Some Glimpses of Occultism
Ancient and Modern
By
C.W. Leadbeater
SOME GLIMPSES OF OCCULTISM
The Convention of the American Section of the Theosophical
Society at Chicago, Illinois, in September, 1902, at which I had the privilege
of being present, was for me the starting-point of a two years’ lecturing tour
throughout the United States in the interests of that Section of the Society – a
tour patiently and laboriously planned and worked out down to the minutest
detail with loving and painstaking care by its late and indefatigable General
Secretary, Mr. Alexander Fullerton.
It was determined that before visiting the Branches in the
far West I should spend six months in Chicago, delivering a course of twenty-six
lectures in Steinway Hall on the Sunday evenings, and speaking at the Branch
meetings during the week. This course of lectures was designed to put before the
public in broad outline some of the principal teachings of Theosophy, and also
to help men to realize something of its scope and comprehensiveness by showing
how wonderfully all else is included in it – how it is the mighty truth
underlying all systems of religious thought, even those which differ as much on
the physical plane as do Buddhism, Christianity and the Ancient Mysteries, and
how also it offers the only rational and coherent explanation of the
(Page 10) phenomena connected with clairvoyance,
telepathy, mesmerism, spiritualism, dreams and apparitions. The titles of the
lectures were as follows:
List of Subjects
1902
1. October 5.
Man and His Bodies
2. October 12.
The Necessity of Reincarnation
3. October 19.
The Law of Cause and Effect
4. October 26
Life After Death – Purgatory
5. November 2.
Life After Death – Heaven
6. November 9.
The Nature of Theosophical Proof
7. November 16.
Telepathy and Mind Cure
8. November 23.
Invisible Helpers
9. November 30.
Clairvoyance – What it is
10. December 7.
Clairvoyance – In Space
11. December 14.
Clairvoyance – In Time
12. December 21.
Clairvoyance – How it is Developed
13. December 28.
Theosophy and Christianity
1903
14. January 4.
Ancient and Modern Buddhism
15. January 11.
Theosophy and Spiritualism
16. January 18.
The Rationale of Apparitions
17. January 25.
Dreams
18. February 1.
The Rationale of Mesmerism
19. February 8.
Magic, White and Black
20. February 15.
Use and Abuse of Psychic Powers
21. February 22.
The Ancient Mysteries
22. March 1.
Vegetarianism and Occultism
23. March 8.
The Birth and Growth of the Soul
24. March 15.
How to Build Character
25. March 22.
Theosophy in Every-day Life
26. March 29.
The Future that awaits us
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CHAPTER 1.
INTRODUCTORY
(Page 11)The Other Side of Death.
The lecture on Invisible Helpers, the four upon Clairvoyance, and that upon
Dreams are fully represented by books of my own already published, and bearing
the same titles as the lectures. Nos. 1 to 7 inclusive have also been published
in pamphlet form. The remainder appear in this book, with the exception of No.
23, which was practically an epitome of certain chapters from Man Visible and
Invisible and The Christian Creed, and dealt briefly with a subject which is
fully and ably treated by Mrs. Besant in The Birth and Evolution of the Soul.
No. 18 is presentation of its subject largely summarized from Mr. A.P.Sinnett’s
book of the same name, to which readers should turn for further particulars.
The course of lectures as a whole offered a popular and
necessarily somewhat superficial exposition from the Theosophical standpoint of
most of the manifestations of occultism known to the Western world at the
present day, and it gave also a few glimpses into the fuller and more perfect
manifestations which were current two thousand years ago. It seems to me,
therefore, that these lectures may perhaps be of some use to our members, as
offering them a starting point for their thought along all these various lines,
and it is with that hope that I am putting them before our Society in this form.
They appear here almost as they were delivered, except that, now they are all
brought together, some repetitions are excised, and a few quotations are given
more fully than in the original lecture. I have made no attempt to recast them
from the lecture style into the essay style, as that would have needed far more
time than can be given during a somewhat arduous tour, and would therefore have
indefinitely delayed their appearance in print. (Page 12)
The lecture on The Unseen World was delivered during a
previous visit to Chicago, but it is included here because it is to some extent
a synthesis of some of those earlier lectures of the series which are fully
published elsewhere, and so it serves as a useful introduction to many of those
that follow it. The Gospel of Wisdom was delivered in connection with the
Convention to which I have previously referred, before the first lecture of this
series; but I have placed it at the end, instead of at the beginning, because it
seems to fall naturally into place there, and concludes my book with the strong
assertion of a fact whose proclamation I believe to be one great part of the
mission of Theosophy to the Western world – the mighty truth that all things are
working together for the final good of all, that the great Divine Father means
us to be happy, and that we shall be so in proportion to our knowledge of His
will and our glad co-operation with its action.(Page 13)
ANCIENT
CHAPTER II
THEOSOPHY AND CHRISTIANITY
Many persons who feel themselves attracted towards
Theosophy, whose interest is aroused by its reasonableness and by the manner in
which it accounts for many things which otherwise seem inexplicable, yet
hesitate to take up its study more deeply, lest they should presently find it
contradicting the faith in which they have been brought up – lest, as they often
put it, it should take away from them their religion. How, if a religion be
true, the study of another truth can take it away, is not clear; but, however
illogical the fear may be, there is no doubt that it exists. It is nevertheless
unwarranted, for Theosophy neither attacks nor opposes any form of religion; on
the contrary, it explains and harmonizes all. It holds that all religions alike
are attempts to state the same great underlying truths – differing in external
form and in nomenclature, because they were delivered by different teachers, at
different periods of the world’s history, and to widely different races of men;
but always agreeing in fundamentals, and giving identical instruction upon every
subject of real importance. We hold in Theosophy that this truth which lies at
the back of all these faiths alike is itself within the reach of man, and indeed
it is to that very truth that we give the name of Theosophy, or Divine Wisdom,
and it is that which we are trying to study. (Page 14)
This, then, is the attitude of Theosophy towards all
religions; it does not contradict them, but explains them. Whatever in any of
them is unreasonable or obviously untrue it rejects as necessarily unworthy of
the Deity and derogatory to Him; whatever is reasonable in each and all of them
it takes up and emphasizes, and thus combines all into one harmonious whole. No
man need fear that we shall attack his religion, but we may help him to
understand it better than he did before. There is nothing in Theosophy which is
in any way in opposition to true primitive Christianity, though it may not
always be possible to agree with the interpretation put upon that truth by
modern dogmatic theology, which is quite another matter.
Most people never apply their reason to their religious
beliefs at all; they vaguely hope that it is all right somehow; indeed, many
faithful souls consider it wrong to think critically upon any point of faith,
for they suppose these things to be greater than human understanding. When
people do begin to think, they invariably begin to doubt, because modern
theology does not present its doctrines reasonably, and so they soon find that
many points are irrational and incomprehensible. Too often they then feel that
their whole basis of faith is undermined, and they proceed to doubt everything.
To all such souls struggling for light I would recommend the study of Theosophy,
for I am convinced that it will save them from the dark abysses of materialism
by presenting truth to them in a new light, and giving back to them all that is
most beautiful in their faith, but on a new and surer basis of reason and
common-sense.
In order that it may be clear to you that there is in
reality to opposition between Christianity and Theosophy, let me put before you
the basic principles of the latter (Page 15) ; that you
may not suppose that I am clothing them in an unusually Christian dress for the
purposes of this lecture, I will quote them from a little book which I have
recently written for beginners in this study. It is called An Outline of
Theosophy, and in it I give three great basic truths, certain corollaries which
follow from them, and then the results which in turn proceed from Theosophical
belief.
THE THREE GREAT TRUTHS.
The three great truths are:-
1. God exists, and He is good.
2. Man is immortal, and his future is one whose
glory and splendour have no limit.
3. A divine law of absolute justice rules the world,
so that each man is in truth his own judge, the dispenser of glory or gloom to
himself, the decreer of his life, his reward, his punishment.
To each of these great truths are attached certain others,
subsidiary and explanatory. From the first of them it follows:
1. That, in spite of all appearances, all things are
definitely and intelligently moving together for good; that all circumstances,
however untoward they may seem, are in reality exactly what are needed; that
everything around us tends, not to hinder us, but to help us, if it be only
understood.
2. That, since the whole scheme thus tends to man’s
benefit, it is clearly his duty to learn to understand it.
3. That when he thus understands it, it is also his
duty intelligently to co-operate in this scheme.
From the second great truth it follows:
1. That the true man is a soul, and that this body
is only an appanage. (Page
16)
2. That he must therefore regard everything from the
standpoint of the soul, and that in every case when an internal struggle takes
place he must realize his identity with the higher and not with the lower.
3. That what we commonly call his life is only one
day in his true and larger life.
4. That death is a matter of far less importance
than is usually supposed, since it is by no means the end of life, but merely
the passage from one stage of it to another.
5. That man has an immense evolution behind him, the study
of which is most fascinating, interesting and instructive.
6. That he also has a splendid evolution before him, the
study of which will be even more fascinating and instructive.
7. That there is an absolute certainty of final
attainment for every human soul, no matter how far he may seem to have strayed
from the path of evolution.
From the third great truth it follows:
1. That every thought, word or action produces its
definite result – not a reward or a punishment imposed from without, but a
result inherent in the action itself, definitely connected with it in the
relation of cause and effect, these being really but two inseparable parts of
one whole.
2. That it is both the duty and interest of man to study
the divine law closely, so that he may be able to adapt himself to it and to use
it, as we use other great laws of nature.
3. That it is necessary for man to attain perfect
control over himself, so that he may guide his life intelligently in accordance
with the law. (Page
17)
This is not a Theosophical creed which I am formulating,
for these principles are not put forward as articles of faith, but are stated as
definite facts, known to be such through personal investigation by many of us,
and verifiable by all who are willing to take the trouble to qualify themselves
for the study. We are not asking you to accept anything more than we ourselves
know to be true. Here and there, it is true, we touch upon matters too high for
any direct knowledge that we who are students as yet possess; in such cases, any
statements which we make are on the authority of other and older students who
know much more than we; but when that is so, we always say so definitely, keep
clear the distinction between that which we ourselves know and that which we
only believe, even though we believe it on the best possible authority. We
simply present the system for your consideration; if it seems to you reasonable,
take it and examine it thoroughly, study it and live the life which it
recommends. Since that life is a noble one, no harm can come to you from trying
such an experiment.
Is There any Contradiction?
These then are the principles of Theosophy; do they in any
way contradict those of Christianity? I venture to say that there is nothing in
them which is at all in opposition to the true primitive Christianity when it is
properly understood, though there may be statements which cannot be reconciled
with some of the mistakes of modern popular theology. Let me try to show you how
this is so. The principal points in this scheme of ours to which modern
orthodoxy would take exception are the implied doctrines of reincarnation and
karma – the latter meaning the Divine law of eternal justice under which every
man must inevitably bear the consequences of his own misdoings, and no one else
can under any circumstances relieve him of his responsibility. (Page
18)
Modern theology attaches immense importance to texts; in
fact, it appears to me to be based upon one or two texts almost entirely. It
takes these and gives to them a particular interpretation, often in direct
opposition to the plain meaning of other texts from the same bible. Of course
there are contradictions in the bible, just as there must necessarily be in any
book of that size, its various books being written at such widely separated
periods of the world’s history, and by people so unequal in knowledge and in
civilization. It is impossible that all these statements can be literally true,
but we can go back behind them all, and try to find out what the original
teacher did lay before his pupils. Since there are many contradictions and many
interpretations, it is obviously the duty of a thinking Christian to weigh
carefully the different versions of his faith which exist in the world, and
decide according to his own reason and common-sense. Every Christian does as a
matter of fact decide for himself now; he chooses to be a Roman Catholic, or a
member of the Church of England, or a Methodist, or a Salvationist, though each
of these sects professes to have the only genuine brand of Christianity, and
justifies its claim by quotation of texts. How then does the ordinary layman
decide between their rival claims? Either he accepts blindly the faith which his
father held, and does not examine at all, or else he does examine, and then he
decides by the exercise of his own judgment. If he is already doing that, it
would be absurd and inconsistent for him to refuse to examine all texts, instead
of basing his belief only upon one or two. If he does impartially examine all
texts, he will certainly find many which support Theosophical truths. (Page
19)
How Divergence Arises.
Do not think that you are disloyal to the Founder of
Christianity if you admit the existence of different interpretations and the
possibility of error in all of them. Divergence always happens of necessity in
the growth of every religion. If you think of it impartially, you will see that
it must be so. In every one of them there is always first the Teacher himself,
putting forth his presentation of the truth with all the force of direct
personal knowledge, surrounded by disciples whose enthusiasm is stirred by their
contact with him, so that they feel a certainty not inferior to his own. Perhaps
some of them under the influence of his magnetism develop the power to see many
truths at first-hand for themselves. In time the Teacher leaves them, and the
generation of his disciples dies out. The religion is carried on by their
followers in turn, and these have usually no direct personal access to the
truth, but mould their faith upon the doctrine given by those who preceded them.
Presently this doctrine comes to be written down, lest it should be forgotten or
distorted, and so a scripture arises. It is not easy so to write that it shall
be impossible for man to misunderstand, and thus presently arise various
interpretations. Naturally different teachers interpret in various ways, and
thus sects come into existence, and bitterness of feeling arises between them. A
church grows up – a body of men who consider that they alone hold this new
truth, whose direct interest it is to maintain a certain interpretation of it.
Presently this new church acquires property, and thus vested interests are
established, and considerations entirely foreign to the true religious spirit
(and often indeed entirely hostile to it) are inevitably introduced. Then
crystallization ensues, (Page 20) and with that we have
narrowness, bigotry, worldliness and consequent degradation; and all this not
from any especial vice or carelessness on the part of any one concerned, but in
the natural course of history.
We may see how this has happened with Hinduism and with
Buddhism; if we can only look with an impartial eye, we shall see how it has
happened with Christianity also, though I know that many good orthodox people
would consider it wicked and atheistic to say so; but surely it cannot be wicked
to state what is true as shown in the pages of history. Since this was obviously
the case, if we wish to discover and study the true Christianity we must go back
to the original doctrines, and see how the teachings were interpreted in the
earlier times. If we do this we shall find that the faith taught then was by no
means the iron-bound theology of the present day, but a far more spiritual and
philosophical religion, corresponding in many points with the truth that lies
behind all religions, which we now study under the name of Theosophy.
Reincarnation
As I have said, the principal points is that outline of
Theosophy to which exception would be taken by the orthodox theologian are those
of reincarnation and of the inevitable and automatic action of Divine justice.
Neither of these doctrines is held by the church of the present day, yet I think
we shall find a certain amount of evidence that they were not unknown during the
earlier periods. Few direct reference to the doctrine of reincarnation are to be
found in the scriptures as we now have them, but there are one or two which are
unmistakable. There is one clear definite statement by (Page
21) Jesus himself, which of course must settle the question once for all for
any one believes in the gospel history and in the inspiration of the scriptures.
When he has been speaking of John the Baptist, and enquiring what opinions were
generally held about him, he terminates the conversation by the emphatic
pronouncement “If ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come.”
(Matthew XI 14)
I am aware that the orthodox theologian thinks that Jesus
did not mean what he said in this case, and wishes us to believe that he was
endeavouring to explain that Elias had been a type of John the Baptist. But in
reply to such a disingenuous plea it will be sufficient to ask what would be the
thought of any one who in ordinary life tried to explain away a statement in so
clumsy a fashion. Christ knew what was the popular opinion with reference to
such matters; he knew that he himself was supposed by the common people to be a
reincarnation sometimes of Elijah, sometimes of Jeremiah, and sometimes of one
of the other prophets (Mathew xvi, 14); and he was aware that the return of
Elijah had been prophesied and that all the common people were in constant
expectation of his advent. Consequently in making a direct statement such as
this he cannot but have known exactly all his hearers would understand him. “If
ye will receive it” – that is to say, if you can believe it – “ this man is the
very Elijah whom you are expecting.” That is an unequivocal statement, and to
suppose that when Christ said that he did not mean it, but instead intended to
express something vague and symbolical, is to accuse him of wilfully misleading
the people by giving to them a direct statement which he must unquestionably
have known that they could take only in one way. Either Christ said this or he
did not say it; if he did not say
(Page 22) it, what becomes of the inspiration of the
gospel? If he did say it, then reincarnation is a fact.
Another reference to this doctrine occurs in the story of
the man who was born blind, and was brought to Jesus to be cured. The disciples
enquired: “Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born
blind?” (John ix. 2.). This question implies belief in a large proportion of the
Theosophical doctrine in the minds of those who asked it. You will note that
they clearly hold to the idea of cause and effect and of Divine justice. Here
was the case of a man born blind – a terrible affliction, of course, both for
the child himself and for his parents. The disciples realized that this must be
the result of some sin or folly; and their question is as to whose sin it was
that had brought about this deplorable result. Was it that the father had been
so wicked that he deserved to have the sorrow of a blind son; or was it that in
some previous state of existence the man himself had sinned, and so brought upon
himself this pitiable fate? Obviously, if the latter were the true solution the
sins which deserved this punishment must have been committed before he was born
– that is to say in a previous life; so that in fact both the great pillars of
Theosophical teaching to which we have referred are clearly implied in this one
question.
The answer of Jesus is noteworthy. We know that on other
occasions he was by no means backward in commenting vigorously upon inaccurate
doctrine or practice; he spoke strongly on many occasions to the Scribes and
Pharisees and others. If therefore reincarnation and the idea of Divine justice
were false and foolish beliefs, we should certainly expect to find him taking
this opportunity to rebuke his disciples for holding them; yet we notice that he
does nothing of the kind. (Page 23)
He accepts their suggestions as matters of course; he does
not reprove them in any way, but explains that neither of the hypotheses which
they suggest is the true cause of the affliction in this particular case;
“neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should
be made manifest in him.”
Years ago an English clergyman wrote a remarkable book
called From Death to the Judgment Day, in which he showed that reincarnation was
the great secret teaching of the Christian religion, which cleared up all its
difficulties and made it into a coherent and rational system. Quite lately a
Methodist minister in America has published a book called Birth a New Chance, in
which he argues the same question, though along different lines. His theory of
rebirth only partially agrees with ours, since he denies that the soul has at
present any intelligent existence apart from its successive physical bodies; but
it is interesting to find that along such different lines of thought men of
various shades of opinion are beginning to see the necessity of this fundamental
doctrine.
A paragraph from the former book is worth quoting here, as
showing how the idea of reincarnation strikes a thoughtful and unprejudiced
orthodox Christian, “Scripture distinctly asserts that we shall be judged and
rewarded or condemned, according to our actions committed on this earth. . .
therefore, we cannot suppose later conditions to be superior to the conditions
under which we now exist, for that would necessitate the advancement of those
doomed to eternal punishment to a more glorious life, from which they must
ultimately be degraded to everlasting shame; neither can we suppose them to be
inferior to those which we now enjoy, for that would degrade the virtuous; nor
can we suppose separate (Page 24) states one of
advancement for the virtuous, and one of retrogression for the wicked, for that
would be to create a hell inhabited by evil creatures doomed to pursue evil
before the final judgment; all these suppositions anticipate the final judgment;
no authority can be found in scripture to support any of them. It is therefore
evident that if there is any active existence for the soul after death, the
conditions under which it must exist cannot differ from those under which it
exists on earth. Since these conditions cannot differ from our present
condition, we are drawn to the inevitable conclusion that they must be the same;
that if there be any existence for the soul after death, it must be in a human
body on this earth. The conclusion arrived at is that after death the soul goes
again through the process of birth, and appears on earth in the body of an
infant; that the time between death and the judgment day will be passed in
successive lives on earth.” The author then undertakes to show “not only that
this conclusion is authorized by scripture, but also that all the doctrines of
the Christian faith are based on it; that it is the key-note of Christ’s
teaching, the reason of our existence on this earth, and the only means by which
we can eventually attain salvation.” Again he adds; “If this theory be accepted,
the belief of the Universalists (that all will eventually be saved) becomes
possible.” – (From Death to Judgment Day, by Gerald D’Arcy, p.13)
Furthermore, it relieves us of many and great
difficulties. Think of the terrible inequality in the world. If we look around
us in any great city we shall see some living in luxury and others starving,
some who have all kinds of advantages in the way of higher teaching, of art and
music and philosophy to develop the moral side of their natures, and others who
are living in the (Page 25) midst of criminality, who
have practically no chance whatever of moral progress in this incarnation. Take
the case of a child who is born in one of the slums of a great city, born in an
atmosphere of crime, from a father who is a drunkard and a mother who is a
thief. That child from the day of his birth has never seen anything but crime
and sin; he has never seen the bright side of life in the least, and he knows
nothing at all of any religion. What chance of progress has he that is in any
way equal to the chance that we ourselves have had? What is the advantage to
that child of all our music, our art, our literature and philosophy? If you
could suddenly snatch him out of those surroundings, and put him among us, he
would not in the least understand our life, because he has not been brought up
to it. His opportunity is assuredly not in any sense equal to ours. If you go
outside the pale of civilization you will still find savage races existing in
various parts of the world; what of their opportunities? It is not conceivable
that those men can develop as fully as we. How is this to be accounted for?
The Three Hypotheses
There are three possible hypotheses – three possible
theories of life. First, there is the materialistic hypothesis that there is no
scheme of life at all, that we are simply ruled by blind chance; we are born by
chance and we die by chance, and when we die that is the end of us. That is not
a particularly satisfactory theory, not one which we should desire to accept
unless we found ourselves forced to it. But are we so forced? I think not; in
fact, all the evidence tells distinctly in the opposite direction. What is the
use of all this progress that we see taking place around us if it is not working
towards a definite end? (Page 26)
The second hypothesis is that of Divine caprice, the
theory that God puts one man here and another there because He chooses to do so,
and that, although their opportunities of progress are utterly unequal, their
eternal destiny hereafter nevertheless depends in all cases upon their success
in achieving a high level of morality. This theory makes no attempt to account
for the inequalities in earth-life, and offers precisely the same heavenly
reward to all of the small number who are supposed to attain it at all, quite
irrespective of the amount of suffering endured here. Some modification of this
theory is at present suggested by most of the Occidental forms of religion,
though it is by no means the true and original teaching of Christianity.
Certainly it would seem to a thinking man that a God who
has put us in a position amid respectable surroundings in which we could not
easily go far wrong, and at the same time has put another man in a situation
such as we have described, where it is almost impossible for him to do right,
can hardly be a just deity. Indeed some of most deeply religious of men have
felt themselves sorrowfully forced to admit that either God is not all-powerful,
and cannot help the misery and sin which we see in the world about us, or else
that He is not all-good, and does not care about the sufferings of His
creatures. In Theosophy we hold most firmly that He is both all-loving and
all-powerful, and we reconcile this belief with the facts of life around us by
means of this doctrine of reincarnation. I know of no other theory through which
such reconciliation is possible; and surely the only hypothesis which allows us
rationally, and without shutting our eyes to obvious facts, to hold the belief
that God is an all-powerful and all-loving Father is at least worthy of careful
examination, before we cast it (Page 27) contemptuously
aside in order to blazon forth our conviction that He does not possess those
qualities. Observe that there is absolutely no other alternative; either
reincarnation is true, or the idea of Divine justice is nothing but a dream.
How does orthodoxy deal with so weighty a consideration as
this? Usually it scarcely attempts to deal with it at all, but contents itself
with vaguely remarking that God’s justice is not as man’s justice. That is
probably true; but at least Divine justice must be greater than ours, and not
less; it must be an extension of ours, including considerations which are beyond
our reach – not something falling so far short of ours as to involve atrocities
which even we who are only men would never think of committing.
But what is our third hypothesis? What does the theory of
reincarnation suggest to us? That the life of man is a far longer life that we
have supposed; that man is a soul and has a body, and that what we have called
his life is but one day in the true and greater life of that soul. Man rises in
the morning, and learns the lesson of his day, and when he is tired he lies down
to sleep; and the next day he comes back again like a child to school, and
learns another lesson. The body is nothing but the dress which he puts on when
he is ready to go out for the day’s work at school, and lays aside when that
day’s work is over in order to enjoy greater freedom during his rest at home.
For each day he has a new body, and again and again he revisits earth to learn
more and more of these lessons, to acquire new and higher qualities, and so
evolution proceeds.
Thus we realize that less evolved souls are simply
children in a lower class, and that they are not to be regarded as wicked or
backsliding, but only as younger
(Page 28) brothers. Think of the child at the
kindergarten; he practically plays most of the time. They do not set him at once
to the higher schoolwork, because at that stage he could not understand it, and
such teaching would be useless and injurious to him. Just the same thing is true
with regard to a soul; it could not receive the higher teaching at first. It
must begin with the stronger, coarser impacts from without, which reach it in
savage life; it must be stirred by those vigorous and insistent shakings before
it can learn to respond to the finer vibrations at higher levels which in
advanced civilization will afford it such varied opportunities of rapid
development. So by slow degrees and through many lives that soul will reach our
own lever; but it does not stop there. There have been many men in the world who
have stood head and shoulders above their fellows; they show us what we shall
be, and they are in themselves a proof of reincarnation, for there is no
conceivable single life that could evolve a savage into an Emerson, a Plato or a
Shakespeare. If we accept reincarnation we can account rationally for the
existence side by side in the world of the criminal and the philosopher – but on
no other hypothesis can this be done.
To understand it fully we must take along with it the
other great Theosophical doctrine of Karma, the law of cause and effect, and
realize that if a man disturbs the equilibrium of Nature it will press back upon
him with exactly the same force that he himself employed. It is under this law
that he is being reborn; if he finds himself in certain surroundings, it is
because he has so acted in a former life as to bring himself under these
conditions. He has made his place for himself, and he is receiving not only
exactly what he has deserved, but also just such training as it best for his
evolution. (Page 29)
This great intrinsic part of the Theosophical doctrine
must never be forgotten. Though the man does not bring over with him in his
memory the details of his previous life, his soul does bear within it the
qualities developed in that life, so that he is precisely what he has made
himself, and no effort is ever lost. Thus the whole of the world is one mighty
graded course of evolution. When the savage has had as many lives and as much
experience as we have had, he will probably stand where we do; for thousands of
years ago we stood exactly where he now is. It is simply that he is younger, and
we should no more blame him for that than we blame a child of five because he is
not yet ten.
Observe also how blessed is the consolation of realizing
that we have all eternity before us in which to develop. Christ’s command to his
disciples was: “Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect,” but if we
face the facts we must admit that we cannot become perfect in one life. Only in
this doctrine of many lives is there any possibility that this command can ever
be obeyed. But with the infinite opportunity which reincarnation gives us,
surely we also shall grow onward and upward, till we reach the level of the
saints and sages, the philosophers and the saviours of mankind. But it is only
in the knowledge of the wider life that we see this to be possible – nay, not
possible only, but certain.
Among the early fathers of the church it will be found
that this doctrine was at least to some extent understood. Direct references to
it are few, but that may well have been because it was regarded rather as one of
the secret teachings than as something to be spoken of openly or in public. As
to this secret doctrine I shall have a few words to say presently; but let me
(Page 30) for a moment pass on to the consideration of the
other great doctrine of Divine justice.
The Law of Cause and Effect
Since these words are frequently upon the lips of the
professors of religion, it might perhaps be thought at first sight that we
should have no need to vindicate to them our teaching of this law of justice.
Yet assuredly a great deal of the religious teaching of the present day
distinctly includes a theory that we may escape from the consequence of our
actions; indeed modern theology concerns itself principally with a plan for
evading Divine justice, which it elects to call “salvation”; and it makes this
plan depend entirely upon what a man believes, or rather upon what he says that
he believes. The whole theory of “salvation,” and indeed the idea that there is
anything to be “saved” from, seems to be based upon a misunderstanding of a few
texts of scripture. In Theosophy we do not believe in the idea of so-called
Divine wrath; we think that to attribute to God our own vices of anger and
cruelty is a terrible blasphemy. It may often happen that a man gives way to
wrath, yet on reflection he knows that he was wrong in doing so; and it seems to
us that to believe the eternal and all-loving Father to be guilty of actions
which even we realize to be improper is a terrible degradation of the great
divine ideal. It seems to be a relic of primitive savagery and fetish-worship –
of the idea that the principal powers in nature are evil demons who require
propitiation. In Theosophy our reverence for the Deity is far too great to allow
us to accept anything so derogatory to His dignity. Instead of this debasing
superstition we have the certainty that God is an omnipotent and all-loving
Father, and that His will is directed, not towards our condemnation,
(Page 31) but towards our evolution. We hold the
theory of steady development and final attainment for all; and we think that the
man’s progress depends, not upon what he believes, but upon what he does.
And surely there is much in the Christian scriptures which
supports this idea. You may perhaps remember the solemn and earnest warning
which St. Paul gave to the Galatians, in the sixth chapter of his Epistle to
them – a warning which might well have been written specially for the modern
theologian, who propounds the amazing injustice of a vicarious atonement: “Be
not deceived; God is not mocked; whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap.” Again in writing to the Romans he speaks of “the righteous judgment of
God, who will render to every man according to his deeds.” Not only does the
apostle speak thus, but his Master also teaches the same doctrine. You will
remember how in the fifth chapter of the gospel according to St. John he states
that “they that have done good shall come forth into the resurrection of life’ –
not those who have believed some particular doctrine.
Another striking point is to be found in the description
which Christ gives of the last judgment in the twenty-fifth chapter of the
gospel according to St. Mathew. Since, according to theological teaching, he is
himself to be the judge on this occasion, surely his account of the proceedings
must be correct, and his explanation of the basis upon which the decisions will
be given must be accurate and conclusive. He describes how all nations shall be
brought before the king, and how they shall be divided into two great classes,
some on the right hand and some on the left hand, and the reasons for the
classification are clearly and distinctly given. From the study of modern
theology we should expect that the one (Page 32) great
question upon the answer to which all would turn must inevitably be “Have you
believed in Christ, or in certain doctrines? or “Have you accepted the teachings
of the church?”
The orthodox believer must be surprised to note that
neither of these questions seems to enter into the matter at all; not one word
is asked by Christ as to what these people have believed, or whether they even
now believe in anything whatever. The decision is based not upon belief, but
upon action – not upon the doctrines which they have held, but upon what they
have done. The only question raised is whether they have fed the hungry, have
clothed the naked, have helped the stranger and those who were in sick and in
trouble – that is to say whether they have done their duty towards their
neighbors in a compassionate and charitable spirit. It is perfectly obvious that
according to this account of the Day of Judgment – again remember, it is an
account given by the judge himself – a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muhammadan, a
so-called heathen of any type whatever, would have just as good a chance of
attaining the eternal life of heaven as the most bigoted Christian sectarian. It
would almost seem that the modern theologian does not read his bible at all; or
rather it would seem that he has his attention so exclusively fixed upon certain
texts, and the deductions which he and his predecessors have drawn from them,
that he becomes entirely blind to the plain straightforward signification of
many other texts of equal importance.
The Inner Teaching
It may be said, however, that at any rate in the present
day these doctrines of reincarnation and of perfect justice are not taught in
any of the churches; how is (Page 33) that to be
accounted for? We reply that this is because Christianity has forgotten much of
its own original teaching – because it is now satisfied with only part, and that
a very small part, of what it originally knew. It may be argued that at least
the Church possesses the original scriptures, and that the teaching derived from
these writing should therefore not have varied. As has been shown, the modern
teaching appears to be based exclusively upon certain fragments of these
scriptures wrested from their context, and so treated as to contradict many
other passages. From these few misapplied texts an insecure edifice of
unreasonable doctrine is built, and the original teaching of the early Church is
to a great extent neglected.
These very scriptures themselves tell us constantly of
something more than is written in them – something more than was ever given to
the public. It is the fashion in these days to deny that there could ever have
been any esoteric teaching in Christianity; indeed its present professors make a
boast of the idea that it contains nothing which cannot be comprehended by the
meanest intellect, and laid open in its fullness to the most ignorant. If this
boast were founded upon fact, it would be a most serious reproach against
Christianity; for it would mean that this religion had nothing to offer to the
thinking man. Every great religion has always recognized the fact that it had to
deal with many different classes of men, and that it was necessary that it
should be able to meet them all at their various levels.
A religion has to provide for large numbers of simple
and uneducated people, incapable of comprehending a high system of
philosophy or metaphysics; consequently it must have a plain and
straightforward scheme of (Page 34) ethical
teaching, instructing these people how to live, and clearly and strongly
putting before them the fact that according to the nature of their lives
here and now will be their happiness or their suffering hereafter. But there
will be many to whom this alone is far from satisfactory – whose minds will
seek for a great scheme in the Universe, who will enquire how man comes to
be what he is, and what is the future that lies before him. The answers to
all these questions will inevitably involve much that would be entirely
incomprehensible to the simple faith of the unlearned; indeed it may well be
that much of this higher teaching would tend only to confuse and to mislead
the man who was not yet ready for it.
Furthermore, knowledge is always power; and therefore a
thorough acquaintance with these higher facts places in the hands of the student
the capacity to do much more than the ignorant can do, either for evil or for
good. From this again it follows inevitably that circumspection must be used in
setting forth in its fullness this higher teaching; and certain guarantees may
well be required by the teachers that those who receive it shall use it only for
the good of mankind. In every religion of the world there has always been this
higher and, to some extent secret teaching; is it to be supposed that
Christianity is the only exception to this rule? If it were so, Christianity
would stand self-convicted as an imperfect religion; but the truth is that it is
not so, for Christianity also has had its mysteries and its inner teachings, and
naturally these inner teachings are precisely the same as those of all the other
faiths of the world, since all of them are endeavors to state from different
points of view the great Truth which lies behind all of them alike. (Page
35)
References to it.
It is true that this secret teaching appears to be now
lost, at any rate as far as what are commonly called Protestant sects are
concerned. Yet we cannot but see even in the scriptures which remain to us many
hints at the existence of this higher knowledge. What is meant, for example, by
Christ’s constant references to the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, by his
frequent statements to his disciples that the full and true interpretation could
be given only to them, and that to others he must speak in parable? Again, he
uses technical terms connected with the well-known Mystery teaching of
antiquity; and it is only by some comprehension of that teaching that we are
able in many cases to find a reasonable significance for his utterances.
This question as to the existence of an esoteric side in
Christianity is not one of sentiment, but of fact; and it is useless for those
who do not wish to believe it to clamour against the plain and obvious meaning
of the documents of history. The best way to approach this subject is to see
first of all what Christ himself said which bears upon it, then to take the
evidence in the writings of his immediate successors, the Apostles, and then to
see whether the same idea shows itself in the Church Fathers who followed the
Apostles. I think that in all these cases an unprejudiced examination will
convince the student that the secret teaching did exist, and was well known to
all of them. There were originally many more gospels than the four which now
remain to us, and even these four have probably passed through many mutilating
hands before they settled down into their present form; yet even in them traces
still remain which it would be difficult for the most bigoted to deny. (Page
36)
Jesus himself speaks on several occasions with no
uncertain voice. For example, in the fourth chapter of the gospel according to
St. Mark you will find the statement:-“ And when he was alone they that were
about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, ‘Unto
you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; but unto them that
are without all these things are done in parables.” And a few verses further
down you will find the statement:- “But without a parable spake he not unto
them; and when they were alone he explained all things to his disciples.” These
words are quoted later by Origen as referring to the secret teaching preserved
in the church; for it was always held by the Fathers that such statements
contained a triple meaning – first of all the obvious surface meaning, generally
cast into the form of some sort of story, so that it might be the more easily
remembered; secondly, an intellectual interpretation, such as that which is
given to the parable of the sower in the chapter from which I have quoted; and
thirdly, a deep mystic and spiritual meaning which was never written down under
any circumstances, but was explained orally by the teacher under promises of
secrecy.
Again you will note how, in the sixteenth chapter of the
gospel according to St. John, Christ tell his disciples “I have yet many things
to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” Remember that this was said,
according to the story, on the night before his death. When then did he say to
his disciples the many things which had still to be revealed to them? Obviously
it must have been after his resurrection, during the time when we are told that
he remained with his disciples “speaking to them of the things pertaining to the
Kingdom of God.” No record is given to us in the scriptures (Page
37) of any of these teachings; yet it is impossible to suppose that they
would be forgotten. Assuredly they must have been handed on as among the most
precious of traditions, not in writing but orally, just as the secret teachings
in all religions have been handed on. In one of the great Gnostic gospels, the
“Pistis Sophia,” we are told that he appeared among his disciples, not for forty
days only, but for eleven years after his resurrection; and some hint is given
as to the nature of the teachings which he imparted, though much of it is so
involved and mystical as to be difficult of comprehension without the key of
knowledge which comes with initiation.
The Kingdom of Heaven
This very name of “the Kingdom of God’ or “the Kingdom of
Heaven” which is used in the passage just quoted is itself a technical term
belonging to the Mysteries, indicating the body of those who are initiated into
them. Again and again you will find evidence of this if you will look with
unprejudiced eye at the passages in which Jesus himself mentions it. For
example, in the thirteenth chapter of the gospel according to St. Luke we read
that the question is put to the Christ; “Are there few that be saved? And he
said unto them, ‘Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto
you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able.” The ordinary uneducated
“Protestant” actually dares to apply this statement to the gate of heaven, and
wishes us to believe that a great world-Saviour would teach his people that for
many men who earnestly seek to be saved from the horrible invention of eternal
damnation, there shall yet be no path to safety. If this could be supposed to be
true, the statement would be shocking beyond words, for it would show either
that the Deity was incapable of (Page 38) managing the
affairs of His universe, or else that the whole scheme was in the hands of a
mocking and cruel demon. No such atrocity was asserted by the Christ, or could
ever have been put forth by him.
The word “saved” – or rather, as it should be written,
“safe” – has a technical meaning which when it is understood makes the passage
clear and illuminative. To the Theosophical student there will be no difficulty
in its perfect comprehension; he knows that in the course of human evolution a
period will eventually be reached when a considerable portion of humanity will
for a time drop out of our present scheme, simply because they have not yet
developed themselves enough to be able to take advantage of the opportunities
which will then be opening before mankind, - because under the conditions then
prevailing no incarnations of a sufficient unadvanced type to suit them will be
available. The men who thus fall out of the current of progress for the time
will presently take up the work again along with another human evolution, and so
will have an opportunity of going over again the different stages of the
development of which they have failed fully to avail themselves on this
occasion. This is in reality a most merciful provision of nature to help along
those who for various reasons are backward in their studies in the school of
life; and though they lose the place that they have held in this particular
evolution, it is only because the evolution has passed beyond them, and it would
have been a mere waste of time for them to attempt to stay in it any longer. The
man to whom this happens is in the position of a child at school who is
hopelessly behind his classmates. To continue to work with them would mean only
strain and fatigue and waste of time for him; while to leave that class and to
work with the one (Page 39) next below it will not only
be easier for him, but will enable him by further practice to learn thoroughly
those lessons which so far he has been unable to master.
The ordinary man is by no means as yet above the level at
which it might be possible for him thus to have to drop out; but the pupil who
has taken the first great initiation –“who has entered upon the stream,” as is
said in the East – is safe from any danger of such delay; and so he is often
spoken of as “the saved,” or “the elect.” It is in this sense, and this sense
only, that we are to understand the use of the world “saved,” either here or
elsewhere in the scriptures and in the creeds; and when we comprehend this, we
shall at once see the force and truth of the remark of the Christ that the gate
of initiation is strait and difficult of entry and that there will be many who
will strive to reach it for a long time before they are able to attain it.
The Road that leads to Life.
Another passage which confirms this is to be found in the
seventh chapter of the gospel according to St. Mathew, in which Christ once more
advises his disciples, “Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate and
broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat; because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it.” Here again the occult student has no
difficulty in recognizing a familiar imagery. He knows well how narrow and
difficult is the way which leads to that “eternal life” which means the
avoidance of the necessity of birth and death – that is to say, of the descent
into incarnation. He knows too how broad and comparatively easy is the slow line
of progress adopted by the ordinary man which leads him to death and to (Page
40) birth many thousands of times before it conducts him to a permanent
residence upon higher levels. It is indeed true that “many there be who walk” in
this longer but smoother road; and there are at present but few among humanity
who find the shorter but steeper path of initiation. Read in this, its obvious
sense, the statement is true and comprehensible; but if we are to take it in the
sense that the “strait gate” leads to heaven, and that only few are able to
enter there, it is not only a barbarous misrepresentation of the facts, but it
is in flat contradiction to other texts in which the heaven-world is clearly
intended.
When the biblical scribe is really attempting to picture
the heaven-world we find that he speaks of “a great multitude which no man could
number, of all nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues, who stood before
the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes and with palms in their
hands.” Initiated writers have always known the grand truth that there is no
possibility of final destruction, but the certainty of eventual success for all,
because that is God’s will for them. In this sense, as referring to their
ultimate destiny, there is no feeble hope that a few may be saved, but the
magnificent certainty that none can by any possibility be lost.
It is indeed difficult to understand how modern orthodoxy
can speak of Christ as the Saviour of the world, and yet in the same breath
assert that he does not save it, that he does not succeed in save one in ten
thousand of its inhabitants, and has to yield all the rest to the devil! Would
such a proportion be considered successful if we were speaking of any kind of
human effort? Such a doctrine is in reality blasphemy, and every honest
Christian should at once cast it out from his stock of religious ideas. We bring
a grander gospel, and we preach a nobler creed than that. (Page
41)
Truly Christ is the Saviour of the world, for each man is
saved by the Christ within himself – that Christ in us which is indeed the hope
of glory, as the scriptures have said, for without that Divine spark within us
how could it ever be possible for us to reunite ourselves with the Divine?
Therefore we know that every man will one day realize his own divinity, and so
will rise to “the treasure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”; we know
that this evolution will succeed and not fail – that it will be a grand and
glorious success, and that every soul in it shall eventually attain its goal.
The Difficulties of the Rich
Yet another instance in which only this explanation
can make the biblical story rational is to be found in the nineteenth
chapter of the gospel according to St. Mathew. It will be remembered that on
a certain occasion a young man came to Christ and asked him how he might win
eternal life – meaning of course, as I have said before, the liberation from
the necessity of repeated birth and death. Christ meets him with the usual
reply, which would have been given by any of the great teachers: “Keep the
commandments.” But the young man proceeds to explain that he has already
kept all these exoteric commandments all his life, and wishes to know what
more he can do to expedite his progress. Christ in his answer to him employs
one of the well-known technical terms of the Essene community in which he
himself had been trained, for he says to him, “If thou wilt be perfect, sell
all that thou hast and give to the poor, and come and follow me.” To be
“perfect” means to attain a certain level of initiation, to belong to a
certain class within that kingdom of heaven; and the remark of the Christ
simply repeats the universal teaching of the Eastern sages, that poverty and
obedience are necessary for those who would enter among the ranks of the
higher initiates. (Page 42)
The young man finds a difficulty here, not yet feeling
prepared to give up his worldly possessions, and then the Christ proceeds to
moralize upon the difficulty which stands in the way of the rich man when he
attempts to enter upon the higher stages of this path. He even uses an
exceedingly strong simile, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” If this be taken
as it is ordinarily explained by theology it is indeed a most ridiculous
statement, for it seems to imply that no man who is rich can be good, or can
ever attain to a place in heaven. The orthodox profess to understand it in this
sense, and yet it seems that even they must see how ridiculous is the
supposition; for we do not observe that the vast majority of them make haste to
get rid of riches and become poor in order to qualify for this entry into
heaven. But when we understand that the Kingdom of Heaven means the brotherhood
of the initiated, we instantly comprehend that the inevitable preoccupation and
trouble connected with the due administration of great wealth is a serious
obstacle in the way of the candidate for the shorter and steeper path, and we
realize fully then the wisdom of the advice given by the great teacher, “Sell
all that thou hast and give to the poor, and come and follow me.”
Another passage indicating the same knowledge of technical
terms on the part of the Christ occurs in the seventh chapter of the gospel
according to St. Matthew where he utters that remarkable verse, “Give not that
which is holy to the dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine.” In the
present day we would consider such epithets when applied to human beings as rude
(Page 43) and improper; but it must be remembered once
more that these were simply technical terms indicating those who stood outside
or beneath a certain level. The ordinary theologian must find considerable
difficulty in explaining to himself the use of such language by the Christ; but
when we understand the real nature of these terms the words become at once
explicable.
St. Paul the Initiate.
When we turn from the words of Jesus himself to those of
St. Paul we shall find that his writings also are permeated with occult
teaching, with references to the Mysteries which lie behind the outer teaching,
and with the technical terms which are well known in connection with them. Any
one who will take the trouble to read the second and third chapters of the First
Epistle to the Corinthians will see clearly that this is so when once his
attention has been drawn to the real interpretation of the words. Once more he
refers to the degree of perfection, and to the instruction which can be given
only to those who have attained that degree; he says: “We speak wisdom among
them that are perfect.” And again, “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the
hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world began, which none of the
princes of this world know.” This last statement itself should be enough to
prove to any fair-minded student the existence of the inner teaching of the
Church, since it would be obviously and flagrantly false if it were made of any
of the ordinary Christian doctrine such as appears in the scriptures; for that
was undoubtedly within the reach of the princes of this world then just as now.
Sometimes people have tried to refer these remarks as to mysteries to the holy
communion, which was celebrated only in the presence of those who were members
(Page 44) of the church. Yet it is evident that that could
not be the meaning in this case, because further examination of this same
epistle will show that the Corinthians to whom St. Paul was writing were already
full members of the church and were in the habit of celebrating the Eucharist.
Yet in spite of this he speaks to them as babes in Christ, and says that he can
give them only the milk of the earlier teaching. Obviously, therefore, this
mystery unknown to all was not the celebration of the holy communion. Indeed,
much of the language which the apostle himself uses could scarcely be applied in
this sense, for he speaks again and again of “The deep things of God, which the
Holy Ghost teaches; the hidden wisdom, and the wisdom of God in a mystery.” Many
other technical terms he employs, as, for example, when he speaks of himself as
a master-builder and a steward of the mysteries of God.
Another passage which shows this is to be found in the
third chapter of his epistle to the Phillippians, in which he describes himself
as “striving if by any means he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”
What can this resurrection have been to which he, the great apostle, found it
necessary to strive in order that he might attain? Clearly it could not be what
is ordinarily understood by that term, for the rising again from the dead at the
last day is to happen to all people, good and bad alike; there could be no
necessity to make any effort in order to gain that. What he is striving to
attain is undoubtedly that initiation to which we have already referred – the
initiation which liberates a man from life and death alike, which raises him
above the necessity of further incarnation upon earth. We shall notice that a
few verses later on he urges “as many as be perfect” to strive as he is
striving; he does not give this advice to the ordinary member of the church,
because he knows that for him this is not yet possible. (Page
45)
Many other quotations bearing a similar interpretation
might be given from the writings of St.Paul; but let us pass on now to those who
are called the Fathers of the Church – the writers who immediately followed the
apostolic period. We shall find that they know well what St. Paul meant when he
spoke so frequently of the Mysteries, for they themselves often use exactly the
same terms in referring to them. For example, one of the earliest and greatest
of them, St. Clement of Alexandria, borrows verbatim from a Neo-Pythagorean
document a whole sentence to the effect that “It is not lawful to reveal to
profane persons the Mysteries of the Word.” This last term is the translation of
the Greek “Logos,” and in this sentence he inserts that word in the place of the
Eleusinian goddesses who are mentioned in the original document.
The Three Stages of the Church
In these days the church considers it her highest glory
that she has produced the saint, and she points to the roll of her saints as a
proof of the truth and the result of her teaching. Yet in these early days this,
which now seems the final goal of her effort, was only an introduction to it.
Then she had three great order or degrees, through which her children had to
pass; and these were called respectively Purification, Illumination, and
Perfection. Now she devotes herself solely to producing good men, and she points
to the saint as her crowning glory and achievement; but in those days when she
had made a man a saint her work with him was only just beginning, for then only
was he fitted for the training and the teaching which she could give him then,
but cannot now, (Page 46) because she has forgotten her
ancient knowledge. Her Purification led the man to saintship; her Illumination
then gave him the knowledge which was taught in the Mysteries, and this led him
up towards the condition of Perfection and of unity with the Divine. Now she
contents herself with the preliminary Purification, and has no Illumination to
give.
St. Clement of Alexandria
Read what St. Clement says on this subject, as quoted in
The Christian Platonists of Alexandria by Dr. C. Bigg, p.62. “Purity is only a
negative state, valuable chiefly as the condition of insight. He who has been
purified in baptism and then initiated into the little Mysteries (has acquired,
that is to say, the habits of self-control and reflection), becomes ripe for the
greater Mysteries, for Epopteia or Gnosis, the scientific knowledge of God.”
This latter is a startling claim to make from the modern orthodox point of view;
I imagine that few preachers at the present day would claim to have the
scientific knowledge of God, or even to know in the least what such an
expression meant. Yet there it stands in the writing of one of the earliest and
greatest of the Church Fathers. We have only to examine the Theosophical
teaching to see exactly what he meant, to understand (so far as the intellect of
man can at present understand) what is meant by the doctrine of the Trinity, of
the incarnation of Christ, and his dwelling within the heart of man. The
scientific knowledge of God is still within the reach of the earnest and
reverent student; it is no mere form of words, but a glowing and definite fact.
How highly St. Clement valued this transcendent knowledge
may be seen by another quotation from his writing given in Christian Mysticism,
by W. R. Inge, (Page
47) page 86. “Knowledge, “ says Clement, “is more than
faith, Faith is a summary knowledge of urgent truths, suitable for people who
are in a hurry; but knowledge is scientific faith. If the Gnostic (the
philosophical Christian) had to choose between the knowledge of God and eternal
salvation, and it were possible to separate two things so inseparably connected,
he would choose without the slightest hesitation the knowledge of God.” That
surely is a sufficiently clear statement. Evidently St. Clement thought that
faith was only for those who had not time to go into the study of the definite
science themselves; they had to be content with accepting its magnificent truths
on faith, just as is the case with ourselves with regard to any of the
physical-plane sciences of the present day. If each man had a life of leisure,
no doubt he could take up chemistry or astronomy and study it at first-hand for
himself; if he has no time to do this, he thankfully accepts the conclusions at
which those arrive who have studied it. When we come to this great science of
life which is called religion, such acceptance of the result of the
investigation of others is spoken of as faith; but assuredly, as St. Clement
says, direct knowledge is infinitely better.
The idea that man is capable of attaining this perfection,
or deification as it is often called in the writings of the Fathers, would
probably be considered sacrilegious by many of our modern theological writers,
yet it was clearly held by the early Fathers, and they knew its attainment to be
a possibility. Professor Harnack remarks that “deification was the idea of
salvation taught in the Mysteries”; and again “after Theophilus, Irenaeus,
Hippolytus, and Origen, the idea of deification is found in all the Fathers of
the ancient church, and that in a primary position. We have it in Athanasius,
the Cappadocians, Apollinarius, Ephraem Syrus, Epiphanius, and others, as also
in Cyril, Sophronius, and later Greek and Russian theologians.”
(Page 48)
What Origen Says
The most celebrated pupil of St. Clement was the far-famed
Origen – perhaps the most brilliant and learned of all the Ecclesiastical
Fathers. He also asserts the existence of the secret teaching of the Church, for
in his celebrated controversy with Celsus he states definitely that the system
of exoteric and esoteric teaching which was in general use among philosophers
was also adopted in Christianity. He also speaks plainly with regard to the
difference between the ignorant faith of the undeveloped multitude and the
higher and reasonable faith which is founded upon definite knowledge. He draws a
distinction between “the popular irrational faith” which leads to what he calls
“somatic Christianity” (that is to say, the merely physical form of the
religion) and the “spiritual Christianity” offered by the Gnosis or wisdom. He
makes perfectly clear that by “somatic Christianity” he means that faith which
is based on the gospel history. Of a teaching founded upon this historical
narrative he says “what better method could be devised to assist the masses?” In
Mr. Inge’s book mentioned above (p.89) he is quoted as teaching that “the
Gnostic or sage no longer needs the crucified Christ. The eternal or spiritual
gospel which is his possession shows clearly all things concerning the Son of
God himself, both the Mysteries shown by his words and the things of which his
acts were the symbols. It is not that Origen denies or doubts the truth of the
gospel history, but he feels that events which happened only once can be of no
importance, and regards the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (Page
49) as only one manifestation of a universal law, which was really enacted,
not in this fleeting world of shadows, but in the eternal counsels of the Most
High. He considers that those who are thoroughly convinced of the universal
truths revealed by the incarnation and the atonement need trouble themselves no
more about their particular manifestations in time.”
Here then we see distinct and repeated references to the
hidden teaching, greater far than anything known to the Church of the present
day, and carrying those who study it to a much higher level than is ever now
attained by the disciples of orthodoxy. What has become of this magnificent
heritage of Christianity? Why was this wonderful wisdom lost, and how can it be
regained? Happily it has not been lost. The great Gnostic doctors, who taught it
so poetically, were cast out of the church as heretics by the vote of the
ignorant majority, who would not include within their scheme of religion
anything which was beyond their comprehension, anything which took years of
trouble and study to learn. Yet something of the Gnostic teaching has been
preserved; the orthodox endeavoured with pious fury to destroy all traces of it,
yet here and there a book has been discovered – kept perhaps until these later
days among those who are commonly called savages, and yet have proved less
savage than the orthodox defenders of the faith.
In that way we are slowly coming to know something of
those splendid teachings, and we find them, as the occult student would
naturally expect, to be precisely the same truths which Theosophy is now placing
once more before the Western world. Those who are interested in the study of
this particular side of the doctrine of the wisdom-religion cannot approach it
better than through the writings of Mr. G.R.S. Mead of London, the most (Page
50) Scholarly of our Theosophical authors. He has spent many years in a
careful study of the strange medley of faiths and opinions which gather round
the cradle of Christendom, and his writings show us clearly how this Christian
religion arose quite naturally and logically out of the faiths of the period
just proceeding its birth. He makes it abundantly evident that this is not a
revelation from on high, no new statement of additional fact, but simply a
perfectly natural result of what has gone before it. Any one wishing to
understand what Christianity really is, what its teaching truly mean, and what
is its part in the great life of the world, cannot do better than commence by a
thoughtful study of Mr. Mead’s works.
Theosophy Explains
Meantime it needs not even so much study as is involved in
that enquiry to convince any open-minded person that Theosophy holds the
solution to all the problems connected with the Christian doctrine. Take, for
example, the great dogma of the Trinity, which as originally stated seems so
incomprehensible and meaningless. Invoke the aid of a Theosophical diagram such
as that which is given in the last edition of my own little book upon The
Christian Creed, and at once the obscurity will be lit up as by sunlight, and it
will be seen that the strange and apparently incomprehensible statements have an
obvious meaning which is full of interest and vividly clear. Read, for example,
the Athanasian Creed; by the light of the Theosophical diagrams its sentences,
hitherto so little comprehended, will be seen to be luminous and crystal clear;
so that the very formula which has been cast aside by multitudes as hopelessly
unintelligible now stands forth
(Page 51) as perhaps the strongest and grandest
statement as to the nature and the power of God that has ever been put into
words. The so-called damnatory clauses, to which so much exception has been
taken, fall into their places and are at once seen to be free from all
objection, when once their real meaning has been understood.
There is no other way of rendering a great deal of this
older teaching intelligible at all; unless we are prepared to accept the
Theosophical explanation of them, we must resign all hope of finding any
rational meaning at the back of these great symbols of one of the world faiths.
But the Theosophical teaching introduces order into the chaos; it at once
enables us to sift out these dogmas which are expressions of universal truth
from the accretions with which the uncomprehending theology of the ignorant
monks has surrounded them. The same thing is true with many of the other dogmas
of the church; not only is the mighty doctrine of the Trinity made clear, but
salvation, conversion, regeneration, sanctification – all these are explained,
and from the Theosophical standpoint they are no longer mere names with a vague
mist of uncertainty surrounding them, but definite and real facts, which are all
parts of a coherent system. To understand these the student should read Mrs.
Besant’s great book Esoteric Christianity, which will throw a flood of light for
him upon much that has been dark before. Best of all, it will show him that
Christianity in no way contradicts the other great faiths of the world – that
they are all alike efforts to state the same great truth, the truth that lies
behind them all – this Divine Wisdom which in modern days we call Theosophy.
To the earnest Christian who has in some way or other been
aroused into thinking about the doctrines of the Church, and has therefore
(Page 52) naturally been led into doubting them in the
form in which they are generally presented, we would strongly recommend the
study of the teachings of Theosophy. Many a man who begins to doubt finds
himself left without definite basis for any belief, and knows not where to turn
for comfort and enlightenment. To such an one our advice would be: “Do not cast
aside your religion, but rather try to learn what it really is. Then will be
given back to you all that was bright and beautiful and true in the faith of
your childhood, but it will be given back to you on a different basis. It will
no longer be founded upon authority, whether it be of a book or of a Church; for
such belief is always liable to be overthrown if you should find that the book
or the Church is not as historically reliable as you had been led to suppose.
You will receive back your faith, but founded this time upon the impregnable
rock of reason and common-sense, so that the more fully you examine it, the more
you will become convinced of its truth and the more you will understand its
glory.”
The Gospel of Theosophy
In saying this we are speaking not from theory but from
experience. To us who have studied Theosophy it has brought all this and more.
It has been to us a veritable gospel of good news from on high, which has shown
us light where before was darkness, which has made life easier to bear and death
easier to face; which has given us, not hope only, but the glorious certainty of
future progress. It is for that reason that we put it before you, for that
reason that we urge your examination of it. We have no wish to make converts in
the ordinary sense of the word. We are not impelled, as is the poor ignorant
missionary, by any theory that, (Page 53) unless we can
induce our hearers or readers to believe as we do, there will be for them no way
of salvation from the horrors of eternal suffering. We know that every one will
attain the final goal of humanity, whether he now believes what we tell him or
whether he does not. We know that the progress of every man is certain; but he
may make his road easy or he may make it difficult. If he goes on in ignorance
he is likely to find it hard and painful; if he learns the truth about life and
death, about God and man, and the relation between them, he will understand how
to travel so as to make the path easy for himself and also (which is much more
important) to be able to lend a helping hand to his fellow-travellers who know
less than he. This is what you all may do, and what we hope you will do. We who
are Theosophists ask no blind faith from you; we simply put this philosophy
before you, and ask you to study it, and we believe that if you do so you will
find what we have found – rest and peace and help, and the power to be of use in
the world. Above all things we would say to you, not only study the Theosophical
truth, but try to live the life which Theosophy recommends to you. Now as in the
days of old it still remains true that those who do the will of the Father who
is in Heaven, they shall know of the doctrine whether it be true; and so to
those who doubt our teaching we would say take it up provisionally, take it as a
hypothesis, but live the life which it directs, and then you will see for
yourselves whether you are the better or the worse for it. Try to realize the
unity of the brotherhood which it teaches, and to show the unselfishness which
it exacts; and then see for yourself whether this is an improvement upon other
modes of living or not. Try the unselfishness and the watchful helpfulness, and
see whether here is not an opening into new fields of happiness and usefulness.
(Page 54)
We who are studying this know that as yet we are only at
the beginning of it; yet we say to you with the utmost confidence: “Come and
join us in our study, and to you also will come the peace and the confidence
that has come to us, so that through your knowledge of Theosophy your lives will
become purer and brighter, and above all things more useful and helpful to your
fellowman.” (Page 55)
CHAPTER III
THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES
Every nation, every race, every religion has always had
its mysteries. But the sense in which we use that word today hardly conveys a
fair idea of what it meant in the older time, to which we wish to turn our
thoughts this evening. Its true signification is simply that which is
hidden; but when we hear of it in connection with religious matters it seems to
suggest to us a good deal more than that. We have been brought up along a
certain line of religious belief, one of the professions of which is that all of
its doctrines lie open to the comprehension of the dullest mind. If this claim
were really true, it would be a confession of failure on the part of that
religion, for it would mean that it had no teaching to give to the thinking man;
but it is not in the least true of primitive Christianity, as I showed in my
lecture upon that subject. That had its inner teaching, as is true of every
great doctrine, so that it may be useful to all classes of humanity, and not
only to one. But the mistaken idea which has been so sedulously impressed upon
us leads us to feel a certain distrust for the wiser faiths which meet all
needs, and to think of them as unnecessarily hiding part of the truth, or
grudging it to the world. In the old days there was no such thought as this; it
was recognized that only those who came up to a certain standard of life were
fit to receive the higher instruction, and those who wished for it set to work
to qualify themselves for it. Now there is a tendency to demand all knowledge
without making any effort toward this necessary preparation, and to grumble that
it is churlishly held back, (Page 56) because the Great
Ones in their wisdom foresee the dangers of placing certain truths before the
minds of those who are not ready to grasp them. Knowledge is power, and people
must prove their fitness before they will be entrusted with power, for the
object of the whole scheme is human evolution, and the interests of evolution
would not be served by promiscuous publication of occult truth.
It is generally recognized that it would be foolish to put
dynamite into the hands of a child at play, and we have ample evidence around us
that such fragments of occult truth as have been allowed to become public have
been terribly misused. The fact of the power of thought and will and the
possibility of mesmeric influence is now finding wider acceptance, and the
immediate result is that we see shoals of advertisements offering, always of
course for a consideration, to teach us how to succeed in business by exercising
undue pressure of this sort upon our fellowmen, in order that we may gain at
their expense. The undeveloped man always misunderstands and misuse the least
fragment of higher knowledge. To one who comprehends, there is the greatest
solace and the most powerful incentive to right living in the profound truth of
our unity with the Divine; yet that very truth has been offered as an excuse for
the grossest sensuality by the unevolved among the Vedantins. The history of the
great empire of Atlantis is the most impressive of warnings as to the awful
consequences of the misapplication of occult knowledge.
The Mysteries of Eleusis
So the existence of the secret teaching is more than
justified, and its presence in all the world-religions is explained. But though
it may be traced in all,
(Page 57) when we speak of the Mysteries our
thoughts turn to one or two only – chiefly to the Mysteries of Bacchus and
Eleusis in connection with the religion of ancient Greece, and in a lesser
degree to those of still more ancient Egypt and Chaldaea. The literature of the
subject is scanty, and but little information is to be derived from it. Thomas
Taylor’s account is perhaps the best, though even in it there is much
inaccuracy. Still, there is also a great deal of intuition displayed in his book
– so much that it is difficult not to suppose that he may himself have been
directly associated with the schools of the Mysteries in some past incarnation.
Iamblichus, himself an initiate, has written upon the subject, but he gives even
less information than Taylor – probably because he was more closely bound by
promises of secrecy. A French author of the name of Foucart has also recently
written on the subject. A chapter in Mr. Mead’s book Orpheus epitomizes all that
is known to scholars – a chapter which should be read by every one is interested
in this side of the ancient life. Such information as I have to put before you
is obtained in a different manner – not by studying the literary fragments which
remain unto us, but rather by investigation and by memory. I have before had
occasion to mention that certain members of our Society have been engaged in
patient examination into the record of past incarnations, in order to study the
laws under which rebirth takes place, and the way in which the actions of one
life produce their inevitable results in the next. In the course of this
research it was found that several of these members had been concerned in these
Mysteries, and had been regularly initiated into their studies. Of course such
initiations must in no way be confounded with those which separate the Steps of
the Path of Holiness, for these latter lie at a much higher level, (Page
58) and all the mysteries were only a preparation for them. Nevertheless,
there were definite degrees in the Mysteries, and the man who entered pledged
himself to remain silent as to what he saw. Now such a promise remains binding,
even though it may have been made two thousand years ago; but those to whom it
was given may release the disciple from his vow, and with regard to certain
parts of the teaching this has been done. The reason is that the world has now
evolved somewhat, and so a further experiment is being made; and much that used
to be taught only under pledges of initiation is now published to the world in
the Theosophical literature. Much of this information used to be regarded as
secret and sacred; and today, though it is no longer secret, it is as sacred as
ever. So that though I may not tell you all that the ancient Mysteries of
Eleusis offered to the student, I may yet give you an outline of a great deal of
it.
The first point which I wish to emphasize is that the
charge of indecency so frequently brought against these Mysteries by their
enemies had no foundation in fact – at least so far as the flourishing period of
the race is concerned. It should never be forgotten that much of our so-called
information about the Mysteries comes to us through the unscrupulous and
bitterly hostile early Christian writers; and though these writers indignantly
deny the suggestion that in their Church they have no mysteries worthy of the
name, and claim that theirs are in every way as good and deep and far-reaching
as those of their “pagan” opponents, they nevertheless bring the wildest and
most abominable accusations against the mortality of those who participate in
other rites than theirs. (Page 59)
The Methods of the Monk
Perhaps we hardly realize how entirely we have only one
side of all those early controversies, and how absolutely we are in the hands of
bitter, unscrupulous sectarians. We had in Europe a dark period, lasting for
many centuries, when the savagery of Christianity had stamped out all knowledge,
all learning, and almost all art; a period during which no one could even read
or write except the priest and monks, so that whatever we have of records of
early times, whatever we have of classical literature, comes to us of necessity
through their hands, since they alone were able to make the manuscript copies.
In these days of universal printing, and of the wide effusion of knowledge, we
have little idea of what that meant – of what a power it placed in the hands of
these mediaeval monks. A few older manuscripts may be here and there
discovered, but the vast majority of all that literature of the ancient times
passed through the censorship of the Church at its most bigoted stage.
Another thing that we must realize is that these monks had
no conception of what we now mean by literary morality. They were all quite
ready to quote to any extent without acknowledgement; they did not see any
reason why they should not use good material wherever they found it, and they
mentioned whence it was obtained only if they thought that the name of the
writer would add to the force of the argument. Often also when they had what
they thought a good thing to say, they fathered it on some well-known name in
order to secure for it greater attention. In quoting controversially from
opponents, they made no attempt to treat the enemy fairly, or to state his case
impartially; we know from their own confessions that they cited only what suited
their argument of the moment , utilized that of which they thought something
edifying could be made, and utterly ignored the rest. Thus we have only most
partial accounts of the (Page 60) real opinions of
their opponents, and we get about as fair an idea of what they really held or
taught, as we should have of Roman Catholic theology if we took the word of the
most rabid Protestant as our only guide to its comprehension.
With regard to this matter of the Mysteries we know that
there was specially bitter controversy, and the Christian writers never
hesitated to take up any weapon which they thought would gain them a point. If
there was a popular slander, they eagerly seized upon it and magnified it –
perhaps even in their prejudice they really believed it; and in that way they
accept and repeat those unfounded charges of indecency against the celebration
of the Mysteries. Sometimes in their replies we incidentally gather what popular
opinion said of them, and then we begin to see about how much reliance is to be
placed on such stories. Rumour held the Christian Church as guilty of the most
abominable outrages – the commonest accusation being that at their secret
meetings they offered human sacrifices and indulged in cannibalism. The
statement that they murdered and devoured children recurs again and again; and
it is not difficult to see how it may have arisen. They celebrated their
Eucharist with closed doors, and spoke of it as meeting together to partake of
the body and blood of the Son of Man; and one can easily see how that statement
might be misconstrued by the ignorant, and how unworthy of the attention of the
historian are the mere rumours on either side in a theological quarrel!
There is no doubt that in the long period during which the
Mysteries flourished the most strenuous discipline was exacted from all
candidates, and the utmost purity preserved; but it is probable that in the days
of the decadence both of Greece and Rome even (Page 61)
the Mysteries shared to some extent in the general degradation, just as, it will
be remembered, did the Christian agapae also, which degenerated into the wildest
and most reprehensible orgies. The Bacchic Mysteries came to be mere festivities
towards the last, when Bacchus or Dionysos was regarded as the god of wine,
instead of being recognized as the manifestation of the Logos, from whom came
forth all life and strength. The life and strength were indeed sometimes
symbolized as wine, or rather as the juice of the grape, and in this way the
popular misconception arose. But this was only towards the end of the Empire,
when all the true Mysteries had already been withdrawn into the background, and
little but the outer shell remained. We must not judge them from their relics at
that period, any more than we should judge the great Roman nation by its
condition when it had fallen hopelessly into decay. Let us rather see what they
were at the zenith of their glory and usefulness.
What the Mysteries Were
As is generally known, there were two divisions, the
Greater and the Lesser Mysteries. What is not generally known is that there was
always, behind and above these, the true Mystery of the Path, towards which
these others led. Occult teaching has always been open for those who were ready
to enter; the qualifications exacted have never varied, for they are not
arbitrarily imposed, but are essentially necessary to advancement. At the
present time the Path and some of its stages, and the qualifications required,
are openly described in books and lectures, just as they were long ago in Indian
literature; but in Greece and Rome no definite information seems to have been
given on these points, and the very existence of the possibility of that
(Page 62) advancement was not certainly known even to the
initiates of the Greater Mysteries until they were actually fit to receive the
mystic summons from within.
But to the Mysteries of which we are speaking large
numbers were admitted; indeed, one classical author mentions a gathering of
thirty thousand initiates, which, when we consider how small relatively was the
population of Greece, shows us that the organization of the Mysteries was by no
means so exclusive as we usually suppose. Indeed, our investigations indicate
that all seriously disposed and thinking people naturally gravitated towards
them as the centre of religious knowledge. Men sometimes wonder how it was
possible for great nations like Rome or Greece to remain satisfied with what we
commonly call their religion – a chaos of unseemly myths, many of them not even
decent, describing so-called gods and goddesses who were distinctly human in
their actions and passions, and constantly quarrelling amongst themselves. The
truth is that nobody was satisfied with it, and that it never was at all what we
mean by a religion, though it was no doubt taken literally by many ignorant
people. But all the cultured and thinking men took up the study of one or other
of the systems of philosophy, and in many cases they were also initiates of the
School of the Mysteries; and it was this higher teaching that really moulded
their lives, and took for them the place of what we call religion – unless,
indeed, they were frankly agnostic, as are so many cultured men now.
Moreover, it was through the teaching of the Mysteries
that men learnt for the first time what the strange myths of the exoteric
religion really meant – for originally they had a meaning, and for the
Theosophical student it often lies near the surface. In my books on The Other
Side of Death I have explained the signification given in the Mysteries (Page
63) to the stories of Tantalus and Sisythus; the myth of Tityus also is
obviously symbolical of the result of certain passions in the astral world;
while the legend of Persephone or Proserpine is clearly an occult parable of the
descent of the soul into matter. Remember how the story tells us that Prosperine
was carried away while she was plucking the flower of the narcissus, and at once
you have a suggestion of a connection with that other myth. Narcissus is
represented to have been a young man of extraordinary beauty who fell in love
with his own reflection in a pool of water, and was so attracted by it that he
fell in and was drowned, and was afterwards changed by the gods into a beautiful
flower. One sees instantly that such a story as this can have no meaning but a
symbolical one, and by the light of the philosophical doctrine of the aeons it
is one not difficult to interpret. All the cognate systems of thought teach that
the soul was not originally immersed in matter, and need not have been so, but
for the fact that she was attracted by the image of herself in the lower
conditions of matter, so often symbolized by water. Beguiled by this reflection,
she identifies herself with the lower personality, and is for the time sunk
altogether in matter; yet nevertheless the divine seed remains, and presently
she springs up again as a flower. Now realize that it was while Proserpine was
stooping to Narcissus that she was seized and carried off by Desire, who is the
king of this lower world; and that although she was rescued from complete
captivity by the efforts of her mother, yet after that she had to spend her life
half in the lower world and half in that above – that is to say, partly in
incarnation and partly out of it. (Page
64)
The Lesser Mysteries
This is an example of the way in which these odd and
apparently pointless fables were taken up in the Mystery instructions and made
luminous and beautiful. The explanations in connection with the astral life were
given chiefly in the Lesser Mysteries, which were especially concerned with this
side of the subject. The centre of their worship and work was at Agrae, and
those who were initiated into them were called Mystae, and wore as their
mystical dress a dappled fawn-skin, symbolizing the astral body. The
appropriateness of this emblem will be immediately recognized by any
clairvoyant, or by a Theosophical student who has examined the plates of my book
Man, Visible and Invisible, for he will remember the bands and mottlings which
indicate the various passions and emotions, and the rapid flashing changes which
are so conspicuous in it. The same idea is expressed by the leopard-skin worn by
the Egyptian initiated priest while offering his sacrifice, and the tiger or
antelope-skin so often used by Eastern Yogis.
Broadly speaking, the Lesser Mysteries were principally
concerned with the astral world, and the Greater Mysteries with the
heaven-world. They taught much more than this, of course, but the first and most
prominent fact of their instruction was that certain results flowed inevitably
from certain actions, and so that the life which a man lived on the physical
plane was chiefly important as a preparation for that which it brought in its
train. The Lesser Mysteries taught vividly the astral part of these results,
illustrating it by showing the most striking object lessons from real life. In
the earlier days when the hierophant directing the studies described the effect
of some particular vice or crime, he used his (Page 65)
occult power to materialize some good example of the fate which his words
portrayed – in some cases, it is stated, enabling the sufferer to speak and
explain the condition in which he found himself as the outcome of a neglect
while on earth of the eternal laws under which the worlds are governed.
Sometimes, instead of this, a vivid image of the state of some victim of his own
folly would be materialized for the instruction of the neophytes.
In the days of the decadence there remained no hierophant
who possessed the power to produce these occult illustrations, and consequently
their place was taken by actors dressed to represent the sufferers, or in some
cases by ghostly images projected by means of concave mirrors – or even by
cleverly executed statuary or mechanical figures. Of course it was perfectly
understood by all concerned that these were only representations, and no one was
ever deceived into supposing that they were original cases. Some of our
ecclesiastical writers, however, failed to realize this, and some of them have
spent much time and ingenuity in “exposing” deceptions which never have deceived
any one, least of all those who were especially concerned with them. A gentleman
named Hippolytus, who seems to have been the Maskelyne and Cook of this period,
is especially zealous along these lines, and his accounts of apparatus whereby
lights might be mysteriously produced, and his suggestions as to the use of
invisible ink, are really quite amusing reading.
We may take it, then, that the principal work of the
teachers of the Lesser Mysteries was to inform their pupils thoroughly of the
exact result in astral life of physical thought and action. Besides this,
however, much instruction was given in cosmogony, and the evolution of man on
this earth was fully explained, again with the aid of illustrative scenes and
figures, produced at first by (Page 66) materialization,
but later imitated in various ways. The directors seem always to have recognized
two classes among their pupils, and to have chosen out from them those whom they
thought capable of special training in the development of psychic faculties.
These received special instruction as to how the astral body can be used as a
vehicle, and had definite exercises set for their practice, to develope them in
clairvoyance or prevision.
The initiates had a number of proverbs or aphorisms
peculiar to themselves, some of which were very characteristic and Theosophical
in tone. “Death is life, and life is death,” is a saying which will need to
interpretation for the student of Theosophy, who comprehends, at least to some
extent, how infinitely more real and vivid is life on any other plane than this
imprisonment in the flesh. Whosoever pursues realities during life will pursue
them after death; whosoever pursues unrealities during this life will pursue
them also after death,” is also a statement entirely in line with the facts as
to post-mortem conditions with which Theosophy so fully acquaints us, and it
emphasizes the great truth upon which we so often find it necessary to insist,
that death in no way changes the real man, but that his disposition and his mode
of thought remain exactly what they were before.
The Greater Mysteries
Turning to the Greater Mysteries, we find that the centre
of their celebration was at Eleusis, near Athens. Their initiates were named
Epoptai, and their ceremonial garment was no longer a fawn-skin, but a golden
fleece – whence, naturally, the whole myth of Jason and his companions. This
symbolized the mental body, and the power definitely to function in it. (Page
67) Those who have seen the splendid radiance of all which pertains to that
mental plane, who have noticed the innumerable vortices produced by the
ceaseless emission and impact of thought-forms, who remember that brilliant
yellow is especially the colour which manifests intellectual activity, will
acknowledge that this was no inapt representation. In this class, as in the
lower one, there were two types – those who could be taught to use the mental
body, and to form round it the strong temporary vehicle of astral matter which
has sometimes been called the mayavirupa, and the far greater majority who were
not yet prepared for this development, but could nevertheless be instructed with
regard to the mental plane and the powers and faculties appropriate to it. As in
the Lesser Mysteries men learnt the exact result after death of certain actions
and modes of life on the physical plane, so in the Greater Mysteries they learnt
how causes generated in this lower existence worked out in the heaven-world. In
the Lesser the necessity and the method of the control of the desires, passions
and emotions was made clear; in the Greater the same teaching was given with
regard to the control of mind.
The other side of the Theosophical teaching, that of
cosmogenesis and anthropogenesis, was also continued here, and carried to a much
greater length. Instead of being instructed only as to the broad outlines of
evolution by reincarnation, and the previous races through which man has risen
in this world, the initiates now received a description of the whole scheme as
we have it now, including the seven great chains and their relation to the solar
system as a whole. Their terms were different from ours, but the instruction was
in essence the same; where we speak of successive life-waves and outpourings,
they spoke of aeons and emanations, but there is no doubt (Page
68) that they were fully in touch with the facts, and that they represented
them to their pupils in wonderful visions of cosmic processes and their
terrestrial analogies. Just as in the case of the after-death states, their
representations were at first produced by occult methods; and later, when these
failed them, by mechanical and pictorial means, the results of which were
greatly inferior. Illustrations of germ development shown by picture or model,
in the same way as we might show some of them by means of a microscope, were
employed to teach by the law of correspondences the truth of cosmic evolution.
It may possibly be that a misunderstanding of the theatrical representation of
some of these processes of reproduction was distorted into an idea of indecency,
and so the seed was sown from which sprang later the false and foolish
accusations of the ignorant and bigoted Christians.
Some have wondered why so much trouble should be taken to
explain complicated processes of past evolution, which after all have no obvious
bearing on practical life. One can only say in reply that it is important for
man to know something of how he came to be what he is, so that he may the better
comprehend the future that lies before him, and see from the method of his
progress in the past how best to further it in the lives to come. We may
estimate the importance which such teaching bears in the minds of the Great Ones
from whom all religions come, from the fact that in every faith in the world,
even among those of savages, we always find some traces of an effort to explain
the origin of the world and of man, even though often it may be only the wildest
and least comprehensible of myths. We have a prominent example of this in the
earlier part of the book of Genesis, which gives the account of these
transactions which is traditional among the Jews. In the latest communication
(Page 69) from the Great Brotherhood which stands behind
and directs the affairs of the world, we find once more how prominent a position
is assigned to the origin of man and of the system, from the space which is
devoted to them in Madame Blavatsky’s monumental work The Secret Doctrine.
The Symbols Employed
Among the many interesting facts connected with the
Mysteries was the use in their ceremonies of certain implements or symbolical
treasures, the meaning of which perhaps needs some explanation. One of these was
the Thyrsus, a rod with a pine-cone at the top; and frequently this rod was said
to be hollow, and filled with fire. The same symbolic implement is found in
India, where it is usually a seven-jointed bamboo which is employed. When a
candidate has been initiated he was often described as one who had been touched
with Thyrsus, indicating that this was not a mere emblem, but had also a
practical use. It indicated the spinal cord ending in the brain, and the fire
enclosed within it was the sacred serpent-fire which in Sanskrit is called
kundalini. It was magnetized by the instructor and laid against the back of the
candidate in order to awaken the latent force within him. It may probably also
have been employed in the production of trance conditions, and it is possible
that the fire within it may often have not only animal magnetism, but
electricity. The latent force of kundalini is closely connected with occult
development and with many kinds of practical magic, but any attempt to awaken or
use it without the supervision of a competent teacher is fraught with serious
dangers.
Another interesting group of symbols were the playthings
of the infant Bacchus, or Dionysos. As I have (Page 70)
already said, Dionysos was one of the names applied to the Logos, and the
infancy signifies the commencement of this manifestation. In this infancy he is
represented as playing, and his toys are a spinning-top, a ball, a mirror and a
set of dice. You may think these incomprehensible symbols, but if you could see
them you would understand at once, for these playthings are the matter of which
the worlds are built. The spinning-top is the atom, always whirling round and
round; and atoms are the bricks out of which the edifice of the solar system is
constructed. The dice are not of the ordinary type, but are all different, for
they are the five Platonic solids – the only regular solids which exist – the
tetrahedron, the cube, the octahedron, the dodecahedron and the eikosihedron.
These again may be regarded as building material, though in rather a different
way. They represent the atoms of the various planes of nature – not that these
are the shapes of those atoms, but that they indicate to the student of
practical occultism certain fundamental qualities of the atoms, and the
direction in which their force can be poured forth. We may make them into a
series of seven by adding the point at the lower end and the sphere at the
higher, and they then give us a sequence of deep hidden meaning. The ball with
which he toys is naturally the earth, and his mirror is the astral matter, which
so readily reflects and reverses everything, and is, therefore often symbolized
as water, as in the story of Narcissus. It is interesting to note how all these
curious and apparently unmeaning points clear up and become luminous as we study
and understand them. It is also noteworthy for the Theosophical student that the
indication of the earth by a ball shows the acquaintance of the teachers with
its sphericity, and that the atom as drawn by Mrs. Besant in The Ancient Wisdom
is by no means inaptly represented by a spinning-top.(Page
71)
The Pythagorean School
Many of the ancient schools of Philosophy worked in
connection with the Mystery teaching. The Pythagoran seems to have been
especially close to the Theosophical ideas of the present day. It divided its
students into three degrees, which corresponded almost exactly with those of the
early Christians, who called them the stages of Purification, Illumination and
Perfection respectively – the last one including what St. Clement calls the
scientific knowledge of God. In the Pythagorean scheme the first order was that
of the Akoustikoi, or Hearers, who took no part in the discussions or addresses,
but kept absolute silence in the meetings for two years, and devoted themselves
to listening and learning.
At the end of that time, if otherwise satisfactory, the
students were eligible for the second order of the Mathmatikoi. The mathematics
which they learnt were not, however, confined to what we now mean by that term.
We now study this science as an end in itself, but for them it was only a
preparation for something much wider, higher and more practical. Geometry as we
now know it was taught outside in ordinary life as a preparation; but inside
these great Schools the subject was carried much farther, to the study and
comprehension of the fourth dimension, and the laws and properties of higher
space. It can only be fully understood it we take it thus as a whole, not
in mere fragments, and as an introduction to astral development. It leads a man
to understand all the octaves of vibrations, the vast areas of which as yet
science knows nothing, the intricate occult relations of numbers, colours and
sounds, the various three-dimensional sections of the mighty cone of space,
(Page 72) and the true shape of the universe. There is a
vast amount to be gained from the study of mathematics by those who know how to
take it up in the right way. It helps us to see how the worlds are made, for, as
was said of old, “God geometrizes.”
The third degree of the Pythagoreans was that of the
Physikoi – not physicists in our modern sense of the word, but students of the
true inner life, who learnt how to distinguish the Divine Life under all its
disguises, and so were able to comprehend the course of its evolution. The life
exacted from all these pupils was one of the most exalted purity. In some of the
schools it was divided into five stages, which correspond fairly with the five
steps of the probationary Path, as described in our own literature.
The Greek Mysteries appear under different names in
different places, but what has been said above will apply to all of them. There
were the Mysteries of Zeus in Crete, of Hera in Argolis, of Athena in Athens, of
Artemis in Arcadia, of Hecate in Aegina, and of Rhea in Phrygia. There was the
so-called worship of the Kabeiroi in Egypt, Phoenicia and Greece; there were the
interesting Persian Mysteries of Mithra, and those of Isis and Osiris in Egypt.
The Egyptian Mysteries
These last were surrounded by much that is of special
interest to us. The well-known Book of the Dead is part of one of their manuals.
The chapters which have been gradually collected from various tombs do not give
us the whole of that work, but only one section of it, and even that is much
corrupted. In its entirety it was intended as a kind of guide to the astral
plane, containing (Page 73) a number of instructions
for the conduct of the departed in the lower regions of that new world. The mind
of the Egyptian seems to have worked along exceedingly formal and orderly lines;
he tabulated every conceivable description of entity which a dead man could by
any possibility meet, and arranged carefully the special charm or “word of
power” which he considered most certain to vanquish the creature if he should
prove hostile.
The Egyptian initiations were calculated on the same
general plan. The candidate was attired in a white robe, emblematic of the
purity which was expected (further symbolized by the preliminary bath, from
which was derived the idea of Christian baptism), and brought before a conclave
of priest-initiates in a sort of vault or cavern. He was formally tested as to
the development of the clairvoyant faculty which he had been previously
instructed how to awaken, and for this purpose had to read an inscription upon a
brazen shield, of which the blank side was presented to his physical vision.
Later he was left alone to keep a kind of vigil. Certain mantrams, or words of
power, had been taught to him, which were supposed to be appropriate to control
certain classes of entities; so during his vigil various appearances were
projected before him, some of a terrifying and some of a seductive nature, so
that it might be seen whether his courage and coolness remained perfect. He
drove away all these appearances in turn, each by his own special sign or word;
but at the end, all these combined bore down upon him at once, and in this final
effort he was instructed to use the mightiest word of power (what is called in
the East a Raja-Mantram), by which all possible evil could be vanquished.
Whether the majority of the Egyptian students knew, as we know, that all these
various charms and words were given only to aid and strengthen the (Page
74) will of the man, is not clear; though undoubtedly the higher
initiates must have understood this. In truth, courage and purity of intention
are all that is necessary, when coupled with the knowledge that had already been
given.
Other ceremonies of the Egyptian Mysteries are of interest
to us in the Occidental nations, because some of their ritual has curiously been
entangled with our religious teachings, and utterly misunderstood and
materialized. Even though at these later dates the ritual was shorn of much of
its ancient splendour, it was still impressive. At one stage the candidate laid
himself upon a curiously hollowed wooden cross, and after certain ceremonies was
entranced. His body was then carried down into the vaults underneath the temple
or pyramid, while he himself “descended into hades,” or the underworld – that is
to say, in our modern nomenclature, he passed on to the astral plane. Here he
had many experiences, part of his work being to “preach to the spirits in
prison”; for he remained in that trance condition for three days and three
nights, which typified the three rounds and the intervals between them, during
which man was going through the earlier part of his evolution, and descending
into matter. Then, after “three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth,” on the morning of the fourth day “he rose again from the dead” – that is
to say, his body was brought back from the vault, and so placed that the rays of
the rising sun fell upon his face and he awoke. This symbolizes the awakening of
man in the fourth round, and the commencement of his ascent out of matter on the
upward arc of evolution.
Then was given to the candidate a glimpse of the buddhic
plane, a touch of that higher consciousness which enabled him to feel the
underlying unity of all, and so
( Page 75) realize, the divinity in all; and thus
“he ascended into heaven.” Many other points out of the life of an initiate and
the stages through which he passes have been woven into the Christ-story by its
authors, but they have been horribly misunderstood and degraded by the ignorant.
An endeavour has been made to limit them and materialize them as historical
events in the life one man; though the philosophical student realizes that, as
Origen has so well put it, “Events which happened only once can be of no
importance, and life, death, and resurrection are only a manifestation of a
universal law which is really enacted, not in this fleeting world of shadows,
but in the eternal counsels of the most High.”
In time there came degradation of the Mysteries, and the
inner light and life were largely withdrawn from them, yet they did not entirely
die. In spite of the Church, all through the darkest times when anyone who was
suspected of unorthodoxy was relentlessly persecuted, when it would seem that
knowledge was dead, and that anything like intellectual progress was impossible,
there were nevertheless certain half-secret societies which carried on something
of the tradition and the work. There were the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucians
of the Middle Ages, the Knights of Light, the Brothers of Asia, and many another
occult body. It is true that in many of these there seems to have been but
little knowledge, and even that heavily veiled; yet then, as ever, it remained
true that there were always in the background those who knew, so that those who
earnestly sought the Truth have always been able to find it.
At the present time their quest is surely easier than it
has ever been before. The conditions of the world now are different from any
that have previously existed; the invention of printing has made it possible to
spread (Page 76) knowledge abroad in a new way, and
those who stand behind and direct the destinies of the world have thought it
well that a small corner of the veil should be lifted, and that something at
least of what has so long been jealously guarded should be put freely and openly
before the eyes of men. The world at large has evolved, and so it is hoped that
we may be safely trusted with something of additional knowledge; and thus it has
come to pass, as Christ said of old, that “many prophets and kings desired to
see the things that we see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things which
we hear, and have not heard them.” All this we in the Theosophical Society are
enjoying freely; yet because it is now so freely given we must not ungratefully
despise it. All the more should we value and prize this possession which is
ours, all the greater is our responsibility for its right use, all the more
strenuous should be our effort to make it a part of our very lives, and to aid,
in its light, in the evolution of the world. The opportunities now put before us
are greater than those of our ancestors; let us see to it that we prove worthy
of them. Let us not, as did the men of Atlantis, take advantage of them for
selfish and personal gain, but let us take care that as we obtain greater
knowledge and greater power it is always directed by greater love, so that we
may learn to use it for the development of humanity and for the good of our
fellowman. (Page 77)
Note. On the relation that exists between the Platonic
solids of the Mysteries and the periodic law of the elements in modern
chemistry, see Occult Chemistry by Annie Besant, 1909.
CHAPTER IV.
BUDDHISM
It is obviously impossible to put before an audience in a
lecture of an hour an adequate presentation of one of the great world-religions
which is probably entirely new to many of those who are present. I do not
propose therefore to give you the mere formal detail or framework of the
subject, which those who wish for it can obtain from any encyclopaedia. My wish
is rather to endeavor to put before you something of the life of the religion –
less to quote from its books than to tell you how it acts and works as a living
force today upon those who hold it as their creed. In connection with the
Theosophical Society I have worked for years among the Buddhists of Ceylon and
of Burma, and I was myself admitted into the Southern Buddhist Church by its
Chief Abbott Hikkaduwe Sumangala. Though I must quote occasionally I will do so
as little as possible, but shall try rather to give you my own impression of
this great religion.
I must say a few words first as to the life of the Founder
of Buddhism; then secondly I will outline its broad principles; and thirdly I
will say something of its practical working.
The Life of the Founder
The story of the life of the Founder is one of the most
beautiful that has ever been told, but I can give you only a slight sketch of it
now. Those who wish to read it, told as it should be told, in glowing melodious
poetry, (Page 78) should read
The Light of Asia, by Sir Edwin Arnold. Indeed, grandly poetical though it be,
there is no statement so beautiful of the principles of this great religion as
that which Sir Edwin Arnold has given in his matchless verse, and if it be my
privilege to introduce to that book any one who does not know it, assuredly that
reader will owe me a debt of gratitude.
Briefly, then, this mighty Founder was the Prince
Siddartha Gautama of Kapilavastu, a city about a hundred miles north-east of
Benares in India, within forty miles of the lower spurs of the Himalaya
mountains. He was the son of Suddhodana, king of the Sakyas, and his wife, Queen
Maya. He was born in the year 623 B.C. And his birth is surrounded with many
beautiful legends, just as are the births of all the other great teachers. It is
related that various portents took place – for example, that a wonderful star
appeared, just as was afterward told with regard to the birth of Christ. His
father, the king, as was natural for an Indian monarch, had the child’s
horoscope cast immediately after his birth; and a remarkable and transcendent
destiny was predicted for him. It was foretold that he had before him a great
choice, and that the might excel all men of his time along one of two lines,
according to his preference. Either he might become a king of much wider
temporal power than his father – an Overlord or Emperor of
the whole Indian Peninsula such as has arisen only occasionally in history; or
he might abandon all the privileges of his princely birth and become a homeless
ascetic, vowed to perpetual poverty and chastity. But if he selected this latter
destiny he would be the greatest religious teacher whom the world had ever seen,
and the millions who would follow him in this capacity would be more numerous by
far than the subjects of any earthly kingdom.(Page 79)
Perhaps we can hardly wonder that King Suddhodana shrank
somewhat from the idea of this mendicant life for his firstborn son, and wished
rather that his royal line should be perpetuated and elevated. So he endeavoured
from the first to direct the Prince’s choice rather along temporal than
spiritual lines; and since he knew that the acceptance of the spiritual life
would be most likely to be determined by the sight of the woes and sorrows of
the world, and the desire to remedy them, he decided (so the story tells us) to
keep from the Prince’s sight anything which could suggest these doleful topics.
It is said that he resolved that the Prince should know nothing of decay or of
death, and should be brought up in the midst of temporal pleasures and taught to
devote himself to the glory and power of the royal house. The Prince dwelt in a
noble palace encircled by miles of beautiful gardens, in which he was
practically a prisoner, although he knew it not. He was surrounded by all that
could minister to his delights in every possible way; only the young and the
beautiful were allowed to approach him, and any one who was sick or suffering
was sedulously kept out of his sight.
So he seems to have passed his early years in this
strange, confined and yet delightful world. The boy grew up until he became of
marriageable age, when he was betrothed to Yasodhara, daughter of the King
Suprabuddha. It seems to have been supposed that this new interest would
entirely fill the Prince’s life; and yet it is recorded that all the while at
intervals remembrances of other lives would rise within his mind, and some faint
presage of a mighty duty unfulfilled would trouble his repose. This uneasiness
steadily increased and eventually he seems to have insisted upon passing into
the outer world and seeing something of life other than his own.(Page
80)
It is recorded how in this way for the first time he came
in contact with old age, with sickness and with death; and, profoundly affected
by the sight of these states, so common to us, yet wholly new and unfamiliar to
him, he sorrowed greatly over the sad destiny of his fellowmen. Seeing also one
day a holy hermit, he was deeply impressed with the serenity and majesty of his
appearance, and realized that here at least was one who rose superior to the
otherwise universal ills of life. From that period his resolve to live the
spiritual life grew stronger and stronger, and though in due course he married
Yasodhara, and had one son, Rahula, at last the time came when in his
twenty-ninth year he definitely abandoned his princely rank, leaving all his
wealth in the hands of his wife and son, and betook himself to the jungle as an
ascetic.
This may seem to our modern notions a very strange course
to adopt, but it must be remembered that it was the only way to obtain such
instruction as he desired. The conditions of life then were so different from
our own that it is difficult for us to realize them. There were no printed
books, and all the holy men were mendicants and ascetics. A student then had no
alternative but to go from teacher to teacher to learn what each had to tell,
and to discuss with each the problems of life so as to see what light he could
throw on them.
Naturally at this time the Prince, like his father and all
other inhabitants of India, belonged to the great Hindu religion; and
consequently it was to some of the leading ascetic Brahmans that he went for
instruction and guidance in this new life. For six years he passed from one of
these teachers to another seeking to learn from them the true solution to the
problem of life, and a remedy for the misery of the world, yet never finding
fully that (Page 81) which he sought. Their doctrine
seems always to have been that only through the most rigid asceticism and the
heaviest self-imposed penances could one hope to escape from the sorrow and
suffering which were the heritage of all men; and he tried all their systems to
the uttermost one after the other, yet ever with an unsatisfied yearning for
something greater, truer, and more real beyond. At last such persistent and
rigorous asceticism told upon his health, and it is related that one day he
fainted from hunger and lay almost at the point of death. He recovered from
this, but he realized that though this might certainly be a way out of the
world, it was hardly the way in which life could be brought into the world; and
he reasoned that to aid his fellow-men he must at least live long enough to find
the truth which should set them free. He seems to have taken from the first the
most altruistic attitude. For himself he had all that could make life happiest;
yet the dumb sorrow of the teeming millions appealed to him so strongly that
while that existed unassuaged no happiness was possible for him. It was for
them, not for himself, that he sought the way of escape from the misery of
physical life. For them, not for himself, he felt the need of a higher life that
could be lived by all.
So, finding all the ascetic practices unavailing, he
decided instead to try the training of the mind along the lines of the highest
meditation; and presently he seated himself beneath the Bodhi tree, determined
to attain by the power of his own spirit the knowledge of which he was in
search. There he sat in meditation reviewing all these things, studying deeply
into the heart and cause of life and endeavouring to raise his consciousness to
a higher level. At last by a mighty effort he succeeded, and then he saw
unrolled before him the marvellous
(Page 82) scheme of evolution and the true
destiny of man. Thus he became the Buddha, the enlightened one; and then he
turned to share with his fellow-men this wondrous knowledge that he had gained.
He went forth to preach his new doctrine, commencing by the delivery of a sermon
which is still preserved in the sacred books of his followers. In his own
tongue, Pali (which is still for them the sacred language, just as Latin is that
of the Catholic Church), this first sermon is known as the
Dhammachakkappavattana Sutta, which has been interpreted to mean “The setting in
motion of the royal chariot wheels of the Kingdom of Righteousness.”
In several of the books of our modern Orientalists you may
find a literal translation of it; but if you wish to catch the real spirit of
what he said, once more you will do well to turn to the Eighth Book of Sir Edwin
Arnold’s wonderful poem. Perhaps the poet does not give us the literal meaning
of each word as accurately as other Oriental scholars; perhaps his work is
rather a splendid paraphrase than a verbal translation; but this at least I
know, that he gives as no other has yet given in English the spirit which
permeates this mighty Oriental faith. I have lived among these people; I have
shared in their religious festivals and I know the feelings in their hearts; and
to read The Light of Asia brings the whole scene back before me vividly as I
have seen it so many times; whereas the wooden and pedantic accuracy of the
Orientalist calls forth no echo of the mystic music of the East.
Briefly, the Buddha set before his hearers what he called
“The Middle Path.” He declared that extremes in either direction are equally
irrational; that on the one hand the life of the man of the world, wrapped up
entirely in his business, pursuing dreams of wealth and (Page
83) power, is foolish and defective because it leaves out of account all
that is really worthy of consideration. But he affirmed also that on the other
hand the extreme asceticism which teaches each man to turn his back upon the
world altogether, and to devote himself exclusively and selfishly to the
endeavour to shut himself away from it and escape from it, is also foolish. He
held that the “middle path” of truth and of duty is the best and the safest, and
that while certainly the life devoted entirely to spirituality is the highest of
all for those who are ready for it, there is also a good and true and spiritual
life possible for the man who yet holds his place and does his work in the
world. He based his doctrine solely on reason and on common-sense; he asked no
man to believe anything blindly, but rather told him to open his eyes and look
round him. He declared that in spite of all the sorrow and the misery of the
world, the great scheme of which man is a part is a scheme of eternal justice,
and that the law under which we are living is a good law, and needs only that we
should understand it and adapt ourselves to it. He declared that man causes his
own suffering by yielding himself perpetually to desire for that which he has
not, and that happiness and contentment can be gained better by limiting desires
than by increasing possessions. He preached this “middle path” with the most
wonderful success for forty-five years in all parts of India, and eventually
died at the age eighty at the town of Kusinagara in the year 543 B.C.
The dates which I have given above are those of the
Eastern records; and although European Orientalists at first declined to accept
them and tried to prove that the life of the Buddha was much nearer to the
Christian era, further discovery has steadily forced them back until (Page
84 ) most of them now admit that the original records are reliable. The
history and the edicts of the great Buddhist Emperor Asoka have done much to
clear up this question of chronology; and the Mahawanso of Ceylon gives us a
careful and detailed record which proves only the more definite and reliable the
more it is investigated. So that now the dates connected with the life of the
Buddha are fairly accepted. How far we may depend upon the details of that life
as accurate it is difficult to say. Probably the reverence and affection of his
followers drew around his memory a certain mist or halo of legend, just as has
been the case with all the other great religious teachers. Yet none can doubt
that we have here a beautiful story embodying the life of a most saintly man of
splendid purity of life and wonderful clearness of spiritual vision. As Monsieur
Barthelemy St. Hilaire says: “His life is absolutely without stain. His constant
heroism equals his conviction; he is the perfected example of all the virtues
which he preaches; his abnegation, his charity, his unchanging sweetness never
fail him for a single instant. . . . . He prepares silently his doctrine through
six years of labour and of meditation; he propagates it by the sole power of
speech and of persuasion during more than half a century, and when he dies in
the arms of his disciples it is with the certainty of a sage who has practised
the highest all his life, and who is assured of having found the truth.”
His Teaching
Let us turn now to examine the great principles of his
doctrine. He himself was once asked whether it was possible for him to embody it
in one Sutta, or verse of four lines, and in reply he spoke what follows:-
(Page 85 )
“Sabbapapassa akaranam;
Kusalassa upasampada;
Sa chittapariyo dapanam;
Etam Buddhana sasanam.
This may perhaps best be translated:-
“Cease to do evil;
Learn to do well;
Cleanse your own heart;
This is the religion of the Buddhas.”
It will be seen at once that this is a fine and
comprehensive definition. First of all the man is directed to give up every
activity which is evil in any sense of that word; but he is by no means to rest
contented with that. He must take up activity in a fresh direction and “learn to
do well.” Then, having thus regulated his conduct with regard to the outer
world, he is instructed to cleanse his own heart – a command so far-reaching
that there is little in the spiritual life which is not included within it. The
whole foundation of the teaching of the Buddha was always common-sense and
justice. He based his claim to be heard upon the fact that his teachings were
clear and understandable; and he impressed this attitude strongly upon the minds
of his followers – so much so that at an Ecumenical Council of the Buddhist
monks held at Vaisali, when the question arose as to whether certain doctrines
had really been part of the Buddha’s teaching, a resolution was unanimously
passed to the effect that “That only can pass as teaching of the Buddha which is
not in contradiction to sound reason.” (Schlagintweit’s Buddhism in Tibet,
p.21.) One cannot but wish that the Ecumenical Councils of the Christian Church
had made a similar resolution; for in that (Page 86)
case the absurdities which have encrusted the true faith could never have been
permitted to grow into gigantic but baseless structure of the orthodox theology
of the present day.
This decision of the Council agrees also with what the
Buddha himself had said to the people of the village of Kalama when they came to
him and asked him what, amidst all the varied doctrines of the world, they ought
to believe. His answer was; “Do not believe in a thing said merely because it is
said; or in traditions because they have been handed down from antiquity; nor in
rumours as such; nor in writings by sages, merely because sages wrote them; nor
in fancies that you may suspect to have been inspired by a Deva (that is, in
presumed spiritual inspiration); nor in inferences drawn from some haphazard
assumption you may have made; nor because of what seems an analogical necessity;
nor on the mere authority of your own teachers or Masters. But believe when the
writing, doctrine, or saying is corroborated by your own consciousness. For thus
I have taught you, not to believe merely because you have heard; but when you
believe of your own consciousness, then to act accordingly and abundantly.”
These words are quoted in Colonel Olcott’s Buddhist Catechism from the Kalama
Sutta of the Anguttara Nikaya; and assuredly the attitude which they represent
is a very fine one for a religious teacher to take.
Buddhism therefore has no creed; it simply required that a
man shall recognize the facts which surround him. It is the only belief that the
world has known which is entirely free from dogma, ceremony and priestcraft.
According to its teachings, within the unchangeable laws of righteousness, each
man is absolutely the creator of himself and of his own destiny. The Buddhist is
one (Page 87) who follows the instructions of
the Buddha and lives the life which he has prescribed; so that there may be many
among us who according to that test could be described as Buddhists, even though
we may never have read a world of his wonderful utterances. His teaching also
recognizes the different types of men, and the need of some of them for fuller
knowledge than would be comprehensible to others. I had occasion to emphasize
this point in speaking to you of Christianity, and exactly the same thing may be
said of Buddhism. It is true that the Buddha is represented in the Parinibbana
Sutta as declaring that he does not give with a closed fist, as do some teachers
who keep some things back; yet though he evidently meant that he taught
everything freely, it is equally certain that the real basis of the great law
can only be understood by those who have perfected their powers of
comprehension. We see that he spoke parables and recited stories for the
unenlightened masses, just as the Christ did; but he also preached the Sutta
Pitaka for the more advanced, while he gives the Vinaya Pitaka for the
government of the monks of his order, and he perfected the Abhidhamma Pitaka, or
philosophical and psychological teaching, for the highest order of minds. He
insisted strongly that it is a possibility and a duty for every man to live a
holy life even while he is yet engaged in the world; but he also taught, as
every great teacher has done, that the highest of all lives is that devoted
entirely to spiritual advancement and to the helping of humanity. For that
purpose he founded the great monastic order called the Sangha, to which I shall
have to refer later.
The Four Noble Truths
One interesting feature of the Buddha’s teaching is the
way in which he tabulates everything, arranging it under (Page
88) various heads for mnemonic purposes. In his first sermon he
commences by the recital of his Four Noble Truths. These represent four links in
a chain of reasoning, and each one of them is associated with a detailed
explanation; but the whole thing is so arranged that a single word at once calls
up to the mind of any student the whole argument, and it would scarcely be
possible for even the least intelligent who had once learnt the chain of
reasoning to forget any one of its links. His four truths are:
1. Sorrow.
2. The Cause of sorrow.
3. The ceasing of sorrow.
4. The path to the ceasing of sorrow.
The First Truth he explains in this way. All the life of
the man of the world is a life which is either full of sorrow or at any moment
liable to sorrow. Constantly the man is striving to attain something which he
does not possess, and sorrowing because he does not get it; or, on the other
hand, he is in constant fear of being dispossessed of something which he has
already. The man suffers because he loses those whom he loves, or that to which
he is strongly attached; he suffers sometimes because he desires affection which
is not given to him, or because that which he loves is passing away from him. He
suffers from a fear of death, either for himself or for those who are dear to
him. So, all the way through, the life of the ordinary man in the world is a
life of more or less disturbance and sorrow.
Then he passes on to the second of his Truths and proceeds
to enquire what is the cause of this sorrow; and after careful analysis he comes
to the conclusion that (Page 89) the cause of
all sorrow is the lower desire. If a man has no desire for riches or for fame,
he will remain serene and unruffled whether these come to him or whether they
are taken away from him. If his affection is fixed at higher levels, if he loves
his friend and not merely the physical body of his friend, then he can never be
separated from him and there can be no decay or loss of that affection. Man
sorrows sometimes when he finds old age descending upon him; but this is only
because he has a keen desire for those physical faculties which he now finds to
be leaving him. If he realized truly that the soul remains unchanged however the
bodily faculties may alter, there would be no sorrow in this wearing out of the
earthly garment.
So we are led on to the Third Noble Truth, the ceasing of
sorrow; and naturally the way to escape sorrow is to put aside this lower
desire. Thus he explains how if we fix our thoughts upon the highest and learn
to withdraw our desire from lower levels, all sorrow will cease for us and we
shall become serene and untroubled. A man may live happily in the physical
world, if only he will not allow himself to be attached to it by desire. Be
content with that you have, and take this lower life with calm philosophy, and
then for you sorrow will have ceased. His Fourth Noble Truth expresses to us the
way in which this absence of desire may be attained. The path to this, he says,
contains eight steps, and therefore it is constantly spoken of in Buddhist
literature as “The Noble Eightfold Path.”
The first of these steps he states to be Right Belief; but
we must be careful not to misunderstand him here. No blind belief is expected in
Buddhism; indeed, as we have seen, such faith as that is distinctly deprecated.
A man should believe not because he is told that such and ( Page
90) such a thing is true, but because he sees it to be inherently
reasonable. Still, unless he has assured himself that certain broad facts are
true, he will be little likely to make the necessary effort to raise himself
along the path of evolution. His definition of Right Belief comes very near to a
statement of Theosophical principles; for the belief required is that in the
perfect law of justice or cause and effect, and in the possibility of attaining
the highest good by following the path of holiness. These postulates will lead
him to the second step, which is Right Thought, and from that he passes
naturally to the third and fourth, which are Right Speech and Right Action.
Another necessity for the man still living in the world is the fifth step, Right
Means of Livelihood; and the criterion by which a man may know whether his
method of gaining a living is a right one is that it can do no harm to any
living thing. The sixth of these steps is described as Right Energy, or Right
Exertion. The Pali word means also strength; and the suggestion is that the man
must not merely be passively good, but that he must exert himself to be of use
to his fellow-men. The seventh step is translated as Right Remembrance; and it
involves recollection and self-discipline – that a man should remember what he
has done that is wrong, and so take care to avoid falling into the same error
again. Then the last step is Right Concentration or Meditation – definite
control of thought and the direction of it toward high and unselfish objects.
All these eight steps he suggests as necessities in order that a man, while
living in the world, may be so far detached from its power as to live wisely and
happily. For the man in ordinary life are given also the Pancha Sila, or five
commandments, to which I shall refer presently.(Page 91)
The Order of the Yellow Robe
The Buddha has other rules, however, for his Sangha – the
order of the Yellow Robe – those who help the world, as they are often called.
This Sangha is in many ways not unlike the Christian monastic orders. In it, as
in them, the monks are vowed to poverty and chastity; but there is this decided
advantage in the Buddhist rule, that no one is permitted to take vows in
perpetuity, as is done in the Christian orders. We know that it not infrequently
happens in European countries that a man enters some monastic body under the
influence of religious enthusiasm, or perhaps sometimes of disgust for the
world, or as the result of some great sorrow. Later, when the rush of feeling
has passed away, he may discover that he has in reality no vocation for the
religious life; and often much misery results from the fact that his vows are
irrevocable and that no change is now possible for him.
In the Buddhist system full provision is made for such a
case as this. Any one who by his life has shown himself fit to do so may prepare
himself for what is called ordination or admission to the brotherhood of monks.
If after a few months or a few years he should find himself no longer able to
adhere to the strict rules of the monastic life, he may put off the robe again
and enter once more into the ordinary life of the world without any reproach of
any kind attaching to him. No one thinks the worse of him in any way; he has
simply tried to live upon a level for which he is not quite fitted; he
needs a few years longer in the world in order that he may develop himself to
the requisite position; but no one blames him for this. Indeed, in Burma it is
the custom for all the male population to put on the robes for a short time at
least at some period of their lives. Those who feel this to be the existence
best suited for ( Page 92) them retain them and become
permanently members of the order; others put off their robes after a year or so
of monasticism and enter the ranks of ordinary life, by no means the worse, but
much the better, for their short experience of something higher.
It must be remembered that to be a great religious teacher
in the East is not at all the same thing as to be the head of some great faith
here in the West. The Eastern teacher does not enjoy a princely revenue, and
drive about in carriages with a state equal to that of many a monarch. It is
just because many Christian bishops and Christian missionaries live along such
lines as these that most Orientals do not believe them to be truly religious
teachers at all. For in the East the religious teacher is one who devotes his
whole life to the highest spirituality, who observes absolute purity of heart
and mind, who never touches money in any form, whose first rule of life is that
he must possess no property excepting the robes that he wears; and even these
robes are so made as to be valueless if sold.
On the other hand, so great is the universal veneration in
the East for this spiritual life that the deference paid to the poorest or
youngest of the teachers is greater than that paid to the king. The reverence
given to the Yellow Robe of the monks of Buddha is striking and beautiful, and I
have again and again seen the wealthiest and most influential of the city
magnates rise respectfully and stand with bowed heads in the presence even of a
child probationer who had but just put on the robes. The greatest respect is
shown in Ceylon to the hereditary Chiefs of the people – the descendants of the
ancient royal family; I have repeatedly seen the passers-by retire altogether
(Page 93) from the road as the Chieftain passed along it,
the people standing at a lower level and bowing until he had gone his way. Yet
these Chieftains gathered in solemn assembly will immediately rise to their feet
at the entrance of the youngest member of the Sangha, and will remain standing
until requested to be seated; so great is the homage given to the Yellow Robe
all over the Buddhist world.
The Life of the Monk
The life of the monks is one of absolute detachment. Not
only do they own no earthly possessions, but they take only simple food, just as
it is given to them, without choice or question. Their lives are spent in study
and in meditation, though they are also expected to preach to the people at
certain set times. The principal festivity of the Buddhist is the day of the
full moon; but in a subordinate way the other quarters of the moon’s age are
also celebrated, so that practically they come to have a weekly day of visiting
the temple, much as in our land people go to church on Sunday. The monks also
have it as a duty to give advice and admonition to any one who may come to them,
and to read what is called the Pirit Ceremony – that is to say, the words of
consolation and blessing – on certain occasions in public, and also (when
requested) at a private house when any one is sick.
The members of the Sangha have often been described in
books of travel, and indeed generally in the literature on the subject, as
“Buddhist priests”, but the truth is that that designation is both inaccurate
and misleading. The ideas which would be associated either in Catholicism or in
Judaism with the word priest are entirely foreign to the whole teaching of
Buddhism. There is no thought of any intermediary between man (Page
94) and the great law of Divine Justice – no suggestion that man needs
any such work done for him as a priest is supposed to do. So that when we meet
with this expression, “a Buddhist priest,” we must always bear in mind that in
reality it means nothing more than a monk – one whose life is set apart and
devoted to religion. His development is supposed to lead him entirely away from
the things of this world and into the higher conditions of which I have written
in Clairvoyance and The Other Side of Death. He is supposed definitely to have
set his feet upon the Path of Holiness – the Path which leads him to Nirvana. In
the concluding chapters of Invisible Helpers I have given in full detail the
steps of this Path, and the qualifications which the candidate must develop at
each of these steps; so I will not repeat them here, although I should most
earnestly commend their study to every one who wishes to understand the
beautiful and elevated spirit of this glorious religion.
Nirvana
There is another point, however, with regard to Nirvana,
the goal of this Path, which I must not omit to mention, because there has been
a widespread misunderstanding upon the subject. The description which the Buddha
himself gives of Nirvana is so far above the comprehension of any man who is
trained only in ordinary and worldly methods of thought that it is little wonder
that it should have been misunderstood at first sight by the European
Orientalist. Even Max Muller, the great Oxford Sanskritist, held for many years
that Nirvana was simply equivalent to annihilation; and unfortunately this
misconception seems to have been widely spread. Later in his life, with further
and deeper study, (Page 95)he came to
understand that in this he had been mistaken; and indeed no one who has lived in
the East among the Buddhists can for a moment suppose that they regard
annihilation as the end which they are striving to reach.
It is quite true that the attainment of Nirvana does
involve utter annihilation of that lower side of man which is in truth all that
we know of him at the present time. The personality and everything connected
with the lower vehicles is impermanent and will disappear. If we endeavor to
realize what man would be when deprived of all which is included under those
terms, we shall see that for us at our present stage it would be difficult to
comprehend that anything remained. And yet the truth is that everything remains
– that in the glorified spirit that then exists, all the essence of all the
qualities which have been developed through the centuries of strife and stress
in earthly incarnation will inhere to the fullest possible degree. The man has
become more than man, since he is now on the threshold of Divinity; yet he is
still himself, even though it be a so much wider self. Many definitions have
been given of Nirvana, and naturally none of them can possibly be satisfactory;
perhaps the best on the whole is that of peace in omniscience.
When, many years ago, I was preparing a simple
introductory catechism of their religion for Buddhist children, the Chief Abbot
Sumangala himself gave me as the best definition of Nirvana to put before them
that it was a condition of peace and blessedness so high above our present state
that it was impossible for us to understand it. Surely that is far removed from
the idea of annihilation. Truly all that we now call the man has disappeared;
but that is not because the individuality is annihilated, but because it is lost
in divinity. (Page 96)
The Practical Result
Let us turn to our third heading and consider something of
the practical side of this great world-religion as it may be seen at the present
day. So far as I have seen, I must certainly bear testimony that it works
exceedingly well. Of course there are good and bad men in every nation, and
there are many nominal Buddhists in Burma and Ceylon just as there are nominal
Christians in England; but statistics show that the proportion of crime to the
population is much lower among the Buddhists of Ceylon than it is in any
European country or in America.
One great reason for this undoubted fact is that we see so
much crime arise from drink, and drink is utterly forbidden by the Buddhist
religion. That one fact in itself makes an enormous difference in the life of a
nation. Unfortunately Europeans have introduced many new forms of intoxicating
liquor among the Buddhist peoples, as they have carried them everywhere else;
for this is a mark of their so-called civilization. So that here and there a man
may be found even among the Buddhists who violates the precepts of his religion
and partakes of the forbidden liquor; but he is keenly aware of the degradation
which this entails, and the popular opinion invariably regards him as a wicked
man, to quite the same extent as we in these Western countries should apply that
designation to a robber or one who committed deeds of violence. I suppose it is
difficult for a Western reader to grasp at once all the changes which the
absence of this one fatal habit make in the life of a nation.
I wish it were possible for me to describe how this grand
old Oriental religion permeates the daily existence of those who profess it, so
that you might have before you a perfect picture of that wonderful Eastern life,
and might (Page
97) feel the fascination of that Oriental atmosphere
which is so totally unlike anything experienced elsewhere. The attitude of mind
towards religion in the East is something so different from our position with
regard to it here, that it is with difficulty that a man who has not seen it and
lived in the midst of it can be brought fully to comprehend it. Here men belong
to various sects, and are not infrequently bigoted and bitter in maintaining the
tenets of their particular sect and denouncing those of all others; yet in the
vast majority of cases this profession of religious belief is kept exclusively
for Sunday, and it has practically no influence over the man’s daily life during
the rest of the week.
In the East the whole attitude of man is the reverse of
this. Each has his religious convictions, yet each is tolerant of the
convictions of others. The Muhammadan truly is almost as fanatical as the
Christian; but the Brahman and the Buddhist are always ready to admit that those
who do not believe as they do may nevertheless be on the way towards the light,
and they will always say that if even the most ignorant unbeliever does his duty
according to his lights in this life he will assuredly in his next incarnation
have further opportunities of learning something more of the truth than he knows
at present, and so will finally attain his goal just as much as they themselves.
Even the intolerant Mohammedan differs greatly from the
average Christian; for at least his religion is a vivid and real thing to him,
and, such as it is, it permeates his very life, and is to him the dearest and
the greatest thing in it. Every traveller in the East will have noticed how at
the moment when the call of the Muezzin (Page 98) rings
from the minaret every Muhammadan within hearing, whatever he may be doing or
however great a crowd may surround him, immediately pauses, draws forth his
prayer-carpet, spreads it before him, and prostrates himself in prayer. How many
of our ordinary Christians would be willing thus to turn aside three times a day
in the midst of their trafficking and their business, and confess their faith
before all men by acts of prayer and worship performed in the public streets?
So it is with the Buddhist also; he has no such public
prayer as this, and yet his religion permeates his whole life, somewhat in the
way which is the case with a few of the most highly devotional people here in
the Roman Catholic Church. The majority of us in these countries seem to keep
our religion and our daily business life in two watertight compartments, so that
they may in no way interfere with one another. To the Buddhist that attitude is
incomprehensible and insincere, for to him the religion is everything, and
although sometimes in daily life he may depart from its precepts, he recognizes
afterwards with sorrow that he has done so, and never attempts to justify
himself with the plea of business interests, as men so often do with us.
Buddhism in Burma
By far the best account that I read of the practical
effect of the religion upon its votaries is contained in The Soul of a People,
by H. Fielding Hall. It is indeed refreshing to find a writer who so fully
understands and appreciates a faith other than his own – who has so entirely
comprehended the spirit of Buddhism as it lives in the hearts of the people. He
tells us that under its benign sway “the Burmese are a community of equals, in a
sense that has probably never been known elsewhere.” (Page
99)
He bears high testimony to the earnestness of the monks,
and describes how in the time of the Burmese War, while the country was seething
with strife, they “went about their business calmly as ever, preaching of peace,
not war, of kindness, not hatred, of pity, not revenge.” The difference between
Buddhism and our modern Occidental theology was well expressed by an English
cavalry officer, who explained that Buddhism would never do for a man of his
profession. “What the soldier wants,” he said,” is a personal god who will
always be on his side, always share his opinions, always support him against
every one else. But a law that points out unalterably that right is always
right, and wrong always wrong, that nothing can alter one into the other,
nothing can ever make killing righteous and violence honourable – that is no
creed for a soldier.”
Mr. Hall evidently feels very strongly the charm of a
common-sense, consistent religion, which recognizes the unity of nature and the
divine life which underlies it. In another passage in his delightful book he
draws the distinction between the comfortless petrifaction of modern theories;
and the living beauty and romance of real knowledge:
“Knowledge so far has brought us only death. Later on it
will bring us a new life. But now all is dark. And because we have lost our
belief in fairies, because we do not now think that there are goblins in our
caves, because there is no spirit in the winds nor voice in the thunder, we have
come to think that the trees and the rocks, the flowers and the storm, are all
dead things. They are made up, we say, of materials that we know, they are
governed by laws we have discovered, and there is no life anywhere in nature. To
the Buddhist, not less than to the Greek of long ago, all nature is alive.”
(Page 100)
The Offering in the Temple
Let us see now what are the especial commandments or
ordinances of this religion which the man has to obey in common life. We have
spoken before of the Pancha Sila, or five commandments; but the truth is that,
although these are distinctly more far-reaching than our own Decalogue, they are
not really commandments at all. Each of them is not an order but an assertion;
the form is not a command from on high, “Thou shalt not do this,” but it is an
affirmation by the man, “ I will observe the teaching to avoid this sin.” The
Buddhist visits his temple, as we have said, on one day of the week at the
least, but many contrive to present themselves there for a few minutes daily.
And they never go empty-handed, for each devotee will carry with him a flower,
or sometimes a bunch of flowers, which he lays upon the altar of the Buddha with
a few words of love and gratitude.
Wishing to arrive at the idea in the minds of the simple
peasantry who perform this ceremony daily, I have frequently asked such a man
through an interpreter, “Why do you offer these flowers to the Buddha? do you
think that it pleases him? “ The man would invariably reply with a look of
surprise, “How can it please him, since he has entered Nirvana more than two
thousand years ago?” If I still pressed the question as to why the flowers were
offered, the reply would always come: “ We offer them out of gratitude to the
memory of the Founder of our religion who has showed us the way of escape from
the wheel of birth and death; and we lay them before his image with the desire
that our souls may be pure as the flower, and like it may shed a sweet perfume
around us.” Even the word altar is perhaps misleading, for the Buddhist has no
conception of what we mean by the offering of (Page 101)
sacrifice or of worship. To him the Lord Buddha is not in any sense a god, but a
man just like ourselves, though so infinitely far in advance of us; not in the
least one to be worshipped, but only to be deeply reverenced and loved.
There is at least one inestimable advantage which can be
claimed for this great religion, that never through all its history have its
altars been stained with blood; never throughout the centuries has Buddhism even
once descended to the level of persecuting those who did not think along its
lines. It is the only great religion of the world which has this honourable
distinction, that it has never persecuted. For two thousand four hundred and
fifty years it has run its course, with not a drop of blood on its onward march,
not a groan along its pathway. It has never deceived the people, never practised
pious fraud, never discouraged literature, never appealed to prejudice, never
used the sword. If this could be said even of a small and obscure sect, it would
a grand claim to be able to make; but when we remember the vast extent of this
wondrous religion and the number of races which are included within its sway, it
is indeed a marvellous fact.
As Sir Edwin Arnold remarks: “Four hundred and seventy
millions of our race live and die in the tenets of Gautama; and the spiritual
dominions of this ancient teacher extend at the present time over Nepal and
Ceylon, over the whole Eastern Peninsula to China, Japan, Tibet, Central Asia,
Siberia, and even Swedish Lapland. India itself might fairly be included in this
magnificent empire of belief; for though the profession of Buddhism has for the
most part passed away from the land of his birth, the mark of Gautama’s sublime
(Page 102) teaching is stamped ineffaceably upon modern
Brahmanism, and the most characteristic habits and convictions of the Hindus are
clearly due to the benign influence of Buddhist precepts. More than a third of
mankind therefore owe their moral and religious ideas to this illustrious
Prince. Forests of flowers are daily laid upon his stainless shrines, and
countless millions of lips daily repeat the formula, ‘I take refuge in Buddha.’
“
The Three Guides
These last words are a translation, although not quite an
accurate one, of the opening words of the Tisarana, the recitation of which with
the five precepts constitutes the only public formula used by the Southern
Church of Buddhism. The word Saranam, which has so often been rendered “refuge,”
seems to mean much more nearly “a guide,” so that the threefold formula which is
repeated by each Buddhist as he visits his temple would really be translated
thus:
I take the Lord Buddha as my guide.
I take his Law as my guide.
I take his Order as my guide.
The word Dharma, which is usually translated “law,” really
bears a much wider signification than that English term. It is not in the least
a law or series of commandments ordained by the Buddha, but his statement of the
universal laws under which the Universe exists, and consequently of the duties
of man as part of that mighty scheme. It is in this sense that the expressions
quoted above are employed by the Buddhist. In pronouncing the Tisarana he
expresses his acceptance of the Lord Buddha as his guide and teacher; his
adherence to the doctrine which the Buddha taught; and his recognition of the
great order of Buddhist monks as the practised interpreters of the (Page
103) meaning of the doctrine. This does not in the least imply the
acceptance of the interpretation of any particular monk, but only that of the
Order in the most catholic sense; he believes that interpretation to be accurate
which is held by the entire Brotherhood in all places and at all times.
The Five Precepts
Following upon this confession of faith comes the
recitation of the five precepts to which we have already referred, which in
Ceylon are shortly called the Pansil. These run as follows:
1. I observe the
precept to refrain from the destruction of life.
2. I observe the precept to refrain from
taking that which is not mine.
3. I observe the precept to refrain from
unlawful intercourse.
4. I observe the precept to refrain from
falsehood.
5. I observe the precept to refrain from
using intoxicating liquors or stupefying drugs.
It can hardly fail to strike the intelligent person that,
as Colonel Olcott observes, “ One who observes these strictly must escape from
every cause productive of human misery, for if we study history we shall find
that it has all sprung from one or another of these causes. The farseeing wisdom
of the Buddha is most plainly shown in the first, third, and fifth; for the
taking of life, sensuality, and the use of intoxicants cause at least
ninety-five per cent of the suffering among men.” It is interesting to notice
how each of these precepts goes further than the corresponding Jewish
commandment. Instead of being told to do no murder, we find ourselves enjoined
to take no (Page 104) life whatever; instead of being
commanded not to steal, we have the more far-reaching precept not to take that
which does not belong to us, which would obviously cover the acceptance of
praise not honestly due to us, and many another case quite outside of what is
commonly called stealing. It will be observed also that the third of these
precepts includes a great deal more than the seventh of the commandments of
Moses, forbidding not only one particular type of unlawful intercourse, but all
types. Instead of being forbidden to bear false witness in a court of law, we
are enjoined to avoid falsehood altogether. I have often thought of what a good
thing it would have been for all these European countries which have taken up
the teaching of Christ if the legendary Moses had included in his Decalogue the
fifth of these Buddhist precepts – the instruction to touch no intoxicating
liquor nor stupefying drugs. How much simpler would be all our essential
problems if that commandment were observed in England and America as it is
observed in Buddhist countries!
The recitation of the Tisarana and the Pancha Sila which I
have just described is the nearest approach of the Southern Buddhist to what we
should call a public service. There is, however, the regular weekly preaching by
the monks, which is attended by large crowds of people. There is usually a large
preaching-hall attached to each of the temples, but in many cases this is used
only in wet weather, and when the day is fine the preaching is held in the
palm-grove near the temple. There is a great deal of this preaching, and it is
often carried on far into the night, different monks relieving one another, and
taking up the word in turn. I suppose that it is scarcely possible for you in
these temperate climes to form any idea of the peaceful and almost unearthly
(Page 105) beauty of such a scene. The splendid light
of the tropical moon, brilliant enough to enable one easily to read the type of
newspaper, pours down upon the many-coloured crowd, flecked with the shadows of
the graceful waving palm leaves, and in the midst sits the yellow-robed monk
pouring forth fluently his simple and homely address to the villagers. Usually
he recites some story or parable from the sacred books, and then proceeds to
explain it. A curious old custom which I have seen many times in Ceylon is that
one monk preaches in the sacred language, Pali, and another interprets what he
says sentence by sentence into Sinhalese, the common tongue of the people. It is
evidently a relic of the time, more than two thousand years ago, when Buddhism
was being preached in Ceylon by those missionaries from Northern India whose
mother tongue was Pali; and the fact that it should thus have been preserved is
a curious instance of the conservatism of the immemorial East.
The Chanting of the Blessing
One other ceremony the Southern Church possesses to which
a passing reference has already been made – that of the recitation of the verses
of Paritta or blessing. It is of so interesting a nature as to merit a somewhat
detailed description. In essence it is, as the name implies, a recitation of
blessings and invocations for the purpose of warding off evil influences – the
chanting of those verses from the sacred books of the Buddhists in which the
Buddha declares that blessing follows upon certain actions, and also of hymns
from the same books invoking the benevolent attention of the sun-god and of the
Arhats and Buddhas. The principal of these is the beautiful hymn of the
peacock-king from the Jataka stories. These Pirit verses are chanted by the
Buddhist monks on various (Page 106) occasions, alike
of sorrow and of rejoicing. We may divide such occasions roughly into two
classes – public and private.
The most common example of the latter is that in case of
serious sickness or the approach of death, one or two monks from the nearest
temple are often invited to come and chant these verses of benediction by the
bedside of the sufferer, keeping in mind all the time an earnest wish for his
recovery – or, if that is considered hopeless, for his welfare in the condition
after death. The monks do not pray for the sick man in our sense of the word,
for that is no part of their faith; they simply chant their verses, with the
will to help and to avert any evil influence ever strongly present in their
minds.
Of course no remuneration is offered to the monks, for
their rules forbid them to touch money under any circumstances; a meal may
perhaps be given to them, if the ceremony be performed in the morning, but later
than noon they cannot accept even that, as they eat nothing after the middle of
the day.
The public ceremony is a more imposing affair, and lasts
much longer. It takes place usually on some festival, such as the celebration of
the dedication of a temple. On such occasion the simple festivities and
processions will sometimes last for a week or even a fortnight; and during the
whole of this time the recitation of Pirit is going on. Just as in connection
with some churches and convents there is a “Confraternity of Perpetual
Adoration,” whose members relieve one another in regular watches in order to
keep up night and day continuous worship before the alter, so from the beginning
to the end of this Buddhist festival the monotonous chant of the recitations
from the sacred books never ceases.
(Page 107)
Attached to most of the temples is a Dharmasalawa or
preaching-hall, and it is in this that the Pirit is chanted. This preaching hall
is so entirely different from any building used for similar purposes in the
West, that perhaps a description of it may not be uninteresting. Its size varies
with the means at the disposal of the builder, but its shape is invariably
square. The lofty roof is supported simply by pillars, and it has no wall of any
sort – nor does it contain any seats, the people disposing themselves on mats on
the earthen floor.
In the centre is a large raised square platform, having
pillars at its corners and a low railing round it; and round the edge of this,
inside the railing, runs a low seat – often scarcely more than a step – on which
(facing inwards) the members of the Sangha or monastic order sit, while one of
their number addresses the people, who are thus, it will be seen, not grouped in
front of the speaker only, as is usual in the West, but surround him on all
sides. On the platform, in the centre of the hollow square thus formed by the
monks, is usually a small table with flowers upon it, or sometimes a relic, if
the temple happens to possess one.
When no permanent building of this sort exists, a
temporary one (but always exactly on the same plan) is put up for the festival;
and a stranger is surprised to see how substantial these temporary erections of
bamboo, palm leaves and coloured paper can be made to appear under the skilful
hands of native workmen.
It is in this preaching-hall, then, whether permanent or
temporary, that the constant recitation of the Pirit goes on; and there also
three times in each day the whole available band of monks assembles to chant the
more imposing Maha Pirit – an interesting mesmeric ceremony which merits special
description. It should be premised that (Page 108)
before the ceremony commences a huge pot of water carefully covered has been
placed in the centre of the platform and numerous threads or strings have been
arranged to run from pillar to pillar above the heads of the monks as they sit –
this system of threads being connected by several converging lines with the pot
of water in the centre.
At the time of the Maha Pirit, when all the monks are
seated in a hollow square as above described, a piece of rope, about the
thickness of an ordinary clothesline, is produced and laid on the knees of the
monks, each of whom holds it in his hands all through the ceremony, thus
establishing a connection with his fellows not unlike that of the circle at a
spiritualistic séance. Care is taken that after the circle is completed one of
the ends of the rope shall be carried up and connected with the threads and
strings above, so that the whole arrangement in reality converges on the pot of
water.
This being done the Maha Pirit commences, and the whole
body of monks, with the united will to bless, recite for some forty minutes a
series of benedictions from the sacred books. The portions selected vary, but to
give an idea of their general nature I will quote from the Mahamangala Sutta,
which is one of those most frequently chosen. A question has been put to the
Buddha: “Men, yearning for good, have held divers things to be desirable; do
thou inform us, O Master, what are in reality the greatest blessings.” In reply
the Buddha says:-
Not to serve the foolish
But to serve the wise,
To honor those worthy of honor;
This is the greatest blessing.
To dwell in a pleasant land,
To have done good deeds in a former birth, (Page 109)
To have a soul filled with right desires;
This is the greatest blessing.
Much insight and much education,
Self-control and a well-trained mind,
Pleasant words that are well spoken;
This is the greatest blessing.
To support father and mother,
To cherish wife and child,
To follow a peaceful calling;
This is the greatest blessing.
To bestow alms and live righteously,
To give help to one’s kindred,
To do deeds which cannot be blamed;
This is the greatest blessing.
To abhor and cease from sin,
To abstain from strong drink,
Not to be weary in well-doing;
This is the greatest blessing.
To be long-suffering and meek,
To associate with the tranquil,
Religious talk at due seasons;
This is the greatest blessing.
Self –restraint and purity,
The knowledge of the Four Great Truths,
The realization of Nirvana;
This is the greatest blessing.
Beneath the stroke of life’s changes
The soul that stands unshaken,
Passionless, unsorrowing, secure;
This is the greatest blessing.
Invincible on every side
Is he who acteth thus;
On every side he walks in safety;
His is the greatest blessing
As this ceremony of the Maha Pirit is performed (Page
110) three times daily for seven days, and the influence kept up in the
interval by the ceaseless chanting of the ordinary Pirit, the student of
mesmerism will have no difficulty in believing that by the end of that time the
cord, the connected threads and the pot of water in the centre of the circle are
all thoroughly magnetized.
On the last day comes the crowning glory of the festival –
the distribution of the mesmerized water. First of all the principal men and
honoured guests go up to the steps of the platform, and the chief monk, uttering
a form of benediction, pours three times a few drops of the water into their
outstretched palms, they bending reverently the while. At the conclusion of the
benediction the recipient drinks a little of the water and applies the rest to
his forehead, the whole ceremony to a Western mind strangely suggesting a
combination of two well-known Christian rites.
The rest of the water is then poured into smaller vessels
and distributed by the assistants among the crowd, each person receiving it in
the same manner. The mesmerized thread is cut into pieces and distributed among
the people, who wear it around the arm or neck as a talisman.
It is not uncommon to attach special threads to the
circle, and allow them to hang down outside the platform, so that any who are
suffering from fever, rheumatism, or other ailments, may hold the ends in their
hands during the chanting of the Maha Pirit, and the patient frequently seems to
derive advantage from this tapping the mesmeric battery.
This much of ceremony, at any rate, the Southern Church of
Buddhism possesses; but I think we must all agree that it is a harmless and
interesting one. (Page 111)
The Two Churches
The great Northern Church of Buddhism has many more public
ceremonies; but as I have no personal experience of them I will not repeat to
you that which you yourselves may read in any book on the subject. You may
remember how in speaking of Christianity I explained that every religion in
course of time inevitably departed somewhat from the primitive teaching given by
its founder. This has been less the case with Buddhism than with any other of
the great world-religions; yet nevertheless it is an undoubted fact that the
tenets have varied with the lapse of time. Curiously enough the two churches
have varied in exactly opposite directions; the Northern Church has undoubtedly
added, while the Southern Church, in its zeal to retain the purity of the
doctrine, and to avoid accretions, has lost something of its pristine fullness.
The Northern Church spread chiefly among the wilder tribes of Central Asia, and
has been considerably influenced by relics of their original nature-worship. If
one reads any of the more accurate accounts of the Buddhism of Tibet, it will at
once be noted that a great deal of this nature-worship exists in connection with
it. Unknown deities appear, many of them of a dangerous nature and requiring
propitiation; while many of the orders and hierarchies of Devas and other beings
have taken on a gloomier cast, and are regarded as at least potentially evil. On
the other hand some part at least of the highest metaphysics is clearly
preserved, the Amitabha and Avalokiteshvara of their system corresponding
closely to Parabrahm (the unmanifested) and to Ishvara (the manifested Logos)
among the Hindus.
The Southern Church, on the other hand, has almost
entirely refused accretions of any sort. In Burma, (Page
112) though one may see hundreds of images in some of the great temples, yet
they are every one images of the Buddha himself in many different positions. In
Ceylon, it is true, images of Hindu deities, of Vishnu and Subrfamani Iyer, are
often to be seen, presumably as a concession to the Hindu faith of the later
Tamil rulers of Ceylon, but even so they are invariably represented as inferior
to the Buddha, and as acting under his orders. The Southern Church has somewhat
forgotten the higher metaphysics, and gives but little study at the present day
to the Abhidhamma Pitaka, in which all the higher philosophical teaching is
contained. It devotes itself, however, with great assiduity to those other books
which expound the rules of daily life, and also those which prescribe the life
of the monks.
Materialistic Tendencies
Its tendency has been on the whole distinctly
materialistic; and it has fastened so determinedly upon those texts in which the
Buddha combats the idea of the permanence of our present personality, that
it has practically come to deny the definite survival of the soul at all. Almost
any monk of the Southern Church, if he were asked as to the immortality of the
soul, would unhesitatingly deny that Buddhism held any such doctrine, and would
carefully proceed to explain that all that we usually mean by the soul of man –
his thoughts, his disposition, his feelings, all that makes him an individual
apart from others – all these things, he would tell us, are impermanent and do
not survive to the end of the cycle of incarnations.
If he were then pressed as to what it is that does pass
over from life to life, he would confidently answer that it is the karma of the
man – that is to say, the result of this thoughts and his actions; but that the
persons who in the
(Page 113) next life enjoys or suffers the results of
this life is in reality different from the man living now. Of course this is
true if we understand the technical meaning of the word “person”; but the
average monk makes no such distinction as this, and is so intensely occupied in
resisting anything like the ghost of an idea of the personal immortality of John
Jones or Thomas Brown, that he passes into the opposite extreme and practically
denies immortality altogether. In every expression of his daily life, however,
he betrays that this is not in reality his true meaning, for he constantly
speaks of any suffering which comes to him as the consequence of something which
he did in a previous birth, and every Buddhist sermon is closed with the
benediction or pious addressed to the congregation, “May you all attain
Nirvana.” As it is invariably and inevitably recognized that Nirvana will be
attained only after many lives have enabled the aspirant to reach its
perfection, this is of course conclusive as to the survival of an individual
ego.
The Permanent Ego
The idea that the Buddha preached the non-existence of the
self rests principally on some of the later and non-canonical books, such as The
Questions of King Milinda. It is chiefly based on certain answers which he gives
upon the question of the self and the non-self, which are exactly in the manner
of the Upanishads. He tells us that neither the form, nor the sensations, nor
the perceptions, nor the impressions, nor the mind is the self. He by no means
says that the self does not exist, but that the body and all these other
possessions which are generally mistaken for the self are not that in reality,
(Page
114)
The self is something beyond them all, and he states that
when it recognizes itself as different from all else and divests itself of all
attachment, by absence of attachment it is made free. This again seems
conclusive as to the existence of a permanent self; for if the self does not
exist, who is it that is to be made free? Our Western minds, untrained in the
ideas of the Hindus to whom the Buddha addressed his sermons, see nothing but
annihilation before them when they hear that even reason is stated not to be the
self. Few can comprehend the idea that mind and reason, and even much that is
behind these, no matter how sublime they be, are essentially merely vehicles,
themselves composed of matter.
The true self transcends them all; and we may find
abundant evidence in the direct teaching of the Buddha which contradicts the
theory that he denied this presiding ego. Let me quote here only one instance
from the Samannaphala Sutta of the Digha-Nikaya. After first mentioning the
condition and training of the mind that are necessary for success in spiritual
progress, the Buddha describes how a man can recover the memory of his past
lives, and how he sees all the scenes in which he was in any way concerned
passing in succession before his mind’s eye. He illustrates it by saying: “ If a
man goes out from his own village to another, and thence to another, he may
think thus: I indeed went from my own village to that other. There I stood thus,
I sat in this manner; thus I spoke, and thus I remained silent. From that
village again I went to another, and I did the same there. The same ‘I am’
returned from that village to my own village. In the very same way, O King, the
ascetic, when his mind is pure, knows his former births. He thinks: ‘In such a
place I had a name, I was born in such a family, such was my caste, (Page
115) such was my food, and such and such a way I experienced pleasure and
pain, and my life extended through in some other place, and there also I had
such and such conditions. Thence removed, the same “I” am now born here.’ “
This quotation shows very clearly the doctrine of the
Buddha with regard to the reincarnating ego. He gives illustrations also in the
same Sutta of the manner in which an ascetic can know the past births of others,
- how he can see them die in one place, and after the sorrows and joys of hell
and heaven, the same men are born again somewhere else. It is true that in the
Brahmajala Sutta he mentions all the various aspects of the soul, and says that
they do not absolutely exist, because their existence depends upon “contact” –
that is to say, upon relation. But in thus denying the absolute reality of the
soul he agrees with the other great Indian teachers; for the existence not only
of the soul, but even of the Logos Himself is true only relatively. Untrained
minds frequently misunderstand these ideas, but the careful student of Oriental
thought will not fail to grasp exactly what is meant, and to realize that the
teaching of the Buddha in this respect is exactly that given now by Theosophy.
Theosophy and the Religions
Naturally it is only the barest outline of this
magnificent system which I have been able to put before you tonight; yet I hope
that what I have said may give you some slight idea of another of the world’s
great religions, and show you that however much its outward form may differ,
however unlike our own are the surroundings in which it flourishes, it also is
but another statement of the glorious truth which lies behind all religions
alike. Often (Page 116) in endeavouring to explain
Theosophy we are met with the objection that it is identical with Hinduism, or
with Buddhism, and that it is simply an attempt to propagate one or the other of
these religions here in the West. We can meet that only with the careful and
patient explanation that in Theosophy we do not seek to propagate any religion,
but rather to set forth the ancient wisdom that underlies them all. To many a
Western mind its teachings seem to savour of the Oriental religions, because, as
a matter of fact, those religions have retained within their popular doctrine
more of the great truths of nature than has the orthodox faith as it is commonly
taught in Europe; and consequently some of the first ideas which a Theosophist
acquires from the study of our literature are likely to remind him of what he
has heard of these great Eastern systems. In one sense such an objection has
truth in it, for Theosophy is identical with esoteric Buddhism and Hinduism, but
then so it is also with esoteric Christianity – the latter being well shown in
Mrs. Besant’s admirable book under that title.
It is not only here that such an objection has been raised
against Theosophical teaching. In India there have been men who have
misunderstood Theosophy in a similar way – who, because the founders of the
Society and some of its prominent members and officials happen to be Buddhists
by religion, have hinted that the whole work of the Society is nothing but the
propagation of Buddhism; and this remark has occasioned hesitation on the part
of some Indians who were about to join its ranks. In Ceylon and other Buddhist
countries the misunderstanding has taken the opposite direction, and some
Buddhists whose zeal outran their discretion and their knowledge, have accused
our Theosophical leaders of unduly favouring the faith of our Hindu brothers.
The very fact that (Page 117) such contradictory reports exist ought to
show where the truth lies to those who have eyes to see – whose minds are large
enough, whose heads are steady enough to stand upon the real Theosophical
platform.
The Theosophical Standpoint
The motto of our Society is “There is no religion higher
than truth, “ and as a corporate body it holds no particular belief or dogma. No
one on joining it is required to change his faith, or is even asked what his
faith is. We have members among Hindus, Buddhists, Parsis, Mohammedans, Jews,
and Christians, and each is entirely at liberty to seek to attain the highest
truth along the lines of thought to the use of which he is most accustomed;
indeed, adherents of each of these systems have again and again spoken
gratefully of the flood of light which Theosophy has thrown upon the real
meaning of the more obscure points in the teaching handed down to them from
their ancestors. The only stipulation made when a man joins our ranks is that he
shall show to his brothers the same enlightened tolerance and kindly courtesy
which he himself would wish to receive at their hands.
This is the true Theosophical standpoint; but it is a high
one, and its air is too rarefied for the respiration of the sectarian or the
bigot. He finds himself unable to exist at this unaccustomed altitude, and
he must either sink back again into his own dismal swamp of self-complacency, or
cast off forever his shell of spiritual pride and evolve into a higher and
nobler creature. No wonder then that those who can see no light but that which
shines through their own tiny lamps, should be unable to grasp so great a
religious idea, and should consequently (Page 118)
misunderstand these leaders of thought whose minds are cast in a nobler mould
than their own. Truth is one, but its aspects are many; and on the lower levels
its pursuit often seems to lead men in different directions, just as to two
travellers who approach a mountain from different sides, the upward road leads
in one case towards the north and in the other towards the south, so that each
might well suppose the other to be entirely wrong. Yet ever as they reach the
higher levels and the purer air, the searchers, however unconsciously, are
drawing nearer and nearer to each other, until that supreme moment arrives when
they stand side by side upon the loftiest peak, and for the first time fully
realize the difference between the real and the unreal.
Perhaps of all the great religions it is Buddhism which
comes closest to this which I have outlined as the true Theosophical attitude.
As Sir Edwin Arnold remarks: “This venerable religion has in it the eternity of
a universal hope, the immortality of a boundless love, an indestructible element
of faith in final good, and the proudest assertion ever made of human freedom.”
How high is its aim, how noble and unselfish its teachings, I cannot hope to
tell you in so short a speech as this. But this grand old faith will well repay
your closer study, for in its scriptures you will find much of the purest
Theosophy. Let me end this brief sketch by reading to you a beautiful poetical
translation by Sir Edwin Arnold of the first chapter of one of the principal
books of the Buddhist scriptures, the Dhammapada. This translation was written
in 1889 by Sir Edwin for a little periodical called The Buddhist, which I was
then editing in Colombo.
(Page 119)
THE DHAMMAPADA
Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are
By thought was wrought and built. If a man’s mind
Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes
The wheel the ox behind.
All that we are is what we thought and willed;
Our thoughts shape us and frame. If one endure
In purity of thought, joy follows him
As his own shadow – sure.
“He hath defamed me, wronged me, injured me,
Abased me, beaten me!” If one should keep
Thoughts like these angry words within his breast
Hatred will never sleep.
“He hath defamed me, wronged me, injured me,
Abased me. Beaten me!” If one should send
Such angry words away for pardoning thoughts
Hatreds will have an end.
For never anywhere at any time
Did hatred cease by hatred. Always ‘tis
By love that hatred ceases – only love;
The ancient law is this.
The many, who are foolish, have forgot –
Or never knew – how mortal wrongs pass by;
But they who know and who remember, let
Transient quarrels die.
Whoso abides, looking for joy, unschooled,
Gluttonous, weak, in idle luxuries,
Mara will overthrow him, as fierce winds
Level short-rooted trees.
Whoso abides, looking for joy, controlled,
Temperate, faithful, strong, shunning all ill,
Mara shall no more overthrow that man
Than the wind doth a hill.
Whoso Kashya wears – the yellow robe –
Being anishkashya* - not sin-free,
Nor heeding truth and governance – unfit
To wear that dress is he.
But whoso, being nishkashya, pure,
Clean from offence, doth still in virtues dwell,
Regarding temperance and truth – that man
Weareth Kashya well.
Whoso imagines truth in the untrue,
And in the true finds untruth – he expires
Never attaining knowledge: life is waste;
He follows vain desires.
Whoso discerns in truth the true, and sees
The false in falseness with unblinded eye,
He shall attain to knowledge; life with such
Aims well before it die.
As rain breaks through an ill-thatched roof, so break
Passions through minds that holy thought despise;
As rain runs from a perfect thatch, so run
Passions from off the wise.
The evildoer mourneth in this world,Z
And mourneth in the world to come; in both
He grieveth. When he sees fruit of his deeds
To see he will be loath.
The righteous man rejoiceth in this world
And in the world to come; in both he takes
Pleasure. When he shall see fruit of his works
The good sight gladness makes.
Glad is he living, glad in dying, glad
Having once died; glad always, glad to know
What good deeds he hath done, glad to foresee
More good where he shall go.
---------------------------------------------------------
*There is a play here upon the words Kashya, the yellow
robe of the Buddhist priest, and kashya, impurity.
The lawless man, who, not obeying Law,
Leaf after leaf recites, and line by line,
No Buddhist is he, but a foolish herd
Who counts another’s kine.
The law-obeying, loving one, who knows
Only one verse of Dharma, but hath ceased
From envy, hatred, malice, foolishness –
He is the Buddhist Priest.
- Sir Edwin Arnold
(Extracted from The Buddhist, Vol. I, No. 30, July
12,1889)
MODERN
CHAPTER V.
THE UNSEEN WORLD
(Page
123) Theosophical teaching on the subject of the
unseen world is much more precise and definite than that which we usually
receive from current religious doctrine in England and America. We hold that
there is an unseen world, that it is around us here and now, and not far away
from us, and that it remains unseen only because most of us have not yet
developed the senses by which it can be perceived; that for those who have
developed these senses the world is not unseen and not unknown, but is entirely
within reach, and can be explored and investigated as may be desired, precisely
as any country here on earth might be. Vast parts of the world’s surface
remained unknown for hundreds, even thousands of years, until explorers were
found who took the trouble and had the necessary qualifications to investigate
them. Even now there remain parts of our world’s surface of which little is
known. The North Pole lies still beyond the reach of man, though it may not be
long before even that also is conquered.
These unseen worlds have not remained unknown to all, any
more than many of the remote places of the earth have really remained unknown
from the beginning of time until now. There are vast tracts of primeval forest
still standing in, for example, South America, untouched by any recent
exploration, untrodden by the foot of man (Page 124)
for perhaps thousands of years; but long before that there were great races to
whom all that country was not unknown or untrodden, but, on the contrary, to
whom it was perfectly familiar, for whom it as a native land. In the same way
this “unseen world” is unknown only to use here and now; it was not unknown to
the great races of old, not unseen by those among them who were more highly
developed, the seers and the prophets and the teachers. There is a great deal of
information about this unseen world among the sacred writings of the various
religions, and in many cases exactly what has been taught by Theosophy is to be
found in the ancient faiths.
It is only here and now, and especially among the
followers of the religion which is predominant in Western countries, that any
uncertainty seems to have arisen with regard to this unseen world. The
consequence of all the vague thought and speech about it is that the world
itself is supposed to be vague and dim and uncertain also. People feel that
because they individually know nothing for certain with regard to it, there is
therefore nothing certainly to be known, and the whole affair is misty, distant,
and unreal. Let me endeavour to put before you the Theosophical teaching on this
subject, and to show you that we have every reason for accepting that teaching
and understanding that this higher world, though at present unseen to many, is
by no means unreal, but is in every way as actual as this which we can all touch
and see and hear.
The first idea to be grasped is that this unseen world is
merely a continuation of what is known, and that the senses (latent in all of
us, though developed only in few) by which it may be cognized are in the first
place an extension of the senses which we all possess. That may, perhaps, help
us to understand the reality of this unseen world, (Page
125) and to see that there is no difficulty in our way in accepting it.
Unfortunately all that most people know about it – or think they know – has been
given to them by the religions, and the religions have contrived to be so
unscientific in their presentment of it that they have cast doubt and thrown
discredit upon the whole affair in the minds of thinking men; so that those
among the orthodox who most thoroughly believe in the unseen world now, who feel
most certain that they know exactly what that world contains, and what will be
the fate of man after death, are usually precisely the most ignorant people of
all. Now that should not be so. It should not be for the ignorant, the bigoted,
to feel certain about these matters. On the contrary, the most highly
intelligent and most scientifically trained men ought to be best able to grasp
the evidence for the existence of this unseen world, ought to be the foremost in
upholding it as a truth.
Let me first say something about the senses by which this
unseen world is perceived, and about the constitution of the world itself,
because those two subjects are closely connected, and we cannot examine one
without also looking into the other.
States of Matter
It is obvious that we may have matter in different
conditions, and that it may be made to change its condition by variations of
pressure and of temperature. We have known here three well-known states of
matter, the solid, liquid, and gaseous, and it is the theory of scientists that
all substances can, under proper variations of temperature and pressure, exist
in all these conditions. There are still, I think, a few substances which
chemists have (Page 126) not succeeded in reducing
from one state to another; but the theory universally held is that it is after
all only a questions of temperature one way or the other; that just as what is
ordinarily water may become ice at a lower temperature, and may become steam at
a higher one, so every solid which we know might become liquid or might become
gaseous, given proper conditions; every liquid may be made solid or gaseous,
every gas might be liquefied and even solidified. We know that air itself has
been liquefied, and that some of the other gases have been reduced to form even
a solid slab.
Since that is so, it is supposed that all substances can
in this way be changed from one condition to another, either by pressure or
heat. Occult chemistry shows us another and higher conditions than the gaseous –
a condition that that we call the etheric – into which all substances known to
us can be translated or transmuted; so that any element (such as hydrogen, for
example) may exist in etheric condition as well as gaseous; we may have gold or
silver or any other element either as a solid, a liquid, or a gas under
sufficient heat, and we may carry the experiment further and reduce them to
these other higher states, to this condition of matter which we call etheric. We
are able to do so because that which science postulates as ether is found by
occult chemistry to be not a homogeneous body, but simply another state of
matter – not itself a new kind of substance, but any kind of matter reduced to a
particular state. Just as we have here around us elements which are normally
solid but can be changed into the liquid or the gaseous condition, such as iron
or lead, others which are normally liquid, such as mercury, and still others
which are normally gaseous, such as nitrogen, so we have a large number of
elements or substances which are normally etheric – which are ordinarily in that
condition, but by special treatment can be brought to a gaseous condition.
(Page 127)
There is nothing at all impossible or unreasonable about
that; even a sceptic may see that it might easily be so, and that there is
nothing in science to contradict it. Indeed, ether is a necessary hypothesis; it
is only the idea that it is a state of matter instead of a substance that is in
any way new in what I am suggesting. In ordinary science they speak constantly
of an atom of oxygen, an atom of hydrogen, an atom of any of the seventy or
eighty substances which chemists call elements, the theory being that that is an
element which cannot be further reduced; that each of these elements has its
atom – and an atom, as we may see from its Greek derivation, means that which
cannot be cut or further subdivided. Occult science tells us what many
scientists have frequently suspected, that all of these so-called elements are
not in the true sense of the word elements at all; that is to say, that they can
be further subdivided; that what is commonly called an atom of oxygen or
hydrogen is not an ultimate something, and therefore in fact not an atom at all,
but a molecule which can under certain circumstances be broken up into atoms.
The Ultimate Atoms
By carrying on this breaking-up process it is found that
we arrive eventually at an infinite number of definite physical atoms which are
all alike; there is one substance at the back of all substance, and it is only
the different combinations of the ultimate atoms which give us what in chemistry
are called atoms of oxygen, hydrogen, gold or silver, platinum, etc. When they
are so broken up we get back to a series of atoms which are all identical,
except that some are positive and some are negative, or as we might say, some
male and some female. (Page 128)
If we can realize that this is so – and remember, it is
not only taught by occult science but it is strongly suspected by many
scientific men – there is as yet no direct stumbling-block before us. If that be
so, we see at once all sorts of new possibilities in chemistry. If it be true
that all substances have the same basis and that it is only a question of
raising them to a sufficient temperature or getting them into a particular state
to prove this, then we see that a change is a possibility; that we might break
up an element and then in reuniting we might join the particles differently, so
that actually we might change one of our elements into another, leaving out
perhaps in some combinations certain things, and including some that were not
there before. Undoubtedly we might make such changes as this, and so we see that
we are within reasonable distance of showing the possibility of the
transmutation theory of the alchemists, who stated that they made lead or copper
or other metals into gold or silver. The thing is not necessarily an
impossibility if this theory be true, for by reducing the lead or copper to
ultimate atoms, and then may be changed into different metals altogether. The
idea becomes feasible if we adopt this suggestion, which has been advanced as a
theory by scientists, but is stated by occult chemistry to be a definite
fact.[*Since this lecture was delivered its suggestions have been very largely
confirmed by later scientific discoveries. So far at least as the production of
radium is concerned, transmutation is now recognized, and obviously if it can
occur in the case of one element it can occur with others also, and all that
remains is to find the exact process, since the principle is established. That
all substances are but modifications of one substance is now generally admitted,
and what for the moment is supposed to be the ultimate atom is just now called
the electron. It seems likely, that the electron is not what we in Theosophy
have called the physical atom, but more probably the astral atom; though it is
difficult to speak with certainty until science has defined its discovery a
little more closely.] (Page 129)
We eventually get back, then, to the ultimate physical
atom, and we find that it is an atom as far as the physical plane is concerned.
We cannot break it up any further and still retain the matter in physical
condition; nevertheless, it can be broken up, only when that is done the matter
belongs to a different realm altogether, to part of this unseen world of which I
am going to speak. It can no longer be called physical because it has ceased to
obey some of the laws which all physical matter does obey. It is no longer
apparently contractible by any cold or expandable by any heat of which we know
anything, though there is some evidence to show that it can be affected by solar
temperatures. It no longer seems to obey the ordinary laws of gravity, although
it has what I suppose we may call a kind of law of gravity of its own.
It is very difficult to put the conception of the finer
matter of this higher realm clearly into words upon the physical plane; in fact,
I might say it is impossible to put it fully; but this much at least must be
emphasized, that the planes above this physical follow naturally from it and fit
in with it, and are not abruptly divided and entirely different. Indeed, we have
only to suppose a finer subdivision of matter than that with which we are
familiar, and a much higher rate of vibration than any which we know, and we
shall realize one aspect of the conditions of the astral plane, though there are
many other aspects which are not so readily comprehensible. (Page
130)
Planes of Subtler Matter
We find that above and beyond this physical atom we have
another series of states of that finer kind of matter, which corresponds fairly
to the degrees of matter down here, solid, liquid, gaseous, and etheric. Again,
by pushing up the division far enough we have another atom, the atom of that
astral world; and then the process may be repeated. By further subdivision of
that astral atom we find ourselves in another still higher and still more
refined world, still composed of matter, but of matter so much subtler that
nothing that we predicate of matter down here would be true of that except its
capability of being subdivided into molecules and atoms. We see that the idea
gears on to this plane, that we are not suddenly obliged to leap from the
physical which we know – or think we know – into some spiritual region of which
we can form no reasonable or distinct conception. It is true that these other
realms are unseen, but they are not therefore at all incomprehensible when we
approach the subject in this manner.
All students are aware that a great part of even this
physical world is not appreciable by our senses; that the whole of the etheric
part of the world is to us as though it were not, except for the fact that it
carries vibrations for us. We never see the ether which carries the vibration of
light to our eyes, though we may demonstrate its necessity as a hypothesis to
explain what we find. Just in the same way vibrations are received from the
other and higher matter. Although the ether cannot be seen, yet its effects are
constantly known and felt by us; and just in the same way, although the astral
matter and the mental matter are not visible to ordinary sight, yet the
vibrations of that matter affect man, and he is conscious of them in a large
number of ways; indeed, some of them he habitually uses, as we shall see when we
come to consider the subject of telepathy in a later lecture. (Page 131)
It is important that those who approach the investigation
of Theosophical teaching should understand this idea of the various planes or
degrees of matter in Nature, making in one sense each a world in itself, though
in a higher sense they are all parts of one great whole. If people can be
induced to examine this, they will see that we are in no way claiming their
faith in a miracle, but rather their investigation of a system, which we offer
to them simply as a hypothesis for their study, though to us it is not a
hypothesis, but an ascertained fact.
Where are these worlds? They are here round about us all
the time, though unseen. We need only open the senses which correspond to them
in order to be conscious of them, because each of them is full of life, exactly
as is this physical world that we know. Just as earth and air and water are
always found to be full of various forms of life, so is the astral world, so is
the mental world – each full of its own kind of life; and among the inhabitants
of these two stages of the unknown world are the vast hosts of those whom we
call the dead.
The Higher Senses
How does man become cognizant of this? As I said, by the
development of the senses corresponding to them. That implies – and it is true –
that man has within himself matter of all these finer degrees; that man has not
only a physical body, but that he has also within him that higher etheric type
of physical matter, and astral matter, and mental matter, the vibration of which
is his thought. That is not an unreasonable thing, and if a man is prepared to
accept that as a hypothesis, he will also see that a vibration of matter of one
of these finer planes can communicate (Page 132) itself
to the corresponding matter in the man and can reach the ego within him through
that vehicle, just as vibrations of physical matter are conveyed to the senses
of the man through his physical organism on this plane. The whole thing is
precisely analogous.
Perhaps the easiest way to get some idea of these higher
senses will be to begin by considering the senses that we have now. All
sensation which reaches us from without is a matter of vibration. Heat, for
example, and light, what are these but rates of vibration? There seem to be
infinite numbers of possible rates of vibration; there is no limit that we can
set, either above or below, to the possibilities of variance among these
different rates. Now out of all this infinite series only a small number can
reach us here on the physical plane. It is only a small set of vibrations of
exceeding rapidity which appear to our eyes and are recognized by us as light.
Anything which we see, we see only because it either emits or reflects some out
of this small set of vibrations.
The Gamut of Vibrations
We know in many ways that there are other vibrations
beyond those that we see. For example, we know it by photography. If we
take a BI-sulphide of carbon prism and let a ray of sunlight pass through it, we
shall get a beautiful coloured spectrum cast upon a sheet of paper of a piece of
linen or anything white that we may use. It is a beautiful spectrum, but only a
small one. If, instead of putting there the white sheet of paper which reflects
to us what we see, we put a highly sensitive photographic plate (taking care, of
course, to exclude all other light except that which comes through the prism),
we shall have a spectrum reproduced which contains a good deal more than
(Page 133) we previously saw. It is considerably extended
at the violet end, because the plate is capable of being impressed by
ultraviolet rays which do not affect the eye. Our eyes are absolutely blind to
this extension of the spectrum, but nevertheless it is there, and it is utilized
in various branches of scientific research.
An interesting example of this is seen in the photographs
of the sun taken by Professor Hale and others. One of the most abundant elements
in the sun is calcium, but the rays from the calcium in the sun are invisible to
us, though they appear in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, and therefore
produce an impression upon the photographic plate. Sir Robert Ball writes:-
“Views of the sun by this invisible light are utterly
unlike the pictures of the sun by ordinary photographs. In ordinary photographs,
the brilliant clouds forming the photosphere are represented; these consist of
masses of carbon vapours, or rather masses of particles of solid carbon heated
to dazzling incandescence. Floating above this region are the mighty calcium
vapours. Their subdued light cannot be photographed in the glare of the
photosphere, but when all that glare has been filtered away we obtain pictures
of what is indeed a new sun, or rather of the wonderful developments of rolling
volumes of calcium vapours of whose existence we must without this device have
remained in ignorance. In some cases Professor Hale has given us striking
duplicate pictures of the same part of the sun, but taken with two different
lights. These pictures show large differences in detail, arising from the
circumstance that the parts of the sun which give out one kind of light are
often not the same as those which give out another kind. Such pictures reveal
the structure of the sun as it has never been revealed before.” (Page
134) The description of a scientific experiment such as this is of great
interest to the occult student, because it exactly illustrates what he so well
knows – that the same object seen simultaneously by two observers may not
present at all the same appearance to them. The two photographs of the sun, one
taken by the ultraviolet calcium light and the other in the ordinary way,
produce very different results, yet each is perfectly accurate, and all that is
shown in each is really there. In the same way, if two men simultaneously look
at a friend, one using clairvoyant sight and the other ordinary physical vision,
they will see their friend very differently, and yet each will be right as far
as his vision extends. The clairvoyant faculty, like the ultra-violent light,
will reveal much that can never be seen without it, and for exactly the same
reason – because it brings within our ken vibrations which otherwise remain out
of our reach.
If we come down to the other end of this great gamut, to
the slow vibrations, we shall find a certain number so slow as to affect the
heavy matter of the atmosphere, to strike upon the tympanum of our ear and reach
us as sound. There may be, and there must be, an infinity of sounds which are
too high or too low for the human ear to respond to them; and to all such
sounds, of which there must be millions and millions, the human ear is
absolutely deaf. If there be vibrations so slow that they appear to us as sound,
and other exceedingly rapid ones which appear to us as light, what are all the
others? Assuredly there are vibrations of all intermediate rates. We have them
as electrical phenomena of various kinds; we have them as the Rontgen rays. In
fact, the whole secret of the Rontgen rays, or X-rays, is simply the bringing
within the capacity of our eyes and within the field of our vision a few more
rays, (Page 135) a few of the finer rates of vibration,
which normally would be out of our reach.
I will append here a table of the vibrations at present
recognised by scientific men. It is that issued by the Polytechnic School in
Paris.
TABLE OF VIBRATIONS
Whose effects are recognized and Studied.
Number of vibrations per second.
1st
Octave…………………………… 2
2nd “
…………………………………..4
3rd
“…………………………………....8
4th
“…………………………………...16 Sound.
5th
“……………………………………32 “
6th
“………………………………… 64 “
7th
“………………………………… 128 “
8th
“…………………………………. 256 “
9
th “……………………………………512
“
10th
“………………………………. 1,024 “
15th
“………………………………. 32,768 “
20th
“…………………………… 1,047,576 Unknown.
25th
“………………………… 33,554,432 Electricity.
30th
“……………………… ..1,073,741,824 “
35th
“…………………… 34,359,738,368 “
40th
“………………….. 1,099,511,627,776 Unknown.
45th
“………………… 35,184,372,088,832 “
46th
“………………… 70,368,744,177,644 Heat.
47th
“………………...140,737,468,355,328 “
48th
“……………..….281,474,979,710,656 “
49th
“………………...562,949,953,421,312 Light.
50th
“…………….. 1,125,899,906,842,624 Chemical Rays.
51st
“…………….. 2,251,799,813,685,248 Unknown
57th
“…………..144,115,188,075,855,872 “
58th
“…………..288,230,376,151,711,744 X-Rays
59th
“…………..576,460,752,303,423,488 “
60th
“………...1,152,921,504,606,846,976 “
61st
“……........2,305,843,009,213,693,952 “
62nd “……..
4,611,686,618,427,389,904 Unknown
(Page
136)
Extension of Faculty
Many people suppose that our faculties are limited – that
they have their definite bounds, beyond which we cannot go. But this is not so.
Now and then we find an abnormal person who has the X-ray sight by nature and is
able to see far more than others; but we can observe variations for ourselves
without going as far as that. If we take a spectroscope, which is an arrangement
of a series of prisms, its spectrum, instead of being an inch or an inch and a
half long; will extend several feet, although it will be much fainter. If we
throw that upon a huge sheet of white paper, and get a number of our friends to
mark on that sheet of paper exactly how far they can see light, how far the red
extends at one end, or how far the violet extends at the other, we shall be
surprised to find that some of our friends can see further at one end, and some
further at the other. We may come upon some one who can see a great deal further
than most people at both ends of the spectrum; and if so, we have found some one
who is on the way to becoming clairvoyant.
It might be supposed that it is only a question of
keenness of sight, but it is not that in the least; it is a question of sight
which is able to respond to different series of vibrations, and of two people
the keenness of whose sight is absolutely equal, we may find that one can
exercise it only toward the violet end, and the other toward the red end. The
whole phenomenon of colour-blindness hinges on this capacity; but when we find a
person who can see a great deal further at both ends of this spectrum, we have
some one who is partially clairvoyant, who can respond to more vibrations; and
that is the secret of seeing so much more. There may be and there are many
entities (Page 137) many objects about us which do not
reflect rays of light that we can see, but do reflect these other rays of rates
of vibration which we do not see; consequently some of such things can be
photographed, though our eyes cannot see them. What are called “spirit
photographs” have often been taken, although there is a great deal of scepticism
in connection with them, because, as is well known to any photographer, such a
thing can easily be produced by a slight preliminary exposure. There are various
ways in which it can be done; nevertheless, although they can be counterfeited
by fraud, it is certain that some such photographs have been taken.
Dr. Baraduc’s Experiments
The recent experiments of Dr. Baraduc, of Paris, seem to
show conclusively the possibility of photographing these invisible vibrations.
When last I was there he showed me a large series of photographs in which he had
succeeded in reproducing the effects of emotion and of thought. He has one of a
little girl mourning over the death of a pet bird, where a curious sort of
network of lines produced by the emotion surrounds both the bird and the child.
Another of two children, taken the moment after they were suddenly startled,
shows a speckled and palpitating cloud. Anger at an insult is manifested by a
number of little thought-forms thrown off in a shape of flecks or incomplete
globules. A lady who has seen the collection since I did describes “a photograph
demonstrating the purr of a cat, whose sonorous contentment projected a
delicately-tinted cloud.”
The doctor employs the dry-plate system without contact
and with or without a camera, in total obscurity through black paper or in a
darkroom. The plate is held near the forehead, the heart, or the hand of the
person (Page 138) who is experimenting. He says, “
Vital force is eminently plastic and, like clay, received impressions as
lifelike as if modelled by the invisible hand of some spirit sculptor. These
phantom photographs, these telepathic images of the invisible, are produced by
concentration of thought; thus, an officer fixed his mind upon an eagle and the
majestic form of the bird was depicted upon the plate. Another shows the
silhouette of a horse.” He tells us that sometimes faces appear upon the plates,
and especially describes one case in which a mother’s thought produces a
portrait of a dead child. He gives us also the following interesting account of
an impression made during an astral visit:
“An astonishing feat of telepathic photography is related
by a medical practitioner of Bucharest, Dr. Hasdeu. Being interested in
telepathic phenomena, he and his friend, Dr. Istrati, determined to put it to a
photographic test, so as to prove whether it were possible to project an image
at a distance upon a plate already prepared. The evening agreed on for the
crucial experiment arrived. Dr. Hasdeu before retiring placed his camera beside
his bed. Dr. Istrati was separated from him by several hundred miles. The latter
according to agreement was, just before going to sleep, to concentrate his
thoughts in the endeavour to impress his image upon the plate prepared by his
friend in Bucharest. The next morning, on awakening, Dr. Istrati was convinced
that he had succeeded, being assured of it in a dream. He wrote to a mutual
friend, who went to Dr. Hasdeu’s residence and who found that gentleman engaged
in the development of the plate in question. Upon it there appeared three
distinct figures, one of them particularly clear and lifelike. It depicted Dr.
Istrati gazing with intensity into the camera, the extremity of the instrument
being illuminated by a (Page 139) phosphorescent glow
which appeared to emanate from the apparition. When Dr. Istrati returned to
Bucharest he was surprised at the resemblance of his fluidic portrait, which
revealed his type of face and most marked characteristics with more fidelity
than photographs taken by ordinary processes.”
Our Wider Powers
All these experiments show us how much is visible to the
eye of the camera which is invisible to ordinary human vision; and it is
therefore obvious that if the human vision can be made as sensitive as the
plates used in photography we shall see many things to which now we are blind.
It is within the power of man not only to equal the highest sensitiveness
attainable by chemicals, but greatly to transcend it; and by this means a vast
amount of information about this unseen world may be gained.
With regard to hearing, the same thing is true. We do not
all hear equally, and again I do not mean by that that some of us have better
hearing than others, but that some of us hear sounds which the others could
under no circumstances hear, however loud they might become. This, again, is
demonstrable. There are various vibratory sounds caused by machinery which may
be carried to such a height as to become inaudible; as the machinery moves
faster and faster they gradually become less and less audible, and at last pass
beyond the stage of audibility, not because they have ceased, but because the
note has been raised too far for the human ear to follow it. The pleasantest
test I know of – which anyone can apply in the summer months if he is living in
the country – is the sound of the squeak of the bat. That is a very razor edge
of sound, a tiny, needle-like cry like the squeak of (Page
140) a mouse, only several octaves higher. It is on the edge of the
possibility of human hearing. Some people can hear it and others cannot, which
shows us again that there is no definite limit, and that the human ear varies
considerably in its power of responding to vibrations.
If, then, we are capable of responding only to certain
small groups out of the vast mass of vibrations, we may readily see what an
enormous change would be produced if we were able to respond to all. The etheric
sight of which we sometimes speak is simply an added power of responding to
physical vibrations, and much of the clairvoyance on a small scale which is
shown by dead people at séances is of that type. They read some passage out of a
closed book, or a letter which is shut up within a box. The X-rays enable us to
do something similar – not to read a letter, perhaps, but to see through
material objects, to descry a key inside a wooden box, or to observe the bones
of the human body through the flesh. All such additional sight is obtained in
the way I have described, by being able to respond to a larger set of
vibrations.
Let us carry that a little further; let us go beyond the
vibrations of physical matter and imagine ourselves able to respond to the
vibrations of physical mater and imagine ourselves able to respond to the
vibrations of astral matter; at once another world is ours for the winning, and
we see the objects of a plane material still, but on a higher level. In this,
although there may be much which is unfamiliar, there is nothing which is
impossible. It all leads on stage by stage from the faculties which we already
know and use, and this world of astral matter follows step by step from the
world with which we are so familiar. There is nothing irrational about the
conception. The claim made by Theosophy, and by all those belonging to the great
religions of the East, that it is possible for man to sense this unknown world
and tell us all about it, is in reality a perfectly reasonable one, instead of
being a grotesque and absurd suggestion savouring only of charlatanism or fraud,
as is so often supposed. The whole theory is in fact scientific and coherent and
may be approached along a purely scientific line of investigation. (Page 141)
-
The Truth About the Unseen
Broadly, in order that the scheme in outline at any rate
may be before you,no (not quite accurately, but in a general way) to the
orthodox idea of hell and heaven; or they are rather heaven and purgatory;
because although it is true that terrible suffering may come to mankind under
certain conditions in the lower part of that astral plane, yet all suffering of
any sort that comes to him is not of a punitive but of a purgative nature.
Suffering is always and under all circumstances intended to benefit the man. It
is part of the scheme which has for its object the evolution of the man; not an
endless, meaningless punishment given through revenge, but the steady working
out of a great law of justice, a law which gives to every man exactly that which
he has deserved, not as reward or punishment, but simply as a scientific result.
If a man puts his hand into the fire and it is burn, it does not occur to him to
say that somebody punished him for doing that; he knows that it is the natural
result; it is a question of the rapidity with which the vibrations from the
burning matter have pierced his skin, and have produced the various
disintegrations which have taken place. Just in the same way the suffering which
follows evil is not a punishment imposed from
When by the use of such faculties man is able to examine
this unseen world, what does he find with regard it? Broadly, in order that
scheme outline at any rate may be before you, let me say we world divided into
two stages, astral and mental, these correspond (not quite accurately, but a
general way) orthodox idea hell heaven; or they are rather heaven purgatory;
because although it true terrible suffering come mankind under certain
conditions lower part plane, yet all sort comes him not punitive purgative
nature. Always circumstances intended benefit man. Which has for its object
evolution man; an endless, meaningless punishment given through revenge, steady
working out great law justice, gives every exactly deserved, as reward
punishment, simply scientific result. If puts his hand fire burnt, occur
somebody punished doing that; knows natural result; question rapidity vibrations
from burning matter have pierced skin, produced various disintegration taken
place. Just same way follows evil imposed from outside, but merely the result
under an unvarying law of what the man (Page 142)
himself has done; and so all the suffering that comes to him comes under the
great law and is intended to purify and help him, and will undoubtedly produce
that effect.
The lower astral world, therefore, corresponds very much
more to purgatory than to the ordinary and most blasphemous idea of hell. There
is nothing in the whole universe, happily, which in the least corresponds to
that. Although there is no endless torture such as has been pictured for us by
the diseased mind and disordered imagination of the mediaeval monk, there are
individual cases of suffering; but even that suffering, terrible though it may
sometimes be, is the best thing for the man, because only in that way can he get
rid of the desire which has come upon him, the evil which he has allowed to grow
within him; only by that means can he cast this off, so as to begin anew in the
next birth under better conditions his effort toward the higher evolution.
The Heaven Life
The second part of life after death, the heaven world, is
also the result of the man’s actions, but of the higher and nobler part of them.
There all the spiritual force which he has set in motion during his world-life
finds its full result. Here again it is merely a scientific question of the
amount of energy invested, for the law of the conservation of energy holds good
in all these loftier planes, just as it does on the physical. A man’s intensity
of feeling for some high ideal, the intensity of the unselfish affection which
he pours out, whether it be in devotion upon his deity, or merely in love upon
those around him – whether it be an exalted type of impersonal love which
includes all, or the more ordinary variety which (Page 143)
fully lavishes itself only upon one or two – all these are spiritual forces at
their different stages of their different degrees, and all represent energy
generated, which can never bear its full result in this physical life, because
all our highest thoughts and aspirations belong to the realm of the untrammelled
soul, and so this lower plane is incapable of providing a field for their
fulfilment or realization. None knows it better than the artist or the poet who
tries to realize them – the man who paints a picture or writes a poem, hoping
thereby to convey to others what he has seen in a vision of that higher world;
none knows better than such an artist how utterly the expression of that thought
fails, how the best that he can do, the most satisfactory reproduction that he
makes, falls infinitely short of the reality.
All that being so, all these higher ideals and aspirations
remain a vast force stored up, which can never be exhausted on the physical
plane or during physical life. It is only after death and the lower passions and
desires are dissipated that it is possible for all these grander forces to work
themselves out. And so there comes to be a higher unseen world of transcendent
beauty and unimaginable splendour which has been called heaven. Attempts have
been made to picture it by all religions, but they have all fallen miserably
short of the truth. We have passages imaging heaven as containing gates of pearl
and streets of gold and seas of fire mingled with glass, and trees which bear
twelve manner of fruits, and jewellery and precious stones of various sorts, all
clumsy endeavours presenting the highest and best that the imagination of the
writer could attain. We shall find similar symbology in the Hindu and Buddhist
manuscripts, the same trees of gold and silver with fruits of precious stones in
the gardens of the gods, - crude yet genuine endeavours of the early writers to
image something that they had seen, something too glorious for words to express.
(Page 144)
We, in our day, draw a different picture of the
heaven-world. It is something far more refined, more intellectual for those who
understand what spirituality means; but still our efforts, although to us they
are so much more satisfactory, equally fall short of the reality of the grand
truth behind. So it remains true as it was written long ago: “Eye hath not seen,
nor ear hath heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive
the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” But there is a happy
difference; it is not only for a faithful few, but for all; for surely all must
love Him as far as they know Him. There is no limitation; this heaven-world is
heaven for all who can reach it.
Each has his Reward
Instead of consigning some men to heaven and some to hell,
as modern theology does, it would be more true to say that every man must pass
through both the states which are typified by those names. Every man must pass
through the astral plane on his way to the heaven-world. Every man at the end of
his astral life will attain that heaven-world, unless he be a person so
elementary, so degraded as never yet to have had any unselfish thought or
feeling. If that be so, there can indeed be no heaven-world for him, because all
these selfish desires and feelings belong exclusively to the astral plane, and
they will find their result on that plane. There are those who have scarcely
anything which is unselfish in their nature; such people also will reap the
reward of whatever good they have done, not in that heaven-world, but at a lower
level, in the higher part of the astral plane. (Page 145)
As was said long ago about those who prayed in public
places in order that they might be seen of men: “Verily, I say unto you, they
have their reward.” As it is with those of high ideals, who do not get all that
they desire here, so it is with those whose ideals are selfish; they have their
reward also after death; in the higher part of the astral world they will gain
their result; they will find themselves surrounded by that which they desire;
but they will miss the higher things which they have not desired, because as yet
they have not evolved to that level. Still, all will be happy in their own way
and at their own time. The selfish will doubtless suffer much on the way to that
stage, but there will be something even for them – something for all. It will be
seen that this is a less confined idea than that of the orthodox religions. We
go somewhat further than they, and we are enabled to do so because the whole
scheme is scientific, because there is no question of a favouritism that
consigns some people to heaven and shuts others out of it.
All this is no surmise; it is the simple truth – truth
based upon careful observation, and capable of being verified by those who have
eyes to see upon the higher planes. Nor is this heaven-world a mere land of
dreams; it is full of the most vivid reality. Indeed, it is the plane of the
Divine mind, which responds to whatever call is made upon it. If one man has a
wealth of the grandest aspirations, he draws down a corresponding outpouring
from above; if another has only just a little grain or two of anything unselfish
within his nature, even that little grain still brings forth its appropriate
result. There is no question of one entering and the other being shut out, but
each gains just what he is capable of gaining. This is the essence of the
heaven-world. Every man there is happy;
(Page 146) necessarily all are not equally happy, nor
all happy in the same way, but every individual is happy to the fullest extent
of his capacity for happiness. The only thing which prevents him from going
further is that he is unable to grasp any more. Each vessel is filled to the
utmost; though some vessels are small and some are large, they are filled to
their respective capacities.
We must, I think, admit that this is a far more reasonable
theory than that held by modern theology. My intention today has been not so
much to give you details as to the conditions of the worlds beyond the grave, as
to show you they are all part of the same world; to show you that there is no
sudden break of any kind, but that everything is reasonable, coherent and graded
all the way through. As to their place, I have told you that these worlds are
about us here. But, you will say, how can that be? How is it possible, the space
around us being filled with matter, that other matter, however fine, can exist?
Interpenetration
I do not think it will be difficult for us to realize how
this may be. It is a well-known scientific fact, that even in the hardest
substances on earth no two atoms ever touch one another; always every atom has
its field of action and vibration; every molecule has its field of vibration,
however small; consequently there is also space between them, under any possible
circumstances. Every physical atom is floating in an astral sea, a sea of astral
matter surrounding it, interpenetrating every interstice of this physical
matter. These same laws explain another phenomenon of which you have heard – the
passage of matter through matter at spiritualistic séances. Matter either in the
physical etheric condition or in the astral condition can pass with ease through
dense physical matter ( Page 147) exactly as though it
were not there, by reason of this interpenetration, so that the whole thing
which seemed so difficult becomes quite simple to a man who can grasp that idea.
One more word of caution with regard to this unseen world.
Do not imagine that these various stages or divisions of matter are lying above
one another like the shelves of a bookcase. Realize that interpenetration is
perfect, within and around every physical object. It is already known that ether
interpenetrates all physical substances. I should like, if I could, to make
clear to you how natural all this is and to guard you against the error which
comes from supposing that everything beyond the physical is not natural but
supernatural. It is not so at all. It is superphysical if you will, but not
supernatural. The whole scheme is one scheme, and the same laws run through it
all. It is true that there is a certain further extension of these planes. In
dealing with this physical earth, we have first a ball of solid matter, which is
surrounded by water to a great extent. Above that we find the air, because it is
surrounded by this atmosphere; but these three conditions of matter alike are
interpenetrated by astral matter, only there is this difference, that the astral
matter being so much lighter rises further from the surface of the earth than
the atmosphere does. If it were possible for anyone to penetrate beyond the
atmosphere of our earth, he might still for a time be within the astral plane,
because the astral plane extends further than does the physical atmosphere; so
in that sense it is true that the astral plane rises higher. Not that it does
not exist here and now, but its extension is greater, and consequently it makes
a larger sphere than the earth.
The same thing is true of the mental plane; there we have
still finer matter; it is interpenetrating all the astral (Page
148) and physical matter round about, and also extending further from the
world than does the astral plane. The mental plane of our earth is a definite
globe, much larger than the physical planet which it surrounds, but still
separated by millions of miles from the mental plane of any other planet. On the
other hand, when we pass beyond the mental plane and reach the buddhic, there is
no division there, for that plane is common to all the planets of our chain. The
same is true, probably, to a still greater and wider extent of other and higher
realms, but of those we need not speak at present. They are beyond the scope of
this lecture. Those who wish to understand the planes of nature, who wish to get
some idea of the wonder and the beauty of these higher worlds, may obtain their
desire by examining the Theosophical literature. I should recommend them to
study the book which I have written about The Other Side of Death, and also two
of our Theosophical Manuals, the fifth and sixth, The Astral Plane and The
Devachanic Plane. If they read these books carefully, they will grasp all we at
present know of these unseen worlds, and I can assure them that they will also
find, as the rest of us have found, that the whole of this scheme is so logical,
so coherent and easy to grasp, that there will be nothing repellent about it,
that no mental gymnastics will be required, no perilous leaps over weak spots
where the ground of reason is not firm, but a steadily graded ascent from one
stage to another; for we do no violence to the convictions of any man.
Reason and Common-sense
They will find that this system of teaching which we put
before them is full of the same reasonableness in every direction; that it is in
fact an apotheosis of common-sense, as is all occultism of which I know
anything. (Page 149)
If you find some pretended occultism, so-called, which
makes violent demands on your faith, which suggests all sorts of curious,
unnatural performances, you have at once strong reason to suspect that
occultism, to feel that it is not of the true kind. In every case that can arise
man must apply his reason and common-sense. I do not say that there is nothing
except reason that can aid you. There is a spiritual certainty which comes from
behind, about which it is impossible to reason; but that comes only from
previous knowledge. The man who has that definite intuitive certainty about
anything has known the fact beforehand at some time, in another life; as a soul,
therefore, he still knows it, and his conviction with regard to it is based upon
experience and reason, although the links of the chain of reasoning by which he
arrives at that certainty are not within the memory of the physical brain. Such
intuitions, however, are rare, and reason must be our guide in all of our
beliefs. Assuredly any scheme which asks us to do violence to our reason is one
which should be instantly rejected. In Theosophy we specially emphasize the fact
that blind faith of any kind is a fetter which holds man back in the spiritual
race. He who wishes to advance must throw aside blind faith; he must learn that
no particular book is infallible; for our knowledge of truth is progressive, and
we are steadily learning more and more with every day that passes over our
heads.
Theosophy has no dogma to impose upon his students, no
faith once for all delivered to the saints. It has a certain amount of knowledge
to offer for their examination; but students should never forget that those upon
whom it has devolved to write books and give lectures upon these subjects are
themselves also fellow-students who are constantly observing and learning. Those
who wish to follow Theosophical thought must read the latest (Page
150) editions of the books, not the earlier, because in the interval between
any two editions new facts have been observed. There are members who would
prefer to have a definite, perfect creed given to them which they could learn
once and for all, so that it would be unnecessary to do any further thinking;
but this is a desire which our writers are unable to gratify, for though the
Theosophical ideas are in the highest degree religious, they are approached
entirely from a scientific standpoint. It is the mission of Theosophy to bring
together these two lines of thought, to show there need be no conflict between
religion and science, but that on the contrary science is the handmaid of
religion, and religion is the highest of all possible objects of scientific
examination.
Those who will study the Theosophical teaching will find,
as we have found, that year after year it will grow more interesting and more
fascinating, giving them more and more satisfaction for their reason as well as
more perfect fulfilment and realization of their higher aspirations. Those who
examine it will never regret it; through all their future lives they will find
reason to be thankful that they undertook the study of the mighty and
all-embracing Wisdom-Religion, which in these modern days we call Theosophy.
------------------------------------------------
Note. Since this chapter has been revised for the second
edition of this book, additional important facts concerning the structure of the
Unseen World have been discovered, and appear in Mrs. Besant’s Occult Chemistry,
especially in the appendix on “ The Aether of Space,” by A. Besant and C.W.
Leadbeater.
CHAPTER -VI-
THE RATIONALE OF MESMERISM
(Page 151) This subject of mesmerism must be, I
think, one of considerable interest to every one who understands at all what it
includes. There is a great deal of misconception as to the signification of the
word, so it is well to commence with some sort of definition. In these days we
hear little of mesmerism, but much of hypnotism, and the question at once
arises, are these two things the same? I believe myself that we may usefully
make a distinction between them, though many people use them practically as
synonyms. Hypnotism is derived from the Greek word hupnos, sleep; so that
hypnotism is the study of the art of putting to sleep. The word, however, has
rather unfortunate associations, and a history behind it which is far from
credible. There is no question
that originally the name of mesmerism was applied to all
phenomena which are now covered by the other, because Mesmer was, as far as
Europe is concerned, the discoverer of the power which has been called after
him. He was ridiculed and persecuted by the ignorant and prejudiced scientific
men of his time, and the medical profession would have nothing to say to his
experiments. They simply denied the facts, just as many people now think it
intelligent to deny the facts of spiritualism.
Fifty years later a certain Mr. Braid, a surgeon of
Manchester, published a little book approaching these facts from a new
standpoint, and stated that they were all due to the fatigue of certain muscles
of the eyelid. (Page 152) . He called his book
Neurypnology, and there are still many who suppose him to be the first man to
treat these subjects scientifically. This, however, by no means represents the
facts, for his hypothesis leaves most of the phenomena unaccounted for; and it
seems to have won official acceptance only because it offered a line of retreat
from an untenable position. The phenomena which the profession had decided to
ridicule and deny were constantly recurring; here was a method by which they
could at least partially be admitted without having to make the humiliating
confession that Mesmer had after all been right, and orthodox science wrong. So
the theory was set up that this was in reality an entirely new discovery, and
must be called by a distinct name. Along this line followed Charcot, Binet and
Fere, and a number of recent writers – all taking but a partial view of the
subject, all ignoring any facts which did not square with this partial view.
Mesmer himself, the real pioneer of this line of
discovery, came much nearer to the facts in the opinions which he expressed. He
held the existence of a subtle fluid which passes from the operator to the
subject, and in this correct assumption he was followed by the earlier French
experimenters, the Marquis de Puysegur, Deleuze, Baron du Potet and Baron von
Reichenbach.
The Experiments of Reichenbach
The last-mentioned patiently tried and recorded a long
series of experiments with sensitives, and his works deserve careful study. His
first discovery was that certain young people among his patients could, in a
dark room, see flames issuing from the poles of a magnet; then a little later he
found that similar flames were seen flowing from the tips of his fingers while
he was engaged in making mesmeric passes. (Page 153)
It was because of this similarity that he bestowed upon
the fluid which is transferred from the operator to the patient in mesmerism the
name of “animal magnetism.” He suspected its connection with the vital force
poured forth from the sun, and confirmed his idea by an ingenious experiment. He
arranged a copper wire so that one end should be exposed to the sunlight out of
doors, and the other he led into his dark room. He then found that if the outer
end of the wire was kept in the shade, the sensitive in the room saw nothing;
but if the wire was exposed to the sunlight, the patient was at once able to
point out the end of the wire in the dark room, because a faint light began to
issue from it. When a copper plate was attached to the outer end of the wire, so
as to collect more of the sun’s power, quite a brilliant light was discernible
by the sensitive.
Through all his earlier experiments he was under the
impression that this magnetic sensitiveness was always a symptom of ill-health,
and it seems to have been a great surprise to him when he found that one of his
patients retained her power after her recovery. Further investigation led him to
understand that its possession was not a question of health but of psychic
faculty; and he conjectures, correctly enough, that all in reality have the
power to a greater or less degree, but that in some it is only able to come to
the surface when the ordinary physical faculties are weakened by sickness. It
will at once be seen that these earlier writers were much nearer to the truth
about such matters than many of their successors have been.
Even at the present day there are probably no better
records of cases of surgical operations under mesmerism, and of curative
mesmerism generally, than those contained in the books of Dr. Esdaile of
Calcutta, and of Dr.Elliotson, (Page
154) who was working in North London. At about that
period – in 1842, I think it was – considerable attention was attracted by an
operation performed at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London by a Mr. Ward, who
amputated above the knee the leg of a patient who had been put into the mesmeric
trance – as good a case as the most sceptical enquirer could desire. Yet when a
report of this case was laid before the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of
London, they declined to listen to the testimony, on the ground that it was
manifestly incredible and absurd, and that even if it were true it would be
contrary to the will of Providence, since pain was intended to be part of a
surgical operation! It seems impossible that any assemblage of educated and
presumably scientific men could be so idiotic, but there is no doubt that this
resolution was passed and still stands on record.
Invincible Ignorance
Things have improved since then, but there is still a good
deal of foolish incredulity with regard to this subject – and, worse still, a
great deal of unfounded assertion on the part of the ignorant, to which it is
difficult for the student to listen with patience. On this point Mr. Sinnett,
our Vice-President, has well written:- “ No one deserves blame for leaving
altogether unstudied any subject that does not attract him. But in most cases
people who are conscious of limited intellectual resources entertain a decent
respect for others who are better furnished. A man may be nothing but a
sportsman himself, and yet refrain from asserting that chemists and electricians
must be impostors, and a chemist may know nothing of Italian art, and yet may
refrain from declaring that Raphael never existed. But all through the
commonplace world people who are ignorant of psychic science encourage (Page
155)one another in the brainless and absurd denial of facts, whenever any of
its phenomena come up for treatment. The average country grocer, the average
reporter, the average student of physical science, are all steeped in the same
dense incapacity to understand the propriety of respecting the knowledge of
others, even if they do not share it themselves, whenever they brush up against
any statement relating to the work of those who are engaged in any branch of
psychic enquiry. From the occult point of view, indeed, one can understand why
this should be so, for the incredulity of unspiritual mankind is Nature’s own
protection against those unfit as yet to use her higher spiritual gifts.”
The book from which that quotation is made is called The
Rationale of Mesmerism, and it is one which no student of this subject should
neglect to read, for it puts the Theosophical theory of the matter much more
ably than I can, the author being a practical mesmerist of considerable power
and experience. All that I can do is to give you an outline sketch; for the
filling in I must refer you to Mr. Sinnett. It is impossible to understand
mesmerism unless we take it as part of an orderly scheme of the universe, and
explain it in accordance with the facts which are known about the constitution
of man, and his relation to the world around him. Taken in that way, it at once
becomes comprehensible, and no difficulty is found in classifying and accounting
for its various manifestations. We must remember the Theosophical explanation of
the different planes of nature and the corresponding bodies possessed by man;
for since the fluid poured out in mesmerism is subtle and invisible to ordinary
sight, it will obviously affect the subtler part of the body, and consequently
it is to our study of that part that we must turn for a rational theory of its
effects. (Page 156)
It is well to remember that man is a being living
simultaneously in two worlds – the seen and the unseen; existing simultaneously
upon several of these planes of nature, and consciously or unconsciously
receiving impressions from them all through his life.
When we realize this we are prepared to understand how
partial any merely physical view of man must be, and how easily we may
miscalculate actions and happenings on this plane, if we are ignorant of their
causes on higher levels. Mr. Sinnett, in the book just mentioned, compares our
position in that respect to that of a fish which, swimming in the water, tries
to understand the motions of the keel of a ship as it moves beside him. He will
no doubt be able to comprehend the resistance offered by the water to the keel,
its deflection from a straight course by currents, and so on; but there must
frequently appear motions of the reason of which he can have no conception,
because it belongs to another and higher world. The slope given to the hull of
the vessel by the setting of the sails this way or that would be to him a
mysterious and unaccountable movement, and he would probably suppose it to be
due to a living will residing in the creature. A flying fish might conceivably
learn to understand something of the conditions both of the air and the sea, and
so would come nearer to a correct theory; and in this respect the clairvoyant
student is like the flying fish – he is able to transcend his element to some
extent, and so to enter a wider world, in which he learns many lessons. The
thoughts and passions of the man are seen on the physical plane only by their
effects, yet they are the motive power, and must be taken into account if we
wish to understand, just as our supposititious fish would have to know something
about sails before he could know why his ship moved as it did. (Page
157)
We may approach this subject of mesmerism along one of two
lines. We may either commence to make practical experiments for ourselves, or we
may take up the study of the experiments of others through the books which they
have written. To any man who decides for the books, I should recommend Dr.
Esdaile’s as the best of all to begin with; for his subjects were all Orientals,
and they are on the average far more sensitive to mesmeric influence than white
men are.
The Nature of Sensitiveness
That does not mean that they are necessarily of weaker
will; it is a question of the side of the man which is developed. You may
remember how I have explained in previous lectures that the evolution of man is
cyclical in its character – that is consists in a descent into matter and then a
rising out of it again, bearing the results of the immersion in experience
gained and quality developed. There comes in the course of this cycle a lowest
point, at which the man is most deeply buried in matter, and consequently least
open to any influences from subtler forces, and this point of extreme
materiality is often coincident with strong intellectual development. In this
way we have a combination of a grossly material nature with a specially
materialistic mental attitude; and just at that period the man would certainly
not be a good subject mesmerically. I do not say that his resistance might not
be overcome by a sufficiently strong will, but it would require more effort than
it would be in the least likely to be worth while to make, and so we should call
him a bad subject.
Before that there would be a period when the psychic side
of him could be more readily reached, and again later in his evolution it would
reappear, though at (Page
158) this second stage it would hardly be possible to
control him mesmerically except with his own consent, for this is the truer
psychism in which the man possesses his powers in full consciousness, and can
use them voluntarily efficiently. But at the intermediate point it is not the
amount of intellect which he possesses which saves him from mesmeric influence,
as he often proudly thinks, but simply the materialism of his conceptions. It is
because he is tied down to the merely physical plane that he resists any effort
to impress him in that way from without.
When, however, an impression can be made, the effects are
often of the most striking character. Not only may one person subjugate the will
of another to almost any conceivable extent, but physical results may be
produced such as anaesthesia or rigidity, and many diseases may be readily
cured. How is all this to be produced? We must remember that the physical body
contains a great deal of matter that is invisible to ordinary sight. Not only
has it its solid and liquid constituents, but there is also much that is
gaseous, and a great deal that is etheric. This latter constituent plays no
small part in the man’s well-being, for the whole of his body is permeated by
it, so that if it were possible to withdraw from him all the solid, liquid and
gaseous particles, the form of his body would still be clearly marked out in
etheric matter. This part of his body, which has sometimes been called the
etheric double, is the vehicle of vitality in the man.
The Nervous Circulation
We know that besides the system of veins and arteries, we
have a system of nerves running all through the body; and just as arteries and
veins have their circulation, whose centre is the heart, so have the nerves
their circulation, (Page 159) whose centre is the
brain. But it is a circulation not of blood but of the life-fluid, and it flows
not so much along the nerves themselves as along a sort of coating of ether
which surrounds each nerve. Many electricians have thought it probable that
electricity does not flow along a wire at all, but along a coating of ether
surrounding the wire; and if that be so, the phenomenon is exactly duplicated by
this flowing of the vital force.
Normally in the healthy man two types of fluid are
connected with this system of nervous circulation. First, there is the
nerve-aura, which flows regularly and steadily round from the brain as a centre;
and secondly, there is this vital fluid, which is absorbed from without and
carried round by the nerve-aura in the form of rose-coloured particles, which
are easily visible to clairvoyant sight. Let us consider the nerve-aura first.
It has been observed that upon the presence of this fluid depends the proper
working of the nerve – a fact which can be demonstrated by various experiments.
We know that it is possible by mesmeric passes to make a person’s arm quite
insensible to pain; this is done by driving back this nerve-aura, so that over
that part of the body the flow is no longer kept up, and consequently the nerve
is unable to report to the brain what touches it, as it usually does. Without
the specialized ether which normally surrounds it, the nerve is not able to
communicate with the brain, and so it is precisely as though the nerve were not
there for the time – or in other words, there is no feeling.
The vital fluid is also specialized, and in the healthy
man it is present in great abundance. It is poured upon us originally from the
sun, which is the source of life in this inner sense as well as, by means of its
light and heat, in the outer world. The atoms in the earth’s atmosphere are more
or less charged with this force at all times, (Page 160)
though it is in much greater activity and abundance in brilliant sunshine; and
it is only by absorbing it that our physical bodies are able to live. In itself
it is naturally invisible, like all other forces; but we see its effect in the
intense activity of the atoms energized by it. After it has been absorbed into
the human body and thereby specialized, these atoms take on the beautiful
rose-colour already described, and are carried in a constant stream over and
through the whole body along the nerves. The man in perfect health has plenty of
this fluid to spare, and it is constantly radiating from his body in all
directions, so that he is in truth shedding strength and vitality on those
around him, even though quite unconsciously. On the other hand, a man who from
weakness or other causes is unable to specialize for his own use a sufficient
amount of the world’s life-force, sometimes equally unconsciously acts as a
sponge, and absorbs the already specialized vitality of any sensitive person
with whom he comes in contact, to his own temporary benefit, no doubt, but often
to the serious injury of his victim. Probably most persons have experienced this
in a minor degree, and have found that there is some one among their
acquaintances after whose visits they always feel an unaccountable weakness and
languor.
What the Mesmerist Gives
Now you will begin to see what it is that the mesmerizer
pours into his subject. It may be either the nerve-ether or the vitality, or
both. Supposing a patient to be seriously weakened or exhausted, so that he has
lost power to specialize the life-fluid for himself, the mesmerizer may renew
his stock by pouring some of his own upon the quivering nerves, and so produce a
rapid recovery. The process is analogous to what is often done (Page
161) in the case of food. When a person reaches a certain stage of weakness
the stomach loses the power to digest, and so the body is not properly
nourished, and the weakness is thereby increased. The remedy adopted in that
case is to present to the stomach food already partially digested by means of
pepsin or other similar preparations; this can probably be assimilated, and thus
strength is gained. Just so, a man who is unable to specialize for himself may
still absorb what has been done already specialized by another, and so gains
strength to make an effort to resume the normal action of the etheric organs. In
many cases of weakness that is all that is needed.
There are other instances in which congestion of some kind
has taken place, the vital fluid has not circulated properly, and the nerve-aura
is sluggish and unhealthy. Then the obvious course of proceeding is to replace
it by healthy nerve-ether from without; but there are several ways in which this
may be done. Some magnetizers simply employ brute force, and steadily pour in
resistless floods of their own ether in the hope of washing away that which
needs removal. Success may be attained along these lines, though with the
expenditure of a good deal more energy than is necessary. A more scientific
method is that which goes to work somewhat more quietly, and first withdraws the
congested or diseased matter, and then replaces it by healthier nerve-ether thus
gradually stimulating the sluggish current into activity. If the man has a
headache, for example, there will almost certainly be a congestion of unhealthy
ether about some part of his brain, and the first step is to draw that away.
How is this to be managed? Just in the same way as the
outpouring of strength is managed – by an exercise of the will. We must not
forget that these finer subdivisions of matter are readily moulded or affected
by the (Page 162) action of the human will. The
mesmerist may make passes, but they are at most nothing but the pointing of his
gun in a certain direction, while his will is the powder that moves the ball and
produces the result, the fluid being the shot sent out. A mesmerizer who
understands his business can manage as well without passes if he wishes; I have
known one who never employed them, but simply looked at his subject. The only
use of the hand is to concentrate the fluid, and perhaps to help the imagination
of the operator; for to will strongly he must believe, and the action no doubt
makes it easier for him to realize what he is doing. Just as a man may pour out
magnetism by an effort of will, so may he draw it away by an effort of will,
though in this case also he may often use a gesture of the hands to help him. In
dealing with the headache, he would probably lay his hands upon the forehead of
the patient, and think of them as sponges steadily drawing out the unhealthy
magnetism from the brain. That he is actually producing the result of which he
thinks, he will probably soon discover; for unless he takes precautions to cast
off the bad magnetism which he is absorbing, he will either himself feel the
headache or begin to suffer from a pain in the arm and hand with which the
operation is being performed. He is actually drawing into himself diseased
matter, and it is necessary for his comfort and well-being that he should
dispose of it before it obtains a permanent lodgement in his body.
He should therefore adopt some definite plan to get rid of
it, and the simplest is just to throw it away, to shake it from the hands as one
would shake water. Although he does not see it, the matter which he has
withdrawn is physical, and can be dealt with by physical means. It is therefore
necessary that he should not neglect these precautions, and that he should not
forget to (Page 163) wash his hands carefully after
curing a headache or any malady of that nature. Then, after he has removed the
cause of the evil, he proceeds to pour in good strong healthy magnetism to take
its place and to protect the patient against the return of the disease. One can
see that in the case of any nervous affection this method would have manifold
advantages. In most of such cases what is wrong is an irregularity of the fluids
which course along the nerves; either they are congested, or they are sluggish
in their flow, or on the other hand they may be too rapid; they may be deficient
in quantity, or poor in quality. Now if we administer drugs of any sort, at the
best we can only act upon the physical nerve, and through it to some limited
extent upon the fluids surrounding it; whereas mesmerism acts directly upon the
fluids themselves, and so goes straight to the root of the evil.
Magnetic Sympathy
In those other cases where trance is produced, or where
the rigidity of certain muscles is one of the results, the will of the operator
is also concerned, and force of some sort is always poured in. But the will is
somewhat differently directed; instead of thinking of curing, or of withdrawing
evil magnetism, the mesmerizer is thinking of dominating the will of the
subject, or of replacing the man’s nerve-aura either partially or entirely by
his own. When this latter is the case, the subject’s nerves no longer report to
his brain, but a close sympathy is created between the two persons concerned.
This may be made to work in two ways – so that the operator feels instead of the
subject, or that the subject feels everything that touches the operator. I have
seen instances in which, while the subject was entranced, the operator stood
with (Page 164) his hands behind him a few yards away;
and if some third person pricked the hand of the operator (hidden behind his
back, so that the sensitive could by no possibility see it in the ordinary way)
the subject would immediately rub the corresponding hand, as though she had felt
the prick instead of the mesmerizer. Presumably his nerve-ether was in
connection with her brain instead of her own, and when she received from this
aura the feeling that she would have otherwise associated with a prick in her
hand, she supposed it to come from its usual source, and acted accordingly.
This is after all only a phenomenon of precisely the same
nature as that which we observe when a man has had his arm removed by an
operation; sometimes something will cause irritation to one of the nerves which
were originally connected with the fingers, and his brain will refer this
sensation to its accustomed cause, and the man will assert that he feels pain in
the amputated limb. Another analogous experiment is made in optical study; it is
possible to produce a slight electrical discharge inside a person’s head, thus
affecting the optic nerve at an intermediate point, instead of through the
retina of the eye. When this is done, the brain registers the flash as though it
had come through the ordinary channel, and it seems to the man that he has seen
a flash external to himself. The brain instinctively refers the impression which
it receives to the source from which such impressions have always hitherto come.
It is as though we should tap a telegraph wire at an intermediate point, and
send a message thence; the operator at each end would suppose that the message
came from the operator at the other ; it would not occur to them that the
signals which had always hitherto come from the other station were now caused at
an intermediate point. (Page 165)
The Phenomena
We know begin to glimpse the method in which mesmeric
phenomena are produced. This nerve-aura or nerve-ether is the intermediary on
the one hand between will and physical action, and on the other between the
impressions received upon the physical plane and the mind which accepts and
analyzes them. So when the mesmerist substitutes his own nerve-aura for that of
the subject he can control both the actions and sensations of his patient. The
nerves which normally bear messages from the man’s own brain now bring them from
a different brain; but the muscles, receiving their message through the
accustomed channel, obey it unhesitatingly, and so the man can be made to do all
kinds of foolish and incongruous actions. On the other hand, since the reception
and translation of all impressions from without depends upon this nerve-aura,
when it is under foreign control any illusion may be conveyed to the undeveloped
and therefore undiscerning ego.
I remember seeing a good instance of that in Burma. Our
president-founder, Colonel H.S. Olcott, is a good mesmerist, and I have seen him
try many interesting experiments. I recollect that in one case he threw into the
mesmeric condition a native servant who could not speak English. The man seemed
as usual, and was not in any obvious kind of trance, yet as to impressions he
was absolutely under the control of the Colonel’s will. Our president asked (in
English) what illusion should be produced, and some one suggested that a line of
fire should be seen in a certain part of the room. The Colonel made one strong
pass in the direction indicated, thereby creating a vigorous thought-form; and
then the servant was called up and told to walk around the room. He (Page
166) moved quite naturally until he reached the imaginary line, when he
manifested symptoms of great surprise and terror, and cried out that there was a
fire in the way, and that he could not pass. In another case the Colonel drew an
imaginary line on the ground and willed that the servant should be unable to
pass over it – the man of course was not present. The servant was then called by
his master, and came briskly as usual; but when he reached the imaginary line he
stumbled and almost fell, and as he recovered himself he declared that he must
be bewitched, since something held his feet, so that he could not move. And
though he made several efforts, he was evidently unable to cross that imaginary
line, though he was much puzzled and frightened to find himself in such an
incomprehensible dilemma.
I have seen many such instances as that, and I think they
at once show us how dangerous this power might become in the hands of an
unscrupulous man. This servant appeared normal, and no one could have supposed
him to be in any unusual condition, yet he was entirely under delusion;
therefore he could easily have been led into foolish or even criminal action
under the influence of some other imposed delusion. Experiments have shown that
in such cases action may be delayed – that a person may be impressed to do a
certain thing, say at three o’clock tomorrow, and then awakened from the
mesmeric influence. But at three o’clock tomorrow a sudden uncontrollable
impulse will come over him to do that thing, and in the vast majority of cases
he will at once proceed to do it. Uncontrollable is perhaps too strong a word,
for no impulse is really that; but this thought which will arise within the man
is in no way distinguishable from a thought or impulse of his own, and most men
do not greatly reason about their impulses, or (Page 167)
make much effort to weigh and govern them. If the act ordered were an immoral
one, a good and pure subject would be much horrified, and a struggle would
arise, which might end in submission to the impulse or victory over it. I am
sorry to say that some unscrupulous experiments of that sort have been tried in
Paris – experiments which I should consider immoral and unjustifiable. Their
results have shown that there are cases in which innate virtue is strong enough
to triumph over even the most determined attempt to compel it to violate its
conscience; but in the majority of instances the temptation prevailed. You see
therefore how necessary it is that every mesmerist should be good and
pure-hearted, as he might readily be tempted to misuse so terrible a power.
A Word of Caution
For this reason among others it is not well to dabble in
mesmerism or to play with it. All psychic forces are distinctly edged tools for
the inexperienced person, and all who take up the investigation of any of them
will do well to prepare themselves by an exhaustive study of the results
attained by their predecessors, for it is only when armed with knowledge and
shielded by purity of intention and selflessness that the neophyte can be
certain of safety. All these things – mesmerism, spiritualism, telepathy, et id
genus omne should be taken up seriously and scientifically if they are taken up
at all. As. Mr. Stead remarks with regard to similar studies: “If you cannot or
will not examine the subject seriously, you had a thousand times better leave it
alone. It is unwise for a boy to go fooling round a buzz-saw. Anybody with a
smattering of chemistry can manufacture dynamite, but the promiscuous
experimenting with high explosives is more likely to result in explosion than
profit. And if (Page 168) you feel disposed to go in
‘for the fun of the thing,’ every serious investigator has only one word to say,
and that is – don’t!”
There is no need, however, for the peaceable member of the
general public to go about in fear of having gruesome and uncanny currents of
mesmeric influence poured upon him from unexpected directions. It is quite easy
for any ordinary person to resist any effort on the part of another to act upon
him in this way, and in all the terrible cases of which we hear, where some
weak-willed victim is used as a tool in the hands of an unscrupulous villain, we
may be sure that there has been a long series of previous experiments, to which
the victim willingly lent himself, before that baneful control was so firmly
established. It is only in novels that one glance from the eye of the bold, bad
man reduces the unfortunate heroine to abject submission. In real life those who
are unselfish and determined need have no fear.
In close connection with mesmerism is the study of the
various types of clairvoyance which may be developed under its influence; but I
have devoted several lectures recently to clairvoyance, so I am purposely
omitting special reference to that subject now. The connection is simply that
before the higher faculties can be employed the lower must be controlled, and as
many persons have not yet learnt to do this for themselves, it is only when some
external repression is applied that their inner senses have any opportunity of
action. But in all cases it is better for the man to manage his own affairs, and
wait for psychic powers until he can obtain them naturally in the course of his
evolution, without needing the application of force from without to aid him in
conquering his own lower nature. Steady natural development is always the safest
and best; and the character is in all (Page 169) cases
the first point to which training should be applied. Let him educate his heart,
that it shall be pure and true; and his intellect, that he may be balanced by
common-sense and reason; so shall he be ready for psychic faculty and mesmeric
power when they come to him, and as of old, it still remains true “Seek ye first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added
unto you.” (Page 171)
CHAPTER VII
TELEPATHY AND MIND-CURE
Let us commence by defining the meaning of our terms. The
term telepathy is derived from two Greek words, and its literal meaning is
“feeling at a distance,” but it is now generally used almost synonymously with
thought-transference, and may be taken to cover any transfer of an image, a
thought or a sensation from one person to another by non-physical means – means
unknown to ordinary science. The word “mind-cure” bears its meaning on its face
– unless indeed one reverses the arrangement of the words; it does not mean a
cure for a mind diseased, but the curing of physical ills by the use of the
mind, or at least by distinctly non-physical means. So we see that both these
subjects are closely connected with the influence and power of thought, and a
comprehension of them will therefore largely depend upon thoroughly
understanding these latter questions. Let us spend a few minutes, then, in
considering exactly how we think.
To us thought seems an instantaneous process; we have a
proverb “quick as thought,” Yet, rapid though it be, it is more complicated than
we suppose. In that respect it resembles the process by which sensation reaches
the brain from the different parts of the body. We commonly think of that also
as almost instantaneous, but science assures us that it is not so in reality.
When, for example, we grasp something which is too hot, we quickly drop it; yet
in that moment of time two distinct transactions have taken place. The nerves of
the hand (Page 172) have, as it were, telegraphed to
the brain the message, “This object is too hot,” and the brain has sent back the
answer, “Then drop it,” and it is only in response to this order that the hand
relaxes, and the object is released. The rate at which these messages travel has
been measured by students of physics, so that the time occupied is appreciable
by their instruments, though to us it seems indistinguishable.
How We Think
An analogous process takes place every time we think,
though in this case it needs clairvoyant sight to watch what happens. To one who
possesses the sight of the mental plane, thought is distinguishable in its
formation as a vibration of the matter of the mental body of the thinker. Then
it is observable that by that vibration another is set up – a vibration an
octave lower, as it were, in the grosser matter of the thinker’s astral body,
and from that in turn the etheric particles of the man’s brain are affected, and
through them at last the denser grey matter is brought into action. All these
successive steps must be taken before a thought can be translated into action on
the physical plane; it may be said that the thought has to pass through two
whole planes and part of another before it can come into effect down here. I
must describe to you how this appears from the clairvoyant point of view, so
that you may have a clear mental image before you.
Every cell in the physical brain – every particle of its
matter even – has its corresponding and interpenetrating astral matter; and
behind (or rather within) that, it has also the still finer mental matter. The
brain is a cubical mass, but for the purposes of our examination let us suppose
that it could be spread out upon a surface so that (Page
173) it should be only one particle thick. Let us further suppose that the
astral and mental matter corresponding to it could also be laid out in layers in
a similar manner, the astral layer a little above the physical, and the mental a
little above the astral in turn. Then we should have three layers of matter of
different degrees of density all corresponding one to the other, but not joined
together in any way, except that here and there wires of communication existed
between the physical and astral particles, and were continued up into the mental
matter. That would fairly represent the condition of affairs existing in the
brain of the average man. In the adept, the perfected man, every particle has
its own wire, and there is full communication in every part of the brain alike;
but the ordinary man has at present only very few of these channels of
communication opened. Now we know that the brain is mapped out into certain
areas, each corresponding to a certain set of qualities. In the perfect man all
these qualities are fully developed, for the wires belonging to all of them are
active; but in the ordinary man the great majority of the wires are as yet
inactive, or hardly formed at all, and so the qualities corresponding to them
are dormant in his brain.
We may image these wires as tubes, through which the true
man within has to send down his thoughts to his physical brain. In the developed
man, each thought has its own appropriate channel, through which it can descend
directly to the correspondingly appropriate matter in the physical brain; but in
the average man many of those channels are not yet open, and so the thought
which ought to flow through them must go a long way out of its way, as it were –
must find its expression through other and inappropriate channels, going
laterally through the brain of mental matter until it can find a way (Page
174) down, passing eventually through a tube not at all suited to it, and
then, when it does reach the physical level, having to move laterally again in
the physical before it encounters the physical particles which are capable of
expressing it. We see at once how awkward and clumsy such a roundabout
expression is likely to be, and we thus understand why it is that some people
have no comprehension of mathematics, or no taste for music or art, as the case
may be. The reason is that in the part of the brain devoted to that particular
quality the communications have not yet been opened up, so that all thought
connected with that subject has to go round through unsuitable channels; the
brain is not yet in full working order, and therefore the thought cannot work
freely in all directions. The physical brain is a solid mass, and the astral and
mental brains interpenetrate it, so that the layers and tubes do not really
exist; but nevertheless the symbol is an accurate one as describing the want of
communication between the mental, astral and physical particles.
Picture to yourself what happens when we interchange ideas
down here upon the physical plane. I formulate a thought, but before it can
reach you it must pass from my mind through the astral matter of my brain down
to the physical, and be translated into speech or writing. Then it appeals to
you either through the waves of air which strike upon the tympanum of your ear,
or through the light reflected to your eyes from the printed page; the idea
enters the physical brain, but even then it has to pass up through the astral to
the mental before it reaches the true man within, thus reversing the process
which took place in my brain when I sent out that thought. Once more you see
that this is a laborious method – that the message has to go a long way round;
(Page 175) and it will inevitably occur to you to ask whether this
circuitous route is really necessary – whether it is not possible to take a
short cut, to tap the telegraph wire at some intermediate point. Since the
starting point and the terminus are alike on the mental plane, since both on the
way up and on the way down the message must pass through the astral and the
etheric levels, is there no communication possible at any of these points,
without lengthening the process by descent to the physical?
Three Types of Telepathy
There is such a possibility; indeed, there are three such
possibilities; and this is precisely what is meant by telepathy. We may under
favourable circumstances open up a direct communication between two mental
bodies, between two astral bodies, or between two etheric brains; and this gives
us three varieties of telepathy. Let us begin with the lowest.
If I think strongly of any simple concrete form in my
physical brain, I make that form in etheric matter, so that it can be seen by a
clairvoyant; but in the effort of making that image I send out etheric waves all
around me, like the waves which radiate from the spot where a stone falls into a
pond. When these waves strike upon another etheric brain, they tend to reproduce
in it the same image. It is not the image itself which is sent out, but a set of
vibrations which will reproduce the image. It is not like a speaking-tube,
through which the voice itself passes, and could be heard as a voice at any
point of its journey. It rather resembles a telephone, in which it is not the
voice itself which is conveyed, but a number of electrical vibrations set up by
the voice, which when they enter the receiver are transmuted into the sounds of
that voice once more. If you cut the telephone wire and listened (Page
176) at the end of it without a receiver, you will hear nothing, for the
vibrations are not the sound, but under proper conditions they will reproduce
the sound.
In exactly this way a simple form may readily be
transferred from one brain to another. It is an experiment that may easily be
tried, if any two people are sufficiently interested to take a little trouble
with it. One of them would have to think strongly of some simple geometrical
form, such as a cross, for example, or a triangle, while the other would have to
sit quietly, and note what ideas formed themselves in his mind. In a number of
cases such an effort would be successful the second or third time it was tried,
though of course some people are more sensitive than others, and some people can
form clearer images than others. In this case we have come down to the etheric
state of matter, so that we are only one remove from the ordinary method of
speech or writing; in fact, what we have done is very like Marconi’s wireless
telegraphy. Let us see whether the same thing can be effected a stage earlier,
at the astral level.
Not only can it be done, but it is constantly being done
all round us, though we do not notice it. The astral body is the vehicle of
emotion and passion, as we have seen in previous lectures, so that what is
conveyed from one person to another at this level will be an impression of a
passional or emotional nature. Notice it for yourselves in family life. When one
person is in a condition of deep depression, it will be found that others round
him are liable to be affected in the same way. If one person is especially
irritable, it will soon be observed that others in turn become less serene and
more readily affected than usual. This means that any person who gives way to a
strong wave of feeling of any sort is radiating a certain rate of astral
vibration which tends to reproduce that (Page 177) state of feeling in
others as it impinges upon their astral bodies. The case in which above all
others this is important is with regard to the dead, for they are living
entirely in the astral vehicle, and so are more sensitive to these waves of
emotion than the living, who are to some extent protected by the density and
dullness of their physical bodies. So if a man selfishly gives way to
uncontrolled grief for the dead, he often causes his departed friend the most
acute and profound depression. On the other hand, if he thinks of his friend
with love and an earnest desire for his progress, he may help instead of
hindering, because these feelings also will faithfully reproduce themselves in
the astral body of the dead man. This is a case of real telepathy, or “feeling
at a distance.”
Now let us advance one stage more, and see whether it is
not possible that the thought may be communicated directly from mind to mind on
its own level, without descending even so far as to the astral plane. This also
can be done, and often is done, but as a regular thing it is a means of converse
for the more exalted souls only. One who is highly developed may thus flash his
ideas through space with literally the speed of thought, but for ordinary men as
yet such power is rare. Nevertheless, it sometimes exists where there is
unusually close sympathy between two persons, and I feel sure that when mankind
is further evolved this will be our common method of communication. It is
already employed by the great Masters of Wisdom in the instruction of their
pupils, and in this way they can convey with ease the most complicated ideas.
We have before us, then, these three kinds of telepathy,
all of them consisting simply of the conveyance of vibrations at their
respective levels – liable, perhaps, to be confused by the superficial observer,
but readily distinguishable (Page 178) by the trained
clairvoyant. In a minor way we may find evidence of one or other of them almost
daily, for we often observe cases in which some friend is thinking
simultaneously along the same lines as ourselves – thinking, it may be, about a
subject which has not occurred to either of us for months previously.
Mind-Cure
We at once see how closely associated is telepathy with
mind-cure, which aims to transfer good, strong thoughts from the operator to the
patient. We meet with various types of mind-cure, differing considerably in
their teachings, and calling themselves Christian science, mental science,
mind-healing, etc., but they all agree in endeavouring to produce physical cures
by non-physical means. There seems to be a vague general opinion afloat that
Theosophy is opposed to no form of faith; on the contrary, it points out
whatever is good in each of them, emphasizes and explains it, and thus combines
them all into one harmonious whole. It objects only to misunderstanding and
misuse of dogma or practice; it seeks, not to attack these multitudinous
religions, but to comprehend them intelligently and to select from them
impartially whatsoever things in them are beautiful and true. Our belief is that
it is a serious mistake for religious people to quarrel over trifles as they do.
On broad principles of right and wrong they are all at one; they all agree that
man ought to leave the lower and seek the higher; let them then band together to
convert the rest of the world to that much of religious faith, and leave the
discussion of unimportant details until that great task is accomplished. That
seems to us to be a suggestion (Page 179) of the
merest common-sense; yet how few can be induced to listen to it for a moment!
So we who study Theosophy are in no way opposed to
mind-cure, though there are some times things connected with it to which we take
exception. Its leading idea is a grand one – that of the power of thought. It is
in no way new conception, for the old religions have always taught it; you will
find it, for example, clearly laid down in the first chapter of that noble
Buddhist book, The Dhammapada, a beautiful translation of which by Sir Edwin
Arnold was quoted in my lecture on Buddhism. To claim for the mind-curists the
credit of discovering the power of thought is a mistake, and shows a sad
ignorance of the teaching of the great Oriental faiths; but it is true that they
are making many people in this country see it now for the first time. For this,
then, we owe thanks to them, that they are raising some people out of
materialism, and opening their eyes to something higher and more rational; and
that is a grand thing to do, for when it has once been done, further advance
becomes possible. All honour to them for their share in this work of elevating
the thought of the time; and though there are points in their schemes that we
may criticize, let us never forget that they have this always to their credit.
Let me briefly mention first certain dogmas of theirs with which I cannot agree,
and get those out of our way, so that afterwards we may turn to the more
congenial task of stating the ideas with which we found ourselves in sympathy.
Some Objections to It
First, I have never been able to see why a medical process
should be erected into a religion; one might as well make a religion of
homeopathy or hydropathy. So
(Page 180) to those who are working upon such an unsatisfactory
mental basis, I would offer the magnificent system of philosophy which they will
find in Theosophy – a scheme which will give them food for thought, and supply
them with a rational theory of the universe. One of the principal schools of
mind-cure denies altogether the existence of matter – one which calls itself
Christian science, though it is difficult to see upon what grounds such a name
was assumed, since to deny the existence of matter is neither Christian nor
scientific. Certainly it cannot be the latter, for it is matter only that
science can cognize, and all its experiments are conducted by its means. And
this doctrine of the non-existence of material things is emphatically not
Christian, but pagan, for it is the teaching of one of the oldest Oriental
systems.
There is a grand truth behind it, if it is rightly
understood. All manifestation comes forth from the Absolute, and presumably all
will one day return to Him. All manifestation, therefore, is impermanent, and
from the point of view of eternity may be regarded as fleeting and momentary and
hardly worth taking into account at all. Still, to say that it does not exist
seems to be misleading, since it is in truth just as much one of the
manifestations of the Logos as is that spirit which is its other pole. The Lord
Buddha has said that there are two things which are eternal, akasa and nirvana;
and the context seems to show us that he means what we now call matter and
force. Herein modern science agrees with him; and it seems to me that it is both
truer and safer to recognize that while manifestation exists each type of matter
is real on its own plane. It is true that while we are on the physical plane
only physical matter is real to us, and astral and mental matter remain
invisible to the lower senses, while when we raise our consciousness to the
higher planes (Page 181) this condition of things is
reversed; but it is the focus of our consciousness that has changed, not the
manifestation of the Logos. So while we fully recognize that the unseen things
are the most important, we yet prefer to regard matter as real to us as long as
we are upon its level. It scarcely seems sensible first to deny the existence of
the body, and then to point to an improvement in its condition as the result of
the denial of its existence; for how can one cure that which does not exist?
I incline to believe that this denial of matter is
probably in essence a reaction against the old and horrible theory of a personal
devil. Our friends feel intuitively that the idea of evil imposed upon us from
without is an absurdity, since every man makes his own good and evil destiny for
himself; so they say there is in truth no evil but that which we make – all is
subjective; and then, since they constantly find themselves struggling against
matter and its qualities, they make the old mistake of identifying matter with
evil, and so come to the conclusion that there is really no matter. It is
strange thus to find Bishop Berkeley’s theory reappearing amidst such different
surroundings, and we find ourselves reminded of Swift’s remark about him, “If
Berkeley says there is no matter, then surely it is no matter what he says!”
But the point in all these theories to which I feel myself
bound to take exception is the idea of securing wealth by undue influence; there
I must most emphatically disagree altogether. Even to ask money for the use of
mental power in curing disease seems to me undesirable; to use mental power in
order unlawfully to extract it from others is a degradation and prostitution of
the higher knowledge which ought to be held sacred for unselfish work. He who
would seek wealth through mental effort should do so through legitimate channels
(Page 182) only, and his attempt should be rather to limit
his desires than to increase his possessions, for that alone is the path of true
wisdom.
Yet again – I know the value of strong faith and
affirmation as well as any man, yet truth forbids that I should deny that a body
can ever be in ill-health. The true man, the ego, the soul, is not ill, and if
the denial is understood in that sense there can be no objection to it. But it
is not usually understood in that sense; the statement is clearly made that the
way to get rid of a headache is to assert “I have no headache”; an assertion
which may presently become true, but is undoubtedly false when it is first made.
I do not deny that by persistently making that false statement an effect may be
produced; but it seems to me that the falsehood is a much more serious evil than
the headache or the toothache which it eventually removes. Any man may lawfully
say “My head or my tooth shall not ache,” and in thus setting his will
persistently against the pain he may probably drive it away. Such an effort of
will is legitimate and even admirable; the concentration of thought which it
implies is a splendid exercise for any man. In this way one may well think
against any disease, and thus repel its attacks, avoiding it altogether if it
has not yet effected a lodgement in the body, and greatly enhancing the effect
of remedial measures if it is already in possession. The power of thought is
enormous, and can hardly be exaggerated.
The Power of Thought
This brings us to that part of the teaching of the mental
scientists which we can unreservedly approve. When they exhort their clients to
think always cheerful thoughts, to cast away from them fear and worry, to
(Page 183) avoid sedulously that faultfinding which always
intensifies the evil to which it draws attention – in all this, and much more
that they say, we have for them nothing but unstinting praise. In one of their
books I find this advice given to a man: “If you feel depression or sad thought
coming over you, think of something to be glad about, quick! You have not time
to waste over depression!” And as to fear, again and again they assure us that
most things that are feared never come to pass, and that, whether they do or
not, we double our trouble if we suffer the pain of fearing it beforehand – all
of which is true and healthy doctrine. Even this, however, may run somewhat into
extremes. I have read the statement that if men had no fear of disease there
would be no infection, which of course is not true, since men often catch
disease when they do not know of its existence. But what is true is that the man
who is fearless about a disease is much less likely to catch it; though even
then it may happen to him, if he is overtired, if the forces of the body are not
active enough to repel the infection. So that in that exaggerated form the
remark is untrue, though it has a basis of truth.
The realization of the effect of thought upon others, and
therefore of our responsibility for our thoughts, is also admirable. We find it
constantly in the mental science literature of the better class. For example, it
is stated that “false conceptions of God, and especially belief in eternal
vindictive punishment, make their unwholesome influence felt in every bodily
tissue” – a startling and yet obvious truth, which it would be well for many
people who think themselves orthodox to take seriously to heart. Again, I find
them asking us how we can wonder that we have such an increase of all diseases
among us, especially nervous diseases, when for many (Page
184) generations the whole atmosphere has been full of chronic, fearful,
selfish thought about religious matters – loaded with the thought-forms of
terror-stricken men about an angry God, a horned devil with a barbed tail, the
flames of hell, and other abominable figments of the diseased ecclesiastical
imagination – an idea with much truth in it, as any Theosophist will readily
realize.
I heartily agree also with the dictum which I find our
friends laying down, that if a man thinks himself a poor worm and a miserable
sinner, full of natural depravity, that is exactly the way to make him an
unpleasant entity of that description! If he despises himself to begin with, he
is likely to become despicable; if he respects himself he is likely to remain
worthy of respect. If he realizes himself as a spark of the Divine Life, and so
knows that he can do all things through the Christ within, which strengthen him,
he is far less likely to be swept away by the storm of passion, far less likely
to yield to the insistent temptation. It is true that we all are sinners, but we
surely need not aggravate our offences by being miserable sinners; and as to
worms, we have passed through the reptilian stage many aeons ago, and there is
nothing to be gained by talking nonsense! We are far more likely to be
encouraged to forsake sin and to rise to virtue if we comprehend our true place
and dignity, than if we believe, or profess to believe, a degrading falsehood.
The “miserable sinner” can excuse himself by taking refuge in platitudes about
human frailty: the Divine spark knows that he himself is responsible for his own
actions and his own evolution, and that he has the power to make himself what he
will.
One passage which I met with in reading books on mental
cure I should like to quote verbatim, for it is a most beautiful idea, and as
entirely Theosophical as (Page
185) though it had come straight from one of our own
teachers. “Knead love into the bread you bake; wrap strength and courage in the
parcel you tie for the woman with the weary face; hand trust and candour with
the coin you pay to the man with the suspicious eyes.” Quaint in expression, but
lovely in its thought; truly the Theosophical concept that every connection is
an opportunity, and that every man whom we meet even casually is a person to be
helped. Thus the student of the Good Law goes through life distributing
blessings all about him, doing good unobtrusively everywhere, though often the
recipients of the blessing and the help may have no idea whence it comes. In
such benefactions every man can take his share, the poorest as well as the
richest; all who can think can send out kindly, helpful thoughts, and no such
thought has ever failed, or can ever fail while the laws of the universe held.
You may not see the result, but the result is there, and you know not what fruit
may spring from that tiny seed which you sow in passing along your path of peace
and love.
How Men Are Cured
Turning from the general principles to the definite cures
which are frequently effected, it remains for us to consider how they are
produced. There are several methods, and I think we may divide them into four
classes, though there is also a fifth to which I must refer – one apart from any
ordinary cures such as we have to consider, but nevertheless necessary to make
our list perfect.
1. The first type is that which denies the existence of
matter and disease, and aims at curing the person simply by making him believe
he is well. A considerable amount of hypnotic influence is frequently exercised
in (Page 186) the course of such efforts, and the hope
is that if the man really believes himself well, the mind acting upon the body
(which, however, does not exist) will force it into harmony with itself, and so
produce a cure. They never can call it a cure, I notice, but always employ the
scriptural word “healing,” so as to cast a sort of religious glamour over the
transaction, and suggest a comparison with the miracles described in the bible.
It seems to me better to divest the subject of all unusual terms which tend to
obscure the matter and throw a veil of sentiment over plain fact. We say that
the ordinary doctor “cures” us by his skill; why then must we abandon the Latin
word for the Saxon when we speak of the result of a mind-cure?
2. The second class holds (truly enough) that all illness
means inharmony of some sort in the system, and the effort of its members is to
restore harmony, usually by the transfer of vibrations from themselves. The
operator endeavours to bring himself into a condition of intense harmony and
peace and devotion, and then to project this influence upon the patient, or to
enfold him in it. The practitioner of either this type or the first does not
care to know what is the matter with the patient; the nature of the disease is
of no importance to him; in any case it must be disharmony, and he can cure it
by establishing harmony once more.
3. The third class just pours vitality into the patient,
again largely irrespective of the nature of the disease, though some
practitioners of this method do make an attempt to direct their stream to the
portion of the body which is affected. Many people who are themselves in strong
health radiate a great deal of vitality quite unconsciously, and the sick or
weak feel better and stronger for their very presence. (Page
187)
4. Our fourth class adopts what we may call, by comparison
with the others, a scientific method. They try to discover exactly what is
wrong, picture to themselves mentally the diseased organ, and then image it as
it ought to be. The idea here is that the strong thought will mould etheric
matter into the desired form, and that will help nature to build up new tissues
much more rapidly than would otherwise be possible. It is obvious that this plan
demands more knowledge than the others; to be successful along this line a
person must have at least some acquaintance with anatomy and some idea of
physiology.
Types of Disease
There is no doubt that all these methods sometimes
succeed, and they would do so oftener and more fully if they were employed more
scientifically and with greater knowledge of the human body and its structure.
Consider the various classes of diseases to which we are subject. The
mind-curists are right in their contention that many of them proceed from want
of harmony, and it is chiefly want of harmony between the etheric and the
physical particles in some part of the body – most often of all in the brain.
We must remember that there is a close connection between the mental body, the
astral body and the etheric double in man, so that it is well within the bounds
of possibility to influence one of them through the others. All nervous diseases
imply a jangled, inharmonious condition of the etheric double; and that seems
very often to be the cause of diseases of the digestive organs, of headache and
sleeplessness. In all such cases what is needed is first of all to quiet the
hurried, irregular vibrations, and give Nature an opportunity to reassert
herself. The strong, quiet, persistent thought of the (Page
188) operator tends to produce such an effect, and leaves the patient
soothed and strengthened. The system of pouring in vitality is also helpful, if
it be not a type that will aggravate the restless symptoms. In almost any kind
of illness, to take the patient’s mind off it, and calm and encourage him, is a
long way towards a cure. Many a doctor of the older schools does far more good
by the confidence he inspires than by his drugs.
But there is a class of human ills where there is a
definite lesion or wound. Can mind-cure do anything with it? The first and
second kind seem less effective here, though always to quiet and encourage the
sufferer increases his chance of recovery. The third plan would also assist
Nature to recuperate; but such cases as these are certainly best met by the
fourth method, according to which an effort is made to image the wounded part as
it should be in health, and thus assist the building in of new tissue. This is
of course merely an expedient to hasten the natural process of recovery.
In another class of human disease we have the presence of
some poison in the blood, and in yet another the illness is in reality the
life-history of a microbe, as is the case in most infectious diseases. It would
probably be difficult to deal directly with these by mental cure, but it might
assist by giving the patient greater strength to enable the natural guardians of
his body to drive out the foreign invader. I hear that the head of the least
scientific of the schools of mind-cure has recently issued an order that
infectious cases should not be treated by her followers. If people would only
look at this matter scientifically and reasonably, and consider exactly what
mental treatment can do, and what it cannot be expected to achieve, they would
be saved much trouble and danger. If they could understand that in many cases it
is a valuable (Page 189) auxiliary to the ordinary
treatment, but is by no means always competent to take its place, it might be
more successful than it is now.
It is obvious that different diseases must be met by
different methods, and that though there may perhaps be a universal cure for all
physical ills, non of these plans which I have described contain it. The strong
centre of quiet thought set up in the second of them cannot fail to do good to
any man; yet regarded as an attempt to cure a wound, let us say, it is a great
waste of force; it is like pouring a bucket of water over a man in order to wash
his finger! And being, as far as the wound is concerned, a blind effort, it can
never be so concentrated as one made on the fourth plan, which forms a mould to
assist Nature in repairing the damage. It is probable that a great Adept could
so hasten the natural process as to cause an almost instantaneous building into
shape of the tissues which had been injured or destroyed; but the thought of an
ordinary man is never strong enough for that, and he can only hope to produce
his result by continuous action.
A Great Healing Principle
5. Nevertheless, there is another method of which we know
very little, though unmistakable traces of it occasionally appear. No one who
hears or reads of it need presumptuously suppose that he or she possesses the
power which it gives; though unfortunately human self-conceit is so great that
each is quite sure to do so instantly! We who have to lecture or to write know
this only too well. If we, for the sake of our earnest students and as an
encouragement for them, make an effort to describe the sight of the buddhic
plane, immediately somebody who has perhaps once had half a glimpse of something
(Page 190) astral will come trotting up to say that his
experiences on the buddhic plane were far grander than those which the
unfortunate lecturer or writer endeavoured to describe! But in spite of this
certainty that the information will be misapplied, I must yet mention that there
is another method connected with the great healing principle in Nature – with a
mighty life-force from some far higher level, which may under certain
circumstances and for a limited time be poured out through a man without his
detailed knowledge or volition. In that case his very touch will heal, and there
seems to be no limit to the power employed, and no disease that cannot be cured
by it. We know little of it, I say, except that it is among the powers of one of
the great orders of the devas, or angels, as our orthodox friends would call
them. The power undoubtedly exists, but beyond that we can say very little. Our
own president, Colonel Olcott, once possessed this marvellous power for a time,
and effected some extraordinary cures while it remained with him.
Out of it emerges this great fact, that through this idea
of mind-cure many thousands have been induced to accept the reality of the power
of thought, and to understand that there is something outside of this mere world
of physical matter; and that at least is a good thing, and an achievement upon
which mind-cure may reasonably be congratulated. But it will be well for those
who study it to learn that it should be used only for altruistic purposes, and
to try to raise their thought to something higher than the mere curing of the
physical body. For those who have no thought beyond that will presently find
their occupation gone, since as the world evolves there will surely come a time
when disease shall be no more, because man will at last have learnt to live
reasonably, purely and healthily. But if they turn their knowledge (Page
191) to a higher use, and leave the physical for the mental, the curing of
the body for the development of the soul, they may be a mighty force for the
evolution of the world. Let them think less of body, and more of life and soul;
less of removing physical ailment, and more of removing ignorance and prejudice;
less of bodily health and of personal gain, and more of love and compassion and
brotherhood; so shall their rapidly-spreading movement become a power for good
which cannot readily be overestimated, a world-wide blessing which shall endure
and flourish through the ages which are yet to come. (Page
193)
CHAPTER VIII
MAGIC: WHITE AND BLACK
The dictionary definition of the word magic is “the use of
supernatural means to produce preternatural results.” In Theosophy we cannot
agree with that definition, because we hold that nothing is supernatural, and
that however unusual or curious any phenomenon may be, it happens in obedience
to the laws of nature. We recognize that as yet man knows very few of these
laws, and that consequently many things may happen that he cannot explain; but,
reasoning from analogy as well as from direct observation, we feel certain that
the laws themselves are immutable, and that whenever anything to us inexplicable
is produced, the inexplicability is due to our ignorance of the laws and not to
any contravention of them. Our knowledge is as yet so limited in so many ways,
that it is not remarkable that we should now and then come into contact with
occurrences that we do not understand. We know only one small fraction of our
world – just this lowest physical part of it; and even with that our
acquaintance is only very partial and superficial. But the average man is
profoundly unconscious of the extent of his ignorance; and he is so shocked and
surprised at any manifestation which transcends the boundaries of his
infinitesimal experience.
With regard to this question of magic many people express
exactly the same doubt as they do with regard to telepathy, mind-cure,
mesmerism, apparitions, and spiritualism; they say, “Is there any such thing as
magic?” There are always to be found those who deny the possibility (Page
194) of anything which is outside of their own experience; “We have never
seen these things,” they say, “and consequently we know that all who have seen
them are either fools or knaves, either fraudulent or deluded.” It is useless to
waste argument upon people whose minds are in so undeveloped a condition as
that; it is better to leave them undisturbed to wallow in the self-satisfaction
of their own invincible ignorance. They are in the position of the African king
who was indignant at the shameless falsehood of the traveller who asserted that
in other lands water sometimes became solid. Ice was outside of his experience,
and so he denied the possibility of its existence; and just at the same mental
level are the people who ignorantly ridicule what they do not understand.
If we wish to try to improve upon the definition given in
the dictionary, we may describe magic as the employment of forces as yet not
recognized to produce visible results. In many cases it is the control of such
forces by the human will. Once more there are persons who deny that any forces
can be directly controlled by the will, and once more it is simply a question of
how much the person happens to know. The inexperienced but conceited man will
deny anything and everything; the wiser man who has studied has learnt to be
more cautious, and so for idle assertion he substitutes enquiry and
investigation. The adoption of this latter attitude with regard to the
production of physical results by as yet unrecognized forces speedily shows that
there are many instances of this, and that they may be connected by easy
gradations with phenomena which are common and readily accepted.
If we accept some such definition of magic as that
suggested above, there arises the further question what is meant by the
adjectives white and black? In this association they are simply synonymous with
good and evil (Page 195) The unrecognized forces of
nature are no more good and evil in themselves than are the recognized forces of
electricity, steam, or gunpowder. All of these things may be employed for good
or ill according to the mental attitude of the man who employs them. Just as
gunpowder may be usefully applied to clear away the rocks which obstruct the
channel at the entrance of a harbour, or maliciously used by the evilly-disposed
person to destroy the house of his enemy, so may the unrecognized magical forces
be employed by wicked men for selfish purposes, or by the good man for the
helping and shielding of his fellows.
The Unrecognized Forces of Nature
Let us see what some of these unrecognized forces are.
When I was speaking about mesmerism I mentioned the possession by every man of a
certain amount of nerve-ether, and also of a vital fluid which flowed along with
this nerve-ether. Both of these, you will remember, can be projected under the
direction of the human will; so in that way mesmerism itself may claim to be a
modified kind of magic, since in it these unseen forces are manipulated by the
human will, and visible results are produced thereby. The condition of the
subject may be affected to a considerable extent; not only may all sorts of
delusions be produced, but the limbs may be made rigid and insensible to pain,
and the man may be thrown into a deep trance. So that we may claim these two
forces of vitality and nerve-ether as among those which can be employed and have
been employed by magic.
Another great force which is used perhaps more frequently
than any other is that of the elemental essence. It is impossible for me to turn
aside from my subject in order to describe fully what elemental essence is,
since (Page 196) that would require a whole lecture. I
can therefore give but a slight sketch of it now, and I must refer my hearers to
the Theosophical Manuals and textbooks for fuller information. When speaking on
reincarnation and on the various bodies of man, I explained how the ego when
descending to a new birth draws round himself matter of the various planes, in
order that later on he may build vehicles corresponding to each of these levels.
It must be remembered that all this matter - alike that which draws the ego to
himself for his own use, and the great sea of matter which lies outside – is not
dead, but instinct with life. This life is essentially divine, for there is no
life which is not divine; but it is nevertheless at a much earlier stage of
evolution than the life which manifests in humanity or in the animal and
vegetable kingdoms. We must then recognize that all this matter is charged with
a kind of living essence; and the study of occultism enables us to distinguish
between the many varieties of this strange living essence and to learn that
these different kinds may be employed for different purposes in magic. The finer
and more plastic matter of the astral and mental planes is readily sensitive to
the action of the human will; so that the living force contained in this essence
– even though it be divine force – is to a great extent at the disposal of
anyone who learns how to use it.
Sometimes we read in Theosophical literature of
“elementals.” Properly speaking the word applies only to temporary creations
built up by the action of the human will out of this living essence and the
matter in which it inheres. Such entities are impermanent, and are in no sense
of the word evolving beings. The divine essence of which they are composed has
an evolution of its own as essence; but the entity temporarily built out of
(Page 197) it has no evolution as an entity, and no power
to reincarnate. It may be described indeed as consisting for the time of a body
and a soul, for the matter and its living essence make a vehicle, which is
energized by the thought-form as a separate entity will depend upon the strength
of the thought-force which is its ensouling principle and holds it together. As
soon as that force dies away its body of astral or mental matter (infused with
elemental essence) will disintegrate, and the essence and matter will return to
the surrounding atmosphere from which they were drawn. These thought-forms,
however, may be capable and forceful while they last; and their employment by
the will of the thinker is one of the commonest and yet one of the most
effective of the acts of magic. Those who wish for further information on this
important subject will find it in a book called Thought-Forms, in the production
of which I had the honour of collaborating with Mrs. Besant. I should recommend
all who are interested in this matter to study that book carefully, as the
coloured illustrations which are there given will help the inquirer to a ready
comprehension of the way in which forces act.
Nature-Spirits
We have also to consider another class of entities which
are frequently employed in magic; and this time we are dealing with real and
evolving beings – not merely with temporary creations. There is a whole kingdom
of vivid life which does not belong to our human line of evolution, but runs
parallel with it, and utilizes this same world in which we live. This evolution
contains all grades of intelligences, from entities at the level in that respect
of our animal kingdom, to others who equal or (Page 198)
even greatly surpass the highest intellectual power of man. This evolution does
not normally descend to the lower part of the physical plane; its members, at
any rate, never take upon themselves dense physical bodies such as ours. The
majority of those with whom we have to deal possess only astral bodies, although
many types come down to the etheric part of the physical plane and clothe
themselves with its matter, thus bringing themselves nearer to the limit of
ordinary human sight. There are vast hosts of these beings, and an almost
infinite number of types and classes and tribes among them.
Broadly speaking, we may divide them into two great
classes (a) nature-spirits or fairies, and (b) angels or, as they are called in
the East, devas. This second class begins at a level corresponding to the human,
but reaches up to heights far beyond any that humanity has as yet touched, so
that its connection with magic is naturally of the slightest kind, and belongs
solely to one special type of it, of which we shall speak presently. The
nature-spirits have been called by many different names at different periods and
in various countries. We read of them as fairies, elves, pixies, kobolds,
sylphs, gnomes, salamanders, undines, brownies, or “good people,” and traditions
of their occasional appearance exist in every country under heaven. They have
usually been supposed to be merely the creations of popular superstition, and it
is now doubt, true that much has been said of them which will not bear
scientific investigation. Nevertheless it is true that such an evolution does
exist, and that its members occasionally, though rarely, manifest themselves to
human vision. Normally they have no connection whatever with humanity, and the
majority of them rather shun than court the presence of man, since his
ill-regulated emotions, passions, and desires are to them a source (Page
199) of much disturbance and acute discomfort; yet now and then exceptional
circumstances have brought some of them into direct contact and even friendship
with man.
Naturally they possess powers and methods of their own,
and sometimes they can be either induced or compelled to put these powers at the
service of the student of occultism. Although they are not as yet
individualized, and in that respect correspond rather to the animal kingdom than
to humanity, yet their intelligence is in many cases equal to that of man. They
seem, however, to have usually but little sense of responsibility, and the will
is generally somewhat less developed with them than it is with the average man.
They can therefore readily be dominated by the exercise of mesmeric powers, and
can then be employed in many ways to carry out the will of the magician. There
are many purposes for which they may be utilized, and so long as the tasks
prescribed to them are within their power they will be faithfully and surely
executed.
All this will no doubt seem strange and new to many minds,
but any student of the occult will confirm what I have said here as to the
existence of these beings and the possibility that they can be used in various
ways by one who understands them. I have myself made a considerable study of
this subject, and you must therefore pardon me if I appear to speak positively
and as a matter of course with regard to many things that for the majority of
you may seem questionable or beyond human knowledge. To give a full account of
all of the many classes of these nature-spirits would be to write a kind of
natural history of the astral plane, and in order to describe them all we should
need many large volumes. Yet the man who wishes to deal fully and efficiently
with what is called practical magic must not only be able to (Page
200) recognize immediately upon sight all these thousands of varieties, but
must also know which of them can most suitably be employed for any special piece
of work that he may have in hand.
The forces to which I have referred are those most
commonly employed in ordinary types of magic; but in addition to them the occult
student has at his command stupendous reserves of power of various sorts not yet
known to the scientific world. There is an etheric pressure, just as there is an
atmospheric pressure; but the scientific man will never be able to use this
force, or even to demonstrate its existence, until he can invent some substance
which shall be impervious to ether, so that he can construct a chamber or vessel
out of which ether can be pumped, precisely as the air is withdrawn from the
reservoir of an air-pump. There are methods known to occult science by which
this can be done, and so this tremendous etheric pressure can be reined in and
utilized. There are also mighty electric and magnetic currents, which can be
tapped and brought down to the physical plane by him who understands them; and
an enormous amount of energy may be liberated by the mere process of
transferring matter from one condition to another. So that along different lines
there is much energy available in nature for a man who knows how to use it; and
all of it is controllable by the developed human will. Another point that must
not be forgotten is that all round us stand those whom we call the dead – those
who have only recently put off their physical bodies, and are still hovering
close about us in their astral vehicles. They also may be influenced, either
mesmerically or by persuasion, just as those still in the flesh can be; and many
cases arise in which we have to take account of their action.(Page
201) and of the extent to which their control of the astral forces can be
brought into play.
The Magic of Command
We may usefully divide the subject of magic into two great
parts, according to the methods which it employs; and we may characterize these
respectively as methods of evocation and of invocation – of command and of
entreaty.
Let us consider the former first. Although it may act
through many different channels, the one great force at the back of all magic of
this first type is the human will. By this the vitality and the nerve-ether can
be directed; by this all the varieties of elemental essence may be guided,
selected and built into forms either simple or complex according to the work
that they have to do. By this magnetic control may be gained over any of the
classes of nature-spirits; by this also the wills of others, whether living or
dead, may be so dominated that they become practically but tools in the hands of
the magician. Indeed it is scarcely possible to fix the limits of the power of
the human will when properly directed; it is so much more far-reaching than the
ordinary man ever supposes, that the results gained by its means appear to him
astounding and supernatural. The study of this subject brings one gradually to
the realization of what was meant by the remark that if faith were only
sufficient it could remove mountains and cast them into the sea; and even this
oriental description seems scarcely exaggerated when one examines authenticated
instances of what has been achieved by this marvellous power.
But in order that this mighty engine of the will may work
effectively, the magician must possess perfect confidence. This is gained in
various ways, according to
(Page 202) the type to which the mind of the
magician belongs. Broadly speaking, we may classify the magicians under four
heads, though in a detailed account we should have to take into consideration
the various subdivisions and modifications of these.
Four Types of Magicians
First, there is a type of man who possesses such iron
determination and such confidence in himself and in his power to dominate nature
by the mere force of his spirit that he gains his end solely by determined
insistence upon it. He realizes that his will is the true motive force, and he
neither knows nor cares through what intermediary agencies this will may work.
He is careless, and may even be ignorant, as to methods; but rides down all
opposition, as it were, by brute force, and does that which he wishes simply
through the tremendous strength of his unalterable conviction that it can be
done and shall be done. Such magicians are few, but they exist; and if not
benevolently inclined they may be formidable. They do not need a method by which
to gain confidence; they appear to possess it in their very nature.
The second type of man gains the necessary confidence to
command from his thorough knowledge of the subject with which he is dealing and
of the forces which he is employing. He may be called the scientific magician,
for he has made a close study of the astral and mental physics, he knows all
about the different types of elemental essence and the various classes of
nature-spirits, so that in every case he is able to use the most appropriate
means to obtain the result which he desires with the least possible exertion or
difficulty. His thorough familiarity with the subject makes him feel thoroughly
at home with it and capable of dealing with any emergencies which may arise.
(Page 203)
Many such men also make a study of appropriate times and
seasons as well as of appropriate forces; they know at what moment it will be
easiest to produce a certain result, and so they gain what they need with the
least possible expenditure. This whole question of times and seasons and of
periodical influences which wax and wane is one of extreme interest; but it
would take us too far from the main line of our subject if we were to plunge
into that this evening, for it would mean the opening up and the review of the
whole question of astrology. It is sufficient for us for the moment if we
understand that there are times when, and conditions under which, certain
efforts can more easily be made, so that what can be done only with extreme
difficulty (or perhaps even cannot be done at all) at one time, may be managed
with comparative ease at another. This obviously implies the existence of
influences, planetary or otherwise, which are acting upon and within our world;
and the exhaustive knowledge of all these and of their combinations is naturally
necessary for the worker in practical magic.
Another type of magician attains the confidence necessary
to insure obedience to his commands by means of faith or devotion. He has so
firm a faith in his leader or deity, that he is certain that any command
pronounced in that name must be instantly obeyed. I am not speaking merely of
results which may be produced upon the mental and upon the astral planes, but
also of definite and visible physical effects. We have only to read
ecclesiastical history to come across many cases of wonderful cures of physical
diseases which have been produced through just such determined efforts of faith
as those to which I have referred. The authenticated accounts of (Page
204) the cures at Lourdes in France and at Knock in Ireland show that a
great many ills, even of purely physical type, will yield before determined
faith. Any man who has in this way obtained sufficient confidence will find his
will so much strengthened thereby that he will be able to produce the most
unexpected results.
It should be remembered that it is his own will which
brings the satisfactory result – not the intervention of the Greater One whose
name he speaks. I know that many earnest Christians attribute the healing
directly to Christ, in whose name it is performed; but deeper study of the
subject will show them that cures precisely similar and quite as astonishing
have been performed by equally earnest men in the name of the Lord Buddha, or in
the name of Mithra, or of any other of the great leaders and teachers of the
world. It is the tremendous faith that gives the power; in what or in whom is
the faith matters but little. The greater person whose name is invoked may not
even be aware of the circumstance; although if he does know and does in any way
interfere we may be sure that it will rather be by the strengthening of the
faith and will of his follower than by any special effort of his own power.
Yet another class consists of those who believe in the
efficacy of certain ceremonies, or of certain formulae. For them and in their
hands the formulae or the ceremonies are effective; but in most cases it is not
because of any inherent virtue which the forms possess, but because of the
confidence of the magician that when he employs them the result must inevitably
ensue. If we read any account of the working of mediaeval alchemists, we shall
see that they had many such ceremonies, and that the majority of them would have
considered themselves incapable of obtaining their results without the (Page
205) surroundings to which they were accustomed. They wore robes of various
types, they used Kabalistic figures, they waved round their heads swords
magnetized for definite purposes; they burnt their drugs or sprinkled their
essences. It is true that some of these things have also a certain potency of
their own, but in the majority of cases all that they do is to give confidence
to the performer, and so to strengthen his will to the requisite point. He has
been told by his teachers or his scriptures that all these paraphernalia are
effective, and that in using them he will certainly succeed. The man by himself
might possibly waver and feel frightened; but with the proper robes and signs
and weapons he feels so sure of success that he goes straight through without
hesitation.
Three Types of Force
A magician of any one of these types has at his disposal
the forces of three levels – the mental, the astral, and the etheric physical.
All of these can be directed by the human will, and in using any one of them a
man necessarily sets in motion vibrations in the others also. The scientific
magician will choose among these, and so will save himself much exertion. Along
other lines of magic than the scientific it is probable that the performer
nearly always sets in motion much more force and power, and employs much more
energy than is at all needful for the object in hand; nevertheless he also
attains his results, though it may be at the cost of superfluous disturbance and
unnecessary fatigue to himself.
Without going into details, it is not difficult to see how
a man who understands will make choice of his materials. If he is dealing with a
man of great intellectual development and keen receptivity on the mental
(Page 206) plane, it will obviously be better to approach
him on that level by means of definite thought, or through the services of the
nature-spirits abiding there. If on the other hand, he is dealing with a man
whose life is intensely emotional, he will probably find it easier to impress
him along that line, and consequently he will send thought-forms veiled in
astral matter, or employ the services of the lower type of nature-spirits whose
bodies are built of the matter of that plane. If he is dealing with a man of
grossly material type, one who has dipped very deeply into the physical plane,
it seems reasonable to employ the forces and intelligences which clothe
themselves most readily in physical matter. But in all these cases alike the
motive power at the back is the indomitable will of the operator, through
whatever channels he may find it best to work.
Magic in Religion
We find abundant traces of this magic of command in the
ceremonies connected with almost every religion in the world. You may remember
that in speaking of Buddhism I drew your attention to a manifestation of it
which appears in connection with the chanting of the Pirit; and you will see
many signs of it in the accounts given to us of old Egyptian ceremonies. Indeed,
we have obvious relics of it much nearer to us than that, for they appear again
and again in the ritual of the Christian church. For example, it is well known
to students of practical occultism that of all substances water is one of the
most easily charged with force. It may readily be induced to absorb influence of
any particular type, and will retain this unimpaired for a long period of time.
We see analogy to this on the physical plane, for we know that water which has
stood uncovered in a bedroom (Page 207) during the
night is unfit for drinking purposes, because it has absorbed into itself all
the impurities cast off during that period from the physical bodies of the
sleepers. It is found that it may equally readily be charged with magnetism of
any type, either for good or evil purposes, as will be seen by the accounts of
various mesmeric experiments in almost any of the books devoted to that subject.
This fact seems to have been well known to those who
established the ceremonies of the early Christian church. Even at the present
day upon entering any Roman Catholic church we find at the door a stoup of holy
water, as it is called; and it will be observed that the faithful as they enter
dip their fingers into this water and make with it the sign of the cross upon
their foreheads or breasts. If interrogated as to the meaning of this, they tell
us that it is in order to drive away from them evil thoughts or feelings and to
purify them for the services in which they are about to take part. The ignorant
and boastful Protestant probably regards this as an instance of degrading
superstition; but, as usual, that shows only that he knows nothing whatever of
the subject.
Any student of occultism who will take the trouble to read
in the Roman prayer-book the office for the making of holy water cannot fail to
be struck with the fact that it is undoubtedly a definite magical ceremony. For
the purpose of consecration of holy water the priest is directed to take clean
water and clean salt; and he commences operations by a process which is called
the exorcising of the salt and the water. He has to recite certain forms which,
though by courtesy they are called prayers, are in reality adjurations of the
strongest type. He adjures the salt and the water successively in the most
determined language, commanding that all evil influences shall be driven out
from them and that they shall be left (Page 208) clean
and pure; and as he does this he is directed again and again to lay his hand
upon the vessels containing the salt and the water. Evidently the whole ceremony
is a mesmeric one, and the objectionable influence, if there be any, would be
driven out by the time the priest had finished his devotions. Then having
purified his elements – having removed from them anything that might be
undesirable – he proceeds to magnetize them vigorously for a particular and
definite purpose. Once more he recites determined adjurations, and is directed
again and again as he uses these powerful words to make over the elements with
his hand the sign of the cross, holding strongly in mind the will to bless. This
means that he is saturating both the salt and the water with his own magnetic
influence, specially charged and directed by his will for this clearly-defined
purpose – that wherever this water shall be sprinkled all evil thought or
feeling shall be driven away before it. Then with one final effort he casts the
salt into the water in the form of a cross, and the ceremony is completed.
I have no doubt that there are many priests who simply go
through all this ceremonial as a matter of form, without putting any thought or
strength into it. But I also know that there are many others to whom the ritual
is intensely real – men who do throw strength and force into their proceedings;
and naturally in their case the water is heavily charged with powerful magnetism
and a decided magnetic result is produced. I myself have frequently performed
this little ceremony as a priest of what was called the ritualistic section of
the Church of England; and I can testify that in my own case I believed vividly
in the efficacy of the operation, and I have no doubt therefore that the water
which I magnetized was really effective for the purposes intended. Any one who
(Page
209) is psychically sensitive may easily tell upon
entering a Catholic church and just touching the holy water with the hand,
whether or not the priest who consecrated it put real strength and thought into
his work.
Consecrated water is employed in many other of the
ceremonies of the Church. In baptism, for example, the water is carefully
blessed before the ceremony commences; even in the services of the Church of
England you will still find traces of this, for the priest prays that the water
shall be sanctified to the mystical washing away of sin, and as he utters these
words it is usual for him to make the sign of the cross in the water which is to
be employed. It will be remembered also that churches and burial grounds are
consecrated or set apart for a holy purpose, and there also a special effort is
made to scatter good influences, so that all who enter shall thereby be brought
into a proper and devotional frame of mind. Almost every object utilized in the
service of the Church was originally consecrated in the same manner; the vessels
of the alter, the vestments of the priest, the bells, the incense – all had
their special services of blessing. In the case of the bells, they were
permeated with certain rates of vibration and a certain type of magnetism, the
idea being that the thoughts and feelings which these suggested should be spread
abroad wherever the sound of the bells travelled – a perfectly scientific idea
from the point of view of the higher occult physics. In the same way the incense
was especially blessed, in order that his blessing might be showered wherever
its perfume penetrated, and that its scent might drive away all evil thoughts or
influences from the church in which it was used. (Page 210)
Mesmeric influence is again evident in the ceremony of the
ordination of priests; for it will be remembered that not only does the bishop
lay his hands upon the head of the candidate, but all the priests who are
present converge their forces upon him and lay their hands upon his head also.
Undoubtedly when all present are thoroughly in earnest this is no mere outward
sign; it must pass on from one to the other a strong influence of devotion and
loyalty, and help to conform the confidence of the newly ordained priest as to
the powers which have been given to him. The student of occultism cannot but see
that all these are manifestly survivals from a time when practical magic was
thoroughly understood in the Church. There is hardly a single ceremony among
those used either in the Greek, Roman, or Anglican Churches which has not behind
it some true occult significance, though in these days many people go through
such ceremonies merely as a matter of form, and never even think that there may
be something real and weighty behind them. In the older days people were not
only less sceptical but also less ignorant, and those who arranged the ritual of
the Church knew very well what they were doing.
Talismans
This leads us to consider the questions of talismans.
There used to be universal belief that a jewel or almost any object might be
charged mesmerically with good or evil influences; and though this idea would be
in modern days be regarded by many as a mere superstition, it is nevertheless a
fact that such force may be stored in a physical object, and may remain there
for a long period of time. A man can pour his magnetism into such an object, so
that his definite rate of vibration will radiate from it as light radiates out
from the sun. The influence put into such an object may be either good or evil,
helpful or harmful. In many cases such magnetic action resembles (Page
211) that of a cordial – that is to say, it is highly stimulant; in other
cases it is arranged for the purpose of calming and soothing the subject, so
that he may overcome his fears or his agitation. Such a talisman may be
magnetized, for example, with the object of strengthening a man to resist a
certain temptation – say that towards sensuality; and there is no doubt that
when properly charged it has a powerful influence in the direction intended.
Here we have the philosophy of relics – the truth which
lies behind the widely-spread veneration for them and belief in their efficacy.
Every one of us has his special rates of mental and astral vibration, and any
object which has been long in contact with us will be permeated with those rates
of vibration and capable of radiating them in turn, or of communicating them
with concentrated energy to any person who may wear the object or come within
the range of its action. Anything therefore which has been in close contact with
some great saint or some devoted person will bear with it much of his own
individual magnetism, and will tend to reproduce in the man or woman who wears
it something of the same state of feeling which existed in him from whom it
came. I have known of many instances in which such a talisman was effective – in
which, for example, it was possible my its means to calm and soothe persons
prostrated by nervous disease, so that they were enabled to gain the repose of
which they were in such urgent need.
We must not forget that in many cases the faith of the
wearer in the talisman also comes into play and contributes its quota to the
effect. If a person is impressively informed by someone in whom he has
confidence that a certain talisman will undoubtedly produce a certain result,
his own firm expectation of that result tends to bring it (Page
212) about; but quite apart from man’s faith in it, it is possible for a
talisman to produce an effect even upon those who do not know of its presence.
When charged by a powerful mesmerist certain objects will retain the magnetism
for a very long period of time. I have seen in the British Museum Gnostic charms
which still radiate quite a powerful and perceptible influence, although they
must have been magnetized at least seventeen hundred years ago; and some
Egyptian scarabaei are still effective, even though they are much older than
that. Naturally it is possible to charge an object for evil as well as for good;
any one who will take the trouble to read Ennemoser’s History of Magic will find
various instances quoted therein.
Charms or Mantrams
Another side of the subject is that connected with charms
and mantrams. These are forms of words by means of which certain occult results
are supposed to be achieved. Here also, as in the case of the talisman, definite
effects are sometimes undoubtedly produced; and, as with the talisman, this
result may be reached in either of two ways, or both of them may contribute
towards it. In the majority of cases the formula does nothing beyond
strengthening the will of the person who uses it, and impressing upon the mind
of the subject the result which it is desired to achieve. The strong confidence
of the operator that his formula must produce its effect, and the belief of the
subject that such effect will be produced, are frequently quite sufficient for
the purpose.
There is another and much rarer type of mantram in which
the sounds themselves produce a definite effect. Each sound sets up its own
vibration, and an orderly succession of such vibrations following one another
according (Page 213) to the predetermined scheme, may
be so arranged as to evoke definite feelings or emotions or thoughts within the
man. Many of the Sanskrit mantrams used in India are of this nature. In this
case the charm is untranslatable, it must be employed in the original language
and it must be correctly pronounced by one who understands how it is intended to
be sounded. On the other hand, it is not in the least necessary for the success
of that kind of mantram that the person who uses it should understand the
meaning of the words, or even that the sounds should make intelligible words
will be found in some of the Gnostic writings.
Be it always understood that along whatever line the
magician works, by whatever means he obtains his confidence, the forces at this
command may be employed for evil or for good according to the intention which
lies behind them. We have spoken chiefly of the pleasanter side of the subject,
dealing principally with cases in which the will of the operator was employed in
order to help; but there have been and are cases of evil will, and it is
important for us to remember this, because of the fact that such will may often
be unconsciously exercised. That, however, belongs to the practical application
of the subject to ourselves, with which I hope to deal next week when speaking
upon the use and abuse of psychic powers.
Invocatory Magic
Let us turn now to the second type of magic – that which
works by invocation – that which does not command, but persuades. It will be
seen that this type of magic has at its command fewer resources that the other.
Here the suppliant himself does nothing; he simply begs (Page
214) or bribes some one else to do something. The thought-form therefore is
not at his command, nor are the various forms of forces such as etheric pressure
or the use of the elemental essence. He confines himself to obtaining the
services of definite living entities, whether human or non-human. Efforts in
this direction are made much more commonly that we might at first sight suppose;
for you will observe that whenever a man tries to produce a result, to obtain
anything for himself, or to have facts or conditions modified by means of some
agency outside of the physical plane, he is in reality using invocatory magic,
although no such name may have entered his mind.
A great deal of the ordinary kind of prayer for selfish
purposes is an example of this. I am speaking here only of that lower variety of
prayer to which alone the name can properly be applied – that which definitely
asks for something. The word prayer is derived from the Sanskrit prashna,
through the Latin precor, and is connected with the German fragen; so that its
original and proper meaning can be only a definite request. Often people
incorrectly apply the name of prayer to what is in reality meditation or worship
– the contemplation of the highest ideal known to the worshipper, and the
endeavour to raise his own mind and heart upwards toward that object of worship.
But the mere ordinary prayer, for definite and frequently physical gains, is
certainly an attempt to draw down an influence from higher planes to produce
visible results, and so comes clearly within our definition of magic. It
frequently happens when two nations are engaged in a war that each of them will
pray for its own success and for the destruction of the opposing armies; and
this is clearly an endeavour to enlist invisible forces upon its side.
Fortunately, however, this idea of calling (Page 215)
in extraneous influences may be used for good as well as evil purposes, and we
find that many efforts are made in this way to invoke from above some help for
the soul.
Perhaps the most striking instance of this is to be found
in the life of the Brahman. The whole of that life is practically one continuous
prayer; for every one of his acts, even the smallest, a special form of petition
is assigned. Though much more elaborate and detailed, it is somewhat on the
lines of the form which is given for use in some Catholic convents, where the
novice is instructed to pray every time that he eats that his soul may be
nourished with the bread of life; every time that he washes his hands to form
the aspiration that his soul may be kept pure and clean; every time that he
enters a church to pray that his whole life may be one long service; every time
that he sows a seed, to think of the seed of the word of God which is to be sown
in the first place in his own heart of others; and so on. The life of the
Brahman is precisely similar, except his devotion is on a larger scale and is
carried into much greater detail. No one can doubt that he who really and
honestly obeys all these directions must be deeply and constantly affected by
such action.
We observe that although the invocatory magician is much
more limited in his field of action than is he who proceeds by command, he has
nevertheless the choice of several classes of entities to whom his appeal can be
directed. He may beg help, for example, from angels, from nature-spirits, or
from the dead. We know how frequently and how readily our Roman Catholic friends
invoke help from the guardian angels whom they believe to be always about them.
That is an effort at invocatory (Page 216) magic, and
it may in many cases obtain a definite response; whether it does so or not, at
any rate some result is produced by the man’s confidence in the efficacy of his
supplication.
Evil Invocations
That is the good side of such magic; but it has also a
real and serious evil side. We shall find that showing itself with painful
prominence in the Voodoo or Obeah ceremonies of the Negroes. In these the
magicians are endeavouring to invoke outside aid in order to work evil upon the
physical plane; and it is unquestionable that they sometimes meet with a
considerable amount of success in their nefarious efforts. I have seen a good
deal of this in South America, and am therefore able personally to testify that
results are produced along this undesirable line of activity. The same thing may
occasionally be seen in India, more especially among the hill tribes. There it
is by no means uncommon to find tribal gods worshipped, and the worship
frequently takes the shape of propitiatory sacrifices, in return for which the
tribal deity sometimes produces results upon the physical plane. We read, for
example, of villages in which all goes well so long as the village god receives
his accustomed offerings; but the moment that these regular meals are
intermitted, trouble instantly manifest in some way or other. I heard of one
case in which spontaneous fires broke out in the various huts of the village as
soon as they neglected to look after their tribal deity in the usual way. In
such cases there is an entity posing as the deity – an entity who enjoys the
worship paid to him, or finds real pleasure and profit in the sacrifices which
are offered. (Page 217)
It will be noticed that such sacrifices are usually of two
kinds; either there is a sacrifice of some living creature in which blood is
poured out, or else food of some kind (and preferably fresh food) is burnt, so
that the fumes of it may arise. This implies that the tribal deity is a very low
grade of entity, possessing a vehicle upon the etheric portion of the physical
plane – a vehicle through which he can absorb these physical fumes and either
draw nourishment from them or experience pleasure from partaking of them. It may
be taken as a certain rule that every deity, under whatever name he may
masquerade, who claims blood sacrifices or burnt sacrifices, is only a
nature-spirit of a low and brutal type; for it is only to such an entity that
such abominations could by any possibility be pleasing. It will be remembered
that in the earlier days of the Jewish religion horrible holocausts of this
nature were frequently offered; but as we draw nearer to the present age and the
Jewish race has taken its place in civilization, such sacrifices have naturally
been discontinued. It is surely unnecessary to insist upon the obvious fact that
no developed being of any sort, no angel or deva, could for one moment exact or
consent to receive any form of offering which involves death and suffering. No
beneficent deity has ever yet delighted in the foul scent and fumes of blood;
and the higher types of religion have consistently avoided such horrors.
The Darker Magic
The distinguishing characteristic of that evil side of
magic which has usually been called “black’ is that its object is entirely
selfish. There are many cases in which it is nothing more than this – in which
its object is not to do evil for evil’s sake, but to obtain for the possessor of
the powers whatever he may happen to desire at the (Page
218) moment. Much of the witchcraft of primitive tribes is of this nature,
and here also there is no doubt that a certain measure of success frequently
attend the efforts of the magician. I have myself seen instances of this;
indeed, I once took the trouble to learn an elaborate ritual of this nature,
which, if put into practice, would have given me the services of an entity which
undertook to procure whatever its coadjutor might require. Not only would it
furnish him with boundless wealth, but it would also carry out his wishes with
regard to either his friends or his enemies. From what I saw in connection with
other practitioners, I know that these offers could certainly be made good up to
very high limits; but the conditions required were such that it was impossible
for any right-thinking man to go further into the matter. The ritual required
was easy of accomplishment, but the agreement with the entity would have had to
be cemented with human blood in the first instance, and the creature would
afterwards have needed regular food involving the sacrifice of lower forms of
life. Much more of such magic exists in many parts of the world than is usually
suspected. On the other hand, interesting developments of it are free from such
horrors as were involved in the type just mentioned.
Petty Magic
It is no uncommon thing to find in the East men who have
inherited from their fathers the services of some non-human entity, who in
consideration of an occasional trifling provision of food will perform small
phenomena of various kinds for the person to whom it is especially attached.
Usually there are curious restrictions connected with the compact. Almost
invariably the human partner in this bond is bound to give to no one the name
(Page 219) or description of his unseen coadjutor; and,
oddly enough, in a large number of cases the condition is attached that no
money, or not more than a fixed and nominal amount may ever be obtained by the
coadjutor’s help or accepted for any exhibition of his peculiar powers.
I remember, for example, a man possessing such a partner
who was brought to me while in the East. In this case the entity attached showed
his power principally by bringing to his human partner any objects that might be
indicated, in precisely the same way that such things are frequently brought at
a spiritualistic séance. Fortunately, however, one of the stipulations which
formed part of their agreement was that the unseen partner should never be asked
to bring anything which was not honestly the property of his friend on the
physical plane; otherwise a system of wholesale robbery would have been easy,
and it would have been impossible to trace or punish the thefts.
The example of this power which was shown to me was
conclusive. I went with the magician into a fruiterer’s shop and bought a
selection of fruit of various kinds, and had it laid aside for me until I should
send to fetch it. All that was required was that the magician should see the
fruit, so that he might know exactly what there was. Then driving directly home
with my magician – of course leaving the fruit behind me in the shop – we asked
whether he would be able to produce for us the various items of the purchase in
any order we required. He seemed confident of this, and indeed the result showed
that his trust in his unseen friend was fully justified. The man belonged
distinctly to the lower classes, and seemed quite uneducated. He wore no
clothing excepting a small loincloth, so that it would be impossible to suppose
that he had somehow concealed some fruit about his (Page
220) person. We sat upon a flat roof with nothing but the sky above us, and
yet each fruit as we asked for it was instantly thrown down among us as though
it had fallen from the sky. In this way the whole of our purchase was duly
delivered to us, in the order in which we called for it; and that although we
were at a distance of some miles from the shop in which it had been left.
Many of the more inexplicable feats of the Indian jugglers
are performed under some such arrangement as this. Any clever European juggler
can deceive the eyes of the average man, and can produce results of the most
wonderful nature by methods which are inexplicable to the untrained.
Nevertheless there are definite limits as to what can be done in this direction;
and for the production of many of the feats of the occidental conjurer a
considerable amount of machinery is required, and often also a particular
position or arrangement of his audience. The Oriental juggler has to work under
different conditions; his performances are usually in the open air, upon the
stone pavement of a courtyard, and in the midst of an excited crowd which
presses closely upon him on every side. It will be seen that under circumstances
such as these many of the resources of his European competitor are not
available.
No doubt most men have heard of the celebrated mango trick
in which a tree grows, or appears to grow, from a seed before the eyes of the
spectators, and even bears fruit which is handed round and tasted. Then again
there is the basket trick, in which a child is concealed under the basket and
then apparently cut to pieces, though when the basket is raised it is found to
be empty and the child comes running in unharmed from behind the spectators.
Again we read how in some cases a rope is thrown into the air and appears to
remain miraculously
(Page 221) suspended, the conjuror himself , and
usually one of his assistants, climbing up the rope and disappearing into space.
Now some of these feats are manifestly impossible; and on enquiring more closely
into the matter we find that the phenomena described are produced by means of
what is commonly called glamour – a kind of power of wholesale mesmerism without
the usual preliminaries of passes or of trance. That this is the way in which
some of these tricks are performed I have myself proved by various experiments;
so we need not consider any of these under our present head of invocatory magic
– though it is probable that in some cases this power of glamour is exercised
not by the conjuror himself, but by the unseen partner, who has at his command
the various resources of the astral plane.
Many tricks on a smaller scale than the above, however,
appear to be performed directly by the astral coadjutor. I recollect, for
example, a little experiment of which I was a witness which I think must have
belonged to this category. Once more our magician wore almost nothing in the way
of clothing, and therefore could not have concealed about him any apparatus by
which his marvels could be performed. I was asked to produce a silver coin and
to lay it upon the palm of my hand. I held it towards the magician, who breathed
upon it but did not touch it, and then motioned me back to my seat some fifteen
feet away. I was then instructed to cover this coin with my other hand, and as I
did so the juggler began to mutter rapidly some incomprehensible words.
Instantly I felt the sense of something exceedingly cold swelling between my
hands and forcing them apart. In a moment or two this curious cold mass began to
stir between my hands, and I opened them to see what was there. To my horror I
found that a huge black (Page 222) scorpion had taken
the place of the coin. Instinctively I threw him to the ground, and after
erecting his tail angrily he scuttled away.
Another man present went through exactly the same
performance, except that in his case as he opened his hands a small but active
snake was found neatly coiled up between them. Now this was by no means a
performance of the same nature as the production of a living rabbit out of one’s
hat by the ordinary juggler; for in this case the conjuror was some fifteen feet
away, and the coin was obviously a coin and nothing else after we had withdrawn
far beyond his reach. The result might have been produced by the same power of
glamour to which I have previously referred; but certain circumstances connected
with it make that to my mind highly improbable, and I suspect it to be a case of
genuine substitution by some astral entity.
Another curious little case of the employment of this sort
of traditional magic, by a man quite uneducated and ignorant of the methods by
which it worked, came under my notice some years later. It happened that I had
received a somewhat severe wound from which blood was pouring plentifully. A
passing coolie hastily snatched a leaf from a shrub at the roadside, pressed it
for a moment to the wound and muttered half a dozen words, and the flow of blood
instantly ceased. Naturally I asked the man how he had done this, but he was
unable or unwilling to give any satisfactory reply. All he could say was that
this charm (which he was forbidden to disclose) had been handed down in his
family for some generations, and his belief was that there was a spirit of some
sort summoned by the charm who produced the required result. I inquired whether
the leaf selected had any part in the success of his experiment, but he answered
that (Page 223) any leaf, or a fragment of paper or
cloth, would done equally well. He evidently believed that the effect was wholly
due to the form of words employed; and it may have been that it was his own
confidence in this which enabled his will to produce the physical result.
In none of the cases which I have described was there
anything evil or selfish about the magic employed, but I fear that there are
many instances in which the work done in such ways is less innocent. Many of the
witch stories of mediaeval times, and the curious tales of supposed compacts
with the devil, were probably examples of the black art on a lower scale. All of
this may be paralleled in certain parts of the world at the present day; and the
wiseacres who dismiss all accounts of such things as merely superstitious fancy
are, as usual, speaking of that which they do not in the least understand. There
is, however, no need that any should be nervous with regard to such
performances, or should fear that they may be injured in this way by those whose
enmity they have incurred. No doubt results are produced, for example, by the
Voodoo or Obeah enchantments among the Negroes; but it is rarely indeed that the
practitioners are able to affect the incredulous white man.
How Evil May Be Resisted
There are cases in which this has been done; but it should
be remembered that it can only happen when the evil from without finds something
in the victim upon which it can act. The man whose soul is strong and unselfish
cannot be touched by any such machinations. The evil thoughts and practices
dictated by envy and hatred may work harm along one of two lines. They may
produce fear in the victim, and so throw him into a pitiable condition, in which
disease and evil of many
(Page 224) sorts may readily descend upon him.
The man who is perfectly fearless has a much greater capability of resisting all
such things, precisely as the man who has no fear of contagious disease is less
likely to be infected by it than the man who is always in terror of it. Any
clairvoyant who watched the conditions produced both in the astral body and in
the etheric part of the physical vehicle by nervousness and fear will easily
understand why this should be, and will see the immunity of the fearless man is
explicable on purely scientific grounds.
Another and even more deadly way in which such forces may
act upon a person for evil is that they may stir up within him vibrations of the
same nature as their own. So if the man has within him the seeds of envy,
jealousy, hatred, sensuality, these feelings may be roused to the point of
frenzy, and he may be induced in that way to commit actions on which in his
calmer moments he would look with horror. Unselfishness, one-pointedness, purity
of thought guard a man entirely from such dangers, and it is therefore
unnecessary that any man should be nervous with regard to the effects which may
be produced upon him by others. A more real danger is that we may ourselves
unconsciously yield to undesirable feelings with regard to other people, and so
may, without especial intention, be causing evil results for them. That is a
much more imminent peril, and one against which we can guard ourselves only by
seeing to it that no thought of malice or anger, of envy or of jealousy shall
for an instant be allowed to harbour itself within our hearts.
For the rest, the man who is true and unselfish gives no
handle for any evil influence to seize, no door for its entrance into his heart.
If his life and his thought be in harmony with the Divine Will, he may be
certain that (Page 225) no black magician in the world
can harm him. Our danger is not in the least that we shall be injured, but far
more that by want of control over ourselves, our own thoughts and desires, we
may sometimes do harm to others. This practical side of the subject, however,
belongs more especially to our topic for next week, “The Use and Abuse of
Psychic Powers.” (Page 227)
CHAPTER IX
THE USE AND ABUSE OF PSYCHIC POWERS
Strictly speaking, psychic powers mean the powers of the
soul, because this word psychic is derived from the Greek psyche, the soul. But
in ordinary language this term is used rather to imply that we in Theosophy call
the powers of the astral body, or even in many cases those pertaining to the
etheric part of the physical body. To speak of persons as “psychic” generally
means nothing more than that they are sensitive – that they sometimes see or
hear more than the majority of people around them are as yet able to see or
hear. Though it is of course true that this sight is a power of the soul, it is
equally true that all the powers which we display in physical life are also
powers of the soul, for our bodies, whether astral or physical, are after all
only vehicles. What is commonly termed “psychic power” is then only a slight
extension of the ordinary faculties; but the expression is also sometimes used
to include other manifestations which are yet somewhat abnormal among men, such
as mesmeric power, or the power of mind-cure. Since the will is the motive force
both in mesmerism and in mind-cure, I presume that we can hardly object to the
application of this term psychic power in these cases. Often telepathy and
Psychometry are considered to come under the same head, although these in
reality merely indicate a somewhat unusual sensitiveness to impressions from
without. In truth, all of these powers of the soul are inherent in every son of
man, though they are developed (Page 228) as yet only
in a few, and are working only partially even with them, unless they have had
the inestimable advantage of definite occult training.
The Trained and the Untrained
In my lectures upon clairvoyance I have often had to draw
a distinction between the trained and the untrained man. Until we come to
examine the matter practically we can have little idea what an enormous
difference the definite training in the use of such powers makes to the capacity
of the man. Practically all those of whom we commonly thing as psychic in this
occidental country are entirely untrained. They are simply persons who possess a
little of this higher faculty, which has been born in them as a consequence of
some efforts which they have made to attain it in past lives – possibly as
vestal virgins in ancient temples, or possibly as practitioners of less
desirable forms of magic in mediaeval times. In most cases in this life they
have used such powers somewhat blindly, or perhaps have made no conscious effort
to use them at all, but have rather been satisfied to accept whatever
impressions came to them. In India, and in other Oriental countries, these
things have been scientifically studied for many centuries, so that there any
one who shows signs of such development is instructed to either to repress its
manifestations altogether, or else to put himself under the definite training of
those who thoroughly understand the subject. The Indian mind approaches these
problems from a totally different point of view. To the Hindu mere sensitiveness
seems an undesirable quality, lest it should degenerate into mediumship a
condition which he regards with the utmost horror. To him these powers of the
soul are not in the slightest degree abnormal; he knows That they are (page
229) inherent in every man, and so he is in no way surprised at their occasional
manifestation. But he knows also that unless carefully trained and kept in
control they are likely to mislead their possessor in the early days of his
experience.
The Indian student knows what he is doing in regard to
these matters, for they have all been classified thousands of years ago. There
are many teachers in India who will take a man and train him psychically, just
as here a man might be trained in athletics or in the practice of some science.
In Eastern countries the whole thing is systematized, and all of those who are
here called psychic and clairvoyant would be regarded in the East as somewhat
unpromising pupils. Indeed I believe that many of the Oriental teachers would
rather not undertake the development of a man who has already some small amount
of these psychic powers, because it is found that such a man has usually much to
unlearn, and is more difficult to manage and to train than one in whom as yet no
such faculties have manifested themselves. In the East they have a thorough
comprehension of all these things; with them a man is trained in the use of his
faculties from the first, and the possibilities of error and miscalculation are
clearly explained to him, and therefore he is naturally far less likely to fall
a victim to them
In our Western countries clairvoyance has a bad
reputation, by reason of the fact that there are many pretenders to its
possession who are constantly unsuccessful and blundering in their efforts.
There may be some of these who are barefaced impostors; but I imagine that the
majority have really some partial development of this faculty, although they
have often entirely misunderstood even the little that they have. Certainly no
(page 230) man in the East would ever come before the public,
or be known in any way as a clairvoyant, until he had been trained far enough to
be beyond all possibility of the ordinary gross errors which are so painfully
common among so-called clairvoyants here. When we grasp this fact, we at once
see how great is the difference between the trained and the untrained, and how
little reliance is usually to be placed upon the latter.
Most psychics among us feel themselves to be infallible,
and consider that the messages and impressions which reach them come always from
the highest possible quarters; but the truth is that a little common-sense and
study of the subject would show them that in this they are mistaken. No doubt it
is to some extent gratifying to each one’s subtle self-conceit to suppose that
she has the exclusive power of communication with some great archangel; but if
she will but take the trouble to read the literature of the subject it will soon
become apparent that many hundreds of other people have also had their private
archangels, and have nevertheless been frequently grossly mistaken. Of course no
trained man could possibly fall into such an error as this; but then, as I have
said, the vast majority of our psychics in Europe and America are entirely
untrained. Some of them may receive a certain amount of guidance from dead
people — “spirit guides,” as they are called - but it is rarely of an exact and
practical kind, and it usually tends much more towards mediumship and general
sensitiveness than towards the gain of definite control and self-development.
I doubt whether any large number of our occidental
psychics would for a moment submit themselves to the kind of training which the
wiser teachers of the East consider necessary. There a man has to try
persistently~ patiently, over and over again at the simplest feats until
(Page 231) he succeeds in producing his results neatly and
perfectly; he is expected to build up his knowledge of higher planes step by
step from those with which he is already familiar, and he is not encouraged in
lofty flights which take his feet away from the bedrock of ascertained fact. Our
Western psychics would probably consider themselves much injured if they were
made to work laboriously at self-control in the way which is always exacted as a
matter of course in all Oriental schools of development of these psychic powers.
Studies Not Definitely Psychic
I suppose that many people would include among psychic
powers astrology, palmistry and phrenology. I think, however, that we are hardly
justified in describing these as psychic, because in all of them the theory is
that the results are obtained by deduction from matters of fact and of
observation. The astrologer ascertains the position of the stars at any given
moment, and from that he casts his horoscope or sets up his figure, and after
that it is supposed to be a mere matter of calculation to discover what
influences are at work. In the same way the palmist observes the lines of the
hand and then gives his delineation according to the accepted rules of his
science; and the same is done by the phrenologist from his examination of the
varied configuration of the skull. In all these sciences the real proficiency
lies in the capacity to balance the contradictory indications and to judge
accurately between them; and many practitioners of these arts are no doubt aided
in such decision by impressions which come much nearer to psychic faculty. To
these last perhaps we might permit the name of psychic power, but hardly to the
sciences themselves; so that I think we may put them on one side for (Page
232) the purpose of our lecture. It sometimes happens that one who practices
these arts is in the habit of receiving impressions and communications from some
astral entity — impressions which greatly assist him in judging accurately from
the facts put before him. In this case obviously such success as he may attain
is not in consequence of his own psychic powers, but of the additional
discernment which ordinary astral faculty gives to his departed helper.
In the same way it does not seem to me that mediumship
should be recognized among psychic powers, or indeed considered properly a power
at all. The man who is a medium is not exercising power, but is on the contrary
abdicating his rightful possession of control over his own organs or principles.
It is essential for a medium that his principles should be readily separable. If
he is a trance or writing medium, that means that any astral entity may easily
take possession of his physical body and utilize either the hand or the vocal
organs, so that he is simply one who can be promptly dispossessed by dead man.
If, on the other hand, he is a materializing medium (whether the
materializations are perfect and visible forms, or merely invisible hands which
touch the sitters at the séance, or play musical instruments, or carry small
objects about), the special quality which he possesses is that etheric or even
physical matter can quickly and safely be withdrawn from his body and used for
the various operations of the séance. In any or all of these cases it will be
seen that the medium’s part is to be passive and not active, so that he may be
seized upon and obsessed without too great an effort on the part of the
obsessing entity. It is evident that he cannot be described as possessing or
using a power at all, but rather as able to (Page 233 )
assume a condition in which he can without difficulty yield himself to the power
of others. Conscious Psychic Powers
It would seem then that we may reserve the title of
“psychic” powers for the definite use of will or of the astral or etheric senses
— that is to say, we may include genuine and controlled clairvoyance, mind-cure,
mesmerism, telepathy, and psychnometry. A great deal of unconscious psychic
power is also being constantly exercised, and of that I shall speak later; but
we will take the conscious exercise of power first. This conscious exercise of
these powers is only for the few among us at present. It is by no means uncommon
to find men who have good deal of mesmeric capability; and a fair number of
persons have considerable curative power along various lines; but still as
compared to the total population these are only a few. The unconscious powers
are possessed by all of us, and all of us are using them to greater or less
extent,
To those who possess
and employ these conscious psychic powers I would say that all of them may be
used and all of them may be abused, so great care should be exercised with regard
to them. There is a good general rule which is universally applicable with regard
to all such matters, and that is the rule of perfect unselfishness. If those
who have such powers are using them in any way for personal gain, whether it
be of money or of influence, that is distinctly an abuse. These are truly powers
of the soul; they are connected with the advancement of man and with his higher
development, and it is for that higher development only that they should be
employed. That is an important point for the person possessing (Page 234)
them to bear in
mind; it is the only safe rule that can be made for their use,These are in all
cases glimpses of the future of the human race. If these higher powers which
will one day come to every one of us are to be used by each man for himself,
the future may well be dark and fearful. If, on the other hand, as they develop,
men learn to use them for the uplifting and the helping of the race, that future
will be a bright and a grand one. Our record tells us that in the remote past
there was a mighty race which possessed these powers to the full; but that race
as a whole used them wrongly, and in consequence that race disappeared. We of
the fifth root-race must also in our turn pass through the same trial, we must
inherit the same powers. Their occasional appearance among us now is an earnest
of the time when they will presently become almost universal, when they will
be fully understood and accepted.
The great question is whether, having followed our
predecessors so far, we shall follow them to the end; whether when we have
developed these powers as they did, we also shall abuse them as they did; for if
we do, it is certain that we shall also follow them in their destruction. If, as
may be hoped, we shall do somewhat better than they, if there shall be a larger
proportion who will use these powers for the good of mankind as a whole, it may
be that the doom can be averted, and that the common-sense and public feeling of
the majority will condemn and curb their employment for selfish purposes. But if
that is to be, if we are to have this larger proportion of those who understand
and who use their powers intelligently, it is certain that we must begin now;
now that these things are as yet only in seed among us we must begin by using
them unselfishly, and we must put (Page
235) away altogether the idea of exploiting them for the
sake of the lower self. There is already far too great a tendency in This
direction; the grasping avarice of the ignorant leads them to employ every
additional advantage which they think they can gain, in order that they may make
a little more money, that they may obtain a little more advancement or a little
more fame for the wretched personal self.
The dawn of these higher faculties must never be corrupted
by such thoughts or such feelings as these. We must remember that higher powers
involve higher responsibility, that the man who possesses them is already in a
different position, because he is already coming within reach of grander
possibilities in many directions. We understand this readily in other and more
purely physical matters, and none of us would think of regarding the
responsibility of the savage when he commits a murder or a robbery as in any way
equal to our own if we should fall into the same crime. That is because we have
a greater knowledge than he, and so every one instinctively realizes that more
is to be expected from us. The same thing is true with regard to this additional
knowledge — this knowledge that brings with it so much more of power; for added
power means added opportunity, and therefore added responsibility.
Mesmerism and Mind-Cure
In previous lectures I have already explained the
Theosophical view with regard to mesmerism and mind-cure, so I need not now
repeat myself with regard to these subjects. It is easy to see how the former
might be misused — how it might be employed with great facility to dominate the
mind of a person and to influence him unduly to favour the operator. One hears
sometimes of (Page 236) such cases, in which a man
desiring to obtain a position, of another one desiring to obtain money,
exercises undue mesmeric influence and thereby gets himself appointed to some
place which he is unfitted to fill, or perhaps succeeds in having money given to
him or left to him as a legacy when it should by ordinary canons of justice have
passed into other hands. It is common to see advertisements in the papers from
men who profess to teach mesmeric influence avowedly with the intention that it
shall be used in ordinary business, in order that the person who uses it may in
this way get the better of the unfortunate man who comes into contact with him
in the way of It is obvious that all these are very serious abuses; and I think
that we must class ‘with them that use of mesmeric power which is so frequently
exhibited in public - that which makes the subject ridiculous in some one or
other of many ways. On the other hand, there is no doubt that mesmerism may be
usefully employed for curative purposes. As I explained in my lecture on that
subject, it is usually possible to withdraw from a patient such pains as those
of headache or toothache by means of a few passes, without putting him into a
trance condition at all. Indeed I imagine that a large number of ills to which
flesh is heir can be cured in this way without the use of trance. This latter
should be used very sparingly, because it involves domination of one man’s will
by another; perhaps almost the only case in which it is justifiable is that of a
surgical operation. We shall find accounts of its successful employment in such
cases in the works of Dr. Esdaile of Calcutta and Dr. Elliotson of London. One
may see equally readily how easy it would be to misuse the power of mind-cure.
It is often employed as a means of making money; and it seems to me that
(Page
237) wherever that is done there is a terrible danger of
impurity in the motive and unscrupulousness in the practice. It is sometimes
said that those who devote the whole of their time and strength to the curing of
others must themselves obtain their livelihood in some way, and that in this
respect mind-cure stands only on the same level as ordinary medicine. I do not
feel myself able to agree with this latter contention. In the case of the
ordinary doctor we all know that he passed through an expensive training in
order to fit himself to deal with the especial needs of the human body; and we
all realize what it is that we are buying from him — the services which his
skill and experience enable him to place at our disposal. But the mind-curist is
often entirely ignorant, and has undergone no preliminary training; in any case
he is using a power which cannot be measured upon the physical plane, because it
belongs to something higher and less material. If such a practitioner has no
means of his own, and is devoting the whole of his time to the work of curing
diseases, there can be no objection to his accepting any gift that a grateful
patient may wish to make to him in recognition of the help which he has given;
but it seems to me that to fix a definite charge for services of this nature is
eminently undesirable and contrary to the whole spirit of occult teaching. This
is a matter which every person must decide with his own conscience; but it is a
dangerous thing to introduce any element of personal gain into the utilization
of powers which belong to these higher levels. It is better to avoid in this
case the very appearance of evil
Clairvoyance
All this is true
also of clairvoyance. Any faculty of that nature which a person possesses may
be used for (Page 238) good in a great may ways. For one who
has this faculty higher worlds lie partially open, at any rate sometimes, and
therefore this power may be used to learn. For this purpose it is necessary
that the clairvoyant should make a careful study of the literature of the subject,
in order that he may see what others possessing this faculty have previously
learnt, that he may be guided by their experience, and may avoid the pitfalls
into which some of them have fallen. A clairvoyant who does not study the subject,
who makes no effort to verify his visions and to compare them with the experiences
of others, is liable to be seriously deceived, and by his wild predictions and
descriptions to bring the whole subject into discredit with those who do not
yet understand it. But for one who uses this power with common-sense and without
self-conceit, in a scientific spirit of investigation rather than with the hope
of obtaining personal gain from it, it may be a source not only of great pleasure
but also of great advancement. Not only may be obtain knowledge for himself
— knowledge which he can pass on to his fellow-men — but by its means he may
also learn to see when and how people need help, and to distinguish the way
in which it can most successfully be given. By its means he can often see where
a kind word is especially needed, where a loving, comforting, strengthening
thought can be sent with the certainty of immediate result. The clairvoyant
has at least a little more power for good than his fellows if he will only watch
for opportunities for using it, if only he will think always of helping others
rather than of gaining anything for himself. Beautiful possibilities open up
before us when we think of the power that will be in the hands of all in the
not-far-distant future; the man who is to some extent clairvoyant now is beginning
even already to reap a little (Page 239) of the harvest of
capacity for good which will come to us all as the race advances. The clairvoyant
who is thoroughly unselfish, whose additional powers are carefully balanced
by strong and robust common-sense, may do much good in the world, and may gain
spiritual advancement for himself in the very act of helping his fellow-creatures.
It is not difficult
to see that this is a power that may be misused. The additional information
about others which it puts in the hands of its possessor may be employed, and
unfortunately is sometimes employed, for personal gain, for the gratification
of curiosity and even for the levying of blackmail. We see from this how essentially
necessary it is that the clairvoyant should possess the characteristic of a
gentleman, and when he belongs to the class which in Theosophy we call the first
class pitri this is of course the case.
Scandalous
Misuse of It
Unfortunately clairvoyance
may be acquired by less developed souls who do not possess the instincts of
the man of delicate feeling, as we may see by some of the disgraceful advertisements
which so frequently appear in our papers. There we see persons shamelessly announcing
that they are prepared to put clairvoyant power (such as it is) at any man’s
disposal in order to help him to obtain an unfair advantage over his fellows
in some speculation, that they will help him to rob other men under the pretext
of gambling or of betting on horse racing. In this way they are pandering to
the lowest passions of man, they are descending from what should be a higher
and purer realm into the foulest mud of the most degraded physical life.
Nor are these the
only offenders, for we often see (Page 240) announcements
from those who profess to teach clairvoyance or occult science of some sort
in return for so many pounds or so many dollars. These unscrupulous practitioners
are able to live and flourish only because the public is as yet ignorant of
the true conditions of all such teaching. It is certain that no true occultist
has ever yet taken money for occult teaching or information. The moment That
a man advertises — the moment that he takes money for any service which professes
to be of an occult nature — that moment he brands himself as having no true
occultism to give. True teaching along these lines is to be obtained only from
recognized schools of occultism existing under the guardianship of the great
Brotherhood; and every pupil of these is forbidden to take money for the use
of any psychic power. So all these people condemn themselves, and bear this
condemnation on the very face of their announcements; and if they flourish and
grow fat upon the property of Those whom they deceive, the sufferers have only
themselves to thank for the results of their own foolish credulity. Once more
I repeat that there is one, and only one, safe rule with regard to the use of
all these higher faculties, and that is that. They shall never under any conditions
be employed for any selfish or personal object.
Let us turn now
from these powers which belong only to the few to those others which all of
us possess and are using, even though we may be unconscious of them. The first
and the greatest of these is the power of thought. Many a man has heard vaguely
that thoughts are things, and yet the statement has not conveyed to him. Any
real or definite meaning. When he is fortunate enough to have developed clairvoyance
to the level of the mental (Page 241) plane, he will be able
to bear testimony to the enormous importance of the truth which is expressed
in that statement. If, utilizing the senses of the mental body, he looks out
through them at the mental bodies of his fellows, he will see how thought manifests
itself at that level and what results it produces. It is in the mental body
or mind of man that thought first shows itself to clairvoyant vision as a vibration
arising in the matter of that body. From the plates which I have published in
Man visible and Invisible some idea may be gathered of the appearance of this
mental body to the man who is able to see it; though the drawings given in that
book are only an attempt to present in section and on the physical plane something
of the far grander and wider impression which is really made on the sense at
that higher level by the appearance of that body.
We man thinks while
a clairvoyant is watching him, the latter will see that a vibration is set up
in the mental body, and that this vibration produces two distinct results. Like
all other vibrations, it tends to communicate itself to any surrounding matter
which is capable of receiving it; and thus, since the atmosphere is filled with
mental matter, which is readily set in motion in response to any such impulse,
the first effect produced is that of a sort of ripple which spreads out through
circumjacent space, exactly as when a stone is thrown into a pond ripples will
be seen to radiate from that centre along the surface of the water. In this
case the radiation is not in one plane but in all directions, like the radiations
from the sun or from a lamp. It must be remembered that man exists in a great
sea of mental matter, just as we here on the physical plane are living in the
midst of the atmosphere, although we so rarely think of it. This thought-vibration,
therefore, radiates out in all directions, (Page 242) becoming
less powerful in proportion to the distance from its source. Again, like all
other vibrations, this one tends to reproduce itself wherever opportunity is
offered to it; and as each variety of thought is represented by its own rate
of vibration, that fact means that whenever this wave strikes upon another mental
body it will tend to provoke in it vibrations similar to those which gave it
birth in the first place. That is to say, from the point of view of that other
man whose mental body is touched by the wave, it tends to produce in his mind
a thought identical with that which had previously arisen in the mind of The
thinker.
The distance to
which such a thought-wave penetrates, the strength and persistence with which
it impinges upon the mental bodies of others, depend upon the strength and clearness
of the original thought. The voice of a speaker sets in motion waves of sound
in the air, which radiate from him in all directions, and convey his message
to all those who are, as we say, within hearing; and the distance to which his
voice can penetrate depends upon its strength and the clearness of his enunciation.
In the same way the strong thought will carry further than the weak and undecided
one; but clearness and definiteness are of even greater importance than strength.
But just as the speaker’s voice may fall upon heedless ears where men are already
engaged in business or in pleasure, so may a strong wave of thought sweep past
without affecting the mind of man if he is already deeply engrossed in some
other line of thought. Large numbers of men, however, do not think definitely
or strongly except when in the immediate prosecution of some business which
demands their whole attention. Consequently there are always many minds within
our reach which are likely to be considerable affected by the (Page 243) thoughts which impinge upon them; and we therefore are responsible for the thoughts
which we send out and for the effects which they produce upon others.
This is a psychic
power which we all possess, which we are constantly exercising; and yet how
few of us ever think of it, or of the serious responsibility which it involves.
Inevitably and without any effort of ours every thought which we allow to rest
within our minds must be influencing the minds of others about us. Consider
how frightful is the responsibility if this thought be an impure or an evil
one, for we are then spreading moral contagion among our fellow men. Remember
that thousands of people possess within them latent germs of evil — germs which
may never blossom and bear fruit unless some force from without plays upon them
and stirs them into activity. If you yield yourself to an impure or unholy thought,
the vibration which you thus produce may be the factor which awakens a germ
into activity and causes it to begin to grow; and so you may start some soul
upon a downward career. Later it may blossom out into thoughts and words and
deeds of evil, and these in their turn may injuriously affect thousands of other
men even in the far-distant future. We see then how awful is the responsibility
of a single evil thought. Harm is constantly done in this way, and though it
is done unconsciously, a heavy responsibility lies upon the doer, for at least
he knows that he ought to have purified his mind but has neglected to do so.
If it should ever happen to us to have a selfish or evil
thought arising within us, let us hasten at once to send out a strong and vital
thought of goodness and charity to follow hard upon the other vibration and, so
far as may be, undo any evil which it may have done. Happily all this is true of
good thought as well as of evil;
(Page 244) and the man who realizes this may set
himself to work to be a veritable sun, constantly radiating upon all his
neighbours thoughts of love and calm and peace. This is a grand psychic power,
and yet it is one that is within the reach of every human being — of the poorest
as well as the wealthiest, of the little child as well as of the great sage. How
clearly this consideration shows us the duty of controlling our thought and of
keeping it always at the highest level which is possible for us!
Thought-Forms
That, however, is only of the results of thought. Our
clairvoyant watching the genesis of this thought sees that it not only sets up
this ever-radiating and divergent vibration, but that it also makes a definite
form. All students of Theosophy are acquainted with the idea of the elemental
essence — that strange half-intelligent life which surrounds us; they know how
readily it responds to the influence of human thought, and how every impulse
sent out from the mind-body of man immediately clothes itself in a temporary
vehicle of this essence. Thus it becomes for the time being a kind of living
creature, the thought-force being the soul and the elemental essence the body.
There may be infinite variety in the colour and shape of such thought-forms —
artificial elementals, as they are sometimes called. Each thought draws round it
the matter which is appropriate for its expression and sets that matter into
vibration in harmony with its own; thus the character of the thought decides its
colour, and the study of its variations and combinations is an exceedingly
interesting one. A list of these colours with their signification is given in
the book which I have just mentioned, Man Visible and Invisible, and a number of
coloured (Page 245) drawings of various types of such
forms will be found in the companion volume Thought-Forms.
In many cases these
thoughts are merely revolving clouds of the colour appropriate to the idea which
gave them birth but in the case of a definite form, a clear-cut and often beautiful
shape will be assumed. If the thought be intellectual and impersonal — for example
if the thinker is attempting to solve a problem in algebra or geometry — then
his thought-forms and waves of vibration will be confined to the mental plane.
If, however, his thought be of a spiritual nature, if it be tinged with love
and aspiration of deep unselfish feeling, then it will rise upwards from the
mental plane and will borrow much of the splendour and glory of the buddhic
levels above. In such a case its influence is most powerful, and every such
thought is a mighty force for good which cannot but produce a decided effect
upon all other mental bodies within reach, if they contain any quality at all
capable of response.
If, on the other
hand, the thought has in it something of self or of personal desire, at once
its vibrations turn downward, and it draws round itself a body of astral matter
in addition to its clothing of mental matter. Such a thought-form is capable
of acting upon not only the minds but the astral bodies of other men - capable
not only of arousing thought within them, but also stirring up their feelings.
Here once more we see the terrible responsibility of sending forth a selfish
thought, or one charged with low and evil magnetism. If any man about us has
a weak spot within his nature - and who has not? -then this selfish thought
of ours may find that weak spot and develop the germ of evil into poisonous
flower and fruit. But good and loving thoughts and feelings will project their
forms also, and (Page 246) will act upon other men just as
strongly in their way as did the evil in the contrary direction; so that this
opens before us a sphere of usefulness, when once our thoughts and feelings
are thoroughly under the control of the higher self
The
Work of the Thought-Form
It may be useful
for us to think a little more closely of this thought-form, and to note its
further adventures. Often a man’s thought is definitely directed toward some
one else; he sends forth from himself a thought of affection, of gratitude,
or unfortunately it may sometimes be of envy or jealousy or of hatred, towards
some one else. Such a thought will produce its radiations precisely as would
any other; but the thought-form which it generates is imbued with definite intention,
as it were, and as soon as it breaks away from the mental and astral bodies
of the thinker it goes straight towards the person upon whom it is directed,
and fastens itself upon him. It may be compared not inaptly to a Leyden jar,
with its charge of electricity. If the man towards whom it is directed is at
the moment in a passive condition, or if he has within him active vibrations
of a character harmonious with its own, it will at once discharge itself upon
him. Its effect will be to provoke a vibration similar to its own if none such
already exists, or to intensify it if it is already to be found there. If the
man’s mind is so strongly occupied along some other lines that it is impossible
for the vibration to find an entrance, the thought-form hovers about him waiting
for an opportunity to discharge itself Unfortunately. However, at our present
stage of evolution the majority of the thoughts of men are usually self-centred,
even when not actively selfish. They are (Page 247) often
heavily tinged by desire, and in such cases they at once descend into and clothe
themselves with astral matter, and react strongly and persistently upon the
man who set them in motion.
Many a man may be
seen surrounded by a shell of thought-forms, all of them hovering closely about
him and constantly reacting upon him. Their tendency in such a case is to reproduce
themselves — that is to say, to stir up in him a repetition of the thoughts
to which he has previously yielded himself. Many a man feels this pressure upon
him from without — this constant suggestion of certain thoughts; and if the
thoughts are evil he frequently thinks of them as tempting demons goading him
into sin. Yet they are none the less entirely his own creation, and thus, as
ever, man is his own tempter.
Helpful Thought
Note, on the other hand, the happiness which this
knowledge brings to us and the enormous power which it places in our hands. See
how we can utilize this when we know (and who does not?) of some one who is in
sorrow or in suffering. We may not be able to do anything for the man on the
physical plane; there are often many reasons which prevent the giving of
physical help, no matter how much we may desire to do our best. Circumstances
often arise in which our physical presence may not be helpful to the man whom we
wish to aid; his physical brain may be closed to our suggestions by prejudice or
by religious bigotry. But his astral and mental bodies are more sensitive, more
easily impressible; and it is always open to us to approach these by waves of
helpful thought or of affectionate and soothing feeling. Remember that it is
certain that the results must accrue; there is no possibility of failure in such
an effort or (Page 248) endeavour to help, even though
no obvious consequences may follow on the physical plan.
The law of the conservation of energy holds good at this
level as it does in our terrestrial mechanics, and the energy we pour forth must
reach its goal and must produce its effect. There can be no question that the
image which we wish to put before our friend for his comfort or his help will
reach him; whether it will present itself clearly to his mind when it arrives
depends first upon the definiteness of outline which we have been able to give
to it, and secondly upon his mental condition at the time. He may be so fully
occupied with thoughts of his own trials and sufferings that there is little
room for any new idea to insinuate itself, but in that case our thought simply
bides its time, and when at last his attention is diverted, or exhaustion forces
him to suspend the activity of his own train of thought, assuredly ours will
slip in and will do its errand of mercy. The same thing is true at its different
level of the strong feeling of affection and friendliness which we send out
towards a person thus suffering; it may be that at the moment he is too much
occupied with his own feelings, or perhaps too much excited to receive and
accept any suggestion from without, but presently a time comes when the faithful
thought-form can penetrate and discharge itself, and then our sympathy will
produce its due result. There are so many cases where the best will in the world
can do nothing on the physical plane; but there is no conceivable case in which
either on the mental or the astral plane some relief cannot be given by steady
concentrated loving thought.
The phenomena of mental cure show how powerful thought may
be even on the physical plane, and since it acts so much more easily on the
astral and the mental ( Page 249) we may realize how
tremendous a power is ours if we will but exercise it. Let us remember always to
think of a person as we wish hint to be; the image we thus make of him will act
powerfully upon him and tend to draw him gradually into harmony with itself. Let
us fix our thoughts upon the good qualities of our friends, because in thinking
of any quality we tend to strengthen its vibrations and therefore to intensify
it. It can never be right to endeavour to dominate the thought and will of
another, even though it may be for what seems a good end; but it is always right
to hold up before a man a high ideal of himself, and to wish strongly that he
may presently be enabled to attain it. In this way our steady train of thought
will always act upon those whom we love; and we should remember that at the same
time it is acting upon ourselves also, and we can utilize it to train
thought-power within ourselves so that it will become ever stronger and more
definite, If we know of certain defects or vices in a man’s character, let us
send to him strong thoughts of the contrary virtues, so that these may by
degrees be built into his character.
Never under any circumstances should we dwell upon that
which is evil in him, for in that case our thought would tend to intensify that
evil.
That is the horrible wickedness of gossip and of scandal,
for there we have a number of people fixing their thought upon the evil
qualities of another, calling to that evil the attention of others who might
otherwise not have observed it; and in this way, if the evil already exists,
their folly increases it, and if, as is often the case, it does not exist, they
are doing their best to produce it. When we reach a more enlightened state of
society people will learn to focus their connected thought upon others for good
instead of for evil; if a man suffers from the domination (Page
250) of a vice, they will endeavour to realize strongly the opposite virtue,
and then send out waves of that thought toward him; they will think of his good
points and try by concentrating attention upon them to strengthen him and help
him through them; their criticism will be of that happy kind which grasps at a
pearl as eagerly as our modem criticism pounces upon an imaginary flaw.
Sensitiveness
There is another psychic quality which all of us possess
in some degree, and that is the quality of sensitiveness to impressions. We all
receive these impressions at times. As yet they are imperfect and by no means
always reliable, but nevertheless they may be noted and watched carefully, and
used as training towards the development of a more perfect faculty. Many a time
they may be useful to us in telling us where help is needed, where a loving
thought or word is required. When we see a person we may sometimes feel
radiating from him the influence of deep depression. If we remember the
illustration in Man Visible and Invisible of the man who was under the influence
of depression we shall recollect how he seemed shut in by it, almost as
effectively as the miser was shut in by his prison house of self-centred
thought. Those who recollect that impressive picture will at once see what it is
that thought can do for this man. It can strengthen his vibrations and help him
to break these prison-bars, to throw off their terrible weight and to release
himself from the heavy cloud that surrounds him. If we receive the impression of
depression from him, we may be sure that there is some reason for it, and that
this is an opportunity for us. Since man is in truth a spark of the Divine,
there must always be that within him which will respond to our calm loving
thought, and so he may be reassured and helped. Let us try to put before him
strongly the feeling that in spite of his personal sorrows and troubles the sun
still shines above all, and there is still much for which he ought to be
thankful, much that is good and beautiful in the world. Often we shall see the
change that is produced, and this will encourage us to try again, for we shall
lean that we are utilizing these psychic powers which we possess - first our
sensitiveness in discovering what is wrong, and then our thought in order to
help to put it right.
Yet this difficulty of sensitiveness also may be misused.
A case in point would be if we allowed ourselves to be depressed, either by our
own sorrows and sufferings, or by coming in contact with depression in others.
The man who is sensitive will often meet with much that is unpleasant to him,
especially if his lot is cast in a great city or in the midst of what is called
modem civilization; yet he should remember that it is emphatically his duty to
be happy, and to resist all thoughts of gloom or of despair, He should try his
best to imitate on the higher planes the action on the physical plane of the sun
which is so glorious a symbol of the Logos. Just as that pours out its light and
life, so should he try to hold a steady calm serene centre through which the
grace and the power from on high may be poured out upon his fellow man. In this
way he may become in very truth a fellow-worker with Clod, for through him and
through his reflection of it this divine grace and strength may affect many whom
directly it could not reach.
The physical sun floods down its life and light upon us,
yet there may easily be caverns or cellars into which that light cannot
penetrate directly; but a mirror which is upon the earth and upon the level of
the cavern or (Page 252) the cellar may so reflect
these glorious rays that they may reach to the innermost extremity and dispel
the gloom and darkness. Just so it sometimes happens that man may make himself
into a mirror for the divine glory, and that through him it may manifest to
those whose eyes would otherwise remain blind to its shining. Trouble and sorrow
come at times to us all, but we must not selfishly yield ourselves to them, for
if we do we shall inevitably endanger others; we shall radiate depression around
us and intensify it among our friends. There is always enough sorrow and worry
in the world; we must not therefore selfishly add to it by mourning over our own
share of the trouble and the sorrow, but rather range ourselves on the side of
God, who means man to be happy. Let us strive to throw off the depression from
ourselves, so that we may radiate at least resignation and calmness, even if we
cannot attain to the height of positive joyousness. Along this line also there
is a great and splendid work for every one of us to do, and it lies close to our
hands if we will but raise them to undertake it.
Another way in which it is possible for us to misuse this
qualification of sensitiveness is to allow ourselves to be so repelled by the
undesirable qualities which we sense in men whom we meet, that we are unable to
help them when an opportunity is offered to us. Every good and pure person feels
a strong sense of instinctive repulsion from that which is coarse and evil; and
from this fact a good deal of misapprehension has arisen, If we meet some one
coarse and vulgar we shall feel that sense of repulsion; but we must not
therefore conclude that every time we feel it we have necessarily met with that
which is terribly evil.(Page 253)
Inharmonious Vibrations
If we regard the matter simply from the material level,
the reason for the strong repulsion between the high-minded man and the man
whose thoughts and feelings are selfish is simply that their vibrations are
discordant. Each of them has within his astral body something at least of the
matter of all the levels of the astral plane; but they have used it very
differently. The good man has persistently developed the finer type of
vibrations which work most readily in the highest types of astral matter,
whereas the man of selfish thought has scarcely utilized that part of his astral
body at all, and has strengthened and intensified within himself such vibrations
as belong especially to the grosser type of matter. Consequently when these two
come together their vibrations are inharmonious and produce a strong sense of
discord and discomfort. So they instinctively avoid one another, and it is only
when the good man has learnt of his duty and his power to help that he feels it
incumbent upon him to try, even though it be from a distance, to influence his
inharmonious brother.
We have, however, to remember that two persons who are in
every way equally good and equally developed may nevertheless be far from
harmonious. Although the difference between them may not be so extreme as that
which we have instances, it may nevertheless be sufficient to produce a sense of
in harmony and therefore of repulsion. It is by no means safe to decide that,
when we feel a distaste for the society of a certain person, that person is
necessarily wicked. This mistake has so often been made by good and well-meaning
people that it is worth while to emphasize this matter somewhat strongly. It is
true that such a feeling when decided does indicate a (Page
254) degree of in harmony which makes it difficult to help that person along
ordinary tines, just as when we feel at first sight a strong attraction to some
one, we may take it as an indication that here is one to whom we can be useful,
one who will readily absorb from us and learn from us. But nevertheless it is
also possible for us to overcome the feeling of repulsion, and where there is no
one else to give the needed help it of course becomes our duty to do so.
All, then, should
try to realize these psychic powers which they already possess, and realizing
them should determine to use them wisely and well. It is true that the responsibility
is great, yet let us not shrink from them on that account. If many are unconsciously
using these things for evil, all the more is it necessary that we who are beginning
to understand a little should use them consciously and for good. Let us then
welcome all such powers gladly, yet never forget to balance them with careful
study and with sound common-sense. In that way we shall avoid all danger of
misusing them; in that way we shall prepare ourselves to use other and greater
powers as they come to us in the course of our evolution — to use them always
for the furtherance of the great Divine Scheme and for the helping of our fellowman.
CHAPTER
X
VEGETARIANISM AND OCCULTISM
In speaking (page 255) of the
relation between vegetarianism and occultism, it may be well for us to begin by
defining our terms, as we have generally done on other occasions. We all know
what is meant by vegetarianism; and although there are several varieties of it,
it will not be necessary to discuss them. The vegetarian is one who abstains
from eating flesh-food. There are some of them who admit such animal products as
are obtained without destroying the life of the animal, as, for example, milk,
butter, and cheese. There are others who restrict themselves to certain
varieties of the vegetable — to fruit and nuts, perhaps; there are others who
prefer to take only such food as can be eaten uncooked; others will take no food
which grows underground, such as potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc. We need not
concern ourselves with these divisions, but simply define the vegetarian as one
who abstains from any food which is obtained by the slaughter of animals — of
course including birds and fish.
How shall we define occultism? The word is derived from
the Latin occultus, hidden; so that it is the study of the hidden laws of
nature. Since all the great laws of nature are in fact working in the invisible
world far more than in the visible, occultism involves the acceptance of a much
wider view of nature than that which is ordinarily taken. The occultist, then is
a man who studies all the laws of nature that he can reach or of which he
can hear, and as a result of his study he identifies
(Page 256)himself
with these laws and devotes his life to the service of evolution. How does
occultism regard vegetarianism? It regard it very favourably, and that for many
reasons. These reasons may be divided into two classes — those which are
ordinary and physical, and those which are occult or hidden. There are many
reasons in favour of vegetarianism which are down here on the physical plane and
patent to the eyes of any one who will take the trouble to examine the subject;
and these will operate with the occult student even more strongly than with the
ordinary man. In addition to these and altogether beyond them, the occult
student knows of other reasons which come from the study of those hidden laws
which are as yet so little understood by the majority of mankind. We must
therefore divide our consideration of these reasons into these two parts, first
taking the ordinary and physical.
Selfish Reasons in Favour of Decent Food
Even these ordinary
reasons themselves be subdivided into two classes, the first containing those
which are physical and as it were selfish, and secondly those which may be described
as the moral and unselfish considerations. First, then, let us take the reasons
in favour of vegetarianism which concern only the man himself, and are purely
upon the physical plane. For the moment we will put aside the consideration
of the effect upon others which is so infinitely more important, and think only
of the results for the man himself It is necessary to do this because one of
the objections frequently brought against vegetarianism is that it is a beautiful
theory, but one the working of which is impracticable, since it is supposed
that a man cannot live without devouring dead fish. The objection is irrational
and (Page 257) is founded upon ignorance or perversion of
facts, I am myself an example of its falsity; for I have lived without the pollution
of flesh food — without fish, fowl, or eggs — for the last twenty-seven years,
and not only still survive, but have been during all that time in remarkably
good health. Nor am I in any way peculiar in this, for I know some thousands
of others who have done the same thing. I know some younger ones who have been
so happy as to be unpolluted by the eating of flesh during the whole of their
lives; and they are distinctly freer from disease than those who partake of
such things. Assuredly there are many reasons in favour of vegetarianism from
the purely selfish point of view; and I put that first because I know that the
selfish considerations will appeal most strongly to a majority of people, though
I hope that in the ease of those who are studying Theosophy we may assume that
the moral considerations which I shall later adduce will sway them far more
forcibly.
We
Want the Best
I take it that in
food, as well as in everything else, we all of us want the best that is within
our means. We should like to bring our lives, and therefore our daily food as
a not unimportant part of our lives, into harmony with our aspirations, into
harmony with the highest that we know. We should be glad to take what is really
best; and if we do not yet know enough to be able to appreciate what is best,
then we should be glad to learn to do so. If we think of it we shall see that
this is the case along other lines, as, for example, in music, or in art, or
in literature. We have been taught from childhood that if we want our musical
taste developed along the best lines we must select only the best music, and
if at first we do not fully appreciate or understand (Page 258) it, we must be willing patiently to wait and to listen until at length
something of its sweet beauty dawns upon our souls, and we come to comprehend
that which at first awakened no response within our hearts. If we want to appreciate
the best in art we must not fill our eyes with the sensational broadsheets of
police news, or with the hideous abominations which are miscalled “comic pictures,”
but we must steadily look and learn until the mystery of the work of Turner
begins to unfold to our patient contemplation, or the grand breadth of Velasquez
comes within our power to understand. So too in literature. It has been the
sad experience of many that much of the best and the most beautiful is lost
to those whose mental food consists exclusively of the sensational paper or
the cheap novel, or of that frothy mass of waste material which is thrown up
like scum upon the molten metal of life — novelettes, serials, and fragments,
of a type which neither teach the ignorant, nor strengthen the weak, nor develop
the immature. If we wish to unfold the mind in our children we do not leave
them to their own uncultivated taste in all these things, but we try to help
them to train that taste, whether it be in art, in music, or in literature.
Surely then we may
seek to find the best in physical as well as in mental food, and surely we must
find this not by mere blind instinct, but by learning to think and to reason
out the matter from the higher point of view. There may be those in the world
who have no desire for the best, who are willing to remain on the lower levels
and consciously and intentionally to build into themselves that which is coarse
and degrading; but surely there are many who wish to rise above this, many who
would gladly and eagerly take the best if they only knew what it was, or if
their attention was directed to it. (Page 259)
There are men and
women who are morally of the highest class who yet have been brought up to feed
with the hyenas and the wolves of life, and have been taught that their necessary
dietary ~s the corpse of a slaughtered animal. It needs but little thought to
show us that this horror cannot be the highest and the purest, and that if we
ever wish to raise ourselves in the scale of nature, if we ever wish that our
bodies shall be pure and clean as the temples of the Master should be, we must
abandon this loathsome custom, and take our place among the princely hosts who
are striving for the evolution of mankind - striving for the highest and the
purest in everything, for themselves as well as for their fellowmen. Let us
see is detail why a vegetarian diet is emphatically the purest and the best.
First: Because vegetables
contain more nutriment than an equal amount of dead flesh. This will sound a
surprising and incredible statement to many people, because they have been brought
up to believe that they cannot exist unless they defile themselves with flesh,
and this delusion is so widely spread that it is difficult to awaken the average
man from it. It must be clearly understood that this is not a question of habit,
or of sentiment, or of prejudice; it is simply a question of plain fact, and
as to the facts there is not and there never has been the slightest question.
There are four elements necessary in food, all of them essential to the repair
and the upbuilding of the body. (a) Proteids or nitrogenous foods; (b) carbohydrates;
(c) hydrocarbons or fats; (d) salts. This is the classification usually accepted
among physiologists, although some recent investigations are tending to modify
it to a certain extent. Now there (Page 260) is no question
that all of these elements exist to a greater extent in vegetables than they
do in dead flesh. For instance, milk, cream, cheese, nuts, peas, and beans contain
a large percentage of proteids or nitrogenous matter. Wheat, oats, rice and
other grains, fruits and most of the vegetables (except perhaps peas, beans,
and lentils) consist mainly of the carbohydrates — that is, of starches and
sugars. The hydrocarbons, or fats, are found in nearly all the proteid foods,
and can also be taken in the form of butter or of oils. The salts are found
practically in all foods to a greater or less extent. They are of the utmost
importance in the maintenance of the body tissues, and what is called saline
starvation is the cause of many diseases.
It is sometimes
claimed that flesh-meat contains some of these things to a larger degree than
vegetables, and some tables are drawn up in such a way as to suggest this; but
once more this is a question of facts, and must be faced from that point of
view. The only sources of energy in dead flesh are the proteid matter contained
therein, and the fat; and as the fat in it has certainly no more value than
other fat, the only point to be considered is the proteids. Now it must be remembered
that proteids have only one origin; they are organized in plants and nowhere
else. Nuts, peas, beans, and lentils are far richer than any kind of flesh in
these elements, and they have this enormous advantage, that the proteids are
pure, and therefore contain all the energy originally stored up in them during
their organization. In the animal body these proteids, which the animal has
absorbed from the vegetable kingdom during his life, are constantly passing
down to disorganization, during which descent the energy originally stored in
them is released. Consequently what has been used already by one animal cannot
be utilized by (Page 261) another. The proteids are estimated
in some of these tables by the amount of nitrogen contained therein, but in
flesh meat there arc many products of tissue-change such as urea, uric acid,
and creatin, all of which contain nitrogen and are therefore estimated as proteids,
though they have no food value whatever
Nor is this all
the evil; for this tissue-change is necessarily accompanied by the formation
f various poisons, which are always to be found in flesh of any kind, and in
many cases the virulence of these poisons is very great. So you will observe
that if you gain any nourishment from the eating of dead flesh, you obtain it
because during his life the animal consumed vegetable matter. You get less of
this nourishment than you ought to have, because the animal has already used
up half of it, and you have along with it various undesirable substances, and
even some active poisons, which are of course distinctly deleterious. I know
that there are many doctors who will prescribe the loathsome flesh diet in order
to strengthen people, and that they will often meet with a certain amount of
success; though even on this point they are by no means agreed, for Dr. Milner
Fothergil writes: “All the bloodshed caused by the warlike disposition of Napoleon
is as nothing compared to the loss of life among the myriads of persons who
have sunk into their graves through a misplaced confidence in the supposed value
of beef-tea.” At any rate the strengthening results can be obtained more easily
from the vegetable kingdom when the science of diet is properly understood,
and they can be obtained without the horrible pollution and without all the
undesirable concomitants of the other system- Let me show you that I am not
in all this making any unfounded assertions; let me quote to you the opinions
of physicians, of men whose names are well (Page 262) known
in the medical world, so that you may see that I have abundant authority for
all that I have said.
We find Sir Henry Thompson, F.R.C.S saying: “It is a
vulgar error to regard meat in any form as necessary to life. All that. Is
necessary to the human body can be supplied by the vegetable kingdom.. .The
vegetarian can extract from his food all the principles necessary for the growth
and the support of the body, as well as for the production of heat and force. It
must be admitted as a fact beyond all question that some persons are stronger
and more healthy who live on that food. I know how much of the prevailing meat
diet is not merely a wasteful extravagance, but a source of serious evil to The
consumer.” There is a definite statement by a well-known medical man.
Then we may turn to the words of a Fellow of the Royal
Society, Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, M.D; he says; “It must be honestly
admitted that weight by weight vegetable substance, when carefully selected
possesses the most striking advantages over animal food in nutritious value. ..I
should like to see a vegetarian and fruit-living plan put into general use, and
I believe it will be.”
The well-known physician, Dr. William. S. Playfair, C.B.,
Has said quite clearly, “Animal diet is not essential to man”; and we find Dr.
F.J. Sytes, B.SC., The Medical Official for St. Pancras, writing: “Chemistry is
not antagonistic to vegetarianism, any more than biology is. Flesh-food is
certainly not necessary to supply the nitrogenous products required for the
repair of tissues, therefore a well-selected diet from the vegetable kingdom is
perfectly right, from the chemical point of view, for the nutrition of men-”
(Page 263) Dr. Francis Vacher, F.R.C.S., F.C.S, remarks,
“I have no belief that a man is better physically or mentally for taking
flesh-food.”
Dr. Alexander Haig, F.R.C.P., The leading physician of one
of the great London hospitals, had written, “That it is easily possible to
sustain life on the products of the vegetable kingdom needs no demonstration for
physiologists, even if the majority of the human race were not constantly
engaged in demonstrating it; and my researches show, not only that it is
possible, but that it is infinitely preferable in every way, and produces
superior power both of mind and body.”
Dr. MY. Coomes, in The American Practitioner and News of
July, 1902, concluded a scientific article as follows: “Let me state first that
the flesh of warm-blooded animals is not essential as a diet for the purpose of
maintaining the human body in perfect health.” He goes on to make some farther
remarks which we shall quote under our next head.
The Dean of the Faculty of Jefferson Medical College (of
Philadelphia) said: “It is a well-known fact that cereals as articles of daily
food hold a high place in the human economy; they contain constituents amply
sufficient to sustain life in its highest form. If the value of cereal food
products were better known it would be a good thing for the race. Nations live
and thrive upon them alone, and it has been fully demonstrated that meat is not
a necessity. There you have a number of plain statements, and all of them are
taken from the writings of well-known men who have made a considerable study of
the chemistry of foods. It is impossible to deny that man can exist without this
horrible diet, and furthermore that there is more nutriment in an equal amount
of vegetable than of dead (Page 264) flesh. I could
give you many other quotations, but those above mentioned are sufficient, and
they are fair samples of the rest. 2 Less Disease
Second: Because many serious diseases come from this
loathsome habit of devouring dead bodies. Here again I could easily give you a
long list of quotations, but as before I will be satisfied with a few. Dr.
Josiah Oldfleld, R.RC.S., L.RC.P., Writes: “Flesh is an unnatural food, and
therefore tends to create functional disturbances. As it is taken in modem
civilizations, it is infected with such terrible diseases (readily communicable
to man) as cancer, consumption, fever, intestinal worms, etc., to an enormous
extent. There is little need to wonder that flesh-eating is one of the most
serious causes of the diseases that carry off ninety-nine out of every hundred
people that are born.
Sir Edward Saunders
tells us: “Any attempt to teach mankind that beef and beer are not necessary
for health and efficiency must be good, and must tend to thrift and happiness;
and as this goes on I believe we shall hear less of gout, Bright’s disease,
and trouble with the liver and the kidneys in the former, and less of brutality
and wife-beating and murder in the latter. I believe that the tendency is towards
vegetarian diet, that it will be recognized as fit and proper, and that the
time is not far distant when the idea of animal food will be found revolting
to civilized man.”
Sir Robert Christison.
M.D., Asserts positively that ‘The flesh and secretions of animals affected
with carbuncular diseases analogous to anthrax, as so poisonous that those who
eat the product of them are apt to suffer severely — the disease taking the
form either of inflammation (Page 265 ) of the digestive canal,
or of an eruption of one or more carbuncles.
Dr. A. Kingsford,
of the University of Paris, says: “Animal meat may directly engender many painful
and loathsome diseases. Scrofula itself, that fecund source of suffering and
death, not improbably owes its origin to flesh-eating habits. It is a curious
fact that the word scrofula is derived from scrofa, a sow. To say that one has
scrofula is to say that has swine’s evil.”
In his fifth report
to the Privy Council in England we find Professor Gamgee stating that “one-fifth
of the total amount of meat consumed is derived from animals killed in a state
of malignant disease”; while Professor A. Wynter Blyth, F.R.C.S., Writes: “Economically
speaking flesh food is not necessary; and meat seriously diseased may be so
prepared as to look like fairly good meat.
Many an animal with advanced diseases of the lung yet
shows to the naked eye no appearance in the flesh which differs from normal.”
Dr. M.F. Coomes, in the article above quoted, remarks: ‘We have many substitutes
for meat which are free from the deleterious effects of that food upon the
animal economy - namely, in the production of rheumatism, gout and all other
kindred diseases, to say nothing of cerebral congestion, which frequently
terminates in apoplexy and venal diseases of one kind or another, migraine and
many other such forms of headache, resulting from the excessive use of meat, and
often produced when meat is not eaten to excess.
Dr. J.H. Kellogg remarks: “It is interesting to note that
scientific men all over the world are awakening to the fact that the flesh of
animals as food is not a pure nutriment, but is mixed with poisonous substances,
excrementitious in character, which are the natural results (Page
266) of animal life. The vegetable stores up energy. It is from the
vegetable world — the coal and the wood - that the energy is derived which runs
our steam engines, pulls our trains, drives our steamships, and does the work of
civilization. It is from the vegetable world that all animals, directly or
indirectly, derive the energy which is manifested by animal life through
muscular and mental work, The vegetable builds up; the animal tears down. The
vegetable stores up energy; the animal expends energy. Various waste and
poisonous products result from the manifestation of energy, whether by the
locomotive or the animal. The working tissues of the animal are enabled to
continue their activity only by the fact that they are continually washed clean
by the blood, a never-ceasing stream flowing through and about them, carrying
away the poisonous products resulting from their work as rapidly as they are
formed. The venous blood owes its character to these poisons, which are removed
by the kidneys, lungs, skin, and bowels. The flesh of a dead animal contains a
great quantity of These poisons, the elimination of which ceases at the instant
of death, although their formation continues for some time after death. An
eminent French surgeon recently remarked that ‘beef-tea is a veritable solution
of poisons.~ Intelligent physicians everywhere are coming to recognize these
facts, and to make a practical application of them,”
Here again you see we have no lack of evidence; and many
of the quotations with regard to the introduction of poisons into the system
through flesh-food are not from the vegetarian doctors, but from those who still
hold it right to eat sparingly of corpses, but yet have studied to some extent
the science of the matter. It should be remembered that dead flesh can never be
in (Page 267 ) a condition of: perfect health, because
decay commences at the moment when the creature is killed. All sorts of products
are being formed in this process of retrograde change; all of these are useless,
and many of them are positively dangerous and poisonous. In the ancient
scriptures of the Hindus we find a very remarkable passage, which refers to the
fact that even in India some of the lower castes had at that early period
commenced to feed on flesh. The statement made is that in ancient times only
three diseases existed, one of which was old age; but that now, since people had
commenced to eat flesh, seventy-eight new diseases had arisen This shows us that
the idea that disease might come from the devouring of corpses has been
recognized for thousands of years.
MORE NATURAL TO MAN
Third: Because man is not naturally made to be
carnivorous, and therefore this horrible food is not suited to him. Here again
let me give you a few quotations to show you what authorities are ranged upon
our side of this matter. Baron Cuvier himself writes “The natural food of man,
judging from his structure, consists of fruit, roots and vegetables”; and
Professor Ray tells us “Certainly man was never made to be a carnivorous
animal.” Sir Richard Owen, F.R.C.S., Writes “Anthropoids and all the quadrumana
derive their alimentation from fruits, grains, and other succulent vegetable
substances, and the strict analogy which exists between the structures of these
animals and that of man clearly demonstrates his frugivorous nature.”
Another Fellow of the Royal Society, Professor William
Lawrence, writes: The teeth of man have not the slightest resemblance of those
of carnivorous animals, (Page
268 ) and whether we consider the teeth, the jaws, or
the digestive organs, the human structure closely resembles that of the
frugivorous animals.”
Once more Dr. Spencer Thompson remarks, “No physiologist
would dispute that man ought to live on vegetarian diet”; and Dr. Sylvester
Graham writes, “Comparative anatomy proves that man is naturally a frugivorous
animal, formed to subsist upon fruits, seeds, and farinaceous vegetables.”
The desirability of the vegetarian diet will of course
need no argument for any who believes in the inspiration of the scriptures, for
it will be remembered that God in speaking to Adam while in the garden of Eden,
said: “Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of
all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to
you it will be for meat.” It was only after the fall of man, when death came
into the world, that a more degraded idea of feeding came along with it; and if
now we hope to rise again to Edenic conditions we must surely commence by
abolishing unnecessary slaughter performed in order to supply us with horrible
and degrading food.
4.Greater Strength
Fourth: Because men are stronger and better on a
vegetarian diet. I know what people say “You will be so weak if you do not eat
dead flesh.’ As a matter of fact this is untrue. I do not know whether there may
be any people who find themselves weaker on a diet of vegetables; but I do know
this, that in many athletic contests recently the vegetarians have proved
themselves the strongest and most enduring — as for example in the recent
cycling races in Germany, where all those who took high places in the race were
vegetarian. There have (Page 269 ) been many such
trials, and they show that, other things being equal, the man who takes pure
food succeeds better. We have to fact facts, and in this case the facts are all
ranged on one side, as against foolish prejudices and loathsome lust on the
other. The reason was plainly given recently by Dr. J.D. Craig, who writes,
“Vigor of body is often boasted by flesh-eaters, particularly if they live
mostly in the open air; but there is this peculiarity about them, that they have
not the endurance of vegetarians. The reason for this is that flesh-meat is
already on the downward path of retrograde change, and as a consequence its
presence in the tissues is of short duration. The impetus given to it in the
body of the animal from which it was taken is reinforced by another impulse in
the second one, and for these reasons what energy it does contain is soon given
out, and there are urgent demands for more to take its place. The flesh-eater,
then, may do large amounts of work in a short time if well-fed. On the other
hand, vegetable products are of slow digestion; they contain all of the original
store of energy and no poisons; their retrograde change is less rapid than meat,
having just commenced, and therefore their force is released more slowly with
less loss, and the person nourished by them can work for a long time without
food if necessary, and without discomfort. The people in Europe who abstain from
flesh are of the better and more intelligent class, and the subject of endurance
has been approached and thoroughly investigated by them. In Germany and England
a number of notable athletic contests that required endurance have been made
between flesh-eaters and vegetarians, with the result that the vegetarians have
invariably come off victorious.” (Page 270 )
We shall find, if we investigate, that this fact has been
known for a long time, for even in ancient history we find traces of it. It will
be recollected that of all the tribes of Greeks the strongest and the most
enduring, by universal admission and reputation, were the Spartans; and the
simplicity of their vegetable diet is a matter of common knowledge. Think too of
the Greek athletes — those who prepared themselves with such care for
participation in the Olympian and Isthmian games. If you will read the classics
you will find that these men, who in their own line surpassed all the rest of
the world, lived upon figs, nuts, cheese, and maize. Then there were the Roman
gladiators —men on whose strength depended their life and fame; and yet we find
that their diet consisted exclusively of barley cakes and oil; they knew well
that this was the more strengthening food.
All these examples show us that the common and persistent
fallacy that one must eat flesh in order to be strong has no foundation in fact;
indeed, the exact contrary is true. Charles Darwin remarked in one of his
letters “The most extraordinary workers I ever saws, the labourers in the mines
of Chile, live exclusively on vegetable food, including many seeds of leguminous
plants.” Of the same miners Sir Francis Head writes, “It is usual for the copper
miners of Central Chile to carry loads of ore of two hundred pounds weight up
eighty perpendicular yards twelve times a day; and their diet is entirely
vegetarian — a breakfast of figs and small loaves of bread, a dinner of boiled
beans, and a supper of roasted wheat.
Mr. F.T. Wood in his Discoveries at Ephesus writes, “The
Turkish porters in Smyrna often carry from four hundred to six hundred pounds in
weight on their backs, and the captain one day pointed out to me one of his men
who had carried an enormous bale of merchandise weighing (Page
271 ) eight hundred pounds up an incline into an upper warehouse; so that
with this frugal diet their strength was unusually great.
Of these same Turks Sir William Fairburn has said: “The
Turk can live and fight where soldiers of any other nationality would starve.
His simple habits, his abstinence from intoxicating liquors, and his normal
vegetarian diet, enable him to suffer the greatest hardships and to exist on the
scantiest and simplest of foods.”
I myself can bear witness to the enormous strength
displayed by the vegetarian Tamil coolies of the South of India, for I have
frequently seen them carry loads which astonished me. I remember in one case
standing upon the deck of a steamer, and watching one of these coolies take a
huge case upon his back and walk slowly but steadily down a plank to the shore
with it and deposit it in a shed. The captain standing by me remarked with
surprise, “Why, it took four English labourers to get that case on board in the
docks at London!” I have also seen another of these coolies, after having had a
grand piano put on his back, carry it unaided for a considerable distance; yet
these men are entirely vegetarian, for the live chiefly upon rice and water,
with perhaps occasionally a little tamarind for flavouring.
On the same subject Dr. Alexander Haig, whom we have
already quoted, writes: “The effect of getting free from uric acid has been to
make my bodily powers quite as great as they were fifteen years ago; I scarcely
believe that even fifteen years ago I could have undertaken the exercise in
which I now indulge with absolute impunity — with freedom from fatigue and
distress at the time and from stiffness the next day. Indeed I often say that it
is impossible now to tire me, and relatively I believe this is true.” This
distinguished physician became a vegetarian (Page
272) because from his study of the diseases caused by
the presence of uric acid in the system, he discovered that flesh-eating was the
chief source of this deadly poison. Another interesting point which he mentions
is that his change of diet brought about in him a distinct change of disposition
— that whereas before he found himself constantly nervous and irritable, but now
became much steadier and calmer and less angry; he fully realizes that this is
due to the change in his food.
If we require any further evidence, we have it close to
our hand in the animal kingdom. We shall observe that there the carnivora are
not the strongest, but that all the work of the world is done by the herbivora —
by horses, mules, oxen, elephants, and camels. We do not find that men can
utilize the lion or the tiger, or that the strength of these savage flesh-eaters
is at all equal to that of those who assimilate directly from the vegetable
kingdom.
5. Less Animal Passion
Fifth: Because the eating of dead bodies leads to
indulgence in drink and increases animal passions in man. Mr. H.B Fowler, who
has studied and lectured on dipsomania for forty years, declares that the use of
flesh foods, by the excitation which it exercises on the nervous system,
prepares the way for habits of intemperance in everything; and the more flesh is
consumed, the more serious is the danger of confirmed alcoholism. Many
experienced physicians have made similar experiments and wisely act on them in
their treatment of dipsomaniacs. The lower part of man’s nature is undoubtedly
intensified by the habit of feeding upon corpses. Even after eating a full meal
of such horrible material a man still feels dissatisfied, for he is still
conscious of (Page 273) a vague uncomfortable sense of
want, and consequently he suffers greatly from nervous strain. This craving is
the hunger of the bodily tissues, which cannot be renewed by the poor stuff
offered to them as food. To satisfy this vague craving, or rather to appease
these restless nerves so that it will no longer be felt, recourse is often had
to stimulants. Sometimes alcoholic beverages are taken, sometimes an attempt is
made to allay these feelings with black coffee, and at other times strong
tobacco is used in the endeavour to soothe the irritated, exhausted nerves. Here
we have the beginning of intemperance, for in the majority of cases intemperance
began in the attempt to allay with alcoholic stimulants the vague uncomfortable
sense of want which follows the eating of impoverished food — food that does not
feed. There is no doubt that drunkenness and all the poverty, wretchedness,
disease and crime associated with it may frequently be traced to errors of
feeling. We might follow out this line of thought indefinitely. We might speak
of the irritability, occasionally culminating in insanity, which is now
acknowledged by all authorities to be a frequent result of erroneous feeding. We
might mention a hundred familiar symptoms of indigestion, and explain that
indigestion is always the result of incorrect feeding. Surely, however, enough
has been said to indicate the importance and far-reaching influence of a pure
diet upon the welfare of the individual and of the race.
Mr. Bramwell Booth, the chief of the Salvation Army, has
issued a pronunciamento upon this subject of vegetarianism, in which he speaks
strongly and decidedly in its favour, giving a list of not less than nineteen
good reasons why men should abstain from the eating of flesh. He insists that a
vegetarian diet is necessary to purity, to chastity and to the perfect control
of the appetites and (Page 274) passions which are so
often the source of great temptation. He remarks that the growth of meat-eating
among the people is one of the causes of the increase of drunkenness, and that
it also favours indolence, sleepiness, want of energy, indigestion, constipation
and other like miseries and degradations. He also states that eczema, piles,
worms, dysentery, and severe headaches are frequently brought on by flesh diet,
and that he believes the great increase in consumption and cancer during the
last hundred years to have been caused by the corresponding increase in the use
of animal food.
6. Economy
Sixth: Because the vegetable diet is in every way cheaper
as well as better than flesh. In the encyclical just mentioned Mr. Booth gives
as one of his reasons for advocating it that “a vegetarian diet of wheat, oats,
maize, and other grains, lentils, peas, beans, nuts and similar food is more
than ten times as economical as flesh diet. Meat contains half its weight in
water, which has to be paid for as though it were meat. A vegetable diet, even
if we allow cheese, butter and milk, will cost only about a quarter as much as a
mixed diet of flesh and vegetables. Tens of thousands of our poor people, who
have now the greatest difficulty to make ends meet after buying flesh-food,
would by the substitution of fruit and vegetables and other economical foods, be
able to get along in comfort.”
There is also an economic side of this question which must
not be ignored. Note how many more men could be supported by a certain number of
acres of land which were devoted to the growing of wheat, than by the same
amount of land which was laid out in pasture. Think, too, for how many more men
healthy work upon the (Page 275) land would be found in
the former case than in the latter; and I think you will begin to see that there
is a great deal to be said from this point of view also.
The Sin of Slaughter
Hitherto we have been speaking of what we have called the
physical and selfish considerations which should make a man give up the eating
of this dead flesh and turn him, even though only for his own sake, to the purer
diet. Let us now think for a few moments of the moral and unselfish
considerations connected with his duty towards others. The first of these — and
this does seem to me a most terrible thing — is the awful sin of unnecessarily
murdering these animals. Those who live in Chicago know well how this ghastly
ceaseless slaughter goes on in their midst, how they feed the greater part of
the world by wholesale butchery, and how the money made in this abominable
business is stained with blood, every coin of it. I have shown clearly upon
irreproachable testimony that all this is unnecessary. The destruction of life
is always a crime. There may be certain cases in which it is the lesser of two
evils; but here it is needless and without a shadow of justification, for it
happens only because of the selfish unscrupulous greed of those who coin money
out of the agonies of the animal kingdom in order to pander to the perverted
tastes of those who are sufficiently depraved to desire such loathsome aliment.
Remember that it is not only those who do the obscene
work, but those who by feeding upon this dead flesh encourage them and make
their crime remunerative, who are guilty before God of this awful thing . Every
person who partakes of this unclean food has his share in the indescribable
guilt and suffering by which it has been (Page 276)
obtained. It is universally recognized in law that qui facit per alium facit per
se — whatsoever a man does through another, he does himself. A man will often
say “But it would make no difference, for although you may consume only a pound
or two each day, that would in time amount to the weight of an animal. Secondly,
it is not a question of amount, but of complicity in a crime; and if you partake
of the results of the crime, you are helping to make it remunerative, and so you
share in the guilt. No honest man can fail to see that this is so. But when
men’s lower lusts are concerned they are usually dishonest in their view, and
decline to face the plain facts. There surely can be no difference of opinion as
to the proposition that all this horrible unnecessary slaughter is indeed a
terrible crime.
Another point to be remembered is that there is dreadful
cruelty connected with the transport of these miserable animals, both by land
and sea, and there is often dreadful cruelty in the slaughtering itself. Those
who seek to justify these loathsome crimes will tell you that an endeavour is
made to murder the animals as rapidly and painlessly as possible; but you have
only to read the reports to see that in many cases these intentions are not
carried out, and appalling suffering ensues.
The Degradation of the Slaughterman
Yet another point to be considered is the wickedness of
causing degradation and sin in other men. If you yourselves had to use the knife
of the pole axe, and slaughter the animal before you could feed on its flesh,
you would realize the sickening nature of the task and would soon refuse to
perform it. Would the delicate ladies (Page 277) who
devour sanguinary beefsteaks like to see their sons working as slaughtermen? If
not, then they have no right to put this task upon some other woman’s son. We
have no right to impose upon a fellow-citizen work which we ourselves should
decline to do. It may be said that we force no one to undertake this abominable
means of livelihood; but that is a mere tergiversation, for in eating this
horrible food we are making a demand that some one shall brutalize himself, that
some one shall degrade himself below the level of humanity. You know that a
class of men has been created by the demand for this food — a class of men which
has an exceedingly bad reputation. Naturally those who are brutalized by such
unclean work as this prove themselves brutal in other relations as well. They
are savage in their disposition and bloodthirsty in their quarrels; and I have
heard it stated that in many a murder case evidence has been found that the
criminal employed the peculiar twist of the knife which is characteristic of the
slaughterman. You must surely recognize that here is an unspeakably horrible
work, and that if you take any part in this terrible business — even that of
helping to support it — you are putting another man in the position of doing
(not the least for your need, but merely for the gratification of your lusts and
passions) work that you would under no circumstances consent to do for yourself.
Then we should surely remember that we are all of us
hoping for the time of universal peace and kindness — a golden age when war
shall be no more, a time when man shall be so far removed from strife and anger
that the whole conditions of the world will be different from those which now
prevail. Do you not think that the animal kingdom also will have its share in
that good time coming — that this horrible nightmare of wholesale (Page
278) slaughter will be removed from it? The really civilized nations of the
world know far better than this; it is only that we of the West are as yet a
young race, and still have many of the crudities of youth; otherwise we could
not bear these things amongst us even for a day. Beyond all question the future
is with the vegetarian. It seems certain that in the future — and I hope it may
be in the near future — we shall be looking back upon this time with disgust and
with horror. In spite of all its wonderful discoveries, in spite of its
marvellous machinery, in spite of enormous fortunes which have been made in it,
I am certain that our descendants will look back upon this age as one of only
partial civilization, and in fact but little removed from savagery. One of the
arguments by which they will prove this will assuredly be that we allowed among
us this wholesale unnecessary slaughter of innocent animals — that we actually
fattened on it and made money out of it, and that we even created a class of
beings who did this dirty work for us, and that we were not ashamed to profit by
the result of their degradation.
All of these are considerations referring only to the
physical plane. Now let me tell you something of the occult side of this. Up to
the present I have made to you many statements —strong and definite, I hope —
but every one of them statements which you can prove for yourself. You can read
the testimony of well-known doctors and scientific men; you may test for
yourselves the economic side of the question; you may go and see, if you will,
how all these different types of men contrive to live so well upon vegetarian
diet. All that I have said hitherto is thus within your reach. But now I am
abandoning the field of ordinary physical reasoning, and taking you up to the
level where you have, naturally, (Page 279 ) to take
the word of those who have explored these higher realms. Let us then turn now to
the hidden side of all this — the occult.
Occult Reasons
Under this heading also we shall have two sets of reasons
— those which refer to ourselves and our own development, and those which refer
to the great scheme of evolution and our duty towards it; so that once more we
may classify them as selfish and unselfish, although at a much higher level than
before. I have, I hope, clearly shown in the earlier part of this lecture that
there is simply no room for argument in regard to this question of
vegetarianism; the whole of the evidence and of the considerations are entirely
on one side, and there is absolutely nothing to be said in opposition to them.
This is even more strikingly the case when we come to consider the occult part
of our argument. There are some students hovering round the fringes of occultism
who are not yet prepared to follow its dictates to the uttermost, and therefore
do not accept its teaching when it interferes with their personal habits and
desires. Some such have tried to maintain that the question of food can make
little difference from the occult standpoint; but the unanimous verdict of all
the great schools of occultism, both ancient and modern, has been definite on
this point, and they have asserted that for all true progress purity is
necessary, even on the physical plane and in matters of diet as well as in far
higher matters.
In previous lectures I have already explained the
existence of the different planes of nature and of the vast unseen world all
about us; and I have also had occasion to refer often to the fact that man has
within himself matter belonging to all these higher planes, so (Page
280) that he is furnished with a vehicle corresponding to each of them,
through which he can receive impressions and by means of which he can act. Can
these higher bodies of man be in any way affected by the food which enters into
the physical body with which they are so closely connected? Assuredly they can,
and for this reason. The physical matter in man is in close touch with the
astral and mental matter — so much so that each is to a great extent a
counterpart of the other. There are many types and degrees of density among
astral matter, for example, so that it is possible for one man to have and
astral body built of coarse and gross particles, while another may have one
which is much more delicate and refined. As the astral body is the vehicle of
the emotions, passions and sensations, it follows that the man whose astral body
is of the grosser type will be chiefly amenable to the grosser varieties of
passion and emotion; whereas the man who has a finer astral body will find that
its particles most readily vibrate in response to higher and more refined
emotions and aspirations. The man therefore who builds gross and undesirable
matter into his physical body is thereby drawing into his astral body matter of
a coarse and unpleasant type as its counterpart.
We all know that on the physical plane the effect of
overindulgence in dead flesh is to produce a coarse gross appearance in the man.
That does not mean that it is only the physical body which is in an unlovely
condition; it means also that those parts of the man which are invisible to our
ordinary sight, the astral and the mental bodies are not in good condition
either. Thus a man who is building himself a gross and impure physical body is
building for himself at the same time coarse and unclean astral and mental
bodies as well. That is visible at once to the eye of the developed clairvoyant.
(Page 281) The man who learns to see these higher vehicles
sees at once the effects on the higher bodies produced by impurity in the lower;
he sees at once the difference between the man who feeds his physical vehicle
with pure food and the man who puts into it this loathsome decaying flesh. Let
us see how this difference will affect the man’s evolution.
Impure Vehicles
It is clear that a man’s duty with regard to himself is to
develop all his different vehicles as far as possible, in order to make them
finished instruments for the use of the soul. There is still a higher stage in
which that soul itself is being trained to be a fit instrument in the hands of
the Logos, a perfect channel for the divine grace; but the first step towards
this high aim is that the soul itself shall learn thoroughly to control the
lower vehicles, so that there shall be in them no thought or feeling except
those which the soul allows. All these vehicles therefore should be in the
highest possible condition of efficiency; all should be pure and clean and free
from taint; and it is obvious that this can never be so long as the man absorbs
into the physical vehicle such undesirable constituents. Even the physical body
and its sense-perceptions can never be at their best unless the food is pure.
Any one who adopts vegetarian diet will speedily begin to notice that his sense
of taste and of smell is far keener than it was when he fed upon flesh, and that
he is now able to discern a delicate difference of flavour in foods which before
he had thought of as tasteless, such as rice and wheat.
The same thing is true to a still greater extent with
regard to the higher bodies. Their senses also cannot be clear if impure or
coarse matter is drawn into them;
(Page 282) anything of this nature clogs and
dulls them, so that it becomes more difficult for the soul to use them. This is
a fact which has always been recognized by the student of occultism; you will
find that all those who in ancient days entered upon the Mysteries were men of
the utmost purity, and of course invariably vegetarian. Carnivorous diet is
fatal to anything like real development, and those who adopt it are throwing
away serious and unnecessary difficulties in their own way.
I am well aware that there are other and still higher
considerations, which are of greater weight than anything upon the physical
plane, and that the purity of the heart and of the soul is more important to a
man than that of the body. Yet there is surely no reason why we should not have
both; indeed, the one suggests the other, and the higher should include the
lower. There are quite enough difficulties in the way of self-control and
self-development; it is surely worse than foolish to go out of our way to add
another and a very considerable one to the list. Although it is true that a pure
heart will do more for us than a pure body, yet the latter can certainly do a
great deal; and we are none of us so far advanced along the road towards
spirituality that we can afford to neglect the great advantage which it gives
us. Anything that makes our path harder than it need be is emphatically
something to be avoided. In all cases this flesh food undoubtedly makes the
physical body a worse instrument, and puts difficulties in the way of the soul
by intensifying all the undesirable elements and passions belonging to these
lower planes.
Nor is this serious effect during physical life the only
one of which we have to think. If, through introducing loathsome impurities into
the physical body, the man builds himself a coarse and unclean astral body, we
have (Page 283) to remember that it is in this
degraded vehicle that he will have to spend the first part of his life after
death. Because of the coarse matter which he has built into it, all sorts of
undesirable entities will be drawn into association with him and will make his
vehicles their home, and find a ready response within him to their lower
passions. It is not only that his animal passions are more easily stirred here
on earth, but also that he will suffer acutely from the working out of these
desires after death. Here again, looked at even from the selfish point of view,
we see that occult considerations confirm the straightforward common-sense of
the arguments on the physical plane. The higher sight, when brought to bear upon
this problem, shows us still more vividly how undesirable is the devouring of
flesh, since it intensified within us that from which we most need to be free,
and therefore from the point of view of progress that habit is a thing to be
cast out at once and forever.
Man’s Duty Towards Nature
Then there is the far more important unselfish side of the
question — that of man’s duty towards nature. Every religion has taught that man
should put himself always on the side of the will of God in the world, on the
side of good as against evil, of evolution as against retrogression. The man who
ranges himself on the side of evolution realizes the wickedness of destroying
life; for he knows that, just as he is here in this physical body in order that
he may learn the lessons of this plane, so is the animal occupying his body for
the same reason, that out of it he may gain experience at his lower stage. He
knows that the life behind the animal is the Divine Life, that all life in the
world is Divine; the animals therefore are truly our brothers, even though they
may (Page 284) be younger brothers, and we can have no
sort of right to take their lives for the gratification of our perverted tastes
— no right to cause them untold agony and suffering merely to satisfy our
degraded and detestable lusts.
We have brought things to such a pass with our miscalled
“sport” and our wholesale slaughterings, that all wild creatures fly from the
sight of us. Does that seem like the universal brotherhood of God’s creatures?
Is that your idea of the golden age of world-wise kindliness that is to come — a
condition when every living thing flees from the face of man because of his
murderous instincts? There is an influence flowing back upon us from all this —
an effect which you can hardly realize unless you are able to see how it looks
when regarded with the sight of the higher plane. Every one of these creatures
which you so ruthlessly murder in this way has its own thoughts and feelings
with regard to all this ; it has horror, pain, and indignation, and an intense
but unexpressed feeling of the hideous injustice of it all. The whole atmosphere
about us is full of it. Twice lately I have heard from psychic people that they
felt the awful aura or surroundings of Chicago even many miles away from it.
Mrs. Besant herself told me the same thing years ago in England — that long
before she came in sight of Chicago she felt the horror of it and the deadly
pall of depression descending upon her, and asked: “Where are we, and what is
the reason that there should be this terrible feeling in the air? To sense the
effect as clearly as this is beyond the reach of the person who is not
developed; but, though all the inhabitants may not be directly conscious of it
and recognize it as Mrs. Besant did, they may be sure that they are suffering
from it unconsciously, and that, that terrible vibration of (Page
285) horror and fear and injustice is acting upon every one of them, even
though they do not know it. Ghastly Unseen Results
The feelings of nervousness and profound depression which
are so common there are largely due to that awful influence which spreads over
the city like a plague-cloud. I do not know how many thousands of creatures are
killed every day, but the number is very large. Remember that every one of these
creatures is a definite entity — not a permanent reincarnating individuality
like yours or mine, but still an entity which has its life upon the astral
plane, and persists there for a considerable time. Remember that every one of
these remains to pour out his feeling of indignation and horror at all the
injustice and torment which has been inflicted upon him. Realize for yourself
the terrible atmosphere which exists about those slaughterhouses; remember that
a clairvoyant can see the vast hosts of animal souls, that he knows how strong
are their feelings of horror and resentment, and how these recoil at all points
upon the human race. They react most of all upon those who are least able to
resist them — upon the children, who are more delicate and sensitive than the
hardened adult. That city is a terrible place in which to bring up children — a
place where the whole atmosphere both physical and psychic is charged with fumes
of blood and with all that means.
I read an article only the other day in which it was
explained that the nauseating stench which rises from those Chicago
slaughterhouses, and settles like a fatal miasma over the city, is by no means
the most deadly influence that comes up from that Christian hell for animals,
though it is the breath of certain death to many a mother’s darling. The
slaughterhouses make not only (Page 286) a pest-hole
for the bodies of children, but for their souls as well. Not only are the
children employed in the most revolting and cruel work, but the whole trend of
their thoughts is directed towards killing. Occasionally one is found too
sensitive to endure the sights and sounds of that ceaseless awful battle between
man’s cruel lust and the inalienable right of every creature to its own life. I
read how one boy, for whom a minister had secured a place in this
slaughterhouse, returned home day after day pale and sick and unable to eat or
sleep, and finally came to that minister of the gospel of the compassionate
Christ and told him that he was willing to starve if necessary, but that he
could not wade in blood another day. The horrors of the slaughter so affected
him that he could no longer sleep. Yet this is what many a boy is doing and
seeing from day to day until he becomes hardened to the taking of life; and then
some day, instead of cutting the throat of a lamb or a pig he kills a man, and
straightway we turn our lust for slaughter upon him in turn, and think that we
have done justice.
I read that a young woman who does much philanthropic work
in the neighbourhood of these pest-houses declares that what most impresses her
about the children is that they seem to have no games except games of killing,
that they have no conception of any relation to animals except the relation of
the slaughterer to the victim. This is the education which so-called Christians
are giving to their children of the slaughterhouse — a daily education in
murder; and then they express surprise at the number and brutality of the
murders in that district. Yet your Christian public goes on serenely saying its
prayers and singing its psalms and listening to its sermons, as if no such
outrages were being perpetuated against God’s children in that sinkhole of
pestilence (Page 287) and crime. Surely the habit of
eating flesh has produced a moral apathy among us. Are you doing well, do you
think, in rearing your future citizens among surroundings of such utter
brutality as this? Even on the physical plane this is a terribly serious matter,
and from the occult point of view it is unfortunately far more serious still;
for the occultist sees the psychic result of all this, sees how these forces are
acting upon the people and how they intensify brutality and unscrupulousness. He
sees what a centre of vice and crime you have created, and how from it the
infection is gradually spreading until it affects the whole country, and even
the whole of what is called civilized humanity.
The world is being affected by it in many ways which most
people do not in the least realize. There are constant feelings of causeless
terror in the air. Many of your children are unnecessarily and inexplicably
afraid; they feel terror of they do not know what — terror of the dark, or when
they are alone for a few moments. Strong forces are playing about us for which
you cannot account, and you do not realize that this all comes from the fact
that the whole atmosphere is charged with the hostility of these murdered
creatures. The stages of evolution are closely interrelated, and you cannot do
wholesale murder in this way upon your younger brothers without feeling the
effect terribly among your own innocent children. Surely a better time shall
come, when we shall be free from this horrible blot upon our civilization, this
awful reproach upon our compassion and our sympathy; and when that comes we
shall find presently that there will be a vast improvement in these matters, and
by degrees we shall all rise to a higher level and be freed from all these
instinctive terrors and hatreds. (Page 288)
The Better Time to Come
We might all be freed from it very soon, if men and women
would only think; for the average man is not after all a brute, but means to be
kind if he only knew how. He does not think; but goes on from day to day, and
does not realize that he is taking part all the time in an awful crime. But
facts are facts, and there is no escape from them; every one who is partaking of
this abomination, is helping to make this appalling thing a possibility, is
undoubtedly sharing the responsibility for it. You know that this is so, and you
can see what a terrible thing it is; but you will say “What can we do to improve
matters — we who are only tiny units in this mighty seething mass of humanity?”
It is only by units rising above the rest and becoming more civilized that we
shall finally arrive at a higher civilization of the race as a whole. There is a
Golden Age to come, not only for man but for the lower kingdoms, a time when
humanity will realize its duty to its younger brothers — not to destroy them,
but to help them and to train them, so that we may receive from them, not terror
and hatred but love and devotion and friendship and reasonable co-operation. A
time will come when all the forces of Nature shall be intelligently working
together towards the final end, not with constant suspicion and hostility, but
with universal recognition of that Brotherhood which is ours because we are all
children of the same Almighty Father.
Let us at least make the experiment; let us free ourselves
from complicity in these awful crimes, let us set ourselves to try each in our
own small circle to bring nearer that bright time of peace and love which is the
dream and the earnest desire of every true-hearted and (Page
289) thinking man. At least we ought surely to be willing to do so small a
thing as this to help the world onward towards that glorious future; we ought to
make ourselves pure, our thoughts and our actions as well as our food, so that
by example as well as by precept we may be doing all that in us lies to spread
the gospel of love and of compassion, to put an end to the reign of brutality
and terror, and to bring nearer the dawn of the great kingdom of righteousness
and love when the will of our Father shall be done upon earth as it is in
heaven. (Page 291)
CHAPTER XI
HOW TO BUILD CHARACTER
The very idea implied in the building of character is a
new one to many people. They usually think and speak of a man as born with a
certain character and practically incapable of changing it. They sometimes think
of a man’s character having been altered by great sorrow or suffering, as in
truth it often is; but comparatively few people seem to realize that it is a
thing that they can take in hand and mould for themselves — a thing at which
they can steadily work with the certainty of obtaining good results. Yet it is
true that a man may change himself intelligently and voluntarily, and may make
of himself practically what he will within very wide limits. But naturally this
is hard work. The man’s character, as it stands now, is the result of his own
previous actions and thoughts. You who are familiar with the idea of
reincarnation, with the thought that this life is only one day in the far larger
life, will recognize that this day must depend upon all other days, and that the
man is now what he has made himself by antecedent development. But he has lived
through many lives, and that means that he has been many thousands of years in
training himself to be what he is, even though such training has been
unconscious on his part and without any definite aim. He has therefore
established within himself many decided habits. We all know how difficult it is
to conquer habit — how almost impossible it is to get rid of even some small
physical trick of manner when once it has become a part of ourselves. Reasoning
from (Page 292) small things to larger ones, we may
readily realize that when a man has certain habits which have been steadily
strengthening themselves for thousands of years, it is a serious task for him to
try to check their momentum and to reverse the currents. These lines of thought
and feeling are welded into the man, and they show as qualities which seem to be
deeply ingrained in him. Now that he has yielded to them through all that length
of time it seems from the worldly point of view impossible for him to resist
them, yet it is by no means impossible from the point of view of the occultist.
If, for example, the man has what we call an irritable
character, that is because he has yielded himself to feelings of that nature in
previous lives — because he has not developed within himself the virtue of
self-control. If a man has a narrow, mean, and grasping character, it is because
he has not yet learnt the opposite virtues of generosity and unselfishness. So
it is all the way through; the man of open mind and genial heart has built into
himself these virtues during the ages that have passed over his head. We are
exactly what we have made ourselves. Yet we have become what we are without any
special effort of thought or of intention. In those lives that are past we have
grown without setting any definite object before us, and we have allowed
ourselves to be to a great extent the creatures of our surroundings and
circumstances.
In some cases we may have intentionally formed ourselves
upon the model of someone whom we admired, and that person may have influenced
our lives largely for a time. But obviously this hero of ours, whom we have
copied, may have had bad qualities as well as good ones; and at these earlier
stages it is little likely that we had the discrimination to choose only the
good and to refuse (Page 293) the evil. So we may
probably have reproduced in ourselves his undesirable qualities as well as those
which were worthy of imitation. You may see that this is so if you watch the
actions of children in the present day, for from them we may learn much as to
the probable actions of the child-nature of our undeveloped souls in the past.
You may see how sometimes a boy conceives a violent hero-worship for some older
person, and tries to model himself upon him. Suppose, for example, that the
object of his adoration is some old sailor who can tell him wonderful stories of
adventure on stormy seas and in far-distant lands. What the boy admires is the
courage and endurance of the man, and he respects him for the experience and the
knowledge which he has acquired in his wanderings. He cannot immediately
reproduce the courage, the endurance, or the experience; but he can, and he does
forthwith, copy the outward traits of his sailor-friend, and so he will
faithfully imitate the curious nautical expressions, the tobacco-chewing and the
rolling gait. Much in the same way we also may have been hero-worshippers in
days and lives gone by, and we may have set up many an unpleasant habit in
mimicry of some savage chieftain whose boastful bravery extorted our admiration.
It is probable, however, that this idea (of definitely)
taking our selves in hand for the sake of improvement) has occurred to few of us
before this life. There is no question that to uproot old bad habits and to
replace them by good ones means a great deal of trouble and a great deal of
arduous self-control. It is a serious task, and the ordinary man has no
knowledge of any motive sufficiently powerful to induce him to attempt it. In
the absence of this adequate motive, he does not see why he should put himself
to so much and such serious (Page
294) trouble. He probably thinks of himself as a good
fellow on the whole, though possibly with one or two amiable weaknesses; but he
reflects that every one has his weaknesses, and that those of many other people
are much worse than any which he observes in himself. So he lets himself drift
along without making any effort.
Before such a man can be expected to reverse his old
habits, and set to work painfully to form new ones, he must first realize the
necessity of a change of standpoint, and must obtain a wider view of life as a
whole. The ordinary man of the world is frankly, cynically selfish. I do not
mean that he is intentionally cruel, or that he is devoid of good feelings; on
the contrary, he may often have good and generous impulses. But his life on the
whole is certainly a self-centred life; his own personality is the pivot round
which the majority of his thought revolves; he judges everything instantly and
instinctively by the way in which it happens to affect him personally. Either he
is absorbed in the pursuit of wealth, and blind to the higher side of things and
to the spiritual life, or else his chief object in existence appears to be the
physical enjoyment of the moment.
The Average Irresponsible Vacuity
To see that this is so, we have only to look round us at
the men whom we meet every day, or to listen to the conversations which are
going on in the streets or the railway carriages. In nine cases out of ten we
shall notice that the people are talking either about money, or amusements, or
gossip. Their one idea in life seems to be what they call “having a good time,”
or, as they frequently put it in still coarser and more objectionable language,
“having lots of fun” — as though this were the end and the object of the
existence of a reasonable
(Page 295) being, a living spark made in the
Divine Image! I have been much struck with this — that the only idea which many
people seem to connect with life is that of the sensuous pleasure of the moment
— just amusement and nothing else. That seems to be all that they are able to
comprehend, and it appears to be a sufficient reason for not having visited a
certain place to say that there is no “fun” to be had there. I have often heard
a similar remark made in France; there also s ‘amuser bien seems to be the great
duty which is recognized by the majority, and it has passed into a figure of
ordinary speech, so that a man will often write to another, “I hope you are
amusing yourself well” — as though the pleasure of the moment were the only
important business.
To listen to the conversation of these men and women of
the present age one would suppose them to be he mere insects of a day, with no
sense of duty, of responsibility, or of seriousness; they have not in the least
realized themselves as immortal souls who are here for a purpose, and have a
definite evolution before them; and so their life is one of shallow ignorance
and giggling vacuity. The only life they seem to know is the life of the moment,
and in this way they lower themselves to the level of the least intelligent of
the animals about them . Man has been defined as a thinking animal, but it seems
evident that as yet that definition applies only to part of the race. I think we
must admit that to one or other of these two classes — the money-hunters, or the
pleasure-hunters — belong the majority of the people in our occidental races,
and that those whose principal thoughts in life are duty and the pursuit of
spiritual development are only a small minority.
There are many of them who have a recognition of duty in
connection with their business, and they consider (Page
296) that everything else must yield to that — even their personal pleasure.
You will hear a man say “I should like to do this, but I have my business which
requires attention; I cannot afford to lose time from my business.” So that even
the idea of personal pleasure becomes subsidiary to that of business. This is at
least somewhat of an improvement, though it is often sadly overdone, and you
will find many people to whom this idea of business has in its urn become a kind
of god which they worship. They are in a condition of abject slavery to it, and
they never can let themselves escape from its influence even for a moment. They
bring it home with them, they are wholly involved with it, and they even dream
of it at night; so that they sacrifice everything to this Moloch of business,
and they cannot be said to have time for any true life at all. It will be seen
that though there is here a dawning conception of duty it is still only upon the
physical plane, and their thought is still limited to the affairs of the day.
Only in the case of a small number will it be found that this idea is dominated
by a light from higher planes; rarely indeed has the man a glimpse of a wider
horizon. This concentration of attention upon the physical life of the passing
day seems to be a characteristic of our present race, of the great so-called
civilization which at present exists both in Europe and in America. Obviously
the man who wishes to do anything definite in the way of character-building must
first of all change this standpoint, for otherwise he has no adequate motive for
undertaking so severe a task.
Conversion
In religious circles this change of standpoint is called
conversion; and if it were freed from the somewhat unpleasant (Page
297) canting associations with which it is ordinarily surrounded, this would
be a good word to express exactly what happens to man. We know that in Latin
verto means “to turn” and con signifies “together with,” so conversion is the
point at which the man turns from following selfish ends and fighting against
the great stream of Divine evolution, and henceforth begins to understand his
position and to move along with that stream. In the Hindu religion they call
this same change by the name of viveka, or “discrimination,” because when that
comes to a man it means that he has learnt to see the relative value of objects
and to distinguish to some extent between the real and the unreal, so that he is
able to perceive that the higher things only are those which are worthy of his
attention. In the Buddhist religion another name is given to this change —
manodvaravarjana, or “The opening of the doors of the mind.” The man’s mind has
in reality opened its doors; discrimination has awakened within it and its owner
has brought it to bear upon the problems of life. The man who is wrapped up in
pleasure has not yet opened his mind at all; he is not thinking about life in
any serious way, but is immersed in the lower currents. The business man has
developed the desire for acquisition, and is bending all his energies into
action for that purpose; but his mind also has not yet opened to understand the
realities of a higher life.
This opening of the doors, this discrimination, this
conversion, means the realization that the things which are seen upon the
physical plane are temporal and of little importance as compared with these
other things which are unseen and eternal. It is precisely that which is spoken
of in the bible, when we are told: “Set your affection on things above and not
on things of the (Page 298) earth... for the things
which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
This does not mean that a man must give up his ordinary daily life, or must
abandon his business or his duties in order to become what is commonly called a
pious or a devout man; but it does mean that he should learn intelligently to
appreciate other things besides those which are immediately obvious upon the
physical plane.
We all of us at different stages have to learn to do this;
we have to learn to widen our horizon. As little children, for example, we
appreciate only those things which are near to us, and we are unable to look far
ahead of time, or to plan much for the future. But as we grow older we learn by
experience that it is sometimes necessary for us to give up the pleasures of the
moment in order that we may gain something in the future which shall be better
and greater. In the first place this is usually to gain something still for
ourselves; for it is only by degrees that the true unselfishness dawns. In many
cases the little child would spend the whole of his time in play if he were
allowed to do so, and it is a matter of regret to him that restrictions are
imposed upon him and that he is compelled to learn. Yet we universally recognize
that the child should learn, because we know what the child as yet does not —
that that learning will fit him to take his place in life, and to have a fuller
and more useful career than would be possible for him if instead of learning he
devoted himself entirely to the joys of the moment.
Yet we who thus enforce this learning upon the child are
ourselves doing the same thing for which we blame the little one, when we regard
the matter from a somewhat higher standpoint. We also are working for the moment
— for the moment of this one life, and we fail to (Page
299) realize that there is something infinitely grander and higher and
happier within reach if we only understood it. We are working for this one day
only, and not for the future which will be eternal. The moment a man becomes
convinced of this higher life and of the eternal future — as soon as he realizes
that he has his part to play in that, naturally his common-sense asserts itself,
and he says to himself: “If that be so, obviously these material things are of
comparatively little account, and instead of wasting the whole of my time I must
be learning to prepare myself for this greater life in the future.” There at
once is the adequate motive whose lack we previously deplored; there is the
incentive to learn to build the character, in order to fit oneself for that
other and higher life.
Puritanism
I think that Puritanism, which has played such a prominent
part in the history both of England and of America, arose chiefly as a reaction
against that view of life of which I was speaking just now — the mere living for
the careless selfish enjoyment of the moment. I believe that Puritanism was in
itself largely a protest against that, and in so far as it emphasized the
reality of the higher life, and the necessity of paying attention to it, it had
good in it. True, it also did much harm — more harm than good on the whole,
because it did this terrible thing, that it made people identify religion with
sourness and sadness. It made people think that to be good one must be
miserable; it degraded and all but destroyed the idea of the loving Father. It
blasphemed God by telling horrible and wicked falsehoods with regard to Him; it
misrepresented Him as a stern and cruel judge, a monster, instead of a Father
full of love (Page 300) and compassion; and in doing
this it warped and distorted Anglo-Saxon Christianity, and set a stamp upon it
from which it has not even yet recovered.
Perhaps the reason of this may be that it made a common
mistake — that it confused cause and effect. It is true that a man who has
learned to appreciate the higher joys of the spiritual life cares little for
those of the ordinary physical existence. That is not because he has lost his
capacity for joy, but because he has now realized something so much fuller and
wider, that by comparison with it the lower delight has ceased to seem joy at
all. When the boy comes to be a man he has outgrown his childish toys, yet he is
capable of other and much greater pleasures than those could ever have given
him. Just so the man who rises in evolution, so that instead of mere selfish
delights he comes to appreciate the far greater joy of unselfish work, will find
that his ordinary pleasures are no longer satisfying to him and seem to him no
longer worthy the trouble of pursuit. This is because he has reached a higher
standpoint and gained a wider horizon; but the result upon the physical plane
gives the impression that he has ceased to be interested in the lower physical
pleasures.
We must not, however, confuse the cause with the effect as
the unfortunate Puritans did, and suppose that by turning our backs upon the
joys of the physical plane we therefore instantly become the more highly evolved
men with the wider outlook. It is true that because the young man has developed
he no longer cares for infantile pleasures; it would not be true that the infant
by refusing the delights appropriate to his age would thereby become an adult.
It is well, then, that we should realize clearly that it is emphatically a false
and foolish doctrine that to be good men must be miserable. Exactly (Page
301) the reverse is true, for God means man to be happy, and it is certainly
his duty to be so; for a man who is unhappy radiates depression all round him,
and thus makes life harder for his fellow-men.
The Awakening
How then does a man come to make this great effort of
trying to build his character, trying to make something of himself? The safest
and the most satisfactory path is that which we have just indicated. The man
comes to wider knowledge, he comes to understand that there is a grander and
higher life; he sees that there is a great scheme, and that man is part of that
scheme. Seeing that, and appreciating to some extent the splendour and the glory
of the plan, he wishes to become an intelligent part of it — he wishes to take
his place in it, no longer merely as a straw swept along by a storm, but rather
as one who understands and desires to take his share in the mighty divine work
that is being done.
There are others whose awakening comes along a different
line — the line of devotion, rather than of knowledge. They are strongly
attracted either by a high ideal, or by some lofty personality; their love and
admiration are excited, and for the sake of that ideal, for the sake of that
personality, they make strenuous endeavours to develop themselves. When this
devotion is inspired by the glimpse of a splendid ideal it is indeed a glorious
thing, and its action is practically indistinguishable from that of spiritual
knowledge. When the devotion is to a person it is often hardly less beautiful,
though then there is a certain element of danger arising from the fact that the
object of this intense affection is human and must therefore possess
imperfections. Sometimes it happens that the devotee comes suddenly upon one of
these imperfections, (Page 302) and receives therefrom
a rude shock which may tend to diminish or divert the devotion. The high ideal
can never fail the man who trusts it; the person may always do so to some extent
or in some respect, and consequently there is less security in the devotion to a
teacher.
We in the Theosophical Society have had some experience in
this direction, for among our students there are many who approach the truth by
this road of devotion. When the devotion is to Theosophy, all goes well; their
enthusiasm grows ever more and more brilliant as they learn more of the truth;
and no matter how far they penetrate, or which of its many sides they
investigate, they can never be disappointed. But when the devotion has been not
to Theosophy or to the great Masters who gave it to the world, but to some one
of their instruments on the physical plane, we have found that its basis is less
secure. Many entered the Society and took up its studies on the strength of a
personal devotion to its great founder, Madame Blavatsky. Those who knew her
most intimately, those who came nearest to understanding that wonderful
many-sided individuality, never lost faith in her, nor their deep heartfelt
affection and devotion for her; but others who knew less of her were perturbed
when they read or heard of wild accusations brought against her, or when they
saw the unfavourable report of a learned society concerning her. Then it often
happened that because their faith had been based upon the personality (and upon
one which they did not understand) they found themselves altogether overthrown,
and abandoned the study of Theosophy for this incarnation. Such action is
obviously utterly irrational, for even if all the absurd stories circulated
about Madame Blavatsky had been true, the mighty doctrines of Theosophy (Page
303) still remain the same, and its system is still unassailable; but the
emotional person does not reason, and so when the prejudices of these good
people were shocked or their feelings were hurt, they abandoned the society in a
rage, not realising that they were themselves the only sufferers through their
folly.
Devotion is a splendid force; yet without an intelligent
comprehension of that to which the devotion is felt, it has often led people
terribly wrong. But if the man clearly grasps the mighty Divine scheme of
evolution, and feels his devotion called forth by that, then all is well with
him, for that cannot fail him, and the more he knows of it, the deeper his
devotion will become and the more thoroughly will he identify himself with it.
There is no fear of close investigation there, for fuller knowledge means deeper
adoration, greater wonder, profounder love. For these reasons it is best for the
man to feel his devotion for the ideals rather than for personalities, however
lofty these may be. Best of all is it that he should base himself upon reason
and fact, and argue from what is well-known scientifically to the things not yet
known in the outer world. His inferences may sometimes be wrong, but he realizes
that possibility, and is always ready to change them if good reason can be shown
to him. Any such alterations in detail cannot affect the basis upon which his
system rests, since that is not accepted upon blind faith, but stands on the
secure platform of reason and of common-sense. He knows that the mighty scheme
of evolution exists, although as yet our knowledge of it is imperfect; he knows
that he is put here for a purpose, and the he ought to be trying to do his share
in the work of the world. How then can he begin to fit himself to take that
share? There comes in the question of the building of character. (Page
304)
A man sees himself to be fit or unfit as the case may be;
to be fit in certain ways perhaps, but much hampered in others by
characteristics which he possesses. There at once is an adequate motive for him
to take himself in hand, when he realizes that his life is not for this short
and fleeting period only, but for all eternity, when he sees that the conditions
of the future days of this wider life will be modified by his actions now. He
recognizes that he must so train himself as to be able to do this noble work
which he sees opening up before him — that he must not waste his time in
idleness or folly, because if he does he cannot sustain the part destined for
him. He must learn, he must educate and develop himself in various ways in order
that he may not fail in his ability to bear his share in the future that awaits
us, in the glory that shall be revealed.
As to the stages in which this can be done, perhaps we can
hardly do better than listen to the words of one of the mightiest of earth’s
teachers, whom I quoted to you in a previous lecture. You will remember that men
asked the Lord Buddha to state the whole of his marvellous doctrine in one
single verse; and that he replied in these memorable words:- “Cease to do evil;
learn to do well; cleanse your own heart; this is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
Let us take up the building of character along the lines indicated by the golden
words of the great Indian Prince, and see how thoroughly his single sentence
covers the work of many lives.
Sabba papassa akaranam
“Cease to do evil.” Let us look at ourselves carefully and
thoughtfully, examine ourselves and see what there is in us that stands in our
way, that prevents us from being perfect characters. We know the goal that
(Page 305) is set before us; we who have read the
Theosophical books now what is written there of the great Masters of Wisdom — of
those men who are almost more than men, and of their glory, power, compassion,
and wisdom. There is no mystery as to the qualifications of the adept; the steps
of the path of holiness are fully described in our books, with the qualities
which belong to each of them. What the Masters are, what the Buddha was, what
the Christ was, that we must all some day become; we may therefore set before
ourselves what is known of these exalted characters, and putting ourselves in
comparison with them we shall see at once in how many ways we fall lamentably
short of that grand ideal. Lamentably, yet not hopelessly, for these great
Masters assure us that they have risen from the ranks in which we are now
toiling, and that as they are now so we shall be in the future; and whether that
future be near or distant is a matter which is entirely in our own hands, and
rests upon our own exertions.
The attempt to compare ourselves with these perfect men
will at once reveal to us the existence of many faults and failings in ourselves
which have long ago disappeared from them. Thus we commence our effort to obey
the command of the Buddha. “Cease to do evil,” by setting to work to eradicate
these undesirable qualities. We have not far to look for them. Let us take, for
example, the quality of irritability — a very common failing in a civilization
such as ours, in which there is such a constant rush and whirl, and so much of
nervous overstrain. Here is a prominent evil which must certainly be cast out. A
man often thinks of himself as having been born with a
highly-strung nervous organism, and therefore unable to
help feeling things more keenly than other people; and so he expresses this
additional (Page 306) sensitiveness by irritability.
That is the mistake which he makes. It may be true that he is keenly sensitive;
as the race develops many people are becoming so. Yet the fact remains that the
man himself should remain master of his vehicles and not allow himself to be
swept away by the storm of passion.
Astral Disturbance
This irritability is seen by the clairvoyant as liability
to disturbance in the astral body. This astral body is a vehicle with which the
man has clothed himself in order that he may learn through it. It cannot
therefore fulfill its purpose unless he has it thoroughly under control. As the
Indian books tell us, these passions and desires are like horses – in order to
be useful to us they must be under the control of the mind who is the driver;
and this driver himself must also be ready to obey the slightest order which
comes from the true man who sits in the chariot directing the movement of these
his servants. For the man to allow himself to be swayed or swept from his base
by his passions and emotions, is to allow his horses to run away with him and to
carry him whither they will instead of whither he will. It is for us to say
whether we will allow ourselves to be mastered in this undignified manner by
these feelings which should be our servants. We have the right and the
power to say that this shall not be, and that these unruly horses shall be
brought under control. It may be true that for a long time we have allowed them
to have their own way until to yield to them instead of dominating them has
become a fixed habit. Yet to learn to manage them is the first step in the
upward path; there can be no question that it will have to be taken, and the
sooner it is taken the easier it will be. (Page
307 )
It can never be too late to begin, and it is obvious that
each time that the man yields himself makes it a little more difficult for him
to resume the control later. The irritable man constantly finds himself
succumbing to small annoyances, and under their influence saying and doing what
afterwards he bitterly regrets. Strong though his resolve may be, again and
again the old habit asserts itself, and he finds that he has said or done
something under its influence before (as he would put it) he has had time to
think. Still if he continues to make a determined effort at control, he will
eventually reach a stage when he is able to check himself in the very utterance
of the hasty word, and to turn aside the current of his annoyance when it is at
its strongest. From that to the stage where he will check himself before he
utters that word is not a long step, and when that has been gained he is near
the final victory. Then he has conquered the outward expression of the feeling
of irritation; and after that he will not find it difficult to avoid the feeling
altogether. When that has been once done a definite step has been gained, for
the quality of irritability has been weeded out, and it has been replaced by the
quality of patience as a permanent possession, which the man will carry on with
him into all his future births.
Conceit and Prejudice
Men have many failings which they hardly notice, yet if
they carefully examine and judge themselves by sufficiently high standards they
cannot help perceiving where they fall short. One of the commonest of all
failings is self-conceit. It is so natural for a man to wish to think well of
himself, to emphasize in his mind those points in which he considers he excels,
and to attach undue importance to them, and at the same time to slur over
(Page .308) almost without thought the many other points
in which he falls short of other men. This self-conceit is a quality which needs
to be carefully watched and steadily suppressed whenever it shows its head, for
it is not only one of the commonest of all, but it is one of the most difficult
to master; when conquered in one direction it reappears under some new guise in
another. It is subtle and far-reaching, and it disguises itself with great
success; yet until it is eradicated but little progress is possible.
Another weed which must be relentlessly torn up is
prejudice. So often we are exceedingly intolerant of any new idea, of any other
belief than our own; we are set and firm and dogmatic along certain lines, and
unwilling to listen to truth. For example, we have our prejudices as to what we
call morality, based exclusively upon conventional ideas; any suggestion which
contravenes these, no matter how reasonable it may be, gives us such a shock
that we lose our heads altogether, and become rabid and full of hatred, bitter
and persecuting in our opposition to it. Many a man who thinks himself free from
intolerance because he has no special religious belief is just as dogmatic along
his own materialistic lines as the worst religious fanatic could be. Often a
scientific man regards religion of all kinds with easy tolerance, considering it
as something only fit for women and children. He looks down with amused
superiority upon the horror with which one religious sect regards the opinions
of another, and wonders why they should make so much fuss about a matter which
can hardly be of serious importance one way or the other; and yet at the same
time he has certain fixed ideas with regard to science, about which he is just
as bigoted as are his religious friends in their dogmas. It does not occur to
him that there is a bigotry (Page 309 ) outside of
religion, and that in science, as well as in faith, a man’s mind must always
remain open to the advent of new truth, even though that truth may overthrow
many of his own preconceived ideas.
Often this vice or prejudice is a subtle manifestation of
that self-conceit to which I previously referred; the set of ideas which the man
has adopted are his ideas and for that reason they must be treated with respect,
and anything which tends to conflict with them cannot be entertained for a
moment, because to receive it would be to admit that he may have been mistaken.
Many a man has within him pettinesses, meanness, narrowness of mind, the
existence of which he has not suspected; yet those qualities will manifest
themselves when circumstances arise which call them into action.
Often, even when a man sees the manifestation of some such
undesirable quality within himself, he to some extent excuses it by saying that
it is after all natural. But what do we mean by this word natural? Simply that
the majority of mankind would be likely under similar circumstances to display
such a quality, and so the man in whom it manifests is an average man. Yet we
should remember that if we are trying to take ourselves in hand and to build our
character towards the high ideal which we have set before us, we are aiming to
raise ourselves above the average man, so that what is natural for him will not
be sufficient in the higher life which we are now endeavouring to live. We must
rise above that which is natural for the average of the race, and we must bring
ourselves into a condition in which only that which is right and good and true
shall be the natural course for us. We must eradicate the evil, and replace it
by good, so that it is the expression of the latter which will instinctively
show itself when we act without (Page 310 )
premeditation. If we are trying to realize the higher life, trying to make
ourselves a channel through which the divine force may pour out upon our
fellow-men, then that which is natural as yet for the majority will be unworthy
of our higher aspirations. Therefore we must not excuse faults and failings in
ourselves because they are natural, but we must set to work to make that natural
to us which we desire to have within us; and this development also is entirely
within our own hands.
Kusalassa upasampada
Sometimes the easiest way to carry out the first command
“Cease to do evil” is to commence by trying to obey the second one “Learn to do
well.” If we wish to conquer an evil habit, it is sometimes easier and better
for us to make strenuous efforts to develop within ourselves the opposite
virtue. What are the qualities which are most necessary for us? If we can
examine the matter without prejudice we shall find that very many of those which
go to make the perfect man are as yet sadly lacking in us. Take first the very
important quality of self-control. The majority of us are certainly deficient in
this respect, and this fact shows itself in a dozen ways. The irritability of
which I spoke previously is one of the commonest forms in which lack of
self-control shows itself. There are other and coarser passions, such as the
desire of the drunkard or of the sensualist, which most of us have already
learned to control, or perhaps we have eliminated them from our natures in
previous lives. But if any relics of such coarser passions still remain with us
in the form of gluttony or sensuality, our first step must be to bring such
desires under the dominion of the will.
In such cases as this the necessity is obvious to every
(Page 311 ) one; but our lack of self-control may show
itself in other ways which we do not so readily perceive. When some trouble,
some sorrow or suffering comes to a man, he often allows himself to be greatly
worried or profoundly depressed by it. Instead of maintaining his attitude of
calmness and serenity, he identifies himself with the lower vehicle, and allows
himself to be swept away. He must learn to take a firm stand – to say to
himself: “These forces from without are playing upon my lower vehicles,
affecting perhaps my physical body or my astral body, but I, the Soul, the true
Man, stand above all these things; I remain untroubled, and I will not allow
myself to be disturbed or moved by them.”
The Foolishness of Taking Offence
Another instance which is painfully common is the way in
which a man takes offence at something which another says or does. If you think
of it this also shows a strange lack, not only of self-control, but of
common-sense. What the other man says or does cannot make any difference to you.
If he has said something that has hurt your feelings, you may be sure that in
nine cases out of ten he has not meant it to be offensive; why then should you
allow yourself to be disturbed about the matter? Even in the rare cases where a
remark is intentionally rude or spiteful – where a man has said something
purposely to wound another – how foolish it is for that other to allow himself
to feel hurt! If the man had an evil intention in what he said, he is much to be
pitied, since we know that under the law of divine justice he will certainly
suffer for his foolishness. What he has said need in no way affect you; if a man
strikes a blow on the physical plane, it is no doubt desirable for you to defend
yourself against its repetition, because there is (Page
312) a definite injury; but in the case of the irritating word no effect
whatsoever is really produced. A blow which strikes your physical body is a
perceptible impact from outside; the irritating word does not in any way injure
you, except in so far as you may choose to take it up and injure yourself by
brooding over it or allowing yourself to be wounded in your feelings. What are
the words of another, that you should let your serenity be disturbed by them?
They are merely a vibration in the atmosphere; if it had not happened that you
heard them, or heard of them would they have affected you? If not, then it is
obviously not the words that have injured you, but the fact that you heard them.
So if you allow yourself to care about what a man has said, it is you who are
responsible for the disturbance created in your astral body, and not he. The man
has done and can do nothing that can harm you; if you feel hurt and injured and
thereby make yourself a great deal of trouble, you have only yourself to thank
for it. If a disturbance arises within your astral body in reference to what he
has said, that is merely because you have not yet gained control over that body;
you have not yet developed the calmness which enables you to look down as a soul
upon all this and go on your way and attend to your own work without taking the
slightest notice of foolish or spiteful remarks made by other men.
If you will attain this calmness and serenity, you will
find that your life is infinitely happier than before. I do not put that before
you as the reason for which you should seek this development; it is a good
reason truly, yet there is another and higher reason in the fact that we have
work to do for our fellow-men and that we cannot be fit to do it unless we are
calm and serene. It is always best that we should keep before ourselves this
(Page 313 ) highest of all reasons for self-development –
that unless we evolve ourselves we cannot be a fit and perfect channel for the
divine power and strength. That should be our motive in our effort; yet the fact
remains that the result of this effort will be greatly increased happiness in
our work. The man who cultivates calmness and serenity soon finds the joyousness
of the divine life pervading the whole of existence. To the clairvoyant who can
observe the higher bodies the change in such a man is remarkable and beautiful
to see.
The Evil of Unnecessary Agitation
The average man is usually a centre of agitated vibration;
he is constantly in a condition of worry or trouble about something, or in a
condition of deep depression, or else he is unduly excited in the endeavour to
grasp something. For one reason or another he is always in a state of
unnecessary agitation, generally about the merest trifle. Although he never
thinks of it, he is all the while influencing other people around him by this
condition of his astral body. He is communicating these vibrations and this
agitation to the unfortunate people who are near him; and it is just because
millions of people are thus unnecessarily agitated by all sorts of foolish
desires and feelings that it is so difficult for the sensitive person to live in
a great city or to go into any large crowd of his fellow-men. An examination of
the illustration of the effect of the various emotions are shown in Man Visible
and Invisible will at once enable us to realize that a man in such a condition
of agitation must be causing great disturbance in the astral world about him,
and we shall see that others who happen to be in his neighbourhood cannot remain
unaffected by the influence which pours out from him. The man who gives way to
passion is sending (Page 314 ) out waves of passion;
the man who allows himself to fall into a condition of deep depression is
radiating in all directions waves of depression; so that each of these men is
making life harder for all those who are so unfortunate as to be near him.
In modern life every man has little circumstances which
worry him, which tend to stir up irritability within him; every man has sooner
or later some cause for worry and for depression; and whenever any one of us
yields to either of these feelings the vibrations which we send out assuredly
tend to accentuate the difficulties of all our neighbours. Such vibrations make
it harder for those about us to resist the next accession of irritability or
depression which may come to them; if there are germs of these qualities in
them, the vibrations which we have so wrongly allowed ourselves to send forth
may awaken these germs when otherwise they would have lain dormant. No man has a
right to commit this crime of throwing obstacles in the way of his fellow-men;
no man has a right to yield himself to depression or to give way to anger – not
only because these things are evil for him and wrong in themselves, but because
they do harm to those around him.
On the other hand, if we cultivate within ourselves
serenity, calmness, and joyousness, we make life lighter instead of darker for
all those into whose presence we come; we spread about us soothing vibrations,
we make it easier for our neighbours to resist worry or trouble or annoyance,
and thus we help to lift the burdens from all those who are about us, although
we may say never a word to them. Every one is the better because we are calm and
strong, because we have realized the duty of the soul. Here, then, are some
useful qualities which we may seek to build into ourselves – the qualities of
(Page 315) self-control, happiness, and calmness. Let us
learn that it is our duty to be happy, because God means man to be happy.
Therefore it is that the man must not let himself be swept off his feet by the
waves of thought and feeling about him, but must stand firm as a tower to which
others may cling who are still affected by these waves. So shall divine strength
flow through him to those others, and they too shall be rescued from the stormy
ocean of life, and brought into the haven where they would be.
Courage and Resolution
Other virtues which we should build into ourselves are
courage and determination. There are many men in the world who have an iron
determination within them about certain things – a resolution that nothing can
shake. They have resolved to make money, and they will do it – honestly, if
possible, but at any rate they will make it; and these men usually succeed to a
greater or less extent. We who are students of a higher life think of them as
narrow in their outlook, as understanding but little of what life really is.
That is true, yet we should remember that they are at least living up in
practice to what they understand. The one thing of which they feel certain is
that money is a great good, and that they intend to have plenty of it; and they
are throwing their whole strength into that effort. We have convinced ourselves
that there is something higher in the world than the gaining of money, that
there is a vaster and a grander life, the smallest glimpse of which is worth
more than all mere earthly gain. If we are as thoroughly convinced of the beauty
of the higher life as is the worldly man of the desirability of making money, we
shall throw ourselves into the pursuit of that higher life with exactly the same
(Page 316 ) resolution and enthusiasm with which he throws
himself into the pursuit of gold. He neglects no possibility, he will take
infinite pains to qualify himself to pursue his object better; may not we often
learn a lesson from him as to the one-pointedness and the untiring energy with
which he devotes himself to his object? True, the object itself is an illusion,
and when he gains it he often finds it to be of but little value after all; yet
the qualities which he has developed in that struggle cannot but be valuable to
him when the higher light dawns upon him and he is able to turn his talents to a
better use.
In this development of resolution the study of Theosophy
greatly helps us. The Theosophist realizes profoundly the infinity of work in
the direction of self-development which lies before him; yet he can never be
depressed, as the worldly man sometimes is, by the feeling that he is now
growing old, that his time is short, and that he cannot hope to attain his end
before death puts a period to his effort. The student of occultism recognizes
that he has eternity before him for his work, and that in that eternity he can
make himself exactly what he desires to be. There is nothing that can prevent
him. He finds around him many limitations which he has made for himself in
previous lives; yet with eternity before him all these limitations will be
transcended, his end will be accomplished, his goal will be attained.
There are many people who are anxious to know what the
future has in store for them – so many that large numbers of swindlers live upon
this desire. Any astrologer or clairvoyant who thinks he can predict the future
is certain to have immense numbers of clients; even the veriest charlatan seems
to be able to make a living by a mere pretence to the occult arts or to
prevision. Yet in truth no one need trouble himself in the slightest (Page
317 ) degree about his future, for it will be exactly what he intends that
it shall be. The student of occultism does not seek to know what the future has
in store for him; he says rather: “I intend to do this or that; I know what my
future development will be, because I know what I intend to make it. There may
be many obstacles in my way, put there by my own previous actions; I do not know
how many there are, or in what form they may come; I do not even care to know.
Whatever they may be, my resolution is unshaken; whether it be in this life or
in future lives, I shall mould my existence as I like; and in knowing that, I
know all that I care to know of that which lies before me.” When the man
realizes the divine power which resides within him he cares little for outward
circumstances; he decides upon what he will do; he devotes his energy to it and
he carries it through; he says to himself: “This shall be done; how long it will
take matters nothing, but I will do it.” It will be seen therefore that courage
and determination are virtues which are emphatically necessary for the student
of occultism.
The Greatest Need of All
Most of all man needs to develop the quality of
unselfishness; for man as we find him at present is by nature terribly selfish.
In saying that, we are not casting blame upon him for his past; we are trying to
remind him that there lies before him a future. The Theosophist understands why
this fault of selfishness should be so common among men, for he realizes what
has been the birth and the growth of the soul in man. He knows that the
individual was slowly, gradually formed through ages of evolution, and
consequently that the individuality is very strongly marked in man. The soul as
a centre (Page 318) of strength has grown up within the
walls of self, and without these protecting walls the man could not have been
what he now is. But now he has reached the stage where the powerful centre is
definitely established, and consequently he has to break down this scaffolding
of selfish thought which surrounds him. This shell was a necessity, no doubt,
for the formation of the centre; but now that the centre is formed the shell
must be broken away, because while it exists it prevents the centre from doing
its duty, and from carrying out the work for which it was formed. The man has
become a sun, from which the divine power should radiate upon all those around
him, and this radiation cannot be until the walls of selfishness have been
broken down.
It is not wonderful that it should be hard for man to do
this, for in getting rid of selfishness he is conquering a habit which he has
spent many ages in forming. It had its use and its place in these earlier
stages; as one of the Masters of Wisdom once put it: “The law of the survival of
the fittest is the law of evolution for the brute; but the law of intelligent
self-sacrifice is the law of development for man.” So it comes that man needs to
transcend what was formerly his nature and to build into himself the quality of
unselfishness, the quality of love, so that he may learn gladly to sacrifice
what seems his personal interest for the good of humanity as a whole.
Let us beware that we do not misunderstand this. I do not
mean by that any development of cheap sentimentalism. Men who are new to this
study sometimes think that it is expected of them that they shall attain to the
level of loving all their brethren alike. That is an impossibility even if it
were desirable; and to see that this is so we have only to turn to the example
of the highest of men. Remember that it is related of Jesus himself that
(Page 319 ) he had his beloved disciple St. John, and of
the Buddha that he was more closely attached to the disciple Ananda than to many
others who possessed greater powers and higher advancement. It is not demanded
of us, it is not intended, that we should have the same feeling of affection
towards all. It is true that such affection as we now feel towards those who are
nearest and dearest to us, we shall presently come to feel for all our
brother-men; but when that time comes our affection for those whom we love best
will have become something infinitely greater than it is now. It will mean that
our power of affection has grown enormously, but not that it has ceased to be
stronger in one case than it is in another – not that all the world has become
the same to us.
What is important for us now is that we should regard all
mankind, not with hostility, but in that friendly attitude which is watching for
an opportunity to serve. When we feel deep affection or gratitude towards some
person we watch constantly for an opportunity to do some little thing for him to
show our gratitude, our respect, our affection, or our reverence. Let us adopt
that attitude of ready helpfulness towards all mankind; let us be always
prepared to do whatever comes to our hand – ever watching for an opportunity to
serve our fellow-men and let us regard every contact with another man as an
opportunity of being useful to him in some way or other. In that way we shall
learn to build into our character these important virtues of love and
unselfishness.
Single-mindedness
Another necessary quality is that of single-mindedness. We
must learn that the great object of our lives is to make ourselves a channel for
the divine force, and
(Page 320) that that object therefore must always
be the determining factor in any decision that we make. When two paths open
before us, instead of stopping to consider which of these two would be best for
us individually, we must learn to think rather which is the noblest, which is
the most useful, which will bring most good to other men. When in business or in
social life we take some step which appears advantageous for us we should ask
ourselves in all sincerity, “Can this thing, which seems as though it would
bring good to me, do some harm to some one else? Am I making an apparent gain at
the cost of a loss to some other man? If that be so I will have none of it; I
will not enter upon any such course of action. For that cannot be right for me
which brings harm to my brothers; I must never raise myself by trampling down
others.” Thus we must learn in everything to make the highest our criterion, and
steadily little by little to build these virtues into ourselves. The process may
be a slow one, but the result is sure.
Sachitta pariyodapanam
Nor must we forget the third line of the Buddha’s verse:
“Cleanse your own heart”. Begin with your thoughts; keep them high and
unselfish, and your actions will follow along the same line. What is required is
intelligent adaptation to the conditions of the true life. Here on the physical
plane we have to live in accordance with the laws of the plane. For example,
there are certain laws of hygiene, and the intelligent man adapts himself
carefully to them, knowing that if he does not his life will be an imperfect one
and full of physical suffering. Every cultured man knows that to be the merest
common-sense; yet we see daily how difficult it is to induce the ignorant and
uneducated to comply with these (Page 321) natural
laws. We who have learnt them adapt ourselves to them as a matter of course, and
we realize that if we did not do so we should be acting foolishly, and if we
suffered from such action we should have only ourselves to blame.
We who are students of occultism have through our studies
learnt much of the conditions of a higher and grander life. We have learnt that
just as there are certain physical laws which must be obeyed if the physical
life is to be lived healthily and happily, so there are the moral laws of this
higher and wider life, which it is also necessary to obey if we wish to make
that life happy and useful. Having learnt these laws, we must use intelligence
and common-sense in living according to them. It is with a view of adapting
ourselves to them that we watch ourselves with reference to these qualities of
which we have spoken. The wise man takes them one at a time, and examines
himself carefully with reference to the quality which he has chosen, to see
where he is lacking in it. He thinks beforehand of opportunities for displaying
that quality, yet he is always ready to take other unexpected opportunities when
he finds them opening up before him. He keeps that quality, as it were, in the
back of his mind always, and tries perseveringly from day to day, and every
moment of the day, to live up to his highest conception of it. If he thus keeps
it steadily before him, he will soon find a great change coming over him; and
when he feels that he has thoroughly grounded himself in that, so that its
practice has become a habit and a matter of instinct with him, he takes up
another quality and works in the same way with that.
No Morbid Introspection
That is the method of procedure, yet we must be careful
(Page 322) in adopting it not to fall into a common
error. We may remember that the Buddha advises his disciples to follow the
middle Path in everything, warning them that extremes in either direction are
invariably dangerous. That is true in this case also. The ordinary man of the
world is asleep in regard to the whole of this question of the cultivation of
character; its necessity has never dawned upon his horizon, and he is blankly
ignorant with regard to it. That is one extreme, and the worst of all. The other
extreme is to be found in the constant morbid introspection in which some of the
best people indulge. They are so constantly mourning over their faults and
failings that they have no time to be useful to their fellow-men; and so they
cause themselves unnecessary sorrow and waste much strength and effort while
making but little progress. A little child who has a piece of garden for himself
is sometimes so eager to see how his seeds are growing that he digs them up
before they have really started in order to examine them again, and so
effectually prevents them from springing at all. Some good people seem to be
just as impatient as is such a child; they are constantly pulling themselves up
by the roots to see how they are growing spiritually, and in this way they
hinder all real advancement.
Self-examination and self-knowledge are necessary; but
morbid introspection is above all things to be avoided. Often it has its root in
a subtle form of self-conceit – an exaggerated opinion of one’s importance. A
man should set his face in the right direction; he should note his faults and
failings, and strive to get rid of them; he should note the good qualities in
which he is lacking, and endeavour to develop them within himself. But when he
has formed this firm resolve, and in doing his best to carry it into effect, he
can well afford to forget (Page 323) himself for the
time in the service of his fellow-men. If he will but throw himself into earnest
unselfish work, in the very act of doing that work he will develop many useful
qualities. Having controlled the mind and the senses, let him think often of the
highest ideals that he knows; let him think what the Masters are, what the
Buddha is, what the Christ is, and let him try to mould his life toward theirs;
let him work always with this end in view, and let him try to raise himself
towards “the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ.” Remember
that he told us, “Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Remember
also that he would never have uttered those words if it had not been possible
for man to fulfil that command. Perfection is possible for us because
immortality is a fact; we have all eternity before us in which to work, and yet
we have no time to lose; for the sooner we begin to live the life of the Christ,
the sooner we shall be in a position to do the work of the Christ, and to range
ourselves among the saviours and the helpers of the world.
CHAPTER XII
THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY
(Page
325) The subject of the future that lies before
humanity may be treated in various ways; perhaps the simplest division which we
can make is to speak first of the immediate future, then of the remoter future,
then of the final goal. Both the immediate and the remoter future may be to some
extent a matter of speculation, or perhaps we should rather say of calculation;
but the final goal we know with absolute certainty, and that is the only thing
which is really of importance. Still it is well that we should try to look
forward a little, so that we who are units in this great mass of humanity may be
able to take our part intelligently in the evolution which we see to be
progressing all round us.
The conditions of the near future must naturally develop
from those which we see today; and I think that as we look about us, unless we
are terribly prejudiced, we must admit that in spite of our boasted civilization
there is much which is highly unsatisfactory. Europe and America, with some of
the English colonies, include between them the highest levels yet gained by this
civilization of ours; yet we can hardly say with truth that in any of these
countries the condition of affairs is at all what we would wish to see it. In
every direction we see lamentable failures, although in certain matters there
may be success and progress.
The Condition of Religion
(Page
326) Think of the condition in any or all of these
countries of one of the most important factors of human life – religion.
Wherever we may look all over the world we shall find religion in an
unsatisfactory condition. That may be considered a bold and sweeping statement,
yet I think examination will show that it is true. In all these which we
consider the most advanced countries religion has now but little hold over the
masses of the people. In some of the great Oriental lands it still holds sway,
but even there it has become largely tinged with superstition, or else the
people are atheistic and care for none of these things. In the Catholic
countries of Europe the faith has terribly degenerated, and in some cases the
grossest superstition is almost all that is left of it. In the countries which
boast of themselves as belonging to reformed sects of various kinds the bulk of
the people are paying no attention to religion at all, and if we turn to the
educated classes or the cultured people in any of these countries, whether
catholic or sectarian, we shall find that they are for the most part sceptical
in their habits of thought. Sometimes they are openly sceptical in words also,
but more frequently they profess some religion as a matter of course and of
respectability, yet it is in no way a real or serious factor governing their
every-day life.
Surely this is not a satisfactory state of affairs; for
unless there is something of the nature of religion or philosophy to lead men’s
thoughts away from the lower world to something grander and better and more
enduring, the condition of a country can never be what it should be; and if that
be so we must admit that in that direction at any rate there is much to be
desired all over (Page 327) the world. Religion has
given far too largely faith instead of knowledge; it has given us some hope,
perhaps, but no certainty; it has put before us dogmas and authoritative
statements, but little of clear reason, little that can be definitely
comprehended; and that is why many of the most cultured people find themselves
believing in it in only a half-hearted way, even if they are able to accept its
conclusions at all.
Social Conditions
Again, if we examine the social conditions of the world,
we must once more admit that things are far from satisfactory; for although
there are those who push to the front and make enormous fortunes, there are also
masses of people who are still steeped in poverty and in ignorance. This is not
only of the backward countries of the world but to a great extent also even of
those which are considered the most advanced; so that those who would try to
help and to reform stand aghast at the sight and know not where to begin. In
every country we see society more or less at war with itself, race against race,
where there are different races, class against class, labour against capital,
and sometimes even sex against sex. Everywhere seems to be the clash of warring
interests, and so people range themselves on opposite sides. Then the question
of government is also in an unsatisfactory condition; for I think all will agree
that there is no country in the world which is governed, as every country in the
world ought to be, solely with regard to the interests and advancement of the
people who are governed. On the contrary we find everywhere personal and party
considerations, and matters are in such condition that even the wisest and the
best of our statesmen cannot do many things which they wish to (Page
328) do, and find themselves forced into many actions of which in truth they
do not approve.
All of these difficulties arise from ignorance and
selfishness. If men understood the plan of evolution, instead of working each
for his own personal ends they would all join together as a community and work
harmoniously for the good of all with mutual tolerance and forbearance. It is
obvious that if this were done all of these evils would almost immediately
cease, or at any rate could very shortly be removed. Even now there is a strong
wave of feeling in the world tending in that direction, because every day a
greater number of people are beginning to understand to some extend and to
strive towards a better and more rational condition of affairs. There are many
societies and associations which have for their object the amelioration of the
condition of humanity. Some of them begin at one end and some at the other; each
approaches it from his own point of view and with his own set of remedies, but
at least they are striving towards that development of unselfishness which is
the only true solution of all our difficulties.
The Work of Theosophy
Our own Theosophical Society is one of such organizations,
for it is striving to help humanity. It has no connection with any form of
politics, and is not trying to act directly in any way with regard to social
conditions; its effort is rather to dispel ignorance, to put before men the
truth about life and death, to show them why they are here and what lessons they
have to learn, and so to bring them to understand and to realize the great truth
of the brotherhood of man. Already much work has been done in that direction –
work of which but little is known in America, because most of it has not been
(Page 329) in this hemisphere. Though you have people of
many different races in this country, you are gradually welding them all
together into one race; so that it can hardly be said that any racial
antagonisms exist, except, perhaps, that in the South between the whites and the
Negroes. In Europe, however, there is still strong national feeling, and I am
afraid much national misunderstanding. But it is a striking and interesting
thing to see one of the conventions of the Theosophical Society here, at which
are present men from all these races which so often misunderstand and suspect
one another. It is pleasant and encouraging to see how all these men meet as
brothers, how the racial differences and antagonisms have disappeared, and how
unfeignedly they all rejoice to see one another. It is impossible to avoid the
conclusion that if Theosophy spread gradually among these various nations, if
the majority, or even a large minority, of each nation understood and accepted
the Theosophical ideas, anything like war between such nations would be
impossible. All of them realize perfectly that the matters of the physical plane
are of minor importance, and that all points connected with it can be easily
settled if there is goodwill on both sides and an endeavour to discover the
right and to do justice.
It only needs that men shall come to know and to
understand one another, in order that they may also come to respect one another.
A man of one nation may feel a prejudice against men of another nation in the
abstract, and may retain this prejudice so long as he knows none of them
intimately. The moment he comes into close relationship with them as friends, he
discovers that they also are human beings with the same good qualities and the
same faults and failings as his own countrymen, and inevitably these discoveries
change his (Page 330 ) point of view with regard to
them. He still retains his patriotism, his love of country and his own ideas
upon many points, but he realizes that these others are also brothers and that
although there may be many points upon which they differ yet there are far more
in which this common brotherhood of humanity makes them agree. There you have a
living example of the way in which, when ignorance is dispelled and greater
knowledge is attained, a comprehension of the brotherhood follows and many
dangers and difficulties are at once removed.
Its Work in the East
Even more striking results of the work of the Theosophical
Society are to be seen in the East. I have seen several of the great Conventions
of our Society at is headquarters in India; and it is a magnificent thing to see
the scores of different races which come together there, representing in some
cases religions which have been separated for thousands of years. These members
may come from races which have hereditary antagonisms, or from faiths which
regard one another as heretical, yet here at the Theosophical Convention they
stand side by side, each one acknowledging the other’s claim to tolerance and
brotherly treatment, each admitting the other to be in every way equal to
himself.
I remember when the Sanskrit library was opened there at
the Theosophical headquarters at Adyar, the President-Founder invited the
representatives of all the great religions to come together and join in a kind
of service of consecration or benediction. It was the first time in history, so
far as we know, in which priests or preachers of these different faiths had met
in this way on a common platform, each receiving the other as an equal, (Page
331) each sharing by their presence in the ceremonies of the other
religions. We had there a Hindu Pujari from one of the principal temples; we had
two prominent Buddhist monks from Ceylon; we had Parsee Mobeds from the
neighbourhood of Bombay, and we had prominent Mohammedans from Central India;
yet all these men joined together in fraternal accord. The only great religion
not represented on that occasion was the Christian, and that was not the fault
of our President, for he had sent invitations to leading Christians to take part
in the ceremony, but in reply they could only regret that the others among whom
they were asked to officiate were heathens, and that consequently they were
unable to appear beside them upon a common platform.
The Two Great Churches of Buddhism
Another striking result of the work of the Society – a
piece of work for which especial credit should be given personally to its
indefatigable President – was the bringing into closer touch of the Northern and
Southern churches of Buddhism. Here were two sections of the great Buddhist
religion, standing in somewhat the same relation to one another as the Roman
Catholic Church and the Greek Church – divisions which has been separated for
many centuries, which had gradually grown more and more apart in doctrine and
ritual. It was the President of the Theosophical Society to whom the idea
occurred of drawing up a document containing certain grand common principles, to
which he invited the assent of the heads of both these churches; and he visited
the various countries concerned, obtained the signature of all the great
dignitaries to this common document and thereby brought into intimate relation
those who before had regarded one another with a certain amount of distrust
(Page 332) and suspicion. Through his exertions also young
students of the Northern church were sent to study under some of the leading
monks of the South, so that there might be an ever increasing number of men in
each of these churches who knew something directly and practically of the other.
To many of you all this means comparatively little,
because you have no idea of the enormous importance of the interest concerned
and of the numbers of people involved. It would no doubt be quite a marvellous
achievement to bring together the Pope of Rome and the Archbishop of Canterbury,
and to induce them each to acknowledge the other as his equal and as in every
way as true a representative of original Christianity as himself. Yet this which
was achieved by the President of our Society was in reality a matter on a much
larger scale than that, for the numbers belonging to the two Buddhist churches
far exceed those of the adherents of all the different sects of Christianity put
together. So that it may certainly be said that already this Society of ours has
done something towards the promotion of its first object, the Brotherhood of
Humanity.
The Lessons to Be Learned
There is no country in the world where the work of the
Society is not needed, for in every land there is much that this real knowledge
of one another can do to bring the different sections of the community into
greater harmony, to bring men to join together and to recognize the eternal
brotherhood of all, to lead them all together towards the pursuit of high ideals
and to teach them to discriminate the real from the unreal, to show them what
objects are worth following and what are of minor importance. The study of these
mighty truths will increase
(Page 333) not only within our Theosophical
Society but outside of it also. It matters but little by what name we call it;
if the study of truth and the endeavour to realize these higher ideals spread
abroad over the country we shall find that they carry peace and understanding
and loving kindness in their train, and then presently we shall see a new and
grander religion springing up which all may accept with equal freedom.
There are many lessons which we may learn from history.
The leading countries of the earth think of themselves as embodying a great and
advanced civilization, and we are apt to imagine that never before in the world
has there been anything like the knowledge which we now possess. Along certain
lines, perhaps, this may be true; yet there have been other mighty civilizations
which have arisen and flourished and disappeared in turn. Their history is an
image of our own, and their fate must one day overtake us also, however
improbable that may appear to us now. In the magnificent civilization of
Atlantis a level of universal prosperity for all was attained which we certainly
have not yet reached, and that condition in their case was stable and lasted for
thousands of years. But to that great race came also the test that comes to all
nations, when the fuller truth gradually dawns upon them, and when their people
come to know the possibility of powers higher than the physical plane. The
nation of Atlantis misused these powers; the majority there chose the path of
selfishness and not of selflessness, and so Atlantis perished.
We are now repeating the earlier part of their history; we
are increasing in wealth and in prosperity, and we are gradually tending towards
the world wide domination which was held by Atlantis. Many among us are now
beginning to obtain glimpses, at any rate, of these (Page
334) higher powers; and the knowledge of them and the possession of them
will steadily spread among us. So we are closely repeating the history of
Atlantis; and the question for us is whether having thus reproduced the earlier
part of it we are about to follow its example in the latter part – whether after
repeating the glory and expansion of the world-wide empire, we are going also to
repeat the disgrace and the downfall. Whether that will happen to the present
civilization of the world or not depends largely upon the men of today, the men
who are here at the beginning of the new order of things.
The Preparation of Our Future
In America especially glimpses of psychic development are
common; and undoubtedly they will form a characteristic of the great new race
which is to arise out of the intermixture of many nations which is taking place
there. We are in truth assisting in the birth of a nation, and we must remember
that a birth of a nation has many points in common with the birth of a child. We
know that the future of the child depends largely on the thought and character
of those who surround it in its earliest years, both before and after the moment
of its birth. Just in the same manner the men of the present day have their part
to play in the foundation of this new race, in the preparation of the future
that awaits us.
In this preparation we who are studying the truths of
Theosophy have our part to play. If we realize something of these higher truths,
if we understand the necessity of high and spiritual ideals, now is the time for
us to try to spread this knowledge of the truth and to put it forward in a
common-sense way before those who can understand it wherever opportunity offers.
We must offer them this higher belief, based not upon dogmas or (Page
335) sacred books, but upon sound reason and common-sense, reasoning
steadily upward step by step from things clearly known and recognized by science
to those which as yet are known only to the few. If we can succeed in doing this
we shall help in securing for this immediate future a development of good and
not of evil. We must remember that it is the power of our thought and the power
of our action, as well as the power of our speech, which will produce its effect
in these matters.
Never was there a greater need for the diffusion of
knowledge, for in the present ignorance of men there is a real and imminent
danger. We have in the immediate future the possibility of serious struggle; we
have all the elements of a possible social upheaval, and we have no religion
with sufficient hold upon the people to check what may develop into a wild and
dangerous movement. As yet philosophy is the study of the few only, and the
science which has done so much for us, and has achieved so many triumphs, cannot
stay the danger which threatens us. The only thing that can prevent it is the
diffusion of knowledge, so that men shall understand what is really best for
them and shall realize that nothing can ever be good for one which is against
the interest of the whole.
Development Must Come
That change and development must come is certain; the only
question is how it shall come – how the new order shall replace the old with as
little friction and as little suffering as possible. Material and philosophical
science must be perfected, until every natural force is subjugated to man’s
service; knowledge will grow until it rends the veil from every secret in the
boundless fields of hitherto unknown truth; idyllic social economics will
(Page 336) follow in the wake of individual refinement
until there is nothing left to fight for, and hardly anything left to sigh for;
for in all the world needless sorrow and suffering and death will be known no
more. The gaunt spectre of loathsome disease will be laid forever by the
awakened might of physiological science, so that men will die only in the
fullness of their days, and may well be enabled to condense into one incarnation
such development as now spreads itself over two or three. The ghastly monster of
ruthless war will be smitten by the fiery sword of intellectual power, the
sordid demon of grinding fruitless toil, with its attendant imps of starvation,
degradation, and moral death, will be bound in chains by the mighty arm of moral
responsibility, and human beings will no longer be treated as a little lower
than the beasts of the field. Education will pierce the viscid depths of
poverty, and will raise even the humblest of the human race into the
self-respecting, self-restraining ranks of the men who know.
All this must surely come; as the sense of duty spreads
among men, it will draw forth the rich man from his selfish isolation to employ
the talents which have been given him for the helping and the uplifting of his
fellows; the extremes of wealth and poverty will be alike impossible, for the
simpler and the purer life must take the place of all the present unnecessary
complications. This is in our future, and I hope it may be the near future; but
how it shall come depends largely upon the extent to which the light of truth
can be spread through the world now. There is no time to waste, for the forces
of discontent and danger are daily growing, and at any moment some spark may
light a conflagration, the extent of which no man can foresee.
The Remoter Future
(Page
337) We can speak with greater certainty as to the
remoter future than we can with regard to that which is more immediately
impending. The study of the earlier ages of humanity and a comparison of their
conditions with the state of affairs at the present day shows us the direction
in which evolution is moving; so that there can be no question that after a
certain considerable lapse of time qualities which are now only just beginning
to dawn will be fully developed, and all the conditions of society will be
radically changed thereby. There can be no uncertainty with regard to this; but
the intermediate steps through which we must pass are not so clearly defined. I
have often had occasion to speak of the possession by man of the astral and
mental bodies, and of the development within some of us of the senses of these
bodies, so that they have become what is commonly called clairvoyant. Those who
possess these faculties now are those who have turned their attention
especially to them either in this life or in some previous existence; but the
faculties are the heritage of every human being, and the race is moving steadily
towards their fuller development.
I have explained in the concluding chapter of The Other
Side of Death how the man who wishes for the use of these faculties may proceed
to unfold them within himself. That process, however, is only an acceleration of
what nature is gradually doing for us all; and the time is not far distant when
a considerable portion of the higher races of mankind will possess them
naturally and without any special effort. In America we have striking evidence
that this statement is true, for the proportion of partially psychic men and
women is far greater here than it is in any of the older nations with the
exception, perhaps, (Page 338) of some of the smaller
and distinctly Keltic races, such as the Highlanders of Scotland. There must be
many among my hearers or my readers who know from their own experience that what
I am saying is true, and there must be many more who know it from the evidence
of relations or friends who already possess these faculties to a greater or less
extent. Although to the majority of mankind such faculties will come only
gradually, yet we must remember that they will come with steadily increasing
rapidity, because the more widely they are known, and the more they are in the
air, the easier it will be for those to develop them in whom they are already
near the surface.
Let us think then of the time when the majority of the men
of advanced races will possess such endowments as these, and let us see what
difference that will make in their lives. Naturally the development of astral
sight will come first. To the advanced and trained clairvoyant the possession of
astral sight is a small matter, for he can reach higher than that, and has much
more extended powers at his command. But for the majority of people the
possession of even this faculty would change the whole face of life. I remember
once hearing Mrs. Besant speak on this subject; and she explained that there
were three great parallel roads, as it were, along which men would progress –
the paths of Power, Wisdom and Love. She said that if one examines these three
roads, one may easily see for oneself what difference will be made in each of
them when the higher faculties of man are developed. Under these three headings
she grouped the various activities through which the powers of man could be
manifested. Under the heading of love, for example, is grouped all that belongs
to the religious aspect of life – our devotion towards those above us, towards
the (Page 339) Great Ones, and towards the Deity, and
also, on the other hand, our love and sympathy and helpfulness towards those
around us or behind us in evolution. On the wisdom side of man’s evolution we
have his development along the lines of science, or philosophy, or art –
developments at present perhaps somewhat rudimentary, yet they will be built
into fuller and more perfect knowledge as time goes on. Under the power side of
the man’s development comes the whole question of government and of organization
in all its aspects.
In all these lines of progress we are only at the
beginning; and yet, though truly we have not advanced very far, it would seem as
though in all of them we are coming to dead walls beyond which it is difficult
for us to see our way. Even in science, whose triumphs have been so great, we
appear to be coming in many directions almost to the limit of what is possible
for us. Science commences with the study of the material, and naturally its
tendency is to be materialistic. Yet, it constantly finds itself transcending
the material; as Mr. Fullerton has well remarked, “Hardly have we entered upon
the examination of any phenomenon before we come to the borders of the unseen.
We attempt the study of the expansive forces of steam. Yet steam is a vapour,
visible only as it is chilled by the cooler atmosphere. We seek to discover what
electricity is, to learn its actual nature, whether it is a current or a
vibration. Yet in its one reality it eludes the keenest eye, and only can we
examine its effects as they display themselves in the field of manifestation.
Light, heat, gravitation, chemical affinity, what do we know of them in their
essence, how do we know of them at all except as they emerge from the hidden
world and produce some effect in the world of matter? Life itself we perceive
only in its activities; what it is , the invisible
(Page 340 ) force which sweeps over the world and
through all things, we cannot define; not until its consequences palpably
disclose themselves are we aware of its presence. And so with all the objects
perceptible to the senses. But a very little way do we go in our examination
before the senses are transcended, the border of the unseen is reached, and the
examination is closed in powerlessness.” (Proofs of Theosophy, p.2)
The Effect of Astral Development
Let us see then how the development of astral
consciousness would affect mankind upon these various sides of their evolution.
At present a large section of our people is still utterly uncertain as to
whether there exists anything beyond the material; and a much larger section has
no real belief in anything beyond the material, even though it may profess to
have it. This uncertainty and practical scepticism would necessarily at once
disappear if any large proportion of men possessed the faculties of the astral
plane. The whole question of the survival of man after death, with all that
depends upon it, would then no longer be arguable, for living men would see
constantly around them those whom we call the dead. There could no longer be any
scepticism as to the existence of the great Divine Power, for His action would
be clearly visible to men in many ways. No man who is clairvoyant, who possesses
a properly developed sight of the higher planes, can ever be an atheist. It is
not that he sees God Himself, for as your scriptures tell you, “No man hath seen
God at any time”; but he does see on all hands such direct evidence of a mighty
scheme, of tremendous power wielded by transcendent intelligence, that it is
impossible for him to doubt the existence of the directing Deity. Many of the
things about which (Page 341) men argue now will then
be matters of knowledge, though no doubt there will still be much room for
speculation with regard to other and higher matters.
The change will also be great with regard to what Mrs.
Besant calls the love side of the evolution of man. Our relation and our
obligation towards intelligences greater than ours, towards great teachers of
the past and of the present, will be unquestioned, because we shall see and
realize their power and influence. When we turn our thought in the other
direction and think of our influence upon those about us and upon those below
us, again we see what a vast difference must necessarily be made when there is
an abundance of activity and of intelligent help, when every man who has gained
this sight knows how to use it in dealing with his fellow-men, because he can
see what they think and what they feel, and therefore he is no longer working
blindly. A doctor will know what is the matter with his patient without having
to make experiments, and so he will be able to prescribe just what is necessary
for his recovery. Men will work intelligently for the helping of their fellows,
and so all their efforts will be far better directed than they can be now.
Think what it will do for us in the education of our
children when we have teachers who can see and understand. Now we inevitably
apply methods of education somewhat loosely, not fully comprehending how great
are the differences between the souls that come to us in these young bodies. But
then with the higher sight will come intelligence and discrimination, so that no
child shall be put into the wrong place, into a place that does no fit him; but
in each case those who are responsible for his instruction and his guidance will
see precisely for what he is fitted and will know exactly what he can do. The
schoolmaster of that future day (Page 342 ) will watch
the germs within his pupils as they unfold, and will work to repress the evil
and develop the good. We may see how much of advancement might in this way be
attained even in a single generation, if we think of all the people whom we
know, and how different they would be if all the undesirable qualities which
they possess were eliminated, and all the good ones enormously strengthened.
Such an ideal society as that could be brought into existence and could be
universally extended in two or three generations, if parents and teachers were
able to see and to act intelligently. Even now without the development of the
astral sight there is much that may be done, if parents and guardians and
teachers will only read and learn for themselves about these things.
On the wisdom side of man’s evolution this new sight would
make a wonderful change. As I have said, there are now many limitations for the
scientific man in almost every direction. He has improved and refined and
specialized his instruments to a wonderful pitch of perfection, and yet the
highest that he can reach falls short of so much that needs to know. He talks
about and he works with his atoms and his molecules, and yet no man living has
ever by means of any scientific instrument seen an atom or a molecule. These
things can be seen by the developed clairvoyant sight – I do not mean by
ordinary clairvoyance such as that which is frequently advertised in the
newspapers, but by definitely trained clairvoyance or rather by a special
application of that sight. This power of magnification has apparently always
been understood in the East – at least we find reference to the possession of
this power in some of the earlier Hindu books. By its means the various atoms
and molecules postulated by science may be seen to be not merely hypotheses but
facts. Here then is a grand (Page 343) possibility
lying before the chemist of the future. He will not merely theorize, but as he
mixes his various chemicals he will watch the combinations and the changes, and
will therefore understand far more clearly what he is doing. As we said before,
the doctor will then diagnose by direct vision, and not by mere inference from
external symptoms. Now in many cases he administers his drugs to counteract
these external symptoms merely, and he hopes that the results of some at least
of them may be satisfactory; then he will be able to see the effect of each drug
in various cases and can observe and test it fully.
Another department in which a great difference will
certainly be made is psychology. Now men argue much about the degree to which
consciousness is developed in animals, and how it works at different stages of
human evolution. Then there will be no need for them to argue about such
matters, because they will be able to see how the consciousness works, and it
will be within their power to identify themselves for the moment with the
consciousness of an animal, so that they may know what it is and how its strange
limitations act. The increase of our knowledge cannot but be wonderful, yet it
is certain that this must come, since it is directly in line with the
development which has already come to us and since the powers by which it will
be gained have already unfolded themselves to some of us. There are many among
us who have seen really highly developed men – those whom we call the Masters of
Wisdom; and we see that they possess all these qualities of which we speak. What
they are now, all of us will presently be; and consequently we are not guessing
or speculating when we speak of this remoter future, but we are describing the
inevitable advancement of the human race.
(Page
344) In the field of philosophy the plainest of
facts will replace many of the theories of the present day. No doubt our
metaphysicians will still continue to argue about matters far above any which
even that higher sight can see; but, at any rate, they will have a definite
basis, a foundation from which to start in their theories, and that cannot but
make considerable difference to them. Another side of our knowledge which will
be revolutionized will be the study of history, for one of the faculties
belonging to these higher planes is the power of looking back into the records
of the past. At present we must trust ourselves in the hands of the historian,
who may be ignorant or mistaken and is almost necessarily more or less partial.
Then we shall be able to look back at will upon these records of the Divine
memory, which show everything that has been done or spoken or thought all over
the world, so that instead of hearing only an imperfect account of one side of
the story we shall be able to live at will amongst the civilizations of hundreds
of thousands of years ago and see their action and working as clearly and
vividly as that which is passing around us. Psychometry shows us even now that
this is a possibility, and it is certain that this will be the way in which the
future history will be written, so that we shall know, instead of vaguely
guessing.
Our religious friends argue much about heaven and hell,
and are terribly afraid of the latter; indeed it would sometimes almost seem as
though they were afraid of the former as well, from the manner in which they
exert themselves to avoid going there. In the future no questions or disputes
about these conditions will be possible, because man will see for himself that
there is no hell, though he will also see that those who live an evil life are
by that fact storing up for themselves undesirable (Page
345) results and an unpleasant time in the astral life. The glories of the
heaven-world will also be open to his sight, and he will realize that man needs
only a development of faculty in order to place him at once, here and now, in
the midst of all the bliss that wondrous life can give. Thus also with many
points about which men argue in religion – about the verbal accuracy of the
gospel stories and of other parts of what is called sacred history; in those
days the facts will be obvious, and there will be no longer room for argument.
What a change will come over our conceptions of art and
music also! For the artist of that day there will be many more colours and many
more shades of colour than those of which we now know, for the knowledge of the
higher planes brings as one of its earliest results the power of appreciating
different hues. The music of that day will be accompanied by colour, just as the
colour studies will be accompanied by harmonious sound; for sound and colour are
two aspects of every ordered motion, so that a magnificent piece played upon the
organ will be accompanied by a splendid display of glowing colour, and thus
another interest will be added to the delight of glorious music, and an
additional advantage will in this way be enjoyed by the students of music and
art.
A great change too will come over the power side of man’s
development; the whole question of government and organization will stand upon a
different basis. Men will see then the effect upon the astral plane of many of
their actions upon the physical, and thus much that is now done thoughtlessly
will become an impossibility. There could be no possibility of the slaughter of
animals for food, for example, if men were able to see the results upon the
astral plane which that slaughter produces. The (Page 346)
crime which men call sport would be abolished if they were able to see what it
is that they are really doing. It needs so slight a development to change the
whole face of this which we call civilization, and to change it greatly for the
better.
The Faculty of the Mental Plane
Yet most of this of which I have spoken is only one stage
of the development, and the first stage. Most of this, and in many lines much
more than this, would follow from the unfolding of the merely astral sight in
man; yet above and beyond that there lies the mental plane. I tried to give some
faint idea of that when I spoke of the Heaven-world; yet I know well how far
short all physical words must fall in the attempt to describe the splendour of
the mental plane, so that now just as was the case two thousand years ago the
only satisfactory statement that can be made about that celestial world is that
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear hath heard, neither hath it entered into the heart
of man to conceive, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”
And remember, that means for all, because all men will love the divine as soon
as they know the divine. It is only because they are ignorant, because they
cannot see, that some are now working for what they mistakenly consider their
own separated interests, instead of following the line of the Divine will. They
have only to see and know, and they will follow it and intelligently co-operate
with it.
It must be remembered that in this distant future the life
of the mental plane will be part, and the principal part, of our daily life. At
present most of those who are able to enjoy the vision of the heaven-world can
reach it only when the physical body is in a condition of (Page
347) trance. That is not the only way in which this can be seen, but we are
so used to paying attention to the senses of the physical body and the
impressions received through them, that while these are pressing upon us we are
not free to listen to the whisperings from the higher worlds. But there comes to
every man in the course of his evolution a time when he possesses his astral
faculties along with the physical, and has them at his command all the while.
Thus whenever he meets a friend he sees his astral body as well as his physical;
and it is only a question of a further step in evolution to be able to see the
mind-body as well. When this power comes to the man the mental plane is open to
him, so that even while he walks the earth and takes part in his daily business
he is yet living in heaven in very truth, for its powers are his, its knowledge
is his, its bliss is his. That will be true for every one of us – not for all at
first, nor for all simultaneously, because all men will not be equal in their
development then, any more than they are now. There are younger souls and older
souls, and those who belong now to savage races may by that time have developed
to our present level; but we shall not have been standing still during the
intervening period, and so we shall then have reached a far higher level than
this. These things are today within the reach only of those who have especially
studied in order to develop these faculties, but by that time they will be in
the hands of the majority of the educated and cultured men of the advanced
races.
The few who hold these powers now are, as it were, eyes
for the rest of the race, and the use their powers only in the service of
their brothers, and never for private gain. The man who has evolved so far as
this knows that nothing can ever be a gain for one unless it is also in harmony
with the advancement of all. He knows (Page 348) that
there is no such thing as a private gain at another man’s cost. Consequently he
begins to see that the only true advantage is that gain which he shares with
all; that every advance that he makes in the way of spiritual progress or
development is something gained not for himself alone but for others. If he
gains knowledge and self-control he assuredly acquires much for himself, yet he
takes nothing away from any one else. He may hand on his knowledge to others,
and yet lose nothing; indeed the more of his knowledge he passes on in this way
the more he is likely to acquire himself. If a man keeps the channel of his mind
ever open and lets his knowledge flow through it for the benefit of others, then
the way is open for fresh knowledge constantly to pour in from above, just as a
stream of water flows through an open pipe, and it is always kept clean and
pure. But if the knowledge flows into the man and is not passed through, then
that man speedily becomes like the end of the pipe from which there is no
outlet, in which the water becomes stagnant and is liable to be choked up with
all manner of foulness and impurity. Of these true riches the more we give away
the more we have for ourselves; and to win them is the only really useful
acquirement of riches, if we can but understand it.
Still Higher Possibilities
So we see how development will proceed. The Theosophical
student knows that beyond and above even the mental plane there lies that still
higher realm which we call the buddhic, where the perfect unity of mankind is
seen. There a man may know, not by mere intellectual appreciation, but by
definite experience, the fact that humanity is a brotherhood because of the
spiritual unity which underlies it all. Here, though he is still himself
(Page 349) and his consciousness is his own, it has
widened out into such perfect sympathy with the consciousness of others that he
realizes that he is truly only part of a mighty whole. He sees how the evolution
of that whole is steadily progressing, and how he must work towards that end
without any thought of himself as a separate entity, since that is merely a
delusion belonging to these lower planes. When we realize this one thing, we
know also the splendid advancement that must come to man, for we see how it
leads upwards to that final goal when man himself shall be as God, for every
man’s consciousness shall widen out into that Divine consciousness and shall be
a centre of love and light and glory, the organizer and ruler and life-giver of
a system, the creator of evolutions yet to come.
That is the future that lies before us, yet even that is
not the final goal. It is the goal intended for us at the end of this stage in
our evolution; yet progress ends not with that. What lies beyond it in still
higher realms of Divinity we know not now, but we shall know some day. No words
can picture, no thought can reach it, yet that future is sure. The only thing
that is not sure is how long we shall be in gaining it; yet we are on the way to
it even now, and it is in the hands of the men of today to hasten our progress
towards it. For we are of this humanity that is progressing – only a small part
of it truly, yet not without power and not without responsibility; and if we
intelligently bear our part in the work of today we can do much towards
hastening the approach of this splendour which is so much greater than human
words can say. This at least we can do; each one of us can make himself a
centre, and try to do his best to spread the knowledge of the truth by his
thought and word and deed; he can hold himself steady and calm and serene,
(Page 350) he can keep the higher ideal before him, and
never allow himself to be swept off his feet by waves of passion or by thoughts
of selfishness. He can earnestly devote himself to the study of these higher
truths, so that he may fully understand how best to work for them. Let him try
do what we in this Theosophical Society are doing; let him try to advance and to
aid the world by putting these truths before men, thus helping to bring nearer
the time when all men shall understand one another, because they understand the
mighty system of which they form a part.
This glorious future of which we speak is not the mere
dream of a poet or ecstatic, it is a certainty beyond all doubt; it is a
certainty because this evolution is God’s will for man, and His kingdom shall
come, and His will shall be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
CHAPTER XIII
THEOSOPHY IN EVERY-DAY LIFE
(Page
351) In the course of this series of lectures we
have spoken of many different subjects from the Theosophical point of view, in
some cases explaining by means of Theosophy matters which otherwise seem wrapped
in obscurity, in others telling you how various matters of religious interest
appear when viewed through Theosophical glasses, with the added knowledge which
Theosophy gives us. Now we have to consider how this same Theosophical knowledge
affects us in every-day life. As you will have seen from the previous lectures,
Theosophy gives us a definite point of view from which to regard everything; it
is a clear and coherent theory of life, a system of philosophy through which we
may look forth upon all the different problems that come before us, with the
hope of being able to solve them, to understand what they mean, and what part
they bear in relation to our lives. It is manifest that in our studies of higher
subjects this will give us a great advantage; but how will it affect us in the
somewhat dreary round of every-day life? We find that it makes a great change;
in fact, the various ways in which Theosophy alters our attitude towards the
world, toward our fellow-men and towards our evolution are so many, the whole
subject is so large, and the difference which Theosophy makes to those who
imbibe its teachings is so fundamental, that I can give you only the leading
points of it in such a lecture as one can deliver in a single evening. If you
think carefully, however,
(Page 352) you will see that each of these
points opens up a line of thought, and each of these lines has many
ramifications.
The Sense of Proportion
The difficulty is to know where to begin and what to
include, but perhaps we may take as our first great point the wider and calmer
view which comes from this knowledge. The man who grasps the fundamental
principles of Theosophy begins to see everything in different proportions, and
necessarily learns to be much less personal in his view of affairs. Merely to
hold the Theosophical ideas in the vague way in which much of modern theological
faith is held would be of comparatively little use; but if a man really grasps
the teaching, if it is vivid and lifelike to him, it certainly means a great
alteration in his whole attitude. He will find that there is almost nothing
which appeared in his life before, his view of which has not been much changed
and greatly widened; in every way his basis of thought and of life has been made
different by the teaching of Theosophy.
The point of view of the average man is usually a limited
and personal one. I am not thinking of a definitely selfish man – one who is
unscrupulous in the pursuit of his own ends, and would push his personal
interest regardless of direct and obvious injury to others. That is an
unmistakably selfish man, and the ordinary man is less selfish than
self-centred. He sees everything primarily as it affects him, and he does not as
a rule naturally and instinctively look beyond himself to see how it affects the
community at large. If that idea occurs to him at all, it is only as a second
thought, and every problem presents itself to him first and foremost simply with
reference to himself. That attitude cannot but be changed for the student of
Theosophy; he realizes keenly (Page 353) the
brotherhood of humanity, he sees vividly that we are all spiritually one upon
higher planes, and that therefore even here in this physical world our true
interests must be fundamentally one and the same.
We have already seen in other lectures that the only true
gain for a man is that which he can share with all his brethren without thereby
losing anything for himself; and we have also considered how the radiation of
his thoughts and feelings affects those of his fellow-men. From this we may also
see that if a man succeeds in conquering an evil quality in himself, and
developing the opposite virtue, he necessarily helps those about him to tread
the same path. While he indulged in some wrong thought or feeling, the
vibrations which poured out from him were constantly acting as temptations to
other men, and making it harder for them to control similar feelings in
themselves. Now that he has gained the victory over that fault the vibrations
which pour forth from him are of an opposite tendency, and consequently they
help the man who is suffering under the same difficulty and strengthen him in
his efforts to obtain the mastery over it. So it is true, and not a mere
poetical figure of speech, to say that every victory which a man gains over
himself is an advantage for all his brothers as well. In raising himself he has
raised the whole – slightly of course, but not imperceptibly.
This sense of an underlying brotherhood, this feeling that
he is one of a community, never leaves him. And therefore before he embarks upon
any course of action he considers how it will affect others around him. He
realizes vividly that his habits, his thoughts, and his feelings are not so
exclusively his own business as most people think, because they affect others
for good or for evil, (Page
354) and thus he sees that there is a responsibility in
all this of which the ordinary man never thinks of at all. We shall see that
this imports a new factor into his life and makes it impossible for him to
consider it otherwise than seriously.
I do not mean that he will feel sad about life; on the
contrary he will be especially serene and calm and joyous. But along with his
serenity and happiness there will be no frivolity. He cannot but have the sense
that the life in which we are engaged is a serious business, that there are vast
possibilities in it which it is within our power to realize, and that it has
definite objects which we can have no right to neglect. Too often we find men
frittering away their lives and wondering what they shall do to while away the
time; whereas in reality we should rather ask ourselves how it will be possible
for us to find time enough to do all that is waiting to be done. For our duty is
never done while there is one person that we can reach who is unhelped, who is
not being assisted in his progress. All about us opportunities are waiting for
us in many different directions; and when a man once sees this, when he knows
what life really is, he cannot but take it seriously. He sees that none of his
time can be wasted with impunity, for all the while he is giving birth to
thought, and that thought not only reacts upon himself but is constantly
influencing others also. When he understands this he will be a far happier man
than when he devotes his whole life to the pursuit of amusement; because he will
see things in their proper proportion, and therefore he will be calm in the
midst of sorrow and trouble, just because of his wider point of view, just
because he realizes so thoroughly that everything is in the hands of an eternal
and beneficent Power.
Justice and Perspective
(Page
355) The personal point of view of the average man
brings with it as a necessary consequence a want of perspective with regard to
his personal difficulties and sorrows. A small trouble will often, because it is
so close to him, loom up so large as to obscure for him the entire horizon, so
that he is unable to see that the sunlight of the divine Love still floods the
world, even though a dark cloud may have settled over him. Because he is
suffering, everything else seems altered; all life takes on a gloomy look, and
he believes that he is the victim of some special misfortune, that he is
selected as the sport of evil influences; whereas in reality the trouble is but
a small matter, but it is so near to him that it seems in his eyes larger than
all else. Such an attitude is impossible for a man who has studied the
Theosophical system, and realizes himself as part of the whole. He knows that
under the unerring law of Divine justice if suffering comes to him, it comes
because it is necessary for his evolution in consequence of actions which he has
committed, of words which he has spoken, of thoughts to which he has given
harbour in previous days and in earlier lives; and so the whole idea of
injustice as connected with suffering is removed from him.
This feeling of injustice makes in many cases a large part
of the suffering for man. Many men instinctively compare themselves with others,
so that when any trouble or sorrow falls upon them they are inclined to grumble,
and say to themselves, “Why should all this fall upon me? There are my
neighbours whom I know to be no better than I, and yet they are flourishing;
they did not lose their friends or their fortunes, they do not suffer from
ill-health; they had not all the sorrows that (Page 356)
are crowding so fast upon me.” And so they feel that they are unjustly treated,
and they resent it, and that attitude colours all their habit of thought; they
become dissatisfied, discontented men, and instead of bearing their troubles
patiently, they are always in a state of irritation, growing embittered and
making the worst of it all instead of the best. All such feeling, all this which
is so sadly common in the world, is swept away by the Theosophical teaching; for
the student realizes that if his friends or his acquaintances are in better
circumstances than himself, then either it is because they have deserved so to
be, or else it is that their evolution at the present moment does not render it
necessary for them, or well for them, that the trouble and the sorrow which they
have stored up for themselves, should in immediate activity. So he takes his
troubles philosophically, he rates them at their true value, and resolves to
make out of these fruits of his evil doing in the past an opportunity for good
in the present, by bearing them nobly and uncomplainingly, and developing under
their action the virtues of determination, courage, and endurance.
A Dark Saying
There is yet another consideration which Theosophy puts
before us which helps to make sorrow easier to bear. You may remember a strange
text which tells us that “Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth.” It is difficult,
without a Theosophical explanation of it, either to accept or make any sense out
of such a text as that. Usually people try to explain it by attaching some vague
idea of advantage to suffering in itself; they say that it is a good thing for a
person that he should suffer, and that when God particularly loves any one He
consequently causes them to pass through great sorrows in (Page
357) order that they may more quickly develop high qualities. It is true
that such qualities as courage and endurance may be incidentally developed
through suffering, as we have already said; but it is not true that the Deity
exhibits caprice in this matter, and imposes this suffering upon one and not
upon another, as though by favouritism. No suffering can come upon any man
except that which is the result of his own action; and yet there is a truth
hidden behind that strange text, which I will try to explain.
Those who have studied the Oriental scriptures will
remember that in them this law of Cause and Effect is called by the name of
Karma. This Sanskrit word karma is a verbal noun, literally signifying “doing”;
but in the Oriental philosophy it bears three shades of meaning, important to be
understood by anyone who wishes to have a comprehensive grasp of Eastern
teachings. First, it sometimes means simply action; secondly, it means the
result of action, the reaction upon the doer which sooner or later invariably
and inevitably follows; thirdly, it means the law of nature under which this
reaction takes place – the law of Cause and Effect, or the readjustment of
equilibrium, which operates in the mental and moral worlds exactly as it does in
mechanics.
They tell us that karma is of three kinds.
First: There is the Samchita, or “piled up” karma –
the whole mass that still remains behind the man not yet worked out – the entire
unpaid balance of the debit and credit account.
Second: There is the Prarabdha, or “beginning” karma – the
amount apportioned to the man at the commencement of each life – his destiny, as
it were, for that life.
Third: There is the Kriyamana karma, that which we
(Page 358) are now by our actions in this present life
making for the future.
We shall find this Eastern division helpful to us in our
efforts to understand the subject. The first variety described is evidently the
result of all the man’s previous thoughts and actions, both good and evil, which
is hovering over him and waiting to come into operation. This is that
self-imposed destiny which makes his life and surroundings such as they are
according to his previous lives and actions. In one sense it may be regarded as
a debt which he has to pay; yet it is far too great a debt to be paid in any one
life, for in our earlier existences we are almost certain to have done on the
whole a greater proportion of harm than good; in the savage period of our
evolution we must necessarily have been ignorant and therefore our actions are
likely to have been selfish and violent, and they must have left as their result
much that is highly undesirable. It is because of this that the arrangement
indicated in the second type of Karma is a necessity. Because the debt is too
great to be paid at once, a certain proportion of it is allotted to the man in
each life – a reasonable proportion with a fair balance of good and ill, so that
he shall not be weighed down and crushed, but shall have the opportunity of
making his way through life, even though it be with a struggle, and thus rising
ever from the lower to the higher. We must never forget that the object of the
scheme is man’s evolution, and that consequently all the arrangements are
intended to favour that evolution. No man therefore ever received more trouble
than he can bear, although sometimes he may be tempted to think so; for if that
were really the case evolution would be working to defeat itself, which is
unthinkable.
The Balancing of Good and Evil
(Page 359) Since the man is
steadily paying off more and more of this debt that lies behind him, there comes
a time when the majority of the evil has already been worked out, when he has
come nearly to the balancing of the evil and the good results of his past
history. This point has not been reached by the majority of men; and yet there
are some who are nearer to it than we may think, even though the lives of men
are still far from being perfectly pure or noble or unselfish. This may perhaps
seem strange to many; but we must take into consideration a fact which happily
for us is prominent in our evolution – that, other things being equal, good is
always a greater force than evil, and comparatively a little energy on the side
of good often counterbalances a great deal turned into the lower levels of evil
and selfishness. The reason for that is simple when we understand the physics of
the higher planes. All that belongs to good, all that is high and pure and
noble, expresses itself through the higher and more rapid vibrations. Let us
take, for example, the astral body of man, which is the vehicle of his desires,
his passions, and his emotions. That astral body is a complex thing, for it is
built up of many different kinds of astral matter. If a man has within him only
high and unselfish desires and emotions, he will chiefly set into vibration the
more refined matter of that astral body; if on the contrary his desires,
emotions, and passions are coarse and selfish, almost the whole of them will
express themselves in the lower, denser, grosser parts of that astral vehicle.
Note the result which follows. Supposing the man had an
equal amount of good and evil desire, the good desire would be considerably more
powerful, because
(Page 360 ) it works in that finer matter where
vibrations are so much more rapid, where force is so much more penetrating and
enduring, because the matter through which it has to work its way is of a less
gross character. The ordinary man’s life contains a great deal which we cannot
approve, a great deal that is coarse and selfish. Yet I believe that it always
contains also something that is good, something that is noble, something that is
really high and true; and this, comparatively little though it be, is a force
working with such activity upon the higher planes that it fully counterbalances
the coarseness and the selfishness; and so out of such a life there comes, not
some retrogression, as one might expect, but a certain amount of progress. The
ordinary life of the ordinary man (who is in no way particularly spiritual, but
yet has his good points) is almost sure to bring him a little further forward at
its end that he was at its beginning; so that there is progress in almost every
life even for the man who is as yet comparatively undeveloped from the spiritual
point of view. It follows from this that the moment a man really begins to train
himself, and to have deep and strong spiritual thought, the good in his life
enormously preponderates over the evil, and he commences to make rapid progress.
The true understanding of this changes the aspect of life
for us all. We can no longer despair of the world or of evolution, when we
realize how that evolution is working. We see what a stupendous strength lies
behind it; how resistless is the law of God which is always moving onwards to
good; and not only do we arrive at that as a matter of deduction, but we see
that even now in this period when man is not yet highly developed as regards
spirituality, there is still a steady progress, even though it may be very slow.
We see how soon and (Page
361) how easily, when people begin to understand it,
this slow progress may be turned into a rapid forward movement, how soon
humanity may be swept onward by a resistless tide in the direction of high
spirituality, how soon it may be raised above even what we should now consider
advanced levels of thought. Seeing this, we shall also see that in order to take
part in this rapid progress it is necessary for us that we should work out as
soon as may be whatsoever of evil still remains as the result of our previous
actions. If we have still a debt to pay as the result of past evils, then the
sooner we pay off the debt the sooner shall we be free to make this rapid
progress, and to devote ourselves to helping other men.
The Explanation of the Text
Now perhaps we shall be able to understand the explanation
of that curious text. Suppose that a person is so far advanced that there if
left only a sufficient amount of evil karma for this life and for the next one,
it would obviously be the best thing that could happen to him that the rest of
that evil or suffering which would naturally belong to the next life should be
given to him now in this one, so that he might work through it and be ready to
start in that next life untrammelled by any evil surroundings or conditions.
Sometimes it happens that a man who is of spiritual thought, of clean and pure
and unselfish life, finds an extraordinary amount of suffering coming upon him,
out of proportion, apparently, to any deserts of his of which he knows anything,
and out of proportion to what seems to be falling upon his neighbours. When that
is so he may reasonably take comfort to himself from this thought, that because
he is (Page 362) living a better life than others,
because he is rising somewhat in advance of his fellows, the Lords of Karma have
thought him fit to bear more of that which lies behind him than they would
otherwise have apportioned to him. They may have originally given to him such an
amount of debt to be paid as the ordinary man could bear in a lifetime without
bending or breaking under the strain. They find him now to be more than the
ordinary man, to be a little stronger and wiser and better than they had
expected; so they say in effect, “Here is one who is on the eve of becoming a
magnificent channel for the divine strength; there is only a little more of his
debt outstanding; let him have an opportunity of paying that here and now, so
that in his next life he may have the enormous advantage of not being hindered
by any evil circumstances, so that he may then be put in the best condition to
use in the highest way all the power and strength for good which he is
developing in this life.”
That is the real meaning of the idea that “Whom the Lord
loveth, He chasteneth;” and it can come to pass only in a case where the man is
already somewhat developed, where he has made the definite choice of good rather
than of evil, and has set his affection on things above and not on things of
this world. When this truth is recognized, we see at once how small our troubles
become. We are glad to have them and to bear them, we take them and use them as
a lesson and an opportunity, because we understand why they have come; and if
there be more than usual of them, even that very fact is in our favour and not
against us. Here is one example of the advantage that we immediately begin to
gain from a real grasp of any subject from the Theosophical point of view.
The Destruction of Fear
(Page
363) Another most valuable result of Theosophical
study is the absence of fear. Many people are constantly in a condition of
anxiety or worry about something or other; lest they fear this or that should
happen to them, lest this or that combination may fail, or so all the while they
are in a condition of unrest. The majority of their fear is wholly unnecessary,
and most of the things feared never come to pass; but nevertheless the fact
remains that numbers of people are constantly giving themselves a great deal of
unnecessary suffering in this way. Most serious of all for many people is the
fear of death. I suppose that the majority of men hardly know how widespread
that fear is. A large number of people seem to have it always in their minds as
an ever-haunting dread – a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, ready to
fall upon them at any moment.
The whole of that feeling is swept away for the man who
understands the Theosophical teaching. When we realize the great truth of
reincarnation, when we know that we have often before laid aside physical
bodies, then we shall see that death is no more to us than sleep – that just as
sleep comes in between our days of work and gives us rest and refreshment, so
between these days of labour here on earth which we call lives, there comes the
long night of astral and heavenly life to give us rest and refreshment and to
help us on our way. To the Theosophist death is simply the laying aside for a
time of this robe of flesh. He knows that it is his duty to preserve that bodily
vesture as long as he can, to gain all the experience he can; but when the time
comes for him to lay it down, he will do so thankfully, because he knows that
the next stage will be a pleasanter one than (Page 364)
this. Thus he will have no fear of death, although he realizes that he must live
his life to the appointed end, because he is here for the purpose of progress,
and that progress is the one important thing. See what a difference that makes
in a man’s conception of life; the important thing is not to earn so much money,
not to obtain such and such a position; the one important thing, when we really
comprehend it, is to carry out the divine plan. For this we are here, and
everything else should give way to it. It needs only that we shall understand
the facts, and all fear at once ceases.
The Apotheosis of Common-sense
Pre-eminently and above all else, Theosophy is a doctrine
of common-sense. It puts before us, so far as we can know them, the facts about
God and man and the relations between them; and then it instructs us to take
these facts into account, and act in relation to them with ordinary reason and
common-sense. This is all that it asks from any man as regards life. It suggests
to him to regulate his life according to these laws of evolution which it has
taught him. That is all, yet it means a great deal; for it gives the man a
totally different standpoint, and a touchstone by which to try everything – his
own thoughts and feelings, and his own actions first of all, and then those
things which come before him in the world outside himself. Always he applies
this criterion, is the thing right or wrong? Does it help onward evolution or
does it hinder it? If a thought or a feeling arises within himself, he may see
at once by this test whether it is one that he ought to encourage. If it is for
the greatest good of the greatest number, then all is well; if it may hinder or
cause harm to any being in its progress, then it is evil and to be avoided. The
same (Page 365) reasoning holds good if he is called
upon to decide with regard to anything outside of himself. If from that point of
view the thing be a good thing, he can conscientiously support it, if not, then
it is not for him.
For the man who sees the truth in this way the question of
personal interest does not come into the case at all, and he thinks only of the
good of evolution as a whole. This gives the man a definite foothold, a clear
criterion, and removes from him the pain of indecision and hesitation. The Will
of God is man’s evolution; whatever therefore helps on that evolution must be
good, whatever stands in the way of it and delays it, that thing must be wrong,
even though it may have on its side all the weight of public opinion and of
immemorial tradition. It is true that all about us we see infringements of the
Divine Law taking place, yet we know that the law is far stronger than the petty
wills of those who ignorantly disobey it; we know that in working along with the
law we are working for the future, and that though at the passing moment our
efforts may not be appreciated the future will do us justice. Therefore we care
little for the judgement of those who do not yet understand, since our knowledge
of the governing laws enables us to work in the right direction.
Not only is all fear of death taken away by this doctrine,
but our view of life as a whole both on this side of the grave and on the other,
is changed and clarified and made reasonable. We realize that this earth-life is
only one small part of a greater life, and that although it is true that it has
its special importance because it is the seed time of which the after-life is
the harvest, still it is only a short time as compared to the life in the
heaven-world, and therefore its sorrows are but evanescent sorrows; at the worst
its struggles are soon over, (Page 366 ) whereas what
may be gained from it, though not eternal, is enormous in proportion to the time
spent in it.
Those who know the Theosophical teaching about death will
not be misled by that conventional phrase, “the earth-life.” I have explained in
The Other Side of Death that the dead are not far away beyond the stars, but are
here about us all the time; so that when we speak of the earth-life, it is only
a conventional term meaning the life in this physical body, because we are just
as much in the neighbourhood and in the atmosphere of the earth after death as
we were before. The only difference is that we are not tied down to it, not
bound to earth in our thoughts and feelings and aspirations. We have cast aside
the physical body, and therefore we can rise into higher and finer realms of
existence, and in that way we may be said to be symbolically further from earth,
even though as a matter of fact and as far as space is concerned we have made no
movement at all.
The ordinary orthodox view of life after death is not as
it stands a reasonable one; but in the Theosophical teaching we see a coherent
and graded ascent of man, first evolving through his physical body, then through
the astral, then through the mental, until he rises again into the ego or the
true self. The theory is at least a reasonable one, and implies that the same
great laws hold good above as below, and it is surely clearer than that which
give us a sudden change from the known world working under laws which to some
extent we comprehend, into another of which nothing is known and in which no
laws seem to operate such as those which here we know as the laws of nature. In
Theosophy we bring a grander gospel, we preach a holier creed than that; we hold
that nature is one magnificent whole, and that upon the higher and spiritual
planes as well as upon the lower (Page 367) and
physical, the will of God is always expressing itself in one undeviating law,
just and noble and helpful everywhere – after death just as much as before.
No Religious Worries
Another point which we gain for our Theosophical teachings
is that we have no longer any religious fears or worries or troubles. It may
perhaps be thought that those do not concern the majority of mankind; but if we
come to know anything of the inner life of the most devout and religious people,
we shall find that there is a great deal of sorrow and trouble concerned with
it. Many of our noblest and best people are constantly worrying themselves,
constantly morbidly introspective, constantly fearing whether at the last they
may not somehow be cast away; whether they may not fall short, in some way, they
scarcely understand how, of the demands which their faith makes upon them.
All that is swept aside when we realize that progress
towards the highest is the Divine Will for us; that we cannot escape from that
progress; that whatever comes in our way and whatever happens to us is meant to
help us along that line; that we ourselves are the only people that can delay
our advance. When we really know this, what a difference it makes in the aspect
of life! No longer do we trouble and fear about ourselves; we go on and do the
duty which comes nearest, in the best way that we can, confident that if we do
this, all will be well for us without our perpetually examining and worrying.
True, we are told in the wise Greek proverb: “Know thyself.” True, it is our
business to know ourselves, and to know our own weak points; but that also must
be done according to reason and according to common-sense, and, as we have said
before, we must not be like
(Page 368) those tiny children who, when they plant a
garden, are always pulling up their plants to see how much they are growing.
That is exactly what so many good people are always doing – they are always
pulling themselves up by the roots to see how they are getting on, instead of
being satisfied quietly to do their duty, and trying to help their fellows in
the race, knowing that the great Divine Power behind will press them onward
slowly and steadily and do for them all that can be done, so long as their faces
are set steadfastly in the right direction, so long as they do all that they
reasonably can.
Another question is as to the condition and fate of those
whom we love after they are gone from our sight. There has been much terrible
and unnecessary suffering because people worried about the condition of their
children, of their parents, of those whom they loved most, because they were
always uncertain exactly what was demanded, exactly what obscure conditions they
must fulfil in order to grasp this elusive salvation and make certain that they
had it. This salvation is thought by a large number of Christians to depend
entirely upon one’s believing or feeling that one is saved. It is a sort of
salvation by hysteria, as it were; a man is saved because he thinks himself
saved, because he feels himself so – a very strange idea.
The Certainty of Evolution
We in Theosophy are clear, either for ourselves or (what
is still more important) for those whom we love so dearly, of all this trouble
about being saved; we know that there is nothing to be saved from except
ignorance and error; that there is no wrath of God (impious phrase that it is)
from which we are to try to escape; that the world is not governed by some kind
of omnipotent demon (Page
369) who is always lying in wait to catch his
unfortunate creatures, to cast them into eternal suffering for disobeying laws
which they are practically incapable of obeying fully in their present
surroundings and stage of evolution. We realize that all that is a childish
fable, and that it is also a wicked and blasphemous fable; we know that on the
contrary, the world is governed by a grand and beneficent Power whose Will is
man’s evolution; who is sweeping him ever onward and upward along the course
that all must take sooner or later, and the sooner the better, for the Divine
Will is that man shall grow. What is our weak will that it should ever prevail
against That? We cannot but evolve; we cannot but grow better and better; the
only question is, shall we throw ourselves into this great Divine scheme and
work willingly with the Great Law which brings us here? If so, then not only
will progress be easy for us, but we may be of great help in assisting our
fellow creatures in their advance along this upward path;
in helping evolution instead of hindering it.
If, on the contrary, we set ourselves vainly and uselessly
to struggle against this Divine Will, we shall still be swept on, but at the
cost of much suffering, and instead of being helpful to those around us we shall
hinder those who are unfortunate enough to fall under our evil influence. The
wicked man, alike with the good man, must eventually pass from the human stage
of evolution to a stage to us at present inconceivable. It is only that he gives
himself much more trouble on the way; his will, which is set up against the
Divine, has to be broken down again and again, until he realizes that he must
take his part in the great work for man. So there is no question of salvation.
The only question is that the system should be explained to man, that he should
be induced to realize (Page
370) it, so that he may throw himself intelligently into
the scheme, and work with the great Divine Force instead of against it. It is
easy to see what an enormous difference that conception makes in life.
Many of the best people among us are perpetually overcome
with the feeling of the sorrow and suffering and misery of the world; they see
man fighting and warring in all directions against the good and the true; they
see so much evil; that they fear that nothing can be done with the world; they
almost despair of Divine Power; and out of that, perhaps has grown up the
terrible blasphemy that the Christ, the Saviour of mankind, can succeed in
saving only a mere handful, and is obliged to confess failure by allowing nine
hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand to be captured by his supposed
enemy! A curious and a most unworthy idea; but people do not realize it. Some
rather exult in the selfish thought that only a few are to be saved (so long, be
it understood, as they are of the few). The truth is ever grander far than any
man’s conception of it; and we may well say that the true Christ within us is
the Saviour of all; but it is of all, and not only of a few.
This is a scheme, not of occasional and partial salvation,
not even of “eternal hope,” as Canon Farrar put it, but of eternal certainty. We
know that all must, in the end, stand by the side of the Divine. There is no
escape from it, because that is His will. Now this removes at once from our
horizon all the uncertainty that surrounds religion. In Theosophy we do not hope
that we may be saved; we know that eternal advancement and gain will come to
all; that progress is a necessity and is the immutable law of the Universe; and
that if we do the best that we can under the circumstances in which we find
ourselves, we are in a small way helping on that eternal (Page
371) progress of humanity as a whole. And so all those of us who grasp the
thing thoroughly are infinitely happier and more contented than those who still
grope in that commonplace and truly irreligious condition of uncertainty. We see
our way clearly before us. We are fallible and human, like other men, and we
often fail to rise to that which we know; we often fall by the way; we often
make mistakes, just as other people do; but this advantage at least we have –
that we know what to do; we have the whole thing clear before us; and we do not
become the victims of despair because it happens to us as to others to fall away
sometimes.
Although a man, having set a goal before himself, may fall
a thousand times on the way towards it, yet it would not only be useless, it
would be unwise and wrong for him to despair, because each man must always go
forward from where he stands; it is no use trying to take someone else’s
position. If he falls, he picks himself up again; he goes on once more. No
matter how often he may fall, still he must get up and go on again, because this
road of progress has to be trodden. So it is no use sitting down and saying “I
can’t.” We shall have to do it one time or another, and the sooner we begin,
therefore, the better for us – not only because it will be easier for us now
than it will be if we leave the effort till later; but chiefly because, if we
make the effort now, if we succeed in making some progress, if we rise to some
higher level, then we are in a position to hold out a helping hand to those who
have not yet reached so high a step of the ladder as we have gained. In that way
we can take part in the great divine work of evolution – every one of us,
because every person has his own position and his own opportunities; no matter
how long his present status may be, there is someone still lower, someone to
whom he (Page 372) can hold out a helping hand, someone
to whom he can be useful. So it is that at whatever stage of evolution we may
be, we can always be of some use in the position in which we then are. Here we
have a whole mass of considerations showing us the great advantage that we gain
from this Theosophical view of life.
Again, a man has some thought which is constantly in his
mind, which is perpetually recurring to him. By the Theosophical teaching, he
realizes that he is building up all round him a thought-form which will
constantly react upon him, which will tend to set up vibrations similar to its
own in his mind-body, and so to recall itself to him again and again, to
intensify itself, to become such a habit to him that he will presently find it
almost impossible to throw it aside or to get rid of it. Knowing this, he sees
the immense importance of controlling his thought, so that he may always
surround himself with good and not with evil; with thought-forms that will help
on his upward path, and not hinder him or drag him back. And from all this it
comes also that nothing is unimportant to him. He learns that he must be
accurate and careful in small matters as well as in great; he sees that though
the man of the world may often throw aside the less important matters, as he
thinks – although such a man may say to himself, “This work is not well done,
but never mind, it will do; we must manage with it” – he realizes that the
occult student cannot afford to take that line; that whatever he does, he must
do thoroughly; as the Christians tell you, “as unto the Lord and not as unto
men.” And that is true, because he does it not that other people may see it; he
does it well in order that it may be well done; that the thing to which he has
set his hand may be a perfect piece of work, or as nearly perfect as he can make
it. He cannot afford to neglect (Page 373) the smaller
matters of life, but they also, as far as he does them all, must be well and
neatly done, and accurate and pure and true. So we see that the whole of his
life is moulded by his Theosophical knowledge.
Our Attitude Towards Humanity
Let us now turn to consider the attitude which he finds
himself compelled to adopt toward his fellow-men. He knows that all are truly
but one; that on a higher plane where space and time and form as we know them
down here do not exist, there is a real spiritual brotherhood. There is more
than a brotherhood, there is a unity; and since all are one on those higher
spiritual planes, all are truly brothers down here on this plane, however little
it may seem so, however little it may be recognized, where race wars against
race; where creed hates creed; where classes and castes are ever struggling, the
one against the other; where competition is rampant; where dishonesty so often
takes the place of fair dealing. Yet when he once realizes this spiritual unity
above, he knows that in this world also in real truth, the interest of one can
never be opposed to the interest of all; that no true gain can be made by one
man which is not made in the name of and for the sake of all humanity; that one
man’s progress must be a little lifting of the burden of all others; and that
one man’s advance in spiritual things means a slight, yet not imperceptible
advance to humanity as a whole; that every one who bears sorrow and suffering
nobly in his struggle towards the light is lifting a little of the heavy load of
the sorrow and the suffering of his brothers as well.
When he recognizes this brotherhood, not merely as a hope
cherished by despairing men, but as a fact following in scientific series from
all other facts; when he sees this (Page 374) as a
certainty, how different his attitude must be towards all those round about him
– an attitude ever of helpfulness, ever of the deepest sympathy; a realization
that nothing which clashes with their higher interest can ever be the right
thing for him to do, or can ever be good for him in any way. All this gives him
a higher and wider view; and to him the problems of life look far less
complicated, and far more hopeful and clear than they seem to the ordinary man.
Thus his attitude towards his fellows will be ever one of
the widest tolerance and charity. Tolerance, because his philosophy shows him
that it matters little what a man believes, so long as he is a good man and
true; charity, because his wider knowledge enables him to make allowance for
many things which the ordinary man does not understand. The standard of the
occult student as to right and wrong is always higher than that of the less
instructed man, yet he is far gentler than the latter in his feeling towards the
sinner, because he comprehends more of human nature. He realizes how the sin
appeared to the sinner at the moment of its commission, and so he makes more
allowances than the man who is ignorant of all this.
He goes further than tolerance, charity, sympathy; he
feels positive love towards mankind, and that leads him to adopt a position of
ever-watchful helpfulness. The child who deeply loves his mother is always
watching for an opportunity of doing some little thing for her – something that
he knows will please her or save her trouble. It is just that attitude of
watching for an opportunity to help which the occultist adopts towards his
fellows. He realizes that every contact with others is such an opportunity. When
a new friend comes into his life, when a child is born into his family, when a
servant (Page 375 ) becomes a member of his household,
he at once begins to consider what he can do for them, and how he can be a
useful influence in their lives.
Theosophy brings him so much additional knowledge, that
there is hardly any case in which it does not enable him to give advice or help.
Not that it would be wise to be perpetually thrusting his opinions upon people;
that is poor and tactless policy; indeed, it is one of the commonest mistakes
made by the uninstructed. If the ordinary man happens to have a definite
opinion, whether it be upon matters religious, political or social, or upon any
of the other subjects of common discussion, he is forever endeavouring to force
that opinion upon others and to make them think exactly as he does. The
Theosophist knows that all this is a foolish waste of energy, and therefore he
declines to argue. If anyone desires from him explanation or advice he is more
than willing to give it; yet he has no sort of wish to convert anyone else to
his own way of thinking. There are many cases in which he cannot with advantage
say anything, but his life at least shows the advantage of his creed, and is the
greatest of all testimonies to the truth of Theosophy ; because men say, “Here
is one who is calm and serene in all troubles; here is a man who is ever
helpful; who is always thinking, not of himself, but of others. What is the
faith, what is the belief that makes him take this line? Surely it must be well
worthy of our examination and of our consideration.” And so by the example of a
noble life we lead others to the same safe harbour of peace which we ourselves
have gained.
Even those whom he meets only casually are not overlooked.
As I mentioned in a previous lecture, even in riding in a railway carriage or an
omnibus, the opportunity to do some good may arise. He may see a man (Page
376) worried or in sorrow, and may send him helpful encouraging thought, and
watch him brighten up under its influence. The result is not always immediately
apparent, yet the friendly thought has done its work, and we should never forget
that that work may be greater than the sender knows. The unfortunate stranger
may have been upon the brink of despair, and just that encouraging thought may
have saved him from insanity or suicide.
Think what a difference it would make to us if we all
regarded life from that point of view – if we went through it looking for
opportunities of doing good – asking, not “What can I gain? But, “What can I
do?” Such an existence is far more interesting, infinitely fuller and wider than
that of the unfortunate who is all the while wrapped up in narrow ideas of
personal gain or loss, circumscribed by the limited horizon of his own petty
troubles and sorrows.
Thought-Control
Yet another point. The occultist, in his relation to his
fellow-men, bears in mind constantly that quest of thought-control of which I
spoke. He knows that every thought to which he gives birth ends not with
himself, but affects many others as well. He realizes that the vibrations which
he sends forth from his mental body are reproducing themselves in the mental
bodies of others all about him; that he is a source either of mental health or
of mental ill to all with whom he comes in contact. Consider the condition of a
man who is a source of evil thought. Take a simple case; suppose it is merely a
man who is a source of low and sensual thought. That man knows that under
ordinary conditions he must not allow these low and animal thoughts of his to
find vent in words; he must not show to his friends or the community (Page
377) his inner feeling in action, but often he does not realize that even
his thought is a plague-spot; that he is going through the world as a centre of
moral contagion. It is exactly the same thing, and exactly the same crime as it
would be for one of us, who caught some infectious disease, to continue to go
about among his fellow-men, with the disease hidden, scattering the seeds of
pestilence on all sides. We know that that is a crime; we know that our laws
would certainly deal stringently with such a case as that if they could get hold
of it. It is a worse crime still for a man to go about scattering moral poison
and moral infection, because that is more insidious, more devastating and more
difficult to eradicate than any physical disease could be.
Most especially is this a fact to be borne in mind by
anyone who has in any way to do with children. Whether he be a parent, a
teacher, or a guardian, if his fate brings him into the presence of a child, it
is then his business, most emphatically, to set a watch not only over his words
and his deeds, but over his thoughts as well. It would be a bad man, as we
should all admit, that would give way to angry words or angry deeds before a
child. The presence of the child would be a restraining factor. But what we do
not realize is that our thoughts before the children have just as great a power;
that the child-bodies are plastic and can easily be bent and moulded. A gymnast,
for example, can take a little child and can train him to do all sorts of things
with his plastic young limbs, which you or I could not now train ourselves into
doing, no matter how long we might try. Just as that child’s physical body is
plastic and easily moulded, so is his astral body – his passions, feelings, and
emotions; so is his mental body – the whole realm of his thought. Whenever
through any grown-up person there passes a wave of (Page
378) anger or a sensual emotion, assuredly that acts at once upon the
plastic astral bodies of any children who are so unfortunate as to be in his
neighbourhood; it excites in them a synchronous vibration, a predisposition to
the anger or the sensuality, or whatever it may be. It may not be able
immediately to call it forth in them, but it sets the vibration going in their
astral vehicles, so that the next time any active cause approaches them, that
vibration can more easily be aroused in them again.
In the same way, the person whose thoughts are ambitious
or selfish or worldly is also a source of evil influence; and if there be
children near, be sure that their plastic mental bodies are impressed by it;
that they are drinking it all in as a sponge draws up water; and though they are
too young directly to reproduce it now, the seed sown will bear fruit in due
season. Fortunately that is equally true of good thoughts. The person who
surrounds his children with a constant halo of love and of affection will
develop the love and affection in the children. The person whose thoughts are
noble and unselfish and who takes care that no selfish or unworthy thought shall
ever come near his child is at least doing his best to raise high and holy and
noble thoughts in that child’s mind, so soon as ever it is capable of vibrating
in response to them.
It is a terrible sight to anyone who has the clairvoyant
vision to see all these beautiful white child-souls and child-auras, and then a
few years afterwards to see how they have been soiled and smirched and darkened
by the selfish, impure and unholy thoughts of the adults around them. It is only
the clairvoyant who knows how enormously and how rapidly child-characters would
improve if only adult characters were better.
There again is a subject of vast importance; one (Page
379 ) upon which I have written elsewhere – that of our relation to
children; our duties towards them, and the way in which we are acting upon them
whether we will or not; but that is not part of our present subject. Still, we
see there again what a fundamental difference the Theosophical teaching makes to
a man; how he realizes his responsibilities, and how careful, therefore, he must
become as to even his innermost thoughts and feelings, not only for his own
sake, but for that of his fellow-men also.
In every relation of life this idea of helpfulness comes
in. For example, we have around us a vast animal kingdom brought often into
close relation with us. Why is it brought into that relation? Only to offer us
an opportunity of doing something for it; for remember that these animals also
are our brothers, although they are younger brothers; it is the same Divine Life
which animates them, although it is a later wave, a less developed outpouring;
still they are our brothers, and we owe a fraternal duty to them also – so to
think and act that our relation with them shall always be for their good and not
for their harm.
There is no reason why the horse and other creatures
should not work for man, because in that working their intelligence and devotion
are evoked; always provided that there be no cruelty, no overworking, nothing
that can hinder the evolution of the animal, but only that which can help it.
The work may be done, and well done, but the animal must always be kindly
treated; he must always be encouraged to develop his intelligence and his
feeling of love and devotion toward his master.
In so many cases man has misused his relation to the
animal kingdom; he has ruled it by fear not by love, he has tortured many of the
creatures which serve him, he has trained them into bad habits in order to
pander to (Page 380) his own evil passions and his
lust for cruelty. He has taken a noble animal like the dog and degraded him
below the level of the wolf from which he was evolved; he has taught him to
hunt, not for the sake of food, but for the pure lust of killing, which no wild
animal ever does; and thus he has created in him an instinct of destruction
which it will take many ages and much suffering to eradicate. Never should we
develop in any animal the evil qualities of fear, of ferocity, or of hatred, but
always intelligence, devotion and love. In all cases and with all forms of life
our business is to help, and to try to bring nearer the golden age when all
shall understand one another and all shall co-operate in the glorious work that
is to come.
Finally, we must regard everything from the higher
standpoint and not from the lower; whenever we find a struggle going on within
us – that “law of the members warring against the law of the mind,” as St. Paul
puts it, we should remember that we ourselves are the higher, and that this,
which is the lower, is not the real self, but merely an uncontrolled part of one
of its vehicles. We must identify ourselves never with the lower, but always
with the higher; we must stand on its side, realizing that the soul is the true
man, instead of taking the upside down attitude which is shown in our common
expression when we speak of “my soul” as though this body were I, and the soul
something belonging to it. Far more true is the Hindu form of speech, “My body
is tired; my body is hungry.” However strange it sounds to us, that form of
words represents the truth, and ours is entirely wrong. It shows how far the
general sense of the time has departed from the true knowledge, when we speak of
the soul as an appanage of the body, instead of realizing that the body is only
a partial expression of the soul;
(Page 381) an instrument which is to be governed by
the soul and kept in order by it, and not allowed, like an unruly horse, to run
away from its master.
These are some of the ways in which we find that our
belief affects our every-day life; this is something of what we gain from
Theosophy. We learn that this grand law of evolution, which is an expression of
the Divine Will and Life and Being, is yet something in which we ourselves can
take our humble part; that there is not one of us but can be a channel for its
power; not one of us but can help in the great work that lies before us. And so
we learn to be ever on the watch for opportunities to help; ever ready to render
it in the most unexpected directions and to the most unlikely people; because we
realize that to help on this magnificent scheme of evolution is to be a
fellow-worker with God, a co-operator with the purpose of the Logos; and this we
hold to be the highest honour and the greatest privilege that can ever fall to
the lot of man.
CHAPTER XIV
THE GOSPEL OF WISDOM
(Page
383) The word gospel is usually associated with one
particular form of faith only, with one particular story of never-failing
interest; so you may perhaps think its use in Theosophical teaching somewhat
strange. I think if you will remember the real meaning of the word you will
realize that it should not be so monopolised, for after all the gospel is only
the “good spell,” or the good news. Theosophy also has its good news to bring
you; not the good news of salvation, indeed, but the still greater good news
that there is nothing to be “saved” from except your own error and ignorance,
that there is no Divine wrath from which you must escape, but that the whole
world is moving on in one mighty and glorious order towards an end greater than
the mind of man can conceive. This is not a poetic dream, not a mere flight of
the imagination, but a certainty which can be seen and known, which can be
examined scientifically by those who will take the trouble to prepare themselves
for such an investigation. That is one piece of the good news or the gospel
which Theosophy has to bring you.
The translation of our name Theosophy is Divine Wisdom,
and in the truest sense this divine wisdom has its gospel to bring to you and to
everyone. Those of us who have been studying this wonderful philosophy for many
years know how truly it has been a gospel to us, for it has changed the whole of
our lives, it has taught us how to live and how to die, it has taught us to
understand what is the vast scheme of which humanity forms (Page
384) only a small part. The whole world is changed for us because of that
knowledge and that wider comprehension. That there is sin, sorrow and suffering
in the world we all know well; it seems so sordid, so piteous, so universal,
that many of those whose hearts are filled with love and pity and desire to
serve feel despair rising within them when they look round and see the condition
of the world as it is today. If we had no key to the meaning of it all it would
indeed seem that matters are hopeless and that there is nothing to be done, but
when once we have the key we begin to understand, and the whole thing takes a
different aspect. The great Masters of Wisdom and Compassion who so much desire
to serve this orphan humanity, give us a veritable gospel, the good news from on
high; for they say to us “Rise above all this, look upon it as a whole, and then
you will understand it; do not look up from beneath at the underside of life,
but rise above it to the higher planes of thought and consciousness and look
down and understand; and then indeed you will see that there is good news, good
news for all. Have you ever seen the great rapids of Niagara? Imagine the
condition of some tiny insect swept down amidst the straws and fragments in that
seething torrent! Think how it boils and foams and surges round, and think how
that tiny insect would regard it all. To him that world of strife and stress
would naturally seem all that there was and all that there could be, and as the
water dashed backwards and forwards among the rocks he would sometimes feel
himself being irresistibly carried up out of his natural course, against the
downward current. Yet, if you stand on the banks of that magnificent gorge, and
look down on that marvellous maelstrom of water below, you will see that all the
time a majestic current is carrying the whole mass in one direction, and that
although there may be (Page 385) whirlpools where part
of the water seems to be running backwards for the time, in reality the
whirlpools and the straws and the insect are all being swept steadily onwards
all the while by that tremendous torrent. Just like that is the view of the
strife and sorrow and the trouble of this world which opens before the view of
the man who raises his consciousness to a higher plane. He sees what seems
to you to be evil, and notes how it is apparently pressing upwards against the
great current of progress; and yet he sees that the onward sweep of the Divine
law of evolution through the world is like that all-prevailing torrent, and
that, in comparison to that, all these little backward currents of strife and
stress are like the tiny whirlpool on the surface of the vast river, and that
even though they seem to be flowing backwards, they are really being swept
forwards all the time. But to see that we need the higher sight, we need to
stand above the whirlpool of the lower world, we must get beyond the ignorance
of that mind which is never steady. These things need the wisdom which comes
from the Divine, and that is why it is the Divine Wisdom of Theosophy which
brings us the good news that all is well; not only that all will be well in some
far-distant future, but that even now at this moment in the midst of all the
strife, the omnipotent current is flowing still, and so all is well because all
is moving on in perfect order and with perfect certainty.
The sin and the sorrow and the suffering exist; I am not
suggesting that these things are an illusion, though I know that that theory has
been held by many. True, if we look down from the plane of the spirit we shall
see how small all of this is in comparison with the greater life; yet on the
physical plane it is true, and while it lasts it is suffering and it is sorrow;
and the man who (Page 386) sees most clearly what is
the great truth that lies behind all this, is also the man whose sympathy is the
strongest, whose understanding of his weaker brother is the clearest and the
fullest, the most pitying and the most forgiving. Indeed, as a French writer has
said: “Tout comprendre, c’est tout pardoner” – to understand all is to pardon
all. The man who understands is the one who sympathizes the most fully; he
realizes what a sublime gospel this wisdom has brought to him, and what it will
bring to these poor sufferers also when they can rise to its comprehension.
There is no department of our life in which this good news does not aid us, no
moment of our existence at which it does not teach us something. We ourselves
may mould our own lives when we understand the laws under which we are living.
Even if it were for our own advantage alone, it would be necessary for us that
we should grasp this law; but when once we see the transcendent scheme of the
Logos, when once the reality and the truth of it all is borne in upon our
vision, we forget ourselves and our petty interests, our sorrows and our
sufferings. We rise above all thought of ourselves altogether, for we see the
great, glorious, all-pervading, all-comprehending, all-satisfying and sustaining
life, and it fascinates us with the Divinity and the power of it all. When once
we have seen that, we think no more of ourselves for ever, for our thought has
risen to a higher level, and all our strength is poured out in the service of
our fellow-men.
We must see for ourselves, we must have the Divine Wisdom
of Theosophy within us, that gospel must enter into our hearts; and then indeed
we shall become preachers of that gospel, whether we will or not. For when we
ourselves know this thing, even though we may never speak one word to other men,
yet our very lives will show (Page 387) forth the
gospel in which we believe, for the joy and the glory of it all will shine
through us, and our life will be perfect happiness to ourselves, and a centre of
sunlight and blessing to others.
Remember that we have lived before, and that in those past
lives there was much that was evil as well as (we hope) much that was good.
Because in that past we set causes in motion we must in the present bear their
results, for cause and effect are only the positive and negative poles – two
sides of the same thing, and therefore part of one another. The effect not only
follows from the cause; it is in truth a part of the cause itself, and so if
sorrow or suffering comes to us, we know that this is a destiny which we
ourselves have made. See what difference this makes in our attitude toward it.
We still suffer, but yet we know that this is a debt which we must pay, and
therefore we resolve to clear off that account and to make no more such
mistakes. We know that our lives are in our own hands, that we are no more
slaves to circumstances, but free men, happy and joyous in the certainty of the
Divine scheme. The sorrows of others affect us still, but yet along with our
deep sympathy for them we feel within ourselves the joy and the power that come
from the knowledge that we can help, that we are no longer crushed in the
presence of these great problems of life. When we see our fellow-men we have
something new to say to them, we can explain matters to them now, we can clear
up their difficulties, we can share our own gospel of wisdom with them. For
them, as for us, knowledge will remove difficulties, and will show them that
every pain that comes to us is not only the payment of a long-past debt, but is
also a great opportunity for us now. Out of the evil of long ago we may make a
present good, because we can take these (Page 388)
trials and troubles and sufferings and by the way in which we receive them we
may make them steppingstones to the higher life, and in bearing them we may
develop many of the qualities that go to make up the divine man of the future –
a future still far distant, but yet within our sight the moment we begin to
understand.
Let me repeat that when we speak of this great scheme we
are not trusting to blind faith of any sort, nor are we calling upon you to
accept anything as a matter of faith either. We are only stating to you the
results of enquiry, which many of us know to be true through personal
investigation. You may think: - “How can any man know what the Divine scheme is,
how can any man enter into the counsels of God and know what He wills?” True,
between that stupendous Divine life and any consciousness of ours there is a
distance that cannot be measured, yet we ourselves are sparks of that same
Divine flame. Far, far away, incalculably below that mighty Intelligence is the
highest intelligence of ours, and yet on every step of the ladder between us and
Him stand men – men like ourselves, though so enormously higher than we – up to
the great Masters, and on beyond even Them, impossible as it may seem to our
finite minds. These stand at every stage of the way, so that we see that those
who are now at the very feet of God were once men such as we, and that we who
are now looking up from below, from the foot of the glorious staircase, shall
also one day stand where these stand. These things we see, and to see them needs
no great study and no abnormal development. Much of what we tell you in
Theosophy is based upon what is seen with higher faculties than those of the
physical body, and thus for you it depends upon the investigation of a few
trained men who have developed within themselves that higher (Page
389) sight; but this mightiest of all truths, the glorious certainty of
universal evolution, scarcely needs the abundance of testimony which
clairvoyance hastens to lay upon its shrine. Truly those who have the power to
see on higher planes will at once agree with this statement that I have made,
that they can discern this mighty stream in motion – not that they can see Him,
the God who steals behind it all, but that at every point of their
investigations they recognize the signs in all directions of His action and His
power so that the conviction is driven into their minds that the Force exists,
and that a mighty Intelligence is indeed at the back of all manifestation.
The evidence of the trained investigators is overwhelming
as to this supreme certainty, this gospel of the Wisdom. But truly, we scarcely
need even that testimony. For even from the physical plane one may see the
different stages of man; one may see that there are teachers, there are
developed men who rise towards the great Initiates, and beyond them the Christ
and the Buddhas, and then still higher and higher yet, beyond our ken. Even
those who have not yet the clairvoyant faculty will see that there must rise,
that there does rise beyond all this, a hierarchy of still more developed
beings. We know that there is an evolution, for we see it step by step as it
rises through the lower kingdoms up to man, and we can see that the man we know,
the man of common every-day life, cannot be the end of that evolution. We know
from history that there have been greater and obviously far more developed men;
and it is not only in the past, but today also, that they exist. Shall they in
turn be the end? No, there are higher and greater Ones still; and so by simple
reasoning we see that this wonderful ladder of which I spoke must exist. For
those who can see a little further, the testimony is overwhelming (Page
390) that the higher links of this great chain exist, for They can be seen
and known and loved.
So we put before our fellow-men without hesitation this
glorious gospel, showing them and assuring them of what it has done for us, and
hoping that for them, as for us, this grand philosophy may prove a way of
salvation, not from some imaginary demon outside of them, but from the ignorance
within. For that is the only obstacle that comes to man, the limit with which he
has surrounded himself; but that is a terrible shell, and until he breaks his
way through it, until he begins to understand, truly he suffers much. Yet the
thickness of that shell is of the man’s own making, and as soon as he knows
that, he sets himself intelligently to break it away and to prevent the building
of any more walls round the self. He has the whole thing in his own hands, under
his own control. There is the grandest of futures stretching before him, an
evolution of incalculable magnitude, whose glory has no end, which extends far
beyond the sight of even the highest clairvoyant. Truly that is good news
indeed, that is a veritable gospel – not a mere interpretation of something
which may bear some other meaning, not a mere supposition, but a perfect divine
certainty, something which will bear examination, which you may take up and
investigate for yourselves. The further you look into Theosophy the more sure
you will become that this statement is true, that we are in reality part of this
vast ordered scheme.
There are many ways in which this good news affects us,
many other directions upon which I cannot touch now, in which our lives are
revolutionized by understanding these things: vast indeed is the change which
Theosophy brings into the life of the man who grasps it and lives it. Remember,
I do not say that such a (Page
391 ) change comes to a man because he joins the
Society, or because he reads two or three Theosophical books; but I do say that
the man who, understanding this great teaching, tries to live the life which it
prescribes, will find that what I have written is true. It is just as sure now
as it was in days of old that they who do the will of the Father that is in
heaven, they shall know of the doctrine whether it be true. It still is true
that the man who would know the truth must live the life. It is not merely by
looking upon Theosophy from the outside that its gospel may be known; the man
must obey that gospel, and then it will become a part of him, then it will shed
its glory upon him, and upon those about him. Then he will realize that it is
his duty to be happy, and he will not be carried away by any trouble or sorrow
that may come to him, because he knows that his feet stand firm.
Much Theosophical work may thus be done unconsciously,
besides our active outer work, and it will increase as our power and our
knowledge increase. We are filled with joy and peace because of our study and
our reading, and unconsciously we spread around us these vibrations of joy, of
happiness and confidence are hungering to understand the life of which they find
themselves a part. You may help them, you who know; you may share with them your
gospel of wisdom; and be well assured that as you share it, it will become far
more to you than ever it was before. Realize the thing for yourself first, for
that is a necessity, but remember that only as you pass it on to others can it
bear its true and highest fruit. If you know these things, you know them not for
your own sake, but for the sake of these others about you. That is why the
higher light has come to you, and if you have found within yourself the power to
respond to it and assimilate it, then this has come to (Page
392 ) you in order that you may be of use – not that you may treasure up the
light for yourself, but that through you as centres the sunlight may shine out
over all this wide world – so that you yourselves may be suns in a minor way,
reflecting the glory of the great Divine Sun. Thus by your reflection you may
bring the light of life from Him to play on your own level in a way that without
you it could not have done. You know how a mirror may reflect the sunlight into
a dark corner where the direct rays cannot enter; just so there are many men who
by their own ignorance and their own selfishness have shut themselves out for
the time being from the power to appreciate the splendid light from on high.
There is the glorious sunlight always pouring itself down, but yet a man may
shut himself up in his own house away from that holy radiance; but you who
receive it, you who live in it, you may reflect it into corners which the direct
rays cannot reach, and so you may bring that glory and that joy into homes that
without your help must have remained unwarmed and unilluminated.
There is truly a gospel in all this, teaching us never to
forget that though the outer side of life may seem dull and heavy, there is
always the Divine fire glowing within; to remember that “the soul of things is
sweet, the heart of being is celestial rest; stronger than woe is Will; that
which is good doth pass to better, best.” So this celestial bliss, that lies
beyond the sorrow and the suffering, shall become for you the ever-present
reality, until you learn to look through the misery and see its cause – and not
only to see the cause, but (far beyond that) the exhaustion of that evil through
this temporary suffering, and the glory that is to come, the magnificent
qualities which all this is developing in the man. So this gospel will become a
living reality to you. So, although you (Page 393)
sympathize ever more and more deeply, you will find that you have within you the
power to help, to comfort and to save, because you know, because you have this
gospel in your hearts, and so you can communicate its light to others. So you
will say to them once more, in the words of the greatest Indian teachers: “Do
not complain, and cry and pray, but open your eyes and see; the light is all
about you, if you will only remove the bandage from your eyes and look; it is
always with you, so wonderful, so glorious, so far beyond anything that man has
ever dreamt of or prayed for, and it is forever and forever.”
INDEX
A
313-Agitation, the evil of
126-Alchemy, the possibility
of
055-Ancient Mysteries
379-Animal kingdom, the
360-Antidote of despair
375-Argument, the futility of
119-Arnold, Sir Edwin, poem by
340-Astral development, effect
of-
306-Astral, disturbance of
the-
141-Astral, the world of-
231-Astrology
233-Atlantis, the example of
234-Atlantis, the example of
127-Atom,, the ultimate
013-Attitude of Theosophy
towards religion
115-Attitude of Theosophy
towards religion
373-Attitude towards humanity,
our
294-Average irresponsible
vacuity
301-Awakening, the
B-
359-Balancing good and evil
133-Ball, Sir Robert, quote
137-Baraduc, experiments of
Dr.
015-Basic Principles of
Theosophy
353-Brotherhood of Man, the
373-Brotherhood of Man, the
071-Buddha, the life of
113-Buddha's teaching on the
Ego
077-Buddhism
098-Buddhism in Burma
331-Buddhism, the two great
churches of
093-Buddhist monks
099-Buddhist monks
C
133-Calcium vapours in the sun
312-Calmness and serenity
314-Calmness and serenity
030-Cause and effect, the law
of
368-Certainty of evolution,
the
371-Certainty of evolution,
the
291-Character, how to build
212-Charms
377-Children, our relation to
035-Christianity, secret
teaching in
043-Christianity, secret
teaching in
049-Christianity, secret
teaching in
233-Clairvoyance
237-Clairvoyance
239-Clairvoyance, misuse of
364-Common-sense, the
apotheosis of
307-Conceit and prejudice
376-Control of thought
296-Conversion
315-Courage and determination
364-Criterion, an invariable
D
047-Deification
048-Deification
360-Despair,the antidote of
363-Destruction of fear, the
301-Devotion, development by
082-Dhammachakkappavattana
Sutta
119-Dhammapada, the
297-Discrimination
264-Disease caused by
corpse-eating
388-Divine scheme, the
301-Duty of happiness
315-Duty of happiness
E
340-Effect of astral
development
113-Ego, the Buddha’s teaching
on the
073-Egyptian initiations
089-EightfoldPath, the Noble
195-Elemental essence
039-Eternal life
313-Evil of agitation
310-Evil, how to conquer
368-Evolution, certainty of
371-Evolution, certainty of
234-Example of Atlantis
333-Example of Atlantis
137-Experiments of Dr. Baraduc
152-Experiments of Reichenbach
F
047-Faith, a definition of
183-False conception of God
369-Fate of the wicked
363-Fear, the destruction of
223-Fearlessness a protection
103-Five precepts, the
311-Foolishness of taking
offence,the
195-Forces of Nature
unrecognized
200-Forces of Nature
unrecognized
205-Forces, type of
088-Four noble truths
375-Futility of argument
234-Future of humanity
325-Future of humanity
334-Future of humanity
337-Future of humanity
349-Future of humanity
390-Future of humanity
G
347-Gain, the only true
353-Gain, the only true
373-Gain, the only true
132-Gamut of vibrations
216-Gods, tribal
359-Good and evil, the
balancing of
052-Gospel of Theosophy
383-Gospel of Wisdom
249-Gossip, the wickedness of
317-Greatest need of all
H
301-Happiness, the duty of
315-Happiness, the duty of
142-Heaven-life, the
280-Higher bodies, effect of
food upon
131-Higher bodies- senses,
the
207-Holy water
291-How to build character
310-How to conquer evil
172-How we think
234-Humanity, the future of
325-Humanity, the future of
334-Humanity, the future of
337-Humanity, the future of
390-Humanity, the future of
373-Humanity, our attitude
towards
I
253-Inharmonious vibrations
146-Interpenetration
322-Introspection, morbid
216-Invocation, evil
306-Irritability
J
031-Judgement day, Christ's
account of the
355-Justice and perspective
K
086-Kalama Sutta
361-Karma, the hastening of
357-Karma, three kinds of-
037-Kingdom of heaven
042-Kingdom of heaven
069-Kundalini
L
339-Limits of science
010-List of subjects of
lectures
M
193-Magic
217-Magic, black
201-Magic, evocatory
213-Magic, invocatory
206-Magic, in religion
218-Magic, minor
202-Magicians, types of
163-Magnetic sympathy
108-Mahamangala Sutta
283-Man's duty towards nature
212-Mantrams
125-Matter, the states of
232-Mediumship
346-Mental plane, faculty of
the
165-Mesmeric phenomena
151-Mesmerism, rationale
of
233-Mesmerism, rationale of
235-Mesmerism, rationale of
058-Methods of the monks
178-Mind-cure
185-Mind-cure
233-Mind-cure
235-Mind-cure
304-Motive for self-control
097-Muhammadan prayers
069-Mysteries, symbols
employed in the
055-Mysteries, the ancient
072-Mysteries, the Egyptian
061-Mysteries, the greater
064-Mysteries, the lesser
063-Myth of Narcissus
062-Myth of Prosperine
N
063-Narcissus, myth of
197-Nature-spirits
159-Nerve-ether, the
158-Nervous circulation,the
094-Nirvana
089-Noble Eightfold Path
O
216-Obeah ceremonies
255-Occultism, a definition of
311-Offence, foolishness of
taking
360-Ordinary life, progress in
an
228-Oriental training
377-Our relation to children
P
231-Palmistry
103-Pancha Sila, the
029-Perfection, the
possibility of
165-Phenomena, mesmeric
231-Phenology
105-Pirit ceremony, the
070-Platonic Solids
070-Playthings of Bacchus
266-Poisons in dead fish
182-Power of thought, the
240-Power of thought, the
246-Power of thought, the
372-Power of thought, the
214-Prayer
307-Prejudice and conceit
360-Progress in an ordinary
life
352-Proportion, the sense of
063-Prosperpine, the myth of
227-Psychic powers, the use
and abuse of
240-Psychic power, unconscious
233-Psychometry
299-Puritanism
071-Pythagorean school, the
R
151-Rationale of
mesmerism
364-Reasonableness of
Theosophy
152-Reichenbach, experiments
of
020-Reincarnation
023-Reincarnation, explains
inequalities
021-Reincarnation, testimony
of Christ to
211-Relics, the philosophy of
326-Religion,the present
condition of
019-Religion, why it changes
367-Religious worry destroyed
223-Resistance to evil
S
217-Sacrifice of blood
030-"Salvation", so called
038-"Salvation", so called
090-Sangha, the
330-Samskrit library, the
opening of the
388-Scheme, the divine
339-Science, the limits of
035-Secret teachings of
Christianity
043-Secret teachings of
Christianity
049-Secret teachings of
Christianity
304-Self-control, the motive
for
304-Self-examination
352-Sense of proportion
250-Sensitiveness
157-Sensitiveness, the nature
of
312-Serenity and calmness
314-Serenity and calmness
354-Seriousness of life, the
319-Singlemindedness
284-Slaughter,the atmosphere
of
275-Slaughter,the sin of
276- Slaughtermen ,the
degradation of
327-Social conditions
230-Spirit-guides
125-States of matter
010-Subjects of lectures, list
of
385-Suffering of the world
133-Sun, calcium vapours in
the
163-Sympathy, magnetic
T
135-Tables of vibrations
210-Talismans
169-Telepathy
175-Telepathy
233-Telepathy
021-Testimony of Christ to
Reincarnation
013-Theosophic attitude
towards religion
115-Theosophic attitude
towards religion
117-Theosophical
standpoint,the
014-Theosophy, a barrier
against materialism
015-Theosophy, basic
principles of
351-Theosophy, in every day
life
052-Theosophy, the gospel of
364-Theosophy, reasonableness
of
328-Theosophy, the work of
330-Theosophy, the work of
331-Theosophy, the work of
376-Thought-control
244-Thought forms
182-Thought,the power of
240-Thought, the power of
246-Thought, the power of
372-Thought, the power of
171-Thought, the process of
243-Thought, responsibility of
102-Tisarana, the
216-Tribal gods
050-Trinity, the dogma of the
U
127-Ultimate atom, the
240-Unconscious psychic powers
195-Unrecognized forces of
nature
200-Unrecognized forces of
nature
123-Unseen world, the
317-Unselfishness
227-Use and abuse of psychic
powers
V
294-Vacuity painfully common
255-Vegetarianism and
Occultism
256-Vegetarianism, reasons for
259-Vegetarianism, reasons for
264-Vegetarianism, reasons for
267-Vegetarianism, reasons for
268-Vegetarianism, reasons for
272-Vegetarianism, reasons for
274-Vegetarianism, reasons for
279-Vegetarianism, reasons for
132-Vibrations, the gamut of
253-Vibrations, inharmonious
135-Vibrations, table of
159-Vital fluid, the
216-Voodoo ceremonies
W
019-Why religion changes
369-Wicked, fate of the
383-Wisdom, the gospel of
328-Work of Theosophy, the
330-Work of Theosophy, the
331-Work of Theosophy, the
385-World, the suffering of
the
123-World, the unseen
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