AGNI YOGA WEB TV
SERIES
„EDUCATION“
BROADCASTING
2
Education
of the physical Body
Dear Agni Yogis,
education or self-improvement
is one of the key topics of Agni Yoga. To grow, to become a Great Soul, is
precisely the meaning of our life (see Broadcasting "The Meaning of
Life"). The aim of Agni Yoga is to create the next stage of evolution, the
New Man. Thus, we are embarking on a gigantic project:
We want to grow a new,
superior race by spiritual means.
The disciple asks, "Are
you a racist?"
No, of course not. A racist is
someone who pretends to be superior to others just because he belongs to a
certain people. In the sense in which it is used here, "race" is a
theosophical technical term denoting the next higher step of evolution.
Its superiority is based on
real, eternal, inner values that are independent of the colour of skin, hair or
eyes. Nietzsche's Overman becomes a reality: On the ladder of evolution, he is
just as much above today's human beings as we are above the monkeys.
You can acquire these higher
qualities of the soul just as well as those of the body.
Unlike the animals, we humans
must actively take part in the progress of our own evolution. The coming
immortal man of spirit will not be born. He will not appear unless we ourselves
create him.
Education Plan
Agni Yoga, and thus our
school, offers an education plan, a complete programme for your development
from a small to a Great Soul.
The Mahatmas of the
Brotherhood of Shambhala have already climbed this step. We only have to follow
them and walk the same path which they have gone ahead of us and which they paved
for us.
We are talking about a
scientific concept of education. Just like Helena Blavatsky and others in
ashrams of the Brotherhood in Tibet, you too are being systematically trained
for your mission on earth – although with us, of course, starting at a lower
level.
The highest yogis were in
contact with the Supermundane World and knew what scientific and spiritual
perfection was possible. (Supermundane 903)
*****
The Series "Education"
is based on those three sets of exercises we have already discussed, and
continues what has been achieved there:
First: Series
"Experiment Immortality", with the exercises "Transformation
into a spiritual Being", "Exercise Invulnerability", "Bring
your Soul to Life" and "The Fiery State".
Second: Series "The
10 Pillars of the Practice of Agni Yoga", which presents and rehearses a
way of life appropriate to infinity.
Third: Series "The Path
of the Disciple". Without a teacher there is no progress, a fact that many
of you have not yet fully realised. There we are talking about your entry into
the Spiritual School and the topics: Finding a teacher, becoming a disciple,
living in the continuous presence of the teacher, the path of the Inner Temple
and living in the ashram of the teacher.
If you practise these
exercises regularly, you have already made good progress on the path of your education
to a Great Soul.
*****
We have already said (Broadcasting
"Exercise The Fiery State"): Man, like a Centaur, is a hybrid, namely
partly a material, partly a spiritual being. (Veronese
“Centaur”)
He lives with his feet (the 4
perishable bodies) on earth and with his head (the Fiery Body, the Eternal Individuality)
in Heaven, in the world of the soul.
The education of Agni Yoga deals
with our whole being, with its physical as well as its non-material aspects.
This leads us necessarily to the following education plan:
We have to train first our
four perishable bodies (the physical body, the body of feelings, the body of
instincts and the body of thoughts) and finally to educate our Eternal
Individuality, the soul.
We will go through this
programme step by step today and in the subsequent Broadcastings.
"What does education
mean?"
Purification, mastery,
strengthening, beautification and refinement.
"Going to school once
more? Go through education again? That does not look particularly attractive to
me."
Well, let us emphasise again:
Deep within you is hidden an immeasurable potential. Your Eternal
Individuality, your being of spirit is invested with gigantic, hardly
imaginable abilities and powers, which at present still lie
almost completely dormant. "Education" means nothing else than to
unearth and use this treasure.
Is it not a wonderful project
to unfold your being to its true greatness?
Section I: Higher and Lower Self
Nicholas Roerich
"Glory of the Himalayas"
Let us first clarify three
basic terms which we will encounter again and again in the further course of
our Broadcastings: Spirit, Higher Self and lower self.
1. Spirit
"The body is always
contrasted with the spirit. This is not really clear to me. Which spirit is
meant?"
Yes, the term “spirit” is
ambiguous, and its various applications lead to much confusion:
*****
Firstly, there is the
threefold division of the human being into body, soul and spirit. We had
already talked about this in the Broadcasting "The Law of Evolution".
In this context,
"spirit" means the monad, the indestructible grain of spirit within
us: The spirit fire, the part of the Divine in us that drives us to refine and
spiritualise ourselves ever further. With it we are not concerned when we are
speaking of "education".
"Why not?"
Because the grain of spirit is
immutable and therefore cannot be educated at all.
*****
Secondly, we often speak of
the spirit in contrast to the body. This refers to the six non-material,
invisible aspects of the human being that exist in addition to the physical
body, namely the perishable bodies of feelings, of instincts and of thoughts
(also called the "Subtle Body") as well as Atma, Buddhi and Manas,
the Eternal Individuality, the soul (also called the "Fiery Body").
If you forgot about the details, watch again the Broadcasting "The subtle
Constitution of Man".
*****
Thirdly, the term
"spirit" is also used as a synonym for the soul, the Eternal
Individuality.
We must clearly distinguish
between these three completely different meanings and express ourselves so
unambiguously that there can be no doubt as to which of them we are referring
to.
In the language of Agni Yoga, "lower
self" is a term for the four mortal bodies or the transient personality: physical
body, body of feelings, body of instincts and body of thoughts.
"Is the lower self now
bad or not?"
Neither; it only belongs to an
earlier stage of evolution: On the descending arc of involution the grain of spirit
first appeared in an ethereal garb, and in the further course of development
formed an ever denser physical body, see the Broadcasting "The Law of
Evolution".
To this body belongs an animal
consciousness, such as also the animals have.
It is connected to the
physical plane alone and separates itself from other beings. The thoughts,
feelings, words and deeds that arise from the animal consciousness are egotistic
and directed towards survival, reproduction, comfort, pleasure and power over
others.
These feelings and needs are a
natural part of our being that we brought with us from earlier times of
evolution.
They are not bad, but a
legitimate expression of the Divine spirit.
They were necessary and even
progressive at that time in order to overcome even lower levels, in order to
take the step from the plant to the animal kingdom: An animal, in contrast to a
plant, can move freely and enters the new world of eating and being eaten; it
will hardly be able to survive there without a pronounced instinct for
self-preservation.
*****
The soul in itself, when it
appeared on the material plane billions of years ago in the first race of the
first round of the first cycle, was originally ethereal, non-material and
perfectly pure. Through many later incarnations in animal and human bodies,
however, it also acquired animal qualities that are in actual fact alien to its
true, spiritual nature.
When your soul was incarnated
in a lion or a tiger, you had to hunt other animals such as antelopes or
buffaloes every few days, defeat them in a wild and dangerous struggle, kill
and eat them in order to ensure your own survival and that of your brood.
Of course, something of that still
sticks to your bones, and you now have got to get rid of it again.
Humanity
is saturated with cravings. When the spirit yields to the manifested cravings,
the step into evolution is limited by the visible. The opposite striving of the
spirit establishes the step of affirmed evolution. (Infinity II, 540 [140])
For
millennia, in all cultures, the churches have put people under pressure and
made them feel guilty about their so-called "base desires", without
us really knowing why.
Religions
began to prohibit something without knowing exactly why. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 329 [333])
Today
we say better: We must gradually overcome the animal qualities retained within
us if we want to reach the next, the superhuman level. They are outdated, they
no longer correspond to the latest state of evolution.
Urusvati
overcomes her inherited atavism. Every Yogi understands that he will succeed in
throwing off the burden of atavism only by elevating his yogic nature. (Supermundane
929)
It is
said that the monkey is easily offended. What is that to us? The panther can be
very irritable. What is that to us? It is said that the hen clucks without
reason. It is said that the vulture endlessly nurses his ire. What is that to
us? A parrot repeats slander. What is that to us? It is said that a duck cannot
control its nerves. What is that to us? Let us not emulate them. (Agni Yoga
367)
We
see:
"Higher"
and "lower" self denotes a relative evaluation.
What
used to be a considerable achievement yesterday will have to be replaced in the
course of the further progress of evolution by a still higher attribute tomorrow.
Each
action which rends the spirit from earthly desires is a higher realization. (Fiery
World III, 37)
Those
were great and proud times when you were the king of the animals.
Nietzsche
indulged in glorifying them still in our days with expressions like "blond
beast" or "pack of blond predators". But these supposedly good
old days are gone for ever. Let us not look back, but forward! The animal in
man has no future, that belongs to the king, the priest, the sage, the Divine within
us.
The
caterpillar must pass away so that the butterfly can emerge, both cannot exist
at the same time.
3. The Higher Self
In
the language of Agni Yoga, "Higher Self" is a term for the three
immortal aspects of the human being: Atma, Buddhi and Manas, the Eternal
Individuality.
"The
term "Higher Self" gives me trouble: It certainly means the soul, the
spiritual, eternal part of our being. But we have learned (Broadcastings
"The Supermundane World", "Preparation for Death in Dignity” and
"Bring your Soul to Life"): Bad accumulations such as desires,
addictions, irritability etc., which are attributed to the lower self, stick to
the soul as well. It takes them all with it at death into the Higher World and
brings them back to earth again at reincarnation. Thus, the Higher Self does
not actually seem to be any higher than the lower one or the body. The same bad
qualities adhere to both."
Yes,
well observed and correctly remarked! There is
really a great ambiguity of concepts and understanding here.
In
fact, our souls are by no means already great, beautiful and pure. Many
residues from animal times are still clinging to your Eternal Individuality and
staining its gold like dross or ulcers.
The
souls of criminals like Hitler or Stalin were certainly not purified by death.
They remain depraved, enter the lower layers of the World Beyond (the "hell"),
continue to cause mischief there and will one day return to earth with all
their terrible accumulations.
The
so-called "Higher Self" is "higher" only insofar as it is
not material.
It
is not automatically spiritually or morally above the transitory aspect of our
being.
4. The Fiery Body
Agni
Yoga therefore introduces the new concept of the Fiery Body. It is, as we had
already discussed (Broadcasting "Exercise Fiery State"), a being of
the highest vibration and thus necessarily completely pure.
A Fiery
Body polluted with physical desires or irritation is inconceivable. The high
vibration burns away all animal residues.
Hence
comes your certainty that you are originally, "actually" pure like a
child or an angel. Hence comes your shame about behaviour that is unworthy of
your true self. Hence come the warnings of your heart, the most important organ
of the Fiery Body.
The
Fiery Body is able to live in the Highest World, in Heaven. There, of course,
only beings of the utmost purity have access. What may happen is that your
vibration decreases, which would cause your Fiery Body to dissolve again and make
you leave Heaven.
*****
Your
Fiery Body exists, but it is for the time being still small, weak and hidden
deep within you (see the Broadcasting "Bring your Soul to Life"). In
the course of further evolution you are to develop it more and more, to make it
greater and stronger.
Therefore,
when we are talking of "Higher Self" or "Rule of the
Spirit" according to the established way of speaking, we have to bear in
mind that we mean the slowly unfolding Fiery Body.
*****
In
this Broadcasting we will first speak in general terms about the mastery of the
four mortal bodies and then specifically about the formation of the physical
body. In later Broadcastings, we shall talk about controlling feelings,
instincts and thoughts, and finally, as culmination, about the education of the
soul, the Eternal Individuality, the Fiery Body.
Section II: Struggle between Higher and Lower Self
Our twofold nature is known
since ancient times. Plato compares man to a chariot drawn by two horses of
different kinds, which the driver (the spirit) tries to bring in accordance
with one another.
Let the immortal soul be
compared to a pair of winged horses and a charioteer. Now the winged horses and
the charioteers of the gods are all of them noble and of noble descent, but
those of other races are mixed; the human charioteer drives his in a pair; and
one of them is noble and of noble breed, and the other is ignoble and of
ignoble breed; and the driving of them of necessity gives a great deal of
trouble to him.
The chariots of the gods in
even poise, obeying the rein, glide rapidly; but the others labour, for the
vicious steed goes heavily, weighing down the charioteer to the earth when his
steed has not been thoroughly trained; and this is the hour of agony and extremest conflict for the soul.
(Plato, Phaidros,
25, 26 [245, 246])
Goethe speaks of two souls in
our breast:
Zwei
Seelen wohnen, ach! in meiner Brust,
die
eine will sich von der andern trennen;
die
eine hält, in derber Liebeslust,
sich
an die Welt mit klammernden Organen;
die
andere hebt gewaltsam sich vom Dust
zu
den Gefilden hoher Ahnen.
Two souls, alas! Are dwelling
in my breast,
one wants to separate from the
other;
the one holds on, in the lust
of love,
to the world with clinging
organs;
the other lifts itself
forcibly from the haze
to the realms of high
ancestors. (Goethe, Faust, Part 1, Before the Gate)
The wisdom of the Sufis puts it
this way:
You get the soul of an animal
and the soul of an angel at the same time. Cast off the soul of the animal and
surpass the soul of the angel. (Rumi)
This coexistence of animal and
divine nature, of inherited ape-man and slowly forming God-man, is our fate and
mission. It explains why, in world history, one and the same people (for
example, we Germans) have repeatedly produced cultural excellence in some times
as well as terrible downfalls in others.
The Thinker [Plato]
sometimes confided to His disciples that He felt two lives within Himself, one
of light and the other of darkness, but that the one of light was the guide to
the higher worlds. He said, “The life of light is always vigilant—call it, and
it will answer.” (Supermundane 433)
Today we say in modern
language: Man consists of a transient personality and an Eternal Individuality.
Both are striving for
completely different things and in completely opposite directions: The soul
sacrifices itself for truth, justice, beauty and love. The body is selfishly
concerned only with its defence, wellbeing and reproduction and opposes to all
higher aspirations a natural sluggishness and resistance.
One should not be distressed
if the two natures, the earthly and the subtle, do not easily manifest
themselves as one. (Brotherhood 416)
For each individual human
being as well as for humanity as a whole, at every moment the question arises
anew: which aspect prevails, the earthly or the heavenly?
The animal and the divine
nature of man are waging a relentless war for supremacy.
It is precisely in man himself
that is revealed
the eternal competition of the
higher and the lower spheres. (Agni Yoga 531)
"Is not struggle far too
coarse and brutal a term for a spiritual person?"
No, you should not indulge in
illusions, you must face reality:
Life on the material plane is
a constant battle!
Between new and old, good and
bad, great and small. At every moment it hangs in the balance which of the two
will gain the upper hand. Nothing is granted as a gift to us. We have to fight
hard for every progress.
Many battles are past, still
more are ahead. Every atom of the Cosmos is battling. (Community 39)
Many a pseudo-esoteric rejects
the term "struggle" because he looks at the world through
rose-coloured glasses and does not wish to perceive it as it is. His fate will
be to succumb without fight.
The goal of all education is
summed up by the mantram:
I reveal the Divine only!
I believe in the Unutterable
Divine Principle, which abides in each human being, and I believe in the birth
of Christ in the human soul on its path to perfection. (Helena Roerich Letters
Vol. II, letter of 22.07.1935)
The Christ on the cross, which
is present in every human being, must descend into Hell at some point of its
evolution, in order to drag out from there and elevate again to its higher, normal
condition the soul that has been plunged therein as an effect of the illegal deeds
of its lower self. In other words, the Divine Love must reach down into the
heart of man and conquer and regenerate him. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson
161 “Atonement” = Helena Roerich Letters Vol II, letter of 22.07.1935 and of 08.06.1936)
Wird Christus tausendmal in Bethlehem
geboren
und nicht in dir, du bleibst doch
ewiglich verloren.
If Christ were born a thousand
times in Bethlehem
but not with in you, you will
nevertheless remain lost eternally. (Angelus Silesius)
1. Conquering
oneself
The price for the revelation
of the Divine within us is overcoming the lower self, the inner swine, as it is
properly called by folk wisdom.
If you want to grow greater,
you must give up that within you what is still small.
Man must lose his lower life
to find his Luminous Higher Self. (From the Mountain Top Vol. II, Lesson “The
Palm strewn Path”)
This alone sets man above the
beast of the field: his power to know God; his power to sacrifice self to Self
that the True Self may live and reign in eternity. (From the Mountain Top Vol.
II, Lesson “It is to Thee”)
You have to choose between great
and small, spirit and matter, the God and the animal within you.
The choice is yours, O son of
man, to reach the highest heights of life and win the crown of immortality and
selfless love, or to sink into the depths of the underworld to mourn and lament
during long ages. Again and again someone of good and someone of evil character
comes to thee daily and says, "Choose between thy faithful service to the
gods of life and the same service to thy lower self." (Teachings of the
Temple, Temple Artisan No. 249)
Every moment you have to decide
anew: What do you wish to reveal: Your higher or your lower nature?
No man can serve two masters,
as the Bible so truly says. (Mt 6, 24).
Whatever strengthens the one
weakens the other. Every victory of the spirit over the flesh increases, every
yielding decreases the power of the Divine within yourself and in the world.
The
self of spirit and the self of matter can never meet, one of the twain must
disappear. The true and the false are diametrically opposed to each other, and
all the energy of all the vast spaces of the universe cannot draw them
together. Truth and falsehood cannot unite. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson
105 “My Brother’s Keeper”)
"Ye
cannot serve both God and Mammon." Applied alone to mediums of exchange,
to gold and silver, flocks and herds, to lands and houses, Mammon stands for
man's possessions only; yet He who gave it utterance meant a wider range of
that which stands for wealth than man now gives to it. Mammon! Beast! In truth
the words are all but interchangeable in this age, and if by beast the lower
self of man is also meant it will fitly express that which the great Master
meant by Mammon. Man cannot serve the beast within himself, and serve his
Higher Self, his God, at the same time. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson
185 “Whom will Ye serve?")
*****
Mastering
the lower self is a constant battle that breaks out anew every hour, never ends
and inflicts deep wounds. To overcome oneself in this struggle: This is the
great heroic deed that a warrior of light has to accomplish in our days.
Whom,
then, should one treat especially austerely? Definitely oneself. (Community
130)
You
must indeed conquer yourself – namely your lower self.
Mastery
is confirmed by realization of victory over self. Conquering self, the victor
will rise. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 372
[437])
Each
victory over oneself will be a true success. Life provides many an opportunity
for such victories. (Brotherhood 565)
"Would
you please explain this more clearly?"
Well,
you know yourself very well how things go in your daily life: You have resolved
to curb your tendency to irritability, to drink no (or only a little) alcohol
or to eat no (or only a few) sweets. Then you are offered a glass of wine or a
piece of chocolate, or you see the bottle or the bar in the supermarket that
you have reached for so often in the past.
Your
body says, "I want it." Your soul says, "I don't want it."
Now
it really comes to a fight between these two wills!
You
vacillate back and forth between them. You first pass by and then return. Your
intellect gives you plenty of good reasons for both options: Just once does not count, it is as good as never; sometimes
you have got to spoil yourself; this will really be the last time, after this
I'll stop, and so on. This is how it goes for all of us several times a day in more
or less the same way.
"And
who will prevail in the end?"
The
stronger will!
The
noble brings the beast within us under the control of man, rather under the control
of the Divine within us; the mean makes the noblest within himself the slave of
the lowliest, the noblest part of his soul is weak and cannot master the
beasts. It is the advantage of every man to be under the rule of something Divine
and rational, preferably under the rule of that which he has within himself.
(Plato, The State, Book 9, XII, XIII)
These
were just a few examples. In fact, there are a myriad of animal traits left that
you have to fight and overcome: Desires, weakness, sluggishness, dejection,
fear, rudeness, irritability, unkindness, laziness, and so on and so forth.
He
must daily fight the powers of darkness, the fiends of fear and desperation,
the demons of cowardice and hate. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “The
Lie”)
Your
true pride is the ascent, the gain in power and greatness that every victory
over your lower nature gives you.
Overcome,
and ascend! (Supermundane 799)
The
throne of a king of the spirit is founded on the subjugated lower self.
It is
the monsters that provide the legs for the throne. There is a good reason why
sacred objects are depicted as mounted upon animal-like pedestals. (Heart
259)
If
you take up this struggle, you may naturally expect help from Above.
You
who are suffering with this demonical force, take one brave step toward staying
its advance, toward routing its hold, and you will immediately feel the Lodge
forces pouring in and through you to help you. It will at once be easier for
you to take the next step, and so on to the finish. You have no idea how
important a matter this is to you.
There
is no strain, no burden too great for us to help you eliminate, if you will but
work with us. But you must make the first effort, must indicate the initial
desire. You are caught in the intrigues of the negative side of living, and
must jerk yourselves up positively, if you would be free from its grip. (Teachings
of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “If we knew”)
Tintoretto "The Battle of St. George with the Dragon"
It
cannot be said clearly enough: You must actually kill the beast in man!
God
is ever close at hand and ever waiting for the beast in man to die and the
angel to be born. (From the Mountain Top Vol. I, Lesson “The World Pain”)
When,
as is said, the beast in man awakens, precisely then individualization, without
any nourishment by the consciousness, turns into a cruel egoism. Then begins a
campaign against enlightenment and cooperation. Such egoism does not become a
noble realization of personality, but returns to the animal state. There will
be found conquerors of the beast. Destroy the beast-man! Men with tails, and
centaurs, do not enter into evolution. (Community 218)
"That
sounds brutal though!?"
Yes,
but that is how reality is.
You literally
have to slay your inner swine. (Nicholas Roerich "Gorynych")
Each
Neophyte to the great Mystery must experience the blind struggle with the
Demons which bar his way; the annihilation of those piteous, pleading elemental
selves which cry out from the depths of their torture, give! give! give! –
these must not only be met and denied, but slain in cold passionless
deliberation to make room for the higher, the unselfish-Self, for the Laws of
Space are inexorable. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 16 “Unselfish
Love”)
The
whole great purpose of human life is the attainment of Mastery, and the first
and last enemy to be slain by the accepted disciple of the White Lodge is the
personal devil – the force which incites to treachery. (Teachings of the Temple
Vol. I, Lesson 205 “The Betrayer”)
The
dragon within you is indeed the mortal enemy of your soul!
Elevate
your self through the power of your Self , and not
degrade your self, for the self can be the friend and
also the enemy of the Self. For those who have conquered the self, it is their
friend. For those who have failed to do so, the self works
like an enemy. Those who have conquered the self rise
above the dualities of cold and heat, joy and sorrow, honour and dishonour.
They remain peaceful and steadfast. (Bhagavad Gita VI, 5-7)
If
you do not kill this enemy, he will kill you – namely, your Higher Self!
The
demon would slay the Higher Self had it the power. A liar, a deceiver, a
murderer, a foul epitome of selfishness and lust, such is that lower self – a
tempter of the pilgrim starting out to climb the Path of Power. (Teachings of
the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 185 “Whom will Ye serve?”)
It is
the World Dweller, called by you the Disintegrator, a very demon, giving vent
to itself in most cowardly manner in the endeavour to throw you from the Higher
Throne of your spiritual acquisition obtained through sweat of blood, toil and
labour in a long sequence of incarnations. No man, no power can loose its hold upon your Threshold but yourselves. It must
be taken by the throat and throttled by power from within. Little by little,
inch by inch, swoop by swoop will it take possession until your entire being
come under its sway and you will no longer have power to throw it off. (Teachings
of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “If we knew”)
This
is a battle in which you cannot avoid inflicting pain on yourself.
Spirit
is flesh that cuts into the flesh. (Nietzsche)
"How
should I proceed practically?"
Practical Tip: Starve the Dragon
Nicholas Roerich "Brahmaputra"
If
you feed your lower self, it develops at the expense of the higher. If, on the
other hand, you feed your spiritual being, it grows and your animal nature
shrinks.
The
lower desire is like a poisonous snake within you: If you give it food, it
grows bigger and bigger and will finally rule over you.
Let
me tell you a nice little story:
If
you keep the dragon within you in check and give it less and less of that what
it so impetuously demands, you free yourself from it. It will gradually wither
away and eventually stop bothering you altogether.
Man must be able not only to
gaze into the Heights, but also to look into the depths of his own nature. The
age-old serpent lies ready in the depths of the Chalice, and will awaken and
stir with any misstep. He fills one with malice, he saps one’s strength, and
obscures good intentions. Only with great striving can one rid oneself of this
ancient companion. Yet a determined person can develop within himself one
quality that can resist the stratagems of this monster.
With purity of heart one can
sense the borderline that defines the influence of the creature and, sensing
this boundary, correct an intended mistake. Later other danger signs will
appear. The most important thing is to abstain from
acts of questionable rightfulness. One should develop within oneself this sense
of right action and thus not waken the monster. It is far better to
discriminate in one’s actions than later regret the deeds. (Supermundane 478)
You can and must literally
starve the dragon within you!
People do not want to admit
that an evil monster has been born within themselves. It is not possible to
remove all the heads of the hydra with one blow of the sword. It is said that
each drop of its blood begets new offspring! Therefore, one must find the way
to cause the monster to die of hunger. Remove the monster’s nourishment and it
will disappear. (Supermundane 480)
Entirely ignore the lower self
– which is the one thing it fears. By refusing to give it the substance it
requires to live upon, that is, the substance of your own evil thoughts and
words, it is rendered powerless, becomes more and more tenuous, and
disintegrates quickly. Kill it out by overcoming it with good, thus changing
its nature. Do not feed and nourish that lower self by yielding recognition of
its power over you. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 114 “The lower
Astral or "Ka”)
If you want to be a great and
strong being of spirit, a cosmic giant reaching to Heaven, you must not make
yourself an earth-bound worm by giving in to the poisonous snake within you.
Ernst Barlach
gave expression to this struggle of man with himself, of the angel with the
wolf within us, in his Kiel sculpture "The Warrior of Spirit" – the
contemporary treatment of the age-old theme of Archangel Michael's fight with
the dragon.
3. Transformation of the old into the New Man
Nicholas Roerich
"Lama“
Instead of
"struggle" we may also speak of "transformation": If you
want to overcome the old man, you must transform into a New Man, into
Nietzsche's Overman.
Put off the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind; and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness. (Ephesians 4, 22-24)
In the entire Cosmos the
guiding principle is transmutation. (Infinity I, 183)
The disciple chisels out at
pains the higher image of himself from the material that previous evolution has
made available to him.
"How does this
transformation take place?"
You change your being by
taking on the attributes of the Higher Self, the characteristics of the Divine,
the seeds of which are already planted within you.
The crown of completion is
within yourself. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 238
[239])
The lower self can have no
appreciation of the Higher Self until it has attracted and assimilated the
attributes of the Higher Self, and incorporated them into its own essence, thus
changing the nature of the lower self. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 119
“The Law of Opposites”)
That means concretely: Transform
suffering into joy, impurity into purity, weakness into strength, darkness into
light, fear into courage, coarseness into subtlety, irritability into serenity,
unkindness into love, laziness into activity, physical pleasures into spiritual
ones, ignorance into knowledge and so on.
When the desire of the soul
for obedience to the Divine Law has overcome the desire of the body to break
that Law for the purposes of sense gratification, an entire change has taken
place in the lower nature. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 161
“Atonement”)
Your mantram
is:
May only my Higher Self think within
me, speak through me and act with me.
O, Christ, Thou Son of God, my
own Eternal Self; live Thou Thy Life in me; do Thou Thy Will in me; I will have
no will but Thine; I will have no Self but Thee. (From the Mountain Top Vol.
II, Lesson “Within your Presence”)
Section III: Self-Mastery
The magic word, the key to all
progress is: self-mastery.
Without self-control nothing
is possible. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter of 10.05.1933)
This is especially true of the
relationship between the four bodies, the lower perishable personality, and the
eternal spirit.
1. Establishing the
Rule of the Spirit over oneself
Emperor Augustus
The goal of evolution is: The
Cosmic Order, the Divine Will is to apply everywhere, right into the last
corner of the Universe. In other words:
We are to establish the rule
of the Divine Spirit everywhere.
"Where shall I
begin?"
Where else but with yourself?
The first and indispensable step on the Spiritual Path is:
You must first establish the rule
of the Spirit over yourself!
All Teachings repeat about the
burden of the flesh in order to direct attention to the superiority of the
spirit. (Heart 72)
If you wish to grow greater,
you must submit your small, personal self, your lower nature, to the guidance
of the Spirit.
Mastery is the absolute
control of the lower self. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 173 “Sex”).
Walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5, 16)
I stand on the Mount Supernal
of my Spiritual Divine Self, my heart free from hatred and free from fear, my
soul given in service, consecrated to God and mankind. Faith, Love, Compassion,
Beauty, Wisdom, Truth, the Light of Life Eternal surround and pervade me. (From
the Mountain Top Vol. II, Lesson “The Mount Supernal”)
How will you assert the rule of
the Spirit in the world if you are not even able to establish it over yourself?
First rule yourself sovereignly,
only then you may think of becoming a Spirit ruler, a Hierarch, and as a member
of the Hierarchy leading and governing the world and other people.
How can we rule cities,
nations, planets – rule with God – until we rule ourselves? (Teachings of the
Temple Vol. II, Lesson “The Foundation Stones of the Spiritual Temple”)
A youth asked a Sage to teach
him how to be the ruler of a nation. The Sage said, “Willingly, but first you
must become ruler of your heart; when you have mastered that kingdom, come to
me.” (Supermundane 658)
2. Self-Mastery
"What exactly does
self-mastery mean?"
Your Self
rules itself – namely, the higher rules the lower self.
I cannot say clearly enough: We
are really speaking about power, about asserting interests, about domination!
Are you (your Eternal Self) a
king who sits firmly on his throne and reigns, or a subject who is ruled by
someone else?
The Eternal Individuality
directs its four perishable tools, the physical body and the bodies of feelings,
instincts and thoughts, so that it reaches its goal and not the horses determine
the course.
When the horses get their way
and bolt, when you are torn to and fro by the
feelings and desires of your lower nature, the natural order is turned upside
down. One of the horses is always about to break out. It takes a tremendous effort
to force them all to follow together only one direction at any time, namely that
which you give them. (Rubens "The Fall of
Phaeton")
The
hands of your spiritual self should be at the helm of your personal nature as
surely and persistently as the hand of the captain is never withdrawn from the
control of his boat lest unseen, unlooked for, and unexpected obstacles
suddenly appear and his vessel be rammed, swept out of course by high seas,
listed, and sunk. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “The Crossing of
Swords”)
Self-control
is the first characteristic of the man of the future, the firm basis of his
superiority over the old man. (Nicholas
Roerich "Lama")
The
power of your spirit can only develop if you first assert it over the
aspirations of your own transient personality!
He
that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh
a city. (Proverbs 16, 32)
Only
the highest self-mastery can prepare a person for the fiery spheres. (Heart
162)
Power
in the world is based upon power over oneself.
As
long as you are a slave to your lower desires, instincts and passions, there
can be no question of mastery. Then the Divine remains buried within you and is
unable to express itself.
The
more he indulges his desires the more control they will have over him. (Teachings
of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “Sex and Self Responsibility”)
Ah,
ye triflers on the Great Stream! Victims of feeling, slaves to emotion,
pitifully weak, glorying in the strength you would make
yourselves believe yours, while as yet you have only touched upon it as an
ideal; grasping at the orb of universal power while you have not yet gained
control over a single quality of human nature. (From the Mountain Top Vol. III,
Lesson “Be no longer a Slave”)
You
are a king of the spirit only if you have freed yourself from this bondage.
Freedom
is the release of the soul from the ancient bondage of the lower self. (Teachings
of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 244 “The Cause of Failure”)
A
master controls all the movements of his body, feelings, instincts and
thoughts.
*****
Your
dignity is based on your higher, divine nature. Your self-respect, your pride
depend on your expressing it.
Each
one respects his own dignity, and each one appraises the pearl of his
consciousness. (Community 130)
It
is unworthy of your eternal, spiritual being to subordinate itself to the
animal within you.
Self-control
alone produces self-respect!
Section IV: Means of Education
Let
us now look at the means that help us to master our lower, animal nature.
1. Spiritual Discipline
All
religions and teachings of wisdom emphasise the need for spiritual discipline.
Without
discipline there is no progress on the Spiritual Path.
Discipline
is the beginning of everything. (Leaves of Morya’s
Garden II, 250 [253])
Discipline
is the bridge between your dreams and your goals.
Discipline
is the price you have to pay for realising your ideal.
If
this price is too high for you, you should not think of mastery.
Let
us speak about Lord Buddha. People do not grasp the foundation of the Teaching
of the Blessed One. The foundation is discipline. With spiritual and physical
striving, the monastics of the Community endeavoured to stay on the path. In
the first years a monastic underwent a rigorous regimen. He was forbidden to
mortify himself with exaggerated ascetic practices; rather, he was ordered to
do battle along the lines of the spirit alone.
Thus,
the Buddha was strict in teaching His disciples. In fact, they only knew joy in
spiritual battle, which is why the thorns on the path are spoken about. Only
when the will of the spiritual warrior had grown strong as a lion’s, and the
silver bridle of the spirit guiding the disciple’s senses had begun to
sparkle—only then did the Lord lift the veil slightly and assign a task. Then
gradually the disciple was initiated into the mysteries of knowledge. (Leaves
of Morya’s Garden II, 251 [254])
Basically,
true freedom is to submit to the realities and laws of the Cosmic Order, for
only in harmony with them does evolution progress.
You
need to exercise discipline of the spirit, for without it you cannot become
free. For the slave, discipline of the spirit will be a prison; for the free,
it will be a wondrous healing garden. So long as discipline of the spirit seems
like shackles, the door will stay shut, and one cannot go up the steps bound in
chains. You can think of discipline of the spirit as wings. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, Preface)
No
man is free who is a slave to the flesh. (Seneca)
*****
"Does
not discipline imply compulsion against oneself which the Teaching rejects?"
No!
The term discipline has unjustly fallen into disrepute. Here, as everywhere,
the Cosmic Principle of goal-fitness applies.
Discipline
is nothing else than purposeful action to achieve a goal.
The
Brotherhood points out the goal – the rule of the spirit – and clearly names
what is harmful and what is necessary, useful and expedient on the way there.
Let
us imagine that you see a man doing harm who yet has a spark of psychic energy.
It would not be wise to tell him that he is acting wrongly, but it is possible
to say that his action does not follow the trend of evolution. It is not a
matter of bad or good, it is only that his conduct is not goalfitting,
and therefore not practical. (Community 179)
If
only you are truly determined, you will abandon outdated behaviour of your own
accord, because you realise that it moves you away from your ideal.
*****
Discipline
is necessary because any yielding to the lower self weakens
the spirit.
People
want to preserve all their petty habits, forgetting that the habits of the
spirit follow from the habits of the body. The spirit weakens and begins to
fear courageous action. Thus, people become commonplace, with the same
conventional joys and sorrows. (Agni Yoga 262)
Every
deviation lengthens the path. (Supermundane 14)
On
the other hand, every proving of yourself, every assertion against the
resisting animal ego strengthens the power of your spirit.
Each discipline is only
strengthening. Discipline of spirit fortifies the wise. (AUM 350; Fiery World II, 42)
Practical Tip:
Transforming Pain of the Soul into Joy
In actual fact, we are talking
about a very simple, natural and salutary concept: You feel painfully:
Something lowers your vibration, brings you out of the Fiery State and makes
you small and weak, whether it is gluttony, irritability or dejection.
Then, discipline only means:
You learn from the mistake and refrain from repeating it in the future. Thereby
you overcome the pain of your soul and transform it into joy:
In the end, it is the highest
satisfaction to have remained true to yourself (to your Higher Self). After
some practice, daily discipline carries you more than you have to endure it.
The discipline of Good is a
self-generated joy. (Supermundane 559)
A wonderful joy at purity,
fidelity and firmness takes the place of more primitive pleasures and affords a
much deeper satisfaction than these.
**********
"What exactly does
discipline relate to?"
The life of an Agni Yogi is
ruled by the 10 Pillars of the Practice of Agni Yoga. They make up a large part
of the education of the body.
"Aren't you exaggerating
the importance of the 10 Pillars when you keep emphasising them over and over
again? In the end, they are only a matter of outward appearances!"
I am sorry, but you have got it
pretty wrong! In reality, the 10 Pillars are the indispensable basis for a new,
more beautiful, more dignified, more spiritual and healthier life – both for
the body and for the soul!
We in Tabenisi propose to heal
the depressed, the sick, the addicted and even the criminal simply by letting
them participate in our normal daily life with its spiritual discipline. A
fixed daily routine of worship or meditation, work and education is the royal path
and almost a panacea for anyone who wants to start a new life.
The 10 Pillars describe the
habits and customs that reign the Higher Worlds, in the Abodes of the
Brotherhood. According to the ancient principle "As in Heaven, so on
earth" (Fiery World II, 16), we are called upon to apply them to our everyday
life as well.
2. Strengthening
the Will
We had said earlier: In the
battle between body and spirit, the stronger will prevails. Thus, the second
tool to master your lower nature is: You educate, exercise, preserve and
strengthen your will.
"What actually is
will?"
An important, interesting and
difficult question. But we do not want to philosophise. First of all,
"will" only means: You form a wish or an intention, make a decision
or a choice: You want this and that and not something else.
You decide to raise your hand
to greet someone. You resolve to put one foot in front of the other and start
walking.
*****
Forming a will is easy. The
difficulty lies in enforcing what you have resolved to do in the face of adverse
circumstances.
For example, if you want to
finish a marathon run, you have to persevere with your intention for 42 long
kilometres despite the body's resistance and pain.
This is a question of the
strength of your will. In the terminology of Agni Yoga, we say:
Whether you are able to assert
your will depends upon your mental strength, your psychic energy.
When we speak of a strong or
weak will, we basically mean a strong or weak psychic energy.
For our topic this means: In
order to keep your lower self in check, you have to strengthen the spiritual
power of your Eternal Individuality, your psychic energy. We already talked
about this task in the Broadcasting "Psychic Energy". Do you remember
how that works?
Every applied thought will
bring growth to the spirit. (Infinity II, 777 [377])
Just by making up your mind to
do something and then starting to realize it (for example regarding bad
qualities or habits of your body), you strengthen your psychic energy and thus
your will. Here as well applies:
Practice makes perfect the
master.
We have often said: Your
Eternal Individuality, your Fiery Body is still small and weak and being led
around by the nose by its vehicle, the brother donkey.
When you develop your soul, as
we shall discuss in detail in one of the following Broadcastings on the "Education
of the Eternal Individuality", it will grow ever greater. Then one day it
will have such a spiritual power, such a strong will, that it will be able to
assert itself against the body.
It is the will that makes a man
great or small. (Friedrich Schiller)
*****
"What shall my will be
directed at?"
Basically, it is quite simple:
Hearken to your soul when it
says to you, "I want one thing, but I do not want the other!"
If a desire is selfish, crude,
or half-formed, speak to it with all the concentrated willpower at your
command: "I do not desire this thing, though my mind or body may desire
it. It is not in accord with universal law, therefore it is not my real
desire." If you do this with sufficient intensity you will find that
particular desire shriveling up, going out, and know
yourself free from it with a higher desire in its place. (Teachings of the
Temple Vol. III, Lesson “The Rationale of Self-Examination”)
A help in strengthening your will
is the ancient wisdom that teaches:
If you want the goal, you must
also want the means!
Therefore, set yourself a goal
(for example, to free yourself from a habit that oppresses you), keep it
constantly in mind and imagine again and again how wonderful it will be when
you have reached it. Then you will also find the will to walk the path that
leads to this goal.
Practical Tip:
Self-command
You can actually command
yourself to do or not to do certain things. Such a self-command is something
like a self-fulfilling prophecy. It has a strong effect, creating a
corresponding vibration and invoking the help of the Supermundane Powers.
People should understand that
self-command toward good and the General Welfare will attract Supermundane
Help. Victory will come when one commands oneself to achieve victory. Such a
victory through self-command shortens the path. It also should be known that in
a beneficent command vibrations are created that unite one with the Higher
Forces. (Supermundane 867)
"I don't understand. Is
that magic?"
No! A self-command works
practically like this: You resolve very firmly, as firmly as you possibly can,
"I will not drink a single glass of wine today." If not the slightest
trace of doubt remains within you (because you have only resolved to do
something that is realistic, that you can actually carry out), success must
follow.
3. Habit
Habits are not only a burden
on the Spiritual Path. We can even make use of them to uplift our lower nature:
We can accustom the body to a
certain rhythm of the day (then it will of itself wake up and become tired earlier
than before), or to a certain kind or quantity of food, then it will no longer
demand anything else or more.
Let us consider an example
from life:
My wife once had a cat, called
fat Elli, who was fed for years with bought ready-made food. When one day this
became too expensive, my wife offered the cat only a bowl of curd cheese
diluted with water. The cat meowed miserably around the potty and refused the
food. This went on for several days until Elli was finally so hungry that she
had no choice but to accept the new meal. From then on there were no problems.
She got some minced meat every few days and stayed healthy and grew very old.
This is the way to treat your
transient personality: Like a stranger, like a pet.
The spirit allocates what and
how much it sees fit, and the body must comply.
You can replace the relaxing
red wine in the evening with tea or meditation, and chocolate with fruits or
dried fruit. This is just a question of habit! I can assure you from my own
experience: Once you get used to fruits, they will satisfy your craving for
sweets just as well, and the excessive sweetness of chocolate will then even be
repulsive to you.
Of course, your vehicles, the four
horses, will rebel at first when they no longer get the treats they were used
to. But as soon as they realise that this is over for good, they will soon comply.
Your body will get used to
anything if it has to.
*****
The example of fat Elli shows:
By some kind of rehab not only alcoholics or smokers can get rid of their
addiction. In the same way you can free yourself of all vices, even those of a
mental nature, such as irritability or dejection.
"Is there really a treatment
against the addiction to irritability?"
Yes, of course!
Pause a second! Get into the habit
of not blurting out a thought right away.
Consult your heart first. Give
your soul a moment to take over control and check your thoughts, feelings,
words and actions – especially in case of negative ones.
This is also a matter of habit.
In the beginning, it takes a heroic effort to master yourself. But the longer
you hold on, the easier it becomes. In the end, the new, better practice
naturally enters your being. It becomes a part of you, so that you follow it
automatically and without thinking about it any longer.
4. Vows
Saint Bernhard of
Clairvaux
Another tool to maintain
unwavering spiritual discipline are vows. In order to finally get rid of a
vice, for example alcohol, you vow never to drink again.
Vows of the most diverse
nature have been sanctioned by various teachings. Each vow is very useful from the standpoint of discipline. It is difficult for
people to believe how necessary for future achievements are such exercises of
discipline. A vow cuts short many paths of dissoluteness. In the Subtle World
it is difficult and painful to begin tardily ridding oneself of dissoluteness.
It is better to test oneself here by various useful vows.
People often find themselves
in ridiculous situations when they take vows zealously only in time of danger.
The ancients showed a better understanding of this in their vows in the Name of
the Most High, thus strengthening their exalted and solemn state of mind. This
was not superstition or bargaining with the Higher Forces, but the transport of
a spirit which had attained a new freedom. (Fiery World I, 421)
We are not talking about a
great ceremony in the temple or a solemn oath as in the army. It is quite
enough if you make a promise to yourself – to your Higher Self!
It is sometimes helpful to ask
oneself how much of the Teaching has been so far applied in life. It is useful
to suggest this thought to friends. Let them reflect and write down. Worn out
thinking is cleansed by such writings, it is like taking an oath before
oneself. (Fiery World III, 559)
"Can you give a practical
example?"
Gandhi had taken it into his
head to leave India for a few years to study law in London and become a lawyer.
His family had the greatest reservations because they thought it would be
impossible for him to practise his faith, Hinduism, in the materialistic and
immoral environment there. Gandhi finally took a vow not to touch wine, women
or meat. Thereupon they let him go.
Similarly, you, too, can make
a firm commitment to yourself to renounce everything that makes it impossible for
you to practise Agni Yoga.
"A permanent, perhaps
even a lifelong vow? That is pretty far-reaching! If I can't keep it, I'll only
make things worse by violating the sacred pledge."
Well, then begin more simply:
Make a promise in the morning
for just one day.
This is easy to keep and
effectively strengthens your resolve to resist temptation. You can repeat the vow
every morning (or skip it at the weekend or on holidays) and, if successful,
extend it step by step.
5. No Prohibitions
Many churches rule with
prohibitions. As opposed to that, Agni Yoga teaches: Prohibitions are
compulsion and thus not only useless but even harmful.
Remember, We have no
prohibitions. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 318
[322])
What is required is insight.
Any prohibition is relative
and unconvincing. It is necessary to make clear harm and benefit according to
their essence. Prohibition must be refuted; this is the law of striving. (Leaves
of Morya’s Garden II, 328 [332], 329 [333])
Great and wise is the one who
walks the right path not upon order but following his own discernment.
It was said long ago, “Triumph
over your self.” But it is equally right to say,
“Assure yourself.” (Supermundane 882)
Here is an amazing instruction
from the Mahatmas:
Not even the harmful should be
prohibited. (Community 102)
"Why not? Surely people
must be protected!?"
No. At least with adults it is
much more effective if they themselves feel that one can get burnt by fire.
Then next time they will be careful as a result of their own experience. As the
saying goes:
From harm comes wisdom.
This, however, also applies the
other way round: Without the painful experience, guided only by prohibitions,
we do not become wise, but remain stupid.
"How can we lead our
fellow men to the right path if we abstain from interdictions?
We do not impose prohibitions,
but point to something higher, greater and more beautiful!
We open up new possibilities
for people to improve their lives and point out potential for growth and for increasing
their abilities.
Forbiddances are to be
replaced by possibilities. (Community 207)
The good education of a true
teacher directs the attention of the disciples towards a glorious ideal and kindles
their enthusiasm for this high goal.
People inflamed by the fire of
enthusiasm will always find a way to make their dreams come true, even without
commandments or prohibitions!
Prohibitions are not needed.
It is better instead to turn the attention simply to the more useful and the
more attractive. That tutorage will be best which can enhance the
attractiveness of the good. (Community 102)
A teacher who sits under a
tree pronouncing prohibitions does not meet the need of the new world. (Leaves
of Morya’s Garden II, 114)
If you want to build a ship,
don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders.
Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. (Saint-Exupéry)
He who strives toward
something beloved does not count the steps of the ladder. Thus, it is necessary
to love in order to attain. The Brotherhood teaches this means of ascent. (Brotherhood
321)
Here is an example: Instead of
prohibiting material pleasures, we recommend spiritual ones, which, as it soon
turns out, are not followed by remorse and prove actually much higher and more
satisfying.
It is easy to say that people
should not drug themselves, but they should then be offered a higher
alternative. (Supermundane 500)
*****
A prohibition is always a
limitation and thus exactly the opposite of the expansion of consciousness and
possibilities that Agni Yoga aims for.
A thinking that imposes
prohibitions is limited. (Brotherhood 11)
On the way to the heights of
consciousness, neither boundaries, nor limitations, nor prohibitions exist for
the one who has ignited the light of his consciousness. (Agni Yoga 626)
A prohibition does not even
promote the ascent of the disciple: If he only slavishly performs what his
teacher prescribes, the karmic merit accrues predominantly to the teacher and
only to a small extent to the disciple.
Practical Tip:
Think positive
The Master teaches:
Knowledge will always be
positive and affirmative. There is no time to concern oneself with denials and
forbiddances. (AUM 265)
So do not think negative:
"I don't want to ..." or "I must not ...", that only
reinforces the ne-gative. Better think positive:
"I want to be a king of the spirit or a good disciple of the Brotherhood;
therefore, I behave according to my ideal and the sublime example of my
teacher."
It is not wise to proclaim,
“Tear out thy corruption.” It is better to say, “Let benevolence fill thy
being.” (Agni Yoga 482)
**********
Our goal is to become a new
being that has completely discarded the desires of the lower self; to transform
in such a way that there is no need any longer for prohibitions, or even an
effort of will:
An elephant does not eat meat.
For that, it does not require any commandments or prohibitions. That is its
very nature.
In the same way, the New Man
will have changed so far that he has no desire any more for physical pleasures.
A great help in the education
of the body is the realisation:
Everything flows.
Man is every moment new.
Nothing ties you to the state
you are currently in. Nothing can prevent you from developing further and
rising higher and higher.
Man must always be on the
threshold of the future. Man is new every moment. It is not easy to know
constantly and courageously that each moment renovates the worlds, but out of
this source is born inexhaustible vigour. (Fiery World II, 70)
One should take as a basis the
call of innovation. Realization of the newness of each hour will provide the
impulse. What happiness is it to be eternally new! (Community 118)
This gives you a wonderful
certainty which is full of endless possibilities:
You can start your life anew
every day!
A new life can begin from each
instant. (Fiery World II, 433)
From any path of evil
whatsoever one can turn to good. (Fiery World II, 200)
Do not look to the past, but
always strive towards the future!
See to it that with every new
morning a new development begins!
One person considers each hour
as the last, but another is conscious of each hour as the first and a new one.
Such attitude is a fiery one. (Fiery World II, 453)
Each new day offers new
possibilities for approaching the limitless growth. (Infinity I, 113)
So do not waste the priceless
coming day, but begin today, not tomorrow with your renewal.
It were better, without a
crooked smile, to consider what one could improve as of today, and to examine
the quality of each of one’s actions. (Community 213)
*****
"What is so bad about
waiting a little longer?"
Of course, you can also begin
anew tomorrow. But if you put off realisation today and continue with the old
sloppiness, you cannot start tomorrow from the same position which you occupy
today. Then, tomorrow you must begin your ascent from a lower point, to which
you have sunk even further in the course of today’s day.
Actually, each lingering in
evil carries one away from good in rapid progression. Thus, where yesterday it
was possible to jump off the chariot of evil, it is already impossible to
return to the same place today. Everyone must be reminded of this who thinks
that it is equally possible at any time to cast off the burden of evil. (Fiery
World II, 200)
The longer you wait, the
longer you refuse to practise spiritual discipline, the bigger and worse the
evil ulcer will become.
Man forgets that the monster
he created himself will continue to grow, and that sooner or later he will have
to face it and destroy it. The Guides advise him to eliminate his own spawn as
soon as possible. (Supermundane 223)
You get, as the saying goes, on a slippery slope. The longer you remain there,
the faster it goes downhill and the harder it becomes for you to stop, turn
around and work your way back up again.
I do not say you have an easy task before you when you commence to
change or kill out such tendencies, but I do say it must be done; so why not
begin to do it now, instead of daily adding to their power over you by
indifference? (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 48 “The Path of Light”)
Make life easier for yourself!
Do not wait any longer but start immediately to put your good intentions into
practice. At some time or other you will have to make the effort anyway to rid yourself
of the scourge that enslaves you – so why not set to work at once instead of
dragging it along with you until tomorrow or even to the next plane of
existence!
You from whom indolence,
wealth or carelessness has stolen the spiritual brawn, bear well in mind, you
cannot regain the treasures of bravery, confidence in yourselves and industry
in a moment of time, but you can begin at once to plan and carry out each
detail of that plan, as well and as rapidly as power shall develop to do so, and it will develop only by
use. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 206 “The great Question”)
As popular wisdom so aptly
says:
Do not put off until tomorrow
what you can do today!
One must not delay until
tomorrow the planting of a new garden; only immediately and without delay can
one strengthen the nursery of consciousness. (Agni Yoga 225)
7. Use every Day
"You usually teach: We
have an eternity at our disposal. And now all of a sudden every day is supposed
to count?
Yes! Every hour, even every
moment!
Every single moment of this
life on earth has been granted to you so that you use it to develop and to
become greater!
If you waste it, you reject a
unique, irretrievable opportunity!
Some people think that there
is enough time in Infinity, and that while on Earth they can enjoy themselves
freely! Alas, once beyond the earthly boundaries, they will appreciate
everything they have missed. (Supermundane 362)
Life is so short! You will not
get too many more opportunities!
Do you know how many days you
have left? Your life might be over tomorrow! In the World Beyond, after death,
you will deeply regret every opportunity for growth that you have missed.
Try to realize unity with God,
the Omnific principle of Life and Love, NOW. No need to wait until this body is
dust. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “The Goal of Light”)
Therefore, make the most of
every moment!
One of the most beautiful
passages of Agni Yoga is:
Having Infinity before one,
yet not losing an hour and valuing the use of each minute —this is Yoga wisdom!
(Hierarchy 187)
An opportunity lost will not
come back.
Only children can think that
if today has passed, tomorrow will be better. But a courageous mind understands
that success that is missed will not be repeated. (Hierarchy 406)
By rejection or careless fulfillment we often deprive ourselves of irreplaceable
possibilities. And later, when it is too late, we shall moan with acute
distress, “Happiness was so near, so possible!” (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I,
letter of 17.08.1930)
*****
Do you remember (Broadcasting
"The Mission of Man"): Before your incarnation you took over a task which
concerns your personal development.
If you wish to fulfil this
mission and achieve what is destined for you in this life on earth, you have no
time to lose!
You may lean back in old age,
when you have reached your goal in life. But who can say that of himself?
*****
Evolution progresses forever
and ever faster. Those who do not keep pace with it, who do not develop
further, inevitably fall behind.
Sometimes very little is
needed in order to complete the filling of the Chalice, and this little could
be completed in one self-denying life. But by carelessness people postpone the
achievement, and by this they throw themselves back.
There exist only two possibilities: either to strive ahead or to fall back. (Helena Roerich Letters
Vol. I, letter of 03.12.1930)
If you remain behind a little more
every day, at some point you will lose touch completely and exclude yourself
from further evolution.
It is difficult to make up for
lost time and to find the lost rhythm, which moves up and does not wait for the
delaying ones. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter of 15.01.1931)
What is easy today is
inaccessible tomorrow. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II,
333 [337])
8. Living together
with Teacher and Soulmates
Nicholas Roerich
"Zwenigorod"
Finally, we come to the tool which,
according to my personal experience over the years, is, next to discipline, the
most important and most useful, indeed the panacea in the struggle against our
animal nature:
Look at the whole picture, not
just at material reality!
Imagine, make yourself
constantly aware, never lose sight of the fact that your true, spiritual father
(your teacher), your disciples and your soulmates are constantly present in the
Subtle World around you. As so vividly portrayed in Sartre's play "The Chips
are down", they are very close to you and steadily watching you.
When your consciousness has
expanded, you perceive the whole, not only the physical, but also the subtle
reality. You gain an insight of wonderful beauty that completely transfigures
your normal earthly everyday life:
Your soul really lives
together with your true, spiritual brothers and sisters! (Nicholas
Roerich "Zwenigorod")
And that already now, during
your incarnation on earth. If only, as we have discussed several times (Broadcastings
"The Path of the Interior Temple", "Exercise The Fiery Condition",
"Living in the continuous Presence of the Teacher" and "Living
in the Ashram of the Teacher"), you remain connected to the Higher World
and participate in life there.
*****
Just realise: Your relatives
in spirit watch everything you are doing. Then you will be ashamed to get weak.
You feel how your teacher,
your friends and your (spiritual) children suffer if you disappoint them!
And of course you punish
yourself: With behaviour that does not belong in Heaven, you banish yourself to
lower, coarser, uglier spheres and move away from your Eternal Family.
"I am under constant
observation? That's a bit creepy, isn't it, like Big Brother is watching
you?"
No, you should not understand
the observation as a threat! It is the natural consequence of your true
existence in the midst of your soulmates.
Practical
Tip: Practise living together with your Soulmates
Living together with your
soulmates should be more than just an idea! It is a spiritual exercise that
needs to be persistently practised!
For so long until your life in
the circle of your true family becomes a spiritual reality that shapes also your
material existence.
Then you cannot help but
adhere to the rules and habits of this supratemporal community naturally and as
a matter of course. As in the case when you are a guest of Helena Roerich in
the Kulu Valley, you will not even think of
desecrating the solemn, sacred atmosphere of your Eternal Home by giving in to
the primitive desires of your body.
We shall deal more deeply with
the practice of living together with your soulmates in the Broadcastings
"Participating in the Life of the Higher World" and "Living in
the Ashram of the Teacher".
Section V: Education of the physical Body
What we have discussed so far
concerned the education of the four lower, mortal vehicles as a whole. Now let
us turn to the training specifically of the physical body.
1. Function of the physical Body
The body is only one, namely the
visible half of our being. Spirit without matter is nothing. The other half,
the soul, can only appear and work on earth with the help of matter.
Therefore, if you wish to
realise the mantram "I reveal the Divine only ",
you have to start with your body and make sure that
The Divine within you is
expressed through your body.
*****
An Agni Yogi is not hostile to
the body like the fanatics, but neither does he engage in body worshipping like
the bodybuilders. He is only concerned about the preservation of the tool
without which the Eternal Individuality cannot do on the material plane.
So Spirit and Matter meet and
unite in man, both separate and distinct, yet one entity, thus giving the
spirit the vehicle it requires for manifesting in matter and gaining all
knowledge of its possibilities in form. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson
56 “Creation in Unity and Trinity”)
The body is our "brother
donkey", as the monks affectionately call him: A good comrade and
co-worker who is to be fed, exercised, strengthened and kept healthy.
The fitter your body is for
activity in the world, the more effectively your soul can act through it.
A weak, sick body hinders also
the indwelling spirit.
Spiritual exercises such as
prayer and meditation only succeed if the body does not disturb, that means, if
it is healthy and disciplined.
The preceptors will find
harmony between the preeminence of the spirit and the
health of the body. (Brotherhood 601)
2. Purification of the physical Body
Giotto
"Baptism of Christ”
First of all, you must make a
serious effort to thoroughly cleanse your vehicle.
Austerely and pure in thought
commence My Work. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 113
[126])
Each of us is a "Pharaoh",
a "House of God". Your body is the earthly dwelling, the temple of
your soul.
You must keep this sanctuary clean
and remove everything from it that does not belong there.
Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile
the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which
temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3,16, 17)
Hygiene of the spirit
presupposes hygiene of the body. (Leaves of Morya’s
Garden II, 238 [239])
To purify the body means in
practice: Put off evil habits and bad qualities. We had already spoken about
this topic in the Broadcasting "Self-Perfection" (Series "The 10
Pillars of the Practice of Agni Yoga").
Physical substance must be
lifted into the light or substance of higher mentality, where renunciation of
all attachment to the lower states of substance, the Passions, will make
possible the manifestation of the refined – the perfected spiritual forms of
life. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 86 “Law”)
The brothers of darkness are
very numerous, and no wonder, for their path is the path of gratification of
the base passions. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter of 16.07.1935)
3. Mastery of the physical Body
"Why is it that you are speaking
at such length about the education of the body? Do you not always teach that
the education of the soul is much more important?"
For a very simple reason:
Mastering your body is
actually the first step on your path to becoming a Great Soul!
When the soul becomes aware of
itself and of its mission on earth, the first thing it discovers is: I have a
body; I must take possession of it and make it serve my higher purposes.
The brother donkey must first
be broken in like a wild horse before it can be of any real use to the soul.
Amidst the daily routines of
life inner chaos can be overcome and the wild beast tamed. (Supermundane
551)
The spirit employs the body
and must not allow itself to be utilised by the latter.
Entities who are still
earth-bound have not gained sufficient power over their lower principles to use
them instead of being used by them. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 42
“Chelaship versus Mediumship”)
It is a terrible degeneracy if
the servant, the mount, bolts and imposes its will on the master.
Under no circumstances must
the brother donkey take the lead – unless you wish to make yourself a donkey!
The body is a good servant but
a bad master.
When even a mule can draw its
cart, is it possible that the human spirit is unable to compel the body to rejoice
in labour? (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 7)
The body is a semi-conscious
living being of its own.
It pursues its desire for
food, pleasure, sloth and security and has its own whims, habits and
inclinations. You must bring this independent being step by step under the control
of the Eternal Individuality.
The body obeys the spirit as
the slave obeys his master. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden
I, 104 [115])
A Master is a Master first and
foremost because he masters himself!
Such an alabaster body has
certainly been formed by a healthy, strong spirit. (Michelangelo
"David")
Whereas in this misshapen body
there surely dwells a weak spirit.
*****
The way to master the body is:
You no longer identify with it. You transfer your consciousness into your real Self.
You face your transient personality from this higher standpoint. When your
consciousness rests in the body, animal desires, when it is in your soul,
spiritual ones arise.
Your soul takes over command
and rules the body so that it only does what the soul wants.
The Eternal Individuality
alone decides how much and what kind of rest, food, clothing, pleasure or
distraction it allows the body. Anything too much is a violation of the primacy
of the spirit, of the higher laws.
[Giving in to the lower self] is from one standpoint like the inhaling of an anesthetic. For a brief moment you yield, then find relief,
because the sensibilities are numbed and the hold is loosed from the higher,
inner Self. The difference lies, however, in the fact that you must wake to
responsibility and greater suffering than before because you have allowed the
negative pole to indulge itself in temporary release from its higher pole and
guide, to ease or gratify your selfish emotional nature and feeling. (Teachings
of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “If we knew”)
Thus, then, the spirit
provides for the senses with foresight, and these may attain the satisfaction
of their desires only according to its judgement. Otherwise you will not reach
the mountain of the Lord, for you have received your soul, that is, your reason,
in vain, if you follow only the senses like an animal, while your reason is
idle and offers resistance nowhere. (St. Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Love of
God, 20)
Practical
Tip: Listen to the Voice of your Soul
We can also express more
kindly what is meant by discipline and mastery:
You listen to the voice of
your soul and carry out against all odds what it advises you to do.
Your Eternal Individuality
takes your perishable personality by the hand, so to speak, like a little
sibling, talks to it with love and severity and leads it on the right path.
Your "little" self should learn to listen to this voice as to that of
a big brother. (Titian "Tobias and the Angel")
"How does the soul speak
to me?"
In your heart! If you only
listen attentively, you will hear: Your soul seeks not physical but spiritual
pleasures.
The desire for self-indulgence
changes to spiritual satisfaction. (From the Mountain Top Vol. I, 149)
Your true, Eternal Self, has
no desire for all the material things for which your body begs like a dog.
Nothing earthly can satisfy
the soul that is not of this earth.
Self-perfectment
is Light. Self-indulgence is darkness. (Fiery World I, 308)
Listening to the voice of the
heart means vice versa: Not listening to the voice of the lower self! Through a lot of practice you have to acquire a vital
skill:
Every moment distinguish
clearly which of your two natures, the Divine or the poisonous snake, is about
to talk to you!
**********
Fulfilment of the body's
desire leaves the soul with remorse and a painful longing for something higher.
The satisfaction derived from
the gratification of personal will and desire is infinitesimal by comparison
with the remorse and sorrow which will follow when the soul memory has flashed
a completed scene of the results of such selfish gratification. (Teachings of
the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 146 “Soul Memory”)
Schiller tells us with eternal
words: We must choose between satisfying the body and pacifying the soul:
Zwischen
Sinnenglück und Seelenfrieden
bleibt
dem Menschen nur die bange Wahl;
auf
der Stirn des hohen Uraniden
leuchtet
ihr vermählter Strahl.
Between joy of the senses and
peace of mind
man is left with an anxious
choice;
On the brow of the high Uranid
shines their wedded ray.
(Friedrich Schiller "The
Ideal and Life")
*****
Mastery of the body can only
be achieved if you are constantly on your guard and fight off relentlessly every
temptation. The school of discipline teaches you to refrain from everything
that harms the body, that impairs its suitability as a tool.
The easiest way is to make a
firm decision to simply stop doing certain things automatically and without thinking
about it.
For example, not to eat meat
or sweets, not to drink wine or not to smoke any more.
As in Heaven, so on Earth. (Fiery
World II, 16)
That what does not exist in
your Paradise, in your teacher's Ashram, you must not enjoy on the material
plane either, if you wish to establish and spread Heaven down there as well.
*****
"Didn't we say that
establishing the Fiery State is the panacea against desires of the body?"
Yes, certainly, in the Fiery
State your body has no desire. But as long as this condition has not yet become
flesh and blood and your Fiery Body is not permanently established, discipline
is required in addition: Often your soul has already reached the point where it
has discarded its desires and, for example, no longer has an appetite for alcohol
or cigarettes, and it is only habit that makes you grab at them. Then discipline
is the only thing that helps.
*****
To renounce the satisfaction
of the desires and instincts of the body is the first and least of the
sacrifices needed for climbing the next stage of evolution. The higher
pleasures of a spiritual being, such as meditation, require giving up lower,
physical enjoyments. You yourself know quite well: If you have eaten too much
or too heavy food, you will no longer be able to conduct a spiritual
conversation with your soulmates in the World Beyond.
"Am I no longer allowed
at all to enjoy my body and, for example, eating?"
I don't want to be understood
that way. We are not fanatics. Man consists of spirit and matter, of soul and
body. You may enjoy the delights of both aspects of your being. Your soul only tells
you, "Don't eat just because you have an appetite!" But if you have
to eat, do it with pleasure.
*****
It is crucial that the
physical pleasure should not be of such an extent that it harms the balance of
the two parts of your being and the development of your soul. As always, here
as well applies:
It is the dose that causes the
damage.
A piece of chocolate, a glass
of wine or a cigarette a week will do you almost no harm at all. Your body can
easily cope with that. What is dangerous is first the excess and then, from its
consolidation, the habit.
"How do I recognise the
right measure?"
There is a very simple criterion
for this:
If the evening meditation no
longer succeeds, you have enjoyed too much of material pleasures.
You see again how vital it is
to fix a daily rhythm and especially an unalterable meditation time for the
evening as well: If you are looking forward to meeting your teacher soon, you
will automatically refrain from everything which, as you know from your own
painful experience, will render the connection impossible.
Practical
Tip: Experience the Happiness of Meditation
I would like to make another
attempt to make spiritual discipline palatable to you and to let it appear in a
different light:
A spiritual being looks
forward with longing to the evening meditation!
It is the crowning conclusion
of the day to step before the Teacher; to leave the low earthly emanations and
to return to the high vibration of the sanctuary of your Eternal Home.
First learn and practise to
actually experience this supreme bliss.
A time of happiness—thus We
call that step in the development of consciousness when, without turning away
from life, Our co-workers are given the opportunity to join Us in Our Abode. (Agni
Yoga 338)
Once you have really
experienced this happiness, you will never ever again want to miss it! Then the
rules about the rhythm of the day, nutrition and everything else will lose their
scare, because you realise:
These laws are nothing but
necessary conditions for the highest joy!
Then you will keep them, not
because they are prescribed, but because they produce happiness.
**********
Probably the most important
aspect of controlling the body is proper nutrition. Here again, body and soul
pursue directly opposing interests. This is a crucial battlefield. Here it
first and foremost transpires how strong your spirit really is.
You may be assured: There, where food is eaten out of desire and not out
of necessity, you are still among old men! (Roberto Bompiani: “Ein römisches Gelage”)
No more holy function exists
than that of supplying nourishment to the body; no more degrading process can
be conceived than that of gorging the stomach for mere appetite's sake. (Teachings
of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 59 “Transmutation”)
We had already talked about
this topic in the Broadcasting "Nourishment according to Spiritual Principles".
*****
The education of the body also
includes the mastery of the sexual instinct. The Broadcasting on "Sexuality"
deals with this question. Here, too, is revealed how much power your spirit has
already acquired.
*****
However, no one can completely
control his atavistic, animal nature as long as he is incarnated in a physical
body.
So long as man is bound by the
conditions of matter, so long he will remain to a greater or lesser degree the
slave of those conditions. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 82 “The
Measure of Truth”)
So long as the Ego retains a
body, it cannot be perfect in the sense that the Absolute is perfect. The gulf
between spirit and matter is impassable; matter must be reduced to pure energy
before that gulf can be crossed. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 120
“The Source of Evil”)
*****
It is of no use, or at any
rate of little value, if you suppress the craving of your body outwardly by retiring
to a monastery or undergoing a fasting cure, as long as inwardly you continue
to be consumed with longing for material pleasures. Ultimately, therefore, we
find:
The mastery of the physical
body boils down to the mastery of your thoughts and feelings!
We shall talk about this matter
in more detail in the following Broadcastings of the Series
"Education".
Practical Tip: Let
the ideal Person act
There is another quite simple
but highly efficient exercise that helps you to rule your body:
You have chosen an ideal
according to which you want to form your true self, your Eternal Individuality
(Broadcasting "Bring your Soul to Life"). In the Higher World, in
eternity you wish to be a disciple, a teacher, a saint, a spiritual warrior, a
king of the spirit or a healer. Now let this idea become material reality:
You accompany all your words
and deeds with the thought that it is not your body that speaks or acts, but
your soul.
There appears on the stage of
the material world the ideal person which you are or at least which want to
become in the Subtle World. Or better still, the holder of an office – for
disciple, teacher, saint, spiritual warrior, king or healer is an office!
"How does that
work?"
While your body is acting on
earth, your soul in Heaven thinks at the same time:
"The disciple (or the king
of the spirit) eats (that is, he feeds and waters his donkey), observing, of
course, the rules about nourishment according to spiritual principles,
otherwise he would not be a disciple." "The disciple is on his way to
work or shopping." "The disciple causes his vehicle to earn a living
by earthly labour." "The disciple is indulging in a moment of rest
and relaxation." "The disciple devotes himself to a visitor who asks
for his help." "The disciple notices a dispute and attempts to settle
it," and so on.
You always appear with your
ideal, with your office. When you have got into the habit of this practice, it will
of course be utterly inconceivable to think: "The disciple of the Brotherhood
(or the king of the spirit, or even the teacher) scolds, curses, screams,
complains or wails, yields to the begging of the body, eats meat or more than
necessary, drinks alcohol, and so on."
You feel immediately: It is
not the disciple, the ideal, who lets himself go like this, but it is your perishable
personality that breaks through.
By maintaining the
consciousness of your Higher Self at every moment through this exercise, you
automatically avoid all expressions of your lower ego.
4. Strengthening
the physical Body
To walk the Spiritual Path is
not to neglect the body. You should not disdain or even weaken it through
asceticism.
Why suffer mortification of
the flesh? Why destroy what has been bestowed upon you by the Creator? Seek new
paths! (Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 276 [329])
The education of a spiritual
warrior therefore includes physical exercises. He will devote certain times
during the day to them, preferably outdoors or at an open window.
The most suitable exercises,
applicable to everyone, are the asanas of Hatha Yoga. They allow you a smooth,
slowly progressive improvement of the essential body functions without any
aids. With them, anyone can practise overcoming himself. You do not measure your
progress as compared to others, but as compared to you yourself: Namely by your
own status the day before or the year before.
The book "The ABC of
Yoga" by K. Zebroff contains a good programme of
exercises.
Many sports such as
self-defence, judo, karate, archery, swimming or rowing are also good.
Football, rugby or even boxing, on the other hand, are obviously too coarse for
a spiritual person.
5. Refinement of
the physical Body
"After all, the body is
perishable! Is not every improvement I get it used to, lost with death?"
No. If you master your body to
a high degree today, you will learn the same more easily in a later
incarnation. Just as the bodies of plants and animals have slowly adapted to
circumstances in the course of evolution, so man too can create over
generations a body better suited to a spiritual life. If we change the chemism
of our organism today through exercise and proper nutrition, these achievements
will in time be passed on to future generations.
*****
We are talking constantly,
because it is so important, about the development, the ascent and the
utilisation of the potential of the Eternal Individuality. In doing so, we must
not forget:
There is also an evolution of the
body.
"I don't understand. What
do you mean?"
A soul incarnated in a stone
is still small and brings forth a comparatively primitive, materially very
dense form. The bodies of plants, animals and human beings are already more
elevated structures. This development continues, of course. Why should it stop?
We
understand perfectionment as the improvement of a
real apparatus. Improvement of the apparatus in all its entirety is worthy of
humanity. Through understanding of the physical apparatus people must strive
toward improved forms. (Community 231)
We had already said (Broadcasting
"The Law of Evolution"): We have just passed the low point of the
cycle. In the further course of evolution, on the again ascending arc of
development, the physical bodies will become ever finer and more spiritual and
approach the highest, the ethereal state again, with which they had begun the
cycle millions of years ago with the descending arc.
When the World will come to
realize the value of the life of the heart, then will the flesh be transformed
and draw near to the laws of the Subtle World. (Fiery World III, 501)
A more refined being requires a
more refined body.
In the coming Sixth Race the
tissues of the physical body will become more refined and rarefied and will
approach the essence of the densified astral body. It is interesting to note
that this process of rarefaction, or dematerialization, of the physical body is
also pointed out in the most ancient Chinese Medicine. (Helena Roerich Letters
Vol. II, letter of 02.04.1936)
Souls greater than the human
souls of today’s time, the beings of spirit of the coming 6th race will grow a
higher, that is, less material vehicle than we possess nowadays. It will be
finer, more spiritual and thus more similar to the conditions in the World Beyond.
We must actively promote this advancement of our bodies.
The energy will then be guided
and controlled by the higher or Spiritual will of man, for the perfecting of a
body as much superior to the bodies of the present races of mankind as the
latter are superior to those of the animal creation. (Teachings of the Temple
Vol. I, Lesson 12 “The Phenomena of Sleep and Death”)
We are really speaking of the
development of a higher type of humanity, also in physical terms.
Not only the fiery, but also
the physical body of the New Man, of homo immortalis,
is fundamentally different from that of the present homo sapiens – just as the
body of man is more developed than that of the monkeys.
The world's greatest need is a
higher type of humanity. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “Unity–spiritual and material”)
The outer is the reflection of
the inner. If you transform your inner being, your physical shell will also
transform accordingly.
In one’s future striving,
special attention will have to be paid to coordinating the development of the
spirit with the constitution of the body. It is difficult for the body to keep
up with the spirit. The development of
the spirit is reflected in the body. (Agni Yoga 383)
As your Eternal Individuality
grows, becomes greater and stronger, your body must keep pace with this
development in order to be able to continue to serve as a tool for such a high
spirit.
The physical body must be
raised by the power of evolution to the rank of the spiritual entity which
inhabits that body. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “Fall of the
Angels”)
*****
"What does that mean
concretely and practically?"
You have to transmute your
physical apparatus more and more, so that from the old Adam will eventually
emerge a more suitable vehicle, better meeting the requirements of your soul.
In spiritual striving, the
greatest task is the creating of men. Man’s material form does not answer the
whole plan of evolution. The creation of the human form is regarded as the
highest cosmic task. The forging of the spirit is so powerful that even a
coarse envelope may be transformed. (Infinity I, 387)
One should understand the
transmutation of the physical body also as a form of heroism. People must
become accustomed to the fact that the perfecting of conditions of existence
must be accelerated. (Fiery World I, 47)
"What exactly does
improvement of the organism mean?"
Two things: refinement and
spiritualisation. This refers above all to nutrition and habits of life.
It is our duty to refine our
organism in order that it be a worthy receptacle. (Fiery World I, 483)
As an instrument the body
would acquire a fullness of capacity, a totality of fitness for all uses which
the inhabitant would demand of it far beyond anything now possible. Even it
could become a revealing vessel of a supreme beauty and bliss, — casting the
beauty of the light of the spirit suffusing and radiating from it as a lamp
reflects and diffuses the luminosity of its indwelling flame. This would be the
total perfection of the spiritualised body. (Sri Aurobindo “The
Supramental Manifestation upon Earth”)
You cannot imagine this
concretely and materially enough:
We actually have to change the
physical composition, the chemistry of our bodies!
Fine, light food like rice,
fruits and vegetables as well as exquisite habits will also make your body
finer. Coarse food such as meat or beer and brutish habits make it more
material and dense.
There exist many different
means for the rarefaction of the dense body. Rarefaction of the dense physical
body must also be understood from the spiritual point of view, because, while
dwelling in a dense body, it is still possible not to manifest coarseness. The
Agni Yogi, who has passed through fiery baptism and fiery transmutation, no
longer dwells in a dense body, because when the body admits the fiery currents,
its whole substance is changed. This rarefaction is the basis of this
experience of a fiery transmutation of the centres. (Fiery World III, 173)
Just as meditation fails if
you eat too much or too heavy food, so the development and use of your
spiritual powers and your spiritual senses is impossible with a coarse way of
life.
*****
Humanity must develop more
suitable bodies also in order to finally enable Higher Spirits to incarnate on
earth again.
There are so few Great Souls
living on earth today because our present clumsy bodies, on which they depend
for their incarnation, are in many respects simply unsuitable for advanced
beings.
The body of man is moulded by
the collective efforts of humanity, and since humanity has remained on a low level
it is understandable that high spirits find it difficult to express themselves
in the unsuitable bodies. Therefore, it is important to raise the general level
of humanity in order to give a possibility to high spirits to express themselves in full measure. (Helena Roerich
Letters Vol. I, letter of 11.06.1935)
*****
Your body is also your tool
for Higher Communion. Only a purified, fine, high vibrating organism is capable
and worthy of establishing contact with the Supermundane World and of receiving
higher vibrations or energies from there, such as for example inspiration.
In
the near future, through their consciousness, people will cultivate their
bodies in the receptivity of higher energies. (Fiery World II, 312)
The coarseness of our present
bodies actually hinders the perception of and the connection with the Higher
World and its inhabitants.
Our gross body and the
insufficient refinement of our senses are the only obstacles that prevent us
from realizing the presence of the teacher. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I,
letter of 08.11.1931)
As it is now, your body would be
reduced to ashes upon contact with higher energies or high vibrating beings.
That is why Jesus when in the Subtle Body after his resurrection had to warn Mary
Magdalene:
Noli me tangere – Touch
me not! (Veronese "Noli me
tangere")
If you raise your vibration
and establish and permanently maintain the Fiery State (see the Broadcasting
"Exercise The Fiery Condition"), in time your body as well will
transform to such an extent that it can withstand and absorb higher energies.
The
power of mastery presupposes the ability of the individual to stand these
higher or finer vibrations and keep at the same time a physical body in
manifestation. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 39 “The Power of Thought”)
We had already talked about the
densification of the astral body (Broadcasting "Bring your Soul to
Life"). The refinement of the physical body is the necessary counterpart
to this project: You have to do both:
On the one hand, you work from
above downwards (from Heaven to earth), namely on the materialisation of the
thought-form, of the subtle structure of the astral body, whereby this becomes
ever more material and dense, that is more earthly.
On the other hand, you work
from bottom up (from earth towards Heaven), namely on the refinement, the
sublimation of the physical form of your material body, whereby this becomes
ever more subtle, thus more heavenly. At some point the results of these two
efforts meet in the middle and you create a higher being.