Beyond the buddhic plane are the next three higher planes called the atmic, anupadic and the adi. Adi plane which is the highest means, the first plane; the individual Lord. It is from this plane that forming of other realms and further creative activity takes place. From here originate the Monads or units of consciousness, for whose evolution in matter, the field of a universe is prepared. The Monads reside on the anupadic plane. The term anupadic means without any vesture or without any veil i.e., the Monads are in tune with and respond to the divine vibrations of the adi plane, but do not respond to the vibrations of the lower planes. Hence each of the Monads has to go into the lower planes, so that they may respond to the vibrations of the lower planes. The fragment of Divine life known as the Monad manifests itself upon the plane of atma as the triple spirit. The spirit itself, remains upon its own plane, that of atma. The second that of intuition, or pure reason, as it is sometimes called puts itself down one stage and expresses itself through the matter of the plane of buddhi. The third aspect that of intelligence, resides two planes lower and expresses itself through the matter of the causal plane.
Turning first to the nature of the Monad itself, one is confronted with the difficulty that the anupadaka plane is at present beyond the reach of clairvoyant investigators. The highest which these investigators can actually know from direct observation is the manifestation of the Monad as the Triple Spirit on the Atmic plane. The best way in which one can imagine the true nature of the Monad is to think of it as a part of God which cannot really be separated. One can never be apart from God, for the very matter in which it veils itself is also a manifestation of the Divine. To take an analogy from the physical plane, it is recognised that electricity is one all over the world though it may be active in one machine and not another but the owner of no machine can claim it as distinctively one’s own electricity. So also is the Monad one everywhere, though manifesting through apparently separate and different human beings.
The article is taken from the book Life Beyond Death by Anil Sharma