|
New Era Community (1926) - 106:
106. When the family does not know how, let the school teach cleanliness in all ways of life. Dirt comes not from poverty but from ignorance. Cleanliness in life is the gateway to purity of heart. Who then is unwilling that people be pure? One should equip schools in such a way that they will be conservatories for the adornment of life. Each object can be considered from the standpoint of love. Each thing must be made a participant in the happy life. Cooperation will help to find a way for each household. Where one person alone does not find the solution, there the community will be of assistance. Not prizefighters but creators will be the pride of the country. New Era Community (1926) - 181:
181. True, true, true - precision in time must be observed. Let us look at it not only from the standpoint of integrity of principle but also from that of practicality. He who sets a definite date sends out a spatial command; the one who agrees to this date closes the current. A stream of energy of the will fixes, as it were, an astral form of the decision. To this bridge approach boat-loads of possibilities, strengthening and supplementing the original proposition. It is easy to imagine what happens if one side of the bridge disappears. Spatial dates are far more precise than the mechanism of your clocks; splendid possibilities may crumble away like sand and, being not repeatable, disappear. New Era Community (1926) - 208:
Let slanderers look over the list of everything slandered by them. Will not this be a list of human evolutionary discoveries? No slander has any influence on the effect of evolution. But slander is a devourer of vital fuel, and from the standpoint of goal-fitness must be destroyed. An absurd abusive word is not often accompanied by clear-cut thought, but slander, by nature, is akin to everything reared in darkness, and thought carries it inaudibly like an owl in flight. Infinity - Book 1 (1930) - 140:
140. If men were to be told that each departing form carries within itself the succeeding one, We would be considered paradox-proclaiming scientists. Nevertheless, this manifestation of continuity is very beautiful! When the atom sunders, the center, the seed of spirit, finds the Cosmic Magnet. These are not errant particles, but rational forces. And when the power of the seed of spirit gathers the force of an atom, then cosmic fusion may be accomplished. Beautiful is the power and also beautiful the expression of potentialities of the parts. From the human standpoint it would seem that the law is exceedingly complicated, but the Arhat says, "Wondrous is the law of the Cosmic Magnet." By higher measures we attain the higher Be-ness. So great is the whole manifestation that a temporary existence on the planet expresses only a meager measure of it. And the cosmic fusion is called the synthesis of Be-ness. Hierarchy (1931) - 253:
253. Many legends express the danger of having several Gurus. Let us cite one of them. "One pious woman had three sons. Each of them had chosen a venerable Rishi as his Guru. But one of them conceived the idea of increasing his powers by asking two more Rishis to be his guides, though his mother had warned him of the danger of such a thoughtless action. The time came when the Rishis began to teach the three youths to fly. The third youth asked the two other Rishis to strengthen his flights, so that he might be ahead of his brothers. But the whirlwinds sent from three places crossed and the light-minded fellow was torn to pieces in the air; whereas his brothers flew safely in the direction of the Rishi chosen by them." Thus people remember the law of Hierarchy. One might adopt this law. From every standpoint of knowledge science confirms other laws of life; however, one should look with an oblique eye. Fiery World - Book 1 (1933) - 421:
421. Vows of the most diverse nature have been sanctioned by various teachings. Each vow is quite useful from the standpoint of discipline. It is difficult for people to believe how necessary for future achievements are such exercises of discipline. A vow cuts short many paths of dissoluteness. Indiscriminating and irresponsible dissoluteness results in the most deplorable consequences in the Subtle World. It is like a child's playing with fire. One should keep constantly in mind the danger of dissoluteness. In the Subtle World it is difficult and painful to begin tardily ridding oneself of dissoluteness. It is better to test oneself here by various useful vows. People often find themselves in ridiculous situations when they take vows zealously only in time of danger. The ancients showed a better understanding of this in their vows in the Name of the Most High, thus strengthening their exalted and solemn state of mind. This was not superstition or bargaining with the Higher Forces, but the transport of a spirit which has attained a new freedom. Fiery World - Book 1 (1933) - 609:
609. What crime is the most destructive to the monad of the criminal? Certainly treason. This crime abruptly alters the current already established, and a terrific counterblow results. A traitor cannot live long in the world of matter, and when he crosses into the Subtle World, being entirely without life-giving energy he is sucked into chaos and is doomed to disintegration. Treason is never impulsive. It is always premeditated, and thus its fate is aggravated. It must be understood that the return to chaos is, first of all inexpressibly painful. In addition, the feeling of the primary seed remains, and facing the futility of hoping for a speedy transformation demands indescribable courage. But the traitor is devoid of courage. He is above all filled with conceit. Thus, people should be warned that even from a physical standpoint treason is intolerable. The traitor not only condemns himself but infects vast strata around him, generating storms of fire. One should not think that an unnatural human action will not react on the surroundings. It reacts first of all on children under seven, before the spirit has taken possession of the entire organism. During this early period the fiery tempests are especially dangerous; they impose a special nervousness upon the heart action of those who already carry the weight of heavy atavism. Thus the traitor not only betrays an individual, but at the same time outrages a whole generation and even affects the well-being of an entire country. Let each one who has pondered upon the Fiery World beware of treason even in thought. No treason is small - it is great in evil and is hostile to the Universe. Such evil is in itself a barrier to ascent. Fiery World - Book 3 (1935) - 503:
503. It can be observed that children not only use the words they have heard but introduce words of their own. These will provide clues as to the nature of the inheritance from previous incarnations. One can easily observe the true inherited character and gather evidence of some valuable peculiarities. Even from among the very first expressions of an infant it is possible to form an idea of its inner consciousness. It has not by accident turned its attention to this or that object. Also very significant are the unexpected words uttered in its very infancy. We have already spoken about practically the same thing, but now We are mentioning it from the standpoint of fiery energy. It can be observed that in childhood there is much electricity in the body, relatively the same quantity as in adults, which means that the elements of the fiery body have been fully implanted. The seed of the spirit has been already embedded. AUM (1936) - 362:
362. The significance of certain moral concepts must be examined not only from the spiritual standpoint but also from the scientific. I take for examination the concept of trust - even among primitive peoples the concept of trust was regarded as the basis of communion. In antiquity people already understood that such a concept had a special significance. Only later, through development of hypocrisy, did people begin to assume a false mask, thinking that it is possible to deceive the inner consciousness. But through the development of scientific methods it is possible to verify the value of true trust. AUM (1936) - 481:
But one should fully analyze what comprises the tension of psychic energy. If a weak man overworks himself physically, his tension does not lead to the best result. Tension of energy is to understood first from a psychic standpoint. It must not be forgotten wherein lies the impulse of each action. Thus it can be seen that the increase of energy will produce a physical reflex, but each reflex is only a reflection of the true cause. Brotherhood (1937) - 354:
Among scientific discoveries, the statement that sunspots promote wars sounds strange. From the standpoint of scientific analysis would it not be better to say that sunspots engender human madness? Such a definition is far nearer the truth, for this chemism actually reacts upon the nervous system. In this let us not forget that such a chemical reaction is quite prolonged. It would be incautious to consider that a lessening of sunspots immediately does away with the chemism in space. Brotherhood (1937) - 592:
592. Because of the inexhaustible riches of nature it is difficult to isolate one portion from the whole. Verily, everything is so permeated with the all-embracing principle that even from a grossly material standpoint one thing cannot be separated from another. Take the tiniest insect, could it be studied apart from its surroundings, without all the causes of reactions and effects? The more difficult it is to study man apart from nature. All the branches of man's knowledge merely bear witness to their artificial subdivision. Biology, physiology, psychology, parapsychology, and a great number of similar subdivisions simply compel one to ask, Where is the man? It is impossible to study the great microcosm without realization of the primary energy. Only such a unified concept can advance observations into a grander scope of man's nature. In this one should also remember the lofty concepts which uplift the spirit; among the first will be the Brotherhood.
|