Jump to content

1924_05_11 YOUNG AND OLD


Ani
 Share

Recommended Posts

Note 2p

 

YOUNG AND OLD

 

30th lecture given by the Master to the Youth Occult Class

11th May, 1924, SofiaA secret prayer

The God of Love is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.A summary on the topic: “The best method of self-restraint” was read.

 

A few works on the topic: “The least Love we can apply in our everyday life” were read.What is the difference between the theoretical study of an idea and its implementation? Under theory we understand studying matters in their condensed form without understanding them, while under application or practice we mean studying matters in their rarefied form. If you study the water of the ocean, it is theory. If you try just a drop of this water with your tongue, it is practice – dilution of the water. Similarly, ideas have their theory and practice.

 

Now I would like to say a few words about our forthcoming convention. An idea is being formed among you, young people. This idea is as follows: There is going to be a convention for young people, which should be attended exclusively by young people. There is no idea whatsoever in this, because a young person does not represent any idea. This is a process in Nature – today you are young and tomorrow you will be old. What idea can possibly be seen in this? You say, “I am young.” Well how long will you be young?” When you come to the age of 33, you will be middle-aged and from then on you will start descending. Another will say, “I am old.” What does being old suggest? Let us interpret the word young – youth is a symbol or in geometry a figure showing the opportunities for a young person. This symbol stands for movement upward, to the left, to the right, or downward. The important thing in this case is when the movement is directed to the left or to the right. You might get the notion that we should always go right and never left. Such an idea does not refer to the material world; it is not a material idea. If you look upon it as a material idea, I would object to this: You are going somewhere until you reach a crossroads – the way to the left goes to Plovdiv and the way to the right is the way to Sofia. You want to go to Plovdiv; how will you take the right way? Therefore, while you are on Earth you have to take both directions. Right and left are directions, which should not be mistaken for the principle. There are left-wing and right-wing movements, which should not be mixed up with the left and right directions.

 

Well, let us give now a clearer definition of young: At point C we have a seed which is planted in the soil; it starts growing up, shooting roots to the left and to the right and going round the whole circle. It is a true pilgrim working downwards. The young person is just like that – he grows up, sending up shoots and leaves, but without giving blossoms and fruit. He grows up to the age of 33, expanding to the left and right and saying, “Do you know who I am? I have put forth branches and leaves!” What are you? – You have thick green leaves. He speaks only of his branches and leaves. While the old person has reached the limits of his growth. When his branches grow beyond these limits they start bending down. When you look at the young person, he is smooth, while the old one is indented, i.e. he has blossoms and fruit. Do you know why this indentation is formed? – Because of the fruit. Therefore, young and old are two phases of one and the same life. These are the two semi-spheres of the sphere, each one having its quarters.

 

So, when saying young, you should have a basic idea. You should not look upon this matter lightly. The young person should have one basic idea in Life, after which to aspire. What is your basic idea? Why are some of you smiling? You look at something, then you smile faintly, and look down on the ground. Some of you look down and then look up. Have you ever asked yourselves why people smile? I will explain it to you. When Sarah was told she was going to have a son, she was ninety years old. She did not believe it, hid behind the door and smiled. When they told her that she had smiled she denied it because she got scared. Why did she smile? (- Because she doubted it). These are very specific psychological moments. When a lot of energy is accumulated in certain areas of the brain, laughter is triggered. Sometimes the smile occurs involuntarily, against our will. There are cases when it is voluntary. There are several kinds of smiles, engendered by a certain kind of energy, which has to be released and find its outward expression.

 

Back to the question. What is your basic idea in this particular case?

 

We can indicate the unity with a point in geometry. When we transfer the mathematical unity in a geometrical form we have the point. Then, the potentialities of the point are the formation of a line, which we mark with the number 2. The movement of the point gives a straight line. We mark the triangle with the number 3 and the square with 4. So, we have the first movement of the unity – a movement in a given direction. When one is born, his initial desire is to grow up in a straight line – this is the movement of the point, which determines one’s height. Then the potentialities of his mind, heart and will are determined, which forms the triangle. Finally, the rectangle is formed. The triangle shows the direction of one’s Reasonable life.

 

We already know the movements of the point, the line and the plane. What, however, is the movement of the square, i.e. of the number 4? What is its direction? – It is in the fourth dimension. All lines of force move in opposite directions to one another. The movement in the fourth dimension is a movement towards the inside. Up to the third dimension all movements are directed outward, because they expand. When a body reaches its limits of expansion, it starts a process of bending inward, at which point all forces are directed to the centre, from where they initially started. When a tree reaches its final point of growth, it starts giving fruit. The ripening of fruit belongs to the fourth dimension. Then all the lines of force are directed towards the seed from where they started – it means that the object becomes smaller.

 

Now you are to try this law out on yourselves. Most young people lose heart. You will keep losing heart if you do not understand the law. At first when you are planted, you are expansive enough to grow up to a certain age, you expand, you form strange views, you think that you are capable of achieving anything, but when you reach your limit, a reverse process of emptying starts. Actually, this is not exactly emptying, but rather bending inward – towards the core of Life, where the best fruit should be formed in order to give your Life a different course. If you fail to comprehend this basic idea, this process of bending inward, you will face disappointment, uncertainty and lack of focus in Life. Sometimes you will think that nobody loves you, that everybody is suspicious of you and loads of nonsense can enter your head. Why should people hate you? Every person is busy thinking about oneself. Everyone has his own hardships and sorrows. You pass by and you think that someone does not want to hear of you, or has something against you. The question is thoroughly different. Everyone is busy with his own unfulfilled intentions, diseases, hardships and sufferings. However, each of us will go through such stages, only you should know that some of your thoughts will come true perhaps in thousands of years. Some of your wishes might happen today or tomorrow but for others it will take thousands of years to come true. You have a thought and you say, “I want it to happen right now.” No, you should bear in mind that such a thought cannot be fulfilled today. Therefore, it is up to you to determine which of your ideas should be fulfilled in this present life and which will remain for your future life.

 

Then again, each of you tends to give advice. Very often you say, “You shouldn’t do this!” However, you do not tell the person what he should do. Sometimes you say, “You have to be very generous!” Well you should give a criterion for being generous – to what extent should one be such? If I give you five, ten, or a hundred levs, it is not an act of generosity. It might be out of shame, necessity or other circumstances, but it does not mean this is exactly generosity. The reason I gave this money is not generosity. Then how can we recognise generosity? Some other time you will say, “We need self-control.” What does self-control mean? Can you name at least one characteristic feature of self-restraint you wrote about in your assignments? If I leave you at sea, will you be able to demonstrate self-control? Or if I leave you standing on a plate and heat it, will you show self-restraint? A man of self-restraint is one who controls all his powers so that he does not suffer any consequences. One who is capable of self-restraint is isolated – he cannot catch any disease, poverty cannot strike him, no doubt can nudge at his mind, neither loss of faith nor anger can perturb him. If anger worms its way into you, and you preserve composure and believe that you control yourself, that is far from self-control. You should remember that presence of mind, or self-restraint, is a power that helps the individual remain screened off from all external influences. All you foes will remain outside and you will deal with them the way you choose. They will not have the say in this case.

 

It is of vital importance to you to comprehend the law of similarity, of semblance if you want to be capable of working. Two people come together but they are unable to cooperate. Why? – There are two controversial ideas, so they argue. Then you, young people, will find yourselves in the following ridiculous situation: When people started building a public bath in a small town they started quarrelling over whether it should be built of timber or of stone. Finally, they decided on timber, but they did not specify whether the planks should be planed or not. They had been quarrelling for eight years, the matter stayed unsettled and the bath unfinished. Eventually, an architect came to solve the problem. How? – His idea was to lay alternating planks – one planed down and the one next to it coarse. This is how they laid the floor of the public bath. Then he told the people, “Those who are in favour of the planed boards should step on them, those who are for the rough ones can choose to step there.” This was a very wise decision for both sides. Planed boards are very dangerous. Although they have their advantages, they can cause inconvenience. Just as rough boards can, on the one hand, be of some advantage, but on the other hand, they have some drawbacks.

 

You should all turn to music to study how tones harmonise. Each of you has a tone typical of you. The characteristic tone for some of you is C, for others D, E, etc. If your basic tone is C, which tones will be in harmony with it?

 

A student: There are three groups of tones that can be in harmony: At the beginning C, E, and G, in the middle A, C and E, and at the end F, A, and C.

 

Therefore, if you are A, you need to find a person whose basic tone is E, so that you can make a good match. If you want another compatible friend, you should search for someone with G. These are the tones in the first octave, then there is a second, third, up to an eighth one. The present structure of your brain suggests musical development. We should first see to which octave you belong. Let us say that you fall into the first octave – it means that you stay closer to the material world. So the changes will not be too abrupt.

 

What is your method of choosing a friend? Which are your criteria? Are any of you able to tell me how you use your former knowledge when choosing a friend? Which are the attributes by which you judge? What brings you close to each other? (- We do not choose each other by features). How do you get close? (-By intuition, by common ideas, or by complementing each other).) You need to study the tones so that when choosing a friend, you can place yourselves in a passive state and free you mind from all interfering thoughts disturbing your balance. Take the tone C or D and see what you will feel, because all tones in Nature are alive. In higher worlds you will not find music written on paper. Each tone is alive there, just as a book is alive. Each note there gives off a tone without being pressed by the fingers of a musician. The note sounds by itself, then another and another, etc. The tones there are as intelligent as are our greatest musicians here. What’s more, each note knows perfectly well when to sound its tone. This is similar to the phonograph – the moment you turn it on, the record starts playing. Each tone is connected with the accumulation of certain forces.

 

Usually two people with the same type of energy cannot stand each other. For example, when a person has curly hair at the forehead, it shows that he has a lot of positive energy at the back of the brain. If another person has the same hair, these two will not stand each other. They will not be able to stay in one and the same place – they will cancel each other out. Generally, you are attracted by a person having the energy you need. Therefore, the energy from the back of the head is in balance with the energy from the front part of the head. The front part is more magnetic, while the back is more dynamic, or electric. When you are deeply offended you will feel a kind of heating at the back of the head. When you experience a gentle feeling, you will feel a slight expansion at the front – in the centre of your imagination and meanwhile at the pit of you stomach you will feel comfort. So the pit of the stomach is connected with the front part of the head. People with long faces (not bulb-like) are of a more dynamic nature. Round faces have more negative magnetic energies; they are active but more aerial – they are agile, but this agility is not on the Earth – it does not do any harm. While people with bulb-like, pear-like faces possess more nervous, intellectual energy.

 

Examine first your hair – it is one of the conditions necessary to improve your character. If your hair tends to become coarse and wiry, it is indicative of the dominance of the dynamic forces. If your hair grows thick, it shows that your energies apart from being dynamic have grown coarser. Generally, all people who are not capable of self-control have thick hair. It is not a great disaster if your hair becomes thick, but you will notice the negative consequences in the organism – this dynamic energy will cause you great sufferings. It would be good if you thought for half an hour about some lofty, noble people, in this way you would understand whether the person is really great. Try to perceive his positive features – the best part of him. You tend to grasp great people’s negative features more easily. I have come across people who while reading Shakespeare, are looking for some eccentric features of his personality, for some shortcomings, and then they say, “I have shortcomings, too!” Do not focus on people’s negative features. You should all have a positive outlook on Life. What is negative comes unwarranted. It is essential for you to find the positive.

 

Let us say that you have a friend whom you cannot stand. When he comes to you, show some restraint and do not say that you cannot tolerate him. Tell yourselves that you can bear his presence – that is self-restraint. There is a law in Nature that what you cannot do willingly and readily will be imposed on you. Nature first gives you the absolute freedom of action and if you break the laws, it starts constraining you. You will say, “Well, if I were an officer and someone hit me, shouldn’t I draw my sword to show him that I am not an animal, but a human being?” Well, what if you were a general or a colonel, captured as a prisoner of war, beaten by enemy soldiers, would you draw your sword then? Everybody will say, “You have to show dignity.” Very well, how will you show dignity? – In two ways. The first way is to knock him down with such a blow that he will lose consciousness. The second way is to pull him by the legs and lift him from the ground holding him like a candle, look at him in the eyes and say, “Do you think I am a coward?” If you held him in the air for about ten minutes, wouldn’t he change his opinion of you and would he ever dare treat you like this again? No, if he happens to meet you again, he will nod and say, “I know you, sir.” What is better – to beat him or raise him in the air? (- To lift him in the air). Let us interpret this idea. To lift him in the air, suggests influencing the person through your thought – he should acknowledge that you are right and that you are guided in your life by a great principle. If you do not draw your sword, it is not because you are afraid, indecisive or weak but because you are guided by a great principle, to which Existence as a whole conforms. He should know that you observe this principle. If he becomes aware of all this, he will follow suit. This method should be applied among you – each of you should influence others by living according to the principle and not be guided by personal views or considerations. We have studied this law and you know that you will be faced with many difficulties if you opt for that method. I know that it is difficult, but it is not impossible to transform the surplus energy. If you succeed in transforming it, you will make use of it while working. If you work in accordance with the principle, you will be able to accomplish anything you initiate. But if you choose to work in accordance with some personal considerations while you are still young, your work will be typical of young people. Your work will correspondingly look like the work done by old people if you choose to work like old people. However, if though young, you are determined to follow the principle, guided by one basic idea, you will be successful in everything.

 

What should your idea be? – This morning I spoke about two important things for you: Love should be the soil and basis for such opportunities. Your will should work on this Love so that the opportunities of Love can be used. When you enter Love, do everything it bids you – do not philosophise, do not choose. What would you do if you entered Love? If you live in Love there will no longer be any controversy. There are no sick or disabled people in Love – you are at the healthiest and best possible conditions. You join Creatures with whom you can get on along. You might encounter a person who is not learned, but do not dismiss him as ignorant – he might not have graduated from university, but living in Love, he is wise enough. A person who does not live in Love can be knowledgeable, but all that knowledge is a heavy burden. People who live in Love live in agreement. For example, for two people in Love it is not important who should play – one will start playing while the other is listening. “Wonderful”, he will say. Then they will take turns. If there is not Love between them, they will argue over who should play first.

 

It is important that you keep an open mind. You should avoid being petty-minded. If at a point you become jealous of someone, you should try to transform that feeling. Do the following thing: Choose a committee with a chairperson, councillors, a treasurer and members. After the election some of you will be of a different opinion and say, “The chairman wasn’t rightfully elected. We should have chosen another.” They will comment on the treasurer that he is a dishonest person. To avoid this discontent and envy, you should do the following: you are eighty people, so you can organise a new election each week to try many options. When the week is over the old board will be changed by a new one. You can do this if there happen to be serious quarrels, but if you all agree on the elected board, you can have new elections monthly or yearly - a year being the most. In my opinion the best system is to be a chairman for one day only – it works perfectly, because it boosts the spirit of independence and initiatives.

 

So you should all work towards a common end. All discrepancies and differences should disappear for the sake of this common goal. You cannot be identical as Nature has given you different tempers, minds and aspirations – every human being is unique, which is great. There is a law in Nature – in the course of Existence you are given the opportunity to become whatever you wish; in eternity you can gain and lose everything. You understand what I mean by “Gaining everything”, but I am sure you do not understand what “losing everything” means. Don’t you think that it would be nice to lose all your sins? The word “loss” is ambiguous. You will say, “I don’t want to lose everything!” But it will be great happiness to lose all sins. What is there to gain? – All virtues. One never gains in sins. Can anybody say that he has gained one hundred thousand sins? In such a case you should use the word “burdened”, because sins are not committed as a result of free will. It can be a folly, an ignorance, etc. Many factors are involved when man loses. People say, “He is burdened with many debts.” While when one acquires virtues, he gains.

 

You should all learn to think and speak correctly. When I am speaking about music you should study it in order to be able to harmonise. Music introduces balance in the forces acting within you. I do not recommend music as a career, but you should be able to sing to yourselves. When you get up in the morning, sing a song to lift your spirits for the whole day. Sing it quietly to yourselves without anybody hearing it – that is music. When you master this skill and if you happen to have some surplus energy, you can give an outward expression of your emotions. At first, your musical feeling should be kept to yourselves, but when you gain some experience, you can show it to the others. But now when I listen to you I have the impression that your throats are like old people’s. I see you as prematurely aged. You have begun to behave and think like the elderly do and you say, “We are having a hard time.” Be wary of the delusion to think that sufferings are evil – sufferings are the greatest advantage in this world. Remember this: sufferings bring in benefits. Whenever you face a suffering, smile and rejoice inwardly. This is something you can check yourselves – each suffering is a benediction. Do not age prematurely. When the suffering comes along, it means that God has remembered you. However, you cannot accept His consideration and you experience some inner struggle. When Love comes to you, you doubt it. God tells you, “Hug and kiss this old woman” – and you say, “No, I can’t. She is disgusting.” You have second thoughts and here sufferings come. – “Hug this mucky little child” – and you sulk. – “Do this!” – you step back and the sufferings come. The Spirit tells you, “Read this book” – but you lose heart and say, “No, it’s not for me” and you step back again. So, you are in a constant state of controversy because you opt for the easier things. No, you should scrub the floor, read the book, kiss the old woman, do everything the Spirit bids you.

 

Now you will face another controversy – you will say, “What will happen to us if we do all these things?” Well, the world has been doing just the opposite. What has happened to it so far?” The right and reasonable methods in Life should be applied. Divine thoughts are distinguished by the following quality: when you enact a Divine thought, not a single creature in this world will judge you. But I would like to ask you if you have ever done a Divine deed. Believe me, the day when you fulfil a Divine thought the way I understand it, everything will smile at you – the trees, the beasts, the smallest beetles, the people – and they will say, “How nice!” Someone will say, “Let the Spirit tell me what I have to do. I am ready to do anything.” But this is just in the sphere of ideas. You should apply Good in practice to see the results. It is great happiness for one to be dawned by a Divine idea and to make it happen. If one fulfils at least one Divine idea, I think that he will have acquired the greatest wealth – each Divine idea is a jewel of immeasurable worth.

 

So, above all, you should be cheerful and merry and never dejected. An old person can be in low spirits, but it is a sin and disgrace for a young man. Sometimes the elderly are merrier than the young are. The first and most important thing is to be in high spirits so that the conflicts among you should not hinder you. If you happen to fall out, here is what you should do: hold your hands and tell one another, “Thank you for the nice words.” And the other should respond, “Thank you, too, for telling me the truth.” What is it you are doing now? At first, an acquaintance of yours praises you, “I am very pleased with you.” This, however, is not true – shortly he tells you, “You are so selfish! You are such and such.” You feel hurt. Why? Is there any of you generous enough to offer his bed to a friend who has come to visit you? There might be some of you but certainly few. Is there any of you with an income of a thousand levs who has offered half of it to a friend? If any of you has ever done such a thing, it is an exception. What you all have in common is that everyone lives for himself. That is not spiritual. If you thought of the others as much as you think of yourselves, you would be people of ideas. This should be your common idea that should guide you in the future. This should happen out of free will, through an inner principle and not come as imposed from outside. If a friend gives you something you should ask him, “Are you giving this out of Love or because of some other idea? If you do this for Love, I don’t want you to mention it later.” If you lend him some money, and then send somebody to ask him when he will pay it back, you’d better not give him anything. You should give and forget about it as if you have not given anything – let him remember you for the favour you have done.

 

Now you want to have a convention, but there should be a principle in this. You ask who should attend the convention. It is strange that you should attend the convention of your elder brothers and sisters but when it comes to your convention, you do not want them. You will grow old, so you should welcome them to yours and vice versa – as the elderly will become young they should join you. In this way there will be people on both sides. How can you decide who should attend the convention and who shouldn’t. You will say, “Anybody who is not older than 45 can join the convention.” No, it is wrong. The world outside might think this way, but you are not expected to have such an attitude. You should be led by the principle in your reasoning. Anyone who should join you has to be a man of ideas, ready for a sacrifice. If he is not ready to sacrifice anything, he will leave the place. The person who comes should be ready to sacrifice anything – this is one of the conditions. He should be a man of living ideas, of practice, ready to self-sacrifice, one who has applied the law of Love and avoids to’ing and fro’ing of judgement.

 

You can differ in appearance but you should be united round a common principle: Love should be the basis and your will the dynamic force to make things happen.

 

Now I would like to ask you whether you got the message. That is not moralising, this is the good method of action to make you free. You will gather at the convention to speak and discuss, which is excellent, but you should also start implementing ideas. Last year you spoke about a magazine and it came out. The elderly spoke about a newspaper and it also came out. Very well, “the grain of wheat” [The word is about the magazine A Grain of Wheat published between 1924 and 1944considered to be the official publication of the White Brotherhood] has already been planted, but it has to grow. My wish is for this grain of wheat to give rich fruit. This has to be made. There should be a spirit of ideas and cohesion among you! This idea should be conveyed to the youth in the country, otherwise you will be set apart. There is just one way to apply ideas: what is said should be done! You will say and do beyond time and space – nothing more! This is what will distinguish you. If you follow this principle, nobody will judge you. All young people have to be brave and determined in the small matters.

 

A secret prayer

 

The God of Love is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...