A Daily Exercise
of
Those Who Search
for Wisdom
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
According to the
esoteric tradition, the most important words are not written in paper. They are
not online, and can’t be found in the electronic memory of a computer.
Plato, the Greek philosopher, wrote that the best
words are recorded in one’s soul.
In his dialogue “Phaedrus” [276], he examines the
level of consciousness on which the truth can be actually understood. Plato describes in this way a dialogue between
Socrates and Phaedrus:
“Socrates - I mean an intelligent word graven in the
soul of the learner, which can defend itself, and knows when to speak and when
to be silent.”
“Phaedrus - You mean the living word of knowledge
which has a soul, and of which the written word is properly no more than an
image?”
“Socrates - Yes, of course, that is what I mean.”
Centuries after Plato, Roman philosopher Seneca wrote:
“The student must concentrate on a few chosen authors,
and absorb the substance of their writings, so that something can get recorded
in his soul.” [1]
The same idea is taught in the Old Testament. Ezekiel,
3:10, says:
“Listen carefully and take to heart all the words I
speak to you.”
And in the New Testament, one sees these words by Paul
in 2 Corinthians 3:
“You yourselves are the letter we have, written on our
hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ
(...), written not with ink but with the Spirit (...), not on tablets of stone
but on tablets of human hearts.”
Plato, Seneca, Ezekiel and Paul are not alone in
talking about teachings that are recorded in one’s soul. In its own way, human
memory can contain a bookshelf. Since ancient times Eastern and Western
students of philosophy use to build a sort of “portable library”, and take it
with them wherever they are, across the cycle of 24 hours. The strength of this library depends on the
degree of commitment the student has to the wisdom, and to the victory of his
own soul.
The ancient practice of memorizing books and teachings
is of decisive importance in the 21st century. Thanks to it, the mind of the
student avoids being idle in any fraction of free time.
While waiting in a queue in a bank or supermarket,
when facing a traffic jam or walking on the street, the truth-seeker calls to
himself and reads again some of the main ideas which are written in his soul. He
re-examines them, he recites them mentally and observes them. He repeatedly
emits them on the mental plane, making of them a mantra which will strengthen
and protect him while attracting good karma.
The student can also write down in his own mind the ideas
that help him face the challenges of any specific moment. With this exercise he
keeps his mind concentrated and becomes increasingly responsible for everything
that takes place in his consciousness, and anything that happens to him.
He no longer needs to physically open a book or to visit
the websites associated to The Aquarian
Theosophist (among others), in order to “read” about theosophy. He memorizes some of the sentences and ideas
of central importance to him and dwells on their meaning while perceiving the
strength of the self-determination that emerges from such a practice.
He sees new shades of meaning in the same axioms and
principles. Along the day, he creates opportunities to come back to such
inspiring tenets, thus liberating his mind once and again from mundane
topics. The practice has positive
effects over the quality of his sleep and his dreams, over his personal relationships
and his effectiveness during work hours. With the awakening of his spiritual
will, his mind becomes clear and his emotions get purified. He then experiences
the fact that the inner happiness is something one must plant for quite some
time, in increasingly correct ways, before one can hope to harvest.
NOTE:
[1] From
the book “Conversas na Biblioteca, um diálogo de 25 séculos” (“Talks on the
Library”, a bibliographically documented dialogue of 25 centuries), by Carlos
Cardoso Aveline, Ed. Edifurb, Blumenau, SC, Brazil, 170 pp., 2007, see pp.
30-31.
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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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