Monthly Archives: April 2013

You are browsing the site archives by month.

Introduction to Theosophy by John Algeo

John Algeo was born 1930 in St. Louis, Missouri, and lived there for the first ten years of his life, with brief periods in Texas and California.  He joined the Theosophical Society at the age of 16 and became President of the Florida Lodge (Miami) in his teen years.

He was a student of the University of Florida and he joined the army and served in the Korean War. In 1971, John Algeo moved with his family to Athens, Georgia, where he served as Director of the Program in Linguistics, Head of the English Department, and Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor of English. He took early retirement from the university in 1994 to accept the Presidency (or General Secretaryship) of the Theosophical Society in America.

Theosophy refers to systems of esoteric philosophy seeking direct knowledge of presumed mysteries of being and nature, particularly concerning the nature of divinity. Theosophists seek to understand the mysteries of the universe and the bonds that unite the universe, humanity and the divine.

His articles on theosophy are widely published in Theosophical magazines. In “Theosophy” he explains the main concepts of Theosophy.

The Theosophical Society

The Theosophical Society is a worldwide association dedicated to practical realization of the oneness of all life and to independent spiritual search. It was founded in New York City in 1875 by Helena P. Blavatsky, Henry S. Olcott, William Q. Judge, and others. Blavatsky (1831-1891) is the primary force behind the modern theosophical movement. Her works and those of her teachers express the principal concepts of its philosophy. A Russian by birth, she traveled for twenty years in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Near East studying mysticism and occultism. Helena P. Blavatsky also wrote books titled Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine.

What is Theosophy?

Algeo starts out by explaining that we have made a lot of progress in science, technology, and other matters but in our relationship to others, in concern for our own health, on our work and our leisure, we do not apply the same intelligence and realism.

The three objects of the Theosophical Society are:

  • To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.
  • To encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy and science.
  • To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity.

The motto of the Society is “There is no religion higher than Truth”.

The word religion comes from a Latin term whose root meaning is “to link back”. Therefore different religions link their followers back in different ways to the ultimate source of life – the Absolute/God/Divine Reality.

Theosophy does not claim to be a complete and final statement of wisdom and truth; it holds that all things, including the human mind, are evolving. It does not bind an individual to any particular belief or creed. Theosophy asks you to live your religion, not to leave it.

Theosophy as Science

Science limits itself to what can be quantified and tested by repeated, controlled, and objective experiments. Every great discovery of science was at first a grand intuition and theosophy reaches into the area of these “grand intuitions”. Theosophy, while pointing out new roads to inner knowledge, also teaches that only those who prepare themselves in action, desire, and thought to hold the welfare of humanity above their personal benefit can safely gain such knowledge.

Theosophy as Philosophy

Theosophy is not a body of beliefs but a way of explaining things (a philosophy). It holds that the universe unified, orderly, and purposeful, that matter is the instrument for the evolution of life, that thought is a creative power which we can learn to use effectively, and that experience of both joy and suffering is the means by which we grow in character and ability and thus attain wisdom, compassion and power.

Religion, science, and philosophy are three ways of viewing the truth of the universe.

Some Fundamental Concepts

  • Ultimate reality is a unified whole – absolute, impersonal, unknowable, and indescribable.
  • The universe is manifold, diverse, constantly changing
  • The ultimate reality is the source of all consciousness, matter and energy
  • The physical universe of which we are normally aware is only one aspect of the total universe. Of the seven planes of our solar system, human beings function primarily on the lower three: physical, emotional and mental.
  • Everything in the universe is orderly, following patterns of regular cycles
  • Evolution is good and follows a plan
  • We are threefold beings: 1) a temporary, single-lifetime personality; 2) a spark or direct emanation of the ultimate reality; 3) an abiding, evolving individuality that reincarnates (see also Reincarnation and Karma by Edgar Cayce).
  • The process of evolution must eventually become a conscious process
  • The evolving human has more intelligence, some may serve as helpers
  • The pain, cruelty, and frustration we experience in life are the result of ignorance, unbalanced actions, or change.
  • It is possible, as a result of individual effort in this life, for human beings to come by intuitive knowledge or mystical experience to a full awareness of their non separateness from the ultimate reality

What is within counts!

The Theosophical Society guarantees full freedom to interpret the teaching and has three prepositions:

  • The universe and all that exists within it are one interrelated (Compare with Dying to Be Me) and interdependent whole.
  • Every existent being is rooted in the same universal, life-creating reality
  • Recognition of the unique value of every living being expresses itself in reverence for life, compassion for all, sympathy with the need of all individuals to find truth for themselves, and respect for all religious traditions.

Central to the concerns of Theosophy is the desire to promote understanding and brotherhood among people of all races, nationalities, philosophies, and religions.

Devotion to truth, love for all living beings, and commitment to a life of active altruism are the marks of the true Theosophist.

The three truths:

  • The human soul is immortal, and its future is the future of a thing whose growth and splendor has not limit
  • The principle that gives life dwells in us and around us
  • We are each our own absolute lawgiver; the dispenser of glory or gloom to ourselves, the decreer of our life, our reward, our punishment

The Ancient Wisdom in the Modern World

1) History

The Theosophical Society was founded in New York City in 1875 and the chief founders were Helena Blavatsky (HPB) and Col. Olcott (HSO).  HPB was a Russian woman, married young and left her comfortable life to seek an explanation to life’s mysteries. She came in touch with some teacher in her dreams who sent her to America.

Olcott was a lawyer who served in the civil war. When spiritualism became interesting he went to Vermont to write a story. Publicity rose after the first cremation. HPB and HSO soon moved to the East. HPB focused on the esoteric aspects, HSO on its public aspects.

Annnie Besant became HPB’s successor and also adopted and fostered the Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti who grew up to be an independent teacher.

2) The International and National Societies

TS still has its international headquarters at Adyar and is now represented in about 70 counrties in the world.

3) Universal Brotherhood

The first object it to form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.

Brotherhood is the primary focus of Theosophy because all humans are related. Because we are interrelated, everything each of us does affects everyone else. Brotherhood is spiritual siblinghood/family. In old English it refers not to a group of males, but to people generally. Brotherhood is spiritual family of humanity. It is a goal to form a Center/Core/Nucleus, since the brotherhood already exists.

The universe is an expression of the Divine Reality.

In Theosophy brotherhood means much more than a humanistic ideal of kindness and consideration of others; it is an integral part of our existence as human beings.

Instead of accepting that “the fundamental identity of every soul with the universal over-soul” is a fact, we fight what is in our own best interest.

The humans have not yet wholly freed themselves from the cramping bondage of self-absorption and self-interest. We should not only consider the welfare of ourselves, our family our fellow-believers or communities.
We need to understand that what happens in one country affect all others. We all ultimately reap what we sow and thus learn the lessons of our sowing.

We need to work on ourselves to achieve betterment in the world!

Compassion, a virtue taught by Christ and Buddha, is the last great virtue that must be fully attained by every aspirant. We cannot judge one another. We have to recognize our oneness with all life, in whatever form it manifests.

4) Human Beings and our Bodie

The physical body is not the real person (see also Heal Thyself). Theosophy teaches that we are really the “Monad” or inner unity, a fragment of unity, a spark of the divine flame (which lives in many houses). In addition to the dense physical environment, we have environments of vital energy, feelings, thoughts and intuitions. Our interface with each environment performs two functions. On the one hand, it is the channel through which we experience and influence that environment. On the other hand, the kind of interface we have with an environment also limits how much of that environment we can experience and respond to (House-windows-how many we have determines what we see). Limitations protect us and limit us. Too much would lead to be overcome by sensations, energies, emotions, concepts etc.

Theosophy teaches us that our solar system includes seven interpenetrating planes of matter or fields of energy. Three are directly involved in our personal evolution – the physical , the emotional, and the mental. The physical consists of the dense and etheric level. The mental has a lower and higher subdivision (lower = mental; higher = causal). Bodies are not fixed and static. All bodies are really localized fields of force of concentrations, individual foci, of the energies of the larger fields in which they operate. Each of the bodies ha around it a radiating energy field (auras). The “bodies” are not really separate. They are interdependent and function as a whole.

We know we never feel emotion without thought, nor do we think without feeling emotion. And thoughts and emotions affect our physical bodies and vice versa. The connection between our various bodies is the chakras. They are seven major energy centers over our body, where channels of energy converge, each having the appearance of a wheel or lotus flower.

The causal body is more permanent than the others (incorruptible body) – composed of the higher-frequency energies. Our consciousness functioning on that plane is the real “us”; the aspect of ourselves that incarnated in lower bodies to gain experience through them. It is the body of our permanent individuality. Here are the causes stored that sooner or later become effects in the outer, visible world.

One part of the physical body is the dense part composed of solids, liquids, and gases. The etheric double is largely invisible and gives the pattern by which the dense physical body is built – every cell of the dense body! It is the carrier of physical sensation. The etheric double absorbs energy from the sun and transmits is as vitality. The etheric double can be separated from the dense physical body by shock, anesthetics etc. but remains attached by the “silver cord”. When it breaks, death follows.

The emotional body, extending beyond both the physical form and the etheric double, is the vehicle of feeling and desire, ranging all the way from earthy passions to inspiring emotions (radiant – therefore sometimes called astral).

When the physical body sleeps, the consciousness continues to function in the emotional body sometimes remembered through dreams. Clairvoyants describe the emotional body of an evolved person as filled with vibrant and luminous color. Less evolved persons are darker.

Theosophy describes each of the planes or fields of the universe as having seven subdivisions of matter or frequency, The “lower” mental body is composed of the four denser subdivisions of the mental plane the causal body is the vehicle of consciousness in the three subtler or “higher” subdivisions.

When the mental body is in use, it vibrates rapidly and temporarily increases in size. Prolonged thought makes the increase permanent, so the mental body is built day by day through the right use of thought power.

Because emotions and thoughts are interrelated, each affecting the other, these two bodies are closely linked. The mental together with the emotional is called kama manas, which means “desire mind”. The causal body is the vehicle through which the human individuality or soul expresses itself as a series of personalities in the world. It does so by functioning through temporary bodies – mental, emotional, and physical –on the denser planes. Only the good, the true, and the beautiful enter into the causal body, because its vibrations are so subtle that they do not respond to that which is coarse, false or ugly.

It is small at the beginning, as we evolve, and the effects of our good thoughts, feelings, and actions gradually are registered there; it takes on greater color and grows in size, but very slowly until we reach the stage of unselfish or impersonal views of the world.

The causal body continues life after life – is our permanent embodiment.

After our body dies we interact with our subtler-plane environment for a while through our emotional and mental bodies. But eventually they too die; then the beneficial experiences of the previous incarnation are incorporated in the form of increased capacities.

When the experiences of the previous incarnation have been so absorbed and transmuted into increased powers and capacities, the desire for more experiences draws us into incarnation again. We then attract about ourselves first a mental and next an emotional body of the same general characteristics as those we sloughed off at the close of our last incarnation. Thereafter, we come to birth in a new physical body built according to the sort of pattern we have established in past lives, although not necessarily of the same sex.

We need to manage control of our lower bodies!

5) Life after Death

We have actually many reports about what happens after dying. Survival of consciousness after dying is a logical conclusion. Life after death is unique for each person. Life after death is a subjective state said to be largely determined by the individual’s attitudes, thoughts, and actions – that is, by the level of consciousness attained during the life just completed.

There are two patterns of the after-death state. As a person approaches death, the etheric double withdraws, only the silver cord left. At the end the events of the ending incarnation pass swiftly in review, then when dying the cord is broken and the person (etheric double) seams to float above the dense physical body in a state of peaceful unconsciousness (sleep-body stays attached to the etheric double). You help the dying by staying calm and without emotional resistance.

After hours the inner person disengages from the etheric double and releases itself entirely from the physical world. The double “dies” and disintegrates, while the person’s consciousness remains in the emotional body. After dying, the person is attracted to that level most characteristic of the habitual emotions during life. The denser, coarser vibrations form the outer most shell. A person who has lived a life governed by strong, coarse desires (materialistic), awake to the vibrations of that type in a sort of purgatory (the desire can’t be fulfilled because the physical vehicle no longer exists). It is a result of natural law.

Individuals of less coarse tastes and more controlled appetites will experience no such intense emotional stress.

One view: Individual sleeps through the entire post mortem experience in the emotional world awakening only on the mental plane Devachan.

Other view: Individual sleeps only through the coarser levels; when the higher levels are reached they find life similar to that which they left (pleasant earth life – less material). Thoughts are now visible, so deception is impossible. The dead communicate with the living, while the latter are asleep. Loving thoughts from living friends and prayers – free of sadness – often help. Excessive grief is not good.

Every person is eventually cleansed of emotional desires (20 – 40 years). Then the individual awakens to more favorable and pleasant surroundings – entrance into heavenly life.

The special characteristic of the heaven world (Devachan), which exists from the four lower sub planes of the mental body through the highest causal sub planes, is said to be an intensity of bliss. In Devachan we create the world that best suits us. The experience of Devachan (a term that means “the land of Gods”) is a consolation for every pain and disappointment of earthly life. Devachan is a state of consciousness in which energies have been stepped up to an immensely high level. The individual has the power to grasp every situation in its entirety.

We spend time there as long as we need. Experiences from past life will be stored for future use in the form of conscience and ideals.
After a stay on the causal plane the individual grows hungry for more experience which leads to a vision of the next incarnation.

6) Reincarnation

Reincarnation is a fundamental concept of Theosophy (see also Reincarnation and Karma by Edgar Cayce and Reincarnation: The Missing Link in Christianity). Many people don’t accept the unfairness and inequalities with a God of justice and love. Each of us is an evolving part of the divine life (heavenly father who inexplicably plays cruel games while demanding unquestioning love!). Why does a soul have a future but no past? Since we have an earthly life, it must serve a purpose in the evolutionary process.

Reincarnation is the most logical and most in harmony with an orderly system (like school). Reincarnation is repeated entering into a fleshly body. Through each of our recurring lives in a body of flesh, we gather experience that (compare with Your Soul’s Plan), during the period between incarnations, we work into faculties and powers needed for further growth in spiritual statue. Some incarnations seem to be a failure but failure too is educative (humans enter after/at the end of a stream of animal incarnations).

We can start school in different years and vary in the progress we make (compare with The Heart of the Soul). Some are more/less advanced. We all have equal possibilities for development. The order varies. All learning follows a spiral pattern. Some things we have to relearn.

Reincarnation explains the differences we see all around us that neither environment nor heredity account for.

Each soul comes into a physical body bringing along the fruit of past lives. Talent is no gift; it is the result of lives of work in a particular endeavor. Conscience is the fruit of the past, the indelible record of lessons learned in other lives.

Reincarnation also offers an explanation for homosexuals. The inner self has no sex, but wears in one a male body, in another a female. If you pick the same sex for several lives and then switch, the other traits will remain.  It forces you to develop the other sexes’ response to experience.

It is believed by Hindus, old Egyptians, Buddha, Greek Pythagoreans, Kabbalah and it was believed among the early Christians.

Ian Stevenson wrote about past incarnations and the intersection of biology and reincarnation. We are affected by the “likes and dislikes” of past lives. Detailed memories are connected with the physical brain and when the body dies that brain consciousness is lost; detailed echoes of our past life are no longer active. When people remember it’s usually because the former life ended sudden and too early and the previous life was incomplete and the reincarnation took place quickly (close in place).

The past is eternally available but we do not know how to access it. Some people have achieved the necessary sensitiveness to recapture some memories of past lives.

Three main factors determine the circumstances of our next birth.

  • Law of evolution: The purpose of reincarnation is to further our intellectual and spiritual development.
  • Law of cause and effect: The law of justice determines if we either earned opportunities or if we will be limited.
  • Sympathy or connectedness: We have to meet those with whom we formed ties of love of hate; helpfulness or injury.

Everything works for the growth of the spirit!

7) Karma

Our universe is lawful and orderly, a place where nothing happens by chance. The energy put forth in thoughts and desires will sooner or later produce results. Even death does not cancel what we owe.

Karma is the law of cause and effect. Every action we do affects our relationship with our families, our friends, our business associates and others. Karma is the world of constant change; nirvana is the world of permanence. Karma is always educative; Karma is the law of growth. Karma is un-personal; it has no concern with us individually. Some karma is from present life; some from past. Some Karma is related to our family and some of it relates to humanity as a whole.

Every human being is constantly generating physical, emotional, and mental forces and the effects of those forces determine the kind of life we lead here. Reincarnation is part of the plan of evolution. We can continually modify the effects of any law. If any condition inconveniences, blocks or causes pain and discomfort to others, and ourselves we have a right, in some instances an obligation, to do what we can to change it. We grow and develop our powers through Karma, which helps us learn through dealing with problems. If in spite of our best efforts, the block or conditions remain, it may have other purpose – perhaps a lesson in renunciation, patience or sacrifice (first make sure it is inevitable).

You can counteract the effects of Karma. When we begin to find the right answers, we will realize that they come from within ourselves, where the problems also came from – for the answer is always in the problem. Each person’s life is intertwined with the life of all humanity.

We need to control what we think and feel! Whatever one of us does affects all others because at the deepest level of reality we are all one. Every time we think or feel or act unselfishly, we are helping. We can act for ourselves, but we have to act for others as well.  We also must act now!

8) The Power of Thought

We generate three karmic forces every day of our lives; thought, emotion and action. And the most powerful of these three is thought. Thought is an energy that consciousness produces to modify the subtle matter of the mental plane. Our thoughts vibrate. When we think the same thought, the resulting thought form is produced quickly and accurately. The effects of thought are of two kinds: those that react on the thinker and those that affect others.

Any repeated thought establishes a vibratory habit in our mental body and thoughts have side effects on the astral and causal bodies. We make ourselves by the way we think. When we think of others, radiating vibrations create a thought form that floats through the mental plane.

No external thought can impinge on us unless we are already attuned to its kind. If our thoughts are clear they will be resistant to being replaced by other thoughts.

Concentration and meditation are two important aspects of the power of thoughts.

Only a mind trained to stay on one subject, to concentrate on one task to the exclusion of all others, can succeed in meditation. Meditation is especially important if we are to undertake the inner work needed for treading the Path. It aims at quieting the personality to reach our individuality.

Devote 5 minutes each morning to quiet, positive thought, focusing on qualities to develop. We need to think about the opposites of our weaknesses. Close your eyes and see yourself acting with the quality you want to acquire. For this concentration is essential.

If you are easily irritated, practice seeing yourself as serene, calm, kind. But be aware that a test will come. And you will get irritated and think you failed but it passed more quickly and eventually you will not react with irritation, no matter what the situation. Then you can begin on another aspect you want to foster. Eventually 5 minutes is not enough. Regularity is more important than duration though.

Worry is one of the most difficult habits to overcome. You need to work in a new direction. When somebody is ill, don’t think about their illness but send them healing thoughts. We do not help “sinners” by dwelling on their faults. It is better to send them love and peace and progress. Send the dead ones only the most loving thoughts.

Ultimately, however, the purpose of meditation is not just to improve our personality, but also rather to put us in touch with our inner core. It helps us to discover who we really are. Spend 5 minutes every day just being quiet and becoming aware of your surroundings.

Goethe: Do not worry about your past. Do not be angry. Do not hate. Enjoy the present. Leave your future to Providence!

9) The Question of Evil

Why is there evil and pain in the world? There is no absolute, just relative evil in the world. Selfishness – no concern for the welfare of others – exists. Infants are selfish but not evil. It may help to substitute “incompleteness” or “imperfection” for “evil”. In this Universe nothing happens except in relation to something else. Evil, like good, exists only in relation to its opposite.

  • Stage: evolution towards ever-greater materiality, unconsciousness, and separation.
  • Stage of evolution: progression from materiality, unconsciousness, and separation to spirituality, awareness and unity; and from unselfishness, ignorance, coercion, and discord to altruism, knowledge, freedom, and harmony.

Evolution is a dynamic, onward-going process, with purposefulness at its core. Good is whatever is in harmony with the evolutionary purpose by aiding the journey onward, and evil is whatever works against it. Evil is the exaggeration of good, the progeny of human selfishness and greediness.

Good is all that works in harmony with the development of the universe; evil is what works against it.

Recognizing and opposing evil develops our moral sense. Pain results when we do a wrong action.

Struggle is not to be avoided, but to be acknowledged as the very root of existence in an evolving world.

We should lift our consciousness toward a level where evil cannot express itself.

Peace comes when we accept the nature of the world, with a selfless sense of detachment.

10) The Plan and Purpose of Life

What is the purpose of life? Science believes there is an orderly process in the universe; but it is concerned with natural causes and their effects, not with nature’s purposes and plans to achieve them. Theosophy believes there is intention and consciousness.

Three hypothesis:
1) Everything is chance.
2) The Universe is the product of inexorable natural law with no options and free will.
3) The Universe is a precisely ordered organization.

Theosophy takes the view that the purpose of existence is the development of latent possibilities into active powers.

Evolution is not only physically but also the evolution of consciousness from the restricted to the expanded and spirit to the consciously unified.

Earlier kingdoms – animal, vegetable, mineral – are more connected with each other than humans but they lack conscious awareness.

During the involution, life “descends” from a state of pure consciousness and becomes immersed in denser matters.

Each solar system is pervaded, energized, and controlled by a mighty collective consciousness, a divine Mind called LOGOS (or Word of God), which emerges from the Absolute. The divine Mind has called our solar systems into being and we are evolving fragments of the life of that Mind. The divine Mind lives through us.

According to the Theosophical hypothesis, three stupendous life impulses are needed to bring a world into being. The Trinity symbolizes them. When a world is formed, first that living matter has to be brought into existence, then it has to be molded into forms through which life becomes increasingly conscious, and finally that consciousness has to realize its identity and spiritual unity. The three steps are three Life Waves.

The first wave of creative energy corresponds to the Holy spirit and comes forth from the LOGOS. The first Life Wave passes “downward” or “outward” through seven stages, bringing into existence matter. During the “outward” breath or involution, matter reaches increasingly dense states. The process of creating matter takes eons. The densest matter in our universe is in the center of black holes.

While the first Life Wave is in the process of making matter, the second Life Wave – corresponding to the Son, or second person of the Trinity, also becomes active. The LOGOS sends out constant succession of these Second Life Waves. It brings characteristics that will enable matter to respond to stimuli through intuition, thought, desire, sensation and so on.

The first Life Wave develops and vivifies matter; the second builds from that matter the various kingdoms of life – canyons and mountains, worms and whales etc. which have the ability to respond to their environment. The Third Life Wave, corresponding to the Father, brings the most highly developed forms produced by the Second Life Wave into contact with the imperishable sparks of the divine life that are evolutionary units of consciousness called individual “monads” (units). In Theosophy this is the immortal spiritual Self, which becomes a separate evolving entity through the third Life Wave and which, by repeated incarnations, gradually unfolds its full potential.

The monad is consciousness plus the film of matter, but at the beginning it is not conscious of anything.

The monad is the ultimate spiritual identity or self-awareness.
The mineral kingdom has a single ensouling monad. In the vegetable kingdom, it is “divided” into separate functional units. In the animal kingdom, the monad becomes yet more “divided”. In the human kingdom, the monad reaches its nadir with a process called “individualization”, as a result of which the monad’s self-awareness linked with a single re-incarnating individual.

When we become human, we begin the process of evolving back to a realization of unity by linking up with our fellow creatures. The individuality is an extension of the monad, just as the personality is an extension of the individuality.

In the animal kingdom we have group souls. In lower forms of animal life (such as worms), a group soul is incarnated in a great many animal bodies. In higher forms (elephants) the same group soul incarnates simultaneously in only a few animal bodies.

Entry into the human kingdom is a great step forward in responsibility on the evolutionary journey. Gradually, we learn that we live in a world of natural laws, experiencing pleasure when those laws are obeyed and pain when they are disregarded. Great Teachers come and help us in our evolution. Humans evolve by gathering experiences in various cultures and genetic variations of our species. Such varying groups are called “root races”. Even the minor genetic and cultural variations of our species are useful for our schooling. We take birth in many “races” to learn specific lessons. Each culture/nation has a special lesson (Greece – beauty; Rome – organization; China – harmony etc.) Experience in many cultures is needed before the goal of the wholeness can be reached. To understand life, we must experience it in all of its variety.

One of the ways in which the variety of life manifests is called the Seven Rays – primordial cosmic energies. Those seven wavelengths make up the “white” that radiates from the sun.

Ray 1 – Atma – sense of Self

Ray 2 – Buddhi – relating to one another

Ray 3 – Higher Mind – discovering how to use knowledge to improve our world, ourselves and the purpose of living

Ray 4 – Vital Energy – balancing and harmonizing apparent opposites – life is our inner mediating power

Ray 5 – Lower Mind – discovering the world around us; understanding how things work and learning how to control our environment

Ray 6 – Emotional Self – relating to one another on a level; recognizing the underlying unity and equality of all beings

Ray 7 – Etheric Double – energy of acting formally, with discipline and habit, following a double

Every person and every thing has all seven of these energies in at least potential form, but various of the energies are dominant. The end of evolution is to have all seven of the energies fully developed and mutually integrated.

The purpose of life is the development of countless numbers of spiritually self-conscious and fully developed individuals who recognize their own individuality and unity – to discover who we are, to know ourselves and to know ourselves as integrated expressions of the oneness.

11) The Rise and Fall of Civilizations

The rise and fall of civilizations is part of the great plan. Cultures come and go, each supplying a particular field of development for the individuals incarnating in them and each contributing its own special gift.

The plan of evolution is sevenfold in nature. There are seven great evolutionary phases in which seven human types or “root races” appear and furnish vehicles for the process.  All types have their contribution to make . Each root race represents a school in which a major group of lessons must be learned; the sub-races represent grades within the school. Attendance is mandatory. Each school concentrates on learning/developing particular aspects of consciousness. We must recapitulate previous training. Root races exist as long as necessary.

The first two root races left no historical or geological records (no dense physical bodies). The first race – 55 million years ago – had sensations/perceptions at the most primary and basic level – sexless; they reproduced by budding. The second race – 35 million years ago – was luxuriant vegetation followed by violent terrestrial changes – the concentration was on activity, beginning to organize its bodies into vehicles of active expression by which to influence its environment. They sweated to reproduce.

The third root race – 18 million years ago – became physical. These were the Lemurians. The sexes were separated and emotion was developed. The mind was activated but relatively quiescent.

The fourth root race – 3 to 1 million years ago – was the actual development of the analytical mind and language (Atlentean). In Atlantis was a highly materialistic civilization, using magic evil in high places and endangered progress.

The fifth root race began 7500 years ago and started with refugees from Atlantis – Aryan (noble people). The present root race is still imbued with much of the Atlantean consciousness.  Problems are pride of intellect and indifference to moral and human values.
The fifth root race is now the dominant on this earth. We have to develop our social sense through the higher mind. Currently we are in the 5th subrace and hone this quality of mind and foreshadowing the next faculty – the intuition – which will begin to illumine the minds of the sixth subrace.

The sixth root race will recapitulate previous experience before bringing into full play the faculty of intuition (buddhi) and foreshadow the quality of spiritual will (7th root race).

Evolution does not leap but it happens gradually with much overlapping.

12) The Ancient Wisdom in Daily Life

Theosophy is practice as well as principle. Fellows can belong to any religion. Theosophy is non-dogmatic. It does not dictate any position. As Theosophists we are obligated by the principle of brotherhood to respect the right of others to differ from the position we hold.

All fellows are recommended to spend regularly some time in study to widen the mind by opening it to new truths, some time in meditation to internalize the truths learned.

Study, meditation, and service are the three aspects of “doing Theosophy” that Blavatsky alluded to.  Meditation can be 10 or 15 minutes of quietness first thing in the morning a review of the day’s activities before sleep at night. Service can be to the homeless, the dying, the disadvantages, to the society or its groups, or to the world by sending out thoughts of peace and harmony to all beings.

Other lifestyle considerations are vegetarian; no furs; no smoking, and no alcohol.

Thy truly Theosophy-life is one dedicated to learning by study, self-discovery by meditation, service to others; promotion of harmony among humans and respect.

The Theosophical Society has a website with lots of information and online resources: https://www.theosophical.org/

You can find a lot of information about Annie Besant, a  prominent theosophist, on this site: http://www.kurtleland.com/annie-besant-shrine

And there is Wiki specifically about Theosophy in four languages:  http://www.theosophy.wiki/

 

 

Posted in: Philosophy , Tagged: , , , ,

To Know Yourself

Swami Satchidananda (1914 – 2002), born as C. K. Ramaswamy Gounder, was an Indian religious teacher, spiritual leader and Yoga master, who gained fame and following in the West during his time in in the U.S.

Over the years he wrote numerous books and gave hundreds of lectures. He was the founder of the Integral Yoga Institute and Yogaville in America, and Spiritual Guru of major Hollywood actors and western musicians.

In this book, he offers guidance for everyday problems in family life and business, and shows how to realize Universal Consciousnes. To Know Your Self outlines the path to peace of mind and a new, more spiritual way of life.

Swami Satchidananda’s teachings are basically simple: In reality each of us is peaceful and happy but we are not in touch with our true Self. He offers these methods for clearing away the toxins and other disturbances that made us ill-at-ease so we can realize our true Self:

1) Your Real Self

The aim of spiritual practices is to know your real Self. To see our true Self we must have clean, clear minds. One should primarily take care of the mind because the body is only an instrument of the mind.

2) The Search for Happiness

All are searching for happiness. In the case of human beings, you see hundreds of individual, social, communal, national, and international efforts. Happiness cannot come without unhappiness before and after. But happiness is not to be thought outside. It can never come from outside or inside. It can’t come – because it simply is. It is always everywhere. It is just happiness.

The basic sin or mistake is to forget your true nature. It’s a form of Self-suicide. You need to make your mind straight and undisturbed by taking away the cause of its disturbance. Once the want-stone falls into the mind, you are de-pressed and you have to full-fill it.

Nobody can always be completely happy without knowing that he or she is happiness. This is what God is.

3) What is Evil?

Satan, or temptation, is a kind of test. The Master wants the disciple to get tested.

The purpose of punishment is the student’s growth. Punishment comes not from anger, but to take away our uncleanness. Other than the ultimate power, there is no evil, there is no good.

4) You Came Alone – Just to Grow

If you know the purpose of suffering – to burn up your ego – you will even rejoice in it. Your body is given to you for good reasons, and you should not purposefully harm it. If pain comes, think of it as purgation. All suffering and pain are just losing happiness. You need the suffering to find out why you lost the happiness. Wanting is what causes unhappiness. But if you are contented, all things will come to you.

A person who is totally free from wants will not be like a dummy doing nothing. He or she will be used in some way or other by the Higher Will to being benefit to humanity.

You have free will to do what you want, if you do something only for, your own sake, the reaction comes back to, you. This reaction is called karma (compare with Theosophy, Reincarnation and Karma and the Bhagavad Gita). A selfless action won’t bring any karma; but selfish actions always beings karma. Once the mind experiences the God within, there’s no more karma.

The mind with its desires is nothing but an illusion, maya. If there are no desires, there is no mind. You may possess things, but don’t let them possess you. And don’t hoard things. If you are detached from things, your peace is maintained. You can’t bring peace to others unless you first have peace yourself.

5) Peace of Mind

Your actions should be completely harmless, and, at the same time, bring at least  some benefit to someone.
Our goal is to live in total tranquility. To attain this we have to keep the right company. Good company keeps you out of an environment where you might be deluded by worldly pleasures.
Find a beautiful, impersonal thought, where somebody else gets the result.
There is only one cause for all mental problems, worries and anxieties: selfishness. Unhappiness is caused by disappointments.
Peace is worth preserving more than anything else, even at the cost of your life. Ask yourself if an action will disturb your peace. If yes, then stay away. Choose your company wisely.

6) Forbidden Fruit

Every religion says the same thing: lead a life of sacrifice for others. We are indebted to nature, which is called God. Selfless people are the most peaceful. Perform an action just for the sake of an action, not expecting one thing in return, not even appreciation.
By themselves, actions are neutral. It depends on the motives and the results.
If you don’t renounce and you are a sincere seeker, probably the world will temporarily take all away from you.

Dedication and self-sacrifice for other’s sake is common in all religions. If we ponder these common points, we understand that we are doing the same thing with different labels.

7) The Disappearing Ego

God made everyone in God’s own image and said love thy neighbor as thy own self.  Instead people focus on themselves, their own community, their own country. Ego is selfishness and there is personal, national, racial and religious ego. We all must break the shell to allow the light to come in. That’s the main purpose behind all the Yoga practices. An egoistic person will never surrender.

But once the ego is emptied, you are really open because all prior knowledge was bases on ego. If you change things from “mine” to “our”, then you have gone to the root cause and transformed it. A little free will has been given so you can use it to, give it back again. If you submit yourself to that Higher Will, the little ego dies.
All body Chemistry is affected by your thoughts.

Don’t worry about what others say of you. You should know who you are. There is nothing missing in the world because it’s nature’s duty to give us all we really need. What nature will not do is fulfill our greed.

8) Wisdom

If you understand one another, you will also understand God. Draw silent lessons from all around you. Always listen and analyze what you hear. But there is  a great difference between listening and hearing. If you listen, you need not take notes. A witness never gets involved in the case and never joins one of the sides.

Know who your are. Listen to the silence. To realize, go into deep, deep silence. The only limit to wisdom is silence.

9) Who is the Guru?

Your own mind acts as a guru if it’s clean enough.  But you can ask someone for help. When you are ready, somehow Providence will bring a teacher to you. The outside guru will not actually take you to the goal, but can only show you the way. A guru is one who is not greedy, who is not after things, who is not doing things for his own benefit, but who is totally dedicated to others, always serene, totally balanced. The sign of a true guru is perfect contentment. The guru is always happy, eternal, stable, spotless and unchanging. A guru should give you total freedom.

10) Calming the Mind

It’s not easy to silence the mind. Learn to control the thoughts so you can create any thought you want. Try to create selfless thoughts. That’s why dedicated people never have worries, anxiety, or restlessness. They are permanently joyous. We shouldn’t do anything that will bring us down or destroy the piece of mind.

11) Consciousness

It is spiritual oneness that has to be realized. This is the goal of our life. A beautiful blending of both activity and relaxation is what is called tranquility and purity of mind. Always ask “Will this vision, desire, or experience help me, or will, it cause trouble?” Being united with everything you like outside you won’t be possible until the Yoga or uniting happens within you first. What you want to see outside, you must develop within and then project it out. You don’t have to trouble yourself with others all the time.
Begin to control our mind by staying away from any thought that will disturb the mind. Although the mind cannot be seen, it is clearly expressed through the body. If you are always thinking generous thoughts and doing loving things for people, it will be expressed in your face and body.

12) Stick to One Thing

Only after you have practiced concentrating – bringing the mind back again and again until it is well-fixed on one point -are you meditating. Actually, in meditation you are dying. Truly speaking, the goal, of all spiritual practices is to die. In deep meditation you feel that you are losing yourself. Find a method for meditation and stick with it. Do anything you want, but be one-pointed in the name of God.

13) Mantras

Mantras are sounds that may or may not have meaning. The one cosmic sound, represented as OM, has different aspects. These different aspects of OM are called mantras. By constant repetition of the mantra you develop that vibration because all the vibrations are within you. The purpose of the mantra is the meaning and you should think of the purpose when repeating mantra. Mantra means anything that makes the mind steady. Religion is scientific, not just mere belief. That’s why science and religion go very well together.
People who use mantras for selfish purposes will surely suffer the consequences tenfold. You can only spread the vibration through your system by frequently and regularly repeating the mantra. Your entire personality vibrates on that beautiful wavelength and automatically attracts similar vibrations. The smaller the mantra, the greater the power.

14) The Farmer Who Loved His Buffalo

If you like, you can just concentrate on the breath itself. When you meditate on something you should become that object.

15) Who Am I? Jnana Yoga

By knowing your true identity you can also know others. Contemplating and analyzing these points is another form of meditation, called Jnana Yoga or the Yoga of Wisdom.

The Knower isn’t angry, the mind is. If you analyze your mistakes and check if you were selfish, you will see that your unhappiness does not come from  outside you. Watch your mind, watch your breath. Become an observer, which is he key to this form of meditation. Once you know who you are, you will be the best instrument to bring peace and harmony to all. Neve take sides and become a neutral person. Neutrality is the center of God.

16) How to Meditate

The scriptures recommend the times when day meets night or night meets day for meditation – dawn and dusk. It’s best to sit in a crossed-legged posture. Sit straight. Keep the spine erect, but not stiff. If it’s a deep meditation, five or ten minutes is enough. Coffee and tea is not good because of the stimulant in them. You could also do meditation in action. It’s called Karma Yoga by focusing your entire mind on what you are doing. You may chose to focus your meditation either in the loving heart center or at the central tower between the brows which is the location of the holy of holiest or sanctum sanctorum.

17) Tantric Yoga

In tantric Yoga the union is of Siva and Shakti, which are the masculine and feminine vibrations or powers that are within each of us. Ancient scriptures are difficult to understand and they all have esoteric or inner meaning.

18) Hatha Yoga

The human body is a temple. Keep it strong and supple and take care of it. Avoid anything that contains toxins or that unnecessarily stimulates your body; try to eliminate alcohol and tobacco. Without purity of the body it’s very difficult to purify the mind.

You can practice Hathaway Yoga. Don’t risk hurting yourself. The headstand is good. The shoulder stand is very beneficial to the thyroid gland and thus to all the glands in the body. Anyone who practices the positions should think of the asanas as a meditation session. Yoga means ease and one-pointedness of mind. After the session lay flat and send healing sessions to the parts of the body you feel has issues.

19) The Breath of Life

When you are practicing the Hatha Yoga postures you may feel a rush of energy or prana. Prana is the vital energy or force that causes movement. You get prana from food, from the sun, and from the air you breathe. The abdomen comes in as the air goes forcefully out of the nostrils. The. Do alternate nostril breathing. Patanjali says that by practicing pranayama the mind becomes clear and fit for concentration.

Should you ever feel upset, tense, or worried, do some slow breathing with full attention on the breath, and you will easily bring the mind to a calm state.
A spiritual person should be strong – not just mentally but physically too. Prana is wasted in many, many ways, such as overeating, oversleeping, overtaking, and overindulging in sex.

20) How to Stop Smoking

We go begging to cure cancer, and at the same time spend money to make people smoke more. The so-called refined, sophisticated grown-ups go for tranquilizers, sleeping pills, or nice extra-long cigarettes. You can never achieve anything by forcing anybody. But by education you can change things. Real beauty and tranquility are based on a peaceful mind.
We are in the world to grow mentally, to gain more experience, to realize the truth. To have the mind calm and serene, we must take care of the physical body. With Hatha Yoga you can eliminate the craving for nicotine by removing the nicotine in the lungs. By practicing bellows breathing you can burn it out. If you are a strict vegetarian, you won’t have that much craving. Meat has purine and that’s not good for you and makes you crave nicotine and caffeine.

21) Food Makes the Mind

Diet plays a very, very important part in people’s lives. If you can, avoid all flesh foods and animal fats including eggs, which also have the flesh part in them. Strict vegetarians even avoid milk product but it’s different because it does not have concentrated fat found in meat. Adults don’t really need milk though. Vegetables, grains, nuts and fruit are free from disease-producing germs.

The difference between vegetables, animals, and human is I the expansion of consciousness.
The more developed one is the more one feels. Aim at the least pain whenever possible, even among the fruits on the same tree. You can’t kill any animals if you have a loving heart.

22) How to Eat

Know when you eat that all food is God’s body. Your eating should be a sacrifice. Never eat when you are tired, in a hurry or angry. Be who you are and don’t worry constantly when you eat and drink. Eat when you are really hungry. You can prevent almost all illnesses by being attentive to your diet and by limiting the amount you eat. You should not eat more than one full meal each day. Don’t put too many food varieties in the stomach at the same time.

23) Fasting

When you fast you are reconditioning your body almost as you would overhaul a machine. Every part of your body will become delicate and more sensitive after the fast.  When you fast toxins will leave your body and your tongue will be clean and you know you have fasted long enough. Even if you don’t have time for a long fast, fasting one day each week will certainly help you.

24) Heal Yourself

You can heal yourself with fasting and by deep breathing and by directing Prana to the affected area. Visualize the part where you have the ache or pain. When you breathe in direct your attention to the area. Feel that you are taking Prana from outside. If people just ate the right foods and led the right kind of life, there would certainly be no need for so many hospitals. Go back to nature and lead a natural life.

If you use sesame oil, it will take away the toxins and be very helpful for arthritis and rheumatic troubles. People who have cholesterol troubles should use sesame oil in cooking. You can also heal your body just through your thinking. You can also send Prana to others. You can send a spiritual charge by your touch but don’t let people know that you are doing anything to heal them. Instead, ask them to do something to heal themselves.
People should face their own karma. That’s the best education.

25) Self-mastery

You can master your own body and mind. If you achieve self-mastery, then you are the master of everything. You can train your senses to obey you. Begin with little things, and when you achieve the, you will gain confidence. If someone is angry at you show love. To overcome fear, build up thoughts of hope, courage, and faith.

26) Walking Sticks

Nothing here is difficult. The only difficult task is ridding yourself of old habits. If you can learn to hear the voice of your higher Self, then you can follow what it says. When you get into some trouble, always take the blame yourself. Seriousness is important, but don’t become tense. Remember that it is for peace that you are doing everything. If the very doing is disturbing your peace, either the doing is wrong or my approach is wrong. If possible, live with other seekers or correspond with them.
Don’t think that you have to isolate yourself to reach your goal. You are liberating your mind from associations but you need not give up all your friends. All you need is to understand that you are just you.

27) The Butcher and the Yogi

All you have to understand is that the aim of Yoga is always to keep the mind clean, calm and peaceful.

28) Business Yoga

Work in your livelihood as Karma Yoga – selfless service. Do all the work for the joy of doing it. Charge nothing for your labors; accept whatever you are paid. Choose work for someone or something that is worthwhile. Offer your work, your energy to God, the All, everyone. You cannot go without financial support.

Don’t always think the capitalists are out to exploit you. Whether you are a secretary or the manager, think of the welfare of the business. Consider how it can grow better and best perform its duty. Your motive should be for the benefit of the community. Always recognize the needs of the other person.

29) The Art of Giving

We should always give whatever we have; we don’t need to grab from each other. Through caring and sharing we find ease within ourselves, and among our fellow beings. Giving should come from the heart. Wherever you feel it is necessary to help, go there and work.
If someone begs from you, and you give that person something, don’t think you are helping him or her. That person is helping you by giving you an opportunity to show your generosity. Don’t give by knocking on the door and pushing yourself in.

Always discriminate and think before you give. Think of the benefit of the receiver. If you ever have selfish expectations when you give something that will surely disturb your peace later on. Making the receiver obliged to you is karma, and not Karma Yoga or true service. Karma Yoga is just doing for the sake of doing, for the joy of serving. The minute you expect something in return you lose the joy, you lose your peace of mind.

30) The Act of Receiving

One of the main purposes of Yoga is to keep the mind calm. If you accept gifts you feel obligated and according to the Yoga precepts of Patanjali, that is the reason you are advised not to accept gifts; if you do, unconsciously you become obliged to the giver. If you ever receive a gift that has some strings attached, return it and your mind won’t be disturbed. Whenever you receive something fro m anyone always try to give something back.

When you don’t cling to anything, everything comes back and wants to remain with you – even if you say “Why don’t you go?”

31) Living in the Present

No teacher, guru or religious institution can purge you of your karma. You sow better karma if you don’t return hatred with hatred. As a Karma Yogi, you act without attachment to the fruits of your labor. Your actions are performed just for the joy of performing them. The joy of doing a job well is the best reward.

32) The Greatest Joy – Karma Yoga

You quickly learn your weaknesses while serving others. It’s easy to simply go to a corner and meditate. But there’s another form of meditation: action. During Karma Yoga you meditate on what you are doing. You watch your feelings and your mind. Practice Karma Yoga whenever you have the opportunity. An intelligent person will learn something from a mistake, but a fool will make the same mistake again and again.

Find out what will bring peace and joy to yourself and others. When you do everything for the sake and joy of just doing it – as a benefit for the whole world and not for your personal benefit – you retain your joy. Set aside a week and say that this is your Karma Yoga week. I won’t do anything for my sake or start with a selfless day. You have to serve with love and control your passion and selfishness.

33) Marriage on the Path

If there is spiritual attraction, the marriage will be made in heaven.  It means dedication to one another and the humanity at large. Two minds come together to help each other realize their true nature. Going side by side with the right partner is a good way to reach God quickly. When the couple’s love for each other blends together it becomes love of God, marriage is a divine institution.

Wanting others to approve of you, or blaming someone else for your problems, is a form of self-condemnation. Fulfill your responsibility and give the other plenty of freedom. You must have one aim in life – two bodies, but one mind.

When children are involved try staying together even when you have problems unless it is impossible. Don’t forget that marriage is for giving, not for getting. It is a path of quick growth to realize God. If you are dedicated to your spouse and family, you are a dedicated person.

34) Sex

When conserved and properly transformed, seminal energy gives you an aura of vitality. You may sometimes see the astral body around such a person. This aura shows the purity and beauty of mind. In Yoga the key is moderation in thought, word and deed – which includes sex. The family people, who live a beautiful life of service to each other and the world at large, won’t lose anything from that union.

There is no sin in homosexuality. Condemning homosexuality as a big sin is a worse sin. The condemning itself is a sin.

What is a perfect act? By your action you should not bring any harm to anybody and at least some benefit to somebody. If your actions are based on this rule you are a Yogi. If two people are living together without creating any problem to themselves or to others, then they are fine. Let them be happy. Marriage helps in limiting sex. As long as you are married you have certain duties. Don’t refuse or repress the other person.
Every action does not need to end up as a physical expression. Sometimes a smile is enough.

Analyze a partner before giving yourself to him. Why does he like you? If you think he is right then you can give yourself to him. Remember to avoid overindulgence.

35) Parent-Child Relationship

Tamil scriptures say the best gift that children can give to their parents is to excel them. The parent’s duty is to raise their children with such a high standard that at any gathering the children are asked to take the foremost place where they can pass on beautiful thoughts to others. Parents must see that their children receive the knowledge to be good people and leaders. Giving children right knowledge is more important than all the material comforts. They need to know how to live a life of joy and peace.

To train the child properly, parents should be loving, but strict and firm. Show the child that life’s games are playful, not really to win over the other person. Parents need to be strict when kids want their freedom and not advice but the parents’ money. If kids want to experience everything, the door is open. If the kids got all the experiences, they can come back. But they have to pay for their own way back.

As long as the children want the help from their parents, the parent- child relationship is there. But parents can learn from their children and should be open to their opinion. They also have to let them go when they want to. Children should leave their parents if they hinder them in their personal and spiritual growth.

36) Renunciation

When a person is interested in spiritual life, there is no worldly obligation whatsoever. If God calls you at any point, you can leave the world. The only way to be happy is to dedicate yourself completely to God or all of humanity. Live to bring peace and joy to everybody.

Even if your dedication is not a hundred percent at first, some dedication will lead to more. We are all interested in success in life. The secret is not to run after it, then it will come to you. Stick to what you are, where you are. Do the same things in the same place, but with a different attitude: I do it for your sake, not for my own”.

If you renounce al possessions but are still attached to your body, you are not free. Attachment to your body means overindulgence. Enjoyment means using things well without being affected by them. You can live this way in family life, fulfilling our duties without a possessive attitude. With the right partner you can be a renounced person in the midst of married life. But real renunciation comes naturally – your desires just drop from you.

37) Life and Death

In life we are all players and there are some rules to this game of life. You have your freedom, but if you take unlimited freedom, you will mess up the whole game. Your freedom should not affect other people’s freedom. Freedom is for everybody. We are part of the whole.

The meaning of death is that one form dies to give room to another form. Death is inevitable. The soul continues on to another body, which may or may not be physical. The body you have now is an outcome of your past desires. The soul is always alive. It’s immortal. You are given the body you need to continue toward the goal. If we realize the immortal principle that makes us and shapes us into different forms, why should we be afraid of death?

38) Prayer

If you really want God to show you the way, pray. Prayer is the only way. Ask him to guide and direct you. God is always there. But you have to reach to receive God’s help and you have to do your part. God helps those who help themselves. Through your prayer and devotion you should be in communication with God. God does not want your scholarly attitude or your literacy. He wants to know how much you practice and it must come from the heart.

Unless you give well, you can’t take well. Just give for the sake of giving and the taking will come automatically. You need a clean and broad mind. But at the same time don’t be greedy. When you focus your mind on a particular idea connected with God, then prayer is a form of meditation. Choose what you like for meditation or prayer, but mean what you say and what you do.

39) If You Tune, You Get the Music

If you can’t yet discipline your life, that doesn’t mean you must stay completely away from spiritual practice. At least chant God’s name. Slowly you will get self-discipline. Of course we love our homes, our countries, our mothers, our religions, but that does not mean we should ignore others, or hate them or push them aside. True love of God means universal love.

40) The Man Who Hated God

Whether you are an enemy or a friend, what counts most is the interest – constant remembering. Hating God as your enemy makes you also think of God. One-pointed devotion with the entire life dedicated to God is the basic requirement of Bhakti Yoga.

41) The Ant in the Sugar Hill

There are various approaches to God. The world that you see is just name and form. If you can see beyond the name and form, you see the truth.

You function on different levels. If you use the physical body, think yourself as a Karma Yogi dedicating all actions to God. With your heart think yourself as a Bhakti Yogi who is an instrument of God. With your head think yourself as a Jnana Yogi who does not identify with anything less than the true Self. If you blend all together, think of yourself as a Raja Yogi integrating all the approaches .

42) What We Call Holy

There is only one God, who is the life in us. God doesn’t care what name we use, but rather what feeling we are using. Oneness is to be experienced in the complete silence of the mind; the realization of God can’t be grasped totally by the mind. Your first and foremost duty as a human being is to recognize the spiritual force functioning within to put yourself in God’s hands through your own intelligence.

When the Cosmic Consciousness is satisfied that you are really a great channel, it will send you more and more.

43) Truth is One, Paths are Many

Whatever path you choose according to your temperament and taste, stay with that consistently. Be devoted to the religion from which you came. Religion means all- embracing, no quarrels. Holy books and rituals are here to help you realize the spirit within, to feel the oneness and the universality.

44) Cosmic Consciousness

All paths lead home. Who lives in the middle of that home? [tooltip title=”” content=”This is also mentioned in Proof of Heaven” type=”classic” ]OM[/tooltip]. God created the whole universe with that sound. When people get caught up in the names and forms they get in trouble.
Remember that you are the Self and the Self never undergoes any change.

Epilogue: Old Wine – New Bottle

These are just some points. You must find your peace. You don’t have to talk about it; just do it. All I teach is that you learn to be selfless.

I really feel we are coming into a great spiritual age. I see an awakening.

Posted in: Spiritual-Development , Tagged: , ,