Holmes is adamant that the body is a real thing, and that its aches, pains, illnesses and worries are real also. In this insistence he is putting himself at odds with Christian Science, which maintains that all of these things are false and have no real existence.
He devotes a whole chapter in The Science of Mind to his theology of the body, and it makes for interesting reading.
He seems to be presenting a kind of neo-Swedenborgian notion that our present physical body is merely a reflection of an eternal spiritual body. He also implies a process of reincarnation in saying that the spiritual body merely changes physical bodies once they are worn out and can no longer serve their purpose of constant spiritual evolution. This changing of bodies is merely a part of the constant process of creation that is the nature of God and being. As Holmes puts it (all in capitals), "THE BODY OF THE UNIVERSE CANNOT HELP CHANGING!" This idea of constant flux and change is, of course, thoroughly Buddhistic, though Holmes is unique in putting a positive spin on it. In the Buddhist conception, this constant change is seen as a source of suffering.
Ultimately, body is the manifestation of our soul. So our body's appearance and state of wellbeing accords with our present karma (a word Holmes uses, having read Annie Besant very carefully).
No comments:
Post a Comment