"Interesting, Penloe," said Stella. "Why, I have had a very rich treat in the perusal of them. I felt as if I could not put them down till I had finished them, for they contain just the light I have been seeking, and now they have become a part of my own mentality. But I wish you would explain the meaning of the expression, 'Sex is an illusion.'"
"Why, certainly, Stella, I will be glad to do so, for if there is anything that appears real it is what is known as sex, the qualities of male and female, we see in all nature. It is said to exist in some precious stones, and we know it exists in the vegetable world, and in all animal life. And if there is anything that is real to a boy or girl, it is that he or she is a boy or girl, and if there is anything that is real to a man or a woman, it is that he or she is a man or woman. So strongly has this thought become the life thought of the human race, that the members of each sex look upon themselves as being just what their material forms stand for. That is, a woman believes that she will be a purified woman through all eternity, that the woman is permanent, real, immortal, and that she will continue on, as a woman, with her womanly traits of character greatly expanded. While man thinks that as a man he is real, permanent, and immortal; that he will continue his existence as a man through all eternity, and that he will always be known as a man, and always look upon woman as woman. Any thought contrary to the reality of sex, the masses in the Western world will not accept, for they live in a sex world, and at present do not wish to rise above it, for they are in bondage to the reality of sex. In the prehistoric period of humanity there lived a race of gods, that is, a race whose members were intellectual and spiritual giants, many of them spending their whole life in thought, living on a very meagre diet, needing very little in the way of clothing and shelter, having no material desires or ambitions to gratify. They, therefore, had an abundance of time for searching for and investigating spiritual truths. They were fitted by nature and by their environments for that life, and they were gifted with revelations of the unseen.
"They were called seers or sages, because they could see spiritual truths which others could not, and it was at this period and through one of these seers that a voice spoke, 'That which exists is one, men call it by various names.' That was the conclusion that many other eminent seers and sages had come to. For they saw that there was one great Infinite Life Force manifesting itself in all and through all. That there is a correlation of spiritual forces, and that all the various phenomena are the one manifestation of this Infinite Life, which is called by some God, by others Lord, by others Brahma, by others Jehovah, by others Allah, the meaning of them all being exactly the same as that expressed in the Bible by the name of God, in whom we live, move, and breathe and have our being; that we are the manifestation of Him. In short, our real entity, our real life, our real self (the Atman), our soul (the Purusa) is Spirit eternal and immortal. Now the life of the Spirit has no sex in it, but the spirit manifests itself in these various forms of male and female. The sexual form is only the instrument, not the Being. For the Being is not sex, and, therefore, there is nothing connected with sex, that is spiritual and eternal. It belongs to the external world and the material plane, and is, therefore, a temporary manifestation suitable to the earth plane. It becomes necessary, in order to get a true conception of what we really are (that we are spiritual beings, being neither male nor female) that we get away from the illusion of sex, and not be in bondage to it. But the man must look upon the woman as a spiritual being and not think of her only for what her material form stands for. If he does he is under an illusion, being in bondage to her body, which becomes a barrier to realizing the Divine within, and if the woman looks upon the material form of the man as being the man and that for which he stands, then she is under an illusion and is in bondage to his material form, looking upon his male body as the all of man. And such a thought becomes a hindrance to her realizing her Divine nature.
"Remember, Stella, that sex is only apparent, not real. It belongs to the phenomenal world."
Stella said: "To accept the idea you have just advanced I shall have to begin and lay a new foundation to build upon, for you have swept away many things I considered truths."
Penloe said: "Stella, you are merely casting off old garments that you have outgrown, and you are now ready for a new robe that fits you. But remember never to quarrel with the old clothes you once wore. They have served their purpose and should always be respected."
Stella said: "Penloe, the truth you have advanced regarding sex will take me some time to fully digest."
"Certainly," said Penloe, "but it will not be long before you will comprehend it fully in all its relativity and make it a part of your own mentality."
Stella said: "Have you any reading matter to lend me which touches on this subject, Penloe?"
"Yes," said Penloe, "here are some lectures by the Swami Vivekanada