Previous | Next
 

Agni Yoga Series - Master Index > TR > TRAINING (18)

Leaves of Morya's Garden - Book 2 - Illumination (1925) - 2.3.3:
2.3.3. Not treatises, not logic, but the channel of spirit brings the perception of Cosmos. The tenor of contemporary life has severed from humanity all understanding of the universal power. The perspicacity to penetrate the superterranean spheres is manifested only at the boundary line of sleep. He who can appreciate this sacred moment has already begun to lift the veil. Not visions but consciousness is important. Not what is compelled by training but what results from voluntary revelation is valuable.

New Era Community (1926) - 229:
Testing is applied continually in the community. The newest forms of life are not excluded from testing. You know that We are opposed to school tests announced beforehand. Likewise We are against announcing in advance the testing periods. These superficial acquisitions of knowledge and hypocritical lines of conduct do not hasten but delay development. I do not recall any outstanding public figure whose training was subjected to these hypocritical conditions.

Agni Yoga (1929) - 461:
461. Attainment, synthesis, and vigilance are expressed by the tri-colored flame. Attainment is silver; synthesis is green; vigilance is yellow. This triad is developed by training one's consciousness in the many conditions of life. One can point to this triad as the sign of one's having mastered the necessary conditions for self-sacrifice.

Hierarchy (1931) - 190:
190. It is necessary to understand it literally when I say that a considerable number of sicknesses should be treated with psychic energy. Infection of the nerve substance will always be the primary cause of various diseases. In the infection of the nerve substance the Higher World unites with the lower; through a gap in the nerve substance any intruder can penetrate, beginning with obsession and ending with cancer. Yet the nerve substance can be protected only by psychic energy. This training of psychic energy will be the true prophylaxis of humanity. At least a pure thought can be applied, thereby protecting the entrances to the nerve spheres. Even such a simple measure will be useful. Also, psychic energy will be the best purification during the period of a hidden disease. But terrible is the decomposition of the nerve substance under the influence of drunkenness and all kinds of vices. Ponder upon the state of the subtle body, when the subtlest nerves assume the significance of a skeleton! Bones belong to Earth, nerves to the Subtle World, Light to the Spirit.

Heart (1932) - 22:
22. Advise to develop thinking and observation. The heart cannot fulfill its destination if instead of a thought there are fleas and instead of observation, a mole. With such fellow travelers one will not go far! Now is the very time to deepen the trend of thought, else the masses will not find an application for the treasures received. Overproduction is the sign of a trivial trend of thought and a lack of observation. It is said that schools should introduce hours for training in observation and thinking. The heart cannot be nurtured externally only, it must be supported also by earthly strivings. Firmness of striving will be attained also by sharpness of cognizance.

Heart (1932) - 186:
186. The work of the subtle body proceeds with greater influence away from its physical body; the subtle body can develop its greatest power where the physical currents cannot reach. Of course, from a physical point of view, the execution of distant labor is incomparably more difficult, and actually not all subtle bodies will dare these remote flights. One can judge the difficulty with which the physical body reacts to far-off flights by the perspiration, even in cold surroundings. I praise the attention paid to these physical manifestations. Even physicians usually overlook many characteristic symptoms, but true science can advance only by the comparison of facts. When indicated tension, I had in mind not muscular tension, but that of the heart. One may record outstanding success when, after such tension, the heart does not manifest special pains. Such adaptation of the heart is not easily attained. Foolish people assume that the training of the heart and consciousness can be hastened at will, but these apparatuses must be adapted very wisely and patiently when we cognize Infinity.

Heart (1932) - 519:
519. Verily, the fixing of an impression upon the third eye is the foundation of creativeness. Not only the old Buddhists, but the most ancient scriptures demanded the training of observation. A heart bereft of the treasure of observations dissipates a great deal of energy, where great caution should be manifested. A teacher must develop observation through the most beautiful objects. Especially unpardonable in man is a fleeting glance, which neither notices anything nor bestows anything. Will not the chemism of the glance be a most beneficent problem for a true scientist?

Heart (1932) - 562:
562. Any army leader will say that it is better to detour than submit to a defeat. Similar caution must also be exercised everywhere in regard to the heart energy. With equal solicitude do We unite the projectiles of those linked in spirit, lest one of the warriors be burdened by the mutually united efforts. When We ask you to propel all forces in one direction, it means that you must be as taut as a bow. One should know how to live in readiness, and such a quality also demands great training. But do not attempt to use this heart energy for revenge - this is inadmissible. Besides, the Guardians of Karma know the current of the Law. Likewise, let us remember that the heart knows how to aspire toward construction. Destruction does not issue from the heart.

Fiery World - Book 1 (1933) - 69:
69. The quality of observation is one of the principal fiery qualities, but it is not attained easily. It is acquired as slowly as is consciousness. You noted correctly that consciousness is strengthened by life itself; observation is strengthened likewise. There can be no abstract consciousness, nor can there be theoretical observation. But human absent-mindedness is monstrous, it creates a seemingly unreal world. In their egoism people see only their own delusions. In such wanderings there can be no discourse about the New World. Hence, by all means, training in observation should be introduced in schools, even for small children. An hour devoted to observation is a true lesson in life, and for the teacher this hour will be a lesson in resourcefulness. Begin the refinement of observation upon everyday objects. It would be a mistake to direct the pupils too rapidly to higher concepts. If, for a beginning, the pupil is capable of observing the habitual contents of a room, this will already be an achievement. This is not so easy as it seems to an unobservant eye. Later, by a series of experiments we can accelerate the ability to form impressions. We can propose that the pupil pass through an unfamiliar room at a run and yet with concentrated observation. Thus, it is possible to reveal blindness and assert true keenness of vision. It is necessary to outline a program of tests for all the senses. Thus is fiery action expressed in a simple exercise. Children are very fond of such tasks. Such exercises of consciousness carry one into the higher spheres. The most ordinary routines can become the gateway to the most complex. Imagine the exultation of a child when he exclaims, "I've seen more!" In this "more" can be comprised an entire step. The same joyous exclamation will greet the first fiery starlet that is observed. Thus, true observation begins.

Fiery World - Book 2 (1934) - 23:
23. Many experiments take place during the flights to high altitudes. Perhaps the investigators understand in the depth of their being that at great altitudes they can find much needed information. But besides physical instruments they must provide themselves with psychic energy; only then will such experiments really give a new conception. It is necessary that the investigators of heights and depths have a psychic training. Only through such a combination will the physical side of the work also acquire a special significance.

Fiery World - Book 3 (1935) - 600:
600. A hermit wished to progress further in his training in the matter of silence, and, not trusting himself, he patiently and firmly bound his mouth. One day he saw a child on the edge of a cliff, but he didn't succeed in removing his complicated bandage quickly enough to warn of the danger. By the time he unbound his mouth the child had been already carried away by the current. Not in invented bonds lies achievement! Only then do we attain when we cannot but do. He who does not because he cannot, attains nothing. Thus it is in bodily and in spiritual existence. In addition to not doing shameful things, one must also account to oneself why such doings are inadmissible. Thought must be at work. In such creativeness the force of thought is needed. Evolution without thought is impossible. If in the nearby Subtle and in the Fiery World all is moved by thought, then it is not difficult to recognizes the preeminence of thought. In Infinity, spiral rings, whole cycles of thought, are engaged in manifestation. The most insignificant earthly object represents a transformation of thought. Cannot the very same thing take place in space on a large scale? Thought is Fire. Thought is the engendering of the creative vortex and explosion. Thought is Light and radiance. Thus must Fiery Thought be respected.

Fiery World - Book 3 (1935) - 604:
604. People are inquisitive as to why fiery manifestations are so rare. Let us reply that it is because the heart of the dense world cannot endure such fiery vortexes. Ask those very rare individuals who have had such manifestations. They will tell you that they were almost dead after the fiery Visitations. Through the training of right thinking one can accustom oneself to the possibility of such Communion. But it is a long way from the flesh to fiery vision. Only most uncommon hearts can undergo them.

AUM (1936) - 33:
33. Correctly has it been observed that certain mantrams have lost their meaning and retain only their sound. Thus, we see how important is vibration. For this reason much was not written down, but was transmitted orally. Mere letters without sound produce no results. Moreover, the very quality of the voice has a special significance. A deep chest tone can give greater resonance than a high, flat, or nasal one. Thus, not only melody itself but quality of voice is important. I consider that at present the quality of voice is too little valued. Not volume, nor eloquence, but inner magnetism is important - the same is a fundamental requisite in singing. Many voices have been deprived of their natural qualities by methods of vocal training.

Brotherhood (1937) - 39:
39. People fear tests. They are afraid of experiments, but they cannot even imagine all the possible means of learning. Again physical fear, terror of the flesh, shackles rational actions. Therefore, in disciplinary training terror, first of all, has to be conquered.

Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 326:
326. Urusvati knows that coarseness will be eradicated only by education. But one can be a learned scientist and still remain coarse. Clearly, formal education alone does not necessarily eradicate coarseness, but We should make clear what We mean by this word. A coarse nature cannot deal with subtle perceptions, and the science of the future will require genuine refinement, without which synthesis is impossible. A teacher must have reverence for all branches of science, but an awareness of synthesis is the product of long prior training.

Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 420:
We know that striving must not be abandoned by the dwellers of the Subtle World, for it is needed for the sake of perfectment. How then should one strive toward the brighter strata? One could undertake the far from easy task of approaching the earthly strata for the purpose of doing good. But people on Earth cannot imagine how painful it is to approach their sphere. They think that these approaches are rare, because they do not notice the profusion of evidence that surrounds them. For instance, people readily believe that each sound or color can produce certain sensations. This is true, but many of the sounds and colors of the Subtle World have an even more powerful effect, although the earthly senses cannot normally perceive them. Therefore mankind must train itself to observe these subtle sensations, which training will prove useful in the Subtle World.

Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 424:
Ask one who is sitting upon water or walking on coals and he will say that no agitating thought troubles him. All such phenomena require balance. The ability to control one's feelings is the result of long training. It can be achieved in the midst of everyday life, when one experiences many occasions for the disturbance of equilibrium.

Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 430:
You may also ask how to counter unwelcome visitors - only through the valor of the spirit, not permitting them to contact your essence. Urusvati knows how these unwelcome guests have recoiled; it was not even necessary to drive them away, for they could not penetrate the protective net. Such natural protection is always the best, but for this, training of the spirit is required. Depression is the most gloomy magnet, and irritation also entices these ugly guests.

 


Previous | Next