=kit062.txt

[ 'SOS' = variant wording in the SO SURESNES Booklet ]

KIT 62 - How to Find Peace in the Cosmic Drama
[ SOS KIT 62 ]	

[ I (sa) have skimmed the paragraphs , though not read the
sentences.
I notice no divergence in the SOS text, except for one quote whith
I copy at the end of this document. ]

            Whether more closely or more remotely involved in the
present mess in which humanity has maneuvered itself, it would be
insensitive on one's part not to feel distressed, disturbed,
dismayed, unsettled in our emotions. We may be angered and
disgusted at the barbaric attrition which extremes of
concupiscence in the human nature have inflicted upon so many
innocent victims, on the other hand heartened by the courage and
heroism of so many. Can one find equanimity and is it helpful to
seek serenity amidst the thoughts rushing through one's mind. Or
would that be an escape? Alternatively we ask ourselves: what is
it that we can do? Moreover, faced with the reality, we feel as
though we are being challenged in our belief, in our faith.

            If we could view things from the cosmic perspective
rather than trying to reach beyond our personal perspective and
middle range, we would see that willy-nilly, we are plunged into
the drama on Planet Earth that was impending all the time. We have
failed to see, wrapped as we have been all the while in the false
security of our complacency, oblivious of the drama and misery
around us which we dismiss as 'bad news' from the media. Seen in
its wider context, the 'Desert Storm' on Planet Earth is simply a
pale reflection of the soul-searchings and the birth and continued
re-birthing pangs of the universe. 

Can we halt a moment and take stock of what it takes to make life
at all possible, the issues behind the more immediate scenario on
Planet Earth in the hope that it might help us to understand
better what is happening globally? Seeing what we are involved in
unawares, we might better grasp what our role is or could be.

            At the cosmic scale, can we have the slightest idea of
what could be the intention behind the whole process of existence
- the issues, what is enacted in the process? Do we have any idea
what the shift from thought to matter could mean at a cosmic
scale? A good illustration of this would be a composer striving to
give concrete expression to a powerful emotion that came upon
him/her suddenly. What does it take for a motivation - whatsoever,
whether at the cosmic scale or human - to be followed up and
vehicled by a whole organization programmed as its infra-
structure? How does thought structure itself into what we call
matter at a sidereal dimension? Just imagine our privilege as
humans over animals and plants in being part of what is happening
in this regard!

            Now imagine what would be the cost of introducing
freedom - that is personal incentive - in the system! This would
require that the pattern on which the universe is built would need
to shift continually from simpler models of harmonious orderliness
to models exhibiting more and more complex orderliness that allow
for the intervention of the free resolution of its constituents.
In the interval between these there would inevitably be a transit
situation where chaos sets in, in which the existing pattern is
dismantled and the new one has not yet gelled. Thus this very
'divine intention' would open up the risk of disruption,
conceivably even the extreme hazard that the system runs amok and
destroys itself. We are witnessing this in the decadence and
corruption in the so called advanced civilizations we pride
ourselves of. Doubtless this is also the reason for our fear in
the present crisis that it should escalate ominously because the
anger aroused by cruelty begets hatred and the ensuing
exasperation keeps unleashing yet greater violence.

            Yet paradoxically, for a system to evolve rather than
being bogged into its own pattern by vain repetitiveness or
recycling, it needs to 'fluctuate beyond equilibrium', to use a
word of Dr. Ilya Prigogyne, until the previous order is
sufficiently disrupted. Then it becomes obsolete and needs to be
replaced by a new one. This is illustrated in nature or rather in
the evolution of the chemistry of matter on Planet Earth, by the
quantum leap from the inorganic to the organic. At the inorganic
stage, atoms form a rather monotonous grid, rather like a
repetitive wall paper. Suddenly in the evolutionary advance, some
molecules shift into a more complex pattern whereby its atoms
diversify. Each specializes in a different role in the overall
architectony of the molecule. Thus they cooperate, and to
cooperate, they become necessarily interdependent. 

An identical leap in the evolutionary advance takes place at the
level of the chromosomes in the live cell which code for the
variety of functions that make possible the advent of live
organisms. Thus comes an ever more effective support system for
the upsurge of intelligence in this corner of the universe.

            At a higher level, we encounter an extraordinary
complex and sophisticated infra-structure owing to the infinite
diversity of functions in our civilized societies. There is the
enhancement of the intelligence of the Planet with humanity at the
prow. In fact the advent of the human on the Planet would not have
been possible without this fluctuation beyond equilibrium from one
order to another. But it must be understood that the gift of
freedom needs to be supplemented by its imperative correlate:
interdependence.

            By dint of the application of the universal principle
of economy, to avail itself of the fund of resourcefulness of the
insights, incentives and initiatives of its constituents, the
system would now need to concede some freedom to these in the
determination of its program and decision-making, government and
hence destiny. However to avoid that the differences of opinion,
of perspective, the conflict of interest, should break loose in
the inevitable surge of greed, ruthless exploitation of freedom to
rob others of their free-will, cruelty, atrocities, all those
appalling things that erupt already in peace and escalate in war
conditions, freedom needs to be tempered by interdependence. The
ideal would be where each and all of the participants find their
respective place in cooperating in the interest of the whole, as
we have witnessed in the organic molecules and in a healthy
biological cell or cell formation where that cooperation makes the
advent of more sophisticated forms of intelligence possible in the
universe.            

            Here, more than ever this evolutionary leap forward
calls for a step in our realization of the imperative of
introducing interdependence if we are to avail ourselves of the
gift of freedom. This principle of cooperation is beginning to
emerge in the consciousness of our more advanced human societies
in what is now coined: the new world order. J. S. Bach pointed out
that this requires, not the despotic dominance of one theme on
others, but that each should contribute towards the whole, but
restrict his/her/its incentive in the interest of the whole.

            Of course the marvel behind all of this is - far
beyond the enhancing of intelligence - to be found in the advent
of beauty. The splendor of the emotion behind the miracle of life
manifests as beauty is first of all in natural structures, the
perfect geometrical configuration of atomic, molecular and
biological patterns, or the motions of the planets, stars,
galaxies. It also manifests in cosmic structures filtered as it
were through the human creative mind: the musical scales, harmony,
the symphony, art, monuments. This is why when chaos sets in, and
the forces of evil and corruption are let loose, one seeks refuge
in beauty. In the very midst of ugliness, beauty confirms in us
our shaken trust in the meaningfulness behind it all.

            We need beauty! As a respite in stress and surrounded
by defilement and violence and the attendant fear, our hearts
resonate wherever there is beauty. But there is a yet subtler form
of beauty: where the splendor behind existence manifests, not in a
special form, not in esthetics, but in compassion, magnanimity,
solidarity, dedication, sacrifice for an ideal, unconditional
love. Ultimately, the very pinnacle of this motivation which we
can read into the programming of the universe is attained in
prayer - I would say non-sectarian or alternately in loyalty to
one's spiritual heritage, yet with openness to religions other
than one's own.

            Unfortunately, as we have seen, the condition for the
shift from one stage in the evolutionary advance to the next is a
break-down of a sclerosed order - this is the meaning of chaos; or
shall we say this is its role in the cosmic programming. In the
midst of this 'de-stabilization', we are disoriented anxious,
confused, afraid. This is where we are tested in our understanding
of what is happening and what are the issues enacted - we are
being tested in our faith in the inherent meaningfulness and well-
meaningness behind phenomena. From our commonplace perspective, we
cannot possibly expect to grasp this; consequently our faith runs
the risk of wearing thin. What is more, just as the need for
serenity and a sense of the sacredness is most needed, we find it
more difficult to meditate or pray. It seems like opening one
drawer after closing another, or burying one's head in the sand,
fleeing reality.

            If indeed the issue behind existence is the surge and
preservation of the freedom of the individual, albeit tempered by
interdependence, it follows that the 'Powers that be' have to
constrain their intervention, (His/Her's intervention). Yet does
that mean abdication of any control whatsoever? Perhaps this would
be best illustrated by a car-driving monitor, or pilot coach,
handing over the steering wheel or stick to the pupil, restraining
himself from stopping a false move until it becomes too hazardous,
and then taking over. That power which the Mazdeans ascribe to
Ahura Mazda to maintain the ultimate control in the struggle
between Spenta Mainu and Ahriman is the one to which Pir-O-Murshid
Inayat Khan draws our attention: it is called Kaza by the Sufis.
In tribulation if we invoke God or the prophets, masters and
saints who form the spiritual hierarchies of the Government of the
World, it is in the desperate hope that they will be able to stem
the tide of evil and avert disaster. But if indeed their overall
commitment is to preserve the principle of the freedom of
incentive and decision of the individual, then their intervention
needs to be limited to simply avoiding that the system should
auto-destroy itself. Would this means that the intervention of the
'kaza' force is withheld until the eleventh hour, at the brink of
disaster? No, not necessarily, 'Kaza' stands for inertia, in
scientific terms 'homeostasis'.

            There is always a principle of stability, of balancing
opposing forces written right into the programming of nature at
all levels. This may be observed for example in politics or all
human institutions where innovation is always countered and
thereby balanced by a conservative force. In physics, it is called
the "order out of disorder principle" for example in the Brownian
movement within a liquid, the random movements of the individual
molecules cancel each other out. Thus there is a safety mechanism
programmed into nature that ensures that a system does not auto-
destruct itself ultimately.

            At the level of human affairs, it is embodied in the
influence of the spiritual hierarchy, and more generally in the
power of prayer and the propensity for peace inherent in people of
good will throughout the world. The strength, range and reach of
this power is enhanced by the number of its supporters, and the
degree of their commitment. The bastion that we could build up by
our prayers could, if backed by the uncountable billions of people
of good will in the world, present a sizeable antidote to the
forces of political dominance.

            How does one maintain calm in tribulation? And more
particularly, how does one maintain joy in suffering, despair? An
apt illustration is given in the picture of Buddha sitting
unperturbed in the middle of a storm. This must not be construed
as failing to recognize the reality of the problem breaking loose
as the storm - that the problem needs to be dealt with. Peace
needs to be availed of as the spring-board for action - as a
source of power, not as an escape. We know that the center of a
hurricane is a vacuum: inertia balancing the turmoil and thereby
staying it from running amok.

            Where can we find this salutary principle of inertia
in our psychological set-up in life? Obviously if one withdraws
one's attention from the environing drama, in splendid isolation,
to meditate, oblivious of what is going on, which means
unconcerned with human suffering, in a state of Samadhi, touching
upon one's eternal being, one will doubtless find peace. But this
seems rather like the despicable legendary ostrich act. 

However, there is a way of capturing the attunement encountered as
we snatch a taste of our own eternity but in the instant we call
'now' - the present without change; and of the infinity vested in
our human nature in the existential 'here'.

            In the ordinary course of experience, the instant is
continually being flooded by the past that continues to live in
our psyche and by the future which we anticipate or apprehend. A
good illustration of this would be a piece of music: while
following the trend of the melodic or harmonic sequence, or
rhythmic progression, one can often forestall the next step. The
prior elements of the music flow into the oncoming ones, and the
future ones are already anticipated, so that they overlap in the
present. Thus the present is not limited to being a threshold, but
is rather a moving transition that peters out in infinite regress
on either side.

            To understand what is meant by eternity, we could
picture a pendulum. At one point, the point where it is suspended,
it remains stationary, at the other end, it moves in time-space.
The Samadhi state corresponds to the apex. However, there are two
moments in the swing of the lower extremity of the pendulum where
it also experiences a state of suspense: at the apogee of its
orbit to the right and likewise to the left. One must be
circumspect about imagining that time flows at a regular pace
linearly; in fact it is landscaped. At those critical points
(which could qualify as singularities) it is suspended; the
process of becoming is arrested in a hiatus. Or could we posit
that eternity is written right into the process of becoming, and
what is more, we are endowed with the capacity of grasping it, not
just in Samadhi, but in the 'here and now'? In fact this is what
Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan means by 'awakening in life'.

            How can we capture these moments in our lives,
illustrated by the halt in the swing of the pendulum? We can learn
from a Sufi technique of meditation which consists in evacuating
the psyche of any memory of the past or any projects for the
future in the instant where the arrow of time is arrested. We have
for an instant emancipated ourselves from the constraint of the
process of becoming in the 'here and now' rather than escaping the
'here and now'. This corroborates clearly with Dr. David Bohm's
view regarding the 'enfolding' of the totality of the bounty of
the universe at any point of the universe in what he calls the
implicate state, and of the encounter of the past and the future
in what he calls the holo-movement. Rather than being bogged into
the 'here and now', one sees how the 'everywhere and always'
conflues into the 'here and now'.

            It is in this instant, free of becoming - of
homeostasis -illustrated by the Buddha, that we may find peace in
the middle of the storm raging at present without escaping from
it. The recipe is: wherever you can find an opportunity, put a
screen upon your preoccupations with the past (remorse,
recriminations, resentment) and stop worrying about the future,
(the desire for acquisition, greed, covetousness), but realize the
privilege offered to you by the universe of experiencing the
miracle of life in a break-through of realization!

            Like Henri Bergson, the Sufis distinguish the instant
from duration. Hearken to the eleventh century Sufi Afghan Sufi
HUJWIRI whose tomb is in Lahore. 

[ SOS then has the following quote:

Time is cutting sword, ... it cuts the remores of the past and the
conventous of the future, and obligarates care of yesterday and
tomorrow from the heart. 

[ PVK adds:  "I paraphase 'the conditioning of the past and the
forestalling of future'" ] ]


Thanks to that sense of the timeless instant, one frees oneself
from the way the future is conditioned by the past, so that one
can determine it oneself as illustrated in Zen. In Herrigel's Art
of Archery, the teacher says: the target determined the path of
the arrow, not my hand.

  "Becoming represents our destiny, eternity our freedom."
  (HIK, I presume)


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