15 ... Return A parallel phenomenon is in the difference between the practice of surrender and the practice of resignation. Novices are advised to 'surrender to God,' 'subordinate your will to God's Will,' and such things as this. Eventually, when they get some understanding, the person asks, 'How can I surrender to God what is His all along? Surrender to Him Who is omnipotent and All-In-All? What an absurdity!'

At this point, the person is told that they should practice not surrender, which is an absurdity, but resignation (also an absurdity, but less of one), which will serve well for the next stages of the adventure.

16 ... Return Adepts will have recollected another parallel. The absurdity of prayer: petition the Omniscient, All-Merciful One-Without-A-Second about matters that cannot lie outside the jurisdiction of Its Omnipotence?!?

What insolence is this?!?

Of course, prayer is an acceptable insolence, at least for a while. Don't presume it to be so indefinitely, however! Or if you do, don't decry the bed of grief your own deliberate and cherished vaunt will have made for you. You'll have to sleep in it until you drown in your own puke.

If prayer has to be engaged in, it should be addressed to God rather than to a mere mortal or to any congeries of mere mortals.

17 ... Return The three primal experiences (passages) which the Spirit undergoes during many births are transitions between conditions that may be taken for epistemological sets or manners of seeing. Instead of epistemological sets, if desired, one may understand epistemological states or logical types.

Epistemology is the foundation of philosophy, and, because of topological congruence between philosophy and Life, it is appropriate to say that epistemological sets are the foundation of Life in its several stages. The plenitude of this assertion should be grasped.

18 ... Return The old saying runs, 'You are what you eat.' The more subtle and accurate version is, 'You are what you see.'

Life is a Seeing.  Its Goal is a Vision.

Adepts may recall the title Teilhard gave the first chapter of The Phenomenon of Man.

The instrument for achieving this Vision is the human birth. Angels envy humans because, having this priceless instrument, humans have a chance they do not. Angels can see, but they do not have the equipment, human birth, required for having that Vision. They do not have the chance of reaching the Goal.

Before reaching the Goal, a Spirit [remember, please, the highly conditional nature of that phraseology] must pass through several ways of seeing, several epistemological sets or states, several types of logical condition. This means that a Spirit must envelop Itself in several personalities. Let us examine these.

19 ... Return Psychologists and psychiatrists aver that there are many possible personalities, most of them aberrant. There are three, each a species of insanity, but the second less so than the first and the third less so than the second. Indeed, the third personality, which is the culmination of sadhana (spiritual discipline), is referred to as 'humanity's least harmful insanity.' We see it illustrated by legends about St. Francis and St. Clare, singly and together.

20 ... Return The first epistemological set (personality, insanity) is the one in which seeing is of multiplicity. One thing appears distinct from another. Seer, seen and sight are taken as different entities.

A type of systematic philosophy arises from the base that is this epistemological set (personality, insanity). It is called Dualism. It ramifies into many varieties, all being versions of the same type: Dualism. It is continuously efflorescing, spawning fresh varieties of itself.

A Spirit spends most of its embodiments, earthly careers in varieties of this first type of epistemological set (personality, insanity). Seeing is multiple. Multiplicity, indeed, is the overwhelming experience. Many persons we meet with are operating by this way of seeing. This way of seeing is characterized by enervation and sloth.

Seeing multiplicity causes one to fight, to take sides, to have enemies, to engage in conflict, to espouse and condemn, to mourn loss, to lord it over others, to wallow in luxury. Unchecked by sweetness, unsoftened by compassion, multiple seeing becomes fanatics: hard-edged contraction. This epistemological set (personality, insanity) is most present in our world, which is characterized by fraction and faction.

21 ... Return The second epistemological set (personality, insanity) is the one in which seeing is of verity in variety, mending in mendacity, mutuality in mutiny.

White magic and black magic are the same thing and there is a step beyond them both.

One thing and another appear to have a mutual source and a mutual end, even when they announce themselves as incompatibles, or, sworn enemies. Seer, seen and sight are taken as inseparable relatives.

A type of systematic philosophy arises from the base that is this epistemological set (personality, insanity). It is called Qualified Non-Dualism. Few varieties of the type are extant. Being a middling sort of thing, it does not readily effloresce. Nor, generally, does it last long. It tends to be a weak and brief accomplishment that is followed by recidivism into Dualism or a strong but soon-obsolete [for being unsatisfactory] step on the way to the third epistemological set (personality, insanity): Non-Dualism.

A Spirit spends often many and sometimes not so many embodiments (earthly careers) in varieties of this second type of epistemological set (personality, insanity). Seeing is communal. Instead of I (Dualism), the overwhelming experience is You (Qualified Non- Dualism). This way of seeing is characterized by zest for action.

We are likely to meet with a few people in our daily lives who are operating by this way of seeing. They are the ones we call 'very loving people.' They are gentle, always smiling, never loading their problems on others, always sympathetic to other's plight, wanting to assuage fear and grief, finding at least one nice thing to say about any person, silent and efficient performers of their duties, never calling attention to themselves, cheerful yet reticent, interested yet private. Such people give honest souls a feeling of genuine safety when they are in their presence.

Seeing communality causes one to be helpful, to serve, where needed, to foster togetherness and understanding. Luxury is shunned as enervating, which it is. Amicable resolution of conflict with no trace of injustice is the goal. Genuine happiness derived from real self- satisfaction is wanted for one and all and resolute steps are taken to bring it about. Action is relished for its own sake, not for what it produces. Enjoyment is taken in the doing, itself, not in the fruits of the doing.

Duty is ours.  Consequences are God's.
Cadet Thomas Jonathan Jackson
United States Military Academy.

The words are from a Spirit aflame with Love, an undangerous insanity.

22 ... Return The third epistemological set (personality, insanity) is the one in which seeing is not directly describable. The appearance of multiplicity is seen but not accepted, taken in but not taken. Seeming is not taken for real. Using the filter of discrimination, one imbibes the eternal and leaves the ephemeral. Seeing is accomplished by the intuition, not by the eyes and nervous system. Seer, seen and sight are taken for one and the same. What ordinary vision takes for multiplicity, intuition takes for vibrant, delectable illustratings or luminescents of a One-Without-A-Second.

A type of systematic philosophy arises from the base that is this epistemological set (personality, insanity). It is called Non-Dualism (Adwaitha). Although symbols used to discuss it vary, there is really only one variety of this philosophy. It is called:

Vedantha in India,
Quietism in France,
Poverty in Italy,
Delectation in Spain and
Mysticism in Germany.

A Spirit spends a number or, sometimes, only a few embodiments, earthly careers in this third type of epistemological set (personality, insanity). Seeing is interior, in the heart, by means of intuition. Instead of I (Dualism) or You (Qualified Non-Dualism), the commanding experience is We (Non-Dualism).

When this experience has become stabilized through affectedless exposure to all of life's tricks and traps, we have, at last, a mature personality, the ripe, savoury fruit of the Eternal Duet enacted by Father God and Mother Universe. This way of seeing is characterized by relaxation. See Bernini's statue of Theresa, Arrow and Angel.

We are unlikely to meet with any people in our daily life who are operating by this way of seeing. This does not mean there are not any around. It means that we do not recognize them, because we do not deserve to recognize them.

But there are other reasons we are unlikely to meet such people. They are few and reclusive. They operate behind masks that discourage recognition. A reason: many respond to them with tempests of murderous jealousy.

Yes, in this Iron Age, the good and great are reviled and slaughtered more than they are revered and imitated. This is the nature of the times, of the Age. It is not a fault of the Universe. In the following Age, several thousand years hence, conditions will be reversed and the good will be cherished. But for now, and until then, the often murderous reception accorded the pure in heart is one factor which induces them to be reclusive, to live eremitically.

Even during this Iron Age, however, there are periods of respite in which the pure in heart may safely go among their brethren, shedding the cool rays of love and cheerfulness. The Sixth Century BCE was such a period. So was the Thirteenth Century CE The First Century CE, however, was not. The periods of safety are few, but they do come around now and again.

Today, we are living in such a moment and must make the most of it because the good and great are now more accessible than usual. We must seize the chance. The reason for this interlude: the Sai Avathars, Who are protecting Their playmates, the good and great, the pure in heart, much to the relief and gratitude of those worthies.

This third epistemological set (personality, insanity) is the culmination of sadhana (spiritual discipline), although it is not the Goal of Life. It is called 'humanity's least harmful insanity.' Its practitioners include:

Zinzendorf, Rama-Krishna, Lao Tzu
Gauthama, Isa (Jesus), Mohammed
Pythagoras, Francis, Ignatius
Clare, Theresa, Madam Guyon
Edwards, Schweitzer, Graham
Longfellow, Lee, MacArthur
Moses, Paul, Jerome

23 ... Return Now, our subject is the three primal experiences (passages) a Spirit undergoes when moving between [remember, please, the highly conditional nature of that phraseology] these epistemological sets (personalities, insanities). For a Spirit, these are the defining moments of Life. They are the real passages because they are the real moments of movement forward and upward.

On the far side of these transitions exists a new person, and on their near side what did exist, before the transition occurred, is quite emphatically not there and never will be again. In the middle, that is, during these transitions, there are movements of extreme interiority that are, for the most part, unique to the person having or in them.

A prefatory disquisition is required. We need to establish a few more lemmas.

24 ... Return Sadhana (spiritual discipline), which is the hard labor that compels a person to transit the three epistemological sets (personalities, insanities), is not engaged in by all individuals. We cannot even say that it is engaged in by most individuals. However, it would not be accurate to say that it is engaged in by only a few individuals. The numbers are modest but not minuscule. Sometimes, Divine Arithmetic occupies Itself on the verandah of abundance. Usually, however, It prefers the stoop of parsimony.

Sadhana (spiritual discipline), the Royal Road of Life, is engaged in by those who have spiritual thirst. But, spiritual thirst does not afflict everyone, and furthermore, it will not afflict anyone until it has been awakened. One is not born with it, ordinarily, although some are. One cannot decide to have spiritual thirst or to engage in spiritual discipline any more than one can 'decide for Christ.'

25 ... Return Spiritual thirst has to be awakened, or ignited, and there is only one way this can be done: by contact with the Hand of a Living Master. The Royal Road of Life is set out upon after one's spiritual thirst has been ignited by contact with a living, sacred personality.

No one starts Godward unless they are called. The journey is not even considered until the End is in view. There is a sense in which the spiritual pilgrimage begins at the point of its consummation. Beginning and ending are the same place and even, in a sense, the same time, although we will not discuss the aspect of simultaneity of time-fields here.

The point is: the Hand of a Living Master is both the start and the end, Alpha and Omega. The journey cannot start without that Hand, and it really goes nowhere except to that Hand.

Start out where you want to end up. That is the ideal. Really, it is the fact. The need, type and term of travel is thereby minimized.

26 ... Return Those who do not have spiritual thirst are aware that they do not. They are aware that they must have spiritual thirst before they can start towards the Goal of Life. They feel that they should have this thirst. But, knowing that they cannot decide to have it, they suffer excruciating feeling of powerlessness or incapacity. They despair because they are aware that they never will have spiritual thirst, and therefore, never will be able to start Godward and reach Life's Goal. In other words, they feel the full force of reprobation, eternal damnation, separation from the Goal of Life.

The reality and nature of this feeling, which is widely borne, are little appreciated and less gauged. Yet, this feeling is the motivation for what is commonly regarded as correct behavior: gregariousness, partying, fun-loving, frivolity, happy, etc.

27 ... Return Of course, the awareness of those who feel that they never will have spiritual thirst is not absolutely true. It is true only so far as their awareness goes. A Living Master [Fate] can intervene at any time and, eventually, will do so. But, such a person does not believe that this is the case. Rather, their own feeling that they are reprobate, unable to have spiritual thirst, compels them to take it as true that they are so.