Sunday, March 27, 2022

"Soul development should take precedence over all things." 



— Edgar Cayce reading 3357-2

Force and Reason by John Duncan

We must see that consciousness is neither an isolated soul nor the mere function of a single nervous system, but of that totality of interrelated stars and galaxies which makes a nervous system possible.

— Alan Watts

Nowadays, everything is mixed, melt into a coarse, hard to swallow gruel and discernment is hard to come by quality. Happy the Few that can live fully the four आश्रम Āśrama and, in the end, deny any and all powers to the self-created and all-permeating ambient illusion — as those who sleep "à la belle étoile" on the ground in the forests, that do not cut their hair or shave, are not particularly welcome.

4 for 3

Incorporation of the division

"Sympathy for the Devil"

4 forces*

4 colours**

4 stages of a human life***

4 directions to depict some attunements (with each of the 4 forces) and their variations: 易

• 聖十有一 ⇔ 君/Noble/आर्या Āryās (some of them being Great Pretenders) aligned with Light
• 生之徒十有三 ⇔ Life worshippers ⇔ ब्राह्मण Brāhmaṇa ⇔ ἡδονή • (hēdonḗ) aligned with Rites
• 死之徒十有三 ⇔ Necrophiles (destroyers) ⇔ क्षत्रिय Kṣatriya ⇔ individualistic behaviour
• 人之生動之死地十有三。⇔ Trapped in the adoration of Vitality (narcissism) ⇔ वैश्य Vaiśya/शूद्र Śūdra ⇔ ready to any trade/compromise (in order to survive) ⇔ Gravitational beings
• 四對基本卦 (four basic couples of double hexagrams: 1-58/2-57/29-51/30-52)

One Giant Consciousness by Martin Bridge

* Actually 3/Trois Mousquetaires & Un Cadet de Gascogne/Out of which the weakest is Gravity

** or वर्ण varṇa term that refers to “colour” or “caste”.—The four castes, with शूद्र the Śūdra as the fourth, are mentioned once in ऋग्वेद the Ṛg-veda, X, 90, 12. The opposition between आर्या Āryās and शूद्र Śūdras occurs in अथर्ववेद the Atharvaveda, XIX, 62, &c., and in most of ब्राह्मण the Brāhmaṇas. In the शातपथ ब्राह्मण Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa we read of the four castes, ब्राह्मण Brāhmaṇa, राजन्य Rājanyau sed as a synonym for क्षत्रिय the Kṣatriya caste in आपस्तम्ब-यज्ञ-परिभाषा-सूत्रस् the Āpastamba-yajña-paribhāṣā-sūtras 2, वैश्य the Vaiśyas that should always be represented by a deep blue (श्यामा śyāma) colour when painting the limbs (अङ्गरचना aṅgaracanā), and शूद्र Śūdra, and we are told that none of them vomits the Soma.

Source: शोधगंगा Shodhganga: सौर पुराण the Saura Purāṇa — a critical study (धर्मा dharmā)

धर्मशास्त्र Varṇa refers to the “four castes” of ancient भारत India, according to सौर पुराण the 10th-century Saurapurāṇa: one of the various उपपुराणस् Upapurāṇas depicting शैव धर्म Śaivism.—In ancient भारत India, the society was divided into four principal castes, namely ब्राह्मण Brāhmaṇa, क्षत्रिय Kṣatriya, वैश्य Vaiśya and शूद्र Śūdra; and धर्मशास्त्र the dharmaśāstras employ the term धर्मशास्त्र varṇa to designate these castes. Though the word धर्मशास्त्र varṇa literally means “colour”, it cannot be held that the four castes mentioned in सूत्र the Sūtra literature were distinguished from each other by the colour of their skin.

The four classes are Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. It is the duty of the Brahmana to give alms, worship the gods through sacrifices and study the Vedas. They should treat all living beings well and not harm anyone. The most important wealth a brahmana can have is the friendship of others. A Kshatriya should donate to Brahmanas, study and perform sacrifices to Vishnu. But his most important duty is to bear arms to protect the earth. The king’s duties are to punish the evil and protect the good. The vaishyas are to do animal husbandry, trade and agriculture. In addition, they should study, donate alms and perform sacrifices. The shudra’s duty is to serve the other classes. If it is impossible to make a living through this, the shudra may make a living through trade or handicrafts.

Common duties of all four classes are kindliness, cleanliness, hard work, truthfulness, friendship and the capacity to bear hardship. If for some reason a brahmana cannot make a living through the methods that have been laid down, he can take up arms and perform the duties of Kshatriya. Or he can take up agriculture, animal husbandry or trade. A Kshatriya can also take up agriculture, animal husbandry or trade. But a brahmana or a Kshatriya should never take up the duties of a shudra. This is permitted only in times of great danger or if there is absolutely no other way out. Everyone should ensure that the duties of the four classes do not get mixed up.

*** The most important way of following विष्णु Vishnu is to follow the law of the four classes (वर्ण varna) and the law of the four stages (आश्रम आश्रम Āśrama) as laid down in शास्त्रों the shastras (sacred texts).

The first of the आश्रम Āśrama is brahmacharya (celibate studenthood). After he has been invested with his sacred thread, a son should be sent to his teacher’s house to learn the Vedas. There he will lead a clean life and pay attention to the rituals. He will serve his guru and study the Vedas. In the morning and the evening, he will pray to the sun and the fire and bow to his teacher after the prayers are over. The disciple (shishya) will sit only after the guru sits, he will walk only after the guru walks. He will never oppose his guru. When the guru asks him to, he will sit down and study the Vedas. Every morning, the shishya will bring water and flowers for his guru. Eventually, the shishya will have learnt the Vedas and attained knowledge. He will then pay the guru the price of the knowledge (Dakshina), take the guru’s permission and prepare to step into the next ashrama, that of garhasthya (householder stage).

This is the time to get married and choose a proper living. Such a person has to serve gods through sacrifices, guests through food, rishis through reading the Vedas, Brahma through having children and the entire world through truthfulness. In many ways, a garhasthya ashrama is superior to the others. The Brahmanas and those who follow brahmacharya may have to through alms. It is the person in garhasthya ashrama who provides them with this. When guests arrive, the householder will offer whatever he can in the nature of food, seats and beds. If a guest goes away dissatisfied, he takes away the householder’s Punya (store of merits) and leaves his sins with the householder. A guest is never to be refused.

After a person has lived a full life as a householder, he may proceed to the forest-dweller stage, vanaprastha. He can take his wife with him or leave her in the care of his son. He will live in the forest on fruits and roots and leaves, he will sleep on the ground and he will not cut his hair or shave his beard. He will worship the gods, tend to guests and give alms to those who need them. His main duty is meditation.

The final आश्रम Āśrama  is that of sannyasa. A person is ready to enter this when he can give up his sons, wife and all material possessions. To him, all living beings will be friends and he will not harm any living being. He will live alone and perform yoga (exercises that unite man with God). He will never stay in a village more than one night at a time and in a city for more than five nights at a time. A sannyasi or hermit will beg for his food. But he will come to a house for alms only after he is sure that everyone in the house has eaten.