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Re: Theos-World Path of Occultism (AnandGholap.Net - Online Theosophy)

Mar 06, 2005 02:38 AM
by Anand Gholap


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Eldon B Tucker" <eldon@t...> 
wrote:
> > From: Anand Gholap [mailto:AnandGholap@A...]
> > Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2005 10:40 AM
> > To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: Theos-World Path of Occultism (AnandGholap.Net - Online
> Theosophy)
> > 
> > 
> > [ www.AnandGholap.net - Online Books on Theosophy ]
> > 
> > " Sometimes this realisation of the worthlessness of earth and 
heaven is
> > at first but a flash in consciousness, and the external worlds 
reassert
> > their empire and the glamour of their illusive joys again laps 
the soul
> > into content. Some lives even may pass, full of noble work and 
unselfish
> > achievement, of pure thoughts and lofty deeds, ere this 
realisation of the
> > emptiness of all that is phenomenal becomes the permanent 
attitude of the
> > soul.
> 
> The idea that our existence in the external world is worthless and 
empty is,
> I think, incorrect. A search for deeper meaning to life results in 
awakening
> that sense of meaning and wonder; it does not come from going 
somewhere
> else, from a retreat into subjectivity or life on some other plane.

Reading complete book would give better understanding of the subject. 
As you said existence in outer world is not worthless. In fact soul's 
evolution for very long time happens due to his experiences and deeds 
in this ordinary world. What author is trying to tell is man feels 
attraction towards worldly pleasures for many lives. And when he 
evolves sufficiently he increasingly feels that there must be higher 
meaning to life. Worldly things don't satisfy his mind anymore. So he 
starts thinking about higher/ spiritual things. Here author is 
describing psychology of a man who is nearing the path or occultism.

> 
> > 659. But 
sooner
> > or later the soul once and for ever breaks with earth and heaven 
as
> > incompetent to satisfy his needs, and this definite turning away 
from the
> > transitory, this definite will to reach the eternal, is the 
gateway to the
> > probationary Path. The soul steps off the highway of evolution to 
breast
> > the steeper climb up the mountain side, resolute to escape from 
the
> > bondage of earthly and heavenly lives, and to reach the freedom 
of the
> > upper air.
> 
> Life on earth is not like our being held in chains, from which we 
must break
> free. Our existence on any plane is transitory; that is both its 
limitation
> and its value. Evolution is achieved not by our escape and seeking 
realms
> that are more free; it is won by the opposite effort. We bring down 
and
> integrate into our external life the higher wonders.

Here again psychology of a person approaching the path is 
described. "soul once and for ever breaks with earth and heaven as 
incompetent to satisfy his needs " This means he intensely feels that 
ordinary things and plesures of material world and of heaven don't 
satisfy him anymore. He senses that there is something much higher 
knowledge (direct knowledge of Unity) which he must get by direct 
experience and so he determines to find that Truth as Buddha 
did. "turning away from transitory" means material (transitory) 
things become less important in his life. Search of Truth or Eternal 
becomes dominant desire. 
> 
> > 
> > 660. The 
work
> > which has to be accomplished by the man who enters on the 
probationary
> > Path is entirely mental and moral; he has to bring himself up to 
the point
> > at which he will fit to "meet his Master face to face": but he 
very words
> > "his Master" need explanation. There are certain great Beings 
belonging to
> > our race who have completed Their human evolution, and to whom 
allusion
> > has already been made as constituting a Brotherhood, and as 
guiding and
> > forwarding the development of the race.
> 
> We enter probation as soon as we question the status quo of life 
and start
> to think and live differently.

Many members in the TS think and live differently but I don't think 
they are put by Masters on Probation. Probation word as used by 
Besant and CWL has certain definite meaning and it is a stage before 
somebody is accepted as disciple. This needs long explanation which 
can be read in Masters and the Path and other books I recommend. 

> But the profound aspect of that difference is
> the change within us. We may still work at the same job, drive kids 
to
> school, and wash dishes much as we did before. The difference is in 
our
> newly awakened consciousness, an added depth of awareness, with 
*something
> more* to the experience, much like a color-blind person, always 
seeing
> things in shades of gray, would feel if he or she were now able to 
see in
> color.

This is true.

> 
> > 661. 
These Great
> > Ones, the Masters, voluntarily incarnate in human bodies on order 
to form
> > the connecting link between human and superhuman beings, and They 
permit
> > those who fulfil certain conditions to become Their disciples, 
with the
> > object of hastening their evolution and thus qualifying 
themselves to
> > enter the great Brotherhood, and to assist in its glorious and 
beneficent
> > work for man. "
> 
> We all work at things that bring the greatest light into the world. 
It's
> different with each of us. One may help others avoid physical 
suffering. A
> second person may contribute unique art and beauty to the world. A 
third may
> bring happiness and peace to dying people and their families. A 
fourth may
> struggle through life, learning lessons so difficult that he or she 
does not
> have time to be outwardly creative and make a noticeable impression 
on
> others. We all do what we can, and only we can judge for ourselves 
if what
> we do is true to ourselves.

Person who want to help others would and should generally help in a 
manner which suits his temperament, capabilities and resources. 
Person who knows IT will serve using that technology while doctor 
would perhaps choose to help others by providing medical care to the 
poor.
> 
> I don't think we hasten our evolution or anything else for its own 
sake. We
> do what is right, and if that means we have intense periods in life 
and
> undergo trials, we experience them. If it means we lead a quiet 
life without
> making a big impression on the world, then we do that. Evolution is 
not some
> grueling task put before us that we try to get over with as fast as
> possible. It's merely a term descriptive of our process of self-
unfoldment.
> And that self-unfoldment progresses by itself, at its own natural 
rate.
> Generally speaking, we all participate in the glorious and 
beneficent work
> for humanity.
> 
> Do we hurry up or slow down with our evolution? Each of us has to 
judge as
> to if he or she is in the right place in life, or needs to bring 
about
> little changes, bigger changes, or dramatically huge changes in 
life in
> order to be at that point in life that our inner nature recognizes 
as our
> best place. As a guide to finding direction to that place in life, 
we
> cultivate an inner awareness of that part of us that values things, 
that
> says to us what is good or bad, true to our nature or false to it, 
right to
> do in the world or something we should not be doing.

As I understand everybody evolves naturally and gradualy and reach 
perfection in future just as we arrived at this state from stage of 
savage. However this gradual process is very long. Those who are men 
today will become Adepts at the end of the chain. However those who 
know laws of nature which are given in Theosophy and use those laws 
to increase speed of evolution will reach level of Adept earlier.
We can consider ordinary man. He becomes wiser by experiences slowly 
through experiences. But if same man takes admission to MBA course he 
is taught in two years much of the knowledge of management, gathered 
over hundred years. And so this training through wisely planned 
course makes him much more capable in short time which would 
otherwise have taken very long time. From writings of Masters, 
Besant, HPB and CWL it is clear that this path of swifter evolution 
or occultism is harder. However those among us who want to know 
higher things will make those efforts and win.

Anand Gholap






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