when you think of the
staggering symbols that the Indians produced. I mean the the dancing Shiva for example.
We've never produced anything as comprehensive as this.
The dancing Shiva... There's this little bronze statues. It is the Shiva with four arms dancing with one foot raised.
And well, I mean I'll go into the details: They are really quite extraordinary. It's said that the figure stands
within a great circle - sort of halo which has flames going out on the symbols of flames and this is the
circle of mass energy space-time. I mean this is the material world, the great world of the
all-embracing
Material world with its flames. Within this Shiva dances. He's called Nataraja, the Lord of the dance and
he dances.
He's everywhere in the universe. I mean they said this is his dance.
Manifestation of the world is called his 'Lila', his play.
I mean he sends his reign upon the just and the unjust and
he's not beyond good and evil, of course. It's all an immense manifestation of play.
He has this long hair which is the hair of the Yogi -
contemplative, and it streams out to the limits of the universe we see. Therefore, this sort of
yogic knowledge of this contemplation includes everything.
He has four arms. In the
upper right arm,
he holds a little drum, which is the drum which summons things into creation. You beat upon this drum, things come into existence.
In his left arm, he holds a fire
which is what destroys everything. He both creates and destroys.
His, uh, lower right hand is held up in this attitude,
which means: "Be not afraid. In spite of everything, it is all right."
The other hand
points down at his feet and one foot is planted squarely on the back of a
repulsive, um,
"dwarf" - this infinitely powerful dwarf called "Muyalaka", I think his name is.
Who is the, eh, the Ego and
he has to break the back of the Ego, see. What he's really pointing at is the other foot,
which is raised and this means this foot is raised against gravitation and is the symbol of
spiritual contemplation.
Whole thing is there, you see. I mean the, the world of space and time and matter and energy.
The world of, mmm,
creation and destruction,
the world of psychology. I mean, how do you get out of this? I mean, if you,
don't break the back of the Ego, you're lost and if you don't, uh,
practice, uh,
contemplation,
there will be no liberation for you. I mean...
We don't have anything remotely approaching
such a comprehensive symbol which is both cosmic and psychological and spiritual, I mean.
It is really a most unfortunate that we have such miserable
symbols. It's part of the
regular Hinduism, but it is specifically, Shiva.
And then one of the manifestations, of course, is called Bhairava of Shiva who is also dancing, but he dances in cemeteries and
I mean to remind us that
the Dance of Life isn't always very jolly.
I mean that he dances just as much
in misery and death as in life and elation and this has to be accepted, of course, again
it's only by the lifted foot that we can accept it. I mean it actually isn't completely incompatible with the
modern scientific idea. I mean it includes the world who see of mass, energy, space and time.
And the idea of the, of the infinite energy dancing timelessly and forever through this world.
Dancing through human
mentality too, I mean:
The world is filled to be, of course, a kind of outrage because the play goes on even inside ourselves, although, we are
sentient beings and yet, the hand is raised, everything is finally alright, in spite of everything. If as
Buddha says, "I show you sorrow in the ending of sorrow." The ending of sorrow is putting a foot on the
back of the dwarf and raising the foot, the other foot in....
against gravity into the state of contemplation. I mean the whole thing is there, stated, in this single
extremely elegant
I mean, the, these
Shiva images from the south of India - very, very elegant. They're the most beautiful pieces of sculpture, the best of them. But, uh,
it's a shame we don't have any good symbols like this,
to remind us of who we are.
And what we can do about it if anything. No, we are very, very poor - anytime we have some of the Christian symbol
[voice fades]
Symbol of the cross is very good, but it, it doesn't take into account this whole cosmic side of life.
I mean, it doesn't take into account mass, energy, space and time.
Which is essential. It doesn't take into account. I mean, as it stands, it doesn't take into account, the
importance of
contemplation
No, it's um, I mean, we, there are other symbols, of course, within Christianity which do. But a single, comprehensive
symbol like the Shiva symbol - we do not have and it's very unfortunate.
This whole business of the... of the organized
manipulation of symbols is,
I mean, the human mind is a symbolithic instrument. I mean, it exists to
manufacture symbols, to turn immediate experience into symbols, for the purpose of managing it within a very convenient way.
The question is, can we get on with
early scientific symbols,
realistic symbols, and then,
concentrate on the
immediate experience, I don't know. I mean, I, uh, I simply don't know whether this is a
possible essence of general
attitude towards the world. I think it's certainly possible in India, in
isolated individuals, but
whether, in fact, it will ever turn out
to be something which appeals to great numbers of people, I have no idea.