Transactions of the Blavatsky Lodge of the Theosophical Society. Discussions on the stanzas of the first volume of The secret doctrine

Q. The divine ideas in the Divine Mind? But the Divine Mind does not exist yet.

A. The Divine Mind exists, and must exist, before differentiation occurs. It is called Divine Ideation, which is eternal in its Potentiality and periodic in its Potency, at which point it becomes Mahat, Anima Mundi the Soul of the World, or the Universal Soul. But remember that regardless of what you call it, each of these concepts has its highly metaphysical, its highly material, and its intermediate aspects.

Q. What is the meaning of the term "Ever invisible robes"?

A. Like every allegory in Eastern philosophies, it is a figurative expression. It might be the hypothetical Protyle a theoretical primary substance that Professor Crookes is searching for, though it can certainly never be found on our earth or plane. It is non-differentiated substance or spiritual matter.

Q. Is it what is called "Laya"?

A. The "Robes" and everything else are in the Laya a point of zero or neutral state condition. This is the point from which, or at which, primordial substance begins to differentiate, thereby giving birth to the universe and everything within it.

Q. Are the "invisible robes" called that because they are not perceptible to any differentiation of consciousness?

A. It is better to say they are invisible to finite consciousness, if such consciousness were even possible at that stage of evolution. Even for the Logos, Mulaprakriti is a veil—the Robes in which the Absolute is wrapped. According to the Vedantins, even the Logos cannot perceive the Absolute.*

Q. Is Mulaprakriti the correct term to use?

A. The Mulaprakriti of the Vedantins is the Aditi of the Vedas. The Vedanta philosophy literally means "the end or synthesis of all knowledge." There are six schools of Hindu philosophy, which, upon strict analysis, will be found to agree perfectly in substance. Fundamentally they are identical, but there is such a wealth of names and so many side issues, details, and decorations—where some emanations are their own fathers, and fathers are born from their own daughters—that one can get lost as if in a jungle. If you state anything from an esoteric perspective to a Hindu, he can, if he chooses, use his own specific system to contradict or refute you. Each of the six schools has its own unique views and terms. Therefore, unless the terminology of one school is used consistently throughout the discussion, there is a great danger of misunderstanding.

*See Mr. Subba Row’s four Lectures, Notes on the Bhagavad Gita.

Q. Then the same identical term is used in quite a different sense by different philosophies? For instance, "Buddhi" has one meaning in Esoteric philosophy and quite a different sense in the Sankhya philosophy. Is that correct?

A. Exactly. It has yet another sense in the Vishnu Purana, which speaks of seven Prakritis forms of nature emanating from Mahat and calls the latter Maha-Buddhi Great Intelligence. Fundamentally, however, the ideas are the same, even though the terms differ with each school, and the correct meaning is often lost in this maze of personifications. It would perhaps be best, if possible, to invent a new set of names for ourselves. However, because European languages—especially English—are poor in philosophical terms, that task would be quite difficult.

Q. Could the term "Protyle" be used to represent the Laya condition?

A. Hardly. Professor Crookes' Protyle is likely used to describe uniform matter on the most material plane of all. In contrast, the substance symbolized by the "Robes" of the "Eternal Parent" exists on the seventh plane of matter, counting upwards—or rather, from the outside in. This can never be discovered on the lowest, or most external and material plane.

Q. Is there, then, matter that is relatively uniform for each of the seven planes?

A. That is correct. But such matter is uniform only to those who are on the same plane of perception. So, if the Protyle of modern science is ever discovered, it will be uniform only to us. This illusion may last for some time, perhaps until the sixth race, for humanity is constantly changing—physically, mentally, and hopefully spiritually—perfecting itself more and more with every race and sub-race.

Q. Would it not be a great mistake to use any term that scientists have already used with a different meaning? "Protoplasm" once had almost the same sense as "Protyle," but its meaning has now become much narrower.

A. It certainly would. However, the Hyle original Greek: υλη; refers to primordial matter of the Greeks definitely did not apply to the matter of this plane. They adopted it from the Chaldean creation stories, where it was used in a highly metaphysical sense.

Q. But the word Hyle is now used by materialists to express nearly the same idea as our term Mulaprakriti.

A. That may be so; but Dr. Lewins and his brave half-dozen followers...