The Blogs: In Anticipation of Maitreya Buddha Coming - III | Leon Moscona

In this post, I will continue the description of the characteristics of the initiations at the cardinal points of the Zodiac-Mandala of the Heavenly Jerusalem. They include such metaphysical and mystical characteristics as Symbol of Initiation, Spiritual Colour and Ultimate Reality.

Symbol of initiation

In a poetic and inspiring form the symbol of initiation describes the еssence of the illuminated human consciousness. At the same time, it clarifies some of the main features of each initiation in relation to the cosmic-spiritual season when the initiation was given.

The symbol of the initiation given by Babaji is the Thousand-petalled lotus. The Thousand-petalled lotus is a figurative and symbolic name for the highest seventh chakra, Sahasrara, within the human being. The Thousand-petalled lotus is the psychophysical basis of complete fusion with the Spirit. When the Yoga disciples are ready, they open the seventh, Sahasrara, chakra and enter into samadhi. So, the blossoming of the Thousand-petalled lotus symbolises the ultimate goal of the Yoga path and the receiving of Yoga initiation. This symbol implicitly contains all the Divine knowledge about the Yoga path and the secrets of the Universe. The Thousand-petalled lotus represents this highest state of consciousness when human beings start to blossom as cosmic-spiritual flowers with Divine beauty and fragrance. It shines as a star with a dazzling white light which integrates all colours of the spiritual rainbow.

The enlightened Buddhist consciousness is symbolised by the Bodhi Tree. As the legend says, it was under the Bodhi Tree that Buddha attained Enlightenment. In principle, the Bodhi Tree is an ever-present attribute of all Buddhas from all times and all worlds. The term ‘Bodhi‘ itself has seven essential characteristics – it signifies reflection, study of the dharma, courage, excitement, tranquillity, concentration and imperturbability. All characteristics associated with the Bodhi Tree render it a symbol of the Buddhist way of life and spiritual practice (the Eight-Fold Path) and of the oneness of Samsära and Nirväna. In fact, the symbolism of the Bodhi Tree represents the earthly basis for attaining Nirväna.

One of the most inspiring chapters in the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 15, describes the symbol of the Christ initiation – the True Vine. The initiation of the True Vine is the birth of the Soul within the human being. During the course of this initiation every thought, feeling and action in our spiritual body becomes illuminated by the light of the life-giving Divine Spirit; at the same time, all the cells of the physical body become revitalised and enlivened. The ‘True Vine‘ is a symbol of the Light of the World, the Living Bread, the Living Water for Eternal Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life. This is why Christ says: ‘Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you‘. (John 14:4)

The path of the disciple in the Master Beinsa Douno’s School and the blossoming of the human soul are symbolised by the Grain of Wheat. This is the seed sown by the Divine Spirit, which in fertile soil and with the help of the Master grows in the heavenly world. The Grain of Wheat is the emblem of the spiritual evolution of the human being who sprouts from the ‘dark earth’ into the celestial worlds. The esoteric meaning of this symbol is that we have to die (as an ego-personality) to the earthly life in order to be born into the celestial worlds where our Souls will blossom and bear many fruits. In the lecture ‘Blossoming of the Human Soul‘ the Master, in a deeply mystical and symbolic way, connects the two processes – the growth of the grain of wheat and the blossoming of the human Soul. In many other lectures, the Master also uses the Grain of Wheat as a symbol of self-sacrifice, humility, patience, over-coming difficulties, inner work, process of growth and organic transformation. It is very significant that Buddha, in the epoch of the spiritual Autumn, reaches enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, while the Grain of Wheat, which is the emblem of the initiation of the disciple in the epoch of the spiritual Spring, grows out of the ground.

The symbol associated with the initiation of the Holy Spirit, as an emanation from Metatron, is the Dove. When human beings give birth to the impulse of Divine Love within and sprout from the material world into the heavenly realms, they become able to fly as free Divine Souls – celestial birds – all over the spiritual Universe. The initiation of the Holy Spirit occurs when human beings build themselves and their lives as Divine Temples. In these Temples the Spirit of G-d as a Divine Dove comes to live forever. It brings all the fruits of the Spirit such as ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self-control’ (Gal. 5:22), and many others. In the initiation of the Holy Spirit these fruits are crowned by holiness, Divine integrity and creativity.

The Symbols of the Initiations mark the highest points of the spiritual paths after which the human beings enter into a new state of consciousness, enabling them to contemplate the universal body of their Divine Masters and to realise the Ultimate Truth of Creation. This is why, for this qualitatively new state of consciousness, each spiritual tradition chooses a highly essential and inspiring symbolic image.

Spiritual Colour

The purpose of the present Mandala is to help us to receive the initiations bestowed on us by the Divine Masters. After receiving them, we will be able to experience two other important mystical characteristics of the Mandala – Spiritual Colour and Ultimate Reality.

Spiritual Colour is one of the most mystical characteristics of an initiation. It is a sacred meeting with the Divine Masters and merging with their universal bodies of Light. For instance, when the Master Beinsa Douno speaks about the Diamond-white colour of Christ’s aura, in his initiatic book, The Testament of the Colour Rays of Light (p.52), he gives keys to Christ’s initiation. These Colour Rays of Light open ‘the seven seals and the seven eyes’, ’cause the seven horns to grow,’ ‘hold the seven churches’, ‘form the seven stars’, ‘light the seven candles’, ‘sanctify the seven days’, ‘send the seven spirits’… They are ‘fullness’ of life and integrate all levels of Being. So, when human beings are illuminated by the Diamond-white Rays they receive Christ’s initiation and understand the greatest mysteries of Creation.

In a similar way, we can link with the Divine Light radiating from the other Masters. The spiritual colour of the aura of each one of them is the White Light, which integrates all colour rays from the Living G-d, but this White Light reflects the different essence of their initiations and conveys a different spiritual message.

Naturally, there is a direct link between the Spiritual Colour of a Master’s aura as the living Light which illuminates the human consciousness, and the Element as a symbol of the transition from ordinary to cosmic consciousness. For example, we could merge with the Diamond-white colour of Christ’s cosmic aura only if we melt the ‘stone of the ego’ and awaken our higher Divine Soul through the alchemy of Love. This is why, the integral White Light of Christ’s aura is ‘diamond-white’, the Babaji’ cosmic aura is ‘radiant-white’, Buddha’s aura is ‘transparent-white’, the Master Beinsa Douno’s aura is ‘bright-white’, and the Holy Spirit’s cosmic aura, through Metatron, is ‘fiery-white’.

Ultimate Reality

Merging with the Ultimate Reality is the final goal of every spiritual Path. It reveals the mystery of G-d’ and the secrets of Creation. After dissolving into the Ultimate Reality, the human being becomes one with the Absolute Origin.

The different initiations reveal different aspects of G-d, the Absolute, in the World of Emanation from the perspective of Keter in the World of Creation. In Babaji’s initiation this is the Absolute, Brahman, in Buddha’s – the Great Void (Sunyäta), in Christ’s – the Lord God Almighty, in the Master Beinsa Douno’s – G-d as eternal Love, Wisdom and Truth, and in the Holy Spirit’s – the CREATOR. Of course, all initiations refer to the same Absolute Truth, but each one reveals a different aspect because of the particular cosmic season and the different universal principle in action.

The initiates in the Zodiac-Mandala of the Heavenly Jerusalem will experience the Ultimate Reality in different sublime states of consciousness, shifting easily from one to another. Their integrative illumination will shine with all aspects of Samadhi, Nirvana, Satori, Resurrection, Transfiguration and Revelation. Thus, the initiates in the Mandala of the Heavenly Jerusalem, by merging with the I AM THAT I AM, will become able to co-create with G-d.

It is easy to imagine the enormous amount of metaphysical ideas, archetypes and spiritual structures related to the various initiations and their interconnection within the system of co-ordinates of this celestial Mandala. In the end this is the Heavenly Jerusalem where humankind will live in the reality of the New Heaven and the New Earth with a new state of cosmic consciousness. This is why from Buddhist point of view, the reflective and meditative work on the Zodiac-Mandala of the Heavenly Jerusalem could be considered as a type of New Vajrayana.

Conclusion

I would like to finish the series, In Anticipation of Maitreya Buddha Coming, with the glorious Shurangama Sutra. At the beginning of the XX century the great Tibetan Guru Tomo Géshé Rinpoche had a very inspiring vision anticipating the coming of Maitreya. A disciple of Tomo Géshé, Lama Anagarika Govinda, in his book The Way of the White Clouds, compares his guru’s vision of Maitreya to a similar vision, said to have taken place in the presence of Buddha Sakyamuni-Gautama himself, which is described in the Shurangama Sutra:

The Blessed Lord, sitting upon the throne in the midst of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from all the ten quarters of the universe, manifested his transcendental glory, surpassing them all. From his hands and feet and body radiated supernal beams of light that rested upon the crown of each Buddha and Bodhisattva assembled here.

And equally from the hands and feet and bodies of all those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten quarters of the universe went forth rays of glorious brightness that converged upon the crown of the Lord Buddha, and upon the crowns of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and Saints present.

At the same time, the waters and waves of brooks and streams were singing the music of the Dharma, and all the intersecting rays of brightness were like a net of splendour, set with jewels and over-arching them all.

Such a marvellous sight had never been imagined and held all who were present in silence and awe. Unwittingly they passed into the blissful state of Samädhi. And upon them all an unspeakable peace and happiness descended like a gentle rain of soft petals of many different-coloured lotus blossoms, all blending together and being reflected into the open space of heaven in all the tints of the spectrum.

Moreover, all the differentiations of mountains and waters and rocks and plants, and all that makes up our common world, blended into one another and faded away, leaving only the indescribable experience of primordial unity – not dull and inert, but vibrant with rhythmic life and light, with celestial sounds of songs and harmonies, melodiously rising and falling and merging and then fading away into silence. (Lama Anagarika Govinda, The Way of the White Clouds, Rider & Co., London, 1984, p. 10.)

The Shurangama Sutra could easily be translated into the Kabbalistic language of the World of Creation. Obviously, it embraces the whole Kingdom of God from the Buddhist point of view as a Mandala. In it, of course, the Buddhist Western Universal Gate of the Heavenly Jerusalem is present, but at the same time all others spiritual traditions are reflected as part of the Zodiac-Mandala of the Heavenly Jerusalem. This is the main principle of the New Coming of all Divine Masters into the Reality of the new cosmic cycle with a New Heaven and a New Earth: their new initiations will have direct link with the initiations from their Previous Comings, but at the same time they will embrace all new initiations in the wholeness of the Kingdom of God from their own perspective.