Truthfulness
Clarifies Facts And Burns
That Which Is Not
Compatible With It
Carlos Cardoso
Aveline
* Violence begins in the minds, and so does peace. The
source of harmony is not in the denial of conflict. It is rather in its
understanding. When an individual sees the roots of conflict in the lower self,
the struggle with other people becomes useless and is left aside as much as
possible. True warriors know that a deep peace of mind is the first step to
victory.
* Past and future are never separated, but by the end
of any period of life their union and symmetry are more beautiful to see. As a
cycle closes, a farewell must be said to many a Karmic energy. There is a promise in the air when
a new beginning is to take place soon. Continuity and renewal can be combined in wise
ways.
* The final days of a cycle are an opportunity to
revise and complete tasks, to re-examine one’s agenda and give up unnecessary
actions. Inner peace is important. Every period of life must end well, so that
the next cycle can start well. However, the main source of inner light is in
everyone’s soul.
* Pain often results from an alternation between
attachment and rejection. Endurable peace transcends the childish see-saw
movement that oscillates from pleasure to suffering, from suffering to
pleasure, and back to pain. Happiness is in understanding life and its
foundation is the perception of unity between the various pairs of opposites.
* A fine line makes the difference between peace and
stagnation. Tranquility often paves the way to routine. There is sometimes a
short distance between enthusiasm and imprudence. Courage may lead to
unnecessary danger. It is up to us to see what action is right and wrong at
every moment.
* Wide horizons, combined with a long-term view of
things, entitle us to attain discernment as long as we have generosity and do
our best.
* Words don’t replace facts. One cannot transmit to
others except that which one lives in the first place. For this reason, before
expecting to have any significant influence over the outside world one should
effectively control himself.
* The attempt to attain happiness through external
means and objects will be seen as pathetic if we consider that most mankind is
a prisoner of such illusion and keeps attached to it one lifetime after the
other. It takes a broad view of life to understand that the source of happiness
is inner and universal, and not external or personal.
* Joy is hidden in each dry winter leaf. It makes the
autumn winds move, and looks at us from the stars we see at night. It can be
found in springtime and summer, and every phase of the Moon. Harmony is the law
of the universe and dismantles, not without pain, every form of rancor and
bitterness. Happiness moves the solar system, while bliss sustains its
foundations.
* Every loss, physical or emotional, teaches us a
lesson in detachment. And each acquisition or gain is a test through which the
Law will verify whether we learned the lesson. Life is a combination of many
different cycles: the friends of truth attain unconditional contentment by
studying and understanding them. Small cycles are part of the larger ones, and
large cycles are present in every second.
* While the source of tranquility must be found within,
the perception of inner peace harmonizes one’s relation with the outward world.
* Nothing objective is ours in fact. Things and
situations are given to us for some time, including those we apparently build
ourselves. We’d better take good care of them while they are still available. On
the other hand, everything we learn is ours for good. We’d better confirm we
did learn these lessons indeed.
* Meaningless topics must be left to take care of
themselves while we focus our action around issues that have permanent
interest. A healthy indifference regarding the little ups and downs of the
lower self is necessary if we are to be able to understand spiritual realities.
* The quantity of work done by an individual is
important, as long as its quality is high enough.
* To work much is the first step; the second one
consists in identifying the decisive points to work on, and the point of view
from which to develop the effort.
* The best results are not produced by ill-advised
attempts. According to Eastern wisdom, a sage obtains victory before starting
the visible aspect of the work.
* Peace and patience are the fruits of a long-term
approach to facts, just as fear, vanity and ambition result from short-term
views of time. A society that seems to be largely governed by anxiety is blind
to real facts, for the flow of reality is slow and enduring, not immediate or
impermanent.
* It is easy to wish to have this and that object, and
to be governed by desire; but the “easy path” creates the worst sort of
difficulty. It seems to be hard to tread the path of self-knowledge and
self-control; yet such a hardship leads to inner bliss and to a lasting
contentment.
* The right kind of self-control takes place when
there is harmony among the power of the will, the power of thought, the force
of habit, and the influence of circumstances.
* Each one of these factors is a plurality in itself.
We have contrasting sorts of will, on various levels of consciousness. Thoughts
are numerous and sometimes are not easily compatible among them. The force of
habits points to different directions. Some circumstances change every moment,
inviting the pilgrim to let his mind get dispersed, while other circumstances
are more stable, and these will challenge him in different ways.
* The inner and transcendent will of the soul aims at
living that which is good, morally beautiful and true. The will of the higher
self observes desires, ideas, habits and circumstances from the point of view
of its long term trajectory on the path of human progression and perfection.
* The very act of observing all aspects of life
produces harmony, although such observation may be uncomfortable. As we
understand contradictions, it gets easier to deal with them. The acceptation of paradox expands the degree of
consistency. Little by little, ignorance dissolves.
* The possibly noble character of one’s actions is not
on the surface. Trying to improve one’s own character, strengthening the
spiritual dimension of one’s marriage, raising children so that they can obtain
self-knowledge, relating to elder people in correct ways and diligently
fulfilling one’s daily tasks, these are all examples of right action taking
place on higher or invisible levels. On the other hand, pious appearances grant
one nothing.
* Studying theosophy with a subconscious sense of
self-importance is a source of pain and frustration for oneself and others.
Bliss is in the humble pursuit of universal goals, before which we remember we
are like a grain of sand by the ocean.
* “First things first”, says the popular axiom. One
must have one’s priorities clear. That which belongs to the sky comes first,
and last. Issues relating to one’s immortal soul flow above other
considerations. Theosophists have a world vision as good and as universal as
they can, in the first place. On a secondary level, they do their best in being
effective in the outward world.
* Spiritual efficiency in daily life depends on a sort
of thought-power whose substance is buddhi-manasic, or centered on the
spiritual soul. Such a strength is simultaneously contemplative and fiery. It
is creative. It often disrupts routine and comfort. It puts things in motion.
It alters reality all the time if needed.
* Language expresses Karma. The burning frankness one
finds in the writings and the lives of great sages is therefore no mere
coincidence and it has a cause. The karmic field in which sages live demands
veracity.[1]
* A sage is careful with what he says. He measures
every word. He is also sincere in ways
that are not always comfortable. His words are fiery, which is one of the
reasons for his being reserved and selective as to those he talks with.
* While truthfulness enlightens and clarifies facts,
it also burns any aspect of life that is not compatible with it. Each student
of philosophy must examine himself and see how prepared he is to live in total
truthfulness.
NOTE:
[1] As examples of this fact one has not only the “Mahatma Letters” and many a text by
Helena Blavatsky, but several passages of the life of Jesus, according to the
Christian gospels. See in our websites the article “Jesus Christ, the Warrior of Truth”.
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“Thoughts Along the Road - 29” was
published as an independent text on 10 April 2019. An initial version
of it, with no indication as to the name of the author, is included in “The
Aquarian Theosophist”, December 2016 edition, pp. 11-12. A few short notes written
by the same author and anonymously published in that edition of “The Aquarian” were added to form the
article.
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