There are many for whom
the Qualification of Desirelessness is a
difficult one, for they feel that they are their
desires - that if their distinctive desires,
their likings and dislikings, are taken away
from them, there will be no self left.
But these are only they who have not seen
the Master; in the light of His holy
Presence all desire dies, but the desire to
be like Him.
Yet before you have the
happiness of meeting Him face to face, you
may attain desirelessness if you will.
Discrimination has already shown you that
the things which most men desire, such as
wealth and power, are not worth having; when
this is really felt, not merely said, all
desire for them ceases.
Thus far all is simple;
it needs only that you should understand.
But there are some who forsake the pursuit
of earthly aims only in order to gain
heaven, or to attain personal liberation
from rebirth; into this error you must not
fall. If you have forgotten self altogether,
you cannot be thinking when that self should
be set free, or what kind of heaven it shall
have. Remember that all
selfish desire binds, however high may be
its object, and until you have got rid of it
you are not wholly free to devote yourself
to the work of the Master.
When all desires for self
are gone, there may still be a desire to see
the result of your work. If you help
anybody, you want to see how
much you have helped him; perhaps even you
want him to see it too, and to be grateful.
But this is still desire, and also want of
trust. When you pour out your strength to
help, there must be a result, whether you
can see it or not; if you know the Law you
know this must be so. So you must do right
for the sake of the right, not in the hope
of reward; you must work for the sake of the
work, not in the hope of seeing the result;
you must give yourself to the service of the
world because you love it, and cannot help
giving yourself to it.
Have no desire for
psychic powers; they will come when the
Master knows that it is best for you to have
them. To force them too soon often brings in
its train much trouble; often their
possessor is misled by deceitful
nature-spirits, or becomes conceited and
thinks he cannot make a mistake; and in any
case the time and strength that it takes to
gain them might be spent in work for others.
They will come in the course of
development—they must come;
and if the Master sees that it would be
useful for you to have them sooner, He will
tell you how to unfold them safely. Until
then, you are better without them.
You must guard, too,
against certain small desires which are
common in daily life. Never wish to shine,
or to appear clever; have no desire to
speak. It is well to speak little; better
still to say nothing, unless you are quite
sure that what you wish to say is true, kind
and helpful. Before speaking think carefully
whether what you are going to say has those
three qualities; if it has not, do not say
it.
It is well to get used
even now to thinking carefully before
speaking; for when you reach Initiation you
must watch every word, lest you should tell
what must not be told. Much common talk is
unnecessary and foolish; when it is gossip,
it is wicked. So be accustomed to listen
rather than to talk; do not offer opinions
unless directly asked for them. One
statement of the Qualifications gives them
thus; to know, to dare, to will, and to be
silent; and the last of the four is the
hardest of them all.
Another common desire
which you must sternly repress is the wish
to meddle in other men’s business. What
another man does or says or believes is no
affair of yours, and you must learn to let
him absolutely alone. He has full right to
free thought and speech and action, so long
as he does not interfere with any one else.
You yourself claim the freedom to do what
you think proper; you must allow the same
freedom to him, and when he exercises it you
have no right to talk about him.
If you think he is doing
wrong, and you can contrive an opportunity
of privately and very politely telling him
why you think so, it is possible that you
may convince him; but there are many cases
in which even that would be an improper
interference. On no account must you go and
gossip to some third person about the
matter, for that is an extremely wicked
action.
If you see a case of
cruelty to a child or an animal, it is your
duty to interfere. If you see any one
breaking the law of the country, you should
inform the authorities. If you are placed in
charge of another person in order to teach
him, it may become your duty gently to tell
him of his faults. Except in such cases,
mind your own business, and learn the virtue
of silence.
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