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Fiery World - Book 2 (1934) - 427:
427. The path of joyous achievement is a hundredfold shorter than the path of mournful duties. How steadfastly must this ordainment be kept in mind by the travelers of the fiery march? Only the sign of achievement raises them above danger, but the significance of achievement must be cultivated in the heart as joy of the spirit. One cannot discover the best path if one's eye does not follow the star of achievement. Even the obscurities themselves must be illumined by the one light. Nothing, no one, is ever forced to turn back into darkness. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 1 (1938) - 27:
The Teacher does not renounce His obligations. His entire day is filled with carrying out His duties. He who is afraid of these words, let him not think about the Brotherhood. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 1 (1938) - 74:
Heads of state formerly combined their work with the highest spiritual duties, and often led societies of the highest purpose. In time, these missions were lost and the heads of state remained as servitors to insignificant and even harmful institutions. Such examples can be seen everywhere. It is especially sad that there remain only a few small fragments of ritual that still preserve their inner meaning; in ignorant hands even these scraps bring harm. Thus, We try to purify or remove the remnants of rituals that obscure the consciousness. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 1 (1938) - 246:
Let us take as an example a person who writes many letters. If he writes with only himself in mind, he will not achieve the right results. And he is mistaken if he thinks that he is writing to only one person in particular. A letter full of lofty thoughts does not belong only to the author, or to the one to whom it is addressed, but to all of humanity. We should not be concerned with who will benefit from our thoughts. In addition to our personal intent, the letter is being sent into space, and it is not for us to worry where the thought it contains will find shelter. The only concern we ought to have is that our thought should serve for good. Perhaps it will be received somewhere in an entirely unexpected language, or enter the consciousness of a child and be expressed by him in later years. Perhaps the thought will reach a person who is leaving the earthly state and will be applied in the Subtle World, or it may be of help to that person during the crossing. Perhaps workers will be inspired by the thought, spiritualizing their monotonous work. The thought will help a sick person by giving him faith in his physician, or elevate a woman far beyond the boundaries of her domestic duties. The thought will whisper to the warrior opportunities for heroism. The thought will point out to the farmer the planetary significance of his labor, for the farmer is responsible for the crust of the planet, and a letter to him will be essential. You must write to the architect, to the judge, and to the artist. It does not matter if some letters do not arrive at the intended time. Let him who writes letters remember that he has many readers; so much the worse if the contents of the letter are base or insignificant. Harmful thoughts should not be recorded. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 1 (1938) - 249:
When We speak about unification, We have in mind an important achievement. It is correctly noted that the so-called "complex of immortality" is an equal tension of all energies. It is precisely this unity of energies that creates the highest state. But people do not want to discipline themselves to be freely unified. They consider unity an abstract idea and would prefer that the Teacher give them specific instructions, little understanding that preparation for the unification of energies is a vital necessity that must take place in one's everyday life. The Living Ethics consists of disciplines that enable you to become more conscious in any sphere, but alas, people avoid such daily disciplines. They will often invent an utterly impractical meditation in their attempt to conquer the higher planes, yet neglect their immediate obligations. The Greek philosopher said, "He who knows how to rule his household will also be able to rule his nation." Of course, household duties are not meant in the sense of cooking and cleaning, but rather in the sense of a conscious awareness of general perfectment, or unification. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 440:
440. Urusvati knows how people attempt to excuse themselves, claiming that because of their earthly duties they can find no time for higher communion. But let us compare their most important earthly duties with the sparks of even the least enlightenment. Let us examine them from a distance of several decades, and we will find that while the earthly affairs have faded, the enlightenment has remained clear and even grown more vivid into a beautiful affirmation. Such a comparison between earthly affairs and illumination can reveal the true values.
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