1.3.3 lokas

Today I will discuss the relationship between the causal body and the physical body. 

You know, there are three planes in which a living being will exist. The most crudified sheath or plane of existence is the physical realm, the physical body. The next most subtle realm of existence is the mental body or the realm of mind in which is stored memory and thought processes associated with the physical body. In this there are two layers: one is the conscious mind associated with the physical structure and the next is the subconscious mind or the warehouse of thoughts and actions in potentiality. It is in this sphere that the reactive momentum of the psyche is stored.  

Now in the subtle realm there are three layers. This is the causal mind. That is to say the aspects which are the subtle root of manifest expression in the mental and physical spheres. That is why it is termed causal. It is the source of manifestation in the cruder spheres. In this realm there is that which governs memory and the subtler functions of the mind. There is also that upon which the subtle functions are based. In this there is the feeling of individuality, the sense of personal existence, the sentiment of self, individualized self and from this comes the feeling of inner and outer and the sense of autonomous existence. It is the fundamental cause of the development of all of the crudifying levels of mind. So it is the prime cause of manifestation. That is why it is the subtlest layer of individualized existence. From it comes the sense that "My existence must be expressed, manifested. I must do something to express my autonomy." And what is to be expressed? The reactive momenta of mind is what is expressed and for this there must be the vehicle of subtle mind. That is to say the functions of memory, cognition, recognition, all subtle functions, the functions of the sub-conscious mind such as the storage of reactive potential, the roots of actions prior to expression. In this sphere all the mental shadows of the physical world exist. (Note: in this last paragraph, Baba only seems to describe one layer, or does not fully seperate the first two layers. We should get more clarification) 

In the next layer of mind, the crudest layer, mind interfaces with the physical world. It carries forth the desires and movements generated from the sub-conscious mind enhanced in the unconscious and motivated by the causal reflection of doership. Now then, when the conscious mind interacts with the physical world it carries forth the reactions held in potentiality. That is to say the activated desires and passions or repulsions and aversions. Thus the physical body is moved and there is movement in the physical sphere. 

Now, all of these layers are developed in the process of prati-saincara  or the introversial phase of development so the layers of mind are developed from crudest to most subtle. In the more basic creatures, the cruder layers will be present but the more subtle layers will be missing altogether and as the creatures develop in their evolution then more and more the subtler layers of the mind will become more pronounced, they will grow in magnitude. But still the cruder layers will be the strongest and the more subtle will be progressively less developed until the evolution of the living being reaches the human stage where all layers of mind are intact. At this stage the potentiality exists for the subtle layers of mind to become more pronounced and identification of being may become associated with the causal layers of mind rather than the physically associated layers. Thus, in such an individual, there will be diminishment of physical association of mind and association with cognition will be greater. So it is possible in the human sphere to develop the cognitive faculty and awareness of one's own sense of self. When this is fully established, then one may become cognizant of the metaphysical (note, Nirmegha could not hear this word correctly, she heard it as emetalogical or etamorphic, I put in metaphysical....etymological) origin of one's being, that is to say the supreme cognitive faculty.

At this stage, when this awareness, this cognition comes into existence, the human being acquires the potentiality to metamorphose their existence from the mere humanoid realm into the divine realm. This is the birth right of a human being, this potentiality to metamorphose their existence. 

Now, I would say, that this metamorphosis cannot happen without divine assistance. The divine realm must initiate a kind of attracting wave, a momentum which will draw the living being to this outward sphere of their unit existence. This process is called transformation of self. So the little feeling of existence, "I exist", is metamorphosed to the cosmic sense of existence and the little mind gets absorbed in the cosmic lila, the layers of individualized existence are metamorphosed independently into the layers of cosmic mind. So now, there is not simply identification with the kosas and the individualized sense of autonomy. This has been metamorphosed and identification is with the cosmological sense of self. The sphere of one's existence becomes the whole creation and the layers of the cosmic mind become the realm of one's manifestation. The causal mind of a human being is not different from the cosmic mind. It is a kind of mirror image of its cosmic benefactor.  

Now do you have any questions for me?  

Q: If we pass into these higher layers of mind, causal mind and other kosas, and through our intuition we feel moved into certain actions, does it mean that there is some kind of alignment with the cosmic will or is it a connection with our sanskaric sphere? How can we distinguish between cosmic will and our own sanskaras or are they overlapping?  

Very good, very good. This is an important question. If the desire is in alignment with the cosmic will which is influencing the causal kosas and making impact upon the mind at its cruder levels you will notice a certain vibration which will be there. It can be distinguished by this for it will always have an elevating impact to think on it or to do it. Those messages which come from the subconscious mind and the reactive momentum of individualized existence will have a distinct flavor. They will inevitably have some self-important agenda or they will be unfitting acts. You will notice that such acts have a very bad result. So beware of confusing this motivation of the subconscious reactions with cosmic will. They are not the same.  One comment, the seeds are in the next layer. The expression of the seeds or the beginning of the expression rise in the subconscious where it is stored.   

Q: Must the seeds that are stored in the mind find expression or is there a way to resolve these seeds without them finding expression?  

The seeds or reactions of past actions, will of their own course find expression. For example. If a girl is walking from the school and she is abducted by an evil man, there will be a scar in her mind due to this experience. She will want to balance herself. All forces in the universe seek equilibrium. So when the reaction is in one direction it will seek that which will bring it into equilibrium and neutralize its movement. So the girls mind is damaged. She feels she is a victim, perhaps she has done something wrong, perhaps she is guilty, perhaps she is angry, so many reactions come in the mind in an effort to balance the experience. There is, deep within her, a desire for equilibrium. So if she does nothing, the pressure in the mind will grow and over time it will become strong and it will burst out in a violent reaction, expressing all of this suppressed rage. It may be in this life, in next life or in another life still, but it will come out until it is neutralized. So let us say the girl feels that she is victimized. Then she will carry this feeling and so many things will happen in her life to express this sentiment until one day she will be so victimized that the sentiment has gotten full expression and the desire to counterbalance it produces an opposite reaction and she will perhaps become very aggressive, perhaps victimizing others to balance this feeling with a sense of power. So the reactions of the mind go on endlessly. The victim becomes the victimizer, becomes the victim, etc. always trying to find equipoise, to find balance, to neutralize reactive momenta.  

But there are other means to neutralize these reactions. For when consciousness grows in magnitude through intuitional practice, those aspects of mind which are unaffected by reactive momentum become enhanced, cognitive faculty increases. Thus the awareness of one's witnesship of physical and mental existence becomes dominant and identification with this witnesship, not with the reactive momenta, frees consciousness from the engagement with those reactions. When identification with this witnessing cognition grows in magnitude, while identification with physical and mental reactions decreases, consciousness is steadily disengaged from its involvement with physical and mental action and reaction while it is simultaneously engaged in identification with the cognitive faculty or the underlying cognitive principle upon which all manifestation is built. Thus the consciousness is liberated from its imprisonment in action and reaction. It is the only solution. There is no other one. It has to do with disengagement of cognition from the reactive momentum. Alright?  

Alright, I think we have begun our discussion of the layers of unit mind.