Article: Dianetics, Scientology & Beyond
Author: Church of Scientology International
Document date: n.d.
Document title: Dianetics, Scientology & Beyond
Document type: web page
Retrieved on: 25 February 2010
Retrieved from: http://www.whatisscientology.org/html/Part03/Chp15/pg0274.html
Description: Hubbard and Scientology compare Bodhi with their claimed states of Clear and OT.
For thousands of years men have sought the state of complete spiritual freedom from the endless cycle of birth and death and have sought personal immortality containing full awareness, memory and ability as a spirit independent of the flesh.
The dream of this in Buddha’s time was called “Bodhi,” being the name of the tree under which he attained such a state.
But due to the unknown presence of the reactive mind and its effect upon the spirit as well as the body, such periods of freedom were difficult to attain and were, as we have found, temporary.
Further, few could attain even this temporary state and those who did acquired it at the cost of decades of self-denial and personal discipline.
In Scientology this state has been attained. It has been achieved not on a temporary basis, subject to relapse, but on a stable plane of full awareness and ability, unqualified by accident or deterioration. And not limited to a few.
By eradicating the reactive mind we not only achieve in the state of Clear an erasure of the seeming evil in man, who is basically good, we have overcome the barriers which made it so difficult to attain total spiritual independence and serenity.
We call this state “Operating Thetan.” To operate something is to be able to handle it. Thetan is from the Greek letter “theta” the traditional philosopher’s symbol (from the letter in the Greek alphabet “theta” ) of thought, spirit or life. Thus it means a being who as a spirit alone can handle things.
The definition of the state of Operating Thetan is “Knowing and willing cause over Life, Thought, Matter, Energy, Space and Time.”
Dianetics, Scientology & Beyond. (n.d.). whatisscientology.org. Retrieved 25 February, 2010, from http://www.whatisscientology.org/html/Part03/Chp15/pg0274.html