A member and proponent of the Theosophical Society, Viloo H. Adajania shares an abridged and simplified version of ‘Man, Know Thyself!’ by Dr. Douglas Baker, who brings ancient wisdom to present times…
Life is a flow of becoming, and so the journey is the process of becoming.
On this journey there is no goal, for the journey is the goal.
Man cannot live by bread alone. He always feels there’s something missing because intrinsically, from childhood, he is full of love, hopes, enthusiasm and aspirations. Until these are fulfilled, he feels a void within. So, he asks himself, ‘Is that all there is and is that all there’s ever going to be?’ Man’s soul is never satisfied in the long run with the so-called entertainment, attractions, distractions and glamour of life. It craves something better, nobler, fulfilling… something which nourishes and enriches his soul and promotes its growth. When that time comes, the individual is ready to begin the fruitful ‘journey’ ahead.
Within every human lies a spark of the Divine Essence, a drop of the Universal Consciousness. This, we understand, as divinity hidden in us, in simpler terms. But, an average man is oblivious of his divine nature, because in this Modern Age, the ‘mind’ of man is given too much importance, and is so conditioned that no room remains for softer feelings to flower. Moreover, there are fears and uncertainties in today’s life, which keep man from discovering his true self. He does not realize that his Real Self is far more glorious and majestic than the bag of skin and bones he refers to, as himself. Dr. Douglas Baker has aptly said, “Man is an ‘imprisoned splendor!”
To ‘know thyself’ means to know the Real Self, the transpersonal essence within us; not just the personality with its senses, feelings, thoughts and emotions, but the ‘You’ beyond it all. ‘Yoga’ or Union of our Real Self with the Divine Essence or the Universal Consciousness, gives us a momentary glimpse of ourselves – the imprisoned splendor, which is our true nature. This union is often referred to as a ‘mystical experience’. It is time that we changed the direction and charted the course of the journey inward into ourselves, to understand the nature of the self and the vastness of this phenomena that is life. We must have keen vision because it is only by seeing the falseness of our values, can we discover truth.
Whether you realize it or not, we are all on an evolutionary journey – a journey of becoming whole. You can take millions of years to make this journey of becoming a perfected man by treading the long and winding arduous path up the ‘mountain of illumination’, making only a little progress in each life. Or you can scale the cliff face in a few short lives by undertaking the disciplines of Yoga and short-circuiting the longer evolutionary process.
In esoteric language, this is referred to as the ‘Path of Discipleship’ or the ‘Way of the Disciple’. A disciple, by definition, is one who begins to discipline himself, begins his training. If you decide to undertake this training, you will find yourself treading a narrow, razor-edged path, for you must learn to function in two worlds – the outer objective world and the inner subjective world.
This inner world is as real as the outer world of your waking consciousness. That you mistakenly conceive of the latter as being the only reality, believing every subjective experience to be a figment of your imagination, is simply because you have been told that it must be so. What you must do is link the two worlds together in your daily life, reaching into the subjective worlds to contact your Higher Self or the transpersonal essence that transcends the ordinary personality, and then bring that Higher Consciousness and inspiration into manifestation, in your daily life.
On this journey, there is no goal, for the journey is the goal! In other words, it is the process, the experiences you have, that bring about the psycho-spiritual growth with the resultant changes in consciousness and levels of being. It is well said, ‘Life is a flow of becoming, and so the journey is the process of becoming.’
You have to be prepared to undertake such an arduous journey, which means you must be inwardly prepared, firstly by shedding your selfish attitude, ego, envy, prejudices, etc., And secondly, by learning to break your attachments in the worlds of illusion – attachment to the attractive and glamorous things of this world, for these are the main obstacles on the path of spiritual unfoldment.
Therefore, ask yourself what your aims are, your hopes, your dreams and your motives. Are you ready for the demands that will be placed upon you? Are you strong enough to undertake this journey, and is your strength sufficient for the whole journey? Of course, you will need a guide on this journey, and everyone dreams of a Master who will be his spiritual guide and teacher. But are you worthy of being guided? Are you ready to follow the way? One of the requirements of meeting such a guide is total committal. Are you totally committed to the ‘Way of the Disciple?’ When you have answered these questions sincerely, in the affirmative, you can begin your ‘Journey’!
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