The
Writings of C
The Purpose
of Life
From
A Textbook of
Theosophy
By
C
To
fulfill our duty in the divine scheme we must try to understand not only that
scheme as a whole, but the special part that man is intended to play in it. The
divine outbreathing reaches its deepest immersion in matter in the mineral
kingdom,
but it reaches its ultimate point of differentiation not at the lowest level of
materiality, but at the entrance into the human kingdom on the upward arc of
evolution. We have thus to realize three stages in the course of this
evolution:
(a) The downward arc in which the tendency is toward
differentiation and also toward greater materiality. In this stage spirit is
involving itself in matter, in order that it may learn to receive impressions
through it.
(b) The earlier part of the upward arc, in
which the tendency is still toward greater differentiation, but at the same
time toward spiritualization and escape from materiality. In this stage the
spirit is learning to dominate matter and to see it as an expression of itself.
(c) The later part of the upward arc, when
differentiation has been finally accomplished, and the tendency is toward unity
as well as toward greater spirituality. In this stage the spirit, having learnt
perfectly how to receive impressions through matter and how to express itself
through it, and having awakened its dormant powers, learns to use these powers
rightly in the
service
of the Deity.
The
object of the whole previous evolution has been to produce the ego as a
manifestation of the Monad. Then the ego in its turn evolves by putting itself
down into a succession of personalities. Men who do not understand this look
upon the personality as the self, and consequently live for it alone, and try
to regulate their lives for what appears to be its temporary advantage. The man
who understands realizes that the only important thing is the life of the ego,
and that its progress is the object for which the temporary personality must be
used. Therefore when he has to decide between two possible courses he thinks
not, as the ordinary man might: “Which will bring the greater pleasure and
profit to me as a personality?” but “Which will bring greater progress to me as
an ego?” Experience soon teaches him that nothing can ever be really good for
him, or for any one, which is not good for all, and so presently he learns to forget
himself altogether, and to ask only what will be best for humanity as a whole.
Clearly
then at this stage of evolution whatever tends to unity, whatever tends to
spirituality, is in accord with the plan of the Deity for us, and is therefore
right for us, while whatever tends to separateness or to materiality is
certainly equally wrong for us. There are thoughts and emotions which tend to
unity, such as love, sympathy, reverence, benevolence; there are others which
tend to disunion, such as hatred, jealousy, envy, pride, cruelty, fear.
Obviously the former group are for us the right, the latter group are for us
the wrong.
In
all these thoughts and feelings which are clearly wrong, we recognize one
dominant note, the thought of self; while in all those which are clearly right
we recognize that the thought is turned toward others, and that the personal
self is forgotten. Wherefore we see that selfishness is the one great wrong,
and that perfect unselfishness is the crown of all virtue. This gives us at once
a rule of life. The man who wishes intelligently to co-operate with the Divine
Will must lay aside all thought of the advantage or pleasure of the personal
self, and must devote himself exclusively to carrying out that Will by working
for the welfare and happiness of others.
This
is a high ideal, and difficult of attainment, because there lies behind us such
a long history of selfishness. Most of us are as yet far from the purely
altruistic attitude; how are we to go to work to attain it, lacking as we do
the necessary intensity in so many of the good qualities, and possessing so
many which are undesirable?
Here
comes into operation the great law of cause and effect to which I have already
referred. Just as we can confidently appeal to the laws of nature in the
physical world, so may we also appeal to these laws of the higher world. If we
find evil qualities within us, they have grown up by slow degrees through
ignorance
and through self-indulgence. Now that the ignorance is dispelled by knowledge,
now that in consequence we recognize the quality as an evil, the method of
getting rid of it lies obviously before us.
For
each of these vices there is a contrary virtue; if we find one of them rearing
its head within us, let us immediately determine deliberately to develop within
ourselves the contrary virtue. If a man realizes that in the past he has been
selfish, that means that he has set up within himself the habit of thinking of
himself first and pleasing himself, of consulting his own convenience or his
pleasure
without due thought of the effect upon others; let him set to work purposefully
to form the exactly opposite habit, to make a practice before doing anything of
thinking how it will affect all those around him; let him set himself
habitually to please others, even though it be at the cost of trouble or
privation for himself. This also in time will become a habit, and by developing
it he will have killed out the other.
If
a man finds himself full of suspicion, ready always to assign evil motives to
the actions of those about him, let him set himself steadily to cultivate trust
in his fellows, to give them credit always for the highest possible motives. It
may be said that a man who does this will lay himself open to be deceived, and
that
in many cases his confidence will be misplaced. That is a small matter; it is
far better for him that he should sometimes be deceived as a result of his
trust in his fellows than that he should save himself from such deception by
maintaining a constant attitude of suspicion. Besides, confidence begets
faithfulness. A man who is trusted will generally prove himself worthy of
the
trust, whereas a man who is suspected is likely presently to justify that
suspicion.
If
a man finds in himself the tendency toward avarice, let him go out of his way
to be especially generous; if he finds himself irritable, let him definitely
train himself in calmness; if he finds himself devoured by curiosity, let him
deliberately refuse again and again to gratify that curiosity; if he is liable
to fits of depression, let him persistently cultivate cheerfulness, even under
the most adverse circumstances.
In
every case the existence of an evil quality in the personality means a lack of
the corresponding good quality in the ego. The shortest way to get rid of that
evil and to prevent its reappearance is to fill the gap in the ego, and the
good quality which is thus developed will show itself as an integral part of
the
man’s
character through all his future lives. An ego cannot be evil, but he can be
imperfect. The qualities which he develops cannot be other than good qualities,
and when they are well defined they show themselves in each of all his numerous
personalities, and consequently those personalities can never be
guilty
of the vices opposite to these qualities; but where there is a gap in the ego,
where there is a quality undeveloped, there is nothing inherent in the
personality to check the growth of the opposite vice; and since others in the
world about him already possess that vice, and man is an imitative animal, it
is quite probable that it will speedily manifest itself in him. This
vice,
however, belongs to the vehicles only and not to the man inside. In these
vehicles its repetition may set up a momentum which is hard to conquer; but if
the ego bestirs himself to create in himself the opposite virtue, the vice is
cut off at its root, and can no longer exist – neither in this life nor in all
the lives that are to come.
A
man who is trying to evolve these qualities in himself will find certain
obstacles in his way – obstacles which he must learn to surmount. One of these
is the critical spirit of the age – the disposition to find fault with a thing,
to belittle everything, to look for faults in everything, and in everyone. The
exact opposite of this is what is needed for progress. He who wishes to move
rapidly along the path of evolution must learn to see good in everything – to
see the latent Deity in everything and in every one. Only so can he help those
other people – only so can he get the best out of those other things.
Another
obstacle is the lack of perseverance. We tend in these days to be impatient; if
we try any plan we expect immediate results from it, and if we do not get them,
we give up that plan and try something else. That is not the way to make
progress in occultism. The effort which we are making is to compress
into
one or two lives the evolution which would naturally take perhaps a hundred
lives. That is not the sort of undertaking in which immediate results are to be
expected. We attempt to uproot an evil habit, and we find it hard work; why?
Because we have indulged in that practice for, perhaps, twenty
thousand
years; one cannot shake off the custom of twenty thousand years in a day or
two. We have allowed that habit to gain an enormous momentum, and before we can
set up a force in the opposite direction we have to overcome that momentum.
That cannot be done in a moment, but it is absolutely certain that it will be
done eventually, if we persevere, because the momentum, however strong it may
be, is a finite quality, whereas the power that we can bring to bear against it
is the infinite power of the human will, which can make renewed efforts day
after day, year after year, even life after life if necessary.
Another
great difficulty in our way is the lack of clearness in our thought. People in
the West are little used to clear thought with regard to religious matters.
Everything is vague and nebulous. For occult development vagueness and
nebulosity will not do. Our conceptions must be clear cut and our thought
images definite. Other necessary characteristics are calmness and cheerfulness;
these are rare in modern life, but are absolute essentials for the work which
we are here undertaking.
The
process of building a character is as scientific as that of developing one’s
muscles. Many a man, finding himself with certain muscles flabby and powerless
takes that as his natural condition, and regards their weakness as a kind of
destiny imposed upon him; but anyone who understands a little of the human body
is aware that by continued exercise those muscles can be brought into a state
of health and the whole body eventually put in order. In exactly the same way,
many a man finds himself possessed of a bad tamper or a tendency to
avarice
or suspicion or self-indulgence, and when in consequence of any of these vices
he commits some great mistake or does some great harm he offers it as an excuse
that he is a hasty-tempered man, or that he possesses this or that quality by
nature – implying that therefore he cannot help it.
In
this case just as in the other the remedy is in his own hands. Regular exercise
of the right kind will develop a certain muscle, and regular mental exercise of
the right kind will develop a missing quality in a man’s character. The
ordinary man does not realize that he can do this, and even if he sees that he
can do it, he does not see why he should, for it means much effort and much
self-repression. He knows of no adequate motive for undertaking a task so
laborious and painful.
The
motive is supplied by the knowledge of the truth. One who gains an intelligent
comprehension of the direction of evolution feels it not only his interest but
his privilege and his delight to co-operate with it. One who wills the end
wills also the means; in order to be able to do good work for the world he must
develop within himself the necessary strength and the necessary qualities.
Therefore he who wishes to reform the world must first of all reform himself.
He must learn to give up altogether the attitude of insisting upon rights, and
must devote himself utterly to the most earnest performance of his duties. He
must learn to regard every connection with his fellowman as an opportunity to
help that fellowman, or in some way to do him good.
One
who studies these subjects intelligently cannot but realize the tremendous
power of thought, and the necessity for its efficient control. All action
springs from thought, for even when it is done (as we say) without thought, it
is the instinctive expression of the thoughts, desires and feelings which the
man has allowed to grow luxuriantly within himself in earlier days.
The
wise man, therefore, will watch his thought with the greatest of care, for in
it he possesses a powerful instrument, for the right use of which he is
responsible. It is his duty to govern his thought, lest it should be allowed to
run riot and to do evil to himself and to others; it is his duty also to
develop his thought power, because by means of it a vast amount of actual and
active
good
can be done. Thus controlling his thought and his action, thus eliminating from
himself all evil and unfolding in himself all good qualities, the man presently
raises himself far above the level of his fellows, and stands out conspicuously
among them as one who is working on the side of good as against evil, of
evolution as against stagnation.
The
members of the great Hierarchy in whose hands is the evolution of the world are
watching always for such men in order that They may train them to help in the
greater work. Such a man inevitably attracts Their attention and They begin to
use him as an instrument in Their work. If he proves himself a good and
efficient instrument, presently They will offer him definite training as
anapprentice, that by helping Them in the world-business which They have to do
he may some day become even as They are, and join the might Brotherhood to
which They belong.
But
for an honor so great as this mere ordinary goodness will not suffice. True, a
man must be good first of all, or it would be hopeless to think of using him,
but in addition to being good he must be wise and strong. What is needed is not
merely a good man, but a great spiritual power. Not only must the candidate
have cast aside all ordinary weaknesses but he must have acquired strong
positive qualities before he can offer himself to Them with any hope that he
will be accepted. He must live no longer as a blundering and selfish
personality, but as an intelligent ego who comprehends the part which he has to
play in the great scheme of the universe. He must have forgotten himself
utterly; he must have resigned all thought of worldly profit or pleasure or
advancement; he must be willing to sacrifice everything, and himself first of
all, for the sake of the work that has to be done. He may be in the world, but
he must not be of the world.
He
must be careless utterly of its opinion. For the sake of helping man he must
make himself something more than man. Radiant, rejoicing, strong, he must live
but for the sake of others and to be an expression of the love of God in the
world. A high ideal, yet not too high; possible, because there are men who have
achieved it.
When
a man has succeeded in unfolding his latent possibilities so far that he
attracts the attention of the Masters of the Wisdom, one of Them will probably
receive him as an apprentice upon probation. The period of probation is usually
seven years, but may be either shortened or lengthened at the discretion of the
Master.
At the end of that time, if his work has been satisfactory, he becomes what is
commonly called the accepted pupil. This brings him into close relations with
his Master, so that the vibrations of the latter constantly play upon him, and
he gradually learns to look at everything as the Master looks at it.
After
yetanother interval, if he proves himself entirely worthy, he may be drawn into
a still closer relationship, when he is called the son of the Master.
These
three stages mark his relationship to his own Master only, not to the
Brotherhood as a whole. The Brotherhood admits a man to its ranks only when he
has fitted himself to pass the first of the great Initiations.This entry into
the Brotherhood of Those who rule the world may be thought of as the third of
the great critical points in man’s evolution. The first of these is when he
becomes man – when he individualizes out of the animal kingdom and obtains a
causal body. The second is what is called by the Christian “conversion”, and by
the Hindu “the acquirement of discrimination”, and by the Buddhist “the opening
of the doors of the mind”. That is the point at which he realizes the great
facts of life, and turns away from the pursuit of selfish ends in order to move
intentionally along with the great current of evolution in obedience to the
divine Will. The third point is the most important of all, for the Initiation
which admits him to the ranks of the Brotherhood also insures him against the
possibility of failure to fulfill the divine purpose in the time appointed for
it. Hence those who have reached this point are called in the Christian system
the “elect”, the “saved” or the “safe,” and in the Buddhist scheme “those who
have entered on the stream.”For those who have reached this point have made
themselves absolutely certain of reaching a further point also – that of
Adeptship, at which they pass into a type of evolution which is definitely
superhuman.
The
man who has become an Adept has fulfilled the divine Will so far as this chain
of worlds is concerned. He has reached, even already the midmost point of the
aeon of evolution, the stage prescribed for man’s attainment at the end of it.
Therefore he is at liberty to spend the remainder of that time either in
helping his fellow-men or in even more splendid work in connection with other
and higher evolutions. He who has not yet been initiated is still in danger of
being left behind by our present wave of evolution, and dropping into the next
one – the “aeonian condemnation” of which the Christ spoke, which has been
mistranslated
“eternal damnation”. It is from this fate of possible aeonian failure – that
is, failure for this age, or dispensation, or life-wave – that the man who
attains Initiation is “safe”. He has
“entered upon the stream" which now must bear him on to Adeptship in this
present age, though it is still possible for him by his actions to hasten or
delay his progress along the Path which he is treading.
That
first Initiation corresponds to the matriculation which admits a man to a
University, and the attainment of Adeptship to the taking of a degree at the
end of the course. Continuing the simile, there are three intermediate
examinations, which are usually spoken of as the second, third and fourth
Initiations,
Adeptship
being the fifth. A general idea of the line of this higher evolution may be
obtained by studying the list of what are called in Buddhist books “the
fetters” which must be cast off – the qualities of which a man must rid himself
as he treads this Path. These are: the delusion of separateness; doubt or
uncertainty; superstition; attachment to enjoyment; the possibility of hatred;
desire
for life, either in this or the higher worlds; pride; agitation or
irritability; and ignorance. The man who reaches the Adept level has exhausted
all the possibilities of moral development, and so the future evolution which
still lies before him can only mean still wider knowledge and still more
wonderful spiritual powers.
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Concerns are
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The Spiritual
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Classic Introductory Theosophy Text
A Text Book of Theosophy
By C
What Theosophy Is From the Absolute to Man
The Formation of a Solar System The Evolution of Life
The Constitution of Man After Death Reincarnation
The Purpose of Life The Planetary Chains
The Result of Theosophical Study
An Outstanding
Introduction to Theosophy
By a student of
Katherine Tingley
Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man? Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation Karma
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