Agni Yoga (1929) - 264: And likewise said the Blessed One, "Distinguish between those who understand and those who agree. He who understands the Teaching will not delay in applying it in life. He who agrees will simply nod and extol the Teaching as remarkable wisdom, but will not apply this wisdom in life. There are many who have agreed, but like a withered forest they are fruitless and without shade. Only decay awaits them. Those who understand are few, but like a sponge they absorb the priceless knowledge and are ready to clean away the evils of the world with this precious liquid. He who understands cannot help but apply the Teaching, for, realizing goal-fitness, he accepts it as a solution to the problems of life. Do not spend much time with the agreeing ones. Let them first demonstrate application of the first call." Heart (1932) - 33: 33. And who would assert that it is easy to follow the Teaching if the accumulations are insufficient? But if the Chalice is filled, then the path of the Teaching is inevitable. We can understand the difficulty of assimilating earthly poison, for each one of Us has absorbed an unlimited quantity of poison. As the magnet attracts certain metals, so the heart absorbs Bliss. As a sponge absorbs liquid, so the pores of the skin absorb the earthly poison. But the prana absorbed consciously pacifies the flow of poisons. Brotherhood (1937) - 399: 399. Pay attention to how much people turn away, falling under the influence of casual rumors. Their brains cease to work and become like a sponge left in dirty water.
|