Observing
the Sacredness of Daily Life
Carlos
Cardoso Aveline
* Along the path to divine wisdom, one must identify,
observe and eliminate subconscious forms of selfishness.
* By getting rid of pseudo-religious falsehoods and
other forms of mental rubbish, we expand the feeling of respect for truth.
* An outward solitude comes together with the inner
sense of togetherness regarding all beings and universal life.
* Appearances are deceitful. In fact, happiness
results from altruism, and the opposite of altruism culminates in suffering.
* In the secret compass of one’s soul, the needle
pointing to the North is a sense of impartial Justice for all.
* In theosophy as in life, one often speaks better
with actions than with words. The enlightened word is modest, it is in harmony
with actions, and it does not try to replace them.
* Don’t be naive. Remember that the more you walk
along the path to wisdom, the more you are able to see illusion around you, and
within yourself.
* Adopt as your own the highest ideal you know of, and
then examine your daily life from its point of view. Have patience. Improvement
cannot be sudden. Little by little one approaches the sacred goal.
* An occult osmosis inevitably takes place across the
24 hours of the day. Through it, everything we do, think and feel causes a
direct and silent impact on the people and the situations that are important to
us.[1]
* Quietism is no theosophy. Action and contemplation
must go together. Karma Yoga, the practice of selfless action, protects the
right practice of Jnana Yoga, the conscious perception of universal truths.
* Simplicity, detachment, vigilance and
self-organization regarding the external aspects of life: these are four decisive
factors. They enable us to transcend externalities in a responsible way and to develop
a lasting contemplative practice.
* The wider one’s horizon, the more accurate one’s
action. A long-term view allows us to be more effective here and now. Thus, while
ill-informed people waste time, those who study Eternal Duration know that each
minute counts.
* Before you say something of importance, you must decide
in your heart to act accordingly, for part of your very soul accompanies your
breath as you speak. Make sure, then, that when your words are tested by karma
you will be ready to act as one who lives up to them.
* Patience and audacity, just as prudence and courage,
are equally necessary along the path; and discernment, in order to know when to
use one or the other, and how, and how much. By trying one’s best one learns
many a lesson.
* In order to obtain serenity, it is necessary to
develop a certain indifference regarding the superficial ups and downs of life
around us. This is a natural process. It results from having a wide view of
space and time.
* The key to mutual understanding is in
self-knowledge. The primordial “other” in one’s psychological world is his
higher self. Let him build a strong, truthful relation with his soul, and he
will naturally have respect for himself, and for the others. By remembering it,
we become more responsible regarding our feelings, thoughts and actions.
* Different moments bring us special opportunities to
this or that form of right action. On the other hand, each and every instant is
always the correct occasion for the practice of full attention, and for the
calm listening of the wordless voice speaking from our conscience.
* Wisdom is about self-sacrifice. The search for
personal “political” power is a symptom. It indicates that one’s relations to
his immortal soul need improvement. The problem is only aggravated by trying to
hide the love for power. Vanity, pride and illusion must be seen and confessed
along the way to truth.
* Use your brain and think in advance. Build your
whole life as a work of art, rather than as an endless succession of separated
short time cycles, which will be then suddenly interrupted sometime, as if it
were a surprise. The wise thing to do is to work on that which does not die, is
not born, and crosses the ocean of time undisturbed.
* Detachment protects the pilgrim. Each stumble,
however painful, brings us useful lessons along the path, and every moment of
victory creates the possibility of some illusion. Wisdom comes from looking at
victory with humbleness and facing defeat with a calm courage. It will be
necessary to constantly renew your love for truth as you realize that the way
to happiness is indeed steep and narrow, and surrounded by various kinds of
make-believe.
* Each aspect of our view of things interacts with
every other. Wishful thinking produces bad results. The comfortable acceptance
of a falsehood in any department of life will distort one’s ability to see with
clarity in all the other dimensions of reality. If one wants to attain wisdom
and happiness, the courage to accept uncomfortable facts and learn from them is
therefore essential.
* The uncertainties of outer life suggest that the
individual must find stability in himself in the first place. This in time will
enable him to see a sort of stability in the external world as well. The laws
of nature operate at every level of consciousness. They are constant, and they
preside over all levels and aspects of life.
* There is a sort of water that purifies physical
objects, and another one that purifies the soul. Each step in the direction of
sacred knowledge places severe tests before the student. As a result, the
pilgrim is forced to regularly identify and fight new forms of ignorance in his
consciousness, for life renews itself every minute, and wisdom includes
detachment.
* Due to the law of symmetry every acquisition implies
some sort of loss or renunciation. For every lesson one learns along the path
to wisdom, there is an anti-lesson
which one has to un-learn. Each new
element of wisdom must eliminate, as it is adopted, at least one corresponding
element of ignorance. [2]
* Better than using time in a casual way is to have
clear priorities and to organize one’s agenda for the year, the day and the
month. Our planning must be flexible enough so that we can deal with the
unknown and the unexpected, and develop creative answers to new facts. An
effective agenda is a living, on-going process.
* Mental and emotional purity as taught in Theosophy
has nothing to do with the superstitious attitude of religious dogmatism, whose
actual results are generally the opposite of what one desires. Purity of
thoughts and feelings is a practical necessity for those who want to look at
reality in a lucid way. Impure emotions distort mental perception. Purification
is alchemical and profound. It is a synonym to concentration. It results from
the impersonal, unselfish adoption of a clear-cut goal in life: the search for
eternal wisdom.
* See your mortal soul or lower self as an occult book
on which every action of yours is recorded for your spiritual soul to read
about it. How worth reading is the book? How best to edit and proofread it, so
that the higher self, your real Master, finds it more useful? Be vigilant: there
can be no difference, or separation, between living and writing down your
actions in the astral pages of the Book of Life.
NOTES:
[1] See in our websites the texts “The Process of Occult
Osmosis” and “Telepathy, the Silent Conversation”.
[2] Read the article “The Law of Symmetry”, in our websites.
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An initial version of the above text was published in the June 2015 edition
of “The Aquarian Theosophist”. It had no indication as to the name of
the author.
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In September 2016, after a careful
analysis of the state of the esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students decided
to form the Independent Lodge of
Theosophists, whose priorities include the building of a better future in
the different dimensions of life.
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