The Secret of Immortality
Part III: The infinite Potential of the Immortal
Once again we raise the question: What does it mean to
be an immortal?
In order to be a
cow, not much more is required than just to exist.
This does not apply to a human being. Of course, a
baby is also a "human being". However, it is true as well: Only then
it is "really" a human being when it has learned to walk, to speak,
to read, to write, to calculate and many other things associated with being
“human". As paradoxical as it may sound, it is true nevertheless: To be
born is not enough, afterwards man has yet to become a human being.
A being that does
not develop the potential which nature – or God – has bestowed on it, fails to fulfill his mission.
Thus, for a higher
being than an animal, "to live" means: To consciously use one’s
abilities and to develop them further and further.
This also applies to a non-material creature like your
soul. If you really want to transform and to become a soul, you have to
recognize, to apply, to develop and to constantly expand the gigantic potential
of such a spiritual being.
On this divine
plane each one is the builder of his soul, and the architect of his own
immortality. (Teachings of the Temple Vol. II, Lesson “True Knowledge”)
Your Eternal Individuality is only just at the
beginning of its conscious development. Today it is still like a baby: small,
weak, unsheltered, vulnerable and suffering.
We are not yet
like horsemen, who force their will upon the donkey (the body) with strength
and dexterity. Our higher self is for the time being still an infant. He sits
in the saddle, where, however, he does not steer, but is carried by the donkey
here and there at its will.
You must educate your spiritual being as you raise a
child – so that it grows from a small and weak to a Great and strong Soul.
Just as for the
body, so for your soul as well you must practise "bodybuilding" in
the truest sense of the word. You have to nourish, care for, heal, exercise,
strengthen and let grow your eternal being as well.
Become who you are
Therefore, the old
sages said, seemingly paradoxical: Become who you are.
That means: Although you – your true self – are
immortal, you still have to make considerable efforts in order to become a
being, which actually uses the possibilities of an immortal.
For example: You
have learned just a few minutes ago: Your true self is inviolable and
imperishable. And now, what happens if someone suddenly appears and threatens
you with a gun? You are scared!
You see: It is a long way from the merely intellectual
realization that nothing can affect your soul, to a being that really is not
afraid of any situation.
The small soul
tends to feel endangered, although it is eternal and thus invulnerable. You are
not really an immortal as long as you are still afraid of death!
Acquire the Qualities of an Immortal
Ultimately, the important thing is not so much to gain
immortality as such, but to develop the qualities, the abilities that make up
an immortal. A human being must be able to walk, a fish to swim and a bird to
fly in order to realize its nature.
Likewise, an immortal must learn to be really
inviolable on the material level – and thus to become invincible, fearless,
free, joyful and unselfish.
*****
The potential of an immortal consists of a bouquet of
qualities (inviolability, invincibility, fearlessness, freedom, joy of life,
selflessness), which we have as yet to develop.
Let us now look more closely at these properties.
1. Eternity,
Invulnerability, Invincibility
Nicholas Roerich "Tsong
kha-pa"
What is your greatest treasure? Your immortality! Can
you imagine at all what that means?!
You are a soul, not a physical, but a spiritual being!
That means first of all: No power on earth can do you any harm.
You are eternal
and indestructible.
All attacks against the health or the integrity of
your body miss their goal: they are unable to hit your true self.
A shot through the
coat goes past your body. Similarly, a punch on the donkey does not hit the
rider.
Likewise, your soul is not affected by an injury to
your body.
Be aware, never forget: You are actually invulnerable!
Not even death can frighten you:
Your true self
lives on and is as little affected by the death of the body as the rider by the
death of his donkey.
The immortal is
like a God: inviolable and invincible!
Let man understand
that no one can deprive him of life. Courage is strengthened by the realization
that life is indestructible. Certainty about this is the way to fearlessness,
and the certainty must be complete to be effective. (Supermundane 751)
As long as you are
a small soul, you tend to feel hurt, even though there is nothing which is able
to offend you.
2. Fearlessness
As you are an everlasting, invulnerable creature, you
do not have to fear anything or anyone. No one and nothing can do you any harm.
Not even the death (of the body) affects the eternal life of your soul.
One must know the
complete immutability and eternity of life in order to proceed without fear.
One must understand the indestructibility of our essential nature in order to
place this value upon the scales. (Fiery World I, 202)
The anxieties of the people are numerous: They fear
the loss of relatives, of their job, their possessions, their health and many
other things more. By transforming into a soul, you overcome this weakness: As
a spiritual being, you do not need any of this, neither for your survival nor
for your well-being.
Make the best of this asset! Place your eternity on
the balance! Do not allow this magnificent treasure to remain unused! The first
practical application will be to acquire complete fearlessness.
Think about the
meaning of danger. So-called danger is nothing but fear for one’s present
condition. But if we know that every condition is created by the consciousness,
which is indestructible, then there can be no physical fear. The dangers that
one customarily fears are dispelled by a broadened consciousness. Therefore,
the growth of consciousness is the essential foundation for progress. Then
there will be no dangers, but only be obstacles, and overcoming obstacles is
only a means for the developing of energy. Assure yourself, therefore, that
dangers do not exist. (Agni Yoga 406)
Fear is the main cause of the weakness of the
generation of today. What is the power of dictators and other oppressors based
upon? On fear!
Ends the fear,
ends the submission. (Picture lion text)
Fear not them
which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. (Matthew 10, 28)
Victory over fear
will be the threshold of a new consciousness. (Agni Yoga 538)
The generation of
the future is so strong, because it has conquered death, and with it fear.
3. Freedom
As long as you regard yourself as mortal, you are
corruptible: You have to enter into all sorts of compromises when you are
threatened and your perishable personality is afraid for its existence.
Because of fear for his life or that of his family,
the old man becomes a companion of even the most unscrupulous projects and
feels compelled to carry out acts for which he will be ashamed.
*****
As an immortal, on the other hand, you can pursue your
higher goals in all circumstances. You attain perfect freedom of action. You
gain complete independence. You may carry out what you have recognized as good
and right, without having to take into account any other considerations.
You can seal the struggle for your ideals, if
necessary, even with the death of your body – your existence (the life of your
soul) is not endangered thereby.
He who adheres to
the Teaching of Infinity gains freedom of action first of all. (Hierarchy 29)
Do you notice
unworthily the old, mortal man is manoeuvring?
First comes a full
stomach, then comes morality. (Bert Brecht)
What a miserable sentence! It deprives man of his
dignity and throws him back to the level of the animals. In reality, it
overrides ethics – precisely when they are most needed. Principles, however,
which apply in good weather only, are worthless.
The New Man places his immortality on the balance.
When you play this trump card, you can live a life of the highest ethical
principles, unaffected by and free from false considerations.
There exist
spirits of a high tension who have fully charged their accumulators in past
incarnations. Their characteristic feature will be a firm consciousness of the
indissolubility of their inner ego, whence is born the concept of a higher
freedom. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 289 [293])
The generation of
the future is so strong, because it has overcome fear and thus gained freedom.
4. Dignity
Only as eternal beings are we able to proudly and
freely fulfill our mission. Everyone can live in
dignity, even in the most dreadful conditions:
Your dignity should not depend upon the changing
circumstances, on whether you are faring well or badly, whether you are living
in poverty or in wealth.
You preserve
dignity in all circumstances when you keep your soul pure, listen to its voice,
and follow its instructions – that means, when you express your higher self.
Your dignity is not contained in your body, which is
small and weak and usually must yield to the physical force and the large
numbers of the others, so that often you cannot help it being humiliated.
The dignity of your Eternal Individuality, on the
other hand, of a spiritual being from a higher world, is indeed inviolable:
nothing can diminish it – if you yourself do not allow it to happen.
5. Overcome the earthly
Worries
A soul, which temporarily dwells on the earthly plane,
is subject to the conditions prevailing here.
Down here, there is no peace and no security, but
nothing but endless struggle for life, health, food, clothing, housing, income
and property.
All that which is
material is constantly in danger. Through endless work you have to earn every
day your own and the survival of the people entrusted to you.
Nevertheless, the immortal is not concerned for his
survival: As a being from the world of the soul he is not affected by material
necessities.
Fate of the Body insignificant
The immortal looks at the world, and at himself within
it, with the eyes of his Eternal Individuality: From the point of view of a
wanderer on an infinite path who briefly visits this planet and will soon move
on to other worlds.
Your soul descends to the material plane in order to fulfill a task, to learn, to practice its abilities, to
prove its progress, to grow and to perfect itself.
The fate of your tool, the body, during this short
stay, whether it lives in poverty or wealth, health or illness, happiness or
misfortune, is of no importance whatsoever for the mission of your higher self.
It is essential
that the art of thinking again rise above the external conditions, which are
subordinate factors of existence. (Brotherhood 510)
Untouched by Suffering
When you incarnate on the material plane, you are
inevitably exposed to the suffering that reigns down here: It hurts to get in
contact with the gross emanations of the brutal conditions, with the
omnipresent imperfection. You are destined to endure all the injustice and the
attacks which the hostile to the spirit inhabitants of these spheres use to
inflict to each other.
Not unlike Jesus,
every other earthly dweller is mocked, humiliated, beaten, wrongfully accused,
innocently condemned, and often crucified. (Matthias Grünewald Isenheim Altar)
Like Cinderella,
you are humbled, although you are destined to a kingdom.
The immortal is by no means spared the cross of
existence. His uniqueness lies in the fact that it cannot harm him.
He is like the
lotus, which lives in the water, but is not wetted. The suffering of the world
drips off from you because you know: Your true, inviolable, invisible, inner
spiritual being is not affected by the external distress, which concerns the
body only.
Where lies the salvation from the earthly sorrows?
Take the point of
view of eternity!
Earthly cares are
like stones rolling down a mountain. The lower down they roll, the more violent
the impact of the landslide. Would it not be better to ascend to the very
summit where there are no falling stones? Upward striving also transforms our
attitude toward earthly cares. Even though they continue, their meaning is
altered. (AUM 304)
From there, the everyday attacks, difficulties and
imperfections, the suffering and the distress of the world do not disappear.
But they lose their weight and become small and void. They concern your
perishable personality only, while your higher self is standing far above them.
Our philosophy is
based upon thinking about Infinity. With such ideals, earthly tribulations
become bearable and manageable. (Supermundane 341)
Example of the great Saints
Pordenone
"Laurenzo Giustiniani and other Saints"
Let us follow the example of the great saints and
spiritual warriors.Let us not believe that they were
better off than we are. By no means: All without exception they have done their
work in the midst of earthly life and carried their full share of the suffering
of mankind.
*****
Just one example: Try to imagine as vividly as
possible the professional life of Christ as a carpenter or of St. Paul as a
tent-maker: They participated in the worldly struggle for existence and were
exposed to the same difficulties, injustice and cruelties as any one of today’s
professional workers:
Were these two high initiates self-employed? Then they
did not fare differently than any craftsman at all times; The suppliers claim
to be paid immediately, but the customers you have to chase in order go to get
the money due to you. Or were they employees? Then they had to subordinate
themselves to superiors standing spiritually below them, and were exposed to
their violence and their whims.
Nevertheless, the saints did not allow themselves to
be subdued by any humiliation. They have brought to bear the dignity that is
based upon their higher nature – even on the cross.
6.Selflessness
Jacques-Louis David "The Act of
Selflessness"
In addition to invulnerability, the second great
achievement of the coming immortal man is: selflessness.
No Interest in earthly Goods
Nicholas Roerich "Sergius the
Builder"
Do you think: "I want this or that for me"?
This is an expression of your perishable personality. Your Eternal
Individuality does not require anything for itself, it is completely selfless.
Anima does not
need material objects, neither for her survival, nor for her well-being!
When you have become a soul, you will despise material
goods. You will have to abandon them anyway once you leave this world. They do
not help you on your infinite path. On the contrary, the concern for their
preservation and defence even impedes your spiritual progress.
Souls live simply,
modestly, and undemanding, an attitude which reflects the dignity of man better
than the present wastefulness. They do not participate in the mad chasing for
possessions, power, and satisfaction of the desires of the body.
A soul evades material pleasures: they cannot satisfy
a spiritual being and weaken its strength.
*****
You old men pay dearly for your apparent wealth,
namely, with damage to your higher self: The soul loses with everything that
the body gains. Look at the present time: materially as rich as none,
spiritually as poor as hardly any one.
The personal
desires must die, so that the spiritual self may be born. (Teachings of the
Temple Vol III, Lesson “Life's Doorway”)
The mortals around us cut each other to pieces in
order to grab as much as possible of that what nature has provided for all men
and what we all of us have produced in common.
We immortals are
competing to get along with as little as possible!
No Struggle for Existence
Lex Drewinski "Homo homini lupus est"
A spiritual being is merely striving to procure for
its earthly tool, the body, that small amount of food, clothing and housing,
which is indispensable for its material survival – without that this concern
were of particular importance. A soul would never fight with other souls for
such resources.
For a creature
that cannot die at all, the much talked of struggle for existence is a concept
deprived of any sense. A soul would never harm another soul because of some
insignificant physical needs. Thereby, it would harm itself.
To the old, mortal
physical man, the law of the jungle applies: The strong robs or eats up the
weak, and becomes even stronger thereby.
To the new,
immortal man, there applies the law of the sacrifice.
The Law of the Sacrifice
Tintoretto "Crucifixion"
In the exceptional case that there should really be no
sufficient material means to survive for all – that is: for all bodies! –, we
immortals renounce willingly in favour of the others.
A long earthly life is not a value in itself. In view
of infinity, it is of no importance at all whether one single life of the body
lasts somewhat shorter or longer. What are 10, 50 or even 100 years for a
creature that lives eternally? Not more than the twinkling of an eye!
The death of the
body is a light thing compared to the death of a Soul. (Teachings of the Temple
Vol. I, Lesson 62 “The Murder of Ideals”)
A soul loses nothing, but in fact grows when it
sacrifices the body – which will soon pass away anyway. For your Eternal
Individuality it is better to live a short life right, than a long life wrong.
When people begged
Milarepa to have pity on himself and stop leading such a hard life, he said:
“As all of us are subject to death, I prefer to die in pursuit of a beautiful
goal.” Verily, if even one hundred people could realize the wisdom of this
formula and would apply it in life, the world could be transformed in the
shortest time. (Helena Roerich Letters Vol. II, letter of 01.10.1935)
Your higher self actually thirsts for serving a great
purpose. The law of the sacrifice states:
Your Eternal
Individuality grows greater when it gives, not when it takes!
Therefore, all
spiritual teachings agree: True happiness does not lie in possessing, but in
giving!
Thus, Jesus says:
It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20, 35)
Sacrifice is
power. Power is possibility. Consequently every sacrifice is first of all a
possibility. It is time to cast aside the hypocrisy that sacrifice is
deprivation. We do not accept deprivations, but We give possibilities.
In Our Treasury
there is a large collection of sacrifices, and each one was useful to the one
who made it. We dislike to speak about sacrifices, because a sacrifice is the a
profitable undertaking. A real merchant of life considers each expenditure as
only a business guarantee. (Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, 183)
Only an Immortal can be selfless
As long as you are mortal, you cannot act completely
selflessly: You must consider your entire existence as endangered when you
neglect the needs of the body.
As long as you believe your end to be imminent, you
can hardly do anything else than to cling with all your strength to this poor
rest of life, to defend it with teeth and claws, to expand it as long as
possible, and to enjoy it to the full.
As an immortal you
have nothing to lose because you are bound to nothing. You have nothing to gain
because there is nothing that tempts you.
It is only when you have become aware of the
indestructibility and eternity of your true self that you will be able to
achieve true, unqualified selflessness. Only then you are in a position to
sacrifice everything – if need be, even the life of your body.
Selflessness crucial for New World
We shall see in a later Broadcasting: The quality of
selflessness is crucial for the construction of the New World.
The scourges of our time, which make life on this
wonderful planet a hell for us, are: selfishness, greed, the chasing for money,
power and pleasure, the struggle of everyone against everyone. If you think
deeper, you will find that the cause of almost all evils is the egotism of man.
Poverty was not
created by God. We have produced it, me and you, with our egotism.
In order to really change the world, we have to
overcome the omnipresent egotism. The society of the future can be created by
people only who have achieved complete selflessness.
We New Men are eager to put into the common pot more than we
take out of it for ourselves. We are ready to share with our fellow human
beings both the necessary work and the income resulting from it. This is how we
eliminate both poverty and unemployment.
7. Meaningful Life
"The Treasure in Heaven"
Only if you acknowledge the continuity of your
existence beyond the life of the body, you will be able to find a satisfactory
meaning for your life.
The existentialist philosophers are in fact right: If
we really had one single, short earthly life only, our existence would indeed
be absurd. If all the achievements you gain, if all the qualities you assemble
(expansion of consciousness, abandoning bad and acquiring good qualities,
building up new abilities), if the progress you struggle to achieve – if all
this is to be completely annihilated in a few years’ time – why then should you
trouble to unfold any striving at all?
It is useless to
speak of purification or sublimation before the continuity of life is
understood. (Supermundane 348)
A meaningful life does not begin until you know: Your
soul accumulates all these treasures and takes them along on its further,
eternal way. Not one of them is lost. You can continue to build upon that what
you have appropriated earlier.
Then you can set a goal for yourself. Then you can
follow the advice of Jesus:
Lay not up for
yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break
through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
(Matthew 6, 19-21)
This means: Accumulate achievements, abilities and
spiritual power, which will remain in your possession even after the death of
the body, and which you can continue to develop infinitely.
8. Unlimited Development
Selvarajan Yesudian „You
are the Sun of your Life“
In only one single life, the high goals that you have
in mind cannot be achieved.
In only one single life, it is impossible to realize
even approximately the gigantic potential that lies within you!
Only the eternal path of the soul allows you an
unlimited growth, an infinite development to ever higher levels, far beyond
today's humanity.
Only in this way can the proud idea become a reality:
Man walks on the
path to God!
9. Joy
Nicholas Roerich “Krishna”
The synthesis of all the qualities of the immortal is
– joy!
True joy of being is independent of the external
circumstances. It is a property of the soul! It is a mental attitude. Joy of
being comes from the heart, as is popularly known:
He who does not
carry heaven in his own heart will not be able to find it anywhere else.
Whence comes this
stimulating feeling, called Joy of Being? Why does this joy not depend upon
wealth or self-satisfaction? It may arise amidst the most grievous difficulties
and persecutions. In times of stress, joy is especially valuable and healing.
We call it Joy of Being, for it does not depend on personal circumstances,
success, or benefits.
Can there be
feelings of joy when one is afflicted with disease or when one is the victim of
injustice or insult? Indeed, for even in such circumstances the eyes may
sometimes fill with fire, the bowed head may rise, and new strength may be
experienced. Then one begins to rejoice at life, perhaps not at one’s earthly
life, but at the real Being. (Supermundane 281)
Are you downcast because unfavourable circumstances
impede the realization of your dreams? This stems from your perishable
personality. Anima, your Eternal Individuality, thinks differently: She knows
that she has unlimited time at her disposal to wait patiently and to try again
once the time is right.
Are you sad because of a loss or because you are being
humiliated, disregarded or insulted? Even that is not you. This is not the way
Anima feels. Your true spiritual nature is not affected by such offences.
It is true, for your perishable personality there is
not much to laugh about: The weather, your health, your salary, your mood or
the world situation often leave much to be desired.
Your Eternal
Individuality may always be joyful.
Turn Suffering to Joy
Michelangelo „Pietà“, St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
As an immortal, you look at all the ugliness and the
obstacles of everyday life from a completely different point of view, namely,
as the Romans said: sub specie aeternitatis:
From the point of
view of eternity, seen with the eyes of the soul, all adversities are
occasions; namely, possibilities that allow your higher, spiritual self to
ascend one step further!
Without struggle
with opposing forces, there can be no growth. (Albrecht Altdorfer „The Battle of Issus“)
The mortal threatens to perish under the beatings of
fate. He is a slave of the circumstances, which drive him back and forth like a
leaf in the wind.
The immortal thinks differently:
The path of the
soul is the ascent to ever greater heights, towards a Great Soul
("Mahatma"). Thus, Anima, your Eternal Individuality, actually
rejoices at everything which allows her to advance on this path!
Every traveller
who is enlightened by the thought about the eternal path can proceed in joy.
(Fiery World II, 425)
The fate of Job is
a classical example of the fact that everyone on the
earthly path has to cope with suffering and distress in abundance. (Léon Bonnat „Job“)
The soul, however, can only test, exercise, and
strengthen its power by such adversities. It can advance on its endless path
only in difficult situations. An easy life does not give it any opportunity to
grow greater.
Dangers, obstacles, and attacks are trials of your
spiritual progress, opportunities to prove, perfect, exercise and strengthen
the power of your spirit.
A slave can toil
in depression, but the fiery spirit transforms everything by the most luminous
joy. (Fiery World III, 597)
The challenge that
is just now facing you is nothing else but the next step on the ladder of your
ascent to God! Once you have climbed it, you will stand on a higher level,
stronger than before.
You must understand: This step does not lie ahead of
you by accident. Its deep meaning is to enable you to grow! You should
consciously use this opportunity!
If you want to reach the heights faster, you will ask
for great challenges. You will even welcome each external difficulty as a
further step of your spiritual ascent.
Cast the sunlight
of the Self obliquely on the cares of daily life, and they will swiftly turn to
golden opportunities. (From the Mountain Top Vol. I, Lesson “Thy Golden
Opportunity”)
To always keep in mind our supermundane existence is
the only way to transform suffering into joy. This redeems us from the worldly
misery. It leads to a true transfiguration of our earthly life.
Without material resources, solely with the power of
his spirit, the immortal turns the thorns on his path to roses. With this
attitude he can live like in heaven already now down here on earth.
Joy abides in the
triumph of the spirit. (Heart 71)
The generation of
the future is walking an eternal spiritual path and therefore in all situations
optimistic and full of joy of being!
The Function of Pain
You are complaining: This world is imperfect because
there is so much suffering. This, however, is wrong. Correct is:
Suffering will
exist only as long as the world is still imperfect.
In a perfect world suffering is no longer required;
there, it does not have any purpose to fulfill.
Pain points to
weak spots or wrong behaviour of the body. When I constantly bump my head
against the wall, the body sends the signal to me that I am going to harm it if
I continue to do so.
You should actually be grateful for this reminder. The
same applies to suffering:
As pain shows the
body, so suffering shows the soul where it is still weak or where it is
behaving wrongly.
For this indication, the wanderer on the spiritual
path can only be grateful. The hints given by suffering enable him to remedy
weaknesses, to eliminate misconduct, and to further develop his Eternal
Individuality. If he succeeds, the suffering will end, because then it no
longer has any function.
A great, strong
soul knows no suffering – just as a healthy body does not hurt. (Michelangelo "David")
The sign of health
of the spirit is – joy of being!
Joy is a special Wisdom
A Great Soul is
not like a little lamb that frolics on the pasture and knows nothing of the
evil, the ugly, or the disgusting.
On the contrary, it has passed through all the pain of
the world and has succeeded to overcome it in spirit.
In the midst of the worldly confusion, it takes the
superior attitude of a King of the Spirit, who sits firmly on the throne of his
higher self, walks his path unperturbed by the circumstances, and even grows
through resistance.
My advice is that
you realize the number of cares cannot be lessened. Only thus do we realize
that joy is a special wisdom. (Fiery World I, 522)
A king is not a king because he never gets into
trouble. On the contrary, he reveals himself as a true ruler and leader by
mastering even the greatest misfortune with a smile.
Thus, experienced
coolies carrytheir burdens up the mountain with
songs. (Community 180) (Nicholas
Roerich “And we are trying")
This is Mozart's
supermundane joy in the midst of all suffering and pettiness: The joy of a
great spirit at every new day – namely at every opportunity to grow. (Mozart Concerto for Clarinet and
Orchestra)
This true, inner joy is a sign of the wisdom of a
master of life, who has risen above all occasions and takes, whatever happens
to him, the standpoint of eternity. This joy of being is possible in all, even
the worst conditions.
It finishes with the repugnant desperation, which the
mortals are accustomed to exhibit in the face of every minor calamity. This
unworthy lamenting must come to an end!
Every smile hides
a power. (Leonardo da Vinci “Mona Lisa”)
We find confirmed
once again: Man is what he thinks.
He who trains his spirit to the effect that he is able
to rejoice, whatever happens, is actually a more joyful – and thus a more
beautiful, a greater person. The less this exercise succeeds, the more we make
of ourselves sad, depressed, hopeless and small beings.
Living Example
Let us look at a
contemporary example for this attitude: Do you know this man?

How would you assess him? Apparently a rather coarse
fellow. Someone whom you would not like to meet in the moonlight. Maybe a
gangster boss from Chicago?
And now you see the same man – and recognize him
immediately:

Nelson Mandela!
Do you know what lies between these photos? More than
25 years of captivity on Robben Island, one of the most horrible places in the
world! Most people would have perished in such an ordeal. Mandela, however,
knew exactly that it was intended to break him. He devised a counter-strategy
for himself and his fellow prisoners, which proved to be stronger than the
terrible circumstances.
Nelson Mandela
recognized and seized an opportunity. He consciously used the most terrible
conditions in order to grow spiritually.
He entered the prison as a relatively crude fellow,
and developed there to a great, wise man with always a superior smile on his
lips.
Thus, from the point of view of a high consciousness,
even a quarter of a century in prison may be a blessing, a reason for gratitude
and joy.
We, too, should
take advantage of the small weight imposed upon us in order to grow! Then we
can rejoice at the apparent burden, which in reality is a step of the stairway
to heaven. (Michael Lukas LeopoldWillmann „The Ladder of the Angels“)
Part IV: Using the
Potential of a spiritual Being
You have learned how you can turn to an immortal in
seven steps and assume a new identity (without gender, without age, standing
above nations and religions).
We have seen the characteristic qualities of an
immortal (inviolability, invincibility, fearlessness, freedom, joy and
selflessness).
Now we are approaching the end of this Broadcasting.
This, however, means only the beginning of the real work.
*****
We are asking for the last time: What does it mean to
be an immortal, a non-material being; a creature which you can neither see nor
touch?
"To
live" means "to grow". That which has ceased to grow is dead.
Flowers or trees fulfill
their mission by growing and elevating themselves towards the sun. The same
applies to your spirit. Like a child, it strives to grow greater. When it comes
to a standstill, it grows stiff and dies.
*****
To grow means to develop the skills that are stored
within you.
With inviolability, freedom and joy, we have mentioned
only the very first steps of the realization of the potential of an immortal.
In fact, as soon as you become a spiritual being, possibilities will open up
which are so fantastic that you will hardly believe them:
A non-material
being is not bound by the limitations of matter, time, and space. It can walk –
like Sartre’s "ghosts"– through walls and closed doors. Like X-rays
it is capable of looking through dense objects and of reading in closed books.
It can perform levitation, which means to rise from the ground like St. Joseph
of Copertino and other saints, walk on the water like Jesus, sit on the water
like a yogi (Nicholas
Roerich “Lotus”), walk through fire
and even fly. It is immune to diseases. It can practise telekinesis, that is,
like Uri Geller move objects solely with its spiritual power. It is able to
send thoughts like a transmitting station as well as to receive and to
understand thoughts like a radio. It is capable of understanding foreign
languages and of communicating, like St. Francis of Assisi, with animals (Nicholas Roerich “St. Francis of
Assisi”). Like Jesus, it can heal with its spiritual power and
predict the future like a prophet.
"Miracles" or better: higher skills of this
kind, as they are reliably reported from the life of Jesus and numerous saints,
are nothing but the natural consequence of the development of the spiritual
powers of your Eternal Individuality.
Within each one of us lie the germs of these
abilities; other men are ahead of us have developed them already to a larger
extent than we.
*****
Begin to realize these gigantic possibilities of your
higher self.
Prove Nietzsche to be wrong, who said:
We are unable to
perceive anything today that aims at growing greater. (On the Genealogy of
Morals) (Hans Olde „Friedrich Nietzsche“)
Let us rather
stick to Goethe and raise the peak of the pyramid of our existence as high as
possible into the air! (Goethe to Lavater, ca. 20.09.1780)
As to your muscles, there applies: When you use your
spiritual powers, they will grow.
When you exercise your physical powers, your body will
become bigger and stronger.
When you practice your spiritual powers, your Eternal
Individuality will grow great and strong.
The mission of
your soul, still small today, is to finally become a Great Soul – a Mahatma! (Nicholas Roerich “Fiat Rex”)