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From Peace be with you "Behold the Man!" {Ecce Homo} "Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold the Man!" (John 19:5) By the word "man" {chovek} or "Mann" {chelovek} [1] in Bulgarian is meant a being, which lives for an entire century; however, in the archetypal language, in the language in which this phrase is written, "man" has a different meaning - it means: Jesus, the Man Who comes to the earth, the Brother of those who suffer. What should we understand by these words? Can people say of us, when we come out before the world: "Behold the man"? For man to bear the honor of this name, he must contain four things in himself: he must be rich, he must be strong, he must have knowledge, he must possess virtues. But, you will say: "What is richness doing here?" - Richness is the soil, the conditions in which man can develop; it is the soil in which strength develops. And the latter brings warmth and light, which affect the growth, the development. When we come to knowledge - it is the method by which we must understand and regulate our life. Virtue, on the other hand, is the aim towards which we must aspire. And often people ask the question: "What should we do?" - sow a grain of wheat, and it will show you what you ought to do. You will say "How?" - Put moisture, and the sunrays will show what the grain of wheat strives towards - towards one direction - towards the Sun - the wellspring of life. And we, like the grain of wheat, must grow - must strive towards God. But someone may ask: "When the grain of wheat grows up, does it reach the Sun? Whereas I wish to find God." You do not need to know where God is, but need only strive towards Him. The grain has understood what sort of a thing the Sun is, and has accepted what it wishes. The same law holds true for us - we, too, must produce the same result. We must be sown, our life will by all means have difficulties, which constitute these small but necessary hindrances, like the grain of wheat - a certain pressure is required, and after this will come the process of growth, knowledge, and when we give fruit, this is finally virtue. Therefore, we must be sown, a little soil must be added, there must be a little pressure, after which we must grow upwards and gain knowledge, and this knowledge, after it has grown to a certain level, must immediately transform into a grain of wheat. And after this the Master [2] will send for the wheat to be reaped, and He will separate the useful from the useless - the wheat from the chaff. We are born, this means we are sprouting; we grow, we develop, we die and are buried in the grave - this is threshing. And from the threshing-floor the Lord will gather that which He needs. This corresponds to the barn and the granary: the chaff is placed in the barn, and the grains - in the granary. I have read to you the 19th chapter from the Gospel of John, so that you would see the four things that Christ bore on the cross - four things, which we too have to learn, by placing virtue on the head which was not nailed, on the left - knowledge, on the right - strength and down below at the feet - richness, and we will then have the crucified man. I.e. when we nail the richness, strength and knowledge, their juices will ascend towards the head - towards virtue. When the Lord wishes to make man kind-hearted, He nails him to the cross - He nails his riches, strength, knowledge. And what does nailing mean? They put him in the bank-safe, so that he may not be taken by anyone, so that no one can have him at one's disposal, because the Lord will have him at His disposal. He says: "When I work, you will be calm". And because man does not want to stay calm, the Lord says: "Nail him, so that he may be calm, [and] that I may work..." And when we are nailed to this cross, we should not weep, because then the Lord works for us. Unfortunate is the one, who is not nailed to the cross. Whoever wants the Lord to occupy Himself with him must pass through this process of development. I speak to you allegorically. Before this process of development, it is imperative that there is faith, unshakeable faith in the overall Divine plan, which has in view all living beings that God has created. We should not doubt God, because He is perfect, omnipotent; does not Jesus say in one place: "What is impossible for man is possible for God." The Divine ways are unfathomable. The thought that these ways can be distorted and impeded should not be allowed: it is impossible. And when we are called and have set out on the Divine path, we should have that simple faith which children have and avoid flaws like the one pointed out in the following story. In England, a great artist wanted to make a painting in which to depict the extreme poverty. For days and months he wandered around London in order to find a subject that would accord with the idea. At last he found a child in tattered rags which befitted his heart and he said to himself: "Here is the face that will serve for the creation of the painting!" He approached the child, gave him his card with the address and said to him: "Come in four days, I have something to speak to you." The child, on seeing a man dressed in this manner, thought: "How am I going to visit him like this, almost entirely tattered", and went to acquaintances to dress and present himself in the way one presents himself to the kings; the child found clothes, dressed, and went to the painter. "Who are you?" asked the artist. - "I am so-and-so." - "Off you go! If I wanted someone like this, dressed, there are thousands of them. I needed you the way I saw you then". And we too, when Heaven invites us to work, wish to dress ourselves. However, the strength is not in our clothes, hats, gloves and fashionable shoes, neither in the collars, ties and watches - they do not constitute anything of importance; the strength is in our mind, in our heart, in the noble instigations and the aspiration to do good. When we have these things, the others, in their own time, will come by themselves. Indeed, when we go to Heaven, should we take our clothes from here? The Lord, when He summons us to Heaven, undresses us here. He does not want our rags, but rather He says: "Bring him as he is". When someone dies, each of us turns away from him; even those, who had loved him, say: "Take him away sooner!" Where, then, is their love? But the Lord does not turn away and says: "Bring him. I need him as he is". And when they put us in the grave and leave us, what does the Lord do? He begins to talk with us - it is not the case, as some think, that the dead are set free. He asks us: "Well, did you understand life, did you understand the meaning of the life which I sent you?" Precisely in this conversation the Lord draws His great painting, precisely then this process comes into existence: the people, after they see the man off, begin to cry and to list all his good qualities - they see the Divine painting which is depicted in these qualities. We have to endure the sufferings which come to us and draw a lesson from them. Jesus wished to give us an example with His earthly sufferings that we have to obey this Divine process. In one place He says: "Do I not have the power to ask My Father to send thousands of Angels to save me? But if I do not accomplish what I have come for, how shall people be uplifted?" And He Himself wished to be lifted up, as well. You are on the Earth, one day storms, tribulations and, perhaps, the same terrible fate will also come to pass upon you, but when this hour comes, you should not in the least consider it a misfortune, for where there is no suffering, there is also no enrichment [3]; where there are sorrows, there are also joys; where there is death, there is also resurrection. And he, who does not wish to participate in the sufferings of humanity, will not acquire anything. And then, what, in essence, are sufferings? Consequences of mistakes, caused in the past by our inaptitude. Precisely these mistakes are rectified by the process of suffering. This process is a method for us to adapt to and achieve those supreme ascending vibrations which await us in Heaven. A hundred sorrows must be borne in order to endure one Divine joy. Exactly then we will appreciate, as we should, this joy and will retain it. And this is why the Lord begins with sufferings, in order to harden us (like the blacksmith hardens the iron in order to make it suitable for work), so that we are able to endure the joy that will follow afterwards. Each of us is needed and much needed by the Lord. It may be that for the world you are not of any worth - a zero - however, for God you are an important unit [4]. Only the Lord, Who has sent you to the Earth, values your sufferings, and, therefore, you should not worry what the world thinks of you; the One Who has sent you, He thinks of you and values you. For you it is important to have the approval of God. If the Lord is with you, you will be beautiful, and the world loves that which is beautiful; if He is with you, you will be rich, strong and good, and the good is always honored. Now I shall speak to you about God, not as a being, as the philosophers say, abstract, dispersed throughout space, [whereby] you do not know where He is, but about that Lord, of Whom I preach, Who thinks of us, Who watches our steps, straightens, corrects, punishes, dresses, undresses - causes us to be born and to die. What is dying? The Lord makes an operation, He sees that you will lose much, [and so] He shortens the process of your life - "in order for him not to make more debt, take [away] his capital, which I have given him, the times are not favorable now, leave him for another time, bring him to Me". And in this process we think that the world has forgotten us. But, if the world has forgotten us, the Lord thinks of us. And the world must by all means forget us. A maiden can never marry if she loves all lads; she has to choose one and say: "This is my beloved [5]". So also in life, this fact is just as true. You must have only one Lord. There are many gods in the world who will want to appropriate you; but you must find your God with Whom you will be able to live, to develop, to grow rich. The Scriptures say: "God is not only in Heaven; He lives in the hearts of the humble"; therefore, the first quality which you must acquire, so that He may begin to live in you, is humility. But this humility is not like the humility of a sheep - to say, when they beat you up or break your legs: "Nothing doing!". It is not humility, when they take away all your riches, to say: "We have humbled ourselves" . It is humility to realize and say, when you have all the riches, strength, knowledge, and goodness: "Lord! Everything I have is at your disposal". But now everyone does the following: all preach the Gospel and always set the world aright; but when the Lord stops at their overfilled purses, they shout: "Ah, not there! One half, see, we can give, but everything - no". When it comes to strength, they say: "You cannot have all of my strength at your disposal". But when we are in need we want and plead Him to guide us and to help. This way of humanly understanding life predominates in all philosophies from thousands of years ago until this very time. And our misfortunes stem exactly from this. But Jesus wishes to show us the way with His life. Many Christians understand that when they become Christians, they will have to abandon the world. You may renounce your houses, wealth, wives, children and still think of them. You may go to a secluded monastery and still think: "I wonder what became of my wife, my children, my house?" And this means that you have not renounced them, that you are not free. To renounce things does not mean to forget them, but to leave people free - to leave the wife to act as she sees fit, to leave the son to act as he sees fit. To renounce the world means to leave it, to not hinder it - let it go its own way: can we stop the flowing of the river? We should leave it to go its own way; we can do one thing only - to make use of it. In the same way, we are not able to stop life, but should simply make use of things. And Jesus clearly and positively tells us: "If you love Me" - and we must love Him - in no way does He say: "Woe to you, if you do not love Me!" No! The Lord never wants sacrifices from us against our will. People say: "Why doesn't the Lord, Who is Almighty, set the world right?" - "How should He set it right?" - "He who lies, let his tongue wither; he who steals, let his hand wither". But then we would have a world of only deaf and crippled people. What do you think - would such a world be pleasant for us, of only ailing people? The Lord, however, exercises a diametrically opposed rulership, He goes by the reverse of this process and says that, whoever wishes to be a master, must be a servant. This process consists in the following. The strong people usually want all rivers to flow into their river; in the Good, however, the process is exactly the opposite - the Lord pours Himself into small rivers and instead of ruling them Himself, He leaves it to them to rule themselves. You can make a small experiment in your home. Let the thought that you have to control take leave of you; place in your mind [the thought] to become a servant - to become a servant for the sake of the Lord, and then you will descend in the place of the Lord. You seek the Lord in Heaven, but He is not there; when you groan and suffer, He is within you. And what people call growth, advancement, is a sign that in this process [of suffering] the Lord works. He is the best workman. Some complain: "Why does God not see our sufferings?"; but He says: "I do not have time; I am so busy with your affairs, I am busy with much more important affairs of yours; when there is time left I will occupy Myself with your external tiny disagreements". This is not an allegory, but reality. There is a verse in the Scriptures, where the Lord says: "I was for Israel like a loaded cart, in which people constantly put everything". The sufferings, however, which we experience here are the Lord's sufferings; He suffers and weeps in you. We say: "I weep, sorrowful is my soul"; but when we say: "Lord, forgive me - I caused you so many sufferings with impure thoughts and actions", then we will arrive at that true path which will save us from the evil of our day. And lastly, we have to leave our Lord to strengthen firmly within us. We have tied Him with ropes and have nailed Him. We have to lay Him to rest and leave Him quiet in the grave and then He will resurrect and set us free. And rest assured in one thing: those who hinder His way – it is us, the people: the devils do not hinder the way of the Lord. Because He has laid down the law of Freedom, He cannot, He does not want to change this law and until we arrive at this consciousness - to voluntarily obey - He will not deliver us. The consciousness that we should be like Him has to permeate us deeply. Then we will use our riches, strength, virtues for the elevation - of whom? - of our brethren, our neighbors. Each of you should seek and cherish the souls of your brethren, rather than to love their bodies. And I can tell you that Jesus, since He came here, even now has not left the Earth; He lives among men, works among them and the time has come for Him to resurrect in us. We must have faith, but not that faith and that fear which the Jews had - "We have no other king, but Caesar", so when this Caesar ruined Jerusalem and tore down their temple in several years, they rejected him. Now again one can say: "Caesar is my king", but the consequences will be the same. Let me return. At first we have to live in this world, to prepare ourselves; we are not able to live in Heaven because there the warmth and light are very bright. Just like the gardener, when he replants pines taken from a high place, makes various seedlings until they become acclimatized, so the Heavenly Father cannot take us from here and directly plant us in the Garden of Paradise. Even our school system is ordered so: to begin with, we have to pass the first year, only after it - the second - further on, secondary school, university, and, finally, we can enter the world. All these are methods of the culture to which anyone who wishes to advance and develop has to adapt. A Christian, in my understanding, should not be a foolish man and say: "As the Lord provides". When you have ploughed your land, you sow wheat, because if you do not sow wheat, what will God provide? Weeds and thorns. Till the vineyard, plant it, and it will bear fruit for you. And whatever vine you plant, such will be its fruit - if you plant low quality twigs, it will give you sour fruit. The Lord gave your child a good mind, but what have you planted in his mind - are these the good germs which will bear good fruits? We wish to be virtuous, strong, rich; we can indeed have virtue and strength and richness and we need to have them: the conditions under which they thrive and are able to develop are: the Divine germ, the Divine law and the Divine equilibrium. The equilibrium - this is virtue, the law - this is knowledge, the conditions - this is strength, the germ - this is richness. But you will ask me: "How shall we find the Lord?" - A very easy thing. Someone wanted to make a joke and tease a friend, who said: "We are in a garden in which there are many good apples". - "But I do not see anything", answered the former while closing his eyes; the friend smacked a slap on his face and the man recovered his sight and saw. Similarly, the Lord sometimes gives us a slap and we see. Those of you whose eyes are closed, let them wish that their eyes be opened. The world of today contends and says: "Where is the Lord?" - He is in the trees, in the stones and in the earth"; however, when a misfortune comes, everyone looks up and sees that He is there and cries out: "Lord!" This is the reason for the misfortunes - they are the slap, which the Lord smacks while saying: "I have created you to see, not to stay with closed eyes". So we, in order to elevate ourselves, must attain the state of children - to seek and be receptive. Now I will tell you something else. What will be our method, by which we have to work? From now on we must always be connected mentally and whole-heartedly with all people around the world, because salvation is in our joint prayers - "unity makes strength" [6] And when the minds and hearts of the people unite, then the Kingdom of God will come on Earth. We should not look for the shortcomings of a friend whom we really love: he too, like us, may have them; the shortcomings are the external garment with which man is clothed; but the human soul is pure, she cannot be spoiled, she cannot be destroyed; no one is able to corrupt your Divine soul. She can be stained from the outside, but not on the inside, because God dwells in her. And it is unthinkable to destroy something which the Lord protects. We can obey the world in the way shown when Jesus spoke to Pilate, who said: "I have the power to crucify you" - "I obey the one who gave you this power, but my soul is free". We have to obey the temporal sufferings; we cannot comprehend them, but when we die and resurrect we will understand why they have occurred. Everyone until now has been tormented by fears and trepidations in life. But that is not life. Life is when man is full of noble feelings. Happy is he, who rejoices when he was able to do good selflessly. Someone has offended you - you do not lift your hat to him [anymore], you do not shake hands; you may shake hands without this being a handshake; you may lift your hat without this being respect. And usually we lift the hat to somebody above us; but by this we somehow say to him: "Can you promote me?" There is a devilish fish in the sea which always greets whatever it meets on its way. Man also takes someone by the hand. Why? These devilish fingers of the human hand speak a lot; for example, the smallest one says: "Can you lend me some money? I have to start a business. I have losses, I have been robbed, can you help me?" The ring finger - "I desire Artistic fame and knowledge". The middle one - "I want rights and privileges". The index finger - "I need honor and respect". The thumb - "I want strength and skill". The person greeted, if he can and desires, will give [what he was asked for]. And so two men go, and then three in the society and create a coterie, but they do not find what they seek. And at last Jesus came and said: "What you are seeking - richness, strength, knowledge, goodness - I can give to you. There is not one among you who has left behind his father and his mother for Me, and has not received a hundredfold the future life". Behold the Man, who can shake hands with us, Who can give us richness, and strength, and knowledge, and goodness. But people said: "Take him away, crucify him"; to which Pilate noted: "You are losing Him". And today Jesus stands before you again and I say to you: "Behold the Man, Whom you seek, the Man Who can only bring peace into your hearts, to give you mind, to give you health, social standing, to uplift you, to show you the way, to let your mind be clarified". But in your doubt, you say: "Show Him to us so that we may see Him!" - I will present a comparison. During the evening a man comes from afar with a small candle, I tell you: "Behold the man, who brings light for you"; you, however, see the candle but do not see the man; you will see him - when? - when the Sun rises. Seek by yourself this light which the Man carries, - it will help you find the path upon which you should walk. This is how you have to perceive the issue. Let me give you another, clearer comparison. Suppose that I take you into a lavish but dark reception-room and say to you: "This is a room with wondrous adornments, with immense treasures, over there in that corner there is this, in the other corner this-and-this". - "It is possible, but who knows, I see nothing", you object. If I bring a small candle, then the objects close-by start to be delineated; if I bring another one, the objects' outlines emerge more clearly; when the number of candles increases, the room becomes more and more illuminated; when the electric lamp lights up, the objects become lucid, while when the day-light arrives, everything is seen. The world is like this room, and each of us has to be a light-bearer, to carry one candle, and, when we all enter with our candles and place them next to each other and thus increase the light, we will see a lot. Your brains - these are candles. I do not like people who carry extinguished candles, but only such who carry burning candles, like on Good Friday. Each one of us a must be a burning candle. A devoted, loving, good person is a burning candle. And it is a big mistake for a man to be an extinguished candle. You ask: "What shall we do". - You should pray for each other, you should send good thoughts to your friends and pray for them, wanting them to be blessed, and the Lord, when he blesses them, will bless you also. And why should we pray? In the summer season of 1899 in the area of Novi Pazar [7] a prolonged drought occurred; the Turks from 39 villages in the vicinity gathered and prayed for rain and rain came; the Bulgarians said to themselves: "God, when He sends rain for them, will send for us also"; however, the rain did not fall over their villages and their cattle grew emaciated from hunger. When people pray, you [should] pray too [8]: you, too, should submit your petition; the Lord will not keep a special column [9] for you if you do not pray. Prayer has great power, and contemporary people should be people of prayer: with prayer we will prepare our mind and our heart. And we should not pray for ourselves: that is egotism. - I do not wish to concern myself with people's minds, my desire is to occupy myself with their hearts, because all the evil lurks in the hearts. And then, the Lord Himself says: "My son, give Me your heart". Now we have to begin [our] purification, just as we do for Easter [10] - to open the windows and wash the floor. We all groan under the same burden, everywhere there is a common disharmony, a husband and wife [11] cannot come to an agreement - they divide a house, divide money, the wife is dissatisfied that the husband holds the money. Whether the husband or the wife holds them - this is indifferent. Come to an agreement on who is to be the cashier. They argue [about] who is to take first place in the house - whether a hen or a rooster will sing [12]. What hens and roosters? - this does not constitute anything important in life. - I said, another thing is important. Jesus has come and He works, and when the light comes, it comes gradually, quietly, without noise. He will not come like thunder, as some expect Him. - This too can happen, but Jesus is not there. When the Prophet Elijah went in the desert and surrendered himself to fasting and prayer and when storm and fire came and Elijah covered his eyes, God was not in the storm and in the fire, but in the quiet voice which spoke. The Lord is not in your sufferings, in your strength, in your knowledge. Where is He? In Love. If you love, He is within you. If you do not love, He is not there. And you must love - this is the law. We do not love, but expect people to love us! This means to sit in front of a stove and wait for someone else to bring wood for us to warm ourselves. We, we ourselves should have this fuel which is to be used by others also. We, who follow Jesus, Who has given us sufficient strength, must finally allow {pusnem} Him to enter into us. Now, I leave you this Man: will you accept Him or crucify Him, will you let Him in {pusnete} or will you say: "We do not want Him" - this is the problem you have to resolve. If you say: "Release {pusnete} Him, He is our Lord", you have resolved the problem and the blessing will surely come. And then the words from the Scripture will be fulfilled: "I and My Father will come and will make our abode in you". Then the light will abide in us and we will all be reconciled. Lecture 16 March 1914, Sofia --==[][][]==-- ______________________________________________ Notes: [1] Both words (chelovek and chovek) mean "man". Chelovek (chelo - "whole"; vek - "century", or in some contexts an indefinitely long period of time, an age) is the archaic word for man in Bulgarian (as "Mann" is in old English), and was gradually substituted in the 19th century with the word chovek. [2] Gospodariat: the word itself actually means "lord" as in the master of land etc.; c.f. Luke 12, 14; Mark 13; Matthew 10 etc. [3] literally: gaining of riches. [4] the digit 1 [5] The Bulgarian word is ambiguous, and the sentence can be rendered here as: "this is my world"; but also "this is my light". [6] This phrase coincides with the motto on the Bulgarian coat of arms. [7] Novi Pazar is a city in the North Eastern part of Bulgaria (close to the city of Shumen and the ancient capital of the first Bulgarian kingdom, Pliska). [8] "you" is singular for the rest of this sentence. [9] in an accounting document [10] Apart from referring to the spiritual purification, there is also reference to a custom in Bulgaria where the whole house is cleaned thoroughly before Easter. [11] In Bulgarian, there is a single word for "husband", "male" and "man", and similarly for "wife", "female" and "woman" [12] A Bulgarian proverb, meaning: whether the husband or the wife will lead the family affairs.

Biography Master Peter Deunov, known by the spiritual name Beinsa Douno, was an extraordinary individuality, who lived in many ways an outwardly ordinary life. He was born on the 11th of July 1864 near Varna, Bulgaria, in the family of a Bulgarian Orthodox priest. Growing up, he attended a boys school in Varna and later the American Theology School in Svishtov, Bulgaria. In 1888 Peter Deunov traveled to the USA where he undertook studies at the Drew Theological Seminary (now Drew University), New Jersey and the Boston University School of Theology. After another year of attending courses at the Medical School at Boston University, in 1895 he returned to Bulgaria. In the years surrounding 1897 Peter Deunov underwent a profound inner experience, which resulted in several written works of a Judaic - Christian mystical-theophanic character. The exact nature of these experiences can only be fathomed; a later entry from one of Peter Deunov’s personal dairies, dated 1899, gives some indication of his state around this time: “the Lord will be my joy every day”. Around the turn of the century he began to travel widely throughout the country, lecturing and researching the character of the Bulgarian people. Soon a small group of friends who saw in Peter Deunov their Teacher formed themselves around him. A number of records are extant from this time attesting to the already profound character of a teaching that would come to flourish in the ensuing years. In 1914 Peter Deunov gave his first public lecture – “Behold the Man!” – in Sofia, heralding the beginning of 30 continuous years of spiritual teaching activities, during which “Peter Deunov” came to be known and regarded by his followers as Master Peter Deunov or simply “the Master”. During the 1920’s a number of these followers came together to gradually form the community “Izgrev” (Sunrise) on the outskirts of Sofia, where the Master continued to teach, delivering his lectures to a growing audience. It was during this period that the esoteric school of the Master, which in many ways had begun with his earliest students and friends, came to flower and became established in externally tangible forms: esoteric lectures, exercises, and life itself at the “Izgrev”. Many were drawn to the love, wisdom and truth emanating from the Master’s teaching; however, it was not always popular at large. In the later 1930’s the Master suffered severe injuries to the head as a result of a politically- motivated physical attack, leading slowly to paralysis. Memoirs recount how he had to be looked after, and the great suffering he had to endure. Some months later, however, he recovered completely, quickly and miraculously, and thus showed with his own life how sufferings must be endured, and how through the spiritual power of Christ one can be healed even into the physical body. The Master continued to teach throughout the second World War until the end of his earthly life – by all accounts one of a saintly individual – on 27 December 1944. For more information visit: http://www.beinsa-douno.net Christophorus July 2013

Preface “Today a Divine teaching is being preached to the people. This teaching is not a sect, as some believe, nor is it a religion. It is the teaching of Christ; It is for those, who have a deep understanding of life. It is for all people, for the whole of humanity, for all conditions, for all times and epochs.” Master Peter Deunov (Beinsa Douno) Master Peter Deunov (Beinsa Douno) [1864-1944] was a Christian mystic, philosopher, musician, poet – a spiritual Teacher, and a herald of the new old Teaching of Christ Jesus in the 20th century. Although little known outside Bulgaria, the Master (as his followers came to call him) left in almost 4000 spoken lectures and other works a profound, multifaceted esoteric-Christian philosophy that can speak to anyone with a wish to learn from, and to hear, the living Word of God as it reveals itself to modern humanity. The current volume is the first in a series of books dedicated to presenting accurate, faithful and readable English translations of lectures and other works by the Master Peter Deunov (Beinsa Douno) taken solely from authentic, unmodified sources, which have preserved what the Master spoke or wrote without editorial or other interventions.

Contents Preface Biography Sunday Lectures: Behold the Man!, 16 Mar 1914 The Grain of Wheat, 23 Mar 1914 The Appearance of the Spirit, 20 Apr 1914 The Importance of the Small Things, 3 Aug 1914 Peace be with you, 11 Sep 1914 Divine Providence, 24 May 1915

BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION THE MASTER BEINSA DOUNO – PETER DEUNOV (1864 –1944) I have passed through all mysteries of Life and now I am existing in the Spirit of Truth. Beinsa Douno 1864 – Peter Konstantinov Deunov was born on the 11th of July (29th of June by the Julian calendar – the Day of St Peter) in the village of Nikolaevka, near the Black Sea in the district of Varna. He was the third child in the family of Konstantin A. Deunovski (an Orthodox priest and a teacher) and Dobra Georgieva (her father Atanas Georgiev was a National Revival functionary and a mayor of Nikolaevka). 1872 – Peter Deunov entered the Elementary school in Nikolaevka. 1876-1881 – He studied and obtained his secondary degree in the male school in Varna. 1886 – Peter Deunov graduated from the American Theological School in Svishtov. 1887-1888 – He was a teacher in the village of Hotantsa, Ruse district. 1888-1892 – Peter Deunov went to the USA, where he graduated from the Drew Methodist Seminary in Madison, New Jersey. 1893 – He was conferred a degree in Theology at the University of Boston with the graduation thesis “The Migration of the German tribes and their Conversion to Christianity”. 1894 – He also took a course in Medicine at the University of Boston. 1895-1900 – Peter Deunov returned to Bulgaria, but refused to become a Methodist preacher or an Orthodox priest in Varna. He lived alone in seclusion and meditation, in prayer and profound inner work. During this period He received His Initiation and Mission of a Spiritual Master. 1896 – He published the book “Science and Education”, in which he analyzed the human path in the world drama and the coming of a new culture. 1897 – 33 years old, Peter Deunov founded in Varna a Society for Spiritual Elevation of the Bulgarian nation and published his mystic booklet “Hio-Eli-Meli-Mesail”. This was a turning point in his life – the beginning of his activities as a spiritual leader. 1898 – In Varna, before the members of the Charitable Society Maika (Maika means mother in Bulgarian). Peter Deunov delivered a message for the social and spiritual rec- ognition of the Bulgarians – “An Appeal to the Bulgarian nation”. 1899 – He wrote “The Ten Testimonials of the Lord” and “God’s Promise”. 1900 – The Master summoned His first three disciples: Penyo Kirov, Todor Stoimenov and Dr Georgi Mirkovich to a meeting in Varna in July. It was the First Spiritual Council. 1900-1942 – Annual councils were held, initially called meetings of the “Chain” – spiritual assemblies attended only by people personally invited by the Master. They were usually held in the summer in different locations throughout Bulgaria: in Varna (1900-1908), in Veliko Tarnovo (1909-1925), in Sofia (1926-1941), in the Rila and Vitosha Mountains. 1901-1912 – The Master traveled through the country. He gave lectures, carried out phrenological researches and studied the fundamental characteristics of the Bulgarian nation. 1901 – He published 5 phrenological articles titled “Heads and Faces” in the Rodina Magazine (Rodina means motherland in Bulgarian). 1906 – Peter Deunov settled in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, at 66, Opalchenska Street, where He began to deliver weekly Sunday lectures open to the general public. 1912 – The Master created the sacred book “The Testament of the Color Rays of Light” in the village of Arbanasi, close to the old Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo. 1914 – He began to give regular Sunday lectures to the general public in Sofia. These lectures were recorded in short- hand by his stenographer disciples. Later they were decoded, edited and published in the series of lectures “Power and Life”, which presented the fundamental principles of the New Teaching. 1917-1932 – Beinsa Douno lectured a special spiritual course for married women in Sofia. 1917-1918 – During the First World War he was interned in Varna for a certain period of time. According to the govern- ment of that time his lectures “demoralized” the Bulgarian soldiers. The followers of the New Teaching increased after the war and reached approximately 40,000 people in the first 30 years of the 20th century. 1922, 24 February – A Spiritual School was opened in Sofia with two classes: a General Class and a Special Youth Class of disciples. The Master delivered his lectures before the two classes twice a week in the course of 22 years (1922-1944). 1927 – The Izgrev Spiritual center was gradually estab- lished in Sofia and Beinsa Douno moved to live there with many of his disciples (Izgrev means sunrise in Bulgarian). 1929 – The first summer tent camp was carried out at the Seven lakes in the Rila Mountain. It became a tradition for the followers from the country and abroad. Nowadays it takes place every year in August as a spiritual school with thousands of participants. 1930-1944 – The Master held Sunday early morning lec- tures – a new line in his spiritual work, the so-called Morning word. 1933-1934 – He gave the first “28 exercises” of the PanEuRhythmy (Universal Cosmic Rhythm). Later he added the two parts “Solar Rays” and “Pentagram”. The PanEuRhythmy was finally completed in 1942. 1944 – Beinsa Douno with a group of disciples spent the hardest months during the Second World War (11 January1944 – 19 October 1944) in the village of Marchaevo, near Sofia, in the house of Temelko Gyorev. This house was preserved – nowadays it functions as a museum. 1944, 27 December – The Master ended His earthly path in Sofia. By the ordinance of a special permission he was laid to rest in the Izgrev district. His sacred place has turned into a beautiful garden, which is daily open for free visitation. Beinsa Douno – Peter Deunov left an invaluable spiritual heritage in his numerous talks and lectures, prayers, formulas and songs, gymnastic and breathing exercises, spiritual meth- ods and practices for group work, self-development and con- scious living. * * * After you go through a hundred million solar systems, you will come to me and then we will experience together the deepest Mystery of Life. Beinsa Douno

THE PURPOSE AND THE MEANING OF THE HUMAN LIFE Statement on the teacher lecture by Vlad Pashov December 31, 1933 Regarding the question about the existence of the soul people of today are divided into two: some say that the soul exists and others say the opposite. But in this dispute it is not clear what meaning is imparted to the word soul. The soul according to the spiritual science contains all possibilities – everything lodged in the human being, which should be developed during the centuries. This is the great source, from which one can draw. The soul represents the human being in its wholeness; this is the Life in its endless manifestation with the ever new problems and tasks that it sets for solving. And as the Life of humanity is revealed simultaneously in three worlds, the tasks standing before humans are in three aspects: material, spiritual and mental. These three manifestations of Life are connected by an inner bond. When we speak about the material life, we understand fulfillment of the possibilities lodged in a person. People should first learn to wisely use the capacities given to them and not to seek what is not at their disposal. In other words, it is better to give way to our innate aptitude revealed in life as longing than to lose our time and strength in persecution of things, for which we do not have the necessary potentials in that particular moment. The human life comes from the Infinite; it is manifested in the finite and it strives for freedom. If one has not passed from the Infinite into the finite, one cannot enter the law of freedom and realize one's own aspirations. Now freedom is the striving and the ideal of entire humanity. Nourishment, respiration, knowledge, religion and everything, which exists as a manifestation of the human life – these are only means or ways for attaining freedom. As soon as one attains freedom, one is happy. Freedom will bring you happiness. If you have freedom, you will not be submitted to all these organic moderations, which you undergo in your present life. These moderations occur because of certain reasons – you are not responsible for all that is happening. For example, you are not the only cause for illnesses – one third of the cause is in you, but the remaining two thirds are in others. Now you are interested in the question of the unsolved tasks in life. The past generations answered many side questions, but the important problems remained unsolved. We cannot be happy with what they have settled by now. Religious people say that we will achieve everything with the Teaching of Christ. But it should become clear that long ago people lost what Christ had brought to the world and what He had taught, so the questions remained unsolved. The tasks an individual has to fulfill are the same as the tasks of humankind, because the individual development and the development of humanity as a whole proceed in parallel. A person stays in the mother's womb nine months, in which all organs are formed. First the stomach is formed, then the lungs. The lungs are ready, when the embryo is already in the last month and should be born. When it is born, it begins to breathe and live – breathing gives effect to life. In the womb one learns to eat, but does not live yet, because one does not breathe and lies dormant; after birth one gets the freedom to live. Entire humanity is presently in the age of living-breathing, but an exit way should be found from this situation, so that it could proceed further. Prompted by the action of the creative impulse of Life minerals left their latent state and became plants; they did not stop there, but entered the position of fish, then that of birds, of mammals and finally they reached the phase of humans. Humans should also pass into a higher phase. Whether conscious or unconscious, the inner aspiration of going from a lower to a higher form exists in everyone. And if some persons do not want to develop into a higher form, no one can help them and make them happy in this state, in which they are now. Only temporarily they could receive assistance as beggars, but begging will not solve this problem in the world. All that happens in the life of entire humanity happens also in the life of each individual. In the first seven years a child lives its physical life – this is the period, in which the physical body is formed and developed; in the second seven-year period – from 7 to 14, the child undergoes a process of emotional modeling and development or this is the birth and the growth of the astral body; in the third seven-year period – from 14 to 21, the birth of the mental body occurs and the child begins to live its mental life; and in the period from 21 to 30 years the causal body begins to develop and the person lives a life of causes. According to the theosophists a person possesses seven bodies; each body is developed in seven years, all together it makes forty nine years. But this classification is partially true. There is another classification with twelve human bodies – three basic and nine transitional, i.e. nine shells, but the basic bodies are three. This is a concept of the Great Initiated. Whoever is interested and wishes to know more about it can look into the esoteric literature – there are many things written on the topic, so you may read. Each human body is a prerequisite for an acquaintance with a world. Without a physical body we cannot gain knowledge about the physical world and it will be unknown and inaccessible for us. Without a spiritual body the Spiritual world will be unknowable for us, without a Divine body the Divine world will be incognizable and we cannot perceive the inner meaning of Life. In the present human body the head represents the Divine world, the lungs – the Spiritual world and the stomach – the physical world. After you have regulated your relations with the stomach and treat all its cells properly, you will have natural and harmonious relations with the entire material world. If you regulate your breathing not only as a mechanical, but also as a conscious process, you will have harmonious relationships with all Intelligent beings of the Spiritual world. If you regulate your thoughts and begin to think right, you will have a harmonious bond with the Divine world. When a person harmonizes the inner forces of these three worlds, i.e. the functioning of the head, the lungs and the stomach, this person will get the best conditions in life. First you should observe and get to know yourselves in order to determine your place in the Universe. You should not strive to define the essence of humanity as a whole, but your own essence, your own form and position in the organism of Nature. And then, from this position you should turn consciously to Nature and study Her language. Nature has Her own language and if you do not know it, you cannot get into contact with Her, so disharmonic states and diseases will come into your life. A person should take into consideration three things in order to be healthy: a bright mind, pure lofty feelings and a noble will, as to know how to behave in any particular case. And in order to have these things, you should hold a high ideal and become masters of the circumstances, i.e. you should move to your goal undeviatingly, without being influenced by the outside conditions. If there are obstacles and difficulties in the world, you should not think that they are created especially for you. Sorrows are a fortuity in the life of the Earth. If you are clever, you will avoid a path with possible obstructions. But as people are not clever enough, all the time they collide with the ways of Nature and suffer as a result. Human suffering comes from our misunderstanding of Life. Humans think that they are masters and can do whatever they wish – kill animals, destroy plants and misuse the goods they are given, which causes all the crises in their lives. All good things in Nature are referred to Intelligent beings, who keep us responsible for everything. Contemporary people expect righteousness and kindness – this is good, but how do they behave with animals and other people? If they demand to receive rights and kindness, these should be for all. Kindness is expressed in this: to have understanding for the state of others and to accept their needs and worries as yours – this is the Divine law in the world. Only with compassion we could help one another, following the right path of Life, without these obstacles, which we meet today, and our life will attain an inner meaning, so we will get to know why we live and for whom. Everyone lives, even if unconsciously, for the Eternal. Every person at all times seeks the Immortal and Everlasting behind the transitional forms. Only that, which does not pass can be loved, because it is real. Only that, which does not lose its inner bond, is real. The Reality does not depend on our belief or disbelief in it, it just exists. The Reality is distinguished by the fact that we can experience it; Reality is absolutely intelligent by itself. And the human life as an expression of this Reality is strictly determined – not in a fatal way, but by the effect of the laws, conditioning the human existence. Therefore, some events, which will happen in life, can be foreseen. For example, fifteen years before the beginning of the First World War an esoteric society in England not only predicted the war, but also announced its development and showed the map of Europe after the war; and they were right in all their predictions. And now, they have drawn another map of Europe, which will be realized in the future. You will ask how they know this beforehand. There are laws, which determine the social state and the relations of the nations in the same way as there are laws, which regulate all processes and circumstances in Nature and in life. All these laws are based on a great Intelligence in the existence. And if we rely on this Wisdom and study its language, we will be advised about what is going to happen to us. Because the voice of Nature speaks in us – this is the Reality within ourselves. The Reality always gives something to us, while the unreal, the illusionary world takes from us and here is the difference. That, which brings strength to the human mind and makes a person think; that, which gives power and life to the human feelings and the human body, so that a person can achieve something in the world, is real. If you become channels of the Reality in the world, you will be useful for the advancement of entire humanity. You will become co-workers of Nature or servants of God, if we put it in religious terms. But the idea of God should be seen in a new light. The idea, which people have of God today, is absolutely not true. In our view God is the Great Reality in the world – that, which is of vital importance for everyone. The life that runs and pulses in us – this is God; the noetic that acts in us – this is God. God reveals Himself in every soul and says, "You will all become as I think, and if you follow My path, you will attain everything". You should all submit yourselves to the impulse of Life. If you follow this impulse without fear, all good and great persons will become your background and will assist you. When we begin to live in this way, we will become free of the contradictions and the illnesses. The foundation of all diseases lies in the violation of the great law of Love. All problems with the nervous system are caused by the violation of the law of Wisdom and all physical diseases – by the violation of the law of Truth. If you infringe the law of Truth, certain organs of your body begin to suffer. Something new should flow into the human soul. Contemporary people have not a guiding idea in their lives; they just try to live in one or another way until they pass away – these are people who do not have an ideal. Only when Love enters someone and begins to act through them, they will have an aspiration and an ideal. When Love comes It will create a whole paradise, in which you will dispose with everything good and noble that your soul may wish for. In the future people will face the need for solving the great questions of Life. These contradictions, which exist now among the nations, will disappear and entire humanity will become one big family; nations and individuals will be the members of this family, respecting and assisting one another in the same way as the organs of a body function together – there will be inner harmony among all. And you will be witnesses of this future. Translated by Maria Braikova

From The beauty of life Absolute Purity Lecture given by Beinsa Douno August 21, 1929, The Fifth Rila Lake The word purity[1] is understood by everyone. It has an external and also an internal meaning. We say "external cleanness" and "inner purity". Everyone understands and perceives external cleanness. When we refer to the external cleanness of a house, we imply that the house is whitewashed on the outside and the inside, the floors in the rooms – swept and mopped, the dust thoroughly wiped. When we refer to the external cleanness of clothing, we imply that the article of clothing, if white, is thoroughly washed, and if black, does not have any stains. When we refer to purity of butter, we assume that it is fresh, pristine and without any odor. Hence, everything is pure, as long as it is not adulterated or mixed with any foreign elements. This shows that there are certain elements in Nature, which produce impurity. What is impurity? – Impurity is the antithesis of purity. While a person[2] lives, while he is healthy, he is characterized by purity. When the element of impurity begins to enter life, death immediately takes a forward stride. The more impurity builds up, the deeper death penetrates life. Death and impurity are positively correlated. Therefore, impurity is related to death. Once this principle is acknowledged, the first rule in life for people is to purify their thoughts. If they purify their thoughts, they will gain a clear and pure understanding of God. God is not a form outside us. He is the Source of Life. What better do we have than Life? Every urge, every instance of joy in us is begotten by the inner feeling that we exist, that we live. When you get up in the morning, you feel revitalized and healthy, you look toward the rising Sun and rejoice, because you have a humble idea about a certain daily work. This is a result of the first offshoots of the Tree of Life. Someone says, "Life is tough: since early morning we have to think about food, about what we will eat, how much we will earn, etc." I say, the issue of food is an element of the physical or material life. The physical food is an element, which is not a necessity for one's spiritual life. To be spiritual does not imply that one should eat a lot, or that his food should be very tasty. The seasonings added to a meal are extraneous elements. If all enlightened beings gather in one place, what food will be given to them? – Different. Why? – Because every being ingests the type of food, which is necessary for its development. However, there is something common in the nutrition of all beings, of all organisms on Earth. For example, when we consider water all beings without exception use it. Initially all beings received their food from the air, afterwards – from the water, and finally – from the solid matter. This is how it happened with humans as well. Once upon a time humans lived on light. People of this age have forgotten the art to live on light; only their eyes have retained this knowledge until today. If the eyes of a person do not feed on light for a long time, they will atrophy. Consequently, the first task of a person is to formulate a clear idea of God. When you speak about God, you have to attribute all beings to His consciousness – from the smallest to the biggest ones of whom God takes equal care. There is no other being such as God that is better, higher, more magnanimous and more helpful, wherefrom Life emanates. The life of the entire universe is contained in God. God does not have an equal to Himself. When both the most sinful and the most ignorant think of Him, they feel a tremor somewhere deep within themselves. If one does not apprehend the essence of this tremor, he will pass through and go away from life, without grasping the meaning of the Great Source. He will say, "I got excited, as if I saw a bear." Yes, it is pleasant to see a bear, but because the tremor is strong, you are frightened out of your senses. Even the most courageous hero is often scared by the look of a beautiful young woman. The hero will say, "I saw a beautiful young woman and my heart jumped." Why did his heart jump? – For the only reason that this brave person cannot withstand the bounty he was bestowed. Every gift contains a danger. Many ask, "What is the essence of fear?" – Fear exposes the boundary, the region, where the human being has diverged from God. However, if one arrives at the proper, pure thought, the fear will be transformed into a rational force. Those who think wisely do not fear. This is why, until you have not formulated a clear idea of God, you cannot evolve, you cannot attain true knowledge. If you do not grasp this concrete idea, you will soon lose everything that you have achieved. For example, you can progress for a certain period of time: you can become a scholar, learn an art, gain wealth, acquire strength, etc. Once you advance in age, you will gradually begin to lose your acquisitions: today you will loose your knowledge, tomorrow – your art, on the third day – your wealth, on the fourth – your strength. Eventually you will find yourself in the position of a person, who has lost all his high ideas and the inspiration to work, so you will say, "I have only one idea left." Which is this idea? – "That I was a rich man and now I am an utter pauper." What is someone with such an idea? You may say, "If one loses everything, he should not think, feel or act." I say, if one's thoughts and feelings are incorrect, they will create worries and anxieties, from which one will age prematurely. We are talking about sober thoughts, about pure and noble feelings, which connect human beings to God and inspire and lend wings to his activities. For example, our thoughts are worrisome, when we are anxious about how we will live our lives, whether we will be healthy, rich, etc. I ask, when the king's son enters school, does he need to think about who will support him, how much money he will be sent, who will serve him, etc.? – He does not need to dwell on these questions. Once sent to school, he is expected only to study; and his father will take care of the rest. If the son is lazy and does not study, he will bear the consequences of his laziness: grave misfortunes will overtake him. I say, you are the king's sons, sent to the Earth to study. You must thank God for everything you have: light, air, water and bread. What else do you need? – To study! One day, upon your return from this long journey on Earth, your Father will ask you, "What have you learned up to this point?" This is what your acquaintances will ask you as well, once they find out that you went to the Seven Lakes in the Rila Mountain. You will tell them that you climbed mount Damga[3] and mount Haramiyata[4]; that you saw the Seven Rila Lakes. However, this is not all that you could have seen and learned. All these peaks and lakes are symbols. It is important what you read in the book of Nature. How many pages did you learn and what did you grasp? What difference does it make that you climbed a high peak? Why did you climb it? – To follow from afar those who pass and what they carry. Is this the meaning of climbing high peaks? You will say that brigands went up to mount Haramiyata to await the passage of rich travelers whom they robbed. Outdoor excursions have a profound meaning, and particularly – the ascent of high peaks! So when you talk about robbing rich people, you have to know who they are. Rich people represent the rich ideas in the world. Good is like a rich person whom we have to rob. Evil is like a poor person, whose passage we must not obstruct. What are we to take from the poor? The Scriptures say, "Do not resist evil!" Why? – Because evil is like a poor person whose bills you have to pay. This sentence from the Scriptures is an important economic formula. Therefore, you should grant undisturbed passage to evil; to the poor man. If you do not heed this advice, if you obstruct the passage of this poor person, he will beg you for money, clothes, shoes and you will have to give him everything for which he asks. Evil is like a poor person who relies on the mercy of others. Those who enter the Heavenly School to study have to free themselves from begging. I say, if you want to understand God, you have to be pure. It is said, "Only those with a pure heart will see God." Sufferings, hardships, misfortunes will come. You are amidst the sea where big storms rise up. These storms will affect the ship as well: they will rock it to one side, then to the other, but harmony and peace must reign inside. If the waves manage to enter the ship, even through the smallest of its cracks, the latter becomes already subject to destruction and death. The negative, impure thoughts from which you should guard yourselves enter in the same way. What about you, do you not contaminate when you travel through Nature? How many servants have to work, following your departure, until they clean up your dirt! Some may consider themselves pure and saintly, but they leave their dirt behind: they eat here and there, leaving garbage all over. Until you carry your dirt with you, you are neither saintly nor pure yet. If you observe cleanness in the physical world, you will also be pure in the mental and the spiritual world. Someone may brag to me that he believes in God, that he has a high ideal, while he does not observe even the most basic cleanness in the physical world. No, purity is required of everyone in all aspects: physical cleanness, mental purity and spiritual purity. You say, "Everything is up to us." It is up to you to observe Absolute Purity in your entire life. Life itself, however, depends on God. If you want to be healthy and happy, let every feeling, every thought and every action of yours be permeated with the idea of Purity. Only in this way will you receive the blessings of God. Currently whatever God sends you, you spoil it, but by doing so you undoubtedly expose yourselves to death. It is time for humans to renounce their petty pride. So what if someone has said something bad about you or has defamed you? Do not occupy yourselves with negative things; do not invite them to your mind! Let all people disrespect you, yet work and prove that you are a person of dignity and self-respect. Work incessantly in the course of ten years to develop your inner strength and might, so that you may prove to others that you are a person. If you enter a village and lift a big stone weighing a whole ton, you will amaze all the villagers. When they see your strength, they will say to themselves, "Do not mess with this man. One should not tease him. He is very strong!" Instead you enter a village and you cannot lift the smallest pebble, you are in need of the most basic help yourself and on top of it you demand people's respect. Afterwards you will boast that you converse with God. The one who converses with God is strong; he can move mountains from one place to another. If you cannot move mountains, do not delude yourselves. Everyone else might have talked to you but God. When God spoke to Moses, the latter raised his staff, struck the rock and therefrom water gushed out. God spoke to Moses and manna descended from the sky. God spoke to Moses and he shepherded the Jewish people in the course of forty long years through the desert. Instead, those who boast cannot feed themselves, and yet they claim that God converses with them. I ask how will you recognize when God speaks to you? Are you going to learn that from books? – No. Everyone has a unique inner experience through which he has come to recognize God's voice within himself. There are many ways to understand Nature, but one is the Way to enter the world of Truth. Truth is the purest of worlds, in which Love manifests itself. Truth is the purest form of Love. What is Love? – The purest essence of this form. Truth is the highest manifestation of Love! The utmost freedom is achieved through Truth. The brightest Light is attained through Love. In an esoteric sense Love is substituted by Righteousness. If you seek warmth and heat, look for Righteousness. Whenever Righteousness comes into the world she raises the physical temperature. Righteousness is the strongest heat of Love, and Love is the essence of Life. When it is a question of Life, you have to know that there is nothing higher than Life. Therefore, Love, Wisdom, Truth and Righteousness are these spheres or worlds, through which Life manifests itself. What is meant by the word life at present is that human consciousness, which contains constant, incessant aspiration for achievements. When we say that we live, we imply a constant aspiration for something, which we are trying to achieve. When a child is born, its consciousness awakens instantly and it begins to desire, to want something from the objective world. If we consider the world of feelings, we are also searching for a certain object in it. If we consider the world of the mind, there we want to study, we are searching for an object there too. Life also exists in the spiritual world and in the Divine world. Therefore, Life manifests itself in all spheres and worlds, but in different forms. One thing is important: in whatever form Life may reveal itself, it cannot function without purity. I ask, how can you maintain purity? – Through serving God. When we talk about serving, we imply that one may serve only God, only Love. We say, "God is Love." Therefore, it is only Love that one may serve. As far as Life is concerned we say, "We could even become slaves only to attain life." Therefore, three things are important in your life: to serve God, to respect yourself and to love your neighbor. To love your neighbor means to unload the unnecessary burden that you are carrying on your back. To respect yourself means to understand the meaning of Life. Only the beautiful, intelligent and good person has self-respect. One perceives these traits first within oneself, and then in others. If you see goodness, intelligence and wisdom in yourself, then you will see them in others too. This implies that what you see in yourself is reflected in those around you. You respect people for the consciousness that you have within yourself; you love people for the beautiful, divine, noble that you see in yourself. Once you have discerned these traits in them too, you have already loved them. Why does the father love his son? – Because of the respect he has for his own self. This respect is transformed into love for the son. What is Love? – To see yourself in others. What is respect? – To realize your human dignity. What does it mean to serve God? – To realize that everything comes from God and that He does not have an equal. If you say to yourself that everything is possible for God, you will be prepared for everything. You can serve God only conceptually. The word serving implies that everything you do in the name of God is possible. Then someone will ask you, "Can you shoulder the Earth?" – I am shouldering it now. "What about the Solar system then?" – I have been shouldering it for a long time. "Well, what about the universe?" – I am a master of the universe. Now, every person with petty ideas will say, "What an awkward statement! How can people dare to claim that they shoulder the Earth and the Solar system or that they are masters of the universe? Is this possible?" – To say that you are a master of the universe means that you have traveled across it from end to end. For the wise person the distance between his head and his feet represents the entire universe. Therefore, when someone says that he is a master of the entire Universe, this suggests that he knows his body from head to toe. Thus one holds the universe in oneself. The time necessary for a person to stretch his hands from his head to his feet is equivalent to the time he will need to cross the universe form one end to the other. It is sufficient that he only moves his hand to cross instantly the universe from one end to the other. Things are distant only when they are separated from the common organism. When they are together in the organism, they are close. The word closeness implies the organization of all enlightened beings in one whole. Disorganization implies an act of separation. When you claim that someone has insulted or harmed you, then either this being, which has insulted you, is outside the common organism, while you are within, or both of you are outside the organism. When both of you are inside the common organism, discord cannot exist between you. Can there be discord between the fingers of the hands? Does it matter that some fingers are on the left hand and others are on the right hand? Whether some fingers are on the left hand and others on the right hand is of no consequence; they can help each other. I say, many people of today have reached a certain sphere in life and there they have stopped. They have to take a step forward to enter the sphere of the New, which is now coming into the world. If someone walks along the trodden path, the same as before awaits him: he will die, priests will perform the funeral service, speeches will be held over his grave, saying that he had graduated from three universities, that he had served the country. – Yes, this person served his country but not God. And we know this because he is dead. It is written in the Scriptures, "And this is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God." (John 17:2-4) I will add to this quote: this is eternal life that you may know God and serve Him. But there is a certain danger: if people in their service go to an extreme, they may get bored and abandon their work. It is true that there are many reasons, which may lead you to such a situation. However, if people have an accurate understanding of life, nothing can steer them away from their path; nothing can disturb their balance. I will give you an example from the country life (because it is closer to Nature) and I will explain why people sometimes run off the rails of their lives. Every day a youthful hard-working peasant got up early in the morning before sunrise to yoke his oxen and to go to the field to plough. His cart was apparently in order; his oxen were groomed and brushed with care. He himself, cheerful and smiling, was quietly singing to himself, he was aspiring to life. All day long, until late in the evening, he worked and did not get tired; he was content. He returned home still cheerful and smiling, unyoked his oxen, fed them, put away his cart and awaited the following day with joy in order to continue his work. Thus the days slipped unnoticed until one day he met a beautiful girl and was captivated by her. He did not feel like working anymore: he departed late in the morning and returned early in the evening. He abandoned his cart; his oxen were not groomed, the song was no longer on his lips, the smile was no longer on his face. He roamed in a daze and said, "I suffered enough; I do not feel like working anymore. How did it happen that this lot, to be slaving my whole life, fell on my shoulders? Until now I have worked, from now on I want to enjoy life." So, he went around the village well-dressed with a hat and a new belt, with a flower on his coat; he walked in random streets until he stopped by the garden of that pretty girl and just like a soldier he patrolled from one end to the other. Then he paused for a moment in front of the garden to see the delinquent who was hiding somewhere among the trees. His patience was exhausted, he entered the garden, but the gardener was locked up – she was not in the garden. She was sitting inside, smiling and observing what the young man was doing. What was the delinquent like? What were her fetters like? – The young man was interested, he wanted to know everything. It was because of the delinquent that the young man had left his field and his oxen. This delinquent – the young girl – was sitting inside, with a wreath on her head, smirking. Currently, an idea arose in the youth, to take a flower from the girl. Why did he want to take the flower? – He wanted to rob her, saying, "I worked, I ploughed the field up to now, but nothing happened through ploughing." And thus he began: today he took a flower from the girl, tomorrow – a flower and when he took ten flowers away, he also took the girl. This was the first magic with which the youth commenced. He knew that when the girl adorned herself with a flower, she instilled something of herself in it. That day he took something from her, the other day he took something until the girl went to him to take back her flowers, and with him she remained. These relationships exist in all manifestations of life. These are symbols, which we translate into the human language. The youth will marry the beautiful girl, but how long can they be happy with their current views of life? A year or two they may be happy, but afterwards their happiness will disappear. Why? – Because neither the youth nor the girl have eternal Life in themselves. As long as a wife has something Divine within herself, her husband can love her. As long as a husband has something Divine within himself, his wife can love him. When they loose the Divine within themselves, their love for each other disappears. In other words, a person can be loved, when they are pure. If an element of impurity enters them, love towards them will gradually recede until it fades entirely. Therefore, the lack of Love comes as a natural consequence from the impurity in life. When people do not love you, you should know that you yourself are the reason for it. Who does not like to bathe in a clean spring? However, if you are a puddle or a bog, who will bathe in you? Everyone will wash their faces, hands and feet in a clean spring, but in the bog – no one wants to do it. Now, once you grasp the meaning of purity in its broadest sense, you must place it as a foundation of your physical life. Why? – Because one's health depends on one's inner purity and outside cleanness. Purity of ideas is what is required of a person! In this respect, when we say that you should not occupy yourselves with the shortcomings of others and criticize them, we imply that you should not contaminate the purity of your life and expose yourselves to death. To deal with the shortcomings of people is a contagion, which destroys the body. What will you gain from this? – Not only that you will gain nothing, but you will loose all that is good in you. Hence, why should you occupy yourselves with the sins of others? There is a Turkish proverb, "Leave the drunkard, let him fall down and learn!" It is easier for the Bulgarian to get drunk than for the Turk. The Turk in general is more sober. When he gets drunk, he walks, falls down, gets up and tells himself: "Come on, go on, Hassan! Why did you drink so much, that your legs cannot support you?" He falls down again – "Walk, Hassan! Why do you drink so much?" This is how he talks to himself on his way home. When he enters his home, he starts to apologize to his wife that he got so drunk, because according to the laws of Mohammed, one is not allowed to get drunk. When the Bulgarian gets drunk, however, he will first demonstrate his art to fight. Sometimes his wife is strong enough; when she sees that her drunken husband is throwing himself to beat her, she will push him and he will fall on the ground. He will get up and start afresh to throw himself at her. After she has pushed him three or four times to the ground, he will ask her, "What do you mean by this?" – "That you drank too much." – "Well, a person has to enjoy life somewhat." The Bulgarian thinks that wine is a gift of God and that one should drink as much as he pleases. The Turk thinks that he has committed a sin when he gets drunk. So early in the morning he goes to confess to the imam*. I say, inebriety is impurity. Gluttony is impurity. Bad-mouthing is impurity. Envy and many other vices are impurity. Therefore, from an entirely hygienic point of view, impurity has to be thrown out, if we want to be free. If we want to become knowledgeable, in the broad sense of the word, we must be pure. Scientists filter things in their scientific experiments until they purify them completely. When we talk about purity, it applies to those who are assiduous when working on themselves. It applies to those who have a strong aspiration for purity. The rest will not understand what they are told, saying, "This subject is really tough." Those who follow the right path are required to take only one step forward in order to enter the realm of purity. Then you can speak to these people about conceptual issues. As long as they live in impurity, you cannot speak to them about conceptual issues, because they will remain unclear. There are certain spheres, in which Absolute Purity reigns. They can neither be mentioned nor can a human foot enter them. If someone enters there, he will contaminate and disturb everything. Absolutely no disarray and dislocation of a single thing is allowed there. You do not have the right to move a single pebble there. When you go to one of the sacred springs of eternal Life, you will dip a cup of water and drink it to the very last drop. Not a single drop of water is allowed to be spilled there. What do you usually do when you go to the springs in the physical world? You pour an entire cup of water; you drink two or three gulps, and the rest you throw out. In the Divine world this is absolutely inadmissible. When contemporary people are told about sacred, pure things, they laugh. They do not realize how important the sacred things are. A person of this age grows serious only in the face of the toughest and the most difficult situations in life. Only then one starts to think of God and of the other world, and to believe that there is something else, which he does not understand. When the rope is hung around one's neck and the priest comes to read a prayer, then this person becomes very serious: he looks around, wondering whether help will not come from somewhere. If at this moment they set him free, he feels enormous gratitude because his life was granted to him. Now he has already understood what Life is. The rope with which people are hung represents the evil thoughts. The enemies, the foes of people are those who are the cause for the rope to be placed around their necks. They offer you bad advice today; then more of it tomorrow until you are hanged. Be careful not to hang on the rope in the same way as it happened to a saint, who was cheated by the devil. The saint lived in the desert, where he spent his time in fast and prayer and in deep contemplation. The devil decided to tempt him by making him a king. He tried one trick, then another, until he finally succeeded in achieving his aim. The saint really became a king; however, the circumstances soon enough brought him to the gallows. The devil told him: "Trust me, I will set you free". When they placed the rope around the neck of the saint, the devil appeared again and told him: "Look out into the distance and you will behold a vision." The saint looked towards the place, pointed by the devil. "Do you see something?" – "I see a donkey." – "What else do you see?" – "I see another donkey."- "Do you not see anything else too?" – "I see a third donkey." – "Are the donkeys carrying something on their backs?" – "Yes, they are loaded with sandals." – "These are the sandals, which I tore until I succeeded in placing the rope around your neck." The rope awaits those who follow the devil's advice. It will be placed around their necks and then they will take them down. A small trace of deceitful relationships can be observed in life. These are relationships of impurity. To avoid this type of life, you need to be exact: whatever good you think of and promise to do you have to fulfill it. In the Divine life where Absolute Purity reigns, there is not forgetfulness. In the Divine life everything happens precisely on time. Precision is a quality of the pure life. Those who do not live in purity obscure the horizon of their sky in the same way as the clouds obscure the Sun. That is why you hear certain people say, "I am somewhat sad." – Yes, your sky is cloudy. If you want your sky to clear out, you have to serve God, to respect yourself and to love your neighbor. The same formulas you shall apply to yourself as follows: you will serve your spirit that guides you; you will respect your soul that contains everything valuable in itself; you will love your body and all the creatures that serve you, because of the great idea which lives in you. If you treat yourself accordingly, you will have a clear idea of God and then everything will be possible for you. If you do not serve God, everything around you will be dead. If you know God, if you have a clear idea of Him, all boulders in Nature will be able to move, becoming light as feathers. In fact, they are heavy and frightening for those who do not serve God. It is sufficient for them to see these boulders moving and their hair will bristle up with horror. Everything in the world is alive and in motion for those who serve God. They can make an experiment and assure themselves that everything in Nature is alive. If we see many motionless bodies, the sole reason for this is to give us the possibility to reveal life today, i.e. this is a possibility for us to live. One day, when people finish their development on Earth, all creatures that are currently motionless, will abandon this state and will manifest life. Many want to know what will happen with the boulders. This is an easy question. It is more important what will happen to you. When you attain eternal Life, you will visit the Earth again and then you will witness the result of all its transformations. If the consciousness of people is constantly awake, they will be aware of all changes, which take place on Earth. Currently, because of this interruption of consciousness the contemporary people wait for the scientists to explain the past geological changes on Earth. This is good, but it is time for the human consciousness to wake up and for the human mind to begin working actively. Hence, we recommend Absolute Purity to all contemporary people. For many this idea is still incomprehensible. It depends on the situation, in which they find themselves today. Purity is followed by sanctity. They are synonyms. And sanctity is followed by service. If someone is pure and saintly, he cannot do anything else but serve. Finally, Love comes after serving. If one does not know how to serve, one cannot love. If one does not know how to love, one cannot learn. And if one does not know how to learn, one can never attain freedom. These possibilities are closely related to each other. Those who start with purity have already taken a step forward. This is the natural, normal path in life. Someone says that he has already aged, but he has not lived enough. What is the essence of Life? Let us suppose that someone is able to live a hundred thousand days on Earth; what does he need during this period of time? If he eats three times a day, he will need three hundred thousand meals. If he drinks water five times a day, and every glass contains two hundred and fifty grams, it means that he will need one hundred and twenty five thousand liters of water. And if he tears a single suit each day, he will need one hundred thousand suits in total. Some scientists claim that every seven years the human body completely renews its cells; others claim that this process occurs every three months. Therefore, according to some scientists humans change their clothes every seven years, according to others – every three months, and according to me – every single day. A new suit lasts from sunrise to sunset. As you can see, many expenses are associated with someone who will live one hundred thousand days on Earth. How can people justify such expenditures, if they have not served God, respected themselves and loved their neighbors? I say, let those people whose consciousness is awake keep the idea of mental purity. Let purity remain in the minds of all people as a norm, as a measure, which they can use in all situations in life. Purity is a magic wand for every conscious person. When you get up in the morning, start your day with the idea of purity. Let this idea become as dear, as desired and beloved for all people as the image of a young beautiful woman in the youth's mind. We may witness how the youth awaits and seeks her, how he is ready to go to the other end of the world for her. Let the idea of purity be the beloved woman, whom everyone is ready to seek out even at the other end of the world. Let Purity be the beloved of everyone! Once people find her, let them stop at a distance in front of her holy image solely to study and contemplate her. Once you attain such purity, you will be connected to the Heavenly world, to the Primary Cause. Only in this world there is constancy and steadfastness. The constant and steadfast things are important to you. What can be better than to know that there is one sagacious Being in the world Who loves you at all times: when you are asleep or awake, when you are sick or healthy, when you are learned or ignorant, when you are wealthy or poor. There is nothing better than to know that the attitude of this Being towards you is always the same. If you serve God, everyone will love you. Someone says, "I want to serve God, so I do not want to get married." I say, if you resolve this issue without God, you will be unhappy. However, if you marry without God, you will be twice as unhappy. If you do not marry, but you connect to God, you will be happy. If you get married with God's consent, and both you and your spouse are connected to Him, you will be twice as happy. This idea expressed in your way signifies the following: every task, every conceived idea in which the Divine Source participates is pure, sacred and sublime. Only then can a person be content. What is the purpose of bringing two people together? Why do two souls join to live together? – They become two poles, through which the Divine life manifests itself. When someone says that he does not want to get married, this suggests that the sphere, in which he is moving, is impure. When a traveler passes by many springs and does not drink water from them, this shows that they are impure. If he drinks water from them, they are pure. I ask: Will you marry when you ascend to Heaven? – No. Therefore, marriage is a side issue. When we talk about marriage, the primary idea to be concerned with, is that we ought to marry purity. This is a true marriage. Whoever has not married purity is a widower. In this sense, when someone says that he does not want to marry, he sentences himself to death. A marriage in the spiritual sense of the word is to marry purity. Whoever gets married on Earth in the physical sense dies; if he does not marry, he does not die. In the spiritual world the process is reverse. Therefore, the union with purity is a condition for the continuation of Life. Contemporary people must free their consciousness from all impure images. They have to create within themselves pure ideas, pure images of the young woman, of the youth, of marriage and celibacy, of Love, eternal Life, children, etc. A fundamental inner purification awaits everyone as it usually does before Easter. Assign beautiful explanations to all happenings and occurrences in life. When I am told that someone is crying, I do not dwell upon the person who is crying, but I say that it is raining outside and the rain is watering the flowers in his garden and so they are happy. When I am told that someone is happy, I understand that the Sun has shown upon the flowers in his garden and they are blooming and giving off a wonderful fragrance. If I am told that someone is beating his wife, I understand that in this home they are threshing wheat to store it in the barn. Aspire to substitute bad images with pure, vivid ones, so that you may preserve the purity of your consciousness. Now, when we talk about purity there is a danger to focus only on one of its facets, only on the external cleanness. If a young but lazy lad, who does not want to do any kind of work, strives only for external cleanness, he will ask his father every day for money to buy new clothes, shoes, perfumes, different combs and brushes solely to appeal to the girls. Thus, he will destroy both himself and his father, but he will not be able to achieve his goal. The girls will see him dressed up and clean every day, but there will be something else for which they will not like him. They will not see the true person in him. We cannot do without clothes, but the clothes do not make the person. The good clothes acquire their value only when a wise person is dressed in them. Knowledge and strength represent the same thing for the impure person as the adorning of the swine with a bell. I say, purity is the first requisite for the attainment of the Divine life. It is purity that the souls long for, pray for and seek out. The Scriptures are full of verses about purity and sanctity as well. Many opportunities arise before the pure people. If you cannot free yourself of impurity, the opportunities will remain sealed away for you. Advancement, light, knowledge, strength and freedom depend on purity in the physical world and on sanctity in the spiritual world. The more sacred the spirits are, the stronger they are. In the Divine world everything depends on Love. When you descend, you will work on the following ideas: serving, respect, affection; when you ascend you will acquire purity, sanctity and Love. All of you were present at the feast of purity today, but you shall watch out that a single crumb does not fall on the ground. You shall gather all the bread and then give it to those you meet. Someone says, "Let people embrace our ideas, our beliefs." I ask you, what are your ideas? – Be pure! What is your creed? – Purity! Each of you should be distinguished by a vigorous aspiration for purity. Let us dedicate this day to purity. You may ask, "Is everything hidden in purity?" Purity is the first step on the staircase to eternal Life. When you ascend to the second step, you will read again "Purity". The latter is a broad, inexhaustible world. The word chistota (purity/cleanness) is not a strong word, but we use it for the lack of a stronger substitute. That is what every village lad does when he wants to get married: he looks for the most beautiful bride and if he does not find the one he fancies he takes the best one in the village. They ask him, "Why did you marry this girl? Was there not a better one, a prettier one?" – "This one is the best of all. There was not such one as I fancied, so I married this one instead. And I am content with her." In the same way also by necessity, we use this simple, humble word chistota (purity/cleanness) to express a beautiful, magnificent world. The word chistota (purity/cleanness) here on Earth is not very beautiful; it is not a strong word. Purity is not a princess. Her father is not rich, but he is a respectable person; her mother is not rich either, but she is a hard-working woman. Therefore, purity was born lawfully and by good parents. Favorable circumstances have to be provided to bring about purity. At present purity is at the stage of a small seed that has to be planted in the soil, so that it may grow. Let some people take from this seed and work on the idea of purity in groups of two, three, five or ten. Only in this way the world can be reformed. Many uphold the idea that God can do everything, angels aid Him and so on. Since God can do everything, you do not have to work. This is a false idea, from which you have to guard yourselves. God has His action plan. He will come to the Earth, but will He find people ready to work? Everyone must work to evolve and perfect oneself. Do you know what will be the situation of a person, who expects a good, happy life but who does not work? I will give you an example to help you grasp this situation. Imagine a young woman who has awaited her beloved for many years so that she could create a happy life for him, but when he arrives she is bedridden by sickness for the following three years. What can her beloved do? – Either depart or wait for her to recover. What will be her situation, if her leg is broken, but her beloved offers her an automobile ride in town? Her legs must be healthy so that she can go on an automobile ride in town. Every person who lacks virtues is in the position of the girl with the broken leg. The legs of all people must be healthy! This will be achieved only when people change their old views and conceptions. Now, when a new idea is revealed to people, they panic. In this respect they resemble the little children of old times, whose teachers entered the school with canes. Whenever the children saw the teachers bringing in the canes, they knew that a punishment would follow. When a teacher entered the classroom, he saw that the children had raised dust, but he did not know who the true culprit was. Then he began in due order: he hit one on the hand, the other on the head, he beat up everyone and went out. However, contemporary teachers do not come to the children with canes. Contemporary upbringing does not resemble the old one; now, there are new methods and ways to educate children. When I reveal a new idea to you, you fear due to an old habit, you think that I am carrying a cane in my hand. No, I have entered without a cane, without a stick. This method is not recommended, it is not economical. When a teacher enters the classroom with a cane, a great deal of his energy goes into it. A teacher must not hold his lecture with a cane. Today the cane is substituted by a quill or a pencil. It is the magic wand, which every student has to hold in his hand, when the teacher lectures. Therefore, with this magical wand you will write in your consciousness the idea of Absolute Purity. And when someone asks you what you were told at the Fifth Lake, you will say, "No ear has heard and no eye has witnessed what we were told. We were told about hygiene from the point of view of Absolute Purity". _____________________________________________________ [1]Purity – the word chistota in Bulgarian signifies both purity and cleanness. Therefore in Bulgarian, the subtle nuances of chistota are inferred from the context of its use. In certain instances, to facilitate the reading of the text, the current translation uses the word purity to signify both cleanness and purity. [2]chovek (person) – the Bulgarian word chovek signifies a thinking and conscious human, without reference to gender. The current translation uses English equivalents such as person and one wherever possible. The use of the personal pronoun he in reference to chovek is used to facilitate the reading of the text, however it should be interpreted as an indication of both the feminine and masculine genders. [3]Vazov Vrah Summit – old name Damga, 2669 m, the Seven Rila Lakes Region [4]Haiduta Summit – old name Haramiyata, 2465 m, the Seven Rila Lakes Region Translated by Jana Rupchina and Oleg Rupchin

CONTENTS Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The word. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Beauty of Life, 1942. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 In the Beginning Was, 1914 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Awakening of Collective Consciousness, 1921 . . . . . . . . . 43 The Conscious Life as an Entertainment, 1924. . . . . . . . . . 65 For the Glory of God, 1926 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Absolute Purity, 1929 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 The Two Paths, 1932 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Let the Children Come, 1932 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 The Purpose and the Meaning of Human Life (Vlad Pashov), 1933. . 151 Sensible Comprehension, 1934 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Four Rules, 1937 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 The Ascending Way, 1942 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Biographic Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

THE WORD The Word came through Beinsa Douno as a gentle wind heralding the cosmic spring on the Earth and the blossoming of human souls. It was almost entirely given orally in a period of 50 years. The Word consists of approximately 4,000 talks and lectures recorded in short hand, then decoded and published. Thanks to the disciples the Divine Teaching was preserved and passed on to future generations. The published lectures are classified in several series: * Sunday lectures – held in front of the general public (1914-1944) * Lectures given to the Spiritual School (1922-1944) – to the General Class and to the Youth class of disciples * Council lectures * Lectures presented at the gatherings in the Rila Mountain * Morning Word (1930-1944) * Additional talks There are a few papers, articles and books written per- sonally by Peter Deunov - Beinsa Douno: * “Science and Education” - published in 1896 * “Hio-Eli-Meli-Mesail” - published in 1898 * 3 spiritual messages written by the Master in 1899: - “The Ten Testimonials of the Lord” - “God’s Promise” - “An Appeal to the Bulgarian nation” * Notes and prayers recorded in the Master’s notebook from March 30, 1899 to October 16, 1900 * “Heads and Faces” , 5 phrenological articles - pub- lished in the Rodina Magazine in 1901 * “The Testament of the Color Rays of Light“, a sacred book received in deep meditation - published in a special edi- tion in 1912 * “In the Kingdom of Living Nature”, a book of 11 arti- cles - published in 1933 * “Letters to the First Disciples”, personal correspon- dence of Peter Deunov The Word also contains prayers and formulas given by the Master, directions and methods for spiritual work, practices for self-education and guidelines for daily life. The twelve lectures presented in this book convey the living spirit, the transforming power and the healing effect of the Word. They were held from 1914 to 1942 on different occa- sions: at the councils of the spiritual society founded in Veliko Tarnovo, at the meetings of the followers in Sofia, at the gather- ings in the Rila Mountain. Some talks were communicated in the Spiritual Center, which was gradually established in Sofia, named Izgrev (meaning sunrise in Bulgarian). The lectures vary in form and length, in structure and content, depending on the circumstances of delivery. Their beauty is hidden in this unique unity of simplicity and profundity, of diversity and wholeness. The meaning of the spiritual name Beinsa Douno in Sanskrit: “The One who advances Good through the Word” is revealed in each lecture. The first lecture “The Beauty of Life” was held at the Seven Lakes in the Rila Mountain. Its flow of speech is highly inspired and consistent, each sentence shining brightly as a gem of Wisdom. The same is true for the summary of another Rila lecture “The Two Paths”: Good thoughts, feelings and wishes represent rays of Light: they give food to Life and also to the soul that is coming to the Earth. Good deeds represent rays and colors of Light: they pro- vide the Living bread for the soul so that it can know The One Who gave birth to it. The lectures “For the Glory of God”, “Absolute Purity”, “Let the Children Come”, “Four Rules” and “The Ascending Way” were also held in the Rila Mountain – the oldest esoteric school on Earth according to Beinsa Douno. They all deliver the elevated atmosphere of Living Nature and the attentive guidance of the Master: My children protect the freedom of your soul! My children preserve the power of your spirit! My children sustain the light of your mind! My children maintain the goodness of your heart! (“Four Rules”) All lectures, selected in the book “The Beauty of Life”, give the essence of the Teaching of Conscious Life and the keys to its application on a daily basis. In each lecture the simplest and the highest, the smallest and the greatest merge together to reveal fundamental principles, spiritual laws and elevated ideas, which make this Word powerful and everliving. May the Beauty of Love, the Purity of Wisdom and the Light of Truth abide in you! Abide in Love, Wisdom and Truth so that they will abide in you! They represent the new life, which God is sending to the world. The Spirit of God requires mercy, not sacrifice. Beinsa Douno

PREFACE Love gives birth to Good. Good brings Life, Light andFreedom to our souls. Beinsa Douno This book entitled “The Beauty of Life” presents thetranslations of twelve lectures delivered by Beinsa Douno– Peter Deunov, who lived in Bulgaria during the late19th andthe early 20th centuries and gave a new teaching containing thebasic ideas of the Aquarius age. The Universal Master came to the Earth in the transitionalperiod to a new cosmic cycle to prepare the spiritual awakeningof humanity. He made the planet ready for the new impulse ofLight and collective consciousness of humans - for the adventof the culture of Love. Starting his activities with only three disciples, BeinsaDouno gradually established a society, which representeda mini-model of entire humanity. In this society he laid thebase of a new life on the principles of Love, Wisdom, Truth,Righteousness and Virtue. The meaning of his secular namePeter Deunov is a foundation stone. The spiritual teachingprovided by him is a union of three components: the Word(almost 4,000 talks and lectures), the Music (150 songs andmelodies) and the PanEuRhythmy (a sacred dance in 3 parts:“28 Exercises”, “Solar Rays” and “Pentagram”).

From Methods for Self-improvement METHODS FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT Only the Luminous Way of Wisdom leads to the Truth. The Truth holds Life within. Scholars, and especially those occupied with geometry, deal with geometrical figures and bodies. Meanwhile, ordinary and uneducated people do the same in everyday life, only that they are not able to give definitions to these figures. For instance, who, whether learned or ignorant, is not familiar with the circle? Does a farmer’s treshing field not represent a circle itself? However, it is not so important to be acquainted with the properties of the circle as a figure, as it is to know how to apply it. Many have knowledge about coal and its origin, but this knowledge is worthless if they cannot use it as fuel. Many are familiar with the properties of water, but it will be much better if they can transform the aquatic energy into electricity and light. The more transformations a particular type of energy undergoes, the better it gets for humans. For example, we benefit from the sunshine due to the transformation of solar energy into light. You may say that the sunlight comes directly, without being transformed from its source which is a celestial body. Go to the Sun to see what it is in reality and then make your comments. In fact, the light we receive with our eyes does not come from the physical Sun that we see. Really and truly, the physical Sun emits certain energy that is transformed several times until perceived as light. Light is produced by the higher consciousness, so, behind the physical Sun, there is another “Sun,” emitting the Eternal and Unfailing Light. In reality, that is the Light, which is true and genuine, as it never changes or fails. In this sense, we call “real” that which is everlasting. How real are human feelings, beliefs, and decisions? For example, today you are cheerful, the next day you are sorrowful. Which is real: your joy or your sorrow? Today you believe that there is a God, the next day you do not think so. Which of your two views is true? Today you decide to take an exam, the next day you change your mind. Which of these two intentions are you going to fulfill? Reality is everywhere and nowhere. Reality is neither sustained nor denied. Whoever has good sight and sees well will recognize the Sun. But the Sun cannot be recognized by those who cannot see, which is quite normal. The blind people do not acknowledge the Sun, because they cannot see it and no relation is formed to it. Reality becomes knowledgeable by its manifestations. If it does not reveal itself to us, it will remain unknown. What idea could we have of the Sun, if it does not reveal itself to us? We see the Sun as a physical body and as a result, we perceive its light and warmth. That is why we say that the Sun is real for us. Thus we call “real” anything that we can feel, think, and speak about. It is unusual for someone to accept something which is only thinkable as real. Not that it is unusual, but people are simply not aware that thoughts create forms in the same way as feelings and actions do. Forms can be physical as well as mental and emotional - corresponding to the respective worlds and distinguished by the different density of their matter. Physical forms are the densest, emotional are less dense, and mental are the least dense. To a clairvoyant the mental and emotional forms are as real as the physical ones. To a seer, life is uninterrupted and wholesome in all its forms and manifestations. But to those who do not see clearly, life seems to be interrupted and consists, as they say, of different ages as different phases of life, which have no points of contact. They will tell you that what was in youth was quite different from adulthood and disparate from old age. Actually, life is wholesome and uninterrupted. As a child you depend on your mother’s care, as a grown-up you separate from your parents, and finally, when you become an adult, you live entirely on your own. However, these are different phases of one process that is in progress. As long as the apple is green, it is on the branch of the apple tree; but after ripening, it falls on the ground and will eventually become food for a person, bird, or animal. If maiden’s soft, caressing hands take it from the ground, the apple will be happy. But when it goes among the girl’s strong, hard teeth, the apple will wonder at the change: how it is possible for someone with such soft hands to have such hard teeth at one and the same time. As spiritual students, you are required to obtain a clear idea of how all is arranged, and you should apply your knowledge and abilities as methods for self-improvement. With this consideration, you should not be puzzled why a girl may have soft hands, but hard teeth - just put every single thing in its place. When someone is in prison, sentenced to death, his younger sister needs to go to the ruler [pasha - in Turkish] who has passed the sentence and appeal for her brother’s liberation. Which method is advisable in this case: the soft hands or the hard teeth? Definitely, the soft hands are better. If the young woman wants to appeal for her brother’s life, she should be wise enough to apply the softest and kindest attitude toward the person in charge. If the ruler appreciates her kind and tender approach, he may pardon her brother. But if the sister uses the other method - the method of hard teeth, instead of attaining a pardon for her brother, she will quicken his death. So, it is much better to apply the soft and tender approach toward someone who has a heart of stone. In conclusion, the above mentioned forces are equal, but they are acting in opposite directions. What will happen to a body exposed to the effect of two equal, but opposite forces: the heart of stone and the kind attitude? The answer is that this body will remain immobile. In other words, the young woman’s brother will remain alive and healthy as the sentence will not be applied to him. Every young woman who succeeds to release her brother from prison is beautiful and wise; in other words, she has knowledge and power to apply her methods. Beauty represents the Truth in human beings. The ruler cannot withstand the young woman’s knowledge, power, and truth; that is why he yields. The woman has softly touched his heart of stone and as a result, he will discharge her brother. No one can resist Truth. Love is where the Truth is. Where Love reigns, there the relationships are as they should be. Where there is Love, the exchange between two beings is genuine and harmonious: they both give and both receive. When one gives, the other pays in return. The first, for example, is a merchant who offers high quality goods; the other is a buyer who pays for the purchases regularly and generously. The roles then switch: the first buys and the second sells. Therefore, to be able to maintain good relationships, you should pay off your old bills and correct your past mistakes. The old is like a thorn in your foot. It is small, but nevertheless, you need a needle to pick it out. You need to gather your courage and probe with the needle until the torn is removed. If you do not do this, you need to wait for about ten days, so that the thorn may soften and go out by itself. Regardless of which way of treatment you prefer, with or without a needle, the thorn must come out. People of today are afraid to strike their inner balance. For example, someone has a negative opinion of his neighbor, but he is afraid to find out why. It is awful to keep negative thoughts about anyone in your mind. Moreover, you should consider the objectivity of your opinion: is it based on real facts or not? If untrue views accumulate in your consciousness, they will bring you adversity and suffering. Negative thoughts will make you nervous and indisposed. To avoid negative thinking, you should make efforts toward your self-improvement and also learn from experience. What do you understand by “self-improvement? It means unassisted nourishment. On the path of self-improvement you need to try many ways in order to find out the method which is appropriate for you. In this way you will work out the right feelings and thoughts, which will create your own experience. Thoughts, which are attained through personal experience, are genuinely precious. For example, you realize that to become a scientist one must apply persistence and diligence; to become a singer, one needs a properly developed larynx, love for singing, and a good teacher. To be truly beautiful, one must be in touch with lovely images and inspiring people. To become smart, one needs to be in connection with the thoughts of Sublime Beings. To attain the Great Love, one needs to come into communion with God. Divine Love is received through the crown chakra at the upper part of the head. On the other hand, physical love passes through the back side of the head. In general, each brain center is related to certain forces of Nature. When you know this, you should be careful to avoid unconscious touching of the different parts and centers on your head. If you act on some center needlessly, you can cause yourself great harm. But if you treat a given spot on your head with knowledge and when necessary, you can improve your health. This knowledge can be used for self-improvement. As spiritual students, you need to consider the sacredness of your body. Each time you treat it, you should remember that it is a part of the Great cosmos. Therefore, it is through your body that you have a relationship with the Cosmos. That is why every disharmony caused somewhere in your body introduces a discord in the entire Cosmos. For this reason, it is better sometimes not to touch certain body centers, because unintentionally you could produce a whole “explosion” in yourself. Only the initiated know when and how to treat their body centers properly. The control of body language will help you to avoid such unconscious inner “explosions.” So, it is good to avoid any unaware and chaotic movements striving for conscious and thoughtful ones. In this respect, self-improvement is achieved through conscious living. Self-improvement implies to make your movements conscious and give way to your inner wisdom. Let’s say you are observing a young woman making some movements under an apple tree. If she bends down and then straightens up without doing any useful work, you will say that her movements are not conscious and meaningful. But if with each movement, she picks apples and places them in a basket, her movements are conscious and they are also approved by the apple tree. Even when the young woman eats some of the apples, the apple tree does not regret it. The apples would be sorry only if the woman eats them with the seeds, as they are bearing new life. The apples expect their seeds to be sown, so that to grow up again. Good relationships with plants and animals are a sign of good relationships with people and also with God. Only in this way are favorable conditions created for the manifestation and further development of the good that is invested in human beings. As soldiers exercise physically to become stronger, so every person should exercise in doing good. Exercises and efforts are needed for the development of each body center and personal ability. A person may have one or another physical make-up, but by conscious work and self-improvement, the negative features and planetary aspects can be overcome, while the positive ones are strengthened. The crabapple can be grafted in such a way as to bear good fruit. Similarly, the mindful person can be grafted with what is good and valuable. Many say that their living conditions are bad; that they cannot manifest their goodness, and so on. These are only mental beliefs typical for an ignorant person. Whoever is knowledgeable is also responsible to keep on working, practicing, applying, and gradually improving the self. It is not easy, but neither it is impossible. Through intensive conscious practice you can overcome your weaknesses and strengthen your innate good. It is hard to tame an elephant, but it is not impossible. Things can get scary when it gets angry. When this happens, the trainer pushes the elephant to the ground and rolls it over a few times. Getting up, the elephant will become as meek as a lamb. Sentient nature treats humans in the same way. While someone is standing upright on his legs, he is brave and decisive. But when he is thrown on the ground and rolled over and over, he gets tamed and humbled. Thus Life serves Nature. When someone is headstrong and stubborn, Life pushes him down on the ground and rolls him over few times. When this person gets up, he has already learned a lesson and he would probably think before getting angry again. Nature applies the same methods to stubborn, headstrong, and unruly people as to animals. Even the most vicious dog can be tamed, if caught and twirled around and around by its tail. However, Sentient nature can apply on people some other methods as well. She can display her own advanced methods to them and leave them to self-improve. Those who apply her methods will have good results. There are specific methods for the development of any living species - fishes, birds, mammals, and so on. Similarly, there are specific methods for the education and self-improvement of everyone - either learned or ignorant. As a whole, if someone wants to apply proper methods for self-improvement, he needs to apply the methods of sages and saints, who have drawn their knowledge from Sentient nature. Observe their life and see their routines: how they go to bed and get up, how they wash themselves and dress, how they pray and work. By improving yourself you can change your old ways of living and enter a new life, where things are set right. Someone gets angry and thinks that the appropriate way to change oneself and others is by showing power and control. In fact, nothing can be achieved through anger and violence. There is only one kind of anger that could be helpful: only when and if it comes from the power of the Divine source. If the Divine is not taking part in your actions, you will easily fail. A man was walking through the forest when a big bear appeared in the distance. He took a thick stick and said angrily, “May it dare come to me!” Nevertheless, the bear was approaching slowly and calmly toward him. Seeing this, the man threw his stick aside and quickly climbed the nearby tree. What did he do with his anger? First he did get angry with the bear and took a stick to stand against it, but then he quickly changed his mind and backed up. Certainly, you have some reason to be cross and angry with a bear coming toward you, but if you decide to fight it, you should comply with your decision. Therefore, if you have a certain thought, which you can use against evil, do not throw it aside, but make use of it. Because if you throw it aside, it shows that you are a weak person. Always sustain the view that what is imbued in you is meaningful, that Life is meaningful, and that you can use the methods of Nature for your self-improvement. The insufficiency of true knowledge should not bother you, but if you do not make efforts to acquire it - that is what cannot be excused. All people suffer, because they do not utilize the conditions they have. You may say, “But we make errors.” It is not an excuse either. If you have errors, you need to correct them. The Scriptures say that you will give account for every empty word.[1] Every empty word is a debt which you must pay together with interest. If you have collected a debt in the morning, review your accounts during the day, and arrange it all, so that when the night falls, it will find you to be with paid debts, without any due interest. The unpaid debts are nothing else, but the karma that everyone is afraid of. That one who does not pay his debts will fall under karmic law, or in other words, under unfavorable limiting conditions. Under these conditions he will complain of his destiny, get discouraged, and will not be able to develop properly. As students of the Sublime life you need to exclude the word “discouragement.” You should know that even under the most difficult circumstances you can evolve spiritually. The human being is changeable in body, yet steadfast and stable in spirit. Give priority to the Spirit in you in order to avoid mistakes. Ceasing to transgress, the wrongdoer extends his life. And vice versa, if a righteous person begins to transgress, his life is shortened. Do not think that you are king’s sons who have come to Earth for pleasure. You all need to work both for yourselves and for your fellowmen. Work is one of the important methods for self-improvement. If you do not work willingly, you will be ordered to do it, but then you will get different results. True work implies working out of Love and without any force. If you work in this way, you will rejoice at the results achieved. If someone works without Love, the results will be a disaster. Whoever studies with Love rejoices in success. Only such a person can become learned. Apply Love as a method for your self-improvement and you can develop even the smallest of gifts imparted to you. Love excludes any kind of discouragement. No matter how many times you may fall down, you can stand up again. No matter that you have lost your property or your health, you can gain it anew. The person of Love can lose something only temporarily, but he is going to regain it. There are only gains and achievements in Love. As spiritual students, hold an optimistic view of life. Whatever befalls you, accept it with joy. Address your difficulties consciously to be able to discover the precious gifts hidden in them. Every trial and sorrow will bring you certain blessings. Use the blessings, which joys and sorrows bring to your life. See the manifestations of Great Divine Love, Wisdom, and Truth in all that is. This is the right method to apply for your self-improvement. Only the Revealed Divine Love, Wisdom, and Truth will bring a full and abundant life. Lecture held by the Master Beinsa Douno to the Youth Esoteric Class, February 6, 1931, Sofia, Izgrev. --------------------------------- 1. See also Ephesians 5:6, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.”

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From Methods for Self-improvement HOMEOFTHE HUMAN SOUL Everyone talks about their unattained ideal, yet they continue to strive toward it. The child attends school in order to learn read ing and writing. Passing unnoticeably from one grade to the next, the boy becomes a young man and finishes the university. Then you will hear him saying. "I finally achieved my ideal and graduated from the university." What has he achieved? He has just learned the alphabet and the usage of letters for making syllables, words, and sentences. If a young man has finished a musical academy, he would say, "I have reached my ideal by learning to sing and play an instru ment." What has he learned? The musical notes and their combinations. Ask yourself, everyone of you, "What is the ideal of my life?" If all people have an ideal, why are they unhappy? Someone is not happy with being short, so he strives to become taller and that is his ideal in life Why is he short? It is because he did not eat enough. Can a drop of water make a river? Can a thread make a whole rope? The tall person is not happy with his height as well, so he wants to become shorter. Why has he become tall? It is mostly because his nour ishment was plentiful. Has anyone experiment ed to find out the number of spider web strands needed to form a thick regular rope? Even if one's wish of being the desired height is ful filled, this person will be not satisfied either. Why are people discontent? It is because they have a very monotonous life. Without be ing aware of it, they repeat things until getting quite bored at the end. Nature does not allow any repetition whatsoever. As much as you might repeat a song, you cannot sing it twice in the same manner. Why? The reason is that everything has changed: you, the audience, and the surroundings too. When you are hungry, you sing in one way; when you are full, you sing in another way. When you are young, you sing in one way; when you are grown up, you sing in another way; and when you are old - you sing in a very ditl'erent way. It is good to have diver sity in your life, otherwise you would have died untimely. The monotonous existence does not bring Life, but debases it leading to premature aging. Only the new brings Life. Remember: as long as you live on Earth, you should move in all directions: east, west, north, and south. If you build a house, which side will you place the front doorry The house facing north will be lit by the Sun from above where the Sun is; the house facing south will be lit from be low; if the house is facing east, it will again be lit from above; and lastly if it is facing west, it will be lit from below, too. In houses facing east the Sun is always rising, and in those fac ing west - the Sun is always setting. What do you prefer: the ever rising or the ever setting Sunry If you should get your money back from someone, you would prefer the Sun to shine in order to find your debtor. But in case you owe someone money, you would like the Sun to set so that your creditor could not find you. And so, regarding the four directions of the world, we have in mind the four stages, or in other words, the four key points of conscious ness. The necessity of the moment dictates which point to choose. How will you determine the priority of each bounty: bread, water, air, or light? If you are hungry, you will want bread; if you are thirsty, you will choose water; if you are suffocating, you will strive for air, and if you are in darkness, you will need light Which is the must for a person in a sinking ship? Life vest What does one need in the winter? To go out, one needs warm clothes and shoes. What is the difference between the four di rections of the world - or the four points of con sciousness? East refers to the good conditions of life; the Sun rises in the east to bring Life. West is related to the night, when the Moon is shining. East implies a sunlit - house; west - a moonlit house; north - a house placed on a vis ible place; and south - a house placed on a well traveled road, where many people will stop by, eat, and drink. Some of them will pay, while others will not, which may cause quarrels and misunderstandings. Therefore, the human be ing lives in four houses simultaneously in the houses of one's mind, heart, soul, and spirit. The houses of all people differ from one another lf you are in the physical world, you live in your physical body. Going into the mental world you leave your physical body and enter the mental one. In this manner one moves in four bodies: physical, emotional or astral, mental, and caus al, in other words - one lives in the mind and heart, in the soul and spirit. The four directions of the world represent the four homes in which people live. If you con nect these four points, you form a square. As the square is in constant motion, the four points trace a circle. To move from one home to anoth er is a natural process. You cannot remain at the same point forever; neither can you keep your wealth forever Sometimes you will be rich, sometimes - poor When passing through those varying conditions, you constantly bend down and rise again. If someone says that he does not want to bend down, it shows that he does not understand life. If you are poor and you have been hungry for a few days, when you see a golden coin in front of you, will you not bend down to take it? You will certainly bend down, pick up the coin and then rise. Therefore, reach ing for the coin on the ground means bending. Bending is appropriate, only when one attains something precious. Otherwise, to bend down for a trifle makes no sense. What will happen, if two people see the golden coin at the same time? They will both bend down: the first will grab the one end of the coin and the second one - the other. As long as the coin has not been shared, both will stand close to each other. Dividing the coin, they will immediately move apart: the first will take one direction, the second - another, continuing on their ways. Therefore, people are close to one another until they divide their life provided bounties. After distributing the goods among themselves, they move apart and follow their own paths. How many are the blessings of Life. They are mainly four: bread, water, air, and light Which one will you prefer at any given momentIf you are hungry, you will ask for bread; if you are thirsty, you will ask for water; if you lack air and suffocate, you will ask for air; and if you are in darkness, you will ask for light Which part of the human body is food related toMouth is related to food and it is a symbol of, the word owisdom. Water along with the food or bread passes through the mouth and goes to the stom ach. Thus bread and water go to the same place and act together. Air is in relation with the nose and lungs: it passes through the nose and goes to the lungs. Light, on its turn, is related to the eyes. People often get depressed; they feel indis posed and do not know how to help themselves. They are surrounded by bounties, yet they do not know how to make use of them. For such cases the Bulgarians have a proverb, "He is wading into water and he is walking thirsty." Four elements can change the indisposition and transform it from negative into positive. These are: light, air, water, and bread. When you know the reason for the indisposition, you can apply one of the four elements corresponding to the current situation. The reasons for one's indispo sitions may vary - they could be hidden in the physical, emotional, mental, or causal world. Imagine that you meet an elementary school teacher. You speak to him, but you feel that he is dissatisfied with something. What is the reason for this discontent? He wants to get a higher position and become a high school teacher. What is the difference between an elementary school teacher, high school teacher, and a professor? I think that the position of an elementary school teacher has an advantage in one particular as pect. Which is this aspectry It is the highest level of trust of the students in the first grade. In the middle school the students trust their teachers much less. The trust of students in their teach ers goes down even more in the high school; whereas the university students often criticize their professors and argue with them. What is the criticism like? It is like skin rub bing. When you visit a public bath of Turkish type it is good for you to be "criticized," in oth er words, to have someone who will exfoliate your dead skin and remove the dirt from you. However, after getting a good bath you are clean and you do not need blunt criticism anymore, so if you are still criticized, this will cause you pain. Nature also uses such "massages," but she knows when and how to apply them. When she meets someone who is not clean, she takes out the exfoliating sponge and says, "Come to me, my child, I am going to clean you now - you need this." She massages and cleans him well, and then let him go free. Therefore, criticism is useful only when it is coming from a wise, just, and loving source. People of today are not happy with their life, because they cannot achieve their wish es. Nevertheless, they should still be happy. Why? lt is because they have the opportunity to work more. By working and working, they will eventually have some achievements. ln reality, people become unhappy when the good things in their life are not repeated. However, this is impossible. Nature does not like monotony and repetition. You cannot sing a song in the same way second and third time. If the first time you have sung it well, the second time you will sing it either better or worse as the situation and the moment will differ. For example, you can make bread if you have flour, water, and salt. If you are given flour, cheese, water, and salt next time, you will not make bread again, but you will prepare banilsa[1] instead. This is what you will usually do as you tend to avoid repeti tions. Then, why should you be discontent with Life and Nature, when they do not allow you to repeat the same things over and over? You say that these are ordinary things. You are not suffering because you do not have bread and banitsa, but because you have not fulfilled some great idea or sublime desire of yours. For example, someone might be unhappy, because he has not become knowledgeable. And yet, what is the essence of knowledge? ls someone with a big mental baggage considered to be knowl edgeable? He is telling how the world was cre ated, how the plates of Earth were folded, how life came into existence, and so on. His head is full of theories, but after him comes another scientist who disputes his theories and creates new ones. Who of them is closer to the Truth? Genuine scientist is the one who brings forth the absolute and never - changing knowledge. There were two scientists who often had sci entific discussions. One of them was very self respecting and did not allow to be criticized. One day, he unwittingly put his vest on with the wrong side out He met the second scientist who told him, "Dear colleague, your vest is inside out." As that one did not like remarks, he did not acknowledge the fact as it is, but looked at himself and said, "I did this on purpose. So far I have worn my vest with the face out, but today I turned it with its back out to see how I would look like." His friend was a delicate person and did not want to argue anymore, so he replied, "Yes, this can be a kind of research." In reality, the first scientist put his vest on the wrong side by mistake as he was absent minded. As he did not think about any scientific experiments, his mind was preoccupied with finding some way to pay his pending debt. In one of the American universities there was a very strict professor with whom the students often joked in order to provoke him. One day they rearranged the wheels of his carriage plac ing the front gears on the back and the back gears - on the front. When the professor mount ed his carriage, he noticed that something was wrong, but did not want to look fool before the students and said, "My carriage was for a repair the previous days and obviously the mechanic had made some mistake." He knew that the stu dents had done the prank, but did not want to acknowledge this. Such displacements happen in everyone's life. When they are in the physical world, it is easy to be corrected. However, displacements in the spiritual world are difficult to be put right and comprehended. That is the reason why peo ple suffer, face difficulties, and fail to solve their assignments. Someone may suffer because he is behind in his development and everyone has gone ahead of him. In reality, he does not un derstand the Law. If twenty strong people come to wrestle, who will begin first? The weakest will be first on the stage against another weak. Afterward the stronger wrestlers will show and the strongest will go at the end. It means that the strongest ones, or the heroes, remain behind and they are the last The true hero remains the last, so that his strength could be tested. Nature acts in the same way. She lets the weak wrestlers go first to the stage and keeps the strong ones for the final Nature does not hurry, neither she gives things the moment when someone wants them. The strong person remains last, behind all others. As he comprehends the Law, he awaits patiently his time to come. And so, when you know all this, do not criticize Nature. Whatever she does, it is for the highest good. She does not promote or debase anyone, but places all and each of, the living be ings in their places. The one who comes to un derstand her, waits for his time and enjoys his achievements. The one who does not understand her, suffers and faces a lot of difficulties. Nature looks at him and whispers: wait a bit more, your hour has not come yet. When a mother nourishes her children, which one will she give food first? The youngest because this infant needs only little food. The little one will be satisfied with just little milk or bread. When the older are con cerned, things get more complicated: you need to set a table with glasses, plates, to serve more bread, more food, and so on. The older ones eat more and are more pretentious. Which is better: to have a laid table before you or to eat without a table like an infant or traveler? If, you are in the mountains and you are hungry, will you be looking for a table? You are travelers who visit the Earth for some studies. When you are aware of this, you will not require to have a table in order to eat. Strive not for the first place either. There are no leaders while traveling. Having made just one step and the first position could become the last. What is before you - that is the first position, what you have already passed - that is the last position. Rejoice that you have walked a certain path and have acquired some experience in the process. And do not consider that the place you are at present is not good as this is only for a moment Once you move a step forward a new, better place is waiting for you. The future usually brings something better, brighter, and greater. You need to have the appropriate knowledge to be able to see the good side everywhere in life If you have a long journey ahead, it is prefer able to have with you saccharin instead of sug ar. One kilogram of saccharin is equal to five hundred kilograms of sugar. However, sugar is more nutritious than saccharin. People often strive for some exquisite things and great ideas without realizing that this is sac charin, not sugar. A silk dress is beautiful, but it is not appropriate for the winter. If you wear it in the winter, you will catch cold. A silk dress flows elegantly around the body, but it should be put on in the summer. A dress which cannot preserve the warmth of the body is not good for your health; a dress which cannot preserve the light is not good for your health either, and if it is not clean, it is not hygienic to wear it. A good dress is that one, which has the qualities of all elements: of the solid matter like thickness, as well as the qualities of water, air, and light. For the same reason I say that every thought, ev ery feeling, and every action should have four qualities: the quality of bread - to satisfy hun ger; the quality of water - to quench thirst; the quality of air - to improve breathing and the blood circulation; and the quality of light - to illuminate even the most hidden places of the human body, to open your path, and to liberate you from delusions and contradictions. Every food that does not have the qualities of solid, liquid, air - like, and light - like matter [earth, wa ter, air, and light] is not healthy. Choose healthy foods and strive for healthy thoughts, feelings, and actions. Only the Luminous Path of Wisdom leads to the Truth. The true life is hidden in the Absolute Truth. Lecture given by the Master Beinsa Douno, August 27. 1943, lzgrev. Sotla. ---------------------------------------------------------- [1] A traditional Bulgarian baked pastry prepared by layering a cnunbled feta cheese and other optional ingredients between brushed with butter or vegetable oil filo pastry sheds.

Easter "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Math. 28:19 In the sermons of the whole Christian world has been read the text of Christ's resurrection. In America today there are eighty to one hundred thousand preachers, and in Bulgaria at least - three thousand and three hundred, preaching about the resurrection, but I will make a slight detour. Many people study the question on resurrection from a historical or philosophical point of view. About this question, if it is possible also for a man to resurrect there is an argument from a purely physiological point of view. The ideologists and theologian write about it and try to prove that resurrection is possible but they still cannot prove it. I will stop on the words: "Go therefore and teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The teaching of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is very deep. What is this teaching? Often you pronounce these words: "The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," but what meaning do these words have for you? They have a meaning only in the case that they can produce a certain effect upon you. When you hold a match in your hand you cannot try out its power if you do not strike and light it. As soon as you light it up, you can understand its power. The resurrection will be an unknown subject for you as long as you do not lit up this word like a match, so that it may produce light in your mind and warmth in your heart, or until you plant this word in the soil, like a seed, to have it grow and see its fruit. It is sufficient for man to have only one such word in his life understood fully in order to become a man of genius. If he understands two such words, then he can become a saint. If he understand three such words he becomes one with Christ. In every language we speak there are words which, if we truly understand them, produce magic power for us. When Moses raised his sceptre at the Red Sea he spoke one word and the sea split in two. When Christ was in front of the grave of Lazarus he spoke the words "Lazarus, come out!" and Lazarus was resurrected. In the beginning of Genesis God said only one word and the world was created. You write and speak grammatically correctly, you use commas, periods, question and exclamation marks, you discuss important philosophical questions but you still do not know how to arrange your lives. You resemble the philosopher who went out for a boat ride in the sea and entered into conversation with the boatman: "Have you ever studied? Do you know anything about astronomy?" - "I know nothing." - "You have lost one quarter of your life." - "Do you know anything of geology?" - "I do not." - "You have lost two quarters of your life." -" How about mathematics?" -" Nothing." - "You have lost three quarters of your life." As they spoke the weather changed quickly and a great storm began to rage in the sea. The boat was endangered to the point of sinking. The boatman become worried about the professor, asked: "Can you swim?" -"No, I have never learned." - "Now you can lose all four quarters of your life, you can lose your whole life, Sir!" Now too, you like this philosopher, sit and discuss important questions; like how Jesus was born and how he came to this earth but when a storm starts raging in your lives, or you cannot cope with difficulties and suffering, you are unable to swim and start to sink into the water. Where is your philosophy of life? Where is your astronomy, geology, mathematics? Why do you need these sciences if they cannot help you in a difficult moment? Mathematics is a science which should teach you how to build your life correctly. Biology is a science which must teach people to keep the cells of their organism in perfect order. Geology must teach people to have a correct relationship to the earth. In the life of Christ, there are three notable, important periods: birth, death and resurrection. These phases must be natural to the common man also. When Christ was born angels appeared in heaven and proclaimed peace among all people; therefore, Christ's birth was a festivity, but this same Christ was exposed to shameful death, too. People still ask themselves today: "Why was it necessary for Christ to suffer such a death?" There are certain reasons for this. Christ was exposed to a shameful death, but in the end He rose from the death. Modern man die also, but none of them have risen from the death. There are reason for this also. Now I will make a comparison between life and death. When Adam was in Paradise, God introduce to him life in the form of two fruit trees, one of which was called the Tree of life, and the other, the Tree of knowledge. From the occult point of view, "Tree of life" implies the striving of everything in nature toward the divine. This impulse moves from down-upward. It is the high tide in nature, which gradually rises and grows. The "Tree of knowledge" implies the urge of the beings to move out from the center of life and proceed toward the periphery. This impulse moves from above downwards, and represents low tide in nature. Since these two flows exist in nature, it is easy then to explain the origin of death. Two trains start out from two opposite positions and move towards one and the same point. What will happen with them? - They will crash. Adam was placed between such two trains and since he could not avoid the catastrophe, he died. He who tries to eat from the fruit of the Tree of knowledge will end his life like Adam. This means that on the day in which a man eats the fruit of the Tree of knowledge he enters the life of the low tide, of reflux, or of the flow that moves from above, down to the center of the earth. Only God can save a man from this flow. Christ came to earth for this purpose, to pull people out off this current and lead them into the opposite flow, into the high tide of life, which we call resurrection. In order to receive the life which leads toward resurrection, one must understand the teaching about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What does one understand by the Father? - it is the teaching of divine wisdom. By the Son? - the teaching of divine love. By the Spirit? - the teaching of the raising, of the evolution of man. In Scripture it is said: "He who comes to believe in this teaching will be saved." Everyone must understand the laws of this teaching. What is expected of you? Many of you are in the position of fathers, but do you understand the calling of the father? Everyone of you has been in the position of a son, but do you know what the relationship of the son to the father must be? You have not yet been in the position of the Holy Spirit, but this will also come. Now you are getting ready to pass through the Spirit, who uplifts the people, who raises Christ in them. In order to properly understand the teaching of Christ, you must free yourselves of some ties with the world. This doesn't mean that you must reject the world. No, this is a wrong attitude. The world has two faces, one is the inner face, which is pure, fair, the Divine face; the other one is the external face which is exposed to constant changes, therefore, when one speaks of turning away from the world one must understand to turn away from its external face, from those elements which have a transitional, illusive character. These elements do not give any essential support to man's life. But everything else which serves for your growth, you must guard because it has been said: "God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, so that he who believes in Him will not perish." The fact that the world has two faces is supported also by the verse in which was St. Paul said: "The face of this world is transitional." So then the face of the world that changes is transient. Now there remains the other face of the world which is not transient. A man is born, grows up and thinks that he can rectify and govern the world, but when he reaches the age of 45 - 50 years he notices a certain weakening of his power, and gives up this idea. He becomes friendly, thoughtful, and makes the young people work for him. He begins to think about his old age, that he may become sick, and that he will die. I ask, why does the old man turn his eyes toward the centre of the earth? Why is he not keeping in his mind illuminated thoughts which will refresh his spirit, which renew and lead towards resurrection? Modern men are infected by the thought that they cannot be resurrected, to remain alive, to be born anew. This is the greatest delusion in the world. A man can be risen from death as well as he can die. Death and life are two relative things. If you come into conflict with the powers and laws which work in rational nature then you will be smashed, destroyed. If you are in harmony with the powers and laws of rational nature, you will rise, you will be risen from the grave. In order for resurrection to come, you must free yourselves of some obstacles, of some handicap, which is inherited in your souls. I will give you an example in order to explain the great law that regulates life. A few English sailors decided to leave the ship where they worked, and visit a European city. They roamed through the city, went here and there, and entered a few taverns until they were considerably drunk. In the evening they returned to their boats and began to sail, but they had forgotten to untie their boats from the poles where they had them docked. They were sailing all night thinking that they were approaching the ship. What surprise in the morning, when they found themselves still on the shores! Why was it that they could not reach the ship? Only in the morning did they realize their mistake - they had forgotten to untie the boats. The short rope with which their boats were tied to the poles had kept them in one place all the night. It had kept them fastened. This rope was their hindrance If modern men cannot resurrect, this is the reason; they are fastened by a short rope to a pole. Children do the same. A child catches a bird, ties it to a thread with one foot and then lets the little bird fly. The bird flies up but soon falls back to the earth. Why? - Because it is fastened to a thread. Modern man too, are fastened. They must have a high ideal. What kind of ideal? One that will pull them up to heaven. Someone says: "I flew high, but soon I fell back to the earth. Why? I have no idea." - I say, you have been fastened. You had some doubt in your mind, or you wanted to solve some important questions, but you could not." -What shall I do now? - Untie the boat from the pole, start to row the oars forward and upward towards your goal. Whatever a man may try to do, he cannot escape the consequences of his life. Do not think that your thoughts and emotions haven't any influence upon you. Every thought and every feeling, as weak or faint they may be, influence not only you but also those around you. In Deuteronomy it is said that for every crime, God will recompense unto the forth generation. From here it follows that within one hundred years at the most, every crime must be settled. Those who have studied this law have noticed the following phenomena: if a woman from the black race has contact with a man from the white race, the child may be white in the first generation, yet in the second, third, or at the latest, the fourth generation, there will be born a black child. If a black child comes immediately in the first generation, this eliminates the karma. This law has the opposite function also: if a woman from a white race has a contact with a man from the black race, in one of the four generations inevitably will be born a black child. If a black child is born of a white mother and father, they will wonder from where this child has come. They do not suspect that one of their great grandmothers had contact with a black man one hundred years ago. I say, the same law also works also in the field of the thoughts and feelings of man. For example, someone sits calmly and suddenly through his mind passes an evil thought. From where has this thought come? - A hundred years ago this man had contact with a black man or a black woman. The black man or woman represents the temptation in the world. Every evil thought or every evil feeling, is the child of he who is raising them. This is effected by the law of karma. The karmic law is very strict. You must be very careful with it, because you cannot escape the consequences. Do not give place to evil thoughts in your mind. If you let them come in, they will create their forms, which will in the future obstruct you. It is of no importance that someone has been born by a father or a mother from the white or the black races, but it is important that the vibrations of the people of the black race differ considerably from those of the white race and for this reason the last one must make a considerable effort to cope with them. The direction of the movement of the black race is towards the centre of the earth. They are the people of the tree from which Eve, the first mother of humanity, has eaten. The impulse of the people of the white race is towards heaven. This impulse is felt the strongest at present. They want to be the people of the "Tree of Life" and eat its fruit, therefore from whatever tree we eat so we become. The "Tree of life" is Christ. When this great thought penetrates your mind, then you will come to the salvation. You do not need to occupy your mind with abstract question whether Christ sits at the right side of the Father, but you must think of Christ as a power that penetrates the whole earth. When this power has pass through all beings, from the smallest to the greatest, will come the salvation of the whole of humanity. When Christ was crucified, in other words, when the flow of this power was interrupted, great darkness came everywhere. In Scripture it is said that after this Christ descended to Hell to preach his teaching there. All people who listened to him, emerged from hell and went to live on earth. Were you not also there when Christ was preaching? - You were there, but you have forgotten. What did Christ say when he descended into hell to free you from darkness? - Go, and sin no more! Now, I say also: If you sin you will give birth to black child and suffering will follow one after the other. Since Christ is already on earth He has decided to free humanity and He will definitely do it. There is no power in the world, as strong as it may be, which would be able to withstand Christ's power. Christ says: "No one can take away from my hands the lamb which God has given me, because there is no one greater than He. If, at some time there should appear in your soul a doubt, you must realize that this is your black father. Discontinue your connections with him. The pure one should not be connected with the impure one. If the mother sees that her child is soiled, does she embrace it immediately? No, first she will punish it mildly, after that she will give it a bath, dress it in a clean clothes, and then she will embrace and kiss it. This is the simplest philosophy of life. Someone says: "No one loves me." Your clothes are soiled, friend! If you wish for people to love you, go first and take a bath, cleanse your body properly. After that cleanse your heart and your mind, and then see if people will love you or not. Cleansed and bathed, the way man is ready to resurrect. Christ has risen but before He came to resurrection, He first passed through crucifixion. What does the cross mean. The cross is the sides of a cube, laid out on a flat surface. At the same time the cube represents man's home. Christ was crucified on the cross, on this unfolded cube, with which God wanted to tell the people to open the windows and doors of their homes, to wash and air them and prepare them for the day of resurrection. In the church people are given the cross to kiss. I say, before you kiss the cross, it must be purified. The cross is in the mind, in the heart of man; therefore, you cannot kiss a man's cross before it is perfectly purified, i.e., before the mind and the heart of this man are completely purified. All people are living crosses which must be uplifted. When this happens a sphere will form around the cross which indicates eternity. Therefore the cross will change into a sphere which will be constantly in motion. With His teaching, Christ wanted to show people the basic laws through which they can change the order of things which they themselves have adopted. In order to change this order, a man must have an ides to lay as a foundation of his life, and then endeavour to fulfil this ides. Modern men cannot realize their idea for the simple reason that they are victims of their merciless egotism; everyone thinks only about themselves, everyone wants to be the first. In one of his paintings, an artist represented the human egotism very well. He painted a high mountain peak on which was placed an idol. Millions of people looked towards this peak and everyone desired to reach it first and worship the idol. He who first stove towards the peak was stopped immediately by those behind him, so that he may not be the first to reach it before them. In this way they hindered each other, and as a result, no one has yet reached the peak. What do we see in life? As of today people still continue to fight, to hinder each other, so that no one will reach the peak and receive the wreath of laurels. In the races in the Olympic games in old Greece, he who was first received the crown of laurels. Yet in man's aim towards Christ victory, every one who fulfils His teaching can receive the wreath of victory. And so in Christ's teaching, there are three important words: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If you can pronounce these words in their depth, and full meaning, you have already entered the teaching of Christ. When you say the word "Father", you must feel the pulse of your Father who moves the world. You must feel Him in the same way a mother feels the pulse of the child in her womb. To feel God's thought is to come to understand and know it. If you have attained all this, you will understand the verse in which it is said: "Before you even wish something, God will fulfil your desires." All must have this relationship, of sons to God, so that they may fulfil their obligations to Him, to their Father. He did not come to earth but sent His son as a sacrifice, so that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish. On the same grounds, once we have come to earth we must sacrifice ourselves. Many people fear the sacrifice because they think that in a sacrifice there is no life. They are confused by Christ's words: "If you not eat my body and do not drink my blood, you have no life within you." In order to live, we eat every day. The wheat grains, the plants, the fruits which we eat every day, do they not sacrifice and die? This sacrifice must be justified! They say: "We are ready to die, to sacrifice for you, as long as you become true men." Milliards of beings serve men, but what do they do in exchange for this? They occupy themselves with scholastic questions as did the theologians in the middle ages, who pondered how many devils can dance in the peak of a knife? I say, Christ's teaching holds within it the meaning of life. Between two great epochs there is always a lowland. If we study the brain of man, we can see that in it too, are noticeable depressions and elevations. The human thought can circulate due to these depressions and elevations in the brain. In earth there also exists these depressions and elevations in which we live. Someone says: "I do not want to live in a valley." - Where do you want to live then? - "On some high mountain peak." I ask, how many people can live on one mountain peak? All people cannot live on peaks. Some will live in the valleys, other - on the peaks. Everyone will live on his own earth; once he will be in the valley, another time he will be on the peak, the third time he will descent into the valley, the fourth time he will climb the peak. This way he will constantly descend and rise until he will realize that the law of evolution is a movement in a broken line, in which there are depressions and elevations. When man learns Christ's teaching, which is related to the movement in the circle of eternity, he will enter into another evolution, in which there is no descending and climbing, but a circular movement. "Baptize them in the name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Spirit." The teaching of the Spirit is a real teaching which modern men reject. The Father is the creator of all things. The Spirit implies the unity and diversity of all things. Christ, the Son, represents the sap that flows in the "Tree of Life". The Spirit also represents the environment in which we live. Modern astrologers say that man is in contact with the whole of the universe, which is to say that all beings are in a certain relationship to each other. The heart, the brain, the eyes, the ears, the nose, the mouth, are organs through which flow powers correspond to certain beings in space. When among some of them, there occurs a conflict, in the respective part of the body man feels some change. And in fact we see that he starts to complain about pains in his hand, in his leg, or another part of his body. This is due to some external influence, which according to the learned men comes from Jupiter, or Saturn, or Mars, etc. Someone may object: "How is it possible that Mars has an influence upon the people?" I ask, if one nation can with its thoughts and ideas influence another nation, why should it not be possible that a planet can do the same? We see that England. France, Germany, Russia, and other countries influence each other. In the same basis the beings, who live on Mars influence people in certain way. Their thoughts travel through space creating a flow. Whoever enters this flow becomes aggressive. Modern men under the influence of Mars, and for this reason they fight until this influence fulfils its purpose. You may object that Christ's teaching stands for peace, therefore, war should not exist. It's true that Christ is for peace, but if the peace, the balance which Nature has established, become violated, war will become inevitable. According to the existing mentality of people, the violated balance can be restored only through war. We can see this law also in practical life. When a housewife wants to extract butter from the milk, she puts the milk in a churn-staff and starts to churn it, therefore, the war in the world will stop only when people will have extracted the butter from the milk. Why do people fight? - So that they may acquire butter. Christ says: "I want some butter from the people with which they can lubricate themselves and become softer, more gentle." Modern men are dry, crusty even more that necessary. One can see the need of lubricant from the proverb about the five unwise maiden who had forgotten to supply their lamps with oil, and for this reason had to remain outside. He who wants to enter the kingdom of God must by all means have oil in his lamp. This is the teaching of the Spirit. Now, I speak in an allegorical sense, but if you stop and think deeply about this question, you will see that there exist powers that act as an emollient upon man, and you will understand their relationship to him. You ask: "Why did God create the world?" - So that you may learn. The spirits that were created at the very beginning become crystals. After that the earth had to be created with new cells having a round and not a geometrical form. In order for the crystal to evolve, and change into a living plant, it must first change into a living cell. By this same law even the most evolved and ennobled plant must change its woody, immobile cells into muscles and nerves, so that like the animals, it may feel and move about from one place to another. In the same way we too, must pay off everything, so that we may form in ourselves that cell which creates saints. For the time being, the people are dead. In heaven they are planted with their heads down. A man must self-sacrifice, become a rational cell, become one with Christ, and when he passes through Christ's body, through His mind, His heart; to become tuned, to understand the deep meaning of all things. For the moment I will not go into explaining these deep truths, because this would take me away from the central idea. The first thing in life is obedience. In ancient times a Greek learned man went to Egypt in order to learn the secret sciences, and for this purpose he become a student of the so called school "White Brotherhood". The high priest of the temple of Izida guided him through many places and took him at last to a statue and said to him: "This is Truth." - "Why did you not take me first to Truth, but took me to other places? You should have taken me here right away", was the answer of the disciple. "This is not possible, because that is the path to Truth. Be careful not to lift the curtain of this statue, not to touch its veil. Study it only from outside." The disciple had the greatest desire to see what was beneath the veil. He thought: "If I lift the veil, I will find Truth, and when I return to Greece I will posses great power." One evening he silently went out, entered the temple and lifted the veil. And in the morning he was found dead in the temple at the foot of the statue. What did he learn? Nothing. Someone says: "Why don't you lift the veil, I want to see Truth!" - It is dangerous to lift the veil of Truth before time. Man must be ready for this moment. Christ has come to earth to prepare us, so that we may meet this moment without fear. First you must understand which life leads to salvation. After that you must pass through another process which says: "If you are not born anew you cannot enter the Kingdom of God." It was said also to Nikodemus that if he is not born of water and spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God, therefore, there exist two kinds of birth, but not rebirth, because rebirth implies a process of interruption, of braking up. Rebirth is a process of disharmony. To be reborn means to start again the work which one has left. You are taken captive and imprisoned for twenty five years. When you stay in prison ten years, fifteen still remain, but one day you decide to run away, you are caught again and penalized for ten more years, which causes you to be imprisoned for twenty five years. After five years you run away again, and again you are caught, judged, and imprisoned for a third time, and your penalty is even greater. Therefore, a man who does not want to serve his time, transmigrates. Or, said in different words, he who is sent to earth but does not want to live according to God's determination, goes through rebirth. He wants to live in an easy way, he wants to run away from prison. For this reason he is caught and penalized anew, and if he continues to run away from prison, this penalty will not finish in eternity. The law of being born anew implies fulfilment of God's will. It is not difficult to fulfil God's will. The difficulty is in the misunderstanding of life. Modern man are inclined to criticize. Everyone sees the shortcomings of others - someone is not living as he should. - Can you say that you live as you should? - He is not a good man. - Can you say that you are good? First of all man must come to know himself. He must study his construction. Do you know why God has given you a nose, two eyes, two ears? Do you know why some eyes are black, others blue or green, and why a man has eye brows? The eyes form the number eight. What does the number eight signify? It is a number of work. The nose is the plow in man. When you place a man in horizontal position this indicates that he must plow. Then God's blessing will come upon him and support the growth of that which he has sown I ask, what is the essence of thinking? What process is thinking? Someone will say that thinking is a process of concentration. What is concentration? Years ago in the town of Varna, I met a Bulgarian, a man with liberated conceptions who told me: "I had saved eight thousand leva, but with that money I helped a man who was merchant and he lost it. With him, I too have lost but God is good, I will earn some again." I say, here is a man who has understood the law. He is not a mystic, but he knows a law that will guide him in what to do, so that he may earn some money again. He says: "God gives and God takes." Wealth, power, knowledge are transitory things in the life of man. Through them God is trying us as the mother tries her children. Often mothers call their children angels. Some mother says of her child "My little angel!" I say: Try it, and see if he will become an angel. Give him an apple and wish him to give it back to you. If it returns the apple without becoming angry, it will be an angel. In the same way God gives you a blessing and says: "With this blessing give to others also!" - "I do not give." - Here is an unknown quantity which you have not solved. - ""But I do not believe in life!" - This is a second unknown quantity which you have not solved. - "I will escape from life." - A third unknown quantity. Often you solve mathematical problems with several unknown quantities by finding what they are equal to, but when it comes to real life you cannot solve them. Each unknown quantity has a content, has its value, which one can define only through work. Therefore, in order to be able to define what an unknown quantity equals, you must apply your thoughts and feelings in work. When a man cannot solve the unknown quantities in his life he weeps, he feels unhappy. The world is a school in which only he who wants to learn can enrol. If you do not want to study, to concentrate, you should not have enrolled. If you do not want to learn then enter the plant, the mineral. Only trough intense concentration can you understand the teaching of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit, and come to love God. Many say that only the ignorant loves. No, love is an unknown quantity which must be calculated, its true value must be defined. Only from the point of view of the teaching of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit can the riddle of love be solved. The master of this teaching comes down every morning and plants in your souls one thought, yet you still deny yourself. Why do you deny yourself? Because you cannot evaluate the thought which Christ is giving you. Someone says: "I want glory, I want wealth, knowledge." - The blessings which Christ gives are more essential then those which you desire. The glory of God costs much more than the glory of the people. Christ wants to give power to all of you, to become masters over life and death. Do you know who creates death? - These milliards of spirits that constantly destroy. Every day you are filled with doubts, envy, and at the same time you want to be people of the advancement. There are some who even speak of the secret teachings, but their thoughts are not free, they do not understand life. Christ resurrected and indicated the way through which we must pass - through the process of birth. What is birth? Tolstoy speaks about one of his dreams. One night he dreamed that he was pregnant and that he was in labour and in great pains. When he rose in the morning he asked: "Do women have great pain when they deliver?" When his question was answered positively, he said it is not easy to be a woman! A thought is conceived in your mind; great sufferings will be brought to you until you give it birth! Do not think that sufferings are a bad sign. As the mother gives something of herself, so you too, must give something to your child. You must give life and power to a noble thought in your mind. Lastly you must have the courage to role away the stone from the tomb and not sit like the modern philosophers, who ponder: has Christ risen or not. There are people who were present when Christ arose. You may say: "Give us a prove!" I can prove it but you must be in the same condition, an important law must be observed. What is to prove? - You will bring the man to a certain path and you will give him a method by which he himself will prove the truth. The last hour has come and we all must resurrect. We must resurrect and we will resurrect! When you come to resurrection, you must not ask if Christ truly resurrected, but ask if the time for your resurrection has come. Many ask the question even today: "Did Christ stay three days in the grave?" Leave this question aside. For eight thousand years you are in this grave. Is this not time enough? - It is. The angel who comes from above to role the stone away is Christ's appeal, which is that the Last Judgment comes. How will Christ find you? If the stone of your grave is not moved away could Christ say: "Lazarus, come out!" Your friends and neighbours must grant you the favour of rolling aside the stone from your grave. Then Christ will say: "Rise!" - and you will resurrect. To all who listen to me this morning, I role aside your grave stones and say, Christ is coming! He will stop in front of your open graves and say: "Come out!" 2nd ser. 3rd lecture of the Master, March 22, 1915 Source

Note 7 The Key of Life Lecture to the General Esoteric class, held by the Master Beinsa Douno on August 22, 1928 in Sofia (Izgrev) I will read the 20th chapter of Revelations. I will not interpret it to you. Let everyone understand it in their own way. However, there is a basic law that says: every being uses the food that is given to it according to the level of its development. Pay attention to the fourth verse: "Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those to whom judgement was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Today all people want to rule on Earth. As you see, there is a contrast between their understanding about the place of ruling and about the ruling that is referred to in the verse. Where should this kingdom be: on Earth, in heaven or in space? Often people belonging to a society of any sort are like little children who look forward to what food their father will bring them in the evening. Those who love entertainment, when they are going to the theater, they also look forward to seeing what the actors will perform on the stage. The farmers, after sowing their fields, look forward to the fruit they will yield. The vine growers, after planting their vineyards, look forward to the grapes they will produce. Everyone at all times anticipates something. When people are given what they expect, they are happy. When the performance turns out to be pleasing, everyone says: "They played well their parts; they acted well!" When the field yields good fruit, they say: "This field did well!" When the vineyard produces good fruit, they say: The grapes are good!" When the father brings home something delicious, the children are happy and say: "Our father is good!" However, this shows one side of Life; this is the understanding of people today. The other side of Life is that sometimes the father brings nothing home, the field yields nothing, the vines do not produce grapes, the play on the stage does not go as expected, and so on. Then people get completely disappointed with Life. The first situation, in which people receive from everything, fully corresponds to their requirements; in this case, all are pleased. Even thieves are happy when they manage to steal what they want. If they cannot steal what they want, they too will be unhappy. The righteous are also happy when they acquire what they desire and are sad when they cannot acquire what they want. I ask, in what way the joy and the sorrow of the righteous differ from the joy and the sorrow of the thief? Both of them have desires. You have to distinguish whether your joy is like that of the righteous or like that of the thief, or the sinner. These are two different states which you should consider. Someone may say "I am happy." You must ask yourself whether your joy is like that of the righteous one or like that of the sinner. If you are sad, you will ask yourself the same thing: is your sadness like that of the righteous one or like that of the sinner? I say, you should not live with illusions. You should not have the illusions of those Bulgarians – shopps (peasants from the region of Sofia) -- who went once to conquer Istanbul with their shepherd's sticks. The people of Istanbul caught them, gathered their sticks, put them in a pile, scattered the shopps and forced them back. I ask, can a city like Istanbul be conquered with sticks? – It cannot be. If your beliefs, your convictions, your prayers and tears are like these shepherd's sticks, those who are stronger than you will take them and put them in a pile, and you will not achieve anything. When someone sets out to conquer something, they have to be fully armed! – With what? If the worldly people are armed with the best and strongest weapons to achieve their goal, I ask then, what should the weapons of righteous, spiritual people be? I will give you a comparison to show you what you should rely on in your life. A rabbit stands before you with two holsters and tells you: "While I am with you a hair will not fall from your head; rely on me--have faith in me!" After the rabbit, a bear comes – also with two holsters. It stands before you and tells you: "While I am with you, no one can touch you; rely on me!" I ask whom you should rely on – the rabbit or the bear? You will say that you must rely on the bear. Indeed, if you trust the rabbit, once it hears the first shot, no matter whether the danger has appeared or not, it will run away. The rabbit will be the first, while you will be the last to run away. If you rely on the bear, when the danger comes-- when it sees a bigger bear appear before it – it will face the danger and will not run away. Then you will be the first, while it will be the last. I ask, what is being achieved in the first and in the second case, if you rely either on the rabbit or the bear? If you think that a rabbit or a bear can protect you in Life, you are mistaken. The rabbit and the bear are symbols that express certain external manifestations of human life. You can interpret these symbols. To rely on the rabbit means to rely on the pleasures of Life. In that case just as the rabbit runs from even the smallest danger, the person of pleasure cannot bear even the smallest sufferings and trials. It is easiest when people want everything in Life to please them. But the legs of pleasure are as long as those of the rabbit and it runs like the rabbit. The bear on the other hand symbolizes the common life, which I call hard earthly labor. However, neither the life of pleasures nor of earthly labor can save the world. Those who enjoy too much ruin their stomach; those who work too much ruin their hands. What is the point of ruining one's stomach and hands? That is the external side of the issue. Think about the inner side; think about the deep meaning of this question. Today, all people need true awareness, true understanding of the Life that God has given them. What should human beings strive for? Eating and drinking are not goals in Life, science is not a goal in Life, a home is not a goal in Life, sons and daughters are not goals in Life, to be rich is not a goal in Life. Then what is the inner meaning of Life? If in the present conditions you want to solve one of the great challenges of your life you should know above all the meaning of Life as a whole. Some say: "Can we live without eating and drinking?" – Do not discuss this issue. Eating and drinking are only conditions for sustaining Life and the conditions are outside us; there is no need to talk about them. Everything that is outside us is not so important. Consider this thought until it becomes clear to you. Imagine a person who has one thousand kilograms of wheat in his barn and keeps them locked away; he does not use them, does not grind them to make bread, but he fasts and starves, saying: "This wheat is for hard days. Let it stay in the barn; I will not eat from it." Another person has only one kilogram of wheat in his barn, but takes it out, grinds it at the mill, makes bread out of it, bakes it, eats it and says: "I will eat what God has given to me." I ask who has acted correctly – the one who has only one kilogram of wheat and uses it, or the one who has one thousand kilograms of wheat and seals them in the barn and does not eat? – The one who has one kilogram of wheat and eats. Someone may say: "I want to become a person of knowledge, a saint in the future." These are empty things. This is the person who has one thousand kilograms of wheat in his barn and fasts. The power of a person resides in what one acquires every moment and in what is hidden in their consciousness. God reveals Himself in the consciousness of everyone. Outside of a person, outside of one's consciousness, God does not exist. Even if God exists outside our consciousness, we do not know Him; we do not know what this God could be. We know about God as much as He reveals Himself in our consciousness. You often say: "God can do everything." It is true that God can do everything, but that depends on the possibilities that have been invested in you. Imagine that you are in front of a well and you hold a bucket tied with a thin rope with which you can hardly haul out ten liters of water. I am a strong man; I can haul out with my rope not ten but one hundred liters of water and I observe what you are doing. You drop your bucket with the thin rope and you take out only ten liters. The rope is conscious, living, and is not pleased with this small quantity of water, so it says: "Can't I also take out one hundred liters of water?" I say: "Try!" You take another bucket, which can hold one hundred liters of water; you put it on your thin rope and drop it in the well. You pull the bucket up, but the rope breaks and the bucket remains in the well. You wonder why this has happened and you say: "Could God not take out one hundred liters of water with this rope?" With this rope God cannot take out one hundred liters of water; He can take out only ten liters. If you think that with this thin rope you can take out one hundred liters of water, that shows that your consciousness contains one wrongful logical conclusion. When you say that God is almighty, that means God in His entirety, not God in His parts. In each separate part, in each human being, God is as powerful as the capacity of each one to accept, understand and reveal Him. Consequently, a reasonable person needs time to do a job that is harder than their abilities and possibilities. They have to drop the bucket ten times into the well in order to take out one hundred liters of water. If they want to do this job at once, to shorten the time, they must find another way. Otherwise the rope will break. Often people make mistakes in their lives because they are in a hurry – they want to shorten the time. Someone may ask: "Why didn't God give me a fortune? Why didn't He make me rich?" – Your rope is thin. God can take out for Himself millions and billions of liters of water, but the rope of your consciousness is so thin that if you drop it in the well to take out more than ten liters of water with it, it will break. Then the second process comes: you ask whether this issue cannot be solved in another way. There is another way out. What I am saying to you is a philosophy that has application in your current life, in your present consciousness with which you live. The way out is the following: the reasonable person may take ten thin ropes, bind them together, hang on this now-thick rope a big bucket, drop it in the well and take out a hundred liters of water. The results here will be the same as in the case in which the thin rope goes ten times into the well. But the acquisition will be different. When you do your job on your own, your joy will be bigger than if you use someone else's help. All ropes, which take part in taking out the water, are conscious and that is why each of them will want its share of the fruit of the completed work. After you take out the water, you will want to keep everything for yourself, but the ropes will argue among themselves over their share of the acquisition. One rope will say: "If it was not for me, you would have not done anything." The second rope will also say: "If it was not for me, you would not have done anything." The rest of the ropes will say the same. – Yes, all the ropes have participated in drawing out these one hundred liters of water, but none of them is able to take out these liters of water on their own. So the ten ropes together, just like the one rope individually, will get one and the same profit, only in the first case the profit will be divided in ten – each rope will get ten liters of water. Now you say: "Let us gather a couple of people to do some work together: to draw out water together or to work in the field." – From the acquisitions each one will receive as much as if they had worked alone for the same time. I ask: "In fact is there any profit from the shared work?" – Yes, there is. The real profit is in the encouragement that you will give to one another. All of you will be happy and joyful, will work assiduously and will come back singing. That will be the small added value in the profit. If you work alone, you will spend a silent day. That is why when good people work, they should work in small groups together. When bad people work, each one has to work alone in order to avoid conflicts. Someone may say: "I want to work alone." I suspect that the people around this person are bad and he is also bad. When all the people want to work only for themselves there is something negative between them: there is no agreement among them. This shows that the understanding of these people is not right. Often people criticize each other; they say these ones and those ones do not live well, they do not follow God. I ask what is the measure according to which you know which thing in the world is good and which is bad, which job is being done in line with God and which isn't. I say, no one can do a job in line with God. Why? – A person doesn't do one's work on his own. When you work at something, say: "God, do my job the way You understand!" Why? – Every work that God performs is very good. After this say: "God, this time I will do my work in You. And when I finish my work in You, You, God, will judge it." When I finish my work, I do not judge it, I leave God to judge how well it has been done. When it comes to God's works I have not two opinions, but only one, so I say: "God's deeds are always good." All philosophers, all educated people in the world may gather to persuade me of the opposite but they will not succeed. I know for sure that all God's deeds are good. No matter in what way and from what direction you look at His deeds, I say: "God's deeds are perfect." The consciousness in a person, the Divine beginning within, can judge the Divine deeds, while God judges the human deeds. If you want to know what I can do, ask God instead of asking me or others. Consequently, do not wonder what people think about you; it is important to ask yourselves what God thinks about you. It is a law: if you judge yourselves on your own, i.e. if God in you judges your deeds, you are blessed. Today many people have a certain philosophy, certain convictions, and in order to please the world they say: "We will go out in the world to show it what we are like." I ask, what new thing has the world had to say about good people for many years? No, only God has the right to judge human actions and only the conscious person has the right to judge Divine actions. Why? – Because one does not have a personal interest in God's actions, while in human ones the personality is involved. When it is said that we will be judged it means that regarding our actions, our life, all that we do for God, He is the only One Who can judge. As I do not worry about what to say about God's actions, in the same way I do not worry about what God will say about my actions. I have only one opinion about God's actions. From that, I conclude that God will judge me the way I judge Him. If doubt comes to you, say: "God can judge us in another way." Yes, if God judges you in a different way, that would mean that you have also judged Him in a different manner; you have had two opinions about Him. The law is the same. I say, first of all you will restore your initial conceptions about what God does in your soul. The grandeur of the soul, the grandeur of the genius, of the capable, talented, righteous person is to realize that everything that happens within us at any given moment is thanks to God, Who works within. Christ says: "My Father works." Where? – In me: in my soul, in my consciousness, in my heart, in my mind – He works in different places. As a result of this work there is a striving in all people to do something good. Many ask: "What should we do now?" – There is one great law according to which you cannot do the smallest good, if you do not love God. The first important thing for you is to love God. If you love Him, He will reveal Himself to you and then your love will become one with His. Now I will give you the following rule: work with the positive laws of Wisdom and with the positive methods of Love! So far you have had negative results in your work, because you have applied the negative laws of Wisdom and the negative methods of Love. There are no laws in Divine Love. It is a law unto itself. There is no law that can limit Love. If you live according to certain laws of Love, you will fall into a number of mistakes and delusions. In Love there are methods, and they are the best ones. So, in the life of Wisdom there are laws, while in the life of Love – there are methods. Now the never-ending questions will begin – what are these laws of Wisdom and these methods of Love. They are written in our soul: look for them there and you will find them. When you ask this I suppose that you have one kilogram of wheat in your barn and you have started eating it, but you want to gain one thousand kilograms. If you strive for the thousand kilograms, you are of the type of people who fast. Some say that they have fasted a lot. I ask, what does God gain from this fast of yours? – He loses. When you eat a lot, God loses again. If you eat moderately, you do God's work. If you eat and thank for the food, God is also pleased with you. If you overeat, you torture both yourself and God in you. You say: "My throat has dried!" God tells you: "I have given you much water, drink from the purest water so that your throat doesn't get dry!" I will give you a law with two methods of application: one is negative, the other, positive. Imagine that a born drunkard is in front of you. You want to help him go in the right direction, and you say to him: "Do not drink wine!" He says: "I cannot do without drinking wine. I have inherited this weakness from my mother and my father. It is not easy to give it up all of a sudden!" And so this man continues to drink. In this way you use the negative method. Afterwards, you apply the positive method towards the man by telling him: "Drink the purest nectar that exists in the world!" This is the method, which can save the drunkard. Do not tell him not to drink wine but tell him to drink the purest nectar. If he drinks it, he will never think about wine. You often say: "We should not hate!" That is the negative method of the world. That is like telling the drunkard not to drink. What can be acquired with this method? – Nothing, i.e. it gives negative results. Apply the positive method in your life. Do not say that you should not hate, but apply in your soul the best Love which the most elevated and noblest souls have applied on Earth. You say: "We must believe!" No, apply faith! Apply that elevated and noble faith, with which saints, righteous and good people have lived, with which forests and mountains can be removed. Apply that strong faith, go with it to a mountain and say: "Move!" If you tell Vitosha mountain to move, go to it! In the beginning it will seem to you that it has not moved at all, but when you reach it you will see that it has moved a bit. Have you tried such an experiment in order to check the strength of your faith and your thought? In fact the biggest mountain is the person who has to move! If I move, Vitosha will also move. If Vitosha does not move, that means that I am dead. The living, conscious person always moves. In that case Vitosha is me! If you understand me literally, you will have one result; if you understand the substance, you will have quite another result. If your faith and thinking are strong, you will check this law and will see that Vitosha has moved. If it has not moved, that is simply because your faith is weak. As long as Vitosha has not moved the rope that you drop in the well is weak. That does not mean that God is weak, but that your rope is weak. That is why you will find the strong rope which when dropped in the well will not break and Vitosha will be moved. If you have that faith, you will not only move Vitosha but you will also make the Sun rise in the West, not in the East as it has always done. If the Sun rises in the West, the order in the world will not break. On the contrary, the world will be better and more harmonious. What is the philosophy of the Sun rising in the East and going down in the West? If the East is the image of all good in the world, while the West – the image of all evil in the world, then what has the Sun contributed so far by rising in the good and going down in the evil? Then will it not be better for the Sun to rise in the West and set down in the East? In this way it will lead the world from the bad to the good. Where is the person who can make the Sun rise in the West? When I talk to you like that, you will say if you understand me literally: "Does this relate to the physical world?" – The physical manifestations are a reflection of the manifestations existing in the Spiritual world. When Christ says that strong faith can move mountains; that is where the core of the faith is. Vitosha mountain also exists in the Spiritual world. If the place of Vitosha or any other object changes in the Spiritual world, the place of their shadow will also change. When an object moves, its shadow also moves. However, if we want to move the shadow of the object, that is a hard job. The shadow is being moved by another law. Only the Sun is able to move the shadow of objects. However, if I understand the law, I can put up my hand and move the shadow wherever I want. Once you lift Vitosha, you can move its shadow wherever you want. So application is required from you. Inner, deep thinking is required from you. If you have this thought, you can complete your development in one day, in one minute. You say: "When we complete our development what will happen to us?" You will go back to Earth again and you will work for others. If you have forty days to harvest all your fields, you will do that for only one day, and the remaining thirty-nine days you will use to help your fellow men. One day you will work for Ivan, the second day – for Dragan, the third day – for Stoyan and so on. You will go to Ivan and you will tell him: "Ivan, haven't you harvested yet?" – "No, I haven't." – "Come on, I will help you." In one day you will finish his work and you will go to Dragan. "Dragan, have you finished your work?" – No, I haven't" – "Come on, let's finish it together." You will start working together and in a day you will finish everything. On the third day you will go to Stoyan; you will help him too. In these thirty-nine days you will finish the work of everyone. They will become perfect and in the same way they will go on to help the others. Work is wanted from all of you both in that world and in the world beyond! Some people think that when they go into the other world, they will be met with wreaths and songs, sit down together with the angels and play the guitar. No, there also work is awaiting for you! Many say that they have finished their development, that God Savaot has talked to them directly, etc. They have finished their development, but they cannot take out ten kilograms of water from the well! God Savaot has spoken to them, but no one wants to give them bread. How is that possible? Do not have any illusions! That is a delusion! That is the situation of the drunken person who gets drunk and says: "Do you know who I am?" "Bum!" and he breaks a window. To liberate oneself from these states, one has to reach the Truth that will set them free. You still do not know what Freedom is like! The Scriptures say: "Do not be a slave to people!" Do not be slaves of certain beliefs that delude. Praise God and be free! Whoever wants Freedom should liberate others. Often people look at the negative manifestations of Life. It is true that Life has negative sides, which are the results of karma, of the law of cause and effect, the reasons and consequences of things. Karma has to do with fate, but people have to be set free from that fate. God says: "I will erase your sins, your past life, your crimes – nothing will be left! And after that I will bring the new into you." The first thing: to realize Life in its positive side, you need Freedom. You ask: "What should be done with the world?" You should know that outside you, the world does not exist. God who lives in me, He is the creator of the world, that is why I should not look for the world outside myself. God Who has created the world, only He knows the true ways and methods for its correction. Consequently, there are no reasons why I should worry about the world and its salvation. The salvation of people and of the entire world is not my business. Only the Strong One can correct and save the world. People ask the question: "What will be the results of our life?" – If you have lived with the negative methods of Life, you will also have negative results. If you have suffered all your life and you have not understood anything from these trials, these will be also the results of your life. Someone who fasted ten days says: "I tormented myself with this fast; I did not understand anything." – Yes, if you have fasted and only tormented yourselves without learning anything, that fast is not right. Fasting is not a bad thing, it is useful, but only when it is used reasonably and gives good results. The meaning of Life is not in fasting, but it is necessary as a conscious attempt. Christ also fasted forty days. He went to the desert where He spent forty days fasting and praying. After He finished, Christ acquired a great enlightenment. When He went back to his disciples, they asked Him: "What should we do now?" Christ replied to them: "One lives not only by bread but also by every Word that comes from God." So, there is another way of eating. The fast shows that people can eat in another way – with the Word of God. The New Life is hidden. In this way of nourishment is the New Life. I will make a comparison between eating in the old way and in the new way. Take a rich man, a gastronome who enjoys rich food. He sits at lunch and immediately roasted hens, geese, ducks, different kinds of fruit and a number of other dishes and drinks are placed on the table. Ask what he has not eaten throughout his life! He says: "This is the way to live!" That is eating in the old way. However, one day the stomach of this man becomes deranged; he begins constantly to lose weight and calls a doctor to examine him. The doctor says: "Starting today all geese, ducks, hens, lambs, pigs, apples and pears are fired and you will eat only rice soup – two teaspoons every two hours. Only in this way can you be healthy again." When he sees his wife entering the room, he asks her: "Woman, what is the time? Is it time for soup?" He is punctual; he is careful not to miss the time. He wants to save himself. He knows that his salvation is in this soup. When relatives of his drop by, they ask him: "How is your health? "Thanks, I feel better now. The doctor told me that if I continue to eat in the old way – with hens, geese and ducks, I will go to the other world." This is the new way of eating. I take the rice soup as a symbol of the new eating. It represents the pure food of ideas. Today, people fast and limit eating only when they are sick. One says: "The doctor ordered me to eat every two hours two spoons of rice soup." That is neither reasonable fasting, nor a new way of eating. This person eats like this out of necessity. Do not interpret this literally. Only the healthy, conscious person of ideas can eat in the new way. If you eat in the new way, it will bring Peace and Power into your soul. What can you do in this world if you do not have Peace and Power? Many say: "Let God be on our side!" If they say so, they exclude God from themselves. God is not outside us. Someone says: "I have a tough task to solve." The Scriptures say: "God constantly works within us." If God constantly works within us, our consciousness has to be awakened, to observe how God in us thinks, feels and solves our problems. If a hardship comes, do not be in a hurry: start thinking and observe how God within you will solve it. Less than five minutes will pass and you will see that the problem has been solved. After that you will say: "My problem has been correctly solved. I have only one opinion of God and now it is being confirmed: all God's works have been accomplished!" You say: "In theory that is so, but in practice it is not the same." No, practically it is also the same. I will give you an actual example from life to illustrate that for the one who listens and does what God tells him from within, theory and practice are one and the same. Two brothers fight for the heritage left by their father. The older brother takes more, while the younger brother takes less. They have been fighting for fifteen years, hating each other. They do not want to look at each other and each of them talks badly about the other one. One day the Divine wakes up in the older brother and says to him: "What you did to your brother is not good. Go, reconcile with him, give him everything. You may work and make a living with what you earn by your work." He listened to this voice inside him and went to the home of his brother. At this moment, the Divine starts talking to the younger brother and he says to himself: "I am tired of this fighting! I have been cross with my brother for such a long time! What did I gain by that? I will go to him, we will reconcile and I will tell him that I am giving him everything from our father. What I earn is enough for me." Said – and done! He heads to his brother to reconcile. They meet each other on the road. The older one says: "Brother, I come to reconcile with you. I give you everything that I took from my father. I will make my living by what I earn from my own work." "Is that so? I also decided to do the same," the younger brother said. "Then let us both work together. "The two brothers get together, reconcile and start working together. I say, this is the way to solve all problems and misunderstandings within oneself. I ask, should we divide the Divine in us? Should we fight for It? No, let us sanctify the name of God Who lives in us! Let us place God high within ourselves and in our consciousness so that He can work there. Many wonder what the New, the Divine teaching is. Many are interested in knowing more about the New, the Divine Teaching. The Divine teaching is in the following: to allow God to work in our consciousness and for God to allow us to work in Him. Someone asks: "What is the New teaching?" It is God to work in me and me to work in Him. How will you understand this? – Only after you attempt it. You cannot define the New teaching if you do not attempt to follow it. Someone says: "I have made an attempt." – How many attempts, only one? In the Divine teaching the experience is constant, without interruption. The Divine reveals Itself all the time. Now I will tell you the difference between the Divine and the human. The Divine manifests Itself and stays forever; the human manifests itself and stays for a day. What is forever and constant within us is Divine; what is for short time is human. Happiness and joy that disappear quickly are human; happiness and joy that never disappear are Divine. The goodness that appears and disappears is human; the goodness that appears and does not disappear is Divine. Knowledge that cannot solve the difficulties in your lives is human; knowledge, which in all difficult moments in your life solves all problems is Divine. The Divine lives forever; there is no interruption in it. It is the Great, which works in the souls. Only through the Divine can all your strivings and ideals be achieved. I say, may those of you who want to walk the Divine path, put the bags on your backs and go ahead! Do not look back to see what is going on behind you! Do not deal with old things! God who lives in us will create the New world, the New Heaven and the New earth. The Scriptures say: "The Earth and the Sky ran away from His face." Which are the Earth and the Heaven in question? – The old Earth and the old Heaven, i.e. the old beliefs and understandings. Now the New Heaven and the New Earth are being created, i.e. the new beliefs and conceptions. When the old background falls, the new one is erected. When the old Sun sets, the day is not over; the new Sun rises. Today's Sun will go set, it will die; a new Sun will come tomorrow. Every day God creates a new Sun. Do you believe in that? Every belief that goes down is not a true faith, but it dies and is buried. Contemporary people say: "What times we are living in! Once upon a time when we were young, we used to love each other, we got along; today nothing remains of that love." I will give you an example of a grandfather named Stoyan from the village of Golyama Mogila who often boasted of his boldness and courage in his youth. When he was ninety years old, he took his stick, went to a big pit and said: "Once upon a time when I was young, how well I jumped over even the biggest pits! Let's see whether I will be able to jump over this pit now!" He started running and oops – fell inside the pit! When he saw himself in this situation, he told himself: "That is strange, when I was young things weren't like this! When a man gets old, he becomes a joke in the mouths of people." When he got out of the pit, he looked around to see whether someone had seen or heard him: "What was so when one was young, it is the same when one is old." That is true. A strong person cannot become weak. Also a weak person cannot become strong. The weak person is weak in essence. The one within whom the human is strong is weak; strong is the one within whom the Divine is strong. From this we draw the conclusion: if your love is human, it is weak; if your love is Divine, it is strong and constant. Divine Love, both in youth and in old age, is the same. Human love is passionate in youth, and cold when old age comes. Divine love goes the opposite way: in the beginning it is weak, in the end – strong. Only love of the mother for her child is one and the same during all its ages: starting from the time when the child was in her womb until the time of its old age. There was a ninety-year-old priest who addressed his sixty-year-old son with the words "my boy" and tapped him on the back. He did not see an old man with a white moustach and a beard, but a little boy. The same relationships exist in Divine Love. It tenderly addresses its children with the words "My son, my dear little boy!" – If people are misled by the external form of things, Life has no meaning. Everyone who grows old in the Life of Love, proceeds along the human path, everyone who weakens in Knowledge, proceeds along the human path, everyone who makes mistakes in their life, proceeds along the human path. There are two paths in Life: human and Divine. Someone apologizes, saying: "You will excuse me; I am a bit harsh, rude. I have weaknesses." There is no need to apologize, just say the truth: "I walk on the human path." A person's nobility can be seen in their constantly applying correction. When noble people occasionally make a mistake, they say "this is human" and set it aside. Even the most renowned philosophers and learned people make mistakes. There is no human in the world who does not make mistakes. A famous writer wrote an impressive novel but he wished to print it without any mistakes. And truly, the entire book was printed without any mistakes; but in the title of the novel, in big letters, a mistake was made. What is the problem with this one mistake? You will correct it! In the human path, mistakes are allowed and inevitable. If you want to usher perfection into the human path, you have taken the wrong way. Perfection exists only in the Divine. The human represents a method for the application of the Divine. If you do not understand things like that you are on the wrong path and in the end you will achieve nothing. All great, righteous people, whether in religious societies or in the world, have believed in God's way. In my opinion, there are two types of people. One type go in God's way; they are within it, no matter whether they are in some religious community or outside in the world. The second category are the ones who walk along the human path; they are outside God's way, no matter whether they are in a religious community or in the world. The results from the human way are of one sort, from the Divine way – of another. These two roads have to become one. When the weak, the human, comes under the control of the Divine, it will strengthen and straighten up. Only God within us has the power to free us from our weaknesses and only we are able to use God's power for good. Everyone wants to use and can use God's power but they must have only one opinion of God: everything that God does within them is for good. If one says that what God does is not good, everything is over. Whatever may happen, tell yourselves: "It is for good!" Some contemporary people ask themselves why things happen in this and not in another way. I say, everything takes place according to the great laws of Conscious Nature. Others ask what is the correct way to pray, where we should gather to pray or how to solve some questions. I say, see where the birds gather! They make their meetings and gatherings in the air. Many birds gather, exchange important thoughts and then disperse. Can you not, like the birds, have your gatherings in the air? A woman who was Samaritan asked Jesus the same question two thousand years ago. She said to him: "Sir, I see that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in these forests, and you say that we should pay our respects in Jerusalem." Jesus told her: "The hour comes when neither in this forest, nor in Jerusalem, you will pay respect to the Father. But the time comes and now is, when the true pilgrims will worship God in Spirit and Truth; because that is how the Father wants his followers to be. God is a Spirit and those who pay their respects to Him, they must do that in Spirit and in Truth." The real service to God is not in the outer form, in the physical aspect. As far as serving God is concerned, we must be perfect! Whoever pays respect to God, must do that in Spirit and in Truth! In the meantime, if you want to be happy on Earth, you must not look for happiness in the sand, which some put in bottles full of pure water which they constantly stir and thus wash it away. There is absolutely no happiness in that. So, the one who wants to serve God must know that God lives and works in all people. If you think in this way, your mutual relationships will be correct. Many say: "Time is required for everything, evolution is necessary to bring everything into being." Yes, I agree with you – time, evolution are necessary, but for whom? – For weak persons. Evolution exists for weak persons – but not for strong ones. The strong person evolves by helping the weak to progress in their way. The reasonable, great people in the world are strong. If a person has a thin rope, with which they can remove from a well only ten liters of water, but they need to take out a thousand liters, what will they do? – That person is weak; they need time to throw the rope in the well one hundred times, in order to remove a thousand liters of water. If their rope is thick and strong, they will immediately remove one thousand liters of water from the well. This means that evolution is necessary for the weak, not for the strong. Things happen immediately for the strong person. I believe that you have already understood my thought. To those who have not understood me, I will say to them: enter the well once, twice, three times, one hundred times! When you emerge, I will ask you what you have learned in the well. If you have learned something, you will no longer want to enter and emerge from the well. This shows that you have acquired a certain level of experience; you have received a certain understanding. If you have not acquired the necessary experience, if you have not attained the necessary understanding of Life, you will still enter and emerge from the well. The following law exists in Nature: for reasonable people water will not be extracted in a mechanical way with pumps, but it will emerge on the surface of the earth in the form of a spring. I say, water comes by itself to reasonable people; there is no need for them to go down to it. Our attitude towards water is similar to our attitude towards God. When we love God, He will be inside us; when we do not love Him, He is outside us. Then we will look for Him right and left, up and down, and we will find Him nowhere. Then, like the psalmist, we say to ourselves: "My pillow is wet from tears, but you are gone, God." What is the reason that we do not find God? – God is inside you; do not look for Him outside. Everyone understands things the way they have been placed within them. I say, it is correct to understand things as God has created them. Observe yourselves and you will see that just as your consciousness expands every day, so do things acquire a newer and newer expression every day. The good in the world as well as the world itself – everything is hidden in the human soul and in the human spirit. Now, do not think that anyone is able to extinguish the small, microscopic light that shines in your soul and in your spirit. It is the Divine Fire in human beings that never goes out. No matter what conditions one falls into, that Fire never stops. The human fire is like the fire from dried hemp and linen stems. The young women from some villages, at their gatherings make a fire from dried hemp or linen stems, the flames of which go high, but after in ten-fifteen minutes it goes out. You must know that everything, which, like the burning hemp and linen stems, goes up high and soon goes out, is human. It does not last for long. That is why you should not base your faith on the human. If you want to be strong, rely on the Divine within you! Put your faith in It. The moment you start doubting it, you are weak. The moment you start believing the Divine inside yourselves, you are strong. Once you cut your connection with the Divine, you enter the human, and the law of evolution. When you connect with the Divine, you enter the world of God's manifestations. The human world is a world of incarnation, of entangling with the material world; while the Divine world is a world of inspiration. I know two worlds: if you are strong, you enter into the manifestations of the Divine world, and the law of inspiration; if you are weak, you enter the law of incarnation or going down into material world. Someone says: "I believe in evolution. Only through evolution can our ideals be achieved." – That is true; evolution is for weak people but for strong people, the Divine must prevail over the human. Do not mix these two worlds; undertake purifying your consciousness to be able at any moment to discern at every moment in which world you are living. I ask you, which is the most important idea of everything you have heard? I say, the most important idea is that one, which every one has understood best of all and can apply in one's life. This idea is like a kilogram of wheat for him, from which he can prepare bread to eat. The rest, which he has not understood are those one thousand kilograms of wheat, which will stay in the barn. The same law is valid in mathematics and in the other branches of science. Whoever understands the numbers from 1 to 10 will also understand all rules and manipulations in mathematics; whoever does not understand the first numbers cannot also manipulate with the rest. All religious people speak about serving God. There are two ways of serving God: the first is serving with beliefs, the other is serving with that devoted faith, which contains no doubt and hesitation. In such serving, when sufferings and trials come, the person will smile a bit and will say: "This is the Will of God, everything is for good." When Poverty comes to him, he asks it: "Listen, who has sent you to me?" – "God." – "Then I will tell you why you are poor. You are poor, because you do not obey God." One has just coped with Poverty, when Ignorance comes to him. – "Who has sent you to me?" – "God." "You are ignorant, because you do not obey God, you do not want to learn." After Ignorance, Disease comes. – "Who has sent you to me?" – " God." – "You are Disease since you do not love health, you exclude it from yourself. If you want people to love you, you should bring them health. Come on, go away now, good luck, I have no free time to deal with you." Finally, Sin comes to this person. He asks it: "Who has sent you to me?" – "God." – "Go to serve Him, to do His Will and soon you will have wings." – "But I am a sinner." – "Leave and do not sin any more. Do what you have not done so far!" – "See, I have a weakness. I drink." – "It does not matter. Drink from the best nectarine water." In this way namely the man of selfless faith copes with all negative situations in life. This is the right way to act thanks to which every one can acquire one's freedom. Every one who wants to acquire one's freedom shall apply this way. Many think that their life is empty and meaningless. No, your life, no matter how small it is compared to the whole life, has some meaning but not the meaning of the Whole. In the same way as the life of an ant does not arrange the whole Life of Creation, the life of one person does not arrange it either. Only the Divine in man arranges Life in all its phases. There is nothing better, nothing more beautiful than to live in God! Only then you can understand what Divine Love, Divine Wisdom, Divine Truth, Divine Justice, Divine Virtue, mercy, gentleness, restraint, etc are. All who meet such a person will smile at him. All beings who live with God and in Him are smiling. In one of the deserts there was a lake, which water was as clean as a crystal – everything was reflected in it. In the hottest weather all animals: bears, tigers, lions, rabbits, snakes went to drink water in the evening, but none of them did wrong to the others. Why? – Every animal bent to drink water and after having enough, pleased went to its place. The big thirst was prevailing in all minds and that is why no one of them had even the slightest thought of harming the others. Tigers, wolves, bears, rabbits and snakes – all drank water together. I say, there is one place where all people can get along. Which is this place? – The clean, crystal lake. Go to this lake, all of you! This is Divine Love, from which the human souls should go to drink to their fill. You will ask: "How can we find this lake?" – " Go to the animals, they will tell you how they are finding the good springs in the mountains. A thirsty soul will find this spring on its own. A soul that is not thirsty cannot find it. Now I am not going to draw any conclusion. Remember the following: when God starts to work in your consciousness that is the beginning of things and that beginning is good. When God starts to work the beginning is good and the end is good. What is the beginning, the same is the end – the fruit of work. God said: "I am alpha and omega, beginning and end." When man works in God, he is the beginning, God is the end. In the Divine God is the beginning, man is the end. In the human man is the beginning, God is the end. That is why it is said in the Scriptures: "And God will be your guard from the back!" In the Divine it is the opposite: we will be the guard from the back, while God will be the beginning. If you understand these thoughts and apply them, you will have the best results; if you do not understand them, you will remain in the old life. I say, begin to work and do not think about the old life. Do not ask what your past was. Live in the present and in the future where the New Life is hidden. If you are reasonable and live in line with the laws of Great Nature, you can change your destiny. After the Divine takes over within you, your life will improve. A wise person can make everything be beautiful, while a stupid one can ruin even the most beautiful things. It all depends on us. If God abides in us, we will be strong and can do everything. Do not show off before people that God is living in you but apply your power in practice. If God lives in you, you can immediately solve even the most difficult task. You are asked what the square root of a certain number is. – "It is so and so." – The Divine solves things immediately. What should a disciple of the New teaching be? – A disciple of the new Teaching should have: heart as pure as crystal, mind as bright as the Sun, soul as noble and spacious as the entire Universe and spirit as powerful as God and one with God! When some trouble comes to your heart, take out the rule for your heart and say: "I am a disciple and my heart should be as pure as crystal without any filth in it." If some trouble comes to your mind, say: "My mind should be as bright as the Sun, without any dark in it" When some trouble comes to your soul, say: "My soul should be as noble and spacious as the entire universe without any limitation." Finally when some trouble comes to your spirit, say:" My spirit should be as powerful as God and one with God!" Every day when you are in a difficult situation use the relevant rule for the situation and pronounce it several times during the day. If Evil has come to you to tell you that you "can trespass a little", you may answer it: "No, I should have a heart as pure as crystal!" After you have read the rule, put it in your pocket. Evil comes to you again to tempt your mind: "That work can be done in another way."- " No, I should have a mind as bright as the Sun." – " "Can it not be a bit less – like an electric lamp?" – " No, it cannot be!" After that Evil comes to tempt your soul, but you will tell it: "My soul should be as vast as the universe." Finally Evil comes to tempt your spirit, but you will tell it: "My spirit should be as powerful as God and one with God." After all these attempts Evil will be in a difficult situation and will say: "These people are learnt, I cannot tempt them with anything." Pure heart, bright mind, vast spacious soul and powerful spirit – this is the chain with which you can fetter evil and be free. I want you to be absolutely free. It means: free in your conceptions, in your beliefs, in your feelings, thoughts and actions. Suppose that you lived when Christ was on Earth and His companions tried to convince you that He was the expected Messiah. Others convinced you in the opposite. A disagreement appeared in your soul, you looked for Christ, but you got confused. I say, believe in your inner faith, in your deep conviction. Do not look for Christ here and there, He is in you, in your soul. Only a free person can find God and have one opinion for Him. When I see you and you see me, we must have only one opinion of one another. Why? – Because God lives in both of us. If you think like this, you will say: "This brother is excellent, because God works in him. This Master is excellent, because God works through him." As long as we are heralds of the Divine, we will have pure hearts, bright minds, vast souls and powerful spirits. Only God in you can do this. You say: "Our life is difficult and hard." -" Stop torturing yourselves! – "Yes, but it is hard to love one another." – Why do you torment yourselves with loving? When God enters to live in you, He will show you how to love. He will show you the methods of Love and the laws of Wisdom. Then you will love and your Love will be sacred. It will be a blessing for both your beloved and the person who loves you. So, I address every one: young and old, those who started to work and those who did not do it and I say, begin to work, all of you! Some say: "We have not learnt anything yet." – " Yes, Knowledge, as well as Virtue cannot be poured in your heads as if by a funnel. Allow the Divine to work in you and when it will be revealed, act as the two brothers did: sacrifice your own good for the Divine in you. If you do not act in this way, a disagreement will appear in you. Many ask: "Should we be educated?" – Of course, you should. We are not satisfied with the general knowledge, love, wisdom, truth, virtue and justice. If it is a matter of knowledge, we strive towards the Knowledge that God has; if it is a matter of love, wisdom, truth, justice and virtue, we strive to acquire Divine Love, Wisdom, Truth, Justice and Virtue. Ordinary things do not exist in our dictionary. Our ideal is towards the Divine, the Elevated, the Great, the Real, towards That Whole, which creates the shadows, but It is not a shadow by Itself. You say: "I am ignorant." – Do not speak of ignorance. – "I am sinful." – Do not speak of sin." – "I am weak." – Do not speak of weakness. Paul said: "We, the strong ones shall carry the weak ones." It means that God Who is strong can carry our weaknesses. Every one whom God lives within can carry the weak ones. I say to the weak one: "God can live in you and then you will be strong". God can live in all of you and you will be strong. Consequently, give freedom to God in you, do not limit Him, do not give Him rules how to act. Do not ask clothes, shoes, hats from God, but start with the basic, with Life. Clothes, shoes, hats will come on their own. Once the Divine Life comes to you, everything will be added. This Life is beautiful! It brings Freedom to our souls. When you wake up happy in the morning, you should know that it is the Divine face smiling in you. There is no bigger blessing than that: to see the face of God happy and joyful. Many of you are buried in the tomb shouting, moaning from underneath. I say, pull up the stone of your tomb and go out! When they put Christ in the grave, they put a slate over Him and a huge stone above it. Could He move away the stone above the slate of his tomb by Himself? – He could not. Christ got 80,000 hits from the Roman soldiers and four big nails in His hands and feet, as a result of which He was weak to move away His own the stone above the slate of the tomb. An Angel came from Heaven to move the stone away from the tomb and Christ resurrected. Today you are also weak as Christ was then, you are all crucified, you have nails in your hands and feet. However, there is an essential difference between you and Christ. Christ died and resurrected, while you are crucified without having yet died. I will give you an example clarifying my thought. A preacher in America spoke to his listeners about generosity. He told them that one should sacrifice for God in order to be saved, i.e. one should sacrifice the human for the Divine. One of the listeners who was there – a very rich man – said as he listened to the sermon: "No, one can be also saved without sacrifices or great generosity. How did the rascal nailed next to Christ at the cross save himself? What sacrifices did he do?" The preacher answered him: "The rascal at the cross was a dying man, while you are still a living rascal." It is the same with you. You are crucified at the cross but you are not still dead. When you die, it is another issue. The whole difficulty is while you are at the cross. You are crucified and you yell, make noise. Christ too, when He was still alive at the cross, yelled: "God, why did you leave Me to be mocked at and profaned by the people?" God told Him: "This work has already been finished." – "If so, let it be Your will! In Your hands I surrender My spirit." After Christ passed away, they took His body down from the cross, put it in the tomb, closed it with a stone slate and that is how they left Him and there He spent three days. At the third day an angel from Heaven came, moved the slate away, took it up from the tomb and Christ resurrected. You will also yell like this at the cross: "My God, my God why did You leave me to be mocked at and profaned by the world?" God will say: "Everything is over." After that Nikodimus will come, will ask for permission to take your body down from the cross, will wrap you in a cloth, will put you in the tomb and will close it with a slate and a stone above it. After that the priests will come to seal your tomb as an obstacle for your disciples who might come to steal your body. Three days after that an angel from Heaven will come, will move away the stone, take the slate down and you will resurrect. So I say: the question is easy when they take you down from the cross, but difficult time is while you are still living on the cross. Finally you must die! By "death" we mean the transformation of consciousness. When Christ died on the cross, His consciousness was transformed; He received enlightenment concerning the great order in the world, the new Life which is coming. When the New Life awakens in you, the old life will leave its place to be replaced by the new one and you will climb down from the mystic cross of suffering. After that, an angel will come down from Heaven, will remove the stone slate from your tomb, and you will enter the freedom of the New Life – "the resurrection." Only in this way will God enter you to live in you and you will begin your work on Earth. After the resurrection, Christ spent full forty days with His disciples, invisible to the world, and during that time He continued to preach. The Gospel says: "And He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." Only the resurrected one acquires the real, eternal, essential Life – the Life of immortality. Now, I believe that you have understood all that I talked to you about. These are words of liberation. Those of you who have understood my words form among yourselves one Divine wall of harmony and unity: unity in thoughts, unity in feelings and unity in actions and strivings in all directions. We constitute the Great Life, which reveals itself in all directions-- in the physical, spiritual and Divine Life as parts of the common Divine organism. Be carriers of this unity! The Divine teaching is in this which you must apply every day in your life. If you apply this Teaching, you do not need any other philosophy or teaching. After you apply and try it out, may each one of you tell other people how you have found this Path. So, work hard this year to apply the Divine teaching. I call this year Divine-- a year of purification. Last year was an year of Love. After a mother gives birth to her child she starts cleaning it because it is weak, frail, and cannot clean itself on its own. It might become a genius, a saint, a great scientist but until it grows up the mother has to clean it two-three times a day. Cleansing is also necessary for grown-ups until the Divine grows stronger in them. Cleansing is as natural and necessary for the grown-ups as it is for the little children. When the Divine in you increases and takes over the human, you will become strong and will live an elevated and ideal life. Until this time comes, you should cleanse yourselves constantly. All people have weaknesses. Human weaknesses are conditions for the manifestation of the soul. When the soul turns up in these limited conditions it starts wandering about here and there, just as a bee hits itself against the closed window of a castle until it is free. It does not see that there are obstacles. The obstacles in the world are necessary for our progress. When the Divine comes to us, it will liberate our souls from all the obstacles and limitations. I say you all need absolute, positive faith! No matter how difficult this Teaching seems to you, say: "We can all understand and apply the Divine teaching." – "But our faith is weak." – "Do not say that. Your faith is not weak". – "Do we have to leave the world in order to serve God?" – No, you will live in the world. Everyone will solve their problems wherever they are. – "What methods to use?" – The methods of the Divine teaching. You all know what the old methods of the past have contributed. People of the past lived in forests, served in monasteries and worshipped God in churches, but still their problems remain unsolved. Now serving based on inner freedom remains to be applied. May every one listen to the voice deep inside where one will find the real methods for service. In this way one will be liberated on one's own. If the Divine awakens in the person, only it is able to liberate them. I will give you an example of one of the American criminals, who was arrested for a number of thefts and crimes. They tied his legs and hands with ropes and left him lying in bed with the conviction that he was not dangerous. The guard who kept an eye over him entered one night with a candle and as he was in a hurry he forgot the candle in the criminal's cell. The criminal looked at the candle and shouted: "There is a way for my rescue!" He stretched his legs to the flame of the candle, burned the rope and freed his legs. After that he held the rope in his hands to the flame and it burned. So being free from the ropes – the conditions that limited him, he opened the window and escaped. If evil in the world has tied your arms and legs with ropes, but God has left a candle in your room, should you ask what to do? – Burn the rope! – "But is this allowed? – "It is allowed! Was evil allowed to tie you up? Everyone by his own will, can put the rope on the candle, in order to burn it and to set oneself free." – "Should I go out through the window or through the door?" – Through the window. If the window is closed, go out through the chimney! Go out from wherever you can. You do not need any other philosophy. Everyone must fight and win their soul's Freedom. This is a whole process. In acquiring one's Freedom, a person will re-educate themselves, will grow up, will come to the great morality of Life when evil will not be able to tie their arms and legs with ropes any more. Only in this way will the New Life enter the world and will you be able to realize all that the soul and the spirit wish. Only in this way will we satisfy God and will God satisfy us. Only in this way will we rejoice with God and will God rejoice with us. For you to be liked by God and for us to like God. Only in this way will we be rejoicing in God and will He rejoice in us. – When will that take place? – When God comes to live in you. If I ask you whether you will give room to God in you it does not mean that I do not trust you. I believe that you will do this, because I speak the great Truth to you. I transfer to you an experience of mine. I acquired my freedom in the same way. Remember the following: I have only one opinion of God: everything that God does in me is good. Also God has only one opinion of me: everything that I do for God is good and righteous. Christ said: "God lives in Me and I live in Him." I say that this is the Way to acquire inner spiritual Freedom and to implement all good things in the world. There is no other way. If not today, then tomorrow or whenever else, only on this Path will you acquire your Freedom. Whoever you address, if they know the Truth they will tell you the same. If they do not know the Truth they will beguile you with this or that, with these or those words. Christ said: "The Father and I are one. My Father lives in Me and I live in My Father. God works in Me and I work in Him." I want you to be free because only then will you be able to manifest and develop your abilities and talents. Then all the Love, Wisdom, Truth, Justice and Virtue which you manifest will be in the right place. If you apply this Teaching you will be fresh and joyful, you will be deep as the sea and the sky. You need depth now! If you live in this way, no matter what sufferings may come to you, the thought that God is with you and you are with Him will stand out in your mind. If you think in this way, He will take you down from the cross on which you are crucified. Now you will ask: "What should we do, should we not pray?" I ask, should one pray for one's freedom? Get to work! Put the rope on your arms and legs to burn in the candle flame! – "Won't we sing?" When does a person sing? – When they have finished their work. When do the reapers sing? – When they go and return from the harvest but not while they are working. When you went to work you sang. Now you are already at work. The person who works does not sing. When you finish your job you will sing again. You cannot always sing. If I send you to go to Vitosha Mountain for some reason on a hot summer day, will you be able to sing? While you are going up you may sing only in your soul, but after you have climbed up Vitosha Mountain and have accomplished the given job, you can freely sing. There is definite time for everything; for singing there is a definite timing. Today is a day for work – the first day of your awareness, the first day for Divine work. So far you have not worked. Today's work will define your future for the entire eternity. You will know: the day today defines your future. It is one of the most beautiful days of your life in the eternity. Christ says: "My Father works and I work." I now want all of you to work. We are now in the day of work. Do not say that you will work in the evening. No, this day has no night. It is an eternal day, without evening, during which the Sun does not go down. It is a day of eternal dawning and rising of the Sun – a day, in which things have no beginning and no end. It is the most beautiful eternal day of Joy and Happiness. The Scriptures say: "When I see Your face, my soul will rejoice." This verse is mainly about this lovely day of work. Only when one works for God can one see the face of God and one's soul will rejoice. Now you will say: "Well, it would be nice if all brothers and sisters from the country were here!" I say, all are here. Why? – Because every brother and sister from the physical world who are enlisted as members of the Brotherhood of Light have two delegates each to represent them – one in the Divine world and one in the angelic world. So, if one thousand people come here, in fact they are three thousand powerful heroes: one thousand in the physical world, one thousand in the angelic world and one thousand in the Divine world. The power is not in you who are in the physical world, but in these three thousand people gathered together. They are the workers, not only the people of the physical world. Do you know what these helpers from above can do? – They will accomplish God's work. He works through them. So – no songs, no prayers, no hand-kissing! All go to work! From above they will follow whoever is prepared for work and who has started to work. I congratulate you on the great day of work. Be all of you, heroes and co-workers with God's work! This day has already come. Begin the Divine work because it defines your life in the future! Translated by Martina Iovcheva Checked by Maria Braikova Source

From The beauty of life Awakening Of The Collective Consciousness Lecture given by Beinsa Douno August 19, 1921, Veliko Tarnovo Please, be so kind to listen to me; I am not going to speak long. Wise persons do not need long speeches, what they need is a short, but sensible and comprehensible talk. With all my compliments and respect to you I would like to speak to you concisely and clearly, the way I would speak to intelligent people. Life on Earth is music. It flows in three directions. Let me express this in musical terms – sometimes life follows a major scale, as in the case when military men express themselves; at other times it follows a minor scale – the way sorrow is expressed; and finally it follows a chromatic scale, which includes the first two scales. These are three great methods, three great laws that regulate our lives. When we do not understand the deep inner meaning of Life, we focus on nonessential matters and we ask ourselves why Life is organized the way it is and not differently. Be aware that I maintain the positive view of experiential science in Life, which we have verified ninety nine times, and as a result we do not have even one hundred millionth of a doubt about what we say. Doubt is an indication of ignorance in the world. I do not imply that ignorance is bad; but it represents a process of development. For example, all infants are born ignorant and their consciousness should be gradually awakened and developed further on. Hence, human consciousness, if I am to express myself in strict scientific language, passes through three stages: essential, substantial and material stage. The essential stage includes the principles of Life; the substantial stage includes the laws of Life and the material stage – the facts of Life. Therefore, grouped facts in the world, i.e. aggregated personal little experiences, form a law and we say that this law is expressed one way or another. Currently, contemporary scientists refer to the law as something mechanical, but it is a living essence. A law can exist only in beings who are elevated, whose consciousness has passed through the material stage – from the facts to the laws, from the individual to the general and from the general to the whole. We ask ourselves about the most important thing for us once we are here on Earth. In the present circumstances people think that life on Earth is most important when they are well off materially; so all nations individually and collectively are striving for their material security and wellbeing. That is why today we have the so-called economic struggle. The current aspiration of nations towards the material is a trend. Hence, human consciousness advances from the material to the substantial stage or in other words the collective consciousness in man is in a process of awakening. Until now, similar to the animal world, humanity has been living in collective sub-consciousness and from now on entire humanity is advancing to collective consciousness, in other words people are beginning to realize that they need one another. Until now everyone has being living for himself alone, everyone has been seeking his personal salvation. But at present humanity as a whole is moved by an inner impulse towards the improvement of the common status, not only of one, but of all social classes and, moreover, it is happening wisely; not as we currently think that we will be able to improve our individual lives ourselves.Thousands and thousands of years ago humanity itself ruined its own wellbeing. There are reasons for that, but I am not going to elaborate on them. Once upon a time the Earth was like Paradise: the vegetation was so diverse that there were thousands and millions of fruits and as a result people lived only on fruits. However, due to certain physical reasons, the ice age befell the Earth. Consequently, its fertility decreased and people began to use meat, to kill and eat not only animals but also one another. That is why the following saying still exists among people, "I will suck out your blood". Well, I ask you: if one sucks out someone else's blood, what will they gain? If one kills someone else, what will he gain? This is a misconception of Life. Not only people as a whole do not get along, but religious and spiritual people have also lost the correct understanding of Life, though they are in the forefront, considering that they have a connection and communion with God and considering that they have the right to lead. I am telling you the Truth. It is not that others do not want to tell you the Truth or that they hide it intentionally, but it is just natural for them. If a thorn gets stuck in someone's foot, this person becomes nervous. Take the thorn out and he will calm down. Therefore, if people of today are bad, it is because each one has a thorn in their flesh bothering them all the time. Apostle Paul said that he had a thorn that constantly bothered him. I have never met a person without a thorn. While the thorn is lodged in us, we cannot be clear-sighted and think properly. Our philosophy is distorted because of the thorn. Take the thorn out and you will have a sound philosophy of Life. An English merchant asked a preacher to explain to him what was taught in the Bible. The preacher spoke of this and that. The merchant then said, "No, no, tell me concretely and in a few words what this teaching is about." He wanted to grasp the essence, to see the kernel outside its shell. Finally the preacher advised him, "Buy yourself the Bible: you can learn lots of things from it." The merchant bought the Bible and read a lot from it, but since then his business began to deteriorate and he suffered big losses. "Ever since I bought this book only misfortunes have come upon me", he said to himself angrily. Eventually he threw the book in the fire. While the Bible was burning, a small shred of a page fell to the side. He took it and read: "God is Love." At present contemporary Christians keep asking, what is Christianity, what type of religion is it? They go around saying, that Christianity is this and that. No, no, God is Love which has to unite all people in order for them to live in Love, Peace and Brotherhood[1], regardless whether they are kings, rulers or of any other social position; these are secondary matters. All people should live according to Love as brothers and sisters, respecting one another. They have to share everything willingly: not by force, but voluntarily and consciously. Once we touch upon this subject, other questions arise: is there an afterlife or not, which religion is the most truthful and so on. I say, there is only one Teaching in the world that can improve our homes and this is the Teaching of wise Love, not contemporary class love. Principal Love – this is Love containing self-sacrifice, love of the mothers, brothers, friends, saints, love of the most enlightened persons in the world. Once this Love comes to dwell in us, our eyes will be opened. At present there are many people in the world, who doubt whether or not humans possess a sixth sense and whether they can see with it. Everyone can see with it. When a young lad falls in love with an unattractive girl, he sees in her what the rest cannot see. He says, "She is a jewel." When we love someone, we see their abilities and talents. Where are they? There is a place, where we see these talents. However, when we do not love someone, we assign the worst qualities to them, saying that they are like this or that. Now a great law is becoming effective in the world. Be aware that the world has entered a new stage and even ten years will not pass before this trend will be intensified. This great law is currently at work in all human beings; it is acting in human minds and hearts. One can see the activation of this law in the fact that all people of today are restless. Why are they feeling restless? If they were poor, we could say that they had to work a lot and as a result they became restless. This is understandable. But why are scientists and rich people restless? In addition, religious people are also restless and all people are restless. Why? – Because they have only beliefs, but not faith. If today there were persecutions of one's faith, I do not know how many would withstand. All people are Christians today, because no one persecutes them, but one's faith is tested and proven in difficulties. Self-sacrifice is tested in poverty, deprivation and hard moments. When one sacrifices one's life, it is also a test for their character. Therefore, which is the ultimate wellbeing in the world? – The wellbeing of an individual, nation, society as a whole or entire humanity? These are all the same. An individual represents a miniature of entire humanity. Therefore, a nation in the process of its development reflects humanity in a miniature form. For this reason when we talk about an individual, we think of them as a seed. When we talk about a society, I deduce that the seed has started to grow. When we talk about a nation, I deduce that the seed has started to grow more and more and when we talk about humanity in its wholeness, I deduce that the seed is branching out, blooming and bearing fruit. If we understand Life in this way, we will know that everyone of us is a necessary part of humanity. We do not understand humanity in the way that half of it is created to live in Paradise and the other half – in hell. I know that when we perceive God as Love, we all live in Paradise and everything outside God is emptiness. But to know God, we must have Love. Every person, every form is a factor in this Love. The forms, in which we are living now, are not completed. Do you think that you have come to the Earth for the first time; that you were born for the first time? No, each of you has a long history and if someone describes your history, you will be very interested to see who you were in the past and who you will be in the future. This is a great process, through which we are passing. For example, when someone is elevated and noble, they are aware that all people should live in Love. Whoever they are, they will use all conditions in life to contribute to the common wellbeing. Only Love provides all these conditions. I am not going to elaborate on and explain the reasons for the struggles in the world. In my view, they appear naturally. I will illustrate them with the following example: take two trees, planted next to one another. These two trees with their multitudes of leaves, blooms and branches live well together just like brothers, and they bill and coo; but all of a sudden a wind comes out and their leaves and branches intertwine and twist together. The wind grows stronger, a storm rises up and the branches collide. They ask one another, "What are you doing!? Why are you twisting like that?" I ask, is the reason for this external or internal? – The reason is external. At present, the reasons for misunderstandings among people are external – these are the economic conditions. This is the wind that makes people quarrel and struggle among themselves. Some ask how long this storm will last. A storm can last twenty-four or forty-eight hours, but no longer than three days and then all the leaves will rest still. Currently, there is a storm in the world that is pushing and sifting us; there will be broken legs and arms. But do not grow angry, this storm will soon subside. This social storm will end in forty-five years, but only if people grow wiser. However, if they do not learn from their experiences how to improve their lives, the storm will continue even longer. And if they learn from their experiences, the storm will subside sooner, because the great law governing the world is intelligent – regardless if one is a believer or not. There is a rational force, a great law in the world that compels people – both believers and atheists – to think and to act identically. Many times I see people who do not believe in God, do not go to church, but jump in the water and risk their lives to rescue someone. The law in such a person is not mechanical; they were born with a different law – the law of self-sacrifice. Therefore, they have within themselves something greater than the formal religion. Religion came into the world later. Some people ask, "Are you religious?" One can be religious and yet – dishonest. Religion is not a label, indicating one's honesty. To test this assertion you should visit, for example, the merchants, who go to church and believe in God; then review their accounts and note how they sell. The law ruling the world is different. Love should live in their hearts; they have to be awakened and not to cheat their brothers and sisters. Thus, they will view the interests of others as their own interests and consequently they will not sell bad merchandise. We will have mutual understanding, only if we view our work in this way. If we view one another according to our nationality – asking one another "Are you Bulgarian, English, French or German?" – we will not have mutual understanding. We say, "The Bulgarians are bad." These are individual ideas and not collective consciousness; this has not yet been a Divine law. The Divine principle has not yet been manifested in nations. All nations care only about their own economy. No nation is more privileged than another one, because each nation has its own place. For example, if I raise my hand and stretch one of my fingers upward, and this same finger has decided that it is the most privileged of all, what will happen? This one finger shows only the direction, but it cannot function alone; work is accomplished by all fingers used together as each one has its own place on the hand. Only when all fingers act together our hand as a whole will fulfill its obligations and will present a symbol of will. Hence, when a nation realizes its position as a part, as an organ in the entire organism of humanity, which is obliged to accomplish its work on time, then it will be at its right place. Contemporary people want to support the old god. We know who the old god is. Do not feel offended. This old god has brought all the wars, violence and misery. In the God of Love however, there is not a single lie. This God of Love watches all human beings and even the smallest creatures with equal love and compassion, being ready to help everyone. And when a little being, whose form is destroyed, comes to Him, it is given another form with the words, "Continue your work, do not be afraid and go forward!" I am asking now, what have we gained after being alive here on Earth for fifty-sixty years? Let us suppose that a mother has a beautiful daughter, an excellent lass, who is well dressed and happy to be surrounded by many young men. I ask how long her happiness will last: five, ten or fifteen years. Gradually her face will wrinkle, losing its beauty and freshness, and it will become ugly, so finally the young men will abandon her. Other beauties will appear to replace her and eventually she will become discontent, feeling that her life has no meaning and she is not happy. At the beginning she was content with life, but later on it became meaningless for her. She was in the position of that European writer who wrote a book pointing that there was not a nobler being on Earth than man and that life was good; but after the author went through a crisis and was disappointed by people, he wrote another book stating that there was not a worse being on Earth than man and that the world was bad. Therefore, when we are doing really well, we say, "Everything is great, God is very good." But if we encounter a disaster, a misfortune or an action, which we did not anticipate, we say, "There is not a more unjust God in the world than this One." The world follows its defined path. Some time ago a highly intelligent and well-educated woman came to me asking to help her resolve the following puzzle or problem: her husband, when he was still a young man visited Antwerp during an exhibition. He had heard of a man in that town, who could tell people their future while he was asleep. Her husband became interested to hear what this man would tell him and he decided to pay him a visit. The sleeping man told him, "You are going to marry at a very young age, you will have four children, but one of them will die. You will marry your wife for love and will enjoy a happy family life for ten years. After that a blond woman will enter your home, she will destroy your life and you will go to live with her. If you pass this test, in ten or fifteen years you will go back to your first wife and you will live very well together." "In fact", said the woman, "one of our children died. When this happened I found among my husband's papers this note telling his future. The blond woman came into our home and destroyed our life." Then she asked me what to do, whether she should leave her husband. I told her to follow closely what would happen and to see if the rest of the prediction would come true. She asked me how such things were possible. I told her, "Life is predetermined, not in a fatal way, but there are certain reasons predetermining human destinies." Our life, such as it is developing now, is also predetermined by many preceding causes. If we take advantage of these causes, we can improve our lives, we can fight evil in the world and overcome it. The Hindus call this karma or the fall of man. We are able to fight the fall of man. A man who can fall down and sin can also stand up and win. However, contemporary religious people go into another extreme in their beliefs: they claim that religion by itself will improve our life completely. This statement is half-true. Religion cannot improve our lives completely. As just mentioned this statement is 50% true, because we can control over 50% of our destiny, but there are also other factors regulating our lives and constituting the remaining 50%. I say, 50% of our lives depend on destiny and Nature, 25% – on our own selves and 25% – on the society. Therefore, when these three factors begin to work together, there will be spiritual and moral uplift and improvement. For this to happen, many souls should obligatorily come down to work in one direction. When the spring comes, does it come with only one flower? – No, it comes with millions and millions of flowers. Later on the bees come; and the bustle commences in Nature. That is how unity is created. Consequently, from an esoteric point of view, we resemble little flowers that have just blossomed, i.e. our consciousness is at such a level of development that we have just begun to discern good and evil. You may say, "Well, one has to lie a little." No, in the conscious life lie is absolutely not permitted, just as in mathematics mistakes whatsoever are not permitted, because any mistake that slips into architecture or technology will result in undesirable consequences. Similarly, the lies we admit in our lives will affect our structure in the same way as the wrong calculations made by an architect will affect a building. Contemporary spiritual people should at least have rules, the way the musicians do. Assign a musical piece to the latter and all of them will keep time during its performance. Commission a painting to a couple of notable painters and all of them will paint it according to the same law. Give a problem to a couple of mathematicians and they will solve it according to the same law. When we consider the spiritual life, we say, "We do not need music, we do not need calculations. God will take care of everything." No, friends, the spiritual life requires strict mathematics, everything is precisely determined there. Whether a person or a nation is happy or not will depend on certain facts that are permitted. Hence, this great law that regulates the life of the present-day European nations has placed them in their current position. The present civilization that has almost reached its end, began in Egypt, went through Syria, Persia, Rome, England, Germany, America and it is now passing into Russia again, then it is returning to the Eastern continent. From there it will go into a different direction. The wave that is currently coming into the world, stirring humanity, is not mechanical. All of you are destined to take part in it, never mind if you want it or not. And we have to participate in it consciously. What constitutes the nobility of a nation? Why are the English people noble? – Because collective consciousness has been awakened in them. Though they make mistakes, they correct them with ease. The highest concentration of occultists is among them. Each nation, in which collective consciousness is being awakened, realizes to a certain degree that everything should be in accordance with and in subordination to the common goal. The English people have understood this idea to a certain degree. This consciousness is awakening not only among the English people, but all over the world. It has penetrated all poor people, poor widows and orphans. Do you know your situation today? It is similar to the story of an American preacher, who had the custom to invite poor children to his home and to feast them every day. Ahead of each meal they said Grace together. One day he saw an orphan, a little child. He took him to his home to give him food, but he told him in advance, "Let us say Grace together." They began, Our Father, Who are in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. The child paused in silence. "Why are you silent?" The child asked, "So, the Lord is our Father?" – "Yes, He is." "So you are my brother?" What the child meant by these words was, "You are a preacher, you sleep in a soft bed, you eat well and what about me, brother – I shiver in the cold, I go to bed hungry." The preacher understood his own situation. This is our situation today as well. Christ has come to save the world. We recite, Our Father Who are in Heaven. There should not be poor people in any nation; it is a shame to have poor people today! There should not be poor widows in any nation! It is a shame that today our brothers and sisters have to sell their honor for bread! Thousands of our sisters and brothers are in brothels at present, selling their honor. We say, "There is God, there is Christ in church, in Heaven." Yes, this Christ came for the dissolute – to save them; He did not come for the righteous ones. Hence, today we should have the fortitude to rectify our past mistakes. We should rectify them by all means. We should hold out our hand to our brothers and sisters, who have fallen. Currently, all suffer from misconceived Love. Deprive any flower, any plant of sunlight and you will witness the abrupt change that will occur. Deprive any being of Love and you will witness the same law in action. Therefore, we should talk about the God of the future not as some distant being, but as a Being working in our hearts, so that we can do His Will and abide by His law voluntarily, without pressure. Now all of you are summoned to this great feast in the world. The God of Love has called upon you regardless of your position and your creed. Today He is calling upon you to rise and to take an upward step: not as Bulgarians, Evangelists, Orthodox, Catholics, Muslims, but as intelligent beings, as brothers coming from one Father, with the same blood in their veins. The same blood flows in the veins of all people. If we grasp this fact, we will grasp the New teaching, and thus religion will be reformed. If the future religion does not comprehend this great law, it is condemned to be titled "May it rest in peace" for a hundred years. I am saying a great truth. The clergy should know it and inscribe the following sign on the church: God is Love and we will all sacrifice ourselves for Love. All bishops, priests, mothers, teachers, judges should write down this law. The common principle must be Love. And when we meet one another, we should know that we are brothers and sisters. Then we will have different knowledge and different science; the current barriers among us will disappear. And a new life will commence, bringing peace and joy: peace to our minds, joy to our hearts and power to our human will. Now it is time for all of us to live in this collective consciousness, to realize that there is no death. The human soul and consciousness do not die. The human body is modified, the form is altered, but that is not essential. One changes many bodies, many organs, but as a developing soul, as consciousness in Nature, one does not cease to exist. This is a fact without any exceptions. Examine the Truth and you will see. Therefore, I tell you: examine the Truth that is implanted in you, look for your ideal within yourselves, in your souls. You will not find this ideal outside. It is implanted in your souls, minds and bodies, the same way as energy is implanted in the seed and the seed is implanted in the ground. It draws the juices from the soil and thus creates all of its organs. Thus the human spirit uses all the energies implanted in our bodies to create the organs of the human body according to the same law. I will mention the following fact: how many years were necessary for the creation of your hand? The finger joints reveal for how many millions of years man has existed; they reveal the history of humanity, the history of the human development, the state through which the whole of humanity has passed. If I told you that the human finger recounts the whole history of man, you would say that this was impossible. Well, for those who do not understand the laws of Nature, it is a fantasy. Once I was walking with some friends in a pine tree forest. We stopped in front of a pine tree and I said, "The branch rings of this pine tree show the years when there was excess moisture and those when there was less moisture. This can be inferred from these branch rings". You can verify this fact. Therefore, when there was plenty of rain during the year, the distance between the branch rings grew longer and vice versa – if the rainfall during the year was scant, the distance grew shorter. So, it is possible to quantify mathematically and to determine approximately the dampness through time. This is how dampness affects trees. Our bodies are also affected by certain events – individual, social and national. Are you aware of this? We carry the sins of entire humanity. Do not think that we who are far away from Africa do not carry the sins of the Africans. Yes, we do. There is an inner force connecting people together and interweaving their lives. Hence, in the future when we grasp this great law, we will realize that all people should create a good environment for all contemporary miseries to be avoided. Many times I repeated that only mothers could create it. Every mother after conceiving a child regardless of its gender, must say, "Daughter, son, in the future I want you to live according to the law of Love and to represent its fullness." If she says this, she will have a daughter or a son hero, who will live according to the law of Love. Each mother is to instill this idea in her children. The young people who are getting married must say, "Our sons and daughters should live for Love, for the God of Love Who unites people." The new generation will be bearers of new ideas, of Divine Love. However, if we continue the way we are currently living, if we were born in this miserly way and still want to reform people who have been working for thousands of years, we will achieve nothing. One can be reformed only in the womb of the mother, so that one would live in Love of God; people cannot reform themselves. Only mothers can recreate their children, reforming them. A person can influence only 50% of their reformation on their own. They are like a ship without a rudder that can be tossed by the waves in any direction. Therefore, the environment for women should be improved in the future. Women who conceive must have the best environment, but also the surroundings of children should be improved. In addition, we should not go about it mechanically, but according to the law acting in Living Nature. Nature is alive and perfect; I read in Her what beautiful methods She has! If the Bulgarians apply the methods of Nature, they will improve their wellbeing! What immense riches are hidden in Nature! They could repay all of their debts in ten years. However, they should undertake the study of Living Nature. Yet, what do the Bulgarians currently do? – They await their salvation from somewhere; they expect it from where it will not come. And this salvation is hidden in Living Nature that has implanted its forces. People must put these forces in action; they should begin working according to the law of Love and for the good of others. In this way their blessing will descend upon them as well. Now, this Great law is calling people to brotherhood and sisterhood. Only then we can establish a new science of brotherhood and sisterhood. And what is our present science? It is like a little lamb that a child looks after, kisses it and makes wreaths for it. One day the mother says to her child, "For my little baby to live, we have to slaughter this lamb". The little child cries. You will say, "Well, this is the way we should live." Do you think that this child will be well brought up? The child will ask, "How is it possible for God Who is so good to allow the slaughter of this lamb?" – "Well, my dear, God ordered it that way." No, it is not God Who ordered Life this way; it is us who did it. Let us now free ourselves from these delusions! Let us not think that God organized the world in this way. No, lambs should not be slaughtered. Currently, we have a culture for killing, for crippling the legs of this or that person. Only gun-shots are heard. All say, "This is for the sake of our homeland." However, what benefit did wars confer to humanity? – Absolutely no benefit. People grew ferocious and their wars brought about today's depravity. And future wars will not bring anything good either. We are supposed to fight, but in what way? – To fight, but not to kill. The law of Love is calling people now. The most capable, the greatest, the best persons – mothers, fathers, teachers, priests, selfless people should come to undertake this great work. If they do not arrive on time, others will. Now I will summarize my conclusions as follows: I do not intend in the least to pressure you to believe, but I want you to test them. Experiences, experiences are needed and nothing more! There exists an inner experience. As each plant should find its soil and the conditions suitable for its growth, so every person in the world should find favorable conditions for their growth and development. Never think that your living conditions are unfavorable. These are only subjective conceptions. In the development of collective consciousness every person occupies a precise position. However, we delude ourselves and we say, "Why am I not like this gentleman?" Do not look at this gentleman from outside; he may be rich, he may eat plenty of gourmet meals, but he is unhappy, his inner life is rotten, he has a heart defect, his stomach is malfunctioning. While the other one, the poor, does not have similar riches, but he is healthy and can enjoy his meals. One's happiness is determined by the disposition of the spirit – when one is content with what he receives in a particular moment. When people unite, they must have the same ideas. The ideas of all of us should be right[2]. I do not say that they are always right, but they should be individually right. Hence, from an individual, social and national point of view we should amend our ideas and introduce new ones that are coming to the world from above. We should devise our thoughts and feelings properly, the way plants craft their forms. Some people say, "Nowadays life is very hard." No, as I mentioned before, nowadays you have the most favorable conditions of life. You are in the position of the Jewish people who left Egypt. In the desert you may not have meat and some other things, but you will have water and clean air and a Pharaoh will not command you. It is better for you to be free in the desert than to be slaves who eat meet and indulge in all pleasures, while the Pharaoh urges you on with his whip and orders you, "You will make tiles and bricks!" And we answer: "What can we do, we will make them." No, we are not going to make bricks and tiles any more. There is a long road before us in the desert of the Divine life. All young people who are able to walk should take a backpack and go forward. Do you know what you will be then? – When you meet someone, you will freely continue along your way. At present, when you meet someone, you shrink and hide in case he may rob you or stick his hand in your pocket. You say, "He is a thief." I say, today the world is full of thieves. Can you tell me who is not a thief, who has not inserted a hand in the father's pocket? Who has not taken from the forbidden fruit? In the future, when we enter a fruit garden, we will say according to the law of Love, "Brother, may I pick fruits from your garden or will you pick them for me?" And he will say, "Yes, you may, brother, help yourself!" When I go to a friend, I will say, "Brother, may I spend the night in your house?" – "You may." This should be the New teaching. What will you say now? "Sir, there is a hotel; go there as we do not have spare rooms, there is a housing shortage, etc." And thus the matter will be closed. Now, when you meet someone, you begin to question him, "Are you Bulgarian, do you believe in God, to which party do you belong, etc." I am not saying that these things are bad, but they are not essential. The noble feeling of brotherhood has to permeate us, so when we meet someone – a woman or a man, we would recognize this one as our brother or sister. If you are able to cultivate this feeling of brotherhood, you will set humanity on a new foundation. Then the current misunderstanding among us will not persist, but there will be a just aspiration instead. This is the Divine teaching that is currently coming into the world. The little children have undertaken it and in ten years they will proclaim it. In ten years the caterpillars will leave their pupae to fly on their wings. They will say, "No, there is no need for pupae." This law is coming to the world. Now the facts are grouped and the laws established. We are passing from the material to the spiritual world; everything is transferred from the individual to the social level. In other words, let us not think only about the law of insurance – whereby everyone cares about leaving an inheritance of a couple of million to be distributed upon their death here and there. They make "benefactions" for the rest to say, that so and so died and left that much money, therefore he or she was a magnanimous person. No, in the future people will not die and will not need monuments. Consequently, instill Love as an aspiration in your heart, as a feeling in your soul, as a force in your mind and as a principle in your spirit. In this lies the salvation of the human spirit. Thereby, we should understand Love in these three aspects: as an irresistible downward aspiration in the heart; as an upward feeling in the soul; as a force expanding the human mind and containing the conscious principle, through which we realize why we live, why we have come, where we have come from and what is our purpose on Earth. [1]Brotherhood – all words referring to brotherhood throughout the lectures are used to denote both brotherhood and sisterhood. [2]Right – the original text uses the Bulgarian word "prav", which can be translated as all of the following: correct, right and straight. Translated by Maia Atanasova, Maria Braikova, Jana Rupchina and Oleg Rupchin Source

Беседата на български Note 4 p THE TWO PATHS Lecture 1 of the Youth Occult Class Given by the Master Beinsa Douno February 24, 1922, Sofia Secret Prayer What is the main idea of students entering into school? – Students want to be educated, to acquire knowledge, to develop what is lodged into their souls, minds and hearts. And after they have acquired knowledge and have developed their talents and abilities, they are obliged to preserve them. Good soil is required for this, so that every thought falling into it, may bear fruit. You also want to study like students and to deal with science, but do you know the meaning of the word “science”? If we consider the letters of this word, written in Latin and in some of the Slavic languages, we see two different notions hidden in the spelling. The letter combination of the word written in the Slavic languages indicates that in science the Slavs seek a method of balancing contradictions in Life. The Anglo-Saxon society, however, uses the Latin word “scientia” to mark the notion of “knowledge”, ”science” and [A1] the letter configuration indicates that it is interested in studying the relations between the different forms and the continuous changes taking place in the Living Nature. The first letter “s” in the word “scientia” designates infinity. Consequently, from an esoteric point of view, you can study science with the purpose either to find a method, assisting you in reconciling contradictions in Life or to find a way of using the forces of Nature. Those who deal with science in order to make use of the natural forces are submitted to a big danger. The danger is hidden in the appearance of the sacred egoism in them. They may place themselves higher than others by obtaining authority in their own eyes, so they will say, ‘We dispose with powers, which we can use as we wish.’ There are two categories of people: people who have strong personal feelings and self-confidence: they think that they can do everything, that they know many things, etc. However, the other category of people like the Slavs for example, seek a method of balancing the contradictions in their lives and of healing the pains of their hearts at the same time. The Slavs are closer to the Truth in this aspect. If you want to deal with the spiritual science, you should study your inner self first. Socrates said: “Know yourself!” What does it mean? What should you know – the Higher or the lower self in you? To know yourself means to know the Higher Self or the Divine Source in you. In other words, to know God in you. Once you know God in you, you will be aware of the conditions, in which you can grow and develop properly; the conditions, which give direction to your growth and development and which also balance the forces operating in you. Take a person who is living well, whose mind and heart are developing properly, so everyone expects from him to become an important person. But all of a sudden an accident happens to him, completely destroying his form. What is the reason for this misfortune? The reason is in the artisan who made this form. Many will say that such was the fate of this person. If a potter has made a tilted, half-baked pot, who is to be blamed? – The potter alone. What could he do then? – He will break the pot into pieces, knead it in slurry and make a new pot, but this time the pot will be better, firmer and well-baked. Consequently, when the High Source smashes the low forms, remaking and remodeling them, it gets out of them more beautiful, more perfect forms. What else could be done with the pots, which are not well carved, except to destroy them, so that they could be remade and moulded into new, more resistant and perfect forms? Young people often think that they are wiser than old people, so they say about them, ‘Their time is over, we will show them how to live now.’ However, the present-day old people said exactly the same in the past. And young people at that time did not approve of their way of living thinking that they could improve it. But they also grew old without correcting their ways. Thus young generations go one after another, trying without any success to show old people how to live properly. Why do they fail? - Because they use the same old methods like the old people. I say, the fundamental tasks in Life cannot be solved by means of using old methods. Young people should try not to repeat the errors of old people. They are to learn from their experience and see their omissions that hamper them in Life. The reasons for their failures are numerous and profound. They present an entire history that should be studied and researched. I will give you a topic to think on. It is the following: "The Most Rational Method for Work" . Each one of you should reflect on the most rational method for oneself. The spiritual science is based on experience; knowledge is valuable only when it is applied in Life. It is the application that determines your position as disciples. When one wants to study violin at musical school, one is tested on violin playing and, depending on the results, one is put in a certain class. If that student turns out to be mediocre, the violin professor will advise him to enroll in another school, so that he may not waste his own time. In one of my next lectures I will speak about the intelligent relationship between humanity and Living Nature. But before that you are supposed to state openly your opinion on the topic: “The Best Method or the Most Rational Method for Work.” It is a privilege, an extraordinary occasion for you to speak openly on a given topic. From an esoteric point of view, the best method is the one that is applicable in real Life. If a given method cannot be applied, it leads you astray from your goal; it brings you somewhere far away from your aim without any real results for you. Since you are not at one and the same level of development, each one will present a specific method for work, which is applicable in one’s own life. Some of you are first materialists, then idealists: they give priority to the material in Life; others are first idealists, then materialists: they give priority to ideas. This is the main difference between people. Idealists say that ideas create everything. What ideas do they have in consideration? Certainly, they do not consider their own ideas. There are ideas of a higher order than the human ones. These ideas come from the Infinite Divine Source. So, you should learn in this School to apply the methods of Nature. You should use the forces of Living Nature in the same way as flowers use sunrays. Then you will be able to fulfil what you were born for. This law also has an application to the human body. Each organ of the human organism has a specific function. For example, legs walk and at the same time carry the total weight of the body; hands work catching, lifting and carrying different things; eyes see; ears hear, etc. Consequently, each organ executes a specific function in the human body. In this aspect, every human being presents a special organ in the common organism of Nature and has a specific function. Those who have found their place in Nature and have realized their destination can properly fulfil their function as organs of the great Divine organism. You are disciples in this School and may raise questions that you consider important. You may raise for example some questions concerning your needs. What is a hungry person interested in? - Bread. A hungry person wants to know everything about the bread he will eat: whether it is warm or cold, fresh or mouldy. If you want to create a solid foundation in you, you should apply the same law to knowledge. You, who are young, should not repeat the mistake of that Gypsy man, who ate first vine leaves to his fill and then some bread and cheese. He went to the vineyard to work there and took some bread and a piece of cheese in his bag for breakfast. After some work he got very hungry. He looked at the bread and the cheese and saw that it would hardly satisfy his hunger. So he picked some vine leaves and started eating them. After that he also ate the bread and the cheese and said, ‘Excellent lunch!’ No, I do not advise you first to swallow the vine leaves and then to have a bite of esoteric knowledge. Be cautious to avoid this mistake! No mistakes are allowed in your work. If you make a mistake, correct it! It is not a crime that you have admitted some mistakes, but that you leave them uncorrected. When you realize a mistake of yours, correct it. There is nothing criminal in some bad thoughts passing through your mind, but each distorted thought of yours should be rectified. The efforts of your minds, hearts and wills should be directed to the correction of your mistakes. Only in this way you will create reliable characters. You should also consider the following thing: when students enter the school, the teacher is kind and attentive to them in the beginning. The more they learn and the harder the material gets, the teacher’s requirements to them increases and especially to those ones who do not study enough. So, the teacher changes his attitude towards the students who do not make an effort. The first obligation of disciples is to study. So, you too must study and what is more, study seriously. Each science has its own rules that should be known and observed. Self-control is demanded from you as young people - not fictitious, external, but real self-control. There are two types of self-control: outside[A2] , fictitious self-control, when your inner balance is usually disturbed; and inner, profound self-control, when your balance has never been broken. I will give you an example for outside[A3] self-control. A young man got engaged to a beautiful, young woman who was noble and self-controlled. He often praised her to his friends. One day he invited a friend to her place to introduce her. They sat and talked for a while. Then the fiancée brought a tray with glasses of water and sweets to treat them. The young man tripped her on purpose in order to see her reaction. As she held the tray, everything fell on the ground, the sweets and the water scattered on the floor. The fiancée kept full self-control and said, ‘It is all right!’ She calmly bent down, gathered the glasses, wiped up the water and went into the other room. The young man turned to his friends and said, ‘This is self-control and nobleness of character! This is an ideal woman!’ However, when they got married, things did not go the way he thought. Once he asked her, ‘Where did your self-control go?’- ‘You had to enter the other room to see what happened there. Only the wood of the table could tell you how hard I had chewed it!’ I say, this is not real self-control. Someone wants to open the window: he pulls it, but it does not open; he pulls it a second, a third time - it does not open again. He gets nervous, angry and starts pulling it harder and harder, as if the window is guilty about something. First of all, the window is not conscious, it cannot understand if one is irritated. The same is true for the esoteric forces: some of them are conscious and intelligent, others are half-conscious and unreasonable. When I say that some forces are intelligent, it means that they have the same direction of movement as ours. The unconscious forces go in the opposite direction. Consequently, each one of you should know if a given force goes in compliance with one’s own development or in opposition. In the same way you should consider if your thoughts, feelings and actions go in line with your development or not. When you come across some thought or feeling, you should immediately look into it to decide where to put it - to the left or to the right. Disciples should know how to sort out and where to put each one of their thoughts, feelings and actions. Some disciples will succeed in this activity twenty-five percent, others - fifty percent, the third ones - seventy-five and the most capable – a hundred percent. Disciples should work to gradually increase this percentage, so that they can avoid mistakes and disappointments. So, we will make experiences[A4] after each lesson. This means that you will be put on an exam [A5] after each taught lesson: not only theoretical, but also practical exams. All theoretical knowledge is to be applied in Life, where it should be developed and tested. Whoever wants to deal with esotericism should know that he/she will be submitted to certain trials and tests, which should be solved successfully. You say, ‘We have difficulties anyway.’ Yes, but this time you will realize the meaning of these difficulties. And realizing it, you will be able to use them as healing methods. E.g., if you complain of pains all over your body: in your hands and legs, in your backbone, if you have a headache and your stomach is upset,. from all these pains the Invisible World will create just one pain, but a bigger one, so that you will direct your full attention to it. This big pain will make you heal yourself properly. You will forget about the small pains and will start working intensively in one direction. So, great difficulties unite the human forces into one focus. Otherwise, there is an energya dispersion of energy and the forces in man are scattered. Nature acts in the same way. She will create one big pain for you, and through it everything else will be healed. But you have not come to the big pains yet. After a reflection on the topic, which I gave you, you should write as concisely as possible: only on the core of the idea. Each one of you is to write about his personal method for work. What have written scientists have written on this theme is not so important for you; it could correspond to your understanding or not. What is important for you is to tune your work to the methods of the Intelligent Nature, not to the methods of ordinary scientists. Only in this way you will get the common principles of Life. So, each one of you will work and apply the method which is the best known and is the most specific for him. It depends on your awareness, your sincerity in work and your deep striving for a valuable achievement. Many of you will say that they do not have good conditions for work. The Americans are leading in this aspect. In America you will meet students who work in kitchens and offices to afford pay their school or university studies. It is good when favourable conditions are available in Life, but all conditions could be reasonably used. Even in the hardest conditions, you may find ten or fifteen minutes for reading and self-education. What hampers a housewife to read something, while she is cutting onion and cooking? Both good and bad conditions have the purpose to put a disciple into position to overcome difficulties. Only thus you can grow up and develop in the right way. [A1]This seems a bit confusing, consider – “knowledge” and “science”, and the… [A2]outer [A3]outer [A4]experiments [A5]have an examination

From Dawning of a New Epoch, Beinsa Duno Greetings to All for the New Year 1914 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, that you may become sons of Light.”[1] John 12:36 Divine Light is for the soul what the light of the Sun is for the body. Nourishment, growth, and the development of the physical body are unthinkable without the light of the Sun. In the same way it is impossible for the soul to grow, develop, and give fruit without Divine Light. As the Sun is the source of visible light, so God is the source of inner Light for the soul. In the same way the sunshine is an emanation of the Sun, though not the Sun itself, the inner Light is an emanation of God, but not God Himself. The solar light reminds us of the Sun, while the inner Light leads us to God. On a cloudy day it is difficult to immediately locate the Sun when the sky is overcast. But we can still do this by using our knowledge and experience: based on the hour of the day and time of the year we can judge approximately the actual position of the Sun. After that, if we focus our attention in that direction, we will perhaps see a brighter light and thus, we begin to perceive the Sun in the sky, even through the darkness. In the same way, when we have the Divine Light within ourselves sent by God, with similar efforts, using our experience and knowledge, we could and should search for God. When a child is born, the parents provide all the necessary conditions for the child’s future growth and physical development. Similarly, inner Light, which is necessary for the development and growth of souls, is given to human beings at birth. Good conditions are necessary for us to fulfill our desire to go to Heaven. Such conditions enhance the spiritual cleansing and advancement of the soul. Heaven is a place for souls that are spiritually mature, purified, and adorned in “wedding gowns.” To be “sons of Light” means to be given good conditions in life and to use them, and to make good use of the Light given for our spiritual progress. The work with the Light is a process of purifying the soul and bringing it to fruition. The light of the Sun provides the necessary conditions for plants to feed on earthly saps and transform them into nourishment in the leaves of the plant. This in turn, enables the plants to grow and bear fruit. Our soul, too, is like a plant that needs to bear fruit. Through the heart it puts forth roots into the physical world: these roots are our desires. Thoughts and desires are the saps that make the soul grow, giving it the opportunity of bearing good fruits. We can become good through our thoughts and desires. However, our thoughts and feelings become valuable only when they come together and are manifested in unity. If they come to realization, we say that our soul did bear fruit by using the soil or conditions it was given. In the same way as solar Light is vital for transforming the saps into building elements important for the plant’s growth and fruit-bearing, Divine Light ensures the transformation of our thoughts and desires into good deeds, fruits of the soul. To be Sons of Light means to make use of the Light, to utilize the God-given conditions of living and to bear spiritual fruit through the Light. As sons of Light we all have individual relations to the Source of Light: God. At different times God gives us different conditions for development. And each soul understands its close relationship with God differently, according to the conditions for developing and improving in which God, as our Guide, places us at any given moment. We need to be saved in order to enter the Heavenly Kingdom. Salvation itself is not enough, unless we can make use of it. Salvation means that God saves us from unfavorable conditions in which we cannot progress, and places us in different conditions where our soul, mind, and heart can evolve further. When we free someone from prison, we take them out of the conditions that were hindering and paralyzing their development and place them in more favorable conditions. However, those who are saved need to use the new conditions and continue to improve themselves and gain knowledge and experience. Otherwise, in spite of their favorable conditions, they would not develop; they would not progress even with the salvation they have been given. In this respect, we, who have been saved by Jesus Christ are relieved of unfavorable conditions obstructing our progress, and are placed in new conditions of Divine Light and Grace, which we should use for our development and improvement. Liberation leads to freedom. A person who is liberated from prison is delivered into freedom. We, too, who are saved by Jesus Christ, are freed through Christ-consciousness. True life is hidden in every one of us—in our soul that is connected with the Source of Life, since the Creator Himself has breathed this living soul into us. It is this hidden life, this Divine Spark in us that is constantly indignant, sighing, dissatisfied, and yearning for something different and higher. This hidden life is the impetus behind any progress; it is the driving force moving us forward in our evolution. When the Divine spark finds itself in conditions that obstruct its manifestation and natural growth, it is not free. And vice versa: freedom is that moment when the powerful hidden, spiritual life is taken out of the limiting situation and is placed in conditions that are favorable for its development and manifestation. Hence, freedom comes as a result of salvation. Those who are not saved are not free. And vice versa: if someone has inner freedom and experiences his soul connected with the Creator and the Soul of all people in the world without feeling any hindrance to that oneness, this person is saved. Wrongdoing is an obstacle to salvation as those caught up in sin are not free. Therefore, the Apostle Paul tells the Romans that when we are saved, we have been set free from sin.[2] There are certain signs that indicate whether we are free or not. These signs are our sufferings, which signal that our life needs to enter into new conditions of existence. When we enter into a period of favorable conditions, sufferings are not felt. For example, Angels are free; they have favorable conditions for the manifestation of their inner life. Saints are not slaves of the conditions they find themselves in; they have not complained or experienced sufferings, because their spiritual life has been more thoroughly manifested and raised into the higher conditions of the Divine atmosphere, where they are free. Therefore, if we suffer, we need to attune our inner life to higher vibrations. If we raise and intensify our inner life, if we connect with the mighty Elevated Light Beings, we will be free, and we will not suffer any more. This means that we will be sons of Light, as we have made good use of the conditions we have been given. Those who are sons of Light profit from both the light and the dark side of life. In other words, they are able to utilize for their uplifting both happiness and sorrow, assistance as well as obstacles. A teacher offers his students not only a smooth easy path with good conditions, but also with some obstacles to overcome. Favorable circumstances help in achieving knowledge, but limiting conditions and obstacles bring experience. Those who are free are not without obstacles in their path, but they easily overcome them and move forward, while those who are not free are hindered by the obstacles. Therefore, God, as a perfect Teacher, gives His children challenges that they need to overcome. Only then will they become free and strong. Often we complain about our sufferings, and have negative thoughts and desires. This is not helpful, as sufferings provide the conditions for the soul to grow and mature, or, more precisely, for its fruits to ripen. Our Heavenly Father has given us such challenges for us to overcome and conquer, to turn them into our servants instead of our masters, and in this way to become worthy, mighty in Good and rich in Spirit. It cannot be otherwise because “from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”[3] And this violence is a struggle, “for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.”[4] Hence, when we “wrestle against the rulers of darkness of this age” we are sons of Light and we will receive help from Heaven. Therefore, we should seek only this help and be prepared to “put on the whole armor of God”[5]: the belt of Truth, the armor of Justice, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, Divine Words, and to pray with all our heart and soul at all times. And so, if we want to be sons of Light, we need to use all the situations of life—good or bad, favorable or otherwise—in which we find ourselves at any given moment and, by using them for our growth, we will free ourselves from those that are unfavorable, in other words, we will become free. In this way, through our experience and with the knowledge we gain, we will find God, the Source of Light. Thus, the sons of Light become joyful, do not despair in their souls, attain a Divine balance within themselves and introduce it into the world. In human relationships and activities there are two kinds of law. The first category includes laws of a mechanical nature that have two aspects: addition and subtraction. The second category includes Laws of a Divine nature whose two aspects are multiplication and division. Wrongdoing is always followed by activities of the first category. For example, Adam and Eve came together; they added themselves through the fruit and also through the serpent. Thus, they displayed disobedience and pride, so God chased them out of Heaven. Another example is women gathering together to bring bad on themselves by gossiping and criticizing people. In so doing, they display the shortcomings not only of others, but also of themselves. The rich man in the Scriptures made a granary and gathered his grain without making use of it in a Divine way. For this reason, God took his soul that same night. Diamonds are expensive and lustrous—a sign of having achieved the crown of worldly living. Yet, although they can accumulate and refract the sun's rays, they are totally unable to amplify them. The grain of wheat is modest and inexpensive, but when sown in the ground, it multiplies. Such is the spiritual person. The good and faithful servant multiplies the talents of his master[6], thus fulfilling the Divine Law. The seed sown in good ground multiplies 30, 60, or 100-fold.[7] When God created the first human beings, He commanded them to “be fruitful and multiply.”[8] You should multiply any talents and gifts you have. The wife should see in her husband only his good qualities, which she should try to multiply. As a result, the husband will begin to confide in her his feelings, his thankfulness, and to share with her his endeavors. Thus, he will give back what he has received from his wife, and he will love, appreciate, and support her. The husband should behave in the same way. If one sees shortcomings in the other, it is better not to display them to others, but to try to transform them into good traits and when they become such, to multiply them. It is said in the Scripture that the Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven and a mustard seed[9], which means, that when the elements of this Kingdom enter the human soul and spirit, they will multiply. In this way God will share His Kingdom with them. From this point of view, when it is said that we should be sons of Light, this implies expansion and multiplication; it implies making appropriate use of all conditions in which we find ourselves for the good of ourselves and of our neighbors. As the reproduction of plants and animals is possible only through physical light, so the multiplication of human deeds according to Divine Law is possible only through Divine Light. The sons of Light are required to be like grains of wheat multiplying, not glowing on the outside like diamonds, which do not grow and remain fruitless. Fruitlessness is death; the fruitless fig tree was condemned and removed.[10] Each branch of the grapevine that does not bear fruit and does not multiply, is removed, but the fruit-bearing trees are pruned to give more fruit.[11] Therefore, let us sow seeds of Love and Joy so that Peace will start growing in our minds. Let us sow the seeds of long-suffering and kindness so that the fruit of compassion will start growing in our hearts. Let us sow the seeds of faith and gentleness so that the fruit of self-mastery will grow in our lives. In this way, the fullness of life will be manifested, our hearts will become ennobled, our minds will become brighter, our love will blossom, and true happiness will be achieved. This is the ascending path of God for the individual, society, and humankind. Only in this way, from the Bulgarian crown of thorns will the great blessing of all Balkan and Slavonic nations be braided. Only in this way will the oneness of all nations be achieved. Message from the Master Beinsa Duno delivered during his stay in Veliko Tarnovo (from November 4, 1913 until the first days of January 1914). _________________________________________________________________ [1] All quotes from the Holy Bible, which are used in this book, are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV). [2] Romans: 6 [3] Matthew 11:12 [4] Ephesians 6:12 [5] Ephesians 6:11 [6] Matthew 25:14–30 [7] Mark 4:20 [8] Genesis 1:28 [9] Matthew 13:31–33 [10] Mark 11:14 [11] John 15:2

From Dawning of a New Epoch, Beinsa Duno The Spring Equinox Celebration “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen...” Matthew 28:5–6[1] Many people have no idea of the importance of this date: the Day of the spring equinox in 1914, but it will remain memorable in the history of the Earth because it marks the transition between two cosmic cycles, the ending of the old epoch and the beginning of a new one. You may ask, “What is so special about this?” It is similar to when a famous composer and musicians present a great new concert, but the majority of people are away at work or elsewhere. Some people in the audience will simply express their admiration, while for those who are knowledgeable music lovers this would be remarkable event and a day to remember. In Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast, when those invited to the wedding of the king’s son were not willing to come, the king told his servants, “Go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.”[2] (We are those invited.). Then when the invited guests were not dressed for the occasion, the Master of the wedding ceremony provided them with wedding garments. The most important experience for the soul is the awakening of one’s consciousness, which can be compared to ascension in consciousness. As one recognizes an apple or pear by tasting it, the same is true when one awakens or ascends in consciousness. Everything that we think and feel is not the true unchangeable life because our mundane life is constantly changing. We have three instruments of perception that could be unreliable and mislead us: taste, heart, and mind. Taste can mislead us into overeating, and then we get stomach problems as a result. With our heart we love our fellowmen and occasionally some of them could cause us heartache. Our mind misleads us into various desires and thus causes us problems and suffering. However, the stomach, soul, and spirit are our genuine, unchangeable guides. If taste does not mislead the stomach, it will receive as much food as it needs. The soul shows us our true friends and warns us when we have listened to our heart and chosen unfaithful friends as the following tale illustrates. Two friends were walking through a forest when a bear appeared. The first one immediately climbed a tree. The other, as he did not have time to do the same, lay flat on his stomach on the ground without moving. The bear came close, sniffed him, and thinking him dead, continued on her way. The first man, after coming down from the tree, asked his companion: “What did the bear whisper in your ear?” “She told me in future not to travel with a ‘friend’ who would abandon me when danger comes along.” Such a “friend” is chosen by our heart without consulting our soul. People also harm themselves because they become absorbed in satisfying their mind without consulting their Spirit. Taste acts as an agent of the stomach; mind is an agent of the spirit, and heart of the soul. We need to come to know Christ with our stomach, soul, and spirit. People usually perceive with their physical senses, while Christ uses His spiritual senses. Every physical sense should be in harmony with our inner spiritual senses. Christ would like to restore in us three things: the stomach, which creates the true living juices necessary for our existence; the soul, which is the “queen” of our body and represents a world in miniature; and the spirit, which creates in us positive thoughts. The closer we come to God, the more we feel empowered, but if we distance ourselves, the reverse happens. There are two requirements for coming closer to God: equal acceptance of losses and gains, and equal acceptance of joys and sorrows. We need to walk with faith without discontent because we do not know what we will gain after a loss and what joy will come after a sorrow. One day a daughter may attempt to teach her mother or a son his father, but how can such people teach others, when they have not first learned themselves. Christ showed us in His life on Earth that we need to accept with joy and gratitude whatever happens to us in life, as all is for good. When people say that they cannot bear their present situation, they are deceiving themselves because, if they ask for help, they will be able to do so. We should neither lie nor allow ourselves to be deceived, and then God will give us Divine Light. Today is an auspicious Spiritual day. Light Beings from Above are present at this Celebration and the Heavenly Friends are greeting you. If someone does not believe this, the day will soon come when each and everyone will be able to verify and be convinced of the truth of my words. Whoever has an ailing soul is always afraid and sees danger in everything. Christ came to Earth to save us from wrongdoing. People on Earth are always discontented and when they speak about this in Heaven, they describe us as “the complaining people on Earth.” God always wants to transform our discontent into contentment and joy. Once a rich man dreamed that another wealthy person had decided to give away his riches in order to be free and dedicate himself to God. He loaded all his possessions on camels and started on his journey from village to village. The poor people came to him, some with cups, others with pots, taking parts of the wealth offered and then leaving. The first rich man told himself, “Let me get some as well, so that I can add it to my property and increase it.” But when he asked, he was told that he would receive only by getting down on his stomach and having a chest placed over him that would be loaded until he would say, “Enough.” So, they started to load the chest, and loaded it, and loaded it, but the man remained silent. Finally when he said, “Enough”, he tried to get up, but could not because of all the weight. Our life consists, not in the possessions we have, but in our communion with God. Our present situation contains in itself the nucleus of the future. The Divine in us is microscopical at first, but it multiplies as the grain of wheat when sown multiplies many times in just a few years. One Divine thought sown in us will bring the highest happiness in time. Christ shall come, but how will He find us? Spring and summer will come, but how will they find the farmer? If the farmer has sown the fields in time, he will make use of the gifts of springtime; he will harvest in the summer, and will fill his barns. However, if he has failed to sow, springtime passes by, summer comes and goes, but because he has lost the precious moment of sowing, they will leave him empty-handed. A new Cosmic cycle starts today in the Divine World, so we need to ask ourselves how our names will be written in the New Book of Life? When we suffer, we will receive Heavenly support. I feel sorry for those who will not have anyone to help them. Until yesterday, we were told to go and preach to the people to repent, but, from now on, believers shall save themselves by faith and God will support them. However, saving oneself is the most difficult of all. If you find yourself in the midst of an ocean after a shipwreck, is it possible to save yourself by your own efforts alone? Even now Christ is our Savior with His Ship rescuing us one by one, and after He saves us, He will teach us about Justice and Love. Yet, in order to learn this, we need to uplift our spirit, upgrade our mind, and resurrect our body. Only then can we become masters of life. Until this happens, we cannot be citizens of Heaven. Every day we abuse our body with our desires and sufferings. Our physical vessel is the scaffolding within which our true body is built—a Light body that will enable us to become visible or invisible as we choose. We can see Christ appear before us when we have pure thoughts and desires. According to Christ, both men and women are part of the Divine Plan; and when one of them falls, the other one is dragged down too; and when one of them rises, the other one is uplifted as well. Christ is a Teacher Who shows us our errors in life in the same way as a school teacher marks the mistakes of the students in their exam papers after the exam, and grades them. All of you need to make efforts so that when Christ comes, He could find fewer mistakes in your notebooks and give you a higher grade. Just as the periods and commas in the students’ notebooks are very important, so they are important in your life too. Here and there the Lord stops us at our “commas” in life, but much more at our “periods,” as He wants us to reflect on what we have written so far, stopping to rest before continuing. And when we have finished the story of our life, we should find some meaning in what has been inscribed and written. A great person is one who loves and serves, not one who is being served. A servant’s position is the most menial in our world, but God considers it the most honorable. The Lord will implement the New Teaching on Service. You need to become like seeds. You should not be afraid! You should not fear the devil, but chase it away from you. If you think about evil, you create it and empower it. Women and men are not bad in essence, but the devil makes them such. Therefore, every morning a wife should see that her husband has become a little better than yesterday and the same is required by the husband to see some improvement in his wife. In this way and by singing, both of them will expel all negativity. A stone is not placed on the road for us to stumble on it, but to teach us to be attentive. We are the cause of our sufferings. Those who are balanced and keep their temper may be considered to have noble characters. Judge not one another, as any judgment is a kind of charge, and so we would be called to give evidence: and how unpleasant it would be to testify against someone in a Divine court—like accusing our brother or our sister and wanting them to be punished. Let us raise our consciousness and keep in mind the image of today’s Divine Celebration in Heaven. Light Beings and Angels will descend to teach us acceptance and how to become content with what we have; and Christ will be with them too. With His blessings transformation may bring about a repair of our contemporary situation. However, if the situation is irreparable, a more dramatic transformation may occur, bringing down everything (like buildings with decayed foundations), and then Christ will begin His Holy Work anew. We should not be afraid of what is to come! Christ is always above us and among us. We need to keep Christ in our souls; we need to open our hearts so that He can enter and bless us! Lecture of Beinsa Duno held on 9th (22nd) of March 1914 (as written down by Ivan Garvalov). ________________________________________________ [1] See also Matthew 28:1–20, Mark 16:12–20, Luke 24:19–53, and John 21:1–25. [2] See also Matthew 22.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASTER BEINSA DUNO — Dates and Events 1864: Petar Konstantinov Danov[1] was born on the 11th of July (29th of June by the Julian calendar—Saint Peter’s day) in the village of Hadurcha (present day Nikolaevka), near the Black Sea in the district of Varna. He was the third child in the family of the Orthodox priest Konstantin Danovski and Dobra Georgieva. 1872: Petar Danov entered the Elementary school in Nikolaevka. 1879–1884: He attended the all-male school in Varna, but did not graduate because of prolonged illness. 1887: Petar Danov graduated from the American Theological School in Svishtov. 1887–1888: He was a teacher in the village of Hotantsa, Ruse district. August 1888: Petar Danov left for the United States and enrolled at Drew Theological Methodist Seminary in Madison, New Jersey. May 19, 1892: He completed a preparatory course in Theology (except Greek) at Drew Theological Methodist Seminary, Madison, New Jersey. 1892–1893: Petar Danov enrolled in the School of Theology in Boston University as a special full time student. He graduated on June 7, 1893 with the graduation thesis “The Migration of the Teutonic Tribes and their Conversion to Christianity. 1893–June 6, 1894: He attended only for one year courses in Medicine at Boston University. 1895: Petar Danov returned to Bulgaria, but refused to become a Methodist preacher or an Orthodox priest in Varna. 1896: He published the book “Science and Education,” in which he analyzed the human path in the world drama and the coming of a New culture. 1897: On March 7, at the age of 32, in Varna, Petar Danov had a mystical experience that divulged his spiritual mission together with his spiritual name—Beinsa Duno. The same year he published his mystic booklet Hio-Eli-Meli-Mesail. This year was the turning point in his life—the beginning of his work as a spiritual Teacher. 1898: The Master gave the talk “An Appeal to My People—Bulgarian Sons of the Slavonic Family” before the members of the Charitable Society “Mother” in Varna as a message for social and spiritual self-determination. 1899: Petar Danov wrote “The Ten Testimonials of the Lord” and “God’s Promise.” 1900: The Master summoned his first three disciples: Penyo Kirov, Todor Stoimenov, and Georgi Mirkovich, M.D., to a meeting in Varna in July. This was the beginning of regular annual meetings with increasing number of followers. 1900-1942: Annual gatherings were held, usually in August, at different places: Varna and Burgas (1900–1908), Veliko Tarnovo (1909–1925), Sofia (1926–1941), the Rila Mountains, and Mount Vitosha. 1901-1912: The Master traveled across Bulgaria to hold lectures and performing phrenological research studies of the Bulgarian character. 1906: He settled in Sofia, at 66 Opalchenska Street, where he began to deliver his Word in the form of talks. 1912: Beinsa Duno worked on the Bible in the village of Arbanasi, near Veliko Tarnovo and completed “The Testament of the Color Rays of Light,” which was published in September the same year. 1914: He began to give regular Sunday lectures to the general public in Sofia. These lectures were recorded in short-hand by his stenographer disciples. Later, they were decoded, edited, and published in the series of lectures “Power and Life,” which presented the fundamental principles of the New teaching. 1917–1932: Beinsa Duno held a Special spiritual course for married women in Sofia. 1917–1918: During the First World War he was interned in Varna under the pretext that his Teaching was weakening the spirit of the soldiers at the front. The followers of the Teaching he shared increased after the war and reached approximately forty thousand people in the late 1930s. February 24, 1922: A School of the Universal Brotherhood of Light was opened in Sofia with two classes for spiritual students: the General Esoteric Class and the Special (Youth) Esoteric Class. The Master delivered his lectures before the two classes twice a week in the course of 22 years until December 1944. 1927: A settlement called Izgrev (Sunrise) was established near Sofia (today a residential area of the city) as an intentional spiritual center for Beinsa Duno’s followers. The Master settled permanently there, where he lectured on various subjects in a hall specially built for this purpose. 1929: The first summer camp was carried out at the Seven Lakes in the Rila Mountains. The gatherings at the Rila Mountains and the Spiritual School there became a tradition for the followers from Bulgaria and abroad. Nowadays they take place every year in August with thousands of participants. September 21, 1930: The Master began a new series of the Teaching called: the Sunday Morning lectures, which continued up to April 1944. 1934: He presented Paneurhythmy (The Cosmic Rhythm of Life)—a series of 28 exercises containing music, lyrics, and movements. Later on, he added two more parts: the “Rays of the Sun” and the “Pentagram.” The Paneurhythmy was finally completed in 1942. 1944: Beinsa Duno with a group of followers spent the hardest months during the Second World War (January 14, 1944[2]–October 19, 1944) in the village of Marchaevo, near Sofia, in the house of Temelko Gyorev. This house is preserved and functioning now as a museum. December 20, 1944: The Master delivered his lecture “The Last Word” to the General Esoteric Class. December 27, 1944: Beinsa Duno ended his earthly path in Sofia. By the ordinance of a special permission he was laid to rest in the Izgrev quarter. This sacred place is now turned into a beautiful garden, which is open daily to the public. The Master Beinsa Duno has left an invaluable spiritual heritage contained in his numerous talks and lectures, prayers, formulas, and songs; physical and breathing exercises; spiritual methods and practices for personal and group work, for self-improvement and conscious living. _______________________________________ [1] The names of the Master are given according to the currently used European ISO 9 system for transliteration of the Cyrillic characters into Latin ones. You can see the same names given differently in other publications and references: Beinsa Douno—Peter Deunov/Dunow/Dunoff. [2] In some other sources January 11, 1944 was mentioned as the date when the Master departed for Marchaevo.

The Importance of What Is Small “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in Heaven their Angels always see the face of My Father who is in Heaven.” Matthew 18:10 In human society men and women all strive for big things, for great achievements; and everyone despises the little things in life. This is a weakness in human nature. If, for example, you are given five leva[1], you say, “This is nothing! I wish to be given one thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand of leva. Just five leva? I feel offended—I am not a beggar!” You are offered one walnut, but you say, “Sir, you insult me with this. If you give me 5-10 kilograms of walnuts, I will accept them, but just one walnut, are you making fun of me?” When we strive for great purposes and achievements, we try to make contact with people in high positions: kings, presidents, directors, scientists, and philosophers. At the same time, we say about people in inferior positions, “This or that person is ignorant, a simpleton!” In all areas of life we see contempt for what is small and great interest in what is grand. Yet, Christ addresses his disciples and warns them not to despise the little ones. Why? Do not despise the little ones because thus you offend their Angels who serve them in Heaven. If you despise them, you also despise the Angels to whom the little ones are like children. When we want to split tree logs into firewood, we first chisel small sharp wedges, and as they penetrate the wood, they make space for the bigger ones. If the wedges are big and dull, how will they drive in? So, the little things open the way for the larger things. In the world as well, the entire process of development begins with these little things that you despise, and the overall progress in the Universe is a result of these. Figuratively speaking, we say that a plough feeds the whole world, because after the farmer ploughs and sows the field well, it rewards him with a plentiful harvest. This is true, but we should not forget the role of those billions of earthworms who also help by turning over the soil. However, we have been taught to look down upon the weak. Even after becoming devout Christians, hidden under our sheep’s skin we still have some wolfish instincts, which we occasionally show. We have not lost our old inherited habits and if someone steals from us even a small amount of money, one lev, for example, we immediately bring that person to court. However, if the amount is big, five or ten thousands leva for example, we say, “Bravo!” Yet, those who steal a lot did not develop this habit all at once: first they stole one coin equal to 2.5 stotinki[2], later one gologan[3], later on one grosh[4], followed then by five, ten coins, and so on. This Law is true in all aspects of life. When we do not consider the little details in our actions, we also miss the big effects that they produce. All our misfortunes today, both individual and collective, come as a result of our previous neglect of little things. Therefore, Christ addresses His disciples and advises them “not to despise one of these little ones.” Who are “the little ones?” Someone may say that these are our children, and that is true. Yet, if we want to apply Christ’s Law in full, we will see that there are many other things that should not be despised. “Do not despise one of these little ones!” I will reveal the hidden meaning in these words. A Hindu gave a whole walnut to his son and asked him to find out what was inside. The son cracked the shell and ate the kernel. “What is the essence of the walnut, son?” asked the father. “Nothing special, just some tasty nut meat,” replied the son. “Are you sure you have not found anything else in the walnut?” “No, nothing.” “Son, there is a great power hidden in the walnut. If you had planted it, instead of eating it, a big tree would have grown and you would have seen the greatness of this seemingly small thing, which has a hidden potential within it.” In the same manner God sends you one small thought, one apple seed, but you say, “It is nothing,” and discard it. Yet, God says, “Ask yourself what power it has. Plant it, and you will see the tree that will grow from it.” As a result of this constant overlooking of the little things in life we have reached the present situation of complaining that the world is bad. And what is more, we think that we are the clever ones! Christ advises us not to despise these small things, not to strive only for big things, but to learn to recognize the hidden power within the small things, and to use them, as they will help us achieve big results. For example, your house is built up of microscopically small and densely pressed together particles, is it not? In the same way, our daily life is based on those little things, like the grain of wheat, fruit, and many other things, so-called “trifles.” This pertains not only to the human body, but also to the human mind. In reality, it is the little thoughts and desires that bring joy and happiness in life. Sometimes we laugh at children because they are occupied with little thoughts. We forget that the small grains are those that produce growth into big things. Why should we “not despise the little ones”? It is because we should not disobey the second Divine Commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”[5] You should not despise any living being, as it can give useful service, whether it be a pigeon, a hen, a sheep, a horse, or a donkey. For each and every form of life there is a special book. For example, it is written about the donkey, today you loaded the donkey that much, the next day that much. All this is written in the book and when God calculates five leva per day for this service, then after 100 years, assuming that the donkey has served you its entire life, how much do you need to pay it? One day you will find that you, like the debtor from the Scriptures, owe almost ten thousand “talents.”[6] You may say, “I do not remember,” but God has written your debt in the book. So, in fact, all of us are in debt to the little ones. We owe our present progress, our thoughts and desires to the “little ones,” as Christ said. Therefore, being in debt to them, we should have love for them; and knowing that they have served us, we should now serve them, too. Meanwhile, I would like to give you an explanation about a mystery. I have often been asked why Angels are interested in human beings, and whether there is any connection between them. Once upon a time, when Angels were in our present situation and they were living on Earth as consciously aware beings, we were in the situation of animals and served them. Thus, they are obligated to us and God requires them to pay their debt. Cosmic Beings do not despise their smaller fellows because they have served them. Maybe your servant is ignorant, but you do not really know the truth behind this relationship and why God has placed this man in your home. Your relationship with him did not originate in the present: this particular servant has been in your home many times previously. You do not know this, but God knows. This person has probably saved your life many times; therefore, you need to have love and compassion for him. And this is how we can understand this Divine Law: to have love for the little ones. Love is to be expressed not only for great people, Angels, and saints; it is also for the little things, the little ones, the poor and fallen brothers and sisters. This is the reason for the strong love of a mother toward her child; she loves by the power of this Divine Law that obliges her to do so. She loves her child thanks to this inner Divine Fire. You want to see God, but when He comes in your child, you say, “Why did God give me this child?” Every day you ask God to come and every day you chase Him away. And you consider yourselves to be learned people! This is not only an attitude, but a pattern of behavior in the entire world. Every day God tests you to see how much you love Him and how truthful are your words. Once upon a time, after the Fall of Man, when the world went wrong, a rumor was spread that God had descended to Earth to see how people were living. Many people had decided that, since there was no God in Heaven to control them from above, they could live as they wish, without any restrictions. In one place God saw someone selling a blind horse, but telling the buyer, “In God’s name, the horse is not blind.” The man replied “Since you swore in God’s name, I believe you,” and the man bought the horse. God passed by a house and saw a husband beating his wife who cried out, “In God’s name, forgive me!” and the man stopped. These both went to Heaven afterward and justified themselves, saying, “God, on Earth we called upon Your name.” Modern people call upon God too, especially when they try to sell a blind horse or want to beat their wives. Some priests advise, “Believe in God,” but what would God reply to them? He would reply, “I do not know you because you use My name, not for My glory, but to deceive people by encouraging them to perform wrongful actions and make excuses for doing so.” These are the little things that create big misfortunes. You have a blind horse and you want to sell it by using the name of God, but you need to be careful and responsible for your actions. Do you know what the “blind horse” is? It is your body. Yet, people talk against it all the time, punish it, and blame it. No, the body is not the guilty one. Someone gets drunk in the pub and orders, “Do not give food to the horse.” He is doing wrong by getting drunk, but he punishes the horse. Do not despise your body and do not confuse the flesh with your desires and lusts. You need to renounce them—not the flesh. To renounce the flesh would mean to renounce all thoughts and deeds that are realized through it. In addition, you should not torment your body—a temple created by God. In fact, you should be very sympathetic with it because you can work only as long as it is fit and healthy. When Christ says “their Angels,” He refers to those Wise Beings who keep a record of our actions. In fact, what we call “consciousness,” these are the Angels abiding within us and recording each of our actions: either good or bad. They say to us, “Well done!” or “You have not done well.” When you insult someone, then the Angel of this person tells you that your behavior was not good. You start apologizing, “I am sorry, I was a little nervous, indisposed, the conditions were such and such.” Your excuse about the conditions you were in has nothing to do with the rule that you should not despise the little things because they create the foundation for the Divine Laws. The little things can sometimes cause either great benefits or big harm. A wolf once boasted that he was a hero and the king of the animals. The fox interjected, “Do not talk big because if a mosquito enters your nose and stings you, you cannot do anything to it.” “I will blow my nose and the mosquito will fly away,” replied the wolf. One day a mosquito entered his nose and stung him, thus bringing infection to the wolf and causing his death. Often the small circumstances in our life can, in one way or another, bring either progress in our development or an impediment. The causes that bring us good or bad results are not bad in themselves, but their application is wrong. Take, for example, air: if you breathe it through your lungs, it will purify your blood producing a positive effect for you, but if it goes into your stomach, it will produce stomachache. In both cases, one and the same cause creates two totally different results. If you take some charcoal mixed in water, it will have a good effect on your stomach, but introduced into the lungs, it would be poisonous. Therefore, through those little things Christ advises us not to despise, He is referring to the whole of human life with all these little things we are closely involved with. For instance, if I ask you about the way your body, heart, and mind have been formed, could you tell me how this has happened? Initially, when human beings came into existence on Earth, they were not huge, but microscopically small; but under certain conditions they developed and became a million times larger than before. Their power was initially hidden in a nucleus. In a similar way in modern times, an idea is a great Divine foundation; and if it falls on good soil, it can revive our life. That which we call “revival” exists as a Spiritual Law; it is the inner Divine process that uplifts and renews the human heart, mind, soul, and spirit. This is the process of ascending from lower to higher states of development and being, lower to higher levels of existence. And our uplifting, deliverance, and salvation come as a result of this Divine striving. Therefore, all beings, from the biggest to the smallest, strive to rejuvenate and to evolve because in rejuvenation is hidden the blossoming of the human soul. The reason why we should be tolerant toward the little ones is to avoid bringing sorrow to God because when we hurt someone, in fact we hurt not only that person, but also God Who resides in him or her. And when we do good, we help God as well. In fact, when we assist people, their Angels in Heaven will serve us too. Therefore, if we want to have friends in Heaven, we need to serve the little ones, and their fathers, the Angels in Heaven, will welcome us in their Home and offer us a feast. The world is like this: service for service and love for love. Do you understand now why Christ addressed His disciples with these words? You need to remove contempt from your soul. For instance, when you meet people you do not know and feel contempt for them, thinking that they might possibly be inferior to you, if instead you could just help them with their ignorance, you would change the situation; but if you look down upon them, you are introducing a poison into the relationship. In modern aristocratism and caste systems, some are noble, others not, some are rich, others poor—all that has its origin in contempt. If we understand how relations among people should be, we will not be ashamed of poverty, as it is a service given us to carry out. We need to be small and we need to be poor, in order to become rich and great. These are the two polarities, between which development happens. Movement is always from the large to the small, indicating that God always pays attention to the small. He is interested not only in big things. God created all that exists. Yet, ruling over all His creation gives Him less pleasure than being involved with children. His work is to teach people when they err. Thus, He gives us an example not to despise little ones, but to tolerate them and teach them because this is our time to rest and enjoy. When a teacher works with his students, he enjoys it, and when the students study well, he praises them. Saints and priests are involved with wrongdoers in order to turn them to God. The assignment of all of us is to pay attention to weak people and small things. When someone says, “I do not have time for rest,” I know that this person is occupied with big things and big thoughts. How could such a person rest, if he takes an overloaded backpack with 10, 20, or 50 kilograms of gold in it? If he leaves only one Napoleon[7] in his backpack, he would realize that he had plenty of time to rest. Now God comes to tell us “Leave your backpacks!” This will liberate the world of its burdens. Down with the weapons that destroy your minds and hearts! All of you need to become like children, not to despise the small things that God has created. God wants to bring people back to this pure, primeval state that people call “being wild,” but in reality it is not wild, but virgin. I would like to see people becoming wild in this way. In Sanskrit “wild” means “pure.” Let us become pure and come closer to God, instead of becoming evil and cruel. I would like the entire world to become “primeval” as soon as possible, to become pure, noble, and stop despising the little things and the little ones that God loves. I would like the world to place Love, Justice, Wisdom, Truth, and Power in the high esteem where they need to be. This is the way to salvation. Lecture held on August 3 (16), 1914, Sofia. _________________________________________ [1] Lev—BGN (Bulgarian lev, plural leva, levove) is the currency of Bulgaria. [2] Stotinka (plural stotinki): One hundredth of a lev, the basic unit of money in Bulgaria. [3] Gologan is a folk name for an old coin made mostly of copper, with a value of 10 stotinki. [4] Grosh (denarius in Latin) is a coin used in the past in many European countries with a value of 20 stotinki. [5] Mark 12:31 [6] See also Matthew 18:24. [7] The Napoléon is the colloquial term for a former French gold coin, originally minted for Napoléon Bonaparte. The coin continued in use through the 19th century and later French gold coins in the same denomination were generally referred to as “Napoleons.”

Love “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, but have not Love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”[1] The word “love” has become very mundane in the world today. It has become so prosaic nowadays that it has lost its meaning. When a word loses its meaning, it becomes lifeless; and everything that becomes lifeless lacks inner power and so declines. In the organic world when a certain food enters the stomach, but cannot be properly digested, it creates a condition that doctors call “indigestion” and that produces an unpleasant feeling in the body. This law is true not only in the physical, but also in the mental world: When a thought comes to one’s mind, which cannot be digested with one’s mind because the mind cannot understand it, a similar condition occurs. The same happens with the human heart. When a desire enters, which it cannot connect with, a similar condition results. Human nature gets to know things around us in three stages. When you take a fruit, an apple for example—red, colorful, and beautiful—first its form appeals to your eyes, then you take it, turn it around, and through your eyes you will form an impression of the apple from its outer form and color. After your eyes have finished this process, you bring the apple closer to your nose to check its smell and determine the quality of its smell. When your sense of smell has done its job, then your tongue and teeth taste the apple and perform the last operation on the fruit, thereby destroying its beautiful garment until nothing is left of it; and the tongue says, “This apple is tasty.” Similarly, Love manifests in three stages in human lives, and because we do not understand this, we often have an inaccurate understanding of Love. Some say that Love is a feeling, others a power, still others an illusion, and so on. It is said that whatever condition your mind is in, you are in the same condition, so your understanding of Love will depend on the condition of your mind. In order to come to know someone’s opinion on a certain subject, observe how that person speaks and writes; to come to know a woman, visit her, see her home and how it looks; to come to know a cook, enter her kitchen and observe what and how she cooks; to come to know a soldier, see his action on the battlefield; to come to know a teacher, see him at school, and a preacher or a priest in his church; and so on. Everything should be tested in its own environment. When we come to discuss the meaning of Love in general, as not all of you may be ready to understand what I can share, I will present it in a simpler way. I may speak in a language incomprehensible to you, not because I do not want to be understood, but because there are some reasons why my talk might not be clear to you. When a child is born, the mother first gives the baby some milk and then some liquid food when it is a little older. Later she prepares soft food by first chewing it. The children enjoy the milk and the liquid food, but in order to be able to eat solid food, their teeth first need to grow; otherwise they will have stomach problems. During the teething process, the child may become ill. The mother worries, “My baby has a temperature. I need to call a doctor. Will my child survive?” Yet, when the teeth come through, all that is forgotten. A similar situation happens in human life as well: when people are given “solid food,” Love, they undergo suffering. Therefore, when we say, “Sufferings are necessary,” we imply that it is necessary to pass through them, “to undergo teething” in order to be able to eat solid food. I could explain later what these “teeth” are, but for the moment I can tell you that when sufferings come, this shows that you are “teething.” Once you have passed through this process, you will have a complete set of 32 teeth; and you will have reached the age of Christ, 32 years old. Let me offer you an explanation of how the Apostle Paul perceived Love. In order to understand Love, we need to compare it to its opposite, as when people try to describe an object, they need to find its distinctive features. For instance, to describe a horse, cow, sheep, wolf, and so on, we need to find those features that distinguish these animals from one another. In the description we make an analysis, usually based on the external characteristics, but we can do the same with the inner differences between them too. In the modern world many people desire to be eloquent speakers, as everyone knows that in this way they can influence an audience by the power of their words. However, the Apostle Paul says that, though he may have all the eloquence of human language and even that of the Angels, without love this would profit him nothing—this would be rather like trying to understand an apple by looking at it only from the outside. At present, many people would like to find out what their future is going to be and that of Bulgaria as well. If you were able to make such a prophecy, many would rush to you asking questions, and you would receive much honor, if your predictions came true. Yet, the Apostle Paul says, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”2 He is saying that in the world today people are not concerned with the inner meaning of life: even if they were able to move mountains and cities, and be able to divide kingdoms, they would only be dealing with the outer aspects of life. The Apostle Paul goes on to say, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not Love, it profits me nothing.”[2] This means that even if we have all the good qualities mentioned by the Apostle Paul, but we lack Love, we would be lacking in the most important one. It is not that all these gifts are without value, but they represent only the external side of a person’s life and fail to transform the inner side. The Apostle Paul goes on further to describe all the qualities of Love.[3] Its first quality is longsuffering. Do you know the meaning of longsuffering? It is the essential pillar of life. If you have endurance, you can achieve everything in life; if you do not have it, you will not. A person with endurance is like a ship with an anchor; a person without it is like a ship without an anchor. This is precisely the distinguishing quality of Love. It is because God is longsuffering that it is said in the Scriptures, “God is Love.”[4]. Longsuffering is a sign of the sublime Love of God toward us. If He did not have this Love, He would not have tolerated us all this time; He would not have tolerated our ignorance and wrongdoings; and would have rid the universe of us a long time ago. Therefore, whatever work we begin, whatever results we want to get in life, endurance is absolutely necessary. Many say, “Endurance means strong will-power.” No, endurance is a great quality and there is nothing more noble than this in the human character. However, endurance does not come at birth; it needs to be acquired. Love can come to us as a gift, but endurance we need to achieve by ourselves. Suffering is a process by which we can learn endurance; it is a method for acquiring endurance. To be able to endure, we need to have three essential qualities: Wisdom, Truth, and Virtue. Why does a mother tolerate certain faults in her child and try to bring him or her up well? She foresees that, in spite of its weaknesses, the child will become a great individual and bring benefit to many. Foreseeing this, the mother thinks, “I will face all difficulties and will endure my child’s faults,” and she is right. Those who bear all things in life are wise and foresee the future. When a young woman is not yet married, she keeps her hands very clean, avoids even water, and uses perfumes instead. Yet, when she gets married, she is eager to dirty them with the “perfumes” of her baby and even enjoys it. What does she find in this small child? If you weigh the child, it is only a few kilograms, but there is a Divine Spark within the baby that attracts the mother’s love to the point that with her longsuffering attitude she is ready to put up with the child by taking care of it in every way. If it were left to fathers, many of them would say, “This is not for me.” In the same way, to accomplish any work in life, we need to have Love, which is an essential quality in the hearts of those who possess it. I am talking about Love in its general sense, not about its essence. Some people consider Love as a feeling, as a pleasant feeling in the heart. This is not Love because one can experience a pleasant feeling after drinking some wine or finding a relief from body aches. However, this is not the feeling produced by Love. When someone loves you, that person may sometimes also cause you pain. Love can cause pain and joy at the same time. Love is like a two-edged sword: it caresses all, but also punishes all. How does it punish you? When Love is away from you, you become sorrowful and say, “I am unhappy.” Why are you unhappy? It is because Love is absent, because you are only happy when Love is present in you. Love also tells us something else: Longsuffering creates conditions for Love to manifest. Endurance is the way it enters the human heart. Without endurance Love cannot manifest in us. Endurance is a pre-requisite, the vanguard of its coming. When a degree of endurance has been acquired, you will understand that in brave, decisive people it is a mighty power that gives them a bright future. Let us consider now the word “benevolence.” This is the positive, active side of Love, while longsuffering is the passive, protective side, which one needs in order to endure certain burdens. Benevolence is Love that is ready to build, to help someone, no matter whom. When you encounter a beggar, who asks you for a favor, help him! When a friend of yours, who has a noble character, asks you for a favor, help him, even if his convictions and faith are different from yours. We desire that people love us and address us politely, yet we often violate this rule and not only do we not show patience, but often we do not even show the normally expected politeness. Some people may say that they love a person, yet they badmouth about him to others. The echo of this will be heard in time because whatever one sows, one will also reap. If you plant an apple, you will harvest apples; if you sow thorns, you will reap thorns. I am not talking about my relationships with you. I am always paying attention to what my relationships are with God, with Love, in other words, what my actions should be toward my brethren. It is less important how I judge my actions; it is more important for me to be ready to fulfill the fundamental Law required by Love: To be patient the way Love requires, and to be benevolent as it desires. This is necessary for everyone, for the entire world, for those who have a warm heart. I am not talking about those who do not understand these things. Some ask, “What will happen to the bad people?” The same as will happen to stones, to ants, to little insects. Probably you think that the ants’ situation is worse than yours? They are a thousand times happier than you, as they do not experience the sufferings that you do. It is toward those in whom Divine consciousness is awakened that we need to feel compassion, toward those who understand Love, God, and evil, who suffer and are in torment. Some people complain that they are unhappy and their life is a disaster. The answer is: they are unhappy because Love has not yet visited them. “Why has Love not come?” “It is because you are impatient.” “I am trying to become patient.” “It is good that you are already trying.” “Yes, but my life is still is disarray.” “This is because you are not yet benevolent.” Some people say that all this is very good and easy to achieve, but they fail to act on it. As a doctor I am telling you that none of you are healthy because I have not met a person who is healthy in the full meaning of the word. Only the saints and the Angels who are in Heaven are completely healthy. People, of course, are unhealthy, but not all in the same way. When a doctor enters your home, he may tell you, “Your room is not hygienic, as it is facing north. You need to leave this room and move to another one facing south; and you should keep your windows open as much as possible to allow fresh air and light to enter. You need to change all your bedding and begin paying attention to what you eat, and so on.” Love tells you the same, “Your room is facing north and it is not hygienic; you need to move to a southern one where the sun’s rays can enter.” In other words, Love wants to advise you to be patient and benevolent. Love also tells us that it constantly uses its hands for all work to be done. Do you know the immeasurable riches of these two hands? When you have these hands, you can do anything. I repeat: In order for your spiritual hands to appear, you need to possess endurance and benevolence. If you reject these two qualities, not only will your external organs fail to react, but neither can your internal ones develop properly in order to manifest the necessary virtues. Why do you need to have virtues? It is because virtues will bring you all the necessary elements for the building of your house and all the juices needed for your growth. Virtue is not something abstract, but real. It is always ready to build. Therefore, those of you who can understand need to grasp the full meaning of endurance. It is not only the endurance of bearing insults; this is not the fullness of endurance. The secret of endurance is, when someone insults you, to find the good side in it and use it. An insult is like a hard walnut, which someone has given you; you should break it, take its contents and eat it. If you can get nourishment in this way, you will become completely healthy. Those who speak badly about you and who blacken you are giving you food, and if you can use this food, you will be well satisfied. People may throw hard stones at you, but you need to break them because inside these stones treasures are hidden, which you can use to enrich yourselves. When you go home, contemplate and pray to God to understand endurance. Many people occupy themselves with mediocre things; many desire to become famous and learned. That is fine, knowledge will come in due course, but, if you are true human beings, you need to be able to receive and apply that knowledge. Knowledge is a power that can benefit you and your brethren, if used properly. However, knowledge can also be like a heavy load on your back. Love does not envy. In order to be sure that Love has visited you, you should ask yourselves if you are envious. If you are, it means that you do not have the fullness of Love. Love should exist eternally in our hearts; it is needed both in our present life and in the next life, and in yet further lives. The further we rise, the more profound will we find the meaning of Love to be. We need to follow this path from now on; there is no other way to Heaven. You may ask, “This path is difficult, is there no alternative?” No. We can enter everywhere else without following this path, but not into the Kingdom of God. Love does not envy, does not respond to injustice with injustice, to evil with evil, and bears everything. Of course, I am not saying that envy and pride will never visit your hearts. They will visit you, but we will not be judged for that, as long as we do not befriend them. However, sometimes we embrace envy and say, “This person is not good. Beware!” and we make someone’s life miserable. Envy is not something abstract, but is in reality a being with negative features; and even on Earth there are people who are personifications of envy. Only after we have learned these two qualities, endurance and benevolence, will we learn the history of our life, and learn why we came down to live on Earth. I will again give you the example of the grain of wheat. There is no better example among all existing fruits than the grain of wheat, and if you want to study the process of endurance, observe the endurance of the grain of wheat. Without endurance you will have disappointments. Many people will not believe you. Some may say, “People do not follow me.” Why should people follow you? They do not have to follow you. They will listen to your teaching; but to follow you? No, they have no obligation to do so. You often ask, “Whom should I follow?” You could follow people, of course, but at times you may be deceived. However, if you are followers of God alone, you will never be deceived. The Path is one. As Christ says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” If people do not follow you, this indicates that you are not on the Path. Some may say, “I do not believe,” and try to follo[5]w another path. However, at some point that person will find, without doubt, the true Path, thanks to life’s tests. You may insist, “Convince me then!” I am not trying to convince you. I simply say that the bread I am offering will feed you. You may ask, “Could you tell me its ingredients and what water is used?” but I would reply, “There is no point in answering such question. Just tell me if you are interested in taking and eating this bread?” You refuse, so I put the bread back in my bag and go away. You may ask further, “What is Love, what is it made of?” If you ask too many questions, again I will place Love in my bag and continue on my way, telling you that I do not have time for discussion on the subject. Love is something concrete, and you need to try it, take it, and find satisfaction from eating this bread. By doing so, you will realize that Love is the food of life. Without Love one cannot exist or accomplish anything in the world. Some people see very little connection between Love and commerce, or study, or war. We need to have Love everywhere, as it is a mighty power. The force I use to lift this glass is also Love. The same power can be placed in a cannon to throw a grenade and kill many people; it can manifest in an earthquake; it can even destroy the entire Earth or it can create an entire new world. There are rules about how to use certain powers. Love is a power that needs to be applied with consciousness. People are selfish and when Love visits them, they want to keep it for themselves. However, if Love is locked in us, it will destroy our walls and break out. It cannot remain in this dwelling, in which we want to trap Love, and so this results in death. Death is a process for destroying every selfish thought and desire; through Love God destroys all the places where evil spirits hide. Our heart and our mind need to have all the necessary conditions for receiving Love, for Love is silent and calm, but at the same time a frightening force in its effects. If we are in harmony with Love, the world around becomes a blessing; if we are not in harmony, there is no more dangerous force in Nature than Love. For this reason, people with experience say, “Those who love a lot, hate a lot as well.” As powerful as Love is on the positive side, it is equally powerful on the negative; therefore, we need to be very careful with it. When we have Love, we should not act negatively because then it acts destructively, and illnesses, sufferings, and destruction for the whole of society may result. Many say that God is Love and being Love He should not punish. The Lord, although merciful, is also very demanding. When He sees us discontented, He says, “Place one kilogram on their backs.” We may ask, “Why is this load placed on my back?” Without answering, God asks for another kilogram to be added. When you answer, “I cannot carry that,” God says to add one more kilogram. When we are pressed to the wall to the point that we cannot move, then we begin to plead, “God, forgive me!” The Lord answers by saying, “Remove a kilogram.” We repeat our plea, and He answers by removing another kilogram. The more we pray, the more weight is removed from our back. And when the entire weight is removed, the Lord asks us, “Have you learned your lesson?” “Yes,” we say, “I have learned it well.” “If you want Me not to burden you anymore, you need to be benevolent to all the world around you, to everyone around you, and they should be benevolent and bearing toward you as well. Your little brethren may make mistakes, but you need to show tolerance, just as I do; and in the day you violate My Law, I will start to put another load on you again.” “I cannot carry such load.” “You shall carry it.” I will tell you how we can release ourselves from burdens. We need to address God sincerely, “I am thankful with all my heart for everything You are giving me.” God has given every person thousands of blessings, but people do not know how to use them. The proverb says, “He is swimming in water, but is still feeling thirsty.” Many merchants are dissatisfied. Why? They have 10,000 leva, but this is not enough. You give them 20,000, but it is still not enough; you give them 50,000, then 100,000 leva, but they are still dissatisfied. Do you know what modern humankind resembles? Probably you have read about that fisherman who found a beautiful eye. He was asked, “How much do you want for this eye?” “As much as it weighs.” They placed 10 grams on the scales, but the eye was not satisfied; 20 grams were placed on the scales, but it was still unhappy; 100 grams, still unhappy; 1 kilogram, 100 kilograms, 1,000 kilograms, 10,000 kilograms… Finally all the gold they had was offered, but still the eye remained unsatisfied. “What we should do because we cannot pay it off?” they asked themselves. Finally they asked a wise old man what to do. “It is very easy,” he replied, “Take some dirt and cover the eye.” The people did as he advised and the eye closed. In the same way, when God sees us discontented, He will say, “Place dirt on the eyes,” and we become content. Just as we like to add salt and black pepper to our food, so God uses these spices to transform our discontent into contentment. The meaning of life is not in the abundance we have, but in what we can use at any given moment. You should be thankful to God for what He has given us, and then He will give us even more bounties. We need to apply the words of the Apostle Paul in everyday life, to begin to work and to be useful to our brethren. We are studying as in school and not as in a nursery. Church is like a big nursery and you can sow anything there. However, school is like a garden where you can sow only things that are useful. In the school we need to learn how to work the soil and sow beautiful and useful things. There is also something more to do in the school, as there is a connection between heart and mind. We should not only plant seedlings, but also cultivate them and thereby fulfill the fundamental Laws that should govern our life. You may ask, “Why has God not given us more talents, more power, and more money?” I can see many reasons for that. It is because whenever God sent you, your fathers and forefathers, to work in the field, instead of making efforts to cultivate your minds and hearts, you have been considering the taste of the forbidden fruit and again and again trying to taste it, and all these attempts have cost you all your capital. All the times you have come to this field, instead of working you have cut school and returned to Him, begging Him to give you yet more for free. You are like students whose fathers and mothers want to make them scholars, but who do not study. Many of you have cut classes in the Divine School. You say, “We cannot do this work, so let us throw all propriety to the wind.” You have talked like that and are doing this now, but this is not a wise attitude. Those who desire to learn the Divine Law and attain a higher realm such as that of the saints, from where they can get clear perspective on life and receive the blessings of God, need to graduate from the Divine School on Earth and pass its final exam. In this graduation lie blessings for everyone. If unprepared for this life, you shall lead horses and plow fields, and break stones to make roads, until you learn what horses, plowing, stones, and roads can teach you, and so prepare yourselves for the Kingdom of God. God sets disobedient children to cut stones and gives to the obedient ones noble occupations. You may complain, “This teaching is difficult.” Yes, for the lazy ones I agree that it is difficult, but for the humble and hardworking students it has hidden treasures. Do you know why the worm is in the earth, the frog in the water, the bird in the air, and the human being among all of them? These are the four great situations in life. You may say, “These are abstract things.” They are not abstract, but four great truths that will show you the “narrow path”—the Path of the Divine. It is true that the Divine Path is narrow, but there are profound reasons for that which I cannot explain at the moment, as they are beyond the limits of this world. I would like to return to the word “Love,” which people have diminished, blemished, and rendered lifeless. They have smashed its goodness and beauty and have destroyed the melodious harmony of its sounds to the point that its sounds have become hoarse and irritating. We often say, “Love is just an illusion of life, the empty dreams of young men and women who are chasing the elusive shadows of life.” Yes, it is a shadow, but there is a reality behind it, which produces the water of life. The soul constantly satisfies its thirst from this water, as a tired traveler will do at the crystal-pure and refreshing mountain wellspring. What valuable wealth, what knowledge is hidden in this one word! If people knew how to pronounce it correctly, the way it was originally pronounced by the Divine mouth, everything around them would smile at them and listen to this heavenly sound. They would have the magic wand of the wise men of old, through which everything turns to good. Many may say, “It would be a blessing to have such a wand!” Yes, this is the highest blessing one can achieve on Earth. Everyone can attain this as long as one strives constantly toward it. For now, I will just tell you this: If first you learn patience in life, meaning enduring everything all the time with humility and joy, then you will find Truth. With your impatience and negative thoughts, you create a heavy atmosphere in your home. The wife is unhappy because her husband brings home only 150 leva, and she wants this and that. All these desires, desires, desires, but who will work for you? Who will fulfill them, if not you yourself? For instance, if people desire to have full barns without working, where will it all come from? Riches are acquired not easily, but through hard work. Therefore, we should be content with what God in His Great Wisdom is kind enough to give us. I am not advising you never to listen to other people’s advice. You could draw some lessons from them, but each person needs to listen to the advice God has planted in his own consciousness. Listen to what people say, and if this is in tune with what God tells you from within, then follow their advice; if not, do not follow other people’s advice. If you want to be free of error, you must listen to God. Those who do not listen to God are not wise, but are slaves of their external impulses, of people, of everything. You are searching for God, but where? He is inside you, in your mind, and in your heart. He manifests in both of these. Listen well to your mind and your heart because God is speaking through them. Some may say that mind and heart are corrupt, but this is not true. If our mind and heart were bad, how would we come to know God? There are things in us that are corrupt, but not everything. I am telling you: If you do not trust your mind and heart, in what could you? If my mind and hear were corrupt, and yours also, why would I trust you? In whom do we need to trust? In God Who abides in us. If we can trust in ourselves, we will also trust our brethren. Those who do not trust in God abiding in them cannot trust other people either; and those who are not compassionate toward their brethren are not pleasing to God. Therefore, God asks us to love our neighbors. And your neighbor is wounded, crucified, and nailed to the cross. Your Lord is not in Heaven, you have nailed Him and you can find the truth about this in the Scriptures. Your salvation will not happen in any other way, but through this “nailing”: endurance and benevolence. Only then will your salvation come. You may say, “This is very difficult.” It is not difficult, so do not be afraid. It is not without purpose to be nailed to the cross. The Lord endures thousands of years of being nailed. “But will we suffer?” You will not suffer. People who are afraid of suffering are not welcome in our school. You need to thank God for these sufferings: they are sent by Him. The sufferings given to you now are deserved; you are worthy of them. If Christ had not worn the crown of thorns and had not been nailed to the cross, how could He have manifested this Love? Would you love him today, if He had wanted to live like a king? You love Him because He was nailed to the cross for your salvation. Therefore, from now on, be heroes! Do not be afraid of suffering, but show the world that you have courage and that you are ready to bear not one but ten crosses. One man complained that the cross he carried was very heavy. The Lord ordered his cross to be removed and brought him to a big hall, and told him, “In this hall there are many crosses: big and small, made of gold, iron, or stone. Choose one of them.” The man looked around, looked around, and finally found a small cross and said, “I want this cross.” God replied, “This is the same cross you were carrying so far, the cross I gave you.” As you see, we often exaggerate our sufferings, yet they are the way we can ascend toward God. When someone suffers, we should know that he is redeeming his errors and is on the path of salvation. I congratulate him and say “Brother, you are closer to Heaven; I wish I were in your place.” When someone says, “I have not experienced any suffering,” I tell that person, “You are still ‘green.’” Green is pleasant, but when it begins to ripen, suffering comes. Now, keep this thought in mind, I am giving it to you for contemplation as it comes from the Lord: When suffering befalls you, rejoice and thank God that He sends it to you because He loves you. Sufferings are a sign of Divine Love, so let us all carry this cross. For this reason God gave the Bulgarian nation as a whole, as a soul, these sufferings so that it may attain these two qualities: longsuffering and benevolence. You may say that the Serbian and the Greeks are such and such. It does not matter, do not pay attention; just try to learn the lessons for your salvation. What the others are, leave them alone. They have not gained anything and for them also the time will come to learn this lesson. This lesson was given earlier to you and for this you should give thanks and not protest. If you say, “We are being crucified,” God replies, “No problem! In this way you are closer to Me, while the others are further away, but they too will come into this state later on.” When you are crucified, only then shall you enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, let us rejoice that we have more opportunities in this world. Let us be true Christians, devout followers of Christ. Let us not pay attention to what others may say. Let us be longsuffering and compassionate and fulfill our obligations toward God through our pure thoughts and desires. Let us not stumble on this sublime Path, but act with courage and decisiveness, encouraging everyone who stands together with us. This is the power that will help us to overcome the present difficulties.[6] Lecture delivered on July 6 (19), 1914, Sofia. _____________________________________________ [1] 1 Corinthians 13:1 [2] See 1 Corinthians 13:2–3 [3] See also 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, “Love suffers long and is kind; Love does not envy; Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” [4] See also 1 John 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 John 14:6. [6] The Master refers to the second Balkan War in 1913, which brought about the defeat of Bulgaria through the combined attacks of her neighboring countries. Bulgaria was then left in despair after losing peoples and territories.

Come to Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free “And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 Freedom is what every living being in Creation strives for. By the word “freedom” we are to understand the full range of all those actions, thoughts, and wishes that are hidden within us and the removal of all conditions that may limit them. Freedom is a quality of the Spirit. To be deprived of freedom implies a fall or regression from the ideal of Creation. Freedom becomes limited when favorable conditions are lost. Losing some part of the physical body, for example a limb, leads to partial limitation of one's freedom; while losing one's mind or ability to think would be a more complete limitation, as also losing one's vision or hearing, or any of one's senses. Truth is a prerequisite for restoring Freedom of Spirit. Freedom has three components: first, freedom of the body; second, freedom of the will-power; and third, freedom of the heart to express feelings and thoughts. Christ said, “Truth shall make you free,” meaning that Truth will show us the way to Freedom. However, not every thought, desire, or act of the will makes us free. Any word, as a combination of thoughts, can be like a ticking bomb that can explode. In other words, one negative word or thought could deprive us of Freedom because an insulting word will produce its destructive effect. We should always possess a measure for testing and assessing our thoughts and desires. This measure, this touchstone is Christ. He should always be before us and in our mind. When we are always with Christ, our thoughts, desires, and impulses for action come mainly from within our being; and this is a positive sign. However, not all of them are of one and the same quality, and we need to know which one of them to select. Thoughts and desires are like the stones in a quarry. They serve to build the future human body, the Spiritual Light body. They may come from different directions and we need to be able to select the necessary stones for the building. To build our house we need not only stones, but also steel, wood, and other materials. There are spirits that sell us all these materials at higher or lower prices. When they sell them to us more expensively than their real value, they deceive us. Christ wants to make us free. Yet, we are bound by thousands of obligations: first, to our parents, then to our siblings; later, when we get married, to our spouse and children; then we have obligations to society and much more. The art is to know how to deal with any one of them, as Freedom not only implies rights, but also obligations. Society cannot exist if people have only rights or only obligations, as both of these go together. Rights get limited according to the requirements of our needs. For example, if we desire more than we need, the opposite reaction will take place and our rights will become limited. Wherever there is more honey, more bees will come to consume it. Wherever there is more wealth, all malevolent spirits will come to profit by it. Wealth is necessary for freedom, yet it could bring not only blessings, but also negative attributes, such as laziness, pride, and so on. In Christ's Teaching the value of the human soul is determined by its inner qualities: being connected with God, or in other words, being armored with Truth, which implies being clothed in Love. We recognize the Sun by its light and warmth; in the same way we recognize God by Truth and Love. When Truth comes into our minds, we think; when Love becomes part of us, we begin to act. Truth is the inner essence of the soul. If we have Truth, we will always experience a forward impulse, and there will be no old age, but an everlasting youthfulness, so we will feel energetic at all times and at all ages. Obstacles are a blessing for us: they are conditions for our uplifting, for we need to make efforts to overcome them and thus attain the blessings. All our organs and body parts are serving, but at the same time limiting us. We should know their role so that they can function properly. Now the creation of the Spiritual Light body is our responsibility. Up till now in our evolution, most of the time it leaves us and we get separated from it. We should enter into relationship with all the entities that compose our body, that live in it and support our life. This means, as Christ says, to be united with Heaven, and this is our obligation. Christ Himself became one with all the entities. He sacrificed Himself not only on the cross, but the existence of everything we are living on now, comes from Christ, and for this reason, we love Him. He has left a treasure for us to use, not to become attached to. He has given it for us to benefit from, not to take and divide. Christ sacrificed Himself for this treasure, and if we do not use it properly, He will take it back. He has given it to us so that we may develop spiritually and prepare ourselves for the Angelic Life, in other words, after this earthly life to be able to make the transition to a higher life in the World of the Angels. Christ wants us to use the touchstone that is our Divine soul; and when we find it, we will become free. Christ taught people in this world how to find their forgotten soul or hidden treasure. Many of our souls are pawned and we need to get them back. When we came down from Heaven to Earth as human beings, we put our souls in a pawnshop and so now we need to buy them back. All civilizations that lived before us cultivated the Earth's surface and have piled soil on it; so we need to work with our souls with the same soil. Therefore, it is important to have favorable conditions, in other words, to have the touchstone that means transformation, repentance, and more. This is how the process of rebirth happens. We need to be free so that we may find the touchstone and, in order to be free, we should be thankful for everything that happens to us: both good and bad. This is the meaning of Christ's dwelling within us. Then all situations in life will be equally acceptable to us. We will not be given a higher position if we have not fulfilled the lesser job well. God also sends Angels to serve and help with the redemption of troubled souls. We need to always begin with the smaller things and then move toward the bigger ones, instead of saying that, when we are free, we are no longer obliged to work. God has created the Earth and one day when it fulfills its mission, its particles will expand and it will disappear. Each of our acts is a collective effort because we are connected with many spiritual beings. Each of our thoughts is an obligation, a promissory note that is held by the Spirit that guides and supervises us. Therefore, we should not look for big things in life because by desiring them, we might get them as our right, but the Spirit will tell us later, “Now, you need to pay for them.” If we do not have a way to pay for our debts, suffering, poverty, illness, or other limitations could come upon us. Every person in a state of anger is being robbed because when the physical body is abandoned, the spirits rob it. Therefore, we need to stay balanced and protect our “home,” our body, as this is our Freedom. If we inhabit other people’s homes, we are not free because we can be evicted at any time. The most important thing now is to be discerning only our beneficial desires and thoughts so that only they may be fulfilled. Only then may we say that God has assigned them for us. Sunday lecture held on April 13 (26), 1914, Sofia.

The Spring Equinox Celebration “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen...” Matthew 28:5–6[1] Many people have no idea of the importance of this date: the Day of the spring equinox in 1914, but it will remain memorable in the history of the Earth because it marks the transition between two cosmic cycles, the ending of the old epoch and the beginning of a new one. You may ask, “What is so special about this?” It is similar to when a famous composer and musicians present a great new concert, but the majority of people are away at work or elsewhere. Some people in the audience will simply express their admiration, while for those who are knowledgeable music lovers this would be remarkable event and a day to remember. In Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast, when those invited to the wedding of the king’s son were not willing to come, the king told his servants, “Go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.”[2] (We are those invited.). Then when the invited guests were not dressed for the occasion, the Master of the wedding ceremony provided them with wedding garments. The most important experience for the soul is the awakening of one’s consciousness, which can be compared to ascension in consciousness. As one recognizes an apple or pear by tasting it, the same is true when one awakens or ascends in consciousness. Everything that we think and feel is not the true unchangeable life because our mundane life is constantly changing. We have three instruments of perception that could be unreliable and mislead us: taste, heart, and mind. Taste can mislead us into overeating, and then we get stomach problems as a result. With our heart we love our fellowmen and occasionally some of them could cause us heartache. Our mind misleads us into various desires and thus causes us problems and suffering. However, the stomach, soul, and spirit are our genuine, unchangeable guides. If taste does not mislead the stomach, it will receive as much food as it needs. The soul shows us our true friends and warns us when we have listened to our heart and chosen unfaithful friends as the following tale illustrates. Two friends were walking through a forest when a bear appeared. The first one immediately climbed a tree. The other, as he did not have time to do the same, lay flat on his stomach on the ground without moving. The bear came close, sniffed him, and thinking him dead, continued on her way. The first man, after coming down from the tree, asked his companion: “What did the bear whisper in your ear?” “She told me in future not to travel with a ‘friend’ who would abandon me when danger comes along.” Such a “friend” is chosen by our heart without consulting our soul. People also harm themselves because they become absorbed in satisfying their mind without consulting their Spirit. Taste acts as an agent of the stomach; mind is an agent of the spirit, and heart of the soul. We need to come to know Christ with our stomach, soul, and spirit. People usually perceive with their physical senses, while Christ uses His spiritual senses. Every physical sense should be in harmony with our inner spiritual senses. Christ would like to restore in us three things: the stomach, which creates the true living juices necessary for our existence; the soul, which is the “queen” of our body and represents a world in miniature; and the spirit, which creates in us positive thoughts. The closer we come to God, the more we feel empowered, but if we distance ourselves, the reverse happens. There are two requirements for coming closer to God: equal acceptance of losses and gains, and equal acceptance of joys and sorrows. We need to walk with faith without discontent because we do not know what we will gain after a loss and what joy will come after a sorrow. One day a daughter may attempt to teach her mother or a son his father, but how can such people teach others, when they have not first learned themselves. Christ showed us in His life on Earth that we need to accept with joy and gratitude whatever happens to us in life, as all is for good. When people say that they cannot bear their present situation, they are deceiving themselves because, if they ask for help, they will be able to do so. We should neither lie nor allow ourselves to be deceived, and then God will give us Divine Light. Today is an auspicious Spiritual day. Light Beings from Above are present at this Celebration and the Heavenly Friends are greeting you. If someone does not believe this, the day will soon come when each and everyone will be able to verify and be convinced of the truth of my words. Whoever has an ailing soul is always afraid and sees danger in everything. Christ came to Earth to save us from wrongdoing. People on Earth are always discontented and when they speak about this in Heaven, they describe us as “the complaining people on Earth.” God always wants to transform our discontent into contentment and joy. Once a rich man dreamed that another wealthy person had decided to give away his riches in order to be free and dedicate himself to God. He loaded all his possessions on camels and started on his journey from village to village. The poor people came to him, some with cups, others with pots, taking parts of the wealth offered and then leaving. The first rich man told himself, “Let me get some as well, so that I can add it to my property and increase it.” But when he asked, he was told that he would receive only by getting down on his stomach and having a chest placed over him that would be loaded until he would say, “Enough.” So, they started to load the chest, and loaded it, and loaded it, but the man remained silent. Finally when he said, “Enough”, he tried to get up, but could not because of all the weight. Our life consists, not in the possessions we have, but in our communion with God. Our present situation contains in itself the nucleus of the future. The Divine in us is microscopical at first, but it multiplies as the grain of wheat when sown multiplies many times in just a few years. One Divine thought sown in us will bring the highest happiness in time. Christ shall come, but how will He find us? Spring and summer will come, but how will they find the farmer? If the farmer has sown the fields in time, he will make use of the gifts of springtime; he will harvest in the summer, and will fill his barns. However, if he has failed to sow, springtime passes by, summer comes and goes, but because he has lost the precious moment of sowing, they will leave him empty-handed. A new Cosmic cycle starts today in the Divine World, so we need to ask ourselves how our names will be written in the New Book of Life? When we suffer, we will receive Heavenly support. I feel sorry for those who will not have anyone to help them. Until yesterday, we were told to go and preach to the people to repent, but, from now on, believers shall save themselves by faith and God will support them. However, saving oneself is the most difficult of all. If you find yourself in the midst of an ocean after a shipwreck, is it possible to save yourself by your own efforts alone? Even now Christ is our Savior with His Ship rescuing us one by one, and after He saves us, He will teach us about Justice and Love. Yet, in order to learn this, we need to uplift our spirit, upgrade our mind, and resurrect our body. Only then can we become masters of life. Until this happens, we cannot be citizens of Heaven. Every day we abuse our body with our desires and sufferings. Our physical vessel is the scaffolding within which our true body is built—a Light body that will enable us to become visible or invisible as we choose. We can see Christ appear before us when we have pure thoughts and desires. According to Christ, both men and women are part of the Divine Plan; and when one of them falls, the other one is dragged down too; and when one of them rises, the other one is uplifted as well. Christ is a Teacher Who shows us our errors in life in the same way as a school teacher marks the mistakes of the students in their exam papers after the exam, and grades them. All of you need to make efforts so that when Christ comes, He could find fewer mistakes in your notebooks and give you a higher grade. Just as the periods and commas in the students’ notebooks are very important, so they are important in your life too. Here and there the Lord stops us at our “commas” in life, but much more at our “periods,” as He wants us to reflect on what we have written so far, stopping to rest before continuing. And when we have finished the story of our life, we should find some meaning in what has been inscribed and written. A great person is one who loves and serves, not one who is being served. A servant’s position is the most menial in our world, but God considers it the most honorable. The Lord will implement the New Teaching on Service. You need to become like seeds. You should not be afraid! You should not fear the devil, but chase it away from you. If you think about evil, you create it and empower it. Women and men are not bad in essence, but the devil makes them such. Therefore, every morning a wife should see that her husband has become a little better than yesterday and the same is required by the husband to see some improvement in his wife. In this way and by singing, both of them will expel all negativity. A stone is not placed on the road for us to stumble on it, but to teach us to be attentive. We are the cause of our sufferings. Those who are balanced and keep their temper may be considered to have noble characters. Judge not one another, as any judgment is a kind of charge, and so we would be called to give evidence: and how unpleasant it would be to testify against someone in a Divine court—like accusing our brother or our sister and wanting them to be punished. Let us raise our consciousness and keep in mind the image of today’s Divine Celebration in Heaven. Light Beings and Angels will descend to teach us acceptance and how to become content with what we have; and Christ will be with them too. With His blessings transformation may bring about a repair of our contemporary situation. However, if the situation is irreparable, a more dramatic transformation may occur, bringing down everything (like buildings with decayed foundations), and then Christ will begin His Holy Work anew. We should not be afraid of what is to come! Christ is always above us and among us. We need to keep Christ in our souls; we need to open our hearts so that He can enter and bless us! Lecture of Beinsa Duno held on 9th (22nd) of March 1914 (as written down by Ivan Garvalov). ________________________________________________ [1] See also Matthew 28:1–20, Mark 16:12–20, Luke 24:19–53, and John 21:1–25. [2] See also Matthew 22.

Greetings to All for the New Year 1914 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, that you may become sons of Light.”[1] John 12:36 Divine Light is for the soul what the light of the Sun is for the body. Nourishment, growth, and the development of the physical body are unthinkable without the light of the Sun. In the same way it is impossible for the soul to grow, develop, and give fruit without Divine Light. As the Sun is the source of visible light, so God is the source of inner Light for the soul. In the same way the sunshine is an emanation of the Sun, though not the Sun itself, the inner Light is an emanation of God, but not God Himself. The solar light reminds us of the Sun, while the inner Light leads us to God. On a cloudy day it is difficult to immediately locate the Sun when the sky is overcast. But we can still do this by using our knowledge and experience: based on the hour of the day and time of the year we can judge approximately the actual position of the Sun. After that, if we focus our attention in that direction, we will perhaps see a brighter light and thus, we begin to perceive the Sun in the sky, even through the darkness. In the same way, when we have the Divine Light within ourselves sent by God, with similar efforts, using our experience and knowledge, we could and should search for God. When a child is born, the parents provide all the necessary conditions for the child’s future growth and physical development. Similarly, inner Light, which is necessary for the development and growth of souls, is given to human beings at birth. Good conditions are necessary for us to fulfill our desire to go to Heaven. Such conditions enhance the spiritual cleansing and advancement of the soul. Heaven is a place for souls that are spiritually mature, purified, and adorned in “wedding gowns.” To be “sons of Light” means to be given good conditions in life and to use them, and to make good use of the Light given for our spiritual progress. The work with the Light is a process of purifying the soul and bringing it to fruition. The light of the Sun provides the necessary conditions for plants to feed on earthly saps and transform them into nourishment in the leaves of the plant. This in turn, enables the plants to grow and bear fruit. Our soul, too, is like a plant that needs to bear fruit. Through the heart it puts forth roots into the physical world: these roots are our desires. Thoughts and desires are the saps that make the soul grow, giving it the opportunity of bearing good fruits. We can become good through our thoughts and desires. However, our thoughts and feelings become valuable only when they come together and are manifested in unity. If they come to realization, we say that our soul did bear fruit by using the soil or conditions it was given. In the same way as solar Light is vital for transforming the saps into building elements important for the plant’s growth and fruit-bearing, Divine Light ensures the transformation of our thoughts and desires into good deeds, fruits of the soul. To be Sons of Light means to make use of the Light, to utilize the God-given conditions of living and to bear spiritual fruit through the Light. As sons of Light we all have individual relations to the Source of Light: God. At different times God gives us different conditions for development. And each soul understands its close relationship with God differently, according to the conditions for developing and improving in which God, as our Guide, places us at any given moment. We need to be saved in order to enter the Heavenly Kingdom. Salvation itself is not enough, unless we can make use of it. Salvation means that God saves us from unfavorable conditions in which we cannot progress, and places us in different conditions where our soul, mind, and heart can evolve further. When we free someone from prison, we take them out of the conditions that were hindering and paralyzing their development and place them in more favorable conditions. However, those who are saved need to use the new conditions and continue to improve themselves and gain knowledge and experience. Otherwise, in spite of their favorable conditions, they would not develop; they would not progress even with the salvation they have been given. In this respect, we, who have been saved by Jesus Christ are relieved of unfavorable conditions obstructing our progress, and are placed in new conditions of Divine Light and Grace, which we should use for our development and improvement. Liberation leads to freedom. A person who is liberated from prison is delivered into freedom. We, too, who are saved by Jesus Christ, are freed through Christ-consciousness. True life is hidden in every one of us—in our soul that is connected with the Source of Life, since the Creator Himself has breathed this living soul into us. It is this hidden life, this Divine Spark in us that is constantly indignant, sighing, dissatisfied, and yearning for something different and higher. This hidden life is the impetus behind any progress; it is the driving force moving us forward in our evolution. When the Divine spark finds itself in conditions that obstruct its manifestation and natural growth, it is not free. And vice versa: freedom is that moment when the powerful hidden, spiritual life is taken out of the limiting situation and is placed in conditions that are favorable for its development and manifestation. Hence, freedom comes as a result of salvation. Those who are not saved are not free. And vice versa: if someone has inner freedom and experiences his soul connected with the Creator and the Soul of all people in the world without feeling any hindrance to that oneness, this person is saved. Wrongdoing is an obstacle to salvation as those caught up in sin are not free. Therefore, the Apostle Paul tells the Romans that when we are saved, we have been set free from sin.[2] There are certain signs that indicate whether we are free or not. These signs are our sufferings, which signal that our life needs to enter into new conditions of existence. When we enter into a period of favorable conditions, sufferings are not felt. For example, Angels are free; they have favorable conditions for the manifestation of their inner life. Saints are not slaves of the conditions they find themselves in; they have not complained or experienced sufferings, because their spiritual life has been more thoroughly manifested and raised into the higher conditions of the Divine atmosphere, where they are free. Therefore, if we suffer, we need to attune our inner life to higher vibrations. If we raise and intensify our inner life, if we connect with the mighty Elevated Light Beings, we will be free, and we will not suffer any more. This means that we will be sons of Light, as we have made good use of the conditions we have been given. Those who are sons of Light profit from both the light and the dark side of life. In other words, they are able to utilize for their uplifting both happiness and sorrow, assistance as well as obstacles. A teacher offers his students not only a smooth easy path with good conditions, but also with some obstacles to overcome. Favorable circumstances help in achieving knowledge, but limiting conditions and obstacles bring experience. Those who are free are not without obstacles in their path, but they easily overcome them and move forward, while those who are not free are hindered by the obstacles. Therefore, God, as a perfect Teacher, gives His children challenges that they need to overcome. Only then will they become free and strong. Often we complain about our sufferings, and have negative thoughts and desires. This is not helpful, as sufferings provide the conditions for the soul to grow and mature, or, more precisely, for its fruits to ripen. Our Heavenly Father has given us such challenges for us to overcome and conquer, to turn them into our servants instead of our masters, and in this way to become worthy, mighty in Good and rich in Spirit. It cannot be otherwise because “from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”[3] And this violence is a struggle, “for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.”[4] Hence, when we “wrestle against the rulers of darkness of this age” we are sons of Light and we will receive help from Heaven. Therefore, we should seek only this help and be prepared to “put on the whole armor of God”[5]: the belt of Truth, the armor of Justice, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, Divine Words, and to pray with all our heart and soul at all times. And so, if we want to be sons of Light, we need to use all the situations of life—good or bad, favorable or otherwise—in which we find ourselves at any given moment and, by using them for our growth, we will free ourselves from those that are unfavorable, in other words, we will become free. In this way, through our experience and with the knowledge we gain, we will find God, the Source of Light. Thus, the sons of Light become joyful, do not despair in their souls, attain a Divine balance within themselves and introduce it into the world. In human relationships and activities there are two kinds of law. The first category includes laws of a mechanical nature that have two aspects: addition and subtraction. The second category includes Laws of a Divine nature whose two aspects are multiplication and division. Wrongdoing is always followed by activities of the first category. For example, Adam and Eve came together; they added themselves through the fruit and also through the serpent. Thus, they displayed disobedience and pride, so God chased them out of Heaven. Another example is women gathering together to bring bad on themselves by gossiping and criticizing people. In so doing, they display the shortcomings not only of others, but also of themselves. The rich man in the Scriptures made a granary and gathered his grain without making use of it in a Divine way. For this reason, God took his soul that same night. Diamonds are expensive and lustrous—a sign of having achieved the crown of worldly living. Yet, although they can accumulate and refract the sun's rays, they are totally unable to amplify them. The grain of wheat is modest and inexpensive, but when sown in the ground, it multiplies. Such is the spiritual person. The good and faithful servant multiplies the talents of his master[6], thus fulfilling the Divine Law. The seed sown in good ground multiplies 30, 60, or 100-fold.[7] When God created the first human beings, He commanded them to “be fruitful and multiply.”[8] You should multiply any talents and gifts you have. The wife should see in her husband only his good qualities, which she should try to multiply. As a result, the husband will begin to confide in her his feelings, his thankfulness, and to share with her his endeavors. Thus, he will give back what he has received from his wife, and he will love, appreciate, and support her. The husband should behave in the same way. If one sees shortcomings in the other, it is better not to display them to others, but to try to transform them into good traits and when they become such, to multiply them. It is said in the Scripture that the Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven and a mustard seed[9], which means, that when the elements of this Kingdom enter the human soul and spirit, they will multiply. In this way God will share His Kingdom with them. From this point of view, when it is said that we should be sons of Light, this implies expansion and multiplication; it implies making appropriate use of all conditions in which we find ourselves for the good of ourselves and of our neighbors. As the reproduction of plants and animals is possible only through physical light, so the multiplication of human deeds according to Divine Law is possible only through Divine Light. The sons of Light are required to be like grains of wheat multiplying, not glowing on the outside like diamonds, which do not grow and remain fruitless. Fruitlessness is death; the fruitless fig tree was condemned and removed.[10] Each branch of the grapevine that does not bear fruit and does not multiply, is removed, but the fruit-bearing trees are pruned to give more fruit.[11] Therefore, let us sow seeds of Love and Joy so that Peace will start growing in our minds. Let us sow the seeds of long-suffering and kindness so that the fruit of compassion will start growing in our hearts. Let us sow the seeds of faith and gentleness so that the fruit of self-mastery will grow in our lives. In this way, the fullness of life will be manifested, our hearts will become ennobled, our minds will become brighter, our love will blossom, and true happiness will be achieved. This is the ascending path of God for the individual, society, and humankind. Only in this way, from the Bulgarian crown of thorns will the great blessing of all Balkan and Slavonic nations be braided. Only in this way will the oneness of all nations be achieved. Message from the Master Beinsa Duno delivered during his stay in Veliko Tarnovo (from November 4, 1913 until the first days of January 1914). _________________________________________________________________ [1] All quotes from the Holy Bible, which are used in this book, are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV). [2] Romans: 6 [3] Matthew 11:12 [4] Ephesians 6:12 [5] Ephesians 6:11 [6] Matthew 25:14–30 [7] Mark 4:20 [8] Genesis 1:28 [9] Matthew 13:31–33 [10] Mark 11:14 [11] John 15:2