1942_08_05 - Precious Virtues

[Nev]

Precious Virtues

 

A sensible and happy life depends on simple things. Every person wants to be happy, but what happiness consists of -  they do not know. To say that you should be happy is like saying that you should walk. It is an art to know how to walk. If you walk properly, you will be healthy; if you do not walk properly, you will create various painful conditions. It is clear by the way one is walking, whether one is clever, whether one has more or less light in one's mind; the walk also determines one's solidity. In general, a person's specific features are shown in the way one walks. Every movement, conscious or unconscious, determines one's character. The body is the expression of the human soul. It is enough to study one's body in order to know his inner life, the hidden forces within him. A person thinks that by being silent, no one knows what he carries within himself. They are mistaken: one does not have to speak to be known. Their face, head, hands and feet, as well as their whole body, all speak about them. To one who knows how to read, all is apparent. They know how to read, but they also knows how to be silent.

Contemporary people are afraid of each other. If someone has a bad opinion of you, you are closed off to them. If you are asked who is a good person, you will judge their goodness by their actions. You will say that the grocer is honest because he sells honestly. When he measures his goods, he weighs them accurately. Moreover, he says, "These goods are of first and these are of second quality. Whatever he says, it proves to be true. The scholar, however, reads from a person's face whether he is honest or not. He says, "If a person's father and mother were honest, the person will be honest too; if they were intelligent and good, the person will be intelligent and good as well; if they were healthy, the person will be also healthy." On a person's face and head, is written the life of not only their parents but also of dozens of generations before them.

Everything has its origin in a source far back in time. Looking at the electric lamps you would say that the electrical energy comes from water. However, a true scientist knows that this light does not come directly from water, but from a far more distant source – the Sun, which is only a reservoir of this energy. Beyond the Sun lies the root cause of everything. Therefore, after every action or manifestation, something else would follow. For example, after eating comes rest, and after rest comes work. Then again comes eating, rest, work.

What is the meaning of life? - In life, a person strives to acquire something. If one does not acquire something new every day, they feel that they are not living. Clerks and workers strive to increase their salaries. Everyone wants enough bread to satisfy their hunger and provide building material for their body. Just as a certain amount of material as bricks, stones, beams, sand is needed to build a house——the human body needs both externally and internally construction material in the same way. If this material is not enough, they complain that something is missing. Every person experiences some kind of deficiency in their life and strives to obtain it. Deficiency, the lack of something, makes a person dissatisfied. They know that something is missing, but they have no clear idea of what exactly is it. Why? Because as soon as they acquire something, another deficiency comes up. People struggle to satisfy their lack throughout all life, and yet they cannot satisfy it – something is not enough.

Christ says, “One thing you lack.” What is that one thing? You will say that you want Love. What is Love? Can you eat it or drink it? It cannot be consumed, but it brings everything that can be eaten and drunk. Love is not happiness by itself, but it brings happiness; it is not strong, but it makes people strong; it is not light and warmth itself, but it brings light and warmth. What is Love, really? It turns out that Love is nothing, yet it brings everything. By the word ‘nothing’, we understand that Love is not limited, it owes nothing to anyone, and yet it can do everything. Love is not obligated to anyone, but it obligates everyone. When it brings food to a person, it requires [ND1] them to eat; when it makes them sensible, it requires them to show their wisdom; when it gives them light and warmth, it demands that they apply it where needed. While a young woman is with her parents, she is free from obligations. Once she falls in love with a young man and marries him, she is obliged to take care of the household, her beloved, and her children. A newborn child needs its mother's care. It wants to eat, but does not know where to get food or how to eat. The mother gives her child wholesome food and sees to be delivered on time. Just as a child learns from its mother, in the same way every person must have a teacher , in order to become good, intelligent, strong, and healthy and to show them in what way to acquire these qualities.

All people want to be healthy, but they don't know how to fulfil their wish. If you tell them they need to breathe deeply in order to be healthy, they won't believe you and will begin to philosophize. They want to be told something else. Why? Because they think that breathing happens by itself. It is true that every person breathes, but they do it improperly. All illnesses and ailments are due to improper breathing. Modern people breathe only with the upper part of their lungs, and this is insufficient. In breathing, the mind, heart, and will shall be involved. If they do not take part in breathing, a person does not utilize the air properly: he breathes it in and exhales it mechanically. A person shall breathe consciously.

People's health depends on the amount of air, light, and warmth they receive from the outside world. Light gives space to human thought. Breathing gives space to their feelings, and warmth brings expansion to both feelings and thoughts. What kind of breathing is it that cannot liberate a person from their unhappiness? Some people breathe, receive light and warmth and yet are unhappy. Why are they unhappy? Because their shoes are old and their clothes are worn and discolored. Know this: there are no new things in the world, but there are no old things either. The sun that rises and sets is neither old nor new: it has existed since the world has been created. Is it new then? And yet, we say that a new day is coming when the sun will rise again, with new light. So for some people the sun is new, and for others it is old. Every newborn child is a new person. But how many times has that child been born and died! How many times has it been a scholar, a famous person! It has come in a small form, but within it is hidden a great scholar or a great philosopher.

People often complain about their lives, cannot bear suffering, and look for someone else to blame. In this respect, they resemble small children who cause themselves distress and unable to understand this, blame external circumstances. A child was eating watermelon and playing with the seeds, put a seed in his ear and couldn't get it out. Then he started crying that his ear hurt. The seed expanded and caused great pain. The mother wondered what was causing this. She called an experienced old woman to examine him. The old woman touched the outside of the ear and noticed a swelling. She asked the child if he had put something in his ear. Only then did he remember that he had put a seed in his ear that he couldn't get out.

The old woman took a hook, carefully inserted it into his ear, and removed the seed. This is what older people do too: they put a thought, a feeling, or an action where it doesn't belong, and then wonder why they suffer. One must put everything in its place to avoid suffering. If you are a grocer, you will weigh the goods accurately: if you measure less than you should, you will be caught and lose people's trust. You will say that you did not notice this or that your servant made the mistake. Do not hide the truth! Be alert to your actions, and if you consciously make mistakes, admit it and start to improve yourself.

You will say that you live well. Rejoice if you truly live well; but if your life is not pure enough, be grateful for the conditions and beings as you go through life, for they help you purify yourself. Human life on earth is like murky water that passes through the layers of the earth and gets purified. The layers through which this life passes are his mind, his heart, and his soul. As it passes through them, human life is purified and emerges as a pure spring, whose water benefits all living beings – plants, animals and humans. The purer the spring, the greater the joy of intelligent beings is. If the source is impure, they would say, "This life is not good, it needs to be further purified." They would say that someone's thoughts are not pure; about another, they would say that their feelings and desires are not pure. This shows that some people's minds, hearts, and wills, being filters of life, have not done their job well. Just as people feed on the fruits of trees, there are beings much lower and higher than humans who also feed on human thoughts and desires. Just as the fruits of trees become part of the human organism, so too do the thoughts, feelings, and actions of humans become part of the organisms of other beings. Therefore, the value of a person is determined by the fruits they offer to other beings. This is why we say that a person is responsible for their actions.

God has assigned all people to work as co-workers for His cause. Once a person comes to Earth, they take on a responsibility that must be carried out accurately and conscientiously. Each person is an official whose work is audited at every moment. In the morning, when the sun rises, they take up their duties; they work throughout the day, and in the evening a special commission comes to audit their work. Thus, there is an audit every day, every week, every month, and every year. And finally, when all the work is completed, there is another audit. The final audit determines whether the person has been a good or a poor steward of their responsibilities. A person’s head and face show what kind of steward they were in their past lives, while their future portrait will show what they have accomplished in their present life. Whatever work a person undertakes must be done well. In this respect, one must be like a musician — every note must be pure and clear, with no discord and no ambiguity.

What is required of a good musician? – To produce clean, clear, distinct tones. Each tone must have a specific shape, size, and weight. At the same time, the tone must have order, volume and life within it. If the musician's tone lacks these qualities, his music is no longer appealing. Which girls and boys attract people? – The beautiful ones. If they are not beautiful, no one is interested in them. Excessive beauty is dangerous, but excessive ugliness is also dangerous. What elevates a person is beauty; what lowers them is ugliness. You might say that the ugly will one day become beautiful, and the beautiful will become ugly. This is not the order. The ugly must become beautiful, and the beautiful must become good. The good must become just, and the just must become reasonable. These are the stages through which a person passes in their development. Beauty provides the external conditions of life. If you are beautiful, all people are ready to serve you. Beauty is like gold, which does not oxidize. Those who understand the properties of gold can utilize it the same way as the physical gold - to improve their material life; but they can also utilize it as organic gold to improve their inner spiritual life. Many diseases are due to the absence of organic gold in the blood. Weakness and anaemia are due to insufficient iron in the blood. When a person's thinking is rigid, it indicates that they have little phosphorus in their blood.

These are abstract things that cannot be seen. People speak about thought, but nobody can see it. They say that someone thinks correctly, but there is a reason for that. Only those who are loved are able to think correctly. If nobody loves a person, they cannot think correctly. A mother compels her child to think through her love. The more she loves the child, the better they think. Initially, the child was in a dormant state, and gradually their thinking became active. When the mind manifests itself, the heart also manifests itself and becomes exalted. The heart, in turn, enables the body and its energy to manifest too. Therefore the mind, heart, and will are interconnected. The mind is connected to the heart, and the heart is connected to the body, i.e., to the strength of the person. Rationality is related to the mother. It represents the manifestation of the Divine Spirit in the person, which compels him to think. When a child responds to its mother's love, its mind wakes up and the child begins to think. When the mind, heart, and soul in a person wake up, they begin to live consciously. That means that a person moves in three directions—length, width, and height, or depth.

Conscious living implies eating, drinking water, breathing, and absorbing light consciously. Many people eat, drink, and breathe without paying attention to these processes. In doing so, they make little use of the conditions. Breathing becomes meaningful when thought, feelings, and will are involved. Breathing, without a concentration of thought, does not contribute anything. As you breathe, you should slowly take in the air and slowly let it out. The way the air enters, the same way it should exit. Even breathe for five minutes, but think only of Divine, sublime things, not being distracted by ordinary matters. When hungry, one gains something valuable from eating by doing it with love and enjoyment. You should eat little, but with love: this brings more benefit than eating a big meal without love. Everything which is done with love, multiplies; everything which is not done with love, loses its value. Be content with little. If you have a single grain of wheat or a single matchstick, be content with that as well. 

One grain of wheat can produce 30, 60, or 100 grains. With a single matchstick, you can light a large fire to warm yourself and cook food for many people. "What should I do with a single grain of wheat?" – Plant it in the ground. "What should I do with a matchstick?" – Light a fire. Those who think reasonably, would put the matchstick in a place where the fire lights easily. To help the fire burn, they would fan it: this brings in more air and intensifies the burning. Fanning the fire corresponds to directing one's thoughts to where something valuable can be gained. Put your thoughts and feelings into whatever exercises you do, in order to benefit from them. In every exercise lies a certain blessing.

To see the results, perform the physical as well as the breathing exercises, with faith and love. The results are great when you work with love and faith. Discard any doubts and keep working. Any doubt in thought, feeling, or will would lead to suffering. The effect of the doubt on the person resembles the air that the doctor inadvertently lets in when injecting blood into the patient. Upon entering of air in the blood, the patient is exposed to great discomfort. Similarly, I say: if doubt creeps into a person, they are exposed to great difficulties and suffering. Doubt is one of the dangerous parasites that multiplies rapidly: in 24 hours it is capable of poisoning a person's blood – and then one has to make great efforts to purify their blood again.

Therefore, every exercise should be performed consciously. When you raise one hand, it indicates that you are accepting something; when you lower it, you are giving something. One hand assists the mind, and the other assists the heart. Through the fingers of the hand, a person perceives God's blessings. The thumb is associated with the will, with the Divine world. A person who's had the thumbs of both hands cut off becomes weak-willed. In ancient times, when someone was extremely stubborn, they wanted to punish them by cutting off their thumbs, and the person became weak-willed. The other four fingers are related to the angelic world. The index finger is associated with personal feelings, the middle finger with justice, the ring finger with a sense of beauty and elegance, and the little finger with honesty.
Conscious work on oneself means to strive for beautiful things. Beauty lies in the Divine principle, and ugliness lies in the human principle. Do not engage with the human affairst, with people's mistakes. Everyone should correct their own mistakes. They are temporary appearances of things. You meet a bad person. Do not say that he is bad, but find the reasons that make them behave that way. Their role is this: they are placed in a position to frighten people. Once they accomplish their task, they will no longer act in a bad manner. You should pray for yourself and for the others. How should we pray? When you get up in the morning, gently stroke your forehead and say, “Lord, bless my forehead and the capacities hidden within it.” If you are not thinking appropriately, gently stroke your nose and direct your thoughts back to God.

If your eyes see things wrongly, gently stroke them too. If you don't eat properly and don't speak properly, you should pray for your mouth and gently stroke it. If you don't perceive the sounds clearly, you should gently stroke your ears and pray for them. Then you should gently stroke your hands and feet, for serving you well. Express gratitude for the limbs that have been given for your service. They are your servants, and you are their masters. You depend on them. What will happen to you if your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hands, and feet refuse to serve you? You will find yourself in a position of being completely disabled. You should be kind to yourself, i.e., to all your body parts in order to evolve properly. People are not allowed to be rude to themselves. If your nose itches, do not scratch it harshly, but stroke it gently with your hand and then wash it with warm water. If a person is hard on themselves, they will be even harder on others. A person must have high morals, which they must apply first to themselves and then to their fellows. Learn through yourself, and then apply what you have learned to your fellows.

What do the worldly people do? They visit various thermal spas where they are treated by staying in the water for half an hour to relieve pain in their hands and feet. They take care of their feet, their hands, their whole body. Should a person wait until their feet are sore to take care of them? Be attentive to your limbs before they start aching. Treat your mind and heart well so that you can make use of the conditions invested in them. It is determined for each person how much and what they should achieve through their mind and heart. Work on yourself with love so that you can benefit from its powers. Love is the only energy that gives without taking anything. It has no expectations of anyone. While Love is working within you, take advantage of it, but be careful not to lose it. It abandons the person when they try to keep it only for themselves. It is like water that cannot be suppressed. Should you suppress it, it would destroy the banks, flood you, and continue on its way. Rejoice in the Love that gives life and light to all. Be grateful that it comes to everyone and provides for every living being according to their needs. Light and warmth come to Earth thanks to Love. All goodness comes to Earth thanks to Love.

It is said that God is Love. Therefore, thank God for everything He provides for you. If you wish to be healthy and live well, work with Love. Let Love guide your life. Avoid any relationship with people who do not serve Love. Do not befriend people who have nothing to do with Love. Do not form relationships with people who are loveless. What did Eve achieve from her relationship with the black adept. She gained nothing, not only that, but she lost her happiness and freedom for thousands of years. Whoever associates with lovelessness, enters the realm of death; whoever associates with Love enters the realm of eternal life. Gaining favourable conditions for the development of your mind, your heart, and your soul means to achieve eternal life. This requires gratitude for everything you have been given. If there is something wrong with you, do not seek to blame others, but rather correct yourself. The fault lies in your past, in one of your grandfathers or great-grandfathers who did not live well. Correct your mistake to help your grandfather or great-grandfather as well.

Many people despair of their lives, and would say that they have grown old and can no longer achieve anything. Stop thinking about being old. Is a person old at the age of 60, 70, or more? A person's age is determined by the time they have spent serving Love. If someone is 70 years old but has devoted themselves to serve Love for the past 20 years, they are actually 20 years old. If they have turned to God two years ago, they are only a two-year-old child. Why should they not feel like a child, why should they not be ready to listen to adults and learn? Everyone enjoys children, everyone loves them. A child brings something new and everyone wants a piece of it. Everyone loves a good person because they can enjoy their fruits. A person is not a dry tree, but a living tree that bears fruit. Every tree that does not bear fruit shall be cut down and thrown into the fire. You should improve yourself so that not only to bear fruits, but also to ensure that your fruits are of good quality. May all who taste your fruits be grateful and wish to pick them again. You should strive to resemble fruitful trees with good thoughts and feelings: may everyone look for you and desire your fruits.

Religious people await the arrival of the Spirit. What will the Spirit discover within them? It only visits those who bear fruit. When Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, God gave them laws to follow. In order to benefit from God's blessings, they had to learn the law of sacrifice. Without sacrifice, a person cannot achieve anything valuable. The Jews did not know this law. They were not ready for any sacrifice, so they had to start with material sacrifice first. Someone gets up in the morning and thinks about what to do. If there is no work to be done, let them water the flowers and trees. "I don't have trees and flowers in my garden." – Go to another garden, to a fellow's garden, and water that one. Afterwards you should feed the birds, offering them crumbs, especially in wintertime when the ground is covered with snow. When you learn to make small sacrifices, you will then join learned people in order to acquire knowledge. Furthermore, sacrifices are required. People of sacrifice and Love are true scholars. You should help those who are smaller and weaker than you, so that you may also benefit from their services. When you clear the trees of caterpillars, they will thank you and give you their fruit. You will say that this is not your job. Anything wrong that a person sees, must be corrected, especially if it is within their power to do so. You should sing when you get up in the morning. "The one who sings, has no evil thoughts," says the Bulgarian proverb.

Today, everyone wants to get younger, but they don't know what to do or how to become young. Love rejuvenates people. It creates, builds life, and renews it; it brings harmony everywhere. Pay attention to the little things. That is what Love does. It does not neglect anyone. You meet a person who is hunched over. Do not criticize them, do not mock them, but rather find out the reason for their hunching over. If their burden is physical, take some of it off and make it easier for them; if their burden is emotional, say a few kind, encouraging words to cheer them up; if their burden is mental, send them some bright thoughts to lift them up. Send good thoughts to your loved ones so that they may send them back to you. Good and exalted beings—people and angels—work in the world with their thoughts and feelings and uplift all of humanity. Be bearers of goodness and beauty in the world so that you may enjoy God's blessings. The rejuvenation and nobility of man lies in this.

This is eternal life, to know You, the One True God, and Christ, Whom You have sent.

14th lecture by the Master, held on August 5, 1942, 5:00 a.m., Sofia – Izgrev

Преведено от Елеонора Петкова

Проверено то Невенка Димитрова