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The Three Planes of Human Life

William Quan Judge

I speak of ordinary men. The Adept, the Master, the Yogi, the Mahatma, the Buddha, each lives in more than three states while incarnated upon this world, and they are fully conscious of them all, while the ordinary man is only conscious of the first—the waking-life, as the word conscious is now understood.
Every theosophist who is in earnest ought to know the importance of these three states, and especially how essential it is that one should not lose in Swapna the memory of experiences in Sushupti, nor in Jagrata those of Swapna, and vice versa.
Jagrata, our waking state, is the one in which we must be regenerated; where we must come to a full consciousness of the Self within, for in no other is salvation possible.
When a man dies he goes either to the Supreme Condition from which no return against his will is possible, or to the other states—heaven, hell, avitchi, devachan, what not—from which return to incarnation is inevitable. But he cannot go to the Supreme State unless he has perfected and regenerated himself; unless the wonderful and shining heights on which the Masters stand have been reached while he is in a body. This consummation, so devoutly desired, cannot be secured unless at some period in his evolution the being takes the steps that lead to the final attainment. These steps can and must be taken. In the very first is contained the possibility of the last, for causes once put in motion eternally produce their natural results.

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Jewels of Wisdom

Story

Cross Currents

Wisdom Teachings of the Hopi Sunrise Magazine Eloise Hart

Much of the wisdom of the American Indians is written in symbols — a language without letters or sounds that speaks to that part of our natures which remembers. Unfortunately few of us are able to get in touch with these ideas that may have meant everything to us in past lives. It may help if we reflect upon the possible meaning of the prehistoric pictographs left throughout the Americas, many of which are in the form of circles, planes, crosses, swastikas, and symbolically shaped animals, humans, and gods. Read more….

Divine Wisdom is…

Philosophy of Perfectibility

One of the most profound theosophical ideas to be communicated in the Ancient Greek tradition is the notion that Man is the “Microcosm of the Macrocosm”. The universe mirrors itself in its parts. In mathematics this is known as fractals, the representation of the whole in the parts. Nowhere is this more dramatic than in the human constitution. Theosophia postulates that the Cosmos, Nature and Man are all sevenfold, each reflecting the other. This grand notion leads to the inspiring hypothesis that man has infinite potential. Human beings, rather than being misguided sinners, or advanced animals, are actually self-conscious minds and hearts with the ability to guide and determine their own evolution towards enlightenment. The very word “man” itself comes from the ancient Sanskrit word “Manas” or Mind or Thinker. Through the power of mind and heart the Wisdom Tradition proposes the capacity for infinite perfectibility. Individuals who have advanced their awareness of Nature’s inner workings were honored by names like Adepts, Mahatmas, Hierophants, Shamans and Great Teachers depending upon the culture they were from.