Jan. 11, 1969
Bay Area World Union Center
2901 Webster St.
San Francisco, Calif. 94123
Beloved Ones of God:
I am very much interested in the title of the Spectrum, and the underlying “Toward the Emergence of Universal Man and a New Civilization Based on Unity in Diversity Among all peoples.”
A seminar has just been completed at one of our local educational institutions, a seminar in which the students were allowed to participate and unequivocally. That is to say, both the instructor, a Professor, and the class, seem to have accepted intuitively Tat Tvam Asi and Atman is Brahm. There was complete mutual respect; there was a freedom of expression which I have never seen granted by older people, no matter how they verbalized their platforms.
The program was absolutely open—I mean absolutely open. The strange result was that certain teachers and schools were considered meritorious; some worthy of consideration, and some not worthy of any program. This included the Sri Aurobindo movement. As you are going to react, and so samskaras, let me tell you from the effect that my own beliefs were not aired; that although I was a member of the class I was permitted to speak only negatively, and you may consider the merit or demerit, that my own beliefs, along with those emanating from Sri Aurobindo and others, were not part of the program, were not discussed in class.
Nevertheless, considering the age of the enrolled students, and the alertness of their eyes and intelligence, I should say this group represented the real new age more than all the organized or unorganized people over 40, or even over 30. I differ from practically all the followers of Sri Aurobindo in supporting his predictions and predications that there would be higher intelligence manifesting. You can verbalize them as over-mind and super-mind if you will. As they are ignored by the already organized seniors, they will be what they will be, and I must warm you, that they also rejected this person who as a senior in age. But this person respects youth and respects these predictions common to Bulwer Lytton, H.G. Wells, even Jules Verne, various Huxleys, and others. He believes intelligence is Universal, by which he means openly and consciously.
(I consider my greatest merit the fact that my paper on Vietnamese Buddhism was universally rejected by all and sundries, excepting the Vietnamese themselves, until same professors at the University of California accepted it, followed by a financial contribution from this person. One of the factors toward this acceptance was their presence at the meeting between the writer and Swami Ranganathananda Maharaj.
Along the same lines was the growing feeling among several in the classroom that the greatest man of the age has been Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna was not on the program either, but the imports of all the now and old movements, was toward the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Gita. As the young students delved into these books, they became curious concerning and then enamored by the late Sri Ramakrishna.
There is a teaching to be found in the actual Vedas, Upanishads, and Gita, concerning various high and higher states of consciousness, which have been experienced by man of the past. We accept that and them, but I profoundly differ and chose to differ, that God belonged to any time in history whatsoever, and that any time was necessarily the age of sages and illuminated. I have found in this life a very large number of persons, whom I can name, who have the Universal consciousness. I have not found a single organization which is curious on this subject, although the unorganized Dr. Oliver Raiser of Pittsburgh is. However, I find more and more young people and more and more universities and professors therein who have doffed their “humility” for curiosity, and are willing to listen and learn.
It has been notable during the same period that a large number of my own students, without any impetus from me, have also become intensely enamored of Sri Ramakrishna, his universal recognition of the universal God, his deep respect for the Atman in all its manifestations, his profound living love, and his ability to transmit his wisdom his luminosity and his teachings to others on and on to this day.
I have no intention to try to compel Spectrum or even to appeal to it, to accept the illumination of other persons. I believe there are many ways to perfection, but I am not caught in any verbal trap, and I believe the same phrase can become the utterance of a devil, until it is corroborated by living experiences. At least I have met saints of Christianity, saints of Judaism, saints of Islam, saints of several branches of Buddhism, and all kinds of Indian saints whom I can name, place and support with stories either from my own life or from the lives of my immediate teachers of this century. The awakened people have their own sign, their own ways of communication, their methods of inspiring and awakening others. But they cannot be confined to limited organizations.
I am positive that the young, who actually represent the race or races predicted by Sri Aurobindo by Bulwer Lytton and others, will go ahead and ignore all these efforts by those who have not experienced Samadhi or awakening, to organize and control the future. I have watched group after group, including the recent efforts of Dr. Zitko in Arizona to start their own private “new ages.” It is not that at all.
My own God-inspired, and I mean God-inspired work in the dance, is going ahead rapidly. The theme “Joy without Drugs” is reaching the young. And we are going to see an age when not only the lamb and the lion may lie down together, but the little children will actually lead them without any impetus from older persons. In the Logia, Jesus Christ has said, “I am in little children unto the age of seven.” I am inclined to reject all new movements and old ones which reject the sayings of Jesus and Mohammed, when these sayings interfere with their “leadership.” “Every valley shall be exalted and every hill laid low.”
Love and prayers and blessing,
Samuel L. Lewis
October 21, 1969
Mr. John Stockwell
Bay Area World Union Center
2901 Webster St.
San Francisco 94123
Dear Ram;
It is possible that my very gruff tone today may seem out of line with a philosophy of love or with interest in say world union, however that phrase be used or misused. I am a veteran of world parliament flops, quite a few of them extending over a long period. I am not anxious to be connected with any further flops; besides I do not accept the rejection of spiritual teachings by so many organizations and personalities essaying leadership.
From an ego point of new, and I mean ego-point of view, I have decided absolutely and irretrievably not to defy scriptures any more. All the world conferences I know of failed because the leaders defy scriptures; even in the name of scriptures do they defy scriptures. I have in mind mostly the Biblical utterance, “The lamb and the lion shall lie down together, and a little child shall lead them.” I am very pessimistic that older people will accept this any more today than in previous years. But the time is come when those little children, so to speak, are going to lead and before God Almighty, nirguna Brahm and saguna Brahm, this is happening today. It is happening in the peace movements and it is going to happen in other movements.
I believe The World Union will succeed accordingly save permit the little children to lead, and not accordingly as we permit the seniors to continue to mislead and flop and flop and flop. Therefore I am sending a copy of this to The Family Dog on The Great Highway at Ocean Beach just below the cliff house. This, and not any church edifice, is becoming the super-temple of world brotherhood and love. As you are a stranger to this city, I think you should investigate. I think the time has come that a few of us should be willing to accept the scriptural teachings and the words of Jesus Christ concerning God manifesting in and through the young. Of course I don’t expect to succeed immediately.
I utterly reject the rejections by Hindus of their own teachings when they refuse to see Brahm in mature souls in juvenile bodies. I think here I am giving you advice, perhaps sage advice. This is a New Age, a positive age, a wonderful age, and an age remarkably devoid of hypocrisy.
I am for any world union that is a world union and not selective groups misusing phrases.
I enclose a copy of “The Rejected Avatar.” I have written similar poems, even greater ones, based on cosmic experience. While mature people reject this stuff, the young with open hearts and open mounds, think differently. As I have already told them, “Youth of the world unite, you have nothing to lose.”
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
October 24, 1969
Mr. John Stockwell
Bay Area World Union Center
2901 Webster St.
San Francisco 94123
Dear Ram:
World Union, real or fictitious.
Any group can establish an organization and call itself world this or world that. In this city we have several world messiahs. And this afternoon I may be permitted to comment on the lecture by a devotee of the late Meher Baba who claimed that he was Avatar, or God incarnate. I do not see how it is possible to have any world union which excludes those persona, real or fanciful, who may represent the incarnations of the highest grade of evolution, human, or divine. The Greeks had a saying, “When the Gods arrive the half-gods go.”
Apparently those persons who have occupied the top positions of a putative world union are devotees of the late Sri Aurobindo. He does not seem to have made any claim to the highest development. He did predict. He did predict, which is another thing, that there would be manifestation of personalities which he named “Over-mind” and “super-mind.” In doing this he seems to have replaced the Sanskrit terms which I have found more valid and semantic. The fact that I have found this to be so is of course not important in a world movement. But the hard and simple fact is that other individuals who often make no claim to the highest form of spiritual development are willing to place themselves in a driver’s seat.
I cannot convince you, and I shall make no attempt, that there is one over-mind and one over-world, because this would be my personal undertaking and “I,” whosoever I am, is not the Master of the universe. When I wrote to Mrs. Dickerman Hollister, copy enclosed, I had no idea that her office was writing to me at the same time. On opening their brochure the first thing I found was a picture with Swami Ranganathananda Maharaj.
A few years ago Swamiji called for a world conference of religions. He meant a world conference of religions. Each faith selected its own representative. Each faith was given time to present its views. In fact the conference did not terminate until all the real religions of the real world were given fall opportunity. This shows the living faith in the universal God. No doubt I am enamored, personally and impersonally, to Swamiji, and may be expecting too much from others. But Swamiji never asked me or others for money to support this or other real cosmic endeavors.
I write this to you because you are on the same street, on the same side of the same black with the disciples and representatives of Swami Ranganathananda, and I am wondering right away whether this new attempt to have a World Union, real or fictitious, would accept either the person or the method which he has put into practice.
In my as yet relatively small undertakings we have had representatives of every religion (except the Zoroastrian which is small) and every race, participate. In my file, ready to be answered. I have letters from both my closest Korean Buddhist and Vietnamese Buddhist friends. I am not appalled at the refusal of institutions in this country to let me speak on either Vietnamese Buddhism or Korean Buddhism, although in each case I have passed examinations, verbal and non-verbal. I have passed those examinations because in the ultimate there is one world and one mind. I cannot demand that any organization calling itself “universal” accept my accomplishments, intellectual, historical or personal, but I refuse any more to give way to those who have shown no such prowess. Brotherhood of man means just that; and fatherhood of God means just that.
I am totally delighted with what is being done in and for The Temple of Understanding. I have a picture that they have sent me with many of the leading devotees of the real world coming together in love, harmony, and fraternity. I should think that others would occasionally recognize facts, hard facts.
Of course I want world union. My whole life has been dedicated to it. I am speaking at one of the universities this afternoon. My process among the young people and the larger educational institution has gone up. But the day is past when people of lesser spiritual development are going to be permitted to dominate over those who have had the grand Awakening in some form or other. The youth of the world are uniting; the holy men of the world are uniting. And it is for those who essay to positions of leadership to recognize this.
I am still open to willingness to collaborate on a grand undertaking, but with the cooperation of the highest spiritual and ecclesiastical authorities on this earth, I can no longer give way to personalities of lesser spiritual accomplishment. If you or they wish to greet me and meet me on a level of mutual understanding, fine. But I believe with Jesus Christ, “For every idle word you shall suffer on the day of judgment,” and it is time when would-be leaders accept this teaching and others of the same caliber.
Most faithfully
Samuel L. Lewis
cc-Vedanta Temple
cc-others
March 24, 1970
Mr. John Stockwell
Bay Area World Union Center
2901 Webster St.
San Francisco, Ca. 94123
Dear Ram;
Thank you for your notice of office hours.
I have always been interested in a world union, but I feel my world union is somewhat more comprehensive, including as it does, the actual histories and actual humanity that populate the whole earth, and not just selected portions of it.
I am about ready to leave for Geneva where I shall be permitted to speak before am assembled audience of many of the world’s actual ecclesiastical and spiritual leaders—all races all religions, all points of view. I do not know what will come therein but unlike the leaders of the many now extent “world” movements, I am leaving the fruits of action to Allah or Sri Krishna whichever you wish.
The first efforts to exhibit “Dances of Universal Peace” received an astounding reaction from a large number of young people who attended and generally participated. Not only that, the affair has been recorded on both tapes and television equipment. I have every reason to believe the many more evolved young people are going to bring about better understanding, than all the various organizers and leaders who do not recognize the existence of each other or of any point of view not strictly in accord with their outlooks.
My program, if you want to call it that, will be based on a synthesis of the work, ideals and philosophies of Emperor Akbar, Prince Dara Shikoh, and Presidents Radhakrishnan and Giri of India. When World Union is willing to accept that these individuals lived and contributed something to human understanding, cooperation may be possible.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Ave.
April 26, 1970
Mr. John Stockwell
Bay Area World Union Center
2901 Webster St.
San Francisco, Ca. 94123
Dear Ram:
Yesterday my secretary and I returned from our trip abroad. There we have met Orientals and orientalists and fared somewhat differently from the treatments, if you want to call them that, from presumable “experts” in oriental philosophies. When it was necessary to place cards on the table so to speak, to have knowledge and information, spiritual and intellectual, we were accepted everywhere. We were accepted by the actual leaders, spiritual, ecclesiastical and intellectual, of the objective world. And you will find a carbon of a letter just written in support thereof of the hard facts of realities which so many ignore when they embark on crusades.
The Temple of Understanding is interested in groups with similar or parallel purposes. The question is not concerning the worthiness or unworthiness of each groups, but their multiplicity and even rivalries. Thus we came upon two more groups of which we had not heard, claiming to present or represent world outlooks, in addition to the already known Christopher Hill’s. How the world can operate with so many different real or purported universal movements, one does not know. Indeed the matter is hardly in our hands. But we do feel that without the spirit of devotion, without some love and veneration for the living God, Who may be father of us all, that there remains unanswered questions, and we are wondering what is going to be done about them.
I do not know how much you consider the moral law. For example there is a group here in San Francisco called “Sufism Re-oriented.” They are supposed to be followers of the late Meher Baba. Meher Baba seems to have gone on record in favor of The Temple of Understanding. But there happens to be a leading Sufi on the board of directors of this endeavor and he vetoed the appearance of any such delegation, whether he should or not is beside the point. He did.
In fact the Mayor of Geneva welcomed the convocation as a tribute to the great Sufi Emperor of India, Akbar. So far as we know, the whole history of this remarkable man has been ignored by some of the rather enthusiastic recent world movements who thereupon express either their ignorance of history or an effort to abolish it. It is very difficult to have partial love and understanding. Perhaps you know better than we do how to accomplish this. As you can see from the letter to Mrs. Hollister, one is now in the odd position of having funds to support world movements on the simple, honest, moral condition that if they accept money from him they should, no they must but they should also be willing to accept intellectual and spiritual contributions.
In the meanwhile we are going on unabated with our dances of universal peace so appreciated by Sri Surendra Mohan Ghose, but not yet accepted by your colleagues. We do not know what to do about this because it is not our move. We believe strongly in the living God, in Whom we have our being. We believe strongly in that Yoga which means union with God. We believe strongly that God created all of mankind in His image and not just a carefully selected group of personalities who in their turn proclaim other carefully selected personalities, regardless of any living God or spiritual teachings.
Naturally we intend to cooperate fully and unequivocally with all those who are really working toward the same goals.
On Friday night May 8 at 7:30 a talk will be given at the Metaphysical Library on 420 Sutter Street where a full report will be given on what happened at Geneva. With some additions on the immediate aftermath, and also on the welcomes we received from the young whom we visited after the close of the convention.
Of course our prayers are for a world union, but by this we mean world union.
Love and blessings,
Samuel L. Lewis
May 28, 1970
410 Precita Ave.,
San Francisco, Calif. 94110
Dear Ram:
Once when the writer was in the Himalayas he met a holy man who proclaimed his greatness and superiority. He said, “Yes you are greater than I am excepting in one thing.” The holy mean repeated, so did the writer. Then the presumable sage said, “What is that in which you are greater than I am?” I said: “I am a greater pupil, I know how to listen better than you do.”
Maybe it was a holy man after all. He did something none of our modern dignitaries (especially those who claim “humility”) would do. He apologized. We became friends. Which did not deter me from listening to him (nor he to me).
Well, at Geneva most of us listened to most of the rest of us. And now there will be another “Holy Men’ s Jamboree” here or in the vicinity in the near future. It is impossible, of course. It is impossible because it is being arranged by a disciple in Sufism. “We,” the harbingers of the New Age, do not admit the existence of such people. It was Akbar who called the first holy man’s jamboree in India and the Mayor of Geneva (who has no “humility”) commemorated him. And also Dr. Radhakrishnan, retired President of India and instructor of one of your colleagues, has been to several top gatherings of Sufi dignitaries, which your learned colleague would not even accept as contemporary human beings.
So one of them is arranging such a gathering and not proclaiming “world union”—and excluding, he is merely calling for the Holy Men and excluding none of them. Thus youth will have the opportunity in a different direction of listening to many and perhaps not a few out of those many may bring some great spiritual teaching. For the Sufis, certainly, have never proclaimed any monopoly over truth and if you would read the works of the contemporary D. Seyyed Hossein Nasr—well one does not ask “leaders” to read anything, so please excuse.
Anyhow you will not be barred from the Holy Men’s Jamboree like your colleagues bar, and no nonsense.
One is going to New Mexico, There there are many new organizations of Now Age people. Some are under the influence of the late Meher Baba; some are under the influence of the American Baba Ram Dass (who may be off to India again). They are spiritual seekers and they don’t lecture an “Karma Yoga,” they work—with their hands, also. And there are more and more young tending in such directions. And they belong to God’s “World Union” which is there, without specific leadership of self-selected personalities.
It is too bad that the splendid teachings of the Upanishads have been brushed aside. Instead of measuring by Ananda or Hierarchy, it is self-selection. But the young are producing the “New Age” and we older people have no choice but to follow them, or else. Most of us will choose “or else,” especially those who wish to be leaders. Where is God? Allah? Brahm? I still hold-that atman is Brahman, for all of us.
Love and blessings,
Samuel L. Lewis
July 13, 1970
Mr. John Stockwell
Bay Area World Union Center
2901 Webster St.
San Francisco, Calif. 94123
Dear Ram:
You will find enclosed copy of a letter to The American Academy 0f Asian Studies. At the present time I believe this institution is in competition with your colleague. From my point of view neither of them represents a non-dualistic point of view, because each fails to see Ram in others; both fail to see Ram in the general public. This will not prevent us from co-operating fully with any group, including the rival academies, which puts into practice actual moral and spiritual teachings on any basis whatever.
We were not surprised to received in the day’s mail a reply from Pondicherry and an announcement of still another “world conference,” adding to the list of “world conferences,” each ignoring the others, making all such efforts matters of ridicule.
As the American young people are looking and seeking and increasing in numbers, and in sincerity, and even in wealth, I know the time is coming, and it may come soon, when we shall have academies and public forums to acquaint the American people with the real teachings of Asia, both at common and uncommon levels.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
P.S. After writing this we received a letter from Sri Surendra Mohan Ghose of Pondicherry. Apparently he does not agree with the leaders of the Sri Aurobindo Movement in this land; he believes in the whole of humanity.
410 Precita Avenue
Aug. 10, 1970
Mr. John Stockwell
Bay Area World Union Center
79 Casa Way,
San Francisco, Ca.
Dear Ram:
This acknowledges your notice of new address.
We are all for world union. We don’t understand your World Union at all. We do not understand the exclusion of races, religions, and persons from world organizations which are quite willing to accept funds from them but ignore other aspects of their existence.
We have been very successful in our initial endeavors to bring peace in the Near East through human beings. We have been more than successful in the promotion of our “Dances of Universal Peace” which are spreading rapidly. We have been receiving many invitations to join conversations of holy man who have not been recognized by World Union and who as do not recognize it.
Our next undertaking is to fulfill the invitations of many of our large universities who would welcome a world union do not seem to have a favorable reaction to an organization calling itself World Union which is so exclusive. Nor have we and many others been successful in efforts to point this cut.
In fact we have now been compelled to incorporate legally because we have been excluded by so many “world,” “universal,” “humanitarian,” etc., groups. Our legal organization will be open to all, and we mean all, races, religions, and human beings, and is not asking any of them to accept “us” as corporate officers to whom they must look for guidance.
Yoga without God, Yoga without spirituality, Yoga without conscious awakening into higher states of being has no meaning to us. We have been recognized and we recognize the actual spiritual leaders of all faiths and all peoples. We only hope and pray you might do something of this kind. The United Nations is not God and we find no phrases in any Scripture that God only manifests in and through certain self-selected personalities.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis