eh buddhist wheel jb

7/24/2019 EH Buddhist Wheel Jb

1/33


2/33

'| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

$he Holy ()host is the same infinite spirit& internal to which its own modalities& its own

different modes of %eha#ing and functioning& produced an apparent plurality *ow the same thing

appears in this Buddhist Wheel called the Wheel of Life& and the analysis of it can %e done in a

#ariety of ways $he usual way is to descri%e it as a wheel illustrating six totally different realms

within the totality of manifest uni#ersal formal function

But there is another "ey to it

Gods

+oure all pro%a%ly thoroughly familiar with the (ree"s

definition of the gods and their %eha#iour that in (ree"

philosophy the gods were so pre)occupied in their hea#en with

their own delights& that they ignored the rest of reality *ow& its

precisely the same definition in this Buddhist Wheel is gi#en of

the gods& the ,e#as of the Buddhist and Hindu system

-n the top segment of the circle here we ha#e the gods

*ow it is customary in literature to spea" of these %eings under the namegods& di#ine %eings and so

on& and to allow a reader to %elie#e that there are %eings that are gods& and are di#ine& that are

utterly different from human %eings But if you remem%er in the !an"ya philosophy which we did&

it was stated #ery clearly that there are no gods in the uni#erse other than human %eings who ha#e

attained power and "nowledge !o that whengodsare referred to in the Buddhist system& or in the

Hindu system& what is meant %y the term is& those human beings who have attained the level of

knowledge and power such that they can get what they want

*ow if we define the gods in this way& we can say where the gods li#e is hea#en& which

really means the e.uili%ration of power /nd yet theyre inside this wheel

*ow in occidental religions& 0hristianity specifically& theres a general %elief that hea#en is

fore#er without %othering to define forever or hea#en is eternal without defining eternal

But in the Buddhist system& and in the Hindu system& they say .uite simply that this is not so $hey

say that the gods are %eings who ha#e attained& %y their efforts& "nowledge and power /nd they

ha#e attained this %y their efforts in time /nd whate#er is gained in time can only apply to time&

and for a time /nd therefore the %eings who are called gods& those attained human %eings& although

they ha#e got into this state of power and "nowledge %y their own efforts& if they forget this %asicprinciple that what is gained in time and from time cannot go %eyond time then they must

"now that no matter how many $ories there ha#e %een in order to gain this "nowledge and power&

there is a natural term in time for their hea#en& which they ha#e& out of their meritorious deeds&

constructed

$herefore in this Buddhist system it is said that the gods ha#e a peculiar fault2 that is& they

are so %usy en3oying the merits of their deeds of "nowledge and power& that they are ignoring the

finity of the hea#en they ha#e created $hey are ignoring the fact that it is a temporally deri#ed and

temporally enduring structure& which must e#entually come to an end


3/33

4| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

!o the gods ha#e this peculiar .uality li"e we find in the (ree" mythology of ignoring

the rest of the uni#ersal manifestation $hey dont want to "now that there are other %eings $here

are %eings called titans& humans& animals& hungry spirits& %eings in hell they dont want to "now

a%out it /nd %ecause they dont want to "now a%out it& they are called beings unenlightened $hey

ha#e pushed away the time of rec"oning& the time when their good deeds and merits will ha#e %eenpaid for in time and therefore must cease

*ow if we remem%er that /esop and many other fa%lists when they wanted to criticise

the human race and the human go#ernment to "eep their heads on their shoulders& they used to

disguise their criticisms in fa%les& stories a%out animals5 the story a%out a fox that lost its tail and

then recommended that foxes loo"ed more handsome without tails& and suggested that all foxes

should ha#e them cut off $his is really a statement a #ery cunning man ha#ing lost a certain

power& persuaded a lot of other people& or tried to& to li"ewise sacrifice theirpower& to e#en things

up +ou remem%er 0hrist said a%out Herod& that fox1 /esop is saying the same thing 0ertain men

of great cunning attain positions of power& and in the process they find that they ha#e lostsomething& euphemistically called the tail /nd they then try to dissuade e#ery%ody else from tail)

wearing

By this method of disguising criticisms in fa%les& the critics& the prophets and others&

managed to li#e a little longer than they would ha#e done /nd so in the same way& the great

religions ha#e a method of disguising a typology2 a system in which human %eings are characterised

according to certain stresses in six ways& and these ways are gi#en different names& and the

statement is made that they are really different %eings /nd then the person who hears this is

allowed to misunderstand it& %y thin"ing that %eings are in some mysterious way separate from

other %eings as that gods are separate from humans2 gods are separate from titans2 humans are

separate from animals2 animals are separate from %eings in hell2 and those %eings are separate from

hungry& cra#ing spirits that wander a%out

*ow %y splitting it in this way& the great religious leaders were ena%led to do dou%le tal"

$hey could ha#e a perfectly coherent typology which ena%led them to deal with other human %eings

at certain le#els& certain functional le#els& without %etraying their go#erning concept /nd in this

six)segmented wheel& this typology is contained

!o when we tal" a%out hea#en and the realm of the gods and we say& the gods are

en3oying themsel#es in their hea#en& and they are ignoring the rest of uni#ersal manifestation2en3oying the fruits of their own efforts of gaining "nowledge and power we are really tal"ing

a%out certain human %eings who& %y their own "nowledge and efforts& ha#e gained power and

authority and positions of rulership

Heavens and Gods in History

/nd if you want to loo" for an illustration of these people historically& we can& today& in a

socialist Britain& say that we can tal" a%out o#erthrown aristocracies We can say that it was

thoroughly understood %y the people who de#ised this terminology& that the rulers of the world were

1Lu"e 1454' /nd he said unto them& (o ye& and tell that fox& Behold& - cast out de#ils& and - do cures to dayand to morrow& and the third day- shall %e perfected


4/33


.uite pleased to refer to themsel#es as gods We "now this happened in Europe We "now that

emperors allowed themsel#es to wear a golden crown with rays coming out& to show that they were

sons of the sun& and allowed themsel#es to %e deified2 allowed the people to %elie#e that they were

really gods -f you read !ha"espeares 7ulius 0aesar& you will find some degree of surprise in

certain people that a god can %leed& and a god can ha#e some "ind of attac" that unmans him& and agod can die with a sufficient num%er of "ni#es in him But if we remem%er that the people

themsel#es were unaware of the true meaning of the terminology& and that the persons who de#ised

the terminology had another meaning for their terms& then we can understand how easy it was to

dupe people& and to rule them& %y saying things with two meanings one meaning to the people

who de#ised the terms& and another meaning for the people who merely passi#ely recei#ed these

terms

!o the gods then& here in this system& signify only human %eings who ha#e attained

"nowledge and power /nd they#e had it so long that they cannot& and do not& want to imagine that

that time will come when all this merit that they ha#e accrued& all this "nowledge and power& will%e useless

We did find& during the time we a%andoned -ndia& certain factions in this country that were

rather godli"e who thought we ought to retain -ndia we ought to "eep hold of the British Empire

$here were some more forward)loo"ing people& who "new that we couldnt hang on fore#er& and

therefore said&give it away quickly before its taken away, and we will retain our prestige $here

was a great fight a%out this in this country at the time $hose of you o#er twenty)one will pro%a%ly

remem%er it 8This talk was probably given sometime in the nineteen-sixties.9

,uring the :rench re#olution we saw that the :rench gods you remem%er that one of the:rench "ings was .uite pleased to call himself the sun)"ing& and to try to re)animate this concept

that "ings are gods these aristocratic rulers were actually o#erthrown Li"e the gods in this

Buddhist wheel of life& they did not %elie#e that they could %e o#erthrown $hey didnt understand

that certain of their own mem%ers& a little lower down the hierarchy of gods& had sensed that they

were going to %e in#aded %y other forces

-n the same illustration we ha#e ;ussia& when the re#olution in ;ussia startled many of the

aristocracy& the gods2 and their term of en3oyment of their "nowledge and power came to an end !o

we can say the characteristic here of the gods is that they ignore the rest of the uni#erse& and they

ha#e duped themsel#es into %elie#ing that their hea#en state of en3oyment will ne#er cease

Hells

*ow Buddhist psychology is essentially dialectical and

therefore immediately opposite to the hea#ens there are the

hells& a #ariety of hells& %ut theyre all under the general

heading hells./nd the characteristic of these people in the

hells is that& li"e the gods& they dupe themsel#es& %ut in this

case instead of duping themsel#es into %elie#ing that 3oys and

pleasures from merit are eternal& the %eings in the hells


5/33


6/33

?| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

men - wont mention any names of pu%lic figures& theyll all spring automatically to your mind

all the men who stri#e to get power& and position& and authority& and "nowledge& and reputation&

%ecause they "now that there are some %eings that ha#e these things

-magine a man& it might %e a gentleman actually in @onte 0arlo& gam%ling away the 0hief

;ents from certain territories in England +ou see them in the $attler& in the !phere 8periodical

maga(ines9& and they say lord so)and)so at the ta%les& and if you in.uire the source of his income& it

is actually 0hief ;ents and suchli"e things& from territories that were once green and are now full of

chimneys and things

*ow& imagine the gods are there& and some am%itious fellows who are not yet gods& %ut they

are #ery strong& and their main characteristic is en#y of those gods $hey want power $hey want

3oy fore#er& they want large 0hief ;ents& they want lots of land that people ha#e to pay for in

perpetuity /nd they dont want to wor" e#en& they 3ust want to collect !o the titans are all those

men who are essentially power)pursuing %ecause they "now& they see that there are %eings in the

world with power and with "now)how& who ha#e actually& historically& their ancestors& gained these

positions of power positions for which those men dont need to wor" any more $hey can ha#e a

town house and a country house& and another town house %ecause they dont li"e the colour of the

first one& and se#eral country houses in different countries& and they dont ha#e to wor" any more&

%ecause their ancestors wor"ed with dou%le %laded swords& %attle)axes& clu%s and such)li"e

implements of refined thin"ing 8audience laughter9

*ow today it is #ery difficult to go out with a clu%& and proceed to clu% the gods into

insensi%ility& without upsetting the people Because& funnily enough& the people re#ere gods&

%ecause secretly there is inside e#ery%ody a desire to %e such a god& and so theyre rather ner#ousthat if e#er they did %ecome gods

/s a fellow once said to me during the war& /merican soldier& who said to me that& he

claimed that the A!/ was superior to Britain %ecause he could in principle %e the president& and -

could not in principle %e the "ing Well& we all "now that theres no more li"elihood of that

particular (- %ecoming a president Hed ha#e to %e %orn in another family to get the necessary

spring%oard for the 3ump But he didnt want to "now this He really li"ed to thin" that he could

%ecome the president& and if we remem%er that this wheel is simply the six part whole %eing of the

uni#erse& and of an indi#idual man& then we "now there is an impulse in each indi#idual that could

appreciate %eing a god in this sense We also "now that %ecause he is not a god in this sense& unlessof course he is& then he could ha#e his titan impulse& his en#y of power& his en#y of "nowledge of

%rilliance !o the titans are continuously stri#ing for power they ha#e this peculiar .uality that

they can ma"e efforts

Animals

When we compare them with some other aspects of the wheel&

well see what a mar#ellous #irtue this en#y and power)see"ing is

Because opposite to the titans we ha#e animals& and if we remem%er

that again those look like animerds ) the way *ve written it[said

as an aside$ animals $he opposition %etween the gods and the


7/33

| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

%eings in hell& was simply that they were %oth self)duped into %elie#ing that their condition was

eternal *ow in the case of the titans& they pursue power %y their indi#idual efforts and the

animals do not

!o the animals mean those %eings& those impulses inside us which only react to pleasure and

pain $hey ta"e present pleasures& and a#oid present pains if they can manage it !o again theres

this peculiar opposition $heres a dri#ing force in the titans& and in the animals& %ut it differs in this

sense5 in the titans it is a dri#e towards power& and in the animals& a dri#e towards a satisfaction of

pleasures and the a#oidance of pains

/nd yet theres a remar"a%le similarity %ecause the %eha#iour of a 3olly good titan is #ery&

#ery much li"e an animals& except that the titan doesnt need a present pleasant stimulus /nd he

doesnt need a present painful stimulus to ma"e him mo#e away& %ecause the titan has a certain

amount of reflexi#e power that allows him to anticipate the a#oidance of a pain that has not yet

arri#ed $hat is& he might crush a person that has not yet harmed him& %ut might& if he manages to

grow any %igger in fi#e years time /nd he might refuse a present pleasure& if it interfered with his

gaining of power& and his possi%ility of 3oining the gods

Whereas the animals& those %eings who respond only to pleasures and pains& ha#e no such

capacity that the titans ha#e& of forgoing immediate pleasure& or facing immediate pain !o there

again is this polarisation of the titans and the animals

-n e#ery human %eing there is a titan& an en#ious impulse that would sei=e power& and is

prepared to forgo a present pleasure& and e#en to endure a present pain& if it will lead to the power

that puts him with the gods !o we might find one of our most prominent politicians& trying to stay

so%er during a $C inter#iew [chuckles in the audience at this reference$ & in order to gi#e an

impression of rationality& and consideration for the electorate /ctually he is not the #ery %est

.uality type in that one& %ecause he doesnt manage it

Men

*ow& the humans& -m going to write men in here& its really

wrong to call them humans& -m going to write men in there and

8referring to the drawing9& they ha#e a peculiar .uality too @en

ha#e the .uality called egoic pride.*ow this is something that titans

dont suffer from at all / titan has no pride2 he only has the dri#etowards power so that he can %e li"e the gods !o he has not got an

opinion of himself that would ma"e him refuse something on self)

opinion He couldnt say to himself& - am the "ind of person that

cannot %e %ri%ed a type that can%e %ri%ed /nd he couldnt say& my pride will not let me %ri%e

that inferior %eing& %ecause he can and does %ri%e that inferior %eing to get a step nearer the gods

and their hea#en

$he peculiar thing a%out man in his egoic pride& this peculiar pride& consists in one thing

self image2 of #alue2 that somehow& mysteriously& simply to %e a man is already sufficient merit -n

/merica of course& in the last few years& they#e done a terrific analysis of what they call the image&and e#ery%ody has to ha#e an image& and the image must %e continuously polished up and redefined


8/33

D| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

and "ept up to date /nd it does not matter what or who the person is& as long as the image is

alright *ow this is an extreme manifestation of the essential .uality of the man le#el5 egoic pride

$his pride in him is #ery funny& #ery strange Because his pride will not let him ta"e a

present %eha#iour li"e an animal& it can e#en ma"e him suffer a pain& in pu%lic& with a stiff upper lip

for no other purpose than demonstrating stiff)upper)lippedness 8more audience laughter9 -t can

let you wal" off the cric"et field& %owled for a duc"& head held high[spoken with parody$2 it can

dissol#e an empire with a gracious smile& .uite easily

$he essential .uality of man is that he can do the most strange& unprofita%le things& and miss

the most profita%le things& and still "eep his image that somehow hes a thoroughly decent type

Hes not an animal He doesnt ha#e sensuous lust Hes not deterred %y threats of pain& and hes

not a titan with en#ious& greedy& power)see"ing %eing& and hes not a forgetful god who doesnt

"now the rest of the word exists& he is a man of pride in %eing human /ctually hes not human at

all& hes 3ust proud 8more laughter9

Hungry Sirits

*ow& o%#iously to the men& there are some funny %eings& -ll

write in here their technical name in !ans"rit& they are pretas -#e

written that in there %ecause its a short word& if - wrote the English

e.ui#alent it would %e two words& and it would %e longer& and -

ha#ent that much space $hese %eings are characterised %y wanting

something they ha#ent got the power to get2 and which if they got

they couldnt digest it $hey are humorously called hungry spirits

[!+"''$/nd they are said to %e the spirits that the necromancers callup& and well see a simple logic a%out this5

7ust as men can do without things out of their egoic pride5 you "now& if a man hadnt had his

dinner and he goes to a friends house and dinner is 3ust starting& he can say& thank you very much, *

have eaten& and sit there /nd theyll say& wont you have something[nd hell say$no, no, no,

other told me always to leave half my dinner on the plate so people dont know *m hungry/

80huc"les in the audience for se#eral of the following sentences9

*ow these preta %eings& these hungry spirits they ha#e no pride whate#er& they go a%out

with their mouths slightly open& they loo"& if they come in your house and its the meal ta%le is

%eing cleared up they go and loo" at a %it of cheese on the ta%le $hey mo#e towards it $hey

ha#e no pride& and if you say& would you like a bit of cheese& they say& thank you very much /nd

the chair is up to the ta%le& %i%s on& and then they get indigestion

Peculiar thing a%out them is2 they are represented in Buddhist pictures in a #ery funny way

$hey are #ery long& thin %eings& rather li"e a %an3o& with a #ery round tummy thats swollen out2 the

rest of them is long and thin *ow& there is such a thing inside human %eings too& they ha#e these

cra#ings for things they cant digest - "now a young fellow who has at the present moment a

cra#ing to %e a%le to follow the score in pu%lic at a concert& gi#en %y Bar%arolli -ts a funny thingto watch [0ugene chuckles$%ut he actually wants it


9/33

F| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

*ow there are many other things these preta%eings want +ou can define them all %y

examining yourself #ery carefully -f you go home and as" yourself& what do * really want that *

cant digest and cant conceive myself of digestingG $hen you can say all those grouped together&

and considered to %e in a realm of their own& are preta %eings *ow theyre said to %e the things that

the necromancers wor" with& and theyre the fellows that manipulate the dead the spirits of thedead

$hat means to say that a #ery astute man can recognise the hunger in people for things they

cant digest& and then ma"e a little model in PC0 of it& and sell it to them $here is actually on the

mar"et in /merica& a #ery small PC0 tra#elling companion& small enough to %e carried in the %reast

poc"et& and self)inflating to human si=e& so that you wont feel lonely on a long 3ourney 8more

laughter9 $hese are %eing specially manufactured for pretas consumption

*ow& when we see these six realms remem%er a realm means a =one that is ruled %y

something and that any indi#idual human %eing has got these six types of tendency inside

himself they are not 3ust simply six separated realms of the uni#erse

as if the hea#enward gods were someplace far away2

and another place where titans were& %attling merrily for power2

and another place where men are %eing proud and doing what appens they want2

another place where animals are indulging themsel#es in ways that men are too

ashamed to do2

another place where hungry spirits go a%out loo"ing li"e %an3os2

and another place where people sit there& %iting their finger nails fore#er on account

of a fi#e)minute sin

$here are no such separated realms

in the uni#erse

We "now in scientific terms today

that matter is a modality of power& that

power is a field& a uni)field& a continuum&and that this field& %eing a continuum is

throughout itself identical in essence -t can

modalise itself in these six ways& anywhere

whate#er and anywhere that a wa#e is

produced in an ocean modifies all the

ocean /nd therefore& in the same way& any

%eha#iour of a god affects men We "now it

has done& in fact %ecause the gods ha#e got

themsel#es written a%out %y men !o in

spite of their ignoring men& men ha#e not


10/33

1I| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

ignored them We "now that men ha#e actually written a%out titans fighting gods& li"e Prometheus

We "now that men ha#e written a%out hell& we "now that men ha#e actually studied certain "inds of

unsatisfied cra#ings /nd we "now that men ha#e studied the animals

/ peculiar thing a%out men is that they e#aluate things /nd they ma"e this their mar"2 that

we are e#aluating %eings& we are #ery proud of our power of e#aluation2 and therefore in man we

ha#e a record of this

We also "now that the animals are impinged upon %y men and interfered with& so that

animals are not ignorant of the existence of men

We "now the %eings in hell are worrying li"e mad a%out the other %eings that are not in hell&

and which are ne#er with them

We "now that the hungry spirits are actually hungering for something that they ha#ent got&

therefore they "now there is something other than themsel#es

/nd we "now that titans in pursuing power and mo#ing away from the powerless also "now

there is something other than themsel#es

!o we can say that these six presuppose each other $here is a peculiar logic a%out the circle5

$hin"ing things done in time can last fore#er is the gods

$hin"ing things done in time can last fore#er is a %elief of hellish %eings

$he only difference& one thin"s the good is lasting&

the other thin"s the %ad is lasting

$he titans ha#e a pursuit of power

and an immediacy of response towards it&

the animals ha#e an immediate response

%ut only towards a pleasant stimulus

and away from an unpleasant one

$he men ha#e pride& and hungry %eings ha#e no pride

/nd all these are functions of any %eing whate#er in the uni#erse /nd theyre all classed as

unenlightened %eings from which we can see that there must %e& logically& an enlightened %eing

who drew the circle in the first place !ome %eing had made an analysis of these six %eings& and it

must ha#e %een a %eing who had these six %eings as six realms of himself Because ultimately all"nowledge is self)"nowledge


11/33


!eendent "rigination

When this analysis was loo"ed at #ery carefully& 3ust as we say in

inducti#e reasoning we write out particulars& and then we mo#e in from

the periphery towards the centre& we want to find out what it is common

to all these %eings who are unenlightened& that generated them as theyare /nd we find in the centre of this wheel& three figures5 >ne is a coc"&

another is a sna"e& and another is a hog 84654D9

*ow they are shown %iting each others tails& so we ha#e a trinity here& generating a wheel

of six spo"es& six =ones $he coc" signifies desire& the sna"e signifies a#ersion& and the hog

signifies the egoic consciousness !o we can say that all these six type of function& or six types of

%eing& are generated out of three %asic impulses5 desire& a#ersion& egoism

*ow if we li"e to thin" a%out this logically& these three presuppose each

other $his is the theory called dependent origination +ou cannot& without desire&constitute yourself as an egoic %eing +ou cannot& without a#ersion& re3ect that

which is %eyond egoic %eing +ou cannot %e an egoic %eing& without desiring those

things that su%ser#e your end& and feeling a#ersion towards the things that would

destroy you

!o these three central principles& desire& a#ersion& egoism& presuppose each other

*ow in European theories of causality& the general usage of the term presupposes that you

set one thing up at the %eginning and call it the cause& and then put the other things down and say

they are effects But in this expression dependent originationthere is not causality in the Europeansense $here is a statement that they presuppose each other to %e& so that they are coexistent & that

egoism and desire and a#ersion co)exist& and the appearance of one is the appearance of three +ou

cannot ha#e desire without egoic a#ersion& to that which would impede your desire +ou cannot

ha#e a#ersion without egoic desire& for that that your a#ersion is protecting you from +ou cannot

ha#e egoism without finiting yourself& fastening on something& and when you#e fastened onto

something you#e drawn a circle& the things inside the circle you desire& the things outside the circle

are threatening your egoic %eing

!o when we thin" a%out dependent origination we are not to thin" a%out it in the European

causality sense& as if a coc" caused a hog& and a hog caused a sna"e $hese three are really threemodal functions of a fourth power which either manifests in this three)fold manner& or doesnt

manifest at all

!o the wheel of the gods& the titans& the men& animals& hungry fellows& and %eings in hell& is

dependently originated on desire)a#ersion)egoism $herefore the cure of desire& a#ersion and

egoism& is the same thing as escape from the wheel

*ow the escaping from this wheel is the whole meaning of all the religions of the world

$his wheel& in its dependent origination& has all its =ones presupposing each other $o get out of it&

we ha#e to con.uer egoism& desire and a#ersion simultaneously -f you con.uer one of those& youcon.uer the other two -f you con.uer egoism& that is the idea that you are a finite %eing& then


12/33

1'| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

automatically and logically& in defining yourself as no longer finite& there is nothing outside you that

you could desire& or that could gi#e rise to a#ersion Because in denying your finity& you logically

assert your infinity& and e#erything is now included in the consciousness that li%erates itself from

the definition of egoism Li"ewise if there is something that you disli"e& and you con.uer your

disli"e& you ha#e con.uered your egoic& finite response /nd if there is something you desire topossess& and you con.uer this desire to possess it& you ha#e also con.uered your egoic response&

and you are no longer feeling the a#ersion for that which will stop you getting that which you want

!o in a nice& logical way& this wheel in any one of its parts presupposes all the other parts

T#elve Symbols Around the Wheel

*ow it is spread out& and twel#e other little sym%ols are placed around the wheel /nd a

little series of sym%ols are used to explain it

We could gi#e it that a %lind woman ga#e %irth to a potter and the potter modelling clay a

mon"ey and it was so life)li"e that it had a dream in which two men were in a house %oat $hemon"ey 3umped in the house %oat& and went in the house part& and it had six windows /nd he

loo"ed out of the six windows /nd while he was loo"ing out& he saw a %eautiful maiden and he

wanted this& and he called her Pro%a%ly she was a mon"ey)maiden& and she came& and he felt

pleasure /nd she ga#e him a %owl of some lo#ely delightful mixture shes a lady& - thin" /nd

he suddenly de#eloped a terri%le thirst for this& and from this thirst he wanted to posses the lady

who had gi#en him the %owl /nd this "eening caused a relation with the lady& and this relation

caused a %irth /nd this %irth logically presupposed a death Because once he had finited himself in

this way& there was no way %ac" other than %y dying2 that is& %y ru%%ing out the whole fantasy

*ow if we as" what this %lind woman is& we can say that the su%stantial aspect remem%erwe use H for gentlemen and @ for ladies when we say a %lind woman& we mean that the

su%stantial aspect of uni#ersal power #i%rating produces form so that this not)"nowingness

remem%er to knowmeans to lock up, and sharpen, to formulate,this not "nowingness with its

#i%rating in this uni#ersal power& produced from itself& a potter& a formulator

/nd this formulator produced from itself& consciousness of specific form $his

consciousness of specific form is a mon"ey

$his mon"ey had the dream $his consciousness of specific form then saw two men in a

%oat

/nd these two men sym%olised psyche)soma& nama)rupa2 the %eing that has two sides2 the

physical side and the psychological side

$he house with the six windows is your %ody& your #ehicle with fi#e senses and the common

sense that lin"s them ma"ing six

Loo"ing out of these fi#e senses& messages come& and some of these messages are #ery

pleasant $his causes us to go out& and we ha#e a taste& then we want more

/nd we cling to it& we relate to it& and out of this relation we get %orn& and %ecause we are%orn we must die


13/33


*ow this whole cycle presupposes& in any one of its parts& all the rest

*ow if you remem%er when we said& let the paper represent the infinite power& sentient

power& and well draw the ripples going along in all directions& and we fill it up any way we li"e

-magine this is the %lind lady2 it is the totality of all possi%le functions and forms /nd if we

superstress any %it of it which exists& we immediately ma"e a specific form /nd this specific form

then causes the lapsing from consciousness of the infinity of other forms which we might ha#e

made if wed ha#e done this [draws something further on the white paper$& we can ma"e other

form E#ery time we focus our consciousness on a specific form we ha#e stopped that same

consciousness from focusing on an infinity of other possi%ilities

/nd therefore we can see& egoism means no more than to focus consciousness down through

a particular form& and then insist that this form is central to our %eing& and we are going to define

the world from& and through this form /nd that there shall %e no other interpreter of reality other

than the #iew through this window

Priest $ing S%ientist

*ow if we remem%er that the terminology was in#ented %y some #ery intelligent fellow a

long time ago& and these fellows em%odied priest)"ing)scientist in one man Each man was his own

priest& his own "ing& his own scientist He had to "now something scientifically& empirically& he had

to formulate rules& how to control the situation out of this& and then he had to go through a ritual

performance

/s a ritual performer and %lesser and sanctifier he was a priest

/s an enforcer of his rules he was a "ing

/nd as an empiricist deri#ing information through experience he was a scientist

!o if we go %ac" and loo" at ancient Egyptian ci#ilisation -ndian& Persian& 0hinese

where#er we go we will always find that the rulers em%odied these three functions *ow your head

is your "ing& your heart is your priest& your %elly is your scientist

$he %elly is your scientist %ecause& of course the o%#ious way to test anything empirically is

to them $his is seen .uite easily in a %a%y /s soon as a %a%y can grasp something& it doesnt

matter what it is& mentiona%le or unmentiona%le& in the mouth it goes $ry itJ this is the scientistin the %a%y +ou can tell %y the %a%ys expression that it has these two functions5 desire& a#ersion -t

has no pride at that le#el really& so it doesnt mind loo"ing horrid& %ecause the thing that it has put in

its mouth is horrid /nd it will %eam with delight& unashamedly and without pride& when it attains

the power to stand upright for half a second

!o here we see in e#ery human %eing the totality of these six realms exist -n e#ery human

%eing the generati#e forces of these six realms and six tendencies are egoism& desire and a#ersion

!o that we cannot li%erate oursel#es from these silly& six)fold definings& without going to the root


14/33


cause People that dont "now that gods are simply attained human %eings cannot get rid of gods in

themsel#es %ecause they dont "now that gods are egoic %eings of desire and a#ersion

-f any%ody "new that the gods are su%3ect to desires and a#ersions& and that the gods

foolishly and erroneously ignore total reality& %ecause they are en3oying the fruits of their

pre#ious acti#ities which ha#e conferred "nowledge and power upon them& they would

cease to re#ere those gods

$hey might loo" at the titans as en#ious of those powers and decide they would try

the titan role for a %it But if they examine the dependence of the titans upon egoism& desire

and a#ersion they will disown those

-f they loo" at men with their pride& they will say these creatures are doing nothing

except measure& e#aluate& egoism)desire)a#ersion

-f they examine the animals they will o%ser#e that they non)reflecti#ely react indesire and a#ersion

$hat the pretas& those powerless cra#ing %eings li"ewise are dri#en %y egoism& desire

and a#ersion

/nd people in hell ha#e %een put there %y their own erroneous definitions %y

egoism desire and a#ersion

!o then you go %ac" to say& how can * conquer egoism, desire and aversion within myself&

the first thing is to see that the infinite ocean of possi%ilities is non)egoic& and as soon as you let go

of your pet definition of yourself& you automatically %ecome released $o do this you ha#e to

examine your desire)a#ersion& %ecause your desire and a#ersion is the pattern of your egoism -f

you li"e one thing and re3ect another thing& you are automatically wrong !o you ha#e to examine

the grounds of your desire)a#ersion to release yourself from your egoism

*ow the whole of the message that 0hrist ga#e in the statement if you die you can live, if

you give up your life for my sake you will gain it meaning for the sa"e of the 0osmic Logos >r

Buddhas statement& that you can only gain freedom from this wheel %y con.uering that which led

you into it

Buddha&s 'nlightenment*ow remem%er Buddha flogged himself for se#eral years& star#ed himself for se#eral years&

did all sorts of funny things2 ascetity2 and came out no wiser /nd then& he was sitting depressed

under a lo#ely tree called Bo& and a woman came up and seeing him loo"ing misera%le assumed he

was a saint !o she .uic"ly ran away to the #illage and got a %owl of mil" !he %rought the mil" and

put it %efore him /nd he immediately %ecame enlightened %ecause he "new that she had made a

mista"e& that she thought he was a saint& that she thought he could %less her& and therefore she went

and got the mil" !o she had gi#en him the mil" in order to get a %lessing /nd then he immediately

saw that he also must ha#e gi#en something in order to get a %lessing


15/33

1


16/33

1?| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

di#ision which is the outer part of that same diagram /nd theres a #ery peculiar dialectical relation

%etween them

+ou saw that in the case of the six sectors that we did& that the gods were opposed to the

%eings in hell $hey had one thing in common5 they were actually repeating something $he gods

were repeating their en3oyment& and the hellish %eings were repeating their punishment

-n the case of the titans they were opposed %y the animals& and again they are dri#en5 the

animals are dri#en %y pleasure pain& towards sense o%3ects $he titans are dri#en %y the will to

power& %ut in the same world $hey want to ac.uire the power& the material possessions& the signs of

power which they thin" the gods ha#e& and therefore they use all their energy to ac.uire those things

which& to the animals& are a matter of instinct2 the titan& going to these& with the consciousness of an

egoic indi#idual

$hen human %eings were opposed %y the hungry spirits& the impotent hungry spirits /nd the

human %eings had a hunger li"e these pretas or hungry spirits& %ut the human %eings were

characterised %y pride& where%y they conceal their hunger $he only difference %etween the human

%eings& or man"ind& and these impotent hungry spirits& is that the type of %eing mankindcan manage

to o%scure& to hide their hunger under manifestations of pride in their humanity

T#elve Symbols in the "uter )ir%le

*ow were going to go on to the twel#e& and see a peculiar

sym%olism& which is #ery su%tle

Blind Woman

/t the top here& num%er one& there is a %lind woman /nd

when a sym%ol is used concretely in this manner& it can ha#e many

le#els of interpretation *ow in all the religious scriptures %ased on

the source literature from which the 7udaic literature comes& woman refers to the non)intellecti#e

side of %eing /nd man to the intellecti#e

@an& the male& is an intellectual %eing with a power of initiati#e %ased on his intellection

$he woman is a #olitional %eing with an emoti#e %ias& and a materialistic orientation $he man is

orientated into the world of mathematics& and geometry& and logic $he woman is orientated into the

material world& the mater)ial world& the world of mother /nd therefore in the religious wor"& in the

ma3or religions of the world& where it refers to a woman it is referring to a non)intellecti#e

something

/nd therefore the %lind woman here signifies a non)intellectual conati#e dri#e -t is an

infinite power& it is the su%stantial aspect of reality& which in its spiritual aspect is perfect self)

illumination !o the %lindness of this woman is really the %lindness of a %asic uni#ersal dri#e that is

refusing intellectual formulation& %ecause it is determined not to %e cornered %y any "ind of logic -t

is pursuing a certain end& dri#ing towards it& and it is not doing so %y logic $herefore it is

represented here as a %lind woman


17/33


$he word there in the original& /#idya& we can translate& not as ignoranceas the scholars do&

%ecause ignorancemeans wilful disregard of some o%3ect We are translating it as nescience& as

simply not knowing in any specific sense $hose of you who are married - mean the men who are

married will understand what it means to ha#e this "ind of emoti#e disregard for the logic that

hus%ands produce $here was a drawing on one occasion in Punch of a woman saying to herhus%and&* am not going to be diverted by mere fact *ow this is exactly what is signified %y this

%lind woman But this %lind woman is power

;emem%er all power %asically is sentient& that is& itfeelsitself& it feels its own mo#ement -t

is a potential of self)realisation& %ut at this first stage it has not %ound itself& it has not committed

itself to any particular form& %ecause it feels any particular form to %e a limitation on its potential

infinite en3oyment -t is see"ing& not a finite pleasure& %ut an infinite one& and therefore it

continuously "eeps on the mo#e /nd it is %lind %ecause mo#ing without turning round is a

continuous conati#e dri#e with no o%3ect to see -t is %lind %ecause it is o%3ectless /nd it is

o%3ectless %ecause it is committed to infinite mo#ement

$he opposite of this is a scientist& dedicated to the consideration of a specific type of

existence Li"e a man - "now who has studied the stressstrain& for forty fi#e years& of the left

foreleg of the common housefly /nd he has photographed minutely this particular thing& %ecause

he has a theory a%out it /nd he has shown some remar"a%le things a%out left)footedness in the

housefly

*ow this is really .uite important& %ecause the two presuppose each other

The Potter

$he non)o%3ecti#e continuous see"ing of this %lind woman& the see"ing without finding& is

exactly the opposite of the dedication to one specific form %y the male empirical scientist But in the

mo#ement of this %lind power& there is an ine#ita%le o#erlapping& an intersection& the spinning

produced %y this intersection 8D5419 carries us in the second place where we find a potter2 a man

%usy ma"ing pots

*ow the word sams"ara here is a word& its exactly the same word

as samsara which means the whole of power mo#ement plus the

letter M When we introduce this letter M into this word& it means close it

up $herefore the sym%ol of the potter here means a power that is makingcontainers *ow if it werent for these containers there would %e no

pluralisation of appetite& the dri#e of the %lind woman would %e infinite&

and eternally unsatisfied& %ecause %eing infinite it cannot in its mo#ement

come to a term& and therefore it cannot finish something

But when in the o#erlapping of the mo#ements of this %lind woman in its intersection of

the forces which it represents there arises spinning $hen each one of these =ones of spin& a

#ortex& creates a little sphere which is 3ust li"e one of the amphoras dug up in the %y=antine %oat last

night& for those who were watching& and therefore the second one shows formation and pluralisation

of forms& so that a multitude of #ehicles of the %lind woman are produced


18/33

1D| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

!o now we ha#e to imagine that the %lind woman& through her own %lindness& has through

her own non)seeing mo#ement met herself %eing forced %y her non)o%ser#ation& her non)

science& to o%ser#e things that she is not loo"ing for& namely finite forms When infinite forces

mo#e& %ecause they are infinite they are not finited to any specific direction $he result is that they

produce within themsel#es =ones of intersection& =ones of spin& #ortices& ensphering processes Eachone of these is a pot& container& a #ehicle for the same %lind woman /s we go round we will see

how we add each one that we ha#e dealt with to the next one& to explain it

*ow this wheel is a wheel of dependent origination -t is not a Western causal concept of

the temporal order& in which one thing earlier in time has caused another thing later in time li"e

the shunting of railway carriages& where one of them is %umped %y the engine& and %umps the next

one and so on down the line $his is such that you can start at any section of the wheel& and if you

try to define it you will ha#e to define all of it ["&$ /ny part of it is presupposed in all of it&

and all of it is presupposed in any part of it

+ou "now that in the case of chemical elements which were pursued for a long time %y the

scientists as ultimate simples& the com%ination of which would produce the uni#erse %ut when

they found these chemical elements in the atomic scale& these elements ha#e a peculiar %ias& a

#alency tendency / tendency to 3oin with other elements& and this presupposes that these apparent

simples are %eing %ound together %y in#isi%le forces *ow the in#isi%le forces of the whole& are& %y

their mo#ement producing ultimately& these so)called material particles& simply as centres of

reference +ou cannot understand car%on unless you understand all the #alences of car%on +ou

must see how car%on& added to other things& produces #arious compounds& and ultimately organic

forms /nd therefore when you are considering any one of these& it is necessary to remem%er all

that you ha#e already thought of all the others& and to continuously to define any one in terms of the

ele#en others& or the other ele#en

$he potter therefore is nothing %ut the motion of the %lind woman& which& through its non)

o%ser#ation of where it is going& through its infinite motion& must cross itself& and in its crossing

produce #ortices& spheres& containing processes /nd this is the potter6ot-teritself implies that this

power has %ecome em%odied in the terra& in the earth& %y this rotating process

*ow if we imagine& once these #ortices of spheres ha#e %een produced %y the dynamic

rotation of energy of this %lind primary conati#e dri#e& then we ha#e to deli%erately postulate space&

which is power& not the dar" cold empty 0opernican space& real space which is full of power&spinning throughout itself& so that 3ust as the wind& if you watch its e#idence on the wa#es of the

sea& will show you that it %lows in little puffs -t doesnt %low on a straight line front& it %lows in

little spherical puffs -n other words it is ma"ing spheres& it is rolling as its going along /nd each

little roll ensphering& produced %y this %lind conation within the infinite& is considered from its

formati#e aspect& the potter !o that when we are tal"ing a%out the potter& the principle of the

production of finite containers& spheres of influence& or finite %eings& we are simply tal"ing a%out

the %lind woman producing una#oida%ly these ensphering processes these #ortices


19/33

1F| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

The Mon(ey

*ow we want to consider how the potter %ecomes the mon"ey $he

%lind woman who ga#e %irth to the potter& the potter who modelled the

mon"ey

-f we imagine space& which is sentient power& to %e spinning& ma"ing

spheres e#erywhere& and each one of these spheres is& %y its rotation&

relati#ely separated from all the other spheres& then this apparently separated

sphere is a mon"ey / mon"ey is the "ey to man -t is the e#aluator& the

consciousness& the sentience& insofar as it is loc"ed up inside one of these

spheres

*ow the term #i"yama8G9 here& for the mon"ey& which the scholars translate consciousness&

without defining the word ade.uately& really means that sentience& within one of these spheres&

%ecause it is ensphered& is %eing stimulated from all round itself in the six directions& north& south&

east& west& up and down /nd in the process it is %eing presented with stimuli from other spheres

/nd it is therefore continuously loo"ing a%out for the source of the stimulus

*ow the only way we "now& as finite %eings& that there are other %eings& is %ecause we do

not initiate e#ery change that occurs in our %ody -f you thin" #ery carefully a%out this& and you

thin" to yourself there is a noise coming from somewhere in this room *ow - feel that - am

responsi%le at this moment for this particular noise *ow the only e#idence you ha#e that this noise

is coming from me& is that you are not initiating it /nd therefore %ecause you are not initiating this

noise& you postulate another %eing [+"'2$as cause !o that this stimulus which arises in your

consciousness& and which you ha#e not initiated& is your sole e#idence that there is an externalworld /nd therefore it is the cause of you %elie#ing that there is an o%ser#er and an o%ser#ed& and

that the two are not identical $his ma"es it that the mon"ey see two men in a %oat [+"&7$

T#o Men in a Boat

*ow the two men in the %oat nam)rupa& this term nama means name& rupa means

form *ama is the actual mo#ement within your su%stance which happens in this dual situation& and

the mo#ement within your su%stance when you listen to it& you call that a naming process -t is an

actual mo#ing of your su%stance that you listen to& when you are thin"ing /nd that form which

arises in consciousness from the mo#ement of your su%stance& which is the naming process& is

always correspondent with the name !o if - say the word pyramid& and the word sphere& then youget two different images& coming in your mind /n empiricist might say this is a product of your

education But if we go %ac" historically it wont matter& %ecause the educator is the stimulus

situation

$he first men who shouted pyramid when they saw a shape stic"ing

out li"e that& did so as a spontaneous reaction to a stimulus caused %y a form

li"e that What they saw& and the emoti#e response to what they saw& were

always correspondent !ome words were o%#ious5 the onomatopoeic words&

splash& %ang& wallop& and so on& these words tell you that a gi#en thing&

percei#ed or experienced& has a correspondent emotional response& which


20/33

'I| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

coming out of the #ocal organs expresses itself as a word $he result is that the collection of names

inside you& and the collection of forms you %elie#e to %e outside you %ecause you didnt initiate

them& allow you to di#ide the world into psyche)soma -nto soul and %ody Psyche2 soul5 !oma2 the

%ody /nd therefore %ecause you feel your own sentience inside your s"in& %ecause you are

identified with processes inside your s"in& and you tal" to yourself inside your s"in& and the wordsyou use inside your s"in seem to you to %e your own products When you say %oat& when you say

man& when you say mon"ey& something arises in your consciousness from these names and you

%elie#e that these names are inside you $hey are mental process and they dont appear to %e

causati#ely connected with the %oat& with the mon"eys& with the men& outside your s"in /nd yet

there is a correspondence /nd this fact leads you to %elie#e that you ha#e a physical %ody& separate

from your own psyche /s you do not initiate certain of the changes that occur in your

consciousness& you attri%ute these changes to %eings %eyond your consciousness /nd you ha#e a

central consciousness of your own to which you can turn& and inside which& if you practice& you can

isolate yourself and concentrate with two radios on and a dear friend explaining a #ery interesting

thing to you& in which you ha#e no interest +ou can actually gather yourself together& you can

smile and you can say yes& yes& no& no& in the right places

-ts mar#ellous stuff& the su%stance of the psyche you can conduct se#eral con#ersation

simultaneously with the interest in the right places& and not hear anything at all %ecause you#e %een

#ery %usy watching out of the corner of your eye that fascinating BB0' crossword pu==le *ow this

means that your two li#es& your apparent %ody life and your apparent psychic life& are simply the

product of the potter or #ortical spinning& within this primary uni#ersal conati#e dri#e

!o5 two men in a %oat $he %oat is your %eing& which in its gross manifestation is your

physical %ody& and the two men are the two conceptual consciousnesses that you ha#e >ne of your

consciousnesses you call the sensational one& the sentient one& and this is the one that ma"es you

thin" there are things outside yourself /nd the other one is the one that you thin" internally is your

real self as opposed to other sel#es

+ou thin" you are a soul& you thin" you ha#e a %ody& and you thin" there are other %odies

outside you& and which %y inference ha#e souls /nd all this is caused %y the sams"aric acti#ity of

#ortical spin& or the potter !o the dualism of the inner and outer self arises from these two men in

the %oat

*ow the two men in a %oat of course as theyre in the %oat all the time it has to %e ahouse %oat so they ha#e %uilt this house within the %ody %oat& and they ha#e drilled holes so they

can watch the external world /nd these holes are the fi#e senses& and a special one called common

sensemeaning the sense that is common to the fi#e !o in the house with the six windows& what is

referred to are the fi#e sense organs& plus that unifying something which is called common sense

*ow this house with the six windows is %rought into %eing %y this potter process& ha#ing

isolated =ones of space remem%er space is sentient power and within each =one the mental

process& the mon"ey& has %een under stimulation& and through this stimulation has gi#en rise to

%elief that there is differentiation %etween the psyche& the o%ser#er and the soma& the

o%ser#ed /nd %ecause it %elie#es there are external %eings& it has drilled holes in its own %eing to


21/33

'1| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

peep out of& and see what is going on !o the sense organs are actually mo#ements from within to

meet the external stimulus

-f you examine the eye you will find that the eye has %een %uilt %y light $he sun has created

the eye !ound has created the ear Perfumes ha#e created the nose& and so on Each sense organ has

%een created %y the necessity of dealing with certain orders of stimuli coming in /nd therefore this

!adaya& this word means %eing)intersection continuously $his word which is referred to as the

creation of the six sense organs& really means %eings interfering with each other continuously /nd

those things which you do not initiate alarm you& and you grow your sense organs in order to peep&

and see what is there 8'nly that

comprehended with difficulty is retained /nd therefore the sym%olism is made difficult Womenunderstand this more than men $hey understand that if they are too easy to get& they will %e

dismissed We wont go into the psychological causes for that& %ut if a girl falls in lo#e with a %oy

and says to him first time&* am in love with you * will go anywhere in the world with you, you care

to say * am yours forever, you may put your 8ackboot in my upturned human face and it wont turn

me away,then this %oy will interpret5 well -ll ha#e a loo" around elsewhere first& %ecause that one

is fixed [!+"&$*ow this is a tendency in sentient power $hat which it "nows& it dismisses Lets

remem%er that

!o here& a pair of lo#ers is used to represent spar(a, which means contact *ow when

contact occurs %etween / and B& then there is stimulation of / %y B& and B %y / !o the pair oflo#ers here really means stimulation


22/33

''| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

Lets go %ac" a moment and loo" at the logic of this We ha#e an infinite %lind urge -t is

%lind %ecause there is nothing to see -f you loo" at the word %lind and loo" at the word lin in it& and

the word linen and suchli"e words including Lincolnshire& and Lancashire %y sound)shift& the thing

means wea#ing -magine infinite power as a wea#ing& continuously& and that these peculiar

wea#ings are themsel#es power threads& and all the threads are self)mo#ing $hey are not mo#ed %ysomething other than themsel#es& li"e material threads are mo#ed %y a %lind wea#ing woman

$hese #ery threads are sentient power& and they are searching& they are mo#ing themsel#es [!2"#$

!o we ha#e this infinite self)wea#ing power& and in its wea#ing is at e#ery intersection point

creating spin $his spinning is the potter the finite container the ensphering $his potter encloses

sentient power thus produces a finite mind& the mon"ey& which finite mind& %ecause it is finite is

stimulated from all round it %y an infinity of stimuli& and thus its consciousness is split %y the

stimuli into %its !o the mon"ey is hopping a%out all the time under the influence of the stimuli

/ person who is unintegrated is at the mercy of the stimuli that come When 0arl 7ung tal"s

a%out indi#iduation& in its fullest sense as the highest aim of uni#ersal consciousness& then he is

referring to this fact5 that until you integrate allthe elements of your %eing you are at the mercy of

the stimuli that come to you $heres this .uite logical wea#ing of sentient power self)

interfering ma"es the potter each little pot or sphere produced is a little mon"ey each little

mon"ey& %ecause stimulated from outside gi#es rise to the concept two men in a %oat& psyche)soma

my inner processes and that which is %eyond the limit of this %etween the s"in surface of my %ody

$his ma"es me draw holes in my %ody

$hose of you who ha#e enough time to 3ust go through the morphology of a de#eloping

human %eing from the egg& will %e completely fascinated %y the way the sense organs are actuallygrown from within this %eing& outwards to meet their stimuli $he sense organs are produced& and

there is contact %etween the external world and the sense organ /nd this is represented as lo#ers&

and the lo#ers are .uite simple& really Because the lo#ers are simply the inside and outside of this

sphere which& the potter has created $hat is& your psyche is a lo#er What he lo#es is total reality

outside himself !o that he has a tendency to extend his understanding& his power& his grasp of

reality %eyond himself He is lo#ing the world

!imultaneously the world is lo#ing him& %ecause he is a centre of integration possi%ility /ll

the energy going out from an indi#idual human %eing into the world& his pleasures and pains& his

li"ings and disli"ings& his graspings and failings& the re3ection which he undergoes all thesethings are simply the relation %etween two lo#ers5 yourself within your s"in& and the uni#ersal

%eyond your s"in +our interest in the world is exactly e.ui#alent to the worlds interest in you /ll

the world lo#es a lo#er +ou are a centre of potential integration and the world is a potential of

indi#idual experience $he two presuppose each other

We see here theres no .uestion of priority of uni#erse o#er indi#idual& or indi#idual o#er

uni#erse $hese two come into %eing simultaneously $he s"in comes into %eing as a result of the

play of forces from any centre& to the space around it /nd therefore six& the lo#ers the num%er

six& means here& sex& and therefore the lo#ers Well see o#er there later another function of sexual

union& %ut here it means the contact of your sense organs with the external world& and the contact of

the external world with you as an indi#idual point of reaction


23/33


$he %iggest error of empirical science is to %elie#e that an empirical scientist is attac"ing the

uni#erse to disco#er its secret& and that the uni#erse is not attac"ing him to ma"e him disco#er its

secret $hose who realise that the uni#erse is actually attac"ing man& to ma"e man indi#iduate& to

ma"e man integrate so that man can understand the uni#erse %ecause only through man can the

uni#erse understand itself $here must %e a centre of indi#iduation& of integration& in order that theuni#ersal energy can focus and concentrate itself& and from that point of indi#idual& integrated

consciousness& loo" %ac" at the uni#erse& and realise itself

$his is why in 0hristian theology man is created a little lower than the angels the angels

are archetypal forms %ut is destined to %e higher& %ecause the angels are separated from each other

logically according to categories& and one angel cannot %ecome an angel of another category

$hus intellectual elements cannot %ecome affecti#e elements

/ffecti#e elements& feelings& li"ings& disli"ings& are not conati#e dri#es

$hese three are different and one cannot %ecome the other

!o there are angels of the intellectual hierarchy& angels or archetypes of the affecti#e

emoti#e hierarchy& angels of the conati#e power)dri#e hierarchy& and these angels cannot get out of

their category But a human %eing can get hold of all the angels from the three hierarchies& and %y

wor"& indi#iduate and integrate in himself& so that he is then %etter than the angels $his caused

.uite a lot of 3ealousy in hea#en at one time& and the re#er%eration produced our %est philosophical

arguments

Arro# in the Man&s 'ye*ow once we#e got the contact& we go down here to se#en

$here is an arrow in a mans eye& who bhedana here& means a

continuous process of affecti#e response $hat is to say& that when a

stimulus comes to you& you can either assimilate it at an appropriate

rate and li"e it& or you cannot and to that degree you disli"e it But if

you li"e this thing& you ha#e a preference /nd this preference is that

something will %e present with you& or if its unassimila%le& that it shall %e a%sent from you !o the

arrow in the mans eye means the mood that arises logically from the

contact of yourself with your external uni#erse

!rin(er Served by a Woman

*ow this moon& this affect& this li"ing)disli"ing& passes into

the next phase represented %y a drin"er ser#ed %y a woman

;emem%er these sym%ols are not 3ust fa%ricated to ma"e the thing

loo" nice and romantically interesting $hey ha#e meaning Woman

refers to the conati#e and affecti#e side of nature& and man to the

intellecti#e /nd in this eighth position there is $rishna which is

thirst& and it is a desire that that pleasant affect& that pleasant emotion&

shall %e re)experienced /nd it is ser#ed %y woman $hat means that once theaffection is roused in you& your own non)intellecti#e side& that is your female side&


24/33


will want to repeat this pleasant stimulus !o that you the male& the drin"er& the differentiator& the

selector are %eing fed %y your own conati#e& emoti#e& non)intellecti#e side

Grasing At *ruit

*ow this automatically produces the grasping at the fruit $hat is to say& if a thing is pleasant

enough for you& not only do you want to re)experience it& %ut you want to guarantee that you re)

experience it& and therefore& you wish to possess it /gain it follows .uite logically from the

[&+"%'$contact of the senses and affecti#e response& - li"e)disli"e& - mo#e toward the li"es& - would

li"e to ha#e them again& and to guarantee - ha#e them again& - would li"e to own them $his %rings

us to the picture showing sexual union of a man and a woman

Se+ual ,nion of a Man and Woman

*ow bhaava& %ecoming, here5 a union of the man and the o%3ect that he decides to

appropriate $his man wants to own the source o%3ect that will allow him to repeat his pleasant

experience /nd in so doing& he comes into union with that o%3ect -f we were to interpret that this

pair of lo#ers and this sexual union o#er here simply refers to the sexual acti#ity of a man and a

woman in the world& its most external interpretation& - wouldnt mean #ery much to us -t would

simply %e an illustration of something thats going on& %ut it wouldnt tell us

what to do a%out it

But here it says to us .uite simply that this bhaava& this %ecoming&

this %eing)de#elopment arises %ecause the desire for repetition of the

pleasant stimulus has produced a possessi#e appropriation of the o%3ect& and

the man then %ecomes unified with his o%3ect $his is a man in any field of

acti#ity at all& who& see"ing a position that will gi#e him the power to repeatthis pleasant feeling& actually %ecomes one with his acti#ity $he man who is

identified with any "ind of institution& structure& organisation& church& state&

whate#er it is that he gi#es himself to& so that he can no longer separate

himself from that %eing2 this is represented %y the sexual union

Woman Giving Birth

*ow& from the union of this man with his o%3ect& which he now owns& there emerges another

one5 the woman gi#ing %irth GGG,yatuGGGGGGGG& throwing out to try to o%3ectify& to esta%lish a

dynasty& to say that because * have got this ob8ect and this ob8ect is so terribly valuable, * must

make children to take my place at my desk, from which * give out the orders that guarantee that *will retain my hold on this desirable ob8ect /nd the de#elopment of his organisation& this

organisation de#eloped %eyond its original is his child :rom the %usiness point of #iew it is

su%sidiary organisations which spread throughout the world as children of a parent organisation

/nd the man who is so identified& is li#ing and extending his energy in this way

:rom the point of #iew of material existence& at the physiological

le#el& the sexual union produces a physiological child /nd this child is

the o%3ecti#e pro3ection through time and space of the intent of the

parents to perpetuate their affecti#e en3oyment of that o%3ect to which

they first attached themsel#es We see this most o%#iously in the great


25/33

'


26/33

'?| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

locally there is identification& and a refusal to integrate function with the en#ironment $here is no

other death

*ow& when we#e gone round here logically we see that it is really a #ery simple thing -f

we go round it #ery .uic"ly we can dismiss it

Ani#ersal energy %y its processes formulates

$he pluralisation of formulation produces indi#idual minds loc"ed inside their %odies

$his loc"ed mind inside the %odies has a dual aspect& the inner psyche the outer soma

$his necessitates the drilling of portals in order to see the external world

$his results in the contact of the external world and the sense organs

$his results in the arising of feelings& - li"e itdisli"e it

$his results in preference thirst for certain experiences

$his results in grasping& possessi#e appropriation& in order to repeat these things

$his results in the %inding of the man and the o%3ect

$his results in gi#ing %irth along the line of de#elopment of that o%3ect to its term

/nd this reaching the term is the necessity of death

-f we say it #ery .uic"ly li"e that& we can say& thats how it is ) quite easy :eveunderstood that and then we can go on, forget about it hence the difficulty ,ifficulty introduced

on purpose& to ma"e you realise what it means

The T#elve as Pairs of "osites

*ow it is arranged in this way& round in this manner& not accidentally& in pairs of opposites

7ust as theres a real opposition %etween the gods and the %eings in hell %oth ignoring something2

the gods were ignoring the finite nature of their hea#en& and the %eings in the hells are ignoring the

possi%ility of escape from hell so when we loo" at these twel#e& they are also related

Blind Woman and Arro# in Man&s 'ye

$here is a %lind woman and there is an arrow in a mans eye $he %lind woman %y her

mo#ements has produced a situation in which it is possi%le to hit a man in the eye $hat is to %e

made to see dialectically& that %lindness %egets the #ision $he wounding of the man& the arising of

the feeling in him& * must see more clearly to get what * want, is the dialectical product of the

%lindness of the original primary conation

Potter and !rin( Served by Woman

*ow the potter here& formation& has produced a woman holding one of these pots that is

his will in order to drin" out of it $heres a real relation %etween the opposite concepts Anless

we ma"e pots we cannot hold our lemonade in them -f we cant do that& we cant drin" !o the


27/33

'| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

formati#e process here& is a precondition of the possi%ility of drin"ing2 that is& of ta"ing it from one

=one and putting into another =one Each =one can then specialise in a certain "ind of self)%eing and

in specialising is depri#ing itself of something else that it might ha#e had

$o specialise is to depri#e yourself of an infinity of other possi%ilities& and thus to create an

appetite for what you are not /nd this potter& therefore& %egets the situation where you can ha#e a

thirst $heres a real meaning in the opposition

Mon(ey and Grasing at *ruit

*ow the mon"ey& the closing of the mind& the finiting of the mind& ma"es possi%le the

appropriation of things to add to this mind /gain its not accidental that this mind& reacting to

stimuli from all around itself& is watching pleasure)pain& pleasure)pain& and reaching out& and

grasping those things that gi#e the pleasure& and appropriating to itself all those pleasura%le& and

therefore pushing away those things that are not logically consistent with the things you want /

mon"ey %egets in this way

T#o Men in a Boat and Se+ual ,nion

$he two men in a %oat& the psyche soma& re3ect the possi%ility of this union

*ow we see here a #ery su%tle thing& that a #ery #alua%le in#ersion of polarity is possi%le

$he man and his own %eing can %e considered as manwoman& in which your physical %ody& your

material self can %e #iewed as female %ecause it is full of non)intellectualised tendencies $he %ody

is full of urges not yet intellectualised +our intellect is masculine to your %ody $herefore the

two men in the %oat& psychesoma& %y means of names and forms& can produce a new "ind of unity

the unity of a man& a psyche& with his own %eing& his soma

*ow this is the one thats most important in all religious teachings that a man shall come

to terms with his opposite pole

*ow in certain psychologists 7ungian psychology is fairly o%#ious there is a fairly

clear statement that a man has to come to terms with his opposite pole $hat the male must come to

terms with his femaleness& and the femaleness with the maleness But there is not enough

clarification that your femaleness is your physical %ody& and your maleness is your pure logic

+our physical %ody is full of wants urges& desires& a#ersions& it li"es and disli"es& some

things it thin"s are comforta%le& and some are not& and it tends to mo#e towards the comforta%le&and away from those that are not -n other words& your physical %ody acts 3ust li"e a woman -t

wants what it wants when it wants it /nd your pure logic inside& has the 3o% of %ringing this

woman into su%3ection to its authority $he man that cannot control his own physical needs for

comfort and pleasure& cannot control the woman in him

$he oppositionspirit and bodyis exactly the same as the opposition woman man When !t

Paul said ;hrist is the head of man and man the head of woman,0hrist was the personification of

logos& cosmic reason'$he man who can see a purely mathematical)geometrical)logical proposition

is really male $he man who can ma"e his %ody o%ey that logic& is a hermaphrodite $his is the "ind

'10o 1154 But - would ha#e you "now& that the head of e#ery man is 0hrist2 and the head of the woman istheman2 and the head of 0hrist is(od


28/33


29/33

'F| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

"uestion rom a listener! Tell me how all these characters were connected. #n the circle you

were sayin$ how they orm a complete circle even, i there%s the same connection between

the corpse and the blind woman, &&

$he reason - didnt do that course is %ecause we would ha#e had to go round again $he

connection actually as we#e said %efore5 this is a wheel& not of a serial causation not where onething in front of another in time& causes a following one& %ut the whole wheel itself is power&

sentient power $his wheel is a real existential wheel within each indi#idual& and within the

uni#erse as a whole !o the connection %etween this man with the corpse& %etween man and his own

%ody& %etween life and death& is that& after going round& and %y this process of identification with a

finite o%3ect& necessitating the destruction of the o%3ect& as in the case of a physical %ody& when you

get this %ody& you got it after hard wor" and choosing& when you de#elop it& you choose the mode of

its de#elopment& and when you reach the term of its acti#ity& so that you consider yourself

sufficiently frustrated %y it to realise that it cannot fulfil your intent in the way you hoped it would&

then you #acate it

/ctual physical death is not caused %y disease& it is caused %y people #acating %odies with a

sufficient num%er of impediments in them to ma"e it not worthwhile to remain in them !ome

people gi#e up the %ody& with no physical symptoms N)rays find nothing& and these people die

!ome people persist for years with the most terri%le diseases& %ecause did some%ody laugh thenG

'es # did. # suddenly thou$ht &.(unclear recordin$ o this response&)

$hey ha#e a moti#e actually for persisting& %ut the actual immediate cause of death is .uite

simple5 it is #acating the #ehicle %ecause the psyche inside it has now concei#ed it to ha#e reached

its term -dentification is death /nd the death of the %ody with which one is identified& is theprecondition of the release of consciousness from the specific form to which it has committed itself

!o when we come to the man with the corpse remem%er the corpse is simply your %ody the

man& man means e#aluator& a man is a psyche2 the psyche is carrying the %ody with it +ou are

carrying death a%out with you& as long as you ha#e a physical %ody /nd when you get fed up with

the limitations imposed upon you %y this %ody& then you gi#e it up& and this is death

*ow the consciousness& in going round the wheel& going through its experiential cycle& has

informed itself that is& put form %y deli%erate e#aluation& within itself& of the external situation -t

photographs e#ents and o%3ects of the outer world& inside itself& and it does this so fast that it

doesnt ha#e time to pattern them properly -t is always running from moment to moment $here are

not many people in the world& not e#ery%ody in this room will do what - am saying not many people

do& %ecause it is #ery special group of people& of course

/ll the people in thisroom& when they go to %ed at night& they deli%erately loo" at the

moment of getting into %ed& and then they play the whole of their days experience %ac"wards& to

when they first wo"e up /nd they will not allow themsel#es to go to sleep until they#e done this&

as an essential ritual in self)comprehension >utside this room of course& people dont do that

8laughter9 $hey 3ust feel tired and go to sleep 8more laughter9

$he result is that ordinary mortals ha#e no real integration& and conse.uently when death

occurs& when a sufficient num%er of impedances ha#e accumulated in their physical %ody so that it


30/33

4I| Page Buddhist Wheel of Life Eugene Halliday

is no longer worthwhile remaining in it& then they #acate it But they ta"e with them& in their own

su%tle %ody& that is the %ody of the ideas which ha#e arisen in them as a result of their contact with

the external world& the totality of the images of their experience constitutes a su%tle %ody& a %ody of

fine energies& ideas ideas are energies and all this mass of unintegrated material they ha#e

inside themsel#es& after they ha#e let go of the physical %ody

!o now they depart !ym%olically they go to the moon $hey sing a certain popular song on

the way& and when they get there& they then proceed& in a "ind of dream contemplation& and try to

sort out and categorise their experiences $his period of sorting out the experiences is necessitated&

%ecause ordinary people ha#ent time to categorise to their daily experiences e#ery night& and

conse.uently they gi#e up their %odies %efore they ha#e assimilated their total experience

$heres an often and some%ody

[=.break in recording$

means that you go into a state in which your mental content your mind and all its

furniture constitute your %ody of reference /nd %ecause it is all higgledy)piggledy& you are in a

"ind of dream state& in which you watch the parade of your unassimilated unintegrated experiences

passing through consciousness /nd as you watch it& you %egin to detect the patterning of your

choices +ou see how one choice led to another& how each choice presupposes& radially& a lot of

others /gain& dependent origination /nd then when you ha#e assimilated and categorised the full

significance of the totality of your choices during that one life in the physical %ody& then there arises

as a result of the finity of your experience& a specific resultant

$his is #ery important

When you#e %een on that wheel once& it is extremely unli"ely that& in that one occasion&

you will ha#e sufficient interest and energy to disperse o#er your total experience& to see its total

significance /nd therefore in one lifetime you will ac.uire a specific %ias& a resultant of the totality

of your experience& which will lea#e you with less than omniscience /nd %ecause you ha#e less

than omniscience& after you ha#e categorised and assimilated the experience of that one life& you are

%iased from your own experience from your "nowledge& your own assessment to %elie#e that

you need some more experience to %alance the deficiencies which you ha#e detected /nd as soon

as this assessment is completed& you then wait with the pattern integrated as far as you#e %een a%le

to integrate it& and the gaps in it where you ha#e not %een a%le to integrate it& and the resonance of

your pattern determines that when a certain situation occurs on earth& then there is a possi%ility of

you completing your education /nd then you re)enter at a certain point& the logical de#elopment of

which will %e& the path of experience that will fill in the gaps of your prior experience 815I?5419

!o the dead person again is a %lind woman $hat is to say& hes not omniscient& there are

still elements in him of unassimilated experience& still elements in him of undetermined directions&

still needs& urges and so on all these now proceed to fashion again for him He is now the potter

He is now modelling himself a new %eing& modelling a new mon"ey& a new mind& which he %elie#es

will deal ade.uately with his experience& in the light of his prior experience *ow& he then proceeds

to go round the circle again& and ordinarily he chooses a finite o%3ect& a finite process& through


31/33


which he wishes to go& %ecause of the finity of his prior experience& the finity of his energy& and

therefore the lac" of power to integrate fully the meaning of his experience

/s long as he goes round this wheel in a linear manner& he will continue to do so $his is the

eternal recurrence that frightened many& many philosophers in the ancient world& and many in the

modern world *iet=sche was the 1F thcentury exponent of this frightening concept& and frightened

himself with it

*ow (autamas analysis of this was& that the first is the cause of you staying on that wheel&

and that only at the point of the first can you get yourself out of it

Lets thin" what happens +ou dont "now something %ut you ha#e an urge to act Because

you dont "now& therefore you cannot act& other than in a specific& formulated manner +ou %ecome

a potter Because you ha#e formulated yourself in a certain way& you are a certain type of mon"ey&

3umping in a certain way& your specific mental process is determined %y the way you ha#e %een

patterned& from the amount of material you a%sor%ed last time

$his mon"ey& this consciousness responding splits you again into psyche)soma +ou %elie#e

that you ha#e a physical %ody +ou are not identified with a%solute consciousness +ou are

identified with potted consciousness& as a finite mind& %elie#ing that you ha#e a #alid dualism&

%odypsyche +ou loo" through your sense organs again& your six windowed house /gain you

come into contact with the world /gain you fall in lo#e with some specific& finite parts of it /gain

from this contact arises li"e)disli"e& again the thirst& the desire to drin" again

*ow (autamas analysis stop

eh buddhist wheel jb

Documents