Page:A Collection of Esoteric Writings.djvu/345

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matter—Mulaprakriti—and consequently every differentiated and organized form in it; that it has the essential attributes of motion, and that the peculiar characteristic of this motion is, that the life existing everywhere throughout the Cosmos, whether in its primary or secondary aspects, is its manifestation or effect. It is not pretended that this amounts to a complete description of Parabrahma. But it is maintained that it is a correct representation of one of its phases. The critic is welcome to show, if he can, that this description is wrong; but why should he cover the main question with a cloud of irrelevant matter? If this amounts to atheism in his opinion, so be it; Mr. Maitland is fully entitled to have his own definition of the word.

II.The second reason for the inference is likewise based upon a misconstruction of the author's views. On p. 153 of his work, Mr. Sinnett has defined Parabrahma from the stand-point of Adwaita philosophy, and in the following words: "Brahma or Parabrahma, is thus a passive, incomprehensible, unconscious principle, but the essence, one life, or energy of the universe," and here, Mr. Maitland asserts again that Parabrahma is called energy (in any form apparently) by the author! He further contends that a principle, or entity, possessing the attributes of motion cannot be considered as the "energy of the universe"; evidently forgetting that motion in the abstract is one thing, and the object in motion—quite another. Energy is defined by him as the cause of motion, and if motion is not energy under any circumstances, in that gentleman's opinion, one kind of motion can never be the cause of another kind of motion. For instance, it will be wrong, in his opinion, to say that the motion of the particles composing a certain quantity of steam caused by its inherent tendency to expand, produces the motion of the steam engine! This, I believe, will make clear that Mr. Sinnett's statement involves no such absurdity. Energy is but the statical aspect of motion, and motion is but the kinetic aspect of energy. Parabrahma has both these