Ani

ABSOLUTE PURITY The word “purity”[1] is taken in its wide meaning: as internal and external purity. External purity can be seen and understood by everyone as cleanliness. When we speak about a clean house, we mean that it is lime washed on the outside and inside, the floors in all rooms are swept and tidy, and everything is well-dusted. When we speak about a clean garment, it is shining if white and stainless if black. When we speak about pure butter, it should be fresh, clear, and odorless. It implies that purity is maintained when no extraneous elements have been added or mixed. Therefore, certain elements in Nature can cause impurity. What is impurity? It is the opposite of purity. As long as a person is alive and healthy, he has purity. When an element of impurity penetrates Life, death immediately takes one step forward. The more impurities, the more death has seized Life. Death and impurity have a directly proportional connection. Hence, impurity correlates to death. When this is known, purification of one’s thoughts is the first rule in life. Purifying thoughts regularly, one attains a crystal clear concept of God. God is not a form outside of us; God is the Prime Source of all Life. What better gift do we have than Life? Every impulse, every joy we feel is due to our awareness and inner sense of being alive and evolving. When you get up in the morning, refreshed and revitalized, you look at the rising Sun and rejoice that you have a little idea what to do during the day. This comes as a result of the first offshoots of the Tree of Life. Someone complains, “Life is tough: since early morning we need to think about living, what we are going to eat, how much we earn, and so on.” I say that the concern about food is characteristic of material life on the physical plane. The bodily need for food is not essential to one’s spiritual life. To be spiritual does not suggest eating a lot or eating tasty food. The seasonings added to a meal are extraneous elements. If all Intelligent Beings gather in one place, what would be the food served to them? A highly varied food. Why? It is because every kind will take what is needed for their own development. However, there is something common in the nourishment of all beings and organisms on the planet Earth. For example, all living beings, without exception, need water. Initially, they received their food from the air, after that - from the water, and lastly - from the solid matter. This is how it happened to the human beings as well. At one time, the light was their only nourishment. But they have already lost this way of livelihood. So at present, only the human eyes have retained this art of light nourishing. If they do not receive light for a long period of time, they will suffer atrophy. Consequently, attaining a clear notion of God is the paramount aim in life. One should understand that all beings, from the smallest to the biggest ones, are equal to God and He cares equally for them. There is no one like God Who is the Source of Life - so elevated and good-natured, so loving and compassionate. Life of the entire Universe lies in Him. Not a single being is equal to Him. Thinking of God, even the most sinful and the most ignorant person could feel a stirring somewhere deep within. If the Source of this inner stirring is not understood, one will pass through life without ever grasping the essence of the Great Origin. He will say, “Something stirs in me as if I have encountered a bear.” Yes, it is exciting to encounter a bear, but because the stirring is strong, one is frightened out of his senses. Even the greatest hero is often scared by the glance of a beautiful girl. He would say, “I saw a beautiful girl and my heart quivered.” Why did his heart quiver? For the sole reason that this hero cannot bear the blessing that is contained in this glance. Every blessing conceals a certain danger within itself. For whom? For the one who is not ready for it. People fear everything for which they are not prepared. Many people ask about the essence of fear. Fear shows the boundary, the place where man has separated himself from God. However, if one keeps the right pure thoughts, he could turn fear into a conscious force. When one thinks right, this one becomes fearless. Therefore, unless you have a clear idea of God, you cannot evolve or attain true knowledge. If you cannot accept this specific idea, you will soon lose everything that you have already attained. For example, by a certain point you can advance to become an educated person, learn art, gain wealth, acquire strength, and so on. But when you get older, you will gradually begin to lose your acquisitions. Today you will lose your knowledge, tomorrow - your art, the third day - your wealth and the fourth day - your strength. Eventually, you will find yourself in the position of a person who has lost all his sublime thoughts and inspiration for work and so you will say, “I have only one thought left.” What is this thought? “Once, I was a rich man and now I am an utter pauper.” What could be expected from a person with such a thought? Now someone may say, “If one loses everything, one should not think, feel, or act.” I say that if one’s thoughts and feelings are not true, they will create worries, anxieties, and premature aging as a result. We speak about the intelligent thoughts and pure, noble feelings, which connect the individual to God and give inspiration and free rein to one’s activities. For example, our thoughts are worrisome when we are anxious about our way of living - will we have good health, enough resources, and so on. When the king’s son enrolls in school, I ask if he should think of the financial aspects like: who will support and serve him, how much money he will receive, and so on. He should not dwell on these questions. Once sent to school, he is expected only to study; his father will take care of the rest. If the son is lazy and does not study, he is going to bear the consequences of his laziness in the form of grave misfortunes that will befall on him. I say: You are the King’s son and you have been sent to the Earth for your studies. Give thanks to God for everything you have: light, air, water, and bread. What else do you need? You must study! One day, upon your return from this long journey on Earth, your Father will ask you, “What did you learn up to this point?” Your acquaintances will ask you the same, once they find out about your journey to the Seven Lakes of the Rila Mountains.[2] You will tell them that you have climbed the peaks of Damga[3] and Haramiyata[4] and you have seen 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 to understand what you read in the Book of Nature. How many pages did you learn and what did you grasp from them? What difference does it make to climb a high peak? Why do you do it: to observe from afar those who pass by and what they carry? Is this the meaning of climbing high peaks? You will say that brigands went up to the peak Haramiyata to await the passage of rich travelers, whom they robbed. Outdoor excursions have their profound meaning and, particularly, high peaks hiking! So, when you talk about robbing rich people, you need to know who they are in the symbolic aspect. Rich people represent the rich ideas in the world. Good is like a rich man, whom we need to rob. Evil is like a poor person, whose passage we should not obstruct. What should we take from the poor? The Scriptures say, “Do not resist evil!”[5] Why? It is because the evil is like a poor man whose bills you should pay for. This sentence from the Scriptures represents an important economic formula. Therefore, you should better give him an undisturbed passage. Otherwise, if you obstruct his passage, the poor man will begin begging money, clothes, and shoes of you. So, in this case you will give him everything he asks for. The evil is really like a beggar who relies on the mercy of others. A student who enters the Divine School should let go of begging. I say: if you want to understand God, you need to be pure. It is said in the Scriptures, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”[6] Suffering, hardship, and misfortune will come inevitably. You are in the sea, where big storms rise up. These storms may affect the ship as well. They will rock it to one side, then to the other, but harmony and peace should reign inside the ship. If the ship is flooded and the waves enter even through the smallest of its cracks, it will be destroyed and wrecked. The negative, impure thoughts, from which you should guard yourselves, enter in the same way. When you travel in nature, do you not make a mess? How many servants need to go after you to clean up your mess? Some people consider themselves pure and saintly, but they leave their dirt behind; they eat here and there, leaving garbage all over. While you are carrying your impurity within yourselves, you are neither saintly nor pure yet. If you observe the cleanliness in the physical world, you are also pure in the mental and spiritual world. Some people may brag to me that he is a believer guided by high ideals, but in fact he does not observe even the elementary hygiene in the physical world. No, purity is required from everyone and in all aspects: physical, mental, and spiritual. You say, “Everything is up to us.” Yes, it is up to you to observe the Absolute Purity in every aspect of your life. Life itself, however, depends on God. If you want to be healthy and happy, each of your feelings, thoughts, and actions must be permeated by the idea of Purity. Only in this way you will receive God’s Blessings. Currently, you spoil whatever God has sent you, but in this way, you will be facing sure death. It is time for you to renounce your petty pride. What if someone has said bad things about you or has defamed you? Do not occupy yourselves with negative things; do not allow them into your mind! Even if all people disrespect you, you should work to prove that you are a person of dignity and self-respect. Work incessantly for ten years to develop inner strength and willpower as to prove others that you are a true human being. If you go to a village and lift with your hands a big stone weighing one ton, you will impress the villagers. Seeing your strength, they will say to themselves, “We should better not mess with this person and tease him - he is very strong!” However, you go to a village and cannot actually bring up even the smallest pebble, moreover, you ask the villagers for some elementary favors and on the top of this you want them to respect you. And afterward, you will boast that you can converse with God. The one who is in communion with God is strong enough and is able to move mountains from one place to another. If you cannot move mountains, do not delude yourself - everyone else might have talked to you but not God. When God spoke to Moses, the latter raised his staff, struck the rock and from there, water gushed out. God spoke to Moses and manna descended from Heaven. God spoke to Moses and he had shepherded the Jewish people for 40 long years through the desert. Instead, those who boast cannot earn their living, but still 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. Every person has a unique inner experience as a means to recognize God’s Voice within. There are many ways to understand Nature, but only one way - to enter the world of Truth. Truth is the purest of the worlds, in which Love manifests itself. Truth is the purest form of Love. What is Love? It is the purest essence of this form. Truth is the highest manifestation of Love! The absolute Freedom is achieved through Truth. The brightest Light is attained through Love. In esoteric sense, Love is substituted by Justice. If you are looking for warmth and heat, seek out Justice. Whenever Justice comes into the world, it raises the temperature. Justice represents the strongest warmth of Love and Love is the essence of Life. When it is a question of Life, you should know that there is nothing higher than Life. Therefore, Love, Wisdom, Truth, and Justice are realms or worlds, through which Life manifests itself. At present, what is meant by the word “Life” is the human consciousness driven by the permanent aspiration for achievement. When we say that we live, we imply that we constantly strive for something, which we desire to achieve. When children are born, their consciousness is instantly awakened and they begin to have desires and wants related to the objective world. When we consider the world of feelings, there we are also searching for a certain object. When we come to the mental world, we are willing to study; however, we are searching for an object there as well. Life also exists in the spiritual and Divine worlds, which implies that it manifests itself in all realms and worlds but in different forms. One thing is important: whatever form Life may take, it cannot function without Absolute Purity. I ask: How could you sustain Purity? By serving God. Whenever speaking about serving, I imply that one can serve only God, only Love. We say, “God is Love.” Therefore, it is only Love that one can serve. In respect to Life, we say, “We will become even servants only if we could 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 is on your back. To respect yourself means to understand the meaning of Life. Only the good, intelligent, wise person has self-respect. A person perceives these traits first in oneself and then in others. If you see goodness, intelligence, and wisdom in yourself, then you are going to see these qualities in others as well. It means that what you see in you is reflected in those around you. You respect people because of the consciousness you have yourself. You love people for the beautiful, sublime, and noble that you see within yourself. If you see all these traits in others, then you already love them. Why does father love his son? It is because of his own self-respect. It is then transformed into love for his son. What is Love? To see yourself in others. What is respect? To realize your dignity as a human being. What does it mean to serve God? To realize that everything comes from God and that there is no one equal to Him. 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.” “Then what about the Solar system?” “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 a statement! How can people dare to claim that they shoulder the Earth and 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. The wise person can see the entire Universe represented between one’s head and feet. Therefore, when one says to be a master of the entire Universe, it suggests that he knows his body from head to toe. Thus, he holds the Universe in oneself. The time it takes him to stretch his arms from head to toe, is the time needed for passing the Universe from one end to the other. It is sufficient that he only moves his hand to instantly pass the Universe from one end to the other. It is sufficient that he only moves his hand to instantly cross the Universe from the 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 an organization of all intelligent beings in oneness. Disorganization implies an act of separation. When you claim that someone has offended or harmed you, then either the offender is outside the common organism, while you are in, or both of you are outside. There cannot be disharmony among you, when you are both parts of one common body. Could there be any imbalance between the fingers of your hand, for example? It does not matter that some fingers are on the left and others - on the right hand, as they could help each other. I say: Many people of today have reached a certain area in life, where they have stopped. They need to take a step forward, so as to enter the new that is now coming into the world. If you walk in the old path, the same is awaiting you: you will die; there will be a funeral service and speeches over your grave that you graduated from three universities and served greatly your country. Yes, this person served the humankind but not God. We know that he did not serve God because he died. It is written in the Scriptures, “This is an eternal Life for me to come to know You as the One and only God.” I add to this quote: This is an Eternal life - to come to know and serve God. However, there is a certain danger that people in their service might go to extremes like getting bored and abandoning their work. It is true that many reasons might bring them to such situation. Yet, if they have proper 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 the Living Nature) and will explain why sometimes people run off the rails of their life. A youthful, very hard-working farmer used to get up early in the morning, before sunrise, yoke his oxen and go to the field to plough. His ox-cart was always in order and 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 with his life. He returned home still cheerful and smiling. He unyoked his oxen, fed them, put his ox-cart away, and awaited the following day to come with delight so that he could continue his work anew. Thus the days slipped unnoticed, until one day when 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 neglected his ox-cart and oxen. The song was no longer on his lips and the smile - 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 slaving lot fell upon me? Up to now, I have been working my whole life. From now on, I want to entertain myself.” He dressed well, put on a hat and a new belt, placed a flower on his coat and off he went around the village, walking along random streets, until he came to the garden of that beautiful girl. Just like a soldier, he patrolled it from one end to the other. Then he stopped for a moment in front of it. He wanted to see the mischievous girl hiding somewhere among the trees. His patience was over. He wanted to enter, but the garden was locked up and the girl was not there. She was sitting inside, smiling, and observing what the young man was doing. What was this mischievous girl like? What does she look like? The young man was interested; he wanted to know everything. It was because of her that he had left his field and oxen. The girl was sitting inside with a flower[7] in her hair and smirking. At that moment, the youth was struck by the idea to take the girl’s flower away. Why did he want to do this? He wanted to rob her, saying, “I worked so hard. I have been ploughing the field by now, but nothing happened through work.” And thus, he began courting the girl. Today, he took a flower from her. Next day, he took another flower. When he took ten flowers from her, he took her as well. That was the magical approach used by the youth. He knows that the girl puts something of herself in the flower she adorns with. That day, he took something from her with her flower. Next day, he took something else, until finally the girl came to ask for her flowers back, but remained with him. Such relationships exist in all manifestations of life. They are symbols to be translated into the human language. The young man will marry the beautiful girl, but how long can they be happy with their current views on Life? For a year or two, but afterward their happiness will disappear. Why? It is because neither the young man nor the girl have the eternal Life in them. As long as the wife has something Divine in herself, her husband can love her. And as long as the husband has something Divine in himself, his wife can love him. Once they lose the Divine in themselves, their love for one another disappears. In other words, as long as one is pure, this one can be loved. If an element of impurity enters someone, love toward this person gradually recedes, until it vanishes entirely. Therefore, the lack of love comes as a natural consequence of the impurity in Life. When people do not love you, you should know that you yourself are the reason for this. Who does not like to bathe in a clean wellspring? However, if you are a puddle or a swamp, who would bathe in you? Everyone wants to wash his face, hands, and feet in a clean wellspring, but no one wants to do it in a swamp. Now, once you grasp the meaning of Purity in its broadest sense, the best you can do is to place it as a foundation of your physical life. Why? It is because health depends on one’s inner and outer purity. Purity of ideas is what is required from the human beings! In this respect, when we say that one should not look into the shortcomings of others, criticizing them, we imply that one should not contaminate the Purity of life and expose oneself to death. To occupy yourself with the shortcomings of people is a contagion that will destroy your body. What will you gain from this? Nothing and moreover you will lose all that is good in yourself. Hence, why should you occupy yourself with the wrongdoings of others? A Turkish proverb states, “Leave the drunkard; do not support him. 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 are not obeying you now?” 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 begins to apologize to his wife that he got so drunk because according to the Laws of Mohamed, one is not allowed to get drunk. The Bulgarian, however, when he gets drunk, will demonstrate first his art of fighting. Sometimes his wife is strong enough and when she sees that her drunken husband spoils for a fight, she pushes him to fall on the ground. He gets up and starts again. After she pushes him three or four times onto the ground, he asks her, “What do you mean by this?” She replies, “You have drunk too much.” He then says, “Well, it is good for everyone to enjoy life in one way or another.” The Bulgarian accepts wine as a gift of God and thinks that one should drink as much as he pleases. The Turk believes that he has done wrong when he gets drunk. So, early in the morning, he goes to confess to the Imam[8]. I say: Inebriety is impurity. Gluttony is impurity. Gossiping is impurity. Envy and a number of other vices represent impurity. Therefore, entirely from a 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 need to be pure. Scientists filtrate and separate things in their scientific experiments until they purify them completely. When we talk about Purity, it applies to those who are assiduous in their work for self-improvement. It applies to those who have a strong aspiration for Purity. The rest will not understand my words and will comment, “This subject is really tough.” Those who follow the right path need to take one small step forward in order to enter the Realm of Purity. Only then conceptual issues can be discussed with them. One cannot talk to those who live in impurity about conceptual issues because of the risk for them to lose their Purity. There are Realms, where the Absolute Purity reigns: they could not be mentioned nor a human foot could enter there. If this happens, it will contaminate and disturb it all. Neither disarray nor dislocation whatsoever is absolutely allowed there. You do not have the right to move even a single pebble there. If you go to one of the Sacred Wellsprings of the Eternal Life, you should dip a cup into the water and drink it down 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 wellsprings in the physical world? You pour a full cup of water, but you drink two or three gulps from it, throwing the rest out. In the Divine World, this is absolutely inappropriate. When contemporary people are told about the sacred, pure things, they laugh. They do not realize their great importance. People of today become serious only in the face of the most difficult and complicated situations in their life. Only then they begin to think of God and the World beyond, only then they acknowledge the existence of something that is beyond their comprehension. For example, when the rope is hung around someone’s neck and the priest comes to read a prayer, he becomes very serious and looks around for some help. If, at that moment, they set him free, he would feel really grateful for the life granted to him. And he would eventually understand the true meaning of Life. The negative thoughts represent the rope with which people are hung. The enemies, the foes of people, are those who are the cause for the rope to be placed around your necks. They offer you bad advice today and more of it - tomorrow, until finally you are hanged. Be careful not to hang on the rope the way it happened to a saint who was cheated by the devil. This saint lived in the desert, where he spent his time in fast, prayer, and 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 in the direction, which the devil pointed. ”Do you see anything?” “I see a donkey.” “What else do you see?” ”I see another donkey.” “Anything else?” “I see a third donkey.” “What are they carrying on their backs?” “They are loaded with sandals.” “Well, these are the sandals I tore until I managed to place the rope around your neck.” That one who follows the devil’s advice will come to a bad end: they will put the rope on his neck and afterward - take him down from the gallows. Certain deceitful relationships are observed in life. These are relationships of impurity. To avoid them, one needs to be exact and fulfill whatever promises and good intentions one has declared. In the Divine Life, where Absolute Purity reigns, there is no forgetfulness. Everything there happens precisely on time. Precision is a quality of pure Life. Not living in Purity, you obscure the horizon of your sky as clouds obscure the Sun. That is why you hear some people saying, “I am somewhat sad.” Yes, it is because your sky is cloudy. If you want it to clear up, you should serve God, respect yourself and love your neighbor. The formulas you need to apply to yourself are: serve your spirit that guides you; respect your soul that preserves all valuable things in it; love your body and all those beings that serve you due to the Sublime idea living in you. If you treat yourself accordingly, you will have a clear idea of God and everything will be possible for you. If you do not serve God, all around you will be dead. If you come to know God having a distinct idea of Him, you will be able to move all boulders in Nature, as they will become as light as feathers. In fact, they are heavy and frightening only for those who do not serve God. It is sufficient for them to see that such boulders are moving, for their hair to bristle up with horror. But to the true assistants of God, everything in the world is living and evolving. They can make an experiment to assure themselves that all in Nature is alive and living. We see many objects in a passive state and the sole reason for this is to give us the opportunity to live so that we can be the manifestation of Life today. One day in the future, when people finish their evolution on Earth, all beings that are currently motionless, will abandon this state to manifest life. Many want to know today what will happen with the boulders. This is an easy question to answer. But it is more important what will happen to you. When you attain the Eternal Life, you are going to visit the Earth again and will see all those changes that have occurred on it. If the human consciousness is constantly awake, people will be aware of all changes that are taking place on Earth. Currently because of this interrupted consciousness, people expect from the scientists to explain everything, including the past geological changes on Earth. That is good, but it is time for the human consciousness to awake and for the human thought to become more active. Hence, we recommend Absolute Purity to all contemporary people. For many, this idea is still unacceptable. It depends on the situation in which they find themselves today. Purity is followed by holiness. These are synonyms. Holiness is followed by service. If one is pure and holy, one cannot do anything else but serve. Finally, after serving comes Love. If one does not know how to serve, one cannot love either. If one does not know how to love, one cannot learn either. And if one does not know how to learn, one can never attain freedom. These possibilities are closely interrelated. Whoever begins with Purity has already taken a step forward. This is the natural, normal path in Life. Someone says that he has already aged, but has not lived enough. What is the essence of Life? Suppose that someone lives 100 thousand days on Earth. What will be his needs meanwhile? If he eats 3 times a day, he will need 300 thousand meals. If he drinks water 5 times a day, 250 grams per glass, it means that he will need 125 thousand kilograms of water. And if he tears a suit each day, he will need 100 thousand suits in total. Some scientists claim that the cells of the human body are completely renewed every seven years. Others say that this process occurs every three months. Therefore, according to some scientists, a person changes one’s clothes every seven years, according to other scientists - every three months; and according to me - every single day. A new suit lasts from sunrise to sunset. As you see, someone who has lived 100 thousand days on Earth has done many expenses. How could he justify this expenditure, if he does not serve God, if he does not respect oneself, and love his neighbors? I say to those who are awake: Keep the idea of Purity in your thoughts. May Purity stay as a norm in the minds of all people and be used as a measure in all situations of Life. Purity is a magic wand for every conscious person. When you wake up in the morning, get up with the idea of Purity. May this idea become as beloved for all people as beloved and desired is the beautiful girl as an idea in the youth’s mind. We see how a young man awaits his beloved girl, seeks her, being ready to go to the end of the world for her. May the idea of Purity be like the beloved girl that everyone seeks even at the end of the world. May Absolute Purity be the beloved of everyone! Once you find Purity, stop at a distance before this holy image solely to observe and contemplate it. Once you attain Purity, you will connect to the Sublime World and the Prime Cause of being. Only in the Sublime World, there is constancy and steadfastness. The constant and steadfast things are important to you. What could be better than knowing that there is One Omniscient Being in the world Who loves you at all times, - whenever you are asleep or awake, sick or healthy, learned or ignorant, wealthy or poor? There is nothing better than to realize that the attitude of this Being toward you is never changing. 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 try to resolve this issue without God, you will become an unhappy person. On the other hand, if you marry without the approval of God, you will be twice as unhappy. If you do not marry, but you are connected to God, then you will be happy. If you marry with God’s consent and you are both connected to God with your spouse, you will be twice as happy. This idea, expressed in another way, implies that every assignment, every conceived idea of Divine Origin, is pure, sacred, and sublime. Only in Purity can a person be content. What is the purpose of bringing people together? Why do two souls decide to live together? Thus they become two poles through which the Divine Life can manifest Itself. When someone refuses to marry, it suggests that the sphere he moves through is not pure. When a traveler passes by many wellsprings without drinking from them, it shows that they are not pure. And vice versa, if he takes water from them, it is a sign that they are pure. I ask: Will you marry, when you ascend to Heaven? No. Therefore, marriage is a side issue. When we speak about marriage, the first idea to be considered is that one should marry Purity. That is the true marriage. Whoever has not married Purity is a widower. In this sense, when people do not wish to marry Purity, they self-sentence themselves to death. The spiritual sense of marriage is marrying Purity. Whoever marries physically on Earth, will die; whoever stays single, will live. In the Spiritual World the process is reversed - whoever marries Purity will never die. Therefore, the union with Purity is a condition for the continuation of Life. People of today should free their consciousness from all impure images. They need to create pure ideas, pure images of young women and men, of marriage and celibacy, of Love and Eternal Life, of children, and so on. Everyone will be submitted to a thorough inner purification, similar to the traditional full house cleaning done before Easter. Assign beautiful explanations to all happenings and events in Life. When I am told that someone is crying, I do not dwell upon it. I say that it is raining outside so the rain waters the garden of that person and the flowers are happy. When they tell me of someone being happy, I understand that his flowers are blooming with wonderful fragrances lit by the Sun. If I hear that someone beats his wife, I understand that in this home they are threshing wheat to be then stored in the barn. Try to substitute the negative images with pure, vivid ones so that you may preserve the Purity of your consciousness. Now, talking about the Absolute Purity there, it is quite possible that you would pay attention only to one of its facets, only to the external cleanliness. 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, fragrances, 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 they will not like something else about him. They will not see the true human being in him. We cannot go without clothes, but clothes do not make the person. Good clothes attain value only when a wise person wears them. Knowledge and strength adorning the impure person is the same as a bell adorning the swine. I say: Purity is the first condition for attaining the Divine Life. The human souls are longing, praying, and searching for Purity. The Scriptures are full of verses about Purity and Sanctity. Many opportunities arise before pure people. If someone cannot get rid of impurity, the opportunities will remain sealed for this person. Spiritual growth, light, knowledge, strength, and freedom - it all depends on Purity in the physical, and Sanctity - in the Spiritual World. The more Light the spirits have, the more power they have. In the Divine World, everything is determined by Love. When you descend, you will work on the following ideas: service, respect, and affection. Through ascension, you are going to attain Purity, Sanctity, and Love. Today, all of you attended the Feast of Purity, but be careful now not a single crumb of It is to fall on the ground. Gather all bread and give it to those you encounter. Someone says, “May people embrace our ideas and beliefs.” I ask you: What are your ideas? Be pure! What is your creed? Purity! You all should be distinguished by your vigorous aspiration for Purity. Let’s dedicate this day to Purity. You will ask, “Is everything hidden in Purity?” It is the first step on the staircase to the Eternal Life. When you ascend to the second step, you will read again “Purity.” The latter is a broad, inexhaustible world. The Bulgarian word chistota (purity) is not a strong word, but we use it for the lack of a stronger one. That is what every good village lad does when he wants to get married: he searches for the best bride, the most beautiful one, but when he cannot find the wife he fancies, then he takes the best one who lives in the village. They ask him, “Why did you marry this girl? Was there not a better one, a prettier one?” He replies, “This one was the best of all available. As I did not find the one I fancied, I married this girl instead and I am content with her.” Thus, also by necessity, we use this simple, humble Bulgarian word chistota (purity) to express one beautiful, magnificent world. The word chistota (purity) is not very beautiful here on Earth; it is not a strong word. Purity is not a princess. Her father is not rich, but he is a respectable man; her mother is not rich either, but she is a hard-working woman. Therefore, Purity was legally born by good parents. Circumstances need to be favorable for realizing the idea of Purity. At present, Purity is at the stage of a small seed, which should be planted in the soil so that to grow. Let several people take from this seed and form groups of two, three, five, or ten in order to work upon the idea of Purity. Only in this way, the world can be transformed. Many hold the idea that God can do everything, that the Angels assist Him and so on. Since God can do everything, you assume that you do not need to work. This is a false idea - stay away from it! God has His plan of action. He will come to Earth, but will He find people who are ready to work? Everyone should work for self-development and perfection. Do you know what the situation will be for someone who expects a good, happy life, but does not work? I will give you an example to understand this situation. Imagine a young woman, waiting for many years for her beloved to come and create a happy life for her. However, once he arrives, she is bedridden by sickness for the next three years. What can her beloved do? Either depart or wait for her to recover. What would her situation be if her leg was broken while her beloved offered her an automobile ride into town? Her legs need to be healthy so that she can go with him. Every person who lacks virtues is in the position of the girl with the broken legs. The legs of all should be healthy! This will be achieved only when people change their old views and beliefs. 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 one teacher entered the classroom, he saw that the children had raised dust because they were unruly and had messed up the classroom, but in fact he did not know the true culprit. So he began in due order. He hit one on the hand and the other on the head. So, he punished everyone and went out. However, modern teachers do not enter the classroom with canes. Contemporary education does not resemble the old one. There are new methods and ways to educate children nowadays. When I am revealing some new idea, you have fear, due to the old habit of yours. You suppose that I carry a cane in my hand. No, I am without a cane, without a stick. The cane method is not recommendable because it is not economical. When a teacher enters the classroom with a cane, a great deal of his energy goes into it. Teachers should not give their lectures with a cane. Today, the cane is substituted by a pen or pencil. It is like a magic wand that every student should hold in hand during the teacher’s lecture. Therefore, with this magical wand, you are going to write down the idea of Absolute Purity in your consciousness. If someone is interested in what happened at the Fifth Lake, you could answer, “No ear has ever heard and no eye has ever seen what we were told. It was about hygiene, but from the point of view of the Absolute Purity.” Lecture of the Master Beinsa Douno held to the General Esoteric Class at the Fifth Lake of the Rila Mountains, Bulgaria, on August 21, 1929. ------------------------------------------------------ 1. The Bulgarian word chistota is used to signify both the inner purity (as a state of being free from any extraneous elements that could change its essence) and the external purity or cleanliness. 2. Referring to the Seven Lakes region of the Rila Mountains where the Master lectured during the summer months. 3. Damga is the old name of Vazov Summit, 2,669 m, the Seven Rila Lakes Region. 4. Haramiyata is the old name of Haiduta Summit, 2,465 m, the Seven Rila Lakes Region. 5. See also Matthew 5:38–45. 6. See Matthew 5:8. 7. It was a Bulgarian village custom for girls to carry fresh flowers - one or more - behind the ear or in their hair. By taking their flowers the young men court them. 8. The male prayer leader in a mosque.

THE KEY OF LIFE I will read the 20th Chapter from the Book of Revelation. I am not going to give you any interpretations. Let everyone interpret it according to their own understanding. There is a fundamental Law stating that food is utilized by every living being according to the degree of its development. Pay attention to the fourth verse of Chapter 20, “And I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” All want to rule on Earth today. As you know, people have different ideas about Nature and the place of the Kingdom described in this verse. Where is it located: down on Earth, up in Heaven, or somewhere else in space? People in our society often resemble the little children who are eagerly awaiting what their parents will bring them in the evening. In the same way, theatre and cultural fans anticipate what actors will present on the stage when they go to a performance. After sowing, the farmer relies on the fruit that the field is going to yield. Having his vineyard planted, the vine grower is anticipating to see what grapes the vineyard will produce. All people are waiting for something. When expectations are fulfilled, people rejoice. If the performance is good, they will say, “The roles were presented well; it was great!” When the harvest is rich, they say, “This field produced well.” When the vineyard bears fruit, they say, “The grapes are fine.” When the father brings something at home, children are joyful and say, “Our father is good.” However, this is only one side of life representing the human understanding about the world of today. The reverse side is that sometimes the father would bring nothing at home, the field and vineyard would bear nothing, the performance could turn out to be not as good as expected, and so on. Then people experience total disappointment. The first situation when abundance comes from all sides corresponds to people’s expectations and in this case all are content. Even thieves are satisfied when they succeed in stealing and sad when they fail. In the same way, the righteous people are happy for their achievements and unhappy for their failures. I ask about the difference between their joy and sorrow. They both have their desires fulfilled or not fulfilled. You have to distinguish whether you feel like the righteous or like the thief, the wrongdoer. These are two different situations, upon which you need to ponder. Someone may say, “I am happy.” Then ask yourselves whether your feeling is like the joy of the righteous person or that of the wrongdoer. If you are sad, again ask yourself whether you feel as the righteous person or as the wrongdoer. In my opinion it is better to be realistic and have no illusions as for example, those Bulgarian peasants from Sofia district who, some time ago, went to conquer Istanbul only with their big shepherd’s staffs. The residents of Istanbul captured them, took their staffs and tossed them on a pile. Then they dispersed the peasants, chasing them back to Sofia. I ask: Is it possible to seize a town like Istanbul with shepherd’s staffs only? No, it is not. If your beliefs and convictions, prayers and tears are like the shepherd’s staffs, those who are stronger than you will easily take and toss them on a pile and you will accomplish nothing at the end. If you want to conquer, you must be well armed! With what? If worldly people arm themselves with the best and most powerful weapons in order to achieve their goals, I ask, then, what shall be the arms of spiritual people? I am going to give you an example to see what is reliable in your life. A rabbit stands before you armed with two guns and tells you, “I am with you, so fear nothing! Not a hair on your head shall be touched. Have faith in me! You can rely on me!” A bear comes after the rabbit - it also carries two guns, standing in front and speaking to you, “I am with you so nobody can touch you; rely on me!” I ask you: Who are you going to trust: the rabbit or the bear? You will certainly answer: the bear. It is true that if you rely on the rabbit, nevertheless if there is some danger or not, as soon as it hears the first gunshot, it will run away. The rabbit will be first to react and you will be last. Should you rely on the bear, however, what will happen in case of danger? Let’s say the bear sees a bigger bear in front: it will not flee. This time you will be first and the bear - last. I ask: What will you achieve in each case, if you actually rely on the rabbit and if you rely on the bear? If you think that they can really protect you in life, you are deceiving yourself. The rabbit and bear are symbols of certain external manifestations in the human life. We can interpret them. To rely on the rabbit means to rely on the pleasures of life. As the rabbit flees from the least danger so the person of pleasure is discouraged even by the smallest suffering or trial. The easiest way is when someone desires to indulge in entertainment and have everything in life to his taste. But the legs of pleasure are long like those of the rabbit and it runs fast and far as the rabbit does. The bear, on the other hand, symbolizes the rough life, which I relate to the hard earthly labor. However, neither the life of pleasure nor the life of labor are going to save the world. Those who have only pleasures damage their stomach; those who work too hard damage their hands. Is there any use to ruin your stomach or hands? This is the external side of the issue. Think about the deeper, intrinsic side of it too. Today we all need to get true awareness and understanding of our God-given gift of Life. What should we strive for? Eating and drinking is not what we live for. Neither knowledge and wealth, nor home, family and children is the purpose of our life. What, then, is the intrinsic purpose of Life? Presently, if you desire to solve one of the greatest tasks in your life, first you should know the meaning of Life in its totality. Some people ask, “Is it possible to live without eating and drinking?” It is pointless to discuss that. Eating and drinking are only conditions for preserving life. These conditions are external, so we do not need to talk about them. Everything that is external is not helpful to us. Ponder upon this idea until it becomes clear to you. Imagine someone who has one thousand kilograms of wheat in his barn. He keeps it locked and does not use it to make bread. He is fasting. Staying hungry, he says, “This wheat is stored in the barn for hard times; I am not going to eat it.” Another man has only one kilogram of wheat, but he takes it from the barn, grinds it at the mill, makes bread out of it, bakes it and eats it with the words, “I thank God for what He has given me to eat.” I ask who holds the power: that one who has one kilogram of wheat and makes use of it or the other one who possesses a thousand kilograms of wheat, but keeps it locked in the garner and does not eat it? Whoever uses their kilogram of wheat for nourishment - they hold the power. Someone says, “I want to become learned and holy.” It is the same nonsense as with the person who has one thousand kilograms of wheat in the barn, but fasts. One’s power comes from one’s achievements at every given moment; but it is also found in one’s awareness. God manifests Himself though everyone’s consciousness. Outside of the human being and consciousness, God does not exist. Even if God existed outside of our consciousness, we do not know Him. We do not know what this God would be like. We know God only by His manifestations in our consciousness. You often say, “God can do everything.” It is true that God is all-mighty and can do everything, but it depends on the potentials that you have. Imagine that you are in front of a well and hold a bucket, tied to a thin rope. You are not so strong and cannot draw more than 10 liters of water. On the other hand, I am stronger and with my rope I can draw not only 10, but 100 liters of water. I am observing how you act: you draw only 10 liters of water as you drop your buckets with the thin rope. As the rope is intelligent, it is not satisfied with the small quantity of water and says, “I can draw 100 liters of water, cannot I?” I say: Try! You then take a bigger bucket that can hold 100 liters of water, tie it to your thin rope, and plunge it into the well. You pull the bucket up, but the rope tears and the bucket remains in the well. You wonder at this and say, “Could God not draw 100 liters of water with this rope?” God cannot draw 100, but only 10 liters of water with this thin rope. If you think it is possible, it shows that your conscious perception is wrong. When you say that God is Almighty, it implies God in His Totality, not in His parts. In every single part, in every individual person, God is powerful to the extent to which one can receive, process, and reveal the Divine. Therefore, intelligent people invest time to accomplish what is beyond their actual capacities. They will drop the bucket into the well 10 times in succession in order to draw 100 liters of water. However, if they want to accomplish all this work at once, shortening the duration, they need to find another solution. Otherwise, the rope will break. Often people make mistakes in their lives because they rush. They want to save time. Someone asks, “Why did God not give me wealth? Why did God not make me rich?” Your rope is thin. God Himself is capable of drawing millions and billions liters of water from the well. As to you, you can draw not more than 10 liters because the rope of your consciousness is not strong enough and if you try to draw more, it will break. Now the second process comes: you ask whether this problem could be solved in a different way. There is an alternative. What I give you is a philosophy that can be applied right now, in the present state of your consciousness and being. The solution for the conscious one is to take 10 thin ropes, to wind them in a thicker rope and tie a big bucket to it, dropping it into the well and drawing 100 liters of water. The result will be the same as if you drop the thin rope 10 times into the well, yet the gain will be different. When you do your work yourself, your joy will be greater than if you have resorted to somebody’s help. All ropes that participate in drawing the water are intelligent; therefore, each one will ask for its part, for its share of the accomplished job. After drawing out the water, you may want to keep everything for yourself, but the ropes will begin to quarrel among themselves for their part of the gain. One rope will say, “If it was not for me, you would have accomplished nothing.” The second will say, “If it was not for me, you would have accomplished nothing.” The other ropes will say the same. Yes, all have participated in drawing 100 liters of water, but none of them is able to do it by itself. It means that the 10 ropes together, as well as each rope itself, will receive the same gain; yet, in the first case, the gain will be divided by 10. Each rope will get 10 liters of water. Now you say, “Let’s work in the field or bring water together.” If you work, each one of you alone for the same time, you will have an equal gain as your share of the common work. I ask: Is it worth to share work in this case? Yes, it is. The true worth lies in the encouragement you give to one another. You all will work hard, but will be enthusiastic and happy and will come back home singing. This will be the small added value to the gain. If you work alone, you will spend the whole day in silence. For this reason, when people are conscientious, they could work together in small groups. When unscrupulous people work, each one should work alone in order to avoid conflicts. Someone says, “I want to work alone.” I understand that people around this person are bad and he is not good either. When all people want to work by and for themselves, it is an indication that there is something negative among them. They lack some accord and their thoughts are not right. People often say these and those do not live well, do not live in God’s way. I ask: Which is the criterion for good and bad in the world, for defining what is done in God’s way and what is not. I say that none can do anything in God’s way. Why? Man does not do his work on his own. When you do something, you would better say, “Lord, accomplish my work as You see it.” Why? Every work that God performs is excellent. After that say, “Lord, now in turn I am going to accomplish my work in You. After I complete my life mission, You, my Lord, will evaluate it.” When I am performing my work, I do not evaluate it myself. I let God say how it is done. When it comes to God’s Works, I have only one opinion, not two. I appreciate them all, saying, “God’s Works are always good!” All philosophers and scholars in the world may gather and try to dissuade me, but they will not succeed. I know for sure that all God’s Deeds are good. No matter how you examine them, I say that God’s works are perfect. The Divine in the core of the human being can really appraise God’s Works. God in turn, evaluate human deeds. If you want to know what I can accomplish, ask God, not me or any other person. Therefore, do not dwell on what people think of you. Trust God’s thought about you. The Law says: If God in you approves your works, you are blessed. Many people of today have certain philosophy or system of beliefs. In order to please the world, they say, “We will go into the world to show who we are.” I ask: For so many years has the world said anything new about good people? Only God has the right to evaluate human actions and only a highly intelligent person can speak of God’s works. Why? It is because when doing some work for God, the person has no private interests; while in human works, the personality is involved. When it is said that we will be put on trial, it implies that we will be evaluated for our deeds, life, for everything we have done for God. Only God is the One to assess. I do not worry what I say about God’s Works. In the same way, I do not worry what God will say about my works. I have only one opinion about God’s Works. It implies that God will treat me in the same way as I treat Him. If you have any doubt about this, you will say, “God may treat us differently.” Yes, but if God treats you differently, it would indicate that you have had ambiguity about Him. The Law is the same. I say: First of all, you should fully perceive that the fundamental Truth of God is active in your soul. Greatness of the soul, greatness of the genius, talented, gifted, or righteous person is in the awareness that all is due to God, all that evolves within us at any given moment is a manifestation of God in action. Christ says, “My Father works.” Where? Within me, in my soul and consciousness, in my heart and mind. God works in different places. As a result of this work, all people strive to do something wonderful. Many ask what to do now. There is a Great Law stating that if you do not love God, you cannot do even the smallest good. Therefore, it is paramount for you to love God. If you do, God will reveal Himself to you and your love will merge with His. Now I am going to give you the following rule: Work with the positive laws of Wisdom and the positive methods of Love! You have applied the negative laws of Wisdom and the negative methods of Love by now, that is why you have negative results in your work. There are no laws in God’s Love; it is a Law in itself. No law ever existing can limit Love. Should you live according to whatsoever law of Love, you are going to fall into many mistakes and delusions. In Love there are methods, the best methods at that. Therefore, the life of Wisdom is represented by Laws, while the life of Love - by methods. Now you will begin asking endless questions: What are these Laws of Wisdom and what are the methods of Love? They are inscribed in our souls. Look for them there and you will find them. If you ask such questions, I assume that you have one kilogram of wheat in your barn and have started to eat from it, but you want to gain one thousand kilograms. If your aim is one thousand kilograms, you are of the fasting people. Some say that they have fasted a lot. I ask: Has God benefited anyhow from your fasting? He has only losses. If you eat too much, God loses again. When you eat moderately, you do God’s Work. If you eat and give thanks for the food, God is pleased with you. If you overeat, you suffer and God within you too. You say, “My throat is dry!” God is saying to you, “I have given you a lot of water; drink the purest water so that your throat does not get dry!” I will give you a Law with two methods of application: negative and positive. Imagine that a person who is an alcoholic from an early age stands in front of you. You want to direct him in the right path and advise him not to drink wine. He replies to you: “I cannot do without drinking wine. I have inherited this weakness from my parents. It is not easy to give it up!” And so, he continues to drink. In this case you applied the negative method. After that you apply the positive method saying to this person, “Drink of the purest nectarous water that exists in the world!” The salvation of the alcoholic lies in this method. Do not tell him not to drink wine, but tell him to drink of the purest nectarous water. Should he drink of it, he will never think of wine again. You often say, “We should not hate!” This is another example of the negative method. It is the same as saying to the alcoholic not to drink. What can be achieved with this method? Nothing. In other words, it gives negative results. Apply the positive method in your life. Instead of saying you should not hate, fill your soul with the highest Love, which the most elevated and noble souls have applied on Earth. You say, “We should believe!” No, apply faith! Apply the sublime noble faith, which saints, righteous, and good people have and which can move forests and mountains. Have this mighty faith and say to the mountain, “Move!” If it is the Mount Vitosha, go there and see the results. First it may seem to you that it has not moved at all, but when you arrive there, you will see that it has slightly moved. Have you performed such an experiment to test the power of your faith and thought? In reality, the human being is the biggest mountain that needs to move. If I move, the Mount Vitosha will also move. If not, it is a sign that I am a dead person. The living, wise person of strong faith always moves on. In this case, the Mount Vitosha - it is me! If you understand me literally, you will have one kind of outcome. If you understand me in essence, you will have a completely different result. If you have a strong faith and powerful thought, you will prove this Law and see that the Mount Vitosha has moved. If it has not, that is for the sole reason that your faith is weak. If the mountain has not moved, the rope that you have let down into the well is weak. This does not imply that God is weak; but, rather, that your rope is weak. Therefore, you should find a strong rope: not to break, when let down in the well and able to make the Mount Vitosha move. If you have such faith, you will be able not only to make the mountain move, but also the Sun rise in the west, not in the east as normal. If the Sun would rise in the west, the order in the world would not be disturbed. On the contrary, the world would be much better and more harmonious. What is the philosophical interpretation of the fact that the modern day Sun rises in the east and sets in the west? If east represents everything positive in the world and west - everything negative, then what is the contribution of the Sun rising from the good and setting to the bad so far? Would it not be better if the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east? In this way it would lead the world from bad to good. Where is that one who can make the Sun rise from the west? When I speak to you like that, if you take it literally, you would ask, “Does all this apply 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, it concerns the essence of faith. The Mount Vitosha exists in the Spiritual World too. If its place or the place of any other object could be changed in the Spiritual World, its shadow in the physical world will also move. As soon as an object moves, its shadow moves too. However, if we wish to move the shadow of an object, this is a difficult task because the shadow moves by a different Law. Only the Sun is capable of moving the shadow of objects. Yet, if I fully comprehend the Law, I will be able to lift my hand and move the shadow wherever I want. Once you lift the Mount Vitosha, you can move its shadow then wherever you desire. And so, application is required of you as well as deep inner thought. If you have such thought, in one day or minute you will be able to complete your development. You say, “After we complete our development, what are we going to do?” You will come back to Earth to serve others. If you have 40 days at your disposition to harvest all your fields, you will accomplish this in one day and the remaining 39 days you will use to help your fellowmen. 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 tell him, “Ivan, have you not finished harvesting yet?” “I have not.” “Come on, I am going to help you.” Within one day you will finish his work and will go to Dragan. “Dragan, have you already finished your work?” “I have not.” “Come on, let’s finish it together.” The two of you will get down to work and in one day will finish everything. The third day you will go to Stoyan and will help him as well. In these 39 days you will finish the work of all your neighbors. They will reach perfection and, in the same way, will go to help still others. Work is required of all: in this world and in the World beyond. Some people think that, when they pass to the World beyond, they will be greeted by the Angels with garlands and songs and sitting with them, they will play music on harps. No, work awaits you there too! Many say that they have completed their development and the Almighty God has spoken to them directly. They have completed their development, but cannot draw even 10 liters of water from the well. The Almighty God has spoken to them, yet no one wants to give them some bread. How is this possible? Do not be deceived. It is a delusion. It is like in the case of a drunkard who, under the influence of the alcohol taken, says, “Do you know who I am?” Boom! And he breaks a window. One should attain the Truth that will set him free in order to overcome the delusional state. You have not yet learned what Freedom is! The Scriptures say, “Do not be slaves to people!”[1] Do not be slaves to beliefs that delude you. Praise the Lord and be free! That one who wants to be free should give freedom to people. Often people fix on the negative manifestations of Life. It is true that Life has negative sides, coming as a result of the karmic Law - the Law of Cause and Effect. Karma implies destiny, but people must free themselves of destiny. God says, “I will erase your sins. I will erase your past life, your crimes. Not a trace will remain of all that! And then I will instill the new within you.” Freedom is the first thing you need in order to manifest Life in its positive side. You say, “What should be done with the world?” You should know that the world does not exist outside of you. God who lives in me is the Creator of the world and for this reason I do not need to search for the world outside of myself. Only God, who has created the world, knows the true ways and methods how to put it right. Therefore, I do not need to worry about the world and its redemption. The redemption of people and of the entire world is not my task. Only the Almighty God can put things in order and save the world. People ask, “What will be the result of our lives?” If you have lived with the negative methods of Life, you are going to have negative results. If you have suffered all your life without any understanding of this suffering, so will be the results of your life. Someone who has fasted for 10 days says, “I tormented myself with this fast, but have understood nothing.” Yes, if you have fasted and have only tormented yourself, without learning anything, this fast does not serve its God-intended purpose. Fasting is not bad. It is needed, but when it is used in a conscious way, so that to give good results. The meaning of Life is not in fasting. However, it is necessary as a conscious discipline. Christ, too, fasted for 40 days. He went to the desert where he spent 40 days in fasting and praying. Completing this experience, he attained a great enlightenment. When he returned to His disciples they asked him, “What should we do now?” Christ answered them, “One cannot live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from God.”[2] It implies the existence of another way of eating. Fasting shows that one can be nourished otherwise - by the Word of God as well. The New Life lies in this way of nourishment. I will make a comparison between the old and the new way of nourishment. Take, for example, a rich man, a gastronome who loves to have abundant food at his meals. He sits down to dine and immediately his table is piled with roasted chicken, duck, geese, all sorts of fruit, and all other dishes and drinks. There is nothing that he has not tasted. He says, “This is the way one should live!” This is the old way of eating. However, one day the stomach of this man gets upset, he gradually loses weight and sends for a doctor to examine him. The doctor says, “From now on all geese, duck, chicken, lamb, pork, apples, and pears are banned. You can eat only rice soup: two teaspoons every two hours. This is the only way that you can be cured.” When his wife comes to his room, he asks, “Dear, what time is it? Is it time for my rice soup?” The man is punctual; he does not want to miss the time; he wants to save himself. He knows that his salvation lies in this rice soup. When friends and relatives come to visit him, they ask, “How is your health?” “I feel better, thank you. The doctor told me that if I continue to eat in the old way, I will die.” This is the new way of eating. I am referring to the rice soup as a symbol of the new way of eating. It represents pure, high-quality food. Today people fast and limit eating only when they are ill. One says, “The doctor ordered me to eat two teaspoons of rice soup every two hours.” It is neither a conscious way of fasting, nor a new way of eating. This person eats like that by necessity. Do not take it literally. Only the healthy, intelligent, and high-principled person can eat in a new way. If you eat in the new way, it will introduce peace and strength into your souls. What can you accomplish in this world if you lack peace and strength? Many say, “Let God be at our side!” By saying this, they exclude God from themselves. God is in us, not outside us. Someone says, “I have a very difficult problem to resolve.” The Scripture says that God constantly works within us.[3] Since God works constantly within us, our consciousness needs to be vigilant in order to observe how God in us thinks, feels, and solves our problems. If you get into a difficult situation, stay calm - begin to contemplate and observe how God in you will solve it. Not even five minutes will pass and you will see how the problem is going to be solved. After that you say, “My problem is really solved. I have only one opinion of God and now it is confirmed once again. All God’s Works are perfect.” You may say, “This is theoretical but not practical.” No, the same is true in practice. I will give you an example from the real life in order to demonstrate to you that theory and practice are the same for the one who listens to his inner guidance and fulfills what God is telling him from within. Two brothers quarreled with each other over the inheritance left by their father. The older brother took a bigger part; the younger brother took the smaller part. For 15 years they had been quarrelling among themselves. They hated each other and each one spoke badly about the other. One day the older brother awakes for the Divine speaking to him, “What you did to your brother is not good. Go, make peace, reconcile with him and give him everything. You will work and make a living with what you earn by your labor.” The older brother obeyed this inner Voice and went to the home of his brother. At the same time, the Divine began speaking to the younger brother as well and so he said to himself, “I am already tired of this quarrel! I have been embroiled with my brother for so many years and what is my gain from this? I will go to reconcile and tell my brother that I leave all legacy from our father to him. What I can earn by myself is enough for me.” As spoken, so was done. The younger brother also headed toward his brother to make peace and reconcile. As he was on his way, the brothers met on the way to each other. The older brother said to the younger, “Brother, I come to make peace with you. Everything that I took from my father, I give it to you. I am going to live on what I earn with my labor.” “Is that so? I, too, decided to do likewise,” said the younger brother. “Then let the two of us work together!” The two brothers got together, made peace, and began to work together. I say: This is the way you can solve all problems and inner misunderstandings. I ask: Should we divide the Divine in us? Should we argue over it? No, let us sanctify the name of God who lives in us. Let us place God high in us, in our consciousness in order to act there. Many are interested to learn more about the New, the Divine Teaching. The Divine Teaching is in this: allowing God to act in our consciousness and God allowing us to act in Him. What is the foundation of the New Teaching? God works in me and I work in God. How are you going to understand this? Only after you try it. You cannot determine the New Teaching without trying it. Someone says, “I have made an attempt.” How many attempts? Only one. In the Divine Teaching the attempts are unceasing and without interruption. The Divine manifests Itself unceasingly. And so, I am going to define the difference between the Divine and human. The Divine manifests Itself and remains for eternity. The human manifests itself and remains only for a day. All that is unceasing and eternal in us is Divine. All that is short-lived is human. Happiness and joy that soon disappear are human. Happiness and Joy that never disappear are Divine. The goodness that manifests itself and disappears is human; the goodness that manifests itself and does not disappear is Divine. Love that appears fast and burns up is human. Love that does not fail in any circumstances, but constantly increases and lasts forever is Divine. Knowledge that cannot solve your problems in life is human. And knowledge that is helpful in all difficult situations in life is Divine. The Divine lives eternally; there is no interruption in It. It is the Great Presence that works in our souls. Only through the Divine can all your ideals and aspirations be attained. I say to those who are willing to follow the Divine Path: Put your packs on your backs and go forward. Do not turn back to look at what is happening behind you! Do not occupy yourselves with the old. God who lives in us will create the New world - the New Heaven and Earth. It is said in the Scripture, “Earth and Heaven fled from His Face.”[4] Which Earth and Heaven is it spoken about? The old Earth and Heaven, in other words, the old beliefs and concepts. The New Heaven and Earth, the new beliefs and concepts are being created now. When the old scene falls down, the new one comes up. When the old sun sets, the day is not over. The New Sun rises! The sun of today will set, it will die; but the New Sun will come tomorrow. God creates a New Sun every day. Can you imagine this? Every belief that goes down does not represent the true faith, as it dies and is buried. People of today say, “What have we come to! In the old days, in our youth, we loved each other. We got along, but nothing of this love has remained by today.” I will give you an example with a grandfather named Stoyan from the village of Golyama Mogila (Big Hill). He liked to brag about his great heroism when he was young. Now when he was 90 years old, he took his staff, walked to a big ditch and said to himself, “Way back, when I was young I easily jumped over the biggest ditches! Let me try and see if I can jump over this ditch.” He started running and oops! He found himself in the ditch! Caught in this situation, he said to himself, “How strange; in my youth it was not like this, not at all! With the age one becomes a laughing stock to people.” When he got out of the ditch, he looked around to see if someone could hear him and said to himself, “As it was in the youth, so it is in the old age.” It is true: a strong person cannot become weak. And vice versa, weak people cannot become strong because they are weak by nature. If the human is strong in someone, they are weak. If the Divine is strong in someone, they are strong too. We can draw the following conclusion from this: If your love is human, it is weak; if it is Divine, it is strong and constant. Divine Love is the same when one is young and when one is old. Human love is hot in the youth and cold in the old age. It is just the opposite with Divine Love: it is weak at the beginning and strong at the end. Only the love of mother remains unchanged at all times: from the embryo stage of her child in the womb until its old age. There was once a 90year-old priest who addressed his 60-year-old son with “my little boy” while patting him on his back. He did not see him as an old man with a white beard and mustache but as a little boy. The same relationships exist in Divine Love that calls its children gently with the words, “My child; my little kid!” If people are deceived by the outer appearance of things, life becomes meaningless. Everyone who grows old in the Life of Love walks in the human path. Everyone who weakens in Knowledge walks in the human path. Everyone who makes mistakes in his life walks in the human path. There are two paths in life: human and Divine. Someone excuses himself saying, “Sorry that I am a bit abrupt, rude, I have my weaknesses.” He must not excuse himself, but simply say the truth, “I am following the human path.” Nobleness is expressed in one’s constant improvement. When people of noble character make mistakes, they say, “This is human” and put these aside. When they do good deeds, they say, “This is Divine” and put these aside too. The most prominent philosophers and learned people also make mistakes. There is not a faultless human being in the world. A famous writer wrote a remarkable novel. He wanted it to be flawlessly printed. The whole book was really published without mistakes except one, which was made in the title of the novel among the block letters. So what? If there is one mistake, you are going to correct it. Human mistakes are allowed and are inevitable. If you want to find perfection in the human, you are on the wrong path. Perfection exists only in the Divine. The human represents a method to apply the Divine. If you do not understand things in this way, you are on the wrong path and you will achieve nothing in the end. All great and righteous people, whether religious or worldly, believed in God’s Path. In my opinion there are two categories of people: those who walk in the God’s Path and those who walk in the human path. The first have their inner life regardless of being religious or worldly people. The second follow the human path and their focus is outside, regardless of their belonging to any religious society or to the world. The results of the human path are one; those of the Divine Path are quite different. These two paths need to come together. When the weak, the human, comes under the control of the Divine, it will strengthen and improve. Only God in us has the Power to liberate us from our weaknesses and only we are able to use God’s Power for good. Everyone wants to use God’s Power and can do it, provided that that person has only one opinion of God: whatever is done by God within is good. All is over for that one who says that what is done by God is not good. Whatever happens to you, say, “This is for good!” Some people of today ask themselves why things happen in one and not in another way. I say: Everything happens by the Great Laws of Intelligent Nature. Others ask, “What is the right way of praying? Where should we gather for praying and settling some issues?” I say: Behold 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 birds, make your meetings in the air? The Samaritan woman asked Jesus the same question two thousand years ago. She said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, yet you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where we must worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. But the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.”[5] The true service to God is not in the external form; it is not on the physical plane. In respect to serving God, we should be perfect! Those who worship God need to worship Him in Spirit and Truth! Moreover, if you want to be happy on Earth, you should not search for happiness in the sand, as some gold-seekers who constantly mix and wash the sand away in bottles full of pure water. No happiness can be found in this way. Whoever is willing to serve God should know that God lives and acts in all people. If you think like that, your relationships with others will be genuine. Many people say, “Everything takes time. Everything evolves.” Yes, I agree with you. Time and evolution are necessities, but for whom? For the weak person. Evolution exists for the weak, not for the strong one. The strong evolve by helping the weak, uplifting them on the path. These are the great, enlightened people in the world. If someone has a thin rope and can draw only ten liters of water with it, but he needs one thousand liters to draw from the well, what must he do? He is weak himself; so, it will take him time to use the thin rope and drop the bucket in the well one hundred times, so that to draw one thousand liters of water. However, if the same person has had a stronger rope, he could draw one thousand liters of water at a time. This example indicates that evolution is for the weak, not for the strong people. For people of might and power things happen instantaneously. I believe that you have already understood this concept. To those who have not, I say: Go to the well once, twice, three times, one hundred times! When you come from there, I will ask you what you have learned. If you have learned something, you will no longer go back to the well. You have already acquired some experience and now you have certain knowledge. If you have not attained the necessary experience and life knowledge, you will continue to go back to the well. The following Law exists in Nature: Water will appear by itself on the Earth’s surface as wellsprings in order to serve the enlightened individuals - therefore, they will not need to draw it mechanically, by pumps. I say this again: Water goes to the enlightened people by itself; they do not need to make efforts to reach it. Our relationship to water is like our relationship to God. When we love God, He will abide in us; when we do not love Him, He remains outside of us. We will then search for Him left and right, up and down, but will not find Him. Then, like the psalmist, we will say, “I bathe my pillow in tears, but You are not here, Lord.”[6] What is the reason that we cannot find the Lord? God is in you; do not search for Him outside of you. Everyone understands things as they are innerly displaced. I say: The proper way to understand things in life is to know how God has created them. Observe yourselves and you will see that, as your consciousness expands every day, things reveal newer and richer expressions every day. The bounties of the world and the world itself, everything in it is hidden in the human soul and spirit. Now, do not think that anyone can extinguish the small, microscopic light shining in your soul and spirit. That is the imperishable Divine Fire in the human being. It never burns out in spite of the conditions and circumstances in one’s life. The human fire, on the other hand, is like a fire made by linen and hemp. In some villages maidens make such a fire for their work-bee gatherings - the flames rise high, but after 10–15 minutes they die out. Remember that everything that is like the burning hemp and linen bursts into flame fast, rises high, and burns out quickly. The human does not last for a long time. Therefore, you should not place your faith in the human. If you desire to be strong, rely on the Divine within you! Place your faith in it. The moment you lose it, you are weak. The moment you gain it, you are strong. Should you interrupt your connection with God’s Consciousness, you will enter the human and therefore, will fall under the Law of Evolution. Should you connect with the Divine, you enter into the World of God’s Manifestations. The human world is a world of reincarnation and entanglement into matter, while the Divine World is a world of spiritual presence. I know two worlds. If you are strong, you join the manifestations of the Divine World and the Law of Spiritual Presence. If you are weak, however, you enter the Law of Incarnation - descending into the material world. Someone says, “I believe in evolution. Only through evolution will our ideals come true.” I agree; nevertheless, evolution is for weak people. As for strong people, the Divine needs to prevail over the human. Do not mix up these two worlds. Rather, begin to purify your consciousness of all minor things so that you can discern at any given moment in which world you are now. I ask: Which is the most important concept you have ever heard of? To me, the most important concept for every person is that one, which is best understood and applied in life. It is like the quantity of one kilogram of wheat from which one can prepare bread to eat. All other, which is not understood and applied, is like one thousand kilograms of wheat staying in the barn. The same law is valid in mathematics and some other branches of science. If you can work with the numbers from 1 to 10, you will also understand all other rules and manipulations in mathematics. Whoever does not understand the digits cannot manipulate the rest as well. All religious people speak about serving God. There are two ways: serving with beliefs and serving with devotion and faith - without any doubt and hesitation. In such service, when suffering and trials come, the person smiles a little and says, “It is God’s Will; everything is for good.” When Poverty comes, you ask, “Who has sent you to me?” “God.” Then you say, “I will tell you why you are such. You are Poverty because you do not obey God.” Right after you have dealt with Poverty, Ignorance comes. You ask, “Who has sent you to me?” “God.” “You are Ignorance because you do not listen to God and do not want to learn.” After Ignorance Illness comes. You ask, “Who has sent you to me?” “God.” “You are Illness because you do not love health and do not care about it. If you want people to love you, bring them health instead of diseases. Go away now, I have no free time to deal with you.” Finally, Transgression comes. You ask, “Who has sent you to me?” “God.” “Go and serve God, fulfill His Will and soon you will have wings.” “But I am a wrongdoer.” “Go ahead and err no more. Do what you have never done before!” “But I have an addiction, I drink much alcohol.” “It does not matter. You may drink, but drink from the nicest nectarous water.” That is how people of true faith deal with all negative situations in their life. It is the right way of action and all can acquire freedom by it. All who seek freedom should apply this method. Many think that their life is empty and meaningless. No, your life, as small as it is in comparison to the entire Life, holds some meaning, though not the essence of the Whole. As an ant’s life does not affect the entire life of Creation, neither does a separate person’s life. Only the Divine within the human being can arrange Life in all its phases. There is nothing more wonderful and beautiful than living in God! Only then can one perceive God’s Love, Wisdom, Truth, Justice, Virtue, Mercy, Kindness, Restraint, and others. Everyone who meets such a person will greet him with a smile. All Beings who live with God and in God are smiling. In one of the deserts there was a crystal pure lake reflecting everything. Every evening, at the peak of heat, all animals: bears, tigers, lions, rabbits, and snakes gathered there to drink water, yet none of them did any harm to others. Why? Because every animal bent down to drink water and after quenching their thirst, they all went peacefully to their homes. The big thirst had fully absorbed their attention and they had not even given a thought of fighting with others. Tigers, wolves, bears, rabbits, and snakes - they all drank water together. I say: In the same way there is a place where all people can come to a mutual understanding. Which is that place? The pure crystal lake. Go to this lake, all of you! It is the Lake of Divine Love, where the human souls need to go as to a drinking pool. You may ask, “How will we find this lake?” Go to the animals. They will tell you how they find the pristine wellsprings in the mountains. The soul that is thirsty will find this wellspring on its own. However, a soul that is not thirsty cannot find it. Now I am not going to draw any conclusions. Remember: When God begins to act through you and your consciousness, it is the beginning of things and this beginning is good. When God works, the beginning is good as well as the end. As the beginning, so is the end - the fruit of the work. God says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” When one works in the human way, human is the beginning and God is the end; however, when one works in the Divine way, God is the beginning and human is the end. That is why the Scriptures say, “And the Lord will be your rear guard!”[7] In the Divine it is vice versa - we will be the rear guard, while God will be the beginning. If you can understand and apply these ideas, you will have the best results. If not, you will remain in the old life. I say: Begin to work and do not think about the old life. Do not ask about your past. Live in the present turned to the future, where the New Life lies. If you are wise and observe the Laws of Great Nature, you are able to change your own destiny. When the Divine is prevailing in you, your life will improve. The sage is able to beautify everything, while the fool can ruin even the loveliest things. Everything is up to us. If God lives in us, we will be strong and can do everything. Do not speak to people that God lives in you. You would better demonstrate your power by example. If God lives in you, you will be able to solve even the most complicated problem. You are asked for example, about the square root of a given number and you give the answer immediately. The Divine resolves things instantly. What are the features distinguishing the student of the New Teaching? Heart as pure as crystal, mind as bright as the Sun, soul as noble and vast as the entire Universe and spirit as powerful as God and one with God! When you have some difficulty related to your heart, bring out its principle and say, “As a student I must have a crystal pure heart, without any filth left in it.” When the difficulty is mental, say, “My mind should be as bright as the Sun, without any darkness.” When difficulty comes in respect to your soul, say, “My soul should be as noble and vast as the entire Universe, without any kind of small-mindedness.” Lastly, when you have difficulty related to your spirit, say, “My spirit should be as powerful as God and one with God!” Every time, when you find yourself in a difficult situation, take the principle corresponding to the case and say it several times throughout the day. Evil comes to you and tells you, “You can transgress a little bit.” Answer, “No, I should keep my heart as pure as crystal!” You read this principle and put the text in your pocket. Evil comes to you to test your mind, “This work can be done in another way.” “No, I will preserve my mind as bright as the Sun.” “Could it be less bright - like an electrical lamp?” “No, it cannot!” After that, evil tries to tempt your soul. But you will reply, “My soul should be as vast as the Universe.” Finally evil is going to probe 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 wonder what to do and will say, “These are learned people; I cannot tempt them with anything.” I want you to be absolutely free: in your views and beliefs, in your feelings, thoughts, and actions. Imagine that you lived in the time of Christ and some people from His circle were trying to persuade you that He is the true Christ and the expected Messiah. Yet, others were trying to persuade you the opposite. Thus a conflict arises in your soul. You search for Christ, but you are confused. I advise you to trust your inner creed, your deepest conviction. Do not search for Christ here and there; He is in you, within your soul. Only the free person can find God and be one with Him. When we meet, we should have only a high opinion of one another. Why? It is because God lives in every one of us. If you think in this way, you will say, “This brother is excellent because God works in him.” This Teacher is excellent because God reveals through him.” If we are bearers of the Divine, our hearts get purified, our minds - enlightened, our souls - expanded, and our spirits - strengthened. Only God in you can do this. You say, “Our life is hard and difficult.” Stop suffering! “It is difficult to love one another.” Why do you struggle to love? When God comes to live in you, He will show you how to love. He will teach you the methods of Love and the Laws of Wisdom. You will come to love through Him then and your Love will become sacred. It will be a blessing both for the one you love and the one who loves you. And so, I address you all: young and old, spiritual workers and those who are not, and I invite you all to begin your service. Some say, “We have not learned everything yet.” Yes, Knowledge cannot be poured into your heads with a funnel. Virtue cannot be poured either. Allow the Divine to act in you and when manifesting, behave as the two brothers. Sacrifice your personal welfare for the Divine in you. If you do not do it, there will be a conflict arising in you. Many ask, “Should we be learned?” Of course, you should. We are not satisfied with common knowledge, with ordinary love, wisdom, truth, virtue, and justice. If it is about knowledge, we strive for God’s Knowledge. If it is about love, wisdom, truth, justice, and virtue, we strive to attain God’s Love, Wisdom, Truth, Justice, and Virtue. The trivial things do not exist in our dictionary. The Divine, Great, Sublime, Real is our ideal - all that, which creates shadows, but is not a shadow Itself. You say, “I am ignorant.” Do not speak about ignorance. “I am sinful.” Do not speak about sin. “I am weak.” Do not speak about weakness. Apostle Paul said, “We, who are strong, need to carry the weak.” I say that God, Who is strong, will carry our weaknesses. Every one who has God living within him can carry the weak. I say to the weak: God can live in you and then you will become strong. God can live in all of you and make you strong. Therefore, give God unlimited freedom to act in you. Do not give Him instructions how to do it. Do not ask God for clothes, shoes, or hats. Instead, begin with the essential: with Life. Clothes, shoes, and hats will come by themselves. Once the Divine Life flows into you, you will have everything. It is a beautiful life bringing freedom to our souls. When you get up joyful in the morning, know that God’s Face is smiling in you. There is no greater blessing than that - to see God’s Face joyous and pleased. Many of you are buried in the tomb groaning and shouting underneath. I say: Raise the stone from your grave and come out! When they placed Christ in the grave, they put a gravestone on Him and there was a big rock over that. Could He remove the rock of His grave by Himself? He had received eighty thousand hits from the Roman soldiers and had wounds from the four big nails hammered in His hands and feet, so He was too weak and could not remove the rock from his gravestone by Himself. An Angel came from Heaven, removed the rock from the grave and Christ rose from the dead. Today you are weak too, as Christ was at the Cross. You are all crucified. You have nails in your hands and feet. But there is one essential difference between you and Christ. Christ died and resurrected, while you are nailed to the cross, but have not yet died. I will give you an example to clarify what I have in mind. A preacher in America sermonized about generosity. He was telling people that, for salvation, one should sacrifice oneself for God: in other words, one should sacrifice the human for the Divine. One of the listeners, a very rich man, attending the sermon, said, “No, one can be saved without sacrifices, without great generosity. How did the villain who was crucified next to Christ save himself? What sacrifice did he make?” The preacher answered him, “The villain on the cross was dying, while you are still alive.” The same is true for each one of you. You are crucified, but have not yet died. When you die, it will be a different matter. All the difficulty is while you are on the cross. You are crucified and you cry out. You make noise. Christ too, while He was still alive on the cross cried out, “God, why have you left Me to be mocked and profaned by people?”[8] God told Him, “This Work is finished.” Christ replied, “If so, let Your Will be done! Father, into Your Hands I commit My Spirit.”[9] After Christ passed on, they took His body down from the cross, laid it in the grave, put a gravestone and a rock on it and left it there, where it stayed for three days. On the third day an Angel came down from Heaven, removed the rock from the gravestone, lifted the gravestone from the grave and Christ resurrected. You, too, will cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you left me to be mocked and profaned by the world?” God will say, “It is all finished.” Nicodemus will come then and will ask for permission to take your body down from the cross. He will wrap you in a shroud; will place you in a grave, closing it with a gravestone and a rock over it. After that the priests will seal your grave so that your disciples could not come to take your body. Three days later an Angel from Heaven will come to remove the rock and roll off the gravestone: then you will resurrect. I say: It is easy when you are taken down from the cross. The trial is before that, when you are still alive on the cross. Finally, you need to die! By “death” we imply transformation of your consciousness. When Christ died on the cross, His consciousness was transformed. He received enlightenment about the Great Order in the world and the New Life that is coming into being. When you awake, the old life will give way to the New one and you will be taken down from the Mystical Cross of suffering. After that an Angel will descend from Heaven to roll away the gravestone from your grave and so, through resurrection, you will enter the New Life and enjoy its freedom. Only then God will come to live in you and you will begin your true service on Earth. After resurrection, Christ spent full 40 days among his disciples, invisible to the world, but continuing to preach to them. It is written in the New Testament, “Then He opened their mind to understand the Scriptures.”[10] Only the resurrected one attains the Real, eternal, essential life - Life of immortality. Now, I believe you have understood everything I spoke to you. These are words of liberation. Those who have understood my words, create among yourselves a Divine home of harmony and unity - unity of thoughts, feelings, actions, and aspirations in all possible aspects. We stand for the Great life manifesting itself in all directions: physical, spiritual, and Divine of the United Divine Being. Be bearers of this unity! It is the essence of the Divine Teaching, which you should apply every day in your life. If you do it, you will need no other philosophy or teaching. After you have applied and tested it, you may tell other people how you have found this Path. And so, work hard throughout the year and apply the Divine Teaching. I call this year Divine - a year of purification. Last year was a year of Love. A mother, after delivery, begins to clean the baby because it cannot do it alone, being weak and helpless. In the future, this one may become a genius, saint, or a great scientist, but in the infant age the mother does the cleaning two or three times a day until the child grows up. Adults need cleaning too, until the Divine becomes strong in them. Cleaning is as natural and needed for adults as for little children. When the Divine in you gains in strength and prevails over the human, you will become capable of living a sublime ideal Life. Until then, you must purify yourself constantly. All people have weaknesses. The human weaknesses are conditions for the manifestation of the soul. When the soul finds itself in these limiting conditions, it begins to ramble here and there like a bee that dashes and hits against the closed window of a palace until it gets free. The soul does not see that there is an obstacle ahead. The obstacles in the world are necessary for our progress. When the Divine comes into us, it will liberate our souls from all obstacles and limitations. I say: You all need an absolute, positive faith! This Teaching may look difficult to you. You say, “We can understand and apply the Divine Teaching, but our faith is weak.” That is not true! Your faith is not weak. You ask, “Shall we abandon the world in order to serve God?” No, you will live in the world. Everyone will complete their duties wherever they are. “How to do it, which methods to use?” The methods of the Divine Teaching. You all know the results from using the old methods of the past. People of the past lived in the forests. They served in monasteries and worshipped God in churches, but still their assignments were not completed. What is needed now is serving by inner freedom. May each of you listen to the inner voice deep inside oneself in order to find out the true methods for spiritual work. Thus one can be free. Only when the Divine awakes in a person, It can make this person free. I will give you an example with one of the American criminals, who was arrested for a number of robberies and crimes. He was bound with ropes and put on a cot, so people were sure that he could not escape. One night the jailer who was responsible for him entered his cell with a candle and, in his haste to leave, he left the candle behind. Seeing himself alone in the cell, the criminal looked at the candle and exclaimed, “This is a way for my escape!” He lifted his feet toward the flame, burned the rope and freed his legs. After that he burned the rope on his hands too and without the ropes, free from his limiting conditions, he opened the window and ran away. If your hands and feet are bound by the evil in the world, but God has left a candle in your room, will you ask what to do? Burn the rope! “But is it allowed?” It goes without saying! Was evil allowed to bind you? Everyone, by his own will, can place the rope on the candle flame to burn it and become free. “Should I go out through the window or through the door?” Through the window is better. If it is closed, go out through the chimney! Get out from where you can. You do not need other philosophy. Everyone must win freedom of the soul by oneself. It is an entire process. Attaining freedom, one is going to change, advance, and become a great moral bearer of Life. Evil will never again be in power to bind his hands and feet with ropes. Only thus the New Life will come into the world and you will realize all desires of your soul and spirit. Only thus we are going to please God and God will please us. Only thus we could rejoice in God and God will rejoice in us. When will that be? When God comes to live in us. I ask you: Are you going to give space to God within yourselves? It does not mean that I do not trust you. I believe that you will do this because I am telling you the Great Truth. I am sharing my own experience with you. I have attained my freedom in this way. Remember: I have only one opinion of God. All that God is doing in me is good. And God, too, has only one opinion of me. Everything that I am doing for God is good and righteous. Christ said, “My Father lives in Me and I live in Him.”[11] I confirm that this is the way of attaining inner spiritual freedom. This is the way for all blessings in the world to come true. There is no other way. If not today, then tomorrow, or some other day. It is the only way to be free. Whoever you ask, if they know the Truth, they will tell you the same thing. If they do not know the Truth, they will fool you with this or that, with different words. Christ said, “I and My Father are one. My Father lives in Me and I live in My Father. God works in Me and I work in Him.”[12] I want you to be free because only then will you be able to manifest yourselves and develop your talents and gifts. Only then will Love, Wisdom, Truth, Justice, and Virtue, which you manifest, be in their right places. If you apply this Teaching, you will be lively and joyful, deep as the sea and vast as the sky. You need profoundness now! If you live in this way, whatever suffering may come to you, the thought that God is with you and you are with God, will stand out in your mind. If you think in this way, God will take you down from the cross on which you are crucified. Now you may wonder, “What should we do, should we not pray?” I ask whether one needs to pray for one’s freedom. Get to work! Burn the ropes on your feet and hands by using the candle! You ask whether you should sing. When do people sing? When they have completed their work. When do the harvesters sing? When they go or come back from the harvest, but not while they are working. When you were coming to work you sang. Now you are working so you are not going to sing. When you complete your work, you will sing again. One does not always sing. If I ask you to go to the Mount Vitosha to do some task on a hot summer day, would you be able to sing? While you are climbing you may sing within your soul only, but after you have climbed the mountain and have completed the assigned task, you can sing freely. There is time for everything. There is time for singing too. This day is for work - it is the first day of your conscious awareness, the first day for Divine work. You have not worked so far. Today’s work will define your future for all eternity. Remember, your future is created today. It is one of the most beautiful days in your life of the entire eternity. Christ said, “My Father works and I work as well.” Now I wish you all to be at work because you are in the Day of work. Do not say that you will work in the evening. No, this day has no evening. It is an eternal day, in which the Sun never sets and there is no evening. It is a day of eternal dawn and sunrise, in which things have a beginning, but not an end. It is the most beautiful day of Joy and Happiness. The Scripture reads, “When I see Your Face, my soul will rejoice.”[13] This verse relates to the reality of this beautiful working day. Only when working for God, one can see His Face and rejoice. Now you speak, “It would be great if all brothers and sistersfrom the country were here!” I am telling you that theyare all here. How is it possible? All brothers and sisters in thephysical world, who are included in lists of the Brotherhoodof Light, have two representatives of theirs: one in the DivineWorld and one in the Angelic World. So, if one thousandpeople have come here, in reality they represent three thousandpowerful heroes - one thousand in the physical world,one thousand in the Angelic World, and one thousand in theDivine World. The strength comes not from you, who are inthe physical world, but it is rather in these three thousandsouls, gathered together. They are also working; it is not onlypeople in the physical world who work. Can you imagine whatthese helpers from above can accomplish? They will completethe work of God. God acts through them. And so, no songs, prayers, and hand kissing today! All getto work! From above they observe who is ready to serve andwho has already begun to work. I greet you all with the Great Day of work. May you becomeheroes and co-workers of God. This Great Day has alreadycome. Begin with the Divine Work because it will determineyour life in the future. Lecture of the Master Beinsa Douno to the General EsotericClass, held on August 22, 1928, Sofia, Izgrev. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. See also 1Corinthians 7:23, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” 2. See also Luke 4:4. 3. See also 1Thessalonians 2:13. 4. See also Revelation 20:11, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose Face the Earth and the Heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.” 5. See John 4:19–24. 6. See also Psalm 42:3, “My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’” 7. See also Isaiah 52:12, “For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” 8. See also Luke 23:35–37. 9. See also Luke 23:46. 10. See Luke 24:45. 11. See also John 10:30, “I and My Father are one.” 12. See also John 10:37–38, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him.” 13. See also Isaiah 61:10–11.

THE GREAT LAW “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 People of today are trying to handle most of the fundamental issues, but did not take time off to establish which of them are of higher priority to be resolved, which fundamental task is the most important to resolve. Therefore, this topic is quite controversial. The most important for them at present is the economic problem and nourishment in particular. It is alright, but I ask, if the problem of food shortage, existing for thousands of years, has ever been fully resolved. It has been resolved only temporarily and partially. In reality, it remains without solution. Others say that the most important problem for them is education and knowledge. Truly, for thousands of years, people have been learning and seeking knowledge, but have they ever really attained it? It also remains unsolved. Still others are interested in the issue of security. They say that to be strong and mighty, the country should maintain a powerful army capable of withstanding the enemies. That is true. But which country, through its military forces, has answered the question of existence? Give me an example of a country, which has maintained its power for at least two or three thousand years. All big empires existing so far have reached their zenith and after that declined. Therefore, there is one really essential issue in the world, which has remained unresolved so far. It is not national, social, or scholarly. Nations always have different imperious issues. Social activists face a number of problems requiring their attention. Likewise, learned people have a plenty of questions to deal with. However, the most important issue that humankind needs to consider is the human soul, or, if you prefer, the human spirit. It is not the human mind because a person is more than just a brain. The human mind is only an attendant to the human spirit; the same is true for the human heart and willpower. The humankind is something great by its origin and nature. If you truly understand someone and believe in him, not in his outer manifestations, then you will know the greatness of the human being. Would you call the merchant who is selling you faulty clothes a good person? Would you call the professor at school who at times demeans you a good person? Would you call the mother who has deliberately neglected her child a true human being? Would you call the father who is taking advantage of his son a true human being? Would you call the statesman who issues senseless laws a true human being? It is necessary to define the notion of “human being.” It is said that the human being implies a thinking being. No, it is much more than that. The Great in the world is beyond any words. The most important subject for the learned people all over the world is the Sublime Conscious Life. You may say that it is created through the supply of light, warmth, food, clothing, and so on. However, that life, which comes as a result of the sustenance of warmth, is not a true life; it is only a certain energy requiring maintenance. The True Life gives birth to everything by itself. When we embrace it, it brings light and warmth, food and clothing within itself. Life is something really mighty when properly understood. You will ask, “Yes, but what do scholars say about Life?” Scholars should forgive me, but they have not yet discovered the true meaning of Life. I will tell them: Come to resurrect the deceased. Can they heal the ill? What do they know about them? Nothing. Today, the ill die with or without the physicians’ aid; so, what is the use of such doctors? With teachers, people die and without them, they die too; even those who are educated steal, just like the uneducated. With teachers, people slander and without teachers, they slander too. Even with the preaching of clergymen, people steal and without their preaching, they steal too. When they are ruled by statesmen, they steal and when they are not ruled by statesmen, they steal too. What then has humankind contributed to the world? Someone will say that law and order are necessary, but what do law and order include? Even the most malevolent people institute their own laws and order whenever they form an association. In the animal world ants display law and order, bees have their own law and order as well. If you find yourself near a beehive, you will run as quickly as possible. Why? It is because of the law and order reigning there. Bees use their stingers as “machine guns.” You tell me, “The most important problem for us to solve is that of life.” You conclude, “A person dies and that ends all.” I agree with you that people die, but have you answered the question of death? In fact, death shows that people have not resolved the essential issue of Life. They have not yet attained true Life. Let’s concentrate on the verse, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Why? It is because Love is the source and origin of the Great Life we have been discussing. Some may ask what Love is. Love is the source of that Life, which brings everything with it: Light and Warmth, food and clothes, life-force and all needed. This is how Life can be recognized through experience. For all those who have resolved the problem of Life in this way, it is written in the Scriptures, “And this is eternal Life, that they may know You, the only true God.”[1] We understand by “God” not an external being to whom people bow but rather the Source of Life, the Infinite that can manifest Itself within us, who are finite. It shows that the Infinite can manifest Itself in the finite. Therefore, we, the people of this world manifesting Infinity, represent a great issue even now: how it is that in the finite forms the Eternal life is revealed. For this to happen, we should have knowledge and wisdom to create harmonious relationships among all people. All should know the purpose of their coming to Earth. If you are to answer, perhaps you will lift your chin and say, “It is not so important.” How strange you are! If you ask me why I have come to Earth, I will tell you. If you ask some little children in the first grade why they go to school, the answer will be, “To learn.” These children will take out their primer. “Who is your teacher?” They know. “Who is your father, your mother?” They know again. And when you ask them about their parents, you get an immediate reply. These children know everything. But if someone asks you the same questions, you will say, “I do not know.” You have come to Earth. What will you learn here now? “I do not know.” Once you complete your earthly life, where will you go? “I will go to the World beyond.” It is not only you in this situation; it is the same with the philosophers. For thousands of years, their discourses have deliberated on those subjects: Is there God or not; is there soul or not? Finally, some of them conclude, “There is no God, no soul.” They answer all questions with ease. The drunkards too, when they are inebriated, get into fistfights with each other and, apparently, that is the end of the matter. No, nothing is finished this way. The next evening, they do the same: get drunk, fight, and that is all. The third evening - the same again. I say that they are done for this evening, but not for tomorrow. You say of someone who has died, “He is gone, he died.” Yes, he is gone, but only temporarily, not forever. Nothing in Nature has been lost forever. You ask, “Where has this person gone?” Yet I would ask whence he had come. For whence he came, there he returned. Such is the Law: Everything always returns to its source. All, no matter intelligent or not - always return to God. We refer to this Intelligent Source, which is endless and infinite, as the “Law of Love.” Nowadays, all recognize that there is a dispute about the essence of Life. I say that there is no dispute. Why? It is because the attributes of Life are: Intelligence, Light, Warmth, and some others. Should there be any dispute about Life under these conditions? As long as disputes exist, life is not judicious. All people have the same notion and desire of Life. All people acknowledge Love and desire it, but when? When they are young, they acknowledge Love; when they become old, they deny it. Love has this feature: when you grow to love something or someone, they become valuable to you. Why? It is because you can prize only those objects, which have Life in them. And everything that is life-bearing becomes precious. When you love it, you take care of it and protect it. You write letters and say only pleasantries to your beloved friend; but if somehow your love is transformed into dislike, you forget about this person. What, then, is Love? Love is a power that expands you and offers you incentive. Some say that when someone falls in love, that person has no desire to study anymore. That is not true. Love adds an incentive to the pursuit of knowledge. A person whose heart is inflamed learns and applies. Some others say that Love makes people absent-minded. What makes people absent-minded is not Love, just as Love is not what makes the wolf eat a sheep. When a person is in love with someone’s money and wants to steal it, this is not Love. When a person falls in love with someone’s farm and wants to take it, that is not Love either. Love has this attribute: It makes you not only value things, but also gives expansion to your heart and thus you become generous. The purse of that one who truly loves is always open. That person is like an ever-flowing spring, and not like a barrel of wine, as to always count up the outlay and remainder. The person of Love resembles a fountain that continuously streams, but is never depleted. Therefore, if your goodwill unceasingly flows as a wellspring, Love has come to you. If you can see the good features in every person; if you can see the meaning of all things, in this case, when you raise your eyes to Heaven, you are on the threshold of that Great Divine Life and Love has come into you! I am speaking to you of that Great Science, which foundations are within. You have experienced Life many times before; I believe that is true. Whether you admit it or not - it is a different question. You have come to this planet many times before, in many different forms; whether you remember it or not, whether you admit it or not; it is written in the records of Nature. What you believe is not important. The important thing is what is written by Nature. You may object, “We do not remember.” Neither does a person who has become intoxicated remember whatsoever. But the bartender remembers everything and has taken note of it in his book. He recorded that on a certain date, you drank a certain amount of wine and brandy with this and that person. You declare now that you do not remember. Nevertheless, he calls you before the court and the judge says, “You must pay.” “But I do not remember anything.” Remember it or not, you must pay! Similarly, Nature has a great Book in which everything is recorded. Why do you not admit your deeds, why do you not remember them? Because then you would need to pay the bartender. Those who remember are those creditors who have something to take and those who do not remember are the debtors who need to pay back. God sent human beings many times to Earth and many times did they return to Him. So it is written in the Book of Nature. Your beliefs and convictions are your own business because all are free to have their own ideas. It is not important whether we believe in something or not. What is essential for us is rather the question of Love. We consider it the most important question. We do not discuss who will come into power in Bulgaria, who is the richest person in the world, or who is the most learned scholar. Why? It is because these are questions that even children can answer. We seek to explain the most important issue: Life and its fundamental principles. If you want to live and make your life meaningful; if you want it to be better, we are going to show you the way. We tell you, “Embrace Love!” I ask: Which love, of the young or of old people? None of them. Why not? It is because both young and old are unfaithful. Young people desert their love by marrying someone else, while old people betray others by departing from the Earth without paying their debts. We say about someone, “God rest his soul - he was old!” He had promised to get married, yet he died. He should not have died. That one who makes a promise should not die. He must fulfill his promise first and after that he can die. If he has promised something but dies before fulfilling it, it is an indication that he had some hidden motive. You can excuse him, but we cannot. In the Law of Love every good thought, every noble feeling or desire shall be fulfilled regardless of whom it may concern: mother, father, or child. The Law applies to all. We need to show the world that we are bearers of the Great Life of God and as He lives within ourselves, we should live like Him. Why do people deny God? It is because they are His debtors. Why do people believe in God and accept Him? It is because they want to take from Him. I assert that both the people who believe in God and those who deny Him do this for their personal interest. We, however, have a different idea about God. We want to serve Him because we are aware that we have received everything from Him. We do not go to God to benefit from Him; we do not deny that we are His debtors either, but we recognize the Great Wisdom that exists in the Universe and awaits us in the future. What is the scope of modern science? Many things are known. But knowledge of the great philosophers and scholars of today will be known even by children two thousand years from now. At that time, children will be more learned than our contemporary philosophers and scientists. I ask about the role of our science then. This is not a reproach; I only mean that the true human being has not yet revealed itself. When I come to see you at home and you meet me with resentment, do you think that you reveal true humanity? You forthrightly ask me, “What do you want?” I respond, “Please, do you have bed for tonight?” You reply, “No, I do not.” Or you give another reason, “My wife and children are not at home.” You may also respond that there is no bed for me, but there is a hotel nearby, where I can go and so on. I ask: Is this the true human being? But if I tell you that I am ready to give you one hundred thousand leva in cash, you will certainly find a place for me. Your wife and children will immediately squeeze together somewhere in order to free a bed for me. More than that, you will even slaughter a lamb. Why? For one hundred thousand leva in cash. Where, then, is your compassion and nobleness? You are looking at me now, asking yourself, “Does he say the truth?” I wonder who of you has acted observing God’s Will. This is the first question you should answer. You, who are listening to me, have you answered this question? When all people, in all towns and villages, come to live according to God’s Will, there will be no capital punishment and prisons, as everyone will reside in their appropriate place. Then all homes will stay open and when someone meets you, he will say, “Brother, it so nice to see you; come to my home, I have been expecting you for so long!” And you will begin talking. You will comment, “Well, where is this leading?” You surprise me! When I enter your home, I am not going to ruin it; I will rather bring my blessings. One of the great ancient adepts, a Jewish prophet who lived somewhere in Palestine, embarked on a long journey. One evening, while looking for a place to stay during the night, he stopped at the house of a very poor man. He implored the man, “Man of God, can I spend the night with you?” “Oh, gladly,” replied the man, “my home and all I have is at your disposal, but I do not have even a crumb of bread to offer you.” The prophet begged, “Have a look, please; see if you could find even the smallest morsel.” The man searched thoroughly; at last he found a very small piece of bread. The prophet took it and blessed it: at once a large loaf of bread appeared on the table. “Wake up your children, let them come and eat with us as well.” Those who live by God’s Will bring their blessings whenever they enter some home. You may disagree with me on this subject, but that is the Truth in the world. If this adept has entered the world, bringing a grain of wheat with him, he could say to you, “Take this grain of wheat. It will solve the economical problem of bread shortage.” You may ask, “How long will it take?” “Twelve years.” You will not eat it, but will sow it in a fertile soil. In twelve years you will get such an abundant harvest of crop that not only you, but also all your relatives and friends can eat from it. Do you know what the weight of this grain of wheat would be? As that of the whole Earth. Therefore, even the smallest particle of Life contains enormous energy. If we live in accordance with the Law of God, the Law of Love, this power can unfold and be manifested. In modern society people who do not understand Life say that they need money. In fact, the amount of money has increased, but food has decreased. As a result of the human greed, the organism of humankind is diseased. Currently, we have everything in abundance, but we are not able to use it. The richest billionaire in America, Rockefeller, who owns forests, estates, dwellings, and so on, suffers from an upset stomach. He cannot eat anything but oatmeal: the physicians have put him on a strict diet. He laments his fate, saying, “Although I possess such a big wealth, I am compelled to eat only oats, like a horse because of my sick stomach!” I ask, “What is the meaning of Life for you now?” You answer, “A person should be wealthy.” That is fine. It is true that the meaning of Life can be found in the search of wealth, but you do it in the wrong way. Love comprises the Great Life. Love makes life meaningful. Love creates the wealth of the human soul. A true connection is formed only when we find God or, in other words, only when God comes to live in us, which gives an impulse to Life itself. Then people will not ask each other whether there is a God or not. When someone asks me this, I tell him, “Come to see me tomorrow evening.” When he comes, I invite him to dine with me, converse with him pleasantly and accompany him to the door. I bid him goodnight. He says, “But you have not told me anything about God.” I answer, “Come to see me again tomorrow evening.” He comes. We again dine together, converse, and he leaves. I never answer the question about God in words. It is strange that people ask me this question. Why is it the most important one? You could also ask me, “What is Love?” And I will reply in the same way, “Come to visit me tomorrow evening.” I do not answer the question of Love either. If I am a person of Love and live in accordance with God’s Law, then you will come to know me. If my opinion of you remains unchanged, I will receive you in my home and will invite you to test me. It is not what I think, but rather how I live that really matters. To find solution to any important question, you should unite three great factors: your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions. Moreover, you should be consistent in every moment. You may doubt about the existence of God, but you will experience it in the following way: When you ask for a loan of one thousand leva and the reply is, “Certainly, with pleasure.” Afterward, when you ask for another two thousand leva, again, you receive the same answer. So, you find yourself as if before a fountain where you can come with a big bucket and fill it as much as you like, on the provision that you can carry it by yourself. People should have abundance, such abundance that they will themselves say, “That is enough.” Christ was teaching, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It means that one should be completely filled with God’s Love. Some claim that when they fall in love, they cannot work. That is not true; in reality, the genuine work in the world is often inspired by love. At present, there is mainly labor, but no work. Work will be the great task for the future generations, for those great souls that will not doubt the life after death and will answer the question of Life. If you ask such person whether he knows you, he will just say, “You are welcome to my home tomorrow evening.” You ask again, “Where are you from?” He repeats, “Welcome to my home tomorrow evening.” You go to his home and he gives you a good dinner, talks to you and finally, in parting, he kindly says, “If you are ever in need, come to me, please.” This is the example, which we should give to the world. Whatever we possess should be laid upon the common altar of sacrifice. People in modern society have a wrong concept of sacrifice. They think that what they sacrifice will be lost. Let me explain to you the sacrifice of the grain of wheat. If it does not sacrifice itself, if it does not fall in the earth and “die,” what will the condition of the farmer be then? What dies gives its strength, which then increases. It is one of the qualities of sacrifice. Some scholars say, “It is not necessary to make a sacrifice. Nothing should be given to anyone.” Does it mean that no one should sow and plough? No, we should sow and plough, but we should do it wisely. Therefore, we need solid foundations in life. You are of this or that nationality, you have good education and new ideas of life - all these facts do not provide a foundation. The true foundation of Life is Love and Love is Life. We have this Life in us, but have not yet made it manifest. I consider the present theories of Life as puddles of water formed by the rain; although there are frogs creaking in them, people drink from there because of the lack of something better. In my opinion, frogs symbolize the great materialism existing in the people of today and making them anxious for more and more of the luxuries in life. Do you know how people understand materialism? I will give you an example. In the kingdom of the tenth dynasty of Egypt, during the reign of Pharaoh Zenobiy, a law was issued by which all criminals were condemned to death. Two Egyptians committed the crime of offending the sacred bull Apis and that is why they were punished by death sentence. Pharaoh, in this case, changed the sentence to life imprisonment. But the jury issued the following decision: One of the criminals was to carry on his back a sack of wheat weighing one hundred kilograms; the other was to carry one louse on his head. And they were to carry their respective punishments until someone volunteered to relieve them of their burdens. It was left to them to decide who is going to carry the wheat and who - the louse. The more cunning criminal said to himself, “Who would be so stupid as to carry that sack of one hundred kilograms on his back? It is impossible to carry such a burden!” He chose the louse. No option was left to the other, but to take the sack of wheat. According to the decision of the court, they were to travel unceasingly. Neither of them was allowed to stop for a rest until someone would stop them asking for a part of what they carried. The two men started out on their journey. The man who chose the louse asked the other one, “How is your load?” Of course, the louse was not heavy at all. The other criminal carrying one hundred kilograms of wheat on his back often turned to God in prayer, “Oh Lord, have mercy and lighten my burden just a little!” After some time, a traveler stopped them on the road and asked the first man, “What have you got in your sack?” “Wheat,” was the answer. “Can you give me some wheat?” “Oh, gladly,” the man replied and after giving him as much as he wanted, continued on the way. Then the traveler turned to the other man and asked, “What are you carrying?” “A louse,” was the answer. “Oh, I do not want any lice,” the traveler said and hurried away. The trouble was that the louse began to reproduce and in one year there were 200–300 lice. The sack of wheat, on the other hand, had been reduced to half of its original weight during the year. As they were passing through the villages, when people heard of someone who was carrying a sack of wheat, they stopped him and asked for some of it. In this way, in two or three years, that criminal had only one grain of wheat left. The other one who chose the louse, was not welcomed anywhere. In every village he visited, when people saw that he was infested with lice, they did not want to receive him. Soon he began to realize his dreadful situation. And we, the people of today, solve our problems in a similar way. Materialistic thinking - that is the louse, which can draw all life essence from the human being. When it infests someone, it increases continually until it crowds out every noble feeling. If we lose all that is sublime and noble in us; if we lose our highest ideas, feelings, and thoughts; if we lose our divinity, I ask, why are we living in this world? Christ teaches, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”[2] Modern religion has misinterpreted this teaching by merely saying, “Believe in the Lord!” People should not be commanded to believe in Him; it is rather the Great Law that solves all problems that guides them to love God. However, people have taken this verse, “You shall love the Lord your God,” and interpreted it as, “Believe in the Lord!” Certainly, without faith it is not possible to serve the Lord, but a different approach is required when we want to answer the most important question in Life and that is: to love the Lord your God. If someone asks me about my faith, I reply that I believe in nothing. “Why?” Nothing is nothing. They ask me, “Do you not believe in God?” Show me the God you trust. Show me the path you walk. “We trust the God of our mothers, fathers, and ancestors.” Very well; but did they fulfill the laws of their God? Let us examine your records and see what you have done for that God in whom you believe. From someone’s records I will tell you an interesting incident, which happened somewhere in Bulgaria. A very rich merchant fell seriously ill and was in a coma for some time. When he recovered consciousness, he immediately called his sons and said to one of them, “My son, bring me the two books in which I keep my accounts.” The son brought the books. The merchant took and burned them in the fire. Then he gave his sons what each of them deserved and said, “Take what is yours so that you would not call me before the court after my death. When I was in the World beyond, I saw and understood what the most essential for us was. So I want to live according to the Will of God.” I ask you, “Where are your account books?” You say, “We have none.” But I will bring out your inner accounts to see what is written in them. For instance, your neighbor said something to your discredit and you hurried up to write it down. This or that person insulted you and you also wrote it quickly in your account book. The merchant, in the same way, brings out his account book and enters who bought what (olives, sugar, and so on) and in what quantity. I ask, what is the difference between you and the merchant, if you all write in your account books? The priest has an account book too. When the clergyman says, “This person does not believe in God,” he puts it down in his account. Yet when he is called to conduct a funeral service, he requires payment. They tell him they have no money and he replies, “Sorry, but I cannot perform the funeral without payment,” and makes a note in his account book. May all be consistent in the Great Life, in the Great Love that most profoundly answers the fundamental questions of being and lays brotherhood as a foundation of Life. It is not the brotherhood lasting for a day or two only, but the brotherhood that withstands all trials. A priest once said to me, “Your teaching is not right.” I answered him, “You may doubt, it is your right. However, I will give you a rule: When you have a funeral service, instead of taking money from the poor widow, it will be better to give her something from your pocket. Also, when you are called to the court to administer an oath, you should not do so. Instead, you should reach in your pocket and give the money to those who are on trial so as to clear off the enmity between them.” You will say, “What will be the end of all this? The end? Have faith that the Lord has sent you to Earth not to act in the human way, but rather to properly fulfill His Will. May lies disappear from the world! Those whom God assigned a certain service on Earth must act accordingly. You quote the Scriptures that every authority is given by God.[3] No! Something is missing here. The verse should read, “Every fair and just power is given by God.” The Bolsheviks in Russia also have power. You say that your power is from God and theirs is not. The Law states: Every just and righteous power is given by God. And the Law of Love is applied to every righteous power. It is not absolutely necessary for the judge to condemn the criminal. The Turkish government issued a very good law by which the judge should ask the accused, “Do you acknowledge that you are this person’s debtor?” “I do.” “Then give back to him that which is due.” It is an excellent way to resolve arguments. Nowadays, the case will be postponed for one or two years until they finally say, “Where is the justice?” There is no justice but a waste of time. We have been sent to Earth to find the answer to the paramount issue of being. Listening to me now, you may say that this teaching is difficult. It is difficult because your account books are heavy. You need to burn them. “Oh,” you will say, “we do not believe in such nonsense.” But eventually you will because tomorrow, when you will be buried in your grave, they will ask you, “Did you burn your account books?” There you are going to decompose hour after hour and the worms will devour your flesh. You will then say, “Return me, oh Lord, to Earth, so that I may burn my account books!” No, others are going to burn them for you. All of you - mothers, fathers, children - are walking on coals of fire. Why? It is because you have many accounts. The Lord has two books preserving the records about everything - the Book of Life and the Book of Good and Bad - and that is all right. He has the right to keep record of everything in these books. God has every good intention in His relationship to us. He does not ask us why we commit injustice, but rather teaches us to pursue justice. The fact is that there is destiny; the Divine Judgment shows that through our experiences, we are taught to fulfill God’s Will. God erases all sins of that one who decides to live by His Will no matter how big they were. God says, “Behold that one, behold a child of Mine who has made up its mind to live by My Law!” God is full of abundance. He can delete all our debts. When someone is not willing to live godlike, God writes all that is needed for this person in the Book of Life. At present, it is not only the Bulgarians, but people from all other nationalities are unhappy. All nations are unfortunate. Why? It is because the paramount question remains unanswered. The priests, bishops, and preachers, not only in Bulgaria but in the entire world, are obliged to answer this question. However, they have not found a solution. The statesmen have not found it either. There are two more factors that should have resolved the problem: these are the fathers and mothers, on the one side, and the teachers and instructors, on the other side, but neither they have found the answer. Those young men and women who get married and who want to address this question should ask themselves about the reason for uniting in marriage. It is often said of a young woman, “Let her get married.” Why? The marriages that currently exist are like business transactions. After four or five years, the husband deserts his wife, obtains a divorce, and marries another woman. Time passes, he leaves his second wife as well and concludes, “These women have turned my hair grey, such horrible snakes they are!” If women are horrible snakes and men are dreadful dragons, where are the humans then? If all men and women are bad, where is the true humankind then? It is not a solution of the problem at all. The word “snake” denotes that men and women are cunning but not virtuous in their relationships. It is an important condition to apply goodness in your relationships. It is difficult to answer the paramount question. It is as difficult as understanding some pieces of music, for example some passages of Paganini for violin. For the piano playing, too, there are some pieces of music, which are considerably difficult to understand and perform. We know that people who practice constantly can perform something masterly only after ten years of practice. Do you think that you can answer the Great question of Life and Love without any effort? Great effort is needed, but do not get discouraged! This issue is the best one. When you come to the question of receiving God, your heart will stir and become soft, your mind will be enlightened and such Light will enter it that you will see things you have never seen before in the world. You will ask, “If we live like that, how can we make our living?” If you live according to God’s Will, one of the Great Teachers will come to you and will give you a little wand of magical power. When you are in a difficult situation and feel hungry, you will tap gently with the little wand and right then a table loaded with food will appear before you. You will eat, after that you will tap with your wand again, everything will be taken away, and you will continue on your way. Is that not an easy solution to the problems? You will say, “These are just stories taken from the books and fairy tales.” But is our present life not like a fairy tale? Is there anything real in it? It is not important whether you believe in the World beyond. One day, when you find yourself there, you are going to laugh at your past life. A man once told me one of his dreams. He had many debts and often prayed God to help him. One evening, he dreamed that someone came to him and brought him a bag of gold. Immediately, one of his neighbors came in and said, “This bag of gold is mine!” They started to quarrel and fight and in this fight, the sleeping man kicked, so the glass container by his bedside fell and broke and the water spilled out from it. When he awoke, he saw the pieces on the floor, including the tablecloth in his hands. The spilled water was there, but the bag of gold was not. You will find yourself in a similar condition after death. When you awake in the World beyond and look around, you will find out you have none of the money that you possessed on Earth. You will see the spilled water on the ground and the tablecloth in your hand and the situation will seem ridiculous to you. The time is coming, when people of today will restore their spiritual senses. At the moment, their minds are greatly obscured. Their greatest desire is to insure themselves. It is okay, but their way of attaining insurance is not good. So their desires will never be realized in this manner. I agree that we should be wealthy and insured. I am not an advocate of poverty, but if we are wealthy, then we should be the wealthiest of the wealthy. In my opinion, Life and Light bearers are the wealthiest. Those who bring inner warmth, food, and garments are the richest. The wealthiest has Love within which is the biggest wealth. This is the core of our Teaching. If you gain this wealth on Earth, everything else can be easily attained. The person who has attained this inner Life will bring blessings not only to himself and his beloved but also to all around. Therefore, you all need faith. You may ask, “Is all that you say true or not so true?” I will ask you in reply whether your beliefs are actually true or not. May we test our faith in practice. If you want to know my faith, then I will explain it: Come to my home tonight and not only tonight, but I invite you for the whole year. I solve difficult problems in this way and you should do the same. We should put everything on test. This question cannot be answered with money. If I give you a check for two, three, even twenty-five thousand leva, that will not provide the answer to the question. Money causes disputes. I can give you only an idea. I can give you only one little grain of wheat, but it will be a big blessing for you, if you know how to cultivate it. I will tell you another story. It happened during the reign of Zenobiy, an Egyptian Pharaoh. In his time, the laws of Egypt were very severe: all criminals were punished by death. One of the notable assistants of the Brotherhood of Light, Eshuah Bentham, was sent to Egypt on a mission. He had to solve a certain task: to find out how to elevate the conditions of those people who were condemned to death for the slightest offence. After that, he had to return to the School and report the results. At one time, the Pharaoh’s daughter fell sick of an incurable disease. Eshuah Bentham went to the Pharaoh and said, “I can heal your daughter, if you grant me a certain favor.” Zenobiy answered, “I am ready to grant you any favor.” Bentham replied, “Give an order and bring before me all those criminals who were punished by your law to have their hands and feet cut off, their eyes - taken out, and so on. Bring them to me in these maimed conditions.” Eshuah Bentham cured the daughter of the king. Then the Pharaoh gave this order, “Bring before Eshuah Bentham all those criminals who have received their sentence and the punishment was executed upon them.” They were brought into his room, one by one. Eshuah Bentham knew the Laws to make them wholesome again; so he began healing them, restoring their eyes, hands, and legs. After restoring them to full health, he changed their faces and set them free, advising them not to tell anyone how they were healed. All these criminals became his students and followed him. When they were asked, “How has this man attracted you?” They answered, “Has your head ever been cut off from your shoulders?” The questioners replied, “No.” The disciples explained, “When your head will be removed from your shoulders, you are going to understand who Eshuah Bentham is.” They replied to another curious person, “Have your hands ever been cut off?” “No.” “When your hands will be cut off, you are going to understand who Eshuah Bentham is.” And then they answered another person, “Have you had your legs cut?” “No.” “When they will be cut off, you are going to understand who Eshuah Bentham is.” They asked another person too, “Have you ever been so unfortunate as to have your eyes and heart taken out?” “No.” “When your heart and eyes will be taken out, you are going to understand who Eshuah Bentham is.” The person of Love shall restore people’s heads, recover their legs and hands and place their hearts and eyes in place. Our thoughts and feelings must be in their proper places; our minds and hearts need to take their own seats. Therefore, all doubts existing in human minds today should disappear, so when people meet, they will fully trust one another. When you meet me in a year or two, you shall not find any conflict between my thoughts, feelings, and actions and you need to be ready to sacrifice everything for God. God is the best known and the most Sublime Being in the world. What makes us rejoice in the beauty of creation; what inspires us to strive for the Sublime and ideal - all that is God, all that is the Divine in us. The stillness that speaks in us is God. The quiet soft Voice that whispers inside all of us is God. How many times did you regret that you had not listened to this inner Voice and therefore you had made a mistake? The Divine in us does not speak in the voice of a thunder but very softly and, sometimes, when we have made an error, it says, “Let it go, there is a way of correcting it.” When someone does not want to yield to another person in something, the quiet inner Voice says, “Give it to him, yield!” As a wise person, when I see an ant on my path, I yield; I do not step on it, but rather go around. The ant has no idea that a big being is approaching it, but I, who can see it, will give way. In a similar way, God Who supervises all our needs and weaknesses has taken it upon Himself to rectify the world. The world will be set right; it will not always remain as it is. But you need to apply this Teaching and embrace it. Rejoice and thus you will solve one of the biggest problems existing in your mind by loving the Lord with all your heart. I ask you whether you have loved God so far. You say, “Yes, I have.” You have loved, but what? You have loved the ice. You have loved, but what? You have loved the pear. The ice melted; and there is nothing to love now. The pear decayed; and there is nothing to love now. When you come to love the Infinite God, you will never lose Him. God will always speak to you and your faces will be illuminated. So, I say that all people will learn to love God. Only then will our life become meaningful. God will teach us how to love and you will come to love your neighbors as yourselves. This is the greatest art. God shall come to live in us so that we could learn how to love because it is not us but God is Love, it is not us but God is Life. God will teach us how to love and how to live. It is paramount for us to learn how to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength, and with all our minds. It is the easiest art and everyone can attain it. You object, “I will wait for a while, I will rest, I will read what a certain philosopher has said, and then I am going to try.” You may read the works of thousands of philosophers, but they have not answered this question. Love God! This commandment is the answer to the issue of the entire existence. It implies loving everything and all in the world and understanding it as a manifestation of Supreme Intelligence. And when you go outside and look at the stars, your heart will stir. When you go out and look at the Sun, your heart and your whole being will be moved. How do you look at the Sun? Some claim that the Sun is a big celestial body of fire. Every morning I see how the Lord takes the Sun as a big burning candle and makes His rounds everywhere. He comes from the East. This is how I view the Sun. There is something else, something greater behind it. In the same way, something great is hidden behind our lives. Behind this ordinary manifestation of routine being, there is something sublime and every one of you is aware of it. It is the manifestation of Divinity within the human being. Some ask me, “What God do you believe in?” We believe in God that is Love and Life, that gives Light and Warmth, that brings food, water, clothing, and all inner blessings to us. We believe in that God Who does not require of us to serve Him superficially, but needs us to manifest His Love to the world. He desires His Love to pass through us, just as water passes through the Earth’s layers being filtered and coming to the surface purified. God desires all of us to be conduits through which His Love may flow. If we allow this Love to pass through us, we are going to receive His Blessings and accumulate Divine Credits and thus we all will be called sons of God. Is there anything more wonderful than this - to be sons of God? Is there anything more beautiful than this - to live by God’s Will? This is one of the most important issues to be resolved. Every one of us can do it in a blink. After you solve this, you will go to the world and begin to study. You will encounter a great, profound Science. But first, you should attain Eternal Love and Life so that you could become aware of God and Eternal Truth in its totality and fullness. Lecture held by the Master in the town of Ruse on October 11, 1925. -------------------------------- 1. See also John 17:3. 2. See Luke 10:27. 3. See also Revelations 2:26, “And he who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.”

THE LITTLE BLADE OF GRASS Every stalk coming up from the ground will see the rays of the Sun. You ask why we are sitting in the rain. It is a learning experience. If the field is sown, the rain will be a blessing. If not sown, it will be a disaster. Whenever the field is sown and the rain falls on it, wheat will sprout. But if the field is not sown, only thistles will grow with the rainfall. Therefore, when the Divine Blessing comes into your life, but you have not sown - only thorns and thistles will grow and the disasters will come one after the other like a shadow following the wheel. Do not delude yourselves. The meaning of Life is not found in the external manifestations. The external does not always show the Good; the Good is something intrinsic. One should be good within one’s heart. If you are not able to appreciate the Life that God has breathed in you and cannot value your soul; if you are not familiar with the essence of Purity, how could you teach others? If you cannot attain Purity for yourself, then, how could you impart it to others? People are strange when they want to show that they are knowledgeable, intelligent, or of genius so that they can amaze the world. God has given everyone a mind. Then, why do some people possess an enlightened mind unlike others? It is because they have cultivated their mind, whereas others have not. Those who have not put their God-given mind to work are walking on a broad but slippery slope. We say about them that they lack an enlightened mind. We have come to Earth to learn. The Earth is a sacred school. This truth needs to be understood! Humankind has defiled the planet with its sinful life. Because people do not understand what it represents, they say, “The Earth is impure and sinful.” In fact they impute the results of their negative actions to their home-planet. And yet so many precious things: wheat, apples, pears, potatoes, and others continuously come from the womb of that “sinful” Earth, on which all these crimes and transgressions were committed. It shares with us all blessings received from Above. Nevertheless, many call it “this sinful Earth” and spit on it. Why? Who is to be blamed? Is it the Earth’s fault that things are the way they are? No, the children of Earth should not spit. What is the meaning of this spittle? It represents all bad that has been gathered in our minds and hearts. It is a toxic substance to be discarded. The human spittle is very toxic, especially when one is in a state of agitation or anger. Why did you climb Musala?[1] Why did you meet thunder, rain and snow there? This is the language of Heaven. God told me, “Pass to these people that if they do My Will, I will pour all My blessings onto them. But they should be pure to be able to walk with you and ascend. They cannot serve Me with their feeble desires and thoughts, or with their egotism - no matter how little of it has remained in them.” Today you are better than other people, but compared to the Angels who do God’s Will, you are weak and cannot serve God. You may become either demons or winged Angels. These are opportunities for you. Angels are excellent servants. They bear God’s Blessing throughout the entire world. It is beautiful to bring the small gifts of God placed in our souls to fruition! It is beautiful to do what God wants from us. You may ask me, “How does God speak to you?” It is not so important, but you should know that these are the words which God has addressed to you - literally, but also in a figurative and ideological sense. I can sense the arising of noble zeal in you. Zeal can be something beautiful when it is for Good. It is blessed when it comes from a sown field. But originating from a field, which is not sown, it might bring considerable suffering. Many of you have left your virtues in potential; that is to say, many of the seeds in your field have not sprouted. I am now speaking only about virtues. In my opinion, your imperfections are due to underdeveloped virtues. We are all inter-connected in Life so that one’s transgressions are everyone’s transgressions and one’s virtues are everyone’s virtues. What is a transgression? It occurs as a consequence of holding onto God’s Blessing. The human being should always serve as an agent of God’s Grace. Therefore, if preachers do not fulfill their obligations, if they do not come on time whenever God calls them, everyone will suffer because we are all related to their life. If he does not want to fulfill God’s Will, another one will come to fulfill it. In God, possibilities always exist. In this case, you who are called to be bearers of the Divine Blessing, open your hearts and souls, so that God’s Grace would pass through you and go out to all people! God wants His Grace to be shared with every soul. Do not believe that you are small, underdeveloped, inferior beings, that you cannot accomplish great things. It is a misunderstanding of things. If you cannot accomplish great things - small ones you can. It is sufficient to do this or that good. You should say, “Now I am opening my heart and mind, so that God’s Blessing may come.” This is God’s Will: His Blessing to reach us as the sunrays do. Do you think that you will be able to receive the sunrays, if someone has nailed down the shutters of your windows? If nailed from outside, I am going to free them. But if nailed from inside - that is really bad. Some say that people are not good by nature. What kind of philosophy is this? I interpret it in this way: for thousands of years, people have shut down their souls. As a result, an excess energy has been accumulated in them. If they are not able to use it wisely, it will cause harm both to them and others. What should we do? We are going to put this energy to work and make the most of it in the same way as we use dwarf pines for burning. The pines will say, “These people climbed Musala and we helped them. We have sacrificed so much, even our lives for them. Let’s see what they will do now.” The dwarf pines will be witnesses to your lives. At present, they are sleeping beings. However, on the day when you go before God, you will meet them and they will begin to speak. Remember, these are living beings. You believe that it is possible to hide one’s crime. It is not true. In Nature, nothing can be concealed. Even the stones will tell of the good or bad you have done. You believe that Nature is dead. She is alive. All that you see around - these are sleeping beings. If they begin to speak, they will tell you, “Once upon a time, we, too, were unruly like you, but now we are learning the first lesson - the lesson of silence and humility.” For millions of years, the Divine Hammer has been working on these stones, but they have not yet learned their lesson. You will say, “We are not sleeping beings: we have become alive.” You who have come back to life, why were you led to climb Musala? It is to come to know God. He is speaking to you from Above, but you do not understand His language. God’s language is not difficult, but still you do not understand it. He is telling you, “Love one another.” “Lord, how should we do it?” I ask you, “How should you love one another?” You reply, “By forgiving one another all mistakes and offenses.” It is halfway true. Can you forgive, as well, the one who does not repent? Now I want to interpret your words. What will happen to a dead donkey if it is exposed to the Sun all day long? It will begin to decay and smell bad. What will happen to a dead person if we keep him too long? Even if we pray for him, he will still begin to smell bad. The dead must be buried or taken somewhere far away so that the flesh may decompose and be dispersed into space. After some time, God will collect this matter and will make a new human being out of it. Sometimes even a living person will give out a specific “smell” indicating that he is dead in one respect or another. What should we do for him? How should we manifest our love for this person? If a donkey is alive, we will give it some fodder and water. If it is ill, we will try to cure it. A soon as it is healed, it will bray; and its braying is a sign that it is healthy and able to work. You can ask the donkey, “What is it? Why are you braying?” “Now you can put a load on my back.” And what should we do for that person? Give him what he needs as well. Today we climbed Musala. That is good, but it is only an external achievement. Some turned back, which indicates that there is not full readiness in all of you yet. If we do not know how to climb to the summit, those who turned back would cause us to stumble. When can this happen? If those who climb Musala have many positive traits but also one serious weakness, this weakness will paralyze their efforts to do Good and their strive for God. Therefore, you should transform any imperfection into a virtue not to trip yourself or others. As I have mentioned, some human imperfections are acceptable, but when? When someone is under the Law of Development. However, coming to serve God, one should be perfect - without any fault whatsoever. When I speak about serving God, I am referring to that sacred moment of the soul when we come before God in all our purity and perfection, in the purity and holiness of all our thoughts, desires, and deeds. Only in the perfection of our spirit and purity of our soul, we become aware of what God requires from us in a given moment. I ask: How will you bring the New Teaching into the world? Your souls need to be open. If you enter the world with your imperfections; if you have the same desires as people of the world, what blessing will you bring to them? If I preach God’s Word, but expect a pay for it so that I could wear beautiful and most fashionable clothes - what do you think, will God be pleased with me? Do you believe that in this case I will preach the Kingdom of God in the right way? Tell me: Will a housewife dress in her wedding gown to either do her chores or go to work in the field? The prudent housekeeper goes to work in her old clothes. This is how it should be. She saves her new clothes for special occasions. What occasions? When she will go before God. We will go before God in the most beautiful clothes of ours: those that are spotlessly clean. Remember: the rain is a blessing for the sown field. Why is it raining today? It is because people have great imperfections and big egos. Are human beings bad? No, they are good, but only to themselves. Let us continue being good then but to whom? If it concerns being good to yourselves, you have already mastered this. The important, however, is to be good to God and for God. Good is revealed in three ways: being good to yourself, being good to your neighbor, but the most ideal is - being good to God. We have learned the art of being good toward ourselves and toward our neighbors too; but now we should learn the art of being good toward God. This is the most important thing that is required of us. Consider the mother who raises her children, is she not good toward them? She is good. The little bee overflying long distances to collect pollen and prepare honey for its fellow bees - is it not good to them? The bee is really good to them, but still it has not learned and come to understand the Great Law of Kindness to God. If you try to take some honey from the hive, the bee will sting you right there - it gives nothing for God. It has arranged everything perfectly for itself; it has also cleaned and tidied up its little home. The bees are industrious, but do not know the Law that requires from them to be good toward God. We, too, are like bees. We are very good toward ourselves and our neighbors; but when God comes to us asking even for the least thing, we show Him our sting. From now on, you will study the Law of Kindness to God. It is the greatest thing in life. When you learn and apply this Law, your life will gain meaning; and Living Nature will begin speaking to you. From all this, you can draw a lesson. If these stones begin to speak, what will happen? Your hair will stand on end with fright and this beautiful landscape will become too close for you. Do you know what terrible things you could see and hear? It would be hell for you! If these mountains could relate their history to you, the entire town of Sofia would become too narrow for you. Here you could see two giants - people of the past - who were killing each other. What would you learn from that? You would only be frightened, nothing else. Thousands of years are needed before these heroes of the past can rise. All around you are bones of the dead heroes, of the gods who dwelled in the past. And from now on, for thousands and millions of years, the Sun will be shining and much rain will be falling so that to wash away the human transgressions and enable people to learn the Law of God-Service. Humans have served themselves alone; they have also served their neighbors, but they have not served God. You ask, “Have we not come from God?” There is coming into being both from below and from Above. “What to do then? This is what science says, is not it?” Yes, there is science of the human being, but what I speak about is not this science. There is Science of Saints and Angels; and yet, there also exists Science of God. You say, “I am learned.” I am glad for you that you are learned, but this knowledge is human. Have you studied the Science of Saints? Have you studied the Science of Angels? The Science of Angels is for the distant future. Have you then studied the Science of God? I do not begin with the Science of Angels, nor with the Science of Saints. I begin from Above with the Science of God. It is one of the most profound approaches distinguishing my Science from the others. I begin with the most difficult science. People begin with the smallest numbers. The teacher asks, “Ivan, tell me how much is one plus one?” “One plus one equals two.” “Two plus two?” “Four.” “Three plus three?” “Six.” “Three times three?” “Nine.” This is the wide path - the path of easy science. For thousands of years we have been walking on it; and that is why we have not succeeded. Those who follow the easy path attain results with difficulty. In order to begin with the small denominations one should have the Mind of God. Only God is able to work with the small denominations. We, as human beings, must work with the large denominations. I am going to illustrate my idea with an example. Consider this: If you give a small apple to a crying child, will the crying stop? No. But ten kilograms of apples will do it, no matter how cranky the child is. It is the application of the Science of Divine Life and Abundance. In this Science, numbers speak by themselves. It is enough to call “number one” by name; it will come and present an excellent lecture. If I call “number two” by name, it will come and present another lecture. All numbers speak in this way. From them, you are going to understand the meaning of the Divine Science maintaining the balance of the entire Cosmos. The greatness of God is in His care for us - the infants, the small denominations as we are - and also, in His benevolence gifting us with His abundance. Before our departure from Sofia, God instructed His servants, “Prepare the way for these little children: clean everything around and up there, on Musala and welcome them as dear guests.” That is why we had rain, snow, and hail there. In God’s Science, which works with the small denominations, there is no eating and drinking. In the human science, it is the opposite: there is eating and drinking everywhere. People are good when they eat and drink. You say that we need to forgive one another. It is good to forgive and it is the greatest essential for the human being. God stands out with His quality of being longsuffering and forgiving. It is important for you to love like God, not like people. If you love in the human way, you are going to corrupt yourself. If you could enter the Divine World with your human love, you would attain nothing. Therefore, when you enter the Divine World, you shall love as God loves: you shall be forgiving and willing to work only for God. If a thought about God resides always in your mind, you will be blessed. Whatever you do, always think of God. If the thought that you are sinful crosses your mind, say, “I know that I am sinful, but I know something else too: there is One in the world Who loves me. Since God loves me, I will fulfill His Will. I will serve Him as I should!” If asked why I love and serve God, I will answer, “It is because God also loves me.” Love is responded with Love and Love manifests itself through service and work. Without loving God, you are not going to serve Him. Love is productive. Therefore, the productive person abides in Love. We love that one who works. God acts from Above and we work from below. And so, the high mountain peak you see from here is Musala. Work consciously in order to reveal and understand the Good instilled in you. If you study the Great Divine Science, you will progress in your development; you will learn many things that are necessary for you; and you will finish your development in the way that has been predetermined for each soul from the beginning of its existence. How will you finish if you begin with the Science of Saints and Angels? (The Master picked a little blade of grass.) You will shoot up like this little blade of grass. Each flower has a second meaning. If I pick a floweret and adorn myself, it indicates that I am living according to the Science of Angels and Saints. If you study this Science, you will come to the Law of Development, Selflessness, and Self-sacrifice. The blade of grass that I picked is happy now because it has become a learning object for you. One day, this little blade will meet you before God and will state, “I testify for these people.” For what? That you have been given talks about God and the Great Science of God. This little blade will announce it on its own. Therefore, you shall open your hearts and purify them; you shall repent and whatever transgressions you have made, you shall set them right. You need to open the Book of your Life and thoroughly review your good and bad actions. You shall rectify as many transgressions as you find. If you are not aware of some of your transgressions and in spite of your efforts and will, cannot rectify them, we are going to do this for you. Sometimes even the Master rectifies some errors. It is not important who corrects them. It is good if the students rectify their errors. If the Master rectifies them, it is also good. If the students cannot see clearly to rectify an error, the Master will rectify it for them. There always needs to be someone to rectify our errors. “But I have many imperfections.” It is alright. Assume that these imperfections have been allowed by God. For example, you become offended very easily. Why are you hurt so easily? When you return to Sofia, what are you going to bring back? “The desire to rectify our errors. We will love our brethren as God loves us. We will work in God’s field and will create a small channel by which God’s Blessing will flow to Sofia.” All that of which you think has already been projected; all that of which you speak will come true. This is in accordance with the Divine Science. The channel will reach Sofia, but the field needs to be sown. Who will raise the shutters of your windows? I opened them this morning. Not only this, but I also opened the roofs of your houses. I pulled down your heavy walls. When you look around, you will see that you no longer have shutters, walls, or roofs. This is the Light. This is the Freedom. I want you to preserve your Freedom, not to put your heads in a yoke and then to say, “Lord, how much longer must I bear this life and burden, these imperfections and misfortunes? Has my mother given me birth for this?” Now, you will remember Musala. But you should know that there are souls imprisoned for centuries at this place and throughout the Balkan Peninsula - and these souls are waiting for their liberation. They do cause you harm. Who does not want freedom? Two people fight with each other; they quarrel. Why? They fight for freedom. After they give each other a good thrashing, they say, “Now, do you know who I am?” Sometimes the spirits who caused this quarrel may come to you and ask for help. As you do not know how to help them, you begin to argue and fight among yourselves. It indicates the need for more Light. Whenever you go somewhere, first open the shutters of your windows and remove the roofs and fences of your houses. Today I will give a little blade of grass to each of you as a keepsake. It will serve as an emblem for you. As small as it is - whenever you look at it, say to yourself, “I shall learn the Law of Development, the Law of Angels.” Each blade of grass conceals within itself the formula, “The Great Science of Life is the service to God.” Here, I will give you all some of this grass. “Can we share it with others?” You can, but you will take in return their promise to serve God. And yet, you too, need to understand the Law of God-Service as something very important and to focus on it. If you do not hold this idea, the grass itself is meaningless. So, I could gather a full basket of grass for you, but it will not bring any connotation to you. Therefore, in the Great Divine Science, everyone is required to serve God. If you say that you serve God, you need to sow something. When you pick a blade of grass, it should visualize for you “the Word of God.” May it be an image of the idea of service to God. If you keep this blade of grass with you without the meaning of these words, it would be like a sacred book with lost meaning of the Word. Only when the Divine Words are inscribed in it, it is valuable. When you sit on the grass in the future, hold the idea of service to God. It will speak to you about the Law of Service. Understanding this Law, when you sit on the grass, it will welcome you. It will imply that the windows and roofs of those who have this grass will be opened. Those who undertake to study the Great Divine Science must have the roofs and windows of their homes open. The Sun will shine on them from all sides and the Earth will be their foundation. And so, pass the words, which I told you, to whomever you give some blades of this grass. Now, let’s finish our work. The word “finish” implies a new beginning of work in the light of the Great or Divine Science. When I say: Let’s finish this work, I mean that we are ready to begin a new work. When we complete a given activity, we will not rest, but will go to the vineyard and begin to cultivate it. After cultivating it, there will be yet another work. The day will come when we will go to the vineyard and taste the grapes. When we finish our mundane work, we will begin the Great Work for God. You say, “Let’s free ourselves from the world.” There is no need for this. As long as we work for God, we are free citizens. And yet, if we do not believe in this Science, the world will have an influence upon us. Therefore, if we hold the idea to go away from the world, it implies that we consider ourselves weak. “Service to God” is the fundamental idea of this talk. We begin with the most difficult science - the Divine Science - teaching us of all these things, which our soul is longing for and our spirit is striving after. Why are the great obstacles at work in the world? Where are the strongest bridges constructed? Over the big rivers. Why? It is because over the big rivers heavy loads are usually transported. The stronger the bridge is, the heavier loads can be transported over it. The stronger, healthier, and more learned one is, the more difficult and responsible is the service in which God places him. You say, “I will not be a bridge!” If you can be a bridge between God and humans, so that the Angels can cross upon you - is that bad? Each Angel crossing over you, will leave you a blessing. We will be bridges not for the human, but for the Divine. If we become bridges for the human, we will destroy ourselves. But if we become bridges for the Divine, we will be reborn. The word “bridge” implies a link between the Divine and the human being. Hold the idea that you are serving God. Keep repeating it. You should do every action - even the least action - consciously, with the awareness that you are serving God. Do not say that it is difficult to serve God and much knowledge is needed for this. Whoever goes to serve God should not bear much knowledge. When you go to a wellspring, do you carry water with you? When you go to an orchard ripe with fruit, do you bring food with you? But when you go to the desert, you must carry water with you. Science is the nourishment for people. When I say that we go before God, I have in mind that we need not the worldly, but the Living science. My point of view is that we require not the human, but the Divine knowledge - or the knowledge of Living Nature. You may say, “I do not want bread.” I understand that you do not want the ordinary bread made by people, but from now on, you will want the Bread of God and will eat from It. “I do not want science.” I understand that you do not want the worldly, human, but the Divine Science in the Light of which you are going to evolve. In this way, you are going to comprehend what is great and Divine in the world. Now, I am not telling you to be just good, but you all should be as God created you. In the human world, you do not usually treat those who you do not love, but send them away and leave them hungry. This is how the worldly science solves this issue. In the Divine World, it is vice versa: you take care for those whom you do not love and feast them most of all - at the same time, you give the least to your beloved. In Heaven, the lack of nourishment is a privilege given to few. While on Earth, if you are starving, you will complain wherever you go, “I have been left hungry. They did not feed me. They sent me away.” However, if you are left without food in Heaven, you will rejoice. This happens quite rarely - only once in a thousand years. It is a very special privilege. How is this understood in the profound Divine Science? That one, who has no need of food, possesses everything within oneself and can give to others. He says, “Let it be given to all and whatever remains at the end will be for me. May all have their fill. I will be happy for them to receive the Divine Blessing.” Translated into our language, it means to give way to one another. What does it imply? It is said in the Scriptures, “Pray for one another.”[2] We pray to God for sending His Grace to our beloved. We also pray to God for this or that to befall those whom we do not love; nevertheless, thus we send them a blessing. Therefore, we pray for those whom we love and whom we do not love. But we forget about the people who are in the middle. I want to remind you to pray for them too. As far as I know, you pray a lot. Your prayer should be delivered with all your heart; that is to say, with absolute sincerity! That is how you should pray! You say, “Such things to be accomplished, efforts and struggle are required.” You will struggle until your virtues take supremacy. Say, “I can serve God in all times and conditions.” When you overcome all obstacles in your life, you will be a true spiritual worker. We, too, have overcome a great obstacle now; we climbed Musala in the rain, snow, and hail. Those who will hear about it will wonder what we were thinking to have embarked for Musala at such an early hour, still in the dark and in such bad weather. People say that we are foolhardy. But our thinking is different. Anyone can climb Musala in good weather. And yet, the challenge is to climb it in bad weather. If they ask you whether that was a must, say, “It was a learning experience.” I want you to keep this outing in memory as something rare and unforgettable. If it remains like a dead recollection for you - as the cemetery monuments are - you have attained nothing. On some monuments, you may read, “Here rests a young hero who took part in 25 battles.” I do not approve such monuments and inscriptions. The monuments of our true heroes are living, not made of stone. When we visit some of them, we say, “Come out and demonstrate your bravery.” It is my wish for you to be like living monuments. I would like you to: firstly, rise (rise means “sprout” when regarding the process of growing); then - come back to life; and finally - resurrect. When I bring you once again to Musala, say, “We have learned how to rise and come to life.” If you are asked who your people are, answer, “Those who have risen.” As you see, we are in fog. What does it mean? When Moses climbed Mt. Sinai, thick clouds covered him. Thunder could be heard, but no one could see what was happening there. It was better this way. Today, as well, God is saying, “The external world has not been ready to see My Face yet, nor what is taking place here.” For this reason, the fog is spread out in front of us today. The Divine plough needs to work upon you for a long time so that you might be able to receive the Divine Light. Such a big quake will befall the world that no roofs will remain on the houses. What are these roofs that I have in mind? They represent people’s chains and shackles. God will come when you have all your roofs blown away and window shutters raised - and then you will get free. Is there anything bad in that? The chains will fall away from your hands and feet. If a stallion grazes freely in the wilderness, free of chains and bridles, is there anything bad in that? Where will you look for an untamed horse? In the wilderness. When I see him, I will pat his back and tell him, “I am glad that you are free of chains and bridles.” As the horse is grazing, he will lift up his head to look at me and will continue to graze. This is a form of speech for the horse and I converse with him in this way. By raising his head, the horse wants to tell me, “Have you studied the Science of Saints and of Angels? Do you graze like us?” The ox says the same. I ask: Studying the Science of Saints and Angels, do you know the reason why horses and oxen graze? It is said sometimes that someone chews and ruminates like an ox. According to me, people should learn how to chew their food and not gulping it down. Chewing is a symbol of life. When you see a horse in the wilderness, go to him, stop out of respect, pat him on his back, turn your eyes to God, and then continue on your way. If you see an ox, do the same. “What will become of us?” Strange question: What will become of you? The Divine in you will awaken and God will begin to speak to you. Your souls will open to the Sublime in the world and you will rejoice. Only thus you will come to know God. Your ears will open for the Word of God and your minds will perceive Him. Only thus you will become brothers and sisters among yourselves. I do not speak of the present-day brotherhood and sisterhood, which is erased in four generations without leaving any trace at all. I speak of that brotherhood and sisterhood, which cannot be obliterated by any power in the world. It is the genuine brotherhood. And friendship obliterated by nothing - whatsoever it could be, is a true friendship. May God’s Blessing come upon you! May God’s Love be with us all! May you walk in this Love throughout the whole year! Now you are kissing my hand. Why are you doing it? It seals the contract that you will serve God. Why do you shake hands with the right hand? It signifies that two people with awareness who have come together in one place are able to accomplish anything. You asked to have this lecture and it is done. If you really desire something, it is already realized. “Who can this lecture be shared with? - With all those who are devoted to the Divine Science. As it is said so it is. The grass, that is to say, the little blade of grass that I gave you, will not lose its meaning. It will always speak to you. As soon as you search for it in your heart, you will find it. Be cheerful, glad, and joyful. You are required to serve God. May we be humble like children. It was not possible to give you this talk on Mount Musala. Your feet were cold. As soon as we came down, the talk was given. Your courage to go to the summit in the bad weather is a token of your good nature. You were able to climb Musala in such difficult conditions and it is an indication that in respect to the spiritual, you can overcome all challenges and obstacles. Your act of courage makes me happy. From the perspective of the Divine Law, those who give always receive. Whatever you choose will be realized; but you should open your mind and heart for this to happen. We chose to reach the summit and we did it. Despite the bad weather, we succeeded to climb. The higher we climbed, the more the thunder abated and was gradually diminished. It was saying, “Whoever climbs to the top needs to be as pure as snow.” See, there is Sun shining now on the summit. We should climb once more to the top to see the Sun. People will ordinarily vie for leadership, for the first place. Those who fulfill God’s Will are “the first.” Those who do not fulfill it are “the last.” From this point of view, all can be the first. When we were climbing up the peak, some were afraid of catching a chill that is why they returned. Others wanted to descend to Chamkoria[3], as they feared of remaining with us any longer. They asked me, “Should we go back or remain here?” As I stand for freedom, I told them to go back, if they are afraid of catching a chill. I could have told them that all should stay because there will be a talk tomorrow. But I did not tell them this, so they left. I acted in accordance with the Law of Freedom. Within God, reversals of decisions do not exist. Whatever He promises will come to pass. God is the only Being Whose Words do not include reversals of decisions. He has never been unfaithful to His promises. He does not know that which is not possible. If God is not manifesting His Mercy, this is because He is waiting for the moment in which all will be able to understand Him. If God tolerates people, it is because He wants them to awaken and understand why the world is created. For example, you do not know why the grass has been created. It is not wrong that you do not know. I opened one page of the Divine Book for you today, but how many pages still remain to be open? By now, you have not thought why oxen and horses graze on grass. Which philosopher would have told you that? You say, “How good it would be if we could always be with you!” There is no time when you are without me. As you see, the weather is beginning to improve. The weather has smiled and you become joyful. When you are joyful, the weather is joyful as well. When you are crying, the weather gets gloomy - it is crying too. Many complain of being not loved. There is One Being Who loves you: it is God. When you say that no one loves you, it means that you have not found the One Who loves you boundlessly. As soon as His Light comes and fills your souls, you will all rejoice and be glad. It is important now for you to assimilate completely all that you have heard. Here are the most important things, again: a bright, joyful day, a day of God. When the day is joyful, it is always God’s day. When you possess a single day like this, all days become God’s days. Some of you complain of getting their feet wet. What does it mean to have wet feet? The Divine cannot be attained unless one gets his feet wet. Wet feet represent the unfavorable conditions in life. If you intend to achieve something and a number of obstacles occur - these are all like the wet feet. For example, you have decided to build a house, but you do not have the money for this; it is an obstacle. When we come to live in harmony with God, our homes will be more beautiful than at present. We will build homes according to our needs. We will have as much Light as we need. Often you become discouraged and say, “We have grown old.” What does it mean? When someone loses his faith, that person grows old. When someone loses track of one’s life purpose and the aspiration for God, that person grows old. Children are joyful when their mother has taken them outdoors - that is good. You are also joyful today and should be joyful. Why? It is because joy is like such an outing. And so, those of you who climbed Musala did well. And those who did not come - they did well too. In the end, we all must go down. “How wonderful it would be to stay here!” “Here” means “with God” - but we are going to be always with God. Talk of the Master held on July 13, 1925 at the Lakes of Musala, Rila Mountains. --------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Musala is the highest peak (2,925 m) of the Rila Mountains in Bulgaria. 2. See also James 5:16, “Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” 3. Chamkoria is the previous name of Borovets resort in the Rila Mountains.

MINDFUL HEART Every activity and undertaking in the world should be set not on shaky but on a solid foundation. By “solid,” I mean unchangeable, indicating that in any conditions it remains the same. Such a foundation is the true one. Now, let us assume that while you are living on Earth, your foundation is solid. It implies that you can rely on your personality. Yet, what foundation will you use for your life after death? Therefore, the Earth is not a stable foundation on which you can stand. What then will the real foundation be? We call the mindful, intelligent, and wise human heart a real foundation. I consider the mindful heart not of the contemporary person, but of the Divine human being. Apostle Paul said that in physical form one cannot understand spiritual subjects because they could only be perceived in spirit. You need to set your life on a new course based upon your mindful heart. The Divine Spirit acts in it; so what you undertake based on your mindful heart is always right. Those who act in compliance with it never err because all errors are instantly resolved. The errors in the world originate from the human objective mind, which is the means of reasoning today. When a good thought comes into your mind, you begin to reason which way to apply it and in doing so, you are losing the opportunity. Often we say that if you go into the water, you may drown. Either you should be capable of swimming or you should learn to swim. I ask: In which school do little ducklings learn the art of swimming? In fact, it knows how to swim from its incubation. It had learned that art thousands of years ago. All this indicates the Divine connection existing in the human mind. What acts consciously and without exception is the Divine Spirit. And when we listen to this inner Voice (which I call “the mindful heart”), our thinking differs from the ordinary one. A simple experiment can be conducted. If you think with your head, you will think for a long time. You will do research on a certain subject for one-two-three-five-ten or more years until you come to some conclusion. Let’s say you think about the weather on Monday. Your mind begins to reason and says, “It will be beautiful.” Well, you need to verify this. After that, you will ask yourself if the weather will be totally or partially clear, if it will be rainy or just cloudy, and so on. You will put this question to stay clearly in your mind. Through such experiments you will notice that the responses you get through your mind scarcely prove true: one time in a hundred. It is a mental assumption that the weather will be nice. But if you ask your mindful heart the same question, it will state the weather on Monday with absolute accuracy. When the mindful heart is involved, there is no reasoning, no erring. As soon as you begin to reason, the Divine has already been lost. If you think with your mindful heart, you will experience a pleasant sensation in your solar plexus and then every one of you can say, “The weather will be such and such.” Ask yourself, for example, about your life this year: whether it will be good or bad. If your answer comes from your mind, it will give you either the most favorable projects or, sometimes - the most dismal ones. However, if you ask your mindful heart, it will give you a definitive answer. Not only this, but it will also indicate the difficulties you are going to pass through and at the same time, will provide you with guidance to safely overcome them. Good aspirations are also included in the concept of the mindful heart. Everyone has good aspirations. In some people they are manifested at a younger age; in others - later on. For example, there is an impulse coming to you: a good idea to do a favor for someone. Walking along the street, you see a poor widow. You put your hand in the pocket, but immediately start to rationalize and tell yourself, “I have money, but I need it today. Well, I will do a good thing another day.” By thinking in this way, you have already made the first omission. After some time you should pay a tenfold fine for not realizing your good impulse coming from the Divine. Therefore, we should follow the Divine Voice within us at all times. As soon as the Divine impulse begins to speak to us, it becomes a kind of a test in our life. God is testing us and we absolutely need to obey Him. As soon as you perceive the Divine, bring it to realization. It is not necessary to give all your wealth for the good you are willing to do; it is only a small service that is required from you. For example, a child fell in the street and had a leg fracture. Would it be a big bother to take him to your home and help him? You will lose only half an hour. But you say, “I have a very important work to do.” All misfortunes in our life come from not listening to the good impulses and aspirations arising in our hearts. We fixate on various philosophical arguments and speculations saying that we must put our lives in order. Our first delusion lies in the desire to arrange our lives by ourselves and in our belief that we are capable of doing it. According to the mindful heart, our life has already been arranged. All conditions under which we should live, all people whom we should meet and who will affect us has been predetermined. And as it was set so it will be. In this way, the entire Heaven works upon us. In reality, it is God Who acts in this world through us. Therefore, every good deed is a manifestation of God in us. So, whenever we resist a Divine Thought, we are creating our misfortune in the world. It is not required from you to carry the whole weight of the world through the good aspirations that you have. I have told you on other occasions that every good thought is connected with thousands of other good thoughts. Now, when you fail to realize a good thought, do you not admit that God has foreseen this? God has foreseen everything, but you are losing an opportunity. With each failure to realize a good intent, you descend and sink down; and thus your life becomes more difficult. Whenever you refuse to manifest a good thought, you debase yourself. The conditions will become harsher and harsher until finally, your willpower will be paralyzed. You will become a plaything of destiny, that is to say, of the external conditions. The sole cause for the appearance of these unfavorable conditions is that we have not listened to the mindful heart. How do we know that the mindful heart is acting in us? If it is so, there is always an expansion taking place in our souls. Doing even the smallest good, you will feel pleased as if you had taken on the entire world and have won. You all should not speak of the good you do. As soon as you declare it outwardly, you will stumble. When you do good things, you have already God’s approval and feel joyful. So, you should not commend yourself with this, God will commend you. Let’s say that someone was drowning and you saved him. After pulling him out of the water, do not linger for him to reward you. Leave it and let him search for you. If you write to the newspaper that you have saved someone from death, that you have done such and such good, half of it will be lost. The students of the Divine Teaching have a moral power hidden in their absolute faith in God. We might not know where Heaven is, where God lives, how far He is away from us, but we need to experience God. An English clergyman once said, “I do not know where Heaven is, but when I begin to pray to God in the privacy of my soul, I feel the presence of the Divine Spirit.” It is an indication that God hears him immediately. That is the important thing: to be heard at the moment when we direct our spirit to God. It is said by the Prophet, “Truly, God does not live in Heaven but within the hearts of humble people.” Who are humble people? I say: people of the mindful heart. If you all follow your mindful hearts, all disputes arising among you at times will disappear. For example, some of you have bad habits; sometimes you are losing patience. All this is due to the rationalizing of your mind that you have been insulted. In what does a person’s dignity lie? A person’s dignity lies in the fulfillment of the Will of God, in the application of the smallest virtues. You might have won one of the greatest battles. You might have uplifted an entire nation. Yet, if one day your heart tells you that you should tie the shoelace of an old man, but you do not obey it, every other accomplishment of yours will fall away. To tie an old man’s shoe is more valuable than to win a battle. Now I am going to tell you about two hermits: they have been living in the desert for twenty years constantly praying to God. One day, the first hermit noticed that his companion passing through a certain place, jumped and started to run. He wondered what his friend could have seen to frighten him enough and make him flee. He went over to this place and saw a big pot, full of gold. He thought to himself, “How naive one can be to run away from gold.” He took the gold out from the pot and went to Alexandria where he built a large inn. He began to help the poor and when he spent all the gold keeping nothing for himself, he returned to the desert. He prayed to God to let him know if He was pleased with him. An Angel appeared before him and told him that all his good works as a whole were not as valuable as the act of his brother. Therefore, if we take and assess what is accomplished by our present objective mind from childhood to passing away, it is all not as precious as one small act of our mindful heart. It is mentioned in the Scriptures that David contemplated with his heart[1]. It means that he contemplated with his mindful heart. That is what is now required of you all being in the second stage of your life: good behavior is a prerequisite. In other words, you should know how to behave respectfully to one another. For example, when you want to admonish someone, you can do it, but in a loving way, the same way as you would act toward yourself. When you admonish yourself, how do you do it? Do you judge yourself severely? You consider the circumstances, do you not? Why do we not behave well with others as we behave with ourselves? Therefore, we should make the truth known in a loving way. When we correct our brother for his mistake, it is good to make him realize that we are doing this out of Love and not because we want to mock at him. The principal thing that people lack today is noble, virtuous character. For example, in this School, you sometimes argue about the seats. Some ask me, “Do we not have the right to listen to you from the front places?” I ask: Whose character is nobler: of that one who is in the front or in the back? If you are a person of sweet tongue and fulfilling God’s Will, you may sit in the first seat. If you are someone using the rudest words, sit in the last place! Even if you are called to sit up in front, say, “Brother, I am not a person for the first seat. I will sit in the back now and will gradually move up to the first seats.” You say, “Let’s sit up in front!” I will be glad to see you in front, but you should know that I “read” these first rows. They should be the rows of Divine Love so that everyone you meet after sitting in them could feel that sweetness coming from you - that kindness and the power to help one another. You might say, “Yes, but these are inherited traits.” It is a lie: the concept of “inherited traits” is your fabrication. When God created you He implanted in you virtues and qualities like kindness, good intent, and noble heart. Therefore, in every case, we have as many opportunities to be good as to be bad. I have explained on other occasions what evil is. Evil always stems from our refusal to be good. Evil is the unaccomplished good. Let's assume that two students start to argue and insult one another; this is quite natural. How will they settle this dispute? If one of them tells himself, “Wait, I will act according to my mindful heart,” the other one will tell himself, “I, too, will act according to my mindful heart.” If both of them do this, the dispute will be settled immediately. What do you have in this world to contest? After all, what of that which you possess is to be contested? Is Divine Love not the best thing to possess? Only God can give power to our mind, heart, and will. He has limited Himself to be able to abide in us. There is One God in the world Who has limited Himself for our sake. That is a sign of God’s Sublime Glory. If you do not recognize the Sacrifice, which God has made to enter human heart, you will create inner conditions for death. Death ensues from there. We die and resurrect every day. If you decide this evening to be true to the Great Law of the Divine Manifestation, do you have any idea of the change that will take place in you? If you observe this Divine Law, whoever you meet in your way - it might be even the most wicked people - when you stop and look at them, God will smile at you through their eyes. You will say, “I recognize Him!” God is hidden deeply within the wicked people. They are such because they do not live well. When roads in the country get worse, shall we lay the blame with the roads or the people? The people who failed to repair the roads. Therefore, because of our disobedience to this Great Intrinsic Law, we have come to the state, in which the entire world is suffering under the conditions of the contemporary life. That is why, a mild and tolerant disposition is needed. Someone once said that death shines from the faces of the local cadets. I do not know whether death can shine or not, what I know though is that our faces shall breathe Life not death. Now, speaking about the mindful heart, you should know that for its development suffering should touch you deep inside; you should be shaken to the depth of your soul. What is needed exceeds those emotions, which touch you only superficially, like the waves that scarcely reach ten meters below the sea surface: radical revitalization is required of you. We should have Abraham’s character. Abraham had not any heirs. According to the Hebrew law’s line of succession, his inheritance would be left to one of his servants or one of his sons by his female slaves. And yet, God told him that He would give him an heir. Who was Abraham’s heir? Isaac, who was born thanks of his father and mother ’s devotion. God said to Abraham, “You shall offer your son as a sacrifice.” If you were in Abraham’s position, would you say, “Let God’s Will be done”? He took his son, put some wood on his back and went straight to the place where he had been told to offer his son as a sacrifice. He was being tested to the very last moment. When he raised the knife, God said to him, “Do not lay your hand on the boy, neither shall you harm him, for now I know that you are a man who reveres God. I know that you are a man of obedience; and for this reason, you shall not offer your son as a sacrifice.”[2] This quality of Abraham is worthy of praise! With this, he showed that he was ready to sacrifice even the most precious that he had. For this reason, Abraham is called “a friend of God.” I call him “father of the faithful” because he was a man of absolute faith, a man who has no doubt. Of course, you should apply this Teaching according to the situation in which you find yourselves in life. You will experience God and He is going to test you. He will test you as He did with Abraham. He will test you as He tested the apostles and prophets. You all shall pass through Fire - not just once, but seven times. When I say this, you get frightened. It is a necessity, but it is also the greatest blessing for each one of you to pass sevenfold through the Divine Fire. It is the sacred Fire of Love that will purify your minds and hearts so that you may come to know God’s Goodness and how to apply it in your lives. Never act in haste. No matter what you do, do not hurry up. One of you is a merchant. Your accounts are in disarray, you lack money. You go home, hold your head and are discouraged. Do not get in despair! When you go home, sit down and turn your mind to God - to your mindful heart - and listen to the advice that will come: what to do in this situation. Certainly, you will receive some answer. If you are a mother and have a daughter who is very disobedient, do not scold her, do not ask her to do this or that. Instead, turn to your mindful heart and ask it what to do. After one, two, three, or four days the best answer will come to you how to behave with her. You are a teacher, servant, or student - no matter what your position is, do not act in haste. I will give you an example illustrating that those who have faith always save themselves. About 250–300 officers were sentenced to death by the Bolsheviks. One of the officers was called forward and they asked him, “Do you believe in God?” “I do not.” They shot and killed him. The second, the third, the fourth - they asked each one, “Do you believe in God?” and the answer was negative. Finally they asked one, “How about you, do you believe in God?” “Yes, I believe!” and he made the sign of the cross. “At last, here is one believer. Go, you deserve to live.” They let him go free. Why? It is because God whispered to the executioners, “Let this one go free. He is My man!” This man had faith in his mindful heart; and he listened to his inner voice. I can give you many other examples regarding the counsel of the mindful heart, but the benefit of these examples is in their application. I know how difficult it can be for a person to apply a certain precept! When someone becomes angry, doubt and hesitation immediately follow. You can doubt anything in the world but never God! Be ready to sacrifice yourself for this Great Love - for God Who has chosen to limit Himself in order to come and dwell within us. Be prepared, in any instance, to sacrifice everything for Him! In this, Christ has distinguished himself. “For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the Will of Him Who sent me,”[3]said Christ. When they told Him that He must bear the cross of suffering, He said, “I will do everything that my Father has told me to do.”[4] Christ possessed both knowledge and power. He said, “Could I not ask for one or two legions of Angels to come and deliver me? I could, but I will not do it. I prefer disgrace, suffering, torture, as all of this is to be for the sake of my brethren.”[5] This is Divine Will! How is Divine Love revealed? In obedience. A time will come when there will be no suffering. Christ will never be crucified again in this world. Why? It is because such tree on which to crucify Christ does not exist. This Christ Who is living nowadays in the hearts of millions cannot be crucified - there is not such a big tree for this. Christ is already very powerful and His might will increase even more. We, too, can have such power. This is why Christ said, “And whatever you ask in My name, it will be done.”[6] In which name? In the name of God’s Love, in the name of your mindful heart. If you have a mindful heart, Christ can come and dwell in it. I can advise you, but cannot impose rules on you. I want one thing from you: to compete in showing respect to one another. This is a principal thing. You have enough philosophy; you could even be professors. You could hold lectures. You could preach to people on morality. You could even interpret the Scriptures, but what is required of you is the application, which is the most difficult thing. Whoever can apply the inner knowledge will pass into the second phase. One can already speak to that person who is listening to his mindful heart. You can rely on your good aspirations. You should know that you all have them. I can prove this to you. If I insult you, you will show me how I should have behaved. You will tell me, “You should have been kinder.” If you can speak to me on morality, it means that you understand the good aspirations. Why can you not behave accordingly? We all know how we should behave. Why are we unable to apply the knowledge which we have? We can apply it! All of you, without exception, can apply it. We have good aspirations and mindful hearts, in which God has limited Himself to dwell. If two thousand years after Christ we say that we cannot live a pure Christian life - that is a pity! I have been listening to you before the lecture. One brother said, “Brothers, let us pray!” I want only one of you to pray, not all. One of you can accomplish the whole job. How many engineers are needed to drive a train? One. If all become engineers, there will be a quarrel. One engineer per train is enough. He will get into the locomotive and all others will sit in the passenger compartments; then the work will advance. The good heart will begin to advance; this piston rod will operate according to the Great Divine Law and the rest will sit in the passenger compartments, quietly and calmly. You may ask, “Can we be sure there is no chance for mistakes?” The history of thousands of years tells us that all those who have been guided by their mindful hearts have acted wisely. Never have they caused an accident. For this reason, the psalmist said, “I have been young and now I am old; but I have not yet seen the righteous person to beg for himself. I have not seen anyone of mindful heart to beg for oneself or be subjected to profanity!” If the righteous have been subjected to profanity at times - this has occurred for the simple reason that they wanted to help their brethren. And so, we will now appeal to your good aspirations, to your mindful hearts. After that, we will appeal to Christ, to this living Christ whom I call the Son of Love, the world’s sole Teacher. We know His name - Christ. And yet, He has a Sacred Name that we do not dare to mention. When I turn to Him, I say, “Lord, in Your Name by which You are known in Heaven above, may Your Will be done!” Compete in showing respect! For the Bulgarian, this is essential. Among all Slavic nations, the Bulgarians are the coarsest. You need to accept this. Accept this. There is no shame about it: there is nothing wrong in being coarse, but polishing is needed. In order to become more polished, you need to compete in Divine Love. This Love will polish you. Then, like the oyster, you will produce a pearl out of your coarseness. First, you need to begin with good conduct. I am constantly hearing some of you saying, “The Master is kinder to some of us and tougher to others.” You are considering things according to the physical manifestation. We cannot show favoritism. Love manifests itself equally to all people. It is so, but not all people manifest God’s Love equally. Therefore, your souls differ: some of them are more prepared than others and because of this, God manifests Himself more intensely through them. However, you should know that you all have the same opportunity. God treats Angels in the same way as humans, plants, even the smallest stones - there is no difference. I do not speak of the external, physical world but of the living stones and plants; because in Heaven, both stones and plants can speak and are alive. Hence, you all need to manifest your good aspirations! I would like to see that the coarseness and complaining among you have disappeared because God’s Love is violated by such behavior of yours. All people complain, saying, “We need Love.” Well, Love is within us; you only need to manifest it! If your faucet is turned off, whose fault is it that the water cannot flow through it? Is it the fault of water or yours? Open the faucet and your mindful heart will immediately allow this Wellspring to flow forth. The principal focus for the young, as well as for the old among you, is to compete in showing respect. Spiritual students who do not show respect for one another will not show respect for their Master too. Spiritual students who cannot live in harmony with one another do not respect their Master. God says that He is not pleased with those who do not listen to Him. All hearts should be ready to fulfill God’s Will. All should do God’s Will through Love so that His Kingdom may come. Then we all will rejoice. We can apply this even tonight. No, this night will be a day. We can transform even the night into a day. I want you now to remember this: Each one of you should resolve in a specific way the issue of relationships and good behavior, regardless of how the others treat you. This is the main issue; and yet, you begin with the opposite. No, each one of you should resolve on your own how to treat others well with the awareness of whether God is pleased with your attitude or not. I do not say that God is displeased because it would be a judgment. You can rectify all your faults. This evening, God will take up all of your wrongdoings and put them behind Him. This will be done in an instant. Then a new state will arise: rebirth of the human being. A new uplift will occur with the human spirit. The newly born will be free of torments, being joyful and happy. This can come to pass even tonight; you can resolve this issue even now. Those who are ready - may they not be late. However, those who are not ready shall wait for their time to come. Those who are ready can resolve this issue instantaneously. God of Love is not God of the dead, but God of the living. Lecture by the Master Beinsa Douno for the General Esoteric Class, held on April 2, 1924, Sofia. -------------------------------------- 1. See also Psalm 53. 2. See also Genesis 22:1–19. 3. See John 6:38. 4. See also Matthew 26:42. 5. See also footnote 3 on page 15. 6. See also John 14:13.

THE HIGH IDEAL Nature loves only those who have high ideals. She calls them her beloved children and knows them by name. Those who have no ideals are not listed in her Book. They are discarded and put into her cellar for the distant future. And so, whenever you feel abandoned by God and Living Nature, as if no one is paying attention to you, you should know it is your fault: you lack a high ideal. It is a Law. Everyone can organize their lives getting free of the adversities and sufferings and coming out of the long forgotten cellar of Nature. Setting a high ideal, even the most forsaken person, who is at the bottom of Nature’s cellar, will begin to crawl up like a snail and before long will come up to the surface enjoying the Sun shining upon him. Then Nature will say about him, “Behold one of my children who has risen from the dead.” What is death and what is resurrection? Death is related to the children forgotten in the cellar of Nature, in other words, to those who lack high ideals. Resurrection is related to the children who are coming out of the material world’s deep cellars, in other words, to those who have high ideals. However, to be able to come out of the cellar you should possess strong willpower and unparalleled faith. You may often hear someone saying, “I can eat any food available, I am not choosy at all; I can dress in any clothes, I am not particular about the color or the quality of the fabric.” Such a person wants to present himself as humble, as one who accepts the conditions of life. It is not right. Whoever eats all kinds of food indiscriminately is without an ideal or with a very low one. This is how the omnivorous animal eats, but the human being is not an animal. When you eat, you need to choose your food carefully. Nature has created a variety of food, but you should choose the purest and the best one, which will have a beneficial effect on your body. Then you are a person of a high ideal! Nature knows her children, she knows who of them have high ideals and who lack them. She is testing them all the time. Nature wants to discover what is hidden in the recesses of the human soul, in the depths of the human mind and heart. Nature wants to find out more about the human aspirations and impulses, so she lets you in her garden full of fruit trees, which are bearing various fruits of different properties. Then she observes which fruit you would reach for. If you choose to take from the best fruit, Nature will make a note in her Book, “Behold one of my wise children who has a high ideal and will become a true human being.” But, if Nature sees that the person is too lazy to climb a tree but picks fruits from the lower branches, she will form a different opinion. She will make a note in her Book, “You will not turn out to be a true human being! You do not have a high ideal.” “What shall I do then?” “You should climb up the tree and pick fruits from there.” “But it is too high, I may fall down.” You need to climb the tree even though you may fall down jeopardizing your life. Then Nature will make a note in her Book, “This child is courageous and will become a true human being.” Some people look up at the tops and stretch arms to them, but get frightened. So, they look down at the lower branches and search the ground for fallen fruits bending over to pick them up. For people like this one Nature will write down, “These are my children forgotten in the cellar who will not become true human beings.” Remember that Nature focuses on the intrinsic aspiration of the human being. She only registers the facts, observes them, and puts in her records whatever she sees. Therefore, if Nature has recorded the best about you, you are the reason for that. And if she has chronicled anything not recommended by her, again you are the reason for this. She simply records the facts as they are without exaggerating or diminishing them; and based on them, Nature draws her conclusions. The effects that influence your life are a consequence of the choices you have made. There was a young Egyptian woman named Eltamar, daughter of a poor villager, who was distinguished from her friends by the high ideal she had within her soul. She was wise and intelligent, chaste and modest. When she went to school, her teacher asked her, “Eltamar, will you remain a virgin or marry to somebody?” She replied, “I have only one ideal in my life and I am going to live accordingly. If I am to marry, it will be only to the king’s son. Whoever comes to ask me, I will refuse, if he is not the king’s son. This is my choice: I will marry to the king’s son or will remain a virgin.” You may say that this choice is foolish. No, this young woman is not foolish, but has a high ideal. What is the application of the great ideal to life? If you have faith, if you follow some teaching, if you apply particular norms, if you hold a certain image in your consciousness, all this corresponds to the high ideal. Your spirit will be powerful as the son of Truth. Who is the son of Truth? He is the king’s son, the ideal of each soul. Therefore, when you go out early in the morning to see the sunrise, be there on time, before the Sun has risen over the horizon. Meet the first ray of the rising Sun. It is the most important one - the king’s son or the son of Truth, who has all power and might of the Sun hidden in him. If you do not receive the first ray, you have missed the sunrise. Receive the first ray and then return home at peace. The first ray carries the riches of all the rays. The first ray is the first fruit of the rising Sun or of the Great Tree of Life. The other rays are its last fruits. The Living Nature says about those people who think that they can greet the Sun at any moment or can observe it at any hour during the day, “You will not become true human beings.” If you climb up a mountain and get thirsty, do not drink water indiscriminately. Stop where you are, look around and find the purest wellspring. Bend, take a handful of the crystal clear mountain water and drink it. If you do it in this way, you are a reliable person of a high ideal. If you say that you can drink from here and there, from anywhere, Nature will make a note that you cannot be relied on, you lack strength of character and have a low ideal. Students of spiritual knowledge are distinguished by their high ideals. When you go to a mountain wellspring, no matter what difficulties you have, you should bend and drink from the center where the purest water is. When you have climbed high in the mountain, do not rush to go down, but choose the most beautiful place and sit there for a rest. Look around and preserve the imprint of that beautiful scenery deep within your soul. And going down to the valley, bring the memory of that vivid picture - of the living peak, which you have climbed. High mountain peaks and pure, crystal clear wellsprings are full of life-force and will leave everlasting unforgettable traces in your consciousness. Apply the high ideal everywhere in your life! If you look for a book to read, find the books of the most renowned writers, of the most eloquent preachers. If you want to visit an art gallery, go to the exhibitions of the most prominent artists. You may ask, “Should we not see ordinary paintings as well?” You see such paintings every day in your life. It is enough to observe people watching how they eat, what food they use, at what time they have their meals so that you can see some ordinary pictures before your eyes. However, if you choose to see the paintings based on the high ideal, one is enough. It will be the work of the greatest artist, the artist of a high ideal. When you want to choose a friend, you should follow the same Law and find the wisest, most knowledgeable person who has the purest heart - the best friend ever. When one chooses a wife or husband, that person should be guided by the high ideal too. Those who deviate from the high ideal, cause themselves the adversities and sufferings in their life. Now we are speaking about those ideas and principles in life, which should be applied daily. Someone may point out that if your ideal is not a good one, it will not lead you to a good end. If your present ideal is not right, then set it right. The next moment in life is yours so you can choose another ideal. Thus, you will finally come to the ideal of your soul that is eternal and guides the human being onto the right path - the Path of Love. If you have missed the first ray of the Sun today, you can see it tomorrow. And if you miss it again the next day, the day will be lost for you. But if you meet the first ray of the Sun today, you can meet it the following days as well. Only in this way can your entire life improve. The most enlightened thought, the most sublime feeling, the most beautiful action contain the first ray of the Sun that imbues the human soul. How can the human life be set right? Find out your biggest and smallest errors and hold them to your attention until you free yourself from them. Even if you need to hold them for years, do not yield to them. Finally, your errors will say, “This is a person with a strong character who deserves to live. We surrender before you becoming your servants: you will go ahead and we are going to follow you.” Some spiritual students, who do not pass their exams and suffer a setback in life, easily fall into despair. They leave the battlefield denying their high ideal and saying, “Nothing decent will come out of us.” Those are people who do not preserve their high ideal. What is the purpose of the human existence on Earth? Attending a feast? The human being has been summoned to the experimental school of Earth for character testing, mind and heart studies, and coming to know oneself. Whenever you sit at the table to feast, Nature watches you with wide open eyes, observing how you hold the fork and the spoon, how you eat, what napkins you use. From all these details, she draws conclusions as to what kind of a person you will become. If you are invited to the second seating of the feast and you eat from an already used plate, do you think that you are a person following a high ideal? What do the holders of a high ideal do? They have clean plates, clean spoons and forks in their bags; and if the dirty plates are not replaced with clean ones, they say, “May we use our own plates, our own spoons and forks?” This is how students of spiritual science should behave. If you want to feast someone according to the high ideal, you should do it in this way: order ten loaves of bread made of fresh, high quality flour without any admixtures, that is prepared by the best, cleanest, and neatest baker. Then cover the table with a clean white tablecloth and place a clean plate and a piece of that warm bread in front of each guest. Place also a cluster of grapes, an apple, and a pear. The grapes should be picked from the best vineyard situated in a sunny, nice place. The apples and pears should be from trees that have grown up according to the high ideal. The guests will take their seats at the table quietly and well-disposed and will help themselves. Then they will all give thanks and will take a walk to the surrounding area, where they can drink water from a pure wellspring. This is the new way to give a feast. You encounter wealthy people who are very fastidious to their food, but they do not apply the high ideal to their mental and moral behavior. They allow both lies and thefts as normal things in their life. They begin well, guided by a certain ideal in the physical world, but finish badly because in the spiritual aspect they lack any ideal. Nature writes down about such a person, “You will not become a true human being.” Some people say that they can love anyone and everyone, but they are not telling the truth. I have not yet met a person who can love anyone and everyone. It is possible in words, but it doesn’t happen in reality. Love is being tested in Life. Saying “Love” you should feel its inner content and meaning. Those who experience true Love, will be able to transform their life in a second. Whom shall you love? God. First you shall love God, then your neighbor and last but not least - yourself. This is the Great Truth in Life. Whoever does not begin life with loving God, will not evolve into a true human being. If you want a confirmation of the Truth in my words, go through the history of humankind to find out at least one great person on Earth who has denied Love for God. All great people: the geniuses, saints, and enlightened Teachers of humankind did have Love for God. Some may object, “If we focus on Love for God, we will neglect people and our relationships with them.” No, we will not forget about people, but will introduce the high ideal into their lives. If all people have aspired for the first ray of the Sun and the Great Love for God, the world of today would develop properly and the contemporary people would enjoy good health, power, and abundance. Many say that they have big hearts embracing everyone and anyone, even the entire humankind. These are only words that do not correspond to the Truth. To love someone means to know that person. To love all people means to know them. But you know your neighbor only if you can correct his errors. Therefore, if you love all people, it means that you are able to correct the errors of everyone. Is that true? You say that you love the entire humankind and at the same time you cannot tolerate your wife who is a member of it. You have a son and a daughter, but you are not on good terms with them. It is impossible to know and love someone without being in good terms with that person. So, your statement that you love all people is not true. How can you come to know someone? By your love for God. It will lead you to know your neighbor and yourself too. This knowledge will make you happy and ready to fulfill the Will of God. It does not matter what people of today have been told about Love, they usually confuse Love with personal feelings and emotions, saying, “My heart burns with love, so I know love.” What burns and burns to ashes is not Love. These are the rays of the dark light that bring death and decay; they defile and distort the human soul. Do you think that human love can deceive the Great Creator of the Universe? Do you think that the manifestations of the Living Intelligent Nature can be mistaken for the human actions? God recognizes what is His, or in other words, what is Divine anywhere. God of the Eternal Blessing loves the good and truthful within human being. It is said in the Scriptures, “You have come to love the Truth in man.”[1] The Truth is the sublime, the purest, and the most beautiful in the human being. Someone wants to know whether the Spiritual World is interested in our everyday life. The ordinary things in life may interest people but not the Sublime Intelligent Beings. If you are the chief servant of a rich master and ten servants are at your disposal to obey you, should your master look after you? He knows that the other servants will consider and satisfy your needs. One of them will clean your clothes, another one - your shoes, still another one will tide your room, and so on. The master does not pay attention to your shoes, but he is interested in the servant who has polished them. If the servant has applied the high ideal and polished the shoes of his fellowman according to all the rules of his craft, he will attract the attention of his master. The master will say, “This servant has an ideal, I can rely on him.” How will you apply the high ideal in your life? If a wife wants to make a shirt for her husband and she is satisfied with the first available material she can place her hands on and makes it in a ship-shod way, then she does not possess a high ideal. If she wants to make a shirt for her husband, she needs to wander around all the shops until she finds the fabric that fulfills the requirements of the high ideal. Then she needs to sew the shirt according to all rules of this profession. This is a woman holding a high ideal. The husband should do the same. If he wants to buy a dress material for his wife, he should not buy the first one he comes across just to give something to her, but he should make an effort to find the best fabric and bring it to the best dressmaker to sew it. If the wife and the husband act according to the principles of the high ideal, Nature will write down about both of them, “Behold people of good character, who have high ideals and make the best choice!” You have a friend and want to give him a book for a present. You will go around all bookshops in order to choose the most valuable and instructive book so that your friend may read it, advance through it, and remember it for the rest of his life. Then your friendship is based on the high ideal. You want to write down a few thoughts as a keepsake for your friend. What will you do? If you copy whatever comes in hand, you are not holding a high ideal. You copy, for example some quotation by Petko Slaveykov[2] about money, “Money, money, you are an almighty queen” and you feel satisfied. But money is not an ideal and cannot be a driving force for humankind. You should write some thought that has been tested and experienced by you, extracting it from the bottom of your soul. And when your friend reads it, he will appreciate it and be grateful to you. And Nature will write down, “You will become a true human being.” A person says that he loves someone. Why people love others? Is it for their beautiful eyes and eyebrows? Is it for their beautiful mouths and noses? It is misunderstanding of Love. Love is not excited by some external features. To love others for their external features means that you do not have a high ideal. To love your friend means to see a good character ’s trait distinguishing that friend from all other people. This trait is unchanging - you can always rely on it. A good character ’s trait is neither in the beautiful eyes nor in the beautiful mouth or nose. It is in the highest place, at the peaks of this person’s life. When you find the good trait of your friend, you will embrace it and hold it within yourself as a sacred gift. And Nature will write down again, “You will grow up as a great human being.” You have a teacher whom you admire, so you say, “My teacher is well read in many sciences: physics, chemistry, mathematics, astronomy. My teacher is really a learned person.” Knowledge is not determining for the person. It does not make one learned. Something else defines the teacher. A lot of knowledge that is not processed is a burden which only a few can carry. The external knowledge is only an adornment of the hat; the hat is the essential, not its ribbon. A teacher tells a female student, “You could buy the most beautiful hat for yourself but without any adornments on it.” She goes with her friend to buy a hat. She chooses the best hat, but the hatter tells her that without a ribbon the hat is not impressive. “My teacher told me to buy a hat without adornments.” “Your teacher does not know anything about hats. If you add a ribbon the hat will look better.” Her friend insists to add one more ribbon. The girl gives up and puts two ribbons on her hat saying, “Now my teacher will be satisfied with my hat.” No, the hat has lost its value. Why? It is because it conforms to extraneous ideals. Imagine that you are a writer and receive a beautiful pen with a golden nib from your friend. Another friend visits you, sees the pen, and adds a big precious stone on it. Still another one comes and puts one more precious stone on it. You want to write with your pen, but it is difficult: the precious stones make your pen heavy and gradually your thought becomes also heavy; it does not flow as fluently and easily as before. What are the adornments in Life? Such are the temporal and transitional ideas of the contemporary humankind, of the spiritual students and believers of today. They do not comprehend the power of the Divine that penetrates the human soul like a spark, inflaming the eternal fire within it. Some people say, “I wish someone would hang a diamond around my neck even though this will not correspond to the high ideal.” It is not good. It makes sense to have a diamond hung around your neck, only if it is the biggest, most beautiful, and purest one. This is how your ideal should be. If someone wants to hang around your neck a small, barely noticeable diamond, do not accept it. Whatever you wear outside and within should correspond to the high ideal; otherwise do not even consider it. Strive for the greatest, for the most beautiful, for the best and purest in the world. This is the Truth to be placed within your souls, hearts, and minds. To talk about the high ideal to people means to follow the flow of the Great River of Life. Where is this River running? Tonight I have been speaking to you about the high ideal expressed through the greatest, the most beautiful, the purest, and the best in the world. It is the first ray emanating from the Divine Source. If you receive this first ray, you will become spiritual students and true human beings. You will be among those who perceive the Truth as a high ideal of their soul. If you were late and did not receive the first ray, you would fall into the situation of the children forgotten in the cellar of Nature. This cellar is for the ordinary, not for the special, or in other words, for the Divine children. The Great World has been created especially for them. Everyone talks about what exists within them. The holder of a high ideal speaks about it as the loving person speaks about Love; the truth-lover speaks about Truth; and the sage speaks about Wisdom. So, the person of love speaks about Love and the coward speaks about fear. Comparing them, who gains? The one who speaks about Love. The sage speaks about issues of importance, while the knownothing - about petty things. The wise one builds and the fool destroys; the wise one writes creatively and the fool copies. Who of them wins? The wise one, while the fool loses. A son of a rich man says that he has learned how to sign the money orders sent by his father. The life of many people consists only in signing. They have just signed to take something from this or that person. And when Nature looks at such a person who only takes and gives nothing in return, she writes down, “This child will not become a true human being. It has learned only to sign, but it cannot write anything else alone.” What is required from people of today? You should follow the Path of the Enlightened Beings, Brothers of the Light, and Assistants of the Universal Brotherhood. They all carry a high ideal within their souls. They think, feel, and act according to the requirements of that high ideal. And when one of these Beings decides to come down to Earth, all advised It to go among the best people, in other words among those who strive for a high ideal. Who will the Master pay a visit to? He will go to those students whose souls yearn for their Teacher. Visiting them, he will say, “Here are some of my students who live by the high ideal.” But passing by the house of a student who has not created a bond with him, the Master will say, “Here lives one of my forgotten students.” He will pass by and continue on his way without leaving anything for that student. The high ideal can be expressed in a few words: it is that, which is most beautiful, righteous, and truthful - all that is of best quality. Place the high ideal within your soul and see how your life will improve. Application is needed. If you say that your heart is empty, know that you lack Love. “What should I do to attain Love?” Rise early every morning and go out to see the sunrise. If you receive the first ray of the Sun, you have already opened your heart for Love. The first ray means the first thought and feeling that pass through your mind and heart. Write down the first thought and feeling that have come to you when you wake up in the morning. Nature is very strict in this respect. Nature listens attentively to the first thought crossing child’s mind at wake-up; as well as to the first feeling moving the child’s heart. And if you, a child of Life, think first of God from the moment you rise from sleep, think of His Love that fills your soul and awakens gratitude within you for all blessings, Nature will write about you, “This child is going to be a great human being!” Lecture of the General Esoteric Class held by the Master Beinsa Douno on September 11, 1923, Sofia. -------------------------------------------------------------- 1. See also 1John 3:18–20, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in Truth. And by this we know that we are of the Truth and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.” 2. Petko Slaveykov (1827–1875): Bulgarian poet and supporter of the National movement for liberation from the Ottoman Empire.

THE TWO PATHS What is the main intent of the students entering school? They want to become learned scientist, attain knowl-edge, cultivate what is invested in theirs souls, minds, and hearts. And after they attain knowledge and develop their tal- ents and abilities, they should also preserve them. For this purpose, good soil is needed for every thought falling in it to bear fruit. Therefore, as spiritual students, you also want to learn and deal with science. What is to be understood by the word “science”? If we consider the meaning of the letters used to write this word in Latin and some Slavic languages, we see two different con- cepts hidden behind it. From the combination of the Cyrillic letters in the word “science” it is seen that the Slavic people search in science some method for reconciliation of the con- tradictions in life. Yet, the spelling of the Latin word scientia used by the Anglo-Saxon nations for the notion of knowledge and science shows that they focus on studying the relationships between the various material forms and the eternal changes occurring in Living Nature. The first letter “s” in the word scientia means “infinity.” Therefore, from an esoteric point of view, science can be studied either for discovering a method of reconciling the contradictions in life or in order to find out a way of using the forces of Nature. However, someone who studies science only for the pur- pose of manipulating the natural forces may encounter a big danger hidden in the eventual appearance of spiritual ego in that person. If they begin to see themselves superior to others acquiring an inflated image of themselves, they say, “I am in command of powers, which I can use at my will.” Therefore, there are two categories of people. In the first one, people have sense of superiority and the belief that they can achieve what- soever, that they possess considerable knowledge, and so on. Others, like the Slavs for example, search methods for resolv- ing the conflicts met in life, meanwhile healing the pains in their hearts. In this respect, the Slavs are closer to Truth. So, if you wish to occupy yourselves with the esoteric science, you should, first of all, come to know yourselves. Socrates said, “Know yourself!” What is the meaning of these words? What should you know about yourselves? Do you need to know the Sublime or the basic? “To know yourself” implies com- ing to know the Sublime or the Divine within you; in other words, to come to know God in your inner self. When you come to know God from within, you will be able to recognize the conditions beneficial for your spiritual growth and devel- opment and you will make the choices, which on one hand, give direction to your growth and development, and on the other hand, bring balance to the forces acting and operating in you. Imagine an evolving person with well-developed mind and heart—all expect him to realize his potentials. But one day something unexpected happens to him and his physical form is destroyed; nothing remains of it. What is the cause of this misfortune? The cause is the Creator who has made this form. Many people would say it was his destiny. When a potter makes a warped or poorly-fired pot, whose fault is it? The potter himself is at fault. What does he do with such a pot? He breaks it apart, mixes it into slurry and makes a new pot—bet- ter fired this time, more beautiful and solid. Therefore, the Sublime always shatters the form of what is low and remakes it, sculpting it so that a more beautiful and perfect form is made. What else could be done with the failure pots, but shat- tering them in order to remake and transform them into new ones—more durable and perfected? Often the young think of themselves as being smarter than the old people and say, “The old folks have outlived their time. We will show them how they should live.” And yet, these old people said exactly the same at one time. After them, come the young who do not approve their lifestyle and think that they can set it right. They, too, will grow old without having set their own lives right. And so, one after the other, the young generations who desire to show the old people how to live take their turn, but do not succeed. Why? It is because they too, like the old people, use the same old methods. I say: Old methods cannot resolve the fundamental issues of Life. The young need to guard themselves against repeating the weak- nesses of the old. May they learn from their experience and see what they missed so that their life has become unsuccess- ful. Many and serious are the causes for the failure of the old. They represent an entire history that needs to be studied. Now, I am going to give you a topic which all should think about. It is about the best method for work. Маy everyone decide which is the most mindful method for work. Esoteric science is based upon experience and for this reason, knowl- edge is valuable only when it can be applied in Life. It is ex- actly what determines your place as spiritual students. When a student wants to enter a school of music to study playing the violin, he is given an instrument to play and from the way he performs, it is determined which class to join. If the student proves to be mediocre, the professor advises him to apply to another school and not waste his time. In one of my next lectures, I am going to speak about the conscious relationships between human beings and Living Nature. But first, you should make a presentation on the fol- lowing topic: “The most efficient and mindful method of spir- itual work.” It is a privilege for people to express opinion on a given topic: it is an extraordinary occasion. From an esoteric point of view, the best method is that one which can be ap- plied in real life. If a given method is not applicable, it leads astray and diverts from the purpose of one’s work, not bring- ing any effective results. You are not all at the same level of development, so every one of you will propose their individu- al specific methods for work applicable to their life. Some of you are materialistic idealists, giving preference to the material achievements in life; while others are idealistic materialists, giving preference to the ideas. This is the main difference between all people. The idealists state that ideas create everything. Which ideas do they mean? They are not speaking about their own ideas, of course. There are ideas higher than the human ones. These are the ideas coming from the Great Divine Source. And so, in this School, you will learn how to use the meth- ods applied by Nature. As flowers utilize the rays of the Sun, you, too, need to utilize the forces of Living Nature. Then, you will be able to fulfill whatever purpose you were born for. This Law has an application in the human body as well. Each organ of the human organism has a specific service. For ex- ample: legs walk and also carry the whole body weight; arms work: they grip, lift, and move various loads; eyes see; ears hear; and so on. Therefore, every organ of the human body has a specific function. In this respect, every human being represents a special part of Nature’s all-inclusive organism and, as such, it needs to fulfill this function. Those who find their proper place in Nature and understand their purpose in life will be able to perform their mission as a part of the Great Divine Organ. Now, as students in this School, you can raise some ques- tions which are of interest for you. But you can also raise questions, which are related to your needs. For example, what is the main concern of a hungry person? Bread! The hungry person wants to know what kind of bread will be given to him: warm or cold, fresh or moldy. If you are determined to create something of enduring value within yourselves, you must apply the same Law with respect to knowledge. As young people, you should not re- peat the mistakes of that gypsy who ate some grape leaves as a first meal followed by some bread and cheese. He went to the vineyard to work and took with him a bag with a little bread and cheese for breakfast. After working for a while, he felt great hunger. He looked at the bread and cheese and concluded that it would not be sufficient to satisfy his hunger. For this reason, he picked some grape leaves and started to eat them. Finally he ate the bread and cheese and told him- self, “This was an excellent lunch.” No, I do not advise you to gulp first some grape leaves and then to nibble a little on the esoteric knowledge. Beware of this mistake! No mistakes are permitted in spiritual work. If you make a mistake—correct it. The crime lies not in your mistake being made, but in leav- ing your mistake uncorrected. As soon as you become aware of it, correct it. If a negative thought comes to your mind, there is nothing bad about it. Yet, this negative thought needs to be transformed. The striving of your mind, heart, and will should be directed toward correction of the mistakes. In this way only, you will build up the character on which you can always rely. Now, you should keep in mind the following: when students enter school, the teacher is friendly and attentive to them at the beginning. The further they progress in their studies and the more difficult the material becomes, the more demand- ing the teacher becomes, especially toward those who do not study well. It means that the teacher changes his attitude to- ward the students who do not make efforts to study. The first thing that is required of a student is to be capable of studying. Therefore, you too, need to learn and study very seriously indeed. Each science has its principles, which must be learnt and observed. Self-control is required of the young: not superficial, external, but real self-control. There are two kinds of self-control. The first is external and superficial—whereby one’s inner balance is always disrupted. The other is inner and deep—whereby one’s inner balance is always pre- served. I will give you an example of external self-control. A young man became engaged to a beautiful young woman who seemed to be good-hearted and self-possessed in actions. Often he boasted about his fiancée to friends. One day he brought a friend on a visit to his fiancée’s home and introduced her to him. They sat and conversed for a while. Then the fiancée brought a tray with glasses of water and jam as a treat. The young man purposely tripped his fiancée to see her reaction in this situation: she dropped the tray, everything fell to the floor—the jam and water spilled down. The fiancée kept total self-control and presence of mind saying, “It is okay.” Calmly, she bent down and gathered up the glasses, wiped up the wa- ter and went out of the room. The young man turned to his friend and said, “She is an example of self-control and noble character. She is the ideal young woman.” Yet, after the mar- riage, things did not go as he had expected. Once he asked her, “Where has your self-control disappeared?” She replied, “You should have gone to the other room to see what was going on in there. Only the timber of the furniture could tell you how angry I was!” I say: This is not true self-control. Someone wants to open the window. He pushes it, but it does not budge. He pushes it for a second and third time, but it still does not open. He be- gins to get agitated and angry, so he pushes it even harder, as if it is the window’s fault. First of all, the window is not con- scious and cannot understand that someone is irritated with it. You can say the same about the esoteric forces. Some of them are forces of awareness, of reason, and others are only partly so. Saying that certain forces are forces of awareness means that they move in the same direction with us. By contrast, the forces lacking awareness move in a direction opposite to ours. Therefore, everyone needs to know if a given force is in accordance with their individual development. In the same way, you should observe whether your thoughts, feelings, and actions keep in accordance with your development. Whenever you are aware of a certain thought or feeling, immediately check it and decide where to place it: left or right. Spiritual students need to learn how to sort things out by knowing the exact place of each of their thoughts, feelings, and actions. In this respect, some will succeed in 25, 50, 75 percent of the time, but the most successful will do it all the time. The spiri- tual student should work to gradually increase this percentage and not to fall into error and delusion. And so, after each lesson, we will proceed with the experi- ments; that is to say: after each lesson, you will be tested— not only theoretically but practically as well. All theoretical knowledge needs to be applied in life where it will be further developed and tested. Those who want to study esoteric sci- ences, should know that they will be subjected to certain tests and trials, which they should pass well. You say, “We have difficulties anyway.” Yes, but now you will understand their meaning and purpose. When you understand their meaning, you will be able to use them as methods of healing. For ex- ample, someone complains of pains in different parts of his body: his hands and feet hurt, his head and back hurt, his stomach is upset too. So, the Invisible World will create from all these smaller aches one bigger pain in order to direct his mind to it and make him start the healing process. In this way, he will forget the small pains and will begin to work intensely in one direction. This means that the greater hardship directs one’s energy toward one center. Otherwise, a dissipation or scattering of one’s energy and concentration occurs. Nature acts in the same way. She creates a great pain for someone, within which all is healed. But you have not yet come to the “great pains.” When you reflect upon the topic that I have assigned to you, write as little as possible, only about the essence of the idea. Each one of you will answer on your own which is the best method for work. It is of no importance for you what sci- entists have said on this subject. Sometimes it will correspond to your understanding, to your nature; but sometimes it will not. It is important to align your work not with the methods of ordinary scientists, but with the methods of Living Nature. Only in this manner, will you work your way toward the es- sential principles of Life. Each one should apply these prin- ciples, each one should work with an individualized method. It depends on your conscientiousness, dedication to work, and your deep desire to achieve something valuable. Many will say that they lack the favorable conditions for work. In this respect, the Americans set an example. In America, there are college and university students, who en- gage to work in kitchens, in various offices as servants in order to finish their college or university studies. It is good to have favorable conditions in life, but any conditions should be utilized mindfully. Even in the most difficult conditions, one can spend at least 10–15 minutes in reading and study- ing. What hinders a housewife from focusing her mind on the Divine while she is chopping onions or cooking a meal? Both bad and good situations are set up for the purpose of placing the spiritual students in the position to cope with various diffi- culties. Only in this way they can grow and develop rightly. First lecture of the Master held for the Youth Esoteric Class, February 24, 1922, Sofia.

THE AWAKENING OF THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS Please, be so kind as to listen to me. I am not going to speak long. It is not necessary to speak at length to a wise person. In such a case, it is enough to speak a little but understandably and sensibly. Since I have great respect and deference for you, I would like to speak to you briefly and understandably as to people of awareness. Life on Earth is like music going in three directions. Expressed in musical terms: sometimes it goes along a major course, as the military would express it; sometimes it follows a minor direction and that is the way, in which sorrow manifests itself and sometimes it moves along a chromatic scale, in which the two previous scales are included. These are three great methods or three Great Laws that regulate our life. When we do not understand the deep intrinsic meaning of Life, we tend to emphasize nonessential things and then we ask ourselves why Life is arranged this and not another way. Keep in mind that I share the positive outlook of a science, which has been applied and ninety-nine times verified in life so there is no doubt in even one hundred millionth part of what we say. Doubt is a sign of ignorance in this world. I do not say that ignorance is something bad; it signifies a process of development. All little children are ignorant at birth so their consciousness needs to be gradually awakened and developed. So, the human consciousness (to express myself in a strictly scientific language) passes through three stages: essential, substantial, and material. The essential part includes the Principles of Life; the substantial one contains the Laws of Life; and the material side consists of the facts of Life. Therefore, a Law is formed by the classification of facts in the world, in other words, when we model the particular small experiences which we attain, we say that the Law is expressed in one or another way. Currently, modern people of science claim that the Law is something mechanical, but actually the Law represents a living essence. The Law can only exist through those beings who have awareness, whose consciousness has passed over the material stage and has gone from the facts to the Laws, from the individual to the collective consciousness, and from the collective to the universal whole. We ask ourselves: what is most important for us after we have manifested ourselves on Earth. In the present conditions, people believe that the most important in the earthly life is material security. Therefore, all nations - both separately and collectively, are striving for their material betterment and security. And so, we have today the so-called economic struggle. The nations’ aspiration for material wealth is an evident trend. It is a sign that the human consciousness passes from the material to the substantial stage, that awakening of the collective consciousness of humankind is taking place now. So far, the humankind has been living in the collective subconsciousness, which is like that in animals. But from now on, the entire humankind is passing from individual to collective consciousness; that is to say, people begin to realize that they need one another. Until now, everyone has been living only for themselves; everyone has been seeking for their own salvation. And yet, now, an inner impulse toward the betterment of the collective conditions appears throughout the entire humankind so that the conditions might be improved not only for one social class but for all. Moreover, it happens in a conscious way and we need to let go of thinking that we can improve our life individually. No, humankind itself ruined its conditions thousands and thousands of years ago. There are reasons for this, but I am not going to explain them now. There was a time when the Earth resembled a paradise. The vegetation was abundant, there were thousands and millions of fruits and people ate only fruits. But then the ice age came on Earth, due to certain physical reasons. The fruit-growing was reduced and as a consequence, people began to eat meat, exterminating not only animals but each other as well, becoming even cannibals. For this reason, the expression, “I will suck your blood out,” exists even to this day among people. Well, I ask: What is the gain of the bloodsucker? What is the gain of someone who destroys the other person? This is a wrong understanding of Life. Not only that people, in general, do not get along with each other, but also the forefront religious and spiritual leaders who believe to have a connection and communion with God and the right to lead, they too, have lost the right understanding of Life. I am telling you the Truth. It is not that others do not want to tell you the truth or intentionally hide it from you, but that is what is natural for them. If someone has a thorn in his foot, he will get agitated. He could calm down only when the thorn is removed. Therefore, if people of today are bad, it is because they all have thorns in their flesh that disturb their peace. Apostle Paul said that he had a thorn making him restless. I have not met at least one person without a thorn pricked here or there. As long as this thorn is with us, we cannot think clearly, nor deliberate properly. Our philosophy is distorted due to this thorn. Remove this thorn and you will have the correct philosophy of Life. An Englishman, who was a merchant, asked an English preacher to tell him the basics of the Bible. The preacher told him this and that. The merchant objected, “No, no. Tell me specifically and in a few words, what this teaching is all about.” He wanted to see the kernel, like that of a nut, and in this way to grasp the teaching. Finally, the preacher told him, “Get yourself a Bible and you will learn many things from it.” The merchant purchased a Bible and read many things in it, but since the time when he acquired it, his affairs had begun to deteriorate and he suffered many losses. “Ever since I purchased this Book, many misfortunes have befallen me,” said the angry merchant to himself. One day, he threw the Bible into the fire. As the Bible was burning, a small shred from one page fell to the side and was salvaged. The merchant took this shred from the page and read it, “God is Love.” Contemporary Christians are asking now: What is Christianity, what kind of religion is it? And they go around saying that Christianity is this and that. No, no. God is Love that will unite all people to live in Love, Peace, and Brotherhood. Their job and social status are of secondary importance, never mind if they are kings, rulers, or in any other high position. All people should live in Love and mutual respect. Everything needs to be distributed in a brotherly way: not in a violent but in a voluntary and conscientious way. As soon as we consider this, other issues will also arise: Is there life after death, which religion is the most appropriate, and so on. I say: Only One Teaching exists in the world that can improve life and this is the Teaching of all-embracing Love. It is not the today’s love of different classes, but the principal Love, including self-sacrifice and comprising the love of mothers, brothers, friends, saints, and the most enlightened people in the world. After this Love comes to live in us, our eyes will open. Many in the world of today do not believe in the sixth sense and clairvoyance. In fact, everyone can have a spiritual sight. When a young man falls in love with an unattractive girl, obviously he sees in her certain things, which no one else can see. He compares her to a precious gem. It is because we see the endowments and gifts of the people we love. Where are they? There is a place where we see these hidden gifts. But when we do not love some people, we impute the worst qualities to them, saying that they are such and such. One Great Law is beginning to act in the world today. Keep in mind that the world is going into a new phase and in no more than ten years this process will be amplified. This Great Law gets to be applied in all humans, acting both in human minds and hearts. One can see that this Law is in action by the fact that all people of today are restless. Why are they restless? If they were poor, you would say they had become restless because of their hard work. I can understand this. But why are the scientists and rich people restless too? They have their worries, religious people have worries too - all are troubled. Why? It is because they have only beliefs but not faith. If a persecution for faith existed today, I am not sure how many would endure. Many people are Christians today because there is no one to persecute them. And yet, it is in times of troubles when a person’s faith is tested and becomes evident. Self-sacrifice is tested in poverty and deprivation, when hard times come. If people sacrifice their life, that is a test to their character. Now, what is the greatest good in the world? Is it the well being of the individual, nation, society, and the entire humankind? It is the same: the individual is a microcosm of the entire humankind. Therefore, a nation in its development represents the humankind but in a smaller form. Consequently, when we speak of an individual, we imply that a person represents a seed. When we speak of a society, we assume that this seed has sprouted. When we speak of a nation, we mean that the seed has begun to develop. And when we speak of the humankind in its integrity, we understand that the seed is branching out, blooming, and bearing fruit. If we understand Life in this way, we become aware that every one of us is an essential member of the humankind. We do not consider the humankind to be divided into halves: as if one half is created to live in paradise and the other half - in hell. I know this: As far as we are aware that God is Love, we all live in paradise, but without such awareness, everything is meaningless. We shall have Love so that we might come to know God. Within Love, every human being and every form is a factor. These forms in which we exist today are not finished. Do you think that you come to Earth for the first time, that you are born for the first time now? No, all of you have a long history of incarnations and if someone can tell you this history, it will be interesting for you to learn who you were in the past and who you will be in the future. This is an important process through which you are passing. For example, an elevated person of noble character will be aware that all should live in Love. No matter what one’s position is - one should use all living conditions so that to contribute to the common good. Only Love gives these beneficial conditions. I am not going to explain to you the causes for strife in the world. In my view, these causes arise naturally. I will illustrate them with the following example. Take two trees planted close to one another. Notwithstanding the multitude of leaves, flowers, and branches they have, they live comfortably, brotherly and speak to each other. But suddenly, when the wind comes up, their branches and leaves intertwine and get entangled in each other. Then the wind grows stronger, a storm erupts and the branches batter one another violently. They begin asking one another, “What are you doing?” My question is: What is the cause for this, is it internal or external? The cause is external. The cause for people’s misunderstandings today is also external; this is the economic situation. This is the “wind,” causing misunderstandings and fights among people. Some people may ask: How long will the storm last? A storm can last 24 or 48 hours, 3 days at most; and after that, all leaves will come to rest. The storm brewing in the world is pushing and sifting us at present. There will be many fractured legs and heads. For this reason, do not be angry; this storm will soon subside. In 45 years, this social storm will pass over, but only if people become wiser. However, if they do not learn a lesson from their experience and improve their living, this storm will last even longer. Should they learn from their experience, the duration of the storm will be less because the Great Law, which governs the world, is wise regardless if one is a believer or not. There is a Great Intelligent Power, a Great Law in the world that compels both believers and non believers to think and act in the same way. I often see people who do not believe in God and do not go to church, but yet, they are going to jump in the water and risk their own life in order to save someone. It is not the existing mechanical law that acts in such individuals, but another one - the Law of Self-sacrifice, which is innate to their nature. Therefore, they bear within themselves something greater than the conventions of religion. Religion appeared in the world at a later time. Some people ask, “Are you religious?” A person can be religious and still be dishonest. Religion is not a label that indicates whether a person is honest or not. To verify this, visit, for example, all merchants who go to church and say they believe in God, then check the status of their accounts and the principles of doing their business. It is a different Law that is governing their world. Love should come to live in their hearts and they need to awake, as to stop cheating their brethren. It will make them regard the interests of other people as their own interests and consequently, they will no longer sell inferior merchandise to their fellowmen. It is only when we regard our affairs this way that we would attain mutual understanding. If we want to take position on the grounds of nationality and begin asking: Are you Bulgarian, are you English, French, German - we would never come to a mutual understanding. We say, “It is not good to be a Bulgarian.” This opinion would represent some individual ideas but not the collective consciousness, so it would not be a manifestation of the Divine Law yet. The Divine Principle has not yet been revealed in nations. In these nations of today, each one is looking out for its own affairs. There is not a chosen nation, which to be preferred over the others; each nation has its own place and role. For example, if I raise my hand and extend one of my fingers and if this finger believes to have supremacy over the others, what will happen? This finger is showing only the direction of things, but one cannot work with it only; work is accomplished by using all fingers, each finger in its own place on the hand. Only when all fingers act together, we can rely on our hand as an emblem of the willpower: then we can fulfill our obligations as the hand is doing its duties. Therefore, a nation can find its place, when it realizes its position as a part of the humankind, as an organ of the whole body, as to fulfill its obligations at the right time. People of today are still supporting the old god. We know who he is. Do not be offended. This old god has brought all wars, violence, and misfortune. On the other hand, there is absolutely no lie in the God of Love. He regards all people, including even the smallest living beings, with the same Love and compassion, always ready to help them all. Whenever a small being whose form has been destroyed comes to Him, God gives it a new form and says, “Do not be afraid. Go forward and continue your work.” Now I am asking: what have we gained by the end of our life after living on Earth for about 50–60 years? Let us assume that mother has given birth to a beautiful daughter, who has become an excellent young woman, she dresses well and many young men are surrounding her, so she is happy. I ask: How long will this last, 5–10–15 years? Gradually, her face will get wrinkled; she will lose her beauty and freshness; she will not be as pretty as before, and the young men will abandon her. Another beauty will appear to replace her and finally, she will be discontented that her life has become meaningless and she is no longer happy. She was contented at first, but afterward her life became meaningless. She is like that European writer who first wrote a book affirming that life is wonderful and humans are most elevated among the living beings on Earth. But after passing through a crisis and reflecting people’s disappointment, the same author wrote another book stating that the world is bad and there is no being on Earth worse than the human being. Therefore, when everything goes well in our lives, we say, “Everything is beautiful. God is very good.” Should a tragedy, some misfortune, or unexpected event befall us, right then we say, “There is no God in the world more unjust than the present One.” The world follows its predetermined course. Some time ago, a well-educated and intelligent woman came to see me. She wanted me to answer her question, to resolve a predicament, namely the following: When the exhibition in Anvers took place, her husband was still a young man and was in Anvers at that time. He heard about a man who lived in the town and who was a sleeping prophet and fortune-teller. Her husband got interested to learn his fortune from him. He went to his home and the sleeping man told him the following, “You will marry very young. You will have four children. One of them will die. Your marriage will be of love and you will have a happy family life for 10 years. After that, a blond woman will visit your home. She will ruin your marriage and you will get to live with her. If you pass this trial, after 10–15 years you will return to your first wife and you will live very well.” “Truly,” said the woman, “one of our children passed away. When the child died, I found among my husband’s papers this slip of paper on which his future was described. This blond woman came into our home and ruined our life.” She asked me what she should do after that. Should she leave her husband? I told her to observe whether the remaining part of the prophecy will come true. She asked me to what extent such things are possible. I answered her: Life is not predetermined fatally, but still there are a number of reasons that predetermine people’s destiny. Our life, the way it is unfolding now, is also predetermined by a number of preceding causes. If we make use of them, we can improve this life; we can stand against the evil in the world and conquer it. The Hindu people call this karma or the Fall of man. We can struggle with this original sin. Those who can fall and sin - they can also rise up and be victorious. However, contemporary religious people go to extremes in their beliefs saying that religion will completely improve our lives. This is half true. Religion cannot improve life completely. Their assertion is only half true because we, ourselves, are also factors for our own destiny up to 50 percent. However, the other 50 percent of factors, which regulate our life, exist as well. I say: Destiny and Nature exert 50 percent influence in our life; we, ourselves - 25 percent; and the society - 25 percent. Therefore, when these three factors begin to work together, in esoteric and moral sense, an upliftment and improvement will come to life. For this to occur, many people should come to work in one direction without fail. When the spring is in, has it come with only one flower? No, it has come with millions of flowers and abundance of blossoms. After that the bees will come and unrest is stirring up everywhere in Nature. Thus the unity has been created. Therefore, from an esoteric point of view we are like little flowers that have just come out; that is to say, our consciousness is at such a stage of development, that we have only now begun to discern good from bad. You say at times, “One is always compelled to tell little lies.” No. Absolutely no lie is permitted in the conscious way of living. As in mathematics, no mistake can be admitted because any error in architecture or mechanics will bring undesirable consequences. When we allow a lie in our life, it will bring the same results to our being as incorrect calculations of an architect would show in a structure. Spiritual people of today observe some rules as musicians do. Give a musical composition to an orchestra and all will keep timing in the performance. Give an image to a few great artists and they all will paint it according to the same standard. Give a problem to several mathematicians and they will solve it complying with the same law. When we come to the spiritual life, however, we say, “We do not need music. We do not need calculations. God will solve everything.” No, friends, strict mathematics is required in the spiritual life; all things are strictly determined there. Whether one person or a whole nation is well or unhappy - it depends upon certain things, which have already happened. And so, this Great Law regulating the life of the contemporary European nations has put them in their deserved places. The present civilization, which is almost at its end, began in Egypt, went through Syria, Persia, Rome, England, Germany, and America - now it is returning again to Russia and the Eastern continent. From there, it will move in a different direction. This Wave coming into the world at this age and motivating the humankind is not mechanical. All of you are destined to participate in it, whether you want it or not. And we should better participate consciously. How is a nation’s dignity defined? Why are the English of noble characters? It is because their collective consciousness has been awakened. They make some mistakes, but then they correct them easily. One can find the greatest number of spiritual practitioners among them. Each nation which collective consciousness has awakened, realizes to a certain degree that it should comply with the common cause. The English have understood this to a certain degree. The collective consciousness is awakening not only in the English but throughout the planet. It makes its way among all poor people, among poor widows and orphans. Do you know the situation, in which you find yourselves today? You are in the position of that American preacher who had the custom of gathering poor children every day at his home to give them a meal. They usually said the prayer “Our Father” before eating. One day he found an orphan child, brought him to his home for a meal, and before they ate, he told him, “Let’s say the Lord’s prayer.’’ They began, “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name.”[1] But the child stopped and stayed silent. “Why are you silent?” The child replied, “So it says that God is our Father?” “Yes.” “Then, it means that you are my brother!” With these words, the child wanted to say, “You are a preacher; you sleep in a warm bed and have good food. Yet, look at me brother! I shiver from the cold and go to bed hungry.” Thus the preacher got aware of his own situation. Well, now we should do the same. Christ came to save the world. We pray, “Our Father in Heaven...” There should not be poor people in any nation. It is shameful to have poor people today! There should not be poor widows in any nation. It is shameful that today our sisters and brothers must sell their honor for their daily bread! Thousands of our brothers and sisters are selling their honor in the brothels right now. And we preach in the church that there is God, there is Christ in Heaven. It is true. Christ came to Earth for these destitute women and men in order to save them; He did not come for the righteous ones. Therefore, today we must have the courage to correct our past errors. We are to correct them no matter how. We need to embrace our brothers and sisters who have fallen. All people are suffering today because of their misunderstanding of Love. Deprive any flower or plant of sunlight and you will witness the abrupt change that will take place with it. Deprive any person or being of Love and the same Law will apply. So, we should speak of God not as of some distant being of the future, but as a Being, Who is working in our hearts so that we might fulfill His Will and abide by His Law willingly. All of you are invited now to this Great feast of the world. God of Love is calling you to come regardless of your position or creed. He is calling you to advance a step not as Bulgarians, neither as Evangelist, Orthodox, Catholic, or Muslim but as intelligent beings and brothers who have one and the same Father with the same blood flowing in your veins. It is the same blood flowing in the veins of all people. If we can grasp this fact, it is the basis of the New Teaching, it is the way how religion could be reformed. If religion does not comprehend this Great Law, it will pass away within one hundred years in the future. I am telling a Great Truth. The clergy needs to understand this and put a sign on their churches, saying, “God is Love and we will all sacrifice ourselves for this Love.” All bishops, priests, mothers, fathers, teachers, judges should write down this Law. The common principle is Love. And when we all meet, we are going to recognize one another as brothers and sisters. We will have a different kind of knowledge then and a different science; then the barriers existing today between us will disappear. A New Life will begin bringing Peace and Joy: Peace to the mind, Joy to the heart, and Power to the human will. It is the time now when we need to live in this collective consciousness of the humankind, knowing that death does not exist. The human soul and consciousness do not pass away. The human body is transformed; its form is changed, but this is not essential. The human being changes many bodies and many organs, but it is not lost as a developing soul and consciousness in Nature. This is a fact without any exceptions. Verify the Truth and you will see. Verify the Truth invested inside yourself, seek your ideal in you, in your souls. You cannot find these ideals outside yourselves. Truth is in your souls, minds, bodies, just as the life-force is in the seed: the seed is planted in the soil, from which it draws essential substances to create all its organs and grow up. In the same way, all forces, which our bodies have inside, are used by the human spirit to create all organs of the human body in accordance with the same Law. I would dwell on the following question: How many years were needed for the creation of your hands? The joints of your fingers reveal the number of the millions of years of existence of the human being; they speak of the history of humankind, its development and the conditions through which it has passed. If I tell you that the human finger recounts the entire human history, you will say that this is impossible and it is nonsense. True, it is so for those who do not know the Laws of Nature. One day I went for a stroll with some friends in a pine forest. We stopped at one pine tree and I said: The rings of this tree indicate which years were damper and which were drier. This can be observed from the rings and you can verify this fact. Therefore, when a year was very rainy, the distance between the rings is greater and vice versa, when the year was drier, the distance is smaller. So, it is possible to calculate mathematically the humidity in a given year. This is how the moisture is reflected on the trees. In the same way, certain events: individual, social, and national are reflected in our bodies. Are you aware of this? We are bearing the sins of the entire humankind. Do not think that because we live far away from Africa that we do not carry the sins of the African people. Yes, we do. Inner forces connecting people exist and they are interweaving their lives. Therefore, when we become aware of this Great Law, we are going to understand that people need to create good living conditions for all so that today’s misfortunes might be avoided in the future. I said many times: Only mothers are in the position to create. Every mother, who conceives a child should say, “Daughter, son, it is my wish that you would live in the future according to the Law of Love and represent it fully.” If she says this, she will have daughters and sons who are heroes, who will live according to the Law of Love. Every mother should instill this within her children. When young people marry, they should say, “Our sons and daughters will live for Love, for the God of Love Who unites all people.” The new generation will be a bearer of the new ideas of Divine Love. The way it is now, we cannot do anything to re-educate people, if they were born in an unhealthy way. People can be re-educated only in their mother ’s womb, in God’s Love. They cannot do this by themselves. It is only mothers who can recreate and re-educate them. People themselves represent a factor of 50 percent only for their re-education; otherwise they are like a ship without a rudder, which is tossed by the waves. Therefore, conditions for women need to be improved in the future. Women after conceiving should be placed under the best conditions. The conditions for children must be changed as well - not mechanically but according to the Law of Living Nature. And Nature is alive; she is excellent. I read in her book what beautiful methods she has! If the Bulgarians apply the methods of Nature, they would improve their situation. Great wealth is hidden in Nature. The Bulgarians can pay all their debts within ten years, but they shall begin by studying the Living Nature. But what are the Bulgarians currently doing? They are awaiting their salvation to come from somewhere, from a place from which it will never come. Salvation will come from the Living Nature that has invested her forces here. Humans need to put these forces to work; they need to begin working according to the Law of Love, for the good of others. In this way, their blessings will come. And so, this Great Law is calling people of today to brotherhood. Only then, will we have a New Science of brotherhood. But what is our science at present? It is like the story of a little lamb that a child looks after, kissing it, and adorning it with garlands. One day, the mother comes and says, “For my little darling to live, we must slaughter the little lamb.” The child will cry. You say, “This is the way one should live.” How do you think your offspring will be educated? He will ask himself, “How can God Who is so kind allow the lamb to be slaughtered?” You say, “Well, my dear, God has arranged it in this way.” No, it is not God Who has arranged it in this way; we have arranged life in this way. We must free ourselves of this delusion today! May we not believe that God has arranged the world in this way. No, these lambs should not be slaughtered. We now have a culture of killing and maiming the legs of this or that person. Only gunshots can be heard. They say it is for our country. What benefit have wars brought to humanity? Absolutely none. People have become embittered and wars have brought the depravity of today. The future wars will bring nothing better. We can fight, but in what way? We can fight but not kill. The Law of Love is now appealing to people. To undertake this Great Work the most gifted people, the best and greatest persons must come: mothers, fathers, teachers, priests, and free-thinkers. If they do not come on time, others will come in turn. Now I am going to summarize my conclusions as follows: I had not the least intention of compelling you to believe, rather I want you to try. Practice and more practice is needed, nothing else. The inner experience does exist. Every plant needs to find the right soil and the appropriate conditions for its growth; in the same way every person in the world needs to find the favorable conditions to grow and develop. Never think that the conditions of your life are unfavorable. These are merely inner, subjective opinions. In the present stage of development of the collective consciousness, every person is in his exact place. But we delude ourselves when we think, “Why am I not like that person?” Do not look at someone only superficially. Perhaps he is wealthy and able to eat a great variety of food. However, he is not happy: his inner life is in disarray, his heart is ailing and his stomach does not digest well. Although the poor man lacks abundance, he is healthy and enjoys his food. Happiness is determined by one’s state of being - to be contented with the received at a given moment. And when people unite, they need to share the same ideas. All your ideas need to be right. I do not say that they are always right, yet individually, they might appear to be right. Therefore, with respect to the individual, social, and national good we need to correct our beliefs and bring in the new ideas that are coming into the world from Above. In the same way as plants grow and create their form, we shall create the right foundation for our thoughts and feelings. Someone may complain that life is very difficult at present. No, as I said before, we are currently having the most favorable conditions of Life. You are in the position of the Hebrews on their exile from Egypt. You will lack meat and other things in the desert, but you will have water, clean air, and no Pharaoh to give you orders. It is better for you to be free in the “desert,” than to be slaves who eat meat and indulge in all pleasures, while the Pharaoh with his whip beats you, demanding from you to make bricks and adobe. Sometimes we also say, “There is no way out. We must make them.” No, we will no longer make bricks and adobe. The long path through the Desert to the Divine Life is waiting for us ahead. May all young people who can walk take backpacks and set off ahead of the rest. Do you know what you will be like? When you meet someone, you will continue freely on your way. At present, when you see someone, you withdraw out of fear that he might rob you and you hide. You say to yourself, “He might be a thief.” I say: The world of today is full of thieves. Show me at least one person who is not a thief. Who of you have not thrust hands in your father ’s pocket? Who of you have never partaken of a forbidden fruit? Yet in the future, when we enter a garden with ripe fruits, we will ask for permission as per the Law of Love, “Brother, can I pick some fruits from your garden?” or “Will you give me some fruits?” And he will answer, “Of course, brother, come and help yourself.” When I go to visit a friend, I will ask him: Brother, may I stay overnight in your house?” “Yes, you may.” This is how it should be according to the New Teaching. But what would the answer be today? “Sir, there are hotels; go there. We do not have extra rooms; there is a housing shortage; and so on.” And the matter would be closed. When you meet someone now, you begin questioning him, “Are you a Bulgarian? Do you believe in God? Which party do you belong to?” and so on. I do not want to say that these things are bad, but they are not essential. We need to be imbued with that noble feeling of brotherhood so that when we meet a man or a woman we see in their face a brother or a sister. If you can learn this feeling of brotherhood, you will place humankind on a new higher level. Misconceptions will then disappear and the right aspiration will come. This is the Divine Teaching, which is now coming into the world. Share it with the little children and they will manifest it in ten years. In ten years, the “caterpillars” will emerge from their cocoons and will fly away with their wings. The caterpillars will say, “There is no need for cocoons!” This Law is coming into the world now. The facts are being summarized now and New Laws are being established. We are going from the material to the spiritual world and all things are passing from the individual to the collective. In other words, we should not only think of the insurance law, where one is concerned to leave an inheritance of several millions after death - with shares for this or that cause. And all this for the sole reason that people say about the departed one to be a person of noble character. No, in the future people are not going to die and there will be no need for gravestones. And so, experience Love as a striving in your heart, as a feeling in your soul, as a force in your mind and as a principle in your spirit: this will bring salvation to the humankind. Therefore, we shall come to know Love in these three aspects: as a striving in the heart - an irresistible striving to descend [and serve those in need]; as an uplifting feeling in the soul; and as a force that brings expansion to the mind. Thus we become aware of the Intelligent Principle within ourselves allowing us to know why we live, why we have come here and from where, and what our purpose on Earth is. Lecture held by the Master Beinsa Douno at the gathering on August 19, 1921 in Veliko Tarnovo. ----------------------------------- 1. See also Matthew 6:9–13.

THE NEW HUMANKIND Today I am going to speak about the New Humankind. I will present this subject to you in a new perspective. The New in the world is symbolized by the rising Sun and the old - by the setting Sun. That is a Law in Nature. It is not only me to assert this Law, but every mother and father does. When a young woman and man marry, the first child they will have is the rising Sun, the hope for their future. If we think that the new brings some mischief, disorganizes the society and entire humankind, it is a wrong understanding of those Great Principles that govern the Living Nature. But if we have such concepts, why then do we want those children who bring trouble to their parents? How many days and nights has the mother spent without any rest and sleep for this newly born that does not know yet to speak, for this new concept to be raised! This new concept is at first undetermined, but the mother has the ability to comprehend, listen, and understand the messages of this new being, of this little baby. Similarly, there are individuals in any community and nation with receptive souls, whose consciousness is developed and whose hearts are elevated to a higher level. They are able to grasp this new concept and to become its “children” and bearers. Contemporaries usually do not accept the bearers of the new ideas, so they say, “These people are anarchists, communists, heretics, sectarians!” But all these labels are only words without any meaning. If we reason in this way, I ask then: What is the difference between these three persons: a communist following his views in life, someone who is living according to his old views, and a third one who is applying the new views? The difference is that the bearer of the new ideas feels uplifted and vigorous in life thanks to the vitality of growth. The other one, who lives with the old ideas, feels worn, exhausted, his strength is failing, he is afraid of the future and he is concerned with the old age. Therefore, he is striving to become rich and begins insuring himself through banks and insurance policies. I say: These are the old people, this is what brings death and this is the graveyard of humankind. But graveyards do not bear new ideas to humankind; they create only suffering and misfortune in the world! Kings and priests, musicians and poets - all lay buried in the graveyards for their wrongdoings. If you ask me why people die, I will reply: It is because of their old ideas. How then can all humanity resurrect? I say: Rejuvenate, become bearers of the new Divine Teaching, which symbol is brotherhood. What does brotherhood imply? Those who call themselves your brothers and sisters must be ready to sacrifice everything for you - their life, wealth, and honor. When a great nation comprehends this concept of true brotherhood, it must be ready to sacrifice everything for these new ideas. If there is no sacrifice, there is no brotherhood, no equality. Those who preach about God and spread the great idea of His Being without sacrificing their wealth, honor, and life for Him, have not grasped the Great Teaching of Life. This is brotherhood and equality; and this is what Christ has preached. Let us go back and apply Christ’s Teaching because it will bring salvation of the world. What did Christ teach, what did He preach? He taught the great idea of the New Humankind! What will be the distinguishing features of the representatives of the New Humankind? The Jewish prophets, being farsighted, stated two thousand years ago, that God would create new hearts of flesh, but the Divine Spirit would dwell in them and all would come to know God. Therefore, nobody will doubt the existence of God. Everyone will be under their own fig tree without any fear. Peace and love will reign among all; the weapons of war will be turned into tools and ploughs and people will no longer make war. Christ has established two principles related to the New and the old humankind in the following correlation: the person of knowledge who understands the meaning of Life built his house on a rock, in other words, on the firm principles of Living Nature. And the person of ignorance, who does not understand the meaning of Life, built his house on sand, so the winds and floods carried it away. Storms and floods affect those people who live without any principles. They usually provoke all the unrest in society. They bring down the house built on a sandy foundation. Therefore, these two cultures, the old and the new one, are founded on two main principles. The contemporary old humankind is still serving its egoism and that is why brotherhood cannot exist. The New Humankind will serve selflessly. Egoism is predestined to become the servant of humankind. The new ideas do not cover only the personal and social good of humankind, but of all sentient beings. By “sentient” I mean the living beings altogether, as no being exists without any sentience. If someone talks to you, but you are deaf, you cannot hear the spoken and wonder why you do not understand this person. The problem is not with the speaker, but with the listener whose ear cannot receive and comprehend what is said. The blind cannot perceive the world in full either. It is not that the world is dark, but the visual senses of this person are underdeveloped. Therefore, the present society needs to develop these feelings following the Great Law of Evolution. Nature of today is not what it was a million years ago. There are great turns occurring every one hundred million years in Nature. If I ask you about the age of our Solar system, you will tell me, one hundred million years according to some contemporary scientists; two hundred million - according to others; five hundred million - according to third, and so on. The esoteric science states that ever since the creation of our Solar system, two hundred and fifty billion years have already passed. These statements can neither be proved nor disproved. They are only assertions that can be proved only in certain conditions, if we accept the explicit axioms and fundamental principles. But in general, in order for a truth to be understood, some information is needed. There are only a few proven truths in the world. Try, for instance, to prove an idea, which is dear to you: does the human being have a soul or not? I can tell you that half of the contemporary intellectuals deny this idea; the other half support it, but cannot prove or disprove it. If we ask someone about the soul and how it looks like, the answer usually is, “There is a soul, but I do not know how it looks like.” We can prove the existence only of those things that have form, content, and meaning; as to the things that have no such parameters, we can neither prove nor disprove them. I am presenting an idea, which is familiar to your souls because what I speak about is inherited in you. You have certain ideals, aspirations, yearnings, but they are being expressed in various ways. And every one of you has an aspiration that is unique. The young man, for instance, is looking out for his beloved. The old man will say, “This is nonsense. Once upon a time I also busied myself with such things, but now I do not need any beloved.” But it is not so for the young man. Night after night he does not sleep, gets up early, walks here and there, looking out for his girl with the dark eyes. His mother and father wonder what is happening to their son. The son says, “The new idea will bring new life to me - that is what I am looking for.” Who is right, the young or the old? I say: the young. Once upon a time a fox passed by an apple tree and saw high on one of its branches a piece of good cheese hanging. The fox looked at the cheese, but continued on its way saying, “That is worth nothing.” Why? It is because the cheese was high up in the tree and the fox could not reach it. But if it had been down, within reach, the fox would have said that there was no better cheese than this. New Humankind is mentioned several times in the New Testament, in the Revelation. The Evangelist John, two thousand years ago, saw the pregnant woman as a bearer of the great idea about the New Humankind and he also fixed the number of the chosen ones, who will be bearers of this idea, at 144 thousand. If you add these numbers one to another, the total is 9: 1+4+4=9. The number 9 signifies results from the evolution of those who have all positive and noble qualities attained. Some would say that these 144 thousand individuals are in Heaven. No, they are living now here, on Earth; they have come back to Earth and incarnated among the learned people. Some of them are writers; others - poets and scientists, but they all are guiding the humankind on the path to the new ideal, on the path to the Divine. They stand against the darkness and fetters, which impede humankind. And this unrest, this great change that is coming, is due to them. They will turn this world upside down. Do not take this for a bad omen. In Bulgaria, when a person drinks a lot of water and chokes, he is turned with the head upside down so that he could vomit the swallowed water. The contemporary knowledgeable people, too, have swallowed a lot of unclean water and they need to be turned upside down so that this water might flow out. When everything unclean has flown out, they will be turned once more, this time with their heads upward and only then the New Life will begin. Some of you may say, “We do not care for this New Humankind, when we witness the present suffering.” We need to understand, however, that suffering is necessary for the development of character. We have only now, in this age, begun to suffer and we have become more sensitive. It is true that modern people suffer more, but this is a noble suffering, which will put the society in order. Does every pregnant woman not pass through some suffering and some painful experience? She suffers until the baby in her womb is formed, but when the child is born, she is released from suffering. Therefore, the suffering shows that we are pregnant with a Great Divine Idea and like that mother we are ready to endure all suffering. But when the child is born, the sorrow will disappear and will be replaced by joy. Often we ourselves cause our suffering. I will illustrate this with an anecdote from the Bulgarian life. A villager liked eggs very much and looked for every occasion to get some as a meal. However, he did not succeed every time because his wife was very stingy. She was big, well built and when her husband dared without her knowledge to enjoy one or two eggs, she gave him a thrashing. One day she fell unconscious and died. The man told himself, “Thanks God, finally I can eat eggs and there is no one to stop me anymore.” He took seven eggs and buried them in the hot ash under the fire. At that moment several women, his neighbors, came to share his sorrow for the loss. When all of a sudden he heard steps, he got startled. Forgetting that his wife was dead and fearing not to be beaten, he slipped the eggs quickly into his bosom. The women told him, “Your home is under such a plight, like under fire [colloquial expression in Bulgaria].” He replied, “Yes, there is a big fire in my home, but the one that burns in my chest, in my bosom is even bigger.” People nowadays say, “We go through so much suffering.” I say again: The baked hot eggs in your bosom are the cause for this suffering. Remove the eggs from your bosom and your suffering will stop. The term for this in modern science is obsession. Do you know what a fixed idea is? I will give you an example of someone who suffered from an obsession. A gentleman made a circle by touching his thumb and index finger of his left hand and then moved the index finger of his right hand into it, trying to catch it. So, he tried unsuccessfully for two-three years. Finally, he went to a doctor who immediately figured out how to help him. The doctor stuck his own index finger into the left hand of the patient; the later grabbed it immediately rejoicing that he finally succeeded in his attempts. By this, the man was healed and free from the fixed idea that had been bothering him for so long. Similarly, people of today who have some fixed idea want to catch their finger, but cannot succeed. However, this finger is created for another kind of work and not to try to catch it. If you want, you can catch hold of it in another way and not as this man. New Epoch is beginning on Earth at present and today’s esoteric science says that a New Wave is coming from the Sun. If I use new words, you may not understand them and my lecture will become obscure. This advancing Wave that is coming now affects the human brain - that is why some people become eccentric under this influence. Eccentric are those people who are either too silent, or very talkative, but their speech is incoherent. These are extremes that exist among people, but there are also norms of the proper development. Some say that speech should always be logical. In my opinion, there are three types of logic in the world. The first I name purely materialistic logic; the second - logic of the conscious life; and the third - Divine Logic. The Divine Logic does not allow any lie at all. Therefore, to operate within the last two kinds of logic, you should have a noble and sublime soul - in other words, you should be ready to sacrifice yourself for your fellowmen and live not only for yourself. Another thing that should be done is to prove where the Truth is. The verification of Truth requires time and practice. All modern scientists who propose various theories and investigations in medicine, industry, physics, chemistry, or in any other field of life need time in order to apply their theories. A theory could be very correct in its mathematical calculations, but if it does not give results when it is applied, it is not acceptable. For instance, an Englishman has studied one subject for 25 years and he was working on the make-up of a flying machine. For this purpose, he had made a profound study and when he was sure of his calculations, he gave an announcement in the newspapers. However, he missed something: he did not put all this in practice. When the experiments with the flying machine began, it did not work, though the data and calculations presented by him, were observed: the wheels were moving, but the machine could not fly up. The inventor was booed and this ended his work. But new investigators after him began to study Live Nature and bird’s anatomy: bird’s wings and tails. People mastered the ways of flying and based on that practice, they were able to build the working flying machine. How great was the joy of humankind when the mechanism of flying was discovered! But all these flying machines: balloons, airplanes, and zeppelins were not used for the benefit of humankind. You saw how they had been used in the last wars and how dangerous these machines could be. People ask me to reveal a big secret to them. I say: One of the greatest secrets is to learn how to heal oneself by flying up. This is how, if you are neurotic, you can heal yourself. If a wife is not well, let her try to fly for half an hour and she will come back healthy. If later on, her husband falls ill, she would also place him in a balloon to fly for a while so that he might return healthy. Such healing is easy because in the higher strata the air is much more pure than below. Here, where we live, the air is full of carbon dioxide. And if we are neurotic nowadays, this is due to the high concentration of carbon dioxide in the air, which we breathe and which acts as a poison in our body. Do you know what you will feel when you enter a big modern city? If you had a developed sixth sense or psychic sense like some people, when you look at a city, you will be nauseated by the air pollution and stench and will not want to live there anymore. Our modern settlements and houses are a reflection of the contemporary humankind with its unrefined sense of smell. And as a result, life there becomes more and more unbearable. But the New Divine Ideas that are coming will bring the New Life into the world. The existing death, misfortune, suffering, insanity are the result of completely other mental causes and not of those they are usually ascribed to. The present day life in its forms as well as the contemporary social system should change. And the people bearing the new ideas are right to insist on this change. This change occurs gradually in Nature, but it will happen in your life as well, either gradually or instantaneously. On this occasion Turks say, “Allahan zoru da var.” This is translated that if someone’s head is thick and does not take any advice, when God tells him what to do one or two times, then the Law of Karma is applied. Therefore, brotherhood is the fundamental idea of the New Teaching. Brotherhood needs to be applied in households. Mothers and fathers should understand this fundamental Law of Brotherhood in order to create new conditions for upbringing and educating their children. For instance, if a young man is unruly, doing mischief, how is he treated according to the old ways? He is punished and imprisoned. In prison, he loses his health and after that the state must take care of him. This youth could have become an excellent citizen. He had an outburst of energy, which must be cleverly put into action. You say about him, “Yes, but he is a sinner, a criminal.” The society had created such conditions, which he could not handle. And so, instead of studying the Living God and Nature as to act accordingly, we are opposing one another, thinking that there are many laws in the world. Living Nature has only one Law applied to all - both rich and poor. The poor person says, “This wealthy person has everything he desires to eat and to drink, lives in the lap of luxury and I have nothing.” But you do not know that the suffering for this wealthy person is only on hold for 45 years. Does Nature not take equally the fat of the poor and rich? What does Nature want to say by this? She tells people, “You have not yet learned the Law of Brotherhood.” If you read the first chapters of the Genesis, you will see that God says to Adam and Eve, “You will eat of all fruits but one. The day you eat of this forbidden fruit, you will die.”[1] The forbidden fruit is a symbol of today’s egotism. For example, someone who wants to exploit others and live on their toil; someone who takes the bread of the poor widows and orphans to satisfy one’s own needs; someone who wants to be at war with so many nations - such person is eating from the forbidden fruit. Therefore, you should all be persistent in that Great Teaching. Has Christ ever taught people to wage war, fight each other, or pray God to help one of the fighting sides? A thousand, two thousand years ago, this had some meaning, but now it has outlived its time. Where is the true faith, which is being paraded; where is the genuine Christianity? I speak to those who name themselves true Christians; they should act according to the Christ’s Law. And those who are not Christians should act according to their beliefs and laws. Someone says, “I am not a Christian.” What then are the laws and beliefs according to which you live? “I am a free thinker.” Then act according to your free thought. We should give the right of freedom to every person because there is something good, something noble within each human soul. Give everyone an opportunity and they will be able to advance; yet, under unfavorable conditions, people often fall down. I have used this example before and I will give it again. A famous Italian painter wanted to paint the image of Christ and so he walked around the town looking attentively at all faces, hoping to find the suitable one. And he found a youth of about 20 and painted Christ after his image. The work was a success. After some time the same painter decided to paint Judas and began looking for a suitable model. He found a young man and asked him to pose for the picture. The young man said, “Sir, that is strange, some years ago I posed for you for the image of Christ and now you want me to pose for Judas!” In just few years, the sinful life he had lead changed his face so much that he looked like Judas. If a young woman follows the wrong path in life and ends in a brothel, do you think that her face will not have an imprint from this life? Such a destitute woman told me one day that while she had money her husband lived with her, but after he drank up all her money, he left her to her fate and she turned to a wrong path. She said, “I want to join the church, but they do not accept me there.” This woman has the longing for a pure life, so when her conditions change, she will raise herself up. And of those “free” women who wish to serve their sensuality, people say, “Such women are needed in the world.” I say: No, we should take our sisters out of the brothels, not rape them, but guide them on the right path and show them how to live. The bearers of the new idea, the altruistic feeling, and the Divine Teaching are coming now and they are the ones who will defend all fallen and unjustly treated people. These people are not like anybody; they have signs on their faces, in their eyes, on their hands. You will recognize them. Here are their signs: if a doctor is the bearer of the New Teaching, when he comes to your home, he will bring all the medicine you need and will take no money from you, but will say, “I serve for free.” If he is a priest, when you ask him to baptize your child or perform a burial service, he will not accept any money, but will only say, “I serve the New Teaching.” If he is a trader, as a representative of the New Teaching, he will trade honestly; if he is a teacher, he will teach for free. You will object, “If we all work without payment, the world will fall apart.” Yes, the present world will be transformed and new beliefs will spring forth. Some will ask, “How is it possible to work for nothing, how shall we live without money?” I ask how many thousands are being paid to parents to rear and educate their four or five children? Is there a law by which mothers and fathers are obliged to get up five-six times at night to watch over their little children? There is no such law and constitution, yet in spite of this, the work of parenting goes on more smoothly and naturally than any other work subjected to the state law. Therefore, mothers and fathers represent the first Law we must observe. I say: You are on the right path, if you live in the same way as parents and children live in a household; as brothers and sisters live together. With respect to the New Humankind, no great disaster is to be expected. It is true, there will be a great collision in the world, but it will affect those buildings that have no solid foundations and those rotten trees that have no healthy roots. A great paradigm is coming, which will overthrow them all; it is a Law or a ventilation that is going to clean up everything rotten - only the healthy ones will remain in the world. When suffering is coming your way, do not ask about the reason. I say: The Sun causes all misfortunes on Earth; it is the reason for our suffering, but also for our happiness. It creates the floods, epidemics, and all diseases in the world; it causes the earthquakes too; in other words, it is the reason for everything that happens in all of Nature. The Sun says, “If you are wise, you are going to use my energy properly and I will shower you with all blessings; if you are not wise, I will inflict the greatest suffering on you.” The Sun can change its energy, but it will still shine and the Earth will still rotate. I am telling you this: There is a statement in the advanced esoteric science about the exception; or the irregularity that appears for example, in the movement of a wheel, once in every one hundred million revolutions. Our planet Earth is also such a wheel and after going one hundred million times around the Sun, its rotation will change - this will manifest either disastrously, in a descending line, or beneficially, in an ascending line. Such exceptions or reversals have already happened to the Earth and a new one is forthcoming. Our Earth has almost reached this number of rotations and is approaching the exception. I am not going to fix the date when this cosmic event will take place. You may not believe me now, but when this day comes, you will have the proof then. We can apply this Cosmic Law also to the Sun. After it makes one hundred million revolutions, an exception will occur to it. Modern scientists say that our Sun makes one revolution in twenty million years. Can you suppose what will happen to the world when the Sun comes to make an exception? If this exception falls into the descending line, the entire Solar system will be extinguished, the Sun will darken and all life will cease. But if the exception falls into an ascending line, the solar energy will be increased tenfold and then people on Earth must watch out! So, at present there is an approximate coincidence: both the Sun and the planet Earth have almost made their one hundred million revolutions and the exceptions are impending for them. I can prove scientifically this statement with facts and data but not to this society. The formulae and facts used by the esoteric science can be proved to you, but it will take time. I do not intend to instill fear, but I say that exceptions exist and all should be prepared to meet them at their assigned places. Christ says, “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.”[2] If you think that life will flow on peacefully and quietly in eating and drinking, you are wrong. Modern scientists state that the humankind has not lived on Earth for more than eight thousand years, but the esoteric science has a different view about it. It claims that the humankind has lived much longer than this. The skulls left over from old times prove than man lived even earlier than eight thousand years ago. But the facts that he has really lived much longer than that cannot be revealed to the public. Even if such facts are made public, the connection between them is so subtle that it seems that there is almost no connection. When in one of my lectures I said that the development of the human will could be defined by the thumb, some said it was illogical. But truly, the thumb is the result of the action of the human will. In the olden times as punishment of the thickheaded and prevention of their crimes, they cut off their two thumbs. Then I ask why some people have longer thumbs than others; and why some people have better formed thumbs than others. All this has some meaning, it points to the development of the will and reason in the human being. If you look at a person’s thumb, you will see how the development of this soul goes. If it is good, the thumb is well shaped and there is no crookedness. If there is crookedness, it shows some deformation in the character. If your nose, eyes, or lips are crooked, it means something too. The doctor says, “This is not normal, you got a stroke.” But I say: There is a discord in the connection between the parts of body and energetic centers, between the thoughts and feelings acting in the human organism. It makes no sense, if I develop this New Science only in theory without any practical application. I speak about realities, which are fixed quantities, as something defined and not abstract, in the same way as mathematicians deal with formulae, chemists - with molecules and atoms, physicists - with forces. We say nowadays that the human being has a soul. Is the soul a fixed unit; where does it dwell: in the brain, in the heart, in the lungs, or in the stomach, where can it be found at all? Modern science can say nothing about the soul. Now let me go back to my train of thought. The New Humankind needs to begin first with the human anatomy. Therefore, I would like that you all become interested in anatomy. When you begin to build a house, first of all you set up the woodwork of the building, then you prepare the scaffolding of the house, and after that you build up. Anatomy represents the scaffolding. Some say, “We need no anatomy!” No, you cannot go without it. Children, mothers, and fathers need to study anatomy. When you sew a garment, you also begin with anatomy. The patterns are anatomical signs and according to these you cut the garment. Therefore, people of today really study life anatomically: because they always cut. What is cutting? In the life of the New Humankind you will study not only anatomy, but physiology as well. How do you study physiology when you are building your house? You place windows and chimneys so that more air flows through. What is the subject of physiology? The study of the functions of the various organs, the heart and blood circulation. Physiology is needed in every home in order to obtain more favorable conditions in life. You, who are now building your houses, do you have big windows? I recommend to you: make bigger doors on your houses and open larger chimneys. I like big chimneys and do not approve the stoves that are in use now. You say, “My grandfather and grandmother were very healthy in the past.” Yes, but your grandfather had big chimneys in his house, so the ventilation was good; whereas you have moved backward, you live with much carbon dioxide in the air and of course, you cannot be healthy. Good ventilation is necessary. And what do the Bulgarians do? Because they are afraid of catching cold, they clog up their windows with paper to avoid air drafting. It is better to catch a cold than to breathe air full of carbon dioxide. The representatives of the New Humankind are already here; they will increase in number so that to spread the new ideas all over the world. You, all of you, may become members of this New Humankind. Who does not like fraternity and equality? Is there a father who does not wish his son to become educated, not remaining ignorant? The New Humankind requires of every person to be honest, in other words, to subdue egoism; to be just, wise, and good. And to show these four qualities not only superficially, but to be so honest, in the absolute sense, that never to sacrifice someone else’s interests for his own, and always to direct his own interests to the good of his fellowmen. You might say, “If we apply this, we will be overtaken by suffering and misfortune.” I ask: Is there happiness coming from the application of the present-day ideas? Were thirty million people not killed in the war, are the prisons not full? And on this very day people die because they serve the old culture, which teaches that one must be a wolf to others. But Christ says, “All you are brethren.”[3] Did I create this Teaching? I say: If you are not willing to observe Christ’s Teaching, observe that of Moses’; if you are not willing to obey him, then respect the laws of your country. Anyway, act as an honest and just person, do not break your word. But if you act once according to Moses and the next time according to Christ - you will mix up the laws. Some ask me, “Do you always speak the Truth?” Yes, I think over every word I say. If I speak honestly, justly, I speak for my own good; I do not wish to disgrace my honor; I wish neither to disgrace my brothers, nor the name of God. But I hope when I meet you some day to be sure that I have always been honest and just in my soul and mind so that you would follow this Path too. Only in this way, through this Teaching, can mothers and fathers become better; any other teaching brings suffering, suffering, suffering. Brotherhood is practiced over and over. There are certain forms and Laws in the esoteric science. The Laws of the Brotherhood of Light, of those one hundred and forty-four thousand luminous souls, have not changed with even one millionth part for these one hundred million of years. That is why I say that the Laws of Nature are wise and unchanging. Every thought can give a result even thousands of years later. If you plant a bad thought, it could cause your death. If I look at your life with its everyday incidents, I can consider it from the standpoint of the Hindus, of the esoteric science, and from the Christian point of view too. And in all these points of view, the Truth will remain the same. For instance, you meet someone and this person kills you. In this case, we, the modern Christians, say, “It was God’s Will.” I say: God has never said, neither written for anyone to be killed. It is always done by a person and God has only allowed it. The Hindu Law of Karma explains it in this way: You killed someone in a former life and therefore, in this life that same person kills you. You can accept either one or another explanation. You may comment, “This is a heretical teaching, is rebirth possible?” It can be either possible or impossible. Both concepts are equally true. The belief in this is not so important. The soul has the power to create all its forms. It is up to the soul to come and live on Earth as many times as it desires. If the soul desires to incarnate on the Earth, God will sanctify its wish. The soul wishing to be reborn is reborn. Therefore, in this respect, both Hindu and Christians are right. By “soul” I mean that Conscious Divine Entity that can come here as many times as it wishes. There is also another Law in the world explaining the things in a different way so that they would become clear and a common moral could be established. For instance, someone commits a crime robbing someone else and says, “In the darkness nobody saw that I had stolen something.” Yes, but after the theft he was looking around in fear. Why? His conscience bothered and tormented him. What is conscience? These one hundred and forty-four thousand people, members of the Brotherhood of Light, say, “Sir, we saw the crime you committed and according to our Law, which never changes, we sentence you and you will suffer the consequences of your deeds.” Then, this gentleman in order to relieve his conscience goes into seclusion, fasts 10 or 15 days and after that, he goes to a priest to have something read from the Scriptures in order to calm down. The priest needs to act according to the New Teaching and to say, “Brother, you must confess before God.” Therefore, wanting to redeem your crime by a 10–15 day fast is not sufficient before God.” I will tell you how to confess before God. For instance, you have put your neighbor’s house on fire. You can correct your wrongdoing by going to the victim: to apologize, buy him a new house and furniture, and pay his debts. If you do not behave in this way, there is no forgiveness. God says, “If you have dishonored a girl, then in your next incarnation you will marry her or she will be reborn as your child so that you will be obliged to bring her up and to pay for your wrongdoings.” Yet, the young men of today tell themselves, “What will happen, if I have dishonored a girl?” In America a young man, the son of a rich merchant, dishonored a girl and abandoned her; then she became a prostitute and died afterward. The man finished theology and became a famous preacher. He was thought to be a good righteous man. He married and had a son who at the age of 16 became a great scoundrel. People were surprised that such an immoral son came from such a righteous father. I say: This son is the result of his dishonorable act. The father went out in the evenings looking for his son in order to bring him home; but only after 10 years he succeeded to set him right. In this way the preacher paid his debt. This son was in fact his beloved whom he dishonored in the past. God told the father, “Here is your beloved, pay your dept toward her.” The son would say, “Now I acknowledge that you have noble character and you know how to love because your previous love was not as it was supposed to be.” Therefore, we need to appreciate motherly love as it gives everything. I recommend young women and men to keep the promise they give to each other, being ready to die for this promise and say, “I love you, I am ready to sacrifice my honor, my life, and all my wealth for you, but I will never renounce you.” This is what I call a person with noble character! And what is happening nowadays? They get married today, their love is gone tomorrow, so they want a divorce and come to the church officials for a solution.4 I say: Priests do not have the right to do either divorce or marriage ceremonies. If a young man comes to me for marriage, I do not have the right to do the ceremony without asking him whether he is ready to sacrifice his possessions, honor, and life for his beloved. I will ask the young woman as well, if she is ready to give up her possessions and her life for this young man. If both of them say that they are ready, only then I can perform the marriage ceremony. Otherwise, I am not going to marry them and have no right to do so. This is how it is supposed to be in order for this society and nation to be set in order. And so, Christ’s Consciousness should permeate the world. This is what the Brotherhood of Light brings and what Christ preaches. And those Luminous Brothers are coming down now. They are going to use these two exceptions in the rotation of the Sun and of the Earth. And a new miracle will happen as it is written in the Scripture: There will be a New Heaven and Earth, and a New Humankind. I say: We should put an end to the old humankind and in the future we must live according to the Laws of the New Humankind. This is what the brotherhood requires. I do not preach of some dead god, but of the Living God. If you ask me, “Where is God?” I am going to answer: He is not in the sky that you see. Some say, “Prove to us where God is.” God needs no proof. The ant with its lower consciousness has no organs of sense with which to find out that people exist. When you take up an ant between your two fingers or when it climbs on your head, it says to itself, “I am climbing such a high mountain.” It looks at life from this height and going back to its fellow ants it says to them, “Today I climbed a very high mountain.” Thus God takes us between His two fingers, but we ask, “Is there God?” Yes, these two fingers are God’s and He tells us, “You cannot climb on My head.” If you do not see the Living God in your brothers, you cannot understand this Teaching. If I do not see God in you, my teaching is a lie. If I do not love you and I am not ready to sacrifice myself for you, I am preaching a false teaching. And you should sacrifice yourselves too. Brotherhood is required in this world. You need to accept this Teaching. It is being preached by all good people, by all mothers and fathers, by all brothers and sisters. This world needs self-sacrifice. Enough of lies! Someone asks, “How much will I get if I serve?” No payment should be expected anymore. Worldly people say about some individuals, “These are the devout Christians.” How do you recognize their devotion? “They attend church regularly.” No, no, we are the church - those living bodies are temples. If we cannot live a pure, honest life, what will happen to our temples? See what happened to Russia? Russia did not listen to the voice of Tolstoy that was the Voice coming from the Living God. And as a result, the formal religion brought the appearance of Bolshevism. The Bolshevism is God’s Whip in the Hand of Christ. Today He is asking us, “Is this all you have created in so many years?” It is Christ who is at work in Russia and not an evil force. When a surgeon takes his scalpel to do an operation he knows how to remove only the diseased flesh and strengthen the healthy part. If the surgeon has no practice, he will not know how to perform the surgery, even when he is considered to be the best expert in this field. The Bulgarians, too, should be thankful to the Bolsheviks, but this is not a point of my lecture. What have the Americans done? They have been sending missionaries here for many years to preach the Christ’s Teaching; and at the same time during the war they sold to the Bulgarians ten million kilograms of flour for two gold coins per kilogram? Do you know how much is one gold coin? Ten leva. It means that the cost of one kilogram of flour was twenty leva. Do you think that the American merchants acted according to Christ’s Teaching? They missed the opportunity to give a good example. According to Christ and the Luminous Brothers this is not a true Christianity. If the Bulgarians continue on the path they follow, it is not good for them. The contemporary culture cannot help them either. Everything should change in the world. No nation should harm another nation, no society should harm another society and no person should harm another person. All should live according to the Great Law of Love. If you accept this Teaching, everything will change and you will be blessed as a nation. And this Great Law will be applied in the world. If you do not accept it, others will. I will give you an example. In old times, in the so-called Golden Age, there were two kingdoms: of the Espertites and of the Menezites. The king of the Espertites had a son and according to the customs of that time he called the sages to predict his son’s future. One of those great sages made his calculations and said to the king, “At about the age of 20 your son will pass through a big crisis. For this reason you must send him to be a shepherd in another kingdom - there he will learn the Great Laws of Living Nature.” The father followed the instructions of the sage and said to his son, “My son, henceforth you must earn your living with your own hands,” and sent him off to be a shepherd in the kingdom of the Menezites. There the youth lived for 10 years and studied the Laws of Nature. In the 11th year of his sojourn in this kingdom, the daughter of the king of the Menezites came to this place riding a white horse. She was accompanied by her servants, but tempted by the beauty of nature and the pretty wild flowers, she dismounted the horse and strode away alone. A cobra came out from among the stones and bit her right hand. Seeing this and knowing the Laws of Nature, the shepherd - the prince, ranto her, put his mouth to her hand and sucked out the poison. Meanwhile her servants, watching from afar thought that this shepherd was offending the king’s daughter, so they bent their bows, one of them shot a poisonous arrow and injured his left hand. When the king’s daughter saw this, she came quickly to him, tore the sleeve of his shirt, put her mouth to the wound and sucked out the poison. I ask who was saved by whom? The young man saved her from the snake’s poison, but in turn, she saved him from the poison of the arrow. He said to her, “You suffered from the snake’s poison; I suffered from the human poison.” Now, people suffer from the poison of the snake. Do you know what the snake represents? It is their extreme egoism. Women and men need to save each other from this poison. Woman should suck out the poison of man’s egoism, while man should suck out the poison of the woman’s distorted heart. Only in this way, women and men can join hands, coming to know that they can live together and understand each other. And all contemporary Christian believers should reach toward each other. When I came to the town of Tarnovo, how did you receive me? My friends, I came to suck out your poison. If you are going to suck out mine, that is another issue and will be revealed in time. If you do it, I will tell you, “You are my brothers.” It is a manifestation of the Law of Love that is acting in the world. Everyone who sucks out the poison of his brother will receive a loving embrace and that one who does not, will be sent away. Young people, the future is yours! Men and women, live according to the Law of Love! Do not follow the path of those who have become old by wrongdoings. Renounce the many sweethearts you have. One sweetheart is enough: one girl but wonderful and one young man but excellent. These are enough; you do not need two men or two women. Then, may you have inner freedom; do not bind yourselves into slavery. Think in this way and apply this Law everywhere: in the social, political, and religious life - to follow Christ’s Teaching. Only in this way the Bulgarian nation can advance - by observing this moral Law. When I visit Tarnovo, I am observing the people. I meet priests, judges, teachers, policemen, servants and tell myself: Brothers and sisters, you do not follow the right path in the way you are living now - this is not the Teaching of Christ, this is not brotherhood. I meet many priests, preachers, teachers, policemen, and other people of noble character, but I also meet among them some who are not so decent. This is not a reproach; I am just stating a fact. And I say that we need to uplift ourselves to this level, to this pure morale, which is shown to us by the Brotherhood of Light. Do not tell lies! Mothers and fathers should not lie. Whatever the mother, father, priest, judge say, they should fulfill it, standing by their word. If I fulfill my promises, I could be called a true human being, but if I do not, then I do not have any compassion, any brotherly feelings toward others. The future science will side with those people who fulfill their promises. I see in the young generation a striving toward new ideas. I am watching the communists closely; I do not judge them, as I see that they perform good deeds without advertising themselves as Christians. And there are Christians who speak about Christ, but at the same time think only of making provisions for themselves. And so, the communists are unbelievers without money and the Christians are believers with money. I desire to meet a person who knows that there is God in the world, who is ashamed to lie to anyone, who knows that he will be judged if he insults others and will be truthful if asking for forgiveness. But now, when we commit a crime, we say, “I have a right to do this or that.” Yes, we all have the right to commit crimes and to lie, we all have also the right to do good and speak the truth. We all have freedom, yet we should know that everyone is going to suffer the consequences of their choices and actions. If you steal, you will be robbed; if you ruin someone, you will be ruined; if you dishonor, you will be dishonored. Whatever you do, the same will come back to you. “We reap as we sow,” says Christ. The Law is true and valid. Now, I am going to make a prediction, it is not a guess. What is the weather today? It is nice, clear and warm, the sun shining. The clear weather shows that all will progress well in the future; there will be great Warmth and soon an impulse toward Good will appear among the Bulgarians. The human mind will be transformed; people will become more compassionate and will begin to think right. The calm weather shows that the Bulgarians will awaken in their consciousness; they will not make attempts for new wars and will not repeat the mistakes from 1912 and 1915.[5] This time the Bulgarians will not use weapons, but will remain neutral saying, “By now we have served the Central Forces and the Alliance[6], but from now on we want to experience the New Life in God and to arrange our ways according to God’s Will.” Only in this way the consciousness will awake in the Bulgarians and they will advance as a nation. Then, they will address the communists and the socialists and will say, “Brothers, we love you, in your aspirations we see good ideas that we need; there is nothing to divide, everything on Earth belongs to us, let’s work together.” Some people might object, “Well, but they do not believe in God, they do not love people.” How come? They have God too - as long as they love, they have God. If someone who believes in God meets me, robs me and maims my leg, what is the worth of his faith to me and others? If someone who does not believe in God meets me and does something good for me, he will be more useful than the first person who remains only with his theory. I will turn my back to the one who believes in God, but robs me; and I will kiss on both cheeks the one who does not believe, but does not rob me because he is not disgracing God’s name, but fulfills His Will. This is the New Teaching that the new generation needs to apply. The unhealthy conditions in society should be removed. This is how all priests need to preach; this is how all Bulgarians need to preach. My blessing will be upon them, if they preach this way. But if they do not believe and do not preach the New Teaching, they will put a blemish on themselves. May priests say, “In the name of Christ we are going to serve God and we will serve without payment.” Some will object that they have wives, children. Are your wives not able to live like you, without expectations? Is the priest’s wife not able to live like you? Yes, she can. She should be the first to give an example of selflessness, but in fact she is the first looking how to insure herself. What need has a bishop and a priest of money, why do they need to insure themselves? Christ was not insured. How much was Christ paid for His talks? I speak to you in the name of Christ. You serve in the name of Christ, do you not? You should consider this as a serious matter. The two exceptions are coming. I want you to understand me correctly. I do not have the smallest intent to offend anyone of you. Your desires, your profound convictions, whatever they may be, are sacred to me. But your negative actions, they are something else; I cannot accept them. I cannot tolerate the negative manifestations in the world; I cannot watch calmly when someone is insulting another person. I can remain silent, but a great sorrow rises within my soul and I tell myself, “Those people are Christians; what is this delusion that is paralyzing them, so that they burst into rage?” But I believe a great Warmth is coming that will melt away the ice. Vapors will rise from the mountains and clear, pure streams will flow down. Then luxuriant vegetation will grow, the seeds planted thousands of years ago will sprout, bloom, and give fruit; all nations will join hands with each other. This New Culture that no one has expected or seen will come into the world and all will become citizens of it and representatives of the New Humankind. I would like all of you to be guests at the dinner table of this New Humankind. You are all invited, but please, do not decline the invitation because the same happened two thousand years ago when Christ invited many people to a feast, but most of them refused to come. They refused under various pretexts: some had to plough their fields, others had just bought five pairs of oxen and had to try them, still others were going to be married. What they were all really saying was, “We denounce your New Culture!” Christ is coming again and asks people once more to embrace this New Teaching. Now we can consider all those good people who have pastured herds for five centuries as Divine and use them to construct this Great Divine Building: the Temple of the New Humankind. Life is not built of one stone only and when we have already built it, then Wisdom and Love will come to Earth. Only then will there be music, poetry, art; only then will there be order and well-being. Only then will there be understanding among all human beings. Only then we can give a sacred kiss to one another and feel the joy that Angels feel. Lecture by the Master Beinsa Douno, given on August 19, 1920, in Tarnovo. ------------------------------------------------------ 1. See also Genesis 3:2–3. 2. See Luke 12:37. 3. See also Matthew 23:8, “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi;’ for one is your Master and all you are brethren.” 4. At that time church priests performed both marriages and divorces. 5. The Balkan Wars (1912–1913). 6. The Central Forces and the Alliance: coalitions among nations participating in the First World War (1914–1918).

COSMIC LOVE When you hear the words “Cosmic Love,”1 they may sound strange to you at first and you may ask yourselves how it is possible for Love to be cosmic. And yet, it is possible. I am using the word “Love” in a very broad sense. I use the word “Love” for the energy coming from the Center of the Universe and flowing toward its periphery. And I say “Cosmic Love” for the energy moving in the opposite direction: from the periphery of the Universe to the Center of Origin. So I call the process of creation and generation - “Love”, while the constructive process going from the bottom upward I designate as “Cosmic Love.” Whenever we speak of the cultural, social, political, and spiritual life - the reference is to Cosmic Love revealed in its great work; in other words, Cosmic Love represents a conscious process carried out individually in the Universe. I will ask you to set your views aside for a moment, whatever they might be, and reason with me without criticizing. If you desire to benefit from this, you need to perceive things precisely as the camera photographs the landscape exactly as it appears and then you may criticize. If you place yourselves beforehand on a critical ground, you will perceive things incorrectly and as a result your critique will be unreasonable. I speak about Cosmic Love because it is an essential element for each one of you. Whoever desires to be healthy and fortunate needs to understand the intrinsic power of Cosmic Love. Many speak of Love and Cosmic Love, but they confuse them. Love is creating, while the Cosmic Love is manifesting. In some cases, however, Love can destroy as well. The cat eats the mouse out of love because this is how it understands and demonstrates the process of love. Moreover, you know that the cat eats the mouse without removing its fur and skin; it does not discard the impurities, but swallows it whole. It seems strange that cats though being a model of excellent neatness do not know how to eat. Many people have the same habits as cats: for example, they do not know how to eat. When people accept thoughts in their mind swallowing them with all their impurities like fur, skin, intestines, stomach, and so on - this shows a lack of culture in nourishment. Such people have the cat’s voracity and love. When we slaughter and eat animals, with this we also express our love for them. If animals ask us why we kill and eat them, we would need to answer that we are doing it out of our great love toward them and because we wish to have them inside us rather than look at them only from the outside. Love says, “I acknowledge no other existence than mine own and any being that is outside me needs to enter into me.” This is how Love has been understood by our elders; and this is how the new generation understands it as well. We believe that we will encounter a contradiction, if we understand it differently. In the social, political, and spiritual life of today, all people suffer from overabundance of love - every person has had more love than their fill is. Simply said, this is how things stand: if a woman has a lot of wool and leaves it unwoven, the wool will begin to smell. Yet in my opinion it is her love that has begun to smell. She needs to discover the process of Cosmic Love and begin to wash, comb, spin, and weave the wool. Like this woman, you might have a lot of wool; individually, you might be wealthy merchants, philosophers, scholars, ministers. All this is good. However, if you do not spin and weave with your knowledge, I tell you that you are ministers of wool, merchants, philosophers, scholars of wool. You have only wool that is not spun. The wool needs to be spun. It will be spun when that great process of Cosmic Love begins and the Cosmic Power is being awakened in us. According to the modern philosophers this will happen when the Higher Consciousness is awakened within us; when we understand that we need to work for the common good of the entire humankind and all living beings, visible and invisible. You might say that my idea is somewhat unusual. Indeed, it is unusual, but not all unusual things are untrue, just as not all things that are common and familiar to us are always true. To clarify my idea, I will make use of an image. In the past, in the Golden age of the human culture, in the so-called “First Race of gods” - there lived a great sage. One of his disciples came to him and said, “It is my desire to learn from you one of the greatest secrets of Life: how to take whatever form I wish so that to become enormous. I want to be as big as the Sun, filling all space around and thus to become visible to all.” The sage told the disciple, “Let it be according to your wish.” The disciple was very pleased and told himself, “Finally, I learned the great secret of being visible to all and now I will be the happiest of beings.” However, he forgot to ask his teacher how to diminish when he would like to become small again. Indeed, he became very large and all could see him, but he was incapable of communication. He was standing so high that he could not see the people neither could speak to them. For this reason, he went everywhere by himself and felt very lonely. All could see that he was unusually large and so, many scientists, philosophers, physicists, and astronomers began to study him, searching for the reason that Nature had made him like this. Thousands of theories and legends were created regarding his origin. The great sage, his Teacher, merely said, “The reason for his size is nothing else, but his wish to become large so as to be noticed by everyone; and I fulfilled his desire.” Another disciple came to this sage and said, “Master, I ask you to teach me the secret of diminishing myself to such an extent that no one in the world will be able to see me.” The sage fulfilled his desire as well and the disciple became first very small and then invisible. And yet, he, like the first disciple, forgot to ask how to return to his original form, so after he became invisible and descended to the greatest depths of creation, as he had desired, he was not able to return any more, when he wanted to. These two disciples represent the two polarities in creation: the great worlds and the small worlds. The microbes which afflict people, for example, conceal themselves everywhere, becoming invisible to all. After a while, a third disciple came to the sage and said, “Master, it is my wish to learn from you the properties of light and heat so that I might simultaneously be visible like light and invisible like heat: visible like light to be able to illuminate the great worlds and invisible like heat to be able to warm up even the smallest of the beings on Earth.” The Teacher answered him, “Let it be according to your wish.” Therefore, there are three processes in the world today running simultaneously. According to the first process, some people want to become wealthy, to be scholars, philosophers, statesmen, generals, nation builders. We call such people “great” because they have learned the art of expansion. They know the secret of expanding themselves so that to attract all people and societies to themselves, but have not learned the greatest secret - the art of organizing people and societies into conscious units. The magnet attracts iron filings, but it does not know how to organize them. To organize does not yet mean to educate: to educate does not yet mean to teach the Law of Cosmic Love. Therefore, when we speak of the Light, we imply that process in which the human mind expands and attains inner selfawareness. When we speak of heat or warmth, we consider the process of concentration through evaporation or the process of inner transformation. Light is a process that comes from the center and goes to the periphery; while Heat is a process that comes from the periphery and goes to the center. I call the “arterial blood” - Light and the “venous blood” - Heat. Therefore, when Cosmic Love passes through the human heart, it acts like the venous blood, absorbing and casting off all impurities. For this reason, we say that Cosmic Love heals. Light and Warmth - or in other terms, the arterial and venous blood - are constantly being exchanged within the human body; and the human body was created through these two processes. These two flows, these two processes can be found everywhere, including the mind, heart, and soul of every human being. Therefore, in order to research Life, we need to study it not as we see it today, but as Nature have initially created it. People of today may argue whether the soul exists or not; that is a matter of understanding. A person has consciousness and soul, thoughts and mind, feelings and heart as well. Can you see a melting object without associating it with heat? Can you see an illuminated object without associating it with light? Our delusions come as a result of the shadows cast upon us and that is why, we need to shed more light and warmth upon ourselves so that we can make our progress visible. To clarify this great idea, I will tell you an esoteric story. If I were to speak to you philosophically, the subject would not be interesting to you. I want to make the Truth accessible to your minds and for this reason, I am going to use the language available to us. In that kingdom, I have mentioned before, there was a king who had two daughters and one of them was very beautiful. One day, she went to a great Teacher of Wisdom and said, “Master, may I ask you to make me so beautiful as to enchant everyone passing by and so tender-hearted that whoever sees me not to want to part from me. Also, I wish for my sister to be deprived of these qualities and nobody to love her so that she would stay at home all the time not to hinder with me.” The sage answered her, “Let it be.” The princess mounted a horse, looked proudly around and said, “I am the king’s daughter!” People, horses, oxen, flies - all that she encountered in her way - was gathering around her. The many horses surrounding her started to kick each other striving to be closer to her and raising much dust in the air. The oxen were butting horns and also fighting to be closer to her. The bees started to sting each other, as did the wasps for the same reason. A terrible fight and noise arose and the animals, one after the other, started to fall dead on the ground. Observing all this, the king’s daughter realized how wrongly she had perceived Life in the Universe. Clutching her head, she went to her sister and said, “Help me, sister because I have committed a great offence!” I ask you: If a king’s daughter like the one above appears inciting much kicking and fighting among you, if all people begin to pull each other’s hair and fight because of her - has the king’s daughter brought the meaning of life to you? No. If you are of two minds and cannot find any meaning in life, you need to discover what caused you to be unjust to your soul. The king’s beautiful daughter is our body, for which we are ready to sacrifice everything in life. Philosophers, writers, politicians, clergymen, they all live only for their bodies. Often the most important thing for us in life is to indulge the body focusing mainly on what we eat and drink, how we prepare the meal and from what - meat or vegetables; whether to bake our food or boil it, and so on. We gather for banquets and say, “That is what life is about!” I say: That is what the stomach is about! You say, “Let’s put the social life in order.” Yes, but let’s put the social stomach in order: in fact that is what you imply. When your stomach is upset, the whole social and political life is upset as well. Ask any doctor if a person whose stomach is upset could philosophize and dabble in politics. Years ago, when I was returning from the village of Knyazhevo[2], I saw a banker on the streetcar and heard him complain to his friend that he had not been permitted to eat anything, only to drink milk for some time. His friend asked him, “Why so? Are you not your own master?” “Yes, but my stomach is upset.” “Well, if so, you need to bear the consequences.” Hearing of the banker’s stomach distress, his friend was ready to acquiesce to any other philosophy of life. It is the stomach that gives direction to the feelings and actions of many people. Cosmic Love represents a Great Law that allocates the actions of all forces in our consciousness so harmoniously as to supply everything created with the appropriate food it requires. Love provides appropriate thoughts for the mind; appropriate aspirations for the heart; and appropriate actions for the will. Yet, only mothers can teach Cosmic Love. When a mother forms her infant’s body, she supplies the child with Cosmic Love through her self-sacrifice. Only the one who sacrifices oneself will live because this person experiences the rejuvenating joy. Many wealthy Bulgarians of the past are no longer remembered, but Botev[3], Rakovski[4], and others who have sacrificed their lives continue to live in the national memory because they have learned the Law of Cosmic Love. Someone may object, “Yes, but Botev was not a believer.” It is not so important if someone is a believer like us. What really matters is whether that one has realized and applied the Law of Sacrifice for the others. That is what is really essential and enhancing for our further development. When I am told that some people are not believers and have eccentric views, I ask whether their views are uplifting for them and the society or not. If the answer is positive, it does not matter that they appear to be nonbelievers in the eyes of the public. I ask: If the candle I carry is lit, while the other person’s candle is not lit, then who is the true believer? True believers are those who carry lit candles. When you see someone carrying an unlit candle, tell him to light the candle; then he will become a true believer. I tell all priests, ministers, citizens, socialists, communists: Light your candles so that you may become true believers. Light your candle, every one of you, from the biggest to the smallest one, until there will be no unlit candles because the Light is needed in the world. When the Light begins to shine, Warmth will also pervade the human heart; and with this, all hatred, along with our desire to become great or small, will disappear. In respect with the cosmic consciousness we settle issues not from the perspective of one single nation, but as per the Great Law, which gives us striving and makes our life meaningful. All those who take care of children, both parents and teachers, need to apply the new methods for children’s upbringing and education so as to be of assistance to their charges. Mothers and fathers send their children to school not only to acquire knowledge, but also to learn how to put this knowledge into practice. To begin with, teachers should teach children: how to eat and what foods, presenting their properties and qualities, pointing out the healthy ones, and so on. After that, they should teach them how to breathe - to take in the pure air. By “air,” I mean all thoughts, whatever they might be, as long as they provide inspiration and give a noble impulse for the human soul. It does not mean that I want to make you true believers. You are free to think and act as you wish. I only want to give you new methods in Life so that you can avoid contradictions at certain times. I compare the situation in which the society finds itself today to that of a caterpillar feeding on leaves. Yet, the time has come for the transformation of this caterpillar into a butterfly. How will it feed then? It will no longer feed on leaves; instead, it will learn the craft of wing making, so it will create wings for itself, will begin to fly and extract nectar from the flowers. According to the Law of Evolution, the society of today is passing from one state into another. Do not think that you will be able to live in the old ways. No, God has already deprived you of leaves - as it is written in the Divine Law! God will no longer permit you to feed on leaves, when “the time of butterflies” has come. Now is the time for you to fly and gather nectar. And you should already use your proboscis! In other words, people need to learn to manifest Love. This Teaching is bringing the New Culture that will create the New Human Being. The people of today have not even a notion about it. The people who will come will be great in every aspect: Virtue, Justice, Love, Wisdom, and Truth. You are going to open your homes to them and will become fearless in their presence; there will be no need for police or army to protect you. They will not impose their views upon you because the present contradictions will no longer exist. It will be a New Culture then. Some of you will be honored to take up this Elevated Culture; while others, if they continue to maintain their old mindset, will remain in the state of caterpillars. I do not want to reproach you with this; but I am introducing this Great Law, which Nature applies mercilessly and she is being absolutely just in her actions. Placing a person in a certain phase of development, she wants to see some results. She will not wait for him; rather, he is going to wait for her. When I speak to you in this way, do not think that I do not want to make you adepts of this Teaching. Believe, rather, that I want to warn you of a big catastrophe that is coming to you: if you delude yourselves and remain in the state of caterpillars for another ten years, there will be no more leaves left for you to eat. So I advise you to transform yourselves into butterflies ten days earlier than usual and to begin a new way of eating. If you allow disease to advance too far and the blood in your body to become poisoned, what will the doctor tell you? “It is too late; you should have called me sooner.” Many politicians divert the Bulgarian nation engaging it with things that are not imperious today. You need to understand that every nation has a predetermined mission and if it is not accomplished properly, the nation will be lost; nothing could save it. Each individual has a predetermined mission as well. You may object, “Let us take back Macedonia, Thrace, Dobrudzha![5] We do not need anything else.” It is not so. We need people who will govern this nation as it should be governed! When I speak to you in this way, I do not mean that all of you should rush to join some political party. I view Life from a broader perspective. To me, the human social life represents one big tree. Does the tree have only one leaf or one blossom? No, it has thousands of branches, leaves, and blossoms, big and small ones; as well as thousands of fruits. If I had the time, I would speak to you in detail as to what each political party represents. Each party with its views and platform corresponds to a branch, leaf, and fruit of a big tree. How long can a leaf of this tree live without a branch? Fall comes and it withers; or the wind comes and it is blown away. Indeed, the fallen leaves are still living, but now they live under the power of the wind: when it blows upon them, they move. I ask you now how you want to live: high in the tree or down on the ground? It has been said about someone: that person truly lives. He lives, but down on the ground and subjected to the power of the wind. When people say that they are ill-disposed, this indicates that they have fallen down from the Tree of Life. Man has fallen to be renewed so that his essence would be drawn off by the roots of the tree and he would reincarnate once again as a new, young leaf. This is the meaning of reincarnation, but it is embarrassing and disputable for many people. Christ said, “If you are not born again, you will not see the Kingdom of God.” It means: If you are not re-born, you will not integrate into the New Culture neither will you become members of the Great New Humankind, which will bring all conditions for growth in life. The Kingdom of God abides in this New Culture. There will be no dead people - no funerals, graves, or monuments in this Kingdom - everyone without exception will be joyful there. The great persons like Paisiy[6], Botev, and others will be representatives of this New Culture. They will bring the new ideas and will be bearers of the New Teaching. People say, “Botev is not here, yet his spirit is.” Where is his spirit? How should one understand the meaning of “spirit”? The fundamental law of Lavoisier[7] is well known: Nothing in Nature is lost; therefore, everything that has ever been manifested continues to be. Some people are aware of such transformations while others are not. Yet, is it indicative that if I cannot see a thing, it does not exist? Many theologians and philosophers have contemplated on this one issue: the existence of God. For me, God exists as the Cosmic Love that I see everywhere and understand very well. It applies not only to me; every person who serves God sees Him and converses with Him every day. God lives in you. Not a single person can exist without God living in him. You should not speak ill of me, nor should I speak ill of you because God - against Whom not a bad word can be uttered - dwells both in me and you, in all of us. The fact that you have come to listen to me indicates that God has come with you too. What I speak to you is not new; you have had this knowledge stored in you for centuries. Someone may say, “Mr. Deunov preaches a new teaching.” It is only new for the time in which it is revealed. For instance, when I travel by train from Sofia to Tarnovo, things quickly fly by in front of my eyes. Some of them become past; others are present; and others are yet in the future. Do these things not exist simultaneously? Therefore, the past, present, and future exist simultaneously and represent one reality in the world. Those who have passed away, those who are living now, and those who will come in the future represent one reality too. I will leave this issue to you; you will have 350 thousand years to resolve it and I believe that you will succeed. After such a long period, I will come again to see how you have resolved it. We are not going to treat this issue today because it appears that it is not for now, but many thousands of years are required for its settling. The fact that people are currently deprived of bread, wood, salt, sugar, hygienic homes, and so on - these are the issues of today. Some speculate: those who are guilty should be hanged; women who create discord and other problems should be punished; we should declare war on our enemies in order to avenge ourselves. The purpose of all this is to satisfy the society and bring some people to their senses. Indeed, have women not been punished yet? Have the massacres, gallows, and wars not already existed? “Let us change the judges.” Will the new judges be any better? There is something wrong here. If I were to become drunk and as a result perceive the things around as being strange, this is because of my own world of a drunkard and not because everything in the world follows my lead. We resemble a Bulgarian named Ivan who went to pay a visit and was offered a drink. He drank as much as he could, but at a certain point, they began to push him to drink to the health of the mother, then to the health of the eldest son and of the eldest daughter. Thus, Ivan drank to the health of everyone in the household and became so drunk that he barely made it to the village fountain to water his horse. After the horse stopped drinking the water, Ivan insisted, “Drink to my health!” But the horse drew back and stepped aside. Ivan then said to the horse, “You have a better understanding of life than I. You were not compelled to drink more and more to the health of anyone.” We behave like Ivan as well: we gather somewhere and drink to the health of a certain party, to the health of some feminine organization, to the health of women, and so on. We make one concession after another, until we resemble the drunken Ivan, after which we say that we did not understand anything. People of today need to understand their duties toward the society, so that they might serve it as they should. When someone is asked, “Are you a Bulgarian?” he will answer, “Yes, because I speak the same language as all Bulgarians and profess one and the same faith as them.” This is not what distinguishes the Bulgarian as such. In my opinion, he should be honest and just, intelligent and good. If he possesses these four qualities, he is a Bulgarian. If he does not possess them, he is not a Bulgarian. Someone may say, “He is a priest.” I ask: Is he honest? Is he just? Is he intelligent? Is he good? If he possesses these qualities, he is a priest. Someone might be a lawyer, mother, father, teacher, or anything else; regardless, he needs to satisfy these four attributes, which are absolute essentials in social life. I would like that all Bulgarians possess these attributes and if they do, I will congratulate them. All should be dressed in Light, both inside and outside, and should be pure in flesh and spirit - just as Nature adorns the flowers with a wealth of colors and purity. As I said before: We need to be honest and just, intelligent and good in the full sense of these words - namely, in soul, mind, spirit, and willpower. We should possess a strong impulse to help one another as well. You can always have the Cosmic Love within yourselves. You are unhappy; your child has died, or you have lost your wealth. Why are you unhappy? It is because the Cosmic Love is not at work within you. One has lost some of one's senses; another has become discouraged. Why? It is because they have lost the Cosmic Love. When this Cosmic Love comes into us, we become powerful enough to accomplish everything. Those, whose Love is active, get never discouraged - they say that all failures and misfortunes are merely shadows of Life. Do not be afraid of these shadows! I compare misfortunes to the following: imagine a big tree with thousands of leaves that live together peacefully and quietly. A storm comes up and they begin to push one another and quarrel among themselves, asking, “Why are you so rough and pushy?” Then the storm passes and again they live together, quietly and peacefully. In this case, the cause for their argument is external. If this tree has understood the Great Law of Cosmic Love and in doing so, has avoided this quarreling, it would gradually be transformed into animal; the animal, if it would have understood Cosmic Love, will be transformed into human being; and the human being - into Angel. And when the human being attains this more sublime form, this person will be able to master the forces of Nature and overcome all trials and misfortunes. You may learn this Law from your little children. What do they do when they want something from their mother? They hug and kiss her tenderly, calling her, “Mom.” What is the meaning of this? Embracing their mother, children impart to her Cosmic Love with their left hand and Cosmic Wisdom-with their right hand. In this way, they impart their power to her so that she is really ready to do everything for them. That is why children are so lovable. The adults say, “If I kiss you, will I not catch some disease?” Children do not philosophize: If they need to kiss someone, they just do it and that is that. If my kiss can heal a person, I will readily kiss that person. If not, I will not do it. Every kiss should bear a blessing within itself. Visiting someone, you should not go with empty hands, but bring a present. When you go to visit a poor woman, for example, do not fill your wallet with money; but fill a bag with bread and fruits. The charitable organizations should do the same. At present, they collect money from here and there and use it to do good works. No, my friends, it is not good to give someone bread that is not baked by you. In the New Culture one cannot live by another one’s baking. The charitable organizations bring money around to the poor and after that, want to be paid for their labor. No, nothing should be paid them. When I serve, I should serve in Cosmic Love. When you come to my home, I shall receive you well: I shall feast you; I shall wash your hands and feet; I shall provide you with all resources needed for living; and I shall do any favor for you as I would for a friend. This is what is required by the New Culture. But today, when someone goes on a journey, he could stay somewhere as a guest for one day, but afterward, he should take a room in a hotel. Khan eri, baba eri,[8] say the Turks. The innkeepers are good people; they hold a higher position than common people. At first they are polite. However, when you leave, they immediately grab hold of you and say, “You must pay.” Are you aware of the situation in which we, the people of today, find ourselves? I will illustrate this for you with another example. A dervish went to a public bath, washed himself well, but upon leaving the bath, he discovered that he had not even a coin or two in his pocket to pay with. He then addressed the bath owner and told him, “Thank you,” on the way out. “Wait! What about paying?” asked the bath owner. “I have no money.” “Why did you come then?” The dervish was in a quandary what to do, so he directed his thoughts to God and said, “Lord, either give me money or bring this bath down.” In this moment, a great noise was heard. The bath came down and the bath owner came running to see what was happening. The dervish left unperturbed. Walking along, he saw an imam praying and said to him, “I know what you are praying for - money.” Modern society has always suffered from its too high want of money. In Bulgaria today, many treasury notes are issued, but where is the value? Value is what is needed. In contrast, what Nature provides does have value. If wheat, fruit, and potatoes exist, culture will exist; without them, there is no culture. Culture is determined by the Cosmic Love that is transmitted to us from Above. Do not think that the other planets and the Sun do not participate in our life. It is the Sun that is most interested in us and every year it sends a credit to Bulgaria worth of billions. If you go to the Sun, you will see that the solar citizens have many billions worth of energy for the sake of the Bulgarian culture, Cosmic Love, religious convictions, and spiritual advancement on the path of Truth. We focus our telescopes on the Sun and say, “The Sun is fire.” I contest this because fire is a weak force. A force does exist on the Sun, but it is not fire. It is something more powerful and it is beyond words to explain it. The Sun is not a body of fire, but a body of immense energy. I will not discuss the intrinsic aspect of this energy or explain how it has been developed, and so on. I wonder if you would believe me, if I were to tell you anything about the Sun as it is so far away from us. You do not believe in me or in my candor; you, yourselves, question if I have any hidden objectives or not - so how will you believe me when I am speaking about the Sun? The Sun is well-disposed to us - and this can be seen from its energies sent to the Earth and its bounties prepared for us daily - because without these forces coming from the Sun, life would be impossible. The solar forces are living and conscious. If we begin to think about the Sun in this way, we will be able to draw these forces into ourselves and they will generate a conscious regular process of growth within us. And so, Cosmic Love says, “Work with your heart and plant good wishes in it because each good wish will bear good fruit.” Plant good thoughts in your mind because each good thought will grow into a fruit tree. Do good actions using your willpower because each good action is a future fruit tree as well. Cosmic Love also says, “Never have doubts of yourself because every doubt is like leprosy.” Cosmic Love concludes, “Be courageous and decisive in life and in the struggles that befall you. Do not consider struggle to be a misfortune. Instead, consider it to be a process of work, which enables you to understand the inner meaning of Life. Discover the Laws that build the body as well as the stomach, lungs, and brain - so that you might be able to organize them properly.” We need to have the appropriate conditions for the manifestation of Cosmic Love within us. We do have these conditions in Life; they have been given to us. But if we do not make use of them, we cannot avoid the bad consequences. Suffering indicates that we are losing our life-force. We will continue to suffer until the lost balance has been restored. I will give you an example, which demonstrates that our beliefs and disbeliefs produce the opposite results. Once upon a time, there lived a great painter in Rome. He had the idea to paint the ideal image of Christ. He went through the town so as to find someone who would give an expression of his idea. He found a young man - 22–23 years old, and began to paint him. The work turned out to be quite successful. After some time the painter decided to paint Judas Iscariot as well. Again, he walked through the town in search of a suitable model. Finally, he found one and offered to paint him as Judas. The young man was astonished and turning to the painter, he said, “Sir, there is something very strange in your undertaking. Some years ago, you asked me to pose as a model of Christ and now you want me to serve as a model of Judas.” In the several past years, the young man had lived such a sinful life and his appearance distorted to such an extent that the painter was unable to recognize him. Yes, one can simultaneously be a Christ and a Judas, both in relation to himself and in relation to his fellowmen. We are creating our own character, so we need to be masters of our life, not expecting salvation from outside. Salvation is in us; it is nothing else but overcoming all the difficulties, which discourage us and hinder our progress. Mothers are those who recruit members for the different social strata and circles. As I have already said: While a mother is pregnant and the child is still in her womb, she can shape the kind of person she would like. Society depends on her for creating both its good and bad members. If a mother has conceived, but does not infuse her baby with Cosmic Love, she will not be able to form her child as she desires. If during her pregnancy, she attends frivolous balls and mindless concerts, spending her time seeking mainly entertainment, she will cause the creation of other individuals like Judas; and then she, herself, will wonder why her child did not turn out well. The mother is the cause. She has not created conditions for the building of something good. If children are gifted and with noble character, it is because their mothers have understood the Cosmic Law and at the appropriate time have given their children the possibility of using it. Character and strength are passed down to the child by the father; while the intellect is inherited from the mother. Honesty is passed down by the father; righteousness, by the mother. Only the father can make his son or daughter honest. Only the mother can make her son or daughter righteous. Sometimes, one will find children who are honest and intelligent, but they are not righteous and good. In such cases, I say that one of the parents has erred. If a child has all these four qualities, it indicates that both parents have worked in accordance with Cosmic Love and have imparted these qualities to their offspring. Cosmic Love is an excellent worker; whatever kind of wool you give it, Love will spin it. Showing us the spun wool, Love says, “This is what you gave me and this is what I created.” To clarify this concept, I will make a comparison with the following story. A young man by the name of Stoyan was a servant of a rich merchant. He worked honestly and gave all his earnings to the poor. Seeing this, his master constantly reminded him to make some savings for himself too because the old age is coming and he has no one to take care of him. Stoyan kept silent at these remarks or just said, “The Lord is good.” One day, his master fell into a deep sleep and had a very vivid dream. He was strolling through a beautiful countryside and there, amid the luxuriant landscape, he noticed a wonderful villa. He asked those present whose that villa was. “It belongs to your servant,” was the answer. “But he is only a poor man, where did he earn enough money to buy such a beautiful villa?” “He is poor indeed, but everything he earns on Earth, he is sending here; and with it, he has built this beautiful villa.” Walking further along, the master came to a more arid, desert-like place and noticed a small, meager cabin. He asked again, “Whose cabin is this?” “This is yours because you have never done anything for those in need,” was the answer. This story is true also in the sense that whatever a mother gives to her children in this world - and to the extent she gives it - that much she will receive back; and with it, she will build for herself either a beautiful villa or a small cabin in the World beyond. If she is generous in her Cosmic Love for her children, she will have a palace. By “palace,” I am implying the human character. If we introduce this New Law into the contemporary life, many of the big problems will disappear. I will conclude this lecture with one more example in order to emphasize what we truly need. In the time of the Ottoman rule, there lived a young Bulgarian who was an apprentice to a master potter. He studied pottery for many years and when he thought that he could work on his own, he told the master that he wanted to leave him. The master agreed and so he left. The young Bulgarian set to work. He formed pots, dried them in the Sun and set them finally in the kiln. But when removed from the kiln, the pots always cracked. He continued to work in this way for a while, but soon became discouraged as all his pots cracked. So he returned to the master and complained, “I do not know what is wrong with my work; my pots crack whenever I take them out of the kiln.” The master told him, “I am going to tell you the secret, if you work for me for three more years.” The young man agreed. He observed closely what the master was doing and noticed that whenever he removed a pot from the kiln, he would blow Hu! into each one of them. The apprentice then said to himself, “So, I needed to work an extra three whole years for this Hu!” You are all placed in the fire and if a master removes you from there, you will not be harmed; but if a novice does it, your pot will crack. The pot - this is you. The fire represents the difficulties in the world. The Master - this is your spirit. Stoyan in this case represents your soul that is learning how to create. Therefore, if you do not teach your soul how “to blow” and clench its fist, nothing will become of you. “To clench your fist” means to give your willpower the opportunity of acting in accordance with all precepts of the Law. Let each one of you stand in front of the kiln and say to the master, “Please, blow!” The blowing represents Cosmic Love. If Cosmic Love is implanted within you, your spirit will transform your body. You will become then worthy members of the New Culture and Humankind. I would like to greet all of you as members of this New Culture. I wish you to serve it with joy, to be bearers and workers of Cosmic Love. Only in this way will a nation be able to fulfill its mission well. Only in this way can Bulgaria raise as a nation and state. Be sure that if you receive Cosmic Love, everything will be resolved to your benefit. Nothing bad will happen to Bulgaria: the changes will come to pass without catastrophes or cataclysms. The New is coming, so there will be energy effusion from the unclean vessel into a clean one. As representatives of the New Culture, we are going to live without hatred, without malice. May Love and Cosmic Love be the two lodestars guiding our life on Earth. Lecture given by the Master at the gathering in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria on August 24, 1919. --------------------------------------- 1. There are two words in Bulgarian for love: lyubov and obich. Lyubov is translated into English as “Universal Love” or “Love” and obich is translated as “Cosmic Love” designating the human manifestation of Love as universal energy. 2. Knyazhevo: A former village in the outskirts of the Mount Vitosha, now a district of Sofia. 3. Hristo Botev (1847–1876): Bulgarian poet and revolutionary. 4. Georgi Sava Rakovski (1821–1867): Bulgarian publicist and a leader of the National Liberation Movement in opposition to the Ottoman rule. 5. Thrace and Dobrudzha are geographic districts on the Balkan Peninsula. 6. Paisiy Hilendarski (1772–1773): A monk who wrote the first history of the Bulgarian nation and became a leader of the Bulgarian National Revival. 7. Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier (1773–1794) is a French chemist. 8. Khan eri, baba eri - this is a Turkish proverb meaning: The innkeeper ’s land is like a native land.

THE UNIVERSAL LOVE The subject of my lecture is the Universal Love. I use this notion in a slightly broader meaning than it is usually understood. You may ask what we have in common with the Universal Love. My answer is that the Universal Love is the essence of Life. Love is what creates the conditions for Life to manifest. It is the primary incentive on Earth, that is to say, the ideal toward which we all strive. Yet Life, to be able to express itself fully, implies freedom of action. It evolves in four directions: social, political, cultural, and spiritual. These are different areas of the same reality. By “Love” I do not mean the common one that is extinguishable as a piece of charcoal thrown into the water. This is not the genuine Love. The genuine Love is a live coal that is aware of the meaning of the earthly existence. That is why the old sages and alchemists strived to study the properties of this living charcoal in fullness and came to comprehend its essence. Those who are not familiar with its properties say that Love burns people. True, there are things that can burn. There are also others that do not burn, in the same way as metals can be oxidized or not; in other words, when the later burn they are not consumed, that is why they are called “noble metals.” You may ask another question, “Why should we care about some high ideal when our living conditions are so bad?” But I will also ask you: Can you really prove you live in bad conditions? It is only a presumption. There are equally bad and good things in life, falls and risings, losses and gains, but they are finally balanced. What we call adverse living conditions is but our subjective attitude, human speculation, or theorizing. It is said that the humankind of today is seriously unhealthy. What I say is that illness is an anachronism. It is something temporary which depends on the person itself because one has the equal chance to be healthy or ill. Diseases are nothing else but direction signs as development begins only when there is a counter-action to one’s will. This can always be verified in life. All great people have suffered and suffering has been a stimulus for their spiritual growth. On the other hand, those who have had no hindrances and have lived comfortably have not marked any growth either. Today people want to be rich; but they should make a choice because there are two kinds of wealth: one that can make them sink to the bottom of the ocean and another one that can uplift them. If you travel on a transatlantic liner like the Titanic for example, with a backpack with forty kilograms of gold in it and if next to you is someone with no weight on his back, who has the chance to be saved in case of a shipwreck: you with the gold or the person who has no baggage? The answer is explicit itself. I take the word “gold” in a broader sense than it is normally understood. To me gold is an emblem of Knowledge or understanding of the Laws by which you can work in the world, mastering the natural forces and directing them to be useful both for you and others. This Knowledge does not oxidize and burn, so it is preserved and can be used for good. I am going to tell you an esoteric story. In a kingdom long ago, all citizens lived happily in fraternal love and their happiness was due to the fact that their king was not married yet. But at some time they started to wonder, “Why does our king stay single? Let’s find him a beautiful bride and have a wedding so in the future our kingdom will have an heir; otherwise it would be doomed.” So they chose the most beautiful maiden and the young king married her. She gave birth to two daughters: one, so beautiful that she attracted everyone with her beauty and the other, so ugly that everyone avoided her. Yet, the beautiful daughter brought a great misfortune to the kingdom because whomever she looks at would have problems with the eyes, whomever she touches would become lame, whomever she meets on her strolls would never reach home healthy as before. All citizens were affected by her negative energy. On the other hand, when the ugly daughter was on her stroll, she healed whoever she looked at and expelled the diseases from whomever she touched with her hand. You may say it is only a story, but you are not right. That is not just a story, but the reality itself or life as it is. For example, you have a son who is virtuous and honest. But in the presence of a beautiful girl, he changes: his mind darkens and his heart defiles, as beauty in its purely physical aspect stimulates only the external manifestation of human life. You have the desire to be beautiful, wealthy, strong, and so on. But I ask: Is there anyone who in spite of being beautiful, rich, and powerful has not experienced death? Someone may object, “But with your ideas people will die of hunger.” Are you not going to die because of your ideas too? I would be happy to see someone who is not dying in one way or another. Unfortunately people not only die, but they also perish. Someone else wishes to become good as to avoid suffering. No. The better you become, the more you are going to suffer. “What is then the solution to the problem?” It is only in the fact that the good person knows why to live, suffer, and die; while the bad one does not know. Here is the difference Do not think that death is natural and in the order of Nature itself. There was a time when the human being was immortal. We, too, could not die. But do you know in what sense I say this? In the sense that we could not do wrong, unhealthy things. A person who errs always dies. We die because our ancestors have erred. And we constantly err too because we suffer the effects of our past transgressions, which is called karma in the East or that is the Law of Cause and Effect. This Law refers not only to the individual, but also to the society and the humankind as a whole. I am telling you a Great Truth, which you can verify by yourselves. I do not have in mind theory but experience. The Teaching, which I preach, is based upon the living practice. People of today ask each other, “Are you a believer or not?” All people believe in whatsoever, I have not seen a single person who does not believe at all, but their faith is different. In that kingdom where people suffered from the beautiful princess, a great sage came and said to them, “I am bringing you a cure for all your ailments. It is an apple seed which will grow into a ten meter tree and will bear big fruits, half a kilogram each. Those who eat from these fruits will not be affected by the princess’s glance because this is the Tree of Life.” The people did not plant the seed and did not wait for the fruit. Instead they passed the seed from one to the other saying, “Did you hear that if you plant this seed, a big tree would grow with sweet fruits half a kilogram each having healing properties?” Everyone spoke about the seed and did believe in the curative powers of its fruits. But not being planted, finally the seed got lost; then the people began to speak that what was said about it was untrue and stupid. “Is it possible that such a big tree could exist and bear such fruit? It was a lie.” And so, they stopped believing. When someone is telling me today he does not believe, I say: Friend, you have lost the Seed. You can be a scientist, a very serious person, but if you do not have the Seed of Love within yourself, you are going to pass through thousands of tribulations. I will not stop right now to explain religion to you. You will resolve this for yourselves because now I am speaking about Love. I ask: Do we have this Seed? Who of the great scientists from the past or from this century has brought the Seed? Someone will answer that Christ has brought it. Where is it then? Let us see it. Jesus Christ suffered and was resurrected. But let us see the fruit of this suffering and resurrection. The Seed has been lost. I will continue with the story. This same sage came for the second time to that kingdom and said, “Because you lost the seed the first time I came, now I will not give it to you to pass it from hand to hand. But when I find the most honored citizen, I will tell him: Friend, you have a beautiful garden. I will plant the seed there, but you need to water it and watch over it; after five or ten years you will have fruits curative for everybody.” You all need to plant this Seed and benefit from its fruiting. The first fruit of this Seed is Love, which shall reign among all people, regardless of their creed or nationality. They shall then rise above any attachment as home, society, or nation. Love shall embrace the entire humankind as we are all members of it. It represents a common body and when the body is well, it benefits the nation, society and home of each individual, and vice versa. I do not mean to criticize your views. This is not my intention. I am speaking in principle. Therefore, I do not want to interfere with shortcomings, whether social, political, cultural, or spiritual. This is not my assignment and it will not solve the problem either. When I enter the home of hungry people, I will not preach about God to them, saying that if they have faith and trust Him, He will provide food for them, and then leave them with that thought but hungry. No, I adhere to this principle: I always carry on my back a bag full of bread for those who are hungry and arguing so that I can tell them: Set the table, let’s sit down and eat. Then peace and tranquility will return to such homes. Today people have a wrong understanding of life. They say, “Let’s improve the society, the world.” All this is great, but how will you educate the society, your sons and daughters, the politicians, teachers, priests, and preachers? I would suggest you all to go and study the life of bees - they will teach you how you should educate others. When they want to have a queen, they prepare some special food for her; the food for the workers and drones is different. The bees have managed to organize their life much better than do people, who only philosophize. This is not a reproach, but an indication that we should study the surrounding Nature much more thoroughly. All Laws and models for prosperity can be found in Nature. With the Universal Love, we will attain an uplift of our consciousness. Feeling the vibrations and being able to hear the voices of all suffering people and to help them - it is both self-help and support for our nation and for the entire humankind simultaneously. Whoever has this feeling awakened and activated, being free of all material attachments, that one is able to project oneself everywhere in space and help everyone. You may ask, “How is it possible to help someone without touching that person?” I will answer this question with another one: Does the Sun, which is 93 million miles away from us, touch us with its fingers? No. Even from such a great distance, when it looks down, everything in nature begins to vibrate, grow, and bear fruit. Some may say, “Let’s raise our hand for a blessing.” Alright. But by raising your hand, you should also give what the Sun gives us every day. The Sun sends forth energy and strength to both the healthy and the ill. Some may wonder why we should concern ourselves with the Sun. I do not say to be concerned, but to make use of it. If someone does not feel well, he may take a sunbath; if he has lost his energy, he may bask in the sun’s rays; if he is disappointed in his ideal, if he has no idea how to work, he may stand in the sunshine to get warmed. Someone may object, “God will help us.” When you mention God, I want to ask you: What is God for you? God acts from within. When we experience God and He speaks to us, we come to love all human beings equally and we are ready to sacrifice for them. Christ said, “There is no greater love than this that man lay down his life for the sake of his friends.”[1] He was implying that when we love our neighbor, we should not consider him to be a sinner and try to save him, but rather treat him as a brother, a friend, creating for him the conditions necessary for living and growing. Do not think that you are going to delineate a new path of life. No. The path of life is already drawn for everyone and it has been strictly mathematically determined. It is determined for everyone what they will become, how they will live, and how their life will unfold. This is according to the Law of the continuous Causes and Effects. In the Divine Law of Love disharmony cannot exist. When we begin to understand Love as such a power, it will come to abide in us. Then we will become strong enough to correct all social shortcomings - not mechanically but through Love. The love of society directed to some person will transform the mind and give a new course to this person’s life. Therefore, when we say that God is Almighty, we mean the totality of the whole creation - all beings whose thoughts are affecting us as a creative power. What bad we have is not Divine: it is human. We have ourselves created the present unfavorable existence and its structure. If you ask me why God has created the world in this way, my answer is: I know that the world was created in a different way, but from what I see now, I can conclude that it has been ruined by people. All of you here who are listening to me have different beliefs of life. Not only you have your own concepts, but also mammals, birds, ants, plants - they all live according to their understanding. However, this is not the meaning of life yet; life is much richer and broader. The abilities and powers, which are hidden in the human soul, can be awakened under special conditions. Each of you can make a small experiment. What kind of an experiment? First, affirm that all conditions to become true humans are given to you. If you cannot use these conditions, it does not mean that these possibilities are not available; it means only that you have not found and applied the appropriate methods. Modern scientists and philosophers have tried for thousands of years to find the methods for the revival of the humankind. We have never had a religion providing immortality for the humankind. I say that the true Orthodox religion has not been presented yet in the world. When I say that, someone may ask me to which religion I belong. I answer: I do not confess any of the today’s religions, which are as a whole void of content and hollow. I will tell you which one I belong to defining it in a very short way: religion is the connection between Wisdom and Love. There is no better definition of religion than this. Those who have found the connection between Love, acting in their souls and Wisdom, acting in their minds are believers indeed being aware of the Divine Law and immortality itself. This faith makes us be God-like. How can a human being be like God? Overcoming death because God is immortal. Christ said, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”[2] The human being cannot become immortal if not perfect. Someone will ask, “Why did the saints die?” It is because they burdened themselves with the others’ wrongdoings. When we free ourselves of our wrongdoings, we are not going to die, but will attain the state of living in Love and Wisdom, which is the essence of this Teaching. A person who does not have Love and Wisdom cannot be truly religious and immortal. Understand me correctly: according to this definition, “overcoming death” means to be master of all conditions in life: to be equally joyful whenever you suffer or rejoice; to be impassive whenever you lose or gain. Whom do we venerate these days? Is it not the heroes who have suffered and died? Whom do we build monuments and lay wreaths to? Do we do this for the thieves and robbers, the wealthy millionaires, or the philosophers who possessed much knowledge? No. We pay honor and tribute to those who have suffered and sacrificed themselves for humankind. People of today often like to outsmart one another with sophisms about the existence of God and to ask, “Is there a God?” I do not resolve this question philosophically, but simply say that God exists in the same way as the Sun shines. Imagine that you stay awake at night and sleep in daytime when the Sun shines, waking up always at sunset, so if you study the world at night, after twenty years, you will say that there is no Sun. I tell you: Change your way of living. Go to sleep at night and stay awake in daytime when the Sun is shining - then you will see the Sun. The same happens to the wealthy people who have sunk under the weight of their riches. I do not judge them, but point to the reason of their misfortune. They are at the very bottom of the ocean so the sunrays cannot reach them. When can they be saved? By leaving their gold at the bottom of the ocean and going up. Is there any life on the surface? Yes, and much more beautiful life. These setbacks could be your wishes to acquire wealth, to take a high position, or to conquer the world. Free yourselves of such thoughts. Tell me who of the political leaders has improved life in Bulgaria? Who has improved England? Where is Ancient Greece or Rome in their glory? I do not argue that one should not have goals in life, but I say that we move in the wrong direction. We have a distorted understanding of life and it is time to put an end to all these false beliefs. Two Greek sculptors wanted to show their mastery. The first one sculpted a bunch of grapes so real that even the birds were tricked. The other sculpted a beautiful goddess, tucking such a delicate veil around her that the first sculptor asked him, “Take off the veil so that I can see her better.” This story shows that the one who sculpted the goddess was more skillful. But I ask: Did these artists not die as well? They did. You may understand each law very well; you may be a philosopher, a statesman, and so on. The art of these two sculptors is only the shadow of things. It is not the essence of Life. The essence of Life lies in our attaining harmony with it. We have not yet attained this harmony. I do not agree with the people of today saying that they have a true life. In fact, they do not really live, but mainly suffer and torment themselves. In my opinion, there are three ways of manifestations: toil, labor, and work. Our existence so far is one of toil, yet true Life begins with work. Work is related to the state of conscious living and understanding how to become master of yourself - of your mind and heart so that no one could affect you. It means that you have the Great Love, which is not only inspiring, but also acting as a constant stimulus for you in the same way as heat and light act upon the plant kingdom. I compare modern people (if you will excuse me for this comparison) to a mentally deranged scientist. He was placed in the big hall of a mental institution with fifty other patients. He engaged himself to bring straws, of which he made small piles that he moved all day long from one side of the hall to the other. Next day, he did the same again. People resemble this man and ask themselves why they are unhappy. It is because they are gathering straws. What is needed is the benevolent wind that will blow away all these straws and together with them, all misfortunes. We should treat our neighbors like the saint who was on his way to talk with God. When he passed by a rich man, the latter said to him, “Tell God that I have had enough of this wealth. May He take it away, so that I might be living like all other people.” “Very well,” replied the saint, “I will tell God.” He continued on his way and there he met a poor man who said to him, “Please tell God that I am tired of this life. I have had enough of walking around naked and barefoot. May He give me some clothing and change my living conditions.” “I will advise God about your plea,” said the saint. Arriving to God, the saint told Him about these two men. God said, “Tell the rich man to express his discontent complaining against Me and I will take all his wealth away. As to the poor man, tell him to express satisfaction with his life and then I will give him everything he wishes.” On his return, the saint told the rich man what God had ordered for him. But he replied, “How can I do that?” “In this case, your wealth will remain with you.” He passed by the poor man and told him what God had ordered for him. But he answered, “How can I be content with these bad conditions?” The wise man told him, “You will continue then to go naked and naked will you be buried.” You say that those who have passed away are already with God, but you still go to the cemeteries to offer prayers and pour wine for their souls. Can they be with God and in the cemetery at the same time? That one who is above should tell those who are below, “You only think that you will be dead. If you become thankful, you will resurrect.” Do not take what I am saying as a reproach or intent to rebuke anyone for their beliefs. I only point out those false attitudes toward Life, which have been introduced to us pushing us in the wrong direction and causing us to be in disharmony with Life itself. We want to live, but at the same time we prepare ourselves for death. The one who is observing the Law of Universal Love and Cosmic Consciousness will no longer pass through death. That one will be able to survive even if you pound nails into his hands and feet; put him on the cross or in the grave - yet, he will be able to stay alive. Those who have not learned the Great Law of Love - never will their stones be rolled off their graves. People of today constantly say, “We are sinners.” I do not wish to hear this anymore! What I know is that people are good by nature, deep in their core, but they become bad because of misconceptions and misused willpower. They seek happiness and think they will find it on the path they follow. But they will not find it there, the same way as their fathers and forefathers who have searched happiness on the same path have not found it either. Christ said, “He who hears the Voice of the Son of Man will live.”[3] What does it imply “the Son of Man”? It implies the Son of Wisdom and Love. He who has connected Wisdom with Love will resurrect. You, too, when you hear this Voice, will resurrect. This is what Christ was teaching. If you plant the Seed, which I have mentioned to you, not just passing it from hand to hand, but planting it in your hearts, the resurrection and the desired Life will come. Life will then enter in its natural Divine Course. I can advise all mothers who are listening to me how to have the sons and daughters they wish. To those young women and men who are listening to me, I can tell you more about the meaning of life. You will marry - marriage is a sacred institution. However, there are three kinds of marriage. The first is called a contracted union. The second is a master-servant type of relationship; this is to say, man is a master and woman is a servant, or vice versa. The third is a union in which man and woman live in love and wisdom; or, in other words, they live for each other. The wife will never say a bitter word to her husband; moreover, she will never look at him with anger even in situations when he makes the biggest mistakes. This wife will always be loving to her spouse. Only such a marriage will produce good children, sages, and saints who will serve the whole of humankind. If a woman who has conceived is inspired by some great ideas about humankind, she will pass good qualities on to her child. She is like God to her child, so she is capable of creating out of this dust whatever she desires. Yet, as soon as the baby emerges from her womb, this begins the child’s independence in thoughts and feelings. If, during the nine-month period of pregnancy, she has instilled the qualities of Love and Wisdom into the child, he will have a good attitude toward her for the rest of his life and will be ready to sacrifice himself for her. When a son asks his mother why he was born, I naturally conclude that during the pregnancy she or the father had prevailing negative thinking. Sons and daughters usually bear the thoughts of their parents. Modern science has also come to this conclusion. Certainly, in such general talk, I cannot go into depth or into more detail concerning that issue so as to explain the principle of it. We need schools to educate young people in these Great Laws in order to become good mothers and fathers and, at the same time, builders of the future society. There is a book written by a Bulgarian author: “Builders of Contemporary Bulgaria.” I think, this title is very good. Moreover, to know how to build represents a great and sacred deed. You probably doubt what I am saying. If you do, you make a mistake. Cast any doubts aside of your souls - because my doubts in you are also doubts in myself and your doubts in me are in fact doubts in yourselves. I have no doubt in you; I have all faith that, in the future, you will become very good people. Now some of you are still in the early stage and some others are not yet in the fields. But after thousands of years when I meet you again, you will be very different from your present state. You may say, “Are you sure we can meet again after so many years?” Of course, we are going to meet again and we will have a much better understanding than at present. Now you look at these things critically and tell yourselves, “This man who has come here to speak to us is hiding something. He may want to cheat us. This is a dangerous matter. We must be watchful.” You are right. If I were in your place, I would think the same. While traveling from Sofia to Tarnovo,[4] I sat next to a man on the train. I saw that he was touching his valet from time to time looking suspiciously at me and the other passengers around. He probably asked himself if we were perhaps the kind of people who liked to take and not to give; if he would reach into our pockets, or we - into his. I am not one of those who reach into people’s pockets. I can let you put your hands into my pocket and take whatever you can. Only when we begin to think like this, will the world improve. Abundance should exist in the world: abundance in minds, abundance in hearts. And we need to open our hearts widely for one another. I do not regard modern society as you do. Anyhow, it is going to die - no one can prevent this with the present way of thinking. In fact, it could be done, but how? By changing the conditions. I will give you an example. The Spanish influenza rage killed six million people worldwide and I was asked how people could heal themselves. I told them that I am not a medical doctor, but according to the Laws with which I am familiar, people should drink boiled hot water and eat warm potatoes; and after about seven or ten days, the crisis will pass. Now some people may ask, “Do you think that we are so naive as to eat hot potatoes and drink boiled water?” It is not that you are naive, but I am telling you a method of healing. Make an experiment. May all those who have tried this cure share the results. As to doctors, what did they do? They gave shots, but most of the ill departed for the World beyond. Within only seventeen days, seventeen hundred people died in Sofia. The people’s explanation was, “Oh, there has been a crisis, a complication, and so on.” I say: Those people should have drunk hot water and should have eaten boiled potatoes. Drinking hot boiled water is also a kind of a shot, but from within, not external. The thing is to know where the shot should be given. Now, if you ask how Bulgaria could be healed, I say to you: Drink hot water and eat warm potatoes. When I say “boiled water,” you should know where to take the water from. Take water from where the donkey would drink because it knows how to choose good water. If you use hot water, it will bring you all necessary elements and in this way, ninety percent of the contemporary issues that make people sick will disappear. So, boiled hot water and warm potatoes - this is a sign of Life in Love and Wisdom. And so, Universal Love will put us in touch with Life itself so that we can understand the meaning of every single thing: every flower, every tree, wellspring, mountain, home, and human being. It will reveal to us the great secret of Life so that we might understand our relationships with one another. When Universal Love comes into us, it will empower us: vanquishing heroes. You will make not only one experiment, but ninety-nine at least. And at the 100th time, you will succeed; there is no exception of it. Therefore, you need to be persistent. All this is true with life as well. If someone is ill or goes through some misfortune, it is mathematically determined how long it will continue. This is due to the fact that all diseases are caused by well known living organisms or microbes which existence does not comply with the living functions of the ill person. Disease will exist as long as we allow these microbes to live and deposit their byproducts in us. If someone asks me about murder in the world, I will say: Murder will exist as long as murderers exist. What about theft? Theft will exist as long as thieves exist. People are not born as thieves, but they become such because of their distorted attitude to Life. Murderers are children of the old culture. The harmful ideas, when instilled in someone, could devastate this person. Modern science proves that hypnosis exists and can cause someone to commit a crime. You know that many experiments are made with young people and it was found out that when they are placed in unfavorable conditions, their moral values cannot pass the “test.” However, Universal Love creates those favorable conditions in which all toxins in the society are being eliminated. Every discomfort, every bad thought, feeling and action are due to the vibrations of certain kinds of matter existing in us and being manifested in our life. Therefore, one should accumulate pure ethereal matter and organize one’s forces in order to manifest good desires and thoughts, and be good. Matter that is not organized is like soil for the germination of malefactors. The words “Those who listen to the Voice of the Son of Man will resurrect,” imply that those who understand the Law of Wisdom and Love will not be subjected to unfavorable conditions. If you live in a dark basement without sunshine, the conditions in this environment will naturally expose you to diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis, depression, and so on. Go out into the Sun because the favorable conditions are above the ground level. Free yourselves of excess dampness and you will create new conditions in your life. What is “dampness” in the human being? The excess of desires creates dampness. On the other hand, the excess of extreme thoughts creates dryness. It means that both dampness and dryness in their extremes give bad results in life. Now, supporting points for the human development can be found in the Universal Love that elevates the human consciousness. I will give you an example. You have hands, which you raise quite often and you also bend your fingers. Why are some fingers bigger, others - smaller? And why is the thumb standing apart? When the hand is to act, all fingers come together and the thumb comes on top to help them. A person can then grab a plow or any other farming tool and work. In a society created in the same way as the hand is, some people are merchants. The little fingers represent merchants or the practical people. The well-shaped ring fingers represent people of culture and science; the middle fingers - people of justice and politics; the index fingers - people of religion and personal life. The thumb represents the Divine World or what is the consciousness in the human being. All these fingers need to unite and act together. As far as the society and its political, cultural, and spiritual representatives have been divided, they cannot produce the same effect of working together as the human hands putting all fingers in action. To bring the fingers together, one must activate one’s willpower. When you apply your willpower to realize your ideas into the areas, which I have just mentioned, saying, “Come and help me” - all will come and will do miracles together like the fingers of the human hand. Therefore, a great philosophy is imparted to the human hand. Each time you look at your fingers, think about your relationships and the connection between Love and Wisdom. The thumb represents the Divine Principle that should be applied for the benefit of all individuals and the entire humankind; the index finger corresponds to the religious and personal life; the middle finger imparts the law and politics used for the good of humankind, it understands the miseries of life and creates the laws; the ring finger imparts culture; the little finger - material goods. The thumb is always ready for self-sacrifice and says to the other fingers, “If all four of you unite, I will support you; and we can do good.” Some speakers raise and wave hands while speaking, including myself. I also raise and wave my hand toward you. Why? By doing this, I am telling all of you to find out the connection between Love and Wisdom, recognize your rights and duties toward those close to you, find and apply the Great Principles of this Divine Science for the benefit of the society and elevation of the young people. In this way, you are going to improve your economic conditions so that there will be enough butter, vegetables, wheat, fruit - everything in abundance. This is what fingers of the hand indicate. If all people knew how to bend their fingers, they would be in quite a different situation. However, the Bulgarians know how to raise a fist menacing, “I can break your head,” and like the English and American boxers, they hit each other in the face. I will tell that one who raises his fist against me. “Behold, we could accomplish something good with you because we will come to an agreement. Come to me.” I would like to work with that one whose hand is in a fist. A baby will clench fists when it comes into the world so that to indicate, “I will grow up and conquer this world.” But when passing away, a person will open hands, as if to say, “I am dying, but I have accomplished nothing. God, forgive me!” Do you know what God’s answer is? “You did not know how to bend your fingers.” Why do you suffer? It is because you do not know how to bend your fingers. You ask, “Why is this misfortune in our home? Why does Bulgaria suffer? Should reparation be paid?” If you hold your hand open, reparation should be paid. But if you fist it, there will not be need to pay any reparation. “But what will our situation be in the future?” If you know how to hold your hands in fists, you will be a free, great nation; but if you do not know, you will be slaves as you have been until now. You may say that you are free, but you are not. You cannot be free neither as individuals nor as a society, nation, and humankind while you do not agree among yourselves and continue to pay others back, while you do not have loving relationships being ready to make some allowances and sacrifices for one another. Today, I ask you to remember and apply this: All Bulgarians should begin to exercise and bend properly the fingers of their right hand first. When they bend their fingers, they should know the meaning of this and say concentrated on the hand, “I can do everything that is related to the fingers and I will do it.” I would like to give you this idea: All Bulgarians should begin to bend their fingers: first the fingers of the right hand - the hand of Wisdom, and then the fingers of the left hand - the hand of Love. Try this for one year. Project your thoughts and your willpower into the actions of your hands and you will see the results. You may say, “We are not so naive.” You have done many stupid things so far. Is the person who is sitting in the pub with a glass of beer in front of him or who is smoking a cigarette doing a smart thing? Is the person who is reading newspapers containing barely one percent true information doing a smart thing? Yet what I said about the hands is ninety-nine percent true. Even when you read the newspapers and drink beer, you can still bend your fingers. But doing this, say, “I will not drink. I will not smoke. I will not be angry. I will not take revenge upon my friend.” Make a fist and say to your friend, “I will speak to you kindly.” Is this not a great philosophy? I teach you a Great Law in Life: How to bend your fingers, so that everything will work out for good. Keep this great idea within. At least try it out. Do not think it is my intent to lie to you. Make one small experiment and after one year when we meet again, you will tell me what happened. It is the easiest practice. I can give you other experiments as well, but they will cost you a lot. I do not want you only to bend your fingers, but also to think while doing so. You are desperate. You want to commit a suicide or to kill somebody. Bend your fingers and say, “No!” You are faint-hearted. Do the same. The whole secret is in your hands. To have hands is to be in a possession of the greatest blessing in the physical world. What does not come forth from the human hand! What beautiful sounds come from the violinist’s hand taking up the bow and from the virtuoso pianist playing the piano! If you know this Law, you will bend your fingers correctly and through every finger, you will send forth the respective flow of thoughts. If you impart all your power into them, it will have such an effect that you cannot imagine. We write with three fingers, but if we impart to them all of the power of our thought, then something completely different will come out of our pens. These are great secrets people knew before the Fall, which are now forgotten. You need to bend your fingers, but also to open your hands. What does opening of the hand upward toward space indicate? It indicates receiving of energy. When you take this power, immediately close your fingers and project it to your thoughts and desires - thus you will give a powerful impulse to your life. Say, “I want to polarize my hands from the Great reservoir of Nature where Wisdom and Love are hidden; I want to receive Love and Wisdom, and also to receive Good - the connection of unity, which operates among all people on Earth.” The meaning of the hug is the same: to give something from yourself, from your love and wisdom. When you give fraternal hugs to someone projecting your love and good thoughts, you will impart life force to that person. When a young man embraces his beloved in this way, he will give her living inspiration. Yet, those whose embrace is like an octopus and who are spiritually dead, cannot give anything, as nothing is left in them. Our hugs, how we open and close our hands has its specific meaning. They have the meaning which God has given them from the very Beginning and this meaning exists in Nature too. Whenever I have the chance to speak on this subject again, I will continue my lecture. Now I am leaving you with this thought: You who listen to me should learn and also teach those close to you how to bend your fingers and how to embrace in Love and Wisdom. This is the only way in which people’s lives, homes, and societies can improve politically, culturally, and spiritually. You should release the past and begin that Great Life, which I mentioned and which is heralded now to come into the world. From now on those who do not live by this Great Law, will have no more conditions to stay on Earth. Nature shows to those who do not want to take this Law into consideration that they need to depart from this planet. If you do not believe now in my words, you can check it and tell me after ten years whether it was true or not. A Great Law is now imposed on humankind as a whole, a Great consciousness is now awakening in the world: and that has never happened before. It is the striving of all human souls longing for freedom. Not only few individuals, but humankind as a whole is searching for freedom: every home, every individual, every culture, and every religion. This is the Divine Impulse moving forward the entire humankind. Religious communities should not just try not to stand in the way of this movement; they should also give it the right of way or they will risk being run over. This movement will bring such blessings, which the world has not seen yet; but for those who try to stand in its way, it will bring such tribulations, which they have never seen before. The Earth will shake so much that people will come to realize something different is coming into the world, which they have not experienced so far. The Intelligent Nature, too, might come to the end of her patience. Do not think that the world will continue in the same way it has followed so far. Say goodbye to your past. Someone says, “I earned much money and will set aside two thousand leva[5] for my funeral.” I am sorry that you are setting aside money for your burial. Someone else is saying, “I am leaving money in my will to the society for charitable purposes.” I am sorry that you are leaving money in a testament without having done something good while still alive. Whatever you intend to do, do it while you are still alive. After your death, what you leave behind is no longer yours and you have no rights to it. When you pass away, those who remain after you will use your money and property as they wish. This is the kind of nonsensical thinking with which you live and die and furthermore, you ask yourselves: why are all these misfortunes? Leave a trace of Love and Wisdom in the minds and hearts of your beloved ones because only Love and Wisdom have a genuine value. Things of great value are hidden in your minds and hearts. Do you know how much they are worth? Billions. Do you know how many millions of years it took for their development? Do you know how many millions of Sublime Intelligent Beings worked on the development of the human mind? You do not understand the wealth hidden in the brain that continues to live even after death, when the body starts decomposing. This is my point of view. I see people who live in a different way. You may ask, “How is it possible for someone to live after death?” Let’s say, for example, that you live like divers and you ask yourselves: Is it possible to live in different conditions? However, when you emerge on the water’s surface and take your diving suits off, you get to live like other people. At present we live like divers, but when we emerge on the surface we will begin to live in a different way. There exist thousands of ways in which to live. The one who puts up barriers to Life has not understood the basic Laws of the human soul and spirit. If the human being is born and dies only once, if it has come for the first time now, it would have been pitiful being. The human being who you see in front of you has existed for millions of years. For millions of years God has worked upon his soul and spirit. The soul is God’s daughter; the spirit is God’s son. Therefore, we shall deeply honor and venerate them. This is the new Divine Teaching proclaimed to the world, which will bring new life to the modern society. Lecture given by the Master Beinsa Douno on August 19, 1919 in the town of Veliko Tarnovo at the gathering of the disciples of the Brotherhood of Light. -------------------------------------- 1. See John 15:13. 2. See Matthew 5:48. 3. See also John 5:25, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.” 4. Veliko Tarnovo was the capital of Bulgaria before Sofia 5. Lev, leva, BGN: Bulgarian currency.

THE BROTHER OF THE SMALLEST ONES “Sanctify them by Your Truth.” John 17:17 In the first language (the language of the Virgin Divine Spirit, which is the highest in the Angel hierarchy) God gave a different name to the human being, not the one we know now. This happened at the council of gods chaired by the Lord Jesus Christ, called the Savior of humankind. This council discussed the creation of man and defined his name. The word “man” has been incorrectly translated, but for the present, we will accept it as it is. By “man,” we understand a being who thinks. According to the contemporary ideas of evolution, the human mental process follows two directions: downward and upward. The downward direction of the thought contributes to the formation of the human personality and the human body with its seven layers. The Eastern and Western esoteric schools classify these layers in a different way, yet it refers only to the external, evident side of this teaching. In the core, there is no difference between the spiritual schools. According to the intrinsic meaning of Christ’s Teaching, the human being possesses three essential, unchanging bodies and seven layers. Theosophical literature mentions the seven layers of the human body while the three unchanging bodies are only vaguely discussed. The layers there are called “bodies,” but they are not exactly bodies. “Layers” is a more appropriate name for them. In reality, the human world is transient and the evolution of the world is a Divine process. From the Divine viewpoint, the aspiration of the human spirit is to attain the three unchanging bodies. This concept is so vast and boundless that even geniuses, the great minds of science and esotericism, the upper hierarchies of Angels, and also the upper hierarchy of gods are unable to comprehend it completely, both in the past and at present. By “gods” I do not mean the One and Only God, but the upper ranks of the Angelic hierarchy. Today, however, the word “God” has lost its original meaning and value as it is used for beings who deceive people that they are gods without being such. In fact, there is nothing Divine in them. Free yourselves of this misconception of God. In the archetypal language the word “God” had a special meaning, which has been distorted today. With the distortion of this concept, the human mind also has become twisted. In order to formulate the true concept and understanding of God, we need to return to our archetypal state. Many think of God as a being that changes itself several times a day, as humans do. Even some Western mystics think likewise. This is not meant to be a reproach. It comes as a result of the conflict existing between the groups of Light and of darkness. They have divided humankind into two opposing camps causing the discord and strife that exist in politics, societies, families, individuals, and even in religion and science. These two influences have split the human minds. However, wherever there is division or duality, the Divine Spirit is not there. As soon as you divide yourself and succumb to contradictions, you do not admit God within. This is a psychological law. When I speak of the human being, I am asking you to go deep within and visualize the genuine human being created in the image and likeness of God. This human being of Truth and Love has never desecrated the name of God. Moses, one of the great initiates, said, “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain.”[1] This is a commandment of the first mystic who sought to study the Great Divine Teachings. He strived to sanctify the name of God. This means to be a true human being. Until you begin to sanctify the name of God in its profound meaning, handed down by the Virgin Divine Spirits, you cannot rise higher than your present position. Often I see how people in Bulgaria and elsewhere separate themselves forming groups of great and small, open and narrow-minded, with positive and negative thinking. They say, “We are open-minded, we are not as limited in thinking as the others.” It is good to be open-minded, but be sure that at the same time you do not lack strength of character and sublime ideas. If you go abroad among the mystics or theosophists, you will find out that they are followers of the Brotherhood of Light as they are working for the renewal of the human mind and bringing a new impulse, a new wave of activity of the Divine Spirit in the future. Today theosophists are divided into followers of Besant and Steinerists, called also anthroposophists. In fact, both groups are anthroposophists. However, they do not get along with each other and separate into smaller groups of narrow and open-minded. The followers of Besant are mostly female, while the Steinerists are generally male. Both groups argue also among themselves. All spiritual movements of the Eastern esoteric tradition are led by women, while those of the Western esoteric tradition have men for leaders. This division is notable, but it is only an external aspect. Those who are not enlightened may be tempted and involved in such arguments, which would not allow them to comprehend Christ. Just as in the time of Christ some were tempted, people have similar temptations today. Ever since man erred and in this way distorted the name of God, he has always fallen into temptation. Those who are tempted cannot rise to the position of thinking people and cannot understand the inner, fundamental Laws governing the human spirit. One needs to understand the Great Laws of the Divine Plan in order to change one’s individual and social life, as well as that of the whole humankind. The theosophists call the higher mind “the higher manas.” The natural or lower mind they signify as “the lower manas.” However, there is no mention at all of the middle mind or the “middle manas,” which is the most important. The lower mind is the foundation upon which the human thought is based. This means that it is like a soil, a substance from the mental world. If you are familiar with the makeup of this soil, you will know what seeds to plant in it. Every thought contains a seed of action. Learning and good thinking means to know what seeds are to be planted in the different seasons of the year. It is said in the Scriptures, “Whatever you sow, that shall you reap.”[2] What is meant here is sowing of mind. There are so many false concepts and wrongdoings among people so that if they do not begin to listen to the Great Teacher, they will destroy each other. He says, “From now on, I will not permit anyone to take even a step forward. If they do not change their way of thinking, if they do not sanctify the name of God, they may knock at My door for thousands of years: pity on them! They will reap the fruits of their karma accumulated over thousands of years.” What is karma? It is the consequence of all the bad fruits you have planted in the past. Christ came to Earth with one purpose only - to redeem the humankind. By redeeming I mean teaching people how to sanctify the name of God within themselves and in the world. The foundation of our existence rests upon God’s name. Its sanctification is the greatest thing indeed representing a philosophy of the future. Some complain that no secret knowledge has been revealed to them. What do they want? A weapon to kill each other? In Western Europe, there are various teachings and societies whose members aspire to discover the secrets of Nature. In this respect, they resemble those women who avenge their partners using vitriol.[3] Why do these women avenge them? It is because they have been betrayed by them. Once they have scarred them, these women get satisfied and say, “Now that he cannot be mine, he cannot belong to any other woman either.” There are men who behave in the same way, as well as some religious people. Christ is grieved by people’s actions. God has decided to punish them, if they do not set right their behavior. According to the Divine Law, wrongdoing is no longer allowed. The old ways need to end because a new epoch, a revival is coming. The Virgin Divine Spirit is descending in a circular wave through seven planes; that is to say, through seven worlds. During the first period, or the Saturn period, the Virgin Divine Spirit descended to the mental world and created the mind or the human mental body. During the second period, that is the Sun period, the Spirit descended to the astral world, creating the body of desires. During the third period, the Moon period, the Spirit descended to the etheric field of the physical world, creating the human etheric layer. In the fourth period, the Earth period, the Spirit descended to the lower field of the physical world and created the physical body. In these periods of descent and ascension, the Spirit passed through a Spiritual day and night. In the first period, when the Divine Spirit worked to create the human being in the image and likeness of God, man was free of sin. In the second period, man began to fall. In the third period, man declined to a very low state. In the fourth, or the Earth period, the lowest period of descent, the fall of humankind reached to the end. Why is it necessary for humans to descend and sink into matter? So that they could clothe in all layers, becoming denser and denser one after the other. After that, from the last layer, ascending and clothing in higher and more sublime forms begins. During each period, there is a partial ascension and descent in a wavy line. The final movement will be ascending. All those who are not willing to connect with God will be tossed out of the Divine Day main flow. Then that person will need to wait for another period of descent and ascension, or for another Wave. All those who move upward toward God will enter Heaven, while those who do not, will remain outside of God. The gates will be closed before them and they will hear God’s Voice saying, “I do not know you.” One day, when Christ comes to knock at your door, those who tend only to their personal affairs and trivial things will remain outside without oil in their lamps. They may come to their senses afterward, but the Divine Ship has already set off - it is not waiting for anyone. Therefore, everyone should be ready to board the Ship on time. Talking like this, it is not my intent to moralize, only to explain the Law and what God speaks. God will not stop the Ship for anyone. Thus the Wave continues and especially now, you have the most favorable conditions for spiritual growth. When a negative thought passes through your mind, remember that it comes from your distant past, it is not from the present. It is like someone else’s child; it is a foundling. Do not accept it. I do not want you to send such foundlings, unwanted by their parents, to me either. As a Teacher, I was not sent to Earth to raise and educate such children. To raise a sinner is one thing, but to bring up a foundling is quite another. Sinners, who have come to their senses, repent their errors and make effort to do God’s Will can be saved. It is such people that Christ came to save. Everyone can be saved. A sinner can also be saved but not a foundling, not a child unwanted and ignored by parents, for it is like a serpent; the more it is fed, the stronger it grows. One day it will coil around the human being and crush its bones. For you personally and your future blessings, you should better nourish only the Great thoughts that God has originally imparted in you through the Holy Spirit. Do not nourish the negative thoughts imparted to you by those on the dark side of life. The mother says, “I have a hard time and much trouble with this child, but one day he will take care of me.” No, one day this child will, like a snake, crush your bones and throw you out of this Wave. “Sanctify them by Your Truth. Your Word is Truth.” No one can learn the Divine Law before they sanctify God’s name. When you sanctify God’s name, your thoughts become pure and positive. With them you will create these enveloping layers, where the body of Truth will be conceived and it will set you free. Truth is the first body that you need to work upon at present. The human soul abides in it. Without Truth, there is no freedom. No matter how many tears you shed, you cannot be free if Truth is not with you. Weeping cannot help you in this case. Sometimes it is good to weep, but sometimes it is bad. Weeping is like rain. If you have sown good seeds, they will grow to nourish and uplift you. If you have sown thistles, once they are grown, they will suffocate you. If you weep for God - this is a blessing; but if you cry for the world, it is a pity for you - in this case, you would better have drought. Positive and noble thoughts will uplift you. With their help you will enter the body of Truth and be free. This way you will come to know Christ and He will come to know you. Some people want to find Christ in me. No, you will find Christ in His Teachings. If you would like to know who I am, I will tell you: I am the brother of the smallest ones in the Kingdom of God. I, the smallest one, would like to fulfill God’s Will as due, to sanctify His name as He has sanctified me. God has been so good to me that I, the brother of the smallest ones, want to repay Him with all my gratitude. It is my wish for you to follow my example. Some of you might be tempted to be greater than me, to be ahead of everyone else. This truly is a temptation. Christ said, “It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher.”[4] I too do not want anything else. Just being a servant of Christ is enough for me; I would not exchange it for any other existence. The place you occupy is not as important as how you fulfill your obligations to God. You want to be kings. It is good for someone to be a king, but in some cases there is nothing worse than this. A king may accomplish thousands of good deeds; he may benefit an entire society or nation, but he can also bring it to ruin. This is why Christ said, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”[5] If you want to become great, this proves that you have pride and vanity within. Big businessmen operating with a capital of hundreds of millions usually run up huge debts and sometimes it is quite possible to bring many people to ruin. If you have 100 million and lose it all, you will experience great torment. I take the number 100 because it is a sign for one of the higher Angelic hierarchy. There are no words to describe the anguish and suffering of a businessman who has lost his 100 million. The opposite is true as well; there are no words to describe the joy of a person who has 100 million at his disposal and knows how to use them wisely. The latter is as great as the former is terrible. “Sanctify them by Your Truth.” The first thing to learn from Christ’s Teaching is humility. It is the mother of genuine, positive knowledge. Pride is the mother of temporary, transient knowledge. You may have great knowledge, but if you have also pride, you will be in the position of the deluded brothers who have embraced the darkness. If, on the other hand, you obey the Divine Laws, even if you are among the smallest ones, you will have progress. If you want Heaven to come to you and bless you, you need to be humble in the highest sense of the word, not in the common sense as it is being preached to you. Humility represents a Beautiful Angel and a Great Spirit. Whoever has seen it has come to love it. All Divine Virtues which the human soul and spirit long for are conceived in humility. The Angel of humility brings forth compassion, that is the child of Love, being the youngest daughter of God. Love abides among the Virgin Spirits and promises a bright future to the entire humankind and all who seek it. If you want Christ within you to be immortal and powerful in order to uplift you, you need to allow unconditional Love to flow from your soul. It means placing Christ in the highest place within your soul and sanctifying His name within your heart. Some think that they are close to Christ. Only the small one, in other words, whoever has learned the art of becoming small and humble, can be close to Christ. You say that you would like to be like Christ, but at the same time you want to command. In order to be like Christ and close to Him, you need to apply the Law of Selfless Service and to think rightly; you need to answer hatred with Love and wrongdoing with good. No matter whom you serve - this or that person, you are serving God. Names are important only if they correspond to their true meaning. The name Christ is not singular as it has a collective meaning. Christ is like the air and light and everyone has the right to benefit from it. Learn to think in a rational philosophical way. Do not be deluded by the external form of things or by superficial words. Seek the hidden behind the words. If I have thought like you, I would have descended from where I am standing now a long time ago. “Sanctify them by Your Truth.” Now I want you to advance moving upward in a straight line in order to sanctify the name of God within. God’s name will uplift you to be, as Christ has mentioned, His partners and inheritors. Today I would like to shed in your minds and hearts the Divine Light through which you can free yourselves from all negative tendencies. The sword of Spirit is raised and those who oppose the Truth will have a hard time. We need to fight with the weapons that are described in 2 Corinthians 10:4–5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” This is theosophy, esotericism, spirituality, Divine Wisdom. I would like you to take the following verse as a motto, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God.” Only in this way can you free yourselves from the intentions of the lower manas, from the wrongdoings, which people continue to pay dues to even now. Christ said, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”[6] The lower manas is the Caesar in man. This verse means that while you are paying dues to the lower manas, do not forget to pay your dues to the higher manas too. What does it mean to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s? It means to destroy the bad seeds so that they may no longer grow and get rid of all impure thoughts, saying, “Here you are, Caesar, take what is yours.” Then you will be able to embrace the Sublime Divine thoughts and store them in the Divine granary of your soul, saying, “Here you are, God, take what is Yours.” Afterward you may enter your inner secret sanctuary and say a prayer to God without mixing what is Caesar’s with what is God’s. Mixing them is not a genuine prayer. The prayer is powerful and effective only when the heart is pure and surrenders entirely to God. Only when the fire of the human heart burns vigorously does your prayer reach God. Can you imagine what an experience it will be to feel the Divine presence within your heart? An American once listened to Camila Russo, who was a student of Paganini, to play “The Dream of Life” and said, “At that moment I was ready to make peace with the whole world and to forgive all my enemies.” This American had listened to many prominent preachers, but no one had as deeply touched him as Camila Russo did. Therefore, when humility enters your hearts, then you say, “Lord, we are ready to forgive everyone.” I ask: Have you heard the voice of humility? As to me, I have. I do not know any other music to be more beautiful than the song of humility. What harmony exists in humility! What Love flows from the heart of humility! This Love radiates toward the hearts of all people. Every day it sends forth its kind thoughts and comfort to all suffering and burdened people, to the whole humankind. It says, “Be hopeful. I will help you sanctify the name of God in your minds and hearts. I will give you all my blessings.” At present, Christ wants to unite all spiritual societies and groups and religions all over the world. Therefore, you should refrain from judging people; you do not know the true reason hidden behind things. “Sanctify them by Your Truth.” How does God enhance our spiritual growth? Through sorrow and joy. I have walked the path of all human experience; I have listened to the Sublime Divine Spirits. Thus, I have come to the conclusion that all people need to walk the path of joy and sorrow. There is no better path than this. Who dares to doubt this? The path is not so difficult, but most people have served and still are serving the Caesar. A woman complained of her husband, saying, “I do not love him anymore; he has made me unhappy.” But when advised to leave him, she replied, “But who is going to support me?” No, this is no longer a marriage; this is concubinage. Marriage is something sacred and Divine. If you want to enter the Kingdom of God, you are not to complain that God gave you a seemingly bad husband. If you complain, God will tell you, “You have chosen this husband by yourself, it was not Me. You ask Me to improve your husband while you yourself have not improved.” When I mention this, I have in mind women as a whole and not definite or specific individuals. For me, every woman and man are individuals as well as a part of the whole. I use these concepts as real facts, from life itself. Thus, the path of joy and sorrow is the path for attaining patience. The patient person attains great experiences and inner richness. This is the only way for people to comprehend the Great Divine Path and Providence and also for the humankind’s future blessings. If you want to progress this year, never complain. When I say not to complain, I do not talk about the negativities around you, but I have in mind the fact that you should not take them deeply within. Your heart should always remain silent and calm. When someone throws stones and breaks windows, that is not really your fault. But when you, deep inside yourselves, begin to break the windows of your home and throw stones at your soul, I say: Friends, you have not yet learned how to pay Caesar and how to serve God. Anyone can ruin the lives of thousands of beings. Do you know how many centuries it will take to correct people’s mistakes? Sometimes the desire for revenge surges up within you. You tell yourself, “I will smash his head; I will step on him and he will learn who I am.” No, go deeper into yourself and say, “The spirit that has entered me is malevolent. I will acknowledge it and demand it to be silent; I will order it to leave my sanctuary. It must not desecrate the image of God.” You say to someone, “I cannot think well of you.” I am sorry for you. If you cannot think well of your fellow man, you cannot think well of God either. How then will you love God? There are three paths you can follow: the path of Love, the path of Wisdom, and the path of Truth. The last one is the narrow path of Life. Christ said, “There are only a few who follow the narrow path.”[7] However, everyone can walk the path of Love. If you cannot walk the path of Wisdom, take the path of Love. If you cannot walk the path of Love, then take the path of Truth. Therefore, the paths of Love, Wisdom, and Truth are the three paths you need to walk. Do not be upset if no one else is following your path; just go ahead and walk it. The result of all three paths is one and the same. The difference is only in the turns that each of them makes. This is what Christ taught when he was on Earth; this is what He is teaching now as well. If you cannot understand the earthly affairs, how can you comprehend the heavenly ones? If you are unable to understand the easy things, how can you cope with the difficult ones? You insist, “Tell us something great.” You say, “You are our brother.” If you think that I am your brother in flesh, you are mistaken. If you think that I am your brother in spirit, you are right. You say, “You do not love us.” If you speak of the earthly love, I do not love you. If you mean that I do not love you as your Angels do, you are mistaken. There is no other human being all over the Earth to love your souls as me. It is my wish that you love the human souls in the same way. This is the greatest thing that the brother of the smallest ones, the brother of your Angels guiding you in the right direction, can tell you. Do you understand? I know that your Angels are very glad for you today. Do you understand? It was my wish to do them a favor. I came to Earth to serve the Angels and to serve you. When I finish my work, you are going to say that I have gone away somewhere. Where will I go? No, I will go nowhere. I am going to return to the One Who has sent me here and will ask, “Did I fulfill the assignment that was given to me?” If there is still something that I have not finished, I will come again. If I do not finish my work the second time, I will return again until at last I hear, “You have done your work well.” This is the Law for the Small brother in Heaven: to fulfill what God wants from him. This is the great Teaching that you have not heard until now. What I am telling you now you have never heard before. Why not? It is because this Teaching is the teaching of the small angels who have come to Earth to uplift humankind. I am not going to bless you now; I am not going to do that. Why? If I send my blessing and there are still harmful weeds within you, they will flourish. I act wisely according to God’s Law. When the Heavenly brothers see you have sown good seeds, they will send you their blessings so that these good seeds may come to grow and bear good fruits. May God grow and resurrect in you with these fruits and may you sanctify His name! I will rejoice because you will then come closer to God. I proclaim this to you for the New Year, I have not finished yet; I have just begun and you will understand that. What I am telling you is just the beginning. There are many more things greater than this! If you listen to what these small ones are telling you, you are going to experience God’s Power. Wisdom will come upon you, your willpower will strengthen and all affairs in the world will improve. From now on, great work is awaiting the small ones. The Teaching for the Small ones is great. It is the most appropriate Teaching for you. It is the foundation of what the future holds in store for your soul. That is the Divine message for 1917. I do not have in mind the earthly, but the Divine year. I take into consideration several years: 1914, 1915, 1916, and 1917 setting the outline of the New epoch. These four Divine years form a cycle of Divine Blessing. The number 1 in 1917 implies the principle of Justice and 7 - the Law of Tranquility and Blessing. I will leave you now to think about humility, patience, and Love. Through these, try to smooth out the rough edges within you that interfere with the Divine harmony in your lives. Let every one of you, with the help of your Angels, call upon God and ask Him, “Lord, what shall I do for the triumph of the Kingdom of God on Earth and sanctification of Your name among people?” The first thing you will be told is, “Reconcile!” This was the Christ’s message. Read the Gospels by Matthew and Luke. It is said in them, “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled with your brother and then come and offer your gift.”[8] If he refuses to reconcile, take two more people and go back to him. That person who goes to the altar needs to reconcile with everyone. No one can go to the altar without reconciliation before that. You say in regard to some people, “Let’s go and try to reconcile with them.” How can you reconcile with them if they refuse to go to the altar? You need to reconcile! You will offer, “Brother, let us reconcile!” If he refuses, go with two more people. If he refuses again, bring two more. If he refuses once more, go with the whole community. If he still refuses to reconcile, let him be a non-believer and a tax collector. This is Christ’s Teaching. The squabbles that exist at present are not compatible with this Teaching. I do not want to judge anyone. To me, all of you are equal. I am telling you now: the results cannot be good unless you accept this Teaching. Why should unnecessary suffering be caused in this world? The suffering of the past is sufficient enough. Let joy and blessing come to humankind from now on. What I am telling you today is being spoken everywhere. God speaks of it, Angels are saying it too, all light-workers on Earth are preaching the same, and Christ announces it as well. I believe that this will come to pass. As it has been said, it will come to pass and there is not a shadow of doubt about it. We will all meet again one day; of course, not in the same situation as today, but ten times better and still here on Earth. After ten years it will be a hundred times better than now and after another ten years, a thousand times better. After another ten years, we are going to be ten thousand times better than now; after another ten years, one hundred thousand times better; after another ten years, one million times better; after ten more years, ten million times better; after another ten years, one hundred million times better. And at the end of this cosmic period or at the beginning of the next, we will be one with God. My peace be with you. Lecture given by the Master, January 1, 1917, Sofia. --------------------------------------------------- 1. See Deuteronomy 5:11. 2. See also Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” 3. Vitriol is another name for sulfuric acid. 4. See also Matthew 10:25. 5. See also Luke 12:48. 6. See Matthew 22:21. 7. See also Matthew 7:14, “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to Life and there are few who find it.” 8. See Matthew 5:23–24.

THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” Luke 18:10 You will probably ask: is it so strange that two people - a Pharisee and a tax collector - both entered the temple. Truly, there is nothing strange for those who understand the nature of life, but for those who do not, everything is strange. For the first everything makes sense and for the second everything is nonsense. I will take these two types of people, the Pharisee and the tax collector, as subject of today’s lecture. These two persons are prominent representatives of a very old culture. Let us compare their distinctive features one by one so that you could clearly understand their life styles and their state of mind. The word “Pharisee” originates from the Hebrew word parash, which means “to divide.” In Arabic, there is also a word pharsi, which derives from the same root and means “something flawless.” To know a language pharsi implies a very good knowledge of this language. In this chapter of the Bible, Christ is presenting two distinctive types of people. A talented artist who is aware of the science of man would paint these two types with all their distinguishing features and this flawless painting would be worth to be exposed in every home as a model. What are the most apparent features of the Pharisee and of the tax collector? It is not enough to say, “He is a Pharisee” or “He is a tax collector” because we need to know the external characteristics of their faces and hands, the structure of their bodies and heads. After that, we need to find out what characterizes the state of their mind and soul. Only in this way we could clarify the idea embedded in the text and benefit from it. Christ was a great master of art. He gave the major distinctive features of these two prototypes and with them, I am going to describe the Pharisee and the tax collector. You may ask, “How can you describe a person with only a few words that have been said about him?” It is a science and can be described. There are scientists who have researched in comparative anatomy, who have studied the structure of animals. If you give them even the smallest part of an ancient animal, they are able to describe the size, the structure of all bones, the place of its muscles and tendons; and in this way, they can recreate the extinct form. If you give an expert botanist only one leaf of a plant, he is able to describe the whole tree. Using the same method, I will try to describe in approximation the Pharisee and the tax collector, showing you what they look like. Yet you will ask me, “What do these two persons, who have lived two thousand years ago, have in common with us?” Two main prototypes of people live in the world: tax collectors and Pharisees. Many other types have derived from them, but they remain the primary ones. You may belong either to the one kind or the other, no matter whether you are a priest or not, a person of high status or not, a scholar or not, a philosopher or not, a man or a woman. These two characters are intertwined and stand out in the life of everyone. They will remain forever the two distinctive prototypes in the entire human history. One of Christ’s greatest accomplishments in reality is that He has succeeded with very few words to express and present them so clearly and distinctly. The Pharisee’s appearance is decent at first sight. He is a nice-looking person, well-built, slender, tall, about 175–180 centimeters, which is more than average. His hands and fingers are rather long. His thumb is long and symmetrical, a sign of well-developed opinions, of will power and intelligence. The index finger is equal to the ring finger, which indicates that whenever an idea comes to him, he will carry it through to the end. His digestive system is in good condition. Lacking the weakness of a glutton or a wine drinker, he is sensible when it comes to eating and drinking. His taste is refined. His waistline is on the slim side. As to age, he has lived for four decades, entering into the fifth; in other words, he has turned forty-five. His shoulders are slightly rounded, his face is a bit elongated and pear shaped, which indicates a developed nervous system. His lower jaw is properly formed, with an elongated and pointed chin, showing a person whose mind is quick and bright. His mouth is an average size; his lips are neither thick nor thin. The ends of his lips point slightly up, with a smile of contempt as if saying, “Look at all these people - they are such a crowd.” But he never expresses his inner contempt. His eyes are ash-gray. His eyebrows are arched, slightly bent like the branches of an old tree, showing a person who has lived long and is much experienced in life. His high forehead is well-shaped. The area above the nose is protruding slightly which is a sign for a strong individuality and an observing practical mind. The area of the temples is average; his ears are normal and closely adjoining the head, which is an indication for material order. His beard is slightly thin and reddish, a sign of impulsiveness and persistence. His head is round, measuring around 56–60 centimeters in circumference around the ears and with well developed and raised parietal bones, a sign of a person with great self-control, superiority complex, pride, vanity, and who is hard to please. He possesses religious inclinations, but one-sided; he shows compassion, but only toward himself and those close to him. His face is slightly pale, white, with a Greek-Roman type of nose. He is a person with an aesthetic taste, but lacking an aptitude for poetry and love for nature, as well as for the sublime and ideal. He is a person of strong faith, but only in his own mind; of great hope, but only in his own power. He is religious, but his belief system reflects his own selfishness as he honors and worships only himself. If we enter his temple, we will find in the most prominent place not the image of Jesus Christ but his own portrait. In the place of the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and the other Saints, we will find his grandparents and ancestors, to whom he burns incense and offers prayers saying, “Our family is famous and great.” He is an intelligent person, who gathers knowledge from life; he knows the Hebrew Kabala as well as the principles of the civilization of his time. Should he have lived in our times; he would have been a prominent writer, philosopher, artist, statesman, or a religious leader. Why did Christ choose this type? What is wrong with his praying? The Pharisee’s prayer reflects a philosophy that has outlived its time; that is a prayer of someone living only in the past, thus missing the present and the future. He is in love with his own portrait like a youngster; wherever he goes, he sees only that. How odd it is to fall in love with one’s own image! Once I observed a Bulgarian writer. He was sitting in a prominent public place, with a mirror near him. He began to smoke a cigarette, turning his head and looking into the mirror as if saying to himself, “I am handsome and make such a good impression on people.” Again he smoked and looked at himself in the mirror. Should this mirror be destroyed one day, his happiness will be destroyed as well. The Pharisee is like that type of a person who has fallen in love with oneself. And when he turns toward God, pay attention how interesting his words are, “Lord, I thank You that I am not like the others, but more than them.”[1] Yet, his philosophy is wrong because God has created all human beings equal. “I am not like the others.” Who are you then? An angel? You are not an angel; you are made of the same dust and the blood in your veins is the same as in others. Therefore, the Pharisee lies both to himself and to God. This is the first lie he uses. And the Lord says to him, “You do not speak the Truth.” The Pharisee’s statements are negative. He is not comparing himself with the beings who are superior to him, like Angels but rather with the inferior types, like criminals and thus he is concluding that he is not like them. Let us assume that I compare myself to the other beings and say, “Thank You, Lord, that I am not like these oxen, donkeys, dogs, lizards, snakes.” What comparison can I make with them? It is a tendency that can be found in all humans. Years ago in Bulgaria, it was fashionable among the college and university students, while studying the biographies of the great writers, for example, Shakespeare, to adopt their weaknesses since they lacked their positive qualities. Students would say, “Let us see if we have these shortcomings as well” and when they find them in themselves, they would say, “We are also ge niuses like Shakespeare.” Studying the character of Schiller[2], they looked for any eccentric side of him and when they found it in themselves, they would say, “We are also like Schiller.” Studying a big number of great people in this way, they would say, “We are great people indeed.” Yes, you are great, but in a negative way - great people, who are missing something. I prefer someone who is nothing because if he has nothing to receive, he has nothing to give. So the Pharisee makes a comparison and says: “Thank You, Lord that I am not like that one who is a robber.” The Lord replies to him, “If I put you in his place, who would you be?” Once an angel looking down from Heaven saw one person sinning, so he turned to the Lord and said to Him, “How can You tolerate this inferior being? If I were in Your place, I would have rid the Earth of him.” God sent the angel to incarnate on the Earth and placed him in the same situation; the angel erred twice as the person he has judged before. Therefore, one shall not judge people for their deeds from his own position because in their place he would have made errors as well. Many people come to me stating, “We are not so bad, we are well brought up because we come from prominent families.” I do not doubt your words and within my soul I deeply believe in what you tell me. We all come from prominent families, I accept that. However, your and my ancestors did not posses such noble character as we think; many of them were goodfor-nothing people, criminals, evil-doers, scoundrels. You and I carry with us the testimony that God has written about them. Outwardly things may look of proper decency, but from within, they lack the essential value. Our forefathers have not been as pure as assumed and it is seen from those inherited negative tendencies that we manifest at least twice a day. If your grandfather and grandmother, father and mother were as pure and good as angels, where had these negative tendencies and deeds come from in your life? If you pour some bitter substance or poison in a liquid, it will manifest itself and will be noticed. Therefore, it will become evident that in the good content something bad has been added. To conclude, we call the people confessing the Pharisee’s philosophy, conservatives or belonging to the conservative party: these are people who have a high opinion of themselves. It is not bad for someone to have a high opinion of oneself, as long as it is merited and without any addition of bitterness. Nitrogen is the greatest conservator and regulator in Nature, as it stops any combustion and suffocates any life. Nitrogen is the oldest and most balanced element in Nature. However, if it was the only substance in Nature, everything would have been dead. In spite of that, the organic world should be very thankful to nitrogen. The Pharisee addresses God not to help him to smooth out some of his own flaws - not at all. He is only thankful that he is not like the others: like the traducer, robber, murderer, and adulterer. Just as a scribe and philosopher, he should address the reasons that cause blasphemy, robbery, murder, and adultery. According to Christ’s Teaching, when we meet people who are seemingly inferior to us, we should not judge them, but learn a lesson. We should find the reasons for their coming to such a low state and if we have taken on their habits, it is better to try to get rid of them. Because He Who has laid out the Great Laws of Life is saying, “Judge not, that you be not judged.”[3] There is a deep meaning in these words and that one who has comprehended them has come close to the Great Law of human wellbeing. Modern zoologists have given many valuable works to the world, but no one has yet studied the profound reasons of animal creation. For example, why do some animals have horns, while others do not have? Why do some animals crawl, while others walk on four legs? Why are some animals carnivorous, while others are herbivorous? Why are animals deprived of human intelligence? There are profound and essential reasons for this. It did not happen by chance as some people think. When humankind comes to understand these profound reasons, it will come to the great philosophy upon which the future social order can be constructed, presenting “the dawn of the New Culture.” The modern civilization as a whole is based upon the concepts of the Pharisee, so it is a Pharisaic civilization. This is a civilization in which people are distinguished by form, by appearances, and by social status and it was born in the distant past of Egypt, India, Babylon, China, Persia, Judea, Greece, and Rome. At present, it is in Europe as well, attired in the beautiful Christian garment. I do not say that it has a bad foundation, but I do say that its form should have certain content in it. Without content, the form remains just an empty shell in which only parasites can thrive. People say, “He has lovely eyes.” So what? “They are really beautiful.” What makes them beautiful? “Well, they are bright and lovely.” What is it that makes them lovely? Someone’s nose is beautiful, well shaped. Where does the beauty lie? His mouth is beautiful, well-formed. In what respect? People have concepts of certain things that cannot be explained, namely that certain powers are hidden in the eyes: in the black or in the blue eyes, in the ash-gray, greenish or brown eyes. If someone with black eyes is looking at you, a certain thought will come to you; if a person with brown eyes is looking at you, it will bring a certain mood to you, and so on. People with blue eyes are usually self-composed and calm. They are like the sky: clear but serene, distant. Such people are not for this planet. They have deep faith and were born before time. Probably they are the people who are yet to come. I speak of those blue eyes that are an expression of Heaven. Legend says that Christ had such eyes. People praise someone, “His mouth is as beautiful as a rose.” What indicates the human mouth? It is the expression of the human heart and indicates whether this person is kind or hard-hearted. It also indicates how intense and sincere one is. You can notice that those who are gluttons have thicker lips than most people - it is a physiological law. More blood flows there, that is why their lips are quite thick and reddish. When such people taste their food, they say, “Oh, this is good.” And their faces light up with a delicate, barely noticeable smile, which speaks of the disposition of their souls. If we consider someone’s beautiful nose, it is an expression of the human intelligence and mind. The type of nose - straight or curved, Roman or Greek - has a profound meaning. The outer appearance of the human face is very important; it also gives an implication about the inner life of a person. If we examine a human face and notice something asymmetric in it; for example, if the eyebrows are slightly different - one is more developed, while the other is more protruding - it is a sign of some imbalance in that person. If you draw a straight line, you may see also for yourself whether your nose is in the right place. The nose is like a barometer, indicating the state of your mind. When engineers drive a steam engine, they look at a gauge that shows the atmospheric pressure in the steam boiler. According to its indication they add more coal to produce more steam or if it is in excess, they let the steam out. Have you ever considered to make an effort and as engineers do - to check the condition of your steam engine, in other words, your heart? For this purpose God has given you the nose. Go in front of the mirror, ask your mind and it will inform you about the state of your heart. When you look at your eyes in the mirror, you may see the condition of your soul. Only the eyes never lie and cannot be hypocritical. For this reason, when a person intends to lie, sometimes this person closes eyes or hides them with hand. Children know that their mother giving a look at them will guess whether they are lying, that is why they put their hands over their eyes. Christ, looking at the praying Pharisee told him, “Your soul is muddled, your forefathers did not live a pure life as you presume.” You think that you do not resemble the others, but you have been exactly like them in the past and even now you are not too far from their level.” It is not so important how we interpret this fact, in compliance with which teaching: of the Hindu philosophers about reincarnation or the Egyptian sages about transmigration; the Kabala and esoteric science regarding emanation and perfection of the spirit or the modern science referring to heredity. These teachings and theories are only guidelines for us to comprehend certain things better so that the phenomena of the human life may become clearer and more understandable to us. However, the primary principle of all things remains always the same, no matter how we explain and interpret its manifestation. The Great Law of Cause and Effect, of actions and consequences, never lies. It always reveals the Absolute Truth. It is all written in the Book of Life: whether you are good or bad, whether you speak the truth or not; help your neighbor or not, self-sacrifice for your nation, work for the benefit of humankind, serve God with Love or not - it is all written in the Book of Life. If you harass and take advantage of your neighbors, commit treason against your nation, impede the progress of humankind, if you are disloyal to God - this is also written in the Book. God mercilessly writes His testimony about any of the human actions on different parts of the body: forehead, nose, mouth, face, head, arms, fingers, and all other parts - every bone gives evidence for or against us. We can read the history of the human life every single day. The life stories of all our ancestors are also recorded from the very beginning. Some of them were noted to be terrible criminals, thieves, and robbers. Looking through the Book of Life and following the lines of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, and many others we will find detailed records of their actions. We may find out about Abraham that he was a righteous person, very bright, with a generous heart, strong faith, noble spirit and that he was acquainted with the profound wisdom of the Divine Ordinances for the bright future of the humankind. If we look at Jacob, we find out that at the beginning he was a deceitful and a selfish double-dealer, who used lies and fraud to steal his brother’s birthright. He changed to better only after he had turned 33 and after 14 years of work in exchange for his uncle Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel. Only then did the transformation occur to Jacob. As to David, we know that he was a brave man, resolute, with a naturally excellent and poetic mind, but he was fond of beautiful women. Since the moment he took Uriah’s wife by deceit, his trials had begun. The courageous prophet Nathan did not hesitate to expose this straight to his face showing him the bad effect that the karmic Law would leave for him in the Book of Life for the future generations. About Solomon, it is said that he had an excellent philosophical mind and compassion, but excessively strong emotions and passions, great vanity, and weak willpower. He was a veracious eater and drinker and enjoyed the company of women. Christ knows all this. He knows also how His own ancestors lived and when people called him “Merciful Teacher,” He objected, “Why are you calling me merciful? Merciful is only One, God.”[4] He implies, “The family of my descent is not as noble as you think. God has a different way of evaluating, which you cannot grasp. He requires Absolute Purity in every way. Many of this descent did not live in a way that was pleasing to the true God, Whose Will I fulfill.” That is why Christ turned to the Pharisee and told him, “You are deceiving yourself, as well as other people and God. Many of your ancestors have committed crimes; hence you do not have the right to say, ‘I am not like these people.’ And because you lack humility in your soul, your prayer is not received and you cannot be excused. You, Pharisees, have misinterpreted God’s Law by using hypocrisy as a cover. Stop presenting yourselves in the way you are not because God is not a human being who can be misled by your appearance. He judges you according to what He sees in your heart.” Let’s look now at the other type, the tax collector. You have here a person of average height, slightly overweight, with rather short legs, thick arms, slightly thick and tapered fingers, and a round face. His digestive system is well developed, as he loves to overeat and also to drink. “I have a long way to go. Therefore, I need enough food.” This is how he philosophizes and that is why he has become a tax collector. He will beg a little here, he will take and steal some there, until he fills up his bag. He justifies his actions saying, “You are doing just like me; I beg your pardon, you may consider it theft, but I need it. If you do not want to give it to me, I will take it by force or steal it.” As I said, the tax collector has a round face with thick eyebrows and his chin is wide in the base, which indicates that whatever he undertakes he will finish it successfully. He is between 40 and 45 years of age. His beard has black bushy hair; the same is for the mustache and that is a sign of a great vigor. His nose is well-built, slightly short, thick, wide at the ends, which is a sign of a good respiratory system. A person of feelings, impulsive like a child, he can always express his joy; after having half a liter of wine, he can jump and be joyous; when he gets sober, he begins to cry about his wife being ill. His temporal bones are strongly developed. His ears are quite large, almost like Tolstoy’s, or like in someone who steals and takes. However, the tax collector is a person who also gives, saying, “My father and mother have been stealing as well; so let me give something, help people and may God forgive our sins.” He has brown or reddish brown eyes indicating natural tenderness and good nature awaiting their time to be manifested. His head is well developed, similar to the head of Socrates. The tax collector has perfectly developed home and social feelings: including the strong religious sense and compassionate attitude of mercy. He has also a right concept of life, excellent unsophisticated mind and cultivated conscience highlighting his mistakes, which he is not ashamed to confess before God, others, and before himself too. He lacks any pretentious ideas about his status. He is religious and in his belief system he has placed not his own image but the image of the Good God. He has always believed that this Good God will guide him to the Light. He has more trust in God than in himself. He has the right philosophy; he does not compare himself to the lesser ones like the thieves and scoundrels, but he says, “Lord, when I look at You, at the Angels and Saints, I think: who am I in comparison? I need to rise up to become like You. I am a sinner and with my ancestors we are good for nothing, I eat and drink like a pig and have become like a pig. Forgive me that I cannot make use of the bounties, which You gave to me.” And what did Christ say? “Those who have a sublime ideal and are aware of their own mistakes will surpass the Pharisee one day.” How can this happen? Rich people rely on their rents or incomes. They do not need to work, but only discuss politics and social life. Those who get up early in the morning and work for ten hours daily, though they may experience failure after failure in their lives, they are persistent, so in time they acquire knowledge and become acknowledged. Now, I am sorry to say, but both types are represented among you. Since Christ has pointed at these two opposite prototypes, I advise you: Adopt the good aspects of both. Attain simultaneously the Pharisee’s and the tax collector ’s noble features of character. Thus create a third type of a Christian or the New human being. This is what I have in mind. You say, “How can I be a Pharisee? I do not think that I have done much wrong in my life. You offend me.” I will tell you a truth. When misfortune comes into your life, you say, “Why, Lord, is this misfortune? There are some others who are much greater sinners than me.” Are you not a person who argues with the Lord like the Pharisee then? The Lord will tell you, “You are very pious, but do you know how many scandalous things your ancestors have committed and at one time you were a partner with them? See, here is a bill you signed many years ago, which is due to be paid.” “But I do not remember.” “It does not matter; as it is recorded in My Book, so there is no lie.” When you experience misfortune and say, “Thanks. It is nothing. It could have been worse,” then you are like the tax collector. And Christ will say to you, “You will go to the home of My Father.” Sometimes you judge the Pharisee to be insincere. But do you know that you, who are judging the Pharisee, are the modern Pharisees? Learn a lesson from the Pharisee. You should not take his negative traits, but if you have them, eradicate them not to get into the path of a negative lifestyle. What your grandfather and grandmother, your mother and father had will be of no use to you. You remember the story of the geese guided toward the town. They complained to a traveler meeting them from their guide, “This man is treating us like a flock! Does he not know that our ancestors once freed Rome? What a shame, what a scandal!” “But what are your own achievements?” asked the traveler. “None.” “Well, then you deserve to be cooked in a pot.” Your grandfather and father were distinguished people of noble character, but who are you? If you do not have a noble character, acquire it. Your grandfather and father may have left you some capital, but you could waste it or lose it all. If we examine the religious views in life, there exist religious Pharisees: “I belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church,” “I am from the Evangelist Church,” “I am from the Catholic Church,” or “I am a freethinker.” I am glad that you are Orthodox, Evangelical, Catholic, or free thinking, but do you have the noble characteristics of Jesus? “I do not have them.” Then, you are neither Orthodox nor Evangelical, you are none of them. Attain the noble characteristics of Jesus and you may become one of them. “But I am a free thinker.” Do you have the noble characteristics of the honest free-thinking people? By the phrase “free thinker,” I understand someone who is a friend of the Truth. If you are not, then you are a first-class liar. Often people say, “You are a great person.” People of today gather together by threes and fours and begin to boast of their social status and achievements. They praise the author, “We read your work with delight.” But as soon as he leaves, they state, “He is a first-class idiot.” When the second leaves, they criticize him too. Then the third leaves, he is also such and such according to the rest. When only one remains, naturally he will not say anything bad about himself. Do not be fooled by people’s talk about you because it could hold many unpleasant things. No one speaks the truth. Your enemies will tell you, “You are a scoundrel, liar, good-for-nothing person. They are closer to the truth than someone who flatters you, saying, “You have nobleness.” You may be good but not that good; do not think that you are great. Sometimes you walk with your head up, swinging your arms and cane, as if you have solved a great problem like Archimedes. You think that there is no one like you. If you are a tax collector, you are telling yourself, “I will rule the world.” Christ says, “Listen, years ago your ancestors ruled and I remember to be written in My Book that they had committed crimes. It is quite possible for you to go in that direction too. Do not be so certain of yourself.” Therefore, in whatever situation we may find ourselves, we should have God, the Lord, as the only ideal. In this world we will encounter many painful experiences. We may meet a friend who loves us and will tell us certain things that are true. I do not say that we should suspect everyone to be a liar, no. But if a hundred people praise you, perhaps only three among them will tell you the truth in a proper way. The rest will tell you the truth either in a harsh way or by flattery, these are two extremes. Truth is not to be found there, but in the middle path by taking the good characteristics of the Pharisee: his excellent mind, his concepts and tidiness; and from the tax collector by taking his compassion, profound religiousness, inner awareness of the mistakes and aspiration to set right his life. The tax collectors and Pharisees are to be found in the families as well: for example a Pharisee husband and a tax collector wife. The husband is coming from a high prominent lineage, he is wealthy, slender, handsome, “a man of nobleness,” as people call him. The wife comes from a simple family, her father and grandfather were uneducated simple people. The husband looking at her likes to ask, “Do you know what social status I have taken you from?” And she cowers a little. There is nothing she can do in this situation, but to cower and cook. Every time when the Pharisee’s finger indicates she did not cook well makes her cry while hearing his words, “I do not want such a simple, unlearned woman. I do not want such a tax collector in my home.” Elsewhere, the wife is the Pharisee while the husband is the tax collector. The wife comes from a wealthy family; her father helped her husband to prosper in life and at one time he was his apprentice. “Do you realize how fortunate you are that I have taken you? You do not know how to dress, how to put your tie, or how to blow your nose.” These Pharisees can be very detailed when they begin criticizing. Now both of them need to set right their lives. When Christ says that the tax collector is more justified than the Pharisee, He means that the tax collector is not completely right as well, but in his thoughts about life and the Divine Order he has a better understanding than the Pharisee. He wants to imply that the tax collector one day will stand higher than the Pharisee. If you do not wish to humble yourselves, the Lord will humble you because He humbles the proud and uplifts the humble. Pride and humility are synonyms for these two types of people, the Pharisee and the tax collector. You do not know what is in store for you in the future; all your noble qualities and all your ancestors may not be able to help you. Some years ago in England (in London I think), one of the richest and most prominent Englishman went down to his subterranean vault to take a look at his treasures and by chance he closed the door behind him with his key remaining outside. After examining all his wealth and enjoying it, he wanted to go out, but realized that he was locked in. He stayed for one, two, three days. He was surrounded by gold and enormous wealth, but what of this, when he could neither go out, nor call for help. Finally, he died, leaving the following note behind him, “If only there had been someone to give me a piece of bread, I would have given him half of all my wealth.” If it happens one day that you are locked up in the subterranean vault of your noble ancestors like that rich man, just a little piece of bread can save you. That is why Christ says, “The bread can save you, but it is not true for all these material things which you are striving for.”[5] Do you know that many people pass away like this - locked up in themselves? Some desperate people commit suicide. Who are these people? They are not the tax collectors but the Pharisees. Poets, artists, and politicians say, “The world does not value us and cannot appreciate our works, our writings, our paintings.” That is why they commit suicide. Always those Pharisees, who are noble thinkers with the finely formed faces and red beards, commit suicide. The Pharisees in Bulgaria do not have red beards; I am speaking of the Jewish Pharisees. I would describe our Bulgarian Pharisees in another way. They look like the Jewish Pharisees, but there is something in which they differ. But as I am not describing the Bulgarian but the Jewish Pharisees, you can make your own conclusion about the Bulgarian ones and search for these types. How do you search for them? The purpose of my lecture is for you to apply these practical concepts in your life. People of today profess that one needs willpower to be successful in life. The willpower has three ways of expression: first, not taking into account the rights and feelings of others; second, regarding only our own interests and those of our nation; and third, considering the interests of the society and nation, of the humankind and God. The last expression of willpower, which includes all obligations that we have toward this world, is good. When we have such willpower there is no force that could divert us from our duty. The true willpower acts for the glory of God and the humankind, for the sake of your nation and home, and for the uplifting of your character; this is willpower indeed. People say, “You should have a noble mind.” A mind that realizes its attitude to God and makes efforts to apply the sublime thoughts in Life, this is a noble mind indeed. You all have the potential for this. “But my nose is not as I want it to be.” It will develop. Look at those little birds in the nests that have no feathers yet. Observe how they are waiting for their mother and as soon as she appears, they open their beaks, saying, “Chirrrp!”, and instantly their mother pushes little worms in. Even twenty times a day, “Chirrrp!” and again they open their beaks. The more these little birds pray “chirrrp,” the more worms fall into their beaks. And soon their wings strengthen and they will finally be able to fly away. You too should comply with the same Law: Open your mouth to pray. If you do not open it, you are Pharisees and Christ will tell you, “The world is not for you, the Kingdom of God is not for you, the future is not for you.” This is what Christ intends to say. There are people who do not want to open their mouths. They keep silent. It is good to be silent, but in which cases: when you are angry, when you want to offend someone, or when you are envious. But whenever you are joyous, whenever you need to say a comforting word, open your mouth and say it. Do you open your mouth and speak when you bring up your children? This is an impending issue for you. You bring up your children in a Pharisaic way: you do not permit them to touch the dishes not to soil themselves, even not to wet their hands by themselves. Their mother will wash their hands instead; their father will buy them new shoes, watches, jewelry, and so on. The father is in the position of a slave of these Pharisees. When he comes back from work in the evening, they first sulk and then say, “We want this and that, we want it right now!” and so he cowers. Why did Christ say, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”?[6] At home with the children and in the church as well - everywhere we manifest the Pharisee’s features and why then we wonder that the Kingdom of God is not coming. On top of this, the Pharisee complains that the world is bad, that society is bad, the priests are such and such, the teachers are not good and the statesmen too, but he himself is a saint. You are just the same as those you are criticizing. Stop and let go of these things because your Mother is here with you. Whenever you say “chirrrp,” right then you will receive food. You may find these things funny, but they are great truths. They seem to be small things, but we need to learn from this example. Compared to the Divine Life we are still paupers and God is constantly sending us the Mother with the worms. Greet your Mother because she brings you food. How many places had she to overfly to find at least one worm? How could we thank God Who thinks of us every day and provides us with food? Every morning we should say “chirrrp,” that is, pray to Him. Do you know what it means? It has a very deep meaning. What does this “chirrrp” mean? It you know this, you will get the words spoken by Heaven. It is a short word “chirrrp,” yet very rich in content. And now you are in the temple. Christ addresses you asking about the way you are praying: is it as the Pharisee or as the tax collector; and how will you enter the world and begin working: is it as the Pharisee or as the tax collector? You are made of the same dust. Yet, Christ wants to tell us not to be like the Pharisees. My head is about ready to burst from these Pharisees. If there is something disturbing in the world it is these Pharisees. “Well, that person has such and such qualities.” I know, but what should I do? Let me clean up myself first and then others. Let me clean up my own lice and then those of others. Otherwise, if I would go to someone who has fewer lice than me, he will catch more from me. “But we should educate him.” Wait, I need to educate myself first. “But we should preach.” If I begin to preach too soon, I will mislead people. “Go out and say this and that.” What shall I say? Shall I lie to people? When you go out, you are to express the great Truth both in words and through your actions. This is what Christ means. When we begin to teach, we should do it both by words and actions. I like very much the teachers of today, who, while teaching a subject like physics or chemistry, begin right away with the experiments: oxygen can be obtained this way, something else results from that. When you enter a carpenter ’s shop, the teacher there teaches both theory and practice; when you go to a tailor ’s shop, it is the same. Christ says, “Enter and pick up your yardstick and scissors.” Some need to start with a needle and after that with scissors. What are the scissors? They represent your tongue. When you begin to cut and sew, there exists no better scissors than your tongue. However, when you begin cutting left and right without thinking, your scissors are not used properly. “Should we not speak?” You should speak, but in the right time and place. Otherwise you will cut without thinking and the cloth will be wasted. I do not say all this to discourage you. I do not want to claim that you were born Pharisees, but you have the inclination of the Pharisee. Everyone has it. It is good to have it to a certain degree. But when you begin to say, “God, I thank You that I am not like others,” the Pharisee is alive in you and it is difficult to free yourselves from him. He resides in the back of your neck, in your crown, ears, head, nose, and in the inner side of your eyes. In conclusion, where is this Pharisee to be found? In all your features and actions. And so, Christ is now asking us about the most proper way to offer our prayer to God. He is implying that prayer in its broadest sense is for the benefit of society. Some think that a true prayer can be offered only in church. See if your prayer, which is delivered in the church, has some connection with your family life and if so, whether it will help you. If there is such a church, you should find where it is. The teacher first teaches the students certain things. Then he gives them the opportunity to solve problems and find the connections to certain laws. It is said in the Scriptures, “You are a temple of God.”[7] If we are a temple of God, when we enter our inner sacred sanctuary before God, how should we enter? If we enter as the Pharisee, Christ will tell us, “You have not achieved your purpose.” If we enter as the tax collector and confess our mistakes, if we promise that we will correct them, we are going to succeed and hear Christ’s answer, “You are acquitted; there is a hope for you for a better future.” When the teacher finds some mistakes in the student’s notebook, the student should not say, “How petty-minded my teacher is, I had only three mistakes!” The teacher may smudge it, he may cross out four to five words and the student will say then, “He ruined my notebook.” Yes, but if you want to be perfect, you are to be thankful that the teacher has pointed out these mistakes to you because otherwise these three mistakes could have become more. Just correct them, do not ignore them! Mistakes are like louses: if you leave them, in a week they can reproduce into thousands. One mistake is enough to bring someone to the pillory. Based on the same Law, one virtue can uplift you to Heaven and place you among the Angels. Under certain conditions a wrong action will pull you down, while a virtuous one will uplift you. Therefore, pay attention to each virtue and to each mistake of yours. If there is one virtue left in a person who has lived a depraved life, it can serve as a rope tossed in the stormy sea of life, which (if he grabs it) can bring him to safety. Therefore, the remaining mistake is very detrimental and can ruin a person. Similarly, the last virtue is very strong and can save a person. The last mistake or virtue can transform our life. It is a Law. That is why Christ says, “Do not be negligent.” The Pharisee had more noble features than the tax collector. He was in many respects in a higher position, but he had one last mistake - pride, which had the power to pull him down. The tax collector was a big sinner, but he had one remaining virtue - humility; and he was determined to work for his salvation. For this reason God gave him His Blessing because there was hope that in the future he would evolve. I ask you this morning about your current position: are you with your last mistake or with your last virtue? If you are with your last mistake, I feel sorry for you: be aware that you are at a dangerous place in life. If you are with your last virtue, you are at a safe place and I congratulate you: you are on a solid rock. Hold on to this last virtue and Christ will walk with you. Lecture of the Master, held on October 5, 1914, Sofia. ----------------------------------------------------------- 1. See also Luke 18:11, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men - extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.’” 2. Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and dramatist. 3. See also Matthew 7:1–3. 4. See also Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 5. See also John 6:35, “And Jesus said to them, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” 6. See Luke 11:44. 7. See also 1Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

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

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

Explanatory NoteThe Generic “Man” In previous publications the following sentence: “Man, a term used to denote an individual (male or female) of the human race,” was included to explain the use of this word throughout. However, recent comments on the sexist language led to the decision to elaborate much more on the subject of the use of the generic, “man,” “he,” and “his,” in this book. In the Bulgarian language, there are different words for a human being. Chovek is used for Homo sapiens regardless of gender, mazh for a male, and zhena for a female. When Peter Deunov became the Enlightened spiritual teacher, Beinsa Douno, and spoke the Word of Wisdom, he often used cho- vek to address any human being; and because this word is in the masculine form, it led to the use of gender specific words like toy (he) and negov (his) throughout his lectures, in case of substitutions. However, in English the word “man” is used with both meanings: as a generic term for Homo sapiens, and as a term denoting an adult male. This has led to many controversial discussions regarding how to avoid the use of a word which could be considered sexist by some readers. Our purpose is to keep the language as close as possible to the original, but at the same time to make clear what is the exact meaning, in order to avoid confusion. In Garner’s Modern American Usage, University Press, Oxford, 2003, Bryan A. Garner writes on page 717, “But does avoiding sexism mean resorting to awkward devices such as he/she? Surely not, because that too would distract many read- ers. What you should strive for instead, if you want readers to focus on your ideas and not on the political subtext, is a style that does not even hint at the issue.” And further on: “The tra- ditional approach has been to use the masculine pronouns he and him to cover all people, male and female alike.” In a similar line of thinking, we decided to include this note as an explanation in the hope that the readers will focus on the meaning and depth of the Message brought by the Master Beinsa Douno, rather than being distracted by the form of some words. We replaced in many places, where appropriate, “man” with “person, someone, one, or individual.” But this was not always possible to do without changing the meaning of the Word spoken by the Master. Therefore, except where we specifically describe a female person, the generic mascu- line pronoun is mainly used throughout the book to include both sexes. In a similar manner; “Brothers of Light” refers to Beings of sublime consciousness, and “Brotherhood” to a Fellowship of brothers and sisters in a spiritual community, or to people living in a fraternal way, in love and harmony.

Introduction Тhis book includes twenty lectures translated from Bulgarian into English, delivered by the Spiritual Teacher Beinsa Douno. He lived in Bulgaria under the secular name of Peter Deunov (July 11, 1864–December 27, 1944) bringing spiritual renaissance to the human soul. All aspects of human life: personal, family and social; in relation both to the spiritual and physical, to the mundane and transcendental; in the various fields of science, religion and the arts have been illuminated by the Divine Light brought by the Master Beinsa Douno. In 1927, a settlement called “Izgrev” (Sunrise), grew near the Bulgarian capital of Sofia as a spiritual community by in- tention. There the Master gave weekly lectures to his disciples as well as Sunday sermons opened to the public. The spoken Word he brought was transcribed and published in numerous books in Bulgarian, many of which were also translated into other languages. Music held a special place in the community. Singing and playing musical instruments was an integral part of the daily life there. The Master himself composed many pieces of spiri- tual music, which he personally performed on his violin. Beinsa Douno introduced the sacred practice of Paneurhythmy (meaning Supreme Cosmic Rhythm) as a method for spiritual development and continued advancement of humankind. The Master left his earthly life in Sofia on December 27, 1944 with the words: “A small task has been accomplished for God.” “Behold the Man!” Beinsa Douno used this profound phrase from the Bible to open his public lectures in Sofia on March 29, 1914. His closest disciples: Boyan Boev (1883–1963) and Boris Nikolov (1900–1991), prepared a unique collection of lec- tures included also in this book along with the lecture “The Blossoming of the Human Soul.” From “Behold the Man” (1914) to “Communion with God” (1930), these lectures give the key to the Word which the Master has spoken for thirty years and the instructions for applying the Divine Teaching for generations to come. The best way to describe this Teaching, brought to humankind by the Master Beinsa Douno, is by his own words: “The task of the Great Teachers who come to Earth is, in essence, to guide humankind into the right path, to support it in its evolution.” “The Word I speak is not mine; it comes from the Great Source. If you accept it, you will find out that it is accurate and truthful. It is not mine, so do not credit it to me in your souls! The ideas, which I give in my lectures and talks, are taken from the Divine Source. What Christ has spoken and what I speak is of the same Origin.”

Contents Introduction Explanatory Note The Generic “Man” Behold the Man, March 16 (Gregorian calendar of the 19th century), 1914 Grain of Wheat, March 23, 1914 The Pharisee and the Tax Collector , October 5, 1914 The Brother of the Smallest Ones, January 1, 1917 The Universal Love, August 19, 1919 Cosmic Love, August 24, 1919 The New Humankind, August 19, 1920 The Awakening of the Collective Consciousness, August 19, 1921 The Two Paths, February 24, 1922 The High Ideal, September 11, 1923 Mindful Heart, April 2, 1924 The Little Blade of Grass, July 13, 1925 The Great Law, October 11, 1925. The Key of Life, August 22, 1928 Absolute Purity, August 21, 1929. The Ideal Human Being, March 7, 1930 The Voice of God, August 26, 1930 Absolute Truth, September 21, 1930 Communion with God, November 23, 1930 The Blossoming of the Human Soul, July 2, 1923 About the Translator

http://en-petardanov.com/index.php?/files/file/6-%7B?%7D/ BEINSA DOUNO THE BLOSSOMING OF THE HUMAN SOUL Collection of Lectures The Master Beinsa Douno Collection of Lectures BIALO BRATSTVO PUBLISHERS SOFIA, 2012 First published under the title “Behold the Man” in Bulgarian 1997, Royal-77 Publishers, Varna, Bulgaria. Compilation and translation by Ernestina Staleva Editor: Maria Braikova Cover and graphic design by Steve Eagle Acknowledgments We would like to thank Boris Nikolov, Boyan Boev, and many others who have preserved and passed on the Word of the Master Beinsa Douno to the future generations. This book is a result of the collective efforts of many people who knew Ernestina Staleva personally or who were familiar with the works of Beinsa Douno. We give thanks to all those who helped in one way or another for bringing this book into reality. Copyright © 2012 by Bialo Bratstvo Publishers ISBN 978-954-744-181-1 Printed in Sofia, Bulgaria All rights reserved. For more information about Beinsa Douno and available materials: http://www.beinsadouno.org http://www.everabooks.com

Explanatory Note: The Generic “Man” In previous publications the following sentence: “Man - a term used to denote an individual (male or female) of the human race” was included to explain the use of this word throughout. However, recent comments on the sexist language led to the decision to elaborate much more on the subject of the use of the generic “man,” “he,” and “his” in this book. In the Bulgarian language, there are different words for a human being. Chovek is used for Homo sapiens regardless of gender, mazh - for a male and zhena - for a female. When Peter Deunov became the Enlightened spiritual teacher Beinsa Douno and spoke the Word of Wisdom, he often used chovek to address any human being; and because this word is in the masculine form, it led to the use of gender specific words like toy (he) and negov (his) throughout his lectures in case of substitutions. However, in English the word “man” is used with both meanings: as a generic term for Homo sapiens and as a term denoting an adult male. This has led to many controversial discussions regarding how to avoid the use of a word which could be considered sexist by some readers. Our purpose is to keep the language as close as possible to the original, but at the same time to make clear what is the exact meaning in order to avoid confusion. In Garner’s Modern American Usage, University Press, Oxford, 2003, Bryan A. Garner writes on page 717, “But does avoiding sexism mean resorting to awkward devices such as he/she? Surely not, because that too would distract many readers. What you should strive for instead - f you want readers to focus on your ideas and not on the political subtext - is a style that does not even hint at the issue.” And further on: “The traditional approach has been to use the masculine pronouns he and him to cover all people, male and female alike.” In a similar line of thinking, we decided to include this note as an explanation in the hope that the readers will focus on the meaning and depth of the Message brought by the Master Beinsa Douno, rather than being distracted by the form of some words. We replaced in many places, where appropriate, man with person, someone, one, individual, but this was not always possible to do without changing the meaning of the Word spoken by the Master. Therefore, except where we specifically describe a female person, the generic masculine pronoun is mainly used throughout the book to include both sexes. In a similar manner: “Brothers of Light” refers to Beings of sublime consciousness and “Brotherhood,” to Fellowship of brothers and sisters in a spiritual community or to people living in a fraternal way in love and harmony.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASTER BEINSA DOUNO Dates and Events 1864: Peter Konstantinov Deunov 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 Deunovski and Dobra Georgieva. 1872: Peter Deunov entered the Elementary school in Nikolaevka. 1878-1883: He studied and obtained his secondary degree in the all-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. August 1888: Peter Deunov left for the United States and enrolled at Drew Theological Methodist Seminary in Madison, New Jersey. October 15, 1890: He finishes a preparatory course in theology at Drew Seminary, Madison, New Jersey. 1891–1893: Peter Deunov attended the Faculty of Theology in the University of Boston as a full time student. He graduated on June 7, 1893 with the graduation thesis “The Migration of the Teutonic Tribes and their Conversion to Christianity.” February 3, 1894: He completed a one year 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 spent time in seclusion and meditation, in prayer and profound inner work. 1896: He published the book “Science and Education” in which he analyzed the human path in the world drama and coming of the New culture. 1897: On March 7, at the age of 33, in the village of Tetovo, Ruse district, Peter Deunov had a mystical experience that divulged his spiritual mission together with his spiritual name - Beinsa Douno. 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: Peter Deunov 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 Gathering of the Brotherhood of Light which he called meeting of the Chain. 1900-1942: Annual gatherings were held, usually in August, at different places: Varna (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. 1904: He settled in Sofia, at 66 Opalchenska Street, where he began to deliver his Word in the form of talks. 1912: Beinsa Douno 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 Douno 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 New teaching increased in number after the war and reached approximately forty thousand people in the late 1930s. February 24, 1922: The 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 Douno’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 Douno with a group of disciples spent the hardest months during the Second World War (January 11, 1944 - 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: The Master 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 Douno 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.

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.”

THE HUMAN IDEAL The earthly life has three important subjects to consider. As we live on Earth, the first and foremost is to understand the human beings, if we want to understand their lifestyle. The second important subject, which we need to understand, are the angels. Translated in a common language they represent the human mind and thoughts. When we say “angel,” we usually have in mind a luminous being. However, we will translate “angel” as a “luminous thought.” God is the third subject that is most important, but typically misunderstood by humankind. This word translated in understandable language represents the Love that brings life and eternity to the human soul. For this reason it is written in the Scriptures, “God is Love.”1 Therefore, the ideal of the human being is to understand oneself and the angels, in other words, the luminous, pure thoughts; and lastly, to understand God - or Love. If one has understanding of these three subjects, that one will be able to create a positive philosophy of life. People of today suffer from misunderstanding and ignorance how to put things together. If one cannot arrange things as they were created by Nature and God, that one will come into a big inner conflict. It is like you set a fire inside your house, but somewhere on the floor and not in its proper place - the fireplace. What will happen then? The entire house will catch fire and will burn - you will burn with it too. In this respect, human feelings are like fire. If people know how and where to direct what they feel, it will bring them the greatest blessings in life. And vice versa, if they do not know this, it will cause them the greatest sufferings and sorrows. Right thinking is needed to guide human feelings in the right direction. That is why, thoughts and feelings are of the greatest and paramount importance for the human being. As for the angels, there is nothing more sublime than purity - pure feelings and pure thoughts. In the Divine World there is nothing greater than Love. Therefore, thoughts and feelings are most important in the human world, Purity - in the Angelic World, and Love - in the Divine World. I say, no matter how important these things are, modern people have not understood them yet, moreover they are still requiring proofs about the existence of God. If this issue is to be proven, it loses its sense. Each attempt to prove God’s existence represents a mechanical process. Does it make sense proving to me that I am alive? I know already that. Does it make sense proving to me that I can think? I know already that as well. Proving to me that I have life and thought is quite useless. I live, I think, I feel, so any external proof is needless. The thought should be studied as a substantial condition. If a chemist wants to perform a chemical reaction resulting in a certain compound, he should know the properties of the elements and the laws that govern them. If he takes into consideration all this, the reaction and the combination of the elements will go correctly. Otherwise, the chemist may cause a big explosion and create a calamity. In this respect Life represents a chemical compound consisting of many elements. If a person knows how to combine the elements of his life, how to combine the thoughts and feelings, that person will be able to produce properly a chemical compound, in other words, to create a meaningful harmonious life. And vice versa, if a person combines inwardly a desire with a thought that are both unnatural, in other words, from the combination of a human with an animal desire, an explosive compound is formed, which might cause an explosion. In this respect, one has not come yet to the rank of a true human being. The true human being is to be revealed from now on. People of today cannot fully control themselves and still have many animal-based manifestations. All crimes today, from the smallest to the biggest ones, are committed under the effect of these bestial elements in the lower human nature. Now, by “man” or “human being” I refer to the total of all virtues. Whoever lacks some of these virtues has a bigger or smaller predominance of the lower nature within oneself. When I speak about the lower or animal nature in the human being, I have in mind features from any of the animals: tigers, bears, wolves, foxes, the various herbivores, insects, and so on. What is their life like? Life of mutual destruction - they eat and swallow each other. However, there is one exception among birds - the pigeons. Most of the pigeon species are pure vegetarians and feed only on grains. Meanwhile, the nightingale that is an excellent singer is carnivorous and eats tens to hundreds of insects daily. The nightingale is content of its situation especially when it can catch more insects. Yet, the little flies it feeds on do not think so. People of today boast of their religion, science, and art. I ask: what is this religion that cannot teach them to love one another? What is this science, which cannot offer them a way of living a meaningful life? What good is this type of science which cannot formulate the laws of human thought nor explain the reasons for the existence of good and evil? What are these social sciences and social order which cannot guide people in their life program fulfillment? The life of people has become meaningless, because neither religion nor science were able to give the rules needed for the human development. In reality, the Earth is covered by monuments mostly of dead people. Great Beings like Christ have visited the Earth. For two thousand years Christ has been present among people and He is still with them. You ask, “What is the purpose of suffering?” There is a great purpose in suffering. Sufferers are heroes and become true human beings, while non-sufferers remain ordinary people and nothing great is expected from them. Great people go through big trials. Christ endured great sufferings, thus He left the world a sublime sacred idea that will never perish. His idea did not pass away, neither did Christ. He was subjected to a great trial: to be crucified and placed in a tomb, but on the third day He resurrected. The existence of Christianity so far is due to the fact that Christ is still living among people and will live forever. If however, some disharmony comes up among Christians, the reason is that many of those who consider themselves Christians do not really believe that Christ has risen from the dead. They are assumed to be believers, but in reality they are not. So, they are in the situation of those who are regarded as humans without being true human beings, so far. Indeed, you often meet people calling each other with the names of some animals. For instance, one person says to another, “You are a wolf, fox, bear, tiger, and so on.” When people want to express that someone is foolish, they say, “He is just a sheep”. Many think that the sheep is a foolish animal, but this is not so. When I studied the structure and shape of its head, I found it out to be one of the intelligent mammals based on the measurements and scientific data. Those who study the physiognomy of animals will find out that in regard of intelligence the elephant comes right after the human being, followed by the sheep. One may ask however, where the true human being is in reality. Today all people want to be healthy, happy, fulfilling all their desires, and so on. All this can be achieved. How? By acquiring a healthy body, kind heart, bright mind, and all virtues. Without these attributes people are exposed to suffering. In this respect, sufferings are exceptions in life. Why? It is because they should be understood and applied well. That is why suffering increases the faith of wise people, while for the foolish ones, they are the greatest misfortune that can befall on them in life. In the modern belief system one is born to die. What is the meaning of death? It is meaningful only if one transitions after death to a better life than the earthly one. The death of a righteous person has its meaning. However, the death of a wrongdoer is quite senseless. In the same way, there is sense for a flower or fruit tree to blossom, but what is the meaning of a bomb to burst open and explode? It is useful to start a fire in the fireplace and cook a meal with it, but to start it in the middle of the house and set all on fire - such a fire is senseless. Building temples for worshippers and schools for children makes sense, but is there any sense in making bombs and grenades with which people kill each other? And after all this you say that God should set the world right! As soon as God created humans and inscribed the Laws in their hearts to live by them, He had already set the world right. Even if people live thousands of years more, they will still divide themselves into learned and uneducated, rich and poor, religious and non-believers. In reality, if they examine themselves carefully, they will see that all of them are alike. Both the religious people and non-believers serve for money. It is not bad that their service is for money. But striving for money, people focus on being well-dressed and living luxuriously, and forget their true purpose on Earth. When people want to have nice clothes, they should strive to be dressed beautifully from within as well. Everyone can put on a beautiful luminous inner garment. Luminous thoughts and noble feelings are one’s inner garments and no matter where this one goes, people say, “Behold a true human being!” Such a person brings the Divine blessing to any home he visits: he heals the ill, comforts the sorrowful, and nourishes the hungry. Now, what is the most important at sunrise? The Sun itself, in other words, its light. What is the most important in respect to the Sun? The sunlight and warmth that inspire luminous thoughts and noble feelings in the human being. However, this same warmth and light awake inferior feelings, instincts, and wishes in the wolf. Behind the solar light and warmth there stands a Great Mighty Hand that is invisible to people. You ask, “Where is this Hand?” It can be seen as much as you can see the true human being. What you see externally and call “human being” is only an expression of certain thoughts, feelings, and actions. The human being is not that which dies. The negative thoughts, feelings, and deeds are what passes away in the human being. Sometimes they die, sometimes they are uprooted like a tree. I say: as you are now in the process of creating your life, it is important for you to live with luminous thoughts and feelings, with noble and rightful actions. If you do not follow all this, you will cause your misfortune yourselves. Creating the human life can be compared to the construction of a ship. How is a ship built? For its good performance all technical rules and laws of modern science must be put into action. Only in this way can the ship withstand all storms and gales that can occur in the sea. If all these technological rules and laws are not observed, the ship with all passengers will be exposed to great dangers. In the same way, people of today are in the world as in a stormy sea - and if their ship is not well built, they will be exposed to great dangers. If their ship - the body - and their thoughts and feelings are not solid and stable, they could meet with great disasters. That is why the reasons for a shipwreck should be searched not only in the ship performance, but also in its designers and constructors. In the future when people reach a higher level of development, they will act according to all rules and methods of the New teaching in order to create well-organized bodies for themselves that are capable of receiving the Sublime Divine thoughts and feelings. As it is necessary to follow certain rules and laws for the human body creation, the same should be done during the election of ministers and Parliament members of a country. These are to be the most intelligent, selfless, and virtuous people of the nation. Only then we could speak about a great country. However, the present situation of the countries is a token for misinterpretation of life. Many think that they have come to Earth to spend somehow their lives and then to depart. That is a wolf-like way of thinking. The wolf tries to come close to a livestock enclosure in order to steal a sheep and eat it, and that is all the wolf aims. If someone has the same thinking, what is the difference between such a person and a wolf? Moreover, after eating a sheep, the wolf could be chased and shot. At the same time, when someone kills from ten to twenty people in the battlefield, he is immediately rewarded and pronounced a hero. So, afterward this person boasts with his killing without batting an eyelid. Killing and destroying is a crime, not a science. Creating and building - that is a science. I say, modern people should think and live rightly - as God requires of them. Rightly means living as brothers and sisters. Besides, it is not necessary for all people to have the same external features and same beliefs. Consider, for instance, the little child and the mature person. They differ in appearance, but have something in common as human beings. The young will eventually get old and the old could also rejuvenate. The alchemists have done many experiments in this direction. An old person can be placed in a special chemical device - retort and after passing through certain processes he would emerge entirely rejuvenated. One could become young not only by alchemy, but also by his thought. Many European scientists support the theory that a human being can rejuvenate and revive his life by his thought. The sublime thought creates a pleasant atmosphere which attracts what is pleasant and beautiful in the Living nature and makes one capable of receiving it. Without sublime thought, one does not know how to interact with the Sentient nature and encounters many problems and misfortunes as a result. Due to this some people have a bad behavior - it is a sign that they are bad only by their will and actions, but not in their essence. You often meet people who will not do even what is for their own good because of their inner disposition, and the so-called malevolent will. The task of modern culture is to study the manifestations of human thoughts and determine the notion of “a human being.” The human being is a combination of virtues, not of crimes. When some negativity is rising up from within, it is a sign that the person comes across certain negative traits inherited from many generations. Therefore, even today one should make many efforts to remove the inherited negative features and some animal-like manifestations until coming to the state of a true human being. And so, when one comes to reveal the conscious, mindful principle, that one will be strong and free of all negative and inferior manifestations from within. If a righteous person lives in a mountain, for instance, the weather will be as he wishes: if he wants snow - it will snow; if he wants rain or sunshine - the weather will respond accordingly. However, when a wrongdoer lives in the mountain, the weather will not follow his wishes, but will be as Nature dictates - so, the wrongdoer needs to comply with the weather and not vise versa. Many people when hiking in the mountains are afraid of rain because they think that they might catch a cold. You should know that the July rain in the mountains is a great blessing - such a “bath” is equal to a hundred regular baths. Each drop of rain in July is imbued with beneficial electromagnetic forces. Now, remember the following thought: human being is the greatest masterpiece of creation on Earth. Rejoice that you bear the name “human being”! Strive to live up to this name! One needs to be good; one needs to think, feel, and act rightly! And then say to yourself, everyone of you, “My life must not bring harm to others. If I want happiness for myself, I want happiness for others too. My thought should be like God’s thought!” Now, I wish to all of you: be wise, goodhearted, and happy. May your desires come true! And may you become new people from now on! Lecture by the Master Beinsa Douno, held on July 12, 1931. ----------------------------------------------------------- 1. 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.”

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE Reflection. Human life will complete its development on Earth when people attain perfection. Just at hearing the word “perfection” some get immediately discouraged. Being perfect is a very high ideal. How will you achieve it? It lies in your attitude. When is a house considered ready and finished? Only when it has been lime washed on the outside and inside, and has been duly cleaned, mopped, and furnished, so that people can move in and live in it. In the same way, someone becomes perfect after attaining Love, Wisdom, and Truth; and when possessing Knowledge, Life, and Freedom. Some people think that perfection means the end of further development. This is not so. In reality, the perfect ones need to work the most. Serving others, they see the level of their advancement and what is still needed. In the absolute meaning of the word, perfection does not exist on Earth. The perfect one has opened up, but he says as Apostle Paul did that we only know a part of the answer and yet we like to philosophize upon it. Perfecting oneself is not a mechanical process. You say, “I want my eyes to open, I want to become perfect.” This is quite possible. However, “opening the eyes” in its true meaning requires inner work. Jesus said to the woman of Samaria, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.”[1] The meaning of this is to have communion with God - nothing can be attained without this communion. How will an ailing person get well, if he is deprived of air? No matter what you tell him, there is no life without air. You may encourage him, recommend him books to read and study, yet he will not achieve anything as long as he is bedridden. His illness will continue to trouble him. He says, “I am ill, so I am not interested in the future.” First, he needs to free himself of the illness that makes him suffer. You have all experienced this. While you are suffering from some illness, you go through various states every day - and you change every moment. This applies even for the most advanced ones. The inner torment that is endured cannot be explained. Even angels are unable to completely free themselves from suffering and from time to time are affected by it. Of course, that refers to the imperfect angels. Christ says, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”[2] Are humans capable of being perfect as God? If left on their own, they can never be perfect. However, in oneness with God the human being can attain perfection. The contemporary life of humankind is far from it, but one day when people connect with God, they will become perfect. God has been revealing Himself through humans, but He is not abiding in them yet. His promise is, “I shall abide in you and you will become one with Me.”[3] This implies perfection. Today every person gets sometimes disheartened, discouraged. Why? It is because of unachieved perfection not only by the individual, but also by all humankind. People are interconnected as one whole. For this reason, they bear their joys and sufferings together. Therefore, one cannot experience joy alone. The joy of one is related to the joy of all. If someone in the family - either mother, father, or child is ill, can the others be joyful? They may pretend, but deep inside they will feel anxious and worried. This is due to the anguish of all humankind. Fallen spirits also turn to people and ask for help, thus bringing great sufferings to them. Their thoughts are received as by radio and make you sad. Will you be calm, if you catch an SOS call from a sinking ship on your internal “radio”? You are far from the ship, let’s say ten kilometers away; but you hear the passengers’ cries and you cannot help them. How will you feel then? People of today are much like those two Americans who faced a grave accident when boating at Niagara Falls. They were drunk and lost control over the boat. The boat hit a rock and smashed to pieces. One of the Americans climbed onto the rock which pointed at the two countries: Canada and USA. The second one was swept by the current over the waterfalls. There were people watching him from the shores and although they wanted to help him, they did not know how to do it. They were searching for some way, but were afraid of drowning themselves and that made them indecisive. The situation got really terrible. The first American stood on the rock amidst the rumble and roar of the water. He saw his friend being swept by the waves and being totally helpless. I ask: what have these two Americans experienced? If you have never been caught in similar situations, you cannot really imagine the effect of the waves of Life. If you are far away from the waterfall, it will be easy for you to speculate. Back to the story, the rescuers finally succeeded and saved the first American who was on the rock. Modern humankind is likewise on the top of a rock. If no rescuers come, the human race is going to listen to the roar of the waterfall without hope for salvation. You ask how the first American was saved. The rescuers threw a cable from the shore to the rock. Then they pulled the person to the shore and saved him. Do not hold that gloomy picture in your mind. Why? It is because the darkness comes whenever one is ill and suffering. The true Life is where there is not the least darkness. However, diseases exist both in the physical and spiritual worlds: the point is to heal yourself without any trace of the illness leaving a remnant on you. It is said in the Scriptures that whoever stands upright must be careful not to fall. I ask why they did not save both Americans, but only one of them. You say that God can save us all, if He wants to. That is true. God wants the salvation of all, but not all can be saved. The second American was so drunk, that the rescuers could not help him. The American who was on the rock was soberer and held on until he got help from the shore. Sometimes people get so intoxicated that no one can save them from misfortune. They wander here and there blindly. One day someone disappears and cannot be found. What has happened? You will say: he has passed to the World beyond. We know where he is - buried in the ground. His relatives and friends say though that he has gone to Heaven. It means that the visible person - the physical body - is in the ground, while the invisible one is in Heaven. You say, “I do not want to live.” Why? It is because you do not understand the Laws of Life. The outcome is determined by people themselves. One should not be forced, but live by a natural impulse and free will. That is the Will of God. That one will be saved who absolutely observes God’s Will. Therefore, whoever has a profound inner desire for salvation only that person can succeed. Every mindful human desire is an expression of God’s Will. God manifests Himself through our desires, and the One Who awakens the desires in us is God. I have told you many things today, which you need to apply like the one who makes use of becoming literate. Otherwise, if after learning how to read and write, you give up further studies, that will hold up your development. Continue to read and write. You must communicate with your mother, your father, and with your friends, too. “But can I not continue without this?”, you ask. No, it is not possible. When you can read and write masterfully, you will also lead a meaningful life. Beautiful handwriting implies that you lead a pure, beautiful life which reflects the written content. Therefore, what we write is the content of our lives. All beautiful things we insert are saved in our inner archives. Whatever is written on Earth follows its author. Whatever you put down, create, and do remains with you. No one can deprive you of your creations and achievements. Whatever you learn from others is helpful for your development. But only what you have achieved by yourself is truly important for you and makes you strong. Only in this way does one become perfect and free. Many people ask me various questions, but I do not always answer them. “Why should we trust God and love Him?”, you ask. I will not answer you. Why? It is because the trust and love for God is in the natural flow of things and does not need speaking out. When you love God, you will study. “I love my teacher, but I do not want to study”, a student says. This cannot be. You cannot love your teacher without studying. If you love him, you will study his subject with love. Learning cannot be replaced by love. Love is love, but you should study. “I love this person.” If you love this person, you should study. Love and learning go hand in hand. True, when you love, you can learn; if you do not love, you cannot learn. Learning is not possible without love which leads to my conclusion: whoever does not study does not love. And so, Love for God is a great power for achieving perfection. It is actually impossible to describe what Love is and what perfection is. Can you take a picture of the entire Earth? This is as possible as the description of Love and perfection. If you can photograph the one hemisphere of Earth, the other one will be missing. However, there are Beings of such an expanded consciousness that they can embrace the entire Earth. They see it simultaneously from all sides and even penetrate into its core. Is this possible? It is possible for the perfect one, but not for the imperfect one. A young man was walking to a country wedding. On the route it started raining heavily. To avoid getting wet he stripped himself naked. When he was about to enter the village, he dressed in the nearby forest and continued his way. People in the village asked him how he could remain dry in the heavy rain. He replied, “I walked very fast, so fast that the rain did not reach me.” In reality, he had found a smart solution to this problem. But he hid the truth not to admit that he walked naked. It is curious how he got the idea to take off his clothes and prevent them of getting wet. Adam also became aware of being naked, but only after his wrongdoing. Therefore, one needs knowledge to avoid wrongdoings in the same way as the young man protected himself from the rain. What do people of today need? Growth and development. This is the ideal of the human soul. Perfection of the human being comes through spiritual growth and development. All who followed the path of the high ideal became perfect. Christ came to Earth to fulfill His mission. Thus he attained true perfection. The one who wants to become perfect should fulfill the mission which God has assigned to him. We have the example of Christ for a sublime service. Christ said to His disciples, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”[4] What is this food? Doing God’s Will. Everyone should have such a powerful idea, serving as a focal point for his spiritual world and keeping his life in balance. Such a sublime idea will really empower the human being. It is a foundation and fortress for the human life. It makes one strong and unshakable. Without holding such an idea one sways in life as a ship rocked by the waves which causes seasickness. A medication against seasickness was recently invented in Italy. Modern people should not sway any more. Now I introduce to you the path walked by the perfect ones. You will walk the same path facing many contradictions which you should ignore. When you read about the life of Christ, Job, the prophets you see examples and ideas of how to move forward. Why did Christ suffer? Why did Job suffer? Whatever questions you ask, the answer is one: suffering is inevitable. You may say that the devil makes an exception. The devil suffers too - he also walks the path of suffering. Someone has broken his leg. Still, he needs to move forward. You say, “But he cannot walk.” When his leg gets better, he will continue on his way. The important thing is the correction of one’s errors. Someone says, “I do not feel well, I am nervous, I was born like that.” Rejoice that you were born that way. How would you live, if you had no nerves? The distinguishing feature between humans and animals is the nervous system. “I am neurasthenic.” There is nothing better than this. “I have become very sensitive.” But that is what makes you human. “I think a lot.” That is even better. “Where will all this end?” It is not your concern - because God is the beginning, you are the end. When you unite with God, this will be the end. It is just the beginning now. Therefore, the human being should take the last place, in other words, the end. Everyone should be the end, or the Omega, while God is the Alpha, or the beginning of things. You say, “But I do not want to be at the rear.” The best thing is to be at the rear, or to be the tail. The tail is that directs the movement of the fish. The propeller that drives the ship is at the back. Hence, the humankind is the end of things, and the human being is who puts the Divine Ideas into action. Apply this: serve God in Spirit and Truth and be perfect. You ask, “Can we be perfect?” It is up to you. Where there is a beginning and end, there is perfection too. Where there is neither beginning nor end, perfection cannot be expected either. Since God has sent a soul to the Earth, it is capable of becoming perfect. When you become perfect, you will enter the World of Ascended souls. Your Advanced Brothers will recognize you there as being perfect. If you do not become perfect, you will need to study for a long time on Earth. You will descend to Earth, and ascend to Heaven until you finally finish your development. The Wheel of Incarnation will turn and turn over until you attain perfection. Only through perfection you will free yourself from this Wheel. In other words, you will incarnate and be physically born until the day of your perfection. The person who is tightly attached to Earth will need to incarnate many times until he finally begins to desire perfection. Christ says, “But the hour is coming, and now it is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”[5] And now, I would like you to reflect all day long upon the idea of serving God in Spirit and Truth. The manifested Love of Spirit, the manifested Wisdom of Spirit, and the manifested Truth of Spirit bring the full and abundant Life of God, of the One Eternal God of Life. Morning lecture by the Master Beinsa Douno, April 30, 1933, Sofia, Izgrev. ------------------------------------------------------- 1. See John 4:24 2. See Matthew 5:48. 3. See also 1 John 4:12, “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His Love has been perfected in us.” 4. See John 4:32. 5. See John 4:23.

THE DESIRED PEACE Peace is needed in the modern world more than any time before. Why? Peace provides conditions for the greatest achievements of culture. That is why humankind is on its way to secure peace. There are more enlightened people today than any time before, who are aware that peace is the first and foremost condition for the normal development of humankind. For this reason all conscious and advanced people make efforts today for attaining peace. In the past times and civilizations the leaders of humankind believed that the world could be set right only through war. Many of them began to realize later the falsity of this concept. The spiritual workers of today are striving for the world peace, so that new humankind and brotherhood among nations could be born and established. These new human beings will be bearers of love among all people and nations. As a result all nations will live for one another as in a family: big nations will be the big brothers, and small nations — the little ones. They will all have peace and harmony among themselves. This is the Will of God, Who is the Creator of the Universe. You ask when this time will come. It will come in the near future. Modern humankind is at the threshold of a New epoch as the Solar system has already entered the realm of the Divine Dawning. When this time comes, there will be no conditions for the existence of malevolent people. They will perish one after another and the Earth will get rid of them. The new conditions that are coming will admit no malice. Moreover they will bring to its destruction. The darkness will raise its curtains and go somewhere else. The dark forces will take their capitals and will go to another place to establish their banks and offices. It is enough to read the Scriptures to get convinced that the New epoch is not far away. Today everyone should have a mindful, conscious belief system. How will you recognize the coming of the New epoch? In the same way as you recognize the sunrise. Do you need to prove to someone that sunrise comes after the day break? By the time the Dawn of a new life breaks, the Sun has already begun to rise. It is said in the Scriptures that with the beginning of the New epoch on Earth, the Sun will be darkened and the Moon will not give its light — then the Son of Man will reveal His knowledge on Earth.[1] We refer the words about darkening of the Sun to the time when people will overcome their concept about the domination of one nation over another by force. By “the Moon will not give its light” we understand coming of the time when religions and belief systems will stop trying to set the world right. Therefore, when all nations, religions, and countries leave off thinking they can set the world right, then the Son of Man will manifest Himself on Earth with His knowledge. Everyone will see Him without any need for proof. Why should you prove to someone that the Sun is rising? Sunrise needs no proof. It is enough for you to look through the window or go outside to be convinced that the Sun is really rising. You should give preference to the new heart in you, which is made of soft material and not of stone like the present heart. The soft heart is woven by the fabric of compassion. Therefore, whoever has a merciful heart is a candidate for the new humankind. The softness of heart is that of the features characterizing the new human being — that of Love. It is said in the Scriptures, “I shall take their hearts of stone and give them new hearts.”[2] The hearts of stone will be used for paving the streets, while the soft hearts will remain to beat and show the world the greatness and beauty of the Divine Life. For this day specifically the Scripture says that God will impart His Spirit in the soft tender hearts of people and all — both young and old — will come to know Him. The human consciousness is gradually awakening in the same way as flower buds burst open in the spring in order to blossom and bear fruit. The great in people’s life is presented in the awakening of their consciousness and removing the difficulties and adversities they encounter now. There are thousands of things in life which may disturb you, but also thousands of things which may please you. Whoever comprehends the Great Divine Laws will be glad to meet a good, intelligent, and learned person; to meet a poet, writer, musician, painter, farmer, stone-cutter, and so on. Rejoice when you meet someone working for the advancement of humankind. If you do not truly understand what a certain person represents, you behave slightingly, and say, “This one is a farmer, that one is a stone-cutter.” The one who brings forth the abundance of the earth is a farmer; the one who makes use of the qualities of the stones is a stone-cutter. The one who reveals the noble features in human faces is a true painter and the one who rectifies human errors is a sculptor. Hence, everyone who creates something valuable which ennobles, elevates, and brings joy to others is in the right place. A mighty power is hidden in the word of all writers, poets, scientists, and philosophers! The word has a great power! Once a young man fell in despair and decided to commit suicide. He put a revolver in his pocket and went to a forest in order to fulfill his intention. However, a young woman had followed him without his knowledge. At the moment when he was going to kill himself, she came to him and whispered a word into his ear. When the young man heard this word, he immediately cast the revolver away and said, “I am not going to commit suicide. I will live for myself, my fellowmen, and humankind. Life is meaningful and it is worth living!” Which is the word the young woman whispered to the young man? You know this word, no need for me to tell you. There are moments when only one word is sufficient to relieve someone from his present grave situation. It is not necessary to speak a lot to a person. One word will do, if it is Divine. Then what is uttered will come true. God said, “Let there be Light!” — and there was Light. During the six days of Creation, God said one Word daily, but as these were Words of the Divine language, they had enormous Power. All said by God came into existence. On the seventh day He said nothing as He was at rest. It is time already for the unification of all people through their minds, hearts, and goodwill, so that to work together for the introduction of peace. All — religious or not — should embrace the idea of peace. It is said in the Scriptures, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved,”[3] or in other words, “He who wins the battle for peace, will be saved.” The religious people of today speak about Love, but do not apply it. The person who has Love within can increase and decrease his body temperature by the degrees desired and at will. Who can oppose someone with a body temperature of ten thousand degrees? Such a person will instantly overcome any obstacles coming into his path. Thus he will set an example of [manifesting] Divine Love. Wherever he goes all doors will be open for him. The person of Love can increase at will not only his body temperature, but also his inner light, making it a thousand times brighter than the solar one. Such light will blind even the most numerous and powerful army. People cannot imagine yet a light that is a thousand times brighter than the solar one. One can achieve anything with such light. Whoever has warmth of ten thousand degrees and light a thousand times brighter than the solar one can open the safes of all banks, warm all frozen hearts, and remove all obstacles, placed by the human egotism. Great warmth and light are coming into the world. These are Divine forces, which will warm and enlighten the human hearts and minds. When the warmth and light of Love come into the world, they will melt and burn out all malevolent, criminal aspects of people, while the good and righteous ones will remain; thus it will be clear that one cannot mess about Love. It is not allowed to play with Love. People of today are terrified by the idea of being submitted to a temperature of ten thousand degrees. Yet what will be their state, when Christ comes to Earth? Then the temperature will be much higher than ten thousand degrees. Christ says: “Peace I leave with you!”[4] It implies that Christ is for peace too. He is for that peace which is based on Love and brotherhood among all nations, societies, and individuals on the face of Earth. Manifestations of brotherly and sisterly love at present are nothing else but branches of the future Culture. This love is more elevated than motherly love. It does not matter how great motherly love could be, it still contains an element of egotism in it. Take for example the love of a tigress to its cubs. It is ready out of love for them to kill at any moment any living creature crossing their path. In this sense motherly love represents the roots of life, while brotherly and sisterly love — its branches. Fruits on the Tree of Life represent Divine Love. They are result of the roots of motherly love and the branches of brotherly and sisterly love. As a matter of fact, in the future people will eat from the fruits of Divine Love and attain immortality. These fruits will be bearers of the New life. Wherever you go in the world, you will meet representatives of the New life. They can be recognized by the soft, pleasant light coming from their eyes. We call them “brothers and sisters of humanity,” bearers of the Divine. Christ is one of these new humans. He said, “I did not come to do My will, but the will of the One Who had sent me. I came to bring peace to the world.”[5] Before the coming of Christ Jews followed the Law of Moses to the letter. They slaughtered lambs, sheep, and oxen as a sacrificial offer to God. However, their life changed completely with the coming of Christ. He destroyed the old life in one stroke. The Jews came to the awareness that good thoughts, feelings, and deeds represent the true sacrifice. What is the essence of the new religion? Its first creed states: I believe that the love of my mother and father represents roots of the Tree of Great Life — the Life of Love. The second creed reads: I believe that the love of my sister and brother represents branches of the Tree of Great Life — the Life of Love. The third creed reads: I believe that Divine Love represents fruits of the Tree of Great Life. The outcome of my mind and heart will be transformed into fruits of Love. Whoever eats from these fruits will attain immortality. Christ said, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life.”[6] It implies that whoever eats from the Tree of Life, in other words, from the motherly-fatherly and brotherly-sisterly love will bear life within. Now, becoming aware of the new creed in essence, you should be brave and daring in applying it. Many people are looking forward to something new. The new is in the reconciliation among people. The new reconciles all existing contradictions. How could the reconciliation among people be achieved? It is very simple. Whoever has something to take, let him forgive the debt of his brother. Whoever has something to give, let him be ready to pay his debt. When he goes to pay his creditor, let the latter tell him that he has forgiven him his debt in the name of brotherhood, acknowledging him for his brother. When two persons fraternize, their debts fall automatically away, their arguments cease and all misunderstandings disappear. I would like people to argue only about one thing: who will give more in order to help his brother. If you notice that your brother is very tired and cannot lift the hoe anymore, you will take it from his hand and do the work instead. If you notice that your brother breaks down under the weight of his burden, you will take the load from his back, put it on your back and continue side by side, speaking friendly to each other. When you meet a brother in the street and realize that he is hungry, as he has not taken anything to eat for three days, you will invite and treat him well at your home, feed him well, and invite him to come again. These are brotherly relationships. People are waiting today for the second coming of Christ on Earth, so that the world could be set right. No, the world cannot be set right from outside. Christ needs to come from within each and every one of you. Only in this way will the world be set right. If you place millions of iron shavings together, they will not unite and become one. However, if you heat them up to a certain temperature, they will melt and fuse with each other, forming one liquid substance. In this case the fire is that inner power which solders the iron shavings making them form one whole. Therefore, Christ needs to come into the human hearts and minds as an inner power that will unite them. Love is this inner power which brings life to the human souls. People can work and live in harmony only through Love. Those who do not understand Love are ready to criticize it. Now, when I am speaking about Love, I know the extent to which you can apply it. In fact, I am aware which things are applicable today and which are not. For example, modern people are not able to go to the Sun no matter how much they know about it and about the opportunities to visit it. Why? The physical characteristics of the Sun are completely different from those on Earth. There is no way for the human beings to go to the Sun in their present body. The average human body of sixty kilograms will weigh millions of kilograms on the Sun. How could one move there with such an enormous mass? There is a beautiful life on the Sun, but it is not yet accessible to earthly people. One can go to the Sun in a mental way, but not in reality. Do you know anything about the inhabitants of the Sun and their life? Do you know anything about their language? It is enough for us that we have the possibility of benefiting from the solar rays. If you want to heal yourself, expose your back to the early morning rays. If you want to attain inner peace, expose your back to the setting Sun with your face turned to the east. Thus, you will feel deep peace within yourself and will realize that it is not worth to worry about trivial, petty things. The inhabitants of the Sun live in great abundance, so they do not worry about anything. Their assignment is to send bounties all over the Solar system. They determine the budget of its planets and living beings, including the entire humankind: all people, nations, and countries. When I speak to you about the Sun, I do not want you to take my word for it. I am not interested in whether you believe me or not. I am interested only in one thing: whether what I am telling you is one with the Truth or not. Believe in what God has created. If you believe in His creation of Heaven and Earth with all luminaries and living beings, then you will believe in their Creator too. If one believes in these things, one should study both Heaven and Earth. You need to examine the Sun, Moon, all stars in the sky as astronomers and scientists do. People need to find their own inner suns first to be able to understand life on the Sun. Everyone has a small inner sun in the center of the brain. The size of this sun is different for each individual, depending on the size of the other inner planets. In fact, it is through this inner sun that the soul acquires knowledge. The astronomic Sun and the planets in the sky are similar to the inner sun and inner planets in humans: in terms of their rising, setting, and so on. If one’s inner sun ceases to rise, the outer Sun also loses its meaning for this person. It is a sign for the existence of a certain connection between the outer Sun and the inner sun. If this connection is interrupted, the person will not possess any inner light. When both the inner sun and outer Sun shine, one has the opportunity to perceive light. If one’s inner sun stops shining, the person becomes blind as he is deprived of the conditions to see and perceive the Divine knowledge. And so, many are striving for Divine knowledge which purpose is to teach you value your inner sun, because through it your soul can learn and develop. If someone says that his soul is in darkness, it is an indication that his inner sun has ceased to shine. As long as the Sun shines, the human being thinks and feels right. If one’s inner sun ceases to shine, the human mind and heart will both darken with it. That is why in order to avoid darkening of the inner sun, one should lead a meaningful life. The malevolent life expressed in negative thoughts, feelings, and deeds causes adversities which darken one’s sky where the inner sun shines. Many people — whether learned or ignorant — are not aware of the great influence of thoughts and feelings on the inner life, and consequently on the human health. That is why they seek their happiness in a unnatural way. They want to become rich, to marry a beautiful woman, to acquire a lot of knowledge, without even suspecting that in this way they themselves prepare their misfortune. There is nothing wrong in acquiring knowledge, power, beauty, wealth, but one should know how to use them. There is a Turkish saying, “It is a blessing to see beautiful things.” Indeed, the human beings strive for beauty and its inspiration is quite natural, but not the attempts for appropriating beauty. Both beauty and ugliness have their place in Nature in the same way as light and darkness. Light reigns until the Sun shines. When the Sun sets, darkness comes. Yet stars cannot shine without darkness. Therefore, darkness is necessary, so that virtues — the stars — may be revealed in the human life. Now, when I am speaking about the Divine in the world, some of you become discouraged thinking they cannot attain it. God promised the human beings to come and dwell in them, so that they would not be discouraged. The future kingdom will be established from within, not from without. All God’s plans will be fulfilled through the love of entire humankind. To achieve this, workers are needed. All people of today should work in this aspect and become bearers of the Divine ideas, so that when God enters into their suns to be able to reveal Himself outwardly. A special mission is assigned to every person — to be a bearer of Divine Love, Wisdom and Light, of Divine Truth and Freedom in a specific, unique way. Only thus one can achieve all his desires. All trials, difficulties, and sufferings humankind is going through today will become conditions to come to know God and the Great in the world. God will be with you in all your ways. Then you will say: “We are happy to live in an epoch when we can experience and come to know God’s Love, when we can become workers in His field.” Rejoice and be happy to attain the ideals of your soul. It is up to you when you can attain them even today. One Divine day is equal to a thousand years. So, after a thousand years you can attain what you wish today. Conscious work is required of everyone! The Divine is already on the threshold of your home. Open the doors of your hearts and minds to let the Divine light and warmth in. Lecture given by the Master Beinsa Douno, August 28, 1938, Izgrev, Sofia. ----------------------------------------------------------------- [1]. See also Mark 13:24-25, “But in those days, after that tribulation, the Sun will be darkened, and the Moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” [2]. See also Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” [3]. See Mark 13:13. [4]. See John 14:27. 5. [5]. See also John 12:44-50. [6]. See John 6:54.