AGNI YOGA WEB TV
SERIES
„INTRODUCTION TO AGNI YOGA“
BROADCASTING 23
The
spiritual Significance of the Heart
Dear Agni Yogis,
the inspiring goal of Agni Yoga is the New Construction:
The creation of the New Man and of the New World. Here, the heart plays a
crucial role!
The disciple asks: "Why is that so? What does the heart have to do
with the struggle for a better world?" (Gudrun Stiasny “The Wanderer
through the Zodiac“)
We had said earlier (Video "We are creating
the Man of the Future"): A better world begins with a better man. And you
transform into the Man of the Future, into an immortal being of spirit, above
all by listening to your heart and carrying out what it tells you to do.
*****
The coming epoch of Maitreya,
the Age of Aquarius, is the era of the heart!
The Epoch of Maitreya is the
Age of the Heart! Only with the heart can you appreciate the value of
Maitreya’s treasures! (Heart 74)
Agni Yoga is the yoga of the
heart!
The path of Agni Yoga is
through the heart. (Heart 495)
Of course, we are not talking about the
physical organ that regulates the blood circulation, but about the centre of
the subtle body, about the heart chakra.
Even in the most ancient times
people understood the significance of the heart. They regarded the heart as the
Dwelling of God. But now, in our enlightened times, the heart has been reduced
to nothing more than a physiological organ. (Heart 73)
Urusvati knows the power of
the heart. In remote antiquity people understood both the physical and the
spiritual power of the heart. The strongest prayers rose from the heart, but in
later times the spiritual significance of the heart was minimized
and the heart came to be seen as just a physical organ. (Supermundane 819)
Chapter I: The Heart as an Organ of Cognition
Nicholas
Roerich „Glory of the Himalayas“
The heart is above all an organ of cognition.
We have not only the five outer, but also inner senses, of which the heart is
the most important. It sees, hears and feels – but not on the physical, but on
the subtle level.
He who said, “We see with the
eyes of the heart,” had in mind not a symbol but a physical law. (Heart
559)
Long ago We spoke about the
eyes of the heart. Indeed, man sees through them, and
hears with the ears of the heart. How could we exist without such senses?
(Supermundane 91)
For cooperation with Us, one
must learn to see with the eyes of the heart. The Thinker [Plato] used to
say, “Thank the Gods that I will never become blind, for as long as my heart
beats it will also see.” (Supermundane 307)
The heart senses what the eye
does not see, what the ear does not hear and what the intellect does not grasp.
The eye did not perceive, the
ear did not hear, but the heart knew that something had taken place.
(Supermundane 703)
One can always recall the
significance of the heart, which for so long has been obscured by the brain.
The heart will be the first to thrill, the heart will be the first to quiver,
the heart will discern a great deal before the reasoning of the brain dares to
begin thinking. (Heart 353)
Not even reading Holy Scriptures or
instructions of wise teachers will lead to true realisation if your heart is
not involved.
How are We to explain, when
the heart is silent? (Heart 31)
Reading without the
participation of the heart, even memorizing, helps but little. One can even
compile a table showing how much the participation of the heart evokes true
understanding. Let this not be understood as an abstraction. By its quality the
pulse indicates how much heart participation assists the perception. (Fiery
World II, 248)
Higher knowledge must be cultivated following
the example of the mother of Jesus:
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2, 19)
If you do not make use of the possibilities of
cognition with the heart, you are limiting and hindering yourself!
That would be just as stupid
as voluntarily limping on one leg only, even though you have two at your
disposal!
1.
Realisation of the non-material Reality
The whole of reality consists of material and
spiritual aspects.
The greatest obstacle to
humanity’s spiritual progress is our limited world view.
Today’s man is a know-it-all who relies solely
on his brains and denies everything he cannot see or grasp with his hands.
The ignorant show prejudice
against everything not perceptible to their coarse senses. Man must realize and
feel all the subtle sensations. (Hierarchy 425)
It is difficult for humanity
to accept that which is unapparent to a crude sight. When the time will come
for affirming the fact that heart-knowledge has more power than the eye, then
will the consciousness, the intuition, and the subtlety of the human spirit be
aroused. (Infinity I, 60)
Let me add a short explanation regarding the
word “heart-knowledge” we heard in this paragraph: This is one of the most
important concepts of Agni Yoga, so it is vital to understand it as correctly
as possible. The original Russian word is
Чувствознание, a most unusual
combination of the words “чувство“ = “feeling” and “знание“ = “knowledge”
In the English Agni Yoga books, it is usually
translated as “straight-knowledge”. This, however, does not convey the
essential message of the Russian word, which suggests that knowledge is being
gained not by the intellect but by the feeling or the sensitivity of the heart.
Therefore, we are using in all our Videos the expression “heart-knowledge”. Please bear this background in mind
whenever this term is being used.
*****
A remark of former German Chancellor Helmut
Schmidt succinctly expresses the narrow-minded attitude of intellectuals:
„Those who have visions should
see a doctor.“
This is outdated and completely erroneous. The
more subtle among you are beginning to understand: We must act wrongly, we
cannot make any progress at all if we exclude half, indeed even the more
important part of reality! It is a scientific fact that can no longer be
denied:
Reality continues beyond the
gross material realm into the 4th, the subtle dimension.
„Can you explain that more vividly?“
Yes. For example, the light
waves emitted by the sun are only partially visible. The
majority of them, the infrared and ultraviolet light, are invisible, but
nevertheless they undoubtedly exist.
Likewise, man is partially
invisible: Our subtle being, the aura that surrounds the physical body, is a
reality that can only be recognised by the spiritual senses and not be grasped
with the hands. (Nicholas Roerich „Fiat Rex“)
Therefore, there is subtle matter which is not
physically visible and cannot be touched. To it applies:
It can be unalterably sensed, but cannot be calculated by physical measurements.
(Fiery World I, 637)
1st Guiding
Thought:
We can recognise the Higher
Reality
only with the help of our
inner senses
The heart senses
and reflects invisible processes to such a degree that one could use it as the
basis for writing an entire history of the Invisible. (Heart 356)
Urusvati knows what
it means to see with the eyes of the heart. Despite misleading outer
impressions, man can glimpse sparks of reality. He can oppose the suggestion of
maya with the knowledge that dwells in his heart. (Supermundane 307)
This inner perception is much finer and grasps
much more of the boundless reality than the five coarse outer senses.
People are not used to paying attention to the sensations of the heart,
but it will resonate to absolutely anything. (Heart
429)
Urusvati takes to
heart all that happens in the world. (Supermundane 40)
2.
Realisation of the Essential
Unbelievable as it sounds, it is true
nevertheless:
Guiding Thought:
The essential,
that which really counts in
your life,
can only be recognised with
the heart
One of the greatest pieces of wisdom man has
ever discovered is this:
One sees clearly only with the
heart; the essential is invisible to the eyes. (St Exupéry)
There is an eye of the soul.
With it alone one can see the truth. (Plato)
Agni Yoga teaches the same:
Visibility alone means little.
One must perceive through the heart the essence of what is taking place. (Fiery
World II, 277)
Only the language of the heart
can convey the essence of existence. (Heart 228)
„What does Agni Yoga mean by that?“
Well, ask yourself:
„What is really important for
my life to succeed?“
You will arrive at the answer: Only the
invisible and intangible facts!
„Which ones do you have in mind?“
Above all, love: You can only feel it in your
heart, but it is impossible to prove it with the means of classical science. As
Jörg Zink so aptly says:
If a man brings his wife
flowers? What does that prove? That he loves her or that he wants to soothe his
guilty conscience? If his wife does not believe his
love, the flowers she sees will not help. And a man cannot see what a woman
really thinks and feels. He believes her that she loves him. It could be that
she is only being good to him because she wants to be provided for. By
believing each other, they belong together. There is no such thing as „proof of
love“. There is only trust in the love of the other
and in his word. (Spitzweg „The
eternal Wedding Man”)
Here are further examples of the essential
things without the knowledge of which your life is dreary: The realisation of
the eternal Laws of Cosmos such as karma and reincarnation; the certainty that
your life and suffering on earth have a meaning; the assessment of people and
situations: Is someone honest or is he lying to you, can you trust him or is he
trying to take advantage of you?
There are a few seekers of
truth who even in their earthly state can penetrate to the real essence of
things. (Supermundane 307)
The childlike basic trust in the beauty and
justice of the world order, the belief in Higher Powers by which we are so
wonderfully protected (Bonhoeffer), lives in the heart. If it is petrified and
dead, you will not be able to find support and orientation anywhere else.
To know that we are under
cosmical protection is in itself glorious and
comforting. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “Venus and Mars”)
You must not only discover the meaning of human
existence in general, but also the mission of your life in particular, your
personal task in this incarnation.
Your brain will tell you
whether you are working successfully when it analyses the balance sheet of your
business. But only your heart can find out whether your work has a value, a
deeper meaning. If you cannot feel that, you are a
poor man regardless of all your profits.
You must be able to find the right solution to
the many challenges life presents you with every day. For this, reason alone is
not enough, as we will discuss in a moment.
All the complex problems of
Cosmos can be solved by the heart. (Infinity II, 441 [41])
*****
One can only pity those people who proudly call
themselves agnostics and claim that no knowledge is possible beyond that which
is visible and tangible. They will never find their way in life and take one
wrong track after another because they always miss exactly that which is really essential.
There is a saying that I hear again and again, especially from adults. They say it proudly
and haughtily, not realising how stupid it is: „I only believe what I see.“ No one would say that if he had thought about it. He
would realise that not just religion, but our whole life is about believing. (Jörg Zink) (Caravaggio „Doubting Thomas“)
Worst of all are those people
who cannot believe and know not the power of trust—they are passing shadows!
(Agni Yoga 140)
Have you not already noticed many examples of
how intellectuals with a well-trained mind fail because they are lacking
heart-knowledge and therefore cannot find a solution to their life’s problems?
They seek expensive advice from psychotherapists and other fortune-tellers,
who, however, do not know any better either. Whilst they display a pronounced
intellectual arrogance, they are in fact helpless and unfit for life.
Sound judgment is far more
than mere intellectual cleverness; it is nothing other than heart-knowledge.
„Why are we coping so poorly
with the conditions of today’s world, both in the private and in the public
sphere?”
Because this common sense, which goes far
beyond reason, is often, unfortunately even predominantly, missing.
3. Heart
and Brain
You can think with your mind or with your
heart.
„May I interrupt you? The
heart can think?“
Yes! The Teaching sometimes uses the term „heart“ as a synonym for the Eternal Indivi-duality,
which is a high being of its own. It is unthinkable that it cannot think.
Your immortal soul, which expresses itself
through the heart, thinks completely differently and wants completely different
things than your perishable personality, which is controlled by the brain.
A person can think with the
heart or think with the brain. There was perhaps a time when people forgot
about the work of the heart, but now is the era of the heart, and we must focus
our efforts in that direction. Thus, without freeing
the brain of its work, we are ready to recognize the heart as a moving power.
(Heart 277)
Thought has its origin in the heart, and is then conveyed to the brain. (Supermundane
689)
The home of the consciousness
is the heart. (Heart 358)
Instead of using both organs, today’s man
follows only the intellect and rejects the knowledge of the heart.
The conflict between heart and
reasoning is the saddest page in human history. (Heart 486)
Man is in
need of equilibrium of mind and heart. (Fiery World II, 133)
It is impossible to build up
the brain unless there is refinement of the heart. (Heart 358)
Guiding Thought:
The mind can gather facts,
but it is unable to evaluate
them
In order to come to a decision
about which solution or which path is the better one, you need to weigh the
vast amount of applicable facts: Which are relevant,
which are irrelevant, which are crucial, decisive and which are merely
secondary? Only the heart can make this evaluation.
Reason gathers detailed
evidence, but the purpose of these heaped-up piles remains unclear, for the
heart is silent. (Heart 23)
Prejudice is the progeny of
reasoning, whereas knowledge through feeling dwells in the heart. (Heart
472)
We must supplement the insight of the intellect
with that of the heart.
The heart is higher and must
therefore guide the brain.
Reason is the guide of
misunderstanding. Rational thinking is being condemned, but irrational actions
have also been condemned. This means that there is some force that should
supplement the action of the reason. The heart must be the supreme judge. (Brotherhood
385)
The reasoning mind must not be
allowed into the domain where the heart should reign. The reasoning mind can
always validate self-interest, but the heart will recognize untruth.
(Supermundane 719)
Wisdom does not come from the
intellect, but from the heart.
Let no one think that without
the energies of the heart he can comprehend help, cooperation, and Hierarchy.
Neither the mind nor intellectual erudition will enlighten where only the
tension of the heart can kindle the rainbow of complete comprehension. (Hierarchy
436)
Truth is in the heart,
knowledge is in the heart, enlightenment is in the heart. It is said that the
Yoga of Love is the shortest path. Truly, it can be called the Yoga of the
Heart. (Supermundane 689)
We contrast the dead knowledge of the head with
the living wisdom of the soul.
The heart is a sage; the heart
is a prophet; the heart is a supermundane messenger. (Supermundane 819)
Only the heart, not the intellect, warns of
errors, deviations and dangers.
Ask an intelligent person what
has most often warned him of danger and protected him from making mistakes or
deviating. An honest person will say the heart, not the brain or intellect.
(Heart 334)
„Why is there such an
unprecedented confusion of concepts and terms today? Why is there no
orientation, no clear yardstick?“
Because people only use the brain and the
natural, childlike, pure heart-knowledge is lost. Everywhere, in both the
private and the public sphere, there are more and more
cases in which the intellect, not guided by a sensitive heart, leads to
completely absurd views, results and behaviour.
In Germany, society feels it is no longer in a position to determine who is a woman and
who a man. So a new law says: Every citizen may
determine their own gender as they wish. They can also change it again after a
year – and that as often as they like. Someone who fathered a child yesterday
or will do so tomorrow can pretend to be a woman and have this status legally
registered. And someone who is pregnant and will soon give birth to a child
must be regarded and treated as a man. An aberration that can hardly be
surpassed in absurdity!
Guiding Thought:
The mind can err,
the realisation of the heart
is infallible
The eyes and ears can be
deceived, but nothing can delude the heart. I see with the heart, I hear with
the heart, and nothing impure will touch the heart, for the sword entrusted to
me is kept sharp. (Agni Yoga 520)
The brain makes mistakes, the
heart never. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “Supply and Demand”)
We do not want to establish a
new dogma of infallibility, which the popes claim for themselves. But if you
purify your heart and listen to its inspirations, you will come closer to this
high ideal in a natural way. (Pope Pius XII)
4.
Synthesis of Science and Religion
Because the whole of reality consists of
material and spiritual aspects, we need both science and religion in order to grasp it completely and accurately. Those who
use only one of the two remain blind to the other part of reality.
Science will be made religious
and religion scientific. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. III, Lesson “Mental Italicizing”)
Science without religion is
lame, religion without science is blind. (Einstein)
Agni Yoga teaches the
synthesis of science and religion.
In practical terms, this means that we must
supplement the classical natural sciences, which are based exclusively on
intellectual research, with the insight of the heart. The scientists of the
future will consult their inner senses in addition to their mind.
The Thinker pointed out many
times that the mind should be combined with the heart. Someone who gathers
knowledge cannot be heartless. If a scientist is cruel, it means that he is far
from Truth. (Supermundane 235)
It is impossible to imagine a
chemical laboratory in which the heart has no role. (Heart 372)
This is especially true for the realisation of
the World Beyond. Agni Yoga makes an almost revolutionary suggestion: Let us
investigate scientifically the conditions that prevail and the Higher Beings
who live there!
We want the Supermundane to be
cognized in a scientific way, through observation and research. (Supermundane
592)
Let priests become more
scientific, and scientists more spiritual. (Fiery World I, 325)
This, however, is possible only with a Higher
Science which also uses heart-knowledge.
The spirit apprehends in the
heart the manifestations of the Invisible World. (Fiery World III, 109)
All cognitions of the
Supermundane are formed in the heart. (Supermundane 689)
Agni Yoga calls this skill of the future the
„Divine Science“.
The Thinker said, “I do not
know what the Divine Science will be called in the future, but it will exist.
The Supermundane will become visible and earthly life will become
Supermundane.” (Supermundane 591)
The time will come, indeed,
has already come, when cognition of the Supermundane will be a very real
science. (Supermundane 707)
The emphasis is on „supplementation“:
Higher knowledge is not folly. It must not contradict reason! Intellectual
cognition remains the basis. Heart-knowledge takes it further. Just as the
theory of relativity is built on classical mathematics and physics and extends
their concepts. We have already talked about this in detail in the Video
„Expansion of Consciousness“.
5. The
Ability to distinguish
The capability for distinction is one of the
most important qualities a spiritual disciple must develop. Unfortunately, it
is very rare.
The so-called gift of
discrimination is no gift at all but the result of labour and experience. You
may be sure that a person who lacks discrimination led a crude existence, which
he made no attempt to leave behind, and thus deprived himself of the benefit of
perceiving through the heart. (Heart 579)
Anyone who allows himself to be led astray, to
be deceived by seducers, and joins in unethical deeds, whether these are
environmental pollution or exploitation, pogroms against Jews or wars of
aggression, is not a true Agni Yogi, no matter how hard he may study the
Scriptures and practise meditation.
The ability to discern the
real state of things and to see the true colours of people is the first
requirement and condition on the path of true discipleship. Without the
acquiring of this faculty there can be no spiritual advancement or approach
toward the Teacher. Can a disciple be trusted if he knows not how to tell truth
from falsehood, light from darkness, friend from betrayer? The whole
construction would be ruined by such ignorance. Certainly, heart-knowledge is
most helpful in discrimination. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter dated
20.12.1934, letter dated 16.01.1935, and oral tradition)
You must be able to
distinguish between what is right and what is wrong.
Otherwise you are lost! The
intellect cannot make such a distinction.
It is like a lawyer who can
take on any case because he is able to find a multitude of arguments for both
sides, offender and victim. (Daumier „The Men of
Justice”)
That is not a bad quality! In any given
situation, you must be able to discover the pros and cons, the two sides of a
coin. But that should not prevent you from weighing the rational reasons and
arriving at a judgement about true and untrue; only the common sense of the
heart is capable of this.
Where the cognition of the
heart is aglow, there will be discrimination. (Fiery World III, 102)
In one of the debating
societies at my University, someone once asked the
question: „Who is greater, Stalin or Jesus?“
Intellectuals can discuss this topic for nights on end without ever coming to a conclusion. For a sensitive heart, however,
there can be no doubt about the right answer. (Stalin.
Rembrandt „Jesus“)
Examples
of Discernment
Nicholas
Roerich „Holy Himalayas“
We shall now be talking about a multitude of cases
that require the discernment of your heart several times a day in normal
earthly life:
You must be able to recognise what is great and
what is small;
The ability to discriminate
between the great and the small is forged in the fire of the heart. (Fiery
World I, 509)
Not a hero is he who does not
distinguish between the great and the small. Not a hero is he who has lost the
measuring rod of the heart. (Fiery World II, 105)
what is important and significant and what
secondary and negligible;
The heart will show where the
tortuous line runs between the essential and the conditional. (Heart 433)
A person who does not
distinguish the small from the large, the insignificant from the great, cannot
be spiritually developed. (Community 67)
and above all what is good and what is evil.
Only thereby does man rise above the animal.
Good and evil are tested by
the heart. Thus it is possible to bring to the Highest
an unshakable affirmation. One may recognize all relative imperfections,
yet be able nonetheless to affirm without the slightest doubt where the Good lies. (AUM 48)
It is one of the worst
spiritual diseases of our time that many a one doubts whether evil even exists!
The devil’s greatest trick is
to convince us that he does not exist. (Charles Baudelaire)
The mind cannot sufficiently
well discern evil. A great many reasonings may be found in which a viper is
concealed. But the heart feeling of repulsion to evil does not err. The nerve
centres revolt against contact with the dark principle. It is impossible not to
notice this heart sign, and then is created the
resistance to evil. Though the eye does not yet see, nor the ear hear, the
heart has already sensed and goes into battle, for evil is not endurable for a
pure heart. Evil can adorn itself with many garments, but no mask will deceive a vigilant heart. So let us study the qualities
needed for the Fiery World. (Fiery World II, 144)
Further
Examples of Discernment
You must be able to discern the
winding boundary line between black and white, between light and darkness.
People should understand how
the borderline between Light and darkness runs. True, it is a tortuous line,
but by following the heart one can unerringly discern the adherents of
darkness. (Heart 403)
Enough is known about the
existence of the Brotherhood of Good and the Brotherhood of Evil. It is
likewise well known that the latter strives to imitate the former in the means
and methods of action. The ignorant inquire, “Is it possible for man to distinguish,
in the approach, this or that Brother?” If the appearance and words be
identical, then it is not difficult to fall into error and to accept advices which lead to evil. Thus
will reason the man who does not know that the means of discrimination are contained
in the heart. (Brotherhood 28)
What is really selfless
and what, as the saying goes, egotistic „at the bottom of the heart“ – in your fellow men, but also in your own actions?
What is the judge of true
selflessness? Of course, it is none other than the heart. And not just any
heart, but precisely the heart that is facing Infinity. (Heart 190)
You must be able to distinguish between truth
and lies.
Your heart whispers to you
wherein lies the truth. (Infinity I, 49)
Truth is revealed only to an
open heart. (Fiery World III, 125)
When people are taken in by
the big lies of seducers like Hitler, Goebbels and others, they prepare their
own downfall. (Joseph Goebbels, Sportpalast
Speech)
The conventional view that there are as many
truths as there are people is a terrible aberration: Only on the material level
everything is relative, because it is in a state of constant change, movement
and evolution. The spiritual foundations, on the other hand – truth, justice,
beauty and love – are immutable.
Guiding Thought:
There is only one truth,
everything else is untrue
The true and the false are diametrically
opposed to each other, and all the energy of all the vast spaces of the
universe cannot draw them together. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 105
“My Brother’s Keeper”)
The broader your consciousness, the finer your
heart, the closer you will come to recognising the one truth.
Truth is one, but each
century, and even each decade, contacts it in its own way. (Brotherhood
188)
You have to
find out what is reality and what is illusion.
One should look upon earthly
things through the fire of the heart; only such inspection can foil the snares
of Maya. (Fiery World II, 460)
Particularly important is the differentiation
between just and unjust.
Man should understand where
injustice begins. Not by words is it defined, but by the heart. (AUM 330)
The widespread view: „Justice is relative,
every man has his own concept of justice, so there are as many justices as
there are people“, is a misconception: you have to recognise clearly:
There is only one justice,
everything else is unjust.
Hypocrites will contend that
injustice is a relative concept. Answer firmly that in every instance injustice
is clearly evident, and a person with a sensitive
heart can discern clearly the borderline of injustice. (Supermundane 601)
The lack of spirituality of
the times is proven by the fact that today’s courts no longer even ask about
justice or injustice. Instead, they weigh interests and shy away from making a
clear distinction between good and evil, right and wrong, truth and lies. They
decide on the basis of intellectual, legal
hair-splitting. They are neither trained nor able to come to an accurate
judgement on this existential question with the help of their hearts. (Daumier „The Men of Justice”)
Let your heart be the ultimate
judge. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 13 [15])
You must be able to distinguish between a right
and a wrong action. By making wrong decisions, you ruin your life, that of your
fellow men and, depending on the extent of your responsibility, the fate of
entire nations.
How many parents fail in the
education of their children because they do not know when love and when
strictness is appropriate and how to combine the two.
It is needful on the one hand
to cultivate kindheartedness and on the other to
understand severity. For many, such a task is completely insoluble; only the
heart can tell when the two qualities will not contradict each other. The heart
will advise when it is necessary to rush to the help of one’s neighbour. The
heart will indicate when to stop short the madness of a fierce animal.
It is impossible to express in
a word of law just when the necessity of this or that action arises. Unwritten
are the laws of the heart, but only therein does justice dwell, for the heart
is the bridge of the worlds. Where are the scales of self-abnegation? Where is
the judge of heroic deed? Where is the measure of duty? The sword of ability
flashes at the command of the heart. (Brotherhood 121)
You must be able to perceive in every situation
where is the right and where the wrong track.
There are many paths but the heart recognizes the surest one. (Leaves of
Morya’s Garden I, 188 [214])
A refined heart whispers how
one can come to understand a complex current of conditions. (Heart 573)
Those who, like the dinosaurs,
do not adapt to evolution, will be eliminated from further development.
He who tries to swim against
the current will perish.
There is only one direction of
evolution. You have to feel it with the heart. All
others are wrong.
One should first establish the
direction of evolution. There cannot be two directions of progress. There can
be but one true direction, and all other efforts will be errant. The ability to
discern the true direction is a great and fiery quality. (FW I, 396, 397)
You must recognise whether a moment is
favourable for your plans (called “Kairos” in philosophy) or whether the time
is not yet ripe. If you are mistaken, if you start a good project at the wrong
time or in the wrong place, all your efforts will be misdirected and in vain.
The man who knows that it is
wiser for him to apply his strength not today but tomorrow will only be one who
discriminates the useful path. He is not a sufferer, but one who understands
utility. (AUM 345)
O Lord, grant me the strength
to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
and the wisdom to distinguish between the two. (St. Francis of Assisi) (Ribera
“St. Francis of Assisi”)
Finally, modern man is not even able to discern
what beauty is. The formula „There is no accounting for taste“
has led to unprecedented confusion:
Today’s cultural scene reveals
its lack of education by its willingness to accept even the most abstruse and
unworthy botched fabrications as works of art – with the result that a normal,
uneducated person like a cleaning lady no longer knows: Is this art or may I
throw it in the rubbish bin? (Beuys „Bathtub“, „Fat Corner“, „Chair with
Fat“)
There is only one beauty,
everything else is ugly.
In your heart you feel very precisely what is
uplifting creation, i.e. beautiful, and what is depressing chaos, i.e. ugly.
6.
Assessing People
Pavel
Filin „The Hypocrite“
Above all, you must be able to assess a fellow
man: Can you trust him? Is he telling the truth or is he lying to you? Is he a
friend who has your well-being in mind or an enemy who is pursuing his own
selfish ends to your detriment?
Guiding Thought:
The greatest suffering and
unhappiness arises
from our deceiving ourselves
in other people!
Many faces are revealed to us;
therefore, to know how to discriminate among them is the most important thing.
For those who have chosen the path of Great Service for humanity, the ability
to make a distinction between people is a touchstone. Thus, at a certain stage
of spiritual development we are able to see occultly
the sculpture of the spirit of those who surround and approach us. (Helena
Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter dated 20.12.1934)
Many women torment themselves with the
question:
„Does he still love me? Is he
faithful to me? Is he really on a business trip, as he pretends, or is he
spending the weekend with his pretty secretary?“
With such a problem, do not turn to a charlatan
who tells your fortune from the cards. Trust your heart! It alone can answer
this existential question correctly.
A judge must be able to
recognise whether a witness tells the truth or lies. How can he achieve this if
he does not know how to look the person interviewed in the eye and use his heart-knowledge
to form a picture of his credibility? (Daumier
„The Men of Justice”)
In order to arrive at an
accurate judgement, you must not assess other people by their appearance or by
their flattering or hypocritical words.
Discrimination is one of the
most pronounced fiery qualities. It is not heart-knowledge, but a glimmer, as
it were, of the language of the Fiery World. Truly, a man with open centres
does not judge by words; he understands all the inner meaning of speech. (Fiery
World I, 660)
Man is beginning to know the
purpose of words. The external expression is not important to the sensitive
observer. Sometimes the speaker himself finds it difficult to determine the
primary reason for his own words. But a fiery heart knows how the spoken formula
was born. No grimace or gestures will lead the third eye into error. Such
heart-knowledge is not obtained easily. (Fiery World I, 535)
Look behind the mask!
Learn to see through appearances and grasp the
true nature, the real motives of your counterpart!
Besides the heart,
who or what can justify or censure a person’s intentions? (Heart 211)
Verily, only the
heart is able to penetrate into
all actions, into all motives, into all entities, manifesting discernment. For
penetration into the Fiery World, it is especially necessary to discriminate
with the heart. Only that source which strives toward the bases of Truth can
provide a concept of the true structure of Cosmos. Only that source can offer a
true measure of the judgments. (Fiery World III, 101)
The best way to judge a fellow man is to read
his aura – not with the help of apparatuses, but with the sensitivity of your
heart.
When we come to speak about
the fiery heart, the recognition of radiations comes about naturally. Therefore, when
I speak about future photographing of the auras, it must not be forgotten that
fiery heart-knowledge will also be needed for this. (Fiery World II, 277)
Discerning a good or evil intention in the aura
is a preliminary stage of the higher skill of thought reading. In the Subtle
Sphere no one can hide his nature and his intentions, they can be read there
from the radiation as from an open book.
In the Subtle World every
intention is accompanied by an obvious radiation. (Fiery World II, 20)
One needs to clearly visualize
the ceaseless radiation of the heart. Neither the smile nor the forced grin of
evil can conceal what the heart is radiating. (Heart 64)
Make sure you realise:
The aura, this reality of the
4th dimension, does not only exist after death or in some obscure World Beyond,
but already now, here in physical life on earth! Only the limitations and
coarseness of your spiritual senses prevent you from perceiving it!
You can expand your possibilities immeasurably
and increase your worldly success infinitely if you learn to grasp this subtle
reality with the sensitivity of your heart!
A human being cannot conceal
his inner intentions. With the education of the heart, one can obtain a solid
understanding of human intentions. (Heart 551)
The best way to capture the aura is on the basis of the first, immediate impression!
It is essential to pay close
attention to one’s very first impression of people, for it is then that the
heart is able to convey its sign. (Heart 303)
People are too easily
influenced by superficial impressions. They tend to forget their first, direct
impression, and are too readily influenced by the second, which in its
superficiality is more conventional. Also, judgments are too often formed under
the influence of the words of others, and it thus becomes impossible to return
to one’s first, immediate impression. (Supermundane 418)
*****
Another way to recognise the essence of a
person is:
Look your counterpart in the
eye, in the mirror of his soul!
Get used to catching the fire
of spirit in the eyes. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 272)
What is to be seen there, you also can find out
with your heart alone.
We determine the essence of a
person through the pupil of his eye. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 324
[328])
The heart has been neglected
and not applied to life. When you hire servants, you either test them by
designating a task, or you trust them after looking into their eyes. Thus, too,
the heart can flash out convincingly in a glance. (Fiery World II, 142)
*****
It is particularly important
that you are able to distinguish between a true
spiritual teacher and an impostor. (Doré „Jesus
Leaves the Praetorium“. Bhagvan)
There are lots of people who claim to bring
through (or as it is called nowadays, to channel) messages from an Archangel or
a Mahatma. There are those who deny that Mrs Blavatsky and Mrs Roerich speak in
the name of the Brotherhood. Some people consider for example Alice Bailey,
Rudolf Steiner, Bhagvan or Krishnamurti to be demigods, others demonise them.
If you cannot distinguish a
Mahatma and his pure, high message from a false prophet and his frauds, you are
lost! (Mahatma Kuthumi; Bernhard Kretzschmar „The
False Prophet“)
How will you find your way in this confusion?
Will it not be ruinous for you if an ignorant guru leads you astray and directs
you into the abyss? How will you recognise who is at the top and who at the
bottom of the ladder of Hierarchy, who proclaims the truth and who tells lies?
There is only one way:
The pure feeling of your
heart!
However, only a highly sensitive heart that has
been educated in countless incarnations will help you. Many people allow
themselves to be deceived because their heart-knowledge is still
underdeveloped.
*****
Finally, only the heart can
realise that Agni Yoga is high above all human wisdom; that it is the Holy
Scripture for the next 2000 years; that its authors, the Mahatmas of the
Brotherhood of Shambhala, are a reality and destined to be the great brothers,
helpers and guides of mankind.
The intellect is unable to discern the huge
difference between this epoch-making work and the inventions of lesser spirits
which flood the book market under the guise of exalted, but stolen names. The
many esoterics who do not sense this wisdom have not
yet sufficiently cultivated their hearts.
7.
Heart-knowledge
You know much more than you think!
Guiding Thought:
With the help of your heart,
you are
able to draw knowledge
from within yourself!
It may be observed that we
know far more than we imagine. The process of acquiring direct knowledge from
the depths of the consciousness will be aided by psychic energy. (AUM 392)
Knowledge exists in your
spirit, in your heart. Be able to awaken it! (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I,
letter dated 07.10.1930)
Agni Yoga calls this straight insight of the
heart “heart-knowledge”.
The heart is
permeated with straight-knowledge. (Heart 334)
Out of the heart-knowledge,
foretold so long ago, will burst forth the fire of intensified psychic energy.
What can be concealed from it? (Agni Yoga 512)
Exercise: Awaken the inner Child!
Unleash this higher knowledge
by learning and practising to trust your healthy, natural feeling!
Reawaken the inner
child that lies buried deep within you! (John
Singer Sargent „Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose“)
A pure childlike
feeling is never wrong!
It may often be
noticed that a child understands the hidden meaning of an occurrence better
than an adult. Only according to inner feeling can we approach a just
evaluation. (Hierarchy 308)
A broadened
consciousness can never be deceived by the feeling of authenticity. A child
senses unerringly the steps of its father and mother. How much more deeply does
the heart feel the sendings of the Teacher. The
ignorant say that there could be a mistake, because someone could imitate the
voice of the Teacher. But a broadened consciousness cannot err, for
heart-knowledge cannot make mistakes. (Supermundane 54)
*****
Man must think
sensibly about all that occurs, utilizing the heart-knowledge that is given to
him. It safeguards him against errors and protects him from the viper of doubt.
(Supermundane 761)
„I don’t understand
that. That’s impossible! Are we back to the miracle of infallibility after all?“
Nearly; the explanation
is:
Heart-knowledge
looks through the outer shell and penetrates to the essence of a person or
situation.
One must develop
the ability to understand an alien mood. This is not thought-reading, but
heart-knowledge of the nature of a neighbour. Many stand
upon the threshold of such heart-knowledge, but are
prevented from understanding their surroundings by a spasm of selfishness.
(Fiery World I, 299)
You sense how an (everyday or historical) situation has formed and in which
direction it should resolve according to the Higher Will, the course of
evolution.
Heart-knowledge
concerns cosmic truth. (Heart 472)
Deception, Maja, is possible
on the material level. In the spiritual spheres, in the Higher World in which
your soul lives, the truth is clearly recognisable to every pure heart.
Standing on the
peaks where one may look down and understand, the Word thunders its truth to
the inner self – inner senses; in the valleys however are but the whisperings
of this truth, not easily heard, and most easily misunderstood – yet the basic
truth of the Word is as always attainable to those who will listen unselfishly
and aspire – and search. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “Truth and
Authority”)
*****
Heart-knowledge is not a vague
inkling. You can and must develop it consciously and purposefully if you want
to progress on the Spiritual Path to mastery. This is the natural way to higher
insight and ultimately to infallibility.
Heart-knowledge can
be developed. (Supermundane 761)
Heart-knowledge
manifests itself not as some sort of vague intuition but as the result of
spiritual discipline joined to an understanding of the significance of the
heart. (Heart 334)
The spiritual level of a
person is indicated by the degree which his heart-knowledge has reached.
Spiritual
achievement lies in the accumulation and development of heart-knowledge.
(Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter dated 08.09.1934)
Soon people will be
divided according to the quality of their heart-knowledge. (Agni Yoga 282)
Example: Applied Kinesiology
There is a
procedure called applied kinesiology, in which the usefulness or harmfulness of
substances, for example of food or of medications, is indicated by muscle
testing, namely raising or lowering the arm.
Many people explain this by
the cognition of the body and use the ugly word „gut feeling“.
In truth, here is expressed the wisdom of the soul, heart-knowledge.
It is natural that
psychic energy should indicate good signs on substances useful to people. One
need not be astonished at the coincidence of good signs with personal feelings.
Our sensations ought to coincide with correct appreciations. If some substance
is not readily acceptable to man, it usually proves to be harmful. The reason
is not in autosuggestion but in direct heart-knowledge. (AUM 392)
8. Intuition, Inspiration
Nicholas Roerich „Northern Midnight“
While you draw heart-knowledge
from within you, realisation through intuition comes from above. An inspiration
takes place; as the word itself makes clear, something is transmitted from
outside.
„Isn’t that all
hocus-pocus? Or at least not provable?“
No, not at all! Intuition and
inspiration have a scientific basis:
Thoughts, ideas and
ideals – issuing not only from human beings, but also from far higher creatures
– are saturating space. A sensitive heart can receive them.
Intuition is soul
knowledge. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 20 “The Control of Life
Forces”)
What an opportunity! The
Higher World is constantly sending out sensations, inspirations,
communications, rays, streams, energies, transmissions, messages, advice – you
just have to sense them!
Guiding Thought:
There is a constant
outpouring
of streams of enlightenment
from the Spiritual World –
we humans only have to receive them!
Beating, ever
beating, the rain of spiritual forces and influences ever fall on humanity,
refreshing, quickening and awakening the human more and more
to his interdependent greatness, spiritually and morally, with all that is.
(Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “Truth and Authority”)
There may also be
cases of fiery illumination. The Fiery World brings us flashes of illumination,
similar to lightning flashes in the coarse
manifestation of a thunderstorm. Just as thunderstorms always supply Earth with
a purified store of prana, so does the Fiery World constantly pour out waves of
influences. It is a pity that the receivers are few, but if one were to begin
to exercise the consciousness for communion with the Fiery World, then such a
receiver could become naturally affirmed. (Fiery World I, 103)
„How can I become
such a receiver?“
Purify your heart! Free it
from the limitations set by material things, by selfishness and by the noise
and excitement of the world. Put your being into a Fiery State of high
vibration so that it remains in the perfect peace of your personal Nirvana.
Very few grasp that
many conditions are necessary for illumination to occur. First
of all, tranquillity of the heart is needed, but this is not an easy
state to achieve. Only the heart can sense the sacred stillness and in this
striving true heart-knowledge is developed. (Supermundane 865)
Sharpen your inner
senses, your spiritual ear! Refine your heart! Then it will be ready to receive
spatial thoughts.
Just
imagine how many unapplied thoughts are flying in the higher layers of space!
Try to seize them by refining your receptivity. That is what we call cosmic
cooperation, but first you must kindle your inner fires. (Helena Roerich
Letters Vol. I, letter dated 03.12.1930)
The
Thinker taught, “Supermundane worlds send us the subtlest sensations; let us
learn to be receptive to them.” (Supermundane 573)
Open your heart to
the influences from Higher Spheres! In concrete terms, such messages come
especially from your spiritual father, your teacher. So
turn to him first when seeking enlightenment.
The
human heart senses expansion, as if ready to receive something Great. Such
moments may lead to illumination, but one must learn to accept this current of
Beneficence. Forced measures are not needed. One has only to open one’s heart
and summon in thought the Great Teacher. (Supermundane 841)
Listen carefully!
What exactly is the content of the transmission? Is someone calling for help?
Or is someone giving you advice?
Even
when one is thinking clearly and in a focused way, unrelated thoughts can
unexpectedly intrude. Indeed, such phenomena are the best proof of spatial sendings. Messages received can be urgent and grand, or
they can be quite ordinary. Therefore, when spatial thoughts intrude, one must
be alert to them. It is possible that help is being requested, or that useful
advice is being sent; in this way a new supermundane cooperation can be
established. (Supermundane 691)
Surely you will not
be so stupid as to close your heart and reject these marvellous, useful, really helpful gifts from the Spiritual World!?
It would seem that man had
decided to dispense with the higher energies which have been placed so lavishly
at his disposal. (AUM 451)
*****
„Isn’t
intuition only for geniuses or otherwise clairvoyant people?“
No, this view is
outdated. Anyone who is blessed with a sensitive heart is
able to pick up messages from the Supermundane Spheres.
It
is necessary to confirm the fact that the concept of inspiration is inherent in
all people. Ordinarily it is attributed only to scholars, poets, musicians,
artists, but each one who is concerned about his own consciousness may receive
this higher gift. (AUM 451)
Just practise, make
it a habit to listen sensitively to the voices of space! Then, over time,
inspiration will turn from an exceptional phenomenon into a constant companion
who guides and directs you in everyday life.
To
people of exalted thinking, inspiration must not be an infrequent guest but the
very basis of their life. (AUM 451)
Everyday
illumination of the heart improves your earthly work and transfigures your
entire material life into a feast.
Developed
people can live a life filled with supermundane experiences without being
diverted from labour and creativity. The very highest quality will fill the
labours of such an enlightened great creator. A beautiful illumination descends
upon the heart, and man transforms his life into an unending heroic deed.
(Supermundane 865)
Examples of Inspiration
Let us look at some
examples of how to practically use the higher skill of intuition:
Intuition helps an
educated heart to cope with the difficulties of everyday life. Have you not you
already experienced how the solution to a problem has appeared unexpectedly and
seemingly by itself? Understand this literally:
The
solution reveals itself!
It suddenly appeared
before your inner eye. Where did this image come from? From Above, of course,
from a vision of the Spiritual World!
What
helps a yogi to find true reality and not sink into mirages of the imagination?
You already know what science calls intuition. Some scientists devote much
attention to intuition, and do not deny that man, when in a state of nervous
stimulation, can come to a correct decision. Now, let us imagine a yogi, who
has intensified his nervous sensitivity and raised his consciousness to reach
into the Supermundane World. He will not use fancies of the brain, but will
listen to the voice of his heart, the antenna that receives the waves of direct
communication. (Supermundane 912)
At crossroads, your
heart intuitively recognises where you should turn to and where you must not
go.
Fools
rush in where angels fear to tread. (Alexander Pope)
Have you not already
experienced how your further path has suddenly and unexpectedly revealed
itself?
Man
can sense when a path can lead him astray, and though he may not be able to
point to the cause of his feeling, his heart knows that something should be
avoided. Usually people will call such a feeling
intuition, and they will be right, but they have to
first admit in their consciousness the existence of intuition. (Supermundane
836)
*****
Artists
are being inspired.
All honest creators,
for example the great composers, have always admitted that their works do not
originate from themselves, but are based on inspiration from the Spiritual
Spheres.
One
is, so to speak, only an instrument on which the Universe plays. One does not compose, one is being composed. (Gustav Mahler) (Rodin „Gustav Mahler“)
One
must feel that all inspirations emanate from the Fiery World. Honest creators
and workers can bear witness that the best solutions come from without. Like a
powerful dynamo, the Fiery World emits a shower of the best formulas. (Fiery
World I, 604)
Scientists arrive
seemingly by chance at the same findings and inventions in different places on
earth at the same time.
Frequently,
identical attainments are simultaneously manifested in different countries.
Research workers, writers, artists, all of a sudden
take up the same task. Indeed, it may come from without, but it can also be
communicated from a distant co-worker. It can fly through space telepathically
and inspire him who is sufficiently attuned, therefore it is useful to jointly
carry on observations. Much escapes observation, because people cannot recall
the moment when something inspired them. (AUM 348)
Let
us not wonder that many thoughts are born simultaneously in different parts of
the world; these scientists do not know each other, they proceed by different ways, and are influenced by the restrictions of their particular national cultures; yet,
there is something common that inspires them to work for the good of humanity.
(Supermundane 727)
Guiding Thought:
The ideas are,
as is so beautifully and
aptly said,
in the air!
Inspiration
or illumination means that the fire of the heart comes into
contact with the Fire of Space. Only thus can be effected
the conception, or more correctly, the fertilisation of thought-creativeness.
(FW I, 91)
Of course, it is
vital that artists and researchers recognise the Supermundane World and its
inhabitants in the first place. If they fundamentally deny their existence, if
they repudiate the very possibility of receiving higher messages, they will not
get any either. Only those who are able to sensitively
feel the non-material reality will be granted intuitive cognition.
Is
it possible to discuss the meaning of inspiration without an understanding of
the Supermundane World? No one can acknowledge the cooperation of Higher Forces
when he denies their existence. The word “inspiration” is especially used by
artists and scientists. The reason for this is clear since these individuals
can more often receive influences from the Supermundane Spheres than ordinary
people. The influences could be strengthened if people accepted them
consciously, but regrettably the existence of the Supermundane World is
generally not acknowledged. (Supermundane 848)
In addition to music,
poetry and science, also philosophy, politics and religion can be stimulated by
inspirations from the Spiritual World and be directed to the right path of
progress.
To
the valleys of the masses, the cosmic sounds fall gently and persistently. Ever
and anon the inner ear or sight or feeling of someone in the valleys of life
catch the tinkle of sound, or sense a flash of light
or colour or cosmic feeling coming from celestial altitudes; and the world
knows a higher truth or larger concept of life in consequence. It may mean an
uplifting poem of truth, a more basic understanding of the philosophy of life,
a new scientific truth or invention that further unifies the races of the
earth, or a basic principle for action that will regenerate politics and help
to bring the world a step nearer true economic freedom in line with life's
fundamental purpose. It may crystalize on a high religious impulse, striking a
new keynote for bettering the world. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson
“Truth and Authority”)
To our surprise, we
find that not only artists, but also scientists and politicians must have, in
addition to their expert knowledge, a pure heart in order to
be able to lead us in the right direction, towards a better future.
*****
The Mahatmas send us
understanding, comfort, strength and help. Our Video „The Brotherhood of Shambhala“ describes how the Masters endeavour to support
and guide both individuals and humanity as a whole.
We are often the source
of messages, which We send out for the general good of humanity without knowing
who the recipients will be. The Thinker taught His disciples to pay attention
to short, swift thoughts. “The sparks of the Highest Intelligence pierce us
like lightning. Blessed is he who knows how to keep them in his heart”.
(Supermundane 250)
It is important to
realize that Our rays and currents are particularly helpful when they are
accepted consciously. We can testify that the benefit of Our influence is
increased a hundredfold if it is accepted through the heart. People complain
and languish because they do not grasp the reality of Our messages. You can
constantly hear about suffering and loneliness, but none of Our messages is
accepted or only arouses indecent judgment.
(Supermundane
124)
The thoughts of the
Great Teachers descend like a refreshing dew to those who can receive them.
(Supermundane 176)
Further Examples of Inspiration
There are even
calls from the Higher Spheres! You are being addressed personally!
It is possible for
each one to feel a touch or to turn to a call inaudible to others. Man can hear
radio waves without any apparatus, which means that other waves can also be
registered by the human receiver. (AUM 17)
When someone „hears voices“, this is not necessarily a pathological
hallucination, but often the result of a natural refinement of the perceptive
faculty of the heart.
People frequently
hear voices that seem to be calling to them. Sometimes such calls are so strong
that they force one to flinch and look around, though others present do not
hear them. Can one possibly doubt that such spatial sendings
do occur? (Brotherhood 186)
People frequently
fight off a thought imposing itself and then turn around with the question,
“Who was calling me?” Life is full of a multitude of subtle but entirely real
sensations. Given their physical reality, many of them could even be studied
with comparatively crude instruments. (Heart 480)
One cannot force
oneself to sense such calls of Space, they reach only open hearts. (AUM
160)
*****
There is not only a
lack of receivers, but above all a lack of realisers of the great spatial
thoughts, ideas and ideals!
However, they must not only be
absorbed, but also applied in practical, everyday life – because that is what
they were given for!
Each thought given
to humanity is for execution. Otherwise, why saturate space? The lack of
executors complicates the creation. Each thought which saturates the
consciousnesses must find executors. The great spirit is a creator
and each thought must enter into life. Vital action is
the application of the thoughts of the great creators. Thus, the step of
evolution is built by the thought of creators and its vital application.
(Infinity II, 776 [376])
9. Joy dwells in the Heart
We know:
Joy is a special
wisdom. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 159; Gem 156, 163; AY 185, 293, 404; Hier
96, 216, 343; AUM 113; Br II, 231)
If wisdom dwells in
the heart, then joy as well can only come from the heart.
Call to mind that
joy, warmth, and fire live in the heart. Be not averse to reminding about such
dwellers of the heart. After all, people do remember about the heart, and each
one loves the warmth which is called cordiality. (Fiery World III, 597)
The everyday enjoyment of
material things is part of the transitory personality. The joy of being about
the true existence (Supermundane 281) on the other hand, is a
characteristic of the Eternal Individuality. Watch again our Video „Joy is a
special Wisdom“.
Joy of being comes
through the heart. (Supermundane 281)
„Why is that so?“
Because only the heart, not
the intellect, grasps the beauty and justice of the Cosmic Order, the benefits
of obstacles and the blissful certainty that life offers you exactly that which
your soul needs to grow.
Read again the
beautiful fairy tale „The Cold Heart“ by Wilhelm
Hauff. It touchingly describes how someone with a dead, stony heart in his
chest loses all joy of being, how he can no longer laugh or cry, can no longer
feel love or beauty. All his wealth does not help him to live happily.
10. Pain of the Heart
Picasso “The weeping Woman”
However, having a sensitive
heart is not only an advantage. It also causes pain and suffering.
Where there is much
feeling, there is also much suffering. (Leonardo da Vinci) (Lattanzio Querena „Leonardo da
Vinci“)
Pain and suffering
are always unavoidable for a great intelligence and a deep heart. In my
opinion, the truly great people must feel great sorrow on earth. (Dostoyevsky) (Perov
„Dostoyevsky“)
A beautiful heart
will always suffer on Earth. (Supermundane 60)
„What does it
suffer from?“
From dealing with bad people.
It is necessary to
understand why the presence of evil hearts is so painful to good hearts. (Heart
64)
From the ignorance, indolence,
impudence, cruelty, selfishness and lovelessness that it encounters every day.
These really hurt – even if you are not personally affected at all.
We should not
suppose that the heart suffers only because of things that concern us
personally; naturally, it aches on account of the agitation worldwide. (Heart
19)
From the gulf between the
glory of the Heavenly Spheres and the terrible earthly conditions.
An uncorrupted
heart does not participate in, but suffers from the
depravity of the world. (Franz von Stuck „ Sin“)
I say “poor heart,” because in essence the heart already knows
the great fiery realms, but for the time being it must be dashed against the
rocks of the Earth. (Heart 313)
It is difficult for
a refined heart to exist in the lower strata. To a certain extent the heights
are helpful, but still the intervening breaks between the heart and its fiery
birthplace are too great. (Fiery World I, 32)
The Christian
symbol for this suffering is Maria Dolorosa, whose heart is pierced by seven
arrows or swords.
Often the mother’s
heart has been depicted as pierced by swords and arrows, a symbol of the
absorption into her heart of all the pains. (Heart 96)
Many arrows pierce
the heart, as shown on ancient images, and on the very same images we see the
flame of the heart. Could it be that without arrows the flame is impossible?
(Heart 28)
This, however, should not be the last word. In our
Video „Joy is a special Wisdom“, we have already
explained how you can turn suffering into joy.
Chapter
II: The Heart as an Organ of the Soul
The heart is the most important organ of your
Eternal Individuality.
It whispers to you the two most vital things of
all:
Firstly, the Will of God, the
Cosmic Laws, the direction of evolution.
In your heart, the Divine speaks to you.
The language of the heart is the breath of the
Supreme. (Heart 249)
All Higher Spheres are attained by the tension of the
heart. These heart energies are irreplaceable, truly the Higher Will is
reflected in them. (Fiery World III, 101)
So you deny
the most divine if you do not mind the advice given by the heart. (Goethe „The Natural
Daughter II 1“)
It would be a mistake to neglect the natural signs of
the heart. (Fiery World II, 307)
If you want to act meaningfully, you must know:
Where, in which direction does the Higher Will, the plan of evolution, point
you?
God’s will could not be recognised. How should kings
rule? (Jochen
Klepper „The Father“)
We can also call the language of the heart the
voice of the Guardian Angel, the Teacher or the Spiritual Guide.
There is an Angel in the heart of every human being.
Children of mine, listen to the voice of that Angel! (Teachings of the Temple
Vol. I, Lesson “The World’s Travail”)
Secondly, the heart lets you
recognise the will of your own Higher Self.
In your heart the Eternal of your being
speaks to you.
Whoever succeeds in hearing the voice of his spirit
will rise above the abyss. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 118)
That man who lives with his heart is in complete
harmony with his higher Self. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter dated
11.09.1937)
When your soul is in its pure ideal state, the
Fiery Condition, both voices, that of the Divine and that of your Eternal
Individuality, tell you the same thing. Then applies:
Guiding Thought:
The heart is your reliable
guide
for all situations in life
The heart infallibly advises you on what you
should do and warns you of what you should refrain from doing.
It is necessary that people accept the heart as the
guide of life. (Heart 419)
So let us turn to the heart as our judge and leader.
(Heart 399)
People used to speak of conscience, of society’s
rules, of external pressure, or like Sigmund Freud of the „superego“.
Today we say: Your own spiritual being does not want that which the heart
advises against. And as you are your soul, we note: You yourself – your Higher
Self – does not want this!
1. Hearken to
the Instructions of the Heart
You should hearken sensitively to this voice of
silence.
So I am
saying, learn to listen to the fiery heart. (Heart 210)
Learn to lend your ear to the voice of the heart.
(Supermundane 22)
It tells you the truth which you will not find
anywhere else!
Where speech is meagre, the voice of the heart affirms
silence. Cosmos in silence makes manifest the language of the heart, and the
Cosmic Voice may become audible. Sensitiveness and vigilance can aid us in
giving ear to the Voice of Silence. (Infinity I, 80)
The ability to hear the voice of the heart already
leads to truth. (Fiery World II, 251)
This does not require any particular
erudition: Each of you, whether rich or poor, great or small, educated
or primitive, has a heart and can use it like any other organ.
In order to harken to
the voice of the heart one need not be poor or rich, lofty or lowly; it is not
even necessary to be very learned. (Fiery World III, 603)
It is merely a matter of opening the heart and not
allowing it to turn into stone.
Understand the whisperings of the heart as a subtle
reality which is just as significant as physical advice or instructions!
It is not easy to accept the language of the heart as
a reality. It needs a certain amount of time, devotion, and effort to obtain an
understanding of the heart’s expression. (Heart 334)
You must by no means suppress the voice of your
Higher Self!
The heart gives incessant signs—and usually people are
unwilling to recognize them. In our present age it is impermissible for people
to have such contempt for the heart’s multifaceted activity. (Heart 546)
Who is unaware of the warnings the heart gives every
time an unworthy act is about to be performed? Such actions of the heart
transmit the best calls, but often people force the heart to be silent. This is
a grave crime. (Heart 367)
He who silences his heart falls back into
barbarism.
No explanation is of assistance where the heart is
silent or turned into stone. The consciousness of such people is worse than
that of a savage. Nothing pure and guiding will penetrate through the crust of
chaos. (Fiery World II, 430)
Let us accustom ourselves to constantly feeling the
heart. (Heart 582)
2. Carry out the
Instructions of the Heart
Nicholas
Roerich „The Command of the Master“
The life of the heart further includes:
Guiding Thought:
Carry out without fail,
what your heart tells you to
do!
If you constantly and obstinately disregard its
advice, the voice of the Higher Guidance will fall silent one day.
What could be more destructive than failure to carry
out the commands that the heart gives? (Heart 486)
We know very well that the heart is right – so
why don’t we obey it?
It is the same mistake we made
when we were teenagers: Grandma often warned, „My boy, don’t do this!“ For example: „Don’t even start smoking“,
or something similar! But although young people realise very well how right old
age is, they think they know everything better than anyone else, disregard the
wise advice and later have to regret that bitterly. (van Gogh „Peasant Woman“)
3.
Direct Thoughts, Feelings, Words and Deeds through the Heart
You remember (Video „Bring your Soul to Life“): You want to awaken to its life the soul hidden deep
within you. Then you need to allow it – or, equivalently, your heart – to
think, feel, speak and act.
Living the life of the soul
means leading the life of the heart.
The preparation for the higher
spheres first of all consists of purification of the
consciousness and development of the life of the heart. (Heart 328)
When the World will come to
realize the value of a life from the heart, then will the flesh be transfigured
and draw near to the laws of the Subtle World. (Fiery World III, 501)
Under all circumstances, only follow the path
of the heart!
Whoever loves flowers is on
the path of the heart. Whoever knows the striving to the heights is on the path
of the heart. Whoever thinks with purity is on the path of the heart. Whoever
knows of the higher worlds is on the path of the heart. Whoever is ready for
Infinity is on the path of the heart. (Heart 390)
Then everything else will fall into place all
by itself. Without the participation of the heart, however, everything else is
nothing.
A certain hermit emerged from
his solitude with a message, saying to everyone he met, “You have a heart.” When
he was asked why he did not talk about mercy, patience, devotion, love, and all
the beneficial foundations of life, he replied, “Just so long as we don’t
forget the heart, the rest will come.” Let us stand firm on the foundation of
the heart, and let us understand that without the
heart we are no more than dead husks. (Heart 389)
„What does that mean concrete
and in practical terms?“
Guiding Thought:
In order
for your Eternal Individuality
to express itself,
you must direct your
thinking, feeling, speaking and acting
through your heart!
In thinking, one should form
the habit of directing the thought, so to speak, through the fire of the heart.
This advice must be applied in action. One can feel in this action a moment of
bliss, as it were, evoking the warmth of the heart. The feeling in the heart of
warmth or heaviness or tremor will confirm the participation of the heart’s
energy. (Fiery World I, 633)
You want to put into practice the mantra „I
reveal the Divine only “?
Then your words and actions
must be guided by cordiality.
The best action is that of the
heart. Guard cordiality very carefully! This quality comes by way of many
sufferings, but the Fire of the heart is a sacred Fire. (Fiery World III,
496)
Kind-heartedness is measured
not so much by good actions, which may arise from so many different causes, but
by one’s inner kindness of heart, which kindles the light that shines in the
darkness. (Heart 7)
Here is a wonderful teaching; memorise it and
keep it in mind every hour:
One should sow good with every
glance, every touch. (Heart 410)
Thoughts, feelings and words that you utter
without the involvement of the heart are void and empty.
Human thought creates only
through the lever of the heart. Hence, each thought intensified by the heart is
revered by Us. (Infinity II, 736, 737 [336, 337]
The word not imbued by the heart
cannot create. The word which does not contain the affirmation of the heart is
void. (Infinity II, 736, 737 [336, 337]
One is continuously convinced
that without the participation of the heart nothing external has any
significance. (AUM 589)
Heartless deeds are at best meaningless and at
worst destructive.
Every teacher must be a pupil
of the heart, without it all our aspirations will end
in destruction. Woe to the heartless! (Supermundane 689)
All actions can be divided
into the heartfelt and the heartless. Heartfelt perceptions, even with many
differences, can be united, but heartlessness is the unity of the dark forces,
and among them you will not find co-workers of the Brotherhood. If We recall
all the past lives of Our Brothers, We will not find
even one heartless action. (Supermundane 40)
Chapter III: The Heart as an Organ for Connection with
the Higher World
Only the heart gives you access to the
Spiritual World.
Each step in educating the
heart opens a gate to the Higher Worlds. (Heart 514)
1.
Connection with the Higher World
The heart is the organ that connects you with
the Hierarchy.
The manifestation of a
heartfelt understanding is a necessary step in approaching Us. (Heart 26)
The intellect considers the existence of higher
beings, who are above us humans, to be nonsense. Your heart senses them. Only
with its help are you able to establish a concrete and living connection with
them.
One should concentrate on the
heart as a channel to the Hierarchy. (Heart 340)
The heart will safeguard and
open the Gates of Hierarchy. (Hierarchy 445)
Furthermore, heart-knowledge shows you the path
you must take in order to ascend to higher rungs of
the ladder of Hierarchy.
The heart feels the path to
the heights. (Hierarchy 153)
The flame of the heart flares
forth in striving to unite with the Highest World. Only the heart will find the
path to the Hierarchy. The heart will strengthen itself with the Power of the
Highest. (Heart 41)
Not education, not experience,
not talent, but precisely the fire of heart-knowledge opens the direct path to
Shambhala. It is precisely the fire of heart-knowledge that enables one to
perceive the unique qualities of the new signs in the midst
of daily life. (Agni Yoga 282)
„I don’t understand: What has
my heart to do with the World Beyond?“
We are talking about the heart chakra, which
does not belong to the physical body, but is an organ of the Fiery Body.
It is right to understand the
essence of the heart as something that belongs to both the Subtle and the Fiery
Worlds. (Heart 390)
With its help you overcome the limitations of
the physical world, of matter, time and space.
There is good reason why the
Teaching of the Heart is so essential for the life of the future. How would you
cross the boundaries of the worlds without it? (Heart 388)
Its special task and function is to connect you with the Higher World.
One should not think of the
heart as a piece of lower matter, with the help of what else will we contact
the Highest World? (Hierarchy 446)
Think of the heart as a
mediating principle that connects you with the distant worlds. (Heart 313)
The heart should be understood
as the unique natural link between the visible and invisible worlds. Only the
thread of the heart can lead into the Infinite. (Hierarchy 449)
„What do you mean concretely
and practically when you speak of “connection with the Higher World?“
Two things:
First: In the Video
„Participation in the Life of the Higher World“, we
talked about how you can participate in life in the Spiritual Spheres already
during your earthly incarnation, how you can attach yourself to a heaven, for
example your teacher’s ashram. This is not possible with the body, but only in
spirit, through the heart.
So without our
leaving this world, the heart makes us participants in a multitude of subtle
manifestations. (Heart 330)
Secondly: Meditation, your
communication with non-material beings of the Subtle World, is conducted via
the heart.
The sole path to Higher
Communion is through the heart. (Fiery World II, 249)
One should convince oneself
that the heart is not entirely one’s own organ but has been granted one for
attainment of the highest communion. Perhaps if people began to think of the
heart as something on loan from Above they would
handle it with greater care. (Heart 389)
In particular, the dialogue with your teacher,
the father of your soul, takes place directly from heart to heart.
Sometimes let your heart
converse with the Higher World. This conversation can be held in various
languages. It could be that the heart will gather together
memories of hours from many lives. Or perhaps the conversation will be a silent
one without instructions or advice, only elevating and strengthening the
ascent. And there may be the silence of gratitude or the silence of the power
of readiness. (Heart 41)
Let the heart accustom itself
to conversing with the Teacher. Like the wise ones of old, let the heart know
only communion with the Master, so that nothing trivial may intrude while the
heart is talking with the Highest. The conversation with the Teacher should be
guarded as a treasure. (Heart 254)
You want to imitate Helena Roerich and learn to
hear the voice of the invisible, non-incarnated teacher? Then you must strive
above all to develop and refine the sensitivity of your heart. In this
completely natural way you can acquire this higher
skill, which at first seems so fantastic.
Merging with the Highest can
only be properly achieved through a naturally kindled fire of the heart.
(Hierarchy 362)
The Silvery Thread by which
everything you need is supplied (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter
24.09.1935) – comfort, strength, joy, cognition and guidance – stretches from
the heart of the disciple to the heart of the teacher. (Svetoslav Roerich)
You must build up this heart connection in your
morning meditation and then maintain, cultivate and make it ever stronger in
the turmoil of everyday life.
He will err less who follows
the Silvery Thread stretched from his heart to the heart of the Teacher.
(Hierarchy 445)
In these difficult times, there is salvation
only if you attach yourself to the Higher World via the heart and draw help,
orientation and guidance from there.
The evolutionary step of
understanding the heart has to come in the days of
Armageddon, as this is the only way humanity can be saved. We are not insisting
on the moral significance of the heart—it is indisputable. But now the heart is
necessary as a bridge of salvation to the Subtle World. It should be declared
that realization of the heart’s qualities constitutes the most vital step in
the world’s progress. (Heart 561)
2.
Uniting the Worlds
Bridge
of Leshan, China
The rays of the sun, visible
and invisible (namely ultraviolet and infrared), are one and moving in one
single unitary world.
It is therefore absurd to assume the existence
of two separate worlds, one visible and one invisible, one material and one
spiritual.
Likewise, man lives in two worlds, namely with
the body on earth and with the Eternal Individuality „in Heaven“,
in the Spiritual Sphere. From this dual role naturally and necessarily arises
the great task of uniting these worlds. There must not be any discord between
them, otherwise we ourselves will be torn apart!
Here, the heart plays the decisive role.
The bridge between the worlds
is the heart.
On the path to the Fiery World
let us aspire to an understanding of the heart as a connecting link between the
Worlds. (Fiery World III, 101)
So the heart is not
an abstraction but a bridge to the higher worlds. (Heart 398)
Like a bridge, the heart
overcomes the gap between the material and Subtle World. (Monet „Water Lilies“)
The heart chakra does not belong to the
physical, but to the Fiery World.
The flesh is gross, and only
the heart beats in the name of the Higher World. (AUM 83)
The organ „heart“,
therefore, is partly material and partly subtle. It belongs to both spheres, so
that the worlds are united in it.
Thus, I advise, first of all, to pay attention to the heart as the source of
the predestined unification of the worlds. (Hierarchy 449)
You should remind people how
important the heart is as a unifier of the worlds. (Heart 73)
„What does unification of the
worlds mean and how can it be achieved practically in everyday life?“
Quite simply: The Spiritual World is a Higher
Sphere because truth, justice, beauty and love actually
prevail there. Implement these high principles on the earthly level as
well and you will overcome the disastrous separation of the worlds.
You carry out the Higher Will,
God’s Word, the Cosmic Order, the Plan of Evolution on the earthly plane, so
that the principle “As above so below” is realised.
For this you need your heart: In every concrete
everyday situation, it tells you exactly what needs to be done to make Heaven,
the Kingdom of God, a reality on earth.
Guiding Thought:
By putting into practice
what your heart whispers to
you,
you bring the earth closer to
Heaven!
3. The
Temple in the Heart
„I am living in the blatant
materialism of a big western city. I long for a pure, holy life. How can I
realise my dream in this Moloch which devours every higher aspiration?“
In the Videos „The Path of the Interior Temple“ and „Living in the Ashram of the Teacher“,
we heard about the sanctuary that is within yourself:
The seat of the Inner Temple
is the heart.
The heart is the Abode of God.
(Helena Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter dated 08.06.1936)
The abode of the spirit is in
the heart. (Hierarchy 454)
There we had further discussed how you can make
your heart a sacred place, live in it independently of external circumstances,
and thus transform your surroundings as well.
The heart is a temple. When We
talk about building a temple according to the nature of the heart, We do not have in mind a heart-shaped building; We are indicating
the temple’s inner significance. One should understand the temple of the heart
as an urgent feeling. (Heart 4)
The Temple in the Heart is a vital concept at a
time when all physical centres of pure spirituality have either perished or
been desecrated into feel good oases.
Licentiousness and coarseness
have now reached incredible limits. Savagery has finally broken into the cities
and destroyed all the implantations of the spirit. (AUM 109)
„What does the Teaching mean
by ‘Temple in the Heart’?“
Let me explain: We have heard many times:
An Agni Yogi verily lives in
two worlds. (Infinity I, 238)
While your body is toiling on earth, your soul
lives on a higher level. As a spiritual being, it cannot exist at all in a
material, but only in a spiritual world.
You have shaped your Eternal Individuality with
the help of your thoughts and feelings (see the Videos „Exercise The Fiery Condition“ and „We are
creating the Man of the Future“). Now, in the same way
and with the same means, you have to build a world for
it to live in. Temple in the Heart means:
Guiding Thought:
On the inner, spiritual
level,
your Eternal Individuality
lives in a sanctuary
In a personal paradise that does not require any
external, material means; that still stands upright in the
midst of all earthly labours, hardships and suffering, even in the most
terrible hell.
The kingdom of God cometh not
in such a way that it can be seen with the eyes. Neither shall they say, Lo
here! or, lo there it is! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke
17: 20, 21)
When you carry the monastery
in your heart, it does not matter whether the monastery building is existent or
not. (Starets Theophan)
You can usually do little to change the
external conditions. But they are in truth insignificant.
„I don’t understand that.
Surely the circumstances in which I have to live, in
which I am placed, are a decisive factor for my life?“
No, that only applies to your body, your
perishable personality! But your real Self is your immortal soul. Once you have
recognised this, you will also acknowledge:
Your real existence is the
life of your soul.
Guiding Thought:
Your true existence
you create yourself!
You make the spiritual world in which your
Eternal Individuality lives, the heavenly backdrop against which your earthly
life takes place, the subtle environment in which your material existence is
embedded, a sacred place.
„How do I create such an inner
treasure?“
In four steps:
First step: You build a temple
in the Subtle World with your thoughts, in your imagination. Or you join an
already existing structure, your father’s house, your eternal home, in which
your soul has been living already for eons.
You create around you the
atmosphere, the hologram of a sanctuary.
The temple in your heart is an edifice of
thought, a virtual reality, not visible, but nevertheless existent and
perceptible.
Create a very concrete image
of this thought form so that it can become a living reality in the Spiritual
World!
Anything you can
imagine is possible, for example:
Hohenzollern Castle, Meteora Monasteries, Nicholas Roerich „Mountain Peaks“, „Buddha“, „Treasure of the Mountain”
The inner temple of a disciple
of the Brotherhood is the ashram of his teacher. (Nicholas
Roerich „Morning Star“)
Visualise yourself again and
again during the day in this room, in the home of your soul. Put
yourself in a corresponding vibration. Then this marvellous world will emerge
around you – at least on the spiritual level.
Guiding Thought:
With the power of your
spirit,
of your imagination and of
your thoughts
you build the Subtle World of
a sanctuary around you
„Isn’t that contrary to all reason?“
No, this concept is completely scientific: The
Subtle World is not a mysterious realm above the clouds, in the sky, where we
enter only after death. It is the invisible part of the reality in which we are
living today, the 4th dimension of our current existence. In this spiritual
sphere, everything that exists is created by our thoughts, as we have explained
in detail in the Videos „The Supermundane World“ and
„Exercise The Fiery Condition“.
Remember how a raja obtained
the beautiful palace he so desired, but on entering it thought of a tiger
attacking, whereupon a tiger appeared and tore him to pieces. (Community 168)
Second step towards
building the Temple in the Heart: You place yourself in thought
in this ashram you have created for yourself in the Higher World. You are
playing like a child in its fantasy world where everything it imagines is
reality. You picture yourself as living in this holy place.
You visit this Heaven in meditation in the
morning, at midday and in the evening. During the course of
the worldly day, you close your eyes from time to time to go to your home for a brief moment to rest.
Then your soul is really
dwelling there!
This is how you consolidate this thought form
and make it a real factor in your normal, material, earthly life.
Third step: As a disciple, you
regularly step before your teacher. You first become aware of his continuous
presence and then sense it more and more.
You notice how the high vibration of the ashram
and the master lifts you up and transports you to a
higher sphere.
The concrete and practical result of this
exercise is your highest happiness:
Guiding Thought:
Your Eternal Individuality
actually lives in a paradise
Fourth step: „Isn’t this
just fruitless dreaming?“
No, because now comes the application in
practical life:
Your perishable personality on
the material plane must adapt to the sublime mode of existence of your soul in
the Spiritual Sphere.
Otherwise, if your higher Self lives in a
heaven and your body on earth in a pigsty, there will be a separation of the
worlds and a division of your unitary being.
A soul which cannot control its tool, the body,
and allows it behave like a swine, cannot maintain the
high vibration of a sanctuary either and falls into lower spheres.
*****
So, in order to keep
yourself in your personal paradise, you begin to appear in everyday life on
earth as a temple disciple who lives in the presence of his teacher.
Guiding Thought:
You behave,
you think, feel, speak and
act
in earthly life as if you
were in a temple
Namely with serenity, dignity, compassion, love
and solemnity.
You refrain from everything that is unworthy of
a holy place, that is simply not done there: alcohol, tobacco, meat, shouting,
irritability, selfishness, aggressiveness ...
Then the aura of a sanctuary
will surround you. Sensitive people you meet will sense this.
In these sacred halls
Revenge is not known,
And if a man has fallen,
Love leads him to duty.
Then he walks by the hand of a
friend
Happy and joyful to a better
land.
(Mozart „The Magic Flute“)
*****
For this practice, for these 4 steps, no
material means and no special external circumstances are required. They can be
taken by each one of you in any place at any time under any conditions.
You do not know what
circumstances fate will throw you into. Therefore you
must be able to transform even a prison cell into a sanctuary.
That is why we speak of a hologram, a form of
the 4th dimension, of an inner, virtual, subtle, mental – or precisely of a
Temple in the Heart.
4. The
Temple in the Heart as the Foundation of the New World
Van
Cleve “The Tower of Babel”
With this exercise you transform at least a
small part of the earth into an outpost of the New World! In
the midst of chaos, you begin with the New Construction – initially in
your personal sphere!
One requires a great deal of
courage to build up the forces of the heart in the midst of
destruction. If the seekers were not aware of the vital need for all the worlds
to be transformed in this way, they might believe that the heart’s attainments
are futile. But fortunately, they are needed for everything that exists.
Therefore, even in the dust of destruction one should go on building
strongholds of the heart. (Heart 338)
The heart is the rock on which
strongholds are built. (Heart 476)
The Temple in the Heart is the
foundation for the World State of the future, which we called “Temple of
Humanity”.
(see the Videos „We are Building the World of
the Future“, „What can you do for a better World?“)
As long as individual human
beings do not succeed in turning their inner,
spiritual world into a sanctuary, we must not even think of building an outer,
material temple.
*****
At the moment, the time does not
yet seem to be ripe for forming physical communities of Agni Yogis. However, we
can establish spiritual core groups of those who regard themselves as disciples
or co-workers of the Brotherhood at any time,
anywhere and in any situation. These followers, scattered to the four winds,
connect with each other through the heart.
The heart stands as the Temple
of humanity. One cannot conceive of the unification of humanity by means of the
brain or the Kundalini, but the radiance of the heart can bring together the
most seemingly diverse organisms, and even over great distances. This
experiment of bringing together hearts over long distances is waiting for
workers to carry it out. (Heart 339)
„What is to be done concretely
and practically?“
The connection is created by our pursuing the
same goal – the New Construction –, recognising the same Mahatmas as our
leaders, practising the same spiritual exercises and living according to the
same rules and customs as they apply in Shambhala. Let us inspire people for
this great project!
Exercise:
The Temple in the Heart as a Place of Refuge
Not as a theoretical instruction, but from my
own existential experience, I implore you:
If you want to preserve your
being of spirit and the virtual sanctuary around you, you need a place to which
you can retreat from time to time, otherwise the waves of earthly life will
submerge you and you will sink – at least spiritually. (Panagia Sumela Monastery)
„And what am I supposed to do there?“
You flee, at least for a moment, from a world
the selfishness, ignorance, hardship and suffering of which cause you almost
unbearable pain and disgust.
Some people escape from life
by transporting themselves into another world with the help of alcohol,
frustration eating, reading novels, watching television or taking drugs. All
this is more or less harmful. (Spitzweg „The poor Poet“)
You choose a spiritual path. You retreat to a
supermundane place, to a position above the situation, where you are not
affected by chaos. You restore your spiritual balance – the Fiery State of high
vibration. Here you will find relaxation, security, calm, inner peace,
happiness and joy of being. You recharge your spiritual strength, your psychic
energy.
„Can you offer any advice on
where I should go?“
Unfortunately, such paradises no longer exist
on earth, therefore
Practise building a refuge
within you, in your heart.
Fellow man, if paradise will
not be within you first, believe me, you will never enter it. (Angelus
Silesius)
Without question, the heart’s
bond with the Highest remains the sole refuge of humanity. One should look upon
one’s heart as a refuge. (Heart 444)
If you do not carry heaven in
your heart, you will look for it in vain everywhere else.
Only the flame of
the heart can warm when the coverings are torn apart by the storm.
(Supermundane 232)
Make yourself independent of physical
sanctuaries and ashrams! The Inner Monastery fulfils the same function. It has
the great advantage that its gates are open to you everywhere at any time.
The Temple in your Heart is a
true bulwark in the turmoil of everyday life! (Nicholas
Roerich „Tibetan Fortress“)
Only the heart will serve as a
stronghold in battle. (Heart 41)
The stronghold of a yogi is
not in the brain, but in the heart. (Supermundane 912)
In the world of the Inner Temple, your soul is
at home. Here, surrounded by your soul mates and your true, spiritual father,
you are safe.
Und meine Seele spannte
weit ihre Flügel
aus
flog durch die stillen Lande
als flöge sie nach Haus. (Eichendorff)
And my soul spread
its wings wide apart
flew through the quiet lands
as
if flying home.
This precious Buddhist mantra is meant not
physically, but spiritually:
I take refuge in the teaching,
in the teacher and in the community.
*****
Never give up this safe bastion! When the world
around you collapses, when every support breaks down,
this is your last resort!
Create
a monastery cell in your heart and never leave it! (St Catherine of
Siena)
Stefano Colonna, of ancient
nobility, whom Petrarch loved and esteemed as a hero not unworthy of ancient
Rome, was driven into exile and deprived of his honours, power and wealth. When
people asked him, "Where is now your fortress?", he laid his hand on
his heart, and answered, "Here!"
This must not remain an abstract instruction.
Feel in every moment whether your Inner Temple is standing or crumbling. Fight
all the countless influences of everyday life which put it in danger.
„What is it that brings down
the sanctuary in my heart?“
Not external circumstances. But with every
behaviour, even every thought (!)which is unworthy of a holy place, this
virtual reality around you dissolves into thin air and you drive away the high
beings that populate an ashram of the Subtle World.
*****
Ideally, with much practice, you will be able
to keep your Eternal Individuality constantly in your paradise, even while the
body is struggling with the earthly worries.
This is like a perpetual
meditation.
You are in the middle of life, yet in this
shelter the negative vibrations of the world cannot harm you: You maintain your
Fiery State of purity, wisdom, strength, joy, light and love.
Practical
Tip: Finding Vitality and Joy of Being
„Can we put it less dramatically?“
Yes, we want to transfigure your life, make it
more beautiful and overcome the suffering and depression that you fall into again and again:
Guiding Thought:
In the terrible conditions of
this world
you long for a paradise
of serenity, happiness and
joy of being
One of the most important realisations of your
life is: What you need, what you should look for, is not a change in external
circumstances, but an elevation of the condition of your soul!
You will find this feeling of
elation reliably and constantly, regardless of what happens to you, only in
your heart.
You create this sublime mood, this high
vibration of your being in the morning in meditation. You defend it against all
attacks in the course of everyday life on earth.
You achieve this blissful
state by enabling your soul, even if it is only for a brief
moment, to visit its home, the ashram of its teacher, and to assume at
his feet the role of a disciple of the Brotherhood. (Nicholas
Roerich „Stronghold of the Spirit“)
Then you feel – then you are!
– joyful, strong, great, beautiful, proud and dignified. There, nothing can
shake you! (Nicholas Roerich „Tsong kha-pa“)
Enjoying the closeness of the beloved Spiritual
Father and the solemnity of the Holy Mountain – that is enough for reaching the
highest state of happiness!
A time of happiness—thus We
call that step in the development of consciousness when, without turning away
from life, Our co-workers are given the opportunity to
join Us in Our Abode. (Agni Yoga 338)
„Why does the Teaching speak
of a stage of consciousness?“
A crucial point! You do not visit your Eternal
Home physically, but in spirit, in the heart.
When you raise your consciousness and put it
into a Fiery State of high vibration (of purity, wisdom, strength, joy, light,
love and solemnity), then also the teacher is close, then you are attached to
the Holy Mountain. This depends solely on you yourself, on your inner attitude!
„I find it difficult to regard
an austere place like an ashram as a lucky charm!“
Read the wonderful book „The
Song of Bernadette“ by Franz Werfel. It gives a deeply
moving account of the bliss it meant for St. Bernadette to meet in the grotto
of Lourdes a sublime being from a Higher World, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and
to be honoured by her with worldly commissions. (St.
Bernadette Soubirous. Tojetti „Our Lady of Lourdes“; Lourdes Statue of Mary, Basilica of the Rosary)
Bernadette was allowed to enjoy these moments
of supreme happiness a few times in her entire life only. Agni Yoga shows you
how you can savour them three times every single day (in meditation), and even
every minute in the very midst of the worldly hustle and bustle.
Exercise:
Take the Temple in the Heart with you everywhere you go
Turning in the morning meditation your heart
and later your living and working space into a
sanctuary is just the first step. You can do even more:
When you go into the world, among people, you
always carry this thought building with you. You set it up in every place you
go to and in every room you enter.
Wherever we are, wherever we
go, we take our monastery cell with us. (St Francis of Assisi)
Practise
meditation, and you will find that you are carrying within your heart a
portable paradise. (Yogananda)
Guiding Thought:
With the help of this exercise you transform
the world around you into a
temple
We are artists, temple
builders! In every place we raise the vibration and thereby elevate it to a
higher sphere.
How, then, does a
Hierarch create on Earth? By uplifting all the surroundings. (Agni Yoga
663)
This is no small thing, but a
gigantic endeavour, the true heroic deed of our time: It requires a tremendous
struggle against chaos, against the omnipresent forces of sluggishness,
ignorance, immobility, resistance to everything new, and of evil.
5. The Teacher in the Heart
Nicholas Roerich „Guru“
Already in normal everyday
life you open your heart to some people. It is completely
filled with those you love. Like your earthly loved ones, you can also
take your non-incarnated teacher into your heart. We have already presented
this exercise in the Videos „Living in the continuous Presence of the Teacher“ and „Living in the Ashram of the Teacher“.
Filling the heart
with the Master propels each quality of the spirit. Only inner comprehension
will give subtle understanding. Nothing external replaces the filling of the
heart with the Master. (Fiery World III, 138)
In this way, the beloved
father of your soul lives within you as a friend and guide. He is always close
to you, and the heart connection with him becomes indestructible.
On the ability to
establish a dwelling place for the sacred Hierarchy in one’s heart: Let the
Master live in the heart. Let Him become as inalienable as the heart itself.
Let the Name of the Master be inhaled and exhaled with each breath. Let each
rhythm of labour resound with the Name of the Master. (Fiery World II,
118)
An indissoluble
attachment through the heart is a ladder of ascent. (Brotherhood 315)
Thus the image of your
ideal is always before your eyes and inspires you to imitate it.
One must accustom
oneself to worthy conduct before the image of the Hierarch. (Fiery World II,
356)
The only
consideration of a high Agni Yogi is the concentration on the chosen Great
Ideal, on the unwavering and constant striving to approach it. Such
concentration continues unceasingly. Whatever such a yogi or disciple is doing,
his thought is always occupied by his ideal. Everything is performed in the
name of this ideal, and he always feels in his heart the love and the presence
of this figure. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter dated 21 July 1934)
In everyday life,
the awareness of the continuous presence of the Teacher is the most important
practical aid on the Spiritual Path.
„Why is that so?“
Quite simply: Because under
his eyes there can be no unworthy behaviour.
Can I lie before
the Master? Can I conceal anything from the Master? Can I contemplate treason
in the presence of the Master Himself? Thus let each reflection only strengthen
and restrain one from the evil of faintheartedness and darkening of the soul. (Fiery
World II, 118)
Repeat again
and again and internalise the so-called „Avataric
Mantra“ from the Teachings of the Temple:
I will endeavour to realize the presence of the Avatar as a living power
in my life. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “The Avataric
Mantra”)
Finally, we have often spoken
(e.g. in the Videos „Become a Disciple!“ and „We are
creating the Man of the Future“) about the benevolent
practice of stepping before the teacher. This is one of the 4 main exercises
for the creation and defence of the New Man, and beyond that your lifeline in
adversity and suffering, temptation and trial. This step (as your teacher usually
is not physically near you) is of course taken not materially, but in spirit,
through the heart.
Stepping before the
Master can be experienced only by the heart. (Fiery World III, 138)
Chapter IV: The Heart as the Organ of Love
The heart is of course above
all the organ of love. Do our agnostics really want to deny this tremendous
power as well (which can neither be seen nor touched)? We recognise: He who
rejects the Subtle Reality becomes pitifully impoverished.
However, we are not talking
about infatuation, which is often a selfish feeling, but about love of all
humanity!
Open your heart so
wide that the whole world finds room in it!
The heart may be
the focus, but it is the least egocentric of all. Not egoism dwells in the
heart, but a feeling that embraces all humanity. Only reasoning shrouds the
heart in a web of egocentricity. In this sense the heart is truly a
transnational organ. How necessary it is that one learns to feel the heart not
as one’s own, but as something that belongs to the entire world. Only through
this feeling can a person begin to liberate himself from egoism. (Heart 7)
A great soul, a great heart
does not love individual people, but the whole of mankind.
Love for humanity
is the result of the development of the heart. (Supermundane 181)
The Thinker taught,
“Love not the man, but mankind.” (Supermundane 332)
“Isn’t love just a
feeling?”
No!
Love is the mental
attitude, the behaviour towards the creation and fellow men through which an
educated heart expresses itself!
Love isn't
something natural. Rather it requires discipline, concentration, patience,
faith, and the overcoming of narcissism. Love is not a feeling,
it is a practice. (Erich Fromm „The Art of Loving“)
1. Not selfish but giving
David „Belisarius begging for Alms“
By its very nature, the heart
is completely selfless. Its only desire is to pour itself out, to give itself
away.
The generosity of the
heart is immeasurable, and a flaming heart knows no stinginess. (Heart 430)
Only a crude heart
assumes itself to be the most important. (Heart 554)
This is why women, whose
hearts are usually finer than men’s, find it so easy to give.
In its essence, the
heart is an organ of higher action and giving; that is why every act of giving
partakes of the nature of the heart. Every positive Teaching enjoins giving.
Such an affirmation is truly practical, for without giving, the heart does not
endure.
Naturally, one has to understand giving in all its justice. Giving should
not be understood as just contributing money or donating objects one no longer
needs. True giving is of the spirit. Let every heart pour forth streams of
spiritual gifts. Not without cause is it said that every beat of the heart is a
smile, a tear, and gold.
All life flows
through the heart. One should be able to give constant work to the heart.
Nothing can refine the heart so perfectly as limitless spiritual giving.
Usually spiritual giving is not valued, since anything invisible goes
unappreciated. But the source of wealth, whether spiritual or material, is the
heart. (Heart 386)
A human being with a highly developed heart
does not think of himself, but only of how he can serve the common good and his
neighbour.
A sensitive heart must be
treated with care. It beats not for itself, but for the General Good.
(Supermundane 652)
Precisely the heart is what
does not allow selfishness. The heart lives by self-abnegation. How powerful
the heart is when concerned about the future and not thinking about itself.
(Community 111)
Thus, by hearkening to your heart, you not only
do good, but also find your true happiness – in the moment, but also for
eternity, because you are creating a better destiny for yourself according to
the law of Karma.
It is more blessed to give
than to receive. (Acts 20, 35)
„I want my heart to grow, to open up, to become greater, more beautiful and stronger!
What can I do to achieve this?“
The recipe is as simple as it is ancient:
Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself. (Mt 22, 39)
Do not think about what you can take away from
him and grab for yourself, but about how much you can give him!
The heart will grow in this
exercise of goodness. (Heart 410)
Without love, the heart will
not be aflame; it will not be invincible, nor will it be self-sacrificing.
(Heart 243)
2. Giver
of Light and Warmth
The quality of your radiations, your aura,
depends on whether your Higher, Divine Self (in other words, your heart) or
your atavistic, animal nature predominates and expresses itself.
If for us light is a symbol of
the aura, its parent will be the heart. (Heart 7)
The radiation depends upon the
condition of the heart. (AUM 55)
Like the sun, a pure heart
radiates light unceasingly.
Though not many people know
the fires of the heart, these torches must provide light for all. (Heart
20)
There is no dungeon such that
the fire of the heart cannot illumine it. (Fiery World I, 410)
Like the sun, a beautiful heart radiates warmth
unceasingly.
The warmth of the sun and the
warmth of the heart are our life-givers. (Infinity I, 79)
The Teaching about the Heart is
as bright as the sun, and the warmth of the heart speeds as swiftly as a
sunbeam. Everyone has felt astonishment at how a ray of the rising sun can
instantly warm everything. The heart can do the very same thing!
The warmth of the heart is a
constant hearth. Courage dwells in the warmth of the heart—remember this! The
manifestation of the dark forces acts like frost on a sown field. Only the
heart’s warmth provides a radiant shield. (Heart 62)
Like the sun, a strong heart unceasingly
bestows blessing, joy, love, health and elevation on its surroundings.
A heart that has dedicated
itself to goodness radiates grace unceasingly, without depending on intentional
transmissions. Likewise, the sun sends forth its rays without premeditation. A
heart that has pledged itself to evil sends out arrows consciously, unconsciously,
and unceasingly.
The heart of goodness sows
around itself health, smiles, and spiritual wellbeing. The heart of evil
destroys warmth and, like a vampire, sucks away the vital force. And so the activity of hearts—whether it be good or evil—goes on
without pause. (Heart 63)
Everyone who prepares his
heart and uplifts the hearts of those around him is already doing the will of
the One who sent him. (Heart 332)
Such a great heart attracts other people like a
magnet.
It is necessary to feel how
there are gathered around the fiery heart those who have been drawn to it by
the striving toward Fiery Service. The attraction of the magnet of the heart
acts as a law; it must also be remembered that each life of the heart attracts
those who are spiritual relatives. Life which is thus begun is extended in the
supermundane spheres. (Fiery World III, 102)
People hasten to the glowing
heart to warm themselves, and run away from the deadly
cold—thus it is in all Existence. (Fiery World III, 478)
You can only spread the teachings of Agni Yoga
and kindle the fire of enthusiasm for the New Construction if your own heart is
aflame!
The spark of the spirit
kindles the heart, hence Our Teaching is in need of spreading through the fire of the heart. How
can one kindle the torches of spirit without the fire of the heart? Only fire
uplifts creativeness and imbues each action. (Hierarchy 100)
The fire of your heart ignites
the fire in the heart of your fellow men.
Whoever helps those close to
him find the path of the heart will be able to find his own path to perfection.
(Heart 399)
3.
Healing through the Heart
El
Greco „Christ healing the Blind“
Spiritual healing is one of the higher skills
of the Eternal Individuality. To this end helps a pure heart which transmits
good energies.
In the process of purification
of the heart the highest siddhis open up in us, namely
the ability to help our fellow men in spirit and to cure spiritual and physical
ailments. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter dated 11.09.1937)
Mothers carry their children
close to their hearts as a panacea for calming them down, but they are usually
unaware that holding somebody close to one’s heart exerts a very powerful
influence. That is why in the Subtle World we gather people close to the heart
so they can be strengthened and healed. (Heart 96)
The fire of the heart is indeed a purifier and
fighter of diseases! Its healing emanations assist the organism to bring its
vibrational state in harmony.
You know that living fire is
the best means of disinfection, but the nature of fire is the same in all of its manifestations. A lofty manifestation of fire is
the fire of the heart, which means that it will be the best purifier and
protector.
So instead of using all kinds
of dubious, often poisonous antiseptic medicines, it is much better not only to
have the fire of the hearth but also to kindle the fires of the heart. One can
find out for oneself how effectively the fires of the heart fight serious
illnesses. (Heart 255)
I affirm that the fire of the
heart purifies the densest darkness. (Heart 255)
A strong heart even overcomes cancer.
Indeed, the bacilli of cancer
exist. They can be detected and killed primarily by the fire of the heart. If
lack of psychic energy contributes to their growth, then the fire of the heart,
being the highest expression of consciousness, destroys them. (Fiery World I,
18)
Chapter V: Education of the Heart
We shall now be addressing, it is no
exaggeration to say so, the by far most important aspect of the development of
your personality, of your self-perfection and of your ascent to the New Man,
indeed of the progress of humanity as a whole: the education of the heart!
The development of the heart
is the main task in our era. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter dated
02.09.1937)
Your heart is not infallible from birth. As long as it is still selfish or coarse, it will not show
you the truth.
Guiding Thought:
The heart must be trained!
The heart must be educated.
(Heart 358)
Educating the heart requires
tireless effort. (Heart 581)
To see with the eyes of the
heart; to hear the roar of the world with the ears of the heart; to peer into
the future with the understanding of the heart; to remember past accumulations
through the heart, it is necessary to impetuously advance on the path of
ascent. (Heart 1)
I grew up in a family with a strong emphasis on
reason. Intellectual knowledge, preferably acquired from books, was paramount.
Whenever I tried to boast about my intellectual achievements, my grandmother
used to give me this wise advice:
„My boy, the education of the
heart is the most important thing!“ (Rembrandt „Old Woman Reading“)
When I was young, I did not understand that at
all. Only today do I realise: The heart is a much more reliable guide in the
search for true knowledge, orientation and wisdom than the brain. And the
refinement and sharpening of the insight of the heart can and must be trained
just as much as that of the intellect.
1.
Creating the New Man through Education of the Heart
Nicholas
Roerich „Lama“
„Why exactly is heart
formation so important?“
Your heart moulds your being!
We repeat what we discussed in detail in the
Videos „Bring your Soul to Life“, „We are building the
World of the Future“ and „We are creating the Man of
the Future“: The creation of the New World depends on
the cultivation of the New Man. This New Man, the spiritual being within us, is
brought to life by your thinking, feeling, speaking and acting as your soul
wants you to.
„How do I know what my soul
wants me to do?“
Guiding Thought:
Your Eternal Individuality
tells you through the heart
how it wants you to behave
The transformation into the man of the future
is basically very simple: You hearken to the voice of your heart.
You do what your heart advises
you to do and refrain from doing what it warns you against.
We may therefore conclude:
Guiding Thought:
By directing your thoughts,
feelings, words and actions
through the heart,
you create the New Man and
make
your contribution to the
establishment of the New World!
For the equilibrium of the
World the heart is needed, and in this Decree is contained undeferrable
salvation. (Fiery World II, 262)
Immortality, this most important characteristic
of the man of the future, is, as we have often said (i. a. Video „We are
creating the Man of the Future“), a state of the
consciousness. It is formed through heart-knowledge. Realisations such as „I
have a soul“, „I am a soul“ or
„I reveal the divine only “ are inaccessible to the
intellect.
Truly, only the heart bestows
immortality. Consider this as a vital principle beyond the conditions of
mortality. (Heart 23)
However, this is true only if a pure, refined
and cultivated heart ensures correct thinking, feeling, speaking and acting;
not if an impure, coarse, uneducated heart leads to the manifestation of your
animal nature. We see:
Without formation of the
heart, there will be no New Man and no New World.
Educating the mind without
educating the heart is no education at all. (Aristotle)
That is why Agni Yoga calls the development of
the heart the main task of humanity today.
The highest attainment is in
the development of the heart. Cooperation and close living together are based
upon the heart. (Fiery World II, 132)
Therefore one must
understand the urgency of such development of the heart. (Fiery World III,
375)
The manifestation of the significance
of the heart is an old truth, but this truth has never been so needed as now.
(Heart 13)
We really need schools for heart education
We are asking physicians in
various countries to engage in research on the heart. There exist sanatoriums
for all kinds of ailments, but because education of the heart is lacking, there
is no Institute for the Heart. There is a need for heart sanatoriums where
researchers can carry on the observations that are so urgently necessary. The
Institute of the Heart will be the Temple of the future race. (Heart 504)
A special subject ought to be
created: science of the heart. The simplest maidservant understands the
sweetness of speaking about the heart. (Heart 359)
Ignorant, crude, cruel people lack one thing
first and foremost: education of the heart
Heartlessness is nothing but
an uncultured state of the heart. (Heart 9)
Against the brutalisation of mankind with all
its terrible consequences, which actually threaten the
very existence of the planet, only one thing helps: refinement of the heart!
It does not make sense to
lament the coarsening of humanity and yet neglect the care of its chief organ.
The heart of humanity is ailing. So if people wish to
avert a catastrophe, they must first of all render healthy the sphere of the heart. (Heart 535)
„What does this education of
the heart consist of?“
Of purification, refinement and expansion of
consciousness, as we will now discuss in detail:
2. The
Treasure of a pure Heart
As with the development of the physical body,
the body of thoughts and the body of feelings, a thorough purification is the first priority in the education of the heart.
No one will reflect that nothing
clean comes out of dirt. (Brotherhood 502)
All other abilities and achievements you have
already acquired are of almost no use at all if your heart is impure, hardened,
petrified or mute.
Precisely, it was the heart’s lack
of development which prevented an increase in the possibilities that had been
built up by past accumulations. (Heart 11)
Verily, the attainment of the
heart turns all possibilities into reality. Verily, the attainment of the heart
forges all the best steps. (Infinity II, 507)
The greatest treasure you can
possess is a pure heart!
Preserve the original, childlike purity of your
soul! Do not allow it to be clouded, soiled or distorted by bitter life
experiences!
Purity of heart is the most
essential possession. There is no room for wisdom, courage, and selflessness in
a beclouded heart. (Heart 69)
An impure heart will give you
not true but false cognition and discernment.
We talked about the synthesis of science and
religion and the supplementation of intellectual insight by heart-knowledge.
However, this necessarily presupposes that the researcher of the new Divine
Science first thoroughly cleanses his heart.
Without the purification of
the heart and the broadening of consciousness by the methods of Living Ethics,
no true knowledge can be obtained. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter dated
12.04.1935)
Meditation, the connection with the Higher
World, the communication with non-incarnated spirits takes place via the heart
– but only if it is immaculate like that of a child.
Pure hearts will
perceive the Highest. (Fiery World III, 576)
Clean thine own heart that the
light of the sun of divine love may shine clearly through its meshes.
(Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 102 “The Light from the Lodge”)
Blessed are
the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Mt 5, 8)
An impure heart does
not come in contact with higher, but only with lower
beings of the Subtle World, and is lied to, deceived and led astray by them.
Spiritual
vision unfolds in accordance with the heart. A low consciousness will see the
low, but spiritual purification will make higher vision possible. (Heart
416)
Everyone
sees what he carries in his heart. (Goethe „Faust“)
The dialogue with
your spiritual father is conducted via the heart. But only if you have
thoroughly cleansed this channel beforehand can you hope to establish a
connection with such a high being and receive comfort, strength and guidance
through that conduit.
The
channel of the heart must be purified. (Hierarchy 446)
A
reply can be given only to the pure of heart. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II,
26)
For
Higher Communion a pure heart is needed. Nothing impure can partake of this
Communion, therefore the symbol of the Leader must be the sign of purity of the
heart. (Fiery World II, 48)
Many pseudo-disciples
indulge in complicated theories, wish to decipher the secrets of the Universe
and to attain cosmic consciousness. Let them start small and practical and
purify their hearts. This is the indispensable basis of any further progress!
Someone
says that he wishes to attain cosmic consciousness; let him better think about
purifying his heart. Let him not so much imagine himself as conqueror of the Cosmos, but rather let him wish to cleanse his consciousness
from dust. One cannot penetrate beyond the limits of the law without wishing to
become transformed in the approach. (Fiery World II, 442)
3. Purification of the Heart
Guido Reni „Baptism of Christ“
You are not born with
a pure heart. The gold of your soul is covered by countless ulcers and dross.
Removing them requires a lot of work over many incarnations.
„How
exactly is the purification of the heart achieved in practice?“
Above
all, develop selflessness!
Overcome your
egotism. It pollutes and corrupts your heart, which was not given to you for
personal, private use, but as a world-embracing organ.
The
heart ought to be studied when it is beclouded with self-love and cruelty.
(Heart 365)
Beware of giving in
to your lower self, to the desires of the body, and to moods such as fear,
doubt, anger, impatience, irritation or dejection.
These
are all spiritual poisons!
They burden and
corrode your heart. An organ so clouded will not be able to find the truth.
Instead, create the
Fiery Condition of high vibration, the ideal state of your soul (and thus of
your heart); which consists, as you remember (Video „Exercise The Fiery Condition“), of wisdom,
strength, joy, light and love – but above all of purity!
*****
Ultimately, the
purification of the heart comes down to the cleansing of your thoughts and
feelings. We have already talked about this exercise in detail in the Videos
„Mastery of Thoughts“ and „Mastery of Feelings“.
*****
Finally, you must
change your entire way of life.
Guiding Thought:
Your heart speaks to you only
if you live an ethically pure life!
With an immoral
lifestyle, you violate the commandments of the heart every hour, corrupt it and
thereby silence it.
Someone
wished to know about the highest worlds, but he lived like a pig. Undermining
the roots is not consistent with upward striving. For pigs—the pigsty. (Fiery
World I, 327)
Also make sure that
the noise and bustle of everyday life do not drown out the voice of your heart!
The
bazaar is the veil of reality. Under the dust of the bazaar the heart becomes
silent. (AUM 204)
The three meditation
times in the morning, at noon and in the evening precisely serve to cleanse
your heart of all the dirt that is thrown at it in the world.
Just
as you brush your teeth three times a day, you should take time three times a
day to purify your most important organ.
„Make
thyself clean, my heart.“ (Johann Sebastian Bach, St
Matthew Passion)
4. The Treasure of a sensitive Heart
The next step in
educating the heart is refinement. A sensitive heart is a treasure that has
been accumulated through much work and experience over countless incarnations.
The
human heart is not young, for its essence is permanent. (Heart 579)
Evolution
is nothing other than constantly progressing refinement.
The
entire evolution is based on refinement. (Infinity II, 374)
Certainly,
the evolution of the spirit requires refinement, without which it is impossible
to build. (Hierarchy 249)
Accordingly, our
progress consists above all in becoming more refined!
The
acquisition of sensitiveness is indispensable for further advance. (Brotherhood
208)
Refinement
of thought provides the access to refinement of life. Refinement is also
upliftment and progress. (Brotherhood 271)
A
highly developed, refined heart is the characteristic feature of the man of the
future.
Without
the development and refinement of the heart there is no progress. Therefore, in
the foundation of each construction there must be laid the great magnet of the
heart. Hence, the representatives of the new race will be known by the
refinement of the heart—this key to all achievements. (Helena Roerich Letters
Vol. I, letter dated 10 October 1934)
Guiding Thought:
The more refined a person
or a culture is,
the higher they are
spiritually
The higher,
the more subtle. (Infinity I, 100)
The
finer, the higher; the higher, the more powerful! (Helena Roerich Letters Vol.
I, letter of 03.12.1930)
This applies both to the individual person
The yogi has been compared to a person with flayed skin. This is a crude
analogy, but not without truth. (Supermundane 559)
as well as to society as a whole.
Sensitiveness reveals a degree of culture. (Agni Yoga 457)
The great Epoch of Woman will be distinguished by greater refinement of
feelings and of consciousness. (Fiery World III, 116)
The new Divine Science requires new, refined researchers!
Coarseness will be eradicated only by education. But one can be a learned
scientist and still remain coarse. Clearly, formal education
alone does not necessarily eradicate coarseness, which cannot deal with subtle
perceptions. The science of the future will require genuine refinement, without
which synthesis is impossible. (Supermundane 326)
Only the lack of refinement of our perception prevents us from sensing
the Subtle World and the presence of subtle beings around us, for example our
non-incarnated teacher, and from getting in contact with them.
No one should think that the space around us is empty. On the contrary,
we can feel with our hearts the presence of invisible beings. (Supermundane
197)
Our gross body and the insufficient refinement of our senses are the only
obstacles that prevent us from realizing the presence of the teacher. (Helena
Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter dated 8 November 1931)
5.
Refinement of the Heart
Tenderness of feeling and sharpness of the inner senses are not something
you are born with. They have to be worked hard for.
You can and must consciously develop the sensitivity of your heart.
Sensitivity must be cultivated. It depends upon the purity of one’s
consciousness. Even in the best instances, it must be developed, or more
precisely, called forth from the depths of consciousness. (Supermundane
573)
Let everyone develop sensitivity; then success will follow a hundredfold.
(Supermundane 543)
Example
of the Eye
Over millions of years, evolution has produced a highly complex organ
such as the eye, which enables us to perceive the material reality around us.
This development began quite primitively with some parts of the skin
surface becoming more sensitive so that they could at least distinguish light
from dark.
An unimaginable miracle for animals without eyes such as earthworms,
jellyfish or starfish.
Other animals have refined their perception in an equally natural way to
such an extent that they are able to recognise much more of reality than we
humans:
Bees are able to see ultraviolet light. Bats hear
in a range that is inaudible to man. A dog on the third floor
senses when its master is approaching the house on the street below.
So it is not esoteric or mystical, but completely
scientific to assume that in the course of evolution,
we humans as well will be able to refine our senses and to develop organs
allowing us to expand our perception into subtle areas of the immeasurable
reality that were previously inaccessible to us. When we speak of the invisible
world, we after all only mean that sphere which is not recognisable to the
physical eye.
This example shows how stupid it is to deny parts of reality just because
we cannot see or touch them with our currently still coarse, limited organs –
other living beings can grasp them, and one day we will be able to do so as
well.
*****
The heart plays the decisive role in the further development of our inner
senses. Its training and refinement does not take
place in a monastery or a cave in the Himalayas, but in the
midst of normal everyday life.
Let us again recall that educating the heart energy must begin with the
slightest sensations and the most ordinary activities. (Heart 497)
A consciousness directed to Us is continually being refined. The process
of refinement becomes a code of every day. Complication by grossness only
demonstrates that the heart energy has not reached a level where it is no
longer threatened with drowning in the waves of chaos. One must hasten with the
refining process. Create refinement in the very midst of life. (Fiery World II,
240)
„What can I do to refine my heart feeling?“
Guiding Thought:
Spiritualise more and more
your habits,
your entire way of life,
and thereby your being!
„What do you mean by ‘spiritualisation’?“
Reveal the spiritual aspect of your being, your Eternal Individuality, in
your thoughts, feelings, words and above all in your deeds!
Do not follow the desires of your lower self! Replace crude, animal
pleasures with spiritual ones, for example feasting and boozing with
meditation. Eradicate any coarseness that creeps in.
Every act of crudeness harms your Higher Self!
You coarsen instead of becoming finer and crash instead of rising.
„Here the cat is biting its own tail! In order to
refine my heart, I should reveal my eternal being. But only a pure heart can
tell me what my soul wants!?“
Look at it this way: Every human being has an originally childlike pure
heart, no matter how deeply hidden and buried it may be. In the hours of
upliftment and meditation, you can penetrate the armour of heaped-up piles and
get through to the pure, golden core of your being.
Then you will begin to perceive the softly whispering, plaintive voice of
your heart. The more you carry out what it advises you to do, i.e. the more you
remove the ulcers and dross that cover and suffocate it, the more audibly and
clearly your soul will speak to you over time.
*****
As always, and as you will have expected, your eating
habits as well play a major role in refining your heart:
If you numb your delicate organ with alcohol or coarsen it with meat, it
will not speak to you clearly.
Simple, light food such as rice, fruit and vegetables, eaten in small
quantities, refines your organism, your senses and especially your heart.
It is necessary to refine the senses while on Earth. With due reason a
certain hermit made his daily food of herbs and leaves in
order to refine his sense of taste. And when a passer-by asked his
reason for this, he answered, “In order to love thee better.” Thus, each
subtlety is of use in the realization of the fundamentals. (Fiery World I,
333)
*****
You can refine your being infinitely!
To such a height as you cannot even imagine today!
Everything can be refined, and in this is the joy of our existence.
(Helena Roerich Letters Vol. I, letter dated 11.02.1929)
Remember our Video „The Law of Evolution“: At
the beginning of the cycle millions of years ago we were purely ethereal beings
who became more and more material on the descending
arc of involution. On the ascending arc of evolution which has just begun, in
the coming millions of years, we are to become more and more
subtle and finally as ethereal again as we were at the beginning of the cycle.
So let us refine ourselves continuously and ever further. In this way we
will eventually become higher beings of the next evolutionary stage!
Humanity must realise its striving to subtle sensations. All beautiful
forms of Cosmos are built upon subtlety of sensations. All refined feelings
create refined forms. Humanity can refine its sensations in Infinity. (Infinity
II, 363)
6.
Expansion of Consciousness
The more sensitive your heart becomes, the more knowledge you acquire.
If during the process of evolution instinct has developed into feeling,
then refinement will lead to heart-knowledge. (Infinity II, 374)
Expansion of consciousness, one of the most important concerns of Agni
Yoga (see our Videos „The Significance of Consciousness“ and
„Expansion of Consciousness“) can be achieved by
sharpening your inner senses, especially the sensitivity of the heart.
The warrant of the broadening of consciousness lies in the development of
sensitiveness. (Hierarchy 45)
We always underline the concept of refinement, for it is bound up with
the growth of the spirit. (Agni Yoga 580)
You open up new horizons. You recognise more and more of the infinite, immeasurable, hitherto not
nearly grasped reality. You see through more and more
Maja (illusion), constantly widening your field of view beyond the familiar,
seeing precisely what you have not seen before and pushing the boundaries of
understanding further and further.
You reduce the realm of the impossible and expand that
of the possible.
A widely educated person should possess a rich imagination. For such an
individual the realm of the impossible is diminished, and possibilities
multiply. (Supermundane 568)
7.
Nourishment of the Heart
Guiding Thought:
You must provide with food
not only the body,
but also the heart!
„What do I feed my heart with?“
With what is called „food for the soul“: high
thoughts, ideas and ideals, as they flow to you in meditation and when reading
Holy Scriptures.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the
mouth of God. (Matthew 4, 4)
One has to start by disciplining the smallest
thoughts; only when that is done can one create a thought that moves mountains.
By following this advice about putting small thoughts in order, one begins to
bring health to the heart. (Heart 495)
The contemplation of beauty in nature or art as well elevates the heart
and puts it in a state of higher vibration. Listening to classical music in particular is downright balm for the soul.
*****
Such spiritual nourishment is also a solemn mood. This is not theory –
you can feel how the atmosphere of a sanctuary, a concert hall or an art museum
lets your heart grow!
*****
Finally, your heart
really does need the connection with the Spiritual World to survive. You have
often experienced how communion with higher souls gives you energy, hope and
joy and strengthens your heart.
The culture of the
heart does not accumulate unless it receives proper nourishment. The heart
demands constant nourishment; without it, the heart is deprived of the highest
link and begins to decompose. (Heart 9)
It is useful to
consider communion with the Higher World to be as necessary as pure air. (AUM
89)
The three
meditation times in the morning, at noon and in the evening precisely serve to
nourish your heart.
Just as you have a
meal three times a day, even more so you should take time to nourish your most
important organ three times a day.
Daily we partake of
food, and without it regard the day as miserable. But our spirit also requires
nourishment of thought, and it is a crime to pass one’s day without it. (Agni
Yoga 357)
The fact that the
soul of man requires nourishment no less than the body, and
also requires it at stated intervals of time, and in sufficient
quantities, is not always recognized or accepted. Consequently
in the majority of cases that nourishment is very
inadequately and intermittently supplied, and the result of such neglect is to
a close observer evident in the faces and forms of the people he meets.
(Teachings of the Temple Vol. I, Lesson 59 “Transmutation”)
Chapter VI:
Further Abilities of the Heart
„That was rather
general though. How does the training and utilisation of the abilities of my
heart take place in concrete and practical terms?“
The best way is
„learning by doing“: You simply begin to apply your
heart-knowledge in everyday life, then this ability will increase by itself
over time.
The organ develops
through constant use!
Let us look at some
examples:
1. Reading the Aura
The first, most
obvious and practically most important application of heart-knowledge is: Learn
to read auras!
If our skin senses
the warmth flowing from a hand, even over a considerable distance, then how
much more strongly must the heart vibrate in response to human radiations!
(Heart 29)
Not only people (we
have already talked about this) have their aura, but also objects (e.g. antique
furniture, jewellery, clothing, food or medicines), buildings (a church, a
prison, a stately villa or a simple alpine hut), animals (a lap dog or a predator),
flowers, trees and a forest, crowds (in a beer tent, in a football stadium, at
political meetings), landscapes (in the mountains, in the desert, by the sea)
and even situations (a raging battle).
Begin to sense
these countless, manifold emanations which affect you
everywhere at all times: Are they friendly or threatening, beneficial
and good or unfavourable for you?
A house in which
there has been nothing but quarrelling and fighting for years or which has been
the scene of a bloody deed is infected or, as the superstitious say, bewitched
or cursed. Woe to you if you do not realise this and move in! Then you will be
outright bombarded day and night by negative influences!
Sensitivity to the
auras of others opens a vast field for observation. Amidst the most ordinary
routines of life, one can find opportunities for the sharpening of one’s
sensitivity equal to those available in the best laboratories. (Supermundane
573)
Developing this
ability further and further opens up
immeasurable possibilities for you to better cope with everyday life: You can
now avoid misjudgements and find the right solution, namely the one that is
fitting for the nature of a situation and of the people involved in it.
2. Explore the Effect of Sounds, Colours,
Scents and Thoughts
Use the sensitivity
of your heart to explore the effect of sounds, colours and scents, of thoughts
(like the Japanese Emoto) or of the gaze. We talked about this already in more
detail in the Video „Expansion of Consciousness“. We
are referring to research in your normal everyday environment.
How, then, does an earthquake
affect everything that exists? What about the impact of different kinds of
winds and thunderstorms? How do the various auras of people act upon plants? An
entirely new research institute could be established. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden
II, 173)
3. Decoding the Message of Classical Music
Set about
deciphering the message of classical music. You sense that the great works of
Mozart, Beethoven and Bruckner are trying to tell you something!
Music is a higher
revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. (Beethoven)
Music expresses
that which cannot be said and about which it is impossible to remain silent.
(Victor Hugo)
The events that music
tells us about take place in the Spiritual World. Concentrated listening helps
you to delve into these spheres, to perceive what is going on and to
participate in life there.
The International
Musicosophia School in St Peter in the Black Forest is doing valuable
pioneering work in this area!
4. Realise the Intervention of Higher
Powers in earthly Life
It is of the utmost
importance for your spiritual development that you become aware more and more of how Higher Powers intervene in your life:
You are being
guided! (Titian „The Archangel
Raphael and Tobias“)
One cannot but feel
that something over and above earthly reasonings directs the circumstances.
(Fiery World II, 454)
People are guided
far more often than they think. (Fiery World I, 181)
Everything falls
into place in such a way that you can – if you only want to – learn, progress
and fulfil the mission of your life. This as well we had already discussed in
the Video „Expansion of Consciousness“.
Few realize that something
beyond earthly considerations turned the tide of events. If people made an effort to carefully investigate the essence of
events, they could convince themselves that Our Leading Hand is near.
(Supermundane 263)
Observe the course
of world events with a mind free of prejudice and you will perceive Our Hand.
(Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 362)
Open your heart to
the true feeling that from Above good forces support and evil ones hinder,
threaten and fight you!
Not a single earthly action remains unanswered on the
part of the Subtle World. Each earthly thought arouses either joy and
assistance, or malevolence and destructive sendings
from the Subtle World. (AUM 105)
5. Feel
the Effect of the Stars
Recognise the effects of the stars, not only with the
help of the technique of astrology, but also with the sensitivity of your
heart:
You already sense the influence of the full moon, for
example by being unable to sleep.
Why should it not it be possible to feel the effects
of the radiations of Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn once you have refined your
senses?
Doesn’t the heart sense the subtlest of vibrations?
(Heart 73)
„Are there any simple exercises to develop this kind
of sensitivity?“
The Moon moves to a new sign of the Zodiac every two
or three days. If you were born under a fire sign and are astrologically a Leo,
for example, you can sense when the moon is in a water sign, for example in
Pisces, which does not correspond to your nature at all. Then you feel as if
under water, foggy and hazy. However, as soon as the moon moves from Pisces
into the fire sign of Aries, you will notice almost to the hour how your energy
increases powerfully again. By paying attention to the exact times of these
moon changes, you can develop this feeling more and more.
This is the astrology of the future: Do not merely
calculate the ephemerides, use your heart-knowledge as well! An excellent differs
from an ordinary astrologer primarily in that he has an extremely refined
sensitivity. This quality of the heart alone enables him to interpret an
ambiguous horoscope for a specific person and situation appropriately and
accurately.
6.
Sensing Events of global Significance
Great minds notice events of global significance even
if they take place at the other end of the earth.
You can see how the heart reflects even distant
earthquakes and other world events. (Heart 10)
Earthquakes and other cosmic agitations will serve as
an opportunity to exercise one’s sensitivity. (Supermundane 573)
"I feel a great
disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror
and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened." says Obi-Wan Kenobi
in the movie “Star Wars”, when thousands of light years away the entire
peaceful planet Alderaan was destroyed by the battle star of the dark forces.
This is not just fantasy!
I know people in Europe who felt the shattering of the
worldwide balance at the moment of the Chernobyl
nuclear disaster in 1986 or the terrorist attacks in New York on 11 September
2001.
Space is linked with each human organism, but do many
pay any attention to such influences? If a sensitive organism re-echoes distant
earthquakes and eruptions, and trembles at atmospheric manifestations, the same
thing occurs before great events. Already long ago
was it said that the better people will become specially
sensitive before great events. (Fiery World III, 541)
7.
Increase your Psychic Energy
The power of your psychic energy depends upon the fire
of your heart.
„Why? I don’t see the connection.“
Very simple: As long as your
heart is weak, you are lukewarm, sluggish, indecisive or doubtful and then have
no energy. It is quite different when your heart is inflamed and you are
enthusiastically striving towards a goal.
People often employ beautiful expressions. They
rightly say, “Her heart caught fire,” or, “His spirit was
kindled.” (Heart 476)
Then your spiritual strength grows.
Remember that the fiery energy grows and works
incessantly if the heart is aflame. (Fiery World I, 44)
Psychic energy acts freely, when man is aflame with
hearty striving. The measuring rod of psychic energy is pure striving. Not
magic, but pure human striving will produce a marvellous world. (Fiery World
II, 221)
Agni Yoga sometimes calls psychic energy „heart energy“, because its source lies in the heart.
Psychic energy lives primarily in the heart.
(Supermundane 719)
High beings create through psychic energy, the power
of which is dependent on the kindling of the fires of the heart. (Helena
Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter dated 02.09.1937)
So keep your heart
pure, selfless and strong, then the energy with which you take
action will also be great and powerful.
At the very least, a basic hygiene of the heart ought
to be maintained. Striving to work is the best way to strengthen the heart.
(Heart 341)
The heart especially intensifies psychic energy, and
each heart experience affects the store of psychic energy. One may speak about
the chemical death of a man when the supply of psychic energy is exhausted. One
may speak about resurrection when psychic energy begins to be accumulated. The
levers for the fiery resurrection of psychic energy can be found in the heart.
(Fiery World III, 414)
With the help of the heart
you can even attract and absorb psychic energy from space and use it in earthly
life.
When one is mentally tensed, one attracts the spatial energy, and thus can be particularly successful. People
sometimes cannot understand why they are unable to use the energy that appears
to assist everyone else. This is because they do not develop their thinking and
fail to strengthen their magnet, thus depriving themselves of help from above.
The Thinker pointed to the magnet of the heart. He knew which centre is the
best receiver of the primary energy. (Supermundane 753)
The same psychic energy can be used for good or for
evil purposes. It is the heart which decides about this.
The heart directs psychic energy. (Fiery World III,
421)
How can one develop psychic energy and realize its usefulness?
The heart that aspires to higher quality of all life will be a conductor of
psychic energy. The heart is a most independent organ; may it be set free
toward good, then it will hasten to fill itself with energy. (Brotherhood 290)
8. Higher Skills
People tend to try to
acquire higher skills such as telekinesis, levitation and the like through all
kinds of physical, artificial or even magical means. This is a mistake. The
only promising method is the Spiritual Path of gradual, step-by-step growth.
The greater your
soul grows, the higher the skills it naturally acquires.
This, too, it is above all a
matter of forming the heart! Purify and refine this organ more
and more, then one day you will be able to use it far beyond the
physical, earthly level. Let us look at some examples:
Examples of higher Skills through Heart
Education
1st
Example: As you develop your heart, you will learn thought transmission, that is,
to send out understandable thoughts and to comprehend thought messages sent by
someone else.
Thought-reading flows from
heart-knowledge. Not artificial magic, not staring into someone’s eyes, not
holding his hands, but the fire of the heart is what links up the subtlest
apparatuses. (Heart 135)
Practise mastering this
non-verbal language of the Subtle World! This is actually of
existential importance: After death in the World Beyond, there is no physical
language anymore. There, we are communicating mentally without words directly
from heart to heart, see our Video „The Supermundane World“.
The language of the Subtle
World has no need of words, although it may possess them. Its expression lies
in heart-knowledge, in transmission of the subtlest feelings. We should not be
surprised about any of this, for even in the physical world hearts resonating
in harmony transmit a great deal to each other through the language of the
heart. Let this language be a constant reminder about the potential of the
Subtle World. (Heart 522)
„That’s superstitious
hocus-pocus that a reasonable person like me wants nothing to do with!“
Not at all! On the contrary,
you can and must begin to acquire this skill already now, during your earthly
incarnation. If you fail to do so, you will be rather lonely in the Other World
because you will not be able to communicate with your fellow inhabitants there.
*****
2nd
example: Clairvoyance means nothing other than perceiving more with the extremely refined
eyes of the heart than with the physical ones.
It is a great gift if one
can awaken clairvoyance by touching a person’s solar plexus. This process can
be undertaken in the physical body as well as the subtle; but in order for it to take place in the physical, one has to develop a strong magnet of the heart. (Heart
119)
A most ancient expression—to
look through fire—has been subjected to incorrect interpretation. People have
understood it in the physical sense. They began to make use of a wall of fire in order to develop clairvoyance. But for natural ascent
such artificial methods are not only unnecessary but even obstructive. Indeed,
one should look upon earthly things through the fire of the heart; only such
inspection can foil the snares of Maya. But fiery tension requires time,
patience and devotion. (Fiery World II, 460)
The sensitivity of your
heart lets you find the things (material or spiritual) you are looking for.
Among fiery signs there is
the particular aptitude for finding needed objects.
One has but to think about them, and they draw near, as it were, and are
discovered. Already in antiquity it was said—kindle the torch of the heart and
find that which is needed. The symbol is true enough, for the fire of the heart
kindles surrounding fires and creates a magnetic attraction. Also in books,
what is sought can be found by illuminating the book with the same fire. (Fiery
World II, 189)
3rd
example of higher skills:
A yogi can even walk through
fire without being harmed.
„Impossible! A miracle!“
No! There is an entirely
natural explanation: Because the spiritual fire of the heart is much more
powerful than the physical, earthly fire, you may use your heart energy, when
it is developed, to protect you.
The so-called passages
through fire differ greatly. The lowest type of fakirs rub
their bodies with ashes mixed with mineral dust, and
thus gain a certain resistance to fire. Of course, this external, purely
physical effect cannot be of interest. Yogis pass through fire by inducing the
heart’s energy as a counter-action. In this process
the inner fire breaks through the pores of the skin and, being more powerful
than the earthly fire, forms a strong protective armour. (Fiery World I,
23)
4th
Example: The same heart energy builds a spiritual armour around you which protects
you from attacks of the dark ones.
Physical qualities will not
give tenacity against evil, but the spirit and the fire of the heart will
create an armour against the cunning of evil. (Hierarchy 378)
Some light-minded people
think that a mechanical utterance of the Highest Names will protect them
immediately from dark assaults. However, it is not a mechanical repetition but
the pure fire of the heart that creates a firm shield. (Supermundane 26)
Agni Yoga calls this
spiritual shield, which is formed and fed by the fire of the heart, „protective
net“ (see the Video „Psychic Energy“)
It is in the heart that
invulnerability manifests. (Heart 582)
In all Teachings the dark
forces are represented as shooting their fiery arrows at the Illumined One.
This battle is depicted in beautiful symbols. No less beautifully is it
indicated that the malevolent arrows do not reach their target but form a
protective net. Let us not regard this heedlessly; this symbol is entirely
realistic, even from the viewpoint of modern science. The malevolent flame
encounters the great fire of the heart and becomes subservient, only augmenting
the Agni of the Great Spirit. Thus, the heart which manifests all its power is
invincible. (Fiery World I, 650)
This gives you a tremendous
power which makes you invincible.
Fluids of the fiery heart
and spirit nourish the protective net. The fiery centres are a most powerful
panacea. An Agni Yogi, realising the might of fiery energy, possesses the power
of the Light; therefore, let us not be surprised if the heart saturated with
higher Fire knows nothing of whisperings and temptations. (Fiery World III,
179)
Immunity dwells in the
heart. Only the energy of the heart makes you invulnerable and carries you over
obstacles. So you should remember the heart as a
weapon. Indeed, the weapon of Light is the heart! (Heart 399)
A strong heart makes you
immune to bad energies: it absorbs and neutralises them.
Immunity is contained in the
heart. A Yogi mentally directs the poisons to the heart, which dissolves their
effects. (Heart 375)
You are amazed that people
can swallow poisons without harm; won’t you consider where that immunity comes
from? Not from the structure of the stomach walls, but from the fire that lies
in the heart. (Heart 98)
On the other hand, if you
suffer a defeat, attribute it to a weakness of your heart.
In case of retreat, search
nearby. Has the heart maintained all its force? Has not some transitory earthly
circumstance interfered? Has not self-pity arisen? Did not a quiver of fear
overcast the heart? Or did doubt allow clouds to set in? Verily, where the Agni
of the heart is not overcast, there can be no defeat. (Fiery World I, 650)
This is the scientific
explanation for the wise popular belief that someone with a childlike, pure
heart is always protected. (Fridolin Leiber „Guardian Angel“)
With clean hands and a pure heart we can do all things. The only weapon that the
occultist can use in this warfare is the power of a pure heart. The hostile
forces are powerless when thrown against a pure, unselfish heart. (Teachings of
the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “Spiritual Triumph”)
5th
Example: The power of a pure heart protects not only you, but, if it is great
enough, even your whole environment from all kinds of harm. (Nicholas
Roerich „Madonna Protectrix“)
A man who is pure in heart is
often a healer and a protector of a whole district from various epidemics and
even catastrophes. The legend about a whole city being spared because of one
saint who lived in it has deep significance. In our region there is a strong
belief in the benevolent influence of the emanations of a pure person over the
whole district. A pure heart is a panacea for everything and everybody. (Helena
Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter of 11.09.1937)
6th
example: Agni Yoga summons us to overcome technology and apparatuses and instead
to utilise the powers which lie within ourselves. For this, we must first of all train our heart. Then one day we will be able
to replace cars, aeroplanes and ships with levitation and telekinesis, the
telephone with thought transmission, the radio with clairaudience and
television with clairvoyance.
The
significance of the heart is all the greater as in the future it will replace
many apparatuses. Verily, in the New Era people will appear who will replace the most complex apparatuses with themselves. At present, people invent robots, but after this
mechanical fever has abated man’s attention will turn to the powers within
himself. In Our Abode all research is directed toward the freeing of man from
the machine. In this process one must educate the heart. (Supermundane 22)
Chapter VII:
Participation in the Life of the Higher World
Finally, a very special
ability of the heart is that it enables us to participate in the life of the
Higher World. We have just said:
An Agni Yogi lives in two
worlds.
The New Man who
wants to become a being of spirit must learn to participate in the life of his
home, the Spiritual World.
„What do you mean by
‘participation’?“
First and foremost, you must
be able to perceive what is going on there.
One must cultivate subtlety
of the senses within oneself, so that through the earthly noise the
supermundane manifestations can be heard. One should learn to perceive the
Supermundane Light with closed eyes; it is thus that the manifestations of the
Subtle World approach. And you will not speak about their unexpectedness, for
you will feel their approach with your heart.
Of course, you do not often
recognise the exact nature of an occurrence, but in any case you
will know of its approach. Indeed, you will sense the vibrations well in
advance. Inexperienced people may think these sensations are signs of illness,
for their vibrations are so unusual.
But a sensitive observer
will be able to adapt himself quickly to the approach of supermundane
vibrations and respond to them. Thus is developed true
cooperation. The Thinker instructed, “Be sharp-sighted, so that at any moment
you can perceive the Supermundane Signs.” (Supermundane 786)
„What are these subtle
manifestations?”
Well, it is all about
aspects of the subtle reality which you can only recognise with your spiritual
senses. When we shall now be talking about clairvoyance, clairaudience and clairscenting, we do not have in mind fakir arts, but the
quite natural ability to develop and refine your heart’s sensitivity to such an
extent that you can grasp revelations of the non-material world which are not
accessible to the five gross senses.
Cognizance of fiery influences
is divided in accordance with the senses. The first impression is that of
seeing, with all its fiery diversity. Then hearing is added, with the music of
the spheres, bells, and the chords of nature. Then comes the refinement of
touch, with the sensations of rhythm, of heat and cold. The most difficult of
all are the sensations of smell and taste. Yet Urusvati knows the meaning of
scenting a man at a remote distance. Urusvati also knows something else that is
very difficult: to sense the taste of a metal in the Subtle World, which is
already an extraordinary subtlety. (Fiery World I, 110)
„Isn’t this just esoteric playfulness?“
No, not at all, it is
essential for survival! Just imagine: You enter another sphere after death but
failed to develop your inner senses, the eyes and ears of your heart! What will
be the consequence?
You will be blind
and deaf in the Subtle World!
A terrible state that will
leave you disorientated and utterly helpless. You will be completely in the
dark in an unfamiliar environment: You do not realise what kind of beings are
near you, friendly or hostile, and what is going on in your surroundings.
Blindness in the Subtle
World is dreadful. Imagine yourself entering a half-darkened house, in the
corners of which lurk indistinguishable images, all intermingled, and
surrounded by indistinct spots. Even where no particular
monsters exist, he who is blind and malicious will see horrible shapes. Actually, instead of Fiery Beings, he will vaguely discern
two or three sparks which will have no meaning for him. (Fiery World I, 390)
1. Perception through Clairaudience
Rubens „Music making Angels“
When you silence the noise
of the world and create stillness, you will begin to hear the
sounds of the Spiritual Sphere through clairaudience.
Sometimes you are absent, as
it were, from current life. Sometimes you can hear the sounding of the distant
worlds. (AUM 160)
The sounds of the Subtle
World remind one of the finest singing on Earth, yet
their meaning is entirely different. (Supermundane 113)
There is no silence, because
once the earthly sounds are still, the echoes of the Subtle World begin to be
heard. (Heart 330)
The voice of silence
resounds.
As the manifested world
fades away, the voice of the Subtle World awakens. (Fiery World II, 10)
Only the heart can listen to
and understand the light touches of the Supermundane World. This must be
remembered. The Thinker said, “Teacher, teach me to understand the whisper of
the Supermundane.” (Supermundane 842)
Listen to the sounds of
nature: Like St Francis of Assisi, learn to comprehend what the birds are
chirping to you. (Nicholas
Roerich „St Francis of Assisi“)
What do the grasses hum,
what do the trees rustle, what does the rose whisper, what does the wind
breathe, what does the sea roar, what does the brook murmur to you? Hearken to
the song of the waterfall – which is the title of this painting by Nicholas Roerich. (Nicholas Roerich „Song of the Waterfall“)
It is said that Lao Tze
often conversed with waterfalls. This is not a fairy tale, for he listened to
the resonance of nature and sharpened the sensitiveness of his hearing to the
point of discerning the qualities of the vibrations. (Fiery World I, 559)
Without realization of the
significance of music it is also impossible to understand the sounding of
nature; and, of course, it is impossible then to think about the music of the
spheres—only noise will be accessible to the spirit of the ignorant. The song
of waterfall or river or ocean will be only a roar; the wind will not bring
melody and will not resound in the trees as a solemn hymn. The best harmonies
vanish for the unopened ear. (Brotherhood 292)
In the whispering of the
leaves, in the splash of the waves, in the murmur of the breeze, I am with you.
(Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 209 [235])
Listen to the music of the
Higher World, to the choirs of angels, to the marvellous music of the spheres.
One should learn to discern
the fundamental sounds. At times they fill space like a resounding string; at
times like many-voiced choirs; at times they resemble a majestic symphony, but
sometimes one can hear the song of one voice. Thus can
be heard the music of the spheres. Space resounds with a special rhythm at
every moment. (Supermundane 924)
Urusvati heard the music of
the spheres, and knows that its main power is in
harmony and in rhythm. But there are no instruments on Earth that can express
all the grandeur of the calls of space. (Supermundane 608)
So far, the great composers
have only been able to capture a small part of this supermundane beauty and to
reflect it in their works.
A great master
of music must be born who will give to humanity glimpses of the symphony
of the spheres. The time is coming when people will have a great need for the
symphonies of space, whose harmonies will be a true panacea. Ambassadors of
sound did come in the past, but they had little success in transmitting what
they had heard in the subtle spheres. (Supermundane 608)
From the lower layers of the
Subtle World, on the other hand, terrible sounds reach us.
When one listens to the
lower superearthly sphere, one may be shocked by the
tortured groans, wails, and cries of terror. (Brotherhood 480)
2. Perception through Clairscenting
You learn to perceive
ethereal fragrances through clairscenting
Sometimes you can sense the
air and the aroma of remote localities; you affirm immeasurable manifestations
amid daily life. Indeed, you do not deceive yourself in sensing these fleeting
contacts, which demonstrate how powerful the human being is. (AUM 160)
A sensitive person knows
that the breath of the saints is fragrant. Lower, impure consciousnesses, on
the other hand, actually emit a subtle awful stink
which cannot be perceived with the nose – even if physically they have washed
themselves thoroughly.
Good is a fragrance, evil a
poisonous stench. The smell of decay accompanies anything low on the physical
plane, as well as on the spiritual. (Heart 577)
Through spiritual
development people free themselves from the unpleasant odours which are natural
to undeveloped organisms. When a man returns from the pure outdoor air he emits a fragrant odour. Equally fragrant is the
consciousness over-shadowed by blessing. (AUM 89)
The stench of irritation is
dreadful. (Heart 328)
3. Perception through Clairvoyance
Thomas Cole “The Garden of Eden”
Through clairvoyance you see
the details of the Higher World: plants, mountains, waters, animals and other
inhabitants.
In the Subtle World exist
diverse affirmations of the earthly world. Even a prototype of the seasons of
the year goes through the consciousness of the Subtle World. Therefore, images
of plants or mountains or the surfaces of water are not foreign to the Subtle
World, though they are in a transfigured condition, of course. The heart that
knows the Subtle World knows flowers and mountains, snows and seas. Flowers
thrive in a profusion of forms, and their colours are indescribably more
complex and varied than the earthly pallet. The snows are whiter, more
crystalline, and richer than their earthly counterparts. (Heart 332)
Rarely do people see the
highest spheres of the Subtle World, but those who are worthy to behold the
splendour of the mountains and seas of the Subtle World, and the radiance of
its flowers, can visualize the purity of the Fiery Kingdom! (Fiery World I, 597)
You discover a completely
new, strange sphere.
The colours at times may
remind one of earthly colours, but their essence is entirely different. The
oceans of Earth cannot compare to the depth and transparency of the waters of
the Subtle World. The atmosphere resembles a rainbow, but its subtle colours
are totally unlike the colours of earthly rainbows. The fish can fly, but their
colouring has no equivalent in fish of Earth, and the most luxurious feathers
of earthly birds cannot compare to the plumage of the Subtle World. The people
resemble earthly people, but amaze one by the subtlety
of their features and tissues. Such differences are striking to the human
consciousness, and one must become accustomed to the vastness of variety.
(Supermundane 113)
4. Perception through Clairsensing
Malmström „Dancing Elves“
You feel through clairsensing how the Supermundane World touches you.
If
somebody begins to complain that the Subtle World is imperceptible, point out
how very wrong that statement is. The wings of the Subtle World touch people
far more frequently than they are given to thinking. It is people themselves
who brush off the invisible flies and the invisible cobweb. (Heart 480)
It
is necessary only to pay heed to these contacts; people usually brush them
aside as annoying gnats. (AUM 451)
„What
is it that is touching me?“
Especially subtle
beings which approach you.
One
should not consider the manifestations of the Subtle World to be extraordinary.
Everyone possessing a refined receptivity can under proper conditions sense the
presence of the dwellers of the Subtle World. (Supermundane 221)
Children and
particularly sensitive people feel the presence of nature spirits such as
nymphs, mermaids, gnomes, fairies or elves, for example, or of ghosts of
deceased which still haunt the earth.
On
Earth people are constantly surrounded by subtle beings. Usually, they do not
notice them, yet at times they feel breaths of air and light touches, and on
rare occasions will see so-called ghosts. But one must point out that apart
from such external perceptions, every refined person senses
inner tremors, and is subject to nervous stimulation or depression caused by
the approach of subtle entities. (Supermundane 221)
People
are mistaken if they think that communion with the Supermundane World can be
accomplished only with the help of especially sensitive individuals. Of course,
contacts through such people are the most obvious, but in truth, everyone is
continuously influenced by the touches of supermundane dwellers. (Supermundane
780)
But also higher beings, especially the Mahatmas of the
Brotherhood of Shambhala, exercise a targeted influence upon humanity. Feel
that! Do not let these energies, messages or signs sent from Above fly by
unnoticed and unused!
Influences
from the Supermundane World can be divided into three basic kinds: the first is
influence over one individual; the second is influence over an entire group;
the third are touches of the Supermundane poured out over the entire humanity.
(Supermundane 780)
5. Sensitive Observation in
the midst of everyday Life
This higher
realisation is not just a matter for the new Divine Science. Rather, every „normal“ person as well can and must learn to open his heart
and to perceive Supermundane Phenomena through sensitive observation in the
middle of everyday life.
In the near future the study of the
Supermundane World will be intensified. Science will help, but also the
people’s consciousness will be more attentive to the manifestations of everyday
life. People must be assured that attention to psychic manifestations is not
superstition. It has been sufficiently indicated that superstition and
prejudice result from ignorance.
Now
it must be said that lack of attention to subtle manifestations is also an act
of ignorance. One should strengthen the striving toward observation of the
surrounding subtle phenomena. The eye and the ear must be made more acute so
that the link with the Subtle World can be recognized in everyday life. It must
be made clear that the Subtle World is close to every being.
Manifestations
of the Subtle World are like the finest cobweb; it can be torn, but the
presence of something, very subtle, will be felt for a long time. Remember that
the Subtle World is revealed in very subtle touches. Science, therefore, must
adapt itself to the subtlest manifestations. The most subtle can be perceived
only with great attention. (Supermundane 757)
However, do not fancy
anything that does not exist in actually reality!
One
should not fall into prejudice, otherwise a person will sense something that
cannot be. Psychic hearing should be developed with the utmost honesty, and
experiences truthfully recorded. Cognizance of the Supermundane requires utmost
honesty. (Supermundane 573, 574)
There
is no need to fall into self-deception and imagine what does not exist.
(Supermundane 552)
Idealistic
drivel needs to be replaced by sound reasoning. (Community 123)
6. Participation in the Life of the Higher
World
Nicholas Roerich „Nagarjuna“
Perceiving the higher
reality is only a first step. If you want to live the life of your heart, you
must really participate in what is happening in the Supermundane Sphere.
You are acclimatising
your soul to the subtle environment that is always present around you, but
which you have ignored until now.
In
undergoing the education of the heart, we grow accustomed to the spheres of the
Subtle World without noticing the fact ourselves. This happens not because of some sort of exceptional, miraculous phenomena, but rather
through the minute sensations that the sensitized heart starts to discern.
Little by little we come to acknowledge that around us there exist a multitude
of manifestations that the laws of elementary physics cannot accommodate.
(Heart 433)
You
place yourself right in the middle of the events that are taking place up
there.
At
first, such a visit in the Subtle World will flash out in the consciousness
through a sensation of a sort of momentary absence, and later there will remain
an impression of having visited someone, or even of having heard two or three
words; at times there will be sensed the characteristic odour of a definite
locality known to us, or a glimmer of people or a place will pass by. (Helena
Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter dated 23.04.1938)
„For
the time being, it seems to me utterly impossible to participate in life in the
World Beyond during my incarnation on Earth!”
Start small and
simple. The first steps towards this higher skill are exercises we have already
discussed and practised together (see the Videos „Participation in the Life of
the Higher World“, and „Living in the Ashram of the Teacher“): Attach your place
of residence and work to the world of your teacher; step before him regularly
and have a conversation with him. In this way, you will become over time in
spirit, in your heart, a participant in the events at this Holy Place.
*****
Our conversation
would not be complete if we did not turn with reverence to the woman as well,
who knows to use the heart so much better than the man: For higher knowledge,
for pouring out love and for connecting with the Spiritual World. That is why
„The leading Role of Women in the New Era“ is the
topic of the next Video of our Series „Introduction to Agni Yoga“.
*****
Let us end with an
oath:
Guiding Thought:
We are striving to live a New
Life!
We are striving to live the
life of the heart!