Sunday, February 27th, 1977

WISDOM'S GOLDENROD, ALAN BERKOWITZ CLASS NOTES

(TYPED)

FEBRUARY 27, 1977

HINDUISM; VEDANTA; EPISTEMOLOGY

TOPIC: Hinduism

SUBJECT: Vedanta

SUBSUBJECTS: Epistemology, AD paper, Steiner, Formative Forces, Astral, Pranas, Senses, Karma Indriyas

BOOKS READ FROM OR REFERENCED:

• S.N. Dasgupta, Yoga as Philosophy and Religion

• I.K. Taimni, Man, God, and the Universe

• I.K. Taimni, Glimpses into the Psychology of Yoga

• Rudolf Steiner, Macrocosm and Microcosm

• Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), The World as Power, Power as Life

DIAGRAMS embedded in these notes:

• FIGURE 1977 0227-1-AB. Ruler (Being) and Exaltation (Knowing) Dignities in Houses 12, 10, 7, and 4.

• FIGURE 1977 0227-2-AB. Problem of Epistemology.

• FIGURE 1977 0227-3-AB. Subject-Prana-Object Relation.

AD PAPER read in class:

• "Occult Epistemology"

TYPED AND REFORMATTED by IT 2022

NOTES:

• RETYPED HANDWRITTEN NOTES (hence V08). From Alan Notes 02 1977 to 06 1979.PDF.

• See WG Class 1977 0228 V11a. Buddhism; Nidana Chain for discussion of epistemology and occult physiology in the context of the nidana chain.

• All capitalization and punctuation corrected, abbreviations spelled out.

1977 02/27 at Wisdom's Goldenrod

Hinduism; Vedanta; Epistemology

[Alan Notes 0227 1977 Begin]

2/27 Vedantic Epistemology (Richard Platek)

Presupposition -- knowledge reveals identity of subject and object

Objects are self-revealing because consciousness (Cit) is their substrate

Nama (essential, intelligible nature) Rupa (sensible qualities) are superimposed on pure Cit.

Dasgupta, Yoga as Philosophy and Religion, Kant quotes [Note: S.N. Dasgupta, Yoga as Philosophy and Religion.]

Tony [Anthony Damiani]: Vedantic point of view is perspective of only Mind and World-Mind.

[FIGURE 1977 0227-2-AB. Problem of Epistemology. Aham = Ahamkara; TM's = Tanmatras; JI's = Jnana Indriyas; Prob. = Problem. Facsimile scan from AB class notes.]

Kant -- "Mind presents to itself in thought neither itself nor other things."

Mind can't grasp the object and can't grasp itself.

Man, God, and the Universe, p. 424ff. [Note: I.K. Taimni, Man, God, and the Universe.]

Glimpses into the Psychology of Yoga, p. 379ff. [Note: I.K. Taimni, Glimpses into the Psychology of Yoga.]

Tony's [Anthony Damiani's] paper

[Note: The rest of the notes for this class are a combination of Anthony's paper and his commentary on it and it is difficult to tease them apart without looking at the paper itself, which I don't have access to.]

Ego contracted into body sets up a subject-object dichotomy. Objective forces stream in -- what ego holds back is experienced as an image or reflection = the sense manifold, sensory images. Forces streaming in are etheric formative forces (Steiner, Macrocosm and Microcosm) and reflected in our body which is a functional image (12 nerves = 12 signs) of these laws. We know only what we hold back = bhutas. Only what our nervous system reflects of the inner astral world (tanmatras) is experienced as subjective.

Senses produce a reflex (after-image) image which appears within our consciousness (eyes closed, mental image persists). Within is a world of imagination which is in the senses. Senses are not part of external world -- inner activity of senses without external perception reveals activity of pranas -- which pass through senses and contact (6^th house) the astral.

Pranas pass though sense tissues and contact astral world. Astral body contacts body through breath (atmosphere) (changes in atmosphere affect evolution). Happens in each sense (5 pranas). Astral body contacts air (vayu) through sense organs -- thinking then arises. This contact is essential for any sensory process.

Senses are inlets in us into the outer world -- outer forces contact breathing processes which are permeated by astral body.

When the astral returns to the body upon awakening what does it return with.

[FIGURE 1977 0227-3-AB. Subject-Prana-Object Relation. Subj. = Subject; Obj. = Object. Facsimile scan from AB class notes.]

The forces that stream through build up the organs which then hold back more.

Brain is built by and is a functional image of the heavenly spheres.

Body is a functional image of rational soul.

World as Power, pp. 98-99 [Note: Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), The World as Power, Power as Life.]

Pranas evoke, not produce the images.

World of cosmic ideation is first -- shared by astral body before descent into physical body.

Karma indriyas = powers or capacity to perform or react. They are a reaction to the cosmic forces -- may build up eye.

= governing force of body, astral fluid, action of planets.

The form of the object which the mind takes creates or evokes in the mind the mind's consciousness of it (reflective consciousness).

[Alan Notes 0227 1977 End]