AGNI YOGA WEB TV
SERIES
„THE 10 PILLARS OF THE PRACTICE OF AGNI YOGA“
5th Pillar: Living in two Worlds
Ladies and Gentlemen,
it is a pleasure for me to welcome you to a new Broadcast.
One of the key
quotations of Agni Yoga is:
The Agni Yogi
verily lives in two worlds. (Infinity I, 238)
Today we want
to talk about this life in two
worlds. The subject has three aspects:
The first aspect is: Agni Yoga teaches that
we should not withdraw from the
earthly life.
The second aspect: We should
not stick to the earthly matters, to the perishable things.
And the third
aspect: Agni Yoga shows us how we can
already now, during our material existence on earth, really participate in the life of the
spiritual world, our true homeland.
1. Do not Withdraw from Life
Carl Spitzweg
„The Hermit as Friend of
Flowers“
Let us start
with the first aspect: Not withdraw from life. The world is beautiful and full of wonderful possibilities. Look around: Is the planet on which we may live, not a paradise?
Our Teaching represents the world as rich,
joyous and attractive.
(Community 263)
The immortal sees the earthly
and the supermundane, the visible and the invisible world as one
inseparable reality. Therefore, we must
not diminish the earthly matters in order to glorify the heavenly ones.
Indeed, not breaking away from the Earth, but the capacity for unifying the worlds is what
makes man a creator.
(Community 215)
Therefore, the Brotherhood
imperatively demands that we do not withdraw from the earthly
life, but face its challenges.
Flee not from life, but walk the higher
path. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 1)
The beauty of the Teaching of Agni Yoga is due precisely
to the fact that it contains nothing
abstract, but has one goal only:
To ameliorate your ordinary daily life!
Everything is of worth only in life
and for life. (Letters of Helena Roerich, Vol. 1, letter of 03.12.1930)
Escapism is the wrong
way. It is no coincidence that our souls are
incarnated just on this particular planet. For the time being, we are
not yet ripe for other, higher worlds.
The path of the hermit
is not Our path. One must offer
to life the flowers of experience. (Agni Yoga
165)
The mission that you have accepted at your incarnation must be fulfilled. It
does not allow you to leave the world.
If you want to transform yourself and the circumstances, you have to submit to the conditions
prevailing on earth.
Those who fulfill an earthly mission do so under earthly conditions.
(Supermundane 37)
You may from
time to time temporarily withdraw
from the hustle and bustle of the world - but only in order to return with new strength and to fight even more powerfully
for the rule of the spirit on earth.
True, a
Master must go apart for a
time, but only to gain strength to endure the stress and strain of the physical environment.
Enlightenment – assimilation
of spiritual food – comes
in loneliness and quietude,
because it pertains to the spiritual life; but upon its attainment follows a period when that enlightenment – that force which has been
generated in the silence - must be put to the
service of the rest of the world.
(Teachings of the Temple,
Vol. 1, Lesson 17 “The Meeting of Extremes”)
The struggle between light and darkness, good and evil must
be fought nowhere else than
down here on earth. Or do you want to give up to chaos the basis of the
world-pyramid, the material
level?
It is
impossible to leave the world to decompose! (Heart 42)
2. Learning in Life
You cannot run away from the
trials of earthly life. You will continue to be placed into
a difficult situation, until you have mastered, that is,
until you have spiritually overcome it. Only in this way can
you perfect yourself and continue to rise. Only in the midst
of life you can learn what is to be learned on this
planet.
Not in remote
laboratories, not in monastic
cells, but in life shall you gather the truthful records.
Indeed, through life one must
attain. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 130 [Part Two
IV 3])
Pseudo-teachers who tempt you to go the easy way,
hide the fact that your rising to a higher level is blocked as long as
you do not master the requirements of the lower level.
Agni Yoga must be introduced
into life, but its bearers must
not differ externally from others in life. The Agni Yogi lives unnoticed. There should not be even
the slightest alienation from life. (Agni Yoga 187)
Life on earth is the only place
where you can really make progress
in your development. You must not let pass unused the opportunities
for growth that it offers.
The entire transmutation, which is the threshold
of the higher, boundless creativeness, is attained in life on Earth.
(Infinity I, 100)
In the other
world, you assimilate ideas and ideals and learn what is essential. Crucial, however, is to actually transform into material reality all what you have learned and dreamed of - and that is possible down here
on earth only.
Man must treasure his
earthly life, as he finds new
ways of perfectment in it.
(Supermundane 738)
Of course, the material level is the most difficult
one to cope with for the spirit. For the overall construction
of the worlds, however, this basis
of the pyramid is the most important
sphere. Only down here man appears complete, in all bodies. Only here, therefore,
can he shape his entire being.
Three planes are manifested to humanity for the realization of all principles. Indeed, it is easy for the spirit to strive
upon the higher planes, but
the earthly, the lowest pole, is established as the place of decision.
Only there where Light and darkness battle can the spirit
manifest a free choice. Imbued by the
emanations of the energies, the spirit
can establish itself through the expression of its striving. Only
when immersed in the earthly sphere
can one manifest the subtlety of striving into higher
spheres. Verily, man must pass through purgatory; otherwise, the spirit cannot
attain the predestined world, which comprises all spheres. (Infinity II, 538 [138])
It is the very
essence of the spiritual path to develop higher striving in the middle of adverse material conditions.
The achievement of the spirit consists in that amidst earthly difficulties and struggles the spirit develops
higher striving. How could one attain
the highest state, attain refinement
of consciousness, without
spiritual labor? So many blessed cares are
on the path of the purification of consciousness! (Fiery World III,
37)
It really is true: The more difficult the conditions,
the more valuable are the
experiences you can gather.
The Teacher [Plato] allowed Himself to be sold into
slavery so that His earthly
path might be fulfilled as
quickly as possible. He knew and profoundly felt all earthly hardships in full measure, and succeeded in gathering vast experience during His last life on Earth. (Supermundane 179)
3. Take up the Cross of earthly Existence
Tintoretto
„The Wedding at Cana“
The Great Teachers have taken
upon themselves the full chalice of earthly suffering, even though they
had long since earned the
right to live in higher spheres. Their heroism lies in the fact that these high spirits have exposed themselves to the terrible worldly radiations in order to accomplish their task down here. If the
Mahatmas had not themselves
lived through and suffered the earthly
conditions, they would not be able
to help us.
Can you imagine how a great master, a highly refined creature such as Jesus Christ must have suffered from the coarse
worldly atmosphere? For example, when he attended the wedding
at Cana (John 2, 1-12), where certainly the amusement with wine, women, dancing
and singing was in the foreground - and where he even had to procure
the wine!
The Great
Pilgrim [Jesus] did not avoid mingling with people. He visited their festivals
and discussed their daily needs, but few noticed the
many wise warnings that were given with a beautiful smile and words of encouragement. If He had not come into
contact with life and had
not suffered, His deeds would not have been as great. No
one realized how tormented He was by the many disturbed
auras He came into contact with in this way. (Supermundane 152)
Let us hear
the famous words of the initiate
Paul about the sufferings of the apostles of the early church:
I have had more experience
of hard work, of prisons, of blows more than measure,
of death. Of the Jews five times received
I forty stripes save one; thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the water.
(2 Corinthians 11, 23-25)
No member of the Brotherhood without exception has fared differently.
If we want
to become co-workers to their Great Work, we have to be prepared for similar tests and attacks.
Can you name even one
Sister or Brother of the Brotherhood who was not subjected to tortures and persecutions in earthly life? Truly, none
can be named.
Each heroic act invites persecution.
Combat with darkness is unavoidable,
and the waves of chaos will engulf bold fighters. Yet such touchstones only testify to the invincibility of the spirit.
There were Those who
were burned at the stake, crucified, beheaded, strangled, killed by beasts,
sold into slavery, poisoned, or cast into prison;
in short, They endured all tortures so that Their strength could be tested.
Each one who wishes
to serve with Us knows that he will have to endure
the assaults of darkness. (Supermundane 14)
4. Fulfill the Earthly Obligations
Under no circumstances
must the spiritual disciple try to evade his earthly
responsibilities under the pretext of so-called "higher tasks". His normal everyday obligations to the human beings or to the
general good, which were entrusted
to him, take precedence over all other affairs.
The Higher Self of no man ever was responsible for the shirking of a duty to humanity. (Teachings of the Temple, Vol.2, Lesson “The World's Struggle”)
First comes the mastering of everyday life, then the realization
of your dreams.
A groom expressed to his master a desire
to breed a particular strain of horses. The master replied, "Your plan is excellent, but first put the
stable in order." (Brotherhood 101)
The challenge is exactly to do justice to both: To the ideals
on the one hand and to the normal material everyday requirements on the other hand.
To do justice both to the essential and to the dust of the threshold
is that test which each one must
have clearly before him. (Fiery World I, 147)
The Mahatmas are no elves who
transform, in flying by, with a delicate touch everything ugly into a perfect
state. They are - as we
are - every day under the
yoke of hard work in order to fulfill their obligations
towards our Earth.
Not by the way
of miracle but by that of daily routine do We work. (Leaves
of Morya’s Garden II, 101 [Part Two
II 5])
Exactly the everyday
responsibilities, which fate has allocated
- not by chance! - to you, point the way
to the higher spheres. Never will someone ascend who neglects
his earthly duties. They are
the means of the higher powers
to guide us into a certain direction - if we do not comply with them, we miss our
higher mission.
We certainly do not approve of those fanatics who abandon their
earthly obligations and
bring nothing but confusion
to all around them. They talk about
higher harmonies, but at the same time forget that there must be
harmony between the earthly world
and the Supermundane. (Supermundane 641)
This means for the individual: Fulfill your obligations at the place on which
you were put, as small as
it may seem,
work for the Common Good and rise from
this place. If you prove worthy,
then, according to the law of correspondence
(see Series "Introduction
to Agni Yoga", Broadcast 9, "The law of correspondence"), higher tasks will be assigned
to you in due time.
Chiefly, all efforts should be applied for the best execution
of that work which is given to us, and in those conditions in which we are
placed by Karma. A conscientious attitude toward everything will push apart
the boundaries and bring better possibilities. (Letters of
Helena Roerich, Vol. II, letter of 23.04.1938)
5. Work for Livelihood
For money we should work
only in order to earn a modest living
for ourselves and the fellow men for whom we are
responsible. To that extent,
however, professional work
is necessary. It happens to be our
destiny that, in a material world,
we have to earn our right to live through hard work.
In the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat thy
bread. (1. Moses 3, 19)
No one is allowed
to live at the expense of others. No one
shall let others work for him. Nobody may refuse to assume his share of the
work that is inevitable every day in the
community.
If any would not work,
neither should he eat. (2. Thessalonians 3, 10)
This is especially true for a disciple of the Mahatmas.
Eventually each disciple must
manifest himself in daily labor and undergo the attack of chaos.
(Brotherhood 303)
In fact, work
is the only value that justifies compensation.
Earning money is not greediness. To receive wages for work is not a crime. One can see
that labor is the one just value. (Community 271)
Even Jesus
and the apostles worked hard to earn their livelihood.
All Great
Teachers labored much, and physical labor was not alien to them. Remember St. Sergius. Christ also labored
much; He earned his living by
carpentry and pottery. This
side of the life of the Great Teacher is practically unnoted in the authorized Scriptures. (Letters of Helena Roerich, Vol. II, letter of 11.02.1938)
This has already
in those days frightened away many pseudo-disciples.
His disciples were surprised when He [Jesus] wanted to labor with them in order to earn their
daily bread. This principle was used by Our other
Brothers, too. One of them, when He was an emperor, loved to say at the beginning
of meals, “It seems that I have earned my bread.” Several
of the most zealous disciples have fallen
away because of the demands of continuous labor. (Supermundane 155 [No. 156
in the printed version])
Jesus' follower Paul boasts to
have followed this example, never having been a load
to anyone, and to have earned
his daily bread through earthly
work.
Neither did we eat
any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be
chargeable to any of you.
(2. Thessalonians 3, 8)
I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold,
or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities. (Acts 20, 33, 34)
We cannot imagine
the daily work of these high initiates as carpenter
or tentmaker accurately enough: They participated in the daily struggle
for survival. They were exposed to exactly the same humiliation, injustice and rudeness by superiors
or customers as we professionals
today - without losing their dignity,
which lies in their higher nature. So we, too, can
and have to go the same way.
Do not complain about dull professional work. Higher tasks will be entrusted to you, once you are ripe
for them.
Do not be unhappy because
of the necessity for
spending so much time earning
your living. We must all earn
our bread. Indeed, all should be accomplished without retiring from life and by
earthly hands and feet. Therein lies
great beauty. All the giants of thought
created amidst most trying circumstances.
All earthly burdens are necessary for the growth of the
spirit.
Verily, material prosperity and ease are our most
dangerous enemies. Nothing extinguishes the inner fire so quickly
as security for the morrow. In time, new conditions will come into existence
and the tasks will become broader. Possibly there will no longer be
worries about earning a living, but there will be new
problems, far more complicated and difficult. (Letters of Helena Roerich, Vol. II, letter of 24.09.1935)
We must not try to evade the
demands which the present time places before us.
We have to educate the inner man - for him, just the difficult
circumstances of professional work
offer the best opportunities to rise.
Some of the members are
tired because most of them are
working people. I think the main
reason is that most of them have already been through the
first steps of enthusiastic approach to the Teaching and, according to the occult law,
they now begin to show their
real nature.
Many do not realize, or forget,
that only in extreme tension
of all forces does the awakening of the inner man, and the further degrees
of transfiguration, take place. Such people, in most cases, do not find in themselves enough spiritual strength to resist the plungings of the spirit, which
inevitably follow every transport of enthusiasm.
If we have realized that broadening of the consciousness is most essential, we will conquer fatigue; we will not miss a single moment for the filling of our treasury of the spirit with the jewels of knowledge
and experience. (Letters of Helena Roerich, Vol. I, letter of 28.02.1935)
6. Transfiguration of Life
Let us finish the first of the
three aspects of our subject by
concluding: We are called upon not to depart from life,
but to transform ourselves
and the world.
Not hiding from life,
but transforming it is required. (Supermundane 812)
When We summon to the
far-off worlds, it is not for a detachment from life but for a discovery of new ways. (Infinity I, 44)
The mission of man to participate consciously in the evolution, means specifically to raise life on earth
to a higher level. Each of you knows very well where
in his surroundings truth, justice, beauty or love
are being trampled upon. There we have to intervene and help to carry the principle of the rule of the spirit
to victory. This can only be done
in the middle of earthly life.
Self-sacrifice corresponds to the readiness to attain victory for the cause of the
Higher World. (Heart 536)
7. Do not Cling to the Earthly
The second aspect of the subject
"Living in Two Worlds" is: Do not adhere to the earthly.
We should not bind ourselves to a world that is not our home and that we will shall have to leave very soon.
Each attachment to material
things or pleasures puts a burden on our spiritual being and obstructs our ascent.
8. The Illusion of the World
The eastern wisdom refers to the entire material world as Maja - an illusion. This is for the Westerner at first sight difficult to understand: Why should something
solid, material that I can touch,
be an illusion?
The answer is: Matter is subject to constant change and, above all, transient.
What you can see and touch today
will no longer exist tomorrow. It is, therefore, for an eternal pilgrim not a factor to be seriously
taken into account.
One can write a significant
book on the relativity of physical reactions. One can gather facts
from various fields to prove that among the decisive
factors the physical are the
least important. (Fiery
World I, 297)
Plato's Allegory of the Cave (The Republic, 7th Book,
I) teaches: Everyone enters the path
as a prisoner of his own illusory ego and of the illusion of the world. He must free himself step
by step from
this prison and advance to the essential, to the eternal, spiritual reality.
A contemporary version of this knowledge provides the brilliant movie
"Matrix", which depicts
the lives of human beings in an illusory world, from which
they have to free themselves.
Whoever strives for earthly matters, turns his energy
on things that are not worth the effort.
9. Do not Cling to Everyday Life
Duccio
di Buoninsegna: „The Devil shows
Jesus the World“
Do not allow the petty everyday
matters to dominate your life. They
must not divert you from the Great Work of advancing the evolution
and of creating the New Man
and the New World.
The ascending spirit must constantly bear in mind the
necessity to break away from
the attachments to everyday life. (Fiery World III, 19)
He who is dealing too much
with the "odds and ends", is limiting and belittling himself.
The details of daily routine reduce weak minds to ordinariness.
(Community 137)
The perishable things are but a hindrance to him who strives upwards
to the eternal, spiritual world.
Small actions and small things obstruct life. (Heart 37)
There are far
too many great things to do, as to allow us
to waste time and energy on
insignificant matters.
The battle is
so great that it is
impossible to allot time to ordinary
occupations. (AUM 459)
People constantly run the risk
of forgetting the essential
in the exciting worldly turmoil.
Humanity has been so imbued
with respect for the transitory that it has forgotten about
the Eternal. (Fiery World III, 363)
Jesus said: No man can serve two masters. (Matthew 6, 24).
That means: We need to decide between matter and spirit, between the worldly
ways and the spiritual path.
Man cannot serve the
beast within himself, and serve his Higher Self, his God, at the
same time. (Teachings of the
Temple, Vol. 1, Lesson 185 “Whom will ye serve?”)
We have to give up the striving for earthly wealth and pleasures if we
want to gain the eternal treasures
in Heaven.
Whatever of lasting good comes
we pay the
price for it in some way. If
we gain spiritual wisdom we have paid the price
in material sacrifices of some
kind. If we gain the
inner life, we have paid in some degree in terms of the outer
life. (Teachings of the Temple, Vol. 2, Lesson “The Foundation Stones of the
Spiritual Temple”)
He who dedicates
himself to material matters,
will remain spiritually poor. Our present
time provides the best proof: Materially
in abundance and spiritually
in poverty.
Whoever looks for value in the material world is a pauper in the Higher World. (AUM
190)
10. Withdraw from Business
The immortal withdraws from the profiteering of the world. He needs
little. He cannot take part in the
lunatic chase for perishable goods. He will not sell his soul
for such trinkets.
Life has been turned
into a business, but who of the Teachers of Life has ever been
a businessman? (Fiery World
I, 83)
He cannot work for institutions which pursue objectives
hostile to the spirit, or which are
operating in a way incompatible with spiritual principles.
He must not become a cog in a system that is based upon the destruction of the earth, the exploitation
of people and the mistreatment of animals and
plants.
I shall designate the path for the
battle against the businessmen of this world. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 28 [29])
The spiritual fighter must beware that he does not lend his
hand, in the ongoing battle, to the wrong side, to the camp of materialism, to the enemies of the spirit!
11. Withdraw from Distractions and Amusements
Roberto Bompiani “A Roman Feast”
The poison of today’s time is sweet. This makes it so dangerous:
We no longer
recognize that it is harmful!
Distraction is an awful poison to the spirit.
It moves us away from our
higher self, which we can
approach only by concentration.
People substitute distractions for concentration. But was dissipation
ordained? Everywhere action was ordered, but not the chaos of scattering.
(Heart 439)
Material pleasures do not quench the thirst
of the soul.
What he, the real man, the real woman desires above
all else is God, and nothing less will satisfy. (Teachings of the Temple, Vol. 1, Lesson 138
“The Eternal Tragedy”)
In view of the immense tasks, light-mindedness and wasting of energy are inappropriate.
You are quite right
in your feelings. There can be
no merriment while Earth cries out from the burden
of calamities. While hunger exists there
can be no
gluttony. And what kind of dances can be performed
against a background of violence? Truly, I say that merriment is indecent in these days of calamity. (Supermundane,
362)
12. Withdraw from the Old Man
Andrea
Mantegna „The Holy Family“
Secular forces which
are directed to distraction instead of concentration, to pleasure instead of service, to greed instead of frugality, to looseness instead of obedience, to arbitrariness instead of compulsoriness or to selfishness instead of selflessness, are actually enemies, from whom you should
stay away and against whom you need to protect yourself. None of these influences must ever gain
power over you.
A disciple will never gain the necessary
command over his own tendency toward instability until he recognizes the truth that the one who
would swerve him from the
path of duty he has undertaken is his worst enemy.
(Teachings of the Temple,
Vol. 2, Lesson “Winning of Mastery”)
You need to separate yourself - at least in your heart - from all those fellow men
who do not walk the spiritual path: They disturb your
work, lead you into temptation, infect you with their wrong habits and divert you from your path. If
you get too much involved with the aspirations and pleasures of their earthbound, selfish life, you will inevitably get caught in these entanglements.
Countless are those who
want to impose upon people their most
degraded thoughts. (Agni
Yoga 227)
To that what you need to leave behind
on the path belong the bonds
of family, relatives and friends.
You will have no choice but
to let go in spirit of all humans who walk the
other, the worldly way. Them,
too, you can bring help only from
the new, higher standpoint.
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14, 26)
That is not heartless as it may
appear: Exactly the closest circle
of friends and family may represent the
greatest threat to the spiritual disciple: It tends by
its very nature to approach you every day with a great variety of temporal, selfish concerns and thereby divert you from your trail.
Ah! that whirling, showy, glittering world, full of insatiable ambition, where family and the State parcel out between them a man's nobler nature, as two
tigers a carcase, and leave him without
hope or light! (Mahatma
Letters No. 8 of 20.02.1881)
We had already
said: A real "holy"
family can be formed only
with your soulmates. Among your blood
relatives may even be enemies (Series
"Experiment Immortality", Broadcasting 5 "The new Identity").
I agree that the words of Christ, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children," etc. sound cruel (should
we not ascribe this phraseology to those who write
it down, or perhaps translated it), but nevertheless the inner sense is clear. If man serves
his family more than he serves
the spirit of the Teaching of Good, what good will come of it? (Helena Roerich
Letters Volume II, letter of 28.05.1937)
13. Loneliness
G. Dou „Hermit in Prayer“
The spiritual path is a way one must
first travel alone.
The pilgrim remains alone on the cliffs
of ascent. (Supermundane 232)
You must be
under no illusions: You cannot expect from the
old man, not even from family, relatives and friends, any support, but only rejection and resistance. You must be prepared to be in your surroundings
the only, the last - or better:
the first - warrior of light.
The significance of the present-day hero is based on the realization
that from no earthly quarter can he expect cooperation.
(Agni Yoga 290)
Jesus’ unwavering striving was supported by noone
around Him except His Mother. (Supermundane 149)
As you progress, you will
find new companions over time. A true community you can form only with those who, like you, are walking on the spiritual path and striving for the same goal.
A wayfarer should not be distressed if
by and by he may be left
in solitude. There are paths difficult
to traverse in company. Sustained
attention to the goal leads to new
traveling companions. (Brotherhood 181)
Loneliness is helpful to overcome physical and mental illness.
It would be good
to remember the remedy of ancient times when sick people would go
into seclusion and remain close to nature. This was done not only in cases of contagious diseases, but when the organism
was in need of renewal. The
fact that people dream of and look for seclusion reveals a healthy instinct for the preservation and restoration of health.
(Supermundane 340)
It is creative: Only in silence reach us the
best and highest thoughts.
Solitude transmits a better message than the
gossip of the crowd. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 29 [Part One
VII 5])
Itsr destruction through today's mass society is the devil's work.
The Spirit of
Darkness, pondering how to still more
firmly lash humanity to Earth, thought:
"Let them keep their old
customs and habits. Nothing
binds humanity so much as habitual
forms. But this is fit only for the multitudes.
Far more dangerous to us is solitude, in which the consciousness is illumined and new forms are created.
Therefore, time in solitude
must be severely
limited. People must not be
allowed to remain alone. I shall provide them with a mirror image so that they may become
accustomed to being with their own image." Thus did the servants
of Darkness bring a mirror to the
people! (Agni Yoga 266)
In truth, there is no loneliness:
The Temple student is in spiritual contact with his teacher, his
classmates and his
spiritual brothers and sisters.
He is incorporated in the hierarchy
of souls. In the spiritual community of those who walk the
path together today and at all times, the pilgrim is safe. As long as
you remain on the path and act, down here on earth, on behalf of the Hierarchy, all the masters, saints,
heroes of faith and martyrs will stand by you.
The daring one is not afraid of solitude, for in spirit he feels the bond with the
Hierarchy of Light. (Fiery
World III, 55)
In the Broadcasting on meditation we shall
see how you can turn to your soulmates in the spiritual world at any time.
There is a
universal remedy against loneliness available to everyone. Such feelings can be dispersed
by turning in thought to friends. One has friends
not only on Earth, but can
also appeal to many faithful co-workers from the Subtle
World. Furthermore, one can know about
Us, and appeals directed to Us will not go unanswered. (Supermundane 493)
If you open your heart, you can feel already in the physical state
the presence and care of your spiritual friends from the other
world.
It seems to me that it is truly joyous
to realize that solitude does not exist, and that each one of us
is surrounded by loving souls on this or another
plane. With such transmissions these
loving souls endeavor to create around us a benevolent
atmosphere, but it is necessary to realize this, to open our heart to their calls and transmissions, and not
to obstruct them by dark emanations
issuing from oppressive thoughts colored by doubt and often
by an absolutely unsubstantiated offense. Dark emanations are impenetrable for subtle energies. (Helena Roerich,
Letters Vol II., letter of
23.04.1938)
14. Participation in the Life of the Upper World
Finally, we come
to the third aspect of the "Life in two worlds": If you want to be an immortal, a non-material spiritual being, a soul, you have to learn to live the life of your
soul. Your soul lives and acts entirely naturally
in both the terrestrial world (by the physical
body) as well as in the
spiritual world (by the subtle body).
Learn to live simultaneously in both the earthly and the Supermundane World. (Supermundane 900)
So you can - with the help of the
soul - even during the incarnation
on earth take part in the life
of your homeland, the world beyond.
It is one thing to discuss
abstractly distant worlds; it is another
to realize oneself a participant there. (Community 30)
15. Alien
How can you achieve this practically?
First, you must realize:
Your true home
is not down here, but up in the
world beyond: There, you spend much more time than on earth. There, you live together with your soulmates, your spiritual family in a world that truly corresponds to the height of your consciousness, undisturbed by lower creatures
(see Series "Introduction
to Agni Yoga", Broadcasting 10 "The Supermundane World").
It would be correct
to think of such co-workers
of Ours not as dwellers of Earth, but rather as guests, filled
with memories of better worlds. (Supermundane, 369)
Your true eternal
individuality - the soul - is, as a spiritual being, a stranger on the material level. Exiled down here, it feels like an alien from a higher
planet.
16. Envoy from Beyond
Nicholas K.
Roerich „From Beyond“
Furthermore, become aware:
You are being expelled from time to time from the paradise
of your home and are being sent
- like Adam and Eve - to the inhospitable
material level: In order to
enable your soul to continue to grow and to perfect itself further, and in order to learn to master the earthly
conditions.
Above all, each of us has received
from Above a personal mission
which he has to fulfill down here. Therefore, we all are ambassadors of the higher spheres
in a strange, barbaric world, to the improvement
of which we have to contribute according to our faculties.
This is a high dignity! This
you should never forget! Manifest yourself in your environment always as the
envoy of a higher power on
a primitive planet!
17. Living according to the Customs of the Homeland
Living in Two Worlds further means: You have to
follow, even in the
material world, the higher customs and laws that are compulsory
for you in your home, in the Ashram in the other world. As a creature that belongs to both worlds, you must meet the
conditions of both levels.
The envoy must not jeopardize his dignity. You must not submit to the primitive conditions, to the uncivilized customs of the inhabitants of your host country whom you are sent to uplift.
You should not make common cause with those whom you are to lead to a higher level.
A yogi is able to do everything, but not all is permitted
to him. (Agni Yoga 223)
A good example
of the life in a foreign environment according to the customs of the homeland is the service of a German soldier in
Afghanistan: He is called to temporarily
carry out a mission in a foreign
country. He lives there, but in accordance with
German customs. He watches
German television, eats
German food and is subject
to German law. He as often as possible by letter, telephone
or Skype, cultivates the connection to his home, his
family and his girlfriend. He remains a German, even if he has
been exiled among Afghans.
Specifically, this means:
If you want to be a spiritual disciple, you need to live even among strangers, even on the material plane, according to the laws of the Ashram of the spiritual world to which you belong, according to the instructions of your teacher, according to the rule of the
disciple, according to the 10 Pillars of the Practice of
Agni Yoga which we are about to discuss.
The lowest level, the earthly
world is the ultimate test of whether you really, in your essence, are
already a disciple and a co-worker of the Mahatmas - which is only possible if you manifest yourself not only above but also down here as such a person. If you do not manage to appear as a disciple
on the material level, your existence as a disciple in the Higher World ends as well.
18. Daily Visit Home
Nicholas K.
Roerich „Star of the Morning“
While away from home on an assignment in a foreign country, you crave of course - as the soldier
in Afghanistan - to maintain the
connection with the homeland and - whenever possible
- to return there on visits or on holidays.
The old man expects to return to his spiritual home not earlier than at his death.
The new attitude
of the Agni Yogi is: You start
every day in your home. For those of you who have chosen the eternal
identity of a spiritual disciple,
that means: In the ashram, in the timeless community with your teacher and your classmates. You can, in the morning
meditation, really move your spiritual being, your eternal
individuality, to that place.
From this Higher World, from this higher
position, you descend down
to earth in order to work down here during the day.
In the evening, you - your spiritual being - climb back again to the mountain top, to your home, to the
spiritual world.
In this way,
the life in two worlds becomes
real, concrete and practical.
You can recognize that the chosen ones
are on the path if the
Invisible World has become
real and accessible to them.
(Heart 3)
This is not as fantastic as it
may seem: Imagine that there actually lives a Great Teacher physically incarnated in your neighbourhood. How would this change your
everyday life? Hardly at all. You would have to continue to spend most of the day
in fulfilling your obligations in your profession and your family. You will be glad if you can
spare a few minutes of time
in the morning before the day
and in the evening after work to visit the
teacher and receive comfort, strength and instructions.
No different is our approach - only that you visit the teacher
in his Ashram not physically
but in spirit. The effect
in both cases is the same.
Do not live in
the present, do not allow the transient matters to affect you. Live in eternity, beyond time and space, beyond the
perishable things.
(Elisabeth Haich, Initiation)
The old man thinks: I live my earthly life and visit now and then
the church to be edified. The New Man looks at the same material life situation from exactly the
opposite point of view: He lives in the Upper World. He visits the material level only temporarily. He returns back home as soon as
possible. For him, the supermundane existence is the real, the true
life.
This new perspective
allows you a real transfiguration
of your everyday life: You can live in the highest conceivable
world, in your personal paradise, how ever the outer, material living conditions may look like.
19. Actual Participation in the Life of the Upper World
C. H. Bloch
„The Transfiguration of Christ“
When you have mastered the life in two
worlds, your soul, your spiritual self, during meditation,
is actually living in its home, for example,
in the Ashram, where it really meets
its family - the classmates and the teacher - and in full reality converses
with them. The perfect reality of this process is demonstrated by the fact
that you hardly ever rise from meditation
without having received instructions, strength and comfort.
The participation of your soul in the
life of the Higher World is
a spiritual reality. To this
reality you must penetrate, otherwise the life of your
spiritual being will remain
abstract and unreal.
Man should develop a conscious awareness that he participates every hour in the Supermundane World.
(Supermundane 738)
An enlarged consciousness takes part already in the incarnated state in a very natural and self-evident way in the life
of the other world. Your soul
can, during sleep, in meditation or in moments of trance contact other - not incarnated - souls, in the higher world,
just as the physical body meets
with other bodies on earth.
A hermit was once asked how he could dwell in continuous silence. He was much surprised and said, "On the contrary, I am never silent, but converse constantly—so many companions visit me." The hermit had drawn so near
to the invisible world that
it had become
entirely perceptible to him. Prayer became a conversation, and that world was affirmed in all its magnitude. To such a spirit his own transition into the Subtle
World is altogether imperceptible.
(AUM 41)
Now we can
understand the biblical story of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Luke 9,
28-36; Matthew 17, 1-9; Mark 9, 2-9): In a state
of the spirit of higher vibration, which is materially visible as radiant aura,
Jesus could
have a conversation with non-incarnated
beings like Moses
and Elijah.
We shall discuss
the details in the Broadcasting on "Meditation".
20. An Exercise
Here is an example of how
you can start practicing the participation in the life of the spiritual world:
Before falling asleep,
undertake to carry out during
the night - while you are acting
with your subtle body in the Upper World (See
Series "Introduction to Agni Yoga",
Broadcasting 10 "The Supermundane World") - useful
work for the Hierarchy. When you wake up, try to remember as clearly
as possible your activities during sleep. And try to develop a perception that you
have contact with higher beings
and visit higher places even during
the day.
How to develop the ability
to work in the Subtle world? First of all, one should start
by continually feeling himself to be living in two
worlds. This is not difficult
at all because we cross each night
into the Subtle World, where, if our subtle
body has been sufficiently developed, we can
apply our subtle energies with good benefit.
When we go to sleep
not thinking of rest, but striving to the Hierarchy of Light with a thought
of useful labor, we thus direct
our energies to active help where
it is most needed.
Consciously sending oneself into the Subtle
World can be increased to such an extent that we begin to remember
clearly our many-sided work at night and our visits
for the purpose of rendering help to people often quite
unknown to us.
The next stage will be to cognize such a sending in the waking state and even during one's
usual occupation. At first, such a sending will flash out in the consciousness through a sensation of a sort of momentary absence, and later there will remain an impression of having visited someone, or even
of having heard two or three
words; at times there will be sensed
the characteristic smell of a definite locality known to us, or
a glimmer of people or a place will pass by - then we
shall know that our detached energy
is working in that direction.
These manifestations occur daily, but for this some solitude is needed. They are
more vivid and frequent in the evening, and before going to sleep, and are especially intensified at dawn. (Helena Roerich, Letters Vol. II, letter
of 23.04.1938)
21. Work in the Spiritual World: Perfecting the Thought-Forms
The work of the soul in the
spiritual world consists mainly of ever perfecting the thought-forms there.
Is it possible for one incarnated on Earth to create mentally in the Subtle World? It is possible, especially if Agni [psychic energy] is acting. It is possible to create constructive forms; one can
participate in a great number of improvements. Thus it is possible to create from weak fragile forms something strong and lasting. So we prepare during earthly existence the future beautiful
gardens. (Fiery World I,
241)
In the Supermundane World
you are at work, even during the
earthly incarnation, if you improve the ideas, ideals
and concepts, the thought patterns of humanity that exist there and await their embodiment on earth.
A thinker like Plato, who conveyed with his opus "The Republic" advanced ideas about the organization
of human society, is a great
creator in the Higher
World. Regardless of the extent to which his suggestions are being considered
and implemented in the
material world, the world of ideas is enriched by a mighty
thought-building. This picture
is hanging in space for thousands of years and influences the thinking and the actions of many generations.
The perfection of the thought-forms of the other world
reflects upon the earth: Ever higher
and ever more beautiful ideals are being created
up there, which will become a material reality one day down here.
22. Work in the Material World: Implementation of Ideals
The thoughts and ideas of the spiritual world strive to incarnate on earth, to become a material reality here.
The spirit is the creator
of each form. (Fiery World III, 363).
Thought creates thought-buildings
in the Upper World. These are
the predecessors, the prototypes of the material forms of the earthly world.
Thought does create form,
which form is at some period externalized on the physical plane, incased in matter. (Teachings of the Temple, Vol. 2, Lesson “The Manasic Plane or Sphere of Thought”)
Thought drives progress
forward: All material things
that are newly created on earth, were first erected
as thought-buildings in the other world.
Each thought directed to the construction of the New Epoch will produce its own forms. Thought-forms manifest the trend of the
future. (Fiery World III,
169)
Nothing substantial is done,
that has not been thought of before. Any development takes place first mentally
in the spiritual world, before it is realized
materially on earth.
Thought is the mover of evolution.
(Infinity II, 795 [395])
Thus your work on the earthly
plane will have to be: To implement
the ideas of the Higher World - which you yourself or others
have developed -, and thereby
to advance the material conditions, to improve and to refine the coarse
earthly forms according to the plan of evolution. A powerful earthly creator draws down to the earth the
subtle forms, existing in the higher spheres ready for materialisation - first in the spirit,
and then by carrying out the idea materially.
Space contains subtle forms ready for materialization. (Fiery World
III, 146)
Your spiritual battle is to bring down the
stars from heaven, that is, to enforce the high ideas on earth, to bring them to material life, to enable them to manifest themselves, to embody, to materialize down here.
Let us take the
forms of the Subtle World and apply them to the earthly
plane. (Fiery World III, 128)
While mental forms strive to materialize and to incarnate, material forms want to be refined,
spiritualized.
Just as the spirit
can refine a condensed thought-form, so can it condense
subtle forms. (Fiery World III, 248)
Working in both worlds therefore means: On the one
hand perfecting the thought-forms of the world beyond
and on the other hand to materialize them and thus to spiritualize the gross material earthly conditions.
This requires that, throughout your earthly work, you are continuously connected with the Higher World
and that you act down here exclusively in the name and on behalf of the Hierarchy.