(4th Lecture of the General occult class, March 15, 1922, Sofia)
Before we proceed to read that which you have written, I wish to make a few short remarks.
The knowledge which you can receive in a school of the occult will affect not only your present but also your future lives, for thousands of years to come.
Every school of the occult or Great divine school of the occult is accompanied with great difficulties. It is not easy to become a disciple of such a school. You may go along in such a school as ascatechunen. A disciple is only he who can deal with the problems of this school as a mathematician who fully understanding the rules of mathematics uses then to solves his problems, or, as a musician knowing the technique and the theory of music; is able to cope correctly with the exercises of his instrument. The disciple must be aware always about his position in the school. He should not keep any illusions. The first rule of the school of the occult is: the disciple must have great humility, not submissiveness, but meekness, realizing the great idea that the eternal, the boundless cannot be contained in that which is limited. He should not be tempted to think that in such a small head, in such a snail brain he can collect all the secret knowledge. Tor the present this is impossible. Comparison has been made that the human brain has a great capacity to collect much knowledge. This comparison is the following: if we collect all the present knowledge it may be contained in 90 volumes as large as the bible and print it in the human brain, there will remain still space for 900 more of such volumes. Thus, calculate 90x900 and you will have the proportion 1:10. This indicates that man has not achieved half of the knowledge for which his brain has the capacity. The disciple of the school of the occult must realize where his place is. He must know that the disciples of the lowest grades are different than those of the highest in the knowledge, i.e. that their knowledge and power are nothing compared with that of the advanced disciples. In one respect man may know much and in another may be ignored. This should discourage you but he who wants to learn must be aware of it. I will repeat again the idea, that people become old only when they think that they know much. He who wants to become old this is the easiest thing. On the day (when) you come to think that you have finished learning everything you have aged. In order to rejuvenate you must think that you know very little and like a child you will become receptive. Such an aging I call premature. For this reason I wish that all in this school are young. In order to be young you must think that only now you begin to study the great divine teaching. The teaching which the world gives is an introduction to the divine teaching. Then you finish all schools of the world: elementary school, junior high, high school, after that college, and even after that you get your master’s degree and become the most educated man, this is only an introduction to the divine knowledge, which you must start learning. Therefore, if you have acquired this introduction you can become a good student of the divine school. For this reason I recommend you to gain of the worldly knowledge as much as possible. Some people say that they do not need worldly knowledge. If you lack this knowledge you cannot achieve the divine knowledge. If the worldly knowledge is difficult for you, the divine knowledge is thousand times more difficult. The fee for one of the modern colleges is $4,000/yn. yet to study in one of the divine schools you may not be able to enroll even if you would pay $8,000 or $10,000 or $20,000 or $100,000 or one million or even 100 million dollars. Do you understand that? If the question is about money this cannot be achieved with paying any amount. In a divine school you will pawn your heart, your mind and your will. Then you will pay for you heart and your mind in order to show what a hero you are. You will keep your will but your heart and your mind you will pawn. This is the reason why in Scripture it is said: "My son, give me your heart." You ought to pawn your heart Naturally this is not pawning as it is understood in worldly life, any school of the occult you must approach with respect and reverence. It is an inner process. You cannot be undisciplined there. If one enters there he must do this with all the nobility of his heart and mind. One must be aware that this is the greatest and most noble work. Upon the knowledge, that is the building materials which he will gain, will rest his happiness, because upon this knowledge, he will build his future life, his future home. One may ask, "Is this not possible without this knowledge." No, it is not. You may enter it with awareness or not, yet all will pass through this divine school and will finish it. Some are aware that they have entered the school and others have entered without being aware of it, without knowing. The religious people say "We do not need much knowledge, we can go by without this school." This indicates that they will go through this school without awareness. Those who have fear will be lead over a bridge by night so that they may not be afraid. Those without fear will pass the bridge by day. The fearful need to have their eyes covered. If someone asks "Is this not possible without this school?" I say it is possible with covered ayes, and also without this cover.
One of the rules says we do not require much. True, very little is required. Each disciple is expected to give one hour of his time each day. Seven days, one hour a day, is seven hours work, and this time which you would otherwise waste is the time which you will dedicate for study. This hour you will dedicate consciously for love’s sake. Again I wish to repeat that if you work without love you cannot profit. The rule in the divine school says that the knowledge must be acquired according to the laws of love. If you acquire knowledge without love it will not bring you any profit. Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians says: "Whatever I do if it is without love I gain nothing." If we do it with love we gain.
In this school of the occult you will become acquainted with all the religious systems, situations, laws, why did the religions appear, by what conditions, etc. This tray there will be no misunderstanding: if we are on the right or on the wrong side. From the occult point of view we think about right and wrong differently. According to the understanding of the occult school contemporary law is lawlessness. Someone may say: Isn't there law? Law! Your law from the viewpoint of the occult is lawlessness, Therefore, in order to have a correct understanding of the great divine evolution of things, we must have that true knowledge, true understanding and only then we will be able to examine the questions philosophically. We are not afraid of questions. Some questions we can solve very easy, others will have to remain without answers. Why? Because in every school of the occult each question must be treated at its proper time and not when the time is not right. There are questions which have not been asked at the proper time. There has been asked: "Is there a God or isn’t there?" This, too, is a question not asked at the proper time, because for me, since I live at the same time in this and in the other worlds, and commute with all these angels, if I am asked: "Are there any angels?" I keep quiet. Someone will try to convince me that this is nonsense, I keep quiet again, because I can see what is the nonsense. Then someone may ask if I can see all this. As much as he has the right of doubting I too have the right to be doubtful about his understanding (concepts, comprehension). Two equal quantities with opposite directions do invalidate each other (mathematics). In a different question is if someone asks how one should live, how life may be improved; such questions the school of the occult can answer. How to renew our life, how to improve our mind, how to purify our hearts, how to develop our spiritual powers, all this can be answered, and the proper methods be given. Those who enter the school of the occult must realize that they are disciples and the disciple must be without prejudice. He must be pure like a clean garment. Only the old people who have lived long on earth say: A man must not be naive. From the viewpoint of the occult we prefer to be naive in certain respects. And thus everyone of you must part with his prejudices. And of that which has been taught does not give the proper results, he may make his own conclusion. Only small, microscopic experiments will be made, we don’t need to do great things. I will tell you to plant one grain of wheat and then I will ask you if it has come out. Yes, it has. Then, how much did it yield, has it ripened? Is this seed real? Because what happens with one seed happens also with 10 million such seeds. Yet we will not expect immediate results. Someone, when he enters the school of the occult may think that he will draw aside the curtain, and at once everything will improve. He who thinks that the curtain will be opened at once, I would want to warn him not to waste his time. This must be understood. I don’t want anyone to become disillusioned. If you expect great things I may advise you where to go. There you can achieve the great things.
First, we will proceed to study basically modern man such as he is to learn about his present state with the powers which develop in his organism which reveal themselves in his mind, work in his heart and become realized in his will. After we have studied man in this way we will proceed in a different field, which is wider and more pleasant. The study of man is in one respect pleasant and in another unpleasant. When we study the positive properties of man it is pleasant, yet when we study the negative ones it is very unpleasant. It is difficult to come to know man. You will find yourself in a school of the occult where all positive and negative sides of your character will be disclosed to you as in a mirror, to see your own thoughts. At such an examination your temperature will fall to 35 centigrades below zero, you will freeze completely; you will lose all the desire to live. For this reason in old times many disciples have lost their minds. Yet we will not do this. In a school where much is given one may come out either with a great mind or he will lose his mind, it is like gambling. The method which we will apply here is one of the least dangerous. Yet when I say it is not dangerous don't think that you may pass easily. Here, too, you will pawn your heart and your mind. There are all kinds of cupboards and keys, and every day when you say "I want back my heart," you will be able to pen them yourselves, when you would want and take your mind and your heart; the other way, where one has made great achievements, it would be indifferent. Then, when you complete the school, the Great Master will come and He Himself will open. And, if you ask me about all these modern men who are mentally sick why they are in such a state, I would answer: they are pupils of such schools which they have not completed. At the beginning you will, implant in your mind the idea that you must complete the school, in whatever way. Religions say: "We must fulfill the will of God." We say: "The earth is a school and we must finish this school in anyway."
Silent Prayer.
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