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Page 1 of 21912 · PDF PAGE 32
…larly the visions of Joan of Arc were entirely Christian; but she, like all the others we have mentioned, found somewherethe force to do great things. Of course, it may be said that there is a fallacy in the argument; it may be true that all these great people “ saw God,” but it does not follow that every one who “ sees God ” will do great things. This is true enough. In fact, the majority of people who claim to have “seen God,” and who no doubt did “see God” just as much as those whom we have quoted, did nothing else. But perhaps their silence…
1912 · PDF PAGE 6
Issued by order of the GREAT WHITE BROTHERHOOD known as the A A Witness our Seal, N .”.' Praemonstrator—General.
1912 · PDF PAGE 11
HERE are seven keys to the great gate, Being eight in one and one in eight. First, let the body of thee be still, Bound by the cerements of will, Corpse-rigid; thus thou mayst abort The fidget-babes that tease the thought. Next, let the breath-rhythmbe low, Easy, regular, and slow; So that thy being be in tune With the great sea’s Pacific swoon. Third, let thy life be pure and calm, Swayed softly as a windless palm. Fourth, let the will-to-live be bound To the one love of the profound. Fifth, let the thought, divinely free From sense, observe its…
1912 · PDF PAGE 107
Ἀῶ :?ch ζῶ ?)באס 91 tedly the greatest of mankind until we can refute them by proof, or at least explain how they may have been mistaken. In this case each teacher left instructions for us to follow. The only scientific method is for us to repeat their experiments, and so confirm or dis- prove their results. . But their instructions differ widely! . Only in so far as each was bound by conditions of time, race, climate and language. There is an essential identity in the method. . Indeed! . It was the great work of the life of Frater Perdurabo to p…
1912 · PDF PAGE 22
… theories involving epilepsy and madness. As if organization could spring from disorganization! Even if epilepsy were the cause of these great movements which have caused civilization after civilization to arise from barbarism, it would merely form an argument for cultivating epilepsy. Of course great men will never conform with the standards. of little men, and he whose mission it is to overturn the world can hardly escape the title of revolutionary. The fads of a period always furnish terms of abuse. The fad of Caiaphas was Judaism, and the P…
1912 · PDF PAGE 25
II This mental activity is so great, and seems so natural, that it is hard to understand how any one first got the idea that it was a weakness and a nuisance. Perhaps it was because in the more natural practice of “devotion,” people found that their thoughts interfered. In any case calm and self-controlare to be preferred to restlessness. Darwin in his study presents a marked contrast with a monkey in a cage. Generallyspeaking, the larger and stronger and more highly developed any animal is, the less does it move about, and such movements as it …
1912 · PDF PAGE 67
…y over-eating. It is difficult to say whether so definite a result would come to all, or even to most people. The matter is one of no very great importance. If you have acquired the power of checking the rise of thought you may proceed to the next stage.
1912 · PDF PAGE 71
…rase, “ revolving a thing in the mind ”; and as long as the subject is sufficiently complex, as long as thoughts pass freely, there is no great difficulty. So long as a gyroscope is in motion, it remains motionless relatively to its support, and even resists attempts to distract it; when it stops it falls from that position. If the earth ceased to spin round the sun, it would at once fall into the sun. The moment then that the student takes a simple subject—or rather a simple object—and imagines it or visualizes it, he will find that it is not so …
1912 · PDF PAGE 19
…nce, came back and immediately began to preach a new law. This is so curious that it leaves us to inquire whether the histories of other great teachers contradict or confirm. Moses led a quiet lifeuntil his slaying of the Egyptian. He then
1912 · PDF PAGE 21
…lent. We have only the accounts given by the men themselves. It would be very remarkable should we find that these accounts agree. Of the great teachers we have mentioned Christ is silent; the other four tell us something; some more, some less. Buddha goes into details too elaborate to enter upon in this place; but the gist of it is that in one way or another he got hold of the secret force of the World and mastered it. Of St. Paul’s experiences, we have nothing but a casual illusion to his having been “caught up into Heaven, and seen and heard …
1912 · PDF PAGE 53
…ntra with the aid ofinstrumental music and dancing. Certainly very remarkable effects are obtained in the way of “magic” powers; whether great spiritual results are equally common is a doubtful point. Persons wishing to study them may re- member that the Sahara desert is within three days of London; and no doubt the Sidi Aissawa would be glad to accept pupils. This discussion of the parallel science of mantra-yoga has led us far indeed from the subject of Pranayama. Pranayama is notably useful in quieting the emotions and appetites; and, whethe…
1912 · PDF PAGE 8
…t quite clear even to them has been elucidated. ᾿ May the whole Path now be plain to all! Frater Perdurabo is the most honest of all the great religious teachers. Others have said: “Believe me! ” He says: “Don?believeme! ” He does not ask for followers; would despise and refuse them. He wants an independent and self—reliant body of students to follow out their own methods of research. If he can save them time and trouble by giving a few useful “tips,” his work will have been done to his own satisfaction. Those who have wished men to believe in …
1912 · PDF PAGE 82
…elopment is the appearance of the Form which has been universallydescribed as human; although the persons describing it proceed to add a great number of details which are not human at all. This particular appearance is usually assumed to be “ God.” But, whatever it may be, the result on the mind of the student: is tremendous; all his thoughts are pushed to their greatest develop- ment. He sincerely believes that they have the divine sanction; perhaps he even supposes that they emanate from this “God.” He goes back into the world armed with this…
1912 · PDF PAGE 81
…ood literature is principally a matter of clear observation and good judgment expressed in the simplest way. For this reason none of the great events of history (such as earthquakes and battles) have been well described by eye-witnesses, unless those eye-witnesses were out of F
1912 · PDF PAGE 18
…ous wealth of our material. To enter into a critical examination of all systems would be an unending task; the cloud of witnesses is too great. Now each religion is equally positive; and each demands faith. This we refuse in the absence of positive proof. But we may usefully inquire whether there is not any one thing upon which all religions have agreed: for, if so, it seems possible that it may be worthy of really thorough consideration. It is certainly not to be found in dogma. Even so simple an idea as that of a supreme and eternal being is …
1912 · PDF PAGE 49
…um length, so far as the beginner is concerned. If the mantra is too long, one is apt to forget it, unless one practises very hard for a great length of time. On the other hand, mantras of a single syllable, such as Aumf are rather jerky; the rhythmical idea is lost. Here are a few useful mantras: ᾿See Part II. 2 However, in saying a mantra containing the word Azmz, one sometimes forgets the other words, and remains concentrated, repeating the ΑΜ]; at intervals; but this is the result of a practice already begun, not the beginning of a practice…
1912 · PDF PAGE 41
…ons without a thorough knowledge of the subject. Such knowledgehas not yet been published. However, one may safely assert that since the great men previously mentioned did not do this, it will not be necessary for their followers. Let us then choose a suitable position, and consider what happens. There is a sort of happy medium between rigidity and limpness; the muscles are not to be strained; and yet they are not allowed to be altogether slack. It is difficult to find a good descriptive word. Braced is perhaps the best. A sense of physical alert…
1912 · PDF PAGE 20
… we find the same thing universal; somebody who is nobody in particular goes away for a longer or shorter period, and comes back as the “ great medicine man”; but nobody ever knows exactly what happened to him. Making every possible deduction for fable and myth, we get this one coincidence. A nobody goes away, and comes back a somebody. This is not to be explained in any of the ordinary ways. There is not the smallest ground for the contention that these were from the start exceptional men. Mohammed would hardly have driven a camel until he was …
1912 · PDF PAGE 88
… the senses. To turn to another point. One of our tests of truth is the vividness of the impression. An isolated event in the past of no great importance may be forgotten; and if it be in some way recalled, one may find one’s self asking: “Did I dream it? or did it really happen?” What can never be forgotten is the 22%/?»!?ש”מקThe first death among the people that one loves (for example) would neverbe forgotten; for the first time one would realize what one had previously merely known. Such an ex- perience sometimes drives people insane. Men of sc…
1912 · PDF PAGE 84
…d; and it is time that we considered what is really happening. It will be conceded that we have given a very rational explanation of the greatness of great men. They had an experience so overwhelming, so out of proportion to the rest of things, that they were freed from all the petty hindrances which prevent the normal man from carrying out his projects. Worrying about clothes, food, money, what people may think, how and why, and above all the fear of consequences, clog nearly every one. Nothing is easier, theoretically, than for an anarchist t…