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Theosophy House
The Friendly Philosopher
By
Robert Crosbie
(1849—1919)
Letters and Talks on Theosophy and the
Theosophical Life
The Secret Doctrine by H P Blavatsky
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CONTENTS
TO ALL OPENED MINDED THEOSOPHISTS
THE UNITED LODGE OF THEOSOPHISTS
DECLARATION
PREFACE
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
TALKS ON THE ETERNAL VERITIES
Renunciation of Action The Recognition of Law The Occult Side of
Nature True Clairvoyance Our God and Other Gods The Language of the
Soul
Culture of Concentration The Kingly MysteryThe Power of Suggestion
The Law of Correspondences The Foundation of Religion Theosophy in
Daily
Life Man, Visible and Invisible
The Origin of Evil The Storehouse
of Thought
The Creative Will What Reincarnates? Instinct and Intuition True
Morality Real
Memory New Year’s Resolutions Three Kinds of Faith The Cause of Sorrow
Sleep and Dreams Occult Knowledge
What Survives after Death?
A League of Humanity Mental
Healing and Hypnosis Can the Dead Communicate?
“A man is said to be confirmed
in spiritual knowledge when he forsaketh every desire which
entereth into his
heart, and of himself is happy and content in the Self through the
Self. His
mind is undisturbed in adversity; he is happy and contented in
prosperity, and
he is a stranger to anxiety, fear, and anger. Such a man is called
a Muni. When
in every condition he receives each event, whether favorable or
unfavorable,
with an equal mind which neither likes nor dislikes, his wisdom is
established,
and, having met good or evil, neither rejoiceth at the one nor is
cast down by
the other.”
PREFACE
ROBERT CROSBIE left no name to conjure with before the populace, but he lived a
life that all might emulate. He was one of the unknown soldiers in
the army of
those who live to benefit mankind, who strive for the redemption of
every
creature from the bonds of conditioned existence.
There are biographies and autobiographies without number, of men
and women whose
lives were spent in the pitiless glare of publicity, whether for
their own or
their party’s sake, or for the good of humanity—more often a
mixture of all
three. Rare indeed is there to be found, in history or in
tradition, similar
record of those whose works were done and whose lives were lived
without thought
of self. Every hall of learning overflows with all manner of detail
concerning
the world’s great men—rulers, statesmen, re formers, poets,
priests,
politicians, soldiers of fortune good or evil. But who knows aught
of the
personal life of Lao-tse, Buddha, Jesus, Pythagoras, Plato, or any
of the great
of Soul? If this be true of all the great Captains in the Army of
the Voice, how
slight the human trophies erected to commemorate the battles and
the victories
of the common soldier in the ranks? Yet without these soldiers, the
greatest
Captain would have spent his life in vain: a general in the field
is no army.
This book, then, is no biography or autobiography written and
uttered for the
greater glory of a mortal man, but rather is an introduction to the
only life
worth living, whether reflected in the small or in the great—the
life of the
Soul. Its speech is in the language of the Soul; its utterance is
that of the
Doctrine of the Heart; its purpose is the furtherance of that Cause
in which was
hid the mortal existence of Robert Crosbie no less than the earthly
careers of
those great Captains whom he revered and under whom he served: H.
P. Blavatsky
and Wm. Q. Judge.
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v
“That power which the Disciple shall covet is that which shall make
him appear
as nothing in the eyes of men.” This was the power which Robert
Crosbie gained,
this the power that enabled him to keep in touch with the great
Teachers after
They had cast off the mortal coil; that guided his steps in
following the Path
They showed, the MASTERS who are behind; that sustained him during
the long
years when all that could be done was “to work, watch—and wait,”
until the
propitious hour should come when, under Karma, recruits might be
gathered from
among the generation following the great
Teachers.
The world is at the bottom of a cycle, and evidently in a
transition state. The
old Order changeth and a new one is about to begin—nay, has already
begun. The
era of disenchantment is running its course; the materials for
rebuilding, a
foundation on which to rebuild the structure of a better and more
enduring
civilization—both these are being sought by many minds in many
lands. More and
more such minds must be influenced by the great ideas and ideals of
Theosophy as
it was originally recorded. More and more of such minds must be
drawn into the
active area of the pure theosophical life.
During the fifteen years since the death of Robert Crosbie, the
life lived, the
example set, the truths voiced by him have become the increasing
inspiration of
thousands who never knew him personally. The simple mind, the
hungry heart, will
find in this volume a Presence speaking to them in tones they will
recognize,
for it is in accord with their own aspirations; speaking to them in
words they
will understand, for it is the language of their own experience. It
is the voice
of a soldier fresh from the field of battle addressing those who
would enlist in
MASTERS’ cause—the service of mankind, Universal Brotherhood
without distinction
of race, creed, caste, color or condition.
The words used are common terms; the ideas conveyed are those of
the Eternal
Verities. There is here no display of learning, but light from the
lamp of
knowledge illumines every statement made. There is here no
intrusion of the
personal, but the all-inclu-
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vi
sive radiance of one who loved his fellow men: the Spirit in the
Body, the
friendly philosopher who speaks from Living the Life, those Homely
Hints which
turn the reader’s meditation inward as well as outward, to the
Eternal Verities,
so that the will of the indwelling Divine Ego may be done now on
earth, as it
was In the Beginning.
Robert Crosbie’s life was an embodiment of the gospel of Hope and
Responsibility
which is Theosophy, the Wisdom-Religion of all time. In this book
are some of
the seeds he sowed. May they find fertile soil in which to germinate
and grow
ever more abundantly.
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vii
“For Spirit, when invested with matter or prakriti, experienceth
the qualities
which proceed from prakriti; its connection with these qualities is
the cause of
its rebirth in good and evil wombs. The Spirit in the body is
called Maheswara,
the Great Lord, the spectator, the admonisher, the sustainer, the
enjoyer and
also the Paramatma, the highest soul.”
—Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter XIII.
“The senses, moving toward their appropriate objects, are producers
of heat and
cold, pleasure and pain, which come and go and are brief and change
able; these
do thou endure, 0 son of Bharata! For the wise man, whom these
disturb not and
to whom pain and pleasure are the same, is fitted for immortality.
There is no
existence for that which does not exist, nor is there any
non-existence for what
exists. By those who see the truth and look into the principles of
things, the
ultimate characteristic of these both is seen.”
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The following preliminary memorandum was drawn up by Robert Crosbie
anticipatory to the formation of The United Lodge of Theosophists.”
It was sent
to many individual theosophists on
TO ALL OPEN-MINDED THEOSOPHISTS
When the Messengers departed from this scene, all that was left
here was the
Message (exoteric and esoteric), and its students of more or less
proficiency in
the assimilation of that Message.
With the altruistic example of the Messengers and the inspiration
of the
Message, the Theosophical Society should have been able to stand
alone and
united.
Unfortunately, history tells another story; disintegration began at
once, and
still goes on, and a grand opportunity to impress the world with
the spirit and
life of the Message has been lost, through neglect of the
essentials and pursuit
of non-essentials.
The First Object—the most important of all—the others being
subsidiary—has been
lost sight of in its direct bearing upon all the changes and
differences that
have occurred. “To form a nucleus of Universal Brotherhood without
any
distinctions what ever” was, and is, the key to the situation. Let
me quote a
few sentences from H. P. B.’s last message to the American
Theosophists in
April, 1891:
“The critical nature of the stage on which we have entered is as
well known to
the forces that fight against us, as to those that fight on our
side. No
opportunity will be lost of sowing dissension, of taking advantage
of mistaken
and false moves, of instilling doubt, of augmenting difficulties,
of breathing
suspicions, so that by any and every means the unity of the Society
may be
broken and the ranks of our Fellows thinned and thrown into
disarray. Never has
it been more necessary for the members of the T. S. to lay to heart
the old
parable of the bundle of
-------
sticks than it is at the present time; divided, they will
inevitably be broken,
one by one; united, there is no force on earth able to destroy our
Brotherhood.
After all, every wish and
thought I can utter are summed up in this one
sentence, the never- dormant wish of my heart:
"BE THEOSOPHISTS, WORK FOR THEOSOPHY.”
These ‘were prophetic words—but the warning was not taken.
It now remains for those who are able to take the words that express
the
never-dormant wish of her heart as the key-note of the present and
future: “Be
Theosophists, work for Theosophy,” and get together on that kind of
a basis; for
these are the essentials.
The unassailable basis for union among Theosophists, wherever and
however
situated, is SIMILARITY OF AIM, PURPOSE, AND TEACHING. The
acceptance of this
principle by all Theosophists would at once remove all barriers. A
beginning
must be made by those whose minds have become plastic by the
buffetings of
experience. An agreement between such is necessary; an assembling
together in
this spirit.
To give this spirit expression requires a declaration, and a name
by which those
making the declaration may be known. To call it The Theosophical
Society would
be to take the name now in use by at least two opposing
organizations. To even
call it a Society has the color of an “organization”—one of many,
and would act
as a barrier. The phrase used by one of the Messengers is
significant, and
avoids all conflict with organizations, being capable of including
all without
detriment to any. That phrase is:
THE UNITED LODGE OF THEOSOPHISTS.
Members of any organization or unattached, old and new students,
could belong to
it without disturbing their affiliations, for the sole condition
necessary would
be the acceptance of the principle of similarity of aim, purpose,
and teaching.
The binding spiritual force of this principle of brotherhood needs
no such
adventitious aids as Constitution or By-Laws—-or Officers to ad
minister them.
With it as basis for union, no possible cause for
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differences could arise; no room is found here for leader or
authority, for
dogma or superstition, and yet—as there are stores of knowledge
left for all—the
right spirit must bring forth from “Those who never fail” all
necessary
assistance. The door seems open for those who would, but cannot see
a way. Any
considerable number, living, thinking, acting, upon this basis,
must form a
spiritual focus, from which all things are possible.
Local Lodges could be formed using the name and promulgating the
basis of union,
recognizing Theosophists as such, regardless of organization; open
meetings;
public work, keeping Theosophy and Brotherhood prominent;
intercommunication
between Lodges, free and frequent; comparing methods of work of
local Lodges;
mutual assistance; furtherance of the Great Movement in all
directions possible;
the motto: “Be Theosophists; work for Theosophy.”
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THE WAY TO UNITE IS TO UNITE—NOTHING PREVENTS IF THAT IS THE
DESIRE.
The following explanatory statement
drawn up by Robert Crosbie for the
information of all theosophists, was made public concurrently with
the
foundation of The United Lodge of Theosophists” and the adoption of
its
DECLARATION by himself and the seven original Associates, on
The United Lodge of Theosophists is an integral part of the
Theosophical
Movement begun in
Theosophists irrespective of organization, who are bound together
by the tie of
common aim, purpose and teaching, in the cause of Theosophy.
Theosophy, being the origin, basis and genius of every Theosophical
organization, forms in itself a common ground of interest and
effort, above and
beyond all differences of opinion as to persons or methods; and
being the
philosophy of Unity, it calls for the essential union of those who
profess and
promulgate it.
This
recognition, mutual assistance and encouragement among all engaged
in the
furtherance of Theosophy.
The Teacher, H. P. Blavatsky, declared that “Want of Union is the
first
condition of failure,” and in her last message to the American
Convention in
1891, said: “Never has it been more necessary for the members of
the
Theosophical Society to lay to heart the parable of the bundle of
sticks, than
it is at the present time; divided, they will inevitably be broken,
one by one;
united, there is no force on earth able to destroy our Brotherhood.
. . . I have
marked with pain . . . a tendency among you to allow your very
devotion to the
cause of Theosophy to lead you into disunion. . . . No opportunity
will be lost
of sowing dissension, of taking advantage of mistaken and false
moves, of
instilling doubt, of augmenting difficulties, of breathing
suspicions, so that
by any and every means the unity of the Society may be broken and
the ranks of
our Fellows thinned and thrown into disarray.”
There are a number of Theosophical organizations in existence
today, all of them
drawing their inspiration from Theosophy,
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existing only because of Theosophy, yet remaining disunited. The
nature of each
organization is such, that unity cannot be had on the basis of any
one of them;
hence a common basis should be taken if the success originally purposed
is to be
attained.
The need of such a basis with a broader view of the Movement, is
the cause for
the present Association—the United Lodge of Theosophists—composed
of
Theosophists of different organizations, as well as those belonging
to none.
This Lodge, having no constitution, by-laws, officers or leader,
affords in its
Declaration a common basis of Unity for all who see the great need
of it, and
seeks their co-operation.
Holding to its motto: ‘There is no Religion higher than Truth,” it
seeks for the
truth in all things, and beginning with the history of the
Theosophical
Movement, sets forth herein some facts with their inevitable
deductions, for
general information and consideration.
There is no question anywhere as to who brought the message of
Theosophy to the
Western World, nor is there any reason to believe that the
Messenger, H. P.
Blavatsky, failed to deliver all that was to be given out until the
year x time
stated by her for the advent of the next Messenger.
‘While she lived there was one Society. After her departure,
dissensions arose,
resulting in several separate organizations. The basic cause of
these divisions
is to be found in differences of opinion as to “successorship,”
even where other
causes were in evidence. No such question should ever have arisen,
for it is
abundantly clear that H. P. Blavatsky could no more pass on to
another her
knowledge and attainments, than could Shakespeare, Milton or
Beethoven pass on
theirs.
Those who were attracted by the philosophy she presented, or who
were taught by
her, were followers or students, of more or less proficiency in the
understanding and assimilation of Theosophy.
Once the idea of “successorship” is removed from consideration, a
better
perspective is obtainable of the Movement, the
-------
philosophy, and the principal persons—past and present—engaged in
its
promulgation.
‘We have the declarations of her Masters that she was the sole
instrument
possible for the work to be done, that They sent her to do it, and
that They
approved in general all that she did. That work not only includes
the philosophy
she gave, but her work with the relation to others in the Movement;
and where a
relation is particularly defined—as in the case of William Q.
Judge—wisdom
dictates that full consideration be given to what she says.
H. P. Blavatsky and William Q. Judge were co-Founders of the
Theosophical
Society in 1875 They were colleagues from the first and ever
remained such. When
H. P. Blavatsky left
Judge to establish and carry on the work of the Theosophical
Movement in
H. P. Blavatsky departed from the body in 1891; William Q. Judge
some five years
later. He never claimed to be her successor; on the contrary, when
asked the
question, he said: She is sui generis—she can have no successor;”
the fact being
that both he and she were contemporaneous in the work, he retaining
his body for
some five years longer in order to complete the work he had to do.
The work of these two cannot be separated if the Movement is to be
understood.
The evidence of the greatness and fitness of William Q. Judge, as a
Teacher, is
to be found in his writings—a large and valuable part of which has
become
obscured through the organizational dissensions before spoken of.
These writings
should be sought for, and studied, in connection with those of H.
P. Blavatsky.
That study will lead to the conviction that both were great
Teachers—each with a
particular mission—that each was sui generis, that their work was
complementary,
and that neither of them had, nor could have, any successor.
CONTENTS
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THE UNITED LODGE OF THEOSOPHISTS
DECLARATION:
The policy of this Lodge is independent devotion to the cause of
Theosophy,
without professing attachment to any Theosophical organization. It
is loyal to
the great Founders of the Theosophical Movement, but does not
concern itself
with dissensions or differences of individual opinion.
The work it has on hand and the end it keeps in view are too
absorbing and too
lofty to leave it the time or inclination to take part in side
issues. That work
and that end is the dissemination of the Fundamental Principles of
the
philosophy of Theosophy, and the exemplification in practice of
those
principles, through a truer realization of the SELF; a profounder
conviction of
Universal Brotherhood.
It holds that the unassailable basis for union among Theosophists,
wherever and
however situated, is similarity of aim, purpose and teaching,” and
therefore has
neither Constitution, By-Laws nor Officers, the sole bond between
its Associates
being that basis. And it aims to disseminate this idea among
Theosophists in the
furtherance of Unity.
It regards as Theosophists all who are engaged in the true service
of Humanity,
without distinction of race, creed, sex, condition or organization,
and;
It welcomes to its association all those who are in accord with its
declared
purposes and who desire to fit themselves, by study and otherwise,
to be the
better able to help and teach others.
The
true Theosophist belongs to no cult or sect, yet
belongs to each and all.”
Being in sympathy with the Purposes of this Lodge, as set forth in
its
Declaration,” I hereby record my desire to be enrolled as an
Associate; it being
understood that such association calls for no obligation on my
part, other than
that which I, myself, determine.
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CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
letters
Letter One
YOU, yourself, have taken a step by your own internal determination
to know the
truth for the sake of the truth. Your real self is by your trend of
thought
finding a channel for expression, and this will grow. Right thought
must precede
right speech and right action, as you know. This has been stated in
many ways,
the most familiar of which is, perhaps, “Seek ye first the kingdom
of heaven
(which is within you) and all other things will be added unto you.”
Do not let conditions which surround you, contrasted with what you
can see,
weigh upon you. Of course you know that whatever conditions exist
were produced
by you—so far as they affect you—and whatever conditions are to be
will be in
accordance with your own determination. All that is necessary is
for each one to
do his duty by every duty. None is small or unimportant.
You know, of course, that attachment to things or results comes by
thinking
about them. You can have no attachment for a thing you do not think
about;
neither can you have any dislike for a thing you do not think
about. While doing
the best you know in every act and present duty, do not attach
yourself to any
particular form of result. Leave results to the law—they will
surely come in
accordance with it. Having done your duty as you see it, resign all
personal
interest in the results. Whatever the results, take them as that
which your true
self really desired.
Surely, for the individual, it is the motive alone that marks the
line between
black and white. But what is needed in the world is knowledge Good
motive may
save the moral character, but it does not ensure those thoughts and
deeds which
make for the
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highest good of humanity. Good motive without knowledge makes sorry
work
sometimes. All down the ages there is a record of good motive, but
power and
zeal misused, for want of knowledge. Theosophy is the path of
knowledge. It was
given out in order, among other things, that good motive and wisdom
might go
hand in hand.
If it is remembered that the purpose of life is to learn and that
it is all made
up of learning, the ordinary duties of everyday existence are seen
to be the
means by which we learn many things. “Do thy duty by every duty
leaving results
to the law.” Theosophy was once happily stated to be “sanctified
common-sense,”
and I am glad that you perceive it.
The Theosophical Movement is greater than any society or
organization. The
latter are but temporal, changing with the nature and understanding
of those who
constitute them and influence their policies and ideals; they
correspond to our
physical bodies, whereas the Movement corresponds to the Soul.
There are many
kinds of bodies, and work has to be done in each, in accordance
with the
possibilities afforded by its nature. Those who pin their faith to
any body are
choosing a transitory guide, a frail support; most of them are
looking for
“authority.” The human weakness that makes priestly domination
possible leads to
spiritual darkness in course of time.
The Theosophical Society was founded by Masters as an organization
for the
promulgation of the Wisdom Religion. That organization has split
into fragments.
Of course, in all the Theosophical societies the message brought by
H. P. B. to
the Western world is the basis of their existence. The average
person makes much
of organization, form, method, authority—what not, and
crystallization of idea
defeats understanding. Thus the attacks, splits, controversies and
other follies
that have been perpetrated during the history of the Movement in
this
generation. You must have noticed that all the difficulties that
have arisen in
the T. S. raged around personalities, rather than over doctrinal
differences.
This is significant.
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The T. S. represents the world. In it, in embryo, are fought the
battles of the
world. Ignorance, superstition, selfishness, ambition—all are
there. There are
other dangers menacing such a body as the T. S. besides the
“personal-following”
one. Sometimes self-appointed conservators of the body arise, with
hard and fast
conclusions as to men, things and methods. These seek to impose
their ideas as
the only true ones—in reality, endeavoring to make a personal
following under
the name of a policy—forgetting that no method is the true method;
that the true
method must be a combination of all methods. All these things are
lessons—initiations in occultism—if we read them aright. The T. S.
presents such
lessons as can be had nowhere else in the world of men.
Into each fragment of the original T. S., there have entered many
attracted by
the philosophy. The right or wrong of the splits does not affect
them. In each
fragment there must be those who are good and true disciples of
Masters. As far
as my knowledge goes, I would say that Masters are working in many
ways, and
through many organizations as well as with individuals. There are
no barriers to
Their assistance, except such as personalities impose upon
themselves. Their
work is universal; let our view be as much in that direction as
possible. So
shall we best serve and know.
H. P. Blavatsky was the Messenger from the Great Lodge to the
western world.
William Q. Judge was a co-founder and co-worker with H. P. B. from
the
beginning. It is well to remember that H. P. B. and W. Q. J. were
not accorded
the positions They held through any authority, but through
recognition of Their
knowledge and power. They were sui generis; all others are but
students. Those
who belittle Judge will be found belittling H. P. B. An ancient
saying has it,
“Accursed by karmic action will find himself he, who spits back in
the face of
his Teacher.” Not an elegant saying, perhaps, to our ideas, but it
conveys a
fact of most grave import in occultism. “By their fruits ye shall
know them.”
To those who know H. P. B. and W. Q. J., attacks are worthy of
consideration
from only one point of view—that they turn the attention of many
who would
otherwise learn the great truths
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of Man and Nature. Theosophists cannot but take the position
expressed in the
words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Two
You were right in saying that our relations are as they are by
reason of that
which has been, undoubtedly, but I would not have you look on me in
the light of
a spiritual Guru. Think of me as kindly as you will, but do not
place me on any
pedestal; let me be a pilot who will be most glad to help with any
charts and
guidance. In reality the Masters are Those to whom we should turn
our thoughts
in meditation. They are the “bridge,” as W. Q. J. says in one of
the “Letters.”
I do not mean by all this that I think you were placing me in a
position where
none but the blessed Masters should be placed, but I am saying
these things so
that you may see that it is not the best thing to rely upon any
living person, I
mean to the extent of idealizing him; for if such an one should be
swept into
seeming darkness for a time, its effect would not be good and might
dishearten.
I am glad to know that you are so full of the idea of work for
humanity; those
who are really “touched” by the inner fire are usually so, and it
is a good
sign. The desire to be and to do comes out strongly and clears the
way for the
true and permanent growth with its expansion and retardation—which
means growth
and solidification—necessary processes as we see two kinds of
trees, one of
which denudes itself entirely and remains expressionless for a
large part of its
cycle, and another which slowly and continually renews itself in
every part,
never ceasing to give expression, and often holding in evidence the
old leaf,
the new leaf, the blossom and the fruit. Both of these are nature’s
processes.
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Speaking of those who have fallen by the wayside, it is quite true
that “the
greater the height the greater the effort to preserve equilibrium”;
but this
applies particularly when the height is an intellectual rather than
a spiritual
one, and where the motive is tinged with a desire for
self-advancement
regardless of the paramount duty to selves. Very often the
ostensible motive is
not the real one, and in this we frequently deceive ourselves.
Ambition also
comes in; the desire for the approbation of our fellows may cloud
our vision in
our effort to maintain it. There are many temptations, some of
which may come
disguised as angels of light. Our best safe-guard is an unselfish
desire to
benefit others, with no anxiety about our own progress, while
striving all the
time to make ourselves the better able to help and teach others.
There are two doctrines spoken of in the Wisdom Religion, viz., the
doctrine of
the Eye (or Head) and the doctrine of the Heart; the doctrine of
the Eye is the
intellectual one, the doctrine of the Heart is spiritual, where
knowledge
springs up spontaneously within. It is this latter which you crave,
and which I
can assure you Theosophy will lead you to. There is no need to
grope, nor
stagger, nor stray, for the chart that has led many to the goal is
in your hands
in the philosophy of Theosophy. And let me say here to you: do not
be too
anxious; abide the time when your own inner demands shall open the
doors, for
those Great Ones who I know exist see every pure-hearted earnest
disciple, and
are ready to give a turn to the key of knowledge when the time in
the disciple’s
progress is ripe.
No one who strives to tread the path is left unhelped; the Great
Ones see his
“light,” and he is given what is needed for his better development.
That light
is not mere poetical imagery, but is actual, and its character
denotes one’s
spiritual condition; there are no veils on that plane of seeing.
The help must
be of that nature which leaves perfect freedom of thought and
action; otherwise,
the lessons would not be learned. Mistakes will occur, perhaps many
of them,
but, as is said, “twenty failures are not irremediable if followed
by as many
undaunted struggles up-
-------
ward.” The help will come for the most part in ordinary ways and
from one or
another of the companions with whom you were possibly connected in
other lives,
and whom your soul will recognize.
The Great White Lodge exists for the service of humanity; They need
and welcome
workers in the world. Is it strange, then, that the light of souls
attracted
toward the path of unselfishness should receive Their cognition,
and when
deserved—when needed such succor as Karma permits? They,
Themselves, have
written, “Ingratitude is not one of our vices”; and while we may
not claim
gratitude from Them, yet we may be sure that compassion absolute is
there, and
with it the understanding of the nature and needs of each aspirant.
There may,
and there often does come a time when one feels, as you say, like
“standing on
nothing, in nothing and about to topple over.” The center of
consciousness has
been changed; old landmarks are slipping away, and sometimes black
doubt ensues.
Doubt and fear belong only to the— personal consciousness; the real
Perceiver,
the Higher Ego has neither. The Gita says, “cast aside all doubt
and fight on.”
You may remember what Judge says in one of the “Letters,” likening
such
condition to the case of one on a strange path and suddenly
surrounded by a fog;
the way is obscured, danger may lie in any direction; the thing to
do is to
stand still and wait, for it is only a fog—and fogs always lift.
And never for
one moment think that you are not going on with your “journey.” It
is well for
us if we can always have deep down in our heart of hearts the
consciousness of
the nearness of Masters; by Their very nature They must be near to
every true
aspirant.
May I add one word to you, as a friend and brother: make clean and
clear, first,
the mental conceptions and perceptions; the rest will follow
naturally; there
will be no destruction—the Undesirable will die a natural death.
“Grow as the flowers grow,” from within outwards.
As ever, R. C.
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CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Three
There is plenty of material, as well as help, in the devotional
books to the
realization of the heart doctrine, for they are designed to awaken
the Buddhic
faculty—that of Intuition, the only means by which light can come
to you or
anyone. Printed words and the information that they indicate, are
only “ladders”
by which the learner can climb to Wisdom. Each one has to make his
own
connection with higher planes and Those who live in higher realms.
It has often
been said that “when the materials are ready, the Architect will
appear.” So our
work must be to get the material ready, and that means we have to
get rid of the
purely personal bias by making Theosophy a living power in our
lives. So long as
we are working for some reward, are inclined to be despondent or
impatient, we
shall be placing obstacles in our own way.
Read The Voice of the Silence and see the keys of the different
“portals.” Dana,
the key of Charity; consideration for others, no matter what their
state. Shila,
the key of harmony in word and act; that means among other things,
sincerity—not
to let acts belie one’s words, or words, one’s acts. Kshanti,
patience sweet
that naught can ruffle. These three, if practised, will create a
fairer and
clearer atmosphere. Shila counterbalances the cause and the effect
and leaves no
further room for karmic action. The same idea is set forth in the
Gita where it
says that “Freedom comes from a renunciation of self-interest in
the results of
our actions.”
The question always is, “How shall we stand the pressure?” Patience
and
fortitude are necessary under every condition. The ripening of
one’s Karma
presents the opportunity to gain these qualities, and it is well
that we should
learn the lesson. The principal effect of Karma is mental and
psychical. Family
Karma is not our own, and will come about sooner or later. The same
with
-------
difficult financial conditions, or any other hard circumstances:
they will come
to all. So we should strive for calmness, patience, and fortitude,
and also have
full confidence that the tide is bound to turn, even at the
fifty-ninth minute
of the eleventh hour. “If the candidate has faith, patience and
confidence,
verily he will not have to wait too long.” There is one thing that
should be
remembered in the midst of all difficulties; it is this— the lesson
is learned
the necessity ceases.”
We should know that Karma does not castigate; it simply affords the
opportunity
for adjustment. No one can precipitate our Karma upon us, nor would
anyone wish
to do so; so, what ever happens, it is well to remember that it was
caused by
ourselves, precipitated by ourselves, can be met by ourselves. We
must, then,
assure ourselves that nothing can possibly overwhelm us. It is
better to assume
a cheerful attitude to cultivate in one’s self a feeling of
confidence, and
endeavor to impart it to our nearest. Our anxiety and inner fears,
as well as
our outward expression of them, may go a great way in depressing
those who love
us and whom we love.
We all get in that temporary state of loneliness, but it should be
a matter of
encouragement to us that we are not alone in reality, for we have
company,
although we may not be aware of it in our momentary sense of
personal isolation.
There is a point in our progress which involves the passing from
one state of
thought and action into another, and knowing this, we should not be
dismayed nor
disturbed by anything that may come to pass. It may seem to you
that you are now
useless, and your future circumstances dark and foreboding. These
are only
shadows of the past cast on the screen of the present; like shadows
they will
pass, if you but recognize them for what they are.
Are you thinking too much of yourself, your present conditions and
your
prospects? This is not a firm reliance on the Law of your own being
which brings
to you the very opportunities that your soul progress needs. What
if the future
presents no clear view; what if your desires are not fulfilled;
what if your
progress is not at all apparent—why worry about it? You
-------
cannot change it. All you can do is the best you can under existing
circumstances, and that is the very thing you should do, dismissing
from your
mind all thought of those things which are not as you would have
them.
Your studies and your efforts are futile if you are disturbed
inwardly. The
first thing then is to get calmness, and that can be reached by
taking the firm
position that nothing can really injure you, and that you are brave
enough and
strong enough to endure anything; also that all is a necessary part
of your
training. Mr. Judge once said, “It may be a child’s school, but it
takes a man
to go through it.” Then why not make up your mind to go through it,
no matter
what the circumstance or condition? Others have; you can. Are you
of weaker
caliber than they?
The whole position of the sincere student is summed up in the
words: “Hold on
grimly; have confidence and faith; for faith in the Master will
surely bring
victory.” We must “have patience, as one who doth forevermore
endure”—and forget
ourselves in working for others.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Four
The coming together of the few will bring on a closer tie and bring
out a
stronger devotion. No doubt there will be some reactions, but even
so, they will
pass, and all be bettered if all hold firm. Changes will go on. Do
not be
surprised if the soul gets into a place or condition where it
appears to be
motionless—inert; it will get used to the new conditions and go on
from there.
Let our motto be: we are going on with the work.
And look out for criticisms and suspicions of one another; there
will be ample
occasion for their exercise, or seem to be. Then we have to
recognize that each
sincere student is trying, and that each has his own way by which
he comes. Our
way is essentially our way, and his is his, and equally right and
important. We
need only Loyalty—loyalty to the work, loyalty to our con-
-------
victions, loyalty to each other in full faith and confidence that
each is a part
of the other and of all. So shall we be united in one thought, one
will, one
feeling.
This does not mean indiscriminate acceptance of everything and
everyone. The
attitude of “namby-pambyism” is but a pseudo-tolerance. Carried to
its
legitimate conclusion, this false idea of brotherhood” would
signify that sin,
sorrow, suffering, error, all religions and all philosophies are
all right; that
every body is doing the best he can, and the best he knows how to
do, and cannot
do any different, and that all are steps of learning.
Humanity sins, sorrows, suffers and dies a thousand deaths; because
of what?
Just IGNORANCE. Theosophy is TRUTH and as such can have no alliance
with any
form of error and remain Truth. If partial philosophies could save
the world
there would be no need for the sacrifices of the Masters.
For those who never knew Theosophy, or whose minds are so crooked
in action that
they cannot receive it, there should be pity and compassion. But
pity and
consideration for their false positions cannot call for a surrender
of our
discrimination—for a surrender of what we know, and of what it is
our purpose to
live and to know.
I am no believer in diluted Theosophy. The Masters did not dilute
it. We either
carry on Their work or we do not; there is no need for hypocrisy
nor
self-deception. Others in the world, not able to perceive the
Oneness of
Theosophy, nor its bearing at the present time, may and do use
portions of
it—some of them, it is to be feared, to their own condemnation and
the further
bewilderment of mankind. Are they right, or to be praised or
“tolerated”? Is it
not the bounden duty of those who know, to hold aloft the White
Standard of
Truth? It must be so, else how could an enquiring one perceive it?
Theosophy has
to be held aloft in such a way as to confront errors of every kind,
with their
handmaidens of cant and hypocrisy.
As ever, R. C.
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CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Five
Of the path of true Occultism it is said, “ The first step is
sacrifice.” This
means sacrifice from the worldly point of view— the point from
which we start.
That we cheerfully unburden ourselves of undesirable things shows
the workings
of the true self. Have no fear of the
often think of the passage, “All things work together for good for
him who loves
the Lord.” You will have a larger appreciation of this saying than
is common.
You speak of a surer sense of truth than any manner of reasoning.
This: is the
action of Buddhi—direct cognition—the goal to which all right
philosophy and
life leads. In our sincere efforts we at times may have flashes
from that seat
of consciousness. The great result would be to have the continuous
co-operation
of Manas and Buddhi—higher mind and spiritual knowledge; to work as
the god-man,
perfect in all his parts, instead of the present sectional
operation which
obtains.
You may remember that in The Voice of the Silence there are two
doctrines
mentioned. The Doctrine of the Eye is that of the brain
consciousness, composed
largely of external impressions. The Doctrine of the Heart is of
the spiritual
consciousness of the Ego— not perceived by the brain consciousness
until right
thought, and right action which sooner or later follows it, attune
certain
centers in the brain in accord with the spiritual vibration. It
might be well to
read The Voice over and meditate on its sayings. You have had much
of the
intellectual side; there should be as much of the devotional; for
what is
desirable is the awakening of the spiritual consciousness, the
intuition—Buddhi—and this cannot be done unless the thoughts are
turned that way
with power and purpose. You may, if you will, set apart a certain
half-hour,
just before retiring and after arising—as soon as possible
after—and before
eating. Concentrate the mind upon the Masters as ideals and
-------
facts—living, active, beneficent Beings working in and on the plane
of causes.
Meditate upon this exclusively, and try to reach up to Them in
thought. If you
find the mind has strayed, bring it back again to the subject of
meditation. The
mind will stray more or less, at first, and perhaps for a long time
to come, but
do not be discouraged at the apparent results if unsatisfactory to
your mind.
The real results may not at once be apparent, but the work is not
lost, even
though not seen. It is more than likely that the work in this
direction will be
perceived by others rather than yourselves. Never mind the past, for
you are at
the entrance of a new world to you as persons. You have set your
feet on the
path that leads to real knowledge.
Do not try to open up conscious communication with beings on other
planes. It is
not the time and danger lies that way, because of the power of
creating one’s
own images, and because of the power and disposition of the dark
forces to
simulate beings of Light, and render futile your efforts to reach
the goal. When
the materials are ready the Architect will appear, but seek him
not; seek only
to be ready. Do the best you can from day to day, fearing nothing,
doubting
nothing, putting your whole trust in the Great Law, and all will be
well. With
the right attitude knowledge will come.
I am sorry that so much disagreeableness assails at the beginning.
I can very
well understand it all: heat, dust, grind, in contrast with what
you have left.
It requires courage and endurance, and these are desirable
qualities, just such
as a Kshatriya should have, which, however, does not lessen the
sense of
distinction— not all at once. But as we all desire such a fight as
will best
prepare us, we can afford to smile inwardly while we contemplate
the efforts of
nature to subdue our resolves. We all have our battles, and if we
are in the
army, we may be sure the Self supplies just such trials as the
peculiar nature
needs. I think that things will look somewhat better after a
while—they always
do. It is the personality that does not like discomfort, and the
same chap gets
used to things after a while. So whatever may be the outcome in the
future, it
is wise to fight it out on the same lines
-------
as if you had made it your life work. The battle won, the necessity
will cease,
because from the Self no Waste of effort can be. It is easy to
advise and more
difficult to perform, but performance is what is called for. All
these things
must necessarily be tests, training—at least, I think that such is
the way to
look at it.
The analogy of the Secret Doctrine shows that every change is
preceded by a
rapid rehearsal of previous processes in evolution It seems to me
that we might
use this in our own mental processes and possibly might be able to
figure out
our position in the cycle. We might be able to let the mind only
sweep over the
preliminaries, and step in when the proper point is reached, using
the upward
rush as motive power. We should be rushing upward from new levels
all the time.
“Is it not so that mountains are climbed?” Once in a while we catch
glimpses of
the place we started from, as we are going up elevations; though
descending
again, the average rise is apparent. So, expecting these things, we
take
advantage of every opportunity to increase the ascent and avoid
precipices—for
it is said that mountainous regions abound in such things.
Also remember that there are many unexpended remnants of past Karma—“mental
deposits,” Patanjali calls them—that you have called for, in order
to balance up
your account. They have come and will come. Be careful not to incur
new
indebtedness, and thus delay the final settlement. You know the
difficulties and
should fortify yourself to pass over them. No one can do this for
you, as you
well know.
It is well to feel, also, that in your apparent isolation, you are
not alone.
This “feeling” should help you and I think it does. Keep it up.
As ever, R. C.
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CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Six
The spirit shown in your letters makes me glad for all of us. Well,
you have
made a beginning, and in the right way, as it appears to me. While
your audience
was small, that part you are not responsible for. Such things are
judged by the
effort made and not by the apparent results; the latter belong to
the Law and
will be felt in time, as surely as effects follow causes. We should
remember
that it is harder to make a beginning in a large city than in a
small one; it
takes harder and longer “shouting” to reach those scattered in a
big population,
but the results should be much greater in time. Also—no matter who
come—it is
certain that each one will talk to others who never come, and will
get what ever
impression is made on the attendant. It is said that each person
who hears will
in time repeat something to one thousand others. This statement may
be
arbitrary, but the number is doubtless large that can be touched in
this way;
so, the radius is not to be reckoned entirely by numbers present,
even on this
plane of action. This by way of encouragement—not that you need it—
but that it
is well to bear in mind the wider range of action of all such work,
and that we
are not alone. An iconoclast of any well-recognized system can
obtain crowded
houses; but a “builder” gets the few—a commentary on the human mind
as at
present constituted. It also reminds me of Mr. Judge’s saying,
“Theosophy is for
those who want it and for none others.”
One phrase in your pamphlet, “The Search For the Ultimate,” should
give a
key-note and encouragement. I quote from memory: “There are those
who may not
have outwardly renounced, but they have inwardly relinquished, and
would gladly
welcome the time when the non-essentials are swept away that the
essentials may
obtain.” The fact that they have that attitude which would welcome
the sweeping
away of the non-essentials shows the inner relinquishment.
-------
Sometimes it happens that a student passes through a “portal”
without knowing
that he is doing so, or has done so, until he finds himself “on the
other side.”
He knows then that other and greater portals await him, and he
passes them in
like manner, growing—growing—growing—with no thought of anything
but service to
the best and highest he knows.
I am glad the “bad week” has gone into the limbo of such things,
for it makes
another opening, and a rising cycle is a good time to make further
effort. Such
experiences come to all “humans”; they also go, as we know, and in
this we are
more fortunate than the world at large. It is the knowledge of the
transitory
nature of all experiences, while experiencing, that enables us to
remain
separate from them. “I establish this whole universe with a single
portion of
myself and remain separate.” The macrocosmic truth must also be the
true
position to be attained by the microcosm in his realm of creation.
Sometimes, as you say, one gets into the way of doing things
perfunctorily; this
has been found to result from the mind being on other things—things
other than
the work in hand. The remedy, of course, lies in the re-directing
of the mind
and concentrating on that which is done. Our daily lives give us
the best
opportunities for the practice of concentration, and for increase
of knowledge
by making Theosophy a living power in our lives.
You speak of control. Control is the power of direction, and when
exercised in
one way, leads to its exercise in other ways until it covers the
whole field of
operation. A way to control speech is to think of the probable
effect of what
one is about to say. This insures deliberation, and the speech
carries with it
the force of the intention. The deliberation takes no appreciable
time in
practice—a thought towards it, a glance at effects; it is really an
attitude of
purposive speech wherein all the processes are practically
simultaneous. If in
any one thing control is difficult, begin with the purpose of
control in mind,
and stop at the first indication that control is being lost.
Everything should
be made subservient to the idea of control, if that is the purpose.
-------
“The great renunciation is made up of little self-denials.” Who,
indeed can deny
the master admission to his house; and who can enter the house of
the strong man
and spoil his goods unless the strong man be first bound hand and
foot; and
again, who can bind him but his lawful vassals who dwell in his
house; and who
can restrain these but the master of the house?
To be master, we must have control, in all things pertaining to our
kingdom or
house; if we are swayed by impatience, by irritation at the words
and acts of
others, by impulse, habit of mind or body, “we” are not in control.
We
frequently are thus swayed, while knowing better, which indicates
that we have
not gone to work in earnest to obtain control, or perhaps in the
wrong way.
Applying analogy, it would seem that the latter consists in the
modern method of
proceeding from particulars to universals, and that the process
should be
reversed. We would then begin with the idea, attitude, and purpose
of control in
all things that concern the vassals of our house. The advance would
then be all
along the line, and the habit of control established, the balance
preserved. It
sums itself up in my mind as the establishment of control itself,
irrespective
of the things controlled. The “attack in detail” is the other way,
but seems to
me to have the disadvantage of being open to disturbance from the
rest of the
“details” while assaulting any one point. General Control might
lose his title,
and even his name in the mêlée. Each “warrior,” however, having in
view the
forces and disposition of the enemy, must make his own fight in the
way that
seems to him best.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Seven
We have to stand all tests alike—praise as well as blame. Oft-times
praise is
the hardest to stand, because it is so easily applied to the
“personal idea,”
while blame is easier cast aside. And the difficulty is not abated
by the fact
that what is said is true, in case of praise. should not be elated
by praise or
success, nor cast down by blame or failure, because either of these
is an
-------
application of the “personal idea”—an identification of oneself
with the event.
Success in doing thus is not to be had at once; it comes, first, by
recognition
of the right attitude, and then by repeated applications of the
“right attitude”
towards every event. As your letter shows that you know the
attitude and that
you make the applications, the rest must be simply a matter of
time, and no
cause for anything but “going on.”
You say things are not done with “supreme faith.” Perhaps not; yet
“faith” is
there and ever tends “supreme-wards.” Our ideal is always higher
than our
attainment; otherwise, there would be no progress. To have attained
one’s ideal
is to have ceased progress, however high that ideal may be. This
must be true
for all beings in a universe of infinite possibilities. It is an
expansion of
the ideal all the time. Your own ideal has changed, although you
may not have
perceived it. Being in the same direction, the change is not
noticed. Relying on
the Supreme no effort is wasted, because all “creative thought” is
in the right
direction. One does not desire to preserve the “undesirable,” but
the
“desirable.” The maintenance of the desirable thought, and the
cessation of the
undesirable are to be aimed at.
Then again, it is well to remember that our rea1 is registered in
the “inner
man”; that every effort to subordinate the lower to the higher, is,
to that
extent, an endeavor “to live the life,” thus creating and fastening
the “silver
strings” that take the place of the “catgut.”
All this is going on. Why? Because of out attainments, our
goodness, our
impeccability? Surely not. It must be “the Service of Man” with all
that the
term implies in Theosophy. In this age especially, it spells
sacrifice from the
first step, which is, as H. P. B. has said, the best means to lead
our neighbor
on the right path, and cause as many of our fellows as we possibly
can to
benefit by it. This constitutes the true Theosophist. “The first
test of true
apprenticeship is devotion to the interests of another.” Theosophy
was given for
“the healing of nations” and must be put out in such form as to
make it of
practical use in daily life.
-------
"About W. Q. J.": William Q. Judge, as you know, was a
great being; but many,
while they admired him as a man, never had his greatness revealed
to them. The
few who had this good fortune have many times felt like Arjuna in
the eleventh
chapter of The Bhagavad-Gita—the writer among them—who, while he
tries to
express him, never forgets that he is but a pupil of a beloved,
revered and
great Teacher. Following in his steps as best he can, he endeavors
to lead
others along the path he knows, that they in turn may realize and
profit by the
inestimable privilege, and become teachers in their turn to others,
all links in
the great chain of “saviours of men.” So, the “oneness” exists as
far as it may
be expressed, all along the line, each for all, and all for
each—non-separateness.
W. Q. J. knew the path that all would have to tread, and balm,
advice, warning
and encouragement will be found in his writings at every turn and
for every
circumstance of life. The closer one gets into the current that
flows from
Him—”the greatest of the exiles”—the more readily will those things
which harass
and distress fall away and become as nothing. That you have done
so—that is, got
into the current—is the best Karma for you. The work has been for
you your “rod
and staff,” and a blessing to many who would never otherwise have
had that help.
The more of that and similar work for others unknown who are waiting
for it, the
less room there will be for thought or feeling of any thing that
does not aid
that work in some way. This is a desirable form of
“one-pointedness.”
We consider the writings of W. Q. J. to be particularly designed
for the needs
of the Western people. We know their value. We also know that
neither the world
in general nor theosophists in general, are aware of their
existence, and it is
our desire and purpose that they shall know, as far as our power
and opportunity
permit. So, we just stick to our purpose, not because it is ours,
but because to
us it is the highest good and the very best thing we can do. They
also may come
to see what we see.
As ever, R. C.
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CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Eight
I am sure that much that you will meet at will be in the nature of
jolts. That
is why you went there, in reality. These things are not
“happenstances”; they
are real steps by which the necessary trials may come, and “you,
yourself
desired it.” There is joy in that thought, because whatever you do
now is part
of your schooling, and the knowledge of that as a vital necessity
and as
desired, keeps the real man serene under it all; he is happy
because things are
now moving—there’s something doing, as the phrase goes; so if you
watch
carefully, you will note the insidious manner in which the
personality is led to
this, that and the other lunch-counter.”
Get the point of view of the One who is doing the leading and hold
to it. You
will remember a phrase of the Lord’s prayer—truly an occult
one—“Lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the power
and the
glory”; only read it, “permit us not to fall, in temptation.” Even
Jesus Christ
was tempted, and he fell not, through the power of the “Father”
within. This is
the real “try-out,” and if in being tried, you can pass on a word
in season, it
is better for those who listen and better for you; only, do not
cast your pearls
before those who having ears to hear, neither hear nor understand.
Let your
words and acts bespeak the power and knowledge that is really
yours. Then will
you be a radiating center of light, unconsciously doing good wherever
you go and
whatever you do.
In the way of meditation, DON’T GET PASSIVE; danger lies that way.
Be active in
all things. The giddiness will pass away in time; the change with
all its
disturbances, mental, and other wise, has doubtless acted upon the
nerve-currents and circulatory system. The way to overcome
disturbance, of
course, is by mental and physical calmness; this should be
maintained. Medical
assistance should be used for the body at times, because
the"men-
-------
tal attitude” brings about changes in the body—for the most part
gradually—but
which sometimes needs material aid in be coming co-ordinated; so do
not despise
medical aid should any need arise. Mr. Judge sought such aid when
necessary,
leaving to the physician the care of maladjustment.
What you say about cycles is all right, I think. Reincarnation is
most certainly
one of the workings of cyclic law, and beings are in opposition or
in
conjunction as the cycle determines tendency, or rather, fosters
and permits
relations of one or another kind.
Cycles govern all the time and everywhere. Hence the Theosophical
Movement of
this time and those things which follow it; the coming in touch of
this, that,
or the other individuals— singly or in pairs—with it. Some hear and
pass on;
some remain. There is always freedom of choice, the choice in such
case being
not merely one determination, but made up of many moments of choice
in past
lives—a conjunction which some are wise enough to perceive and,
forsaking all
others, “cleave unto,” while swinging around the cycle of
existences. Yet even
this wisdom was acquired—comes from experience; there should be
confidence in us
in view of that fact.
We have chosen before, but did not “cleave”; yet the Great Law
brings back again
to us that which we once have chosen. That Great Law is the law of
cycles, the
process of karmic action.
“We meet our karma in our daily duties,” is a good saying to bear
in mind, and
in the performance of those duties come our tests. We should
therefore do what
we have to do, simply as duties, regardless of whether that
performance brings
us praise or blame. All the energy would, then, be expended in the
performance
of duties, and there would be nothing left for the personal idea to
subsist
upon.
I fully appreciate your generous and good-intentioned purpose,
which is to make
one who has learned something better able to help and teach others;
and if among
others you are in-
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cluded, that is your karma, as it is also my good karma to receive
help at your
hands.
Well, here is good luck to you in your try for “business.” Do not
distrust
yourself; have confidence in the powers which you embody; seek only
to do your
duty; holding to that end, all necessary power will be available.
Be steadfast, calm and fearless, as becomes one who doth
forevermore endure.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Nine
It is a matter of much gladness that the “bottle imp” of things has
been
discovered in your mind, or rather, mental machinery. I know how it
sticks and
hides and continually throws up clouds of material ideas blinding
the one sight.
No one can clear an other’s sight. Words, oceans of them, in
themselves
containing the right ideas will not convey these ideas without a
gradual leading
on and a determined effort to comprehend. On the one hand, it is so
simple that
it is passed over in favor of a difficulty; on the other, our mode
of thinking
is based on separateness. The very power of the cultivated
intellect, by its
ability to discriminate between the shades of differences, is led
into a maze of
diversity, forgetting that “The One sees All”; that the explanation
of
innumerable effects is not the Cause itself, which both produces,
sees and
reproduces. “Oh, where is the sea, the fishes cried, as they swam
the brimming
tide.”
We try to free ourselves from something. Is not this the attitude
of
separateness? W. Q. J. speaks of “The great illusion produced by
nature in
causing ‘us’ to see objects as different from Spirit.” And in the
Gita—”As a
single sun illuminateth the whole world, even so doth the one
Spirit illumine
every body.” If this means anything, it means that in everybody
there is the
One. Spirit, the Perceiver, the Knower, the Experiencer; it spells
unity
throughout.
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Nor is it easy to get a true conception, because we are eternally
using terms of
separateness and resting in such conceptions as arise from them;
yet, these are
steps by means of which we rise to greater heights of perception.
“Realization
comes from dwelling upon the thing to be realized.” Degrees of
realization are
degrees of attainment; are we not then slowly but surely getting
out of the fogs
into the clear air?
“Abandoning Hope” reads to me the same as ceasing to look for
results for self
and “shunning pain not yet come.” If we could just take conditions
as they come
and make the best other “bests” would follow, and all worry, fear,
doubt and
anxiety would depart. The Law works just and true. “What has been,
is and shall
be.” We have power over nothing but the is”. It is by working with present
conditions that the nature of the future is changed, and in no
other way. This
is reliance upon the Law and a working under it. The various
conditions that
confront us are opportunities and means afforded us to increase our
discrimination, strength and knowledge. Having created these
conditions, and
seeing what is undesirable in them, we go to work to change our
direction of
creative thought and our relation to the undesirable. The old
adage, “Necessity
is the mother of invention,” points to the process of growth; we do
not “invent”
until we see the necessity. In the great economy of Law and Nature,
each being
just exactly where he needs to be to eradicate defects; all
necessary conditions
are present for his growth. The only question lies with him: will
he take them
as “pain” or as opportunities? If the latter, all is well; he is
bound to
conquer whether the way be long or short The purpose of life is to
learn, and it
is all made up of learning.” Even those who repeat errors life
after life are in
process of learning, for evolution makes for righteousness, being
an unfoldment
from within.
It is “we” ourselves who are creating the phantasmagoria before our
eyes and
struggling over the solution of its disturbing effects, instead of
creating for
ourselves a world of effects more in keeping with our real nature—a
world in
which we can live,
-------
undisturbed by the effects that disturb others, except as we are solicitous
for
their welfare.
“We” are the Self. But, as we stand ordinarily in physical
consciousness, “we”
are converted more or less into physical consciousness; in other
words, “we” are
what we think or perceive, continually identifying ourselves with
perceptions
and sense. “Sense” is always nothing else than a channel for desire
to flow
through to torment ourselves and others. “There is nothing but the
Self.”
As every law is spiritual, so all forms and things, forces, and
aspects must
also be spiritual. All error springs from an effort to turn to
small purposes
the diversified streams of spiritual force. If as individuals we
could take the
position of Kamaduk, the cow of plenty, and with universal
beneficence use our
powers without thought of self, life would be another story.
“To establish a new religion,” says the enclosed clipping. Humanity
has always
done that with the clear light of Truth. Always have they created
idols and
bowed down and worshipped them. What kind of verity is that which substitutes
one kind of idol for another? Theosophy is not a religion, and no
religion what
ever can be Theosophy, although all forms of religion exist because
of Theosophy
and contain expressions of it.
It is only too true that “religionists of one sort easily become
religionists of
another sort.” The fact shows that Americans do not think; they
just
“cerebrate.” All this was portrayed again and again by W. Q. J. as
the result of
the advent of the Swamis and others to this country—and warned
against. Yet we
have self-elected teachers saying that Christianity is Theosophy,
and Buddhism
is Theosophy, in a sort of namby-pamby catholicism. They are to
blame for much
of the confusion. If so-called Theosophists remained true to the Message and
the lines laid down and followed by Them, there would not have been
room for two
opinions in the matter.
We base our devotion and our efforts upon the nature of Those who
gave the
Message, and accept as safe, good, true and what is necessary, the
lines that
are to be found laid down in
-------
their writings. Those who think that way, will work that way.
There is a solid
basis for united effort in this position; any other position can
but lead to
differences, to assumptions, to authorities. It is Unity that the Movement
needs, among all who are attracted by the Message; that which will
best bring it
about is the true way, no matter what anyone says. Neither Jesus nor
H. P. B.
lived and died that a book or books should be swallowed wholesale,
nor even that
men should become disciples but that all men should become
brothers. We have to
hold to that which eliminates Differences, not pander to any form
of religion
near or far.
H. P. B. once used this phrase, as I recall it, “ a Theosophist who
understands
Theosophy in his own bigoted sectarian way.” I was wondering if our
organizational friends might not call us that kind, in view of the
fact that we
question their methods and practice? We do not question any methods
whatever
used for the promulgation of Theosophy, but only those that tend to
obscure it.
We also point out the untheosophical nature of exclusive claims for
persons or
organizations. This charge will doubtless be made sometime against
us by
someone. We have a sound and effective reply. We are in sympathy
with every
movement made to promulgate the message of Theosophy, as such, and
with every
endeavor to apply that philosophy. While it is true that the
principles of
Theosophy are just as good and effective under any other name, yet
the name is
an indication of the source and true embodiment of those
principles, and cannot
be obscured or changed without some person or system of thought in
the way of
the seeker after truth. What can be the motives for this? Many,
perhaps. Usually
some person desires to be the exponent par excellence, knowing well
that he will
find those who will accede to his claims.
Some organizations claim to be the spiritual organ of Theosophy.
These embody
separateness, cannot make for unity, and are foreign to the spirit
and genius of
Theosophy. Theosophy is a Message, which should be made accessible
to all
without intermediaries or would-be interpreters; which should be
presented as
-------
delivered, and its existence as an all-inclusive philosophy
continually he1d
forth. Societies which do not do this should assume a name which
would be
indicative of their particular effort, in the interest of justice
to Theosophy
and to those who seek to know it. What do we object to? Titles
which present
interpretations as the Thing itself, and which by the fact are
misleading. No
one objects to the use of Theosophical principles as admixtures in
any system of
thought whatever; it will not hurt them; it may break them; but
such use, while
it might be courtesy to call it Theosophical, is not teaching what
Theosophy is.
Evidently, “The world is not ready for Theosophy, per se”; at
least, one would
judge so from what is being done, since those who claim to be its
exponents are
offering something else suited to the “trade.” But do these
exponents give the
world a chance? They are hiding the light under a bushel; they are
giving stone
for bread; and the blind world does not know the difference. We do,
however, and
will keep the link unbroken.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Ten
The coming together of Theosophists of differing degrees and
qualities—yes, of
training—is bound to stir up latent personalities, preconceptions
and
prejudices. The mental and psychic atmosphere engendered by their
co-operation
must work inwards as well as outwards, and still further must
arouse evil
forces, for it is a known occult law that every advance made along
the path that
leads to selflessness arouses the forces that are opposed to that
consummation,
and this is true individually and collectively. In this immense
work which we
have undertaken, trials of various kinds have to be encountered,
and the ones by
whom we are tried are those of our own household. There are lessons
in every
event, even the smallest. We have to do the best we can and leave
the results to
the Great Law.
About the meetings: your idea in regard to them is all right. Go
right ahead in
whatever way seems to afford the best oppor-
-------
tunity; use your best judgment and do not be disappointed at
anything in the way
of results that may turn up; just keep on looking for ways and
means. Act as
seems best under any circumstances that may arise. Something will
come of it. If
that something” is different from what you would have liked or
,planned for,
never mind keep on going. Better make no plan other than to get to
work along
the line of least resistance. One step will bring another
"C'est le premier pas
qui coute.”
As to Mrs. Besant’s opinion of Leadbeater: It is of value only to
those who see
value in it, and in any event it is only an opinion. It has been
said that he
who speaks of seeing and meeting the Master thereby loses touch. My
judgment
would be that if, as is said, Leadbeater had stood face to face
with the Great
Initiator,’” it would never have been spoken of by him, and no
other would know
the fact. Leadbeater sought to be recognized as a great teacher and
in order to
break into other realms of nature used most abhorrent means—black
magic, in
fact. One may be sure that anyone claiming Adeptship is not an
Adept, and this
in the very nature of things. Apply this to Leadbeater and Mrs.
Besant, who are
continually making public claims in this direction. The question
arises: how
much is real, how much for effect, how much self-delusion? The
imagination is
the image- making power and may create a glorified image of
oneself. I am sorry
it all occurred, for in the public mind Theosophy is connected with
it, and many
strange things are assumed to be Theosophy.
Perhaps I should submit to you my opinion that in the interests of
those who are
new to the subject of Theosophy, and because of the general
tendency to follow
personalities (particularly living ones), it is not wise to put
such in mental
touch with writers, who, however good any particular writing of
theirs may be,
have failed to show a true appreciation of Theosophic principles. I
say this at
the risk of being misunderstood; it is for you to accept or reject
my opinion,
as it meets your viewpoint.
The most painful experiences I have had in my Theosophical life
have been the
witnessing of the negation of Theosophic prin-
-------
ciples by those professing them and were it not my duty to put you
in possession
of the facts as I know them—facts representing dangers which lie
about us in our
quest—I would not have spoken. You asked for the facts; I have to
give them as I
know them. It should be said that while we condemn the act, we
never condemn the
actor. The Theosophist must recognize that failures are not
irremediable if
followed by undaunted struggles upwards, and for professing
Theosophists, who to
our eyes appear to have strayed from the Path, we know that the
time will come
when the failure will be recognized, and the struggle back will be
hard. Such
must necessarily have our pity and sympathy, if we are true to the
spirit of the
Teachings.
Here and there failures; will be noted, but there is much to
encourage. There is
a distinct change for the better in public sentiment; religions,
sciences and
governments are changing little by little. The Great Ones do not
repine; neither
do they cease working. Let us follow Their example. You may
remember that K. H.
wrote, “He who does all he knows and the best he can does enough
for us”; and
again, “Ingratitude is; not one of our vices.”
Now possibly it may be seen what our Lodge stands for: the three
objects as laid
down by H. P. B. and Masters, and along the lines laid down by
Them; no
dogmatism, no personal followings, no “spiritual authority.” Thus
each may
follow his line of development with such assistance as may be
afforded by those
who have traveled further on the Path than himself, when such help
is requested.
In this way, true discrimination is gained and the bane of all
spiritual
movements, authority, dogmatism, and their corollary—personal
followings—avoided.
Perhaps you may have seen how solicitous I have been to get you
started
right—free from mental encumbrances, using your judgment always to
check your
intuitions, until in the course of time you come to a direct
perception of
truth; and why I am so fearful of any abridgment of individual
judgment, or
cessation of effort to develop individual intuition. I see that you
can
-------
be of much help, and to fit you for that, as far as my assistance
may avail,
will be my duty and pleasure. But always remember that behind the
immediate
helper, there is the Great Lodge whose aid is given to all who
serve—serve Them.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Eleven
You have asked me for comment on the questions sent in by our
English brother;
particularly, as to “Karma being as merciless as the Bible-God.”
But does he
consider that Mercy is not opposed to Justice, and that the fullest
justice is
the same as the fullest mercy? Some take the meaning of Mercy to be
a permitted
escape from the results of wrong-doing; but this would not be
Justice, nor would
it be merciful to those injured by the wrong-doing. He should
remember the
definition of Karma: an undeviating and unerring tendency in the
Universe to
restore equilibrium, which operates incessantly. Karma is inherent
law and its
operation must therefore be impersonal. Some might take this to be “merciless,”
but that would only be because they desire escape from consequences
that are
unpleasant.
There are just two ways of looking at the question: either the
Universe is
governed by Law and under Law, or all is Chaos. Our experience in
every
department of Nature points to the fact that Law reigns everywhere;
nothing is
done of any kind or anywhere, except under Law. Our control of the
elements, our
use of the materials in Nature is possible only because the same
thing can
always be done when the same conditions are present. Having
discovered some of
the laws of electricity, for instance, we may direct that fluid or
force, and
use it for many different purposes.
Now as Law reigns in the material world, it can be seen to rule in
the mental
and moral world as well. Karma simply means “action” and its
consequent
“re-action.” There is no Karma unless there is a being to make it
or feel its
effects; unpleasant effects predicate causes that send forth
unpleasantness in
the world,
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affecting others, and finding the restoration of equilibrium at the
point of
disturbance. There can be, then, but one consideration, and that
is, Justice.
Why should we desire anything but Justice to be done?
The Bible says, “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap,”
and “Resist
not evil and it will flee from you.” What is “evil” but the reaping
of effects
of wrong done? If we try to avoid the restoration of equilibrium,
the evil will
not flee from us, but come again. But if we accept all as just and
right, then
the “evil” flees. We should apply Karma not merely to what we call
good and evil
in physical life. The earth rolls on in its orbit, carried further
and further
by the Sun in his greater orbit; it grows old through the cycles;
it changes its
appearance, and comes under states of matter undreamed of by us.
Such is the
Karma of the earth. Soon or late, even while revolving in its
orbit, our planet
will slowly move its poles and carry the cold band of ice to where
are now
summer scenes—the Karma of the earth and its inhabitants. How,
then, shall Karma
be restricted in consideration to the details of one life, or
judgment passed
upon it from that basis? I should say that Karma is Mercy itself,
for do I not
know that nothing can prevent me nor any other from obtaining what
is his by
law, exact and unerring?
“It knows not wrath nor pardon; utter true
Its measures mete, its faultless balance weighs;
Times are as naught, tomorrow it will judge,
Or after many days.
“Such is the Law that moves to righteousness,
Which none at last can turn aside or stay;
The heart of it is Love, the end of it
Is Peace and Consummation sweet. Obey!”
He asks if we have changed our “Faith.” Theosophy is not a “Faith,”
for “Faiths”
may be changed; but, being knowledge which each can make his own,
there is no
question of change, or fear, or doubt. We know of all the claims of
every
description that are made by societies and individuals. How is any
one to
-------
determine as to their respective values—if any? Just this way: if
you are asked
to accept anything on the statement of another and the means are
not at the same
time afforded you to see and know for yourself before acceptation,
you will be
safe to refuse, for you would in that case have surrendered your
own judgment
and taken that of another in blind faith.
Now the statement made to him by the Rev. S., being outside of all
known law,
spiritual, intellectual, and physical, indicates to me a
self-delusion. I would
not impute to this Reverend any intention to deceive. Nor is he
alone in
self-delusion on the same or similar lines. If he has heard, as I
have,
statements made by different claimants in regard to H. P. B., each
one
contradictory to the other, he would know that self-delusion
reigned in some
cases and deliberate fraud and pretense in others. To say that H.
P. B. now
believes in a personal God, or ever could, is the greatest
absurdity that was
ever uttered: this very statement is the most conclusive proof of
delusion. Now,
in default of direct knowledge, what evidence has any man as to H.
P. B.?
Certainly no more than the evidence contained in her voluminous
writings, which
directly refute such an assumption, and at the same time point out
the laws that
govern life, being, and consciousness on all planes, so that all
men may be free
from the “lo here!” and “lo there!” claims of would-be prophets.
For any to declare that they have private directions to do as they
are doing,
regardless of what were the lines laid down by the Teachers, would
be no better
nor more elucidating than is the declaration of the Besant people
that the Lodge
did not know enough to foresee, and had changed Its plan and
purpose. Both these
declarations vitiate all that has been said and done, as well as
making it
appear that the Lodge does not work according to Law and Cycles in
public
effort. For interim efforts of Their followers and disciples, all
ways are open,
and in these, conditions must be availed of as they arise; the
eternal verities
can be used in whole or in part according to the minds reached. All
this is to
be expected from the variety of mental conditions in the world;
-------
yet this variety is not from strength and understanding, so much as
from
weakness and inability.
Those who are able to perceive, to understand, and to use what They
gave have no
reason to deviate or dilute anything to suit contemporary forms: or
ideas, nor
to bolster up a decadence that pollutes the mental atmosphere of
men. The sooner
Christianity is discredited as a religion, the better for Universal
Brotherhood.
As it is, orthodox Christianity stands in the way, as do all other
forms
constructed around a basis of Truth. It is well enough and all that
can be done,
for the majority of minds, to rebuild and change step by step;
there are
thousands who will work that way to one who will be able to
understand what is
needed, and the very goal toward which all the rest tend; but that
one has all
the more need to keep that goal ever in sight and mind, never
allowing any fogs
or clouds to obscure it. If this is not done, all direction is
lost. It has not
been done by those who should have done it; hence, the very loss of
direction
seen in the world today, and the various cults and systems to which
the majority
of people are attracted. They asked for bread and have been given a
stone. Shall
any true Theosophist deem it his duty, then, to persuade these
hungry ones that
there is valuable nutriment in the stone? Yet, it seems to me, this
is just what
such would-be Theosophical efforts are doing. Our duty is clear. We
will “feed
the hungry” with nourishing food, and in so doing follow Law,
precept and
precedent—thus reverencing our great and illustrious Predecessors
and continuing
the work They so well began and left in our care.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twelve
The statement made to you by an “Old Theosophist” that “The
Theosophical Society
(meaning Mrs. Besant’s society, in the opinion of this “old
Theosophist”) and
Masonry are the two channels in which the Masters are working in
this century—
hence ‘Co-Masonry,’ ” calls for some comments.
-------
The natural question is, “Who says so, and why does he say it?”
This brings the
one making the statement, and anyone who may consider it, right
back to a
consideration of what it is upon which he is relying. is there
anything in the
records left by the Messengers of the Masters that would give a
clear indication
that the fact is as stated by “old Theosophist”? If not, then
reliance is placed
upon the say-so of some person—in this case, Mrs. Besant—and is
based upon
belief only, not knowledge, and can only be classed as an opinion.
There are
many opinions and they differ from each other widely. Mrs. Besant’s
declarations
of “knowledge” and opinions are often self-contradictory, as shown
by her
published writings. In any case they either do or do not agree with
the
principles of Theosophy, and the recorded statements of the
Messengers. If there
were no well-defined principles and applications left by the
Messengers to guide
those who would follow the Path They showed, then we are all
certainly in the
dark without a landmark visible, and have to flounder about in the
sea of
opinions, clutching at whatever promises support.
But if it is true that H. P. B. was the Direct Agent of the
Lodge—and this is
explicitly stated to be the fact by the Master K. H., however Col.
Olcott, Mrs.
Besant or others, may twist and interpret H. P. B. and Her
teachings—then we
must go to the records left by Her and Her Colleague, W. Q. Judge,
for direction
in all matters pertaining to the Theosophical Movement, regardless
of the
“opinions” of “old Theosophist” or any other student. For to do
otherwise would
be equivalent to saying that those Great Beings, the real Founders
of the
Movement, had left no guidance for the generations to come, and
that humanity
was left the prey to any and all claimants that might arise.
But it is not true that humanity has been left a prey to mistaken
or designing
persons; the records left by the Messengers are a sure, consistent
guide, and if
they are well studied and applied, will show a straight, even and
self-evident
Path. It is lack of study that leaves so many in ignorance, and
ready to pursue
every will—o’-the-wisp they see. You will also find that those who
-------Cardiff Theosophical Society in Wales-------
206 Newport Road, Cardiff, Wales, UK. CF24-1DL
rely upon such statements and opinions are the most dogmatic and
certain in
their assurance. Those who point to facts and records, with basic
principles to
rely on, are not troubled by all these “opinions,” by whomsoever
expressed.
There is another thing that sincere students of H. P. B. have to
bear in mind,
even if they do not speak much about it. It has been stated by both
H. P. B. and
W. Q. J., and also by the Master K. H. in his letters to Mr.
Sinnett, that every
effort by the White Lodge opens a door to the Black Magicians—those
whose very
existence depends upon keeping humanity where it is, in a state of
ignorance,
bewilderment, and running after false gods and those who cry lo
here, and lo
there. In this statement we ought to see why the White Lodge dare
not give out
more than humanity can put to use.
Every effort has been and is being made by the Dark side to impair
and deflect
the efforts of the White Lodge. And where else can the Dark Forces
work so
effectively as on and through the personal weaknesses of
Theosophists,
especially on all those who become in any way prominent—individuals
who in their
turn affect many. All the many crises in the old Theosophical
Society, all the
attacks on H. P. B. and W. Q. J., showed a virulence that could not
have arisen
from mere personal opinion or interest.
Time and again have warnings been given, but few have heeded them;
or, if heeded
at all, the facts stated have been used against any opposed,
without making sure
that those who so used them were themselves right.
The defection of Mrs. Besant from loyalty to the Path shown, and to
H. P. B. and
W. Q. J., was due to such Dark side efforts. In her last message to
students, H.
P. B. said, “Never is the danger greater than when ambition, and a
desire to
lead, dresses itself up in the peacock feathers of altruism.” She
knew; and in
that last Message are many prophecies, some of which have already
been
fulfilled. She said that the Brahmins are the Jesuits of India.
Mrs. Besant fell
under the influence of Brahmins and the Brahmanical lines, and
their influence
can be clearly seen in her evolution and in all the developments in
her society.
The Dark Ones could not
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destroy or pervert all the efforts of the White Lodge, but they
could, did, and
do minimize and corrupt them. In a consideration of all this may be
found the
explanation of many things that might otherwise be a puzzle. All
those who do
not follow the lines laid down by the Messengers are certain to be
misled. Yet
the way is clear; the pity of it is that otherwise sincere and
devoted persons
will not heed the warnings given; will not study, think, and apply
what was
recorded for them and their guidance.
There has never been anything said that I know of by either of the
two
Messengers about Co-masonry.
W. Q. J. is the only one who has spoken specifically in regard to
Masonry as “a
great and important part of the Theosophical Movement.” And the
context of his
article, “The Theosophical Movement,” as well as the circumstances
of its
publication, will give a true idea as to the part Masonry has
played in the past
in the work of the Theosophical Movement.
The Theosophical Movement includes all efforts that lead to human
freedom and
enlightenment. Masonry has played and is still playing an important
part in the
world. For first, its main idea is the Brotherhood of Man, even
though in a
limited and restricted sense; second, Masonry debars from its
lodges all
considerations of politics or religions, recognizing those to be
the greatest
provocatives of dissensions; third, it is the implacable enemy of
religious
intolerance, and is at the present day engaged in a death struggle
with the
Catholic church of Mexico and South America. It was through Masonry
and Masons
that the United States of America was made possible.
So Masonry was and is a great and important part of the
Theosophical Movement.
Yet there are more important things than Masonry. If it had been
sufficient for
the needs of humanity, there would have been no need for Theosophy.
But what has either Masonry or Theosophy to do with “Co” masonry?
Each must
answer that question for himself.
As ever, R. C.
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CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letters
Letter Thirteen
I think your idea of making collations from the Teachers’ writings
and preparing
for work later is all right—the proper thing to do. You will find
in yourself
the incentive as to time and place, “having eyes and arms and feet
in all
directions.” An open mind, an eager intellect, without doubt or
fear, is the
unveiled spiritual perception. You did a good work with the
pamphlets already
written; they are in use continually. The idea is to present what
is beneficial
for humanity in the most presentable form—a simple passing on of
what was known
before. I gave S— some of the pamphlets to send to an enquirer for
reading and
return. They should do good. The energy put in that work has
already found many
channels of usefulness of the best kind, and they are good for much
more—no
effort in right direction is lost. Further, it is a labor of love,
and the
feeling with which you endow your work goes with it. Properly
performed, the
result is sure. Your latest, “The Real Significance,” is certainly
a “beauty”—W.
Q. J. would say, “a dandy”—and its manner bears out its title
magnificently. It
is the best yet—so full of the most vital truths—things so easily
comprehended
by the way-farer, and yet so full of the highest wisdom. It does me
good.
The introduction is in keeping with the statement below it. In
fact, we may take
as part of our statement of policy, “The policy of this Lodge is
independent
devotion to the cause of Theosophy, without professing attachment
to any
Theosophical organization; it is loyal to the great Founders of the
Theosophical
Movement, but does not concern itself with dissensions or
differences of
individual opinion. The work it has on hand, and the end it keeps
in view, are
too absorbing and too lofty to leave it the time or inclination to
take part in
side issues.”
This is where we stand, and where all true Theosophists should
also. If our
position is made clear to Theosophists generally, there
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will be not a few who will see the righteousness of the position.
Much of our
work in the future will be the presentation of our “platform.” We
have perceived
and given it form; we should let as many as possible know that it
exists for
them. We may have something further to say later on. Good work;
keep it up.
Yes, you, too, must find yourselves. Changed conditions will give
occasion.
These conditions will be bent to the great purpose, “an’ the heart
stay
steadfast”—and this I do not at all doubt. Make your purpose the
Great Purpose,
and desire for personal growth will have little breathing space.
Back of it all
is the Great Lodge, ever watchful, ever working; never doubt that.
Theosophists often speak of “getting rid of the personality,” and,
so far as
observed, do not appear to have any clear idea of what they mean.
Without
personalities, there would be no field, no evolution. It is not the
personality
that is in the way, but the personal idea in regard to it. This is
particularly
fostered by the present civilization based on Samvritti (relative
truth),
“origin of all the world’s delusions.”
One of the sentences in the last pamphlet applies directly:
“Instead of crushing out the animal nature, we must learn to fully
understand
the animal, and subordinate it to the spiritual.” So long as you
know the wiles
and lures of the elementary nature, you are not in danger of
fooling yourselves,
however much you may fall under their momentary sway. They or it,
may be likened
to a steed that is perfectly safe when the reins are well in hand
and the seat
firm, but which is ready to take advantage of any unguarded moment
to unhorse
you. Such an animal you would naturally watch carefully until it
became a part
of yourself. If we could always remember that the body, senses and
mind (brain)
are the steed, and the Self, the rider, the animal would have fewer
opportunities to get the bit in its teeth. But we are learning to
ride, and
success does not come at once.
From “The Real Significance”: “You, too, are messengers, so that it
is not well
that you should regard much your own infirmities. Nature and Time
regard not
personalities, but swallow up all alike. Yet do Nature and Time and
Destiny
teach ever the same
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great lesson, and he who would learn of these, must both forego and
forget
personalities, his own as well as others . . . personalities are
but the
fleeting waves on the river of time caused by the friction of the
waves of
fortune; they are thy weakness and not thy strength. Thy strength
is in thy soul
and thy soul’s strength is in the calm and not in storm revealed.”
To “forego and forget personalities” means to regard truth, only,
by whomsoever
presented. So it seems wise that we should not think ill of
personalities, and
this includes our own. If they are our weakness, by doing our duty,
which is in
our case the promulgation of truth, pure and undefiled, our
weakness will
finally become our strength. The Masters do not look at our
defects, but at our
motives and efforts.
In your letter, you have asked my opinion in regard to a specific
matter of
action. On general principles one might answer such a question, but
in
particular cases, where all the elements that enter in can only be
considered
fully by the person involved, that person alone is competent to
reply, or
determine.
In considering a question bearing on the ethics of any case, we
have first to be
sure that we have no prejudices or preconceptions that can
interfere with
correct conclusions; in other words, “to be free from hard and fast
conclusions
as to men, things and methods.” If we are thus free, we will not be
liable to be
swayed by the general classifications of good and evil, so common
in the world,
and the great error of the churches. The way is then open for the
real point at
issue, which to me is not what is done, but why was it done—the
motive. Now who
can answer this but the one who acts? If the act appears to him as
a duty, and a
proper one, he alone has paramount power, and there should be none
to question a
right to perform duty as it is seen and understood. It might very
well be that
another’s acts would be improper for us, because of our different
attitude; it
might also be that our acts, seemingly proper to us, would to that
other seem
improper. From these considerations it would seem fair to deduce
that the only
correct sanction, and the one we should seek, would come from
within.
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Of course, different attitudes of mind produce different actions in
any given
case. Those who have knowledge will not act from the same motive as
those who
have less knowledge or none. Those who have no knowledge act under
the impulse
of the common attitude or way of doing things. Those who are wise
naturally take
all possible results into consideration from their wider point of
view, before
acting. With them it is largely a question of duty, unswayed by
what the views
of others may be, except in so far as those views might interfere
with larger
duties and influence at other times. In fact, so many things have
to be taken
into consideration possible to be seen and applied by the person
alone who is
involved, that no direct answer can be given in any particular
case. General
principles may be stated, and each individual left to apply them as
he sees fit.
In no other way can progress be made. We have finally, in any case,
to determine
whether we are swayed by inclination rather than plain duty, in
order that we
may not deceive ourselves. Whatever, then, is decided in all
honesty with
ourselves, is our duty, and no man is our judge.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Fourteen
I am really sorry that conditions are as you mention. I can
sympathize with you
in this, because I have had similar fortune. But while it has been
bad from one
point of view, it has had advantages which go to the strengthening
of character,
and in it all I find good experience.
When we come to consider that the purpose of life is to learn and
that it is all
made up of learning, the circumstances by means of which we learn
become of
minor importance. As Mr. Judge once wrote me under similar
circumstances: “The
ocean of life washes to our feet and away again, things that are
both hard to
lose and unpleasant to welcome, yet they all belong to life; all
come from the
Great Self that is never moved. So lean back on the Self—be like
the great bed
of the ocean that is never moved
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though storms may ruffle its surface.” I know that you understand
that attitude.
It does not mean that we should cease to do the best we can at all
times, but we
know that whatever comes all is well. Everything is taken as merely
a lesson
from which growth and knowledge may be obtained, and while we may
appear to
struggle for many things, our minds may not be set upon the things
themselves,
but upon the performance of our duty as our expanding knowledge
gives us
perception. Thus would we be like the ocean, the surface in action,
the greatest
part of us calm—unmoved.
I am glad to have your confidence so that you may speak frankly at
all times—not
that any personal knowledge of each others’ past experience is
necessary, but
that you feel that way is what counts. We both know that what a man
has been
through, or has appeared to have been, matters not at all; what
does really
matter is what he is now and what he is trying to do. I think that
the attitude
at all times should be—fear nothing, doubt nothing, regret nothing,
but GO ON.
It seems sometimes a waste of words to be writing these things to
you, because I
am sure you know them. Still, on the other hand, I know that one
needs reminding
some times, when in the swirl of engrossing events. Once when I was
talking with
Judge and showing much concern over a probable action, he said,
“You can’t
prevent people from doing what they can do.” Atruism—something I
knew very
well—but his words at that time have served me many a time since. What
he said
came from “the heart,” as my words and thoughts go to you. Perhaps
that will
explain why you find something other than the words and ideas in
what I write.
If it is true, and I think it is, that everything in Nature is
septenate, then
words and ideas are septenate—but this opens a large subject. I am
writing this
in the office ‘mid noise, confusion and interruption, and just
these few words
with whatever they may carry to you.
There is a passage which you may have seen in one of the books:
“And that power
which the disciple shall covet, is that which shall make him appear
as nothing
in the eyes of men.” This refers to getting rid of the personal
idea, of the
wish to have one’s attainments noted. The power of the personality
is great and
in-
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sidious. It retains its hold very often when the aspirations and
efforts are
noble in character. It is the most difficult thing to be overcome
in our race,
where the training is all in accentuation of it. Especially is this
so when one
is taking a public leading part. Adulation fosters ambition, if the
least
thought of self remains; the person accepts leadership as something
due to him
or her, and the faults remain even though changed in direction.
“Personality” is
the last foe to be conquered. Do you wonder then that — and — have
fallen short,
when it is evident that they do not even perceive how personal they
are? They
have taken upon them selves (their personal selves) prerogative of
spiritual
direction. A sort of popery is the result—a sense of infallibility,
which
doubtless they would intellectually deny, while giving evidence of
its
possession. Ambition to shine, to be looked up to—that is the curse
that
blighted both. Less prominent members have not been subjected to
the same
pressure, and may have learned from the mistakes of these two.
There must be
compensation for them some where, somehow, as the great wheel of
the Law rounds
the cycles. They are to be pitied for whatever of failure we may be
able to
perceive.
We shall be wise if we do not fall into the same error when Karma
tries us. I
think that the sense of personal supremacy was so strong in both of
them that
they were unable to take advice on that line. Efforts were made to
open their
eyes. A mental bias cannot be changed even by one so wise and
powerful as a
Master. If the one in error cannot see his fault, nothing can be
done. Another
life in a humbler station, the lesson may be learned.
How can Masters use such vehicles and use Judge? William Q. Judge
was of another
class of being than either of those you mention. He was an adept,
using a body
of the race. The others had merited the opportunity by services in
other lives.
The possibility of failure was there and known, no doubt; so also
was the
possibility of success. No one can predicate the result in such
cases. In any
event, the fact that the opportunity was offered them is evidence
that under
Karma they had the right to try. Neither H. P. B. nor W. Q. J.
needed to make
the effort for themselves. The work to be done is for the race and
must be done
by men and women
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of the race; there is no other way. So, remembering that — and —
are of our
imperfect race, their lack of success is not to be wondered at, in
the
circumstances. We have the karmic opportunity of profiting by the
lesson their
failure teaches. Perhaps we may take the lesson and be ready to
help them, when
we all re- turn to life again to continue the work begun.
As I understand it, Masters cannot interfere with Karma. They work
at the proper
season, and with such instruments as are provided by Karma. That
better
instruments were not ready is undoubtedly due to our racial
development, the
accentuation of personality being its predominant note. Just here
occurs to my
mind the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept,” and its
connotation, “How I
would have gathered ye under my wings, but ye would not.” Human
history is full
of such failures, but through it all there have been those who have
attained a
measurable degree of success, and who are seldom the ones in the
public eye.
We must also remember, all the time, that there are intelligent
evil forces at
work continually to defeat the emancipation of humanity from
selfishness—beings,
in fact, whose very existence depends upon selfish desire and its
many ways of
expression. The plane of existence of these beings is the earth and
its psychic
atmosphere. Our work is to people our current in space with such
thoughts as
tend to dissipate these influences, and to assist right thoughts in
others by
awakening them to the realities which have been placed within reach
of our
understanding.
And behind all are the Masters who have not deserted us and never
will, so long
as there remains a spark of true devotion.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Fifteen
I was thinking of you and your meeting; hope you had a good and
encouraging one.
Are things going hard with you? If so, it is time to push harder
along the way
you know. That will inevitably destroy all obstacles, and if
persisted in during
stress
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generates and maintains greater powers of resistance. Everybody on
the Path goes
through similar obstacles; by having them and overcoming them, you
become
teachers with knowledge of how to help. If you had no obstacles,
you would not
know how. Thank Karma for “obstacles.”
“Even this will pass away” is a good motto to keep in mind, when
things come up
that are hard to stand. The “easy” and happy times are the periods
of rest; the
“hard” times are the periods of training—opportunities for gaining
strength and
knowledge. If we can look at both in this light, we shall not be
overcome by
either.
Kicking against the pricks hurts only the one who kicks; more over,
the pricks
seem to enjoy it, for, being kicked, they keep coming back. “Resist
not evil and
it will flee from you” is a true saying; we give the evil thing
power by
thinking about it, a power that it would not otherwise have. in
fact, many of
these things of evil are creations of our own mental state, and
have no real
existence; yet they are even more distracting than realities would
be, because
composed of fear and doubt. The thing to do is to take higher
ground, mentally;
read and think about high themes; regard only the good, the meaning
and purpose
of Life as a whole. If in earnest in this way, the evil is
dissipated like the
mists before the morning sun.
What is the Dweller? It is the combined evil influence that is the
result of the
wicked thoughts and acts of the age in which anyone may live. &
When the student
has at last gotten hold of a real aspiration . . . and has also
aroused the
determination to do and to be, the whole bent of his nature day and
night, is to
reach out beyond the limitations that have hitherto fettered his
soul. No sooner
does he begin to step a little forward, than he reaches the zone
just beyond
mere bodily and mental sensations. At first the minor dwellers of
the threshold
are aroused, and they in temptation, in doubt and confusion assail
him. He only
feels the effects, for they do not reveal themselves as shapes. But
persistence
in the work takes the inner man further along, and with that
progress comes a
realization to the outer mind of the experi-
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ences met, until at last he has waked up the whole force of the
evil power that
naturally is arrayed against the good end he has set before him.
Then the
Dweller takes what form it may,” which is specialized for each
student by the
tendencies and natural physical and psychical combinations that
belong to his
family and nation.
“No earnest one who feels called to work persistently for the good
of humanity,
and not for his own, need fear aught that heaven or hell holds.”
The minor
dwellers have to be met and conquered; as long as we stay on their
plane and
daily with them, they will be with us. We must rise above them in
thought and
effort to our proper plane where they have no power over us. Each
student has
his own particular kind of minor dwellers, and no one kind is any
better than
any other kind; hence we ourselves need to be charitable to the
weaknesses of
others. We do not look upon our own weaknesses in the same light as
we regard
those of others. Compassion understands, and seeking nothing, but
desiring to
help—does so.
The Voice of the Silence says: “Compassion is no attribute. It is
the Law of
LAWS—eternal Harmony, Alaya’s SELF; a shoreless universal essence,
the light of
everlasting Right, and fitness of all things, the law of Love
eternal. The more
thou dost become at one with it, thy being melted in its BEING, the
more thy
Soul unites with that which Is, the more thou wilt become
"COMPASSION ABSOLUTE.”
“Goodness” that results from the compulsion of physical force,
threats, or
bribes, physical or “spiritual,” is useless. It must be a
self-impulse from
within—a real preference for something higher—not an abstention
because of any
fear of consequences in this or any future existence. If we have
that preference
for something higher, we must admit that others who are with us on
the “path”
have it also; we can then sympathize with them in their struggles,
knowing it is
through continued struggle that both they and “we” become free.
This is the
beginning of Compassion.
Temptations of any one kind have a tendency to repeat themselves,
and students
find that what would have at one time
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swept them away is rendered abortive by apparently irrelevant
occurrences; yet,
we know that such things are the operation of Law which has its
basis in Unity,
and we benefit in that law to the extent that we feel that Unity.
If Masters are
the ideal and goal for which we strive, we should endeavor to
imitate Them,
insofar as we are able to conceive of Their attitude toward
probationers, Their
disciples, and struggling humanity.
I did “sit up and take notice” of the last pamphlet. It is to the
point. You
know when a thing is to the point Theosophically, and “knowing
which you shall
never again fall into error”—unless you are off your guard, or
perchance close
your eyes. But what a glorious thing it is to know where the right
road lies!
Whatever else may be doubtful, that is sure. And to feel that you
are able by
your surety to point out the way to others! Help of that kind is
greater than
all other kinds put together.
I am so glad that business looks good in prospect. What you have
done in so
short a time after establishment is most encouraging, and I hope it
will all
turn out better than your highest hopes could express. Everything
must turn out
for the best if we do the best we can with what we have all the
time—that is, do
our duty by every duty. With this, your help is just as essential
as mine, as
things are—and both are mutual. So may it ever be, through the
centuries.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Sixteen
You speak of peace and tranquillity; note that it as well as its
opposite comes
in cycles. There is no stationary condition in this world of
constant change,
through the innumerable causes constantly set in motion by the
different
agencies in evolutionary operation. Yes, there is undoubtedly
“something doing.”
The above statement, if true, would suggest it, even if you did not
know it
yourself. Of course, changes do not invariably mean
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trouble. Knowledge bridges over many things that would other wise
mean nothing
but trouble. About your
little dream of me: I think of you a great deal, and
that of itself would bring the real selves together where there is
such an
evident tie as in this case. One might make such an excursion and
not be
conscious of it, or rather, he might not have a brain recollection
of it, as the
brain was not there. It might be none the less real, as you can
readily
understand. Such things must naturally occur, for we are greater
than our bodies
can at this time express—and I mean by “we,” every soul. ‘We all
have powers and
knowledge that the brain does not function in. Our work is to
co-ordinate, so
that the higher knowledge may be made manifest in the flesh. I am
glad that you
had the experience, especially as the results were good.
In regard to R. et al.: it is safe to say that if a man is
satisfied with what
he is getting out of life, and if there is nothing that he wants,
then there is
nothing else desirable. To him anything outside of that which
gratifies is
adscititious, not worthy of consideration. In such case, there is
nothing that
can be done. Having dropped some seed, the character of the soil
may be
determined. The duty of the sower is to sow; the seed will test the
soil.
So, “There was war in heaven for the space of two hours.” I can
understand it.
Fortunately it is not a case for argumentation. The remark by in
regard to Mr.
Judge was utterly beyond his knowledge and probably a parrot-like
repeating of
what he had heard, as is the case of those who take their Theosophy
from Mrs.
Besant, or from other than the true teachers. Sometime you may say
to for me,
that I was very, very frequently with Mr. Judge for ten years,
entertained him
and was entertained by him, and that I know the statement to be an
ignorant and
malicious libel, for which, however, I do not blame him. Only, a
Theosophist
ought to know better than to make statements on hearsay. Ask him if
he ever
heard of never listening to an evil thing said of another without
protest, and
abstaining from condemning others. He might say tu quoque,” which
you would
naturally acknowledge; then, questions on the part of both would be
con-
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sidered on their merits, as becomes Theosophists. Mr. Judge was
wise enough to
know that when people place their attention in the direction of
food, form, or
ceremonies, they are almost certain to end in ritualism and the
loss of the real
issue, as has happened in too many cases.
The argumentative attitude is of little value in Theosophy. It
amounts to each
endeavoring to uphold his own position. With this attitude, any
kind of a
statement calculated to undermine the opponent’s position is
generally
considered proper, and is used regardless of the truth involved.
A good thing in regard to control of speech is from the Laws of
Manu. in
Occultism, speech is regarded as an act, and the most difficult of
all acts to
control. To control speech, regular and persistent efforts are
required. The
rule for speech is given as:
Let him say what is
true.
Let him say what is
useful.
Let him say what is
pleasant.
Let him utter no
disagreeable truth.
Let him utter no
agreeable falsehood.
In the same line is Judge’s admonition: “Let us use with care those
living
messengers called words.” These are good things to bear in mind at
all times,
without making so much of them as to neglect other things quite as
important.
If aspiration is for all, and not for self alone, it reaches up to
the Universal
finally ; if for self, some degree of illumination results, but
only in degree.
The stream of effort cannot rise above its source.
As to the “we,” there is but one “we,” or perceiver, who perceives
on any plane
through the sheaths evolved by him on each plane; his perceptions
on any plane
will depend on the quality of the sheath or vehicle. Atma (spirit)
or
consciousness alone, is what remains after the subtraction of the
sheaths. It is
the ONLY witness—a synthesizing unity. On this plane—and this means
during
waking consciousness or its dream effects—the perceiver knows only
what it knows
on this plane (generally speaking),
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and through the ignorance of the Real, involves itself in the cause
and effect
of physical nature, identifying itself with body and sensations,
and looking at
other human beings in the same light. This is a wrong attitude of
mind. The
“we,” at this end, is the identification of the perceiver with this
plane’s
perceptions—a misconception of the perceiver, a dream—a play—in
which the
perceiver is so involved as to have lost sight and memory of his
real life.
The mind is both “carrier” and “translator” of both lower and
higher self; the
attitude determines the quality and kind of action, for one will
act according
to the attitude of mind firmly held. The great and incalculable
value of acting
for and as the Supreme is that there is nothing higher in the way
of attitude,
and this endeavor must by its very nature bring about the best
results.
What moves the “mind” this way or that is usually desire for the
attractions of
matter, and self-interest in them; these then move and control the
mind through
the brain. “We,” the Perceiver, does not perceive anything but the
“ideas” which
the senses and organs present. He is not wholly awake on this
plane; some times
he gets partly wakened, but drops off to sleep again, lulled by the
sounds and
memories of his dream; sometimes “bad dreams” awake him; sometimes
he is
awakened by the voices of those who are awake.
The “Real” and the “unreal,” the “fleeting” and the “ever lasting”
are terms
which will be more fully understood if looked at from the point of
view of the
Perceiver. This is the attitude of mind we should hold.
The appearances you speak of will wear off in time and you will get
beyond that
place where these things appear, if attention is not paid to them.
“He who would
hear the voice of Nada, the ‘Soundless Sound’ and comprehend it, he
has to learn
the nature of ‘Dharana,’ ”—perfect concentration upon one interior
object, by
“having become indifferent to other objects of perception.” These
appearances
are objects of perception.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
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THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Seventeen
There is only one Perceiver; the sights are modified by the
channels through
which the Perceiver looks. It is the same Soul in any and all
modifications. The
power of seeing is the Soul; the power of the Soul goes into the
seeing, hence
what It “sees” is to It real because seen; as sights each is a
reality; but the
nature of Soul is different from any and all “sights.”
The nature of Soul as unmodiflable must be grasped; then, each
sight is
perceived as a relativity and there is no more identification than
we assume
when we see the many thousands of things that are about us every
day,
unaffected, unless we concentrate upon them. We concentrate upon
some things,
automatically, through habitude; this automatic habit has to be
gradually
changed, and control substituted. It is to be effected by trying to
do it, by
keeping at it. The Mind as at present constituted is a or repelled
by
externalities, and the power of the Soul flows in the direction of
concentration, be that long or short. Through the Mind, the Soul
determines bad,
good, better, best, on this or any plane. Mind has to be adjusted
by knowledge
of essential nature, of causes, and by analogies and
correspondence. The views
held in regard to existence constitute the Mind and direct the
Soul’s energy in
that relation.
There is just “Consciousness” and its “states,” which are
conditioned
consciousness. We speculate on conditions; we cannot on
Consciousness itself,
for we are that. We cannot find Ourselves in any kind or number of
conditions,
which are but pictures in the mind. “It is of this stairway that
thou art the
mirror and faithful climber” might mean climbing beyond conditions;
is not that
the “awakening of the Self” which the Upanishads speak of? A man in
a dark room
is conditioned by the darkness; in the open he is conditioned in
other ways; but
he is the same man. We must have knowledge in order to use power
rightly, but we
must know that
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we are neither knowledge nor power; they are ours; to imagine that
we are any
given knowledge or power is illusion. It might be said that there
are to kinds
of knowledge—knowledge of any and all conditions, and knowledge of
the Self.
Knowledge of the Self is beyond relativity; relativity cannot be
known by
relativity, but only by that which is beyond all relativity. “To
blend thy Mind
and Soul” is to make the Mind subservient to the purposes of Soul,
an instrument
for use, not a cage of relativities in which to imprison ourselves.
“No action from a true basis could proceed far in an erroneous
direction” is
right. Right basis is the compass; should wind or tide deflect the
course, the
compass is there to tell the story. We have many correct ideas in
particulars,
but forget the universal application of them. The fact that the
Perceiver is One
and Impartite, and that the “seeing” is looking directly on Ideas,
is the basis
of consideration. No idea is real, for on “looking” at it, motion
is caused
which spells “change.” The change is not so much in the object of
vision, as in
the mode of seeing. We are so liable to imagine that the change is
external, and
endeavor to adjust externalities to internal change—an eternal and
ineffectual
struggle. We seek one of the pair of opposites, instead of finding
the basis of
their unity, because of our desires.
Kama-loka means the plane or place of Desire. Doubt and Desire seem
to go
together; for wanting a thing implies the doubt of getting it, and
intensity of
doubt is expressed in fear. So Desire, Doubt, and Fear are the
characteristics
of the Kama-lokic state. I think we may have these about anything
in life, and
in accordance with our intensity attract similar energies from the
Kama-lokic
state, whether emanating from living or dead personalities. Lengthy
periods of
doubt and fear are more intensive than shorter ones in their
drawing power and
subsequent effects. We enter that current and receive from that
plane so long as
we hold on to it. But there is the other side—we can desire nothing
for
ourselves and determine to accept what comes. Events and conditions
come and go,
and no amount of desiring will prevent their coming or hinder their
going.
Taking this attitude, we live in the Eternal and
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watch the wheel of Progress called change with neither desire, fear
nor doubt to
assail us. When we desire anything, the thing itself is not what we
want, but
the feeling that the thing gives us; if the thing gave us no
“feeling,” we would
not desire it. To do service is also “feeling,” but how different
in its effects
— instead of harmful
reactions.
What will we do when we hear and see what is in Kama-loka? I think
that when we
arrive at that stage, we shall know we are looking at a condition,
and will not
be identified with it, unless we should choose to plunge into it in
order to
“feel” the state. Those in it know nothing but the desires and
passions which
animate them, think of nothing else; to them there is no other
state.
I have read the articles you sent. They are all right in them
selves, but they
lack “point” in the direction we are concerned about. The writer
brings out the
fact that the existence of Masters was not first made known in the
nineteenth
century. Of course not; the Ocean and H. P. B. speak of Them and
adduce evidence
of such a belief in many ways. But the evidence of past beliefs
would have but
little effect upon the present, unless it were not only pointed
out, but shown,
that They are living Men. The main thing that was shown and needs
constant
pointing to is the fact that these past beliefs referred to past
efforts of the
Lodge, and that the close of the nineteenth century marked Their
latest effort
through Their chosen Messenger. To say that the accumulated
knowledge of the
ages is not new, is to say nothing; from this point of view the
articles would
mislead the ordinary reader, and we are not in that business.
“To abstain from condemning others” is a course to be continually
striven for;
it is vital. No two really act from the same basis of perception;
how then can
anyone judge? It should be granted that each one is trying to do
his best—the
best that he knows. His knowledge may be small, but if he strives
to do the best
he knows, his knowledge increases. For myself, I have an end in
view in what I
do; not my end, but something which includes
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many others—all if possible. Whether a temple is intended or a
building for a
saloon, similar work has to be performed; so actions are no safe
basis to judge
from. As students get to understand this in regard to each other,
each in his
degree, better results may be confidently expected. We credit each
other with
the best of motives and let it go at that; any other way leads to
confusion and
misunderstanding, hence to separative thought and action.
“What do people get ‘mad’ about?” I think, generally, at some thing
another has
done, or failed to do; or at some fancied slight. We feel annoyed
at the
circumstances, really, not the person; although we foolishly
confuse the two.
Now a thing done, is done; no amount of irritation can change it.
What is needed
is a consideration of what led up to the doing; this should be
taken up as
calmly as any other proposition. If someone annoys you or irritates
you by
manner or action, it is to be assumed that he is not doing it on
purpose to
annoy. Try to understand his viewpoint; examine the man’s
machinery, just as you
would a machine. Some people have been known to get mad at a
machine, and feel
destruction in regard to it; but where is the fault? The machine cannot
learn
anything; the man can, and needs to. The main trouble, I think, is
that most
people consider it perfectly proper to make their likes and
dislikes a basis for
action, everything being judged from that basis. This, of course,
is altogether
wrong, although very common. We are not called upon for judgment,
but for right
action; to act rightly ourselves, and by precept and example induce
it in
others. If we essay this task, it will at once appear that we
cannot act rightly
unless calmly. We have to cultivate Calmness under all
circumstances. Calmness
is like a rock; waves of irritation may dash at it, but cannot
affect it; it can
be attained by seeing the necessity for it, and by endeavor which
is constant.
It comes from “resting in the Real,” which is never moved, but
moves all things,
sees all, without being involved.
So if we take all these things as just our “tryouts,” we shall be
able to get
the right view of them, and the right attitude. These things in themselves
do
not matter; it does matter that we are unshaken.
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Of course, I am saying these things to myself, for you know them
right well;
only sometimes we forget and revert to habitude. But there is
always that place
which is never moved, to rest on and in. So with confidence in Them
we go
forward, and may Peace be ever ours.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Eighteen
“In order to be the knower of All-Self (tattwa-jynanain—a knowledge
of all the
tattwas or forces) thou hast first of Self to be the knower.” This
is exactly
what we are driving at; what W. Q. J. set forth in “Act for and as
the Self” as
“the first lesson to learn”—and the hardest, as our minds are
constituted.
The mind or “thinking principle” is a general term, meaning the
power of
thinking; but this power exercised partially, or restricted in
direction, makes
what is called “mind” among men— “bundles of perceptions,”—my mind,
and your
mind. So Patanjali says, “A firm position assumed, with the end in
view” is
necessary, this position being that of the Spirit in Man “untouched
by troubles,
works, fruits of works or desires.”
It is well to keep in mind what W. Q. J. said: “Realization comes
from dwelling
upon the thing to be realized.” The “dwelling” has to be done by
the one who
desires to “realize.” Consciousness, Spirit, Life, are really
synonymous terms
expressing co existence; neither idea can be conceived of as apart
from the
other two. Consciousness sees all, experiences all, makes all
changes, is all.
It is the One Reality, and although the most important factor (to
use a word) in
the world of differentiation, it appears the least Real because
indefinable. It
is like the power of Sight which sees all things but cannot see
Itself, being
universal, unchangeable and inexhaustible. Divide the Kosmos into
the permanent
and invisible, and the visible and invisible impermanent; thus we
may hope to
guide first the lower and terrestrial, and then the higher and
cosmic. The whole
story is contained in, “That which is
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neither Light nor Darkness, Spirit nor Matter, but which is verily
the Root and
Container of these—That Thou Art.”
If one were to attempt to write pages, they would be but
reiterations. Does not
the whole of life’s purpose point to a realization of Unity in
Diversity; seeing
all things at once and as One, instead of separately and in detail?
There are
always the “pairs of opposites” in separative considerations, and
these are
effects. The One Reality sees both as reflections, as light and
dark; if not
seen, they do not exist.
“The nice old gentleman” claiming Theosophy to be “largely a matter
of belief”
is like so many others who think themselves passing wise in lightly
dismissing
things beyond them as mere matters of belief. “Tomorrow” is a
matter of belief
from that point of view; but no one doubts the “morrow,” because of
“today” and
“the days gone by,” which are matters of knowledge. Theosophy can
be tested out
by present knowledge and proves it self with every test.
The common-sense of Theosophy must appeal to any man of the world;
the great
thing is to have it.
W. Q. J. had it par excellence; his lead is a safe and a good one
to follow. If
one has it, he will show himself in possession of knowledge which
to others
seems desirable. Some will try for it, while others will be “too
busy” about
their petty affairs. Who knows what seeds are sown in common-place
conversations?
An acquaintance with the hopes, aims, and general life of those we
desire to
help is desirable, and to be found only in contact and converse.
Such touch with
others also emphasizes the Contrast and shows the value of our
philosophy in
brighter Colors: the pairs of opposites—attitudes of mind—with and
without a
philosophy of life.
I have read H.’s letter. The gist of it apparently is that he and
his chums, as
named by him, know what H. P. B. desires Now. This is a large claim
and
assumption of authority. H. P. B. well knew, and we can say,
“knows,” that just
such claims would be made. We know that they are made in several
quarters. How
is
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55
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any one desirous of following in Their footsteps to know what They
desire?
Undoubtedly, the only guide is to be found in Their own records
left for that
very purpose. Different minds and dispositions will interpret these
records in
various ways peculiar to themselves, as is being done. The only
guide is
oneself—as H. very truly says—but there must be an open mind, an
eager
intellect, an unveiled spiritual perception, to have true
direction. This
peculiar sentence in H.’s letter sounds like “cocksureness”: “If
you are certain
that we are wrong and you are right, that ends it.” It is their
position from
the first; they practically say, “We know what H. P. B. desires to
be done from
day to day; we have found our Guru and are obeying Him. H. P. B.’s
and W. Q.
J.’s message was that They had found Their souls, and that the
message was so
that others could do likewise.” To my mind, this is not pointing to
the
“message” itself, nor does it take into consideration the nature of
the Two who
masqueraded in mortal garments; it only says, “WE KNOW.” If this is
not a demand
for acquiescence, I do not know what is. He talks about our taking
Their
writings as “authoritative”; well, they are, in the sense that They
told us the
way and laid down the lines that would be best to follow.
As for myself, I bow to Their wisdom; I doubt it not. I and every
other was
thought of in the message and the directions They gave. It was and
is not to be
trimmed by interpretations, nor special mediums. It stands as Their
message as
it was left by Them, and no one has the right to change it. WE WILL
NOT. Let
others do as they please—assume authority if they think well of it;
but we
reject every authority except that of our expanding spiritual
perceptions, and
we recognize and give our devotion to the cause of Theosophy, and
are loyal unto
death to the great Founders of the Movement. “They who undervalue
Her gift and
Her creation, have not imbibed the Teaching and cannot assimilate
its benefits.”
Is it not strange that H. denounces “authority” as applied to Their
writings,
yet puts it forward for himself and his confreres? This certainly
is the way of
confusion and of delusion, and the one followed by every claimant
we know of.
Strange that they cannot see the incongruity of their position.
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It is a crooked world all tangled up with false actions born of
false ideas of
life. The present generation has a right to a presentation of
truth; a few will
benefit greatly—and all, to some extent; but the time w come when
the truth
shall prevail, and all the more convincingly because of having
stood through
seas of error and rocks of determined opposition. Knowing this, we
can
confidently go on, patiently, yes, even cheerfully, since even
those who flout
the truth now will sometime come to know it; for these, too, we
serve and wait.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Nineteen
“What is the Perceiver?” is asked. I do not see how any definition
can be made.
What is sight? Sight cannot see itself, yet it sees all things. It
cannot be
defined or described, yet with out it nothing can be seen; it is
not changed
though it receive millions of impressions, nor can a limit be
assigned to its
action. Apply this to Consciousness, or the Perceiver, and there is
apparent the
changeless, inexhaustible, unprovable Spirit. Reality Is, and
cannot be proved
by changing unrealities. Space is not proved by the number of
things in it,
insofar as its infinitude is concerned; yet a realization of the
impossibility
of a beginning or ending to space can exist.
I think you have the idea right when you say that the trouble
exists in the
“thinking principles” on each plane not being in accord. We
eternally endeavor
to see the Perceiver as something different, something separate
from ourselves,
whereas, “Thou art That.” Our methods of analysis are illustrated
in the old
query, “Which was first, the hen or the egg?”—with no solution. Is
it not
looking for something separate, different from what we conceive to
be ourselves?
“Immortality is on both sides of death,” or change. He is wise
indeed who sees
the Self in all things and all things in the Self. The time must
come for a
being when “He”
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may know all things, but he would also know that he is not all nor
any of these
things. So far as I can grasp words to convey an idea, he would
know himself to
be “All-Self,” limitless, and there fore beyond anything that we
would call
“knowing.” All manifestation is the result of the action of
Consciousness: would
not the first film of substance be the homogeneous product of a
previous
manifestation? The time must come for a being when he knows the
nature and
possibilities of this homogeneous substance, but “He,” as a
conscious power,
stands above and beyond all perceptions and conceptions—infinite,
all-pervading,
creator, preserver, destroyer. The power of seeing is not visible;
it is the
cause of visibility. But what is the use of troubling about all
this? There are
many steps in the stairway of wisdom to be climbed, and one step
leads to
another; we cannot climb the stairs by looking up at the top. I
think your
expression of “finding the Unity in a pair of opposites to be in
itself one of a
higher pair,” is a good one; this might represent the “rungs in
Jacob’s ladder.”
It is all right and well to state your difficulties to me. If
“mind” has power,
and the will to give all possible help is there, action must
follow. Your faith
in this must act as an open door. “Have confidence and faith in
Master,” applies
to everything in life and all living; our doubts are the
deterrents. We have to
beware that we ask not amiss—from wrong motive. I have no doubt
that adjustments
are brought about where there is honest striving, and even apparent
mistakes are
made to serve a good purpose in such case. The Masters are not
“absentee
landlords.” They are present in the world and we should hold to
this fact always
in our personal and collective efforts. We have to do as They do,
i.e., take
conditions as they exist and work in them and through them. If all
do their
best, Masters can adjust and bring all the lines together for the
best and
highest good. In the effort of each, all cannot be in the same
place, nor doing
the same thing in the same way, but if the aim is one for all, all
benefit, and
the world as well.
I am going to keep your notes in regard to the inability of the
student to
relate admonitions to himself. I think despair and despondency come
from not
following what we know, and did not
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apply. If we make effort to apply what we know, with an end in
view, failure to
achieve does not disconcert us, because we still have the active
knowledge and
the end is still in view; it just means a continuation of effort.
“It is only in
the present that we can gain wisdom.”
There is so much pettiness in the attitude toward small things, an
attitude
which accentuates the personality instead of subjugating it. The
fight must
begin there, for all these small irritations are based upon
self-assertion. I
have seen these small matters neglected as unimportant, and then
the time came
when this very habit of self-assertion showed itself as an
assertion against the
Teachers Themselves: “They were nothing but persons, liable to
err,” etc.;
ingratitude and disloyalty follow, as a matter of course, and even
loss of all
benefit from the teachings. It is as you say— the Arjunas postpone
the
engagement, awaiting some big thing to overcome; but they have not
the stamina,
should they be so confronted. They fall or flee, blaming everyone
but
themselves—self- assertion to the last, and another failure is
recorded where
success might have been.
As to “The brother and sister of the Order of Regeneration”: all
down the ages
men have been endeavoring to correct existing conditions, by simply
re-arranging
them. A re-arrangement of errors does not make for knowledge; the
errors arise
because of ignorance; knowledge must be sought as to the causes
that produce
existing conditions. This, Theosophy teaches by showing what man
is, his origin,
nature, history, and development so far, as well as his grand
destiny. Without
this knowledge, all attempts to obtain true and better conditions
but plunge
mankind deeper in the mire of ignorance and error. Works without
knowledge can
but lead to more and more ignorant works, piling up all the time a
worse and
worse future, as history has shown and is showing. Restraint from
any kind of
food, habit or practice, leads nowhere. The wise man does not try
to regenerate
the world by any one course, but having obtained knowledge, lives
according to
it as best he can under any conditions, using his energy and
knowledge in the
world and for the world, by presenting what he sees to be truth.
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It is well to have these things come out and to formulate right
ideas and
applications in our minds, for they do not remain inert if we
“feel” them; we
endow them with our life and energy, and they are our messengers
carrying seeds
of thought for other minds. There is an occult meaning to
everything, and all
things work together for good to those who love the Lord (Law).
That we should
have been brought into direct communication with error, while
naming it truth,
has its meaning; it must be a step in the great cause. We should be
glad to be
able—and be able—to correct erroneous views and applications. In
that is our
strength; our personal weaknesses and troubles are but bubbles on
the stream of
time, which our “strength” will safely carry us through and over.
This thought,
which comes from inner knowledge, should make us stronger, better
able, surer of
victory.
It may appear to some that these are criticisms of the methods of
others; they
are not so intended. They are intended to show there is a definite
philosophy of
Theosophy; that it is scientifically based; that the mission of
distinctively
Theosophical societies, viz., to study, apply and promulgate
Theosophy, is not
filled by the holding of such misconceptions; and finally to prove
that such
misconceptions are not based upon the philosophy of Theosophy,
whatever else may
be their foundation.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty
Do not all the senses resolve themselves into what may be called
“feeling”—the
residuum of all perceptions, the resolution into the one
sense-perception? If I
do not feel any perception there is none for me; also there are
grades of
feeling, deep or superficial, more or less transient in effect. We
often say “I
see” when we really do not mean what we call sight, but
comprehension, which to
my way of thinking means a feeling in regard to the matter. We may
rightly call
this “one sense” seeing, if that implies the grasp of all the
characteristics of
the subject.
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It seems to me that the true body of man could be well considered
as a set of
trained "mirrors" these as conscious lives have their own
“seeing” and “memory,”
but man’s seeing and memory would not be theirs nor his feeling,
either. “The
eyes of the Highest see through the eyes of the lowest,” but the
“lowest” does
not see what the “Highest” does. In each case the seeing is related
to the area
of vision. The Perceiver may be universally perceptive without
relation, or may
be particularly related by focalization— which would mean a
shutting out of all
perceptions but those upon which feeling was concentrated. In such
latter case,
the various “mirrors” thus cut off from contemplation would have
their own
seeing, which might or might not be stored and regained by the
Perceiver in
accordance with the training given them by the individualized
being. “Kutastha
he who standeth on high, unaffected. But there is another spirit
designated as
the Supreme Spirit—Paramatma—which permeates and sustains the three
worlds.” The
former could be taken as the Perceiver, the latter as Consciousness
per Se.
JiveAtma is the One Life; from and in this arises being and
Divinity; i.e., full
self-consciousness. Light, Life, Being, and Divinity—growth and
individualization within the One, ever tending toward greater
universality: this
seems to tell the story, but words do not always carry the meaning
of the
speaker or writer; yet sometimes a new meaning is given by the
juxtaposition of
ideas as expressed in words. The usual tendency is to consider
differentiation
in general and in particular, forgetting that That which sees
differentiation is
not any of the things seen, and to attribute to the “sights” the
qualities which
can be seen and known only by That which sees.
Yes, the problems are to be faced now, in this life, because they
present
themselves. And we have the ways and means to “over come” in our
philosophy of
life. Does not the command to “stand aside” mean to look on, to
watch the play
of forces? We cannot do that if we make ourselves the lighter. “Be
not thou the
warrior, let him battle for thee,” bespeaks renunciation of
self-interest in the
result of one’s actions.
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Do you not think that much of our feeling of “strenuosity” comes
from wanting
what we want and not wanting what we don’t want? Like and dislike.
To be neither
elated by success nor downcast by failure is the even way; we know
that and we
keep trying for it. The very effort and desire to attain will bring
it about
through all the circumstances which are our teachers.
I think that the way is to begin with the small things. Do not
permit yourself
to be annoyed by them: we demand services as our right in so many
ways, and are
annoyed when we do not get them as we think they should come. At
least, that is
the way I have found it. And adopting that attitude in the small,
the same is
maintained in the great, and much more easily. Also, to help us,
perhaps, there
is a multitude of small annoyances to each great trouble.
If sensitiveness goes no deeper than the personality, it will be
constantly
offending the basis of that false entity, and be a source of
irritation to the
person, as to others by reaction. With strong natures this is
difficult to
control, but a simple rule might be adopted which would help much
if carried
out: “Never speak nor write if the slightest trace of irritation
remains”; wait;
or, if speaking or writing is necessary, take some subject which
permits of
accord. It is remarkable how quickly one state may be stilled and
quite another
one induced by a recognition of the fact and a use of knowledge.
Another help is
to take everything that comes as a matter of course—as it really is
law. No use,
expending energy on what might have been, nor throwing the onus of
conditions on
any one else. When the condition is taken care of calmly and
dispassionately,
the causes that led up to it may be judicially considered and
stored away for
future use. In this way power grows, is “stored.” The other way
fritters away
energy and causes its dispersion in others.
If we are looking for light, it is because we find darkness where
at one time we
thought there was light: this is also experience and of the truer
sort. One’s
personal experience is one facet through which experience may be
gained; to be
of real value it has to be related to and made a part of all
experiences. It is
as you say, “de-
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pendence on principles and faith in those principles” leads us out
of the
obscurity cast by the bundles of perceptions that are dignified by
the name of
“mind.” This means a stoppage of the ordinary basis of action, the
(lower) mind
in use, and a creation from the source within, in a true relation,
a creation
which proceeds from the basis of the eternal verities. “By those
who see the
truth and look into the principles of things, the ultimate
characteristic of
these both is seen.”
Undeniably, it is startling to many to think that perhaps we had
some of the
Masters working directly among us, with us, and for us, and that we
judged them
as though they were actuated by our small and selfish motives. This
might not be
true for us, but it is true for many who are now very much in the
public eye as
Theosophical exponents, and who appear to be still oblivious of the
fact. That
this lack of discrimination should lead to all sorts of mistakes
and wrong steps
is easily perceived, as also that many who came later were blinded
by those who
claimed to know. It must be clear to everyone who has done much
Theosophical
reading and study of H. P. B. and W. Q. J., that the failure of the
T. S. lay
principally in that non-recognition, for it implies a lack of
comprehension and
power to apply the philosophy given. “They may learn, but what of
that?” It
would be well for us and for the world if all had held true to the
Teachers and
Teachings; we know that they have not. Belief in any one or any
thing is not
called for, but devotion to the lines laid down is, and this is
sure to bring
about right understanding and right relation.
These words occur in H. P. B.’s message: “Although Theosophical
ideas have
entered into every development or form which awakening spirituality
has assumed,
yet Theosophy pure and simple has still a severe battle to fight
for recognition
. . . there are others among us who realize intuitionally that the
recognition
of pure Theosophy—the philosophy of the rational explanation of
things and not
the tenets—is of the most vital importance inasmuch as it alone can
furnish the
beacon light needed to guide humanity on its true path. This should
never be
forgotten.”
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To us, here is clearly and unequivocally stated the duty of those
who desire to
carry on the work done by Her, and there is no question at all as
to Who and
what She spoke for. It is that we are by every means in our power
endeavoring to
do. We have devoted our lives to it, and there is no energy to
spare for any
other issue.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty-One
I am more than glad that surroundings are pleasant and prospects
fair. While you
may be mentally living with us, as you say, we are in like manner
living with
you. It is like getting a multiplied experience—a study of the
hearts of men. I
think we shall get some good things out of it all, and at long
range, too.
Yes, there is really a Thinker, who thinks; who has perceptions on
the
phenomenal side of every plane. While in waking consciousness,
those who
identify the Thinker with the phenomenal perceptions of physical
existence are
fully as wise as one would be who identifies himself with the
scenes in a moving
picture show. Such an one would not be creative in active thought,
deliberatively peopling his current in space with thought-forms
that spring from
a knowledge of the true; he would be a mere reflector of
impressions—a sort of
battledore and shuttle-cock; of such is not the kingdom of heaven.
These thinkers have gotten themselves into the realm of “passing
shadows” which
shut out the light. They may be likened to the prodigal son who
left his
father’s house and fed on husks with the swine. Some day, they may
like him
remember and say, “I will arise and go to my father.” When they do
so and
endeavor to find the way back, they will be helped by the
deliberate thoughts of
those who have lighted the fires for their guidance; we all can
help in that
way, as well as in others. There should be an encouragement in that
thought.
Have you seen Mr. Judge’s article in the Path, “Each Member a
Center”? “As
above, so below—” analogy everywhere and correspon-
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dence. But correspondence does not imply sameness of process. The
thinker is a
creator, and endows his thoughts with self-reproductive power for
such time as
accords with their nature, and the kind of matter they relate to.
Kinds of
matter and states of consciousness are intimately related; in fact,
the teaching
indicates that Manasic consciousness has its habitat in the fifth
state of
matter as does Buddhic in the sixth state. The permanency of
thought creations
would naturally be greater in subtile than in gross matter; these
last would die
out in short order were it not that the lower aspect of Manas
receives the first
impact, and, by attention given, recharges their batteries to a
greater or less
degree. That attention is of the nature of identification with the
impact. Here
we have the meaning of self-interest. The destruction of these
obstacles lies in
renunciation of self-interest in the result of actions and reliance
upon the
power of Truth—the Self—the Supreme.
You say, “It is strange how little faith there is in the power of
truth.” I
translate this, “in the power of truth perceived.” There is power
in this
perception, when reliance is placed on it. Rely on the power of
truth perceived;
if this is done, there is not much left for any other assumption of
power. So
with speaking; it is an acquisition—a talent gained by yourself,
and for use—not
of the transient physical man, but of the Divine Man. To talk
Theosophy in the
spirit of Theosophy cannot be wrong; so what we have to learn is to
guard and
“use with care those living messengers called words.” Let us make
all our
faculties serve the one end.
That action and reaction take place more rapidly with you is not a
bad sign. It
shows a fluidic state wherein the sediment may be precipitated, and
it will
be—if reliance is placed upon the power of truth. For the nature of
the inner
man is of Truth, and the perception of truth is of the same nature.
Action and
reaction must be mutual and complementary.
The “theosophical” meeting that you write of is much as I should
imagine—they
have missed the key as have so many others; they have become
involved in the
processes of life. I wonder if these unfortunates ever think what
it was that H.
P. B. founded?
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Was it any branch or the people who belong to branches? “Let it be
understood
that with the exoteric society H. P. B. has nothing to do.” That
which was
founded by H. P. B. was not the diversified aggregation now
existing, but
something else which bore that name. They might also consider the
saying well
known to them, “If ye love me ye will keep my commandments.” It
would be good if
— should voluntarily desire to come with us, but I do not think it
wise to press
any one or try to convince; make bold statements if you wish, to
provoke
questions and stimulate enquiry, but let it go at that. Do not try
to explain
everything so fully as to leave no room for germinative thought on
the part of
enquirers.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty-Two
Why is it necessary to sleep? Primarily, because the nature of the
body is such
that it can stand the impact of the life-current needed to allow
the exhibition
of waking-consciousness, for a portion of the time, only; the
resistance of
waking-consciousness must cease, so that the “current” flows
through the body
unobstructed, thus renewing the ability to withstand the impact.
This impact
during loss of sleep tends to break down the cells of the body and
organs faster
than new ones can be formed. The body will die from lack of sleep
more quickly
than from lack of food.
It is the body that sleeps—the Ego does not. When the impact of
Life grows too
strong for the body, the power to function through it ceases; the
Ego,
therefore, functions in other sheaths until the body becomes
equilibrized.
The Ego lives its own separate life whenever it becomes free from
the trammels
of matter—that is, during the physical sleep. Its thoughts are not
subjective
pictures in the brain, such as our thoughts when the body is in
use, but living
acts—realities—for they instantly realize themselves in action by
the power of
Kriya sakti, that power which transforms ideas instantaneously into
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visible forms. Sometimes these thought-actions are reflected in the
brain and
the person says, “I dreamed thus and so.” He feels as though he had
lived
through something as a person (which means his
brain-consciousness), whereas as
such he had not; but what he perceived through the brain were
partial
impressions, usually distorted, as other ideas mingle by the power
of the
association of ideas. It can be seen, then, why Right thought and
Right action
must prevail in order to be able to use the higher knowledge on
this plane.
Right thought prepares the “thinking principle,” and Right action
so prepares
the physical brain that no distortion arises from it. The “real
man” knows; the
evanescent personality does not know, in the race generally,—but
may. This is
the great work which our present efforts, if persisted in, lead to.
From the fact that we “wake” during the day, and “sleep” at night,
might be
deduced the conclusion that the direct and in direct rays of the
Sun (Sun and
Moon) have much to do with the states. As a rule men do not rise
and retire with
the Sun, especially in races where intellectual growth is marked;
on the other
hand, lower races—simpler minds—do. This might be taken to indicate
that Manas,
being of a higher plane, and partially active on the physical, has
the power to
draw from either the direct or indirect rays of the Sun in
maintenance of the
body. In either case, how-ever, the body will remain in condition
for waking
consciousness for only a certain period. Being of the earth earthy,
it is
subject to the general laws of forces pertaining to the earth, of
which it is a
part.
The general laws of forces pertaining to the earth, again, are the
subsidiary
results of the higher laws under which advanced beings are
evolving; so, it may
be summed up that the body sleeps because it needs rest (the Ego
does not need
it all the time), and because body, Egos, all beings and
Manvantaras are
possible only under the law of periodicity—activity followed by
rest. Rest
represents “the unmanifested,” and activity the manifested, the
“Unmanifested”
being a limited but general state, such as “sleep,” in and from
which, as we
have heard, other higher states are acces-
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sible. So there you are, link upon link, chain upon chain—all
connected and all
under one great law. I have your last pamphlet from Path IV. It is
nourishment
in tabloid form, and will give basis for many talks. Thank you on
behalf of
myself and others who will be benefited. No doubt, your heart-felt
desire for
that benefit will be felt by those open. Yes, indeed; all our
gratitude should
be to H. P. B., and to her “alter ego” W. Q. J., particularly, for
those
building-up efforts which have for so long been passed over by
selfishly
ambitious Theosophists (save the mark!). That we are so fortunate
as to be
brought in touch and understanding of his endeavor is the best of
Karma; and
that we should feel impelled to bring this benefit to the notice of
others is
indicative of discrimination and a test of true discipleship.
“Inasmuch as ye
have done it to the least of these, ye have done it unto me.”
It matters little if few come to the meetings; these few may be the
means of
bringing many; and besides, the effort and sacrifice are what bring
the ultimate
result. “A few drops of rain do not constitute a monsoon but they
presage it.”
In our age it is well to consider what the Great Ones have done and
do. Age
after age, year after year, They conserve the knowledge and wait,
doing what
They can, and how They can in accordance with cyclic law. Knowing
this and doing
thus, there can be no room for doubt or discouragement. “Theosophy
is for those
who want it, and for none others.” We are holding, waiting and
working for those
few earnest souls who will grasp the plan and further the work,
“for the harvest
is ready and the laborers are few.” Those who were entitled to the
first
invitation to the feast have had it, and now with many of these—sad
to say—their
ears are so dulled and their attention so diverted that no number
of repetitions
will reach them. Yet it must be held out continually for all. That
is our
work—our self-assumed work. We have the example in W. Q. J., in
means, methods
and spirit, and we, so doing, serve that Great Lodge of which he
was and is a
great and devoted part.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
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THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty-Three
Reactions must come; a period of high thought and endeavor is not
yet the
consummation, and must of necessity— being above the normal
level—bring about a
condition below it. Knowing this to be the law of action and
reaction, the
buoyancy resulting from this knowledge should bring us quickly from
below to a
higher level than before, to a better understanding.
Ships, sailors and men of all kinds get into “doldrums” at times.
The sailors
know that there is no getting anywhere without the ship, and the
ship goes not
without wind, so they—just wait for the wind. Some, I have heard,
go to
whistling in order to raise a breeze, but I do not imagine that the
wind is
hurried at all by their efforts, and the whistlers only keep
themselves in a
state of irritation by their deferred hopes. The wiser take the
opportunity to
repair their kits, and do a general overhauling, so that when the
wind does
come, all is ready for it. The general position with them, no
doubt, is that a
sailor’s life is “work all the time,” the kind of work. being
determined only by
the circumstances.
A true student of Theosophy is, I think, a good deal like the
sailor in many
ways—particularly in the realization that whatever comes, it means
work, in one
way or another. A realization of the thing to be done gives the
right direction
to effort. And we, who know that the universe exists for the
purposes of Soul,
can be but momentarily disturbed by anything that may come to pass.
You have
attitude, and the adjustment of the effects of events to it must
become more and
more easy and rapid as time goes on, and enough “monads” have been
examined to
get the general classification. Call it a study class doing
examples in
obstacles. To my mind, you are dead right in saying we blunder if
we think that
we get anything outside. That is the tendency of the age—analysis
instead of
synthesis. We have not only to fight this in ourselves, but
likewise to meet the
effects of it on every hand. It
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is a tough fight, but it makes strong souls; and we accept both
these
propositions. We did not start out expecting a “train deluxe” to
heaven. We knew
it was to be a fight every step of the way; and not only do we have
to fight,
but to meet and surmount all the obstacles that the enemy—this
civilization—places in our way. But in view of the great prize—the
uplift of
humanity—these obstacles offer opportunity to get into fighting
trim, and as
such should be welcomed rather than decried or denied. We know all
these things,
yet we have to say them over and over again to ourselves and to
each other for
mutual encouragement. And it is right that it should be so. The
comrades who are
well support those who may be suffering from illness and disability
from
whatever cause, and they are right glad to do so, for our army is
an army by
reason of mutual support. Think what OUR ARMY is, and despair—if
you can.
I am reading all your statements with interest; they all show a
consideration
from the right standpoint—from Universals to particulars. I think
with you that
what is called “old-fashioned hard thinking” is worse than useless,
and that “if
one keeps pondering on the philosophy or some application of it,
ideas arise in
the mind.” Pondering on the Self as in all things, and all things
in the Self
must be productive, even as the Self is the producer.
It is not so much what we can formulate as what we consciously
live; the
formulation may give direction and continuity, and so is useful to
ourselves and
to others; but the application of right thought comes from pondering
on the
Self. Your letters indicate that attitude. The thing to be guarded
against is
the materializing of the ideas, and I see no sign of that in you.
The Egoic
consciousness, being not limited like that of the physical, and in
a state of
matter inconceivable to us, our terms cannot comprehend it,
although its
universal application can be brought to bear upon our present
plane, and a
junction made—which is no junction in the ordinary sense, but a
higher
view-point. All these attempts are efforts, and everywhere in
Nature we see that
effort brings results.
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Judge said “All, all is the Self.” He said this for no other
possible reason
than that the idea might be seized upon and held. The Gita says:
“Enveloped by
my magic illusion I am not visible to the world” (that is, to
segregated forms
of perception), “for this my divine illusive power acting through
the natural
qualities is difficult to surmount, and those only can surmount it
who have
recourse to Me alone.” “I am the Cause unseen, and the visible
effect.” “But for
those who thinking of me as identical with all, constantly worship
me, I BEAR
THE BURDEN OF THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THEIR HAPPINESS.”
All these quotations you know very well, yet they cannot be too
often repeated.
I think you stated the gist of the matter when you said that any
differentiation
whatever is Maya—because impermanent. There is nothing but
Consciousness per se;
all the rest are perceptions in and of different states of matter,
and in
infinite aggregations.
You have had a hard week of it; look for the compensation not for
yourself, but
under Law.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty-Four
The despondency of the age is a general tendency, partly personal
and partly
belonging to the age. It comes in cycles, as you will have
observed. When it
comes, the cycle has reached its lowest point. Knowing this, we
begin to lift up
that cycle by rising quickly from it, and so help to reduce its
influence, not
only for ourselves but for the age. When we are at the low point,
we should try
to remember our fellows who are unconsciously suffering from that
of which we
not only know the cause, but the remedy.
“The student oftentimes by reason of the changes going on within,
feels himself
less fitted to cope with existing conditions, but He Must Work. It
is his only
salvation. What is needed is an utter and entire consecration of
the worker to
the Cause.”
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Never were truer words said, and all that follows is in direct
line. Keep that
spirit, and all will be well. You have asked for a synopsis of what
was said at
the last meeting, but I find this most difficult, as I do not
remember the words
I used. The pamphlet was used as a basis for talk—the subject, “The
Unknown
God.” One questioner asked, “How could there be a philosophy of the
Infinite?”
Reply was, there could not be a philosophy of the Infinite, but
there could be a
philosophy of all Existence. Whether there be existence or none,
the Infinite
Is, and must be outside of all speculation; the philosophy is in
regard to the
origin, nature, history, development and destiny of Man, and his
worlds—for
worlds and men develop together. I then gave the idea of Space as
representing
the Infinite; of Consciousness, per Se, the Power to
perceive—without anything
to perceive; the desire to know itself could only be fulfilled by
seeing itself
reflected. The possibilities of all grades of density of matter
being in the
primordial matter, and the Power of Creation, Preservation and
Destruction
residing in Consciousness, the first differentiation took place in
accordance
with the desire. Functioning in that denser state, and thereby
obtaining form, a
further differentiation was produced, more dense, and so on, down
to the present
state. Pointed out that it was the desire to live that kept us
alive; the desire
for sentient life that brought us back into incarnation. As we rise
to higher
planes of being, desire becomes less individual and more
general—for the welfare
of humanity and all creatures. From this we may be able to get some
perception
that Desire, from being general in the beginning of manifestation,
became more
and more individual as denser matter was evolved, until with us it
reached the
point of separated personal desire. The way back must lie through continual
approach to that Unity from which all have come. The philosophy
exists in order
that Man may rebecome a God—as he was and in reality Is.
Your last pamphlet is to my mind a great one; it points out so many
things so
clearly. For instance, when it speaks of “analysis” as being the
“thought-form”
of the age, it indicates to me that our general consciousness is
one of
analysis—classifications—
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no synthesis anywhere. In pointing this out to others, there is
much opportunity
to show how narrow a range of thinking our much lauded civilization
has. Then
how clearly stands out the statement, “There can be but one
philosophy, which is
a synthesis of the whole, and which by its consistency and logic
proves itself.”
On the other hand, what have we? Warring dogmatic religions;
science which
clings to a materialistic basis; and a psychology which is worse
off than
either, because it attempts to deal with meta-physics from a
material basis of
consciousness; and at last, so-called New Thought which devotes its
energies to
one physical life. What a contrast! How can men fail to realize
that they are
ignorant indeed, and that none of these things bring knowledge.
Then they would
arouse themselves to seek for light. The student of Theosophy knows
that the
reason they are so blind to patent facts is that they are
surrounded by the
clouds of past lives and cannot pierce through them; that all that
can be done
is to let the light so shine that all who will may see it, thus
sowing seed for
future harvests. It would be a hopeless task were it not for
Reincarnation.
I am glad that you are able to perceive and hold the right attitude
in regard to
events. In both of your letters there is evidence, perhaps
indefinable, yet
plainly perceptible, of an inner action; moreover, there is more of
unanimity—accord—however the outer at times may seem to deny it.
While we work,
we grow; we grow most when our thought is so occupied with the work
that we have
no thought for ourselves, nor for events, in their color and their
relation to
us. Knowing that there must be light and shade, heat and cold, pain
and pleasure
in life, we can take them as we take any climate in which we live,
and just
accept what comes—as the meta-physical climate of the time, place
and condition
in which we are—and go on with the appointed work.
What we have learned gives us a larger view of Karma than the mere
personal. We
begin to perceive that beyond the personal there comes to the
worker in the
field of Theosophy—the student disciple—those other phases of Karma
which arise
from family and race. By the very nature of the effort made, and
the position
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from which it is made, those other phases must be felt more and
more as the
student progresses. It may seem to him that it is all personal; and
it is, in
the sense that he is a focus for it; but, if we have assimilated
what the steps
must be that lead to adeptship, we must know that the battle we are
fighting is
not our own, but that of the world, and that the sins of the world
will in
increasing measure be laid on us until we have finally conquered.
If, on the
contrary we take these things as personal only, we may conquer them
as such, but
of us then it would be said, “Inasmuch as ye did it not unto the
least of these,
ye did it not unto me.”
Your Sunday meeting was certainly a small one, and apparently of
little use; but
who can tell? We know that it is the effort that counts, and having
made it,
Karma does the rest. There are many of these poor unfortunates who
are caught in
the mazes of the psychic realm; as long as they look there for
their “guru,” he
will not be found. Good thoughts and ideas may go quite easily with
self-delusion; indeed, if they did not, there would be less
delusion. All these
things are good practice for you; each “crank” presents a new phase
of delusion,
and has to be studied at the time and handled as well as may be, as
well as
studied further subsequently. It is fortunate also that they come
to you in such
small detachments, and not in crowds or with crowds. The greater
the obstacle
the greater the effort, so we will see to it that the good work
goes on, with
charity toward all and with malice toward none, and with all our
power as the
cycle permits. Well, “sleep sweet” and may you bring from the other
side of life
all necessary power and help.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty-Five
“Doubt nothing, fear nothing, chafe at nothing”—we often have to
say to
ourselves, when conditions seem to hedge us in and prevent the
carrying out of
some good work. These conditions are not only our Karma but that of
those we
have in mind to help. Yet we must strive for them, the best we can,
to lift
their Karma
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and ours. Sometimes it may seem as if everything conspired to laugh
at us and
deride our best efforts; but we know all that is but the dead
weight of the
world’s conditions which the Masters, and those who have
volunteered, are
working continuously to lift; and we feel the assurance which comes
from
understanding that none of this struggle is in vain. Masters do all
that is
possible for Them to do; we strive to follow Their example in doing
Their work
in this world of conditioned existence, each in his place; the
knowledge that it
is Their work, and what should be done, sustains us. What matters
it, then, what
kind of conditions confront us? Nothing has yet stopped us,
although at times it
has seemed that we could go no further; and we are constrained to
see that
nothing can stop us—not life nor death nor any other thing. So we
cheer-fully go
on to the end of ends, with our lives and all that they contain—that
All may
Live, following the footsteps of those Great Ones who have trodden
the Path
before us.
One may constitute himself a disciple by his own inward desire, but
that does
not involve the Masters until he reaches that degree of development
where he is
actually accepted as a chela. Masters cannot be drawn in
unwillingly; neither
will They ever refuse help when deserved. Masters in bodies do take
upon
themselves the Karma of that which They teach, and where an actual
relation
mutually assumed exists, They must feel bodily the errors of
omission and
commission of each pupil. Undoubtedly, Those who have been here
would have
remained until this time, or longer, had the professed disciples
been true to
their pledges.
It is said They hold back the awful Karma of the world in order to
provide
further opportunities. But They do not feel the Karma, while
knowing it, and
mitigating the evil forces generated by Man. The power to feel all,
implies the
power of not to feel. They must be able to do the right thing, in
the right
measure, at the right time, and in the right place, and thus can
isolate
themselves from prying curiosity, or desire toward Them from wrong
motive.
Otherwise Their work would be impeded. A desire to know is not a
condition, and
the proper condition
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is the necessary requisite for a demand upon Them; the demand is
contained in
the condition. in Their Message to the Western World, They have
shown how They
may be reached, even publicly, in every possible way. Those who
admit that
Masters exist, and deny or ignore Their message, can hardly be in
the way of
receiving Their direct help. Yet help is accorded to all in a
general way, each
raising the self by the Self until the requisite condition of
notice or demand
exists. None can be shut out; the welfare of all is desired.
Yet there must be indirect ways, and the direct way. If any aspirant
cannot be
made to perceive the direct way, then he must take the way he sees.
His
inability to see bespeaks his Karma, his condition; so also, the
fact of not
having had the Message brought forcibly to him bespeaks former
opportunities
deliberately turned aside or neglected—a Karma numerously incurred
during the
past thirty-odd years. Much as it may seem like dogma, there is but
one
philosophy; there are Masters; there is Their Message. It is not
dogma because
it is a statement of fact, which each is invited to prove for
himself—and shown
how to do it. True knowledge has been lost to the world; the
Masters restore it.
They help those directly whom They can; those so helped help others
directly and
indirectly. The cycle has an upward, less material, tendency; it
needs right
direction, which the direct and indirect influence of the Message
provides.
Blessed are those who are able to perceive and take the direct way.
You are quite right, I think, in your deductions regarding
“repetitions.” They
are, in the case of my talks, re-petitions; only, most do not see
what is in
them. “There is nothing new under the sun”; there is only a handing
on of what
has been known before. As the synthesis of the philosophy can be
given in a very
few words comparatively, those who make only one application of the
words—see
only one color of the prism, hear only one sound of the
scale—naturally get the
monotony of it. I think the main obstacle in the way of some is an
attitude of
criticism, such as, for instance, is taken in saying, “His
interpretation does
not agree
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with mine;” or anything, in fact, that considers the person, rather
than the
meaning.
Our last meeting was a good one. One questioner asked, ‘Why is it
that
Theosophists are so passive to political and social conditions?” My
reply was:
No true Theosophist is passive to any-thing; his knowledge,
however, shows him
where his energy can be best used for the benefit of humanity. He
does not waste
his energy poulticing the boils on the body corporate, but devotes
it to the
pointing out of the seat of the disease and the remedy. It is
apparent to
anybody that the cause of all human troubles is selfishness and
ignorance. The
ignorance, which is the cause of the selfishness, lies in men’s way
of
thinking—their ideas in regard to life. The prevailing idea is that
there is but
one life, and that each must struggle for himself as against all
others. The
very idea contains in it “fight,” “opposition,”—his hand against
every man and
every man’s hand against him. As long as these ideas prevail in
men’s minds,
they will act selfishly and in opposition, where self-interest is
concerned. The
Theosophist knows what the true way is; that man lives many lives,
and that in
each life he reaps what he sowed in other lives, as well as in this
one; that if
every man were to have this knowledge, he would see that true
happiness for all
can be obtained only when each human being uses all his powers for
the good of
others. Under such a way of thinking, no man would be allowed to
suffer for one
moment, because there would be many willing hands to help on every
side. The
greatest need, then, is to have a right and true philosophy of
life, for the
following of it will not only bring relief from the many forms of
suffering, but
a knowledge that will lead humanity to greater heights. The
Theosophist works to
relieve the cause in the only way possible. Doubtless, if
Theosophists were more
numerous, they would be found relieving every possible distress to
the best of
their ability; but, unfortunately for the world, they are few, and
are thus
compelled to put all their energy into calling attention to the
true nature of
man, and to a philosophy of life, so that more and more minds may
be turned that
way, and the day of relief brought nearer.
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This was not by any means an ideal answer, but it seemed to be what
the
questioner was ready to consider.
With regard to Metaphysics and Physics; metaphysics is beyond
physics and must
have preceded the latter. It seems to me that Metaphysics becomes
physics by
ideation on the plane of physical density. To the perceiver on any
plane,
perceptions are objective to him; on a higher plane than this,
would they not be
his “physics,” although metaphysical to us? From our plane, that
which is
metaphysical becomes physical when embodied. Perhaps I do not get
what you want;
if there is nothing here, come again.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty-Six
“Try; try; ever keep trying.” “Realization comes from dwelling on
the things to
be realized.” Following such injunctions of Those Who Know, a
constant gain will
appear. Ups and downs there will be, in accordance with the swing
of the
pendulum, or, more properly, the turn of the spiral. Knowing the
law of action,
we can keep on, whether we are at the highest or lowest point of
the cycle. As
time goes on and the right attitude is maintained, we shall grow
less and less
subject to the high or the low.
To realize, at the beginning, the continuous effort required, would
be
discouraging; but as the greatness of the task we have set before
ourselves
becomes more and more real, we grow into the condition represented
in the six
glorious virtues as that of being constitutionally incapable of
deviating from
the right path.
We have in the past generated, or created by thought, and
re-inforced by action,
numerous elemental beings of the nature of Prakriti. As long as our
thought is
in keeping with their natures, no great friction is observed; but
when our
thoughts fail to provide them with sustenance, the struggle for
life begins, and
must continue until these creatures of ours die, or are so changed
as to cause
no hindrance. It is a new Manvantara in our little solar system,
“the guiding
spirit” ruling, controlling, or sweeping away
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all entities connected with the old evolution, in accordance with
the key-note
of the new. So, in the concrete state of the old, and the nebulous
state of the
new, we have to go through the preparatory Rounds. Great Nature
repeats her
action in accordance with Law, in the small as well as the great.
As to “the hardest job of reconciliation” set you in this matter of
H—: you will
remember that I said in a recent letter that I wanted you to keep
in touch with
the various events, so that you might be able to observe
developments—see how
things work out under certain methods founded on principles, for
all these
things are object lessons.
In the first place, there is no room for misjudgment; judge not at
all as to
persons should be the rule. As to their ideas, their capacity to
grasp one set
implies capacity to grasp other kinds. If they have wrong
conceptions and are
amenable to reason, their wrong conceptions can be reasonably
considered on
their merits— in themselves, first, and then in their relation to
other
conceptions. In all this, there has to be first sought points of
agreement—all
of them; in fact, show a disposition to agree. At no time should
any
oppositional attitude be felt or assumed—no expressed or implied
superiority of
knowledge. If opposition exists even in thought, a counter opposition
is set up,
and the aim to enlighten is not effected. Of course, none of this
prevents one
from seeing things as they are, and leaving the door wide open for
others to see
what we do.
Our work lies among those whose ideas are in strong opposition to
what we know
as truth. We have to meet ideas as we find them, and extend them in
the
direction we know. This is a different case from a talk on
Theosophy, where we
are giving an exposition in order that others may know what it is.
One of the results of wisdom is the ability—in degree, at least—to
do the right
thing, at the right time, and in the right place. The object of all
right doing
is to help others who are seen and known not to be right. Our
seeing and knowing
their present condition gives us the clue to the kind and manner of
helping. If
we judge them incapable of help, we shall afford them none. So
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we judge not, but like the Sun and Nature, treat all alike—shine
for all, work
for all, irrespective of presently held ideas, or presumable
qualifications in
any. Such has been the course of all great Teachers. They come to
call “not
saints, but sinners to repentance.” All have had their Judases, but
even Judases
have to have their chance with the rest; even they are inherently
perfect, and
having free will may rise to the opportunity. The Gospel hymn which
says, “While
the lamp holds out to burn, the vilest sinner may return,” voices a
truth; so
what is there in all this that calls for mortal judgment? None, I
think you will
say, when you consider the matter in its wider bearing, and in the
light of
Karma which brings opportunity both to give and to receive.
There is no pretense of personal virtue or knowledge in handing on
for the
benefit of others what one perceives to be good for them. A claim,
even a
thought of personal virtue, is detrimental— because it is personal.
The Egoic
perceptions on this plane are limited by this very thing.
“Thy body is not self, thy Self is in itself without a body, and
either praise
or blame affects it not.”
“Deliverance of mind from thralldom by the cessation of sin and
faults is not
for ‘Deva-Egos’ (reincarnating egos). Thus says the ‘Doctrine of
the Heart.’
“The Dharma of the ‘Heart’ is the embodiment of Bodhi (True, Divine
Wisdom), the
Permanent and Everlasting.”
“To live to benefit Mankind is the first step. To practise the six
glorious
virtues is the second.”
The six glorious virtues are:
ONE—“Sama.” It consists in obtaining perfect mastery over the mind
(the seat of
emotions and desires), and in forcing it to act in subordination to
the
intellect which had been strengthened by attaining—
(1.) “Right knowledge of the real and the unreal” (Right
Philosophy).
(2.) “Perfect indifference to the fruits of one’s actions, both
here and
hereafter.” (Renunciation of the fruits of actions.)
TWO—“Dama.” Complete mastery over bodily acts.
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THREE— "Uparati."Renunciation of all formal religion, and
the acquirement of
contemplation of objects without being in the least disturbed in
the performance
of the great task one has set before oneself.
FOUR—“Titiksha.” Cessation of desire and a constant readiness to
part with
everything in the world.
FIVE—“Samadana.” That which renders the student constitutionally
incapable of
deviating from the right path.
six—“Shradda.” Implicit confidence on the part of the pupil in his
Master’s
power to teach, and his own power to learn.
SEVEN—One other, and the last accomplishment required, is an
intense desire for
liberation from conditioned existence, and for transformation into
the One Life.
While some of these may be beyond us, we can “practise” in these
directions; in
fact, we have been so doing, and we know that practice makes
perfect. Well, I
must stop now and send you the best I have, with love.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty-Seven
It is said that there is but one sense; the different organs are
but modes of
reception. From the same point of view it might be said that there
is but one
“Eye”; the rest are modes of seeing. These, of course, have to be
brought into
line for unobstructed vision. The various soul sheaths, as I
understand it, are
formed from the first ethereal substance of which the permanent
body is
composed. Man is the microcosm of the macrocosm; so, imagine one
individual in
his permanent body at the beginning of a solar system: that body
will contain
within it all possible changes of density; those changes will be
the necessary
steps, under the general law of the solar system, to reach the most
concrete
expression.
The concrete expression must be reached in order that the
descending
intelligences may be able to help or impel to a higher standard the
forms of
consciousness not yet self-conscious; all
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forms meet and mingle in man. Each change in density of sheath
involves a loss
of spiritual perception, and knowledge of the more dense matter
obtainable in no
other way.
As the universe exists solely for purposes of soul, and as
resistance is met in
degree in all states of matter below the first state, the power of
Creation,
Preservation and Destruction must be in operation on every plane
and all the
time. Creation works in the change in density, and toward the ideal
form for
fullest expression on this plane. This involves continual
adjustment, implying
the preservation of that which fulfills the purpose, and the
destruction of that
which does not, as well as further creation to take the place of
that which was
destroyed. The Creator, Preserver and Destroyer within his own
sphere, then,
must be the permanent Ego. The same law applies everywhere. For
instance, in
your business, a new department is added; the other departments
keep on and the
new one is either shaped into line with the general purpose—or cut
off.
The Secret Doctrine says that we are at the middle point of the
seven Rounds;
this means that the collectivity of beings called ‘Nature” has
passed through
the changes in density three times, each time reascending to the
original state,
each descent marking a further density of each change. We now
ascend perfecting
and assimilating for three and a half Rounds more, each succeeding
plane
becoming less dense until the completion of the seventh Round, back
to what
might be called real matter. Relating this to soul, it would appear
that the
sheaths are not yet what they will be, though the Perceiver is one
through all
the changes. The Self is the key, the plan, the purpose and the
fulfillment—to
lose that sight, is to lose all.
The quality of your Theosophical expositions seems to dissatisfy
you, but the
attitude you hold in regard to it is infinitely better than as if
you were proud
of it, and the probability of the improvement is thereby made
certain. As I
understand the matter. your exposition is not criticised, but the
manner of it;
if there is fault there, necessary correction should not be very
difficult. All
progress is made by a recognition of disabilities at first, after
which
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follow steps for their removal; but these are minor things. The
great effort is
to promulgate the fundamental principles of Theosophy; it requires
strenuous and
persevering exertion, but personal progress is forgotten in the
effort. ‘With
the right attitude we would not realize our own advance, while it
would be
perfectly patent to others; this, because we are aware of defects,
which
probably look more important than they really are. Defects—not
being
valuable—are not important; their absence is; therefore our thought
should be in
regard to those qualifications which displace them. If we were
refurnishing a
house, we would not be thinking of the old furniture, but of the
new, which was
to take its place.
Being of the Kshatriyas, and in training for the greatest battle
that can be
fought, we welcome every event, great or small, that makes us fit
for the
strife.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty-Eight
Your letter received. True, it is hard for those who think in other
ways to have
to exist in a world and at a time when the generally worshipped god
is so hard,
unfeeling and merciless in his requirements. Yet such is our Karma,
and the
Karma of the race we desire to help. We cannot help without sharing
the Karma,
and in sharing we have to do it in all ways. These things are part
of our
trials. We can but recognize that even heavenly death is provided
for, and if
so, why not life—even as we know it?
We would know that Law reigns for all, and for each and every
circumstance, were
it not for our doubts and fears. It is natural that fears should
arise, for all
terrestrial things tend to create them, yet we know from “Those who
know” that
“the man who knoweth the Supreme Spirit, who is not deluded, and
who is fixed on
him, doth not rejoice at obtaining what is pleasant, nor grieve
when meeting
what is unpleasant.” “Be free from the ‘pairs of opposites’ and
constant in the
quality of Sattwa, free from worldly anxiety and desire to preserve
present
possessions.”
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All this is like sending coals to Newcastle, yet sometimes a
reiteration helps
one free himself; and too, your letter shows that you see clearly
what is right,
so absolutely clear and sound that I fear some difficulty more than
ordinary
must present itself to you. Yet for every difficulty there is a
way, even if it
is not the way we see as the preferable one. And we have to
overcome all sorts
of difficulties.
I can understand right well the many things you have in mind to be
provided for.
In all things there is but one thing to be done, and that is, the
best we can.
Then await the event; meet one thing at a time, and as it comes.
Thus we avoid
attachment to results, and interject no interference with the law
which works
for good to those who love it.
We so desire personal assurance that all will be well with the
personal self
that we distrust ourselves and all others, if we do not get it; and
all the time
we know that we should rely upon the law that works for
righteousness. What,
then, is needed is a greater faith and confidence, a stronger
courage.
I had a little stone once, upon which was engraved, “Even this will
pass away.”
It served many a time to remind me of the transitory nature of all
trials and
troubles. The motto is a good one and may serve many others, if
used when need
arises.
In all the above, it is not meant that proper care should be
neglected, but that
fear and doubt should be dismissed. “Fear is the same thing as
frigidity on the
earth, and always proceeds by the process of freezing.” Who can say
in how many
ways that “freezing” prevents what would otherwise be.
To one confronted by “hard facts,” philosophy seems inadequate,
especially when
one has to meet the fact, and when the philosophy is quoted by
another. Yet it
is this very application that has to be made in every circumstance.
No great
effort is necessary to apply philosophy when the stress is slight;
but when the
stress is great, greater effort is needed. The main thing is to
apply the
philosophy, and in fact rely on it. All sorts of unforeseen
obstacles will arise
to test that reliance, in order that we may be
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confirmed, and ourselves rendered “constitutionally incapable of
diverging from
the true path.”
We do not encompass the six glorious virtues all at once, nor one
at a time, but
make progress in all of them. Obstacles will arise in the
circumstances of
every-day life and in our relations to each other.
I have found it helpful to go back to the time when full confidence
abounded, if
obstacles pressed hard and insistently. It often appears to us that
obstacles
that meet us need not be; that they have no relation to the great
task we have
set before ourselves; yet due consideration of what we have learned
must show
that nothing can possibly occur which is out of that relation. We
often say to
ourselves, “If this thing were only different, or proceeded or
occurred in this
other way, it would be better,” failing to perceive that if it were
different,
it would be different. The key to conduct, then, seems to be—taking
things as
they come, and dealing with them singly day to day. We find this
hard, yet the
“hardness” will continue in degree as we become “confirmed,” until
all is easy.
The harder the effort, the greater the strength acquired.
I used to look calmly and dispassionately at the very worst picture
I could
conjure up as happening to myself, and found it helpful in getting
rid of “fear
of consequences.” I mentally took account of the very worst, saw
myself in it
with all that it entailed, went through it in all its parts leaving
myself
alone, dishonored, stripped of everything. Those very things have
happened to
me, but I knew them, had outlived them, and went on undismayed. Had
I not done
it, I would not be where I am to-day. But you know all this and it
may seem like
cold comfort. I would that I could give you more.
Look back at the chain of circumstances since first we met, and
realize more
fully that there is “a Destiny that shapes our ends, rough hew them
as we may.”
Can we question Master’s hand in everything done in His name? The
circumstances
may not smile at us, but it is not their favor that is sought. We
ought to know
by this time that seeming evil is very often—we might say, always—
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turned to good. For it is “that Great Initiate of All, Who keeps
this whole
Movement in being.” May you have all power, health, and courage
externally,
internally and eternally. Good night to you.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Twenty-Nine
I have your letter of first today. Also those “fat pages,” which
certainly merit
all you say of them. Judge once said, “It is not money that is
needed but
Hearts.” And it would not take so many, as numbers go, to save a
city or a
nation. “Providing there be found three righteous men, I will not
destroy the
city,” says an ancient scripture. There could be no greater work
than that in
which we are engaged. When our lives are ended, what will count?
Our defects?
Not at all. It will be the efforts we have made to destroy the
causes of all
defects among our fellow men.
At a late meeting the question of being charitable to the
weaknesses of others
came up for discussion, and brought out quite a lengthy talk on why
that
attitude is absolutely necessary, from the standpoint of the
spiritual Ego, for
right development in the mind of spiritual perception and
knowledge. It was
pointed out that all the errors of any life result in reality from
a diseased—if
not insane, at least, un-sane mentality. An imperfection is an
imperfection—the
difference in kind not being anything that anyone should pride
himself upon. Our
duty is not to rid our neighbors of their imperfections, but
ourselves of our
own. The pride that results from fancied virtue was spoken of;
judgment in
anger—that the anger passes but the judgment remains as a bias in
the mind, and
a hindrance to the one judged; the danger of thus standing in the
way of
another, to say nothing of the reactionary effect on ourselves. The
talk came up
because of the tendency of minds in general to pride themselves
upon not having
the defects that others have, while at the same time they may
exhibit defects,
which, while not so obvious—as generally classed by the
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world—are yet worse, because of being deeper seated and harder to
eradicate, as
well as being more widely injurious. In regard to your question of
confidence:
your words sound as if you had more real courage than you ever had.
This
confidence should not merely be the power to endure trials and
suffering, but to
stand firmly and courageously through anything and everything. To
fall short of
that would be a useless sacrifice for all, for slipping to the
bottom means to
do it all over again. Now is the time to hold fast. “Live while you
can and die
only when you must.” For it is during life, and then alone, that
the most and
best can be done for your fellows in that life. No circumstances
can arise that
will deprive you of the power of assistance, if that is your inmost
desire. For
are you not greater than any circumstance? And are not all
circumstances your
field of battle? There-fore, arise, 0 Arjuna, and resolve to fight.
If one cannot do what he would like to do, he can always do what he
can. No one
can do more than this. And doing this, he does all. You see that
clearly. So let
us meet each moment and circumstance as it comes, putting all our
energy into
doing what should be done according to our best judgment at the
moment, and
living every moment free from doubt, fear, anxiety—joyful that we
are alive, and
that there is so much of life in us. Every possible circumstance
has its
Sattwic, Rajasic, and Tamasic quality, and as all experience
affects only in
accord with its meta—physical aspect, let us take the Sattwic of
each and every
one. Thus shall we live and get true learning out of living.
Don’t worry about me, the meetings, B— or anything; we should know
that all that
is provided for. You remember what Jesus said: “Take no thought for
the morrow
what ye shall eat, nor wherewithal shall ye be clothed.” This to
his disciples,
because reliance on the Law places no hindrance in the way of its
free action.
Now, once more, good nights and days to you, and all help.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
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THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Thirty
Your letter, as well as the books mailed, have just arrived. Many
thanks for all
of it, and for the good thoughts and wishes you send me; they are
sincere. May
they all bear fruit.
There is a “feeling” of closing in. It comes from that
steadfastness which trial
alone can bring, and I dare swear that you have that steadfastness,
even though
you may know it not. In the work we have undertaken together,
matters not
whether it fails or succeeds as far as we are concerned. Our effort
has been and
will be for success; the rest is in “other hands,” and stronger
ones. We have
thrown, each one of us, the best he had into the breach. That
“best” may not
seem great to us, but certainly the motive was there, even if at
times nature
and events conspired to minimize it. They did not defeat us—that is
sure. To
hold our ground is victory, in some cases. It is more, if we manage
to move
forward, and we have done the latter—which is worth all that it
cost and much
more.
“Having found a secluded spot remain firm and steadfast in it.”
When a student
enters upon the new life, he does so because he sees the true. At
the same time
he is buffeted about by the effects which have arisen, and arise,
from whatever
of untruth he had held. He oscillates between the real and the seeming
real—or,
as he might term it, “the ideal and the facts.” His effort should
be to remain
steadfast in the true, having found that secluded spot.
A right, true, and correct philosophy of life is absolutely
necessary if
constant, steady growth is to be attained. This philosophy must
have in it—as a
center—immutability; otherwise any building up of an “inner body”
on a center
which is mutable necessitates the destruction of that building and
the beginning
of another one on another center, with loss of time, effort, and
progress. If
the second center prove mutable, again destruction is necessary.
This is why
there can be no progress from the standpoint of any but the Supreme
Self. This
is LAW and not sentiment.
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We should endeavor to remain steadfast, relying upon the Supreme
and dedicating
all our thoughts and actions to THAT. As we endeavor, the
oscillations will
become less manifest. ALL of the events of life give us opportunity
to exercise
the “power of steadfastness.” So we should welcome
everything—pleasant or
otherwise—as a means of growth, for, as has been said many times,
the purpose of
life is to learn; it is all made up of learning.
The essence of growth is change. Any center short of the Self
(which is all)
implies a finality; hence, concretion and cessation of growth, from
which
necessarily follows decay. With the “true center” all growth
remains, for it is
of the nature of that center, and indestructible—“The Changeless
Self,” with
fluidic instruments—always fluidic.
You say, “I am doing nothing.” Perhaps, but the Self has been
afforded an
opportunity—yes, opportunities, and these will be continued. The
little “I” may
take some pride in it, but the real “I” says “you” did not do it
and never
could, because you are only a reflection and an instrument. You
served the
purpose well, and will continue to improve. Gradually the lower
Manas will
become so attuned with the Higher that there will be no distinction
between
them; then, instead of “puffing up” in one department, the energy
will express
itself as incentive and power for more and greater work. The
“pride” is natural,
but when properly diffused, it will not be called by that name. It
is energy, of
course.
You seem to be getting interesting questions at your meetings. It
is splendid
training—all of it; just what is needed. It may help if you take
the position
that “I do not answer; the philosophy does;” and “I do not answer
the person; I
answer the question.”
If the right attitude is kept up, all necessary qualities will
appear. “No
concern but to keep in fighting trim” is most excellent. “Desire
ceases to
attract us when we cease to identify ourselves with it.” Similarly,
“badness”
ceases to affect us, when we cease to identify ourselves with it.
“Badness” is
but one of the three qualities.
“We are apt constantly to forget the existence of the great force
and value of
our super-sensuous consciousness. That con-
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sciousness is the great register, where we record the real results
of our
various earthly experiences; in it we store up the spiritual
energy, and once
stored there it becomes our own eternal possession.” We forget, in
looking for
appearances of advancement, which is common to all students at
first; but by
retaining the fact in their minds, they by degrees cease to observe
or care for
signs of such progress, and none of their energy is wasted. They
know that the
“storing” goes on, and they keep busy at it, which means the
performance of
duty, doing the best they know and can— under all circumstances.
They “lay up
treasures in heaven,” not on earth. This we are doing and will
continue to do.
It serves to destroy the personal idea”—the enemy of progress.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Thirty-One
“OLD WARRIOR” is true as regards the Self, and also as regards the
real inner
evolved man. He is a fighter in lawful war fare, and is only
hindered by
ineffectual accoutrement, and lack of co-operation; so it applies
to you and to
all of us who are fighting in lawful warfare. This warfare is
against the causes
of sin, sorrow and suffering.
“The Self acts only through the creatures.” It needs bodies or
vehicles. The
units give adhesion, which then becomes cohesion— unity on all
planes.
The U.L.T. will go along all right as long as there is some one
individual who
knows the right lines and will keep them. If the Lodge centers
spread by being
taken up by people not trained at all in the right line of thought
and study,
they could very easily go wide of the intention and lead others
wrong.
There-fore, while there is no Constraint, there will be a point
from which right
direction can be obtained, and advice given as to methods and kind
of study.
This has to be provided for, even if it is not the ideal condition.
The latter,
of course, could only exist with ideal minds, and we are not
dealing with such.
“To perish doomed
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is he, who out of fear of Mara refrains from helping man, lest he
should act for
self,” says the Voice; so we need not fear doing whatever has to be
done to meet
the circumstances of the case and time. H. P. B. found it necessary
to lay down
the lines along which the psychical currents might flow from the
Lodge. In like
manner, we in a smaller way have to provide lines of thought and
influence along
which may flow the spirit and genius of that which we have
undertaken. Our
Associate cards provide the means of individual adhesion to the
principles. They
are a form of pledge, and on individual honor. The sum of
individual adhesions
makes the cohesive body.
The a holding power” is the power to hold things together with a
definite end in
view; statements of that end are contained in our Declaration. The
power grows
as does the conviction of the reality of our endeavor and the
soundness of the
principles we promulgate: centripetal foci.
The motto of U. L. T. is There is no religion higher than Truth.”
Truth alone
can be authority; it demands nothing from anyone, but invites close
examination.
Falsehood disagrees with falsehood as well as with Truth; Truth
disagrees with
falsehood, but agrees with itself. As in an authoritative claim
that a certain
metal is gold, the test does not lie in the authority, but in the
test of the
metal. One who has gold and has proved it to be so, has a right to
say so, but
he does not exact belief in his authority; he presents his gold for
testing.
This is the kind of authority you will find in Theosophy.
Well, must stop now and call this today’s letter. Good luck to you
and all the
other good things.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Thirty-Two
I think that what we have to do is to carry on the work of
disseminating the
philosophy of Theosophy in the best way known to us, avoiding the
errors of
omission and commission that have
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been observed by us. Thus working in and through the “minor
currents,” we begin
to learn the greater lesson. The Lodge has to have its agents in
the world of
men. “Those who can to any extent assimilate the Master, to that
extent they are
the representatives of the Master, and have the help of the Lodge
in its work.”
In a letter of K. H. to Sinnett, He says that the work of the
society has to be
carried on by “carefully devised plans by the best minds among
you,” or words to
that effect. Having the fundamental principles, we have to put them
into
practice by applying them in every way—in our lives and in the
work. All this is
part of our schooling. There is no set way given us nor any
particular form and
method; we have to work it out—and yet all that we do has Their
help. We shall
do rightly and well in any event, if we are single-hearted in what
we do. It is
true that we have landmarks here and there to guide us, but to be
able to
recognize these is also a part of right knowledge. The power of the
“initiatory”
in right direction has to be developed, and that must be done by
exercise. If
what we have undertaken leads to adeptship we have to begin the
development of
the powers here and now, while clearing up our natures. One process
is
complementary to the other, if both are carried on. All this by way
of adding to
what you say.
“We cannot prevent people from doing the things they can do,” and
would not use
force even if we could, because the mind has to be free to choose;
otherwise
there would be no real progress. We might apply an analogy right
here: let
Oxygen represent the Truth, and Nitrogen purely terrestrial
conceptions; the
more nitrogenous the conception, the less room for “oxygenation” in
any given
vehicle. There can be no breath whatever without some oxygen, and a
little is
better than none at all. Perhaps the Tingley, Besant and other
stripes of
Theosophy have their place in the great economy of consciousness;
they must
have, or minds would not seize and hold that kind. If the “kind”
does not bring
the expected result or knowledge, a further search is indicated.
“It is better
to have no side, for it is all for the Master, and He will look out
for all, if
each does just right, even if, to our view, another seems not to do
so. By not
looking at their errors too closely the Master will
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be able to clear it all off and make it work well. Hence, go on,
and keep the
spirit that you have only to proceed, and leave the rest to time
and the Lodge.”
I think that this is a good attitude for us all in the matter of
Theosophical
claims and exponents. Every person really waked up by them will
touch us sooner
or later if we hold to the straight line.
Meditation as used by us, is what is called in Sanscrit Dhyana,
i.e., want of
motion, and one-pointedness. The main point is to free the mind
from the power
of the senses, and to raise a current of thought to the exclusion
of all others.
Realization comes from dwelling on the thing to be realized.” W. Q.
J. says, “To
meditate on the Higher Self is difficult; seek then, the Bridge,
the Masters.
The patient dwelling of the mind on a single thought results in the
gaining of
wisdom, and it is thus that the true Occultist is developed.
Aspiration toward
the Higher Self should form part of the daily meditation; the
rising toward the
higher planes of our being, which cannot be found unless they are
sought.
Earnest and reverent desire for Master’s guidance and enlightenment
will begin
the attunement of the nature to the harmony to which it must one
day respond.
Concentration on a single point in the Teaching is a road to the
philosophy;
self-examination, a road to knowledge of oneself. To put oneself in
the place of
another, to realize his difficulties, and thus be able to help him,
is that
faculty—which when extended makes it possible for the Adept to
understand the
nature of the stone or other form of consciousness.” Meditation is
a good
beneficent practice leading to a great end. It is also a great
destroyer of the
personal idea.
Generally speaking, a “ray” comes from a “light”; the ray is not
the light
itself, but a projection of it, and yet is the light, because
without the light
there would be no ray. The color of the light is clear and uniform;
the ray is
changed in color by the substances through which it passes. When
the “ray” is
“indrawn,” it is of the same color as the light and is the light;
in fact, was
the light all the time, for the appearance of the different colors
in it was not
from the light, but from that through which it passes.
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Unity; one in essence. There is nothing but the Self. Was this what
you had in
mind?
I will mail the Incidents. It will require considerable keenness to
pick out
valuable information from this book, because it is composed of
incidents which
are often unrelated to each other as to time. You will, however,
get something
from it as to general idea, dismissing, of course, any personal
conclusions of
the author. You will note that the tenant of the body is considered
as the same
all the time by him. There is also a terrible wound spoken of, in
regard to
which there is no information; also a desperate sickness. A change
in occupancy
might be looked for about that time. I do not know the cause of the
wound, and
it does not matter, nor is it necessary to know. We can understand
something of
the personal nature, habits and manners running concurrently with
“something
else,” by comparison with the case of W. Q. J.
The Incidents are what others saw, and, of course, do not relate to
what the
relators did not see or understand. From our point of view, we may
be able to
discern matters unperceived by them, from what they relate. They
observed the
personality and the effects produced through it, but had not the
slightest idea
of the nature of the Consciousness and Power behind these, masked
as they were
by commonplaces. “Great is the mystery of the human ego.” I think
you will find
the book very interesting.
We are preparing for the future as best we can and feeling our way,
taking
advantage of the seasons and opportunities. Onward and Upward is
our watchword,
and we might as well add to it what the Old Lion of the Punjab did,
the word
“Forevermore.”
Well, good nights to you—even if days are not what we would like.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Thirty-Three
From the intellectual point of view, the truth explains; from a
higher point of
view, each one contains within himself, and actually is the Truth.
The
intellectual is microscopic; the other,
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vision itself. “The great difficulty to be overcome is the
registration of the
knowledge of the Higher Self on the physical plane.” It cannot be
done by the
intellect, although the intellect may put the house in order.
Patanjali tells
what the “hindrances” are; Manas has to get rid of these so that
“the way of the
Lord” who comes with Truth and Knowledge may be made clear. He is
waiting,
watching, working. “Behold I stand at the door and knock.” Nothing
withholds
knowledge from us but the mode of operation of our lower mind. We
can have no
complaints, if we do not make it conform; but Theosophy, applied,
leads us to
Truth, which is ourself. Service is a great clarifier.
You speak of the balancing of forces. In what relation? Perhaps you
mean that
“continuous adjustment of internal relations to external
relations,” which is
the basis of rebirth, both of which have to be subjugated before
freedom is
obtained. If so, this is kundalini—the power or force that moves in
a spiral
path; it is the Universal life-principle manifesting everywhere in
nature. This
force includes the two great forces of attraction and repulsion;
electricity and
magnetism are but manifestations of it. Hermes says: “the genii
have, then, the
control of mundane things, and our bodies serve them as instruments
. . . but
the reasonable part of the soul is not subject to the genii; it is
designed for
the reception of the God who enlightens it with a sunny ray, for
neither genii
nor gods have any power in the presence of a single ray of God. But
all other
men, both Soul and body, are directed by genii, to whom they cleave
and whose
operations they affect.” If forces are balanced, there must be
something upon
which the balance may be obtained; anything that can be moved by
the forces
would not so serve. There is but One Immovable—the Self.
Transitory balancings may be obtained but not maintained. The “ups”
and “downs”
every one is subject to; sometimes psychic, sometimes mental and
sometimes
physiological; occasionally, all three at once. These must
necessarily be the
various adjustments, or “balancing of forces,” which are in
constant process of
variation. There are, of course, “devachans” in between. The same
old process.
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It does not surprise me that you find “something” at the
Theosophical rooms—and
stronger at times than at others. Help comes often, when least
expected, and it
is liable to come at that place where the work is done which merits
help. As the
rooms are set apart particularly for Theosophy, there would be less
obstacle
there than elsewhere to such help.
You have it right: one has to grow into that state where he seeks
nothing for
himself, but takes whatever comes to pass as the thing he most
desired. There is
no room for personal desire in this.
With reference to the mind’s poor grasp of things: what we want
cannot be
obtained by anxiety, doubt, fear, impatience, expectancy that it is
time that
something should come to us, and so forth. This latter is looking
for reward.
Make up your mind to continue as you are for one hundred lives, if
necessary,
and continue. The hindrances must be stopped, if that which is
hindered is to
come. All the other study is good, necessary, and preparatory.
Unity—Study—Work—are the trinity of this plane. Universality,
Wisdom, and
Service are the higher trinity. You are the One who is preparing the
way for the
latter, by means of the former.
We learn by experience. Confidence gives courage—is courage. After
a while we
learn that the Law will act, regardless of any sentiment we may
hold. And in
this work things occur in peculiar ways—not to be accounted for by
the usual
process. At least, such has been my experience.
The attention that is paid to what you have to say in the meeting
lies primarily
in the native force of truth, but much comes from the conviction
that one has in
presentation, as well as the form used. This triad you have. The
main thing to
be minimized is whatever you have of diffuseness. It is only a
question of
keeping on the line of making more and more perfect. The feeling
that “I am
doing something” is natural. But it is better far to “let the
warrior in you do
the fighting.” Think of the Master as a living man within you; let
Him speak
through the mouth and from the heart. The strength shown is not
that of the
personality, for like an organization, the personality is only a
machine for
conserving energy and putting it to use. Why give it credit for
anything else?
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The general habit is to think of ourselves first, and others
afterwards. Reverse
the habit—consider ourselves last and least in anything we have to
do or say. At
the meetings, take the view that we are there to give what help we
can to those
who come, instead of looking at those present as there to listen to
us. Judge
would sometimes say, “You must not think that I know all these
things; I am only
telling you of knowledge that exists, and which I am convinced is
true.” Each
one must arrive at conviction through a study and application of
the knowledge.
There is no other way.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Thirty-Four
Thought, being self-reproducing, would suggest crystallized
centers, but they
are more than “crystallized,” if we would take into consideration
that
everything is conscious. Each thought stirs to action some form of
life;
according to the nature of the thought is the nature of the life
stirred and
guided, the permanence of the thought-action depending upon the
energy put into
it. I think that the subsidence of the direct energy leaves a
latent tendency in
the conscious lives to respond to analogous or similar energy. Some
of these
impressions may be so deep as to have left respondent foci in the
physical
brain; hence, remembrance is more easily recalled into action;
other
impressions, not so deep, are obliterated by subsequent ones as far
as brain
foci are concerned, but remain in some one or other of the sheaths
of the brain,
and are recollected by the proper stimulus, which may come from
similar thought,
or from the impressions of the organs or cells of the body.
Nature tends to repeat any action; thought is the plane of
action—the creator,
preserver and destroyer of Nature’s modes of action. The Manasic
plane is the
noumenal plane; the plane of the essence of the phenomenal; the
active-aspect of
Atma-Buddhi.
As to your question on Spirit and Matter. You will remember what
Judge said:
“The whole universe is made up of spirit and
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matter, both constituting together the Absolute. What is not matter
is spirit,
and what is not spirit is matter; but there is no particle of
matter without
spirit, and no particle of spirit without matter. If this attempted
definition
is correct, you will see that it is impossible to define the things
of the
spirit, and that has always been said by great Teachers of the
past.”
Spirit-matter contains both consciouness, per se, and all possible
states of
matter from the finest to the coarsest. These states are evolved
individually
for individual experience, and also collectively for collective
experience, each
individual proceeding on his own line, and in accordance with the
general
progress of the mass of beings. Changes of matter take place in
regular sequence
by the force or energy of the mass, of which energy each individual
supplies his
portion. This energy might be called consciousness in action, or
the force of
ideation, the lesser entities being guided in their energy by the
greater, and
more progressed.
Also, hold in mind that Spirit and Substance are co-existent and
co-eternal. We
are higher beings clothed in bodies made up of small lives on this
plane. We
call these lives “matter,” but they are matter only relatively,
because we can
mold them. To them-selves they are conscious in their way,
receiving impress
from us, but not recognizing the source of the impress nor its
import. We are
their incognizable universe in which they live, move, and have
their being; our
light adds to theirs, as ours is added to by the impress from still
higher
beings. So there is a chain of life and consciousness which
gradually tends to
fuller and fuller individualization of being in
non-separateness—the more
complete the individualization, the more full the sense of
non-separateness.
This quotation from H. P. B. may be helpful. “At the ‘Day be with
us’ every Ego
has to remember all the cycles of his past reincarnations for
Manvantaras . . .
. It sees the stream of its past incarnations by a certain divine
light. It sees
all humanity at once, but still there is ever, as it were, a stream
which is
always the ‘I’.”
The place where the line of involution and evolution meet is in the
incarnation
of the descending gods—ourselves—in the highest evolved form. The
analogy is
seen in any reincarnation.
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The consciousness leaves the body, which goes to pieces on its own
plane. When
the real man returns, he has to wait until the lower lives have
built up a form
for him into which he may enter, this form being built under the
impress given
by the real man in other lives. A Manvantara is an enlarged and
expanded similar
process. We came from the Moon, where we had evolved form to a
degree. At
pralaya all things stopped evolution of form; on re-manifestation,
the lower
lives or “builders” began to build up as before, and as their
impress and
previous building admitted. When the form of man had reached the
highest
previous point reached, the Kumaras, or real men, overshadowed and
entered to
carry the evolution further. “They, and no other, are we.” Well,
good nights and
days to you all the time. The days help make the nights and the
nights help to
make the days; they both belong to life.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Thirty-Five
I have your letter of Sunday. Sorry that the trip was hard and
immediately
fruitless, but we know that there is no blame for results, if the
best we know
is done. So we can rest on that, and go on to the next duty free
from any
anxiety.
I have read the extracts you send: they are all good, and we cannot
have too
many of them. Even if we do not use them all in the prospective
pamphlet, they
will be at our hand in compact form for reference and use for
others. All this
research must have its effect on your perceptions as to what the
intention of
the Messenger was and is. You have found for yourself and cannot be
accused of
taking any other’s statement. It places you in a position which is
unassailable,
and that is good for you, for the benefit of others who have
accepted other
ideas and follow other courses.
“The Self of Matter and the SELF of Spirit can never meet.” The
trouble is as
you say—materialization of concepts. When we see that the trouble
lies in that,
we are on our guard against it,
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and all the time endeavor to correct that personal tendency; as
results always
follow effort, the difficulty is finally overcome. If we have
confidence in our
power to learn, and reliance on the law of our being, we can never
feel
discouraged even though we seem to be falling back, or making no
progress. The
result of the effort is not in that with which we identify
ourselves when we are
impatient or discouraged, but of, and in, the inner nature which
impelled the
effort, and which in reality was then in action. We are not our
body, brain,
circumstances, duties nor any changeable thing; they constitute our
instrument
and opportunities only; they change and pass away. In them all,
“Duty is the
royal talisman.” I think it would be better to take the position
that you never
fail nor fall nor slip back, but that you have not been constant
and careful in
guidance of your responsive, but irresponsible instrument; hence,
you feel the
effects through it of your lack of care. Get hold of it, take care
of it, guide
it, use it, but be the Self—”The man that is, that was, that ever
shall be,” to
whom all these things are but fleeting shadows.
The fight against the personal idea is a long one. The personality
has to be
watched that it does not insidiously take to itself what it has no
claim to.
Theosophy was given to us; we but pass it on. People are naturally
grateful to
receive it, and this is right, but the one who passes it along
knows where
gratitude belongs. He can say, “Thank Theosophy, as I do. It
enables me to help
others; it will also enable you.” In that way he helps himself as
he helps
others.
Now as to your extracts on which you want me to say something: “I
establish this
whole universe with a single portion of myself and remain
separate.”
The finite mind cannot understand many things, and being finite and
conditioned
myself, I cannot explain that which is beyond the power of sages,
but if I were
endeavoring to form an idea for myself in regard to the above, I
would take that
of Abstract Space as the basis of that “I” which establishes the
universe as a
portion of “itself.” That portion could not be formed by any other
cause or
inherency than the Absolute (Space) ; yet
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Space is illimitable, notwithstanding innumerable universes; Space
being not
only around such universes, but in and throughout every particle of
manifested
matter. Our bodies are in space, and space is in our bodies, so
that while
bodies are formed from and in space, yet space remains space and
hence separate.
These are words only, yet may serve to convey an idea—grasped but
not
materialized.
“I am the origin of all,” would have its explanation in the above;
the Self as
All and in All.
“The eight-fold division of my nature is inferior,” even though it
includes
Manas, Buddhi, and Ahankara; these divisions are inferior because
they are
divisions, conditioned aspects, progressively changeable, hence
non-eternal. The
superior nature is different because eternal and unchangeable—the
origin, nature
and basis of all beings. While all these conditioned aspects exist,
that which
perceives in them all is the Self; there is nothing but the Self.
Take
ourselves: what perceives in waking; what in dream; what in
sushupti; what in
Manas; what in Buddhi; is it not the same consciousness per se
under varying
conditions? This consciousness is no one of the aspects or conditions,
nor all
of them put together, but is the cause of all evolution of matter
and form, and
the perceiver and knower in all. It is said that the universe is
embodied
consciousness. Consciousness must be the Knower of all embodiments
and superior
to any embodiment or conditioned aspect of perception. Our bodies
are made up of
in numerable and varying small lives, through which we obtain
contact with this
plane. Our conditioned aspect of consciousness is so by reason of
this contact
and attraction of lives; their aspect is expanded; and both are
consciousness
differently conditioned. We might consider it this way: All is
Consciousness,
either
Unconditioned or conditioned in innumerable degrees, and yet that
consciousness
is One—the power to perceive. The more any aspect expands, the more
the sense of
Oneness in it—“the Self in all things and all things in the Self.”
It cannot be
explained, but it may be felt. The conditioned has its origin,
basis and being
in the Unconditioned, but the conditioned is not the Unconditioned.
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“Know that Purusha and Prakriti are eternal.” This is the same as
saying “Spirit
and Matter are co-existent and co-eternal.” Spirit and Matter are
not to be
regarded as independent realities, but as two facets or aspects of
the Absolute,
which constitutes the basis of conditioned Being, whether
subjective or
objective. If nothing in these suggestions, call again.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Thirty-Six
I dropped you a line yesterday which doubtless you have received.
If you caught
the line and held it, it will be good for you. For, after all, it
is not what we
get but our eagerness to grow that counts; that, when held, never
loses an
opportunity. Now, whatever comes of the present occasion, you will
have taken
the right position, and the results must be in the direction of
growth. If you
could but have taken this position from the start, it would, of
course, have
been better; but now that you see it, you have a basis to work from
in future.
I know very well what you forego must be a severe deprivation, but
its very
severity makes the lesson greater and stronger. So, work now as if
you were
alone, and always going to be alone. Taking such an attitude will
bring out your
strength—your reliance being on the Law, the Lodge, and your inner
Self. Have no
fear whatever; forget results and let the Warrior fight in you. So
will you grow
into a closer union, a better realization. “Good Karma is that
which is pleasing
to Ishwara.” It is “good” because of the attitude taken, and
because it came
from beyond the personality—was not striven for as such.
I do not suppose that it offers much consolation to think that we
will have to
avoid making “good Karma” as well as “bad”; for, generally
considered, both are
personal and physical, relating to the lower self. We use Karma in
performing
duty, but our work is evidently not that of manufacturing any
special brand for
our own use and pleasure; we take it as it comes, and are happy
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as may be under the circumstances, learning to be happy under any.
So, in any
case, we will resignedly say, “It is a good opportunity to learn
something.”
Yet, we would have been equally glad had it been otherwise.
Doubt is a horror; it grows and spreads quickly in the soil of the
personal
idea. The remedy is to go back to the time when you had the
strongest sense of
sureness, and then rehearse your grounds of surety; by this, doubt
will be
dispersed like the mists before the morning sun. You apparently know
how, for
having given definite expression to a form of doubt, you let the
sun shine on it
and it went.
“The shifting serpent of Self” is a great “murkier” of the waters
of life, as
you remark. Fortunately, WE are not the waters, and we can learn to
swim, with
the “head” high; then, it makes little difference how much the
serpent “murks”;
that’s his business—not ours.
“Prakriti is said to be that which operates in producing cause and
effect in
action.”
“He who gives up the results of action, is the true renouncer.”
“The true renouncer is averse neither to the works that fail nor
those which
succeed.”
“Let us be true renouncers.”
That is the right idea, to fight it out on the line of battle, no
matter what
comes. The worst that can come is to die fighting in a righteous
cause. It is
also the very best that can come. So there is nothing to fear.
“Death never
touched it at all, dead though the house of it seems.”
About the meeting: I think that the explanation about the “astral”
was all
right. When a man sleeps, he neither knows nor cares what is going
on in the
world about him; yet he has his self-consciousness and is otherwise
occupied
than with the doings of physical bodies. At the same time, he may
converse with
people who may be actively engaged in bodily actions at the time,
and who will
know nothing of the converse. The “community” is within the
sleeper, as the
result of waking experiences; the heavenly state is, also, the
result of the
best of the waking ex-
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periences; both are individual and assimilative rather than
communal, in the
ordinary man. The astral plane is a reflection of earth and an
inferno. The wise
man tarries there neither during life nor after death. When a man
dies, he does
so to get rid of the earthly body and its connections; having had a
meal of
earthly conditions, he stops eating, in order to assimilate the
food. If he had
to “eat” more on the astral plane (which communal life would
necessitate), the
cessation of bodily activity would confer no advantage, nor
opportunity for the
assimilation of desirable elements acquired during physical life.
Other
analogies may occur to you.
The elemental kingdoms have never been fully explained, for which
there must be
a reason. There are seven great classes of Devas, with their seven
sub-divisions, among the former being the Kumaras with whom man has
most to
do—or vice versa. The nature-spirits seem to be the off-shoots of
the first
elemental kingdoms, some passing the concrete Mineral (not becoming
crystallized) ; others not becoming herbalized; others escape forms
of watery
life; still others escape forms of air life. It may be that there
is a greater
supply of the spirit of the lower kingdoms than opportunity for
entrance, and
that these become the spirits of the elements connected by nature
with the four
elements of earth, water, air and fire; some would have etheric
forms, and some
astral, their field of operation being in their respective
elements. They appear
to be outside the line of evolution that leads to human
consciousness—in this
-manvantara—but must be necessary elements in the great scheme. H.
P. B. says,
“There are no entities in the four lower kingdoms possessing
intelligence that
can communicate with men, but the elementals have instincts like
animals. It is,
however, possible for the Sylphs (the wickedest things in the
world) to
communicate, but they require to be propitiated.” Just why the
Sylphs are
wicked, I do not know, but think that this is a class that can
alter shape at
will and produce glamour where human defects permit their
impersonations; they
seem to court and delight in human worship. No doubt, there are
several classes
of them. “The heathen in his blindness bows down
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to wood and stone,” but he, if the above be true, is better off
than many who
call him heathen. He is wise who sees the Self in all things and
all things in
the Self.
There is no memory without thought. The moment we cease to think of
a desire, it
is non-existent for us. Memory is the thinking of a past
experience. We
sometimes recall these experiences into action, purposely;
sometimes, they arise
by association with other things thought of or experienced; but we
do not need
to identify ourselves with them or entertain them. The best way is
to entertain
and keep busy with other kinds of thought; then, there will be no
room for
undesirable tenants. Well, I will let this go—best of luck and
health.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Thirty-Seven
You should have got a lot of strength and courage from the present
short
separation and its circumstances. It may not be fully apparent just
now, but the
results will flow from it, if your attitude has been toward the
performance of
duty as it came, regardless of self-interest. This is not easy to
learn, but
every circumstance, taken rightly, leads to this priceless
acquisition. We
sometimes forget that we ourselves desired to be tried and tested,
and that
these trials and tests come in the ordinary events of everyday
life. If we
cannot take these as they should be taken, we do not gain the
strength that will
carry us through, nor do we lessen the bonds that hold us to
rebirth.
I have your letter about the meeting of Thursday night. Of course
one feels
one’s inability to meet all inquiries, but it is the very learning
of what is
needed that induces the study lacking. We accept and know many
things
interiorly, but if we are to give others the proper words and ideas
that will
convey them, we have to be able to formulate them; so we practice
formulation of
answers, constructing them ourselves, or adopting those used by
others that do
so effectively.
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In your last paragraph you say, “When the Self ideates, the
Manvantara is going,
and the ideations of the Self are ‘the Rays from and one with the
Absolute’
”—meaning all beings from man up—all the rest of the Cosmos being
the results of
the ideation of these Rays. Could there be any ideations other than
those of the
Self, whatever their focalizations? Ideation implies consciousness,
and as
everything in the universe from the atom to Brahma is conscious,
each in its
degree, can the Self be absent from any? Is it not apparent that
the personal
man holds himself as separate from all the rest, and that the lower
forms have
less and less of such sense as they descend?
How does this sound: The Self ideates and the Universe is formed in
primeval
focalizations. In these upadhis Its ideation produces less ethereal
and more
limited focalizations; so, on to the more concrete, all are forms
and aspects of
the Self, indissoluble as to essence, ever changing as to aspect
and form, each
aspect and form acting and being acted upon by every other in both
ascending and
descending cycles, or Rounds. All rebecome the Self at the close of
a
Manvantara, each to re-emerge in its integrity at the beginning of
a new one, to
continue its eternally recurring active progression.
To get back to the Real would be like standing back from the whole
manifestation
and seeing how it looks—to use a phrase. Standing back thus, the
Real is gained,
but as rest is followed by activity, still further and greater
manifestation
must follow. The Real is the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer in
order to
further create, but is not subject to change, although the Cause
and Experiencer
of all change.
“The Self ACTS only through the creatures.” It can only know itself
in action
through its differentiations, which by the inherent power of
Self-hood and the
action and re-action of all in giving direction, are raised from
perception to
self-consciousness; this Self-consciousness, once achieved, must
continue to
expand or be lost. This, of course, is one way of putting it.
Your letter of today is an excellent statement. I would add to it:
the Om is the
omnipresent spirit which is also in the body.
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106
Its powers are Preservation, Creation and Destruction—the basis and
the means of
progress. Re-creation, on an advanced basis, follows destruction
until such
perfection as is possible in any given age is reached, which, in
turn, forms the
basis for further creation. Progression is eternal, yet the Self is
one and
changes not. One might say, as a conception, that It realizes
Itself through its
creations. The higher the creation, the higher the realization. The
realization
may be individual, but that which realizes is the Self. It cannot
be fully
understood, yet the mind gets glimpses now and then which no word
or idea can
convey.
As to Masters: the power of Preservation is Theirs as well as other
powers. Any
height may be retained as long as serviceable, or if not retained
in particular
can be quickly reached when needed. The present time may be a
period when
Preservation is in force; who knows? Some have bodies of the
highest
transmutation of matter; others are Nirmanakayas, we are told. The
sheaths used
are in accordance with the work to be done. Nirmanakayas can and do
act in the
way you describe; if They did not retain the Nirmanakaya kosha,
They would be
beyond the possibility of helping humanity. By this it would seem
that certain
“Preservations” are necessary for long periods, possibly a
Manvantara. So, there
must be a “retaining” in order to “remain” and help. This is the
“sacrifice,”
and it must be so all along the line. They help on higher planes
always; Their
lower koshas enable them to help on lower planes as well. At least,
that is what
I understand from what is given.
The copies of the pamphlets you send are priceless in value for
students whose
eyes are open. The unfortunate thing is, that until each one has
clarified his
perceptions, he would not know gold of Ophir from base metal. So
much that is
here and ready is too high for most; if given, it avails them not.
You know how
that is in your own progress; words and sentences do not always have
the same
meaning—the point of view alters them. The danger lies, as you say,
in
finalities. A high concept serves as a stepping-stone to higher
ones; as
stepping-stones they are
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good, but as resting places they are distinctly inhibitive of
progress. Progress
precludes finality. Well, good nights and days to you.
As ever, R. C.
CONTENTS
THE SPIRIT IN THE BODY
Letter Thirty-Eight
I read with pleasure of your meeting. I remember the name of Dr.
G—. He is one
of the “old-timers”; he should be able to pick up the string once
more. Some of
them think that the effort has failed for this cycle, because of
the
dissensions, but they ought to remember that Masters never cease
working, and
that it is always possible for the clear-eyed and the humanity -
loving to aid
Their endeavor. The way to know is to get right back to what They
gave—as to
philosophy and as to right work; if that is done, it will be found
that there is
neither variableness nor shadow of turning in the U. L. T. from the
lines laid
down. And I would call again to mind what H. P. B. wrote: “Night
before last I
was shown a bird’s-eye-view of the Theosophical Societies. I saw a
few earnest
reliable Theosophists in a death- struggle with the world in
general, and with
other nominal but ambitious Theosophists. The former are greater in
number than
you may think, and they prevailed, as you in America will prevail,
if you only
remain staunch to Master’s program and true to yourselves.”
Also this: “For it is only when the nucleus is formed that the
accumulations can
begin that will end in future years, how ever far, in the formation
of that body
we have in view.”
To think that the effort has failed and that it is no use to try
further, would
show lack of faith in Masters and the Law, and a misunderstanding
of the great
occult laws that govern such a Movement as this. “The wheel of the
Good Law
moves swiftly on. It grinds by night and day. The worthless husks
it drives from
out the golden grain, the refuse from the flour.” This applies to
the Movement
as well as anything else—being universal in its scope.
Apply—apply—apply the
Teachings. This, as well
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as the booklet, would be good for Dr. G— and for others as well.
There is no
time-limit to effort.
The “Authority” you speak of is not what men term authority, which
comes from
outside and which demands obedience of mind and body, but an
internal
recognition of the value of that which flows through any given
point, focus, or
individual. That is the authority of one’s Self-discrimination;
intuition; the
highest intellection: that kind we all hold to, and if we follow
what we
recognize in that way and still find it good, we naturally keep our
faces in
that direction, in the source found to be pure and right. But this
means no
slavish following of a person—a distinction which some are unable
to appreciate.
You will remember that H. P. B. said: “Do not follow me nor my
path; follow the
Path I show, the Masters who are behind.” The wisdom of which is
seen in the
course of those who judged of the teaching by what they were able
to understand
of the Teacher. They judged Her by their standards and fell down on
everything.
In their views, a Teacher of high philosophy should not smoke,
should be
conventional; she made mistakes, in their wise opinions; ergo, her
philosophy
must be wrong. All the time she said, I am nothing; I came but to
do the bidding
of Him that sent me. W. Q. J. had similar judgment passed on him;
primarily,
because he upheld H. P. B. first, last, and all the time— which was
the
underlying reason for the attacks. Fearful of “authority,” they
minimized the
only possible source upon which reliance could be placed, and then
endeavored to
convey the impression that they were so much greater than H. P. B.,
that they
could explain Her away; in this, they made a greater claim for
authority than
she ever made. Where was W. Q. J. all this time? Right beside Her,
holding up
Her hands, pointing to Her as the one to whom all should look.
Those who
followed his advice or yet follow it, will find where She pointed.
It comes to
this, that those who pretend to follow H. P. B. do not do so,
unless they also
recognize W. Q. J. They had to vilify H. P. B. in order to do
likewise with W.
Q. J. These Two stand or fall together. About W. Q. J. being
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at work now. It can be said that he never ceased working, and that
work has gone
on directly and indirectly. He is working for unity—what he has
always worked
for. His aid will be given to every effort to spread Theosophy pure
and simple,
and to such individuals as could understand him, and this in exact
measure.
Here are some significant statements from H. P. B.’s messages to
the American
Convention:
“The ethics of Theosophy are more important than any divulgement of
psychic laws
or facts.”
“Do not work merely for the Theosophical Society, but through it
for Humanity.”
“Theosophy is Universal Brotherhood, the very foundation as well as
the key-note
of all movements towards the amelioration of our condition.”
“There is a power behind our society which will give us the
strength we need;
which will enable us to move the world, if we will but unite and
work as one
mind, one heart.”
“Once united in real solidarity, in the true spirit of Universal
Brotherhood, no
power can overthrow you, no obstacle bar your progress, no barrier
check the
advance of Theosophy in the coming century.” “Each can, and should
co-operate
with all, and all with each, in a large-hearted spirit of
comradeship to forward
the work of bringing Theosophy home to every man a woman in the
country.”
“But in order that we may be able to effect this working on behalf
of our common
cause, we have to sink all private differences. Many are the energetic
members
of the Theosophical Society who wish to work and work hard. But the
price of
their assistance is that all the work must be done in their way and
not in any
one else’s way. And if this is not carried out, they sink back into
apathy or
leave the Society entirely, loudly declaring that they are the only
true
Theosophists. Or, if they remain, they endeavor to exalt their own
methods of
working at the expense of all other earnest workers. This is fact,
but it is not
Theosophy.”
As ever, R. C.
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Contents
HOMELY HINTS
To make ourselves “better able to help and teach others” is the
task. The
personality naturally either rebels or is depressed—or both. But we
may expect
that and can be prepared for the reaction if we are wise and have
confidence in
Masters’ teaching. We want to know, to be, and to go forward, and
we know that
every little assertion of “personal ideas” is a hindrance, and that
these ideas
and their particular “feelings” are very easily disturbed and hurt.
Their very
“tenderness” shows their fragile nature, and that they are not
worth preserving,
in the face of what we have learned and what we have to do to
forward the great
results. “Thou grievest for those that may not be lamented” is a
true saying,
which we should take to heart.
“The personality, driven from one defense, takes refuge in any
other available
one;” we have to watch all along the line. The right attitude will
make the
battle easy; so, having taken this, “send the arrow straight to the
mark.”
We have to learn that we are dealing with minds which need leading,
by
presenting wider ideas. We can say a great many things if the right
manner is
adopted and the right, kindly feeling held. It does no good to
arouse
opposition, and this is most forcibly done if ridicule is used. In
any effort to
point out fallacies every factor counts: a harsh uncompromising
voice, an abrupt
manner, together with words whose significance is
unfriendliness—these can
easily provoke a charge of intolerance. To point out where a system
of thought
is inadequate, however, is not “tearing it down.” The motto of
Theosophists is:
“There is no religion higher than Truth,” and all philosophies must
be able to
stand the most rigid and critical examination in its light, or they
are
valueless. Everything must stand upon its own merits. If this is
pointed out and
the talk is in the line of examination
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of merits, and the pointing out of demerits in the endeavor to
reach the true,
no one can find fault. Candid, unprejudiced examination appeals to
all.
Dogmatism is a failing of many. I think it is engendered by a
feeling of
insecurity, in reality, while endeavoring to assure oneself and
others of the
certainty of one’s correct knowledge. Of course there are other
kinds, such as
the maintenance of one’s own opinion simply because it is one’s
opinion—an
egotistical assertion. Dogma is said to be that which appears good
and right to
one; Dogmatism, arrogance usually, is assertion. It always calls up
to my mind
the idea of the assertion of a statement the proof of which is
unattainable. One
may speak convincingly of that which to him is true, without
incurring the
charge of dogmatism. When we are convinced of the truth of a
matter, there is no
reason why we should not voice that conviction as strongly as the
case demands,
but there is no reason why, in such case, we should demand
acceptance of it. In
our case, we do not demand acceptance of Theosophy; we point out
its principles
and their applications. Theosophy makes certain statements as being
matters of
knowledge by perfected men, but not as statements to be believed.
It is shown
that such knowledge, being acquired by Them from observation and
experience in
many bodies, can be reached by all men, and the ways to do so are
pointed out.
The reasonableness of the claim of knowledge takes the statement
out of the
realm of dogma.
“Consciousness is ubiquitous, and can neither be localized nor
centered on, nor
in, any particular subject, nor can it be limited. Its effects
alone pertain to
the region of matter, for thought is an energy that affects matter
in various
ways, but consciousness per se does not belong to the plane of
materiality.”
Faith is really our confidence in the fact that Masters exist, and
that Their
teachings are what we are following. If our study, so far, of Their
philosophy
has not begotten that confidence, there is little hope for us—that
is, if we
have already
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studied long. But if we have that confidence, and have realized
benefit from
Their teachings, we can surely go on in full confidence; for it is
only by
following the lines laid down by Them that we will ever know. It is
not so much
a question as to what “we” promise to abstain from—that is, our
intention to do
so— as a knowledge of the right course to pursue. No one compels
us, and no one
will punish us, but “we” succeed or fail in accordance with our use
of the
advice and suggestions freely given. Do we doubt our ability? As
long as we
really do so, we shall never make much success. We learn to know
our ability by
using it to the limit. Mistakes need not worry us, if they
represent
conscientious and unwearied efforts—we can learn through the
mistakes we make.
It is pure selfishness to desire to know that any advised course
will benefit
us; advice can be given, but knowledge is acquired. Personal
results should not
be looked for. We should do things because they are the right
things to do, and
not because they will be of benefit to us. All our vacillations,
fears and
despondencies arise from a personal attitude. This we must change,
each one for
himself. No one can change it for us. The first step towards making
the change
is the seeing of the necessity for it.
Many of the statements made by the Teachers are axioms to be
applied, while at
the same time they are woven in with such reasoning as may suit the
ordinary way
of thinking. Most people imagine and accept as fact, that there is
but one way
of thinking—reasoning from premises to conclusions, and tabulating
things in
order to find the cause. By the infinitude of tabulations they come
to imagine
finally that Matter is every-thing and does all, because nothing is
found that
can be “nailed down.” Science, Psychology and all other efforts
that proceed
from particulars and are based upon them, fail. They fail for no
other reason
than that they will not admit the existence of a true and full
knowledge, or
that it could have existed in times preceding theirs. Has not the
science of
every period held that theirs was the highest and most glorious
that ever has
been, their civilization the grandest? If Western Science and
Psychology would
go on
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with their painstaking effort in the light of the knowledge of the
ages, the
spiritual and intellectual darkness would soon be overcome, and a
civilization
come into being which would express the spiritual and intellectual
in a true
physical life. What hinders? Intellectual pride hinders, together
with the
cramping effect of false conceptions of religion which give a
material bent to
thought, which makes a material life, heaven, hell, god—“idols made
of mud.” It
is a wonder that life is as bearable as it is; or, it would be a
wonder, if we
did not know that man is more than his experiences, his
conceptions, or
philosophy, and that he does not follow out to its logical
conclusions what he
adopts as his “religion.”
After an explosion of personality, and the ensuing reaction, a
Disciple
sometimes resolves that in future he will not oscillate so much.
This is not the
true position—it shows he expects to oscillate some. Of course if
he expects to
oscillate, he will oscillate. It would be better to expect to hit
the mark,
instead of expecting to miss it. There is a great difference in the
psychological position, as well as in the quality of the energy
aroused. We
should cease doubting our power to accomplish. If we doubt, it will
be like
trying to shoot an arrow with a loose bow-string—no force, and no
certainty of
direction. When the bow-string is pulled taut, and let go, there is
no
hesitation in the arrow. It goes where pointed and with the
strength in the
pull.
The sincere desire to help others acts as a great inlet from our
supersensuous
consciousness. More reliance on our inner nature, and the Power
that is
conjoined with it, will bring forth fruit. Always the inner is the
more perfect,
and this makes the apparent imperfections and inabilities of the
outer more
obvious; but this very perception arouses the necessary effort to
bring the
inner and outer into accord. We could not think, we were perfect or
imperfect,
were we not actually above and beyond both. H. P. B. says, “The
progress of the
Ego is a series of progressive
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awakenings.” Not being sticks nor stones, but human beings, we must
“feel”
success or failure. The wisdom is shown in not being “swelled-up”
by the one or
cast down by the other; we should make a steady, unvarying pursuit
of that which
is seen to be right.
Every working student of Theosophy must sooner or later meet some
Theosophical
“bumps.” These are all good as they come, for if we “bump”
anything, it must be
because we are off the straight road, and “bumps” are of
consequence only as
indications to us to look to our bearings. We would not feel them
if we had not
a “compass” inside. The purpose of life is to learn and it is all
made up of
learning; so these things, while they may not smile at the time,
will be matters
to smile at later on. Among the Greeks it was said that when the
Earth was
started rolling in space, the Gods burst into a fit of laughter,
just to see the
thing go. So we, being those very Gods, can afford to smile at the
follies we
meet, and go on with the work of promulgating correct ideas for
those who are
able to receive them. We have to cultivate the attitude of mind
spoken of in The
Bhagavad-Gita, of being undisturbed by anything that may come to
pass. And these
disturbing things are the very means by which we arrive at that
attitude.
We sometimes, perhaps often, feel our weakness, as we think. The
weakness is not
that of our real Selves, the inner Man, but of that which we have
leaned upon,
the false ego. If we remember that we are working with a portion of
our powers
now—that portion which needs exercise and proper direction—in order
to
assimilate it with what we really know and are, we shall feel more
content to
await the full blossoming. The point of view from which we regard
things
determines the kind and quality of action. The keeping in mind that
the Masters
are not only Ideals, but Facts, and that all that H. P. B. and W.
Q. J. have
written about Them was for our help and encouragement in the
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struggles that must be ours, brings us closer to Them, and makes us
strong with
the power that flows from such reliance.
The best method to follow in trying to help our friends is to aid
them to see
their obstacles. One way to do this is the in direct way—telling a
story, for
instance, of somebody we know who thought or did thus and so; and
telling it in
such a way as to arouse no suspicion in the mind of the one we are
trying to
help. It requires finesse, but it can be done—and well. Of course,
an obtuse
mind, engrossed in its own affairs, is sometimes best dealt with by
the direct
method. The main point is, not to work for an opportunity, but to
take it when
it comes.
Some students have never gotten down to a sound basis. There are
many who call
themselves Theosophists who take this view of things: “The
principles are as
good under any name.” This is quite true; but one soldier in the
field is not an
army, and one principle is not an all-embracing philosophy.
Theosophy points to
a fact—one of the utmost importance—namely, that there are
Masters—our Elder
brothers, who have under the name of Theosophy given to the world a
record of
the Laws that govern all the constituents of Man and of Nature. To
take some of
the minor portions of this, and withhold from mankind the knowledge
of the
whole, is an ignoring of the great fact itself—a fact sadly needed
in the
world—as well as a prevention of the knowledge itself. Whether done
consciously
or ignorantly, such action entails detrimental karmic results. It
is no small
thing to stand between the Masters and Their work in an obstructive
way. The
fact cannot be too often repeated that Theosophy is a record of
knowledge, and
cannot be assimilated or understood if trimmed and modified in
order to suit the
preconceptions and prejudices of the time or people; it is sui
generis, and must
be so taken if benefit is to accrue from it.
People sometimes say they find a kind of “coldness” at a
Theosophical meeting,
where principles of philosophy and their
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application to the affairs of daily life are discussed; they find
more
“devotion” at the meetings of the various sects or cults, or even
at other types
of meetings called “theosophical.” It would be interesting to know
what such
people understand by “devotion.” They often doubtless refer to
those types of
meetings where there is “meditation,” a sort of prayer-meeting
where
psycho-religio emotions are aroused. The Teachers of Theosophy say,
“The first
test of true discipleship is devotion to the interests of another.”
So there are
different kinds of “devotion,” some of them to the personality. The
real
meditation is not that.
Some Theosophists do not study; this makes them weak. They are
often sincere,
but they do not work, nor feel the intense desire to do all that
they can. On
this account they lose in every way. The work will not come without
the feeling;
even working for personal results without the feeling would be
futile. There is
but one way to progress—to cultivate the feeling that produces the
work. This
both strengthens and improves the whole nature, and even the circumstances
of
life. Again, other students have the devotional feeling, but center
a
considerable amount of it in themselves. They need to forget
themselves in
working for others, and to give all their thought, strength and
effort to the
Cause they see to be true. This will include the personality as a
means, not as
an end.
Is it not true that when the personal self is suppressed, the
higher finds
expression? There is a leaning back, as it were, on the great Ocean
of Life—the
SELF—and identification with personal ideas and feelings becomes
non-existent.
When such times come we must beware of self-gratulation; the lower
feeds and
waxes strong on this, and very often without our being sensible of
it—yes, even
when we are trying to guard against it, or think we are. Nor is it
well to talk
to others about these inner struggles, even to our best friends,
for there is a
self-satisfaction engendered by it—so subtle is the nature of the
personal. We
must
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learn to recognize things for what they are, in fact, and cease to
value them in
the light of the opinions or feelings of others. Nor should we feel
depressed.
In other words, we should not be affected by the depression of the
lower nature,
for that is what is felt, and show no signs outwardly of the
struggle going on
within.
The life of the Disciple must be one of constant watchfulness, not
merely of
others, but most of all of himself. Our tendency often is to
separate our
Theosophical life from our personal life. But we cannot restrict
our efforts
upon ourselves to include only those relations directly connected
with our
active Theosophical work. In our home life and in our ordinary communications
there is more probability of our slacking down than in our public,
student
relations. The personality has had home life and connections as its
paramount
stamping-ground, and is more apt to give full play to its
disposition there than
elsewhere. And this play can be carried on, apart from what we
might call
inordinate self-assertion, in small and seemingly harmless methods
of keeping
itself in evidence—such as telling others in the home what one is
going to do in
regard to matters that are not necessary to communicate. When one
comes to think
of it—and thinking of these things is necessary—such actions are
just the
efforts of the personal nature to keep itself in evidence, trying
to attract
attention to oneself in any way—by speech, by action, by calls for
sympathy, by
assumed direction to others, by patronizing speech, and the
thousand and one
ways that the personality keeps on tap, by means of which he keeps
alive; for
when suppressed in one direction, he slyly emerges in some other
way. “He” will
do this as long as we leave any loop-hole for “him.”
The foregoing may seem very restrictive and difficult, but it
really is not. The
very feeling of “restriction” comes from the personality, not from
the Ego. Some
Disciples who were trying, and trying very hard, have been known to
draw
attention to the fact that they had overcome this and suppressed
that—this is
the same old personality with another suit of clothes on. So it is
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best always not to speak about one’s self, “either as to what he
shall eat,
drink, or wherewithal he shall be clothed.” Here are some good
maxims, to apply:
“Never ask another to do for you what you can do for yourself;”
“Know where your
things are and get them for yourself when you need them;” “Do for
others all you
can in a nice way, but don’t expect others to do for you;” “You are
valuable
only when you are helpful, not when you require help.” These will
be found good,
if we try them out.
The animal is able to relate cause and effect in some directions,
but perceives
little, if any, relation between different states. A cat out in the
cold will
cry to come in, for instance; once in and warm, it will go out
again with no
hesitancy, nor recollection of the state it had shortly before
suffered in. Some
humans come perilously near to a similar state of existence, and
all fall into
it in some degree. Most people identify the power to perceive with
the act of
perception and thus lose right comprehension and application. “What
shall arouse
them from the living body of this death?” Trouble, pain, sorrow,
loss. In the
meantime, they are joined to their idols, and have to be let alone.
“Theosophy
is for those who want it and for none others.”
If Consciousness is the only Reality, the Knower, Sustainer and
Experiencer,
then every condition or state is more or less a temporary
appearance. All
classifications refer only to actions of Consciousness—the universe
being
“embodied consciousness,” a creation of forms, a building up of the
great from
combinations of the small, so to speak. You will remember that H.
P. B. says,
“It stands to reason that life and death, good and evil, past and
future, are
all empty words, or, at best figures of speech. They are changes of
state, in
fact, and no more. Real life is in the spiritual consciousness of
that life, in
a conscious existence in Spirit—not matter.” She also said that she
had in vain
endeavored to impart this idea to Theosophists at large, and that
with this
basic idea all the rest becomes easy; yet thousands of Theosophists
read-
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ing the statement and like statements, time and again, get no
meaning from them.
Consciousness is the cause and basis of all states, whether the
fact is realized
or not. It alone is whether there are universes or none. If we take
the idea
that Sight which sees all things cannot see itself, and apply it to
Consciousness, we must concede that Consciousness cannot know
itself, although
knowing all things. Is not Consciousness Knowledge itself as an
abstraction? “It
is wisdom itself, the object of wisdom, and that which is to be
obtained by
wisdom; in the hearts of all it ever presideth.” It is
ever-present, ever
perceiving the changing panorama of existence. “I establish this
whole universe
with a single portion of myself and remain separate.”
Our form of consciousness is made up of various and differing
contacts with
other forms of consciousness. We base our modes of action upon
these partial
expressions, and get the reaction from them in constant
repetitions. As the Self
is all and in all things, and all things are in the Self, the Self
is the
Witness of all. The seeming separate view in us is not a separate
Self, but the
One and Same as appears separate in all creatures.
Self-knowledge comprises both Self and Knowledge; without Self
there could be no
knowledge; without being there could be no knowledge of Self. “The
Highest see
through the eyes of the lowest.” All are partial expressions of the
One, seen by
the One, known by the One. Individualization of being does not tend
to
separateness, but to universality of ideation and consequent
action. What does
it? Thought does it. All experience is by and in Consciousness;
Ideation becomes
more and more universal.
“And when unreality ceases to exist in the individual self, it is
clear that it
returns towards the universal; hence there is to be a rejection of
the
self-assertion and other characteristics of the individual self.”
As to our fellow students: we are apt to be mistaken in regard to
their real
attitude towards us. It is so often our attitude towards them that
presents to
us a false conception of theirs. That
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we all have defects is quite certain, and a defect of one kind is
no better than
a defect of another kind. We notice defects in others, or what
appear as such,
in much the same way as they may notice defects in us, and then on
both sides
there is judgment of one another on the basis of the defects
perceived. This is
the opposite of that respect for our fellow students which we ought
to have,
because they are such, and all are working for a common purpose. We
will readily
admit the common ground, but say at the same time that on no other
basis would
we be at all congenial; so it must be true that there rests
misunderstanding of
one another. What this may be has to be searched out by each one.
There is
something that causes it. Is it fear, doubt, ambition, jealousy—or
what? These
things we have to determine and act upon for ourselves, regardless
of what any
other may do, or what we may have thought of that other. All this
will keep us
so busy in watching ourselves that we will have no time nor
inclination to take
offense at others. And all the time we will be raising ourselves to
a higher and
better degree of discrimination and power to help in the best and
most effectual
way the very ones whom we may have placed in a pigeon-hole that we
have
specially constructed for them.
It is written that students are not selected because of their
natural affinity
for one another, but for quite other reasons. Each student or
disciple carries
with him some particular expression of racial defects, which on the
surface
appear as points of dislike to others, and yet which have similar
roots in each
student, so much alike that one could not tell them apart. So each
has to dig
out the root, and when he has done this, the true nature shines
forth and is
reflected in the others.
The desire to know the “whence, where and whither” of humanity
springs from the
general “religious instinct,” the real basis of religion being in
man’s own
spiritual nature. Religion does not arise outside of man, as the
word itself
shows—from religere, to bind back. Religion is the binding back of
all men and
all beings to the One Source of all. Real knowledge arose within
man him-
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self as he perceived his real nature. Knowledge of man’s nature has
always been
and has been restated from time to time by perfected men from other
periods of
evolution. All forms of religion are pale and distorted copies of
the original
statements upon which they are based, the Three Fundamental
Propositions of
Theosophy.
The greatest thing most students have to guard against is
self-deception. The
versatility of lower Manas in this direction is beyond
characterization. So we
have to watch to see whether our ostensible motives are not cloaks
for other
underlying ones. While doing this, we should be serious but
cheerful—not taking
“our selves” too seriously, but the task. itself as seriously as we
can. By this
course we will gain insight and strength, if we never despair,
never doubt—and
keep quiet, thoughtful and persistent, as well as cheerful, through
it all.
Nothing is as bad as we think it is, nor ever will be.
People sometimes charge others with intolerance. Perhaps this
accusation arises,
not on account of the statements actually made, but because of the
tone and
feeling within and behind them. One can usually state his belief
and
understanding, giving his reasons therefore, without arousing
antagonism. This
is a good thing to strive for. Tolerance is good, if understood
rightly; but
there are many strange ideas in regard to it. Some think it to be
intolerance to
point out to others holding different views any errors of statement
or fact. But
Truth never yet agreed with error, nor does error agree with error;
Truth agrees
only with Truth. So if we firmly believe, and are convinced by fact
and reason,
that we are in possession of Truth, it would be a false tolerance
which would
withhold it in the face of error. Truth exists in the world for the
purpose of
destroying error. Error is dogmatic and does not court close
investigation.
Truth courts all and every possible investigation, and, calm in its
certitude,
examines everything upon its merits, tests it by the standard of
Truth. The
average mind of the day is still under the sway of superstition, of
dogma and
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authority, and must remain so for some time to come. Meeting
frequently those
who have broken loose from old forms to engulf themselves and, what
is worse,
others in newer forms of the same old errors, we can but keep on
the straight
path we know, making a trail that these very ones may follow in the
future. We
need not be distressed that they cannot now see. Their time will
come; for all
these things are provided for in the vastness of time. We have but
to go on with
the Work.
At certain stages of his student life, the Disciple often feels
that getting
away alone somewhere with regularity helps him keep his psychic
balance. Surely
it is not a good thing for progress to depend upon externals for
balance.
Thinking so only perpetuates the dependence, and cannot bring that
inner
strength and perception which is so necessary. That dependence
occasions
dissatisfaction at the majority of externals, and demands
periodical changes,
none of which brings anything lasting. From all this a nervous
tension is
produced which is corrosive and destructive, occupies the mind with
one’s
fancied needs, and reacts injuriously on the body.
True strength lies within and can only be aroused and used by
ceasing to think
that anything in particular of an external nature is necessary for
us, in the
ordinary acceptation of the word. We have our place and our duty to
fulfill and
perform; externals are our temporary opportunities, and we shall be
wise to use
these rightly. Furthermore, we will do well if we take the attitude
that “we”
are not necessary to others; that if we were gone they would miss
us only for a
comparatively short time, and that other persons and things would
finally fully
occupy their attention. Only when we have arrived at that state—the
sooner the
better—where we stand self-centered in the true sense, and “upon
nothing
depend,” can we realize our inner nature, and be of the greatest
service in the
world of men. All of which means that our tendency is to exaggerate
our
importance; and that is distinctly separative and obstructive to
real knowledge
and effectiveness.
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Effective Theosophical work cannot be done unless there are found
persons in the
world who can see the necessity for it and will fit themselves more
and more to
supply the need. That certain persons find such an opportunity is
their karma,
but what they do with the opportunity depends upon their
realization of its
importance. Once we see something of what the Theosophical Movement
means to the
world, we are necessary to it—not as persons—but because we see and
do. The
Movement is accelerated by us to the extent we work for it, and
hindered to the
extent that we, as it were, let it pull us along. Of course, if we
were dead and
gone, or not able to grasp the great fact of such existence as the
Lodge of
Masters and Their work in the world, the great Movement would be
going on in
such measure as others— perhaps not so wise nor capable in many
ways—might
afford. So, every student who will strive to make himself a fitting
instrument
is necessary to the work, to his full capacity, Soul, Mind and
Body. It is a
fact of tremendous significance to our personalities! If we are
impressed with
the significance of it, and accept ‘ fight that only fortune’s
favored soldiers
can obtain,” we will hesitate not at all, but seeing that the
present basis of
action in the world is wrong will work with it as far as we must,
while
ourselves thinking and acting from a very different basis. Our
thoughts are our
thoughts; our lives are our lives, and both are devoted to our
work. Having put
our hands to the plough, and seeing the field that needs
cultivation, we may
push on in confidence and faith. More power is needed? It will
come, if we will
just open those big hearts of ours and let “them” work.
The right kind of Theosophical talking comes only from practice. It
is not
merely the use of a facile vocabulary, but the possession of
well-digested ideas
that is necessary. These come only from constant study and
application. Frequent
reading of articles by W. Q. J. develops the tendency to present
the right ideas
in the simplest form, and these ideas become a mental storehouse
which can be
drawn upon at will. It is not necessary that we understand the
deeply
metaphysical concepts of Theosophy, as
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it is to comprehend the fundamentals and be able to make an
application of them
to every problem of life. W. Q. J.’s articles will be found to
contain
“alphabet, grammar, and composition,” or, in other words, a basis
for right
ideas, right thinking and right application. A daily reading from
his writings
is advisable. One who does this cannot help but imbibe—absorb—the
spirit of
them, and become an exponent who is at once deep, simple and
convincing.
The question of personality is so large that it might seem as
though its
successful solution should resemble the working out of a
complicated
mathematical problem. But the greatest truths are the simplest. And
if we
reflect a moment on what impersonality is not, perhaps that will
help us to see
what it is. Some orate forcibly against personality. That does not
prove they
are free from it. Some say little, but the effect of what is said
is to imply
that they are impersonal. They seem so modest, but are only
politic. Some are
afraid to talk about personality, thinking that it must be shunned
as an ogre.
Yet others preach a doctrine of impersonality which takes
everything human out
of life and makes of it a cold negation. This doctrine has no
patience with
evolution—all faults must disappear at a single stroke.
Impersonality isn’t talking; it isn’t silence; it isn’t
insinuation; it isn’t
repulsion; it isn’t negation. Above all, it isn’t a diplomacy which
masks
ambition.
Impersonality means freedom from personality, but none of us are
going to attain
that, right away; we are doing well enough if we are persistently,
albeit
slowly, overcoming.
For practical purposes: if we are developing the child-heart; if we
are learning
to love things beautiful; if we are becoming more honest and plain
and simple;
if we are beginning to sense the sweet side of life; if we are
getting to like
our friends better and extending the circle; if we feel ourselves
expanding in
sympathy; if we love to work for Theosophy and do not ask position
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as a reward; if we are not bothering too much about whether we are
personal or
impersonal—this is traveling on the path of impersonality. So much
for the
individual. For the T. S. A. impersonality means not to worship
itself as an
organization; to endeavor to get broader and freer; to merge
itself, more and
more, into the living spirit of the movement— its higher self; to
neither
despise itself because it is a form nor exalt itself because it has
a soul; to
become less doctrinal and more human.
July 12, 1897.
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“Seek this wisdom by doing service, by strong search, by questions,
and by
humility; the wise who see the truth will communicate it unto thee,
and knowing
which thou shalt never again fall into error, o son of Bharata. By
this
knowledge thou shalt see all things and creatures whatsoever in
thyself and then
in me. Even if thou wert the greatest of all sinners, thou shalt be
able to
cross over all sins in the bark of spiritual knowledge. As the
natural fire, O
Arjuna, reduceth fuel to ashes, so does the fire of knowledge
reduce all actions
to ashes. There is no purifier in this world to be compared to
spiritual
knowledge; and he who is perfected in devotion find eth spiritual
knowledge
springing up spontaneously in himself in the progress of time.”
Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter IV.
Contents
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter One
YOUR letter of ‘Wednesday is here; a good brave letter, and true
all through,
covering the ground. Yes, if we were quite certain that They were
on hand always
to pull us out of holes we walk into carelessly, or have made
possible by past
neglect, we would never become as They are. All the same we are
helped, and in
the right way, the way our nature needs, not necessarily according
to the way we
assume would be the proper one. If helped at all, it must be so.
“Ingratitude is
not one of our vices,” is Their written statement, and it is lived
up to; the
very best that can be done for us is done, and being done all the
time. At times
we may doubt, but this arises from the personal uncertainty, fear
of some or
another kind of consequence. We should take it that whatever arises
is a
necessary position for us to be in, in order for us to do further
and greater
work for Them. This must be, if we are true to Them; so, while
doing all we can
to make the way sure and clear according to our light, we step
forward with
strength and boldness because the Path is ours and Theirs. We lay
our strength
and our weaknesses on the altar of sacrifice. Does not the Gita say
“Place all
thy works, failures and successes alike, on me”? The fact that some
are
recognized as bad means their relinquishment, sooner or later. The
reason for
this seems plain; if we waited till we were saints, would we ever
begin? We
would not. So, recognizing this interiorly—if not in words—we go on
and keep
going. This is the gist of your letter, and it warms me up to have
you write it.
This is a school and everything that comes for us to do contains a
lesson for
us. ‘We should not forget that, ever. What comes
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at any time contains in it the thing we need; so whether it seems
hard,
troublesome, or pleasant, there is something in it for us. Also it
is well to
bear in mind that W. Q. J. says in the “Spiritual Will,” that the
essence of
eradicating the personal element lies in doing the things we
dislike to do.
Fortunately for us, we don’t have to hunt them up. They come to us
right along.
If we had to hunt them, we might let a lot of them go by, as not
the right kind,
or for some other reason. Being Arjunas, we have the battles ready
to our hand.
There comes a time in our development when work seems useless and
irksome, but
W. Q. J. says, “the disciple must work,” notwithstanding. I think
that in the
irksome work is the clearing up of Karma, and clarification of the
sheaths. We
are doing it all, bearing it all, for the Self. It is by the giving
up of self
that the White Adept becomes. That which galls, that which hurts,
is the
personal desire unattained, or feared to be unattainable. We know
it very well,
but find the pressure hard many times. We also know that
“realization comes from
dwelling on the thing to be realized;” so we have to keep on, and
“dwell” as
much as we possibly can. Every effort brings the time of
realization nearer.
I was amused at the remark of the lady, “If we could see on the
astral plane, we
could find there that H. P. B. made mistakes.” I would say,
“Perhaps if we could
understand English, our mother tongue, and could understand the
simplest
information in regard to a thing we had never heard before, and
knew the very
first laws of Occultism, we would keep silence, try to learn, and
refrain from
showing our ignorance.” This “parrot-talk” has a tendency to make
me “tired.” I
have heard it before, and I am not gentle with it as I am with
other things. It
is so unspeakably silly; I often quietly say things that tend to
startle such
people out of their goose-like assurance. (You have seen geese and
heard them!)
These people should be told to stop taking as a fact what other
people tell
them, and if they want to know anything, go study the history of
the Movement
from every point of view. We have done it, and are giving out the
result, which
they can
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verify if they choose. What we are giving cannot be refuted in any
way but by
that history, assimilated and understood. We stand on the whole
record, without
omissions or interpolations. Of course, the study needs a modicum
of power to
understand the meaning of words and their application; if they have
it not, then
they would better follow some “leader” or another until they have
acquired it.
This is not their class.
When the lady asked if never lectures on “what Theosophy is,” it
would have been
a great opportunity to have her tell what it is. I imagine she
would have
exposed her ignorance. Such people—many of them—think that talk
about Lemuria
and Atlantis, Parabrahm, the Logoi, Pitris and what not, is
Theosophy; none of
them understand even what they talk about. No very explicit
information was
given out by H. P. B., and there is none other to be had. The races
are simply
sketched so as to give a general comprehension of the history and
nature of the
preceding races; if we knew every detail about them, it would not
help us any.
True knowledge does not lie in the direction of book-study, as we
know, and as
doubtless you have told them.
The — were asking last night in respect to the “Declaration.” I had
said at one
time that the very words were Mr. Judge’s; they evidently got the
idea that he
had “communicated” the Declaration to me. I told them that I had
been looking
for the right thing to put Out as a Declaration of Principles and
that while on
that hunt, you had sent me the very thing I wanted, further
explaining that the
Messengers had left all that was necessary for us, and that it was
for us to
apply the right things at the right time and places. thought that
was rather
discouraging, evidently thinking that we should have direction in
ways and
means. I tried to show we could not do any good, if directed in
everything; we
would not grow in discrimination, power and judgment; we would be
but automata,
and would never fill the necessary place. No doubt we would be
helped by
readjustment rather than direction, so we should not look for the
latter, but
using our best Theosophical judgment, move forward, feeling sure
that if our
understanding of the nature of the task is good,
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and our motive pure, the right way will appear to us. Such would be
guidance of
the right sort, one that leads to growth. Should it be necessary to
have
“direction” at any time, we may be sure that it, also, will come.
In the
meantime we live and learn; and we should not forget that They and
we are
working for the future, and for the same end.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Two
Glad that you had such a good and large meeting, and that your
courage increases
as time goes on. You would not have believed a year ago that such
progress in
the work and in understanding could be made in the time elapsed.
Think of the
numbers of souls awakened and set upon the right path by going the
way yourself
and pointing it out to others. This is something that falls to the
very few.
“Just to thy wish the door of heaven is found open before thee,
through this
glorious unsought fight which only fortune’s favored soldiers may
obtain.” The
kind of fighting was not our choosing, but was and is that of
fortune’s favored
soldiers; the end of the battle is not seen until the enemy has
surrendered. He
may be defeated in one place to stand and give battle in another;
so the fight
keeps on because a soldier of the Kshatriya tribe has no duty
superior to lawful
war. War is his business, and he should find joy in the battling
with
difficulties presented to him to try his courage, to test his
strength and
endurance. “Make pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and
defeat, the same
to thee, and then prepare for battle, for thus and thus alone shalt
thou in
action still be free from sin.”
I can readily imagine the troubles found in getting people to
really study; as a
rule, the necessity is not perceived, and this, I think, on account
of the
present methods of education wherein the soul and mind are
considered as mere
recorders. Is it not strange that plain statements are not grasped,
that the
superficial meanings of words are taken to be the applications of
them? All
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of which is chargeable to our modern educational methods. Most men
think that
when they have heard a statement made, they know it.
Some one or two may wake up, among a number of those interested,
and therein
lies the hope; also we know that those who merely listen or read
with attention
get something in the way of a trend that sometime will develop into
greater
things. It is not labor lost, although results at times do not
appear to be
commensurate with the effort put forth. We make the effort, and the
effort
brings results: this is enough. We may not look for any specific
kind of
results, but keep on doing the best we know and can; this includes
all proper
ways and means open to us.
What you say about Consciousness is right, as I see it. There is
consciousness
and its perceptions, the latter becoming more and more objective
creations on
different planes of matter on account of the Creative, Preservative
and
Destructive powers inherent in Consciousness, or, more properly,
the Self.
‘Whatever state of consciousness the Perceiver may be in, the
things of that
plane are for the time being his only realities.” It is all
relativity and here
is where the knowledge of the Real and the Unreal frees from
bondage. The whole
universe exists only for purposes of Soul. Soul is
individualization of Being;
we, as self-conscious beings, have to remain in the bondage of
matter long
enough to give lower segregated entities the necessary impetus
toward self-
consciousness. The majority do this work unconsciously, partly
right and partly
wrong. It is possible to do it consciously and free from
attachment, as well as
rightly.
A good comprehension of the processes is wise and necessary, for
the sake of
others who need to see that the way of devotion is not that of
merely being
good. The books of devotion contain the rules of war, the
duties—individual and
collective—of the warrior, the right conduct in the field.
Moreover, they give
the maps of battle-grounds where the foe is to be met, and tell how
the battle
should be fought—to win. All the works of the Teachers have their
places, and
all of Them had a particular work
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to do. Those who think that the Teachers can be pigeon-holed— as
some do—have
failed to grasp the meaning of the Movement. We can see how the
work of one
Teacher so clearly and so beautifully complemented that of the
other. You
remember what H. P. B. wrote to W. Q. J.: “As you in America will
prevail, if
you only remain staunch to Master’s program.” There is no way under
heaven by
which we shall know that program except through the record left by
those Two.
The more we proceed on the line we are going, the more clear does
it show itself
to be according to the “program.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Three
I am rejoiced that you find lessons in all these things that come
to pass: this
is the realizing of the meaning of life. Most people take it to
mean eating,
drinking, waking, sleeping, enjoying, doing business for gain in
order to do
these things—and learning nothing, frittering away opportunities,
multiplying
difficulties, avoiding by every possible means those things from
which they
might learn.
Our attitude should be that if there is work and we can do it, we
must,
regardless of results; we know that the Law takes care of them,
without thought
or effort on our part, and with exactitude undisturbed by our
sentiments. We see
that and admit it, yet fear to trust, even when we know that there
is nothing
else that can be done by us.
One finds spiritual knowledge springing up spontaneously within
him, not because
of his mental exertions, but because of his “attitude of mind.”
“Place thy heart
on me as I have declared myself to be, serve me, offer unto me
alone, and thou
shalt come to me; I swear it, for thou art dear unto me.” Krishna
calls these
“my supreme and most mysterious words”; he adds, “He who expoundeth
this supreme
mystery to my worshippers shall come to me if he performs the
highest worship of
me, and there shall
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not be among men any one who shall serve me better than he, and he
shall be
dearest unto me of all on earth.” What determines it? Thought
determines it.
Motive determines it.
I am glad that you wrote R— and put it up squarely. I think that
was the right
thing to do; if it hurt personal pride for you to do it, the hurt
showed the
need. A sore place like that is not right; some massaging will not
do it any
harm. The fact that you felt better after writing shows you knew
that it was the
right thing all the time, but hesitated, like the boy with the
tooth and the
string. The personality is what you say—a “peach.” It can play all
parts, from
lord of all creation to Uriah Heep, as its occasion requires, and
the man is
involved in its pretensions. But he learns, and some time Mr.
Personality will
be “out of a job”; “there won’t be no such thing”; instead, there
will be a
whole man.
I can understand the trepidation that arises in such a transaction
as you
mention; one does not want to make a mistake because of the large
loss that
would be incurred, and yet one must decide to do or not to do. The
nature of
your business contemplates a certain amount of risk based on the
probable action
of others. It is a sort of gamble; probabilities are better in some
cases than
in others, but in any, there is no certainty to be obtained. To be
able to
determine accurately one would have to know all the converging
factors, to see
them all in their several courses, and this is not possible to us;
so we have to
guess on probabilities to a great extent. It is this uncertainty
which un nerves
us. We do not want to make a loss, and we do not want to lose a
business
opportunity. The only course left, is seems to me, is to determine
whether it
would be considered a fair risk; if so, we would be justified in
taking it,
because there is no way by which results can be absolutely assured.
Our judgment
would then be centered on the quality of the risk, leaving results
to general
average—that being all that we can do.
The Conditioned is surely unlimited in its capacity for wrong
action, but we
might remember that the Unconditioned does not and cannot act. “The
Self acts
only through its creatures;” the
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conditioning is collective. The conditioned has also to exercise
its capacity
for right action; its ascertained errors lead in this direction,
and the
possibilities are also unlimited. All being is conditioned, but in
it there is
an infinite variation. If we rise out of one set of conditions we
are in
another. The secret would seem to be non-identification with
conditions of any
kind, while working in and with those which on any plane surround
us, improving
our judgment and discrimination in regard to them all the time, as
well as the
instrument in use on that plane, giving the conscious lives of
which that
instrument is composed the right direction.
Had we transcended physical conditions, we should not be trammelled
by them,
would not be in them, except by choice. Even then we could not do
other than put
ourselves under their operations and limitations, in order to gain
a full
comprehension of them in all their bearings upon those in that
condition by
necessity. We have to abide by the rules of whatever game we are
playing; at the
same time we may know better games.
It is good to have that “touch of heart” which transcends time,
space and
conditions. I fully appreciate it, and you know that it exists on
my part. Love
to you and the highest success in your endeavors.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Four
While situations are not always agreeable, or what we would choose,
yet they are
the very apparatus by means of which we learn discrimination; you
know that.
Seeming misfortunes turn into blessings if taken right; this must
be true if the
purpose of life is to learn. Everything that comes is a part of
life, and when
it comes to us, it is a part of our life; so all must be right for
us if our
object is to learn. If people could only look at it in that way,
they would
learn more, get through with less friction, be happier, and, in
reality, have
fewer difficulties to surmount; the necessity for learning ceasing,
no means are
drawn to us for that
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purpose. It is Karma, all of it, and as students we should realize
and benefit
by the knowledge. But it takes time for most to do so, and
opportunities are
lost and energy uselessly expended in the meantime. Our work is
with ourselves,
however, and we can do only what we can for others, giving them
such
opportunities as are beyond us to take; then they must choose. W.
Q. J. said
there are two things needed—to hold on firmly, and to have perfect
confidence. I
think therein lies the door to a safe refuge. (He used the words
“hold on
grimly”—which is more expressive of determination.)
It is true that when we are relying on other things, we are not
relying on the
law. Yes, it looks a good deal darker than it really is. We have to
grow
accustomed to another kind of light, and we shall then see as
plainly, or more
so, than before. The very sacrifices made to relieve the trials of
others are
also tests for ourselves, and means of growth, growth coming from
the sacrifice
of the lower to the higher in every way, as well as on every plane
of being. It
is spiritual fire that burns out all the dross. At no time is the
way easier,
but it is sure, and the refining goes on. If we must go down, it
will be with
our flags flying, fighting to the very last. That is the worst that
could
happen, and even that is not very bad for us, though others might
suffer because
of our removal to another field. We may now regret the possibility,
but then we
would not, because no more could be done.
Also, your thought that we are not deserted must be right. Too
often we think
all depends upon our effort and continuance; yet we must know that
all these
things are provided for, and there are always those who are near
us, who see and
know, and will never fail us, even though we have to go through the
gates of
death to get a wider vision and understanding. All the trial and
training tend
to pull us out of one place in order that we may lay hold of
another and better
one, when we determine to “suffer or enjoy whatever the Higher Self
has in store
for one by way of discipline and experience.” It is the Higher Self
that pulls
us into places and conditions that the personality would run in
affright
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from, if it alone were acting. It shrinks from the unknown like the
steed, but
the rider by spur, bridle, and encouragement makes it carry him
where he desires
to go, for he knows where food, shelter, and rest await both.
In this work natures are intensified; good and bad come to the
surface, but the
cleansing process is gradual. Each must do his own work of
elimination where
such is seen to be needed; it is a process of purpose and
discrimination, and
events bring us opportunities. Wise are those who take advantage of
opportunities and examine motives in the handling of events.
The Law works in strange ways at times; it is never idle and it
makes no
mistakes. Let us rely on IT, for there is nothing else on which we
may. If I
were utterly worthless, your love and faith and courage would bring
results to
you just the same, and your sacrifice to an ideal bring out in you
all that the
ideal holds. And when it is Truth itself we seek and serve, nothing
can dismay
us or turn us aside. It is much to have gained this
understanding—worth its cost
ten thousand times.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Five
You have it right about passing from plane to plane daily but
relating
everything to the brain circle of necessity and thus losing the
meanings. I
think both a dwelling on the fundamentals and a giving it to others
is what
produces the best results. W. Q. J. says, ‘ it (the Will) is freed
from the
domination of desire and at last subdues the mind itself. But
before the
perfection of the practice is arrived at, the will acts according
to desire,
only that desire is for higher things and away from those of
material life.” The
ordinary events and duties of the day do become fatiguing and
harassing to the
earnest student by the very nature of the change of attitude and
plane of
action, and of the changes going on in the body itself; but this
has to be
overcome. The disciple must work, must do every duty, not in order
to get it
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done, but as though his whole interest were in it and it were the
only thing to
be done. This, you will see, is because desire is working in the
new field.
As to memory: you see that memory is a faculty of perceiving
registration.
Registration is there, but oftentimes remote from the plane of
perception, the
impression being pressed upward, as it were, from below. Physical
memory can be
trained to greater effectiveness, a close observation and notation
of every
thing and every circumstance being the principal agent. We have
many careless
habits of letting things impress us without definite notation. For
instance,
people often look at their watch and put it back in the pocket;
then, being
asked, “What time is it?” have to look again, being unable to tell.
In such
cases, the object was to see what time it wasn’t, and observation
went no
further in the way of notation. To carefully note things and not
allow the
notation to affect our proper course of conduct—that is, to note
impersonally—is
studying the hearts of men who make up the world in which we live;
is studying
man as a whole, in fact, for the whole is made up of the parts.
Such an attitude
neither judges nor condemns, but votes, in order to help
understandingly. This
careful notation works both ways, inwardly as well as outwardly,
and tends to
effectiveness of the physical registry. Motive counts in this as
well as
elsewhere; otherwise, it might descend to “peering about.” One sees
without
giving any indication of having done so, and without the slightest
intention of
making any personal use of perception so gained. When we can read
the thoughts
of others, such knowledge is never used to the detriment of others
but ever for
their benefit and with wisdom; like the saying of the Masons, it is
“locked in
the safe and sacred repository of the heart.”
I think you have the understanding of “Look not behind or thou art
lost.” The
context says, “Kill in thyself all memory of past experiences.” If
we do not do
this, we live in them and rejuvenate them. Having in the past made
a deep
impression, while we have now increased our power of thought, they
are re-lived
with increased power and expression. Reliance on the Self— “That
Thou Art”—is
the way out. “As we admit the reality of the
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Higher Self, we should embrace the idea, dwell on it day in and day
out until
the will and desire naturally incline to it and have it as the
subtone or aim of
thought. This process will make the line of influence brighter and
better with
every thought. When the influence grows strong it pervades the
entire nature and
strengthens as well as improves. It will give knowledge and also
energy. This is
the real and only road to the Masters, the Adepts, the Mahatmas.”
What you say is true, that any other position than that of the Self
is all the
more disastrous because temporarily strong. Whatever a man relies
upon, to that
he goes; he, only, who relies upon the Self is not subject to
rebirth. It does
require an immortal courage to have an immortal point of view, and
to hold to it
while watching and guiding the lower forces in unity, for the Self
of All. The
Spiritual Will cannot act so long as there is any selfishness in
the action or
the desire for its results. The only way out is renunciation of
self-interest in
the fruits of actions, and while the perfection of renunciation may
not now be
ours, growth in that direction is always possible, and each modicum
of growth
makes for better attainment.
It is well to have recognized that for a long time the hidden
activity of the
spiritual aspiration manifests most in the increased activity of
the lower
nature, and this may also mean in the circumstances of life. It is
the hastening
of Karma, which may be good quite as well as what we might be
disposed to call ‘
Karma. Good Karma is that which is pleasing to Iswara; bad Karma is
that which
is displeasing to Iswara—the best definition of the two kinds.
We need not mind what we have not done nor yet what we have done.
Have care only
for what we are doing; so shall we best work and serve. Like St.
Paul, we find
the spirit willing but the flesh weak, yet the latter gets stronger
all the
time. It looks weaker than it is because of the higher standard of
judgment we
apply to it. Always the inner is the more perfect, and it is that
which does the
work of perfecting. He who seeth that all his actions are performed
by nature
only and that the Self within
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is not the actor sees indeed.” Our Declaration says, “A truer
realization of the
Self, a profounder conviction of universal brother-hood.” We are
beginning to
realize what those words mean, and we realize it by teaching it and
endeavoring
to live it.
The Perceiver having to be understood as changeless troubles a good
many. This
is because we identify that which perceives with its perceptions.
Each person
has what he calls his mind, but many think that the present
attitude of mind is
the Perceiver, although he had other attitudes at one time, and
will have still
others because He changes his mind as He perceives need for such
change. The
mind is therefore only his instrument for comprehending things and
natures on
the plane upon which it is used. That instrument can be
strengthened and
improved; it is and must be something permanent which uses,
strengthens, and
improves the instrument. The mind might be likened to a telescope
in use by the
Man, the Perceiver, in order to be able to perceive the nature of
the things
about him. He can act only in accordance with what He perceives
through the
telescope. If the telescope is not properly adjusted or out of
focus, the
perception will be out of true, and wrong action will follow. The
Perceiver must
there-fore learn, by experience and through the experience of
others like
himself with similar instruments, the proper adjustment and
focussing of the
instrument upon which right perception and action depend. If he
became any
particular perception or perceptions gained through his instrument,
he would
immediately lose all relation with other possible attitudes to be
obtained,
together with those that have been obtained.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Six
You ask about the Ego leaving the astral body. I think that the
best
comprehension of the subject can be had by analogy. ‘When one is
said to be
asleep, the Manas or mind is no longer receiving nor transmitting
impressions
through the body; he
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passes into the dreamless state, where he functions as a
spiritually
self-conscious being until the cycle of return comes to function
through the
body again. Now if we regard death as a more complete sleep, a
final one for
that body, the Ego would simply cease forever to function through
that body; the
linga sarira or “form” astral would immediately begin to
disintegrate, remaining
with the body until its last particle, except the skeleton, is
dissipated. The
Ego, however, is no more tied to the one than to the other; the
Kama Rupa, or
desire form, aggregates itself from the skandhas or tendencies of
the lower
nature clothed in astral matter (not the linga sarira), and the Ego
ascends to
Devachan clothed in his highest essence. The Kama Rupa quickly or
slowly fades
out, according to the grossness of the nature of the man in life,
but its
“seeds” remain, awaiting the return of the Ego from Devachan. As
the Ego while
inhabiting a body, and during the sleep of the body, may ascend to
Devachanic
regions without hindrance by the fact of the existence of that body
or the
desires pertaining to it, so, after the death of the body, the Ego
is not held
by the disintegrating process of his lower principles, but may
quickly pass
through the kama-lokic (dreaming) to the Devachanic state. The
kama-rupa is but
the mass of desires and passions, abandoned by the real person who
has fled to
“heaven.” Yet, as some dream more than others and in different
ways, there is a
period of greater or less extent before the segregation of the
kama-rupa is
complete, before the Triad is entirely free. You will note that Mr.
Judge
writes, “When the separation is complete (between the body that has
died, the
astral body and the passions and desires) . . . the Higher Triad .
. .
immediately goes into another state.”
If it is remembered that the real Man is the Perceiver of all
states, the
different states will simply mean his perceptions on different planes.
When he
finally leaves his lower principles or instruments, he has no
further
perceptions of those sorts, but has others of a higher sort. He
never ceases to
perceive, while in manifestation, on any plane; he simply changes
the direction
of perception. While occupying a body and during waking hours, he
is affected by
the stimuli received through the body; after the body
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sleeps, he is affected by the repetition of the stimuli more or
less during the
dream; these die out and he is free as Ego on a still higher plane.
At death
these have a wider range, each of the lower principles beginning to
disintegrate
immediately upon the death of the body, for it was the field of
their operation.
Body of itself has no consciousness, no power of perception; it is
the gross,
concrete, earthly part with which we contact earthly things. One of
the Teachers
wrote, “Chelaship does not Consist in any kind of eating or
drinking, in any
practices, observances, forms, or rituals; it is an attitude of
mind.” Another
Teacher said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all the rest
shall be
added unto you.” The reason for this is that it is the mind which
is involved.
If we resort to practices, then the mind is bent upon them, becomes
more and
more implicated in them, and as they are concrete things, the mind
becomes of
that complexion. Jesus said, “Be ye not as the Pharisees who make
clean the
outside of the platter.” The inner nature has a diet out of our
thoughts and
motives. If those are low or gross or selfish, it is equivalent to
feeding that
nature upon gross food. True Theosophic diet is therefore of
unselfish thoughts
and deeds, untiring devotion to the welfare of Humanity, absolute
negation of
self, unutterable aspiration to the Supreme Soul. This only is what
“we can grow
upon, and vain are the hopes of those who pin their faith on any
other
doctrines.”
As to bodily food. It is that which best agrees with you, taken in
moderation,
neither too much nor too little. If your Constitution and
temperament will
permit vegetarianism, then that will give less heat to the blood.
“If from
illness or long habit a man cannot go without meat, why, by all
means let him
eat it. It is no crime; it will only retard his progress a little;
for after all
is said and done, the purely bodily functions are of far less
importance than
what a man thinks and feels, what desires he encourages in his mind
and allows
to take root and grow there.” (H. P. B.)
I am saying so much on this subject because experience has shown
that it is so
easy for students to slip into bodily observances and stay there;
this is the
wrong end to begin on. It is best
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not to make any particular selection as to diet; take what best
agrees with you
and sustains your body best. There is nothing in vegetarian diet to
create
spirituality. The Hindus who have been vegetarians for centuries
are, for the
most part, degraded, and the better portion have as much difficulty
as the
western man in the acquirement of spiritual knowledge. Also, cows
and sheep
would be spiritual if such food had that kind of effect. It is the
motive that
counts, too, in anything. If a person stops eating meat in order
that he may, by
complying with that condition, attain to a development he has set
before him, he
misses the mark and has acquired a selfish motive for the line thus
adopted.
Also, of course, you should know that it has proved to be a real
danger for
western peoples, whose digestive organs have become habituated to a
meat diet,
to change to a vegetarian one. The trouble does not arise from
weakness
following lack of meat, but from imperfect digestion causing
disease—due to the
retention in the stomach of vegetable matter for so long a time
that yeasts and
other growths, including alcoholic fermentations, are thrown into
the
circulation, sufficiently to bring on nervous diseases,
tuberculosis, and
manifold other derangements. It is well known that a man who has
melancholia due
to systemia cannot expect to reach a high development in occultism.
The first thing, then, is to have the right kind of thoughts; the
other, and by
far the least important, is diet, in which the main thing to be
observed is, eat
whatever will keep the body in the best working condition, so that
it may be as
effective an instrument for work in the world as possible. It is
quite true that
the foods of the present time are not ideal. In the future better
products will
be had, but they will come from right thinking; our present work is
to think
from a right basis and become established in that basis, and assist
others to do
likewise. From this will flow what is in accord with it, from
within, outward—a
natural growth.
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146
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Seven
No one who sees his mistakes can be a hopeless case. The moment we
see that we
are deluded, that moment we are no longer deluded, although we may
be surrounded
by the consequences of delusion and have to work through them. Any
trouble and
hindrance come from self-identification With delusion and mistakes;
this is the
delusion of delusions.
The way you are furnishing the motive power for the business is
great. One feels
less and less desire for the things of this world, but he must
work. It is
Karma, and Karma is Dharma—duty; duty, not ‘inclinations,” is what
is required
of us. The motive is duty, not love of the game as it is played; we
would not
play for love of it. But if we aspire to become as Masters are, we
work as those
do who work for themselves and for ignoble aims. We work just as
they do, but
our work is not theirs.
It is well to keep the mind off the future as much as possible, as
far as
results are concerned, and to concentrate on the immediate work in
hand; do that
and the rest will follow and find you ready to go on with
it—whatever it may be.
Above all, avoid being carried away by the excitement of effort; be
calm and
confident; cultivate calmness and confidence; by them one preserves
his best
judgment and highest powers. Each day contains no more than a day’s
work; each
day contains so many hours for the appointed work; let each day and
hour be
attended to as it arrives. Avoid useless sacrifice of thought and
effort;
conserve energies; work without strain.
If help is to come into the Movement we have at heart, the ways by
which it will
come are provided, and the opportunities will be presented. All we
have to do is
to take advantage of the opportunities, step by step, as they
arrive, doing the
best we know, but fearing no failure, courting no success. Keep the
attitude “I
am doing nothing” before you; it will serve to lessen the strain
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that makes you tired. Take the position that everything is going to
be for the
best, and that your part is to perform whatever comes before you to
do. It then
becomes the performance of duty, and should arouse no more strain
than routine
work. And build no castles in the air: they cause only fear of
their
destruction, and in themselves are useless. Take what Karma brings
you and make
good use of it. Karma will bring to us what belongs, so there can
be no cause
for worrying over any future. There is need only that we hold all
our powers in
readiness to make good use of what is brought to us, and this is
best done by a
quiet, calm, confident performance of what we are able to do, day
by day, from
day to day.
I am glad that M— is getting on right lines. Hope that he will get
on a straight
line of thought and action. So many mystical minds from their love
of mystic
meanings turn over the dust heaps of times when hidden meanings
were absolutely
necessary, and overlook the clear unequivocal truth which is before
their very
eyes. This is lack of discrimination. If they studied the work of
the Lodge down
the ages, they would know better than to spend much time on past
efforts, the
only record of which is found in the impress made on minds of the
time, and they
would at once take up the lines laid down in the present effort.
Yes, it is war; but not against persons. War for the Truth— the
eternal ideas,
the eternal thought in the Eternal Mind; war against error, cant
and hypocrisy.
When the Eternal Verities are presented to the world, they are
always presented
through persons. Some worship or lean on the persons; others curse,
defame or be
little them; none of these look at what is brought forward and
handed on. So,
too, when error is pointed out, it has to be designated and names
used to
specify; again, the thoughtless see an attack upon persons. In an
age of
“personality,” the ordinary mind cannot see beyond it, unless care
is taken on
each occasion to explain it. The war is to help “personalities” to
become
“living souls.” It is the Mahabbarata—the Holy War. Ideas are ideas
by whomever
written or expressed; so, they can flow through anyone who is in
the right
condition. We find
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Theosophical ideas in every direction, in all classes of thought,
speech, and
writing; pieces here and there are as good as any that Theosophy
gives, but
there is no synthesis. Theosophy is synthetic and spells unity in
diversity, the
diversity being only apparent, not real. “Meanwhile the world of
real Occultists
smiles silently, and goes on with its laborious process of sifting
out the
living germs from the masses of men. For occultists must be found
and fostered
and prepared for coming ages when power will be needed and
pretensions go for
naught.”
When we consider—as we must—that our individual lives stretch back
for untold
ages, and have an illimitable future, and that the present bodily
existence is
but one small aspect of that great continuous Being, we rise above
the
temporary, while acting in it, and, seeing more of the right
proportions and
relativities, are less involved or troubled by “what may come to
pass.” This of
itself is much to have gained; it gives the steadiness of the
warrior in the
fight. “Forget not this lesson, the spiritual man is in this world
to get rid of
defects. His external life is for this only, hence we are all seen
at a
disadvantage.” Looking at life from this point of view, everything
that comes is
an opportunity to be taken advantage of by that “spiritual man,”
and in
everything we find that “glorious unsought fight that only
fortune’s favored
soldiers may obtain.”
You will remember what W. Q. J. wrote: “None of us, and especially
those who
have heard of the Path, or of Occultism, or of the Masters, can say
with
confidence that he is not already one who has passed through some
initiations,
with knowledge of them. We may already be initiated into some
higher degree than
our present attainment would suggest, and are undergoing a new
trial unknown to
ourselves. It is better to consider that we are, being sure to
eliminate all
pride of that unknown advance we have made.” We may all take
comfort and
encouragement from what is there said, for it may be especially
true of those
who are fired with zeal for Master’s work. Well, I will close now;
grieve not,
fear not, but cut all doubts with the sword of knowledge.
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CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Eight
What you say about “incarnations like H. P. B. and W. Q. J. being
evidently
governed by conditions widely different from ordinary humanity” is
correct. If
we would look at the bodily H. P. B. as a mirror which reflected
from above and
from below as well, giving back to each who confronted it his own
reflection
according to his nature and power to perceive, we might get a
better
understanding of her nature. To the discriminative, it was a well
of
inspiration; in it the commonplace, the Judas, the critic, and
every other saw
himself reflected. Mighty few caught a glimpse of the real
individuality. Each
got the evidence that he sought. We have the Master’s words that
the body of H.
P. B. was the best that they had been able to obtain for many
centuries. Those
who looked at the body and its human characteristics got what that
view was
capable of giving them; those who looked at the mind behind got
what came from
it, in the degree of their comprehension; those who were able to
look into the
causes of things saw what their depths of sight gave them—more or
less of Truth.
“By their fruits, shall ye know them.”
The Jews are still looking for a coming Messiah. It is very, very
few who
discover the “Presence,” and among them, even, the tendency is to
relate it to
the present times and surroundings only, and so miss the greater
scope. Many
years after such Visits, one here and there begins to see landmarks
that
indicate that “some one of importance” has been among the people;
but they too
relate everything to their “present time.” And so it goes, each
“discoverer”
putting his construction on the facts, while there results an
exoteric
degradation of Truth—a regard of events and persons, rather than an
understanding of truths imparted; finally, someone else has to
come, facing
similar treatment. All the time, however, and each time, an impress
is made upon
the thought of the age and humanity gains a little: there is no
other way.
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It is interesting to turn to the “Esoteric Character of the
Gospels,” by H. P.
B. “Theosophists—at any rate some of them— who understand the
hidden meaning of
the universally expected Avatars, Messiahs, and Sosioshes and
Christs—know that
it is no end of the world, but the consummation of the age—that is,
the close of
the cycle—that is fast approaching.”
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was written November and December, 1887,
and January, 1888. She said, “There are several remarkable cycles
that come to
a close at the end of this century
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nineteenth . First, the 5,000 years of the Kali-Yuga
cycle; again, the
Messianic cycle of the Samaritan (also Kabalistic) Jews, of the Man
connected
with Pisces. It is a cycle historic and not very long, but very
occult, lasting
about 2155 years, but having a true significance only when computed
by lunar
months. It occurred 2410 and 255 B. C. or when the equinox entered
into the sign
of the Ram, and again into that of Pisces. When it enters, in a few
years, the
sign of Aquarius, psychologists will have some extra work to do,
and the psychic
idiosyncrasies of man will enter on a great change.” This “great
change” I think
can be stated in three words:
Susceptibility to suggestion, good, bad or indifferent. Look about
you and see
if this is not so. Are the “Messiahs” of today using suggestion?
And was there
ever a time when men should use their reason more than at the
present time,
based upon the widest possible consideration of facts collected for
humanity?
Jesus said, “Take heed lest no man lead you astray, for many shall
come in my
name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and shall lead many astray.
If any man shall say unto you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’
go not forth;
‘behold he is in the inner chambers,’ believe them not. For as the
lightning
(light) cometh from the East, and is seen even in the West, so
shall be the
presence of the Son of Man.” The esoteric savior is no man, but the
divine
principle in every human being. What is needed is a knowledge of
the Path that
leads to Him or It. The foolish look for a “Man”; the wise look for
a “Message.”
Few know the Messenger when He comes, but it is possible for many
to know a true
Message by putting it to every conceivable test. The “Messiah” has
come and
gone; but
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He has left the “Comforter”—His Message. He will return, but not
for several
generations of men. It is possible for men to get at the truth of
these things
if they will take the trouble to make the search in all sincerity.
H. P. B. said, “Do not follow me nor my path; follow the Path I
show, the
Masters who are behind.” This she knew to be the safe course for
all, for each
one will judge of the words and deeds of a personality from his own
standpoint
and understanding, some under-rating, some exaggerating, and some
with
indifference. At the same time, for those who are able to see
behind the veil of
physical maya, there is recognition of those who are travelling the
same path,
and in that recognition, there is comfort and help which extends
from the
smallest to the greatest—a great band of brothers which includes
the Masters as
the Guides and the Consummation. “Whosoever does it unto the least
of these,
does it unto me.”
A Siddha-Purusha (perfect man) is like an archeologist who removes
the dust and
lays open an old well which has been covered up by ages of disuse.
The Avatara,
on the other hand, is like an engineer who sinks a new well in a
place where
there was no water before. Great Men give salvation to those only
who have the
waters of piety hidden in themselves, but the Avatara saves him too
whose heart
is devoid of love and dry as a desert.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Nine
I think you have taken the right position in your letter and I like
it very
much. There are just two positions. One stands fairly and squarely
upon the
Messengers, Their Message, and the admission of Their knowledge as
to the needs
of the interim between Their appearances, that period being clearly
stated by
Them so that there could be no vain imaginings that we were left
alone in the
world and to our own devices. The other position holds that They
could not see
ahead, that They did what They could,
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and left what They did to the tender mercies of the world and the
imperfect
knowledge of Their followers; that, in fact, there was no guidance
in what They
left of record, as to study, philosophy, and propaganda.
We stand in and on the first position; there we are sure. The
closer we stick to
it and to what They left us, the nearer we will be to the lines
They laid down.
You will remember what is covered in that article of
W. Q. J.’s on “The Future and the Theosophical Society”:
“There must be adherence to the program of Masters. That can only
be ascertained
by consulting her and the letters given out by her as from Those to
whom she
refers. There is not much doubt about that program.” . . . ‘ This
is the moment
to guide the recurrent impulse which must soon come and which will
push the age
toward extreme atheism or drag it back to extreme sacerdotalism, if
it is not
led to the primitive, soul-satisfying philosophy of the Aryans.’ .
. . “We must
follow this program and supply the world with a system of
philosophy which gives
a sure and logical basis for ethics, and that can only be gotten
from those to
which I have adverted.” . . . “By our unity the smallest effort
made by us will
have ten-fold the power of any obstacle before us or any opposition
offered by
the world.” . . . “Our destiny is to continue the wide work of the
past in
affecting literature and thought throughout the world, while our
ranks see many
changing quantities but always holding those who remain true to the
program, and
refuse to become dogmatic or give up common sense in Theosophy.
Thus we will
wait for the new messenger, striving to keep the organization alive
that he may
use it.”
Our friends may claim that they are affecting literature and
thought in the way
they pursue, but is it true that they could do so with any purpose
or direction,
were it not for those who stand by the program and uphold the
standard of true
philosophy and the scientific basis for ethics? Besides, it is
recorded in
scripture well known to our friends, “No man putteth new wine in
old bottles,
lest the bottles break and the wine be lost.” The inevitable result
will be as
just stated. Literature is not affected that way, nor
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religion. Christianity is a “revealed religion”; its basis lies in
the Bible
revelation, and nowhere else; to change it, the true basis must be
given without
pandering to error; otherwise, there is only a change of error. We
may well
remember that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, and
dispense the leaven,
leaving the leavening process in both literature and religion to
take its own
course, as it undoubtedly will if we are true to our trust.
Theosophy is for those who want it and for none others. Our
standard is clear
and unequivocal, and we may be able to help even old and sincere
students by our
inquiries. Either there is true knowledge or there is not; if there
is, and we
are assured in our-selves of it, let us assert it, maintain it, and
let error
correct itself. It looks hypocritical to me to get in with a lot of
church
people and pretend that we think just as they do, to say that
Christianity is
just what we believe, is, in fact, Theosophy, when what is
understood by the
word “Christianity” is antagonistic to the Eternal Verities, and we
know it. Is
Theosophy to be administered surreptitiously? If so, will the
unfortunate
“patients” ever know where they are? If they get a distaste for
Christianity as
it is taught, what will they have a taste for? We know where we
stand and why.
Perhaps the lack of any real success in all these years is a lack
of real faith
in Masters, as well as the attitude of being “poor miserable
sinners” and
unworthy; hence, the lack of strength of Conviction. If there is to
be learning,
the student must have confidence in his Teacher, and follow the
lines he sets
forth, or no good result can come. When he knows more, or thinks he
does, than
his Teacher, let him seek another more advanced. If one desires to
teach
another, there must be a “tone of settled conviction” to carry any
weight. It
will appear if the Teacher has any real knowledge. But this does
not carry with
it any more “authority” than the student accords, and in Theosophy
could never
rightly be imposed, as the appeal is to the reason, intelligence,
and inner
perception. What does it matter if the writer believes he speaks
from a higher
plane of knowledge than that with which the reader is
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acquainted, if he seeks to impose nothing? is not the whole effort
of students
to acquire knowledge in order to pass it on? How can they pass on
what they have
not? Are there different degrees of knowledge, and are they to be
recognized and
sought after? To sum up in a nutshell: There are older students;
without them
there would be no younger ones, and no work done; this line runs
from the very
youngest to the Masters. “We are all alike and some different.”
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Ten
I suppose it is inevitable that you should find yourself head over
heels in work
on your return home. It is a “muddy civilization,” and we have to
wade through
the “mud” of it; but there is comfort in the thought that we are
not any of the
mud and can go through it and look toward the end in view—the goal
to be
reached—for the sake of those who are hopelessly floundering. So, perhaps
we
take upon ourselves the muddiest kind of mud in performing the task
we have
undertaken. If we look at all the pressures and strains in this
way, we shall
not be discouraged by anything that may come to pass. In our course
we have to
take advantage of conditions as we may, and always of such as tend
to the end in
view. Is it not so that mountains are climbed? Also, we can reach
the valley
only by careful descent. Do we not thus climb and descend,
figuratively, all the
time?
About men and women “as such,” and the ideas which prevail with
each in regard
to the other: these must change, being based on physical
differentiations and on
accentuation of separateness mentally and physically. We have to
look at souls
and minds, regardless of the kind of body which envelops them, and
get away from
the hard and fast conclusions so common in the world. These
differentiations are
not at once to be gotten rid of, but a better recognition must have
its
beginning, and who should have this, most clearly, but those who
see the Triad
in every human being?
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The present movement of women is such an assertion; it is neither a
fad nor a
fancy, but an urge of the rising cycle. Necessarily it must follow,
at first,
the ordinary lines of thought and action pursued by the men in
general; but it
is bound to work into lines which affect the home, the family, and
general human
interests, rather than possessions. Errors of judgment and mistakes
will
doubtless be made, but from them better judgment will come. No one
can help the
restrictions of time, place and circumstance; they should be
recognized, and
what is to be done, done as best may be under them.
Most men are burdened with positivity, right or wrong; most women
with
negativity, right or wrong; both men and women having these
qualities in
balance, or approaching it, are nearer to the “double spinal cord,”
which must
come about in the race as a whole. I share your opinion as to women
speakers in
general, but I am not blind that there are exceptions, and I look
for them, and
am glad when I see signs of such in the work; for they can best
help that side,
and they can and do express a quality of devotion which mighty few
men possess.
As you say, not only much but all that was ever written was by way
of
“pointers.” Each soul is held by some conception, some interest,
which he takes
to be the "summum bonum”; the consideration of these is
necessary in order to
lead the mind from the unreal to the Real. There is no other way.
Even those who
know real things get caught up in the “turba,” the phantasmagoria
that we create
for ourselves, and have difficulty in reverting to the Real and
Eternal—such is
the strength of objective consciousness which begets the idea of
separateness.
We have to see and know all these classifications in pointing to
the unity of
which they are impermanent expressions. True it is that there are
but few books
necessary.
“Let me say one thing I know; only the feeling of true brotherhood,
of true love
toward humanity aroused in the soul of some one strong enough to
stem the tide,
can carry us through. For love and trust are the only weapons that
can overcome
the Real enemies against which the true Theosophist must fight.”
“Let us all
draw together in mind and heart, soul and act, and try thus
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to make that true brotherhood through which alone our universal and
particular
progress can come.”
“The number of true Theosophists is not legion. The ranks are not
crowded. They
are not to be known or judged by standards of the world, but by the
strength of
their convictions. They are one and all dead in earnest. They are
those who
though they may not have outwardly renounced, have inwardly
relinquished, and
who will be glad when the incidentals are swept away, and only the
essentials
remain. They are those who move from age to age invincible and
eternal.”
One asked me a question the other day: why, in view of our
undoubted relations
in past lives, are we placed in positions that are so difficult and
so dark,
when the obviously fortunate one was so near and so clearly
defined. The answer
that came to me was:
Long ago you took a vow, one of the meanings of which was to step
out of
sunlight into shade to make more room for others.” We should
remember that this
was voluntarily done by the inner man, and that now, the very
principles of our
nature compel us to act, as it were, against our inclination. We
should also
remember the harder the battle, the greater the victory, and
nothing but victory
will suffice us. Yes, the present is the test; the past we will
meet in the
future—that present which has not yet ripened. Yet it is said that
the process
of development consists in the recovery of the memory of the past.
This,
however, cannot mean the sordid details of physical existence, nor
would there
be much concern whether one wielded a battle-axe, or what “part”
one played in
the various dramas of existence, but a something larger, finer,
greater—the
memory of the divine Ego, and those functions of our real life
which go on
during sleep.
It is all lived out in the mind. Most minds instead of living and
acting out
their ideals in the present, and fulfilling their present known
duties to
others, waste most of their opportunities in memory and
anticipation. To live
and act fully and rightly in the present is the whole of life; the
dynamic force
of the brain would then act fully and rightly, and there would be
no exhaustion.
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CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Eleven
As the work goes on and new elements are added to it, there must
occur the
process of assimilation. Each new nature is a new element and has
its peculiar
effect, but there is nothing in this to cause any surprise or
dismay. All the
time there must be the getting closer together of the “living
germs”; this goes
on while we work, each in his own way. Few of us have pleasure in
the works
themselves that are our Dharma, but we know we are there to do, and
they are
there to be done.
One of the great troubles we make ourselves, I think, is the
construction of a
mechanical universe. And it will not work out to our satisfaction.
This way is
swimming against the stream. The Universe is guided from within
outwards and all
possible knowledge of “outwards” will give no real understanding.
In trying to
gain a knowledge of “outwards,” there is an exercise of what we are
pleased to
call the mind; but from what foundation and to what end? The
problems that the
“mind” has are before it here and now, and concern not what has
been or what is
to be. What if we do know all the laws and forces, all the
processes; will that
fit us any better to do whatever comes before us? The law works in
us and
through us; we are ministers of the law, and while recognizing
this, while doing
our best with what we have and see, further power and perception
come. The
Upanishads say that this “real knowledge is not to be gained by the
mind, but by
the subtle sight of the subtle—sighted”—---the Perceiver.
What is your confusion about Mind? The Self only eternally Is. Now
what are all
the rest? Perceptions, I think; some permanent, being related to
the Self, or of
the Self; others, perceptions of perceptions and impermanent in
that they are in
constant change. The two classes or bundles of perceptions in
individuals would
be Higher and Lower Mind. Perhaps Higher and Lower Self would be
better, but no
set terms can give anything but approximations
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of differences of perceptions. We may call what is perceived
“matter,” or
“prakriti,” that basis by which action may take place. It would
seem that this
basis is the general result of the interpenetration, interblending,
and
interaction of the perceptions of multitudinous classes of beings.
The “mind” with which we work is just a bundle of perceptions of
this physical
plane wherein every idea held has a physical basis. Can such a
“bundle” include
or solve that which is the cause, or sustaining power itself? Each
plane has its
own mode or “mind,” and the only way by which we in lower manas can
approximate
the inner is by rising to that plane where the perception and the
mode is
different. Can it be wondered at that all at tempts to solve by
brain-mind must
be temporary hypotheses, one after the other discarded as we see
its futility?
Yet the very exasperation induced sometimes opens a door to us.
There is a state of Soul as Spectator without a spectacle, also
many states of
“spectacles” more or less circumscribed. Spirit, I think, would not
be the whole
of any given class, although such a condition might be called
“spirituality,” if
the ideas were the eternal verities. Naught adheres to Spirit.
There must be that Mind or Power to Perceive which takes in primal
causes as
well as subsequent effects; also that other circumscribed action
which deals
with minor causes and effects. Mind is the power to perceive,
residing in the
Perceiver, its manifold perceptions and possibilities presenting
kinds of mind
and separate ideas and actions. All spiritual beings are the same
in kind,
differing only in degree. Terms are confusing, but ideas may be had
out of the
confusion, if we adhere to the One Reality—which is both Being and
Non-Being.
Each has his own way of seeing and translating what he sees.
The question as to whether one could, or could not, get benefit
from hearing of
Theosophy before death, depends on one’s ability to realize its
truth; the mere
listening to the words without realization or acceptance could have
no place in
the thoughts of the thinker. The karma, however, that brought the
dying one in
contact with those desirous of so helping, will bring him again in
con-
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tact with that knowledge and probably under better auspices. No
effort is lost.
Our love for others is truly shown in our desire to serve, and love
is the great
bond. The highest love that we can have for those nearest and
dearest to us
should be the standard which we should strive to hold toward our
other selves—an
intense love of humanity, one which seeks their highest good, which
seeks
nothing for self, but has all that fortuitously comes. “Friends for
the future.”
A mental change or glimpse of truth may make a man suddenly change
to the truth
even at death, thus creating good skandhas for his next life. But
the karmic
effects of the past life must follow. H. P. B. said that the Ego
was drawn
before birth to the scenes of his former life, saw the meaning and
trend of it
all and the karmic results that must ensue, and knows the justice
of it. There
is also the “summing up” after death—cause and sequence, and
“Being’s ceaseless
tide.”
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twelve
It is well to hold the position you do—to maintain the true
attitude of the
“higher carelessness.” It makes no difference what ever what we do;
how we do
anything is what counts. And as there is always something doing, we
have always
opportunity to practice right doing.
It is no good being anxious; all we have to do is to do our best
with each
moment and live it as it comes. “If the candidate has firm reliance
on the Law,
he will not have to wait too long.” In this way whatever comes will
be right for
him. We must take the position that whatever is right will come
about, and while
making use and taking advantage of every opportunity, feel that if
what seemed
good did not come our way, it was best that way for the main object
that we
worked for. In this case we preserve our best energies, and are
neither elated
nor cast down by whatever comes to pass.
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We are apt to overlook the good we afford to others by our effort.
Every one we
affect, even in a slight degree, affects others, and no one can say
what may be
done for the future through indirect methods. There is much
encouragement in
this, and encouragement means a continuation of courage. We have but
to keep on
in the courage with which we began, for in all great effort there
is sure to be
reaction; and knowing this to be the Law, we are prepared, and
never downcast,
but like the song, “We wait for the turn of the tide,” and ride
higher on it.
I was looking over the magazine article you mentioned. It is
interesting,
instructive in places, intelligent and bountifully interspersed
with diagrams.
It gives the impression of great learning on the subject. But it
speaks here and
there of the Logos and His care of His children. Too much of the
personal God
under another name, thus leaving “His” poor, ignorant, sinful
children none the
wiser as to their godlike nature! The article made me think of the
way the
Jesuits side-tracked Masonry. They entered it, obtained its
secrets, invented
“higher degrees” to draw attention from what lay hidden in the
original ones,
and gradually made it innocuous, and incapable of leading to the
knowledge that
they feared. Much that is going on and has gone on in the . . .
society has the
appearance of leading into innocuous desuetude. This is the mode of
working of
Brahmano-Jesuitical forces, and the ordinary thinker is unable
either to
perceive, or credit it if warned. It is not believed that there are
Dark Forces
and their agents in the world, and that they war within that which
they would
destroy; that they dress themselves up in “sheep’s clothing” so as
to be
unsuspected. But it is too true. Every failure to establish the
Wisdom-Religion
is to be traced to the work of the Dark ones among the unsuspecting
stupid
“sheep,” who are appealed to through their weakness and led astray.
There is no
panacea for stupidity and ignorance but self-knowledge,
discrimination; anything
that leads away from them leads to desolation. Would that there
might be some
way by which eyes could be opened to a wise and proper
consideration of all
things. Yet, if one should publicly point out these things,
“untheosophical”
would be the least charge laid at his
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door. All that we can do is to accentuate the difference between
the Eye
Doctrine and the Doctrine of the Heart with full exemplification. The
. . . talk
glibly of these, but in the words of Kipling, “what do they
understand?” Those
in that society who have the “heart-desire” may find that doctrine,
but the mass
have it not, and are kept from its consideration by every means.
Without any conceit, you know it would be admitted by those who
listen to you
that it would be an easy matter for you to draw diagrams, and
lecture on the
differentiation of species, on the various Logo, Dhyanis, and
classes of beings,
Rounds and Races and so forth; but you know, and anyone can see,
that if one had
all these qualities at his tongue’s end, he would not be one whit
better in
character, nor would he possess any real knowledge—the knowledge
that leads to
the wisdom and power of the Adept. Intellectual acquaintance is
well enough for
those who are entertained by that sort of thing, but those who seek
self-knowledge, who will not be satisfied with anything else, go
not by that
road. Self-knowledge is the first desideratum; the other is
incidental, and
useless without the first. The first requires whole-heartedness,
self-discipline, constant service, unflagging determination. It is
undertaken
only by determined souls and continued by increased heroism—of such
are the
immortal heroes of the ages. The second can be followed by any
schoolboy, and is
necessary to some extent, as an equipment for the sake of others,
but unless
subservient to the first, it is useless as a means of growth. The
general
tendency is toward “intellectualism,” and it is easy to follow that
line of
acquisition. The effort should therefore be to present and practice
the study
that leads to growth, using the “process” only to assist the
understanding. The
opposite is too generally the practice. There are Theosophists in
name and
Theosophists by nature; they are different.
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CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Thirteen
Your statement of monthly expenses is not encouraging, but we have
seen worse
conditions, and with less in view to face them. It looks like
“alone and
possessing nothing” for us; but we can face all this without the
slightest fear.
‘We must trust absolutely to the Law, doing our conservative best
as we go
along. We have but to keep that work, which we see to be the Real
work, going
through thick and through thin; then, whatever comes will be right,
and we shall
finally see the right results for All, for it is “All” that we are
working for.
Business has been defined as “a lot of useless activities which we
have created
and now bow down to and worship.” But there are some we know who
are heretics in
that direction, and I like these best. Well, the world we live in
is governed by
these very follies, and we are here to hold fast and get going a
crop of better,
finer ideas. The fact that burdens are growing heavier cannot be
accounted a bad
sign; there must be in those to whom burdens come From an unused
strength that
needs exercise. We will have to take the Bible saying as true that
“the burden
is to the strong.” Too, it is well to know one’s strength, which
cannot be known
without using it. By and by you will know what you can do, and the
necessity for
these trials will cease.
In answer to H— I am glad that you made it plain—and it cannot be
made too
plain—that there is absolutely no one in U. L. T. who “instructs
and informs
other members of what he or she gets as coming from Masters.” This
is the safest
way for all: point to the records and advise an open mind and an
eager intellect
as well as an unveiled spiritual perception. We have faith that
“the Master’s
hand is over all” and go the limit on that. I think that your
letter covers the
ground pretty well. The “writer” of the “extracts” in question does
not care
what is done with any
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words he has written, so long as the sense and meaning is main
tamed, the intent
preserved; nor would he in the least object to the presentation of
the ideas in
any other way; in any event, no name is attached, nor recognition
sought.
In regard to the question asked. In the Voice it speaks of
Kundalini as Buddhi,
considered an active power—the power of that sheath in full
operation.
Ordinarily, Buddhi acts indirectly through Mamas in its lower
aspect of action,
thought and feeling, as they relate to the objective consciousness.
In this
sense, there-fore, Buddhi may be called passive; the power is there
but
transmuted into lower and divergent energies.
The unitary idea in the septenary nature is to be had from the
conception of
Consciousness, or the Perceiver, using different vehicles for
expression and
reception on different planes. It is not waking nor sleeping nor
Deep sleep, nor
Sushupti, nor Turya, but just Consciousness acting in these various
ways and
conditions. We are That which perceives in these various ways.
Consciousness is
One—the ways are various. The Seer is unitary, but has many ways
and directions
of seeing. “Man” is not any of his principles, but they are “his”
instruments.
These principles or sheaths are made up of the “lives” of various
kinds of
different planes. The unitary idea is consciousness with power to
perceive in
every direction through appropriate evolved instruments. Like the
God of the
Bible, “Man” cannot be found out, for darkness surrounds his
pavilion. “He” is
ever behind every manifestation and expression, and is also
Paramatma, the
Highest Soul.
Unity cannot be stepped down. IT ever is; IT is to be realized. Of
course, it is
a consideration of processes that is confusing with our present
perceptions; but
it is not so difficult to have a working generalization sufficient
for our
present purpose. The thing to be realized is Unity—the One, not
separate in its
manifold appearances. “That Thou Art, 0 Svetaketu.”
I think that the word “Perceiver” connotes both individuality and
that power of
perception which is infinite. As individual, or as Ego, it connotes
all the
experience of the immense past. It is also Ishwara and Paramatma,
for that which
perceives has no limita-
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tions to its possible field. The Perceiver rests in the Infinite
and is always
behind and above any and all expansions of perceptions. ‘Man” is
greater than
any mind he may have, for he is constantly changing it—and remains.
The Soul
looks directly on ideas; nothing comes to it but ideas, obtained
through its
various evolved sheaths. We can have no experience whatever,
whether from the
bodily organs, or by suggestion, unless an idea is presented. Ideas
may come
from objects, from words written or spoken, but our only real
perception of them
is in “idea.” We classify ideas because of an assumption of
separateness, but
that is not the true way, and the effort should be made to realize
that the Soul
is vision itself, and that it looks directly upon ideas.
There are minds many, and many kinds of mind, but there is the
Eternal Thought
in the Eternal Mind—the world of Eternal Idea which is the world of
True Being.
We must bring back to the light of day the present sense of our
divinity which
illumines us in dreamlessness—where the “Spirit thinks not, yet
thinking not, he
thinks, for the energy that dwelt in thinking cannot cease because
it is
everlasting.”
Study, work and service are the means, with the motive of being
better able to
help and teach others. Doing all we can, we do all that can be
done. There is no
use in distressing ourselves about what we do not know; we find
knowledge
springing up spontaneously within us as we do our best with what we
see and
know. It matters not whether that which we consider as “we” gains
or loses, so
long as what should be done is done as best we are able. It is
desire—results-—---that trouble us; they always will. The right
done everywhere
is ours. No learning is learning unless it leads to readjustment.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Fourteen
What you wrote about Karma is a splendid conception, to my mind.
Karma is Law.
Those who best know the Law are Karma, and others the directors of
Karma in
varying degrees. Knowledge
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of it begins by performing that which comes to us as duty, simply
because it is
duty, and not in order to produce anything for our-selves. This
practice begets
and inculcates a recognition of Karma and use of and subservience
to it. In time
we do only those things that work for the general welfare. Masters
are the
highest expression of this.
In order to make minds think, I sometimes point out that we know
what has been
and will be by what is now. We observe the law and sequence of
years, seasons,
and elements; this is knowledge, and lies outside of memory or
prevision. In the
same way we know reincarnation to be a fact without having any
memory in the
brain of this body. Some, however, do remember, that memory coming
by the study
and application of a true philosophy of life. The reasonableness
precedes the
realization. We know the infinitude of numbers but cannot
demonstrate that
knowledge.
Changes go on, and for good, with our efforts to apply the
philosophy. Any
failures made in such case are stepping-stones to success because
followed by
undaunted struggles upward. The efforts count and are registered in
the
supersensuous consciousness. Sometime they will be of quality and
force enough
to counter balance all opposition.
Your letter conveyed to me the impression that G— held in his mind
too much of a
condemnatory attitude as to the deficiences and failings of others;
perhaps not
altogether condemnatory, but contemptuous, and that it was general
in its
application. My remarks were addressed to this, not to him as a
person, and not
to you.
I think that much of the failure of “old-timers” in study and
knowledge of the
meaning of Theosophy and the Movement lies in not realizing how
necessary it is
to apply to ourselves the criticisms and judgments we so freely
apply to others.
And in saying this I do not say that I am free from these faults. I
only
recognize that they exist and need correction. So, from that point
of view, it
is not desirable to let the mind become of the shape and mirror of
undesirable
things. Then it is not easy to avoid a contemptuous, if not a
condemnatory
attitude toward others,
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which engenders a sort of pride by comparison with our own attitude
or what we
imagine we would have done under similar circumstances. This is all
detrimental
to the performance of our own duty, and to our progress on the Path
of
Compassion. Errors have to be recognized and avoided, and pointed
out to others
when necessary; but there is a wide difference between that and
mere gossip.
I have found that the knowledge of many “old-timers” consists of
just such
things. They give them forth to new adherents as evidence of their
knowledge of
the Movement, the Society, and by implication, of Theosophy. This
is not wisdom
nor is it good for anyone, and it certainly does not help
Theosophy. Of course,
here and there all the crimes in the category have been committed
by members,
though the majority were good, according to their “lights,” and
well-meaning,
but ignorantly misled by their misconceptions, desires and
passions, sometimes.
For all honestly striving with their enormous difficulties, we
should have pity,
sympathy, charity; we cannot do this if we mentally reproduce the
opposites,
weighing the act and actors in the balance of the mind.
You will run across more of this as “old-timers” drift in with
their mental
accumulations, so I wanted you to assist them to dump their encumbering
load and
to take a fresh cargo of good material. I would gently discourage
them from
making that kind of mental picture by paying little attention to
it, and by
presenting present time and opportunity.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Fifteen
Pressure is pressure, no matter what the immediate means. Things
going so hard
in so many directions looks like a settling down into place—getting
firmly
fixed. Of course our attention to outside things and the pressure
of them must
affect all others interested to some extent. It cannot do much so
long as we are
internally firm and calm. Taking this position as you have and do,
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matters will find their own adjustment naturally. We see a thing to
be done, and
we try it out in the way most ready to hand; it does not go that
way; then we
try another and another until the way is found.
No duty, of course, should be neglected; we have such by natural
law and by
agreement, and we should faithfully fulfill them until they leave
us; we must
not desert them. By doing our duty by every duty, we work out our
Karma
fulfilling the Law, and are thus made fit for higher duties. W. Q.
J. said,
“Duty is the royal talisman; duty, alone, will lead you to the
goal.” We must
place an absolutely firm reliance upon the Law, doing that which is
nearest to
us first, and then what is farther away. It is not what is done,
but the motive
in doing it, that counts; so we have to watch well our motives; if
the motive is
right, anything we do is right, and every duty is equally great. If
the right
course is followed, there will be time and occasion for all duties
and none will
be neglected.
Also we are warned against considering our own progress; first,
because that
kind of thought is personal and actually prevents progress; and
second, because
our real progress being in the inner nature is only discoverable by
results, and
these results may even appear to us to be the opposite of progress.
Thus all
thought of our own progress should be dismissed from consideration.
The line of
duty is the right line, to which must be added a Theosophical
education, because
that assists us to distinguish between what is duty and what is
habit or mere
inclination. UNITY, STUDY, and WORK should be the watchword. We
should be united
in aim, purpose and teaching; to do this we have to accept all
others on the
same basis, who, under the Law of Karma, are drawn together with
us. Each should
endeavor to learn as much as possible so as to be the better able
to help and
teach others, and in so doing gradually eliminate such defects as
present
themselves in the course of study and effort. Hence, we have to
hold the
greatest charity for the faults and weaknesses of others while
striving to
accentuate the good in ourselves, and in those who seem weaker than
ourselves in
some respects. Unity brings an irresistible energy;
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study and its application in work gives us the knowledge of how
best to apply
the energy aroused; but the motive of our study and work must be
that we may be
the better able to help others to attain—not that we may climb.
Yes, true knowledge is synthetic, and when we are truly at tuned,
perception
through any one channel would give us the sum of the attributes so
perceived.
This synthetic ability has to grow little by little toward a
perception of the
“one sense” through any of its divisions or channels. The holding
of this idea
tends toward that growth, for it is consciousness, or the
Perceiver, that is the
Knower.
Everything is reducible to states of consciousness; every feeling
has to be
traced to some one experiencing it. Consciousness connotes all.
There is
universal feeling and relative feelings. Feeling might be taken to
be the effect
produced or perceived on any plane and depending on the relative or
universal
nature of thought, as the case may be. We could not have a thought
without
feeling, but feeling has many grades, depending upon the fineness
or grossness
of the sheath upon which the Will acts; for, it seems to me,
Thought and
Ideation are one and may be applied to any plane, while Will is the
dynamic
energy of thought or idea.
You are right about “the swing back of consciousness from higher
states”
reacting with force upon the lower states and arousing them;
knowing this, we
gradually subdue the lower because such is our desire and
intention. No doubt we
all fall down from where we see we ought to reach, and that is not
to be
wondered at, since the inner is always more perfect than the outer.
But the
great thing in it all is that such seeing makes us increase our
efforts. We need
not worry about our failures or successes, for if we worry about
failure we are
thinking of success, and if we worry about success we are thinking
about
failure, in a squirrel wheel-round of action. We can take the
advice to “be up
and doing” and forget the rest, only remembering at the moment of
action all
that is necessary for the act. All of us have to persevere in
perfecting the
instrument by removing the barriers erected by
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the personality. The Path lies up-hill all the way, brightened by
the
consciousness of doing right. Now more power to you; all these
trials and
obstacles are but strengtheners for us—beneficial exercises. We
play the game
knowing what it all means.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Sixteen
Your letters are ‘ meditation” and “good medicine.” Just hold to
what you have
expressed. It is not easy but every effort counts; the failures do
not, and all
the time there is progress. If we could only see our true destiny,
as W. Q. J.
puts it, we would not consider the events of life as anything but
opportunities.
Not one thing can come amiss to those who so see. If we find that
suffering,
stress and strain are our lot, we may also see that they afford
opportunities
for strengthening; and who should be better able to bear them than ourselves,
in
view of what we see and know to be true? As we carry these burdens
we help the
whole. Our work is constructive with the right attitude toward all
things. With
the right attitude toward all things, all that we do is
constructive. We may not
be enamored of our own proficiency—we may see many deficiencies—but
we can help.
The fact that we find ourselves of admitted help to others tells
the story, and
as we help we are better able, all the time.
Of course, the instruments we are working with are not strong; they
are what the
race into which we came provided us with, and they are what they
are and the
best we have. We all can see their limitations but we can push them
to the
limit, “and then some,” and still know that the end is not to be found.
So while
we are working to the best advantage possible as we find things, we
are always
moving toward a better efficiency and bound to get there. You
remember what W.
Q. J. said in that convention address: “The society was founded by
those who
were determined to succeed.” Well, that is our determination, no
matter how long
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it takes, nor what we have to undergo; we look for nothing less
than success.
And we have the inner knowledge that “the Master’s hand is over
all,” and can
reverently seek His guidance and enlightenment in full confidence
that “in the
hour of our need the Lord will provide.” Having confidence in the
knowledge, we
do not set any particular ways and means, but await the movement of
events to
point out both. “With patience and full reliance upon the Law, the
candidate
will not have to wait too long.” We rest on that.
A Kshattrya is none the less a warrior when wounded, as long as he
resolves to
fight. Such a “jolt” as you describe was meant in kindness, and for
your
betterment according to the minds of those who gave it. Something
must have
impressed itself as an impairment of an ideal instrument upon their
minds. It
does not matter if the things were small or great in themselves; it
only matters
that they aroused certain effects and detriments in the minds of
others. In the
enthusiasm of our effort and the greatness of the subject smaller
lapses escape
our notice; when such are called to our attention we should
eradicate them. They
may be tricks of speech and beneath notice in relation to the real
meaning
intended to be conveyed; we may even see that the attitude which
objects to them
is hypercritical; yet we are bound to remove to the best of our
ability anything
and everything that puts a bar—detracts attention from the main
thing. Then
again “any old” jolt is good; that which feels jolts is the
personality, as you
know; we get a reminder that there is still work to be done upon
it. We have to
avoid all kinds of offense, real or imaginary. I do not think one
would need to
spend much time on such reformations; it would not need more than
the admission
that they are needed. So long as we do not admit that they are
needed, we shall
be resenting the reformations and making no headway. So when things
come, the
way to do is to conform, not necessarily reform, remembering St.
Paul’s saying,
“All things are lawful but not all things are expedient.” It
depends on what you
are trying to do. You have got it right, and I take your letter
just as a
setting down of things in order to get rid of the pressure. There
is a law of
our being
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underlying this; the Chela’s Daily Life Ledger and the Catholic
confessional are
based upon it. We have to meet conditions as they arise, and need
not worry
about those that do not confront us. We have, of course, to act
prudently on the
line of what we have in view, but anxiety should be absent from any
act done to
the best of our ability. I know all you would do if you could; you
have done and
are doing all you can; what more can be done? I know that it has
been very hard
for you; it is harder now than it has been, but in a different way.
By-and-by
you will be so firm and hard that nothing will “feaze” you for a
minute, and
that time will find the full play of your energies on whatever is
to be done.
Now good night to you. Be happy as those who live for happiness
alone, and
accept all blessings possible.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Seventeen
I should like to meet your Mr. C. The statement that Theosophy ‘ in
anything
needs straightening out. There are a lot of self-satisfied
Theosophists who
never use the words Theosophy, Reincarnation and Karma, yet who
would doubtless
call themselves Theosophists. The excuse generally given is that
Theosophy has
been “discredited,”—as if such a thing could ever happen. It is no
doubt true
that many people calling themselves Theosophists have by their
folly given false
impressions of what Theosophy stands for and means, but that should
induce in
all Theosophists more strenuous effort to correct the falsities and
put the
philosophy in its true light. If there were more Theosophists of
the latter kind
there would not be so much of false impression; so the moral is to
swell the
number, instead of helping the enemy by withdrawal, or retreat,
which is the
course of the ill-informed, the coward and the traitor. What he
should have said
is that some Theosophists, or members of the Theosophical
societies, believe in
a big being—the “Logos,” in the sense that he implied. But he may
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have the wrong conception of what they believe, and may be imputing
to others
his own belief and misunderstanding. There is a wide difference
between “big
being,” in the sense of a “personal god,” and the Logos as set
forth in the
Secret Doctrine as a “being”; between the conception of “Jehovah”
of the Bible
and the churches, and the Logos as a collection of beings of many
grades in
posse—considered as a “being” only because assembled together in
one stream of
evolution, and necessary to each other for further experience.
No doubt there is a school of “Occult Arts” in the Catholic Church,
as he says,
but there is certainly not a school of Occultism in the sense of
the Lodge of
Masters. It is not only not probable but impossible for a school,
whose motive
is selfish in basis, to aquire spiritual powers of the higher
order. “The least
taint of selfishness and the spiritual is turned into the psychic
and dire are
the results.” One might remain in the Catholic or any other church
and be a
Theosophist, but it would mean that he was only ostensibly a
Catholic. One might
be there with knowledge and for some purpose other than
perpetuating that malign
system. To be really and truly a Catholic and a Theosophist at the
same time
would be like going in two directions at the same time.
His saying that H. P. B. made mistakes is a pitiful attempt to drag
her down to
the level of his own ignorance. It might very well be that she (He)
purposely
laid herself open to a charge of errancy in unimportant things, in
order to
prevent dependence upon her “as a person,” but I for one do not
believe that she
made one single “mistake”; but that everything that she did was
intentional, and
with a beneficent end in view. It does not make any difference what
A— or Mr. C—
said about H. P. B.; the value of both are identical—guesswork.
“Those who do
not understand her had best not try to explain her; if they find
the task she
laid down too heavy for them, they had better leave it alone.”
These are
Master’s words, and their repetition at times would help to
eradicate wrong
impressions. It is quite true that we may be too insistent in
speaking our
beliefs in regard to H. P. B. and W. Q. J., for that course
followed
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incontinently would serve to arouse opposition in some and a
supposition in
others that belief in Them was a sine qua non—either of which would
defeat the
end in view. One’s own conviction may be given when found
advisable, and the
reasons for it presented; just as in the Ocean, the Masters are
presented in the
very first chapter. For without Them as the Custodians of Ancient
Wisdom, to
what could we assign the existence and appearance of Theosophy? It
is the
Message that the world needs, and in consideration of that, the
question as to
who brought the Message naturally follows. Understanding of the
Message brings a
comprehension of the nature of the Messengers. Otherwise, H. P.
Blavatsky and
William Q. Judge might be considered as “just people like
ourselves,” and as
liable to error.
The kind of Theosophical education that is needed is one that will
not feel
bewildered by any turnings aside of individuals, no matter how high
or advanced
they may appear to have been. All prate about the “original lines”;
what are
they? ‘Well, W. Q. J. wrote after H. P. B. had gone, that we must
go to Her and
the Master’s letters for the “program.” It is not laid down in
schedule form,
but it is there and can be found by anyone who is anxious to follow
the program.
The course of the Theosophical Society and Theosophists all along
gives evidence
that it is possible to drift onto some sandbank of thought, some
finality, and
stay there even when exceptional opportunities have been had.
Well, it does not do to be “cock-sure,” but to be ready ever to revert
to the
Source, the Message, the plan as far as outlined; with that
readiness, every new
development, event or change— whether in persons or things—is taken
into
consideration in relation to what has been recorded. If
“intuitions” do not
accord with that, then it is wise to stick to what the Messengers
laid down. The
mysteries of lower Manas are great and many.
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CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Eighteen
Glad that business keeps up so remarkably well. It is a good sign,
as is your
success under all the circumstances that stood in the way of it. We
need not
expect disaster because we are endeavoring to do right, though if
disaster
comes, we know it is not from our endeavor, and we keep up the
endeavor in full
confidence. Help comes on all planes of being, and must, if unity
means
anything. Also, working with the Law and from within outwards,
improvement and
strength must follow in every direction. There is good reason to
take more
courage.
As we aspire and work for Theosophy, the nature changes, and what
would not
affect the man of the ordinary way of thinking is found to react
upon us in a
marked way. When this occurs, we should endeavor to find that
particular cause
in our thought and conduct so as to be able to prevent repetitions
if possible.
The thought and effort in this direction will finally bring us to a
point where
we are able to resist the impulse arising from desire and anger. We
may plan,
while living in a house, a much better one; from perceived defects
we will build
better when the time for building comes. As thought is the plane of
action, the
proper thought will bring about concordant action in its own good
time, even if
we have to await a new body for it. But there is no saying what
changes may come
about in the present body; we have to live on and think and do.
People have to be encouraged to take hold, in the hope that for
their own and
humanity’s sake they will “stick.” It would not be helpful to
discourage them by
presenting the difficulties that we know will confront them; when
such
difficulties do arise we have still to encourage them by pointing
out what the
great Ideal means. Some fall away for a time, coming back when they
get new
strength and determination; others ignominiously retreat and lose
their chance
for this incarnation. But there are always others,
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and for them and for the faithful—“the living germs among the
masses of men”—we
work on without discouragement. “To have started one soul in the
right direction
is an opportunity not given to many.” We have had and improved that
opportunity
to the best of our ability. In all we are building for the
future—we work in the
present for the future.
You know how I feel about going to churches and other meetings
where duty does
not call and where you are not in sympathy with the prevailing
ideas. It does no
good, and only opens the door to possible hindrances which affect
all those in
the same line of relation with you; so, even if indifferent to
personal results,
there is the other more important view to be considered. Where it
is a question
of duty it is a different matter, there then being nothing of the
personal in
it. As to the other meeting, am not surprised that you felt a
pressure in the
room where that aggregation of class-minds was. You did well not to
stay and
would have done better still to have kept away altogether. Nothing
is gained by
going to such places and no good can be done to minds whose sole
idea of
existence is physical betterment for themselves as against others
who appear to
have that betterment. It is easy to learn the lines of thought of
such people
from the papers and other literature. Besides, there is danger of
certain kinds
of infection, as you know. One of the strange things noted during
the past
twenty years is the fact that students—so many of them—have thought
that the
warnings were not meant for them, but for others; have disregarded
them, and
then wondered at occurrences of an unpleasant nature, and at their
lack of
progress. It did not show an appreciation of the fact that such
warnings are
statements of Law, and of value, or they would not have been said.
The question as to whether we “should change the vibration from
pain to
pleasure,” arouses the counter question, “Why should we desire to?”
The object
of life is neither pain nor pleasure, and making that object merely
the avoiding
of pain is to be as nothing but a rationalized animal. Pain is what
we feel of
the cry of the “lives” that are afflicted, and need attention to
have the cause
removed intelligently so that the course of all may run smoothly.
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To desire to drown this cry would not be wise, but foolish.
Conscientious
medical men use opiates only when absolutely necessary and then
only for a
temporary relief while effecting a cure of the trouble. A mental
‘dope” is
equally objectionable, supposing it could be done. But this is
found to be the
case: those who seek pleasure feel pain more keenly than those who
accept what
comes as guides on the way. And it may be safely assumed that those
who seek
pleasure and fail to see the lesson of pain have not the power
indicated in the
question, however much they may desire it; for desire is not a
condition, nor is
it knowledge.
Well, it is Mahabharata, the Great War. We have waged it before to
some purpose,
and will continue to wage it to greater and greater purpose, with
added power
and knowledge as lives go on. It makes all the difference in the
world to have
this outlook and purpose.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Nineteen
The only storms that really affect us are those “inside.” Of
course, being human
and having bodies that act and react to the “within” and the
“without,” we feel
these effects; but we know them to proceed from the “qualities in
nature” and
are able to take the wise advice of Krishna that they “come and go
and are brief
and changeable; these do thou endure, 0 son of Bharata!” It seems
to me that B—
is in a state of complaint and, being so, the intuitive perceptions
are not so
keen as they otherwise would be. But this all will pass away. It is
in fact
nothing else than an exhibition of the despondency of Arjuna,
although it
probably will not seem so to B—. In such cases everything appears
to be wrong
and all things futile; but knowing it all to proceed—not from the
outside
affairs which merely give the occasion, but temporarily from
within—I place no
especial importance on it, save as an expression of the then
feeling. All things
may not come out just to our liking, but we should know better than
to expect
that, or
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find cause for complaint in it. All this brings unnecessary strain
not only to
B— but on others intimately concerned.
What you said to C— was right, and he ought to know that there was
and is a
definite purpose in U. L. T. It is not a “one man-business” but a
One-Truth-business. There will be plenty of writing for the “man in
the street.”
There has been much, there is much, there will be much; but where
does it leave
the “man”? Just where it found him—“in the Street”! Those who are
inclined that
way will do that sort of thing; but where in all the societies, and
by all the
writers, is there to be found clear direction or a sound foundation
to build
upon? Well, we know our work, and what we have set out to do. To us
the way is
clear and we ask no persons to accept our way if they see what to
them is a
better way. Let C— do what he will do that is consonant with our
work. But what
is most necessary at the present is the putting into the hands of
the public the
writings of H. P. B. and W. Q. J. which have been obscured. We are
following the
lines of W. Q. J. in particular because they do not diverge from H.
P. B.’s, but
strengthen and confirm them. As well they make simple for “the man
in the
Street.”
C— thinks that we have lost sight of the “Second and Third Objects”
because we
do not mention them particularly. We have not. The second and third
objects are
pursued by some, and never were obligatory on any member’s
acceptance. The U. L.
T. is an exoteric body and sticks to the first object—a “Nucleus of
Universal
Brotherhood.” The second object is sufficiently covered in the
readings from the
Upanishads, Voice, Gita, etc. The third object is “to investigate
the
unexplained laws of nature and the psychical powers latent in man”;
but
“investigate” does not mean experiment. There are warnings galore
about the
latter.
It is good to hear that the Thursday meetings, while small, have a
stronger,
better feeling and tone. With the devotion that we know is there
this must of
necessity be, and strength and tone coming from within—from the
heart—must reach
outward in all directions and make the instrument a better and
better expression
of that harmony. M— as an exponent will change as time goes on.
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His natural manner is inoffensive, perhaps apologetic at times. As
he obtains
what might be called a “deadly certainty” it may be he will
approach the “calm,
quiet movement of the glacier” which with the genial warmth of the
sun will
prove effective. All natures have their purpose and uses. It is the
fire of
conviction that gives each its highest efficacy.
I think as students become more earnest and closely allied to one
another and
the work, ideas flow from them to the one speaking. The speaker
sees it in
another’s mind, unconsciously, perhaps—but truly so. The
intercommunication
between minds is much more common than supposed, both for good and
bad. The best
strength comes from the Masters when the mind is centered on doing
Their work;
this opens the channel between Them and us. “Thought is the plane
of action”;
all else are results.
What is this about “looking for orders”? They should know better.
Students
should look about to see what they can find to do—find ways,
methods, and means.
It is certain that if one looks for “orders,” he is depending upon
authority and
direction. The right way is to go ahead and if it is not right, the
wrong will
be pointed out. It would be well if such would take a more active
part in the
meetings, get more and more able to carry them on. No doubt they
will do this,
having begun.
There is a getting closer together among “the faithful,” and this
of itself has
its effect upon those about us, as well as upon others not so near.
Union and
harmony is the secret of strength. So the nearer and closer we get
in thought,
will and feeling, the more power will flow from us as a body, “till
we saturate
time and eras, that the men and women of races, ages to come, may
prove brethren
and lovers as we are.”
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty
In your last, you question about memory. Memory is a large field.
That which we
call “memory” must belong to “being” and relate to experience—in
fact, it might
be said that “memory” and
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“being” are synonymous, considering in this view of it that ‘ is
the result of
experience not necessarily remembered or recollected. It is also
said that
memory of past lives is recoverable, so that there must be a plane
of memory not
accessible to us in our present plane of action. Yet these memories
are of other
lives such as this one. Remember that every sound in the visible
world awakens
its correspondence in every one of the so-far developed elements;
so, by
inference, every thought on this plane awakens its correspondence
on inner
planes. The real register, then, must be in the more ethereal and
more permanent
substance. The physical brain does not retain all the multifarious
impressions
received by it, for it is in constant motion and change. While some
impressions
which are constantly repeated appear to reside in the brain itself
and to be of
ready access, others, not repeated, fall below the line of
perception and have
to be recalled through association with some other present idea. H.
P. B. said,
“there is a constant telegraphic communication going on
incessantly—day and
night—between the physical brain and the inner man.” The brain is
such a complex
thing, both physically and metaphysically, that it is like a tree
whose bark you
can uncover layer by layer, each layer being different from all the
others, each
having its own special work, function and properties.
Each plane has its own tablet of memory and produces the
appropriate effects on
any other plane—being accessible, in fact, but not perceived on
account of other
predominating perceptions. Memory per se must be on all planes of
being, each
plane producing “kinds” of memory, or such as relate to that plane
only, in
which case it is “being” on that plane. On all planes “memory” must
be the power
of reproducing past experiences; it is manasic because creative; on
the highest
manasic plane there is said to be neither past nor future but all
in Present
Creation. The Soul is vision itself. Would not the highest memory
be superlative
vision? The Seer is in no case the things he sees.
I am astounded at the infernal practices you speak of that the “New
Psychology”
follows. One might as well give tests on the action of hasheesh,
opium, whiskey
or any other thing that causes
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abnormal accentuation of the organs and seats of sensation as those
“emotional
tests.” No wonder the girl fainted! If the students themselves or
their families
cannot be made to see the wrong and folly of it all, they cannot be
helped, for
these “professors” are in the ascendant and no layman’s voice would
be listened
to. The papers lately gave an account of experiments in observation
of the
“human aura.” The medical men were greatly interested in the
wonderful discovery
and, marvelous to relate, saw in it “a new mode of the diagnosis of
disease.”
Was it not said by H. P. B. that “the psychic idiosyncrasies of
humanity” would
undergo a great change?
You say that our attitude toward these things seems to many like
“condemning”
others. It is the duty of esoteric students to unmask error and
hypocrisy; to
face lie with truth; not as personal criticisms but as facts
against
misstatements. It is assumed in charity that one who wrongs the
Truth does so in
ignorance; but the custodians of Truth voice it in the face of lie,
ignorance
and error, and take every opportunity possible to correct erroneous
impressions.
Theosophy is in the world for that purpose. We are not to be
self-assertive nor
flabby; knowing the truth, we speak it and care only for it and
that it be as
widely known as possible. All of which is entirely compatible with
charity to
the weaknesses of others and abstention from condemnation of others.
Does “death-bed repentance” do any good? Well, it depends on what
is meant by
repentance. If it is recognition of wrong and a change in the mind
and nature
that would look with abhorrence upon a repetition of the deed,
coupled with the
desire to make every amend in one’s power, it must be good. But if
it is only a
recognition and a consideration of the deed from the point of view
of the evil
that fell upon the perpetrator because of it, it is no good at all,
being
selfish and occasioning no change in disposition, or only such
change as
regarded self-interest. The first kind, in the mind of one who knew
Theosophy,
would be deeper and have a wider scope of action than in the mind
of one who
regarded every thing from the standpoint of one life. The Karma is
the same; the
one who created Karma is affected by the results, but the extent
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and kind of results depend on the extent of change and the direction
of the
change that may have taken place in the mind of such “repentant.”
The phrase,
“right thinking brings everything,” should have been, “thinking has
brought
everything that exists—right or wrong.” A man’s thoughts may be a
gulf apart
from what he is constrained to do, and he is what he aspires and
desires to
do—not his inabilities to perform. He might go through a whole life
with out
much apparent change, but if he has inwardly relinquished, that
which is left
after he drops the body is his mind, and his next embodiment will
call forth the
performance.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty-One
The work you have planned out for the others seems good, for they
should be
helped as much as possible. If others are not trained to take hold,
the
necessary help and education will be minus, should anything happen
to us; it is
also the study and preparation on the part of beginners that will
make them more
efficient as propagandists. But let their initiative work as much
as possible;
suggest and adjust when necessary. Why not begin by taking the
three fundamental
propositions of the Secret Doctrine? For upon these the whole
system hinges. Get
them all grounded in these. The first thing to make clear is the
impossibility
of the ordinary conception of a personal or separative God; then
the importance
of realizing the Self as all in all; then the law of periodicity
with all its
applications—“the world’s eternal ways”; and reincarnation by
analogy. After the
Fundamentals, they might take up the Ocean, chapter by chapter,
getting grounded
in question and answer. Explain that the object is to formulate for
themselves,
and thus make their understanding good. If they are helped, they
should get
themselves in a position where they can best help others. This is
the way to
learn and know.
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It is difficult to help individuals as such, especially where all
the strength
is needed for a general effort. It is quite easy to be drawn into
this helping
of individuals by our sympathies, and sometimes we do things that
are not helps
at all, although perhaps a pleasure to both giver and receiver.
Wisdom is
required in any case; sometimes “jolts instead of johnnie-cake” are
needed. I
have met much of all kinds of people and have learned some
discretion in the
treatment of them. You in your position will also meet them and
will have to
deal with them—for their good, so far as the general good permits
and wisdom
dictates.
That is an interesting phenomenon you speak of where a brain injury
made the man
forget his name, and able to do some-thing he was unable to do
before. It was
the same man, of course; his lapse of memory did not alter that
fact at all.
Neither did the other fact, that he was under the new condition
able to play
billiards, change the man; the brain instrument by the injury had
one door
opened and another shut. If he was able to play billiards actually
and never
played before in his life, I should say that such an one had done
so in some
previous life, which the injury gave access to. The previous life,
also, must
have been comparatively recent because that game in its present
form is not very
old. We have to remember that every man has a vast store of
capacities, behind
the nature we see, gained in past lives. Anybody’s capacity is
governed by the
particular Karma of that life, permitting the expression of only a
portion of
his acquired knowledge and capacity. There are many lives where the
tastes,
desires, and capacities change entirely without any brain injury,
showing that
one set of Karmic causes is expended and another set ensues. In any
and all
cases, what is in expression is from the store of experience of the
past, for no
one can do anything that is not related to past experience, whether
in this life
or some other one. Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun,
meaning, I
think, that whatever is done, flows from what has been done. There
is no other
knowledge than that which comes from experience, “experience” being
considered
in its widest sense.
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The Saptarishis are not very well explained anywhere, though there
are certain
things said about them that might give an idea, such as: “they are
intimately
connected with the present age— the Dark Kali Yuga;” “they mark the
time and
duration of our septenary life-cycle;” “they mark the time and the
periods of
Kali-Yuga, the age of sin and sorrow;” “they are as mysterious as
their supposed
seven wives, the Pleiades, of whom only one— the hidden one—has
proved
virtuous.” Speaking of the constellation of the Great Bear, H. P.
B. makes the
remark that these Rishis are the informing souls of the stars
mentioned, and
that they lie across the loins of the constellation (her
underlining) and that
they are the Seven elemental powers—the Rupa Devas. There is a
hint, too, that
they are connected with generation.
From it all I judge that there is a class of beings that have not
been and will
not be men in this Manvantara; they are of seven different degrees,
not
connected with man as a septenary being, although they are with the
cycle of
Kali Yuga. These cycles must be in a general way determined by man
as to their
nature, which is what the Star Rishis respond to in particular. It
would seem
that all the sex vagaries that come up in various directions, and
the many
visions and “communications” of “Masters” spoken of by persons so
thinking are
of that nature. You know it is said that very little information
was given out
about the elementals for the reason that the mind, by directing the
consciousness, can segregate the various planes and arouse the
elementals to
action in relation to the Thinker. Sex ideas strongly held and
attempted to be
“spiritualized" as the saying is—might easily, I can conceive,
attract beings of
that nature which would assume the coloring of one thinking in that
relation,
adding to the main point of attraction—generation—anything that
would serve to
keep the close contact. Being elemental they respond to their own
peculiar
stimuli, without any sense of responsibility— not knowing man’s
nature. The safe
road is the one pointed out by the Messengers: you remember H. P.
B. said,
“Beware of the path of the Star Rishis.”
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Well, Companions, keep on with well-doing; our work is needed
badly, and while
there are few to listen, we serve the many through the few. Love to
you and best
of success every where.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty-Two
There is compensation everywhere and for everything; only, as we
look for
results, we do not, at once perceive the compensation at times and
at the
moment. Business, being a contest of interests, is full of
perplexities all the
time to us if we are fearful or anxious or impatient. But bad as it
is and must
be in itself, if we engage in just a present performance of duty as
it comes and
to the best of our ability, all strain disappears and we have that
calmness
which is necessary in the fight. No doubt time is required to be
able to hold
that position, but it is the condition to be tried for and
obtained.
In the article mentioned, I should take exception to the phrase
used: “When the
first state of consciousness arises there is the Unmanifested
viewed as a
whole.” It would sound better to me to say that the Unmanifested
precludes any
“state,” but represents “Be-ness” or Consciousness per Se;
differentiation
brings states of being or perception. If we take the simple and
well known
analogy of sleeping and waking, and call waking the “manifested”
and sleeping
the “unmanifested,” we see that what transpires in consciousness
during sleep is
the “unmanifested” to the waking state, while what to us in this
state appears
as un manifested is but a higher kind of manifestation. May not
this be equally
true in regard even to that which we call Universal Pralaya? We
speak of
“consciousness” and mean thereby our present relative and
restricted modes of
perception, but we get no idea of what the consciousness of our own
Higher Ego
is. We have the feeling which arises from our present incomplete
state; but what
do we know of the feeling that comes from a higher state?
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You ask about the sentence in Patanjali: “The mind is a factor
without which
concentration cannot be obtained.” The question is “Why?” It is not
easy to say
what the “mind” is: it must be basic as well as selective; it can
be withdrawn
from one object and placed upon another; without “mind” nothing is
done. We
regard all actions as being mind operation. Thought is the plane of
action; so
to get at the basis we have to assume a Perceiver, who from his
perceptions is
the cause and effect in action. Prakriti is said to be that which
produces cause
and effect in actions, being the basis in which any action inheres.
The
Perceiver acts upon many planes; his perceptions as adopted by him
on any plane
might be called his “mind” on that plane. Concentration of
perception on any
desirable point is necessary to full knowledge.
I think you have the idea all right, as I understand it: “Universal
Mind is the
sum total of ideas of all beings concerned in the system” (which as
a totality
and in the last analysis must be in accord with all other systems)
; and any
given mind must be a collocation of ideas within the Universal
Mind. “There is
nothing but the Self and its environments.”
The main trouble is we are constantly working with and upon effects,
and
endeavoring to adjust effects to effects without any relation to
the plane of
causes, mistaking cause for effect and effect for cause
continually. The second
chapter of the Gita gives a splendid statement. Speaking of the
“three
qualities” (prakritic), it says, “Be thou free from these three
qualities,” that
is, from the ordinary influence of the natural opposites. We are
not to perform
actions to obtain favor from Masters, nor from a morbid fear of
Karma, not even
from a desire to obtain good Karma; but “perform thy duty; abandon
all thought
of the consequences, and make the event equal to thee whether it
terminate in
good or evil. Such equanimity is called Yoga.”
You remember the saying of H. P. B., “Embodied consciousness gains
knowledge
through observation and experience; disembodied consciousness is
the Cause.” So
the whole is comprehended in Consciousness, conditioned and
unconditioned. There
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is the internal cause of ideation—Thought; and the external cause
and effect in
action on the planes of prakriti. Only through spirit can we know
spirit in any
of its modifications. But to explain high metaphysical ideas in any
western or
modern language is like doing fine carving with an axe; our
perceptions have to
expand by application and exercise, so that words in their common
application
and ordinary relations to each other appear as correspondences
rather than
definite expressions.
The mind and Consciousness acting together have the power to
separate or
segregate the different planes, and this too in the case of the
merest beginner.
I do not think you can get any better idea in regard to the image-making
faculty
than is contained in the article by W. Q. J. in Vol. VII of the
Path magazine,
p. 289. The power of concentration is the first consideration: “One
should have
the imagination under such control as to be able to make a picture
of anything
at any time. If a picture were made of the ineffectual thoughts of
the
generality of people, it would show little lines of force flying
from their
brains, and instead of reaching their destination, falling to the
earth just a
few feet away from the person who is thus throwing them out.”
Not much help here I am afraid, but you may get something out of
it. Now to you
may there be all blessings and growth.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty-Three
So the question was asked as to “the body of H. P. B.,” and you
wish further
light upon it. The body of H. P. B. was born in the usual way with
its peculiar
physical heredity—a “house” of the kind in use by the people of the
age, and
subject to its own physical karma. It could not be made perfect any
more than
its shape, features, sex, or color could be made different than
they were. It
was selected for its adaptability to the work in hand.
“Imagination and Occult
Phenomena,” reprinted in Theosophy, October, 1913.
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All great Initiates appear among men in a body of the kind in use
by the race to
whom they come. The Bible says of the prophet of Nazareth that “he
became in all
things like unto us.” Should such beings come in their own form and
glory, they
would be worshipped as gods by some, and hunted as devils by
others, and the
object of inducing right effort on the part of the people would be
entirely
missed. So although it entails suffering, it is done for humanity’s
sake, from
the compassion felt for those younger brothers who continue to
bring woe upon
them-selves through ignorance. The Masters do not need the
experience for
Themselves. They sacrifice for others, and as other Masters did in
more ancient
times for them.
It is a question whether They suffer any pains from death as the
ordinary human
does who hangs on to life physical. The force in use by Them racks
any ordinary
body and disintegrates it. In the case of H. P. B., extraordinary
means had to
be used to keep the body together as long as it was kept. A couple
of weeks
before leaving the body She wrote to one in Boston, “Even will and
yoga cannot
keep this old rag of a body together much longer.” This does not
abrogate her
power, but it does show that the bodies of the present race are not
able to
stand such a strain as the occupancy of such a being entails. The
nervous force
in our own bodies if intensified will destroy the body’s capacity;
imagine a
force a hundred times higher than that, and it is not difficult to
understand
why bodies so occupied go to pieces.
Bodies are formed under the law of cause and effect, and are
maintained under
it. There is physical karma, mental karma, and psychical karma;
these interact
upon each other, yet have their own particular lines of operation.
The
production of the bodies of any race is through causes set in
motion upon the
physical plane, and continued in reproduction on that plane; they
are of a
certain nature and subject to the actions and reactions of the
collective karma
of the race of which they are a part. An Adept assuming such a body
would be
subject, so far as the body is concerned, to the racial qualities
inherent in
the body assumed,
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just as a man moving into a town and taking a house in the town,
would dwell
therein; if the houses were deficient in any way, he could do no
better and
would have to take what he could get, even if far from his standard. So he
would be subject to the “karma” of the dwellings of the time and
place. Bodies
are the physical dwellings constructed by the race.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty-Four
I have read your note and the enclosed letters. It is passing
strange that Mr.
B. could have gotten such a conception of us—that we are a
self-satisfied,
patronizing bunch”; that we are not straight in sending out
unsigned letters, or
hiding in any way. I would like very much to clear up their minds
on these and
other lines for they are fine people and need only to get rid of
some prejudices
to place them in that relation which will benefit them. The letters
indicate
much self-assertion and belligerent personality on the part of one,
while the
other says somewhat naïvely that he was so interested in the
subject itself he
never thought to inquire about the history of the U. L. T. and the
persons
connected with it—which was exactly the effect most desirable to be
brought
about!
Strange, they do not see, if some human beings know the existence
of the most
important message to the world in untold centuries, and bring the
fact and the
message to their attention, leaving it to be accepted or rejected without
drawing any attention to themselves, that an act of self-effacement
has been
performed in order that the Message may be judged on its own
merits. They are
evidently not aware that it was the prominence of persons and their
claims of
personal knowledge that drew the attention of enquirers from the
Message itself.
Nor does it seem to be understood by them that the
"anonymity" adopted was for
the very benefit of such as they and all others who desire to
obtain that
message at first hand with no intermediate distractions.
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As persons concerned with the Message and its propagation, we
certainly are not
“hiding,” for we exist and can be found; but as “persons” of
intelligence,
character and self-sacrifice, we desire most of all to place the
Message of
Masters in the hands of those who wish to learn and know, without
attracting
attention to ourselves or seeking any distracting notoriety. For
many years this
has been done at a tremendous cost of time, money, and effort; for
with us it
has been a constant and consistent giving and we have asked for
nothing in
return. Nor can it be said that we are seeking recognition or fame
of any kind,
since no names are presented to which fame may be attached.
How does anyone suppose the Teachings of Theosophy pure and simple
as given by
the Teachers of Theosophy have been carried forward intact? Blind
alleys have
been spread in every direction by persons who have been and are
accepted by the
unwary as true Theosophical exponents; the original teachings have
been obscured
and a flood of speculations arc put forth as Theosophy, to the
detriment of
Theosophy and those who would learn and understand. How else could
such a
condition be remedied save by some who knew the truth, knew the
Teachers, knew
the right lines, and had sufficient experience in the Movement to
avoid the
rocks that split the original society into a number of fragments?
The policy and methods of U. L. T. were instituted to avoid
personalities
altogether and make the effort dependent upon a body of students
who desire no
recognition for nor of themselves, thus putting the Teaching
directly in the
hands of those who would know, to be studied and applied; hence the
“anonymity.”
Another critic once said that U. L. T. was “hiding behind
Theosophy.” The reply
was, “That is much better than standing in front of it and hiding
Theosophy.”
The U. L. T. does not “hide” behind anything; it is simply holding
Theosophy up
so that all can see without let or hindrance. Whether it is persons
or a number
of “two-by-fours” that hold Theosophy up in plain view does not
matter; in
either case, it could be said with
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some show of justice that Theosophy was hiding them from view. But
there is no
complaint from that quarter nor thought of any—as you well know.
Mr. B. does not
appear to distinguish between anonymous communications from enemies
or would-be
friends, which, as he justly remarks, are cowardly, and an
impersonal
presentation of Theosophy without placing persons in the
lime-light—all of it
for the undiluted benefit of those who seek to know Theosophy. The
point is that
we stand in our own persons for Theosophy, and, while presenting
its principles,
defend it against any kind of attack.
Well, in all kindness of heart we will do the best we can with
anyone who
desires to learn. For those who expect principles and methods to
conform to
their personal prejudices we can do nothing, however much we might
desire to.
Yet there is always hope that a little Theosophy may work as a
leaven which will
wear away or displace existing prejudices, and for this, time must
be allowed.
Theosophy is for those who want it; it cannot be given to any
others.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty-Five
Yes, many people will come to your meetings; of these, a few will
remain. Those
who really get the spirit of the Movement will not be found running
here and
there for any purpose of their own. They may go occasionally for
general
information or to do good to others. Whenever personal friction
comes up, as it
may—do you stick to principles; enunciate them, illustrate them,
but keep away
from direct reference to any trouble. So each is left to understand
and apply as
seems best to him. Study is the great thing. Unity, study, and work
are the
Trinity that will keep all together and yet leave play for
individual
idiosyncrasies along harmless lines while subduing them. What you
say of some
who come, remain away for a time, and come back, may indicate that
such have
taken a sample away with them, and
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compared “the goods” with those offered elsewhere. No doubt that
goes on here
and there with those who work from reason alone.
There are many whom we cannot help. Their time has not yet come,
perhaps, in
that they have not arrived at that condition which permits such
help as we can
give. We can help those that are ready; they may not be many in
number, but they
exist, and will come, as the way clears for them to do so. A steady
out pouring
of the eternal ideas will attract and hold those who need them;
others will come
and go as their mood determines. I do not think you are to blame
for the kind of
people that come to you; they are samples of the city—mixed; some
good—bless
them—some indifferent, some bad and some very bad. You try to serve
all and give
them of your best; no one can do more. Every spiritual effort is a
good action.
It is true that the “door to the Masters” lies through Their work,
and in no
other way. You remember that W. Q. J. wrote, “Generosity and love
are the
abandonment of self.” The Masters love humanity and all creation;
Their
generosity and love are not stinted, nor tainted with selfishness.
We can get
rid of our hindrances only by following the Path They indicate.
That Path little
by little rids us of our besetting “sins.” And They have said that
every
thought, every desire, every effort in that direction counts. What
we need to do
is to forget our estimation of ourselves, be that good or bad, and
just work on.
We shall find more strength and larger opportunities as we move
along that road.
The idea that we are poor miserable sinners is so ingrained in the
race mind
that we find ourselves holding separateness either as to goodness
or as to
badness all the time. This has to be overcome. It is not a question
of our
goodness nor our badness, but our desire and effort to follow the
highest path
possible for us.
If a path is one we know, we have the confidence of knowledge; but
where the
path is a strange one, various kinds of doubts and misgivings
arise. There is
only one thing to be feared, really, and that is anything that
takes us off the
Path we are treading.
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I think, too, there is sometimes a stronger reason for disquietude
than mere
personal fear or doubt. We do not want to stray from the Path, and
so we examine
our steps to see if they are in the right direction, especially if
the steps
bring us any joy. Ordinary doubt or fear would stop us, but right
solicitude
only makes us cautious, and that is not a bad thing at all, so long
as we keep
moving.
As to the friend you speak of: I hope he has found something to do,
and that
whatever it is he will determinedly settle down to do it as if it
were the only
thing to be done. I have found that doing what comes, with all my
heart, mind
and strength, in time brought me to another place and opportunity
and always to
a better advantage. I have seen in many the attitude, “I don’t like
this,” or,
“I must have something better,” lead to perpetual change,
dissatisfaction and
poor results, invariably. On the other hand, I have seen those whom
neither
sickness nor any other cause could deter, nor diminish their
courage and
efforts, gain success, the reason being that no opportunity was
overlooked and
no effort too great for them. It was really an unconscious fulfilling
of Karma
on their part. I think students too often regard their personal
existence and
predilections as one thing, and their student life as another. It
is not so.
Both are interwoven and interbended at every point. The student
should see
clearly that his present existence is his opportunity to live and
learn, as well
as learn to live to the best advantage; it contains and presents
the
opportunities which, if rejected, will come before us in one form
or another
until we realize that a step forward can be taken in no other way
than by
overcoming obstacles, and thus, defects. How wonderfully and
perfectly this
works, when seen and faithfully applied, the generality of people
do not credit
or know; but we, as students, should be able to apply the lessons
of life on the
basis of the knowledge which has been imparted to us and which we
recognize.
That we are living in a period of transition when everything is
changing may
easily be seen. We are necessarily involved in this transition
which in the
general case makes for betterment, and,
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with the student, opens the door to that success which is greater
than all
governmental and worldly advance or betterment—true knowledge and
perception,
control, strength and wisdom to apply, fitting us to become leaders
of men in
the times to come. We should therefore go through our appointed
task, not only
courageously but gladly, knowing what it leads to, and what the
great end in
view. The lives we have lived with their joys and sorrows,
pleasures and pains,
are forgotten; the one we are now living will pass into the same
limbo of the
past; but we shall be what we have made ourselves, strong or weak,
as the case
may be, and face once again what we have brought about. We have
only the present
in which to do what may be done, so we ought to be bold and
courageous and go
forth and show our strength in the face of any and all difficulties,
for they
are veritably our saviours.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty-Six
As to the statement that we have to “assimilate the bliss of
Devachan and the
woes of Avitchi”: all have to learn these states. Those who of
their own free
will enter bodies to help humanity pass through them like any human
being, but
are not involved in them. They feel like any human being, and go
through much
more than most, so that there may be fresh in their bodily
experience all
feelings that afflict or ease humanity. Their grief—if it may be
called so—is
over the inability of humans to understand because of the purely
personal
elements which prevail in mankind.
“Masters feel pain but are not disturbed by it.” That feeling is
sympathy—a
feeling with the condition. They know what any one feels under the
circumstances, but They also know that the so-called sufferings of
others are
not due to the circumstances, but to a false attitude toward them.
How could
They identify Their glorious knowledge and power with a mistaken
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conception? The pain we feel most is mental pain, not physical, and
this mental
pain is due to fighting against Karmic conditions—in fact, Karmic
opportunities.
Our inner nature compels us to go in directions that contravene our
personal
desires; then there is pain in the personal mentality with and
because of the
identifying our Self with it. The personal nature is extremely
sensitive because
its constitution is such that it is easily deranged, being made up
of separate
ideas. Usually with students the changes in ideas are simply the
exchange of one
separative idea for another; so, the changes leave them still tied
up in
personal ideas. True growth comes from regarding all things that
come and
go—some of them pleasant and some unpleasant— as the tides in the
ocean of life
of which one is the observer. Pleasure is necessary, as also is
pain, for these
are guide-marks and indicate the “effect” upon us by the varying
tides. We are
not these effects which are simply means of measuring the value of
experiences
and of learning how to put them to the best use. What is needed is
freedom, and
freedom comes from a resigning of all self-interest in results.
A question was asked, “Is it not very hard to rise?” It is not
hard, for our
Real nature is at the place we wish to rise to. In the East they
catch monkeys
by putting nuts in the bottom of a narrow-necked jar; the monkeys
see the nuts
at the bottom and at once put their arms and hands in to grab a
fistful of the
nuts; they do not know enough to let go the nuts and be free and so
are caught.
‘We are much like the monkeys in that we want to rise and be free,
but we will
not let go the “nut-ideas” that we hold. If we only would, we
should rise by our
own nature. We ought to be wiser than the monkeys; to be our self
and let things
go.
Your friend’s statement on tobacco is quite interesting to me,
perhaps because I
may at one time have held similar ideas and for that reason
recognize the
prejudice and preconception that his statement presents. Our
personal habits one
way or another are matters purely personal and do not affect the
facts in the
case, but our preconceptions may and too often do just
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that. Having erroneous ideas, or partially so, as to the facts in
any given
case, these, together with any existing prejudices, lead us to
wrong
conclusions. As to his remark in regard to Masters smoking, it
would be well to
enquire just what his understanding of the nature of Masters is,
for upon a
right or wrong understanding of that nature our basis of judgment
depends. It
has been stated by Themselves that They are human beings, but not
such as we
are. They have bodies, of physical matter indeed, but of such a
refined and
spiritual kind as to be beyond our ordinary conception and
experience. They are
perfected septenary beings and present the goal to which humanity
may tend.
Necessarily, then, control absolute over all Their vehicles or
instruments must
have been gained before They could reach the stage of septenary
perfection. It
would also follow that what They do would be with knowledge and for
a beneficial
purpose. So, even if They used tobacco, it would have to be
conceded that They
knew what They were doing and why, while we ignorant physical
beings would be
judging by hearsay and appearances, and considering ourselves
competent to do
so, which would be a grave mistake.
There is one thing certain, They have never promulgated anything
about tobacco
nor mentioned the weed; we should therefore be guided solely by
Their message to
the world of men, and leave all other matters alone, if we would
understand or
reach Them. It is said that H. P. B. smoked cigarettes; if she did,
it did not
impair her wisdom nor ability. No one with any insight whatever
would care what
any person did as a matter of personal habit, if that person could
and did
present such a wonderful and complete cosmogenesis and
anthropogenesis as the
Secret Doctrine. It is never so much a question of what a person
does as ‘Why
does he do it?” If for self-benefit, it is just as reprehensible as
any other
selfish procedure. It is motive and motive alone that makes an
action good or
bad, black or white. After all is said and done, “the purely bodily
functions
are of far less importance than what a man thinks and feels.
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what desires he encourages in his mind, and allows to. take root,
and grow
there.” “True chelaship is not a matter of diet, postures or
practices of any
kind; it is an attitude of mind.”
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty-Seven
The letter you send is very interesting. The writer asks only one
question: “Why
do all religions look upon the cheerless side of life, only, as if
the other
side did not exist?” We presume that the only answer to this
question would be
that the religionists and theologians are ignorant—and ignorance,
as we know, is
the parent of fear. The Founders of the world religions, however,
did not
present merely “the cheerless side.” They one and all enunciated
the doctrines
of hope, for almost without exception their teachings cannot be
understood
except on the basis of reincarnation—in fact, many of them directly
taught
it—and reincarnation is the “doctrine of hope.”
We think the questioner must have been weary and world- worn when
he wrote that
letter, for truly Theosophy does not over-emphasize “the cheerless
side” of life
at all. It supplies a logical common-sense explanation of existing
things; and
once a man understands what life is for and what it truly means,
together with
its great possibilities, he can no longer dwell on the “cheerless
side” but
feels the greatest confidence, hope and cheerfulness—and has a true
basis for
the feeling.
The fact that Law rules in everything and every circumstance
(Karma) is evidence
that exact justice is the rule of life. As soon as one sees that
there is no
“God” to condemn or punish him and that he can only get that which
belongs to
him, and will surely get everything that does belong to him in a
Universe of
Law, then he has no reason for being “cheerless,” but feels
satisfled,
responsible, and confident. And no matter how much we may have
transgressed or
how little we may have known in the past, as soon as we sense the
truth of
Reincarnation—the process
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by which Law rules realize that we can set up better causes and
make the future
what we wish.
The longer anyone studies along Theosophical lines, and the more he
makes the
Philosophy a basis for thought and action, the more fully, I
believe, he will
see the beauty and possibilities of life, and the tremendous
opportunities it
affords those who are willing to serve.
Yes, as the questioner says, the vast mass of people do suffer; but
the law,
inherent in themselves, brings them the suffering because they
earned it. All of
them experience some joy as well as suffering; the law brings them
that also
because they earned it. Many of those who now suffer most are
paying the penalty
for their transgression against the rest, but in time the
compensation will
come. Furthermore, we always have the power of choice—if only in
the attitude we
take toward the circumstances of life.
He speaks of the tremendous task Theosophy has. That is true, but
we as students
need not worry about that. We can only do what we can do—and
remember that the
Master’s hand is over all. They know when the times are ripe for
beginning a
work; They know what to expect; otherwise They would not be
“Masters of Wisdom.”
It is pioneer work for those now in the world, and by doing what we
can now, we
make ourselves a place in the future into which we will come under
law. Perhaps
he has not thought of that.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty-Eight
Your note and questions were handed to me last evening and I am
glad to reply.
From your statement I should say that you brought forward from a
previous life
that extension of sight and hearing which you possess. It is not a
“gift”; it
was acquired by you while in a body before.
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The strong tie between yourself and your mother does not come, in
my opinion,
from the fact of your physical relation in this life, but is a soul
bond in
other lives, and not necessarily in the same relation as in this
life, although
that could very well be. The fact remains that there is a strong
bond between
your soul and hers—a bond of unselfish love, the strongest power in
the world.
As all human beings are primarily spiritual beings, the earth is
not their
permanent abiding place; they are born into bodies, live, form
their relations
as physical, psychic, and spiritual beings, and again return to
their own more
real and abiding states.
As you may be aware, the universe exists for the purposes of soul,
and our
entrance into earthly existence is but one phase of our continuous
conscious
existence. When we sleep, whether our consciousness be in the dream
state or in
inner and deeper ones, our real (subjective) relations with other
human beings
continue. So also, at death, when we leave the body, we pass into a
state like
to the dream state for awhile, and then enter into the fullest
enjoyment of a
self-conscious existence which creates for itself its own
surroundings with all
those loved during the life last lived. The state is called
Devachan—or the
state of the ‘ When one whom we have loved has left the body, he
carries with
him whatever he has felt, loved, or despised. Since he, as well as
those he has
left in bodies, has the interior states and forms, that which is
felt by him is
felt inwardly by those in bodies; the impress of the feeling of the
departed is
carried so as to be recognized as such. The feeling of nearness,
the sense of
receiving words, admonitions, or encouragement is due to the inner
relation and
love of the departed, who are not physically near, nor are they
aware of our
daily earthly experiences, but their love ever operates as a
protection and as a
help, for they are connected with us in our inner and higher
nature. In our
inner states we see, feel, understand, and translate that
connection into terms
of everyday life.
You can understand that there could be no happiness for our
departed loved ones
if they were aware of our trials and
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troubles in earthly existence. The Soul’s need for the undisturbed
assimilation
of the highest and best of its life’s experience requires that only
the inner
contact shall be held, and that is above the exigencies of the
physical
embodiment.
The “dim vapor” which you saw in the death hour was the withdrawal
of the
“astral form” from the physical one; the senses, faculties, and
feelings of the
departed were in that astral “body.” It represented the physical
form, for it
was that into which the purely physical elements had been drawn and
which was
now discarding them.
You did exactly the right thing to have allowed the body to rest
and to have
remained quiet until the process of separation from the body had
been completed.
This must have come from inner understanding, as you do not seem to
be
acquainted with the rationale of the process. You had an inner and
truer
perception than those who thought you had “lost your mind.” The
fact was that
they had not found theirs, being bound up in their physical
perceptions and
senses.
What you feel and understand to be of “her busy life over there and
of friends
she has met,” are representative of her thoughts and feelings and
are not actual
actions on her part, for she is in a subjective state and is not in
contact with
other beings, except in a subjective way—that is, she is thinking
of them in
various ways and relations, and you perceive the subjects of her
thoughts and
actions.
I do not know whether you have read the Ocean of Theosophy. It
gives a great
deal about post-mortem states, as also does the Key to Theosophy. A
reading and
re-reading of them would be a help to you in understanding that the
real contact
we have with others is in Thought, Will, and Feeling, which is not
dependent
upon bodily relations or contact.
If the writer can further help you in understanding, he will be
glad.
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CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Twenty-Nine
You have the right attitude, I believe, and as time goes on, more
and more light
will come and other steps appear. It is just to keep moving, with
face turned in
the right direction. Masters do not elect their disciples; the
disciples elect
to serve, and thus constitute themselves disciples to the extent of
the
completeness of their self-abnegation and service.
“I produce myself among creatures” has reference to voluntary and
conscious
incarnations of high spiritual beings—avatars, saviours of the
people—including
not only the incarnation itself but the influence of a spiritual
kind that
attends the being. What brings such? The Gita says that They come
“whenever
there is an insurrection of vice and injustice in the world.” There
is an
analogy between this and what was hinted about earthquakes by William
Q. Judge,
who wrote at the time of an earthquake that some soul of use had
been born. It
is possible that such events conjoin. No doubt that the energy
thrown out by
masses of men could produce disturbances, affecting the earth
itself and
bringing into birth patriotic souls whose powers and knowledge will
come into
play in the mental and physical conditions produced. Local
disturbances affect
the place disturbed and the people whose karma placed them at that
point; there
is also a general effect which is shared in different degrees by
individuals at
other places in the country, by the country as a whole and by the
world in
general. It is probable that while a destructive earthquake may
have a defined
field, it may be the production of a general condition, finding
expression at
the “corroded” point.
You ask as to the nature and mission of the one called “Jesus.”
There is reason
to think that the mission of Jesus was a minor one, being in a
falling cycle,
and that it was not so much to disclose as to cover up the avenues
to occult
knowledge, so that the following times of the decadence of
spirituality should
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not have dangerous weapons left for selfish, unprincipled and
ignorant people to
use; hence He accentuated ethics. This does not say that the being
known as
Jesus was inferior to the one known as Buddha. They might have been
the same
being, in reality. The statement is that the “missions” or efforts
were of a
different nature because of the different cycles and peoples. It is
and must be
necessary for “those who know” to hide away dangerous knowledge at
times, as
well as to give it out when the time is ripe. “It is under cyclic
law, during a
dark period in the history of mind that the true philosophy
disappears for a
time, but the same law causes it to reappear as surely as the sun
rises and the
human mind is present to see it.” We cannot judge of the nature of
any of these
great incarnations to the extent of saying that one is superior to
the other. We
can see something of the nature of the cycle and people of any
period, and hence
obtain an idea of the difference in the missions.
With regard to cycles, there are of course wheels within wheels and
no doubt
there are smaller “waves” which in degree correspond to the larger
ones, but we
have not much on that line in the way of direct information except
that there
are cycles of differing lengths within the greater cycle of the
precession of
the equinox. Several remarkable cycles came to a close at the end
of the
nineteenth century; among them, the Messianic. It would appear that
the
Messianic cycle, lasting 2,155 solar years, closed in 1897.
Allied to our period, if we consider that the quality of the cycle
varies in
importance, and, consequently, in the degree of the being needed at
any time, we
find the conjunction of the cycles above spoken of points to a most
important
period, and consequently, to important “beings”—which may give us a
clue to what
the Messengers H. P. B. and W. Q. J. really were. Other periods of
less
importance bring incarnations of probationary chelas who are on
their trial.
There may be something in the above that will enable you to bring
to expression
what is as yet undefined; but, if not, it may open the door to
other ideas and
questions.
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CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Thirty
It is not worth the effort expended to try to interest special
people; the very
effort made prevents, by arousing erroneous notions in the minds of
those so
sought. Let everyone know about Theosophy, but seek no one in
particular—is the
wisest course. It is not well, of course, to let the impression
grow in anyone’s
mind that he is important to Theosophy, for Theosophy is for those
who want it
and for none others. Rather, convey the impression that to learn the
philosophy
in such a way as to understand and apply it comes to the very few;
not because
it is with held, but because mental and physical karma are not of
such nature as
to leave the mind open, or present the ways and means. In many,
many cases, in
an age when so much of the ancient wisdom is given out, this effect
comes from
failure to take ad vantage of opportunities in other lives. The
opportunity is
due to a larger number than might be suspected. All get their
chance—some, more
favorably than others. It is the height of unwisdom to neglect the
opportunity
again, most especially in cases where it is brought home to people
without their
effort.
The Karma of most is such as to leave no mental, nor physical doors
open; yet
even they, through the effort of others, may take hold and find the
way. “Many
are called but few are chosen.” You have found it to be true that
the harder the
pressure, the more there is of spiritual power if we hold fast. So
you think
that your typewriter spelled the word right the first time—
scared—in the
“sacred band of heroes”? “Scared” applied to that which you so
fondly thought
was yourself at one time—and at times. This scare is natural,
because common
sense tells us that if we stay on earth we must eat. We cannot
fight without the
munitions of war on this plane, and as we are against the whole
trend of the
times, we have not the aid they give. But we are working for them
just the same,
unnoticed and unthanked, and
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the work we do is not ours, but of Those who sent us, and neither
desires notice
nor reward. We live while we can, and die when we must—when we
must, not before,
and we’ll never say die while there’s a shot in the locker.
The struggle is fierce—as we face it—not knowing the out come, but
it is
evidently part of the game, and the struggle is for us or we would
not have it.
We are expected to do the best that we can and all we can under all
circumstances; having done so, we take whatever the Law has in
store for us. If
it is suffering, then we should be glad it is not death; if it is
death, then we
may rejoice that there is no more of life. We must not be bound by
results while
doing the best we know and can.
You said truly, “We will take what comes, and will give our all to
the common
cause. More we cannot do, and less we may not do under the Law of
Brotherhood.”
Would that I could do something to make the way clear. You know
that I will do
what I can, and I know that you will; so all must come right, even
if it turns
out to be some unexpected way. Our very thought and effort will
produce results.
Thus we continue the thought and effort and let the results come as
they will.
Whatever comes must be right for us, for our work, for everything.
Doubt,
anxiety, fear, only hinder and delay the outcome. So doing what may
be done from
day to day, with right motive and trustfully, we meet all
requirements, fulfill
every duty. I feel the hardship of your trials and struggles, and
yet I know you
would not change anything except as it should be changed by law,
all the time
using your best judgment, making your best endeavors under existing
circumstances. We must be able to fight against what seem to be
overwhelming
odds, and as long as we fight we are not overcome. We need not fear
for
ourselves, nor be unduly anxious for others—just simply, surely,
steadily keep
doing our duty as it comes before us.
If I loved you less or knew you less, I would be sorry for you. As
it is, I am
glad that you have the strength, the courage that you show, and
which you would
neither have nor show, were not the difficulties just what they
are. Without you
and
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your courage those who have had help and are having it from us
would suffer that
loss. In all this you have borne the heat and burden of the day,
never faltering
although the load is staggering in weight and shows no sign of
getting lighter.
It is for Them you do it—for Their work, as far as it is
understood. I do not
think any of us will starve or even suffer from want, yet if such
should be our
lot, we shall do it gracefully by reason of the knowledge we
possess.
To give of one’s bounty is easy, and yet how few having possessions
really give.
Those who think they would, if they were rich, would not do
anything worth
while, and many who could do more are afraid to deprive themselves
of anything.
Such are humans in this twentieth century. A few—very few—suffer
that others may
not perish but have everlasting life, and in their turn bear the
burden of still
others. Of such are the immortal sages and heroes.
Well, eat well, sleep well, think well, and cut all doubts by the
sword of
spiritual knowledge. Love again and again and
PEACE.
CONTENTS
LIVING THE LIFE
Letter Thirty-One
Things past are always easier than things present or things yet to
come. The
past can be judged by relative importance; it is the hollow of the
wave of our
progress, whereas the present and the future represent the crest
and the
resistance felt or feared. Yet if we remember—the past, when it was
both present
and future, held such disturbances, which we now see were a waste
of energy. We
should learn from this to “resist without resistance;” that too
great an
expenditure of thought, of energy is not wise. When we fight we are
drawn into
the swirl of events and passions; so it is best to lean back on the
Self, which
is never moved, and look on at the flotsam and jetsam through which
“we” move.
We can look at the very worst that may happen, in
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the same way as we now look back on what has been. Knowing this,
when disturbed,
we can say, “Even this will pass away,” and wait till the clouds
roll by, seeing
ourselves in the sunshine and looking at the East of Time. I think
that
practically all that troubles us is unnecessary, as trouble, but
necessary for
experience.
The experience of the Ego in its progress on this plane is a series
of
progressive awakenings, and awakening means “awareness.” It knows
the landmarks
on its way back to Divinity. I do not think the Great Ones withdrew
as we
approach—although that is a description of a perception of their
natures by
degrees—but that we are surrounded by an “invisible escort” as long
as our faces
are set toward the goal and we remain staunch to Their program.
They neither
push, pull, nor hinder voluntary action. To do so would prevent
true
self-reliance. For this reason some may think they are deserted by
Masters, or
are not seen or heard by Them. This is the worst conception that
could be; it
belittles Them and implies ignorance and ingratitude on Their part.
They gave us
the Message and have spoken clearly of Their nearness to those who
try and ever
keep trying. We cannot take part and harbor doubts as to the rest.
I did not know that my recent letters had in them discouragement,
and in the
writing of the Teachers I have found but encouragement. I think you
must mean
that the deep sense of the gulf between our ideals and attainment
dismays the
personal conception. This is quite true, but “we” are not the
personal
conception nor its deductions. If we involve ourselves in the Karma
of the
personal conception, we shall feel despondent, like Arjuna. We are
not these
relations, but the warriors who will conquer them in order to make
friends.
Of course, we are all links in the chain; what affects one affects
all, in
degree. Every-one who endeavors to help others in any real way puts
himself in
the place where he must take reactions. You are in that place,
also, with regard
to those who are waked up more particularly, and in a minor degree
as to
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others whom you teach. In this Karma acts, of course, because we
made the Karma
of that kind. The Karma of the T. S. is also the Karma of H. P. B.
and W. Q. J.,
known beforehand in general. The first effort is to spread
Theosophy, and much
has been done in this respect, but its application has not been as
general as
might have been. The reactions from the spreading of the philosophy
and its
wrong or non-application will be taken care of when They come
again. It might be
likened to a plant, which has to be trimmed to proper growth; but
before this
can be done, the errant tendencies have to get their growth. You
will remember
what W. Q. J. said, “Our old Lion of the Punjab is not so far off,
but all the
same is not in the place some think, nor in the condition, either.”
We are
linked with the Lodge by aspiration, by service, by following of
the Master’s
program as nearly as we know; we have no other desire. And we know
that “in the
lives of all who aspire to higher things there is a more or less
rapid
precipitation of old Karma, and it is this which is affecting you.
It will go
off shortly, and you will have gained in having gotten rid of a
troublesome
piece of business.”
Yes, the feeling of responsibility grows as more and more come for
light and
help, but, being “transmitters,” we have but to transmit that which
is the
doctrine of Him who sent us, and this you can do for a million as
well as a few,
for it is not a case of individual treatment. Of course, we improve
all the
time, and the wider the responsibility the greater the improvement;
everybody
who starts small “grows up with the business.” As to the appeal of
selfishness,
does not nearly everyone begin selfishly? They get a broader vision
as they
learn more, and it is better to begin even selfishly, than not at
all. Some have
to come that way, but, of course, that way is not accentuated, even
if mentioned
as a matter of self-benefit; it is the door for some.
Your letters of late have been showing much more of an in sight
into principles
and things, an understanding clear and impersonal. We are all pawns
on the board
of the Great Game, willing ones, conscious ones, and also have our
values which
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become cumulative as we serve; we also study and learn the methods.
Ease of mind
and confidence are better than all, in this work of dealing with
other men, that
is, with the human heart. The more wise one is, the better he can
help his
fellows; the more cosmopolitan he is, the better too. More power to
you.
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“When
thy heart shall have worked
through the
snares of delusion, then thou
wilt
attain to high
indifference as to those doctrines
which are already
taught or which are yet to be
taught.”
‘It is
even the same exhaustless,
secret, eternal,
doctrine I have this day
communicated unto thee
because thou art my devotee and
my friend.”
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE FOUNDATION OF RELIGION
T0 most people the word "religion" signifies something
separate from human
existence, and presents the idea of preparation for some unknown
future
existence. Some religions are based upon the knowledge of an
individual who laid
the foundation for them; others are believed to be the revelations
of a Supreme
Being at the time of the creation of the world. Each people has a
God of its
own; so many peoples, so many Supreme Beings corresponding to the
mental ideas
of the people. And so with individuals—as the ideas of men differ
widely—so many
individuals, so many Gods. All these Gods or Supreme Beings are the
creations of
men, and not facts in themselves. But back of all those ideas does
lie a
Reality. The very power that resides in man to create images and
endow them with
virtues which he does not possess points to something greater than
the things
created. The creatures cannot be greater than the creators. That
which in man
creates ideas is greater than any idea he may at any time have held
or now
holds. We have, then, to get back of all ideas to find the true ‘
true religion.
True religion must give us a basis for thinking, and consequently,
a basis for
acting; it must give us an understanding of nature, of ourselves
and of other
beings. Religion is a bond uniting men together—not a particular
set of dogmas
or beliefs— binding not only all Men, but also all Beings and all
things in the
entire Universe, into one grand whole. Just that basis and that
bond are
presented in the three fundamental propositions of the Secret
Doctrine.
Behind everything that exists is the Sustainer of all that exists,
of all that
ever was, is, or shall be. Nothing exists without It. It is
omnipresent, and It
is infinite. But, if we take that idea
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and endeavor to confine it to the form of any Being whatever, we
shall find we
have attempted the impossible. We cannot hold the idea of being
with that which
is omnipresent and infinite. No being can exist outside of Space
which itself
is, whether there is void or fulness, whether there are planets,
gods or men, or
none; which itself is not altered in any way by objects occupying
it; which is
illimitable—without beginning and without end. A Being must exist
in Space, and
so must be less than Space. We can then call the Highest Power any
name we
choose—the Supreme, the Self—so long as we do not limit It, or give
It
attributes. We may not say It is pleased, nor angry, nor rewards,
nor punishes;
doing so, we limit It. If Space itself cannot be measured or
limited, how can we
limit the Supreme? The Highest Power cannot be less than Space.
Even to name It
is to limit It; yet It must be the One Reality, the One Sustainer,
the One Cause
of all existences, the One Knower, the One Experiencer, in all
directions and in
every thing. This proposition drives us back to the very basis of
all
thought—the power to think, itself—the power which is in each and
every being.
We cannot understand nature, other beings and ourselves, by going
outside to any
conceivable being. The growth of knowledge must be within the
perceiver, the
thinker himself. All his observation and experience bring him
knowledge which he
relates to himself in connection with others. Each stands in the
vast assemblage
of beings, seeing them all, understanding what he may of them all,
but himself
the only one who sees; all the rest are seen. All others are the
same as he is
in their essential nature; all are endowed with the same qualities,
the same
perfections and imperfections; all are copies of every other,
differing only in
the predominance of one or another quality. But the thinker is the
Self—the only
Self, so far as he is concerned—the One Life, the One
Consciousness, the One
Power. As action proceeds from that basis, the greater the powers
which flow
from that spiritual quality, the greater the increase of knowledge.
Knowledge is religion—not a supposed “revelation” from some
superior being who
created us as inferior beings, but an
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actual knowledge gained through myriads of years and many
existences by Those
who have expressed them all. Those beings above us on the ladder of
evolution,
who are greater than any “Gods” we can conceive of, passed through
the same
trials and the same sufferings which we are undergoing, until they
learned to
know their innermost nature and to act in accordance with it. They
came to know
that true religion is a knowledge of one’s own self, and action in
accordance.
Drawing nearer in themselves to the very Source of their being,
they found the
source of every other being to be the same—only the knowledge
acquired and the
use of that knowledge making the differences between all beings.
Their knowledge
is an absolutely accurate knowledge of the essence of everything in
nature,
which alone is the foundation of all true religion.
What is it that prevents us from understanding true religion? It is
our minds,
which we have filled with narrow ideas of life, with small ideas of
the nature
of humanity and of ourselves. It is our beliefs which constrain us.
A belief is
always a statement of ignorance. If we believe, we do not know; if
we know,
there is no occasion for belief. Unless beliefs are tested out in
the fires of
experience and show themselves true, they are absolutely useless
and worse than
useless, because they tempt us to use the very powers of our
spiritual being in
wrong directions which bring suffering and disaster upon ourselves.
It is our
very spiritual nature which makes our present unhappy condition
possible, for
from it flows the One power, either exercising itself through small
ideas—its
obstacles—or acting fully and without constraint. Each man is his
own creator,
and each one has to be his own savior through learning right use of
the One
Power. Those who have learned can only point out to us the Way they
learned it;
no one can learn for us. We ourselves have to clear away the
obstacles that
prevent us from knowing our inner selves. We ourselves have to
throw aside the
hindrances in thinking, in forms of religion, in mental as well as
physical
idols.
There is one realization which immediately sets our minds in order:
it is of
That in us which is unchangeable and un-
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changing. We are that Spirit in very essence; all that has been in
our past
lives and in our present life, all that will in future be, proceeds
from the
power of that Spirit itself, and is sustained by the power of that
Spirit
itself. There is nothing apart from us. Nature does not exist
separate and apart
from us. The laws of nature are but the interrelations and
interdependence of
all the beings concerned in this stream of evolution. The forces of
nature do
not exist of themselves. There never was a force of any kind that
was not the
result of intelligent action. We as spiritual beings are eternally
creating
forces; for every man’s brain and every thought has a dynamic
power. Are they
lost? No: all the thoughts, all the feelings of all the beings in
the universe,
provide a store of dynamic energy which constitutes the forces, as
we know them,
of nature. We draw upon that general reservoir of force in
accordance with the
ideas held and in accord with our present inward nature. All the
time we are
adding to the powers of nature for good or for evil. So, too, we
are taking from
the powers of nature the additions which other beings have put
in—the forces
which other beings have aroused in nature.
All the powers in the universe are latent in us if we only open the
doors to
their use. Everyone of us is a little copy of the whole universe.
There is not
one single element existing any where which each one of us does not
contain
within his own sphere; there is not a power anywhere that can not
be drawn upon.
Always the director of that power is the Self within each one. If
that Self sees
darkly, it is because the mirror into which the Self looks is
covered with the
dust of false ideas; he sees distorted images. He moves in the
directions
suggested by the mirror, but it is the Self which supplies the
power to move. We
would open the door to all powers by a daily and hourly living in
accordance
with the nature of the Self—seeing that every other being is but an
aspect of
Self, and acting so that every other being will be helped on its
way. For we can
not go on our way alone. We have our duty to fulfill by every other
being,
whether in the kingdoms below us, without which we could not
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exist, or in the human kingdom. Every other stands as a vicarious
atonement for
us—an object lesson—and if we have reached a point higher than that
which is
ordinarily reached by men, then all the more are we constrained to
duty by them.
We come to physical existence incarnation after incarnation under
the law
inherent in our natures, to work with mortal ideas and passions and
thoughts;
but we who created them, we who sustain them, are immortal. If we
were not
immortal in our very natures, never by any chance could we become
immortal. If
we were less than Divinity, then we never could by any possibility
understand
divinity. Those beings who have been men and who have gone beyond
our degrees of
illusion—like Jesus of Nazareth, Buddha, and many others—have
attained to Their
Divinity. They accept the woes of birth to which Their younger
brothers are
subject, to remind us of our own natures—the only natures over
which we have
permanent control—that we may become as One of Them, bound to Them
as to all
nature. To live for others is the foundation and basis of
religion—of true
spiritual knowledge.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
OUR GOD AND OTHER GODS
As a people we speak of “our God,” imagining that we all have the
same idea,
that we all mean the same thing by the term. Peoples of the past
had their
meaning of “our God,” and peoples of the present time also say “our
God and
other Gods,” imagining that their conception is the only true
one—all others,
untrue, false. The Great War was fought among so-called Christian
peoples, who,
so far as a consideration of Christianity is concerned, ought to
have been
worshipping the same God, and guiding thought and action by the
precepts
ascribed to that God. But is it not true that our theologians and
the
theologians of those people at war with us addressed petitions to
the same “Our
God,” in order to bring success to their efforts as against other
peoples
worshipping the same God? There would then appear to
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be a multiplicity of Gods, or else something wrong in the
conceptions of all of
us. If we ask ourselves individually, “What do I mean by the term
God?” perhaps
we would all say: “The highest there is.” But do we mean the
highest there is?
Do we mean that great power which sustains all beings, all forms,
that which by
its very nature and by our contemplation of it must appear as
infinite, as
eternal, as changeless? If we do mean that, then we shall have to
amend a great
many other ideas which generally connote with the term God. For
instance, we
shall have to leave the idea of a being entirely outside of our
calculations. We
have thought that the source and sustainer of all things, all
beings, from all
time and in all time, is a being; that the something in us which
reaches up
beyond everything physical, beyond every thing thinkable, is
outside ourselves.
How could that possibly be? How could we possibly prove that this
God is a being
existing in some far-off heaven unknown to us and separate from us?
How can we
imagine a being as omnipresent, and at the same time separate from
us or from
anything? If Deity is infinite and omnipresent, there is not a
grain of sand nor
a point of vacant space anywhere where Deity is not. And how again
can we give
to the idea of Deity, attributes—such as being angry or pleased,
rewarding or
punishing, since every attribute that we give is a limitation and
precludes the
idea of omnipresence? No being could be the origin, the sustainer,
the source of
all that was, is or ever shall be. Any being, however great, is
contained and
limited in space; no being can be omnipresent.
There is that which is beyond speech, beyond description, and
beyond
conception—the highest there is in the universe. But are we to look
outside in
the heavens, in the sea, in the secret places of the earth, in any
place
whatever; or are we to find it in a much nearer place, that is,
within
ourselves? For all that anyone can know of God, or the Highest, is
what he knows
in himself, through himself and by himself. There is no other place
of knowledge
for us. Yet at the same time we have to perceive that God, or
Deity, is not
absent from anything, is immanent
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in the whole, is omnipresent, is at the root and is the seed of
every being of
every kind anywhere; that there is no thing, not even a grain of
sand nor a
speck of dust, no point in space, absent from that Source which
sustains the
whole manifested universe. We can imagine, then, that God, as the
ancients put
it, “seated in the hearts of all beings;” for there is something in
the heart of
man whence proceeds all feeling, all true life, all true
conception. The heart
is not the same as the head—a man’s heart may be right and sound
and his head
wrong. The feeling of the true in the heart is not deceived by this
thought or
that thought or the other thought; it can only be experienced by
each one for
himself within himself. God is not an outside God, but is to be
sought in the
very innermost recesses of our own nature— in the silent chamber,
the temple,
within us—and nowhere else.
We think that our present civilization far transcends any past
civilizations
that ever have been; yet there are many records and relics of arts,
sciences, of
knowledge, of religion, of philosophy such as we have not yet
mastered. We are
but a young people, as a matter of fact. It is not so many
centuries ago since
the Founder of the Christian Religion lived upon the earth, and
there were many
thousands of centuries before that. The people who lived down the
course of
those centuries knew far more than we. They knew, as we may know,
that there is
no such thing as creation. No being ever created the earth, or its
conditions.
This planet, or any other planet, was never created by any being.
This solar
system and other solar systems were not created by any being.
Something produced
them. Yes, and it is possible to understand how that production was
brought
about! By evolution—always an unfolding from within outward—from
the very root
of every being, from the Deity, the Soul of all, the Spirit of all.
Spirit is
the root, the sustainer, the energy producing force for all the
evolution that
has gone on. Every being in the universe is a product of
evolution—all from the
same identical root of being, all drawing their powers of
expression from the
one Source. All are rays from and one with that
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Absolute Principle, which is our very Self—the Self of all
creatures. What of
all those beings who were the Self in process of evolution, who
reached a
realization of this truth ages and ages before the present
civilization? What
became of them? Have all their hopes and fears been lost? What is
the meaning of
those races, those civilizations—was it death for them when their
civilization
passed out as ours must, since just so surely as it had a beginning
so it will
have an ending? Just so surely as there are those rises and falls
in
civilizations, so is there a cycle of time through which the
conscious man goes,
and a cycle of form which the conscious man animates, uses, and
leaves—to take
another—from civilization to civilization. When, then, we look
about us for the
results of the civilizations that have been, and try to understand
the
conditions of the present civilization, we have to see that the
people of the
world to-day are the very ones who passed through those ancient
civilizations,
left them, and carried forward whatever of knowledge or of
ignorance, of truth
or of error, they had gained during those vast periods of time. For
LAW rules in
every thing and every circumstance, every where. There is a law of
birth—of
successive lives on earth, each life the successor and result of
the life or
lives which preceded. That which sustains man, garners all
experience, retains
it, carries it forward, and propels evolution, is the One
changeless, eternal,
immortal Self—the real perceiver, the real knower, the real
experiencer in every
body, in every form.
The Self is its own law. Each one is the Self, and each—as Self—has
produced the
conditions under which he finds him self. When the Self acts, it
receives the
re-action. If it acts not at all, then there is no re-action. Every
action
brings its re-action from those who are affected by it for good or
for evil. For
good and evil do not exist of themselves nor in ourselves; they are
but effects
we feel and classify as good or bad according to our attitude
toward them; that
which seems ‘good to one is “evil” to another. When we have rid
ourselves of the
idea that there is a God who produced and sustains good, and a devil
who pro-
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duced and sustains evil, we have come to the fact of true
perception from within
outwards.
Every civilization that has been, and the one in which we now are
living, is due
to a true or false perception of what our real nature is. If we
would ever know
and understand our natures, we must first understand that there is
in us That
which never changes at all, whatever changes are brought about by
it. We never
are the things we see, or feel, or hear, or know, or experience. No
matter how
many the experiences may be, we are still unchanged with the
possibility of
infinite other experiences. That the Self in us is changeless may
seem difficult
for the Western mind to grasp, thinking that without change there
is no
progress; but it may be perceived by the fact of our identity
remaining ever the
same in a child’s body and through all the changes of body that
have occurred
since childhood. If the identity ever changed, it could never
observe change.
Only that which is permanent and stable can see change, can know
it, can make
it. And—what theology, modern philosophy, modern science have never
taught
us—there is this fact: as we are immortal spirit at the very root
of our being,
we have made for ourselves many mansions all down through the
process of
nature’s changes. The gradual condensation which goes on with every
planet and
in every solar system goes on with every body; every form has its
initial
existence as form in the finest state of matter, from which it is
condensed and
hardened to the present physical state of matter. But the
illimitable
experiences of higher planes, back through all those changes, are
now resident
within ourselves— present with us wherever we are or may be—except
as we have
shut the doors on them. Why? Because this brain of ours, the most
responsive
organ in the body, since it is used in our modifications of
thought, is
concerned with things of the earth, in relation to the body. A
brain trained and
sustained by this kind of thinking can not register from the higher
nature—from
the finer sheaths of the soul. But once we begin to think and act
from the basis
of these verities, the brain—which is the most rapidly changing
organ in the
body—becomes porous to the im-
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pressions of our inner life. Dimly at first, and more strongly as
time goes on,
we begin to realize the fact of this inner experience, and—what is
more to us
than all else—the continuity of our consciousness; the fact that
consciousness
never ceases, no matter on what plane we may be acting. Therefore,
we may have
in our own bodies and during our lifetime—not a promise—but a
sense, a
realization, a knowledge of immortality here and now!
We have been taught to believe. But, belief is not knowledge. We
have been
taught to believe in a formula, but a formula is not knowledge. So
we have gone
astray in every direction and made of this life a terror to
ourselves. We are
afraid of death, of disaster; we are always buttressing ourselves
with some sort
of guard in this or that direction. We are afraid to trust the very
God we say
we believe in. We will not trust Christ. We will use all the means
we can think
of to look out for ourselves. Each one of us is Spirit and each one
of us is
using spiritual powers to induce what we call good and what we call
evil; but
the misapplication of the spiritual powers, in default of real
knowledge, must
lead us to misery. So we have to know what we are, and to think and
live in the
light of our own real natures. Then we shall know the truth within
ourselves. We
shall understand ourselves and we shall understand our fellow-men,
and we shall
never again say, “Our God and other Gods,” but the SELF of all
creatures. We
shall see the Self as all and in all; we will act for and as the
Self, because
the Self acts only through the creatures; and we shall see every
being—man,
below man, or above man—as an aspect of ourselves; as
individualized beings we
will try more and more to exercise the spiritual knowledge that is
our own
heritage. Like the prodigal son who ate the husks with the swine
and then
suddenly remembered his Father’s house, we will say: “I will arise
and go to my
Father.” For there is no one so wicked, so ignorant, so poorly
endowed that he
may not make good progress in the right direction; on whom the
light may not
dawn and a feeling of power and strength and purpose arise that
will do away
with fear and make him a strong helpful being in the world of men.
Far from
taking us away
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from our families, our duties, our business, or our citizenship,
this knowledge
will make us better citizens, better husbands, better fathers,
better patriots,
if you will, than ever we were before—patriots of not just one
country, but of
all.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE KINGLY MYSTERY
The “kingly mystery” is Life itself. We all have Life. We all are
Life. Every
being everywhere is Life—expresses Life. To know what is Life
itself is to know
the mystery. But there is a condition precedent to this mysterious
knowledge,
stated by Krishna, in the opening of the Ninth Chapter of the
Bhagavad Gita:
“Unto thee who findeth no fault I will now make known this most
mysterious
knowledge, coupled with a realization of it, which having known
thou shalt be
delivered from evil.” When the one who desires to learn is not in a
critical
attitude, when he has sensed in one way or another that truth lies
in a certain
direction and gives all his attention to it without quarreling with
terms or the
ideas put forward, his is the attitude of the true student. The one
who desires
to know must set aside for the time being all preconceptions,
pride, and
prejudices which he may have held, and then he is ready to begin
his studies— to
take the first step in the right direction.
The world is full of false ideas, false religions, false
philosophies which must
be thrown away. We of the Western peoples have been taught that we
were poor
miserable sinners who could do nothing of ourselves. We have
assumed that we are
poor miserable sinners and have acted as such. Our whole
civilization is colored
and steeped through with this falsity. Our theologies, our
sciences, our
commercial, social and political conditions are all based on this
false idea,
which in its turn rests upon another equally false—that man is here
on earth for
once only. Hence, that his entrance on this physical scene was
through the act
of others, and we believe that whatever of merit or demerit is his
was handed on
to him by his forebears. As a consequence, man constantly shifts
his
responsibility, and acts as an irresponsible
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being. The whole falsity of our existence is centered there, for we
are
responsible for every ill that exists among us; every kind of
suffering on every
hand has been brought about through a false idea, and the false
action which
followed. What are sin, disease, sorrow and suffering but the
result of our own
thoughts and actions?
Again, we say “we cannot know;” or, “this life is all there is.”
Therefore, the
whole force of our consciousness is directed in the line of that
one false idea
and inhibited in the expression of any other; whereas all
directions lie
absolutely open to us, if only we understand our own natures. Man
circumscribes
his own conditions by the false ideas he holds in regard to life.
No one holds
him back. He holds himself back. Yet, even with his narrowing,
limiting ideas
and conceptions, he is able to accomplish wonderful things.
Whatever he sets out
to do on the purely physical, material plane of life, he
accomplishes in a
shorter or greater length of time. If his ideas of religion are all
concerned
with the physical aspect of life, however, how can he know more?
All the
conquests that he can make will be physical conquests. What could
it avail him
in the direction of real knowledge, if he continued similar
conquests from
civilization to civilization, age to age, planet to planet, solar
system to
solar system? He could gain nothing but a small sum of possible
combinations and
correlations, and in all that search and effort would not have
gained the first
fundamental of true knowledge, of true thought and action.
The kingly mystery of Life can not mean physical existence, which
is merely one
aspect of the Great Life. We have to go deeper into our own
natures, and into
the natures of all beings, in order to grasp what that great
mystery is. Then
the lives of all beings become clear Unto us; we understand what
all phases of
existence mean; we see the causes for all the difficulties that
surround us; we
know how to bring about better results, and we perceive from the
very first that
the power lies in us, and in us alone, to bring about all future
changes for
ourselves. Looking at all existence from a universal point of view,
we become
able
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to exercise the power which lies in the essential spiritual basis
of every
being, high or low. The One Self appears only to be divided among
the creatures;
in reality, It is not divided at all. Each being is That in his
essential
nature. In It is the foundation of all power; in It lies the power
of unfolding,
of evolution, which makes possible for each being—representing one
ray of that
One Life—the attainment of a full knowledge of Life in his own true
nature.
Each one of us stands in the midst of a great and silent evolution.
Each one of
us sees many expressions of different beings— those of the same
grade as
ourselves and beings of grades below us. We find relations with
other elements,
the power of which we do not see, the source of which we do not
grasp, yet the
effects of which we feel. On every hand we are getting effects from
different
beings of different grades, each one receiving those effects
differently. The
beings below us in forms of the mineral, vegetable, and animal
world are all
working, just as we are working, toward a greater and greater
realization of the
whole. Sparks of the One Spirit, of the One Consciousness, they
have begun their
little lives in forms, or bodies, by which they may contact others.
As they have
need for better and better instruments, need for further and
further contact,
they evolve, from within, a better instrument. Such is the whole
course of
evolution, always from within outwards, and always with the
tendency to an
increasing individuality. From the one ocean of Life there finally
tends to
arise—Divinity.
Divinity is always acquired. It is not an endowment. It does not
exist of
itself. If we could be made good, if we could be made to turn
around and take a
righteous course, life might seem very much easier to us. But there
is no
escaping the law; no one can get us “off” from the effects of our
wrong-doing;
no one can confer knowledge on another. Each one has to see and
know for
himself. Each one has to gain Divinity of himself, and in his own
way. We think
of this as a common world. But it is not so. There are no two
people who look at
life from the same view point, who have the same likes and
dislikes, whom the
same
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things affect in exactly the same way. No two people are alike
either in life or
after the death of the body. Each makes his own state; each makes
his own
limitations; each acquires his own Divinity. Divinity lies latent
in each one of
us; all powers lie latent in every one, and no being anywhere can
be greater
than we may become.
What is Divinity but all-inclusive knowledge? True spirituality is
not a hazy
condition. It is not something that denies any portion of the
universe, nor any
kind of being. A hazy abstract condition would mean no men, no
principles, no
opposites; but Divine spirituality is the power to know and see
whatever is
wished known or seen; it is an intimate knowledge of the ultimate
essence of
everything in nature. Such knowledge would not mean seeing all
things at once,
nor being everywhere at the same time, but it is the power to see
and know in
any direction—the power to grasp whatever it wishes, the power to
shut out
whatever it wishes. Otherwise it would be no power at all; there would
be no use
in having power and wisdom, and such beings as the Masters could be
afflicted
with all the grief and misery in the world, unable to help where
help is needed
and possible.
All-inclusive knowledge lies before every living being, if lie will
but take the
necessary steps. What prevents him are the false ideas he holds;
for thought is
the basis of all action, and wrong ideas in regard to life
inevitably bring
about wrong actions. We have thought we are all different, because
we have
different ideas, but, in essence, we are One. The One Life is in
each of us.
Each one of us stands in the same position, looking out; all the
rest are seen.
Starting from this point, we begin to find ourselves, to see
ourselves, to feel
ourselves, and, in feeling ourselves, feel all others. All that a
man can know
of God is what he knows in himself, through himself, and by
himself. Never by
any outside presentation can that realization be gained. All the
great saviors
of all times have never asked man to rely on some outside God, to
fear some
devil, to go by this or that revelation, to believe in any book,
church,
‘ology,” or ism” of any kind. They have asked him to take the step
that the
height
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of his calling demands—to know himself, to know his own true
nature, and the
nature of every other being. They have shown that the Real Man must
assert
himself, and must act in accordance with his own nature, and the
responsibility
which the oneness of all nature demands.
Man occupies the most important place in the whole scheme of
evolution. He
stands where Spirit and matter meet. He is the link between the
higher beings
and those below. He has so to act, so to think and act, in and upon
and with
this physical matter that he raises it all up, and gives it another
tendency,
another trend. By the very constitution of his nature, by reason of
his being
connected as he is in a physical body with all nature, the Secret
Doctrine
states that man can become greater than any one of the Dhyan
Chohans and equal
to all of them put together. That is the goal which lies before
him—the goal of
the ‘Kingly Mystery”—the seeing and knowing and feeling and acting
universally.
For there is a power in man which enables him to judge aright; he
has the
all-seeing eye—the all-encompassing sight which permits him to see
the justice
of all things. And always there is present the power of choice in
one direction
or another. The questions before each human being are: Whom will ye
serve? Will
you serve the higher spiritual nature, or the body of flesh? WHOM
CHOOSE YE THIS
DAY?
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE RECOGNITION OF LAW
We have to assume either that this is a universe of law or a
universe of chaos,
chance, accident. In fact, we know perfectly well that it is not a
universe of
chance, because everything we use and understand we see to be under
law; and
where something befalls us, the cause of which we cannot discern,
we none the
less assume a cause and try to find it. We cannot even imagine an
effect without
a cause.
The first thing that the student has to learn to perceive in
everything and in
every circumstance is the reign of law. We recognize law in part,
but not in
full, as it should be recognized.
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Mistaking our own nature, by the very power of that nature, we set in
motion
causes that produce the results we now feel, and then call those
results by such
terms as “destiny,” “fate,” “chance,” or the “will of God.” The
operation of law
to most minds means a fate which befalls us wherein we are
benefited or
afflicted, but over which we have no control, and in producing
which we had no
hand. Yet the operation of law can be easily understood. It has
been enunciated
by all the great Teachers of the past as meaning action and its
consequent
reaction. Let us remember that these are not two separate and
unrelated things—
Cause and Effect, Action and Reaction, are the two aspects of one
and the same
thing. In Sanskrit, both these aspects are included in the one
word, Karma.
Karma has been recognized in the Christian scriptures, with which
we are most
familiar, in the expression, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall
he also reap.”
By consequence, we should easily see that whatever a man is
reaping, that he
must have sown. Once we get the conception that actions do not produce
themselves, that law does not operate of itself, we can see that we
cause
actions and experience their reactions; that it is we who set up
causes and feel
their effects. Cause and effect, action and reaction—the operation
of law—are
seen to be in ourselves, not outside. There is no action unless
there is a being
to make it and to feel its effects. Everything that happens to any
being has its
antecedent cause, and that cause lies in some past action of the
being himself.
In other words, law rules on every plane of being, and every being
of every
grade is under that law.
We are all reaping what we have sown, individually and
collectively; for we must
know that we never act alone. We always act on and in connection
with others,
affecting them for good or evil, and we get the necessary reaction
from the
causes set in motion by ourselves. This presents to us the idea of
absolute
Justice, for under such a conception of Law each being receives
exactly what he
gives.
This points to another conception: there could not be action and
its consequent
reaction, unless there were a community of
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being amongst us. There must be that in our natures which is
peculiar to none,
but common to all. In other words, we have all sprung from the same
Source; we
are all traveling toward the same Goal. The path differs only with
the pilgrims.
The causes that each one sets in motion determine the path that one
must follow.
This might be called “destiny,” if we understand that it is a
destiny of our own
creation. Being created by us, it can be sustained by us or changed
by us. If we
do not like the “destiny” that befalls us, the effects that surround
us, the
conditions that encompass us, all we have to do is to set in motion
such causes
as will produce other and more desirable effects. But we have to do
it; no one
else can do it for us. No one holds us back. No one propels us
forward.
There is no difference in our powers. Each one of us has the same
power to
perceive, to experience, to learn. ‘What we learn differs, our
experiences
differ, our perceptions differ, but that does not show a difference
in our
powers—it shows a difference only in the application of those
powers. Each one
of us contains within himself the same possibilities as exist
anywhere and
everywhere in the universe. The lines that we have hitherto taken
have brought
us to whatever pass, conditions or surroundings that may obtain at
the present
time. But we might have gone another way and produced an altogether
different
environment. We ought to see that even now, however hampered we may
be as the
result of mistaken actions in the past, we have not lost and can
never lose our
power to set other and better causes in motion. The path toward all
knowledge
lies before us: “All nature lies before you—take what you can.”
This means that all beings below man, and all beings above man, as
well as man
himself, have gained whatever individual positions they may now be
in by their
own exertions. It means that no being is standing still; all are
acting, all
progressing in one direction or another, according to the lines
they have
followed and are following. It also means that all the beings below
man will
some time reach our stage, and that every being above man has
passed through
stages similar to our own—which is evolution carried to
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its highest point, spiritual and mental, as well as physical. We
have applied
the great Truths of nature only in a partial, a limited, a personal
sense. These
are universal truths and should be applied in a universal sense, if
we desire to
arrive at the fullest recognition of them.
The life in each of us is the Universal Life. Many imagine that
Life means
existence in a physical body, and that only; that out side of
physical existence
there is no life. But Life includes all things and forms from the
highest
spiritual down to life in its grossest form; it is the same Life
all through,
common to all. It is the One Life, the One Spirit in each and all,
so that in
each being of every grade there lies the potentiality of All-Being.
There is
that in each which is beginningless and endless, which is
changeless; and that,
though illimitable, invisible, inconceivable, can be realized by
every human
being.
Some illustrations will bring this fact forcibly to our minds. We
speak of
ourselves, of our identity. We say, “I was a child; when I was a
young man or
woman; when I was middle-aged; as I am today; as I will be in the
future.” Now,
what is That, itself unchanged, which is going through all those
changes? The
same “I,” the same identity. That does not change. The body
changes, the
ideas—the mind—change, the surroundings change. But the Man
himself, the
identity, remains unchanged through all these changes of body,
scene and
circumstance.
Again, take the power of seeing: we all have that power, and no
matter how much
we exercise it, it still remains the power to perceive. It is not
changed by
what we see. And we may consider this: change cannot see change.
Only that which
is permanent can see change. So there is that in us which is
permanent, which is
Real, which is of the highest, which is a ray from and one with the
Supreme, the
universal Principle or Power, the creator, the sustainer, the
regenerator of all
that was, is, or ever shall be. We have to realize That—each one
for
himself—first by recognizing that IT IS, omnipresent, eternal,
boundless and
immutable; second, by divesting ourselves of those things we
thought It to be:
that It is this body, this mind, these circumstances. All these are
changing
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things, things seen; but that which is the Real, the Supreme, our
very Self and
the Self of all things, is not subject to change; It is changeless;
It cannot be
seen, for It is the Perceiver.
The ideas we entertain of the Supreme, of Law, of Nature, and of
our own Being
govern the actions we perform. When we were children we had certain
ideas, and
we acted according to them, and so on, all through the years. Some
of our ideas
we have from time to time discarded, and others that we have
collected have
taken their place. We are now acting according to the ideas we now
hold. Are
they the best and highest possible to us?
If we change our ideas, we change our actions. If we see that Law
rules, that
this Law is inherent in our highest nature and not outside of us,
we shall see
that it is the Spirit in us—our very Self—that is the cause and
sustainer of all
our actions; and this Spirit by its very power as the Highest,
through false
ideas creates for itself false positions and false destinies. We
have often
adopted and we often change our ideas without any real
consideration as to their
truth, as to their relation to Life, as to their bearing upon
existence. We must
adopt and hold fast to three great ideas: that each human being has
what are
called the ‘ attributes of the God power of creation, the power of
preservation
as long as that creation seems satisfactory, and the power to
destroy that
creation and regenerate better ones. All we have to do is to
realize our own
real nature, see what our defects are, strengthen our virtues, and
move on. Just
so surely as we do this, we shall find that our Virtues and
strength increase,
and our defects gradually fall away.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE ORIGIN OF EVIL
Christian theology states that evil came into the world through the
sin of the
first man’s eating of the tree of forbidden fruit. All men sinned
in Adam;
because of Adam’s sin, every other being is and has been a sinner.
Strangely
enough this first man was made by a Superior Being in His own
image, or, in
other words, perfect;
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yet, he was not able to restrain himself from doing those things
which he had
been forbidden to do. In the very first being created in the image
of the
“Supreme,” there was a tendency to do wrong!
We have, then, in this creation, out of nothing, a very limited
Creator, as it
is perfectly patent that any being must be. A being could be
neither infinite,
supreme, nor omnipresent; for there is That in which all beings,
however high,
or planets, or solar-systems, have their existence—Space, which
exists whether
there is anything in it or not; which has no beginning nor ending;
which always
is; which is outside as well as inside of every being. Any being
must be less
than Space; could the Absolute be less than Space? Illimitability
and infinitude
are not in relation to any being whatever; hence creation from the
point of view
of a Creator has to be abandoned.
But the existence of all beings—not only of mankind, but of beings
of every
grade and everywhere—has to be accounted for: what is the basis of
all
existence? We have to go back of all form, back of every kind of
being, to see
that all beings and all forms spring from One Source, which is not
different in
any. It is in deed the Supreme which lies within and behind every
being; every
being of every kind in the universe is in its innermost essence a
ray from and
one with It. It is Life. It is Spirit. It is Consciousness. Each is
God in his
innermost Essence. Taking this basis for our thinking, let us ask
the question:
under what process do things become? What brings about the
operation of all the
different forms that we see? Whether consciously or unconsciously,
we all
recognize the fact that Law rules in this universe, but what we
have to
understand is that Law is merely the inter-relation and
inter-action and
inter-dependence of all the acts of all beings concerned in the
universe. The
one inclusive law is the law of action and reaction—a law not
outside of, but
inherent in the nature of every being. From the very Source there
is the power
to act, but there is no action unless there is a being to act and
feel the
effects of the action. If I act, I get re-action. If the highest
archangel acts,
he gets the re-action of his action.
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There are two kinds of re-actions produced from acts: those that
are good or
beneficent; those that are evil or maleficent. The whole
responsibility of every
action rests upon each and every being. So, if any being finds
himself in any
given state, good or bad, it is because of his thoughts, words and
deeds—his
own, and those of nobody else. We get some good and we get some
evil, all of our
own reaping; but all the time, every single moment of our
existence, we have the
power of choice in the direction of good or evil.
Good has no existence by itself; evil has no existence by itself.
The two terms
relate to matters of conduct and of impressions we receive. They
merely
characterize the effects produced upon us: a thing is “good” to us
if it
benefits us in any way, and “evil” if it does not benefit us. Who
is it that
judges between good and evil effects? In every case, it is the man
himself. One
man will say such and such things are good for me, and such and
such things are
evil; while another man, with a different point of view and
different relations
to things, will perhaps say the exact contrary about the very same
matters. So
it always resolves itself into the individual point of view: in the
last
analysis each man is himself the sole director and final authority
as to what is
good and what is evil, so far as he is concerned.
We need to ask ourselves if we have always followed that which
seemed to us to
be the best course to follow; and, then again, if we have, did we
consider that
course from the point of view of personal self-benefit, or from the
point of
view of benefit to all others. For if we moved along the line of
that which at
the time seemed best for us personally, we must have acted in a way
that
afflicted others; we must have done evil to others, whether
consciously or
unconsciously, by obstructing their path. There we sowed evilly,
and we either
have reaped or will reap evilly. The very first act that was
selfishly done was
the origin of evil so far as that being was concerned. Likewise,
wherever there
was an unselfish act, there was the origin of good for him. Let us
remember,
too, that the Tree of Knowledge mentioned in the Bible was the
knowledge of both
good and evil. Good and evil are not to be
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considered separately, but together. You cannot tell good except by
its
opposite, evil. Goodness would speedily cease to be such, were it
not for the
operation of its contrary.
There are many things in life regarded by us as evils----like
sorrow and
death—which are not, in fact, evils. They are merely stages and
conditions
through which we pass in our progress up the ladder of development.
We need not
be afraid of death, for death will never touch us at all. We pass
on out of
life, and on. One of the Great Teachers said that death ever comes
to the Ego as
a friend. There is no need to fear anything, for there is nothing
in the
universe, high or low, that can ever destroy us—our consciousness,
or our
acquired individuality. Mistakes occur, for many of our actions are
performed
through ignorance, and evil results follow. Even so, it is through
those very
wrong actions that we learn. It is through the operation of vice
that virtue is
seen as a resistance to vice.
The origin of evil is to be found in ignorance of our own true
natures. There
are no afflictions put upon us by any being other than ourselves.
We are
afflicted just to the extent that we make ourselves open to
affliction. Things
affect some people terribly. The same things affect other people
very little or
not at all. Why? Because of their point of view. Attitude towards
things makes
the suffering or the not suffering, the pleasure or the pain—not
the things in
themselves. If we knew ourselves to be divine beings merely going
through a
school of life—our whole purpose to learn—what would there be to
fear, or even
to be anxious about? If it were not for the obstacles in life—if
life were one
happy, placid dream—we never would make the motion or the effort
that would
arouse the highest characteristics of thought and action. It is by
reason of the
obstacles we have to overcome that we become stronger and obtain
nobler traits.
There is no such thing as a divinely created being, for everything
that exists
becomes.
Is it not true that now we can look back upon and smile at anything
‘ that ever
happened to us in the past? It looked awful at the time, but it has
passed, and
we can see that from those very things came something of gain, of
strength and
wis-
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dom. Under the law no one can meet with an obstacle which he is not
able to
overcome; the obstacle is but an opportunity for him to get rid of
some defect
which he now possesses. Often the very things which seem the most
difficult for
us prove to be the most beneficent.
Those who stand the greatest chance of loss in the future are those
who have the
easy times. When one has ‘ Karma—that is, when everything is coming
his way—he
is prone to take the ease of it and flow with the current of the
river, missing
many an opportunity to do good. Through these errors of omission,
which are as
bad as any errors of commission, he fails to under stand that he
has diminished
his own stock of good Karma and must of necessity share in the evil
which flows
from his lack of appreciation of the situation and his opportunity.
We need
never fear our opportunities, but should always act up to them,
relying on the
law of our own spiritual being to carry us through any thing and
everything. The
Path is within ourselves, not outside; each of us is the stair to
his own
development.
We have so long been ruled by political and religious man made laws
that we have
come to believe in them. Yet, goodness does not need laws. Our laws
are based on
the ignorance and selfishness and wickedness in men’s natures; they
are made to
restrain the evil which we think is ineradicable and incurable
because ‘we all
sinned in Adam and cannot help it.” Then, too, because we think we
know what is
good and what is evil, we are very anxious that everybody else
should be made to
think in the same way. We want to prohibit those things which we do
not desire
ourselves; we want other people to eat what we think they ought to
eat, and to
clothe themselves as we think they should be clothed. We talk much
of the
“rights” of men. But we have just one right, and that is the right
to do right.
No man was ever made “good” by law; no man was ever made moral by
law. Each man
must be a law for himself, both moral and spiritual.
Are we proud of this civilization, made by the collective thought
and action of
every individual in it? Have our telephones, automobiles,
airplanes, and
radiographs made us any more
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divine? Do they measure our true progress? No; because ignorance
and selfishness
still lie in every human heart; because men, according to the
vicarious
atonement idea, blame their parents for their wrong attributes and
tendencies,
and accept only the good as their own. They are unjust, for both
good and bad
are their own earnings. If we have good, let us be happy that at
some time we
earned it; if we are in bad case, let us be glad, claim it,
understand it and
correct it. If we want a civilization better than the one we have
now, we are
the ones to start right now to make it. No one else will make it
for us. We have
to set the lines in motion towards a true civilization from a true
basis; but if
we think we are not able to do much and are not now doing what we
can, it is
certain we never can do more. As we do what we can, greater
opportunities arise
to do. Until we do what is before us, never will any greater
opportunities
arise.
When we get the right attitude of mind—and that is what
discipleship is—there is
not a quality in us, not a force, not an at tribute, but can be put
to the best
and highest use. We do not get off this plane. We do not cut off
any part of our
being. We do not destroy the usefulness of any part of us, but put
all to the
proper use and for the proper end. Herein is seen the difference
between one who
knows and one who does not know. One who knows does not get off to
the
Christian’s heaven, nor to any other heaven. He works right here
where he finds
himself and does the best work he can with the instrument he now
has, fearing
nothing, trusting the Law of his own being. If any being will trust
the Law of
his own nature, if he will work on with nature by helping all
others in every
direction possible, then all nature will turn and help him. It
never was
otherwise. It cannot be otherwise.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
WHAT REINCARNATES?
What reincarnates is a mystery to many minds because they find a
difficulty in
understanding such a permanency as must stand behind repeated
incarnations. They
know that the body is born and dies and is dissolved, but their
minds are so
identified with the body in its relations and surroundings that
they are un-
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able to dissociate themselves from it. They think of themselves as
persons, as
bodies of a physical nature, and hence can not see where in them
may reside that
power of incarnating from life to life.
Theosophy presents a larger view in showing that man is not his
body, because
the body is continually changing; that man is not his mind, because
he is
constantly changing his mind; that there is in man a permanency
which is the
identity throughout all kinds of embodiments. There has been no
change in our
identity from childhood up to the present day. The body has
changed; the
surroundings have changed; but the identity remains the same and
will not change
from now on through all changes of body or mind or circumstance.
That in us
which is itself unchanging is the only real. Nothing is real that
changes. It is
only the real that perceives change. Change can not see change.
Only that which
is constant perceives change; only the permanent can perceive
impermanence.
However dimly we may perceive it, there is that in us which is
eternal and
changeless.
This unchanging, constant, and immortal something in us is not
absent from any
particle or any being whatever. There is only one Life in the world
to which we,
as well as all other beings, pertain. We all proceeded from the
same one
Source—not many— and we are proceeding on the same path to the same
great goal.
The ancients said that the Divine Self is in all beings, but in all
it does not
shine forth. The real is within, and may be realized by any human
being in
himself. Everyone needs that realization that he may shine forth
and express the
God within, which all beings but partially express.
If then the Source is the same—the One Spirit—in all beings, why so
many forms,
so many, personalities, so many individualizations? All, again
Theosophy shows,
are developments. In that great Ocean of Life, which is at the same
time
Consciousness and Spirit, we move and live and have our being. That
ocean is
separable into its constituent drops and the separation is effected
through the
great course of evolution. Even in the kingdoms below us, which are
from the
same Source, the tendency to separate into drops of individualized
consciousness
goes on in ever-increas-
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ing degree. In the animal kingdom, those species that are nearest
to us make an
approach to self-consciousness; but we as human beings have arrived
at that
stage where each is a constituent drop of the great ocean of
Consciousness. As
with an ocean of water, each drop of it contains all the elements
of the great
body, so each constituent drop of humanity—a human being—contains
within its
range every element of the great universe.
The same power exists in all of us, yet where we stand on the
ladder of being we
see many below us and others greater than we above us. Humanity now
is building
the bridge of thought, the bridge of ideas that connects the lower
with the
higher. The whole purpose of incarnation, or our descent into
matter, was not
only to gain further knowledge of matter, but to impel the lower
kingdoms to
come up to where we are. We stand as gods to the lower kingdoms. It
is our
impulsion that brings them weal or woe. It is our misconception of
the aim of
life that makes Nature so hard; that causes all the distress and
disasters which
afflict us in cyclones, tornadoes, diseases, pestilences of every
kind. All are
our own doing; and why? Because there is a sublimation of mineral,
vegetable and
animal kingdoms in our bodies, which are lives in themselves. Every
cell in our
bodies has its birth, youth, manhood, decay and death, and its
reincarnation. We
are impelling each one of those lives according to whatever
thought, will, or
feeling we may have, whether for help or injury to others. These
lives go out
from us for good or evil, back into their kingdoms with good or
evil. So by our
lack of understanding of our own true natures, without a
comprehension of
universal brotherhood, we are imperfectly performing our duties on
this plane
and are imperfectly helping the evolution of the lower kingdoms. We
shall
realize our responsibility to them only as we see that every being
is on his way
upward; that all above man have been men at one time; that all
below man will
some time reach man’s estate, when we have gone on further; that
all forms, all
beings, all individualizations are but aspects of the One Spirit.
Granted, then,
that this one unchanging Spirit is in all—the cause of all
evolutionary
development, the cause of all incarna-
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tions —where, we may ask, do we carry the power to see and know
from life to
life? How is continuity of knowledge, gained by observation and
experience,
preserved? How is the individual maintained as such?
We should remember that we were self-conscious beings when this
planet began;
some even were self-conscious when this solar system began; for
there is a
difference in degree of development among human beings. If the
planet or solar
system began in a state of primordial substance, or nebulous
matter, as Science
calls it, then we must have had bodies of that state of substance.
In that
finest substance are all the possibilities of every grade of
matter, and hence
it is that within the true body of primordial matter all the
changes of coarser
and coarser substance have been brought about; and within that body
is all
experience. Our birth is within that body. Everything that occurs
to us is
within that body—a body of a nature which does not change
throughout the whole
Manvantara. Each one has such a body of finest substance, of the
inner nature,
which is the real container for the individual. In it he lives and
moves and has
his being, and yet even the great glory and fineness of that body
is not the
man; it is merely the highest vesture of the Soul. The Real Man we
are is the
Man that was, that is, and that ever shall be, for whom the hour
will never
strike— Man, the thinker; Man, the perceiver—always thinking,
continually
acting.
Life is one. Spirit is one. Consciousness is one. These three are
one—a
trinity—and we are that trinity. All the changes of substance and
form are
brought about by Spirit and Consciousness and expressed in various
forms of
life. We are that One Spirit, each standing in a vast assemblage of
beings in
this great universe, seeing and knowing what he can through the
instruments he
has. We are the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost;
or, in
theosophical parlance, we are Alma, Buddhi, and Manas. Atma is the
One Spirit,
not belonging to any one, but to all. Buddhi is the sublimated
experience of all
the past. Manas is the thinking power, the thinker, the man, the
immortal man.
There is no man without the Spirit, and no man without that
experience of the
past; but
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the mind is the realm of creation, of ideas; and the Spirit itself,
with all its
power, acts according to the ideas that are in the mind.
The Voice of The Silence says, “Mind is like a mirror. It gathers
dust while it
reflects.” It needs soul-wisdom to brush away the dust. This mind
of ours, or
that which we call the mind, is merely the reflector, which
presents as we train
it, different pictures. The Spirit acts in accord with the ideas
seen, for good
or for evil. Is there evil in the world? It is the power of Spirit
that caused
it. Is there good in the world? It is the power of Spirit that
caused it. For
there is only one power. The misdirection of that power brings
evil; its right
direction brings good.
We must give up the idea that we are poor, weak, miserable
creatures who can
never do anything for ourselves; for as long as we hold that idea,
so long will
we never do anything. We must get the other idea—that we are
Spirit, that we are
immortal—and when we come to realize what that means, the power of
it will flow
directly in and through us, unrestricted in any direction, save by
the
instruments which we ourselves caused to be imperfect. let us get
away from the
idea that we are this poor, miserable, defective physical body over
which we
have so little control. We can not stop a heart beat; we can not
stop the breath
without destroying the body; we can not stop the constant
dissociation of matter
that goes on in it, nor prevent its final dissolution. Some people
talk of
“demonstrating” against death, but we might as well try to
demonstrate against
the trees shedding their leaves when the winter blasts come. Death
will always
be, and there is a great advantage in it. If we could not change
our bodies, how
would there be any chance for advancement? Are we so well pleased
with the
bodies now ours that we would desire no change? Certainly not.
There is only one
thing in this life that can be retained permanently, and that is
the spiritual
nature, and the great divine compassion which we may translate by
the word
“love.”
We are the reincarnating Egos who will continue to incarnate until
the great
task which we undertook is completed. That task is the raising up
of the whole
of humanity to the highest possible
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stage of perfection on an earth of this kind. We incarnate from age
to age for
the preservation of the just, the destruction of wickedness, and
the
establishment of righteousness. That is what we are here for, whether
we know it
or not, and we must come to a recognition of the immortality of our
own natures
before we shall ever relieve ourselves from the distresses that
afflict humanity
everywhere. We have to bring ourselves in touch and tune with the
whole great
purpose of Nature which is the evolution of Soul, and for which
alone all the
universe exists
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
REAL MEMORY
The general idea with regard to memory is that it depends entirely
on the
orderly functioning of the physical brain, and that where
derangement of that
function occurs, there is loss of memory. It is quite true that
certain forms of
memory depend upon the brain, as in those two particular functions
known as
remembrance and recollection. In remembrance, we can get the idea,
but not all
the particulars that have brought about some feeling, event, or
circumstance of
the past; in recollection, we can collect back from one point all
the other
points connected with it. But there is a third function of the
memory, known as
reminiscence, which is not at all dependent upon the brain. It is
brought into
function oftentimes, not by any present object or occurrence
arousing attention
in that direction, but as it were, springs direct from the soul
itself. It is a
direct perception of what was. It comes from something behind the
brain—the
brain serving merely as a sort of filter, or interceptor, or
translator of
impressions.
We can understand why remote memories are difficult to recall to our
brain
perception, when we consider the fact that the brain cells are
constantly
changing. It is not conceivable that the millions of impressions
received during
a lifetime could be retained and given out again by those changing
cells. All
the time during our lives there is a continuity of perception, but
we do not re
member one-thousandth part of the impressions that we have received
in those
days or years. Very few events are impressed upon
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us, or are immediately translatable through the brain, by way of
remembrance.
Even if we so desired, we could never make any complete history of
all those
impressions through the faculty of recollection. Yet there is the
innate faculty
of recalling and recollecting in such a way as to have a
consecutive or
synthetic grasp of all those impressions through reminiscence, that
faculty of
memory which applies to the soul—is a peculiarly innate quality of
the soul.
To reach into and exercise soul memory, we must first under stand
the real
nature of man. We must first see that all beings of every grade—not
only man,
but the beings above man and the beings below man—are of the same
essence, the
same Spirit, the same Life, and of the same potential powers. The
higher beings
have brought these potential powers into activity, and differ from
the lower
orders by reason of a greater degree of development, a greater
range of
perception and a finer evolution of form. But highest as well as
lowest are rays
from and one with the Divine Absolute Principle. Each one is the
Seer, the
Perceiver, who stands in the center of his own universe, through
which alone we
may know all that may be known of the Highest.
We must recognize the fact that this is a universe of law, with no
chance or
accident anywhere in it, and that we have arrived at our present
position under
law—the law of our own being, set in operation by ourselves; that
the same law
rules in every direction in space and in nature. The races of men
that now exist
are the result of races of men which preceded them; the planet on
which we now
live is the result of a planet that preceded it; the solar system
of which our
planet is a part is the result of a solar system that preceded it.
Everything is
an exact consequence of that which preceded it—everything is a
repetition of
that which was. This return of the same action or preceding
impression occurs
under the true aspect of memory; it is the memory of what we have
been through
that brings about the repetition.
On the physical plane, the action of true memory is seen in all
those stages
through which the human form goes from conception to
birth—representations, in
fact, of the evolution of
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earlier races. In every act of our existence we are exhibiting true
memory,
whether we realize it or not. The memory of walking is with us now;
the memory
of talking is with us now. We may not remember how nor when we
learned to talk
or to walk, but we have present with us the knowing how to walk and
to talk.
True memory is just that—the possession of the knowledge of the
past. It is
memory which connects us physically with the body, through all
changes of body,
scene and circumstance; without it, we should be living merely from
impression
to impression; there would be no connection whatever with the past
and there
would be no sense of self-identity.
Memory exists also in other inner departments of our nature. Living
on the
physical plane, our ideas connected almost entirely with the
“three-dimensional”
state of matter, we are no more conscious of those inner planes of
being than,
when in sleep, we are conscious of the physical plane, being
absolutely shut off
from the outside world, from the happenings to our friends, to the
nation, and
to the world at large, which are then of no consequence whatever to
us. Yet
there is an active life in those inner departments of our nature,
and there is a
memory of it. The Thinker who uses the brain in the waking state is
simply
acting on another plane of matter and using another plane of
memory. Every plane
of consciousness has a memory of its own.
That consciousness never ceases, but is continuously active, is
evidenced by the
fact that no one has ever experienced sleep. Nor does death come to
us any more
than sleep. We may be aware that sleep or death is coming for the
body, but we
know those states only as we see them in others. When we say “I was
asleep,” we
mean that the body was in the sleeping state, while we passed away
altogether
from this plane for the time being. Then we passed back again from
the inner
planes to this, picking up the memory of the waking state where we
laid it down,
and leaving behind the memory of what passed on the other side.
There is no
record made in this physical instrument of the inner planes, for
the brain has
not been trained in that direction, and hence it can
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not translate those planes of consciousness, except in some partial
recollections such as occur in dreams. Dreams attest that we are
alive and
active on inner planes; for in them, we think, speak, smell, taste,
hear and
move, as individuals, and never have any question as to our
identity, even
though the personality presented should be that of some past
incarnation. The
dreaming state is very close to the point of waking—the
intermediate state
between waking and sleep—so that we are able to impress the
brain-cells with
what has occurred before waking, and remember. But beyond the
dreaming stage,
which is a very short stage of sleep, there is a Vast extent of
human thought
and action. We go in and in until we are close to the source of our
own being,
where the Thinker is at work, where he knows all that he has been
before—all his
past incarnations—where he sees and knows himself as he is. The
memory of all
the experiences through which he has been as an individualized
being is there in
one consecutive whole. That, indeed, was the Paradise of man, when
he walked
with Deity, when he knew himself as he really was. True memory is
the Paradise
which all human beings should strive to regain. To recover that
whole memory, to
make that great knowledge of the past usable, here and now in the
brain and in
the body, is the true work of ‘salvation. Only when we understand
what we really
are, shall we be able to take a conscious, active, purposeful part
in the
evolution of our race. Only when we gain the perception that we are
the Eternal
Spirit, that Death never touches us at all, that we may have a
conscious life in
spirit, not in matter—only when we begin to think and act from that
basis, can
true memory come through to the brain; only then can we know for
ourselves, have
nothing to ask of anyone, but have everything to give to every
other one. That
true memory is possible for every living being.
The barrier for every man is not in the memory, but in the false
ideas of life
according to which he acts. However much the soul remembers, if we
are using the
brain contrary to the nature of the soul, the brain can not
translate its
impressions. The Thinker must transfer the memory of the soul to
the brain, and
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he can do so only by thinking and acting along right lines during
active waking
consciousness, until the brain responds to the ideas and learns to
transmit what
occurs while the body is inoperative. Then the true memory of the
past that is
in the soul is our knowledge in the brain.
The Masters are those who have the true memory of every step
through which They
have gone—the knowledge of all past civilizations, the
understanding of all that
every human being has to experience, the recognition of all the
laws ruling
evolution. As custodians of that knowledge, and as our Elder
Brothers, They
stand ready to help mankind in the only way open to Them—by
recording as much of
that knowledge as we can assimilate, by directing us to its proper
use for the
benefit of all other human beings, that all humanity may advance in
an orderly
way to the true goal. Greater and greater individualization, wider
and wider
range of perception, are the objects of evolution; but there are
two paths by
which we may reach the goal. One path leads to an individualization
that is
selfish, and self-righteous—a state of separateness from all human
beings; on
the other, there is no cessation of work for humanity. The Elder
Brother goes as
high as he can, but he stops before he enters the final door that
separates him
from the rest; he returns and takes up again a body of the race, as
Jesus did,
that he may help those who know less than He does. So we are never
alone. Never
will there come a time when those Great Beings will cease from that
labor, which
is a labor of love. But we are the ones who must determine for
ourselves, sooner
or later, whether to go on through aeons of suffering and millions
of lives of
ignorance, or to follow the path They show, which leads straight to
the
goal—which involves the power of direct cognition of truth without
any mistake
whatever, and which includes real memory.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE CAUSE OF SORROW
We are never free from pain, sorrow, and suffering in the world.
Pleasures come
and go very lightly, but always the sorrow and suffering of life
itself abides
with us. If we could see and
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understand the cause of the sorrow existing in the world in every
direction—not
only the sorrows of the ordinary life but those brought about by
collective
action, as wars are—we should cease to make that cause. We have
assumed that all
these sorrows are due to external causes—to some higher being or
beings, or to
some outside laws of the universe; never to ourselves. And because
we have never
brought it home to ourselves that we are in any way connected with
the causes of
sorrow which come our way, we go on looking for something external
to relieve us
of those sorrows. Not all the religions that ever have existed on
the face of
the earth, not all that the sciences have so far achieved or may
achieve will
ever give us that knowledge, because the cause of sorrow does not
lie outside;
it lies within each one. Each one contains within himself the power
to cause
sorrow; he also has the power to cause its cessation.
The wisdom of the ages explains the cause of sorrow. It teaches
that each being
is spirit; that the power of spirit is illimitable, although we
limit it because
we assume that it is limited; that the changeless spirit in the
heart of every
being is behind every form, the cause and sustainer of all forms;
that spirit is
the force be hind evolution, and also the force that rules and
relates all
things of whatever grade; that every being is the result of an
unfoldment from
within outwards—of a desire for greater and greater expression. But
we who have
reached this stage of self-consciousness, unlike the lower
kingdoms, now have
the power of choice and can draw upon that illimitable source of
our being and
realize it while we live in a mortal and ever-changing body.
Desire, in a limited way, with regard to the personality, is the
cause of all
sin, sorrow, and suffering. Such desire is based on selfish
thought; it is not
what others desire; it heeds not any other urge than its own. The
unfulfilled
desires, it is, that hurt us; yet do the fulfilled desires give us
happiness?
Never, for so soon as they are achieved, there begins a further
desire for
something more, something greater. With many conflicting desires,
then, we live
upon each other, we prey upon each other, we devour each other, we
injure each
other—in every way. There is no necessity
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for all this. It never was the original plan—the original nature of
the
development of man. There is never any need to desire. All our woes
are
self-inflicted; the very inherent power of spirit has plunged us
into them and
maintains us in them.
Yet misery, sorrow and suffering have a mission. It is usually only
the misery
we bring upon ourselves that makes us stop doing wrong, to look
around and ask
and see what is right. It is by our mistakes we learn to see the
difference
between right and wrong, and in seeing that difference is the whole
story of
progress. We have to be able to tell the difference. It is only
through ‘
opposites”—the perception of them and the employment of them—that
any being can
grow at all. There has always to be duality in nature. All human
beings are One
in spirit, dual in expression. Always there is the actor and
something to act
upon. Always there are the two—Purusha, the spirit, and Prakriti,
matter—not two
separate things, but two aspects of one and the same thing. No
perception is
possible unless we have that duality. We have to experience
darkness first in
order to see light, and so with the opposites of pleasure and pain.
Without pain
we could not understand pleasure; without pleasure we could not
understand pain.
What lies behind all advance in intelligence, from the lowest to
the highest, is
perception gained by that which acts, from that which is acted
upon.
Law rules everywhere in nature in accord with the basis of duality.
We call it
the law of periodicity, but it is simply a statement of Karma, or
action and
reaction. What we call the laws of the elements are in reality but
perceptions
of the actions and reactions of various grades of intelligences.
‘What we call
our seasons, and all the cycles of time or of individuals, are
covered by that
law—reaction from action previously sent forth. The people who form
a nation are
people who were together in other times; their collective actions
have brought
them the same collective reactions. Every thought we have has its
return of
impression; every feeling we have has its return. All react upon
us, coming back
either impoverished or enriched. Thus, with the power to produce
any kind of
effect resident in us, we can understand the power of false, mis-
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taken ideas. We can sustain these ideas interminably by the law of
return of
impression, and continually suffer reactions from them. The whole
power of
spirit used in a wrong direction, in ignorance of our own nature
and the nature
of beings in general, creates sorrow of every kind.
No one can stop us in our mistaken course so long as we foolishly
entertain
false ideas. Our evolution has been brought about by us under the
laws of our
own operation—action and reaction within ourselves—and in no other
way. It is a
mistake to think that good comes to us from outside quarters. It
never does.
Whatever good or whatever evil comes is the reaping of what we have
sown, in
every way and in every circumstance. There are no exceptions. We
look for
“justice.” We are getting it, according to our own thought and
action. For let
us remember that the plane of action is thought itself, that is to
say—ideas.
Action is merely the sequence of the concretion of thought. So
there is every
necessity for us to clear out the rubbish which we hold as ideas.
Our “minds,”
as a rule, are found to be made of a bundle of ideas that somebody
has handed on
to us. We accept the ideas of the race, of the people about us, of
this “ism” or
that “ology,” and call it our mind, when, in reality, we have no
mind of our own
at all. The mind is the power to receive and to reject. What we
receive and what
we reject depends upon ourselves—on our ignorance or on our wisdom.
There is
nothing outside we have to learn, but every thing inside. The task
we have at
hand is to understand our own natures.
If any great number of beings in this world should reach the
understanding of
their own natures, and so exercise their inherent spiritual powers
for the
benefit of their fellow-men, in no long time we should find the
misery of the
world most wonderfully abated. As was said of old, a little leaven
leaveneth the
whole lump. And one of our Teachers said, “Give me five hundred
good, earnest,
sincere, devoted men and women and I will move the world.” Our
success does not
depend upon any form of physical evolution, nor upon any form of
scientific
advancement. These are but means and not ends in themselves, though
did we but
know
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our own real powers, they could be carried to a pitch not yet
dreamed of. We
must and eventually will carry the civilization of the world to a
higher stage
than has ever before existed, but that will never be until men
realize their own
natures and act from that basis. We can go on indefinitely
repeating the present
thinking and acting, but so long as we do, just so long will there
be sin and
sorrow and suffering. Never will they cease, nor wars, diseases,
pestilences,
tornadoes, cyclones, nor earthquakes—for all these come from man’s
errors.
We shall never find a vicarious atonement. We must take the results
of what we
sow. Recognizing that we are responsible for our own conditions, we
must do our
best to adjust them. Readjustment can come only through assuming
our own
spiritual birth right, instead of assuming that we are these
unfortunate bodies
that are born, live for a while and die; through the fulfillment of
our duties
in every direction as the opportunities are offered us. For we
cannot work out
our salvation alone. We cannot live alone. We cannot progress
alone. We cannot
raise ourselves beyond the rest, but must help all the rest to
whatever stage we
occupy, going further and further ourselves that we may be the
better able to
help and teach the others. Jesus was what he was because he became
so. Buddha
was what he was because he became so. There was a time when they
were sinning
and erring mortals like ourselves. But they saw the true path and
turned and
followed it, as in all time to come must every being.
Just so long as we think that we are physical beings and follow
after this or
that desire, just so long do we put off the day of readjustment and
suffer from
the causes we have set in motion. But when in place of false ideas
we commence
to base our thought and action on correct ideas, the brain begins
to be
clarified and to be permeable to the immense knowledge of the inner
man—a
knowledge which is not now recorded because of the wrong way in
which we have
trained it. The brain has to be made a good conductor for spiritual
knowledge.
If true knowledge were ours, would we have desires? Would we seek
after this or
that thing in physical life and expend our
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best energies upon them? No. Further, we would know that no matter
what there is
in the universe anywhere, nothing can stop the progress laid down
for ourselves
in a spiritual direction. We would also know that nothing can harm
us; nothing
can be wilder us. We would trust the law of our own spiritual
nature, seeking
only to do what good we can; seeking nothing for our selves, but to
do service
in every possible way for every other being. Then we should be in
accord with
the nature of the whole, and the natures and forces of all beings
would carry us
along on the stream that brooks no obstacle whatever. Would we be
sorrowful?
Never; because we would be fulfilling the real purpose of spirit
and soul in
helping all other souls on the path, so far as the opportunity lay
before us. In
this course there is no need to strain and struggle; we have only
to take those
opportunities which our reactions bring us. The evil that comes to
us—well, it
is something for us to adjust, to balance. The good that comes to
us—that too is
the result of our own actions. So we may take the good and enjoy
it, and meet
the evil without fear or trembling or resistance of any kind in an
attempt to
avoid it.
The only sorrow of the
great Teachers, or Masters of Wisdom, is to see men
perpetually engulfing themselves in sin and sorrow and suffering which
They
cannot prevent. One of Them was asked at one time, “Why is it with
your great
knowledge and power that you do not make men think as they should?”
He said,
“The human soul is not so constituted. It has to see and act for
itself.” For
the action is from within outward, and the power goes with the
action. No one
can save us but ourselves.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
WHAT SURVIVES AFTER DEATH?
Day after day we are constantly confronted by the fact that we are
all subject
to death. No matter how we may live, whether our lives bring to us
failure or
the greatest possible success in the eyes of the world, death is
there at the
end. So sure as there is birth for us, so there is death. Each one
knows that
sooner or later death must be his portion; but what does he know of
after-death?
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‘What, if anything, survives? Religions such as we have professed
do not give us
any information whatever on this most serious question;
materialistic science
presents us no solution; from neither religion nor science have we
gained
anything to rest upon when the great conqueror of all human bodies
appears
before us. Is there any hope in life that what we are doing may be
of any value
after death? Whether we can answer that question, or not, before
death confronts
us—the confronting of death will be there. The time will come.
If any solution to the problems presented by death exists, it must
be
perceptible during life to have any value for us as living human
beings. It must
be a reasonable solution, sufficiently evident to us as we now
live, to convince
us of the correctness of the solution. There must be clear evidence
as to an
understanding of the facts of life, before we may accept any
explanation as to
what must be after death. When we know the meaning of birth; when
we know what
we are working here in bodies for; when we know what all manifested
life exists
for—then, we may have an answer as to why we pass so few years in
any one
physical existence; we may know where are our friends, our parents,
our
grandparents, who lived as we are living but now are gone; we may
know if life
has ceased for them; and, then, if life can ever cease for us.
There is one fact of human existence which should guide us in our
thinking—the
fact of law, ruling in everything that we do. Is it not our
knowledge, our
perception of law that enables us to control the elements in
nature? We control
the various substances and elements by understanding the law of
their operation.
We know that the law of action and re-action prevails in nature; we
recognize in
nature the law of cause and effect. But do we not know that law
rules in our
very selves? We know there is a law under which the body grows from
conception
to birth, from birth to maturity, followed by gradual declination.
Just as there
is for man a cycle of birth, youth, manhood, decay and death, so
there is a
succession of events in nature, which we perceive to be a universal
law.
Morning, noon, and night are followed by morning again; spring,
summer, autumn,
and winter are followed by spring
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again. We ought then to be able to perceive that, as in nature our
birth this
time is but in orderly succession after previous death, so must we
come again
and again for a life-time on earth, as we come again and again to
our day-times
after the night. We must have passed through a great sweep of
existence to have
reached this present birth, but that must also have been the
operation of law.
The choice lies between law and chaos. There can not be law here
and chaos
there. All is under law; or, all is chaos. Our whole experience
shows that law
rules, and the conclusion becomes necessary that law rules in every
thing and in
every circumstance. Law, therefore, must rule on both sides of
death.
But is this law enforced upon us by some powerful Being? If so,
there is no hope
whatever for us. And who are WE operating under this all-inclusive
law? If we
are mere bodies, we are small and restricted beings. If all the
life there is,
is what we feel and experience in our bodies, life amounts to
nothing. Very
little thought, however, will convince us that we are not our
bodies. We know
that our bodies are under constant change from birth to the present
time;
constant change will go on until the cessation of these bodies; but
we do not
change. The same “I” was child, youth, young man, and older man.
The identity
has not changed at all through all the changes of body it has
experienced. Nor
are we our minds, as so many believe. Our minds are merely certain
bundles of
ideas in regard to life, and we must be greater than those minds
because we can
change them. Nor is there any imaginable limit to that changing. No
matter how
much knowledge we may acquire, we can go on learning; no matter
what kind of a
mind we may have, we possess the illimitable power to go on
increasing it. If
one doubts the existence of anything greater than mind, he has but
to see that
the very fact of doubting—the expression of doubt—shows an act and
purpose
beyond the idea. We could utterly refuse to think, and still exist.
We must look
deeper for ourselves than the mind and the body. Both are but
instruments which
WE use. Then, what can we be? There is that in us which lives,
which thinks,
which is life itself, which garners all experience, which it
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self changes not at all. It is smaller than the small, as the
ancients said; it
is greater than the great. It can not be weighed nor measured. We
can not say
where it is and where it is not; and yet it is the one thing in
us—our very
selves—---which enables us to have any experience, any idea or
combination of
ideas. Call it Spirit, if you will. Call it Life. Call it
Consciousness; for we
well know that we can not have any experience unless we are
conscious of it. The
ancients said: “The Soul is the Perceiver, is Vision itself, pure
and simple,
and looks directly on ideas.” Spirit sees the idea; actions flow
from the ideas
adopted. Our differences are in respect to mentality, in accordance
with the
kind and range of ideas; but we have all sprung from the same Source;
we all
have a common basis, a common essential nature, which is Spirit and
Life itself.
Our days and nights afford an illustration of the fact that we can
let the body
go, that we can depart from the body, and still exist. While we are
awake in the
day-time, we act outwardly through the organs of the body which
serve to
transmit and receive impressions. At night, these activities are
stilled, and it
is said that we sleep. But how may we know we are conscious during
those hours
of the night? Because when we awake, we can say, “I dreamed,” and
there is no
question as to our identity in the dream. We were conscious, too,
of having all
the senses; we had, apparently, the powers of motion.
Notwithstanding the
dormant condition of the body in that state we call deep sleep, we
were still
acting, living, conscious beings. It may not be difficult to
conceive that,
during the greater portion of the night’s rest passed in what is
known as
“dreamless slumber” of the body, we are conscious; that our action
is of a
higher and finer kind than in waking-life; that it is possible for
us to keep a
conscious hold on that action— to bring back into this brain of
ours, which we
are using during the day-time, the memory of every act on every
inner plane of
being. The soul—the Real Man—with all his past experiences is fully
awake when
the body is asleep. The night-time of the soul is the day-time of
the body. It
is only in exceptional cases, however, that a human being knows
that he is
conscious all the time; that Consciousness can never by any
possibility cease.
Yet each
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one can see for himself that if Consciousness ever ceased, there
would be no
possibility of its ever beginning again. We can see continuing
consciousness in
the fact that we are able to take up, each day in our life, the
work of the day
and days before.
Theosophy is presented for the purpose of showing that this full
consciousness
in the day-time, in operation through the body, is possible to
every man. If we
had that consciousness, what would death mean to us? It would mean
no more than
sleep. Death would mean merely a letting go of the body which had
become useless
to us. We should know that death could never touch us any more than
sleep
reaches us; that as our consciousness is continuous, whether the
body is asleep
or awake, so when the body dies, there is no cessation for us.
What, then, survives after death? The man himself, with all his
tendencies, with
all his experience. The Thinker, the Soul, is what survives, is
what can never
be extinguished, can never itself suffer, can never be involved, is
always of
its own nature, no matter what conditions a man may become involved
in for the
time being. Conditions, whether of joy or suffering, must have an
ending; but
the One who enjoys, the One who suffers, the One who feels, changes
not at all.
That which survives is our very selves—all that we call
ourselves—the self who
wakes, who dreams, who enjoys, who goes into different states,
through all the
worlds. Let us say that this life is a dream in which we have our sufferings
and
our joys. When we awake, we shall have other experiences, but it is
that
something permanent in us which takes to itself of each and every
experience;
coming into any field of operation, it gathers experience according
to the
tendencies which itself has engendered on that plane of being. Thus
man has no
other experience on earth save that which is his very own, save
that which he
has made part of his action on this earth. The law of action and
reaction, of
cause and effect, sowing and reaping is, then, his own law.
What is it that survives? WE survive, as conscious beings, with all
the powers
of perception, with all that we have ever gained, and thus shall it
ever be.
There is no cessation for us. Bodies wear out in one life, as we
know, when they
are no longer capable and
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useful. Would we in wisdom wish to continue in such bodies? No: the
soul demands
a better instrument. We tear down the old house to build a better
one—or it may
be a worse one, we might remember. If we are selfish, if we work
for this body
alone, if we are against our fellow beings, then, in a body we
shall have the
reaction from our selfish action. This is law, and not sentiment.
It is not the
doings of our fellow men that we are suffering from, but the evil
we have sown,
coming back and pressing with its full weight against us. Not until
man assumes
his birthright and realizes that the whole course of evolution is
the working
out of the laws of justice, will he take the first step forward in
true
progress, which leads to conscious immortality.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
CAN THE DEAD COMMUNICATE?
Since the forties of last century Spiritualists have affirmed the
answer to this
question, claiming sufficient evidence for the survival of
intelligence after
the state known as death. But Spiritualism is not a new thing. Five
hundred
years or more ago, and, way back through every age of man, people
have practised
what is called Bhut worship—that is, worship of the “spirits” of
the dead.
Present day Spiritualism is but a repetition of a former error,
even though its
resurrection has been among those whom we would call of higher
intelligence,
“deep thinkers,” and men of science. The “communications” of today,
just like
those others all down the ages, bear nothing whatever in them of a
truly
spiritual nature; they are physical to the last degree, as the
communications to
Sir Oliver Lodge from his son, Raymond (through a medium,
remember), bear
witness. According to the latter’s statement, his life after death
is very much
like the one he has left behind: people there still drink, smoke
cigars and, in
fact (?) have cigars made for them in spirit-factories out of cigar
stuff
belonging to that state of matter. If this is a “spiritual”
communication,
anybody is welcome to take it as such, but it only goes to show
that when we are
out of physical life we are not necessarily in a spiritual state—
as is the
common supposition.
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The question is, what do we learn from such “communications”? Is
there anything
or has there ever come anything from the plane of spiritualistic
communication
which has been of any benefit to mankind? Has anything from that
source shown us
the great purpose for which we are here? Does it tell us the
meaning of life;
why there appears to be so much injustice in the world? Does it
tell us of wars
that are to be, and how to prevent various great catastrophies from
falling upon
us? Does it inform us as to the connection or common cause of all
the different
beings in the world? Does it show us the nature of the becoming of
beings who
are greater than we are, as well as of beings lower than we are?
Does it show
why and how this solar system came into existence, and the laws
which rule it?
No. These are all matters on which we need knowledge; yet from
so-called
“spirits” we get all sorts of differing communications as a basis
for reasoning
about them. Those very differences should show us there is no
source of
knowledge in that quarter. ‘What we need is not what any “spirit”
or anybody
else says about anything, but rather, a reasonable, logical, just
statement of
laws which each and every person can test out for himself.
Let us consider the presentment of Theosophy as to how man has
become what he
now is—the real story of evolution, as gained by observation and
experience in
the vast ages that have passed. The basis underlying that evolution
is the same
in every human being, in every human heart, in every animal life,
in every speck
of matter—the same Spirit in all, the same One Life, the One
Intelligence. All
are rays from that One Life, that One Intelligence, and each
expresses the
possibilities existing in the Infinite Source. Differences in
beings, in
mankind, in various races, all mean degrees of intelligence; for
each has the
same power as the highest being and the same power as all beings;
the use or
employment of the power brings about an instrument to represent it
more or less
fully. Evolution is Spirit expressing itself, whether in this solar
system, or
in those which preceded it. Intelligence was behind the beginning
of this planet
in its nebulous condition, or fire mist; intelligence was behind
the cooling and
hardening processes
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through many, many ages. In all those states and in all those
substances
connected with this planet we also have existed as spiritual
beings, nor are
they absent from us now. At the end of every life, we go back
through all those
stages again to the highest one, and then descend again to the
earthly stage, to
reap the effects of causes set in motion by us before in other
bodies. For there
is no transforming power in death; as a tree falls, so must it lie.
It is during
the life-time that we must recognize and awaken our true natures.
Death opens no
door to knowledge.
We have proof of these states of consciousness right within our
nightly
experience. When we sleep—though we never sleep; only the body
sleeps—the
consciousness of this physical plane is gone from us. We have no
idea of what is
going on among our friends or relatives; we have not one slightest
sensation of
what is occurring anywhere on the earth while we are not using the
body. Here is
“death”—a smaller, temporary death—for the body. Then we pass into
another state
altogether, which we know as the dreaming state. The human soul
goes on in
dream, knowing oneself as the one there, seeing, smelling, hearing,
talking,
moving and doing all the other things which he does while in the
body, awake.
They used to say that if you took hold of a sleeper’s great toe he
would talk to
you. You would get a communication from a “spirit,” but what kind
of a
communication would it be! The man would tell you just what his own
mind had
worked with; he would not know in the dreaming state any more than
his own
personal thoughts, his own personal ideas and activities.
Applying this analogy to the time of death, we can see that in
reality the time
of death never comes. We finally give up this body and it goes back
to the earth
from which it was taken; but WE are not dead. We are still alive.
We are still
conscious on other planes and in other degrees, though we are not
using the body
nor the brain. But what kind of a consciousness, what kind of an
intelligence,
are we using? Just the same kind that we had when we were in the
body. Our
thoughts and feelings and desires go on acting for a time just as
they did when
we were using the body, because of the energy we had put into them.
As there is
no renewal
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of it, that energy wears itself out, and the man—as a real
spiritual
being—enters into quite another state, where no one on earth can
disturb the
action of his intelligence and the enjoyment of his bliss. How
could that be a
state of bliss if for one single instant it could be disturbed by
the sorrows
left behind on earth? Could there be a worse hell to some people
than seeing
from their “heaven” the appeasing of a husband’s sorrow and the
place of mother
taken by another? We should understand that when a human being
passes out of
life, he passes through something like the dream state—a mixed
state—and then
reaches the best state he is capable of expressing. A spiritual
human being, it
would be folly to imagine otherwise, could not be disturbed by
earthly doings,
for his mission on earth was fulfilled when he left it. But he
would come back
again in another body to take up another day’s work. Then, can we
not see that
all this idea of communication with so-called “spirits” who have
left the body
is nonsense?
Let us not imagine that there are no other beings besides men
outside the body.
Let us not imagine that dead men, or living dead men, are the only
ones existent
on the other side of this physical world. There are myriads of
kinds of beings
who do not live in bodies like ours but inhabit planes into which
men pass from
this earth. Contiguous to our plane all sorts of beings—sub-men, as
well as
human elementals, dwell. Can we imagine these are desirable
communicants? And
how can we be sure that any external communication is not connected
with some
devilish spirit who likes to pose, to take the cast-off clothing of
man because
of its at traction to his nature and desires, and exploit it to us?
A great deal
of knowledge is required to understand the real nature of man, nor
is it arrived
at by any kind of “communication” what ever, but by entering into
our own
natures. The Father in secret is within, not without, and
everything we know or
ever will know has to be known in ourselves and by ourselves. Never
from other
people, never from any other kind of spirit, will it be known. The
Spirit of God
within everyone—the Knower in everyone—is the last resort, the
highest tribunal,
the last eminence that we shall reach.
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We are now traveling together through earth matter; when we leave
the earth, we
leave it, alone. So, when we travel through astral matter, we are
not
confabulating with the denizens of the astral plane but are moving
along our own
lines. The states after death are merely the effects of the life
last lived. We
step through from the place of our endeavor to reap what we have
sown—first
casting off the evil, and then experiencing the highest and best of
all our
aspirations. In all of these states each being realizes himself to
be the same
person; never for an instant does it enter one’s perception, or
consciousness,
that he is any other than the one who was on earth; nor does he
know that any
such thing as death has occurred at all, in his highest state he
has with him
all those whom he loved, and in just that condition which he would
desire to
have for them. He has his bliss, because the balance between cause
and effect,
even for his sufferings on earth, is struck straight and true for
the spirit.
All those states are within us, not outside; in those states, we
meet first,
last, and all the time Ourselves—first as we think we arc, and
finally as we
really are.
There is no possibility of any communication from a “dead” person
to a living
one, except perhaps in the very short period before the real individual
has
shaken off the ideas held during life. Sometimes then a very, very
strong desire
to impart something will effect some sort of communication, but
after the great
change known as “the second death” all connection with earth is
broken off. A
pure-minded living person by his aspiration and love may himself
ascend to a
heavenly place, and there seem to speak and feel and be with those
he loved, but
that speaking and feeling do not disturb the one there. The very
essence of the
spiritual state would exclude all disturbance, though we can obtain
the kinds of
feeling which exist in that condition. All that a medium obtains
are simply
reflections and repetitions of what has occurred, recorded in the
nature of the
sitter. A medium will describe the after death state of a person
very much
alive, which should show how subject to mistakes and errors a
medium is. In the
passive mediumistic state there is no control over anything; there
is merely a
channel provided through which certain things can come, or “leak.”
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The majority of the “spiritual” communicants of the mediums are
suicides and the
victims of “accidental” death. For not always is there death when
the body dies.
Unless the death coincides with the end of the life-term, which is
fixed at
birth, a man is still tied to earth until the end of his term.
But there are cases of communications with beings in the
world—almost within the
realm of this world—beings not in physical bodies, who live and
move on another
plane of substance, far away from connection with some easy going
medium. These
beings are known as Nirmanakayas. They are men who have become
perfected—who
could if they chose reach up to and hold the very highest state of
bliss, but
who refuse that bliss because it would mean forever to forsake all
chance of
helping their fellow-men. They can, when the nature of the person
is true and
aspiring strongly, communicate, if it is necessary to help him. But
there is no
mistake about these communications. They are personal, meant for
that one as
direct help. It is the within which induces any outside help that
we receive. It
is a recognition of the spiritual nature of ourselves and all
beings which makes
the true condition. It is from the spiritual that all true strength
comes. And
it is for the perfection of humanity that all the Divine
Incarnations have
labored.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
SLEEP AND DREAMS
There is something in each of us which enters the state called
dreams, the state
called sleep, and the state called death. No understanding whatever
can be had
of the states into which we pass and from which we emerge save
under the idea
that there is an Ego, a thinker, a perceiver, a knower, an
experiencer, who
enters the states and re-emerges there from, and that this Ego, the
real man,
retains his integrity throughout them all.
We are more than any of the states we enter into, no matter how
highly we may
have considered any of those states. Even if we imagine that we
have reached, or
can reach, the highest state of intelligence and action—that which
we call the
divine—it is we who enter it. So an understanding of the states
into which we go
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cannot be had until we recognize that there is That in us which
goes through
them all; then we must try to understand what that something is,
and in this
endeavor begin right where we now are; we cannot start from any
other place or
position than where we are at any time.
What do we find, then? That we are a continuing identity. We have
passed through
many changes from birth up to now, but our identity has not changed,
no matter
through what changes it may have passed, or may pass. When we get
this fact
firmly fixed in our minds we will have reached the point of
understanding that
there is an immortal nature in each of us; that it is divine in its
essence, not
subject to change; for It is changeless.
The dreaming state we enter just as we let go of the body, before
we pass into
the state of dreamless sleep; and on awakening is, again, the
transitional state
into which we return before resuming waking state in the body. We
know that we
have all the senses in dreams, although the body is quiescent, and
the sense
organs are not in use. We can see and feel, we hear, talk, and act,
just as we
do in waking state, without using the physical organs associated
with those
sensations and actions. This shows that we are conscious, alive,
existent,
although the body knows nothing. We know further that our identity
is not
disturbed by entering dream-state; it is we ourselves, and none
other,
experiencing that state.
Dreaming state is known to be a very short state as contrasted with
the waking
state. It is known that we can dream and experience through what
seems to
represent a very long period of time in the dream, though the state
last but a
few seconds by the clock. There is a portion, by far the greater
portion, of the
“night’s rest” which is only known to us (in waking state) as
“dreamless sleep.”
This is merely the slumber of the body. The body is then almost as
if one had
left it entirely. Yet the entity must be in contact somewhere, for
he is
existent all the time, and is conscious—the same identity. Were
this not true,
we would not wake, or on awakening there would be a new being
altogether.
Further than these ideas as to dream and sleep Western
psychologists have not
gone. They do not know what was known ages
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ago, and what is known to some today, that the Ego, the man, the
thinker, is
more fully occupied, more his real self, during the dreamless
slumber of the
body than at any other time. So it was said that the day-time of
the body is the
night-time of the soul, and the night-time of the body is the
day-time of the
soul. When the body sleeps, the real man is most active, with the
greatest
degree of intelligence, but thinking and acting on another plane
altogether, in
a different state altogether, from any known to us in ordinary waking
human
existence.
We know nothing about sleep, although we say that we experience it.
What we know
is that we are getting sleepy—that is, that the body is growing
exhausted—but
sleep never comes to us. We are awake in the day-time; we are
conscious; we
think. But our power to see and know when awake is applied almost
exclusively to
external things of a material kind, so that what we call
knowledge—waking
knowledge—is, practically, an application of all our powers to
physical
existence, and to that alone. When we sleep, what takes place?
During that interval we know that the body is absolutely
irresponsive in regard
to anything external. We do not know nor feel anything that happens
to our
friends. The most frightful calamities might occur around about us,
and we would
know nothing about them until we resumed control of the body. Yet
we must have
been alive, conscious, with an unchanged identity. This brings our
minds to the
question as to why or how it is that we know nothing when awake of
that activity
on higher and altogether different planes during the deep sleep of
the body.
We have within us in abeyance, but not forgotten, not inaccessible,
all that
knowledge. It is recorded, impacted, in our imperishable nature as
truly as any
record can possibly be made—every thing that we have been through,
every degree
of experience, of knowledge, that we have ever acquired. When we
sleep—that is,
when the body sleeps—we go back to that fountain of knowledge which
is within
ourselves; and “wake up” in the morning none the wiser. How can it
be that,
possessing such knowledge, possessing the powers that belong to
immortal Spirit,
to divine Intelligence,
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we nevertheless cannot use them, are not even aware of their
existence in us?
There is a law known as Karma, the law of action and reaction,
which has been
stated: “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” We have
so thought
and acted while in the body as to produce finally an instrument
that is not in
accord with our own real nature. We have put the power of our
intelligence upon
a consideration and use of material things—things that appertain to
a lower
state of being than our own—and so have become involved in them.
The brain that
we use is responsive almost entirely to these lower ideas; so that
when we
return into it, upon awakening, there is nothing in that brain
which will take
the slightest impression or record of those states of consciousness
through
which we have passed.
If we are beings who have passed through higher states during
sleep, how are we
ever going to regain a knowledge of these possessions? If we are
told that we
are divine in nature, not earthly; that we have an immense past;
that we have
planes of consciousness higher than this and powers of action on
those
planes—what does that do for us? What does that impart to us? What
does that
arouse in us? Does it not make us look at life from a different
standpoint than
the one we have hitherto been accustomed to take?
Everything that we do in life, every result that we experience, is
governed by
some attitude of mind which we hold in regard to life. If one is an
atheist, let
us say, or a materialist, who thinks that life began with this body
and will end
with it, then all his thoughts and acts will be on that basis. But
if he changes
that idea, as he may, for the idea that he is immortal in essential
nature, then
that of itself begins to work a transformation.
It is not what we go through that counts; but what we learn from
it. Knowledge
is what we should desire; not comforts nor station. We desire to
know, for in
knowing we perceive the right things to do, the right thoughts to
hold. As we
are thinking all the time, we are thinking either good or evil or
indifferent
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thoughts; our actions are good, evil or indifferent according to
our thoughts.
If we begin to think aright, we give direction to that Spiritual
Force which is
the very essence of our nature. Let a man think aright, let him
think and act
unselfishly, and just so surely as he does that he opens up the
channels of his
brain to a greater and greater perception and realization of his
own nature.
When he reaches a certain point he is able to perceive that whether
the body is
awake or asleep or dreaming, or whether the body has passed through
the state
called death—there is no cessation for him.
Supposing we were able to pass from waking to dreaming, from
dreaming to
sleeping, from sleeping to death, from death to re-birth in another
body—and
able to go through all these states and changes without a single
break of
memory, so that we could not only carry the memory intact from
lower to higher
states, but bring it through with us from higher to lower states,
through every
plane, bringing back the knowledge into this or an other body—what
would we be?
Then we would know just what we are. We would know the relation of
this plane to
every other. We could read the hearts of men. We could help them to
take a
greater and higher stand. We should no longer be deluded by the
ideas which
impel the majority of men. We would no longer struggle for place or
position. We
would struggle only for knowledge, for possessions of every kind in
order that
we might be the better able to help and teach others. We would
sojourn with
Deity all the time, whether in a body or out of it.
It is to arouse man to an understanding of his own nature and to
the right use
of his powers that Theosophy has been brought to him again, as it
has been
brought in period after period by Those who are greater than we
are—Those who
have passed through the same stages we are now passing through—our
Elder
Brothers, the Christs of all times, the Divine Incarnations. It is
They who come
to remind us of our own natures; to remind us and to arouse us to
action, so
that what we really are may be known to us and expressed by us here
on this
lowest physical plane, on which we are working out our destiny—a
destiny made
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by ourselves, a destiny which can only be changed by ourselves, by
the very
power of that Spirit which we are..
No one can know anything for another. Each one has to know for
himself. Each one
has to do his own learning. The object of Theosophy is to teach man
what he is,
to show man what he is, and to present to him the necessity of his
knowing for
himself. No vicarious atonement, no vicarious transmission of
knowledge, is
possible. But the direction in which knowledge lies may be pointed
out; the
steps which will lead us in that direction may be shown, as can be
done only by
those who have passed that way before. It is exactly what is being
done. It is
the course of all Saviors of humanity. It is the doctrine of
Krishna, of Buddha,
of Jesus, no less than the doctrine of H. P. Blavatsky. The two
teachings that
the West is most urgently in need of are those of Karma and
Reincarnation, the
doctrines of hope and responsibility— Karma, the doctrine of
responsibility
means that whatever a man sows he shall also reap—Reincarnation,
the doctrine of
hope, means that—whatever he is reaping—there never will be a time
when he may
not sow better seed. The very fact of suffering is a blessing.
Karma and
Reincarnation show us that suffering is brought about by wrong
thought and
action; through our suffering we may be brought to a realization
that a wrong
course has been pursued. We learn through our suffering. Life is
one grand
school of Being, and we have come to that stage where it is time
for us to learn
to understand the purpose of existence; to grasp our whole nature
firmly; to use
every means in our power in every direction—waking, dreaming,
sleeping, or in
any other state—to bring the whole of our nature into accord, so
that our lower
instrument may be in line” and thus more and more fully reflect our
divine inner
nature.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
INSTINCT AND INTUITION
Instinct is a direct perception of what is right, within its own
realm.
Intuition is a direct cognition of the truth in all things. Reason
is, as it
were, the balance between instinct and intuition. Animals have
right instinct in
regard to what to eat, and in regard
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to what is dangerous to them, for their instinct is acquired experience;
but
they do not reason in their instincts—they feel them. We reason
about both our
instincts (for we have some) and our intuitions, and usually reason
ourselves
into a false position from a false basis of thinking. Reason is an
instrument we
are working with, but if we start with wrong premises we are bound
to come to
false conclusions, however faultless the reasoning. Working
logically, we can
come to right conclusions only with an eternal premise; in no other
way shall we
ever determine the right in our modes of looking at things.
In trying to understand instinct and intuition, therefore, we shall
have to
ascertain their true foundation. Certainly, there must be a deep
meaning in, and
a deep cause for, their existence. Looking upon the animal kingdom
and seeing
therein actions proceeding for the welfare of the different animal
beings, we
call those actions on their part instinct, without at all realizing
that some
thing produced that instinct. It could not arise of itself. It must
have been a
production, as all things in this or any universe are productions.
The statement
of the ancient Wisdom-Religion is that at the root of every being
of every
grade, of every form and of every kind, there is one
reality—Spirit, and Spirit
alone. From Spirit have come all productions; from Spirit all
evolutions have
been brought about. The Spirit is the same in all; the acquisition
differs in
accordance with the degree of progress of the individual or being;
for
evolutions proceed on individual lines. All beings are of the same
nature, but
because the thought, the ideal and the action differ, we find in a
great
universe like ours many kinds of intelligence evolved from the
great Root of all
evolution—the Spirit in each being.
All beings below man are evolutions each in its own degree. Even in
the mineral
kingdom there is form, whether that form be of a crystal or an
atom; it is a
spiritual something with a psychic nature, expressing itself
according to its
own acquired nature. Crystals have their own particular sympathies
and
antipathies, their own attractions and repulsions. Are these
mechanical? Not in
the least. They are inherent instinct—an unerring faculty which
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is but that spark of the divine lurking in every particle of in
organic matter.
If the mineral kingdom did not have a psychic intelligence, man
could never use
it. The same is true with the vegetable and animal kingdoms, which,
each, adds
something to the mere psychical intelligence of the mineral kingdom
in a limited
way. Then, coming to man, we find that he has the power of
transcending his
conditions, of standing apart from them and looking upon them as a
self-conscious being, separate from them, and of an entirely
different nature.
That which is but a spark of divinity in the lower kingdoms grows
to be a flame
in the higher beings.
There are seven distinct stages through which all forms come, from
nebular
matter down to our present concrete formations. Conditioned
existence is
produced by various kinds of lives in every state of matter—by
different
acquired intelligences. But Man had a large part in the determination
of the
processes, of the degrees of descent to be undertaken, and it was
according to
his knowledge and processes instituted by him, that the state or
conditions of
the kingdoms below him were made. For Man was a self-conscious
being when this
earth began. Man stands midway between spirit and what we call
matter; he is the
turning point of evolution, and on him depends the future of this
evolution. Man
has both instinct and intuition. Every cell in our bodies is
instinctively
impelled by us. Whether we are conscious of it or not, that
instinct causes them
to evolve. The lives in our bodies have been trained life after
life, until
their action is automatic and reflex. The cells of the different
organs have
their own special impulsations. The cells subtract from food
whatever is
necessary for the composition of the blood, the bones, the various
tissues, and
the brain—which, too, is made of the food we eat and is changing
all the time,
like any other part of the body, being in constant dissociation.
But the Real
Man is not his body, nor his brain, and it is to the Real Man that
intuition
pertains.
Both instinct and intuition have been gained in no other way than
through
observation and experience. All the instinct
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of animals is a gain in that particular species along the lines of
their own
growth in intelligence and expression in bodies. So, man’s
intuition carries
with it all the knowledge existing in his real nature. Man has
lived lives
anterior to this one, not few but many—even on a planet which we
inhabited
before this earth began, or, rather, before we began with this
earth. The many,
many experiences gained through many, many lives are still with us.
We have
never lost them. They are still resident and potentially active in
our innermost
being—in that real nature of ours which each one of us reaches
every twenty-four
hours, when the body is asleep, when the dreaming state is passed.
There lies
intuition— the sum total of all our past experiences. Something
comes through
occasionally, giving us an inkling of what is the true nature. The
voice of the
conscience is the outlook of that true nature upon the action which
is
contemplated. Some people hearing that “voice of the silence” think
God is
speaking to them, or that some other outside being impresses them.
But, in
reality, it came from their own inner nature—was born from and
drawn from the
accumulation of all past wisdom; it was “the voice” of their own
spiritual
nature.
The channel through which the intuition may flow may be made clear
by any and
every one of us. In what way? By desiring to perpetuate the
personality? Never,
in this nor any other world. There must be a recognition of what,
in reality,
our personality is. It is not the body; it is the ideas held. Ideas
make a body
a fit vehicle for them; ideas control the action of the body. Our
personalities
are composed of our ideas, our likes and dislikes, our attractions
and
repulsions, of the little things that we demand for ourselves, that
buttress up
in us the notion that all this is for me. This is not the Real Man.
The
personality can not be retained; whatever the ideas held today, they
are not the
same as those we held in the past; yet in the past we acted, as
now, according
to the ideas then entertained. In the future we shall have still
other ideas,
and will act in accordance with them. It is our thinking which
limits our
action. It is, then, for us to see that we are real spiritual
beings internally,
and that it is only the
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outer—the personality—which needs clarifying. The clearing can come
about only
by acting for and as the One Self. Then we shall express our real
natures
clearly in this world of material things; then we shall know what
some men only
suspect—for intuition is a direct cognition of the truth.
The Message of Theosophy was given us that we may reach into that
part of our
nature which knows, which notes and knows. This is not an
impossible task; for
we are not poor miserable sinners, and others have accomplished it.
They went
this way and tested out for themselves, as is the only true way for
every one.
They found it to be absolute fact that all this inner knowledge, or
intuition,
is recoverable. They know that our ideas, our thoughts, our modes
of thinking,
our limited understandings of our natures make our hindrances; they
know that
neither the body, nor any environment whatever is detrimental, but
that every
environment is an opportunity—the greater the obstacles, the more
hindrances of
circumstance, the greater the opportunity. If we could but be wise
enough, if we
could open our eyes wide enough to see, we could learn something
from the
various instincts perceived in the kingdoms below us. All those
beings are
proceeding by instinct on that long, long journey which leads to
that place
where we now are. If we are wise, by intuition we also will proceed
on that
small old Path which leads far away—the Path that all the
Predecessors of all
time have trodden. All the Beings who have appeared in the world as
our Elder
Brothers—Divine Incarnations—in past civilizations have reached
that stage
toward which we are now consciously or unconsciously proceeding.
Our intuition
is not so asleep as we think. It is shining in us all the time. If
we will only
remove the false conceptions which prevent us now from seeing,
those of us who
are operating on this side of the dark veil can draw that veil
aside and let the
light shine through.
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CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE CREATIVE WILL
There is no possible way of understanding or explaining the nature
of any being
whatever except through Evolution, which is always an unfolding
from within
outwards, the expression of spirit or consciousness through the
intelligence
acquired. The will of spirit in action has produced everything that
exists.
If we understand that intelligent will lies behind everything that
exists, is
the cause of everything that is, is the Creator in the universe, we
may perhaps
gain some idea of what it is necessary for us to know in order
properly to use
our powers.
All stand as creators in the midst of our creations. There are
creators below us
in the scale of intelligence. We stand in another place, with a
wider range of
vision, a greater fund of experience; so we can see that below us,
infinitely
below us, are beings so small that many of them could be gathered
on the point
of a needle. Yet the scientists who have examined them under many
conditions
cannot deny to these infinitesimal organisms a certain
intelligence, an ability
to seek what they like and to avoid what they dislike. From the
smallest
conceivable point of perception and action there is a constantly
widening range
of expression, of evolution, a development more and more in the
direction of a
greater range of being. This evolution of intelligence, or soul,
proceeds very
slowly in the lower kingdoms, more rapidly in the animal kingdom,
and in man has
reached that stage where the being himself knows that he is, that
he is
conscious, that he can understand to some extent his own nature and
the natures
of the beings below him, and see their relation to each other.
Man has now reached a point where he begins to inquire what more
there is for
him to know. He has ceased to think exclusively of the material; he
is sensing
his own nature, and he asks, What am I, whence came I, whither do I
go?
If we have these ideas, we can perceive that there must have been
in the past
some amongst men who asked these very questions that we are now
asking, and who
took the steps that car-
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ried them to a higher point of experience and knowledge than we now
occupy. It
is these very beings, now above us, who form a stratum of
consciousness, of
knowledge and power, that we have not—men who have passed through
the stages we
are now in. They are the very ones who come to this earth as
Saviors from time
to time.
As Christians, we look back to the advent of One such, and think of
Him as
unique. Yet He came in His time to but one small nation; He said
Himself that He
came but to the Jews. Do we not know that every civilization and
every tribe
that ever has existed has held a similar record—that of some great
Personage who
came amongst them?
Back of all the religions that ever have been, there is the record,
the
tradition, of some great Personage. And we find an astonishing fact
in studying
the scriptures and teachings of other days—each of these great
Teachers taught
the same doctrines. There is no difference between the teachings of
Jesus and
the teachings of Buddha, although those teachings are recorded in
different
languages and an interval of six hundred years separated the two
great Teachers.
What is true of these two is like wise true of all the other many
Saviors of
different times and peoples—they all taught the same fundamental
ideas.
This fact suggests that there is a body of Men, of perfected men,
product of
past civilizations and evolution, our Elder Brothers, in fact, who
have acquired
and are the Custodians of the knowledge and experience gained
through aeons of
time. Their knowledge is actually the very Science of Life, for it
enters into
every department of existence, of nature. They know the natures and
processes of
the beings below man, and above man, as we know the processes of
ordinary
every-day experience. This knowledge they have preserved and
recorded, and they
have the memory of it, just as we have the memory of yesterday’s
experiences and
events.
They have not extended their power to know. We have each of us the
same power to
know that is theirs. But they have extended the facilities of the
instruments
which they possess. They
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have improved what they have. They have better brains. They have
better bodies.
How did they acquire them? By fulfilling every duty which faced
them, regardless
of what came to themselves. They thought nothing of acquiring power
and
knowledge for themselves; they thought only of gaining power that
they might
expend it for the benefit of every living creature. In so doing
they opened the
doors to the full play of the power of the Spirit within.
We do the very opposite. We contract the divine power of the Spirit
within us to
the pin-holes of personal desires and selfishness. Do we not see
that? Do we not
see that we ourselves stand in the way of the use of the power
within us because
our ideas are selfish, small, mean?
The great work of evolution proceeds from within outwards. The Soul
is the
Perceiver; it looks directly on ideas. The action of the will is
through ideas.
The ideas give the directions. Small ideas, small force; large
ideas, large
force; the Force itself is illimitable, for it is the force of
Spirit, infinite
and exhaustless. What we lack are universal ideas. We need to
arouse in
ourselves that power of perception which will lay the whole field
of being open
to us. A stream cannot rise higher than its source.
The nature of man can never be understood in the least degree by
the ideas and
methods which modern psychologists and scientists and popular
religions are
following. They all proceed from the basis of physical life, many
of them from
the basis of one life only. They tabulate experiences of many
kinds, with out
any firm basis upon which to fix their thought, their reason, and
so never
arrive at any definite conclusion or real knowledge of what man is,
or of the
powers that he may exhibit. This is their use of the creative
power, but it is a
limited use, a misuse. Those who follow that way usually have some
selfish
purpose at the base of their desire, something they wish to achieve
for
themselves, some benefit they desire for themselves. This is not
the way.
Theosophy says that if the desire or aspiration is unselfish,
noble, universal,
then the force which flows through the indi-
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vidual is grand, noble, universal in its character. Further, that
every human
being has in him the same elements, the same possibilities, as any
other, even
the noblest and highest beings in this or any solar system. This
puts man in
quite a different position from where our religions, our science,
or our
philosophy of the West place him. They all treat of man as if he
were his body
or his mind, as if he were the creature and not the creator.
The body changes; we change our minds; but there is a Something in
us which does
not change, which does not depend on change, whether of body, mind
or
circumstances, but which is the creator, the ruler, the experiencer
of all
changes of every kind. It is this portion of our nature—the real
Man within us—
that we need to know the nature of. If we can reach such a point of
perception
that we can grasp the fact of the Spirit within us, we shall have
reached a
point where a knowledge of ourselves is possible; and if a
knowledge of
ourselves, then a knowledge through that of all other beings
whatsoever.
The great Teachers point to the fact that the real basis of man’s
nature is
Divinity, Spirit, God. Deity is not some other being, however
great. It is not
something outside. It is the very highest in ourselves and in all
others. That
is the God, and all that any man may know of this Spirit is what he
knows in
himself, of himself, through himself. This is the idea that all the
ancients put
forward in saying there is but one Self, and that we are to see the
Self in all
things and all things in the Self. That is what we all do to some
extent; we see
the Self, more or less. Nothing is seen outside ourselves;
everything that we
see or know is within ourselves. But we think of the Self in us as
mortal,
perishable, having no existence apart from this body and this mind,
and as
separate from the Self in all other forms.
If we had within us and behind us all the power that there is in
the universe,
and we had no channel through which that power could flow—or only a
narrow,
twisted, distorted channel— that great Power would be of no use to
us. would be
non-existent to us. To open up the channel it is necessary for us
to understand
the real basis: the God within, immortal and eternal, the
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Source of all being, our very selves; second, that all action
proceeds from that
Source and Center of our being and of all being. Then who is the
constructor of
all? How was all this evolution brought about? All the beings
involved in it
make up both the world and its inhabitants; all that exists is
Self-produced,
Self-evolved—the creation of Spiritual beings acting in, on, and
through each
other. The whole force of evolution, and the whole power behind it,
is the human
will, so far as humanity is concerned. We do not realize that every
form
occupied by any being is composed of Lives, each undergoing
evolution on its own
account, aided, impelled or hindered by the force of the higher
form of
consciousness that evolved it. For this universe is embodied
Consciousness, or
Spirit. And just as a single drop of water contains within it every
element and
characteristic of the whole ocean, so each being, however low in
the degree of
its intelligence, contains within itself the potentiality and
possibilities of
the highest. The will of the Spirit in action has produced all.
The great Message of Theosophy has provided for every interested
enquirer the
means by which he may know the truth about himself and nature. Just
as the Elder
Brothers have provided in the past, so They have again in our day.
Everything
that Humanity needs has been given to us. But can you give to any
one what he
does not Want? Can you cause to enter into the mind of another what
that mind
will not receive?
There has to be an open mind, a pure heart, an eager intellect, an
unveiled
spiritual perception, before there is any hope for us. As long as
we are
self-centered, as long as we are satisfied with what we know and
what we have,
this great Message is not for us. It is for the hungry, for the
weary, for those
who are desirous of knowledge, for those who see the absolute
paucity of what
has been put before us as knowledge by those who style themselves
our teachers,
for those who find no explanation any where of the mysteries that
surround us,
who do not know themselves, who do not understand themselves. For
them there is
a way; for them there is food in abundance; for them this whole
Movement is kept
in being by one single will, the Will of the
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Elder Brothers who have carried these great eternal truths through
good and evil
in order that mankind may be benefited; not desiring any reward,
not desiring
any recognition, desiring only that Their fellow men, Their younger
brothers,
may know, may realize what They know.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
MAN, VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE
“There are two kinds of beings in the world, the one divisible, and
the other
indivisible: the divisible is all things and the creatures, the
indivisible is
called Kutastha, or he who standeth on high unaffected. But there
is another
spirit designated as the Supreme Spirit—Paramatma—which permeates
and sustains
the three worlds.”—Bhagavad-Gita.
In considering these statements, our immediate tendency is to make
a
separateness—a division—in our minds; but to understand nature at
all, to
understand ourselves at all, we may not make any such division.
Both the
divisible and the indivisible, and the Supreme Spirit, exist within
each and
every being. The “three worlds” exist in the nature of man as a
being. Man,
“visible and invisible,” is Man, “divisible and indivisible.” There
are
different classes of visible beings, as well as different classes
of invisible
beings, but whatever we may know of those different classes must
come from a
perception within ourselves. For that perception, however high,
there is no
stoppage any where; it may reach to the utmost confines of space.
The power in
each one is the Supreme Spirit.
When w look at a human being with our physical eyes, we are able to
see only the
form; when we listen to the speech of a human being, we are able to
understand
only the sounds that we hear, or the ideas that the words convey.
We can not
tell just what a human being is, just what his possibilities are,
or what
knowledge is his, either by looking at him or by hearing him speak.
We may know
this or that presentment, or the various circumstances under which
we came in
contact; we may gain ideas from those contacts; but to know one
through and
through, root and branch, is not given to any mere physical
thinker. So
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there is in the human being that which is invisible—that power of
perception and
expression of which we sense only a part. That invisible part of
man has never
been fathomed, though it exists in all of us, and from it all that
is visible
has sprung.
Spirit is invisible, yet can we think of a place where Spirit is
not? Spirit is
everywhere, in everything, the cause, the sustainer, of all that
was, is, or
ever shall be. Spirit is not outside of us; the same Spirit is in
all; whatever
differences we may be able to perceive in any other are not
differences of
Spirit, but differences in range of perception. All our powers rest
upon that
One Spiritual Nature. The limitations placed upon the power to
express are not
made by any external force whatever, but made by ourselves, by the
ideas that we
hold. Our range of perception is governed by the ideas we hold in
regard to
ourselves, our nature, and the life about us. These ideas that
control our
physical lives and our minds are, in fact, the limitations in
ourselves; yet,
however varied, however high, however low they may be, their very
permanency
rests on the Spirit itself and every one of them springs from
perceptions of
Spirit. Truth and error both spring from perceptions of Spirit, and
by the very
power of Spirit are sustained. Ideas rule actions, and, as ideas
have, like
actions, their cycle of return, so we create a vicious cycle in
which we become
involved, from the one single fact that we constantly identify
ourselves with
this, that, or the other condition. But this very power of
self-identification
is from Spirit.
Visible man—his body, his physical instrument—alone is a growth
from below
upwards. The physical body is merely the shell of the man, made of
matter of the
earth, from the three lower kingdoms—mineral, vegetable, and
animal—and is being
constantly renewed from day to day, constantly worn out from day to
day. Man,
himself, is that invisible power and entity which inhabits the
body, which is
the cause of its present construction and development from lower
forms of
consciousness. Man, himself, is above all physicality. From the
physical point
of view, man, himself, is absolutely invisible. He is that which
acts. No form
may restrain him. No form can in any real sense
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contain him. Any form may be the focus from which he may and can
act. The Real
Teaching is that the man himself, as spiritual being, descends from
the plane of
spirituality, or spiritual self-consciousness, step by step,
through all the
stages of condensation of matter; that he meets the uprising tide
of form from
the lower kingdoms, and when the most perfect form of all has been
brought to
its highest stage of development, he enters it. Not until the
invisible man
enters the physical instrument, could there be humanity at all. So
we, as human
beings, are the product of the higher Divine Spirit, of all the
knowledge of a
past immensity of time, and also, of all that lies in the lower
kingdoms, which
constitutes our lower nature. Man’s higher nature is not divisible.
It is
constant, eternal and true. The lower nature is impermanent and
changing, but
the invisible man within is the one who makes the changes, who
forces on the
changes, and who gathers experience and knowledge through them.
There is no
static condition for any instrument whatever in all the kingdoms,
in all the
worlds and in all systems. Never-ceasing motion, the power to move
on and on, in
greater and greater ranges of perception, is the birth-right of
every human
being. We are like the one who went out from his father’s house and
dwelt among
the swine and fed upon husks. The time must come for us to say,
like the
prodigal son, ‘ will arise and return to my Father”—I will arise
and resume my
own real place in Nature; using all the instruments that I have, I
will work to
the end that all beings may share in all knowledge, that they may
progress in a
consecutive range of steps, ever on and upward, without the breaks
and obstacles
that a false conception of our nature brings about. Such is the
whole object of
the ancient Wisdom Religion—that man may resume his own birthright.
No being or
beings of any grade can confer upon man the knowledge that he alone
can get.
That knowledge is all in reserve in the invisible part of his
nature, the result
of every experience of all his immense past; it is right with him,
although he
has made his physical instrument of such
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a nature that it will not register what he, as the real being—the
invisible
man—knows. Man, the invisible being, eternally is; for him there is
never for an
instant cessation of consciousness. The curtain rings down on one
scene to
immediately rise on another. When the body is at rest, the man is
still acting
and thinking, in another way, in a finer form, on planes not so
restricted as is
the physical plane. There he has freedom. There he sees and feels
and hears and
speaks and acts (as he does on the physical plane) but he can be
here, there or
elsewhere, wherever his thought brings him, wherever his desire is;
he can move
freely and unhampered by gross physical material. The power of
perception of all
kinds of substance, and of all kinds of beings is the power of
everyone of us,
but that power to see lies behind the physical eye; it belongs to
the eye
within—the eye of the soul.
How shall we recognize that power? By acting from the basis of our
eternal,
divine nature; by assuming our own identity; by ceasing to place
dependence on
any philosophy, on any science, or religion, or any statement
whatever; by
depending on the reality of the inner, true, spiritual man; by
clarifying our
mental conceptions; by thinking right thoughts and by acting in
accordance with
them. In that way, every channel in the body becomes open to what
goes on when,
as spiritual beings, we leave the physical instrument at night, and
are active
on the inner, spiritual planes of being. Each and every human being
must open up
those channels on his higher nature for himself. He must know for
himself, and
the only place where he may know is within himself. Each one, in
reality, stands
at the center of the universe, and all the rest are pictures and
sounds and
experiences, in which he may see the play of spirit.
How may we obtain a resumption of divinity? It can not be obtained
by much
speaking, nor by argument. It can be obtained only by taking the
position.
Always we act in accordance with the position assumed. So let us
take the
highest position, the position that is shown by everything in
nature. The
highest of the high is ours. We must assume that high position. We
must affirm
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it. How else can we gain a knowledge of immortality than by taking
the position
of immortality? We assume and act in accord with the position of
wickedness very
easily. If we take the high position, we not only act in accordance
with the
greatness of the position taken, but we come to a realization of it
within
ourselves, where is all perception of it, all fulfillment of it.
What knowledge could we have of immortality from the point of view
of mortality?
What idea of perfection could we get from the basis of
imperfection? None but a
faulty one. The highest idea on that basis would merely be less
imperfection.
Real perfection does not mean a relative perfection; it means an
intimate
knowledge of the essential basis of everything that exists in
nature. True
spirituality is not a hazy condition; not a mere existence without
action; but
the power to know and to do, to have what the ancients called
‘all-knowingness.”
When we reach "all-knowingness" then are we truly
divine—-divine in knowledge,
divine in power, acting through every conceivable state of matter,
and through
every conceivable instrument. And that is our great destiny. Just
let us seize
it. Life is ours. Spirit is ours. Consciousness is ours. Eternal
existence is
ours. Just let us take it.
The greatest of all knowledge does exist. All the experience of the
past, all
the civilizations that ever have been, have produced beings who now
are the
custodians of all the knowledge that has been gained. That
knowledge is waiting
for us as soon as we shall take the necessary steps to fit
ourselves to become
the possessors of it. That knowledge includes all intellectual
knowledge, all
spiritual knowledge, and all knowledge of every force in nature.
Great and
powerful as are some forces that we know of now, there are forces
to be known
that far transcend them all. The power to destroy a world is
reachable by the
one who takes the right step; but the one who takes the right step
will never
destroy. He will only build. He will use all the power that he has
to construct
a path on which humanity may travel the way that he has gone. If,
then, we all
think of ourselves as eternal invisible beings, acting through
visible
impermanent instruments, we shall get a
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better and truer conception of life; and if we will try to reach
inward to the
innermost part of our heart of hearts, we shall find a greater
vision ours—a
power to perceive in wider ranges, to greater depth, with more
effect than can
ever be gained by our physical organs of sight. As one of our Great
Teachers
said, “All nature is before you; take what you can.” It is for each
one to
listen, to learn, to apply.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
RENUNCIATION OF ACTION
It would be a grave mistake to think that by not acting one frees
himself from
the consequences of action. Such would be a totally false view of
the
“renunciation of action.” The whole universe is action. First,
last, and all the
time ceaseless motion lies behind everything that is. Among all
creatures the
impulse to move on—to progress—is action, and it comes from the
very nature of
Spirit itself; it cannot be denied. Nor can one, even if he should
think so,
ever cease from action, in not doing that which ought to be done;
for there is
action in the very thought—thought being the real plane of action
and that which
induces any kind of action. Without action there is no manifested
life. While we
live, we are constantly acting. There is not a moment when action
ceases,
whether the action is through a mind in a body, or after the
terrestrial mind
and body are laid aside for the time being and functioning goes on
in inner
instruments and sheaths of the soul.
Motion is the basis of man’s physical existence. There is not one
atom, not one
molecule in the body, which is not in constant motion, and it is
through that
constant motion that the body is enabled to register the various
differing
effects presented by physical matter itself. But within the body is
that which
gives direction—the mind—or that bundle of ideas which each one
has. In the last
analysis, it comes home to each individual that he himself is his
own judge,
jury and executioner; for, if his ideas are small and concerned
only with
physical existence, then the
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motion given is in a wrong direction, personal and physical. If,
however, we
realize that such ideas as we have accepted and made a basis for
our action may
not be true, we can change and enlarge them, or reject them
altogether. Who,
then, are WE, having the power behind both body and mind to arouse
change?
We are the real mover behind the ideas and behind the will—the
Experiencer—Spirit itself—that which looks out through our eyes and
that which
senses through our organs. It is the same Self in each and every
instrument.
Spirit has the faculty of identifying itself with the business upon
which the
mind is concentrated, so that it becomes involved in its
instruments and
confused by its involution. Although we are Spirit—divine, eternal,
beginningless, endless—we have created right or wrong ideas as to
our own
natures, as to anything and everything which we experience in any
direction,
upon any plane of being. We are the One Reality behind all
experiences, behind
all planes of being—which are but temporary in their nature, while
Man himself,
divested of every means of communication with them, becomes creator
of his own
means. Within the spiritual nature lie every possible power, force
and means for
the creation of a more and more perfect instrument, yet, by our own
actions, by
our own creation of false ideals as their basis, we have made the
conditions in
which we find ourselves.
We could get beyond the troubles by which we are affected, if we
would cease to
deal in every case with effects. We are constantly in a sea of
effects, and we
try to relate one effect to another without for one moment going
back to the
basis of causation—to the Self, the Spirit within. In the Spirit,
no one of us
differs—no human being, nor any kind of being—whether above man,
man, or below
man. The One Spirit in all is the perceiving power. It is the
executing power.
It is the creative, the preservative and the regenerative power in
every being.
Out side of us lies nothing but perception, but within us lies the
power of
realization of Spirit itself and of the powers which lie within
that Spirit. Our
differences lie in our spiritual advancement and in our
discriminative
knowledge, according to our self-evolved
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nature of mind and body—an evolution which always takes place under
law, under
the same law ruling from the minutest life to the highest spiritual
being—that
inherent law which is the power to act. Action is merely the
execution of that
spiritual law.
We are learning all the time because we are acting all the time. In
every fresh
combination, the understanding and proper use of it points us
onward and enables
us to go still further into higher worlds and wider combinations.
Each one of us
is a sensitive instrument—the embodiment of everything there is in
the whole of
nature; for we have evolved from instruments of homogeneous
substance more
concrete instruments and we move in them, as spiritual beings from
an immense
past, to make all possible differentiations and combinations to be
obtained in
our evolutionary stream. And let us not forget that we were
concerned not only
with the beings above us and those of our own high estate when we
began this
evolution, but with all the beings below us in the mineral,
vegetable, and
animal kingdoms. All are interdependent. It can only be when we
realize our own
natures and act in accordance with them that we shall fulfill the
purpose of our
life here, which, in fact, includes every being of every kind
anywhere. We act
upon them all to some degree in every thought and action of our
own, and just as
we affect them so the effect flows back upon us through beings like
us, and
beings above us and below us. So, the whole course of
understanding—the proper
ideas from which to act—lies within our selves and not outside.
To imagine that we are here by chance, that there is no law, that
there are
accidents, that we are not responsible for our selves being
impinged upon while
others are gratified of their desires—is an error. We have brought
ourselves
into the present condition by doing similar things before. We have
in other
lives pursued a course that shut us out from a knowledge of our own
nature. We
have so acted through the inherent power within ourselves as to bring
about a
closure between our high perception and our lives in the body; we
have affected
others in a
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similar way, and they in their turn come back to affect us and keep
us on that
plane of thought and action. For it can be seen that our thoughts
are action
more than the acts themselves. It is the way we think that produces
action, and
others are permeable to these thoughts of ours, be they good or
bad.
There is the faculty in man of identifying himself with whatever
condition he
finds himself in—the faculty, called in The Bhagavad-Gita Ahankara,
or egotism.
As soon as we are involved in any set of circumstances—be it
happiness or
misery—we immediately identify ourselves with the prevailing
condition,
forgetting that there were other conditions before and that there
will be other
conditions in the future with which we may again identify
ourselves, if we have
not learned to do otherwise. So we go on thinking that we are this
body, that we
are this nation, these events, and this period of time. All these
ideas are
subversive of an understanding of our true natures, but they are
eradicable,
because we ourselves created and maintain them.
A true understanding may be had by no matter whom or where through
what is known
in one of the ancient writings— the Mundaka-Upanishad”—as the
shaving process.
It is the elimination of all that is not the Self. For nothing that
we can see
is Self; nothing that we can hear, or smell, or taste, or know is
Self. The Self
senses all, through its instruments, but is not any of these
things. Nor are we
any of the experiences we have ‘had, are now having, or will have.
We are that
which experiences, and are not any of the changes. We are none of
the processes
through which we go every day, from sleeping to waking, or from
life to death,
according to universal law. ‘WE never sleep; WE never die. Sleep is
just the
reaction of the body, and when the body sleeps WE are still
thinking and
perceiving and experiencing, in the dreaming state, and in deep
sleep states
beyond, where we have full spiritual self-consciousness.
Why do we bring back so little memory of the action of consciousness
during deep
sleep? Because our registering apparatus is of a small calibre. The
physical
brain which is the register of our thinking—our manipulating
instrument
here—like every-
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thing else in our bodies is formed from food, and so is constantly
changing as
our impressions change. It becomes receptive only to the constant
influence of
our earthly thinking. But, if while awake, we take a spiritual
basis for our
thinking—that which compels us in right action, with the
recognition of all men
coming from the same source and proceeding toward the same goal,
though the path
varies with the pilgrim—thinking and acting on that basis during
our daily
lives, then the brain will become responsive to those other forms
of
consciousness during the sleep of the body; then, all that we know
on the high
planes of being can be carried through and to a great degree
expressed in the
body.
In all processes something of change is going on. So, action from
the highest
basis of thought institutes an action in the body itself and
changes the very
nature of the lives in our bodies, making them porous to the inner
side of
nature so that they finally become translucent, and permeable to
all higher and
finer influences. There is the higher and inner side of any and
every form that
exists—mineral, vegetable, animal, human or beyond the human—and as
we become
more universal in our modes of thinking and of action, we contact
more fully
that higher, inner side. We raise ourselves higher, and we see the
world as
quite different from the one perceived when we were treading the
path of mere
terrestrial existence. ‘We see what all false modes of thought and
action have
brought about- animosities, wars, divisions between individuals,
pestilences,
disease, cyclones and earthquakes, noxious insects and animals.
The great errors of mental conception which darken man’s mind keep
him as an
ever-acting being creating the conditions which bring him his
sorrows and
disabilities. If there were no human being in the world who would
ever harm
another, there would be no harm. All harmful things would
disappear. But even
though there be harmful beings, and their nature can not be
changed, we can so
change our own attitude that no harm can come to us from them. If
harm comes to
us, there must be harm in us. The Yogi of the East can go into the
midst of all
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kinds of harmful creatures unharmed, because of his own
harmlessness. When our
thought is fixed on false ideas, it is apparent to the harmful
creatures, and
their instinct of so-called self-preservation moves them to attack
us, because
they recognize a danger in us. The natures of those beings below us
will be
changed only by man, for they can not change themselves. It is the
lives which
we are using in our own bodies—themselves motion, action—which
become the
embodiment of beings in the various kingdoms, because we have
endowed them with
our thought and action and given them direction, as each moment
passes, back on
to their own plane. We are their creators and their providence, or
we delay
their progress by misunderstanding our own natures and,
consequently, theirs.
What will be in the future depends upon those who have the power to
act in any
state of matter. The civilization that now is has been created by
ourselves, but
behind all true progress there must be a universal conception of
Spirit, mind,
and action. Let us dismiss any idea of renunciation of action. Act
always. We
have to act. Every principle of our nature compels us to act. If we
fear or fail
to act in any given place where the situation calls for action,
then we have
acted in a wrong way, for we have missed an opportunity. And an
error of
omission is worse than an error of commission. Act, then, but act
for and as the
Self of all creatures. Renounce not action, but selfish interest in
every
thought and act.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE LAW OF CORRESPONDENCES
“ Law of Correspondences” is a greater subject than people are
liable to
suspect; yet we all know something of correspondences in the simple
facts of
nature—the seven colors of the spectrum, the seven notes of the
scale. Each
color of each octave corresponds to the same color of another
octave. We see
only a certain number of rates of vibration, but above the number
perceptible to
us are those too fine for us to perceive with our physical senses,
and, also
below, are vibrations too coarse for our
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perception. ‘We stand in the middle, as it were, of a great range
of
perceptions, aware of only a portion of the universe in which we
live. The same
is true with regard to sounds——from the note do up to Si; do
corresponds to
every other do in the seven octaves which we are able to perceive
physically;
but these seven octaves are merely a portion of all the great
octaves of nature
above us and below us. There is correspondence between the high and
the low
throughout all nature, because the great Center of Life, of
Consciousness, of
Perception is the same in every being of what ever grade; and
because from
within that Center proceeds all action. The use of the power to act
which is
inherent in that Center is the cause of all manifestation.
All things which are visible come from the invisible. In the
evolution of a
planet there is a beginning in homogeneous, radiant matter—such as
composes the
Milky Way—the basis of all subsequent forms that are brought about,
or produced,
by the beings existent in that homogeneous state. Each being is a
Center and
each Center is the same as the One Great Center. Proceeding from
the same
Source, necessarily, all beings proceed under the same laws. The
same Law rules
all beings. The power to act and the subsequent reaction—the law of
laws which
we know as Karma—is brought into operation by all beings to produce
the
manifested universe and all the differentiations in forms and
substance. Thus
there is a connection between each being and every other being.
There is a
correspondence between each being and every other being. There is a
correspondence between the constituents of each being and the
constituents of
every other being.
The law which rules the atoms of our world as well as the highest
spiritual
beings in it—that law inherent in the Center of each being—proceeds
in a
definite, orderly mode. This progress is known to be divided into
seven degrees,
or the septenary nature, from the states of fine matter down to the
matter that
we now know in the body. All beings go through forms in the various
states, and
not only do they go through them but they possess them at the
present time. Man
possesses every body which
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ever has existed for him in any stage of matter. But our planet is
one of many
planets. It exists in a solar system which is one of many solar
systems. There
are inhabitants of other planets— some of them below us in point of
development
and others so much higher than we that if we knew the state of
their progress we
would esteem them divine beings. All beings of each and every
planet are of the
same Center and proceed under the same universal law of
manifestation. Thus,
there is a correspondence between each and every planet: we are
related to Mars,
to Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon by certain
correspondences in
fact, there are organs in our bodies which correspond to the
various planets.
At the root of all these correspondences with planets, beings and
states of
matter, and behind all these points of attachment with every
thing—the most
minute as well as the coarsest—lies a tremendous, almost immeasurable
SCIENCE
related to all portions of the universe, to every state of matter
and every
plane of consciousness—a science which by our self-induced and
self- devised
efforts it is possible for us to attain it ourselves. For knowledge
does not
exist outside of us, nor does knowledge exist without the knowers
of it. Always
the knowers of the greater knowledge have achieved it through
observation and
experience. Those Beings who are greater than we are and who have
handed down to
us Theosophy—the science of life and the art of living—in the far
distant past
had to go through similar experiences to those we are now
encountering. So again
we see there is a correspondence in ourselves with those higher
Beings, and, as
well, with lower beings. We have to manifest as various classes of
beings, some
on higher planes and some on lower planes. The forms of the
kingdoms below us
are embodiments of minor grades of consciousness on their way up to
our estate,
which they will reach when we have progressed to still higher
states, under the
law of evolution. For evolution of form is always brought about by
the extension
of the Consciousness of the being in habiting the form, and our own
purpose, as
spiritual beings connected with all states of matter, is to evolve
a better and
better
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instrument on this plane of being to correspond to, or be
accessible to, those
inner states of being and higher planes of consciousness which we
all in reality
possess. It may seem strange to us that we possess what we know
nothing of, and
that there are powers latent in us which in our present case we are
unable to
manifest. But we ought to see that we have the power to learn. We
have the power
to learn sciences of various kinds, or languages entirely different
from those
we now know. The power to learn is within us. We could not learn
these things if
they were new—that is, due to some formation of nature separate
from ourselves.
There is a power that we may gain over all nature, and ‘use, for in
fact nothing
is of use by way of knowledge that can not be practical for the
true evolution
of man, for the forwarding of humanity. There is a certain
knowledge in the
possession of some which relates to the occult sciences, to powers
which we do
not presently possess but which are latent in us—the reason for
either latency
or possession lying in the fact that this life is the reaping of
what has gone
on be fore. As day succeeds day and life succeeds life, as planet
succeeds
planet and solar system succeeds solar system, so we have come down
through the
immeasurable past to the present conditions—to conditions, let it
be remembered,
where spirit and matter conjoin, where man may become higher than
any being in
our solar system because he is conjoined with the lower kingdoms;
because he may
so increase his knowledge in connection with those lower kingdoms
that lie may
raise them up and use the powers that exist there and are produced
by beings of
every grade. Let us remember, too, that even on this physical plane
there are
beings other than those we ordinarily see in mineral, vegetable,
animal and
human embodiments; there are invisible beings existing in what we
call our air,
in the ether, in electricity, in fire—for it is life everywhere in
this
universe; there is not a hand’s breadth of vacant ‘ space anywhere.
However
minute, visible or invisible, the forms of life may be, they are
Centers of
Consciousness, beginnings of perception, the beginnings of
individuality—ever
increasing from form to
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form until the human form is reached, and then, on and on. For we
as human
beings are not the product of this earth. Our bodies are; but as
spiritual
beings we were present before this earth was formed. Once more we
have come down
through the stairway of the seven worlds from that primal state
which is the
very Center of being, plus all that we had gained before in other
worlds. ‘We
bring with us all that we have gained in similar states and planes
of substance
before, and go on with the world in each stage, just as we go on
from day to day
with our various occupations. Thus we may see that there is a
continuity
throughout the entire course of evolution; what we have to learn is
that
knowledge of it along the line of true correspondences will never
be acquired by
mere study, nor by information given us by any being or beings
whatever.
True knowledge has to be gained through an increasing perception of
the
universality of all law and the universal line of progress for
every being of
whatever grade. We have to think and practise altruism before the
higher and
more recondite powers of the universe can be placed in our
possession for our
use. The thought and the motive must be that which makes for the
good of all
beings. What has been given to us in the philosophy of Theosophy is
for the
purpose of arousing the attention of that Center within us which
can see, which
can know and which can do, when it resumes its own nature and
status. For there
is a deep knowledge of all these things in the soul of every human
being and the
soul knows what it needs; it can understand when the brain can not
understand;
it can feel when the senses are not capable of transmitting
feeling. This
knowledge is open to every human being; but only when the mind that
we now
possess is in exact accord with the nature of the indwelling
Spirit, shall we
begin to see, from within outwards, all the lines of correspondence
and relation
that exist between us and all other beings. Only when we realize
that we are a
part of the Great Chain of being, that no one of us is unnecessary
and no one
can drop out, that the development is one for all, that we are all
from the same
Source and going towards the same goal; only when we shall
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think and act from that basis, will we move onward with the great
force
proceeding from the Center in that true direction which leads to
enlightenment
and power. The law of correspondences constitutes a science which
is perhaps
beyond the idea of any one of us. Can we realize that — all beings
are forces
and all forces proceed from beings? Can we realize that there are
forces or
beings in nature which can be moved without the lifting of a
finger—just by the
thought, just by the will of one who knows the law of
correspondences?
Fortunate, indeed, it is that men as they are now constituted, with
the wrong
ideas that rule their actions, do not possess these powers which
they could use
against their fellow men! For is it not true that if we had them we
would use
them to blot out of existence many human beings who are running
counter to our
own ideas? And those beings are, just like ourselves, controlled by
ideas
foreign to the true progress of the whole and must meet the exact
results of
their wrong course of thought. Even without knowing it, perhaps, we
may fight
the battle of humanity merely by taking one idea of Theosophy—one
universal
idea— towards the freedom of the soul, and holding to that help.
But we have to
go much farther than that, which is but one step on the way. We
have to realize
within ourselves the kind of bodies, inner and outer, which we
possess and the
powers that belong to those bodies. We must bring those higher
powers into
operation through this physical body. We must build a higher and
greater
civilization than ever yet has existed. Whether it is accomplished
in this or in
ten million lives, whether we go straight to the goal or through
suffering after
suffering, it must ultimately be brought about.
We are here for a great purpose. A great mission lies before every
one of us, as
well as a great knowledge. We are here as knowing, self-conscious
beings, buried
in, and identified with this body, with this matter. Involved in
the very work
we had to do on this plane of being, we have forgotten our own true
natures. It
behooves us to understand what our true nature is and to think and
act in
accordance with it. Let us remember, too,
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that “the true nature” is not far away; it is right within us—
within our
hearts. In the silence of our own hearts there pulsates that One
Life, which
beats in correspondence in the action of the lungs, the action of
the tides, the
flux and reflux which is going on all the time and everywhere in
nature. Can we
not see that the laws of correspondences are the same now that they
were
millions of years ago? Nor has humanity changed. We have changed
the conditions
surrounding us, but we ourselves are experiencing the same desires,
the same
feelings, the same stupidities which were ours millions of years
ago. We have
not advanced spiritually beyond the civilizations that are dead and
gone, but in
what we call “advancement” we have made merely another closer bond
to physical
existence. So there is much for us to do.
We move from death to death until we realize our true natures and
take the
course pointed out by the Wise Men of all ages—the course by which
They gained
Their wisdom. Theosophy was brought into the world to wake up the
souls who are
in the least degree susceptible to an awakening, to join that body
of pilgrims
moving on their way with their faces turned in the direction of the
Masters of
Wisdom, regardless of their present conditions, quickly or slowly
clearing away
their defects that they may be the pioneers and helpers and guides
of the
humanities that are to follow. Moving on with courage and
confidence in the
Great Beings, they gradually learn and come to a resumption of
those powers
which we all possess but do not express. Nor can one express in
words the power,
the happiness, the freedom from fear of any kind, the realization,
while in a
body, of immortality which spiritual knowledge brings. This
knowledge and these
powers are within the reach of all of us. As the ancients said,
“The Great Self
shines in all beings, but in all it does not shine forth.” We may
reach that One
Self, the One Spirit, whence come all law, all possibilities—which
has the power
to produce all changes, but of itself changes not at all— ever the
experiencer,
the enjoyer or the sufferer of the changes. Power comes from this
knowledge,
which springs up spontane-
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ously within us because it resides in the innermost parts of our
natures.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
CULTURE OF CONCENTRATION
Concentration, or the use of the attention in the direction of
anything that we
wish to do, consistently and persistently, has long been recognized
as the most
effective means of arriving at the full expression of our powers and
energies.
The ancients called the power to focus the attention upon a subject
or object
for as long a time as is required, to the exclusion of every other
thought and
feeling, ‘one-pointedness.” Concentration is difficult to obtain
among us as a
people, because the key-note of our civilization is, in fact,
distraction rather
than concentration. Constantly and in every direction we are having
presented to
our minds objects and subjects—one thing after another to take our
attention and
then to pull it off from what we are putting it on. So, our minds
have acquired
the tendency to jump from one thing to another; to fly to a
pleasant idea or to
an unpleasant idea, to remain passive. Remaining passive is
normally sleep;
abnormally, its tendency is towards insanity. That we have be come
habituated to
these distractions and are not able to place our minds on any given
thing for
any length of time may be easily proved by anyone. If he will sit
down and try
to think of one single thing, one single object or subject, for
only five
minutes, he will find even in a very few seconds, perhaps, that he
has wandered
miles away mentally from the thing he intended to place his mind
upon.
We have first to understand what man is, his real nature, what the
cause of his
present condition, before we can arrive at any pure and true
concentration,
before we can use the higher mind and the powers that flow from it.
For the
powers that we use in the body are transmitted powers, drawn,
indeed, from our
inner spiritual nature, but so disturbed and limited that they are
not powerful.
We need to know about our minds, and we need to control our
minds—that is, the
lower mind, occupied
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with personal and physical things, known in Theosophical
phraseology, as Lower
Manas. It is this
“organ,” the thinking principle, which the ancients said is the
great producer
of illusion—the great distracter of concentration. For there is no
possibility
of obtaining real concentration until the possessor of the mind can
place it
where he will, when he will, and for as long a time as he pleases.
It is written in The Voice of the Silence: ‘ Mind is the great
slayer of the
Real. Let the disciple slay the Slayer.” The disciple, who is the
Real Man—the
spiritual man—has to act as such. He has to stop the switchings and
fittings of
his thinking principle and become calm in that knowledge to which
the
consideration of his own true nature brings him. The object of all
advancement
is the realization of the true nature of each one and an employment
of the
powers which belong to it. What hinders is the thinking principle.
WE are the
thinkers, but we are not what we think. If we think wrongly, then
all the
results of our thoughts and actions must lead to a wrong
conclusion, or to a
partial one, at best; but if we realize that we are the thinker,
and the
creator—the evolver of all the conditions through which we have
been, in which
we now are, and in which we shall find ourselves in the future—then
we have
reached the point of view of the Real man, and it is only to the
Real man that
the power of concentration belongs.
Again, in order to obtain concentration, we need an understanding
of the
classification of the principles of man. We all have the same
principles, the
same kinds of substances within us, the same spirit within us. We
all contain
every element that exists anywhere or in any being. So, too, each
one has all
the powers that exist anywhere, in himself, though latent. We are
all of the
same Source, all parts of one great Whole, all sparks and rays from
the Infinite
Spirit, or the Absolute Principle. The second principle is Buddhi,
or the
acquired wisdom of past lives, as well as this one. It is the cream
of all our
past experiences. The next principle is Manas, the Higher mind, the
real power
to think, the creator—not concerned with this physical
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phase of existence, but with the spirit and the acquired wisdom.
These three
principles together make the Real Man—Atma Buddhi-Manas—and these
three each one
of us is in his inner nature.
Our Lower Manas is the transitory aspect of the Higher mind; that
is, the
portion of our attention, our thoughts and feelings addressed to
life in a body.
But if our thinking faculty is concerned only with the personal
self—only with
the body— the powers which reside in the Triad, the Real man, and
the acquired
wisdom of the past, can not force themselves through that cloud of
illusion.
Lower Manas is the principle of balance. It is the place from which
the man in a
body either goes up towards his higher nature or down towards his
earthly
nature, made up of the desires pertaining to sensuous existence.
Life about us
is throwing its impressions and energies upon us all the time. We
are constantly
subject to them and connected with them by our ideas, our feelings
and emotions,
so that there is a constant turmoil going on within that inner mind
which makes
a barrier to absolute calmness and concentration.
Then we have the astral body, itself an aspect of the real inner
body which has
lasted through the vast period of the past and must continue
through the far
distant future. This astral body is the prototype, or design,
around which the
physical body is built, and which, considered from the point of
view of the
powers, is the real physical body. Without it the physical body
would be nothing
but a mass of matter—an aggregation of smaller lives. It is the
astral body
which contains the organs, or centers from which the organs have
been evolved in
accord with the needs of the thinker within. The real senses of man
are not in
the physical but in the astral body. The astral body lasts a little
over one
lifetime. It does not die when the physical body dies, but is used
as a body in
the immediate after-death states.
Now as soon as we begin to make the effort to control the mind, and
desire to
know and to assume the position of the inner man, the effort and
the assumption
bring an accession of power and of steadiness. We have started
something going
in the astral
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body. What were before merely centers of force around which organs
were builded
now tend to become separate astral organs. A gradual building of
those organs
goes on within us, until in the completion of our effort we have an
astral body,
with all the organs of the physical completely synthesized, and we
are beyond
the vicissitudes of physical existence; we have the power of the
action of the
astral body. The astral body is even more complete and effective on
its own
plane that our bodily instrument here on the physical plane, for it
has a wider
range of action in its seven super-senses, where physically we have
use of only
five senses.
Many hindrances arise, however, as soon as the effort is begun. Old
habits of
thought and feeling press us on every hand, be cause we have not
yet been able
to check our responsiveness to them, and so we find ourselves
subject to certain
feelings and emotions which tend to destroy that astral body which
is being
built. First, and most potent, is anger. Anger has an explosive
effect, and no
matter how much we may have progressed in our growth, the
uncontrollable inner
shock coming from anger will tear that inner body to pieces so that
the work has
to be done all over again. Next to contend with is vanity—vanity of
some kind or
another, of some accomplishment, of ourselves, our family, our
nation, or what
not. Vanity tends to grow and grow, until finally we will not
listen to anybody
and are too vain to learn anything. So, vanity tends to
disintegrate this inner
body, although it is less disruptive than anger. Envy is another
hindrance. Fear
is another, but fear is the least of them all because it can be
destroyed by
knowledge. Fear is always the child of ignorance. We fear those
things we do not
know, but when we know, we do not fear.
We are all a prey to those fears that tend to disrupt the very
instrument by
means of which true concentration may be attained; but it may be
attained. The
peculiar power and nature of concentration is that, when complete,
the attention
can be placed on any subject or object to the exclusion of every
other for any
given length of time; and this thinking principle—this
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mind of ours which has been flitting about—can be used to shape
itself to the
object gazed upon, to the nature of the subject thought about.
While the mind
takes the shape of the object, we get from that shape the form, the
characteristics of every kind that flow from it; and when our
inquiry is
complete, we are able to know everything that can be known of the
subject or
object. Such a height of concentration we can easily see is not to
be attained
by intermittent efforts, but by efforts made from “a firm position
assumed” with
the end in view. All efforts made from that basis are bound to be
of avail;
every effort made from the point of view of the spiritual man
counts, because it
makes the body subservient to the thinking principle.
Other things come about from that true power of concentration. We
begin to open
up the channels that reach from our brains to the astral body, and
from the
astral body to the inner man. Then, that which is temporary tends
to become a
part of that which is eternal. All the planes become synthesized
from above
down, and all the vestures of the soul which we have evolved from
the past
become in accord with each other. It is just like the tumblers in a
lock: when
they work together, the lock works accurately. So we have to bring
all the
sheaths of the soul into exact accord, and that we can do only by
taking the
position of the spiritual being and acting as such.
The height of concentration is possible to us, but not on a selfish
basis. The
concentration of the brain mind stands beside true concentration as
a rush light
beside the sun. True concentration is, first of all, a position
assumed out of
regard for the end in view of union with the Higher Self. That is
the highest
Yoga. Concentration upon the Self is true concentration. And
concentration must
be attained before we can ever reach that stage where eternal
knowledge of every
kind is ours to the last degree; before we shall once more resume
and wield
those powers which are the heritage of all.
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CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
MENTAL HEALING AND HYPNOSIS
Mental healing, metaphysical healing, mind cure, spiritual healing
and Christian
Science all come under the same head; there is no difference
between them in the
range of their action or the basis upon which they are founded. All
are forms of
self- hypnotism. But hypnosis is something of itself, and in
itself, which calls
for extensive consideration, its basis being a sort of artificial
catalepsy.
Whoever is hypnotized is thrown out of his normal modes of
perception; his own
external perceptions are closed to him and he sees only from the
basis which the
operator presents to him. Mental healers and Christian Scientists
make use of
certain ideas and abstractions in formula which take the mind off
the body,
though it is generally believed that thought” is the means by which
the healing
is effected. Now thought differs entirely in its nature and
relation according
to the knowledge of the thinker, and to use a prescribed formula,
as do the
adherents of these healing cults, is by no means to employ thought.
What passes
for ‘thought” is the idea that diseases are caused by thinking of
them, and that
the only way to over come them is by thinking of that which is not
disease. Of
course, this is only a formula.
Are there cures brought about by such practices? Certainly; by each
and every
system, no matter how much they suffer from one another in their
claims. Just
so, there are cures made by every remedy” ever proposed under the
sun.
Testimonials are found for every kind of remedy and to every kind
of formula
that was ever presented mankind. Medical practitioners bring about
their cures
also, and even the ‘quack” remedies advertised in the newspapers
bring floods of
testimonials from people who have been cured of disease after
having been given
up by physicians. Since, then, healing is brought about in many
ways, it is
clear that neither the fact of healing, nor any number of
testimonials, have any
value as evidence that any one of these systems of healing is a
true system.
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We need to inquire into these systems from the point of view of
Theosophy, for
let it be understood that the Theosophist does not attack any form
of belief nor
any form of philosophy what ever; he merely compares them with
Theosophy. If
that comparison shows a lack in their theories of explanation and a
failure to
give human beings a true basis to think from, by which they shall
gain a
realization of their own nature and the laws ruling everything in
every place,
it can not be said that Theosophy is at fault, but that the partial
philosophy
under consideration has failed to withstand the test.
People are attracted to these partial systems of thought by the
healing of
disease promised. What they need to look for is not the cure, but
the cause of
disease. The fact that no one specific method is a cure-all ought
to show that
there are different kinds of disease; some, the result of bad
habits, lack of
exercise, wrong diet, and the failure to observe the ordinary laws
of hygiene;
others, nervous diseases, the effect of wrong ways of thinking, of
worriments of
various kinds. There are also diseases which are mechanical and
organic, where
certain organs have become affected to such an extent that they can
not respond
to normal action in accord with the other organs. The organs are
materially
formed of the matter of the three lower kingdoms—mineral, vegetable
and
animal—taken from the food eaten and transmuted into the organs.
Consequently,
where some kind of element is discovered to be lacking, something
of a material
nature may be added which, in most cases, in itself will restore
the organ to
its natural condition. Diseases caused by wrong habits are, of
course, cured by
correcting the habits. Where an irritation and nervous condition
has been caused
by too much thinking about some ailment that may exist in the body,
mental”
operators have their great field of ‘success"; for when the
mind is with drawn
from the ailment, the body has within itself the power to restore
itself to a
normal condition in many, many cases. Where the mind is self-centered
and
concentrated, it does not permit the body to resume normal
operation, but rather
increases the
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disease, since the power of the consciousness of the being is
placed upon that.
The body has its own immunizing power, if left alone. The body is a
mechanical
instrument which has been brought into being and is kept in action
by the
thinker who inhabits it. But those who put forward ideas in regard
to mental
healing have never concerned themselves for a single moment with
determining the
cause of humanity’s having such bodies, being born into such bodies
at this time
on the earth. They do not inquire where they themselves have come
from, whither
they are going, and what the purpose of life is. All these panaceas
for ills
fail absolutely to recognize the operation of law—the operation of
cause and
effect. They call for no understanding, nor do they present a basis
for right
thinking, right conduct, and right progress. Therefore, people who
take up these
lines get nowhere. If perchance, by taking their minds off the
disease, the body
gets better of itself, they have gained no knowledge by the
experience; they are
only made better able to continue along their ignorant lines; they
die when the
time comes no wiser than when they were born, believing this to be
the only
physical existence they will ever have.
To minds engaged with universal ideas, such as the Self of all
creatures, the
Divine Law of Justice, the evolution of all grades of beings, the
great cycles
of men and planets and universes—ideas of healing these temporary
bodies appear
very, very small. For what does healing mean? Getting rid of the
effects which
we ourselves have produced, consciously or unconsciously. What does
a diseased
body mean but that we have ignored our own natures and acted as
though we were
bodies, and broken every law of hygiene that we know of? If we
lived according
to the laws of hygiene as we know them, these diseases would not be
upon us. The
savage does not know anything about Christian Science; the Red
Indians of the
past knew nothing about mental healing of any kind, but they had
remarkably
healthy bodies. Was it their thought? No, for the Red Indians did
much murder.
It was not their thinking that made them healthy. It
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was their mode of life—because they lived naturally. It is our
modes of life
that make us unhealthy. It is our modes of thought that make us
take up these
modes of life. We have not discerned what we are, and consequently
we have acted
in ignorance.
All these healing systems are presented for one purpose—to enable
us to relieve
ourselves of the responsibility of our own acts. In Occultism that
is a crime.
We may use natural bodily methods, but we may not try to drag the
Spirit itself
down to relieve us of the diseases that we have brought upon
ourselves. That we
can think for a moment that Spirit, the root of all being, can be
dragged down
to relieve us of those troubles brought upon ourselves is a
blasphemy to anyone
who thinks deeply, and a denial of the Real Self. The body is a
machine, which
represents the effects of causes set in motion, whether ignorantly
or
consciously. We should recognize that being a machine—an instrument
formed from
the matter of the earth—it can be kept in balance by restoring
those elements it
lacks. We should not think too much of the body, nor think of it at
all, save as
an instrument—our present physical automobile, so to say—which we
ought to keep
in running order and use as we would any machine. We have to run it
according to
the laws of its operation to make the body a perfect instrument;
but we should
keep our consciousness on the plane to which it belongs— not
chained to the
body.
In these mental healing processes there is a great danger. The powers
of Spirit
are far greater than any known power we possess—greater than
dynamite, or the
applications of electricity. Moving along these lines blindly as
many do is
liable to bring disaster, has brought insanity time and time again.
We hear the
“demonstration” of cures, but we do not get the demonstration of
failures. They
are many. Mental healing may throw the disease back into the place
from which it
came, back into the mind, but just so surely will it come out in
some other form
and also with more force than before. The spiritual nature itself
will not
permit us to avoid the results of causation which we ourselves have
set in
motion. Those abstractions which take the
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mind off the body, such as “God is all Good,” “There is no
imperfection,” set
certain currents in motion in what is known as the Pranic or Astral
body. These
currents act and re-act and interact between the inner and outer
body, and in
the end are bound to produce injury, no matter what the present
benefit may
appear to be. At the best, we have only delayed the day of
settlement.
The only way in which the affairs of life may be brought into their
proper
relation and harmony is by an understanding of our own nature, and
fulfilling
it. That course would make a heaven of this civilization, compared
with what it
is now. It would obviate nine-tenths, yes, one hundred percent, of
those
diseases which now afflict us, whether individual or general,
sporadic or
epidemic. For all diseases are caused by men, individually and
collectively;
even the catastrophes in nature are the result of man’s
misunderstanding of his
own nature, and the thinking and acting based upon it. The
spiritual power that
lies in man’s thinking goes much farther than the formulation of
it. Whatever of
error he produces finds its return from all parts of nature—from
fire and air
and earth and water—for all the elements are but the embodiments of
so many
degrees of intelligence, and we affect them against the nature of
the whole,
which is a synchronous evolution. We hinder the lives and they
resent it. Even
the forces of our bodies are composed of lives or different kinds;
the very
organs in our bodies are composed of different kinds of elemental
lives, all
having their relations to different parts of nature.
All these healing schemes, ‘isms, and religions are attempts to
dodge our
responsibility. Our complaints about our environments are attempts
to dodge our
responsibility. Our belief in this God or the other God, or this
system of
belief, this salvation, are attempts to dodge our responsibility.
We have to
accept that responsibility, and stay with it, first, last and all
the time. For
we are all bound up in one great tie; we can not separate ourselves
from each
other, nor from any other being. The high beings above us who have
passed
through the stages which we
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are now passing through are just as closely related to us—and more
so—than we
are to each other; for They desire to help us in every way, if we
would only
allow Them. Savior after Savior has come to the earth for our
benefit, but no
one can give us any more benefit than to point to the truths that
have been
given all down the ages. We must take advantage of that knowledge
and advance
out of the state in which we have placed ourselves. No Savior can
save us. No
God can protect us. No devil can torment us. For both the God and
the devil are
within. The devil is the misunderstanding of our nature. The God is
that place
in ourselves that we come to know and realize and see reflected in
the eyes of
every living being. It is the God in us which demands
self-advancement,
self-induced and self-devised exertions, and the full acceptance of
responsibility.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE OCCULT SIDE OF NATURE
The word Nature used in its widest sense, as when we speak of Great
Nature, or
Mother Nature, means the whole of the outside—all that is external
to us—the
trees, the open places, and the world of men. We do not, in fact,
know what that
nature is, because it presents to us something external to our
perceptions. We
speak of “the laws of nature,” seeing that nature always acts in an
orderly way,
without in fact knowing at all what those laws spring from nor what
they rest
in. Yet nature cannot exist of itself, by itself, and come from
nothing. It must
come from a sufficient cause. There must of necessity be an occult
side to
nature. The “sufficient cause” in reality lies upon those planes
which are
invisible to us, but constitute a part of nature. The invisible
side is the
producing side—the causal side— of what we see; all the laws noted
on the
visible side are really existent in and proceed from the invisible
side of
nature.
First, then, let us try to understand what composes the basis of
nature—what
lies behind it all. Certainly not a Creator, by whose whim or
command all beings
and things in nature exist and move about in their established
places. THAT in
which lie all powers, all possibilities, all infinitude, is greater
than any
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Being, however high. IT is an impersonal Deity. Call the divine in
all of us
Spirit, if you will, the Self, or God—if you do not personify or
limit or define
it. This One Spirit is not divided, though it seems to be divided
in all
creatures, just as the Sun’s rays are merely the Sun extended—they
do not
dissipate when the Sun disappears from our view but indraw to the
Source from
which they came. That which lives and thinks and perceives in each
of us, and
that which suffers and enjoys in each of us, is Spirit. All anyone
can know of
the Highest—of God—is what he knows in himself, through himself,
and by himself.
No out side information can bring us that perception, but only the
indrawing
into the very essence of our being—the center, the same center as
the Great
Center whence it sprang.
The laws which rule in us are not imposed by any Being or beings
whatsoever. In
the center of every being, whatever its form, the power of action
is present.
Action always brings its re-action, and it is this Law—or
Karma—which operates
from within alike upon every individual, incessantly and
unerringly. So, too, we
have collective actions and reactions of all the beings of every
grade that make
up the world and its inhabitants. These collective actions make
what we regard
as the laws of the various elements and kingdoms, but they are
contained in and
subservient to that one universal Law of Karma, which is ethically
stated as
sowing and reaping.
Law rules all the time from the very first beginning in the finest
radiant
matter. That matter was builded by beings of all grades of every
kind—beings of
a world which preceded this where they had their course of
evolution and from
which they were indrawn again to the Center of the Self. Then came
the dawning
of another Great Day of manifestation, and all those beings were
there with all
the potencies, the ideas, and all their past experience—once more
to go forth
and carry on the work which they had started. It is the action and
reaction by
different classes of beings which causes a change and concretion in
primordial
substance, and this goes on from stage to stage down through seven
steps of the
stairway of matter. On each plane the beings
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clothed themselves in the substance of that plane, and we are the
beings who
have come down through all those stages. There is, then, hidden
within us a
nature, and natures, which we have not suspected. There is
something within us
which is not clear to us with our present modes of perception. Yet
these
invisible natures are ours; they are not apart from us; we have not
left them
anywhere on the stairway of the seven worlds. This outside nature
which we all
perceive through the body and with the physical senses is only the
external
envelope of states and stages of consciousness hidden to the
generality of man
kind.
There is an occult side not only to our own nature but to the
nature of all
beings, as should always have been apparent to us, if we had been
observant; had
we thought for ourselves; had we not taken for granted what others
have handed
down to us as religion or revelation. For there are stages in our
very daily
lives which are hidden from us. While we are awake, we operate
through the body;
then we sleep—we do not operate through the body—and that side of
our nature is
hidden to most people. They may know they dream, but they think the
dreaming has
no relation to the lines under which they operate when awake; they
do not
understand that dreaming is a transitional stage which precedes the
reaching
into our own spiritual nature and also precedes the return into
operation of the
body again. Usually, the dreaming state is a repetition of the
scenes or
experiences of daily life, but sometimes things come to us in dream
that are
far, far away and apart from any experience in this body.
Oftentimes, the dreams
which occur upon waking bring an influx from our inmost self; they
bring down
with us some of the experiences of a vast past. We have
premonitions. We have
presentiments. We have sometimes what are called minor initiations”
occurring in
dreams. Never for a moment do we cease to be conscious, whether in
the dreaming
state, or in the full consciousness of the finer sheaths of the
soul beyond
dreaming, or in the stage of “dreaming” after “death”; how, then,
could we ever
know death?
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In every direction in the air about us are lives which are
invisible to us.
There is no vacant space—not one vacant point of space. All is
life. All is
being of some kind or another. We take in with every breath small
lives
invisible to us. All these lives are classes of beings which have
their own
laws—laws which pertain to their own actions and reactions in kind.
But to
understand our own natures, we must understand the laws which
operate upon those
planes of being of which we are a part and on which none of us is
separate from
the others. This immense knowledge is back of us and within us and
to be
regained. There is always a high and a low expression. There is a
full and an
incomplete expression. The fullness of our expression is upon the
highest plane;
the incompleteness of our expression is on this lowest plane. We
have touched
the bottom of the stairway, plus all the experience gained; but if
we are to
reach that state from which we have descended, without any misstep,
we have to
understand the real occult laws which rule all the different stages
of our
being.
There are pretenders to a knowledge of these occult laws— for
unfortunately no
great amount of good can be given at any time without opening the
doors to an
equal amount of evil. Consider, for instance, the power of
dynamite: it is good
for man when properly used, but in the hands of an evil-minded one
it can work
great evil to humanity. Thus, a knowledge of occult laws makes it
possible for a
man to do good in any direction he chooses without raising a
finger—or, also, to
do evil. The means by which either the evil or the good is done is
always a
control of invisible beings—messengers for the man who knows how to
use them and
who understands them. All he has to do is to loose that power
within himself
which propels those beings to execute his mission, whatever it may
be. Those
powers, let it be known, lie sleeping in the sheaths of every man,
and in the
human body— for this body which we now possess is formed under the
same laws as
those of the solar system, and there is not an organ in it which
does not
correspond with some one or other of the celestial mansions, with
some sheath or
plane of consciousness, and with all the powers belonging to them.
We have to
ask ourselves if
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we are ready to accept the responsibility which a knowledge of
these laws
implies. Could we trust ourselves to have these laws imparted to
us—laws which
are set into operation merely by our thinking and feeling?
To use these powers rightly, a universal attitude must be held, and
all actions
based upon that universal nature. The philosophy of Theosophy
presents that
universal attitude and basis, showing that each one is the SELF;
each one looks
upon all others and gathers from all others what he may of understanding
and of
knowledge; each one must act for that SELF and as that SELF, which
includes all
other selves. So acting, all ideas of selfishness, of personality,
of desire for
reward, of fear of punishment, leave us; defects are corrected, and
the whole
force of what we may call nature in its fullest sense comes into
play; all the
great powers of nature flow into the one moving in that direction
and from that
basis. We shall come to understand all laws; for, as we progress,
those laws
exhibit themselves spontaneously within us. We find in our
possession the power
to accomplish by thought, the power to do this or that at a
distance, the power
to speak at a distance, to be heard at a distance, to be seen at a
distance, to
know anything at a distance. There is nothing hidden for the one
who works on
and with nature; with the interests of all, he has the force of
all.
The powers that were used by Jesus, as recorded in the New
Testament, and those
of some of the older Prophets as recorded in the Old Testament,
were not
“God-given” powers. They came from a knowledge of the occult laws,
the hidden
laws of so-called “nature.” The miracles of Jesus—transforming
water into wine,
raising the dead, operating where his body was not—were all part of
his occult
knowledge. Everyone who moves along that universal line learns the
operation of
these laws. H. P. B. and W. Q. J. did as wonderful things, and even
more
wonderful things than were ever recorded of Jesus. They knew the
occult laws of
nature. They knew the workings of occult law in themselves and
therefore in all
other natures. These powers are latent in every human being—not
peculiar to some
great ones. H. P. B.
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and W. Q. J. knew the story of “Give up thy life, if thou wouldst
live.” If we
would live the life of a spiritual being, then all these sheaths of
ours—this
body and all—would be at our service. Possessing everything, we
would want
nothing. We should be able to do anything, but we would use no
powers for
ourselves. Just as we have to live Theosophy if we are to know the
doctrine, so
we have to “live the life” if we are to know its laws.
The minor laws by which phenomena are produced on this plane are a
small part of
occult study in its universal aspect. For in it lie every science,
all the laws
and all the powers of all, all the planes of existence and all the
states of
consciousness that ever have been. We are never alone. Always in
some of our
sheaths, bodily or bodiless, we are connected with other beings,
other stages
and states of substance and other planes of consciousness. Never
can we be lost
in that sense. But we may suffer, and suffer immensely, through
making a mistake
in regard to our own natures and acting with the power of our
spiritual nature
along false lines, creating, as the ancients said, “the black doves
of death and
sorrow.” It is for us to arouse ourselves to take the path pointed
out, to test
it for ourselves. Then, only, will each one know the truth about
himself and
about all other beings; then, only, will he gain what we all
seek—the power to
be a beneficent force in nature.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
A LEAGUE OF HUMANITY
Now that the most frightful and destructive war known to the annals
of history
is over, the questions that arise in every thinker’s mind are: What
has been
learned from the war? Has there been any lesson learned? Do we
think for a
single moment that the end of the war has brought an end to our
troubles? Do we
not see the clouds gathering in the skies of humanity?
Revelations of every kind are spread before us as panaceas. On the
part of some
there is evidence of a desire to bring people to “a moral sense”—a
sense which
they think resides in the
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Christian religion. So, they are trying to effect an amalgamation of
the
churches, imagining that to be the remedy for preventing wars and
causing men to
act more humanely towards each other. But the moral sense existed
in times
before the Christian religion was ever thought of, in other
religions; in fact,
the basis of all religions is morality. How comes it, if
Christianity is to be
the remedy, that after its being the basis of thought and action
for nearly two
thousand years, such a struggle has gone on among Christian
nations? Does
Christianity give any promise whatever of what ought to be? Would
there be any
benefit whatever in returning to Christianity, the whole history of
which has
been one of intolerance and persecution? If the Christian church
had the power
today, would it be any less dogmatic or intolerant than it was in
the days of
the Spanish Inquisition?
There is no hope in the direction of the church, because, in the
first place,
the people will have none of it. It has not satisfied their minds;
it has not
answered their questions. Instead of the knowledge they asked for,
it has: given
them only hope or fear. The church has lost its hold upon the
people—for the
great majority are not adherents of any Christian church—be cause
of its poverty
of idea, because of its dogmas and creeds. People have tried out
the ideas and
found them wanting. Nothing else will do but that which appeals to
their sense
of judgment and to their spiritual perception.
Others have placed their faith in a league of nations. Yet, they
begin to see
that though the ideal is beautiful, it does not prove out in
practice. The
members of the league have each desired to take all they could, and
give as
little as they could. The same spirit exists between nations now,
after the
settlement of peace, as existed during the conflict; the same
nations are just
as grasping and just as selfish as they were before the war. In
this country,
too, our public men still voice the particular interests of this
particular
nation as against all others. A league of nations could only
fulfill its purpose
by a common aim and by a like ideal. Such do not obtain. The
nations are not
alike. None of them have high ideals—not even our own nation, which
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should have the greatest ideal of humanity and of nature. In stead,
our ideal is
one common idea—of trading, of gaining dollars or possessions, of
getting
advantage and prestige over other nations. Such an ideal will never
give us
peace, will never bring happiness, content, nor right progress, and
there will
always be struggle until we change that ideal. A league of nations
among similar
selfish nations can only bring what self-interest always brings—disasters
of
some kind. The seeds of war are in it.
Where shall we find the true foundation for a changed civilization
that all men
and women can see and stand on? It is not philosophies nor
religions nor
political panaceas that are needed; but Knowledge, and a wider
scope of vision
than the vicissitudes of one short physical life. The knowledge
that is greater
than all the forms of religion ever invented is the knowledge of
the very nature
of man himself, for himself and in him self. For we are not here as
things
apart; we are here because of one great sustaining Cause—infinite
and
omnipresent, not separate from us, nor from any other being. It is
the same in
all beings above the human and in all beings below the human—the
very root of
our natures, the very man himself. It is the Source of all powers
and of all
actions, whether good or evil. Then, everything that is done by
beings affects
all beings, and all that is has been caused by beings, each one
affected
according to its share in the cause. What the past has been, we are
experiencing
now—our lives now being but repetitions of lives that preceded
them. What the
future will be, we are making now—the lives to come depending
entirely on the
choice and direction of our thoughts and actions now.
The war of this or any time is the result of the warring spirit, of
the
selfishness of mankind. It is the result of the failure to
understand the great
purpose of life, the nature of our minds, the full power of
attainment within
each being, the one Law of absolute justice inherent in all beings,
the One
Deity behind and in all, the one Goal for every Pilgrim, however
the path
varies. As soon as men are brought to the perception that every one
reaps
exactly what he sows, no one will do harm to any other being;
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there will then be no war. There will be no such misery as now
exists; for to
realize our own responsibility to all others and to act in
accordance, is to
have become unselfish, and to have done away with the prime cause
of sin, sorrow
and suffering.
Back of the failure to understand our own true natures lie false
ideas, false
conceptions of life, false ideals—the heritage of our Christian
civilization. We
have believed that we were born in this condition or environment by
the “will”
of some God. We have imagined a personal God, a personal devil, and
a personal
Savior. We have imagined an impossible heaven and an equally
impossible hell. We
have imagined a “creation,” instead of evolution. We have believed
that we are
poor, weak, miserable sinners, and have acted out the part. We have
laid all our
troubles and evils and pain upon some other imaginary Being. Thus,
we have
remained irresponsible creatures, mere rationalized animals; not
immortal souls.
We have dodged our responsibility. But we must guide ourselves
according to the
realities of our own nature. We must take care of each other, not
of ourselves
according to the personal basis on which this and every other
nation in the
world is proceeding today.
We are going to have a league of humanity only when the ancient
truths of the
Wisdom Religion are once more perceived—when there is one purpose
and one
teaching. Its truths are self- evident, not to be accepted because
written in
some book, nor because they are the dicta of some particular
church. They are
the only truths worth considering because in the use of them they
prove
themselves true. And truth, as we ought to know, always explains.
When we have
the explanation, we have the truth. Each has to make his own
verification of the
truth, but the fact remains that there is truth, and it has always
existed. It
has come to us from Beings higher than we, because once They turned
Their faces
in the right direction and pursued the course pointed out to Them
as leading to
spiritual, divine perfection. They know all that has been known.
They know us,
although we may not know Them. They know our needs, although we may
be densely
ignorant of them. They come again and again to present
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the truths of life to man, hoping that some echo may be aroused in
his soul so
that he, too, shall arrive at a realization of Self, of
Spirit—which is
Knowledge.
Those who can see the course of humanity see nothing but much
trouble yet for
the world in general. Nothing but severe, dire disaster will make
men stop and
think. The war has not ceased! The war is going on between us all
the time.
Consider our selfish pursuits, our condemnations, our judgments,
our criticisms,
our foolish laws, which seek to make men “good” by legislation with
no attempt
to arouse the real nature of man, but only to repress what is
considered “bad.”
Prohibitions of all kinds serve only to exasperate the evil nature
in men. We
need not to prohibit. We need to educate, and first of all, we need
to educate
ourselves. Let us take the beam out of our own eyes before we try
to remove the
mote from the eyes of others. Let us retreat into the shrine of our
own being.
Let us be that Self, and act for and as that Self. Let us follow
the lines of
the law of our own being—compassion, love, helpfulness for all—and
then we shall
be able to understand ourselves and the natures of all others. Then
we shall be
able to help men in a way they are sometimes not aware of; we shall
be able to
help leaven the whole lump.
It is because there are those in the world desirous of helping
humanity to
proceed further, that we are not worse off. Often the ideas given
out by men in
high places are not the result of their own cogitations, although
thought to be
such. Many an idea is received by those who have the ear of the
public, who
speak and will be heard, from Those with a far deeper knowledge of
the issues at
stake, yet whose voices would not be heard at all. So, though there
may seem to
be little action on the part of Theosophical disciples, there is
much action on
inner planes of being, and that action never but for the benefit of
humanity. If
only once any considerable number of persons could take the true
position and
act from the true nature, right ideas would soon spread all over
the earth. Once
the ideas are implanted in our minds, we can help the world by
speaking of them,
and by
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exemplifying them. We can do that much, however selfishly the world
moves on.
A true league of humanity could be formed—without social
distinctions, class
distinctions, national distinctions. In their stead would come a
common
perception and a common realization of the universe and a common
course for
humanity. We must know that we are all of other peoples. We came
through all the
civilizations that have been. We have passed through the Eastern,
the near East,
and the European peoples and now we are here, at the farthest
confines of the
West, under the law of Karma. Civilization must roll back over the
course it
came, and as it goes back in spirit, speech, act, and example
towards the East
from which it came, the misconceptions that have arisen around
religious and
other ideas will be cleared away by the power of our knowledge and
example.
We are here as the best representatives of the people of the
world—the most
intelligent, the freest in mind and opinion, the freest in action.
All that
means something under Law, and it means that every being coming in
contact with
the Ancient Wisdom has an opportunity devolved upon him. We have
not met for the
first time, nor have we met for the last. Once more we are
together, and
listening to what we do absolutely know inside. There is that in us
which sees
and knows when the word is spoken which gives first indication of
the life
within a life, of a life greater than this we have conceived life
to be. Then we
begin to tread that small old path that stretches far away—the Path
that our
great Predecessors, the Masters, have trod before us.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
All have doubtless made New Year’s resolutions, and all, no doubt,
have failed
to keep them. There must be a reason for our failures, as well as
for the fact
that there comes a certain season in the year when we have the
inclination to
make resolutions. These reasons lie hidden in the depths of our own
being.
Unconsciously to ourselves,, it may be, we have a natural per-
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ception of occult law in our observance of this particular period
of the year.
The ancients celebrated and understood what was called by them “the
birth of the
Sun,” or the return of the Sun on its northern course, beginning
the 21st of
December. They knew that all the occult forces in nature have an
upward and
increasing tendency at the return of the Sun. When the Sun’s rays
become warmer
and stronger, all the other forces behind the Sun itself, and
behind ourselves,
become stronger within us. In the rising wave of spiritual and
psychic renewal,
all that we desire to do has a greater impulsion than at some other
time of the
year.
The reason for our failures is that we do not understand our own
natures.
Consequently, we are not able to use the force and influence that
lie within us,
so far as we are physically concerned, and we have difficulty in
endeavoring to
carry out resolutions of any kind. Our first mistake is to make
negative
resolutions. We say, I will not drink; I will not lie; I will not
do this; I
will not do that. Whereas the proper resolve to make is that—I will
do this, the
opposite of what we are now doing. In this case, we make a direct
affirmation of
will, while the other form of resolution puts us in a purely
negative position.
Perhaps we have thought with regard to others or ourselves, that
because we do
not do a number of questionable things, therefore we are “good.” On
the
contrary, we are merely not bad—again a negative position. True
goodness is a
positive position.
To effect our resolutions we have to call on the will of man, for
that will is
not restrained by any form of obstacle what ever. By will, however,
is not meant
what is ordinarily called will. We are prone to think that a person
who is very
determined on gaining his ends has “a strong will,” and is very
positive in his
character; but such a person exhibits only a kind of will. He has
very, very
strong desires, rather than Will itself, and will follow them out.
There are many exhibitions of the will itself, some phases being
quite
unrecognized. The very will to live is a recondite aspect of Will.
If the will
to live were not present, we would
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not live. It is not the body which holds us here but the desire to
live. Always
behind Will stands Desire. Again, everyone of man’s bodily organs
and processes
was at one time evolved by conscious effort. Even the process of
digestion, of
assimilation, the heart beat, the various qualities and functions
of all the
organs were consciously evolved. Now we have bodies which will
proceed
automatically, while we use our consciousness, perceptions and
attention in
other directions. Our will, then, operates in reality in every part
of our
physical life though we may not be able to perceive it and
understand it. There
is also a mental phase of the will which can be cultivated by
practice: the
fixed attention, or concentration in certain directions capable of
effecting
desired results.
But the real and true Will is known as the Spiritual Will, which
flies like
light and cuts all obstacles like a sharp sword. It is that Will
proceeding from
the highest spiritual part of our natures which causes man to be an
evolution
from within out wards, through all the forms of substance that have
been, and to
continue evolving instruments in this state of matter. All the
powers that exist
or can exist are latent, however ill expressed, in the spiritual
nature. We draw
from it in degree, but in small degree because most of us, having
our ideas so
fixed on physical existence, have come to the conclusion that life
means nothing
more than physical existence.
We were once conscious of our spiritual nature, but as we came down
through the
planes of matter to this plane, we made a growth in intellectuality
at the
expense of spiritual perception. With our intellect we always
reason from
premises to conclusions, whereas the spiritual nature has the power
of direct
cognition of the nature of anything regarded. So our intellectual
gain was at
the loss of spiritual insight, and it is useless for theology,
science, and
psychology to proceed from the personal and physical perceptions in
order to get
an understanding of what man really is: their psychological causes
are but
reflections of the physical ideas. If we are going to realize our
own natures,
we must begin at the highest point of our nature—by assuming that.
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It is, and by holding to the power of that assumption. We begin to
see light by
the very affirmation of the spiritual nature.
As we stand, we are always using our will along the line of our
desires and of
our likes and dislikes, imagining these to be a proper basis for
thought and
action. What is most necessary for us is a proper basis for
thinking. We need to
eject the false idea of our being weak, sinful creatures, with all
the faults of
our parents and their parents before them, because we were born
that way. We
need to eject the mental idol of an outside creator. We need to
understand the
purpose of life, to see that we are the product of many of our own
prior lives,
and to recognize an evolution under law—a law both true and
merciful—which
operates everywhere. It is because that law operates in a round of
impression
that we have the tendency each year to make New Year’s resolutions.
We could by
an understanding and using of this law of recurrence bring into
effect those
resolutions.
Often, however, resolutions are made because it is ‘proper” to make
them—with no
real expectation of keeping them. We remember them for a few
days—they choke us
off for a little while—and then gradually the old desires assert
themselves and
we find ourselves traveling along the old way. Resolutions will
never do us any
good if we do not sustain them. A desire is not a condition. The
mere desire
will never get us anywhere. We have to maintain the desire; we have
to stick. to
the resolution; we have to exert our will, and cleave to the object
of that will
throughout. We can’t get rid of the evil in us by thinking of it,
nor can we get
rid of any unpleasant thing by thinking about it; for it is truly
said that we
are attached to anything by thinking about it. The harder we don’t
think about
the evil things in us, the better; think about their opposites, and
the evil
will not have the chance to return. Attachment is by thought, first
of all.
Desire exists in thought, first of all. Then follows the action. We
have to have
a firm basis for our thinking if we are ever going to express
ourselves as we
should, as spiritual beings. Why do we all have our pet theories of
life, our
pet religions or philosophies? Because they conform to our own
desires; not
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because they conform to truth or that they provide an explanation
of all the
mysteries we see about us. This is why after so many thousands of
years of what
we call civilization, we have become none the wiser, still moving
in the same
old tread-mill of life and death and sorrow and suffering and pain.
Yet we are
not bound to it, save as we bind ourselves by our own thoughts and
action. We
are not under the necessity of following along on those planes of
error as we
are now doing.
There is a chance for us if we understand our own natures. Then,
let us resolve
one great thing: resolve to know; resolve to think right, and do
right; resolve
to acquire some of the knowledge that always has existed—the
knowledge of man as
a spiritual being through all his fluctuations in the realm of
matter. As we
rely more and more upon the Self within, we begin to express and
use the power
which we already have—and that is far more than we imagine. We have
to help
ourselves by taking the suggestions already given in the teachings
of
Theosophy—which are Masters’ suggestions. And then, as the
sustaining power of
the will is held along the line in which we desire to do, more direct
help comes
from those Elder Brothers, who at every hour of each day “are
willing and
anxious to meet those clear-eyed enough to see their true destiny
and
noble-hearted enough to work for ‘the great orphan, Humanity’.”
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
OCCULT KNOWLEDGE
Occult Knowledge means knowledge which is “hidden,” but it also
means knowledge
which is known. If it is knowledge that is known, there must be
Those who know
it; there could be no knowledge without the knowers of it. True
occult knowledge
can be obtained only by those who follow the path to it. That path
was set down
by Those Who Know; all who will may and can arrive at that
knowledge. This is
not a path open only to certain persons; it is open to every living
human being,
and limited only by the limitations we ourselves place around it
through choice
or through ignorance.
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Much is heard in the world today of what passes for “occult
knowledge.” Much
experiment goes on under that name in various directions: we have
societies for
psychical and psychological research, and there is much talk of
psychic and
astral “experiences” and “communications” with the dead. All these
various
methods of research are from below, upwards, and will never find
the goal.
Scientific methods, psychological methods, the methods of the
Spiritualists,
alike proceed from particulars to universals. Particulars are
infinite, and
those who follow that path will inevitably get lost in its infinite
ramifications, with no real knowledge gained. The goal is to be
found from
above, below—from universals to particulars, and not the reverse.
The Path of real occult knowledge begins where all begin. It is the
Path of all
beings, and we need to see the reason why it is an open path for
all. We find
ourselves in the midst of a vast evolution, with beings of many
grades still
below us—lower in point of consciousness and intelligence than
ourselves—as also
we ought to see there must be beings above us far greater than we
are. All these
beings have sprung from a common Source; all differ seemingly, yet
there exists,
supreme in all, the same power to perceive, to know, to learn.
We have to understand the reason for the differences in beings and
for our own
limitations. Let us, then, seek out the beginnings of things—for
everything that
exists had a beginning, and, of course, everything that had a
beginning will
have an ending. If our beginning was with this life only, the end
of this life
would be our complete extinction; then we would have no concern
with anything
else. But there is knowledge that extends prior to this birth and
beyond this
life, and in that hidden knowledge we may get the clue to an understanding
of
not only our own natures, but the nature of all beings everywhere.
Our first firm basis is in the perception that all knowledge must
lie in and be
sustained by the common Source of which we are a part and an
expression. That
common Basis could not be any supreme Being, for “Being” means
finiteness and
limitation, and outside of it must still be that which is not
contained.
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We have to go far back of all beings and creations and creatures to
that Cause
which lies behind all life, all consciousness, all spirit, all
being. That is
not different in any being. IT is the same in all, so must be the
essential
Divinity in all beings of every grade. There is one Absolute
Principle which is
the origin, the sustainer, the container, of all that ever was, is,
or shall be.
We call it a PRINCIPLE, because to name IT is to define IT, to
limit IT, to
belittle IT. To endeavor to give IT attributes of any kind is a
limitation, and
we must go back of all limitations if we are to understand the
Omnipresent and
Immortal in us and in all things.
Our search for knowledge is almost universally a looking for
something outside.
We are looking for information, for instruction, in the thoughts of
other men,
in the ideas of other peoples, which, in this school of Occult
Knowledge, is not
knowledge at all. The only knowledge we can have is that which we
gain for
ourselves, and within ourselves, as actual experience. External
facts and
information can never give us any understanding whatever of the
higher, more
divine parts of our nature.
There is no understanding, no explanation, of the mysteries of our
own
existence, on the basis of a single life. We have to go beyond
that, back of
that, to realize what evolution means. Evolution means an unfolding
from within
outwards. That is the way all beings grow—physically,
intellectually,
spiritually. The beings below us are unfolding; they are embryonic
souls not yet
arrived at the human stage of self-consciousness and
self-realization, but they
are on their way to where we already are. The same thing is true of
all the
beings above us. They have already passed through stages similar to
ours. The
inner part— the Enduring in every being—is illimitable, infinite,
in its power
of unfolding and expression, because it is the Immortal.
But, one may say, there was a beginning to this life. So, too,
there was a
beginning to this day, to this experience, to this collection of
experiences, to
this body. Yes; but in each and every case this beginning and those
beginnings
were the repetitions of other beginnings and endings—of what? Of
experiences, of
instruments, of perceptions; not of the Perceiver, the real being.
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This brings us to the perception of Law; the Law of Periodicity, of
Cycles,
which is illustrated in every department of nature. Our being here
under
evolution ought to show any intelligent person that no one has
reached his
present stage save through previous stages. That which pushes “us”
on, that
which is the basis of all the powers we show or express, is the
Spirit in us,
our real Self. The Spirit of man has all the powers that any Spirit
has. That
Spirit is universal, not limited to any one being or class of
beings. In man it
is individualized and is the true Ego in each of us. As such Ego we
have the
direction of that inflow of universal force which we call the
Spirit, and we
direct that power in various ways, some of which we call good, and
others we
recognize as evil; for it must be understood that neither good nor
evil exist of
themselves, but only as the results of action.
We have imagined that good and evil have come to us from others,
but as
directors of the forces of Spirit, as Egos, we can see there is
nothing brought
to us nor upon us except as we cause that operation ourselves. ‘We
have often
heard it said, “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap,”
and we have
perhaps believed it. But have we ever applied it in another way,
that whatever
we are reaping we must have sown?
The Law of Periodicity, of Cycles, being universal, must apply in
every
particular to every particular being. That is justice. If Law is
not universal
then this is not a universe of law, but of chance. If it is a
universe of law,
then our very conditions, our possessions, our intelligence, our
beliefs,
everything that comes to us, comes as the result of our thought and
action. As
we are reaping at any time, so we must have sown at some time. As
we are sowing
at any time, so we must reap at some time. Our birth, our
circumstances, are
reapings. Our attitude towards them, our use of them, are sowings.
We are born
into any body, any conditions, as the result of our past sowing—our
past lives.
This is justice, and it alone explains the differences between
people.
We are responsible beings, and the feeling of responsibility is the
first step
towards selflessness. The thought that Law is im-
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posed upon us by any being or beings, is destroyed by the recognition
that Law
is inherent in ourselves: as each one acts—that is, affects
others—so is the
re-action upon himself.
The differences between people, and the contradictions in
ourselves, are in the
fundamental ideas held; for as a man thinks, so he acts. If he
thinks this is
the first time he has been on earth, that it is the only time; if
he believes
that some being brought him here, governs him while here, is going
to take care
of him when he dies—if he has those ideas, he will act in
accordance with them,
and will receive the inevitable reaction.
But if we see that the Spirit is behind everything, that all Law is
the action
of Spirit, that we are Spirit, we shall have a true perception of
our own
natures. We will begin to think in ages, instead of the days of one
short life;
the basis of our actions will be those Eternal verities that have
been proven
again and again by Supermen—those Beings above us who once passed
through our
stage, and who are now the Knowers of the Eternal. They hold this
knowledge, and
that which has been given out by Them as Theosophy is a statement
of a portion
of Their knowledge. It is as much as we can assimilate, or
understand, or use.
So, being Spirit, and acting under the Law of our own Being, we
grow to realize
what the whole Universe means: that the Universe exists for no
other purpose
than the evolution of Soul—the embryonic souls below us, the
partially developed
souls here among us, and the perfectly developed souls above us—all
climbing the
great stair of development, of Self-evolution. No one can force us
up the stair.
We may go on and on, remaining on the same level for myriads of
lives; we may go
lower; but if we are ever to make the ascent from Man to Superman,
from Soul to
Great Soul, we ourselves must fulfill the conditions that will
enable us to do
so.
Along these lines lies Occult Knowledge. There is such a knowledge,
and it is
far beyond what we call reason; for reason is merely working from
premises to
conclusions, whereas real knowledge is direct cognition. We do not
reason about
the things
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we know. We do not have to reason about all the knowledge we have
attained in
the past; when we are on the plane of Knowledge, we know without
any reasoning
whatever. This goes far deeper than most people imagine. It is
possible for the
human being to reach that stage where by looking at anything he can
tell the
whole nature of it—from its origin, all the processes through which
it has
passed, all the incidental relations it may have had. This is
direct
cognition—Occult Knowledge. It is to be gained by the recognition
and conscious
use of the powers of the Inner Self. It cannot be gained by
reasoning, nor by
the inferences reached from looking at things from outside and
judging from what
we are able to perceive; it is gained by what we call the
Intuition—the acquired
knowledge of all the past. Occult Knowledge enables one absolutely
to determine
what is the nature and essence of anything regarded.
True and full Intuition can come to us as a steady light only
through our doing
away with the false ideas that we now hold and employ. What is
required is a
correction of our basis of thinking. Theosophy gives us the true
basis for right
thinking, and so for right action. The consistent and persistent
effort to think
and act from the right basis draws out a certain power in
ourselves, and that
power manifests, first of all, as the power of concentration—the
ability to hold
our mind upon a single subject or object to the exclusion absolute
of every
other thing.
How many of us have that power? I venture to say, not one. We have
no stability
of mind, and we must get that. But the power of concentration
cannot be used if
we imagine ourselves to be changeable, perishable beings. We think
that in order
to “develop,” we must change. It is not true. We need to change our
fundamental
ideas, our minds, our modes of thought, our instruments. That is
where the
development comes. If we are ever going to learn to concentrate, we
must
concentrate from the basis of the steady point in us, the
Perceiver, the Spirit,
our real unchanging Immortal Self. We cannot come to or connect
with that Power
in ourselves unless we realize that all life is One, that all
beings like
ourselves are moving on the same path. In that
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way we realize Universal Brotherhood in a spiritual sense: Altruism
should
actuate us in every thought, word and deed.
If we consider these things we shall see how far away we may be
from making a
beginning in the direction of Occult Knowledge. A beginning has to
be made, and
the sooner we start the better. It calls for the arousal of the
Spiritual Will.
Will is not a thing in itself, a power in itself. The will is
consciousness in
action, as distinguished from consciousness inactive. As soon as we
think or
desire in any direction the ‘will” works. That will is weak or
strong according
to our idea of ourselves, our thoughts, our desires, our
aspirations, our
considerations of our weaknesses, our limitations. If we realize
that we are
Spiritual beings and think and act in the right direction, at once
the Spiritual
Will begins to work, the power of Concentration is strengthened,
the feeling of
responsibility grows, the whole nature begins to change, to be
transformed—the
Great Transition is going on.
These are the Eternal Verities that we ought to grasp. We ought to
grasp them
first and apply them in ourselves and to ourselves, and then we
will find that
these ideas are true, because their truth is realized—has become as
evident to
us as the sun in heaven.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE POWER OF SUGGESTION
The power of suggestion means many different things to many minds.
It is coupled
with the idea of hypnosis, where the operator is able to make the
subject think,
say, do, or imagine anything he chooses. That is possible through
the abnormal
condition of the subject. The means and methods of inducing this
abnormal
condition are not generally known, although some practitioners have
hit upon
various ways of bringing on hypnosis in some subjects.
But what is to be discussed is the fact of suggestion itself,
generally
considered, and as it affects all men. People are not aware that
they act almost
entirely under suggestion. From our birth we are surrounded by
those who suggest
certain ideas to
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us as true, and we follow these suggested ideas. There is very
little original
thought anywhere, and particularly is this true in those lines to
which the
public pays the most attention—that is, politics, religion,
science. Whatever
system of thought is presented to us, that we adopt. We follow the
suggestion
given, with no attempt to reach to the basis of that which is
suggested. The
foundation upon which the suggestion rests is taken for granted,
even in the
most important things in life.
Our religion, for example, is stated to be a ‘revelation.” We
accepted it in
childhood, accepted it as a fact, without looking into it to see
what it is and
on what it is founded. Our powers of thought and action being based
upon a false
suggestion does not inhibit their exercise, but as a result all our
possibilities of thought and action, all our mental creations, the
whole super
structure of our existence, are false, because, thinking from false
premises,
our thinking will inevitably lead to false conclusions.
This is just as truly the fact as in the case of the hypnotized
subject. He is
thrown into an abnormal condition; he has nothing before his mind;
the operator
presents a given idea and with it the suggestion of a certain mode
of action.
Immediately the subject adopts the suggestion, goes to work on it,
and will
continue working along the suggested line cumulatively until the
suggestion is
changed.
Those who are born into any particular sect ought to know this.
With our first
sense of understanding, ideas are presented to us, instilled into
our minds as
absolute facts. We proceed from that basis, and however long it is
followed, no
true understanding or conclusion can be reached. What do we know of
the truth or
falsity of these ideas when presented to us in childhood? Nothing
whatever. What
do our parents and teachers know of them? Nothing whatever. They
have merely
passed on to us the suggestions which they received in childhood
and which have
operated in them cumulatively ever since.
We must learn not to accept statements, no matter by whom made,
simply because
they are made to us. We must get at the basis of whatever is presented,
know
what its principles are—
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whether those principles are self-evident. If they are not self-
evident, how
can they be basic?
The idea is common to everybody in the Western world that there is
a Creator of
this universe. What do we know about it? If it is true that a being
created the
universe and all the beings in it, then we are not responsible. In
continuance
of that idea other ideas follow it: that man is here but once, that
this is his
only birth, and that from here he knows not where he goes. We have
followed the
suggestion that a man lives but one life, that he is fundamentally
irresponsible
for his being here, and we have built up our thoughts and actions
on that basis.
Does it make us wiser, happier, while we live? Does it produce
peace and
happiness for others? Does it bring us to the end of life any
wiser, any better
off? For we know that when we come to the end of life we leave
every earthly
thing we have gained while here.
But this earth is only one of many earths. What of the other
planets, the other
solar systems with which space is filled? Have we any vital
knowledge in regard
to them or the reason for their existence under the suggestions
that have been
handed to us?
When our religious impressions are changed, when other suggestions
are given us,
are they not handed to us in the same way? Whatever they are—
Science,” “New
Thought,” “Christian Science,” and so on—we adopt them, move along
the lines
suggested by those who give them to us, and what do we really
learn? Nothing. We
come to the end of life just as encased in ignorance, despite all
the
“revelations” ever given us. What do we know of their bases? Are
they true or
only partially so? We are never asked to look into their
fundamentals, to see
for ourselves if they are true, self-evident. No; we are asked to
accept what is
given us and go to work on that. That is suggestion.
Our municipal life, our national life, our political life, are all
under
suggestion, and few are they who try to go to the root of things
and understand
what the nature of being is, so that they can know for themselves
and thus act
with power and knowledge. As we look the field over, we find that
we are all
prey to the power of suggestion in every direction.
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What is the criterion which we should apply to every suggestion
presented to us?
Just this: If we have the truth, it will explain what was before a
mystery. And
as we are surrounded by mysteries, the Truth must explain them all.
This power of suggestion must still be used, whatever line may be
pointed out to
us. If Truth exists and is possible to us—the Truth in religion,
science and
philosophy—it must first come to us by suggestion from Those who
know. If it
were not possible for this to be done, were not possible for us to
avail
ourselves of it, then there would be no use talking of these
things. But when
the true is suggested to us, there is always a means presented by
which we may
see and verify it. That means is not in anyone’s authority or
endorsement, but
in the fact that we can perceive it and test it for ourselves. The
final
authority is the man himself.
An outside God is an idol. We have to reach into the very recesses
of our own
being and understand that it is ourself that chooses and determines
for itself
what it shall accept and what reject. The very power of
Divinity—the power of
choice—is in each one of us. When we begin to understand that, we
get the first
clue to our own immortality. So we may see that That which lives
and thinks in
man is the Eternal Pilgrim. If you prefer to use the term God, you
may say, “So
many men on earth, so many Gods in heaven.”
There are many beings below man; perhaps some will admit that there
may be, that
there are, beings greater than man. None of these beings can be
omnipresent,
none of them can be the Supreme. What is that which is omnipresent
and supreme
in each and every being—in man, in the beings below man, in the
beings above
man? is it not this Power to perceive, to think, to choose, to act
upon the
thinking and the choosing—upon the Intelligence which the being
has? That Power
transcends all beings, all conceptions. It is that Power which lies
at the root
of all evolution, and is the very Essence of every being. No one is
separate
from That. No one is without That. All are rays from
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and one with That. There is no possibility of any existence apart
from That.
Man stands in the midst of a vast and silent evolution—the
evolution of
Intelligence, of Soul. All the beings below man must be coming up
the ladder of
being to our stage, and whatever beings may exist beyond man, they
must have
passed through our stage and gone still farther up the ladder. They
are our
Elder Brothers and have passed through civilizations before
ours—many, many ages
before ours—and have reached a point of development far higher than
ours. It is
They who have carried forward all the knowledge gained in that vast
evolution
which has preceded ours.
These Elder Brothers of the human family are not spirits in the
ordinary sense
of the word, nor are they hazy beings, ‘ or ‘ They are men,
Mahatmas (Great
Souls), who are perfected beings physically, mentally, morally,
psychically,
spiritually—who stand now where we shall one day stand, when we
have perfected
ourselves in the same way that They have done, through self-induced
and
self-devised exertions.
These Masters stand to us in Their knowledge and power, in Their
ability and
efforts to help and guide us, as the greatest and most powerful
suggestion that
could be made to any human being. They are willing and ready to
help whenever
and where ever we are willing and ready to receive. They never ask
for anything;
They are always ready to give to those who may be willing to follow
the lines
indicated, so that we in our turn may become as They are—may know
for ourselves.
If we take Their philosophy as given to us in Theosophy, if we take
it as a
theory to be examined on its merits, we shall find that it
explains. It explains
why there are so many different kinds of people; it explains
different natures;
it explains why some suffer more and others suffer less. It
explains why each
one is born in a particular place, in that family, in that nation,
at that time.
It explains every inequality in life, every injustice, every
mystery. It will
enable a man to realize his own immortality, to live a conscious
existence in
Spirit, even while incarnated
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in a body here on this earth. At present we live in matter; we
think that we
exist in matter and are dependent on matter for our existence. We
think in
matter. Our religion is materialistic; our science is
materialistic; our
philosophy is materialistic. All this is due to the misuse of the
power of
suggestion and to our acceptance of ideas without investigation,
without
comparison, upon authority. We believe; we do not know.
There is no Divinity, save it has evolved as such from the One
Spirit. Every
Divine being is an evolution. Where ever divinity is spoken of it
means an
evolution of a being. All intelligence is based in the Power to
perceive, and
that exists in every grade of being. Intelligence is the extension
of the power
to know. This idea sets aside a great many suggestions that we have
perhaps
depended upon. It would be well for us if we did not depend upon
anything save
our own inherent power to learn, to extricate ourselves from our
difficulties.
All our powers are born with us; all our past experiences are with
us, but they
are crowded out by the suggestions given to us when we were
children, and by the
false ideas which we still entertain. Nothing but the Truth can
ever set us
free, and that Truth each one can find and follow, and thus come to
know for
himself.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
TRUE CLAIRVOYANCE
Since the Theosophical Movement took outward expression in 1875,
the term
clairvoyance (clear seeing) has become familiar to many people. In
the latter
part of last century and in the early part of this century, many
kinds of
clairvoyance have been observed and experienced. Clairvoyance
itself had its own
peculiar development and facility, the different kinds of
clairvoyance relating
to varying degrees of perception of matter where there was no
physical thing to
be seen, and to events transpiring at a great distance from where
the seer was
located. Unfortunately, all of these kinds of clairvoyance were
limited in their
scope; they were but partial clairvoyance.
Societies of psychology and of psychical research have under taken
the task of
finding out what the power of clairvoyance
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may or may not be, from the basis of brain, or mere physical
existence. They
seek the necessary causes in effects which themselves have been set
in motion by
causes which are hidden. Consequently, their researches are
limited. Yet,
clairvoyance itself, however followed, points to the fact that
there is latent
in man the power to see, hear, feel, contact, at any distance
whatever; and the
power is not limited to any special person, or persons, but is common
to all
humanity.
There is a true clairvoyance. There is a true school of occultism.
There are
many false clairvoyants. There are many false schools of occultism.
All the
false schools go in some particular direction that is attractive to
the ordinary
human mind—the mind that desires to obtain something for itself, as
it believes
itself to be. So with the different kinds of clairvoyance—if the
desire on the
part of one endeavoring to find the power in himself is to obtain
something for
himself, the clairvoyance obtained will never lead him in any true
direction.
Nothing can give a true understanding of clairvoyance, nor bring to
our minds
what true clairvoyance may be, but a study of the nature of man, of
the nature
of the world in which he lives, and the nature of the solar system
in which that
world exists.
The clue to true clairvoyance lies in the septenary nature of man.
There are
seven distinct planes of consciousness; there are seven distinct
states of
matter, of which the physical is one. These seven distinct planes
of action are
the different departments of man’s nature, but it is the same One
who acts in
all the different departments. Clairvoyance, then, in any true
sense, we should
understand to be clear seeing in each and every one of these seven
departments
of the nature of man. All other partial clairvoyance can bring us
no great
results, and, certainly, no great knowledge.
Many are those who have ‘sat for development,” have endeavored to
obtain the
state that is termed “the astral plane,” in order to be able to see
and hear at
a distance. But the greatest danger imaginable lies in that
direction. The mere
seeing or hearing things does not give any understanding of their
nature,
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and many things to which we may be attracted on the astral plane
are dangerous
and poisonous in their nature. The efforts made to reach that plane
are always
by means of passivity, and, when we allow ourselves to become
passive, any
influence what ever outside of the normal physical perceptions may
reach us. We
are just as much the prey of evil effects as we are open to good
effects, but we
are not choosers in either direction. What ever may be in our
nature attracts
the good, or evil, or mixed, accordingly; but the mere seeing or
hearing would
of itself give us no knowledge, nor carry us one step on the way of
progress.
For illustration, say we were transported to the planet Mars, saw
the operation
of the beings there and heard the sounds made in their speech. If
they were a
different kind of beings from ourselves we would have no
understanding at all of
what they were doing. True knowledge and true understanding are
gained by a
comprehension of laws and principles, and in no other way. Just as
there is a
law which from the very beginning of our being prompted us to
advance step by
step in development, so there is a law which admits us step by step
up the
stairs of knowledge. Not one of those steps may be omitted. To
attempt to get to
the top by springing from the bottom is not possible, for each step
depends upon
every other—the highest resting upon all the rest, the lowest
preceding the
highest.
The septenary nature of man is best explained by reference to the
three great
principles which underlie all life, as well as every religion and
every
philosophy that ever has been, or ever can be. They may be
indicated by the
brief terms God, Law, and Being. As to God, the ancients have
recorded that
there is One Absolute Principle—Unspeakable, Untranslatable,
Undefinable,
Infinite, Omnipresent—the Cause, the Sustainer of all that was, is,
or ever
shall be. Deity, the Omnipresent, can be absent from no point of
space, and we
are inseparable from It. Each one is of That—a ray from and one
with that
Absolute Principle. The power in us to perceive, to know, to
experience—apart
from any thing that is seen, known, or experienced—is the One Self,
the One
Life, and the One Consciousness, shared by all alike—the
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Source of every being, the Life of every being, the Power of every
being. Behind
all perceiving and knowing and experiencing is the One undivided
Self. Herein
lies the true basis of Brotherhood—the unifying bond for all above
man and for
all below man—and the real growth into divine life is the increasing
realization
of the fullness of that Life in each. Acting for and as that Self
in every
direction, realizing that the Self acts in all and through all, and
endeavoring
to realize more and more that each one is that Self, the fullness
of one’s own
nature and of other natures comes to be seen, appreciated,
understood, and
helped.
The second great principle—Law—shows that the universe is a
boundless plane, in
which occur periodical manifestations. This earth had a beginning;
this solar
system had a beginning. So, too, they will have an ending, since
everything that
begins in time ends in time. All earths, solar systems, and beings
of every
grade, have reached their present stage through evolution—that
evolution under
exact law, inherent in the nature of the beings concerned. All
evolution
proceeds from beings. It is the force of the beings in action which
causes
individual and collective results. The law of laws is Karma—the law
of action
and re-action, of cause and effect, which are the aspects of
action, and which
can not be separated. All progress goes on under this law in the
natural
sequence of periods of activity and periods of rest. As after night
comes
morning again; as after spring, summer, autumn, winter comes spring
again; so
after birth, youth, manhood, death comes birth again. The process
of
reincarnation, or coming into a body again, is just as natural as
coming into
another day which is not yet. This life is; last life was; next
life will be.
So, as planets or solar systems have their ending, will they and
the beings who
composed them, have their re-incarnation—a new beginning.
The third fundamental principle points to the fact that all beings
in the
universe have evolved from lower points of perception into greater
and greater
individualization; that the beings above man have gone through our
stage; that
there never can never be a stoppage of evolution in an infinite
universe of
infinite possibilities; that whatever stage of perfection may be reached
in
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any race, on any planet, or in any solar system there are always
greater
opportunities beyond.
When this solar system began, then, it was merely a continuation of
that which
had been. In another aggregation, on another planet, beings of
every grade,
corresponding to our mineral, animal, man, and superman, were
working together.
That great day of operation ceased; that world stopped so far as
any further
action was concerned, just as we stop when we cease waking
consciousness and go
into sleep. Then the dawn of the next day comes. There is an
arousal and
operation again. All the beings that had hitherto expressed
themselves, that had
been indrawn into the primordial state of matter, go forth again on
a new basis
to further development.
We were self-conscious beings when this world began, clothed in
that primordial
state of matter from which all subsequent states have proceeded,
and in which
the possibilities of change are infinite. Just as our planet,
beginning in a
nebulous state, tends to a concretion, gradually cooling,
hardening, and
condensing, so every living human being has made himself
concretions of
substance, until he has reached this most dense plane, and final
concretion in
the present physical body. Those stairs down which he has descended
are seven in
number. That this solar system, this earth and man are septenary in
nature is
the teaching. Observe the seven notes of the scale, and the seven
colors of the
spectrum. These colors do not ‘happen,” by chance; they are
evolutions,
differentiations of the one substance. Both sound and color are
different rates
of vibration caught by the instruments of the ear, the eye, or
both. Some think
that while we have now only five senses, we are gradually acquiring
another
sense. What we really have are five organs that give five distinct
characteristics of matter. What we shall next arrive at is an
understanding of
the sixth characteristic of matter, and beyond that is the seventh
synthetic
sense, which covers all and belongs to the higher planes of being.
If we are that being who is the perceiver, the knower, the spirit,
Life,
Consciousness itself—what would be true clairvoy-
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ance? Could that by any possibility be called true clairvoyance
which would be
embraced in the mere looking through fleshly eyes upon a state of
matter only a
little removed from this of the earth? There are true clairvoyants
who not only
know what is apparent to everybody, but who see everything that is
in a human
being, or in any being. In their sight, one can not make a motion
of any
kind—such a simple motion as moving from one chair to
another—without setting
every one of his seven senses into action and exhibiting along the
line of those
seven senses every single qualification and motive he may ever have
held. It is
within the power of some to know the very hearts of men, to know
the very
motives that actuate them. In true clairvoyance, the real being is
absolutely
and unconditionally awake. He is using every one of the instruments
with
precision and in exact line with one another. He has clear seeing.
He reaches
down into the motives of man, because he sees everything. How can
he see? Every
center in man—that is, every organ—has been evolved under the
operation of the
laws that govern the solar system. These laws may be known. Every
center has its
own distinctive color and its own distinctive sound; it also
presents a
distinctive symbol and form. If, then, one knew the laws of sounds,
colors,
symbols and form, he could tell, just as exactly as we tell the
simplest thing,
what caused the nature of any motion and the motive that underlay
it. From him,
deception could not be hid; evil could not be hid; motives could
not be hid.
Such an acquisition, without any possibility of failure, would be
divine—the
true clairvoyance.
True clairvoyance is not gained by “sitting for development.” One
might sit for
development ten million years, and in the end be only capable of
sitting. The
true power is gained by trying to realize our own divine nature,
and to act as
divinity acts; by trying to get all the possessions possible, that
we may place
them at the service of our fellow-men. The power is gained by self
sacrificing
service, and in no other way. The divine in us has its fullest
expression in
self-sacrifice. As man moves along, realizing more and more his own
nature,
working more and more for the
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natures of every other, he finds spiritual knowledge springing up
spontaneously
within him. He seeks nothing for himself. He seeks all power and
all knowledge
only that he may help others less endowed. Jesus said: “Let him who
would be the
greatest among you serve the least.” And so it has always been in
this great
work, that those who were the greatest among us served the least,
were the
humble ones, who sought no preference, no recognition.
Altruism, self-sacrifice, devotion to the highest interests of humanity—these
constitute the one password to true clairvoyance. If it could be
had in any
other way, would not a great many things that have happened, a
great many
disasters that have befallen different peoples, been avoided? If
such knowledge
could be bought, would not institutions be despoiled, people
robbed, the
stock-market exploited, and all sorts of self-advantages gained?
But true
knowledge is never used for self-advantage; not even for defence.
When Jesus was
on the cross, they said: “Let Him save Himself; let Him come down
from the
cross. He saved others; Himself He cannot save.” ‘Was He powerless
to come down?
Not at all. They had wreaked their natures upon Him, and He
suffered it. He
could have destroyed them all, if He chose, but He said: “Father,
forgive them,
for they know not what they do.” Nor would those who were able to
read the inner
most thoughts of a person be “peering about,” be endeavoring to
discover what
others desired to hide. Never would they look where the demand had
not been made
upon them. They would take each person at his own valuation. If
such an one
deceived—whatever the deception—they would meet him on his own
ground, striving
all the time to give him a higher point of view.
There are beings who come into the world from time to time, with no
marks of
distinction that we, as human beings, can recognize, yet the
possessors of a
knowledge which we ardently desire to possess. They are never
recognized, save
by the very few while they are among us; but when they go, that
which they have
given tells us what they were. By the very character of the
teachings of Jesus
we recognize the nature of the being who brought them. So the
teachings of
Theosophy—a knowledge which is absolutely
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scientific, covering every department of nature, explaining all
that now are
mysteries—declare the nature of those beings who brought Theosophy,
our Elder
Brothers. And They, who have raised themselves out of our ranks, do
not leave us
in trouble, in darkness, in ignorance. Their desire is that we
shall see, under
stand, know ourselves; that, quickly setting right the ideas which
we hold of
life, and letting right actions flow from right ideas, we may act
as divine
beings. However blind, however ignorant, we are not left alone, but
are helped
just so far as we desire and merit help, and just so far as we,
with what we
learn, help others who know still less than we. Unselfishness, and
that alone,
brings us all the gifts there are. As Jesus said: ‘Seek ye first
the kingdom of
heaven, and all the rest will be added unto you.”
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
TRUE MORALITY
True morality is not a thing of words or phrases or modes of action
of any kind,
nor is its basis to be found in the many kinds of ideas of morality
in the
world, which vary as to time and place. What is “moral” at one time
is “immoral”
at another. There is no basis whatever in this changing attitude
towards
actions, changing classifications of good and evil, in a changing
“division of
the universe.” Intolerance is their sure resultant; for those who
pride
themselves upon their own special brands of “morality” are always
intolerant of
others who do not accept that brand. True morality rests in an
understanding and
in a realization of man’s own spiritual nature, and must of
necessity flow from
it, irrespective of all kinds of conventions. We need to know our
own inner
natures in order to know what is, in truth, morality.
The conventions of external life are established merely by a
consensus of
opinion of the beings living at any one time and in any one place.
They are not
necessarily based on truth, and certainly not on a perception of
the whole of
truth. As we may see, the best interests of all are not served by
the ideas that
are generally held. The world is in a tremendously evil and selfish
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state. With all our prevailing ideas of progress, of morality and
of religion,
it is not anywhere nearly so happy a place as it was perhaps a
century or two
ago; it is not nearly so good a place for human beings to live in
as it was in
the more innocent and less complex civilizations of the older
nations. There is
evidently some thing wrong with the ideas that we hold, if we find
it impossible
to deny the fact that instead of the world getting better and in stead
of life
becoming more simple, the world is growing worse and life is
becoming more and
more complex. We should not find ourselves in the present condition
if our
ideas, religious and moral, flowed from the underlying basic ideas
of all
religions, philosophies, and systems of thought.
The basis of understanding of life accepted by the majority of
Western peoples
has been a revealed religion, and a personal God who revealed that
religion.
From this basis have sprung all our wrong conceptions. Hence the
great stress
laid on physical existence. in fact, one might say that the
generality of human
thinking is centered entirely on physical existence. The question
has not even
been asked, “How is it that I am born at this time, under such
conditions, in
this people, and not at some previous or future time, when the
world might be
better?” The question has not been asked, “Why are we here at all?”
Nor have we
asked, “What is the pre-existing cause that brought us into this
relation? Was
it at the whim or caprice of a special Being, or was it under the
operation of
an indwelling, inherent law within ourselves?” If we are here with
our present
qualities, surrounded with difficulties, not because of anything we
ourselves
have done, but because of the whim or caprice of some Being, then
we must regard
ourselves as absolutely irresponsible for anything what ever. If we
were so
created, there is nothing that can undo that creation and we must
suffer the
consequences, the causes for which we did not set in motion!
The true ideas of the ancient philosophy relieve us of two
misconceptions: one,
the idea that there is a revengeful God who punishes us for those
things that we
are unable to prevent ourselves from doing; and second, the idea of
a Devil to
whom
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we are consigned if we do not follow the lines that some people
have laid down
for us. A knowledge of Theosophy enables us to understand that
there never was
any “creation,” in the sense of making something out of nothing;
but that
everything—every being of every kind—has evolved, and is still
evolving. The
beings below us are evolving to our estate, where the beings, now
evolved so far
beyond us, some time in the distant past went through a similar
stage. All
beings are what they are through evolution from within outwards,
that evolution
proceeding under Law.
Law is operative everywhere and upon every being, because the Law
is not
something separate from him; it is not separate from the inner
spiritual man.
Law is the law of man’s own action. So, as we act along those lines
that affect
others for good or for evil, we necessarily receive the return from
those good
or evil effects which we cause others to experience. Each
individual is the
operator of the Law; according to his actions he gets the
re-actions; according
to his sowing, does he reap. In place, then, of the idea of a
revengeful God, we
have the ideas of absolute Justice and individual responsibility.
If, from the point of view of Law, we ask ourselves what
pre-existing causes
brought us into these relations, we can see that what now is must
have been
brought about by ourselves, and what now is is similar to what was.
At once the
idea is presented to our minds that this is not the first time, by
many times,
we have been in a body; that re-incarnation is the process by which
human beings
reach greater and greater heights; that there is no other way or
means to learn
all the lessons to be gained in physical life among our fellow-men,
except
through repeated incarnations.
We come, then, to another phase of our being—for we see there is in
us something
that is continuous in its operation, something which was never born
and never
dies. If it continues from one life to another, through many lives,
and for many
lives, there must be a permanency in us which no change of
condition or body or
circumstance can alter for a single instant. As we thus think in
terms of ages
rather than in the days of one short life,
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we begin to get a glimpse of that Reality which lies within us; we
open the door
so that those internal, real, more permanent perceptions can find
operation in
our daily waking thoughts—for every single human being has sprung
from the One
Great Source, is animated by That, is, in fact, That at the very
root of his
being; in That is his power of perception and of action, which is
spiritual and
permanent. The power of perception and of action exists in
everyone; the
direction of that perception and action rests in each one. Each has
the power to
take the course which to him seems best; but, in taking the course,
he sows, and
must also reap as was the nature of his sowing. Every being in this
universe of
Law is experiencing as he is because of his own thoughts, words,
and deeds;
every circumstance, every misshapen day, every evil that comes to
us as well as
every good, is due to thought, word of deed of ours in the past. In
each
incarnation we find friends as well as enemies. So our minds may be
set at rest
with regard to either God or Devil. Each one of us represents both
the
Spirit—the highest divine nature—and also, the very lowest—the
infernal nature.
Man is spiritual, in fact, but, thinking himself material and separate,
and
acting in accordance with his thinking, he brings about the battle
between the
two natures in him.
The great mistake of religionists in our age has been the
classification of good
and evil. There is nothing good in itself. There is nothing evil in
itself. It
is the use to which anything is put that makes it good or makes it
evil. How can
we draw a fine line between good and bad in every case? Good and
evil are judged
by the effects that flow from the action done, but what might seem
bad in one
case might be in fact the highest good, and what might seem good in
another case
might, in fact, lead to the greatest evil. Just a hair’s line
divides the Divine
from the Satanic. And that hair’s line consists, not in this nor in
that mode of
conduct, but in the clearly presented motive or intention of the
one who acts. A
good motive can never produce altogether evil results, and yet a
good motive is
not enough. We may have the best motive in the world, but if we
have not also
knowledge and wisdom, we may unintentionally do a wrong thing when
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we intended to do good; and sometimes we may do a good thing when
we intended to
do evil. Thus true morality may be seen to lie not in the act
itself, but in the
motive; it depends on the knowledge and intelligence of the being
acting.
The lines of true morality may go anywhere, but by this is not
meant that we do
evil that good may come! How could we do evil if our perception is
good, if our
knowledge is clear, if our motive is unquestioned and without
self-interest? No
imaginable evil could flow under such conditions, which are of the
nature of the
Spirit. The widest range of intelligence and wisdom are required to
make it
possible for no evil effects to flow even if good is intended.
Wisdom is always
required, because the very nature and essence of our being is
wisdom itself, the
object of wisdom, and that which is to be obtained by wisdom. There
is nothing
higher than that essence of our being, and we may consciously gain
it by first
setting aside all those ideas that conflict with it, and then,
acting from the
basis of our spiritual nature, from the basis of absolute, unerring
Law. Once
these ideas are held in mind to the exclusion of all other
separative ideas,
unity of Spirit, unity of thought and unity of action take place.
This great philosophy of Theosophy, then, presents a basis from
which the truest
kind of morality can be perceived. True morality does not depend
upon words,
phrases, or conventions, but upon a universal perception of all
things, whereby
everything is done for good, every thought and feeling expended for
the benefit
of others rather than for one’s self. A clear perception of one’s
own spiritual
nature, and the motive to benefit mankind in every direction and in
every case,
without self-interest, are the two essentials for true morality.
True morality
is, in fact, a universal existence, and the beginning of it is in
the desire to
live to benefit mankind without self-interest or hope of any reward
whatever;
then, to practice and to help those who know still less than we do.
This is quite the reverse of prevailing religious ideas of personal
salvation,
yet this universal existence is our salvation. At
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once, when these universal ideas are seen and to some extent
realized, one loses
all fears. Neither change nor death, nor things present or to come,
can have any
effect upon that one. He meets conditions as they come, does what
he can, and
lets other conditions succeed them. He moves through life, far from
an un happy
being, quite capable of taking all the joy and pleasure that exist
in the
world—all that upon which his fellow-men only subsist or hope to
subsist. He
moves among his fellow-men, understanding everything that they are
going
through, enjoying with their joy and sorrowing when they sorrow,
yet himself
free from either joy or sorrow. When we arrive at that condition,
our sense of
morality will be based on the nature of man. We shall then look on
each and
every being as of the same kind as ourselves, differing only in
degree of
understanding. There can not be in us anything but tolerance and
mercy, for we
shall know we can not judge others in their struggles; we can not
say that there
is good in this case, bad in that; we shall understand that
goodness and badness
are entirely relative in men, while they perceive the Reality not
at all; we
shall see that the best thing we can do for anyone is to assist him
to
understand himself, so that he may reach that point of perception
and knowledge
and power which is, in reality, his own and which he has but to
realize.
Man’s false conceptions of life are what prevent him from knowing
the truth, and
it is evident that the first step towards true perception lies in
throwing aside
the prejudices and predilections he has lived by. And there is
always help.
Never have we been, left alone. Always there are beings greater in
evolution
than we, who return to this field of physical existence to help us,
to wake us
up to a perception of our natures. Such has been the mission of all
Divine
Incarnations down the ages. Those beings have come and lived among
us, have
become “in all things like unto us,” as was said of Jesus, in order
that the
human words They spoke should be words we would understand. They
meet us on the
basis of our ideas and try to clarify them and set them in a true
course. They
can do nothing to stop what
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we have done and what we want to do; They can not interfere; but
They can help
us to see the right direction, if we are so willed; They can give
help when we
turn to that direction which They indicate—that Path which They
themselves
followed so many ages ago. Always They try to help us, even when we
are
proceeding along wrong lines and bringing upon ourselves the
suffering such
wrong lines entail—even then They try to direct the results into a
better
channel. They hold back the awful Karma that would shake the world,
and let the
effects come so gradually that we can stand and bear them. That is
part of the
protective power of the spiritual nature, and it operates in every
direction.
It is for us, then, to say which way we shall go. We are not
creatures of
circumstance. We are not the creatures of environment. We are their
creators. It
is for us to see that we think right, that we build right, that we
build upon
the strong foundation of the eternal verities, and that we keep our
eyes upon
that Path which the great Masters of Wisdom have sought to open
before us. So in
our turn we shall point out the Way among the hosts who are moving
in delusion
and ignorance, and as we help each one, we help ourselves. As we
help ourselves
by helping others, we raise all.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE STOREHOUSE OF THOUGHT
When we consider the idea of thought we must remember that there
cannot be
thought without a thinker. There are no thoughts that arise of
themselves; they
are all produced by intelligent beings, no matter what kind of
thoughts they
are.
We are all thinkers, and we all assume that we have minds, but of
what does the
mind consist? What we call our mind is not, in reality, mind at
all. The mind
itself is the power to think. The bundles of ideas that we call our
minds are
the products of the thinking faculty; they are the effects of
intelligent
ideation, and we have to get further and further back from the
effects perceived
to the causes of those effects.
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Mind itself is not limited; we all have the unlimited power to
think in any and
all directions. But we all are born into or come in contact with
different sets
of ideas which we consciously or unconsciously adopt and cling to.
Yet we ought
to recognize and realize from the very outset that we are not those
ideas,
because we have the power to “change our minds”; if we were in fact
our ideas,
we could not change them, could never get a new idea nor expel an
old one.
We think that our ideas are our own; but, when we come to
self-analysis, we find
that as a matter of fact not one in a million is an independent
Thinker who
creates his thoughts from a realization of the universality of
nature and the
common source from which we all derive or draw what seem to be our
separate
powers. It is strange that we do not see that there is a common
source for us
all, and for all our powers; that only the use of life and the
life-powers
differ in each, according to the ideas each one holds. We all have
the power to
think, and we all think differently, and that makes us seem to be
different.
We live in a world of effects, overwhelmed mentally by them, unable
to extricate
ourselves from them. So what is most needed in the world is a
realization of
what our own real nature is. If we find what our own real nature
is, then we
shall know what the real nature of every other being is, whether
that other
being is below us in point of intelligence, or as far above us as
has yet been
attained by any being.
If we are ever going to know anything of the common Source of all
our being and
of all our powers, we have to gain that knowledge within ourselves.
For no one
is separate from It; each one springs from the same Supreme, is one
with It in
his inner most nature. The idea is beyond any conception of the
Deity as people
hold God today, or that has been popularly held in the past.
The Supreme is beyond form. It is beyond expression. Where is the
man who can
say what That is within himself which sees, which knows, which
feels, which
experiences, which garners the results of all experience? Each one
is of that
Infinite Source,
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because all have the same infinite root; each one is an expression
of It.
If a man does not understand what his real Source is, what his real
nature is,
and assumes himself to be that which he is not, then all his
exercise of the
power to think, all his creative thoughts, all his subsequent
actions, will
follow the lines of his wrong basis of thought and action. If he
thinks he is a
poor miserable sinner who cannot do anything of himself and for him
self, then a
poor, miserable sinner he will remain. But if he realizes that all
the effects
which surround him are due to thinking, that he can create better
effects, that
all things are within his reach, he will gain a new insight and a
greater
strength. He gets beyond effects to the field of causes, and begins
to realize
that all things are alike in essential nature. He finds from that
consideration
that the universe is under Law. The very highest being is under
law, just the
same as the very lowest. That Law does not exist outside of us, and
is not put
in motion by some being or beings outside us, but is inherent in
each. As we
act, we experience the reaction; as we think, so are we. In
accordance with the
intelligence of our action, so will be the expression returning to
us. ‘ ye sow,
so shall ye also reap;” as we are reaping, so we must have sown.
We have there the first and final expression of Justice: that we
reap what we
have sown. In whatever conditions we may find ourselves, we have to
admit that
they are our own productions. How were they originally produced? By
the thoughts
of the thinker based on a false conclusion. The power of the
Supreme is in every
one. No matter what the man thinks, there is power in it; and if he
holds to
that thinking he is bound to produce the effects that flow from the
lines of his
special endeavor. If he is creating things that perish, if he is
creating things
that do not relate to his own true nature—if his power to think is
wrapped up in
the things that have to do only with his body or the bodily
surroundings, or his
physical advancement—is it any wonder that soon or late we find
ourselves in a
complex situation and with such usually disastrous consequences to
ourselves? We
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are bewildered by the very effects that we have produced by our
thinking based
upon wrong ideas.
We have then to beware that we do not set the power of our
spiritual nature in a
personal direction, for personal, selfish ends; such will only
bring reaction
upon us, of necessity. Each one has pursued his own individual
path, as if he
were separate from all the rest, and so has created the conditions
under which
he exists, the experiences that bring him suffering or enjoyment.
We have considered that good and evil are things in themselves.
They are not.
There is nothing good in itself; there is nothing evil in itself.
Good and evil
are the effects felt by us. What is good to one may be evil to
another. It
depends on the recipient, on his attitude of mind. If we see that
Law rules and
recognize that these effects were produced by ourselves, that we
receive the
exact return of causes set in motion by ourselves, then we see that
whatever we
do or have done affects others either for good or evil, and that we
must in the
nature of things in time pay that debt incurred or receive back the
benefit
conferred. The good that comes is what we have earned through
service to others.
The evil that befalls us is also what we have earned, by lack of
service or by
injury to others—every effect is the continuation of the cause set
in motion by
ourselves.
There is the true idea to be established in us—that of our
individual
responsibility to all others for the use of our powers. In it is
implied the
Spiritual Identity of all beings, the divinity of every being that
exists—not
only of mankind—the good and bad natures there—but every being
below us, as well
as every being above us. This presents the fact that all powers—of
perception,
of experience, of knowledge, of wisdom—lie for each being within
himself, in his
inmost nature. And it brings instantly to our minds the idea of
development, of
unfoldment, of evolution, for every being high or low. There are
embryonic souls
below us in their various stages of progress; there are the souls
of men with
their varying degrees of development; and there are Great Souls—Men
who have
gone through the stages we are now passing through. The whole
universe is made
up of
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beings. The form is the home, the instrument, of some minor or
greater
intelligence. No intelligence, no form; no intelligence, no action
of any kind,
no responsibilities of any kind. Wherever you find actions and
conditions, there
you get intelligence, and where ever there is intelligence there is
responsibility, whether recognized or not. So that the universe
exists for one
purpose, and for one purpose only—for the Soul’s experience and
emancipation.
Soul means the acquired experience of the Spiritual Being. In the
vast universe,
with such an innumerable and immeasurable range of intelligent
beings, differing
infinitely in their respective degrees of acquired intelligence, or
Soul, where
or what would be the Storehouse of Thought?
In this vast assemblage of beings there are many, many kinds of
thought. There
are the thoughts or ideas of all the men now on earth and of those
who have
been; the thoughts or expressions of the beings below man; the
ideas and still
wider expressions of the beings above man. All these make a vast
storehouse; but
no one of us can draw from that storehouse any more, nor any
different than he
puts himself in a position to receive. He must make room for it.
All that we
perceive directly is ideas. Behind all action is thought of some
kind. It is the
kind of ideas we hold that makes us do everything—good or evil.
Now we can see how important it is that we should know what we
really are—become
acquainted with our own nature— and have that as a basis of our
thought and
action. Upon the quality of thought depends the quality or kind of
action. It is
all a sequence, and so what is needed is an orderly succession of
thoughts based
on our true natures, and action in accordance with them. Then
everything flows
along the line of divine unfoldment, of divine evolution; then we
are working in
accord with nature, in accord with all others.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THE LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL
The Soul is pictured in the ancient teachings as the real Self man.
There are
many different conceptions of what man is
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and what the soul. From Christian teachings we are led to believe
that man has a
soul, and may save it or lose it—the idea generally held in the
West. But the
conception of the ancients, and that of Theosophy, which is a
re-presentation of
this eternal idea, is different. The teaching is that Man is a
Soul; that Soul
is in fact the one who perceives; that it is vision itself, pure
and simple,
unmodified—not subject to change—and that it looks directly on
ideas.
This idea presents the fact that the real Man in whatever condition
he may be
existing, whether asleep or awake, whether in a physical body
during his
lifetime, or whether in another form of body after death or before
birth, or
before the existence of this planet or this solar system—that this
real Man was
the same Perceiver, then as now, the same Soul all the time; the
Creator of all
the conditions that have arisen; the intelligent Creator of this
universe, in
connection with all the beings below him and all the beings above
him. Man thus
forms part of one great Brotherhood, and this bond of brotherhood
extends
throughout, from the lowest being to the very highest.
They are all Souls; even the very lowest forms of matter are none
the less
Souls, for in the lowest form of matter is the power to perceive,
the power to
act, the power to gain experience. The potentiality is the same in
all, and that
potentiality becomes a potency ever expanding as the Soul increases
its range of
experience. All the forms, the bodies, that compose the universe
are the results
of the experience and action of the souls inhabiting them. They are
all the
instruments of the soul, and we always act with others in any grade
or class of
beings. There is that unity of action which produces a similarity
of instrument.
In these similarities of instrument we play upon and are played
upon by beings
of the same class in the fullest degree, and by lower and higher
classes in a
greater or less degree.
So, taking this conception that the Self is the same in each being,
no matter
how great that being may be, nor how low, we get another idea in
regard to
soul—that soul also represents the acquired experience gained
through evolution
by each and every
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class of being. Each individual being is not only Self, but, in
addition, the
acquired experience gained through contact with all other beings.
Realizing that
there are individual souls, we can see that the only differences
between souls
are in their degrees of acquired experience. Taking the soul from
this point of
view, then, as the acquired experience of individuals, when we
speak of God, or
the Over-Soul, the Universal Over-Soul, we simply mean the acquired
experiences,
or wisdom, of every soul and all souls. That would be the meaning
of the
sentence in the Bhagavad Gita that the Self is “Wisdom itself, the
object of
Wisdom and that which is to be attained by Wisdom”—full
consciousness of the
union of all-souls, or Spiritual Identity.
If we are to try to relate these conceptions to language we would,
perhaps, have
to clear up many ideas which we now hold. Supposing there is a real
language of
the soul, what would it be capable of expressing? Undoubtedly every
experience
through which it had ever been.
Theosophy teaches the doctrine of reincarnation—of successive lives,
both on
this earth and in other states of substance and consciousness.
Continuity of
Consciousness, or Spirit, is preserved through all these states and
environments, and the record of all that occurred in all these
lives is present
at all times in any one- life in manifestation, because the Self,
the Spirit, is
present. The language of the Soul would be capable of expressing
all that we
ever experienced.
In those past lives we have undoubtedly spoken different languages
from those we
now speak; in those personal existences we used languages now
altogether
deserted and forgotten by us as persons. But the memory of those
languages must
be there, if we are a continuing Self and preserve the continuity
of experience
gained, as well as the continuity of consciousness. Those old
languages which we
once used, in themselves amount to nothing, because any language
and all
languages are only the expression of the feeling and thought of the
individual
soul; his emotions, hopes, fears, ideas and aspirations. So there
must be at all
times behind any language whatever, the basis for it—the Soul and
its ex-
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perience. Where is that recorded? It is impacted in the
imperishable part of
man’s nature. It cannot be any spoken tongue what ever. What, then,
is its
nature?
To understand these propositions we have again to consider the
philosophy of
Theosophy. Theosophy points out that matter is in seven states or
degrees of
substances, and each of these with seven sub-states, the whole
ranging from the
very finest, most plastic and enduring state down to the very
coarsest—what we
may call the material plane, or matter as it is known and suspected
by us, with
its many differing gradations and combinations. Man, as the highest
and most
evolved being concerned in the evolution of this solar system, is
clothed in all
these seven states of substance derived from the original
primordial
substance—the homogeneous matter from which every form is evolved.
These degrees
of substance are indicated in the seven colors of the spectrum;
they are also
pointed to in the seven notes of the scale of music.
The notes and colors are not exactly what we think they are: they
represent the
seven great distinct states of matter; sound itself, or light
itself, represents
the homogeneous state from which the seven notes and the seven
prismatic colors
are derived. Our colors and our musical notes are only replicas of
these—their
reflections or correspondences in this one state of matter and
sound with which
we are acquainted. We know there are seven colors; we know that
there are other
octaves of color beyond those, which our eyes are unable to
transmit to us—some
so high, some so low that our eyes will not register their
vibrations. The same
is true with sound. We are able to detect several, but there are
degrees of
sound beyond the highest we are able to detect, and also sounds too
low for us
to hear.
Let us call the Soul the Ego; perhaps that, for us, is the most
compact
expression for what is meant by Soul, since it includes both the
one who
perceives and his perceptions, both the one who knows and his
experiences. Well,
then, the Ego has a language of his own, and that language is one
of color,
sound and symbol. It is a language that may be seen; that may be
heard; that may
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be felt. It is by means of this language of the soul that the
experiences of
others may become directly known to us, comprehensible to us, no
matter what
vocal tongues we may use. This is why it was said in old times, as
mentioned in
the Bible, that the Wise understood every man speaking in his own
tongue,
although many different languages were used, then as now. It was
because these
Wise men could read back of the spoken language, that they knew the
very
thoughts, feelings and natures of the speakers. That is why in any
person’s
motion—even so simple an action as in moving from one chair to
another— quality
of the thought, the very nature of the person, is clearly shown by
the
assemblage of colors and shades of colors produced by the action.
The same with
any uttered sounds or speech, no matter what—the centers in the
body are set in
motion, each having its own particular tell tale colors and rates
of vibration.
Strange as it may seem to us, colors may be heard, sounds may be
seen, and forms
may be experienced, because all are merely different rates of
vibration—the
motion of Intelligent Consciousness, or Spirit. They are all
correlated, and one
does not exist with out the others. They are merely aspects of that
which is the
real propulsion of the soul itself, or the conscious being. So, in
our thoughts
we have a great combination of colors and sounds, constantly
changing their
form, or appearance. Our brain is the finest material instrument we
use. It,
like everything else we use, is an evolution. It is the organ of
thought on this
plane of substance where we are now acting. If we think high and
noble thoughts,
then our brains become very susceptible to that kind of use. Every
kind of
thought has its own particular rate and range of vibration, its own
particular
colors. If we were acquainted with ourselves, in reality, we could
read thought
as we now read a book. We could read thoughts as we now hear
sounds. If our
brains are trained to high thoughts while we are awake; if we try
to understand
what we really are while occupying this physical instrument; what
this body of
ours represents; what it is capable of— then gradually the brain
will begin to
respond to something of our higher knowledge. It will carry forward
and transmit
more
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and more of the Language of the Soul, of all the garnered experience
of the
past.
The ideas that we have, even in regard to Spirit and Soul, to Life
hitherto,
here and hereafter, are those we have been taught. They are nearly
all personal
and keep us entirely on the personal plane—the plane of merely
physical
existence. They give us no true ideas whatever of the real inner
self. We have
not yet begun to think—in any true sense, in any true direction;
and it is only
true ideas that will give us knowledge of the inner nature of man.
Our habits
are merely memory impacted in our nature, whether they be habits of
body or
habits of thought. We do not store knowledge anywhere but within
ourselves; but
sometimes we forget where we have hidden it, or we cover it up with
a lot of the
useless rubbish of mere mental activity. Most of our mental
activity is applied
solely to the things of this life, to things of the body; so,
mankind is
continually moving along a false path. No being, however high, can
prevent this,
because each man is Soul, is Spirit, is Consciousness—is of the
Highest, however
he use and apply his powers.
Theosophy endeavors to present to man what his real nature is; that
he is first,
last, and all the time SPIRIT. Spirit means Life and
Consciousness—the power to
see, to know, to experience. We all have that. That is common to
all of us. It
is not separate in self—it is the One Life in all beings of every
grade. But we,
as individuals, have evolved into individuals from the great Ocean
of Life. We
are Individualized Spirit, and so we each have a separate
individual existence,
which is continuous. In that sense we are an evolution, but an
evolution of
Spirit, not Matter—an evolution of Knowledge, not of form only.
This has been
obtained through observation and experience; whatever differences
exist are
because of more or less experience, or a better adaptation and
application of
it; there is no difference in the Source or Potentialities of any
being. All
this we shall find out, if we move along the Path shown. For it is
not an
uncharted path. Remember, others have been along that path before
us. They are
our Elder Brothers—Jesus, for
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example; Buddha for another; and all those who came at different
times as
Saviours to the many different peoples. They had all acquired the
Language of
the Soul. They all had a common body of knowledge. They come
amongst men from
time to time, as the intelligence of humanity progresses, and give
out as much
of that knowledge as the then existing state of humanity permits.
They came
again in our own time; and greater than Those who so came there has
not been.
Why should anyone say that? Because other Saviours came to separate
and distinct
peoples, but the Message of Theosophy is not to any one nation, not
to any one
class of beings, but to the whole world.
That knowledge is obtainable by any self-conscious being for
himself, for it is
not a question of our ideas, of our present perceptions of morality
or success,
nor of external power, but of Spiritual perception—of the Language
of the Soul.
We may make all the mistakes in the world, according to the world,
in the body
and through the body, and yet have a power of Spiritual perception
that would do
away with all “mistakes. We would not have to’ have any vicarious
atonement, but
would be able to act in a proper relation with every being. Our
thoughts and
actions would be in accord. (but we would have to go through the
crucifixion of
the false ideas in ourselves, and arise as the Saviour did, to the
right hand of
the Father—the Ego free from all these delusions which have caused
him to
maintain himself in sin, sorrow and suffering.
All men desire Spiritual knowledge, yet the great bulk will not
abate one jot or
tittle of their mental and physical absorption in present and
worldly things to
obtain the spiritual knowledge they say they ardently long for.
They will have
to move on through suffering and pain till they really desire to
know the truth
about themselves. If any man thinks he can get that knowledge by
merely desiring
to possess it, or by desiring to possess it for himself alone, he
is not in the
position that would permit of his knowing it. The Language of the
Soul can be
acquired only when the being realizes that his duty is not to
himself, but to
the highest interests of his fellowmen; not to “save his own soul”
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but to lead as many of his neighbors as he possibly can in the
direction of the
Truth, desiring nothing for himself. This very attitude opens the
flood-gates of
spiritual knowledge within himself. Then he becomes the true
enjoyer, using
every power he has, all the knowledge he has, to benefit others.
The man who has
come to that knowledge and is on the road to its realization finds
“spiritual
knowledge springing up spontaneously in him self in the progress of
time.” He
requires no books to tell him; he cares not what religions have
been, that now
are, that ever will be. He knows the truth about himself and
consequently the
truth about all others.
Why do not all men take the path to this realization? Is it because
they have no
organs of perception, are incapable of seeing? No, it is because
they will not
listen; they will not take what is given and try it out. They will
rather follow
anything that promises some success in this life. Yet they know
just as well as
anyone that they cannot take a single one of the “successes” away
with them from
the earth. When they go, they leave on earth every earthly thing
they have
accumulated. And they have to go, because they do not belong here;
they are of
Spirit, not earth; they are only working in this matter for awhile.
They all
know that, and yet dream of “possessions.”
No one damned any of us to this condition in which we find so many.
No
conditions compel us to stay in a state of mental unrest,
inactivity or
ignorance. All these things are imposed on us by our own hard and
fast
conclusions as to men, things and methods. These keep us fast bound
in our
present conditions and will continue to hold us, as long as we
maintain that
attitude of mind, and cling to false ideas of God, of Nature, and
of Man. We
keep the doors closed of our own will. In ignorance? Yes; but who
remains
ignorant? Those only who will not hear, those only who doubt the
Language of the
Soul.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THEOSOPHY IN DAILY LIFE
Many people think that religion means a preparation for death or
the states of
the future. Religion really means a prepa-
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ration for and a knowledge of life—a living of our life as it
should be lived.
That which prepares for death is life, and ever living. Formal
religions do not
even answer the question, why is death—nor any of the other burning
questions in
daily life. Why do we have suffering and sorrow? Why are we here?
What was the
origin of man? Why so many different conditions among mankind; why
are some born
to sorrow, and others to joy; why some in lowly places, some in
high; why some
with great faculties and others with very few and poor ones?
Justice demands an
answer which is not furnished by religion, with its ‘ —for if man
is the
creature of a creator he can not help himself and is absolutely
irresponsible.
Any being, if “perfect,” would maintain justice; yet there are
injustices among
men. The caprice or whim of a creator does not explain the
difficulty. Any
being, however great or high, must of necessity be limited, finite,
and
imperfect—something outside us, something which does not contain
the universe
but is contained by it.
We have to go behind any idea of a Being, to the source of all
being—to a basis
common to the highest and to the lowest being. That basis and
source is not to
be found by looking outward at all, but is the very power to
perceive, wherever
there is life. Spirit, Life, Consciousness are the same in every
being—undivided, however many and varied the perceptions. Evolution
is not a
compelling force from without, but the impelling force of Spirit
from within,
urging on to better and better expression. All advancement is from
within. All
the knowledge that we gain, all the experience that we obtain, is
obtained and
held within. Each one, then, is the Seer; all the rest are seen.
So, the
knowledge that we have to obtain is not information from without,
not the
thoughts of other men, but an under standing of our own essential
nature, which
represents every element in the great universe, from the basis of
all life to
every outward expression, and every possibility of further
expression— just as
each drop of water contains in itself everything existing in the
great ocean
from which it came. Nor does Law exist outside of us. Law is always
inherent in
Spirit; it is the action
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which brings re-action in every individual case, and to the
collective mass of
humanity. We are here under law and under justice. There is no such
thing as
injustice in the universe.
Knowing something as to our essential nature, knowing some thing of
the purpose
of life, and that life is all made up of learning, knowing that the
universe is
all alive, and that there is in reality no injustice save that
which we inflict
upon our selves by re-action, we would take an entirely different
view of life
and put these ideas into daily practice. We would take the position
which most
of all we need to take—that of our own responsibility, which
religions have
taught us to shift on to some God or devil. Recognizing that each
one of us is
from the same Source and going towards the same goal, though the
path will vary
with the pilgrim, we will act toward each one as if he were a part
of ourselves.
Like us, each one is moving onward— perhaps below us, possibly
above. From the
one above, we can obtain help. To the one below, we can give help.
Such is the
interdependence which should exist between all conscious beings;
and under such
a conception our civilization would not be as it is now. We should
not find
every man’s hand raised against every other man. We should not see
those in poor
case finding fault with the wrong conditions, but finding fault
rather with
their own wrong relations to others at some time when they abused
the power they
had. We should see each one trying to discipline himself, trying to
bring
himself into proper relation with all the rest—not so much
outwardly, perhaps,
as inwardly; for we may be sure that if we make clean the inside of
the bowl,
the outside will take care of itself. We have no greater duty to
perform than to
make clear and clean our natures—to make them true, to make them in
accord with
the great object of all life, the evolution of soul.
We can not wait to make our start in this direction until the
nation wakes up to
Theosophy; for the nation will itself awake only when each
individual wakes up
to that which is in himself and by his thought and action instills
a similar
thought and action in other human beings. Supposing each one
determined
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to do all he could for every other one wherever he could, do you
think that
anybody would suffer? Not one! There would be more to help than
those to suffer.
But we are afraid that if we so act, the other man will not. So we
do not move
at all along that line. The majority of people are thinking about
quite other
things. They are busy at the shrine of their gods of comfort,
seeking to get the
best of everything in life at the expense of someone else. Or they
are seeking
to acquire “the power of will,” so that they can get something for
nothing from
someone else. That is the kind of “will” which is generally
desired, its object
being the getting of exactly what one pleases. Is not this psychic
banditry?
Anything gotten that way is taken from another, and we shall have
to pay it back
to the uttermost farthing—if not in this life, then in some other,
for the
scales of justice are unerring.
Do we not see that we can trust a universe that moves along
unerringly under the
law of perfect justice? ‘We certainly can. We can go forward with
an absolute
reliance on the law of our own spiritual being, knowing whatever
conditions come
are necessary for us, knowing that those very things we feel so
hardly are
object lessons for us because they indicate a wrong tendency or
defect in us
which this present distress affords us an opportunity to overcome,
to strengthen
our true character. That is all we have at the end of life,
whatever of
character—good, bad, or indifferent—we have acquired. Men spend
their lives
trying to avoid what they do not like, and trying to get what they
like—what
they can and while they can. Yet if they got all the wealth of the
world, every
possession and every possible desire, what good would it do them?
At death
everything would be left where they got it, because nothing adheres
to Spirit.
The idea of getting for themselves is one of the false notions
which prevent men
from understanding themselves as spiritual beings and using the
power which
belongs to them—for all powers of every kind—electrical, dynamic or
explosive—come from the One Universal Spirit, and each man has
latent in him all
the powers in the universe.
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Physical life is not necessarily a vale of sorrow. The time must
come when we
shall have made man’s life on earth what it ought to be, when we
shall have no
fear of anything, when we shall not be afraid of our fellowmen. It
was said of
Daniel, when he entered the lions’ den, the beasts of prey did not
touch him at
all. Why? Because his heart was pure. He had no harm in it for
anyone. He
trusted to the spiritual law of his own being, and all nature makes
obeisance to
that. We could go out calmly, courageously, happily, relying on the
laws of our
own natures. If we did so, we would bring our daily lives in line
with that
nature; for there is nothing of our action which does not come from
the mind,
and back of the mind is the ‘motive we have in acting. Motive is
what makes our
actions really “good” or “bad.” If we are righteous in ourselves
and desirous of
doing right, then all that we do will flow rightly from us and
every function
will be a righteous function. All action springs from and is
colored by the
motive held in performing it.
Theosophy is the only philosophy that can be used in every
direction in daily
life. It can be used in all directions, high or low, because that
use comes from
an understanding of the Spirit itself, from acting for that Self and
as that
Self—for the Self acts only through the creatures. Acting for and
as that Self
in every direction, all else flows into line. All the destruction
that is around
us, all the misery that we see, has been brought about through our
denial of the
Holy Ghost—our denial of the Spirit within us. We deny it when we
act as if we
are our bodies, or our minds. THAT will not be denied. So man,
meeting all the
results of that denial and seeing them to be evil, learns that this
is not the
way. Then he seeks for Truth, and finding the truth, obtains all
that he can
desire—hope, happiness and a better understanding of his and all
existence. It
was to give to men all they could take in regard to the nature of
the soul—that
they might come out from this vale of sorrow—that those Beings
known as Divine
Incarnations have descended here of Their own will. They have
carried forward
from age to age this knowledge of nature and of man and of the
purpose of life,
learned through
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many civilizations of mankind. It is this knowledge which makes
Them as gods to
us in Their glory and power.
CONTENTS
THE ETERNAL VERITIES
THREE KINDS OF FAITH
Every human being has faith—faith in something, some ideal, some
conception,
some religion, some formula—but while the faiths of different
people have one or
another object, the faith itself proceeds from the Highest, and is
inherent in
the heart of every being. Faith is the very basis of our nature.
Whatever way we
follow is because of the faith we have—the conviction that it is
the best way.
That the world is full of false faiths is because of the differing
ideas,
beliefs and philosophies which limit faith itself to the means
thought necessary
for obtaining a particular object of faith.
In the seventeenth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita faith is said to be
of three
kinds: faith of the quality called sattwa, the good and the true;
faith of the
quality called rajas, of action, and of passion; and faith of the
quality called
tames, of indifference and ignorance. These three qualities given
to faith are,
in fact, the three limitations placed on faith by every human
being; for the
power of faith in itself is limitless. We continually limit that
power to its
operation within the range of some minor object or ideal based on
externalities.
“The embodied soul being gifted with faith, each man is of the same
nature as
that ideal on which his faith is fixed.” Man has that quality of
faith in
accordance with his disposition; and he also continually becomes of
the nature
of the ideal on which his faith is fixed. It is evident, then, that
we ought to
be sure of the nature of the faith upon which our ideal is placed.
If one places his faith on any externality, whatever it may be—gods
or men,
religions or systems of thought—he has placed it upon a broken
reed; he has
limited the very power of his own spirit to expand itself beyond
the limitations
of his ideal. When, for instance, we accept the idea that nothing
is real but
that which we can see or hear or taste or smell or touch, we have
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placed our faith on a very low basis. There is some reason for our
falsity of
thought and action, when we have assumed the present moment to be
the only
moment, the outward terrestrial world and this one existence to be
the only
life, from which we go, we know not where, nor to what purpose it
all has been.
To look on all beings according to one’s own limitation of mind and
range of
perception, and to see only their externalities of speech or action
in
accordance, is not seeing them as they really are. An outside God,
or an outside
devil, an outside Law, an outside atonement for sins, the idea of
sin being
other than a denial of our own spiritual nature (the unpardonable
sin), are All
external faiths of the nature of tamas, or ignorance. Ignorance
always leads to
superstition. Superstition leads to false belief, and false belief
to false
faith.
We are all in constant conflict with each other because of false
bases of faith,
for the very reason that faith fixed on any thing will bring
results, and men
are blinded to real and true faith by the results of even false
faith. Yet so
long as we have a false faith shall we continue to create for
ourselves lives of
misery. The results flowing from a false faith in a selfish ideal
must bring us
bad effects in wrong conditions. They are the very limitations we
have imposed
upon ourselves by external faiths in other lives, and we must come
again and
again into bodies until we have rid ourselves of the defects in our
nature which
those external faiths have engendered. We have to get a better
basis for thought
and action than the false faith of the likes and dislikes we have
obtained by
heredity. We have produced the effects we see, but we need not go
on repeating
the same mistakes life after life, if we will but change our
ideals. We have to
find a true basis of faith. We have to place our faith upon that
which is not
external, but internal.
The Internal is the very source of the powers that we possess of
every kind, and
that Internal is the same in every living one. At the very root of
our being is
that changeless Self which we can know only within ourselves. To
reach in and in
to It, we must first divest ourselves of all our ideas—of
everything which
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changes. First of all, let man divest himself of the idea that he
is his body.
He occupies it; he uses it; but he knows that it is ever changing,
that never
for one single instant is it the same as it was the moment before.
Let him
divest himself further of the idea that he is his mind; for he
himself can
change the ideas that compose it—throw them out bodily and take
their very
opposite, if he chooses—yet he is still acting with other ideas. We
are not
bodies; we are not minds; nor are we both together; but we are That
which uses
and sustains them both. Through all the changes of the past and
present, and
those that are to come, we shall always be ourselves. Even when
death comes we
shall still be operating in another way than in the physical body.
The basis of
the Changeless Self places the whole universe within the reach of
any being’s
mind—a stable basis for thought and action and realization within
himself.
These three things we have to know: Each one is the Self in his
innermost
nature; every power that he has arises in that Self; every being of
every kind
is conscious, with the power of the extension of its range of
perception and
action, while every instrument is due to the limitation of the
conception of the
individual’s real nature. Never by looking at other beings, nor by
any kind of
faith whatever can man realize his oneness with the One Great Life;
he can
realize it only by looking into his own nature. His own nature is
realized by
seeing that which is not the nature of the Self. For anything seen,
heard, or
felt, or tasted or perceived is not the Self, but merely a
perception of the
Self. The Self perceives what may be perceived according to its own
ideas,
according to its own faith, but that which is perceived is never
the Self.
Within every being from whom we obtain any action or from whom we
perceive
anything, there is the Self, but we do not perceive That. It is
only by
realizing It within our selves that we realize its existence in
every other
being. Then honor the spiritual nature of every being and strive to
aid that
being to see for himself the true path by which he can realize his
true nature!
We all have to think and act with that true nature as our guide.
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We find ourselves prevented on every hand from taking the position
of the true
nature—it seems impossible. But this is only a delusion born from
the false
faith we have held. We have established ideas, likes and dislikes,
and feelings
which under the law of the return of impressions recur again and
again. The
moment we attempt to take an opposite stand we meet the result of
the combined
action of all these forces within ourselves. This is what we may
call “the war
in heaven”—the war in the man’s own nature. But if he remains true
to his own
spiritual nature, he is bound to be the conqueror. If he has faith
in the law of
his own nature, he will go forward and gradually the obstacles will
disappear.
But we must hold on grimly and have confidence and faith in That
which is the
only Real anywhere—Life itself Consciousness. Then the fetters we
have made for
ourselves will fall away. Every force in nature begins to act for
us and with us
because we have no desire of our own, but only for the good, for
the salvation
of all. Every soul and every thing seems to work for our advantage,
but not
because we want it. We begin to see the spiritual meaning of the
saying that the
man who desires to save his life must lose it. He gives up
everything as an
acquisition for himself, devoting every power he has or gains to
the service of
others, and the whole universe is before him. He can take all—but
let him take
nothing save to give it out again, accept nothing save to lay it at
the feet of
others!
There is no question of sin, or sinner. There is no question of
good or evil.
There is only the question: Are you working for yourself as you
understand
yourself, or are you working for the Self as you ought to
understand you are,
and not for anything else? If you want nothing for yourself,
require nothing for
this body, but think only to do for others, what is needed comes
under the law
of the very force for which you make attraction. Support comes in
every
direction. The whole nature—spiritual, intellectual, psychical,
astral and
physical—is strengthened; even the surroundings are improved. It is
our lack of
faith—our Unfaith in That, which puts us where we would not be.
Denying the
Christ within, the Krishna within, the Spirit within, is “the
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unpardonable sin,” and so long as we crucify that Christ within,
just so long
will we suffer on the cross of human passions and desires. Service
for ourselves
is a creation which ties us fast to wrong conditions. We may strive
for better
bodies, better positions, for possessions of all kinds, better
qualities, better
understanding on one condition only, that the motive be to make
ourselves the
better able to help and teach others.
The only true faith is that in the Highest—in the Changeless, in
That which each
in his innermost nature is. The only true path is the trusting to
the law of our
own spiritual nature. Men may go from faith to faith, from faith in
one thing to
faith in some other thing, moving along from life to life and
obtaining some
results according to the nature of the ideal upon which their faith
is fixed,
but the only way out is through the faith in the spiritual,
essential nature of
all beings. And no greater gift could be given to any human being
than the
inalienable fact that he—and each one—has the power to realize it.
This is a
part of the ancient knowledge known by a few, followed by a few,
which They have
ever brought into a world of false faiths and tried to teach the
people in
general.
Those who follow the Path of true faith are not drawn away from
their
fellow-men. One’s fellow-men are more to him than they ever were
before. He sees
more in them. He sees more clearly the difficulties under which
they labor, and
desires to help them in every way. So he is more of a living man.
He acts more
knowingly than do the rest. He gets more from nature than they do,
because he
sees the whole and the aspects of the individuals that compose the
whole. He
gets as much out of this life and more, far more, than the man who
lives for
enjoyment, for happiness, whose ambition is for himself. But he
lives not for
himself. The whole aim of his life is that men may know these
truths; for he
knows that knowledge means the destruction of false faiths, and
hence of all the
suffering and horrors of physical existence. Then, evolution will
go on by leaps
and bounds. Men will be extricated from the places to which they
have consigned
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themselves, and move on without limit in a universe of infinite
possibilities.
When all our false beliefs, our desires and passions, our likes and
dislikes
have fallen away from us like cast-off garments, and we have
resumed that nature
of us which is divine, then we shall be able to build a
civilization as much
higher than this as we can possibly imagine. For we cannot get away
from the
Karma of the race to which we belong, and those effects which have
been produced
by us together, we must work out together. The best way, the
highest way, and
the surest way, is to proceed along the line of our own inner
nature, and, so
doing, give the suggestion to others by which they may realize
their inner
nature. Then, dwelling on That which is immortal, changeless,
limitless, which
is our very self and the Self of all creatures, the realization
will come—little
by little, but it will surely come.
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CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter One
IT is futile to accept
revelations on anybody’s say-so. They convey no
knowledge, and it is actual knowledge that is required by each one.
Shibboleths
and formulas are mere words, not a criterion of truth.
Theosophy is in the world
to present the means by which each one can acquire
knowledge for himself.
Its study and application
call forth the judgment and discrimination latent
in the man himself.
Truth is not a man, nor a
book, nor a statement. The nature of Truth is
universal; its possessors in any degree will be found to be
appliers of
universality in thought, speech and action. Their efforts will be
for humanity
regardless of sex, creed, caste or color. They will never be found
among those
claiming to be the chosen spokesman of the Deity—and exacting
homage from their
fellow-men: true Brotherhood includes the least developed as well
as the very
highest. We must seek to give aid to all in search of truth. Our
value and aid
in this great work will be just what we make them by our motive,
our judgment,
our conduct.
The heart-felt desire
that others may benefit from our lives will be felt by
those open—it matters little how few; they may be the means of
wakening many
others. It is the effort and the sacrifice that bring the ultimate
results, but
in our zeal it is well to consider what the Masters have done, and
do year after
year, age after age. They do what They can, when They can, and as
They can—in
accordance with cyclic law. They conserve the knowledge gained—and
wait. Knowing
this, and doing thus, there can be no room in us for doubt or
discouragement.
The-
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osophy is for those who want it. We are to hold, wait, and work for
those few
earnest souls who will grasp the plan and further the Cause. Many
have their
ears so dulled, or their attention so diverted, that no number of
repetitions
can reach them—yet Theosophy must be held out continually for all
who will
listen. That is our self-assumed work; we have our example in H. P.
B. and W. Q.
J. to means, method and manner: let us imitate them, and so do
their work in
their spirit.
The Theosophical “arch”
has been thrown across the abyss of creeds and
materialism. Some have discovered where a base rests on one or the
other side;
others have found “stones” that belong to the arch, but the
“key-stone” has been
“rejected” because of its irregular shape—all like the story of old
in masonic
tradition. But we are also reminded that the time came when the
rejected stone
became “the head of the corner” because it was found to be the
key-stone. All
the time there were those who knew of the key-stone, but they were
very few and
their voices were not heard amid the clamor of the claims made by
those who had
found portions of the arch and desired recognition. So the few had
to “Work,
Watch—and ‘Wait,” knowing that history repeats itself, and that
there is nothing
new under the sun.
The allegory of the tower
of Babel applies to the present times. Everything
is in confusion, everyone talking his own gibberish—and nobody
listening. I said
“nobody”—but some are; a few realize that none of these things
bring knowledge.
All that can be done is to let the light so shine that all who will
may seek it,
thus sowing for future harvest. It would be a hopeless task were it
not for
Reincarnation; so the great effort should be to promulgate the
fundamental
principles of Unity, of Brotherhood, of Karma and Reincarnation.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
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CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Two
In the work which we have
undertaken together, it matters not whether “we”
fail or succeed: Our purpose has been and will be that the Work
shall go on. We
can throw—each one of us—our best into the effort; the rest is in
other and
stronger hands. Our “best” may not be great, but if the motive is
there, even to
hold our ground is victory in some contingencies, for where there
is no standing
army, the art of fighting has to be learned; the recruits have to
do the
fighting, the older teaching and leading the younger. With no
concern but to
keep in fighting trim, our best work is done when most heavily
pressed and
tried.
It is, then, to the
Teachings that attention has to be called— not to
ourselves who are only handing them on as best we can. If one sees
that in many
ways he is not able to do all that needs to be done, or that he
would like to
accomplish, it is evidence that he is in the way of improving. Our
ideals are
never reached: they continually precede us. As a man thinks, so he
becomes; time
is an element in this, and it is shortened by patient doing of what
we can. To
be in the least cast down by our apparent imperfections is a form
of
impatience—a disregard of Law. Whatever comes is right—until
something better
appears. Observed defects will fade out under observation, so we
can cheerfully
bear with our own defects as well as with those of others, while we
go right on
working.
One of the greatest helps
that Theosophy gives is the power to take a wider
survey of the field of action than is otherwise possible: we do not
look on this
life only, but on many future lives during which “I and thou and
all the princes
of the earth” will live and strive for the universal redemption of
mankind— ever
looking ahead, ever seeing further heights toward which the
awakening spirit may
be directed. There is much strength, there are many faculties among
men and
mostly used without direction of a permanent nature. Could right
philosophy be
implanted—
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even the single idea of the Divine nature in man—a greater impetus
would be
given to right living; then a philosophy in accord with this nature
would be
sought by those so quickened.
It would not take so
long, nor be so difficult, if those who are interested
in Theosophy would stop figuring it out for themselves, and get
busy in
spreading the philosophy and the idea of service. Without the right
philosophy,
strength and special faculties are useless. If all study so as to
be the better
able to help and teach others, there must result a general gain and
help. I
think that the word “Theosophy” has power: if it had not, there
would not be so
many misusing the name. In spite of all these, Theosophy itself is
untouched.
Our work is to keep it pure as it was delivered to us, for the sake
of those who
can be helped—and we are finding some all the time. In better days
we will be
able to do more—and all the better because of present difficulties.
Theosophy
pure and simple is the standard by which efforts may be applied and
errors
combated, so it must always be kept in evidence as the source of
all right
effort.
When the Parent
theosophical society was established, it was necessary to
give it the form that would be best understood by the people of the
time. It was
known that many would cling to the form rather than to the spirit
of the
Theosophical Movement, and would imagine that the spirit could not
exist in any
other form. But also it was known that some would perceive the
spirit and care
only for that. Events have justified all this, so that we stand at
another point
in the cycle. Perfection in action is not possible; so, while
showing forth the
spirit of the Movement only, we yet present a visible basis
necessary in any
exoteric work. “U. L. T.” is a name given to certain principles and
ideas; those
who associate themselves with those principles and ideas are
attracted and bound
by them only—not by their fellows who do likewise or who refrain or
who cease to
consider themselves so bound.
THE DECLARATION, with its signature by the Associates, is a wide
departure from
anything that exists as an organization.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
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IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Three
We are not concerned in
“seeing things,” but in awakening the Higher
Consciousness—for we know that Theosophy gives the knowledge of the
principles
that should guide its students in their public and private work. We
should also
be able to find explicit directions—explicit in the sense that Theosophy
points
the way clearly how best to serve our fellows. So it is good work
to search out
and make available to all, those necessary quotations from their
writings which
carry the intent of the Teachers. If such could not be found, one
might have
grave doubts as to the course to be pursued. If we are able thus to
throw a
clearer light upon the intent, our work will be good for both the
learners and
the learned.
The basis of successful
work is Unity: this is the constant cry of H. P. B.
and W. Q. J. To be able to afford a basis for Unity to individuals
or
organizations, without demanding any relinquishment of affiliation
or belief, is
no small thing. The Declaration of
“U. L. T.” does just that: it is not a theory, but a carrying out
of the spirit
of the Messengers. Paraphrasing a saying of the Master, we might
say: “All
Theosophy is before you; take what you can.”
The part we play, major
or minor, does not concern us at all.’ We might say,
as Judge once did, “sometimes a minor agent is used by the Lodge to
call the
attention of greater ones to a proper course.” Our work is to call
attention to
the true basis for Union among Theosophists—and at the same time to
set the
example. People need, whether new students or old, to grasp the message
of
Theosophy for itself—not because of belief in any person or
organization. If
students succeed in grasping and applying the Philosophy, they will
have true
clairvoyance as to men, things and methods, and their gratefulness
will include
all that contributed to their opportunity; this gratitude will find
expression
in their doing the same for others.
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So, the effort should be
to get those interested to participate, to
associate themselves with the Work and share in its
responsibility—not by
proselyting or urging, but by keeping the idea before them in
various ways. As
with anything else, every method has to be tried, but without
making the line
too hard-and-fast. The main work is to convey ideas.
No doubt the
“successorship” and organizational proponents will do some
squirming over the “U. L. T.” Declaration. Any thing that might be
said will not
prevent their thinking and saying what they like—nor will their
squirming affect
the facts. If the Declaration shows itself to be directly in line
with the
teachings, the teachers, and the original lines laid down, it will
make the
observant think. Doubtless the Declaration could be amplified, but
would not
amplification detract from attention to the points made by it? It
is direct and
it is short, therefore quickly grasped. All can make their own
deductions, but
with us it is “a firm position assumed out of regard for the end in
view.”
Our purpose is to draw
attention to the Teachers and the Teaching, not to
any others; hence it is conservation, safety, to maintain the
impersonality of
“U. L. T.” Its aim, scope and purpose are shown in the Declaration,
and besides,
attention is called to the great underlying Movement which compels
such
alterations from time to time; so, as the declared policy is
followed out and
the Teaching is studied, the practical amplification will come of
itself. Until
each one clarifies his own perceptions he would not know gold of
Ophir from base
metal. What we have avoided is the prevailing tendency to say too
much.
Let “U. L. T.” flourish
on its moral worth alone. The work we have to do,
the knowledge we have to give out, depends on no other names than
those of the
true Teachers, H. P. B. and W. Q. J. Associates must learn to look
to Them, to
point to Them and to the Masters whom They served. Nothing else
will restore the
Movement. Unity is the key note of our attempt, and living persons,
if made
prominent, will detract from that attempt, will be attacked, to the
injury of
the Movement. So we will keep their names out of consideration. Let
the curious
and
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the antagonistic surmise all they want to—the really earnest will
then judge by
the fruits, not by persons. Theosophy does not emanate from any
society nor from
any living persons. So far as the world and all Theosophists are
concerned,
Theosophy comes from H. P. B. and W. Q. J., or rather, through
them. So, to
avoid misconceptions, we get back of living persons to the Message
and the
Messengers.
W. Q. J. was not the
“successor” of H. P. B.; he was her Colleague and
Co-worker who retained his body a few years longer than she
remained in hers. He
was the “stone that was rejected by the builders,” who desired to
pose as
successors to H. P. B.—to the confusion of all who depended on
them. The real
foundation of the “successor craze” is the itch for more
instructions; this
begets the hunt after anyone who will promise fresh “revelations.”
What was
given Out by H. P. B., and applied by W. Q. J., was not and is not
studied by
Theosophists at large, or it would have awakened a fuller thought
and
realization by the students. All the theosophical follies are the
result of
ignorance, superstition and selfishness, which knowledge alone can
overcome. Our
efforts may seem inadequate, but they are in the right direction,
and “a little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” We will do what we can and all
that we know
how to do, enduring the evils of the present while attempting that
which will
work for greater good in the future, here a little and there a
little, thus
leading the minds of Theosophists of every degree and in every
society to as
broad a conception of the Philosophy as possible. And all these
efforts will be
educational for us, too, for we will have to meet all kinds of
minds from
ignorance to arrogance, and so speak as to leave an impress that
will stick.
H. P. B. once wrote: If
anyone holds to Buddha’s philosophy, let him say and
do as Buddha said and did; if a man calls himself a Christian, let
him follow
the commandments of Christ—not the interpretations of his many
dissenting
priests and sects.” The moral is—If anyone desires to be a
Theosophist, let him
study Theosophy as it was given by those who enunciated it. For one
to accept as
true what any teacher chooses to tell him,
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without any means given him by which to verify the statements made,
or without
verifying for himself the facts alleged—is simply to believe on
blind faith, as
do so many others.
Our own difficult task is
to avoid all semblance of authority of any kind,
while being at the same time sure of our ground and not afraid to
say so. We
have, like the Founders, to give everyone an opportunity to see for
himself that
what we have to say is well founded. At present, the initiative is
in our hands
as the pioneers. We have to strike the key-note for those who come
after us;
once struck, it will be followed by those who take hold. The others
will find it
“too absorbing and too lofty” for them, and will not attempt it. In
other words,
we have to show the raison d’être of “U. L. T.” so that others may
see it as
clearly as we do. We have undertaken a high mission and a heavy
task—not because
we think ourselves so eminently fit, but because we see the need
and there is no
one else to do it; and we also know that we will not be left alone
in the doing.
So, what we have to give are the salient points, clear and
definite, as well as
concise in statement, so that thought shall be directed to them; to
make the
points so striking that they cannot be passed over, even by the
careless reader;
and that they shall stand as facts, and facts only, before the
mind, verifiable
by anyone who cares enough to do so.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Four
Mere attendance at
meetings is not enough to make us feel our identity with
the work. Attendance is but the preliminary to a further step; this
shows itself
when those who attend begin to ask how they may obtain further
understanding. As
they participate they develop, of course—but they must not be
allowed to forget
the object of the help afforded them, nor that such help is but a
means and a
way. The object of Theosophical study and
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work is not individual development, but that each and all should
become true
helpers of Humanity. Some will catch the feeling. The tendency to
say more than
is useful to the newcomers is a common one in the beginning, but is
gradually
overcome when it is seen to minimize inquiry. We should push nothing,
while
responding to everything. We would not use force if we could,
because each mind
has to be free to choose; otherwise there would be no true
progress. And I think
this is a good attitude to be taken in the matter of questions
concerning
theosophical claims and exponents. These various stripes must have
their place
in the great economy of consciousness—they must have, or people
would not be
attracted by them, would not seize and hold on to them. When the
particular
“stripe” does not bring the devotee the expected result in
knowledge, then a
further search is indicated to the mind so caught. Every person
really waked up
by such claims or exponents will touch us sooner or later, if we
hold to the
straight line. On this, Mr. Judge once wrote: “By our not looking
at their
errors too closely, the Master will be able to clear it all off and
make it work
well.”
The fewer the words an
idea can be expressed in, the better. Our effort is
to disseminate among Theosophists the idea of unity regardless of
organization.
Many “old timers” will not see the need, but those disgusted with
the claims and
squabbles of organizations will fall into line on the true basis of
union:
“Similarity of aim, purpose and teaching”—for they will see that
the failure of
the various societies is in that basic lack. Let each go his own
way, and with
best intention, giving credit to others for the same: in this way
we set up no
hindrances, no matter what others may do. No hindrance leaves an
inlet, and
there is no saying what may come about even among those who hold to
separateness. We sympathize with all efforts to spread broadcast
the teachings
of Theosophy pure and simple, without expressing preference for any
organization
or individual so engaged—recognizing that while methods differ, the
Cause of one
is the Cause of all, Meantime, we go on with our own line of work
which, because
of its freedom from any complications of organization,
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presents a catholic spirit. We are not drawing attention to our
selves as a
body, but to the principles that, as a body, we hold. The
Declaration is a
summation of the stand that all Theosophists should take—toward the
work and
toward each other. We all need to cultivate that charity which
sympathizes with
every effort to spread Theosophy, even if the methods and other
things do not
appeal to us: any effort is better than no effort at all.
This tolerance does not
mean “fraternizing” with everything and everyone
that demands it; it only means that no one is to be condemned for
his opinions.
We may not care to spend time and energy in his direction, which is
our
privilege—and if he were himself tolerant he would not wish us to.
Many who talk
“tolerance” seem to think it means that every one else should
endorse what they
want to say or do. The tolerance is of little value which consists
in the
egotistical attempt to enlist the support of those who have their
own duty to
attend to.
“U. L. T.” and its
Declaration will be compared by many with the claims made
by the various societies and their exponents. Each of these makes
the claim that
he or it is alone right. What are our claims?—it will be asked. We
make none: we
point to the Message, the Messengers, and Their enunciation of the
Work—and
carry on the latter in accordance; we have no “revelation” to
offer, we only
hand on that which was known before. The position is unique and
unassailable in
that it makes no claim to any other authority than, the Message and
the
Messengers. It should be our policy to state at each meeting what
our purposes
are—namely, to disseminate the fundamental principles of Theosophy
and to answer
questions on the provided.
The Authority which we
recognize is not what men term authority, which comes
from outside and which demands obedience, but an internal
recognition of the
value of that which flows through any given point, focus, or
individual. This is
the authority of one’s Self-discrimination, intuition, the highest
intellection.
If we follow what we recognize in that way, and still find it good,
we naturally
keep our faces in that direction. This means no slavish following
of any
person—a distinction
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which some are unable to grasp. H. P. B. wrote: “Don’t follow me or
my Path:
follow the path I show, the Masters who are behind.” We point
always that the
most and the best anyone can do is to do as Judge did—follow the
lines laid down
by H. P. B., regardless of any others. All that we are doing is to
help others
to find those lines. We do not want attention paid to us. It is
true that “U. L.
T.” necessarily centers around those most active in it, but they
could do
nothing if history, evidence, and energies were not in the lines
taken. So we
point to those lines of direction as the things to be seen and
known. For
ourselves we are merely some who are able to grasp and apply as
well as aid in
direction. This will prevent
“U. L. T.” from degenerating into some such
condition as now exists throughout the theosophical world, for if
attention is
attracted to the living workers, it is thereby detracted from the
real issue.
One may have confidence, how ever, without making the mistake of
placing anyone
too high. The strength shown by any worker is not that of the
personality, which
has none, of itself; it lies in the words, the ideas, the
conviction of truth
held by the inner man.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Five
H. P. B. showed herself a
true Teacher when she said, “Do not follow me nor
my path; follow the path I show, the Masters who are behind.” The
wisdom of this
advice is seen in observing the course of those who judged of the
teaching by
what they could see of the teacher. They judged her by their
standards, not by
her adhesion to the Theosophy she taught. W. Q. Judge had similar
judgment
passed on him, primarily because he upheld H. P. B. first, last,
and all the
time. This was the underlying cause of the attacks made on him by
those who
should have been his defenders. They were fearful of “authority”—so
fearful they
tried
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to convey the impression that they could explain her away, could
tell where she
was right and where she made “mistakes”; thus making a claim to
authority that
she never made. They minimized the only possible source on which
reliance could
be placed, while Judge continually pointed to her as the Teacher to
whom all
alike should look.
Those who followed his
example and advice then, or who will follow it now,
found and will find where she pointed. In effect it comes to this,
that those
who professed or who profess to look to H. P. B. as their Teacher,
do not do so
unless they also look on Judge as she looked on Him. If they minimize
or vilify
Judge, they have to minimize and vilify H. P. B.
We are striving for Unity
first, and as far as possible leave out points
that may antagonize. Theosophy itself, pure and simple, is the
great “unifier”;
more we can encourage others to study and apply Theosophy, the more
will they
see for themselves the parts played by the various persons and
personages in the
movement. Our work is to inform, not to proselyte.
The Masters used Colonel
Olcott because he was fit for the work he was given
to do, and the only one at that time who could do it; and
furthermore, he was
willing, despite his failings, to stick to his task without hope of
reward. It
is certain that he missed much that he might have had, and finally
let the
Society drift into the wrong hands through his very inability to
discriminate.
For this, he alone was to blame; but the law adjusts and will
adjust. We cannot
judge as between him and Those who used him. They did not condone
his faults.
They used his virtues—and gave him every opportunity to increase
them. Perhaps
his close and unremitting attention to the exoteric work he had to
do, prevented
attention to his own nature, so that he thought he was entitled to
some
relaxation of the kind he understood. It may be that some knowing
his faults,
and that he still did good and prominent work for the Movement
notwithstanding—have reasoned that the faults do not count, and can
be atoned
for, or overlooked, as is the case with many a public man by reason
of service.
This is a mistake, for the path of true Occultism and
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that of immorality do not coincide. The Masters do not judge
anyone, nor can
They “forgive” anyone for sins of omission and commission.
Naturally They must
stand as did the Essenian Master, when he said, “Let him that is
without sin
amongst you, cast the first stone.” Masters have to use such
material as exists.
If anyone has lapses, so much the worse for him and for the work.
It should also
be remembered that so long as one is willing to stay in the work,
he can. Each
stays or goes out in accordance with his own desire. The door is
never shut on
him by the Law, and the laws of Occultism do not permit “removal
for cause.” It
is strange that so many who have studied Theosophy fail to
understand these
things, but never fail to characterize and pass judgment.
And all this applies, not
to Colonel Olcott only, nor to any particular
person. It applies to all and sundry—ourselves included. All
through the
writings and conduct of H. P. B. and Judge, condemnation of others
is warned
against; yet those who elected themselves to be their students paid
little
attention either to warning or example. This led either to
condemnation of
persons, or to worship of them, and then to dissensions and
disruptions, ending
in total lack of discrimination. The Path of Brotherhood and the
Path of
Occultism are One Path.
Of course, here and
there, all the crimes in the calendar have been
committed by professed theosophists, but the majority, in the old
days as now,
have been good men and women—many times misled by their own
ignorance, by their
misconceptions, by their desires and passions sometimes, but
honestly striving
with their enormous difficulties. Olcott was not young when he was
“pulled out
of the fire,” and had the vices of his time and position in the
world. But he
did what no one else at that time would undertake; the Masters
assisted him,
while knowing his weaknesses; and we should judge him by what he
did for
Theosophy. So also with Mrs. Besant, who is sincere, if mistaken.
In Mrs.
Tingley there is apparent lack of sincerity, and much that is the
opposite of
theosophical conduct. When questions are asked, and when occasion
compels it,
plain statements of fact have to
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be made, but in defense of Theosophy, not in condemnation of any
person. This is
our key to a right attitude in all such cases presented by
theosophical history,
made or in the making. It may be a hair line—but we have to find
it, and while
pointing out truth, whether in Theosophical philosophy or history,
to avoid
condemnation, even where names have to be mentioned. Where others
have made
mistakes and gone wrong, they become a vicarious atonement for
those who might
have done the same thing but for the lesson learned from the errors
of others.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Six
Organizational
Theosophists have the “successorship” idea in their minds, as
has the world in general, simply because of the various claims made
in that
direction. This has to be cleared up in no uncertain way, but at
the same time
without the slightest intimation of intolerance or condemnation, by
pointing out
that one has to know Truth in order to detect its counterfeits. So
we point to
the Message and the Messengers as the Source upon which all should
rely who
desire to learn what pure Theosophy is and what it is not.
There are many things to be worked out in connection with the “U.
L. T.” If the
movement is to spread, how are beginnings to be made in other places,
and how
are they to be started right and kept in line? It can only be done
through close
communication with some sure and solid point of help and guidance.
As matters
stand, anyone can take the name and consciously or unconsciously
mix things
up—as has been done with Theosophy itself. What means, if any,
should be taken
to conserve the name “U. L. T.” to the particular effort? It is for
us to devise
ways and means. There is time enough, but the field should grow in
extent, so
that the future has to be considered. Would not a magazine serve as
guide and
means of communication whereby
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the discrimination and judgment of all would grow? What all need is
intelligent
devotion to Masters’ cause, which involves the subservience of the
personal
self. It is always personal divagations that throw students off the
Philosophy
and “the straight and narrow path.” We have to go ahead, doing what
seems right
in ever varying circumstances, and that is where discrimination
comes in. It is
never what one would like to do in this or that condition—but what
should be
done. We have much to do to fit ourselves for what may be in store.
Can we do
it? We can try.
If basic ideas are not taken in, nothing can be done. If we can do
no more, as
humble agents, than to keep these ideas alive in the world and
among
Theosophists, we should be content; but we are not through, and
while our life
lasts we will keep on doing all we can to give others a sound
basis, a better
understanding of what the great Ideas of Theosophy mean. Each of us
must find
his own expressions of the same great Truths.
This is an age of
transition and our work is to hark back to first
principles, promulgate and sustain them as best we can, so that
they shall be
ready for those who need them, drawing our inspiration from the
Message and the
Messengers. This constitutes the right work for all Arjunas. It is
not the
“personality,” but what “it” represents to us that is the danger.
In the case of
some it might drag down the ideal; so, let the ideal exist, but let
the visible
focus be unknown except to those who have a right to know.
There must be “someone” to reply to questions; a magazine would do
this without
making anyone responsible for the opinions therein expressed. We
must get one
started, but we will need readers—where will they be found? That
also is for the
future. We will have to advance boldly without,—not in our own
strength, but in
the strength of that for which we speak. We have to be like Sir
Galahad whose
“strength was as a thousand men because his heart was pure.” There
will be then
no terror of personal defeat, nor anxiety for personal success, but
only
Masters’ work and our continued effort in it. If this spells
failure, we will
have the right to pronounce the word and understand
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its meaning; at the very Worst, We Will not have “failed” in vain.
But we have
no idea of failing, because the only real failure would be to stop
working, and
we will not do that.
We cannot and should not
prevent others from using the Declaration of “U.
L. T.”—but we should see that they get started right. If other
centers are begun
and those beginning them have the right spirit, they will want to
be in close
touch with the rest. We have not only the duty of promulgating, but
of
safeguarding as far as possible the spirit of our Declaration. “U.
L. T.” is
avowedly a voluntary association; hence a Lodge that would not want
association
with the rest would be an anomaly. Is it possible that any group in
sympathy
with the Declaration would hold the opinion that unity is local
only? They
might; but Registration would help. If any did not wish to
register, would they
be in accord? Lodges, like Associates, should become so by the
simple fact of
registration.
Growth of the movement
should be and will be slow, but it cannot be kept
confined and still be growth. As new centres spring up, perhaps at
great
distance, they would easily be thrown into confusion without the
help of trained
Associates. What means should be taken to keep such centers in
touch with older
students? A magazine would help greatly if all the Associates took
it—but we
have to remember that only a very small proportion did that in the
old days.
That may prove to be the case with us, yet we must try to lay firm
foundations
for all who will enter. This is our duty to them, to the Masters,
and to
ourselves whose aim is to serve the cause of Masters.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Seven
What we need to be on our
guard against in working theosophically, is not
our mistakes—but our avoidable mistakes.
It is a mistake to allow
the impression to grow in anyone’s mind that he is
of importance to Theosophy. Theosophy was
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restored to the world for the sake of those who are looking for
light, not for
those who are satisfied with things as they are and life as they
find it. So, to
try to interest special persons is not worth the effort expended.
The very
effort made prevents by arousing either opposition or erroneous
notions. To let
as many as possible know about Theosophy, but to seek out no one in
particular,
is the wiser course.
The Karma of many is such
as to leave no mental or physical doors open
directly, yet even they may be reached indirectly through the
efforts of others
in affinity with them, who may take hold and find the way. What we
should do is
rather to convey the information that the opportunity to understand
and apply
Theosophy comes under Karma to the very few, not because it is
withheld from
anyone, but because their prevailing tendencies are not of a nature
to leave the
mind open to the consideration of new truths, or to enable them to
take
advantage of the ways and means afforded. This comes from neglect
or misuse of
opportunities in former lives, in many cases. Especially is this
true in this
age when so much of the ancient Wisdom is once more made available
to all who
will. All get this chance, some more favorably than others. It is
the height of
unwisdom to neglect the opportunity again, most especially in those
cases where
it is brought home to them without effort. In our daily lives we
mingle with
people as they are. This enables us to show human sympathy with
their life, to
understand their conditions, without getting involved in either,
while in
indefinable ways giving the impression of the serious side of life
and the
necessity of real knowledge as to its meaning.
It is both wise and
necessary to have a good comprehension of ways and
means, of the processes of dealing with others’ minds, not merely
for the sake
of doing or being good,” but that they and we may learn the rules
of
Soul-warfare, the duties, individual and collective, of the
incarnated Ego, the
‘Warrior.” We are Karma, for we are the cause of all we do. Our
trouble is that
we do not realize the extent to which the causes go which we set in
motion,
either for good or evil. Hence the necessity for know-
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ing our pedigree, spiritual, intellectual, and physical. Our
heredity is our
own, the present effects of causes set going by us in the long
past.
Although all that we can
say is but a re-statement, there is a different
light cast sometimes by a word or an application, which will be
helpful and
useful to some. The two things that hinder effectiveness are our
own failure to
give as good an impression as might be, and the failure of the
listener to
appreciate the meaning of what is said. Most minds cannot look
beyond the
person, with his faults and limitations, beyond the giver to the
gift itself and
all that it implies, and so, expect too much of the personality in
that it does
not fully embody what is handed on.
This will be true of the
“U. L. T.,” as of the workers who make up its life,
for the course of “U. L. T.” will be what its Associates make it—no
more, no
less. Its “basis for union” is purposely left undefined from the
exoteric, the
personal, point of view, in order to make more prominent the true
and lasting
basis for unity among all who call themselves Theosophists. A
central office or
bureau of registry will serve to keep a record of all Associates,
and to receive
and give out information and help to all Lodges and individual
inquirers
interested in any way in Theosophy and the Theosophical Movement,
quite
regardless of whether they are affiliated with our Association or
not.
This means of Theosophical
inter-communication will be of great importance,
but every care must be taken to keep it impersonal, non-partisan,
non-proselyting, while at the same time a dependable source of
information on
Theosophical history as well as philosophy. It must be so conducted
that it will
never drift into any kind of a controlling force. This can always
be obviated
and guarded against by continual reiteration and application of the
principle of
union, that “mental control” of any kind is contrary to the letter
and the
spirit of our Declaration, and that, while Lodges and individuals
may seek
information, advice and suggestion, they are not in any way bound
in so doing.
Those who are true to
this principle will always remain in union, even on an
agreement to differ, if the older students take
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that position and set the example themselves. It should never at
any time, nor
should any of our policies and practices, degenerate into hard and
fast
conclusions as to men, things, or methods of work. If we stand true
and
steadfast as to our aim, purpose and teaching, we will afford such
aid and
guidance as is in our power to all who may inquire, and all
necessary
arrangements will shape themselves. We have but to keep continually
in mind and
heart the original lines laid by H. P. B. and W. Q. J., namely
UNITY first, as a
focus for spiritual growth and mutual strength; STUDY, that a
knowledge of the
Movement, its purpose, its Teachers and its Message, may be had;
WORK, upon
ourselves in the light of that study, and for others first, last,
and all the
time.
All that any of us can
give is Theosophy. We did not invent it. It was given
to us; we stand in line and pass it along, as people used to do at
fires in
passing the buckets of water. People are grateful to the one who
passes the
“water of life” along to them, but the “passer” knows where
gratitude belongs,
and says: “don’t thank me; thank Theosophy—as I do. It enables me
to help
others; it will also enable you.” Thus he helps them and helps
himself to get
rid of the personal idea. The fight against the “personal idea” is
a long one
and a strong one. It has to be guarded against that it does not
take to itself
what it has no claim to. What others think we are serves as an
object lesson for
them, but our ideal is beyond all personality and personalities. It
does not
matter what people think of “us,” as long as they come and get
Theosophy
straight. There should be more and more come in closer, for the
sake of
Theosophy—new units in the body of Workers.
The Messengers have left
all that is necessary—for us and for others—in the
way of direction; it is for us and for them to apply the right
things at the
right times and in the right way. Some may think this discouraging;
so, many are
looking for “orders and instructions” from Masters in ways and
means. This would
not do any good, even if it were possible, for if directed in every
thing, how
could we grow in discrimination, judgment and
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power? We would be but automata, and would never fill the necessary
place. No
doubt They help all sincere men by adjustment rather than
direction; so we
should not look for the latter, but using our own best Theosophical
judgment
move forward, feeling sure that if our understanding of the nature
of the task
is good, and our motive pure, the right way will appear to us. This
will be
guidance of the right sort—one that leads to growth. In the
meantime we live and
learn, and should not forget that They and we are working in the
present for the
future, and for the same great end. It is a “bumpy” road that we
are
traveling—because the Karma of our race has constructed that kind
of a road;
there is no other way to get help to the race but by traveling it
as best we
can.
Masters do not direct;
They adjust. There have been and there are those who
think and say, in effect: “the Master will do everything.” All such
are bound to
go wrong, by not considering what is the right thing and the right
way, by not
using all the powers they have to determine the right procedure and
conduct. We
trust to the great Lodge and to the Law, but use the powers we have
to the best
of our ability: what we cannot do, we know They will do when
necessary. We have
to present this idea for the better guidance of all.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Eight
Many members of the
various theosophical societies will naturally demur to
our conclusions and conduct, while sympathizing with our
determination to adhere
to Theosophy strictly as originally recorded. Others, the “old
timers” who play
the leading roles in these societies, will oppose us vigorously
while themselves
claiming to “revere” H. P. B. This cannot be avoided if we are to
be true to our
declared purposes, for those purposes would necessitate a radical
change in
attitude on the part of both leaders
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and followers in the different societies. But all those who are not
so deeply
committed that they will not or dare not consider philosophy, logic
and facts on
their merits—all those who are or who may become to any extent
open-minded, will
make some investigation, will gain a better outlook to that degree,
a better
appreciation of the need for Unity on a philosophical basis. These
impressions
will be recalled when such theosophists themselves are forced by
events within
their own sphere of interest to a reconsideration. Let us, then,
trust to
recorded facts, recorded philosophy, and the consistent example set
by the true
Teachers H. P. B. and W. Q. J.
It was natural that you
should attend the Art Exhibit, but unfortunate that
it detracted from the strength of the meeting by taking you away.
Where there
are so few, the absence of even one is felt by all. It weakens the
current by
division of interest for the time being; moreover, the tendency to
repeat is
easily established. This may seem like making a “jealous god” out
of Theosophy,
but it springs from experience, and is given for what it may be
worth to you. It
should not be taken as a stricture on any particular thing or
person, but in
general, as a guiding principle. I know that you are no lukewarm
Theosophist,
but I am thinking of the example set to younger students. It is so
easy, and
especially in the earlier stages, to lose enthusiasm for the Work
itself through
dissipation of energy in diversions harmless in themselves. It is
better to take
relaxation or to attend to “social” matters at other than meeting
times, if our
intention really is “to sacrifice to the Permanent the mutable.”
A year ago at this time,
what has since been done and what is in the air to
be done, all seemed a long, long way off. U. L. T. has made quite a stride
since it was formed, and already it is standing firmly on its own
feet, and
begins to make its voice heard in the land. Devotion did it, and
has grown
stronger through the efforts made; so there is every encouragement.
A few have
already grasped something of the spirit of this movement; there
will be more as
time goes on, and some of them will grow into real warriors. If we
give our
hearts to the Cause, all the rest will follow.
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Many hear, but few heed
the Message, and of those who heed, few are they who
take to heart the warnings of the Teachers. Some think, evidently,
that all
warnings are a sort of scare crow to test their courage. They
forget or ignore
that the real test is not of our courage but of our discrimination.
If the
philosophy is true and Masters are behind it, then what They say is
meant. They
have said other things besides warnings, and these also are meant,
as fully and
as truly as their warnings.
Theosophy is not in
conflict with any form of religion, any society, any
man, any opinion—however much these may be in conflict with
Theosophy. What
Theosophy is engaged in, through those who believe in it, as we do,
without any
mental reservations whatsoever, is a battle for recognition.
Theosophy serves to
explain the hidden side, the real and inner meaning of all things,
for it is a
friend to understanding, an aid to knowledge. By it a man may come
to know
himself through and through. It is because of misunderstanding of
the real Self
that we have all these religions, sects, parties, dogmas, with all
their vested
interests and sustainers. It is the Karma of the race that meets
us, so we will
not cry out nor dodge it when it confronts us. What we might
otherwise think is
the worst, is the best thing that could come, if we meet it in the
right spirit,
clearing up our Karma as we go along, making ourselves better
instruments for
Them. We are not working because of our self-interest in the
results, but for
Masters and for Humanity. So, we will take cheerfully whatever
comes, “enjoy or
suffer whatever the Higher Self may have in store for us by way of
experience or
discipline.” It is for us to go on without doubt or anxiety: both
are hindrances
which spring from the lower nature, not the Higher. We suffer, and
must continue
to suffer from the bodily and mental weaknesses of the race. We can
cheerfully
endure all this when we are working for a better time, better minds
and bodies,
better understanding for the whole of humanity.
There come times to
everyone in his development when work seems useless and
irksome. I think that the irksomeness of the work is the cleaning
up of Karma
and the clearing up of “the
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sheaths of the Soul.” That which galls, that which hurts, is our
personal
desires unattained or feared to be unattainable. We can go through
all, bear
all, in thinking of the Self of all. It is by giving up self to
Self that the
White Adept has become what He is. We “know” all this very well,
but it is the
realization of it that we lack; hence we find the pressure hard
many times. We
have to keep on, and dwell as much as possible in the Self and on
the Self;
every effort brings the time of realization nearer.
It is by dwelling on our
inherent perfectibility that we get rid of our
imperfections. The last thing to doubt is the inherent
perfectibility of all
men. Here is an interesting statement by H.P. B.:
“Every Ego has the Karma
of past Manvantaras behind him. The Ego starts with
Divine Consciousness—no past, no future, no separation. It is long
before
realizing that it is itself. Only after many births does it begin
to discern, by
this collectivity of experience, that it is individual. At the end
of its cycle
of reincarnation it is still the same Divine Consciousness, but it
has now
become individualized Self- Consciousness.”
Without this sense of
inherent perfection, there would be nothing worth
living for: a few years of “pleasure and pain,” and then it is all
gone—and what
has been gained? Do what we will, we cannot escape Life, for we are
Life—all the
time; most of us realize but a portion of its possibilities.
Sometime we will
learn what Life really means. We are working to that end, for
others as well as
ourselves—mostly now for those others “who know still less than
we,” but we also
are learning all the time. Is it not worth all that it costs? Men
make greater
sacrifices than we are called upon to make, and for infinitely
less—a few years
of questionable happiness, and then oblivion as far as they know or
can see.
That we can see even a little of the purpose of life, is much; to
feel it, is
greater still; to realize it, is to Live. If Nietzsche’s doctrine
is right, then
we have made a great mistake. Well, have we? There is no “if” about
it; we have
every certainty that we are doing right in following the Path of
Mas-
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ters, the lines laid by H. P. B. So what matters it if we suffer
wounds in
battling for Them and for all mankind. We have accomplished
something, however
small. We have done all that we could do and the fight is still on.
It is a
School of Life, and everything that comes to us at any time
contains in it the
thing we need, whether it seems hard, troublesome ,or pleasant.
The Work makes up for the
sacrifice. “Nothing is gained with out sacrifice.”
Let us take to heart Judge’s words: “And yet, at every moment,
every hour of
each day, these Masters are willing and anxious to meet those who
are clear-eyed
enough to see their own true destiny, and noble-hearted so as to
work for ‘the
great orphan, Humanity.’”
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Nine
There are many “good
souls” who do not know their own minds, and hence have
no solid basis in Theosophy while accepting it as the only thing
worth knowing.
They cannot “stay put” any where. We don’t have to hunt them
up—they come to us
right along. If we had to look for them we might let them go by, as
not being of
the right kind or from some other ostensible reason. There are
hundreds who have
gone off on one wrong track or another. They all have some good
traits—Karmic
inheritances; but these do not bring Wisdom nor Will. They need
guidance, not
leadership. Study and work is their only salvation and we can help
them all to
the degree that our Karma and theirs permits, if only by example.
Our work is
with all Theosophists. As far as I can see, “U. L. T.” is the only
real “olive
branch” in the Movement, for it means peace with all, in unity of
aim, purpose,
and teaching.
Had Theosophists remained
together on this basis, dissensions could never
have occurred, and the many side-issues would have had no vogue.
What a Karma
for the delinquents and for the
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world! The ignorant take up with pretensions and promises, and
while some will
remain ignorant, no small number will develop into sorcery of the
worst kind.
The undiscriminating innocents in all these bodies screen what is
behind,
because unable to see that they are being used for selfish ends.
That is the
pity of it. The great majority of people deride the idea of anyone
possessing
occult powers for evil.
This is the mystery of
the human mind. Being creative, it endows its every
form of thought with life and being, makes for itself idols in its
own image,
and then seeks to exact obedience from others. And such idols as it
creates—monsters or vampires! These things are not pleasant to
contemplate, but
they exist. We cannot shut our eyes to them, and must warn all whom
we can,
pointing to the SELF as the refuge. Theosophists, if they would
follow the one
safe, true and royal road, have to forget persons and leaders and
attend to
Principles, and be loyal to Those who gave them out. In order to be
loyal to H.
P. B. and W. Q. J., they have to follow the lines laid down by the
Teachers. If
we are loyal to H. P. B. and Judge and what They stand for, we
shall not be
found running after leaders who cry lo here, and lo there. Many are
“joined to
their idols: let them alone.” But warnings to would-be’s are always
in order,
and where we see danger to others, it is our duty to warn—not in
antagonism to
anything but those errors and wrong practices which bring injurious
results.
Theosophists must point out error by comparison with Theosophy.
Methods must
vary with time, place and conditions. Few minds, especially those
attracted by
“the lure of the Occult,” are able to make applications in any wide
sense.
Distinctions have to be pointed out to them. We have to learn that
the way to
present truth is by examining various beliefs in its light, not by
forcible
attempts to “corner” another. Even an animal resists when cornered;
so the right
way to obtain consideration of the ideas we have to present implies
a full sense
of freedom on the part of the one who listens, as well as on the
part of the
speaker. In these days of proselyting and propaganda for all sorts
of ‘isms
there is the more need for tolerance if we are to find those chinks
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in the mind of others through which questions may possibly be
aroused. We can
set the example of examining anything on its merits, and then
presenting in
contrast the Theosophical view, which accords with nature as a
whole.
The “U. L. T.” Declaration
should turn the attention of every open-minded
Theosophist from forms to principles. It provides a real basis for
study and
work. Its reasonableness should awaken many to get busy on
themselves. The door
is open to all, but we cannot help those who will neither listen
nor think. I
was amused at the statement published in the Besant periodical that
U. L. T. is
a “secession from Point Loma.” I wonder how they made the
deduction? As it is
largely composed of Theosophists from different organizations, it
might better
be called a “secession” from them all! The fact that “U. L. T.”
does not profess
attachment to any organization, and that it has no organization of
its own, does
not appear to have registered with those who would pigeon-hole us as
well as
themselves. We can leave it to time to vindicate the truth. As the
years go on,
and “U. L. T.” becomes better known by its fruits, it will be more
and more
difficult for those who have an axe to grind to label us anything
but
straight-line Theosophists, resolutely declining any connection
with any
theosophical organization, but always in full sympathy with our
fellow-Theosophists of all organizations or of none. Yet we must be
watchful to
correct the impression wherever it exists that “U. L. T.” is a
secession or
succession, or anything but an Association to study and apply
Theosophy pure and
simple. Can any sincere student observe the things taught and done
in the name
of Theosophy and fail to see the crying need for just such an Association
as “U.
L. T.”? Some otherwise loyal Theosophists think that the Movement
has failed for
this cycle, because of the dissensions and false doctrines so much
in evidence.
They ought to remember that Masters never cease working, and that
it is always
possible for even the humblest Theosophist who is clear-eyed and
humanity-loving
to aid Their endeavor. The way to know the truth is to get back to
what the
Teachers themselves gave, both in philosophy and
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in right work. If that is done, it will be found that there is
neither
“variableness nor the shadow of turning” in the “U. L. T.” from the
lines laid
down by those Teachers. We need to bring again and again to the
attention of all
discouraged or bewildered Theosophists what H. P. B. wrote to Judge
in 1888:
“Night before last I was
shown a bird’s-eye view of the Theosophical
Societies. I saw a few earnest, reliable Theosophists in a
death-struggle with
the world in general, and with other—nominal but
ambitious—Theosophists. The
former are greater in number than you may think, and they
prevailed, as you in
America will prevail, if you only remain staunch to the Master’s
programme and
true to yourselves.” And again: “For it is only when the Nucleus is
formed that
the accumulations can begin that will end in future years, however
far, in the
formation of that body which we have in view.”
Students have missed much
by careless reading. If this is a Movement
inspired by Masters, and if H. P. B. and Judge were Their
mouth-pieces, there is
the necessity for looking into the meaning behind the words They
used. To think
that the effort had failed and that it was no use to try further,
would show
lack of faith in the Masters and a misunderstanding of the great
occult laws
that govern such a Movement as this. “The wheel of the Good Law
moves swiftly
on. It grinds by night and day. The worthless husks it drives from
out the
golden grain, the refuse from the flour.” This must apply to the
Movement, as
well as to everything else—being Universal in its scope. I do not
think that
They used words purposelessly; it is for us and for all others who
would serve
Them, to apply, apply, apply Their teachings. There is no time
limit to effort.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
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IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Ten
If we waited until we
were saints would we ever begin? The Gita says, “Lay
all thy deeds, good and bad alike, upon me.” We have to give
ourselves as we
are, not as we would like to be, or we could never become as
Masters are. The
fact that some of our deeds are recognized as bad, means their
relinquishment
sooner or later. This must be so, if we are striving to be true to
Them. So,
while doing all we can to make the way sure and clear according to
our lights,
we may step forward with strength and boldness, because the path is
Theirs as
well as ours. At times we may doubt, but this arises from the
personal
uncertainty, the fear of one or another consequence. We should take
it that what
ever comes is a necessary position for us to be in, in order to do
further and
better work for Them.
And we are helped, and in the right way, the way our nature
needs—not
necessarily according to what we assume would be the proper way. If
we felt
certain that They would be on hand to pull US Out of holes we walk
into
carelessly, or have made possible by past neglect, how could we
ever learn right
discrimination and right action? “Ingratitude is not one of our
vices.” They
have said this, and it is lived up to. We may be sure the very best
that can be
done for us is done and being done all the time. We have to find
the way to Them
through service. Criticisms by others may or may not be well taken.
We have to
judge by results obtained, rather than by anyone’s opinion, and
follow those
methods which bring desirable results. “Old timers” will naturally
criticize
because in many cases they have lost the spirit of the work. They
are in the
dark generally, both as to Theosophy and the theosophical
organizations, so that
simple loyalty and devotion to the Message and the Messenger is
difficult for
them to understand. We shall be glad to have their moral support if
no more, and
their criticisms will help us to steer clear of repeating the
errors of the
past. The
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old timers” do not realize that they need adjustment more than any
newcomers to
Theosophy. The best way to help both classes of mind as well as
ourselves is to
stick to principles and let each apply them for himself. The
“stuff” handed out
by all these organizations and leaders, the claims made for them,
only go to
show how vitally necessary it is that the true Teachers and the
true Teaching
should be pointed out in no uncertain tone.
There is a psychic wave
at present and it will require much effort to
maintain any movement in the true direction. So far as we are
concerned, this
will cause the output of energy which increases strength. If it
were not for
such obstacles and opportunities we might fall into mere reliance
upon our
present acquirements and results achieved, and so go no further. We
have to
think at all times of others and of the future. If others are not
helped and
trained to take hold, to share in the work and its
responsibilities, then,
should anything happen to us, the Work would suffer. Study and
preparation on
the part of beginners will alone make them efficient as
propagandists. In
endeavoring to aid them, it is essential to encourage their own
initiative as
much as possible, suggesting and adjusting when and where
necessary.
For the beginning, the middle, and the end, we should hold to the
Three
Fundamental Propositions of The Secret Doctrine in all our public
work—for upon
these the whole philosophy hinges, and unless well grounded in
them, no real
progress can be had. The first thing to make clear in every
exposition of
Theosophy is the impossibility of the ordinary conception of a
personal or
separate God, and the importance of realizing the SELF as all, in
all. Then, the
Law of Periodicity, Cycles or Karma, in all its applications as
“the world’s
eternal ways.” This shows Reincarnation by analogy, as also the
successive
re-embodiments of solar systems, planets, and every form of matter.
This leads
naturally to the consideration of “the Universal Over-Soul,” the
collective
intelligence in any solar system, as well as in all of them—for all
are
connected, “down to the minutest conceivable atom,” and what
affects one affects
all—Egos small and great as well as
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embryonic ones. This means Unity throughout all, inter-action among
all,
individual responsibility.
It will be well at every
study class to state what the purpose of the
meeting is; to have volunteers state in their own words their
understanding of
the Three Fundamentals. Questions should be freely invited and
asked, the object
being that students, even beginners, should formulate for
themselves. Only so
can they make their understanding good, and get themselves in the
position where
they can best help others even as they have been helped. In the
class in The
Ocean of Theosophy, the Three Fundamentals are the background of
the whole work.
Chapter by chapter, in question and answer, the applications can be
brought out
and the consistency of the entire philosophy made clear. Individual
students who
want to learn should both ask and answer questions in terms of the
philosophy
itself. There will be difficulty in getting many to see the
importance of this
continual reiteration, but it is essential to all true progress.
Unavoidably we shall
draw the attention of those who are inimical to
anything we may attempt in Theosophical work, as well as the
attention of those
who desire to learn what pure Theosophy is. Well, all this takes
time to
overcome, but time swallows up men, centuries, and worlds—as well
as some
attitudes of mind. We know such an effort as ours is needed, and we
know that
what we present is eternal Truth itself, the effects of which will
go on
forever. We are glad to have people “register,” glad for them, and
glad for the
world’s sake, but not as a favor to us. We can rejoice that those
interested are
able to see their true interest and join themselves to the helpers
of humanity.
There is much of wrong, of error, of mistaken idea, and these we
have to
recognize where found, take a lesson from them, and so avoid the
pitfalls into
which so many have stumbled. We need not care for what is said
about any of us
personally, though we shall have to meet it so that “U. L. T.” will
not be
affected by anything of the kind. All attacks upon Theosophy and
Theosophical
work have been directed, not at the philosophy or the Objects of
Theosophical
work, but at those who were at the front and looked
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upon as the directors of the Movement. We will discount this as
much as possible
by keeping ourselves in the background, so that if attacks should
come, as is
not improbable, they will affect the work as little as possible.
The way we have
marked out for ourselves bids fair to prevent any particular
hindrance to our
work. H. P. B. and Judge were pioneers, and many of the
theosophical
illuminati—save the mark—have sought to belittle Them. The whole
crowd of
“successors” have either to belittle the Teachers—or direct
attention to Them.
In the latter case, the “successors” lose out; what they have done
and are doing
tells its own story. Well, people can take their choice between our
work, which
directs attention to the Messengers and Their Message, and the work
of those who
call attention to themselves by hoisting themselves up on what the
Messengers
have left for the world. If the world had to depend on these “old
timers” for
Theosophy pure and simple, what chance would the world have?
The Movement begun by H.
P. B. and Judge has passed through many
changes—changes unavoidable in a period of transition and among
people whose
heredity and training are obstacles in the way of right appreciation
and
application. But out of all these confusions must come the nucleus
of that great
body, the formation of which They had in view from the very first.
We do but
labor to hasten that great aim and object. ‘Who or what can
prevent, however
much they may try to hinder?
It is strange that so
many who have studied Theosophy fail to understand
and apply it, but never fail to characterize and pass judgment.
Their interest
is limited either to the worship or the condemnation of persons.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Eleven
The right way of looking
at things is shown in Theosophy. Each has to
learn, to know, and to control his own nature, if he is to acquire
discrimination—the ability to help others. Each
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has to take the philosophy and apply it, in the face of all
mistakes and acts
which, while they make the task more difficult, have been the means
of arousing
the very discrimination needed. Our vicarious atonement having
shown us the way,
our mistakes can be turned to good account. We will take time to
think what we
shall say and how we shall say it. One gets over changeableness and
indecision
as he takes time to think things out fully before acting or making
promises. He
will then study to do what ever he says he will do. This
carefulness will
increase true self-reliance and the reliance that others will place
in him. Only
as full confidence is gained can men be helped in themselves and
with each
other. Masters must work with those who will work, and as They can,
and this
applies to all. Some blame H. P. B. and Judge for the mistakes made
by those who
played leading parts in the Movement, as pupils lay on the
shoulders of the
Teacher their own fiascos. All this comes from lack of
discrimination, the
failure on the part of leaders and followers to apply what H. P. B.
and W. Q. J.
taught. The letters written to you are the results of observation,
experience,
study and application of the philosophy of Theosophy, and as such
must be of use
to others in like case with your own. So must also be the results
of your own
efforts, and those of all other sincere students.
The Western mind is apt
to look upon mere literary form and fine phrases as
the standard of judgment. People in general do not get the meaning
of what is
written, in the same way that they do not extract the value from
their
experiences. They make surface deductions and applications only. So
they have
little ability to apply the philosophy to daily life, nor can they
see its
practical value. They have to be helped to assimilate the
fundamental principles
if they are to realize right valuations and applications. Each has
to eradicate
his own faults in these as in other directions—not the faults of
others. Until
students set to work seriously on these lines they cannot find
surety nor
happiness. Theosophy and its application go together, if there is
to be real
progress. It is not for us to say, “Do this,” or “Don’t do that.”
It is for us
to put the case, Theosophy and its individual
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application, and leave each student, each inquirer, to make his own
decisions.
People get into tight places right along by following “advices,”
instead of
exercising their own discrimination, and then invariably blame the
“advisor”
when matters do not go according to their expectations.
Is it not strange that
plain statements are not grasped? That superficial
meanings are taken to be true applications? Most men think, when
they have heard
a statement made, they know it. All of this is chargeable to our
modern
educational methods, wherein soul and mind are considered as mere
recorders.
“Amongst thousands of mortals a single one perhaps strives for
perfection.” So,
among the many who may be interested in Theosophy—the philosophy of
the
perfectibility of Man—here and there will be one who may wake up.
Therein lies
the hope. And even those who are interested enough merely to listen
or to read
with attention, will get something in the way of a trend that may
some day
develop. If we keep trying in all proper ways and means open to us,
something
will come from such mutual endeavors.
The fundamental
statements of the Teachers are axioms to be applied. At the
same time they are woven in with such reasoning as may affect the
ordinary way
of thinking. Science, Psychology, and all efforts that are based on
them,
fail—and for no other reason than that they do not assume or admit
that full and
true knowledge exists. If Western Science and Psychology would go
on with their
painstaking efforts in the light of Theosophy, the spiritual and
intellectual
darkness of the world would soon be overcome and a civilization
brought into
being that would best express a true physical life. What hinders?
Intellectual
pride, together with the cramping effects of false religious
conceptions. If the
idea is held that there is but one life on earth, then all the
learning of the
man and of the age is limited to a small and narrow range. But if
one grasps the
idea of successive lives on earth—all under Karma—then, the learning
takes on a
wider sweep, leading the man to the conception that all powers of
every kind
proceed from the Supreme, the Self of all creatures; that
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he himself is in reality a spiritual being, and must think and act
as such.
We may not be able to
apply, as fully as we and others might desire, all
the axioms and reasoning of the philosophy; but what of that? We
can apply what
is possible and all that is possible to us, and in that application
greater
understanding and facility arise. Each one has to find his way.
Words cannot
give it, yet there is a way for each. Most of the trouble lies in
trying to see,
trying to hear, trying to “think” it all out, instead of applying
what we do
see. All ability comes very gradually, imperceptibly—felt, grasped,
realized,
rather than perceived in the ordinary sense. Here, there is not
enough
acquaintance as yet with the philosophy itself for many of the
students to have
confidence enough to take hold and carry on the work. When I have
hinted at
approaching departure, it brings dismay because they imagine that
Theosophy will
be dead if I go: yet they ought to have learned that no one is
Theosophy and the
best are but transmitters; that they too, having received, should
get busy doing
as much by others, becoming transmitters in their turn. 41
Associates of “U. L.
T.”! If 25 of them turn out to be “good stuff,” will the effort not
prove to be
worth all that it has cost? “Good stuff” means just that many
Warriors for the
restoration of the Theosophical Movement to its original lines.
Many thousands
are needed, but as the body grows, it takes care of itself. The
struggle will be
fierce—as we face it, not knowing the outcome—but the struggle is
for us, or we
would not have it. We will take what comes, and will give all that
we are and
have to the common cause, knowing that we are not fighting for self
but for all.
More we cannot do, and less we may not do under the Law of
Brotherhood. A year
ago today we began this struggle, and so it naturally brings
retrospections to
us. Things past are always easier than things present, or the
unknown yet to
come. The past can be judged as to relative importance, for it is
now the hollow
of the wave of progress, whereas the present and the future
represent the crest
and the resistance felt or feared. Yet—if we remember—the past,
when it was both
present and future,
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held just such disturbances which we now see were a waste of
energy. In the
writings of the Teachers there is naught but encouragement. It is
the deep sense
of the gulf between our ideals and their attainment that dismays
the personal
conception. If we involve “ourselves” in these personal
conceptions, we shall
feel despondent—like Arjuna. In reality we should feel more of
encouragement
than ever, for the past year has brought a success greater than we
could then
have dared to hope in the circumstances.
We are all links in the
great chain of the Theosophical Movement. What
affects one affects all, and in degree. Everyone who endeavors to
help others in
any real way, puts himself in the position where he must take the
reactions. The
Karma of the Parent theosophical society is that of H. P. B. and
Judge, known by
them beforehand in a general way. It is also our Karma and that of
all other
Theosophists. Theirs was the first effort to spread Theosophy; much
has been
done since in this respect, and by many students. But its
application has not
been as general as might have been. The reactions from the spread
of Theosophy
and of its mis- and non-application by students will be taken care
of when They
come again. We and all other true students are linked with the
Great Lodge by
aspiration, by service, by following the Masters’ program as nearly
as we know.
All sincere students are surrounded by an “invisible escort” as
long as their
faces are set toward the Goal and they remain staunch to Masters’
program.
Masters neither push, pull, nor hinder voluntary action. To do so
would be to
prevent true Self reliance. For this reason some may think that
Masters have
deserted them, or do not see nor hear them; but this is the worst
conception
that could be. It belittles Them and implies ignorance and
ingratitude on Their
part. They have spoken clearly of Their nearness to all those who
“try and ever
keep trying.”
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
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IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Twelve
“MASTERS never cease
working, but they cease at times from such public
efforts as were made at the establishment of the Theosophical
Society; before
that They were working with individuals.” Mr. Judge made this
statement at a
crucial time, repeating what the Master had written years before to
Mr. Sinnett,
and what H. P. B. had more than once put of record.
Applying this, it would
seem to mean that They are not now working directly
with any theosophical bodies as such, as They at one time were
working with the
Parent society, but that They continue to work with individuals.
Those who
thought or think that any organization carries the Masters with it
have taken
the shadow for the substance, have mistaken the tool for the Work
man. If these
mistaken theosophical leaders were really Initiates, or under the
guidance of
Masters, there would not be so much of personality and pretensions
in evidence
as are exhibited on every hand. Even minor Initiates would not act
that way.
It may very well be that
the public effort and the recorded teachings of
the Masters were put forth in order to find willing, clear-eyed and
noble-hearted men and women, able to see their true destiny and
anxious to serve
humanity. If it did not and does not find them, then H. P. B. and
Judge’s
mission was largely futile—for Theosophy can be used selfishly as
well as in the
right way. The good comes from the fact that Theosophic ideas pave
the way for
those who are as yet not clear-eyed. So even those who selfishly
use
Theosophical ideas unconsciously help by keeping these ideas before
the world.
Theosophy is, and even a mistaken idea of it may lead to a correct
understanding. Let us keep to the correct understanding and refrain
from
condemnation, and success must come in some measure. If we make and
keep our
selves ready and fit, we shall be used as occasion and fitness
permit. We are
dealing with minds, not persons. The Soul, being
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conformed to the mind, reacts upon the whole nature. If, as
persons, we could
all look at the world of ideas in that way, we would learn more,
gain more
discrimination, and be more useful to others, so meriting Their
guiding
influence. It is Karma, all of it; students should realize that and
benefit by
the knowledge. The right start is everything. If this is gained and
held, then
all that each one does carries him and others in the right
direction. In this
Work, natures are intensified, good and bad come to the surface.
The
‘cleaning-up” process is gradual and each must do his own work of
elimination
where such work is seen to be needed. The barriers to help from
Masters are in
ourselves and nowhere else.
Either Theosophy pure
and undefiled is the most real thing in the world, or
we are all wasting our time and effort. If we are able to conceive
its reality
in all seriousness, we should then never cease trying to understand
and apply
what has been recorded by Masters’ Messenger for our guidance and
instruction.
What is the distinction between Theosophy and anything else? In
Fundamental
Principles, I should say. Nothing else affords an all-inclusive
view of
existence. All kinds of sincere efforts help, all kinds of systems
contain some
truth, but they all fall short, because they all exclude or ignore
some part of
nature. Theosophists of every degree should realize that under
Karma much is
required of those to whom much has been given in opportunity and
knowledge. We
can only use our opportunities and knowledge to the best possible
advantage and
continue to do so, if we would not ourselves fall short of the
requirement of
"the Law of Laws—Compassion absolute.” What has been done has
been of real and
lasting advantage to many; there are others yet unborn, yet to
come. This is the
time when one wishes to be like Brahma with “eyes, heads, mouths
and ears in
every direction.” Read “The Tidal Wave” in Lucifer, volume V, page
173, if you
would learn how H. P. B. felt—and feels. The real point of issue is
the divine
nature in man. The real basis of work is to impress this on the
minds of those
who come. In Theosophy
Reprinted in Theosophy, Vol.
, page 446; Vol. 27, page 496.
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we have this basis. A right philosophy is desperately needed by the
world.
Without this, strength and special faculties are useless because
they are
misapplied. Theosophy is not merely words. It is Life, and this
includes all
things in life and all the planes of living. To have Brotherhood
among the many,
it is first necessary to realize brotherhood among the few, and the
basis of
brotherhood is the divinity inherent in all men.
All true impressions
come from within—from the highest Principle in us,
Atma, or the Divinity which is one and the same in all. If there is
nothing in
the brain but impressions from the lower principles of our being,
nothing to
connect the Thinker with higher planes, he can but waver between
these lower
states. If thought is to rise further, it must be thought without a
brain.
Nature works by orderly processes to which we give the name of law.
In the
individual it is called the Will. By an act of the will all
ordinary mental
processes may be stopped; then the habitual center of mental action
may be
transcended and the ascent to the next plane made, without losing
the power to
perceive on this. In all such attempts we must keep the
Fundamentals in view—in
mind. The Spirit in man, the Perceiver, is “untouched by troubles,
works, fruits
of works, or desires.” It seems to me that the clearest
comprehension, if not
understanding, of all this comes from dwelling on the idea of the
Perceiver as
looking into one or another of his “sheaths” and finding there the
record of the
actions in any or all of them.
Everything depends on
what one has in mind—his fundamental conceptions of
Deity, Nature, and Man, when considering or attempting to practice
“concentration.” The general idea on this as on other subjects and
objects is
purely personal. There is no self-examination of motives, no
altruism, no effort
to carry out in daily life the assumed object of fitting one’s self
to be the
better able to help and teach others, no observation of the evil
effects of
rushing in for “psychic development.” H. P. B. says, “One has to
have an
unshakable faith in the Deity within, an unlimited belief in his
own power to
learn; otherwise he is bound to fall into delusion and
irresponsible
medium-ship.” Here
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is the signpost of warning against all attempts to develop
psychically before
one has learned to master and guide the lower, personal self. What
is
indispensable is right philosophy and its application in daily
life. By the
wrong attitude in this and other respects, many well-meaning
theosophists fail,
and harm themselves and others. The meaning is plain. Leave
psychism alone; work
from the spiritual side upon the lower nature—visible and
invisible, psychic and
physical—first, by analysis and comprehension of the principles of
our being as
Theosophy teaches, then by the guidance of knowledge as it arises
within
oneself. We pass from plane to plane daily, but relate everything
to the brain
circle of necessity, and thus lose the real meanings. Dwelling on
the
Fundamentals and the endeavor to help others is the true
concentration. Mr.
Judge wrote: “Thus the Will is freed from the domination of desire
and at last
subdues the mind itself.”
We have to gain, each
for himself, the unshakable faith that “the Master’s
hand is over all” sincere Theosophists, the humblest as the most
progressed. In
true work for Masters’ Cause there is no rivalry. Our place in that
Work is
clear to us, and can be shown to be clear to anyone who will take
the trouble to
make the search that we have made. This place we hold for those who
have the
good Karma to come in contact with it before meeting other phases
of the
Movement, as well as for those who, having met other phases, are
either
entangled in them or trying to find a way out of them. The harm of
the dark
phases we cannot help, but we can let the true light shine “as
widely and as
quickly as possible.” I would like to see the “U. L. T.”
Declaration known to
every Theosophist as to every searcher for Truth.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Thirteen
The tendency among men
to accept words and names as realities is
unfortunately all too common. An article in a publication issued by
one of the
theosophical organizations propounds the
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question “Theosophy or Orthodoxy; Which?”—evidently presenting to
its readers
the necessity for a choice between them.
A moment’s thought
should have shown that Orthodoxy has no existence of
itself, but can only be considered in relation to some formulated
system of
thought, and that the title in question presents an impossible
situation.
This would be a small
matter and could have been passed over without notice
if the same unfortunate tendency had not been applied to a field of
thought
where correctness of understanding is vital. For, if Theosophy is
taken to be
something of an abstraction, or a simple point of beginning from
which a system
is to be developed by individual research, the whole idea of
Masters as the
custodians of the accumulated wisdom of the ages and Their Message
to the world
of men, has to be abandoned. This is practically the position taken
in the
article in question; for, while there are occasional references to
both
Messenger and Message, these seem to be used as names and not as
realities.
The question therefore
which every student should put before himself for
solution is neither orthodoxy nor heterodoxy, but— “Did anyone
present to the
world a formulated system of philosophy, religion and science? Did
that
personage give a name to the system? Who was that personage?” The
answer cannot
be obtained by consulting the opinions of any person or persons
whatever; they
are questions of fact, and facts alone can answer.
Every student worthy of
the name knows that H. P. Blavatsky gave a body of
knowledge to the world; that She named what She gave “Theosophy”
and that She
explicitly declared it to be from the Masters of Wisdom.
In justice to the
Message, to the Messenger who brought it and to the ideal
of Masters, nothing should be named Theosophy but this Message.
Whoever takes
any other position violates the first laws of occultism by
belittling both
Message and Messenger, and cannot expect to benefit by them. Those
who accept
the Message and belittle the Messenger, are equally unfortunate,
for in
belittling one, they belittle both. To these it should be said that
it is folly
to imagine that the Masters
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of Wisdom did not know enough to select a Messenger who would
deliver Their
Message correctly and in its entirety. The Masters’ wisdom being
questioned, the
whole edifice falls to the ground.
The materials of which
that building was composed may of course be put to
use by those who desire to erect structures according to their own
ideas, and
sad to say, this is exactly what has occurred among the various
theosophical
organizations; each has taken more or less of the material supplied
by the
Message of Theosophy, has built an edifice according to ideas of
its own, and
has labeled its structure “theosophical.” Each building so
constructed differs
from every other.
Yet—here was a building
known as “Theosophy,” complete in design and
structure; each separate component part accurately adjusted to
every other part
and to the whole.
The mystery of it all is
that these latter-day constructors should
recognize the beauty and symmetry of the portions selected by them,
and fail to
perceive that there was a perfect building, an Architect and a
plan. It is the
old story over again: “They have divided his raiment among them and
for his
vesture have cast lots.” The failure to accept the teaching as
given and to
revere the ones whose sacrifice made that presentation possible is
at the root
of every past failure. The responsibility for every failure rests
with those who
interposed themselves between the Message and those who would
learn. The woe of
the world has been intensified by such as these, and surely a
fearful
responsibility is theirs. It is no small thing to obstruct the work
of the Lodge
of Masters, hence every student, be he prominent among his
fellow-men or not,
should take heed lest he fall and in falling drag down thousands
with him. There
is but one safe course. Theosophy must be understood to be a gift
to mankind by
more progressed beings than ourselves. We must learn, and apply the
fundamental
principles which underlie that grand philosophy, and understand the
operation of
law as disclosed therein. Then, and then only can we begin to
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make Theosophy a living power in our lives. We should preserve a
willingness to
give and receive instruction, but we should in either case be sure
that such
instruction is in exact accord with the principles and laws set
forth in the
Theosophic philosophy.
If each student did
this, all would have one aim, one purpose, one
teaching, and a sure basis for united effort. Such differences of
individual
opinion as might arise would be solved by a careful adjustment of
these to the
philosophy. Thus all would be united; all preserve the utmost
freedom of
thought; all progress most rapidly by self-induced and self-devised
efforts. No
one, then, would make the fatal blunder of imagining that Theosophy
is something
which can be developed, but each would devote his thought and
effort to growth
along the lines that Theosophy indicates, so that he may become the
better able
to help and to teach others. If there are Masters, and They have
delivered a
Message to us, that Message is Their Orthodoxy—or right
understanding; this
should be preferred to that of all others, however highly such may
esteem
themselves or be esteemed by their fellow-men.
—ROBERT CROSBIE.
CONTENTS
IN THE BEGINNING
Letter Fourteen
“The orthodoxy of
Masters, or that of men?” This question is raised in a
communication signed “A Student.” We care nothing for the identity
of our
correspondent, but we have respect for an honest expression of
opinion, and are
glad to make answer. Not that we desire to change “A Student’s”
opinion but that
she (or he) and others of like conceptions, may gain something of
an insight
into the causes and reasons for the methods pursued by the
Associates of The
United Lodge of Theosophists. We quote from the communication the
following:
“Providing we remember
that Theosophy is not a dogmatical presentment of
the Wisdom-Religion—a system delivered for once to the Saints—but a
progressive
system of Religion.”
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There is some confusion
in this statement, for if there is such a knowledge
as the Wisdom-Religion, it is the result of the observation and
experience of
the Masters of Wisdom, and as such stands for itself; it can
neither be enlarged
nor improved upon by its students. Furthermore, what was named
“Theosophy” by
Mme. Blavatsky is that same Wisdom-Religion so far as the latter
has been
promulgated by the Teacher. In regard to the latter statement H. P.
B. herself
has written:
The Secret Doctrine (or
Wisdom-Religion) is not a series of vague theories
or treatises, but is all that can be given out in this century. It
will be
centuries before much more is given. A similar statement by Wm. Q.
Judge is as
follows:
It (Theosophy) is not a
belief or dogma formulated or invented by man, but
is a knowledge of the laws which govern the evolution of the
physical, astral,
psychical and intellectual constituents of nature and of man.
In the face of such
statements and similar ones made by Those who brought
Theosophy to us, the assumption that it is a system of progressive
religion can
only proceed from ignorance of the facts, and a false conception
which can only
lead to confusion on the part of any “student.” Theosophy is not a
religion, but
Religion itself in the truest sense; even the use of the term
“religion” without
any qualification is misleading, for Theosophy is not “a belief” as
religions
are generally, but rather Religious Science, Scientific-Religion,
and an
all-inclusive Philosophy.
As to “a dogmatical
presentment,” Theosophy has never been put forth as a
Dogma, but as a relation of facts which have been gathered through
observation
and experience, which any one can accept or reject without
condemnation or
praise. One might as well call the only exact science we use, viz.,
Mathematics,
dogmatic or a dogma because it is presented as an assemblage of
facts which the
student can study, apply and prove for himself. Theosophy stands in
exactly the
same position: a presentation of Knowledge gained through aeons of
time; it is
not to be confounded with the speculations of any of its students,
who at
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best are subject to their personal prejudices, predilections and
weaknesses. It
should also be clearly understood that all theosophical writers or
leaders—except Those who brought Theosophy to the world—are
students of more or
less proficiency in the Science, and are therefore liable to
misconceptions and
erroneous applications. The only possibility of discerning such
errors lies in a
comparison with the Science as originally presented.
In the same
communication we are taken to task in the following words, “you
are doing no good by ‘barking against the bad’ as Emerson would
say, about what
is going on in the Theosophical world. I believe you over-emphasize
the evil
that is being done, while minimizing the good.”
It is admitted that evil
is being done. Can it be wrong to point out where
and how such evil comes about? How else can any sincere student who
desires only
to warn against pitfalls help his fellow-men?
As to the “good” in any
presentation, it stands for itself, and is the only
reason why error or evil has any possibility of acceptance; it is
the mixture of
Truth and Error that confuses and misleads the ignorant and the
unwary. Remove
the error and its sequence, evil, and the Truth stands out all the
more clearly;
there is no “minimizing the good” in such a course.
It is an unfortunate
fact that there are more misconceptions and
misapplications of Theosophy among its would-be students, than
there is of real
understanding. Most of this is due to the self-acclaimed leaders of
societies
who are very prominent in the public eye, and who proclaim and
issue their own
ideas, interpretations, and speculations as Theosophy pure and
simple. One would
expect from such exponents the false and misleading idea that
“Theosophy is a
progressive system of religion,” for such a statement beclouds the
facts, and
serves to draw attention to their own lucubrations as “progressed”
Theosophy,
and to themselves as having progressed farther and as knowing more
than the
original Teachers. No one would have a word to say if these
exponents chose some
other name under which to promulgate their ideas, but to
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present the latter as Theosophy,—the Message delivered to the world
by
Masters—is to our mind the greatest imaginable crime against
humanity. Every
presentation of Truth given to the world in the past has been
vitiated in a
similar way, being filtered through the minds of the original
disciples to the
disciples of the latter, and so on for generations, until but
little was left of
the spirit of the Message—and that little obscured by systems of
materialistic
concepts under the name of religion. Under the conditions of past
periods, this
could not be helped, because there existed no way by which the
“written word”
could be so duplicated as to place it within the reach of every
human being who
desired it. The present period, however, made it possible for every
enquirer to
obtain or study Masters’ Message as it was written by one qualified
to do so.
This was done in order that there should be no need of
intermediaries between
those who would know and the knowledge itself. But, sad to say,
many who drew
their inspiration and ideas from the delivered Message, and had the
great Karmic
opportunity of presenting and promulgating that Message pure and
undefiled to
the world-at-large, turned the eyes of men to their own
personalities as
“successors” and “teachers” and have not only misled thousands of adherents,
but
have made the name of Theosophy stand for everything that is
undesirable in the
minds of humanity at large. H. P. B. and W. Q. J. knew well the
probability and
the danger of such a sequence, but They could only warn. H. P. B.’s
last message
to Theosophists in Convention assembled contained the following
words: “Never is
there greater danger than when vanity, ambition and a desire to
lead, dresses
itself up in the peacock feathers of altruism.”
What is at the root of
the schisms that have disrupted the Theosophical
Society that H. P. B. left? Personalities every time. ‘What is the
opposite and
corrective of Personality? Nothing less than Impersonality which seeks
nothing
for itself and every thing for the Cause of Theosophy pure and
simple. There is
no worldly fame, glory or profit in such a course, yet it, and it
alone, removes
every obstacle that might intervene between the Message of
Theosophy and those
who desire to study and apply it on its
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own merits. For that reason, and that reason alone, are the
magazine Theosophy
and “The United Lodge of Theosophists” conducted anonymously. The
mind of the
race is still obsessed by the idea that it is important and
essential to know
who the active agents are, whereas the important thing is the merit
of the thing
done. The injunction by the Man of Nazareth, “Let not thy right
hand know what
thy left hand doeth” is as binding as any other injunction of His,
but do
Christian peoples follow it, or regard it as of any importance? Do
theosophical
exponents exhibit a regard for the above injunction, or for that
more explicit
one they well know, “that power which the disciple shall covet is
that which
shall make him appear as nothing in the eyes of men”? Let them
answer. If they
excuse themselves, it will be on the ground that men will not
listen unless the
personality of the speaker is under intimate inspection; but have
they tried it?
Truth is not dependent upon the one who utters it, but upon its own
self-evident
nature, and whether spoken by the wicked man or one who is esteemed
as
righteous, it is neither debased by the one nor enhanced by the
other.
If Theosophists or
Christians recognize that the world has gone mad on
personalities, can it be made sane by glossing over that madness or
pleading
expediency? They know it cannot; but they are the creatures of
their generation
and have not the courage to do that which puts personality out of
court in their
own cases, and sets the example of a truer, less selfish line of
effort. Yet if
the change is to be brought about, someone must make the beginning;
it is the
first step that begins the count, and if the goal is a right and
true one, the
results can be left to time and Karma. We rest on that.
—ROBERT CROSBIE
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