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337 Pages·2008·2.35 MB·English

by  John Powers

T D
HE AWNING
W
OF ISDOM
E W P
SSAYS ON ALKING THE ATH
by
Raghavan Iyer
Compiled by
The Editorial Board of Theosophy Trust
Theosophy Trust Books
Washington, D.C.
The Dawning of Wisdom
Essays on Walking the Path
Copyright © March 10, 2007 by Theosophy Trust
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or
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ISBN 978-0-9793205-0-7
ISBN 0-9793205-0-X
Library of Congress Control Number 2007901071
Printed in the United States of America
Dedicated To
Spiritual Aspirants
All Over The Earth
That The Dawn Of Wisdom
May Arrive Swift ly
KRISHNA:
A man is said to be confi rmed in spiritual knowledge
when he forsaketh every desire which entereth into his
heart, and of himself is happy and content in the Self
through the Self. His mind is undisturbed in adversity; he
is happy and contented in prosperity, and he is a stranger
to anxiety, fear, and anger. Such a man is called a Muni.
When in every condition he receives each event, whether
favorable or unfavorable, with an equal mind which
neither likes nor dislikes, his wisdom is established, and,
having met good or evil, neither rejoiceth at the one nor
is cast down by the other. He is confi rmed in spiritual
knowledge, when, like the tortoise, he can draw in all his
senses and restrain them from their wonted purposes.
The hungry man loseth sight of every other object but
the gratifi cation of his appetite, and when he is become
acquainted with the Supreme, he loseth all taste for objects
of whatever kind. The tumultuous senses and organs
hurry away by force the heart even of the wise man who
striveth aft er perfection. Let a man, restraining all these,
remain in devotion at rest in me, his true self; for he who
hath his senses and organs in control possesses spiritual
knowledge.
The Bhagavad-Gita, Ch. II
CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
EDITOR'S NOTE ON SANSKRIT TERMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xv
THE DAWNING OF WISDOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
THE PHILOSOPHY OF PERFECTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
ANAMNESIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
SPIRITUAL ATTENTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
MENTAL POSTURE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
THE JOY OF DEVOTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
THOUGHTFULNESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
THE HERO IN MAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
EVOLUTION AND KARMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
KARMA AND DESTINY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
INDIVIDUATION AND INITIATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
SELF-TRANSFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
ix
x The Dawning of Wisdom
EVOLUTION AND CONSCIOUSNESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
THE COMMUNITY OF THE FUTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
UNIVERSALITY AND SECTARIANISM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
PURITY AND POLLUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
THE HEALING OF SOULS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
THE GANDHIAN BRIDGE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH. . . 245
BUDDHI YOGA AND SVADHARMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
BUDDHA AND THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
CHOOSING THE TAO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
THE ZERO PRINCIPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
DRAWING THE LARGER CIRCLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302
THEOSOPHICAL GLOSSARY IN BRIEF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
INTRODUCTION
The spiritually penetrating essays in this volume were writt en for the
expressed purpose of shedding the pristine light of universal Theosophy
on the path of spiritual self-regeneration in the service of humanity.
The Theosophical philosophy is predicated on the ageless truth that
divine wisdom exists, and, most signifi cantly, that wise beings exist
who dynamically embody it in world history; that sages and seers still
grace the globe and that they continually oversee the spiritual, mental
and physical evolution of man and nature. The secret Society of Sages
that guides human progress periodically sends forth one of their own
to sound afresh the Divine Philosophy and exemplify the spiritual life
in all its richness and mystery. Such an enlightened spiritual teacher
articulates eternal but forgott en truths in ingenious ways, adopting
modalities that inspire the mind, release soul perception, and cut
through the froth of history and the miasma of an age. The wisdom-
teachings of such a being are essentially "correctives in consciousness"
aimed at redirecting our att ention from the all-consuming mundane
to the hidden, unconscious divinity that exists within but which is
temporarily obscured by collective ignorance and chronic perversity.
To those individuals who seek a deeper understanding of the problems
and prospects of contemporary man, these sublime essays can become
therapeutic remedies for the innumerable spiritual, moral, and
psychological ills of our time.
These writings – radiant with a cool 'spiritual fi re' – were originally
talks given by Shri Raghavan Iyer at the United Lodge of Theosophists
in Santa Barbara, California between 1969 and 1989. They are pellucid,
mantramic expressions of Theosophia or divine wisdom – referred to
frequently in the journal HERMES as Brahma Vach. They sparkle with
deep logoic brilliance and reveal a consciousness att uned to the "great
heart and mind of all mankind". These talks were not given simply
for the benefi t of a particular group or Lodge – however noble – nor
xi
xii The Dawning of Wisdom
were they presented for present humanity alone, but were sacrifi cially
invoked for the humanities yet to come. Like any Promethean
forerunner who deliberately enters into the unfolding historical drama,
Shri Raghavan Iyer did more than awaken suff ering humanity to the
forgott en curatives of the soul and mind. He did more than anticipate
the humanity of the future: through the magical power of spiritual
sound, he helped to create it.
The wide-ranging articles in this volume span the spectrum of
human thought from the metaphysical to the mystical, the ethical
to the psychological, the spiritual to the material. They reveal the
fundamental basis of religion, philosophy and science. The periodic
study of these essays turns us back upon ourselves – in the highest
sense – and releases that laser-like insight that allows us to increasingly
discern the true, the good, and the beautiful in all known religious
teachings, in all available philosophical musings, and in all ancient
and modern scientifi c discoveries. When carefully meditated upon and
skillfully applied to the realm of self-chosen duties, they purify the
mind, cleanse the heart, and uplift the human condition.
Shri Raghavan Iyer, the transmitt er of these marvelous and
mysterious teachings, was himself a man of immense magnanimity
and unparalleled spiritual genius. Born in Madras, India in 1930,
he matriculated at the University of Bombay at the precocious age
of fourteen and received his bachelor's degree in economics at age
eighteen. Two years later he was selected as the Rhodes Scholar from
India. While studying at Oxford University, he actively participated in
a variety of august and intellectually engaging societies: the Oxford
University Peace Association, the Voltaire Society, the Socratic Society,
and the Buddhist Society. He was also the founder of the Plotinus
Society and was elected President of the Oxford Union in his fi nal
undergraduate year. At age twenty-four he earned fi rst-class honors in
Philosophy, Politics and Economics and later was awarded his doctorate
in Philosophy.
He was an outstanding teacher of philosophy and politics throughout
his public life. He assumed the mantle of teaching at the age of eighteen
when he was appointed Fellow and Lecturer at Elphinstone College,
Introduction xiii
University of Bombay. Aft er completing his bachelor degree at Oxford,
he was selected at age twenty-six to be an Oxford don (or tutor) in
philosophy and politics. In addition to his tutorials at Oxford, he
lectured throughout Europe and also in Africa. His profound insights,
sparkling intellectual clarity, mastery of diff erent conceptual languages,
and his infectious enthusiasm inspired thousands of students and
earned the deep respect of eminent thinkers and professors as diverse
as Isaiah Berlin, James Joll, and Houston Smith. Aft er accepting a
professorship at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1965, he
taught classes and seminars in political philosophy until his retirement
at the age of fi ft y-six. His introductory classes and graduate seminars
were legendary for their philosophical depth, theoretical openness, and
visionary richness. They were full of wit as well as wisdom, and they
unfailingly inspired students with an abiding confi dence in themselves
as learners and as viable contributors to the emerging City of Man. His
formal lectures as well as innumerable informal gatherings aff ected
generations of students who later inhabited diverse fi elds of work,
worship, and humanitarian service.
In addition to his vast and varied gift s as a teacher, Shri Raghavan
Iyer was an eminent international author. His most prominent writings
were The Moral and Political Thought of Mahatma Gandhi and Parapolitics –
Toward the City of Man. Writt en in lucid and impeccable English, each of
these remarkable works is accessible to both the profound thinker and
the beginning inquirer, the erudite scholar and the dedicated student,
the earnest seeker and the committ ed practitioner. He also edited an
extraordinary collection of inspirational readings entitled The Jewel in the
Lotus, aptly characterized by Professor K. Swaminathan as "a universal
bible". In addition, he edited and wrote the introductions for numerous
sacred texts, including Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Jewish, Christian, and
Sufi teachings.
Shri Raghavan Iyer became a Theosophist at age ten when his father
fi rst took him to the United Lodge of Theosophists in Bombay. There he
encountered the profound writings of H.P. Blavatsky – the founder and
teacher of the modern Theosophical Movement. Soon aft er entering
the orbit of the Theosophical Movement, he made a sacred resolve to