Middle Humans, Middle Earth
A photo of grass in the author's garden |
When modern humans read or hear about sayings and
descriptions of mystics through the ages, many consider it as nonsense of an
imagination gone wild. While some of it might be so, there is also much that is
based on intuitive knowledge of the universe we live in. It was expressed in
the metaphors of the time. The fault lies with us in not being able to
interpret it properly.
If a modern human with scientific knowledge is able to read
through metaphors of mystics, he may attain profound wisdom. Just as an
example, when someone reads in a scripture that in the beginning darkness was
separated from light, many just laugh at that as wild sayings of a mystic gone
poetic. However, within that is a deep scientific truth. A scientific model of
creation describes that the first step to creation is the separation of
nothingness into an equivalent amount of photons and anti photons – a
separation of darkness from light. Many other mystic metaphors have been
interpreted in some earlier notes of this blog in the light of scientific
knowledge.
Coming to another prominent metaphor – heaven and hell –
viewed by many as nonsense again, there is much science here too. Ancient
Himalayan mystics described that ours is not the only inhabitable planet in the
universe but rather there are many such, something that modern science has
begun to discover too. Of these habitable planets some have harsh conditions
for life while others are hugely pleasant. Life may exist on a planet provided
it receives starlight at the right temperature, a temperature in which water
may exist in liquid form. Other conditions are required to make a planet
comfortable or harsh for life, even though life may exist on it.
The mystics described that our planet is at a middle level,
as it has portions that are heavenly while there are parts that are harsh for
life. We know that our planet has soothing grasslands, fresh water streams,
lakes, fruit bearing trees, and wild flowers while there are also other parts
such as dry deserts where life is hard for both humans and animals. The former
may be regarded as heavenly while the latter as hell like. Aside from this, we
humans create heaven or hell for ourselves from time to time, such as polluted
cities and violent wars. Thus having both types of conditions, akin to hell or
heaven, our planet may be regarded as a middle planet among those that can
sustain life.
The mystics went further and described humans as a middle
life form among intelligent life. Life exists at different level of evolution
from bacteria to humans and as per mystics even beyond as life forms we may
call godly. Life has evolved slowly on our planet over billions of years and
humans are a recent appearance. There is nothing in science to indicate that
evolution must stop at humans, rather, all circumstantial evidence indicates
that it shall continue to evolve to higher more advanced life forms just as it
has been doing for billions of years.
Intelligent life forms are those that are capable of
creating a language, communicating complex ideas through it, and recording
their thoughts. Mystics place humans at the middle of intelligent life forms. They
describe lower life forms as demonic and higher ones as godly. For example a human
that is moved to theft and violence to satisfy lower instincts of lust, anger, and
greed is like a lower animal because that is what they do. However another
human who can sacrifice such instincts for higher values tends to move towards
godly states.
Evolution according to mystics is not a one way process,
although that tends to be the general direction on averaging over several lives
and life times. A life form may fluctuate between demonic and godly states in
his or her journey through many lives. Mystics assert that all life possesses
an imperishable soul and a soul goes through endless such lives in its journey
through the universe, changing bodies as one changes worn out clothes. Evolved
souls are led by their instincts and universal consciousness to heavenly states
and planets while demonic ones to hell for that is what is most appropriate and
conducive to their continuing evolution.
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