Observing the Sacredness of Daily Life
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
* Moral strength comes from concentrating the mind on one’s
duty.
* Right action is
inseparable from correct thought and honest emotion.
* “Better late than
never.” Yes, and it is even better to act on time, with no postponements.
* In the absence of a
strengthened will, confusion arises. A calm yet firm self-discipline is the key
to transform good intentions in right action.
* Everyone knows that the
true temple must be built in one’s very soul, and that it requires a certain
amount of willpower.
* The cycles of life
reflect Karma. Peacefully observing them allows us to harmonize the flowing of
the energy from the Causes to the Effects.
* The essence of the
universe guides every human life, and it shines in an almost invisible way in
the centre of our individual being.
* To preach in the desert
means emitting a mantra. The task requires discernment. If the work is well
done, in the right time a little oasis will become visible.
* You should not think
that comfort is happiness. The way to suffering is paved by attachment to
personal satisfaction. Happiness results from wisdom, instead, and it is
inseparable from discernment.
* Harmony and contentment
depend above all on the strength of our soul and the firmness of our long-term
decision to attain the Inner blessing. External factors invisibly adapt
themselves to the condition of our soul.
* The path to wisdom
includes creating in one’s daily life physical, emotional and mental habits
that have the same substance as the philosophy one studies.
* Self-purification paves
the way to self-knowledge, and it is inseparable from self-responsibility.
* Theosophy helps you
widen your horizons. Through the study of ancient texts you can learn from the
greatest sages of all time.
* Check your actions.
Make sure you are proceeding in the right direction. Once you have done this
with rigour enough, persist during any difficulties and an unconditional bliss
will come to you.
* The ethics of
generosity makes the difference between hell and heaven.
* All beings live in
eternal unity. However, it is only on the territory of altruism that such union
can acquire the substance of bliss.
* Each human being is
himself a bridge or ladder between the Earth and the sky. As he learns about
wisdom and undergoes the corresponding change, the celestial energies in his
soul get more and more influential.
* There are times when
falsehoods prevail. There are other times when illusions can’t resist their own
weight any longer, but implode and are defeated. Then sincerity is reborn in
freedom, bringing with it a new springtime of ethics and justice.
* The fact that
civilizations keep succeeding one another along history should be enough for us
to understand that they are illusory. To search for the truth, in esoteric
philosophy, means transcending the horizon of present “civilization”; a society
which, by the way, is in many aspects scarcely civilized.
* Present humanity will
have to take a few decisive steps towards ethics and universal brotherhood,
before everyone can see the true dimension of the mission fulfilled by Helena
Blavatsky in the 19th century.
* All the aspects of time
belong to eternity and to the present moment as well. Therefore the practice of
learning lessons from the past and the efforts for building a better future are
all parts of the one Time Eternal. The Seven Eternities are hidden in the Now,
just as the Now dwells in and comes across the Seven Eternities.
* In order to act in an effective way and make the
difference, one must identify the point in space and time where the difference
can be made. Patience and perseverance, if practiced in the right direction,
will build, first, and then reveal the decisive moment in the right place.
* Actual bravery is seldom announced by harsh words.
Moderation in words is often associated with decisive action: hence the need
for a balanced wording.
* Humbleness and audacity are both necessary. Firmness
includes flexibility, and when necessary flexibility must become the firmness
of a rock. Silence contains sound, and sound, or mantra, is a loyal disciple to
silence.
* One of the keys to life is having a severe
discernment of right and wrong and abstaining from unnecessary negativity. The
priority is setting in motion and managing those creative energies which build
a healthy scenario for life. Mistakes must be shown as such, and one needs to
act to correct them. The central focus of one’s effort ought to be the
preservation and expansion of the most valuable, and the most valuable is both
eternal and new.
* An effective action has to combine the different levels
of consciousness. There must be a balance and a harmony among the various kinds
of effort on the emotional, physical and intellectual dimensions of life. One
must pay attention to the whole cycle, from effort and rest back into a renewed
effort. During the time of work, a creative use of positive energies prepares
us to have a better rest at the end of the day.
* Examine the direction of your average feelings,
thoughts and aspirations along the day. That direction is the direction of your
karma. Have you chosen such a road? Is it bright and noble enough? Do the
necessary improvements so as to make sure your karma makes progress in the
direction you consciously want. One must check and verify the degree of unity
among the different links in the chain of individual life. What one wants, what
one aspires to, what one thinks, feels, understands, what one does, and what
one perseveres in, all these factors form a chain, and in such an association
of different elements the strength of one link is the strength of all.
* No pilgrim should expect applause along the path.
Wisdom is often perceived as meaningless, and - according to the Mahatma
Letters - ridicule must be fearlessly confronted in order for anyone to live up
to theosophy.[1] The daily practices
related to self-discipline appear as senseless and foolish to those aspects of
oneself who resist wisdom; and to other people as well. If one wants to follow
one’s heart and make real progress along the path of self-knowledge, it is
necessary to perform actions every day that seem to be silly; for foolishness
uses the most shining garments of wisdom, and right action can be easily
described as wrong.
NOTE:
[1] “The Mahatma Letters”, TUP edition, Pasadena, Letter
LXII, pp. 351-352.
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An
initial version of the above fragments was published in the May 2015 edition of
“The Aquarian Theosophist”. It had
no indication as to the name of the author.
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The
other articles of the series “Thoughts
Along the Road” can be seen in our Associated Websites.
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On the role of the esoteric movement in the ethical awakening of mankind during
the 21st century, see the book “The Fire and Light of Theosophical Literature”, by
Carlos Cardoso Aveline.
Published in 2013 by The Aquarian Theosophist, the volume
has 255 pages and can be obtained through Amazon Books.
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