The Equinox (Volume I, Number IV)

THE EQUINOX Presumably cessation of sense perception. How can we prove our theory? By cutting away every perception, every thought- form as it is born, until nothing thinkable is left, not even the thought of the unknowable. The man of science will often say “I do not know, I really do not know where these bricks came from, or how they were made, or who made them; but here they are; let us build a house and live in it.” Now this indeed is a very sensible view to take, and the result is we have some very fine houses built by these excellent bricklayers; but strange to say, this is the fatalist’s point of view, and a fatalistic science is indeed a cruel kind of oxymoron. As a matter of fact he is nothing of the kind; for, when he has exhausted his supply of bricks, he starts to look about for others, and when others cannot be found, he takes one of the old ones and picking it to pieces tries to discover of what it is made so that he may make more. What is small-pox? Really, my friend, I do not know where it came from, or what it is, or how it originated; when aman catches it he either dies or recovers, please go away and don’t ask me ridiculous questions! Now this indeed would not be considered a very sensible view to adopt. And why? Simply because small-pox no longer happens to be believed in as a malignant devil, but is, at least partially, known and understood. Similarly, when we have gained as much know- ledge of the First Cause as we have of small-pox, we shall no longer de/ieve in a Benevolent God or otherwise, but shall, at least partially, know and understand Him as He is or is-not. “T can’t learn this!” is the groan of a schoolboy and not the exclamation of a sage. No doctor who is worth his salt will say: “I can’t tackle this disease”; he says: “I well tackle 50