More
Than External Actions, One
Single
Idea Can Change Reality from Within
Carlos Cardoso
Aveline
* Each moment contains eternal peace. The whole universe
is present in every grain of sand. By a drop of water one can know the ocean. All
celestial beings remain in touch with each honest soul. Many examples of
transcendent unity flourish in the silent, well-balanced awareness of life’s
symmetry.
* A joy emerges from understanding the unity of the
cosmos and from seeing the direct connection between each individuality and
every other being. All is in union, in boundless time and limitless space, and
the contentment resulting from realizing this fact cannot be easily expressed
in words.
* Silence, or the plenitude of the void that surrounds
each existing thing, should be our advisor all the time and in every
significant occasion. To see things in a broadening context is inevitable, and
it means being innerly quiet, listening to noiselessness, and expanding one’s horizons.
The refuge of every sound is silence. The development of wise action is
achieved in calmness.
* Happiness does not depend primarily on external
factors, but on an ability to see things from the point of view of unlimited
space and eternal time. The process of experiencing infinity brings both bliss
and a generous self-forgetfulness. In the perspective of the lower self, pain
is of course part of the picture, yet not the main focus. Light and contentment
are dominant in the central aspects of human consciousness.
* Rather than merely wishing to know what is taking
place in the outside world, reasoning individuals prefer to act. It is an
illusion to seek for self-renewal by absorbing information about external
reality. A well-informed pilgrim has the unchanging goal of self-improvement.
His life gets radically renewed every hour, not because the circumstances are
changing, but because he is constantly enlarging his view of things.
* Being a noble and legitimate activity, real Politics
is part of Philosophy. It is inseparable from universal wisdom and consists in
seeking the common good.
* Plato, Cicero, Aristotle, Lao-tzu, Confucius and
other sages of all time discuss Politics as an altruistic science, which it
truly is. However, Politics is rather a rare phenomenon nowadays. What we often
have instead of it is mere electioneering, false propaganda sponsored with
large fortunes, and the embezzlement of public money. It is nigh time in our
century to rescue Politics from falsehoods and bring it back to the realm of
good will and justice, where it belongs.
* It is false to think that each cause has one effect.
Each cause provokes many effects, and this is especially so when the cause
occurs in the sacred levels of consciousness.
* One second of sunlight reveals an incalculable number
of objects and situations. Much more than external actions, one single thought
and enduring purpose, issued from a higher realm of perception, will change
reality for the better in due time.
* One should examine what the main factor is in
determining one’s emotions and state of mind. Is it the deceiving force of
external circumstances, “pleasant” or “unpleasant”? Or is it the inner, living relation
with one’s own spiritual soul?
* In order for us to have harmony in our minds, it is
not necessary that every situation obeys to our personal wishes. Peace is a
product of the soul, and we must look at the world from the point of view of
Spirit.
* When the purpose is elevated, every obstacle helps
one’s training. Being able to wait is part of the journey. There is a time to
go ahead and a time to consolidate the progress made. Choosing the right rhythm
at each phase of the effort means having both firmness and detachment.
* The multiplication of absurdities and aberrations in
the present civilization should not lead the good-willing citizens to
despondency, for it is only a tidal wave of Karma, full of useful lessons to be
understood. Once the teachings of life are learned, the concrete and objective
problems are easily overcome.
* The healing process of social regeneration depends
on the positive thoughts and feelings which a community must have for itself,
and for the higher ideals inspiring it. The self-esteem of a community is
connected with the self-respect of every individual. As long as citizens
respect themselves and one another, there will be ethics enough in their
country.
The Theosophy of Material Life
* Along the journey of existence, an important part of
the soul’s duty consists in learning to improve the relation to one’s physical
body. The material vehicle of human beings is a sort of temple, inhabited by a
divine spark and a universal Spirit. The sacred side of the various organs in
the human body was examined by Helena Blavatsky in her esoteric writings and
elsewhere.
* It is naïve to despise physical life, therefore. A
human being is only complete and able to fulfil the mission of his present
incarnation as long as he is active on the material side of existence. As the
decades pass by, one is gradually forced by life to get wiser in the use of his
physical vehicle. The more one learns about that, the better, for a healthy
body is a valuable tool for the pilgrim who aims at understanding the cosmos
and fulfilling the purpose of spiritual evolution.
When Truth Prevails
* Both illusion and right thought depend on mental
habits. Therefore, the level of accuracy in our view of any particular
situation relates to the degree of exactitude we have in looking at every other
aspect of reality.
* If one blocks from himself an accurate view of
something, the door is opened to subconscious delusion in other areas of life.
All the ways we look at reality are interdependent. When we deny a fact because
it is emotionally painful, or because we are attached to some sort of imaginary
pleasure or sense of security which the fact will erase, the result is certain.
One lie brings another. One illusion produces two or three more. And each true
vision produces another. If we look honestly at one fact, we will tend to look in
the same way at ten others.
* Entire waves of illusion relating to all kinds of
interconnected facts can get unmasked in one second. When this experience is
wide and deep enough, it is called “enlightenment”. And when the lights are
turned on, all kinds of things get visible - the beautiful ones and the ugly -;
and truth and ethics prevail.
Good Will, from a Marriage to a Civilization
* What unites people - in a family, country or
theosophical association - is the common feeling of loyalty to shared ethical
principles.
* The good will between citizens and leaders depends
on the sincerity and strength of people’s beliefs. All must be able to honestly question basic
principles, so that their views will be tested and in time get more accurate.
Automatic skepticism, however, is as blind as automatic belief.
* Good will sustains communities. Positive thinking
makes a country live. Responsible use of thought preserves all things human,
from a marriage to the local community and civilization.
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“Thoughts Along the Road - 41” was
published as an independent text on 04 January 2020. An initial version of it, with no indication as to the
name of the author, is included in “The Aquarian Theosophist”, April 2018
edition, pp. 7-8. The notes “The Theosophy of Material Life” (pages 16-17 of that
edition), “When Truth Prevails” (p. 4) and “Good Will, from a Marriage to a
Civilization” (p. 5) were also written by CCA and are included in the present article.
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See other writings by Carlos Cardoso Aveline.
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