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The '''One Life''' is a central [[Theosophy|Theosophical concept]], representing the one single source from which everything in the universe manifests. It is defined as "the Absolute Deity",<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 248.</ref> "formless and Uncreate [from which] proceeds the Universe of lives".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 250.</ref> [[H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:
The '''One Life''' is a central [[Theosophy|Theosophical concept]], representing the one single source from which everything in the universe manifests. It is defined as "the Absolute Deity",<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 248.</ref> "formless and Uncreate [from which] proceeds the Universe of lives".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 250.</ref> As [[H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:


<blockquote>THE ONE LIFE—is deity itself, immutable, omnipresent, eternal. It is “subtle supersensuous matter” on this lower plane of ours.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IX (Wheaton, Ill: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974), 78.</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>THE ONE LIFE—is deity itself, immutable, omnipresent, eternal. It is “subtle supersensuous matter” on this lower plane of ours.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IX (Wheaton, Ill: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974), 78.</ref></blockquote>
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<blockquote>When we speak of our One Life we also say that it penetrates, nay is the essence of every atom of matter; and that therefore it not only has correspondence with matter but has all its properties likewise, etc. — hence is material, is matter itself.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr. ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 88 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 271.</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>When we speak of our One Life we also say that it penetrates, nay is the essence of every atom of matter; and that therefore it not only has correspondence with matter but has all its properties likewise, etc. — hence is material, is matter itself.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr. ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 88 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 271.</ref></blockquote>


Although essentially matter (as well as spirit) is not different from the One Life, on the manifested planes it is seen as a vehicle of the [[Absolute]] Reality:
Although matter (as well as spirit) is essentially not different from the One Life, on the manifested planes the former is seen as a vehicle of the [[Absolute]] Reality:


<blockquote>[M]atter in all its phases being merely a vehicle for the manifestation through it of LIFE—the [[Parabrahman|Parabrahmic Breath]]——in its physically pantheistic aspect (as Dr. Richardson would say, we suppose) it is a super-sensuous state of matter, itself the vehicle of the ONE LIFE, the unconscious purposiveness of Parabrahm.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IX (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974), 80.</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>[M]atter in all its phases being merely a vehicle for the manifestation through it of LIFE—the [[Parabrahman|Parabrahmic Breath]]——in its physically pantheistic aspect (as Dr. Richardson would say, we suppose) it is a super-sensuous state of matter, itself the vehicle of the ONE LIFE, the unconscious purposiveness of Parabrahm.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IX (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974), 80.</ref></blockquote>

Revision as of 20:02, 12 April 2013

The One Life is a central Theosophical concept, representing the one single source from which everything in the universe manifests. It is defined as "the Absolute Deity",[1] "formless and Uncreate [from which] proceeds the Universe of lives".[2] As H. P. Blavatsky wrote:

THE ONE LIFE—is deity itself, immutable, omnipresent, eternal. It is “subtle supersensuous matter” on this lower plane of ours.[3]

The One Life includes both what we call spirit and matter:

When we speak of our One Life we also say that it penetrates, nay is the essence of every atom of matter; and that therefore it not only has correspondence with matter but has all its properties likewise, etc. — hence is material, is matter itself.[4]

Although matter (as well as spirit) is essentially not different from the One Life, on the manifested planes the former is seen as a vehicle of the Absolute Reality:

[M]atter in all its phases being merely a vehicle for the manifestation through it of LIFE—the Parabrahmic Breath——in its physically pantheistic aspect (as Dr. Richardson would say, we suppose) it is a super-sensuous state of matter, itself the vehicle of the ONE LIFE, the unconscious purposiveness of Parabrahm.[5]

The One life is frequently connected to the Great Breath,[6] or the Intra-Cosmic Breath,[7] where the "countless lives" are "the outbreathings of the One Life".[8]

See also Life

Online resources

Articles

Notes

  1. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 248.
  2. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 250.
  3. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings vol. IX (Wheaton, Ill: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974), 78.
  4. ↑ Vicente Hao Chin, Jr. The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence No. 88 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 271.
  5. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings vol. IX (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974), 80.
  6. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 226, fn.
  7. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 258.
  8. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 268.
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