Part 1. Structure of the Universe

The soul is immortal; the body is born and dies. Yet the word “spirit” has no single meaning – it shifts across contexts and traditions.

This is true of many religious terms: words in spiritual texts often carry multiple meanings. Sometimes the same word appears in different sources but signifies different ideas. At other times, different words point to the very same meaning. How can we untangle this web of overlapping senses?

To clarify these distinctions, we need a clear mental image. For this purpose, we will use a model – a simple tool that acts like scissors. Just as scissors separate fabric, this model will help us separate one meaning from another in spiritual literature.

In the model that follows, we will arrange meanings as if on shelves:

● Different meanings will go on different shelves.

● Words with the same meaning will be placed on the same shelf.

This method allows us to see both the diversity and the hidden unity of spiritual language.

In this book, the concept of the “Universe” will encompass and systematically delineate both the material and mental domains of what we might term “absolutely everything”.

It will be useful to clarify the structure of the entire book. The second part of this book, devoted to the Apocalypse, is the system‑forming element in relation to all the other parts. The first part, in turn, serves as a preliminary introduction. Just as the alphabet precedes a dictionary, this first part precedes the second, main section. Without mastering the “alphabet” – that is, without grasping the foundations laid out in the first part – it is difficult to understand what is presented in the second part.

.

Unified Religious Structure

Physical. The world of phenomena is the world in which we live. The physical dimension. The bodily dimension. The material universe. Reality. In Buddhism: Kāmaloka (the world of Desires).

Astral. The astral world (astral) is the world we enter during sleep. The astral dimension. The soul dimension. In Buddhism: Rūpaloka (the world of Forms). The astral world is divided into lower and upper. The lower astral overlaps the world of phenomena. The upper astral has no direct projection onto the world of phenomena. The astral governs physical through the mechanism of image projection. Any phenomenon or object, before manifesting in our physical world, first appears in the astral as an image. A person who has attained a spiritual level allowing them to be freely reborn in the upper astral or higher in the next life is called a “saint”.

Causal. The causal world (causal) is the realm that governs the astral world and the world of phenomena. The causal dimension. The spiritual dimension. In Buddhism: Arūpaloka (the Formless Realm). The causal world is divided into upper, middle, and lower. The lower causal overlaps the lower astral and the world of phenomena. The middle causal overlaps the upper astral. The upper causal has no direct projection onto the astral. The causal governs the astral through the mechanism of idea projection. That is, an astral image, before manifesting in the astral, first appears in the causal as an idea. The causal world is the world of causes.

In the three-dimensional diagrams of the Universe’s structure used in this (first) part, the vertical axis can be interpreted as the “axis of merit”, while the axis receding inward, in the direction of nirvana, can be interpreted as the “axis of tranquility”.

Typical Division of the Levels of Nirvana

Nirvana is a state of the highest Absolute. «Nirvana» translates as «absence of agitation». It is a state of liberation, a state of absolute peace. In the sutras, nirvana is described as the destruction of worldly desires. Nirvana is contrasted with samsara – that is, the physical world, the astral plane, and the causal realm constitute samsara, while nirvana is not samsara. There are distinctions between small nirvana, nirvana with residue, anupadhishesha nirvana, bodhinirvana, mahanirvana, and parinirvana.

The level of simple nirvana. Small nirvana. Just nirvana. Individual nirvana. In the illustration: Nirvana. An individual who has attained the level of small nirvana reaches this attainment of nirvana (the first attainment of liberation) through an individual path. Such a person is called an arhat or an individually awakened one. Small nirvana can be theoretically divided into causal nirvana, astral nirvana, and nirvana of the world of phenomena, depending on the spiritual level the liberated individual has attained and, accordingly, which worlds experience in the horizontal projection they cease (discard).

Nirvana with residue (sopadhishesa). This is the level of the same simple nirvana. The residue in this term refers to life, which the arhat has not yet discarded.

The level of anupadhishesha nirvana. Anupadhishesha nirvana is a term created to denote the alternative to the aforementioned nirvana with residue, and it literally translates as nirvana without residue. If an arhat discards life immediately after attaining nirvana, they will enter anupadhishesha nirvana. The level of anupadhishesha nirvana does not correspond to any of the worlds of samsara. If in the previous case life is still preserved, then at the anupadhishesha level life is also discarded. For simplicity, anupadhishesha nirvana is marked in the illustration as Parinirvana.

The level of Bodhinirvana. After attaining nirvana, an arhat does not stop there but expands their attainment by leading other individuals to the attainment of nirvana and thus overcoming the bonds of other worlds and other delusions they did not previously have. Such an individual is called a bodhisattva. Bodhi translates as awakening, enlightenment, and sattva translates as being – a being aspiring towards awakening. A bodhisattva performs a shuttle movement: nirvana – samsara – nirvana again – samsara again – nirvana – samsara – and so on. Repeating the path of liberation doubles this individuals experience. Then it triples it. Then it quadruples it. And so on. Thus, the individual gains a broader and broader experience of liberation than simple individual nirvana. This state of expanded nirvana experience is called bodhinirvana. Within the levels of bodhinirvana, in relation to the levels of simple nirvana, one can distinguish an upper level: bodhi-anupadhishesha-nirvana (in the illustration: Bodhiparinirvana), to which a bodhisattva can transition after death; and a lower one. The lower bodhinirvana can also be conceptually divided into three levels depending on which worlds experience is being discarded: causal bodhinirvana, astral bodhinirvana, and bodhinirvana of the world of phenomena.

The level of Mahanirvana. When a bodhisattva gains experience of liberation from all possible delusions – in the world of phenomena, in the astral, and in the causal – they find themselves in a state where there is nothing more to attain, having overcome all possible experience. This state is called buddha, and it corresponds to mahanirvana. Maha translates as great. If a person has already attained the state of buddha in a past life, then in the next life their individual liberation will simultaneously become great liberation. Since mahanirvana corresponds to liberation from all worlds altogether, it is divided into only two levels: mahanirvana and mahaparinirvana.

Mahaparinirvana is decoded as the great final destruction of worldly desires. Buddha Gautama entered mahaparinirvana after his death. Sources often discuss the question of whether a Buddhas personality can return from mahaparinirvana as the same personality. Yes. Since a Buddhas personality is free, they are free to choose whether to return from mahaparinirvana or never to return from mahaparinirvana again.

Levels of Consciousness

A person consists of several bodies: Physical, Astral, Causal, and the True Ego.

Physical body. This is the ordinary human body. The physical body has its own consciousness.

Astral body. The astral body can be described as something akin to a reflection of the body in a mirror. That is, it is not a body in the material sense, but merely a reflection – it exists, and at the same time, it does not. To see the astral body, one must possess astral vision. The physical body is structured in such a way that when a person uses their physical eyes, they automatically suppress their astral vision due to a specific mechanism linking the astral and physical bodies. However, the ability to perceive through astral vision is not unattainable. It can be developed through meditation. The astral body has its own consciousness. This astral consciousness corresponds to what science calls the subconscious (the unconscious). The astral body, when separated from the physical body, is also known as the body of apparition. There are beings that possess only an astral body and no physical body. Such beings are simply called apparitions. When it is said that a demon has possessed a person, this may mean that a being from the lower astral (an apparition), which lacks its own physical body, has overlaid itself upon the person’s astral body or has taken the place of (replaced) the person’s astral body.

Causal body. Externally, the causal body may appear as a sphere composed of plasma, similar to a ball lightning – or, more precisely, simply as a sphere of light, pure light in spherical form. The causal body also possesses its own consciousness. This causal consciousness corresponds to what science refers to as the superconscious (deep unconscious, pre-conscious). The nature of causal consciousness can be understood through the following experience: recall a moment when you had completely forgotten something – for example, the last name of a long-ago acquaintance – to such an extent that nothing at all came to mind. You strain to remember, exert mental effort – and suddenly, a faint, distant spark flashes in your mind: “I know!” You haven’t recalled the name yet, but you already know that the information exists in your memory and that it will soon emerge from the depths. That spark is precisely the causal consciousness. What psychology calls the “collective unconscious” corresponds to the entire lower causal world as a whole.

True Ego. True Self. True I. In the world of Nirvana (in all realms of Nirvana), body and consciousness are unified as one. This unified body-consciousness in Nirvana is called the True Ego.

The causal body together with the True Ego is also called the human spirit. The astral body together with the spirit is also called the human soul. The essence of a human being is their soul. The essence of the soul is its spirit. And the essence of the spirit is the True Ego. The physical body is governed by the soul. The soul is governed by the spirit. And the spirit is governed by the True Ego. A person’s “I” and the True Ego are, in essence, one and the same.

Besides the aforementioned case of the causal body, the word “spirit” is also often used to refer to any vital, mental, or mystical energy. Additionally, the word “spirit” is sometimes used to denote mystical ascending energy: kundalini (the Holy Spirit).