AM-366 MENTAL ENVELOPE (31)

In our daily lives on Earth, it’s evident that the average person’s understanding of their surroundings is flawed and often inaccurate. For instance, they remain oblivious to the etheric, emotional, and mental forces that underlie everything they perceive despite these forces being integral aspects of their existence.

The individual’s entire viewpoint is constrained by the limited scope of their senses, intellect, education, and experience. Consequently, they exist within a world that is largely of their own making. They may be unaware of this because they lack knowledge of any alternatives. From this vantage point, everyday physical existence is just as much an illusion as life in devachan, and upon closer consideration, it may even be more so.

In devachan, when a person believes their thoughts are real, they are correct. In that world, only thoughts are real. The only difference is that on the mental plane, we understand this fact, whereas on the physical plane, we do not. Therefore, we can say that the delusion is greater on the physical plane. Mental life is actually more intense, vivid, and closer to reality than life experienced through the senses. Note the use of the word “closer”; we are not dealing with reality; we are just closer to it.

Thus, according to a master, “we consider the afterlife as the ultimate reality, and the earthly life, along with the individual personality, as merely illusory. “To label the devachan existence as a ‘dream’ in any way other than a customary term is to permanently forfeit understanding the Esoteric Doctrine, which is the exclusive guardian of truth.”

One reason for the feeling of reality in earthly life, and of unreality when we hear of devachan, is that we perceive earthly life from within, fully influenced by its illusions, while we observe devachan from an external perspective, temporarily free from its specific illusions.

In Devachan, the process is reversed. Its inhabitants feel that their own life is the real one, and they see earthly life as full of obvious illusions and misconceptions. Generally, those in devachan are closer to the truth than their physical critics in earthly life. However, the illusions of Earth, though reduced, are not completely escaped in the lower heavens, even though contact there is more real and immediate.

In more general terms, as we ascend through the different planes of existence, we come closer to reality. The general esotericist would say Spiritual matters are relatively real and enduring, while material things are illusory and transient. A Hylozoician would counter that all matter is real, regardless of what plane it is on. What differs is the degree to which that matter is conscious of itself and its environment.

The student may find exploring this idea useful and considering life in devachan as the natural and inevitable outcome of the previous life lived on the physical and emotional planes. Our highest ideals and aspirations are never fulfilled on the physical plane, nor can they ever be realised there, due to the limited possibilities and the relatively coarse nature of its matter. Life is not resolved in the Mental World. It is just better understood.

The law of karma, similar to the conservation of energy, states that no force can be lost or deprived of its full effect. It must produce its complete effect and remain as stored-up energy until its opportunity arises. This means that much of humanity’s higher spiritual energy cannot bring about its full result in earthly life because our higher principles cannot respond to such fine vibrations until we are free from the limitations of the physical body. In the afterlife, all hindrances are removed, and the accumulated energy is released in the inevitable reaction required by the law of karma. As Browning puts it, “On the earth the broken arcs, in the heaven a perfect round.” Perfect justice is achieved, and nothing is ever lost, even if in the physical world, it may seem that much has missed its purpose and come to nothing.

Devachan is not merely a dream or a paradise of aimless idling. On the contrary, it is a realm, or rather a state of existence, where the mind and heart can grow without hindrance from physical concerns or trivial worries. It is a place where one can forge the tools needed for the challenges of earthly life, and where the progress of the future is assured. It should not, however, be misunderstood that life in the Devachan is our goal. Progress to higher worlds must be grounded in the Physical World (49). Even the Lord Buddha had to return to Plane 49 before he departed the Cosmic Physical Kingdom (43-49), which is not a principle for the Cosmic Emotional Kingdom (36-42).

The student can also understand that the system in which nature has arranged life after death is the only conceivable one that could achieve its objective of making everyone as happy as possible. If the joy of heaven were of only one specific type, as certain orthodox theories propose, some people would tire of it, and others would not be able to partake in it due to a lack of interest in that particular type of joy or due to a lack of the necessary education. In “Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven,” Mark Twain presents a satirical view of the traditional concept of heaven to the extent that it becomes, one could argue, forever untenable. This in turn provides a classic example of the valuable insights that can be gained through humorous analysis, even in matters pertaining to profound religion and philosophy.

Continuing with our main topic, what other arrangement regarding relatives and friends could be equally satisfying? If the departed were allowed to keep track of the changing circumstances of their friends on earth, they would be unable to find happiness. If they had to wait without knowing what was happening to their friends until the friends died before being reunited with them, there would be a painful period of suspense, often lasting for many years. Additionally, in many cases, friends would arrive changed to the extent that they would no longer be relatable.

Nature has avoided all these difficulties. Each person decides for themselves both the length and character of their heaven-life by the causes which they have themselves generated during their earth-life. Therefore, they cannot but have exactly the amount which they have deserved and exactly that quality of joy which is best suited to their idiosyncrasies. Those whom they have loved, they have with them always at their noblest and best; no shadow of discord or change can ever come between them, since they receive from them all the time exactly what they wish. In fact, nature’s method is infinitely superior to anything which the wit or imagination of humanity has ever been able to offer in its place. However, never lose sight of the fact that the Mental World is a world of fiction. It is moulded by thought and can never represent reality. The reality of the lower quaternary lies on a yet higher plane, which is still part of the Mental World but exists on a higher triad. We will discuss this subdivision of the Mental World in its own series of presentations. For now, absorb what we have discussed and realise that it is the foundational aspect of our existence as a 1st Self, living our lives on the 1st Triad of our passage through our solar system.

It’s hard to fully grasp the creative power of the mind when it’s free from the constraints of the physical body. On Earth, an artist’s vision might fall short when translated into physical materials, but in the devachan state, everything a person imagines is instantly brought to life in a form made of the subtle matter of the mind itself. This world is a reflection of a person’s thoughts and is enriched by the wealth and energy of their mind. We should strive to understand that the mental plane is a vibrant and vast world where we exist both now and between physical lives. Our limited development and the constraints of the physical body prevent us from fully realising the magnificence that surrounds us here and now. The beauty and light of the highest heaven are always around us, and if we open our eyes, we can receive their influences. As a Buddhist teacher said, “the light is all about you, if you will only cast the bandage from your eyes and look.” It’s a beautiful and wondrous reality that surpasses any human dream or prayer, and it exists forever and ever.

In other words, devachan is a state of consciousness and can be entered at any time by someone who has learned to withdraw their soul from their senses.

We may consider that Nirvana (World 46) is to the finished cycle of reincarnation as devachan is to each earth-life. But we know the Unity World (46) is just a stepping stone to even levels of awareness, bliss and service to Life.

Our discussion of the principles governing the functioning of the devachan is now complete. In our next presentation, we will examine the duration for which a monad may choose to reside in this realm and the level of intensity of their experiences during that time.