I. YHVH and the Nature of Messianic Appearance
In all mystical traditions, the concept of Messiah and messianic appearances
in the Lower Worlds is the pinnacle of all mysteries, unparalleled in its
sublimeness, inscrutability, and controversy. Reflecting the apparently
conflicting perspectives of dualism, qualified non-dualism, and pure non-dualism
discussed in the Chapter One, there are three distinct and seemingly incompatible
views of the mystery of Messiah. Some unquestioningly embrace the idea that
the immutable Divine Essence spontaneously manifests and sports in human
form while retaining full power, omniscience, and omnipresence, and yet
remaining unfettered by the laws of mazal and the limitations of
relativistic illusion. From this perspective, such singularly exalted beings
are said to appear from time to time throughout human history to deliver
fresh dispensations of the universal mystical spirituality at the root of
all religions. Another perspective regards such extraordinary souls as the
rarest Masters i.e. the "Friends" or "Rasools"
of God who lead demonstrative lives and perfectly reflect the divine attributes.
This second view also embraces the idea that the active aspect of the Ancient
One manifests, sustains, and dissolves the Small Face universe through the
"Heads" of the Celestial Messiah in the Sefiroth of the Inner
Court of the Tree. And finally, there are those who reject both the ideas
of a corporeal and a Celestial Messiah outright, regarding all Name and
Form as illusory and only the negatively existent Ayn as real.
The reader should not find it surprising that the proponents of these three
different views of Messiah are prone to argue for the veracity of their
perspective over the others. Previously, it was mentioned that the three
different approaches to the mystical worldview are not in conflict, but
represent gradations of distinction that exist only in human intellect.
The three views of Messiah are likewise such gradations of perspective,
all of which are relatively valid and reflect different spiritual constitutions.
The Lord of All does appear to sport in human forms. And, the dream of the
Small Face universe is projected and withdrawn through the action of the
Celestial Messiah. And, all Name and Form are finite illusory manifestations,
or shadows, of infinite undifferentiated Being.
Messiahs come as World Teachers when righteousness fades, and the message
of the absolute unity of existence and the primacy of unconditional love,
discrimination, and renunciation as a means to intimately know God becomes
obscurated by the conditioned impressions of conventional religions. Such
extraordinary beings remind us in a lively way of our innate divinity and
of the spiritual awakening that is our birthright.
"Whenever there is a decay of righteousness (dharma) and an
ascendancy of unrighteousness, I manifest Myself; and for the protection
of the virtuous, the destruction of the vicious and for the establishment
of righteousness, I manifest Myself in age after age." (Bhagavad
Gita 4:7-8)
By appearing in a human form, Messiahs are able to perfectly portray divine qualities through the medium of human life in a way that can be comprehended by the finite consciousness of humans. In this way, it is said that the message of a Messiah is their divine life. Messiahs also perform other important functions. The deterioration of righteousness is often paralleled by deterioration in the gatekeepers, who have the responsibility of echoing the message of the Messiahs and pointing humanity to the "Open Gate."
Sometimes, Messiahs "wind the clocks" i.e. lead the transition
from one Age to another, or vanquish powerful demons that threaten the stability
of the Small Face universe. Some Messiahs appear to be completely or partially
veiled from awareness of their true identity until awakened to it by a Perfect
Master who has incarnated to do so, or through a supra-conscious experience
of the Divine. Master Mosheh was dramatically changed by his experience
of the "Burning Bush." The Qur'an also tells us
that Master Mosheh was "guided" by Al Khidr, often referred to
as the "Green One" or "The Jew." The Perfect Master
John baptized Master Yeshuvah in the Holy Spirit. The monk Tota Puri struck
the Bengali avatar Sri Ramakrishna in the center of his forehead with a
sharp rock. It immediately sent him into a nirvikalpa samadhi that
lasted for six months and culminated twelve years of intense spiritual practices,
after which Ramakrishna commenced his activity as a World Teacher.
The mystery of Messiah (Heb. mashiach) has been an important component
of the Hebrew faith since ancient times. Yet, in the mainstream of modern
Judaism, "Messiah" is a concept rarely referred to or discussed,
except among the Chasidim. Most Jews are skeptical (if not cynical) that
the Lord YHVH takes human form. Many religious Jews unequivocally deny such
a possibility, even though there are a number of instances in the Torah
where there is a strong inference that the Lord YHVH did so. As an example,
the eighteenth chapter of Torah B'reshith begins with:
"The Lord YHVH appeared to him [Abraham] by the terebinths of Mamre...[as
one of the] three men standing near him." (Torah B'reshith
18:1)
Sometimes we find all of these mysterious strangers popularly portrayed
as angels. However, later on, after Sarah laughs at hearing she would conceive,
we read that one of the three speaks to Abraham:
"Then the Lord YHVH said to Abraham, "...is anything too wondrous
for the Lord YHVH? I will return to you at the same season next year, and
Sarah shall have a son." (Torah B'reshith 18:14)
And the Lord YHVH, through the form of this man, also goes on shortly thereafter to describe the fate of Sodom and Gemorrah. It then says that the other two men went on from there while Abraham remained standing before and conversing with the Lord YHVH in the form of the third man. At the end of the conversation, in which Abraham pleads for mercy for Sodom, it says:
"When the Lord YHVH had finished speaking to Abraham, He departed..." (Torah B'reshith 18:33)
The Shemite qabalistic tradition teaches that the Lord YHVH, as the Celestial Messiah, has a four-fold nature and function. All four aspects are mentioned and alluded to in numerous ways and places in the Tanakh, the Peshitta, and the Qur'an. In the Qabalah, the four aspects of Celestial Messiah are described as four "Heads." The four Heads correspond respectively to the four Sefiroth of the Inner Court of the Tree and to the three Mother Letters Alef, Mem, and Shin, and the letter of the Holy Temple, Tav. The four Heads emanate in pairs and represent the differentiated action of Small Face in manifesting, sustaining, and dissolving the Creation. In the Sefer Yetzirah, the Celestial Heads of Messiah are:
"Depth of First" (Omehq Reshith), corresponding to the
letter Alef. Also simply called "The First," active in creating.
"Depth of Last" (Omehq Acharit), corresponding to the letter
Tav. Also simply called "The Last," active in dissolving.
"Depth of Good" (Omehq Tov), corresponding to the letter
Mem, active in sustaining, manifested in the Lower Worlds as Master Mosheh.
"Depth of Evil" (Omehq Ra'a), corresponding to the letter
Shin, active in sustaining, manifested in the Lower Worlds as Master Yeshuvah.
)
The four letters are also said to be the filters through which the Lord
YHVH incarnates. The Name Reshith is contained in the first word
of the first line of Torah B'reshith, which could be translated
"By the First." The Hebrew formulae for the names Reshith
(Resh Alef Shin Yod Tav) and Acharit (Alef Chet Resh Yod Tav) contain
many letters in common. The letter formula of Master Yeshuvah's (Yod Heh
Shin Vav Heh) name clearly displays the filter of the Shin in the middle
of the Name YHVH ( see Diagram).
The Hebrew formula for the Name Mosheh is Mem (Water), Shin (Fire), Heh
(Shekhinah). The reverse of Master Mosheh's Name, Heh Shin Mem, is
HaShem (lit. "The Name," an epitaph of YHVH). It is also
interesting to note that in the Sinatic Hebrew alphabet, the letterform
of the Shin is contained in the letterform of the Mem.
The full implications of the Lord YHVH manifesting in human form as Master
Mosheh have faded into esoteric obscurity. The penultimate storytellers
of Torah Shmoth have relayed to us: the spectacular story
of the liberation of the HebrewsIt has been traditionally believed that the freed Jews
numbered in the hundreds of thousands. However, an
inscription on a stele dating from the reign of the Pharaoh
Ramses mentions the escape of 5000 slaves. This smaller
number is more reasonable. The Sinai is currently a desert.
However, in the time of the Pharaoh Ramses and Master
Mosheh, it was a savannah supporting a wide range of flora
and fauna. The emigration of five or six hundred thousand people plus their livestock would have caused an ecological
disaster, and is logistically improbable. from Egyptian slavery and the High Magic
of Pesach (Passover), the attempt to make Israel a "nation of
prophets and priests," the ultimate drama on Sinai, and the meticulous
construction of the Tabernacle containing the Ark. Many wonderful teachings
about the nature and significance of Messiah in the Hebrew and Jewish traditions
have been lost, suppressed, distorted, or watered down. Hence, Jews generally
regard Master Mosheh as a kind of "holy magician," and have lost
almost all awareness of the significance of Master Yeshuvah having come
to renew the core mystical teaching of the Jews within the context of Judaism.
Considering that many Christians themselves are confused by contradictions,
inter-sect differences, and fundamentalist rigidity in Church dogma, it
is not surprising that most Jews refute any credibility for Master Yeshuvah
as being a messianic appearance of the Lord YHVH.
)
When Master Yeshuvah came, the Jews were waiting for the messianic advent
of the Lord YHVH as Acharit (The Last), who was expected to liberate
them from Roman control and give the Jews dominion in Palestine. Acharit
has been described as riding a white horse and wielding a fiery sword ( see
Diagram). When Master Yeshuvah's actions did not match the characteristics
of Acharit, he was rejected by the pundits and religious politicians
(but not by many of the people). Furthermore, Master Yeshuvah threatened
to undermine the spiritual authority of the Pharisees and the economic authority
of the corrupt Sadducees, at a time when the Temple of Jerusalem was the
biggest "bank" in the trade-rich Middle East.
In the Gospels of Matthew 11:14 and Mark 9:11-13, Master Yeshuvah
specifically identifies his cousin, John the Baptist, as the reincarnation
of Eliyahu HaNabi (Elijah the Prophet). In Tanakh, it is said
that Eliyahu will again incarnate to announce the final messianic advent
of the Lord YHVH. In the Qabalah, Eliyahu is said to be the incarnate form
of the letter Tzade (letter-gate on the Column of the Right). The Tzade
is "at war with" the letter Zayin (letter-gate on the Column of
the Left). The Zayin incarnated as Jezebel, who was subsequently vanquished
by Eliyahu; and then as Salome, whose infamous nude dance resulted in the
beheading of John the Baptist.
So, the mainstream of religious Jews deny Master Yeshuvah as a messianic
appearance of the Lord YHVH within the context of Judaism. They greatly
revere, but do not generally ascribe messianic stature to Master Mosheh,
ignore the massive commonalties with Islam, and wait for Acharit
who will bring the Jews to the Great Sabbath. Mainstream religious Christians
politely respect Master Mosheh, but certainly have no sense of him as a
Messiah. They feel no connection with the Prophet Mohammed and Islam, regard
Master Yeshuvah as the exclusive and only incarnation of the Lord YHVH,
and are waiting for "The Last" to appear as the "Second Coming
of Master Yeshuvah" who will vanquish Satan (Samael) and take (only)
twice born Christians to Heaven. Mainstream religious Muslims, who officially
don't believe in the possibility of Messiah (notwithstanding their tradition
of the "Hidden MaghdiThe "Hidden Maghdi" is a tradition amongst certain Shiite Muslims.," and the messianic beliefs of some
Sufis), have an ambiguous respect for Master Mosheh and the "People
of the Book." They regard Master Yeshuvah (called Isa in the Qur'an)
as an "immaculately conceived" master of the highest rung. They
are waiting for "The Last" to take action on the "Day of
Judgment" (Yom Ah-Din), when Allah will resurrect the
souls of the faithful in Paradise.
Many details found in the Torah, Peshitta (Gospels),
and Apocrypha regarding the nature, lives, experiences, powers, and
teachings of Master Mosheh and Master Yeshuvah find parallels in those of
Messiahs in other traditions. Messianic appearances are called avatara
in Sanskrit. The Hindu tradition contains beautiful and profound descriptions
of the life dramas and teachings of the ten incarnations of Vishnu, including
Rama, Krishna, Narasimha (lit. Man-Lion), and Matsya (the Fish, who is said
to have appeared to Noah during the Flood). Hindus also ascribe messianic
stature to Chaitanya (sixteenth century CE), Ramakrishna (1836-1886), Shirdi
Sai Baba (d.1918) and Satya Sai Baba (1925-present). They assign such status
as well as to incarnations of the Divine Mother i.e. the Goddess, such as
Saradamani Devi (1853-1920), Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), Amritanandamayi
Ma (1953-present, known widely as "Ammachi"), and others. Buddhism
provides detailed descriptions of the incarnations of the Buddha, and of
the one to come called Maitreya. The sage Lao Tze, to whom is ascribed the
Tao-Te Ching, was the revered divine incarnation who sired
the development of Taoism. And Zoroaster was the messianic wellspring who
transmitted the Zend Avesta and originated the tradition
passed down through the Farsis.
In studying the lives of these many diverse Messiahs, one notices the many
instances where they persevered through challenges and travails. Master
Mosheh suffered at the hands of the Egyptians and was excommunicated and
sent into the desert. Master Yeshuvah was ridiculed by those in authority,
and eventually tortured and apparently crucified. Master Mohammed was forced
to prevail in tribal warfare, and at one point had to escape from Mecca
to Medina. Master Rama was banished to the forest for fourteen years and
forced to battle the demon Ravana to win back his kidnapped wife Sita. Master
Zoroaster was poisoned. Master Ramakrishna, Master Satya Sai, and Devi Ammachi
were all thought to be crazy by their families. Master Satya Sai was taken
to a false healer who poured acid on his head. Devi Ammachi was sent away
from her home as a youth to survive alone without support. And in every
instance, these exalted beings demonstrated by the way they lived and responded
to these challenges the very teachings they were trying to impart-their
lives were their messages!
This ends the section of the site on the core teachings. The next section of the site focuses on meditation practices of the Mystical Qabalah.
