Nature and Natural Living

Wisdom Teachings
Spiritual Nature

Existence is in all there is, it is the essence of the entire creation and undergoes no change. From the eternal existence periodically nature emerges and also merges again with its essence. When nature emerges, force also comes out at the same time. Generally the term nature is understood as matter permeated by force. In the east the force is called Shakti, it is symbolically presented as a goddess dancing on sleeping Lord Shiva, the eternal existence. Without the force nature would be inert. Force transforms the original or root matter emerging from existence and permeates it with its fire. This permeation is also called consciousness.

From the primordial nature, Mulaprakriti, three qualities emerge: Will, Love-Wisdom and Active Intelligence. They don’t belong to nature, but to the force. They transform nature to the many forms and names, just like gold is transformed to many different pieces of jewellery through the influence of the force of the artist, but it remains gold.

Together with nature also time appears in space. Thus the latent space becomes space filled with potency. The root nature is the Mother of the World. It I also called the Light of Nature or Gayatri. From its rays all the principles and qualities of nature come forth, manifesting on the different planes. This is the rainbow of the Mother of the World. The Father Spirit supports the Mother Nature in all its works, but remains in the background. In its pure state the mother is the virgin, pure nature. When a man attains the purity of virginity, the Mother reveals to him the light of its purity through the grace of the looks of her eyes. Symbolically it is then said that she holds man in his arms and nourishes him at her breast. This embrace is represented as Mary holding the Christ Child. When the child grows up, then the Mother hands him over to the Father.

Nature makes possible the creation with its three qualities: Consciousness, force and matter. The force is dynamic (rajas), matter is inert (tamas), consciousness holds both of them together and brings about a balance between force and matter (sattva). Through the three qualities and the five elements (ether, air, fire, water and earth – the gradations of light take place, and nature thus creates the envelopes of the souls. It is the veil of the Divine Mother, of Isis veiling the truth of existence. It makes nature seem to be impenetrable, and thus we live towards the outside and lose ourselves in the ups and downs of material life. When we turn again inside, the veils of nature become less and less dense and more subtle, until the iridescent veils is penetrated and the light is unveiled.

All living beings are light by their nature. However, when they connect with the veils, the original light, the presence of the I AM, gets hidden. Thus we forget our divine nature and experience ourselves as separate, individual units of consciousness.

We all have an individual nature and a human nature, and we are also part of the greater nature. The individual nature includes the way we think, understand others, read, write, analyse, distribute, love and detest. It also comprises the sense functions. Because of the individual nature people react on a given situation in very different ways, and often people cannot find agreement with each other.

The human nature distinguishes us from the other kingdoms of nature. The stone is on the lowest plane. The plant is a bit more subtle, it can experience sensory perceptions. Animals can also produce certain feelings, which belong to the sphere of thinking. Man has a better ability to think and moreover he can develop certain rational traits. And then there are people, where the mind develops towards an intuitive perception.

The sub-human kingdoms of nature are taken care of by nature, without being able to choose themselves. Animals have much stronger instincts than man, and in the course of development the instincts in man also become even less dominant.

Nature has given man the I Am consciousness and thus freedom and discrimination. It expects of him to cooperate with the Plan and to take care of the other kingdoms of nature. We have the possibility to collaborate and to accept the order of nature or not – and thus to create problems for us and for others. Then it seems that nature puts obstructions in our way and is slowing us down. Even if the obstacles seem to come from the outside, they only arise from our way of dealing with nature. Nature sometimes seems to us to be cruel, when we don’t understand how it works and don’t know how to handle its gifts in the right way. We should observe and understand which kind of activity and profession correspond to our nature. Our activity should comply with our nature and the needs of society. Then it will be possible to find harmony in earning one’s livelihood. Today many people are involved in activities, which don’t correspond with their nature, and this creates conflicts.

We also take part in the greater nature, which is guiding us through our nature. Many people think that they are independent and that they can dismiss the greater nature. But with all our knowledge of science, economy, art, politics or religion we don’t succeed in doing so, even if we try to manipulate nature. The fact that we live, even when we are not thinking of it, that we alternate in waking and sleeping, that we breathe and that our heart beats shows that nature is working in us and takes care of us. However, in the name of development we have walked far away from nature.

We live in the illusion of nature and believe that all we have belongs to us. Many people are very aggressive towards plants, animals and minerals as well as towards their fellow men. They are very skilful in stealing from nature, they exploit it and build their empires. They accumulate riches around themselves and justify their wealth with their power, but without wisdom. When skill is coupled with wisdom, the natural resources will be used for the well-being of all.

In many things we have gone far away from nature. They keep on telling us that synthetic clothes and especially enriched food are better, and then others maintain that natural products are better. We have to use our discrimination and know what is natural and what is artificial and which things are natural man-made things.

We should seek closeness to nature, for there many distortions of city life are reversed and rectified again. Good air and good water, flowers or sunrises and sunsets in nature are a wealth that doesn’t exist in the big cities.

Nature works out its Plan through the beings, but if we don’t know the Plan, but work according to our own ideas and for our own benefit, we get caught up in complications. If we attentively follow what nature is planning, by waiting and by reacting appropriately on situations, we follow the flow. We don’t have to pick up everything that presents itself to us or to go somewhere uninvited, or to interfere uninvited and to advise unasked. Nature recommends to live always without choosing and to remain neutral in a given situation as far as possible. It knows better what is right for us, it will show us what has to be done and let the necessary situations come to us. This is the best way.

When we know this secret of functioning of nature through time, we slowly learn to neutralise our individual nature and to live according to the greater nature. Then we are no longer bound by our individual nature. We can move totally freely, in harmony with the light of the source of nature which also exists in us. When we always try to see the One in all, nature’s grip on us ends.

Sources: K.P. Kumar: Sankya. The Sacred Doctrine / On Healing / notes from seminars / E. Krishnamacharya: Lessons on the Yoga of Patanjali. The World Teacher Trust - Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India.