- Mar 25, 2004
- 142
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Namaste. I would like to post three short articles I've written concerning the LHP (left hand path), basically introductory in nature. I am hoping they are OK for this forum, because although all assumptions are hardly proven, I do not see any metaphysics or spirituality forum here, so I take it that it all goes here. It's food for thought, I can back up my claims if you ask me, although sometimes it requires very lengthy explanation.. basically I chose here to write summarily, while I am presently working on extended and more general texts. I hope it provokes some healthy discussion.
:hotjump:
* * *
The LHP is a way to take control of your life and be at the helm of your own evolution. It is suited for those who wish to cultivate Truth and be certain of where they are going. In simplistic terms, on the RHP you strive towards being how you want to be every moment as a loving being, not knowing what's in store in the future but having faith that it will be good and that you will rise to the occasion; on the LHP you strive towards understanding your potential, and eventually realizing the ideal destination you never stop evolving towards it.
The distinction is largely one of identity as an individual agent of consciousness. On the LHP you work towards an understanding of the afterlife and synthesize your present goals with your eternal ones. You intend to live forever in subtler realms after death, ever with the choice of reincarnation, and you work towards ensuring that you are able to maintain your individual person eternally and that you can live with yourself. On the RHP you make a conscious choice that you wish to expand your awareness beyond your limits, and you strive to let go of the illusion of convention and accept higher things.
A lot of it has to do with effort. On the LHP you evolve yourself ruthlessly in a warrior spirit. However the LHP does not have to be more difficult in terms of pain and suffering so much as in terms of complexity of spiritual logical equations to face. The cold truth is that if one willfully chooses to be disciplined then it is at least contenting, whereas the RHPer is more prone to denying pain and even committing suicide over it. Upon deeper inspection, then, ignorance is also at play here, because although you are always free to choose how fast you evolve and faster isn't necessarily better, still in some circumstances it is ultimately less painful to drive yourself through and beyond your egocentricity.
Effort is a tricky thing to qualify. If life is suffering then it takes wisdom to minimize your suffering and maximize your delight, and sometimes you just don't know how to so you have to take the long road and work on optimism and being able to accept good things. Other times one simply finds themselves suited for the RHP because they truly are drawn to goodness and enlightening the world harmoniously. On the LHP you can also strive to be a powerful force of good, but you think of it more as a duty, in a logical sense in that you wish to live eternally in a harmonious universe. In other words, you realize immortality isn't free because the universe you live in could be better and you do have to live with yourself for a very long time. The LHPer of good intention rises to this challenge and is good as opposed to evil not out of necessity but because he desires a loving universe.
Although the LHPer can be evil, the LHPer of good intention is similar to the RHPer not in terms of being "more" or "less" good but rather in terms of two different ways of being good. On the LHP you take the perspective that if you want to influence the world around you for better or for worse, then in terms of efficiency you aught first to focus on evolving yourself; on the RHP the process is more simultaneous. Therefore the LHPer of good intention takes a risk, investing time and resources in himself primarily: to the extent that he squanders his investment in terms of his eventual output of goodness into the world around him, his investment was selfish. In this sense does the LHPer of good intention strive always to have the ends justify the means, in the sense of how you think of yourself in the universe in terms of service-to-self (STS) vs. service-to-other (STO).
The duality between RHP and LHP exists because of the metaphysical agents and parties of consciousness that maintain and evolve the universe. The path which offers a destiny of good intention must be a faithful path that people can turn to and trust. Thus if the same path were to also allow for a destiny of evil intention, then it would be essentially neutral, and one could not have faith in it towards a destiny of good intention. Therefore the LHP is neutral and allows for both good and evil, while the RHP allows only for good. As universal procession works through cyclical variation of polarity between good and evil forces, so this fundamental duality is expressed in worldly terms through LHP/RHP dichotomy.
* * *
Often beyond the more superficial worldly faiths it seems that the eternal battle between good and evil is exaggerated throughout human history inclusive of modern times. The middle way seems to be the most enlightened path. The reality of the eternal battle between good and evil is extremely intricate and profound, and admittedly it can often seem like an illusion.
Evil is a necessary element of universal procession, because for freedom of will to truly exist, a destiny of good intention cannot be the sole feasible and eternally sustainable evolutionary option for the individual agent of consciousness. This unavoidable reality must always be balanced in harmonious equilibrium with the equally unavoidable reality that overabundance of evil in the universe could permanently desolate universal procession and thereby annihilate freedom of will. Evil is therefore an aspect of universal procession in the most overall efficient and economic way possible, as an infinitely adaptable matrix of tests for the person of good intention.
However, ignorance is also a crucial aspect of universal procession, acting like a buffer that affords suspension of one's evolution so that it may pass in graduation as opposed to instantly. For one to grow, in other words, and thereby use their freedom of will to shape their identity and destiny, so one must learn and progressively accumulate knowledge of reality and of one's situation therein, as opposed to knowing everything already in the first place. Unavoidably, then, one will always be (relatively) ignorant and accordingly (relatively) unclear of their intentions. This highlights another way evil works--it ever tries to trick people through their ignorance, at the point where their intention is ambiguous as opposed to good.
The metaphysical realms being dualistic in nature in terms of individual alignment towards good or evil, the elements of tests and trickery fall under LHP jurisdiction. At the root of this situation lies the secret nature of the LHP which the LHPer of evil intention aspires towards and the LHPer of good intention does not expect. To wit, it is a misguided aspiration for the LHPer of good intention to desire to be something of a devil's advocate as the saying goes and to embody the trickster archetype: eventually you realize that the LHPer who gains power to such ends is of evil intentions and actually seeks to trick and prosper as opposed to trick and teach.
Evolutionary opportunity for the LHPer of evil intention involves extremely strict discipline and adherence to protocol, because ultimately the LHP forces of evil must not truly win over the RHP forces of good in a universal sense lest the 'game' end permanently. For evil it is more a matter of insidious and sinister delight and amusement, where one must be patient and feed slowly, for this soul-food is a scarce resource, especially when the sheep dwindle in numbers; as well, the 'higher-ups' always get first dibs. Some who take this path cope poorly with conditions in the afterlife and suffer for their choice of personal destiny, though they cannot go back and undo what they have done. As a result, certain factions of evil seek to annihilate universal processional existence completely, however lofty and technical a task this may be, sinking the whole ship and taking everyone down along with themselves.
Therefore, the LHPer of good intention who evolves honestly and nobly eventually learns about the secret nature of the LHP and, as I have, may proceed to extricate themselves out of the LHP. This part is not made easy for you know the secrets of the LHP, and as you look back the way you came you realize that you have been tricked and lied to on pivotal points and your sight of the Divine Law that can save you is obscured. The more secrets you choose to learn the harder it will be to use them to advantage in good intention afterwards, but it is always possible if you are honest and True (and wise enough). Divine Law is that which even evil eternally abides, for it does not wish to ruin the game of existence and lose its sources of food and entertainment.
Once extricated, one may pursue the RHP or the middle way. One finds themselves in a unique position.
* * *
The LHP is very appealing on the surface and encompasses many sound spiritual perspectives. It is not always clear if a modern spiritual faith is LHP or not, and often the noble LHPer will argue that evil ways have nothing to do with the LHP. Traditionally in the East, it is understood that the middle way is always the way, as in relation to the Divine Law, and the LHP and RHP are just different ways of working with the Divine Law. The more neutral Eastern faiths such as Zen could be classified as LHP because they do not involve belief in any metaphysical agents or parties of consciousness and rather focus on the Self.
In the West, LHP faiths such as Satanism promote indulgence in things as opposed to abstinence, but make an important point of refraining, understandably, from over-indulgence. Drawing this line between indulgence and over-indulgence is a way of expressing the Zen tenet of appreciation without attachment, and this is a good example of a healthy aspect of the LHP appearing openly in the world (as opposed to being more secret, occult). That convention is impermanent and should not be clung to lest one consider in the future it to be "lost", coupled with the adage that nothing infinite exists apart from the finite, this results in a very relative, dynamic, adaptable, and efficient way of looking at things. Appreciation without attachment like this is well expressed in the works of Carlos Castaneda as controlled folly.
Ultimately one is only ever always partly LHP and partly RHP, as both paths are two sides of the same coin. One is free to choose what techniques to adapt towards self-realization, be it controlled folly, asceticism, prayer, ritual, etc., and one can mix all sorts into the pattern of their being. However one is always still ultimately either LHP or RHP, in terms of how one ultimately perceives their goals. One realizes they never reach their destination when they realize their journey to be eternal--the quality of the destination becomes symbolically corollary with the quality of the journey. This is very important with regards to Divine Law, because being RHP and knowing what that means entails one thing and being LHP and knowing what that means entails another thing; the child of the LHP basically asks for more independence from their parents, in a dangerous universe.
Western LHP faiths are not necessarily evil, such as in the instance of paganism or Satanism. The real evil goes on more in the lodges and schools of whatever practice, despite the outward appearances they portray, although this is not a fact for all spiritual lodges or schools. Still, this does not stop the RHP religions from demonizing the LHP ones. Setianism is a good example of a tricky LHP faith: it is an open faith, but it also has a temple, and while its refreshing ideas and tenets open to the public are well suited to modern times and of healthy if not neutral intention, the members of the Temple of Set work with things far deeper than what is openly revealed.
:hotjump:
* * *
The LHP is a way to take control of your life and be at the helm of your own evolution. It is suited for those who wish to cultivate Truth and be certain of where they are going. In simplistic terms, on the RHP you strive towards being how you want to be every moment as a loving being, not knowing what's in store in the future but having faith that it will be good and that you will rise to the occasion; on the LHP you strive towards understanding your potential, and eventually realizing the ideal destination you never stop evolving towards it.
The distinction is largely one of identity as an individual agent of consciousness. On the LHP you work towards an understanding of the afterlife and synthesize your present goals with your eternal ones. You intend to live forever in subtler realms after death, ever with the choice of reincarnation, and you work towards ensuring that you are able to maintain your individual person eternally and that you can live with yourself. On the RHP you make a conscious choice that you wish to expand your awareness beyond your limits, and you strive to let go of the illusion of convention and accept higher things.
A lot of it has to do with effort. On the LHP you evolve yourself ruthlessly in a warrior spirit. However the LHP does not have to be more difficult in terms of pain and suffering so much as in terms of complexity of spiritual logical equations to face. The cold truth is that if one willfully chooses to be disciplined then it is at least contenting, whereas the RHPer is more prone to denying pain and even committing suicide over it. Upon deeper inspection, then, ignorance is also at play here, because although you are always free to choose how fast you evolve and faster isn't necessarily better, still in some circumstances it is ultimately less painful to drive yourself through and beyond your egocentricity.
Effort is a tricky thing to qualify. If life is suffering then it takes wisdom to minimize your suffering and maximize your delight, and sometimes you just don't know how to so you have to take the long road and work on optimism and being able to accept good things. Other times one simply finds themselves suited for the RHP because they truly are drawn to goodness and enlightening the world harmoniously. On the LHP you can also strive to be a powerful force of good, but you think of it more as a duty, in a logical sense in that you wish to live eternally in a harmonious universe. In other words, you realize immortality isn't free because the universe you live in could be better and you do have to live with yourself for a very long time. The LHPer of good intention rises to this challenge and is good as opposed to evil not out of necessity but because he desires a loving universe.
Although the LHPer can be evil, the LHPer of good intention is similar to the RHPer not in terms of being "more" or "less" good but rather in terms of two different ways of being good. On the LHP you take the perspective that if you want to influence the world around you for better or for worse, then in terms of efficiency you aught first to focus on evolving yourself; on the RHP the process is more simultaneous. Therefore the LHPer of good intention takes a risk, investing time and resources in himself primarily: to the extent that he squanders his investment in terms of his eventual output of goodness into the world around him, his investment was selfish. In this sense does the LHPer of good intention strive always to have the ends justify the means, in the sense of how you think of yourself in the universe in terms of service-to-self (STS) vs. service-to-other (STO).
The duality between RHP and LHP exists because of the metaphysical agents and parties of consciousness that maintain and evolve the universe. The path which offers a destiny of good intention must be a faithful path that people can turn to and trust. Thus if the same path were to also allow for a destiny of evil intention, then it would be essentially neutral, and one could not have faith in it towards a destiny of good intention. Therefore the LHP is neutral and allows for both good and evil, while the RHP allows only for good. As universal procession works through cyclical variation of polarity between good and evil forces, so this fundamental duality is expressed in worldly terms through LHP/RHP dichotomy.
* * *
Often beyond the more superficial worldly faiths it seems that the eternal battle between good and evil is exaggerated throughout human history inclusive of modern times. The middle way seems to be the most enlightened path. The reality of the eternal battle between good and evil is extremely intricate and profound, and admittedly it can often seem like an illusion.
Evil is a necessary element of universal procession, because for freedom of will to truly exist, a destiny of good intention cannot be the sole feasible and eternally sustainable evolutionary option for the individual agent of consciousness. This unavoidable reality must always be balanced in harmonious equilibrium with the equally unavoidable reality that overabundance of evil in the universe could permanently desolate universal procession and thereby annihilate freedom of will. Evil is therefore an aspect of universal procession in the most overall efficient and economic way possible, as an infinitely adaptable matrix of tests for the person of good intention.
However, ignorance is also a crucial aspect of universal procession, acting like a buffer that affords suspension of one's evolution so that it may pass in graduation as opposed to instantly. For one to grow, in other words, and thereby use their freedom of will to shape their identity and destiny, so one must learn and progressively accumulate knowledge of reality and of one's situation therein, as opposed to knowing everything already in the first place. Unavoidably, then, one will always be (relatively) ignorant and accordingly (relatively) unclear of their intentions. This highlights another way evil works--it ever tries to trick people through their ignorance, at the point where their intention is ambiguous as opposed to good.
The metaphysical realms being dualistic in nature in terms of individual alignment towards good or evil, the elements of tests and trickery fall under LHP jurisdiction. At the root of this situation lies the secret nature of the LHP which the LHPer of evil intention aspires towards and the LHPer of good intention does not expect. To wit, it is a misguided aspiration for the LHPer of good intention to desire to be something of a devil's advocate as the saying goes and to embody the trickster archetype: eventually you realize that the LHPer who gains power to such ends is of evil intentions and actually seeks to trick and prosper as opposed to trick and teach.
Evolutionary opportunity for the LHPer of evil intention involves extremely strict discipline and adherence to protocol, because ultimately the LHP forces of evil must not truly win over the RHP forces of good in a universal sense lest the 'game' end permanently. For evil it is more a matter of insidious and sinister delight and amusement, where one must be patient and feed slowly, for this soul-food is a scarce resource, especially when the sheep dwindle in numbers; as well, the 'higher-ups' always get first dibs. Some who take this path cope poorly with conditions in the afterlife and suffer for their choice of personal destiny, though they cannot go back and undo what they have done. As a result, certain factions of evil seek to annihilate universal processional existence completely, however lofty and technical a task this may be, sinking the whole ship and taking everyone down along with themselves.
Therefore, the LHPer of good intention who evolves honestly and nobly eventually learns about the secret nature of the LHP and, as I have, may proceed to extricate themselves out of the LHP. This part is not made easy for you know the secrets of the LHP, and as you look back the way you came you realize that you have been tricked and lied to on pivotal points and your sight of the Divine Law that can save you is obscured. The more secrets you choose to learn the harder it will be to use them to advantage in good intention afterwards, but it is always possible if you are honest and True (and wise enough). Divine Law is that which even evil eternally abides, for it does not wish to ruin the game of existence and lose its sources of food and entertainment.
Once extricated, one may pursue the RHP or the middle way. One finds themselves in a unique position.
* * *
The LHP is very appealing on the surface and encompasses many sound spiritual perspectives. It is not always clear if a modern spiritual faith is LHP or not, and often the noble LHPer will argue that evil ways have nothing to do with the LHP. Traditionally in the East, it is understood that the middle way is always the way, as in relation to the Divine Law, and the LHP and RHP are just different ways of working with the Divine Law. The more neutral Eastern faiths such as Zen could be classified as LHP because they do not involve belief in any metaphysical agents or parties of consciousness and rather focus on the Self.
In the West, LHP faiths such as Satanism promote indulgence in things as opposed to abstinence, but make an important point of refraining, understandably, from over-indulgence. Drawing this line between indulgence and over-indulgence is a way of expressing the Zen tenet of appreciation without attachment, and this is a good example of a healthy aspect of the LHP appearing openly in the world (as opposed to being more secret, occult). That convention is impermanent and should not be clung to lest one consider in the future it to be "lost", coupled with the adage that nothing infinite exists apart from the finite, this results in a very relative, dynamic, adaptable, and efficient way of looking at things. Appreciation without attachment like this is well expressed in the works of Carlos Castaneda as controlled folly.
Ultimately one is only ever always partly LHP and partly RHP, as both paths are two sides of the same coin. One is free to choose what techniques to adapt towards self-realization, be it controlled folly, asceticism, prayer, ritual, etc., and one can mix all sorts into the pattern of their being. However one is always still ultimately either LHP or RHP, in terms of how one ultimately perceives their goals. One realizes they never reach their destination when they realize their journey to be eternal--the quality of the destination becomes symbolically corollary with the quality of the journey. This is very important with regards to Divine Law, because being RHP and knowing what that means entails one thing and being LHP and knowing what that means entails another thing; the child of the LHP basically asks for more independence from their parents, in a dangerous universe.
Western LHP faiths are not necessarily evil, such as in the instance of paganism or Satanism. The real evil goes on more in the lodges and schools of whatever practice, despite the outward appearances they portray, although this is not a fact for all spiritual lodges or schools. Still, this does not stop the RHP religions from demonizing the LHP ones. Setianism is a good example of a tricky LHP faith: it is an open faith, but it also has a temple, and while its refreshing ideas and tenets open to the public are well suited to modern times and of healthy if not neutral intention, the members of the Temple of Set work with things far deeper than what is openly revealed.
