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from The Blossoming of the Human Soul GRAIN OF WHEAT “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” John 12:24 The grain of wheat is a symbol of the human soul. It represents a great story in the development of Nature. If you could open Nature’s book on the grain of wheat and trace its history, you would completely understand the history of the human soul. As the grain of wheat falls into the soil and “dies,” as it sprouts up, grows and bears seed, the same is also true of the human soul. Probably the grain of wheat is something very simple and of no value to you, its weight is only a sixteenth of a thousandth part of a kilogram. How much would it cost, if a kilogram of wheat costs one grosh[1]? However, the grain of wheat contains a power, a potential, and a spirit of selflessness by which it nourishes both itself and others. But when you sit down at the table to eat, you do not think at all about the grain of wheat; you do not consider what joy and what thoughts it imparts to you. You do not know its origin either. People do not value it; hens do not value it; no one values the grain of wheat. But it represents a great mystery in the world. Now, what lies hidden in it? The grain of wheat is a symbol of Life. If we take the Bulgarian letter “ж” (zh), which is the first letter of the word “wheat” in Bulgarian[2], it fully corresponds to the grain of wheat, with two legs or roots below and two small branches above. When we sow it, it shows us the direction in which we have to strive. The grain of wheat tells us that we need to strive for the One Whom we have come from, God, and that in order to strive for God, we need to branch out, blossom, and bear food for the world. That is why Christ says, “Help and sacrifice yourselves for your fellowmen as I do.”[3]And at another place, “I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven.”4 What is bread made of? It is made mostly of wheat. People of today say that their life is miserable. All are discontent, including kings and princes. From the highest to the lowest ones, all have some want, but when it is given to them, they are still discontent. Ask them why: it is because they seek more and more. Let us go back to the story of the grain of wheat. What would you say if you were in its place, sown in the ground? You would say, “It is the end; I am decaying; my life is over!” There is more faith in the grain of wheat than in us. Buried in the ground, it begins to decay, becoming soft, but as soon as the first rays of the Sun appear, it immediately understands their language and says to itself, “I am not going to die, I will rise again and bear fruit for others.” It begins to generate inner energy and to strive toward the Sun. It bears fruit and ripens. Then people come to it; they use a sickle to cut it down. Its suffering does not end here; after reaping it, people bind it in sheaves, prick it with pitchforks and throw it into carts, so that they bring it to the threshing floor and settle it in piles as big as mountains. Then they trample it with horses and threshing-boards. What if you were in its place? Human life passes through the same process. You ask, “Why should we pass through all this process?” You should draw a lesson from this example of the grain of wheat. After the threshing-board and the horses’ hooves have threshed it, people put it into the barn. Again, its suffering does not end there; the grains are sifted; the bad ones fall below and the good ones that remain are put into sacks and taken to the mill, where two heavy mill-stones grind them and crush them completely. If you were in the grain’s place, what would you say? “What a life, what a world has God created!” However, the grain of wheat has great patience. It says, “You will yet wonder what my story is.” When it is taken from the mill as flour and carried home, it is still not left at peace. The wife will roll up her sleeves, sift the flour, throw away some of it, put leaven in the good flour and turn it into dough. If you were in the grain’s place, you would say, “Our suffering is already over.” No! When the dough rises, it goes into the oven and when it is taken out, we see those nice, fresh-smelling loaves of bread. If you were in the grain’s place, you would say, “Our suffering is over at last.” However, after a short time, people break up these nice loaves and start eating them. In this way, the grain of wheat enters our stomachs, forming nutrients that enter our minds and what happens then? Great thoughts are created in our minds and new desires, in our hearts. The grain of wheat carries the garments that clothe our feelings. It flows in the pens of writers and poets and in the bows of violin players. That is what the grain of wheat can give us. If it had not passed through the process of all this development, we would have never seen all the beautiful things in Nature. Why? It is because the grain of wheat gives us strength to look and see. That is why Christ says, “I am the Living Bread.” In order to be alive, one needs to be in communion with the environment, integrating into it, helping others and being helped by them. As the grain of wheat passes through such a process, in the same way we should sacrifice ourselves. This sacrifice is not so difficult. Now let us turn to Christ’s life story and to the history of the Jewish nation. How can we explain this contradiction: the nation awaiting for years its Savior and King to come and bring it freedom, at the time when He appeared, its elite, namely the Jewish high-priests and princes turned against Him? You may say that if Christ has come today, you would behave better. I doubt it. I am going to point out a fact: see how a husband treats his wife or a wife - her husband and you will have an idea about your attitude to Christ. When Truth will show up in the world, it will not be clothed richly but in the simplest garb. That is why Christ came among the Jewish nation in such a simple fashion. That is the reason why people cannot understand Truth. Such are the Laws of this world. However, there is another Law in the world, which is revealed through the sunlight: When the Sun begins to shine on all seeds and beings on Earth, its light producing joy and gladness in some people, evokes hatred and spite in others. This same light that makes some people well-disposed causes others to be fierce and violent. The light and warmth will make a wolf begin looking for sheep to satisfy hunger. The same light and warmth falling on a thief will make him think about how to steal more money. And when the rays fall on those who want to do good, they will wonder whether they can find someone in need to render their help. Feed the hen with corn and it will have nice feathers; give such food to a swine and it will create strong bristles; give it to a wolf and it will make good teeth and nails; give it to a fish and it will produce nice scales. The physiologists cannot explain this process. Each being uses food and heat according to its development and understanding. You can comprehend this Law by experiencing these two different worlds. It is not possible to explain to you why negative tendencies exist in human beings, why they prefer hatred to Love and falsehood to Truth. Many “why” questions will remain unanswered. The Bulgarian word “why”[5] is a question mark meaning “I want.” Why should we want? It is because there is a Law stating that we have to strive for advancement. Christ says that if the grain of wheat, which has fallen to the ground does not “die,” it will remain alone in this world. What is loneliness in life? It is the greatest possible suffering that people could experience. Procreation is the purpose of Life. All suffering in the world comes from the fact that people desire to live for themselves only. Evil always emerges from the desire to be alone and to become the center of the world. However, this is impossible in the Divine Laws. Our thoughts and wishes fail because we construct them on sand. We can be happy in the world only if we live for God and we need to live for Him. We find the explanation of this in Nature. When the Sun rises in the morning, it rises for all because it loves all. It is considerate to all beings, from the lowest to the most advanced ones, and that is why all turn their eyes toward it. From there comes this energy that rises and uplifts us, but does the Sun say to us that we must grasp the meaning of this action? It tells us only to make use of the benefits it is giving and just as it illuminates the world, so should we shed light and enlighten those around us. We have some false ideas in our minds that come from our individual lives. For example, if you enter a house that has a single window, but it is full of twenty to thirty visitors, you may tell them, “You have no right to stay by the window: I want to look through it alone!” However, while you are looking at the Sun, all others will be deprived of its light. Instead, you should better invite them all to see the Sun and show them the way out of the house in order to enjoy the light. That is why it is not good to keep many people around you, since they can never have the benefit of the sunlight and heat all at the same time. We would better tell them to go outside. That is why Jesus says that whoever loves only oneself needs to leave. In another place, He says, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”[6] Thus, if someone gets too close to the window, this person will block the whole view for the others. Keep a distance of twenty to thirty steps off. It is valid in the physical environment. Jesus implies that life does not consist of material benefits. These are only simple tools and aids in the same way textbooks, pens, and boards are to students. Do not think that God has prepared for you only these simple things. He has prepared much greater things. Ask a frog about its idea of life and it will answer, “I would like more flies to fly over my pond and to fly nearer so that I could catch them.” When sometimes you see the frog sitting quietly like a philosopher, it is observing the flies in order to catch them when they come nearer. Such is the frog’s concept of life. Advancing farther on the ladder of evolution, we should not think that we have already reached the climax of our development. There is still a lot to be covered on this staircase from our present position to the Path we are striving for. The distance between human beings and Angels is so great; it is almost the same as the distance between tadpoles from which frogs will develop and human beings. From the Angels’ point of view, we are still little frogs. Some people object, “But human beings are made in the image and likeness of God, are they not?” However, they have not attained this image and likeness up to now. You see how we act. In order to say that we are made in the image and likeness of God, we need to possess the traits of God. What are His traits? They are Virtue, Love, Wisdom, and Truth. Virtue excludes malice, Love excludes hatred, Wisdom excludes nonsense, and Truth excludes falsehood. If all these negative tendencies are not part of us, we will have the likeness of God, but if they are yet a part of us, we are still little frogs. I have nothing against frogs, they need to eat flies. Why? I will tell you why. Flies are winged, so they live in a higher state than frogs. The latter aspire to fly in the air; they want to receive the vibrations of the flies, to develop these vibrations and to begin flying. Why do wolves eat sheep? They need to eat sheep in order to become gentle, for when we eat good things, we become good. Some actors tried to add mutton to their diet for a long time, when they wanted to play the ideal love; for this kind of meat is conducive to such feeling. In this train of thought, if wolves want to be as meek as a lamb, it is good for them to eat lambs. And they will surely become gentle, for they are much gentler now in respect to what they were before. I will tell you the reason why people eat meat: They eat mutton because they want to become nice, they eat poultry because they want to become winged like the Angels. You have this right. The problem is not in consuming such kind of food. When a certain food is restricted, it is because of the consideration not to cause suffering to the animals used for this purpose. I say that you may eat such food. When you go to the chicken coop and catch a hen, if it does not cluck, you may kill it and eat it, but if it clucks, leave it, it wants to live. In the same way, if a sheep bleats, leave it, it wants to live. So, you would do better if you ask them and see which sheep or hen is ready to live through you. Christ says, “I am the Living Bread and who eats Me will have eternal life.” We need to purify ourselves to be able to understand the words of Christ. We need to purify our sight and our mind. Our mind is a perfect tool, if we know how to use it, but it could be also very dangerous, if we do not know how to use it. It is your right to plough an empty field when you will sow it as you follow the natural Law. However, when you plough an already cropped field, you do a foolish thing. Some people say, “We need to think this over and criticize.” In their view, science cannot exist without criticism, but in what sense? Criticism that is like surgery, removing the diseased part of a human body, is useful, I understand this, but removing a healthy part is out of the question. It is not difficult to be such a surgeon, for each one is able to use a saw and cut off someone’s leg. All of you have this skill, but only a few know how to perform a surgical operation successfully. In order to learn it, we need to obey the Law of Virtue and Love in all cases. Do not think that I am preaching only peace and tranquility when I speak to you about Love. A person willing to love should endure the greatest suffering in the world. Who has not suffered cannot experience the Divine Principle of Love. In order to love God, we need to be ready for sacrifice, just as God sacrifices Himself for us. Your way to come to know Him is to say, “God, give us what we need.” “Give, give, give,” this call can be heard from the one end of the world to the other and currency has never been cheaper than it is now. Today, we all are receiving salaries probably three or four times higher than people had before, but again we think we do not have enough. Money is devaluated, for no goods correspond to it. Thus, we should ask for wheat, corn, pears, and apples. You say, “God, I want to be beautiful; I want to be rich!” You want to have many things, but do you know that it will be a disaster for you? If you become rich, you will be an object of criminal intentions and will need guards to keep you safe, like those rich Americans who take three or four bodyguards because they are exposed to blackmail at each step. We do not need riches, we need only those basic things that make our life good. We have neglected our emotional development, so we have to go back to that fundamental principle of training and ennobling our hearts. Negativity does not reside in the human mind but in the human heart. We shall, each one of us, ask our hearts about their own desires. It is our fault, for we have corrupted our hearts alone by making them repeatedly lie as some maid-servants do; by making them think negatively; and so on. God said in the Scriptures, “My son, give Me your heart!”[7] God knows and sees human faults, however, God requires no more from us than to open our hearts and let Him in. You will ask, “How?” We do this in the same way as we open a window to let the light come into the room. There are sayings, “A room full of light is not visited by doctors or diseases;” and “Where Light never enters, the doctor never leaves.” In the same way, no devil has admittance to the human heart where God dwells. If a doctor pays you a visit, he will say, “You need to eat more, drink more, do this and that.” We put up with all this until our backs break. We are often like the cameleer who traveled through the desert and whose camel could barely carry all the load. But when he found a fox skin on his way, he threw it on the camel too; and as a result of overloading, the camel’s back broke and all goods remained in the desert. The camel can carry only a certain amount of weight. We are like this camel, as we are also travelling. If we put on our backs a load that is heavier than we can carry, one day it is going to hinder our development. I do not recommend poverty to you, but to gather riches in three aspects: not only physical and intellectual but also spiritual. Heaven wants such wealthy people because they can be generous and when Christ says, “Lay up treasures in Heaven,”[8] He means such spiritual treasures. Deposit your capital in Heaven so that God may feed the poor on Earth by its interest. It is not the Angels who are working out our salvation; we need to do it by ourselves and we have all the favorable conditions for this. The Law does not require all of us to be equally learned - everyone should know only what is needed to them. Someone says, “I have a small brain,” but I ask then, “If you cannot take care of a foal, how could you take care of a big horse? If you have a small heart and cannot control it, how could you master a bigger heart with greater desires?” What should we do? In my opinion we should not think about the future, but rather take advantage and use for good all the benefits that the present day brings to us. It carries all the future blessings for us. The Law is that God, Who has given us provisions for this day, will do the same for all other days. We should better not think about what will happen to us in the future, but stay calm; there are certain laws regulating the human relationships. It is not by chance that someone causes harm, but it happens according to a Law. However, any misfortune will bring you a blessing; any obstacle will open a new horizon for you. You may test this at all times, so do not worry about the misfortune that may befall you. Some people ask me about the political situation in Bulgaria and what will happen to the country. Is that not strange? What has happened? Bulgaria has been massaged a little bit and that is all. Some load has been removed; Bulgaria was given a new experience and a new task to solve. Most people do not consider reasonably the Laws regulating Life, but we are looking for the guilty ones instead. Tell me: Who is guilty? You are not able to find the guilty ones now. The individual human life is to be blamed. When one wants to become a king of the others, he is guilty and the one who wants to dethrone the king, he is guilty too. It does not matter who the king is, this or that one, the third or fourth one; they all follow the same pattern. I do not say that one should not desire to become a king or a queen. But of what subjects? Of yourself only, of your mind, heart, and will-power. What is the state of your residents? Have you succeeded in mastering your thoughts, feelings, and desires; have you set yourselves in wellness and order? You should give an example to the world at first place. What preacher am I if I turn to the people telling them to be generous, but I am a miser; if I tell them not to steal, but I steal; or if I tell them not to lie, but I lie? A teacher who is teaching others should be a model for them and should first give them an example. Jesus, when He came down to teach the human beings, first gave them an example to follow and if we apply His Teaching, the world will be immediately transformed. A dynamic force is hidden within us, but we cannot use it because we do not know how to act properly. Once a prickle grew on the road, blocking people’s passage. Travelers passing by it hit it with their crooks, but the more they hit it, the more it grew until it began to overturn the carts. People did not know what to do. But then a pick came and said to the prickle, “I am going to show you my art now!” At first, the prickle laughed at it, thinking, “So many people could not do anything to me; will you frighten me then?” The pick began to undermine the prickle’s roots from far away. It dug deeper and deeper and at some point, the prickle said, “Yes, you have found my weak point.” Until you put a pick to work within you, the prickle inside will always laugh at you, saying, “I am going to grow more and more!” It is an allegory for you to comprehend. What is the pick? Think and find it out! We should be always in the place of a judge regarding our deeds. For example, in the American Civil War, two criminals - one blind and the other crippled, were apprehended, while stealing apples. The owner of the garden caught them and brought them before a judge. The blind one said to the judge, “I am blind; I did not steal, but I spread my hands and took some apples from the ground.” The crippled one shouted, “I have no legs, so I could not go to steal apples!” After some thought, the judge said, “Put the crippled man on the back of the blind one!” and he added, “He who has eyes has found the apple tree and he who has no legs but hands, has gathered the apples.” They were caught in that position. The same is true for the human being, each one of us is made of two beings: one is blind and the other is crippled. When God catches them at a crime scene, each one will claim, “I have not picked; I have not taken; I could not have been there!” God answers, “Put the first one on the back of the other!” and after that, He judges them. Who is the blind being? It is the human instinct. Who is the crippled being? It is the human mind. They both have decided to steal apples, the crippled on the back of the blind. But when they are caught, each one says, “Why do you blame me?” However, they are both guilty. Evolution is a prerequisite for us. Much greater blessings are in store for us, but we are to become enough learned, fairly good, and mature enough so that this heritage could be entrusted to us. These three things that I mentioned before: Virtue, Justice, and Wisdom; are great riches and if you have them, you will be healthy and happy. You will ask, “How can we apply this Teaching in the world?” I answer: We are not required to set the world right. The world has been set right and there are no abnormalities in it, for everything moves according to a set order. We know the reasons why events, natural or political, occur. We should not alter this flow. However, the individual transformation of each person in the world, male or female, is a necessity. When individuals transform themselves, their children, their sons and daughters, will be transformed too, and when their neighbors undergo this transformation too, the entire world will be set right. As the leaven is, so is the dough. It is the principle that Christ has established and He is working for its realization. Just as the chrysalis advances and is transformed into a butterfly, in the same way the world will be uplifted and changed for the better. The great unrest in it is due to all those who cannot create their own chrysalis and are worried about how they will spend the coming winter. The transformation therefore, should take place in our minds, as well as in our hearts and wills; and as soon as it occurs, we are going to sense that we also possess a certain inner power. Then we will be able to contact those Sublime Beings who have already advanced and whom we call Saints. As a result our minds will be enlightened in the same way as students are enlightened in the presence of their teachers. Saints are the Teachers of the humankind and we all shall follow their guidance, for they teach the world how to live. You will ask, “Where, at what place, are these Teachers? We do not see their images in the church.” It is because every object has a shadow by which we can find the object itself. Your desires are just a shadow in the world, as your aspirations are. If you want to grasp the essence, you must observe the Law: from your heart to move up to your mind and think about God. How can we visualize God? We can visualize Him as the most perfect Being, in Whom there is absolutely no malice or hatred. God loves human beings in the same way as real father loves his children. Such is the attitude of God toward us. What do you think: Is He listening to us or not? He is listening to us and He is working inside our minds. The good disposition that we have every day is due to Him. Just as the Sun makes us well-disposed every day after its rise, in the same way, the happy moments in life are due to this inner Sun that is shining within us. There are rises and settings in the spiritual life as well. The Sun rises high in your mature age; you are at your noon and you will set in your old age in order to rise up again. God will rise in many hearts and minds, but in many others He will not rise. Those individuals in whom the Divine will rise are going to feel joy and gladness; but those in whom It will not rise will say, “Life is misfortune, sorrow, and suffering.” They need to wait. Why? It is because no conditions exist in them for rising. If the Sun rises in them prematurely, it will be a disaster, so it is better for them to rest now. I do not say that they are going to die, not in the least. I only quote a Law. When I speak about setting, everyone associates it with dying. What is death? It is a supposition. Everyone needs to die in order to be able to tell what death is because now you are only presuming. In one of his stories, Tolstoy tells the following: He met a Russian monk, 85 years old, white bearded and asked him, “What were the reasons compelling you to become a monk?” The monk told him his story in short, “I come from a royal family. When I was between 21–25 years old, my parents wanted me to marry a princess. At that time I fell into an lethargic sleep. Doctors came and checked my pulse. ‘His heart does not beat,’ they said and wanted to have me buried. I said to myself, ‘Is this really death?’ I was unable to give them a sign that I was alive. My fiancee came with her father and I heard that he was advising her to cry a little bit so that people would think that she loved me. She answered, ‘I never loved him but his wealth. And then I told myself, ‘If God brings me back to life, I would live in a different way.” How awful it is to be alive and not to be able to tell people about it; how awful it is to see everyone weeping and not to be able to show them that you are alive! How many people have been buried in this way? There is nothing more horrible than to be buried alive. The greatest misfortune is to remain for days and months in the ground and not to be able to separate from your body; that is the worst prison, just like hell. If we are pure, we will know when the soul leaves the body and will never pass through such suffering. When a doctor states that someone is dead, people say right away, “Take him!” They make a nice coffin and carry him in it with music and songs. Where is their love? That is the love of fellowmen and of society! Someone tells you, “I love you.” In what way? Is it in the way a cat loves a mouse or a wolf loves a sheep? It is also love, but the world only suffers from such love. The Love needed in the world is to love others helping them to be happy like us. That is why Christ says, “He who trusts Me will do what I do and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, Who will come and dwell in him.”[9] You ask, “What will happen to Bulgaria?” I ask what will happen to you. You do not know that the Devil has taken all your property; he has sold even your skin. Yet you ask what will happen to Bulgaria. Bulgaria, it is you. Pray to God to help you in expelling this uninvited guest from you, to help you in preserving your property: your mind and your heart. The Devil is to be blamed for all this suffering, but you should not be angry with him. I approve of him only in one aspect: he is very industrious and does not get discouraged. If you chase him out of one door, he enters through another; if he does not succeed one way, he tries a second, a third, and a fourth way. It is an excellent and encouraging trait of his. God says, “Take an example from him, as he is a teacher of people, teaching them lessons and he will teach everyone.” After he has lied and lied to you, finally you are going to tell him, “We have already learned your lies and you cannot lie to us anymore.” One person said to a friend, “You cannot lie to my monkey.” His friend went to the monkey and pretended to be asleep. The monkey also closed its eyes and at that time he took the money. The master of the monkey came home and punished it. Next time, the monkey will keep its eyes open, as it knows what will follow. With the experience we get after we have suffered, we shall tell the Devil, when he comes, “My eyes are open!” If you begin to suffer, say, “I have not yet passed through the whole process of the grain of wheat.” When your minds and hearts are transformed and perfected, then you will attain the image and likeness of God and God will lift you up in the same way as the Sun revives the sown grain of wheat. Lecture given by the Master, March 23, 1914, Sofia. ------------------------------------------------ 1. Grosh is an old Bulgarian word for a penny. 2. Wheat in Bulgarian - жито 3. See also Ephesians 5:2, “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” 4. See John 6:51. 5. “Why” in Bulgarian - защо? 6. See Matthew 10:37. 7. See footnote 11 on page 24. 8. See also Matthew 6:19–20, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” 9. See also John 14:21.

from The Blossoming of the Human Soul BEHOLD THE MAN “Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”[1] John 19:5 The Bulgarian word chovek or chelovek (old style), which is translated as “man” in English, refers to a being who can live for more than a century. However, in the ancient language in which this phrase was written, the word chovek refers to Jesus, the Man, who came to the Earth; the Brother of those who suffer. What is the meaning of this word? When we go into the world, would people say about us, “Behold the Man?” To deserve this name, one should possess four qualities: wealth, strength, knowledge, and virtue. Some may ask, “What has wealth to do with this?” Wealth represents the soil, in other words, the conditions under which humans can develop; it is the foundation necessary for attaining strength. Strength brings warmth and light that results in growth and development. Knowledge involves understanding and the regulation of our lives. Virtue, on the other hand, is the goal people need to strive for. Plant a grain of wheat and it will show you what you should do. “How?” you may ask. Water it and the sunrays will guide the grain of wheat toward the Sun, toward the source of life. Similar to the grain of wheat, we need to grow, to strive for God. But someone may ask, “Can the grain of wheat reach the Sun while growing? Will I reach God?” You do not need to know where God is, you only need to strive toward Him. The grain of wheat knows what the Sun is and has received what it needs from it. The same Law is true for people and we need to produce the same result: we need to be sown. We are going inevitably to meet hardships in our lives, small but necessary obstacles, as in the case with the grain of wheat. Some pressure is needed so that the process of growth and true Knowledge can begin. When we bear fruit, we already have Virtue. Therefore, we need to be sown, covered with soil, and experience some pressure. After that, we should grow up and should attain Knowledge. And that Knowledge, after growing to a certain extent, should be immediately transformed into a grain of wheat. After we attain Knowledge, the Master will order the wheat to be harvested, separating the useful from the useless; the wheat from the chaff. While our birth is similar to wheat sprouting, our death is similar to the threshing of wheat. From the threshing floor, the Lord will take what He needs. This corresponds to the barn and the granary: the chaff is placed in the barn and the grain is placed in the granary. I read the 19th chapter of the Gospel of John to remind you of the four things that Christ carried on the cross, the four things that we need to learn. Virtue was on His head, which was not nailed; on the left side was Knowledge; on the right side was Strength; and below, at His feet, was Wealth. These four together represent the crucified man. In other words, when we nail Wealth, Strength, and Knowledge; their essence rises up to the head, toward Virtue. Whenever God wants to do something good for someone, He nails this one to the cross; He nails one’s wealth, strength, and knowledge to create a virtuous person. What does it mean “to nail”? It means that God is securing the person so that no one can take him away; no one can be that person’s master because God is his Master. God says, “Stay calm when I am working.” But since man does not want to stay calm, God says, “Nail him down so that he will be calm while I am working.” When we are being nailed to the cross, we should not cry because God is working for our improvement. Those who are not nailed to the cross are unhappy. Whoever wants God’s attention should pass through this process of development. I am speaking allegorically. Before this process of development can take place, steadfast faith in the universal Divine Plan is required. We should not have doubt in God because He is perfect and almighty. Jesus said, “Things impossible to men are possible to God.”[2] The ways of God are unfathomable. Do not think that God’s ways can be distorted and obstructed. When we are called upon to walk the Divine path, we should have the simple faith, which children have. We should avoid any shortcomings as the ones illustrated in the following story. A great artist in England wanted to portray extreme poverty. For days and months, he roamed the streets of London to find a subject corresponding to his idea. Finally, he found a child dressed in rags who appealed to his heart and he thought, “This is going to be the model for my painting.” He approached the child, gave him a card with his address, and said to him, “Come to my place in four days, I have something to talk to you about.” The child, looking at the well-dressed gentleman, thought, “How can I go to this man in rags?” The boy decided to borrow clothes from his friends so he could look presentable. But when the child went to the painter, the man asked, “Who are you?” When the painter realized it was the poor boy, he said, “Go away! If I wanted someone dressed like this, there would have been thousands to choose from. I needed you dressed in rags like when I first saw you.” When Heaven invites us to work, we, too, wish to dress well. However, our power is not in our clothes, hats, gloves, shoes, collars, ties, or watches. These are not of any importance. The power is in our minds, in our hearts, in our noble impulses and aspirations to do good. When we have these, all others will come in time. When we go to Heaven, do we need to take our clothes? God does not want our rags, so He says, “Bring him the way he is.” When a person dies, it is common for most people to turn away from him. Even loved ones say, “Take him away as soon as possible.” Where is their love then? Only God does not turn away from him, but says, “Bring him to Me just the way he is.” When we are placed in the grave and left there, what is God doing? He begins conversing with us; the soul is not immediately liberated as some people think. He asks us, “Have you understood the meaning of the life that I gave to you?” During this conversation, God is painting His masterpiece. The people who have said goodbye to the departed person begin weeping and reciting his good qualities. These people see the Divine painting in these qualities. We need to endure the suffering we experience and learn from it. With His earthly suffering, Jesus wanted to provide us with an example of surrendering to this Divine process. He points out, “Do I not have the power to ask my Father to send thousands of Angels to rescue me? But if I do not fulfill that for which I have come, how will human beings be raised up?[3] Jesus desired to ascend to the Heavens. You are on Earth and one day, you will experience turmoil as well and maybe even the same fate as Jesus. But when this moment comes, do not consider it as a misfortune, for without suffering, there can be no gain. Where there is sorrow, there is joy; where there is death, there is resurrection. Those who do not want to participate in the suffering of humankind will gain nothing. After all, what is suffering? It is a consequence of the errors made in the past due to our ignorance. These errors are corrected through the process of suffering. This process is a method of accepting and attaining the sublime elevating vibrations that awaits us in Heaven. One needs to endure a hundred sorrows in order to experience one Divine joy. Only then can a person properly appreciate and retain Divine joy. That is why God tempers us with sorrow, the same way as a blacksmith tempers the iron to make it fit for work, so that we can endure the joy that will come later. Each of us is needed, very much needed by God. To the world, you may be valueless, but for God, you are an important part of the whole. Only God, Who has sent us to the Earth, values our suffering. Therefore, you should not be concerned with what the world thinks of you. The One who has sent you here thinks about you and values you. It is important for you to have God’s approval. If God is with you, you will be beautiful and the world loves the beautiful ones; if He is with you, you will be wealthy, strong, and good; goodness is always honored. Now I would like to speak to you about God. I will not talk about an abstract Being scattered into space and difficult to reach, as presented by many philosophers, but about God Who thinks of us, Who observes our actions, corrects, punishes, dresses and undresses us; and Who allows us to be born and to die. What is dying? Dying occurs when God performs “surgery” and observing that you will lose a lot, shortens the process of your life. As if He says, “To prevent creating more debt, take away the capital that I gave to this person. Times are not favorable now, let him come at a different time, bring him to Me now.” During this process, it is possible to think that the world has forgotten us. But even when the world has forgotten us, God is still thinking of us. And the world shall forget us. A girl can never marry if she is in love with many young men; she needs to choose one of them claiming, “He is my world.” This fact is true for faith as well. There must be only one God. In this world there are many gods who would like to sway you, but you need to find your God who will help you to live, evolve, and grow. It is said in the Scriptures, “God is not only in Heaven; He abides within the hearts of the meek.”[4] Therefore, in order for God to live within you, the first quality you need to attain is humility. But this is not the humility of a sheepish person. When you are beaten or someone breaks your leg, it is not right to think, “There is nothing I can do.” It is not humility when all your wealth is taken away to say, “We became humble.” Humility is when you have all the wealth, power, knowledge, goodness; and being aware of your blessings to say, “God, everything I have is Yours.” Many people today show interest in preaching the Gospel and participate actively in organizing the affairs of the world, yet at the same time, they are unwilling to make any self-sacrifice. As soon as God touches their overfilled purses, these people cry out, “Ah, this is not permitted! We may give half of what we have but not everything.” When it comes to power, they say, “You cannot dispose me of all my power.” But whenever we find ourselves in need, we pray to God to lead and help us. This kind of human understanding of life has dominated philosophies for thousands of years. All our misfortunes come because of this understanding. Through His life, Jesus wants to show us the path. Many people think that once they become Christians, they should leave the secular life. You may give up your houses, riches, wives, children and still think about them. You may go to some secluded monastery and still think, “What is happening to my wife, my children, my house?” And that means that you have not given them up, so you are not free. To give up things does not mean exactly forgetting about them. It means that you leave people to do what they wish: allow your wife to act as she wants; leave your son to act as he would like. To renounce the world means to abandon it, not to be in its way and allow life to follow its course. We cannot stop the flow of a river. We should let it follow its own way. We can only do one thing: make use of it. In the same way we cannot stop life, but we should make use of things. Jesus, clearly and positively told us, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.”[5] And we should love Him. He did not say, “Pity on you if you do not love Me!” The Lord never requires forced sacrifices from us. People say, “Why does the almighty God not put the world in order?” How shall He put it in order? “Those who tell lies, let their tongue wither; those who steal, let their hand wither.” If that was the case, we would have a world of mute and crippled people. Would a world of handicapped people be pleasant? In fact, God gives a totally opposite ruling. He goes along with the opposite of this process, saying that whoever wants to be a master should become a servant. Strong people usually desire that all rivers flow into their river; but when goodness is present, the process is completely the opposite. God flows into small rivers and instead of directing them; He allows them to rule themselves. You can conduct a small experiment in your home. Remove the thought that you rule and instead strive to become a servant for God. And then you will come down to God’s Place. You seek God in Heaven, but He is not there; when you moan and suffer, He is within you. What people call growth and advancement indicates the fact that God is at work in this process. God is the best Worker. Some complain, “Why does God not see our suffering?” Yet, He tells, “I am so busy with your affairs, I have no time. I am occupied with your important issues. When I have some free time, I am going to look into your trivial, petty disagreements.” This is not an allegory but a reality. There is a verse in the Scriptures where the Lord says, “I was in Israel as a loaded wagon into which people constantly place everything.”[6] The suffering we experience here is the Lord’s suffering. He suffers and weeps within us. We say, “I weep. My soul is full of grief.” However, when we say, “Lord, forgive me. With my impure thoughts and actions I have caused You much suffering,” we will come to that true path that will deliver us from everyday evil. We should allow our Lord to become stronger within us. We have tied Him with ropes and nailed Him. We need to lay Him in the grave and leave Him there at peace. Only then will He resurrect us and set us free. Be sure of one thing: we are the ones who obstruct His path. It is the human beings and not the devil obstructing God’s way. Because God has established the Law of Freedom, He cannot and does not want to change this Law. Unless we come to this understanding, unless we voluntarily surrender, He will not deliver us. The striving to become like Him needs to penetrate us. We need to be engulfed by the striving to become God-like. Then, we are going to use our wealth, power, and virtues for uplifting our brethren, our fellow man. Each one of you needs to search and value the souls of your brethren, rather than their bodies. I can tell you that Jesus, Who came down here, has not left the Earth even now. He is living and working among humans and it is time for Him to rise within us. We need to have true faith, not fearful faith as the Jews who said, “We have no other king but Caesar.” However, a few years later, when Caesar destroyed Jerusalem and demolished their temple, they renounced him. Even now a person may say, “Caesar is my king,” but the consequences will be the same. Let me explain. We need to live first in this world in order to be prepared for the World beyond. We cannot live in Heaven because the heat and light there are very high. As a gardener transplants pine trees brought down from a higher elevation, he makes various grafts until the trees are acclimated. Similarly, our Heavenly Father cannot take us from here and transplant us in the Garden of Eden without first preparing us. Even our educational system is organized in a similar manner: first we must pass first grade, then second, then high school, college and university, and lastly we enter the world. These are methods of the New Culture and those who want to advance should follow these guidelines. In my opinion, we should not be foolish and say, “I do not need to do anything, God will provide all for me.” When you have ploughed your field, you sow the wheat because if you do not sow the wheat, what will God give you? He will give you weeds and thistles. Cultivate your vineyard and it will bear fruit. Whatever vine you plant, it will produce the appropriate fruit. If you plant low-quality vine twigs, it will produce sour grapes. God gave your child a good mind, but what did you plant in it? Were these the seeds that would bear good fruit? We desire to be virtuous, strong, and wealthy. We can have it all: virtue, strength, and wealth and it is necessary to have them. The conditions under which these can thrive and develop are: Divine seed, Divine Law, and Divine balance. Balance represents the Virtue, Law is the Knowledge, conditions represent the strength, and seed stays for the abundance. But you will ask me how to find God. It is very easy. Someone wanted to make fun and to tease his companion who told him, “We are in an orchard in which there are many beautiful apples.” “But I see nothing,” he answered closing his eyes. His friend slapped the other person’s face, causing him to open his eyes and see. God sometimes slaps us in the face so that we can see. Those of you whose eyes are closed should desire to open them. People of today argue and say, “Where is God? God is in the trees, stones, and ground.” However, it is when adversities come that people look up and seeing Him there, they cry out, “Oh, Lord!” Adversities are the God’s slap in the face, telling us, “I created you to see, not to keep your eyes closed.” In order to advance, we need to become like children, to search and be receptive. I will tell you something else now, related to the method we should use in our work. We should always be connected through our minds and hearts with all people on Earth because our salvation comes from our united prayers. There is power in unity. When minds and hearts of people become united, then the Kingdom of God will come to Earth. We should not look for faults in a friend whom we truly love, for we may have faults too. Shortcomings are the outer garment that a person wears. However, the human soul is pure, it cannot be spoiled, nor can it be destroyed. No one is able to defile your Divine soul. Externally, it may become soiled, but it will remain pure internally because God dwells within it. It is unthinkable that something that God protects could be destroyed. We may submit to the world just as per the words of Christ when Pilate said to Him, “I have the authority to crucify you.” And He replied, “I submit to that One Who has given you this authority, but My soul is free.”[7] We need to submit to transient suffering. We cannot understand it now, but after we die and resurrect, we are going to understand the reason for suffering. Until now, all people have suffered torments and fears in life, but this is not true Life. Life is when one is filled with noble feelings. A person who is able to do selfless acts is happy. If someone treats you badly, you may not want to take off your hat or shake hands with that person in greeting. Or you may shake hands, but not in a sincere way; you may also take off your hat, but without the genuine feeling of respect. Usually, we take off our hat to a person in a higher position, but with this gesture, somehow we say, “Can you give me a promotion?” In the Black Sea, there is a devil fish which “greets” all it encounters. People, too, grasp someone by the hand. Why? The devilish fingers of the human hand speak a lot. For example, the little finger says, “Can you give me some money? I need to start a business. I have losses, I was robbed. Will you help me?” The ring finger says, “I would like the fame and knowledge of an artist.” The middle finger, “I want my rights and privileges.” The index finger, “I need to be respected and honored.” The thumb, “I want power and skills.” The greeted one, if the will and chance is there, will give these things to the other person. And so, the two of them, later taking a third one in their company, go into the society and form a group, but they cannot find what they are looking for. Finally, Jesus said, “Whatever you are searching for: wealth, strength, knowledge, and goodness—I can give you all this. There is no one among you who has left his father and mother for Me and who has not received a hundred fold in the future Life.”[8] Behold the Man Who can shake hands with us and Who can give us everything: wealth, strength, knowledge, and goodness. Yet people shouted, “Take Him away, crucify Him!” And Pilate remarked to them, “You are losing Him!”[9] Jesus is before you today as well. I am telling you, behold the Man Who you are searching for. The only Man Who can bring tranquility to your hearts; Who can give you a bright mind, health, social position; Who can uplift you, show you the way and illuminate your thoughts. Yet, in your doubt, you say, “Show Him to us so that we can see Him.” I will present to you a comparison. In the distance, a person appears at night carrying a small candle and I say to you, “Behold the man who brings you light.” However, you only see the candle and not the person. When will you see him? You will see him when the Sun rises. Search for this Light that the Man is carrying; it will help you find the path that you need to walk. This is how you should understand this concept. Let me give you another, clearer comparison. Imagine that I lead you to a lavish but dark living room and tell you, “This is a room with beautiful decorations, with big riches. There, in that corner, is this; in the other corner, that and that.” You reply, “It could be possible, but who knows? I see nothing.” However, if I bring a small lit candle, then the nearest objects can be seen; if I bring a candle with a bigger light, the objects become even more visible. If I light more candles, gradually the room becomes brighter and brighter. When the electric light is on, the objects are clear and when the daylight comes, everything can be seen. The world is like this room and each of us needs to be a bearer of light, to carry a candle. When we all enter with our lit candles and place them together, we will increase the light and will be able to see more. Our brains are similar to candles. I do not like people who carry extinguished candles but people who carry lit candles as on the night of Good Friday. Everyone should be like a lit candle. A devoted, loving, and good person is a lit candle. It is a great mistake for a person to be an extinguished candle. You ask what to do. You should pray for each other. You should send forth good thoughts to your friends, pray for them, and ask to be blessed; when God blesses them, He will bless you too. But why should we pray? In the summer of 1899, there was a great drought in the region of Novi Pazar.[10] The Turks from the nearby thirty-nine villages gathered together and prayed for rain. And the rain came. The Bulgarians thought, “If God is sending rain to them, He will send it to us too.” But no rain fell over their villages and their stock became emaciated from hunger. When other people are praying, you should pray too; you should hand in also your humble prayers. God will not keep a special file about you if you do not pray. Prayer is a great power and people of today should be people of prayer. Through prayer we will prepare our minds and hearts. We should pray not only for ourselves because doing so is selfish. I do not want to deal with the minds of people, but rather with their hearts because all malice is hidden there. The Lord Himself says, “My son, give Me your heart.”[11] We need to begin now with a thorough cleaning as we do for Easter, to open the windows and clean the floor. We all groan when we are burdened. There is disharmony everywhere. Husband and wife cannot come to an agreement; they divide the house and money. The wife is displeased that her husband keeps the money. It does not matter whether the husband or the wife keeps the money. Reach an agreement on who will be in charge. People argue who will hold the first place at home: the hen or the rooster. What is this issue about the hen and the rooster? It is not important in life. Something else is more important. Jesus has come and He is working. When Light comes, it comes gradually, silently, without noise. Jesus will not come like a thunder, as some expect. This may also happen, but Jesus will not be there. The prophet Elijah went to the desert and devoted himself to prayer and fast. When storm and fire came, Elijah covered his eyes, yet God was not in the storm and fire, but in the still Voice that spoke to the prophet. God is not in your suffering, your power, or your knowledge. Where is He? He is in Love. If you have Love, He is within you. If you do not have Love, He is absent. And you should love, that is the Law. Some people do not love, but expect others to love them. This is similar to sitting in front of a stove and waiting for someone else to bring wood so that we can get warm. We alone should collect this fuel, which others can use as well. We, the followers of Jesus, Who has given us abundant strength, should finally allow Him to come and reside within us. Now I am leaving this Man with you. Are you going to welcome or crucify Him? Are you going to let Him in, or will you say, “We do not want Him?” This is the question that you need to answer. If you say, “Let Him in, He is our Lord,” you have properly answered the question and the blessings will come. Then the words in the Scriptures will be fulfilled, “I and My Father will come and We will make Our Home with you.”[12] Then the Light will be in us and we will all reconcile. Lecture by the Master Beinsa Douno, held on March 16 (Gregorian calendar of the 29th century), 1914, in Sofia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. All quotes are from the Holy Bible, most being taken from the New King James, Version (NKJV). 2. See Luke 18:27. 3. See also Matthew 26:53–54, “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of Angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” 4. See also 1John 4:16, “And we have known and believed the Love that God has for us. God is Love and he who abides in Love abides in God and God in him.” 5. See also John 14:15. 6. See also Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” 7. See also John 19:10–11. 8. See also Matthew 19:29, “And everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My name’s sake shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal Life.” 9. See also John 19:13–16. 10. A town in Northern Bulgaria. 11. See also Proverbs 23:26, “My son, give Me your heart and let your eyes observe My ways.” 12. See also John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our Home with him. ”