Sunday, September 22nd, 1974

WISDOM'S GOLDENROD, ALAN BERKOWITZ CLASS NOTES

(TYPED)

SEPTEMBER 22, 1974

EPISTEMOLOGY; REFLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS

TOPIC: Epistemology

SUBJECT: Reflective Consciousness

SUBSUBJECTS: Evolution, Psyche, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya, Jung, Gunas (Sattva Rajas Tamas), Subtle Body, Ahamkara

BOOKS READ FROM OR REFERENCED:

• Paul Brunton, The Wisdom of the Overself

• Karl Jaspers, General Psychopathology, 2 vols.

• C.G. Jung, CW 11, Psychology and Religion

• T.M.P. Mahadevan, The Philosophy of Advaita

• Sri Venkataramiah (Swami Ramanananda Saraswati), Recorder, Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi

• Aniela Jaffe, The Myth of Meaning in the Work of C.G. Jung

• Debabrata Sinha, The Idealist Standpoint: A Study in the Vedantic Metaphysic of Experience

• Rene Guenon, Man and His Becoming According to the Vedanta

• K.C. Bhattacharyya, Studies in Philosophy, Vol. 1, "Studies in Samkhya Philosophy"

TYPED AND REFORMATTED by IT 2023

NOTES:

• RETYPED HANDWRITTEN NOTES (hence V08). From Alan Notes 5 PB Platonism Astrology 1974 MARCH TO 1977 FEB.PDF.

• All spelling, capitalization, and punctuation corrected, abbreviations spelled out.

1974 09/22 at Wisdom's Goldenrod

Epistemology; Reflective Consciousness

[Alan Notes 1974 0922 Begin]

9/22/74 Reflection

[References:]

"Birth of Universe" - "Birth of Individuals" - paragraph 1 [Note: See Paul Brunton, The Wisdom of the Overself, Rider, 1943.]

Jaspers -- General Psychopathology [Note: Karl Jaspers, General Psychopathology, 2 vols. JC notes add: on self-reflection.]

Jung -- Psychology and Religion -- paragraphs 2, 11, 24, 81, 87, 760 ff. [Note: C.G. Jung, CW 11, Psychology and Religion. JC notes list: paragraphs. 18, 19 20, 24, 759, 760, 764, 765, 768.]

Mahadevan -- p. 132 [Note: T.M.P. Mahadevan, The Philosophy of Advaita.]

Ramana -- [Note: Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, p. 360, per JC notes. Page numbers vary with edition.]

JC notes add the following references:

Aniela Jaffe, The Myth of Meaning in the Work of C.G. Jung, pp. 138-139

Debabrata Sinha, The Idealist Standpoint: A Study in the Vedantic Metaphysic of Experience, p. 43

Rene Guenon, Man and His Becoming According to the Vedanta, p. 43

KCB, "Reflection as a Spiritual Function", stanzas 17, 18, 23, 24 [Note: K.C. Bhattacharyya, Studies in Philosophy, Vol. 1, "Studies in Samkhya Philosophy".]

Birth of Individuals:

Birth of Universe -- individual and world rise together (p. 34).

Karmic impressions reflected in the individual mind (p. 35).

Individual constructs idea of World-Mind's idea (p. 38).

p. 42 -- hold in the experience

Jung -- Human consciousness created (Tony: helped create) objective existence. [Note: Tony is Anthony Damiani (AD).]

First jhana -- unconscious psychic processes, animals -- not normally accessible.

Cognitional apparatus defines the indeterminate cosmic forces (of World-Mind).

Sattva -- relates things to consciousness as facts. Reflects the qualities of objects. Ahamkara does not individuate the universal consciousness of buddhi, it individuates the content.

There is something in thought which seems to reflect its contents back. The reflection is our internal consciousness. Rajas -- subtle body = reflected light. A cosmic psychic principle [JC notes call this manomaya] in which all objects are reflected, with us in it -- then we identify with a part of it.

Psyche = reflected light of self, play of gunas.

Totality of individual and world -- all the ego's perceptions = ahamkara.

Individualization of the world process.

Vi-jnana -- bifurcation of knowledge into mind and substance.

[Alan Notes 1974 0922 End]