The Influences of Eastern Philosophies in Aldous Huxley's Island

Island
(1962)
by
Aldous Huxley

The Influences of Eastern Philosophies
in Aldous Huxley's Island

 

by Velma Lush

 

In his last major work, the Island, the evils that Aldous Huxley has been warning us     about in his earlier works - over-population, coercive politics, militarism,     mechanization, the destruction of the environment and the worship of science will find     their opposites in the gentle and doomed Utopia of Pala. (Woodcock,18) Aldous Huxley used     his books to explore his struggles against personal tragedy and to search for the meaning     of human existence. His interest in eastern philosophies and mysticism began in the early     twenties with the study of Blake and Bohme. His fascination with eastern religion was one     of the reasons he departed on a world tour in 1925. The island of Pala is probably one of     the islands of the Indonesian Archipelago. In Island, Huxley's portrayal of the Palanese     beliefs demonstrate principles of Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism and Confucianism. The     beliefs, values and struggles of a lifetime are combined to form this culmination of his     life's work.

 

The Palanese culture, as described in the book, started with the mingling of western     science and oriental philosophy, in the characters of Raja of the Reform and the Scottish     physician, Dr. Andrew MacPhail. The Raja had hired Dr. MacPhail to remove a tumour from     his face during the early nineteenth century. The Raja and Dr. MacPhail and their     descendants worked together "to make the best of all the worlds-the worlds already     realized within the various cultures, and beyond them, and the worlds of still unrealized     potentialities." (130) Will Farnaby, a journalist whose boss also owns Southeast Asia     Petroleum, finds himself shipwrecked on this island. Under two motivations, Farnaby asks     and is given permission to stay for a month. Farnaby, or Huxley, is genuinely interested     in learning the culture, not only for literary reasons, but to find out more about     himself. His second motive is to negotiate a lease between Southeast Asia Petroleum and     the Palanese government, for which he will earn a large sum of money. At several points     throughout the novel Farnaby feels guilty about betraying his guests. Farnaby comforts     himself with the thought that if he didn't do it, somebody else would. The forces of     history are working. (84) As in the Hindu philosophy outlined in the Bhagavad Gita when     Krishna explains to Arjuna that he is an instrument of the action, it is his fate or     destiny to fight; the same holds true for Farnaby, his destiny has brought him to Pala for     a reason.

 

Dr. Robert MacPhail, the grandson of the Dr. Andrew, suggests "to have a better     understanding of what was actually done to develop the Palanese culture, you start by     knowing what had to be done, what always and everywhere has to be done by anyone who has a     clear idea of what's what." (34) And so Farnaby begins his learning about Pala by     reading the underlying principles of its existence, the Notes on What's What. The Palanese     are described as Mahayanists Buddhists "shot through and through with Tantra."     (74) The first principle "Nobody needs to go anywhere else. We are all, if we only     knew it, already there" (35) shows an element of Taoist philosophy. The fictional     version of Tantra can be interpreted as Taoism; since being a Tantrik means you don't     denounce the world and try to escape into Nirvana - you accept the world and everything     about it. The Mahayanists Buddha philosophy of the Palanese aims at the passage beyond     suffering into the Clear Light of the Void of all living beings (Nirvana); while living     according to the Tao, appreciating and working with whatever happens during a person's     life on earth.

 

Nirvana is a blissful state or freeness of mind. You can see the true essence of     things; you can see their Reality. The Palanese are taught to understand and appreciate     life by being constantly aware of who you are in relation to all experiences. Over a     thousand birds inhabit the island mimicking the word,"Attention", reminding     people to pay attention to everything they do. From the beginning, children are taught to     do things with "the minimum of strain and maximum of awareness". (145) By the     time children are fourteen they've learned to get the best objectively and subjectively     out of any activity. (146) The Palanese make use of everything they do, everything that     happens to them, all the things they see and hear and taste and touch, as a means of     liberation. (74) By being fully aware of what you're doing, work becomes the yoga of work,     play becomes the yoga of play, everyday living becomes the yoga of everyday living. (152)     One of the means of becoming aware of yourself in relation to the universe (being     enlightened) is through "meditation." Meditation is considered "Destiny     Control" since it opens your mind to an intuitive level to a greater understanding     and awareness. The Palanese believe the Buddhist philosophy that suffering is universal,     but one-third of it is sorrow inherent of the human condition and two-thirds is homemade     as far as the universe is concerned (85). Life is full of "changes and     chances...beauties and horrors and absurdities" (26). Destiny Control cannot take     away all the pain of suffering in bereavement, for that would make a person less than     human (98). With meditation your mind can be "blue, unpossessed and open", (86)     understanding that "man is infinite as the Void." (185) The body is merely a     covering, the Hindu and Buddhist) karma, and (Taoist) mind of your loved one lives on.

 

In their initiation into adolescents, Palanese youth climb a dangerous rock precipice     to remind them of the presence of death and the essential precariousness of all existence.     At the end of the climb, the children are introduced to the moksha medicine or     revelation of life. As outlined in the Wisdom of China and India, Enlightenment or     Nirvana, is divesting oneself of the illusions of the sensory world and constantly rising     to a higher conception of an ideal world. (Yutang 550) The moksha medicine is     described as the banquet of enlightenment, while meditation is considered dinner. During     the moksha ceremony, the Lord of the Dance, Shiva-Nataraja, dances in all worlds,     the world of the senses, the world of matter, the world of endless coming and passing     away, and the world of Clear Light. (170) The flame can be considered representative of     the "Tao" or thread that holds all the universe together. With the ceremony, the     people understand the nature of their existence, the "One in plurality, the Emptiness     that is all, the Suchness totally present in every appearance."(170)

 

Nevertheless, the Lord Shiva is described as a man-made image. Everyone is taught that     worshipping symbols will not get prayers answered. (183) The Old Raja wanted children to     understand that Gods are all homemade, and that it's people who pull their strings and     thus give them the power to pull ours. To demonstrate this idea, the scarecrows in the     fields are images of Buddha and the Christian God the Father. If prayers are answered, it     is because in this "odd and psychological world, ideas have a tendency if you     concentrate your mind on them to get realized." (184) The Palanese, like the     Confucian, believe the standard of goodness is not to be sought in heaven, but in one's     fellowman. Palanese culture is "to be judged by what all the members of the     community, the ordinary as well as the extraordinary." (177) Knowledge of the past     and what works is incorporated to make a better society. The Confucian ideal based on     ethics and man's function in this world to serve society has created Pala, "a     federation of self-governing units, geographical units, professional units, economic     units" with room for initiative and democracy but no place for a dictatorship."     (149) The Palanese believe that balance, (known as the "middle way" in Buddhism)     with no excesses is the rule in nature and ought to be rule among people. They only     manufacture enough products to maintain their community with just enough exports to get     what they need from the outside world. All industries work on a part time system so that     people can change jobs. All aspects of the society is based on human satisfactions first.

 

As in Hinduism and Buddhism, people on Pala have no right to destroy or hurt any other     living being. Babies are stroked while they are being fed and while being stroked, they     are introduced to animals they want the child to love. As the King of Snakes wrapped     himself around the Buddha to protect him from the wind and the rain, so babies are nursed     by their mothers wrapped in the coils of a cobra snake. "Good Being" results in     "Good Doing", the right thoughts and actions towards all is part of the Buddhist     philosophy in the Palanese culture. The Palanese believe by acting in a compassionate     manner to other living beings will result in them acting compassionately towards you. Dr.     Andrew MacPhail admits there has never been such an ideal society, but it also does not     mean that the people of Pala are fools for trying. (35)

 

As with the Tathagatas in the Buddhist philosophy, the older people can provide the     children with the techniques and opportunities of this life on Pala, it remains with them     to decide whether they will co-operate. (173) The last Raja had married a princess of     Rendang. Rani detests the life on Pala and influences her son, Murugan, so that when he     comes of age he takes on the militaristic philosophy of the neighbouring Rendang. By     making every man, woman and child as perfectly free and happy is a false happiness, an     indulgence of the Lower Self, the Rani, told Farnaby.(55) In the Hindu and Buddhist     philosophy, once a person realizes he is a part of the omnipresent Self, he takes an     humble view of his individual or "lower self" and ceases to quest for things in     this world. Desires, such as sexual lust, is considered immoral in the Buddhist and Hindu     philosophy. In the Palanese culture, the interpretation of love and compassion for all is     achieved through "maithuana", the art of love making. Adolescents are taught the     yoga of love as an attempt to regain paradise by awareness of your self and not-self.     According to the Palanese culture, there is no such thing as sacred love or profane love,     Buddaness or enlightment is in "love." (74) This may be combination of the     Taoist philosophy that we learn to appreciate life on earth and the modern day influences     of having sex.

 

The Palanese believe in making the best of all worlds.As well as understanding that     people are a part of the universe, they are also taught to understand themselves     individually. As in the Hindu Panchantra, children explore themselves through     animal fables. Taoists believe that in every man, there is a clever person, a know-it-all,     but each person must reach beyond these parts of his personality to the basically good     "inner nature". In the Palanese society, science and religion are combined to     reach this inner self. For example, the Palanese found there were two types of children     who would become dominant adults. Pills are used to control the personality of one type     and the other is taught to engage in tasks that enable him to work off his aggressions.     The Taoist appreciates the value of scientific knowledge about the universe and believes     it increases his understanding of the "Tao." However, the "Taoist"     would not use science to change a person, nor as a means to change the intelligence of     society, as the Palanese did - that would be interfering with the laws of nature.

 

In the end, the Taoist "non-interference" philosophy is one of the reasons     for the doom of their society. The Palanese are pacifists with no army and so give up     their island to the neighbouring Rendang without a struggle. Will Farnaby betrays the     Palanese by arranging a oil deal, thus prompting the young Raja Murugan to arrange the     coup with Colonel Dippa of Rendang. Ironically, this happens at the same time that Will,     through his experiences with these beautiful people, has become convinced that Pala is the     ideal society.

 

Island is a book filled with reflections and thoughts of Huxley's lifetime.     Huxley's experimenting with drugs, especially mescalin, had convinced him of the     transcendent meaning of the universe. Death and suffering, he had seen during his     lifetime, loses their sting in Island "by believing that life is to be lived out in     awareness of itself and of the light beyond it." (Woodcock 282) The Palanese had     built a society on humanism and rationality. Population is under control, overconsumption     and mass production is not the key of industry; science is used to better mankind rather     than destroy it. Nobody is richer than anyone else. The people are compassionate concerned     for the betterment of mankind; however it is the evilness of militarism and capitalism     that wins out. The young Raja has been tempted by the world of technology and progress.     "The serpent tempted me and I did eat" (134) is just one of the cynical     analogies, Huxley has made to Christianity. The portrayal of Huxley's character, developed     throughout the book to appreciate the society, comes too late; greed had prompted him to     betray the Palanese. Huxley's pessimism and cynical attitude towards mankind wins out.     "The work of a hundred years are destroyed in one single night." (294)