Ethics Makes the Connection Between
Divine Consciousness and Daily Existence
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
* The dynamics of symmetry expresses the law of karma. It
is due to its unfailing action that any step ahead in inner learning can only
be taken when one has a willingness to accept the corresponding degree of renunciation.
* Although sacrifices are often painful, they are but
the unpleasant aspects of detachment, which in itself is a source of
contentment and freedom from suffering. Less is more: voluntary simplicity
paves the way to wisdom and bliss.
* Each new day comes to us with its own sort of tidal
energy. One must learn to adapt to it, in order to give it a desirable form.
The will to shape one’s life in the way one considers correct must be combined
with an ability to be flexible regarding circumstances. Detachment and
renunciation are inseparable from having a clear goal and an adamantine will.
* The constant change of tides of various levels in
the ocean of life must be taken into consideration in theosophy.
Self-discipline should be therefore mainly internal and independent from the
changing outward circumstances, so that it keeps transcendent and cannot be
easily broken.
* No two mornings are the same. Each springtime is
different from the others. Everyone familiar with any particular river knows
that it changes from day to day in the turbidity of the water, the quality of
the wind, the behaviour of birds and other animals. Therefore one should pay a
limitless attention to life and take nothing for granted. The whole universe is
moving, and it enlightens every blade of grass.
* The true knowledge of life is inseparable from an
impulse to improve it. Actual philosophy is a friendly way of looking at the
world and must include a constant attempt to be of help. In other words, real
knowledge is that knowledge that includes selfless good will. All great
thinkers have been philanthropists and friends of mankind who often make
strenuous efforts to help altruistic projects.
* Ill-informed individuals rejoice in wrong actions as
long as karma has not ripened yet, only to live a lasting unhappiness after
that. Those who have proper information
about life dedicate themselves to act in a way that eliminates ignorance and
blindness.
* Every student of esoteric traditions can daily sow
the seeds of contentment, within the limits of his creative free will.
* In order to improve life, the effort must be made
starting from within. As long as we put in movement the Causes of
self-improvement and keep them going in an effective way, time and Karma are
our friends. Vigilance will help avoid getting trapped in small things and
short term time. There is nothing wrong about short term events in themselves:
one must be aware of the different scales of time and not get attached to
anyone of them, but live mainly in the larger ones.
* Joy and sadness are two poles of emotional life, and
they alternate in one’s efforts just as victory and defeat. Contentment
transcends the lower polarity of emotional life because it does not depend on
external events: its roots are in one’s conscience, and in the perception that
we have done, in the right direction, that which was within our reach to do.
Devachan and Nirvana do not result from obtaining great personal victories. The
way to them is paved by doing one’s best and resting content with it.
* There is no reason to think that a child cannot
learn the basic concepts of theosophy. The law of Karma and the idea of
reincarnation, for instance, can be grasped by people of every age. The same
occurs with the universal principle of having respect for all beings. And
however old one may be, he should be as willing to learn as a child - if not
more.
* In materialistic societies, to choose to have wise
friends is sometimes tantamount to choosing solitude, in the short term: by the
power to stand alone, one can follow his conscience. In due time, the law of
affinity will bring about the end of the apparent solitude. Brotherhood and
brotherliness are the law of life. And they are omnipresent for those who
transcend the territory of attachment and rejection.
* The degree of ethics among professional politicians
and spiritual leaders is directly linked to the average presence of ethics in
the general population. The two factors feed each other. In any human activity,
people must strive to take dishonest and insincere individuals out of
leadership positions. It is equally necessary for people to look at themselves
and accept a basic fact: that each citizen has the duty to act so that, if
everyone else would follow his example, the world community would be ethical
and fair enough.
* The hallmark of a superficial mind is the want of
novelties. An individual who loves superficial events will see as tiresome any
form of persistence. For a deeper mind, though, the boredom of the search for
novelties is unsurmountable.
* In the alchemy of self-improvement, the various
positive qualities work as a team. To him who looks for something of real
importance, perseverance becomes natural. However, a strong determination may
develop into mere stubbornness, unless it is protected by the right degree of
detachment; and detachment makes discernment possible. One’s actions should be open to examination.
An intense effort whose long-enduring motive is right and noble will help
expand our ability to see right and wrong.
* One must try his best at every moment, and at the
same time observe it as if from above, in a much broader context. An awareness of boundless time and infinite
space will grant us both detachment and good will.
* Many an individual gets attached to the appearance
of spirituality and imitates it in his daily practices. His vain hope is that
spirituality will migrate from the superficial levels of consciousness to the
deeper ones. The results obtained by such individuals are as superficial as
their efforts.
* Instead of concentrating in the short term and
visible aspects of reality, the correct attitude focuses on insights. Our
innermost views of Life should be rationally expanded and get as deep as we
possibly can. The combination of active study with the search for silent
insights has to unfold together with altruistic action. Now, altruistic action
is not limited to smiling at people in the streets. It is probationary. It
includes abandoning and exposing organized ignorance.
* Creative thinking is the result of individual
responsibility.
* If you want to attain a goal on your own merit, you
must use your brains in new ways to see the best method to get there. Your
intelligence expands. On the other hand, if someone adheres to a system of
thought in the hope of being benefited by it, out of mere adherence and belief,
there is no sense of responsibility. The consequences are that creative thought
is not a practical need, and intelligence will not expand. The “believer” does
not like to think: mental laziness is his religion.
* Because of the “spiritual” rejection of
self-responsibility and creative thought, many good-willing mystical
associations make their followers become less self-responsible and less
intelligent, as time passes. Not to mention “progressive” political parties.
Such structures have imploded from an ethical point of view. They are innerly
dead, even if they may seem alive on the realm of pure appearance.
* One of the main challenges for anyone studying
theosophy is to act in accordance with the adopted ideal. We need renunciation
and detachment in order to be able to correct our mistakes. Even before that,
discernment is needed to see the difference between right and wrong. Yet
discernment is rarely the first thing we acquire.
* Once we obtained a right view of things, the muscle
of our moral will needs to be strongly exercised against “consensus”, “public
opinion”, “collective comfort” and subtle emotional blackmailing. The student’s
discernment and wisdom will fail in many a specific situation, and yet he must
follow them anyway, for this is the only path to learning. Of course, in
various occasions his good discernment will tell him that the best thing to do
is to follow some advice.
* An effective way to reduce the distance between
ideal and practice consists in allowing oneself enough moments of silence along
the day. The atmosphere of inner noiselessness is special and slowly brings
more closely together our thoughts, feelings, words, insights and actions.
* Matthew, 7:7, says: “Ask and
it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you.” Yes, but first examine whatever it is that you will ask or
seek, and what door you are going to knock at. The goal must be noble, for the
result to be worthwhile.
* The excess of words should
be avoided, if we are to understand their meaning. This can be done through the
practice of silence. Keeping in contact with Silence is not something different
or separate from using words. The absence of sounds dwells in between
sentences. It contains them, it inspires them, and we need it to be able to
understand whatever is said. The excess of words is a grave obstacle to
dialogue. True communication results from a correct combination of sound and
silence.
* Horace’s classical axiom “Carpe Diem”, usually
translated as “Seize the Day”, seems to be more widely known than really
understood. Many are those who avoid examining what one is supposed to do,
after all, in order to “take the opportunity” and seize the day. There are
opportunities for all kinds of things in life. Ignorant people who consider
themselves clever don’t hesitate to “seize the opportunity” to steal; to lie;
to commit embezzlement while in public office; to deceive others and so on.
Honesty, on the other hand, is a form of wisdom. Sincere people will “seize the
day” to resist the temptation of making or repeating mistakes they have already
identified as such. They will “take the opportunity” to benefit different forms
of life; to learn about the roots of unnecessary suffering; and expand their
contact with their spiritual souls. Horace’s classical sentence therefore would
have a definite meaning if it said: “Examine the goal of your present lifetime.
Check and see whether it is truly worthwhile. Having confirmed that - seize the
day.”
* A direct relation interconnects the state of the
planet, the state of human mind, and the state of institutions. The idea is
well-documented in the Jewish Bible, the Christian Bible, the Taoist Wen-tzu and the classical teachings of
theosophy.
* In the first decades of 21st century, the factors of
social decline are many and contrasting.
Among them it is easy to find fake spiritual leaders; pious
“theosophical” frauds; a lack of ethics in politics; spreading terrorism;
bankers that act like thieves; commercial media that love money, not truth; and
acute environmental destruction. At the same time most individuals ignore their
true self. All these aspects of human
karma are internally interconnected, and regeneration must come from within.
The purpose of every outward crisis is to provoke the rebirth of the inner
connections between divine consciousness and daily existence, through ethics.
* Paradox and oxymoron are present in every aspect of
life and partake of the teachings of theosophy. Contrast is as necessary to
outer existence as unity and transcendence are central to the higher dimensions
of the world.
* Absurd contradictions invite us to look better and
investigate facts. A paradox expands our consciousness, because it eliminates
the illusion of continuous thought. It forces the observer to use higher forms
of perception.
* The right way to deal with puzzling dualities is not
through ambiguity. Hypocrisy is also useless, and so is indecisiveness. These
three factors prevent transcendence, which is necessary to see unity within
diversity. Once one has a correct way to look at life, it is possible to be
frank and sincere and still acknowledge and express the full complexity of the
world.
* While seeing the various contradictory layers of
meaning in life and the potentialities of every kind that surround us, we can
be able to make clear-cut decisions and persevere in them based on our best
discernment.
000
The above article was published as an
independent text on 12 October 2018. An initial version of it, with no indication as to the name of the author,
is included in the April 2016 edition of “The Aquarian Theosophist”.
000
