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New Era Community (1926) - 163:
Does it not seem strange that I speak so often about patience, about obstacles, about vigor, about the endlessness of struggle? Precisely, at different times and on different sides do I forge the armor of fearlessness. Remember, this tempering cannot be completed in a single hour. In different temperatures is the sword tempered; even Buddha affirmed that at the happiest hour one should recall the misfortunes, but without diminishing joy. Hierarchy (1931) - 442:
442. If you want to ponder upon the Three Pearls of the World, can you feel your heart as a summit, bestowing power upon the three sacred rivers, which nurture many lands? Can you master the trinity of consciousness without diminishing one part? The spirit must be accustomed to divisibility. One can imagine amidst sloping hills a strong snowy summit, which takes upon itself all the burden of the whirlwinds. So rises an Arhat, who takes upon himself the entire burden of imperfection. As clouds hover around the summit, sometimes screening it from earthly eyes, so the wearisome burdens of the world pierce the Chalice of an Arhat. One must possess the stronghold of striving in order to nurture the rivers, gathering the whole invincible Service to Hierarchy. Why is the Service called great? Because it approaches the Infinite. This is the measure by which you can think of the Three Pearls of the World. Brotherhood (1937) - 248:
248. People are astonished at the quantity of crimes, but they forget about the incomparably larger number of evil deeds that are never detected. One may be horrified by the countless mental crimes which have not been legislated against, and yet they are destroying the lives of people and the life of the whole planet. One should reflect sometimes how much the fertility of the planet is diminishing, in spite of all the artificial measures taken at times by governments. It is possible to plant a grove of trees and, at the same time, poison and destroy entire forests. People marvel at the remains of primeval forest giants, but they do not ponder whether such giants can grow up nowadays. People strip away the virgin covering of the planet and then are astounded at the spread of sandy wastes. Upon recounting all the species on the planet one may be surprised at how little they are improved. Let us not consider certain peculiar cross-breedings that, like dropsy, can swell the size of certain vegetables. Such experiments have no influence on the general condition of the planet.
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