7
THE GURU AND THE CHELA
By the Ascended Master Kuthumi
CHELA: Beloved
Master: How does a student enter the Silence?
GURU: Blessed Chela:
Consciously entering the Great Silence is a positive and not a negative state of
individual consciousness. Contemplation must never be confused with lethargy,
nor adoration and devotion with imagery and visionary dreaming. Herein lies the
training in wisdom, discrimination, balance, purity of motive and perseverance
of will and purpose.
CHELA: Beloved
Master: When you say entering the Silence requires the establishment and the
maintenance of a positive state of consciousness, what do you mean?
GURU: Blessed Chela:
I mean that the individual must engage the cooperation of his various vehicles
of expression and use them to create an individual aura of peace, purity and
tranquility. Within this personal aura, the individual must remain alert,
focused in attention and in control of his concentrative powers, holding them
upon the object of his devotions, whether it be the Heart of God or some Divine
Representative of the King of Kings.
CHELA: Beloved
Master: We have been told that long periods of contemplation are dangerous and
open the individual to insidious influences.
GURU: Blessed Chela:
Here, discrimination must be developed. Each individual is capable of a
different amount of "applied contemplation" according to the personal control of
his thought processes, his feelings, his etheric memories and the demands of the
physical vehicle. One man, consciously preparing to commune with his Maker,
finds his own mental processes weaving out of the substance of thought a screen
of irrelevant thoughts which make unsatisfactory his endeavor. Another man, able
to concentrate his thoughts, finds the surging tide of his emotional nature
re-vivifying past injustices. Still another enjoys the ever responsive sea of
memories that flow from the etheric body. A man, well able to control his
thoughts, feelings and memories, may find the demands of cramped muscles,
itching skin or other physical discomforts disturbing his endeavors. Each chela
must take personal note of his own capabilities and capacities of stilling his
vehicles and then in wisdom develop the "applied contemplation" according to his
ever increasing efficacy in the mastery and control of his vehicles.
The vibratory action of the soul itself, the motive animating the
soul toward communion with the inner Self, the vibratory action and appetites of
the inner bodies will determine what type of influence can "play upon" the
individual seeking the peace of the Silence. When the heart is pure, the soul
earnest and the conscious mind keenly alert to the deceptions of the ego that
seek to aggrandize self through impressions of a grandiose nature, no subtle
outside forces can enter the period of contemplation.
CHELA:
Beloved Master:
What is the advantage of entering the Great Silence?
GURU: Blessed Chela:
The advantages (and they are many) of entering the Silence could hardly be
enumerated in this column.
First: It is in the Silence that the soul makes acquaintanceship
with its Maker. This is the primary purpose of all religious endeavor, teaching,
discipline, instruction and application. Where the lower self is so blatantly
active, even in professions of faith, the Great Presence cannot be felt,
acknowledged nor allowed to flow through the outer self with sufficient
intensity to accomplish that union which is known as the "second birth." In the
Silence, when the soul and consciousness is sincerely, humbly, peacefully,
gently and reverently loving God, a state of Grace is established in the aura
and the 'many selves." In this state of Grace the individual soul becomes open
to the benediction and blessings, the healing currents, the flashes of
illumination and encouragement, the pressures of faith and conviction which
nourish the individual and make real spiritual progress possible.
Second: The conscious endeavor to control the thought and feeling
nature develops individual mastery, as does the discipline of the rebellious
physical garment. In the East, of course, this mastery has been developed by
many thousands, but the pendulum of endeavor has swung too far the other way, as
the individuals are so "caught up" in the ecstasy of the Silence that they have
forgotten, for the most part, that the entire purpose of such contemplation and
its succeeding benediction and illumination is to translate the perfection of
that Inner Realm into the physical appearance world. The great Teacher of the
East, the Lord Buddha, having passed through all the trials and tribulations of
a soul endeavoring to find the heart of Eternal Peace, clearly manifested the
balance of the Law; after attaining "The Ultimate," he returned to bring the
fruits of his application to his fellowmen.
CHELA:
Beloved Master:
Does this period of contemplation suffice for personal application?
GURU:
Blessed Chela:
No! As I have said above, the Great Silence is entered for a purpose. Even the
Ascended Masters who choose to animate some particular portion of the Divine
Plan make conscious obeisance at the Throne of the Silence to secure both
inspiration and direction and to draw the strength and power required to fulfill
their new venture. The individual chela, particularly in the West, does not know
the meaning of getting still. When the body is quiet, the mind is racing, even
in petitions to the Lord. Yet, in order to provide the spiritual stamina for the
greater services, the period of quiet contemplation of the Presence with its
attendant outpouring is requisite.
CHELA:
Beloved Master:
Could you give us a simple exercise or outline of such an activity as attempting
to touch the "hem of the Robe" of the Silence?
GURU: Blessed Chela:
Certainly.
First: Find a place where you will be undisturbed. Constant
interruptions are very injurious to the nervous system. The more beautiful,
quiet and harmonious is your place of contemplation the more will your senses
cooperate with your endeavor. Frequency of aspiration in the same place also
brings an atmosphere of sanctity and each successive endeavor is complemented by
the energies so devoted in like manner before. That is why in cathedrals,
temples and homes of saintly lifestreams, it is easier to reach the altitude of
consciousness which reveals the Ever-Presence.
Second: Place your physical body in a comfortable position.
Remember, in all spiritual endeavors, the more cooperation you secure from your
vehicles the easier will be your achievement. To enter the Silence, however, is
a positive activity. Therefore it is wise to sit, with spine erect, as the very
position of lying prone is conducive to lethargy. (This of course is subject to
modification in case of illness or other circumstances where the individual
cannot wisely perform his adorations in the privacy of his own sanctuary.) Let
me say here, discrimination and wisdom are required for the pursuit of the
spiritual path and common sense, not a blind adherence to the letter of the law,
is requisite to more than ordinary spiritual development. For instance, to take
a specific question about contemplation in the "dark" ...let me clarify this
once and for all. To deliberately create an atmosphere of darkness and then
attempt to commune with the unknown is contrary to Spiritual Law. However in the
course of living, good students awakening through the night hours are not always
afforded sufficient privacy to create artificial light. These good people are
naturally protected by the aura of their own aspiration and can well utilize the
time in perfect safety when they cannot, for one reason or another, procure
artificial light during application and spiritual contemplation.
Third: Relax. Most individuals are so tense they close the door to
inflowing Grace. Cultivate that state of "rest in action" so essential to
poised, balanced living. The use of the rhythmic breath is very conducive to
alert and poised relaxation.
Fourth: Determine within yourself what Being or Activity from God's
Heart you desire to contemplate. Examine your motive impartially, wisely and
with discrimination. If there is any desire for self seeking, for phenomena, for
satisfaction of curiosity, you will defeat your purpose. The whole purpose of
active contemplation is to enter The Presence of God and the Heart of his
Messengers when one is propelled by Divine Love for them and the progress of the
Universal scheme of creation.
Fifth: Consciously feel yourself enveloped in God's Light, his
Presence, his Love.
Sixth: Endeavor to hold your thought processes and your feelings
one-pointed in pouring forth love and blessings to God and his Universe. (Even
five minutes of concentration may prove enough for your first endeavors.)
Seventh: Endeavor to control the demands of your physical body
during this time.
Eighth: If necessary, to provide a spiritual lever for your
conscious mind and feelings, read some lovely uplifting piece of poetry or prose
or listen to an inspiring melody.
Ninth: Have no fear of evil forces. While you are loving God, the
Angels and the Ascended Host, the natural vibration of your vehicles form a wall
of light around you, a magnet to draw good influences and currents toward you
and a natural repellant vibration to evil of every kind.
Tenth: Enjoy loving your Presence. When the feeling of peace fills
your soul, you will know you are there. Rest in that peace and draw the currents
of light and power which you will require for your endeavors in the world of
form.
Eleventh: Consciously determine within yourself to give something of
your radiant peace to your fellowman.
Twelfth: The efficacy of all spiritual exercises is determined by
the rhythm of the application. Five minutes daily at the same time, is better
than two hours one day, and nothing the next.