Lead me from the unreal to the real; Lead me from darkness to light; Lead me from death to immortality.
—Brihadaranyaka-Upanishad
“There is Nothing that is not Spirit”
Does that title not captivate you? Transfix you? Instantly resonate as truth in your bones? If not, no need to read further. But if so…
Slight digression first. So I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on Selfhood. The concept of the personal and eternal Universal Self that’s been wrestled with by various schools of eastern and western philosophy and psychology, eastern and western religious and spiritual traditions for an aeon. Modern psychologically speaking, Self—as defined and utilized as the undamaged, infinite, eternal healing essence and agent of change via Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)— is my biggest practical focal point as of late. Dr. Richard Schwartz (developer of IFS) turned 30 some years ago to the treasure trove of eastern spiritual wisdom to inform and amplify his own clinically-informed multiplicity of mind/polypsychicsm-based conception of Self, as distinct from the many separate but interconnected ‘parts’ (subpersonalities) within us all that hold the story of our pain (trauma) and protect us in a myriad of ways from real or imagined further pain (re-traumatization).
As a longtime seeker of eastern spiritual and esoteric knowledge, in tandem with the post-dark night of the soul spirit-led initiation process I’ve found myself in over the last years (ostensibly preparing me to become some type of intuitive and/or trance-voice channel), I’ve been on a mad spree of collecting up choice, vintage spiritual writings. This, in an effort to continue often complicating, but ultimately hopefully deepening and integrating my understanding of how spirituality, personal (gnostic) spiritual experience, Selfhood, psyche, and healing converge.
Currently I’m finding inspiration in a book titled Mysticism, a Study and an Anthology, by F.C. Happold, published first in 1963. The following are some select passages from the chapter entitled “There is Nothing that is not Spirit” (hence the blog title) which draws upon on The Upanishads, the concluding portion of The Vedas, the oldest sacred literature of Hinduism, composed from about 1500 to 100 B.C.
The way Self is articulated, i.e. the various poetic yet matter of fact descriptions of its transcendent potential, inseparability from (notably masculinized) Godhead, and its eternality, is purely resonant music to my soul (if my soul had ears, that is). As is the way the sheer ineffability of the All That There Is—the Lord of All—is portrayed. For many, I imagine, this would create anxiety. Terror even. For me it brings quiet comfort. Which can only mean intuitive resonance with a deep, eternal, yet non-conscious knowing.
Select passages below are taken from The Ten Principal Upanishads, and were beautifully and clearly put into English by Shree Purohit Swami ands the Irish poet, W.B. Yeats (The Macmillan Company (first published in 1937 by Faber and Faber Ltd).
Enjoy…
The Self is one. Unmoving, it moves faster than the mind. The senses lag, but Self runs ahead.
Unmoving, it outruns pursuit. Out of Self comes the breath that is the life of all things. Unmoving, it moves; is far away, yet near; within all; outside all.
The Self is everywhere, without a body, without a shape, whole, pure, wise, all knowing, far shining, self-depending, all transcending; in the eternal procession assigning to every period it’s proper duty.
-From the Isha-Upanishad
***
The Self knows all, is not born, does not die, is not the effect of any cause; is eternal, self-existent, imperishable, ancient. How can the killing of the body kill Him?
He who thinks that he kills, he who thinks that He is killed, is ignorant. He does not kill nor is He killed.
The Self is lesser than the least, greater than the greatest. He lives in all hearts.
The individual Self and the universal Self, living in the heart, like shade and light, though beyond enjoyment, enjoy the result of action. All say this, all who know Spirit…
…Eternal creation is a tree, with roots above, branches on the ground; pure eternal Spirit, living in all things and beyond whom none can go; that is Self.
-From the Katha-Upansishad
***
There is nothing that is not Sprit. The personal self is the impersonal Spirit.
The Self is the lord of all; inhabitant of the hearts of all. He is the source of all; creator and dissolver of all things. There is nothing He does not know. He is not knowable by perception, turned inward or outward, nor by both combined. He is neither that which is known, nor that which is not known, nor is He the sum of all that which might be known. He cannot be seen, grasped, bargained with. He is undefinable, unthinkable, indescribable.
-From the Mandookya-Upanishad
***
This Self is nearer than all else; dearer than son, dearer than wealth, dearer than anything. If a man call anything dearer than Self, say that he will lose what is dear; of a certainty he will lose it; for Self is God [!]. Therefore one should worship Self as Love. Who worships Self as Love, his love never shall perish…
-From the Brihadaranyaka-Upanishad
***
In this body, in this town of Spirit, there is a little house shaped like a lotus. And in that house there is a little space. One should know what is there.
What is there? Why is it so important?
There is as much in that little space within the heart as there is in the whole world outside. Heaven, earth, fire, wind, sun, moon, lightning, starts; whatever is and whatever is not, everything is there.
If everything is in man’s body, every being, every desire, what remains when old age comes, when decay begins, when the body fails?
What lies in that space does not decay when the body decays, nor fall when the body falls. That space is the home of Spirit. Every desire is there. Self is there, beyond decay and death; sin and sorrow; hunger and thirst; His aim truth; His will truth.
-From the Chhandogya-Upanishad
Pax, Godspeed!
Chris Hancock, LCSW, ACMHP
chris@therapyoutsidethebox.com
@therapyoutsidethebox
Franklin, TN
615.430.2778