AGNI YOGA WEB TV
SERIES
„THE 10 PILLARS OF THE PRACTICE OF AGNI YOGA“
6th Pillar: Selflessness
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am glad to welcome you to a new Broadcast!
In our Series on the 10 Pillars of the Practice of
Agni Yoga we are speaking today, after "Obedience" and "Living in Two
Worlds", about the third of the three
principles of life, namely selflessness.
If we want
to construct the New World,
this feature of the New Man
is crucial:
The scourges of today’s time which make life on this
wonderful planet almost unbearable, are: selfishness, greed, the chase for money,
power and pleasure, the struggle of everyone against everyone. If you think deeper,
you will find: The cause of almost
all evil is the selfishness of the old man. We must
overcome this vice if we want
to fundamentally change the circumstances on earth.
The New World is conceivable
as a community only. For a community, the selfishness of the old man is outright destructive.
1. No Material Needs of a Spiritual Being
Let us repeat
what we have discussed already several times: The new, immortal man is not a
material but a spiritual being. You, your real self, are a non-material soul, not a physical body.
Your soul needs
no material food, no water, no
clothes, no housing, no car,
no money, no crude oil,
etc. - neither for its survival nor for its wellbeing.
Your eternal individuality
finds no satisfaction in material pleasures.
Therefore, once you have transformed into a spiritual being, you can act truly selflessly:
You have no interest in all
that, what the old men are
struggling for.
2. No „Struggle for Existence“
Lex Drewinski „Homo homini lupus est“
The Western concept of a
"struggle for existence"
is devoid of any sense for
an immortal soul: Its existence is neither endangered by physical attacks
nor by material needs.
How are we to deal with that curse known as
the "struggle for life", which is the real and most prolific parent of most woes and sorrows
and of all the crimes? Why has that struggle
become the almost universal scheme of the universe? We
answer, because no religion with the exception of Buddhism has hitherto
taught a practical contempt for this earthly life, while
each of them, always with that one solitary exception, has through its
hells and damnations inculcated the greatest dread of death.
Therefore do we find that struggle for life raging most
fiercely in Christian countries, most
prevalent in Europe and America.
It weakens in the Pagan lands and is nearly unknown among Buddhist populations.
In China during famine and where the masses
are most ignorant of their own or any
religion, it was remarked that those mothers who devoured
their children belonged to localities where there were
the most of Christian missionaries to be found. Where there
were none and the Bonzes alone
had the field
the population died with the utmost
indifference. (Mahatma Letters, Letter No. 25, ca. 1881, so called
„Letter of the Mahachohan“)
A spiritual being will not fight with others for material resources: By selfish actions, by injuring
or even killing
others it would only harm
itself. In the rare case that there is really not enough to survive for everyone - that means, for all bodies! -, the immortal willingly
renounces in favour of the others - for damage inflicted to his soul is much
worse than even the death
of his body.
The duration of a single earthly life is irrelevant in view of the eternal existence of the soul. For your higher self it is better to live shortly and rightly than long and wrongly.
I am very fond of the
words of the remarkable Tibetan sage,
Milarepa, who practiced great austerities. When people begged
him to have pity on himself and stop leading such a hard life, he said: „As all of us are subject
to death, I prefer to die
in pursuit of a beautiful goal.“ Verily, if even one
hundred people could realize the
wisdom of this formula and would apply it in life,
the world could be transformed
in the shortest time.
(Letters of Helena Roerich Vol. II, letter of
01.10.1935)
The immortal forms a consciousness of the unity of all life: From plants and animals up to man, all creatures are animated with the same divine spark. This intimate connection rules out the option to cause
damage to others for one’s own (supposed) benefit.
3. The Law of Sacrifice
In the material world, among animals
and the old men, the law
of the jungle governs: The stronger eats or subjugates
the weaker and thereby becomes even stronger and more powerful.
In the spiritual world - and thus for spiritual beings - the law
of sacrifice applies: It is of the utmost
importance that you realize:
Your soul actually grows when you give, and becomes smaller, when you take!
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
(Acts 20, 35)
The more anyone renounces,
the more he receives. (Community 49)
On the spiritual plane - and
thus for your eternal being - is true: He who sacrifices
himself, is great; he who thinks selfishly
of himself, is small.
The dwarfs of selfishness attempted to suppress the Giants of the Common Good. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 320 [324; Part Three
V 3])
It is far greater to give than to receive.
(Teachings of the Temple,
Vol. III, Lesson “What is
Religion?”)
The soul of Count
Stauffenberg who tried to
kill Hitler has grown by his sacrifice;
compared to that, the loss of his body,
perishable anyway, is insignificant.
This applies to all the small matters
of everyday life as well: Every woman and every man who sacrifice time and strength for their children or otherwise
for selfless service to the common good,
do not lose anything thereby;
on the contrary, they gain spiritual stature. They bring their true, eternal
being to expression, whereby this increases
in power and strength.
Look at all the heroes of human history: They are so great because they dedicated themselves entirely to their mission with complete disregard of their personal interests.
You know that feeling yourself: Your higher self
actually longs to devote itself completely to the service of a great work. You remain dissatisfied if you cannot find a possibility to apply your forces to such a cause.
The proof of the awakening
of love in the human Soul
is the awakening of an overwhelming desire to give itself and all it possesses for the best good
of all. Paradoxical as it seems, and difficult
to comprehend, renunciation
is equivalent to possession.
(Teachings of the Temple,
Vol. I, Lesson 46 “Loves Apotheosis”)
Therefore, unselfishness is the natural attitude
of an immortal. Selfishness
is contrary to his nature.
4. Selfishness as Obstacle
The thought of yourself cannot show you the way.
The concept of the New
World is no longer to enforce your own selfish interests, but to cooperate with others in order to realize on earth higher principles
such as truth, justice, beauty and love.
No one can be
guided by the personal, but, by comparing the values
as to the Common Good, it is possible to choose the quickest path. (Community 161)
Selfishness obstructs the progress of evolution, which is directed towards the common good
and the uplifting of mankind as a whole.
Indeed, it must be
understood that each
personal feeling undermines
the roots of the great construction.
Thus, so much of the wondrous is destroyed by humanity, because
Leadership was rejected. (Hierarchy
447)
Anything personal prevents the fulfillment of the Higher Will: How can you be a tool of the
divine spirit, while you are still pursuing your own purposes?
Every unselfish desire is a reflection of a similar desire in the Mind
of God. If the unselfish aspect
of a desire is changed and becomes clouded by the personality,
the plan in the Mind of God is not carried out. (Teachings of the Temple, Vol. I, Lesson 216
“The Witness of God”)
Each selfish striving
stands between you and the powers of the Hierarchy
with their cosmic goals.
But, in any case, he is not wise who dreams
about his own separate
will. He who is concerned about his individual will, without the communion
with the Higher Worlds, is not on the
true path. (FW II, 112)
We must actually
say:
Every
personal desire is harmful.
(Leaves of Morya’s Garden
II, 205 [Part Two VII 16])
A stubborn man is as useless for the Mahatmas as a stubborn donkey is for us.
Let us not take obstinacy
along with us. There is no more
intolerable burden than stubbornness. People do not even choose a headstrong horse; they will not even take an obstinate dog on a journey. (Brotherhood 19)
Selflessness does not mean that you should defer your own interests in order to be harnessed to the cart of the
(selfish) purposes of others. It means
that you enforce the Will
of God and serve the elevation of all mankind.
Service is
not in furthering ordinary wellbeing but in bringing benefit to humanity. (Brotherhood 102)
5. Selfishness Cause for Suffering and Need
Each day provides
us with a multitude of examples of how the omnipresent selfishness of the old man destroys
our planet, undermines the foundations of our communities from the family to the
nation, deprives our work of its
meaning and makes a hell of
our daily life.
Just two examples:
Poverty and unemployment are not inevitable natural disasters, which by force
majeure haunt innocent people like a plague. They are the
results of our own selfishness:
There is work in abundance. If we
divide the urgent tasks fairly among ourselves,
there will be more than enough
work to do for all of us.
The planet is rich enough. If we
divide the proceeds of our common work
fairly among ourselves, there will be more than
enough wealth for all of us.
For the details,
please refer to the Video "Tabenisi - World without
Poverty and Unemployment",
to be found at
6. Selfishness harmful to the Community
We shall discuss
in later Broadcasts in detail:
The basis for the construction of the New World is the principle of community. Not as single lonesome warriors, each struggling for himself, but only as a community
can we fulfill
the tasks of the age and reach
the next stage of evolution.
Communities can only function if
each member defers his own interests and gives precedence to the common good. An immortal, acting selflessly in accordance with his inner nature,
will always endeavour to contribute more to the community than
to take out of it. Only thus the community
will prosper.
The crude "I" has already been replaced
by the creative
"We". (Community 211)
Today's reverse position will sooner or later
lead to the collapse of the system. For a community, egoism is downright destructive.
Let us take
as one example
of many the health care system: As long as everyone
is trying to contribute as little insurance
premiums as possible, but
at the same time uncompromisingly
requires the best health care in the world; as
long as the
claims or withdrawals of the individuals are higher than their
contributions or deposits - it is impossible to sustainably finance the system.
Only when we
give up our selfish attitude, change our old
nature and set our pride in requiring
in no case more of our fellow
human beings than we contribute ourselves,
only then can the community
flourish.
7. Overcoming the Personal
The New Man requires nothing for himself. He serves in an impersonal way higher interests
than those of his small, mortal
ego. Of him is true what was said
about St. Bernhard of Clairvaux:
He had nothing to lose, because he had left everything. He had nothing to gain, because nothing
tempted him. The only thing he wanted
was the realization of the Divine Will. (E. von Schmidt-Pauli)
He works for the common good,
for the progress of evolution, for the establishment of the rule of the spirit
and for the enforcement of truth, justice, beauty and love on earth.
The epoch of trading for personal purposes has passed.
The petty plunderers shall cease to exist. It is better
to think about the welfare of the people. (Leaves
of Morya’s Garden II, 262 [Part Three
I 5])
In this, he finds true satisfaction. Thus he approaches the higher levels of Hierarchy.
If renouncement of the personal brings one near
to Us, then abstinence from action for the Common Good removes one
immeasurably from Us. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 337 [341; Part Three
V 20])
The immortal dedicates his person
completely to the service of his master. Through him acts the spirit
of Hierarchy.
Personal desires are transformed
into the all-guiding Universal Will. That is how cooperation
with the far-off worlds develops. (Heart 68)
He who does
not give up the personal obstructs his path
of ascent.
A man who places not the good of mankind
above his own good is not worthy of becoming our chela
[disciple]. (Mahatma Letters, letter
No. 38 of December 1881 [the remark of Sinnett
on the letter “received February 1882” is probably erroneous])
8. Liberation
For the old
man, to give up all personal desires
looks like a nonsensical, self-tormenting imposition. In truth, however, this is not a painful renunciation but a goal-fitted act of liberation from trivial, inferior and superfluous
matters, which opens up new and higher possibilities.
Sacrifice is power.
Power is possibility. Consequently
every sacrifice is first of all a possibility. It is time to cast aside the hypocrisy that sacrifice is deprivation. We do not accept deprivations, but We give possibilities. In Our Treasury there is a large collection of sacrifices, and each one was useful
to the one who made it. We
dislike to speak about sacrifices, because a sacrifice is the most profitable undertaking. A
real industrialist of life considers each expenditure only as a guarantee for successful business. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 183
[Part Two VI 15])
The more you turn away from personal wishes, the freer you become:
He who seeks nothing for himself becomes independent of the material conditions. The disciple realizes that earthly pleasures are not to be had
without regrets and do not satisfy the soul.
He notices how he is being enslaved by the
desires of his lower self. A load
drops off him when he finally finds the possibility
to get rid of these bonds and to serve in an impersonal way a higher purpose.
9. Test
Overcoming the personal is one of the most
difficult exercises in a
time which presents the satisfaction of real, imaginary or needs
awakened by seduction as the
highest goal, almost as the
meaning of life.
The most difficult yet indispensable discipline is comprised in actions for the good of the
world. It is not easy to watch oneself in order to reject egoistic thoughts and actions. (Fiery World I, 443)
Among the aspirants
to the Higher Path, this practice separates the chaff from the
wheat.
If one were to expound
the conditions and aims of Yoga, the number of applicants would not be great.
For them the renunciation of selfhood would be dreadful.
(Hierarchy 451)
Many fail in this test, because they
are unable to detach themselves from their transitory
lower self.
The love of achievement is not severe for those aflame in heart, but it frightens those
who love their weaknesses and who waver while
embracing their own illusionary "I". (Hierarchy
281)
10. Safeguarding the Individuality
Svetoslav Roerich “Nicholas Roerich”
Overcoming the personal does not mean abandoning
the individual. The individuality
remains intact and finds its true
realization in the service of a great work. Individuality has nothing to do with selfishness.
You first of all have to retain your personality while liberating yourself from egoism.
This antithesis will strike
many people as absurd; for them, egoism and personality are the very
same thing. The concept of
a powerful personality devoted
to the Common Good is something that surpasses the imagination of most people. (Heart 55)
Consider the great
figures of history, those men and women
who stand before us as shining
examples, the saints, sages and spiritual leaders: They dedicated
themselves entirely selflessly to their life's mission - and yet remained great
individuals.
You observed how the personal disappeared from daily life with the growth of psychic
energy. (AY 641)
It is actually true: The higher someone has risen,
the more impersonal is his life.
In great undertakings the work stands upon the work, and not upon a personality. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 183 [Part Two
VI 15])
Then, the person
disappears completely behind the work.
The more impersonal, unselfish your kindly acts are,
the purer, the more potent, the greater the results
will be. Those results will be of lasting benefit for the whole race
instead of for your
personal self alone. (Teachings of the Temple, Vol II, Lesson “The Power of
Little Things”)
Thus it was said about the
great Nicholas Roerich:
The Guru has not a single personal thought. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter of 17.12.1930)
His life is the life
of complete renunciation;
he lives for the great service to humanity. Nothing belongs to him and he himself belongs not to himself. (Helena
Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter of 17.02.1934)
11. Simplicity
You have to submit your daily life
to a rigorous examination.
You must remove from it everything,
which does not serve the salvation
of your soul, or the common
good, and for which you do
not bear indissoluble responsibility.
A great deal must be removed from
the path. It is necessary to examine everything which has taken
root. (Community 213)
When you make the first steps
on the spiritual path, you
will soon discover: Without a radical simplification of your life you will not be able to spare the space and time needed for the spheres of action of a disciple, namely contemplation, service and training.
Much must be sacrificed
so as not to lose the right direction. (Supermundane
666)
How many times
you are unable, at the end of a restless
day, to give yourself an answer to the pressing question:
What actually did I labour for - something that was worth it?
You are oppressed
by the feeling
that the really important, the essential is not expressed in your life. You suspect that it will gradually die out in your heart as
well, if you continue to live as before. So get rid of all these unnecessary goods and aspirations which suffocate the divine fire.
Traveller,
you must give away all possessions that impede you. And the more you give,
the lighter your path. For he who goes without
loads, attains the heights more
easily. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 276 [330])
Let us live simply
and goal-fittingly: So that the
few needs of our body are
met and that we can satisfy the
demands of our soul. Such a life will be worthy of an immortal man. Everything great is a simple.
Only goal-fitting
simplification can bring dignity to life. (Agni Yoga 427)
The mortals struggle with one another in order to grab as much as
possible for themselves. Immortals,
on the contrary, are competing to make do with as little as possible.
Let him who hath
need of less thank God, but let him who
hath need of more, humble himself
for his infirmity. (Rule of
St. Benedict 34, 3, 4) (Fra Angelico „St. Benedict“ Convent of San Marco, Florence)
12. Abandon Comfort, Prosperity and Security
The New Man sets the highest simplicity
against the destructive excesses of a materialistic society. The conventional bourgeois life with its pursuit of material matters, security and the utmost comfort
is inappropriate for a spiritual warrior.
It makes him sluggish and immobile, and extinguishes the fire.
Verily, material prosperity and ease are our most
dangerous enemies. Nothing extinguishes the inner fire so quickly
as security for the morrow. (Helena Roerich
Letters Vol. I1, letter of 24.09.1935)
The refined nature does not seek personal well-being, for it strives
toward perfection.
(Supermundane 505)
Practiced selflessness means giving up comfort, prosperity and security. They only serve the
desires of the lower self. For our eternal individuality,
they are without importance. The time and energy we have to spend on the acquisition
and defence of these
volatile goods, we lack for
the essential - the
spiritual striving.
He who does not relinquish
his own comfort does not know how to serve Hierarchy. (Hierarchy 295)
Prosperity is the cemetery
of the spirit.
Heavy is the karma of those
who cannot forego earthly comfort, for it is said: “Comfort is the cemetery of the spirit.” Earthly comfort shuts out spiritual hearing. Therefore none of those who
know will apply the standards of earthly comfort. (Hierarchy 391)
Verily, investigate the history of humanity, and you will
be convinced that nothing great was ever created in comfort. (Hierarchy 185)
The spirit cannot realize
itself amidst conditions of well-being or abundance. (FW III, 37)
Luxury is synonymous with degeneration and abandoning the striving for new, higher shores.
Humanity must abandon luxury.
Luxury is not beauty, not spirituality, not perfectionment,
not construction, not blessing,
not compassion. Luxury is destruction of resources and possibilities. Luxury is dissolution. A harmonious cooperation must be found in order
to rid the world of the plague
of luxury. Luxury has been always
a sign of decay and eclipse of the spirit. (Fiery World II, 335)
Luxury effeminates, as history shows.
Hothouse conditions are not suitable for evolution. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 339
[343; Part Three VI 2])
Luxury leads to corruption and decay. History is full of examples of this. (Supermundane 622)
Material security is an illusion. A firm foundation you
will find in the spiritual spheres
only.
Dead are those who
presume that by means of earthly Maya they can create
strongholds. It is as unwise as
children dreaming to build a fortress out of mud! Only the
world of the spirit is truly strong, for it is indestructible and invincible. (Hierarchy 146)
13. Property contrary to Human Nature
A life in the spirit of immortality rejects the concept
of personal property within
the meaning of the civil law,
the idea of a control over things
with which we may proceed for egoistic purposes at will. This view is as unsuitable,
unspiritual and outdated as the assumption
to be entitled to deal with
people - slaves - at will.
If we do not destroy within ourselves the sense of ownership in all aspects, we cannot
easily reach the next step.
(Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter of 24.06.1930)
In truth, personal property is incompatible with the mission of man: The treasures of this planet belong to all its inhabitants and serve to further the progress
of all humanity.
The most important thing is to carry out rationally
an educational program on the debasing significance
of possession. It is not important that someone remain in his own armchair, but it is important that youth realize the absurdity
of having its own chair. It is necessary
that this consciousness be manifested not as a denial but as a free conquest.
When, liberated from craftiness, people will learn of the impracticality of personal ownership, then a collective of co-workers will grow up. (Community 251)
Property is a selfish concept that does not correspond to the higher, by its
very essence selfless nature of man.
How strictly must be
collected biological details, in order to demonstrate the illegality and the futility of possession. The laws of the properties
of matter testify that possession
does not conform to the nature of man. (Community
252)
To a large extent, fear is the driving
force behind the insane accumulation of goods, the excessive
precaution and protection:
Fear of the future and of the void that might
remain if we detach ourselves
from the conventional contents of life.
The germ of proprietorship is fear, the feeling
that one must be attached to the Earth at least by something! As if a miserable hovel could be
an adequate anchor for the spirit! Therefore,
let us abolish
fear. With it will depart property ownership and boredom. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 323
[327; Part Three V 6])
How could an immortal on his eternal path cling
to temporal possessions, which
he will lose at the latest
at death? They mean nothing to his true, higher
self.
He who feels the
grandeur of Infinity will certainly
understand the entire inappropriateness of illusory possession on so transitory a place as Earth. (Fiery World I, 635)
The man who has realized
the essence of all things is not in need of them. (Community 246)
So, as it
stands today, you do not own the
things, but the things own you.
Those who have realized the nature of things
are not attached to them, but those who distort it
are slaves to them. (Agni Yoga 286)
The real wealth of a disciple are the
accumulations of his consciousness, his spiritual possessions.
A yogi's responsibility is to his spiritual accumulations, for they are his
only treasure. (Agni Yoga
223)
One should be affirmed
upon the realization that earthly possession does not exist. Only when our
consciousness remains our sole possession
do we feel the freedom of ascent. (Fiery World II, 177)
14. Do not Discard Anything Existing
Agni Yoga does not claim that the material things as such are evil. Nobody is asking you to give up all your possessions. The advice of Jesus
to the rich young man to give his belongings to the poor and follow Him (Matthew 19, 21),
is not being properly understood:
No one becomes
pure and holy by this alone, that he surrenders his possessions.
One may wear bast
shoes and still not be
simple. (Leaves of Morya’s
Garden II, 132 [Part Two IV 5)
Whoever clings to the goods, so that they prevent him
from leading a spiritual life, must give
them up in order to free himself. He, on the other hand,
who possesses as if he owned
nothing, can follow Christ
with all his wealth.
When Jesus saw a right attitude
toward earthly treasures, He did not indicate a need to renounce them. He advised giving up possessions only when they were
dragging down the spiritually weak ones. (Supermundane, 162)
Hostility to earthly objects is the wrong way: They
exist, they are a gift from
God, they were manufactured with great effort, craftsmanship
and diligence.
Time was when We said:
"Give up everything."
Now We go
further and say: "Take
everything but do not consider
it your own." Simple reasoning will show how
impossible it is to take earthly things along with one. But they have been created with the participation of the spirit; hence, one should not despise them. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 141
[Part Two IV 14)
We must not despise anything existing.
Nothing that exists can be
rejected. (Agni Yoga 351)
Would it not also be hypocritical to disapprove of things which in fact we
need for our very survival?
Is it not the madness
of hypocrisy to give away everything and then to expect help from
others? (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter of 07.12.1935)
The point is not how much you have, but how you use
that what you have.
Not asceticism, but a wise use of things was ordered. (Agni Yoga 247)
15. Transfiguration of Ownership: Trust
A new formula
is required instead of property. It is not the external circumstances, but the mental attitude that counts.
Let us care for and honour the earthly
things, whether they belong to us or to someone
else. Let us use them
according to their destination: Not for ourselves,
but for the construction of
the New World, for the common good, for the progress of evolution. They do not belong to us, but were given to us
from Above for this higher purpose.
So let us once
again invoke the Teacher and in thought pass this cumbersome load on to Him. He will be able to transfer
our mental gift still higher. That is how we can solve the
problem of possession.
Thus, the very designation disappears, and we remain the
custodians of the property of the Hierarchy. (Heart 281)
We are trustees!
All our belongings were entrusted to us by the
Hierarchy. We are accountable Above for their proper utilization according to their purpose. We have to be ready to give
them up at any time. In this way, we
remove the personal involvement and deal with them only upon higher orders.
He who is the best manager,
who proves that he can selflessly use the things
in the right way, in favour of the common good
- he will be installed by the community
to possess them.
It is good to understand that the possession of objects should be devoid
of a feeling of property ownership. It is good to possess things in order to take care of them, and even to surround them with a benevolent aura, with the thought of passing them on to others. The manifestation of a creative hand dwells in a house whose occupants
are without attachment to property, and that which was improved will carry joy further. The sign of the bestowing
hand will be preserved continuously, and therein lies the justification of objects. Through
this understanding is solved the most
difficult problem.
Possession devoid of the sense of ownership will open the path to all without conventional inheritance. Who can improve, shall
possess. This concerns lands, forests and waters. All technical achievements and various types of inventions are subject to the same principle. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 92
[Part Two I 9])
With this mental attitude we may
own property with dignity
and happiness. Poverty and simplicity become an inner attitude of the New Man which can exist even
among large, entrusted possessions.
In this sense, it is even desirable
that spiritual people own houses,
factories and the like:
This ensures that these goods are being
used in accordance with the Higher Will, so that, for example,
fair rents and working conditions are established.
16. Transfiguration of Life
C. H. Bloch
„The Transfiguration of Christ“
We see from
the example of ownership, how the coarse earthly conditions can be transfigured, raised to a higher level, and approximated to the Subtle World: Solely by changing
our thinking. The decisive improvement does not take place
in the external conditions,
but in our consciousness,
in the attitude that we are taking
towards the outside world.
People do not
know how to deal with possessions
because they do not wish to understand the meaning of the mental transfiguration of the earthly plane into the Subtle. (Heart 281)
In the outside world, nothing changes. The owner remains the owner.
Nevertheless, the rich man lives from one moment
to the other in a different
world and his life gains a sense when he no longer
considers himself as the owner,
but as a trustee of his treasures and makes use of them
according to higher order and with a higher goal.
17. Detachment from Possessions
The goal of the spiritual disciple will be, however, to detach himself more and more from
worldly possessions in order to become free for the purely
spiritual service. The maintenance
and care for earthly property
can be a burden and take such a claim on us that no room is left
for higher striving.
Avarice holds one back to the lower spheres.
(Brotherhood 114)
So we shall
keep in our possession only those few things
that we absolutely need for our work.
Everything else is an unnecessary burden on the steep path
of ascent.
As there is not enough room for all on a summit, whoever ascends it will likewise discover that the ascent cannot take
place with a heavy load. Furthermore, there is no place on the
peak for anything superfluous. The slopes are steep, and one should remember
also that only the foot of the Mountain is broad. At the base
there is room for worldly things, but the Summit is sharp-pointed and too small for all human possessions. (Fiery World III,
19)
The gradual detachment from possessions is not fanatical asceticism or obscure radicalism,
but the consistent observance of the law of goal-fittedness - if you judge from
the higher, spiritual point of view.
Buddha always advised the possession of as few objects
as possible in order not to
devote too much time to them. (Helena Roerich, Foundations of Buddhism)
The higher you climb, the less
you will need.
The less one needs,
the more one approaches the Gods who do not need anything. (Socrates)
18. Reduce Work for Money
The holy within
us that strives for realization is being killed every day.
A major reason for this is the work
for money.
Herein is contained the tragedy
of our times. We find time without limit for all kinds of petty activities, but we do not find an hour for the most vital. (Agni Yoga 451)
In our time, the professional work has reached a level
that robs us of almost any possibility
of repose, contemplation, connection with the Supreme and selfless service. We have become the slaves of a ruthless business world.
Ye are bought with a price; be not ye
the servants of men. (1 Corinthians 7, 23)
Let no earthly honor,
no personal selfishness, no host of Hell trample you underneath
the feet of your soul's oppressors.
(Teachings of the Temple,
Vol. II, Lesson “Sealed and
unsealed Eyes”)
You must be
careful that you do not pollute
the majesty of your soul by
participating in unworthy proceedings, namely the selfish profiteering
of others.
Spirit, why then is thy
fear so great before the derision
of thy brothers? Why, in servility to the 'petty people',
dost thou conceal the sacred seed
bestowed upon thee?
(Infinity I, 36)
The tremendous amount of the current
professional work is no longer justified by the little
which we really need. The new, immortal man will live more modestly and do less paid work.
True service is free. God’s service is rendered for God's reward.
In the New World we need simple food, shelter and clothing, nothing more. There, we
shall certainly not aim, as today,
at a prosperity according
to the world’s highest standard.
In the future, people
must be free
from the need to devote attention to their physical needs. The principle of living in a community requires for each co-worker the provision
of reasonable comfort, which will safeguard strength and labor. Can a yogi without penalty
waste his time and energy? (Agni Yoga 189)
An immortal does not make the
mistake to regard paid work as
the purpose of his life. He withdraws
step by step
from the excessive demands of a materialistic world and earns his livelihood,
if possible, with part-time
work.
He who is unable to escape the oppressive rhythm of the business world
still clings too much to the earthly
matters or is caught up in selfishness, vanity, greed, lust for power or fear of the future.