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Leaves of Morya's Garden - Book 1 - The Call (1924) - 29:
29. Water cannot extinguish the Fire that will purify the world, Nor wash away the rivers of blood. By new scourges will the world be purged of its evil. I expound happiness. I shall designate the path for the battle against the bazaar that is the present world. People have reached a dead end, but lightning will reveal the way out, And thunder will arouse the slumberers. Mountains have crashed to earth. Lakes have been drained of their waters. Cities have been engulfed by floods. Hunger shows its face. Yet has the spirit of humanity remained unmoved. Go, teach, stretch out the hand of aid! New Era Community (1926) - 127:
127. If some very ignorant and unawakened person will say of the Teaching that it is apparently quite a different kind of communal teaching - know how to reply justly. Say that every community based on labor and the knowledge of reality does not harm the processes of perfectionment of humanity., Due to the motion of the Cosmos, it is impossible to remain immobile. There is either backward or forward movement. All who realize consciously the community move forward. And there cannot be communities opposed to each other; just as one cannot contrast different aspects of the sensation of hunger. Thus, against the community will speak only he who has begun to move backwards, entering into the formation of cosmic refuse. New Era Community (1926) - 264:
Now, how is it possible to broaden the consciousness if past experience is not applied? True, enlightenment is possible, but this occurrence is so rare that it is not mentioned. Yet even experienced knowledge must be brought out; otherwise it will wander about like flakes of unsettled reactions. Amid the monotony of conventionalities only a few sense the reality of Cosmos. Among these scrolls of births, sicknesses, sorrows and deaths few will find the scroll of the path without end and without beginning. How to tell the hungry one about eternity? Based upon present experience, he will imagine eternal hunger. Who then, and where, is he who first breaking bread will lead to eternity? Bread of the Earth and Knowledge are manifested only in cooperation. New Era Community (1926) - 267:
267. Two sailors were shipwrecked and cast away on a desert island. Both nearly perished from hunger and terror, for they considered themselves forever cut off from the world. A ship picked them up. And later there was erected on the island a strong light-house. These same two sailors remained at the light-house, to save the other perishing ones. Now their frame of mind was altered. They were happy, directing the light of rescue and no longer feeling themselves cut off from the world. This means that realization of communion with the world and of usefulness to others completely transforms people. Work in common is a pledge of success. Agni Yoga (1929) - 176:
176. If we desire to introduce Agni Yoga into life, the goals must be presented to others in familiar terms. Ask the disciple if he wants to receive the support of the Teacher. Does he want to receive spiritual and material help? Certainly he does. Then, let us enter on the path of trial. Useful are sudden tests by cold and hunger; useful are sudden tests by distrust, by treason, by falsehood, and by superstition. Agni Yoga (1929) - 176:
Observe how the frail spirit bows before the wind, how his stomach growls for food, and how his lips violate the most sacred principles. But see how he then can go forward, poor, self-sacrificing, smiling at cold and hunger, trusting in the power of the Cosmic Principles in his ascent; eternally young, ready to undertake the achievement of realization. Agni Yoga (1929) - 192:
Explain the meaning of the tests by cold and hunger, and all other measures. An ignorant person will be puzzled about how to overcome feelings of cold or hunger. The one who understands the essence of things knows that these sensations cannot be made to disappear, but the spirit can be strengthened so that nothing will unsettle it. A hungry one will find means to satisfy his hunger if his spirit has not descended to an animal condition. A cold one can warm himself as long as his spirit understands why he must protect himself. Without this, there will be only an animal-like irritation, confusion of consciousness, and downfall. Agni Yoga (1929) - 206:
206. You have received the signs of Yoga on the heights. You saw for yourself that neither the cold nor the altitude injured your health. How then can one who has not conquered the cold endure the supreme tremor? How can one contemplate the far-off worlds when fearing even the heights on Earth? How can one think himself a freed spirit if any passing sensation of hunger is not conquered? An overfull stomach is a sign of the cessation of ascent, though a right measure of involvement in earthly life must be maintained. Heart (1932) - 534:
534. It is wrong for people not to pay attention to the effects of eating during irritation and agitation. Very strong poisons are formed by this unwise procedure. Many days must pass before this poison will dissolve. It should be remembered that hunger is far better than harmful food. During irritation and excitement I advise milk in all forms as a customary antidote. Soda strengthens the action of milk. The ability to recognize disquietude is already a considerable step toward the education of the heart. If disquietude occurs, one should be able to nullify it; but often disquietude is confused with fatigue, then let us not overlook musk or certain varieties of phosphorus, the substance that is called sperm oil, and cod-liver oil and fresh kumiss which are popular among northern people. Also, you remember to what an extent the Teacher sends rays at night, but even these rays act far more powerfully when they are recognized. The silence of the ancients during the meal had a sacred significance. But the understanding of sacredness also comprised the cure. Thus, the heart and nerves can often be strengthened by a rational partaking of food. We are not Luculluses, but each vital function must be rational. Many workers have poisoned themselves. Moreover, the Chinese sometimes fed the enemy with the liver of an irritated rooster - thus resourceful are human wiles. But in the New World everything must be directed to good. Heart (1932) - 573:
573. The correct measure of giving is the criterion of love and responsibility. To give too little is contrary to love, but it is no better to give too much. Niggardliness is unworthy, but generosity that leads even to treason is not goal-fitting. As insufficient food leads to hunger, so excessive food leads to poisoning. It can be stated without exaggeration that the extent of treason has increased considerably due to excessive giving. The Teacher who gives and trusts must take into consideration a great number of conditions. He must take into consideration not only the personal merits of the one who receives but also the qualities of his immediate surroundings and karmic and astrological conditions as well. The subtle heart prompts one how to discriminate in this complex current of conditions. Therefore We value so much this criterion of the heart. The path of the Bodhisattva contains this essence of measure. No logic will safeguard the giving one from excess, but the heart knows this heavenly balance. Fiery World - Book 1 (1933) - 494:
494. Exhaustion and hunger provide examples of the power of fiery energy. Compare a man dying of starvation who is aware of his inevitable end and a man who uses hunger as a cure. Note how long the second will preserve his strength and how quickly the first declines. Only fiery energy which is brought into play sustains the second, who wishes to be cured. Also note an experiment with fatigue - the one who can bring Agni into action does not feel any fatigue, but he who notices his fatigue droops. People call such actions "autosuggestion," but on what does this autosuggestion work? It calls forth fiery energy; it sets into motion the stilled wheels of Fire, and they alone bring such victories to the nerve centers. Earthly food can be reduced to small portions; the body will not require more when Agni is aflame. One should not think that such fiery transports are peculiar only to certain Rishis. Everyone who is conscious of the power of Agni can quite naturally draw upon this inexhaustible energy. The main thing is to begin with small things, watching one's inner impulses. No special laboratories are required to check oneself in various circumstances of life. Fiery World - Book 1 (1933) - 637:
637. He who dares the stream chooses firm stones. He understands to whom and when he may entrust the Teaching. The Bird of Life, the radiant Swan, also reveals straight-knowledge as to where lies the boundary of usefulness. The determination of this boundary cannot be expressed in human language. It can be unalterably sensed, but cannot be calculated by physical measurements. Thus a great test for each treason is created. Another great test lies in the acceptance of homelessness. There may be much mockery over the concept of homelessness. To the earthly mind the concept of a home is an absolute necessity. If anyone dared express himself as to a House of Light he would be taken for a lunatic. Therefore a change of earthly dwelling places is a useful expansion of the concept. Another great test is that of hearing every thought. The pitiable concept of earthly secrecy leads people into many errors. The feeling of pride and egoism rebels against the absence of secrecy, but co-workers of the Hierarchy of Light already understand this degree of cooperation. "I am ready," he says, and hastens to open his heart. The successful mastery of all trials lies within our hearts and consists in our love for the Lord. If we are filled with love, can obstacles exist? Earthly love itself creates miracles. Does not the fiery love for Hierarchy multiply our forces? These forces will help to transform homelessness into a beautiful Home, vast and unlimited! One cannot think of beautiful expanses in the midst of a fog of contentment. It is said that hunger obstructs the path to God, but we will also add that contentment is like murky waters. He who understands the difference between hunger and contentment will enter the current. But he who touches the Light will be transformed into a Bird of Life. So long as the Bird of Life remains a poetic abstraction, that spirit is still unready. Fiery World - Book 2 (1934) - 168:
168. In general, food is not needed in the usual quantity. It is wisely said that eating is the chains of the devil. Many generations have been burdened by gluttony, therefore caution is required in applying countermeasures. In the final analysis, more people perish from overeating than from hunger. But a gradual process is required always in overcoming atavism. It is impossible to abolish overeating all at once, but it can be pointed out that all superfluous food is harmful. Fiery World - Book 2 (1934) - 408:
408. One should not return again to a meat diet, if the organism has already become accustomed to a vegetable one. There can be exceptions only on account of hunger; but usually a handful of maize or rice can be found. People often do not suspect how meat can construct and disfigure the aura. But a disturbance may be felt particularly when the organism has become accustomed to the advantages of a vegetable diet. People sometimes discriminate less than animals in the matter of food and its quality. Such meditation is useful on the path to the Fiery World. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 362:
You are quite right in your feelings. There can be no merriment while Earth cries out from the burden of calamities. While hunger exists there can be no gluttony. And what kind of dances can be performed against a background of violence? Truly, I say that merriment is indecent in these days of calamity.
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