Prakriti, The Material Nature

I believe this would be an appropriate starting point for the introduction of neophytes or “newbies.” Here we will be a brief introduction to Prakriti, or Material Nature. The following text is meant to lay a fundamental foundation in which to build upon.

Every religion seeks to answer the question of life after death, or after life. It is generally accepted that Man & Woman can be considered to have a constitution of at least three different parts. The three basic parts of the uniform model are: Spirit, Mind & Body. Allow me to explain each in succession, starting from the top down.

Spirit is often misconstrued for Soul, where in reality Soul is more associated with Mind. To actually be more precise the Mind belongs to the Soul, not the other way around. Spirit is a universal thing…the Universe is Spirit and thus everything in it is Spirit or Consciousness. The characteristic trait of Spirit is Infinite Intelligence.

One of our fundamental truths is: “Where there is pattern, there must be intelligence directing such.

Scientist have long well understood that matter is composed of atoms, which behave in a particular pattern. Atoms attract and repulse (like or dislike)…which demonstrates a preference.

The planets of our solar system revolve around the sun on a very predictable schedule, something that you might consider as being “habitual.”

Mankind lies in between the fields of atomic & planetary motion. The human organism is filled with likes & dislikes and it is most definitely a creature of habit…doing what it likes and avoiding what it dislikes. The point I am making here is intelligence is everywhere abound in the Universe…the uniform source for all this varying intelligence we call Spirit or Consciousness. In the Theosophical Nomenclature, that Spirit/Consciousness we call “Atma,” and the Intelligence we call that “Buddhi.”

The Atma is beyond all attributes, but yet it is the cause of all attributes. Buddhi is said to be the reflection (or some prefer projection) of Atma, and is considered Absolute Wisdom. Both of these principle are quite abstract in general thus they are termed as “arupa,” or without form. Everything resides inside of Atma and is permeated by Atma. Buddhi is the intelligent action of Atma. The intelligent actions of the Universe if phrased another way. The two are generally also viewed as inseparable as far as we humans are concerned, together they form what we refer to as “The Monad.” This Monad as you should now see constitutes The Spirit (formless) in the “Spirit, Mind, Body” Triad.

Now remembering that Spirit is universal and thus formless or “arupa” in principle; lets move on to form or “rupa.” The Soul or Living Entity is the first form to evolve from Spirit. It’s chief attribute is heterogenous (different) as opposed to Spirit which is homogenous (same). The Soul represents the individual, a spark from the Eternal Flame of Spirit. In Theosophy we refer to The Soul as the Causal Body, as it is the Cause of all other bodies appropriated to form & matter.

No object of matter can be without attributes, these attribute are what differentiate objects. If everything is the same or uniform, there can be nothing to compare because there is no differentiation. So heterogeneity thus brings with it individuality. If you follow this course of reasoning you can infer that The Soul must considered itself some how different, not separate though, from the Universe/Reality in which it is immersed.

Now, “Mind” or the Mental Body, is next after The Soul. This is a complex subject, but allow me to say two important things about “The Mind” or “Manas.” First, it is has two components, a “Higher Mind”, and a “Lower Mind.” The Higher Mind belongs with the Causal Body and The Lower Mind belong with the Physical Body. Second, this dual nature of Minds serves as a bridge between Spirit (Consciousness) & Matter (Form). The Higher Mind is that which reincarnate, remembering everything over all lives. The Lower Mind functions in the material world and is somewhat different in each life. The Higher Mind is often referred to as “The Individuality,” while the Lower Mind is referred to as “The Personality.”

Now that I have given you a brief description of Spirit & Mind, we can now understand Prakriti (Material Nature) a little bit better.

The Physical Body is considered to be the lowest, most dense and temporary of all bodies…and it is subject to Material Nature because it is indeed “the most complex” form made of material…there is no comparison.

The physical body is an instrument, a vehicle for interacting within a material universe and is subject to three principle called “Gunas,” or “Modes of Nature.” The Three Gunas are as follows:

Sattva (Purity)

Rajas (Passion)

Tamas (Ignorance)

It is widely held in Vedanta that these three “Modes of Nature” are responsible for ALL DUALITIES in Nature.

Since we have been talking about the Universe, enjoy the following video about Time & Cosmogony according to Vedanta.