Leaves of Morya's Garden - Book 2 - Illumination (1925) - 3.6.20: A parrot once knew how to screech, "Blessed Teacher!" - but by this it did not improve its possibilities. A bear chanced to leave its prey on the doorstep of a starving man, but it did not cease to be a wild animal. A bee accidentally pierced the abscess of a sick man, but it earned thereby no bliss for itself. Even a snake once saved a life by its poison. Only consciousness and staunchness yield results. New Era Community (1926) - 80: 80. It is necessary to understand clarity of thinking and to apply it to the future - thus is it possible to avoid roughness of form in actions. One should not ape others. Precious is each grain of decisiveness. I wish to saturate you with daring. It is better to be considered unusual than to be garbed in the uniform of triviality. It is needful to read My Teachings. It is necessary to strive to apply them to each act of life, not on holidays only. Say to yourself "Is it possible to strive in the mornings and be a parrot in the evenings?" New Era Community (1926) - 193: 193. The Teacher Milarepa often conversed with animals. Near his retreat bees nested, ants built cities, parrots flew about, and a monkey was accustomed to perch himself in imitation of the Teacher. The Teacher said to the ants "Tillers and builders, no one knows of you, yet you raise up lofty communities." He said to the bees "You gather the honey of knowledge and of the best forms, let no one interrupt your sweet labor." He remarked to a parrot "By your screeching I see that you are preparing yourself to be a judge or a preacher." And he admonished the mischievous monkey "You have destroyed the ant's structure and have stolen another's honey. Perhaps you have decided to become a usurper." Agni Yoga (1929) - 142: All have heard about the coming of the New Era. Can the new arrive in inaction? It is better to welcome a new blind puppy than an aged parrot that repeats old things. Examine the stream of the Teachings of life that have been given to humanity. Each, without affecting the preceding, opens new gates to knowledge. The enduring realities of life are fundamental to each given Teaching. Therefore they should be studied not for learning, but for application to life. Only in this way can you create the current of energy. Agni Yoga (1929) - 367: It is said that the monkey is easily offended. What is that to us? The panther can be very irritable. What is that to us? It is said that the hen clucks without reason. It is said that the vulture endlessly nurses his ire. What is that to us? A parrot repeats slander. What is that to us? It is said that a duck cannot control its nerves. What is that to us? Let us not emulate them.
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