Fill your mind with Me, love Me, worship Me always. Seek Me in your heart, and at last you will be united with Me.

Vedanta is the only religion whose metaphysics have logical sense, since it admits both a multiplicity of gods and a single supreme principle. Vedanta doesn't get mired down in childish debates about whether there is one god or many, whether there's a multiplicity of Things or only a single divine Essence. It admits gods, a supreme God, and something beyond God—the absence of both form and limit, something wherein God Himself takes His divine Essence, something that cannot be described. By not banning all other gods—as did the cult of Aton—Vedanta frees man's true spirituality and allows its creative expression. Above all, each person must find himself in his own way, must explore himself and must know himself inside and out, and must stand on his own two legs. Not by outlawing a person's gods can this be achieved, nor by substituting a father figure as the world's monotheistic religions have done. Only by allowing people to worship their devis, their elephant gods, their dancing and singing divine couples, while at the same time teaching that "where there is One, that One is Me; where there are many, they are all Me. I am the object of all worship, its enjoyer and Lord," can religion hope to achieve anything like what it promises.

On the Isleworth Mona Lisa :: Open Letter to Professor Martin Kemp, Trinity College, Oxford

Dear Professor Martin Kemp:

I am writing because I want to praise you for your stance against the authenticity of the Isleworth Mona Lisa, or “Younger Mona Lisa,” that has been much in the news lately.

First of all I should preface my letter by stating that I am not an art historian, have never been an art historian, and do not claim to know anything about art. I once read a novel by Canadian author Robertson Davies titled What’s Bred in the Bone that dealt with the topic of forging in the modern era. I only mention it because this story feels like a real-life version of the plot of that book.

The reason I write to you is because despite the “scientific evidence,” almost nothing about this story stands up to simple logic. First off, the Younger Mona Lisa is sharper, clearer and more colorful than the original. Why would a painting “10 years younger,” according to the expert consensus, look sharper, clearer and more colorful than one painted 10 years later? Then, as you yourself pointed out, the original lacks all of the subtlety of the authentic da Vinci. The background is crude and stands out in sharp relief, completely lacking the “blue shift” that is supposed to accompany a landscape. The face has been simplified and rounded, the lips have been reddened, the veil seems to have been completely misunderstood, and aside from a superficial resemblance, the copy completely fails to “capture the profound elusiveness of the original”—as you yourself eloquently stated.

Most telling to me is a “horizontal line comparison” diagram (photo 4) that was put together by the people now pushing the copy’s authenticity, more specifically, in its exact concordance with the da Vinci original. This is the part that doesn’t stand up to logic: If da Vinci indeed created two paintings more than 10 years apart, and if he was no longer in possession of the earlier painting, wouldn’t it be near impossible for him to duplicate the exact point-by-point proportions of that first painting? Did the model sit for him a second time, or did he duplicate it exactly from memory? And are great artists generally in the habit of duplicating themselves—of creating near-perfect copies of their own paintings? Wouldn’t his “inner artist” have impelled him to improvise just a little?

This same argument also applies to the Younger Mona Lisa’s concordance with the famous Raphael sketch (which is on public display at the Louvre, and therefore available for copying). I believe (again without knowing anything about art, but only about human nature) that Raphael, in copying the Mona Lisa, as an artist himself would have rendered his interpretation of the great painting—and not a faithful replica, as your modern scientist might expect. The fact that the Younger Mona Lisa concords exactly with Raphael’s sketch, far from speaking to the painting’s authenticity, again simply screams copy to me. Generally speaking, when something is exactly like something else that came before it, does that indicate an original or a copy?

Lastly, I would like to address the mysterious circumstances in which the painting was discovered. Reuters tell us that:

“It was discovered in 1913 by collector Hugh Blaker—who had already made several art discoveries—in a manor house in the west of England where it had hung for a century unnoticed. How it got there is unknown.” 

The BBC offers a similar but less nuanced version:

“The painting was first discovered in the Somerset home of an aristocrat, in 1913, by art collector Hugh Blaker—who took it to his studio in Isleworth in south-west London.” 

A followup Reuters new article adds to the description of the painting’s discovery:

“The ‘younger’ version first surfaced in 1913 when British art connaisseur and painter Hugh Blaker found it in a manor house in western England, recording that it had been hanging there for about 150 years. For the next 20 years, it hung in his home in the London suburb of Isleworth, so gaining its name. But efforts by Blaker, who died in 1936, and subsequent owners to convince the art world at large of its authenticity failed.” 

To my mind, these descriptions harken back to the plot of What’s Bred in the Bone. First and foremost, the painting’s existence has not been documented beyond Blaker’s “discovery” of it. From another BBC article we know that Blaker’s sister once “lived with the art-collecting Davies sisters in Powys,” and that Mr. Blaker was “best known as a picture advisor to the sisters.” Now, if a rare piece of art was discovered by the person acting as adviser to the famous Davies sisters, who would have been the first person to attest to the painting’s authenticity? However, the story also mentions that Blaker was never able to convince anyone of the painting’s authenticity in his lifetime, and that it passed into his sister’s possession upon his death. Which begs the question, why would the Davies sisters have passed on the chance to own arguably the greatest discovery of their lifetime?

What I’ve been implying, and will now state explicitly, is that I believe any investigation into the Younger Mona Lisa’s provenance should begin by looking directly at Mr. Hugh Blaker. Perhaps an inquiry of this sort would lay the matter to rest once and for all.

I would like to close by mentioning another artifact that has been in the news this week, the piece of ancient papyrus recently touted as evidence that Jesus was married. American professors from Harvard and Princeton were among the fragment’s most enthusiastic supporters, even while their European counterparts showed themselves more skeptical. Earlier today, that same piece of papyrus was dismissed as a “clumsy forgery” by the Vatican. In an earlier article (which I no longer have, so I will paraphrase it) a statement by a more levelheaded person cautioned people to be skeptical of any new discovery, but especially when that discovery tells us exactly what we want to hear. While the Isleworth Mona Lisa is evidently a lot more skillful than the ancient papyrus, and while its great age (over 100 years by the most conservative estimate) probably makes it increasingly difficult to authenticate in matters of the craquelure and such, I believe the very fact that a “second,” “earlier,” more authentic Mona Lisa is an object of great desire should make us doubly, triply, a hundredfold more cautious in accepting it as authentic.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Miron Huhulea

New York, NY

On Thomas E. Mails' The Hopi Survival Kit

Raw Prophecy

From Chapter 6, Prophecies Past and Present:

• It was foretold that one day, if we are fortunate, we will meet up with another race of people of peace, who will respectfully request the use of the land, and who will accept our rules concerning the land without question. But if we are unfortunate, we will meet up with the wrong people. We will encounter many pitfalls, and once we are caught in this we will be cursed forever. (189)
• We are now awaiting out White Brother who traveled eastward across the great waters long ago, who is to return when he hears of our difficulties. He will deliver the sacred Hopi stone tablets into the proper hands. (191)
• Just two or three righteous people will be able to fulfill the Creator's mission. Even one truly righteous person would be able to do it. (193)

From Chapter 7, Prophecies Present and Future:

• The Hopi will play a key role in the survival of the human race through their vital communion with unseen forces that hold nature in balance. [They will act] as an example of a practical alternative to the suicidal manmade system and as a fulcrum of world events. (208)
• The liberators will come in from the West with a great force. They will drop down from the sky like rain. They will show no mercy. (209)
• The Great Day of Purification has been described as a "mystery egg" in which the forces of the swastika, the Sun, plus a third force symbolized by the color red culminate either in total rebirth or total annihilation. (210)
• The degree of violence will be determined by the degree of inequity among the people of the world and the balance of nature. That it will be very violent is now almost taken for granted by the traditional Hopi, but man may still lessen the violence by correcting his treatment of nature and his fellow man. (210)
• The forces we must face are formidable, but the only alternative is annihilation. Still, the manmade system cannot be corrected by any means requiring one's will to be forced upon another, for that is the source of the problem. If people are to correct themselves and their leaders, the gulf between the two must disappear. To accomplish this, one can rely only on the energy of truth itself. (210)
• This approach, which is the foundation of the Hopi way, is the greatest challenge a mortal can face. Few are likely to accept it. (211)
• The men with ambitious minds will decrease, while the people of good hearts will increase until the earth is rid of evil. (218)
• We should [remember that] the Creator has promised to bestow his greatest blessings. He knows that those of us who will take a chance on the seemingly impossible are those who, given help, can reach their goals. When the Creator sees that we entrust ourselves to Him, He fulfills his promise to us! (219)

Prophecy from Dan Evehema:

• It was to Spider Woman's two grandsons that the stone tablets were given. These two brothers were instructed to carry them to a place where the Great Spirit had instructed them. The older brother was to go East to the place of the rising sun, and upon reaching his destination to turn around and immediately start searching for his younger brother (the Hopi). The younger brother was to remain in the land of the Great Spirit. The older brother's mission when he returned was to help his younger brother bring about peace, brotherhood and everlasting prosperity.
• Hopi, the younger brother, was instructed to hold this world in balance with the land and the universe by using special prayers and rituals, which continue to this day. He was instructed to cover all the land and mark it well with sacred markings in order to claim it for the Creator and for peace on Earth. Hopi established his ceremonials and sacred shrines to hold this world in balance in accordance with his first promise to the Creator.
• Hopi was told to settle permanently in Hopiland and wait for his older brother to return from the East. When he returns, he will place the stone tablets side by side to show that they are the true ones. 
• Hopi was told that three helpers were appointed by the Great Spirit to help bring about peace on Earth. It is known that Hopi's true White Brother, when he comes, will be all-powerful and wear a red cloak or cap. He will be large in population and belong to no religion but his very own. He will bring with him the sacred stone tablets. 
• With him there will be two great ones, both very wise and powerful. One will carry the symbol of the swastika [the Earth], which represents purity and is female, a producer of life. The other will carry the symbol of the Sun. He too will be many people, and be very wise and powerful. 
• It is also prophesied that if these three fail to fulfill their mission, then one will come from the West like a big storm. He will be many in numbers and unmerciful. When he comes he will cover the land like the red ants and take over it in one day.
• If the three helpers appointed by the Creator fulfill their sacred mission, even if there are only one or two or three of the true Hopi still holding fast to the ancient teaching of the Great Spirit, Massau ["He is the First and will be the Last" (Mails, 188)] will appear before all and our world will be saved.
• The three will lay a new life plan that leads to peace and everlasting life. The Earth will be as it was in the beginning. Forests will grow again, wild animals will return, and there will be prosperity for all life again. Those who have been saved will share everything equally and will recognize the Great Spirit and keep His law. 

Commentary

Above you can see the Hopi prophecy in its unaltered form, as given by Dan Evehema to Thomas E. Mails for Mails' 1997 book, The Hopi Survival Kit, and as given by Evehema in his Parting Message to Humanity before his death in 1999.

Below I hope to discuss an interpretation of the prophecy that Mails brings us courtesy of another Hopi elder, Dan Katchongva.

On page 324 of the original Stewart, Tabori & Chang edition (New York 1997), the author states: "The Hopi traditionalist leaders identify the symbol at the upper left hand as the Swastika of the Nazi regime."

It is interesting to note here that the Hopi elder does not know what the swastika symbolizes. Katchongva further identifies this symbol with a local plant: "The meha symbol, which refers to a plant that has a long root, a milky sap, and grows back when cut off; and has a flower shaped like a swastika, symbolizing the four great forces of nature in motion." (325)

It is clear from this description, even though Mails cannot articulate it, that the flower is another symbol for the Earth. Katchongva seems to carry a proto-memory of the symbolism of the swastika, associating the meha with a local plant and also with "the four great forces," also known as "the four directions." (326)

The four directions, and the corresponding symbolism of each, are described both in the the Hopi prophecy that first inspired me in 2009, and also in that classic account of Native American experience, Black Elk Speaks (John G. Neihardt, 1932).

The four directions are: the place "where the great white giant lives (the north)" ; the place "where the sun continually shines (the east)" ; the place "you always face" (the south)" (23) ; and the place "where the thunder beings live (the west)." (University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln 1961, 29)

The 20th-century metaphysician and writer Rene Guenon can help us shed more light on this symbol of the swastika. In his 1927 book The King of the World, in which he treats the subject of spiritual centers, Guenon writes:

"We particularly wish to emphasize that since the world rotates around it, the center in question is the fixed point that all traditions refer to symbolically as the 'Pole,' generally represented by a wheel among the Celts and Chaldeans, as well as the Hindus. Such is the true significance of the swastika, a symbol found everywhere from the Far East to the Far West, and which is essentially 'the sign of the Pole' ; and this is no doubt the first time in modern Europe that its real meaning is being made known." (Sophia Perennis, Hillsdale NY 2004, 10)

In a note, Guenon goes into more detail: "In cruciform figures such as the swastika, this primordial element [from which the other four proceed] is also represented by the central point, which is the Pole ; the four other elements, as well as the four cardinal points, correspond to the four branches of the cross, symbolizing moreover the quaternary in all its applications." (61)

So Guenon equates the swastika with the four elements, and also with the four cardinal points, and explains it as "not a representation of the world, but rather of the action of the Principle in relation to the world," (56) that principle being the fixed point around which the world rotates. In this Guenon is in perfect agreement with Dan Katchongva, who describes the swastika as the symbol of "the four great forces of nature in motion." (Mails, 325)

And just so there is no confusion, Dan Evehema, in his Parting Message to Humanity, adds that "the symbol of the swastika," taken in its secondary meaning as a local plant, "represents purity and is female." I hope this helps completely dispel the interpretation of the swastika as a sun symbol.

[to be continued...]

Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is an important spiritual text to read and study, the more so because it is a good introduction to many aspects of Hindu religious and metaphysical thought. The Gita is a practical guide for spiritual fulfillment as much as it introduces some basic principles of Hindu metaphysics.

Briefly, the Hindu metaphysical universe has much in common with many other cosmogonies. From Nothingness (0) you get One (1), the Creator of the manifested world. In order for this creative principle to create, its splitting into opposites is necessary. Therefore, from the One you get two (2)—Puruja and Prakriti, roughly corresponding to the active and passive principles, male and female, dark and light, yin and yang. Puruja is a world of ideas, or the male creative principle. Prakriti is best thought of as the fertile ground into which these ideas fall and take root—the “dark face of the waters” from Genesis. Those dark waters are Prakriti—the female principle, the fertile ground into which an idea falls and is made manifest.

Here we encounter our first paradox. Although the female principle is completely passive, letting ideas fall into it and nourishing them indiscriminately, still—because it makes manifest—it is considered the active principle. Puruja, although it is completely active in constantly coming up with new ideas—meaning forms or modes of creation—still it is considered the passive principle, because it takes no interest in those ideas—and identifies with them not at all. The passive Puruja male principle, together with the active Prakriti female principle, are what makes the manifested world possible. These two principles are eternal and unmanifested—meaning that their existence doesn’t depend on manifestation. They have always existed as principles, and they will always continue to exist.

Prakriti, or the active principle, gives birth to the three (3) gunas, or three forces that interact to give movement to all creation. These forces are sattva, the angelic or upward-tending motion; rajas, the worldly or outward-tending motion; and tamas, the demonic or downward-tending motion. These three are not necessarily as spiritually exotic as they sound; rather, they can be thought of as three ways to move within the manifested world. Through them, every act and interactive scenario becomes possible.

It will not have failed the attentive reader that the progress from the unmanifest to manifestation took a course familiar to every grade-school student: that of the ascending numbers. From zero (0) we get One (1)—the eternal and infinite Godhead; from One we get two (2)—the male and female eternal creative principles; from two we get three (3)—the three gunas, or three forces that interact to move the created world. This ascent is the foundation of Hindu metaphysics.

Along with these, you need one more concept: that of the Self, or Atman. God—or Brahman—exists outside of creation and independent of it. Creation is limited and finite; Brahman is eternal and infinite. Brahman is the eternal and infinite Godhead; Brahman is the One. And yet, there is a personal equivalent of Brahman—this is the Atman, or personal manifestation of God in the soul. And here we encounter our second paradox. Atman is the same as Brahman. Brahman is the Creator, Atman is the living soul—and yet they are the same. That is to say, God is indivisible. The same infinite God (Brahman) lives inside the heart of every person as the Self (Atman).

To become immanent, Brahman makes use of the divine power of manifestation known as Maya. Maya is both positive and negative. Maya is synonymous with “illusion.” To express the eternal and infinite in a finite form, the divine power of illusion is necessary. Maya is positive because it makes our illusory world possible; Maya is negative because it imprisons our eternal Self within that finite world. To review: Maya is the divine power of manifestation; and Maya is also the illusory prison of the manifested world. Above all, Maya is illusion. It makes the manifested world possible; but it also underlies the world's ultimate lack of reality.

Let’s look at a few quotes from Chapter 2. On the eternal Self:

2:11-12
You speak sincerely, but your sorrow has no cause. The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead. There has never been a time when you and I and the kings gathered here have not existed, nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist.

2:19-20
One believes he is the slayer, another believes he is the slain. Both are ignorant; there is neither slayer nor slain. You were never born; you will never die. You have never changed; you can never change. Unborn, eternal, immutable, immemorial, you do not die when the body dies.

2:40
On this path effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear.

The Path of Selfless Service

Sri Krishna lays out several paths for the seeker of spiritual fulfillment to follow.

Asked by Arjuna to lay out just one path for the spiritual aspirant to follow, Sri Krishna describes karma yoga, or the path of “knowledge through action.”

To follow this path, the practitioner continues working in the world, but changes the scope and purpose of that work. There are two ways to look at what that scope is. From a spiritual perspective, the goal is to rise above the causes of action and reaction—or the way the average person lives. To stop worrying about your well-being day-to-day is to free up an enormous amount of energy to focus on the spiritual life. In fact, it can be said that Sri Krishna picks this as the one path, if he had to choose one, because it is the first step on the spiritual path—or the one that the greatest number of people have yet to take. By picking this one step, "Sri Krishna" is betting that it’s the one most readers will need.

From a day-to-day perspective, the goal of work becomes the welfare of others, the greater good. For this reason, karma yoga is also known as the path of selfless service. The spiritual exercise of working for the good of others dissolves ego boundaries and prepares the practicant for spiritual experience. Sri Krishna also promises that following the path of selfless service can, in itself, bring you all the way to the supreme goal.

Let’s look at a few particularly inspirational passages from Chapter 3:

3:15-16
Every selfless act, Arjuna, is born from Brahman, the eternal, infinite Godhead. Brahman is present in every act of service. All life turns on this law, oh Arjuna. Those who violate it, indulging the senses for their own pleasure and ignoring the needs of others, have wasted their life.

3:25
The ignorant work for their own profit, Arjuna; the wise work for the welfare of the world, without thought of themselves.

3:35
It is better to strive in one’s own work than to succeed in the work of another. Nothing is ever lost in following one’s own work, but competition in another’s work breeds fear and insecurity.

3:10
At the beginning, mankind and the obligation of selfless service were created together. Through selfless service, you will always be fruitful and find the fulfillment of your desires—this is the promise of the Creator.

3:17-18
Those who realize the Self are always satisfied. Having found the source of joy and fulfillment, they no longer seek happiness from the external world. They have nothing to gain by any action; neither people nor things can affect their security.

The Royal Path

In Chapter 9 of the Gita a profound secret is revealed. That secret is called the Royal Path that anyone can follow to reach the ultimate goal. That is Sri Krishna’s promise. Let’s take a look at some passages:

9:2
This royal knowledge, this royal secret, is the greatest purifier. Righteous and imperishable, it is a joy to practice and can be experienced directly.

Here Sri Krishna continues with the theme from the previous chapter, that the universe is subject to an infinite cycle of creation and destruction. Manifestation is brought forward, it persists for a time, and then it’s dissolved again. The only way to escape this cycle is to look beyond manifestation to the unmanifested nature of God; then, by merging yourself with that nature—your true nature, your very Self—you can escape the cycle of death and rebirth.

8:21
Those who realize life’s supreme goal know that I am unmanifested and unchanging. Having come home to me, they never return to separate existence.

This unmanifested nature is beyond form and beyond even the formless. It is beyond Puruja and Prakriti, which work together to give form to creation. If Puruja and Prakriti are two (2), and the eternal Godhead is One (1), then God’s unmanifested nature, zero (0), is unnameable and unknowable. This is what Meister Eckhart, Dominican monk and mystic of the Middle Ages, called “God beyond God.”

The question is, how do we reach this unmanifested nature, this God beyond God? This is where the Gita excels in laying out a practical path to reach that goal. The answer is, we must first work our way back to the One. After loosening our attachment to selfish desire through the practice of karma yoga, we can now use the practice of jnana yoga—or the path of spiritual wisdom.

This practice of unification is performed through meditation—or training the mind to dissolve itself. The mind—or ego—is fearful for its own existence, so the more you can prepare it for the experience of its own unreality—for the experience of its own death—the easier it will go at the moment of the sacrifice.

This sacrifice, called adhiyajna, is the Ego surrendering to the Self or Atman—no longer caring for its own safety, no longer defending itself, no longer protecting its boundaries. It simply surrenders to the greater power. That surrender, that placing of complete trust in the higher Self, can only be an act of love. But God doesn’t require it—it can be delayed ad infinitum; therefore it’s a choice.

It's really a question of identification: a person can choose to identify either with his mortal ego or with his immortal Self, which is the same as Brahman. As habit reinforces identity, so practicing each of these choices will lead to a stronger identification over time. So it is that the worldly and materialistic person has a very hard time believing in the divine, doesn't see its influence anywhere, and has to demand proofs in order to start believing. And so it is that the detached and calm person, having stilled his mind and overcome his ambition, sees the divine everywhere, and sees the materialist's struggle as a self-propagating illusion.

Some of the most inspirational passages in the Gita come from Chapter 9, from that description of jnana yoga which unifies the mind. Let’s take a look:

9:13
Truly great souls seek my divine nature. They worship me with a one-pointed mind, having realized that I am the eternal source of all.

9:16
I am the ritual and the sacrifice; I am the offering and the fire which consumes it, and he to whom it is offered.

9:17
I am the father and mother of this universe, and its grandfather too; I am its entire support.

9:18
I am the goal of life; I am the only refuge, the one true friend; I am the beginning, the staying, and the end of creation; I am the womb and the eternal seed.

9:19
I am immortality and I am death; I am what is and what is not.

9:20
Those who worship me and meditate on me constantly, without any other thought, I will provide for all their needs.

9:21
Those who worship other gods with faith and devotion also worship me. I am the object of all worship, its enjoyer and Lord.

And here we come to the heart of the Gita, its gift to everyone who approaches it:

9:26-27
Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart—a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water—I partake of that love offering. Whatever you do, make it an offering to me—the food you eat, the sacrifices you make, the help you give, even your suffering. In this way you will be freed from bondage.

Live your life not for yourself but for God. Treat your experiences not as good or bad, but as interactions with God. Remaining unattached to laziness or pleasure or success, you will be free to experience the universe as a coherent whole held together by God’s love. That experience is the unitive state.

After that, loving God is all that’s needed to break free from the cycle of death and rebirth. That is Sri Krishna’s promise: “All those who take refuge in me, whatever their birth, sex, race, or caste, will attain the supreme goal” (9:32); and again: “No one who is devoted to me will ever come to harm” (9:31); and again, remarkably like the famous passage in the New Testament that says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17), the Gita reiterates: “Those who worship the gods go to the gods; but my devotees come to me.” (7:23) This third way is called bhakti yoga—or the path of devotion.