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Saturday, December 22, 2012

The Inner Journey of the Soul back to its Origin, by George Arnsby Jones -- Booklet


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The Inner Journey of the Soul 
back to its Origin, by George Arnsby Jones

             

       THE PATH THROUGH THE ASTRAL REALMS
                                
                                    by
                
                 George Arnsby Jones, Litt. D., Ph. D.
   

             This is part one of a four-part essay which
             appeared in Sat Sandesh magazine in 1975-76, on
             the Inner Journey of the Soul back to its Origin.
             Dr. Jones was initiated by Sant Kirpal Singh Ji
             in 1955 into the Path of Surat Shabd Yoga. He
             had a distinguished academic career and published
             seven books; he was chosen by Kirpal Singh to tell
             the story of His Second World Tour in 1963-64,
             which he did in the book "The Harvest is Rich."
             He just recently passed on, to the Inner Realms.
             ------------------------------------------------


     According to the teachings of the mystic adepts, there are
seven cosmic islands and nine immense divisions in our universe of
universes.  These divisions, "Mansions in the Father's House," may
be conveniently divided into four Grand Divisions of the cosmic
scheme of creation: 1. The purely spiritual region; 2. The spirito-
material region; 3. The materio-spiritual region; 4. The material
region.
                
   The mystic adepts inform us that the exploration of the inner 
realms (consisting of the first three Grand Divisions) is the heritage 
of each soul, and if we do not go within and traverse these regions the 
fault is ours.  

   Kabir, the poet-saint of India, probably described these regions 
most completely in his writings, but they have also been described by 
Guru Nanak, the first guru of the Sikh religion, Swami Ji and Baba 
Jaimal Singh Ji, two supreme mystic adepts of the nineteenth century, 
and, in the present century, by Baba Sawan Singh Ji and his spiritual 
successor, Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj.
  
   The third and lowest inner region, the materio-spiritual region, 
is the nearest Grand Division to that of the physical universe. The 
central power-source of this materio-spiritual region is known in the
oriental terminology as Sahans dal Kanwal (Lotus of a Thousand Petals), 
and it is from this power-source that the entire physical universe 
derives its motor energies. This third materio-spiritual region is 
also known as the "astral plane" in western occult literature and in 
theosophical writings. The time-scale in the astral region is shorter 
than that in the second spirito-material region, but it is in the 
Astral realms still much longer than that in the physical universe.

   The astral realm, up to and including the region of "universal mind,"
goes into dissolution at the end of a lesser cosmic life-cycle, which 
lasts for many millions of years. The "heavens" of most of the world 
religions are located in this region. Here can be found the Heaven of 
Christianity, the Paradise of Islam, and the Swargas of Hinduism.
These "heavens" are very beautiful, but they themselves are subject 
to eventual dissolution.
   
   The commencement of the mystical Path of Love, the way of return to 
our true home, takes place in the fourth and lowest division of creation, 
which comprises the entirety of our physical universe: all the planets, 
suns, stars, solar systems,  galaxies and cosmic schemes known and 
unknown to modern astronomy. Matter in our physical universe is in its 
most coarse, most dense form, with a very limited admixture of spirit 
substance, just enough to vivify matter and maintain life. The physical 
structure of our universe is the lowest projection of a cosmic idea 
channeled through the medium of "universal mind." The entire physical 
universe, with its millions of galaxies, separated by immeasurable
numbers of light-years, is as a speck of dust in comparison with the 
inner realms beyond it.
   
   The beginning of the mystical Path of Love takes place within the 
human consciousness, when the aspirant has focused his attention at 
the third-eye center, between and behind the two eye-brows. The third 
eye possesses its own illumination, being vivified by the light of the 
soul, and thus is not dependent upon external forms of light as our 
physical eyes are. Through the grace of a mystic adept the aspirant 
has been given a simple technique to transcend body-consciousness and 
to rise into the inner realms. First, he closes his outer eyes and 
sees with the inner third eye. He also closes his outer ears and hears 
with the inner spiritual ear. When these things are achieved, the 
current of consciousness throughout the body will withdraw and become 
concentrated at the third-eye center. The body itself will become
senseless, but the aspirant's awareness of his soul, his true self, 
will thereby be heightened. This is the initial stage of what the 
mystic adepts call turiya pad, the fourth state of existence, which 
is the state of transcendental or super consciousness.
  
   The disciple of the mystic adept has previously been given a 
Simran (repetition practice) of five charged words as the first step 
for rising into the spiritual realms. He collects the entire current 
of consciousness - mind and soul - at the third-eye center, and the 
repetition of the five holy words mentally helps him to achieve the 
required result, and he finds his consciousness withdrawing from the 
physical world. His first view of the astral region may differ on 
occasions. He may behold a magnificent blue eye, a brilliantly 
lighted window, or a blaze of radiance before him. He passes through 
this way of light and sees a colored symmetry, with a bright astral
point of light within its center. The initiate then meditates upon 
this glorious light and soon finds himself impelled into an azure 
blue sky that appears to his inner vision as a circular disc or a 
chakra.
  
   Through the loving grace and protection of the mystic adept, the 
devotee may bypass the lower astral levels; although sometimes these 
are revealed to him for his own instruction. The lowest astral level 
is a place of unbridled desires, a true infernal region, where 
unregenerate and bestial people gravitate to after death. In these 
dark and terrible surroundings, evil entities reap the harvest of  
their wicked deeds on earth.
  
   This is not the "eternal hell" of the scriptures [no "hell" is
ever eternal, according to the Masters], but a place of correction 
and eventual release. There are other levels, gradually improving in 
environment, on this lower astral plane; some are extremely pleasant, 
with wonderful scenery and "inns of rest" for ordinary people who are 
awaiting reincarnation upon earth.
      
   The aspirant, having quickly transcended these lower levels, finds 
himself travelling through a truly "astral" region, studded with stars 
and glowing suns. He hears the Sound Current as an unending melody and, 
ascending through the stellar sky, he passes through a Sun and Moon, 
which appear to dissolve or shatter as he passes through them. These
stellar bodies are not like the physical stars, planets and satellites 
with which we are familiar in our physical universe, but spheres that 
are far more luminous and refulgent than our physical luminaries. 
The aspirant now hears the melody of a celestial bell and becomes
absorbed in its sonorous tones; then he hears the melody of a conch 
and becomes saturated with its music.
      
   As he progresses onwards and upwards the aspiring soul becomes 
increasingly aware of the Sound Current, or Audible Life Stream, the 
unstruck and unfathomable Word that underpins all creation from the 
realm of pure spirit to the plane of matter. As the river of life 
this "God-in-expression" power exists in a fluid state, altering its 
tonal nature from level to level, yet always remaining the same in 
its primal essence. The practice of linking with this ineffable Word 
is a prerequisite of ascending the mystical Path of Love, as Guru 
Nanak has stated:
         

                By practice of the Word, one speeds
                  on to the Higher Spiritual Planes
                  unhindered;
                By practice of the Word, one gets
                  into the spiritual planes openly
                  and honorably;
                By practice of the Ward, one escapes 
                  the bypaths of Yama, the king of Death;
                By practice of the Word, one gets in
                  close touch with the Truth.
                O, great is the Power of the Word,
                But few there be that know it.
                                      
                                      THE JAP JI
         
   
   As the aspirant ascends further into the astral realms he is 
confronted by three paths. The path on the left hand side is a dark 
forbidding region, where strange rishis, yogis and adepts of a lower 
order abound. This left-hand path is the abode of Kal, the Negative 
Power, lord of the realms of mind and matter. Kal is also known as 
Brahm in some of the oriental teachings, and he is the ruler of the 
Fourth Division and lower levels of the Third Division of creation.
        
   However, while Kal has dominion over the lower levels of creation,  
he  still works under the divine laws of the Supreme Lord Himself. 
Modern theosophy and other mystical schools of the present day affirm 
that there is an "inner government" of the world, and that its primary 
task is to control the stream of evolutionary influence among all 
races and nations, while also serving the cause of world betterment. 
This occult government comes under the jurisdiction of Kal.
  
   The term Kal literally means "time " and Kal thus comprises within 
his being the past, the present and future, as commonly  understood by  
human  beings.  However, it is impossible to fix a cosmic date for the 
origin of Kal, or to predict when he will come to an end. Beginnings  
and endings are unreal concepts, created by man's outgoing senses, 
which see an apparent commencement and an apparent termination to 
everything that transpires in his environment.  From a viewpoint of 
higher awareness, that which can be seen as the beginning of an event 
in the physical world has previously been occurring invisibly as an 
idea in the mental-astral realms; and beyond these realms are regions 
which transcend time (or Kal) itself. Nevertheless, it may be said 
that the "duration" of Kal extends from one major cycle to another, 
during which the composite universe of mind and matter remains in its 
manifest form until its dissolution.
  
   It is the primary duty of Kal, as the Negative Power of creation,  
to bind humanity to the Wheel of Birth and Death, and mankind's long  
upward struggle against the force of the Negative Power is designed by 
the Supreme Lord to purge us of our sins and impurities and to make us 
ready for our journey to our True Home, the Abode of all love and all 
bliss. Once man's evolution through the Wheel of Rebirth is achieved, 
his work in the physical universe should be completed; but the 
downward flowing pull of the Negative holds the soul of man in material 
thraldom.
  
   Kal is the author of the laws of nature, which all must obey while 
living in physical incarnation. As the creator of the lower worlds, he 
is known as "God" to most of the social religions. He is served 
faithfully by the hierarchical agents of the lower mental, the astral 
and the physical levels of life. Only the mystic adepts and their 
disciples know of a higher God than Kal, and yet the Negative Power is  
worshiped by millions as the supreme Lord of creation. In comparison 
with the perfection of the true Supreme Lord of Love (known as Sat 
Purusha in the oriental terminology) Kal is only a subordinate in the 
hierarchy of the cosmic universe, and as such a subordinate he is not 
entirely free from imperfections. However, compared with the majority
of mankind, Kal is an exalted being, an embodiment of light, wisdom 
and power.
  
   The hierarchical representatives of Kal, known in the East as 
"incarnations of Brahm," are the avatars and prophets, whose mission it 
is to incarnate themselves in every age in order to root out 
unrighteousness and evil, to protect the good and punish the evil doers, 
and to establish  righteousness in the world. These incarnations thus 
bring the promise of redemption to the righteous; but such redemption 
is still bound by the time-scale of the lower worlds and thus is not 
lasting. The current of Kal, or "time," is endless in its course for 
humanity, but souls with the help of a mystic adept of the highest 
order may transcend time and space and ascend into the timeless realm 
of the Supreme Lord of Love. Such a mystic adept is not part of Kal's 
inner government, although he has a deference for all who play their
roles in the ordering of creation. But the mystic adept is an emissary 
from the Supreme Lord, and is commissioned to save  souls and  escort  
them to their True Home.
  
   The inner domain of Kal, then, is the left-hand path of three paths 
that the aspirant beholds on his upward journey through the astral 
realms. In this domain, thousands upon thousands of holy men, enthralled 
by the wiles and blandishments of the Negative Power, are to be found 
absorbed in deep meditation. Embodiments of lower spiritual powers,
known in the oriental terminology as riddhis and siddhis (miraculous 
powers), are the guardians of this left-hand region. These embodiments 
are concrete and visible and are endowed with advanced consciousness. 
Standing as implacable sentinels of these regions, in order to obstruct 
the further ascent of the soul, they will offer the aspirant great 
knowledge and psychic power; but they cannot stand before the Simran of
the five holy names, given by the mystic adept, and they will dissolve 
before the uttering of these names.
  
   People who have wandered into these astral regions without the 
guidance of a competent mystic adept have often been grossly misled by  
these supernatural powers; and many of the occult cults that have 
mushroomed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries derive their 
inspiration from the riddhis and siddhis. There are also millions of 
prophets, of greater and lesser degrees, together with incarnations of 
minor deities and spiritual hermits, who are stranded in these regions.  
Until they are  released from the bondage of Kal by a mystic adept of
the highest order, they will be unable to proceed to the regions of 
pure spirituality. No soul who has traveled this way without the 
assistance of a mystic adept has ever reached the spiritual planes of
pure love, which  are far beyond the materio-spiritual planes. However,  
for the aspirant who has been initiated by a competent mystic adept, 
the way of ascent lies free of any obstruction.
  
   The path on the right, facing the aspirant, provides ingress to far 
higher universes; but the true high road of the mystic adepts is the 
central path, an immeasurable luminous way which leads ultimately to 
the realm of the Supreme Lord. The aspirant ascends this bright way 
until he eventually arrives at the region of the Bankanal, which is 
the vestibule of the mental or causal regions. It is at the high level 
of Sahans dal Kanwal, in the upper regions of the astral realm, that 
the aspirant beholds the radiant spiritual form of the mystic adept,
and this is his first inner revelation as to the true nature of his 
spiritual guide, whom he has hitherto only seen in the covering of a 
physical body.
  
   Tulsi Sahib, a mystic adept of the highest degree, declared that in 
the inner realms: "Blinding light flashed forth from the nails of the 
Master's feet and illumines the very soul of the devotee." Maulana 
Rumi spoke of the experience of seeing the luminous form of the mystic 
adept thus: "As the light of the Master dawns in the soul, one gets to 
know the secrets of both worlds." Guru Arjan stated: "The Blessed Form 
of the Master is in my forehead. Whenever I peep within I see Him 
there." And Khawaja Moeen-ud-Din Chisti spoke of this inner contact 
with the mystic adept in these poetic words: "O Master! the sun cannot 
stand the resplendence of Thy face. The moon also has covered herself 
with cloud to escape Thy dazzling light.... In the very Person of the 
Nabi (Prophet), the Light of God has taken up a material form, just as 
the light of the sun does in the body of the moon." The Christian
scriptures have also described the experience of seeing the luminous 
form of the mystic adept in graphic detail:
  
                
                  And I turned to see the Voice that
                  spake with me and found One like
                  unto the Son of Man, clothed with
                  a garment down to the feet and girt
                  about the paps with a golden girdle.
                  His head and hairs were white like
                  wool, as white as snow, and his
                  eyes were a flame of fire. And his
                  feet like unto fine brass, as if they
                  burned in a furnace, and his Voice
                  as the sound of many waters.
                                
                                REVELATION I: I2-I5


   The luminous form of the mystic adept now reveals the highest 
levels of the astral plane to the gaze of the aspirant; and, in the  
company of the mystic adept, the aspirant finds himself in the region 
of Sahans dal Kanwal, the thousand-petaled lotus of cosmic energy,
powerhouse of both the astral and physical universes. Sahans dal 
Kanwal is a glorious pulsating cosmos in itself, and this radiant 
region is illuminated by a central flame of the most intense radiance 
in all the astral realms. Countless melodies and harmonies of ravishing
beauty proceed from this great flame, and those who dwell in this 
region truly believe that they are in the highest heaven. And yet they 
are only on the first step of the great ascending highway of the mystic 
adepts of the holy Shabd, for it is from this plane that the real 
journey of the soul, in the company of the mystic adept, truly 
commences.
  
   On arriving at the region of Sahans dal Kanwal, the human mind 
awakens to the awareness that it has truly slumbered for countless 
incarnations, and it is now consciously awakened to the reality of 
the higher realms of the inner cosmos. Sahans dal Kanwal is the final 
and highest plane reached by even the most advanced yogis, for the  
life-currents, termed pranas by eastern mystics, which are necessary 
in yogic practice, cannot reach beyond here. This high astral level
is incredibly vast and awe-inspiring, and the holy ones who dwell 
here cannot comprehend that countless more beautiful and far higher 
spiritual realms lie beyond Sahans dal Kanwal. But the disciple of  
a mystic adept must ascend much higher in order to gain true 
spiritual liberation.


THE PATH THROUGH THE CAUSAL REALMS   
                                
                                    by
                
                     George Arnsby Jones, Litt.D., Ph.D.
   

                 This is Part 2 of a four-part essay which 
                appeared in Sat Sandesh magazine in 1975-76, on 
                the Inner Journey of the Soul back to its Origin. 
                ------------------------------------------------
 
     
   When the aspirant ascends beyond Sahansdal Kanwal, the negative 
powers working under the lordship of Kal are at their worst. Kal can 
neither create nor destroy a soul, but he can keep souls trapped in 
the causal, astral and physical realms. He imprisons the souls of men 
with the chains of worldly pleasures, and when a soul aspires to return 
to its True Home, Kal brings his forces to bear in order to prevent the 
soul from ascending. But the Supreme Lord of Love, Sat Purusha, is the 
highest deity of all, and He is the creator of all the universes. The 
perfect mystic adept is His incarnation and can escort the soul safely 
through the regions of Kal.
  
   In the higher astral planes, immediately before he reaches the 
vestibule of the causal planes, the aspirant meets indescribably 
beautiful men and women, and these offer incredible allurements in order 
to prevent the soul from further ascent. However, the protecting Shabd-
power of the mystic adept will render these seductive astral beings 
invisible to the aspirant. No negative power of any kind whatsoever can  
approach the Shabd-radiation given out by a perfect mystic adept. 
Maulana Rumi has spoken of the protecting grace of the mystic adept: "O 
brave Soul! take hold of the garment of One who knows well the various 
planes - physical, mental, supra-mental and beyond - and who is able to 
remain with thee as a true friend, whether in life or in death, in this 
world or in the next."
  
   The aspirant now prepares to take the second stage of the upward 
journey; but before it can enter the causal regions he has to pass 
through an incredibly narrow pathway, a crooked tunnel or curved pipe, 
known as the Bankanal to the oriental mystic adepts.  Kabir has described  
this tunnel to the mental worlds as one-tenth the size of a mustard seed, 
and he likens the mind to the size of an elephant in its striving to 
effect an entrance into this tunnel. Guru Nanak has also described this 
tunnel, comparing it to a passage that is one-tenth the width of a hair. 
Other mystic adepts have compared it to the eye of the finest needle. It 
is impossible for the aspirant to pass through this tunnel without the 
help of a competent mystic adept, but with the help of such a master of 
spirituality the pathway is widened, and the aspirant may then ascend and 
descend without further difficulty.

   Thus the initiate enters the causal realms through the U-shaped tunnel  
of the Bankanal. The way of progress extends straight and level for some 
distance, and then descends suddenly.  After a descending curve the way 
again ascends and the initiate traverses a level pathway which leads to 
a region that has been termed the "seventh heaven" in Sufi literature.
  
   When the initiate has journeyed to the higher end of the Bankanal 
tunnel, his vision and perspective appear to be reversed, and he sees 
everything as if from the opposite side of a veil or mirror that he has 
penetrated. He is now in the second great Division of creation, known as  
Brahmanda (the Egg of Brahm) in the oriental mystical teachings. 
Brahmanda is so called because of its apparently eliptical shape. It 
embraces within its totality both the materio-spiritual and the physical 
universes, but it is far more vast than the combination of both of these. 
In point of fact, the three lower Divisions of the entire cosmic creation 
may be conceived as a totality, with the summit of this region as 
Brahmanda, the spirito-material Division, and the middle section as the 
astral realms, the materio-spiritual Division, and the lowest section as 
the physical universe itself.
        
   The inhabitants of the causal regions are unutterably happy, but they 
are still subject to eventual rebirth into the physical universe after a 
long sojourn in Brahmanda. They are thus not immortal as are the 
liberated souls in the purely spiritual realms, but they do live in an
infinitely vaster time-scale than do the beings in the astral and physical 
universes. Brahmanda is ruled by Maha-Kal, also known as Par-Brahm in the
oriental teachings. Maha-Kal is the higher aspect of Kal and resides in 
the upper and more spiritual regions of Brahmanda, as Kal himself resides  
in the lower and more material regions.  In the lower regions of Brahmanda,  
mental matter is supreme, for it is the plane of mind, and mind itself 
is composed of a subtlized form of matter with a certain admixture of 
spirit.
        
   The aspirant ascends into the lower planes of Brahmanda and finds 
himself in the realm of Universal Mind, known as Trikuti in the oriental 
teachings. This realm of Universal Mind has been erroneously conceived of  
as "God" by many metaphysicians and mystical theologians, but it is still 
only the beginning stage of the second step of the upward journey of the 
mystic adepts and their disciples.  As he ascends through this region of 
Trikuti, the aspirant hears an exalted melody, which resembles a tonal
enunciation of the word "Om." It is a resonant and rumbling sound, 
reminiscent of the thunder of the storm clouds on earth, but with an 
unearthly sweetness  and harmony. In my book, "The Journey of Sounding 
Fire," published in 1956, I referred to the soul's descent into 
incarnation, through the planes of Universal Mind, in the following 
words:

   "Thus I returned to Myalba (earth), through the rumbling planetary 
   pathway, regained the numbing cloak of sentient self's desire, to 
   take  once more my Journey of Sounding Fire."
  
   Trikuti is a plane where the soul can journey through a "rumbling 
planetary pathway," quite literally a pathway through pulsating planets. 
As the soul of the initiate gazes upwards, in the direction of the 
"rumbling planetary pathway," he passes into a region of fortress-like 
buildings, with high towers and turrets. He lingers for a period of time 
in this region, and filled with the attributes of devotion and faith, he 
sees himself as the lord of the  mental planes. The fortress region is 
the storehouse of human karmas, the record of the actions and reactions 
of the past and present. The Law of Karma, the immutable law of cause and  
effect,  governs the entire three-fold creation of the causal, astral
and physical universes.  Each person's individual karmic pattern has 
determined his destiny. The way in which a man has acted during his 
present life, and during past cycles of life, ordains what he is at the 
present time. The karmic law works constantly, for "as a man thinketh in 
his heart, so is he."

   How can man's karmic debts be completed or rendered ineffective, other 
than by the long and apparently endless cycle of birth and rebirth? Part 
of the answer to this question lies in the fortress region of the causal 
worlds; but no one can get there without a competent spiritual guide.  
On the physical levels it seems that as soon as man has atoned for past 
mistakes, he creates new karma for himself, and the just law of action 
and reaction must take its toll. Kal holds the supreme court of judgment 
in the causal, astral and physical universes; he is the Lord of Karma, 
and only one embodiment can be empowered to change certain decrees of Kal, 
for the purpose of liberating a soul from the Wheel of Birth and Death. 
Such an embodiment is the mystic adept of the highest order, known in the 
oriental terminology as a Sant Satguru. Once such a mystic adept has taken 
an aspirant under his protection, that aspirant is freed from bondage to 
Kal, the negative power, and his karmic debts-part of which are dissolved 
at the time of initiation - are subsequently dissolved through the grace 
of the mystic adept.
  
   When, through the grace of the mystic adept, the disciple reaches the 
fortress region of Trikuti, the seeds of his past karmas are eventually 
seared to nothingness, although the soul still retains the stain of much 
impurity garnered through many incarnations. During his stay in the 
fortress-realm, the disciple gazes above the high turrets and sees dark
clouds of great vastness, from which peals of cosmic thunder constantly 
resound. Then, when the purpose of his stay in the fortress-realm has 
been fulfilled, the initiate ascends beyond the black clouds and beholds 
that the entire sphere is a sublime cosmos of vibrant red color, with a 
glorious red sun in the center of the sky, imparting its crimson tones to 
the entire region.
  
   Trikuti, in addition to being the grand storehouse of human karma (a 
vast reserve which has been accumulating for millions of lives), is also 
the region of knowledge. It is within this sphere that the three cosmic 
attributes - harmony, action and inertia - have  their origin, and the 
creation of the astral and physical universes was made possible by their
interplay. These three attributes are personified in the Hindu scriptures 
as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, which are collectively termed Mahadev (Great 
God). Under the glowing red skies of Trikuti, reminiscent of the most 
beautiful dawn that can  be seen  on earth, the radiant form of the 
mystic adept is seen in an even greater glory, and the initiate 
experiences higher impulses of the heavenly Shabd in a manner that 
overshadows all his previous experiences in the astral and physical 
regions.
  
   The initiate sees the cosmic form of a resplendent four-petaled 
lotus, and its predominating red color evolves into exquisite details 
and manifold radiant tones, becoming more and more pronounced as he 
approaches it. He now hears the magnificent sound of a collossal drum, 
beaten incessantly, and its deep tones accompany him on this stage of 
his upward journey. As the initiate progresses onwards, he wheels 
through the profound space of the causal regions, with the melody of 
the drum sounding all about. He now consciously grasps the import of 
the celestial Shabd, the audible life stream, from which primal power 
all creation has come into being. The initiate ascends through a pulsating 
stellar pathway, speeding onwards and upwards, with innumerable suns, 
moons and stars appearing and disappearing. Words are completely 
inadequate to describe this experience, for the disciple now fully 
realizes his complete separation from the universe of materiality and 
from the languages of the physical world.
  
   Rising to the upper regions of the causal realm, the initiate becomes 
intoxicated with the joy and bliss of his newly found freedom. He speeds 
across glowing cosmic mountains and glorious plains.  Below him, he sees 
wondrous gardens where vibrant flowers are arranged in symmetrical 
patterns everywhere, in a symphony of color and sound.  Radiant rivers  
and canals of ethereal "nectar of Brahm" flow abundantly through this 
region, and ultimately the initiate approaches a great ocean of radiance  
and crosses this ocean on a mighty bridge of light. He now sees before 
him the awe-inspiring prominences of Mer, Sumer and Kailash, the 
incredible cosmic mountains from which the region of Trikuti derives its 
name. This level  of consciousness is the ultimate end of spiritual 
attainment, according to the Vedantic teachings of the old rishis (holy 
men), who meditated upon the nature of the cosmic universe from their
snow-capped mountains in the Himalayas. But it is yet only the second 
stage on the mystical Path of Love.
  
   Guru Nanak has described the realm of Brahmanda in the following way:
  
  
                Countless the Fields of Action, 
                  countless the golden mountains,
                And countless the Dhrus (saints) meditating therein.
                Countless the Indras, countless the suns and moons, 
                  and countless the earthly and stellar regions;
                Countless the Siddhas, the Buddhas, the Naths, 
                  and countless the gods and goddesses.
                Countless the Danus (demigods) and the Sages, 
                  and countless the bejeweled oceans.
                Countless the sources of creation,
                  countless the harmonies, countless 
                  those that listen unto them,
                And countless the devotees of the Word,
                Endless and unending, O Nanak! this realm.
                                  
                                                THE JAP JI
 

   This glorious realm, then, is the plane of Universal Mind, through 
which the Supreme Lord has created the cosmic universes. However, the 
Supreme Lord is not that Universal Mind, in spite of statements to the  
contrary made by many modern metaphysicians and mystics. Universal Mind 
is a projection of the Will of the Supreme Lord to manifest part of 
Himself in His creation. Man himself, made in "the image of his Creator," 
also creates through the medium of his own mind, but he is not that mind.
Man is a living soul, a spiritual entity who is the essence of God, and 
on his upward journey the aspiring initiate sees that the human mind is 
still far lower on the ladder of the inner universes than the spiritual 
aspects of the human being, in spite of the mind's wonderful functions  
and creativeness.  Beyond that realm of Universal Mind is that region of
which Christ spoke:  "There is nothing covered, that shall not be 
revealed, and hid that shall not be known." (Matt. 9:26).
  
   The aspirant must remain in this causal region, a realm of unalloyed 
delight, for a period of time, during which his entire karmic burden is 
liquidated in the fortress-like dominion. He is instructed by the mystic 
adept to meditate for a long time in this causal realm, so that his soul  
may be further cleansed of impurities.  When this purification is 
achieved, the mystic adept urges the initiate on to the higher regions 
beyond Brahmanda,  The ascent now must be made to the supercausal realm, 
known as Par-Brahm (beyond Brahm) or Daswan Dwar (the Tenth Gate) to 
the oriental mystics.                        



 THE PATH THROUGH THE SUPER-CAUSAL REALMS   
                                
                                    by
                
                    George Arnsby Jones, Litt.D., Ph.D.

              
              This is part three of a four-part essay which 
              appeared in Sat Sandesh magazine in 1975-76, on 
              the Inner Journey of the Soul back to its Origin. 
              Dr. Jones was initiated by Sant Kirpal Singh Ji 
              in 1955, into the Path of Surat Shabd Yoga. He 
              had a distinguished academic career and published 
              seven books; he was chosen by Kirpal Singh to tell 
              the story of His Second World Tour in 1963-64, 
              which he did in the book "The Harvest is Rich." 
              He just recently passed on to the inner realms.
              ------------------------------------------------


     When the initiate leaves the region of Brahmanda, he traverses a 
great stretch of inner space in order to reach the super-causal realm 
of Daswan Dwar, where the final purification of the aspiring soul must 
take place. In Daswan Dwar all the veils and coverings are lifted from 
the soul, which then shines forth in its pristine splendor. It is in 
this immense region that the soul bathes in the cosmic lake of 
immortality, known in the oriental terminology as Mansarover or 
Amritsar.  Once cleansed of its last impurities, the soul yearns for 
blissful union with the Supreme Lord of Love.  Of this wonderful 
realm, Guru Nanak has written:
  
  
                Next, the Realm of Ecstasy, where
                  the Word is enrapturing;
                Everything created here is marvelously strange 
                  and beyond description;
                Whosoever tries to describe the same
                  must repent his folly.
                Herein the mind, reason and understanding 
                  are etherealized, 
                  the Self comes to its own, and develops 
                  the penetration of the gods and the sages.
                                        
                                               THE JAP JI


   Guru Nanak stated that the spiritual lake of Amritsar was the only 
true place of holy pilgrimage, lying within Hindu, Christian, Muslim,  
Sikh, believer and unbeliever alike. It is a cosmic center of
spirituality, where the questing soul can be shrived of its sins. A 
few world religions have had their inception in the super-causal realm, 
but these are exceptions to the general rule, for most of the social 
faiths have emanated from the causal realm, with Kal or Brahm (under
various names) as their supreme deity.
 
   Mystics and disciples who ascend to this rarified plane, where spirit 
is blended with subtlized matter in varying degrees, are very rare 
indeed.  The entire cosmic region of Daswan Dwar has the configuration 
of an eight-petaled lotus, which is permeated with divine melodies that 
are reminiscent of stringed musical instruments on earth. However, here 
again any comparison or analogy is totally inadequate, for the sounds of 
our physical plane music cannot in any way compare in grandeur to the 
Unstruck Music, the Anahad Shabd, that plays endlessly in this exalted 
realm.
   
   The spiritual lake of Amritsar is also known as Tribeni, the union of 
three rivers of spiritual energy.  These three cosmic streams of love, 
light and power descend from the Supreme Lord to support and sustain the 
universe of universes. This is the true shrine of holiness, where the 
aspiring soul becomes immaculate or immortal after its bath of 
purification.  It has now transcended its causal, astral and physical 
coverings, and has none of the qualities of the three lower regions of 
mind and matter. The immaculate soul, radiant and refulgent, now shines 
with the light of twelve suns.

   It does not have to reincarnate into the lower planes again, unless  
commissioned to do so by the Supreme Lord Himself.  It has tasted the 
nectar of the Unstruck Music and it has a complete insight into the 
true nature of creation.
  
   In the realm of Daswan Dwar, the liberated soul now fully realizes 
that it is of the essence of love, the essence of the Supreme Lord of  
Love Himself.  The soul now truly knows where the Supreme Lord resides, 
and its most sublime desire is for complete union with the Supreme Lord. 
Of this state of consciousness the mystic adepts have stated that no 
one is a true theist unless he has realized this God-essence within 
himself. Until that great realization takes place, the aspirant relies 
on the testimony of saints and sages.  Such testimony has been 
recorded in most of the world scriptures, but the reading of holy 
books - however desirable in many ways - can never give the individual 
a conscious experience and awareness of the Supreme Lord within. 
Referring to outer spiritual practices, and comparing them to inner 
seeking, Guru Nanak has said:
 
 
                Pilgrimages, austerities, mercy, charity 
                  and almsgiving cease to be 
                  of any consequence, when one gets 
                  an ingress into the Til - the Inner Eye;
                Communion with and practice of the Holy Word, 
                  with heart full of devotion, procures 
                  admittance into the Inner Spiritual Realms,  
                  washing away the dirt of sins at the Sacred
                  Fount within.
                                    
                                              THE JAP JI

   When the soul has been bathed in "the Sacred Fount within," the 
lake of Amritsar, it joins the company of other pure souls, known as 
hansas (swans) in esoteric literature, and enjoys the wondrous and 
enchanting beauties of this realm.  Then the soul ascends to the 
higher levels of Daswan Dwar and, at a certain stage, beholds on its 
right the Inconceivable Island Kingdom (the Achint Dip), with its  
glowing configuration of a twelve-petaled lotus; and on its left it
sees the Blissful Region (Sehaj Dip), with its Magnificent 
configuration of a ten-petaled lotus. Then the soul reaches the first 
vestibule of the terrifying Tibar Khand or the Maha Sunna, the region
of darkness.
    
   At the vestibule of the Maha Sunna, the soul is given the most 
esoteric knowledge of creation.  This knowledge may only be imparted 
at this high spiritual level, and it may never be revealed in spoken 
or written words on the lower planes of creation. When the soul has
imbued this knowledge it starts across the great Maha Sunna, which is 
a vast void of unutterable darkness.  In this somber region Maha-Kal,  
the highest form of the Negative Power, has placed a myriad of 
frightening obstacles in the path of the aspiring soul. Only the soul
who has crossed this black void once, with the help of a mystic adept, 
is free to traverse the Maha Sunna at will, from that time onward.

   Countless souls, each shining with the radiance of twelve suns,
dwell within this region, but they are unable to extricate themselves 
from this bondage; for even though the soul has such a great radiance, 
it finds itself overwhelmed by the stygian darkness, and it cannot pass 
through the black void without the benign grace and protection of a 
mystic adept of the highest degree.
    
   Before the soul starts its journey across the Maha Sunna, it is 
apprised of the existence of four secret spiritual regions, which are 
not mentioned in the outer teachings of the mystic adepts. These secret 
regions are the planes of the highest spiritual prisoners, known as the
bandivan in the oriental terminology.  These prisoners are under no 
duress in their own realms, but they cannot travel beyond them. Some of 
them will sometimes see a soul which is ascending in the company of a 
mystic adept, and they will implore that soul to plead their cause, so 
that they too can ascend to the higher spiritual realms. Only the mystic
adept may accede to such a request if he sees fit to do so, for he is an 
indispensable guide to the soul who would make a safe journey through 
the expansive dark void of Maha Sunna and the other secret regions.
  
   Beyond the region of Maha Sunna there are five immense spiritual 
realms, each one of increasing importance as the soul ascends.  The 
lowest of these is Bhanwar Gupha (Whirling Cave), the final region 
before the soul arrives at the realm of the Supreme Lord, the True Home 
of the spirit. As the soul approaches this ineffable region of Bhanwar 
Gupha, it hears the melodies of four sound currents, each emanating 
from invisible sources.  One of these cosmic melodies predominates 
above all others, and the soul finds its melody ineffable and 
indescribably beautiful. The soul also beholds five egg-shaped 
universes, all of which are macrocosms of other cosmic creations. Each 
one of these cosmic systems has a predominating color, like yellow or 
green, and each one is permeated and governed by a great Brahm-like
spirit. In comparison with these regions, the entire universe beneath 
the realm of causality appears as insignificant as a speck of dust.


                              

                               THE FINAL PATH 
                  
                                    by
                
                    George Arnsby Jones, Litt.D., Ph.D.

              
              This is part four of a four-part essay which 
              appeared in Sat Sandesh magazine in 1975-76, on 
              the Inner Journey of the Soul back to its Origin. 
              Dr. Jones was initiated by Sant Kirpal Singh Ji 
              in 1955, into the Path of Surat Shabd Yoga. He 
              had a distinguished academic career and published 
              seven books; he was chosen by Kirpal Singh to tell 
              the story of His Second World Tour in 1963-64, 
              which he did in the book "The Harvest is Rich." 
              He just recently passed on to the inner realms.
              ------------------------------------------------


   After emerging from the dark void, the Maha Sunna, the soul reaches
that inner level known as Bhanwar Gupha (Whirling Cave) in the 
terminology of the eastern mystic adepts. This is the fourth inner realm 
above the physical plane, and it is a region of spiritual substance with 
the admixture of very little matter. As the soul progresses onwards, it 
crosses a high luminous pass above a vortex of spiritual power known as 
the Hansni tunnel; then it enters the massive entrance of the glorious 
Rukmini tunnel, and there it beholds an incredibly beautiful structure. 
The radiation from this structure impinges upon the sight of the soul, 
and thereby causes the soul's nirat (power to see) and its surat 
(power to hear) to attain complete consummation and true peace.
  
   The soul then transcends to a higher level of this spiritual realm, 
seeing on its right side bright cosmic islands of unfathomable beauty, 
and on the left side many continents with radiant palaces, which appear 
to be constructed of pearls, with their top stories fashioned with 
rubies and studded with emeralds and diamonds. The beauty of all these 
cosmic scenes fills the soul with a wonderous intoxication. Bhanwar 
Gupha is ruled by a great spiritual Lord, whose name is translated as 
"That am I!" in the terminologies used by the mystic adepts of the
Middle East and Far East alike. In fact, the Sufi adepts know the 
entire region as Anahu, which again has the meaning of "That am I!"
  
   It is within the region of Bhanwar Gupha that the soul comes into its 
fullest realization of its kinship with the Creator, consciously knowing 
itself as a drop of that divine Essence in the Ocean of all-Spirit.  
Maulana Rumi has written about the plaintive strains of a flute, played 
upon a mountain top, which tells of the separation of the soul from its 
true Source. The music pervading this realm is that of a supernal flute, 
and it was this music that sounded in the consciousness of the great 
Rumi.  Nevertheless, here again there is nothing in the physical world 
that can compare with the beautiful strains of the melody of Bhanwar 
Gupha.

   This enchanting sound emanates from the glorious cosmic mountain 
which rises majestically above this region, and above which the soul 
beholds an immense sun that shines with a dazzling white light, 
thousands and thousands of times more brilliant than the physical sun 
of our solar system. Of this region Guru Nanak has sung:
  
   
                Higher still stands Karm Khand,
                  the Realm of Grace,
                Here the Word is all in all, and
                  nothing else prevails.
                Here dwell the bravest of the brave,
                  the conquerors of the mind,
                  filled with love Divine,
                Here dwell devotees with devotion,
                  incomparable as Sita's
                  illumined with beauty ineffable,
                All hearts filled with God,
                  they live beyond the reach of
                  death and delusion.
                                 
                                       THE JAP JI
  
  
   Bhanwar Gupha is truly a realm of beauty and light, and the souls 
who dwell there imbibe the elixir of the Sound Current as we on the 
physical plane take in our daily food and drink.  However, Bhanwar Gupha 
and all the regions below it - supercausal, causal, astral and physical -
must eventually go into dissolution, according to the mystic adepts.
Dissolutions of relatively short durations extend to the top of the 
causal region, whilst the immeasurably long Grand Dissolutions extend 
through the supercausal realm of Daswan Dwar into the realm of Bhanwar 
Gupha. And so the aspiring soul must journey further upwards in order 
to attain true spiritual liberation, for only Sach Khand, the fifth  
inner region above the physical plane, is unaffected by any cosmic 
dissolutions, great or small.  And Sach Khand is the True Home of the 
soul.
  
   This purely spiritual region is termed Sat Lok in Hinduism, 
Muqam-i-Haq (realm of Truth) in the teachings of the Sufi sages of Islam, 
and Sach Khand (the name used by the Indian mystic adepts or Satgurus) 
in Sikhism. Sach Khand is entirely devoid of physical, mental and
spiritualized matter.  In the words of the mystic adepts it is 
"unchanging and eternal; all joy and all bliss; all wisdom and all love; 
the Abode of God.  Here, in ineffable wonder, dwell the perfected 
spiritual beings and the supreme saints of all time."  Guru Nanak has 
said: "Here dwell the Bhagats or Sages drawn from all regions, who 
rejoice in the True One and live in eternal bliss." 
                       
   In Bhanwar Gupha, the realm below Sach Khand, there are eighty 
thousand universes, and the inhabitants of these universes are all
followers of spiritual adepts who have themselves attained access to 
that region. But in Sach Khand itself, tens of millions of spheres come 
under the benign rule of the True Lord, and cosmic Isles of the Blessed 
revolve around this realm, as our tiny earth circles its own sun. 
These spheres are the abodes of hansas, pure souls who have never 
descended to lower planes. In Guru Nanak's words:


                Sach Khand or the Realm of Truth
                  is the seat of the Formless One.
                Here He creates all creations,
                  rejoicing in creating.
                Here are many regions, heavenly
                  systems and universes,
                To count which were to count the 
                  countless;
                Here, out of the Formless,
                The heavenly plateaux and all else
                  come into form,
                All destined to move according to
                  His Will.
                He who is blessed with this vision,
                  rejoices in its contemplation.
                But, O Nanak, such is its beauty
                  that to try to describe it is to 
                  attempt the impossible.
                                
                                      THE JAP JI


   The Lord of Sach Khand is known in the oriental terminology as Sat 
Purusha, the True Being. The esoteric scriptures state that this Lord 
of Love radiates a light that is equivalent to the light of billions 
of suns, although this is still a poor description of Him, for He is
beyond the capacity of human language or intellect to describe. Sat 
Purusha directs and controls the creation and dissolution of the 
entire cosmic system of universes beneath Him, but His own realm is 
immune from any such change.  This True Being ultimately draws His
power from the highest Lord of all, known to the mystic adepts as 
Anami Purusha, the Nameless One.
  
   Sach Khand can only be inadequately described in the language of 
poetic imagery  and symbolism, for the mystic adepts state that there 
are no possible comparisons that can be made with even the most 
beautiful things in this world. Sach Khand is the Father's House, 
and the Father is Sat Purusha, and the soul is an emanation from Sat 
Purusha, from Whom it descended eons ago. According to the mystic 
adepts, the soul has the light of sixteen suns and moons combined 
when it reaches this realm.
  
   Guru Nanak has sung of the region of Sat Purusha in his inspired 
hymn:
  
                How wonderful Thy gates:
                  how wonderful Thy mansion,
                From whence Thou watchest Thy
                  great Creation.
                Countless the instruments and harmonies 
                  that play therein,
                Countless the measures, countless
                  the singers that sing Thy praises.
                                
                                           THE JAP JI


   Swami Ji has also described the palace of Sat Purusha as a 
fortress-like structure of ineffable beauty.  In Swami Ji's description, 
the pilgrim soul must locate the supreme Lord of Love upon His throne 
when he arrives at that region, and must know the Lord of Love as the 
True Lord of the entire universe of universes. Swami Ji has described 
the wonderful fields and parks of the forecourts of the palace of Sat 
Purusha, but again repeats that the scenery thereof is utterly 
indescribable in earthly terms.  Reservoirs of spiritual nectar abound 
on this plane, from below which f(ow abundant rivers of light to supply 
distant regions with spiritual sustenance.  Golden palaces appear to 
hover above cosmic gardens of silvery light, and the beauty of the 
hansas, the pure souls who dwell there, is incomprehensible.
 
   The pilgrim soul advances to the vestibule of the palace of the Lord 
of Love, Sat Purusha, and a guardian hansa enquires of the newcomer how 
he managed to reach this lofty region. The soul replies that it came to 
the holy feet of a mystic adept or Satguru, when it was dwelling on 
earth, and the mystic adept bestowed upon him the inner knowledge of 
that high realm. The soul is then led into the palace, where he confronts 
a shining lotus of ineffable beauty. A voice sounds from the central 
light of the lotus and asks the soul its identity and for what purpose 
or object it has ascended to that region. Swami Ji describes the soul's 
reply as: "I met a Satguru and he gave me full instructions. Through his
kindness I now have the privilege of your darshan (blessed sight)." 
It is now revealed to the soul that he is truly in the presence of Sat 
Purusha, Whom he now recognizes as the spiritual power that ensouled 
the mystic adept on earth and in the lower spiritual realms. The soul 
now rejoices at his supreme good fortune and derives great pleasure 
from the spiritual sight, or darshan, of the Lord of Love.
  
   Then the Supreme Lord informs the soul of the mysteries of the 
higher regions, and with His own spiritual power of love He aids the 
soul on its further ascent through these regions. The mystic adepts have 
said that the music of Sach Khand may be compared to that of a vina; all 
the spiritual masters who have spoken of Sach Khand have testified to
the enrapturing wonder of its music.  Like its heavenly music, the light 
of Sach Khand is inexpressible in worldly language, even in terms of 
billions of suns.
  
   The mystic adept who initiated the aspiring soul into the mysteries 
of the beyond thus has the duty of accompanying the soul safely to its 
True Home, Sach Khand. Thereafter, it is Sat Purusha Who infuses His 
own divine energy into the soul and sends it into the higher spiritual 
regions of Alakh Lok (Invisible Region), Agam Lok (Inaccessible Region), 
and Anami Lok (Nameless Region, which is the highest spiritual realm 
of all.) To all intents and purposes the spiritual aspirant can only
grasp the concept of Sach Khand as being the highest spiritual realm, 
and it is certainly a region of pure spirit and the True Home of the 
soul.  Nonetheless, the mystic adepts speak of the three higher realms  
beyond Sach Khand, although they deem it completely pointless to 
endeavor descriptions or explanations of these realms of spirituality.
  
   Sufficient to say that, through the grace of Sat Purusha, the soul 
is impelled into the next spiritual region of Alakh Lok, and then 
proceeds to the cosmic palace of Alakh Purusha, Lord of that realm. When 
the soul has received the darshan of Alakh Purusha, it goes higher to 
Agam Lok, where it beholds the Lord of that region, Agam Purusha, and  
receives His darshan,  Again the mystic adepts endeavor to describe the
radiance of these regions in terms of billions and billions of suns. 
Concerning the final region of Anami Lok, the mystic adepts keep silent. 
In a few words Swami Ji has said: "From one step to another, the soul 
beholds strange things which cannot be described in human language. 
Every region and everything is utterly beyond words. What beauty and
glory!  How can I describe them?  There is nothing here to convey the 
idea. I am helpless!"

   The soul has now beheld the ruling Lord of each of the spiritual
realms beyond Sach Khand, and it has united its own being with them. 
This is the summum bonum of the Mystical Path of Love, for the mystic 
adepts have said that love is the supreme power in these holy regions. 
When asked about Anami Lok, Swami Ji said simply: "It is All Love!"
  
   Thus, on the Mystical Path of Love, the combination of the mystic 
adept and the Shabd lead to jivan mukti, or spiritual liberation, and 
the ascension of the soul to its True Home. If the spiritual aspirant  
faithfully fulfills the mystic adept's commandments, if he lives 
completely the way of love, this spiritual liberation may be completed 
in one lifetime.  The aspirant will hear the continuous symphony of 
love, the supernal Music of the Spheres, and he will realize that 
his true Self and the divine Word is of one and the same essence.
The music is so glorious that the chattering of the unregenerate mind 
is stilled and the focus of the soul is absorbed completely within the 
audible life stream, and is thereby drawn upwards beyond the planes 
of mind and matter.
  
   As the aspirant rises into the higher realms of life, he discovers 
that this is indeed the only true freedom to which a human being can 
aspire. It is the freedom from bondage to his lower self, the fears, 
fantasies, hatreds, preferences and dreams which haunt him as he walks
the long road of recurring births and deaths. Man, individually and 
collectively, can never be truly free on this physical plane of 
existence; only the individual who has attained higher spiritual 
consciousness, fulfilling his true birthright, has attained freedom 
in the most complete sense of the word. The liberated soul may never 
again be enslaved by the false appetites of the lower self or by
the machinations of those who believe that they control the transient 
world of man by virtue of their own temporal power.
  
   Spiritual consciousness is both the reason and the summit of man's 
evolution, and its nature is beyond words, which are merely invented 
symbols of human ideation, for it is a truly wordless and timeless 
state of beatitude. He who has attained this spiritual consciousness
knows at the very center of his being that he is a free spirit, living 
in the eternal realms of spiritual liberation.  He has risen on that 
celestial symphony of the spirit, as Guru Nanak has reiterated:

 
                By practice of the Word, one rises
                  to universal consciousness and
                  develops right understanding;
                By practice of the Word, one develops 
                  clairvoyance and transvision 
                  of the whole creation;
                By practice of the Word, one is
                   freed from sorrow and suffering.
                            
                                           THE JAP JI


   Once he has transcended physical consciousness, the spiritual 
aspirant becomes fully aware of this tonal power of the universe. 
In the inner realms its radiant tones are experienced as a miraculous
mosaic of subtle energies, sounding lights and luminous tones. As 
Kabir has said: "The natural inner music is continuously flowing of 
itself, but only a rare soul knows of this communion; the true simran 
consists in the perpetual attunement of the soul with the inner music 
without any outer aid. He who contacts this hidden crest-jewel is our 
true friend."
  
   Through contact with this inner music the aspirant loses his lesser 
identity and eventually becomes "at One with God."  Though he continues 
to live out his allotted span in this world, he is "in the world but 
not of it," being a jivan mukti, a liberated being. He is no longer an 
impotent slave of the mind and the senses, but is established in true 
Godhead.   He lives perpetually in the divine light of the spirit and 
listens constantly to the divine music in his soul. Eventually he
returns to Sach Khand, the Abode of Bliss or Muqam-i-Haq, the home and 
source of the sounding light and of the soul itself. The spiritual 
aspirant is now a conscious and liberated soul. This is the true 
Salvation, Moksha or Nirvana, in the ultimate and most complete sense
of all.