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1 Question: What is the rudimental difference between psychic progress and spiritual progress?
Answer: Psychic progress takes place in the realm of ectoplasm and endoplasm. Spiritual progress occurs in the realm of the Cognitive Faculty – all the wonts and propensities are directed towards the Supreme Desideratum.
Endoplasm is the outer surface of ectoplasm. The collective form of ectoplasm increases the sense of individuality – “I” feeling. With the growth of unit ectoplasm its volume and scope increases, and the collective form of ectoplasm will increase. With the increase of the collective form of ectoplasm, the endoplasm will gradually expand and burst. Thus, the unit “I” merges in the Cosmic “I”.
2 Question: Is the relationship between the “I” feeling of the collective protoplasmic cells and the “I” feelings of the unit protoplasmic cells the same as that between the Macrocosm and microcosm?
Answer: No, it is not the same. There is a difference between the relationship of the collective “I” feeling of protoplasmic cells and the “I” feelings of the unit protoplasmic cells on the one hand, and the microcosm and the Macrocosm on the other.
The “I” feeling of the collective protoplasmic cells is affected by feelings of pleasure and pain of the unit protoplasmic cells, but the Macrocosm always remains unaffected by the feelings of pleasure and pain of any kind.
The collective “I” feeling can eject any unit protoplasmic cells, but the Macrocosm cannot eject any microcosms out of its jurisdiction. The scope of the Macrocosm is bigger than that of the microcosm.
3 Question: What are the distinctive faculties of ectoplasmic and endoplasmic structure?
Answer: Ectoplasm gives mental faculty but endoplasm gives unit “I” feeling. Endoplasm is the outer coverage of ectoplasm.
4 Question: Which has the closer proximity to the Supreme Cognitive Faculty – ectoplasmic structure or endoplasmic structure?
Answer: Endoplasmic structure has minimum “I” feeling. It is of collective nature – it is a collective structure. Ectoplasmic structure is a unitary structure. It is of unit nature – it is a unit structure. It is the unit existential faculty and the unit knowing faculty. Thus, endoplasm is collective in nature and ectoplasm is unitary in nature.
The Cognitive Faculty is touching both the structural entities generally and especially – generally through prota yoga, and especially through ota yoga. The general link (prota yoga) is termed cittáńu in Sanskrit, and the especial link (ota yoga) is termed cittáńvika.
The question is one of unitary structure and collective structure. Which one has the closer proximity to the Cosmic Faculty or the Cosmic Cognizance? The question is a bit knotty, but not very difficult. The charm lies in answering a difficult question. You should explain the nature, the status and the locus standi of the ectoplasmic and endoplasmic structures in relation to the Supreme Cognitive Faculty.
A mosquito, a white ant, a wild elephant and a python, and the entire expressed universe – all their relationships with Parama Puruśa [Supreme Consciousness] are the same or of a similar nature. That is why it is prota yoga.
Parama Puruśa is maintaining a relationship with many entities at the same time. That is prota yoga. When the relationship is separate, as with a white ant, then it is ota yoga. In prota yoga everything is similar, but in ota yoga some grace, mercy and favour come from Parama Puruśa. When I say, “How are you?” to all of you and you respond, then that response is a collective response. That is prota yoga. The “I” feeling of a complex structure is a collective “I” feeling. The “I” feeling of a unitary structure is a protozoic “I” feeling. So as far as Parama Puruśa’s relationship with the entire universe is concerned, it is the same, and that is prota yoga.
Ectoplasm is of unit nature and endoplasm is of collective nature. The “I” feeling of all developed beings is of a complex nature, and that complexity arises due to the collective “I” feeling.
We see the “I” feeling from different ways, different angles. For example, take the case of an elephant and a blind man. If a blind man touches the leg of an elephant he thinks it is a pillar, if he touches the tail he thinks it is a serpent, and if he touches the body he thinks it is a house. This is true for all complex structures such as psychic structures.
The collective psychic structure gives one unit “I” feeling. In this collective “I” feeling there are so many unicellular, multicellular, protozoic and metazoic cells which have so many sensations, conceptions and perceptions. Yours is a complex mind – a complex biological structure.
5 Question: What is the psychological difference between the protoplasmic cell of a human body and the protoplasmic cell of a plant?
Answer: There is not much difference between the protoplasmic cells of humans and those of plants. A plant cell does not have endoplasmic coverage, but a human cell has. The effect of endoplasmic coverage is to register the reflection of the expression of human sentiments, so endoplasmic coverage allows the human mind to be more subtle and more receptive.
6 Question: What is sentiment?
Answer: Running blindly without discrimination between proper and improper behaviour is called “sentiment”. The path of discrimination between proper and improper behaviour is called “rationality”. When human beings discriminate between proper and improper behaviour and select the proper path, it is called “conscience”.
7 Question: What is instinct?
Answer: When a sentiment affects the subsidiary glands, that is, when a sentiment finds its expression affecting subsidiary glands and organs, then it is known as “instinct”. The term “subsidiary glands” refers to any gland other than the pineal and pituitary glands.
8 Question: What is the basic difference among instinct, instinct associated with guiding psychic faculty, and guiding psychic faculty independent of instinct?
Answer: Adjusting the existential faculty with the environment and maintaining the structure, increasing the number and then destroying the structure, is known as “instinct”.
With instinct there is the contraction and expansion of nerves. Expansion and contraction occur without any psychic support. In instinct there are three stages in the struggle for survival: existence; being ready for existential fight; and death – the cessation of existence.
The crab is food for the octopus. If a crab does not move an octopus cannot see it, and the instincts of the octopus will not be aroused. The crab is more intelligent than the octopus – as long as it maintains its position and does not move, the octopus will not attack it. The octopus has been on this planet for a long time, but it has not developed much intellect. There are some creatures with highly developed instinctive powers.
In living beings some instincts are associated with physical development, while some instincts are there right from the moment of birth. Thus, there are two main types of instincts:
To enjoy happiness is an inborn instinct; but laughing is the reaction of the nerves – it is not inborn.
When people become agitated they clench their fists and gnash their teeth. These are examples of the traditional legacy or structural legacy of human beings. They have been passed down from preceding stages of evolution. Grimacing and grinning are other examples, but these can be gradually controlled.
There is one type of laughter which people may enjoy from a joke. Another type of laughter can be experienced from tickling, but this kind of tickling does not give pleasure. It can be dangerous to one’s health as it may overexcite the nerve endings. If it is done for a long time it can even lead to heart failure. The first type of laughter is more psychic and the second type is physical. Psychic laughter gives happiness.
Suppose there are many sweets before you. The guiding psychic faculty will have to make a selection. The mind thinks about which sweet to eat and the guiding psychic faculty makes the decision. Even if the guiding psychic faculty says that you do not need to eat anything, your instinct may say that there is no harm in taking something. When the instinct tells you to eat and the guiding psychic faculty assists in the selection of what to eat, this is an example of instinct associated with guiding psychic faculty.
Human beings do not forget anything. Everything is imprinted in their minds. If human beings develop their guiding psychic faculty, they can remember their past experiences. [In such cases the guiding psychic faculty is independent of instinct.]
Human beings should learn as much as they can, assimilate it and utilize it for the welfare of society.
9 Question: What do phobia, mania, melancholia, stereophania and vocal mania have in common?
Answer: They are all psychic diseases.
Phobia (átanka): Phobia means excessive fear of something. For example, a person who does not know how to swim will be afraid to wash in a river.
Mania (váyuroga): A person affected by a mania will always repeat the same thing over and over, even if it is illogical. For example, a person may say, “I am unwell,” when he or she is really well. Mania is caused by some mental weakness.
Melancholia (visádaváyu): People suffering from melancholia always feel frustrated and depressed. Life loses all charm for them, and they unnecessarily believe that everyone dislikes and avoids them.
Stereophania (mudrádośa): Stereophania is always repeating the same gesture over and over, mostly unconsciously. (Gesture is movement; posture is stationary position.)
Vocal mania: A person suffering from vocal mania tries to speak but cannot.
10 Question: What are the main branches of psychology?
Answer: The study of psychology may be divided into the following main branches: general psychology, bio-psychology, parapsychology, and apexed or pinnacled psychology.
11 Question: What is the scope of parapsychology?
Answer: Parapsychology links up the gaps between one life and another – it links up the gaps life after life. So, parapsychology is the science which links up our present life with our past lives.
There are many instances where children remember their past lives. This is all right for children up to twelve or thirteen years of age, as their personalities are weak and still developing. After twelve or thirteen children’s personalities become stronger, and if they still have memories of their past lives they will develop dual personalities. The mind will start to think, “Am I this person or that person?” They will fail to find the link in their lives. Their brains will not be able to adjust and they will die.
The field of parapsychology is still very underdeveloped. It should be developed, but it is a very difficult field to develop. Why has the field of parapsychology not developed? Because it is spiritual in nature and it cannot be developed by non-spiritualists.
Parama Puruśa knows everything. He can see into a person’s past even ten thousand or twenty thousand years ago. For human beings to see into their past they need the help of their nerve cells and nerve fibres, but once they die their nerve cells are destroyed. So how is it possible for people to see into their past?
Parama Puruśa can link up all the past lives of people because He has supra-occult power. Only Parama Puruśa has this power and no one else. He does not need the help of the nerve cells or nerve fibres because everything exists in the Cosmic Mind. Therefore, Parama Puruśa does not need to link up all the individual minds – just by His will He can see all the unit minds.
12 Question: What is clairvoyance?
Answer: There are two types of clairvoyance – internal clairvoyance and distant clairvoyance. The first occurs when a person is near you and you can understand what is happening in his or her mind. Distant clairvoyance occurs when someone is not in your presence, but some distance away, yet you can still understand what is happening to him or her.
The Sanskrit terms for internal clairvoyance and distant clairvoyance are antardrśt́i and dúradrśt́i respectively. Antar means “internal” and drśt́i means “seeing something”, so antardrśt́i means “seeing something internally”. Dúra means “distant”, so dúradrśt́i means “seeing something from a distance”.
Suppose I use my walking stick to impart bliss to a spiritual aspirant. The experience of bliss is imparted by touching. It is a part of internal clairvoyance. Now, suppose another spiritual aspirant stands at a distance and I tap the floor with my stick, and he also enjoys bliss. Bliss is imparted without touching. This is a part of distant clairvoyance.
13 Question: What is telepathy?
Answer: Telepathy means to read someone’s thoughts. Vák siddhi [the capacity to make whatever one says come true] is high-grade telepathy. Whatever a vák siddha says will come true.
There is another type of telepathy which is to pervert the order of the senses. For example, one who has developed this capacity can make someone smell a particular fragrance, then change the fragrance and make them smell a different one.
14 Question: What is the meaning of “conversion”?
Answer: If you are feeling pain in some nerve and the pain is stopped by removing the pain from the nerve itself, this is called “conversion”. There are two ways of doing this: first, by conversion of the nerve from a distance – that is, distant conversion of the senses; and secondly, by using microvita.
Suppose a man has a pain in his back, and the pain is increased so that it moves up his body causing the moving capacity of the tongue to be reduced and the speaking capacity of the voice to be restricted. This may happen if negative microvita are applied to his body. If this is continued for a few minutes, the speaking capacity of the voice will be lost forever.
The distant conversion of nerves, the application of negative microvita and the snatching away of people’s capacities are a part of avidyá [extroversial knowledge]. There is almost no benefit in this. You should learn only that knowledge which brings you closer to Parama Puruśa, not avidyá.
15 Question: How many types of hallucination are there?
Answer: There are two types of hallucination: positive hallucination and negative hallucination. When something is present and you are receiving its vibration but you want to see something different, this is called “positive hallucination”. A positive hallucination means that what appears to exist does not actually exist. A negative hallucination occurs when something is present yet you do not pick up its vibration. A negative hallucination means that what actually exists appears not to exist.