The Ring Pass Not
The Ring of Boundary
Everything in creation is an expression of existence. In truth, everything is one, but in creation the One appears as many. From the unlimited space, the apparent nothingness, a potential space emerges. One area remains inactive while the other area awakens. The inactive part is pure existence, also called THAT or Truth; the active part is awareness or the awakening of existence.
The awareness area is like a bubble in space in which the whole universe takes place. This bubble of space is called the potential space or the field of activity in the wisdom teachings. The active field has a boundary in the form of a ring called the “Ring Pass Not”. Beyond this area there is an area in unlimited space that is no longer expressed. The Ring Pass Not is like a circle within where creation takes place. It limits the limitless into a cosmic egg; the cosmic egg of creation has not taken up all the space. Creation emerges from THAT, the Truth, and is circumscribed by Time.
All created beings are also circumscribed. Our sun, the centre of our solar system, has a sphere of influence that is limited to the solar system. The planets move within its sphere. The planets in turn have their own sphere of influence, as do the beings on the planets. Every human being and every animal has its limited sphere of influence; the devas also have their defined spheres. We have boundaries to the animals or to the plants, we also have boundaries among humans, depending on our state of consciousness.
Such limitations are part of the nature of creation. In Eastern wisdom it is called the boundary of Varuna. Varuna sets the circular lines and boundaries and he determines the Ring Pass Not. He limits the reach of the spirit, plane by plane. On the physical plane, he limits the spirit almost completely. This is considered to be the activity of matter, which is guided by Varuna. It is Varuna who does not allow us to enter into higher states of consciousness unless we have worked them out with the help of knowledge and experience, and he also ensures that we do not fall into lower states of consciousness. Depending on how we develop our consciousness, Varuna helps us to move on to the next level. We may want to enter the buddhic plane and experience immortality, but the question is to what extent our consciousness is focused on the supramundane or on mundane things? An ardent prayer allows the Divine to come to us so that we can transcend the ring in terms of mundane things beyond which we normally do not reach. Prayer also grants us the ability to wait.
Every limitation is a Ring Pass Not. While we are infinite by nature, we develop self-imposed definitions in creation. We think that we are human, that we are male or female, young or old. We develop a sense of being finite, that for all who are born, death is a certain prophecy. The concept of being finite is the circle of illusion that we develop within ourselves in creation. It is only through our own illusion that we feel separate from universal consciousness.
Concepts and Illusion
The soul has separated itself from the Super-soul, the Super-conscious. The feeling of separation causes the soul to bound and limit itself. Through this separation, the soul forms its own ego and the illusion of its separateness, and with it its own pride of being special, and its own prejudices. We have developed concepts and associated barriers such as nationality, language and gender that colour our preferences, inclinations and rejections. From a higher point of view, all this is a kind of illusion.
We may develop strong likes and dislikes for certain things, but by our liking or disliking we create our own limitations and we then suffer from them. Good people are trapped by good habits, bad people are trapped by bad habits. Consciousness is all-pervading, but it becomes constricted when it is limited. It does not accept this limitation and wants to grow beyond it.
As we evolve, we may find that our beliefs and concepts are no longer valid. All concepts serve their purpose up to a certain point, but as we evolve, our understanding grows and our concepts change. Scientific or religious concepts are relative to time and space. There is no reason to fight against them. We can just let concepts exist as we exist beyond the requirements of time and space and can enter and exit through the concepts. We should not break the concept but know how to get out of it.
Whether something is an illusion or not depends on our own perception. If we see the whole of creation as a form of the Divine, then it is not an illusion for us, because the Divine is always there. The Divine is the permanent ONE. If we see something as the Divine, it cannot be an illusion. If we recognize everything as divine, then we remain in the experience of the Divine.
We should remember that we are essentially THAT and THAT exists as everything in creation. We feel a self-imposed limitation within ourselves. The self-imposed definitions and the limitations associated with them can be overcome if we identify with Infinity and contemplate, for example, the Narayana mantra and the colour blue. We can overcome the limitations by, for example, tuning into the song of the heart: 'SO HAM', 'THAT AM I'. Liberation from circumscriptions is necessary if we want to be re-absorbed into Universal Consciousness. The Master within us, the foundation of our being, is without boundaries.
There are some scriptures that do not speak of Maya or illusion because they advocate that everything is divine and the Divine is permanent. There are people who live in a state of consciousness where they have overcome the illusion of separation, including the separation between male and female; for them there is no sex drive. When they meet a man or a woman, there is no change in their aura or emotions or body chemistry.
Even if we look at consciousness as a whole, there are boundaries between the levels of consciousness. We cannot mix them. There are different degrees of spiritual development. There are people among us who move on the highest levels of consciousness. Others live on the most mundane levels. We respect these boundaries and behave accordingly.
A narrowing of consciousness occurs with bad actions and an expansion of consciousness as a result of actions of good will. A person who has a greater consciousness permeates larger areas. His horizons are wider and he has a greater radius of action. The horizon of a Master of Wisdom, for example, permeates the entire globe. Depending on our level of consciousness, we expand our sphere of action. It is not that we humans are different in essence, but we have different limitations, and that has to do with our own state of consciousness. The Ring Pass Not exists for everyone. As we move into greater awareness, the ring expands further and further.
Vritra
In Vedic symbolism, the cosmic principle of Vritra restricts and limits the activity of every being. Vritra is allegorically described as the worst demon, a vortex-like monster in the form of a serpent or a dragon that wraps itself around every being with its coils. However, Vritra is also considered to be the higher principle that works for the Divine Plan by creating rings and boundaries for the manifestation of THAT while remaining THAT itself. The beings remain within the rings while Vritra is beyond them.
This mystery is illustrated in the Puranas through a great story: The demon Vritra limited the celestial king. The celestial king developed the feeling of being the king. He wanted to fight with Vritra, as the latter seemed to be more powerful than him, and he asked the Divine for help. However, he could not kill Vritra. He went to the Divine again and got more keys to kill Vritra, but he did not succeed. He then asked Vritra what the secret of his life was. Vritra said, “The secret is: as long as you want to kill me, you cannot kill me. You are fighting to kill me. That is not a good motive, I am not fighting with you. I do my job, even when you fight, I don't fight with you. I see you like an ignorant child. Don't see me as your enemy, see me as the Divine. When you see me completely as something divine, then I will clear the way for you. Until then, you cannot defeat me.”
This story is given to advanced disciples. First the disciple is trained through discipline. Then he is advised to look beyond discipline. This requires a very subtle analysis. The restriction, which at first glance looks like an obstacle, is in fact a necessary protection beyond which we can grow.
As a planetary principle, Saturn is connected to Vritra and Pluto on another level. Master EK describes Vritra in the book ‘Man Sacrifice’ as the angel of habit and the favourite disciple of Krishna.
Sources used: K.P. Kumar: Saraswathi - The Word; div. seminar notes; Dhanishta Publications; E. Krishnamacharya: Man Sacrifice; Kulapathi Book Trust; Visakhapatnam, India. (www.aquariusbookhouse.com).