This is my second post on the topic of Freemasonry.
This paper was read at The Rustom Cama Study Circle,Mumbai-India on 28th September, 2011 and is written by : Brother T.S.Sridhar.
In an interview to TOI (dated 12th September, 2011), Bro. K.K.Gautam, Regional Grand Master of The Regional Grand Lodge of Northern India said:
“Freemasonry is said to be the pursuit of Light (self realisation) of the Absolute, which is the sub-stratum of the Universe, which alone is real. Hence the ultimate aim is to lead us to the Supreme Being, and to bring us out of ourselves into harmony with it. This is done through allegory and symbols. “
The word Light meaning Self Realisation caught my attention about which I will make a few statements. Self Realisation can ordinarily be understood as :
1. Knowing one’s self’.
2. After a bit of probing you can also understand it to mean ‘knowing one’s self by one self’.
It is the latter meaning which made sense to me.
Self Realisation has to do with understanding the subtle life within us which is esoteric or mystic and is beyond words. Therefore self-realisation means experiencing or feeling the divine spark that is present
within us. While most of us get lost in ritual workings and festive board functions, the underlying intention of Freemasonry (which is to ‘feel or experience light’) gradually gets lost and resurfaces again only when there is a first degree working. We can recall that we heard in the first degree for the first and only time -
“God said let there be light and there was light.”
This was before the candidate was freed off the hoodwink that blindfolded him. This is the most important statement in Freemasonry which is rarely understood. The statement though very innocent is very subtle and very mystic. It is pregnant with meaning and has a lot to reveal. If we understand closely it says let self-realisation or light dawn on the candidate. Before this day the candidate, whether educated or not in the material sense, and whether or not monetarily successful in life , was in total darkness about the divine spark in him.After initiation in the first degree it is left to the candidate to work for progress by exploring the divine spark in him.In the first degree the path for the Divine Spark in the candidate is supposed to have been triggered off. He is asked to reach further heights hereafter and be a master of the subjects described in the degree. It needs to be emphasized that earlier I have deliberately used the word ‘feel or experience light’ instead of ‘seeing light’ as we normally associate light with sight. Merely knowing the meaning of self realisation is not enough. This knowledge can be obtained by reading or listening to related matters repeatedly. And literatures galore on the topic. The joy comes in experiencing that Divine Light which is what Freemasonry seeks to impress. This can only be done by the self. The meaning of what we read or hear or enact in the Lodge gets enhanced if they are matched by self experience or realisation. For this we need to be aware of ourselves and to ponder over what is happening within us. That is the application aspect which is very crucial and quite often ignored. We have heard many people say that there is nothing like a divine spark in us or a connection to God. Some disbelieve the rituals and say that they believe only in God. While others believe only the rituals and treat it as the ultimate.Scientific explanations are advanced and discussions happen regularly to prove the non-existence of either the Divine Spark or of God. To them I would say please accept as a postulate my statement that there is a divine spark in all of us and which is ultimately and intimately connected to God. Have we not advanced in the material world by accepting zero, or the formula 0+1=1 as a postulate? So what is wrong in accepting the postulate suggested by me? By acceptance alone can we make progress in our journey of self realisation. After accepting the existence of the Divine Spark within us, then we should involve in self-introspection with an intense yearning for the divine thing to show up in us. In the absence of the above, no matter how many meetings we attend and how good we are at rituals, self realisation will be only a distant dream. The rituals are there to impress upon our minds that our experiences through self realisation, if and when they happen, are for real. Every ritual conveys a meaning about the movement of the divine in us which was explained in my earlier article “ Freemasonry and Spirituality” (or Why I joined Freemasonry ). Rituals in a way communicate or strike a chord to the mystic or esoteric experiences of a self realised person or to one on way to self realisation. Self realisation enables him to appreciate better the richness of the hidden meanings in the rituals. Similarly the Holy Bhagavat Geeta are full of references to God and the existence of God’s divine spark in us. It also has several diktats of dos and don’ts, and rituals. While there are masonic rituals as well as religious texts, there are also Gurus and Babas who impart knowledge about the Divine within us. But the wisdom resides only in us to feel that. If we as human beings have to conclude this life without experiencing the divine in us , the purpose of our birth will be defeated. Human beings alone are endowed with the capacity for self realisation. Rituals whether in religions or in Freemasonry are addressed only for the benefit of human beings and not to the lower order of life. Rituals therefore aid and make the path of self realisation easier, smoother, enjoyable and less scary. After all self realisation is the ultimate aim of all religions.
We hear it being said repeatedly that the object of Freemasonry is to make good men better. But how? The answer is through self realisation or feeling the light within. In degree working after degree working we are told that we shall never divulge the secrets or mysteries hereafter unfolding before us. Secrets and Mysteries are all about the unfolding of Light to us which is never said in so many words but which are buried deep within us and can only be felt. Every feeling or experience is a Divine revelation and it is indeed privileged knowledge. Bretheren therefore should remember this before the start of a meeting as well as when the meetings are in progress. The Light of Freemasonry contained in our ritual should be underlined and thoroughly elaborated to a first degree candidate. Further if there is no candidate for the first degree for prolonged periods , mock working of the first degree will do a lot of good to remind us about the forgotten Light . After all it is on the first degree that the foundation of freemasonry exists. The search for the Light though can be long and difficult. It is rightly said :
“Seek and ye shall find; ask and ye shall have; knock and it shall be opened unto you.”
The Light was and is always there in us and it is asking to be sought.
A couple of days back a Brother told me that he is a follower of Dhyana Yoga and he is terribly confused when people say that Bhakti Yoga is superior to all Yogas. I did not know how to reply though I did make a vain and unsuccessful attempt. Through this paper I will tell him and also others
“ Bhakti means devotion or dedication with intense passion and a quest for knowledge”. The Holy Bhagavat Geeta says that irrespective of what Yoga you follow, if it is not accompanied by Bhakti, no fruit shall be obtained.
Dated: 28th September, 2011
