provide the necessary elements for plant life which in turn provide the nutrients to sustain life for all the creatures of the earth. The food chain itself seems to be set up as a ladder of sacrifice and interconnectedness.
A shining example of sacrifice among humans as well as other species is a mothers’ selfless commitment to her children and the extraordinary lengths she will go to nourish and protect them in their formative years.
It becomes apparent that true sacrifice demands inner refinement and transformation, external acts being the outward expression of the internal causation. Love and generosity must certainly be essential components of sacrifice.
True sacrifice calls for a kind of alchemical transformation of heart. It involves putting the needs of others above our own; demonstrating love and generosity, even when it requires personal cost and finally recognizing the inherent sacredness in all things and living in a way that honors and reflects that sacredness.
Theosophy teaches that we are essentially spiritual beings evolving through temporary material instruments. From the higher perspective we can say we partake in the oneness of life but while in incarnation we tend to be more fragmented in temporary space and time as we identify with kama-manas or our temporary identities; body, race, occupation, inclinations, experiences and perspective.
When we are lead around by the kama-manasic impulses of our psycho/physical nature we become lost in the forest of separateness, pushed around by the unruly herd of impulses in the unmanaged sensual nature and drained by those vampires of fear, jealousy and pride, as well as the fractured sense of self that yearns for personal recognition from others.
In her article “Civilization, The Death Of Art And Beauty,” HPB saw this polarization of consciousness happening well over 125 years ago. She pointed out the rise from modern globalist tendencies and the slow erasure of the beautiful diversity of expression around the globe in the arts, religion and culture being replaced by a kind of controlled dimensionless homogeneity coming out of the west. Likewise in our own time poet musician Bob Dylan in a song titled It’s “Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” observes:
Bob Dylan
Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Made everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much is really sacred
With the pressures of sustaining physical life on the planet at this time, and the focus on acquiring material things along with our over dependence on technology to solve all our problems, human anxiety and its consequences seems epidemic. The newest expression and buzzword these days is AI(artificial intelligence) causing both interest and fear among people. We might ask what has happened to NI (Natural Intelligence)? Everything in the humanly created world emanates from there. We all should be embracing that.
Words are very telling in this regard. Take the word Love for example, instead of a selfless all-embracing feeling that transcends personal desires and seeks the well-being of others, the word is used to describe personal desires mostly, I love chocolate candy or I love tennis. The Sanskrit word avatar means the incarnation of a sacred spiritual being like a Christ or a Krishna. Its meaning has been replaced in popular culture by the character one chooses to be in a video game. Our culture has in many ways obscured our sense of the sacred by dumbing down the real depths of language and meaning.
To borrow from the title of the book, The Sacred And The Profane, written by Mircea Eliade, when we use our intelligence for separative, often vacuous purposes without concern for the whole, we live in the realm of the profane. When we act on behalf of what Plato called the good, the true and the beautiful, we act in harmony with Great Nature uplifting the environment we inhabit and benefit our fellow beings along the way. It is here we embrace the Sacred.
So the question becomes how do we shift our consciousness to the higher and begin to occupy what has been called “Sacred Space” once again? Another way to put it; how do we act from the higher or spiritual perspective with and towards our fellow beings?
When our directing inner impulse comes from the desire to know the truth and we use the compass of intuition to guide us along with the voice of conscience, and finally when we act for the benefit of others; we find ourselves in the realm of Sacred Space.
Theosophy holds that just as Diety, the Atman, the Source, is in all things, so everything in the manifested universe, in our lives, has a sacred dimension. We all have the power to access the sacred at all times. It is expressed in The Key To Theosophy this way;
Once grasp the idea that universal causation is not merely present, but past, present and future, and every action on our present plane falls naturally and easily into its true place, and is seen in its true relation to ourselves and to others. Every mean and selfish action sends us backward and not forward, while every noble thought and every unselfish deed are stepping stones to the higher and more glorious planes of being.
The Key To Theosophy, Ch. XII, What Is Practical Theosophy?
Putting it succinctly, the modern Theosophical Movement was inaugurated to reawaken us to the fact that life has a purpose, and we are here to carry it out by acting as it is said “for and as the self of all creatures,” to continue to evolve and uplift all life as we are uplifted in turn by those great ones that came before us. We are all part of what has been referred to as the Guru Parampara Chain. We are all climbing the Great Ladder of Being Together on this sacred journey.
Old myths, old gods, old heroes have never died. They are only sleeping at the
Bottom of the mind, waiting for our call. We have need for them. They represent
The wisdom of our race.
Stanley Kunitz, American poet, 1905-2006