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War in Europe: Why does Hierarchy not intervene?

 

 

Dear Agni Yogis,

 

some of you have asked me:

 

"Can't the Hierarchy with its superhuman powers intervene and put an end to the dreadful war in Europe?"

 

From a purely technical point of view, the Brotherhood of Shambhala would probably be in a position to do so: Using telekinesis, it could push all tanks of the attackers into the ditch. It could erect energetic barriers. With mental powers, it could render inoperative all guns, cannons, missiles, ships and vehicles just by slightly interfering with their mechanics.

 

"Why don't the Mahatmas make use of their forces? Why do they only talk and give wise advice but refuse to act?"

 

Well, this is an existential question which has tormented humanity for millennia. Christians have formulated it thus:

 

Why does the all-good and all-powerful God allow all this suffering on earth? (Veronese “God Father”)

 

Christianity is unable to answer this question. This drives some people to despair: With faith in the beauty and justice of the Cosmic Order, they lose faith in the Higher Powers, even in God Himself, and eventually turn into abominable nihilists and atheists.

 

 

1. Beautiful and just Cosmic Order

 

The Cosmic Order is beautiful and just. Those who cannot believe this must indeed despair of life.

 

If justice perishes, there is no longer any value in human beings’ living on earth. (Immanuel Kant)

 

However, in order to realise this, you must know the laws of karma and reincarnation, which are explained in more detail in our Broadcastings " Karma – the Law of Cause, Effect and Responsibility" and "Death and Rebirth":

 

The law of karma ensures that justice prevails: Whoever commits wrongdoing will have to make amends for it. The victim either pays off karmic debts from the past or is given an opportunity for further growth.

 

There are no “innocent children”. Suffering always has a cause and a meaning.  

 

In this context, you should consider not only personal, but also family, group, national and planetary karma.

 

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The law of reincarnation comes into play because it is not always possible to establish justice within one single lifetime. In this short period of time, the wrongdoer may get away scot-free and will then be held accountable in one of his next incarnations.

 

So you may rest assured: No evildoer will be able to escape the effects of the causes he himself has set.

 

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The Brotherhood – even God, by the way – is bound by the Cosmic Laws. We shall now discuss the most important reasons why it does not intervene in the war in Europe.

 

 

2. No Intervention in the Karma of Mankind

 

The Hierarchy must not interfere with the karma of men.

 

The Forces of Light never interfere with human Karma. The Forces of Light observe human actions, giving the direction without intervening in life. Many are the examples of this. Messengers appear, warnings are sent, the direction is given and the paths pointed out; but the choice of the designated possibilities is made by the human will. Precisely, self-activity of the spirit can bring near a better Karma. Thus it can be explained why the Forces of Light do not stop the spirit from certain actions which violate often that which has been ordained. (Fiery World III, 104)

 

The Mahatmas are not allowed to impede the redemption of negative karma.

 

The settlement of old accounts is unavoidable. (Leaves of Morya's Garden I, 208 [234])

 

People themselves must remove the evil they have committed.

 

Even a simple housewife will say, “Don’t get the steps dirty or you’ll have to clean off the filth yourself.” (Leaves of Morya's Garden II, 25)

 

"Do you mean to say that those attacked are themselves to blame for their misfortune?"

 

No, it is not that simple. How aggressor and defender are karmically intertwined is hard for us humans to perceive. Karma weaves an extremely complicated interrelation that cannot be resolved by simply forcing an end to the war.

 

Many circumstances should be taken into account before considering even the smallest interference with someone else’s karma. One might affect a lot of neighbours. (Supermundane 215)

 

 

3. Intervention of the Hierarchy would hinder the Progress of Humanity

Albrecht Altdorfer "The Battle of Alexander at Issus"

 

If Hierarchy were to step in with its superior forces and end the war, it would deprive humanity of the possibility of taking a step towards growth. The war would be over, but we humans would not have made any progress at all. What really matters, however, is something quite different:

 

Humanity must ascend to a higher level, where conflicts are no longer settled by the use of violence and war.

 

No one can relieve us from taking this step. If we do not take it, terrible wars will continue to rage until we finally learn our lesson.

 

A population that still wages wars has only a poorly developed consciousness. (Albrecht Altdorfer "The Battle of Alexander at Issus")

 

Only one thing helps against this defect: enlightenment, increase of knowledge and expansion of consciousness.

 

"How is this to be achieved? Can you enlighten a dictator?

 

We need to raise the level of consciousness of the people, of the vast majority, at least of the ruling class! The method of the Mahatmas in the books of Agni Yoga is:

 

Not to use coercion, but present a better state of the world and show the way that leads there!

 

However, people have to walk the indicated path themselves! No one can and will carry us to the goal!

 

 

4. Learning by Suffering

 

"And if enlightenment does not work?"

 

Then this principle applies:

 

If people do not want to learn voluntarily, they must learn through suffering.

 

We Germans and also the Japanese have only learned through unimaginable hardship that a war of aggression is a terrible crime. (Dresden 1945)

 

Apparently, other peoples will still have to go through this bitter experience.

 

The noblest way to gain knowledge is through reflection and deliberation. The simplest way is by imitation and the bitterest by experience. (Buddha)

 

With this knowledge, you need not despair of the terrible events, but rather realise:

 

All suffering has a meaning.

 

We had already discussed in the Broadcasting "The Meaning of Suffering": As long as the world is still imperfect, suffering is necessary. In a perfect world there is no suffering. Why? Because it no longer has a function!

 

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If the Mahatmas were to interfere, they would thwart the function of suffering.

 

That would be like giving a painkiller which only removes the symptoms but not the cause of the disease.

 

Not only would this not be sustainable, it would actually be harmful: The problem (the ignorance, the low level of consciousness of mankind) persists and will get worse until we finally address and solve it.

 

 

5. Fight for Progress and against Chaos

Winston Churchill

 

We small people are not yet able to grasp the historical implications of present events. What we can say, however, is:

 

Progress and the overcoming of chaos are to be fought for!

 

In this struggle, sacrifices are inevitable.

 

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It is possible that the war will go down in history as the "Ukrainian War of Independence". Then, as in the American War of Independence, every sacrifice for freedom will be worthwhile, however bitter it may be at the moment.

 

Or the war will later be paid respect to as an uprising against a dictatorial oppressive regime.

 

Like the uprising in the German Democratic Republic in 1953, of the Hungarians in 1956 or of the Czechs during the Prague Spring in 1968.

 

In this case, too, suffering has its meaning. He who dies in such a battle is a hero! He contributes to the shaping of a better future.

 

Each battle with darkness is a worthy action. Each extermination of evil will be construction of the future. (AUM 11)

 

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The situation is similar to the liberation of Europe from Nazi rule. At that time, for fear of death and destruction, many politicians shied away from confronting terror.

 

The great British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, however, knew how to convince his nation that evil must be resisted by all means – even if it costs blood, sweat and tears!

 

Today, everyone agrees: World War II was a necessary, inevitable victory of the forces of light over the powers of darkness, serving the good of humanity in the long run. The sacrifices, even if they numbered in the millions, were justified, for we must recognise:

 

If we allow chaos to rule, the result will be even more suffering.

 

Some people cannot tolerate Our frequent reminders about battle. But for you, without need of hypocritical palliation, it may be said that the battle of Light against darkness proceeds incessantly. Many warriors help in this battle, otherwise we again would be engulfed in Chaos. (Hierarchy 354)

 

"Isn’t this a cynical and cruel attitude?"

 

No. The knowledge of reincarnation puts suffering into perspective: If you know that in due time you will get a new, beautiful and young body; if you further know that your true, spiritual being, your soul, grows through resistance to evil, you can sacrifice your life more easily than someone who regards death as the complete and final extinction of his entire existence.

 

 

6. Help only at the last Moment

Trumbull "The American Declaration of Independence"

 

Here is a law you should know:

 

Before they can hope for help from Above, men must first carry out all they can do themselves.

 

Higher Help comes at the very last moment at best.

 

You are right to note that we must do many things for ourselves. In this fact lies the reason why help comes at the last moment, for otherwise it would be impossible to perfect the spirit. (Heart 400)

 

It is not the task of the Brotherhood to produce what we must do ourselves. A humanity that sits on the sofa and watches while someone else is doing the dirty work for us would sink into degeneracy.

 

All in this world is built by human hands and feet. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter of 30.04.1935)

 

A fine example of Higher Help in the process of adopting the American Declaration of Independence was spoken of in our Broadcasting "The Brotherhood of Shambhala". (Trumbull "The American Declaration of Independence")

 

From this we learn: If at a turning point in history the human work is nearly completed and then gets stuck, the Hierarchy may give an impulse. But the implementation, whether we follow the advice or not, is again up to us humans.

 

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The Mahatmas are the Elder Brothers of Humanity.

 

You and I, we are like little children to them. But then applies:

 

If helicopter parents supervise every step of their offspring, keep every risk away from him, step in immediately if he makes a mistake, deprive him of his task and rather complete it themselves straight away, the child learns nothing and will never grow up.

 

Likewise, we humans must also finally grow greater. This we achieve solely through our own work and our own experience, and this process must not be thwarted by intervention from Above.

 

 

7. Human Freedom

Statue of Liberty, New York

 

The most important reason for the Mahatmas’ not interfering with the war in Europe is: freedom!

 

Agni Yoga depicts the image of human beings who are free!

 

Free will is our most beautiful ornament! It distinguishes us from lower forms of life such as animals.

 

Freedom of will needs imperatively to be respected and protected. It must not be subjected to any kind of coercion whatsoever!

 

One should in no way violate the free will of people. The Teaching of Light transforms life when the spirit voluntarily recognizes the necessity of ascent. People will improve and attain by themselves. In the history of mankind one can see how the spirit of people finds its way toward Light. (Fiery World I, 622)

 

Here is an existential task the solution of which makes man a man in the first place:

 

To use our free will properly, that is, in accordance with the Cosmic Order.

 

For example, by fighting against chaos and for freedom.

 

If we leave decision-making and action to Heaven, free will must wither away. Man would sink down to the level of the animals, who are blindly and without their conscious participation driven forward by the constraints of evolution only.

 

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The dignity of man lies precisely in the fact that he is free to shape his own destiny! (Statue of Liberty New York)

 

There would be no freedom, no beauty and no dignity if not we ourselves but some Higher Power would manage life on earth!

 

Then we would only be soulless robots or puppets dancing to the tune of someone else. (Tauser "The Puppet Master")

 

Someone who forcibly blocks and wrecks decisions of the human will robs us of our freedom and is in truth our enemy!

 

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Please think further: At stake is not only ending the war in Europe! In order to avoid such a catastrophe in the future, in the state of the aggressor those responsible and their clique are to be deposed. A new government must be installed there. Is Hierarchy supposed to enforce this as well?

 

And what if wrong leaders come to power again at the next election? Should the Mahatmas then take over the government of the state themselves, against the will of the majority?

 

No! The aggressive people must itself acquire the maturity, the strength and the discernment to appoint suitable, truly worthy leaders and to depose false ones.

 

There will be no dictatorship of the Mahatmas!

 

It would not serve the further development of humanity. It would not facilitate but block our glorious path to a higher level!

 

On the level mankind has reached, the progress of evolution can only take place voluntarily and with our conscious cooperation!

 

"Didn’t you speak of the New World as the reign of the Brotherhood on earth, as it existed in ancient Egypt!"? (see the Broadcasting "The New World – Form of Government: Hierarchy ").

 

Yes, but this presupposes that the Mahatmas can rely on an earthly Hierarchy of high standing, reliable co-workers. A smaller community or even a whole people must be quite far developed before they are receptive to and suitable and worthy of such a Higher Leadership.

 

 

8. Responsibility

 

Freedom necessarily requires assuming responsibility for one's actions. If man has greater freedom than, for example, the animals, he also has greater responsibility.

 

Freedom without responsibility would be a cosmic monstrosity.

 

So let us not shift our responsibility to others – to the Brotherhood or even to God. We do better to admit:

 

Man alone and no one else is responsible for all the terrible suffering on earth!  

 

Let us not shirk! Man alone, and no one else, is entrusted with the task of improving conditions and reducing suffering on earth!

 

We should not reduce ourselves to small size! We are the rulers of this planet! The fate of the earth is in our hands.  

 

Young hearts will feel not as ants upon the earth’s crust, but as bearers of spirit responsible for the planet. (Community 110)