Quest Magazine

By Betty Bland

Originally printed in the July - August 2007 issue of Quest magazine. 
Citation: Bland, Betty."Take a Bite." Quest  95.4 (JULY-AUGUST 2007): 124-125.

From that point in our development, we humans have had the tendency to make poor choices and then to say, "The devil made me do it!" When things go awry we do not like to think that we may have done anything to cause the problem. We prefer to point the finger of blame in every direction but toward ourselves. And truly, it does seem that from birth we are caught up in a stream of circumstances that shape us in ways that tend to make us repeat the same mistakes again and again. Caught in our personality quirks and throes of our circumstances, we deny the presence of freewill, one of our greatest gifts and the tool by which we can begin our spiritual journey back to the source of our being.

We say that we are inextricably caught in a quagmire of predestined events. Fate has had it in for us from the beginning, so now we will just continue as we have been and hope that something outside ourselves will intervene. Viewed from the perspective of the blind and struggling personality there is some truth to this view. At any moment in time, however, we have the freedom to reach into the deeper core of our being where abides will, purpose, and loving kindness. At such a moment everything shifts and we can catch a glimpse of the possibilities rather than the limitations. Madam Blavatsky wrote about freewill in relation to astrology but her statements apply equally to astrology, fate, or predestination.

I hold, moreover, that astrology, being a calculation of the planetary influences on an individual, is merely a science of tendencies. In other words, the influences in themselves are such as to predispose the individual to adopt the line of action predicted. Man, however, being endued with what is called free-will, but what I prefer to call latent will-power or soul-power, may develop it to such an extent that he may successfully oppose the planetary influences and overcome what is popularly known as fate. It is only when the individual is passive, or when his will-power is undeveloped and feeble, or when, the will-power being developed, he works in the direction of the planetary influences themselves, that astrological predictions will be realized. Hence it is that we hear it said that when a person possessing the necessary amount of developed will-power is initiated into the mysteries of occultism, he passes beyond the pale of astrological predictions. (Collected Works vol. 6, 327)

Each of us does begin this life with a unique set of circumstances, tendencies, and talents. Whatever they are, we can make the most of them and even rise above them. We can turn them into opportunities for learning, service, and even joy—but only by changing our attitudes and directly facing the things we fear or dislike, by exercising our will power.

If this is true, why do we often feel so trapped as if there is no way we can make a difference? Perhaps our own timidity and fear is our greatest jailer. Freedom of will is available only to the bold. As American author and lecturer Marianne Williamson said, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us." We have a vast potential that in our weaker-willed moments we tremble even to consider. Rather than shrinking away with feelings of unworthiness or inadequacy, claim your power to be all that you can be. Direct your energies toward the powers of love and life; be creative in seeing the opportunity in each challenge or failure. Take responsibility boldly, and see how your life begins to turn around, ever so slowly perhaps at first, but turn it will.

As your life changes, so does the rest of the world—one small step at a time. And the small steps of each of us toward wholeness and peace can and will transform the world. As Galadriel told Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. This is yours to do. No one else can do it for you" (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, movie 2001).

Each of us is responsible of our own freewill to incorporate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil into our understanding and judgment so that we can fully claim its power. Take a big bite and then listen to the wisdom of the inner self and dare to follow where it leads. In doing so, you will claim the truth of freewill for yourself and begin to recreate the idyllic nature of the original Garden of Eden in the world around us. It is possible to move in that direction if enough of us recognize our precious birthright of personal responsibility. Used wisely, that power will transform the world. It is available to each of us for the choosing.

Originally printed in the July - August 2003 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Cianciosi, John. "The Radiant Mind." Quest  91.4 (JULY - AUGUST 2003):124-128.

By John Cianciosi

The mind is at the center of all experience and thus it is the most important factor in determining the quality of life. Although we may talk of a world out there, in reality, the only world we can experience directly is in our own mind. As it says in an ancient Buddhist text, the Dhammapada: "Our life is shaped by our mind, we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it, while happiness follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves."

But what is this thing we call mind that animates the body and means we are alive? I know that I must have a mind for I perceive a distinct difference between my present state and that of a corpse, which is simply matter devoid of consciousness or mind. Is this mind my thoughts? Western culture is heavily influenced by the French philosopher Rene Descartes' famous equivocation: "I think, therefore I am." But what happens if I stop thinking—does my mind disappear? What of all the feelings, emotions, desires, and aspirations that are so powerful and yet undeniably transient? Where do they come from, how do they arise, and where do they go?

These are fascinating questions that many of us will have asked at one time or another. But it is difficult to arrive at satisfactory answers, and science does not seem to be much closer to unraveling the mysteries of consciousness.

THE CREATIONS OF THE MIND

In the teachings of ancient traditions such as Buddhism, there is great emphasis on the practice of introspection, or looking deeply within to discover answers to these questions. This approach has lead to deep insights into the real nature of mind.

The Buddha said that the mind in its original or fundamental state is radiant or brilliant. However, it becomes tarnished, so that the radiance is obscured, by the defilements that arise in it. This tells us that the underlying nature of the mind is bright, still, silent, and peaceful. It is empty of all the multiplicity of thoughts and concepts. There is only a bright, vibrant state of knowing. On the other hand, the defilements are visitors that come and go—they are creations of the mind.

Thus, that original radiance is obscured when the mind gets entangled in its own creations, the jungle of thoughts, memories, hopes, fears, and the countless other possible mental states. Some of these creations of the mind are wholesome, positive, and even beautiful, while others are negative and ugly. Nature allows us to create anything—the good and the bad, the refined and the coarse, heaven and hell.

Some people create a tangle of awful, negative, nasty, and mean thoughts, full of anger and resentment. The original radiant and pure mind is completely obscured by these defilements. It becomes worse when, having created these states of mind, one proceeds to act on them through one's speech and body. This is how all cruel and inhumane behavior arises. War starts in the minds of people, and cruelty comes from cruel intentions that originate in the mind.

But nature also allows us to create that which is good and beautiful. If we rise to the occasion by applying our mind in the right way, we can create compassionate, kind, and loving thoughts. In this case, the original radiance of the mind is also obscured, but by positive and wholesome creations. These thoughts and intentions lead to action that is kind and benevolent, conducive to the well being of oneself and others.

Nature allows both possibilities. So in the world we find both saints and monsters—people whose lives are a blessing to the world—and those who only live to bring misery and suffering.

Of course, the vast majority of us are just ordinary people with both good and bad tendencies. Thus we create and experience a variety of mental states and emotions, some of which are positive while others are negative. However, few of us can actively direct what we create in the mind. At times, it is as if the mind has "a mind of its own." In a sense it does. It is driven by the power of past conditioning, by habit and instinct. That is why we tend to recreate old patterns and react in similar ways to particular situations and people, even when we don't want to. On many occasions we may want to respond in a positive way, but instead find ourselves dwelling in petty or negative states of mind. Obviously, we are not yet masters of our own creations.

THE MEDITATIVE PATH

When we appreciate that the mind is the source of all that we create, then we will recognize the importance of meditation or mental cultivation. Through the practice of meditation we can empower ourselves by developing the mental qualities that allow us to shape our own destinies. These qualities enable us to choose what we create in our own minds and thereby influence the world we live in. Furthermore, if we are persistent and sincere in our practice, we can also experience directly the radiant mind that underlies creation.

Although there is an increasing interest in the practice of meditation, it is not uncommon for people to seek short cuts to quick experiences of altered states of consciousness. Personally, I do not see much benefit in such approaches because those experiences rarely translate into insights that people can actually live. Often, they only cause more confusion. As one teacher put it, "If you expand a deluded mind, all you end up with is expanded delusion!" Though a slow process requiring considerable training, the practice of meditation actually empowers us, and leads to insights that bring about real changes in our lives.

Meditation is an inner journey of introspection and training that involves both systematic mental exercises and a general meditative approach to ordinary life. I have come to call this whole process "The Meditative Path". There are two fundamental qualities that we need to cultivate in order to progress along this path—awareness and concentration.

AWARENESS

Awareness, which we might also call mindfulness, is the state of "the mind being fully present." An aware mind is not just conscious in the ordinary sense, because we can be conscious without being fully aware, without clearly knowing what the mind is involved with, or where the attention is at that time. We often go through life with only a modicum of attention to our present experience, operating mainly on automatic pilot and just reacting to situations out of habit. That is why it is so hard to change, even when we want to. Freedom of choice eludes us.

However, we do have some awareness, or moments when the mind is fully awake to the present experience. It is important to recognize the subtle but profound difference between just being conscious and being mindful, or having consciousness with awareness. Have you ever been driving in a car when you suddenly think, "Oh! Where am I? I've gone past my turn off!" What was your mind doing before that moment of awareness? You were conscious, but your mind was not fully present—not awake, clear, and mindful.

In meditation, we want to cultivate that fullness of mind that lets us be truly sensitive to the present moment. Stop for a moment and consider, "What am I feeling now? Where is my attention now?" Awareness makes this type of introspection and exploration possible. It is an essential element in the practice of meditation, and only through the development of this quality can we cultivate concentration and insight.

It should be noted that being aware is not the same as being alert. Alertness is a heightened state of attention that is usually associated with some degree of stress arising from fear or excitement. There is an "edge" to it that is not conducive to a state of peace. However, awareness involves no stress and is not driven by fear or excitement. The mind is fully awake in the present but it is relaxed and balanced—not on edge.

Being aware does not require that we keep our attention on one thing or that there must be no thinking. Even as the attention moves from one thing to another, we can still remain aware, because awareness flows with the conscious experience. It acts like light and it illumines the experience so that it is clear in consciousness. Thus, with awareness we clearly know what we are thinking, feeling, intending or doing. Therefore, it is something that can be maintained at all times and we can strive to develop it even while going about our ordinary daily activities. In fact, whatever we do will be done better when we are fully present. By bringing more awareness into our ordinary life, we can transform it into a meditation practice. Awareness allows us to clearly see our internal world, the creations of our minds, and gradually the door to understanding and freedom opens to us.

CONCENTRATION

However, for us to experience the radiant mind or have the power to direct the creations of our minds, it is essential that we also develop concentration. This is the ability to direct and hold our attention on one thing for a desired period of time. If we think of awareness as light, then we might think of concentration as a laser, or focused light. The strength of concentration is determined by how fully we can focus and how long we can sustain that attention.

It is concentration that gives us the ability to go beyond concepts and thoughts so as to realize the radiant mind. Concentration also enables us to direct our mental creations for it is said that true masters can think what they want to think when they want to, and not think when there is no need for it.

Again it is worth noting that we all have the ability to concentrate to some degree. However, most people in ordinary life have learned to concentrate by forcing the mind to remain focused on some task. Concentrating in this way is usually stressful and tiring. Thus we do not enjoy doing it and avoid it when possible. We must be careful not to use this forceful approach in our meditation practice. Rather we should use gentle effort to teach the mind, encouraging it to abandon its endless "thinking about" and incline towards a state of stillness and silence which is refreshingly restful.

MINDFULNESS OF BREATHING

There are a great many meditation methods, using different meditation objects, that can be utilized for training the mind and cultivate both awareness and concentration. The method I am most familiar with uses the natural flow of the breath as the object of meditation. Often referred to as "Mindfulness of Breathing," it is one of the most widely used meditation techniques.

The theory and the basic technique of this meditation method are simple and easily understood. However, developing the skill and experience required for achieving deep concentration will take much practice, under suitable conditions and wise guidance. Training the mind is not easy, but it can be done with patient, gentle effort, and dedication. Even a journey of a thousand miles can be successfully undertaken, and it begins with a few humble, but important steps. Thus we must start by making time for practicing meditation, and then try to do it regularly.

In "Mindfulness of Breathing" we do not interfere with the breath. We simply let the body breathe as it wants and when it wants. Our effort is directed at cultivating mental awareness and concentration rather than teaching the body how to breathe.

The basic instructions are as follows. Find a quiet place, and sit in a posture that feels reasonably comfortable and balanced. Try to keep your back erect, but avoid tension in the body. Allow your eyes to close gently and let the body breathe naturally through the nose.

Leaving everything aside, bring your attention inward and experience the body as it sits still. Spend a little time relaxing any unnecessary tension in the body and then turn your attention to the breathing. Arouse the awareness that simply knows when the breath is flowing in and when it is going out. Try to sustain that knowing by encouraging the mind to relax with the breath—peacefully breathing in, peacefully breathing out.

Allow everything else to fade into the background as you continually arouse interest in the flow of the breath. While the attention remains on the breath, your awareness will know it. When the mind drifts away to something else, just note this fact with awareness, and gently but firmly bring the attention back to the breath. Continue training the mind in this way with patient and vigilant effort for the duration of the meditation.

In the early stages of your practice, you will find that when you try to remain attentive to the breath, the mind will still be quite busy, thinking about one thing or another. At this level of awareness, the experience of the breath remains superficial and sporadic. However, you can sharpen your awareness if you continue to practice on a regular basis and make an effort to thin out the jungle of thoughts. By continually letting go of the various distractions that arise, and encouraging the mind to embrace only the breath, gradually the experience of each inhalation and exhalation becomes more prominent in consciousness. The meditation deepens as the internal chatter quietens and the quality of the breath is increasingly clear to the mind. Awareness gradually becomes more sharp and continuous, and concentration becomes more focused and sustained.

Have you ever been to the beach and walked slowly out into the sea? As you walk in, the water gradually covers your feet, ankles, knees, waist, and so forth, until you are completely immersed. We can think of progress in meditation as being a similar experience: a gradual immersion into the sea of serenity as the mind becomes increasingly attentive to the breath.

Eventually the mind embraces the breath as its sole object of attention. It is content and happy to experience each breath, savoring every peaceful moment as a timeless "now". There will no longer be any internal commentary about the breath, let alone anything else. Within that resounding silence, we begin to experience the joy of just being without doing.

With the deepening of the meditation experience, the breath will naturally become increasingly subtle and fine. Eventually, in very deep meditation, the mind begins to perceive the breath not as a physical object but purely as a mental image, which usually manifests as light. A present-day meditation master, Venerable Ajahn Brahmavamso, describes this transition in the following way.

When you are passively observing just the beautiful breath in the moment, the perception of in breath or out breath, or of beginning or middle or end of a breath, should all be allowed to disappear. All that is known is the experience of the beautiful breath happening now'Here we are simplifying the object of meditation, the experience of the breath in the moment, stripping away all unnecessary details, moving beyond the duality of in and out, and just being aware of a beautiful breath that appears smooth and continuous, hardly changing at all.

'Now the breath will disappear, not when "you" want it to, but when there is enough calm, leaving only "the beautiful." 'Disembodied beauty becomes the sole object of the mind. The mind is now taking its own object. You are not aware at all of the breath, body, thought, sound, or the world outside. All that you are aware of is beauty, peace, bliss, light, or whatever your perception will later call it. You are experiencing only beauty, with nothing being beautiful, continuously, effortlessly.

As this description indicates, at this level of meditation the mind is so still that it is beyond creating concepts and labels. There is only the experience of mind as knowing, radiant, and unobscured.

The Buddha gave the following simile to illustrate this process. On a full moon night, although here is a bright full moon in the sky, it can be almost completely obscured by thick clouds. However, when those clouds are dispersed, then the brilliantly shining disc of the moon becomes clearly visible. In this simile, the clouds represent the creations of the mind — thoughts, emotions, perception of the body and the physical senses. The shining full moon, of course, refers to the radiant mind released from all obstructions.

In all contemplative traditions, when practitioners reach such deep levels of meditation, they often describe an experience of radiant light. Naturally, they may interpret that experience differently according to their beliefs; but the experience is the same. This is because the fundamental nature of the mind is that radiant state before the arising of concepts. In it there are no characteristics that would make it male or female, white or black, young or old, Christian or Buddhist, yours or mine. These are labels, concepts and constructs that can arise only when the creating process begins in the mind.

From the Buddhist perspective, this mind is not a by-product of the body, nor does it arise and cease with the birth and death of the body. Furthermore, this fundamental nature of mind underlies the process of consciousness in all other living beings, whether animal, human, or celestial. This is why an enlightened person, such as the Buddha, will naturally have boundless compassion for all forms of life.

We could even say that, as living beings, the radiant mind is our inheritance, regardless of whether or not we have directly experienced it. Therefore, we may want to protect this inner treasure from being tarnished by defilements. Using the awareness we have developed through our practice, we can clearly recognize the various creations of the mind. If we are vigilant and wise, we will encourage those positive and wholesome states of mind that are conducive to inner peace and happiness. Only in this way can we bring peace and harmony into the world, because what we create in the world is simply a reflection of what is in our minds.

Originally printed in the July - August 2003 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Fox, Michael W. "Theosophy, Biosophy and Bioethics." Quest  91.4 (JULY - AUGUST 2003):136-140.

By Michael W. Fox

THEOSOPHY IS ALL TOO OFTEN REGARDED BY the general public ass some esoteric cult or ab­stract intellectual discipline—and is dismissed accordingly. This is regrettable, since it has much to offer every religion in its affirmation and every secular school and profession, from law and medicine to agriculture and economics, in its clarification of human place and purpose. 

Here, I look at Theosophy through my own prism as a veterinarian and bioethicist, deeply concerned about the suffering of all senti­ent life and the future of earthly creation. Through this prism the light of Theosophy can be divided into three rays—biosophy, biophilia, and bioethics—connecting mind and heart with the life-creating Reality of all in all. 

Biosophy (life wisdom and wise living) was rudimentary but evolving dur­ing much of our existence as gatherer?hunters. Relative to urban consciousness today, our ancestors had a profound understanding and respect for various plants—their nutritional, medical, and psychic properties—and a reverence for fellow creatures, and respect for their spiritual and imaginative powers.

This understanding and reverence was the knowledge base and ethico-spiritual foundation for all sustainable human communities, from the farming villages of pre­industrial Europe, the Americas, and Africa to the Australian and Amazonian gatherer-hunters, the fishermen of Poly­nesia, and gardeners of South-East Asia.

 From biosophy grew biophilia, a love and appreciation for plants, animals, and one's bioregion that gave one identity, physical and spiritual sustenance, a sense of power of place, and the template for a unique culture, art, music, poetry, and religion. And from this understanding and love grew our ethical and moral sensibility that I call bioethics, because it includes all life and not just human rights and interests.

As a species with the power to transform Nature—to turn forests into fields for genetically engineered cows to pro­duce an analogue of human milk—we possess a degree of autonomy and power unequalled by the rest of the animal and plant kingdoms. 

Our place and purpose on Earth and in Nature are becoming increasingly unclear, ill-defined, and confused. If this were not so, then the legal, medical, and agricultural professions, among others, would not be facing a world in crisis to the extent that we see today and desperately seeking solutions. It is an exten­sive crisis because we have evolved techno­logically at such a rapid pace that many hu­man-caused diseases, and anthropogenic climatic perturbations, are global. They are threatening our future security and the beauty, biodiversity, and vitality of the Earth—so vital to our physical and spiri­tual well-being.

Theosophy in these times is of great practical, social, and political relevance. It does not offer to save our souls from sin and punishment like some Chris­tian, Islamic, or other fundamental­ist cult. Rather, it views so-called sin and punishment as distur­bances of cosmic harmony and the inevitable restitution of the harmony in their wake. Theosophy gives no other col­oration. The enlightened Self is the god of forgiveness in our own awareness, humility, compassion, and understand­ing. It is not external to our own being. This rediscovery of the Self is the way of Theosophy.

It could well be that many who instinc­tively subscribe to Theosophical principles have never heard of Theosophy. These people are deeply involved in such issues as environ­mental and animal protection, sustainable agri­culture, social justice, political egalitarianism, and holistic preventive medicine. If some of the basic principles of Theosophy were to become more available to the public, especially in our educational curricula from grade school to graduate school, human progress would be enhanced. Through greater under­standing of our place and purpose in Nature and the cosmos, the realization of human potential and its ac­tualization is enhanced. Without such understanding, we continue to suffer and to harm others.

The Theosophical Society's first Object is to promote understanding and brotherhood among people of all races, nationalities, philosophies, and religions. But we will never enjoy the true brotherhood of humanity if we do not express our kinship with all subhuman in­terdependent life with reverential respect. We need to protect the natural world that sustains us all, and share those resources equitably. This desire is met by embrac­ing the bioethics of biosophy and through biophilia, which are dimensions of Theosophy that have gained greater clarity and significance in these times and in ways this essay explores.

Theosophy is a quest and discipline as ancient as our first conscious breath. As a veterinarian and ethologist I have often wondered whether other animals share with us some divine understanding or God-realization. Perhaps they do not seek such conscious awareness be­cause unlike we humans, they are not aware: not aware of being separate, and therefore have neither need nor desire to feel connected by way of divine understanding.

From a parientheistic perspective, all creatures are in God and of God. So are we humans, but we are not al­ways aware of this because we do not feel and act as if we are part of the One Life. If we did, then we would avoid harming animals, each other, and desecrating Nature. Because of the way we structure reality, we mis­takenly believe that we are separate and independent from the whole, so we objectify "things." This is a lega­cy of Aristotelian rationalism and Cartesian dualism. This belief is as erroneous and as harmful to us spiritu­ally as the belief that animals are irrational, unfeeling, and devoid of souls and any inherent spark of divinity. These two beliefs, combined with the third one that holds that animals and nature were created primarily for man's use, have led to the desecration of the Earth and to the holocaust of the animal kingdom.

The founders of the Theosophical movement realized that our health, spiritually, emotionally, and physically was determined by our awareness of the quality of our relationships with animals, plants, the soil, and the whole of Nature, as well as with each other. Theosophi­cal classics proclaim with one voice that all life is one and even its humblest forms enshrine divinity.                                                                                                  

From millennia of living close to Nature as gatherer-hunters and much later, and as agrarians and sheep/cat­tle farmers, our ancestors developed religious traditions based on a largely symbiotic relationship and a spiritual communion with the natural world. Various animals and plants became totems, intermediaries, or interlocu­tors between the expanding dimensions of human con­sciousness and the Absolute. Through close association, careful observation, and empathic inductive and deduc­tive reasoning, we were able to harness and direct some of these powers and forces of creation to satisfy our own expanding curiosity and multiplying needs and wants. We now have reached the point where we can geneti­cally engineer animals, plants, and micro-organisms. Through this technology we have the power to direct the entire evolutionary process and change the face of creation forever.

From an esoteric perspective, our evolving intelli­gence has taken us to a new threshold and a new hori­zon with two paths. One is a path of reverential and co-creative participation—the one that Theosophy has always signposted. The other, a path of rational egotism, was signposted by the likes of Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, and Ayn Rand, as well as by contem­porary economists, scientists, industrialists, and legions of other rational instrumentalists. This path has lead to a technocratic dystopia, rather than some hoped-for sci­entific-industrial utopia, where the means to the mean­ingless end of materialism is total overconsumption. There are no sacramentalists, parientheists or Theoso­phists anywhere on this path that encourage and lead humanity to make enlightened, empathic, and ethical choices. Beware of the reductionists, the logical posi­tivists, the moral relativists and dualists, as well as the therapists who are not environmentalists, and the doc­tors who are not priestly healers of the soul and the Earth.

Theosophy, biosophy, bioethics, and the scriptures of all the world's major religions advise and instruct a wise and gentle use of these demigod powers. Secular materi­alism —whose theology dismisses reverence for trees and animals as pagan pantheism—uses these powers to recreate the natural world into its own image of in­dustrial utility, directing the evolutionary process of earthly creation to satisfy man's own pecuniary ends. Secular materialism is the mutant `runeme' or belief system that turns Homo sapiens into Homo technos: tech­nocratic man.

Homo technos treat all of Earth's creations as a collec­tion of potentially exploitable objects and resources, rather than as sacred entities and processes. He rules over a dysfunctional, technologized world where the life-support system of the planet—its atmosphere, climate, oceans, forest lungs, and life-sustaining soils and ecosystems are becoming dysfunctional and starting to deteriorate. As biological diversity is obliterated by industrialism, so cultural diversity is lost in the homog­enizing process of global consumerism. The global econ­omy, security of nations, and integrity of communities are now beginning to disintegrate. More technological 'fixes' are sought. Crime, violence, and a host of dis­eases, physical and mental, are spiritual disorders, symp­tomatic of our diseased condition; of our not living in right relationship. The sickening condition of the natu­ral world mirrors the human condition, and is a product thereof, The death of Nature will be the death of the human spirit. Only Homo technos may survive, and to what end except the loneliness of an arrogant narcissist and the terror of never being able to trust life; to love Nature as provider.

Technocratic man is now busy creating a global indus­trial technopolis. As he unconsciously but determined­ly mutates into Homo technos, he makes science his re­ligion, and the technocracy his authority, parent, and provider. Through GATT, the World Bank, and World Trade Organizations, the biosphere or natural world is being turned into an industrialized wasteland. This is not the technosphere that visionaries like Teilhard de Chardin saw in the evolution of Homo sapiens into Homo cosmos or Homo pan sapiens.

But a technosphere that is in harmonic co-creative resonance with a restored and healthy biosphere is still within our creative capacity, provided we have the will and time. It is the only way to help ensure human well-being, world peace, and an ecologically sound, sus­tainable, and equitable global economy. We can create this future now only by basing all of our relation­ships on the bioethics of reverential respect for all life on Earth. Humility, compassion, and ahimsa (non­violence) are the essential heart-mind principles and bioethical criteria for right livelihood that Theosophy has long recognized and promoted.

We then treat animals humanely, giving them citizen­ship legally and morally because they are part of the same life community and creation as we, and are thus worthy of equal and fair consideration. And we revere, respect, protect, and restore nature for Nature's sake—the natu­ral world, biodiversim ecosystems, the oceans, lakes, rivers, forests, swamps, savannas, and all the myriad and diverse wonders of divine conception and manifestation.

Theosophy gives the key to new ways and new days by pointing us away from the nemesis of Homo technos, and toward the way to heal ourselves by healing the Earth Soul or anima mundi. It is difficult to have sympa­thy for self-inflicted human suffering when it is humans who bring so much evil into the world and are the only source of evil in nature. But there must be empathy, otherwise there can be no understanding, reconciliation, or healing. Nor should we become so preoccupied with the spiritual that we neglect the physical and our everyday responsibilities, or vice versa. And we should not look to more laws and punishments, or scientific and medical breakthroughs, to help improve our condi­tion when the basic problem is spiritual and ethical.

Regrettably, the mechanistic and reductionist ap­proach of western conventional (allopathic) medicine focuses on the physical plane. This narrow approach to the "diagnosis"(interpretation) and treatment of human disease and suffering, though highly profitable for the multinational pharmaceutical industry, has done little to prevent human suffering. Nor can it be expected to since it is part of the diseased state of mind that is un­able to realize, from a more empathetic and holistic view, that the origin of much human suffering is the re­sult of our not being aware of our connections with all things. We all suffer and cause great harm to all sentient life when we act without any respect, feeling or sense of these sacred connections. We bring suffering and sick­ness upon ourselves when we harm the environment and fellow creatures. The good healer teaches panem­pathy, and reverential respect for all life, even life that we may fear.

The patron of animals and nature, St. Francis of Assisi, had a sacramentalist resonance with God's creatures and creation which moved him to interpret the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth in a deeply empa­thetic, transcendental or gnostic way. This way was anathema to Rome's patriarchal and Aristotelean church of Thomas of Aquinas. He threatened the pow­er and authority of Rome by teaching that divinity was not simply in their churches but everywhere in nature and in a life of compassion, simplicity, and service. Yet for political reasons, the pagan heresy of St. Francis, the first Christian, if not the last, was accepted by the Church of Rome.

Just as St. Francis, as a panentheist, was radical to the theocracy of his time, so must we, as Theosophists, be­come radical to the technocracy of our time. As Sr. Francis lived his truth, so must we discover and live ours.

A Muslim friend of mine used to observe, "All ani­mals are Muslim because they are obedient to their Creator." Animals are thus superior to most of us, and they can be our teachers, healers, guides, companions, and source of delight and wonder. They enrich our lives, giving us a reference point that immediately takes us out of our egosphere and humanosphere into the biosphere and the noOsphere or realm of great mystery and reve­lation that St. Francis knew and shamans enter. St. Francis said that through communion with animals and nature we find God, and that by the ways of animals and nature, divinity is revealed to us. I call this the way of biosophy—the path of curious naturalists who combine biophilia with bioscience. It is also the primal path of Theosophy, its most ancient root. Nature, animals, and plants were the source of human sapience, of our self-definition and self-realization; of our awareness of a creative process beyond our comprehension—the mys­terium tremendum; and they were a source of artistic and musical inspiration, physical sustenance, and even miraculous healing powers.

A TV news bulletin on February 17, 1995, an­nounced that a Maryland Senator wanted to legislate caning as the "way for delinquent teenagers to see the light." That we have regressed to this level of responding and relating to each other, and have such a dim, moralistic view of the "light"—of enlightening others through punishment and not by example—is a sad and significant commentary on the human condition in these times. But what examples of right livelihood does the adult world set for younger generations? Can we not have greater empathy for disturbed teenagers who are not unaware of the corruption, violence, and inhuman­ity of a dysfunctional adult world in which they are expected to participate and play some meaningful role that their education barely helps define?

It would seem that we are, collectively, stuck at a stage somewhere between the morality of a demanding and dependent infant, and the shameless sexual impul­sivity and self-centered arrogance of adolescence. Such a condition may be a fair if harsh characterization of an overly consumptive, materialistic society where nothing but matter—money and things—matters. Breaking free from these conditioning constraints and self-limiting values of industrial, consumer society is difficult when we are dependent upon it for our material sustenance. Mistakenly, some believe they have found spiritual sus­tenance in fundamentalist religious cults, while others seek enlightenment in world-negating and escapist "new age" trivial pursuits, that are at best a short-term fix and distraction for lost and suffering souls.

Theosophy is one school or way that should be in ev­ery school. It is like a coming home for the pilgrim soul. It puts our lives in focus, and through its clear lens our perceptions are enhanced. This heightens our awareness of our feelings, awakening our empathetic and intuitive powers of healing and understanding. Also our appreci­ation and enjoyment of life is intensified. Theosophy enables us to realize our full potentialities, giving a deeper sense of purpose and meaning to our everyday lives, relationships, experiences, and "coincidences." And it is good for the animals and all of Earth's creation under our domination.

For students whose education is broken into "disci­plines," like biology, theology, philosophy, social studies, humanities, and the arts, Theosophy can serve a vital integrative function. Linking biosophy, bioethics, and aesthetics with a diverse curriculum of subjects from the arts, sciences, and humanities, Theosophy could and should be the cornerstone of an enlightened and enlightening educational system. Prevention is the best medicine, and such an education would be good medicine and our best investment for the future. New ways and new days through Theosophy are possible for us all in our personal lives, as well as in our profession­al lives, and for generations to come. I can think of no better quest.

Michael W. Fox serves as chief consultant and veterinarian for India Project for Animals and Nature, (IPAN). He is author of The Boundless Circle (Quest Books, 1996). This article is adapted from The Theosophist 120 (July 1999): 850-6.

VOLUME 91, NUMBER 4

Contents

The Urgency for a New Perspective
By Radha Burnier

The Radiant Mind
By John Cianciosi

The Extended Mind
By Rupert Sheldrake

Theosophy, Biosophy and Bioethics
By Michael V. Fox

By What Knowledge is the Spirit Known?
By Ravi Ravindra

Viewpoint: The Zen of Water Skiing
By Betty Bland