phase of expansion, when pure consciousness manifests into matter and mind, and the “introversal” phase, when that consciousness slowly returns to its pure state. Along the way there are temporary reversals, but the essential evolution is from infinite consciousness into static matter and back to consciousness again.
When you begin to understand this cycle, you can begin to perceive the roots of all scientific and religious thought. Researchers, physicists, philosophers, and religious teachers through the ages have discovered pieces of the puzzle of creation and have labeled them in many ways, making it look as if there are many distinctly different theories of creation. But if you study carefully, you will begin to see that the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Many creation stories are simply the attempts of early teachers to translate subtle ideas into symbols that people of their day could understand.
Modern thinkers are beginning to piece together more of the creation and evolution theories, and what is emerging looks very much like yoga philosophy. Ken Wilbur, author of such groundbreaking books as The Spectrum of Consciousness and Up from Eden, maintains that the force of evolution is the drive toward spirit. “The creation did not take place all at once at some time in the distant past,” he says. “Creation is occurring now as evolution — ceaselessly novel, ceaselessly driving toward higher and higher unities in search of the absolute Unity, or spirit itself. And that, I believe, is the only way to bring science and religion together.” According to Tantra this ultimate unity is Brahma, and every being, every atom in the universe is moving toward realization of that supreme state.
Try to picture the infinite cycle of creation in your imagination. Go way back, before the beginning, before matter, before mind … oops! You’ve hit a snag already. How can you, with the mind, perceive that which is beyond the mind? The point between manifest and unmanifest consciousness is the “beginning” of the creation of the universe— a point not in time but beyond it. Only through deep meditation can you perceive this initial point, and when you do, you merge in it and you are unable to communicate that state in words. A knotty problem!
Speaking of knotty problems, I want to share with you a dilemma I encountered while writing this chapter. Tantric cosmology is fascinating and complex. It combines quantum physics, intuitive insight, and religious metaphor. Much of it is not yet understood in scientific terms. I have tried to get it into simple language and to eliminate as many Sanskrit words as possible, but, quite frankly, it’s still rough going. I considered placing it at the end of the book, but these concepts are the foundation upon which the practices of yoga and meditation are built. Understanding the cycle of creation is, in my view, very helpful — though not essential — in motivating you to do meditation and yoga practices every day. It provides a context for the conduct of everyday life.
So, it’s up to you: You can either read on from here, or skip over this chapter and read the rest of the book, referring back to this one when you need the information.
WHAT IS SUPREME CONSCIOUSNESS MADE OF?
Brahma is composed of cosmic consciousness, called Shiva, and cosmic energy, called Shakti, and it exists in two states. Like flowers and their fragrance or fire and its burning, Shiva and Shakti are inseparable. Understanding this oneness is essential. Religion often divorces Shiva from Shakti, saying that God and creation are different and separate. But both Tantric science and modern physics contend that consciousness is one, whether manifest or unmanifest.
In the very beginning Brahma is so pure that it has no sense of existence. It is beyond anything we can imagine. Shakti, the latent creative force, is composed of three tendencies or forces. The sentient tendency imparts the sense of existence and also the feelings of happiness and relief. It awakens the desire to seek liberation from bondage. It is the force of life, of luster and beauty. The mutative tendency is the sense of action, of growth; it activates the “I.” The static tendency is that which gives the results of action, which binds action to reaction. It is the force of stagnation and death.
These transforming qualities are apparent in every object of the created universe. One of these is always dominant, as the play of forces moves from one to the other. The life force of the mutative tendency is what dominates as a flower blossoms in the spring. As long as the mutative tendency prevails, the sentient tendency glows from within. But when the force of the mutative tendency is spent, the static tendency predominates, and the luster of the sentient tendency fades; the flower wilts and dies.
Imagine Shiva, or pure consciousness, to be like the ocean, and Shakti, or creative energy, like the climate. When the climate is stable, or congruent with the ocean, the water flows freely, uninhibited. This is the state before the beginning — the state of absolute peace. The transforming principles of Shakti flow in Shiva without obstruction. But at some point the climatic conditions change and freeze a part of this ocean. The transforming factors gradually form a matrix, and the forces begin to play. The sentient tendency converts to mutative, the mutative to static, the static to mutative and, eventually, back to sentient again, thus creating a whirlpool of balanced but interacting forces. This interaction becomes a struggle for dominance, and, because it is the most powerful of the three, the sentient force prevails.
At this subtle point, Shakti begins to transform Shiva with its forces, and pure consciousness manifests in its first stage: cosmic mind. There begins to emerge in this ocean of consciousness the feeling of existence: “I am.” It is only after this self-awareness occurs that creation can begin; the sense of existence is necessary for action. This sense of “I am” has come about as a result of the subtlest transforming factor, the sentient tendency, exerting the first influence upon consciousness.
Now that the “I am” exists, Shakti’s energy continues to transform even further with the mutative tendency. The water of our imaginary ocean has gone from free-flowing to dense, and now it is… slush! The influence of the mutative tendency enables cosmic mind to act. “I am” becomes “I do.” Now the mutative tendency has full sway over consciousness; the final transforming force takes over. The pressure of the static tendency objectifies a portion of cosmic mind in order to act. This objectified portion is mind-stuff (ectoplasm). Cosmic mind-stuff is the iceberg in the ocean. The subtlest consciousness is now ready to be transformed into dense material forms.
The combination of the sense of “I am,” the sense of “I do,” and the cosmic ectoplasm is called cosmic mind, and it is through the thought waves of the cosmic mind that the innumerable forms of the created universe come into existence. But the entire creation doesn’t just burst forth from the “imagination” of Brahma. It is a natural, creative process, and like all creative endeavors, the stage must be set; the requisite conditions must be created first.
Before a baby is born, all of the right conditions must exist in its mother’s womb: the right temperature, the right time in the mother’s cycle, even the pull of the moon can affect the conception, growth, and birth of a child. If conditions are favorable, microscopic cells divide and become an embryo, which in turn unfolds, in a perfectly designed sequence, all of the elements necessary for the development of a human being. So, too, in the creation of the universe, the subtlest factors must first exist before the denser forms, which we can perceive, can come into being. These are the five fundamental factors, the basic building-blocks of the manifest universe.
