The Master of the Carriage, Part 2b - The Universe

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Rumpelteazer
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The Master of the Carriage, Part 2b - The Universe

Postby Rumpelteazer » Fri May 25, 2012 3:38 pm

Cheltenham Group Meeting 24/5/2012
This week we focused on the second of the two main themes of Part 2 of the film “The Master of the Carriage” - the Universe, and our place in it.
We started by looking at why it is worthwhile, from a spiritual point of view, to study and try to understand the universe. Two members of the group described vivid experiences of looking up at the night sky on a clear night and feeling the vastness of the universe.

After a brief maths lesson from the group taker, we watched the short (9-minute) film “Powers of Ten”. (http://www.powersof10.com/film)
The following comments and questions were raised:
  • “Watching this and also looking up into the night sky makes me feel very small.” Someone responded “Is it really you who are feeling small, or is it just the collection of day to day worries and concerns which habitually occupy your consciousness that are seen to be tiny and trivial?”
  • “Why does the universe exist? What is the point of life?” One response was “Does it need to have a purpose?” Another pointed out there may be confusion between ‘reason for existing’ and ‘cause’. The universe doesn’t need a reason for existing – it just is. But things in it have causes.
We went on to discuss the concept of ‘as above, so below’ and Mr Ouspensky’s concept of cosmoses. One group member who had studied the subject before the meeting had found a remarkably similar description from H.H. See
HH re cosmoses.doc
(29 KiB) Downloaded 334 times
Other comments included:
  • “I can see how when we become identified and our world shrinks, we lose degrees of freedom and become subject to a larger number of laws”
  • “I find the concept of ‘as above, so below’ very helpful, because I can then see that this whole group has an equivalent within me, as does the Study Society, as does the nation etc. It makes it easier to come to terms with the situation when opposition and disagreements arise.”
  • “It shows us that Param-Atman is in everyone”
Someone went on to discuss the need to get rid of some rats in his greenhouse and the difficulties of doing so. Is there a parallel with ourselves - rats within each of us. Unlike (possibly) the greenhouse rats, it’s no good trying to fight them. Just observing them will make them weaker and perhaps they will eventually go away.

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Rumpelteazer
Posts: 143
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:30 pm
Group: Cheltenham
Location: Gloucestershire, UK

Re: The Master of the Carriage, Part 2b - The Universe

Postby Rumpelteazer » Fri Jun 01, 2012 1:28 pm

At the next meeting we discussed people’s experiences of the exercise:
Exercise: Expansion
How large is your world right now? Can you make it larger? Can you let go of the feeling of separation, so that you encompass the whole universe?

Responses included:
  • I had a hectic day in London and needed a break, so I went and sat on a sofa on the top floor of John Lewis. I remembered the exercise. At first, all sorts of things were coming at me from many different directions. Then there was a feeling of expansion and although the room was quite busy with lots of people moving about, I felt at one with everyone who was there.
  • I found it quite difficult. It depended on my state of mind. It’s very difficult if one is in a negative state.
  • I saw what this meant when I was out in the garden and suddenly noticed a large weed in the lawn. My world shrank to about four inches. Then, having removed the weed, the mind expanded again. I think this is a natural process - an ebb and flow throughout the day.
  • I agree with the last comment. When I have to give close attention to something, my world shrinks and then it expands afterwards. Most of the things I do, don’t require complete attention. So I can make the world bigger by broadening the focus of attention and letting go of any extraneous thoughts that creep in.


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