1942_08_30 - The Good Life

[Nev]

 

The Good Life

Оригиналент текст: https://slovoto.info/%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F%D1%82-%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%82-3/

[Status: in review]

 

 

The good life is like the morning dew, like the morning dawn, like the rising Sun. The good life is the life of Love.

What does life represent? In order to understand life, we must be in the position of one who is coming out of prison, not one who is entering prison. The first has acquired experiences that give the possibility to understand things. To understand life, you must be like children who are ready to learn and perceive, not like the old and slow-moving grandfather. 

Some think they are already old and cannot learn. If so, let them define what old age is. A person is not old whose hair has turned white or whose legs are weak and do not support his body. White hair is the winter snow that covers the earth. There is no more beautiful blanket than the snow with which Nature covers the plants so they can spend their winter in peaceful sleep. Therefore, when your head turns white, you will sleep, that is, you will go to the other world to learn, and when you return in the morning, you will tell people what you have learned. The whitening of hair is nothing other than a disguise, just as actors disguise themselves on stage. When you watch how actors perform, you wish to be in their place. You think that glory and honors await you. From your point of view life on stage is glamorous, but ask any artist and they will tell you what torments they go through. The person performs, but their expression is not natural; they are playing a role that is not according to their own will.

The life of people is acting. If you cannot play the role well that has been given to you, you are not a true actor. Someone plays the role of a hero, but when he comes out on stage to fight, another, stronger actor comes out and knocks him to the ground. What kind of hero is he then? Another plays the role of a scholar, but more educated actors arrive and immediately defeat him. What kind of scholar is he?

Two young Englishmen created a humorous performance to mock Christianity. They agreed beforehand on which role each one of them would play. The first would play the role of an nonbeliever, trying to prove to the other that God does not exist. The second would play the role of a believer, to convince his friend that God does exist. The nonbeliever came out first and proceeded to convince his friend that nothing exists beyond the visible world, that the world is only matter, that spirit is some kind of illusion, etc. The believer listened to all the arguments of nonbelief but remained faithful to his inner conviction. 

Then the believer began to speak: "Are you not ashamed and embarrassed not to believe in your Creator? Can a flower grow in a meadow without the sun? Science does not allow the growth and development of flowers without solar warmth and light. Can a person become strong without air, without light and without food? Whoever accepts that one can live without air, food, and water, he is the greatest ignoramus in the world. Do you know what awaits you in the other world? There they will burn you in eternal fire, they will keep you hungry and thirsty for years."

When he heard his friend speak so convincingly, finally the nonbeliever bowed his head and quietly left the stage. The next day he met his friend and told him: "Do you know what happened to me? When I heard you speak about hell, about eternal fire, I became frightened, I couldn't sleep all night. I believed in God and decided to become a Christian."

“That’strange! I myself don't know how I influenced you. Can you also preach to me so that I too may believe in the existence of God?"

It is an art to speak to someone in a way that genuinely reaches and persuades them. In this sense, bread, water, air, and light continually teach us. They remind us that life is sustained by a greater source that generously provides for all. Bread and water nourish life; air enables us to breathe and speak; and light allows us to see and think. These are fundamental realities without which life cannot fully unfold.

One might say that what is "real" is only what the human mind can readily grasp and understand, and that whatever lies beyond our understanding is therefore "not real." Yet we cannot fully comprehend the Sun or the Earth, and this does not make them any less real. Because they are so distant, they appear small enough for us to observe and begin to understand. Likewise, things that are too small to see become visible only when they are magnified. Our ability to perceive something depends not only on its reality, but also on the perspective from which we encounter it.

Therefore, in order to grasp things, a person enters the experimental world, where everything is put to the test. First you test the warmth of bodies, to see if you can withstand it. Then you test their coldness. You will say that you have faith, there is no need to use experience. According to me, people have not yet come to true faith. They have beliefs, they do not yet have faith. Only now are people studying faith, the kind of faith that excludes contradictions. 

The first Christians were practically godless. Some of them believed in many deities, others were idol worshipers. What can be expected from a god made by man? A deity that cannot bring light into the mind, warmth into the heart, and strength into the soul is no deity at all. Only that being can you call God, Who helps people under all conditions. The One Who lifts people up and strengthens animals and plants is the One we call God. 

What do angels represent? To have an idea of angels, you must return to that epoch, to see the world as it was originally created. Then both plants, animals, and humans were not like the present ones. After the Fall, all forms became distorted, which is why today people have no true idea of either themselves or the world around them. The first animals occupied the place of humans, and humans were even higher. After the Fall, humans took the place of animals, and animals descended lower. In all animals are imprisoned human souls, lagging in their development. When humans rise back to the level where they were, the animals will also rise, and with them the imprisoned human souls. You may hear a beetle buzzing and you say that this is a beetle, a small creature. It is not so. When it buzzes, it draws your attention to its origin. "I am a beetle,” it says, “but I come from Brahma, I have a Divine origin."

Present-day people pass for intelligent and cultured, and when someone dies, they immediately put on black clothes and cry that they have lost him. When you eat apples, the tree does not cry for its children, but rejoices that they enter the beautiful human world. But people cry for their dead. When you ask the apple tree where its children are, it says: "They entered the womb of man, to visit the good chamber of his mind and the good chamber of his heart." Indeed, when a person eats an apple, he carries it in his thought and says, "I ate a tasty apple." 

Remember: the life invested in all forms is one and the same. It only flows into them and is used differently. Life is indivisible and unified - that is why we call it Divine. All sweet, tasty, beautiful, and moral things come from the Divine world. Ugly, immoral things hide their origin in the human world. All things come from the same place, but as they pass through unclean places, they too become unclean. As long as the mind and heart of a person are unclean and distorted, Divine things will always accept impurities that will stain them. 

When a person enters a society, the first thing is that they are put to the test, so their intentions may be understood. If the person is elevated, moral, and carries within some ideal, they are immediately suspected of wanting to impose themselves on others, to hypnotize them. Animals also hypnotize each other; you can see the results of hypnosis. The snake can hypnotize with its gaze both humans and animals and they will freeze in place. Cats hypnotize each other and the hypnotized one remains in one place. However, you cannot say the same about a person who carries within himself a high ideal or a great idea. In order to make pronouncements about something, you must have right thought.

Which thought is right? – The thought that brings light, warmth, and strength. Right thought and right feeling liberate; they lift the burden from tired shoulders. They free you from the grip of poverty. Wealth and poverty are inner states. Think of yourself as poor, and poor you will be; think of yourself as rich, and rich you will become. It is in your hands whether you live in lack or in abundance. God has given you a nose to sense things from afar, to discover treasure and use it wisely. With your nose you can find good people in the world. From them emanates an aroma that attracts people, just as flowers attract bees. If your nose is damaged and you cannot perceive smells, the fault is yours.  

"I prayed a lot." In this situation your prayer is pointless. You have given the essential to your servant, and then you will pray for him to give you some alms. No, you will catch your servant, you will shake him and tell him: "The wealth you dispose of today is mine. I gave it to you to test you. If you are thirsty for money, I will give you as much as you want, but I do not allow you to blackmail me." The master must be reasonable, strong, and just, not to let servants use him and dispose of him.

What would be the situation of an ordinary person if they became rich, what would they do with their wealth? They would buy a beautiful house with a large, landscaped yard, with fruit trees and beautiful flowers. Then they would dress their children and spouse in silk; they would buy them golden ornaments and jewelry with precious stones. After that they would buy a car to drive wherever they wish. This is an extreme. 

Some people fall into another extreme. They dress in old, torn clothes, and thus want to present themselves as saints. Sainthood is neither in rich and expensive clothes, nor in torn ones. The poor person does not believe in rich saints, but the rich person also does not believe in saints who dress in torn clothes. The world cannot be fixed with such saints. The mind does not manifest through expensive clothes and shoes nor through torn ones.

The world needs people rich in mind, in heart, and in soul. It is said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit." This does not mean that the poor one is weak, poor, or feeble. On the contrary, he is strong in spirit, in consciousness, and in understanding. 

It is also said: "Blessed are the meek." The meek one is not weak and soft. He is strong through his meekness and thus imposes himself on evil, on injustice in the world. The meek one does not boast, does not speak about himself, but applies his strength. The devil is allowed in the world precisely for this—to make people strong. Through him they test their strength. When they come out to duel with him, if he knocks them down to the ground, they continue to train until finally they defeat him and put him on the ground. When the devil begins to fear people and flee from them, then they will understand what it means to be a meek, poor, pure-hearted person. 

An acquaintance of mine told me the following experience. He said, "A few months ago I fell ill with a stomach disorder that drove me to half-madness. Sometimes I had the desire to kill myself, so heavy was my condition. Before I fell ill, I had the following dream: I found myself alone in my room and a black man came to me with a knife in his hand. He grabbed me, knocked me to the ground, and stabbed me with his knife in the stomach. In the morning I woke up with great pains in my stomach. I lay down and was sick for four whole months. During this time the black man visited me every night and fought with me. He always won. My illness did not leave me. I wondered how to help myself. I couldn’t find help from any direction. However, in my struggle with the black man something in me was getting stronger—my spirit was strengthening, although my body was still weak. 

“Every night, when the black man knocked me down to the ground, I said to myself, I will teach you, I will give you a good lesson, if only you dare to come another time. He visited me regularly. Finally I decided to fight to the end. The black man came, I jumped from my bed and saw that I had a knife in my hand. I threw myself upon him with all my strength, broke his knife, and when he was disarmed, he fled.  He ran and I ran after him until I chased him away. 

“At one point he entered a house, from where two small black people came out—his children. I struck them too with my knife and cut them to pieces. After this victory I calmed down, lay down, and fell into a deep, healthy sleep. I woke up the next morning healthy once again, without pains in my stomach."

People suffer because they are afraid of disease, of poverty, and of death. Throw fear outside and do not be afraid of anything. You will say that it is God's will for a person to die. It is said in Scripture that God does not consent to the death of the sinner. Therefore you will fight with death. It is a different case if you voluntarily wish to die. True sacrifice is a voluntary act. Only that sheep sacrifices itself which voluntarily puts its head under the knife of its master. If the rich person voluntarily sacrifices his wealth, this sacrifice is blessed, it brings a certain good. If you give away your wealth, give it with disposition and love. Then the wealth of the whole world will be in your hands. 

Do not think that by giving away his wealth, a person will become poor. As long as you do everything with love, poverty is excluded. What does giving away wealth mean? It is as if you have two large barrels, full of water, and you give away water to the thirsty. You will empty one barrel, then you will fill the other. The spring is close to you—you will fill and empty the barrels and never become poor. All of you should prepare two barrels at each of your homes, to fill them and empty them and give to those who need.

Some are afraid to give away their goods, lest they become poor. Is what has been given to you yours? Nothing is yours. The thoughts, feelings, and wealth that you dispose of today are foreign. This is the wealth of advanced beings who lived before you. When they departed for the other world, they left their wealth on Earth, for future generations to benefit from it. Therefore every thought, every feeling that you dispose of today belongs to elevated beings who live in the Divine world. As you have received them generously, so you will give them away. If you say, "We don't know how," then you will learn. Strive for knowledge that builds, not that which destroys. Strive for knowledge that rejuvenates—when you swallow one of its pills, you will feel refreshed. There are mediines that will cause the wrinkles on the face to immediately disappear, the whitened hair to become blond, brown, or black. "Is this possible?" It is possible, this can be tried.

Give away your wealth and goods reasonably, to those who need them. A rich American woman, a millionaire, fell in love with a prominent American bishop and wished to marry him. American bishops have the right to marry, but some of them dedicate themselves to serving God. She wrote a letter to the bishop with the following content: "I give at your disposal my heart, my hand, and all my wealth." He replied to her: "I respect your feelings and disposition, but I advise you to give your heart to God, your hand to the one who loves you, and your wealth to the poor." Why will you give your heart to one who has no right to it? Why will you give your hand to one who does not love you? Why will you give your wealth to one who has no need of it? Help those who love you and who need you. Help those weaker than you—the plants and animals that work for you. They will do for you what you cannot do, and you will do for them what they cannot do for themselves.

Heroes are needed for life, not people with ordinary beliefs and convictions. A true person is one who possesses three qualities: a bright mind that thinks right; a loving heart that has right relations with all living beings; and a strong, wide soul that embraces the entire Universe. He thanks even the smallest beings for the services they do him: when his horse carries the load, he caresses it, strokes it, thanks it for the service it has done him. You will say that this is a horse, it does not understand caressing and gratitude. Its form is horse-like, but its consciousness is not horse-like. 

What remains of a person after their death? Only bones. The head is emptied,  heart, lungs, and stomach decay. Can bones be called a human being? A true human being is one whose mind is full of light, whose heart is filled with warmth, and whose soul is filled with strength. Such a one lives eternally.

Love, Wisdom, and Truth are paths that determine the person’s life. At the same time they define what it means to be human. A true human being is one who thinks, loves, and acts by the inner impulse of his soul. This means that God lives in within you. If you do not see God within yourself, you cannot see Him anywhere. Once you see Him within, you will see Him in others, and throughout all of Nature. If you ask water, air, and light where God is, they will answer: "When you accept us inside yourself, through us will manifest the One Whom you seek." 

Therefore, you will find God in everything that enters into you and in everything that comes out of you. This is the real, that is, the Divine, through which He manifests. See God also in all beings, small and large, whom you encounter. How should you look at your servant who works for you with disposition? He is a messenger, a servant of God. He does not determine how much you should pay him, but leaves it to your good will. You will say he is stupid and does not protect his interests. This person has an idea; he is not stupid.

In antiquity, in the Christian era, one of the zealous Christians walked through the streets shouting that someone was strangling him. People passed by and paid no attention to him. A mother stopped to ask him why he was shouting. "I am hungry, hunger torments me." 

She fed him and then asked him, "Do you want to become my slave?" 

"I do." 

"I buy you for a thousand drachmas." 

"I agree." 

She took him to her home, pleased that she had bought him cheaply. She had two daughters, and she instructed the slave to educate them. As a good Christian he taught them in the spirit of Christ's love and made two good Christian women out of them. After ten years he told his mistress, "Since I have finished my work in your house, from today I want to be free. I return to you the thousand drachmas with which you bought me, and I am already free." This saint became a slave to save the two daughters of his mistress.

Ask yourself how many souls you have turned to God. To how many people have you given an example of love for God, of humanity? If the scholar, professor, or teacher cannot pass his knowledge to two souls or cannot enlighten them, what is their scholarship? If the mother cannot teach her sons and daughters to love God, what is her love? A true mother is one who can acquaint her children with Love; a true father is one who can acquaint his children with Wisdom; a true brother is one who can acquaint his sister with Truth. So Love has a relationship to the mother; Wisdom is related to the father; and Truth is related to the brother. Who needs Love? The one who has not yet acquired it. The rich person does not need wealth; the poor person needs it. The weak one needs the help of the strong one.

A saint imagined that he had achieved everything, that he had risen very high and had no more work on Earth, so he went to the other world. As soon as he entered there, he met an angel and began to tell him what he had done on Earth. The angel told him, "Since you have finished your work on Earth, you will stay here to rest in complete silence. Here everyone is busy, no one is free to talk with you." 

The saint sat without work and in silence for some time and began to think, What should I do here? I have no work, I spend time only in silence, now I am bored. At this time one of the inhabitants of other world approached him and told him, "Go down to Earth, among the people who need help. Tell them how you have worked, what you have achieved, and what you have seen in this world. Tell them that the beings in this world live in love and harmony among themselves, that all work for the common good; here there is no evil, there are no crimes." 

Indeed, one look of Love, one sweet word of Wisdom, and one noble act of Truth are worth more than all the wealth of the world. If Love enters your hearts, all your desires will be fulfilled. To every one of your thoughts, to every one of your feelings and desires will immediately rush beautiful, bright Beings of Love, to offer you their services. If you want to study, they will immediately give you conditions for learning; if you want clothes, food, they will provide that too; if you want to walk, they will take you wherever you want.

You will say that these are illusory things. It is possible that human life is full of illusions. You look at some merchant: he sits for whole hours in his shop, waits for clients, hoping to earn a hundred leva. Is this not an illusion? What will he sell and what will he earn? There is something valuable that he acquires: he learns patience and courtesy. 

Actually only Love, Wisdom, and Truth can serve people, can provide them with what they desire. If he seeks the goods of life, Love will provide them to him; if he seeks light and knowledge, Wisdom will serve him; if he seeks freedom, Truth will give it to him. A scholar who does not know the laws of the three great principles of life cannot pass on his knowledge. Knowledge passed on according to the laws of these principles—according to the laws of Love, Wisdom, and Truth—is imprinted in the brain of man. With this knowledge he enters the realm of immortality. The three principles, united in one, give birth to life and movement, knowledge and freedom. All together they give conditions for people to work. Whoever wants to work must have passed through the Divine and angelic worlds and then come down to Earth. True work is accompanied by Love.

One of the distinctive qualities of Love is freedom. Whoever loves gives freedom to his beloved. Thus God acts. Loving us, He withdraws into Himself and gives us freedom to manifest ourselves both in love and in knowledge, and in our movements, as we understand. If we manifest correctly, He rejoices and is glad in us. He does not need candle-burning, sacrifices, or alms. One thing He wants from us: Whatever we do, let it be done with Love. Every sacrifice, every alms given without Love has no truth or power. Every candle lit without Love burns and goes out; if lit with love, it burns eternally. Life that does not go out is true: it is the life of Love. Where Love is, there God is present. Rejoice when you love, because God manifests through you. It does not matter what you love—stone, tree, animal, or person. If you love an apple, you will know that it is a path through which Divine power enters you. Love is the path along which we walk to become mighty, with a bright mind, with a warm heart and with a strong will.

Present-day people create laws themselves and are afraid of them themselves. In the future laws will be written in human hearts. When a person wants to manifest in something, they will look into their heart to see what is written there. If the word love is written, they will act according to the law of Love. If wisdom is written, they will act according to the law of Wisdom. Then people will be judged for the good they do, not for evil. Destiny will not be prison or punishment, but reward, which will last more or fewer years – according to the good that has been done: for little good, little reward; for great good, great reward. If someone does you good, tell them: "Thank you for the good you did me – and I will answer you with the same." Put good as the foundation of your life and walk in the path of Love. – "Where is this path?" – Where there is right thought, right feeling, right action. – "Where is the path of Love?" – Where there are good relations – relations of harmony and melody, of music and song.

What would you say about a house where everyone is a general? If the mother has four general children and a general husband, she must necessarily take the place of a soldier who will carry out all commands. It is not easy for this mother – to be commanded by five generals. If she performs her service well, she will be recognized as a heroine. When she goes to the other world, they will open the door to paradise directly for her.

I wish you to be good soldiers, to carry out the commands of the five generals with love. Only thus will you be registered as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Whoever can pass through all sufferings – through fire, through slander and persecution, through insults and bitterness, without moving a muscle on his face, he can be called a true hero. He is a person with a bright mind, with inner peace, with a strong and mighty spirit. Wherever he passes, he hears the song of elevated beings: "Great is the Lord! Great are His works!"

Blessed are the loving.

Blessed are those who love.

Blessed are those who serve Truth.

Turn your dwellings into temples of Love.

Turn coal into diamonds, to adorn yourselves with them.

The 25th lecture by the Master, given on August 30, 1942, 10:00 AM, Sofia – Izgrev

Преведено от Борис Митов

Редактирано от Ненси Крамптон

Прегледано от Невенка Димитрова