The Doctrine of the Heart · 3

(1) An accurate knowledge of the vice itself; (2) A recognition - a keen feeling, that is a vice, that it is foolish to entertain it, and that it is worthless; and, lastly, (3) The will to "kill it out".

57. This will will penetrate into the subconscious sphere where the vice dwells, and slowly but surely erase it.

58. Real tranquility of mind is never the product of indifference and nonchalance, but can only proceed from an insight into higher and deeper wisdom.

59. A disciple, however humble, of Their High Lodge, has to live in the Eternal, and his life must be a life of Universal Love, or else he must abandon his higher aspirations. The active service which every disciple has to do to the world is different for different classes of students, and is determined by the peculiar nature, disposition, and capacity of the individual. You of course known that, so long as perfection is not achieved, variety has to be maintained, even in the mode of service a chela must render.

60. It is simply impossible to overestimate the efficacy of Truth in all its phases and bearings,in helping the onward evolution of the human Soul. We must love Truth, seek Truth, and live Truth; and thus alone can the Divine Light, which is Truth Sublime, be seen by the student of Occultism. Where there is the slightest leaning towards falsehood in any shape, there is shadow and ignorance, and their child, pain. And this leaning towards falsehood belongs to the lower personality without doubt. It is here that our interests clash, it is here that the struggle for existence is in full sway, and it is therefore here that cowardice and dishonesty and fraud find any scope.

61. The "signs and symptoms" of the operation of this lower self can never remain concealed form one who sincerely loves Truth and seeks Truth and has devotion to the Great Ones at the foundation of his conduct. Unless the heart be perverse, doubts as to the righteousness of any particular act will never fail to find articulation, and then the true disciple will ask himself: "Will my Master be pleased if I do such and such a thing?" or: "Was it His bidding that I moved in this way?" And the true answer will soon come up, and then he will learn to mend his ways and harmonise his wishes with the Divine Will and thereafter attain to wisdom and peace.

62. Theosophy is not a thing which can be thrust and hammered nolens volens into anybody's head or heart. It must be assimilated with ease in the natural course of evolution, and inhaled like the air around us. Otherwise it will cause indigestion, to use a vulgar expression.

63. Beginning to feel the growth of one's Soul, one realises the calm that no outward events seem to touch. This, again, is the best proof of spiritual development, and one who feels this,however slightly and vaguely, need not care for any Occult phenomena. From the very beginning of my noviciate I have been taught to rely more upon the calm within than upon any phenomena on the physical, astral, or spiritual planes. And, given favourable conditions and strength in oneself, the less one sees of phenomena, the easier it is to make real and substantial spiritual progress. So my humble advice to you is to devote your attention ever to growing calm within, and not to wish to know in detail the process by which the growth is effected. It you are patient, pure and devoted, you will know all in time, but remember always that perfect and resigned contentment is the soul of spiritual life.

64. Spiritual progress is not always the same as goodness and self-sacrifice, although these must in due season bring about the former.

65. It is true that there is in the desire to win the affection of people around one, a tinge of personality which, if eliminated, would make one an angel; but one has to remember that for a long, long time to come our actions will continue to be tinged slightly with a feeling of "self". It must be our constant endeavour to kill this feeling as far as possible, but so long as "self" must show itself in some way, it is much better that it should exist as an inappreciable factor in conduct which is gentle, affectionate and conducive to general welfare, than that the heart should be hardened, the general character rendered angular, the "self" manifesting itself in far less attractive and lovely colours. By this I do not for a moment suggest that efforts should not be made in washing out this faint stain, but what I mean to convey is that the soft and lovely drapery in which the mind clothes itself should not be cast into the fire, simply because it is not one of immaculate whiteness. We have to bear in mind that all our actions are more or less the result of two factors,a desire for self-gratification, and a wish to benefit the world - and our constant effort should be to attenuate as far as is possible the former element, since it may not, till the germ of personality ceases to exist, be completely eliminated. That germ can be killed by processes which the disciple learns as he progresses, by devotion and good actions.

66. The Masters are always near those of Their servants who by complete self-abnegation have devoted themselves, body, mind, and soul, to Their service. And even a kind word to these does not go unrequited. In times of severe trial They, in accordance with a beneficent law, let the disciple fight his or her own battle without help from Them; but anyone who encourages Their servant to stand firm has his reward without a doubt.

67. Keeping serene and passionless, there is no doubt that, as the days pass by, one is coming more and more within that influence which is the essence of life, and some day the disciple will be surprised to find he has grown wonderfully without knowing and perceiving the process of growth. For truly the Soul, in its true blooming, "grows like the flower,unconsciously", but gaining in sweetness and beauty by imbibing the sunshine of Spirit.

68. A combative loyalty to any person or cause is hardly commendable in a disciple, and is certainly no indication of spiritual progress.

69. The first step, in almost every case, has the effect of disturbing a nest of hornets. All the odd items of your evil Karma crowd around you thick and fast, and would make one with less steady feet feel giddy and shaky. But one whose whole object is to lay down, if it need be, his life for the sake of others, without caring for self,has nothing to fear. The very jolting in the ups and downs of this vortex of miseries and trials gives one strength and confidence,and forces the growth of the Soul.

70. Remember that the suffering a disciple has to undergo is an integral portion of his training, and flows out of his desire to crush the personality in him. And, at the end, he will find the flower of his Soul blooming the more charmingly for the storm it has braved, and the love and mercy of the Master more than compensating for all he has suffered and sacrificed. It is only a trial for the moment, because at the end he will find he has sacrificed nothing and gained all.

71. Love on the highest plane reposes on the serene heights of joy alone,and nothing can cast a shadow on its snowy eminence.

72. Pity and compassion are the proper feelings to cherish in respect to all erring humanity, and we must not give place to any other emotion, such as resentment, annoyance, or vexation. These latter may not only injure ourselves, but also those against whom we may chance to entertain them, but whom we would fain see bettered and freed from all blunders. As we grow spiritually,our thoughts grow incredibly stronger in dynamic power, and none but those who have actual experience know how even a passing thought of an Initiate finds objective form.

73. It is wonderful how the powers of the Dark seem to sweep away, as it were, in one gust all one's richest spiritual treasures, garnered with such pain and care after years of incessant study and experience. It is wonderful, because after all it is an illusion, and you find it to be one so soon as the peace is restored and light dawns upon you again. You see that you have lost nothing- that all your treasures are there, and the storm and the loss are all a chimera.

74. However heart-rending the outlook may at any time be, however gloomy and dreary the state of things, we must not for one single moment give room to despair; for despair weakens the mind and thus renders us less capable of serving our Masters.

75. Know for certain that the Lords of Compassion are always watching their true devotees, and never allow honest hearts and earnest seekers for light to remain under an illusion for any length of time; the Wise Lords bring out of even their temporary recessions lessons which serve them in good stead through the rest of their lives.

76. It is simply our ignorance and blindness that give the appearance of strangeness and unintelligibleness to our work. If we come to view things in their true light and in their full and deeper significations, all will appear perfectly just and fair, and the most perfect expression of the highest reason.

77. That there is in the order of manifested existence not a whit more pain and misery than is absolutely necessary for the ends of the highest evolution, follows directly from the law of Justice and Compassion - the law of Karma and the moral government of the Universe. That each act of self-sacrifice on the part of evolving human monads strengthens the hands of the Masters and brings reinforcement, as it were, to the Powers of Goodness, will also be made plain ere we are things of the past - at least to a great many of the present race.

78. It would not avail us much if we knew accurately in detail all that was going to happen to us. For we are not concerned with results, and all we should care about is our own duty; so long as the path is clear to us it is of little consequence what comes of the steps we take on this outer plane. It is the inner life that is the real life; and if our faith in the guidance of our Lords be firm, we ought to have no doubt that whatever the appearances in this illusory sphere may be, all shall go well within, and the world shall go forward on its line of evolution. There is comfort enough in this idea, there is blessedness enough in this thought, and his alone should suffice to nerve us to our present duties and stimulate us to further activity and harder work.

79. There is a great difference between one who knows the spiritual life to be a reality and the man who only babbles about it, but perceives it not, who clutches at and grasps for it,but inhales not its fragrant breath nor feels its exquisite touch.

80. There is far more wisdom in Those who are watching over us than we have any conception of, and if only we can firmly pin our faith on this we shall not fall into any blunders, and shall be sure to avoid much unnecessary and worse than useless worry. For not a few of our mistakes might be traced to excess of anxiety and fear, to overstrung nerves,and even to too much zeal.

81. You will now see that wholehearted devotion is a potent factor in promoting the growth of the Soul, although it be not seen and realised for the moment, and you will not blame me for having told you to leave aside all thought about phenomena and spiritual knowledge, psychic power and abnormal experiences. For in the serene sunlight of peace every flower of the Soul smiles and grows rich in its peculiar radiant dye. And then some day the disciple looks with amazement at the beauty and delicious fragrance of every flower, rejoices, and in the rejoicing knows that the beauty and radiance emanate from the Lord he has served. The process of growth is not the hackneyed detestable article known to dabblers in pseudo- Occultism. It is a thing mysterious; so sweet, so subtle that none may speak of it, but may only know by service.

82. You have tasted some drops of the ambrosial waters of Peace, and in the tasting have found strength. Known now and for ever that in the calm of the Soul lies real knowledge, and from the divine tranquillity of the heart comes power. Experience of celestial peace and joy is therefore the only true spiritual life, and growth in peace alone means growth of the Soul. The witness sing of abnormal phenomena by the physical sense can but arouse curiosity and not promote growth. Devotion and peace form the atmosphere in which the Soul lives, and the more you have of those, the more life your Soul will possess. Rely always therefore on the experiences of your Higher Self as a test of your own progress, as also of the reality of the spiritual world, and do not attach any importance to physical phenomena which never do, never can, form the source of strength and comfort.

83. The humble and devoted servants of the Masters really form a chain by which each link is held to the Compassionate Ones. The tightness of the hold of one link to the one next in advance to it, therefore, implies the strength of the chain which ever draws us up to Them. Hence one should never fall into the popular fallacy of regard the love which partakes so largely of the divine as a weakness. Even ordinary love, if it be real, deep and selfless, is the highest and purest manifestation of the Higher Self, and if entertained in one's bosom with consistency and desire of self-sacrifice, ultimately brings one to a clearer realisation of the spiritual world than does any other human act or emotion. What then of a love which has for its basis a common aspiration to reach the Throne of God, a joint prayer to suffer for the ignorant and erring humanity, and a mutual pledge to sacrifice one's own happiness and comfort for the better rendering of service to Those who are ever building a bulwark with Their blessings between the terrible forces of evil and the defenceless orphan- Humanity.... But the ideas of the world are all distorted by the selfishness and baseness of human nature. It in love there be weakness, I do not know where lies strength. Real strength does not consist in strife and opposition,but lies all-potent in love and inner peace. So the man who cares to live and grow must ever love, and suffer for love.

84. When has the world, blind in its ignorance and self-conceit, done full justice to its real saviours and most devoted servants? It is enough that one sees, and in that seeing attempts to dispel, to what extent may be possible, the delusion of the people around one. The wish that every one should have the eyes to see and to recognise the Power that works for his regeneration must remain unfulfilled, till the present darkness that hangs like a pall, obscuring the spiritual vision, has been lifted completely.

PEACE TO ALL BEINGS