Thoughts On At The Feet Of The Master

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Thoughts on "At the Feet of the Master" by George S. Arundale

Thoughts on "At the Feet of the Master"

by George S. Arundale

Of the National Educational Service (ndia!Theosohical #ublishing $ouse Adyar %hennai ndia& '')

T$E follo*ing chaters are rerinted fro+ a series of %orresondence Studies on At the Feet of theMaster *hich have been *riting for the last t*o years on behalf of +e+bers of the Order of theServants of the Star.

have left the studies ractically as originally *rote the+ , er+itting +yself only a verbal alterationhere and there. There +ay be a certain a+ount of reetition& since began *riting the series in -ude&%orn*all& in ''& and only finished the+ in Adyar& Madras& in ''). And there has been no ti+e tore*rite or even to sub+it the+ to a thorough revision.

-ut so+e of +y friends thin/ the+ helful& and at least they +ay dra* the attention of their readers to th*onderful boo/ *hich insired the+. For +yself& can truly say that At the Feet of the Master is +yconstant co+anion& guide& and +entor. Ever by +y side is the little coy given +e by +y young teacheThat *hich he heard& a+ trying to understand0 and find in the riceless *ords in *hich the teaching isclothed all that& indeed far& far +ore than& need for disciline and training. At the Feet of the Master ha

an aroriate +essage for every hu+an being *ho at all strives to lead an unselfish life. [Page VI] earnestly co++end it to teachers and students of all faiths and of all races. 1ith the co+anion volu+eEducation as Service& a teacher or student has a co+lete guide for daily life. And the truths these t*ogreat volu+es enshrine are the truths uon the recognition and follo*ing of *hich all true citi2enshideends. At the Feet of the Master and Education as Service are $eralds of the Ne* Age& Signs of the%o+ing Ti+es& and should be carefully studied by those *ho see/ to co3oerate *ith the future& and *hare not slaves of re4udice and custo+.

Adyar& Madras&'')

GEO5GE S. A56N7A8E

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Page COT!TS

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C#APT!)

T#! GIVIG OF T#! T!AC#IGS

N +any *ays the little boo/ *e are going to study together is the +ost i+ortant gift the *orld hasreceived for hundreds of years& for the *ords are fro+ the lis of a +ighty Teacher& /no*n to the *orld a

#ythagoras and to so+e of us as the blessed Master :oot $oo+i& the Master :. $. as $e is generallycalled in Theosohical literature. +ust ta/e for granted that you /no* *ho Masters are, if not you *ilfind lenty of infor+ation in such a boo/ as $erbert 1hyte;s The Great Teachers& or in Mrs. -esant;s ThMasters and the Way to Them. 8et us roceed to see ho* these instructions aly& so that *e +ay follothe+ intelligently.

n the #reface& Mrs. -esant *rites < " The teachings . . . *ere given to hi+ by his Master in rearing hi+for nitiation." Several =uestions arise here< $o* *ere they given to hi+ > 1here *ere they given tohi+ > 1hat is nitiation >

#O* T#! T!AC#IGS *!)! GIV!

?uestion No. '. @ou robably /no* that so+e eole are able to be =uite useful on the astral lane [Pag$] +ust leave the elanation of this ter+ to so+e friend& if you do not understand it , and try to hel inall good *or/ as +uch as they can. Many of you *ho are reading these lines robably hel very +uch*hen the hysical body is aslee and the astral body is the vehicle in *hich for the ti+e you are livingand *or/ing. -ut there is =uite as +uch learning as heling& and +any young eole& or those *ho arenot yet very far advanced& gather round so+e one +ore advanced and learn +uch that is not only usefuto the+ on the astral lane but helful on the hysical lane also. These elders in turn sit at the feet BAneression *hich figuratively eresses Clearning fro+D& and in the East is literally true. of so+eone *ho/no*s yet +ore& *hile a fe* *ill be receiving instructions fro+ the Masters The+selves.

No* Alcyone , to give the na+e used to +ar/ the soul aart fro+ the various bodies he has been*earing life after life , is one of these elders& " young in body verily& but not in Soul"& as Mrs. -esant telus in the #reface. Mar/ed out for a secial destiny& he is rivileged to receive instruction direct fro+ theMaster;s lis& and he is told to *rite do*n each +orning the hrases *hich su+ u and eress theteachings he has received during the night. Alcyone is in a secial osition because he *as already auil of the Master *hen these articular teachings *ere begun& and they *ere& therefore& intended tohel hi+ to reach =uic/ly the net stage of his siritual 4ourney , nitiation. The language& it *ill benoticed& is very si+le& for the Master *as& in this [Page ,] case& addressing $i+self to a hysical brain

*hich *as still very young& and so *as careful to sea/ in such ter+s that the young brain +ightre+e+ber and understand the net day. Every sentence& indeed& is eceedingly clear& because Alcyonedid not then /no* +uch English , the teachings *ere given in the autu+n and *inter of ',and ona very little *as taught at a ti+e& artly in order that he +ight re+e+ber all that *as said and artly inorder that he +ight ractise each suggestion as it ca+e. Out of the body he /ne* +uch +ore& of coursebut each lo*er body is a li+itation of the one net above (of less dense +atter& erhas should say& asthere is no "above" or "belo*"!& and the teaching had to be adated to the needs of lo*er bodies& so thathey +ight be brought under erfect control.

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do not /no* *hether the Master;s hysical body *as aslee *hen $e gave the teachings. #robably theMaster retires early& for $e can use all $is bodies erfectly& and& therefore& functions as easily out of thehysical body as in , erhas +ore easily& since the +atter of other bodies is less dense. f so& asAlcyone *ould not be at the Master;s house until& erhas& nine or even later& the teaching *ould begiven by the Master in a subtle body and *ould& of course& be received by Alcyone astrally& i.e. on theastral lane. On the other hand& there +ay have been occasions on *hich the Master *as still using thehysical body& in *hich case you +ay i+agine $i+ seated in the big ar+ chair in the large roo+ *here

$e often receives visitors& or erhas in $is [Page /] study ad4oining0 Alcyone receiving the instructions "$is Feet". To the Master& all lanes are e=ually accessible& and though a*a/e in $is hysical body $e*ould see and tal/ to astral Alcyone as *ell as $e could see and tal/ to anyone on the hysical lane.$e *ould robably *ithdra* $is attention fro+ the hysical lane to the astral& si+ultaneously bringinginto lay the organs of $is subtle body. #hysical ob4ects *ould then be thro*n out of focus& 4ust as neareob4ects aear vague *hen *e are loo/ing at ob4ects far off. #erhas the Master eeriences nodi+ness *ith regard to ob4ects at *hich $e is not directly loo/ing0 do not /no*. At any rate& our astralAlcyone *ould be as real to $i+ as& erhas +ore real than& any hysical ob4ect near $i+, the sofas the table0 and $e *ould tal/ to $is uil using the astral lane as the +ediu+ for $is voice.

*#!)! T#! T!AC#IGS *!)! GIV!

?uestion No. 9 3 have already told you that the teachings *ere robably given at the Master;s house inTibet. f you turn to the +a of Asia and find Tibet north of the great $i+alayan range& you +ay see thena+e of a to*n called Shigatse. n the vicinity of this to*n the Master lives in $is hysical body& and soAlcyone& living right do*n in the south of ndia at Adyar& =uite close to Madras& could hardly receive theteaching in his hysical body. Adyar is a village *hose +ain distinction is the head=uarters of theTheosohical Society , situated on a large [Page 4] iece of land facing the sea and bordered by theAdyar river. n this head=uarters is a fine building containing roo+s for various *or/ers and& on the firstfloor& the abode of the #resident of the Society together *ith a fe* other roo+s aroriated to the use o

various +e+bers of the head=uarters staff. %lose to Mrs. -esant;s roo+s lived Alcyone and his youngerbrother& further off being Mr. 8eadbeater;s big roo+0 and thence& night after night& the hysical bodies*ere left aslee *hile their o*ners sailed a*ay over the sno*3toed ea/s of the $i+alayas to theirMaster;s ho+e , a long 4ourney& *hich *ould occuy +any days if the hysical body had to do thetravelling& but al+ost as =uic/ as thought for inhabitants of the astral lane. No doubt our travellersstoed on their *ay to loo/ at scenery& or erhas to hel so+e one in trouble& but it *ould not do to belate at the Master;s house for $e is eceedingly busy and +ust not be inconvenienced by ourcarelessness. #robably the teaching did not ta/e a very long ti+e ,about fifteen +inutes0 so& *hen thearty *as dis+issed& the rest of the night *ould be filled *ith all /inds of useful eerience in the traininof Alcyone;s astral and other bodies for future *or/. At about H. in the +orning the hysical body *oube a*a/ened by its o*ner& and& after a bath and so+e food& and then eercises and study& Alcyone

*ould go into Mrs. -esant;s roo+ to ta/e his seat at a table in the verandah. There he *rote out verycarefully by hi+self that *hich had been taught hi+ by the Master& the Master having su++ed u in asingle [Page 1] sentence or so the gist of the =uarter of an hour;s teaching. Thus At the Feet of the Masteca+e gradually to be *ritten& the greater art ... a reroduction of the Master;s o*n *ords0 that *hich isnot such a verbal reroduction is the Master;s thought clothed in the uil;s *ords".

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*#AT IITIATIO IS

?uestion No. . "#rearing hi+ for nitiation". 1hat does this +ean > 1ell& *e +ust begin so+e *aybac/ if *e are to understand *hat nitiation +eans. hoe you all /no* that the real "ourselves"& behindthe bodies *e haen to be using in this articular life& are i++ortal sar/s of the fla+e of God& and thaeach little sar/ *hich is one of us has been through the +ineral& vegetable and ani+al /ingdo+s befor

entering the hu+an /ingdo+ to *hich *e no* belong. n the early stages& +illions of years ago and noton this earth at all& the little sar/s *ere not so +uch searated off fro+ one another as they no* are inthe hu+an /ingdo+0 they *ere not& to use a difficult *ord& "self3conscious" or alive to the *orld aroundthe+. n the +ineral /ingdo+ these little sar/s *ere hardly a*a/e at all. n the vegetable /ingdo+&ho*ever& they *ere so+e*hat less sleey0 *hile in the ani+al /ingdo+ they really began to stir about.So +uch so that individual sar/s began to live searated eistences instead of being content& asheretofore& to share their eeriences *ith brother3sar/s and live a co++on [Page 2] life. @ou haveerhas noticed that *hile +ost ani+als of a articular secies have +any eculiarities in co++on&so+e have very distinct individualities of their o*n. This is the beginning of the road *hich is leadingthe+ direct to the hu+an /ingdo+& and then co+es a ti+e in the case of each ani+al *hen it begins tolive so definite a life of its o*n that the sar/ inhabiting it finally brea/s off fro+ fello*3sar/s and& to use

a Theosohical hrase& "beco+es individualised"& i.e.& enters the hu+an /ingdo+.

T#! FI)ST ST!P

No* this individualisation is the first great ste +ade by the divine sar/ on its *ay to the realisation of*hat divinity really +eans. The first definite ste on the road to erfection has been ta/en *hen the souif +ay use the ter+& traverses the bridge that& leads fro+ the ani+al to the hu+an /ingdo+& that&searates definite individual eistence fro+ a +ore or less conscious eistence shared *ith other souls.n the lo*er /ingdo+s of nature& souls are 4oined in grous according to their /ind& and the stage of

searated eistence& *hen the soul in the ani+al enters the hu+an /ingdo+ is& as have said& the firstgreat ste on the ath of evolution.

T#! S!CO+ ST!P

The second great ste is *hen the hu+an being at last begins to develo a definite sense of right and[Page 0] *rong and to realise& ho*ever faintly& that *rong +ust not be done& *hile right +ust be follo*edThis +ay be called the da*ning of conscience& aroused through ages of eerience that hainessfollo*s the less selfish action *hile ain follo*s the +ore selfish action. At last the individual begins torealise that he cannot live for hi+self alone& and the God *ithin hi+ than/fully loo/s uon a vehiclegradually tuning itself to the divine har+ony. The battle is by no +eans over. ndeed it is hardly begun0but the +an;s face is set to*ards the goal and the higher nature begins at last to receive consciousresonse to the training and +oulding of its lo*er vestures& so that both beco+e better instru+ents in thlan of $i+ 1ho is our *orld.

Each of these stes is an eansion of consciousness& the soul , fro+ having been but an unconscioucell in the body of God , begins to a*a/en and to ta/e the first definite stes to*ards beco+ing a Goditself0 and this is God;s ob4ect in sreading self3consciousness in each art of the organis+ that is

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$i+self.

T#! T#I)+ ST!P ; IITIATIO

No* nitiation is the third great ste , another eansion of consciousness& a further gro*th of the sou

The second great ste *as& as *e have seen& the a*a/ening of conscience. -ut conscience had tobeco+e definitely established as the do+inant factor in the +an;s nature& and he had yet to learn to [Pa9] realise that *hile self3reservation +ight be a necessary la* at a certain stage& self3sacrifice is the ontrue guide for the soul eager to /no* itself divine. ndeed& *hile conscience had doubtless been arousethe individual had yet to realise hi+self and his o*ers& had yet to assert hi+self and& for the ti+e& tobeco+e entirely centred in hi+self and his individual gro*th. n other *ords& he had to ractise hisconscience in all /inds of *ays. To borro* a hrase fro+ Mr. 8eadbeater& he had to beco+e "the centreof his circle"& to learn the o*ers of the lo*er vehicles and their li+itations& and to aly his conscienceto their use. At last& develoing slo*ly his various faculties& and gradually co+ing to the conclusion thatself3sacrifice brings +ore lasting hainess than self3see/ing& he begins to live for the *orld instead ofeecting the *orld to live for hi+. No* and again he doubtless lases into the +ore selfish +ode of

living& but unselfishness begins to redo+inate over selfishness0 and *hen the Masters see that nothing*ill in the long run affect his deter+ination to serve the *orld& one of The+& *ho has been *atching the+an for lives& deter+ines to give hi+ secial teaching so that he +ay =uic/ly gain added o*er to hel.

+lSCIP&!S#IP

The individual then enters into an arenticeshi in the school of a articular Master and begins a seriesof very hard but very helful lives. [Page %] #erhas you /no* that the govern+ent of the *orld is in thehands of a graded band of Mighty -rethren *ho+ *e call the Great 1hite 8odge , using the *ord

"8odge" in its +asonic sense of an organised fraternity. At Their head stands the Great 5uler of the*orld& and around $i+ are groued $is Ministers& so+e functioning as organisers& rulers& heads of theraces of the *orld& others as teachers of religions& others guiding the various continents and countries&others influencing non3hu+an races such as Angels and 7evas& yet others acting as assistants to theseGreater Ones and rearing to ta/e Their laces *hen They shall have assed on to still higher *or/.No* +ost of you young eole belong to one or to another of these deart+ents in the *orld;sgovern+ent& and so+e great Master has $is eye uon you& *atching for the ti+e *hen you intend fro+your heart to give yourself to the *orld;s service& sho*ing un+ista/able signs of earnestness. Alcyone&for ea+le& belongs to the teaching deart+ent and *ill so+e day beco+e a great teacher of religion.The Master *ho teaches hi+ is& therefore& $i+self a +ighty Teacher destined to recede Alcyone in agreat office in the teaching deart+ent. Iust as *ould3be engineers enter an engineering sho to be

trained by a thoroughly =ualified engineer& so in the real rofessions of life still +ore scientific training isavailable& and the Master :oot $oo+i *ill train Alcyone to fulfil erfectly the destiny to *hich he is to becalled. This training has definite stages , the first being *hen the Master deter+ines to ta/e a [Page ]ossible uil on trial& this stage being called robationary discileshi. #assing successfully through theriod of robation or trial& long or short according to circu+stances& the uil is definitely enrolled as a+e+ber of the Master;s school and beco+es an acceted discile. Jery often +any years ass , seveor even +ore , before a candidate reaches this second stage& but Alcyone had in revious livessatisfied the Master as to his fitness for discileshi& so in his case these t*o stages and the third&sonshi of the Master& a secially inti+ate relationshi& *ere assed in the course of a fe* +onths& hisnitiation follo*ing on Ianuary llth& ''. The ob4ect of the Master;s school is thus to reare its uils fo

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the *orld;s service& and eists artly to train the+ in such self3control and urity as +ay enable the+ toresent the+selves as candidates for ad+ission to the lo*est ran/ in the Great 1hite 8odge. Suchad+ission is the third great stage on the ath*ay of evolution , you re+e+ber& hoe& the other t*o ,and is called nitiation because it not only +eans the entry of the aroved candidate into an organisedfraternity *ith all that such entry involves& c.f. the +asonic initiation cere+ony& but because the candidatis for the first ti+e brought into touch& during the cere+ony& *ith certain great truths of life *hich&heretofore& he has only di+ly sensed. These truths *ill have been /no*n to hi+ intellectually long befor

and he *ill for long have striven to ractise the+0 but not until the cere+ony of nitiation *ill he feel the+as la*s of his nature& [Page $] *ill he eerience the+ as living realities. $is consciousness& his touch*ith God& eands& and truths *hich *ere outside hi+& ho*ever +uch he +ay have realised the+ *ithhis +ind& no* beco+e art of his very being& and he can never again thin/ or feel or act as if they *ereoutside hi+.

!8PASIO OF COSCIOS!SS

+agine a circle to include all you are and /no*. +agine +uch /no*ledge outside yourself and a

constant ressure fro+ *ithin the circle to include the /no*ledge outside. n +any laces the circleeands in the endeavour to touch the truths beyond. After a ti+e so+e truth outside& *hich hasersistently been touched& is dra*n *ithin the circle& and the circle increases its si2e by the a+ount ofthe /no*ledge gained. nitiation is& as it *ere& the +o+ent at *hich so+e secial truths notably the la*of unity& ass *ithin the circle. 6ntil this ti+e& the truths *ere acceted& their eistence *as ad+itted.$enceforth& these truths are realised as art& of consciousness itself.

T#! VA&! OF IITIATIO

To be accurate& should observe that the ob4ect of nitiation is to confer uon its reciient o*er forservice& derived artly fro+ the added truths& and artly fro+ the fact that the individual is no* a +e+beof a Great -rotherhood and shares& for use& the o*er Their unity generates. The *ord "nitiation" as[Page ,] used in At the Feet of the Master +eans ad+ission to +e+bershi of the lo*est ran/ in thatgreat $ierarchy *hich governs the *orld& the ran/s stretching u*ards until alone in $is degree to*ersthe 5uler of our *orld $i+self. Each ran/ is searated fro+ the ran/ belo* by deeer /no*ledge and+ore selfless service& and ad+ission fro+ a lo*er ran/ to that net higher deends uon roved self3surrender& in the *orld of +en& to the needs of others. nitiation is the third great eansion ofconsciousness& eansion +eaning here an increasing realisation by the individual consciousness of thunity of all life& of the God *ithin us as identical *ith the God *ithout. At the cere+ony itself the Masterresents $is uil for ad+ission& having reviously satisfied hi+self as to the uil;s *orthiness& and the

candidate being aroved& enters the -rotherhood& for+ally dedicating hi+self thencefor*ard to liveslived for the *orld;s heling. @ou *ill notice that in the #reface Mrs. -esant calls Alcyone "brother"& andyou +ust re+e+ber that this *ord is deliberately used to +ar/ the secial relationshi bet*een the+ asboth -rothers (there is no se distinction! in one -rotherhood.

T#! P)POS! OF IITIATIO

#eole often *onder *hy it is necessary to ass through the cere+ony of nitiation at all. 1hat can a

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cere+ony do to increase our caacity for service > As a +atter of fact& i+agine that by a very slo*rocess of gro*th +an/ind as a *hole +ay reach the [Page /] results of nitiation *ithout assingthrough any cere+ony *hatever& drifting al+ost unconsciously through this third great ste. -ut so+eeole are eager to do =uic/ly that *hich other*ise *ould ta/e a long ti+e& and they sub+it to *hat +abe called a /ind of forced gro*th& so as to co+lete *ithin a fe* lives that *hich is usually sread over+any. This involves very hard *or/ in a Master;s school& and the student needs +uch hel. As theeagerness for rogress is entirely unselfish& the student is sho*n& after a certain a+ount of training& ho*

to *ield o*ers *hich nor+ally *ould co+e to hi+ +uch later. #urity of life& and self3disciline& added todefinite teaching fro+ a Master& are the certificates entitling hi+ to a siritual degree *hich confers uonhi+ definite o*ers& and these o*ers are elained to hi+ during the cere+ony of nitiation by adelegate fro+ The One in *hose $ands our destinies lie. The cere+ony of nitiation is an officialea+ination de+onstrating the candidate;s fitness so to use the ne* o*ers to be conferred on hi+ thahe +ay beco+e a better heler in the *orld of +en. Such o*ers are not co++on to the eriod in *hichthe *orld is no* living& and if an individual is to receive the+ he +ust rove his fitness before Those *halone can confer the+ before the nor+al ti+e.

"TO T#OS! *#O

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T#! )!A& A+ T#! )!A&

The Sa+s/rit verse *hich recedes Alcyone;s o*n Fore*ord or ntroduction su+s u& as it *ere& the*hole of the teaching that any Master can give $is uil. "Fro+ the unreal lead +e to the real" is the cryof all *ho are in earnest. More than anything else *e desire to distinguish bet*een the true and the falsbet*een that *hich gives ain and that *hich brings 4oy0 and in every life the lessons *e learn fro+ ain

are teaching us to recognise +ore [Page 2] unerringly& and& therefore& to cast aside& those thoughts&feelings and actions *hich belong to the unreal& to that *hich searates us fro+ the /no*ledge of God.The unreal is that *hich does not last& it is the for+ *hich veils the soul& and if only *e *ere better ableto distinguish the self fro+ its sheaths& there *ould be +uch less unhainess in the *orld. t is notenough to /no* *ith the +ind& you +ust /no* *ith the heart. Most of us /no* *ith our +inds that thebody is +erely a te+orary for+ chosen by the soul for a articular life& but so +uch is the for+associated *ith the life *ithin& that *e feel *e have lost the soul *hen the for+ brea/s u at death. Soyou see *e are still very +uch bound u in the unreal& ho*ever +uch in theory *e +ay be able todistinguish it fro+ the real. -ut you +ust not therefore thin/ that the unreal is useless. t is through theunreal that *e reach the real& *hich sho*s u the +ore vividly by contrast. The stars are shining on usas +uch in the dayti+e as at night& but it is because of the contrast *ith the dar/ness of the night that *

are able to ga2e a*estruc/ at the slendour of the starlit heavens.

The *orld of +atter corresonds to the blac/ness of night& and the souls of +en +ay be li/ened to thestars. 8iving in the *orld of +atter *e learn to realise , fro+ its ever3changing for+s , that there isso+ething *hich re+ains unchanged behind these changing for+s. 8iving in the +idst of change& theunreal& *e are forced to see/ the changeless& the real& and each one of us is gradually learning to [Page0] understand that every changing +ood and feeling is no +ore the full eression of ourselves than isthe child3body the co+lete eression of the soul *ithin. The child3body gro*s into the youth3body& andthe youth3body beco+es the +an. -ehind each the soul has been ressing to eress itself +ore fully&and so it is *ith each +ood and feeling. The +ood asses& another co+es& and yet another. And the so

+ay loo/ bac/ uon those that are ast and say< " *as not that +ood& for it is dead and re+ain". So thob4ect of all the teaching is to discover *hat is this "" that ever re+ains& and ho* best it +ay beeressed that the for+ shall be the erfect +irror of the soul. Even then the for+ +ust still be unreal& foall that veils the soul is as a fleeting shado*& but the urer the for+ the longer it lasts& and even thecoarse hysical body lasts the longer if its articles are ure. 1e are told& indeed& that those Masters*ho use hysical bodies +ay cause one body to last for several hundred years if so They choose& andthis sho*s us that urity is +ore real than i+urity& for our o*n bodies could never endure so long.

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oints for elucidation by so+e elder friend.

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C#APT!) II

A&C'O!(S FO)!*O)+

1E no* co+e to the Fore*ord itself& and fro+ the first Alcyone +a/es it clear that he is +erely assingon teaching *hich has enabled hi+ to /noc/ successfully at the ortal giving access to the Te+le of

nitiation.[ +ight note here that the actual cere+ony of nitiation does ta/e lace in a /ind of te+le& sothe si+ile is true literally as *ell as sy+bolically. "These are not +y *ords0 they are the *ords of theMaster *ho taught +e". And then co+es *hat is to +e one of the +ost i+ortant sentences in the *holboo/. "1ithout $i+ could have done nothing0 but through $is hel have set +y feet uon the #ath".Many eole continually *onder ho* it is that so +any earnest and selfless *or/ers see+ to be toilingday after day& year after year& and yet +a/e no aarent rogress. Surely & or @& or & *ho see+ toractise erfectly the teachings given in At the Feet of the Master & are in secial touch *ith so+e Elder-rother& are uils of so+e Master& have beco+e +e+bers of the great 1hite 8odge. No* *e +ust facthis difficulty fran/ly. Mere goodness is not enough to *in ad+ission to a Master;s school& else there *er[Page $] hundreds of thousands of +e+bers. Mere /no*ledge& ho*ever dee& is not enough& else all oufore+ost scientists and scholars *ere uils. Not even a co+bination of goodness and /no*ledge

suffices. 1hat& then& is the standard > A definite siritual tone& certainly& and a record& either in this life oin those gone by& of effort devoted to the needs of the *orld. Also& a certain intellectual level& notnecessarily that of a genius& but that of an ordinary *ell educated +an or *o+an. -ut beyond this there+ust be ele+ents of true *isdo+& of a true understanding of the urose of life. t is not for +e toresu+e to suggest a general standard belo* *hich a Master *ould not loo/ for recruits to $is schoolbut& so far as have been taught& there +ust not only be a realisation of the general lan of the *orld;sgovern+ent but also an accetance of the Elder3-rethren as Guides and Teachers. $o* can anyoneenter a school unless he recognises its eistence > $o* can *e eect the Masters to send Their ti+ein teaching the ele+entary lessons of life to those *ho could learn the+ fro+ elders less evolved thanthe great Teachers The+selves& but at least sufficiently infor+ed to i+art the teaching re=uired > t isnot until *e have already learned& during our course of lives& +any of the lessons life in the outer *orld

teaches us& that *e are =ualified to enter the Masters; *orld , the *orld of realities , for *hich ours isas a rearatory school.

Alcyone at once roclai+s his fitness for +e+bershi of the Master;s school by declaring that "*ithout[Page $$] $i+ could have done nothing". Many eole believe& no doubt& in the %hrist& in Sri :rishna& inthe 8ord -uddha& in the 8ord Muha++ad0 but either they eect so+e return for their belief& for ea+lesalvation for the+selves& or they regard the ob4ect of their devotion as a illar of strength *hose rinciafunction is to stand bet*een the+selves and the +ista/es of their *ea/nesses. n other *ords& the belieof +ost eole as regards one or another of these Mighty -rethren is based rather on the longing forersonal salvation than on a recognition that *here These great Ones are& there *e +ay one day stand

*e gradually learn to live our lives as They lived Theirs before reaching the resent su++its of Theirachieve+ents. So+e siritual eole are content to live their lives in feeble yet sincere i+itation of theea+le set the+ by their 8ord& as/ing nothing for the+selves and giving to all *ho need& irresective ocreed or race& and these are dra*ing near to that for+al discileshi *hich co+es to those *ho strive&*ithout desire for re*ard& but out of great love& to live as disciles in the outer *orld. B thin/ ought tooint out that in using the ter+ CsiritualD as alied to eole *ho are dra*ing near to discileshi donot *ish to suggest that they are aragons of virtue. The higher ran/s of discileshi are only to be *onthrough the constant ractice of all the virtues& but the entry to discileshi and the assing through theortal of nitiation +ay be gained *hile the candidate is still very far fro+ ade=uately dislaying theerfect life. f you /no* any a+ong the lo*er ran/s of disciles you *ill realise that all have +any

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*ea/nesses& *hile so+e +ay by no +eans confor+ to the *orlds conventional standards of behaviour.#ure3+inded the discile +ust be& reverent at heart& loving by nature& tolerant in attitude& and eager in hMasters service. $aving these =ualities in a reasonable state of develo+ent& there +ust be so+eco+aratively outstanding o*er *hich lifts hi+ above the nor+al level as regards usefulness to theMaster. #erhas he is a great sea/er& a great *riter& a great insirer& a great artist& a great healer ,ossessing so+e force *hich +ay be e+loyed in dra*ing eole nearer to realities. Then Karma +usbe favourable& for he +ust have ehausted all Karma *hich +ight considerably hinder the Master fro+

e+loying hi+. 1e should not be very useful if *e had to send +uch ti+e in aying off our o*n debts.-ut the outstanding o*er +ay have its o*n outstanding *ea/ness& and *hile the discile is li/ely tohave hi+self fairly *ell in hand& you *ould gain a very false idea of discileshi if you *ere to i+aginethat it involved a ersonality negative rather than ositive and& in conse=uence& a so+e*hat turbulentdisosition. @ou do not loo/ for erfection in young disciles& but you *ill certainly see o*er of one /indor another.] -ut there +ust inevitably be +uch ignorant belief as regards the Great Teachers& ho*eversincere it +ay be& before Their true lace in our lives can beco+e [Page $,] /no*n& and *here +anyeole shut the+selves off fro+ +uch insiration they +ight other*ise receive& is in i+agining that theirsecial Teacher is the only source of truth for all. There is a *hole age of gro*th bet*een the state+entthat %hrist is the only Saviour of the *orld and the /no*ledge that there are +any Saviours& and until *elearn through eerience that there are +any roads to God& that each hu+an being is travelling along a

road as direct as our o*n& though he +ay be behind us on his ath*ay& *e shall not have gained theo*er to hel each erson on his o*n road3,an indisensable =ualification for ad+ission to a Master;sschool. Out of goodness *e +ay strive to bring others to our o*n road& but that is a narro* and ignorangoodness& and a Master;s school trains its uils to serve and honour all faiths& to hel each individual ttread his [Page $/] o*n *ay according to the lan +ar/ed out for hi+ by the God3to3be *ithin hi+.

T#! P*A)+ C&IM3

f you understand *hat have *ritten& you *ill realise that once *e begin to gain a gli+se of the real

rinciles of evolution and /no* that others are in front of us on life;s ath*ay& 4ust as +any are behindus& *e +ust naturally long for the guidance of those *ho /no* +ore& not that *e +ay /no* for ourselvealone& but that our o*er of heling others +ay increase. Struggling hard to /no* the truth& giving u althat the *orld ri2es if only truth +ay shine uon us& *e brea/ asunder the bonds of convention& *ere4ect the dog+as in *hich lies concealed the sirit of the religion to *hich *e haen to belong. 5eadMrs. -esant;s Autobiography and see ho* roc/y and stee *as her ath*ay to the Masters. At last&clinging only to a assionate deter+ination to serve the *orld as best she +ight& giving to it herignorance if she can find no better offering& she *ins her *ay to her Master;s feet. She longs for o*erand *isdo+ only that she +ay use the+ for others& and *hen no ersonal sorro* or desair reventsher fro+ giving all encourage+ent in her o*er to those *ho cry for rotection& then at last she sho*sherself *orthy of that true /no*ledge *hich +ay be given only to those *ho could never use it for

the+selves alone. Through such battle& you and & young friends& +ust ass. #erhas the struggle *illnot [Page $4] yet be so hard for us as it *as for her& for she is at the end of her ilgri+ages to a *orld fro*hich she has learned all it can teach her& and has in this life for the last ti+e re3lived *ithin the shortsace of a fe* years the hardshis of +an;s u*ard cli+bing. She has& as it *ere& recaitulated thelessons learned during +any lives in the *orld school& so that she +ay stand before the Masters to rovshe /no*s those lessons erfectly. 1e are still in the *orld school& and the lessons *e learn are adateto our o*ers of understanding. -ut& /no*ing of Those in front& *e are sure that They live but to sho* uthe *ay to eternal life& and ho*ever little *e +ay be able consciously to feel Their guidance& in so+e di+*ay at least *e /no* that They are *ith us& and that *ithout The+ *e could do nothing. For the ti+e& *

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+ay forget Their resence& and then *e +ust still struggle on as did Mrs. -esant& but sooner or later *eco+e to The+& and as a ray of sunlight illu+ines a dar/ roo+& so do *e then /no* that *ithout The+ *could have done nothing& that all *e have done is because of The+. 7o not thin/& +y young friends& thathis is deendence uon another& for not only in Their service is erfect freedo+& but there is the One 8iensouling us all& and They cannot do *ithout us& reverently be it said& any +ore than *e can do *ithoutThe+. 1e are one in sirit0 *hat They are *e shall be0 *hat *e are They have been0 and to the greatSheherd *e are all shee of $is *orld3*ide fold.

have *ritten on this sub4ect at length& for thin/ it very necessary that you should understand these[Page $1] i+ortant facts& since& rightly understood& they *ill rotect you fro+ +uch doubt and difficulty*hen you enter the outside *orld.

SCC!SS COSISTS I )!P!AT!+ !FFO)T

should li/e you to ay secial attention to the rest of the Fore*ord. "t is not enough to say that they Bth

Master;s *ords are true and beautiful0 a +an *ho *ishes to succeed +ust do eactly *hat is said".Again< "@ou +ust do *hat $e says& attending to every *ord& ta/ing every hint. . . . $e does not sea/t*ice". $o* +any of us are ready to sit at the Master;s feet under conditions such as these > $o* often*e hear Mrs. -esant& or Mr. 8eadbeater& or other elders& tell us the sa+e thing over and over again. 7o*e not often thin/ that our lecturers are constantly reeating the+selves& that they continually reiteratethe sa+e truths over and over again& until *e are al+ost tired of hearing the+ > Such& ho*ever& is thetas/ of the discile in the outer *orld , to recaitulate over and over again the sa+e truths until at last*e begin to live *ithin the truths instead of outside the+. The Master could not sare the ti+e to do thisbut& because the *orld +ust learn& $e er+its a uil to ta/e $is teachings to the outer *orld and to *infor the+ an accetance& overco+ing indifference& hostility& ridicule0 gaining for the+ en=uiry and finallyunderstanding. On very i+ortant occasions a Master has been /no*n to reeat directions *hich have

not been roerly carried out& [Page $2] but the circu+stances *ere very ecetional and of vitali+ortance. f& therefore& you desire to beco+e a uil of one of the Masters& as/ yourselves *hether& foea+le& you ersevere in trying to +a/e your daily life confor+ to the *isdo+ of At the Feet of theMaster . This little boo/ ought al*ays to be at hand& so that you +ay constantly refer to it& and test in thelight of its recets that *hich for the +o+ent +ay be occuying you. +ay erhas be allo*ed to bearersonal testi+ony to the fact that any rogress +ay have +ade or any increased o*er of usefulness+ay have ac=uired has been very largely due to +y continual reference to At the Feet of the Master*hen in difficulty or doubt. The boo/ is a /ind of +odern co++entary on the Ancient Scritures& and ourgratitude goes to Alcyone for enabling us to refer +any ti+es to advice *hich *e are not yet enough inearnest to hear direct fro+ the Master;s lis. One of the rivileges of a discile& as have said& is to beable to reeat +any ti+es that *hich his Master *ill only utter once. -ut do not forget that you *ho have

this riceless teaching al*ays at hand& are *orse off& not +ore fortunate& than eole *ho have neverhad it at all& if you do not at least try to follo* its advice. t is sad to receive no gift at all& but it is ositivehar+ful to receive a gift fro+ such a source and to treat it *ith indifference& for the result *ill be that in afuture life you *ill long in vain for that *hich you no* neglect. @ou are not as/ed to acco+lish. @ou areas/ed to try not to be do*ncast at failure. [Page $0] The effort to attend to *hat the Master says +ay brinyou *ithin the circle of $is uils& for above all $e as/s for earnestness and erseverance. $e does notcount as failures +ista/es fro+ *hich srings a still stronger deter+ination to succeed.

5e+e+ber that the Master;s teaching alies every*here and to all. t alies as +uch in the #arlia+en

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as in the ho+e& as +uch to those *ho+ the *orld counts greatest as to the hu+blest toiler living as anun/no*n and uncared for unit in our +idst. The teaching is indeed a counsel of erfection& but has itsteaching and its value at every stage of the u*ard cli+b0 and one of the greatest +ista/es *e +a/e isto i+agine that erfection cannot be reached& 6toia is not unattainable& for so+e have reached it& and you *ill try your best to fashion every thought& *ord and deed according to the Master;s advice& you *illfind yourselves +uch nearer your goal than you ever i+agined in your rosiest drea+s. 1hatever is ofnoble urose in you , a+bition& love& hoe& endeavour , *ill co+e to you the +ore certainly for the

attention you ay to the Master;s *ords& and one day you too *ill say& *ith the conviction of eeriencebehind these *ords& "*ithout $i+ could have done nothing0 but through $is hel have set +y feetuon the #ath". [Page $9]

OT!

F you are seriously ta/ing u the study of At The Feet of the Master you *ill find that +uch of theMaster;s advice conflicts *ith conventional attitudes and oinions& and have /no*n eole doubt theMaster;s caacity to understand *orldly conditions& "being so far re+oved fro+ the troubles and tur+oilsa+idst *hich *e live". %ertain students& for ea+le& *ho have *ished to translate At the Feet of theMaster into the language of their country have so+eti+es desired to o+it or +odify so3called"inalicable" suggestions , i+agining that their li+ited /no*ledge is of greater ractical value than theMaster;s *isdo+. For ea+le& the assage< "f you see anyone brea/ing the la* of the country& youshould infor+ the authorities"& is thought by so+e to be in direct oosition to conventional ideas as toloyalty and honour. The Master& it is urged& tells us to betray a co+rade if *e notice hi+ brea/ing a la* othe country in *hich *e live P

No* do not *ish at this stage of our study to consider the i+ortant duty underlying the advicecontained in the sentence have =uoted. 1e *ill consider it *hen it co+es before us in its regular order-ut thin/ it necessary to oint out the great rincile underlying the *hole of the teaching [Page ,%] giveus. The Master is e+hasising the real& and it is our business to test all that *e are& and all that

surrounds us& in the light of the reality as resented to us by a Master of 1isdo+ , One *ho has&through ages of hard struggle& gained the o*er at once to discri+inate bet*een the real and the unrea

n ta/ing u the study of this boo/ *e are sitting at the feet of One *ho /no*s& not of one *ho only thin/and 4udges. Ta/e any ordinary ethical boo/ *ritten by the deeest thin/er the *orld has seen& and you*ill +erely be reading the thoughts of so+eone in the *orld li/e yourself& though erhas of greaterability and deeer intuition. $is line of thought need not necessarily be yours& and it is your duty to beresectfully critical though& of course& +odestly en=uiring. -ut in At the Feet of the Master & you have the*isdo+ of One *ho has learned all the *orld can teach& *ho has in the ast faced in essence all thetroubles and sorro*s through *hich you have assed& are assing& and have yet to ass. $e has

con=uered the *orld& and not one single difficulty the *orld can roduce could erle $i+ for an instan$e has +astered the rinciles of life& and *hether $e be living in the *orld of the 9th century or in thaof the Hth or of the Hth& all that surrounds $i+ is but an asect of these great rinciles& an alicationof the la*s they enforce.

$e states in very si+le language certain of these general rinciles and does not at all li+it $is teachinto any articular country or to any secial religion. True& he is addressing those *ho desire [Page ,]ad+ission to a Master;s school& but such candidates are eole *ho /no* +ore than +ost others and

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*ho are eected to live in stricter honour than the +a4ority. So all the advice $e gives +ust be of a toneinfinitely finer than that to *hich conventional +orality vibrates.

1hat you have to do& therefore& is to try to understand *hat is the +atter *ith your oint of vie* *hen itconflicts *ith the Master;s& rather than to thin/ that either the Master is not conversant *ith the *orld;saffairs or that $is teaching does not aly to you and to your country. The Master does not as/ you to

accet $is teaching and to follo* it blindly& neither *ould $e reco++end you to re4ect it because it doesnot fit in *ith your sche+e of life. That *hich you do not understand& try to understand. That *hich youcannot understand& leave to the enlightening o*er of ti+e and of eerience. f you re4ect the truth it *only return to you after infinite *ooing& *hile if you +erely leave it for future consideration *henoortunity offers& you *ill find that in the +eanti+e you have been unconsciously gro*ing to*ards itsunderstanding.

6se the *orld;s conventions *hile truer attitudes are hidden fro+ you& for the *isdo+ of the *orld is thestandard for the average +an and *o+an. -ut *hen a Master condescends to sea/ , listen. %o+e tono hasty conclusions in your eagerness to follo* $is recets& for *hile $e see/s to shatter out*orn

suerstitions $e *ill not under+ine beliefs still necessary for the *orld;s gro*th. Thin/ over [Page ,$]carefully *hat $e says and try to understand its alication to ordinary& everyday life& re+e+bering thatin far3off Shigatse $e /no*s infinitely +ore of the *orld than our greatest states+an& our *isesthilosoher& our +ost beneficent hilanthroist& our cleverest +an of business.

1hen you doubt , reflect0 *here you *ould oose , susend 4udg+ent0 but *hen you realise ,follo* unflinchingly& ho*ever +uch convention +ay be against you& rovided you are *illing to ta/ecourage into your o*n hands& as/ing hel fro+ none& acting gently and tolerantly to*ards all. [Page ,,]

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C#APT!) III

T#! -A&IFICATIOS FO) +ISCIP&!S#IP

1E +ust no* consider the =ualifications to be ractised if *e *ould gain that secial o*er of service*hich is conferred uon all *ho are ad+itted to the great 1hite -rotherhood , through assing the firs

of the great nitiations. +ight 4ust re+ar/ here that the Mysteries of Greece and 5o+e& of *hich you *ifind +uch *ritten in ancient boo/s& as *ell as +odern Free+asonry& are faint i+itations of the realcere+ony itself and of the tests *hich the candidate undergoes. The Ancient Mysteries& esecially intheir urer for+& did indeed de+and fro+ their votaries very definite =ualifications not unli/e those *ith*hich *e are about to deal. Free+asonry in +odern ti+es has so little siritual life that one can onlyhonour it for its far3off origin and for its charity0 but even Free+asonry ad+its to +e+bershi those alon*ho are dee+ed to be of unble+ished reutation. And in the insistence every*here on =ualifications& inthe eistence of a cere+onial& and in the confer+ent of certain o*ers& you have the endeavour on theart of +en to re+e+ber that there are real cere+onies& to *hich real o*ers are attached& through*hich entry is sought into a -rotherhood *hich is the nucleus on [Page ,/] the siritual lane of abrotherhood *hich so+e day shall eist in the outer *orld.

T#!

FO) P)ICIP&!S OF &IF!

The ?ualifications as given by the Master are< ('! 7iscri+ination& (9! 7esirelessness& (! Good %onductand (! 8ove0 and $e adots here the Eastern classification& robably because it *ould secially aeato the understanding of $is ndian uil. 5e+e+ber that in each religion +ention is +ade of the great#ath on *hich the successive nitiations are stages& and in each religion +ay be found enu+erated the=ualifications *hich alone *ill enable +en to tread it. n Esoteric Christianity Mrs. -esant has traced forus the %hristian ter+inology for the various nitiations and for the =ualifications leading thereto& and reco++end you to read *hat she has to tell us on this sub4ect. Si+ilarly& other religions yield identicalinfor+ation& but *e *ill adot the $indu classification as given by the Master& artly because it is so cleathat *e can easily understand it& no +atter to *hat religion *e belong& and artly because its; racticalvalue has been de+onstrated by the fact that others have follo*ed Alcyone through the #ortal& basingtheir endeavours on the counsel they have received fro+ At the Feet of the Master . 7o not thin/&therefore& that you are studying so+ething of no ractical alication. The recets of this little boo/have been brought do*n into ractice in everyday life in the resent day by co+aratively ordinary [Pag,4] eole& and they have found their *ay to the #ath. 5e+e+ber& again& that erfection in the ractice othese recets +ay only be obtained by one *ho has assed that great nitiation *hich confers on $i+the ran/ of Masterhood.

@ou are trying but to enter the %ourtyard of the Te+le itself , the Master;s school0 so it *ould be foolisto eect to acco+lish no* that *hich can only co+e after +any lives. :ee on trying& and re+e+berthat an achieve+ent far& far short of erfection *ill bring you to your Master;s feet. 1hen Mrs. -esantsays in the #reface that *e +ust live the teaching& thin/ she +eans *e +ust ta/e it seriously andconcentrate ourselves on it. All our living is i+erfect& but the +ore *e are in earnest the less i+erfect beco+es. Many eole *rite to Alcyone telling hi+ *hat beautiful teaching $e has given to the *orld& buall the use +ost eole +a/e of it is to *ish that others *ould ay +ore attention to it than they do.8iving according to a certain standard& *e are not easily sha/en out of it& and *hen valuable advice is ubefore us *e i+agine that *e are already doing our best to follo* it. More vigorous effort is eected

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fro+ you& +y dear young friends& and you should try to realise that you have been given a higherstandard to*ards *hich to strive& and that you have accordingly to revise your ideas& attitudes andactions in the clear light *hich has co+e to you. -e ositive in your study of the boo/& and follo*Alcyone;s o*n +ethod of "living" his Master;s teaching by ta/ing the [Page ,1] various oints one by oneand ractising the+ for definite eriods of ti+e.

+ISC)IMIATIO

The first t*o or three ages of the boo/ itself are occuied in laying stress on the i+ortance of thedistinction bet*een eole *ho have real /no*ledge and those *ho have not. So+e of you +ay *onde*hy the Master should have insisted uon so very obvious a fact. Of course " there are only t*o /inds oeole& those *ho /no* and those *ho do not /no*". t is a si+le +atter of logic. As a +atter of fact&ho*ever& this obvious truth is by no +eans generally alied& even by those *ho ought to /no* it& andunless you begin to aly it in your relations *ith the outside *orld you *ill not +a/e +uch rogressto*ards the #ath on *hich you desire to set your feet.

The eole *ho /no* have the o*er of discri+ination. 1hat is this discri+ination > The /no*ledge*hich enables a +an to distinguish bet*een that *hich is fleeting& i+er+anent& and that *hich lasts& iseternal. "Men *ho do not /no* *or/ to gain *ealth and o*er& but these are at +ost for one life only&.and therefore unreal"& says the Master. And later on $e a+lifies this definition by stating that"discri+ination +ust ... be +ade bet*een the right and the *rong& the i+ortant and the uni+ortant& thuseful and the useless& the true and the false& the selfish and the unselfish". So you see that [Page ,2] th=uality of discri+ination enters into the ordinary life of each one of us.

7o not thin/ that the Master is bla+ing those *ho do not /no*. gnorance is not a cri+e& it is an eisode

of gro*th0 and you yourself beco+e one of those *ho do not /no* *hen you are i+atient *ithignorance. -ut *hile you do not bla+e& nor even ity& you +ust at least be able to distinguish bet*eenthat *hich is ignorance and that *hich is /no*ledge& so that you +ay yourself abstain fro+ error and+ay hel those *ho /no* less. All /no*ledge is relative& and you +ust bear in +ind the Master;s *ords"$o*ever *ise you +ay be already& on this #ath you have +uch to learn". Those *ho /no* +ore thanyou do are =uite atient *ith the /no*ledge you have& but *hich is ignorance co+ared *ith their*isdo+. They /no* that the blend of /no*ledge and ignorance *hich you ossess is the blendaroriate to your stage of evolution& and that you can hel efficiently +any eole *ho are at a lo*erlevel. -ut ho*ever certain you +ay be of your o*n infallibility& eole *iser than yourself *ill never allo*you to influence the+ as to their o*n thoughts and actions& ecet in secial +atters on *hich you haveac=uired infor+ation +ore accurate than their o*n. Si+ilarly& you +ust be careful not to fall into the

illusion that because any one sea/s *ith conviction& therefore he is right. @ou +ust use yourdiscri+ination. Many eole are very la2y& and subsist on thoughts *hich co+e to the+ fro+ the outside*ithout caring to eercise their o*n [Page ,0] o*ers in deter+ining *hat to accet and *hat to re4ect."Orthodoy" is one na+e for this la2iness0 "custo+"& "conventionality"& are other na+es. gather theseunder the heading "la2iness"& because you *ould be la2y *ere you to allo* yourself to follo* the s+ootand beaten road trodden by the +a4ority of +an/ind. f the Master sea/s of a "#ath" it is because it is a"#ath" and not a road0 because fe* there be that tread it. On the other hand& *hile using yourdiscri+ination& you *ill re+e+ber that the +ore li+ited /no*ledge of those *ho do not /no* +ay beade=uate for the instruction of eole less evolved than the+selves. For ea+le& the Master tells usthat no cere+onies are necessary. Therefore *e +ay do *ithout the+. -ut to so+e cere+onies +ay be

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necessary& and it *ould be very undiscri+inative to thin/ conte+tuously of eole *ho find +uch valuein cere+onial& or of riests *ho inculcate it. 8et others gro* as suits the+& only neither i+agine thatbecause "everybody" thin/s in one articular *ay& therefore you +ust thin/ in that *ay also& nor be sola2y in thought that because so+e eole are ositive that they are right and eress the+selvese+hatically& therefore you allo* yourself to be influenced by a nature +ore ositive than your o*n.:een and indeendent thin/ing is an essential feature in the character of one *ho *ould tread the #athfor& ho*ever +uch the Master +ay hel hi+& in the long run his roc/ of certainty +ust be based on the

God *ithin hi+self& and a ti+e co+es for students *ho are treading the #ath *hen all eternal helsee+s to fail& [Page ,9] and strength +ust erforce be dra*n fro+ *ithin. 8et +e finally observe that youshould not rush to the conclusion that you +ust fors*ear co+letely all that to you is no longernecessary. t +ay be your duty to ta/e art in cere+onies for the sa/e of others *ho still need the+. t+ay be your duty to surround yourself *ith& +any custo+s& conventionalities and orthodoies& but onlyfor the sa/e of others. @our ri+ary duty is service& and you *ill not be a successful teacher unless you+odify your teaching to suit the intelligence of your class. Neither *ill you be a successful teacher&ho*ever& unless your /no*ledge is far in advance of that of your class& and *hile you +ay yourself usecrutches to sho* a la+e +an ho* to suort hi+self& you *ill not therefore use the+ at other ti+es as*ell. f you confine yourself *ithin outgro*n for+s& ecet in order to hel& you are indeed la2y0 but theris no la2iness on the art of those for *ho+ such for+s eist. So& *hile avoiding la2iness yourself& you

*ill re+e+ber that others find a te+orary salvation in that *hich to you *ould be stagnation& and you*ill +inister to their needs by giving the+ that *hich *ill hel the+ best.

T#!

)!A& have already toyou that it artly consists in being able to distinguish bet*een that *hich is fleeting and that *hichendures. ndeed& throughout this little boo/ [Page /%] the Master is continually elaining to us by *ay ofcontrast ho* the real differs fro+ the unreal. For ea+le< "@ou +ust discri+inate bet*een the selfish

and the unselfish"& "feel no anger or i+atienceD& "never allo* yourself to feel sad or deressed". 1hy >-ecause if you do feel anger or i+atience or deression you are for the ti+e living in so+ething *hich*ill ass a*ay& *hile in the long run serenity and cheerfulness *ill carry you to your goal. So the ans*eto +y =uestion is artly to be found in the study of these contrasts. -ut the Master also oints out that threally " i+ortant thing is .... the /no*ledge of God;s lan for +en". All the =ualities *hich you have toac=uire are& of course& art of God;s lan for +en. -ut the =ualities are to be ac=uired for a urose. "FoGod has a lan and that lan is evolution"& and the =ualities you are slo*ly building into your nature areintended so to urify it that it +ay be "in tune *ith the nfinite"& in har+ony *ith the *or/ing of God;s o*nnature. The la*s of nature are the rules of evolution& the signs of God beco+ing self3conscious in everysar/ of $is -eing& and you +ust understand these la*s so as to be "on God;s side& standing for goodand resisting evil& *or/ing for evolution and not for selfishness". %ertain of these la*s are already /no*

to the *orld. 1e sea/ of the la*s of science& the la*s of art& the la*s of literature < *e /no* of the la*of gravitation and of other la*s relating to +atter. These you +ust study sooner or later& if not in this lifethen in another0 for you cannot hel [Page /] erfectly unless you /no* God;s la*s for $is unfold+ent.-ut *e are not concerned *ith these articular la*s at resent& for the Master guides us to begin fro+*ithin rather than fro+ *ithout. First learn so+ething about the la*s of the sirit& and the la*s of +atterare seen to be but their reflection in grosser for+. 6nderstand the basis of the siritual life and you *illthe +ore easily fa+iliarise yourselves *ith the rinciles of the arts and sciences as at resent /no*n.Moreover& the *orld *ill give you the latter& *hile& ecet erhas in $indu hilosohy& there is as yetlittle science of the soul *orthy of the na+e.

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T#!

&A*S OF T#! #IG#!) &IF!

1e younger souls can /no* but little of these higher la*s , "la*s of the higher life"& as Mrs. -esant hascalled the+ , and cannot& therefore& hoe to enu+erate even a very fe*. -ut the Master gives usseveral hints as to *here to loo/ for the+& and $is suggestions *ill hel us to gain a general idea of the/ind of la*s *e +ay eect to find. $e says< "All are one& and . . . only *hat the One *ills can really be

leasant for anyone". $ere is a la* of unity. "All are one". Therefore "only *hat the One *ills can ever breally leasant for anyone" , the la* of a co++on urose. 1e share a co++on brotherhood and are+oving to*ards a co++on goal. f your discri+ination has led you to this you are on the right road& for&says the Master& [Page /$] "this discri+ination is the first ste". These t*o la*s of our being give the /eyto the state+ent that "those *ho are on $is side /no* *hy they are here and *hat they should do". Theare here because the God *ithin the+ *ills to be here& and they /no* that *hat they have to do is toco+bine *ith others in the effort to reach the co++on goal. do not suggest that our /no*ledge of theset*o la*s is clear and definite. 1e but di+ly sense the+& and the ob4ect of develoing =ualifications isthat *e +ay gain a clearer understanding. Nevertheless& *hen *e are nearest to our higher natures&nearest to that art of the One *hich d*ells *ithin us& *e are sure of these la*s& ho*ever +uch *e +ayso+eti+es "act foolishly and try to invent *ays" for ourselves *hich *e thin/ *ill be leasant for

ourselves.

No* *hat evidences have *e of the *or/ing of these t*o la*s > First& the ever3gro*ing areciation ofthe value of brotherhood as conducive to eace and hainess. need not give ea+les fro+ the oute*orld& for you can thin/ of +any yourselves. The *orld is ta/ing slo* but un+ista/able stes on the roadto*ards the goal of brotherhood& and because life is all the better for these stes *e /no* that the One *illing us to ta/e the+. Then again& *e /no* fro+ the state+ents of hilanthroists& +ystics& seers&founders of +ove+ents intended to sread the sirit of brotherhood& that the +o+ents of real andtherefore abiding 4oy co+e *hen they share *hat they are and have *ith others. There co+es the senseof a larger life& of a freer sirit& *hen *e share *ith [Page /,] others and *hen *e live for the+. The

selfish +an gains no lasting leasure fro+ acts of selfishness& though he +ay doubtless eeriencete+orary thrills at each successful self3see/ing. -ut these thrills are follo*ed by reaction& and the +orethe selfish +an gains the less he is satisfied& until in desair at the i+ossibility of satisfying hisincreasing cravings he see/s so+e other road. The 4oy of sharing is far different fro+ the fleetingeultation at having gained at another;s eense. The 4oy of sharing has no reaction& is follo*ed by nounhainess& brings an ever3increasing eace and an ever3gro*ing o*er of giving +ore. 6nselfishnes, that is to say& *or/ing for the larger self instead of for the s+aller , is its o*n re*ard& *hileselfishness +ust ever see/ outside itself for a re*ard& *hich beco+es +ore and +ore& elusive as ti+egoes on. Are theses facts not evidence of the truth of the state+ent "that only *hat the One *ills canever be really leasant for anyone"& since the +ore *e live for an increasing nu+ber of others& not onlydo *e gro* the haier& but *e are thereby eressing +ore of the One *ho is in us all > The +ore *e

identify the One *ith ourselves the haier *e beco+e.

S!)VIC! IS T#! #!A)T OF SAC)IFIC!

8et us try no* to see a little +ore clearly the nature of that 1ill *hich governs the *orld. 1e see at oncethat the 1ill of the One is a eretual sacrifice& for our o*n sacrifices lead us nearer to $i+. [Page //]

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Not a sacrifice involving regret& but a 4oyful sacrifice& though doubtless involving ain& for *ithout thecontrast of ain the beauty of the 4oy *ould be the less. t is all sacrifice , *illing or un*illing. Theservant *ho +inisters to the needs of the household& the trades+en *ho suly us *ith food& the officeof govern+ent *ho ad+inister the State& the teacher *ho teaches and the scholar *ho learns , allerfor+ daily acts of sacrifice& and the degree of hainess in the sacrifice deter+ines the nearness ofthe doer to the One *hose great sacrifice is in training each one of us , arts of $i+ , to beco+e selfconscious of $is and our divinity. n the East& great stress is laid on sacrifice , and art of the regular

daily duty consists in offering sacrifice to the Ancestors& to the Angels (7evas!& to the ani+als& and soforth. Of course& *e do not go through life thin/ing of each act as a sacrifice& for *e have ac=uired theevil habit of i+agining that a sacrifice involves denying ourselves so+e leasure& and thus +any try toavoid sacrifice for fear lest the 4oy of life be lost& *hen in fact the true sirit of sacrifice secures to usabiding eace. "1e +ust +a/e so+e sacrifices for our son;s education" , "@ou +ust sacrificeso+ething& if you *ant this or that". A sacrifice only involves the giving u of so+ething lo*er& never ofso+ething higher& and if our servants& our officials& our teachers& our students& our trades+en& above alourselves& lived lives in *hich the do+inating urose *as sacrifice , the sacrifice of the lo*er on thealtar of the higher , our *or/ *ould be far better done& [Page /4] and the *orld *ould be a far haierlace to live in. There is no trade& no rofession& no calling of any /ind& no act& ho*ever trivial& *hichdoes not gain beauty if erfor+ed in a true sirit of sacrifice , as an offering to the 8ord. This is indeed

difficult tas/ for us all& but *e +ust +a/e a beginning& and the best *ay is to erfor+ every day aconscious act of sacrifice , an act deliberately erfor+ed in the na+e of& and in ho+age to& the GreatSacrificer through *hose o*n act of sacrifice *e live and +ove and have our being. The -oy Scoutssea/ of a "good turn"& the Sons and 7aughters of the E+ire en4oin Ca daily act of service" , these aretrue sacrifices& for service is the heart of sacrifice.

T#! #IG#!) A+ T#! &O*!) S!&F

All sacrifice& if of value& +ust be ordered sacrifice& and the +ore *e learn of the la*s under *hich it acts

the +ore effective our sacrifice *ill be. Many volu+es +ight& indeed& be *ritten by a co+etent authorityon the rinciles of sacrifice& and +ost fascinating volu+es they *ould be. -ut *ithin the li+its of thesetal/s +ust confine +yself to one or t*o secial la*s of the higher life *hich it is essential for you to/no*.

n the first lace& your rincial duty is to reali2e that the individual you call "" is only a ortion of that re"" *hich is a sar/ in the fla+e of God. n other *ords there is the eternal "" *hich sends forth a feelerinto this outer *orld to gain all that the outer *orld can give. The feeler is not the " &" any [Page /1] +orethan the root is the *hole tree. There is +ore of you than ensouls your *a/ing consciousness in yourhysical body& and it is this bigger "you" *hich guides you to those eeriences in *hich your life is

assed. @ou +ay call this bigger "you" your higher self if you *ish& but do not identify it *ith the lo*ervehicles in *hich it has to live. The higher self desires only the urest for+ of life& has no leanings in thedirection of your *ea/nesses& is not cast do*n by your failures& and above all /no*s on its o*n lane ofeistence all that the lo*er "you" has to learn do*n here. Many young eole thin/ that the higher selfought to have been content *ith its /no*ledge. -ut the sacrifice is not co+lete until /no*ledge isevery*here& until divinity is self3conscious in all its arts. God is all3/no*ing on $is o*n lane& but $edesires that $is o*n self3consciousness shall a*a/en on all the lanes of $is being so that *e , thecells of $is -ody , beco+ing a*a/e to the divinity in *hich *e share& +ay by the very act of a*a/eningbeco+e Gods ourselves. First& ho*ever& *e +ust +aster the various grades of +atter fro+ the highest&

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*hich is hardly +atter at all but rather sirit& do*n to the +atter of *hich our hysical bodies areco+osed& and erhas lo*er still.

T#! F&O*!)IG OF O) +IVIIT'

$aving +astered the+& *e +ay one by one cast the+ aside& until *e live on the highest lane of siritueistence& on the lane of 7ivinity& only to co+e forth *hen the ti+e aroaches for an act of sacrificeli/e unto that *hich God $i+self is +a/ing no*. This lies in the infinite future& but it is certain , socertain that even at this stage of our gro*th *e can notice that the God *ithin us& our higher nature& isgradually ac=uiring +astery over the lo*er vehicles through *hich $e co+es into definite contact *iththe lo*er lanes. 7aily $e *or/s& and *hile self3control ta/es long to ractice& and the instru+ents donot al*ays function as they should& nevertheless every day sees so+e advance for each one of us& andthere is none so lo* or so degraded that he is not rising according to the +easure of his ossibility. *ant you& if you *ill& to re+e+ber this over*hel+ingly strengthening fact as often as you can , that*ithin you is erfection undeveloed& a bud to beco+e a flo*er. -ut the bud is there& and in your *orst+o+ents& *hen you feel that you have failed utterly and& erhas& irretrievably& the erfection3to3be still

re+ains *ithin you and is the constant source fro+ *hich fresh effort to lead the higher life +ust /ee oco+ing& no +atter *hat you do. ++ersed in +atter as *e are& surrounded by the ob4ects of the senses*e beco+e confused& i+agine that *e are lost *ithin their *hirl. -ut the +atter *hich surrounds us& of*hich our lo*er bodies are constituted& and the ob4ects of the senses , *hether +ental& astral orhysical , are the+selves only *aiting to be controlled. Master the+& ray uon the+ your divinity& andthey beco+e o*ers for use instead of forces to be fought& and of *hich& erhas& to be afraid.

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C#APT!) IV

T#!)! IS TIM! TO AC#I!V! P!)F!CTIO

T$N: that the truth have endeavored to eress in the receding tal/ is of vital i+ortance& for the+ore *e +editate on it the +ore real it beco+es& and *e begin to reali2e that ho*ever far off *e +ay be

fro+ the successful ractice of the =ualifications as given in At the Feet of the Master & erfection +ustso+e day co+e& and *ith it the hainess of erfect service.

Ti+e for acco+lish+ent is& indeed& necessary& but if one la* of our being is that there is a divinity *ithius gradually unfolding into its erfect flo*er& another la* tells us that the unfold+ent ta/es lace slo*lybut surely (! in accordance *ith the rincile of action and reaction& or cause and effect& (ii! through acontinuous series of diings do*n into and *ithdra*al fro+ the +atter of the lo*er lanes& in other*ords , reincarnation. 8et us glance at this la* of ti+e *hich& *ithin itself& involves the oortunity as*ell& since ti+e *ould be valueless *ithout the ossibility of +a/ing use of it. Eressing the la* in otheter+s& *e +ight say that the unfold+ent of the divinity *ithin us ta/es lace under the coercion of

eerience , eerience *hich is ever sifting the real [Page /9] fro+ the unreal& the er+anent fro+ thete+orary. n %hristian hraseology *e are told that as *e so* so shall *e rea& $induis+ sea/s ofKarma& a Theosohist +ight tal/ of the la* of cause and effect. #ut lainly& the la* states that& as *ethin/ and act so shall *e beco+e& and& as ti+e is needed if *e are to thin/ and act erfectly& *e arecontinually being i++ersed in the densest +atter of our globes in order by degrees to understand itsnature and therefore to beco+e its +aster. The life you are leading no*& the body in *hich this latesti++ersion has ta/en lace& are only incidents in a long series of lives& @ou have had & +any lives beforeand you have used +any bodies before. -et*een each life you have& as it *ere& +ade u your debit andcredit accounts incurred during the lifeti+e on earth0 and then& *ith an ever3increasing siritual balance&using this *ord in its financial sense& you go into hysical lane business again& both to ay off old debtsand to ac=uire ne* ones& and thus to a+ass an increasing siritual fortune& as by degrees the ne* debt

beco+e less and less and your *isdo+ gro*s +ore and +ore. @ou /ee on doing this for hundreds ofthousands of years& for +illions of years if you ta/e into consideration the slee3life& the drea+3life& andthe da*ning *a/efulness in the +ineral& vegetable and ani+al /ingdo+s resectively. God gave you thecaital to start *ith , your siritual ossibilities0 and though fro+ ti+e to ti+e your caital +ay see+ tohave beco+e very +uch tied u& it can never be utterly unreachable& [Page 4%] since $e *ill te+orarily*ithdra* you fro+ active artnershi in the business in *hich $e is engaged if you act so rec/lessly thayou cannot be trusted to +anage your (and $is! affairs roerly. ndeed& you +ight conceivably bere=uired to +a/e a fresh start& not& erhas& at the beginning& but so+e little *ay bac/ fro+ the lace at*hich you began to gro* i+rovident. This is robably a co+aratively rare event& for +ost of us aredeveloing our caital by slo* but sure degrees.

T#! T*O &A*S OF T#! #IG#!) &IF!

The /no*ledge of the *ay in *hich each one of us ulti+ately attains erfection is of the ut+ost value ani+ortance& since not only can *e never be co+letely over*hel+ed by desair or reduce the o*er ofdra*ing on our caital al+ost to the vanishing oint through an insensate accu+ulation of debts& but *eare able to give the +ost strengthening assistance to those *ho see nothing before the+ but debts dueand only the generosity of the great %reditor , ho*ever certain , to deend uon& if even that. And asis so i+ortant to gras as clearly as *e can the essential features of the la*s of the higher life& let +e

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recaitulate briefly the truths so far stated. First& the unity of all . f +ay be allo*ed to use the si+ile of aban/ing establish+ent& *ould say that the 5uler of our *orld B distinguish bet*een the ter+s CGodD anCthe 5uler of our *orldD. -y the *ord CGodD +ean the divine rincile ani+ating all life every*here ,God the Father. C The 5uler of our *orld& "on the other hand& is the official *ho is at the head of the Gre1hite 8odge& the highest of its +e+bers& alone in $is ran/. Mightier than all others& not a +e+ber of ouo*n hu+anity at all& $e is Gods 5egent uon this earth. n $indu scritures $e is +entioned under thena+e of SANAT :6MA5A. is the [Page 4] sure+e 7irector of a great fa+ily siritual ban/ing concern

$e $i+self started *ith caital $e had develoed through eerience in countless revious ages& caita*hich originally ca+e fro+ God& as does all caital. $is function is to enable all the +e+bers of $isfa+ily to develo their caital as $e has develoed $is. $e is& as it *ere& ledged so to arrange $isbusiness that sooner or later every +e+ber of $is fa+ily +ust& even though failure co+e ti+e after ti+eeventually develo his caital to its ut+ost value. $erein lies both the unity and the state+ent of thesecond la* , the eistence of a common goal . ndeed the first la* involves the second& for unity *ouldnot be co+lete unless our destinies *ere co++on& unless the future involves the sa+e unity as did theast to *hich *e trace our co++on source. have called this co++on destiny erfection& and& using*ords to eress the si+ile of the ban/ing concern& +ight say that the ob4ect of the fir+ is to develo feach of its artners a substantial siritual caital& so that each artner +ay& in course of ti+e& set u inbusiness on his o*n account. Then co+es the =uestion< $o* does each artner reach this level > The

ans*er is as clear in the siritual *orld as it is in the actual business industry on the hysical lane.Through eerience0 in course of ti+e0 by setting u in business in a very [Page 4$] s+all *ay to start*ith& after going through a certain a+ount of reli+inary training0 by accu+ulating a large nu+ber ofdebts *hich are not only hard to ay off but ta/e ti+e to ay off too. 1hat *as the first stage *hich +entioned in the very beginning of this series of tal/s > ndividualisation ,3 the assing fro+ the ani+ato the hu+an /ingdo+. -efore this& the artner *as only a sleeing artner. $e *as learning therudi+ents of sub4ects *hose deeer study *ould co+e later on. $e *as hardly in the business at all , shareholder& truly& but *ith no +ore conscious share in the business than has a ban/ +anager;s baby aactive share in his father;s affairs. -ut the baby gro*s and beco+e a young boy *ith a vague idea as to*hat his father is. The ne*ly individualised +an has a vague idea as to the eistence of a urose in lifearound hi+& but he cares nothing for it as yet& save as it affects his ersonal and i++ediate *ell3being.

-ut in ti+e co+es the second stage , the a*a/ening of conscience. The youth beco+es a cler/ in hisfather;s fir+& begins at the lo*est ran/& has very little resonsibility. -y degrees he is entrusted *ith s+aortions of his caital on *hich to eeri+ent& he is sent out into the *orld to see *hat he can do *ith thcaital (conscience! of *hose eistence lie has been hitherto una*are. " have a conscience& have theo*er to distinguish bet*een right and *rong. $itherto have shared unthin/ingly in the universalconscience of *hich +y o*n is a art& but no* /no* that have a conscience of +y o*n& +ust use itand +a/e as +uch of it as can& so that [Page 4,] it +ay gro* big and strong". So the shareholder& no*increasingly conscious of being not only a shareholder to receive dividends but a artner to roducethe+& goes out into the *orld , the lo*er lanes , as an active agent and builder of his o*n fortunes.

Iust as a business +an goes ho+e& after office hours are over& to rest fro+ the day;s labours& to thin/over *hat good and *hat bad business he has done during the day& and to en4oy hainess *ith thosedear to hi+& so each one of us& after one life is over& rests in other *orlds and gathers fresh energy ,born of striving in lives gone by , for the life to co+e& for the ne* "day" of business on the hysicallane. 1e cannot in one day develo all the caital re=uired. 1e have to learn ho* to e+loy it& *hattransactions to avoid& *hat transactions are rofitable& and the ti+e ta/en is the eression of the la* oreincarnation. -ut not only do *e need ti+e& *e need also eerience. 1e +ust suffer fro+ the badtransactions and rea hainess fro+ the good ones. 6nless *e see results& *e shall not /no* ho* toco+are the relative values of various transactions& of *hose nature *e /no* for the ti+e being nothing

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t is the result far +ore than the cause that tells us the nature of the cause itself. The la* of cause andeffect states that as the cause is& so the result *ill be& but in actual eerience *e first learn that as theresult is& so the cause +ust have been also. t is only after eeriencing +any results that *e either avotheir cause or set it in +otion& according as to [Page 4/] *hether it brings hainess or ain. Even then *are te+orarily satisfied *ith causes *hich roduce results *hose leasure3roducing o*er is but veryli+ited. 1e are& in other *ords& content *ith the i++ediate ho*ever fleeting& rovided it satisfies for the+o+ent. This is the case *ith +ost eole& and laces the+ *ithin the ran/s of those *ho do not /no*

@ou *ill re+e+ber& ho*ever& that there is a third stage , the stage at *hich the individual definitelyledges hi+self to a certain line of conduct& at *hich he sho*s hi+self as a+ong those *ho are at leastlearning to /no*& by assing through nitiation into the *ider life beyond. $e is the artner *ho& havingsho*n hi+self caable of *isely +anaging his caital *ithin co+aratively narro* li+its& is not only giveoortunities of develoing it +uch +ore raidly and *idely than *ould nor+ally be ossible& but isallo*ed to share the resonsibilities devolving uon the directors of the fir+ itself& those *hose businessit is& under the guidance of the 5uler& to hel the 4unior artners to gain the necessary eerience. Ayoung director& truly& but none the less a director& though there are those above hi+ *ith still greaterresonsibilities uon their shoulders, those *ho belong to the ran/s of the higher nitiates.

T#! )OA+ OF !VO&TIO

n this *ay are the various stages assed& and the individual gradually learns ho* to develo his siritucaital so as one day& in the far3off distant [Page 44] future& to beco+e the head of a fir+ hi+self& a 5ulerin a universe. 1e already /no* that the one class of transactions *hich is rofitable& using this *ord inits best sense& is the class involving the service *hich is the heart of sacrifice& God is the great Sacrificefor& instead of living on $is caital& $e not only shares it a+ong us all& but trains us& through the 5uler ofour *orld& to develo our caital to the ut+ost. 1ithout irreverence +ay say that even our +ighty 5ule$i+self is the greater for the sacrifice $e +a/es in guiding our evolution& and gro*s at $is ealted levelinto still further siritual slendour. 1hen *e reach the level at *hich $e +ade the great and sure+e

Sacrifice of re+aining to toil *hen $e +ight have assed on to en4oy& at *hich the develo+ent of oursiritual caital has been such as to enable us to +a/e this stuendous outlay& *e too shall +a/e thesacrifice and *in its re*ard. To do so& *e +ust ass through all the intervening sacrifices ste by ste&the less leading to the greater0 and only as *e serve and sacrifice in roortion to the caital *e have&can *e hoe to develo the caital and so increase the service. The art of service , should not rathercall it the "science" , is not& ho*ever& to be learnt in a day& or *ithin the brief sace of one lifeti+e. Firsco+es the service of the s+aller self. The *hole tendency in +odern ti+es& as far as the 1est isconcerned& and increasingly so in the East& has been to force the individual to e+hasise hi+self. $ehas been learning through co+etition of all /inds& through strife& through the [Page 41] dictates ofersonal a+bition& to consider his o*n *elfare and that& erhas& of those i++ediately deendent uonhi+. #ersonal *ealth& ersonal o*er& ersonal influence& ersonal ability , all have been ursued& an

the futility of all& save as used for *ider service is the lesson learned. Often at the close of a life devotedto such ursuits& a +an has at last seen ho* little true hainess they have given hi+ through life& andhurriedly he strives to tread the other ath by lavishing his gains uon a *orld fro+ *hich erst*hile hetoo/ the+. f there *ere no other lives& the act *ould be too late& for you cannot atone in a year for alifeti+e of selfishness. -ut the future is before hi+& and erhas the lesson has so been learned that inthe eriod of rest bet*een that life and the net he *ill have had the leisure (and the clearer vision theinner lanes allo*! to decide uon a life less circu+scribed than that *hich he devoted to the interests ohis o*n s+all self. #ay+ent *ill indeed be eacted for all har+ done& the debts on the +ista/entransactions +ust be aid in full& but not only has he ti+e in *hich to ay the+& but also ti+e and

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oortunity in *hich to lan fresh sche+es to har+onise *ith the *ider vision he has gained. [ %o+arethe gro*th of the soul to a house *ith a large nu+ber of *indo*s and doors& +ost of *hich are closed.Outside& the sun is shining& but into one or t*o roo+s only do the rays at first enter. Gradually& theoccuier of the house , the soul , begins to areciate the life3giving *ar+th fro+ the sun& though hestill lives artly in the dar/ness and i+agines it to be all he needs. -ut *hen he goes into the roo+s*hose *indo*s and doors he has oened to the sunlight& the contrast bet*een the dar/ness and thelight begins to stri/e hi+. Going bac/ into the dar/ness& he re+e+bers the light and loo/s for the

*indo*s and doors so that he +ay oen the+ too. 5oo+ after roo+ is brightened& until the house ishardly a house at all , only a nu+ber of *alls bet*een the doors and *indo*s , and serves but theurose of concentrating the sunlight *ithin its li+its. The house is the lo*er art of +an , his +ental&e+otional and hysical bodies. Each roo+ is a o*er or faculty& and the o*ner of the house is the higheself , the ego& the soul. The dar/er the house& the greater the unhealthiness& the greater the dirt& thegreater the sordidness. -ut the Masters ChousesD are +erely assage *ays for the sunlight& and Theirbodies are but lenses , to use another si+ile , fro+ *hich the rays of life sread out*ard *ithconcentrated intensity. Thin/ this over and follo* its sy+bolis+ if such be your te+era+ent. ] [Page 42]

Much +ore +ight be *ritten on these great and do+inant truths. Many other la*s +ight have been

+entioned& and innu+erable are the *ays of their alication. -ut can only hoe that you *ill thin/ ovethese things and fill in for yourselves the gas have been forced to leave unfilled. n At the Feet of theMaster *e are taught to discri+inate bet*een transactions *hich are rofitable and those

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Thoughts On At The Feet Of The Master