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INTRODUCTION
This writing is offered to dispel misconceptions and bring clarification to the human understanding about The One Who walked the Earth 2,600 years ago in a land called Arya Varta and Who has come to be called The Buddha. This is all esoteric information which derives from the Level of Earth's Ascended Masters, Those Who Know, and has no references to the limited apprehension of the human writers who followed in His great wake. I will also explain what the Wesak Festival is really about, it's true purpose.
The One Who incarnated as Siddartha Gautama, the Prince of Kapilavastu, was a High Initiate in Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy Who had a relationship with a Higher Being that has never before been explained. He was completely overshadowed by One that we call Amitabha (and I'll have more on overshadowing later). His consciousness was over-ridden and dominated by a much loftier Being, The World Teacher of Planet Earth, Amitabha Buddha. The Officeholder of World Teacher in our Hierarchy is always The Chohan (Lord) of the 2nd Ray (called Divine Love/Wisdom). The Chohans (of the 7 Rays) are now all 6th Degree Initiates but may have been 5th Degree Initiates back then because Initiation requirements have become more stringent with the advancement of Man.
Gautama fully manifested Amitabha in all aspects of His life, much like Jesus manifested Lord Maitreya (The Christos) for the 3 years of His Ministry after the Jordan Baptism, and it's understandable that He would be mistaken for The Buddha that worked through Him. After all, Jesus is still considered to be The Christ by all of Christendom 2,000 years after His Advent among us (see "The Coming of The Christ").
Master Djwhal Khul gave us part of the Ray Structure of Prince Gautama. (Each of the following aspects of self are conditioned by one of the 7 Rays: Soul, personality, mental, emotional, and physical bodies.) He had a 2nd Ray Soul, a 1st Ray personality, and a 6th Ray mind, a very rare combination. But by having a Soul (or Solar Angel), we are given a major clue. Gautama couldn't have been higher than a 3rd Degree Initiate (working on the 4th), because the Soul and its Causal Body are reabsorbed into the Monad at the 4th Initiation (the Renunciation). There is no more Soul but rather Monadic Awareness. It was Amitabha Who taught through Gautama.
As a personality, Gautama was gifted with indomitable will (1st Ray), which would brook no barriers or hindrances in His search for illumination. As a High Initiate, fully aligned with Soul Level, He expressed the Wisdom Aspect of the 2nd Ray (Love/Wisdom), which was His predominant characteristic. And His 6th Ray mind gave Him His powerful idealistic inclination toward reforming the religion of the Brahmans and formulating the teachings which would offer Mankind the Path to Enlightenment and freedom from the ever-revolving Wheel of Rebirth (Samsara). (If need be, check out "The Seven Rays Explained".)
I intend, in no way, to diminish the achievement of Siddartha Gautama, Who so purified and prepared Himself that The Bodhisattva of the Age of Aries (Amitabha) could enter therein and give out to the world teachings and an example that would elevate the consciousness of the Orient as a whole and have an everlasting impact on their moral principles.
The One Who incarnated as Siddartha Gautama is one of The Great Ones in Earth's White Brotherhood and has long since become an Ascended Master and may have moved on to The Spiritual Hierarchy on Sirius. Amitabha, the former World Teacher (succeeded by Maitreya), has advanced to The Council of Shamballa at the 8th Degree Initiate Level (Buddhas or Kumaras) and has become The 2nd Ray Kumara for Earth, one of The 7 Kumaras of Shamballa (more later).
Because the name, Gautama, has become so affixed to the name, Buddha, I will continue to use it in this piece to refer to the Holy One Who sacrificed his kingdom and his personality interests to the greater cause of Amitabha, but just remember that Amitabha was The Teacher and Siddartha was the perfected vehicle used by that Teacher. The little-known point is that Gautama and Amitabha are two different Beings on the Great 2nd Ray, the former serving as an Instrument for the latter to bring forth the new spiritual teachings of The World Teacher during the Age of Aries. Amitabha is the Real Buddha to which the name, Gautama, has become attached.
From a higher viewpoint, Amitabha Buddha (through Prince Gautama) was, in fact, an Avatar in Aries Who perfectly embodied the Wisdom Aspect of the 2nd Ray (Love/Wisdom) and Who came forth to anchor that Divine Attribute in the Collective Consciousness of the Human Race. The Attribute then goes through a long period of developement in the Race before it can emerge as an expressed Attribute throughout the Race. (Lord Maitreya, working through Jesus 600 years later, anchored the Love Aspect of the 2nd Ray in Human Consciousness, and when Lord Kuthumi comes in the Aquarian Age He will anchor the Attribute of Compassion.)
PART ONE: THE BUDDHA
1. Overshadowing:
The Monads are the Higher Selves of all Souls (or Solar Angels), and They are brought into existence as extended fragments of the Consciousness of our Planetary Logos (Creator of the Earth Scheme). They exist on the 2nd highest Plane of our Solar System, the Monadic Plane or Anupadaka. They are Pure Spirit and are called the Father in Heaven in Occult Literature. They may be considered as Great Gestalts of Consciousness, comprised of all their Souls and their incarnations. The higher on the Monadic Plane (7 Levels), the larger and more advanced is the Monad.
Now, there are different methods for Higher Consciousness Beings to manifest and experience at lower levels of existence (e.g. the physical). Monads reflect Themselves into Souls, and Souls incarnate. But, there is one method called overshadowing that few people know about, however it is an ages-old method whereby a Higher Being may descend and enter the consciousness of an incarnate personality for varying periods of time, sometimes for an entire lifetime. This is to guide and govern and oversee and basically supervise the life of that individual who incarnated for an important mission on Earth (as agreed upon pre-birth).
This happens far more often than one would think. An example would be the overshadowing of Jesus by Lord Maitreya (called Christos by the Greek Initiates) from the Baptism in the Jordan River to the Crucifixion, and it was a complete possession (so to say) in that case. Lord Sananda/Jesus did the same for Mohammed for 4 years. As indicated, Siddartha Gautama was overshadowed in that lifetime by One Who is called Amitabha (a Monadic Being of Senior Status). This is recognized by the Chinese who call Gautama Amita.
This arrangement produced the Lord of Light in the East and the greatness of the life that positively impacted 100's of millions on this planet. The One that we call The Buddha is more accurately Amitabha Buddha than Gautama Buddha, but the lower name has become fixed in human consciousness.
2. Origin:
The One that we now call The Buddha (Amitabha) did not originate with this particular planet that we call the Earth. His Solar Angel did not begin its incarnational cycle on this planet as was the case with His Great Brother in Earth's Hierarchy, Lord Maitreya (The Master of The Masters). Amitabha Buddha's Soul first incarnated here during Atlantean Times into the 4th Root Race (Atlanteans) and evolved very rapidly on the Path of Initiation begun by Sanat Kumara (Lord of the World) during the mid-Atlantean Period.
There are a total of 49 Earths in this Planetary Scheme (exhaustively explained in "49 Earths And The Silent Watcher"), which has 7 sequential Chains of Planets, each of which has 7 Planets in the Chain. Our particular Earth is the 4th Planet in the 4th Chain of the Scheme. Well, the Soul of Amitabha did much of its developement on the previous Chain (the 3rd) and rested in Pralaya after it was destroyed and the new Chain was being formed.
So, it had a jump-start, so to say, when coming into an Atlantean body, whereas Maitreya's Solar Angel first descended into physicality in the 3rd Root Race here (the Lemurian) and has evolved entirely within the Human Race. These Two spiritually advanced the most rapidly along the Lighted Path out of all the Souls Who sacrificed Themselves to elevate the consciousness of Primitive Man on this planet. From the standpoint of the Soul, Lord Buddha (Amitabha) began His evolutionary sojourn on the Moon Chain (the 3rd).
3. Names:
These are some of the names of The Buddha (Gautama fused with Amitabha) given by humans or The Spiritual Hierarchy:
Siddartha Gautama or Gotama (in Pali)
Shakyamuni
Tathagata
Prince of Kapilavastu
Avatar of Illumination
Light Bearer from On High
The Lord of Light
The Diamond Soul
Shakya Thub-pa
Avatar of the Age of Aries
The Enlightened One
Amita (China)
Fo or Fho (Nepal & Tibet)
The Illumined One
The Embodiment of Light
4. Atlantean Initiation:
The Path of Initiation was begun by Sanat Kumara during the mid-point of the Atlantean Root Race (the 4th Race) as a means for quickening the evolutionary advance of the Race of Man. It had been very successful on Venus (where He came from) and would be applied to this Globe of the Grand Scheme. The first ones to take the Soul-Merge Initiation (the 3rd, the Transfiguration) were the individuals that we now call Lord Maitreya and Lord Buddha (Amitabha). Maitreya was the first one from the Human Race to evolve so rapidly, but Amitabha Buddha had come from the previous Chain of Planets to assist in the evolution of Mankind.
The event of the first Soul-Merge Initiation was a crisis of tremendous spiritual importance to The Planetary Logos (Higher Self of Sanat Kumara) and opened doors of potentiality for the Race of Man that had not been present before. Both continued to evolve at a pace which outdistanced the rest of our Human Kingdom, Maitreya becoming The Master of all The Masters in The Hierarchy and one of its 3 Great Lords (7th Degree Initiates). And Amitabha progressed even more rapidly to take His place on The Great Council of Shamballa and to become an Intermediary between Shamballa and The Spiritual Hierarchy headed by Maitreya.
Both were World Teachers of Planet Earth at the same time that each was The Chohan of the 2nd Ray, Amitabha serving in that Position in the era before Maitreya took over. (Presently, Kuthumi has assumed the Office from His Master.) In sequence, the past few World Teachers were: Kasyapa Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Lord Maitreya, and now Lord Kuthumi.
5. Reformer:
The Buddha was as much a social as a religious reformer. The Aryan Brahmans had invaded old Arya-Varta (now India) from the north and conquered at the point of the sword. They established themselves as the rulers and set up the caste system with their priests (Brahmins) at the top of the pyramid, which cemented their control over the masses. The moral code that Gautama preached was the most perfect that any society had known, and He ignored and defied the caste system in gathering His disciples and followers. (4 Castes: Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Sudras)
His religious reform was aimed at the tyranny of the priesthood, their hypocrisy, and all the dogmas and rules of the Brahmins. The exoteric expression of their religion had degenerated dramatically from the Ancient Wisdom brought by the Aryan Twice-Born (Initiates), and Gautama came to set it aright again. (He also taught the Mysteries to His Inner Circle of Initiates.)
He was a disciple of the Initiated Brahmins and had learned the Secret Doctrine from them, and part of His reformation consisted of giving out in His public teachings some of the Mysteries which could be helpful to the non-elite masses. This was the exoteric aspect of His teachings, which became Orthodox Buddhism over time, but He could only go so far in exposing the secrets of the Temples because of sacred oaths taken as a student (chela).
These Ancient Mysteries (preserved for untold millennia) were given out as the "Soul Doctrine" to His Elect, who were Initiated in the Saptaparna Cave in Rajagriha, India. The religion founded on the teaching of Prince Gautama (both exoteric and esoteric) had its origins in the Secret Doctrine of The Initiate Brotherhood.
6. Illumination:
Although Siddartha Gautama was a 2nd Ray Being at the Soul Level and was a manifestation of the Wisdom Aspect of the 2nd Ray, He (as the vehicle for Amitabha) fully embodied another Divine Aspect in His incarnate mission as The World Teacher of the time, and that was the 3rd Aspect of God, the Principle of Intelligence. This gave Him the capacity (when driven by His 1st Ray personality) to reach illumination beneath the famed Bodhi Tree and become the Illumined One. At His Higher Levels of Self, He was already enlightened, but He re-enacted the processes for the sake of teaching His disciples.
A Flood of Light was released into the Collective Consciousness of Man, and He presented the revelation in the form of the 4 Noble Truths. A way to escape the ever-cycling Wheel of Rebirth was finally given to the slow-learners of the Race, and that could be found by incorporating 3 disciplines into the life: detachment, dispassion, and discrimination. These would prepare the personality to become a conscious expression of the Divine Real Self (Soul).
The detachment would be from the attractions of lower nature and the continual bombardment of the sensory organs. The dispassion would bring under control the emotional nature (astral body) with all its desires and wild fluctuations. The discrimination would be a mental pre-requisite for separating the Real from the Not-Real, the True from the False, and would bring to an end the identification with the personality in order to become aligned (and identified) with the Atman (Soul). His 8-fold Path would delineate the rules for accomplishing these personality-transmuting disciplines.
7. Four Noble Truths:
Every time a Great Teacher comes forth from The White Brotherhood and incarnates in the usual way into the Human Race, that Teacher demonstrates in His (or Her) life or expresses in His (or Her) teachings the requirements for passing a certain stage of the Path to Liberation (from the Wheel of Rebirth) as outlined originally by The One Initiator, Sanat Kumara. This was incorporated into the Divine Plan for Earth by The Spiritual Hierarchy.
For example, Heracles (Hercules, an ancient World Teacher) gave us, by allegorized legends, the tests and trials of the disciple on the difficult Path of Discipleship (which leads to the Path of Initiation). Each of the 12 Labors of Hercules were allegorized lessons which were undertaken in one of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac, each of which had symbolical significance to the lesson at hand. Lord Krishna (an incarnate expression of Maitreya) taught Arjuna the pre-requisites for entering the Threshold of the 2nd Initiation in the Bhagavad Gita.
And Lord Buddha, in the 4 Noble Truths, showed the way to the 3rd Initiation. By fusion with Soul (Atman), there is no more attachment to personal desires in the 3 Worlds of Man (Physical, Astral, Mental), and suffering (caused by all attachments and desires) ceases.
8. Three Vestures of The Buddha:
In the canon of numerous writings surrounding the teachings of Lord Buddha and their interpretations, there is a mysterious mention about the Vestures of The Buddha which were left behind for the use of a succeeding Avatar Who will come and walk amongst Humankind. These were not physical vestures of any kind, and the meaning of this statement has been a puzzle and bone of contention amongst Buddhists.
As coming from One Who Knows (an Ascended Master of the Wisdom), these 3 Vestures are the preserved aetheric, astral, and mental bodies of Lord Buddha on the respective Aetheric, Astral, and Mental Planes. I don't have the faintest idea how that was accomplished, but those are the Vestures to be donned by the coming Aquarian Age Christ (Kuthumi). These multi-leveled force-fields potentized by The Buddha will closely link the coming Avatar with the even more stupendous forces emanating from The Buddha's High Post in Shamballa, magnifying the available resources of The Christed Avatar and having world-wide effects.
In this regard, I should mention that The Buddha (Amitabha) has, for centuries, been very much involved in the preparations for the Externalization of Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy which accompanies the Appearance (physically) of our World Teacher (formerly Maitreya, now Kuthumi). When the year of return is nigh upon us, Buddha will enunciate a highly-secret mantram at the Wesak Festival, and forces from On High will be set loose to expedite the success of the Mission of The Avatar in Aquarius (additional to the Vestures).
9. The Buddhas of Shamballa:
The Physical Plane of our Solar System has 7 divisions or dimensions, the lower 3 being the dense-physical that we perceive with our sense organs and the higher 4 being the aetheric-physical, which is unavailable to our usual sensory input. Shamballa is the Great Inner Sanctum of our planet's Spiritual Hierarchy, the Holy of Holies, and is the Home of Sanat Kumara (Lord of the World) and His closest Advisors, the 6 Kumaras Who are also called Buddhas. It is called the Sacred Island and the White Island because it used to be a dense-physical island in the Gobi Sea north of the Himalayas eons ago. It now exists in aetheric matter over the Gobi Desert and is called the Center Where the Will of God is Known (and dispersed as the 1st Ray by the Ancient of Days, Sanat Kumara).
These Great Beings have taken aetheric-physical bodies (human in appearance), but Their Consciousness is cosmically-oriented and polarized and bears no resemblance to the lower/concrete mind of the human being. It cannot be fathomed or even barely understood by the human intellect, operating in a linear fashion (or any other fashion). The best way of putting it is that These are enormous Gestalts of Consciousness Who (like The Masters) have no personality individualization, such as that which so limits the human mind. The Kumaras are on the 8th Initiate Level with responsibilities in The Solar Hierarchy as well as this Planetary Scheme. Sanat is The Head Honcho and The Direct Expression of our Planetary Life (The Logos). The 6 Kumaras are divided into 3 Buddhas of Activity and 3 of Inactivity (a secret of the Mysteries).
The reason I mention all this is because Buddha Amitabha, Who overshadowed Siddartha Gautama 2,600 years ago, is now the 2nd Ray Kumara Who is one of The Buddhas of Action (The Pratyeka Buddhas). He or That One has advanced beyond the Level of The 3 Great Lords of Hierarchy (Manu, Maitreya, Mahachohan), which is the 7th Degree Initiate Level, and is an Officiating Member of The Council of Shamballa with an aetheric-physical body for the conducting of "Earth Business". Once a year (at Wesak Full Moon) He serves as The Intermediary between Shamballa and Earth's White Lodge. These Kumaras wield tremendous forces that shape the evolution of the planet and all its life-forms.
10. Buddha's Body:
As I've written elsewhere, all The Masters retain some aspect of physicality after taking the 5th Initiation and "Ascending". Some keep the old physical body that has been transmuted by Light and which isn't subject to our Laws of Physics, and Others create a physical form by use of the will, intent, and visualization (Kriyashakti). It resembles the form in which They took Ascension.
Well, Amitabha Buddha relinquished His physical form a few centuries ago so that certain Hierarchical work in relation to the coming Aquarian Age and the coming Avatar of The Christ Consciousness could be accomplished. The nature of that work is not revealed nor the reason for the necessity of leaving behind the physical form. And yet, He does have an aetheric-physical presence on The Shamballa Council and at His annual appearance in the Himalayas, both created by the Kriyashakti of The High Initiate when occasion demands.
11. Path of Higher Evolution:
The 6th Initiation of the Path of Initiation on Earth is called the Great Decision because the Liberated Master must choose one of 7 Paths that lead to the Higher Evolution of That One. The Path chosen is the one taken for the rest of the evolutionary journey in our Cosmos. The 1st Path is the Path of Earth Service (to help Beloved Sanat Kumara and struggling Humankind). The 4th Path is the Path to Sirius, The Higher Self of our Solar Logos and The Directing Authority for our Great White Lodge. Most of our High Initiates end up going to Sirius and joining The Higher Level Hierarchy there (The Sirian Lodge).
When it became Lord Amitabha's time to choose (at the 6th Initiation), He chose the Path of Earth Service out of love and compassion for Humanity, though it was not the Path He had been training for (which was the Path to Sirius). He had not been obligated to remain, but He did, however His work for this planet and her life-forms is soon to be completed sometime during the coming Aquarian Age, and this Son of God will mosey on to bigger and better things.
The sacrificial work of The Buddha for the Race of Man on Earth is actually in a transitional phase and is nearing its end. Once the following events have transpired, He (or that Gestalt of Consciousness) will move on to The Solar Hierarchy for the Solar System with greater responsibilities, and His work with the 2nd Ray (especially the Wisdom Aspect) will be beyond our comprehension. These events in the Aquarian Age are: the coming of The Christ into dense physicality (Lord Kuthumi), the conditioning of human living by right human relations, and the transmutation of intelligence into wisdom among the more advanced of the Race (being polarized in the higher/abstract mind with glimpses of buddhic consciousness). Then will Amitabha Buddha cease His involvement with Humankind, and Another Intermediary between Shamballa and Hierarchy will assume the responsibilities.
PART TWO: THE WESAK FESTIVAL
1. Energy Transfer:
Wesak (or Vaisaka) is the Lunar Cycle when our Sun is in the Constellation of Taurus (the Bull of God). In the West, this cycle would parallel a portion of our month of May and a portion of June. This annual Wesak Festival is conducted on the Full Moon of Taurus in the Himalayas under the approval and jurisdiction of The Lord of the World (Sanat Kumara). And The Great White Lodge gathers together at that time principally to make contact with Planetary Force and to make that Force available to the intended recipient, the Human Race, for evolutionary purposes.
This energy transfer is made possible by The Buddha acting as an Emissary from The Council of Shamballa and a Medium for the Planetary Force that has originated with The Logos of our Planetary Scheme of Evolution. It is all about giving aid in the form of high-powered energy to those of Humanity who are capable of receiving it.
Lord Buddha (Amitabha) is sanctioned by Sanat Kumara to make His Appearance once a year at this Sacred Event. The Blessing that is poured forth to the assemblage, by this Emissary from Shamballa to The Spiritual Hierarchy, is 2-fold in its origin. One stream of force comes directly from our Planetary Logos, and the other more-focalized energy is from the Physical Reflection of our Logos, Sanat Kumara. So, The Buddha acts as a conduit or channel to step down these exceedingly potent energies that are involved in His Blessing.
Lord Maitreya is The Recipient of the Divine Force. From Maitreya, it flows to The Manu and The Mahachohan, The 3 Great Lords standing in triangular formation at the Ceremony. From The Higher Triangle, it is projected to The Chohans of the 7 Rays and from Them the qualified energies are distributed to The Initiates of The White Lodge Who are assembled behind The Chohans in Ranks according to Initiate Degree (5th, 4th, 3rd, etc.).
The Logoic Energies are stepped down in intensity and modified each step of the way before reaching the non-Initiate multitudes who found their way (physically) to the Himalayan Valley. From them (and all participating disciples throughout the world), it flows out to the masses of Humanity.
2. The Blessing:
Part (but not all) of the Buddha's purpose for making an annual direct connection with Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy (through Maitreya) is the stepped-down transmission of Divine Force from Lord Sanat Kumara and His Higher Aspect of Self, The Planetary Logos. However, the Aura of The Buddha and the Energies He brings are so powerful that even The High Initiates in attendance cannot bear His Presence for more than the brief period of time needed for the Ceremony. And this is after duly preparing Themselves, and this is despite receiving the Energies in group formation.
You may, perhaps, understand better from this the dangers and difficulties inherent in approximating lower level beings with Those centered in Cosmic Consciousness (e.g. 7th and 8th Degree Initiates). It is even more illuminating to ponder that the Image of The Buddha that appears is but a Reflection and not the Original.
The Force that is dispensed by The Buddha in His Blessing is the Shamballa Force, the 1st Ray of Divine Will and Power, the Will of God. This unimaginably powerful Force is the Creational (and Destructional) Force of Shiva (God, the Father to Christians). It is cautiously and incrementally given out annually by The Lord of the World through His Intermediary (Buddha) to Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy in group formation. This Divine Energy must be stepped down and transformed multiple times before it can be safely applied to the unawakened, mundanely-oriented masses of the Human Race.
The 3 Major Centers (Chakras) of the planet are thus linked by the Will of God: Shamballa (Head Center), Hierarchy (Heart Center), and Humanity (Throat Center). And the Will of God in its 1st Ray activity implements the Purpose of God for Earth by propelling the Divine Plan (formulated by The Hierarchy) forward into manifestation under the devoted efforts of the incarnated Initiates of Earth.
3. The Thoughtform:
Besides the transmission of Shamballa Force to Earth's Lodge of Initiates at the annual Festival in Taurus, there is one other primary purpose for the direct connection being made by Lord Buddha at that time. That is the transmission of a grand thoughtform that originates with The 3 Buddhas of Activity within The Great Council of Shamballa. This thoughtform, which is sent via telepathic impression to Lord Maitreya (The Master of The Masters), is a thoughtform of immediate intentions, plans, and proposals of The Shamballa Council for the Ashrams of The Ascended Masters and Their disciples for the coming year.
It is a wish list, so to say, for The Great White Brotherhood to fulfill during the ensuing 12 months, and The Emissary for distributing the thoughtform impression on the Holy Occasion is Amitabha Buddha. From Maitreya, the thoughtform is passed on in a similar manner as the Divine Logoic Energies: to the 2 other Great Lords of Hierarchy (Manu and Mahachohan), thence to The Chohans of the 7 Rays, then to The 5th Degree Ascended Masters, and down the Ranks of The Brotherhood through the Initiate Levels.
The thoughtform is transformed and modified at each step along the way to make it's purpose appropriate for each particular Department in The Hierarchy (7 Ray Groups, 7 Divisions). Then the incarnate disciples on Earth are telepathically impressed with their duties by Initiates of their Ray Ashrams.
Do you see how it works? For example, The Lord Manu (1st Ray Dept.) would impress Lord El Morya (1st Ray Chohan) with that aspect of the thoughtform to be advanced by the use of 1st Ray Energies (willpower, forcefulness, leadership, governing ability, determination, stamina, and drive, etc.). Lord Maitreya (2nd Ray Dept.) would impress Lord Kuthumi (2nd Ray Chohan) with the aspect of the annual thoughtform to be worked on by the utilization of 2nd Ray Energies (love, inclusiveness, compassion, right human relations, teaching abilities, spiritualizing efforts, etc.).
And keep in mind that there is no linear passage of time at these Levels of Consciousness upon which the thoughtform transformations are taking place. It doesn't take a lot of "time". (Refer to "Time Is An Illusion".) The "New Group of World Servers" (aspirants and disciples) are the incarnate end point of the transmission. They take the ball and run with it. They endeavor to bring it into manifestation in physicality.
The Blessing offered by The Buddha, in its 2-fold aspects of 1st Ray Will Force and the Thoughtform, is all about the fulfillment of the Divine Plan for Planet Earth. That is the most essential purpose for the annual event. (The Hierarchy works out the Plan which best implements the Purpose of Sanat Kumara.)
4. The Funnel of Wesak:
Just prior to the exact moment of the Full Moon, The Buddha is invoked by The 3 Great Lords of The Hierarchy (The Manu, Lord Maitreya, and The Mahachohan), unitedly using a special mantram, and He transmits the appeal (for Energy) to Sanat Kumara in the form of another high-powered mantram after His Appearance to the Gathering. This latter mantram, which is a 1st Ray mantram that can be used only by 8th Degree Initiates, invokes the Shamballa Force of Power and Divine Will (the 1st Ray) for which He serves as The Absorbing Agent. (Buddha, Maitreya, and Sanat Kumara form a Triangle of Light.)
Throughout the Ceremony in the Himalayas, when The Buddha has made His Appearance (and prior to that Appearance), the Assemblage of The Great White Lodge standing behind The Lord Maitreya in Their graded Ranks by Initiate Level perform a rhythmic ritual that facilitates the transmission of the terrific Force projected forth by Lord Buddha.
They chant secret mantrams (specific to the event) on a particular note and within a particular cadence with a precise pronunciation of the word sounds in the mantrams. This scientifically creates a vacuum in the form of a funnel from the Buddha's High Plane of Being to the Brotherhood Assemblage. The particular sounds combined with the particular rhythm automatically form the vacuum for the purpose of energy transference and force distribution (from higher to lower).
Then while the mantric sounds are being employed, the Initiate Assemblage immediately behind and around Maitreya undergo cadenced movements and interweavings and the sequential formation of geometrical figures (to be given later). This commonality of ritualistic movement blends the auras of all the Brotherhood Participants and forms a collective vessel for the reception of the terrific force contained within the Blessing being administered. As well, They collectively form a conduit or channel for that force to be stepped down to the incarnate disciples in the New Group of World Servers so that it can reach Humanity without harm.
By uniting Their auras into a common field of expression and by having a united purpose and intent during the proceedings, The Initiate Brotherhood is able to withstand the intensity of the energies passed on to Them by The 7 Ray Chohans. The 1st Ray Power is dispensed by The Planetary Logos and The Lord of the World, and The Buddha is The Focal Point Transmitter of that Power to be sent, in His Blessing, first to Maitreya and thence down the Chain of Command to the Funnel created by Earth's White Brotherhood, Who soften its intensity before distribution to the 4th Kindgom of Nature, Mankind.
5. Spiritual Festivals:
After all the enormous changes resulting from the Dimensional Shift of Earth have taken place and the New Golden Age in Aquarius has been entered, two-thirds of The Ascended Masters associated with the Human Kingdom will be physically walking the Earth (along with The Christed Avatar of Aquarius). They will establish a New World Religion that will have little resemblance to the dogmatic, separative religions of the Old Age on Earth, and the Path of Initiation will be a primary focus for the spiritual evolvement of the Race of Man. There will be a New Approach to Divinity.
Temples of Initiation will span the globe, and the Mysteries will be taught once again to the many, worthy aspirants. Not since the days of Atlantis will The Higher Initiates of The White Lodge (as a Group) have been gracing us with Their Radiant Presence rather than doing Their work for Humanity behind the scenes from Their Aetheric Retreats around the world.
These Great Ones will be back in intimate relationship with the Human Race that They love so dearly, and the New Religion that They institute will take advantage of those Full Moon Periods during which the transference of higher energies and mental impressions into prepared human vehicles is so greatly facilitated. They will designate 3 Major Full Moon Festivals during the year, in 3 consecutive moon cycles (lunar months), with the remaining Full Moons having a more minor import (though not un-importance). The concentrated spiritualizing effort, during the 3 Moons, will carry over through the rest of the year.
But each Full Moon Period will be celebrated and have its own designated significance determined by the governing Zodiacal Sign and the qualities enhanced by the Constellations influencing the Sign. The approach to the religion of the future will no longer be emotional and devotional with the widespread use of worship, adoration, prayers, and supplications to Divinity (as induced by Piscean Age Energies/the 6th Ray).
Rather, it will utilize the Science of Invocation & Evocation of Higher Powers by means of ritual and ceremony (as promoted by the 7th Ray dominating the Aquarian Age), because Man will be more mentally polarized than his emotional/solar plexus-controlled forebears. (Astral body/emotional energies pour through the Solar Plexus Chakra.) Those who develope the New Religion will be under the inspiration of The World Teacher (Kuthumi) and influence of the 2nd Ray (the Teaching Ray).
The Science of Invocation & Evocation, which is little known to the current Race of Man, is an application of the Science of Sound (utilized extensively in White Magic), and it incorporates the thought-power of thoughtform building. Various kinds of energy (see "The Seven Rays Explained") will be invoked to precipitate the working thoughtform into physical reality (by various means). And invocative appeals will go out to Higher Beings to gain Their assistance in crystalizing immediate aspects of the Divine Plan being worked on. The annual Appearance of The Buddha could be seen as a symbol of the future emergence of this science in the Aquarian Age, for He is evoked by the invocative mantram of The 3 Great Lords.
6. The 3 Major Festivals:
The first Major Festival of the year will be the Festival of Easter, though it may acquire another name, in honor of Lord Maitreya, The Teacher of the Human Kingdom and the Deva Kingdom and The Head of Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy. After Sanat Kumara, He is the highest Expression of God's Love (2nd Ray) on the planet, and emphasis will be placed on Divine Love (not the emotional variety of humans). The date will be determined by the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox (in Spring), when the Sun is in the Sign of Aries (usually April). The Master of The Masters will be the invocative focus and Unconditional Love the evoked response. (Maitreya, Who overshadowed and taught through Jesus 2,000 years ago, is the True Risen Christ celebrated unknowingly by Christianity at Easter.)
The reason this New World Religion is mentioned in this piece is that the 2nd Major Festival will be the Festival of Wesak (the Festival of Illumination), which falls on the Full Moon of Taurus (called the Mother of Illumination) in the month of May (or sometimes June). This Festival Period will honor The Buddha, and the Wisdom Aspect of the 2nd Ray will be evoked for the Collective Consciousness of Mankind. His Blessing will be more potently and directly disseminated to the remaining fraction of Humanity on the Earth (those who remain after the Dimensional Transmutation). And the mentally-illuminating energies of the Pleiades (within Taurus) will be unitedly invoked for the benefit of the Race.
The 3rd Major Festival will be the Festival of Goodwill (the Festival of Unification) in honor of the Divinity in Humanity and will be scheduled for the Full Moon when the Sun is in Gemini (most probably June and sometimes July). During the ceremonies for this period, the deeply spiritual nature of the species called Man will be honored, and the thoughtform of brotherhood and unity and synthesis of purpose will be invoked. The world-wide expression of right human relations will be the theme. For 2,000 years Lord Maitreya has preached to the assembled White Brotherhood on this annual occasion (at His Home on the southern slopes of the Himalayas) the final sermon given by The Buddha to His disciples, which touches on the theme of this Festival.
When there is a New Social Order on this planet following the Dimensional Shift, a New Approach to Divinity will be established by The Master Teachers among us. The objective of this New Religion will be multifaceted but could be summed up in a generic phrase of "accelerated evolution". The tyranny of materialistic obsession will be ended; the higher values will be substituted for the lower ones now so prominent; and the unfoldment of human consciousness will be put on the fast track. This will all be made possible by the Souls coming into control of their personalities as a result of the Path of Initiation and the love nature of those Souls shining forth. Peace will truly reign thenceforth.
7. Full Moon Periods:
The period during which aspirants and disciples of The Masters can greatly benefit from a Full Moon has been extended from 3 to 5 days: 2 days preceding, day of Full Moon, and 2 days following. This is a period during which the receptivity of higher energies is largely enhanced and telepathic connectivity is improved and contact by a Master Teacher can be more readily recognized. The veil between the dense-physical and aetheric-physical is thinned, and the psychic sensitivities of the prepared recipient are stimulated.
The White Lodge utilizes this period to energize, to motivate, and to communicate with Their incarnate disciples, and the Taurus Full Moon is even more potent in its effects because of the Force liberated by The Buddha and the distribution of that Force by the united effort of the entire Hierarchy as a Group.
The extension of the period from 3 to 5 days was done by Earth's Spiritual Hierarchy in the 1930's to enhance the benefits to both the participants and all of Humanity. The two preparatory days, for the aspirant, involve purification of the 3 lower vehicles (physical, emotional, and mental), introspection, and meditational periods of opening up to the Soul Level in an attitude of receptivity for that which the Soul is going to project to its waiting personality (the energies and the ideas stemming from the Thoughtform).
You see, The Hierarchy works through Groups of Solar Angels (Souls) in the step-wise downpouring of the Great Blessing during Wesak but also for the energy transmissions during other Full Moon Periods. For example, all Souls on the 6th Ray would receive from Lord Sananda (Chohan of the 6th Ray) and His Brotherhood of Idealism. The preparations are with the intent of serving as a receptive vehicle for the benefit of Humanity.
The Day of the Full Moon is a day of self-forgetting dedication to the service and remembrance of the Human Race. Periods of meditation are conducted for the purpose of opening more widely the channel of communication and light to the Soul (the Bridge of Light or Antahkarana) for a more efficient and effective downflow of the Gifts from On HIgh. Ideally, the mind should be held steady in the Light of the Soul, and each person should remember that it is a group effort, because only in group formation can the powerful forces from On High be channeled to the Collective Consciousness of the Race. And the Souls will only work through those individuals who are willing participants (because of the Law of Free Will).
It is recommended by The Masters that, on the Day of the Full Moon, the Great Invocation be voiced with all the forcefulness and strength of the will behind the recitation. (See "The Great Invocation".) And any language may be used (unlike for mantrams). Actually, the recitation of this Invocation is recommended for each day of the 5-day Period: at sunrise, noon, and sunset. It is likewise recommended for the exact moment of the Full Moon, and it should be done as a group when feasible.
The following two days are given over to continuing the recitations of the Great Invocation as suggested and for continued meditational periods which allow the channeled flow of incremental energies from The Sons of the Fire Mist to the Collective of Humankind. They will use the individuals and groups, so dedicated, to step-down and transform the powerful energies (via the Soul) which are needed at the time. The 1st Ray may be predominant during Wesak, but other Full Moon Periods will be used for other Ray Energies to condition the Race of Man toward goals in line with the Divine Plan.
8. Human Transformers:
The meditations performed during the Wesak Moon are similar to the Transmission Meditations as advocated by Benjamin Creme ("Share International" and Herald for Maitreya). The participants in all groups should triangulate their efforts in groups of 3, and the more triangles in a group and the larger the group, the more powerful the result. The basic unit for this service work is the triangle, and these triangular meditations may be used for all other Full Moons of the year as well as the Solstices and Equinoxes.
In a simplified form, the service that is being given is the service of making available highly potent energies to the Race of Man which greatly accelerate evolution of consciousness, energies which could not otherwise be absorbed or assimilated by the majority of the Race. Prior to the meditation, the Great Invocation is voiced aloud by the group. This creates a conduit through which The Ascended Masters will pour the energy into the higher 4 Aetheric Chakras of each participating individual (Crown, Ajna, Throat, and Heart). The Masters are the Custodians of these Ray Energies, which are distributed precisely and scientifically to the Nature Kingdoms of Earth. However, at Wesak it is the powerful 1st Ray that is being disseminated (to drive the needed changes into manifestation).
Once in meditation, the focus of attention is held on the Ajna (Brow) Center as much as possible, and the thought of "Ommmm" helps to hold it there. This aligns the physical brain with the mind and the Soul (through which the energies pour), and only when attention is on the Ajna is the energy transmission working. The Masters will do the work of distributing the energy to where it is needed once it is stepped down (automatically) by the serving triangles, so no thought need be given over to its distribution during this meditation.
Not only does this service work benefit Mankind in its evolutionary journey, but each participant is greatly benefited by the potent energies flowing through the Chakras. (The Great Ones regulate the potency of the incoming energies to prevent any harm being done to the meditating participant.)
9. The Objectives of Wesak:
a. The stimulation in the Collective Consciousness of Mankind those ideals which will become manifest in the Aquarian Age: brotherhood, synthesis, love, and cooperation among the members of the Human Race (right human relations). This is the more immediate goal of the Divine Plan.
b. The fusion of the Light-workers of the world into an integrated whole which is responsive to the directing efforts of The Great White Lodge.
c. The Invocation and Evocation of aid from Great Powers even beyond The Spiritual Hierarchy, Who await the free-will expression of Humanity to send out the request (invocation) with sufficient power and appeal (in keeping with the Law of Free Will). They must be given permission to help, so to say, by the collective request of Wesak participants and can move Heaven and Earth.
Given sufficient numbers who choose to participate and given sufficient unification and coordination of effort by groups all around the world, such a flood of power can be released as to alter human consciousness, and the actual working relationship between our two higher Kingdoms of Nature (Humanity and The Hierarchy) can be approximated more closely. This would accelerate our approach to the goals of the New Aquarian Age.
10. The Ceremony Itself:
Charles W. Leadbeater was one of the early leaders of the Theosophical Society after the passing of Helena Blavatsky and Henry Olcott. He was a 2nd Degree Initiate-Disciple of Lord Saint Germain (Master Rakoczy), thus having a 7th Ray Soul, and was trained by Master Kuthumi (2nd Ray) for decades in an example of lending of disciples from one Master's Ashram to Another. (Alice Bailey was lent from Kuthumi's Ashram to that of Djwhal Khul.)
Part of his training consisted of perfecting the technique of concentrating the focus of consciousness in the astral body, traveling in that astral form for various learning experiences, and bringing the memory of those experiences back into waking consciousness with clarity and detail (thus impressing the physical brain). He would (astrally) guide the astral form of Jiddu Krishnamurti (as a youth) nearly every night to the Home of Master Kuthumi in Tibet for instructions at the Feet of The Master. (Krishnamurti was being prepared as a possible physical vehicle for Lord Maitreya.)
He attended the Wesak Festival many times (astrally) and wrote about it in "The Masters and the Path". I've condensed down his description and offer it here as an eye-witness account of the proceedings. He said that the entirety of The White Lodge attend except for Sanat Kumara and The 3 Pratyeka Buddhas of Shamballa. It takes place on the northern slopes of the Himalayas in a little valley not far from Nepal and, perhaps, 400 miles from Lhassa, Tibet. A mountain stream runs down one side of the valley, which has a large grayish-white block of stone projecting 3 feet above the ground. This is the focal point for the Ceremony.
The Buddha will appear above the sacred stone but not on it, and before the exact moment of the Full Moon, The Initiate Brotherhood are arranged by Initiate Degree facing the stone, upon which is a golden bowl filled with water. The Highest Initiates are to the forefront with the multitudes of aspirants, interested observers, and non-Initiates behind The Lodge of The Brotherhood, Who are musically chanting well-known mantrams special to the occasion and conducting a ritual that involves the formation of sequential geometrical figures.
There are 7 stages of the ritual, with a mantram and a figure for each stage. Lord Maitreya will be The Central Focus for The Hierarchy (as its Head and Master Teacher), and before He arrives concentric circles are formed by The Initiates in front of the stone. Then, as the second mantram is being chanted, He materializes out of thin air in the very center of the circles, and these are the first two figures (circles without and then with The Focal Point, Maitreya).
After bowing (pronam) to Their Lord, They form an equal-armed cross (e.g. Templar Cross) within a circle and then an equilateral triangle within the circle. Maitreya is at the center of the cross but moves to the apex near the altar-stone when the triangle is formed. He gracefully lays His fiery Rod of Initiation in front of the bowl, and then the circle surrounding the triangle forms into a flower-of-life-pattern within the triangle. Then a 6-pointed star is formed by the interlacing of 2 triangles (symbolic since Atlantean Times), and finally a 5-pointed star is formed (a symbol for Sanat Kumara). All throughout these sequential figures, Maitreya remains at the point nearest the stone, and the chanting is maintained during all 7 phases of the ritual.
As previously mentioned, the mantrams (along with the measured movements) help to form the Funnel/Vacuum for the transmission of Force. The chanting stops when the 5-pointed star is completed, and silence reigns. Just before the precise moment of the Full Moon (and following the special invocative mantram of The 3 Great Lords), Maitreya takes the Rod of Power, raises it overhead, and pronounces in Pali: "All is ready; come Master!". Amitabha Buddha appears (using the form of Gautama) at the moment of the Full Moon as Maitreya is laying down His Rod again. Leadbeater said it was a gigantic figure suspended in the air, and I think it is more of an Astral Reflection or Holographic Projection of That One.
All The Initiates bow in pronam, and the multitudes prostrate themselves on the ground at the Appearance. Then The Brotherhood chants the Mahamangala Sutta.
The image projected is the same form that was used by Siddartha Gautama 2,600 years ago. He is seated in the Lotus Posture, wearing a yellow robe with His right arm exposed and hands together. His hair is nearly blue-black with waves; the skin is yellowish-white; nose is mildly aquiline; and the eyes are a deep blue. Forehead is broad, and the shoulder-length hair is parted down the middle and pulled back from the forehead. His facial expression conveys power and serenity and wisdom. Particularly striking, as viewed by C.W.L. on the Astral Plane, was His multicolored aura of stupendous brilliance that radiated outwardly in concentric spheres. Scarcely could the onlooker turn his eye upon it.
After the Mahamangala Sutta has been completed, Maitreya lifts the golden bowl of water overhead briefly in blessing, and the multitudes do the same with their water containers. Then He lays it back on the altar, and a final verse is chanted by The White Lodge. When that ends is when The Buddha grants His Blessing. With a broad, loving smile His right hand is raised to send forth the Shamballa Force (1st Ray) to Maitreya, while the Divine Thoughtform is projected at the same time. Simultaneous to the Blessing, a shower of flowers descends upon the Holy Assemblage, while they are pronaming or prostrating on the ground. And the image of The Buddha then gradually fades away.
The Ceremony is over, and The Initiates (by Degree) approach Maitreya to sip of the highly-potentized holy water in the golden bowl. The non-Initiate multitude does the same with their holy water, and then they joyfully set off on their long journey home with indelible memories of the Buddha's Festival. (The water is highly-valued for healings, blessings, and sanctifying rituals.)
CLOSING COMMENTS
I hope that the true status of The Master that incarnated as Siddartha Gautama has been elucidated, along with the relationship that He held with The World Teacher of 2,600 years ago, Amitabha (the current Buddha of the 2nd Ray on The Council of Shamballa). The mission of bringing profound enlightening teachings to that part of the world that we call the Orient was an unprecedented success as the "Diamond Eye" Consciousness of Amitabha fully engulfed, overlighted, and subordinated the lesser consciousness of Prince Gautama.
This arrangement was made prior to birth, which was timed to fall under the conditioning influence of Taurus, the Divine Bull of Illumination. Siddartha was born in Taurus, gained illumination in Taurus, overcame all desire in Taurus, and left His body behind in Taurus. And once a year at the Wesak Full Moon, Amitabha Buddha honors and acknowledges the link to Taurus by Blessing the Human Race in that Sun Sign of the Zodiac.
In a more esoteric vein, there is a powerful projection of the 3rd Ray Energy from the Pleiades (in Taurus) toward Earth, and this is the Divine Energy which stimulates illumination of the human mind. As well, the Pleiadians, who have made many contributions to the developement of Man over the eons, are honored and remembered in the Collective Unconscious of the Race by this annual Ritual.
One of the principle objectives in writing this is to prompt greater interest in participating in the Festival of The Buddha as an act of service to the Human Race. They are the beneficiaries, but all who follow the meditating protocols will greatly benefit themselves from the energy transmissions during the 5-day Period. Triangulation of effort is the best way to go, and the more who participate, the more powerful is the impact on the slowly-evolving Collective Consciousness of the Race.
The Great Invocation was given to us by Lord Maitreya in 1945 before the close of the devastating World War, and by its use in greater and greater numbers during this special Period of each year, Powers beyond The Planetary Hierarchy and the Solar System may be evoked for the transformation of a Mankind unknowingly imprisoned by a False Illusion of separativeness and an overwhelming compulsion toward materialism.
These illusions may be shattered by the downpouring of Light into the minds of our wayward human species from The Cosmic Powers drawn into the enterprise through the new Science of Invocation & Evocation. Thus, the Blessing of The Buddha is immeasurably magnified, and the course is finally set for right human relations in a peace-filled Aquarian Age that fulfills the Divine Plan for world-wide harmony, sharing, love expression, and the domination of spiritual values.
DEDICATED TO THE 7 BUDDHAS OF SHAMBALLA
James Oliver Cyr, M.D.
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