Dynamic Symbols II
The Vortex and the Path to Liberation

Part 6

Indra's Net and the Worldwide Web

Fractal Image: Indra's Net

T he picture above depicts the fourth ray, in yellow, galvanizing the etheric body of some entity into a vortical and funnel formation. This dynamic could equally apply to all the rays. The bright point at the center of the vortex is the point where spiritual impulse or life is invoked from the next higher plane or dimension and is drilling its way through any obstructions from those forces that are composed of heavier atoms or more inert devic and elemental lives.

The lesser points of light or the jewels in the net of Indra are the junction of where energies meet, fuse, or cross-over and have begun to rotate into the familiar vortex design. Within any given organism there will be minor and major vortices that, however difficult to envision by the lower mind, are seamlessly connected together.

In the above picture what we are attempting to do here is like skinning an apple and laying the peals horizontally down on a flat table, and from this limited perspective trying to imagine what the apple looked like in its original organic and spherical form, when in fact it has not yet actually been seen. This is also the rationale for why we must rely on multi-dimensional animations to grasp the illusiveness and the livingness of these inner forces.

Click to see larger image.

Triangles have the potential to become a vortex of light when all of their points are connected into one free-flowing dynamic rotating at high speed. The spread of a lighted grid of electrical circuitry on the physical plane is a dim but growing reflection of that same process that is taking place on higher levels within the etheric body of the Planetary Logos. The internet and high-speed communication highway also fall under this category and reflect on lower levels the integration of a lighted grid of connectivity through which our Planetary Logos is attempting to be in touch or communicate with all of His constituent parts.

The internet is a growing reflection of the etheric body of the Logos and has an even higher correspondence in the lighted threads woven by all of humanity into one common bond or integrated grid found on the high mental plane. These lighted threads are redemptive in nature and are a component part of the group antahkarana through which all humanity is fused or woven.

Because of the often superficial and commercial use of the information highway or internet it may be difficult to imagine its more advanced and esoteric purpose in the far distant future. The idea of a net or grid of saving force surrounding and interpenetrating all things is reflected in the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism regarding the net of Indra. We are told by DK that Indra is the Lord of the buddhic or intuitional plane, and "As time progresses Indra will swing in control and the age of air will be ushered in." (WM:390) We are also told that Indra's higher source is the cosmic mental plane. (CF:493)

This concept of a living net or grid of saving force is clearly elaborated online in the following articles which summarize some of the resonances of the idea:

The following is from http://www.heartspace.org/misc/IndraNet.html:

FAR AWAY IN THE HEAVENLY ABODE OF THE GREAT GOD INDRA, THERE IS A WONDERFUL NET WHICH HAS BEEN HUNG BY SOME CUNNING ARTIFICER IN SUCH A MANNER THAT IT STRETCHES OUT INDEFINITELY IN ALL DIRECTIONS. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EXTRAVAGANT TASTES OF DEITIES, THE ARTIFICER HAS HUNG A SINGLE GLITTERING JEWEL AT THE NET'S EVERY NODE, AND SINCE THE NET ITSELF IS INFINITE IN DIMENSION, THE JEWELS ARE INFINITE IN NUMBER. THERE HANG THE JEWELS, GLITTERING LIKE STARS OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE, A WONDERFUL SIGHT TO BEHOLD. IF WE NOW ARBITRARILY SELECT ONE OF THESE JEWELS FOR INSPECTION AND LOOK CLOSELY AT IT, WE WILL DISCOVER THAT IN ITS POLISHED SURFACE THERE ARE REFLECTED ALL THE OTHER JEWELS IN THE NET, INFINITE IN NUMBER. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT EACH OF THE JEWELS REFLECTED IN THIS ONE JEWEL IS ALSO REFLECTING ALL THE OTHER JEWELS, SO THAT THE PROCESS OF REFLECTION IS INFINITE.

THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA, FRANCIS H. COOK: HUA-YEN BUDDHISM : THE JEWEL NET OF INDRA 1977

There are several aspects of Indra's Net, as described in the above quote, that signify it as a crystal clear allegory of reality:

1. The Holographic Nature of the Universe
   Long before the existence of the hologram, the jeweled net is an excellent description of the special characteristic of holograms: that every point of the hologram contains information regarding all other points. This reflective nature of the jewels is an obvious reference to this. This kind of analogy has been suggested by science as a theory for an essential characteristic of the cosmos, as well as as the functioning of the human brain, as beautifully described in The Holograpic Universe by Michael Talbot.


2. The Interconnectedness of All Things
   When any jewel in the net is touched, all other jewels in the node are affected. This speaks to the hidden interconnectedness and interdependency of everything and everyone in the universe, and has an indirect reference to the concept of "Dependent Origination" in Buddhism. Additionally, Indra's Net is a definitive ancient correlate of Bell's Theorum, or the theory of non-local causes.


3. Lack of a Substantive Self
   Each node, representing an individual, simply reflects the qualities of all other nodes, inferring the notion of 'not-self' or a lack of a solid and real inherent self, as seen in the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism and Buddhism in general.


4. Non-locality
   Indra's Net shoots holes in the assumption or imputation of a solid and fixed universe 'out there'. The capacity of one jewel to reflect the light of another jewel from the other edge of infinity is something that is difficult for the linear mind, rational mind to comprehend. The fact that all nodes are simply reflections indicates that there is no particular single source point from where it all arises.


5. Innate Wisdom
   The ability to reflect the entirety of all light in the universe attests to the inherent transcendant wisdom that is at the core of all nodes, representing all sentient beings, and to the inherent Buddha Nature.


6. Illusion or Maya
   The fact that all nodes are simply a reflection of all others implies the illusory nature of all appearances. Appearances are thus not reality but a reflection of reality.


7. Universal Creativity
   A familiar concept in various high dharmas is one of an impersonal creative intelligence that springs forth into reality through the instruments of all living beings.


8. The Mirror-like Nature of Mind
   The capacity to reflect all things attests to the mind being a mirror of reality, not its basis. This is a common thesis among various schools and religions.

Stephen Mitchell, in his book The Enlightened Mind, wrote:
"The Net of Indra is a profound and subtle metaphor for the structure of reality. Imagine a vast net; at each crossing point there is a jewel; each jewel is perfectly clear and reflects all the other jewels in the net, the way two mirrors placed opposite each other will reflect an image ad infinitum. The jewel in this metaphor stands for an individual being, or an individual consciousness, or a cell or an atom. Every jewel is intimately connected with all other jewels in the universe, and a change in one jewel means a change, however slight, in every other jewel."

As one of the West's preeminent philosophers defined human interaction: "The [people] are the primary units of the actual community, and the community is composed of the units. But each unit has in its nature a reference to every other member of the community, so that each other member of the community, so that each unit is a microcosm representing in itself the entire all-inclusive universe."

--Lecture: "Body and Spirit" 1926, Alfred North Whitehead

The following is from: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2009/04/net-of-indra.html

The metaphor of Indra's Jeweled Net is attributed to an ancient Buddhist named Tu-Shun (557-640 B.C.E.) who asks us to envision a vast net that:

• At each juncture there lies a jewel.
• Each jewel reflects all the other jewels in this cosmic matrix.
• Every jewel represents an individual life form, atom, cell or unit of consciousness.
• Each jewel, in turn, is intrinsically and intimately connected to all the others.
• Thus, a change in one gem is reflected in all the others.

This last aspect of the jeweled net is explored in a question/answer dialog of teacher and student in the Avatamsaka Sutra. In answer to the question: "how can all these jewels be considered one jewel?" it is replied: "If you don't believe that one jewel...is all the jewels...just put a dot on the jewel [in question]. When one jewel is dotted, there are dots on all the jewels...Since there are dots on all the jewels...We know that all the jewels are one jewel"

The moral of Indra's net is that the compassionate and the constructive interventions a person makes or does can produce a ripple effect of beneficial action that will reverberate throughout the universe or until it plays out. By the same token you cannot damage one strand of the web without damaging the others or setting off a cascade effect of destruction.

A good explanation of the Hindu/Buddhist myth of Indra's net can be found in The Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra:
"...particles are dynamically composed of one another in a self-consistent way, and in that sense can be said to 'contain' one another. In Mahayana Buddhism, a very similar notion is applied to the whole universe. This cosmic network of interpenetrating things is illustrated in the Avatamsaka Sutra by the metaphor of Indra's net, a vast network of precious gems hanging over the palace of the god Indra."

In the words of Sir Charles Eliot:
"In the Heaven of Indra, there is said to be a network of pearls, so arranged that if you look at one you see all the others reflected in it. In the same way each object in the world is not merely itself but involves every other object and in fact IS everything else. In every particle of dust, there are present Buddhas without number."

The similarity of this image to the Hadron Bootstrap is indeed striking. The metaphor of Indra's net may justly be called the first bootstrap model, created by the Eastern sages some 2,500 years before the beginning of particle physics.

The net of Indra and the internet may appear to be great distances apart, one being the esoteric expression of the fourth ray, the other a more exoteric expression of the seventh ray, but there are many similarities that should be noted and studied. We have been told by the Tibetan that when the seventh and the fourth rays come into incarnation together we will have a great period of light-bearing. Although the fourth ray is not scheduled to cycle in until after 2025, it must be kept in mind that even though our solar system embodies the second ray of love-wisdom, our Solar Logos is of the fourth order. When His mental comprehension is complete He will attempt to polarize Himself on the Cosmic Buddhic Plane. Since it is also the soul ray of humanity, it is always influencing the fourth kingdom. In the near future we may look for an expression of world salvage or a cultural renaissance to be coming in along this ray line.

Click to see larger image.
"Indra's Net"
Posted online by Richard S. Ellis
Artwork © Gail Atkins

The Evolution of Communication

"Under the evolutionary urge, we have had the creative Sound, the Word, Speech. The latter, in its turn, has been differentiated into words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, books, until we now have the era wherein this differentiation is at its height. Yet there are a few true creators who are endeavoring to make their sound heard, to speak those mystical words which will enable humanity to see the vision. Thus will be dispersed eventually the clouds of thought-forms which at this time shut out the clear light of God." (WM:477)

What are some of the potential long term effects on humanity and the planet caused by the development of the internet and new modes of communication?

1. To reveal what is hidden and to bring to light slowly the purpose and plans of Deity.

   The impact of Shamballa in 1975 and 2000 facilitated this process and work. Why was it prophesized by DK that after 1975 there would be a revelation given out via the radio? Perhaps this was stated for a number of important reasons not the least of which is the fact that at the time the Bailey books were written the radio was the most affordable and expanded source for the dissemination of information in the world.

   We may look for an even greater opportunity to spread the ageless wisdom via the internet and the new modes of communication which are emerging. The third phase of the Tibetan's work, which he said would emerge early in this century, may have more to do with how knowledge is disseminated and communicated rather then what is communicated. If the thrust of all the Tibetan's works is to awaken the higher mind, the intuition, and the will, then all three of these areas may be stimulated in new and creative ways via the multi-dimensional electronic environment. If we know one picture is worth a thousand words, what then shall we say of the current opportunity made available through modern audio-visual techniques where advanced concepts, symbols, and ideas can be set into motion and animated.

   When DK refers to the dissemination of the next phase of the occult teachings, is he referring to simply more written texts and additional occult minutiae, which were so important in past cycles of mental development, or could he be referring to something entirely new? If the correct compilations and arrangements of information of what the Tibetan has already given out in his many works are not fully understood or acted upon, how could we profit from simply more additional occult facts or truly understand the nature of something "new"?

   
   Click to see larger image.

   What has already been given must be synthesized and put into its correct revelatory order. In fact, this may be a part of the greater problem in our attempts to try and elevate ourselves into more abstract spiritual realms. We may already be awash with too much information we do not know how to correctly use. Many students are waiting for the precipitation of new revelations when these revelations may already be arriving in ways not easily discerned by those polarized in their personalities. Only those of initiate understanding will see the paradox of this situation. The rest will simply continue to interpret what they think is new through the traditional methods.

   If one does not know the correct method for turning the keys to initiation, simply being supplied with more additional keys, however intriguing to the personality, will neither open the door to revelation nor let in new and more dynamic light. HPB has said in the Secret Doctrine that there are seven keys that unlock the mysteries of God and that these keys must be turned seven times, 7x7=49 fires. It relies on us to discover the nature of these fires, and their correct relationship to numbers, colors, sounds, and geometric shapes. And what is the correct correspondence between the microcosm and the macrocosm? It is this line of research and inquiry and how it is applied in meditation that will lead the student through the gates of initiation and into the daylight beyond.

   It has been said by DK that astrology will become the most important of the esoteric sciences. This science includes two other important sciences: the science of triangles and the science of the fiery force centers or laya yoga. Therefore we have included in our analysis of the vortex, vacuum, and toroid, how they relate to the science of triangles and the science of laya yoga.

2. To spread the flow of information so that humanity can begin to develop a common communications network, a common language, or a global brain.

   All advanced telepathic work must first have an etheric foundation or counterpart from which to proceed. This is summed up by J. J. Dewey in his Gathering of Lights, Chapter 20, where he says referring to the internet: "This is indeed a 'wall of fire' (the circulation of the fire of electricity) that removes all walls between cities, states and nations. Through the power of the Internet the whole earth will eventually be a land of cities with no walls, at least as far as communication is concerned." Source: (http://www.freeread.com/archives/947.php)

   There is a direct link from the mental body of humanity and to the growth and development of the etheric body surrounding the planetary sphere with its subsequent grid of emerging triangles. This grid of lighted mental substance is the result of humanity's progress on mental levels over long periods of time. The Tibetan states:

   "Throughout all the past centuries, the creative thread, in one or other of its three aspects, has been slowly woven by the man; of this fact in nature his creative activity during the past two hundred years is an indication, so that today the creative thread is a unity, generally speaking, as regards humanity as a whole and specifically of the individual disciple, and forms a strong closely woven thread upon the mental plane." (R&I:453)

   This closely woven thread across the mental plane is the method whereby humanity with its many individual threads becomes one composite and organic sphere of revelation. Humanity comprises the throat center of the planetary life, and when it has sufficiently progressed out of its materialistic polarization, it will become the true savior of the planet.

3. To assist in the democratization of the planet and the development of a new world civilization and culture that is clearly along spiritual lines.

   There are a number of small and powerful groups of financiers, religious reactionaries, and political demagogues who use the internet and operate on the dark side of the first, third, sixth, and seventh rays; they will attempt to control this idea of a new world civilization and a new world religion for their own selfish and material interests. In time their selfish hold over the distribution of wealth, natural resources, and information will give way to an enlightened public opinion that will demand transparency and accountability from its many different elected officials and public servants as well as private investors. Public service is a word that has largely lost much of its original meaning and inner spiritual inspiration.

   We are currently in the intermediate stages of what in the future will be known as the great media wars of the 21st Century. Those who control the distribution of information via the popular media to a large extent control what people think, hence the need for disciples everywhere to make their voices heard and their spiritual principles and ideals clear. In spite of man's selfish and material propensities, the integration of mass communications, could we but see downstream or comprehend the big picture, is the result of our Planetary Logos attempting to be in touch with all of His constituent parts.

4. To prepare the planet for initiation and the restoration of the Mysteries.

   The long term goal for all triangle and vortex work whether on a personal level or within large groups is to help prepare the planet and humanity for the next divine initiatory experience. Only then will we see an exponential shift from an exoteric planet to a sacred one. When the planet has finally developed sufficient light, radiance and sound it will attract the attention of a higher group of beings that will pour redemptive fire from on high down into the planet. All spheres, be they the tiny atom or the entire planetary system, will eventually go radiatory, a literal bursting apart from their own spiritual light within. The Tibetan describes this monumental moment in the following way: "The ring-pass-not of the confining spheroidal wall is negated, and a blaze results." (CF:1044)

Click to see larger image.

As we said above, one of the prophecies that the Tibetan gave was that revelatory teachings would be given out via the radio after 1975. It is not a great stretch to assume that the next wave of revelation predicted for 2025 will come via the internet. It is beginning to happen right now. For a further discussion of mass communications and the opportunity they present to the modern disciple, see: Dynamic Symbols 1 I have taken the liberty of synthesizing many of the different comments made by AAB on the use of the radio in the next few paragraphs and the quotes below them. This is an important recognition since the internet is just a more expanded form of mass communication.

DK/AAB clearly saw the opportunity of the NGWS to communicate Christ's message to the masses because of the new and developing advanced communication systems, particularly the radio and the television. What was outlined then, back in the 1930s and 1940s, is even more relevant today. Christ lived and died in relative obscurity, and if he had had access to a wider and more expanded forum, his message of hope, revelation and the inner spiritual worlds could have been more visible and more easily accepted by a greater number of people.

Unless one understands how divinity in its many facets, particularly the seventh ray, is being expressed historically at this time through the many modern developments of communications, electronics and electricity this idea can not be easily understood. In the "Words of Power" section of this commentary we see how sound in its highest aspect can be expressed through a series of interconnecting intermediaries as it descends down through the many rays and planes and finally is expressed outwardly through the spoken word. It must not be forgotten that this unbroken link from the highest levels to the lowest through the medium of sound is one of the greater goals of all occult training.

If higher levels of energy cannot be grounded down onto the etheric/physical plane, they have little value to those members of humanity who are trapped on the form side of life. To keep revelation up on the high mental plane is an incomplete expression of deity. Theosophy is full of what I will call for a lack of better words "mental mystics" who think that because they do not work on the astral plane and are mentally focused they form some kind of elite group of disciples.

The call has gone forth from the gates of Shamballa "let the highest and the lowest meet." It should not be overlooked that a Master of Wisdom in physical incarnation at any time offers a unique and unparalleled opportunity to guide and help lift struggling humanity to the next higher level. Does this idea of a Master or Bodhisattva making an appearance on the physical plane invalidate the time honored traditions of doing the work oneself and not relying on any outside authorities? Or does this anchoring of those of initiate consciousness simply help speed up a process of integration and growth because now there is amongst us those who have done this important and pioneering spiritual work and can help guide us.

The Christ has asked us to "magnify his good works" and to disseminate in whatever ways possible his message of "hope and spiritual expectation" — not the expectation that someone will come and save us simply because we do not have the knowledge or correct techniques to save ourselves, but a spiritual expectation that there lies at the core of every person, every living organism, a sublime truth of love, power and beauty. It is also the anticipation that with the right guidance and direction we too can share in these great revelations.

Because we are taught that the astral plane is an illusion, many students of the ageless wisdom develop the idea that Christ will work only from impersonal and abstract realms. This is an over-simplification that fails to take into consideration, where struggling humanity is polarized, and how someone the stature of the Christ could easily appropriate a highly refined emotional body that is a direct reflection of the higher buddhic and monadic levels for His work. It has been said that the Christ may utilize one of the occultly preserved vestures of Buddha. A few quotes on the importance DK placed on radio and mass communications and their direct relationship to inner spiritual dimensions and the development of telepathic sensitivity are below:

"...television of the minds of the Masters of the Wisdom..."

"This telepathic sensitivity will also lead to the new science of inter-communication which, in the New Age, will reach general use and comprehension. Of this condition, the radio is the outer physical symbol." (DNA1:63)

"The slowly manifesting powers of the radio and the sensitive workings of the perfecting radio mechanisms and of television are but the response in physical matter of the perfected telepathic powers and television of the minds of the Masters of the Wisdom. Forget not, that such powers are inherent in all men." (DNA1:24)

"...the recognition of the non-existence of time..."

"...coming into manifestation of this ray of the magician (black and white), the seventh ray. Hence the rapid growth of the sense of omnipresence and the recognition of the non-existence of time in relation. This has taken place through the discovery and use of the radio and of the many means of communication and through the steady growth of telepathic interplay..." (DN:42)

"Telepathy and inspiration are as dependent upon the individual human etheric body and its relation to the universal ether as is light itself or the radio. They bear witness to this subtler world of spirit and of soul." (SM:148)

A chart by the Tibetan indicating that the higher aspect of the 3rd ray is expressed through mass communications.

Ray I	Higher Expression: Lower Expression:	The science of statesmanship, of government. Modern diplomacy and politics.
Ray II	Higher Expression: Lower Expression:	The process of initiation as taught by the hierarchy of adepts. Religion.
Ray III	Higher Expression:   Lower Expression:	Means of communication or interaction. The radio, telephone, telegraph and the power to travel. The use and spread of money and gold. (EP1:50)

If time is being radically altered through the speed of mass communications, then it is easy to see how space is equally affected from the human standpoint. Space is shrinking as we come to the recognition that we as members of evolving humanity are truly made up of one common body, one common mind and one common spirit. It is also expanding in terms of cosmology and the discovery of the wider universe through modern technology. We must remember HPB's profound statement from the Secret Doctrine that Space is an entity and Time the duration that life has chosen to work out some aspect of its will.

Never before has transformation taken place with such speed and magnitude as is now the case. Radical changes are unfolding in every department of life to the extent that it literally defies the human imagination. It is the author's opinion that even the Hierarchy in their vast wisdom do not always know the extent of man's ability to absorb and assimilate what he has been given. Under the influence of the cyclic inflow of energy and force, a number of modifications may have to be made in adapting the Plan.

The new wave of teachings prophesized by DK may in fact be already recognized by those who have the visionary capacity to be at the forefront of new cycles of Hierarchical activity. Spiritual recognitions and revelations are always potentially present to the true prophets of "Life, Love and Divine Will." In conclusion we must keep in mind that all great discoveries in science, technology, and communications are ever the result of inner pressure emanating from energies and lives found in high places. The seventh ray which is cycling in historically at this time is the least understood and least recognized area of divine expression owing to its normal association with the heavy and more inert aspects of manifestation.

The internet now offers such potential for group interlinks as well as the dissemination of the ageless wisdom teachings in new and creative ways as to be beyond the scope of even some of the most advanced disciples at this time. The idea of freedom and the keynote of democratization of the planet now stand as true and potential possibilities in spite of all the peripheral chaos and confusion. The internet and information highway are truly revolutionary and revelatory in their potential for influencing large groups of people.