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The Third Lesson: The Sankhya System.1167
nature and original conditions, and also the true nature and meaning of the
enfolding Prakriti.
Akin to the teachings of the Buddhists is that of the Sankhyas—both
hold that Material Existence is foreign to the Spirit, and consequently the
latter is never permanently satisfied or happy in material life, but, instead, is
always wanting something other than that which it possesses, and is always
seeking to be at some other place than its place of abode at that moment.
It is always crying “More, more—change, more change—something else—
somewhere else—someone else,” And the more it gains the more it wants—
possession destroys the desire, and gives birth to desire for other things. He
who seeks happiness in material things pursues the will-o’-the-wisp, which
he never overtakes. The only true happiness comes from renunciation of
material things, and the resolute setting of the face toward the Far-off Land
of the Soul’s Desire—the Land of the Lost Home of the Spirit. Such is the
teaching of Kapila, the great Sankhya. The fly is told to disentangle itself
from the honey which entangles its feet and holds it a prisoner—the poppyhoney
which seems sweet, but yet which holds the tang of bitterness and
intoxication.
The Sankhya System is far more of the nature of a scientific-philosophy,
however, rather a religious-philosophy. It concerns itself principally with an
analysis and explanation of the process whereby Prakriti, played upon by
Purusha, evolves itself into the phenomenal or material universe, including
the manifestation of life. Kapila recognized the existence of material atoms
as postulated by Canada in his Vaisheshika System (see subsequent lesson),
but he opposed the latter’s theory that these material atoms are “things-inthemselves”
or eternal, indivisible, and indestructible, and he taught, instead,
that the atoms are simply centres of force in the great principle of Prakriti,
the centres being established by the presence of the Purushas. Kapila’s
teaching regarding the combinations of the atom closely resembled the
teachings of modern Western Science, with its theories of Ions, Corpuscles,
or Electrons, which combining into atoms form certain material elements,